03/12/10 8:50AM

My baby is three today...
  • cnh42
    Happy Birthday, Hunter!
    by cnh42 at 03/12/10 12:44PM
  • melissakae
    YAY! Happy birthday Hunter! I thought to myself this morning "March 12 is Hunter's birthday. That's tomorrow. Whoops." :-)
    by melissakae at 03/13/10 5:41PM
  • mandyhayes1
    Goes fast doesn't it!? Crazy! Happy Birthday Hunter!
    by mandyhayes1 at 03/14/10 10:44PM
  • cnh42
    Interesting! I'm a big fan of salt too...have I told you that guacamole and RAMEN are what I want when I am pregnant? I try to use half the pkg of Ramen seasoning, but it's not as tasty that way :)
    by cnh42 at 03/18/10 9:50AM
  • cnh42
    And does that mean you came that close to us recently and didn't drop by?!
    by cnh42 at 03/18/10 9:50AM
  • praguer
    Hope he had a great day! Can't believe mine is about to turn 3 also!
    by praguer at 03/19/10 3:23PM

Where to begin...

at 02/25/10 9:40AM
So much has gone on in the past month of so its kind of hard to believe, even for me :) First of all I want to make it known that my almost three year old son is now sleeping ALL night in his OWN bed...and Mommy no longer has to sit in his room until he falls asleep! He is officially, 100% a BIG BOY. And I have to say, I'm proud of myself as well. I have to set goals for myself and in the beginning my goal was to have him potty trained by Christmas and in his own bed by his birthday. We blew both of those goals out of the water! We beat our goal by almost a month with both of them!

Mommy, Daddy, and Hunter have started their new life together in a new apartment in a new city. We have a two bedroom apartment (I NO LONGER share a room with my messy 2 yr old! AND his toys are no longer scattered throughout the house now that he has his own room!) not far from my husband's parents, whom I absolutely adore. Hunter has adjusted very well to the new dynamics of his life. He is really enjoying having his mommy home all the time to play with (he hasnt figured out that Mommy's sole reason for being home isnt to play with him ALL DAY LONG) and he gets so excited when his daddy gets home from work. He informed us this morning that he is going to see his Sweetpea and Granddaddy (his grandparents) on Tuesdays and WILL be spending the night :)

I am adjusting to being a stay at home mom again. It's much different staying home with a three year old than it is staying home with a 2 month old. (I was home with hunter for the first 6 months after he was born) But we are doing well. The latest topic of discussion is we are planning to homeschool Hunter (and any future children) hopefully starting this fall. He is already quite advanced for his age but we want to get things underway this fall and see how it goes. For all of you homeschooling moms...any tips??

A question for you SAHMs...Hunter is underfoot ALL the time. I almost ran over him the other day because I didnt even know he was there. He is like my shadow...Does anyone else have this issue? Any idea on how to break him of being attached to mommy's side ALL the time??
  • praguer
    Just give him time. He's not used to you being there all the time, so he probably just needs to adjust. I know it's irritating, but remember he's made a lot of changes recently. With T, I give him "alone" activities to do (coloring, puzzles, books, etc.) and insist that he do them for "X" amount of time. ("It's time for you to play by yourself now. You can either do this puzzle or color in this book. Mommy needs to do some work.") This gets him to play alone and not constantly be dependent on me for entertainment.

    I wish you the best in your new life. Will keep you all in my prayers. I'm curious - since you are so close to finishing school, what's the plan? Can you do your last semester by long distance??
    by praguer at 02/25/10 11:06AM
  • ekholl
    I've started doing that and then he appears out of nowhere and is SOOO quiet he scares me to death when I turn around and he is RIGHT there :)


    My classes are online so its no problem finishing. Done in may just like planned :)
    by ekholl at 02/25/10 12:17PM
  • mandyhayes1
    I'm guessing it's because it's all new to him. I'd give him some time! Riley goes through spells like this and it drives me nuts!!!!!
    I've found that if I give him things to do that help me but are fun for him then he stays out of my hair for 2 seconds :o)

