Tyler's Future

I love to just think about what types of careers my boys will have when they get older. Will they go to school? Will they be successful? Seriously, I even considered the names I chose based on what I thought they would look like on a business card. In my job, I see many business cards, and usually when you see one - you already have developed an opinion about what a person is like not only by their name, but how they spell it. Someone with the name "Baylie" for instance (no offense to anyone out there like there), would be mentally ranked different than someone like Debra.

I watched Tyler a lot this weekend, and have come to the conclusion that I think he is on the road to about 3 different career paths:

Tyler's 1st Career: Mechanic, specializing in tires. He removes tires from EVERYTHING! If the tire can be removed, it is. Sometimes even if it should not be removed, it is. There are so many random tires floating around our house at any given time, it's ridiculous - and also dangerous with a 10 month old that eats everything. I have dug at least 3 tires out of Connor's mouth.

Tyler's 2nd Career: Mover. This is a likely choice, since it is the career field of my husband. Tyler will spend hours stuffing things in to trucks. Yesterday, he was stuffing tires he had pulled off of tractors in to trucks (see Career #1). He has stuffed the following items into his dump trucks or semi trucks:

1. stuffed animals
2. power rangers
3. tires (already mentioned)
4. pajamas
5. blocks
6. sticks
7. dirt
8. food

I could go on, but I think you get the point. Anything that can fit in the back of a truck, goes there and then gets hauled around.

Tyler's 3rd Career: Landscaper. You put Tyler outside with a shovel and a dump truck, and your yard will never look the same. Come to think of it, nothing outside will. Today our driveway has more dirt on it than the yard does due to him filling his sled (yes, sled) full of dirt and mulch, then hooking that on to his Big Wheel and hauling it around. It was funny, until the sled tipped over.

He is also good at generally moving dirt. I was talking to the neighbor across the street yesterday and she was laughing about how her and her husband watched Tyler fill our mailbox with dirt a couple of months ago. I, on the other hand, didn't notice this until the mailbox was full, but apparently he was working on it for a while. She said she considered coming outside to tell me, but was laughing so hard she couldn't. I am still pulling clumps of dirt out of the mailbox this day. I don't think the mailman is too fond of Tyler now.

I am enjoying watching him grow up to bed such a neat boy, and soon, a neat young man. Next will be Connor. I'm still up in the air with that, but I'm thinking either a professional eater or one of those men that lifts heavy objects with his teeth! Holy cow - you would think this boy was raised by wolves! His greeting to you when you pick him up is to bite your shoulder with his piranha-like teeth! Yikes!

Sometimes it all falls apart...

Sometimes I completely amaze myself with what I can handle. Everything seems to flow, all under control and completely seemless. Kids get up, hubby takes them to daycare, a normal day of work for me in a job I generally enjoy, come home, pick up kids from daycare, kids usually fussy and tired, but tolerable, feed them, bath them, play, put them to bed. Like a well-oiled machine. Not today.

Today is one of those days where I feel like everything is spiraling out of control, and I can't believe I honestly allowed myself 10 minutes to sit down and blog. My stress level at work is reaching a "danger" level (I should have a gauge installed on my forehead), and home is just completely nuts. Tyler is going through one of his phases where he just DOES NOT LISTEN. I swear to God, after I walked out of his bedroom tonight after throwing him in to bed, I was reduced to tears.

Tyler has also been going through a phase where he needs me in the morning. By needing me, I mean, he asks for me. He cries to Kyle when Kyle tells him I'm not home, and if I do happen to be home, he just wants to sit in the chair and cuddle with me. I absolutely LOVE the cuddling in the chair, but I'm also looking at the clock every 20 seconds thinking "okay, if I leave now, I'll get to work at...". I'm not even thinking about what I'm really doing.

Then at work, by 4:30 I'm in full guilt mode. I need to leave to go get the kids, but I'm going to push every last minute out of myself in order to possibly accomplish something. I've been leaving work at 5pm, which I've decided is my absolulte drop dead time to leave in order to get there a) before daycare closes and b) the kids are so starving for supper that they can't even contain themselves on the way home.

I know it will get better, that this is just a temporary blip on the radar - where everything is happening at once and it will all come under control soon - but it's hard to see that end. I've been thinking for months that it gets better, but so far, it just gets crazier.

