Baby humor

So I talked about the sermon that we heard on Sunday and how it really changed some of my perceptions of parenting and definently brought me back to reality of the magnitude of parenting.  This was part of it.

Parenting is like a fraternity party:

*  There are always have full, different colored cups all over the floor; especially in the tub.
*  There's always that one girl bawling her eyes out in the corner.
*  It's best to assume that the person next to you does not have full control over their digestive functions
*  When you sneak off to go to the bathroom, you know the second you sit down someone is going to knock on the door wanting in.
*  Most likely 80% of the stains on your floor contain DNA
*  There is someone in your face at 3am wanting something to drink.
*  There is definitely going to be a fight.
*  There are crumbled up underpants everywhere.
*  You wake up wondering how the person in bed with you got here.
*  Someone is going to be peeing in the front yard.
*  You just hope no matter what you do, you are not going to get arrested for it.

Happy Wednesday!

Source:  http://www.suburbansnapshots.com/2010/06/10-reasons-having-toddler-is-like-being.html

thought on parenting...

This weekend the Robertson's headed to Charleston for some R&R, or should I say a really good and refreshing time with friends.  We stayed with the Russo's and headed to the country on Saturday to hang out with the Davis family.  If you are not friends with these ladies, who are sisters in love, you need to because not only are they awesome and funny, they are great wife's and momma's too!  Sunday we went to seacoast, I love that church and could write 4,000 blogs about why I love it.
They are currently in a series about King David, his rise and fall.  This week was about parenting... there was some good and some ugly.  The good was encouraging, the ugly was hearing some truth spoke that I know I need to work on myself!  At least here was no ugly crying in church this week, amen?  Amen!

Here are some truths that he said:
*Teach them to say and do as I do.
Wow, that is going to be a hard one to keep true.  Even the little things like picking up after yourself.  How can I expect them to pick up after themselves when I don't do that well?  Let's don't even get into the spiritual side of it... that was an ugly one!
*  This is going to hurt you more than it's going to hurt me; but I'm going to do it anyways.
Sticking to your guns even when you know it's going to break your heart; not giving empty threats.
*If at first I blow it, I've got to try and try again.
Amen.  And literally, thank God for Grace, right?!?

Some other things that really hit home:
*We should not punish, but discipline.  Discipline is teaching them to grow better, to have growth in the situation at hand.  NEVER do this in anger.
*The stakes are always higher than you ever thought that they were.

And most importantly, for my girls:
*talk to them about the akward stuff or someone else will!!

Thanks Josh, you really challenged us in our parenting!  I am really looking forward to the changes that will be happening in our home!

Weekend round up!

What a weekend!  We had a blast and were buys busy busy!

Friday night was LAME, we stayed at home and watched a movie.  AB was all sorts cranky from our whirl wind trip to VA to see my cousin Matt marry his bride.  So sweet and it was not long enough.

Mr. and Mrs. Chrosniak!

We then hopped in the car (again) and headed to topsail for a few days to meet up with my family for some beach time.  While we were there, we celebrated Carson's 21st birthday and my dad's birthday.  Needless to say, there was no schedule and to top off the "fun" AB started teething.

Playing...

It was so bad that I thought she might be sick and took her to the pediatrician when we got home.  I spend $20 for them to tell me that all four upper teeth were coming down.  I asked if I could leave her there so they could weather the storm with her instead of me but they said no.

Saturday morning AB woke up a new women.  I made biscuits and sausage and egg burito's (it was super easy and really yummy).  Frank normally doesn't eat breakfast, he was full of himself all day.  I told him if he didn't knock it off I wasn't going to make breakfast for him, ever.  We went to REI's garage sale and it was ridiculous.  This of the bridal dress rush except this was grown men raising over camping gear.  AB napped FOREVER that afternoon!
Sunday we went to church and it was good (well not really, I cried in public.  I'll blog about that later).  We then went to eat lunch with my dad and we had a good time.  AB ate like 400 blueberries and napped forever again.  We then went and met up with the VanEvery's.   Sandy and Frank went climbing and Lacy and I just chased AB around and tried to have a conversation.  We went to dinner and didn't make a huge mess or have a melt down, it was a success!!

Happy Monday!

10 months and counting

Is it really that time of the month again?  I cannot believe that we are just shy of 2 months until cake time to celebrate AB's one year!  Here is what the little diva is up to:

• You weighs about the same as your 9 month update... around 18 lbs.
• You still yell and cough to get attention, in fact you did it today at REI while a couple was duking it out about a jackets during their garage sale (think the crazy brides that do that wedding dress dash, but it's grown men and climbing shoes and camping gear)
• You eats 4 times a day, but we are working on going down to 3 times a day.
• You still gets a bottle 4 times a day.
• You love this fruit packets that I found and they are great snacks!
• You are crawling ALL over the house and I can't take my eyes off of you for one second (the other day I found a coffee bean in your mouth!!)

• You are pulling up on everything and wanting to walk while we hold your hands.

• I few weeks ago, we came to get you in the morning and found you standing in your crib!  What a way to wake up!!

