All about boys

So, while roaming the internet for more crafty ideas that I may SOMEDAY get too, I stumbled across a novel idea....how 'bout an entire month of nothing but boy-themed crafts and ideas? Nothing I've ever seen before! So make sure to check out this blogspot all this month for the cutest little men in our lives..

Sidney and the raisins: A play in one act

(Momma, thumping downstairs only to find Sidney has flung a million raisins all over the floor)

Mom- SIDNEY! What have you done?! Pick up those raisins!

Sidney- Huh? Raisins? Hi Momma!

Mom- Get off the chair and pick up those raisins you flung about like some wild monkey

Sidney- NOOOOoooooo Momma!! Sidney no want it!
Mom- You will not get lunch until you pick up those raisins!

Sidney- (Grabs the plastic bag and very begrudgingly bends over to pick up the offending raisins who MUST have grown wings and flung themselves all over creation)

Mom- (Goes into bedroom to fetch a wakeful and hungry Phia- comes out to find no raisins have been picked up but that little boy is now running back and forth THRU raisins making delightfully sticky pancakes out of the raisins on the carpet). SIDNEY!!!! I told you to PICK UP raisins! Now, you STOP running and PICK UP THOSE RAISINS!!!!

Sidney- NOOOOOooooooooo Momma! Natty raisins! Look! No want it! Phia, you do it!

Mom- No Sidney, YOU do it. Pick up those raisins or else no lunch and straight to bed with you.

Sidney- (Again kneels to pick up the flattened dried bits, plunking a few into the bag before getting distracted with the raisin that fell into the chair. After some grunting and other unidentifiable noises, he extracts a mashed raisin that has picked up some chair lint as well. This, he shows with great interest to Momma who is now overseeing Phia eat her first PB&J) LOOk Momma! Natty raisin!

Mom- That’s nice, now pick up all the other ones on the floor so you can eat lunch.

Sidney- Wow momma, raisins…LOOK! Raisin!

Mom- yeah, nice…PICK THEM UP!

* This banter continues for about 5 minutes; Phia is happy with her newfound treat, Momma babbles on and on about picking up raisins and Sidney piddles around, picking up raisins at about 1 per minute.*

Sidney- OH! Raisins! Momma, look! Raisins! Where are dey? Phia, stop! No nap, Sidney. Raisin? Momma, look! Hair! Ew, raisin…natty raisin.

Mom- Are you done? Have you picked them all up? OK, here’s some cheese. Where’s the bag? Get the bag of raisins Sidney so Momma can throw them out….Sidney, where did you PUT all the raisins? Where are they?

Sidney- Raisin!

* Momma discovers a half full bag of raisins…where are the rest? In the doll house!

What I did on Christmas "break"

So, NOW I can post these for all to see because earlier, it would have ruined Christmas present surprises! And just a note, everything truly was made by me except for the jean jacket...I think I got that at a yard sale for a buck a few years ago...now you know the truth Nichole!
So, I made 9 rice therapy bags, 6 sets of potholders, one flannel blankie for Phia, one fabric book, 2 chair organizers for Cal & Sid's dad, one tota for Sara, a pillowcase for Sidney and the beaded jean jacket for Shaylee.

Here's the back detail of the jacket...

I made enough to give every girl in the family a set of potholders...got the patterns off the internet and had a blast making them all!

I also started sewing Hannas's QUEEN sized quilt top but didn't get it finished so it'll hafta be a birthday present this year. It was great to get my craft on although I spent just as much time holed up with my sewing machine like I did with my school work so family time was scant again. But, we saved alot of $$ and everyone seemed to appreciate their useful gifts. Forgot how nice it was to craft! And speaking of crafting, check out some of the blogs I follow...it'll get your creative juices flowing!

Really, I should be studying...

Well, the holidays certainly came and went quickly for us! It was great to have such a nice long break from school, but the insanity required upon return...*SIGH* Things have been snapping along so quickly that I haven't even had time to FIND the camera to get all the Christmas pics off it so for now, I'm just gonna post some more recent pics of the kids and such.
Here are two lovely large mouth bass, ready for the broiler...

Rachel and I made a cupcake rainbow for Phia's first birthday in November...Phia actually slept thru her official birthday dinner so we saved the cupcakes for the next day. She wasn't interested in it at all! Just kinda stared at it and poked her finger in the frosting a bit and that was that. Maybe next year she'll be more in to it!

