Standing Already?

Here is Nick wearing an incredibly cute puppy hat that my Aunt Sue gave to him.

AJ likes this picture better because Nick looks so. . . well you know.

Nick was standing up by himself - sort of. His Daddy was providing a leg to prop up against and a hand to fall into should the need arise. Nick looked so proud of himself.



Here is Lucas running by me because he didn't want to be photographed. He is very camera shy lately.


Lucas likes to sit on AJ's back and stick his legs into AJ's shirt. But here he is avoiding the camera again, so I got a profile shot again. Little stinker.

Caterpillar Flowers

For those of you who don't know, I have a phobia of caterpillars. Today I got a nice flower arrangement from our realtor and it had these decorative flowers that resemble caterpillars. The delivery gal handed me the flowers and I rushed to set them down so that I didn't have to touch the fuzzy caterpillar-like things. As soon as AJ got home his first job was to take the arrangement next door to the neighbors we like.


Lucas wanted one of his bunnies to hold his stick for him so he very carefully placed the stick in the bunny's "hand" so that it wouldn't roll away.


Nikolai is a flirtin' with his Momma.



AJ got some nice gifts for his going away party. He received a bat pot which are hard to come by because the man who makes the pots doesn't make too many of them. He also got two stuffed animals for the kiddos, a cave diorama, a leatherman tool and a buzzard. The buzzard is made of metal and is pretty cool. AJ's boss had it made for AJ because they used to see turkey vultures every day as they rode into work together. It is a nice remembrance. He is going to post the buzzard at his desk.


My favorite little blondie.

Looters Thieves and Villians

We had a power outage the other night. It only lasted for about 1/2 an hour but my neighbors (the one with the underwear and cowboy boots) were all worked up over it. They were frantically calling the power company to report the outage - as if the power company didn't already know that 1/2 the town didn't have power. And the son, who as you remember works for the city as a community service officer and gets to take his "patrol vehicle" home with him, was out driving up and down the back alley in his cop-mobile looking for . . . . . looters? I don't know. But I do know that he needs more practice with his spotlight. I was out front talking to my other neighbors when all this was happening. When the power came back on the community service officer returned home from "work" because the danger had passed. DORK.

Lucas the Talker

Lucas has finally started to talk. It has been gradual but he is now trying to repeat what we say and trying to pronounce words. Yesterday he said SINK! I know - most kids his age are stringing together a sentence but we are still trying to get him to pronounce words so I am thrilled that he is now interested in trying. He is also starting to combine two words such as "Dada work" and "cold wa" (for cold water). And he is also pointing to objects in books and tying to say what they are which is HUGE. We have spent the last year and a half reading and pointing every single day and trying to get him to want to try to say things. It was so funny because he can't say "ball" or even "ba" but he can say the word "accept".

Story time before bed.

SOLD!

Whoooo Hoooooo! We sold the house today. Here are some pics of the kiddos.

Two Weeks

In two weeks from now I am going to be in Albuquerque - permanently. I think. We haven't received an offer on the house (I know it has only been two weeks - but still) and I am getting nervous. I am tempted to call off the movers and stay here until we get an offer. I guess it may be possible for AJ to telecommute until the house sells - assuming it sells in a reasonable amount of time. But I would hate for the movers to come and still have a month before the house sells. . . so I am just not sure what to do.

Any suggestions?

Other than that. . . I am still getting people coming through to see the house just about every other day. Which is great - except they always want to come at nap time which is difficult on me and the kids. But hey - I'll do whatever it takes. This one woman in BIG dark sunglasses came yesterday and opened every drawer (including my dresser!), turned off my preheating oven, opened my BBQ, looked in my washer and dryer and then pranced off with her realtor. Can you say B-I-T-C-H? Then the next group came a half an hour late while we were making dinner. You see I wasn't home at 5:00 when they were supposed to have come, so when I got home I assumed they had already been by to see the house so I preceded to go about my business of trashing the kitchen in my nightly ritual of making dinner. Well then the doorbell rang. CRAP.

And then today I ran into this gal I know at the playground. Do you ever get the feeling that everything you say, including the way you say it is being judged and looked down upon? That is how I felt. And so it made me nervous so I kept talking and getting more and more chatty which made me feel like she had more to judge so I got even WORSE. It was a horrible vicious cycle. I am sure she wasn't judging me at all and it is all in my psychotic stressed out little brain, but the fear is real . . . She was probably wondering what in the hell is wrong with me, which would explain the perplexed look on her face that I undoubtedly misinterpreted as judgment. God I am nuts. I need sleep.

Lucas didn't know what to do with other kids at the park. He is used to playing at the park by himself because usually we are alone, but today there were a bunch of kids his age there and he had no idea how to socialize. I realized as I watched him playing in the corner by himself, obviously uncomfortable with the social scene at the playground, that I really have to find a playgroup in Albuquerque for him. If not for me, then for him. On the up side though - he was by far the cutest kid at the park. And I am totally unbiased. Really. And his physical attractiveness is far more important than social skills or emotional health. (If you think I am serious - YOU NEED SLEEP.)

And one last thing, why can't I spell the word business correctly with out electronic assistance? I want to spell it buisness, but nooooooo that damned "i" has to be after the bus. It is confusing and I think it should be officially changed to buisness so that I can have an easier life.

Root-A-Toot-Toot

Someone could make big bucks off of a miracle gas solution for babies. I'm not talking placebo-like solutions of Mylecon, oh no, I'm talkin' real gas relievers. Something to make the gas come flying out of their little bottoms - thus rendering babies pain (and crying) free.

