he loves her

The Mayor and Love Bug were sitting across from each other at the kitchen table enjoying a snack. They were eating quietly while D and I were standing in the kitchen talking. Love Bug dropped her sippy cup and all of her goldfish crackers had been scattered out of her reach. She made a "eh, eh" sound while she stretched her little hands as far forward as she could in an attempt to get her crackers but with no luck. Without missing a beat, or being asked by us, The Mayor hopped out of his chair, went to Love Bug, picked up her sippy cup, put it in front of her and pushed all of her goldfish in a neat pile directly in front of her. He then looked at her, rubbed her head and told her it would be ok. Then he walked back over to his seat, sat down and continued eating his snack. D and I just looked at each other in amazement at the pure love between a brother and sister that we had just witnessed. I stood there with tears in my eyes and D walked over to The Mayor, kissed him and told him how proud we were that he helped his sister. It was one of the sweetest things I have ever witnessed and I am so happy The Mayor is a big brother and Love Bug has him to protect her.

the longest 15 minutes...ever

Today was The Mayor's appointment with the allergist and it was the day for the skin testing. Oh joy. D went with us and Meega watched Love Bug since skin testing on a 3 year old is absolutely a two parent job. For those of you not abreast to the details of skin testing, the quick and dirty version is each panel of testing is 8 tiny needles. Each needle is saturated in whatever it is they are testing to see what you are allergic to and they press each panel into your back. The needles pierce your skin allowing enough of the liquid to get under your skin and you lie flat on your stomach for 15 minutes to see if a welt appears on your back. They did 4 panels on The Mayor's back (which is 32 needles...actually 33 since they also pierce the back with a needle of histamine to ensure it welts and the test is accurate).

Do you think a 3 year old is going to lie flat on his tummy and lie still for 15 minutes after having 33 needles pressed into his back? Nope. So D had The Mayor's head and shoulders and I had the waist and legs and we literally held him down for 15 minutes. The Mayor was literally drenched in sweat after those looooooong 15 minutes finally passed. Nothing welted up. The doctor came in and told us the skin testing only appears positive if you are really allergic, meaning on a scale of 1-10 (where 1 is not allergic and 10 is highly allergic), skin testing will only become positive if you are an 8,9 or 10. It still doesn't mean you aren't allergic. So then comes round 2 of testing...intradermal testing.

Intradermal testing is when they actually inject the liquid into your arm so it really gets into your system to detect an allergy. The nurse came back in with 10 syringes lined up in a row. Me, D and a nurse wrangled The Mayor into a position where he couldn't move while the 2nd nurse stabbed my baby's arm with 10 syringes one by one.

After 43 stabs with needles, The Mayor isn't allergic to anything. So why all the issues? We still don't know. The x-rays he had 2 weeks ago indicted infection in the right and left sinuses and slightly enlarged tonsils. We are on day 12 of a 20 day cycle of antibiotics. After the cycle of antibiotics we go back for another round of x-rays and if he still has infection in his sinuses then we go to an ENT.

Hopefully, one day, we will get The Mayor's diet and sinus issues under control and get some answers.

We are now back home and all of us are just exhausted. Love Bug is tired from being woken up at 7:15 this morning to go to Meega's and I think it is pretty clear why the rest of us are tired. Bedtime is going to be extra early tonight.

marks from the skin testing

(the red dots are where the needles were pressed into this back)

intradermal testing

one sad and tired boy

hoppy easter

Last year, Easter stressed me out. We had a newborn baby and a 2 year old boy. Easter morning, we were running behind and rushing out the door for church so the kids didn't even get a chance to see their Easter baskets, and after church we went immediately over to Mamie and PopPop's where The Mayor got jacked up on jellybeans. I wanted so desperately to get a picture of our new family of 4 but trying to get The Mayor to sit for a picture was near impossible. Of course, at the end of the day, I realized Easter wasn't about any of that stuff anyway. It is about our risen Savior. And that is why we celebrate this amazing holiday.

So this year, I decided to enjoy the holiday for what it is and just take it easy. If we got a great picture or two then it would be icing on the cake. My cake was not only iced, but it was doused with whipped cream, sprinkles and a cherry. It was the best Easter weekend.

