Planning your children 2 years exactly apart.

So I know that most people can't plan exactly when they are going to have kids but if you could making them 2 years apart or 3, 4, 5 whatever but the same distance in 12 month increments means that they fit in the clothing that is appropriate for the season. Like Lil' Bit being able to wear Austin's First Halloween outfit. Makes clothes sharing extremely easy on me. :-)

Hambone The Bouncer (Take 2)

Could you imagine in your wildest dreams learning something new like bouncing and having this 2 year old yanking on the contraption you are strapped in to?

Halloween!

I was all ready to take both girls to the annual Halloween party that we go to, got them all dressed and Lil' Bit started acting really tired and when I put Austin's costume on her she said "It's nice Mom, but it hurts though." I about died laughing. Apparently the elastic was entirely too tight for her liking. So I snapped a few pictures let everyone strip back down and went to the party by myself.

I told Austin to smile and she gave me this weird looking face, so I told her to think of something funny and this is what she did.


I love Lil' Bit's face here...it's like she's thinking, what in the hell do you have on your head?


The girls being serious for a brief moment.

My Little Bumble Bee!

My butterfly that looks like a Koopa Trooper from Mario Bros.

Things that make me giggle.

This morning I was paged by work and got up and dealt with all that entails and then when I was done crawled back into bed for a few last minutes of warmth and peace and quiet. Of course the girls could sense this and woke up immediately after I laid down. Joe was on it though and got up with them. Here's the giggle part. :-) Joe wakes up slowly, much like I am sure most parents even some people do. Kids on the other hand do not wake up slowly - once they're awake, if you catch them too early or wake them up it's a different story. So this morning all I could hear downstairs was Joe grunting and attempting to make coffee as quickly as possible, Lil' Bit squealing because she was left alone in the living room and Austin asking about a thousand questions with no answers. Made me laugh so hard that I couldn't sleep so I just got up.

Second giggle spot. I leave the girls alone in the same room for a few minutes here and there and don't really have a choice not to. I have a ton of things that I get done throughout the day and it's pretty hard dragging them with me. Like making the beds this morning, I am in the other room and I hear this scenario. Austin talking to "Baby Sister" - Austin's voice elevating to excited level - Lil' Bit giggles - Austin starts breathing through closed teeth queue SUPER excited - Austin apologizing to "Baby Sister" letting her know it would be OK. Luckily Lil' Bit very rarely cries from this and Austin is never malicious so I can't help but giggle since to Austin it's like we got her a doll that plays back.

Snow Day

We got a lot of snow here in Colorado yesterday, of course in true Colorado fashion it is already melting away today. But that made for a perfect snow day yesterday, one where the girls stayed in their PJ's pretty much all day and I slow cooked some meat for shredded tacos. Here are some pictures of our day.

Joe donated his old phone to Austin so she can play games on it, here are the girls watching Baby Girl play



Lil' Bit decided that she was hungry during her nap so I went in to give her a bottle and when my back was tired of leaning over the crib I let go and she held on. I thought it was too cute not to snap a picture.


Austin wanted to see the snow so she put on my hoodie and went outside with Dad, here is the little Ewok playing with the snow on our patio.

Well crap.

