We’ve Mooooooved!

You can now follow the adventures of our Little Monkey @ www.onetickettothezoo.blogspot.com

It all depends on your perspective….

Tyler and I are in his room.  He is playing with stuff and I am going around using the Magic Eraser on the walls and trim to make it look all non-scuffed and pretty (in preparation for our condo going up for sale….no, this is not @ all part of my normal “cleaning routine”, though it should be because my white trim is now gleaming!!!)

So I am cleaning and Tyler says “What doing Mommy?”  I say “Cleaning the walls so we can sell our house”  I said “Do you want to get a new house Tyler?”  Tyler says “Yea….this one’s too big!”

Dear Land’s End….

Dear Land’s End,

Please don’t take this personally.  I don’t like confrontation so I am going to make this short and to the point….please stop coming to my house!  I know you come to me because it is more convenient for me having a small child and all.  You come without me even asking for you to come, I don’t even have to go anywhere!  You just show up.  You always seem to know when I want to waste some time during Tyler’s nap and just mindlessly flip through a catalog featuring you, one of my favorite brands.  Sometimes you show up in full force with a 50+ page catalog and sometimes you show up in a more mini size with only aroudnd 20.  Either way is fine with me – I will always flip through multiple times, flag pages with 100% cotton clothing goodness that you know is my weakness, and devise a plan as to how I can get that $25 dollar t-shirt to fit into my budget this month that you tell me I just MUST have!

But this has to end!  The truth is, I can’t afford you!  If you would like to send me a catalog featuring your overstocks then we can talk and spend some time togeather….but otherwise, we must part ways.  I know, I know, I have found a few things of yours on sale @ Sears I have been delightfully happy with and I smile every time I put them on!  Not many articles of clothing make me much happier than yours!  And I have upon occasion been able to squeak out a full price item here and there…but when you visit, it only makes me want more, which then makes me go to my Bible and read Matthew 6:28…

“And why do you worry about clothes?  See how the lilies of the field grow.  They do not labor or spin.”

So Land’s End, I hope you can see why this needed to be said.  I know Craig has tried to end our relationship before by throwing catalogs away before I ever got to see them….sad but true.  But since I am home now all the time, you always come directly to me…and it’s not that I don’t appreciate the effort, it just needs to stop.  Now that you have come out with your “performance sport” active wear line and you now feature a “fit 1, 2 or 3″ in women’s clothing to make it all the more easier to get clothes to fit the way I truly want them to fit…I don’t know that I can take all that temptation and still stay within my budget!  I mean how many fleece tops does one truly need!?!  And why do I need to get your super cute and super cumfy looking women’s performance sport pants to work out on my ellipitical – I am in my own home – it’s not like anyone sees me – I could work out naked if I wanted to -  I don’t – but I could – so I think you can see why our relationship needs to end.  I just don’t think it’s healthy.  You will always hold a special place in my heart and I wish you the best of luck in the next consumer’s mailbox/home.

With Love and Admiration,

Your Little Cotton Lovin’ Consumer, Diana

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

Hi-ya Daddy!  I just wanted to let you know that even though recently I always seem to want Mommy, I think you are SUPER and I love you very very much!

Now quick, put on your super cape and fly home from work ASAP!  We have cake to eat!!!

Bouncing and Boo-hoo-ing…….

A few weeks ago, Tyler and I went to Bounce Zone with Aunt Kathy and cousins Caden and Nolan.  Nolan just hung out, Caden had a great time bouncing, and Tyler spent a large part of the time crying and throwing himself on the floor.  Thankfully, having 2 kiddos, one of whom is 3 years, Kathy didn’t bat an eye and just gave me the “I’ve been there” look.  There was no judging, no “Control your child!”, not even an “I’m not with them!”, just “Oh, yes, we’ve been there!” – that’s the kind of love you want when stuck in that situation!!!  Tyler was having an off day, he was tired and he just wasn’t his normal happy go lucky self.  And it didn’t really help that like for the first hour he was scared to go on/in any of the bounce houses – even when lured by Caden!  He always follows Caden!  But Kathy and I did get to chat and then they came over for lunch after which was quite nice!  Here are some pics from the morning….

