Ice Ice Baby

Our concrete stairs, they are the devil. We were on our way out to run a couple errands and just as I got to the last step two things happened at once - Brother Bear proudly announced he was going to get the mail and began booking it down the driveway, and I yelled, "No!" trying to hurry and stop him when W and I fell together on the icy concrete step. I fell straight down onto my bottom in order to avoid dropping W. Oddly enough I didn't spill a drop of my Pepsi - talented I know. Buuut not quite talented enough to not break my coccyx.

The immense pain was a dead giveaway that I had broken it. So instead of a trip to the local grocery store, I was in the ER. Before I received the pain meds I told Dan this hurt worse than labor pains. And that's definitely saying something. Up until yesterday I had never broken a bone in my life. This is something I could have went without experiencing! No excitement over here. Dan got me a foam donut to sit on but I swear the thing is harder than a rock and has more of a slit than a hole in the center. Suffice it to say I'm more comfortable sitting on the toilet all day. A big thank you to our loving church family for the meal train this week. You guys are a huge help - thank you!

Dental Win

The last time we left a dentist office I was just about in tears. Everything that could have went awry had and I was made to feel like I was the sole reason W's teeth were falling apart. Friday morning I left a new dentist office in tears...of joy! This office wasn't labeled as pediatric dentistry but let me tell you, they sure took the cake! From the moment we walked in (the wrong door) they warmly welcomed us all and made us feel important. W was in hysterics because I was busy filling out his paperwork. The staff took notice right away and blew up two helium balloons. One for W and one for Brother Bear. They never left anyone feeling unimportant. And when that didn't do the trick for little W, they let him and I go back to one of their cubicles to get started. (Even though the papers weren't completed yet.)

The kind assistant tried calming W with a musical stuffed animal. Which worked for a few seconds. I think he already decided these people in white coats were plotting to give him shots! There was no distracting him until another assistant stopped by and smiled, revealing green flashing teeth! He was amazed by the little glow stick in her mouth, and I was amazed by their bedside manner. I half expected a juggling clown to come traipsing down the aisle!

Soon the Dentist came in with a big smile and warm greetings, as if we were long lost friends. He didn't even make W lay his head in his lap, instead having me lay him back in my lap for the exam. Without me saying a word about my opinion or our last experience, he immediately announced that W has a dental deformity that could be genetic. I swear at that moment the heavens opened up and we had our hallelujah moment! He said it needs to be looked into with x-rays and such by a specialist. And also mentioned that none of the teeth are cavities, he simply has no enamel. The only reason any teeth would need to be pulled is if they were causing him great pain. And it would have to be in a hospital setting with W sedated. (Again, Hallelujah!)

He was going to refer us to the same pediatric dentist we had just had our horrible experience with until I filled him in on her opinions and the awful time we had with her. His eyes got huge and he was quite shocked and visibly upset that had happened. He said he was going to get a list of phone numbers together for me and do some research to make sure W gets the care he needs, and not just a quick "solution". The dentist is referring W to a specialist at the Helen DeVos Children's Hospital.

The staff were chatting it up with Brother Bear at the desk when we came back to the waiting room and although it appeared he was telling them his life story, neither lady was bothered at all by his babbling. They were all smiles for him and even let both boys come back in and pick a toy from their treasure chest. I was told not to worry about W's paperwork today and to drop it off the next time we're in town. I do believe we have found ourselves an awesome family dentist! Now back to the waiting game which hopefully won't be that long.

Whirlwind

From Thanksgiving all the way up to Brother Bear's 3rd Birthday, it has been nonstop go-go-go for this household! I think it's def. time for some relaxation - but Motherhood has informed me that's not gonna happen! Soon after lunch I noticed W had a runny nose and immediately knew where he got sick from. Now why some people are blithering idiots and tote their sick Baby around a Birthday party of all things, is beyond me.

I knew it when I seen it and attempted to keep my kiddos far from the sick Baby...buuut that apparently didn't quite do the trick. My poor little man is in bed next to me struggling to breathe and cannot nurse without pulling off and gasping for air. Please pray this is nothing serious like RSV, etc.

I'm not sure what's going on lately but Brother Bear has had me rolling with laughter these days! Here are the latest Brother Bear-isms:

- I told him, "You're driving me nuts!" He says, "No your driving MY nuts!" In attempt to correct his misunderstanding I said, "No. Say 'you're driving ME nuts.' " to which he replies, "I'm driving YOUR nuts." I drop to me knees rolling with laughter and he says, "Can I help you?" Yes, yes you can sweet son...remind me not to say such things to you!!

- I asked him if my necklace was pretty and he said, "yeauh ur noggin's purty!"

- He asked for chips, I said it's almost time to eat dinner, and he said "I want Griff eat it."

