Anybody home?????

I am still here!

All my internet time has been monopolized by my attempt to put together a Shutterfly album full of pictures of Newbie's first summer before the freebie deal is up...which gives me only a few more hours-eek! This might be a project I start and actually finish if I stick with it just a little bit longer...

But I couldn't leave you hanging for more than an ENTIRE WEEK, so here I am. There are rumors of a computer fix coming this week which means I'll be back soon with daily posts. DAILY. I can't wait!

This week was busy with all kinds of things, but top of the list was a special girls' day with these two little ladies and their mama. I was spoiled to bits when they treated me to a birthday picnic and then an afternoon at the nail salon getting manicures and pedicures. I've never seen "spawkly puwr-pull and pink" look better on anybody. Those girls can rock a good pedi. I had such fun spending the day with these ladies and their mama! (No, it isn't snowing here...the picture is just from the winter before last- it was the only one I have of the girls on this computer =])

We've wrapped up the week by selling the Hubs' Jetta. He put his car up on Craig's List Thursday morning and by Thursday night was calling me needing a ride home because he sold his car just a smidge short of his asking price. It was awesome and such a blessing because we've been trying to sell the thing on and off for years since it broke down on us during a trip we took together our sophomore year in high school. I have not been a fan of Jettas or dead-beat transmissions since. But the real reason for selling it was because Newbie's car seat baaarely fit into the back. And getting Newbie and Opie into the backseat was entirely out of the question, much less bags full of cute baby clothes and Dairy Queen Blizzards. So we had to make a change. We were so happy to kiss it goodbye Thursday evening. Now we're on the look out for a Ford Explorer.

Speaking of awesome, here's a picture of my little munchkin...he's getting psyched out for the upcoming college football season. Which means Mama's getting psyched out too because both my men will be watching lots of football, leaving me to do all the necessary shopping and sewing and scrapbooking. I'm a big football fan. ;)

In fact, tonight we're at G-Mama and G-Daddy's house catching Newbie's first football game of the season. We had to cheer our Longhorn Colt McCoy on while he made his debut playing for the Browns tonight.

Newbie was giving his Aunt Corndog all kinds of snuggles, making her the envy of everyone in attendance.

What a little snuggle bug. I love that boy to pieces. He gives the best snuggles when he's tired and slightly cranky. =)

I'm off to soak up the second half of the weekend. Hope you all enjoy our last few days of August...in my book September constitutes fall and all things cider and apples and pumpkins, so I'm relishing every minute we've got left.

Now I can be like Cinderella's little mice!

Tonight we hung out at G-Mama and G-Daddy's for my birthday dinner.



After some good snuggles with Newbie, we busted out the chicken fried steak and chocolate cake feast. I will be paying for that for weeks to come. Nothing like some good home cooking to make you really second guess your decision to hate running.


THEN we opened presents.

You. will. not. believe. what. i. got. for. my. birthday.

[insert drum roll]

A SEWING MACHINE!!!!

[commence breathing into a paper bag]

I am so excited!!!

Now, don't be fooled. I am no seamstress. I know, hard to believe. But I was a big fan of sewing class in high school, where I became good friends with my seam ripper. As did my grandmother when she spent a good eight hours with my seam ripper and a quilt I "made" my senior year of high school. I don't know how I ended up getting the credit for that quilt when it was my grandmother's sweat and tears that made the thing presentable. While the quilt might have been a disaster, I am happy to report I am wearing the pajama pants I made in Sewing 101 to bed tonight. Six years and those puppies are still going strong.

Tomorrow my mom and I are headed out to make some JoAnn's Fabrics stock holders very happy. There is fabric to buy and needles to thread! I just can't wait. I think I'm going to open an Etsy shop for my sewing projects called "Imperfections by Me"...cuz if it's perfect, it ain't something I sewed. I like to think that my lack of attention to detail and my "cutting corners to hurry up and get this sucker done" approach adds character to the things I make. My tactics aren't for everyone, but I've got a pair of pajama pants that would be happy to put in a good word for me.

As the Hubs said so eloquently, "Now you can be like Cinderella's little mice!"

Gosh, I love that man. And yes, yes, now I can be like Cinderella's little mice.

