The Bugs' Life

so happy

2011-05-08T11:02:00.002-04:00

We lucked out with this guy.

He's a happy guy 99% of the time.

This is how he wakes up in the morning. After he's already jabbered to himself for 10-15 minutes.

If every baby were like him, I'd have about 10 more ;)

my baby has fleas!

2011-03-04T21:53:00.000-05:00

The Benny Bug LOVES to feed himself. At around six months he mastered his pincher grip and at 8 months went through a period where he ONLY wanted to feed himself.

Cut up bananas and cooked egg yolks for breakfast started to get old pretty fast, but were both very quick finger foods. Quick is ideal during the week when I have all four kiddos running/crawling around (in case you didn't know I keep the T-ster, my nephew, during the week.)

One morning I realized that the big kids' kiwi fruit would probably be a perfect finger food for the Benster.

They were rather ripe and perhaps a little too soft for little fingers.

And by the end, someone looked like they were covered in fleas :)

beach day

2011-02-07T14:51:00.001-05:00

I haven't written a lot about the boys preschool in the past. When we were thinking about preschool for Alex two years ago, our sitter didn't transport kids. Fortunately, she agreed that if another parent and I decided on the same preschool she would drive the boys there and pick them up!

The preschool closest to her house had mixed reviews from a few parents that I talked to, but we enrolled the boys there anyhow and hoped for the best. Can I just say how much I LOVE our preschool? It is perfect for my kids (especially Alex). It is very play based with a lot of focus on socialization, which he greatly needed, being our super shy guy.

They also do a great job of introducing age appropriate pre-reading and math skills. The beginners class (which Alex was in last year, and Kellan is in this year) does lots of nursery rhymes, books and crafts, counting, name writing, fine motor skills, etc.

Alex's pre-K class is doing lots of work on letters/sounds, early writing skills, fine motor, etc.

Last week was "Sea Life" week and we got a note that Friday would be "Beach Day" in the pre-K class so the kids could wear their bathing suits to school over their clothes and bring a towel to sit on.

One think I love about Alex's teachers this year is that they e-mail us pictures of special events. I think that these capture his personality (around adults) very well :)

Alex quote of the day: "I've never worn my swimming suit over my clothes before."

movie monday - benny tickles

2011-01-31T08:22:00.000-05:00

Untitled from Leanne Alldred on Vimeo.

my kids are strange

2011-01-27T13:03:00.000-05:00

I guess what they say is true...

The apple doesn't fall far from the tree :)~

movie monday - the benster

2011-01-24T08:00:00.001-05:00

work

2011-01-19T08:00:00.001-05:00

Over Christmas break Alex brought home his writing journal from preschool. Our job was to add a few entries about our break. While he knows his letters, letter sounds, and can sound out words to write, he still has some trouble forming all of the letters he needs. As a teacher, I know that this can cause frustration with writing.

We have some Kumon workbooks (even though I'm not a "worksheet" teacher, I {heart} Kumon workbooks at home for basic skills). Alex has been working on letter formation, number formation, number identification (1-30), and scissor practice. I found out that he also knows all of his color words and can figure out what colors to use on his color-by-numbers!

Kellan has been doing some pre-writing skills (horizontal, vertical, slanted, and curved lines) as well as scissor practice. He's pretty pumped about moving into his letter writing in a few weeks.

The boys got fold up "desks" for Christmas, which are perfect spots for them to sit and work in the afternoons.

sick

2011-01-18T10:23:00.000-05:00

Wednesday morning Kelbug got out of bed and immediately asked if he could go downstairs and play Wii. In the spring/summer/fall the Wii stays off pretty much all of the time, but in the winter the boys get some time to play and would play ALL day if we let them (we don't). When I told him he could have some time after preschool, but needed to eat and get dressed he told me he had a tummy ache.

I let him know that if he was sick he would need to stay in bed, but he still needed to get dressed to take Alex to school. He quickly decided he would miss his friends and his "tummy ache" vanished.

Friday morning he told me he was sick again and after a similar conversation he went to school. When I went to pick the big kids up, the first thing Kel told me was that he had a tummy ache. I assumed he needed to use the restroom and would feel better.

Friday afternoon he put himself down for a nap. Hmmm. Not typical around here. Shortly after waking up he headed to the bathroom with a tummy ache and I heard a cough and a splat soon after. Ugh.

The stomach virus that has been traveling around had hit our house! he went back to bed as soon as he was cleaned up and I brought up an old TV and turned a movie on for him.

A few hours later he was up and feeling much better so The Daddy gave him a milkshake. ?!?!??!

He showed up in our bed at 4:30, said his tummy felt better and then got sick in our bed. Fun stuff. Very fun.

Luckily today he seems to be on the mend. Alex went to the grocery store with me this morning and we stocked up on BRAT supplies. Alex also asked for donuts for being a good helper and picked out a box that had some of Kellan's favorites for the next morning. (Awesome big brother... absolutely :)

The rest of the day went a little something like this:

"Can I have a donut?"

"My tummy doesn't hurt. Can I have a donut?"

"All my germs are gone and I don't have a 'tomach ache. Can I have a donut?"

Tomorrow buddy, tomorrow.

someone needs a trip to the dentist

2011-01-14T08:00:00.001-05:00

"Kellan, have you been eating my chocolate chips?" (Ghiradelli 60% cacao to be exact).

This was actually taken the day after our dentist appointments. Both big kids are in the "no cavity club" at our denist office and had their picture taken for the special "no cavity" bulletin board.

Contrary to what his Halloween shirt implies this was last week :) At least he's dressed, right?

ptttttttttttttttt!!!!!!!

2011-01-13T08:00:00.001-05:00

"it was...

2011-01-12T08:00:00.005-05:00

...a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day."

"Mom says some days are like that... even in Australia."

Actually this wasn't today... and it wasn't really a bad day. Benny is over the saucy saucer (the Exersaucer) because he would rather be on the move (but sometimes a mommy needs a shower, so yes, I use it as a "babysitter.")

In the second picture I'm guessing that Mr. Man wanted his mommy to hold him (we're best buds you know.) But really, truly, he's a pretty happy guy most of the time.

ten on tuesday

2011-01-11T08:01:00.002-05:00

1. Happy 2010! Did you make any resolutions this year? Perhaps a New Years Goal instead? I made two. One is to blog more than last year and the second is to take more videos of the bugs than I did last year.

2. Goal number two has already been difficult as I can't find our Flip camera ANYWHERE. If you have ever been to our house, I am sure you are extremely surprised by this.

3. In order to better with goal number one you will see two changes around here - shorter posts (sometimes with no words at all) and SOOC pictures - pictures that are unedited (or minimally edited.) In 30 years I won't care that the pictures of my kids were craptastic, but I will care that I have them :)

4. We have a beginning reader in the house. The Bugman is currently interested (and excited) about reading, so we are going with it!

5. Daniel and I (after being harassed by Lisa) signed up the for the OneAmerica 500 half-marathon in May. Not sure what we were thinking as I don't think either of us is looking forward to training in this frigid weather.

6. I'm fairy certain that my left pinkie/pinky? toe is broken. I ran into one of the kitchen chairs on Saturday night it swelled up and turned all kinds of purple. I took a picture, but Daniel said that it would be against my better judgement to post it. My feet are all kinds of ugly :)

7. The big kids have decided they like green smoothies, which makes their momma happy :)

8. Our basic is frozen banana, spinach, & milk (cow, almond, hemp, or soy). We also throw in other things like yogurt or berries and even a little tofu. Check out this website for all kinds of variations.

9. This is coming in the mail for my sister and me. Thanks mom!! We're planning a sisters' night of "cooking." If you haven't seen the infomercial, you are 100% missing out.

10. Bennybug has an appointment for his first haircut. My littlest man is growing super fast!

take two

2011-01-10T08:00:00.000-05:00

The basement has officially turned into Lego central. The bugs got several different Lego sets for Christmas plus gift cards to the Lego store. The Daddy and the big kids headed to the Lego store at Kenwood on the last day of break and spent the rest of the evening at the train table turned Lego table in the basement building a firehouse and a police station.

it's a bird, it's a plane

2011-01-09T17:14:00.001-05:00

It's a Benny Bear!

"while the cat's away..."

2011-01-08T17:09:00.000-05:00

Bennybug will sleep in his bed :)

Don't worry, I was in the room the entire time (cleaning the big kids' closet to make room for X-mas presents!)

like father, like son

2011-01-02T06:30:00.001-05:00

When The Daddy was little, he loved Legos. Word on the street is that he spent hours upon hours building and creating. Someone around here seems to be taking after his daddy.

preschool

2010-09-07T23:29:00.000-04:00

Tomorrow (Wednesday) preschool starts for the two big Bugs. Last Friday we had "Open School," which is when the parents go to preschool with their child(ren) for 40 minutes to meet the teacher, become familiar with the classroom,etc. Last year The Bugs' Daddy took off work to go with Bugman because I had just started school. This year we both got to go since I am home and he took a vacation day.

Bugman's time was first and he was excited to go back to school and to see his best friend from Miss Kim's house the past three years.

He met his teacher, and in true Bugman fashion said exactly zero words to her the whole time.

He also introduced us to the school pet, Coco (the guinea pig), who isn't allowed out of her cage when the kids are there because "she gets scared."

He quickly found his bestie and they sat together, played together, and stood in line together all morning.

Everyone also got a hug from Mrs. W's puppet (whose name I don't remember.)

Of course during playtime there were plenty of blocks and cars to be investigated.

We made a quick trip home to feed Benny and switch preschoolers and then it was back to school with our new preschooler!

Our second round didn't go quite as smoothly as the first one. Kel-bug is VERY nervous about starting preschool. He has Bugman's teacher from last year, who he already knows from dropping Bugman off last year. We are hoping that this will help his transition, because we anticipate tears tomorrow at drop-off.

Nissan Altima: Kidzilla

2010-09-06T13:45:00.001-04:00

The Bugs' Daddy and I saw this commercial today and both agree it fits our household quite nicely... make sure to listen to the background music as well :)

swimming

2010-09-05T22:07:00.000-04:00

First, it must be said before you see these pictures, that yes my children are really this pale. Ghostly pale, vampire pale, half-albino pale. We keep them slathered in sunscreen, hats it they are out for a long time, and spf 50 swimsuits (including shirts).

Both big Bugs were signed up for swimming lessons at the "remimasburg" pool. (They still have a rough time correctly pronouncing our town's name). Being Kel-bug's first experience in a "class" we weren't really sure how he would do. We did know that he wished he had been out on the field during Bugman's ragball season, and that having his brother in the same class would be comforting.

Well... on the first day of lesson the instructors walked the kids to the pool while the parents had a quick meeting. When I made it over to the pool, Kel-bug was hysterical with one of the instructors, wanting me. He ended up sitting out and watching... everyday for the entire two weeks.

Amazingly enough, when he went to the pool with his Grammy he told her EVERYTHING the big kids did in swimming lessons, including the words to the songs they sang AND he did everything for his Grammy. Maybe next year he'll get in during lessons

Bugman, on the other hand, did fantastic. I think his year of preschool, on top of also playing ragball in the spring has made him much more comfortable with "teachers."

busy

2010-08-31T15:42:00.000-04:00

We are having our first crazy-busy week since the Benny bug was born. In the grand scheme of three Bugs, I'm sure this is nothing compared to what we're in for in the next few years, but it's a lot for us! Here's a little peak at our week:

Monday: Bugman - soccer game
Tuesday: Preschool Open House
Wednesday: "Meet the baby shower" for Big T (the cousin); Bugman and Bitty - First tumbling class (sounds more masculine that gymnastics)
Thursday: Dr. Appt. for someone (I think its Bugman's 5 year check-up), Bugman - soccer game
Friday - Open School w/mommy for the two big bugs.

