In Training

Cman will hopefully have a green thumb just like his "Pal"!

Why sit around and wait?

Why sit around the house and wait, when you could attempt to bounce the baby out again!
Beautiful Day #2 when torrential downpours were predicted.
(Remind me again how weathermen get paid to be wrong nearly every day of their career?!)

OH WELL, not headed to the hospital, then....
Hi ho, Hi ho, it's off to the boat we go!




Lunch in a pic-a-nic-a basket (or cooler) and zoooooom.

Baby is still on board, literally, might as well take advantage of the sights and down time while we can right?

Yep, definitely rain coming today!

And proof that Sheldon (still in his shell) and I went for the ride too! Ahhh and Pal joined along too since he "just happens" to be in town. Not expecting another grandchild or anything!



ANY-TING?

Bets

Hopefully none of your are gamblers because it appears that only 1 has good odds of being right in the "When will "the egg" hatch" poll! Everyone else... etttthhh, sorry!

Guess we'll have to wait and see about the weight. I'm reeeeeally hoping the 3 people who voted "Forget it - this is going to be a HUGE BABY!" are VERY wrong!

Instead

Instead of having a baby this past weekend, we took advantage of the weatherman being wrong AGAIN!


Did a little of this...




and some of this...

Yep! We took our brandy new boat out for a "shake down" cruise on Saturday. A great morning, some wispy clouds in the sky and lifting fog, the Colbster, Sheldon still in his egg, mom, dad all hopped aboard the new "booht" as Cman would say. She's very quick and quite spiffy now that it's waxed up and floating! What better way to try to "crack the shell" than with a bumpy boat ride. Too bad it didn't work. Oh well, all that fresh air definitely means a nap for the little guy and a lazy afternoon in the hammock for mom. Dad opted to knock some more things off the "to do before Sheldon arrives" or rather the "continue to make a dent since Sheldon is not here yet" list and mowed the lawn.


Sunday, still low-keyed as we STILL were (are) waiting. Still NUTING happening! Once again instead of heading to the hospital to have a baby we just kept plugging away and going about life as usual. Scott and I both received great gift cards for Mother's and Father's Day from his parents (aka Nanny and Pal) to our local garden store. We've been slowly but surely landscaping small sections of the yard each year and have secretly been wanting to tackle this back section by the deck for some time. It's so sunny all day in this area of the yard and so we were both really excited to get some nice "sun-loving" flowering plants. And for only about $8 out of our pocket because of our great gift cards we now have a great planting bed just beside the deck. Thanks Mom and Dad (T).


And thus another fun-filled, relaxing and project tackling weekend came and went.
Could "Sheldon" reeeeeeeeeally be that happy just hanging out in his shell?

Nuting!

Anyting?
NUTING!!!!

Nuting is happening!


Ah yes we are in uncharted waters at this point.
Colby was 4 days overdue... which, if you're counting much like we are... would have been yesterday!

What now?
Hmmmm.

WE WAIT!!!!!!!!!!
Can you tell this is going over well?



If not, the chalkboard that keeps our weekly schedule (remember, anal retentive organizer here!) in our kitchen now reads:

NUTING (Nuhh-ting) -V.

- The act of waiting aimlessly for "Sheldon" to come out of his shell.

- Syn: INSANITY!

NUTING!

Jobs

Colby LOVES to help out. He'd rather help do whatever it is your doing than play with his toys. Just always wants to be involved and engaged, I think its great because he's learning lots along the way. If you're emptying the dishwasher, he's right in there with ya. Unofficially he's taken on the role of sorting the silverware and does a great job at it too. You may recall that his first "job" was feeding the dog! He still feeds Doug every night, but in addition has added quite a few things to his list of "jobs".

I would say of all the things he helps out with on a weekly basis... laundry, feeding the dog, sorting the silverware, lining up the shoes on the shoe rack, cooking, etc, etc, etc, his absolute favorite job is the trash! Collecting trash from around the house, bringing out the recycling, taking the cans to the bottom of the driveway, doesn't matter which... he's the boy of the house and is way into it!

Our recycling can is just on the other side of the stairs in the garage, he gets sooooooooo excited when there is recycling to do. Aka taking a can or juice bottle or box and tossing it into the blue recycle bin.

He dilligently collects the items from the counter...
Heads to the garage door... but waits until we say it's ok to go out.

And into the bin it goes.

Oh and even more exciting is when there is cardboard to go out! Then it's a team effort to get it up and over the railing! :)

BUT WAIT... there's more!

Tuesday is trash day! Everything gets picked up all on the 1 day, but because they come so early you have to put it out the night before.

