Climber

Okay, so Kai has always been a a climber. Always. But lately he's been taking climbing to the extreme. Well, as extreme as you can get with climbing at te age of 2. The other day I caught him attempting to shimmy his way UP the door frame to his room...later that same day I caught him successfully shimmy his way up the same door frame. I mean, he was only a couple of inches off the ground, but still! Then when I thought he was quietly playing in his room I go searching for him...he had climbed up the book shelf in the office. And when I was feeding Tristan he climbed up our dresser. Yes, our whole dresser that is 6 drawers high!! He had gotten the bottom one out just enough to make it an easier climb. You know the things that go through your mind when you're watching your 2 year old try to pull himself up onto your dresser? Well, my first thought was, quick grab your camera, but then it was, "this kid is going to break his neck" soooooo for once I chose safety first and got him down. Last week he climbed INTO his crib, laid down and took a nap. And the one thing he has been climbing repeatedly is his bathroom sink. Another time I thought he was being nice and quiet playing in his room and suddenly I realize that the water is running...I instantly ask myself if maybe I just had a "mom moment" and forgot to shut the water off until I notice the light is on and hear a burst of laughter. Yep, it was Kai splashing water all over the mirror and laughing at himself hysterically. That is until he saw me, shot me a look like, "Uh-oh am I in trouble?" But once I smiled he went right back to splashing and laughing. This kid....





-blogging on the go chasing my 2yr old

Snuggling Sunday.

I just love these boys so much and it just melts my heart when Kai gives big snuggles to his Daddy. We love when Brian is home and are taking advantage of every day in these next few weeks!


-blogging on the go chasing my 2yr old

Buzz Lightyear

The other day Kai and I had to run to Wal-Mart for a couple of unnecessary items. I mean, why else do you run to Wal-Mart except to buy things that you really don't need. You go for milk and end up spending $100 and when you get home you realize you bought everything in the store except milk. Dangit. Now i have to go back. It's a vicious cycle, really. Anyway, upon arrival at the glorious Warrensburg Wal-Mart I run straight to the toy aisle to let Kai pick out a ridiculously over-priced toy that I know I will never personally buy him. Why? Because I'm the most loving, caring mom ever...AND by letting him play with this toy it gives him the sense that I am the best mom ever since I always put his needs first and get him toys, though they never actually make it out of the store and into our home. See, it's all mind games! And I can be pretty good at mind games. What?!? No I don't let him play with these toys for my own shopping sanity. How dare you assume that! Excuse me?! No I don't let him play with these toys to avoid judgmental glares from all the people who do NOT have kids and think I should be able to control the 2 year old in my cart, who may or may not be mine, that happens to be having the world's biggest melt down over a gardening tool I won't let him carry throughout the store because I don't want to end up in the ER later because he has aerated his leg. You have some nerve to assume that. I let him play with these toys because his little mind is like a sponge and playing with new things helps build his creative thinking. It's all about thinking outside the box isn't it? One day when he's accepting some major smarty pants award I'm pretty sure in his acceptance speech he'll say, "and I'd like to thank my mom for carting me around Wal-Mart and letting me play with all the toys she never actually bought me..." See? I do it for his OWN good so I am done defending myself...now where was I? Oh yes, the toy aisle. So we're walking down the aisles and I'm waiting for the perfect squeal from him so I know which toy will keep his attention the longest. Suddenly I hear, "Buuuzzzzzzzz I wuv you!!!" I literally slam on the cart breaks. "Buuuzzzzzzzz I wuv you!!!" I hear again. Ding ding ding folks we have a winner! I grab the $40 Buzz and watch as Kai's body starts to convulse with excitement. I immediately whip out my phone and send this picture to my mom, Rachel and Brian.

