My wonderful caretakers!!!

A few weeks ago, I finally decided to go through with Lasik!  Lyndon had it done years ago, but I have always been too nervous.  I found a great doctor here, and now I can't believe I waited so long!  I love the end result, but the drugs they gave me at the clinic to settle me down for the procedure and the sleeping pills afterwards were terrible!  I took the sleeping pill as ordered so I would be out the whole day to give my eyes a chance to heal.  Apparently, the boys decided they needed to do what they could to make me comfortable by bringing in all of their stuffed animals, and I, in my drugged condition, suggested Lyndon take a picture "for the blog"! I obviously was not in my right mind, but I do think it is sweet that the boys were trying very hard to help out!  So, against my better judgement, I decided to post the picture.  I guess it is good that there is a picture, though, as I do not remember ANY of it!!!

Night out with the boys!

We could not have picked a better neighborhood when we moved!  This area of Charlotte is beautiful and full of fun things to do with all of the boys.  On either side of our sub-division there is a cupcake store, four different ice cream shops (notice the chocolate all over Luke), great parks, many choices of kid-friendly eateries, a nice library, ponds where very plump ducks and geese wait patiently for food, and some great areas for the kids to run wild while we enjoy live music and wine! I love that at any time of the day, I can load up the boys and take them no more than a mile in any direction and find something for them to do outside and that cost little or no money!  I could not ask for more!

Just cause!

Tulips are my all time favorite!!! Thank you to my sweet husband!

Flowers!

When we moved here this winter, of course we had no clue how the yard would be come spring and summer.  We loved the house, and that was all that mattered!  However, to our surprise, the previous owners did a beautiful job landscaping and obviously spent an enourmous amount of time (and money) on their yard!  It appears that everything they planted last year survived the snow!  We could not be more thrilled that there are such beautiful flowers popping up all over the yard, something new everyday!  The sad thing is that I have no clue what most are, but we are enjoying them anyway!  Here are a few pics of some of the goodies in our yard!

Playground fun!

The boys and I have really taken advantage of the beautiful weather here and spent as much time outside as possible.  This last week we packed two picnics and spent those afternoons at some nearby parks playing with friends and enjoying a slow lunch!  There is nothing more relaxing for me than sitting on a blanket and watching the boys run wild in a safe, enclosed park! 

Coffeless this morning...

My coffee pot will not work this morning.  I have looked it over, tried to unplug and restart it, messed with the buttons, and it just won't start.  The little light comes on, but that is all it will do.  It was fine yesterday...I am not sure how I am going to even get the boys dressed and in the car to go to Starbucks to get coffee seeing that I really don't function well without a cup in the morning.  I probably should not even drive without it. 
After a few moments of panic followed by anger, I decided I would have to fix some hot tea. Tea does not even begin to replace my Christian Crack topped with Vanilla Caramel cream.  I just hope it gets me through the drive to get something real to drink and then to the store for a new coffee pot!  This is not a great start to my day!  I hope you a wonderful morning!

A Bit Shady!

Luke decided he needed his shades last night for bed!  I did not fight him on it because he is truly the reason I have learned to pick my battles!  I figured he could not hurt himself or his brother, and I honestly thought he would take them off before going to sleep.  But, as you can see, he crashed with them on, and I could not resist taking pics! In a rather rare occurrence, they both went to sleep without getting out of bed, crying or tantrums, and Luke slept through the night!  So, I was feeling pretty good upon waking this morning.  Then within 5 minutes, Logan told a bold-faced lie that ended my serene start.  He made a bit of a mess in the process of going potty, which is no big thing...it happens.  But, he proceeded to tell me that Luke went potty on the floor and on him!  Luke was just standing at the bottom of the stairs looking at me with his giant brown eyes confused.  It took him a bit to admit to the lie, but he came around.  Needless to say, there were consequences for the lie and a discussion about what makes it a lie versus what makes it a fun story.  Later in the day, he told me a very amazing story and made sure to end it with the phrase, "Just joking, Mom"!  Have a blessed day!

On sewing and tantrums!

Well, I finished another sewing project.  My love thinks that I am a huge geek for posting pics of the goodies I make, but truly, I think he is jealous of my blog anyway!  He also thought I was a huge geek for joining Facebook, but now he has almost 1,000 "friends"!  I put it in quotes cause I am not really sure how many of them he really knows...Ok, so my latest project is this really cute bag made of oil cloth.  I LOVE oil cloth.  It is very practical from everything to bags, chair covers (an up and coming project for the dining room) and aprons!  Yes, aprons!  I like aprons cause I am a huge slob in the kitchen, and I use one when sewing to keep my stuff from getting swiped by the 4 little hands that are always hovering close by.  So, I have also included a pic of another very simple project I finished the other day.  It is a cute little deep-pocket sewing apron made from my hoarded, vintage fabric!

On another note, my little one is really trying out his 2-year-old status!  He pretty much has a serious meltdown about 3 to 4 times a day.  These meltdowns are of the screaming, and kicking nature and usually happen when we are in public.  I love the looks I get from people!  Sometimes, I get the sympathetic look from a random woman who has been there and is so grateful that time has passed.  But, mostly, I get dirty looks from people who are able to shop without their kids!!! I simply do not have that luxury!  So, rather than make suggestions as to how I can get control of my kids, please just open the door so I can take him kicking and screaming to the car!  Just sayin'!