Thanks to G-Mama, G-Daddy, Corndog and her hubby and Mutte and GD for making all my dreams of becoming a domestic seamstress come true!!!

And for the record, my sister was responsible for all the b-day pictures...this is what happens when she gets a hold of the camera.

Sorry, Corndog...payback is rooough!

of vacuums and Spanish bad words

This morning I woke up cursing my vacuum cleaner, and by noon I was singing its praises.

I got a Hoover vacuum for my birthday last year and this morning after seeing Opie hair embedded in my carpet as I snuggled on the floor with Newbie, I decided to vacuum.

So I tried. And it didn't work. Again. It never works. Since Christmas the Hoover has not worked. After grumbling a Spanish expletive I learned in the second grade, I decided I had enough and I was going to take that sucker back to the store and speak to an entire totem pole of managers if I had to so I could get my money back and go home with a working vacuum.

Then, on a whim, as I dug through the box ready to pack up the vac, I decided to look at the instruction manual.

And right there, smack dab in the middle of the "trouble shooting guide" was a tell-all on how to fix the vacuum if it wasn't sucking anything up. Which was exactly my problem.

Turns out there was a massive clog in the tubes, and after scraping out what was enough hair to create a clone of Opie, the Hoover was up and running again.

You would have thought I won the lotto. If you know me well, you know I own just enough drama queen and lack just enough pride that I do not exaggerate when I say I ran around the house with my arms raised in triumph singing my very own version of the Hallelujah chorus. There is just something about vacuuming that liberates a germaphobe. And boy, was I ever liberated.

The reason this is so exciting is because I have been using my Shark carpet sweeper (which I LOVE) for the past 8 months to make up for the broken Hoover, but recently my Shark bit the dust and had to be repaired with duck tape. I am nothing if not resourceful. However, the duck tape job only worked for a few vacuum runs, hence my move to use the Hoover this morning in a desperate attempt to vacuum.

The End.

Now that you've read a novel on my vacuuming woes and triumphs, I promise a better post complete with birthday bash pics tomorrow. Here's wishing you all a fabulous weekend, and I hope your vacuum sucks. =)

Quarter of a Century

...I think that's right...I was never great at math. Some bimbo somewhere along the line placed me in advanced math throughout middle school and high school, and as a result, my self-confidence took a serious beating.

I turned the big Two-Five yesterday, and it has been a fun week of celebrations with family and friends involving not one, but TWO trips to Panera and the mall. I made out like a bandit with all kinds of clothes for fall all of which sport an elastic-free waist band- yeehaw! Thank you to my MIL and FIL for an awesome birthday shopping spree and to my bestie for such a fun day browsing all the clothes we can't afford but would sure look great in. =)

Last night the Hubs treated me to a surprise birthday picnic at the park followed by a hearty helping of chocolate ice cream at the local ice cream shop.


Newbie is always more interested in the ice cream than the camera.

The Hubs topped off the evening by giving me the best slew of gifts a girl could dream of. He spent the week hammering away in his garage making an adorable clippy thing I have been asking him for forever AND he is sending me on a trip to Chicago with my bestie with a pocket full of shopping moola. So fun! I was absolutely spoiled. Did I mention he made me fish sticks and mac & cheese for dinner??? He did. And it is my favorite. (I am such a gourmet.)

God has been so good to me this year. I couldn't help but swoon all over my favorite birthday gift of all yesterday...I just can't get enough of this little guy. (Scroll down to the bottom of the blog to pause or mute the music so you can hear the video...ya know, if you're up for four minutes of baby talk.)

You know you are a first time mom when you think a few giggles and a coo or two warrants posting a four minute video on the blog. But seriously, I could listen to him coo at me all day long!

After I snapped that video, Newbie had a little nap party. A nap just isn't a nap without all of his buddies.

The gang's all here! Henry, Spunky, and Frogger joined the fun before Newbie went down for a two hour nap- his very own birthday gift to Mama. Woohoo!

The birthday fun continues this weekend...tonight we're having a few good friends and their kiddos over for pizzas on the grill, and tomorrow night is the b-day celebration with my parents. Gotta love milking the birthday for all it's worth!

bliss.