No, you cannot tell how excited he is in the picture, but this was followed by a video of him confessing his love to Buzz throughout the store (I have yet to figure out how to download videos from my phone to Blogger...) Seriously for 20 minutes while I went from aisle to aisle getting my unnecessary items all I hear is "Buuuzzzzzzzz I wuv you!!!" and "toooooo the rescue" and a fairly good attempt at saying "to infinity and BEYOND!", which came out as more of a "mumble mumble mumble AND BEYOND" - seriously so cute. So I start heading to the check out line. In the beginning of my love affair with Wal-Mart I would put the toy back in it's appropriate place before heading to the checkout, but then I would have to make a mad dash to keep freak-outs to a minimum. So now I just bring it to the check out and make the employees put it back. Some may consider this rude, but I'm trying to keep judgmental glares to a minimum, so I think it's actually quite genius. So as I approach the counter my Mom texts me that I NEED to get Buzz for Kai, Grammie's treat. My mind went back and forth: Get it? Don't get t? Get it? Don't get it? Then I go to take Buzz from Kai's hands and the little bottom lip starts pouting out and I see tears starting to form in the corner of his baby blue eyes. That's when the words fall out of my mouth, "could you just scan it from the cart?"

Now let's talk about the drive home. We live literally 5 minutes from Wal-Mart and the whole ride home "Buzzzzzz ouuuuuut! Buzzzzzz ouuuuuuut!" holy cow why didn't I pack my Swiss Army knife?!? No! NOT to gouge my ears out so I could not hear the screaming, so I could get Buzz out of the adult proof box. Maybe I should have bought a knife at Wal-Mart because Lord knows they sell them there. When we get home Kai makes a drop dead sprint for the door, Buzz in hand and screaming "Buzzzzzz ouuuut!" He was kind enough to stop in his tracks and smile for this picture, but then quickly got irritated that I was taking his picture instead of getting Buzz out of the box. Shoot kid, when will you learn patience?

Finally after a full out battle with that box that not even a rabid raccoon could get into if there was a raw piece of meat in, Buzz was released into the hands of one very very VERY EXCITED 2 year old who immediately started flying Buzz around "TO THE RESCUE!" I seriously smiled for an hour straight watching him play with Buzz.

So Buzz is now just a part of the family. When Kai took a shower Buzz sat on Mommy and Daddy's bed so Kai could see him. He was the first thing he grabbed after the shower, still soaking wet and then flew around the house "TO INFINITY AND BEYOND!" butt ass naked.

And when Kai had to go nigh-night, he had to make sure Buzz was all tucked in first...on the extremely comfortable wooden stool with a spit-up cloth as a blanket.

And when he woke up the next morning he screamed "BUZZZZZZ" as he ran to get him. Then played with him all morning, gave him some snacks and lots of cuddles.

And then later Kai insisted we bring him on our errands...thankfully NOT to Wal-Mart otherwise we would have probably walked out with Woody...

And with every meal Kai insists that Buzz have a small portion, he even wipes his face when he's done. Space Rangers need to be strong and healthy too...right?

So yes, Buzz is now a part of our family and honestly I would have known that Kai would have this much love for Buzz, I probably wouldn't have been such a cheapo and bought him the ding dang toy a long time ago. Thank goodness Grammie came to the rescue! Without Grandparents I'm starting to think Kai wouldn't have any toys. I'll just blame Brian ;o)

-blogging on the go chasing my 2yr old

Music and Memories.

Okay, you know when you're driving around town running errands, or in my case driving all the way to freakin frackin Kansas City to run errands, and you have your iPod/iPhone on shuffle and a song comes on that INSTANTLY reminds you of a person? Now whether good or bad, you just think of that person the whole time the song plays and then you remember how much you love that song and make a mental note to play it more often. Unless of course it's a song that brings back bad memories, then you make a PHYSICAL note to delete that song immediately off your ipod because you never want to hear it or think of that person again. No, I do not have a specific example to this one, just throwing it out there for all you haters. Anyway, I digress... Been there? Yeah, well it happened to me the other day and I just smiled from ear to ear listening to the song on repeat literally about 7 times. This got me to thinking how often this happens, so I started making a list over the next couple of days. Pathetic? Yes, probably, but I love music, listen to it every day, almost all day and so I thought it would be fun. So here it goes...along with a brief brief brief part of their stories, in no particular order...

