Anderson Adventures

Friday, May 18, 2012

HATS!

Don't you love how, when you're older, hats become a figure of speech rather than a piece of an outfit? Put on the mommy hat in the morning, the chef at for meals, the church hat for church, etc. We have so many hats these days that were putting on and sometimes it's a little overwhelming and not so much fun.

Well, Claire has a great love for all things hats. I wish I could go back to being two years old where a hat was anything. A bucket. A spoon. A bowl. A helmet. You name it. I want to wear those hats....but Claire does. And she looks good doing it too. :) They're just more fun to wear.

And because I can't just post two pictures. Here are some more for good measure.

He looks so GQ here.

Bath time. See...he's getting chubbier.

Monday, May 14, 2012

What Do I Need?

A VACATION!!!!

This girl needs a good long week away from home. Away from my laundry room. Away from the kitchen, cooking, and dishes. We need to run far, far away from all this nonsense sickness that is plaguing Claire. I need a few hours in a wonderful Pride and Prejudice kind of romance to find my healthy soul again. I swear that the CDC would condemn our house if they were here.

We have designated Fridays at our house, "sick Fridays". We have gone into the doctor every Friday since she got home from the hospital. They are calling us by name. I'm convinced that Claire REALLY likes seeing Nemo in their fish tank, or she has attention deprivation and things she needs to catch every cold that flies by her nose. First it was the hospital, then she had a very weak week. Maybe her immune system got picked up by the star quarterback and got it's butt kicked across the field because she then had croup the next week. This Friday we went in for Pink Eye followed by a scratched ear canal on Saturday. Now? A fever with an unknown cause. I think it's a cold, but we're back to our every 3 hours of medicine regime. One thing after another.

I'll be totally honest. I lost it on Friday and sobbed. Embarrassingly enough I even cried on the phone with my visiting teacher trying to find a ride to our car so I could get Claire to the doctor.

So, here's to counting down the days until our Park City get-a-way with Brian's wonderful family. Cousins! I can't wait for Claire to play with some cousins! I'll be lounging by the pool and can even visit the hot tub this time around since there is no baby incubating. Until then....our thermometer has a new home on our table ready for use.

On a side note, I am incredibly grateful that things have played out so "well". While we were at the doctor on Friday a couple, their baby, and the nurse that was carrying the baby's oxygen walked into the office. I immediately felt so bad for this couple (and baby) that the little guy was on oxygen and obviously having a hard time. However, they lifted his carseat cover and that poor little guy had it a lot worse than we've ever had to deal with. His poor face. His mouth and chin were curved upward toward his nose, which you could hardly make out. His eyes were close together and so close to his nose and forehead that it was hard to make out which feature was which. I honestly wanted to take him home with me and hug him and love him so much and I almost started crying right then. What a sweet little boy.

I have to say that I think I'm learning how to get closer to the big man upstairs through all of this. I would hate to think that having Claire be so sick is the only way it would happen right now in my life, but I'm grateful that she's ok and that I am learning along the way.

Thursday, May 10, 2012

The Calendar is Broken

Has it really been a week and a half since my last post??? What?! Where does the time go? I guess this past week has been dedicated to Claire's terrible cough, steamy showers to get her to breathe, and staying up WAY TOO LATE because she doesn't sleep well when she's sick. Hopefully someday she'll get the memo that rest is the key to getting better...not waking up at 2:30 ready to play for the day. Sorry all.

There have been several topics that I've wanted to blog about. Most of these ideas come to me in the shower where a pen and paper are useless for storing ideas. I guess I'll have to invent a soap that writes on walls and a shower remembering board. Let's face it, everyone's best ideas come to them when they're in the shower. Maybe the combination of being naked, wet, and relaxed is the best environment for ideas to flourish. I surely think so.

The only real thing I've discovered this week is that I'm in love with vanilla ice cream with graham cracker pie crust and carmel. YUM! Since I am the only mother I know of that goes off chocolate after a baby...I'm sticking to it. Seriously, it has been hard, but now it's not even about worrying if Jared will get colicy from the cocoa. Now it's a matter of longevity. How long can I really go without giving in? We'll see!

For now, I will just leave you with my comments of my better hal(ves).

Brian is so good to me. He sternly sent me to bed as I was sobbing in Claire's room at 4:30 am the other day. I was so exhausted and that magical man had her back to sleeping in 20 minutes. Something I had been working at for over 2 hours. We are alive today because he saved us.

Claire is seriously the cutest girl in the world. We tell her this. We think she might be aware of the fact. Just in case you need proof...here it is.

Running through the sprinklers....in her clothes. She really just stood in it and got soaked.

Mommy went to the store and she was so sad. She cried so hard that she fell asleep on Daddy.

