MIA

I've been such a slacker....

*Insomnia....never had it. But, I do now, it's crazy...... I'm not tired, wide awake at night and ready to go at 7am, man hormones do CRAZY things to your body. :)

*I'm busily trying to finish wrapping gifts, making cookies, and keeping peace between my children. I will be back to post pics. of the holidays and let you in on the "scoop", not that there is one, I guess I just mean the everyday happenings over here.

*And..... with a new BANNER God willing. Seriously, Nolan is an INFANT in my banner & I've got a new baby on the way in 4 short weeks! LOL! Pathetic I know!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Hope everyone has a Happy Turkey Day! I'm enjoying my day with many of those I'm thankful for in my life.... starting with my wonderful husband & boys.

Enjoy your day!

Names

New names I'm really liking...

* Colby
&
* Maguire


Hmmmmm?? I likey, likey!

31 1/2 weeks preggers.....almost 32! Gettin' there!

"buddy"

I've gotta get my braggin' rights in for today because, I'm such a proud mama lately..... of my Donnie! He is turning into such a nice big brother lately. Now of course, my kids have their spats and there are days when I wish I could drop them off somewhere and return when they're not acting like total maniacs, but lately it has been nice to see the interactions between them. They're really developing a relationship/friendship, it's nice to see.


Lately Donnie:

• Will make sure Nolan has a toy to play with, if Donnie is playing with a dinosaur, he'll make sure to get Nolan one to play with.... if he has a car, he'll get Nolan a car to play with. I'll hear him say "here ya go buddy, you can play with this one..."



• In the morning if Nolan wakes up first and Donnie hears him, he'll go into his room and say "good morning buddy, hi buddy, it's a good day today!" Awww, makes my heart melt every time I hear him talk to Nolan like this.



• Donnie has officially given up his stokke chair because Nolan refuses to sit in his booster/high chair anymore. He'll ONLY sit in the stokke chair (I know it's because he wants to do everything Donnie does). Donnie at first was a little put back by the fact he had to move into a normal kitchen chair, but now he's fine with sitting in his "big boy" chair, so Nolan can sit in the other.



• The other day Donnie went to the store with my mom and she let him pick out a dinosaur, as he had lost his in her yard earlier in the week. Donnie made sure he was able to get one for Nolan as well. He said he'd only get one, but he had to make sure Nolly had one too.



• I'll go upstairs and put laundry away or do other misc. things at which Nolan & Donnie will follow in my path. When they get up there Nolan always sits in his room and gets into his rocking chair with a book. Donnie will scoot in his chair with him, put his arm around him and pretend to read to him. The little voice Donnie uses cracks me up, it's like a little boy trying to make his voice sound even littler (if that's a word). Too cute.

So, as much work, sweat, & tears (so to speak) as these boys put me/us through, it's all worth it for times like these. I'm just so happy & proud of Donnie for being the nice big brother I new he could be....this is a definite contrast from a 1 1/2 ago, when Donnie was, ummmm not so into Nolan you could say. ;) Finally, I'm seeing some hope, a little light at the end of the tunnel. :)

3:00 am..... blog post

Well, I promise this will be a more uplifting post than the last. WOW! Can you say "Mommy meltdown"! :) BTW: thanks for all the nice comments....

Anyways, last night I was up for oh, about 3 hrs. (1:30-4:30) due to my wonderful, once "easy going Nolan" (as I used to call him), but while I was up I was thinking what day tomorrow was....which obviously is Wed., I was hoping it was Tues., and the week/day that my cleaning lady comes. Which lead me to thinking about what a GREAT, WONDERFUL, investment she has been.

And yes, I say investment because she has given me back a little shred of my sanity! Believe me, it wasn't easy to convince my husband we needed a cleaning lady, when yes, we are perfectly capable of doing it ourselves. That's great, fine and dandy, but really when do I EVER find the time to clean my 2500 sq. ft. house, 3 bathrooms, wood floors, tile floors, bedrooms, living, dining, & family rooms.... really WHEN do I find the time, someone please tell me?? Anyways, I made the decision as a full-time working mom that it would be an investment for me to pay a cleaning lady, to look at it as a bill that I had to pay every month..... and it's the best thing I ever did! She's not real expensive, she comes once every two weeks (2 times a month), she does the basic surface cleaning..... my big things were bathrooms & floors, if she could do my bathrooms and wood floors really good I would be happy, along with dusting and vacuuming of course, but those were my little pet peeves that I HATED to do myself and so loved it when they were clean. So, needless to say, one of the best purchases/investments I've made would be my cleaning lady. Oh, how I Love thee!

The 2nd purchase/investment (really this just makes it sound better... investment :) would be my Coach sunglasses. Yes, really my Coach sunglasses... I {heart} them. Not only because they're super cute and fashionable, but because they are so clear, no glare, I NEVER EVER have to squint even in the brightest of sunlight. It truly amazed me when I went into the sunlight and didn't have to squint or see a glare at all. I've never in my life owned a pair of sunglasses that were more than oh, 20 bucks.... and I do still have 3 or 4 pairs that are from Target that I do like, because they're totally cute, but honestly they don't even compare to my Coaches! I will definitely be buying another pair, maybe 2 (1 black) when I go to Chicago this spring.... they are so worth the money to me.

So, what is the best or your favorite purchase/ investment that you've made?? Is there anything that you've bought or made an investment in and now think to yourself....I'm SO happy I have these or I'm so happy I invested in this?? Just curious?

why? seriously, why?

** warning....venting post, rambling & profanity will be used **

Okay, I just want to know if I have a stamp on my forehead this week that says: shit on Katie, or give Katie an attitude, or cry ALL fucking afternoon with mommy because you'd rather be with anyone else but me, or be pissed at Katie about something just cause!! Please take a number and add yourself to the list!

And to make things even better for me would you please throw in some *extra* dark denim jeans with the whites, while they are in the middle of washing, just to turn them a pretty light blue...... AND ruin ANOTHER one of my pregnancy shirts, one that actually fits me (one of the five! God how I {love} my wardrobe right now!:)) And it would be SO easy to just shoot over to the store wouldn't it? (you know the 2 stores in J-town that carry maternity clothes) and buy a couple more shirts that fit, it's SO easy to do when I work FULL TIME, have conferences in the evenings this week, 2 kids to tote along when I do get out of school, and then well, I could go on Sat., oh, but wait my hubby works on Saturdays..... even when he's NOT supposed too sometimes, just because he's oh SO dedicated! :)

And let's just add the extra 38 effing lbs. that I've gained ALREADY & I'm only 29 1/2 weeks along....yeah, you do the math! Hmmmmm.... and to make me feel even better today, my feet and hands were extra swollen, just to make sure I feel like even more of a fat ass than I already am. Let's see what else....oh, my back feels like I'm an 80 yr. old woman today, especially after an 8 hr. day on my feet with some of the obnoxious little shits I have to deal with all day, with NO parental support at that! Gotta love it!

