The life of a mom

As if it couldn't get any worse

Landon had a fever all night Sunday and when he woke up Monday morning he was

COVERED

in red dots.
Chicken Pox looking dots.

I was freaking out.

How?

Where?

WHY??

Well it turned out to be nothing serious, but he still calls them his chicken pox.

*Gavin Update*

So a little re-cap

At Gavins 6 month appt. The Dr. was concerned about his weight gain. He was not gaining as much as the Dr. would have liked him too, but because he had only been on solids for a little over 2 weeks, the Dr. wanted to give that a little time to see if that would help him put on a little chub.

So over this last month I did a lot of praying, a lot of stressing, a lot of worrying, a lot of crying, and a LOT of craming food down Gavin's throat... by his will of course.

I wanted to make sure he gained weight. I was just sure he was. He felt heavier. He eats a ridiculous amount. I walked into that Dr.s office super confident.

Well it didn't really play out how I had imagined. He did gain 12 ounces, but I guess for his age he should be gaining about 1/2 ounce to an ounce a day. So She said ideally she would have liked him to gain around 30 ounces, but he should have at least gained 15. It doesn't make any sense. to me that he's not gaining. But I'm glad I have a Dr. who is catching this while hes still so young... if there even is anything to catch. I'm hoping he just got that amazing metabolism gene that I failed to recieve.

So next Friday we go see a Pediatric GI and then I have a referral to a Nutrition Specialist. Im not quite sure what either will do, but for now I will just love on my kid and pray my heart out. Please keep him in your prayers.

7 Months

Gavin is 7 Months Old!

He weighs 14.7 lbs.

He is 28 inches tall.
He is still amazing in every way.

In case you were wondering.
He is in Love with his big bro.

At 7 Months Gavin is:

Pulling himself up on everything

Which means he falls over a lot

and makes naptime/bedtime a lot of fun!

He is crawling everywhere

which means he follows brother into every room

He has said "ma ma" twice

which means he loves me more than "da da"

(just kidding.. kinda ;))

He can give High-Fives!

He can give kisses..

Which I LOVE!

He can wave HI

He likes to spit or blow raspberries

whatever you call that.

He LOVES food!

All FOOD.

ANY FOOD!!!!!

He is the sweetest, cutest, smartest baby ever...

in his mommys opinion.

Quote of the Week

So were driving in the car.

Landon is making noise like always.

It's car sounds today.

"Vrooooommmmm."

"Vrooooommmmm."

"Errrrrrrrrrrrr."

"CRASH!"

"Come on Mom, crash the car!"

The world moves too fast for walking

Water Babies

We had the best time!

A little time away from "life"

A lot of Family time.

Gavin's first trip out of state

and

his first time on a boat.

Our boys.

They love the water.

They love the sun.

They love their grandparents.

They love their aunts and uncles.

They are spoiled.. they are so Loved.

AND

they love eachother.

Papa couldn't wait to do all "boy" things with Landon and Gavin.

Like chase ducks and go fishing.

Aunt Tracy and Uncle Kenny loved on the boys all weekend.

The boys loved it and Matt and I enjoyed the extra help.

The sun takes a lot out of a little boy.

A little Family time.

We took Landon out to knee board for the first time.

He did GREAT!

He was done after he wiped out and the board hit him on the head.

He is fearless.

Boy bonding.

Landon's first fish.

A small mouth bass.

Mommy bonding.

Nothing like a sleeping baby.

Nothing like MY sleeping baby.

We had such a nice "mini vaca" with the family.

Can't wait for more of those

and

more of Landon and Gavin's firsts.

We teach em' young...

Don't Talk back to me!

I think I have a problem!!

For the last few (many) minutes I have been sitting here thinking how Im gunna get my next fix.

My kids are both in bed ASLEEP and I wouldnt dare mess with that.

Matts working.

But I want it so bad.

I can't come up with anyway to get it.

I thought of calling someone to bring me some.

That would just be so pitiful.

I am at a loss.

I would say I am an addict.

I think I need to buy in bulk next time.

Save some for a night like tonight.

I am a "regular."

They know me by name.

I can't stop thinking of it.

Yes, I have a problem.

