Mommy's Potpourri

Today was a good day. Tough, because Anthony woke up around 5:30 this morning again, and did not nap today. But he should sleep really well tonight, so I am not worried. It is situations like this that I really appreciate being a stay at home mom.  Our schedule is so  flexible. I cannot imagine the stress of having to wake up at a certain time every day and be out the door no matter how much sleep the kids got the night before, etc. So anyway, today was Anthony's 2 year check up. He weighs in at 28.6lbs, and is 34 inches long. Still a peanut, but following his curve very well. We also got the allergy tests back and it confirmed that he is allergic to eggs, all nuts, and all seafood. Poor kid! Thankfully, we now have an epi-pen, and we were referred to an allergist. I am so glad we are getting all this out in the open, instead of being scared to introduce him to new foods for fear of an allergic reaction. All in all it was a really great appointment. I just love our pediatrician.

This past few days held a lot for us. We started potty training. I would say we are sort of loosely doing potty training right now. He is peeing in the potty but I don't think he knows how to hold his pee, or tell us when he needs to go yet. But peeing in the potty is a great start! :) Yesterday Anthony officially turned 2 years old. He is such a big boy, I cannot believe how quickly time is flying even though our days together seem long. For his birthday I made eggless strawberry cupcakes with homemade strawberry icing, and they turned out pretty yummy. They seem more muffin-like than cupcake-like though... but still they are delicious. Anthony loved the batter and the icing. I let him eat so much of it, that I didn't even end up giving him a cupcake yesterday. haha. Today he will have one though.  Also this past week we have become acquainted with the spider that lives outside of my husband and I's bedroom window. We named her Brenda, and my brother tells me she is a

Sleeping in the big boy bed gives a lot of freedom to an almost-2-year-old. He can wake up in the middle of the night and climb in to bed with mom and dad. He can quietly play with his toys as long as he doesn't wake anyone up in the process. He can find a crayon and color all over his mirror. He can do (and has done) all of these wonderful things. Today he found something new to do! I was falling back asleep after feeding Lukie around 6 this morning, when I hear the "creeeeek" of his bedroom door. I wait for him to come in to our room, which is what he normally does when he wakes up in the morning. Instead of the sound of our bedroom door opening, I hear a louder "CREEEEK" .  I fly out of bed thinking he had gotten in to the dishwasher, which I had not unloaded yet from the night before. All I can think of is stopping him from getting to the huge knife sitting in there. As I get to the kitchen, I am relieved to see that he is not in the dishwasher. Instea

Anthony only likes apples because it is an edible ball. He takes a few bites, then rolls it across the floor, takes a few more bites and repeats the process. I would stop him if I didn't find it so hilarious and adorable.

I just love teaching Anthony. I am sure I will enjoy teaching Luke as well, but Anthony is at an age where he can communicate well enough that you can measure what he is learning. I think the most important thing to do is to instill a love for learning. We read books all the time, and I try to allow Anthony to explore his surroundings, and (safely) follow through with his curiosities. Discovering and learning new things can be so much fun, even when it is messy, loud, and repetitive. A lot of times when I feel myself getting uptight about him making a mess, or getting dirty, or banging pots and pans together, I remember that he is really discovering this stuff for the first time. It is all brand new to him, so I should relax and let him have some fun. Safe fun, but fun nonetheless. Anyway, Anthony counts to ten, - actually he does 1-12 and 16-20. hahaha. And recites some of his ABCs and can recogize some of the letters and numbers as well. And he does this ALL. DAY. LONG. Talk abou

I always hear of those studies or articles that say that a stay at home mom should be paid over $100,000 a year for everything she does. If that's the case, that means as a stay at home mom, I am severely underpaid, right? WRONG!! No, I cannot go spend my bi-weekly paycheck at Homegoods, or use my overtime to save up for a vacation, but I am paid with something much greater. Smiles, laughs, hugs, kisses, and the look on his face when he realizes he learned something. Seeing one brother care for the other, even at a young age is absolutely priceless. Here is a little glimpse into our life.

"Veteran parents say "It goes so fast; enjoy every minute." Yet it sure doesn't feel fast. The eating, crying, pooping and laundry feel endless. It's easy to wish away our time. If only he would sleep through the night...eat solids...be potty-trained...go to preschool. Blink. He's a surly teenager. In the place of sloppy kisses are sullen silences. You long for the days you rocked him in your arms. The ability to enjoy our lives is a gift (see Ecclesiastes 5:19). We can either speed up the time by focusing on tomorrow, or we can savor the moments-the good, the bad and the mundane-by focusing on today. These may truly be the sweetest moments of our lives." That was an excerpt from my "New Mom's Prayer Bible." I thought it was so relevant to my life, that I wanted to share it with you all. "Then I realized that it is good and proper for a  man to eat and drink, and to find satisfaction in his toilsome labor under the sun during