Big Weekend Ahead

Oh there is one big weekend coming up. I have 6 photo sessions this weekend. I'm excited to meet new people and get some great pics. But I'm also a little worried. I've never done that many sessions in one weekend and in this kind of heat. I'm sure it will be fine. I just need to remember to pack lots of water!!!

Sunday our Heather is coming home. Thank goodness. Hulk and I have been missing her like crazy. It's only been three weeks since we saw her but that is a long time for us. Hopefully we can get the house all put back together and redecorated with her help. She is so good at that stuff. And maybe she can manage the kiddo while I edit all the pictures I will have taken.

If you don't hear from me for a bit don't worry. Nothing will be wrong. I'll just be swimming in pics.

Love These Children!

Darby's babies are getting so big! And Caden is such a super star brother. I just love them! I really really love them. Even that girl. Who knew I could ever become fascinated with hair bows and tutu's. But I am when it comes to her. Go figure!

 

 

 

 

Some Things I Say

"Why are their dinosaurs in the toilet?"

"No dinosaurs do not swim in the toilet."

"No don't bring your floaties in here. That won't help! Just don't put the dinosaurs in the toilet!"

"Please don't step on my leg fat. That hurts Mommy."

"Licking the window is not a good choice."

"Well your finger would stop hurting if you would just not bite it."

"Do you understand anything I say to you???"

"Dinosaurs should not go in the dishwasher either."

"Please take the rocks out of your mouth."

"I'm sorry your leg is scared but you will still have to go to bed."

"I love you but you must go to sleep now!!!"

It Worked!

Well my plan worked. I got some fun new pictures of the boy. He did great! He cracks me up. As I was editing pictures I was laughing out loud at some of them. He is so animated. He is turning into such a big boy!

 

He is 28 months now. He has become obsessed with the movie Finding Nemo and would watch it 10 times a day if I let him. He also still really loves his dinosaurs. He likes to pretend to be a dinosaur and scare me. He is also really sweet and calls the small dinosaurs his babies. All the big ones are mamas. He will get my dish towels and wrap them up and rock them. He really is a gentle giant... Well most of the time anyways.

 

He is singing and talking more every day. He can completly do his ABC's, Jesus Loves Me, Row Row Row Your Boat, 5 Little Monkeys, and a silly song I made up about fish and sharks. He likes to "help" with "jobs" and often says to me "Sylas did job". And anytime he has done something a little naughty like draw on the wall or dump all the raisins on the floor he looks at me with these big sad eyes and says very loudly, "Sylas did it". It's like he is tattling on someone else. Crazy kid!

So that's my boy. I love him. I think I just might keep him!!!

Blessed To Be Busy

I've been busy. Really busy with pictures. And I'm so very blessed to be busy! My photography while fun is also what keeps us afloat. My regular job pays the mortgage and daycare and gives me insurance. But those pictures pay for everything else. So the busier the better! Busy is a blessing!

However, I just realized today that I haven't taken pictures of my own kid in awhile. So this evening the goal is to get some good shots of my own boy. We will see if he cooperates with that plan. He has been napping for 2 hours already so I would think with a great nap he should be a happy boy. I guess we will find out soon enough...

My Desk

My desk is a trap. If anything attempts to pass by my desk it is sucked in and cannot escape. My desk seriously takes hostage any item that considers meandering by. What's really frightening is that every Friday night I set the timer for 30 minutes and clean my desk. Every Friday when I go to bed my desk is clean and pretty and neat. Today is Wednesday. Do you want to see what my desk looks like by Wednesday???? Cover your eyes if you scare easily!

 

Once Upon A Time

Once upon a time I was a vegetarian except on Fridays. I didn't eat meat or dairy except on Fridays. And I ate lots of veggies and fruit and rice and beans. And my blood sugar got a little bit high. And then I got a kidney infection and my blood sugar got really really high. And the dietician says I can't be a vegetarian anymore. Not even just 6 days a week. I have to eat the meat my friends.

