Monday, April 25, 2011

Happy Easter!!

The kids saw the Easter Bunny a couple of weeks ago. Here is the picture. Stella thought the bunny was quite hilarious.

Yesterday, as the kids opened their Easter baskets, Seth held up an item and non-chalantly said, "You gave me this," and then moved on to the next thing. I was so shocked, I didn't say anything at first so I waited until he picked up another item and said it again! I said, "What do you mean I gave you that?" He said, "I saw it in your closet!" Oh no!!! The secret's out! I countered with, "What were you doing in my closet?" but I already knew the answer. He always takes a bath or a shower in our bathroom. What is it about mom and dad's room that makes it so much better? Funny thing is, I also bathe Stella in our bathroom, just because it is easier. LOL. Perhaps it is my fault I got him into the habit. Oh well. I left it at that, and he didn't say anything else. Maybe he still believes a little. Ha ha.

Stella wasn't entirely impressed with the whole basket thing or hunting Easter eggs. She took things out of her basket, looked at them intensely and then either brought them to me, or threw them down on the floor next to her. It was quite comical. She definitely didn't care about putting eggs in her basket. She mostly took them out and threw them. She got a sweet little lamb from her Godmother and Godfather. I made it give her a kiss, which she promptly wiped off her face, but later in the day, she made Uncle Sammy(my uncle, her godfather)give it kisses several times and she did take it to bed with her last night. Perhaps she likes it. LOL.

I dyed eggs with Seth and we had so much fun doing it. It was my first time to do it on my own. I'd say overall, it was successful. We experimented with the colors and tried to make different ones. I then made deviled eggs out of those. They were so yummy! I put jalapenos in them. Best idea ever. Also, Seth got a kite from my Mommy, which is exciting because there is a is a huge field across from our house to fly it in!! I enjoyed spending time with my family on Easter. It was a great time!

Tuesday, April 19, 2011

Beautiful Children

I have some amazing, beautiful children and sometimes I just feel compelled to show them off. So, here you go...pictures taken by Detta Owens(my mommy).








Friday, April 15, 2011

Boys and their Bodily Noises

What is it about burps and farts that fascinates boys so much? My son is obsessed with fart noises. If he farts, he laughs hysterically. Okay, okay, I will admit this is probably my fault since I find farts funny too. Nothing is cuter than a little baby who farts and doesn't even notice it happened. Don't be shy! Go ahead and admit it, farts sound funny!! But, still, I don't go around trying to replicate the noise...Seth on the other hand is a very sophisticated and talented arm pit farter. He can make every kind of fart sound with his arm pits. Some days, all I hear are fart sounds, followed by his cute little giggle.

He can make loud farts, short farts, quiet farts, long farts. He can even make the ones that sound like the air coming out of a balloon. He also uses the back of his knee to make fart noises. There have been several times that he has made an armpit fart and I said, "Seth, say excuse me!!" and then I realized it was just his armpit. Yep, my kid is super talented!

Monday, April 11, 2011

My Baseball Star

Ever since Seth was old enough to hold one, he has been throwing the ball like a pro. We were able to toss a baseball to him by the time he was 3, and he could hit it with a bat. My son is naturally athletic and naturally talented at alot of things. But baseball is by far, his expertise. He is not even 8 years old yet, and even his coaches will take their glove off and shake their hand after catching a throw from Seth. It always makes us laugh when he gets up to bat and the other team's coach will tell the kids to back up.

We started t-ball back when he was 5 and his coach was instantly enamoured. He would tell us how talented Seth was and how he couldn't believe how great he was at such a young age. Needless to say, we were on the same team the following year. This year, we have moved up to coach pitch and of course, we are with the same coach/team. We wouldn't go anywhere else. Besides, the coach told us if we didn't stick with tri-cities baseball because we moved to North Fort Worth, he would hire a driver just to get Seth to and from practices. We stuck with tri-cities of course.

Coach pitch is much more exciting than t-ball. It's awesome. This year we are with basically the same exact team as two years ago(it alternates every other year with the kids who move up and those who stay behind) and our boys have gotten even better than they were. Seth is hitting like a pro and he is an expert fielder. Ok, so he isn't fielding like a major leaguer, but for his age group, he is pretty dang good!


This weekend we had a game, and while our team couldn't quite catch the other team and we lost our game, we played so well! Seth made 7 outs during the game! One ball he caught at short stop and ran across 2nd base and the other 6 were outs he made while playing 1st. I am so proud of him!! He got the game ball. By the time we graduate from high school, I think we may have to purchase a special shelf just for all his games balls. He is the most amazing kid and I love him.



Friday, April 8, 2011

Pretty Princess

Stella is my sweet girly girl! She loves purses and she has always been in love with jewelry. Last night we got a visit from my SIL and she brought a very large bag full of beads for the kids. Stella was already in bed, so she didn't get to see the beads. This morning when Stella walked in the living room, she strolled by them, casually glancing in their direction. Then, she stopped dead in her tracks, and turned around and looked right at them. Her eyes got wide and she reached out her arms and ran to them, squealing! She put her hands in the beads and pulled handfulls of colorful strings out while giggling. She picked one and took it to her brother, who dutifully put it on her while she beamed from ear to ear!

