Bouncy Beauty!

Since plans changed today from the zoo, because of the weather, we decided to take Miss Gracie to the bouncy house! We have been there a couple of times before and she LOVES it! We lucked out because hardly anybody was there so she was not getting trampled by the bigger kids. For those of you who don't know what the bouncy house is, its this place that has gigantic blow-up bouncy things basically. Most have slides that you climb up to get down, tunnels, balls, obstacles courses, all kinds of fun! Gracie knew where she wanted to go. Each time we have gone, she gets braver and braver. Today she was going down the big slides all by her big girl self! She needed a little help from Daddy of course climbing up to the top though. She even was brave enough to go crawling through the tunnels all by herself! I tried to take pictures but since I am preggo and thought it would not be too wise to for me to go bouncing around, the netting made it hard for me to get good pictures. Anyways, it was fun to watch her jump around, fall, adn then laugh at herself. I am excited because starting in July, they are having toddler time here. From 12-2 on Thursdays, it is bouncing time for kids 5 and under only. I'm glad because I have been there when it has been crowded and I want to yell at some of the bigger kids that run around and trample my little girl. Yes, I am one of those parents! I tell them to be careful while their moms, if they are even watching, shoot me a dirty look. Oh well, just looking out for my bouncing beauty!

We're From the Country (Well Daddy is...)

While at my garage sale the other day, (we won't discuss that) my husband decided it was also time to sell his mullet wig. Chuck has always had this weird obsession with them. He's always talking about growing another one. That's just gross! I have his senior high school photo and what is her wearing? uh-huh! So after wearing this wig for a Halloween or two, he decided it was time to part with it. But before he did, he had to try it on Gracie. Surprisingly, she kept it on long enough so I could snap some pictures. I swear it reminds me of that movie "Joe Dirt." She looks like she could be "baby dirt." Anyways, to make a long story short, the wig went, which is more that I can say for some brand-name clothing I had there. In fact, Chuck ended up giving it to a group of Mexican guys who were so amused by it and also buying all of our beer mugs. And that reminds me of Pedro from "Napoleon Dynamite."

So Many Dresses, So Little Time!

So my problem today is which dress???? Gracie's 2nd birthday is rapidly approaching and so today I figured I better find some dresses for her to wear to her 2-year pictures. Of course it's not like she had none already hanging in her closet but I wanted something more than casual to make her look extra special. Kohl's always has great little girl dresses at very awesome prices. I actually have not been there since Christmas so we took a trip there today. I managed to find these 4 dresses quickly because we had some shopping issues today. In case you don't remember, I am not supposed to be carrying Gracie around. Although I have since there is no way around it at times, I figured we should be able to handle a quick shopping trip. Of course, the little mommy that she is, had to bring in baby and baby's blanket which meant she did NOT want to hold my hand in the parking lot. I had to hold her by her upper arm so it looked like I was dragging the poor girl in. Once inside, I let go because she is pretty good about staying by my side. As I was looking at the dresses, Gracie had decided to take off her shoes. By the time I looked, she was barefoot so we had to find her shoes and I told her to put them back on. Then I went back to the dress shopping only to find her trying to crawl underneath a rack. Her butt was in the air in the air and she stunk! Some little kid walked by and said "it smells like poo-poo." Yuck! So you know, because this was supposed to be a quick trip, I didn't have a diaper handy. So I knew I needed to hurry up. I wanted to also quickly stop by the maternity section and check out some shorts and capris for me, as I am growing rather large. By the time we got there, Gracie had placed her baby on the floor and was walking around with the blanket over head shouting "mom, mom." Ok, I knew we needed to leave at that point. Of course there was a line and Gracie decided to play ghost one more time at the cashiers. So needless to say, I just bought a bunch of dresses to choose from. We went to Grandma's and tried them on. Which one is your pick?

17 Weeks and Counting...

So here is the size of the babies as of today! 17 weeks sure has gone fast. I have started feeling some movement. I should because afterall, I already look like I am 6 months pregnant! This is getting a little scary for me. I still sometimes have a hard time grasping the fact that I will be having two. I caught a "baby story" on TLC the other day and the lady was having twins. I sobbed so hard and loud (you can ask Chuck) because I don't know if I am happy or scared about this. We are anything from ready for these little dudes yet. We have managed to get a car big enough to hold us all but our house? Not so much. There's a million things that need to be done and I don't even know where to start. I could go on and on and on.....like I do in my head every freaking minute but I won' t bore you with that. All's I can say is wish me luck because this has been an interesting journey so far and I'm sure it's bound to get even more interesting........2 babies? OMG! I will be responsible for 3 children? That scares the bajesus out of me!

