Cabbage Soup

Don't knock it folks. No, I am not doing the famous "cabbage soup diet." But...I am eating a lot of cabbage soup in place of other things. That said, if you live near me...you may want to stand down wind.

Dinosaur Valley...

Yesterday we were blessed with a surprise getaway. Using last minute resources, we drove two hours away to explore ancient dinosaur tracks at a state park. Then, we were able to secure lodgings in a 1940's rail car! It was so cozy and quaint...and PERFECT for little boys. We so needed a little family get away and this worked out amazing. Enjoy the pics!
Big Rock Park was super fun. The perfect place to run and climb.
Strong big brother...
So cute baby brother...





Trekking around the grounds where we spent the night.
The tire swings were AWESOME!!!!! And there were so animals to play with.

Sweet little piggy...
There were all these old school playground toys. The boys loved them.
Vroom! Vroom!!!!
The tire swing was my favorite...oh, and Liam's too! He said it was his "best friend."
Here's our train car. Isn't it cozy? Other than a slightly mildewy smell, it was truly a perfect place to stay with the boys.


Denied!


Chilling riverside...
Running free along the Paluxy River.
Hiking with the Finnster.
DINOSAUR TRACKS!!!!
Check out this little monster. :-)
See the footprint in the water? It's a smaller relative of the t-rex.

Truly pathetic

I am starving...and only because I am eating like a normal person should. It is truly pathetic.

And...that's all there really is to say about that.

What's in your hamper?

Well, while transferring dirty clothes from hamper to laundry basket I found:
-a pair of sandals
-one black shoe (which is perfect for when I want to wear it with one brown shoe...)
-a blue matchbox car
-a yellow pacifier

Hmmmm, I wonder how these things got here????? My littlest one is squirrel, I swear it!

Trouble posting pics

I can't seem to get text above the picture at the beginning of the post. However, it looks like I may have figured out the rest. Here are some pics I've really wanted to share. Above, the amazingly cute sweet pea, Finny Fin.
Behold, your favorite Viking Mama.

Below is one of the most awesome things that has ever happened to me. Yeah, yeah, I am easily pleased, so don't get your hopes up. A friend of mine back east, sent Finn and Liam each, their own box of upstate NY leaves!!!!!! We made a big pile and played with them for days! We got out the rake and literally took turns - even some neighbors came over to enjoy the fun.

Do you remember 4 months ago?

If you are a busy mom, probably not. Four months ago was July - the dead of summer. If you recall, I was posting about being a terrible parent and how awful things were with Liam. And now, four months later, two and half months into kindergarten, things are significantly different. I am definitely not having the same problems with my little man. No more tantrums. We still have problems - attitude, disrespectful talking back - that sort of thing. Nothing outlandish, nothing that makes me feel like my world is crumbling, just your usual, run of the mill parenting challenges between mom and five-year-old son.

I find it really important to write this down, to remember this time when Liam is excited about his chores chart, actually trying to control his temper and please his parents, because I know it is all cyclical. Four months ago I was sure we were headed to a behavioral therapist. Today...I think we are okay. And that is how it goes, right? Drama, not drama, good days, bad days, nightmares, heavenly moments and so the kaleidoscope spins.

Yesterday two amazing things happened. One was something I have dreamed about for ages. A thing I have written down on a secret list in my brain titled, "things I want to accomplish before I die." Yeah, one of those happened yesterday. I was babysitting, so I had a back yard full of boys. They were all in the "clubhouse" portion of the swing set, decorating it with sidewalk chalk. I walked over and placed a plate of fresh out of the oven chocolate chip cookies before them. As I walked back to the house, I could hear Liam squealing, giggling, bursting - because after-school snack usually consists of cheez-its or grapes. I also heard the older boys "oooo"-ing over the deliciousness. It made my heart soar.

I know, Bill rolled his eyes, too. But, I always wanted to be that mom with the backyard full of kids and offering a plate of amazing home made cookies. And yesterday I was. Today, back to grapes.

The second amazing thing: Liam finally figured out how to pump himself on the swings!!!!! It's amazing how long this takes. I think it's been at least a YEAR of saying, "kick IN aaaannnndddd OUT! Lean back, feet to the sky..." And one day they just GET IT. YAY!

Further updates:

-My Silly Trolls "business" is doing great. I've had enough interest to open it up to two days and I haven't even advertised yet. If you don't know what I am talking about, check out the website: www.wix.com/sillytrolls/sillytrolls

-Finny Finn is marvelous. Walking, climbing, getting into everything, sweet as sweet can be. Clever, too. Unfortunately, still obsessed with my chest - pretty much has his hand down my shirt at all times. It was cute...for a while. I'm pretty much over it, I wish he was.

-Bill - working hard. Doing his best. Spent two hours waxing his MiniCooper today...oy. But, the man's gotta have his man time. He still made time to make me lunch and take Finn out of the house for two hours so I could run my Silly Trolls session. So, I'm not complaining.

All in all, things are good today. Really good.

High Alert

So, I just got home from a birthday party...where do I begin? Well, let me start with: It was wonderful. One of Liam's best pals turned six, there was an enormous bounce house, sunshine, lots of people we knew, pizza, cake, the works. All in all, it was a perfect party. So why am I home, a full hour (or even two) earlier than I normally would be? (We usually hang out for hours after the party is over...) Why are my nerves all wound up in a tight little ball? Why do I feel like I've been run over by a freight train? One little word:

Finn

My darling, adorable, sweet little Finn. He was an angel; he was his usual charming, silly, cute little self - climbing, walking, running, jumping, digging, etc, through a sea of pizza and cake - both potential trips to the emergency room if he ingests any. So there I was, trying my best to chat with my friends and all the other nice new people at the party...but all the while, my senses were on high "Finn-Food" alert.

I am fully aware that most moms are not 100% present when trying to converse at a party while their little ones engage in all sorts of potentially harmful activities. The bounce house, the woods, the trampoline are cause for most parents to be on some sort of "alert" mode. However, Finn's food allergies throw me into a tizzy...all the while, I am doing my best to put on my cool face, my "I'm-not-freaking-out-that-my-allergy-child-is-hovering-next-to-your-pizza-eating-child" face. It sucks. It really does.

And I really hated leaving my friends today on this beautiful, celebratory day. But, after two hours of chasing after Finn, discreetly picking up after other kids (so as not to make any one feel like I'm some anal neat freak, just trying to keep the potential cheese contact at a minimum), I was exhausted, completely spent.

I know I might be a little extremist in my ways...but really - do I want to be THAT mom - the one who's child dies or whatever from an allergy attack? That statement seems so extreme...but if you saw how Finn's face swelled up ten minutes after that cracker this summer, you might not think so. And in all honesty, we simply cannot afford another trip to the ER. Even though we reached our ER deductible for the year, 20% of $2900 is more than I have to spare right now. (Stupid Texas health care...don't get me started on that....)

Well, I am home now, the safest place for Finn...when Liam hasn't left a yogurt on the table Finn can now reach, or we haven't missed a dropped crust of bread. I've had my diet coke and now I am waiting for Bill to get home from work so he can cook dinner and my nerves can unwind themselves from the knot they have gotten into...