    Here are some things I give him to do:
    1) I take the clothes from the washer and put them in a basket and he puts them in the dryer while I fold the load I just took from the dryer
    2) Get him a two step step stool-put the silverware basket from the dishwasher on the counter (minus the knives of coarse) and let him put the silverware away while you unload and reload the dishwasher
    3) buy a cheap duster and let him follow behind you as you dust
    4) give him a rag and let him clean your already clean bathroom sink and tub after you've just done it
    5) get him a little mini broom and let him sweep the floor that you just swept

    See the pattern? Let him think he's doing it even though you've already done it :o)

    A few other things Riley will do on his own are play with stickers, color, playdoh (spelling?), building blocks, magnetix, Play Mobile set.
    by mandyhayes1 at 02/25/10 1:01PM
  • mandyhayes1
    Oh what homeschool cirriculum are you looking into? I found this website that I really like. As soon as I get my act together and get things printed off I plan on starting it with Ri. http://abcjesuslovesme.com I like it b/c it's all pretty much printables and few books that can be purchased cheap or rented from Library.

    There's also FIAR (Five in a row). www.fiveinarow.com I really like it but Riley needs more structure.
    by mandyhayes1 at 02/25/10 1:08PM
  • grandmadiane

    If you can give me an email address I will send you pics of the cars. Mom would rather sell them in one block but will consider all offers. 8 of the cars have boxes and many of them are full.

    (btw homeschooled for over 25 years! Good luck :)
    by grandmadiane at 02/25/10 6:16PM
  • scbrewer
    So glad you guys are settling in. We miss you though!
    by scbrewer at 03/01/10 9:30AM

February 10, 2010

at 02/13/10 8:52PM
All I am, all I'll be
Everything in this world, all that I'll ever need
Is in your eyes, shining at me
When you smile I can feel all my passion unfolding

Your hand brushes mine
And a thousand sensations seduce me 'cause I

I do, cherish you
For the rest of my life
You don't have to think twice
I will, love you still, from the depths of my soul
It's beyond my control
I've waited so long to say this to you
If you're asking do I love you this much, I do

In my world before you
I lived outside my emotions
Didn't know where I was going
Until that day I found you
How you opened my life to a new paradise

In a world torn by change
Still with all of my heart, until my dying day

I do, cherish you
For the rest of my life
You don't have to think twice
I will, love you still, from the depths of my soul
It's beyond my control
I've waited so long to say this to you
If you're asking do I love you this much, yes I do

I've waited so long to say this to you
So, if you're asking if I love you this much, I do
Oh, I do


Mrs. Ellen Holloway Matthews :)
  • mandyhayes1
    Congratulations!
    by mandyhayes1 at 02/13/10 8:58PM
  • desi
    :) Congrats, Ellen!!
    by desi at 02/13/10 10:43PM
  • melissakae
    I love that song. And I love you. And I"m so happy that you're happy. And I can't wait to meet Marquette. And see you and Hunter again. Let's make it sometime soon, ok?
    by melissakae at 02/13/10 11:43PM
  • scbrewer
    yay! congrats :)
    by scbrewer at 02/14/10 7:35AM

New Adventure...

at 01/16/10 3:51PM
So....today I did something I didnt think I would do for quite some time with my child. A girl from work and I took our two kids, both very active and very loud almost 3 year olds, to see The Squekual: Alvin and the Chipmunks in the theater. I was a little leary of going cuz my child does NOT sit still for anything other than a prayer. But they both did remarkably well. Hunter lasted the whole movie despite the fact that it was very close to nap time and he was quite restless. I think the music helped with that though. And it was a cute movie, not that I would pay $9 to go see it any other time. But for the new experience with Hunter it was good. And it only had one "bad" word in it and of course Hunter looks at me and says, "He doesnt need to say that mommy." Of course the "bad" word was jerk. Not a huge deal but of course he noticed :)

In other news, school starts a week from Monday. Goody. Last semester. Then on to my masters. One day I will have a "real" job. And hopefully it wont be one where I have to be on my feet for seven and a half hours a day. Here's hoping.

