Say hello to my little friends

I'd like you to meet the "Squishy" family. Blue squishy, green squishy and purple squishy as they are lovingly referred to. 

It started with simple purchase from the Target dollar spot and Green Squishy was adopted. He got endless hours of play and weeks later when we went back to Target, we had to have the purple one. Now today, Blue Squishy joined the family. I didn't even see him on the shelf but Kenley did and we had to go back. He was the last one there and was hidden under other stuff in the back but she had still seen him. Kenley LOVES playing with them.

They often make the journey outside with us to play in the backyard and we play all kinds of games. We throw them, we jump over them, we hide them and then find them, we throw them in the bucket and we chase each other around they yard. Best $3 total ever spent!

May the odds be ever in your favor...

Let the Hunger Games begin!

Last night Clay and I went to a movie.  We had both read the book "The Hunger Games" (on the recommendation of his friend Bill) and wanted to see the movie. We had been hearing rave reviews and it did not disappoint. Now the book is still better than the movie (as is the case most of the time) but this movie was about the closest to the book that I've ever seen done. It was a rather long movie (2.5 hours) but it didn't feel long as the story moves right along. If you haven't read the books, I won't give any spoilers but I do recommend them. They are a very fast and easy read and definitely enjoyable. In fact, several friends at work have been reading them too and all enjoying them. Clay will be reading books 2 and 3 after he finishes his current book and I may reread them before the next movies come out.

Reservation for 1 at the Hotel Brockman

The Hotel Brockman had a visitor check in today. Grandma Verna is here!!! She is going to watch K and Chase for the next 2 days as the sitter took a few days off for spring break. I know they will all have a great time together and it's so nice to have an extra set of hands :) Plus Clay and I have plans to sneak away to a movie tomorrow night and run some errands on Friday afternoon. Everybody loves when Grandma is here!!!

The end of the day

These are yesterday's pictures posted late because my internet was acting up and it was 945pm and I wanted to go to bed. I really considered retaking a picture of the day and making it a picture of me throwing my stupid computer out the window but I just took a deep breath and after getting kicked off for the 4th time I just gave up.

So anyways....

Granted I caught the pictures at the "wrong time." You know the pictures where you are mid blink or talking and have the weird facial expression on your face? Well I caught a few of those tonight at the end of a long day. Wondering if the kids feel the same :)

Uhh....what was that mom?

GRRRRRR!!!!!

Yes I'm enjoying dinner. Can't you tell?

Sparky

No this isn't our dog and NO we aren't getting a dog....

This morning when I dropped Kenley off at the sitter's they said they had a surprise. They got a puppy over the weekend and named him Sparky. Kenley isn't too sure about the little guy and acting a little scared. Although I love puppies I wasn't as keen at first either since they will have to give so much effort into a new puppy and I still have a 5 month old there that lays on the floor (think dog hair and 4 clawed paws) constantly and needs his own attention (since he already has three 2 year olds, a 3 year old and two 4 year olds to compete with too) but I'm sure it will end up okay, as long as Chase doesn't get trampled on or scratched up or worse yet bitten since its a puppy and puppies tend to chew with those little teeth. The sitter just said it was because the kids begged all weekend. (Side note: they also just got a hamster within the last 2 weeks because the kids begged. I hope they don't beg for anything else soon.)

I don't think Clay and I will ever have a dog even if the kids beg. We are cat people by far. Now if they beg for a kitty, well that's a different story.

I'll keep you posted if Kenley ever warms up to Sparky and how it all works with Chase. It concerns me but I'm prob just being too overprotective or worrisome.

Walking with determination

I couldn't decide which picture I wanted to post for yesterday. They all remind me of our little trip to Tipton Trails yesterday to take a walk. I had wanted to go see the swans that were there and I did get to see one. I wanted to take its picture but we were on the wrong side of the pond and as we worked our way closer it took off. It was pretty neat to see such a large beautiful bird fly. You could even just hear the wings moving. Kenley really enjoyed it too.

Since the swan flew away I focused on other parts of the walk. They had just done a controlled burn last week and the grass was already sprouting back bright green through the charred black ground. The sun was warmer than we had expected but we enjoyed the warm rays. We had taken both strollers so that Kenley could also ride. To start Clay pushed Chase and I pushed Kenley. Then Kenley wanted to push the stroller herself (which was quite the scene since she doesn't drive straight) but what it ended up being and what I liked the most was Kenley just walking and leading the way.