Add grocery shopping, cricket buying, cake picking out, laundry, etc... and that's a busy week!

Jinxed

2010-08-26T13:41:00.001-04:00

Do you know what you get when you brag about your littlest bug's sleeping skills? A little bug that wakes up to eat at 4:45am two days later...

Early this morning I woke to Benny Bug's chatter over the monitor. I assumed that it was around 7:00 because it still seemed very dark and Daniel wasn't up for work yet. I rolled over, squinted at the clock (you know I'm blind without my glasses) and realized it was only 4:45. I decided to give the little guy a few minutes to fall back to sleep, but after about 5 minutes his chatter started to sound whiny, so I went down to get the little stinker.

He ate and promptly went back to sleep until 8:00 and then ate again and slept until 10:00.

The moral of this story: You won't be hearing any more sleep bragging from me anymore :)

training wheels

2010-08-25T18:23:00.000-04:00

Bugman's "big kid bike" makes him fast, lightning fast - if you ask him. Poor Bitty was still riding his little trike this summer, pedaling as fast as he could and going, well, nowhere fast. I scoured Craigslist looking for a bike for the little guy, but didn't find what I was looking for. The Bugs' Daddy mentioned that maybe, the kid who never gets anything new, deserved a brand new bike for once in his poor, hand-me-down life.

As we were doing a weekly cruise through Target I noticed they had a perfect little 12" bike. It was yellow and blue, and matched our already owned dinosaur bike helmet. Buying it ensured that we would spend at least $80, when all we really went in for was, well, nothing in particular. Does this happen to anyone else at Target?? That's what I thought.

It took a total of about 30 seconds before he was comfortable. His mommy, well, it took her a good 15 minutes of running next to him, barefoot, with a baby in one arm and holding his handlebars with the other, until she calmed down. Meanwhile, the neighborhood had a good chuckle.

"Adex! Adex! Wait for me Adex!" Now when he pedals he actually goes somewhere, even if he still isn't as fast as his big brother.

And yes, he is wearing yet another backwards shirt. Sigh.

ten on tuesday

2010-08-24T23:28:00.000-04:00

1. Tomorrow is the first day of school for PVS (my building). I won't be there. It has been crazy to have an August without the rush of back to school preparations. There is a new teacher in "my" classroom. While I'm a little sad that I won't get to see all of my work friends each day, I can't say that I regret the decision to stay home with the bugs this year. I am incredibly excited to get to be mommy and only mommy 24 hours a day/7days a week for the next 12 months. Then, it will be back to school time for me :)

2. Speaking of back to school, the big bugs start preschool after Labor Day. Bugman will be in a pre-K class on Monday, Wednesday, and Fridays. Bitty will be in the Beginners class on Monday, Wednesday, and Fridays. Bitty has the same teacher that Bugman had last year. I was relieved to hear from her and know that he will have a great time in her class.

3. I am finally completely at peace about deciding to wait until next year to send Bugman to kindergarten. Even though the decision to send him to kindergarten when he turned 6 was made before he was born, I waivered when registration time about. Academically, Bugman has the skills that he needs to start school... BUT I've taught a lot of August boys in the past seven years and have seen how much difference a year can make socially, emotionally, and academically. So, we're waiting, and I know that he will do fantastic a year from now.

4. Since I've been home this summer we've been (very casually) working on some reading skills. Today, while reviewing "-an" words, we read the word "Jan." Bugman read the word, looked at me and said "Jan. Liking janning... that's what we did in Grammy's car today." Ummm, how about jammin' buddy. Then again, maybe janning works just as well when your talking Grammy and two bugs dancing and singing in a car :)

5.The big bugs have been sleeping until 9:00 or 9:30. Benny bug has been getting up to eat around 7:30 and going back to sleep until 9:00 or 9:30. Preschool starts at 9:00. Getting up, fed, dressed and there on time is going to be rough. Did I mention Benny Bug wakes up happy? He chats to himself until Daniel or I go down to get him. I tell you, this little bug is too good to be true. I'm pretty sure we're going to be in trouble when he starts teething. Daniel is our designated night time baby rocker. I do the feeding and he does the rocking if they won't go back to sleep. Wanna know how many nights he has been up with Benny bug?? Exactly ZERO. This kid has gone back to sleep after every nighttime feeding since birth. Oh, and we don't have nighttime feedings since this kid goes to bed by 9:00 and doesn't get up until morning. And yes, I've just cursed myself.

6. I just added a new blog to my daily must reads Nice Girl Notes polite with bite. Hysterical and definitely worth a stop.

7. There's a new blogger in town. I'd link you over, but, ummm, there is nothing there yet. But there will be... soon, and I'll let you know as soon as there is.Wanna know who it is? I give you a hint or two. 1. She's my close relative. 2. She just had my nephew.

8. I actually have a blog with pictures going up tomorrow. No, hell hasn't frozen over. At least I don't think it has.

9. I've been doing the C25K (Couch to 5k) program. My ankles and feet are pretty angry. I think my already flat feet may have gotten flatter with this last pregnancy. They scream at me every morning as I hobble down the stairs to the bathroom. I'm thinking of looking into a good pair of running shoes for these ridiculous feet.

10. I got a Nook for my birthday. (It's an e-book reader). I LOOOOVE it! I can read one handed, while holding the baby. A new book is never more than a few clicks away. I did quite a bit of research on the Nook and the Kindle (and by "I" I mean my mom). I actually did read some reviews. The choice seems to be 6 of one, half dozen of the other. I did find that Kindle owners HATE the Nook and their owners, while Nook owners just love their Nook. I went for the happy side :) Oh, and Barnes and Nobles lets Nook owners read e-books for free while in the store (you know, while the kids are at the train table). AND sometimes gives out free STARBUCKS coffees to Nook owners. WHAT!!

movie monday - alex rides his bike

2010-08-23T00:00:00.002-04:00

Things to note:

1. Yes, Bitty's shirt is backwards, but at least he is dressed.

2. No, Bittybug does not match. Backward shirt with a giant pea and khaki shorts with farm animals. Again, at least he is dressed.

3. My camera work will most likely make you sea sick today.

4. We need to put the seat up higher on Bugman's bike.

alex rides his bike from Leanne Alldred on Vimeo.

movie monday - kellan sings

2010-08-16T00:12:00.000-04:00

ABCs from Leanne Alldred on Vimeo.

movie monday - chatting with benny bug

2010-08-10T08:59:00.000-04:00

ten signs you still have "baby weight" to lose

2010-06-29T14:08:00.000-04:00

10. The first magazine you get in the mail post-baby has a headline of "Shrink Your Belly." You read it while eating your husband's Double Stuf Oreos.

9. You promise yourself you will get up and workout before The Bugs wake up... or even better, you'll go jogging before the hubster leaves for work. You know, starting tomorrow, only you've been saying this for three weeks and it hasn't happened yet.

8. Your pre-preggo jeans fit! ... with a rubber band around the button.

7. Your sister had a baby a week ago and her stomach is already giving yours a run for its money. Sigh.

6. While visiting said sister in the hospital you pray that the nurses don't mistake you for a patient on the maternity floor.

5. You leave the house only with the baby in tow, so no one will ask you when you're due.

4. You try to convince yourself of the possibility that you were actually pregnant with twins and one forgot to come out.

3. You prefer to get on the scale while holding the baby... and then pretend that he weighs 30 pounds.

2. Weight Watchers sent you not one, but two free registration passes, and you're pretty sure someone must have tipped them off.

and the #1 sign that you still have "baby weight" to lose - The Bugs ask you why your "bunnies are eating your unnerpants."

the answer

2010-06-23T13:05:00.003-04:00

Did you love my riddle yesterday?? Very cryptic, wasn't it?? Well, here's the deal:

Bennett was born seven weeks ago today on May 5, 2010 or 5/5/10. So, 5 + 5 = 10. Yesterday was June 22, 2010 or 6/22/10. Again, 6 + 2 + 2 = 10. Any ideas??

Well, just call me Aunt Leanne from now on! Turner Douglas was born yesterday around 4:30 (I'm not sure of the official time) and was 5lbs 13oz and 20in long! He's long and skinny and looks EXACTLY like his daddy!

Mommy and baby are doing well. Little man had a little trouble maintaining his body temperature and spent some time under the heat lamps in the nursery, but is keeping temps up on his own this afternoon!

So far I am his FAVORITE Aunt. What?!?! I'm his only aunt you say?? Well, I still got the first smiles and I'm pretty sure that counts for something :)

a riddle

2010-06-22T09:08:00.000-04:00

Seven weeks ago tomorrow, 5 + 5 = 10. Today, 6 + 2 + 2 = 10... and we're pretty flippin' excited about it!!

ten on tuesday - one month

2010-06-15T16:59:00.001-04:00

Bennett is one month old! Well, he's a little over one month, but I didn't get this posted last week. In honor of his one month b-day I thought we'd do a TOT of our little man.

At one month, Bennett...

1. Is looking more like "himself." I think the first thing you do when you have kids is try to figure out who they look like. Do they look like mom, or dad, or a big brother. I thought Bennett looked like Kellan in the hospital, but quickly changed my mind and decided he looked more like Alexander. Now, the little man just looks like Bennett. He is definitely developing his own look, and his own unique expressions.

2. Fits perfectly into our family. I told Daniel that it seems like we brought him home yesterday, but it also seems like he has been with us forever. He looked at me like I was crazy, but I know the other moms out there know what I mean :)

3. Rolled over from his belly to back (once). I'm sure this was a fluke, but still exciting!

4. Seems to be growing like a weed! While he still fits into most of his newborn sized clothing, he is fitting into quite a bit of his 0-3 month clothing as well.

5. Is (was) sleeping one 6-7 hour stretch at night, followed by another 2-3 hour stretch (more on the "was" part of that statement later this week!)

6. Moved up to size 1 diapers (again, seems to be growing like a weed).

7. Spits up like its his job. I'd even go as far as to say he is giving Alexander a run for his money. Anyone who remembers Alex as a baby, knows that is quite a feat. It doesn't seem to bother him though and like a said before, he appears to be growing! It does create a lot of laundry though!

8. Pretty much hates his swing, and his crib, and laying flat on his back. He loves his bed in our room, being held upright, and being swaddled.

9. Is very loved by his two big brothers (who are getting much better at loving him "nicely."

10. Watches too much reality TV and is loving The Real Housewives and The Bachelorette with a little Keeping up with the Kardashians thrown in for good measure. He even thinks he might miss the crazy "weatherman" and his amazing uncomfortableness :)

the magic word

2010-06-09T00:00:00.003-04:00

Yesterday, this guy was bothering his baby brother. Here is the conversation that we had:

Me: Kellan, leave your baby brother alone.

Kellan: What the magic woooorrrrddd???

Me: Please.

Kellan: No, that not the magic word!

Me: Then what's the magic word?

Kellan: Abracadabra!

Me: Abracadabra!

...and off he ran.

I might be in trouble...

2010-06-07T17:01:00.001-04:00

but luckily, since she's still pregnant and I'm not, I'm pretty sure I can outrun her ;)

My sister (who is due with my nephew in a few weeks) asked if I would take a few maternity pictures before she pops.

OK, so she actually asked for A picture to send to Erik's out of state grandparents.

...but what fun would that be??

Erik made one request, which was "I'm not making a heart on her stomach with my hands." Sooooo....

If I've never mentioned it, my sister got most of the good genes. She has the better hair and has had ~1 pimple in her life.

She also has a little preggo belly that barely shows up in pictures.

... or maybe that has more to do with the fact that she takes Lucy Lou on a walk everyday, whereas my pregnant self preferred putting my swollen feet up, and having a bowl of ice cream instead.

so, we live at the doctor's office

2010-05-27T17:49:00.002-04:00

Bennett has been attempting to set some new records in trips to the doctor's office (or perhaps doctors' offices would be more appropriate). Before we were released from the hospital on May 7th, the pediatrician wanted another bilirubin level done, as apparently little man's levels were a little high the day before. Depending on the results, we were either going home, or staying a little longer. They came back at a 12, so we were able to go home, but instructed to go to the office in the morning for another check.