So since last Thursday I'm no longer a vegetarian any day of the week. My stint as a 6 day a week vegetarian didn't last long. But I tried it. I am good at some things. Being a vegetarian is not one of those things. Along with telling me I can't be a part time vegetarian the dietician also gave me a lot of other rules. There are lots of things I can and can't eat. In fact this diet is much different then the first diabetic diet I was on years ago when I was diagnosed. In some ways I think it's harder and in other ways it's easier. I can tell you though I'm hungry. Hungry, hungry, would almost eat my baby hungry. It's a good thing I'm not a canibal.

But my blood sugar is stablizing. I know my infection is improving so that helps but I've been following this stupid eating meat and no other stuff I really like diet and it's working. I can complain all I want but the truth is if I just do as they say I feel better. It's a lot of damn work but I do feel better. So I'm gonna stick with it I suppose. But for the record I would like to be a vegetarian except on Fridays and I'm very hungry!

Crabby

I'm crabby. Like really crabby! So crabby I'm even annoying myself. And I have no good reason for it. I'm just irritable and annoyed and have a headache and a stomachache and I am just one huge walking crabby lady! I've tried to stop myself several times today and regroup and it just hasn't worked. So here we are in crab land! I think the kid is sick to death of me. He told me night night and went to bed an hour ago at 6:00! You know your a crab when a 2 year old doesn't want to be around you. Hoping tomorrow brings less crabbiness in this house!

Hospital Visit

Because I didn't have anything better to do this week (like work, or take care of my kid, or organize my recently completely remodeled home) I decided to take a little detour from all the regularly scheduled programing and stop off at our local hospital for a stay.

I woke up Tuesday night in a lot of pain. My back (kidneys) were killing me and I was pretty sick. By 7 Wednesday morning I was hurting so bad I could hardly stand it but more concerning was my blood sugar levels. When I checked them at 7 I was at 417 when I should be right around 90-120. Not good. I was pretty concerned by that point and was afraid if it got much higher I wouldn't be able to function enough to get myself to the doctor. So I took the kid to daycare and went right to the ER. By the time I got there my blood sugar was in the 470's.

So they started me on insulin and an iv antibiotic for my kidney infection. They also gave me some Demerol for the pain. Moments after getting the pain meds my arm started itching. I told Darby who was with me and she said sometimes it will do that as it's going in the iv. The next time I looked down my arm looked like I had about 30 bee stings. Hives were everywhere and HUGE!

While the itching was bothersome I was honestly so out of it I wasn't that concerned. But Darby used her authoritative voice and started scurrying around to get benedryl and asking if I was having trouble breathing. I love having a nurse for a best buddy! So then I got a huge shot of benedryl and slept for half the day. I woke up feeling better and without hives so it all worked out.

I got a bunch of insulin and some crappy hospital food. Some antibiotics and more pain meds. I got to watch cable tv and realized I'm not missing much by not having it at home. I took lots of naps and Darby and Chris kept my child overnight with all of their children and then I came home. My blood sugar is normal now which is a WONDERFUL feeling. I'm still not quite back to myself but I can handle a kidney infection okay. The whole blood sugar high and low and all over the place kicks my butt. It's just exhausting. So I've been sleeping a lot.

I get to take a fun filled class all about insulin. That's exciting. But I've never had a prescription for insulin before. So the only way you can get one is to take the class. So I'm complying. I won't have to take it everyday. It's just a precaution really so if my blood sugar gets that high again I can do something myself to help get it down. When diabetics get sick their blood sugar can shoot up like that so it will be nice to know I can help myself quickly from now on. The way I felt yesterday morning was horrible and scary when your home alone with a kid. Hopefully this will ensure I don't have that experience again!

So that's what I know....

Whatcha Reading

For my birthday Darby got me the book Shit My Dad Says! Oh my gosh it is funny! Seriously it is the funniest book I have ever read. It made me laugh so hard I cried at times. I will give the disclaimer that the language is strong and some of the topics are a bit inappropriate but boy is it funny. If you need a good laugh it is the book for you. Here are just a few of my favorite quotes from his Dad.

"I didn't say you were ugly. I said your girlfriend is better looking than you, and standing next to her, you look ugly."

"You are four years old. You have to shit in the toilet. This is not one of those negotiations where we’ll go back and forth and find a middle ground. This ends with you shitting in a toilet."

"Don’t focus on the one guy who hates you. You don’t go to the park and set your picnic down next to the only pile of dog shit."

