What Do You Do When...

From a child's lips to God's ears.

Our trip to North Carolina provided us with 4 new members of our family.  Herman, Hermione, Heron and Hershey.  Lexy's little hermit crab babies.  Only they're not babies.  I think.  I'm not sure, I mean, can you really tell how old a hermit crab is?  I think they're young.  They're small.  And I think hermits get to be big.  Do they get big?  Because if they grow any bigger I can't say that I'll be picking them up on a regular basis.  Cause the bigger they are the harder they pinch.  And they pinch.  A lot.  

The hermits survived 7 hours in the car on the way home.  They survived cool nights before we could buy a heater for them, before we could buy a new terrarium for them to live in with all kinds of sand and climbing toys and coconut fiber for them to eat and climb.  But, one little hermit.  The one with the yellow shell.  The only one that Lexy picked and said that she loved and wanted.  Poor little Hermione has passed away.  And when I told my mother that little Hermione has passed away, she asked how I knew... well, I suppose when the legs fall out from the shell and land on the sand you sort of have your answer.

We had 15 minutes of sadness, no tears mind you, but the questions about why animals die, how animals die, where do they go when they die, how do you get to heaven and what is in heaven.  All perfectly valid questions, of course, but they're hard to discuss with adults, let alone with a 4 year old   How do you explain to a 4 year old that hermit crabs don't live forever, that they're hermit crabs.  They aren't supposed to live forever?

My big parenting lesson of the day?  Pull the little one into your lap (or what's left of your lap when you're 27 weeks pregnant), answer the questions to the best of your ability and with as much honesty as you can muster, and let them be sad.  And the promise them a new hermit crab.

But, Lexy summed it up herself and in the best possible way.


"And dear God, please look after Hermione and take care of her now that she's gone up to be in Heaven.  She's a good Hermit Crab.  Amen."

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And, yes.  There was a funeral, complete with TAPS, for Hermione.

While I Wait...

Hello Loved Ones.

Right now I have laundry in the dryer, brownies in the oven, Lexy is napping, Glee is on the TV (love my DVD gift set Josh got me for my birthday), and I have a few things to finish before my parents come over for dinner. So, while I wait for the dryer to buzz and the timer to go off on the oven, what am I doing? Getting a much needed nap? Picking up and organizing toys? No. I am writing to you because I promised myself I was going to get back into the swing of things now that summer has passed.

Summer has passed. Today I bought two pumpkins for carving. And by carving I mean scraping out the insides to make delicious pumpkin seeds. That is my plan for post Lexy bedtime this evening. We'll see if it happens, but I love pumpkin seeds heavily salted, so there's a very good chance... But, back to the summer having passed. I realize that I was very negligent to my blog over the summer months. I didn't even write while I was on vacation in Rodanthe, NC. A whole glorious week of Josh, Lexy, beach, sand, sun, beach pizza, seashells, wind, surfers, and more family.

So, to make up for it I want to show you the beauty of September in the Outer Banks.
















I wish I was still there. Although, my house is just starting to smell like melted chocolate and there are pumpkin seeds waiting to be harvested. Those are good things, too.

Talk to you all soon.

C-

And so it begins...

Hi, everyone.

I know, I know. I've been off again for a while. And by a while I mean something like 6 weeks. So, who knows who will actually read this. But, anyways, here it is.

I don't know about you, but I'm starting to feel the pressure of the holiday season roll around and land with a big thud on my doorstep. For those of you who don't know or don't have in-laws, it is really hard to orchestrate 3 family gatherings and get everyone together and please everyone and not have a mild stroke in the process. Josh and I are already discussing Thanksgiving plans. I mean, really. Thanksgiving already? When did the summer end? I don't seem to remember giving permission to the 80 degree days and humidity to vacate the premises. Nobody listens to me. It's just not right. I'm kinda funny sometimes. The world should really sit up and pay attention. Summer should have stuck around for another month or two at the minimum.

Now. As for the fact that Halloween is a few weeks away, we had a bit of costume drama in our household. You have to understand that I don't typically order things from catalogs or over the Internet, but we still get all those catalogs in the mail. Who doesn't, right? And Lexy loves to help me get the mail and to put things in the recycling bin (after all, Elmo recycles so it must be cool, right?), so when we get the mail together she gets to take all the junk mail and catalogs to look at and dispose of properly.

