I have an idea

Every time I go to the grocery store I try to park as close as possible to a cart return. My grandma engraved the need to return carts to the return and it bothers me when people do not. However, when you have children with you and you are forced to park away from a cart return, you face a delimma. Do I lock the door with my kids and quickly run the cart back? Do I put the groceries away while both kids stand there..hoping they don't run into the road and take them with me to return the cart? OR do I leave my cart sitting in the parking space next to me? Lately, I have been choosing the lock the kids in the car and run the cart back method. However, I always end up pulling away from the store thinking what if..................

I have seen expectant mother parking at the mall and maybe a couple other places. What if they had some parking spaces on each side of a cart return designated for people with children? Does this exist anywhere? I haven't quite thought through all of the possible difficulties with this plan. Maybe no one else thinks this is a big deal. Maybe it's too discriminatory to others?? I am not quite sure...Thoughts anyone?

Leona Lewis=Amazing

So anyone watch American Idol tonight? I had heard bleeding love like twice on the radio recently and thought it's an ok song. Well tonight I thought it was amazing. Maybe it was my mood, I don't know but I was moved. It is not often that I think an artist sounds better live than on radio. I think I will use one of my dad's favorite words here and say that it was tremendous. Anyone else love it??

(I am a dork)

They meet

I introduced Landon to the potty today. I said this is a potty, you can sit on it if you want. He sat down and said poo pooo half a dozen times. I guess he does understand the concept. However, understanding and being ready are two different things.

I stressed a lot with potty training Laila. She was not fully there until just after her 3rd birthday. I plan on being as relaxed as I can with Landon. I had not planned on trying at all with Landon until he turned 2 or until he started talking about going pee and poo. I still don't plan on "training" him until then. For now I am just going to let him sit on it and do what he wants with it. If he just so happens to want to pull his pants down and go potty, so be it. I kind of think that unless he is able to pull his pants down himself and go when he wants, it would really be him training me to know his schedule rather than me training him to be independent and what I consider potty trained. Does that make sense? Right now he is pushing it around the house with his blanket on top. When he starts using it, he definitely won't be allowed to do that.

Thomas

While I cleaned the kitchen and Brad made dinner Laila and Landon watched a Thomas the train dvd. Brad and I both think they are painfully boring to watch and we don't generally put them on unless we are doing something else(like today). I guess Laila found it quite boring today too. She was out in the chair within minutes. However, Landon loved it. I can't figure out why Thomas the train is such a popular show but I know most kids love it. Brad thinks kids are just fascinated by trains in general.

I really just wanted to share the picture because it is not too often Laila falls asleep somewhere besides bed.

*Also....I found out tonight my cousin Aaron, who is getting married in July wants Laila to be the flower girl. We were planning on going to the wedding anyway, which is in Montana, but now I feel more justified in spending the gas money. I told her tonight and so far she thinks it is a great idea. I'm excited!

what made me laugh today

I think everyone feels a little blah sometimes. Luckily, I have two wonderful children who always pull me out of it. (my husband does too..he is just not around as much as the kids)So this is what has made me smile today....

I was getting mad at Laila for making a mess in her room when she was supposed to be sleeping. I told her to pick up all her doll clothes and put them away. She then said, "mommy you are kinda cranky today..I think you need a nap" ha! I wish!

I didn't end up making her put all her doll clothes away because she said she was going to dress all of her dolls. As she was dressing them she said, "they need to all be dressed....pause....otherwise it would be embarrassing."

As I am typing this she is in her room singing her abc's. she knows it all but her favorite part is q, r, s, t, u, v, w, x, y, and z..now I know my abc..next time won't you sing with me. she sings this over and over. Landon is in there singing ab ab ab ab. :) Laila is also getting very good at singing twinkle twinkle little star and Jesus loves me.

Due to Laila not napping well..she woke up Landon from his nap so I brought him out to the living room with me and he snuggled up and napped for another half hour with me. We haven't done this in a long time. It was great!

I love Seafood!!

Brad and I went to the Oyster House in Olympia for dinner tonight. We ordered the seafood dinner for 2. This included 2 sides(we both got chowder and fries), halibut, salmon, crab legs, clams,oysters, shrimp, lobster, and a dinner roll for 50 bucks. I thought it was a pretty great deal if you like seafood. Then we walked down by the water to burn some calories. Anyway, dates are always nice and I am blogging on mine so I should go. We are going to go watch There will be blood. How romantic..haha(it looks good intriguing though)

like father, like son

We played at the park for awhile today until Landon burned his knees on the slide. It felt great to be out in the sun. Laila went shopping with grandma Sharon today so I was able to nap awhile today while Landon napped. It was nice. Now I get to go get ready for my hot date tonight:)

who needs a bed?

