Our Winter House Guest

My parents left today for Florida. They rented a condo for the next 5 weeks in attempt to escape the winter. They used to leave the last week of January after Paige's birthday and return the first week of March just before Taylor's birthday. I remember telling Nick that we can absolutely positively not have a baby in February because it is the only month my parents can get away. Low and behold, Nicholas arrived almost dead center in the middle of February. My parents were able to push there trip last year up so that they were here for his birth, but missed Paige's birthday. This year, they are flying home for the weekend of Nicholas' birthday so they can celebrate his first birthday with us. From what they have said, for the next years to come, they will alternate the birthdays of the grand kids that they miss so that they do not miss a child's birthday two years in a row.

When they travel, we keep their 11 year old Black Lab, Abby. She's a very good dog, and loves being here with the kids. It's the least I can do since the dog used to be ours. I bought her in Texas 6 months before I divorced Taylor's and Shea's Dad. My parents graciously agreed to keep Abby at their house until I bought my own home. Well, by the time that happened, my parents couldn't let her go. She had become theirs. She is my Dad's third daughter. He walks her EVERY NIGHT all the way down their street whether it's a heat wave, a rain storm or a blizzard. She follows him around the yard when he's outside and stays close to him in the house.

Isabella is in Heaven with her here. She thinks Abby is her newest playmate, and shares toys, blankets and food with her. Yesterday she asked Abby if she would like to have Macaroni and Cheese with her. Of course, Abby said "Yes please, that would be lovely". Nicholas is amazed how quickly the food disappears from his hands when he hangs them over the sides of his high chair. I think Abby is going to need a serious diet when she leaves in March.

A Little Bartering Goes a Long Way

Shea wants a cell phone so bad, it pains her. Taylor was allowed to have a cell phone the summer before she entered the 8th grade. At that point, I felt she was responsible enough to take care of it, and probably needed one for extra carilculars/social life. For the last 6-8 months, Shea has become much more involved in activities, and is way more social than Taylor was in the 7th Grade. I am constantly giving Shea my cell phone so that she has a way of contacting us when she is away from home. I made her a deal about 4 months ago that if she could keep her room clean for 60 days straight, she could get a cell phone. Thereafter, she also had to maintain the cleanliness. I thought for sure that was the incentive that she needed to get the ball rolling in becoming more organized in her bedroom. She didn't make it more than a couple days before the clothes were back on the floor and all the drawers of her dresser were open again. (This is really bizarre, by the way. It completely defies gravity when every single drawer is super extended, filled with clothes and the dresser does not fall over.)

Shea is officially the only kid in her "Group" that does not have a cell phone. I am made aware of this fact at least a couple times a week. I continue to remind her that she could be furiously texting at the moment if only she were able to keep her room clean. I have decided to assist her. Last week, together, we tackled her bedroom and bathroom. We sorted trash, donations, and keepers. I told her I would put together a check list of everything that needed to be done on a nightly basis in order to keep her room clean.

I am proud to say that she is 9 days closer to her goal. I have had to give some friendly reminders, but otherwise, she’s doing great. For the first time ever, she got her clothes from the laundry room, folded them herself and put them all away without being asked. I was jumping for joy!

This is her checklist:

• All clothes off the floor either put away or thrown in the hamper
• No paper or trash on the floors or dressers
• All drawers closed
• Bathroom tidy (Clothes off the floor, toilet flushed, towels hung up)

It should take her no more than 10 minutes per day to keep her room neat and tidy. I think she might just do it this time!

The "Swaddle Game"

Isabella likes to play this new game where I have to call her "Baby" and swaddle her in a blanket. This game continues ALL DAY. Unlike a newborn, however, she damands that I carry her thirty-something pound body around the house swaddled in her extremely thick blanket. And I can't seem to get it through my brain that her name is Baby, NOT Isabella!

A Weekend of Birthday Celebrations!

On Saturday we celebrated Shea's birthday at our house with the family and on Sunday we celebrated Paige's birthday at Penny and Dave's house. We made Flank Steak sandwiches at our house, and smoked everyone out. There was a haze throughout the entire first floor and the entire house had a horrible stench for the rest of the weekend. That is clearly not an indoor thing to cook, and we will not be serving that anytime in the near future. Otherwise, everyone had a great time; especially Shea. And that's all that matters!