And maybe you could call me just to tell me that your pissed at me about something. Or better yet tell me to not roll my eyes at you, even when you sound like a dumb-ass, and you're allowed to sound like a dumd-ass, but I can't roll my eyes! Oh, and you could always just let me know by not speaking to me that you think I'm a shitty friend....and let me figure it out when you cut off all contact, why don't you just twist the knife in my back while your at it...bitch!

Can I just get a freakin' break somewhere along the line this week?? Maybe a peaceful cup of coffee by myself in a QUIET place with NO children in sight, or a friendly note just because you actually do like me, or a laundry fairy to come make everything better. I know I'm so whining right, whoa is me, and this probably doesn't even make sense to you, but it's either this or sit in my basement & cry by myself....which I already did tonight, so here I am blogging about it.

Okay, I'm gonna go up into my bedroom, try to decompress, fall asleep and hope for a better day tomorrow....

Dreams

I had a dream, but it was more like a premonition because I didn't feel asleep... it was weird, but in the dream, I named our baby Anderson, it HAD to be Anderson. Anderson Cole Huff I believe it was. We've had such a hard time thinking of boy names and what each of us likes, the other one doesn't. Don really isn't too sure about Anderson, but I {LOVE} it, and it was my runner up name for Nolan, Nolan was very close to being Anderson. I think I may have decided on a name folks!

Hmmmmm??

Okay, so now ALL of a sudden I'm freaking out about getting the H1N1 (swine flu) vaccine. Not sure why, I was so nonchalant about it at first, but I think it's due to that fact that our school Health Center is offering them later in the week, and the time to do it is fast approaching....

Are any of you, have any, know any family member/friends who are NOT getting the shot and are pregnant?? Just curious.....

Grrrrrr!

Grrrrr.....I hate it when people are unorganized and don't have things planned out....seriously, just get with the program, don't wait until the night before! When everything is left up to me to arrange/organize it gets irritating. Okay, it doesn't bother me so much to have to do it, but geez give me a little lead time to do it, don't wait until the LAST MINUTE, like for tomorrow!!!! UGHHHHH! I wanna scream! SCREAM!

Happy Fall!

"no plans" & babies

Excited about the calm weekend planned ahead.....

This was my first sentence that I started to type up on Friday afternoon. Now it's Saturday evening and I feel like I've been going ALL day long. And that's probably because we have been.... Don took the boys out for donuts and a stop at Walmart this morning, we met the Barczak's for lunch & a little JoAnn walk through, then I headed to Target for a birthday gift (Don took our exhausted boys home for naps), and my final stop the grocery store....geesh! So, once again my "no plans" weekend turns into full of stuff going on. Now don't get me wrong, I like to have things to do places to go, friends to hang out with, but it feels as though we never truly have NO PLANS kwim?? Whenever I think we don't have anything going on and I'm just gonna sit in the house all day in my PJ's doing laundry/house chores with Lifetime on in the background, no sooner I'm skippin' all around town with a list of "to do's" and meeting up with friends for lunch. But, I guess it's my own fault though, if I reeeaaaaallly wanted to sit in the house ALL day I could, of course then what would I have to bitch and moan about on my blog...right? ;)

In other news:

* My pregnancy is going well thus far (27 weeks), I feel like I always need to say thus far as I'm a little hesitant to be fully sure everything is going to go as planned through the whole 9 months because of my track record and the little set back we had with Donnie at 31 weeks....Placenta issues, hospitalization, & special care nursery (egh... not fun time to remember). But, all is well and I'm feeling good, just large very large! I guess I better cut back on the Jr. whoppers and ice cream, if I want that to change.:)

*Donnie and Nolan news.... Donnie's having a great time at preschool, making new friends, learning new things. He's such a little sponge....telling me about his field trip to the farm, what they saw, what his teacher says, everything about his day, etc. Oh, the other thing Donnie has been really interested in is how babies are born....literally! At first he started telling me/asking me if I was gonna poop the baby out and if it would hatch out of an egg, then he thought I'd pee it out, then he was asking if I would spit it out of my mouth (what???). Eventually this led me to telling him about babies being born alive, not hatching from eggs like dinosaurs, and the vagina/penis talk. Don still doesn't understand why I had to talk to him about penises and vagina's this early, I guess he wanted Donnie to think babies were pooped out and hatched from eggs until his friends told him the true story in school!? Man , I swear this kid is gonna be a nerdy scientist some day.... he is so interested in everything and all the little details that go along with it, the questions NEVER STOP! Nolan is just so different than Donnie it amazes me! He speaks so much more than Donnie did at this age (18 months).....he try's to mimic and repeat everything we say, along with just the usual baby babble in their own language, he's too funny. Nolan is much more of a "brute" as we like to call him, nothing is done gently or with timidness, all is aggressive and full force...everything from playing to his hugs & kisses. Watching these two grow and interact just makes me smile with amazement, that I actually made these two little people and so excited to see them grow and form their relationship over the years. I can't wait to see how this 3rd little boy will change the dynamics!

** Alrighty gotta go and watch my 48 hour mystery....don't know what I would do without my DVR love it! **

Out of the mouth of babes :)

OMG....let me share a funny:

Yesterday Donnie told my mom he had a baby "dirl" (girl) in his belly, and she was going to come out of his "agina" (vagina)...Bahaha!

very random....

Ready for school.....




Hey brother can I get a hug???


"Gotcha", he's going in for the hug....... and


Sorry, Donnie no such luck........

Get off.

One question.....

Why does being a mom have to be SO hard??

And it's all the little things that I find difficult..... well, I guess that also has to do with the fact that my children are under the age of 3 yrs. old, so I guess it's the "little" things I'm going to be dealing with for a while...uh.? So, Donnie has started Preschool this year, which has been a wonderful experience for all of us....he and I both adore his school and his teacher (makes me very happy, especially being a teacher myself, I seem to be finding myself a little extra judgemental on the schools and teachers that he may have to encounter.) Anyways, while he is having a wonderful experience, we have had a few little things pop up. One incident was him not being called on to be ring the "clean-up bell", he kinda had a little meltdown (crying, not tantrum), his teacher said.....not a big deal she just had to explain that everyone needs a turn and it wasn't his turn that day, his friend Reese let him ring it with her to make him feel better (how sweet!) Second, I guess he was playing in the gym with his class and stepped on another kids stomach (I think in a playing manner, but still)....his teacher told him not to do that and he started crying, then he didn't want to be around her for the rest of the gym time (I have to admit this one kinda made me laugh....like duh, Donnie why would you step on another kid??)

