{Wordless Wednesday - Feeding Bubba}

Lulu is such a huge helper!! She even loves to feed her little Bubba - while we eat on the kitchen floor (because that is a great place for a snack, apparently)...

The snack...plain yogurt...

One spoonful...

...and another...

Getting the drippings

Trying to finish swallowing

Yeah...that is the face of a satisfied customer!

Lesson #148 - Days Go By Too Fast

As discussed last week in Lesson #143, some of the most beneficial outcomes come from difficult decisions.

I was recently offered an amazing opportunity - and really I just happened to be in the right place, at the right time, and impressed members of senior management. I am really excited to get back to work, but I am not excited at all to leave the kiddos. I get to wear my suits and look professional again. Finally my MAC makeup will be used on a regular basis. Time will be carved out every morning {at or around 5am} for me to shower...in peace...alone. Yes, this job does come with perks...but I still feel like a bad mommy for leaving the kiddos every day.

I have been trying to do all I can to make the most of my last week with Lulu and Bubba...

We've wrastled around on the floor:

We had our first taste of an Icee:

We've walked through the mud in nice shoes:

We made a trip to the beloved Halloween store:

We've played with Tupperware on the kitchen floor:

We shared Fruit Loops out of play kitchen ware:

No matter how much time I've spent with them...I still don't want to leave the two cutest faces EVER!

 

I hope they will realize that mommy is doing this for their own good...to be able to afford the extra things they deserve!

Lesson #147 - Church Brings Families Together

I was raised Catholic, but I wouldn't consider myself to be OVERLY Catholic. I try to go to church as much as possible, but I usually only make it out on holidays. It is rough with two kids because they tend to not sit still and cause a scene...so I avoid the drama all together!

It was important to me to get Lulu baptized as a Catholic...and it was equally as important to get Bubba baptized as well. There was no Hail Mary play during this event (sigh of relief) - both of Bubba's Godparents showed up because they are married and there is no way my bestie would be late. My Godparents were able to come up for the big day, so that made me super happy!!

Unfortunately that day was a little more hectic than I was planning for (isn't it always) so we weren't able to get as many pictures in the Church as I had wanted. Thankfully, I was able to take some shot of Bubba in his adorable suit while at my parents' house the other day...isn't he just the cutest little fella EVER?! No, really...isn't he?!

The day Bubba was baptized, The Man's grandfather (who is in declining health) decided that he wanted to get back into Church and requested a new member packet be sent to him. I have never been so proud. I am happy to have been a small part of him getting back into his faith.

Lesson #145 - My Mom Is A Sucker

...and by sucker, I mean the fruitiest most colorful kind of sucker there is out in candy stores! Oh, and full of sugary goodness...not the Splenda kind, either!

The reason I say this is because ever since Lulu was born, my mom has been wrapped around her little finger - and it is a little finger alright! Lulu could cry or whine as a baby and my mom would jump right up (while I would let her sit there for a minute) and cater to her every need or desire. My mom is one of Lulu's loyal subjects...and will buy her almost everything.

For her first birthday, my parents threatened to buy her a pony - that would be kept at their house, of course. Then, for her second birthday, my parents paid for a face-painter to come in for 3 hours to paint a myriad of squirming children - and me! I'm almost scared to see what will happen at her third birthday party!!

So, off to Target we went - my mom, Lulu, Bubba and me - to pick up a few things. Lulu took my mom's arm and pulled her right to the toy aisle...its like kids have a toy radar built into their brains or something. I went off with Bubba to find the provisions we needed while the ladies played with dolls and plastic shopping carts.

I come back to find Lulu pushing around a plastic cart full of fake food. As I bend over to take the cart away, she starts to yell...loudly...similar to one being torn apart limb from limb - or at least what I would imagine it would sound like. My mom decided to buy her the cart just to keep her quiet...awesome! Now she is pushing that cart around the house everywhere.

A $24 shopping cart is contributing to my little Lulu being a "terrible two"...thanks mom!!

{Wordless Wednesday - Wrastlin' Around}

I keep trying to explain to Lulu that she is going to be VERY sorry she ever messed with her Bubba once he gets older...but she doesn't quite understand that yet (sorry for the fuzzy pics, but they were really moving quick!).

Yeah...she is going to be sooooooooo sorry she ever messed with her Bubba!

{Magical Moments}

Call me late to the party, if you will...but at least I'm here, right?!

I am sharing my Magic Moments with Shell:

 All ready to talk to mommy...Lulu - 2 days old

 Sleeping in his sister's old swing...Bubba - 3 days old

 Loving on her Lil Bubba...Christmas Day 2010

Time has gone too fast...Lulu - 26 months; Bubba - 9 months

Lesson #139 - Monsers Are Everywhere

"AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!"

"Moooooooooooooommmmmmmmmmmyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy!!!!!!"

"Mommy, quick...mommy, quick."

*Mommy running up the THUMP stairs as fast as knee into wall humanly possible without elbow into door frame getting injured.

"Whats wrong baby? Are you okay?!"