So we now have a Monday evening routine and the boy's routine can not be messed with or he knows! After dinner, dad does the dishes and Colbster and I collect the trash from inside the house - another team effort. I carry the big bag to collect it all and he dumps in the small cans from around the house (bathrooms, office, etc). Once we've gathered it all, now the job gets passed off to dad. The Colbster and dad load all the cans into the back of his truck and here comes the little man's absolute favorite part.

Ready for it... He gets to drive (well, Scott drives but Colbster sits on his lap) to the bottom of the driveway!! No don't go calling child and family services, they don't go anywhere else other than down and back at 2 mph so even my car seat fanatic self says that this is ok. You should see how giddy he gets when he knows it's time to drive the car. Down to the bottom of our driveway they go, unload the cans, and back up into the garage.

Mission Accomplished thanks to 1 very happy helper!

Great Work Super Helper!

Wonder what he'll be helping out with next?

Un-eeees

So now that Colbster is officially using the potty all day every day (well, except nap and bedtime), he's gotten used to getting up in the morning, sitting on the potty while we do his nebi and then putting on his big boy "un-eeeeees" aka undies!

I've gotten used to seeing these teeny tiny tooshie pants in the laundry and giggling every time, and not even bothing to attempt to fold the small snippets of fabric. Anyways, I've also gotten used to having un-eeees everywhere just in case. I have at least 1 pair in my car, in my purse, the diaper (well, big boy activity bag, soon to be diaper bag again), some in the laundry room, his nursery school bag and the rest in his dresser. Well, anyways, the child only had like 9 pairs of un-eeees so really there was only ever like 2 in his dresser. No big deal, but variety is the spice of life.

Lucky for me I got a FREE $10 off any purchase gift card/coupon in the mail the other day to Kohl's. So being the frugal mommy that I am, still pregnant and now 3 days overdue, what would I do to pass the time while we continue to WAIT for this little boy to arrive, but trot myself over to our local Kohl's to use my gift card. Kinda figured I better take advantage of the free moment while I could as Nanny and Colby enjoy their Friday fun together... oh and considering the coupon had an expiration date the first week of July anyways the time was now.


Soooo, off I went looking for a steal of the century.

What did I find?

I could have gotten a plate, bowl, spoon and fork set for $.02. That would have been a real good buy, but figured we have plenty of those items. Kohl's no longer stocks nursing bras or else I would have picked one of those up given the pending baby situation. So instead, I got a 7 pack of Mickey Mouse Clubhouse un-eeeeees for 50 cents!

SWEEET!

They were originally $15.00 a pack.
Marked down to $10.50.
Then my coupon.
50 cents - I'll take it.


And sure enough, I had just the reason to suprise the little man with my great deal when I got home. He had just pooped (for the first time in a loooooooong time) and pee peed on the potty as I walked through the door. Well, Mr. Disney Fanatic himself was thrilled with my exciting "treat" for him for going on the potty. (Only undies would be a treat when they have Mickey and friends on them and you are not yet 2 years old!) And happily squeeled about "Icky" (Mickey) and "Gooooy" (Goofy) and "Inneeee" (Minnie) when I opened his new pack of un-eeees.

He was happy with himself and his new un-eeeees, I was thrilled with having spent only 5 dimes (yes, that is actually what I handed the cashier for payment) for what appear to be the smallest snippets of fabric sewn into size 2T undies!


And thus, we now have a much better selection of un-eeeeees to choose from each morning!

Hot Dog, Hot Dog, Hot Diggity Dog....

Who's behind the PO Box?

So this is my random thought for the day. You know I have them often!


Several times a week I go and check a PO Box.
Anyone else do this... there must be because there are boxes lined up in the local post office and there always seems to be someone coming and going along with me.

Anyways, I digress.

So the other day I was in checking for mail and upon opening the door and pulling out the contents, there, standing directly in front of the back of the box was the mail guy. Wooahhh that was weird. It was very strange being eye to eye with someone, but through the little bitty box. Kinda took me by suprise, but unfortunately not suprise enough to throw me into labor!

So I happen to also need to get some stamps while there and thus also encountered this man behind the box now standing in front of me at the counter. Again, strange, yes indeed.

I suppose seeing as I am quite preggers, he began the small talk. When ya due, yadda yadda. Turns out his fiance is also pregnant and wouldntcha know also due the same day!
Coincidental - very!

So I proceeded to chit chat with him, haha, first baby, tell her hunker down until July! :)


Sure enough, check the mail this morning.
Still no baby for him either!
At least I know I'm not the only one!

