Happy Birthday Baby!

My baby Babs recently turn the BIG 2!!! We celebrated in true Chaos Family fashion and had an absolutely wonderful day. The party theme was Elmo and Abby Cadabby, of course. We started the party out with the first BBQ of the season...possibly the last since we don't host BBQ's all that often, but fun still. Then we opened presents. Lots and lots of presents. Lolly was happy to help Babs out with the present part.

Smiling for Papa

Abby CaDaddy enjoyed the festivities as well. He's all about headbands these days.

Then, it was time for the cake!

My baby's birthday has had me thinking lately about how, once you have children, time flies by so quickly. Except for when it doesn't. ;o) It really is true that with raising babies the days are long and the years are short. Babs is at such a great age. She's so funny! And she can talk so well. It's nice to finally know what's going on in that cute little head of hers. I've also noticed that as time has sped up, I have had a harder and harder time documenting all the adorable, and not so adorable, things that they do. So, I've decided to share a list of just a few of the things that Babs does and the many reasons why we love her.

• You are such a tease! And you know it. You get a certain little smile on your face when you're teasing one of us.
• You started talking in complete sentences one Tuesday in March and you're getting better everyday.
• You love to play with babies and you take such good care of them.
  
• You're so loving and affectionate.
  
• When you want to be held you put your arms up and say "I hold you?". Your second cousin does the same thing so I'm thinking it might be a genetic cuteness.
  
• You love to cook and you start out by saying "I cook" and then bring us your delicious concoctions.
• When you get mad you have a way of screaming at us that truly conveys your rage and indignation. And it's actually adorable.
• You love to give loves (hugs) and kisses.
• You are determined to catch up to your older sister and insist that you can do the same things that she can.
  
• Much of the time, you succeed.
• You tell hilarious knock knock jokes that go like this "knock knock? who's there? Daddy!!" and then laugh and laugh.
• You often tell us that things are too loud.
• You point at things all through the day and say "mine?". It becomes a game and you smile your little mischievous smile when asking about things you already know are yours.
• You're a fabulous booty shaker!
• You love to dance and take it very seriously.
• You know your ABC's and love to sing them.
• I've sung "You are my sunshine" to you since you were a tiny baby. And now you sing along with me.
• You know what you like and what you don't like. And no one is changing your mind!
• I love your sweet baby curls around your head.
  
• You have no fear. I'm hoping that you get some soon.
• Any time someone sneezes you say "bless you".
• Any time I cough, you ask me if I'm okay.
• Whenever you pass gas, you have to announce that you tootied before saying "scue me".
• Lately you have insisted on "plimbing" into the van and your car seat yourself.
• But love to be carried the rest of the time.
  
• You love to have your hair done and insist that I put a pony in your hair.
• You like to pick between one or two ponies.
• You love looking at yourself in the mirror.
• I just love looking at you.
  
• You have a great laugh.
• When you and Lolly play together and start laughing, I'm reminded of why I chose to spend my life as your mom.

This list is just a small portion of why we love you so much and we're so happy to have you in our family. I could go on and on, but I need to get you and your sister dressed and ready for the day. Each day my love list grows as quickly as you are. How will I keep up?

Just one short year ago you were my little baby Babs.

And look at you now! You've come a long way baby!

The Secret To My Success-Part ?

Parenting tip for the day. Do not get Nerds for your kids to have in the car, no matter how desperate you may be in that moment of purchase.
No matter how well you think you've cleaned it up, months later when your husband is vacuuming out the van he will be curious about the millions of pink Nerds that were in every nook and cranny.

Got any good tips for me?!

Hogs Gone Wild

It's official. I have the Whine Flu. And I'm not happy about it. Also, a chest cold. But have not just returned from a glorious trip to Mexico. Does anyone else see the injustice?!

The Ultimate Sin

This afternoon I committed the ultimate parenting sin. I was starting a video for Lolly and pushed "continuous play". Oh yes I did. But, in my defense, desperate times call for desperate measures, people. It was Babs nap time, CG has a cold, I have a cold and I had woken up at 3 am to a tummy bug. And every half hour after that for about 3 hours. Then it was only every hour or so. And Lolly was BORED, I tell ya. I was in desperate need of a nap and she was in desperate need of something to watch, other than mommy taking a nap. Surprisingly, I really don't feel all that guilty about it. Just the need to confess to the internet.

