"You hot mommy!"

We just recently moved and I have been working non-stop to get everything put away in it's place and decorate. As a result of all of the moving of furniture and running around cleaning that I have been doing, I have been forgoing a shower until later in the day. Recently I needed to run a few errands, so I showered and got all dressed to go. Reese looked at me quizzically and said, "You shower mommy?" as if that was something completely foreign. She then said, "You hot mommy!" I only wish that my husband could be as impressed by the simple feat of taking a shower!

Tender Moments

Reese is such a good big sister and the bond between she and Aidan is more evident every day. There are the simple things that reveal their bond, like her asking about his whereabouts the second she wakes up in the morning and throughout the rest of the day, to her constantly giving him hugs and kisses. Recently, we went to the races and did not have ear plugs for either of the kids. We took turns holding them and covering their ears so that the loud noises from the cars would not hurt their little eardrums. While I was holding Aidan, Reese came up next to me and put her little hands over Aidan's ears to protect him. It was the cutest thing! I teared up immediately! I worried that they would not be as close because they were not the same sex, but so far that does not seem to be an issue!

Since I have not been working since Aidan was born and rarely leave the kids with a sitter, I thought that I would be missing out on those moments when Reese would be really happy to see me, such as when I used to pick her up from daycare after work. Though I rarely get the greeting that I used to get then, both of the kids have become very attached to me. If I go to the bathroom and don't tell Reese, she walks around the house saying, "Where are you mommy?" The only other question she asks just as freuquently is, "Where daddy at?" Randy and I have gotten to where we don't like to do anything without the other parent because Reese is constantly asking where the missing parent is. Though she is very attached to both of us, she does have an independent streak. Recently, while swimming at a hotel pool, Reese was jumping off the edge into the water. I would swim up to the edge so I was close enough to catch her, at which point she held out her hand in a stop signal and would say, "No mommy! Stay back!" She is growing so fast and my heart bursts with pride and sadness at the same time.

Will things ever slow down?!

I have been looking forward to the end of the summer just because I am ready for things to slow down and become a bit more relaxed. That couldn't be farther from what is actually happening! We are booked every weekend through the end of November! There goes fall!

More cute Reesisms

Everbody qweem up!- Somewhere we started singing clean up, clean up as we clean up the toys that we have been playing with. For some reason Reese sounds like she says qweem instead of clean and it is so cute!

That's Aidan- If you ask Reese what her name is she quickly points to Aidan and says "That's Aidan". We haven't decided if she is just a proud big sister or is hoping that somebody will take her little brother so she can be an only child!

I want em- This translates to I want lemonade!

Shocklate milk- chocolate milk

Cubbers- when tucking Reese into bed she always asks for her cubbers (covers).

Kwikwi- her blanket used to be kiki, it is now known as kwikwi

We recently went to a streetfest in our little hometown. They had a band playing and Reese ran around and danced until we dragged her kicking and screaming home to bed! When we returned to the restaurant a few days later Reese pointed and said "I go dancing!"

Wow! What a whirlwind we have been living in! Had move in with my in-laws and were waiting to start building our dream house. Though we had preapproval, everything quickly fell apart! The bank was wanting more and more down from us, for me to get a job and myriad other things that just seemed to be impossible to do right now. (though I have been looking for jobs for several months and actually interviewed for several, I have yet to hear back on any of them!) In my frustration of having no end in sight to living with my in-laws, I encouraged my husband that we should start looking at existing houses that were already on the market. This option is easier as it requires less money down, doesn't have to be dependent on my having a job and much more! We started looking and found many viable options in the area. We contacted a realtor and started looking at houses. Some were really cool, but not really practical for us with 2 young children. Some were so dated and unkept that we would have to completely renovate before moving in, again not the option I was looking for. Finally, after a huge blowup, we skipped out on plans with my family to go to an open house. Randy knew instantly that it was the house! Situated right along the river we have an unobstructed view of the Mississppi from the house and the massive deck all along the front of it. The three car garage was another clincher for him! Inside there are 3 bedrooms and 4 bathrooms! Though the kitchen is very small, it could eventually be expanded into the adjoining sunroom or opened up into the dining room. All of the rooms are neutrally painted, though some of the flooring is not my taste (dark green and red carpeting) it is livable for now until we can afford to make changes. With 2 small children the carpeting will probably be stained and be ready to be replaced before too long anyways! So though I had my heart set on moving into a brand new house with the perfect floor plan and no projects to finish immediately, I am really excited to move into this house and spend the time decorating and making it our own! I can't wait until October 1st!

Reverse Psychology

Though I am very affectionate with the kids, always giving them kisses and hugs, Reese has never been too free with her shows of affection. Though she has come around the opposite way with hugs (she chases me around saying "huggie!" and jumps in my lamp to give me a hug) she still does not like to give out kisses. Well, I found a way around that! Recently she learned that kisses make boo boo's all better and has me kissing her elbows and feet when she takes a fall. All I have to do is tell her that I have a boo boo on my lip and she showers me with kisses to make it better! I love it! Now onto getting her to go on the big girl potty!

Are we happier?

It has been a week and a half since we moved in with my in-laws and things are going pretty well. The greatest perk of moving in with grandma is that Reese sleeps like a champ at her house. I'm not sure if she was getting up in the middle of the night and waking up so early in the morning because she fell out of her big girl bed and thought she should get up or what. She is back to sleeping at a crib here and she sleeps all the way through the night. She also takes a minimum 3 hour nap in the afternoon. She is like a totally different kid! Because she is not tired she is so much less whiny and fun to be around when she is awake! Randy and I were discussing this and he thought that maybe she is happier because we are happier. It is true that the fighting between the two of us has decreased, but I believe that most of that was due to the stress of moving. Our fighting has also decreased because I retreat somewhere out of the way rather than argue with him in front of his family. Anyone that knows me knows that this will not work out for too long because eventually I will get totally fed up and just pick up and take off with the kids or something even more drastic! I need to have a serious discussion with him about my expectations of there is going to be some major drama here soon!