Hurricane Hanna

It's been a slack week and sometimes I get this love/hate relationship thing going with my blog. (This week it's been the hate half that's been preventing me from posting.) Anyway, I'm going to try and get caught up quickly which shouldn't be too hard since we have been laying low.

We didn't do anything over Labor Day weekend. I think that we were all drained from the trip to Atlanta so we just lazed around a lot. We didn't even go to the beach but we did eat a lot and watch a lot of football. Brent snuck away with my dad on Saturday to see the Citadel game in Charleston and had fun. That's really about it.

Yesterday and today have been up and down with this lingering hurricane. I wish it would take a crap or get off the pot because one minute I'm at Lowe's stocking up on flashlights and batteries, and the next minute I'm trying to plan dinner for company on Friday night. Believe it or not, my parents have already boarded up their house as have a bunch of other houses in their neighborhood too. No one in our neighborhood has even bothered.

Anyway, when I said I've been lazy this week, that includes not taking any pictures of the kids. But, here are some cute ones of Callie I took last week right before we left - which reminds me that I wanted to jot down some of her cute slang. It only takes a day or two and Wyatt picks them up from her too. He's not interested in learning words that we try to teach him... just from Callie.

"reez" - raisins

"leddle-leddle-lee" - cockadoodledoo

"Wy Wy" - Wyatt

"peas" - please

(sniffing sound) - flower

"reen" - rain

"ma'am-ma" - banana

"arn-sh" - orange

"bopple" - apple

(zooming around motion and landing in her mouth) - airplane

"Ish!"

The Georgia Aquarium is awesome! I heard a lot of different things about it but it totally exceeded my expectations. In fact, I think that it's been the place that the kids have had the biggest reaction to so far. Since school has started, it wasn't overwhelmingly crowded and we went in the middle of the week too which probably helped.

Everything was an "ish" (fish) be it a beluga whale or a sea lion. Neither of them liked to be too close to the glass and Wyatt was terrified of the penguins. Callie named one of the yellow seahorses, "Banana" which made me want to get a new pet just so she could name it. Wyatt's favorite thing was the guy in the orange fish character outfit. He stalked that dude even outside of the aquarium. Callie enjoyed hanging out with her grandma and eating lunch on her lap. We had so much fun there yesterday! I'm looking forward to going back!

Afterward, we let the kids play at Bum Piss Park (what we so lovingly renamed Centennial's play ground because of the way it smelled). Then, we headed back home. The quick getaway was so much fun that I wish we had decided to stay a little longer!


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Hump Day in A-town...

On Wednesday, we went to Atlanta for a lot of reasons, but the funnest reasons were Imagine It, Centennial Olympic Park, and the Georgia Aquarium. The kids did really well on the road and watched Elmo videos on repeat until my ears were bleeding. (If I ever complain about the traffic in Bluffton again after being in that white-knuckled crap in Atlanta, then I have problems.)

We went to Imagine It first, which is supposedly a "children's museum" but was really just a big play area deal. The babes had tons of fun but Brent and I always get creeped out by other people's out-of-control and rotten little punk kids. My babies got knocked over and had things ripped out of their hands. I wanted to drop kick some of those little skidmarks. It's true.


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Then, we went to Centennial Park and played in the fountain rings. Callie got clobbered by one of the water spouts when she fell on top it. It shot her in the face and poor thing probably got an enema from it too. She was soaking wet so we went back to the hotel to get cleaned up and headed right back out to Ikea because I never get to shop at awesome places like that. We got some cool stuff too.

The cutest part of the night was when we got back to our hotel room with a really awesome view of the skyline and we cut out all the lights and looked at the view with the kids. They loved it and kept saying, "Ooooooh!" I know they enjoyed it as much as we did because when we got home tonight, they kept looking out the window while pointing to the lights on inside and saying, "Off! Off!" I love those little squirts. They light up my life.

Brent and I had dinner at the top of the round building the night we got engaged. If you look closely, you can see some residual damage on that building from the tornadoes that ripped through Atlanta in the Spring.