When I go upstairs there is almost always a big fluffy brown bear lying in the middle of my bed...or a blue bear...or a blue dog...or a green frog...and definitely at least one rattle or teether.

What was once my office/guest bedroom/project room is now lined with a crib and a glider and a dresser filled with onesies and tiny socks.

My bathroom is a bounty of soft teal towels sporting dinosaurs and monkies, and it is stuffed to the brim with itsy bitsy washcloths and Johnson&Johnson's Head-to-Toe baby wash.

My living room is a wall to wall collection of baby accessories- a bouncer, swing, changing table, and play gym. And the vast majority of my carpet is covered in fuzzy blankets and toys and books and binkies and the occasional wandering dirty diaper (ahem).

My kitchen is a city of bottle pieces and bibs.

My mudroom is full of strollers, Dreft laundry detergent, and lots and lots of soggy burp cloths and footie pj's.

My car is equipped with a car seat and a mirror that sings and lights up and speaks 8 different languages. It is home to an overstuffed diaper bag and a Frances England CD that we never leave home without.

I love that my life has been ambushed with all things baby. I love that I can't see my carpet past the toys and blankets, that my nightstand has been replaced with a portable crib, that my bathtub houses bath bubbles and a baby seat, that my kitchen sink is never empty, and that my bed is always littered with the aftermath of our last-ditch efforts to soothe a sleepy baby.

Nothing is as it used to be.

And everything is as it should be.

Because every morning I wake up to a pair of bright, sparkly blue eyes and a smile that peeks out from behind a binky.

And then I get to snuggle the little man that comes with those eyes and that sneaky smile...and I am convinced there is nothing in the world so sweet.

My Top Dog

Yesterday

I found

a digested

Gymboree baby sock

in my backyard.

Thanks, Opie.

You're a real winner.

4 Months!

What?

How is it already August?!?

I seriously can't believe the summer has flown by so fast. What with the fillings at the dentist and the bats in my house, the entire summer just feels like such a blur.

Bring on the fall when the weather gets cold and all the critters freeze.

Sorry.

But seriously. I want those suckers to FREEZE. I am sick of bats and squirrels and whatever else is lurking in my attic.

Today is a big day...Newbie is a whopping FOUR MONTHS old! Which means...[insert drum roll here]...it is time to indulge myself with a Happy 4 Months Birthday post! And the crowd goes wild!

Hold onto your horses, Newbie has about a billion new tricks to share. And I know I haven't posted a 3 monther...it's on my other computer, and I am computer-challenged, so to be honest, there is just no telling when that thing will show up. Keep your eyes peeled...but no promises.

So we're jumping ahead to 4 Months before I get even more behind...

Dear Newbie,

Your daddy and I think you are the best thing ever. You are just a bucket of fun and a barrel of laughs and my favorite thing in the whole wide world is watching your eyes light up when your cheeks scrunch up into a bright-eyed smile. And my favorite sound in the whole wide world is your laugh. It bubbles up all the way from your toes. We love you SO MUCH, sweet baby boy!


You have a mountain of new tricks...I can't believe how much you've learned and grown in the past month.

First of all, you weigh a mammoth 16 pounds something ounces, and you are at least 26 inches long. Probably longer, but Mama's a little slow on the draw and hasn't measured you in a couple weeks. You get all kinds of people asking how old you are because you are just such a big boy! Already you're in 9 month clothes and you've moved out of your bassinet and into your pack-n-play. You're still in Mama and Daddy's room because it's a scorcher in your bedroom with no AC, but this week your Grandpa is helping Daddy put in a ceiling fan, so you're packing up and moving out into your own room very soon! I am going to miss you, but maybe this way Mama and Daddy can start watching Scrubs again after you go to bed. =)

As for your tricks, hokey pete! You are a mover and a shaker! You whomp on over to your belly just about anytime I set you down on your back. And you are FAST! And sneaky...I will set you down, turn to take a sip of my coffee, and next thing I know you are on your belly looking around. That's my boy!

*You have been grabbing toys like crazy. Toys on the ground, toys in your lap, toys hanging over your head- you grab them all. Your favorite is the swimming frog at G-Mama's house, but you will take frogs or puppies over any other toy every time. You love love love those frogs.