Number One Mistake. Letting Lexy have the Pottery Barn Kids catalog with the Halloween costumes in it. All I heard from the middle of August for 2 weeks was "I want to be the owl. I love the owl. The owl is my favorite." Seriously, what 2 year old remembers that they want to be an owl for Halloween 3 weeks later? She should have moved on the Fancy Nancy or Angelina Ballerina seeing as those are huge in my house right now. But, no. "I love the owl. Mommy get me the owl". Pitiful. So, I gave in and called to order the owl costume. Mommy of the year award goes to me. Number Two Mistake. I waited a few weeks too long. I should have started planning Halloween in January when all the really excellent moms do their shopping and know exactly what their kids are going to like and want. I'm not sure what I was thinking. They are all sold out. Everywhere. Even in Canada. They don't even have the next size up. Not in the stores, warehouses, outlets. NO WHERE. But, "Mommy, I want the owl. I love the owl. The owl is my favorite."

Again, Mommy of the year. I decide, ebay. Someone must have ordered this for their child and had the "I don't want to be a stupid owl" reaction from their precious and adoring child.

They are selling on Ebay for over $100.00. For a Halloween costume for a 2 year old. They will wear it for an hour max. Will they play with it later? Not so much. It's not going to become their favorite toy that they sleep with every night. It's just not going to happen.

Lexy is going to be a bee.




Love to you all,

C-

p.s. Thank you for your patience with me. Check back here and there and there will be posts. I promise.

And if you're wondering about the Finn-dog. He does have cancer. A stromal sarcoma. Bad news. Good news: He is expected to have ZERO recurrence. The oncologist thinks he'll be fine. We just get to spend a fortune on ultrasounds, x-rays and follow up exams for a year until we hear we're totally out of the woods. Meanwhile, he's back to his happy-go-lucky self. Annoying the heck out of me by sitting on the back of my good formal sofa. Brat.

Summer Wanderings

In the last 2 weeks I have had 4 of my readers ask me where the heck I've been. I didn't know you cared. Okay. Since most of you are my friends or new friends, yes, I knew that you cared. I just haven't been around to sit down and write anything. It's been one of those summers that on the days I'm not working outside the home I've been working inside the home, having guests, traveling to the grandparents respective homes and just cleaning my house and getting the errands done. It seems like there have been more and more things to do, but it probably just seems that way because I haven't been here on many of my days off recently to keep up with everything. But. I think things are settling. We'll see. We have a vacation planned in September and that will probably throw things off again.

So, to update you a little on a few of the things that we've been doing this summer, enjoy the following:





This is our neighbor, Thomas. Lexy is somewhat in like with him. She is always beyond excited to see him, and he always hugs her and gives her the best toys. I'm still more than a little concerned.






I had completely forgotten how much fun puddle walks can be. We've had a few rainy days where if I didn't get the kid outside to burn off some of that energy I may have run out in the middle of a hurricane to escape the amount of toys on the floor. Hence, the puddle walks and the cleaning of mud off of clothes, shoes, legs, and from up the shorts (mine not hers) after particularly well aimed and monster stomped splashes.



This pool is one of the most awesome gifts that we've received. The whale is a sprinkler, which I would think most kids would love but Lexy hates. But, as you can see, she loves the whale. Oh. And the pool is more than big enough for me to get in with her. Which I have. On many occassions.



I'm not sure what to say about this one. Evenings have become creative in our household.







And Lexy's first carousel ride. She held on so tight with both hands I could see white knuckles. She had a stone face the whole way around the entire ride. She was busy watching the other kids to see what they would do. And when it was done? She came racing over to me, slammed into my legs and proceeded to tell me how much she loved it. Who knew white knuckles and no smiles translated into pure enjoyment.

I'll try and update a little more in the next couple of days. But my house is clean. And mostly organized. It still amazes me, too. And I plan on keeping it that way even if it means being more OCD than I thought I could get. So, forgive me if I'm not back to the everyday posting.

Thanks for missing me.

C-

You Know You're A Mom When...

Howdy, Y'all!