Officially OVERDUE

My due date may be today, but I declare Sheldon officially OVERDUE!

- Mexican Food - no go
- Bumpy Boat Ride - nada
- Chasing after a toddler and playing trucks - ehhhhttt
- Walking miles pulling a wagon - nothin'
- Mowing over an acre of lawn with a push mower that has a broken self-propel system - nope
- Every other 'get the baby moving' trick in the book - tried it!


I think he's a happy camper in there!
Already following in his brother's footsteps!

Smart Pup

Ever wonder how Doug got to be such a smart pup?
Ahhh, he enjoys a good book every now and then!

2

2 days til my due date...
2 cm dilated...
2 weeks until I would be induced (If I don't deliver before then, I'm scheduled to be induced on 7/7! Please help me if I go that long!)

No new news.
Nothing happening.
Not much else to report!

That's the latest baby update from around here.


Oh and the last Dr. voted at my appointment today, his guess 7 pounds 12 ounces!
We'll have to wait and find out.


Until then, life as normal continues... and we just hang tight!

One Happy Daddy!

This...


...is a picture of 1 VERY happy daddy!

With 1 very happy son! (hopefully soon to have 2 happy sons)



Why were my boys so happy this weekend?!

Perhaps it has something to do with this soon to be floating object.

Yes, my bloggy friends, I did officially win the wife of the year award at a local marina after suprising Scott with a brand new boat for Father's Day!

A little spontaneous, a little planned, but a big suprise for Scott.

Yes, we do still have our "Lady", but she's not exactly a family boat.

See:

She's our big girl at 45'. Not really ideal for Scott and I to take out alone with 2 young children that need a watchful eye on the water. Way back when life wasn't so complicated we enjoyed chartering the boat, fishing, cruising, heck we even had a marriage proposal on the good 'ol Lady. Unfortunately sometimes things don't continue as expected and between house building, broken hips, pregnancies and all those other momentous occassions we haven't been back to chartering the boat since.

Thus, Scott and I have been yearning for the water again. Can't exactly take a 2 year old and a newborn out on a waverunner, although that would be exciting! 1 up front, 1 in the Bjorn, now that's a family fun adventure :)

So in order to fill in the gaps and return to being the boating family we have always been, an addition to our "fleet" was necessary.

Thus, after lots of pondering and financial crunching, I decided to go for it. And what better way to make the man you love, the father of your children, your best friend and partner in every adventure, the happiest man alive on Father's Day... well, other than perhaps delivering his 2nd son that day... but with the gift that will give to the entire family for years to come!

This 206 Key Largo (aka 20' center console) is now an official part of the family.

(The one above is not ours, but a floating version of it, the one below is our boat - yes, it too will have a canvas T top like the floating one, but white instead of teal.)

So with many more happy memories to be made, this boating adventure began with 1 happy daddy!

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY, SCOOTS!

Gone Truckin'

A boy.
His dog.
And his trucks.

What more is needed?

Big Foot

I'd say the little man isn't so little anymore. Or at least his feet aren't!

He will definitely follow in our "footsteps" as we are a family of BIG feet.

1 Week

No, not until my due date, we already know that!


The little man has gone 1 week, 7 whole days accident free!
Way to go Colberoo!


And recently we haven't even been spending entire days like this. Just sorta goin' about our day and enjoying what is left of life with an only child. We've held it and/or "made it" to the potty every time! wooooo hoooo. Guess our big announcement a few weeks ago is now official. And that also means I met my goal!


KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK BIG BROTHER!

All Seuss'd Out and Ready

I figured before we fill it and therefore it becomes a baby space by default, I might as well show you some final pictures of "Sheldon's" room makeover! To see the entire album of photos from blank slate to Seussical - go here.




The bedding, curtains, diaper stacker and hamper were a mish mosh of purchases from several places. Obviously we could have spent HEAPS of money on the authentic Dr. Seuss pieces from the Pottery Barn Kids collection. Only $99 for JUST the bumper was so not happening on this budget. Instead, I was able to put together what I think is just as fun by piece-mealing the whole thing. The crib sheet is really the only item that is 'true' Dr. Seuss and simple as it is it ties the room together. (Granted at other times there will be other sheets on the mattress, but for now it looked good!)


Soooo. Where'd it all come from?
The Dr. Seuss crib sheet is from Pottery Barn Kids
The bumper is also from Pottery Barn Kids, but was a fraction of the cost of the Dr. Seuss one and is nearly identical, actually I liked it even better.
The Crib Skirt is from Wally World (aka Walmart).
The Diaper Stacker is also from Wally World.
The Hamper is from Tarjay (aka Target)
The Valances are also from Tarjay.