So please,

please,

please

BRING ME SOME FROZEN YOGURT!

babble

Why when you honk a horn at someone they automatically get offended even if you are just trying to get there attention that the light has been green so long it has already turned yellow?

Why do you get pissed when someone honks their horn at you?

Why was I put on talking timeouts growing up?

Why can't I wait until Landon understands what a talking timeout is?

Why does my car take over $75 to fill up?

Why do all the good tv shows take a summer break?

Why do people think they can predict the end of the world?

Why do all the hott skinny girls go to the gym at night?

Why do I try to avoid the gym at night?

Why does my phone battery die within one day?

Why do I love reality tv so much?

Why does Gavin eat so much yet not gain weight?

Why can't I have that problem?

Blah Blah Blah

This weeks quote brought to you by daddy..

So we went shopping the other day. I brought back up this time. I have not fully learned my lesson in taking the kids out by myself, but when trying on clothes it is nice to not have the boys in the dressing room with me, or at least just have to take one.

So while im trying on clothes Matt is holding the baby and Landon is sitting on a display thingy..

This is all according to Matt.. my eyes and ears were with the clothes...

Landon keeps poking the baby in the face.. and Matt keeps telling him to stop.

After a few good warnings Matt flicks Landon on the cheek.

Landon fighting back tears.. takes a few deep breaths and says,

"I want to smack you so bad when you do that!"

HAHAHA.. I would say where do kids come up with this, but im sure he knows it from when Matt says that to me..

Yes of course JK.

You can't force them to nap.. but you can knock em' out

No, not really.

We take a less physical approach.

We Drug em'.

Haha. No, however sometimes I wish i could mix a little something somethin' in his juice cup so he will FALL ASLEEP.

Is that bad?

Ive never done it, so please don't call CPS on me.

Seriously, is that too much to ask?

It's called naptime for a reason.

Landon on the other hand heard from a friend of a friend whose cousins brother told him it was called, "destroy your room and scream for your mama time."

That is exactly what he does.

But mama needs a break.

Mama is getting a break.

You can scream.

You can cry.

You can shove crap under the door.

You can kick the wall.

The door.

You can jump on your bed.

BUT...

YOU

ARE
TAKING
A
(NAP)
MOMMY TIMEOUT!!

A 2 hour mommy timeout.

So, after 2 hours I go get my booger out of his room.

Sadly, I am never surprised at what I find.

Surprised no.

Pissed off, yes, sometimes.

But today I just had to smile.

Well actually more like laugh hysterically.

He was wearing "3,4,7 underwears" as he told me that he did indeed put on himself.

Im telling you hes got style.

And

He likes to show it off.

He was proud.

(I guess it didnt hurt as much when I whipped his butt with 3 pairs of underwear on.)

JUST KIDDING.

Please please dont call CPS.

I see a future Hanes Model.

Dont you?

So if you have any all natural ideas for getting a child to actually fall asleep during naptime rather than hone their self dressing skills send them my way.

Im open to anything..

If its illegal send it to me in my inbox ;)

Quote of the Week

Landon: Mommy I want to go outside.

Me: No its raining.

Landon: Ah ok I go get my rain boots.

And off he ran to his room and sure enough he came back with his rainboots.

So cute.

So smart.

Who needs a pet?

I sure dont!

I have 3 boys.

3 monkeys

They take up all my time.

I feed them.

Bathe them. (yes all 3 ;) ... not at the same time)

Take them for walks.

They are more than enough pet for me.

They know how to lay down..
They know how to sit..

They know how to roll over..

They know how to attack..

I just LOVE them.

My most monkey-ish boy is so much fun.

He is carefree.

He is wild.

He is fearless.
He KNOWS how to have fun.

This is just a typical afternoon for us.

So like I said, who needs a pet with these 3!?!

mommy, mom, ma, mama, mommy, mama, mom, ma

Mother's Day in all its glory.

I am infact the luckiest mom in the world.

You might think you are, and Im ok with that.

You should, well if your a mom then you should.

But I know I am.

I know I am every single time I get a kiss or a hug from Landon.

I know I am everytime I get woken up for a middle of the night feeding.

I know I am when Gavin gurgles and coos his "I love You's" to me.

I know I am when Landon talks in his "monster voice."