A Counting Cutie

Today, on Friday, June 12, 2009, my daughter, Gracie, counted to 10! It was so exciting to see and hear! Gracie is obsessed with books. I mean, that's all we do, read, read, read. You think I would be excited since I am afterall, a teacher and have my Master's in reading, but seriously, that's all we do. We read the same books over and over and over again. There is no shortage of children's books in our house either. For one, for my baby shower, everyone brought a book. Also, I have some books from when I was little and I always order Gracie cheap books through the boor orders at school, even get some free by doing a little scamming! I also go to Barnes and Noble because I get a teacher discount. There are a ton of numer books out there and here are some that we own and read frequently. Anyways, one of Gracie's current favorites is this numbers book that I got at the Target dollar spot. I couldn't even find a picture of it online. For weeks we have been practicing counting. She has been saying "1, 2, 3, go" and lately has been able to count to 7 with the book. Well yesterday I noticed she was saying "8: This evening, Chuck was reading the book with her and she said all the numbers 1-10! My child is a genius! I am so pround of her! Now we need to do some work with the ABC's. Good job Gracie Girl! Mommy and Daddy are very proud of you!

No More Pencils, No More Books, No More Teacher's Dirty Looks

Yes, yes, thankfully teachers only work 9 months out of the year! Every year we have a "last day of school" party. This year was no exception. Sunshine gives some money towards meat and booze and we grill out, bring dishes to pass and drink up! We always have it at Patti's house because she has the most fabulous yard which holds the awesome kareoke stage! I have to say that I am pretty good at it and usually perform like a rockstar. One year we even formed a band called "milk" after all the white rappers that have names that have to do with white stuff (vanilla ice, snow, etc.) This year however, not planning the pregnancy thing too well, I was not able to partake in some of the activities. Because of that, I was not able to perform like I otherwise normally would. It was fun to be on the other side though and actually laugh at people and not have them laughing at me. I ate and drank my kitty cocktails and ate some smores. Like I said,most people would say we have an easy job. Let me tell you that it is anything but that! If you had to deal with the same 25-30 kids eveyday, for 180 days, for 6 1/2 hours a day......most would not survive! You always get the few "special" ones that make you really look forward to this day!




Anyways, this was also sort of a sad party because my very good friend, Dana is moving to Ohio. We have had some wonderful years working together with her. She immediately became my BFF when I discovered she kept Airheads and Rice Krispie treats in her classroom. Something about being at school always makes you hungry. She gave me many good laughs I will always remember too like locking herself in the bathroom, writing to Shel Silverstein even though he died years ago, and telling many countless stories that only she could tell that would make you want to pee your pants! I wrote her a little poem called "there's no place like 3rd grade" so she can remember our supercool team! It worked well with the picture from when we all dressed up like the wizard of oz. So as I say "hello" to summer, I am also saying "goodbye" to my girl Dana! I love you dude and I will miss you!

Great Garage Sale Finds!

Now that it's finally summer, thank goodness, I have had more time on my hands. And more time on my hands means more garage sales to hit. Since I have two more on the way and things may get tight, why not check out some garage sales and see what 's out there? Well my babysitter had a garage sale the other day and as soon as we got there, there was a playhouse sitting on her driveway. Gracie immediately made a beeline for it and went in and started playing. I checked out the price and for $35 I called my mom and told her to come pick it up with her big van. These cute little playhouses can cost a pretty penny as I have checked out the prices before. Sure it's faded but who cares? A new one will fade too! Gracie just loves it and could care less that it's used. It even came complete with a mini kitchen and windows with shutters! Also for a steal, my mom found an adorable desk perfect for storing coloring books, crayons, and a great place for Gracie to work on her masterpieces. Guess how much that baby was? $5! I have to say that I am jealous because of course these things remain at her house as we have no room or a yard, but that' s a different story. Gracie climbs into the seat and it has an open-top lid where she knows to keep her coloring books and she will sit and color. You gotta love garage sales. And speaking of that, I am having my very first one this weekend! Yep, me the girl who keeps everything, is selling stuff! We have been cleaning this house like you wouldn't believe trying to get it show-ready. I won't tell you some of the stuff that I found but I will tell you that I found a movie stub ticket to "She's all that." Yeah......anyways, wish me luck and some money on my new adventure this weekend! Anything left over is going to goodwill!

The Great Debate

Gracie's 2nd birthday is coming up in a few short weeks. (Yes, I know, I want to cry too). Well it sort of snuck up on me this year. Last year I went all out for her first birthday, plus it was her golden birthday. I knew this birthday would be much smaller. I just wanted to invite all her little buddies over for a swimming party. I couldn't find any cute invitations online that weren't going to cost me a fortune so I opted to take her to the party store and let her pick. I am one of those moms that do let my child watch some tv. In fact, she knows quite a few characters and can work the remote and dvd player. Anyways, Chuck and I took her to the store the other day because I knew I needed to get the invites in the mail. Gracie ran right to Dora and held up the plates with Dora on them and keep chanting "Dora". OK. First of all, we don't watch Dora. Ever! We are Disney channel people usually. So we looked around some more and I found Nemo or Little Mermaid because afterall, we were having a pool party! Gracie ran around and grabbed more things too-Mickey, Pooh, Star Wars? But she kept running back to Dora. I really did not want to get her. I held up Nemo, Little Mermaid, and Dora and guess what she picked? Yup. Miss Dora. So Chuck made me buy the supplies to have a Dora party.