Our church has implemented 2 Saturday night services and they started this weekend. We went to church at 4:30 Saturday evening and it was amazing. The service was amazing and the time of day was perfect. After church, we went to dinner and then home to bed. This morning we all slept in (well, except D. He got up and rode 56 miles on his bike...crazy). But the kids and I slept until 9:00 and then went for doughnuts. It was weird not being at church this morning, but it was so nice not getting up early and rushing. After doughnuts, we came home and decorated eggs (Love Bug lasted for 2 eggs before she made it abundantly clear that she wanted to take a nap) but The Mayor could have decorated eggs all day.

After Love Bug's nap, we went out for lunch and then walked around outside enjoying this amazing weather. Shortly after the walk, we got dressed in our Easter outfits and went to Mamie and PopPop's for Easter dinner. The kids had a great time playing with their cousin Bennett and after dinner, we realized the Easter Bunny stopped at Mamie and PopPop's house and even hid eggs! We had an Easter egg hunt and my kids attempted to eat every piece of candy they got their hands on. After a few pieces, I put the rest in hiding. It looks like my kids got my sweet tooth.

I loved this weekend. I am sad it is almost over. But this year I did get a lot of good pictures so I can look back on this and remember how awesome this weekend was.

decorating eggs...could do this all day...

...she, on the other hand, could not. Put me to bed!

finding eggs at Mamie and PopPop's house

loves the new bubble gun

Bennett and Love Bug checking out the goods

showing what she found to PopPop

the martha stewart in me

That blog title just made me chuckle a bit because when my children look back at these blogs 20-30 years from now, they will think "who's Martha Stewart"?

Apparently I signed up at the beginning of the school year to make the Easter treats for The Mayor's Easter party. His teacher emailed me last week asking me if I was still able to do it and the wheels starting churning. I know it is a bunch of 2 and 3 year olds and they would be happy with a plain ol' sugar cookie but I wanted to do something really cute. I thought about making rice krispy treats, molding them into egg shapes then dipping the ends in melted chocolate and rainbow sprinkles (we did this with The Mayor last year at home and they were adorable), but The Mayor is gluten-free and the new gluten-free Rice Krispies cereal doesn't come out until June. Hmmmm, so I went to Michael's to see if I could find anything cute. I found adorable plates and a bunny cake mold on clearance - jackpot.

I decided to make a gluten-free cake and decorate it. But the more I thought about it, the more nervous I got about making a gluten-free cake. I am still experimenting with gluten-free baking...

Then I remembered Cocoa Pebbles cereal is gluten-free! So I made Cocoa Pebbles marshmallow treats, pressed it into the bunny cake mold and decorated it with homemade cream cheese icing. Just hearing about it will send you into a sugar rush...perfect, I know!

It is adorable and I can't wait to see The Mayor and his friends faces when I bring it into class. Hoping for some leftovers...

the cake mold

the Cocoa Pebbles treats pressed into the mold

two ears done

the finished product!

I only decorated the top. Homemade marshmallow treats are not nearly as sweet as the prepackaged ones but the homemade cream cheese icing is. I figured less is more with this crew.

happiness

These 3 people make me so happy. It isn't always easy, but I love that I wake up every day with these three loves of my life.

"Look at me! I wearing glasses!"

the new haircut! All ready for triathlon season

gorgeous Love Bug

love this face

playing "running"

beautiful girl in her smocked dress

The Mayor's class picture...

...love that he is just being himself...thumb in the mouth

the sweetest sound

There is no sweeter sound in the world then hearing my babies laughing. And I am talking about real, guttural, uncontrollable, almost can't catch a breath laughing. D knows just where each tickle spot is too. Love Bug is under the neck right at her collar bone and The Mayor's is on his leg right above his knee. Gets them every time and I could just record that laughter and listen to it over and over and over...

Love Bug's one year pictures became available for viewing online this morning!!! Of course I have looked at the slideshow at least 2 dozen times today. I have no idea how I am going to pick...I love them all. Below is my favorite family picture and my favorite picture of The Mayor with Love Bug...I couldn't pick my favorite picture of just Love Bug because there are literally about 20 that I tagged as my favorite.