I know I am when Landon pees in the potty.

I know I am when Landon pees in his underoos.

I know I am when Gavin is sleeping in my arms.

I know I am when Gavin refuses to nap.

Pretty much my kids make the best moments of my day,

and also in the worst moments I know I could not be luckier and wish my kids were anything other than my kids.

WE had a great Mother's Day.

Matt had to work, but I woke up too some sweet cards from the hubbs and kiddos.

We went to brunch with the family.

Then back to my Grandmas house to relax and enjoy eachothers company.

My boys had a blast with their cousins.. which also makes me smile.

We made it home before Matt got off work.

We had a family dinner,

the four of us,

which as nice as the day we had was,

it was my favorite part of the day.

Happy Mother's Day to all other Mommies, especially my 2.

<3 Jackie and Janet <3

Quote of the Week

"Mommy, baby "gabin" is freakin' cute!"

Even he knows his brother is steps above just a regular cute. :)

Mom of the Year #3

Why do I have so many of these you ask? Good thing I can't hear your request cause I have no good reasons for it. Im a good mom. I swear.

Frozen Yogurt. Its a necessity. That will set the scene for ya. We take Landon to get a treat after dinner for keeping his pull ups dry POST NAPTIME. Every body should get a reset button.

Baby once again is crying as we drive there. Landon is being Landon. LOUD. Annoyingly cute. But oh so LOUD!. Matt decides he's gonna run in and get us some so we don't have to take the kids out. Im fine with that.

I remember I have to make a phone call to the bff. I try to talk over the kids cries and song singing in the "monster voice." It's not working. So out of the car I get. To the curb I sit. Ahhhhh peaceful. I can hear. Hearing is in fact a LUXERY. Do I see anything wrong with what Im doing? The kids in the car; one screaming his lungs out, the other singing his lungs out. NO. No I don't. Not until I see Matt pass by me with that look does it hit me. Yet again I managed to get that feeling.. MOM of the Year.

PLeaSe sHOot Me... or... HAve mE comMitteD

Im going crazy. Well, not as I type.. and as you read this, but about 6 hours ago I was. I would have opted for either of the two prior mentions in my title.

Tell me why I thought taking my two boys.. that were in need of a nap..

need.. thats an understatement...

why i thought that it would be a good idea to make a "quick" stop at a clothing store.

Just to try on a few things, get a few last minute birthday gifts, browse. It sounded a lot better in my head than how it actually played out.

They say traumatic events are sometimes displaced from your memory so I will try to gather as much of the event that I can and that has not been blocked out forever.

WHY do they make shopping carts that look like they are for preschoolers? Do you want to limit how much merchandise I can shove in my basket? Do you think I'm gonna buy ya out?

Come on people.

I can't even stick the infant carrier sideways in the cart and have enough room for Landon to sit in the toddler seat fully extended.

Poor kid has to hunch over like a college frat boy over the toilet.

Good thing we hadn't eaten dinner yet or it might have come up.

Fun stuff right? And the shopping hasn't even began yet. Browsing.. well at this point thats out of the question. I have my checklist in my head and Im sticking to it.. wait I can't even hear my checklist over the crying baby. Thats right. The baby cried. The baby kept crying. From the time we entered the store til the time we left. We were there 58 minutes. But whose counting.

OK. So were off. Looking for a shirt for my mother that is for my brother.

Long story.

Found one. Send the picture text. Wait for response. Baby Screaming.

Toddler escaping.

TODDLER ESCAPING?

Yes, my son climbing out and down to run around.

Ok. Found the kid. Buckled in. Buckle tightened. Crying Baby. Crying toddler. Almost crying mama.

Almost.

On to a different section. Found some shorts to try on. Why did I think I could try on shorts with 2 crying kids?

Oh a text back from my mom. I got the wrong size. Oh well I will go back on my way out to change it. I have to pee. I have to pee bad.

NO MERCHANDISE ALLOWED IN THE BATHROOMS.

Kids out of the cart. Walking to the bathroom.. a step behind another lady. This lady sees me and my two kids yet chooses to take the big stall.

GRRRRR.

I try to fit me, Landon and Gavin who is in the infant carrier in the little stall.

