With Sprinkles on Top

What do you do in Southern California when the weather is fantastic, but you aren't feeling so hot? Well, if you are like me, you pack up the kids, head out towards Laguna Beach take a drive up PCH and stop at Sprinkles for cupcakes! I found out it is Passover and during this time, Sprinkles makes a flourless chocolate cupcake with a vanilla bean icing. I was totally looking forward to it...too bad they didn't have it! Oh well, they had a gluten-free red velvet cupcake that was very yummy too. To be completely honest, it isn't as sweet as a normal cupcake, but the frosting that they put on top is sweet enough to balance it all out.
If you didn't know, I don't eat wheat. It is for a variety of reasons. The benefits I have seen for me: More energy, weight loss, better breathing, better digestion. It's a personal choice. I can go into it another time.

As for right now, I am totally hormonal. You are more likely to catch me in tears right now than not. The reality of caring for three kids seems insurmountable. The finances scare me and of course the idea of fitting five people in this little space gives me claustrophobia! I didn't even want to go to church Sunday because I didn't want people telling me "congratulations." I didn't want to hear it. I'm still in shock. It will eventually set in and I will eventually accept the fact and become excited. Don't worry, I will love this child as much as I love my other two, I'm just feeling so overwhelmed and thankful that I have nine months to digest the news and prepare for this new stage of life.

Before and After

Yay! We got new appliances. I know that I am old when I get excited over appliances! Anyways, here is the old stove:...and the new one:The old washer/dryer:...and the new set:We considered getting front loaders, but they are so expensive right now that we decided to save that money for a bathroom update. Anyways, they are so wonderful! Don't they just make you want to bake and do laundry? No...me neither, but they at least make it easier and who doesn't like when tasks are made easier?

P.S. I am thinking about doing a giveaway soon. Stay tuned.

Did you notice?

I had to change my blog title. I got the shock of a lifetime yesterday. I guess I should have been catching on to some of the weird symptoms I had be experiencing and it would have added up. You know the sharp sense of smell, heartburn, charlie horses, a gut, and being so tired. Well, I hadn't thought about that. Chad and I were not trying to have any kids anytime soon...at all. In fact, I was thinking maybe 5-6 years down the road I would think about another and that was a new development. Before that I said I was done. I remember saying a prayer and telling God, "I'm done thanks. My life is full, I can't take care of anymore, I just don't have the capacity. If you want me to have more it's going to have to be a surprise." Don't challenge God.

Anyways, I thought I was late (although with two kids I honestly don't keep track), so I grabbed a pregnancy test thinking I was just wasting $10 bucks and it was all in my head. When I got home I took it and immediately the first Not Pregnant line shows up, so I was feeling good. Then as I watched, the Pregnant line starts to get darker. "No..no no...no no no!" It just got darker and darker! So what do you do right after you find out you are pregnant? Call the company you just ordered a stroller from and cancel because now I need a double!

So now who do I call? Well, Chad of course. I got on the phone and asked him if he was sitting down. He was and then I told him. I started crying. Not happy tears. I'm thinking of having to buy a bigger car, the expense of another mouth to feed, figuring out where we are going to put another person in 1035 square feet, etc. Chad being the man that I married of course tells me everything will be OK. I am still in shock. He then goes on to tell me, "We get another $1000 on our tax return!" Followed by, "I think it might be time to get snipped because you seem to get pregnant if I hug you." I'm glad he can make me laugh in the middle of a meltdown.

I called my mom just a little after and she gave me a boost. She told me that we are never ready, you can never afford them and that we have greater strength in us than we know. Thanks mom, I needed that!

Anyways, here we go. I don't know how far along I am. I am assuming I'm pretty newly pregnant, but I might be further than I think. I feel great though other than being tired and getting some heartburn. I am assuming this is another boy. In fact, I would be shocked if it were a girl. I can't believe I am going to have three! We are starting to think of the many many things we need to do to be ready for this one. A new car, rearranging rooms, possibly moving, making more money, stockpiling diapers and clothes. Let the naming war begin...