We made up for our lack of parenting after dinner when we were playing with the many balloons that are in our home...until CG throws them out tonight. One last balloon fling. Here is a picture of CG and me from Lolly's perspective.

And one last thought to share with you for the upcoming week.

Soccer Mom 101

Today was our first "game". I am in desperate need of this.....


That pretty much says it all.

Friday Favorite-Honey Nut Cheerios-EEK!

This morning I actually got my children to agree to eat breakfast. That is major. I poured the Honey Nut Cheerios into Babs bowl and then into Lolly's bowl and went to get the milk. Suddenly, I heard a squeal. "There's a spider in my cereal!!!". Sure enough, a creepy black spider was running around Lolly's bowl. I handled it like any mature adult would....I grabbed a plate and put it over the top of the bowl and tried not to scream like a little girl. You see, I have a completely irrational fear of spiders that I'm really trying to not pass on to my children.

The girls got clean bowls and a newly opened box of cereal and breakfast continued on its merry little way. I carried the contaminated bowl and the unaffected bowl of cereal, with the plate in between. to the sink to maturely dispose of the problem. Cheerios and resident were washed down the sink and then disposaled. I may never eat Cheerios again.

Happy Friday Everyone!

Happy Day Mother Earth!

We chose to celebrate by eating pizza in the park after our soccer organization meeting and then playing on the play ground.
Don't worry, those pizza boxes will be recycled! Happy Earth Day everyone!

Tumbling Through Life

This past winter Lolly was in a tumbling class. It was fabulous! Words do not express the entertainment value of a tumbling class for 4 year olds......but pictures will!
And, in case anyone was wondering if the gap in Babs teeth shows.....

Soccer Mom?

I just found out that I'm going to coach Lolly's soccer team. As you can probably tell, I'm not "athletically inclined". Pray for me. Actually, pray for the kids. I have no idea what I'm doing.

**CG wants to get me a t-shirt that says Coach on it. I think it will need an iron on of angel wings on the back. Lolly has decided that I need a whistle in order to be a coach. I think I'll probably need an electronic device to make my voice much louder in order for the kids to actually hear me.

Lolly's First Hair Cut

Today I cut Lolly's hair for the first time. EVER.


She was fine. Even though I was cutting off the hair she has had from BIRTH.

Happy, actually.
I struggled not to cry. Because I am lame.

Friday Favorite-Google Reader

So, I have a million things to do today. I was dumb enough to agree to host our couples book club that we recently joined (and haven't attended before) tonight. At my messy, renovating house. Yep. I'm that dumb. The book is "To Kill A Mockingbird" which is one of my favorites....that I haven't read in at least 10 years. Since I have a gazillion things to do, I thought I'd share a little time saver with all of you. Maybe everyone already knows about this and I was the last to find out, but I feel it my duty to share. And I'm nothing if not dutiful.

A while back, I was chatting with cute Hairyshoefairy and commented on the amount of time it takes to stay current on your favorite blogs. That is when she introduced me to the Google Reader. She has become my Go To Guru....she knows almost everything!!! I've bugged her about this and knitting and Logan. And I'm sure there's more to come.

Here's what you do.....go to google.com and get signed up with an iGoogle page. One of the options available is the Google Reader and I highly recommend it. Whenever one of your favorite blogs updates, it automatically shows up in your reader and you can read it right there or go to the blog with the provided link. It's magical! And you won't have to keep going back to each blog to see if they've updated. Plus, if you're like me and have been crazy busy, it will keep track of all the blogs you haven't checked yet. My current status is 50. It will get bigger before the end of the day, I'm sure. The only bad thing about the Google Reader? It doesn't pick up private blogs. Other than that, it's perfect!

Now that I've shared the Google Reader love, I'm off to get ready. All I've got to do is plan refreshments, buy refreshments, clean my house, read the book, find the cliff notes for the book online and maybe brush my teeth since I'm feeling fancy. I wonder how much I'll actually get done.....