Doesnt work.

Doing the potty dance.

Landon decides he has to pee, but locks me out of the stall. Doing the potty dance while trying to get Landon to open the door to his stall.

Baby still crying.

Gets Landon to open the door.

Landon pees in the potty.

The lady is still in the big stall.

Can see lady through the crack in the big stall.

Her shirt is off?

Yes that is a question.

Why the heck is her shirt off?

She gets redressed.

Comes out and apologizes saying she should have let me go first.

NO, we could have gone at the same time if you would have been normal and took the small stall and kept your shirt on.

On to the dressing room. There is a family dressing room. Yay I can take the cart in and keep them strapped down.

Baby still crying.

Why I haven't left yet is a mystery to even myself.

Landon shouts.. "why you naked mom?"

I try to explain loudly (loud enough that the young man that showed us to our dressing room can hear) that I am NOT naked, my pants are just off. AWKWARD!

Found some shorts. 2 pairs. Yipee!

Go looking for the right size shirt for my mom.

There isn't one.

Text her back.

Does she want me to get it or not.

Wait for a reply. Baby crying. Still waiting for a reply. Baby crying. Decided to get the heck out of the store and pay so we can go home and I can regain sanity.

Pay. That part went well. Aside from the baby crying.

Go to the car. Get Gavin in the car. Get stuff in car. Get Landon in c... wait... wheres Landons other shoe? WHY ARE YOU ONLY WEARING ONE SHOE? "i take it off and throw it in store." Take Landon out of the car.

Take Gavin out of the car.

Go back in store.

Retrace steps.

Find shoe.

Go home.

Home.

Thank God.

*UPDATE

The Jularah Update - about 40 days later...

Yes, after about a month and a half we got around to doing some gardening once again. Oh come on, its not that long. Well there was some good news and some not so good news.. as goes with most anything.

This is a picture of our tomato plant on day 1. SO GREEN. So fresh. SO Full of life.. hapiness.. love.. ok well that may be going a little far..

And here it is again on day 40. Sad day. But don't give up hope on us yet. We may not have green thumbs, but we have determination.

Thats half the battle right??

Heres the garden Day 1. Planted. Watered. Ready for growth.

Aha! Do you believe in us yet? Do you see all those green leafy things? Yep!

Thats our garden.

The few rows that lasted through the hail, snow, and a broken sprinkler that went un-noticed for.. oh.. a month or so.. give or take a few days.

So if we haven't made believers outta ya yet, then this will have to reel ya in. We got a live one. That little red ball thing.

Its called a radish.

For those not familiar with this veggie/fruit.. im not quite sure what it is.. i'll explain it.

radish: any of various plants of the genus Raphanus, cultivated for its edible root.

You see.

Radish. Its the new Black. Its famous.

"when he was naked he was, for all the world, like a forked radish, with a head fantastically carved upon it with a knife." -Shakespeare

like a said.. famous.

It has many uses.

You can eat them in a salad (obvious)

Pickle them (mmm not sure id be a fan)

Saute them in butter (NOW were talking!)

Looking forward to all the growth that is to come.. and hoping we will have an update before another 40 or so days pass. :)

Quote of the Week

Landon is potty training. Geez this process SUCKS! He LOVES to go on the potty... but ONLY when its his idea and not moms or dads. We have good.. no we have GREAT days.. and then we have some not so good days. He is in control of this.. which he knows.. and he likes. SO pretty much when HE decides he wants to wear big boy underwear.. he will. But anyways we try to encourage and motivate with candy, stickers, fruit snacks, Little Bear and such. So the other morning he ran out of the potty...

Landon: Bubba did it Yayyyyyy

Mommy: Good Job Bubs

Landon: Candy??
(Now i give him candy about half the time he goes, because he will go squeeze out a few drops just to get some candy. And this particular morning he probably already had a few.. Peeps to be exact.)

Mommy: No, not this time Landon. You've already had 2. You need to eat breakfast.

Landon: Awwwwww Mom. I WANT CANDY.. (his voice is escalating)

Mommy: No

Landon: (yelling) I WANT A MARSHMELLOW CHICKEN!!

hahah I couldn't resist.. I had to get my lil Peep killer a marshmellow chicken.