"Poor ting!"

The little dude is sick. Sad! He hasn't really been eating the last couple days which is so uncharacteristic of him. This morning, he started puking but shook it off quickly and demanded to go to the beach. He was good for the rest of the afternoon until after dinner (which was breakfast) when he hurled again. Let me tell you, scrambled eggs aren't too cute on their way back up!

So, we had to hose the kid down since he had egg giblets all over his head. I was disinfecting everything with bleach while I chatted with him in the shower. He was playing with a hair clip and started drawing in the steam on the shower door. I was absolutely blown away when I watched him very carefully and deliberately draw a circle and exclaim, "Circle!". Then he drew a snake which looked like a long squiggle. I about melted! I had seen him doodle before, but never specifically draw something with actual resemblance of what he was claiming it to be. Of course, I had to grab the camera! (It's too hard to see though.)

After we got him settled down and all cleaned up, I taught him about puke buckets. However, the puke bucket was quickly turned upside-down and redefined as a drum.

He hung out with us in bed for awhile when he saw this commercial and demanded to see it over and over again while he was chuckling and grinning from ear to ear!


We are in HUGE trouble folks!

Memorial Day Weekend (Part 2)

Monday was so much fun! The weather was finally gorgeous and we took advantage of it. It seemed like everyone else did too because the beach was so crowded! I had never seen the beach that crowded since we've lived here. Also, there was a rainbow circling the sun while we were down there. It was beautiful!

We had an awesome time at the beach and stayed there for a good chunk of the day. When we got home, we did a lowcountry boil and celebrated Lauren's upcoming birthday with a donkey cake. (Miniature donkeys are her favorite thing in the whole world.) It was a bittersweet day knowing they were heading home the following morning.

It was so sad to see them go. Everyone was upset and poor little Ellie even broke down and cried. It was the sweetest thing ever. Wyatt had fallen in love with Ellie the first day they were here and kept pinning her against the wall to give her hugs. He was relentless and seemed determined to make her his first little girlfriend! It was cute and Ellie was such a sport for putting up with it! She kept saying, "Oh no! Here we go again!" It was precious!

Callie also fell deeply in love with Ellie. She called her "Anna" the whole time and never left her side. When they left, Callie told me that she wanted Santa Clause to bring her a shirt with a picture of "Anna" on it. She has talked about "Anna" everyday since they left.

Noah was a champ too and Wyatt loved being able to hang out with another little boy. As soon as Wyatt saw Noah he said, "Hi Boy!" and they had fun together all weekend. Both of our kids were so independent and completely denied all parental affection while the big kids were around. Callie even told me, "Away Mommy!" when I would try and kiss on her. Wyatt rarely even got within a 5 foot radius of me. (Visions of things to come I suppose.)

Hopefully, it won't be too long before we get to see them all again! We miss you guys so much already!

Memorial Day Weekend (Part 1)

We had such a great weekend! We had some friends come in town on Friday night. We were so amped to see them that we ended up staying up pretty late and only getting a few hours of sleep. The weather was pretty crappy on Saturday so Lauren and I used it as an opportunity to dump all the kids on the guys and take off.

We had intentions of going shopping in Savannah but never even made it that far because we had so much fun goofing off on the drive there! We ended up turning around after one of us had the brilliant idea to find a Mexican joint where we could bathe in cheese dip and margaritas! That of course lead to a trip to the liquor sto' which eventually turned into some pretty serious partying and a puking incident or two (for a nameless victim). Te-kill-ya!

On Sunday, the weather looked threatening so we loaded up all the kids and took them to the beach early that morning. It was pretty nice even with the gnarly looking sky. We had a fun time finding clams and crabs and other creepy things in the tide pools. We headed home as soon as we thought it was about to rain but it held off most of the day and long enough for the kids to have some fun in the backyard.

Tomorrow! Tomorrow!

Wyatt handed me a dingleberry (of the kitty persuasion) this morning. I don't know which is grosser... the fact that I had a dingleberry in my hand, or the fact that dingleberries are so readily available for my toddler to grab and pass out as gifts.

I had to go to the dentist yesterday. So much fun. This dude doesn't even use nitrous either. The nerve! I believe that a dentist office should have that stuff automatically flowing through the vents. However, as much as I loathe the dentist, having a panoramic view of the sound through all the poking and prodding made me appreciate where we live again. I can't believe that I sometimes take that for granted.

