Suuuunny Days!!

So a couple weeks ago my little man turned 2!  Wow, time flies fast!  To celebrate this momentous occasion we had a wonderful birthday party with a Sesame Street Theme.  Aidan loves Sesame Street (which is funny because he's never seen an episode) but what child doesn't like Elmo and his high pitched voice (which I do a rather convincing impression), a green monster that lives in a trash can (that just screams BOY!) and a blue monster that eats cookies all day long (lets not tell Aidan Cookie Monster is now diabetic). 

The Big Bird wreath was a major hit, maybe the easiest project I've ever done.

Don't forget the Big Bird foot prints leading up to the door.

 Oscar's Tattoo Parlor, he really added that "trash" factor quite well.  What a real hit with all the kids!

 Dorothy's Goldfish (a facebook vote vetoed my idea for REAL goldfish)

 Ernie's Rubber Duckies...

 C is for Cookie, my cupcakes were a little time consuming to say the least, but were very well enjoyed.  There were several very happy blue faced children running around. 

Overall, birthday party was a total success!!  Happy Birthday Aidan!!

We're out of bread

Wouldn't it be crazy if you went to a pizza place and they were out of pizza??  Or a burger place that was out of burgers??  Then why is it, that I have heard on 3 separate occasions, from the SAME subway, that they are out of bread.  It's not like I go when a natural disaster is about to hit and they're trying to get rid of everything...  I mean, isn't bread kind of a staple of a subway sandwich?  Who really goes to subway to order a salad anyway, not me...  This subway just astounds me.  It's not like I have a plethora of food options to pick from in Starkville in the first place.  For lunch I just wanted something that I can get "to-go" and relatively healthy in less than ten minutes.  Subway is now off of that list.  While I waited with roughly 12 other frustrated customers for the bread to bake, at least we had some entertainment.  I'm guessing the staff at subway is given the privilege to pick the radio station, as well as the volume.  Most similar dining establishments have an agreeable oldies station...not this subway...  It's hip-hop hour y'all, and not just any, nope, it was throw back hip-hop hour...  Master P "Make em say uhh", Jay Z "Can I get a", Dr. Dre & Snoop "Nothin but a G Thang"...the list goes on...  I wish you could have seen the faces on the some of the more "conservative" customers, hahaha...one older woman just walked out mumbling gibberish under her breath.  But in the end I did leave with my 6 inch turkey on wheat.  So was it worth it??  For entertainment value, yes, for food value, NO.   So next time you go to subway and they say "We're out of bread", don't even respond.  Just turn around and walk out.  In fact don't even attempt it, just got to Lenny's.

Kiss the baby!

Well it's been a WHILE since my last post and a lot has happened!  We finally moved into our new house (yay!!).  George painted the dining room, living room and is working on the bathroom.  We got new furniture in the living room as well as the dining room.  And oh yeah, I'm pregnant.  I'm due December 27!  Can we say Christmas baby?!  I was reading a babycenter blog yesterday and women were posting about the importance of their due dates, ie: my due date is my grandfather's birthday, my anniversary, my brother's birthday...I had to respond with, well my kid is likely to be due on Jesus' birthday, top THAT!  We've been told by friends "If it's due on Christmas you have to name it Jesus, or Santa" ... yeah, I'll keep that in mind (not).  We've decided part of the baby's name will come from my family.  George was up the other night and was wondering, should it come from your mom's side....or your dad's?  Then it hit him, I saw the light bulb go off and I could tell he was sooo proud of what he had just thought of.  "I've got it Laura....we can use BOTH sides.  First name, Richard, like your dad's brother, middle name, Robert, like your brother, your uncle and grandfather.  Richard Robert, aka RICKY BOBBY!!  If you aint first you're last!!" .... thank you for that George... I will also keep that in mind (not).

I'm only about 13.5 weeks right now but I already have a little belly.  We've been teaching Aidan that there is a baby in momma's belly and he is absolutely enthralled with the idea!  "Aidan!  What's in momma's belly?!" "BABIES!!!"  He always makes the baby plural, I've only seen one so far, but hey, maybe my kid is psychic, twins do run in the family! He loves to "hug" the baby (the shirt must be pulled up to do so though).  He also enjoys kissing the baby.  He mostly enjoys this while I'm standing, so it requires me to squat VERY awkwardly to accommodate his 22 month height.  Last night Aidan decided he didn't want to eat his stir fry (can't blame him, the veggies did get kinda mushy).  We tried to coax him over and over, "we'll give you an ice pop if you take 5 bites" "we'll give you crackers if you eat" "we'll let you go outside if you eat"....it went on forever.  Finally George got an idea, "I've got it!  Aidan....the baby in momma's belly wants you to eat.  Can you eat for the baby??"  "BABIES?!?!" and he chomped away at the food.  I did not know that unborn babies in momma's belly can be bargaining tools, but now you know. 

Before leaving for work this morning Aidan gave me a hug and a kiss as usual, and now he wants to kiss the baby, the NEW daily norm.  This will be a fun summer and fall! 

I Have a Dream

In case you aren't aware, we closed on our New Orleans house and our Starkville house 4 days apart a little over a week ago.  Fun fun fun.....haha.  BUT, we aren't moving into the new place for another 7 days.  These 7 days can not come quick enough!  As WONDERFUL as it has been to live in a very nice, not to mention, FREE condo, it still remains to be a 1 bedroom condo.  That 1 bedroom is also owned by our enchanting little boy Aidan.  We have been sleeping on an air mattress since February and it's really beginning to get to me.  Aidan's newest and most favorite word is "ousiiiiii" this translates to "OUTSIDE".  He stands at the door and screams to go outside, when we quietly tell him "no" he melts down into a puddle of tears (is it bad that we laugh?? ha).  I would LOVE for my child to run free outside, but we don't have outside at the condo.  There is a parking lot!!  And all he wants to do is throw rocks and run in the parking lot!! 