She walked with such determination like she knew exactly where she was going even though she had never been here before.

She walked confidently by herself and enjoying herself.

 She is growing up and becoming confident and independent even if it's just a short walk around a pond. I would have loved to run up and hold her hand and walk with her but it was also so enjoyable for me to just follow her lead and experience the adventure around the pond from her view.

What was in the bag?

(I will post yesterday's picture later tonight. Clay was on the computer again last night so I fell a little behind.)

Anyways with regards to the last post and the item purchased....it was a bra. A nursing bra to be exact and it had to be purchased from the specialty botique given my current size. I only purchased 1 because they only had 1 my size in the style I liked and I wasn't completely "convinced" that the size was going to work. The bra fitter had me get a 36 band and I've always been getting 38. Of course they do say that 85% of women wear the wrong size bra so I'm sure that was the case. I'm also not sure I could have spent over $120 and walked out without a heart attack even though the lady in front of me spend nearly $300 and didn't flinch.

I've been wearing it and I'm happy with the purchase. I honestly will have to call and get them to order me another one so I can have at least 2 to rotate.  I'll just have to prepare for the next $63 charge. YIKES!

Never judge a purchase by the bag?

I decided to go ahead and post today's picture tonight. I actually was deciding between a few different pics but the posts would be longer and the one I really wanted to use isn't quite "formulated" in my head tonight so I'll use this one....

Today I made a purchase I was due to make a long time ago. It's definitely one of my LEAST favorite activities and it took over an HOUR to purchase this 1 item. It cost $62.50 and I was a little thrown when it was placed in this bag and handed to me. I felt like I was getting some weird door prize in a gift bag. I wanted to ask why they just didn't have normal store bags. Is it supposed to make me feel better about my purchase if you put it in a pretty bag? Any guesses on what I bought?

A Whopper of a ME day

I finally did it. I hadn't done it in well... I'm not really sure how long but I took a ME day and played Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous Pampered and Pretending :) It took some planning and coordination of appointments but Friday I got the royal treatment. I had a haircut, a 75 minute massage, and a pedicure. I had wanted to also do some shoe shopping but you wouldn't believe how fast the day passed. I did learn that 75 minutes still isn't long enough for a massage but a deep tissue massage will kick your butt since I'm super sore today.

I also treated myself to lunch at Burger King (after all I was getting the royal treatment). As I sat there with my Whopper with Cheese I remembered lots of times from my childhood where my mom, Aunt Martha, and I would be out garage sale-ing in Champaign and get lunch at BK. So in honor of the ME day and royal treatment, my picture is actually just my Whopper. Silly but significant for the day and I'm sure some of my readers would rather see a piece of meat than a picture of my pedicured feet. 

Then Friday for dinner we also went to Schooners for dinner and a few drinks. It was a wonderful Friday and I want to do it again. Wish it were in the budget to do it every Friday :)

And yes all of the PUNS were completely intended... (And this is Friday's picture. I couldn't post yesterday since Clay was on the computer until late and now I'll have to wait to post today's picture tomorrow.. I will catch up tomorrow!)

Well isn't that the sh*t?

I took today's picture at around 7 this morning. I could have posted it then as I was sure it was the picture I would use to describe the day ahead that hadn't even happened yet. It started as a rough night. Mr. Chase really needed to poop. He tried several times yesterday and after all that effort wasn't able to do a thing. Then last night about 1030pm it all started. He woke up just screaming. Not a regular crying scream but a blood curdling, I'm in pain, please make it stop kind of scream. The boy needed to poop!

Now I'm trying to get used to a baby that only poops every 7 to 10 days. The doctor isn't concerned as long as his stomach remains soft and he isn't in any distress when he goes, and for the most part he had a good system down and wasn't distressed, but I knew last night was different.

He tried and tried and cried and cried. He would get a small nugget out and then be so tired he would go back to sleep only to wake up with the blood curdling scream again an hour to an hour and a half later. This pattern repeated the ENTIRE night so it made for not only a tired baby but a tired momma. I felt so bad I couldn't help him push it out. I even felt like a labor coach at one point trying to soothe him and get him to keep pushing at the same time.

Finally some more progress at 630ish but also a problem that prompted a call to the doctor (and a visit.)
And this is all you want to do after a long ROUGH night....