So for a lot less than we could have spent, we now have a completed Seussy looking room.

So did you catch all the textured elements?
- The 3D Truffula Tree with real tree trunk?
- The fluffy Truffula Tree poof tops?
- The feathers of the bird floating down from the tree?
- The Shower Head?


Now all we need is a baby to fill it!

Still Building

Remember way back when... I showed you this picture and no one could seem to come up with a good guess!



Any ideas yet?



Well, here's a sneak peak at what it is in the midst of becoming.
We've had several other projects to tackle in the meantime so this one sort of got put on the back burner for a little while. Fear not, with a few coats of paint and some decorative elements, this bookshelf-in-the-making will be complete before Parker knows how to read :)

Now, what in the heck is it supposed to resemble?
How about the Once-ler's house from The Lorax!



We're getting there.
Still a work in progress!

8 days

We're into the single digits.
The countdown is on, well not like it hasn't been for several weeks now.
As of yesterday, there is NOTHING hap-pen-ing in the world of baby delivery readiness.
NOTHING!
Not even 1 measly cm dialated.
Not a 1!


So perhaps "Sheldon", too, enjoys hibernating in the warmth of the Bahamas just like his older brother did!


Hopefully by next Monday I'll have different news... at that point when I was preggers with Colby I was walking around for 2 weeks 3 cm dialated. Granted he was 4 days late, but who's counting.



Luckily there is also something quite similar to my last pregnancy... I still feel perfectly fine... normal... good. Sure, as I told someone the other day, I have definitely gotten to the point where ALL fashion rules are out and comfort is in. But... that's purely because I only have like 3 shirts and 4 pairs of pants, capris and shorts that still fit and I am NOT going out at this point to buy more clothes. I hate shopping to begin with but shopping for something I could potentially wear less than 3 times is just totally out of the question. And really, I don't think that the only 3 people who see me on a weekly basis (Scott, Colby and Nanny) give 2 cares that I'm in the same thing day after day after day. Just means the laundry is running more frequently. I've got this now though (remember) so I'm ok with that. Oh and it also means I'm that much closer to delivery. I've always reminded myself the smaller the wardrobe the sooner baby will be here. That sorta keeps ya going!

So yes, I've made it to that point. Oh and yeah... I ALSO mentioned earlier this week to others. Yes, I know I'm near the end.
Why?
I finally reached the threshold of the "end of pregnancy" milestones. The tossing and turning at night point which is reeeeeeeeally annoying cause your belly has a pillow, then there's the 2 for your head and oh yeah don't forget the 1 between your knees. SOOooooo by the time you get all pillows set JUST RIGHT you have to get out of bed to pee and do it all over again... yeah you know - Yah, I'm at that point. Hence... I know the end is near! :)


I suppose I can't complain though. I picked the little man up from nursery school yesterday (oh sure, those ladies see me and my limited wardrobe twice a week too) and there was a mom picking up her son in Colby's class who is also expecting soon. Of course you do the small talk thing cause you can clearly see you are both VERY pregnant. I said to her, gosh how much longer do you have? thinking she was already overdue or if I sneeze she might pop. Let's just say she was HUGELY pregnant. Her response, gosh I've got 5 weeks! I tried to not to look too shocked and quickly mumbled under my breath "less than 2 weeks for me" so she wouldn't feel bad. Whooopsy.


Although I suppose you could also figure out that I'm "feeling good" from pictures like this and this!

Perhaps I'll just hope that means I'm not going to be squeezing a 9 pounder out again this time round.


Speaking of which - What's your guess?
I've put up a poll on the side bar, well, 2 actually...


When do you think "Sheldon" will be born?
My "official" due date is Wed. June 24th. Remember that Colby was 4 days late, but who knows what happens with the 2nd.

How much will he weigh?
Remember Colby was 8 pounds and 12 ounces! 21 inches long.
There are 3 docs in my OB practice, last week I saw the older gent that delivered Colby, his unofficial guess was 7-11. This week I saw a different doc and he weighed in at (hardy har har, bad pregnancy joke) 8 and a half. Next week I see the last doc that could deliver this baby and so I'll have to get the tie breaker vote.


Take your vote and stay tuned for the big announcement, maybe today, but probably not, maybe this week or next or maybe not.

Only Parker knows for sure!

Beach Day Part 2

After our fantastic morning, a good ol fashion grilled cheese lunch and a good long nap... we couldn't believe that the sun was still emerging from the clouds.