These pictures are courtesy of Christina Sallustio...the best photographer in the world!

love...this makes my heart happy

gettin' real southern round here

Yesterday, Love Bug wore her first ever smocked bishop dress. I know, I know, I am breaking several rules by living in the south and not dressing my children in smocked clothing. The Mayor has never worn smocked clothing. He has never worn a Feltman Brothers longall. Even though he had 3 hanging in his closet while he was a baby (all received as gifts), those outfits ended up being sold at consignment with the tags still on. Dressing boys in smocked clothing is just not my thing. Nothing wrong with it...but just not for me. Because I never dressed The Mayor in those clothes, that whole arena of clothing has just been off my radar. Until now.

Mamie bought Love Bug 2 smocked bishop dresses for Christmas and I put her in one yesterday. I even purchased white eyelet diaper covers...one with her monogram on the butt and the other with her name scripted on it. She was precious. Unfortunately, there is no picture evidence of this because she was only wearing the dress for about an hour. I didn't realize how this cold front had dropped the temperature about 30 degrees so we had to change into pants and a long sleeve top. But don't you worry...the temps are going to rise and the dress will be back on.

Today I put her in a smocked top with gingham ruffle pants. She was adorable. Her MeMe bought her this outfit...and I got to tell you...I am digging the smocking. She even had a matching bow to put into her hair. It's only taken me 20 years of living in Georgia to finally get the hang of things. I guess better late than never.

she loves to give kisses now...she is giving her reflection a kiss

she kept the bow in her hair for about 4.2 seconds

the matching bow

the next ansel adams?

It's no secret The Mayor loves cheesing it up for the camera. And he loves "taking pictures" with his pretend camera and his real digital camera that Meega and J got him for Christmas. So today he asked if he could take pictures with our nice camera...and me being a sucker for that sweet boy, said yes. He took pictures of me and D...with very little guidance from us. We told him which button to click and showed him the view finder and how to look for mommy and daddy in the window. Once he took the pictures, he would view the picture on the back of the camera and say "ohhhh, so cute".

The Mayor's picture of D

The Mayor's picture of me

We had an amazing weekend. The weather was GORGEOUS. Spring is finally here. We went on a long walk yesterday...we walked to Target, did some shopping at a tennis store, ate lunch and then walked back. It was a fun 3 hour field trip. After naps, we went to Lowe's to get some flowers for the pots on the porch and then went out for dinner and ice cream. Today was actually hot...almost like a summer day. I had a tennis match and D and the kids stayed home. It was almost too hot to be outside playing. After my match and naps, we went to Mamie and PopPop's house for dinner. Meega, J and Bennett were there and we waited for Aunt Jenny to arrive. She is here visiting this week!

It is hard to believe another weekend has come and gone. This week will be a great week though. The Mayor is back in school, the weather should be amazing and our calendar is chock full of fun activities. Bring on spring!

taco night

It's Friday and it's taco night! Considering D was out of town this week for a conference, this has been an awesome week. Usually I dread when he travels and am worn completely out from pulling single mom duty (and trust me, I am tired) but it was such a great week with just me and the kids. Don't get me wrong, I could not have been happier to hear the garage door opening late Wednesday night when D got home from his trip...but me and the kids are getting the hang of this!

The kids and I just chilled today. We played in the house, ran a few errands, checked out an awesome new park in our county, ate lunch, Love Bug napped and then D came home and we had taco night. You would have thought Love Bug had never eaten before. She could not get that food into her mouth fast enough. And as you can see from the pictures, we are still working on our aim.

This weekend I am sure we will go on some nice walks, go play at this new park and enjoy being together as a family...before D goes back to work on Monday and The Mayor goes back to school. Spring Break is over.

we finally got batteries put into his hardhat...he kept going into the bathroom and turning off the lights so he could see the light flash in the mirror

checking out the reflection of the light in the refrigerator

the dentist

Today we had a huge first around here...The Mayor's first dental appointment. Oh boy, my expectations were low. I mean he's 3 and I just couldn't envision my 3 year old letting a stranger look inside his mouth, scrap his teeth, polish his teeth and whatever the dentist planned on doing. I mean 50% of the time, The Mayor gets upset when the pediatrician wants to look in his throat...and The Mayor is very familiar with the pediatrician.