Appointments 1 & 2 - pediatrician and blood lab

Saturday morning (May 8th) we heading to see Dr. E. to have a bilirubin recheck. We were then sent to a blood lab with the understanding that if the results came back above 15 that Kettering would come to our house to set up a bilirubin blanket. We were hopeful that this would not happen, but thankful that we wouldn't have to return to the hospital, but could treat it at home.

When Dr. E called later that afternoon, Bennett's levels were 13.5, so they had gone up, but not into the danger zone. He wanted me to continue to nurse, but only 10 minutes on each side, and then follow up with an once of formula. The goal was to get him to the "shooting poop across the room" stage as quick as possible to rid his body of the extra red blood cells. Success!

Appointment 3 - One week checkup

Our pediatrician sees babies for "well check-ups" at one week, two weeks, and then not again until two months (unless your an Alldred, apparently). We saw Dr. C for Bennett's one week appointment. She said that his color looked fabulous, which was a relief to hear. He weighed in at 8lbs 4oz (he came home at 7lbs 11oz), which meant that he was back up to his birth weight (typically a two week goal!) I wasn't surprised, as both Alex and Kellan gained almost two pounds in their first two weeks home. (Alex went from 6lbs 13oz to 8lbs 13oz, and Kellan went from 8lbs 12oz to almost 11lbs.)

During his newborn screening at the hospital the doctor noticed Bennett had a "clicking" hip, which meant that his hip joint was loose. He said that this can be caused by one of two things. First it can simply be loose ligaments from all of the excess estrogen (that loosens women's ligaments for childbirth), or it could be a problem with the formation of the joint. Dr. C noticed that it was still loose a week later, so we were referred to Children's for an ultrasound on his hips (thank goodness for the new Children's in Springboro... it saved us some drive time!)

Appointment 4 - Two week check-up

Last Wednesday we went in for Bennett's two week well baby appointment with Dr. C again. Daniel and I made guesses at what his weight would be. I guessed 9lbs even, he guessed 8lbs 12oz. Little man came in at 8lbs 9oz, making him the smallest of all three boys at two weeks. I was a little concerned that he had only gained 5oz (typically babies gain ~1oz/day at this age), but Dr. C wasn't concerned, as he had already reached birth weight the week before.

Dr. C. felt that his hip was not as loose as it had been the previous week, but still wanted us to go for the ultrasound that was scheduled for the next day.

She also dabbed his belly button with a little silver nitrate, as his cord stump had fallen off, but he still had a nodule that had not completely dried up.

Appointment 5 - What the...

When we got up last Thursday I took Bennett's PJs off to change his diaper and was shocked by his belly button. Not only was it oozy, (which the silver nitrate had appeared to dry up) but a big piece of skin had fallen off and he had a VERY red and raw spot.

Before I called the pediatrician I called Daniel for his opinion (I might tend to over-react... occasionally) on whether to call or not, he agreed that I should. Luckily they had a AM appointment available so we dropped Alex off at preschool and Kellan and I took Bennett back to see Dr. C.

Dr. C. said that she had never seen this happen before, but his baby skin is so sensitive that the silver nitrate ate/burned the skin off. Poor little munchkin :( She prescribed an antibiotic ointment (to the tune of $110... thank goodness for insurance!) to prevent infection since it was so close to his explosive, unpredictable bottom half.

A week later I am happy to say that his belly button is completely healed up.

Later that day...

Appointment 6 - Ultrasound

That afternoon was his hip ultrasound, which I really felt was precautionary at this point. (Along with the dr. feeling it was tighter, he didn't have any of the risk factors.) Friday morning I was relieved when a nurse called from the peds office, thinking they had a nurse call because everything was normal. In reality, the nurse called to give us information about the pediatric orthopaedic surgeon they want us to see because the ultrasound was abnormal. And that is all of the info we have at this point... well, except for what I found on Google, which is usually a bad idea.

This leads us to appointment 7 tomorrow morning. I'll update when we know more!

meeting the brothers

2010-05-18T11:03:00.000-04:00

My babies tend to decide to make their appearance when we have other plans, or on days that are slightly inconvenient. Alex arrived hours before Aunt 'Cole left for a trip, Kellan arrived on the day Aunt "Ashy's" state teaching evaluation, and I anticipated that this little guy would show up the day of Aunt "Ashy's" baby shower. He held off four more days and arrived on the day of the big kids' hair appointment, which was really no big deal. Daddy left the hospital, ran into work for a few minutes, picked the boys up at Miss Kim's and took them for their haircut (and thankfully got one for himself as well!)

After a quick dinner, they headed over to the hospital to meet their new brother. Kellan was immediately elated. He climbed up onto the bed with me and wanted to hold "Baby Benny the Jet Rodriquez" (he may be a little obsessed with the movie "The Sandlot.")

We quickly learned that while he was immediately in love with this new little brother, that he would love him to death if given the chance. He wanted to "help" him open his eyes, carry him across the room "all by myself," and get as close to his little face as possible.

He also didn't want to give anyone else a turn holding the Bennett. The only thing that came in a close second was Mommy's "bandaide" (from my IV), and the five hospital bracelets on my right arm. (My favorite being the "fall risk" yellow bracelet from my epidural.)

"Kellan, whatever you do DON'T smile at Daddy!" ... works like a charm :)

Alex was a little more apprehensive about holding his newest little brother. I think it was mostly "Stage fright," as Aunt 'Cole, Uncle Josh, and Uncle Nick were also visiting. Anyone who knows our biggest kid knows that he does not like to be the center of attention.

He was eventually coaxed into visiting with Bennett with the promise of a Hotwheel. Yep, that's my kid :)

first bath

2010-05-11T12:49:00.001-04:00

At the hospital last week we found out that a few things had changed since the last time we had been there. In the "old days" you delivered, fed, and visited briefly with your new baby. The baby was then taken away to be bathed and monitored for a couple of hours. When we went in this time we found out they no longer take the baby away from you after delivery.

The nurse came into our Mother & Baby room that afternoon to give Bennett his first bath, which was fun for me as I never got participate in the first bath with the big kids. And by participate, of course I mean sit in bed and watch :)

Photos by Aunt Ashy!

bennett nicholas

2010-05-07T08:43:00.000-04:00

May 5, 2010

8lbs 4.3oz

20.5"

We're doing great and looking forward to coming home later today!

ten on tuesday - baby bump edition

2010-03-30T23:21:00.002-04:00

(28 weeks - 6 weeks ago)

1. I'm officially 34 weeks 1 day pregnant, which means we have 5 weeks 6 days to go... in theory.

2. Because Bitty was a Sumo baby (9lbs 1oz) Dr. "Small" is thinking we may do a third ultrasound to check out the size of this little (or not so little) man.

3. I had my 34 week appointment today with Dr. "Weight Nazi." She delivered Bitty and brought up inducing at 39 weeks. Ummm, sign me up!

4. My ankles are officially gone. They look more like sausages and no matter how much water I drink they REFUSE to go down this week. I can wait to see what they look like after 11 hours of parent/teacher conferences tomorrow!

5. Bitty has decided we should name baby brother "Baby Max" or "Benny the Bull." Bugman is set on not naming baby brother, calling him "Baby Brother," or naming him "Alexander 2." The jury is still out :)

6. I'm approximately the size of a small house. The most common things I've been hearing are "Are you sure you're going to make it until May?" "There is no way you are going to go to your due date." and "Do you think you'll be here tomorrow??" However, I'm still not as ginormous as I was with Bitty... yet!

7. The bugs and I went over to my mom's house for Ashley's birthday the other week. I felt I should share the conversation that my mom had with her two prego daughters.

Mom: "You know girls, I read that you should be listening to calming music while your pregnant."

Daughter #2: "I wake up in the morning feeling like P-Diddy!"

Mom: "I don't think the Black Eyed Peas counts."

Daughter #1: "MOM its not, it's Ke$ha! 'The party don't start 'til I walk in!'"

I'm pretty sure there was then an eye roll from my mom as a duet broke out in her kitchen...

8. Baby brother's room is currently still a playroom... It looks like spring break will be very busy!

9. Our bassinet is currently lost. Not that we've really looked for it. Hmmmm....

10. If you didn't notice, we're not ready for this little man to come yet! Knowing this should be the easiest of the three boys to prepare for we've procrastinated just a tad... which I know surprises you all ;)

three

2010-03-27T22:19:00.000-04:00

Happy birthday little man!!

slave labor

2010-02-18T18:55:00.002-05:00

Anyone who knows me knows that I need a few minutes to myself when I get home from school. Typically this means letting the Bugs have a snack and watch a cartoon on Nick Jr (which will always be Noggin to me). While I catch up on Facebook, blog reading, e-mail checking, or flipping through a magazine.

One day last fall Bitty snuck off to the bathroom (where I assumed he was going potty). Upon checking on him a few minutes later I found that he had:

1. Painted his forehead with nailpolish
2. Painted the floor with nailpolish
3. Sprinkled an entire container of Ajax EVERYWHERE!!!

Needless to say under the bathroom sink was the one place we had never put a safety latch. I panicked a slight bit (what happens when you mix nailpolish and Ajax?!?!?). I got Bitty cleaned up and the floor was cleaner than it had ever been by the time we were done. Except for the Ajax encrusted nailpolish spots... which still remain to this day, because I don't want to find out what might happen when you mix nailpolish, Ajax, AND nailpolish remover. Anyone want to come find out???

Needless to say we had a decision to make, install a safety latch, move everything up high, or change the way we think about cleaners. I chose number three. I found a great guide on Young House Love about non-toxic, homemade cleaners, and we haven't turned back.

My favorite thing about making our own cleaners?? I have slave labor right in my house now. Diluted vinegar?? Fabulous window cleaner!

Where are most of our dirty window streaks and fingerprints??

At Bug level.

And they are pretty sure spraying the windows and wiping them down is the best thing since sliced bread :)

knock knock

2010-02-12T18:55:00.003-05:00

Bitty Bug has a little joke for you. He made it up himself. Can you tell?!?! And by the way, clothing in our house tends to be optional... according to the Bugs (yes, Sissy, this will make you uncomfortable!)

knock knock from Leanne Alldred on Vimeo.

seriously?!?!

2010-01-06T18:22:00.000-05:00

The preggo belly at 21 weeks (taken a little over a week ago). Mind you, at this point in Alex's pregnancy I was still wearing my own clothes. Oh dear. Any guesses on how ginormous this little man will be?!?!?

And yes, my belly button has already popped. That's the life of a pregnant, 80 year old man with a hernia ;)

oops!

2010-01-05T18:00:00.004-05:00

When my sister, my cousins, and I were much younger my grandparents took the 4 of us to the Cincinnati Zoo. My grandma brought along the camera and snaps pics all day. Lots of pics, if I remember correctly, more pics than a roll of film should take. Pics of the animals, the four of us riding the elephant, etc.

I don't remember exactly how it was discovered, but it turned out that there was no film in the camera. This memory may actually be better than the memories that were "lost" on that "roll of film." We all (grandma included) still have a good laugh whenever we remember that story.

Well, Christmas morning I totally brought my "A game." The camera was charged up, ready to go. I was snapping away as the Bugs opened their gifts, capturing every moment. Then I happened to notice that my camera said "no CF card" after I would take a picture. "No CF card," as in, where's your memory card you idiot, none of the pictures your taking are being saved. Oh, fabulous. SOOOO, what I did manage to catch was the Bugs opening toothbrushes and fruit snacks, which were left in their stockings. Now, if you know me you know that I'm the most organized, detail oriented person you'll ever meet (Bahahahahaha!) SOOOO, I'm going to blame it on the preggo brain. Surely that's it. This baby boy must be sucking out every brain cell I have left...

shopping for each other

2009-12-28T15:50:00.004-05:00

This year I decided the bugs were old enough to pick out gifts for one another. Grammy was kind enough to "borrow" each bug on their own to make some Christmas treats so that I could take the other bug on a little "date."

