March 31, 2011

chapter 3{in closing}

i can't believe it's the end of the month.
where did march go???
this one is growing like crazy
and spying on me, just like i do to him when i try to get his picture.
we had parent/teacher conferences
and the ever uneventful spring break.
mr. e had the big 8 
and baseball practice started
{first game is in 1 more week!}
 little bear is thriving in his therapy.
we nurtured our garden starts which are sprouting like crazy
and we're starting to get sunshine!
all in all, chapter 3 was pretty good to us.
nothing to out of the ordinary,
 yet completely extraordinary!
happy thursday,
last day of march,
end of chapter 3!

March 29, 2011

this{and}that

no new happenings this weekend.
it was our last weekend of freedom
before E starts baseball and N starts soccer.
now we have a game of each...every weekend...until june.
{this is the only way my baby will take naps now...on my bed..and not very often}
the boys were on spring break last week.
between bouts of rain {lots of rain} we would run outside and play
on the play structure.
daddy is in the middle of an "upgrade" with it {pics to follow}
soon it will become a "boys only" club house.

daddy took friday off and drove us to medford for little bear's therapy
then he took us to lunch...
where this one ate a 6 inch meatball sub...
gone...
completely...
not even a teenager yet.
{heaven help our pocketbook}
saturday we were woken up at 3:30 by E,
who obviously had a serious ear infection {totally random might i add}
but if you asked him...the side of his face was for sure going to explode.
motrin only worked for a little while.
hot water bottle helped slightly.
warm shower "just barely" as he yelled.
it was painful {for him....and for us}
i took him to urgent care at 9 in the morning
where he continued to scream {can we say dramatic}
and the nurse came rushing in with some mega strength ibuprofen
within 2 minutes he was knocked out...right there on the exam table.
it was heaven!
double ear infections...antibiotics...and the super mega strength childrens ibuprofen
and the rest of our saturday was pretty quiet. {it rained....again}
it consisted of a lot of dirt bike play and watching the speed channel.
the ibuprofen did wonders. he was a completely different kid.
asking if he could go outside {in the rain no less}
we were so glad he was feeling much better.
this is the new look on monkey's face these days.
seems he thinks this house is his. he is the boss. he wears the pants.
and still in the running for the "mother of the year" award
 i have no issue putting him back into his sweet little place
as the third child in a house of boys...
that mommy so graciously runs. {you're welcome}
funny how the more kids you have, the less you hear of their tantrums
{am i right ladies}
so in the midst of screaming monkey.
pouting E who wanted to go outside {still raining}
and little bear, who just decided to "check out" for the day
hubby and i didn't let any of it get to us.  he thinned out our sproutlets.
while i enjoyed some much needed music {rejuvenates my soul}
a delicious glass of wine...and some puzzle time
this is how we're trying to keep our corn from falling over.
so creative hubby is.
the boys were exhausted from all their ranting and raving
so we made them dinner super early, they showered, grabbed their snuggle blankets
and headed to our room for a "brother's only special movie night"
{trust me, adding a fancy name to "i don't want to see your cute little faces for the rest of the night" really works}

hubby and i created this and O.M.G. it was A-MAZING!
crab and brie home-made mac-n-cheese.
it wasn't low fat
it wasn't gluten free
the calorie count was through the roof
but we made it together.
we left our guilt at the door.
we feasted our little hearts out.
and now i don't have to eat for another week.
{try it, i double-dog dare you!}
then it stopped raining and we tried to sneek outside for a little alone time.
but guess who found us.
{its like they can smell when we aren't in the house}
like our attempt at a photo shoot? see what happens when you are delirious from little to no sleep, screaming kids all day, rain for over a week,
and in a "crab and brie mac-n-cheese" coma
it was fun while it lasted
{all of about 4 minutes}
sunday marked the official end of spring break.
we did homework we forgot we had.
and read our chapter book we forgot we needed to finish.
it stopped raining for literally 30 minutes and we threw the kids outside to run off some energy before dinner. they needed it. heck, they deserved it.
not a shabby weekend if i do say so myself.
see this new disc swing the kids have.
it's $35 at home depot.
hubby's "do it yourself" price....$3.
2 plastic 5-gallon bucket lids - $0.98 each
a couple feet of rope at $0.61 a foot
a super creative hubby and voila
{i love that man}
back to the daily grind.
hubby to work
boys to school
E to baseball practice
and N has his first soccer game this saturday.
ahh..the spring season begins.
pumped!!!