Right now

I don't want to forget some of the funny things these kids of mine do right now. I am sure I will if I don't write them down, so here we go.

Every morning Micah wakes up Chad and asks for milk and a TV show. The few he chooses are Handy Manny, Chuggington and SpongeBob.

Brooklyn eats a huge breakfast that would rival a football player.

Micah might eat some toast.

Brooklyn will run for a bow and shoes if she thinks we are leaving.

Micah will run for his flip flops (never shoes) and Matchbox cars.

When I open the front door to go anywhere, the kids will run in circles in the front. I have to pretend to leave to get Brooklyn in the car. I might be giving her abandonment issues.

Both kids want a dog. Instead of owning them, we visit them at the mall and that seems to be enough.

If either kid gets time out, the other will come to keep company. I think it is sweet that they are so nice to each other.
Micah currently loves Brooklyn . He will call her "sweet angel,"give her kisses goodnight and play with her.

Brooklyn LOVES Yo Gabba Gabba. It is crazy. She sings the song and watches it over and over again. When they sing the family song, she gives us hugs and kisses. That is my favorite!

Micah's favorite toys by far are Matchbox cars.

Brooklyn like to play with strollers and Elmo books and toys.

Micah has spoken so clearly for the longest time, but he still has a few words that are off, like quge for huge, cah for car, and frootball for football. I kind of like it.

Brooklyn says a ton of things now, but they are all in her own language. Mease is me please, fower is flower, bahw is ball, and meat is me eat.

Micah loves to play video games and we let him play just a few. Car game (Burnout Paradise) and Pixel Junk Shooter are his faves and he is good at them.

Brooklyn loves hummus. She literally eats it with a spoon.

Micah will eat mini hamburger buns with ketchup or a Costco hot dog.

Brooklyn wears her Elmo undies over her diapers.

Micah has been in the habit of wearing a few layers of underwear lately. I think yesterday we got down to two, but we have been as high as thirteen!

Did I mention this kid is obsessed with cars? He "drives" everywhere we go. He will even crash into the walls.

Brooklyn has finally adjusted to nursery, four months later. Thank goodness!

Happens in March...

It's March and with it is finally coming some beach weather! Yesterday was gorgeous, so we headed to baby beach in DP. Others had the same idea, so there were a lot of friends there to play with. We spent almost three hours there playing and getting a little more sun than we bargained for. Micah gave me a little bit of a scare because this very confident boy of mine decided to take himself to the potty while I stood on the shore scanning the beach over and over for him. Luckily, a mom behind me told me he went to the restrooms. Phew! Don't worry, I gave him a good talking to and he should be asking for permission from now on. Brooklyn loved the beach. She practically bathed in it. I had a hard time getting her off the beach. I think we are going to have to do this more often even if my car is a bit of a sand box!


What else happens in March? St. Patty's Day. Honestly, not big on this holiday. Don't drink, not Irish, so we celebrate with Lucky Charms. If you look closely, you will understand why this is a treat for us. Do you see it? Not a marshmallow left, just the cereal. So if you are wondering what my kids had for breakfast, it was sugar.
I just love this picture of Micah, had to share it. He is my handsome boy.

Mini Vacation

Chad told me about a week ago that he was feeling burnt out. I asked him how much vacation time he had built up and he told me three weeks! I convinced him to schedule some vacation time and so he took Thursday and Friday off. We have been enjoying our short vacation. What did we do?

Spend a day in San Clemente with the kids

Bought a new stroller

Browsed for new tile

Got our tax return!!!

Went to D-land

Enjoyed an In-n-Out family outing

Enjoyed a picnic in the park

Played at the mall

Had a real one on one date

Oh, and we had a rock show!

I go big AND I go home...

