If I Tweeted...

I miss my bed! Good news: Ayden stayed in his til 6am; Bad news: I spent the night in Cohen's.

If I were a 16+ month old toddler w/a poopy diaper, I would not fight the person trying to wipe my butt.

Changing diapers one butt at a time for almost 3 years now...

My days at the gym have gone from 30 min. to 60+ minutes. Yay Cohen for cutting the cord!

Washed and swept the swagger wagon today. Too bad I don't know of any detail shops ;)

Watching American Choppers - this is so Andy, Ryan and his dad!

Eating Moose Tracks ice cream is not helping unwanted pounds disappear!

Does your butt ever really get used to a bicycle seat?

The DVD in the swagger wagon has gotten some use. Thanks Dora for teaching me Spanish...

Shrek the Final Chapter

Today was Ayden's first movie theatre experience. I chose to go at nap time so that mamma's boy Cohen would be sleeping for my mom. I hoped he'd be asleep at least half the time we were gone. Turns out he was (and currently is) asleep. Nice!

I knew we were seeing it in 3D but when I said two please and the ticket lady said $20.50, my mouth fell open. Um, matanee? I pointed at Ayden and said shouldn't he be cheaper? She asked me how old he was and after I told her that he was two she said, "Oh he's free." Well thanks for asking how old he was before you tried to take $20.50 from me! Sam met us there with her 3 kiddos. I felt bad that she had to pay $40 seeing as how it was my idea to go and see the 3D one.

Ayden made it through half of the movie (maybe it was the mini m&m's I took for him) before he was all over the place.

"I have to pee."

"I have to poop."

"I don't want to wear the glasses."

"Carter."

"Carter, I have a boo boo, see it?"

We sat at the very top so it was a rather large row which in Ayden's mind meant that he didn't have to sit still. Sigh. After the last bathroom trip I told him we were leaving if he couldn't sit in his seat. He got up once and I let that one slide. We eventually made it through the movie. As soon as we got on the highway, Ayden was out.

Note to self: Maybe 2 1/2 isn't the right age for a movie or maybe it needs to be before or after a nap. I really want to go see Toy Story, we'll see...

(I cannot get this to center the way I want or space correctly between paragraphs!)

Catching Up

I must try to blog more. I must try to blog more. I must try to blog more.

It's not so much about the blogging as it is about the memories. I think of stuff all the time that I want to blog about but just never sit down and do it. You know how you think you'll remember everything, ya not so much.

Ayden is fully daytime potty trained and has been pretty much since February when we came home from Florida. While there, he had learn to use the big potty. It was nice not to have to clean out his little potty. I put that away as soon as we got home. (Note to self: skip that little thing all together with Cohen. Straight to the big potty for you little boy!) I'm not worried about Ayden being trained at night any time soon since he goes to be with a sippy.

We successfully moved Cohen upstairs to his room and he is sleeping ALL night in his crib! I NEVER thought that day would come! He sleeps from about 7pm -7am, give or take. I'm thrilled! He's been sleeping better than Ayden lately, go figure! I think Ayden might be dreaming because he wakes up crying and he's half asleep.

Cohen is still very much attached to me and nursing 3 times a day. Maybe when he weans he'll be less attached? Only time will tell... He has 7 teeth now, 2 of which just recently broke through.

I've been back to the gym twice this week so far after a really long haiatus. They boys were sick for a while with really bad colds which then led to me gettting it too. Then is was spring break and I didn't want to take them with all the extra kids being in the daycare. Wow, I was full of excuses there! Been running on and off for about 3 weeks and doing OnDemand workouts at home. I really like the 10lb. Slimdown ones! Saturday I will be running a 5k, slowly...I hope the weather is nice.

I will (hopefully) have a patio garden this summer, that is, if Blaze leaves it alone. I've got 4 big pots on the deck with raspberries, blackberries, blueberries and grapes. One of those didn't make it since my big dumb dog pulled it out. I'm not sure which one it was though. Another one might not make it either since this morning he has pulled another one out! Let's just say I got my point across to him about how unhappy I was.

Crying baby at my side.

Hopefully be back later to blog about Cohen's 1st Birthday

and "Ayden-isims"

11 Months

Cohen's first Birthday is fast approaching. He is just 3 days shy of 11 months old. For the past, oh, 4, 5, 6, months (I really have no idea) I didn't think I'd survive! Cohen is the complete opposite of Ayden. He is a total mama's boy. I know the day will come when he won't need me anymore and I'll miss it but right now, in the moment, it is hard. He wants nothing to do with anyone but me. And for the most part he is happy with me as long as he is attached to my hip. If I put him down on my terms and not his, he will let me know. Trust me! So many people comment on how happy, sweet and smiley he is when we are out and about. One lady looked at him and said, "I bet he never cries." "Oh, you have no idea," I said. Sleeping through the night? What the heck is that? I'd be happy if he only woke twice to nurse! He wakes up all night long. He wakes up an hour after he goes to bed like clockwork. And then every hour or two until I go to bed. And for what? A pacifier? To make sure I haven't left him? Oh and yes, I said until I go to bed. Andy doesn't even sleep with us anymore. He sleeps with Ayden in his room. Our old king mattress is up there on the floor for daddy and his boy to sleep soundly all night long. I feel bad. I feel like all I do is complain about Cohen. I love him with all of my heart but he is just so stubborn! I keep telling myself that by 18 months all of this should be a distant memory (or not so distant for me). Soon he will be happily, or so I hope, playing with his brother. I'd love to see him walk soon. Ayden was taking steps at 9 1/2 months and by 10 months had the walking thing down pat! Since Cohen spends so much of his time in my arms, I wonder when he'll take an interest in learning how to walk.



Yes, this sweet little boy of mine can make life quite difficult...

Potty Training Ayden Style!

Run around the house bottomless.

Start to tinkle while playing with my Handy Manny Tool Bench.

Look down and realize what's happening.

Stop tinkling.

Run over to my potty and sit on it backwards.

Get huge smile on my face and say "I pee! I pee!"

Then proceed to say "I dump! I dump!"

Take potty insert to bathroom, dump my pee in the toilet and flush.

"Bye-bye pee pee!

This has been going on for about a week and a half now. I'm quite proud of Ayden! He pretty much started doing this on his own. I was convinced that he was just playing games with me and sitting on the potty. I was getting really frustrated but I didn't want to discourage him. It payed off! Last Monday he was bottomless because he had wanted to sit on the big potty and of course make the pee sound "pssssss" and do nothing. His little potty was in the family room ready for business. To my surprise he went over to it and peed! I stayed home as much as I could that week. He's got it down for the most part at home but we do have some accidents. Not so much when we're out and about. He's making progress and I am using a lot less diapers on him! He's even pooed on the potty too!

Playing at the Park

We recently went to a local park that for some reason I hadn't taken the boys to this summer.

Ayden had fun playing with his cousins.


Shockingly they all looked at me and smiled!

Ayden fell off the bottom of this slide twice! I would have though he learned his lesson the first time. He crashed into Carter at one point too.

End of Summer Project

So we've had this composite decking sitting in our driveway for at least a year. I know, I know, totally hillbilly! We had every intention of re-doing our existing deck and making it bigger, it just took a really long time to actually get around to doing it!

Andy found someone off of Craigslist to build the deck and
I took on a small landscaping project.

I had a little helper!

The deck came out GREAT and for the right price! We couldn't be happier!
There are still a few minor details that need finished. Lattice needs put up around the bottom and maybe eventually a railing.

So far Ayden's favorite thing to do is jump across the deck.

And how cute is this table and chairs?!?
My mom bought them for Ayden's upcoming birthday.