Well, as you know, I was not happy with the Dora selection. So a couple days later, Gracie and I went back to the party store ourselves. This time she ran up to Spongebob and actually said his name. Again. Don't know how she knows who Spongebob is. Sesame Street happened to be next to Dora, who she also went to again. I convinced her to go with Sesame Street then and here's why: she knows all the characters names and can say them, she counts like the Count "1, ah ah ah, 2 ah, ah, etc.", she is obsessed with Elmo, we have many Elmo movies and even Elmo live doll, and she watches the show and it hold her attention. So that is how we came to have a Sesame Street party. I had a Sesame Street party when I was little too. My mom made me ceramic figures of the characters. They lasted through the tornado and I still have them. I hope to pass them on to Gracie for her birthday too! Happy Birthday Baby Girl!

School's Out for the Summer!

It's 1:15 pm on Wednesday, June 3rd, 2009, and we have T-minus 2 hours and 15 minutes left of this school year! Somehow I managed to make it through another year. It's hard to beleive that I have just completed my 8th year of teaching! Even though I complain about working, I will miss the people I work with. Some are retiring and moving away so it is hard. As for the kids.......myabe I might miss a few! So now it's just finding ways to pass the time and make it to 3:30. Then it's PARTY TIME!!! Every year the teachers have a party to celebrate another year completed! Some families are very generous too because one benefit to being an elementary teacher is sometimes you get gifts. Today I got flowers, chocolate, Barnes and Noble gift cards, Babies R Us gift cards, matching sleepers and onesies for the twins, stretch mark cream, a bracelet and some Bath and Body Works stuff. Cool! The last day of school we also always watch my favorite movie ever-The Wizard of Oz. We are watching that now and then we will play End of the Year Jeopardy. Then I have candy awards to pass out. They are funny. Some kids get a Take 5 bar because they worked so hard all year, they deserve a break. Some get a Payday candybar because they had to pay a lot of money (my behavior system), some get gummy worms because they can't sit still. Some get Snickers because they are the class clown and so on. Anyways, I got 2 months of freedom ahead of me. Gracie and I will abe hanging out, going to the zoo, going to swim lessons, going to storytime and music class. Chuck and I will be selling our house, having a garage sale, and attending mulitples classes at the hospital. It will be a great summer. Gracie turns 2 soon and Chuck turns 34. Anyways, just wanted to share the greatest news ever. SCHOOL'S OUT FOR THE SUMMER!!! (pretty soon anyways)

Welcome to the 2nd Trimester!

Horray! I have hit week 14 of pregnancyland which means, 2nd trimester baby!!! I am happy to leave the complicated, paranoid, icky stage behind and focus on the new part like feeling the babies kick, getting more ultrasounds, and I guess getting bigger. Although I feel like a whale already, (this picture was taken on Mother's Day), I know I still have quite a bit to go. I have unpacked my maternity clothes and they are now hanging in my closet thanks to mom, Amy, and E. While most of them are still a little bit too big, my regular clothes are getting a little too small. That's why, as we cleaned and organized my closet today, I have the transition wardrobe. These are the clothest are a size bigger than normal. I can wear these now, before maternity fits and then after babies, when you are sick of maternity clothes but too big for your regular clothes. And let me tell you that I have quite the collection. I have casual and dressy because of work. You know what's funny? My doc gave me permission to gain more weight with twins. She said I could gain between 35-40 pounds. I told her that's not a problem as I gained 60, yes 60, with just one baby before! Yikes! No wonder I needed that transition wardrobe huh? So far I have gained around only 8 pounds which is probably ok since I was a little chunky that I would have liked before I got pregnant. (I don't know if you recall but before I got knocked up, I joined the biggest loser club at work) So my friends, I leave you wondering just how big I will get. Remember I am carrying two so I guess you could say since I am 3 months pregnant, I may look 6 because that's double. Do you think that's fair? I'm just trying to account for my size already! Afterall, the babies are the size of limes or lemons by now!

Pee Pee in the Potty!