I love this one of Caden!…..

Tyler says “It’s all you dude, I’ll watch you from the bottom of the slide!”

Apparently Tyler and I didn’t make too much of a specticle of ourselves because Kathy said they’d love to go again with us or do something like go to the Children’s Museum -both public places .

SNOW!

We have been having great fun with all of this white stuff outside!  Tuesday evening when it started snowing I had gone into work – I was working all night (7pm-7:30am).  Tyler had taken a long nap that day so around 9pm I talked to Craig and he was taking Tyler outside to burn off some energy in the snow!  I was quite jealous to say the least – I know I get to be home with Tyler all the time but how fun!  The snow was still falling, snowflakes were getting bigger, and I wanted to be enjoing it as a family!  Tyler and Craig had fun and MeMe and Great Grandma who had come down to help watch Tyler the next day so I could sleep had fun watching him too!  Here’s a pic of my 2 boys before their snowy fun….

The next day I put Tyler to work outside.  Hey, he has to earn his keep somehow   Here he is shoveling the driveway…

And here’s just some snowy cuteness!…..

OK, really I shoveled the driveway, Tyler just helped relocate snow to new areas with his sand shovel.  But I went out to shovel the driveway because my mom’s van was burried (like everyone else’s).  I had to borrow a snow shovel from our neighbors, our mean neighbors, because Craig had taken ours in case he got stuck and he had to dig himself out on the way to work that morning.  I feel bad saying our neighbors are mean, but we say “Hello” to them everytime we see them out and wave when our cars pass, but they just look right through us with no response as if we don’t even exist.  We have never had a confrontation or “falling out”, hard to have one if one party doesn’t acknowledge the other’s existance, and believe you me, I tried to find other neighbors that were home and go there, but there was this little tap on my shoulder from God telling me to ask them, our mean neighbors, although I don’t think God really called them the “mean neighbors”, he just said “them”….but I’m digressing….so I dig out my mom’s van and shovel the driveway and I swear to you, not 1 hour later does the crew come and plow the drive our condo is on and oh, lookie there, here comes the rest of the crew with shovels to shovel the drives and sidewalks!  Sorry boys, your job is done here!  I am woman, hear me roar!  But, since we are @ the end of the drive, we fully benefited from the fact that all the snow got plowed onto our “front yard” or grassy area in front of your condo, because when you have a big pile of snow it makes a fabulous…..

SLEDDING HILL!!!!

I promise you, he is not crying in the 2nd pic!  He was giggling hollaring “One, two, GOOOOO!”  We have great plans for tomorow to move on to Phase 2 of the project and make a fort out of part of the hill also!

I have been cleaning out closets recently because come mid-March we are putting our condo up for sale and looking for something just a bit bigger with a little yard and a “park” (aka – swingset) in the backyard.  So I was packing up some of the stuff that was in Tyler’s closet into boxes to declutter the house and Tyler’s baby Moses basket was out on the floor.  This is what he looked like in it when he was just a wee little one….

And now….

After he climbed in and made himself cumfy, I had said something like Do you like it?  You used to takes naps in there. So the other day I said OK, nap time, let’s go up and take a nap.  To which he responded “Take nap in basket.  Take nap in basket.”  Sorry kiddo, you haven’t figured out how to climb out of your crib yet so crib it is!

“She’s Leaving On A Jet Plane….”

…Auntie Kim, I hate to see you go….

We saw Auntie Kim off today @ the airport – @ this exact moment she is on a big bird in the sky on her way to London!  We are super excited for her and so proud of her but will miss her much!  She and my parents came down yesterday evening and stayed overnight and then after a pancake breakfast we got ready to take her to the airport.   We were happy to spend the afternoon with Kim since she will be gone for so long(sniff…sniff) – and Tyler was especially happy about these little moments he got to spend with her…

Sharing McD’s French Fries…

Holding hands….