Bitty decided to start his morning off with a little OJ from our favorite watering hole.

He also learned that standing in your Starbucks chair and leaning backward will make the chair tip over backwards and the entire store will run to your rescue.

This is the gift he chose for his brother... Umm, sorry kiddo, not quite what mommy had in mind...

In the end Bitty picked out some "Cars" cars for the Bugman, and a toy broom for himself (he shops like his mommy :) We picked up the Bugman, came home to watch a little "Cars" in the basement, and this is what a found a short time later... Shopping sure is tiring!

The next morning it was Bugman's turn. He was lucky that Daddy had a half day off from work (we had our "baby portraits" done that morning too.) We started off at Bob Evans.

Ironically enough, this is what Bugman picked out for his brother... He also settled on some "Cars" cars in the end.

...And we came home to Bitty's sugar cookies with Grammy :) Might I add, GFS makes some mean pre-cutout sugar cookies... just sprinkle and bake!

It's a...

2009-12-25T10:51:00.002-05:00

It's a... from Leanne Alldred on Vimeo.

and we couldn't be more excited (except we have NO prospects for names!) OK, so Bugman may have burst into tears and requested a trade-in for his choice of genders, but it was nothing a few Lightning McQueen cars couldn't fix!

Merry Christmas!!

merry christmas!

2009-12-25T00:00:00.000-05:00

the flip

2009-12-24T11:58:00.007-05:00

Mommy bought herself a Flip camera as an early Christmas gift... or perhaps I should say bought the family a Flip camera. Yeah, that sounds better. I mean, I would never just buy myself Christmas gifts...

I'm posting a not-so-exciting video of Bugman playing with his beloved Pixar Cars toys. I want to make sure I can figure out how to post the big moment tomorrow :) Luckily, figuring this out only took about half of my life...

practice from Leanne Alldred on Vimeo.

ten on tuesday - preggo addition

2009-12-15T20:51:00.003-05:00

1. I'm officially 19 weeks 1 day pregnant... almost half-way there! I think this may be the fastest pregnancy ever. At least it feels like the weeks are flying by!

2. We have our 20 week ultrasound next Tuesday. We will find out the sex of the baby, but not until Christmas Day. We're planning to have the ultrasound tech write the gender down and seal it up.

3. For those of you who know how impatient and sneaky I am, (you know, the kind of kid that found all of her Christmas presents) I have a friend taking the envelope from us and giving it back Christmas Eve. Apparently I am untrustworthy (or she is more impatient than me and needs to know that day :)

4. Being preggo for the third time is like being an 80 year old man.

5. The heartburn is ridiculous already.

6. My umbilical hernia is giving me trouble ( apparently a "grin & bare it" situation).

7. All I need is some ear hair and I would officially be an old man ;)

8. Alexander is insistent that we are having two girl babies. Ummm, not so much buddy. Only ONE baby in there. I've tried to explain to him that it could be a boy baby and we would have three boys in our house. His response "Then we need three girls too!" Oh dear, I'm not sure our baby plans include SIX children!

9. This little one has been become more active and could be felt moving from the outside of my stomach last night!

10. Baby #1 - maternity clothes at 22-23 weeks
Baby #2 - maternity clothes at 20 weeks
Baby #3 - maternity clothes at 18 weeks! I may literally be the size of a house by the time this is over :)

so this is what its like

2009-12-11T18:09:00.003-05:00

To be a mama of three! I friend from school asked if I would come and take some pics of her kiddos before the holidays. I'm all about getting some practice (the ol' camera has been getting a little rusty the past few months!)

The T family has three kiddos. Their oldest is 5. The baby is 1. Its not far from what our family will look like in a little over a year from now!

This is J. He's 3 and every bit as ornery as he looks. What? He doesn't look ornery? Well his momma insists that he is. He loved the camera and I'm pretty sure it loved him to. Don't you love those baby blues?!

This is baby M. She just turned one and is one of the most content little ones I've ever met. She had no interest in me or my camera, but LOVES her mama and some mama tickles!

This is big sister M. She's 5 and in my kindergarten class this year. She's nice and shy and quiet at school. She likes to organize and clean up after her peers. I've seen video of her at home. She is a wild and crazy dance machine. I love how kids can be so different at home and at school!

merry christmas??

2009-12-10T18:00:00.001-05:00

You may have noticed that your mailbox was missing an important piece of mail from us last year. We never sent out Christmas cards. I never got the photos I wanted of the boys and then it was too late.

But never fear, we had this super cute ideas about New Year's cards. You didn't miss out, we, um, well, never got that done either. Oops!

Now that it is getting dark so early I thought I would take the boys out on a Saturday or Sunday afternoon. Uhhh, well, that didn't happen either.

We were left with the five seconds of daylight that is left when we get home from school.

Perhaps I shouldn't quit my day job. What do you think?

my favorite

2009-12-09T17:44:00.002-05:00

I'm not sure if you knew, but Bugman is my favorite... well my favorite four year old anyway!

He's having a great time being a 'very big kid' and going to preschool two days a week.

He had an ear infection in September. We took him to Dr. Cata on September 16th to be exact. It was his first infection in almost a year and a half.

Six weeks later we went back. Bugman was still coughing and didn't seem to be hearing us very well. We heard lots of "What??" and "What did you say??" We found out that he still had fluid in his ears.

... and not just fluid, thick, honey-like fluid. The good news... no infection. We started antibiotic round 2.

Four weeks later we went back for a recheck. The verdict - Honey-like fluid in both ears and a referral to see an ENT.

We saw Dr. Turner, the ENT on Monday and he decided to try one more antibiotic. Its aimed at treating antibiotic resistant infections. We go back in January and cross our fingers that this worked. If it didn't, we look at getting tubes :(

future Gap model?

2009-10-27T19:34:00.002-04:00

At the last minute we entered Bitty Bug in the Gap Casting Call. The winner is feature in ads at the Gap... how fun would that be?!?! You can check out our entries here. The 20 finalists will be announced on Dec. 7th... and then voting begins! We're keeping our fingers crossed, but also remembering the last year there were over 1 millions entries.

Bugman hasn't been super camera cooperative as of late, so that is why there aren't any entries of him... not because we think either boy is cuter than the other :)

its a baby!

2009-10-18T21:47:00.003-04:00

In case you haven't heard, our family is growing! Alldred baby numero tres is on the way May 10, 2010!

We are super excited (and a little nervous to be outnumbered!) Bugman is predicting a baby sister. Mommy predicts a third boy, and I think Daddy is hoping for another boy.

My original due date was April 15th, but after talking to my doctor at my first appointment, we both agreed that we needed an ultrasound to confirm a due date. We were right, my dates were about 3 1/2 weeks off.

Here's our newest blob (as of 9/22/09) ( the day I went from 10wks 5 days preggo to 7 weeks 1day!)

The second blob you see was never a baby (no twins for this girl!) It was actually my, umm, well, yolk sak (ewww!)

So far everything is going well. I had my second appointment Friday and baby had a heart rate of 160 beats/min. Here's the convo I have with the nurse practitioner:

Her: We have a heart rate of 160!

Me: OOOhhh, that's pretty high, it must be a girl, right?!?!

Her: (rolling eyes) Umm, it means its a baby.

I've been battling the worst cold of my life, and of course the approved medication list I have has "none of the good stuff on it." So I'm hanging in, but sleeping is rough (and first trimester is tiring enough on its own!) I'm also having some morning & evening sickness, but I know its a good sign that we have a healthy baby!

I realize how much I miss going back through the blog to look at all of the changes happening with the Bugs. Soooo, I'm really going to make an effort to get back to blogging at least once a week! Wish me luck!

ten on tuesday

2009-09-01T21:06:00.001-04:00

What better way to start September than by getting back onto the blogging bandwagon! To fill you in on our latest happenings I figured a ten on Tuesday was called for.

1. Bugman starts preschool next Tuesday!! How on earth did my first baby get to be SO big?!?! His daddy is taking him tomorrow morning for a "meet and greet." His mama is pretty upset that she is going to miss it :( Bugman is VERY excited to go to school and has his best buddy from Miss Kim's house in his class, along with 3 other kids from our neighborhood. I'm pretty sure it doesn't get much better than that.

2. In preparation for preschool Bugman also had his four year physical. I am proud to announce that he is officially above average in height!! 60th percentile, 40.5" to be exact. Maybe there is hope for these shorties after all. He also had his flu shot, which daddy figured warranted a trip to the Waffle House and Target.

3. Bugman isn't the only one hitting "big boy" milestones around here. Bitty had a big summer, transitioning to a big kid bed, learning to pedal his trike, and potty training!! Woo hoo!! No more diapers in this house (just the "safety" pull-ups at nighttime).

4. We spent the summer doing a mini-remodel of the living room. So far it's included new paint, a stripped and painted fireplace, refinished hardwoods, new baseboards, and new tile in front of the fire place (thanks Grandpa!!). We still have crown molding to install, a few shelves to hang, and are shopping for the perfect (inexpensive and durable ) furniture. I'll post before and after pics when we finish up. I'm crossing my fingers for this weekend.

5. Bitty had a fever the weekend before school started. The first day of school I got a call that Bugman had a fever. Yes, this is our life. Bitty is still coughing, mommy is now coughing. Bitty has snot down to his lip ALL OF THE TIME. I'm concerned I will be trotting around school with snot down to my lip next week. At least in a K/1 building I will fit in ;)

6. We're having family pics taken in November over Thanksgiving Break. An old HS friend is going to be in town and is having holiday mini-sessions. We've been wanting a family pic for awhile. Woo Hoo!! Check out Beth's work here and here.

7. September 12th the Bugs and I are walking the Komen Race for the Cure 5k with a team from my school. The Bugs are signed up for the "fun run" around the baseball park afterwards. They're raising money to fight breast cancer. Wouldn't it be cool if they raised more money than anyone else on our team?? Here's how you can help. Go to our team page. Click on either of the bugs' names. Make a donation. You support the littlest walkers and help fight breast cancer. Easy peasy.

8. On top of my cough I have gotten up with hives on my legs three mornings in a row. I have two nasty blisters on my heals... they bleed on my socks and shoes when I run. I'm exhausted from "training" 42 new kindergartners. My thumb nails look like something from a horror movie. I think its an iron deficiency. I'm a mess. I'm done complaining now. Thank you.

9. Over the summer the bugs experienced their first Websters concert. The Websters are a Cincinnati cover band that Daniel and I, along with several of our friends go and see about once a month. The shows are not typically family friendly. This one was. They boys had a blast and Bugman still talks about it. I have video of my dancing fools. I might get around to posting it. I make no promises.

10. I have lots of pictures from the summer. Trying to catch up on all of that blogging stresses me out. I'm thinking we'll just move forward from here. I'll post pics soon. We have a lazy three day weekend coming up. I can't wait. Please don't invite us anywhere. I'm not taking off my PJs for three days. And although I may complain a bit... Life if Good :)

Throwback Thursday

2009-07-02T16:05:00.003-04:00

Soooo, we've established that I've been quite the bad blogger lately (or at least worse than usual!) My dear sister has been nice enough to remind me of this on a daily basis. For example, after cleaning the living room, and reading a couple of chapters in a new book during the boys naptime today, I gave her a call pleading "I'm bored." Her reply "Well, why don't you blog something." What a ingenious idea. So here I am.

Lest you think that we haven't done anything in the past few months, I thought it would be fun to have a "throwback thursday" and share a little something from WAY back in April.

