Also...

Little Man wanted to wear a Little Mermaid pull-up today because it's Linnea's favorite. I let him.

Random Thoughts from a Sleep Deprived Mom

1. My children are conspiring against me so that I will never again get a full night's sleep or even a good 6 hours.
2. I used to take a good night's sleep for granted.
3. Dora's ginormous head is creepy.
4. I miss my sissie. She would whisk my boys a away while I took a nap.
5. I need to learn the spanish word for rescue so when the Diego song gets stuck in my head at 2:30 in the morning I will at least understand what those words are. "To the rescue my friends!"
6. I hate poop.
7. I'm a little bit ashamed of how much TV my children have watched lately.
8. Also, when did my son become obsessed with Doe-ra and Diego?
9. m&m's taste even better at 9:30 in the morning.
10. Dinner last night was yummy. I made these pork chops. Super easy! Except next time I would sear them and not cook them covered for quite so long.
11. We're going to a bonfire next weekend and I've already started to think about what I'm going to wear and how to dress the boys (especially Bug) warmly.
12. The laundry is taking over my house.
13. I think I gave my sissie my best (and only) hoodie. A fact I realized in a sleepy haze this morning when I went to put it on. I hope it's keeping her warm.
14. That was all I could think of and I'm only adding this one because it will bother Zee if there's an uneven number of random thoughts.

Shopping Spree

I was on a hunt this weekend for a dress to wear to Sarah's wedding in January. I was super lucky and found one right away. Also, it was 75% OFF!!! Of course that didn't stop me from picking up a few other things I found on sale. Like this super cute coat at Target: Notice that the sleeves are 3/4 length, which I found a bit strange on a winter coat. But since I'm so short they end up being the perfect length to move around with the kids. I am going to add something like these long gloves...
or these arm warmers...
or even a long fingerless glove to my Christmas list to keep me nice and cozy warm.

What Not to Wear

Pumpkin Patch

Late Saturday afternoon we decided to take the boys to pick out pumpkins. We decided to try our fake pumpkin patch again this year and once again it was perfect! The boys loved running around the lawn and playing with the pumpkins. Little Man decided to move the smaller pumpkins down the hill and line them up as straight as possible. I'm a little concerned that I'm making my kid a little OCD. See for yourself:

the boys playing in the pumpkins

trying to get a picture

(You should really click on that link above to see how much older Little Man looks from last year.)

After dinner we "carved" our pumpkins. A couple years ago we found these awesome Mr. Potato Head parts to decorate pumpkins. It's been perfect for Little Man and it's a lot less mess.

While I was trying to get this picture, Little Man was telling the pumpkin to smile for the camera. By the time I got the camera ready for a video, I had to coach him a little.

Blogging, International Style

According to Google Analytics, this blog has been visited by people in the United States, Canada, Australia, the UK, Sri Lanka, Hong Kong, the Netherlands, Japan, Italy, the Bahamas, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Slovenia, Brazil and Switzerland. Some of these make sense to me (Hi, Julie!) but others don't at all. If you are in Slovenia and reading this, do I know you? Sri Lanka? Bosnia? Leave a comment. Tell me where you are and how you found my lowly little blog.

Conversations with Little Man

Wil was trying to convince Little Man to get ready to run to the store with me and asked if he wanted to go to the store or stay home and clean the bathroom. Little Man responded with:

"I not a big boy. I a little girl. I a little boy. I not clean the bathroom. I a little girl."

Then he told me, "I grumpy."

They may look innocent

I'd like to think my boys are well behaved. Little Man knows to say please and thank you. Bug can flash a great two-toothed baby smile. Of course I could be way off the mark, because there are days when I relate to comments like, "I’ve got ... boys, and the crazy spider-monkey sort" or "he has bees in his head and the bees are crazy" (You really should read this Eric Snider article, especially if you have boys. I don't know if I wanted to laugh or cry.) I guess I'm just happy to know that someone out there understands where I'm coming from.

it's a good thing I'm fickle

A friend of mine watched the boys today, so I could go to a doctor's appointment with my Grandmother. Since I was without my boys I made a quick stop at Macy's to look for the coveted Fossil bag (remember this or this?). I was so excited to see that they are on CLEARANCE!!! Until I realized that the style I wanted was gone. I did a little further searching and even asked the sales lady. "Oh, you mean the zip top ones? They were the first to go." Then Wil and Zee both suggested that I look online. And what did I find? They are either gone or still full price. Fossil sucks.