Before I post this little clip of the kids singing "Tomorrow" from Annie, I should probably explain why Wyatt looks like he is converting to Hinduism. Callie has been insistent on wanting earrings. Honestly, I don't know if I'm ready for it and before it was an issue, I planned on having it done when she was in first grade or something. I was able to discourage her from it for awhile by telling her that it was going to hurt, but she has gradually warmed up to that also and was continuing to push it.

Finally, I figured that we would just go look and instead of getting them pierced, we found sticker earrings instead. It was such an awesome compromise because she's not even old enough to realize that they are fake. Anyway, Wyatt of course felt left out and wanted earrings too. (I only let him wear one since it's a little more boyish?) As soon as Brent saw him though, Wyatt's earring quickly became a Hindu bindi. Wyatt likes it better too since it's easier to see in the mirror! :)

tomorrow @ Yahoo! Video

The Harbin Hermit

I haven't posted this week at all because I retracted into my hermit shell. So much crap has unloaded onto my head over the past week that I'm nothing but a ridiculous, festering Debbie Downer. However, we all have our health (furry children included) and in the end, it's all I care about anyway.

So, instead of reliving all the mess and being a pooper, I'm just going to post some pictures and a video or two. I hope it will motivate me enough to get the ball rolling with blogging again...

A morning at the beach

Wyatt actually got stung by a jellyfish on this trip. He took it like a man too! So proud of my little dude!

Fake boo boos... they just wanted the bandaids.

Our horseshoe crab molted. It's super creepy. We don't even have a name for this dude! Any suggestions?

Kiddie Pool

We are having BLAT sandwiches for dinner tonight. Brent came home with a bouquet of flowers and avocados - my knight in shining armor! (I'm a cheap date...what can I say?)

The kids played in the little kiddie pool this afternoon. I had full intentions of loading them up and taking them to the beach but I got horribly lazy when I realized that would probably require me changing out of my sweatpants and my wife beater. So, I dragged out the blue plastic piece and called it a day. Plus, I drank cheap Fuzzy Navel wine coolers which made hanging out in the backyard even more satisfying. (P.S. - Brent did Callie's hair.)

Wyatt chilled like this the whole time:

Please believe that it's a 6 month bathing suit that just slips right down his booty no matter how many times we pull it back up. Poor kid has no butt.

And I seriously still can't get over how cute our dog is or how good he is with the kids! He's literally the type of dog that would nurse kittens if they needed a momma. And, he can still stomp Brent every time the two of them play rough together. He's the best dog on the planet.

After their bath, Callie collected a plethora of random hairbands and wanted to wear them ALL! Her ponytail quickly became a ponystick and she wouldn't let me take our her ponystick before I put her to bed.

I imagine it would be like sleeping on a broom handle... but, whatever floats her boat!

This blows!

When Callie came to say goodnight to me before bed this evening, I scooped her up and tucked her in really tight next to me while my brain was already starting to focus on what what we were having for dinner and how it was sooooo not the same dinner as the perfectly succulent BLAT (BLT + Avocado) sandwiches we ate last night.

I was about to vent my frustrations to Brent about the BLAT situation and I said to him, "You know what blows?!?!" And Callie immediately blew right in my face!

Honestly, I still forget that they can understand adult conversation. Little critters!

I gave them cereal with milk and big spoons this morning. Wyatt looked like he showered in milk while Callie barely spilled a drop. These are the pictures I took to document the moment.

Gama and Gwapa

The kid's had a fun weekend visit from "Gama" and "Gwapa" Harbin. Grandpa was nice enough to help Brent put together a new swing set for the kiddos which they absolutely love! Even in the heat, the kids played for hours climbing and swinging on it today. I feel bad since they are both a little too sunkissed now. Anyway, it was nice to be able to catch up with them since we rarely ever get to see them. Wyatt wimpered when they drove away this morning. He's such a sweet kid! Little dude.

I need a wizard.

Both of my cats have some kind of kitty flu (hopefully not of the swine persuasion). I've been up to my elbows in kitty mud butt and puke. Does that make anyone hungry? It's been a really loooong week.

Anyway, yesterday morning, a massive grasshopper jumped onto the window right where the kids' little table is. I found both of them scared stiff as they stood staring at it from about 20 feet back and quietly mumbling, "Uh oh. Uh oh, mommy." I told them it was a grasshopper and that it wasn't going to bite them. They were pretty nervous about it but eventually warmed up enough to be able to get a closer look at which point they started calling it "Hopper".

