Newsletter for Big T : Month 50

You turned 50 months on the 4th, you are so much more mature than most children your age, both refreshing and frightening all in the same breath. This month is a fun one for everyone, it's Christmastime again. I have a mixed feeling when talking to you about Santa and such...you are incredibly smart, and honestly, I have this feeling you know that we are lying to you about the man in red and you are just going along with it to appease us...which, I do appreciate. All in the same, I do sometimes feel a tiny bit bad that we have resorted to a type of bribery by means of "Be a good girl because Santa is coming..." but hey, your 4 and sometimes if that is what it is going to take to make you stop asking me the same question OVER AND OVER AND OVER AND OVER AND OVER....well, you get the picture. You asked me where he gets in the house since we don't have a chimeny...I at first said the attic, then you had this sort of startled look on your face and looked up to the ceiling in this way as if thinking "So, there is someone in the attic???" in retrospect, that was probably a really stupid thing to say to a recently scared of the dark 4 year old...so, I quickly backpedled and said that we gave him a key. PHEW, averted disaster, again..this parenting thing is not as easy as it looks my dear. You will see, you are going to have a smarty pants little girl too, and coming up with cleverly witty things to trick her will be hard! I love you boo boo bean, thanks for keeping me on my toes.

Love Momma.

It's time to get organized

I need it...organization of this blog! I need to have a way to post my ramblings and musings...my updates and such and I am going to start this week. The boy is going to be 17 months old...YES, 17 months, so, I am going to start a new way of updating by means of "Newsletters"...keep your eyes peeled, whenever you hit a title "Newsletter...such and such months" this will update you on either Big T (Trinity) or Little t (Tristan).

Craft Day...let's make something for Daddy!

Trinity's FAVORITE thing to do in school is crafts...and guess what Thursday was!!! She had this heart shaped potato that we found in a bag getting ready to be boiled, she selflessly spared it and said she HAD TO SAVE IT...so, this was the best time to use it! We made potato stamps and with finger paints, created a peice of art. I rolled out her butcher paper, broke out the paintbrushes, and she went to town. The 3 feet long peice of paper was magically transformed into something only a Daddy could love...well, I love it too! She wrote, "SMILE" "HAPPY" and "I LOVE YOU DADDY" along with her heart potato stamps, and a bevvy of smiling faces. Immediately after she says "Momma, I miss Daddy...I wish he could come home so I can give him this" So, with that, I loaded the kids up in the car, wet paper art and all....we drove to Shannon's work and visited him. He hung the creation in his office, and boy, did that make one little girl SO proud! She told him that she wanted him to have it so he can always think of her and be happy at work. Now, if that doesn't help you have a better day at work, I am not sure what will!

Yumm, Corn on the Cob!!!

Tonight was the first time that Tristan has had corn ON THE COB. He has has plenty of corn in his lifetime, it is one of his favorite veggies, but tonight, he went to TOWN on some corn on the cob! It was really fun to watch how much joy he got out of eating this corn...at one point, he stole a second cob from the plate and was double fisting them...that's my boy, loves his vegetables!!

Words, words and more words

Trinity has really been building upon her vocabulary lately...just within the past couple of days we have noticed some AMAZING use of words on her part. Here is just a little blurb of some of the occasions that she has used them.

Talking to me about Target store versus PetsMart (her FAVORITE store, I think she likes going there more than Disneyland!)

T: "Momma, we don't need to go here [referring to Target] "
Me: "Why sweety, remember we need to pick up [such and such] then we can go to PetsMart"
T: "See momma, in here [pointing to Target] the aisles are so tiny and well, PetsMarts aisles are wide"
Me: "Oh really? [impressed that she used the word aisles and picked up on the sizes...my little shopper!!!]"
T: "Yeah, and Target, they just sell a whole bunch of junk.....PetsMart has a good variety of things..."


During a class session

T: "Momma, please remove these from the board..."

During breakfast one morning

Me: [giving Trinity and Tristan strawberries]
T: "Good job Momma, you gave both of us equal portions."

While we were looking at what size batteries to put into a new toy

Me: "Geeze, why do they make this so hard!"
Trinity: "I know, we just want to know which batteries it requires!"

Watching a little boy climb a rock wall

T: "Now that was impressive!"

Homeschool Show and Tell

Today we met up with our Homeschool group and it was Trinity's first "Show and Tell". She brought her Hermit Crab named "Flower". It was sooo cute to see her explain to all the kids and moms about her little pet. The entire thing starts something like this :

TRINITY : "Hi, this is my hermit crab, her name is fowler (loosely translated to FLOWER)"

BOY: "AHHH, make it go back in!!!!"

TRINITY: "Oh, don't worry, she doesn't nip..."