Kitchen Remodel Part 5

Even though none of us are getting at all sick of hearing me talk about our kitchen remodel, I thought I'd share a few current photos lest you all think that we're still living in a destroyed kitchen.

Here are the girls enjoying a large cupboard the way they should be enjoyed before the shelves were installed.
Here is one of my favorite parts of the new kitchen. Next to the wall oven we installed 4 feet of lower cabinets that are more shallow than standard lower cabinets. I think it looks great, add a lot of storage and will be wonderful for serving, kitchen aiding, etc.
Here is the corner of the kitchen with the cook top. The fabulous bead board back splash is yet to come.
The last wall of the kitchen cabinets. Notice the built in dishwasher!!! And that would be CG in the corner of the picture measuring the drawer so that he can center the drawer pull he's installing.
This is the section of floor that we need to patch up. We only have 3 tiles left. Home Depot, where we purchased them 2 years ago, no longer carries them. We're going to look at Lowe's and online to see if we can match them up or find a complimentary tile that we can work into the flooring. Otherwise we'll be redoing the entire kitchen floor. Yay.
And that is CG's super muscle leg at the top of the picture. He's a hottie! Plus, men are always hotter when they're working on their "honey do" list.

Post Easter Post

The majority of my children's nutrition today has come directly from the Easter Bunny. Or Grandma. I lack the strength and desire to slowly dole it out to the piece by piece over the next forty years and I figure that it's not right for me to give them this candy and then tell them they can't eat it. I mean, for the Easter Bunny to give them the candy. whatever.

So, they are eating themselves into a sugar coma that I'm really hoping happens around 8 o'clock tonight. And, hopefully, it's all gone by then and we can resume our normal eating habits....ya know, fruit snacks and peanut butter sandwiches. I'm nothing, if not health conscious.

The bad news? I'm totally and completely out of caffeine. Send help!

Happy Easter!

What a wonderful day! And since I'm at a loss of words, I'll use pictures.....

Happy Easter from the Chaos Family!

Friday Favorite-Grandma Beth

CG's maternal grandmother, Grandma Beth, passed away this past Monday night and today was her funeral. This wonderful woman has 8 children, 40 grandchildren and 65 great-grandchildren. She lived an amazing life, was loved by all who knew her and will be greatly missed. And I have no doubt that she's talking her husbands ear off right this second catching him up on everything that's happened since he passed away 10 years ago.
She is an amazing example of how one woman, one mother, can effect the world around her.

Kitchen Remodel Part 4

Is this really only the fourth time I've thrilled everyone with the details?!?! Although it does feel like I've fallen on the face of the blearth and my google reader is reaching new heights, I am still here. We've been working on the kitchen. Here are some more highlights......

We destroyed the old kitchen.
I'm bringing back sexy. With power tools.
And then we found this.....
Those would be big ol' copper pipes. Where my corner cupboard is supposed to be. No worries. That particular problem has been solved. With more power tools.

I have successfully used 3 different power tools this week. The counter tops will be installed tomorrow. More pictures and details to come......eventually......

Kitchen Remodel Part 3

And the kitchen remodeling continues. Things have been going fabulously and I really really hope that they continue on that way. This week CG took off work so we could do the base cabinets and finish up all the other fun stuff that you don't realize you need to do until just after you get home from the home improvement store.

Here are a few pictures to highlight what's been done since the last time I posted pictures highlighting what had been done.

Yet another kind of wallpaper has been discovered. We've also discovered that when the house was originally painted, 43 years ago, the wall was not prepped in any way before applying the paint. So it comes off. Yeah.
Here are a couple of pictures that Lolly took of Daddy and Papa Van (seriously!) working in the kitchen. Papa Van, my dad, has been helping us out a lot. Thanks Papa!
The wall cabinets are all up and the only thing left to do there is put on the handles. YAY!
And they installed the wall oven on Saturday. Yay!

Before

After--So Far

This week......everything else. So I'll be writing lots of riveting posts while my husband is slaving away in the kitchen. No worries. I'll throw snacks and bottles of water at him occasionally. My man is well taken care of.