Here's Gramma and Sidney at Rachel & Brian's...Mom has a better picture she sent me when she was trying to get into his neck and tickle...he LOVED it! Oh, and he also got a pair of green camo rain boots for saying "Hi Gramma! Love you!" on the phone...Mom has this deal that when the grandkids say Gramma to her for the first time, they get a pair of red boots. But Sidney got the green camo ones and they are CUTE! When we opened them, he slipped them on (amazingly, on the right feet too!) and stomped around in his diaper butt.

Sidney loves to take his own pictures when he gets a hold of the camera...I usually wind up erasing a ton of butt, ceiling, foot and carpet shots. But he DID get this cute pic of Phia, complete with illegal possession of contraband...she looks guilty already, doesn't she?

And we did try to get the kids and Santa together this year but they BOTH wailed and arched their way off his lap 2 seconds after being seated. Daddy had to intervene and so we wound up with this weird shot of daddy holding two dubious kids and Santa trying to fit his jolly red self into the pic...ah, memories, huh??

Both the kids are doing well and thriving...also, they are each developing more of their personalities which is fascinating to watch but extremely frustrating to deal with. Sidney, although I adore him infinitely, can be the most obnoxious and irritating whiner, one fatal character flaw I despise. It takes A LOT of patience and self-control on my part to contain my own temper and not want to beat the living daylights out of him. I'd say that right now, that is my biggest challenge with Sidney,the persistent whining, flailing and general fuss he puts out when he isn't getting his own way. Every day I learn some new little trick to either redirect his attention or to control myself...parenthood teaches ME so many things! Time outs seem to work well, he has strict nap and bedtimes which I'm HOPING will improve his mood as well, lots of activities like coloring, drawing, puzzles, cars, and chasing around the house. It's been so cold (no snow though...what's up with that??) that we've been cooped up alot so I do try to get him involved in play groups, story times at the library, and frequent visits to Gramma and Granpa Gaertner. He is also talking more and more each week, more of which we can understand. He is in LOVE with Wall-E, Bolt and Elmo as well as all the cute little dump trucks he got at Christmas. He still hasn't really clicked with Phia although a few nights ago, both of them pretended to feed us from plates...it was VERY cute! He is also trying to help more and more...he can put his own shirt on, get shoes for everyone, throw trash out, pick up things, carry groceries in, and even gets the key into the door lock! He really is a sweet and cuddly boy and we adore him!

Phia is morphing into a truly FUNNY girl...she has this head-tilt cute-face thing going on that just makes me laugh out loud. She also covers her eyes with the backs of her hands when she KNOWS she has been caught doing something wrong like getting into the trash (one of her FAVORITE things to do!), yanking Sidney's pants down when he tries to steal a toy from her, or pitching her own little baby fits. Phia likes to throw herself on the floor and arch around like a fish out of water for her fits...she usually gets a whop on her diaper butt and "NO FITS!" from Daddy, then her WHOLE world comes crashing down and she wants Daddy to pick her up and hold her. She is a cuddle bug too but only when you pick her up...she likes to lay on your shoulder and snuggle into your neck with the back of her head. She does NOT like to sleep with anyone however...it's torture for both parties. She doesn't scream as much as she used to, but she is still quite vocal and says "hiiiiiii", and has started saying "GUH!" for good. She is starting to fight back when Sidney picks on her, loves stairs, HATES shoes and socks, snow and cold, LOVES her bears and dolly, sucks her thumb, and brings a lot of joy to our lives. I couldn't imagine life without my Phia-chan.

Sid and I are just kinda puttin' along...he's still trying to find some sort of full-time permament work but watch, it'll happen two months before I graduate! He still works at the juvey and got a lot of hours in over Christmas break. We always manage to survive every month, so we don't stress out too much about that....I do LOTS of storage stuff (food and non-food) so not only do we save money, but we have lots of the essentials to last us for 6-12 months. He is also pretty much a full-time stay-at-home dad which I know is a HARD job! But it works for us, and I think the kids are only benefiting from having Daddy here a lot, especially for Sidney as him and Sid are so similar sometimes, it's scary.

Nursing school is INTENSE, and that's putting it mildly! I love it though...the first time I feel truly challenged by my education. I'm making some great friends, namely my life partner Denise and my school husband Justin...and I'll have you know that SID came up with those not me!! It really is crazy how much time I spend with my classmates rather than my own family, but my only consolation is that it will be worth it in the end and they are the reason I am doing this. And on that school note, I really should be getting to some schoolwork for tests and papers due in a few days...I hadn't really meant to ramble on so long!