Connor Giggles

Connor has always been the most smiley baby I've ever seen. He made his first smile when he was almost two weeks old, and hasn't stopped since. His smile can just brighten up a room!

He also developed the cutest, deepest, belly laugh too. It just melts my heart to hear it, and had to capture this on video tonight so I could save it forever!

Mini-Kyles

I remember back in 2004 when I was pregnant with Tyler, I took my mom out for a Mother's Day brunch. For some reason, this memory is very vivid in my head...

My mom and I were sitting at our table eating, and a family of four came in and sat next to us. It was a mother, father, and their children, a boy and a girl. The children were older, probably in their very early twenties, but you could tell it was their children. I noticed the boy, who was a carbon copy of his mom! They were almost twins! She was an attractive, fifty-ish woman, and he was a fairly attractive young man. I kept thinking, "Boy, it would be so neat to have boys that look like me someday..."

So then Tyler was born. If you know my husband, you know that he broke his nose when he was 18 years old by being thrown over his handlebars on his bike. When Tyler was born, he was born with his nose so crooked and flattened, it was scarey at first. His nose was "bent" to the exact same side as my husbands. Not to mention the rest of the features of his he had - a tinge of red hair, huge hands, huge feet, skinney bird legs, etc. So that became fun, comparing Tyler's features of Kyle as he's been growing up - especially with now with Tyler growing inches a month.

So then I found out I was pregnant with another boy. "Great, here's my chance!", I said to myself, to 'make a child that looks like me'. And Connor was born. He looked very different at birth, but I think that's because he wasn't all smashed and bruised, like Tyler was.

As time goes on, I think I'm going to give up on the "dream" of having a child that looks like me. I took these pictures last weekend, and am actually almost scared at the resemblance - and Connor hasn't even thinned out yet! And no, there will be no more children. The factory is officially closed!

What Happened?

Okay, so I've never been what I would consider to be a "Martha Stewart". I do not grow my own Indian Corn in order to make miniature Indian Corn wreaths in the fall, nor do I have ginormous hydrangea bushes in my year that are beautiful shades of blue or lavender. I tried hydrangeas - I'm lucky if I get 3 petals a year - then last year Tyler broker half the branches off of one of the trees so his tractor would have something for the loader bucket. (Talk about pruning!)I am proud to say that I did subscribe to "Martha Stewart Living" for a couple of years, but let my subscription expire and plan not to renew it because reading that magazine just made me feel inadequate as a wife and a mother. (Come on, doesn't everyone celebrate Memorial Day on Nantucket Island eating homemade cherry tarts with dough shaped like stars on the top, wearing white sundresses to candlelight and fireflies?)

I used to consider myself a clean person though. Every Saturday morning I had a ritual where I would put in a movie - some randon, usually silly comedy from the 80s, 90s or early 2000s, and listen to it while cleaning the house. (Personal favorites are Groundhog Dog and the Wedding Singer.) This stopped in 2004. Funny enough - the same time we had Tyler.

Now, I would settle for picked up. Heck, I would settle for a floor. Or even better, a chair to just sit in at times without someone sitting on me, climbing on me or sitting on the end table next to me.

I called a couple cleaning companies to get quotes for them to come out and clean this place for us, but I just can't bring myself to do that. I guess I've figured out that I don't really care at this point. I get it generally sanitary, cleaning what is really dirty when it really needs it - and have figured out how to do that strategically. (Toilet cleaning when boys are in the bath, kitchen cleaning with Connor in the high chair, and turning vaccuuming into a game where Tyler "gets to help" if he's good). Everything else is good until I can see dirt, and then sometimes, I just pile crap on top of it so I don't have to see the dirt!

Our lives have really changed since having the boys, and I always say I wouldn't trade it for the world - and I wouldn't, although someday I might try the cherry tart thing - crack open my old Martha Stewart magazines and turn an old paper towel roll into a paint brush holder for my craft station. Maybe that will make up for all of the years of my inadequate house cleaning!

Sunday afternoon in the Stanfield House: (What you can't see in this picture is the row of waffle crumbs along the couch from Tyler eating his frozen waffle on the couch for breakfast that day.)

