I can't believe it's been almost a year....

I'm an awful blogger. It's been almost a year since I've blogged. I'm going to make myself start blogging more. I love looking back at the blog and reading all the little things the kids have said and done. I'm also going to try to go back through and blog for the past year. It's 12:30 am right now, so I'm just going to give quick updates on the kids but will go into more detail later. Brenna is 5! She just finished up preschool and will go to kindergarten in the fall. She's still her sweet and kind self. She loves to learn and is always asking questions. She started dance last fall and is VERY good. She is still the most amazing big sister, and she would do anything for him. Collier is now 3! And he is wild and crazy, but has sweet little moments. We call him our sour patch kid. He is a mama's boy. He still loves toy story. He wants to do everything that sissy does. He can be very ornery to her, but can also be protective of her. He can be very paticular about how things are done. And he let's you know if you did it the wrong way! He's just a fun little boy. More tomorrow!

What we've been up too!

It's been 2 MONTHS since I've posted! Where has the time gone!

My plan is to post some pictures later, but I'm waiting of the camera to charge. So this will just be a quick run down of what we've been up too!

Brenna

Miss B is done with preschool for the year. In the past we've kept her in the whole summer as well, but we just thought she could use a nice little break. Plus, this will give Wyatt a little more sleep, since the kids have been sleeping later than their typical 7am. She's doing great as far as education and learning. She has become a really good little reader. We got her the Bob books for Valentines and she can read 4 of them. She could probably read more, but I flaked and kept forgetting to have her read them. She's been reading every night though, and tonight she'll start book 5. She went to the dentist, and had no new cavities so that was GREAT! She did have 2 in August, but no more since. She has become obsessed with Rapunzel. And she is quite the little singer.....she can sing the songs in the movie pretty good! She continues to love all things Barbie. She loves doing their hair, and changing their clothes 2000 times a day.

Bubby

Oh....what has Bubby been up too?! Well...TALKING! I have never seen a 2 year old talk as much as him! He says pretty much everything. He continues to love Toy Story and Yo Gabba Gabba. His Woody doll is with out a doubt his FAVORITE toy. He loves popsicles...lol. He loves playing outside, and ask to go for a walk everyday. Wyatt said that every morning when he wakes up, he ask for Mama! Awww!! He is OBSESSED with his hat. We bought him a new Cub's hat, and it is the cutest thing ever. He has started to become a little brute when it comes to his sister. He has a temper and he likes to take it out on her.

Wyatt

Wyatt works a lot. He's working about 60 hours a week. It's not really unusual, but during the 1st quarter of the year, his work is typically slow, so he wasn't working nearly as much. Right around April, he started working the long weeks, and will most likely keep the schedule up until December. Just this past Saturday, he turned 31! Eeeek! LOL! Then on Sunday he accidentally put himself through our glass door. Luckily, he's okay!

Miranda

I haven't really been doing much different. I'm still working part-time at RK Dixon. I've really got into couponing. I've saved us quite a bit of money, and I really enjoy doing it! :-) Other then that, I've just been trying to manage this crazy life of mine.

Hopefully, I'll post some pics soon!

Collier is 2........well....almost!

Collier will be 2 in 2 short days! It's so bittersweet for me. I never understand stood why parents got a little upset when they're children turned another year older, but now I get it. I'm not upset, just a little sad. A little sad that the baby stage is over in our house. Just in the last 2 days he's kind of potty trained himself. It started on Wednesday when he insisted on peeing standing up. Now he won't stop peeing in the toilet...haha. I think he definitely likes the "shooting" effect his pee has in the toilet...lol. :-) We also got him a new bed for his birthday, so I just feel kind of like all of a sudden no more baby. :-( But I'm definitely more excited about his birthday though. And to say I'm very proud of my almost 2 year old is an understatement! He is so incredibly smart and funny!

He is obsessed with Toy Story. He calls it yeehaw...so stinkin cute! He really prefers TS2 but B deleted it off the DVR. I think Grandma is getting it for his b-day though.

He also really likes Barney and Gabba is still a favorite as well.

He can count to 12. :-)

He says pretty much anything. Talking is definitely not an issue for him.

He is very polite. He says please, thank you, and welcome, when needed. This makes Mama very proud. :-)

He sings a lot. He loves singing Gabba songs, and he sings the "I love you" song from Barney...or Arnie as he calls him. Watching him sing he "I love you" song is one of the cutest things ever. He does the kissing and hugging part too! Precious!

He weighs about 27lbs and I would guess he's about 33-34 inches. We'll find out next week when he has his check up.

He LOVES to color and doodle. With out a doubt it's one of his favorite things to do. He's always stealing my pens and note pads and doodling on every page he can.