March 21, 2011

weekend of {growth}

yeah it is babeee!
this weekend was wonderful!
we woke up on saturday morning, only to find that the rain had stopped
the clouds were parting every so slightly
and the sun was pushing its way through.
we quickly jumped out of bed,
threw breakfast at the kids faces.
made a giant pot of coffee
and headed out for a much needed
"fresh air family walk/bike ride"
it was heavenly! 
the boys rode their bikes like mad men.
jack did sporadic bouts in and out of the stroller.
we walked for 2 blissful hours outside
to our favorite butcher's store to buy teriyake beef sticks (amazing!)
we thoroughly wore the boys out
our mission was complete.
we headed back home to eat some lunch,
clean up outside a bit while the sun was still shining
(who knows when we're going to get another day like this)
and accepted an invitation to my sister-in-law's place for dinner
adult conversation
laughter
and the kids got to play with their cousins all.night.long.
this is their entry.
isn't it enchanting...
 this is the view from their balcony
(breathtaking)
 these are her rules
plain and simple.
 we were able to walk outside for a bit
monkey chased the puppies with shear delight!
the kids played spy for a while.
we got to see the super preggo lambs.
 we feasted on amazing food!
(holy full stomach batgirl!)
we headed home and were blissfully in bed by 9:30 (on a saturday, man we're old)

hubby and i were just talking about giving in and getting a play structure for the kids.
we thought maybe we could make one pretty cheap
buying a few pieces off craig's list or something.

if you will it...it will come
look at what sis-in-law and her hubby gave us
for free 50!
a cute little house, slide, pirate/castle structure, and a sand box (cover included)
did i mention free 50?
we l.o.v.e. hammydowns!
we got on craig's list to check out what kind of play structures were out there.
honestly, how long can you truly keep one, right?
we thought if we found a couple super cheap ones
we could piece them together to make a good one for the boys.
we sat down with our budget and figured it would be about $100
but that is less than the $500 they are new in the stores.
 hubby started researching what was for sale
and low and behold...
he found an amazing play structure
2 swings, hanging rings, rope laddder, slide, platform, and a climbable ladder all the way across the top.
for sale...
on craig's list...
in grants pass....
and all for only $75. (what???)
 it was posted the day before so we called the guy immediately,
fingers crossed that it was still there,
but not trying to get our hopes up. it was too good of a deal to still be there, right?
the guy says, "yes its still here", i will be here for one hour before i have to leave, how soon can you get here?"
turns out, he was literally down the road from us.
done.and.done.

hubby and the kids rushed out the door to pick it up.
in between down pours of rain we all would run out and help put it together,
then run back in when the rain got really bad
waited for it to pass
and ran back out, because that's how we roll in Oregon!

as if a play structure wasn't enough "big boy" material...
this one got a big boy bed.
and L.O.V.E.S. IT!
 he went to bed last night with no fuss or complications
slept in his bed all night long.
and woke up so tickled with himself this morning.
no more babies in the allen household :(

i've been super inspired by you blog ladies and decided to make this for our room.
nothing fancy, but i sure love it.
 it's spring break and hubby is going to take friday off for a family day in medford.
we are pumped!
i'm planning on going for walks/bike rides every chance we get with this rain.
each day is a different color and we will center our outfits, foods, crafts around it.
(we'll see how that goes, today is red)
all in all...
this weekend was exactly what we needed to reenergize our spirits.

spring break 2011, woohoo!

March 18, 2011

the {3} d's

discouraged:
cause {someone} to lose confidence or enthusiasm

depleated:
use up the supply of; exhaust the abundance of

defeated:
having been beaten in a battle

 i know that blogs are supposed to be uplifting
but they are also a place to be honest and truthful.
life isn't always rainbows and sunshine 
and honestly, isn't it nice to know that you aren't the only one with bad days?
some of the blogs that i read religiously have been writting along the same lines this week. seems like all of us out there are feeling the 3 d's in one way or another.
monkey has been sick all week.
i mean, "newborn getting up every 2 hours" sick (for a w.e.e.k.)
he's clingy...
he's whiny...
and can't quite use his words yet so it's a lot of yelling.
pointing,
and frustration when i don't get it quite right.
all he wants to do is rock in his rocking chair at night
and watch bubble guppies all.day.long.