Russian Roulette of Parenting

Today we played the game I like to refer to as "Russian Roulette of Parenting", otherwise known as "Will Tyler Take a Nap in the Car?"

Today being Easter, we went to my parents which is about 60 miles away. Those 60 miles are just long enough to get a decent nap for Tyler, or long enough to watch a movie five times on his portable DVD player, since he insists on watching every movie on that thing in fast motion, flipping from scene to scene so the movies cannot possibly make sense.

We spent a few hours at my parents, ate way too much, Tyler played really hard, and was SO ready for a nap in the car. We brought his blanket along that he likes to hold when he sleeps, and when we got in the car for the ride home, he was ready for a nap, and I was too. I gave him his DVD player so he could watch his new "Bee Movie" and we were on our way.

Connor was asleep within 5 minutes, and slept the entire way home. Tyler watched his movie, then he talked, then he asked us questions, then he just looked out the window, and finally fell asleep about 5 miles from home. Literally, by the time his head flopped forward, we were within the city limits. By the time we turned in to our neighborhood, he was awake again. This, ladies and gentlemen, is what I refer to as the "Ha Ha Sucker" nap. 10 miles asleep, for some reason, makes a 3 year old body THINK that they had their nap quota for the day. That is, until about 6pm.

It is 8:25 right now, and Tyler is still not asleep. We started the bedtime routine about an hour and a half ago, but since he's become quite clever recently, he's been able to stall, play, beg for more stories, and do whatever else it takes to stay up longer. Adrenaline kicked in about 2 hours ago, and my child has an endless supply. Currently, Kyle is taking him potty for the second time, because you know he's just stalling, but just in case he's not - you have to take him.

After an evening like this, I owe daycare a sympathy card before sending him there tomorrow, but all I have to say is, better them than me! I'm sure he will be a joy all morning, since up until his nap tomorrow his body will be running on 2 hours too few of sleep. Hopefully, tomorrow night, we have our child back! (I should clarify that - I want the NICE one!)

Happy Easter!

How did he know how to do the teeth?

Frickin' Easter Candy

"You will NEVER have another piece of frickin' Easter Candy AGAIN!", Kyle yelled, as he was gently putting (slamming) Tyler into his car seat last night as we left the mall. We decided to make a trip to the mall last night to get chunky (Connor) some pajamas that fit him, and possibly have a nice dinner in the food court (or as nice as the food court can provide). The Lord must've only known what was in store for us.

Yesterday was "Easter" at daycare. What does that mean, you ask? That's a free for all for all children under the age of 5 to eat all the junk, candy, cookies, cake, and anything else that has no nutritional value, that they can get their hands on. Tyler was not excluded.

I've been generally flexible on his Feingold diet. I'm not bringing food to daycare for him anymore, but he follows the diet at home at about 95%. (We'll have the occasional box of Hamburger Helper for supper.) I can tell the days when it's been a junky-snack day at daycare, because he's a little bit more sensitive at night, but we get through it. He has done very well though, and is growing up to be such a neat boy.

Last night though, I would've sold him (correction - GIVEN him) to any person that volunteered. We had to literally RUN through the mall, and I think we said his name 1000 times. If you were at Coral Ridge Mall last night, you would've heard something like this...

"Tyler, Tyler, TYLER, STOP! Turn around, we're going this way! This way! THIS WAY! Tyler! Stop! We're going to the food court. Slow down. Hey Tyler - what's this (attempt to distract), Tyler - it's Herky! Tyler - look at the cow! Tyler, Tyler - wanna ride on the horses? Tyler! Tyler! TYLER!"

It was rediculous. I'm sure he's not the only kid that was like this at home last night. I know they do this for fun, and to celebrate holidays, but the outcome is almost not worth it.

We left the mall last night - me carrying Tyler half sideways, half upside down after I picked him off the floor of Scheel's. Getting him in to his carseat was the next chore, and he cried the entire way home. It didn't stop then either. He continued until about 8:15 when I finally got him into bed. Not a full cry, but a semi-temper tantrum for about 3 hours.

Seeing Tyler this morning though reminded me why I love him so much, and how I can forgive him about a scene like last night. He is so balanced in the morning, so happy and so cute. He wanted to watch Superman, and I LOVE to watch the expression on his face when he watches them. Every once in a while he catches me staring at him, and just looks at me and gives me the biggest, warmest, cheesiest smile he can. He knows he's all forgiven, and I think he's the neatest little man in the world!