So, I'll tell you all about our day today, tomorrow. But for now, we are all home and safe and enjoying the first night of football! I'm so happy and foaming at the mouth in anticipation of Saturday. I'm going to kick some ass in pick'em this year! Guaran. Ballz. Teed.

By the way, Lou Holtz is precious!

We got to see them setting up for the first College Game Day of the season on Centennial lawn for the Clemson/Alabama game! I'm sad we didn't get to stay!

Happy Anniversary!

Wordle

This is a cute little thing from wordle.net. You can enter in your blog address and it produces this cute artsy thing using the most common words that appear in your blog.

Overcompensation.

Wow. I really don't know what to say about this weekend. We went to a tailgate party thing that started out so innocent. Three beers later, I was hurling into a porta-potty. I think that my cobwebby, middle-aged body is straight up starting to reject alcohol because I puked my guts out after we got home too. Brent was drunk. I could tell because he invents jokes that aren't funny and he tells stories with no purpose. He spent the night on the bathroom floor.

We are done. We've hung up our party hats for good and have strapped on designated driver hats instead. What is the point?! We both feel like total crap today.

But, as for my babies... they had a big night. They had a sleep over at grandma's and probably loaded up on tons of sugar and who knows what else. Supposedly, they did really well so this might have paved the way for a future sleep over. But, you better believe that I was over at the folks house just past 7:00am this morning to see them despite my three-beer-hangover. I can't breathe with out my babies.

Today, we went to the beach to meet up with one of my old friends from Atlanta. I was telling Brent this afternoon how nice it was to visit with people who really know you, who you never have to feel nervous around, and never put up any kind of a guard... people who love you for who you are. I felt lucky to be able to get some of that this weekend!

I don't think I'll be awake to eat dinner tonight.

Wanna little bang in your ying yang?

College football starts soon!!!! WHO'S EXCITED?!?!

Other than that, I feel pretty boring today and the fact that taking the cat to the vet was the highlight of my day is proof in and of itself.

My poor monkey dude is teething so bad. Today, he asked to take a nap. I thought he just wanted to climb the stairs but the little man went straight to sleep once we put him down. Callie and I "played" together like real little girls today. She was lining up princess figurines and then chucking them into her potty. We were counting them and laughing each time a princess fell to her doom. They are getting so big!

The weather here is fabulous! We are getting tons of residual rain from the hurricane in Jacksonville so it's all dark and comfy and the sound of the rain hitting the windows all day was so relaxing. It makes me anxious for fall and pumpkins and sweaters and thick soup. Good good!

That picture has nothing to do with this post; I just like it. Someone asked us before if he was a hyena. I actually think we considered it for a second!

Best Friends

This week we are trying to transition the kiddos from their highchairs (lowchairs) to a kiddie table that my brother and I grew up eating on. It's my favorite piece of furniture in this entire world and when the sunlight hits it just right, you can see where my brother carved "Heather Sucks" lightly into the varnish circa 1986. It warms my soul.

Anyway, they ate their first lunch at that table yesterday and did really well (for most of the time). Of course, they get a little restless and can easily get up since they aren't strapped in, and after several warnings to sit, Callie ended up in her lowchair. Once that happened, Wyatt decided he'd rather keep her company in his lowchair too than continue to sit at the table. It was cute. Those two are best friends.

Whenever Wyatt is in time out, Callie sits in time out too to keep him company. When I take a toy away from Callie that she has stolen from Wyatt, and return it to Wyatt because he's crying and was playing with the toy first, he'll correct me by deciding to share it with her anyway. I sometimes feel stupid for intervening because they usually find a way to work it out by themselves and completely contradict me. Watching their closeness is just incredible.

P.I.M.P.

Random Pics From the Week

Playing with knives at Cracker Barrell like all good parent's let their kids do!

Flowers from Brent just cuz. He's precious.

Getting into a surprise care package from Grandma Harbin!

Hiding in the corner with their loot!

Miss Thing and Monkey playing at the "beesh" today

Digging for gold (not of the nasal persuasion).