At Paige's party, we made our own pizzas, which were delicious! Then I had to have my yearly dose of Funfetti Cake. For those of you who have not had the pleasure (I use that term loosely) of tasting funfetti cake, it is white with little colored specks mixed into the cake. There is not a gram of chocolate anywhere in the cake. Paige has an aversion to chocolate cake. (I know, she can't possibly be related to me.) Unfortunately, Isabella loved it. I have a feeling I will be making funfetti cake every August from here on in. I am just teasing you Paige! Your party was perfect!

She's a Teenager!

Oh my little Baby Shea. Today you are officially a teenager. It seems so hard to believe that it has been 13 years since you were born. You started out mad at the world and did not particularly like being in it. You cried almost constantly during the day for the first 4 months of your life. Then, almost overnight, you became the happiest baby I had ever known.

As a small child you were very shy and stayed very close to me. At home you were a chatterbox with a language that no one could understand. Your daily dress consisted of Taylor's Tap shoes, swim goggles, and my old dangly clip-on earrings. With your unruly, tight-knit curls, and your chubby little body, you were a sight that only I could truly appreciate.

You are good at everything you do - your school work, your athletic abilities, your musical talent, your technological abilities, the way you choose your friends, and mostly, being the type of daughter everyone wishes for. Okay, maybe your room cleaning and organization skills are a little lacking, but we are working on those, right?

We adore you, Shea. Thank you for being such a joy in our lives. Happy Birthday!

First Steps

Nicholas finally took 7 steps from Nick to me! For the last 2 months he has been taking one or two steps but then gets so excited that he starts flapping his arms wildly, which makes him lose his balance and fall down. The extra attention has caused Isabella to practice her walking to each of us too. She is also doing very well with her steps.

Dietetically Challenged

I am not on a diet per se, but I have been trying to be more aware of the food going into my mouth throughout the day. I am about 10 pounds heavier than I was when I got pregnant with Nicholas. I was a little on the too-thin side, so I am not upset about the ten pounds. I am, however, very displeased with the fact that none of my clothes fit. It would be nice if I did not have to completely start over with a new wardrobe.

That being said, I have been eating salads for lunch instead of sandwiches, frozen pizzas, chips, cookies, etc. Nick has decided that he would like to lose some weight and is trying watch his fat and calorie intake. I have started reading the labels for the first time ever to make sure that what I am cooking for dinner will not sabotage his progress. Upon reading the labels, I discovered this:

A serving of Ceasar dressing has 17 grams of fat!! And 160 calories! A serving of Hershey's chocolate syrup has NO FAT! And only 100 calories. How is that possible??? I have been choking down romaine while, instead, I could have been tilting my head back and pouring the syrup down my throat.

I am back to eating the good food. Dieting is not for me. Today I had a peanut butter and jelly sandwich with a large side of BBQ Frito's. (No, I did not read the labels.) I am going to try a new route. I will continue to eat what I want, but I am now counting on Wii Fit and Taylor's new Pilates video to get me back into my old pants. (Only when I have ABSOLUTELY NOTHING better to do.) I will let you know how it works out for me. Until then, M & M's and Snickers for all!!!

Like I Have Nothing Better To Do But Clean Up Messes!

It is all coming back to me why I used to keep a lock on the snack cabinet when Isabella was a baby.

This is the third time today that I have had to put all the snacks back in the cabinet. The third time is a charm. Nicholas figured out that if you hold the bag upside down and shake vigorously, you will get results.

The Fisher Price family has a monster lurking in the neighborhood....

The Party

We had so much fun yesterday! Isabella made it till midnight, but looked at us all like we had lost our minds when we were blowing our horns and setting off the party poppers! Nicholas went to bed at 11:00, which is very late for him! The rest of us went to bed at 1:00. Not too bad.....However, it's 6:00 PM and I am still in my pajamas. There's probably no point in getting dressed now. I have not been sitting around doing nothing though. My house is almost completely free of any Christmas decorations. Ahhhh; so nice to get back to normal.