Bugman LOVES to help in the kitchen, namely when baking is involved. He may, or may not have love for sugar that slightly mirrors his mama. This particular day we decided to make brownies... for our house only. One thing that we must make clear is that when Bugman helps bake, people from outside our household are not permitted (nor would they want) to eat any of it.

My dear son comes from the school of "double dipping," as in, if I stir a little and take a lick, why not go ahead and stir some more, and lick some more, and stir some more, and... well you get the idea. Hence the germ infested baked goods that we produce are only appropriate for us... although we have no complaints about finishing them off ourselves :)

Perhaps our favorite part of baking brownies is licking the spoons AND the bowl at the end. My preferred method would be to wipe the bowl with my finger and then lick the batter from there. Bugman's preferred method... stick your whole head in the bowl.

Brownie scented hair gel... perhaps we're on to something!

summer break day one or three... or something

2009-06-15T16:35:00.004-04:00

OK, so maybe summer break actually started last Thursday, but today was the first weekday it wasn't cloudy or rainy. SOOOOO, we had big plans to head to the local pool and have some fun in the sun.

We started the AM with a coffee, because, well, as I've mentioned my children have a sick addication to the stuff. I on the other hand could take it or leave it...

I chased each Bug around with lotion, wrestled them into their swim trunks and then went to get myself ready. Problem one, I couldn't find my bathing suit bottoms. One would think that the bottoms would be with the top, however if you have seen my closet (mind you I use the term closet very loosely, as mine spills out onto the floor) you would know that this is not the case. After sorting through 45 piles of clothes was left with only a top. Unfortunately, our pool is not the bottomless type, so I called for backup. Aunt Ashy was on the way over and as I was getting ready to search the basement I heard a series of thuds. Bitty, was attempting to push the toy wheelbarrow up the stairs and it appeared that he made it half way before he tumbled backwards.

Bitty is the get up and dust yourself off kind of kid, so when he started screaming I knew he was hurt. Luckily there was no blood, but I quickly saw two goose-egged abrasions on the left side of his head. We called daddy who suggested a trip to the new Children's Urgent Care in Springboro, but I called the peds. office first to talk to a nurse. After a chat with a nurse we decided to keep an eye on him and to call back if we noticed any changes. She also suggested that we take it easy for the day, which meant no pool (not that we had found any bathing suit bottoms anyhow).

Our favorite "icepack"

we're baaaaaaaack!

2009-06-11T12:56:00.004-04:00

Did you think we were never coming back? I wasn't sure if we were either. I thought I'd be a blogging fool once my grad work was finished, but then the end of school was near and chaos continued. As of today, we're officially on summer break... and enjoying the rain?!?!? I love how that works :)

As tradition would have it, we went to a Dayton Dragons game with my fam last Thursday. Both boys were excited, but Bitty is definitely our biggest baseball fan.

I'm not sure if they what they enjoyed most, hanging with Grammy and Pappaw, the game, or the plethora of treats that they suckered out of everyone.

Bitty is a big hat fan (which makes his momma very happy when we're out in the sunshine). You can find him sporting some sort of hat (usually baseball) nearly 100% of the time... including when he sleeps.

Bugman has his own hat wearing style, to say the least.

For good measure that momma bought those spoiled boys a big orange foam finger and a foam dragon claw. They loved the finger, and the claw... well their momma had fun with it.

And to make up for our lack of blogging... a few more photos from the evening.

I'm done!!

2009-04-28T21:35:00.004-04:00

My Tuesday evenings for the past 20 months have included posting to my discussion board for my grad program. Tonight, no post. This weekend, no papers. What is all this? I'M DONE!!! And while I won't say I'll never take another grad class, it will definitely be a V.E.R.Y long time before I do.

Here are a few interesting tidbits about my 20 month journey.

10 regular classes

3 Capstone Projects (on top of the 10 classes)

143 papers (I kid you not)

1 video

1 research project

at least 30 grad class related trips to the local Starbucks

I am now one of the 9.4% of US citizens above the age of 25 with a grad. degree (as of 2004 census)

Basically, all this adds up to me being one pretty cool chick :)

random faves

2009-04-21T22:17:00.001-04:00

ten on tuesday

2009-04-15T20:39:00.008-04:00

1. We are still alive and well. I've just been in a blogging/email/photo editing rut. I think I'm back... but with the end of my master's degree looming in a week and a half, we may disappear again until it's over. I'm going to attempt to catch up here.

2. My itty bitty baby turned two. Sigh. He is pretty sure he's a big kid now and his momma is pretty sure he's still a baby...

He had a super time at his b-day party, and a day that looked like thunder storms turned into a decent day to play outside. Unfortunately the pinata is still sitting in the basement... oops, we kinda, sorta forgot about it.

3. Bitty also had his two year appointment with Dr. Cata. He was super unhappy about getting naked, but relieved that there were no vaccines this time... Yea!!

Official stats are:
height - 32.75" 15th percentile (and also predicts him to be a whopping 5'5.5" as an adult... let's hope the old wives tale is wrong!!)
weight - 25lbs 6oz 15-20th percentile
head circumference - 49.5cm 70th percentile

If nothing else, this kid is consistent!

4. This Ohio weather is crap. Winter seems to hanging on as long as it can. Fortunately we've had a few days here and there of decent weather. The bugs are so excited to be able to play outside again. The new favorite pastime?? Riding down the side yard on the tractor or inside the little dump truck. You've gotta love little boys!

5. We've been hosting Friday "driveway dates" (aka Happy Hours) at our house. We've even had a few "out of towners" show up for the event. I think I even have the first picture of Daniel and I together since we got married. I think its frame worthy ;)

6. Bitty has a girlfriend and an arranged marriage. We'll call her little 'L.' Daughter of my friend 'L,' and sister to big 'L.'

7. Bugman thinks big 'L' is the bomb... and they are quite the pair when they're together. Seeing Bugman, Bitty, and big 'L' together, wrestling, is a taste of what life would be like with THREE boys in the house. Hmmm, maybe we'll wait a few more years on that one.

8. This

and this

came to visit our house over spring break. I don't know how their momma does it.

Two little bugs at our house were enamored.

... and their mamma may have gotten a little baby itch in the process. I do love to snuggle me some baby!

9. Bitty got a new pair of Chuck Taylor style shoes on Easter eve and insisted that he sleep in them... over his footed jammies. I love that silly bug.

10. Bugman graduated from a tricycle to a "big kid" training wheel bike. This was spurred on by a neighbor boy, younger than Bugman, who flies down the street with NO TRAINING WHEELS!! We've got some work to do!

one hot date

2009-03-22T14:09:00.004-04:00

I had a hot date for lunch Friday. He was tall, dark, handsome... well maybe not the tall and dark part. He loves cars.

and lizards

and lizards that drive cars.

and he thinks he's a 'G.'

but his most defining characteristic would be his LOVE for chocolate milk.

...well and his love for his mama. I'll take a date like that any day!

almost 2

2009-03-16T22:01:00.003-04:00

Eleven days folks. That's it, 11 more days and my bitty baby bug will be TWO!! This Mama is having a little trouble dealing.

Yesterday ended up being a GORGEOUS day, so we attempted to get some photos for party invites. I didn't quite get what I was hoping for, but did get a few that I love.

(The awesome new duds are from Gap... they had a sweet sale this weekend!)

two of a kind

2009-03-12T21:38:00.003-04:00

Back in December both Bugs received gift cards from Daniel's Grandmom and PopPop. We took the boys out one evening to let them pick out what they wanted to buy with their money. Bitty picked out a little ride-on John Deere tractor that they constantly fight over (this is one of those toys that we have definitely gotten our money out of!)

Bugman picked out some bath toys and the game Lucky Ducks. In theory 12 little ducks "swim" around a motorized pond. (we are currently at 8 ducks... 4 are lost around here somewhere) Each player sits next to a shape on the outside of the pond and tries to find the ducks with the same shape on their belly.

Someone is a red circle fan... can you guess who?

welcome spring

2009-03-11T21:18:00.002-04:00

Its felt a lot like spring the past few days and the bugs have been SO excited to get outside. After being home sick all last week, Bugman was excited to play out in the backyard with our neighbor Josie on Saturday morning. (sidenote, I got sick too, and ended up at the dr. with a sinus infection... yuck... luckily Daddy and Bitty have stayed healthy).

Even though I was feeling awful, we headed outside yesterday afternoon after school to dig in the sand, play with some tractors, and do a little sliding. I'm glad that we did as its much cooler today (and wet and muddy!)

Can you tell someone's favorite color is orange? He picked out his own outfit yesterday :)

Those lashes. Inspired by an MWAC (Mom With A Camera) friend.

I used to hate when the bugs brought their tractors and trucks out into the sandbox, fearing they would be ruined. I'm learning that what fun are trucks and tractors if they can't dig in the sand?

Digging is hard work... check out that face!

recovering

2009-03-04T15:31:00.007-05:00

Poor Bugman has been fighting some sort of virus for the past two days. It started with, what appeared to be a slight cold with a little coughing. Monday night we went to a kindergarten "concert" at the CHS theatre and both boys loved watching the "big kids" sing - so much so that Bugman didn't want to leave and come home. As he cried all the way home he started coughing and was going horse by the time we got home. Not thinking much of it, we put the Bugs to bed and went about our evening.

Bugman found his way into the "big bed" around 5:00am sounding terrible. He was coughing, hot, and having some labored breathing. I gave him some Motrin and he stayed in our bed kicking, poking, bumping heads, and randomly flailing body parts as he tried to get comfortable.

We got up when we heard the Bitty man wake up and soon after gave Bugman an Albuterol treatment. While it did get rid of some of the congestion, he was still pretty labored in his breathing.

About an hour later I called the pediatrician's office and the nurse of the phone, hearing his breathing got us in right away. Bugman got upset that (a) he had to go to the doctor and (b) that he couldn't breath, which made matters get worse. When we arrived, they pulled Dr. E. out of another appointment to come see us.

The verdict was that he has croup, so he had a dose of an oral steroid and a different medication in a breathing treatment. Two hours later they sent us home, at which point we ALL needed a nap.

The Big Bug is doing much better today (only some coughing and occassional tightness) and seems to be fever free. He has spent the day alternating between pestering his brother, resting, and rehydrating. Check out those dark circles... oh and don't worry, we're heading out for a haircut in about an hour!

bad mommy

2009-02-20T21:01:00.003-05:00

I've mentioned before that Bitty is constantly covered in bumps, bruises, scrapes, etc. Some would venture to call him accident prone, but I would disagree. I think of accident prone as someone who is clumsy (think Bella in Twilight... yes I'm still obsessed). Bitty is just plain fearless and rarely acknowledges pain.

Bitty was playing in the basement last night while I was on the elliptical, attempting the burn off off the FOUR brownies I accidentally ate yesterday. (One downfall of working with all women... there are ALWAYS goodies laying around). He still wanted to play when I was done, so I came up, got some water, sat at the kitchen table by the basement door and started chatting with the Daddy. Bitty is usually pretty good with the stairs, but we keep an eye on him and are constantly reminding both bugs not to play on the stairs and that they can't continually go up and down. Do you see where this is going???

Mommy was not paying attention, Bitty decided to come up and lost his balance a few steps up. Being the panic-y, I don't know what to do, freaker-outer I am, I sent Daniel racing to see what happened. Then I peaked down and saw his mouth covered in blood. The good news is that he has all of his teeth and mommy and daddy knew not to go to the ER (after Bugman's split lip last year). The bad news is that this poor little man has some pretty big boo boos :(

Mommy of the Year then took Bitty to Miss Kim's this morning, knowing in her gut that she should stay home with him. All went well until he tried to eat and hit his lip on his sippy... it was downhill from there. I picked the bugs up and we snuggled on the couch this morning, and then both boys took a GIANT nap this afternoon. Bitty seems to be feeling alot better already,but looks a little something like this...

the chief

2009-02-18T21:57:00.003-05:00

G-town has a brand new fire chief. Well, officially has a brand new fire chief. Papa has been acting chief for awhile, but last night was the big council meeting that sealed the deal. More on that later, once I recharge my camera battery and upload the photos from the big evening.

