rain rain go away

i usually love rainy days but not today. it was "dry" for a few hours this afternoon so i took the boys out to clean out the garage. i let them dig and roll and mush in the dirt/mud while i swept and organized the outdoor stuff in the garage. since we don't have a shed, it is home to all of our outdoor toys, the grill, our chairs, etc. we moved to this house two years ago, and up until now i have left the garage as 'jeremy's domain' but i couldn't stand it any more. it's not his fault, if i would let him have a few child-free hours to get stuff done.... :-)
august had a freak out yesterday after i gave him some benadryl for a stuffy nose and sneezing. he screamed for almost 3 hours, then fell asleep within a minute of laying down at 545 and slept all night. today he was very chipper and talkative to the point that i had to remind myself of how distraught i was over his speech delay a year ago. i had to bring the boys inside separately due to hudson being covered in mud, so i gated gus in the back yard while i undressed h. i could see and hear gus from the window so it didn't worry me. i had my back to the window and i could hear him singing the ABCs louder and louder until he was shouting so i turned to look. he was standing on the bench in the yard, peeing and yelling. good thing we have a fence.

my wuv you too, gus.

august asks to be picked up. he puts his head on my shoulder, pats my back and looks up at me.
"mama, gus happy."
i tell him mama is happy, too.
"okay. my wuv you mama." pat on back again.

big day for gus

nice weather out today. i started my bread dough, my first attempt. i just did a simple whole wheat recipe. it was relaxing to knead the dough. i borrowed my mom's giant stainless steel bowl and used her bread board. it takes hours to rise, reknead, etc so i had to do the actual baking at my parents' house since we were headed there late afternoon.

anyway we started with lunch on the front porch-i made burritos and chicken nuggets. delicious. then we went for a walk and played in the back yard. i packed up the boys and pj's and we went to the bus residence. i left hudson with my mom and walked up to the bus barn to wait for my dad to return from his route. august and i chatted while we waited. he decided he wants a school bus birthday cake, so i better get planning. once my dad pulled up, august was very somber because he is a little overwhelmed when his toddler dreams come true. he is the same way when jj's dad takes him on the tractors down on the farm. dad had a short trip around the block planned, and we drove by their house to honk at hudson and grandma. we saw how the wipers go swish swish swish, the door goes open and shut...it was so awesome.

my mom made a yummy dinner of low fat meatloaf, sauteed spinach, fresh veggie tray and potatoes. my bread turned out great. it's delicious and i'm ready to do a harder recipe next.

happy earth day.

it was beautiful outside today. we had to wait until after lunch to go out because of two nappers and lunch, but once we went out it was nice. i didn't have time to 'do' anything to celebrate earth day other than let all the kids play with the earth-sand and water and dirt and grass. it was wonderful to feel the sun on our faces and get all dirty. they all had baths when we went inside, which opened up the after-dinner hour for a walk.
i've been bummed all winter thinking about how i'll miss my after dinner walks of last summer. most of the time it was to get some time where i wasn't holding or wearing a crabby baby. i would start out hot, stressed, almost manic and by the end of the workout (double strollers kick my butt every time!) i'd be hot, elated that i exercised, feeling more centered and ready to tackle bedtime. this year we have much earlier bedtime so it will be tricky. i'd be willing to make dinner at 430 to get our power walks in. they are so so important to me because that is my wind-down time with the boys.
anyhoo, all day i could hear the heartbreaking sounds of chainsaws in two different directions. how awful to cut down two beautiful trees on earth day! i decided to take the boys to see each tree to learn about the rings and smell the scent of fresh cut wood. we felt the dampness of the wood and studied the rings. we held a chunk of wood and talked about how it's different than a stick, even though they both are part of the tree. august said, "poor tree. bye bye old tree!" as we walked away from the one on california. boo.
my heart is heavy tonight. i don't want to elaborate here, but my earth day is not ending on a positive note. i thought it was significant enough to mention.

being busy is overrated.