I would attempt to discover the miracle solution myself but I
a) don't have time
b) don't want to experiment on my children
c) am really not very creative

- so I will continue to hold, giggle, rock, bounce, swing, walk and sing to my little Nick for hours on end. And just when I think I may have him happy enough to lay down, his little face will scrunch up and distort with another wail. Then the legs stiffen, and kick and we start all over again. Poor dude.

It is a very beautiful day here with the high around 80. I have to bust my butt and go straighten up the living room before the house is shown at 3:30 and again at 5:00. One of the groups coming through is supposedly "desperate" which might be good news for me, I am starting to get a little worried about selling this place. Damned economy.

Wow, I am full of good news today.

Trip to Albuquerque

I don't have too many picture to post but I hope to take more tonight of our hotel and of the place where we'll go to dinner. Dinner is supposed to be at this kid-friendly restaurant, which is all new to us country folk - so we are excited!!!

Today was a very long day - over 6 hours in the car driving around looking at neighborhoods and areas outside of Alb. to live in. We also visited the Petroglyphs and met some of AJ's new co-workers and saw an old friend. The people there seem very nice and we are SO FREAKIN' EXCITED to move up here I can't even tell you. The kids did so well, I think in large part to us being super flexible and willing to stop for an hour or two to let them out of the car. We spent 1.5 hours in the parking lot of a casino where Lucas went rock hunting in a near-by wash. He found many rocks that he couldn't live without so we ended up using a snack box as a "special rock box" for all the treasures he couldn't leave behind.

I know this is sad but Lucas has never been in a swimming pool before so AJ took him to the hotel pool this afternoon while I stayed in the room and let Nick sleep. I guess Lucas had a blast. He was screaming and laughing and splashing and loved it when AJ threw him in the air and dipped him in the water. So now that we are going to be in the "big city" we are going to have to visit the community pool on a regular basis and also get him swim lessons. So much to do up here . . . my head is just spinning. I CAN'T WAIT!!!!!

Nick needed to stretch out so we laid him in the back of the car. He was having such a good time and was so glad to get out of the car seat that he started flirting with me.

Kid Pictures

The boys being cute.

Lucas not wanting to be photographed

Finally, a photo where they are holding still. . .

And then we returned to chaos

Mommy and Nick - Mommy looking crazy, Nick looking indifferent

Lucas feeding his baby doll

Lucas reading to his baby doll - later at bedtime he insisted his baby have it's own pacifier too.

Phone Privileges

My toddler lost his phone privileges yesterday. I will often give him my cell phone (keys locked) while we are in the car to keep him occupied. Yesterday I needed my phone back so I could make a call. He refused to give me the phone!!! He instead said "NO!" and put the phone under his butt so that I couldn't get it. I had to pull the car over, get out, open his door and physically wrestle with him to get the phone. Little shit.

I placed a call to my Mom and at the end of the call she wanted to talk to Lucas. I told her no, he had lost his phone privileges for the remainder of the day and wasn't available to talk on the phone. I think she thought that was weird - and come to think of it - I think it is weird too. A two year old. . . loosing his phone privileges? What's next? Will I take his credit card from him next?

And another humorous story:

I bought Lucas a helium balloon at the dollar store the other day. I was sitting on the couch when the balloon went running by me . . . attached to the cat. It seems that little miss Haylee became tangled in the string and was trying to run away from this crazy balloon that was persistently following her. The kids got a huge kick out of this and both of them were laughing. I finally caught Haylee and untangled her. Poor baby was so distraught that the balloon wasn't leaving her alone.

Daddy Does Bedtime (sort of)

Well this evening I am suddenly not feeling well and am fairly incapacitated in bed. Don't ask why because you don't want to know the answer. Really. So AJ had to do dinner clean-up and bedtime for both kids alone.

Here is how the night went:

6:15 Dinner was done and I went to bed
6:20 Nick's crying and Lucas is refusing to eat dinner
6:30 Nick is still fussing and Lucas is running around the house yelling at the top of his lungs
6:32 I tell AJ to put Nick to sleep
6:37 Nick is asleep and laying on our bed in our room, Lucas is asking his dad to play blocks with him - AJ is laughing at the TV and sitting comfortably on the couch
6:42 I tell AJ that he may want to clean up the kitchen before all hell breaks loose. He gives me a put-upon look and gets off the couch
6:48 Nick wakes up screaming and kicking his legs (he had gas for those who don't know) . AJ is trying to keep Lucas occupied while doing dishes
6:51 AJ can't juggle both kids so I leave the bathroom (yes I was in the bathroom most of the evening) to help.
6:55 I'm back in the bathroom, AJ is dressing a still crying Nick for bed and Lucas has diarrhea in his diaper. Lucas runs to get his clean diaper and wipes so his Daddy can change his diaper.
6:57 Lucas is crying because Nick got diaper goop (Desitin) and he didn't. Nick is so tired, has gas and is still crying. AJ gets Lucas ready for a shower
7:00 I leave the bathroom again to tell AJ to put Nick in his "gas position"and walk him around (which I could not physically do at the time). I cancel the planned Lucas shower and instead I get Lucas dressed for bed
7:13 Nick is happily draped across AJ's forearm in his "gas position" while Lucas insists that I read him his bedtime books - I again leave the bathroom to read bedtime books
7:25 Lucas is in bed and Nick is asleep in AJ's arms, the kitchen is trashed. I am mercifully back in bed.

So much for being sick. How in the heck am I going to do this when AJ is traveling so much?

Helping Nick

I don't have anything exciting to report (as if anything I write about is exciting) so here are some kid pics.

Nick was crying in his crib, so Lucas decided to help him by turning on the mobile. I am going to have to keep the crib rail up in the future so that Lucas doesn't get in there and accidentally hurt Nick.