Knowing quite well that the next several weeks could become very busy very quickly, Scott decided he needed to get out on the water and take advantage of what turned out to be a nice day!

I agree, we don't have a waverunner for it to sit in the garage all season.


So hitch, hook and go!
:0)


He geared up (after all the water IS still VERY chilly) for a short but wild ride while Colbster and I took our sand toys and a towel to dig. Off we went again to (a different) deserted beach. I lie, there was 1 other dad with his son collecting shells and a bunch of teens playing volleyball... ooooo definitely crowded! haha

About an hour later, the sun was taking its place behind those big dark clouds and the sprinkles were once again on the way.

Didn't matter.

We had a good time digging and dumping,



over and over again.

While dad also enjoyed his playtime.

Yep... my water boys.

And of course, what better than to end a great day started on the beach and a great day ended on the beach, but dinner at Friendly's! :)

First Beach Day of the Season

After days and days and DAYS of rain, it seemed like we had been transported to either Seattle or the UK. Nothing against those 2 places, but geeez was it getting gloomy. I was beginning to wonder if we'd ever see the sun again. So when Saturday morning rolled around, I opened 1 eye just in case it was a "roll over and go back to sleep kinda morning" and was quickly suprised that it wasn't raining we decided we had to get out of the house and do something. It wasn't exactly 85 and sunny, but who cares, it wasn't raining!

So we got up and did the usual morning routine, nebi, potty, yadda yadda, breakfast for the little guy. After all, Scott decided with the week we'd had we needed a treat and chicken biscuits were on the morning menu for he and I. Sure, Colby likes 'em too but we were doing the drivethru thang and thus he was having breakfast at home and just nibbling what I would pass back to him along the way.

Where'd we decide to go?

Ahhhhh... the first beach day of the season.



Now some of you probably wouldn't call 70 and overcast exactly a "beach" day, but to those of us who live just minutes from the water, we consider these some of the best beach days.

Why?

Because there's NO ONE else there!
(yes, we enjoy being alone... I often think we're better off because of it.)

Sure, I wasn't exactly going to put my swimsuit on and take a dip in the still frigid 60 degree ocean, but warm sand, crashing waves and an empty stretch of beach for as far as the eye can see can do just what we needed that morning... a little family time to just be. No phone calls, no emails, no people calling to see 'how I was feeling', no drama, just us and the sun peeking through the clouds.

It was for the moment, our happy place.

We walked...

Played with some seaweed...

Walked a little further...

Had a ride on mom's shoulders.

Pretended to be a plumber, showing off a little toosh.

Switched shoulders and enjoyed a ride into the water.

Felt the sand between our toes.

Examined crab legs.

Gazed at the waves.

And pondered why...

... dad was again getting wet.

Strolled along, just enjoying the pristine surroundings and crisp ocean air.

And then decided it was time for another ride...

Our Happy Place


The empty beach.

Only thing around was sand, surf,

a few boats,


and a single swan!

A perfect morning for the first beach day of the season!

Have Potty Will Travel

Yes, we have a travel potty.

After all we are out and about, on the road, and traveling quite often, but you already knew that.

This one, in fact, is pretty fun. (Yes, I did just call a potty fun) It's a potty seat for the top of a standard size toilet as well as a travel potty complete with bags to catch the ... well, we'll just leave that part out... And it folds up to like the size of paper plate. AND it's only like 10 bucks. Bonus!


So on weekends like this where we "hit the beach" for a morning stroll, might as well instill good potty habits and try it out. Sorta like a better go before we leave the house... better go before we leave the car. At some point (I'm assuming in the near future) he'll become a true boy and be able to whip it out and pee anywhere on a bush so we probably won't need to bring this along. (Ahhh another bonus to having boys!) But for now... where we go, the potty goes!


Yes, Colby's travel potty is set up in the front seat of Scott's truck.
Yes, the truck was parked.
Yes, there is a McD's cup in the cup holder.
Yes, we did indulge and treat ourselves to a chicken biscuit on the way.
Yes, I did order a "Sweet Tea" at 8:40 AM.
Yes, there is a Pettit paint brochure in the driver's side door when in fact Scott is the VP of Sales for that company's top (and much better) competitor. He wouldn't have swiped pamphlets of his competitors product off store shelves just so there were none available... definitely not something my hubby would do. :)

No, Cman didn't go on this his first time using the travel potty as a travel potty and not a potty seat.
No, he did not have an accident during the 2+ hours we were strolling the beach and driving home.
Yes, I am still convinced he has a bladder of steel.