Wearing Daddy's work classes. SO CUTE!

Anyone like CHEESE as much as this girl????

As for Jared, boys don't get any sweeter. He gets cuter and cuter by the day and I just can't get enough of him. He is sleeping all the time almost every other day. I think he's having some growth spurts. I have to say that I just melt for little boys. Heck, I melted for Claire the same, so I just love my kiddos.

My pillow fell on him this morning. He was so squirmy with it.

Getting chubs!

Sort of a smile!

A little man in his Sunday best. Be still my beating heart!

This morning I found Claire hugging Jared's legs. She sure loves her little brother. Always has to check on him. Always has to hug him. Always has to have him by her in the car. I love that she loves him.

Let's face it....I have a rockin' awesome family!

Cheers.

Out of the mouth of Claire

Claire was asking me about Hailey nursing. She was sad to find out that Hailey wasn't nursing anymore. She said, "Well, when I am a mommy can you give my babies milk?" Uh...nope. Can't do that. "Why mom?" Well, my milk will be gone (thank goodness) and you'll have to do it. "Oh, well, I want a big, big, BIG family. TWELVE babies! But I don't want the littlest baby to ever get big because I do NOT want one hundred babies." March 2015
Claire: Daddy, do you stink? Brian: Why do you say that? Claire: Because I can smell you. 6/18/14
Claire walked out of her room and this is what ensued: Daddy: "Claire, get back to bed." Claire: "But Daddy, my bed is being crazy!" (We try hard not to laugh). Daddy: "What?" Claire: "My bed is being crazy!!!" He went back, she tangled her blanket so her feet were getting cold. 5/15/2014
Claire asked her sunbeam teacher what "this" was, pointing to something on her chest. She thought she was talking about the pattern on her dress. Claire said, "No, no! These. They are for milk for babies." 5/2014
Eating corn on the cob for dinner, Claire turned to me and asked, "Mommy, are you going to eat some of this YUUUUMMMMYYY corn?" 5/2014
"Mommy, can you do this for me?" She hands me my eyelash curler and I proceed to curl her eyelashes. She bats her eyes in the mirror and says, "There. That's better." For the record...I have never done this, so she didn't learn it from me. 1/28/14
I was doing Claire's hair , combing through it. "Mommy, stop brushing my hair, you're making me crazy." 1/28/14
Claire has a VERY hard time going #2 in the toilet. She will hold it for days and days, so she ends up sitting on the toilet for hours sometimes. This week, she had been in there for a good two hours (and never went). Anyway, during that time she called me in several times, "MOMMY!!!! Come here!!!" And then would tell me nothing. So, after what seemed like the billionth, "MOMMY come here!" shouting, I went in to find her with the ENTIRE roll of toilet paper collected in a heap in her arms. I looked at her and gasped in frustration. I had just changed that roll! Brand new roll. Think of all that! She looked at me, giggled, and said, "Mommy...hehe....I sneezed...hehe." 1/28/14
We had our first ice storm here in Texas. I took Claire to Costco and let her walk on the ice. "Mom, I need to put on my ice skates". "Claire, do you have ice skates?" "No mom, I don't." Good point though sweetheart!
Claire always wakes me up telling me that the sun is awake. The other day, she came in, told me the sun was awake once more and then told me that she wanted some candy. I informed her that we didn't have any, but she said, "Mom, all we have to do is say Trick-or-treat!"
We went camping and I asked if Claire had fun. Claire: "I love camping, but Jared was naughty. We should leave him home".
Me: "Claire, why are you out of bed?" Claire: "Because of this..." She starts moving as if she'll pee her pants. Me: What? Claire: "Because I have the wiggles."
While at the mall bathroom, "MOMMY! YOU DID IT! YOU PEED!" For everyone to hear.
We're still trying to potty train Claire and have her poop in the potty! She says she does it, but can't seem to have it happen and will hold it for days (which is very frustrating). In an effort to get the ball rolling, I said, "Claire! Let's both push. 1...2...3...push!" At that point I did a fake push and she quickly exclaimed, "MOMMY! Don't poop in your pannies!" 7/12/13
Jared was crying and wandering around the house this morning. He popped his head in the bathroom where Claire and I were, and started to cry. Claire said, "Oh Jared, stop whining". 7/3/13
Brian and I were talking about the frustrating expenses of moving. At one point I said (about our debt), "It's all my fault." Claire came to the rescue and said, "NO! It's MY fault! My fault....and Jared's!"
This morning Claire woke up at 5 am screaming, "I WANT A COOKIE!!!!!" I went in, she repeated her sentiments. I promised her a cookie and she went back to sleep. When she got out of bed at 10:30, she jumped into my arms and said, "Where's my cookie?"