Today is the last day of daycare for both kiddos. I take Stella to her daycare in the morning and Joe takes Seth to his. When I dropped Stella off this morning, the teachers were gushing over her pretty beads and the purple flower in her hair. They said she is such a sweet little princess and they are all so sad to see her go. They said when any teacher goes into her classroom, she always smiles big and runs up to them for hugs. They said they are all attached to her and she entertains everyone on a daily basis. They said she is one of the sweetest, smartest, most adorable babies they've ever had!!! Boy am I proud to hear that! I love my little princess. Now, perhaps they say these things to all parents, but that's ok by me, because I agree with him wholeheartedly!!

Friday, April 1, 2011

I am Mommy, hear me ROAR!

 There was a time that I said I would be the coolest mom there was. I wouldn't nag my kids. I wouldn't spank them. I would be their best friend. I would let them eat whatever they wanted. I would give them choices. I would not freak out if they tried smoking pot. I would never tell them they couldn't see a boy or girl they liked. I wouldn't have to ground them because I'd be so cool, that they'd never do anything wrong. The list goes on and on.

 There was a time that I said I would still go out on the weekends when I had kids. I would just get a babysitter and I would have my fun. No kids are going to slow me down!! There was a time I said that I would never have a "normal" job or that I would never put my kids in daycare. There was a time I said I would never quit smoking. I would never be overweight. I would never go to bed early or eat dinner before 8 pm. I would never be home at 10, rather, I'd be leaving the house at 10 to go out. I even said I would never wear maternity clothes. I would just adapt my wardrobe because of course I would be the cutest pregnant person alive!

 In 2003, a few things changed. Suddenly, I was tired all the time. Suddenly, cigarette smoke made me vomit. Suddenly, I put on alot of weight. I preferred to be in bed early when I had to get up early because I knew it would be a long day if I didn't get my sleep. I ate all day long instead of my prior once per day. I drank milk all the time, even though I hated it. I soon traded my low rider, hip hugging, super tight jeans for scary looking, ugly maternity pants with strange looking panels in the front. Then the things I would never do changed a bit...

 I said I would never let my baby cry it out. I would breast feed exclusively from day one. I would not get an epidural. I would never drink caffeine again. I would not let my baby cosleep. I would never give my baby chicken nuggets or french fries. I still held onto never putting my baby in daycare. I'd never let my baby sleep on his stomach! I would still be the coolest mom with the most open mind. I would never yell at my child.

 I got that epidural and I liked it! I traded my late nights for all nighters and early mornings. I traded my nights out for cuddles and going to bed as early as I could. I traded designer clothes for sweats and tennis shoes. I traded regular showers for breast feeding. I gave my baby formula(gasp!) because he was so big and so hungry and I couldn't keep up. I frequently fell asleep while breast feeding, and rather than moving my sleeping child when I woke up and found him asleep in my arms, I let him sleep where he was, on his tummy even. I drank soda. I cried when I left him with a sitter and went to a party. I put him in daycare so I could go to work at my Monday through Friday job in an accounting office. I turned down requests to go out with friends because I wanted to spend my time with him. And then came another...

 I let her cry it out! Oh my what a horrible mom I must be!! I let her sleep on her stomach from day 1. I only breastfed her for a month(gasp!!) and she survived. I didn't lose weight after baby #2, rather stayed bigger than I've ever been and never give up the opportunity to eat a cheeseburger! Woops. I frequently feed both of my children chicken nuggets and french fries when we are on the run. I drink soda. I have spanked my son when he was out of line. I have used the line, "Because I said so!!" and "I'm the Mommy and you will do what I say!" I have told my children no, and I still allow them to sleep with me if they want to. I feel proud when my son says, "You're not my friend!!" I feel panicky at the thought of my children dating, or driving, or worse, getting married. The thought of my kids smoking pot or drinking alcohol at any point in life makes me want to crawl in a hole and die. I am no longer worried about being the cool parent. I have passed up offers to go out to dinner with friends to be at my son's baseball practice or to make sure I'm home when my daughter is ready to go to bed.

 An exciting weekend for me is no longer getting drunk, staying out until the wee hours of the morning and starting all over again the next day. An exciting weekend consists of baseball practices on Friday nights, chicken nuggets in the car, helping my baby learn her ABC's on Saturday and clapping because she says, "Quack Quack" when we point to a duck. Playing catch in the backyard and watching Baby Einstein(and enjoying it) on a Sunday make me happy. Doing silly dances just to get a giggle is exciting now. Guiding my children into the kind of adults I want them to be and making sure they know that I mean business when I say no is on my priority list. Making sure they know they are loved is number 1. Keeping them safe ranks a close second and being their best friend? From experience, I know this happens later in life, after they have grown to realize that Mom really did know best. Mom wasn't as prude as they thought. Mom only wanted what was best for them and if she didn't love them, she never would have nagged, or said no.

 Yes, I am Mommy. Hear me ROAR!!!