Our job for the reception afterwards was to get some pics of the Bugs in Papa's old fire helmets. While they aren't the most technically correct photos (aka out of focus), I will toot my own horn and say that they still looked pretty awesome matted and framed at the Depot :)

Without further adieu, I give you the fire chief's grandbug's.

Bitty - 25 things

2009-02-09T21:31:00.004-05:00

1. is fearless

2. loves to jump off of furniture

3. do to this love has a huge bruise on his forehead

4. usually has a huge bruise somewhere on his body

5. is predicted to be the first brother to have stitches and a broken bone

6. weighed 9lbs 1oz at birth and was in the upper percentiles

7. quickly dropped to about the 10th percentile and earned the name Bittybug

8. is now usually referred to as Bitty Buns, Buns, Kel, Kel Bel, Kelly Belly Bunzos, or Bunnies

9. has no buns

10. thinks Daddy is the best thing since sliced bread

11. wears 12-18 month clothes (some 9-12) at almost 23 months

12. tries to do everything his big brother does

13. Red Hat, Blue Hat by Sandra Boynton is his current fave. book

14. is very spoiled by all of the "big kids" at Miss Kim's house

15. has persuaded Max to be his friend

16. pulls said friend's tail frequently

17. loves a good Horizon Organic Chocolate Milk from the ever favorite Starbucks

18. Daddy thinks he is the 'most cutest baby in the whole world"

19. Mommy thinks daddy is right

20. his parents are not at all biased

21. was almost named Jacob

22. has a cousin 6 weeks younger than him named Jacob

23. has a new found love of green tea with honey

24. still thinks Play-doh is for eating

25. can't wait to have legs long enough to ride a tricycle

Bugman - 25 things

2009-01-31T16:15:00.004-05:00

1. Loves to go to the grocery with mommy on Saturday mornings.

2. Is addicted to Horizon organic 'Bamilla' milk (served @ Starbucks).

3. Prefers going in as opposed to the drive thru.

4. Has a best friend named David.

5. Is three days younger than said friend.

6. Said friend's mommy was Bugman's mommy's freshman english teacher.

7. Hates to be the center of attention.

8. Gets very uncomfortable when "Happy Birthday" is sung (even at other people's parties).

9. Weighed 7lbs 3oz at birth and was pretty much perfect (no bias here, no sirree)

10. Gained 2lbs in his first 2 weeks of life.

11. Hated cloth diapers, but not enough to learn to use the big potty.

12. Potty trained naked in a day (wearing underwear was another story).

13. Loves everything trucks/cars/monster trucks/tractors/etc.

14. Learned his ABC's by age 2.

15. Learned to write his name at 3 (after much bribery)

16. Loves to draw, use stickers, paint, and play with Playdoh.

17. Has recently become a puzzle fanatic and can now do jigsaw type puzzles on his

own.

18. Loves books.

19. Loves to takes snacks to share with his friends at Miss Kim's.

20. Will go to preschool next year.

21. Is super psyched about going to school with David next year.

22. Will not go to kindergarten until just after his 6th birthday.

23. Thinks that underwear are to be changed EVERY time you go to the bathroom.

24. Hates having his hair washed.

25. Is ORNERY and 100% boy.

randomness

2009-01-28T22:13:00.003-05:00

I was tagged on Facebook to do a 25 random things about me, and I thought it would be fun post it here too, and then do a 25 things about the rest of la familia in the following days. If Daniel does his, I'll post it too (but don't hold your breath on that one!)

1. I went on the first date with my husband in high school.

2. I have a "note" book that says I had a crush on him in 8th grade.

3. I got married at 24,

4. had Bugman at 25,

5. and Bitty at 26.

6. I've been pregnant, nursing, and/or changing diapers for over 4 years straight.

7. I NEVER thought I would be a teacher.

8. I was a vegetarian for 5 years.

9. I am happiest when I'm at home wearing my favorite GAP sweats.

10. I have a crazy addiction to coupons.

11. In my next life I'd like to be a photographer, chemist, or cake decorator.

12. I've never decorated a cake.

13. I'm extremely quiet... until you get to know me well.

14. In high school I wanted to move FAR FAR away from home...

15. Then went to college 45 minutes away,

16. and now live 10 minutes from my mom,

17. and my sister is my neighbor.

18. I hated coffee until I went back to work after baby #2.

19. I have a sick addiction to Starbucks that I am trying to break.

20. I want 4 children.

21. I would be happy if they were all boys...

22. but would love at least 1 girl.

23. I blog about my children because I'm bad at sending e-mails or photos to our family and friends.

24. I am terrible about returning e-mails and phone calls.

25. I have self diagnosed ADD.

*26. I have a crooked tooth - check it out above :)

bitty...

2009-01-23T17:18:00.002-05:00

Just peed on the potty! Maybe this kid will decide to potty train himself?!?!

potty training

2009-01-18T22:27:00.003-05:00

I know that there are people that would tell me if Bitty is interested in Potty training to go for it. I have to be honest when I say that (1) We don't have the time to do it right (2) I don't want to potty train for months and (3) he isn't so much showing all of the developmental signs that he is physically ready. Because we waited until Bugman was ready, he trained pretty quickly and I hope to do the same with Bitty when the time comes.

That being said, this little guy wants to be just like his big brother. He tells us when (he thinks) he has to "poooooop!" and he has been right a few times (like the time he handed me a piece of poo, fresh from the little potty). He has also had a few days that he has insisted on wearing big kid underpants.

He got into Bugman's "night night poos" (aka pull-ups) on Friday, and decided to try them on for size. Ummmmm, I don't think your legs are quite in the right holes there buddy!

xmas '08 - part 3

2009-01-17T22:42:00.004-05:00

Surprisingly, we were up before the Bugs on Christmas morning. They both slept in until 9:00 which is pretty uncharacteristic for the them. They typically wake up, like clockwork at 7:45 on the weekends (we wake them up at ~6:45 on school days). This was the first year that both boys were excited about opening presents and no one gave us the "why would you buy me a gift and then put paper all over it" look. And yes, Bugman was in DESPARATE need of a haircut, and Miss Cindy quit, and we were at a loss as to what to do about it.

After gift opening and Cinnabons (a tradition passed down from Daniel's family), we packed up and headed back to Gram and Pap's for the afternoon. There was of course more present opening...

Daniel brought his, I mean the bugs new race track over and set it up for the kids to play with. It was a hit. The little ones thought it was hysterical to watch the cars fly off of the track.

Christmas evening we headed back to our house and Grammy and Pappaw and Aunt Ashy and Munca Erik came over.

Grammy was in charge of books

Pappaw was in charge of twisting, cutting, ripping, and snipping all of the packaging that comes along with opening toys. (Seriously toy companies, I don't think that it should take scissors, a pocket knife, and wire cutters to open a gift for a 3 year old. Why can't I just by the toy... not all of the flipping packaging. Save a tree folks! ...Ok rant over)

Ashley and Erik were in charge of being strange

and of course what would Christmas be without a little sisterly hair pulling ;) although, the faces are completely wrong. Anyone who knows us knows that when we fight we bite our lips rather than show our teeth (apparently we were thinking we were vampires or something that day.)

By that point Bitty had all he could handle for one Christmas, so he opened himself a cold one.

Woah! Before you call DCS, it was not open... I repeat it was NOT open!

Just when you thought Christmas was over, it wasn't. The day after Christmas we headed over to Aunt 'Cole and Munca Josh's house to exchange gifts with them and Nana and Papa and Munca Nick. The bugs even did a little ice skating on the refinished hardwood floors. Daniel now wants to take them ice skating for real, but I'm not sure if we can ice skate and if two people who may or may not be able to ice skate should be responsible for two small children on ice skates.

The rest of winter break was spent staring at the piles of gifts that had taken over every inch of our house. I am still at a loss as to what to do with it all. Did I mention that Santa was very good the the Bugs this year? And that our house if very small?? And that I am a terrible organizer?? But the bugs are loving all of their toys and are even learning how to pick up the livingroom before bedtime. Baby steps...

christmas '08 - part 2

2009-01-17T22:26:00.003-05:00

Christmas Eve we dashed around like mad men, trying to tie up all of the loose ends. I was still battling fluid in my left ear and had a nasty dizzy spell in the AM. Luckily, Aunt Ashy was awesome enough to drive me around to pick up some last minute gifts and desserts. We started the evening at Gram and Pap's house arriving a little early and leaving a little early. We headed to my Aunt Susan's for our annual get together, minus one this year. My Uncle Ronnie passed away a few month's ago.

The bugs open new jammies every Christmas Eve, a tradition I read about a few years ago and started doing during Bugman's 2nd Christmas. The Children's Place carries coordinating jammies that range from newborn to big kid sizes, so their jammies have come from there each year as well. The highlight of the night had to be eating dessert, and then seconds, and thirds, and well, you get the idea.

Does my little Grandma have the best smile/laugh??

(I call her my little grandma because she is steadily shrinking. When I was in 6th grade and she moved back to Germantown from Kentucky, Ashley and I measure her at 4'11". I think she comes in at ~4'9" these days.)

And of course one of the Bugs always has a crazy face to share :)

When we got home we got the boys into bed and Santa stopped by to visit.

Let's just say that Santa was VERY good to the Bugs this year...

He even left a little extra surprise around the tree!

catching up

2009-01-15T20:41:00.002-05:00

I'm working on catching up and hope to finish up Christmas pics tonight or tomorrow... until then, check out my New Year's resolution here. The challenge: to get the camera out every.single.day. Ummm, you'll notice a missed a few days already.

christmas '08 - part 1

2008-12-30T10:00:00.004-05:00

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

I'm finally getting around to looking at all of our Christmas photos from the past few weeks. We had a crazy array of family Christmas events to attend this year starting the Saturday before Christmas at my grandparents' house. The Bugs did their usual "hang on Mommy's leg" routine for the first few minutes, but eventually warmed up to everyone and had lots of fun with their cousin Anna.

After dinner there was a little ice cream eating

There was lots of playing after the present opening.

A few horsey rides,

Kellan was very sad when he wasn't allowed to have any more party mints (after eating very little dinner)... how can you say no to this face??? and he even signed "please."

And last but not least, what would a family gathering be without at least one weirdo...

hmmm...

2008-12-23T17:51:00.001-05:00

I wonder who he gets his expressions from????

Love you Sissy! You can thank me later :)~

ten on tuesday

2008-12-09T21:20:00.002-05:00

1. I know that we've been rather absent as of late and I've gone from "not so good blogger" to "worst blogger ever." I promise to work on it. I will also apologize for the lack of pictures today. We haven't taken many pictures the past few weeks, and what we have is still on the camera.

2. I've been keeping myself busy reading the "Twilight Saga." If you aren't aware of these books you should be. If you have been avoiding them because they are "cheesy, young adult, vampire books" run to the nearest book store and buy them ALL immediately. You won't regret it, I promise. I haven't read a fiction book for fun in YEARS, and have read a good 1200 pages in the past week (which consequently also means I haven't slept in the past week, cleaned my house, parented my children, bathed, eaten, cooked, or anything of the sort....oops) Maybe that was a slight exageration. All I can say is "Edward Cullen... SWOON!" (The book Edward, not the Movie Edward.)

3. Bitty has had his first "nasty" cold of the season. It upset his tummy to the point of throwing up Friday at Miss Kim's, so daddy spent the day at home with the bugs. They had an eventful day of chasing birds out of the fireplace and around the house. There may have even been a failed attempt at feeding the poor thing a peanut before he was finally released.