- I whispered in his ear, and asked him to tell me a secret and he whispers, "Its'a secrrrret!"

- I stood up from fixing the wood stove and he hit my bottom and said, "Fly away!"

- He got a bagel out of the fridge and came running saying, "Look! It's a MONSTER cookie!!"

We'll top it off with one from W:

- I heard a lot of grunting and found W under the table, holding onto the leg for support... pooping.

Yup...I love my crazy, funny life! W also has a new party trick. I say, "I work out!" then with a big grin he adds the, "Ahhhh!!" We had been watching the 'I'm a Daddy and I Know it' video a lot that week and somehow he caught onto it. If you haven't seen it you HAVE to go to http://www.godfruits.com/im-a-daddy-and-i-know-it-funny-spoof-with-serious-message-kudos-to-dad-of-five-11765.php and watch it!

The time change really has me messed up! I could really deal with a spring BACK right about now...I better go to bed and get ready for errand day tomorrow. It's always interesting with two kiddos. But I've gotta say - I sure couldn't imagine my life without 'em. They are without a doubt my everything.

Say Grace

Dogs Saying Grace Before Meals.mp4 - YouTube

This is the video that helped David learn to pray at the dinner table with. He watched it...and then he watched it again...and I think he must have watched it 7 times that day (and 2 times today)! He is so stinkin cute! The other night I asked him to say grace, and he said, "Grace!" :)

Now every meal we pray together and hold hands (if Walter will let me) David absolutely loves it. After we finish praying he asks for our hands so he can say grace again. He repeats, "Dear God.....dear God...grace..dear God, Amen!" ...and only then will he let us eat. :)

Ambidexterous- aka "Mom"

I know all of my Mommy friends can relate whenever I say, "I never knew I could do so many things one handed, until I became a Momma." I was holding a teething, exhausted Walter, while getting my pajama bottoms on, as I said this to Dan. Then thought, "How fun would it be to type out a list and blog about it to share for a good laugh?" That brings me here...ready? :)

My Ongoing One Handed List:

-Get dressed
-Dress a child
-Cook
-Apply make-up (including eyeliner)
-Style hair
-Sweep the floors (and get it into the dust pan!)
-Go to the restroom
-Bag the groceries
-Get David out of his carseat
-Write an e-mail
-Bathe David
-Putting shoes on self & David
-Cleaning the house
-Putting away toys
-Eating
-Making my breakfast drink
-Putting a movie in
-Pedicure
-Nursing W
-Locking/unlocking the house
-Shopping
-Unbutton David's shirt
-Tweeze my eyebrows
-Opening packages
-Re-kindling the woodstove
-Loading/unloading the dishwasher
-Folding/Putting away laundry
-Brushing mine & David's teeth
-Clipping my nails
-Q-Tip for ears
-David's hair
-Reading a book (turning the pages)
-Giving David his meds
-Straightening up the bed
-Connecting cell phone to charger
-Getting the dog on/off his chain
-Feeding the dog
-Washing off the booster seat & tray
-Making a plate of food for self or others

Are you still with me? :) I know I'm probably forgetting some, so feel free to comment with some of your own one handed Mommy adventures. (or Daddy!)

Ready...Set...Go!!!

The party planning is running full tilt! Our sweet "Dabid" is turning 3!!! We have the date picked, the time set, our place reserved & I even managed to make what my Hubby refers to as a "freaking awesome!" party invite. (pictured below)

David is addicted to Lightning McQueen and (much to my surprise) he actually understood and answered me when I asked him, "David, what kind of a party do you want hun?" He instantly (on more than one occasion) told me, "Cars!" And with that sweet, super adorable smile of his.

We will be giving most of his party guests their "ticket" by hand delivery. If you live too far for us to do this, let us know and we can still get you your ticket, via snail mail or e-mail. Your choice, just ask.

What an emotional event this is turning out to be! Just typing the title got me choked up. My firstborn son is already going on his third year of life. He has brought us so. much. joy! I can only hope we bring even a fraction of that to his. Anyone who knows David, knows how sweet, loving, silly, creative, and smart he really is. God has blessed us with one of His beautiful children and we have had the honor to get to be his parents and know him at a heart to heart level. I once thought we would have a hard time adjusting to our lives when the time came for David to be born. That was shattered the moment the doctors laid him on my chest and he very deliberately locked eyes with me. As his Momma, I know I will never forget that, and many other precious memories. (more on that on the Birth Day post later!)