Yes, we did enjoy our morning stroll on the beach!

Water (or not) Boy!

He was known as "the fish".

Yep, still just as "fishy" as he was back then!



Bathtubs, pools, anything with water...

...or not!

We had drained the tub, put away the toys and yet I guess Colbmeister was not quite ready to get out yet!

Calling All Green Thumbs?

Would anyone happen to know what type of flower/plant this is?




Up close it looks like this...
Not sure if it comes in other colors or not, but here it was a fushia pinkish purple.

We happened upon this HUGE bloom of these flowers on our beach outing this weekend and NEED to have this plant in our yard.

It seems to grow in sandy places as here was where a large bush of it was growing... right on the beach, throughout the dunes and all along the sandy stretch.

Any ideas?

Sunday Spud

Confused about the seasons?!


For info on our Sunday Spud weekly photo update check out this post.

Always something to say!

Once again, I often get photos like this...



and this...

because lately, Colby has lots to say. He seems to be mid-thought at all times!

Are we really?

What happened to just the 3 of us?!



Based on this face, I can tell Doug is just waiting and wondering...
Are we reeeeeally getting another one of those small creatures?

:)

Sorry Doug, you'll be a big brother once more!

I think the thought that followed was...

Grrrreat, I think I've got to rest up!

HOURS

I can not begin to tell you how many hours in the last few weeks we've logged in this position!

The Colbmeister is doing great with his big boy undies - uses the "big potty" even with no potty seat! At this point we're working on sitting right down and going immediately instead of waiting several minutesfor the pee pees to come. We're also figuring out how to make sure he reminds us he has to go when we're outside playing. He LOVES to play outside, so I've found that most of his accidents are when he's out in the yard or driveway and completely engaged in that and forgets until a little dribble starts. Which, luckily, he seems to have once again shown he has a bladder of steel because he can pinch it off several times before he truly soaks himself... control seems to be there, just still a toddler brain. In the house he's nearly always dry with a few accidents here and there, but overall, I'd say for not yet 2 he's doing GREAT!

My latest tactic for having him sit focused and relaxed for several minutes on the potty (in an effort to move the process along a little) is this puzzle / nursery rhyme book we have. Colby LOVES books, LOVES puzzles, and thus it's a win win for relaxation. Plus, it's fun because he's learning a bunch of new nursery rhymes and actually saying them or asking for them by name these days!

But, yes, you can see from the photos that the TP had to be removed since it was a bit of a distraction and too much of a temptation for the small boy. I think one day we used an entire roll just tearing snippets of paper off the roll each time he sat on the potty.

Our septic tank must love us right now!

Anyone up for a chorus of Baa, Baa Black Sheep??

Oh and don't jump the gun on the video, there's excitement at the end!

I guess some things never change.

Still a favorite nearly a year later!

Book Worm

Colby is quite the book worm. He loves board books, books about bunnies, books about Hungry Catepillars and moose and the zoo and trains and planes and boats. Ok, so he just plain 'ol enjoys to get out a good book, flip the pages, read along and point out all the things he sees in EVERY picture.

We've made it a point of reading to him since the day he was born. Heck, he was even reading to his Rainforest friends at a very young age! :) (And yes, don't everyone email me, I already know that this pack n play has been recalled. Don't worry, taken care of!)

I think he's begun really enjoying books now that he can sit and flip the pages all by himself. The other night I was putting his laundry away after we had used the potty and put our PJs on, I turned around and he was sitting with one of my favorite books - If You Give a Moose a Muffin. Pretending to read it himself, babbling out loud and shouting when he saw the moose or the socks and other things. Even funnier he had the book upside down! Too bad by the time I snuck out to grab the camera he had "finished" that book and was on to another.

Oh well, he's too cute anyways so I snapped a few photos of him in our nighttime reading ritual. He picks the book, we snuggle up in the rocking chair with the stuffed animal of choice for the night and his "raggie" and read. 2 or 3 stories and then bedtime. Don't hear from the little guy until ~7:30 or so the next morning. Perhaps, he's dreaming of all those books!

Super Trike!

This is a very special trike.
It's a Triple Seater!

Enough room for the driver, a bear in the back and Mickey in the waaaaaaaay back!

Oh, I speak too soon. The following day it became a Quintuple Seater!

The driver of course, the bear way low in back, mini Mickey in the middle and Mickey and Bunglie up top!

And yes, he came up with this all by himself. Just needed a little help from some delicate hands to get them all to stay just so.

Who's ready for a ride?!

Soon.

Can you believe that in less than 2 weeks (well, I can hope can't I) we'll have another one of these???