I'm little bummed, but I'm sure a new love will catch my eye soon enough.

4 years ago today

I love you, William!

In case you didn't know...

According to Little Man, Jesus has an airplane. It's red with 2 windows and there's a picture and his name on the side. It's a very cool airplane. Also, Santa lives with Heavenly Father and Jesus.

I'm not really blond

All day today, I've been trying to figure out where in my kitchen the cricket was hiding. I just realized that all of the windows are open and the crickets aren't in the house at all.

Why I love my Little Man

Things haven't improved much since Friday. Bug is still struggling to feel better. Life has been too busy and there has been very little sleep. But last night my new wedding photo book came in the mail!

Let me back up a little. I'm a scrapbooker. The kind with more stuff than any one person should accumulate. We've been married for almost 4 years and the thought of touching my wedding pictures is overwhelming. I want it to be perfect, so I put it off and put if off. A few weeks ago I got a coupon for a free 8x8 story photo book from Shutterfly. I decided that I would use it for our wedding pictures. So when it came in the mail yesterday, I couldn't wait to open it. And I love it (with the exception of one small picture where Wil's head got cut off. Ooooppps! Sorry honey!). The best part... Little Man was looking at the pictures with me. When he saw these pictures:

... he said, "Mommy, you're a PRINCESS!"

Wow

I don't even know where to start. I've been thinking all day about what a post this would make and I just don't know how to convey the craziness.

Bug has been a pretty healthy baby, but when he gets sick he tends to get really sick. Remember this and there was the reflux. He's been doing great for the last few months. He rarely needs his belly meds. He sleeps well and is a happy boy. I've noticed the last couple days that he's been pulling at his ears, he's fussy and super clingy. Then the diarrhea started, along with a nasty diaper rash. I can't keep him dry long enough for his little bum to heal. Add to that a long night and this morning I should have been at my limit.

But I wasn't. Here's how it happened...

Bug finally settled down around midnight last night and then woke up again around 5am. We both fell back asleep at some point until Little Man crawled in bed at 6:15ish. I put Bug in his pack and play and cuddled Little Man. Little Man actually fell back asleep! I couldn't believe it. I crossed my fingers and headed for the shower. They slept until 8:30 am. A feat unheard of in the Becker household. I showered in peace and quiet, got ready (with makeup even), had breakfast, checked email and Google Reader, talked to my mom, figured out dr's appointments and babysitting.

It was amazing and prepared me for the psycho day that followed. Between 10 and 2, I took Little Man to Music Makers. Dropped him off with Grandpa. Took Bug to the doctors. Double ear infection, contagious diarrhea. Picked up Little Man. Stopped at Taco Bell for a "beet-o". Drove to the pharmacy to pick up antibiotics. Waited. Went back to the doctors office for Bug's shot. Came home and am so ready to go out to dinner with my husband.

Thank you, Zee, for being willing to watch my kids after a day like this. I know it won't be an easy night. I promise to bring you home something yummy.

The Definition of Insanity

Somewhere I once heard the saying that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, expecting different results. I hate this saying. And yes, I know that hate is a strong word, but I really do HATE it. Why? Because I feel like it describes my life right now.

On Thursday mornings there is an enrichment activity at my house for an hour. During the month of October I have Joy School here on Tuesday mornings as well. I'm struggling right now to get the house clean enough that I'm not embarrassed to have people here. I only have two kids and I can't keep up. It doesn't seem like having it clean for 1 hour a week should be such an insurmountable task. Unfortunately, the harder I try to get the clutter and laundry under control, the bigger the mess gets.

To top it all off my dad and brother asked if they could come take pictures of the apartment for advertising. ADVERTISING! That means spotless. I asked if that meant they were going to clean it, they both laughed. I wasn't joking.