we were so busy for the past week. childrens museum. easter. monday crazies of cleaning, dog maintenance, laundry. tues we went to the farm so gus could ride tractors. wed babysit. thurs playdate, shopping with mom, coffee with the AP ladies. friday babysit. sat and today we were up in the suburbs visiting my sister and brother in law. it was only our 2nd overnight since hudson was born, and i think it went great! since the kids spent most of the day asleep in the car i let them stay up late. we were at toys r us playing until 830! we did a family cosleep (with gus too) and i LOVED it.
i am just so so tired. i can't do that like i used to. h 'sleeps' maybe 3 nights a week now. the rest of the nights are incredibly difficult. he has been moderately chewing on his fingers and i found two molars coming up, so maybe once they pop through we will be better sleepers. i remember when gus had those come through his sleep was atrocious, and he has always been a good sleeper. hudson is in a good mood all day, eating a ton. i couldn't even knit much on the drive back. it was making me more drowsy.
i used sunscreen on august friday afternoon, and he broke out in hives all over his face and ears where i had applied it. hudson already had hives from eating a strawberry. i broke down and gave them benadryl because august looked so swollen like he had been in a fight. it is full of red #40 though, evil evil evil. i am unsure of what to do about the sunscreen thing. i'm going to research it for a more natural option, because we are outside all summer long.
i'm going to go start my dough for pretzels. jj and i are worn out but in the mood to continue our weekend of eating whatever we want, then tomorrow it's crunch time. he's even doing a cleanse, something i have to put off until hudson weans. *hopefully before he's 10

this week so far

i made a new purse. i'm in love with it because it has all of my favorite colors and fabrics. it's very simple but functional (how i love all things that i wear/use) and i can fit a few cloth dipes in it if i need to run somewhere with the boys. it sounds odd to be so excited about a project but in only a few hours i made something i love that i could never find in a store.
we went downtown to eat lunch like the 'workers' eat, according to gus. i love the adams street deli. yum. then we went to explore the big library. i got gus several books-inch by inch, swimmy, a book about dinosaurs....i found the unschooling manual i've been dying to read and also a cookbook about whole foods for little ones.
grandma bus came over so i could go get my hair CHOPPED off-i look sexy with my hair all club ready and i'm in pajamas) and then we dyed easter eggs. it was my first time since childhood and it brought back lots of fun memories. august was fascinated. we only did 14, the perfect amount for a toddler attention span. the smell of the vinegar and eggs really brought me back. i never eat them since i despise eggs, but the boys will!
tomorrow: playdate with sydney and his mom, daycare all day, jj home all day YES! i love my husband. he has been sacrificing sleep so i can get rest and avoid a migraine. my little one decided to go nuts after he started walking.

hey, warm weather?

i want OUT of my HOUSE. i jumped at the chance to go to the fabric store to buy a package of needles. i spent gas and time on just that today. i took august along, who sang twinkle twinkle little star in the store and i gave the evil eye to two perfectly done-up moms with their really expensive strollers and designer sunglasses. gag. i just want to take my kids for a walk! come on spring!
i did a lot of odds and ends today. i really wanted to bake bread. i've been wanting to make it for months but i kept finding bargains/coupons for the good bread at the store, so i've put it off. we were down to half a loaf. however, couldn't find my loaf pan, realized my giant kneading bowl had a crack in it...the universe was against me today. it's too bad, since i had free time, but i filled it by finishing my new bag(it's super fabulous), painting a dino on august's face (he thought it was totally awesome-"Look mommy! DINO! on my face!" we made brownies and i taught him how to read a recipe by looking at pictures. he doesn't know what 1/4 means but he can match it up to the measuring cup with 1/4 on it!
i vaccuumed, i got hudson to say thank you, we looked at cookbooks and yummed at the pictures of food...i guess it's better to be bored. this weekend will be filled to the max with activities. friday i have daycare all day, plus sydney is coming for the afternoon. i will be TIRED friday night. thank god jj is home and on dinner duty. saturday, we are heading to meet jj's side of the family at the kids' museum in good old BNL for our easter gathering. sunday is dinner out with my side and then an egg hunt at my parents' house. whew. expect lots of pictures next week.