I guess the hard part for me is trying to explain to a 3 yr. old to just deal with the "no's" or the time-outs, or whatever consequence he has to face. I don't want him to be....... ummmm, how should I put this without making it sound bad, well, not sure so I'll just say it, I don't want him to be a sissy. And yes, I know he's only 3 and he just started preschool, but I also knows he's a little sensitive. Which is one of the things I completely love and adore about him, it's what makes him my sweet little boy. I also know being a teacher that it amazes me how many kids can't just take the consequence that's handed out to them.....without throwing a fit. Maybe, that's it, maybe it's more so that when he gets older I don't want him to question authority or put up a fuss, or act like a "baby", but to simply know that when he does something unacceptable you've gotta face the punishment period.

Oh, my gosh I can't believe I just went on for 2 paragraphs about Donnie and being a little sensitive. Can you say over analyzing or what??? haha! Anyone else ever do that with your kids though? It's like I want my kids to be "perfect" and I know this obviously is non-existent, what is perfect anyways......oh, the woes of motherhood.

Hi there.....

Oh. My. Slacker!! I just read this post and felt like it was about myself.....only add 2 months to that, geez how pathetic can I get!??

Well, there's been lot's going on around here....not really sure where to start so I'm just gonna start writing, I'm sure this will be plenty chaotic. Hmmmm....much like my life lately!

First: Momma Drama.....(cause I seem to be the only one on earth who seems to think this is a slightly big deal or it could just be my hormones?)

Yesterday Donnie was at my parents house & him and my Dad were rough housing, because of course that's what men have to do is rough house with a 3 yr. old....make sure we make our 3 yr. old more "manly" I guess! Anyways, I called over there and my Mom tells me Donnie's tooth is loose....his FRONT tooth, the main tooth in the front! And sure enough it was bleeding all last night....I'm just waiting for it to come out! I called Dr. Pink's office....his dentist & there's really nothing that we can do. It's a baby tooth so they don't put a fake one in, yes I did ask that, can you believe I asked if they'd give my 3 yr. old a fake tooth!?? My co-workers think I should "bling" him out and ask if I can get him a gold tooth. Lord help me!! Anyways, looks like Donnie will be loosing one of his front teeth waaaaaay before the rest of his little buddies.....and I'm completely devastated over this! I know it's stupid, and it's only cosmetic, but my gosh the kid is 3 yrs. old, so that means for the next 3-4yrs. he's gonna have to have one tooth missing in the front!! I feel so bad, there's absolutely nothing I can do either. I was up at 4am. thinking about this tooth issue!! I'm a dork I know.....

Second: Baby..... BOY that is! (23 weeks preggers)

Yes, sure enough that's all that my husband can seem to shoot.....boys! I was a little upset at first because I really was hoping for a little girl to add to our brood, but all is good now. I've gotten over the initial selfish sadness.... no pink, no hair bows, no prom dress shopping, no hair & make-up tips, no motherly bonding talks....etc. I seem to be pretty content with the fact that we'll be a family of five with only one princess in this house....ME! ;) (Jokingly saying this, as Don always seems to reassure me, there's only room for one of me in this house! Thanks honey you always know just what to say! haha!)

Names: We've got only a couple that we can agree on:

Cole (Anderson??) Huff
&
Jackson or Jaxon Huff (can't think of a middle name for this one...any suggestions??)

Third: What to do about vaccines......

Thinking about getting the boys there flu shots this week.....was, thinking I should say, because now they're sick again! Colds, colds, colds, we (me & the boys) can not seem to shake this nasty cold virus. I swear we just got over one cold and now were on to the next!! So, maybe early next week I'll be able to get myself and the boys into the Dr.'s for the flu shots, since you're only supposed to get them when you're healthy. But, man at the rate were going we'll have already gone through all the viruses by the time we actually make it to the Dr.'s!! Swine flu shots.....for me, yes, as I'm pregnant & they highly recommended it, as for the boys, I think so, people are kinda making me second guess the Dr.'s though....you know the ones that spent 4 years in medical school, internships, conferences, & whatever the heck else they have to do? I should just go with my gut & the Dr.'s advice to get the shots....I need to trust that instead of the hype.

Okay, so I think that covers a few items on my list to chat about..... ahhhhhh, feeling a little better now that I've gotten a start.

3 1/2 yrs. = Potty Trained :)

Let me just say, I honestly thought this day would never come. Donnie has had ZERO interest in using the potty, he didn't want any part of taking that diaper off, and I really didn't push the subject, I thought if I did he would regress, I'm glad I took this approach as I think it worked for him. Needless to say when I decided this week we were gonna go "cold turkey" and just take the diaper off, I was pleasantly surprised at how accepting he was to this change. I'll fill you in a little on Donnie's personality.... 1) If he doesn't want to do something....there's NO "talking him into it", he's super stubborn. 2) He doesn't like it when we make a BIG deal about things (i.e. big boy bed, big boy underroos), he didn't want to talk about the big boy underwear/potty, or tell others about his new feat, he just wanted to do it, no fuss over it..... in other words, no sticker chart, no rewards, nothing....strange for a little kid, I know?? But, it worked for him and we have success folks!! Potty training was VERY successful, easier than I could have asked for.... a few accidents here and there, but for the most part fresh and dry throughout the day!! It was literally like a light bulb flicked on and he just got it. Yesterday & today were accident free!




Things we are still working on & any advice would be accepted:

* No poop in the toilet yet...he still does not want to commit to that concept yet & I'm not sure what to do about it??



* Still in diapers during nap & bedtime.....I think it's more me than him, don't know if I'm ready for the clean-up during the night??




*** I never knew how proud I would be to watch my little guy use the potty all on his own!!***

Question???

Question:

What do you use in regards to lettuce....bagged, a fresh head??? How do you keep it fresh, wrap it in damp paper towel, a krisper bowl?? I'm thinking buying the bags is a waste of my money, they last what a whole day after the initial opening??? Grrrr..... Help me out??