I haven't dropped in to say hello for a while, seeing as I've been in serious mourning since the USA lost to Ghana in the World Cup on Saturday. I'm talking serious mourning. Flag at half-mast, not eating for days, crying into my pillow at night, wearing black for days straight (okay, I do wear black a lot anyway) mourning. I shunned all media not wanting to be reminded of the terrible loss I was coping with. Okay, that last part isn't true. I completely had the t.v. on and did find a cute and cheesy made for t.v. movie on the Hallmark channel Sunday night.

So, that's my story. Where I've been hiding. Now, on to more important things. Like my birthday. You see, my birthday is in September and seeing as it's June and that means only 2 1/2 months until my birthday I need to be planning my lists and getting all applicable parties involved in shopping now. Just kidding. I'm not that crazy about my birthday. My parents just like to be ahead of the game. They're the type that have Christmas presents purchased over 6 months ahead of time as well. So, they've been asking what I want for my birthday.

Originally they had talked about a Vera Bradley handbag. Usually Vera Bradley bags are WAY crazy for me. Too bold, too bright and I just don't dig most of the designs. I do have one wallet and the lunch bag in a more sedate pattern, but I really kinda dig this new one:
However, as cute as this design is I couldn't find a bag that I like enough. I guess I'm just a Coach girl at heart and can't stray from my line.

So I've been thinking about what to ask my parent's for for my 21st birthday. Yes, I'm only going to be 21. Again. For the 13th time. And then, on my last trip to the mall to celebrate my mother's birthday with a fattening and sinful lunch at the Cheesecake Factory I saw the sheet set and quilt that I want for Lexy's room at Pottery Barn Kids. I know. Champagne taste on a beer budget. But, it's beach theme girl stuff. And I haven't found very much of that since I had the brilliant decorating idea 2 1/2 years ago. And everything was ON SALE. Now, as you probably now, ON SALE at Pottery Barn Kids means selling one kidney instead of two. So, instead of buying everything that wanted while I was there and it was there, I thought I'd be responsible and talk to Josh about it first and look at the budget seeing as how we have big expenses in the next few months.

And then it hit. While checking out everything on line for prices. It was SOLD OUT. Of course. Just my luck. What did I do you may ask. I begged my mother for it for my birthday. Because she might have to make a trip back to the mall and I didn't think, even if I could work out my budget, that I would be able to actually get back to the mall to buy said items. And you know what she did... bought it. From the stores after calling the online catalog number. For my birthday. The cutest sheets and quilt in the world.





The real kicker in this situation? I asked for everything in Twin size. Lexy is still in a crib, soon to be switched to a toddler bed. She won't be in a twin for I don't know how long. I won't even be able to get the joy out of seeing these in her room for probably a year if not more.

Yes. You are a mother when... you ask for things for your children for YOUR birthday just so they can have what you dream of as perfection. I can't wait for her to be a little older and tell me that she hates it. Or that she wants to redecorate in ballerinas or skateboards or horses.

Birthday Calamaties

Hello, Dear-ios.

This weekend Lexy and I had the joy of attending one of her friends (and betrothed) Adam's 3rd birthday party. Now, the fact that time has somehow gone by so fast that this little bundle is now a full-blown rambunctious 3 year old boy with a baby brother is somehow lost on me. I don't know how it happened and I have chosen to not think about it too hard. I refuse to believe that I have aged 3 years and I refuse to admit that I'm old enough to have friends with 3 year old sons (although I have some friends my age with kids older than that, but for them. They were probably 15 when they got pregnant. That was just the kind of crowd I ran with).

As for Adam, trains and cake were the themes of the day. And I must say that Wegman's makes a killer Thomas the Train cake. Not too sugary, with just the right mix of chocolate thrown in with the vanilla. Super Yummy. Watching Lexy interact with all the other kids there (she was the only girl) was a riot. There was one point when I thought she was going to try and climb into Adam's lap. I mean, come on girl, play a little hard to get. Although, if the marriage is inevitable and arranged and all that, why should she? Right? But, I must say, her attempts to get George to come and sit with her and talk to her.... uh, oh, Adam. You may have some competition after all.

Lexy was the belle of the ball. Of course, when you're the only girl and you're dressed in a too cute for words yellow sundress that does tend to happen. She had a blast and it was great to have been included.

