The Secret Weapon

For your listening pleasure....

*Someone took this video of Gary playing one night and I HAD to share :)

Dancing Queen

So, here is the proof that I know you have all been sitting on the edges of your seats waiting for....our little Dancing Queen!

I think that my favorite part is when she starts to get a little weirded out by the line dancing of eveyone and has to take a breather...only to jump right back in-my kind of girl.

Enjoy

All she wants to do is...DANCE, DANCE, DANCE

This weekend we had a wedding for Gary's cousin. We had a good time, but Brooke had THE BEST time of her life. I had been talking to her about the wedding-the cake, the music, the standard wedding convo. She was SO excited when we got there. I assumed it was cake excitement. I was wrong. She wanted to dance-and dance she did...till we dragged her home (much to her dismay) past 9:00. I cannot wait to watch her 'perform' at the upcoming weddings this summer/fall!!

Dad and his ladies

She was showing some moves I had never seen...girl has rhythm..and a whole lot of Johnson in her :)

All alone on the dance floor...how I know that feeling Brooke...

Beginning to show a little leg??
Time to go home...

*kicking and screaming ensued, "but I just want to dance mommy!!!"

Video in next post...get excited.

Friday Photos

It has been awhile since I have devoted a post to pics...so enjoy on your Friday!

Lake Baby
*Photo courtesy of M Photog :)

"What, did you want me to stand up?"

Just a 6 month old crawling around the room-no big thing

Cousins in the pool!!

Finishing off the day with a little watermelon

Brooke's first try of WM.
I think that she like it...after her 2nd change of clothing...

Moving on Up

I walked at 9 months...
Brooke walked at 10 months...


At 6.5 months...I think that Caroline might pass us both by...

Potty?? No problem.

I cannot tell you how happy I am that I we listened to the advice of friends (you know who you are!) and jumped into this world of potty training. I was so scared that it wouldn't work or it would be too hard. I was afraid we were in for TONS of accidents...and I have enough stains from Caroline to keep my carpet cleaner busy for a long time.

I was wrong.
Our friends were right.

There were a couple of hard days with some accidents. But, those accidents...there were about four. Then, it was as if it clicked. She totally 'got it.' The next thing I knew Brooke would stop what she was doing and head to the bathroom. A few minutes later, she would come out SO PROUD of herself!! She was a big girl and she knew it.

I even got a little nervous when we went to Gary's parents to celebrate Father's Day. We were just getting the hang of going potty at home and I thought for sure we were in for a few hours of accidents. Again...Brooke proved us all wrong. Pottying at Grandmas...no problem.

It has been about a week now since we started this journey and she is accident free. We haven't gone to a store yet, but that is next. She will not even put a pull up on if you were to ask her. She is 'totally over' diapers.

Gary and I couldn't be more proud. Who would have thought five years ago that the highlight of my day would be hanging out in the bathroom with my daughter?? Well...it totally is :)

Germ Zone

I have never been one to freak out over germs-at all.

Kiddo drops her pacifier?

No problem. Pick it up, stick in mom's mouth and back into babes.

Don't judge.

The issue is resolved, the tears are gone and the day moves on.


Cleaning my kids toys?

Yeah...I have the 'all natural' spray. Sure...I have used it.

In all honestly though, I think that the bottle may get more dust before the toys.


Ever use the old lick of the finger, scratch on the face to get that last little bit of food off your child's cheek? I do.

Did it today in fact.


It doesn't freak me out. I don't want little things like that to worry my girls either. In fact, lets call it all natural parenting. I guess I am saving the world by not using a disposable pacifier wipe every time one gets dropped on the ground.

I could go on and on, but...I must go....my youngest is currently trying to fit her dad's entire shoe in her mouth and who knows how 'germy' that could be...

**Side note: we are VERY into one germ-free task
hand washing. So, not to fear, I am not potty-training
my daughter without that rule in place and guess what...
she loves it. Can't get her out of that freaking sink....**

Happy Fathers Day!

To Gary...

Love, Us.

a BOB hunt

Ever since I laid eyes on a friends BOB I have been longing for one of my own. For you non-parents out there, you may be wondering, "What the heck is a BOB?" Oh...just wait until you have little ones of your own. It is 'the' stroller. The one that everyone wants, but most don't have. It has a hefty price tag ($299 for the Sport Utility and the Revolution $390) but, from what the owners tell me, it is sooo worth it.