I am having SO much fun planning this and am really greatful for Pinterest, Google, and my Picsart android app! I still have things to draw, games to plan, and a menu of yummy food to buy, but I am relieved already, just to have a majority of these things ironed out and ready to go.  I know as the day nears closer I am going to be one mushy Momma! How is David already going on 3? I SWEAR we just brought our tiny blue bundle home a few months ago... :)

Oppa is Just My Style

Otherwise widely known as, Gangnam Style. My Hubby convinced me that it was too funny not to watch and I just had to see it. So I watched it right before heading out to a friends baby shower, and there were deffinetly parts that were funny ...but mostly I was left wondering what the rest of the words were. All I (thought I) heard was something like, "welcome Gangnam Style". Way off!

The song is a huge earbug and I had to look up the lyrics! Google to the rescue, I found the lyrics (once again parts of it were funny!)

[English Translation]
Oppa is just my style
Just my style

A girl who is warm and humanle during the day
A classy girl who know how to enjoy the freedom of a cup of coffee
A girl whose heart gets hotter when night comes
A girl with that kind of twist

I'm a guy
A guy who is as warm as you during the day
A guy who one-shots his coffee before it even cools down
A guy whose heart bursts when night comes
That kind of guy

Beautiful, loveable
Yes you, hey, yes you, hey
Beautiful, loveable
Yes you, hey, yes you, hey
Now lets go until the end

Oppa is just my style style, just my style
Oppa is just my style style, just my style
Oppa is just my style

Eh- Sexy baby, Oppa is just my style
Eh- Sexy baby oh oh oh oh

A girl who looks quiet but plays when she plays
A girl who puts her hair down when the right time comes
A girl who covers herself but is more sexy than a girl who bares it all
A sensable girl like that

I'm a guy
A guy who seems calm but plays when he plays
A guy who goes completely crazy when the right time comes
A guy who has bulging ideas rather than muscles
That kind of guy

Beautiful, loveable
Yes you, hey, yes you, hey
Beautiful, loveable
Yes you, hey, yes you, hey
Now lets go until the end

Oppa is just my style style, just my style
Oppa is just my style style, just my style
Oppa is just my style

Eh- Sexy baby, Oppa is just my style
Eh- Sexy baby oh oh oh oh

On top of the running man is the flying man, baby baby
I'm a man who knows a thing or two
On top of the running man is the flying man, baby baby
I'm a man who knows a thing or two

You know what I'm saying
Oppa is just my style

Eh- Sexy baby, Oppa is just my style
Eh- Sexy baby oh oh oh oh
[ From: http://www.elyrics.net ]

... but then was left wondering, "What the heck is 'Oppa'?"

Back on Google I searched, "what is Oppa?" and got a real shocker...

"Psy‘s “Gangnam Style” music video is going viral on the internet, even being featured on popular social media sites such as Gawker and Reddit which focuses on some of the best content on the web.

Having watched it a number of times, we know that Oppa is “Gangnam Style“, but what exactly does that mean?

Gangnam is a very affluent part of the city of Seoul, located south of the Han River. In fact, ‘Gangnam’ translates into ‘South of the River’, and it also happens to be where the offices of S.M. Entertaniment and JYP Entertainment are located.

This region of Seoul has been compared to Beverly Hills in California and New York City’s trendy Midtown, as Gangnam boasts plenty of high end shopping, dining, and entertainment to keep both tourists and the locals busy.

Once mostly farmland, Gangnam underwent massive changes during the 1960′s as the area north of the Han River began to develop. People quickly started migrating to Gangnam, where farmland was quickly turned into a bustling city.

There’s some debate as to whether the ‘horse dance’ in “Gangnam Style” is a reference to the city’s past agricultural history, or if it’s a means to show just how wealthy the people of Gangnam are now. With the steep prices on land in Korea, only the very rich can afford to own and take care of horses.

In ‘Gangnam Style’, Psy tries to win his ideal woman, who is “warm and human during the day, a classy girl who understands the freedom of having a cup of coffee. A girl whose heart grows hotter as the night approaches, a girl with that kind of twist… A girl who looks quiet but knows how and when to party, a girl who lets her hair down when she feels it is the right time. A girl who covers up but is more sexy than a girl who bares it all, a sensual girl like that.”

Psy tries to convince her to fall for him, by saying that he, too, is warm during the day, but gets ‘hotter’ (later, “goes completely crazy”) at night, a guy that seems calm, but parties when it’s time to do so. He then tries to explain that he’s a smart and exciting guy who “one-shots his coffee before it even cools down,” and who has “bulging ideas rather than muscles.”

Basically, the ‘Gangnam-Style Oppa’ is trying to convince you that he’s rich, fun to be around, and interesting to talk to. Evidenced by the music video, he has definitely accomplished that." - http://www.allkpop.com/2012/07/behind-the-music-psy-oppa-is-gangnam-style

...a history lesson? Wow didn't see that one coming! I was so shocked I copied and pasted that whole article and texted it to the Hubby. All this time SO many people only noticed the hillarious dance in the video...who knew?!!