He is so ornery and he is very stubborn. He also has a temper and has no problem letting you know what's on his mind.

He adore his sister. They are very close. When she's at school he's kind of lost with out her.

There's a quick run down of the little guy. I'll post party pictures next week!

I adore my children.......

........more and more each day. I know most parents adore their children, but I adore mine so incredibly much. Way more than I could ever imagine, and way more then they could ever know. Of course I love them, but I'm saying I adore all those random things about them, that only I, their mother, notice and think is special.

I adore that Collier has blond hair. I NEVER thought I would have a child with blond hair, and I'm sure it will darken, bur right now I love it. I also love that it always sticks up. I've been blessed with children who have crazy hair, and I love it.

I adore that 90% of the day, Collier has his shoes on. He brings them to me, and says, "Mama, shoes, pweeese?" I adore this. His shoes stink because he wears them all the time with out socks, and I love this. Yes, folks I love his stinky shoes.

I love that he calls Toy Story, "Yeehaw".

I love that when he grins, he squints his eyes so much you can't even see his eyes.

I absolutely adore that every time Wyatt calls me at work, Bubby HAS to talk to me. Even though I'm busy, and running out of time, I have to talk to him and hear his mindless chatter.

I love his smell. I know this probably sounds weird, but he has such a distinct smell. When he's cuddling with me, I breathe it in. I hope I can always remember this smell.

Collier calls yogurt, "yote". Make me smile every time.
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I adore the way Brenna says so some things. She calls coins, "twenties". No idea why, but I secretly hope she always says this.

I also love the way she crinkles her nose when she says things. She doesn't do it all the time, but it always makes me smile when she does.

She breaks out in song all the time. Sometimes I know the song, sometimes I don't. But I love it.

She always ask her dad, "How many days do you have laid off?" She obviously means "days off", she must remember him being laid off. It never fails that she ask him this.

I adore her enthusiasm, she can get excited about pretty much anything.

The other day, she was rocking her baby, and she had another baby sitting next to her. I asked her if her baby was okay and she said, "Yes, I'm just rocking him, he's boy, his name is Collier. And this is me (pointing to the other baby) and I'm you." I'm taking care of them, like you take care of me and bubby." What a special moment to me. I can't help but smile. I adore these little moments.

When I pick her up from school, she always runs to me saying, "Mooommmyyyyy!!" Like its been a week since she last saw me. I love that moment.

These are all moments and things that I forget, when I'm burnt out and absolutely exhausted from the many duties of being a mommy. I must remember that these are the things that I live for. The things that make me so very happy. The things I need.

Quotes

I love quotes! I think that it's a great way to put feelings into words that make sense. The other day I was feeling kind of lost in this whole parenting thing, and so I searched for some quotes that kind of stated how I felt. The quotes below aren't neccessary what I was looking for, but I was intrigued by their truthfullness.


We worry about what a child will be tomorrow, yet we forgot that he is someone today.-Stacia Tauscher

This quote just kind of spoke to me. I think that parents are often so worried about creating successful adults, that we forget that they are are just children. We forget that in order for them to become those successful adults we must feed their creative and playful hearts. I often focus to much on what new things my children are learning, that I forget sometimes they just need to wrestle, cuddle, or mindlessly paint with me not asking them, "what color is this?", "how many are there?" Etc. Obviously, I want to create great learning opportunties, but sometimes they just want to play. They just want to be kids and have fun.

The thing that impresses me most about America is the way parents obey their children.-Duke of Windsor

This quote made me think a little.

First of all, I don't like the word "obey". My children are not dogs, and I do not expect them to "obey" me. I expect them to listen, respect, and learn from me. With that being said, I do listen to my children. How can we teach them to listen, if we don't listen to them? How can we expect them to respect people around them, if we don't respect them? My children have taught me so much about life. I am perfectly fine saying, that at times I have obeyed (listened to and respected) my children.

"When I was a child, my mother said to me, 'If you become a soldier, you'll be a general. If you become a monk you'll end up as the pope.' Instead I became a painter and wound up as Picasso."
-- Pablo Picasso

I LOVE this quote!! I think it might be one of my favorites. To me it just means, that whatever our children decide to be, we should encourage them to be the best. And I don't mean the best in a competitive way. We should encourage them to do things 100%.

Valentine's Day

I know I still haven't posted Christmas pictures, but I'm gonna go ahead and jump ahead, I will eventually post Christmas pics.....