Obviously I was super proud of Lil' Bit for rolling over but I forgot that also means that she can no longer sleep swaddled. I don't remember the adjustment from being a swaddled sleeper to a non with Austin as being a tough one but looking back I am sure it had it's challenges that I am just forgetting about. Poor little thing is constantly rolling over to her tummy getting scared, crying and I have to come in and save her. Needless to say the girls in this house haven't gotten much sleep in the last couple of days. Poor little Austin was up until 2:30 last night after Lil' Bit let out a scream and woke her up at 11. I find this to be just one of many great examples of family, when one person either struggles or succeeds we all do. So I am trying to teach Austin that baby sister is learning something new and it's hard for her. We've had a couple extra meltdowns today due to the lack of sleep last night but that's what happens. We'll see whether or not this trying to Austin a life lesson at 2 thing works out, because let's face it I find this whole parenting thing a crap shoot anyhow. I second guess myself at every turn and fret about everything yet crackheads have the ability to produce great kids. Although it did become painfully apparent to me the other day that if my girls turn out to be (fill in the blank), bad people, axe murderers, or Nobel Peace Prize winners...it was more than likely me and not Joe that caused it. We have a classic household where Joe leaves for work everyday and returns every evening and spends several hours a day with the girls...whereas I spend every hour of every day with them. I believe that children are the product of their consistent routine (or lack thereof) rather than the abnormalities in life (aside from perhaps trama). Take for instance when Joe is home, some rules fly out the window like Austin must pick up all of her toys by herself or she isn't allowed to play with them when it is just me, and Joe will help her pick them up when he is home. I don't ever tell Joe to change how he acts is these instances because I think it's nice for Austin to understand that rules are rules and while sometimes we can bend them it doesn't change that they are there. We obviously have our battles due to these inconsistencies but I'm OK with that. Whether or not she has a tidy apartment or has manners in a job interview are up to the everyday constant rules we have in place, not the Sundays where anything goes. Currently Austin grits her teeth and shakes her head when she is mad or frustrated. My Mom asked me where she got this from and I should have known due to the above statement that it was my fault but this morning I realized when she did something wrong and I spoke to her through gritted teeth it dawned on me where she gets it. While it's exciting to raise little people and watch them become part of our society it is also nerve racking to know how much every one of my moves is being duplicated.

I am going to attempt to give these two stories credit...hopefully my ability to tell a story gives them justice.

Joe and I broke down and got iPhones and they came in the mail yesterday. They have this app on them called FaceTime which is Apple's version of Skype. So Joe called my new phone yesterday to talk to Austin. I handed her the phone and she was giddy with excitement about being able to hear & SEE Dad in the phone. But I told her to be careful and not touch the screen or you will hang up on him. So she set the phone down on the chair and was talking to him. Joe said at this point "Baby girl I can't see you unless you get your head in that little box." - Meaning the preview box on the phone that lets you see what the other person is seeing. Austin stops looks around my office and grabs the box that our phones came in and put it on her head and stood there. I just about about peed myself laughing.

We have had an influx of bees this year and whenever they come in the house I whack them with a newspaper or as Austin says "bam" them. Two days ago a bee was buzzing around inside my office by the window. I picked up a magazine and whacked him so he fell into the window sill. Austin wanted to see the carcass as proof so she went to stand on the back of her sisters lamby seat, to which I told her that she couldn't because she would fall. So she went and got the camera, stood on her tippy toes with her arm raised above her head at the sill and snapped a photo of the dead bee. I couldn't believe what I was watching. Kids are scary smart...holy cow.

And last but certainly not least...sleeping baby pictures because they are like crack to me. :-) Although black star for Crystal - taking the picture of Tyler actually woke her up - D'Oh!

Pumpkin Carving!

We carved pumpkins this weekend with a bunch of our friends. It's funny because in thinking back I can't ever remember my parents having parties so either they didn't have many friends or they didn't like to host for fear of the next day mess...which I could actually understand, because my house is destroyed right now. :-) Whereas at our house Austin is helping to prepare for parties pretty much every other weekend even if it's just the old roommates that come over.

Part of the pumpkins and snacks before we tore into them.

The first round of people gutting out their pumpkins.

Hacking away in the glorious sun.

Some of the pumpkins up for display.

Another set of pumpkins all carved up.

Marmee's Gift

We don't really get Fall or Spring in Colorado, really we just have Summer and Winter and they seem to overlap at various points. Today it will be a high of 80 degrees and on Wednesday it will be 30 with dumping snow. So when Marmee (Carole) sent Austin these AMAZING dried leaves from Indiana I knew we had to do something awesome with them. J and I love do any type of crafts so I drug her in on this one and away we went.

Here's Austin crazy excited about being able to paint her hands without being in trouble.


The TV tray we decided to make with the sheet all laid out and paint everywhere already.


The TV tray after we put down Austin's hand prints and the gorgeous leaves.


Austin getting more and more messy. Now she is painting her arms, waiting until it dries and then peeling it off. A true right of passage for a child.


Lil' Bit watching from the Lamby just wishing she could get her hands on anything.