1. Brian: Take Me As I Am by Wyclef. This was our wedding song - the song makes us dance, makes us smile and it just happens to be in one of my favorite movies of all time, Love Actually. And did I mention I love Wyclef too? Because I do.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LSzx2SaEgvo&ob=av3e

2. Kula: The Promise by Tracy Chapman. Kula lived with us for the summer after her freshman year and listened to this song over and over and over because she had just broken up with her boyfriend. To this day, I love this song, though it is somewhat of a sad song...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MvC77iWO648

3. Alyson: Somebody Told Me by the Killers. Going to be honest, I do not remember exactly how this song became such a long running joke for us, and I have lots of songs that remind me of Alyson, but this one is still used as a joke...and quite often.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y5fBdpreJiU&ob=av2e

4. Lori: The Climb by Hannah Montana. I'm just going to leave this one alone... :o)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NG2zyeVRcbs

5. Rarr: Don't Kiss and Don't Tell by G-Love. Oh my my my. I can't thank this girl enough for introducing me to G-Love. Seriously, LOVE him and all because of her. Any G-Love song that comes on I instantly think of her. G-Love and Pat Green. Amazing.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ipPmklBJ6Es

6. Katie Peck: Walk on the Ocean by Toad the Wet Sprocket. So one summer, Peck, Kula and I all decided to drive a million bajillion miles north to visit our good friend Schneider up in Canada. This was on a mixed cd that Peck had made for our many miles. I think they got annoyed that I wanted to listen to it on repeat...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gcHB060NKYo

7. Rinny: Everything by Lifehouse. At training camp one year, I think it was training camp, Rinny and I listened to this over and over, ranting and raving about how great the lead singers voice was. There is this one part where his voice squeaks and ohhhhhh did we love it. For real.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fjDojEOiMcE

8. Fiona: Crimson and Clover by Tommy James and the Shondells. Back when Jr High was called Jr High and not Middle School, Fiona and I would literally lay by the radio trying to catch the extended version so we could record it on our cassette tape. WOW, that was a long time ago. We also used to call the radio station, Oldies 100.9, a thousand times just to request it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GpGEeneO-t0

9. Mom: Cherry Bomb by John Melloncamp. On one of our many family road trips to who knows where, my dad had bought the John Melloncamp's Greatest Hits cd so we listened to this cd quite a bit during our drive, but my mom put this song on repeat for about 5hrs straight. True story.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KF0gsbQKhD8&ob=av2e

10. Sisters: Stuck in the Middle by Mika. Now I honestly have a different song for each of them BUT the one song that always reminds me of all us is this song. It's so fun and makes me smile every time. Miss them. TONS.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0soIRsrjLXo

11. Angela: I'll Be Missing You by Puff Daddy...at least that's what he was going by when I loved the song. I remember sitting in my room listening to this with her in the 7th grade with my awesome cloud wallpaper (seriously, who let me do choose that wallpaper?) For whatever reason it stuck with me.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mM0-ZU8njdo

12. Amber: Champagne High by Sister Hazel. Honestly not sure where or when this song or this group came into our life, but I remember listening to this song and their cd 'Chasing Daylight' with Amber all the time. I need more Sister Hazel in my life.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3oLcDhIWxuY&ob=av2e

13. Michelle: Yellow by Coldplay. Freshman year dorm roomie!! We listened to this song every.single.night while we fell asleep. We had some good times in Parmalee #383

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1MwjX4dG72s&ob=av2e

14. Lindsay Thomas: Any Celine song. Yep, we're obsessed. We went to her concert, sat right near Jerry Rice and were in awe of how amazing she is. Seriously, make fun of us all you want, but Celine in concert is unbelievable. Lindsay and I even joked about trying to be one of her back-up dancers...except I wasn't joking.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kNwiSx_JkMM

15. Lindsey Williams: You Can Call Me Al by Paul Simon. I can't tell you the number of times we would hear this song when we went over to the Williams. Every time we were over there Matt would play this song and this is not a complaint because I love it! This and Fleetwood Mac remind me of Lindsey. I miss our card nights. What happened to Australia 2010? Kids happened...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uq-gYOrU8bA&ob=av3n

