Wednesday, April 21, 2010

Me, Today

You know those days when everything goes wrong and at the end of the day you feel like you got absolutely nothing done? Today was NOT one of those days! Quite the opposite. Today was busy and I love that I see and feel some results from the busy-ness. I'm frantically getting the family ready to visit Shane's parents. At this point, I am done thinking about getting there, and I just want to get there! Just today, Cade was asking for Grandpa Tucker in "ssippi." He was extremely disappointed when we just drove home...not exactly what he had in mind. Soon enough Cade.

Speaking of Cade, here are some latests on him.

  • He is such a motor mouth and continues to talk to anyone who will listen.
  • He loves to talk to Carson and ask him questions. He asks Carson all the time if he wants "cicken" (chicken) or "memo" (Nemo) or "mightming" (Lightning McQueen). He raises his eyebrows with excitment only to be let down. Carson usually just brushes him off and doesn't answer all of his burning questions.
  • When Cade was sick a while back, he was eating next to nothing. I got him some PediaSure to add to his milk to try to get him some extra calories (especially because he is already such a lightweight). So there is a bear on the front of the bottles of the PediaSure and now he will only ask for "bear-milk." I can't get him to just say "milk" anymore. Even without the supplement, he gets really upset if I don't repeat, "Yep, yummy bear-milk!" And now Carson calls milk bear-milk.
  • Cade loves his trucks, cars, trains, tractors, & motorcycles (our neighbor let him sit on his motorcycle and now Cade is completely sold!). He is obsessed with anything with wheels and a motor. Driving around, he takes note of all the trucks and cars around him. He specifically recognizes all Beamers, Mazdas, Jettas (any Volkswagon), Jeeps, & Audis. Impressive, right?! And all Semi's are "Mack's" from the movie Cars. Sometimes, we just drive through parking lots and look at all the cool cars. And in our last traffic jam, I rolled down the windows because there was a diesel truck in the lane next to us and I knew he would love listening to it. He was overwhelmed with excitment. He is so easy to please.
  • Intellectually, Cade tends to bully Carson. He bosses him around and is always telling me what Carson is doing. And he already is trying to work the system so that it is always Carson getting in trouble. Don't worry...I know better!

Carson's turn:

  • Cade may boss him around, but when it comes to being the physical bully, Carson takes the cake! He loves to push and shove and provoke Cade in any possible way. I think he does it mostly because he gets such a HUGE reaction from his brother. He loves to take Cade's toys and run! And because Cade is so obssessed with his toys and is terrible at sharing, he ends up chasing Carson around the house in tears while Carson giggles.
  • Carson loves numbers and letters. They intrigue him and hold his attention like nothing else. It's weird! We have a new number puzzle that he will sit and do all day long. He is a great counter and is getting better and better with his ABC's.
  • Cade could watch TV all day long if I let him. Carson...not a chance!!! He is such a busy-body and gets bored so easily. Keeping him happy and entertained is the most exhausting thing EVER! He never ceases to ask to go "bye bye." And when we are bye bye, he is asking to get bye bye. Like I said...he's a little exhausting...but his endless energy makes him who he his.
  • He loves to give hugs and cuddles and kisses. And the best part, when he comes to nuzzle me, he whines and pants like a dog. It is hilarious!
  • He still walks and runs on his toes like a ballarina. He is still completely obssessed with doors, light switches, and buttons.
  • His speech is getting better. He his harder to understand but makes me melt with the funny things he says. For example, he calls the potty a "coppy" and our Jeep is the "neet."
  • Carson needs people. He won't play with any toy unless you play with him. He gets mad when I'm on the computer or on the phone...basically he just wants your undivided attention 24 hours a day! And He loves to wrestle and rough-house.

I don't say enough about my boys' changes and need to take time to do it more often. They are little sponges and are changing on a daily basis. I love being their Mom.