We've been dragging ass this week because we have been staying up so late to watch the Olympics. We do record it so we can watch it whenever, but holy crap... watching the Olympics in high-def is so worth the pain of getting up in the morning! Also, I'm such a huge Phelps Phan that I can't help but stay up and watch. Not only do I love watching him because he is literally the greatest athlete of all time, but watching all that swimming floods me with nostalgia. Even to this day, chlorine is my favorite smell in the whole world because it is that comforting to me.

This has nothing to do with this week, but the kiddos had their 18 month checkup last week and they did great! Here are their stats:

Callie

Height - 33.5 inches (90th percentile)

Weight - 25.7 lbs. (65th percentile)

Wyatt

Height - 31.5 inches (25th percentile)

Weight - 22 lbs. (7th percentile)

I don't understand why Wyatt is barely making it on the weight chart. He is our garbage disposal and eats more than I do almost every day. Callie plays with her food and might eat a morsel or two, but Wyatt pounds food like it's his job. I still think he's going to be really tall because his feet are huge!

Callie started stringing words together last week and her vocabulary has exploded! Also, she counted to five this morning! I was completely blown away. That's Sesame Street for ya! Wyatt's new thing this week is trying to snap like Mister Rogers. (Thank goodness for edumacation TV!)

Run Forrest Run!

For those of you who don't already know, Brent is an IT geek and works all along the coastal region of Georgia. Yesterday, we tagged along with him to one of his sites and got to see the place where they filmed the 'Run Forrest, run!' scenes for Forrest Gump. It was really beautiful! I love this part of the country because of all the huge water oaks and the natural tunnels that they form, but this was just extraordinarily beautiful and incredibly long!

Dirty Diaper Spelunking

Rule #1 - No painting yourselves or your momma with poop.

This rule comes courtesy of Wyatt who was just a sliver shy of being put up for adoption today. He will also be wearing onesies until he gets his drivers license. He's not responsible enough for just a tshirt and I sure as hell don't have the stomach for it either.



Also, this is completely off topic and probably not appropriate to post along with the above, but I have a great recipe for squash casserole courtesy of my friend, Heather. It's something I know I will be making all the time and even the kids loved it! (You kind of have to pretend that you are Paula Deen when you are making this because of all the mayonnaise. Believe me though, it's worth the calories!)

I know I've been posting a lot of recipes lately but it totally comes in waves so I'm loving the fact that I'm finding such great ones right now.

Squash Casserole

2 lbs. fresh squash
1/2 onion, chopped
1/2 green pepper, chopped
1 cup mayonnaise
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 eggs
pepper to taste

In a large bowl, mash steamed squash and drain. Combine drained squash with next six ingredients and mix well. (The consistency will be like cake batter at this point.) Pour into 9x13 baking dish and bake 30-45 minutes until the center is set and firm.

Here's a cute video that I took of Wyatt tonight. Brent is sitting all crouched weird so it looks like he has the biggest beer gut ever (it's only a little smaller than that). So, you'll have to look past that and the wife beaters that my men are wearing too!

Teared me right up!

Excuse my bloggy hiatus

Monday, I don't remember.

Tuesday, we played nudist colony in the backyard.

Wednesday, I went to Charleston to hang out with my old pal, Ape. We had fun catching up and just being the way we are when we're together. It's always surreal when we spend time together because we've been friends since we were 5 and here we are... almost 30... and still a pair of big dorks. She makes me feel like me.

Thursday, I went Summerville to spend time with my Heath. She and I also have tons of history. We went to middle school, high school, and college together. In fact, we were even roommates in college for awhile. Her hubby is away so we had a day just to ourselves. She showed me around downtown Summerville and took me to the cutest little tea room for lunch. It was precious. She is precious.

Friday, Brent left really early for work and was able to get home earlier than normal. We didn't do anything exciting, but the four of us had fun being together and running errands. I know that sounds silly but it was nice puttering around as a family.

Yesterday, we had a cookout with some friends.

And this morning, we were at the beach bright and early!

Happy 85th Birthday, Oma!

Today was my grandmother's 85th birthday! My aunt and my mom put together a little surprise party for her and it was so cute. She was so happy just to be around us and she kept welling up with tears. She is precious. We got her loaded up on mimosas too so she should be ready to party at the old fogie home tonight! Woo Hoo!