Long Walks…

In between these special moments with Auntie Kim, Tyler did manage to poop, which is what he is doing in this picture….

…which is not material I make a habit of writing about on my blog, but the funny part is that he went over to this spot and took his “stance” if you will, and I knew just what he was doing because his face was turning a little red, and once he was done he popped up and hollered out “ALL DONE POOPING….ALL DONE POOPING….” while doing his sign for all done.  Needless to say, I wasn’t the only one who knew what was going on, after that the WHOLE concourse knew!

After a tire rotation, he then christened the floor @ the new airport by licking it!  GROSS!!!  I was right there!  How do these things happen?!?!?

Tyler seemed to know something was up though after Kim checked her luggage because she was walking just a little in front of his stroller and he just out of the blue said “Kim, I wuv you.”  Hearing him say “I love you” in his little voice is about the cutest thing ever and it nearly makes me cry every time I hear it – especially now because he is starting to say it more and more just out of the blue – unprompted – just randomly – it is too sweet!

So Auntie Kim, Tyler (and MeMe) wanted me to share a few little reminders for your trip….remember trust no one, don’t talk to strangers, always take a buddy, keep your passport with you @ all times, and have FUN!  And remember – WE LOVE YOU!  CHEERS!

Winter FUN!

The other day Tyler and I woke up to some SNOW!  It wasn’t much but it was enough to bundle up, go outside, make some snow angels, race around in the sled, and have some FUN!  Tyler loved the snow – I had to lure him back inside with the promise of a hot dog for lunch   Here are some pics of our snowy fun…

Mommy….how am I supposed to move in this thing?!?!?

Hummmmm……I wonder what snow tastes like?

BURRRRR…….COLD!!!!!

Ready….set…..GO!

Christmas Day….

We drove up to my parent’s late Christmas Eve night and were there on Christmas Day.  We spent the day lounging around in our PJs, eating, playing with our new gifts (OK, Tyler’s new gifts/toys) and just enjoying the day and being togeather.  Tyler was too funny – I thought he would TOTALLY LOVE opening all of his presents and all, but truly, he could have really cared less!  He was not so much all about ripping open his gifts, but more about swimming in a pile of tissue paper that had developed on the floor – and to think – we could have saved our money and gotten away with just giving him tissue paper again this year and he would have been thrilled beyond measure!  Once the gift was unwrapped, then of course he wanted whatever it was out of the box – but not so much into unwrapping.  It was great fun to see Tyler in his little reindeer PJ’s running around from one thing to another, swimming in the tissue paper, and get excited about some of the things that he loves and received as gifts!  Here are some pics from our Christmas Day…..

PaPa spent 3 hours putting this little gift together and still thinks it is too “girly” for Tyler.  MeMe assured PaPa that every child needs a play kitchen with play food – no matter the gender.  Tyler loved it!  He loves opening and closing all the cabinets, playing with the play food (especially the ice cream!), and getting water from the sink (he calls it “sink water” and makes a little “sssssss” sound when filling up his cup)…..

Because Tyler LOVES anything musical (particularly the guitar and drums), he got quite a selection of musical instruments…

A keyboard….Play that funky music white boy!

An electric guitar with working micorphone…

And, OH YEA!!!  A drum set!…..

Things got a little crazy that morning!!!  Tyler started his own band and Neil Diamond would have been proud at this band’s rendition of Coming to America (complete with motions and all)!! All we gotta say is watch out Partridge Family!  You got nothing on us!

I’m not sure what Tyler did during his nap, but after his nap he took on real rocker form complete with hair!

Uncle Nathan and Aunt Amanda gave Tyler this awesome Tyler-sized dino…

To off-set the “girlie” kitchen, PaPa got Tyler some dinos which they both enjoyed playing with…

And, oh yea, the tissue paper…