Midweek Randoms

Last weekend we had intentions to stay home and relax.  Well, I had plans to knock things off the to-do list (which I did) since it would seem I am officially "nesting."  We almost did it!  The only thing we did this weekend that we hadn't intended to was a trip to my parent's house to fix the kitchen drawer that Joe pulled out and broke into four pieces!  Thankfully my dad was able to get it looking good as new so we don't have to call our landlord and put in a maintenance request :)

Saturday morning Jason worked a voluntary extra (early morning) shift so I thought it would be nice to have breakfast ready when he came home.  I got out a box of muffin mix and Amelia and I got to it!  Halfway through putting ingredients into the bowl I went to grab the oil and there was no oil.  No neighbors were coming to my knocks on their doors so the kids and I quickly got into the van and went to the gas station for some (very over-priced) vegetable oil.  

We got them finished and cooled just in time!  He said he could smell them as he walked up to the apartment :)

Over the weekend, Amelia gained a ton of confidence on her bike!  Our neighbor ("Upstairs Kim") was helping her and she got Amelia to go over speed bumps by herself, make wide turns and, literally, quadruple her speed!  There's no stopping her now!

Joe is trying so hard to ride the trike but he's not quite getting it yet...

I plan on picking him up a helmet before the summer is over so we can get him going so he can keep up with the big kids!

A couple weeks back we got Joe a doll.  He has shown way more interest in dolls than Amelia ever has and with a new baby coming it seemed like a good idea.  Boy was it!  He loves his baby :)  He hugs him, kisses him, pushes him in the (full-size) stroller and even gives him drinks:

It is the sweetest thing.  Ever.

Monday afternoon my sister came over and set up a huge train track using just about all our track pieces and the kids had fun with it!
 

 I really should take the train stuff out more!  Sometimes I just don't see the point since both kids, especially Joe, are content to just drive their trains all over tables, walls and furniture :)

Amelia and Joe have been at each other all week so far but tonight, right before bath and bed, they just started being the sweetest to each other.  They were hugging and "falling over" in the kitchen over and over.  Between hugs they would come over and hug me and give me a bunch of kisses.  Then they'd go right back to hugging each other and laughing.

It was just what this tired mama needed tonight :)  Love them!

Midweek Randoms

• Work has been rough this week.  I have left in tears 3 out of 3 days.  

• I took a nap today.  I got home from work and basically went straight to the bed.  I laid down and fell asleep - in my work clothes.  Jason got Joe down for a nap and popped in a DVD for Amelia before he left for work and I slept, all in all, about two hours.  I needed it.

 

• Things are so hectic around here lately that I have been having a hard time keeping up on making Joe's baby food.  My sister noticed this and took it upon herself to make him some.

• So far she has made him two batches and without it I would be up a creek.  I do have a butternut squash and some sweet potatoes to make up for him.  Hopefully soon...

• Amelia recently discovered Little Einsteins.  It is a wonderful show and Jason and I are both really pleased with it.  However, the theme song?  Yeah, gets stuck in your head and I hum it far too often throughout my day.

• Last weekend we ran into the Oscar Meyer Wiener Mobile.

 

• We got some cheap water guns at the store and tested them out the other night.  Amelia had a blast with them!

• I have started using a calorie counting app in an effort to drop some weight.  I entered a goal weight, how much I want to lose a week and then I added on 500 extra calories (a day) for breastfeeding - believe it or not that is what the average, nursing mama burns a day manufacturing milk!  

• After Amelia is in bed and I am nursing Joe to sleep I have stopped turning the TV on.  I used to always watch TV while nursing him but for a week or so I have been just relaxing during that time.  I watch him fall asleep and when he is done I hold him for a bit before putting him down.  I wish I had done this all along - it's a special time for us.

• There is a pile of dirty dishes to be washed but I think tonight it is just not going to get done.  The kitchen is my "one thing."  I always make sure I get the kitchen cleaned up and in order before bed each night.  Why?  It gives me a small sense of accomplishment since most nights not a lot else gets done and also because it is wonderful to start the day out in a clean, orderly kitchen.  Tonight, however, I am leaving it.  I am unmotivated.  

• Last week, this week and next week I am working M-F with the weekends off.  That is almost unheard of in retail.  I'm not sure how I managed it but it is nice to be working the same days as Jason, even if we do work opposite shifts, because that means we have two whole days off together and can do things as a family.

• Amelia's new nicknames for herself and I are "volcano" (pronounced ball-came-oh) and "hot lava" (pronounced ha wah-wah.)  I am "volcano" and she is "hot lava."    She has even referred to me as "volcano" in public.  

• I am glad the week is half over.  The weekend can't come fast enough.

Midweek Randoms

Just some random things from the past few days :)

• Between Monday and Tuesday I did TEN loads of laundry.  The funny thing?  Jason still has 2-3 loads worth of clothes left to wash.   

• I made my second batch of homemade baby food for Joe yesterday afternoon - green beans.  Just this week he has finally started to willingly eat "solids."  

• Amelia had her first mani/pedi courtesy of Auntie Kim.  We took her to Wal-Mart and she selected orange and purple polish. 

• I found a park that has Joe-sized swings and both kids like using them!

• We had our front door painted yesterday morning and Amelia just loved watching.  She is really excited about her "mean" (green) door!

• Joe sits up like a pro!  We're talking half hour time periods that he is sitting up.  Looking around and playing.  He is getting too big too fast!

•  Joe is snuggling more than ever right now.  It is often not the most convenient use of my time but it is the most important use of it.  If little man needs a snuggle, I am happy to oblige - usually ;) 

• Amelia is still eager to help with household chores.  She's getting good at helping take the trash out.  I let her take the bathroom trash and she is now able to throw it hard and high enough that it makes it into the dumpster!  She loves it and is so proud to be helping.

• Joe has been taking some naps in his bed!!!  Finally, he is using the crib and not the car seat or swing.  The trick?  Put him in there with a few toys when he starts to get cranky and he'll play until he falls asleep.  

• As of this week I will no longer be working 6 days a week!  My boss has worked it out so that I can get in my 40 hours in the standard 5 days - hallelujah!  In order to do this I voluntarily left the ad set-up team which goes through the store and puts up the sale signs for the week.  I have been doing it virtually every Sunday since I started two years ago so come next week it will be a little strange to sleep in and be home all day!

• My sister offered to babysit so Jason and I have a date afternoon/evening planned for Sunday.  We are in desperate need of some parental time to re-connect.  Working opposite shifts really can start to take it's toll on a couple.  This is part of why I felt the need to leave the ad set-up team and find a way to get down to 5 days of work a week.  Now we will both have one full day off together with the kids.  

• Amelia took a nap this afternoon.  A very, very rare occurrence in this house.  I am so happy she did though because she was beyond ornery this afternoon and her nap got us back on track for a good evening.

• We have been playing blocks a ton lately.  Amelia made a "big bah-bow" today, which is a "big flower."

It's been quite the week so far and it is only half over!