Alright, back to my busy day. On top of getting ready for our trip, I have been doing some "spring cleaning." I got my blinds, windows, window sills, curtains, cob-webs, bathrooms, and floors done today. It is amazing how my mood is affected knowing that these are clean. Now I can travel with peace of mind. And I love coming home to a clean house.

To top off my day, I got a random phone call from a guy with America's Funniest Home Videos. Does anyone still watch this show? We submitted a video months ago and completely forgot about it. In fact, we didn't even think that it went through. It was acting funny when we were uploading the video so we really didn't know if it was submitted okay. Anyway, they want to air the clip and soon. It will be aired on this Sunday's show on ABC!!! The funny thing is, it really isn't that funny. You might have seen it on the blog a while back...the high chair racing. I mean, I think it's cute and funny but I'm the Mom. I've been in shock all day thinking about them wanting it. But we'll take it (and they may or may not have offered us some cash for it)!!! Carson and Cade will have their few seconds of fame! It'll be interesting to see what they do with it...we're just hoping they don't make fun of us or something! So tune in!

Now I need to get some sleep. Otherwise I'm going to crash and burn way too soon.

Saturday, April 10, 2010

Elmo Song

Carson LOVES the Elmo Song. We watch it regularly on Youtube and he wants to sing it all day long. He loves to sing period...way more than Cade, which surprises me a little. I just wish he was a little more on tune!!! Even though I think it is the cutest thing ever when he sings, it kills me a little inside when he doesn't match my pitch. But he does get rhythms right, which is good. We'll keep working on it and I'll keep my fingers and toes crossed!!! (This isn't the best clip of Carson singing. You hear too much of me...sorry.)

Thursday, April 8, 2010

Mushy

That's the only word I can think of to describe how I have felt today. Mushy. And I'm not only referring to the squishy doughnut-shaped mush that sits atop my jeans. I think that I feel grateful most days for the life I have. But the level of gratitude is definitely higher on some days compared to others. Today was one of those high-level days. I've been soaking it in. And here's what got it flowing: my blog.

I started looking back into the whole blog to book thing today. By the way, did you know that http://thecutestblogontheblock.com/ helps you do this? I didn't until today. So far, it is super easy and seems reasonably priced but I still haven't pulled the trigger. But I'm sure I will sometime soon. It is something that I have decided is definitely worth doing. Sometimes I have the common battle inside my head about blogging. Why do it? Sometimes it seems...I don't know...indulgent maybe? I mean, who really cares anyway?! Well...I DO!!! I started looking back through my blog today as I was trying to do different things for a book. And before I know it, I'm only reading my old posts and completely stopped my whole project. And I was in tears. There you have it. All mushy! I so enjoyed reading it all...re-living it almost...just like any other journal (except all those written before I was married!). I would be so sad to lose this thing that is floating around in wi-fi space. I definitely don't record everything on here, but a whole heck of a lot. And I don't have much more in some hidden journal. So for me, it is worth doing. And it is worth keeping.

I came across so many cute pictures of my boys as infants. And I felt myself mourning the loss of those times! I wish I wouldn't have wished so much of it away. Now I miss it. Those baby smiles make a Mom melt. The tininess is for such a brief moment and then it's gone. Sad. Every stage brings so much joy and love. I just wish I could bottle it up and save all those moments. I'm almost afraid that by the time my kids are grown, I will have completely forgotten them (and that would be where the reading of my blog from way-back-when comes in!). I want more baby moments. I don't know when or how it will happen but I know that I want it. I feel ungrateful to think that what I have isn't enough and that I want more. But I would be lying if I said that I didn't. Does that ache ever go away? In the end, no matter the situation, truly aligning your own will with the Father's will is HARD. And I stink at it. Baby steps.

So for now, I'm still mushy. Weepy even. But find me tomorrow morning around 6 am and that mushiness will have all but vanished! Oh the ebbs and flows of a woman's, and even more, a mother's emotions. Good thing I have a Saint for a husband.

Any good tips for going from blog to book?