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.

Strawberry Pickage!

Finally, we found some strawberries! Barely. Catherine and I headed out with the girls this morning on a quest for the juicy goods. The first farm we hit was picked out. Boo. So we pushed on to the Coastal Gardens and found some there. Because the season just opened, the fields are packed with peeps. Callie and I did manage to gather almost 2 pounds, but they were a tad under ripe since the good ones had already been picked by the morning herds. The girls had fun and didn't care whether they were too green or not. Callie tries to act like such a big girl when she's around Emma (who is 5). They talked each other's heads off. Callie tried inserting her caveman banter in between Emma's 45 minute long run-on sentences. They were the cutest little things!

Also, I never got a chance to post pictures of the kids from Sunday when we took them to the beach. It was such a nice weekend and on Sunday morning right after we woke up, we loaded the nuggets up, pounded some McD's breakfast on the way, and let them play at the beach until they decided it was time to come home. Wyatt was in his own blissful world and couldn't be bothered to look at you, talk to you, answer you, or acknowledge your existence. He b-lined for the ocean and kicked the sand until his sandals looked like muddy clogs. Callie wasn't interested in the ocean and only dared to tiptoe in after she watched Wyatt do it for a long time first. She was barely dirty when we left (and was the first to want to leave) while Wyatt was so filthy that he looked like a pig who had wallowed in slop!

Happy 30th Birthday Daddy!

(B - Please peep your biggie in that picture!!!! By the time you are eighty, we won't need sideview mirrors anymore! Hahaha! I love you! ~Your cougar wife)

The Big Nasty...3-0!

It's official... I'm skank nasty, old, and corroded. I was in mourning about it ever since I turned 29 because it was so overwhelming to me to think about officially being middle-aged. So gross! The night before, my friend Lauren pulled me out from the verge of tears and reminded me that Gwen Steffani is like 41 and she is still cool. I agreed. She also reminded me that Gretchen from The Real Housewives of Orange County is 30 and she holds herself together flawlessly. It's true.

When I woke up as a 30 year old, it really wasn't as bad as I was expecting. I already have a minivan and two kids. I think I was in denial about that. Anyway, I realized that my 30's are gonna be great! They will be about embracing who I am and where I am in my life and becoming a better me everyday. I'm actually kind of excited about it. I'm blessed to share them with my two perfects! Brent too.

My birthday was busy! First we went to a huge Easter egg hunt, and the kids had fun. It was pretty creepy though because some parents were vicious about gathering more eggs than the little toddlers. Some people snuck their older kids in so they could have an advantage. I didn't understand it one bit and it made me want to spit and growl. The nuggets were oblivious though and enjoyed it a lot.

Then, we went to a Strawberry Festival. Unfortunately, we got there a little too late and most of the strawberries had already been picked. So, we pushed on to Build-A-Bear at the mall so grandma could spoil them a little bit. It was really cute and Wyatt loved stepping on the pedal while the chick stuffed his bear. He named it "Button" (he was pounding on a keyboard when he decided on the name). Callie picked the cutest little lamb she named "Yepps" and while she was pretty timid about the whole building process, Yepps has already been to the beach and the grocery store with the family. Yepps has quickly become the newest member of the Harbin clan. Button is still on the outs while Wyatt decides if he likes him or not. Button is definitely NOT allowed in Wyatt's crib because he is still a stranger!

Brent and I also got to go out to dinner together at a restaurant on the ocean. There was a wedding we could see from our table which was so nice to watch since Brent and I were also married on the beach in Hilton Head. It was a full-circle kind of feeling to be enjoying dinner as a 30 year old with my two babies at home and watching another couple start their life off together in a similar way that we did. We had such a great day!

Catching up...

It's raining so hard outside right now so I figured it's a good time to catch up on some pictures of the kiddos. I love spring storms and the hypnotic trance it puts you in when the rain is constantly beating against the windows. It makes the house all dark and sleepy too. It's been awhile since we've had a rain this nice!

Anyway, these are a few of my favorite pictures of the nuggets from the past couple of weeks. I can't believe how much they are talking now! They are starting to use pronouns now so instead of sounding like baby cavemen, they are sounding more and more like big kids everyday! It's sad and exciting all at once!

This is one of my favorite pictures ever! I had just pulled out a load of sheets from the dryer and they were still super warm. I snuggled the kids up in them and they thought it was the best thing ever! (It really is!) They stayed curled up in the blankets and sheets for a good half hour and when they were all cold and not snugly anymore, I took the sheets away and the kids threw the biggest tantrum ever! They didn't understand that the sheets weren't warm anymore. It was so cute!

I took this right after we put new shoes on the twinados. And they needed to "running" around the living room to make sure they were acceptable. It was very serious business that involved backing up against a certain window, counting to three, and screaming "GO! GO! GO!" while they ran a certain pattern around the coffee table and then back again.

SEE!

Wyatt paused briefly to show Tickle Me Elmo who was boss!

Six of these little dudes have been terrorizing our dogs for the last couple of weeks by trying to dig tunnels into our yard. So, in total, there has been about 10 dogs barking at each other all day long and it's driving me nuts! But, they are slowly finding new homes. They are super cute though, huh!?!?

Brent and I caught them being so stinking cute when they thought we weren't around. They had lined up all of Callie's baby dolls and were listening to their hearts! Callie was wearing the stethoscope and Wyatt was making the soft "Boom. Boom." sounds. It took our breath away because neither of us had ever seen or taught them to do this before. It was adorable!

Dr. Cahggie!

And last but not least, a perfect picture of my Nizzle with his favorite white bedazzled bracelet!

Lemonade