4. Bugman had his yearly check-up with Dr. Liston last Thursday. He's been having his eyes checked yearly since he was 9 months old when his crazy Mama thought he was cross eyed. He has inherited an astigmatism from his crazy Mama and Pappaw and will be sporting some new glasses the next time you see him. Don't worry, he picked out some frames with "race car stripes" on them. We'll see if he keeps them on.

5. Ashley and I braved Black Friday for the first time this year. We predicted that we would make it to one store, have an anxiety attack (or two), hit Starbucks, and be home by 5:00am. Turns out we had a great time left home at 3:45, hit Elder Beerman, Sam's, Wal-mart, Target, Office Depot, (Starbucks), and Kohl's and were home by about 11:30. We have a date for Black Friday 2009.

6. What do you all want for Christmas? The Bugs are finished but I'm still at a loss for most of you. Feel free to leave your requests in the comments section. Thank you, Santa.

7. Thank you to whoever ordered High Five for the Bugs. I ordered Bugman a subscription last year for Christmas and was getting ready to renew for this year. What a surprise when a new copy arrived addressed to both Bugs. I think I know who you are, so THANK YOU, and we'll see the 3 1/2 of you on the 20th!! (Let me know if I'm wrong).

8. Daniel and I are looking for a good Tuesday evening show to watch. Our current schedule looks a little something like this:
Monday - Privledged
Tuesday - Stare blankly at one another
Wednesday - Private Practice
Thursday - Gray's Anatomy (My FAVORITE)

9. Bitty bug is just about graduated into 12-18 month clothes (especially all the already washed hand-me downs from his brother). WOO HOO that kid is a growin! (Did I mention he is 20 months old??)

10. Did I just say 20 months old?!?!?!? My Bitty Baby is going to be 2 in less than 4 months. Sigh. Maybe its time for another...

J/K... not anytime too soon anyway!

halloween... a month later

2008-11-24T21:47:00.003-05:00

I haven't been the best blogger lately and realized that I hadn't posted any pictures of the bugs from halloween. Last year, you may remember that the bugs were peas and a carrot, which, while not the most elaborate costumes, were both homemade and a HUGE hit around the neighborhood.

Being the super creative individual I am, I came up with ABSOLUTELY NOTHING for the bugs that would coordinate. The Bugman decided that he would be a dragon and that Bitty should do the same. I was a little short on time at this point, but trudged ahead in my effort to make the bugs' costumes again this year (after all, my mom did make all of our costumes growing up and everyone knows that to turn into a productive adult you need homemade Halloween costumes right??) To make a long story short, the sewing machine broke, I got a nasty cold (or something of the sort) and only ONE of the dragons was finished in time for trick-or-treat. GREAT, go ahead and sign me up for the mom of the year award!

We did decide that maybe we could find a knight/dragon slayer costume for Bitty and they would at least coordinate. no. such. luck.

In the end we had one dragon (whose pants may have been too short) and a recycled lion. No big deal... except that EVERYONE in the neighborhood remembered them as the peas and carrots and didn't seem all too impressed with this years picks. Oh well, we'll get 'em next year...

The Dragon

The dragon ROAR!

Telling that daddy who's boss.

The pants that may have been too short :)

A bug on a mission...

I love this kid :)

the bugman, a series

2008-11-14T22:23:00.001-05:00

we're still here!

2008-11-09T21:33:00.003-05:00

We're still alive, just very busy. Grad work, football, illness (me), and conferences. Things are slowing down, so we'll be back around this week!

john wayne hayes

2008-10-23T19:40:00.003-04:00

Sunday Grandma and Papaw Jerry stopped by our house and told us about John Wayne Hayes, the man riding his horse from Michigan to New Mexico. He left home earlier in the month and had made his way to New Lebanon. He stayed the night in the field next door to my grandparents and they had gotten the chance to meet and talk with him. He was heading towards Germantown on Sunday, so while my grandpa and Daniel worked on fixing the Saturn we went to look for him. We spotted him near the highschool and pulled over to take a picture and let Bugman see his dog and horses (Bitty fell asleep in the car).

He was incredibly friendly and stopped to chat and take a few pictures.

He gave Bugman his first piece of gum (which he swallowed). Someone was rather shy, so mommy got her picture taken too (in her oh so attractive Sunday Sweats :)

...And then he was on his way, hoping to make it to his next stop by dark.

Wordless Wednesday

2008-10-22T20:30:00.001-04:00

PS Someone's still famous a year later ;) Check it out here!

Couponing 101 - Now what?

2008-10-21T21:48:00.001-04:00

If you did your homework a few weeks ago you checked out The Grocery Game, Money Saving Mom, and Thrifty in the Cincy. Hopefully you've been clipping (or at least saving) the inserts from your Sunday paper. So now what? I had some doubts and questions when I started.

1. I don't have any of the coupons that I need.

This is where you have to be patient and diligent about clipping your coupons. If you notice the expiration dates on your coupons, you'll notice that they expire in 4-6 weeks. What this means is, it will take you a good 4-6 weeks before you have all of the coupons you need for a particular week. This part is frustrating in the beginning. Trust me, give it a good 6 weeks before you give up.

2. I didn't spend any less at the grocery.

Another frustration in the beginning. As you begin stockpiling (buying items when they are at their lowest price, before you need them) you will notice that your NEEDS list will still be pretty long. As your stockpile grows, your needs list will continue to shrink, as will your grocery bill. This can take a few months time. Once you feel that your have a pretty good stockpile, I would suggest starting a grocery budget. Look at what you are currently spending per week and what you think you could easily manage to start. We used to spend at least $125 a week in groceries. I cut back to $100, and then to $75. Could I cut it more? Sure, but $75 gives us plenty of wiggle room, room to buy all natural and organic products, and works for us. By cutting $50 a week in groceries I've freed up over $200 a month for other things. What would you do with $200 a month??

3. I don't see anything that I use.

Some weeks are better than others. There are definitely weeks that I don't see much on the list that we need/use. Those weeks I spend less than our weekly budget or stock up on some organic products/meat/etc. I also suggest being open to trying new things, and new brands. Would you try a new deoderant if it were free? Would you try a different brand of bread/milk/butter/vegetables if it saved you money? We've tried different cuts of meat that were on sale, but weren't cuts we would typically buy.

What I don't suggest is buying items just because they are a great deal. Even if I can get it for free, I don't let my kids eat sugary cereal. Daniel doesn't like boxed lunch meat. These are a couple of items that we NEVER buy, even if its free. It wouldn't be used and would go to waste.

Naptime Stuggles

2008-10-20T21:38:00.001-04:00

Soon after Bitty was born we figured out that it was necessary (for sanity's sake) for both boys to nap at the same time. Luckily, by the time Bitty was about 6 weeks old, we had figured out a daytime routine that worked for him and had him and Bugman napping at the same time during the afternoon. That summer, both boys would sleep anywhere from 1.5 - 3+ hours each afternoon. I could clean up the house, blog, catch a nap myself, or all three, depending on the day. This afternoon time has remained sacred ever since.

Lately, Bugman has been refusing to take a nap. We had this problem occasionally over the summer, but were able to tell him he did not have to sleep, but he did have to read or play in his bed. Inevitably he would fall asleep. This old trick is no longer working. Because the Bugs share a room, he is keeping his brother up as well, talking to him, and climbing into the crib with him.

One theory could be that he is outgrowing his nap, but he is still napping for 1.5 - 2 hours every day at Kim's. He is also EVIL by 5:00 on days he won't nap. This tells me he is tired and needs to rest. Because the Bugs get up at 6:30 on weekdays and sleep until 8:00 or 8:30 on weekends, I lay them down a little later for a nap. The only current solution I can come up with is getting up at 6:30 on the weekends to keep their schedule the same. Ummm, not gonna happen - this momma LOVES her sleep.

Any ideas??? Anyone??? HELP, our sanity depends on it!!!

Fall Parties - Part 2

2008-10-19T20:55:00.001-04:00

Daniel has been officiating Peewee football on Saturdays this fall. For fall party #2, he took the day off to go with us. We headed out the Voss' farm in Farmersville for an evening of fun. After the boys let go of our legs, they had a great time playing in the playhouse. Soon they were running around the outside with all of the other munchkins. The bugs L-O-V-E big kids, and love 'playing' with them, even if the big kids don't realize they are there.

Both Bugs enjoyed kicking the soccer ball, and The Bugman kicked it right into the bonfire... Goal or Disaster?? Luckily once the ball was retrieved and the fire smothered out, it was good to go again.

Favorite part of the night - Bugman found the Fooseball table. He was enamored and is hoping that Santa might bring him a table for Christmas. Uhhhh, Santa, could you finish my basement first??

We ended the evening listening to some music around the bonfire, and with two little bugs fast asleep.

Fall Parties - Part 1

2008-10-18T20:54:00.005-04:00

Our October calendar has been full of fun parties starting with my school team party in Tipp City. I have to be honest when I say I was not too sure about driving all the way up to Tipp for a party, but one of my teammates insisted we would have a blast at their family farm - and she was right. After we finally arrived (after a detour to New Carlisle) the Bugs both decided to cling to my legs. Sigh, I love that they love their mommy, but sometimes the shyness is a little much, especially since Bugman's big 0-3 b-day.

We started the evening with a Hayride around the farm and through the woods.

Here is our fabulous driver.

It quickly turned the Bugs' unsure faces into this:

and this

Towards the end of the hayride we saw some dust in one of the fields. Bugman had a guess as to what it was, and he was right.

A BIG combine! Pure Bliss for my truck/car/tractor lovers.

When we came back we had a scarecrow building race. Here is our team's masterpiece. What can I say, we tried.

Next the kids found candy that had been left by fairies in the yard (there was a cute story to go along with it, but I cannot remember it).

As it got dark we ate and sat around the bonfire until it was time to go home. Bugman is still talking about the hayride and wants to go back to "that farm."

too little, too late

2008-10-06T21:14:00.001-04:00

Last weekend after the Pretzel Festival we took the boys to Cox Arboretum to get some fun fall fotos. Unfortunately we got there a little later than planned and quickly ran out of light. Maybe we'll try again one night this week.

Oh, how I love those short little legs!

Laughing with that big brother.

Wishing mommy would put that darn camera away already!!

the pretzel festival

2008-10-01T21:12:00.001-04:00

Last weekend was the 29th annual Pretzel Festival in good ol' G-town. We made it exactly one hour before it closed down on Sunday evening. What this meant was we did not look at any crafts, but we did have plenty of time to eat some incredibly unhealthy, yet delicious festival food. My favorite - elephant ears! The Bugs enjoyed some ribs with their daddy.

Washed it down with some water.

and finished it off with a little ice cream.

This is what we all felt like when we were done...

Thought for the day... What kinds of grand things will be planned for the 30th annual pretzel festival next year?? I'm thinking maybe some actual pretzels... Very thought provoking, I know. Feel free to discuss amongst yourselves for the next 12 months.

couponing 101 - where to find the deals

2008-09-30T21:28:00.004-04:00

Since numerous people have been asking about my mad couponing skills (hahaha), I thought I would dedicate a post (or two or three) to explaining what I do. Please note that I am by no means an expert, but have been able to drastically cut our grocery budget over the past year and a half. I honestly can't even remember how it started, but I believe it was while I was on unpaid leave after Bitty was born. (I hadn't built up enough sick days after Bugman was born and decided to take an extra 2 weeks off making my maternity leave 8 weeks instead of 6).

Many people are able to look through the Sunday advertisements with their coupons and figure out some great deals. I am not one of those people. I was not given the gift, the patience, nor the time to do it, SO I have found some great sources that find the deals for me!!!