Which means we'll be up at all hours of the night with the lights on...
just like this...

With 2 more little feet (and hands) in our family,
perhaps little like this...






Adding to our family,
just like this...

Boy oh Boy

We have a little boy.

He's tumbled on the stairs in the past.
He's fallen into the coffee table.

Shall we add slipping on a book and slamming face (nose) first into the bookshelf to the list?

Ehhhh who marks down milestones like first tooth, first haircut, first solid food???


In this house we like to document more eventful things like...
First Black Eye
First Split Lip
First Bloody Nose


Hopefully we'll get a little further into childhood before we have a first broken bone... if ever!

Guess it's a boy thing!

Newest Neighbor

We have a new neighbor!

This 1 random turkey (well, at least I'm convinced it is the same one) has been roaming our backyard every morning for the last week. (Sorry the picture is terrible, there was hardly any light and I didn't want to scare him away when I opened the door. Look very closely in the center to see him.) How do I know this? I am of course up ALL the time am, pm, mid-night, 3 am, etc, etc, etc (oh the joys of 2 weeks n counting) and happen to have the chance to see this friendly gobbler just as the sun is beginning to rise.


Wonder if he enjoys the yard as much as we do and that's why he keeps coming back... or perhaps he has found a yummy breakfast every day.
Maybe I'll offer him some pancakes tomorrow!

Yummy Swap

It helps to have a hubby in the boating industry when you're looking for a yummy dinner.

The local lobsterman was in need of some paint for his boat

... sooo how bout a paint - lobster swap!

I'll take it.

And this my friends is what we like to call FRESH lobster.

Still alive and roaming our kitchen.

Well, maybe not for long!

mmmm, mmm good!

Mickey goes for a ride

Colbster LOVES his Mickey Mouse... Remember it was thanks to Pal and his Annual Pass that brought this new best "pal" home on this wild and fun adventure.

Picture complements of Nanny! :)

Focus

Our Climber... always focused on the task at hand!

Sunday Spud

For info on our Sunday Spud weekly photo update check out this post.

Who says a 9 month prego can't slide?!

9 months pregnant... who says you can't enjoy the fun and go for a slide?
And I didn't even get stuck!

We invaded their home!

1 word ... Rock

Also known as...

Ledge

Pebble

Gravel

Earth

Mineral

Stone

Boulder

Pick the noun you prefer.

We prefer to call our plot of land ... a quarry!

Yes, when we built our house here on this very spot of 2.5 acres, we had to blast.

KA - BOOM!

Big Men, large amounts of dynomite and some heaps and heaps of ROCK.

And yes, that in my 6'2", Scoots, standing in front of the so mentioned heaps of rock that created the hole in which our basement now exists.

So might you agree that we have just a weee bit of ROCK on our property??? Sure, we've managed to spruce it up a bit over the years by hauling in lots and lots and lots of dirt and topsoil, managed to grow quite a nice lawn, but still there is ROCK below. We will never be able to install an inground pool or sprinkler system, but we can build a rock wall using only recycled materials from our very own land.

Yet with ROCK comes what?

SNAKES!!!!!!!!!!

EEEEEEEEEEEKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKK.....

WE HATE SNAKES!!!!!!

Yes, when I say WE, I mean WE. Scott and I both HATE snakes. And I'll be sure that every one of our children does too for that matter!

We hate them so so much. So much I can't even describe how much. Here's a story that might give you an idea of how much we truely despise these creatures... Several years ago Scott and I paddled miles and miles down the Allagash Wilderness Waterway in Maine in a good 'ol fashion 16' Old Town Canoe. WAAAAaaaay up in Maine, like spit to Canada far into Maine. Fabulous trip if anyone is up for an adventure, enjoys the outdoors, camping, or just looking for some serenity. I digress. Each day we paddled as far as we'd like with the rest of our group (there were 8 of us) and picked a campsite on the side of the river in the evening to set up camp. Sounds tedious, set up camp, build a campfire, cook, stay overnight, get up, break down camp, paddle, and repeat, but really it's quite enjoyable and relaxing. Anywho... one afternoon while unloading our gear from our canoe into the campsite something of the snake variety slithered across the path in front of Scott and I... I am getting the chills just thinking about it again while I type this... ICK! Safe to say, Scott and I both RAN as fast as our big feet would take us and jumped literally off of the ground to the top of the picnic table in 1 leap. Sure, the rest of our 8 man group (yes, I was the only female on the trip) was in stitches laughing at our act of life saving madness, but we were much happier as far away from the ground as possible at that very moment. And yes, one of the other guys did manage to go investigate to find out our slithery creature was in fact only a wee little garden snake, but still... we did NOT care AT ALL. Long story short, it is safe to say that evening Scott and I would not be found anywhere near the campfire. Instead, we remained tightly ZIPPED into our tent for the entire evening. Yes, friends, we HATE snakes!