Poor guy worked on it all morning and final at the doctor's office was able to get more out (screaming and crying the whole time). The doctor gave us some meds and Chase went 2 more times today. He didn't cry or moan the last time so I think we may be past it all. I just cross my fingers for a good (and restful) night. So we don't end up like the picture above again tonight.

However Chase did more than poop today... he also learned a new trick...so BONUS.. VIDEO!

Shoe shopping for some big feet

Boy Kenley has some big feet (but I guess so do I so I shouldn't be surprised). I got out a brand new pair of 7s I got her on clearance last year and they are too small. She is wearing them but either her toes sneak past the end or her heel moves back a bit too far off the back. Really?

So today at lunch I ran out and got some size 8 shoes. They look enormous.

(Again with the picture getting turned...ugh!) Anyways, I got her a pair of water shoes to wear at the splash parks/pools this summer, a pair of summer "tennis" shoes/sandals, and a fun pair of sandals I knew she would like because of the fun colors and the purple. I had fun picking them out and thought for sure Clay would think I bought too many and we'd take them back but he didn't mind them. Just have to try them on her huge feet tomorrow and see how they fit. She may still need a pair of crocs but we will see.

However, shoe shopping for her made me realize a few things: 1. I really need to go shoe shopping for myself. I have NO summer shoes and it's not good.  2. I'm a bit jealous of my own 2year old daughters wardrobe. She has cute summer clothes and now cute shoes and everyday I stare at the closet wondering what to wear because nothing fits right and everything seems off season and finally 3. It's so much easier for me to spend money on others than it is myself. I guilt myself out of everything. I bought myself a new dress (with birthday money none the less and feel guilty about that). I'm trying to remedy the guilt and I'm even taking Friday off to spoil myself (think haircut, massage, pedicure!) but here it is Wed and I'm feeling guilty about it since I know I'm busy at work and it's going to be a lot of money spent that day. YIKES!

Anyways, I'm happy I can get the things I want for my family but I also realize I need to put myself on that list occasionally too. Who knows, maybe I'll do some shoe shopping for my big feet on Friday :)

Piggies like you

Kenley likes to take the bottle of "Little Noses" and pretend spray my hair lately. She acts like it's the detangling spray I use on her curls each day. Tonight she wanted me to sit so she could spray and then she started twisting and pulling my hair. "What are you doing?" I asked. "Making you piggies," she answered. "Oh, you want me to have piggies like you." "Yes."

And as the fates would have it, I still had the 2 hair ties on my wrist that I had put there this morning, meaning to take them to work and put them in my desk or at least my purse so that on long days when the afternoon lulls on and my hair is bugging me I can pull it back. However, today I left them on my wrist somehow unconsciously knowing they were meant for bigger things (like piggies with Kenley.)

Nothing could be more fun! Sometimes you just pull your hair up and go for it :) The smiles were worth it!

Our family

Kenley loves to be outside. We were out tonight chillin' on the patio and she had to have her "colors" which means she wanted her sidewalk chalk. So as I sat there holding Chase I watched her request Clay to draw each one of us... "Draw Mommy....Draw Daddy....." and well you get the picture. And in the end you have the artistic stylings of Clay Brockman as directed by Kenley in a piece I call... OUR FAMILY :)

(Grrr... to Blogger for turning it sideways....but I'm too tired to try to mess with it so please tilt your head to the left and enjoy!)

Where is Spring?

Now I must admit I love the sunshine and the warmer weather, but I feel like we skipped right past Spring. Spring and Fall are my favorite seasons. Spring because the green returns and the days start getting longer. (Fall because the nights get crisp and the leaves change to beautiful hues of red, yellow, and orange.) These past few weeks have been wonderful. I've loved driving with the windows down and the radio up. I've loved the after dinner walks and the playtime outside, but I wouldn't mind a few degrees lower for a few weeks. It's hard to remind myself it's only March. I'm hoping we can find a few weeks of Spring. (The picture is of a bird's nest Kenley found on her walk with Clay today and then we saw it again on our family walk. She wanted to see in it but we were too short so I took a picture to show her nothing was in there. Hopefully it is being built in HOPES of a baby bird to come... the hope of Spring!)