 in trying to keep with a positive attitude
i keep reminding myself that this is my baby
my last child
and soon he's not going to want to snuggle with me anymore
so i'm trying to embrace these sleepless nights.
however, the rest of my world isn't stopping during the day for me to get any rest.
the older 2 boys still have school
peanut started baseball practice this week
and as if the kids didn't miss enough school with holiday's and "in service days"
spring break started (quiet screams in my head!)
 to top it all off...it's been raining pouring all week long.
no sunshine in site.
i'm tired.
i'm depleated of all my energy and enthusiasm.
poor hubby is getting none of my attention, because once the kids go to bed
i have been falling asleep on the couch in anticipation of monkey getting up shortly thereafter.
my kids have been feasting on fruit snacks and trail mix, because it's all monkey will eat
so the other 2 boys feel they get the same privilages (does that make me a bad mom?)
i want deserve a much needed break from my family and my chores
(does that make me a bad mom?)
i l.o.v.e. my house, but is it possible for a house to suffocate you?
we don't have any plans for spring break
and i could really use a change of scenary.
i'm starting to feel like all my garden starts in the laundry room
every one of them reaching for a piece of sunshine.
a glimps of better things to come.
and as they will soon be put outside into that ever deserving sunshine,
where they will thrive with abundant life...
i too know my sunshine is on its way.
maybe not this week (outlook next week not so good.)
my "sunshine" will come
and when it does...
i will thrive with life once more.
and it will feel great!

on a lighter note, while peanut was at baseball practice last night, it stopped raining for the whole hour (thank you mother nature) and monkey got to play on a playground for the first time in his whole little life.  it was seriously better than disneyland.  made me excited in anticipation for spring and summer.  once that sunshine graces us with its presence, we will be at the park non-stop.
and we will love every moment of it.

hubby always says
"how can you know something is good, if you don't feel the bad first?"

damn it...he's right again.

good and bad
enjoy every moment of your weekend!

March 16, 2011

what i {wish} i wore wednesday

happy wednesday...and middle of the month
{holy time flies, batman}

i'm linking up with adorable lindsey at the pleated poppy 
for her "what i wore wednesday" segment.
i've done this once and it was a blast;
however, this week is going to be slightly different.

i'm doing a little virtual shopping for a
"what i wish i wore wednesday"
truth be told, it's been a rough week
sick babies
little bear out of school for 14 days for spring break
(it's day 2 and we are already freaking out together)
and honestly this week i look like a crazy homeless lady
that is dragging 3 innocent children along for the ride.

so, here i go....

saturday was emmett's 8th birthday party
it was a football theme
all of his guests wore their favorite jersey, or team shirt.
this is what i wish i would have worn.
(yes i'm a die hard raiders fan...no judgment!)

shirt - NFL.com shop

this is what the boys at the party wore.
how adorable are they?
this is their mean football faces after an epic game
with daddy and uncle joseph.
{dear mother nature - thank you for clearing the sky
for 2 blissful hours so that all these "crazy on sugar"
boys could run off their energy before the sleepover portion of
the party began.  yours truly - temporarilly freaked out mother}

saturday, after we shoved blue chocolate chip pancakes
into these cute little faces
and sent them on their marry way with their parents
completely over-exhausted from staying up until 3:30
(ah to be a child again)

we simply putted around the house,
picking up things here and there.
i think i was in my jammie pants all day.
but, this is what i wish i would have worn...
how adorable is that dress
and with a bright pink cardi?
in.love.
 both dress and cardi - old navy


monday came real quick.
i mean, i don't remember sleeping sunday night.
the boys had school,
i worked and tried to get some laundry done
then i had both boys parent/teacher conferences.
i did dress up (sort of)
i had on jeans, a top, and a sweater.
hair done and make-up on.
however, this is what i wish i wore.
 whole outfit - body c

monkey was sick
and this is what our day looked like.

anywho...
tuesday emmett had school,
nolan is now home for 2 weeks of spring break (ouch)
nolan and i did a rainbow craft
and then emmett had baseball practice.

truth be told, i barely remembered practice
and about 20 minutes before it was time to go
i threw on a pair of baggy jeans (hubby hates them)
a long sleaved volcom top (used to be hubby's)
hair in a bun because it was pouring
very quickly threw some make-up at my face
packed up 2 sick kiddos that wanted nothing to do
with leaving the comforts of their blankets, couch, and cartoons.
and headed out to be the doting mother at E's practice.
this is what i wish i would have worn.
it probably would have made me feel a little better about the day,
had i put myself together.
(i seriously hate rushing around, never feels good.)


whole outfit - old navy

so there you go.
nothing special.
i'm loving virtually getting dressed up.
although slightly depressing,
because now i want to go shopping and don't have the funding for it.
(sad face)

don't forget to link up with some other amazing ladies
who actually have their stuff together.
maybe next week i can pull it of.

maybe...

just maybe...