Update

It's been hectic around here lately, we're just crawling out from under a fog of sickness and everyone is finally feeling better.

Nick has experienced his first snow now and he loved it, he got so mad when I brought him in. He is literally OBSESSED with the movie "Cars" and insists on watching it over and over and over again. But there's a catch... He only wants to see the first ten minutes of it, after that he starts squealing, pointing at the TV, and shoving the remote at me until I start it over. He still doesn't say much but he's trying. Natalie continues to be her witty little self and has started to explore her more artistic side. The picture of the potato on stilts is a picture she drew of Nick. Notice she gave him hair, eyes, nose, and a mouth. Who cares if it's missing arms? One of Natalie's favorite things is "game night", every Friday after Nick is in bed Natalie and i stay up late to play board games. She thinks its really special and I enjoy the one on one time with her. So far she has Candy Land (her favorite, of course), Chutes and Ladders, and Hi Ho Cherrio. I'm just plugging right along trying to keep up with these two wild children.

CIRCUS!!!!!

Today we visited my cousin, Chris, at the circus!  Everyone jokes about having a family clown, but let me tell you, it's pretty awesome.  Chris is wildly talented and has a true zest for performance.  As a performer myself, I appreciate that quality in him.  We didn't get to spend much time with him (they had three shows to do today!) but he came and found us in our seats before the show began.  He's like a celebrity, as he was greeting us and loving on Natalie (Nick would have nothing to do with him) people were lining the aisle waiting for their turn to take a picture with him.  Although he does his best to spread the circus fun around the entire arena, Natalie was the only little girl there who, after the show, was escorted to her car, walking hand-in-hand with a Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey clown.

I apologize for the picture of me shoveling cotton candy in my mouth, but Nick is just too cute not to share.

Clearly not part of the circus, but this is how they ate their breakfast this morning.

"Cousin Chris the Clown" as Natalie calls him.

Who's that creepy lady behind Nick?

Confessions of a normal mom

A week or two ago a friend of mine sent me a distressed text message, she was upset because she felt judged and criticized by another friend/mother for no longer being able to continue to nurse her son. Having been a new mother once myself, I felt her pain. I knew all too well that we live in a society that regularly engages in "mompetitions" and that all too often we secretly condemn our friends for parenting choices they've made. I've been guilty of it, too. I've caught myself thinking things like "did she even TRY to nurse?" or "I wonder if they've considered a behavioral specialist?" Recently, though, I've realized just how harmful those private thoughts can be and I've made a concerted effort to let others parent their children in a way they feel is best without any silent condemnation from me. But just KNOWING other mothers are sizing you up is a scary thought and it needs to stop, there are too many obstacles in parenting for us to tackle alone, maybe those "poor" decisions other people made were the best options for their families or perhaps that mother with the crazy kid has already seen a behavioral specialist and is doing all she can. I think it's safe to say mothers, at least the ones I'm around, want what's best for their precious children and do their level best to deliver. I guarantee no one out there can parent Natalie and Nick better than I, so if you don't like my decisions, I'd like to see you do it better.

Here are my confessions:
1) I can't get my kids to sit at the table for meals. It's a struggle that usually ends in some sort of head injury and no food ingested. So they eat in the living room. In front of the TV.
2) My kids watch TV. Nick Jr and Disney Jr are my best friends.
3) They drink diluted juice.
4) I use disposable diapers and wipes
5) I only nursed each one for a year, which by today's standards is practically criminal.
6) Epidurals are amazing.
7) I gave them both pacis.
8) Get ready, mompetition competitors...
I give my children Happy Meals!!!! And I'm not lazy, uneducated, or negligent, like so many recent Facebook statuses would suggest.
9) I have no intent or desire to homeschool.
10) I don't make my own laundry detergent/soap/windex. And I don't clean with vinegar and baking soda. We're all about the chemicals here!
11) If it's organic, it's too expensive.
12) At some point, I let both my babies cry.
13) I don't take them to the park daily.
14) Most days Nick doesn't even get out of his pj's.
15) I don't cook for them. They don't eat it. I'd rather they eat Tyson nuggets and canned corn than stare at a plate of freshly prepared dinner then go to bed hungry.
16) They get sweets.
17) Nick will not nap, so I gave up.
18) 5 second rule does not apply in this house, more like the 12 hour rule.
19) Most day I remember to brush their teeth in the morning. Most.
20) I didn't make my own baby food. Well, I take back. I did, some. But it was yucky and neither child liked it. Nick didn't even get much baby food. I just sort of masked up what we were eating!

So there you have it. I'm sure there are many more horrible, judge worthy mistakes I make with my kids, but you know what? I don't care. I'm doing the best job I can and I think I'm pretty successful. My kids are healthy, happy, safe, and loved.

I wrote all of this while Nick used a bottle of ibuprofen as a rattle, and least he was entertained ;)

Recent shenanigans

Every time Chase leaves something at home breaks... when he was gone in 2009 it was the washing machine, 2011 was the AC unit, and now it's the refrigerator.  Over the weekend I had the pleasure of buying a new fridge!  Chase swears I must take baseball bats to our appliances when he's gone, but that couldn't be true; if I was going to sabotage something for a replacement it would be a whole lot cooler than a washer, AC, or fridge!

Pneumonia has wiped Natalie out.  I have never seen this child sleep so much in her life.  She's on a new, much stronger antibiotic (since she got a secondary ear infection and her lungs sounded worse) as well as prednisone.  She was on a a prednisone induced high this afternoon and was being incredibly naughty so she earned herself a timeout in the chair.... but ended up sleeping for more than an hour :(

All this happened after Natalie refused to wear clothes.  It got so bad even her father tried disciplining her over the phone.  The resolution was for Natalie to get in bed.  If she wasn't going to wear clothes, she had to be under the covers.  So mom comes over and asks "where's Natalie?" I tell her and beg her to go upstairs and help.  I've never lost with Natalie before, but today she was on fire.  She was even stronger than me!  Don't exactly know what happened in Natalie's room, all I do know is about 5 minutes later Mom and Natalie came downstairs and Natalie was fully dressed, with hair up, wearing a smile.  Mom has 30 years of mothering experience compared to my 3, I have much to learn.

He thought this was so great.

Dancer toes, like mommy.

New fridge!  The delivery and installation was so traumatic.  I was told they would be there between 12-2 and that they would call 30 minutes before getting there.  They showed up at 11:45 and never called.  So I had to scramble to get the old fridge unloaded and ready to be taken out, meanwhile they measured (incorrectly) and told me the new one wouldn't fit, which gave me a heart attack.  They left my door open and Nick escaped and went to bang on the neighbor's door, while Natalie had a coughing fit that made her vomit in the kitchen.  It was awesome.

The share well.... sometimes.