Parade

We took Kenley to her first parade today. She had a blast (If you look closely you can also see what fun Chase had for the first half). I will post more later but I wanted to put out my picture for today :)

Flying high

Today's picture was going to be this:

And I was going to tell you all about our fun and exciting trip to the DMV which is like the most magical place on earth. Oh wait, that's Disneyland! Anyways it was probably going to be pretty B-O-R-I-N-G to most of you so when this new shot came along, I couldn't resist trying to capture it and share.

We picked up Kenley and Chase early and stopped by DQ for some ice cream. Clay and I got mini blizzards (of which they messed mine up. I had ordered M&M but got Mint Oreo. Close? I guess it would work.) We got Kenley a Starkiss as I have fond memories of enjoying Starkisses growing up. However Kenley had other ideas and wanted my ice cream. I offered a trade but then she wanted both so I got jipped. (sp?)  Anyways, totally off topic.....

We got home and we were all playing in the back yard and I laid down letting Kenley fly like a plane on my feet  and the view was awesome (for both of us.)

So today, enjoying the sunshine and beautiful weather, the Brockmans were flying high!!

Mommy's Major (C)Hunk

Mommy's Major Chunk Hunk reporting for duty! I just love these smiles in the mornings :)

Time with friends

I was lucky enough to catch up with another friend this week. This one lives in town so she "should" be easier to catch up with but life keeps us all busy. I went to lunch with my friend Kimberly today. Granted it wasn't anything fancy (just Taco Bell) and a quick trip to Target but it was good. I had the new Loco Taco where the shell is made from a cheesy Dorito. Interesting and definitely worth trying. It's always fun catching up even if it's just a few short minutes here and there but it takes effort, planning, and a bit of teamwork to make it all happen. Kimberly starts a new job soon so I'm not sure if we can squeeze our worktime lunches in but I sure hope so.  I snapped a picture of us after our quick trip to Target for my picture today. Two Kimberlys in the same picture makes it that much better!

Oh and YES, true to my luck, there is something in my teeth. Keepin' it classy just for you :)

Guilt

Well this isn't the post I wanted to write or the picture I wanted to share (see picture at end of post) but life happens I guess. (I added the other pictures to try to make me feel better)

We have this "fountain" toward the entrance of our subdivision. It's actually for the Villas to the south that are part of the neighborhood but it's pretty much the same. Kenley likes to look at the fountain. All winter I would occasionally have to turn the wrong way going home to drive by the fountain. It's empty of course but she is just fascinated by it. Now that the weather has turned we have taken a few short walks to it.

On these walks she likes to get out of the wagon and run around the fountain counting the bushes. The one in front is the baby bush and the ones in back are the mommy and daddy bushes. She also likes to pick out the rocks and look at them. Since there isn't any water in it I don't mind, but I guess tonight I wasn't paying enough attention.

I felt engaged and was helping find pretty rocks but all of the sudden she whined and said "It's hot...ouchie"  I hadn't noticed the lights were on in the fountain and she brushed her little finger along one of the cans :( It didn't look bad there and I gave it the required "mommy kiss" and told her she would be fine. We went home and she was still fussy but half of it was that she didn't want to leave the fountain so I didn't pay much attention. (Truth be told I was a little agitated that she was so fussy about it and I was getting hungry and wanted to eat in peace.) However when we got home we discovered that rather than looking at the tip or pad of her finger I should have been looking at the side because she blistered it good :(

It's gotten worse as the night has gone on and I was able to get her to soak it in cold water as well as put some vasoline and a band-aid on it. I'm not sure what else to do so I will have to consult Dr.Google for sure. I'm feeling like a bad mom and wondering when the guilt will go away. Why do I beat myself up for an accident like this and feel like such a bad mother?  She will heal and I hope my spirit will too. Until then I just feel horrible.

2 pictures today! BONUS!

So here is the original picture I planned to post. This was on my way home from work and definitely something I could get used to seeing! Woo Hoo!

 and this is the bonus shot. Mr. Chase tried cereal tonight for the first time and was completely unsure about it all :)

A quick visit with an old friend

Every day I have been taking several pictures each with a different thought to post or story to tell. Then usually at the end of the day (right before bed) I pick one to share. Today was no different. I took several pictures but I'm choosing to post this one (even though I'm not happy with the way I look. I went for the lazy ponytail today).

 Today it was nice to see an old friend. My friend Stacia was in town and nearby (at her sister Tori's house) so I crashed the party for a few minutes to say hi and catch up. (Of course Mr. Chase came along too!) I didn't stay long but I made the best of the time I had chatting with Staci and her wonderful family. It's so good to catch up with friends, even ones you haven't seen in forever!