"Who...me?"

When, on earth, will it end???

"Where's Connor?", I asked, as I walked into his daycare room tonight at about 5:30. I looked left and right, and didn't see him. Staci, the nice teacher that Connor loves, was in the room.

"He's sleeping...", she answered.

Sure enough - I look over in his crib, and he's sleeping. He must've heard my voice, because just then I see his eyes dart open.

"We must not have your current phone numbers, because we've been trying to call you to get ahold of you...", and she opens their book of phone numbers. Sure enough - they still have my number from when I worked in our Coralville facility - back in 2006. I know I provided them my new numbers, twice, but that is neither here nor there.

"He has a fever of 103," she told me. I picked the little guy up, and he was literally to the point where he was so hot, you could barely hold him. He was miserable. Fire red cheeks, and bloodshot eyes. I looked at his daily sheet and I was getting ready to leave with him, and I notice it says they also used Lotrimin on him today because they believe the little guy has a yeast infection on his, um, er, little guy.

Of all days, today I forgot my cell phone at home. Even if they had tried, they probably couldn't have gotten ahold of me. I rarely sit at my desk - it's almost rediculous that they give me one. (It does do a good job holding up my monitor and the mess of papers I rearrange daily on it!)

I decided at that point to call the doctor. A yeast infection and a fever? Either, themselves alone would be nothing - but together made me worry. Maybe something else was going on.

It's confirmed - a yeast infection and a virus. Possibly Influenza A or B, since they are both spreading through the daycare like wildfire. I didn't have her do the actual test, just because the diagnosis doesn't change anything. You still just need lots of sleep and TLC to get over it. I'm pretty sure that's what we've all had over the last 3 weeks. Connor was spared until last. I seriously hope he doesn't get it as bad as I did. I'm a big girl, and felt like a baby for days. I was miserable.

I seriously cannot wait for "healthy season". This is amost getting rediculous. I have worked exactly, one, count them, ONE, full week of work since December, due to weather, daycare closings, sicknesses of Tyler, Connor and myself, and don't forget my actual 2 days of vacation in there.

Please pray for healthy season, and a healthy Connor!

Good Guys and Bad Guys

As soon as I found out I was pregnant with a boy during my first pregnancy - I knew this day would come. I just didn't realize it would be today.

Tyler has recently become obsessed with "Good Guys" and "Bad Guys". He talks about them frequently, sometimes just saying he needs to "get" the "bad guys" (whoever they are!) Now, he wants to watch Power Rangers. He LOVES it! He is enthralled by it, and I can't break his heart and tell him it is the absolute WORST acting I've ever seen in my entire LIFE!

>

Regardless of the absolutely horrible acting, I've been watching our house slowly turn into boyville, staring with trucks and cars, and then we introduced Spider-Man, then the Incredible Hulk. "Guys" started coming with trucks, and action figures with helicopters and tractors. Now we're entering a whole new world.

Tyler somehow remembered that he has a Power Rangers shirt, that he had to put on to watch the show. During commercials, they advertise Power Rangers "stuff". He was especially interested in these glasses that you put on your face that turn you into a Power Ranger. I'm sure those glasses would be a) lost in 2.1 seconds, b) chewed on by Connor or c) jammed under the fireplace door opening. A wise investment, indeed!

I remember at one time thinking "what do I do with a boy, I know nothing about boys!", but I guess Tyler's teaching me. I'm sure it's obvious to Kyle (or was at one time) that Power Rangers are cool! Now, Tyler just needs to teach his square mom about the Good Guys and the Bad Guys!

HAPPY ST. PATRICK'S DAY!

Things Men Like

I'm learning even more, some of the things that men like...

1) Being Naked

2) Remote Controls

3) Taking Naps

4) Their Cars

Oh - and eating! I seriusly am not sure what I am going to have to do to keep these boys fed going forward because they eat like PIGS! Connor has spent about 2 hours in his high chair today, and as long as you put food in front of him, he'll eat it. I'm pretty sure he has hollow legs!