16. Melissa: Yeah by Usher. This song was always always always playing during volleyball game warm-ups AND Melissa just also happened to love this song. As did I and the rest of the United States. But now when I hear it I think "Warts" and volleyball. I miss this girl.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NiXbRBS5Z58

17. Adam: Are You That Somebody by Aaliyah. For whatever reason this was "our song" in the 7th or 8th grade. Adam loved the part with the fake baby crying. This song and any MJ/Jackson 5 or Red Hot Chili Peppers.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1M9BgfSHowg

18. Schneider: Born in the USA by Bruce Springsteen. Though she's Canadian, I always thought this should be her "walk out" song for the 100 back for Finals. Unfortunately I don't think she ever listened...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lZD4ezDbbu4

19. Dad: Wild Thing by The Troggs. My dad used to play this song all the time and then act like a crazy man when it was playing. At the time it was annoying, but now I think it's hilarious. Have to admit, when I hear I still play the air guitar.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4qHX493bB3U

20. Carlaw: Escape by Jimmy Buffet. This was one of those songs that was played ALL the time during swim practice. One morning us freshman took the girls to breakfast in the dorms after morning practice and Carlaw was singing this song, except she said, "in the dooms of the cake" - we died laughing. I'm sure no one else remembers this, but I do and I love it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QVdhZwK7cS8

21. CeLes: Pump It by Black Eyed Peas. In the beginning of this song there is this "surf-type" music (for lack of a better way to explain it), so whenever this would play CeLes would jump up onto the diving blocks and "surf" until she busted out her dance moves. Funniest girl ever.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZaI2IlHwmgQ&ob=av2n

22. Fischer: Escape by Enrique Inglesis. All I really have to say is that Fisch talked about how Enrique was her boyfriend every day until the day she graduated. Now she's married...Enrique in disguise?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9mQJaXwGPlg&ob=av2e

23. Marcy Barrows: Iris by the Goo-Goo Dolls. I remember one morning when this came on right before morning practice and Marcy refused to start warm-up until the song was over. This song and any Dave Matthews or Bare Naked Ladies song - she's responsible for my love for all.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NdYWuo9OFAw&ob=av2e

24. Woody: svefn-g-englar by Sigur Ros. Summer after my sophomore year I was going through a bit of a hard time and had major insomnia. Woody gave me this cd to try and help me sleep and I fell in love with them and this song. To this day if I can't sleep I whip this song out to help me relax.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sWiJWLiSKro

25. Abi Iler: Your Body is a Wonderland by John Mayer. One morning after practice this song was playing and Abi asked our coach, "Hey John, when you're in the shower do you sing this?" and then burst into song "MY BODY IS A WONDERLAAAAAND" - I have never laughed so hard. I think I peed.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N5EnGwXV_Pg

26. Eliza: Not an Addict by K's Choice. I remember listening to this song during our many sleep overs and watching Robin Hood Prince of Thieves. I still have the mixed cd we made with this song and so many others on it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cklb7L0OA1c

27. Joey: Ignition by R. Kelly. "I'm about to take my key and stick in the ignition..." Those lyrics pretty much sum it up...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y6y_4_b6RS8&ob=av2e

28. JT: Fix You by Coldplay. The summer that Brian and I got married we drove to Louisana with Brian's roommate, JT, to spend the 4th of July with his family. Probably one of the greatest trips - JT's family is amazing and we had so many laughs, tons of fun and lots of swimming. I had this cd in the car and we listened to this song every time we drove from his grandparent's to his cousins, where we were staying.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JI-o25K6B-E&ob=av3e

29. Robert: Buddy Holly by Weezer. No big story here, just introduced me to Weezer with this song and ever since then I have loved them. Even if my dad didn't let me buy their cds back in the day (can you say STRICT?) I could always count on the Thomas' to let me listen to theirs :o)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kemivUKb4f4&ob=av2e

30. Piepes: Over the Rainbow by Iz (Israel Kamakawiwo'ole). This was her wedding song and I remember thinking how much it suited them - such a beautiful song and such a beautiful couple. This song still makes me smile.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V1bFr2SWP1I

And yes...I actually did watch every single video and listen to every single song. I love music, I love the memories and I miss everyone. Lots. And yes, I might be slightly crazy with this post. Slightly...