And then there was the pinata. Everyone loved the pinata. There was no bloodshed. No scrambling for candy and toys. There was no shoving or pushing for turns. Everyone stood nicely and pulled their strings. In rounds. It was amazing that 2 and 3 year olds would behave so well. I give all the credit to the amazing parenting going on in this group. Well done, Moms and Dads. We are awesome. And then. Then there was the last pull on the adorable little Dalmatian fire hat wearing pinata. And it opened. Everyone was thrilled. Candy and toys, right?

Everyone except Lexy. She had a mini-meltdown a la, "Adam broke the puppy" meltdown. See, if a toy breaks or a crayon snaps in half, or a page in a book rips it's all downhill from there. I had no thoughts that a pinata would be traumatic, but "Adam broke the puppy". Big tears. Lots of them. Bright red face. I had NO idea that she would react that way. I had the same thoughts as any other parent. Scrambles for candy would take precedent over even looking UP at the pinata. But, not my sensitive little Lexy. She cried each time I tried to take her back to gather some treats. Thanks to the other mom's that collected for Lexy as well as helping their own kids gather their goodies. She loves all the things that came home in her bags.

But, try as hard as I might to convince her that the pinata was supposed to open and all it did was OPEN I have heard nothing in the last two days other than "Adam broke the puppy".

Happy Monday, Dear-ios. See you on the flip-side.

Molars

Hi, Friend-lies.

It appears that my sleepless night last week wasn't due to the cold that I thought Lexy was getting, but in fact those nasty 2 year old molars. I broke down after 6 days of low grade fever, runny nose and cough and took the kid to the doctor on Memorial Day. God bless my doctors office for being open on a holiday. Seeing as I work on the next day it made me feel so much better to take her in myself and not send her with my mom. Lexy was great with the doctor, other than she wouldn't open her mouth to get anything more than a glance at those evil teeth making their way in. Needless to say, runny nose and cough are all allergy related (yea Lexy for inheriting my allergies and not Josh's stong immune system) and the fever and general blah-ness around her nap time and all evening = large pointy things shoving their way into my babies mouth. Bad teeth. Bad bad teeth.

But. When lovingly medicated with Tylenol Generic or Motrin Generic, the kid is 100% normal. And even without it she is still pretty darn great. I've got a good one and I know it. So. There was a slight hiatus from posting and hardly any time spent of Facebook for the last few days and it was really nice. I finished 2 books, lovely light summer reads and have moved on to the third. Read Karen White for free, fun, enjoyment, and some easy reading to move yourself aside for a little bit. And enjoy these. This is my light, ease, fun, and enjoyment.



(yes, this one is a little older, but I just uploaded it and it is flippin' cute, okay?)











By the way, we did that about 30 times. After running in a big circle around the front yard (through the sprinkler). Why is it I don't have a better waistline and better looking arms?

Love to you all. Splash!

C-

Sleep and Music

Last night I had about 4 hours of sleep. Lexy either has the worst allergies ever or just a cold, but with every sniff and cough I was awake. Of course, I didn't go to sleep until late as well just so I could keep and eye on the monitor. I know how quickly kids can go from snuffily to really seriously ill. So this morning I apologize for the incoherence and randomness.

What does it mean when you download Matisyahu and Eric Clapton at the same time from ITunes, but what you really want to do is jump on half.com and order Electric Youth by Debbie Gibson?

Just wondering.

The Big Event

Dear Friends,

The shower to end all showers. 32 invitations. 35 shower favors in the shape of adorable teapots all individaully wrapped (they came that way, okay?). The most beautiful cake made for 90. Amazing flower arrangements. More food than is decent for one event. 15 people actually showing up. 5 having the decency to RSVP = Priceless.

That's right. I had 17 people NOT rsvp to the event. I planned on and ordered for 28 - 30 based on the lack of rsvp-ing. We had 15 guests. Not that the people who came didn't have fun, a ton of food, amazing drinks, great games to play and prizes to win, cute and keepable favors to take home... but, really. 15 people? Whatever happened to people rsvp-ing to a formal event? I know that these ladies weren't all raised by those without any lessons from Miss Manners. In fact, I know some of them and they all seem like the kind that would have the courtesy to respond to an event that would cost the hostess a few hundred dollars to pull off.