Let's see, it has been almost five years that I have been a parent now and I have never lost a kid... until today. Wait, let me clarify that, not only did I lose a kid for the first time, I lost a second kid for the first time, on separate instances on the same day. Earning that mother of the year award is tough! Here is what happened:

This morning I woke up feeling a little stressed. I have a lot on my plate right now and I thought if I took the kids out for a walk, I could destress a bit. Well, I put Brooklyn in her stroller and had Micah on his scooter. We began the walk with a lot of complaining. Micah did not want to be in the street, he wanted to be on the sidewalk. So I gave in and we got on the sidewalk that winds around the community. Near the end of our walk the sidewalk ends at the street where you either turn right or left. Micah had gone ahead of me and as I got to the street I looked to see that he was gone. I yelled out for him and I heard him distantly say "Mom, I'm down here." So I start heading down the hill and still don't see him. I yell for him again, No answer. I run back up the hill and yell again. No answer. Now I am just getting louder. He must not hear me. No answer. I am now running up and down the street yelling out his name. No answer. I head down by my house and still don't see him. I tell myself not to panic, which has the opposite effect. I run back up the street now crying and screaming his name. I couldn't tell you how long this was happening. It felt like he was gone forever! Finally, I see him coming down the sidewalk. "I'm right here mom!" I was so relieved and mad at the same time. Uhg, my nerves were shot. He told me later he saw a guy he wanted to say hi to. Now I need to look up Megan's Law in my area!

So after finding him I decided to just go and run the errands I had been meaning to do. We get in the car hit Home Depot, the animal shelter and then decided the mall would be fun. Well, in my frazzled state, I had forgotten snacks, diapers and the stroller. Great! So I decided this would be a quick trip. We stopped in the play area for a bit and then walked the mall with one very wriggly baby. I thought we could kill some time shopping before I take them to the food court for lunch. Well, we got into Gymboree and they were having a sale. I put both Brooklyn and Micah down in front of the TV, which happened to have Yo Gabba Gabba on. They LOVE that show. So I would look at clothes for a few seconds and then look over and then look at clothes and check again. At one point I heard her get up and start to run. I immediately got her back in her seat and went back to browsing/checking. Well, I checked back again and her seat was empty! She must have put her shoes in to stealth mode because I didn't hear a thing! This was not happening again! I start looking around the racks and calling her name. She isn't there! The store clerks start looking. I run out to the mall and look both ways. I don't see her. Run back in yelling her name. Nothing. Oh my gosh I feel like I might pass out. Run back out to the mall and look again yelling her name. A man running a kiosk down the way points down another hallway. I sprint around the corner. It was her! I grabbed her, thanked the man over and over again then ran back into the store, got Micah and I was done. I mean DONE! We went right home. That will be the last time I trust my kids with that freedom at their age. Time to reign them in a bit for a while!

Cha ching!

I have to share my money savers this week. I am so proud of myself! I usually think of myself as a resourceful person and try to find ways to get a great deal, bring down the cost of something or arrange a trade of some sort. Well, with soccer sign ups coming up on Saturday I had been busy getting the AYSO forms filled out and getting Micah's birth certificate (I've never needed it before). I noticed after I filled out the paperwork that there was a small section about financial aid. I opened it up and all it asked for was for you to volunteer in some capacity. It also asked how much assistance was needed (50-100%). Wanting to save some money, I volunteered as the team parent (I hope I don't regret this later) and asked for 100%. When I went through the registration day, they looked at my paperwork and said "OK thanks!" That was it. Free soccer for us!

Another great buy was this:
I have had my eye on it for a while and thought it would go perfect in a car themed room. Well, I just happen to see in the Target ad that it is on sale this week for $34! Woo hoo woo hoo! I made that an early morning errand for me and the kids. Oh and did I mention I saved another $10 bucks? I did! Amy introduced me to this blog (check out the Gap recycled denim sale she posted about) and I decided to put a concerted effort into using coupons. I even bought a Sunday newspaper and cut them out. So yes, that makes my grand total for money saved this weekend $120!