Rough Nights.

Why is it that whenever you think things are going well something will happen to make you check yourself? Seriously. This past weekend Brian and I went shopping for big boy beds for our little man. He has been sleeping like a champ for a solid 12hrs and taking good 2-3hr naps so we thought now was a good time to pull the transition. And then last night happened...

Now I'm not going to lie, Brian and I have been staying up WAAAY too late watching Friday Night Lights. I know, I know, we are WAY behind with the times seeing as the show just ended, but now it's on Netflix and we can watch it episode after episode after episode. Monday night we stayed up until almost 2am watching it. Those are like pre-kid bedtime hours! No joke, we have issues here! I know you're probably wondering what this has to do with Kai's sleeping habits...well let me tell you. Since we stayed up so late Monday night (or Tuesday morning, depending on how you want to look at it) we decided to show some adult discipline and go to bed early. Yes, early is all relative and we actually didn't get to bed until 10:30 or so, but compared to 2am that IS early. So it's 10:30ish...okay probably closer to 11...and we are all snuggled up in bed when I start having a coughing attack. I have been sick lately and have had this cough for about a week and though I tried to keep the coughing to a minimum, at least minimum noise, I was very unsuccessful. You know when that itch in your throat just creeps in and gets stronger and stronger until you can't stand it? Yeah, that was me. Finally the coughing ceases and I am on the brink of falling asleep when I hear Kai stirring in his room, which instantly makes my ears perk up. I can hear him through the baby monitor tossing and turning, heavy sighs, restless sleep. I know it's only a matter of time before he actually wakes up. He starts doing little whimpers for a few minutes but then is quiet. I allow myself to relax again when he suddenly starts screaming, which is totally uncharacteristic of him. Normally I am not so jumpy to go get him, but since I was sick, I instantly think that he's probably not feeling well and am eager to make sure he doesn't have a fever. So I get up and go get him, check his temp (no fever, thankfully) give him some milk and bring him in to see his Daddy. Though he did see Brian briefly last night, he did not see him RIGHT before bed AND when he doesn't see his daddy before nigh-nights he tends to not sleep well, so in my state of sleep deprivation, I think that by seeing his daddy it will fix the problem and he'll go right back to sleep. WRONG! He starts screaming and screaming and screaming. So, again, I go get him and he runs to the living room, full of energy and ready to play. I decide to let him play for an hour or so, which brings us to about 3:30a. And I thought staying up until 2a was late. Oh joy. However, he was perfectly content playing by himself so he didn't require me bring my "A game" to the table. Phew.

So 3:30a rolls around and I ask him if he's ready for nigh-night. He literally stands up, puts his toys away and walks to his room. Hold up!!! This never happens without me asking! Am I dreaming or did my kid turn into a zombie? Both? Yeah, that's what I thought. Either way I drag, better yet, I stumble into his room and lay him down, thinking "ahhhh finally I'm going go get some sleep." I shut his door and SCREAMING begins. Are you flipping kidding me? I go into our room to consult Brian, who is definitely NOT with it. We do the one thing we swear we'd never do...put him in bed with us. I know, I know, I already feel your harsh judgment. But let's ease up a little bit, I WAS sleep deprived here people! I can't say I'm proud of our decision, but I will tell you it definitely didn't help. Kai literally laid there talking to himself, playing with my hair, playing with the blankets, patting my back when I coughed, faked his own coughing attack, giggled, sat up, laid down, sat up, laid down, sat up, laid down. Suddenly it's 4:45a. I am going to rip all of my hair out if Kai hasn't already done it. Brian finally "threatens" Kai with having to go into his own room if he's not going to sleep and literally 2 minutes later he is sound asleep...taking over the whole bed and taking names. So much for any sleep whatsoever. The funny thing is, he woke up bright eyed and full of energy ready to go.