My little Lulu was standing in her crib - tears running down her face - half naked because she likes to undress before going to sleep - and shivering like a frightened chihuahua.

I had never seen her like that before. Even though Bubba was also awake - and probably quite hungry - I scooped Lulu up into my arms and rocked her, trying to calm her down as best as I could at the time. After a minute she had finally stopped crying and her red face was more of a pink color.

"What happened little Lu? Why were you crying?"

"Monsers, mommy...there are monsers in the house"

"You mean monsters, baby? Where are the monsters?"

"Everywhere...Bubba saw monsers too!"

At the end of all this, I'm still not sure if Lulu saw an actual monster or if one of our attic friends came out to play. Maybe she had a napmare and that was her only way to communicate how/why she was scared. I wanted to hold her for the rest of the day and reassure her that there are no monsers.

I can't do that, though, because there are monsters out there in the world. Kiddie bullies attack other kids at school - adult bullies demean other adults and put them down - bloggy bullies attack others online.

Yes, monsters are everywhere unfortunately. Why can't I just put my babies in a bubble of  happiness forever?!

{Wordless Wednesday - Caged Animal}

I don't know why, but Lulu is quite enthralled with the cage for my parents' dog. This past trip we made, she decided that the cage was no place for a pup...but that it was now "her cage" (she kept saying, "my cage, my cage") and she found her way into it most of the weekend.

 See her pulling the door shut behind her?

 She had to hold it shut...

 ...and kept yelling at me to lock it!

 Bubba to the rescue!

Then I heard "go away" and realize she was hiding from Bubba!

My kids are really a riot!!

Lesson #138 - Do Not Feed The Animals

...and by animals, I mean my children...and by children, I really mean Bubba.

I don't know what is going on with him...but he is gaining weight faster than I can keep up!! Since Lulu was - and is still - so small (she still wears some 12-18 month clothes at 26 months), I guess I'm just not used to the normal growth of a child...maybe?!

Whatever it is, I think I need to stop feeding him.

As of right now, he eats whatever the family eats - in addition to his 4 8oz bottles of formula - at mealtime...talk about a little (fat) piglet! The only reason I started giving him table food is because if I don't then he SCREAMS - it is THE most ear piercing noise you have ever heard (I will post a vlog on this soon). I mean, don't get me wrong - he is a cutie pie!! It just seems like every picture I have of him, is of him eating something...

 Chewing on a goldfish (while sporting his sister's new hat)

 Sucking down some formula

Munching on a butter cookie

Stealing cheese curls from his sister

He even goes after the dog's food!!

Bubba has gotten so big that his chubby legs get caught between the slats of his bed and he can't get them unstuck. I have finally begun to realize what all the screaming is about after the first 5 minutes of nap time - which is more like sibling-talk-time-therapy. I have to go back into the room and get fatty's leg out from the slats before he can go to sleep.

I have a crib bumper up and I always try to put him down on the opposite side of the crib from where he gets stuck. Nothing works though.

Do any of you moms out there have - or maybe have had - this issue with your chitlin?? Is there any good solution to keep his legs from getting stuck in the slats??

{Wordless Wednesday - Hurricane Fun}

Pre-Hurricane Nap (looking towards his sister)

Pre-Hurricane Nap (Lulu with her baby)

Us carnivores take our grill very seriously!!

The Players

The Man

What can I say, folks - hes not one for pictures! I'm not sure if it was my cooking, quick wit or button nose that made him fall for me...but I'm thinking it might have been the Valium-induced stupor. He is the crayon to my box - the toilet to my paper - the remote to my control...I honestly don't think anyone else would be crazy enough to put up with my antics. He might blame the fact that I got pregnant before he was able to really know what he was getting himself into I swear it wasn't on purpose but I know, deep down, he really loves me.

Lulu

Spitfire. That one word describes Lulu the best. She is outgoing, loves puppies and gets excited at the mere mention of a bath (bizarre child, I know). I'm not quite sure how she ended up so cute, but thankfully she looks more like me than her daddy did I say that out loud! When anyone sees Lulu and I together, they can't get over how alike we are, which is quite scary. My parents always told me Karma would come back to me 10-fold...and I think it has, in the form of a daughter. Lord help The Man and I when she gets old enough to date - which he swears won't be until he is dead and gone. I remember all too well how those days went, though, so I pity us...and you should too!

Bubba

Cuddle Bug. Attention is what this little man loves. Climbing all over mommy and daddy while drooling all over the place is what makes Bubba happy. Missed your daily shower?? Have no fear because Bubba is the guy who will wash away all that dirt and grim. When he isn't busy playing in puddles of spit, he enjoys wrastlin' with Lulu. After a long day of being Bubba, this little guy wants nothing more than a bottle of formula, a few Cheetos, a spoonful of mashed potatoes, another bottle of formula, a baby-sized fistful of popcorn, a nibble of chocolate bar and his blanky. Yes, folks, even a young boy can appreciate the beauty of a good blanky. Mothers - lock up your daughters!