When we got home from small group last night we put Landon to bed as soon as we got home. He was quiet so I assumed he had gone right to sleep. We didn't put Laila to bed until about a half hour later because she had to have a snack since she wouldn't eat at small group. When I went to put Laila to bed Landon was not in his crib. I did not panic because if he isn't in his crib he is usually playing in their reading corner. It is between the side of Laila's day bed and the wall. Instead of finding him reading I found him sleeping. I wonder if he decided he wanted to sleep over there or if he went to read and was overcome by sleepiness. Laila got quite the kick out of Landon sleeping on the floor.

My best work

My children.

Our camera has been broken for a few weeks and I went through huge withdrawals not being able to take pictures. I took a lot today. Of course I think they turned out cute. Everyone has been in a goofy mood today.




Laila Mari





Landon Avery
He loves to sit at the table and eat like a big boy
cheetos~he may be orange for days

he was saying yay!!!(yes he is now wearing a new shirt..remember cheetos)

I had fun

I thought my last post sounded a bit oh poor me. I wanted to assure people after finding this picture that I did have fun in high school. :)




My senior year of high school some classmates and I decided to pull a senior prank on our AP English teacher near the end of the school year. Supposedly, this was tradition. The year before I think they filled up cups of water and placed them all over the room. One of my friends devised our plan and she an others collected newspapers for an extended period of time(don't remember how long). We filled the room even better than the picture shows. Unfortunately, our plan was foiled. Can I drop names? Well I am going to. Mr. Lewis saw us and made us clean it all up before we lost our diplomas or something scary?? haha. Later(like a week/few days)when I was sent to the principals office(we'll discuss below*) she told us that she thought it was great and she wouldn't have made us clean it up. grrrr

Why was I sent to the principals office?? It turns out on one of the last days of school a teacher who I will not mention(because I am not a fan) had horse manure put ALL over her car. Due to the fact that my friends and I pulled this innocent, non smelly prank on Mr. Nolet we MUST have put horse manure on this woman's car too. EWWW gross. I think this is one of the only things I still get mad about from high school. I was taken out of class to see the principal and questioned. I should mention Brad's younger brother was in my class(Chemistry) and saw everything unfold.

No one believed that I was not a part of this. My friends are I were sent over to the auto shop area where the car was waiting and were forced to wash it all. By the way the auto shop is right across from the class I was taken out of. To top it all off, we were doing a lab that day and it was nice out so the door was open and my class watched and laughed at my expense. When I think back on it I could have gotten my dad who is an English teacher at the high school and he would have not stood for it but I really did not want to be THAT girl. He was pretty furious later though. Anyway, I am not sure if the teachers and principal found out who really did it but I was told after graduation that it was some of the football players. OF COURSE!

I gues it is a good story to tell! Anyone pull any good pranks or have any good stories of being wronfully accused??

Does everyone really go through this??

I have just been thinking lately about what it is going to be like to send my children to school in the world we live in. It scares the crap out of me for all sorts of reasons. I have also been thinking about how I can't shelter them and keep them away from disappointment and hurt. I had a little revelation with myself the other day. I was made fun all throughout school and I think that is the reason I am so shy and timid to put my "real" self out there. I could list all of the instances because I am sure some reading this are thinking I didn't know that happend..but...may be a little too personal, although some might find funny. One example is that I started running when I was 5..literally 5..I ran a 2 mile race with my dad. I competed in the Junior Olympics and was always beating the boys in elementary school and middle school. I was so happy and very secure until people, even friends were talking about me behind my back calling me a show off and that I thought I was better than everyone. I think this is part of the reason I didn't do as well as I could have in high school. Believe me there are much worse examples but I am not going to go there. So my question is did anyone else deal with this? Does everyone get made fun of and hurt? I don't mean like you peed your pants in 3rd grade and someone laughed..I mean someone crushing who you are as a person. None of the actual instances bother me anymore in the sense that I think about it and feel hurt but they have effected who I am and I am afraid of my children dealing with the same thing. I just thought of one more example which I think is a good one. When I was younger I used to dress up a lot. I was a girly girl who liked sports. Well I got slammed for that one. People commented you always wear skirts, who are you trying to impress. Now it doesn't sound like a big deal but to this day I feel very uncomfortable dressing up. I have a fear of being noticed. I don't like too much attention drawn to me for that very reason. I DO dress up to try and impress my husband occasionally though:)Now that I put this I am going to feel even more uncomfortable when dressing up now that people know this about me.

I know that experiences shape a person, good and bad. I just don't want my children to ever be afraid to be who they are. I know many are thinking well its your(my) job to help them in that. I know this but some children hid things away. So my question is does everyone feel like they are who they are now because of something someone said to them growing up?


Disclaimer: I have had a VERY rough week. I may be legally insane at this moment. This post may make no sense at all. I may wish I never posted this. oh well. :)