But I digress. Shower photos. Proof that the event occured and for those in attendence, a raving success (at least in my mind). Visual evidence. Here we go.

The Bride. Tall Willowy Blonde, aka Lindsay. Gorgeous and amazing as always!



The flowers. I have to admit, these were even prettier in person and I am SO glad that I had this idea. They were the perfect added touch to the event. So special!



The table. With food for 90. I'm not kidding. I'm still eating leftovers for lunch. This isnt even a quarter of the food. This was only the second wave of food arriving on the table. There was more cold hors deourves and plenty of hot apps coming in the next surge.



Ah. Speaking of food. The cake. Amazing, isn't it. Yes, I photographed it in the box, just in case it got dropped on the way to the table. And just in case it got fingerprints on it after it came out of the box. I almost cried when they cut it. It was stellar.



The favors. Hopefully they will be ones that people keep and don't toss immediately upon arriving home.



And this one.
This one I just love.

Thursday Thankfulness

Dear Friends,

It's been a while since I've had a chance to sit down and breathe. I'm making some time for myself right now... following laundry and everything else that a Thursday requires. I am thankful that I have reminded myself to sit down and shut up for a little while. I've missed my "quiet" time and I'm feeling a little more sanity slipping in, even if the energy level is still at negative 20.

I've been in the process of recovering from the bridal shower for Tall Willowy Blonde this past weekend and it's taking me a lot more time than I thought it would. It took a lot more effort and a lot more errands to pull off a stellar (if I do say so myself) event than I ever thought it would. Although, I am seriously considering a second career in party planning (with unlimited budgets, of course). It's nice to sit here and do something that doesn't require stress or anxiety. I hope that everyone else can find a few minutes like this for themselves today.

So, in honor of my stress free minutes I am posting a few pictures from Mothers Day. Josh took Lexy most of the day and you can see what they did...









So, this Thursday I am thankful for cardboard houses and sanity. Not a bad combination.

Love to you all,

C-

Epiphany

Dear Friends,

I have come to a conclusion. An epiphany. I had a light bulb go on over my head. Okay, not really.

I share this with you because I love all of you. If you are the parent of a 2 year old it is completely impossible, no matter how much you clean and organize to NOT have at least one toy in every room of the house.

I know this is true because I spent 2 hours last night cleaning the main floor of my house for the bridal shower on Saturday. Toys. Everywhere. All over. I am going to have nightmares about toys following me every where I go. Tripping me. Coloring my walls. Bopping me on the head.

Wish me luck on corralling the toys.

Love to you all,

C-

No-Nap Zone

Hi, Friends.

I missed everyone this weekend. I'm in the midst of non-napping/crying/screaming freak-outs at my household and that incorporated with shower/work/life exhaustion on my part has taken over the last 3 days of my life. The shower is this Saturday and I have a lot to do before I'm done. I still have to get my games in order, pick up prizes for the winners, arrange the rest of the food, order balloons, and then on Saturday pick up everything and get it all arranged before the onslaught of 90 (okay,about 30) people arrives. And this doesn't even include the fact that I have no real idea of how many people are coming, whether my mother-in-law plans to spend the night here, which means planning a mother's day gift for her as well as my mother, not to mention making sure my guest room is ready just in case and the list goes on and on and on.

But, Lexy. This is the most important. There is just little to no napping going on here. I'm not sure what's gong on and I don't know how to fix it. She's so tired she doesn't know which way is up, but she refuses to sleep. Her eyes are drooping and yet she's flailing her legs and singing songs. Unless it's a day like yesterday. Yesterday she cried for an hour and a half (interspersed with playing with her stuffed animals) before she fell asleep. Which of course was at the end of her typical nap time. And, of course, she woke up crying and was inconsolable until I found a Scooby-Doo cartoon on TV. But, because she was so tired she wouldn't let me put her down or do anything other have her sit on my lap for the next 45 minutes. This leads to the inevitable McDonalds for dinner which is just not good for any of us.

I have no idea how to combat this situation other than continuing to tell her that it's important for her (and Mommy's sanity) that she nap and attempt to get her to sleep. I've pushed her nap time back a half and hour hoping that will help. So far, no go. She's getting extra outside running time to try and wear her out even more than she already is. I know that kids out grow their naps. I understand that she's getting older. But she's not even 2 and a half and I see how tired she is. She's just taken to fighting the whole sleep issues and right now she's winning.