The waiting area was perfect. Lots of toys and a great cubby area where it was dark and playing "Toy Story 3" on a TV. The hygienist came out and talked with Ryan and made him feel very comfortable. He was so excited to get into the exam room...he literally ran in there. The dentist and hygienist were beyond wonderful. They let The Mayor pick out his toothbrush, the dentist had The Mayor stand by him and let him touch all of the equipment, practiced on his hand so he could feel how gentle everything would be and talked The Mayor through the process. It made The Mayor (and myself) so comfortable. The dentist asked The Mayor to get up on the table and lay down (there was a TV hanging in the ceiling) and this is the only thing The Mayor did not like. So he sat up and let the dentist do the exam. He let the dentist scrap his teeth, polish his teeth, put fluoride on this teeth and floss his teeth. It was amazing! He never cried or fought the dentist. I am so proud of my little guy. We got a great report and go back in 6 months.

The rest of the day was just as great. The kids and I met a friend and went on a 6 mile walk on the greenway (the weather is so gorgeous right now) and had lunch. After the dentist appointment, we came home for naps, played and ate dinner and the kids are sound asleep. D just landed at the airport and should be home in a little over an hour. Today was a great day.

showing The Mayor the equipment

showing The Mayor how gentle the cleaner is on his hand

watching the movie on the TV in the ceiling

such a big boy!

chattanooga

Yesterday we went to Chattanooga to have Love Bug's one year pictures taken. Our fantastic photographer now lives in Knoxville so when our schedules don't line up when she comes to Atlanta, we meet in Chattanooga. The weather could not have been more perfect. Blue skies and sunny. It was a tad bit windy, but she found some great spots where she could take pictures and the wind wasn't an issue.

After the photo session, we enjoyed the awesome weather and fabulous downtown Chattanooga by walking around, eating lunch, treating the kids to ice cream, taking in the sites, walking down by the river and taking The Mayor to see the Chattanooga Choo-Choo. I didn't bring my camera so I don't have any pictures but I don't think I will ever forget the look on The Mayor's face when he saw that big train. He was beyond excited and kept saying "Mom, look! It's a big train". He said this no less than a dozen times and when we bought him a train from the gift shop, he repeated "thank you momma, you got the train" randomly throughout the 2 hour drive home.

It was the perfect spring day. One that I hated to see end. The kids were in a great mood, the weather was perfect and everyone enjoyed just being outside.

And because I don't want to ever forget...a funny potty-training The Mayor story. The Mayor is a master at peeing in the potty. He doesn't have any accidents when it comes to peeing. But pooping...geez...totally another story. I am beginning to wonder if he will ever poop in the potty. He has gotten to the point where he will just hold it until he is in his nighttime diaper and then poop. On Friday, The Mayor apparently needed to poop and couldn't wait until bedtime, so he asked D to change him into a diaper and his PJs (apparently he thinks he can't poop in just the diaper, but the PJs must be on too). So D changed The Mayor, The Mayor immediately went to the corner, pooped and then asked D to change his diaper. About 5 minutes after D changed his diaper, The Mayor came over to D and said "thank you daddy for changing my diaper. Thank you for cleaning my hiney".

Yesterday, after we got home from Chattanooga, The Mayor asked to get into a diaper and his PJs. It was almost bedtime, so I changed him. The second I pulled up his PJ pants, The Mayor walked over to the window, grabbed onto the window sill, and started pooping. The Mayor tooted and said "oops, excuse me" and I asked him if he was done and he said no. Then The Mayor looked at me and said "mom, listen to me. Do NOT eat poopie. Yuck" Let me preface this by saying The Mayor has never once attempted to eat poop. We have never told him do not eat poop. We are just thankful it is a given in our house and our kids know not to eat poop (or play in it either). So I am not sure where this came from...but thanks buddy, I now know not to eat poopie. Yuck.