Once again.....bullets:

Oh, my my, where has the summer gone and every minute in between?? Lot's of new things happening around here and I hate to always do the bullets style format, but paragraphs just don't seem appropriate when you're going through a list in your head.....at least that is how my mind works!! So on with the bullets:

• BIG NEWS: Donnie has been in big-boy underroos for 3 days now.....minus the times we've gone somewhere or at bed/nap time, as he's still getting the hang of it. I have to say though, he's doing really well, he's had a few accidents, but normally he'll start to pee & then quickly say "Mom I peed" just in the midst of him doing it, he also hasn't gone poopy on the toilet yet, not sure when this step will happen, but I can tell he really isn't too interested in doing that part on the potty....we shall see??
• We have a screamer on our hands folks.....Nolan is a screamer, he lets us know where he is at all times by his loud scream, which is pretty funny too me because before Nolan started his screaming I used to despise kids that had that high pitched squeal of a scream, I seriously wanted to just put duck-tape on their mouths, it irritated me to no end....and look now I've got a screamer! ha! I at least can say it's not a high pitched ear piercing scream, for right now.
• Nolan uses a fork and spoon decently well, he wants them at every meal time as he has to do and be just like his older brother......
• Don bought a boat....yup, that's right a boat, what the HELL?? Yeah, that was what I was thinking, but those of you that know Don know he's an impulsive person when it comes to purchases. Actually, what we are going to do is use the boat up-north for our family vacation on Lake Manistique, fishing, tubing, etc....and probably keep it till' the end of the summer then turn around a sell it for a few more $$'s than he bought it for.....what can I say he's a salesman at heart! So, if anyone wants to join us for a weekend on the water....just let us know!??
• Donnie and Nolan got amazing closet organizers put in their closets this past weekend.....courtesy of Ryan B.:) They are GREAT and couldn't have turned out better! We owe him, he spent all weekend at our house working on closets.
• Oh, duh, my pregnancy! :) Well, I'm almost 14 weeks (Sunday) and still nauseous, but getting a little better, I think. I've been less tired and still gaining weight, but of course I've never had a problem with that during my pregnancy's, the weight part .:) Donnie puts his ear up to my belly and wants to hear the baby and when he gets done he says...."the baby said Mama Mama" ....awe how sweet!
• School will be starting up just a few weeks after we get back from our vacation.... I still can't believe it's the end of July! (And I'm thinking about school already...lol!) I'm always excited to start school though, all the new little faces in my classroom, setting my room up, picking out the perfect "welcome back" bulletin boards, and the BEST part is that this will be my 1st year out of the 4 years I've been teaching (wow, I can't believe next year will be my 4th year teaching for JPS) I'll be in the same room, same building, and same grade (2)...... I'm thrilled, to say the least!! Maybe this will be the one year I'm not running around learning/meeting new curriculum, new principal, new building, new policies, new staff, ect..... YAY!!!

Okay, boys are napping....and momma needs to finish some laundry....gahhhh! Story of my life...

Random Thoughts for Friday...

• I just ate a taco at 10:30 this morning....I'm thinking like brunch? Weird!
• Had my 11 week Dr. appt. Wed., no heartbeat heard, but I had an ultrasound by LeeAnn a few weeks ago & the heartbeat was 171 beats per minute. Doesn't that seem awfully high!? Maybe it was just that fact that I was only about 9 weeks....I dunno, just seems high to me. Still feeling nauseous, still on Zofran, still hoping it goes away REAL soon!
• SO wishing I had first floor laundry.... I HATE having to go into our dingy basement to do laundry, I think that's one of the main reasons I always put it off, I have to go up 3 flights of stairs to get the laundry to the bedrooms.....hate that! Our next home WILL, I repeat will have first floor laundry, and if by some chance it's not on the first floor the laundry room will be NICE ....tiled, cabinets, clean/fresh/new, some place I actually won't mind spending 90% of my day (when it's laundry day...KWIM?)
• I can't believe it's already July...the 4th of July tomorrow! What the heck, where did summer go?? Getting excited for our Mackinac & Curtis trip in a few weeks.... firt stop Mackinac McGowan Family reunion, next stop the U.P for my families vacation on Lake Manistique.... by FAR the highlight of my summer, year after year!
• I have a graduate class/workshop next week.... ALL day long 8:30-5:00, 3 credits & $500 & some dollars later, not bad for a week long 3 credit class though! MUST finish these classes to get my "Professional (instead of Provisional) Teaching Certificate". It should be fairly easy as well, that will bring my grand total to 9 credits....WOW, a whooping 9 credits, oh well I figure it's a start to finish the 36 total credits right?? It's something :)
• PLEASE pray for me & my potty training wows, I'm doing the cold turkey, NO DIAPER method this weekend. I've simply got a little boy, who doesn't have much interest in it, so now it's time for some force to the issue.....I've been reading these different theories & methods, but I know for Donnie it's just gonna take the "cold turkey method" (as I call it!)
• Excited for a friend who will be meeting there new baby boy next week....via open adoption, baby boy #2 congrats!!
• Wanting to organize my closets upstairs, mine & the boys mainly. I seriously need help, I need an organizational specialist to come over & just work some magic, my closets have turned into this horrible clutter of a mess, a HOT mess I tell ya! I need to get motivated and just DE-CLUTTER & good will stuff....stuff that we DON'T need, ugh! I hate having clutter! Am I nesting already??
• Trying to figure out what to do with Nolan and bedrooms and what to use for him now (or in Jan. when baby comes) a bed, a crib, should I buy a new cheap twin bed for him? Use our guest room queen for the time being? Keep him in his crib for a while?
• What in the world am I making for dinner tonight?? Hmmmm?

The "Minnie" Winnie trip to Holland....success!

Our (borrowed from Don's Uncle) "Minnie" Winnie!!

The Pier at Lake Michigan....

The "Barbie Mobile"

The Beach Day...

Well, we had our first annual Holland camping trip with The Barczak's, The Collin's, The Dawson's, and The Howard's.... it was a complete success!! I was a little hesitant with the idea of camping, the dirt, the bugs, the bathrooms, just the whole "idea" of camping scared me a little. But, I will be the first to say I was WRONG, the whole entire weekend was way too much fun and really flew by with a quickness! Don and I both said on the way home from the trip that we actually wished we would have stayed another night...made it a 3 night weekend instead of just a 2 day weekend, so to say the least the trip was a success! Great friends and great memories...what more could we ask for.?

Some of my favorite parts of the trip included:

• Watching Donnie and all the little kids running around wild, but yet still listening and on good behavior for the most part (now if we could only get P's swearing under control! Damnit! LOL!
  
  
• Eating breakfasts and dinners outdoors...it was nice to all sit down together and have one big "family" dinner altogether
  
• The relaxation of being outdoors and watching a crackling fire at night
  
• But, of course, roasting marshmallows and making smores.....
  
• Conversation over the campfire after all the little chicklins' went to bed.... our "boss" time & staying up waaaay to late! Including: "getting some strange" ... needing to "activate" myself ... labor and delivery stories...since 3 of the 5 girls are preggers, again ... "Purple Twinkies"... Lumen Christi bashing...."Go Titans"... DNR coming over to tell us to quiet down ... Zofran meds. and constipation problems ... the list goes on...
  