We decided to Mog Pog the whole tray so the writing surface would be smooth for Austin. Well we were surprised to say the least when we dumped it on and it was completely white. Hopefully it dries clear or J and I went to 3 hours worth of trouble for a good laugh.

Tyler rolling over.

I finally captured Lil' Bit rolling over with the lights on. :-) I had forgotten how hard of a process it was for baby's to learn this and how rewarding it is to them when they accomplish it.

My Mom's latest project!

Oh my word...isn't this cute. My Mom thought that the girls and my brother and I all looked so similar that she put together this collage of some of our baby pictures. Along with my Aunt Deb and the girls' Aunt J. Apparently I used to hold my head weird too. Oh yeah and the funny part to me...we must live in a different time, with us 30 year olds having kids...Aunt Deb and Aunt J are 10 years differnt in these pictures.

First Night

The girls slept in the same room last night they both went down at 8 and both woke up at 7:30 with Lil' Bit eating once at 5:45. It was AMAZING! And while I don't want to jinx anything in thinking that every night will be like last night I was pretty darn happy with the outcome.


I have started to limit the amount of TV that Austin watches or should I say not allowing the TV to be on in the background. She doesn't watch much but asks for it all the time and just like any oppressive parent figure...once a child asks for something they must want it too much so I take it away. Obviously that is a slight exaggeration but I just worry now that she notices that it is on in the background that it will do more harm then good.


Speaking of harm, I broke my back and sweat the good fight putting in that stupid crib bumper and then read 15 minutes later that the Association of Pediatricians recommends the removal of bumpers due to suffocation and SIDS related deaths. Don't want to test that fate so ripped the sucker back out.

Oh yeah and two days ago Lil' Bit rolled over from her back to her stomach. I set her down in the living room and when I came back she was rolling over to reach a toy just out of reach. Last night I captured it on film but the video was SO dark that I am too embarrassed to post it. I swear we paid the light bill, I have no idea why it looks like we live in a cave.



And Austin wearing one of my hats...just too cute not to post. I feel a future snowboarder!

Day 2 Nap Time

Both girls are in the room and have been for...buckle in for this one...1 hour and 45 minutes. I haven't heard a peep. Which means that Austin is probably playing and Lil' Bit is watching her, but I will totally take it. I think perhaps I will make them both sleep in there tonight, hell I don't need rest any how so might as well.

We just applied for Lil' Bit's passport which is funny in and of it's self since comon' she's a baby but the funniest part is that it is good for 5 freaking years.

Just look at these two...you will only be able to tell that they are in fact white.

Big Girl Bed

I have been agonizing over what "Big Girl Bed" to get Austin and then it dawned on me that we already have a bed in there and I can start the, what I can tell will be a painful process of having the girls share a room. Luckily for the situation I am as stubborn as they are so it will HAVE to happen. Last night it became very apparent now that Joe and I don't have the air conditioner running in our room at night that we can't have Lil' Bit in there. We were whispering last night and woke her up not to mention that she was nearly sleeping through the night and is now waking up at 3ish to eat.

Here we are while I make up the crib for Lil' Bit...all smiles at the thought of getting a roommate.


Things started to turn a little more serious when she realized that she would not be sharing the crib with her sister.


Lil' Bit all swaddled up...bumper installed...and could literally give a care less where she sleeps.


Austin laying her the bed crying because she wants back the crib.


Actually at this point nap time has been going on for 10 minutes I have been in there 5 times to say go to sleep, stop crying, leave your sister alone...etc. And Austin has met me at the door twice. Hmmmm, I kind of miss her crib too. Perhaps I will get her a larger crib and keep her in it until she is 16. :-)

Opening Weekend

Well the snow wasn't great but the company was epic. We went up snowboarding for opening weekend at A-Basin. There was only 1 run open and a TON of people there, but it was awesome to be back on the slope(s). :-)

Of course because I have these new found mortality issues I didn't sleep the night before contemplating the what ifs that could go wrong the next day. Not only is snowboarding a dangerous sport but we log 6 hours of driving to get there and back. Undoubtedly one of the most hazardous things people do is drive. I am having a hard time balancing the thoughts in my head of being an active Mom that teaches her daughters to be adventurous and a safe Mom that doesn't want to leave them. It helps having Joe around who doesn't seem to have any fear of mortality because he pushes me, but that also means that he gets the brunt of me pushing back. To help put my mind at ease I bought a helmet this year, I always talked about getting one and never did. It was nice to be wearing it yesterday just to give me a little more peace of mind that I would be OK if something did happen.