Thus the hunt began for my very own BOB. I really wanted the Revolution. It is great to run with and has a front wheel that can rotate or lock into place if your going for a run. These are hard to find (non-brand new). I had been stalking Craigs List for weeks. The second that one went up...it was gone immediately. Even though I wanted a single, I even started going for doubles. I was desperate.

I decided I would broaden my horizon outside of my local area. I would search our entire state. It would be worth the drive right?? No luck. Then it dawned on me. My sister lives in a different state. Maybe people there are selling BOB's like crazy!! The hunt continued. Then one morning, early this week, she appeared. A Sport Utility, Pacific Blue, BOB. No, it wasn't the Revolution, but it was my next favorite. She doesn't have the front rotating wheel, but I am determined to make it work. She will work great for running and I will figure the rest out later-I was excited.

Then the bad news. The listing was 45 minutes away from my sister (who happens to be slammed at work and have a best friend getting married this weekend). There was no way she could swing it-even with her favorite sister wanting it so terribly. Oh well. I was bummed, but understood. I let the seller know to keep the stroller listed. She replied that she would be happy to hold the stroller for me until my sister had some time, but also wanted to let me know that the city she had listed it in was actually not where she lived-just the closest large city to her home. Then she typed the most wonderful thing....her hometown was exactly where my sister (and parents) were staying this weekend for previously mentioned BFF wedding.

I'm sorry what?? Can you say FATE! This BOB was meant for me...and Caroline. All it would take is the help of some fabulous parents and a very nice sister. Luckily, they jumped on board. The next thing I knew, my mom was waiting in a hotel parking-lot hundreds of miles away from home-picking up my new BOB stroller (did I mention the previous owner purchased it this past May?? It has only been used 3 times!!).

I am so excited for her to arrive home on Sunday. I may even be waiting at my parents house.

My next search (which will probably be purchased brand new, but one can always hope for a deal) will be a new camera. An SLR has been on my mind/wish list for awhile...and someone has a birthday coming up....It will also fit way better in my parents car when I send them to Florida to pick it up.

Make Way for Noddy...Noddy!!

So, Caroline has a slight obsession. By slight I mean intensely huge. Unless you have children who love PBS, I am sure that you have never heard of this program, but for those that do...Caroline has a crush on Noddy. Noddy has friends like Tessy Bear, Sly & Gobbo the 'mean' gremlins and my favorite-Big Ears. The whole gang sings amazing songs like, "Google Berry Pie" that Caroline simple adores. I am not kidding about this obsession either. If she is in her jumper, turned completely away from the TV and Noddy comes on, she will turn her head (the body will come later) in order to see her BFF. She laughs the entire time-it really is entertaining to watch her. I have shared this 'secret' with our babysitters who also see it as an a amazing tool. If you need a quick 30 minutes to get anything done-Noddy never fails. Caroline is screaming and your not sure why...Noddy to the rescue. Thank you Noddy. I am sure you will not be around forever, but for now-we love you.

Potty Time

This past weekend Brooke was hanging out with some friends that are totally potty trained. There were no diapers no peeing through the sheets at night-it was pure freedom. Gary and I had some major jealousy going on.

So today became the day. Clothes off (waist down of course) and if you had to go potty to the bathroom you went. I had some doubts. I figured that she would just go wherever she was standing/sitting/etc and then let me know I needed to clean it up (as she has done in the past when I have put on big girl underwear and tried to potty train). Surprisingly...this was not the case. As soon as she had to go...she informed me and then headed to the bathroom. When she got there....wait for it...she went to the bathroom....on the potty.

All.Day.Long.

The only time that she didn't go on the potty was when we left the house for the day and she had a diaper on (I wasn't ready for a diaper-less store trip just yet).

What do you do when you go to the bathroom on the potty all day long?? Call you entire family-obviously. First she called her dad, then Grandpa Johnson, followed by Grandma Mary Anne and then onto Maggie. We tried to call Tracie but she didn't answer. She was so proud of herself....and so are Gary and I. Let's hope it keeps up!