• Watching Grace and Nolan walking around with their fingers embedded up their nose.... one of their favorite past times.... pickin' their nose :)
  
• Donnie, Porter, and Lukas riding/running themselves ragged around the "circle" by our campsite.... then pushing each other, fighting over a bike, swearing or biting each other, and then once again having a grande ol' time together... boys, go figure
  
• Reyna spraying everything in sight with a water bottle from the dollar store, and calling Ryan B. "John" all weekend LOL!!
  
• Watching Don (aka: the baby whisperer) with all the kids .... "just lovin' em'"
  
• The Beach Day ..... what more do I need to say, Lake Michigan and fun in the sun
  
• The kids obsession with Grace's Barbie Mobile
  

Lot's of great memories... All my worries about the weekend and it turned out to be a blast! Can't wait for our next camping trip.... (wait, did I just say that?? I can't believe it!)

Where did the time go?? Seriously!

Feeling old and sentimental! Today I went to the open house of a little boy who my Mom used to do daycare for... we were their neighbors, as well as, turning into great family friends with them along the way. My Mom watched Matthew (Matt as his friends call him now) since he was 3 months old. 3 months! I remember coming home from school holding him on my lap and playing with him until his Mom came to pick him up, she was a school teacher, so I remember having to come home right away & get my play time in before he left. He also had an older sister Sara who my Mom also watched. These kids were practically like my siblings, my Mom used to take them to our sporting events, Dr.'s appt's when there parents were working, birthday parties, etc.... they were always around like part of our family.

So, today I went to his Graduation party from High School....and he is SO big! SO grown-up. He's off to Michigan State next year, he has a girlfriend, and he's SO mature, he's becoming a young man. I do have to brag and say these kids are turning into great young adults .... respectful, determined, kind, ambitious, all around good kids! I'm still trying to wrap my head around the idea they are both going to be in College. Sara soon will be applying to Medical School's next winter, Matt's going to the College of Engineering at MSU, I couldn't be happier for these two, they both are fabulous kids and deserve all these great opportunities....hopefully, mine can turn out half as good as these two have. But, at any rate I was sitting at this open-house staring at Matthew thinking where in the world did time go?? Not long ago he was a little boy, Donnie's age running around just like Donnie was at his graduation party today.... it made me sad to think of "where did the time go" seriously!? It was like life happened and passed me by in blink of an eye! Of course, I'm very happy for him and the way his life is unfolding thus far, I just wish I could go back to those days sometimes...relive those great memories and cherish them more.

Maybe it's my hormones.... or the fact that I'm just turning into an old sentimental sap! Good Lord I don't wanna see what I'll be like when my own children go off to College. Who knows maybe by then I'll be pushing their little a$$es out the door?! LOL ;)

A whole lotta....stuff

Well, a whole lotta to update & keep tabs on (for memories sake of course)...

• Went to Dr. F's the other day.... my official Due Date is Jan. 25th! My birthday is Jan. 30th, Donnie's is Jan. 11, so this little one will join in on our January family Birthdays :)



• Have you ever checked this out.... a friend sent me the link the other day, just for curiosity and fun, of course. But, it is kinda strange that it was right with both my boys, I wonder if it'll be right this time?? Have you ever tried it, was it accurate for you or way off??



• Feeling half-way decent, with a few queasy moments just today, but completely tolerable at that, thus far this pregnancy. Knock on wood, and I'm sure I'm totally jinxing myself right now.... but, I am about 6-6 1/2 weeks along, this is when it ALL went down hill with my first two pregnancies. So, I'm hoping maybe I'll just get through this one with some queasy moments, but not the full fledged puking bouts...*fingers crossed*, ahhhhh that would be too good to be true, if you ask me.



• Going camping in a few weeks in Holland....we'll see how that goes. We've got a 38 ft. Winnebago named "Minnie" that we'll be cruisin' in! hehe! Yup, that's totally my idea of camping.... a bed and a pillow to rest my head, a non-communal toilet to do my business on, and the luxury of getting away from the mosquitoes and bugs in something other than mesh lining.... LOL!! I sound like a true camper don't I?? Anywho, I'm actually looking forward to the Minnie trip, I think the boys are going to have a complete blast! And the other families going are a lot of fun! Good times ahead, good times.

• The boys... ayi-yi-yi, are these two BOYS... Neither of them can get enough of the great outdoors (hence, why they'll love camping), they both through a fit when we have to come in doors for the night; Nolan loves to eat dirt and sand from the sand box; Donnie's always on the look out for toads and caterpillars... he even names them "Toad" and "Taterpillar" he's original, what can I say; Nolan is turning into a little crazy man... he's runnin' around the house throwing himself into or onto things, like he's some WWF wrestler, furniture or on the floor mostly soft spots of course, but he does have a few bumps on his head from crash landings onto the wood floor or hitting the arm of a wood chair.... and then he laughs, he's a mad man I tell ya, MAD! Donnie's a little monkey himself.... climbing, jumping, growling, lately he's either Spiderman or a Ninja or a Dinosaur, *funny story* we went out to dinner at the Outback one night last week with a friend of mine from work, her boys, and her sister (a preschool teacher) and the entire night Donnie wasn't Donnie he was a T-Rex, Karen (the preschool teacher) would ask him a question and he would say "Rrrrooaaar" or he would put his arms up to his chest, arch his back, and make this strange squeally noise "eeeeeek", I really wanted him to just act normal for the evening to see what a nice little 3 yr. old boy I had, but Donnie had other things in store....remember Donnie was a T-Rex at this point... the more the boys laughed the more Donnie would do his impersonation of a T-Rex, ohhhhh the joys of having boys!

• So ready for the next 3 days to be here and gone... Friday is our last day before summer break!! YAY! "School's out for summer"

• Ummmm yeah .... 3 yrs. old is just too early for an organized sport, Nolan won't be playing soccer at 3. Don't get me wrong Donnie's having fun, I think, but what's the point at this age?? I guess I'm just not that into it right now.

* Can't think of much else right now, I'm a little pooped tonight I need to lay down. Night.*

Yup.....

Well, yes it's true.....Donnie & Nolan are going to have a new sibling soon. :) I am pregnant! I know the suspense is killing some of you, so I'm not holding out any longer, I might burst at the seams if I don't say it soon!