*You also love to put EVERYTHING into your mouth. EVERYTHING. Which makes Mama a little batty, because she is a germaphobe and can literally SEE all the germies crawling around on everything you pop into your mouth. But it doesn't seem to bother you- you smoosh anything you can get your hands on right into your mouth. Even your toes! Which you discovered while we were at Aunt Corndog's apartment this week:


You were so excited to reach down and find your toes a couple weeks ago, and when you discovered you could actually put those little piggies in your mouth...oh boy!

*Other tricks include sleeping about 10 hours at night and sleeping less than 2 hours during the day. You have thrown your mama for a loop the past two weeks by boycotting napping like its the last thing on earth you want to do. You slept for over two hours yesterday for the first time in two weeks, and Mama was so happy she almost cried. I had forgotten what it was like to have time to do some laundry, and read, and watch some tv all before you even wake up. And you wake up so happy when you sleep for so long! We are going to have to really start working on this nap thing. It's OK, though. We'll get there. =)

*You've also gotten really good at singing! You like to sing to yourself while you are lying in your bed in the morning or at night. You also like to sing when you are really tired, but don't want to fall asleep just yet. It is the sweetest thing and such a happy sound- I just sit and watch you...I could listen to you hum to yourself forever.

*You can see colors now and you like to watch all the things going on around you. You especially like to watch your puppy and that Griffin dog. You also love to watch everything that's going on while you eat your bottle. It drives Daddy crazy because you'd rather watch the things around you than finish your bottle, but I think it's fun that you're so interested in all the things going on. You are such a curious little George.

*This past month was the first time I've ever seen you get scared. It just broke my heart. And it was my fault! Boo. You are so much more aware of what's going on around you now. One evening when had just gotten home and I had set you in your car seat in the living room then Opie started going berzerk. Mama yelled at Opie a little too loud and your eyes got big and you started screaming. I felt just awful and snuggled you until you calmed down. Mama doesn't yell so loud at the curly tailed twirp anymore. =(

*You can also cry a lot louder now when you want to! You are quite the vocal little man- you like to talk really loud! You coo and laugh and sing, and we couldn't be more happy with all the noise that fills our house now.

You are such a treasure, sweet baby boy! Daddy and I are so blessed to be your parents, and we are loving every minute we get to spend with you. We can't wait to see what you do next!

Love you forever,

Mama

=)

Happy Summer.

The ride of my life.

All I can say is, HOW IS THAT STUFF LEGAL???

I sat down in the dentist chair this afternoon thinking I was going to get a regular cleaning and have a couple teeth looked at. Next thing I know, my dentist is asking me if I want the laughing gas.

Now, I am no stranger to dental procedures, and if there is one thing I've learned, it is that when laughing gas is brought into the equation, you JUST SAY YES.

So I said yes.

They slipped the heavy gray tube over my nose and everything started getting fuzzy...


oh my gosh. they have GOT to sell this stuff on the street. this is...oh....man. am i still on the chair? oh gosh. i think i'm going to pass out. why am i seeing dots? you never hear about anyone dying or passing out in the dentist chair...so maybe this is ok. oh, yeah. thaaaat's right. breathe in through the nose and out through the mouth. whoa. i think i'm spinning. since when did these chairs loop around on their hinges? oh boy! buckle up... breathe in, breathe out. weeeeeee! breathe in, breathe out. oh man. i wish i could take some of this home for me. is this stuff legal? i mean- hahahahahaha- it seriously cannot be legal. this is too much fun. i think that guy is my best friend. he is drilling into my freaking mouth right now but he is DEFINITELY my best friend."Wouldn't it be nice if you could take some of this laughing gas home with you? ...After the kids go to bed..." yessssir...it sure would be nice. i am so hopped up on the LG right now, i don't even know what that lady is saying. what did she say? what does that lady have? water? a straw? "OK, now just blow into this straw..." psssphhhhhh. gosh i hope they have my grape toothpaste today. hahahahahaha- oh! here we go again- another loooop! weeeeeeeeeeeeeee! this is so much fun. can i seriously take this home with me? i will seriously only use it when i reallllly need it. i think maybe i sound like a nut case. but this stuff is sooooo good. i want to play Barbies. i never had the dentist Barbie. wooooooooooo! oh man. did my leg just fall off the chair? hold on....i can still....yep...can still wiggle my toes....oh Heaven's sake, am i going crazy? you never hear about people going into the dentist sane and coming out crazy, so maybe i'm ok. yes. this has to be OK because a dentist is kinda like a doctor. mmmm... a drill? what's that dusty stuff flying out of my mouth? it kinda tickles....dentists must have the best stories ever because this stuff makes people crazy. woooooooo! i can wiggle my toes! why do my hands feel so heavy? i can't really feel my mouwth. why am i talking with a slur when i'm not even really talking out loud? oh gosh. am i talking out loud? i hope not because this stuff makes people crazy. dentists must have the bestsstories because this stuff makes people crazy. mmm....tasty. he is so nice. that guy is seriously my best friend. this is so fun. ....wait......huh?.....where's he?....what happened to the....i don't feel buzzy anymore.....where's the....what the?....why am i....what happened to the spinny chair?.... "Do you feel more normal now? Ready to move to the next room for your cleaning?"