KIDS: "Oooooh, coool!"

TRINITY: [HUGE SMILE ON HER FACE]

She was so happy to share with her friends something near and dear to her. I love that we have a support system of other homeschoolers and moms in our neighborhood...Next week she will start PE, it is organized by an outside agency so the kids have an actual coach and they do ACTUAL PE activities for an hour. She loves homeschool, so do I!

Vomit vomit everywhere...anyone have an extra towel to spare??

OMG...I was always wondering when it would happen...when BOTH my children would be sick at the EXACT SAME TIME! Well, it happened..yuck. First Tristan is coughing, but it wasn't like any "normal" cough, it was followed with a "swallowing" sound, come to find out later that he is holding back being sick. Then, it happens....he starts erupting EVERYWHERE. Now, both kiddos were in our bed, so, he throws up, finally gets settled and asleep. Then Trin wakes up "Momma, I don't feel so good" followed by "BLAAAAAAHHHH" all over me, the bed, Shannon.....she starts crying because she HATES to vomit (who can blame her) and then that wakes up Tristan, and he starts crying, and the crying leads to more vomit. This was our routine until about 4 AM....YUCK. So, I say, anyone have a spare towel or extra set of sheets that they wouldn't mind GIVING me...trust me, you won't want them back.

A Dip in the Sink

Sooo, my daughter has recently decided that she all of a sudden HATES having a bath....she will take a shower with me or daddy, but HATES having a bath! So, last night, we had both kiddos resort back to the sink bath like when they were wee babies. It was fun, it renewed her love of baths, and well,,,,it was cute.

16 months

My little boy is 16 months...2 months shy of a year and a half...wow has it flown by. He is 31 lbs and is 38 inches tall...yes, he grew AGAIN!~ He is so amazing to us. Learning new things every minute. I love his personality and how amazingly sensitive he is. He is such a big boy. He reminds me of my childhood dog Max. Max was a HUGE Great Dane that thought he was a lap dog, now, I am not saying my son is like a dog...merely that he doesn't know his own size. Tristan will bowl over other children his age, completely unintentional and with a look of, "wow, what just happened?" on his face. We read this book to him and Trinity called Leo the Late Bloomer...that is my Tristan. He is in no hurry to get anywhere, taking his time and enjoying this ride we call life.

He is walking full time now, like an old drunken man, weebling and wobbling all over the place, occasionally he will run into something and decide it is easier and safer to walk, but mostly walking. He loves to scale furniture. He is getting really good at it. I took the stool out of Trinity's bathroom since he was using it to try and get in the sink, so, he takes the basket containing the tub toys, dumps it out, flips it over and pushes it to the sink as his make shift stool...smarty pants. He says "Joo joo" for juice (or any drink for that matter), Mama like crazy, and Deh Deh for Dada. He was saying Neenee for Trinity, but has since stopped...we are thinking it will come back later. He does say his name, when you say "Where's Tristan" he says with excitement "DIDAN!" it is so freaking cute.

He is still nursing strong, I think we will have another late weaner like Trinity. He has decided that he likes nursing to sleep now, so, if we are not in the car, that is how he does it. I don't mind at all...gives us a chance to really reconnect at night. Trinity has been sneeking back into our room to sleep too...so, the both of them end up all intertwined with one another...a cute thing to see for sure. Which leads me to our next news. We just bought Tristan a new bedroom set. Since, he NEVER sleeps in his crib, we sold his baby furniture and opted for big boy stuff. It is beautiful. Navy Blue cottage style, Bunk Bed and dresser. We picked the Twin over Full with a trundle, so, if sister wants to sleep in there with him she can. She loves being with him. They have thier moments like any siblings do, but she cares so much about him as he does her. I will post pictures of the room when it is all set up!

The poor guy has been working on getting his eye teeth,,,,SUCKS. He is a mess. I hope that they push through soon, for everyones sake LOL. Otherwise, what a fun, happy, messy, and cute baby to be around.

Patience

We all need it, we all learn about it slowly, and if you have children....well then, PATIENCE is a whole new ballgame. Trinity has been going through a new phase where she has become a bit impatient, which, results in ME becoming a bit impatient LOL. I am trying to figure out the best way to teach her this very important virtue, but in the quest have found that I need to learn more patience too. I remind myself (at the end of the day while staring at her peaceful sleeping face) that she is only 4 years old. Just 4...think about what happens to us in 4 years...alot, but we have a lifetime of experiences to assist us in dealing with it all...4 is her lifetime!!!



So, whenever there are those "I don't understand why MY CHILD is acting like this" moment I urge everyone to think in terms of a lifetime of years...and how LITTLE your child has been on this earth. Give them slack, don't push too hard, relax and bend a little...at the end of the day, all that matters is that they are healthy, happy and loved.