At first, I was hesitant to even post this because I didn't want it to come across as being ungrateful or selfish, but initially when we first found out I really wasn't that excited I was pregnant again, so quick. A little shocked, a lot scared, and a whole ball of emotions rolled up into one. Therefore, making it a little hard to put all my feeling and emotions into words and post it. Kwim? Of course, after the initial shock and surprise has set in (because we weren't "trying" per say, but I'm not going to explain our whole birth control method...TMI, just know it DIDN'T work, obviously!) I'm slowly warming up to the idea of 3 children. And 3 car seats. And 3 bedrooms for the kids. And a minivan not doubt. And 3 children UNDER the age of 4. And 3. And 3. And 3. And just the pure insanity of the next few years of my life! But, with that said I am getting more and more excited, can't you tell?

Some worry and doubt and guilt has set in most definitely. I'm not so much worried about Donnie (the more demanding of the two) and this new baby who will soon be joining our family, but I'm really worried about Nolan (easy going Nolan). I don't feel that Nolan will even have a chance. Major guilt has set in about adding a new addition to our family so soon, when Nolan will only be 20 months old. He's one of those kids who, thus far, hasn't really demanded our attention (*ahem* unlike another little boy in our house:) maybe this will change with age though...?. His easygoing personality could be easily taken advantage of by us. Will he simply be swept under the rug while I'm tending to new born? Yes, most likely. Will he be slighted with our attention and love? Not love, but attention most likely. Will he have the middle child syndrome? Ummm, not sure about this one, as I only have one other sibling. Does my little Roley Noly even have a chance? Those of you that have 3 children, or nannied 3 children close in age, or are one of three or more in your own family.... tell me you thoughts, your opinions, your experiences, I'm very curious to know... It might put my mind at ease.

I know this post is all over the place with feelings & emotions & concerns...sorry! At any rate that is our news!! I am slowly getting more excited each day thinking about expanding our family again. A little nervous as well. But, we know we have been blessed to get pregnant with a healthy child again (which is in our prayers each and every night, as that is ALL that matters to us.) We are grateful!

God works in mysterious ways....

A little baffled, a little scared, lots of strange feelings going on today.... Not really ready to explain yet, just still working it through in my head.

Bummer of a day :(

SO, it's Nolan's BIG DAY, his first birthday and ...... nothing. That's right nothing for him, but a double ear infection! Poor baby. :( He's in bed snoozing for the night. No cake. No ice cream. No presents. No candle blown out. Nothing, nada. He was just too sleepy to even care. :( I think it's harder on me than him. We'll try this whole thing again tomorrow, I'll just pretend in the pictures it was his real birthDAY!

Mixed emotions...almost the big day!

A year ago today, I was crying in Dr. Farhat's office, begging him to induce me. Nolan's due date was actually today, May 6, 2008, but Nolan obviously was still just chillin' out in the oven wanting to bake a little longer (fat little terd)! Anywho, Dr. Farhat said we could induce because Nolan was gonna be a decent size baby... about 8.5 he anticipated, and once again like always Geraldo (I mean Dr. Farhat) was right. Originally he was going to let me go a week past my due date, then induce (I can't imagine Nolan being any bigger)... man am I glad I whined nice & LOUD in his office. :) Thus, Nolan Jeffrey Huff would make his grand entrance on May 7, 2008!

So, I'm having all these weird emotions with Nolan's First Birthday:

• Sad, very sad this year has gone by in such a blink of an eye... this second time around everything has whizzed by...
• he's already had his first smile, rolled over, sat up on his own, crawled, taken his first step, blown his first kiss, said his first word (Ma' ma'), all those firsts are gone... & it makes me sad, teary eyed sad ;(
• missing that new baby smell, that sweet aroma of a brand new baby's skin. Ahhh... there's nothing in the world like that smell.
• enjoying all that Nolan has brought to our family.... his laid back demeanor, his happy go-lucky personality, his silly little laugh, his growling like a T-Rex (courtesy of Donnie), the way he scrunches up his nose and makes this weird little face, his love of food, his stumpy legs... he needs those to hold his roley little body though, right ;), just his roley little self makes me smile!
• the great little friendship and bond him and his brother have, I never would have imagined how much I would love having boys until I saw these two together. I'm absolutely enamored with them.
• wondering if this will be the last first birthday that we celebrate around here.... we're still in the "I don't know, maybe, stage" ??
• loving the fact he's becoming so very independent, remember I really start liking my children after about the first year of their life (even though I will miss those milestones)...not a fan of the baby stage, which is the whole first year, imo.
• anxious for all the new big boy stuff he's gonna be able to do this summer.

Everything is just going waaaaaaaay to fast, I need to stop time somehow and savor and cherish and live all those precious moments, smells, and firsts again .... *Ahhhh* sigh. Who knew a first birthday could be SO traumatic on a mother.?

Tid bits about the boys...

Nolan:
(Fat feet)

* Is walking all around! He started walking a few weeks ago, the real shaky walk where they look like their gonna plop over any minute, but he's officially walking around now, fairly smooth. :) So, I figured it was time I start putting some shoes on the boy, I went to buy him new shoes yesterday, which I wasn't thinking that I'd have to do because Donnie has so many hand-me down items I thought I'd be good to go in the shoe dept. Well, a few days ago I went to put some tennis shoes on Nolan that Donnie had and were practically like brand new. I tried to put Nolan's foot into these shoes and I was totally cracking up trying to do it.... Nolan's feet are like little balls, like a fist balled up that won't open, except his feet are flattened out not balled up, they're just SO fat that they look like little balled up fists!! I was pushing and shoving and nothing. nothing. Nolan's foot was just NOT going into those shoes. So, I figured maybe I should go to a shoe store have him measured and buy the poor little guy some shoes that actually fit. JCPenny's here we come! Yeah pathetic, it's about the only shoe store in town that has baby shoes and can measure his feet. He did get a new pair of New Balance tennis shoes... 5 wide to be exact... and they were on sale! Yay, gotta love sales! Oh, did I mention I didn't have an option, the only tennis shoes they had in a wide were the New Balances. I think my next trip to buy shoes is going to be at an outlet that has Stride Rites or some type of shoe I can buy in wides. Grrreat my options are going to be endless! Not only do I have to search to find "cute" boy shoes, but now I have to find Nolan wides, fun fun.

Donnie:
(Curious)

* Is so curious about animals... everything, he asks questions about everything pertaining to animals. Today, we were watching Go Diego, Go and of course Diego is an animal rescuer, so the questions are endless after we watch him. A sea turtle was today's topic of discussion for Donnie. He learned that turtles lay eggs and the babies hatch from the eggs. Along with dinosaurs and birds... he always asks about their eggs.? And their Mommas...and where their Mommas are... Not sure what that's all about? Anyways, today he says to me...

D : Turtles lay eggs Mom?
M: Yes (with a look of you already know that).
D: Where do they lay eggs?
M: What?
D: Do they pee them out?
M: Ummm....
D: Do they pee them out of their butts?
M: Ummm....?? I don't know honey, I'll have to find out. (Seriously, that's what I said....what the hell? Do turtle have female parts? Where do the eggs come out of? I might have to google that tonight! hahhaha!)