  • melissakae
    Yay last semester!

    I am pretty sure your "real" job should be in Houston...
    by melissakae at 01/16/10 5:18PM
  • ekholl
    I'm okay with Houston...but arent you the one that couldnt find a job there with the same degree I'm getting?
    by ekholl at 01/16/10 11:13PM
  • scbrewer
    You have a good kid. I just thought I'd tell you :)
    by scbrewer at 01/19/10 5:56PM

Life...

at 01/02/10 11:07PM
Life has been a whirl wind of events the past couple of weeks. Its been exhausting but lots of fun. Christmas was busy as ever but Hunter really enjoyed it. We spent Christmas Eve (I took the day off so I had a lovely 4 day weekend) with my parents and my sister and her family. We did gift exchange, ate lots of food and just had a good time. The kids played most of the day. Chloe ended up playing with Hunter's cars and Hunter ended up playing with Chloe's teaset. Go figure :) After all the festivities Hunter and I went home and baked cookies for Santa. It was the BIGGEST mess ever. But we had fun...and Mommy realized she needed to invest in a rolling pin :) After we set out the milk and cookies for Santa, Hunter headed to bed. He was really excited so it took him quite a while to get to sleep....and I had to set my alarm just in case I happened to fall asleep with him (cant have Santa forgetting to stop by the house the first year he actually GETS whats going on, now can we?) I cleaned house and got everything ready for the next morning and finally made it to bed a little after midnight.

I had to wake Hunter up around 5:30 on Christmas morning so he could open his presents before we all got in the car and headed to Grandma's house. He was a little less than thrilled to be woken up but he was a good sport. Everything he opened he wanted me to open it so he could play with it right then. He would have been happy with just one toy I think. Such a sweet boy. My parents showed up at the house around 7 and we loaded the car (in the pouring rain) and headed to Alabama to have the regular big Christmas with my grandparents and the rest of the family. And of course, traveling on Christmas day has its advantages and disavantages. Traffic was wonderful. There was nobody on the road. But all the stores are closed, which means no potty breaks. Which means...when Hunter says "I have to go potty" we have to stop on the side of the road. And remember I said earlier it was raining :) Well picture this. My mom and Hunter standing outside, Hunter with his pants down, my mom huddled over him. Dad and I are in the car cracking up. THey get back and my mom says "Guess what he did. NOTHING." haha.....kids.

We had a good time in Alabama. Hunter loved it. He had a blast once he got over the shock of having so many people in one place. We spent the night Friday night. My little cousin was nice enough to give up her bed for us. That was quite an adventure. Hunter and I shared her bed, a twin, and Hunter proceeded to fall off twice during the night. Needless to say, I didnt get much sleep for fear he was going to fall off again....

We headed home Saturday and Hunter played with all of his toys while I tried to clean up the disaster that happens every Christmas :) The trash was overflowing by the time I got done. Sunday I took down all the decorations. Yes, I was impressed with myself. I'm not usually this efficient. But it was also and easier way to explain to Hunter that Christmas was over and wouldnt be back until next year. However, he doesnt understand why some people still have their decorations up...oh well.

We spent New Year's Eve with the Midgette Clan plus a few extras. We spent most of the night playing Wii and we watched some crazy man jump a car over some water. A world record jump. Yeah. Pretty sure I'd kill my kid or husband if either of them ever did that. Hunter stayed up most of the night. He ended up crashing in my lap at about 11:40. As soon as 12:00 hit...we were out the door and on our way home. Im just proud that we made it that long. Most years I'm already in bed! :)

Hope all of you had a good Christmas/holiday. Here's to 2010. Let's hope it's a good one!