I think all too often people are all consumed with how their child is going to behave that they miss the learning experience in it all. They are going to make mistakes, they are going to fail, they are going to make messes and be loud....don't judge, be understanding, give them a safe environment to succeed and all will be as it should. Nothing saddens me more than the mom or dad that is so consumed with training or programming their child that they become this walking program of their design, lacking individual quirkiness that makes us all who we are. The parent thinks "oh, my child is so well behaved" when in reality, the child has only done something that makes the parent happy, but not themselves. One day, those children are going to ditch their parents ideals and start forming their own, and hopefully, when that happens, they were given enough love and guidence, not manipulation, to think for themselves.


Wowza, that was a tangent! But, really...have you hugged your child today LOL? Be patient, life is a long process, and we want to allow our children the maximum chance at a loving, healthy life...there is plenty of time to be patient!

When...

Did we all stop caring? We walk amongst one another unaffected, careless, stumbling slowly through this thing we call life. When did we all just give up and go with the motions unemotional? I think about this alot, I know I probably shouldn't since it is very depressing, but, for me, it motivates me even more to give a shit.

During the entire "house fiasco" the leak, the repairs, our doggie getting hurt, financial burdens as a result, flat tires, brakes falling off, taxes increasing, LIFE...we all got pretty down. The kids were affected, more weepy than usually, not as secure or relaxed..Shannon and I were strapped, busy with all that goes along with such a pain in the butt scenario, I think for a minute we all became unaffected. That was the worst few weeks we have had as a family..really. I NEVER yell at my kids and at times, I found myself occasionally going there. I NEVER argue with my husband, but again, we were bickering from time to time, which is SO unlike us.

I have vowed that I never want that to happen again. Everything in our lives become memories. These memories will last with us for a lifetime (we hope) and I only want them to be good ones. This memory, I am hoping to file away in the "Do not read me" folder and forget the entire thing. I am only hoping that I have learned from this that even when life sucks for a minute, it is still MY LIFE and was given to me to live.

Burrito Schmirrito

You know what I hate....what really urks me? When you order a burrito, and you get all your fixings for it, drive home in anticipation that it will be ALL that you want it to be....You sit down, have your lemons and salsa ready, lick your lips and prepare your pansa... take a bite and you get nothing but guacamole and rice....SPREAD IT AROUND LADIES...geesh!

Things I have learned while mothering my "busy" 1 year old boy!

When you take your baby in the bathroom with you, be sure to flush the potty BEFORE you stand up...otherwise, you will be giving a bath sooner than you thought.

Some babies will stick ANYTHING in their mouths, so, PLEASE, close the door to the room where you "hide" the cat box.

Mashed potatoes sting if you get them in your eye.

After a diaper change, be sure to wipe off little "wandering" hands too...because, if they are stuck in YOUR mouth before doing so, lets just say...it tastes like shit.

Baby boys CAN scream just as loud and high pitched as baby girls.

Peas sting if you get them in your eye.

Yes, men have ALWAYS been obsessed with what they have "down there", even as babies, and often SEVERAL times per day.

Every boy is born with the ability to make cars go "vroom"...I mean, we never showed him this, yet, somehow, he knows to make the noise and push the cars around.

Ketchup REALLY stings if you get it in your eye.

And lastly, what I have learned the most is this...they are sweet...possibly sweeter than my little girl. A hug from your son is something that melts your heart and washes away any worry that you may have been preoccupied with. They are amazingly gentle and wonderfully caring...I love my busy boy, now matter how much running I do after him.

There's no need to fear......

...UNDERDOG is here!!!

We had a great Halloween, were supposed to go to my parents house, then to his parents house, but ended up staying at ours! It was a good decision, since we had fun seeing all of Trinity's friends in the neighborhood and really scooped up a ton of candy. Trinity wanted to be Underdog this year, so I scrambled to whip up a costume last minute...that's how we roll I guess LOL!

Tristan was a "stray puppy"....Trinity picked that one :) He was wearing a size 2T costume that was too SMALL for him...oy, I have a big boy on my hands!!! I thought the puppy was fitting though since according to Trinity "puppies like to nurse, and so does Tristan."

We also went to my parents house on the 27th for a Festival, which was SUPER fun. Trinity was WonderWoman that day, and, she won 2nd place in the costume contest!! She earned a $10 gift card to Walmart and traded it in on the way home for 2 prizes. Tristan was as happy as ever, even with the teething! Here he is signing his version of "drink". He peirces his lips together and makes a kissing sound...super cute and hard to miss.

Trin competed in her first "Pie Eating Contest"...although, she only wanted to "lick it like a puppy" and didn't really eat any of the pie (don't say I blame her!)