I'll Have a Red #5

"I'll have a Red #5," Tyler told the lady behind the Dairy Queen counter. Seriously. That's what he ordered.

Kyle took Tyler tonight to get Dairy Queen - much to my surprise. I had just brought inside the remainder of my 6 pack of Heineken Light so I could drink those and pretend I control some aspect of my life - hopefully my mood - by drowning the day in a cold one. Before I could even open it, they walked back in the door. They had snuck out while I was giving Connor a bath.

"He asked for a Red #5," Kyle said, very non-chalauntly. "What is a Red #5?"

I think Kyle seriously expected me to have the answer to that question.

"I have never heard of that in my life!", I answered. At that point, I'm visually fast-forwarding through all the movies and shows that Tyler watches trying to figure out at any one point is a character ordering a Red #5. I can't find that image - anywhere.

Tyler wouldn't tell us what a Red #5 was, but apparently he was very matter-of-fact when he ordered it. Whatever it was, I'm pretty sure his ice cream trumped it because he was absolutely thrilled with what he got - and we're still waiting for the sugar buzz to pass!

This crazy thing called life....

I have been so bad about consistently blogging lately because of life. Just as a glimpse into our evening, here's what is happening:

• Picked kids up from daycare. No one was crying and they both accompanied me to the car without spitting, throwing rocks, walking in some random direction, or running off (obviously, all feats Tyler has tried before).
• Arrive at home.
• Tyler insists on climbing out of the car via the front seat.
• Go get mail with Connor while Tyler falls out of car.
• Come in to house. (Note - time is 5:45PM)

LET THE CIRCUS BEGIN!

• Tyler opens the fridge. He wants lasagna for a snack.
• Tell Tyler if he has lasagna, that's his dinner.
• Tyler asks for a "picnic" on the living room floor.
• Since Kyle is not home, give in to picnic idea, as long as he eats his freakin' dinner.
• Put blanket out on floor to have "picnic" on.

NOW THE MELTDOWN!

• Tyler is near hysterical because he wants to watch a show - wants lasagna for dinner and wants 'someting to dwink' all at the same time, and I'm convinced he doesn't know which one he wants first.
• Tyler ends up crying in the middle of the kitchen floor, tears streaming down his face because he can't decide what he wants.
• I start yelling at Tyler because I cannot even begin to help him if he can't tell me want he wants. (Although, I'm sure HE doesn't even know what he wants!)
• Connor is whining because he is hungry and wants to eat NOW.
• Put Connor in high chair and pour whatever I can find on his tray. (Tonight it's Sweet Potato Puffs, lima beans, Ritz crackers and peaches.)
• Heat up lasagna for Tyler's picnic.
• Present Tyler his lasagna to which he throws a fit about because he wants ketchup on it.
• Put ketchup on lasagna, also accidently squirt it on Tyler's pants and blanket he is clutching due to his meltdown.
• Tyler asks me 15 times to "sit in the chair", which means he wants me to sit in the chair with him and hold him.
• Kindly explain to Tyler that I have to feed Connor and can't sit down right now, which is literally true.
• Chug down glass of milk for myself because I'm getting hungry.
• Connor screams from his highchair because he is done eating.
• At this point, Tyler is eating lima beans and peaches instead of the whole container of lasagna that I had originally heated up for him. But wants to eat them with a "monkeeeeyyyyy ssppooooooooon", instead of the god-forsaken fork he originally picked out.
• Carry Connor to bathtub. (Note - time is 6:15)

While walking to the bathroom, Tyler announces to me "I'm not hungry."

I give up. I freaking GIVE UP! Sometimes, nights like these, are almost too much to handle. I've heard other people say the transition from daycare to home is difficult for them as well, because the kids both need so many things - ALL AT ONCE! And me, I just want some peace and quiet after dealing with the rat race all day. Maybe tomorrow I'll sit in the middle of the kitchen floor and cry and just see what happens.....

Sharing

The most difficult part of parenting for me so far has been sharing. I'm not talking about sharing of duties around the house, or sharing in the joy (ha!), or sharing toys, but sharing of time.

Having both of us that work full time in very demanding jobs, we rarely get any time to ourselves. And by ourselves, I mean, ourselves - me, alone, doing what I want, by myself, with no one with me, not even the man I married, to do whatever I want, for just a little while...