Now here is where I run across a problem...I feel like since I have saved that money, it is now free for me to use. It is like "well I would have spent it anyways, so might as well use it." Not a good way to look at it. I also find that when I look through coupons that I think, "well I haven't tried this, but I can save money on it, so maybe I'll try it." So as much as I enjoy saving the money I wonder if I am actually spending more on items I wouldn't normally buy. I think some of it has to do with the time constraints they put on it too. Like those dang Michael's 40% off coupons. When I get one, I feel like I need to use it even if I really don't need anything there. I mean really, do we NEED anything from Michael's? Anyways, just a thought, but for now I am enjoying the idea of saving money!

The Marshmallow

Thursday night after dinner Micah asked for a marshmallow since he saw one in my hot cocoa. I gave him one and soon Brooklyn was clamoring for one of her own. I handed one off to her and we relaxed for the night. Finally, it was time for bed and as we put her down, I noticed she still had her marshmallow in her hand. She had carried it around with her all night. I whispered to Chad to snatch it from her real quick before we left the room. He told me not to worry about it. He was sure she would just eat it and fall asleep. I decided to go along with it. We left the room and a little later we put Micah down and finally we hit the hay.

In the middle of the night I heard Brooklyn start to cry. Chad got up and went in her room to grab her. I heard her stop crying and then start up again and then stop and start again. Weird. Well, then Chad comes in with her and lays her down next to me. I roll over next to her and cuddle up to sleep again. Next thing I know, Chad walks back in the room with a pair of scissors and cuts that marshmallow out of her hair! Huh? It was the middle of the night and I was groggy. I don't think I got what I had just seen, so I fell back asleep.

In the morning I woke up and first thing I realize is what happened last night. "Um Chad, I hope I was dreaming, but I really think I wasn't. Did you CUT a marshmallow out of Brooklyn's hair last night?" "Yeah." "Why would you do that? You can wash it out with water." "I don't know, I couldn't think of that in the middle of the night." Crud, so now I have to assess the damage. I put her in a bath, since she still had more in her hair. After it is washed and dried, I get a look at it. There are some pieces on the top of her head that are, no joke, two inches long! Luckily, it sort of blends.

Here are the lessons learned: 1. Never put your kid to bed with anything sticky. Consider the worst case scenario and convince yourself that this is a valid possibility. 2. Never trust Chad with scissors in the middle of the night. Well, basically don't let Chad make any decisions in the middle of the night. He is a walking dead man at that hour!

Blank Canvas

Brooklyn's room is nearly done at this point. I am just working on a few finishing touches at this point. Things like painting the ceiling where it was retextured and buying new panels for the window (since I am not digging the canvas with the look of this room) will soon be taken care of. I thought the same would be happening with Micah's room, but Micah said he didn't want a surfer room any more. Truth be told, neither Chad nor I surf. I have tried and didn't do so hot (I would like to try again). Chad skims, but since you can't really find skimming decor, the default is surfing. Anyways, all of our surfer stuff was handed off to a friend and we are starting at square one!Here is what I have: a light wood lofted bed, a navy distressed three drawer dresser, and a red zig zag bookshelf. Since I just painted the room Restful green, it will stay that way and now it is time to decorate around it. Cars are Micah's world, so that is what we are going with. Micah decided he wanted the Hit the Road sheets from Target:And althought I would prefer this quilt from PBTeen:This one from Land of Nod is about $100 cheaper:For the floor I would like to go with something along these lines from PBkids:But then I considered the HOURS and HOURS of fun he would have with this:For the walls, I thought this piece of art would be fun:I also want to paint a picture like this one up on his wall in chalkboard paint so he can draw on it:I would like to have a gallery wall like this up above his dresser:Chad has a license plate from Hawaii (from college) and Georgia (from his mission) that I will put up in a shadow box as well. I thought I could mix in a few small cork squares to display his artwork and instead of giant A and Z, I wanted to pick up a vintage bumper from eBay. I could attach it to a piece of wood and mount it to the wall so it can be used as a shelf. Who am I kidding, I won't be doing that. I think I might have to bribe my father in law with some peanut brittle!
I might be broke by the end, but I would like to finish the room off with a new set of curtains, since striped burgandy clearly won't go, and this cute little bean bag seat from Target:Now to find the money and time to do it all!

Life is sweet

I'll be back soon!