Uhh....not really, but sure.

And with that the fun was over, and I stumbled my way into the next room like the party girl I never was. But I was still pretty dizzy. And loopy. I just didn't want to admit to the lady that I was still hopped up on the LG because wouldn't that be embarrassing? To admit how crazy the stuff had made me? So I zigged and zagged to the new chair and flopped down as if all was right in the world. Which it wasn't because everything was still spinning.

I must have looked a little glazed over because the new hygienist asked me if I was feeling normal or if I wanted some oxygen. I lied. I said I was fine. But I wasn't. How is that stuff legal?

A thousand bucks and three fillings later (Yes, I brush my teeth. No, I don't know how I ended up needing three whole fillings.) I sank into the seat of my car and waited 15 minutes before putting the keys in the ignition because there was just NO WAY I was ready to get out on the road. I felt like I had just come from one of the Hubs' college rugby socials where everyone has to ride home in a taxi because they were so hammered. I have never been drunk, never smoked, never done drugs....but after today I'm not entirely sure I can say I haven't hit a buzz because GOOD NIGHT that was quite a ride. Did I mention he numbed half my mouth? Because he did.

Have mercy.

And with that I'll end this post because I'm pretty sure I just heard myself tell my crying baby the following: "Honey, Mommy can't really make faces at you right now because mommy can't really feel her face."

Where's the coffee? I need to sober up.

Remember the Seasame Street bubblegum flavored toothpaste? I do.

Today I am going to the dentist.

And I am suffering through the pre-dentist jitters when I feel the urge to scrub my teeth with steel wool and guzzle Scope before my appointment so I can befriend the dental hygienist with my cleanliness, avoid any unnecessary pokes, and get a sticker when I leave.

The dentist freaks me out, man.

If they could jack me up on Novocaine each time I went in, I would take it.

It's all a result of a wisdom-tooth extract gone wrong and the unfortunate dislodging of one of my stitches in the middle of a conversation with a parent of one of my campers back in the day when I was a day camp counselor.

It was all downhill from there.

I haven't been a fan of going to the dentist since.

Plus they exchanged their grape toothpaste for cookie dough. Cookie dough? Are you kidding me?

Unfortunately, there is no avoiding it today because I haven't been able to eat Nacho Cheese Doritos for a year due to a sore tooth that needs some serious investigating and probably a pretty penny's worth of dental work.

I have to leave in a few, but in the meantime, Newbie and I are going to bust out a few Carlton dance moves with Jason Mraz and see if that can't calm my nerves.

I wish you all a cavity-free afternoon.

Greetings from the bat cave...wish you were here!

I love those blue eyes.

You know what I don't love? Chet and the vendetta he's had against us ever since the Hubs locked him out of the hole in the wall a couple months ago. Chet the squirrel has unleashed a rebel gang of bats on us.

That's right.

A rebel gang of bats.

There I was, lying in bed a couple nights ago, fading fast, when I heard the Hubs' muffled voice coming from downstairs telling me to close the bedroom door. Waking out of a sleepy fog, I yelled downstairs asking why. Because hell hath no fury like a nap-deprived mama awakened before 7 AM for no good reason. Then he yelled the words no woman ever wants to hear: "THERE'S A BAT!"