Sarah, me and J gearing up - you can see that there is literally no snow in the parking lot!


The bluebird day and long ass lift lines!

Yahoo it's Friday!

Someone from work called my cell phone this morning and was so angry for them disturbing me on my Saturday that I sent them straight to voicemail. And then realized it was Friday and felt like a dummy.

Luckily my Mom was in town so we got to eat lunch to shift my bummer of a day when I figured out that it was not in fact the weekend. We eat lunch at Souper Salad pretty close to once a week and know the entire staff there. Where else can we both eat lunch, stay on our diets AND they clean off Austin's bib when we are done. It's like salad heaven.

Austin has started dragging toys into the shower with us every morning. Keep in mind we only have one of those stall type showers so between the shampoo, soaps and toys...not to mention the toddler at my feet, we have VERY little room. But she has just about as much fun as she would at Water World so I can't find it in me to take that away from her, instead I stand in luke warm water up against the wall and watch as she catches the soap bubbles that run down my leg. I can only hope that by the time Lil' Bit is old enough to join in we have a different shower.

Lil' Bit is deathly afraid a strangers right now, if you try and hand her to someone she doesn't know she literally starts shaking and crying. I remember Austin being scared of guys but not really of everyone and I definitely remember her being older when she started being so frightened. It's still amazes me that two people can make two people that are so different. I have one Little Crystal and one Little Joe, which means I spend my days battling myself and kissing on baby Joe. :-)

I could have stabbed Joe this morning, luckily I couldn't find a sharp object. Our deal has always been I take care of the girls at night since he doesn't wake up EVER, and he takes them in the morning so I can one extra hour of sleep. Keep in mind for today's story that we both went to bed after midnight but I got up with Lil' Bit when she needed her pacifier and at 3AM for a feeding/pumping which total 1 full hour. So naturally when 7AM came around and Lil' Bit woke up I nudged Joe (thinking in my head of this deal we have worked out) and he shook his head and stated "I am entirely too tired to wake up now." Hmmm, what per say does that mean that your daughter should do? This comment made me laugh out loud, probably because I was furious and delirious but what ever. He rolled over and went back to bed and I got up with her. Ahhh, note to self...make sure I never sleep near a knife.

Oh yeah and here's Lil Bit laughing because it is just so stinking cute!

OMG...eBay you will be the death of me.

So I posted some of the less junkie things that we have found on eBay. Sounds like a fantastic idea right? Well I had them all posted (specifically two sets of business phones that go for around $300 A PIECE used) as fixed priced items. Which basically means that you go on eBay hit Buy Now for whatever price I am asking and you get that item, rather than bidding. Well I got absolutely no real action on those posts so after talking it out I decided we should list them in an auction format and see what happens. In reading through the eBay Tips to sell your shit, I noticed that stuff sells better without a reserve. Ok, easy enough right...I will just make the buy it now about what I wanted so like $100 bucks a piece for the 8 of them and watch the bids roll in. Starting the bidding out at $50 should make it good too. Well the problem with this is that I forgot to edit the description of the items and auction can only contain one item whether that be a "lot" of items or just one physical item. My description states that I have "4 BizTouch 3 IP Phones", so when someone bought my "item" for $100 last night they truly bought the entire "lot" of phones due to the description. And I wondered why they went so quickly.

The real issue is that you are judged on the customer's experience on eBay by your sellers score and in this day and age that score had more clout than your FICO score, so you had better mind your P's and Q's. So I will be boxing up 8 phones for the simple price of $150. :-( Stupid Crystal.

To make matters worse I had to rebuild a server last night because I can't remember the password. Contrary to popular belief not all computer geeks can hack into things, it actually requires quite the specific set of skills to do so...which sadly my server rebuilding ass doesn't posess.

It's Friday right?!?!?!