I love you more than...

I wish I could bottle up the excitement I see in kids (especially Kenley) and sell it.  I wish we could all be so happy over the smallest things. Wouldn't the world just be grand!

Kenley needed some new pajamas so yesterday while at Sam's I saw some cute ones. I had a pair with monkeys and a pair with cupcakes. I asked her which she wanted (I'm trying to let her start choosing and picking things) and I really thought she would go for the monkeys but she went for the cupcakes.

This morning she saw them handing out on the banister and wanted to get out of the jammies she wore to bed and put them on. She was super excited, so I had to snap some pictures and I caught one just right. She looks like such a little lady. It makes me a bit sad she is growing and changing so fast but I just love her to pieces. In fact, I love her more than cupcakes!

Time to unwind

It's Friday!!!! While I have always liked Fridays and the anticipation of the weekend ahead, lately they have been even better. It's usually the first night all week where I feel like I can kick back and take a breather. Mon-Thursday I'm up and at it all day long from about 520am until usually almost 10 (or at least 9 or 930). It makes for long days and a tired soul. Clay and I try to squeeze in some relaxing TV time or reading before bed (and I'm trying to squeeze in blog time now too) but it somehow just feels rushed and too short during the week. Friday is the day I can finally let loose and know that it's definitely time to unwind.

The couch beckons...

(I wish the flash hadn't made this picture so bright. We like to dim the lights and just lounge. It really looks more like the picture below...Ahhh FRIDAYS!!!)

Words with friends

So it appears Words with Friends is all the rage right now. A large handful of people I know play it, most of them on their smartphones. So, since I'm not cool enough for a smartphone yet, I play Words with Friends my own way :) It's one of the best games ever!

Storytime

You may remember from this post that Kenley's love for books started early. Now it's time to share the love with Chasey. Tonight big sister told us all about shapes. Fun was had by all!

Sleeping Beauty

Kenley was sound asleep this morning.Usually she is up around 630 or 645 at the latest but this morning at 7am she was still sound asleep. I peeked in and she looked adorable. I decided that would be my picture of the day. It looked like such a peaceful sleep. I watched her for a few minutes and then went downstairs to get the camera. I consciously turned the flash off so it wouldn't wake her and crept quietly back into her room again admiring the sleeping beauty curled up with her blanket. But of course, just as I went to take the picture.....

Lesson learned: It's hard to catch a sleeping child. She will wake up and the look you get won't be so peaceful. (However if you promise a little Mickey Mouse while you get dressed, the smiles come back quickly!)

Project 365

I've had this idea for a few weeks now. I saw another lady from a blog I read was doing it and it just sounded like such a neat idea. Granted it is somewhat geared to those with smartphones currently as you can get apps to help organize but it has been done for years by others with regular ole' cameras too, so I'm going to take a shot (or more specifically 365 shots).

Project 365 is a challenge to take a picture every day for an entire year. One site says "Time moves surprisingly fast" and documenting your life can really surprise you on how things change. It's a challenge so you can look back at any day of your year and recall what you did, who you met, what you learned… (Often we find it hard to remember what we did just yesterday or even last night, let alone a whole year ago!)

So a few weeks ago when I decided I would TRY, I decided to wait until my birthday. I figured that was a good starting point. From 32 to 33 I will TRY to take 365 photos (granted I'll settle for less.)  I may not post them everyday, I may just do a Friday photo dump (stealing the idea from a different blog) but I will TRY to post them occasionally. My photos won't have any set theme per se and I'm sure there will be a lot of the kids but I'm sure this challenge will take me from one end to the other.

So to start this challenge, I took a picture of a picture (Hey there aren't any rules here so I say it counts! And after all, it's MY BLOG :) )

Just a trip down memory lane, here is a picture of me and my momma 32 years ago.  I love you mom and I know I don't say it enough but "Thank you!" for all that you do for me (and now for my babies too!)

364 (or so) more to come...

Too big

Both of our kiddos seem to be getting too big :(

Chase is 4 months old today...

 and Kenley wore some big girl underwear for the first time. (Clay really felt sad about this but darn it was too cute!) They didn't stay dry but it was our first time she showed interest in wearing them and she did sit on the potty a few times to keep them dry.