Gracie did it! She went pee pee in the potty. not once, but twice!!! So far it has become part of the bathtime routine. While the tub is filling up, we usually leave Gracie in her diaper because otherwise she will pee on the floor. I think it has something to do with the running water. So I don't take her diaper off unti she is already in the tub that way if she pees, oh well. The Easter Bunny left her a potty. So now we place her on the potty before baths and she pees. She even wipes herself! She loves her potty because after she does her job, it sings to her. It is easy for mom and dad to handle too. Gotta love Fisher-Price. Go Gracie Girl!! We are proud of you!

Two Peas in a Pod

The little fetuses that are growing in my oven now look like babies and not blobbies! Top pic is Baby A and 2nd pic is Baby B. Yesterday Chuck and I ventured to Edwards Hospital (which is my new delivery place by the way) and saw the high-risk doctor who did some ultrasounds. I was a bit nervous because of the issues and was very relieved to find out that everything with both little babies is great! Both babies were lying sideways so we got profile shots of both. They were also very active so it was totally awesome to watch even though I can't feel them yet. They were kicking aways and sucking on fingers and things like that. I even have a 4-D image of the babies. It is the last picture and while it looks like clay, you can make out the babies lying there side by side and you can see their little hands and legs. I just can't beleive this is really happening now. Watching just how far they have grown in 4 weeks just blows my mind and I truly understand why they call it the miracle of life. God rocks! So here are a few facts we learned as well: both babies have their own placenta which means they are fraternal which means we could have a boy and a girl. They can still look alike though. They are measuring 2 days apart but both are roughly 3 inches in length. My 3rd and new date is now November 20th and that's going 40 weeks. I guess now we really need to get a move on finding a house. Also, we will get the baby name list rolling! I go to the regular doctor again in a few weeks so I will keep you posted! Babies A and B are on their merry 'ol way!

Sporting the Mini!

Since I am down to blogging once a weeks because this pregnancy is seriously wearing me out, I thought I would share some new news. Besides finally finding a new doctor, which I am also seeing a high-risk doc on Tuesday (I'll keep you updated), packing the house, managing to survive work everyday, we came across a minivan the other day and pretty much it was an offer we couldn't refuse. We knew that a minivan was our only option with 3 carseats. Bigger SUV's may be trendier but for one, they are far to expensive and two, there's no way I am going to lift 2 carriers up there all the time! So we traded in our Family Ford (that I previously traded Betty Beetle in for with the last pregnancy), and bought Mama Mini! It's pretty nice. It is used but has decent mileage, leather seats, heated seats, automatic doors, TV system, CD player, everything I woudl want anyways. So it was pretty sad to leave the Escape as I didn't even get to drive it one last time so we took a picture instead. So now I guess I just need a soccer ball decal on the new ride and you can me Soccer Mama!

Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day! I was awakend with a little treat from Gracie and Chuck. I got a necklace with 3 diamonds, to obvisoulsy represent the 3 children we will have. Chuck even wrote a little poem to go with it. How sweet! Pretty soon it's off to Auntie Amy's house for a Mother's Day brunch! Yum! It's hard to believe that next year I will be celebrating this day with my 3 children!!!! Happy Mother's Day!

How am I?

So many of you have been probably wondering where the freak I have been? Let me tell you, beign pregnant again has knocked me out! I am soooooo tired! I was tired with the first pregnancy but now it's worse because I have a toddler to tend to as well. And let me tell you how interesting it is because I can't even pick her up. Half of the time I fall asleep before her. Anyways, here are just some of the things that I have been doing or have been on my mind lately.......
*how did I end up pregnant with twins?
*how is this going to work?
*how much more crap should I pack up?
*when should we put this place on the market?
*will be find a reasonably priced house in a good neighborhood?
*will the cabinets in my next house be ugly?
*when will I stop being so tired?
*what is up with doctors?
*which doctor shall i choose?
*is everything ok with the babies?
*are they boys or girls?
*will this house sell?
*will be (hopefully) be out of this place when we have 3 children?
*must i really get a minivan?
*how i is dacare going to work next year?
*why is work so incredibly long?
*why does my class annoy the hell out of me?
*will i ever be able to be a stay-at-home-mom?
*how i am going to take care of 3 children when chuck is at work?
*will i ever be skinny again?
*will we ever get out of this house???
*how did the twin thing happen?
*why do i really not want to work?
*will i be able to deliver naturally again?
*how will be afford all this?
*should we get another crib?
*what kind of stroller do i get?
*will gracie be able to potty train before her siblings arrive?
*when will i have these babies?
*why must i already start wearing some maternity clothes?
*will this house sell soon???please GOd!
*who will the babies look like?
*how will gracie handle this?
*when should i have a garage sale?
*when can i pack up my classroom?
*why do i sit at work and stare at the clock until 3 freaking 30?
*why do i have to work?
*will i ever be able to sleep after these babies come?
*how will breastfeeding go?
*how soon can we move?
and that is why you haven't heard from me in awhile......busy brain and busy belly!