I don't know where he comes up with these things... so inquisitive.

Candy, Church, Optimas Prime, & the Med Clinic....

*Disclaimer*

We really do love our boys' equally, but Donnie and I were the only ones "dressed" for Church in the morning..... Nolly was still snoozin' at this point ;(

Our Easter was really, really nice..... low key, exactly what I was hoping for and needed. We, well me, Donnie, and Sheri, (a friend of mine from work who spent Easter with us) headed to Church in the morning....minus Don and Nolan. As Nolan had to take a trip to the Med Clinic in the morning (nothing serious). But, albeit Donnie and I did the solo thing in the morning. We got home, took NO naps (man was I paying for that later in the day), and had my family over for Easter Dinner. FA-BU-LO-SO, I think I might have finally mastered the cheesy potatoes dish!! Definitely, the highlight of Donnie's day was getting his little gift from the Easter Bunny... Optimas Prime, the Transformer...WOW! did that thing MAKE HIS DAY! Nolan was just having a good ol' time watching his big brother run around the house like a wild man (with Optimas Prime in hand of course), playing with his aunts, cousins, and grandparents, and swinging on the swing set (insert thumb in mouth and that boys' as happy as a clam!). He's our little 'thumb sucker', the left one to be exact....awwww, precious baby.

**Don't I look extra happy in these pics....? Because, not only was it Easter, but I had my last class on Saturday.... paper turned in, presentation completed, and boy did I feel like a weight had been lifted from my shoulders!! Woo-Hoooo!! I sang the 'Alleluia's' a little extra loud in Church! ;)**

Chaotic

I promise I'm still here.... AND I have a ton of pics. from our Spring Break to South Carolina. But, that would involve a spare minute for me to work on something other than homework. Unfortunately, my Master's course has completely and utterly consumed my life since I've been back! Literally, I've gotten off of work @4pm., made dinner to be ready at 6pm. when Don gets home, and then off to work on my Annotated Bibliography (I had never heard of this before my class either, but I may be just a complete nimrod? LOL!) until Ohhhh, about 11pm., and yesterday I never even left school until 7:30 because I HAD to finish my homework! Grrrr! I'm SO not trying to complain about my life, oh, hell who am I kiddin' yeah I totally am, but I really have only had time to sleep since I've been home from vacation (and not much of that either)! .... No communicating with friends or family on the phone or via-emails, basically only giving my hubby a kiss goodnight before bed, and trying to squeeze in some decent quality time w/ the boys for a whole hour after work (yeah, I've felt a LOT of horrible "Bad Mom" guilt this week)....this class totally kicked my A$$! I'm still not quite sure how I'm going to complete my Fall class, the "Action Research Paper Class" aka..... my Thesis Paper?? Hmmmm? I guess I'll cross that bridge when I get to it!

*********************************************************

Still on my TO DO LIST, before Sunday -Easter:

• Grocery shop for eggs, cheesy potato ingredients, and other misc. essentials for the Easter Dinner I'm hosting at our house & prepare for the Egg Hunt!
• Grab two navy Polo's for the boys to wear to Church on Sunday
• Fix Easter baskets
• Oh...Duh! Dye Eggs!

** All the while I still have class on Sat. from 8:30-5pm., (thankfully, my last class....ahhhhh *sigh* of relief)... rush, rush, rush, story of my life lately!**

SO READY!!!

Spring Break finally....

South Carolina here we come!!

Leaving tomorrow morning around 8:30am.... we'll be in Charleston by late afternoon!! Wooo-Hoooo!

More to come with pictures to follow......

Wish us luck on the plane ride, I'm a little nervous with a 3 yr. old & 11 month old.?

A weekend to remember... a comedy of errors and vulgar toilet discussions ;)

Things that I learned on my weekend trip:

* Lori has an infectious laugh….
* Nicole has the funkiest a$$ smelling feet I know… I’m SO sorry Ryan
* I know what to get 'Gadget Girl' for Christmas… (and it’s not another gadget, this one I can buy from the drug store)
* Thank God for LeAnn’s navigation skills, or who knows where we’d of ended up for most of the weekend??
* I’m not good at sticking to a budget at an outlet mall w/a credit card in hand
* Jane is a VERY bad influence for someone considering buying a Coach purse
* I will be wearing those damn Coach sunglasses till the day I die (duck tape & all), just to prove Nicole wrong ;)
* I never want to be stuck on the Boulevard at night in Michigan City….EVER AGAIN!
* I will be bringing the “poo-poo” spray on our next road trip
* Don’t look to a non-English speaking Asian couple on the train for help when the conductors won’t let you off
* $77 worth of snacks just isn’t worth it
* Real-life can imitate the Chevy Chase movie “Summer Vacation” (the Wally World one)
* Taco Bell & the song Ladies Night will forever go hand-in-hand, etched in my memory

Teary eyed moments....

Things that will make a "Mommy" teary eyed.....

• Checking out a few preschools for next year... thankfully, I found the one I just fell in love with the minute I walked in! My baby isn't a baby anymore. :(
• Talking to a "big boy" about going to school next year and how much fun he's going to have, all the new friends he's going to meet and all the new things he's going to learn.
• Meeting a potential new babysitter for the boy's to finish this school year out & possibly lead into next Fall. We've hit a small dilemma in our schedule's with Grandma's, therefore it's time to find a babysitter 1-2 days a week. The best part of this is that the lady I would like to have will be able to come to our house! Yay! This will be SO nice, especially since she lives about 20 min. from us....*finger's crossed* this will all fall into place for us.
• Listening to my 10 month old say "Ma-mma Ma-mma Ma-mma" when he hears her voice outside the door.
• Watching my two little boys loving each other.... okay, really fighting then loving, fighting then loving, fighting then loving again..... *sigh* I love those two nut cases ;)

**I'm getting too emotional over my babies growing up.... I think it's time for another, now I've just gotta get my husband on board for that. :)**

First official bike ride of the year....

Woohooo!! Go baby go! He's a master peddler! haha!

Coast is clear folks!

Okay, coast is clear....

Donnie woke up from a nap at my Mom's yesterday & said his throat and ear hurt. So, of course, I went into frantic mom mode... calling to get him an appointment right away with his Dr., but his "real" Dr. never sees him anyways, so we ended up with our usual Dr. Williams (who I always like. :) Anywho, no strep and no ear infection. Just a sore throat and an earache. I kinda felt dumb, because he didn't even have a temperature, but I was so paranoid that he had the dreaded strep I took him in just for peace of mind this weekend. I didn't feel like having to make a weekend trip to the walk-in....kwim?