So if you think you are up to a laugh workout then buy the book!

Our Adoption Day

July 10th is adoption day at our house. 30 years ago on July 10th my parents adopted me. And 2 years ago on July 10th Hulk's adoption was finalized. So it is our special family day. I wanted to do something special that day as a way to start our traditions. My mom used to do special things for me on that day and I would like to carry that on.

So I decided that this year I would take Hulk to the bigger city and go to a park there that has a carousel and train for kids to ride and some cool flower gardens. I started planning a couple weeks ago and I was super excited. In my mind it would be a wonderful day. The weather would be nice. We would ride the rides and he would LOVE them. He would laugh lots and maybe glance over at me as the carousel turned round and round and we would have a mother child moment I could remember for a lifetime. In my mind I would also be able to take some beautiful pictures of him in the rock and flower gardens there. Oh the vision I had in my mind!

So Saturday morning we were up and ready to go. Hulk woke up in an amazing mood and was super funny while we were getting ready. I even had some good hair going on. Things were looking great. We hopped in the car for our hour long drive to the bigger city and all seemed well. 20 minutes outside of the city though Hulk fell asleep. And then he woke up when I parked the car. He woke up poorly!

He was somewhat disoriented so I thought well we will walk around the park while he wakes up and look at the flowers etc. Well no sooner were we out of the car and he saw the carousel and wanted to ride. So we rode and he did love it. He loved it so much in fact that he wanted to ride it again right away. I convinced him to try the play ground toys which he did for about two minutes before beelining back to the carousel. So we rode it again. This time he was not loving it as much. He still seemed disoriented and sleepy. When we got off we watched the train go by and I told him we could go ride it. We heading for the parking lot to go to the other side of the park and all hell broke lose.

He began to throw a fit of epic proportions. I mean it was the grand champion of all fits! I tried to pick him up off the asphalt and he was going so insane I could hardly hold on to him. Kicking, screaming, hitting, more screaming. I got him to the car and tried to put him in his seat and he was fighting me so hard I couldn't get him in the car seat. After ten minutes of trying that I just closed the door and thought he could cry it out. I went to the front and started the car so he would have a/c during the epic disaster and as I got back out security was there. They thought I was KIDNAPPING him! At this point he is banging on the windows, screaming, crying, snot running down his face, ugly cry. I convince security this mess of a child is mine and they leave. I try to talk to him and explain that we can't go ride the train until he gets in his seat. Nothing works. So I decide to wait him out and ignore the fit.

48 minutes later I got him in his seat. Needless to say we did not ride anymore rides or visit the flowers and the only pictures I got were the ones I posted to this post. We went to my Aunts house and then to lunch and he did well. Thank God. But definitely not the day I had planned. They never are right?!? We got home that night and read stories and cuddled and sang row row your boat about 800 times. And that was good enough for me. Epic fit, yes. Good adoption day, yes. I wouldn't trade that fit throwing, embarrassing his mama in public kid for anything.

Not Me Monday!

I promise you that I am NOT terrified of snakes! Since I'm NOT terrified of snakes I would not have freaked out at finding one in my jungle of a flower bed. Because I'm NOT terrified of snakes I did NOT have my toddler pick up the snake and put it in the trash can. He does NOT love snakes and think they are the coolest thing ever (after dinosaurs of course). I then did NOT call the neighbor kid over to kill the snake. I would NEVER involve children in the removal or murder of snakes. That is so NOT like me.

I did NOT write down a photography clients information on a diaper I had in my car. I was NOT caught without a notepad because I'm always prepared for work calls. Once home I did NOT place said diaper on my child and then remember later that I needed to copy the information. I then did NOT have to hold my child down so I could copy all the important details off of his butt.

What did you NOT do this week?

In Trouble

Oh I'm official in trouble. The Granny called me just a few minutes ago and I barely got hello out before she asked why I hadn't posted lately. I pulled up my blog and realized I hadn't posted since Tuesday! Sorry Cricket!!! She gets her Hulk fix and our life updates through the blog so if I don't post I get in trouble. So to get me out of the dog house here are some random going ons at our place.

