Wednesday, June 23, 2010

Not a Wordless Wednesday

I just finished up my tenth handful of tootsie roll midgies for the night. The package says 400 midgies are in the bag, I probably had 300 tonight. Good gracious it has been a day. I can't really complain. One day I'll miss the chaos, but right now I'd be remiss if I didn't say it stresses me slightly. I took the boys out this morning and somehow lost one of Ryder's shoes getting in and out. This meant I had to carry both Ryder and Rustin until we could get to Payless and purchase a new pair of shoes. Seriously, it is so hot here that the pavement is a zillion degrees before 9 a.m..  Plus, no shoes is just gross. The lady must have thought I was ridiculous when she asked me what I was looking for and I told her a cheap pair to replace the "shoe" we just lost while running errands.  Oh and Payless...positioning the Dora Tennis Shoes on the shelf so that they fall directly eye level with a 2-year old is simply nasty marketing.  Do you realize that all 2 year olds love Dora and can not decipher between a boys shoe and a girls shoe?  Needless to say, we had to divert that crisis in the process of looking for a cheap sandal.  Could you imagine Matt's face if Ryder had come home with pink Dora shoes on? Sheesh!

New shoes on feet and it was time for lunch. I took them to McAlister's because I feel like Ryder eats french fries every day. Don't get me wrong...McAlister's isn't totally healthy, but at least they don't have french fries on the Menu. Carrying a baby, two drinks, an order number, my bag and directing a two-year old by the head...I spill my tea down my front. Of course. I manage to get all of us at the table, situated and myself dried off. Instantly, Ryder has to go to the bathroom. Grab my bag, grab Rustin, take Ryder's hand and go into the bathroom. Hoist the baby in between my legs so that I have both hands to put Ryder on the toilet. (Rustin is screaming, but what else can you do? I don't want to sit him on the floor. Any tips are welcomed!) Ryder opens the little trash bin in all women's restrooms and asks "What's That?". Must wash hands. The food comes and Ryder only wants to eat what I ordered for Rustin...thank goodness Rustin isn't old enough to care.

Reliving it even wears me out. I often wonder what people are thinking about me. Am I an open book...do I look as frazzled as I feel? I was talking to Matt this evening and told him that the funny thing is, I wouldn't change things. It would be so much easier to just stay home and never go anywhere, but I just can't do it. I have to get out of the house, I have to give R&R a change of scenery as much as I have to give myself one. In that respect I can't complain too much, but I do think I am justified in eating my 300 tootsie rolls ;)

Onto other things...Rustin turned 9 months old! Virtual Baby Book time. He is 17.5 lbs which puts him in the fifth percentile of babies his age. He got his first tooth two weeks ago and I just noticed the one right next to it coming through tonight. His hair was crazy! Crazy, crazy, crazy...he looked like a little troll baby. He got a haircut for the first time yesterday. He looks all grown up now...silly how cutting some hair makes them look so different. He is full on crawling and follows us from room to room. Hmmmm....what else is he doing....feeding himself finger-like foods, practicing drinking from a cup and crying if we leave his sight.

We're all moved in here at the new Ft. Smith. Well for all intended purposes we are. The garage is still a work in progress and the yard...well it needs some help. We'll get it all fixed up in due time. We still seem to spend most of our lives back in Mansfield, but I think we'll slowly start realizing whats out here in the country and begin to make fewer trips back to the "city". Ha! Here are some pictures for ya!


The before shot...it doesn't look too wild here, but remember I had just brushed it for the outing.


The after shot...all spiked and sporty for his new big boy style..ha! That lasted all 2 seconds, or at least long enough for me to snap a picture.



The usual Ryder shot. From behind. Do you guys even remember what his face looks like?

 
Oh there we go...give me that "Olan Mills" pose.  Perfect! Look closely and you can spot the stains from the tootsie roll midgies he shared with me on the couch right before bedtime.  Yummy!


Our new favorite thing.  We bust this bad boy out every night right after Ryder goes to bed.  Technically it is a Margarita Machine, but for all intended purposes it is a blender.  Frozen Strawberries, Frozen Blueberries, Nonfat Vanilla Yogurt and some Crystal Light equals two delicious smoothies.  Our treat (beyond the tootsie rolls) at the end of a long day.


And finally, another glimpse inside of Ft. Smith.  I am infatuated with DIY Blogs and looking at other people's homes/rooms.  Taking little ideas here and there. Not really anything exciting here except that I really stepped out of my comfort zone color-wise.  I am a khaki girl..everything is khaki.  Blue was a bold new step for me.  New carpet and a new ceiling fan.  Nothing else is new. Our furniture is really old, but I think if we change out the hardware it will give it a whole new look.  When I get it done, I'll do a before/after and we'll see if it makes a big change or not. 

OK...thats it.  Night!
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Friday, June 18, 2010

Sun Baby



Mom,

The next time you decide to sit me out by a pool for 3 hours, you might want to think about a hat or possibly some sunscreen on the face instead of just the body...just an idea.  Thanks- Rustin


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Wednesday, June 16, 2010

Progress

We're making progress on this whole new house thing. This time two weeks ago was not pretty. There was lots of dirty walls, ugly brown trim and disgusting carpet.  In fact it looked a little like this...



 

All of the "must be done before we can live in this house" improvements are now complete.  As of this morning, we are down to the final box inside the house that remains to be unloaded. It's right here in this picture. Gives you a little idea of the "After".


The Box is nothing important. Just some linens. I just tired out and quit yesterday afternoon.  Amazing what two weeks of painting, new carpet, new light fixtures, some stained concrete and a good scrub down can do for a place.  We still have a long way to go on the outside and I have some future plans for the inside, but that will all come with time.  For now it is home and we are all here together. I could not ask for more.

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Tuesday, June 15, 2010

Brothers


When asked what all the excitement was about, I got these two blank stares. All I heard from the other room was one screaming "I'm Jumping!!" with all his heart, while the other non-stop belly laughed. Life is good.


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Monday, June 14, 2010

Prayers

I have lots to update about everything and I will soon. For now though, please pray for Matt's family....especially his sister and niece. After Doctor visits today...each seeing different doctors for different reasons...there is much need for prayer. Prayer for healing and positive test results. Prayer for peace in the next few days until final results are revealed. Prayer for love that will carry them through this trying time. Lots of love to you all-

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Friday, June 11, 2010

Nine Months

Rustin's Nine Month Stats:

17 lbs. 9 oz.
28"

Love you sweet boy!

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Saturday, June 5, 2010

Limbo

We have officially been moved "out" for a week. We are still not moved "in". Hopefully that will come next week. But for now, we are technically in Limbo. We've been getting paint on every single wall. We have torn carpet out and stained some concrete. I like it...it looks surprisingly good! We've been getting a fence up. We still lack some carpet and a really good clean. It is times like these when you realize what a blessing your family is! They have been lots of help for sure.

Graciously we've been staying at Matt's parents while we drive back and forth to check on things. We gave Grandma a break from our circus and I headed to my Mom and Dad's for a few days with the boys. It always feels good to be in the house you grew up in. We're back in town this weekend for graduation and birthday parties.

I'll get some pictures up soon!


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