Eeeeek, please NO!

Donnie goes to G-Ma Huff's on Tues. & Thurs., which by the way....he LOVES!! But, really what 3 yr. old wouldn't have a blast there.... donkey's & goats to feed at the barn in the morning, bird feeders to be filled also in the morning, toys that overflow her sun room for all the little chicklins' she's got running around, a home-made sand box outside by the pool....more like a sand mountain w/ climbing toys in it, a basement with tile flooring, perfect for hockey & numerous sports .... seriously this woman has a house MADE for small children, they love it over at that nut house!! She's crazy though. Not in a bad way crazy, but very, Ummmmm... how can I put this, eccentric may be a good word for her (we love her for her eccentricness!) :) Anyways on with the SCARY part...

Gabe, her 1st grader (yeah, she's 54 w/ a 1st & 4th grader, long story, can't get into it now..) So, she calls me at school yesterday telling me Gabe was sent home from school with a rash on his face. Nothing serious, but of course school thought he should go home... in the case he was contagious. So, I was able to skip out of school about a half hour early, sit with my boys while she took Gabe to the Doctor's and wait for her 4th grader to get of the bus. She comes back from the doctor's and says Gabe has STREP-THROAT.... Eeeeeek!! No please NOT STREP.... that's what I was thinking at this point. If you've read my fear of strep before on my blog you know why.... Donnie & I are SUPER susceptible, not even sure if you can be susceptible to that, but we are! Donnie had it 4 times last year at the ripe old age of 2 (poor whittle baby!) and I've had it numerous time... twice when I was preggo's. UGH!! I'm just waiting, waiting for all the symptoms to appear. Waiting for the fever. Waiting for the throw-ups. Just waiting. Of course, I'm sure it'll take about a week for the symptoms to hit.... just in time for my weekend Master's Course.... Woooo-F-ing-Hoooo!! I'm just prying for some crazy reason that Donnie and I can stay safe. Safe from that dreaded STREP-THROAT.... Wish us luck & a danm good immune system!

Insane, mad woman!

My life is OVERWHELMING!! Aghhhhhhh!! I don't know wether I should laugh or cry... I'm on the verge of going insane (literally). Mostly, (okay, almost solely) because of me starting a Master's program... don't know why I should feel that way, I mean I'm only working full-time, I have two small children, and I'm going back to graduate school.... hmmmm? Must stick it out though.

• Report cards are due next week at some point, I don't even know the exact day, all I know is they need to get done.... No time to be concerned with that I've got other things to be concerned with [bullet 2].
• I've become a MAD woman, and I mean MAD (crazy mad & frustrated mad).... so, I'm taking this Master's Course... "Introduction to Research & Design" this class is SO unbelievable hard for me, it's the "intro." and I don't (not that I care to or want to) understand ANYTHING, please tell me how the hell I'm gonna pass this class?!! These research Journal Articles I'm supposed to be reading have such BIG words, I'm talking BIG words.... words I've never even heard before, let alone read, let alone understand and comprehend. I can't believe people actually do this for a living (really what drives these people into the research profession, I'm baffled by it), research is so foreign to me, then again maybe I'm just a dumb-ass(?) (probably...LOL!)! Let's see the last report I had to write started out.... The animal I have chosen is a Black Rhino. My animal is a mammal because.... Ha! Like I said, I just want to teach 2nd Grade for the love of God, not become a researcher!! Someone please help me understand how this class is going to be useful in my career as a teacher.?
• My house... holy hell..... a complete catastrophe, laundry overflowing, rooms in disarray. No time. There seriously is NOT enough time in my day to complete everything. I need a maid, a nanny, a cook... let's see what else?
• The next few weekends are completely booked to the MAX! Not one free minute. The next free weekend I have (I think) is the sometime in April, and I'm sure those will be filing up quick too (the way our life is lately.)

** But, yes there is a but,... my saving grace will be March 27th at 9 something in the AM when we'll be on our flight to Seabrook Island, S.C. WooooHoooo!! Can I say it again WooooHooooo! Oh, so much needed family time and getaway from the real world, I can't wait, I am so ready, get me outta here... please. One more time WooooHooooo! :) (Geeze, who am I Vicki from The Real Housewives of Orange County? Anyone else watch that.... sad, but oh so entertaining, such a guilty pleasure!) Speaking of TV shows, was anyone else mad at Jason on The Bachelor.... I was pissed, jerk! Poor poor Melissa, I feel for ya girl. :(

I {heart} my conversations with Donnie

I wonder what's going on in that little mind of his... absorbing everything like a sponge.

Our conversation after he see's a butterfly on Toote & Puddle...

Donnie: Momma look, it's a monart
Me: What? What's a monart?
Donnie: A buf-fly
Me: Oh, it's a monarch butterfly....?
Donnie: Yeah, it's a taterpillar and it has a nest, and then it turns into a beautiful buf-fly!!
Me: It has a nest?? Do you mean it makes a cocoon and then turns into a beautiful butterfly...?
Donnie: Yeah, it's a taterpillar, then it makes a tottoon, and turns into a beautiful buf-fly!!
Me: Wow Donnie, you sure know a lot about butterflies!
Donnie: Thanks.

My baby boy....chunk-o-love

For memories sake.....

Nolan Jeffrey - 9 month stats.

20 lbs. (25-50%)
28 in. long (25-50%)

We're laughing about this because your Dad and I think you're SO big, when really you're just pretty average ;) We're used to a child in the 2-3% sats. his whole life, average seems HUGE to us! LOL!

Milestones for you:

* Crawling
* Walking along furniture, I swear the other day you took a step....sounds good, I'll go with that, you're first step! Yay Noly!!
* Content and happy, most of the time
* Making silly faces, scrunching up your nose, smiling and laughing at your big brother, getting a little territorial over your toys...
* Babbling a few words...."Mama mama mama" "Da Da Da" "Ba Ba Ba" "Di-y Di-y Di-y" (Pretty sure that one means Donnie, because whenever you say it you're on the look out, maybe your afraid of getting kung-fued...hehe!)
* You and your brother are becoming fast friends, you've always taken a liking to him....but, just recently has he started liking you..... awe, I'm sorry baby boy!
* Mama's sweetheart (you have totally stolen my heart)..... you're SO sweet and happy, I just want to cuddle you all the time, you're a lover & I LOVE that about you!
* Food is your friend.... (you must get that from me), not picky yet, the key word is yet, I once said this about your brother and now I can't get him to eat anything!
* Blue's Clue's is something you actually will stop and watch for just a few minutes, you always laugh and smile at the doggy.

That's about it for now....
You make us smile everyday Nolan.... we love you!