This afternoon, in the midst of shopping about, we decided to make a pit stop at the beach and the kids tore it up! Callie is fearless! She was running into the waves and crashing over and falling down and laughing the whole time. Brent and I had our butt cheeks clenched tight because she was making us so nervous but she really was doing pretty well on her own. Wyatt, of course, was more interested in befriending everyone at the beach. He's such a social little dude!

Lesson Learned

Yesterday, my day started out great. I had a horrible night of sleep because every time Brent is out of town, I think that murderers are lurking outside of my bedroom window and ghosts are haunting me. Pathetically, it's the truth. Also, Callie decided to wake up at 1:00am so that wasn't fun either. Anyway, I was pretty much a pissed off zombie until I got my smile back in the form of a cute fruit bouquet.



He's the best.

We had a full day of running errands and despite being ridiculously exhausted, I actually got them done. I could barely stand up or keep my eyes open until Brent finally got home. I was at the end of giving the kids a bath when he walked through the door. In less than a nanosecond I had stripped down and gotten in the shower because I knew he would take over and I was chomping at the bit to begin my premeditated hours of relaxation.

But it was not to be the case.

About 3 minutes into my shower, after Brent had already dried off the kids, he came frantically running back into the bathroom holding Wyatt and an open bottle of Tylenol PM. The rotten monkey had done the unthinkable and some how busted into the pill bottle! I have no idea how he did it since I'm almost 30 and still can't get those darn things open! Brent was able to pry one out of his mouth but we had no idea if he had swallowed any before that or not. So, after a phone call to his pediatrician and poison control, Brent took him into the Emergency Room. Five hours and a blood test later, he was sent home with no traces of Tylenol in his system whatsoever. Thank goodness it was only a scare, but now all four of us are beyond cranky and starting to sling death threats. Hopefully, we'll get to bed early without incident!

A is for Alky

That's what the twinados are going to turn me into... an alky! There have only been a handful of times that those runts have made me want to pickle my liver and tonight was one of those nights.

Of course, I'm too big of a wuss to do it because Brent is out of town and I can't be hammered if there is an emergency or something and I have to drive somewhere. I am the only one in this house with a valid driver's license right now.

But I'm daydreaming of it nonetheless.

Poor Brent is in for it when he gets home because my ass is going to fester in a hot bath until my hands and feet turn pruney to the verge of disintegration. He'll be playing Mom.

Those two little terrors are going to give us a run for our money when they get to be a little bit older. They are already plotting and scheming against us and they think it's funny. They know that a big rule during bath time is 'no standing in the tub'. I ducked into the closet for a half second to grab a towel for them and when I turned around, they were both standing up in the tub, looking at each other, and giggling because they knew they were being rotten. I will admit that it was pretty precious and gave me old school flashbacks of me and my brother when we were up-to-no-good little munchkins, but it was the beginning of the end for the evening because it preceded a stream of extreme rottenness, trips to time-out, and tears (both theirs and mine).

These little rugrats don't come with manuals.

Be that as it may, I still love those two little skid marks more than life. Stinkers!

Housekeeping

First, I would like to give a HUGE shout out to my "number one reader", Richie, who never leaves me any love but would like a shoutout nonetheless. WHAT'S UP RICHIE!?!?!

Second, this website is one of my daily reads. It's a long story and I come off looking like a huge stalker in it, but I love this girl and her twin boys to death. They were born about a month before Callie and Wyatt. Anyway, she's giving away a free tote bag and if you want a chance to win it, just leave a comment in her blog section: http://theblueangels.blogspot.com/2008/07/cheers-to-2-years-and-sewing-giveaway.html

Third, I thought of another one of those little things that quickly slip away into forgotten memory land when you don't bother to jot it down. Callie likes to feed her daddy and me a pinch of imaginary food and then hear us say "Mmmm!!!!" Then, she'll smile and go back to her imaginary pile of food to grab more imaginary food to feed to us. She can do it for about 20 minutes without tiring and has been playing this game for months. It's pretty ironic that she's not interested in food when it's time to eat, but she's the first to try and take a bite of something inedible, notice food on TV, and pretend about food. These days she's solely living on fruit and pickles. Very health conscious, I know.