Hopefully this was a one night ordeal because Brian and I both agreed that if it happens again tonight we're going to have to let him cry it out, which is never a fun experience...EVER. I do have to give Brian a "shout out" because he did indeed offer to get up with Kai from his very first whimper. He's pretty great like that and most of the time, when things like this happen he is the one who actually gets up with him. Sooooo pretty much what I'm saying is, that if this happens again tonight, I'm going to play dead and let Brian deal with it. Boom. :o)


-blogging on the go chasing my 2yr old

Name Brands

So lately I've been trying to be more wise with money and my spending habits. Since Brian and I have been married I have openly admitted that I don't really understand the value of a dollar. I always think $100 can get me a lot further than it really can. So, since we moved into our house Brian has put me on budget lockdown, which I surprisingly didn't fight. I admit I like to spend. Because of this major "lockdown" I have started really paying attention to what I'm spending at the grocery store and how I can save money. This brings me to my point: goodbye name brands, hello Great Value Wal-Mart brand! Now I admit it has been a slower process than I would like, but it's kind of a trial and error type thing. I have to try the off brand to make sure it tastes like the "real deal". If I can tell a major difference I won't continue to buy it and will typically make Brian finish it (shhhh don't tell him!) I first started noticing the price difference with Coffeemate. The Great Value one is a whole $1.00 cheaper, which doesn't sound like a lot, but it adds up, especially with all the other products! Of course there are my things that I just cannot bring myself to buy the off brand version of. These include: soda of any kind, Bounty paper towels, Dunkin Donuts coffee, pickles, chocolate chips, Ranch dressing, and Honey Nut Cheerios...just to name a few. Recently I have converted to the off brand with Coffeemate, yogurt, milk (including the organic milk for Kai), cereals, cereal bars for Kai, spices and seasonings, frozen waffles, frozen and canned veggies, apple sauce, juice, canned fruits, trash-bags and a lot of others. And I have always used the off brand of medicine thanks to my brother in-law who told me that's what all the hospitals use anyway and are ten times cheaper.

So if you are a name brand snob like I once was (and still kind of am) bring your own stuff to our place because we're all Great Valued out!! Judge all you want ;o)


-blogging on the go chasing my 2yr old

Big Brother

No I am not pregnant, but it makes my heart happy watching Kai with Tristan. He just loves her to pieces. He always wants to help with everything. He wants to hold the bottle when I'm feeding her, burp her when she's done eating, gets so so so so excited and giggles when she finally burps and when I change her diaper he says "ucky ucky mommy!" and then runs to get his stuffed monkey, shoves the monkey butt in my face screaming "ucky" and then insists on wiping and putting a diaper on the monkey. It seriously makes me smile from the inside out to see how much he loves her...except when he wants to play with her and attempts to lift her up by the arm and when he pegs her on the head with a ball. Gotta watch that kid like a hawk. When she starts crying he'll run over to her and say "shhhhh shhhhh it otay 'ristan" and then rubs her belly and gives her kisses. And when she wakes up from her nap and is crying, he'll sprint down to my room and say "NO NO! 'elp 'elp!" Gosh he is going to be the best big brother....whenever that will be!



-blogging on the go chasing my 2yr old

A Typical Day

I am going to give you a quick glimpse of what my day looks like, in picture book form...

Kai woke up and immediately started looking at the Buzz Lightyear costume in the new In-Step catalog. I guess he's getting a jump start to making his Christmas list...

Then Tristan showed up (the new baby I started watching last week). Shortly after she came they both went down for a nice long nap...sort of...

After Kai woke up we ate some lunch. Today was a special day because I let him eat while watching Toy Story 3. Its not every day he gets to watch TV in the afternoon AND eat his lunch at the same time! Lately he has been obsessed...and I mean OBSESSED with Buzz. He asks to watch it every 30 seconds, seriously. And it is the ONLY movie he will sit and watch the entire time. Good thing I like that movie, though Brian has forbidden me to watch the end because I cry like a baby every time. Literally go into weep mode. Don't judge, I'm sensitive!