The first place I started was The Grocery Game, which is an online subscription. The Grocery Game has a computerized database that matches the best sales with the best coupons each week. This guarantees that you are getting the best prices for the items you need. The database also tells you the best sales on non-coupon items each week (such as meats, milk, etc.). Many of the deals are not listed in the weekly flyer you find in your local paper. The subscription is $10 every 8 weeks for one store and an additional $5 for each additional store. I use both the Kroger and Meijer pages. I would highly recommend starting here because it is EASY PEASY! You simple click on the items you plan on purchasing and print the list to take with you to the store.

Later in my couponing journey I discovered Money Saving Mom. I think I ran across her website when Jenny from Mommin' It Up starting participating in her Super Savings Saturday. She posts a lot of great deals and freebies as well as where to find online coupons. (This is the one downfall of The Grocery Game, while it tells you what coupons to use from the newspaper, it does not take into account very many of the printables out there.)

*Note - If you are planning on using any online printable coupons I highly suggest creating a "Junk E-mail" account to use anytime you are asked for your e-mail. If not you will get a lot of junk in your regular e-mail*

Money Saving Mom also has a great explanation of how to start working CVS for freebies here. I highly suggest reading it to learn more about stacking coupons, rolling Extra Care Bucks (ECB), and getting PAID to shop!

I also frequent Thrifty in the Cincy. Jamie is a couponing mom in Cincinnati who figures out some of the best deals at both Kroger and Meijer. Combine her internet coupon deals with The Grocery Game and you will absolutely save some $$$.

Now, for your homework... check out these three sights, and clip your coupons from Sunday's paper. Remember to clip ANYTHING you would use if you could get it for free or close to free!!

and because a post isn't a post without a picture...

go dog, go!

2008-09-29T21:18:00.004-04:00

It's no secret that Bugman has been a H.U.G.E. fan of books since the day he was born. By the time he reached his first birthday he had several favorite books, could retrieve the specific book you asked for, and would listen to stories for 45 minutes at a time. Bitty has been a completely different child. I wouldn't say he has hated books, but he has always been way to busy to sit and listen to more than 1-2 pages at a time. It has been somewhat frustrating, especially as a teacher, knowing how critical it is for parents to read to their children.

Well, in the past few weeks Bitty's tune has been a-changing. He is suddenly bringing books over to be read, looking at books in his bed, and has even found a few favorites (and by favorite I mean any book with a car/truck/boat/etc. on it)

Here he is with his daddy and big brother before bedtime.

listening intently

Bugman laughing at Go Dog, Go!

Bitty practicing the sign for book.

...and loving every minute of it!

hurricane ike

2008-09-28T21:05:00.002-04:00

I never thought that living in Ohio we would get hit by a hurricane, miss school due it, and have hundreds of thousands of people without electricity. I guess there's a first for everything! We were incredibly lucky and our power only flickered on and off for a few minutes. The. end. Our satelite wasn't effected, nor our phones, nor our internet. Trust me when I say that we know how blessed we were. We had several teachers in my building who had no electric for 9-10 DAYS!

I don't think we even realized, until it was over, how bad it was. Daniel was out working on the fence during the first half. I decided (right in the middle) I would head into school to get a few things done... in case it got worse later and I couldn't make it in. It occurred to me as I pulled into the parking lot that I may have made a bad choice. I made it into the building, found a door from our courtyard blown open, and leaves all over the hallway. As I tried to call my principal to let her know, I realized there was no phone, and then figured out the electricity. At that point I decided I should probably just go home... only I couldn't get home. It seemed that every road was closed due to trees down, power lines in the road, and even stop lights in the street. We'll call this a lesson learned. The next time we have a hurricane in Ohio... you'll find me at home with plenty of water, batteries, and candles... just in case.

The trees in our yard and neighborhood did take quite a beating and we spent a good deal of time having it cleaned up. We hired a pretty good cleaning crew and they had it done in no time.

progress

2008-09-22T22:22:00.003-04:00

So.... we have this fence. You know, the one that was going to be built last spring before school was out. As it turns out, building a fence from scratch is more work than anyone (especially Daniel) anticipated. Digging post holes seemed to be the biggest, most dreaded, tiring job. Now that they are all done, it seems to be going much more quickly and we're seeing PROGRESS!! The race is on now that fall is here and (unfortunately) winter will be here before we know it.

Here is the outside view.

and the inside view.

and eventually it will look a little more like this. I'm not sure you can see very well from the photo, but it is a shadowbox fence (pickets on both sides)

The mathematician himself at work.

and the BEST mosquito lamp EVA!!!

sharpie marker

2008-09-15T20:08:00.004-04:00

You can probably read the title to this post and know what is coming next. Last weekend Daniel and Bitty went to a football game and Bugman and I went and played in the Target toy aisle, picked out a few cars and had dinner at Bob Evans (pancakes for dinner... YUMMY). We were watching TV in the basement when we got home and Bugman asked to draw a picture. He wanted to sit on the step and use a bin of clothes as a table. I handed him a scrap of paper and the only marker I could find.... a blue sharpie. This is what I found a few minutes later...

We tried everything to get the marker off: soap, baby oil, toothpaste... nothing worked. Luckily it wore off.... a week later. On a positive note, he did draw his first 'tadpole' person.

aunt 'ashy'

2008-09-15T20:00:00.004-04:00

Other than Daniel and I, my sister (Aunt "Ashy" to the Bugs) is probably the person they see the most... especially during the summer when you can find the four of us at our house most of the day. Anyone who knows Ashley knows that she is a fantastic artist, so she and Bugman spend hours drawing on the Magna Doodle. It usually looks a little something like this:

And the result looks a little something like this... can you name those animals??

Apparently they can't either.

and one of Bugman's "I'm not looking at your camera" faces...

s'mores

2008-08-30T23:47:00.002-04:00

We spent Bugman's actual birthday hanging out at the Germantown Reserve for the Baker family reunion. The boys had a great time, and the weather wasn't so gosh awful hot for once.

That evening we decided to break out the fire pit (that we had yet to use). The mosquitoes in our backyard are HORRIBLE, so we hung out in the drive way and invited Steve and Katie from across the street over. Bugman loves the idea of making "Mores," and loves watching daddy roast the marshmallows (or mommy light the darn things on fire). The eating part he could take or leave.

Bitty Bug, on the other hand, L.O.V.E.S. him some "Mores."

...and as for Mommy, we'll just say I had my fair share...

block party

2008-08-30T23:33:00.005-04:00

One of the fun things about our neighborhood is our annual block party. Each year that we've been here it has seemed to get a little larger, with people inviting their friends and families to come as well. The boys have a blast, but can't seem to understand why one day a year they are allowed to play in the middle of the street.

Bugman drove his tractor down to the party but it was quickly taken home when some "big kid" strangers decided they wanted to drive.

Katie and Steve (Bugman's new favorite people) brought the "girls," their poodles Carson and Rudy... yes they are HUGE Bengals fans. Bitty is a puppy fan.

Someone must have notified the ice cream truck, because it showed up and had to have made quite a profit off of our crew. The Bugs enjoyed the first, of what I'm sure will be many, ice cream truck treats.

ten on tuesday (on wednesday)

2008-08-27T20:50:00.003-04:00

1. Good news - The nice guy at Best Buy was able to retrieve all of the pictures and grad work that was on my laptop. Because it was still under warranty they then sent it back to Gateway. Hopefully its a problem with the computer and not a virus and we won't have to pay for the repair. I still don't have it back, but am hopeful that they will call any day now.

2. School started last week. We're all still trying to get back into a routine after a pretty laid-back summer break. We've finally had the boys in bed by 8:00 the past two nights, which leaves a couple hours of down time in the evening. I watched a riveting new episode of "The Hills" on MTV. This show happens to be a guilty pleasure of mine.

3. Speaking of guilty pleasures. Who likes the Jonas Brothers? Turn up your volume and you can hear them. I really didn't mean to like them, just like I didn't mean to put a Hannah Montana/Mylie Cyrus song on my ipod. I blame it on working with five year olds. Their taste in music seems to be rubbing off on me.

4. I'm "cautiously optimistic" about my classes this year. So far they seem very controllable and pretty smart... ask me again in a week :)

5. Bitty has nastiness pouring from his nose. I kid you not, I started school last Monday, and Wednesday his nose started. I hadn't even been around kids yet, so I don't know where it came from. We're blaming allergies at this point. I'm determined to have a better winter than last year, when both Bugs seemed to be sick ALL.THE.TIME.

6. Bugman can write his name!!! Well, he can write the first four letters, which I don't think is too bad for just turning three :)

7. Bitty's new talent is blowing bubbles from his nose...

8. I haven't taken a single picture in at least a week. School will do that to a gal. We're going to get back on the wagon this week.

9. I'll be playing a little catch-up on photos for the next few days.

10. I'm planning to do a big photo order this weekend, SO, if there are any photos that anyone wants, let me know which photo, and what size (wallet, 4x6, 5x7, 40x40 to adorn you new library wall... you name it and its yours.) Just leave me a message on the post that has the pic you like or send me an email (Leanne7580@hotmail.com).

sick

2008-08-14T10:20:00.003-04:00

As I was getting some photos ready from our block party last night, my computer screen went black. I turned it off and on...nothing. This morning... nothing. We're getting ready to head out the door to have it repaired. Now I'm sitting and staring at the blank DVD I had out to back up all of our pics from this summer, and ALL of my grad work from the past year... I'm feeling a little sick at the thought of losing it ALL.

Luckily, we have Daniel's computer, and the most recent photos (all of August) are still on my camera, so I will try to get those up soon :)

Until then... keep your fingers crossed that we haven't lost everything!!!

carillon park

2008-08-12T22:30:00.004-04:00

First, I had great intentions of posting Sunday night. I even sat down at the computer, until I heard the Olympics on in the other room. Gymnastics to be specific. I forgot how much I L.O.V.E. the Olympics... especially gymnastics. Then, as we were watching, they started discussing the Frenchies talking smack about the US 4x100 swim relay... so of course we had to watch and find out what went down. Can I just say WOW... Daniel and I were both out of our seats shouting at the TV (I felt like my mom watching football on Sundays :) If you happened to miss this race, you must watch it!

Watch here

Absolutely amazing!

Back to the Bugs. We had a fun, but super busy weekend. Saturday we headed to Carillon Park in Dayton.

Daniel had been wanting to take the boys all summer to ride the miniature train that they have, and we finally managed to remember on the correct day and at the correct time. You weren't allowed to take photos on the train, SO being the rule follower that I am, I listened. I probably would have fallen off anyway, the seat was a six inch beam that you straddled. Bugman's favorite part of the train was the tunnel that we went through. In true Bugman style he wasn't excited until about 10 minutes after it was over.

We explored for awhile, and saw a "big train" which may have excited Bugman so much that he shouted "Holy Crap Balls!" Oops, not sure where he got that from ...

We also saw what Daniel claimed was a super old computer.

Then of course we had to stick the bugs heads in these. (They are going to love us for this one day.)

Bitty Bug showed off some of his award winning expressions.

... and then fell and skinned his head on the sidewalk.

Stayed tuned for the second half of our Saturday... Block Party!

the big 0-3!

2008-08-05T21:54:00.002-04:00

Saturday we celebrated The Bugman's big 0-3 birthday, complete with grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins. Last week I took Bugman to the party store to pick out party supplies and then to Ele to pick out a cake. He chose a "Cars" the movie theme, as this is currently his favorite book (too bad he left it at a play date last week, and we haven't retrieved it yet) :( The cake looked a little something like this:

...

When it came time to sing "Happy Birthday," he was having nothing to do with it and hid in my dress... screaming. My family says this little act reminds them of someone else when they were little... I wonder who that could be?????

We did catch Bugman doing a little of this

By Saturday the weather had cooled off slightly, but it was still steamy, so the little ones had fun playing in the water.

...

Bugman recieved lots of fun gifts, and even got a big John Deer tractor from Nana & Papa. He wasn't so sure about riding it in front of an audience, but Drew was more than happy to show him the ropes.

...