Fourth... I just wanted to pretend like I had four things. Which I don't. I just like the number four.

The Intimidator!

Today was great because Brent was working from home and I headed out as soon as the kids went down for their morning nap since I heard there were some great sales out there! And there definately were! I got both kids all their clothes for next summer. I love shopping, but I get giddy when I find really cute stuff for really good deals. It satisfies me to the core.

So, after a satisfying morning of great shopping, we took the kids to a very satisfying lunch where Callie discovered the gloriousness of cheese dip, and then we went to this indoor play place. They had fun running around and tiring themselves out. Brent and I were the only parents there who played with the toys and bounced on all the jumpy things as much as the kids did. Some of the parents gave us the stinky-eye too but whateva... sucks to be them and boring. Also, I'm always amazed by the kids who are completely reckless, out-of-control, and have no manners. I bet some of them are even rabid (and their stinky-eyed parents too).

Here's the best part... Wyatt is a bully! Hahaha! My little scrawny ass, chicken legged, 15 pounded monkey dude is a bully! There were these little plastic car things there and Wyatt was obsessed with them. Anyway, there was this 4 year old that wanted to play with them too but everytime he would get inside one, Wyatt would Bo Duke it and climb in through the window forcing the kid that was already in there to get out! It was great because this kid was at least 3 times bigger than Wyatt. It got to the point where the kid would automatically run away if he saw Wyatt coming towards him. Brent and I were trying not to laugh (publicly), but if this kid wanted to stand up for himself against Wyatt, he honestly could have. My little shrimp is the man!

Let's Talk About Me

Okay, there is this "meme" (whatever that is and however you are supposed to say it) floating around the blog scene and because I just put the kids down for a nap and have a little bit of time, I thought I would play along. It's called, "Let's Talk About Me"... here we go!

What were you doing 10 years ago?
Uhh... 29-10=19. Okay. I was in college having the time of my life with a bunch of friends less than 20 steps away at any given time. My friend, Meghan lived right across the hall from me and we was like peas n' carrots. I was very wild at the time and we all partied pretty hard. I was enjoying my new found freedom to the fullest extent and it was fun as hell!

Favorite Snacks
chips and cheese dip
fresh fruit
cherry coke

To Do List
I don't really know what this means, but the only lists I make regularly are ones for groceries. I had to start this when the kids were born because I get so sidetracked hauling those two around. I have a intangible list in my head of "Things to do before I die" like swim with great whites in a shark cage and visit Bora Bora... things like that. Also, I guess I have an imaginary "Things I need to do but will procrastinate until the very last minute" list that has stuff on it like, go to the dentist, paint the laundry room, disinfect the shower... That's the list I hate the most because it nags at me everyday and I still never do it.

Jobs I've Had
Swim Coach - I loved it but the parent's were always nightmares to deal with.
Cookie Decorator - Hahaha! I still say that was one of my faves!
Statistical Analyst - CIBA Vision in Atlanta. I get nauseous thinking about my time there because I was so exposed to the negativity of the corporate world but I was making an incredibly good salary for someone fresh out of college and I had an article or two published in some Ophthalmology magazines. I felt very important there, but I dreaded waking up in the morning.
Paralegal - and I use that term very loosely because I can't remember my actual title but it was doing that kind of crap for a real estate law firm. I hated that job and still kick myself for sticking it out there as long as I did.
Sales Assistant - for a local real estate developer. I have never enjoyed a job more than I enjoyed that one! I worked with some of the nicest people and my boss was someone I was supposed to cross paths with... I still miss everyone there!
SAHM - fulfills me more than anything I ever thought this life could offer. Of course, being elbows deep in poo isn't a perk, but their little faces and their smiles... oh my God! Thank you, God.