A few hours later, I found this and realized they thought it was "Hopper" from A Bug's Life:

For those of you who don't know what that movie is about, a swarm of very mean grasshoppers invade this precious little ant colony and demand that the ants give them an offering of food. The head evil grasshopper's name is "Hopper" which explains why they were calling it this too. I could have withered away with the cuteness of that whole situation! They were very disappointed this morning when they realized Hopper wasn't there anymore. I think they started to consider him as another pet.

Here are some pictures that Callie asked me to take of her this week. I really didn't pull the camera out for any other reason this week unless Callie wanted a picture of herself so I don't have any cute ones of Wyatt. I'm unfit, huh?!

Writing a grocery list. (She doesn't let Wyatt wear these pants at all. As far as she's concerned, they're hers.)

"Nony cuke, Mommy. Cama." (Tony is cute, Mommy. Get the camera.)

This was a tricky request... she wanted me to take a picture of her blowing a bubble with her mouth so I set it to video instead. You can hear her trying really hard while she was on the spot to make another bubble. It sounded like she was going to spew forth a lugi.

"Stawbees!"

We had such a fun day on Saturday. Our favorite little farm finally had strawberries available. We got there as soon as they opened before they got picked out, and it was swarming with people within half an hour. Callie kept screaming, "Mmm! Nommy! (yummy)" and making the people around her laugh! She's crazy. You weren't supposed to eat the strawberries while you were in the field so when the precious little old lady at the register asked the kids if they had eaten any, they said no.

Definitely not guilty.

We picked about 8 pounds of strawberries and have already burned through about 2/3rds of them. That farm really is the cutest place ever. It had little goats and stuff that the kids could pet. I'm so happy that they have such a strong love for animals like Brent and I do. They are never scared and always anxious to meet a new critter.

The rest of the weekend we spent playing outside and eating strawberries. We did a massive amount of work in the backyard too planting bushes and things which gave the kids plenty of opportunity to have fun in the mud. It was such a great warm and sunny weekend!

Massive Bloggy Neglect

It's been a rough week which is why I haven't posted too much. The babies were sick the first half of the week, and I was dragging ass the second half because I've been so tired. So tired. Brent was presented an awesome opportunity with Dell and started working with them at the first of the month. However, because he's in a transition period (Dell is the company taking over his old company) he is working his old job as well as his new job and he's been working his butt off. I'll roll over in the middle of the night and see him pounding away at his laptop. It's been a transition for all of us since I'm used to having him around a lot more than he has been lately.

Anyway, I wanted to jot down some of the cutest things the kids have been saying and doing. They are the funniest little things right now!

Yesterday, I was planting more flowers in the front yard and Callie decided that she also wanted to plant flowers. She would ask to borrow my shovel and dig a hole (and by hole, I mean barely scrape off the top layer of old pinestraw). Then, she would go pick the tiniest little weed flowers and smash them into the holes. She was so proud! I wish I had my camera out there because the little weed flowers were completely pulverized and barely even recognizable after she was done "planting" them. It gave me such a belly laugh!

She also thinks every number she sees is the number 13 and every bug she sees is an ant. She's also starting the phase where she has bad dreams and thinks a lot of stuff is scary. She slept with her door open the other night because she couldn't handle the dark.

She is ridiculously obsessed with the movie Annie. The Easter Bunny gave it to her because he thought it would be educational to expose her to a musical. I don't think he realized how many inappropriate words and scenes there are in that movie! But, it's was too late to take it away from her even after the first time she saw it because she was so in love! She even takes the DVD case with her to bed. Good thing Wyatt is yelling "Dumb dog!" at our dogs now. I'm just waiting for one of them to call me a pig dropping or to tell me that they want to kill me.

She's been asking me to, "Take picture, Mommy.", when she thinks there is something very important to document. Here are some of the latest ones:

These were Wyatt's new car pj pants, but Cal staked claim on them first and wanted a picture of her wearing her victory!

Under her perfectly spread out princess blanket!

Miss ballerina striking her fanciest pose!

I had to agree with her on this request. Documenting the most precious and sweetest belly in the whole world is definitely important! I can't stop kissing it! I need belly rehab!

Wyatt's favorite thing right now is taking showers (aka "Reen!" - Rain). He lays down on the floor of the shower and says he's a turtle. He loves to play with the soap because it's so slippery but he gets it in his eyes every time! I can bribe him to do anything if the reward is taking a shower. His favorite phrase right now is "Want it!" which actually means 'I don't want it!'. It's usually followed by a dramatic collapse to the ground.