• Your hair is getting thicker, curlier and lighter each day... and we love it!
• You finally started saying "dada" and your daddy could not be happier!  
• You have started "talking" and getting what you are saying.  You say "bye-bye" and "hi" and wave and know when to say it :)
• You are teething right now and those upper teeth are giving us a fun for it... the pediatrician said that it looked like all four are coming down.
• You still sleep through the night (the last week has been a little rough) and nap 2 times a day.
• When you are riding in the car, you talk to yourself in the mirror.  The other day you started using hand motions and moving your hands into the "I don't know" positions while you are gabbing.
• You love Dallas and try to talk to him... the other day you were really trying to play with him.  He wanted to play fetch and I was annoyed.  You at least tried to play fetch, 

Sweet girl to say that we adore you would be an understatement!  I love you sweet girl and I'm sorry that my lap is getting smaller and smaller.  It will get better in a few short weeks.

Love,

momma

New woman... maybe~

Conviction.  It's a strong word, powerful even.  I realized (and it made me sad) that if I were to have a job review of my house, I would be written up, even fired.  Ouch!  I said "no more."  I decided that it's time to change things around here.  To make sure that I send the hubby off to work with a smile on his face.   To greet him and encourage him and send him off better than I found him.  Yesterday was the start... this morning, eggs and toast for breakfast and a cup of joe for the road.

Yesterday's project... the bedroom.  Where the magic happens, or should happen!  This room does not scream "come and rest" and become one!  I can not believe that I'm going to show this, but this is where the romance happens- eek!  It's bad.  Real bad.

Clean clothes that were never put up!

Ugly, just ugly.

My side.

The loot that I found!

So after about an hour or so, this is what came about:

Now there is some romance waiting to happen!

Lastly, if you are my friend on Facebook or know me personally, you know that our pup has been really bad lately and has caused so much stress in our lives.  He gets in the trash and has made so many stains on the carpet!  Long story short, we reintroduced the crate and are not looking back.  If you can not act right, you get the cage!  Life has been so much less stressful in the last 2 days.

Baby loot

Is everyone preggo right now?  Maybe I just notice all the preggo ladies because we all look at each other with the same look "I know you are hot and miserable, at least there is a/c where we are!".

I thought that I would write some of my favorite things that I was given as a new mom, hopefully it will help someone out!
For the newborns:

The one from the hospital is the best

We have this and I LOVE it.  I didn't use it much with AB,
but will get more use out of it with Emma Kate!

I love these diapers, especially for the newborns!

These are the best pacifiers... every baby should use them.
Not only are they great to hush babe, but research shows that it reduces the risk of SIDS!

For the noosing mama, it feels so good!!

And lastly, the best present:

Date night babysitting coupons for the momma!

For babies:

I love this thing!!

Perfect for when you are trying to clean or do something and need babe to stay out of the way!!

Sound machines are great too!  While we try not to have sleeping props at our house, there are 3 things that these parents are okay with:  Lovey's, Paci's and sleep machines :)

Diapers, diapers diapers!!

Have fun and for the love, do not touch that momma's belly!!

 Happy 4th of July, ya'll!

In honor of this holiday, I wanted to give a special thank you to my, oh so hot, husband!  Thank you for serving our country.  Thank you for defending what our fore fathers fought so hard for.  I love listening to your flying stories and your travels that uncle sam took you to.     

                                       

                                              Nicaragua 2009

Thank you for loving me and choosing me to spend the rest of your life with.  I can't imagine doing life with anyone but you.  Thank you for protecting me and making me laugh when I want to cry.  Thank you for your protective heart that I am more and more thankful for every day.  

daddy and Annabelle, the second day at home, Sept. 2010

Thank you for being the father of my children, I couldn't have picked a better dada for them!  Thank you for disciplining our pup when I just want to kick him.  Thank you for encouraging me and supporting my dreams.  I love you!

1% change.. the hard change

So my friend Jessi is doing the 1% change over at her blog... the Robertson's are transitioning into organic eating, slowly but surely.  Tonight was surely.  I'm a city kid, I know it, I claim it and I'm trying to retrain my brain that meat doesn't come from the grocery store, it comes from a farm.  It should come from a good farm at that!

Confession:  I had never cooked a whole chicken until a few weeks ago.  Our sweet farmer friends gave us a chicken as a "thank you" for helping them process their chickens.  I was so grossed out but fulfilled my domestic duty and cooked the darn thing, and it was AWESOME!  Never looked back... until tonight....

Late this afternoon was no different, my chicken sat on the counter from a day of defrosting.  I put it in the dutch oven with all the organic goodness (carrots and new crop potatoes, yes please!).  The sweet chicken lady at the farmers market gave me a 4 lbs chicken and the label said "no gizzards!"  Well, when I cut off the vacuum seal and dropped it in the pot, something loose fell in first, I was so grossed out I didn't fish it out...
Fast forward 4 hours at 350 degrees and that bad boy came out smelling awesome!  We sat down to eat with some friends (thank GOD they were good friends and know this journey to domestic bliss has been a journey).  Frank was the last to sit down.  He started eating and picks up this piece of meat that looks like the end of a red hot dog and says "hey darlin, I have one question, what is this?" as he is poking it.  Our said friends had totally different reactions, the hubby and I were about to start gagging... the wife, she just laughs and starts snorting... in the mean time, Frank is still poking, what we later figure out is part of the liver.

So after some investigation and talk about making some PB&J's for the said friend husband and I, Frank fishes out of the pot, the liver, the neck, the gull bladder and the heart.

Frank and the wife friend are asking my why didn't I fish them out first.  I said that I didn't know you were suppose to... I really didn't!!

More mishaps to come... Enjoy!