This bolt has to go somewhere!

Eli found a bolt on the ground outside, and convinced himself that the bolt went to my bike.

Don't ask me why, I don't try to understand these things.
He spent about 15 minutes trying to figure out where it belonged on my bike.

He tried every spot he could think of and couldn't get it to go on.

I am such a mean person....I could have told him that it was left over from the bolts and nuts Ben used to redo Grandpa's bench.

But I didn't.

I think this proves that I desperately need more entertainment in my life.

My Girl is Home

Hannah left me for nearly 5 WHOLE DAYS!!!! I missed her terribly.

As soon as she arrived home we went outside to play, and for once the kids actually played nicely together.
Hannah was digging a whole to cover her "energy rock."

After you bury it, then you have to dig it up, hold it over your head, and say "I have the cakability!" Yes, cakability, not capability. And then the rock will give you energy. It was hard to keep a straight face.

Mr. Drew say us hanging out and came over to pet Hunter. (Hunter LOVES Mr. Drew!!)

And Drew got roped in (ha ha) into jumping rope.

Hannah was interested for about two seconds.

But at least I was able to snap a good photo!

Eli is a pretty good rope turner.

And he's pretty good at capturing his sister...of course, she's still a bit stronger so she ended up dragging him to jail even though she was the one tied up.

It was so nice to see them playing together and getting along.

Even if it did only last one afternoon.

I'll take what I can get!

Single Mom of One

So this week I'm a single Mom of one. That's right! Ben is on a job this entire week, and Hannah is on vacation with Grandma and Grandpa Kreemer visiting her Great Grandparents in Ohio....so....it's just me and Eli.

And I gotta tell you....having only one child is SO much easier!

I think I must add here that I am positive that it has nothing to do with which child I have. I am certain that one is just easier than two. For example, we went to Chuck E Cheese yesterday with some friends and it was so relaxing because I only had one child to worry about. I wasn't having to keep tabs on two. There was no stress at all!!!

But, I miss my baby girl very much. The house is too quiet, and (since Eli doesn't say much) there isn't anyone making me laugh every occasion she gets with her little smart ass comments.

Yes, my world is more peaceful with Hannah absent, which is nice sometimes, but my heart aches every time I walk past her bedroom.

I miss her.

Happy Moment

Most of the time I'm overwhelmed by Motherhood. Sorry but you all know I'm an honest person, so I have to be honest. Motherhood is a daunting task that I usually find myself trudging through. Again, honesty.

But today as I was standing outside in the front yard watching my little girl learn how to get herself going on her bike all by herself (because up to this point she needed help getting started) I was so overcome with pride for this little person I was almost about to burst with happiness.

Seriously.

She rode about a block away, and up until this point I would have to walk down there and help her get started again, but as I started heading her way she said, "No, Mommy. Stay there. I'm going to try something." And she set herself up, and started going. ALL BY HERSELF!

I almost cried I was so proud of her.

And I as I sit here typing this, she's in her room ssh hing the cat because she is torturing him yet again, and I am, yet again overwhelmed by Motherhood.

Sometimes I wish there were more "burst with happiness moments."

But for now, I have to go save the cat.

Just some random pictures from the past few days

My neighbor's baby, Thomas, not mine, I promise!

Eli saying, "Ma, BABY! Crying!" Thomas' face says, "HELP!"

What happens when you leave a golf ball lying around?

Your Baby Brother picks it up the golf ball and pegs you right in the eye.
Giving you a nice shiner.

Or mouse.

Or black eye....which ever you prefer.

How to make a butterfly?

First, you have to get the towel laid out.
It takes a lot of work to get the towel perfectly flat.

With NO wrinkles.

Then you lie down, hook one end between you ankles, and grab the other with your hands.

Then you roll up into a cocoon.

Nice and tight now, have to make sure no one can see the caterpillar growing into a butterfly.

Now you wait for the miracle to occur. (Oh, this also keeps your dog entertained.)

Then you ask Grandma to wrap the towel around your shoulders so you can pretend you came out of the cocoon a beautiful butterfly.

OH! And then your baby bother has to copy you and be a butterfly too.

Simply, right?

A Mile in Someone Else's Shoes

I found these pictures on my memory card when I uploaded this past weekends photos. (Sad isn't it? I had completely forgotten about them.) These are from several weeks ago. Eli found Tristen's shoes (Tristen is 9, about to be 10), tried them on, and started walking around the house.
I felt they were cute and worth sharing.

That's all.

Grandpa Gets in the Pool

My Mom and Dad came for a quick visit this past weekend, and after Mom helped me get the pool cleaned up, Dad decided to jump in with the kids. Hannah was over joyed to finally have an adult in the pool again! She wore my Dad out begging him to throw her.

So he threw her around like a bag of potatoes.

And she enjoyed every minute of it.

Eli preferred to just watch.

He's not quite that brave in water yet.

I'm sure he's working on that.

Quote of the Day

I had class this morning, so after getting everyone ready I put both kids in the car. I had some things to put in the mailbox, so I walked down, put the letters in the box, and then walked back up, and got into the car. As soon as I opened the door Hannah says, "Mommy, Eli just asked me the strangest question." Me, "Really? What was it?" Hannah, "I'm not sure. I don't speak baby."

No Training Wheels!!!!

I've been trying to get Hannah to ride her bike without training wheels for a few months now. It hasn't been a daily battle by any means, but about once a week I would drag her outside and practically beg her to try. It never went very far. Usually she would "try" for about 5 minutes before giving up and saying "I can't do anything right!"

It seems Hannah and I just don't mix sometimes. Those sometimes being when I want to teach her something.

So tonight Ben gave it a shot, and had her riding the bike all by herself within 20 minutes. I was and am so proud of her!!!

Check out the videos!

That's my Big Girl!!!

What makes you think our kids are spoiled?

This past weekend Ben and I headed to Tampa for a very good friend's wedding. (We had an awesome time! Hopefully pictures will eventually be posted, but first Ben has to give me his camera.) Ben's parents were nice enough to keep the kids for the four days we were gone. After picking them up this morning and spending an afternoon watching the kids in over hyper mode (they were a bit excited to play with their toys), we all sat down to dinner. And as a usual dinner complaint Hannah asked why we couldn't watch tv while we ate.

Me: "Hannah, we don't watch tv during dinner. We eat as a family. Besides, I would think that you watched enough tv at Grandma's?"

Hannah: "I don't like to watch tv at Grandma's because she doesn't have tv's that hang on the wall. Her tv's sit on tables or dressers or stuff. I only like tv's that hang on walls. All of our tv's hang on walls. Except Eli's fat tv. It sits on the dresser. Tv's that don't hang on walls are boring."

Ben and I just stared at each other. We weren't sure what to say to that.

I'm beginning to think that maybe we're a bit spoiled.

Maybe just a bit.

Cookie Dough Mania

I think these pictures speak for themselves.

My name is Mommy (well, Aunt Mandy to Tristen), and I've been raising Cookie Dough Addicts since 2005.