Since Valentines was on a Monday this year, and Wyatt and I work opposite shifts we decided to celebrate that weekend. And by "we" I mean our family. We're not really into the whole Valentine's Day thing as a couple. I don't think we've ever gone out to celebrate, and now that we have the kiddos, we take advantage of the day and celebrate the love within our family. :-)

So, Saturday I went shopping and got the kid's their presents, I also went and bought a kinect for the xbox, which we all LOVE! :-) So glad we got it. Then we had supper with Mimi and Poppy, and they watched the kids play the kinect. They also gave each kid a book and sucker for Valentine's Day. We also went to Borders that day, and Collier loved it. Brenna was at home sick, so it was just him, and he was absolutely in love with all the books. :-)

Sunday, Brenna had gotten sick through the night, so her and I were downstairs sleeping. She woke up about 6:30 and saw the presents I had wrapped for them. She was so excited and wouldn't leave me alone about them. I told her she had to wait until her brother woke up, so for the next hour she waited, and bugged me about opening the presents, and waited, and bugged me....you get the idea. Finally, Bubby awoke and it was present time. We got Bubby this huge Plex pillow (from Yo Gabba Gabba), and a new YGG book. We got Brenna a set of BOB books, a new fancy nancy book, and some barbie clothes. They each got a sucker and a small box of chocolates. Bubby was more excited about the candy, and Brenna loved her Barbie clothes. :-)

Later, we finished B's school valentines and made some valentine's day cookies. :-) We had a fun weekend! :-)

I didn't take any pictures that day, SHAME ON ME!! Oh well......we were too busy having fun!

Who I thought I'd be......

Today has been rough. I've been crabby and grumpy most of the day. Sometimes I just get in these funks, and I just need rescued my the madness I call my life. I decided I would blog and the following blog is what came from my fingertips. I feel a little more refreshed, and excited about my little life, so I guess my blog session worked. :-)

I am a mother, a young mother. I have 2 children, 4 and 1. I live in the same county that I grew up in, and only live 10 minutes away from my parents. I actually live a block from the very high school, that I hated and couldn't wait to escape from. Ironic huh?! I am everything that I thought and at times prayed I wouldn't become.

Let's go back about 10 years (omg...that makes me fill old..yes, I'm only 24).

When I was 14, I was a freshmen in high school. EVERY girl I knew whether I was friends with them or "frenemies" with them, had some type of boyfriend. Usually he was a couple years older and played football (and of course he had to wear the stupid letterman jacket, and if she was "special enough" she got to wear it along with his precious class ring). Of course these girls were convinced at the ripe age of 14, they were in love, and we're going to marry said football player and live happily ever after. I guess even at the age I was very cynical, and knew that they were pretty much nuts. I was pretty much the exact opposite. Even at 14, I knew that would not be me. I would not give into the stereotype.

I was going to be "something". I was going to flee from Mercer county and NEVER look back. I had big plans. I was going to go to college (and not the junior college), I was going to be a powerful business woman, and wear expensive clothes, drive expensive vehicles, and go on expensive trips. I was going to be tied down, and I was going to live my life for me. I was going to be everything that these girls acted like they wouldn't be.

Flash forward a mere 5 years later, and what do you find? A knocked up 19 year attending the junior college, still living in Mercer county.........I guess it was my destiny.

Now flash forward another 5 years, and I'm the mother of two children. I (along with a lot of people) certainly wouldn't have guessed that I would be responsible for two humans. Or better yet, that I would be pretty good at it?

Now I work part-time at a job that pays peanuts and doesn't even require a college degree. I spend most of my time wearing sweat pants and tee shirts, I drive a Nissan (mom car), and well I don't see an expensive island getaway in my near future. Instead of spending the day in a board room for a successful company, I spend the day wiping butts, scrubbing last night's supper off of dishes, scrubbing permanent marker off of my 1 year old son, and picking up 500 pairs of tiny barbie shoes.

I also spend the day listening to my 4 year old "read" her little brother stories. I get to watch my son, watch his big sister in amazement at all the "cool" things she can do. I then get to watch him copy everything she does while saying, "Mama LOOK! Mama watch this!" I get to her, "Mama, I love you", more times then I deserve. I get kisses and hugs, and just thoughts of admiration from two little people who have changed my life so much. I get to be their Mama. I get to be the person that they run crying to, when they get hurt. I get to the person that Brenna runs to when she has wrote the alphabet by herself and is to excited to even tell me. I am the person Collier ask for when he's ready for night-night. I get the unconditional love from the two most amazing people in the world.

I am so thankful that everything that mattered to me 10 years ago, means absolutely nothing to me now. I'm thankful that I met the "bad boy" and fell in love with him. I'm thankful that I skipped out in going away to college for that "bad boy". I am thankful that at 19 I got knocked up. I think that's when my life started actually being right. I'm thankful I'm not the person I wanted to be.