1. The living room, hallway, and both bedrooms are completely painted! I finished the living room and hall last night and the boy and I put everything back today. He is actually fairly helpful at moving furniture. That kid is freakishly strong!
2. My flower bed is a jungle! It has rained so much that I walked in the backyard today and swore I saw a dinosaur out there. It's ridiculous and I think I'm just going to mow it rather than try to weed it.
3. I only eat meat on Fridays. That is when I go to lunch with Darby and I always get a chicken wrap. So I'm like a backwards Catholic. Only meat on Fridays.
4. I have about 180,903 photos to edit. I am so behind on our own pictures. It's ridiculous!
5. I've used ridiculous twice in this post. That is also ridiculous. I'm beginning to think that is the word of the day. Maybe I should title this post ridiculous.
6. I'm watching Season 4 of 24 thanks to Netflix. I love Netfilx.
7. I found two dollars in my pants pocket when I put them on this morning. You would have thought it was $200 I was so excited. I love finding money.
8. I got a rice cooker for my birthday and I'm in love with it. Seriously we are eating a ton of brown rice lately and it cooks it perfectly!
9. My garden is growing like crazy. I got our first tomatoes last weekend and have had a new one ready each day. Green peppers should be ready to harvest later this week.
10. The carpet is getting cleaned on Tuesday! Yahoo!!!

Okay Granny does that get me out of the dog house. I promise tomorrow I'll post pictures of the boy. Be careful on the beach!

Favorite Things (Kid Edition)

My boy likes a lot of different things. But the older he gets the more obvious his favorite things become. He is now able to voice his opinions and is very clear on his love of the following things.

1. The red blanket you see in the picture above. This blanket was actually given to me by my Aunt Adair. It is a super soft corduroy material. It seriously is so soft and warm and wonderful. And I never get to use it anymore. The boy has snagged it as his own and hauls it with him to bed each night. During the day he usually brings it out to snuggle with it or cover up with it.
   
2. Dried cranberries. That's what he has in his bowl in the above picture. He would eat them all day if I let him.
   
3. Dinosaurs! He loves dinosaur toys and books and puzzles and all things dinosaurs. He likes to pretend his is a dinosaur and roar at you. Dinosaurs are a huge hit! There are usually a couple dinosaurs in his bed with him each night.
   
4. Animal toys. He loves the little people animals. He calls them his "manimals". He will feed them all toy hay and then kiss them all.
   
5. Music! We pretty much have music on as long as we are awake. The child will dance everywhere and knows the words to lots of songs. Since we listen to our music on Pandora he often goes to the computer and asks for Sylas Songs if I don't have the music playing.
   

So those are the kid favorites around here. Do your kids really love anything?

Flower Power

While we were out walking the other evening I grabbed these shoots of some flowers. Actually these are some of my favorite types of flowers. Black Eyed Susans and Coneflowers are beautiful in my opinion. I've always wanted them in my flower gardens and I've planted them several times. But they never come up! I see them all over town so they can't be that hard to grow. But I have never had any luck with them! Does someone out there know the secret. I'd love to have a huge bed of coneflowers! I think they would be beautiful to use for photo sessions...

A Fourth To Flip Over!

The boy has turned into a little monkey lately. He loves to jump off of everything! The newest trick is flipping. I have given up on trying to stop him. He is going to do it no matter what. So now I'm on the hunt for a tumbling class to teach him how to do it a little safer. Either way he thinks he is pretty cool stuff and loves to watch himself on the camera when he gets done. I don't know if I'm raising a monkey, a movie star, or a silly little boy. Maybe it's a combination of all three.

30 Rocks

Well 30 works for me! I had a wonderful birthday! Darby and I spent the day in the city doing some shopping, some eating, and a lot of laughing! Just what I needed. I can't imagine a more relaxing or fun filled 30th birthday. I'm so lucky to have such good friends and great family. It was a real treat to get so many phone calls, text messages, and cards. I'm blessed!

We were going to head to Tulsa for the holiday weekend but the boy is under the weather. Since he is sick we are going to stick around here. I'm hoping he will perk up some over the weekend so we can still do some fun things. There is a parade on Sunday that I figured we could go to and a fireworks show if he is up to it. While not the weekend I had planned I'm sure we will still have some fun.