After lunch we have some art time. Lately I have been bringing this activity into the garage, but the music was playing in our "office" and Kai found a nifty place to put the paper he wanted to color on. We had lots of fun coloring and dancing, but Kai only wanted to use the green marker. Good choice kid.

There were sirens in the song and this was the face I got...hilarious!

He does not take his art work lightly! Very focused.

I tried to give him a blank piece of paper to color on but he insisted he use the post office "how to change your address online" sheet. Anyway, TAAAA DAAAAA, finished product.

A little pool time of course (twice a day, every day).

Gymnastics off the couch...everyday activity, obviously.

Gotta have at least one solid singing performance a day!

And then come the faces...

My favorite of the day...

And then of course dinner, more arts and crafts, more pool (in our jammies...unplanned), bath time, brushing teeth and nigh-night, but tonight was not one worth taking picture of. He was one cranky kid and I was one tired mama. Maybe tomorrow :o)

-blogging on the go chasing my 2yr old

Texas Road Trip.

When Brian told me he was going to Dallas the last weekend in July, my first thought was "I'm in!!" I have still have some really great friends down there that I definitely do not see often enough and when Brian offers a free trip down, it's crazy not to go...but once we left I'm pretty sure I was crazy to say yes to an 8hr drive in a car with a toddler. Okay, okay, it really wasn't that bad. We left early Thursday morning and thankfully Kai slept for the first couple hours. The rest of the drive was somewhat of a blur. I think it's because I was the one driving while Brian and Kai snoozed in for a couple hours. Thanks boys....

But there is a background story to this story. You see, when I first said yes to going to Dallas, one of my friends, whose name is also Lindsey, said she wasn't going to be in town because they were going to Colorado. Bummed? Yes. Disappointed? Obviously. Jealous? Yeah, that was mostly my problem. I mean, how could I really be upset for them going to the greatest state of all states? I couldn't. So once I found this out, honestly, I reconsidered. The Williams are the ones we stay with. The ones we play cards with until the wee hours of the morning. The ones who we used to smoke cigars and play Super Nintendo with. The ones who we just have a genuinely great time with, relaxing, doing nothing but be ourselves. I miss that. That's why I wanted to go to Dallas. But they weren't going to be there, so what was the point of going? There really wasn't one until the following 2 things happened. 1: My OTHER friend Lindsay had her baby girl a few weeks early (on Kai's birthday!) and of course I just needed to give that baby a squeeze!!!! 2: Ummmm Dallas has an Ikea HELLLLLLO! Soooooooo off to Dallas we went :o)

So we finally hit Texas...after stopping at a nasty McDonald's and letting Kai run around for a bit and get some energy out. Seriously, nastiest McDonald's EVER. We probably wouldn't have stopped there if it wasn't 1. the only place to eat since we were in the middle of NOWHERE and 2. the only place that my energy filled child could run like a freaking mad man and let some of that energy out without being kicked out of the restaurant. But Ikea was on the horizon so I sucked it up and dealt with it. Okay, now if you've never been to Ikea you must go, but just be prepared to be overwhelmed. Honestly wanted everything. That's one thing about getting a new house - you want ALL new things! Ugh, it's dreadful. However, we did buy a couple of cute things for our new place, so I was pretty happy. AND we found a couple of things we want for later...when we have money for it. Bottom line: Dallas trip, already a success. Nothing like driving 8hrs to go shopping :o)

Kai found a guitar in World Market and he was in music HEAVEN.

Scout.Jelly.Plug.Blank.Check.

You would think I would have known better...