Have any of you tried this method? If so, when do you put the big girl underwear back on? Not giving up now...diaper free world here we come!

ENT

Off to the ENT (Ears, Nose and Throat in case you needed it) June 30th. This weekend, we enjoyed fabulous weekend with friends at the lake. Sprinkled amongst the fun were around 5-7 nosebleeds....I lost count after bleed #3. They started the first night I took the girls out there (all along I may add-brave huh?) and continued until Sunday. Some were worse then others, but even yesterday afternoon we had a 10 second nose bleed. I finally called the doctor yesterday and he recommended taking Brooke in to an ENT to see what they thought. The earliest that they could get her in was 6/30 and I figured not too much would change between now and then..except more and more laundry.

Anyone else have experience with repeat bloody noses?
I have mastered the art of getting the stains out of sheets, carpet, etc...but pillows?? Now that I know you can wash pillows in the washing machine (what you can learn on a weekend at the lake) I tried that method to get the stain out of Brooke's pillow but no luck-any suggestions??

Pro-Shots

A few weekends ago, Gary and I took the girls to meet a new friend of ours, Melissa Fan with Serendipity Photography. She took some awesome and beautiful pictures of our girls and we cannot thank her enough!! Brooke, of course, was in no mood to be photographed...especially with a park within her sight! I still think that we still got some pretty good pictures of Brooke and Caroline, well, lets just say she rocked it.

I'm sorry, but come on-deliciously cute right??

"Do you want me to pose like this?"

Closest to a sister shot, and I am not going to lie...I really like it!

PS-Melissa is offering an AMAZING promotion through July. Her photo sessions are 50% off!!! You cannot beat a deal like this!! She is also TONS of fun and totally 'gets' the kiddos :) Go to her website here and let her know we sent ya!!

Mommy Moments

Sometimes as moms, I think that we beat ourselves up about not being the 'best' mom that we can be. Maybe we got frustrated when the little one spilt their milk. Maybe it was a bed time that took over an hour. Perhaps it was grabbing that much desired babysitter for the evening out, only to not be on our 'A' game the next day-one (ok...two...maybe...three) glasses of wine makes going to the park a bit exhausting sounding the next day. Whatever the reason, I think that we guilt trip ourselves into thinking that there is a better-more superior-mom that our kids would prefer to have as their #1 gal.

Then it clicks.

There is no 'perfect' mom. We just do the best that we can...day in, day out...tired or not...loving our kids knowing that they love us too..just.as.we.are.

My moment today? Bedtime. Conversation went as follows.

Me: Ok Brooke, time for bed...do not get out of bed as soon as I leave all right?
Brooke: Ok. Wait-lay with me just one second mom.

I lay with her...for just one second :)

Brooke: I love you mom. And I love our dad (our dad??!). And I really love Caroline.
Me: Thanks Brooke. I love you too :)
Brooke: Ok-you can go now. Night.

(only biking for a moment...we having gotten our matching princess bike helmet yet)

Just thrilled to be on a walk and that mom didn't put my hair in a ponytail again

Loving bath time-cries when it is time to get out :)

That's an "I love you" face is it not??
Or maybe she has soap in her eyes..not sure

And the winner is...

Homemade Pie

When I got home from work today, Brooke and I made a cherry pie to make for our neighbors that gave us the awesome toys last week. We stalked their house until we knew they were home and then the three of us girls headed over...warm pie in (oven mitted) hands.

Impressed?

Suburbia Kelly at her best...
Come by anytime...

Six Months!!

Caroline is six months old!!

Hard to believe huh?

She is a busy, busy girl. No longer will she sit still and hang out-just taking it all in. Girls is on the move!! She wants to stand, then roll, followed by more standing, more rolling and hey-why not throw in a "up on all fours ready to crawl at any minute pose?" I am giving her two more weeks and I think that we will have an official crawler on our hands...and we will be back to the days of baby proofing.

Girl loves her baby food...and bottles...and staring at anything and everything that the general public is eating. So much with the concern of her not being able to gain any weight in those early days! She has caught up...and then some. I switched it up for C and have been going Organic. After I heard about the 'dirty dozen' (I know-way late in the game) I thought I would give it a shot...unless it is over $1.00 (at my local grocery store) or if I know it is a flavor that she just loves, we have been going this route.