Places I've Lived
Richmond, VA
Alpharetta, GA
Greenville, SC
Lilburn, GA
Bluffton, SC

Bad Habits
Worrying too much! I mean, it's pathetic! I should probably be medicated or something because it definitely hinders my daily life. Also, I always leave my clothes in the bathroom sink. It rakes on Brent's nerves so badly but he rarely says anything about it anymore because he's so used to it. I don't know why I can't just put them in the hamper. It's like a permanent brain fart. Oh! And cussing. I'm really trying to quit. I need like a patch or some gum for it.

5 Random Things People May Not Know
1.) Umm... I entered college with the intent of becoming a Marine Biologist. It combined the two things I loved most in this world. Water and Animals. My advisor kind of talked me out of it by telling me I would have to go to grad school and then hopefully beat out thousands of other candidates for a chance at making minimum wage. Sometimes I'm sad that I didn't follow my dream, but I probably wouldn't have met Brent so I get over it pretty quickly.

2.) I love to draw and paint. I was also an Art major in college and was a few classes shy of getting that degree too but what was I going to do with an Art degree? For me, it was purely for fun and I really loved being in the Art building and working on lots different pieces and stuff. I miss doing that.

3.) When Brent and I get old, we want to have enough property to be able to start an animal rescue or something like that. There are so many abused animals in this world and people just don't recognize that animals are simply little angels among us. My heart breaks for those little guys that are suffering out there.

4.) I love that movie Superbad! It's one of my faves! Boop.

5.) My hair is really long right now because I've always wanted long curly hair and I'm thinking about perming it... but perming it is very 80s and even though I've wanted to do this since Elementary school, I don't know if it's okay to look like an idiot just because I never got to live out my DJ Tannerish dream. So, I'm torn and in the mean time, my hair is getting longer and longer.

CDs I would want if stranded on an island
Matchbox 20 (Yourself or someone like you)
Monster Ballads
Probably one of the NOW CDs so I could shake my boo-tay.

What I'd do if I were a billionaire
Beach house with big ass boat
Trust Funds for my runts
TRAVEL
Charities
Chef/Maids/Massuse

Bla-dow!

Water Festival

3 Tids and Bits

First, I just ordered two huge packs of diapers from Diapers.com and not only are they delivered to my house for free (in 2 days), but I saved $10.00 (on purchase of $50.00 or more) with the coupon code STINKYBUTT and got a year free subscription to parenting magazine. Plus, there was no tax. We usually buy diapers from Sam's Club and even though the diapers at Sam's are a few bucks cheaper, this still ended up saving us about $10.00 + gas. It made me happy so I thought I'd share the good word.

Second, I just made the BEST blueberry muffins I have ever eaten before in my life! The four of us just destroyed all of them while they were still hot so I never even got to take a picture. I found the recipe and kind of tweaked it around to make a lazy version of it because I didn't want to take the time to make some muffin crumb top and I wanted to make something else with these blueberries other than pie and pancakes. I can't believe how easy they were! Be careful! These things are addictive! With a huge glass of milk too?... Awww Sookie Sookie!!!!

Cinnamon Sugar Blueberry Muffins

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup white sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 egg
1/3 cup milk
1 cup fresh blueberries

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease muffin cups or line with muffin liners. Combine flour, sugar, salt and baking powder. Mix in vegetable oil, egg and milk. (My batter was a little dry at this point so I added milk to thin it out. You want it to be like thick pancake batter.) Fold in blueberries. Fill muffin cups right to the top, and generously sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar.

For mini muffins bake 10-15 minutes in preheated oven or until done. For regular sized muffins bake 20-25 minutes.
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Last but definitely not least, I have another awesomely good self-concocted recipe with blueberries in it. It's a fruited curry chicken salad and it will make you tear up with taste bud glee! If you are curry monsters like we all are, you have to try this! It's so good that Brent and I both ate it straight out of the bowl! Fab. U. Lus.

Fruited Curry Chicken Salad

1-2 cooked and shredded chicken breasts
1/4 small onion, finely chopped (more or less to your taste)
1/2 cup chopped cashews
1 tsp. black pepper
1 tsp. curry powder
1/2 cup mayonnaise (more or less to your taste)
1 cup fresh blueberries

In a large bowl, combine chicken, onion, cashews, pepper, curry, and mayonnaise. Toss to coat. Gently fold in fresh blueberries. Chill.