One of the best moments in the day for me is when Wyatt and I do our little night time ritual. It was completely concocted by the little dude himself. This is how it goes:

Wyatt: "Night night, Mommy!"
(We kiss on the lips)
Wyatt: "Nose kees!"
(We rub noses)
Wyatt: "Eye kees!"
(Left eye butterfly kisses)
Wyatt: "One eye!" - Other eye
(Right eye butterfly kisses)
Wyatt: "Ear kees!"
(Left ear to ear)
Wyatt: "One ear!" - Other ear
(Right ear to ear)
Wyatt: "Iyuyou, Mommy!"
Me: "Night night, buddy. I love you too."

I know that was long and drawn out, but I don't want to ever forget an ounce of it! I'm going to die the day that he doesn't do the ritual anymore. I have no idea where he got it from either. He is the sweetest little man! Please don't let him grow up anymore! Thinking about it too much chokes me up!

Here's another Sesame Street throwback for ya! Every morning the kids and I jam out to The Ladybugs Picnic! So much fun! It's way too freaking cute because they love to dance so much that they will forego their breakfast so they can bust a move! I get so winded now that I'm a senior citizen.

And just because I love them so much, here's another one! Enjoy! :)

The weekend started out great! We spent most of Friday and Saturday out in the yard planting flowers and bushes and trying to camouflage the areas that the dogs have turned into sandy mud pits. The kids loved it and got so upset when they had to come inside to eat or take a nap. It was a great glimpse of what the summer is going to be like. We even got hamburgers and stuff to grill out but we never got a chance to because Sunday was awful.

Brent makes fun of me for planting in such a straight row. I am OCD though!

The end of the line for this sippy cup.

Callie woke up with a fever of 102. It came out of nowhere and Tylenol wasn't doing anything for her. We called the pediatrician multiple times and was recommended to strip her down and start piggybacking Tylenol and Motrin to get the fever down. She had chills, labored breathing, and could barely hold her head up. By the afternoon, she was up to 103 and we ended up having to dunk her in a cold bath. There was nothing we could do except hold her and gnaw on our fingernails wonder every second if we should just take her to the hospital. Finally, around 6:30 her fever broke. We were so stressed out! It was not fun at all. Then, of course, Wyatt woke up around 1:00am with a fever too.

So, today we are hanging out in bed for the second day in a row watching stupid amounts of Curious George and Caillou. I can't deal.

Beet, Beet, Sugar Beet, Beet...

I have been super inspired today! I saw an old school Sesame Street clip that took me back to feeling like I was 5ish. That show was the bomb back in the day! I mean, I would sit there in awe with my mouth hanging all the way open and drool dripping down my little pot belly. Good times. Anyway, I'm gonna post a clip here and there just because it gives me the warm and fuzzies! Enjoy!

Happy Easter!

We had such a great weekend! I hope you all did too! We spent most of the day on Saturday working and playing in the yard. We put the kiddos down for a nap and Brent snuck off with a buddy while I trimmed up some bushes and planted flowers in the yard. I felt like an overachiever because I even had the baby monitors outside with me so I could keep an ear on the babies at the same time.

Well, I totally gave myself way too much credit because about an hour into it, when I was dying for a bottle of water, I realized I had locked myself out of the house! Of course my cell phone was also inside. I ended up having to walk my dirt and sweat encrusted self over to the neighbors house, and beg them to use their cell phone to get Brent to come home. I looked gorgeous!

Sunday, I went to church way too early in the morning with my aunt and then over to the folks house for Easter brunch with the whole famn damily. Wyatt sported a mohawk for the occasion. We ended up hiding eggs over there since Callie told us that she didn't want the Easter bunny coming to our house because he was scary. They also got totally bored hunting eggs and left more than half of them behind. They were way more interested in throwing rocks down the sewer.

And only because the website that I used to get this recipe off of doesn't exist anymore (and I'm scared I'm not going to be able to find it again), I'm posting one of our favorite holiday recipes that I got from the best photographer ever, Allison...

Apple-Cheese Casserole
1 stick butter (softened at room temperature)
1 cup sugar
1/2 lb. velveeta cheese
3/4 cup all purpose flour
1 can sliced apple pie filling

Cream margarine and sugar. Break cheese into chunks and add to sugar mixture. Beat well. In buttered casserole dish, place sliced apples and top with cheese mixture. Spread to cover. Bake at 350 for 30 - 45 min. or until brown & bubbly on top.