No one loves a bouncer more then Caroline. She could hang for hours-especially if Brooke is nearby or Mom/Dad has turned Noddy on. God Bless Noddy.

Caroline also loves the sound of her own voice. Let's be honest-what member of my family (much to Gary's dismay) doesn't?? She could chat and gab all day long-specifically to Brooke. She has a TON to tell her!

If you have ever been around Caroline then you know she is the happiest/slimiest baby around. My first born was a serious girl. People would comment all the time that Brooke was just an 'observer' taking it all in...and judging (I am the only one that said that..it is totally trued). Not Caroline. She is ecstatic to wake up in the morning-HUGE grin...it will make your day. Walk into the room and say "hi"...she is pumped...similes everywhere!!!

Clothes = filthy.

I really have not bought Caroline any clothes. She and Brooke were born in the same season so we re-use. If we were to ever have another girl-same season or not-we would have some shopping to do. Caroline's clothes are covered in all the colors of the rainbow. I have invested in some really good stain remover (that you leave on for 1 hour up to 7 days...whoa time range..) and it seems to be helping...but this girl can spit!

And we finally have sleep. Caroline has finally taken to a going to bed at 7:00 and sleeping until 7:00. There is an occasional wake up (but only one as opposed to her 3 / 4 she was rocking not too long ago) and it is a quick settle down.

Onto the stats, per her doctors appointment today








Height: 27.5 inches (95%)
Weight: 20.3 lbs (un-chartable...wow huh?)

If we were comparing to Brooke at 6 months here are her stats








Height: 25.5 inches
Weight: 17.5 lbs










But, we do not compare. (Except for the fact that Caroline's hair looks WAY better then Brooke's did at 6 months!). What we do know is that we have a fabulously happy child that it in the 9 month range for skills and that we adore so much more then I can put in to type :)

flattery gets you everywhere

Today while at work, I had a customer come in that happened to belong to the same parish as my in-laws. I struck up a conversation with her which led to her asking me who my in-laws were. When I informed her that they were the Flemings, she was excited to let me know that she absolutely knew them and that they used to do some of the same marriage programs together! She then turned to her 8th grade daughter (and the daughters friend) and said, "You know girls, those Fleming boys were always extremely handsome." My sister, who also happened to be working today couldn't contain the laugh that immediately came out. The customer then said to her, "Well, don't you think so?"

Awkward....for Maggie...but she did agree.

Well, you know that they say, the customer is always right :)

Hand Me Downs

I love re-sale shops.

Garage sales are my friends.

This week, I found some great buys at the local Once Upon a Child and my kids thought is was Christmas! Why buy retail again?

Purchase #1: New Exersaucer

Caroline litteraly wore the first one out. She some how managed to pull out one of the arms and is is no longer enjoyable for her. A new one of these babies will set you back $70-$80...not in this household...$35.00 and proud!

Purchase #2: Disney Princess Bike

Brooke has been asking for a bike ever since we moved into the new house. All of the other kids have bikes (and helmets..she is asking for one of those too) and she always wants to go ride with them. I scored one of these at the resale shop for $18.00!! New Princess bike..around $75.00...Yeah for ME!



Onto HUGE score session Numero Duo

I was chatting it up with my neighborhood mom friend telling her that I was planning on going to our parish's humongous garage sale this weekend. You see, I have gone to this garage sale for the last few years with my mom and sister and.it.rocks. My new gal-pal said she was actually giving some of her kids old toys to the sale and I could have some things if I'd like....like??? How about L.O.V.E

Item #1: Eric Carle "Polar Bear, Polar Bear" stacking blocks.

While this may mean nothing to some of you, it just so happens to be Brooke's favorite author (and book) made into blocks. Let's just say she was so thrilled.

Item #2: Soft Shapes Book

We actually do not have any of these books and Caroline took an immediate liking to them! She was pulling out the different pictures, fascinated by the colors-totally enamored.