All about Wyatt!

My dude is the sweetest and craziest kid in one. He loves to cuddle and drool on your shoulder. He hates waking up just like me and needs to be held awhile before he is ready to get down and play. He is still passing out sloppy kisses that are mostly tongue and he knows no strangers.

Some old lady told me the other day that he is a huge flirt and I don't think she could have been more correct. I still can't get over him befriending this little Asian chick working the register at this restaurant a couple weeks ago. He said hi to her and when she knelt down to talk to him, he grabbed her neck and planted his little cheek right there on her shoulder. I was totally weirded out but the lady was eating him up so... whatever. He tried to do the same thing to a woman trimming the hedges at the zoo.

My monkey is totally crazy and sometimes rough. He's the type that will try to give you a kiss and will accidentally headbutt you in the process. He's just like his daddy! Also, when I tell you that the kid is off his rocker - I'm not joking. He will bang his head into the wall just to hear the loud echo of it in the foyer. He "mows" the carpet with his head and gets the biggest kick out of watching you balance something on your head and then accidentally letting in fall off! He's got the cutest belly laugh in the world and is very ticklish!

He loves Callie to pieces. He follows her lead, copies her words, feeds her snacks, and will full on tackle her when she has a toy he wants (because it's obviously very cool if she is playing with it). He loves all animals (but birdies and kitties the most) and "talking" on the phone.

Oh! I can't forget to tell you about his trademark signature move! When he cries, he turns blue. I'm not kidding. He stops breathing to the point where he almost passes out. I've had people stop me in stores because they were so worried he wasn't going to breathe again. It's scary. It happens almost every time he cries and it will make your heart stop if you see it.

My precious boy. My little man.

Also, the way he says the word "off" makes me want to eat him!

Potty Time!

My baby girl had a big milestone day yesterday! She strung words, "Hi Daddy!" and "I love you!" and she told me that she had to poop before she went! Of course, when I put her on the big potty, she freaked out because she is terrified of the toilet. So, I took her down and she pooped in her diaper and came over to tell me that the deed was done. I have to order a little potty today for that child! We've been watching the "Elmo goes Potty" DVD and apparently, if Elmo takes a dump on the loo, then so will she! Elmo is my hero. However, I am not looking forward to visiting public restrooms while we are out and about. I'm phobic of those corroded germ pits! So gross!

Anyway, I realize that because girlfriend is hitting all these milestones one step ahead of my monkey, I seem to blog more about her than I do about him. It's not fair so my next post is going to be all about my sweet boy!

Blueberry Farm!

This morning we went blueberry picking! It was really fun and the kids had a blast! At first, I was a little worried that they might have trouble picking them because the berries are so small, but they quickly proved me wrong. It was overcast too which was nice but it even still got hot after we had been there awhile. The kids ate blueberries by the handful out of our picking buckets so it took us a really long time to fill them up. In the end we came home with about a pound of blueberries and I dove into making a pie as soon as we got home. It looked too good to wait until dinner so Brent and I already got into it. It's just as good as the strawberry pie I made in the spring but definitely not as healthy!

Blueberry Pie

2/3 cups water
1/2 cup sugar
1 tbsp. cornstarch
1/2 (3 oz.) packet grape jello mix
1/2 (20 oz.) can crushed pineapple, drained
2 and 1/2 cups fresh blueberries

4 oz. cream cheese
4 oz. sour cream
1 tsp. vanilla
1/4 cup sugar
1 (9 inch) graham cracker crust

Cream together cream cheese, sugar, sour cream, and vanilla. Spread into pie crust. Chill.

In a saucepan, combine water, sugar, and cornstarch. Cook and stir over medium high heat until mixture boils and thickens. Remove from heat and stir in gelatin mix. Allow to cool slightly. Stir in pineapple and blueberries. Pour over cream cheese mixture and chill until firm.

Here's a cute little video of the kids picking blueberries this morning. It took a long time for us to pick a lot of blueberries because they are so small. Even after the tots were too tired to keep walking, they were still determined to pick-n-eat! My rolly munchkins.