Soooooo, I hope you have guess at this point that we were NOT happy AT ALL last Fall when we encountered the long slithery icky looking creatures on our very own property.

YIKES!

After seeing it or them, who knows, several times and not being able to knock it out and kill it with our homemade snake killing tools, we decided it was time these nasty things had to go. We called "Trapper Bob"! Known locally for removal of exotic animals and other icky creatures. Unfortunately, Trapper Bob reminded us that "we invaded their home", remember we live on a quarry. Sure, he could come out and set a few traps up, but who's to say that he got them and their friends and family... after all we do live on 2.5 acres of ROCK and have another 2 acre plot next to ours that is currently undeveloped, oh and don't forget the 50+ acres that we are adjacent to which are apple orchard land.

Ummm yeah.

Luckily, after 2 appearances the weather got cold and we hadn't seen this 6'+ very ugly looking Rat Snake all winter. One can only hope it crawled into a hole and died somewhere amongst the rock it so much loves. I don't care whether he went to snake heaven or not just as long as it was gone and never to be seen again.

UNTIL...

Yes, you guessed it. YUCK. YUCK. YUCK!

Last weekend it appears that Scott may have discovered the original snakes girlfriend or new child perhaps. This was certainly a different slithery creature seeing as it was only about 3' long and not 6' like the big daddy from last year.

Grrrrrrrrreeeat. Just what we always wanted. ANOTHER ONE!

After trying to kill it through several means (those I will leave unmentioned as I prefer not to discuss how we are "hunting" on our own property), Scott decided to drown it as well.

We proceeded to cover the hole where this particular ickyness went with more ROCK! One can only hope, it got mangled, drown, smothered and it too died never to be seen again.

What now? Who knows.

Pray they are gone.

Move.

Surrender?

ICK!!!!!

Trapper Bob might be on the speed dial this year and I don't care how much it costs or how many times he has to come. I don't care if "we invaded their home"...

guess what...

We pay the tax bill so it's our home now!

And, just for the record...

WE HATE SNAKES!

Too Cute for Words

A great (but always too short) visit with my sister, Dawn, brother-in-law, Eric and niece and nephew Julia and Michael, ended this weekend with Michael walking Colby out to the car. How cute are they - hand n hand - just strollin along, not a care in the world!




And, as always, can't end a cousin visit without a group photo.
Weird, this might be the last "group" photo with 3 cousins since I think next time we're getting together there will be 4!

Memorial Day Weekend Wrap-up

And to finally wrap up our festivities from Memorial Day Weekend, here's some yummy fun we had Monday afternoon.
LOBSTER!

Locally there is a yearly lobster festival and we ALWAYS go! Who can resist a 1.5 pound lobster on a paper plate overlooking the water, corn on the cob and all you can drink lemonade?! mmm mmmm mmm

So we took the time away from our "jobs" and enjoyed a yummy lunch, complete with homemade chocolate chip cookie for dessert!
A beautiful day made that much more beautiful with a great tasting crustacean!

And yes, my friends, I remind you again, this is the very time and place that Colbmeister pee peed for the very first time on a big boy public potty.


Oh and I know, I know, I still haven't given you the update on our largest project from this particular weekend... our new office space!
Stay Tuned.

Memorial Day Parade

Ok so I'm really way overdue for updates to the end of our Memorial Day Weekend adventures. On top of schlepping dirt and mulch from the dump, rearranging 1/3 of our house from office to playroom and then recreating an office, we took a little time out to go to our town local - yocal Memorial Day parade. Just a low-keyed typical town parade, firetrucks, police cars, girl and boy scouts, high school marching band, some fife and drum corps, and a whole lotta candy tossed our way. It was a beautiful afternoon so just a nice way to get away from all the projects for a little while.


Have you ever been to a local-yocal (aka not big city) parade where there was a fly by?!





I did say it was a local parade right?!
Yep, we've got tractors here!



Hmmm, I think we determined based on the kids in the HS Marching Band and all the scouts that we might just live in a "lilly white" town after all. Not too many marching bands I've ever seen have a "dress down uniform" of khakis and polos!

Colby officially had his first taste of a Smarties candy. He didn't eat it, he licked it!


And then got tired! Good thing the parade was almost over.