That's when I wet my pants.

And started crying.

I slammed the door shut and jammed a shirt in the crack above the door, then proceeded to stuff pillows at the base of the door. You know, just in case the bat decided to attempt an army crawl under the door and into my bedroom.

Much slamming and banging commenced downstairs.

Newbie snoozed in his bassinet in our room while my legs turned to jelly and I hyperventilated, wincing at every crash I heard downstairs.

Finally the Hubs called up with the "all clear".

I started breathing again.

He came up and told me the whole gruesome story about how it dive-bombed him when he went downstairs to lock the door, and how he stayed below the level of the kitchen counter so the sucker's sonar couldn't find him, and how he used my Tupperware to scoop it out of the house after whacking it down with a fishing net. Then he told me about how the bat gave him the bird and said Chet sent him as the Hubs slammed the door in his face.

Two things:

1) I knew kicking that stupid squirrel out of the wall would come back to haunt us.

2) I find it a little disturbing that the Hubs didn't end the life of the little fiend when he had the chance. I mean, a bat with that kind of attitude has got to be bad news, and I don't know what I'm going to do if he decides to show up when I am sans a tough husband. That's probably when I will lock Newbie and myself in a closet, curl up in the fetal position and just bawl my eyes out.

Have mercy.

Speaking of lots of fun, the Hubs and I had a date night last night. He took me fishing in the dark out in the woods where he grew up. I am not the biggest fan of mosquitoes or shady places out in the woods at night, but we had a blast. I almost caught a whopper, but I lost him due to my lack of "wrist action" when "setting the hook." At least that is the Hubs' assessment. Better luck next time.

Well,I'd love to keep babbling on, but we've signed up for a night of family fun in which we are forced to eat junk food and watch a movie. It's a hard knock life. I certainly hope your evening is less stressful than mine. =)

Donde estamos?

Where have we been?

Oh, you know...

Grabbing some Starbucks downtown

and then hitting the local lake to watch the sailboats race.

Meeting G-mama and G-daddy at a hotdog joint for some grub before visiting the library.

And swinging by the reading festival dressed in coordinating outfits.

You know, the usual.

We have squeezed more local fanfare into this week than I can keep track of.

Speaking of fanfare, let's have a round of applause for Lady Claudette, who won the "Name that Disney movie!" contest a billion posts ago. Congrats! Email me at sprinklesandwrinkles@gmail.com with your mailing address to claim your prize. =) And nobody guessed the correct drink...it was a strawberry French soda. Not to be confused with the strawberry Italian soda that I almost ordered before I realized that the French soda contained an ocean of half-and-half, which just happens to be a dear friend of mine from way back. So naturally, I remained loyal to my friend and went with the French soda over the Italian.

But don't fret. We have another contest...it's called "Name this gigantic bear that G-mama bought for Newbie at Costco last Thursday!"

Leave a comment below with your name suggestion...if you win, you get the satisfaction of knowing you named the world's most giant stuffed bear. Please help...otherwise the Hubs is sure to name him, and we'll be stuck with a giant bear named something like "Rocko" for the rest of our lives.

Muchas gracias.

Blueberries for Baby

Today we went blueberry picking with G-mama.





Newbie lasted about 10 minutes before exhaustion set in and he dozed while his mama picked a lifetime supply of sweet, plump blueberries.

Off to enjoy the rest of our vacation...tonight's festivities include grocery shopping with a good chance of frozen pizza for dinner. We are party animals, baby.

Aloha from our Family Staycation

Popping in from vacation to say we're having a ball!

We just got home from a mini camping vacation. We stayed at the Hubs' parents trailer for the weekend with Newbie and our bro & sister. Turns out camping with a 3 1/2 month old is a tall order...even with a nice RV involved. Newbie had a good time in between his protests regarding the absence of a rocking chair and his swing. Ya win some, ya lose some.





***NEW CONTEST! If you can name the drink Newbie is eye-balling in the pic above, I have a *sweet* prize for you. Leave a comment at the end of this post to win! Hint: It was DELICIOUS. =)

***And we have a couple winners of the contest from last week- I will let you know how to claim your prize soon!***

More pictures to come as we pursue all the family fun this state has to offer. =)