Now, I just crave that time sometimes. I just want to run to the store by myself, I want to read a book by myself, I want to watch tv, by myself, or just take a shower, by myself, without having someone interrupt me every 2 seconds, "Mommy, I can't find my red truck.", "Mommy, I want some corn.", "Mommy, I need to poop." Yea - just 2 minutes to NOT be needed, wanted, crawled on, slobbered on, yelled at, questioned, or asked to be a maid/cook/superhero.

This "need" has also brought me the pleasure of a lot of guilt since having the boys. It used to be easy - get up, do whatever you want to do whenever you want to do it, then go to bed whenever you want while sleeping until whenever you wake up. Now, since I don't see the boys a lot during the week due to the long days at work, I feel like I need to spend every minute with them on the weekend. If I don't, but I'm just being a selfish, bad mom.

This "need" has also brought Kyle and I the joy of many disagreements (knock-down drag-out fights) since we've had the boys as well. He needs his time and I need mine. Both of us want it so bad, we're jealous of the other when they get "their" time. When this happens, we start to keep score, which means both of us lose.

We're still trying to figure out this balance for both of us, but we both know in order to be happy, we both have to be happy. Kyle chooses to spend his time golfing or with friends, I choose to spend my time at work. We both don't understand each other's decisions, but have figured out that that is what drives us. I'm not driven by golf - nor is Kyle truely driven by his job.

I think the guilt is less now, thanks to my sister. I one time heard her explaining to her 3 year old daughter when she wanted to go with Beth and I shopping when I was visiting them...

Carley: "Mommy, but I WANT to go WITH you!"
Beth: "Carley, you stay here with Emily and Daddy, you'll have fun!"
Carley: "But Mommy, I NEED to go with you!"
Beth: "Carley, remember when I told you that Mommy sometimes needs to just go to Mommy stuff by herself, and that makes her a much better Mommy?"
Carley: "Yeah......"
Beth: "Well, that's what I'm going to do. Mommy stuff. It will make me a MUCH better Mommy and a very Happy Mommy. Okay?"
Carley: "Okay, Mommy."

That's all it took. For a 3 year old to understand, and for me to understand too. We ALL need that - whether it's 2 minutes alone to shower, an hour alone to read a book, a day alone to go do a hobby, of a weekend with friends. We'll all end up better parents because of it!

Not sure what happened here...

But I think Ernie lost!

(This picture is being brought to you by another odd moment where we actually captured Connor sleeping!)

National Sleep Awareness Week

I just learned that this week (March 3-9) is National Sleep Awareness Week. Did you know that the average adult isn't getting enough sleep? The National Sleep Foundation (yes - it actually exists!), suggests that an adult get, on average, at least 7 hours of sleep per night. Well, maybe they should talk to my BOYS!

I think I've posted before that after Tyler was born, I was quickly introduced to the fact that I have NO control over the amount of sleep that I get (or more correctly - don't get) anymore. With Tyler, I spent the first 8 months of his life a vampire - watching the clock all night long as I would try to get him back to sleep. Then we finally got him to sleep consecutive hours at a time, and he started waking up at the butt crack of dawn. I think he was 2 and a half before he slept past 7am, ever, and then we had Connor.

Connor is a much different sleeper than any baby I've ever seen - that being that he DOES NOT NEED IT! I've never seen a baby fight sleep like him - and to this day, if you get a total of one hours worth of naps out of him during the day, consider it a success. He wakes up every day before 4 amd 5 am (although he does sleep through the night), and getting a baby back to sleep that has already had at least 9 hours of sleep, is almost impossible! At least with him! I fight him, I feed him, I give him his pacifier, we rock, we rock some more, we bounce, and finally some days, I give up. I've spent almost an hour a day in his bedroom in the morning at times, trying to get him back to sleep so a) I can go back to sleep and b) so he's not completely exhausted during the day since he doesn't sleep well at daycare.

Where does this leave us? Tired. Very, very tired. I feel rediculous because we've been getting IN BED at 8:30 the past couple of night to relax, and because we're just so DANG TIRED! Last night, I think we were both asleep by 9:20. This is very frustrating, because Tyler doesn't go to bed until about 8:30 - because he DOES take a good nap during the day at daycare, which is much needed for him. Tyler has always needed naps - and since he was 9 months old, was on the most predictable nap schedule, it was funny. You could time his naps almost within 5 minutes. Not anymore....