The one bedroom he owns is also a bit of a problem.  See...he goes to bed around 7:45 every night.  So that means that anything in the bedroom (ie: my clothes, shoes, existence...) is out of bounds after baby is in bed.  An example of how this is a problem:  Yesterday I was wearing a shirt that required a strapless bra.  Aidan wanted to roll around on the bed and be tickled.  Well strapless bras and rolling around just don't mix, so I took off my bra and put it in the drawer (don't worry, I still had a shirt on and it was only George, baby and myself...).  Well after Aidan goes to bed I need to run an errand, and then realize, wait....my bra....it's in the bedroom.  I then proceed to layer on 4 of my husbands t shirts, 2 of which I literally stole off of his back.  Something of this nature happens on a daily basis.  The lovely air mattress I mentioned earlier.  Well those suckers have to be inflated every week....except who thinks about it until you actually get into bed.  And by the time that happens, there is no way you can blow it up.  It's like a rocket ship taking off in the living room and it would surely wake the baby, and that's not a pretty site. 

I have a dream..... in 7 days, we will be in the new house.  Instead of 1 bedroom.....we have 4, and his is on the other side of the house....ahhh....what a lovely sigh of relief.  I can changed my clothes 75 times a night if I want to without waking the kid.  I can take a bath or a shower without waking the kid.  "OUSIIII" he may scream....well if you say "PLEASE OUSIIII" I will be more than obliged to open the back door and let you roam free in our huge backyard.  Get some grass stains kiddo, I know you wanna.  I could care less.

The Terrible Twos Begin....

Ok, so it's no secret that I'm not totally stoked about being a single Mom right now.  It's just plain hard and frustrating beyond belief.  I'm not the world's most patient person, so when Aidan begins to be a handful I usually have my trusty and VERY patient husband to jump in....not the case anymore.   This is even more difficult now that Aidan is getting older, more independent and completely in the terrible twos.  He climbs everything possible.  I go to put clothes in the washing machine, turn around and he's on top of a chair, and then on top of the dining room table, and he's thinking of jumping to his death onto the kitchen floor, because I guess that just sounds like loads of fun to a 19 month year old.  I wanted a baby, not a MONKEY!  Yesterday morning I was lucky enough to actually have my husband at home with me in Starkville.  Sadly it was Sunday and he had to leave around 10:00am, but that gave me about two hours of happy family time, right??  WRONG.  Aidan was just angry, no clue why, just angry at the world.  He screamed when he was on the ground, he screamed when you picked him up, no cookie, cracker, cup or Elmo would make him happy (all things that usually invoke immense delight).  I may have had a bit of a breakdown on the couch realizing my husband was about to leave me, all alone, with the possessed angry screaming little boy ALL day, ALL WEEK!!  It just hit me, and I could not control the tears!!  What have I turned into?!?!  Laura does not CRY!  There's no CRYING in Mommy World (ha, BET).  Don't worry though, it only lasted for a few minutes and then I pulled myself together and kissed George goodbye. 

Once George left I put Aidan down for a very early nap (due to his retched attitude).  He slept for a little over an hour.  When he woke up, I could hear him playing in his crib, so happy, talking to his toys and blanket, but I don't go in until he actually calls me.  "Mommy!", ok, that's my cue...here I come to take you out of the crib so we can go outside and blow bubbles.  I open the door, and there he is... sitting on the floor... NOT IN HIS CRIB, yep, I didn't get a baby, I totally got a monkey...

Starkvegas or Bust!!

Ok, so in case you didn't hear, we have picked up our lives in New Orleans and headed to God's country, Starkville, MS!! I have taken a job as the new Admissions Coordinator for the College of Arts & Sciences at MSU.  This is a WONDERFUL move for my family, we couldn't not be more excited!!  So far the job is going GREAT, friends are GREAT, love living here...but we do have a few hiccups, they are to be expected moving mid year.  First hiccup, daycare....yeah, for future reference, don't ever try and find a GOOD daycare in the middle of the year with 1 week notice.  It's just impossible.  You call the good places, and they literally laugh at you, some of them tried to disguise their giggles like they were coughing.... I wasn't fooled.  So, Aidan's daycare is literally 5 miles past Walmart.  For those of you that aren't familiar with the layout of Starkville, there is NOTHING past Walmart.  Except that is....his new little daycare.  Did I mention that is backwoods rural MS to a T.  There is even a mangy dog that pretty much lives at the daycare front door that they feed hot dogs.  There has got to be some kind of health code against this.... Our second hiccup, no Daddy :(  George is still in New Orleans until he either sells out house or gets a job, hopefully this will be SOON!  WE MISS HIM SO MUCH!  Lets face it, Daddy is just more fun than Mommy, Daddy has more patience than Mommy, Daddy is just cooler than Mommy.  Basically we need Daddy to survive. 

But don't worry...there is a light at the end of the tunnel!!  Aidan will be starting the Methodist daycare sometime mid summer, making me much happier, and my gas expenses much less.  And Daddy might be moving up here a little sooner than expected!  All in all the move for us has gone AMAZINGLY well.  We have more support than we could have ever hoped for and the world's most wonderful friends and family to help us through this very transitional time.