Calendar

I finished the calendar today.  Logan loved helping me with it.  It did turn out a little "girly" as my husband said, but it has lots of different shapes, is colorful, and Logan can help me count out the days and learn his days of the week!

Just some sewing!

My mom decided to purge herself of a great deal of vintage fabric!  I was on the receiving end and very excited!!!  I am hoarding it and little by little finding projects worthy of it! So, I thought I would use the time during the kids' nap to put together this niffty skirt from my stash!  Lyndon liked it and thinks that because I sew a little I should not have to shop...he is so funny! I have another one in the works, but I am not sure how it is going to turn out. 

Next project!

Logan is really trying to learn his days of the week and months of the year!  So, I wanted to make a calendar for him with stuff he could move around.  That way, with the start of the new month, he could help me count out the days and put them where they belong.  This is what I have so far.  I am trying to come up with something that is lightweight, will velcro and appealing for him! More on this later...

Yummy!

I thought I would do a special dessert last night just cause!!!  It will require extra time at the gym for me, but it was sooo worth it!!! It is frozen blueberries and raspberries, vanilla pudding and vanilla waffers, very easy to put together. It is a really great spring treat!

Superheros!

Nana sent these really cool capes for the newest superheros!  Now they can fight crime in style! Thanks Nana!!!

Lesson # ???

This morning, I woke up to the boys wrestling in our bed with the dog sprawled out across my feet!  Then before I could even put my feet on the floor, Logan informed me that he accidentally let the dog out.  Now, Maddie, our Australian Shepard does eventually come back, but she is a bit of a menace.  So, it is just best to go get her.  She won't come to you if you chase her, but for some reason, she will jump in the car if she sees you driving.  Lyndon was already running late, so I tried to help by gathering the boys (still in my pj's), putting them in the car and driving to get the dog.  As I was doing all of this, Lyndon calls from the car, he had not even made it out of the neighborhood, and tells me to bring a plastic bag cause the dog has pooped in someone's yard!  So, I find a plastic bag and get the boys in the car. As I get in the car, I see Lyndon with the dog by the collar bringing her back to the house!  He kindly takes the bag to collect the dog poo (I think he saw the way I looked and really did not want the rest of the neighborhood to see what he wakes up to in the morning)! He cleans up the poo, brings it to the house and then tries to leave again.  Then, he calls a bit later to tell me that in all of the chaos, he forgot about 3 things he needs for the day and has to come back home!!!  I guess he made it to work this morning, I have been busy trying to keep chocolate toast off the carpet!  All of this before I had my first cup of Christian Crack (this is what my aunt calls coffee)!  I realize God is truly trying to teach me to slow my roll (He has a funny way of teaching me how to stress less). I have been dealing with this issue since my youngest turned 2!  I am really bad about trying to get everything done on my list for the day knowing very well that with a 2 and 4 year old, it is just not going to happen.  I stress out, feel like an inadequate mother, wife, housekeeper and then end up raising my voice at the boys about little things that really don't matter!!! I just don't want them to remember me this way!  So, I am on a mission to slow down and just learn to take it all in stride...dog poo and all!!! Have a blessed and relaxed day!!!

Easter Morning!

The boys woke to a special surprise from the Easter Bunny, some bug collecting supplies, fun games, swim goggles, and more.  We had a nice, light breakfast consisting of VERY blueberry muffins and fruit and a reading of The Tale of Three Trees!  Of course, Luke inhaled two muffins and a bit of fruit.  Logan ate the fruit and left the muffin.  My kids could not be more opposite when it comes to food!  We then dressed and were off to church! I tried to keep lunch simple today seeing it was only the four of us, but my efforts were sabotaged by Lyndon's constant request...So, we ended up with a Honeybaked Ham, baked veggies topped with olive oil and garlic, homemade mashed potatoes, corn on the cob, and crescent rolls.  This, of course, was way too much food!!! In true fashion, Logan ate enough broccoli, ham and corn for a week, and Luke ate the bread!  The boys (and I) took a short nap and then hunted Easter eggs!  Luke did a pretty good job only stopping twice to eat the candy dropped on the ground!  Logan seemed to be in a huge race against Bubba, who really could have cared less! They found them all (we hope) and then ate their weight in candy!!! What a wonderful day all in all with the kids and husband! We hope everyone had a wonderful Easter with family and/or friends and that today is a day of renewel as we remember God's love for us all!

In Good Easter Tradition!

As luck would have it, a bunny visited our yard this morning!  What great timing as we get ready to celebrate Easter!  I think I also figured out who is responsible for playing havoc with my mulch in the front and back!  He was a little cotton tail and very cute!  Logan was in awe.  Unfortunately, Bubba missed it as he is sleeping off his infection, but we have cute pics, and I suspect we will see him again!!!

Sick Day :-(

Well, we almost made it through the winter (including the move from Little Rock) and the spring without the boys getting sick!  Both boys have nasty allergies, but poor Bubba (Luke) is just prone to sinus infections.  He started with a nasty cough and then it progressed last night to fever and vomiting, a lot of vomiting.  My heart ached for him because he was just so tired.  He finally was able to settle down about midnight and slept on and off through the night.  And, this happened despite the fact that he and Logan are on perscription allergy meds everyday!  I can't imagine how either would feel without them.  Anyway, I hope he gets through this quickly and is back to his old self.  While his daredevil ways tend to exhaust me most days, I sure miss it when he is simply not well enough to hang from the chandelier! Logan, as usual, has been a sweet big brother helping me stay quiet and lights off while his bubba rests and recovers!