Item #3: Rody

Have any of you ever checked these babies out? One of our friends has a couple of these and Brooke always LOVED them. I priced them out a the store and they were a bit steep for my wallet at around $50.00 or so....our purchase price...$0.00 Our neighbor was generous enough to let Brooke have their Rody since the no longer use it! Her face lit up and Rody has slept in her room (on the floor at least) for the last two nights :)

Item #4: Floppy Seat Cover

Other great hand me down from my neighbor! You would think that I would have had one of these with Brooke, but I didn't and had never gotten around to getting one with Caroline. I am actually looking forward to our next grocery store trip to try it out! Weird right??

Item #4: Block Sorter

Again, kind of a standard in the toy department, but one that we never had with Brooke. Although Brooke is now a bit too old for this toy, she was still pumped that we had something new and interesting in the house. Caroline loves to chew on the shapes and I know she will grow into it.


What an amazing neighbor right??

So, here is the question for you readers-how does one thank such a generous and thoughtful neighbor? I want to give something back, but not sure what. I am sure she doesn't want too many things around her house-she was donating to the garage sale after all!! I was thinking baked goods...I am now the proud creator of a mean cherry pie....what do you think??

Door Bell Ditched

Who-seriously-door bell ditches? I mean, how is that entertaining? Let's see...so you ring someones door bell, run away, they answer...no one is there and laughter ensues?? Not sure that I get it.

All I know is that I did get door bell ditched this week and it Pissed.Me.Off. You know what is really 'un-funny' about this past time? Having a five month old that is teething (insert screaming, tears and only wanting to be held) and a two year old that is fascinated with answering the door no matter who it could possibly be.

After I had gotten up not one, but two times in a matter of 20 minutes to answer the door to no one I decided to hide next to my front door with Caroline and wait for the punks to return. What was I going to do you ask? Give them a piece of my mind....AND...tell their parents b/c now that I live in suburbia I am totally going to act like one of 'those' moms (aka. just like Etta J).

So, who were the culprits you ask?? That is yet to be confirmed, but I do have my suspicions. As I was portraying my best Benson/Stabler stakeout, I realized that there were two Tweens hanging out directly across the street from my house. See, I live across from the neighborhood pool and tennis courts. Apparently, that is where kids-young and in love-like to hang out, make out, and door bell ditch. I cannot be positive as I have no evidence. But, as I moved outside to sit on my front porch to stare them down...they did look at me with a little fear (at least I thought they did). All I'm saying is that after sitting outside for a good ten minutes there was no more ringing of the door bell. Me intimidating?? Maybe.

Don't Mess.

UPDATE: I was wrong. Difficult to admit, but the truth. It was not the make-out Tweens. We got ditched again and they were not in the vicinity. So, now they think that I am a totally creepy neighbor who likes to watch young ins make-out. Lovely.

UPDATE #2: Yet again the ditcher graces us with his presence. Now I am just super annoyed. This ditching session occurred during a cry fit where Brooke proceeded to tell me that it had to be a monster doing this. After staking out the scene for a good ten minutes, I determined that it was the 4th grader two houses down. It was the only garage open and I had seen him running in close range to our front door on multiple occasions....now to catch him in the act...

UPDATE #3: So I went all 'suburban mom' and chatted with a local neighbor last night about my doorbell dilemma. Turns out, I was totally right. I guess this is some game that has been going on for awhile now and we are not the only targets. Sometimes it escalates to throwing fruit, though. If that is the case, we may have a problem :) The story is that this tween thinks it is pretty funny and does not do it to cause harm. He thinks that it gives people a pretty good laugh. I just don't think it is funny to a mom that has two under three and is constantly running back and forth to the door....always at dinner/nap/bath time. They are going to let him know my house is off-limits.

First Suburban Situations = Solved...unless there is fruit :)

Birthday Weekend

Friday, the Flemings (+ Maggie) all got together to celebrate Tom & Gary's birthdays. We hosted at our house and had a great time! I took my first go at making a cherry pie for my father-in-law (off of my Grandma Buchheit's recipe) and it went over great! The girls had a great time playing with their cousin Caden...but no one had a better time that Caroline!!

She was so excited when he came over-she wanted to hold his hand right away.

I think that she wanted to keep him.
What is up with the leg/thigh grab?

"I am so excited that Caden came to play!!"

Birthday Boys.

Brooke pretty much boycotted family pictures on birthday night.
Here is a shot of her in her 1980's hot pants on a family walk later on in the weekend :)