Jsut a few notes: please keep my Gramma Libby in your thoughts and prayers...apparently, she fell at a theatre last week, admitted to the hospital becuase the bruises were hard (NOT normal!) and THEN, developed a DVT (deep vein thrombosis= clot in a vein in her leg) and it somehow dislodged and went to her lungs so she had a pulmonary embolism. I'm worried but unable to do anything as she lives in California. Also, keep my Aunt Ruth and Aunt Laura in your thoughts and prayers...Aunt Ruth just seems to be having more and more health issues and the outcome doesn't look very shiny. PLUS, Aunt Laura was t-boned and her car is a total loss, she's losing money from work although the good thing is that she was not seriously injured, only just sore and shaken. There have also been some seriously scary events right here on my street in Ephrata...Christmas night some guy named Hector was arrested outside my back door for pulling a knife on someone and then throwing said implement in MY back yard. And then a few days later, a guy that Sid went to high school with was murdered a block and half down on OUR street and from what I've heard/read, there are no suspects. You guys know I'm not a worrier or drama queen, but these events have wigged me out and we are taking steps to protect our family and home since moving isn't really an option at this stage of the game. *SIGH* Gosh, I hope the rest of the year quiets down! And I hope that 2010 finds much peace, joy, love and meaningful moments for you!

Halloween fun!

Halloween 2009, Sidney and Phia are dragons this year. Sid has started calling Phia "bangs" cuz it seems they have just sprouted over night into her eyes. Sidney made out like a bandit and came home with an over full pumpkin AND stomach...that boy has a sweet tooth the size of his head!
Sidney did NOT want to stick his hand into the pumpkin to get the seeds out. The spoon didn't work to well either so we ended up doing ALL the work!
Here's our masterpieces...Sid did the upside down face, Sidney is next, Phia's had hearts and mine was supposed to be a bat. Sidney wasn't too sure about the scary pumpkins!
Baby dragons still hafta ride in car seats between trick-r-treat adventures!

Went trick-r-treating with Gabriel and his Momma and family on his block...got a whole bucketful just from ONE block! That's me trying to hold the candy monster at bay...
And here is the baby dragon in her ride...no, she did not eat Sunshine Bear for dinner!

We hope everyone had a safe and Happy Halloween! Until next year...

Since it's been 3 months since my last post...

OK, so the excuse is a really hectic schedule since nursing school started! I really should be doing homework, but I just HAD to update my blog TODAY! Here's a little a dis and a little a dat of our lives...
Phia has turned into our little thumb sucker. Kinda odd considering I was not a thumb sucker, Sid wasn't and Sidney wasn't either. Right now though, she is AWFULLY cute suckin' on that thumb! I may have different ideas if she keeps it up for years and years...

Here, Sidney thinks he is hiding from us...

We went to the Yakima County Fair in September for Hannah's THIRD birthday....it was a L-O-N-G and HOT day for all but well worth the drive.

In August, Josh and Nichole and their kids (notice it is plural now!) and our family took over Gramma and Granpa Gaertner's house for some pics and food. This was the best shot we could get of all the Gaertner cousins in one spot! No, Phia is not drunk, Aiden did NOT let go of his lovey, Shaylee did make it out alive and I do believe Sidney is pointing out a dirty diaper. This is something we are going to try and do every time we are together, take a picture of all the kids in one spot!

We took the kids to a corn maze outside of Quincy a few weeks ago and Sidney LOVED....the dirt! He had a blast chasing and being chased thru the corn. Phia was sucking her thumb and falling asleep by the end of our time there. It was great! I'm totally loving all the fun things we are able to do, especially the older Sidney is getting. And Phia is such a trooper and ADORES her big brother!

Sidney put a remote in the microwave and started it on fire...fortunately, I remembered that baking soda puts out flames on the stove, so why not a microwave?? I have a shiney new microwave now and did you know they DO make them with lock-out features for kids such as my little pyro?? It kinda works like locking your cell phone from accidental 911 "butt" calls...

Well, I can't seem to post anymore videos or pics at the moment so I'd better post before I lose it all! Check back again soon for more goodies! Love to all our family and friends...ya know who you are and we miss you lots!

Just a cute video of Sidney feeding Phia...and yes, he is wearing a bib! He put that on by himself...I guess for added protection??