Shannon and I both dressed up this year, he was Otis from The Barnyard Movie, I was a Fairy / Butterfly (just a black outfit and some wings, add a little glitter...viola!)

I think this was my favorite Halloween!! We all enjoyed seeing our neighbors, walking our streets, and enjoying being so close to home...we may just have to make this our new tradition.

An End in Sight??? - LONG BLOG

If what goes up must come down, what about the opposite? Will this downward spiral that we have been in start to see an uprise soon? I mean, I understand the powers that be in the universe, but, come on now....when is enough ENOUGH? We have had a horrible string of bad luck lately, and really, it is just compiling and compounding until finally, we have had it. I am a positive thinker, I am a unusually optimistic individual, but I have to tell you...lately, well, let me say, I have been searching for the rope LOL. First, our house gets flooded....YES, flooded in Arizona. On Thursday we go downstairs to shut out all the lights and lock the doors, Shannon hears this "raining" sound, opens the door to the office and lo and behold, water water everywhere. This is in the closet that holds some of our most beloved possessions. My wedding pictures, scrapbooks of the children from birth, paintings and drawings that Trinity has been making since she could draw. To top it off, we had TONS of other things in there, Shannon's comic book collections, the ones he has had since he was a boy...SOAKED. My cameras, our video camera, surround sound speakers, Portable DVD player, PSP, laptop, framed pictures, backup discs, scrapbooking supplies, boxes to Transformers, Train set, my Painted Pony Collections....oh my , there is more. The builder is assuming responsibility by having it treated for mold etc...but, they are not going to cover our personal items....EVEN THOUGH they found a pex plumbing pipe with a staple hole in it...now, tell me, does that sound fair?

So, we head out to a hotel on Friday since they have about 12 blowers running in our house and each one is about 115 degrees of hot air circulating in our house (up and down since the water damage went through the sub floor and also flooded our bedroom). Our carpet and pad is pulled back, baseboards ripped off...there is a huge gaping hole in our bedroom wall and the ceiling is pulled out from the closet. OY, this is not fun. The hotel was nice, but, we were dislocated...wanting to be in our own space. The kids were a bit of a mess, tired, cranky and not understanding all that was taking place...to be honest, Shannon and I were feeling the same way. I think, no, I know what made it all worse is the fact that I was being told that I have to claim this under MY insurance. The idea of putting in a claim, having my deductible raise, my record tarnished because of someone elses error...it just gets me. I am a woman of principal...and this is just not cool.

So, Monday comes around, Shannon gets up to go to work, he is driving out of the hotel parking lot when a "tink" noise is heard....his caliper from his rear brakes FALLS OFF...Thank God, that he was not on the freeway, I don't know how many times I replay that in my head. He stays back and begins the new task of finding someone to fix his brakes by the end of business...FUN.

I go to meet with our insurance agent, I decide to meet with my insurance agent and he gives us some great advice. This, was a good meeting. Then, something HORRIFIC happened. The day really took a turn for the worse, I get back to the hotel and Shannon took the doggies and Trinity out to play. I am waiting in the room for Tristan to wake up when I hear a familiar scream (Trinity crying hysterically) and Shannon screaming down the hall. I open the door to find all the dogs trailing Shan except Shyanne....she is slung over his shoulders like a rag doll, my heart sinks. He brings her in and I notice that she is not using her hind legs...Christ, what else?? They were playing ball and she fell, then couldn't get up. My baby, I love this dog so much. We take her to the Animal Hospital, and they run a series of tests and xrays. Good news, no buldging discs, or apparent fractures, the bad news...they would need to do more MRIs and such to determine what is causing the paralysis. We are not in a financial position with everything else to pay for this...but, we do. Also, the kicker...she has a mass on her breast that is looking like mammary cancer. Didn't want to hear that either. We are all a mess, we are finally home, the equipment still running, my house still unsuitable for children to be in, and, my pup, my old girl, unable to move her hind legs. We are going to try the non-invasive route and do therapy with her at home, but, I just don't see her being able to walk again like a normal dog. Luckily, she does not seem to be in any pain, just pissed about not having her running legs. So, maybe we will get her a little doggy wheelchair. I am just going to hug and kiss her for now, worry about what will happen when it comes to that.....I really can't think anymore about it.

This is what it feels like to be depressed....so overwhelmed and in a state of BLAH....I want so much for this to stop, for us to be able to just get past the problems and move on to the next step....I just want to have our builder do what is right...I want my house to be a safe one, one that I feel comfortable knowing that nothing is wrong, not constantly second guessing whethere or not there is another defect that I am unaware of. I want people to do business like a gentleman's handshake...just do what you know is right....So, I understand the eb and flo of the universe, but tell me, really, when will it go back up?