Life with 2 kids leaves no down time - at least for us. I hear about people that have kids that sleep until 8 or 9am frequently. Where are they? Why are those kids not here? The weekends start at 5am sometimes, and you have no time to stop, ever, until 8:30 when Tyler is finally asleep.

I'm frequently reminded that "this too shall pass". These years will fly by, and when they are 10 and 12, I will have forgotten how tired I am. What's sad is that I'm getting used to it. I can easily function on 4 hours of sleep, although a couple night in a row of that and I'm a mess of tears. I'm afraid we're getting to that point again. If I drop my pen, I might just cry.

So, someone call the National Sleep Awareness Center and tell them that we could fix all of this, if they would be willing to come to my house and take care of my boys at 2am, 4am, 5am, etc. I'm pretty certain at this point if I got the recommended "at least 7 hours" of sleep, that I could be SUPERWOMAN!

(In the picture above, Connor is using his crib bumper as a pillow!)

Why I love having 2 boys...

Tyler loves taking a bath with Connor now. They are so adorable together in the tub!

The Day of Bests

So I took 2 days of vacation this past week. 2 days that I really shouldn't have, since everything at work is crumbling around me like a scene from Indiana Jones, but I made a decision. My sister whom I had not seen since Christmas is more important, and I left during the week so Kyle would not have to spend the whole weekend alone with the boys - because I know how much that sucks. It worked out well because Kyle has his first case of the flu that he's had in years and has a temperature, and whines every 2 minutes about how much he hurts, how cold he is, how hot he is, how his joints hurt, etc. Anyways....

I arrived at my sister's around 11am Thursday after driving way too fast. (I always forget that the speed limits in Iowa are 70, but Illinois is only 65.) We took the girls to school, then headed to Woodfield Mall - the Holy Land of Malls. I think we arrived around Noon, and immediately headed to The Cheesecake Factory (one of the BEST restaurants EVER!) for lunch. We sat at the bar and Beth ordered a Miller Lite (she is a woman after my own heart), and we have appetizers for lunch - which in my opinion, is the BEST lunch to have!

We shop at the BEST stores, and find even more AWESOME deals! We stop at another restaurant around 3:30 for a beverage. Beth orders a Strawberry Margarita and I order a Pina Colada! (HOW AWESOME IS THAT! This is the vacation I needed!) I drink mine so fast I get a brain freeze, and we have the BEST conversation/storytelling ever.

We continue shopping until we literally cannot carry all of our bags anymore, and leave the mall to head to our dinner reservations. Beth had made reservations at The Melting Pot, which is THE BEST fondue restaurant ever! Oh My God - every bit was the most incredible bite, and I decided that ranked in my top 3 meals ever. We had cheese fondue for an appetizer, their signature fondue for dinner (which we dunked lobster, shrimp, beef, pork and chicken, in to),then their Turtle Chocolate for dessert. Not to mention the glass of wine, and several Miller Lites that accompanied our dinner! =)

We then headed to Beth's new bar where her and Marc both work - which is the BEST bar in Glendale Heights. We sat in the Piano Bar with the fireplace, then moved into the Sports Bar, where I did my first shot since my bachelorette party.

We ended up at home just talking - me, her and her husband - having a blast!

Got up Friday, and headed to Red Apple Restaurant, which has the BEST breakfast I've ever had! We wrapped up the trip with a visit to TJMaxx - which is the BEST store to shop at, and I literally filled my cart.

I headed home, and it really got warm driving home. I stopped at a gas station for a break, and grabbed a bottle of water and for some reason, tea sounded good too. With my wool sweater I was wearing, I was uncomfortably warm with the sun beating on me in the car. So I get back in the car and start going down the road, and open my iced tea. Okay - this was the BEST iced tea I had ever had! It was so good, if I closed my eyes, I could picture myself sitting on my deck, sunning myself in the middle of July - pure relaxation, warmth and happiness!

We packed this time of BESTS into a 24 hour period. Although I cannot wait to do it again, I'm going to give our bank account a rest now! =)