I need ideas people. Ideas on how to keep my sanity while keeping her in the napping routine. I need to know how everyone has dealt with this situation, because, please do not tell me I'm in this by myself. And I need suggestions on knocking your kid out. No, I'm not talking about drugging her or hitting her on the head with something. What makes your kids head off to dreamland. Share the love people, I need to get back into our routine! Oh, and did I mention that I'm REALLY tired. Any suggestions on how to STAY awake for Mommy?

Thanks for the support. Love to you all,

C-

Bald Eagles

Last night Lexy had a special dinner. I say special because I was exhausted from work, she had not taken her nap and was extra hyper, and we had just spent 45 minutes on the phone with her Grandparents, Aunt Brittney, Aunt Amanda and her Nana. By special dinner I mean she had a fish fillet, sweet potato fries and peas. Josh and I ordered a pizza.

While Lexy was eating and our pizza was on the way I was showing her a book of animals. I was explaining to her that the Big Boy Lion has a lot fur around his head and it is called a Mane. And then I got the brilliant idea, when she asked me to see more lions, to show her the National Geographic website for kids. It's awesome, if you haven't checked it out. We watched a video on lions and went on to watch about 10 others. When we got to the Bald Eagle this was the video that they have posted. A mother eagle caring for her chick. I told Lexy that it was a baby eagle in the picture and she proceeded to tell me that there was a Mommy Eagle, too. And when the Mommy Eagle came on the screen she pointed and said excitedly

"It's Carin Eagle, it's Carin Eagle".

Yes, Lexy knows my name is Carin. I am a Bald Eagle.

Cheez-its and Jesus

Dear Friends,

I hope you had a great weekend. Ours was relaxing, minus chores, trips to the grocery store and other various housework. Not to mention hitting a GREAT yard sale and finding all kinds of great clothes for Lexy to grow into and a new big wheel that she loves. By the way, breathing in watered down bleach is not the greatest idea. I guess there's a reason why there is a window in my bathroom, silly me.

So many of you are asking for pictures of Lexy. Okay, to be real, no one is asking anything. I haven't gotten one email. Just some lovely facebook comments. But, because I like to pretend that I'm exceptionally popular and my daughter should be hounded by the paparazzi I have included for your viewing/reading pleasure a few pictures of our spring. The picture above is our first trip to a park. Lexy was so excited to be able to get close to the geese and the ducks. Next time we'll take popcorn and a lot more pictures. She had a blast!



This is Lexy's first attempt at blowing dandelion seeds. She did pretty well considering that she blows through her 2 front teeth. Most of the time she was asking me to do it for her. Hopefully none of the neighbors are reading this as their lawns spring up with more and more dandelions. I think that's the risk of having a 2 year old girl for your next door entertainment.



We also had a fun at church on Sunday. When I told Lexy Saturday evening that we were headed to church the next morning she said "cheez-it". Now, cheez-it out of Lexy's mouth sounds a LOT like Jee-shush. So, I thought she was saying "Jesus" and I was all impressed that she was learning that going to church means talking to Jesus. I told her that she was right, that we were going to church to talk to Jesus. Apparently, my 2 year old thinks I'm a tad ridiculous. She told me "Jee-shush, Mommy". And, again, I responded "Yes, Lexy. Church is for Jesus and we love Jesus". I didn't know a 2 year 3 month old could enunciate so well. She broke down EVERY syllable for me. "No, Mommy. CH-EEZ-IT". Oh. Cheez-its. She had crackers in the nursery on the previous week, and Cheez-its were, apparently, the crackers that she had mentioned she ate when we were on the way home that day. I had no idea that the nursery attendant had given her Cheez-it's, but that was apparently the biggest impact on going to church for her. When we left for church on Sunday morning she was very excited to go to the nursery to have her Jee-shushs.

Cheez-its. Jesus. It's all good.

Love to you all and have a great Monday.
C-

p.s. If you're reading on a regular basis, please sign up to be a reader or drop me an email to let me know. I'd love to thank you for stopping by... and I love seeing my numbers go up up up. What a boost to the self-esteem to know people like to read my crazy ramblings and see what's been going on the life of a typical suburban mom.