Friday afternoon, after doing some early morning shopping (yes, I'm addicted, back off) Brian dropped Kai and I off at the Thomas residence! YAAAAY for seeing Lindsay and meeting Payton. Let me just say...LOVE. I love her. I love babies. I want one. NOW! But for now Payton definitely gave me my little baby snuggle fix. I forget how much they sleep and how non-active they are. Kai was constantly concerned that Payton kept dropping her "plug" and kept trying to jam it in her mouth (sorry Lindsay), but all in all I think he did really well around her. Duke, the little doggie, helped distract him at times, but the moment that baby made any sound Kai would run over to make sure she was okay and say, "NO NO BAAAABY!" (no-no = uh-oh in his lingo, just stick with me) Thank you Lindsay and Payton for putting up with us alllllll day. We love you all and it was so great to see you!

Checkin' out Payton.

Kai getting ready to shove the plug into her mouth.Precious!!!

Saturday was just another busy busy day! Wouldn't have it any other way :o) In the morning we went to one of my good friend's house, Mary. I met Mary when I worked at Guidestone and she is the greatest, bestest lady ever. No joke. I love her. Mary's daughter in-law and son had just adopted a baby girl (Zoey) and so when we got to her house she was making cupcakes for Zoey's "gotcha" party. Of course, Kai and I were more than happy to help her with the cupcakes...and we ate a couple along the way. Again, Kai was easily distracted with her 2 doggies and all the toys Mary had to play with from her other granddaughter, Kallie. So while Mary and I slaved in the cupcake decorating department, Kai had a ball playing with all the new toys! After finishing all the cupcakes we ran a few errands before Mary dropped us off at my other friend, Mary's house. I know, I know, real original. I only have Texas friends whose names are either Lindsey or Mary. Ohhhhh well, they are all super great!!

Helping Mary with the cupcakes!YUMMMMMY!!!Running errands...purse and necklace, a must.

So when we arrived at the Flickner's, all the kiddos were sound asleep, but that didn't stop Kai from diving into the HUGE train track that Blake had set up that morning. Unfortunately, once Kai got into it, it was completely ruined. All boy, all destruction, all day. Soon enough Isaiah woke up and him and Kai almost immediately went into battle. They were quite the warriors - so brave and courageous!! Once Ruthie was up, it was pure mayhem for a couple hours. Seriously, a house full of screaming, destructive, energetic kids. SOOOOOO great!! I don't think I have smiled that much since...well probably since the day before when I got to hold Payton :o) But watching Kai with the Flickner's made me so happy. They were so much fun - I couldn't stop watching them. Bath time was a watery mess, but pure joy. After bath time, Blake and Brian got home and took the kiddos outside. Why we gave them a bath I'm not sure because they were a hot sweaty mess 2 hrs later when they finally were forced to come back in. Ruthie even pulled her pants down to pee outside, just like her brother. I.died.laughing. Malachi sure was exhausted because when we left he was OUT before we even got out of their driveway. Sign of a night well played. Thanks Flickner's for all the fun!!

Pre-gaming for the bath by jumping on the bed.

SO MUCH LAUGHTER!!!

ALL smiles!

Just a little after bath cheerios snack.Chomp.Chomp.Game time.

Sunday morning we had to leave, but JT and Skyla stopped by with some donuts and juice. I hadn't seen JT in a couple years, so it was really great to see him and Skyla. She is so sweet and they are an awesome couple. It makes me happy to see my friends happy :o)

Unfortunately, like most trips go, getting home seemed to take a million hours. Kai slept for the first 4 hrs of the trip, but after that he was quite exhausting. Entertaining a 2yr old in the car is really hard and literally takes a lot of energy to distract him for long periods of time. He watched a movie, thankfully (seriously, he rarely will watch a whole movie without getting bored), then Brian insisted we take the scenic route, then insisted we stopped at the University of Arkansas, to which I told him if we were stopping I was getting a new mug. I LOVE MUGS!! So we stopped, I got my mug, and all was well...except for that last hour of the trip I wanted to jump out of the car, but hey, the trip was definitely worth every minute in the car. I never thought I'd miss Texas, and really I don't miss living there, but I do miss the great people that I met. My friendships there are forever and I just wish we could all just live in one small little community together. Good friends are hard to replace when you move away, but thankfully good friends are still good friends from a distance. Miss y'all ;o)