toddlers and their mood swings!!

david goes from being sweet and helpful one day, and the next---well, i'm ready to put him on the curb with a "free" sign around his neck!!  i love him to bits, he truly makes my heart melt(as does emily), but there are moments when i wonder where my sweet boy went!  for the most part, he plays nice and stays busy.  then he'll try to climb up on a table top or write on the wall with crayon--normal kid stuff--but when i tell him "no", i seriously just sit and wait for his head to spin!  he throws things, flops on the floor, and screams at the top of his little lungs!  aside from the mood swings, i can not get him to eat a decent meal!  its one little bite here and there, and that's it!  i'm surprised that you can't see his ribs!  he likes most things, i wouldn't say that he's a picky eater, but i don't know how to get him to eat it.  i've tried letting him play while slipping him bites(this is the method that he prefers--but makes HUGE mess!).   i've tried making him sit with his big boy spoon and plate...and he thinks its play time!  i cringe watching him smear food from one end on the tray to the other, or when he rubs his potatoes in his hands like its lotion!  but i bite my tongue and allow it...self feeding is messy at first, i get it...but he's not EATING, he's PLAYING!  just when i see him take a bite, and let out that sigh of "oh thank god", the spoon is on the floor, and the bowl is on his head!
little stinker.

so i know that i'm getting old...i got my first pair of glasses today!!  i've always wanted glasses--not sure why.  i think maybe i felt left out.  everyone in my family wears them!  even hubby does--my poor kids, they don't stand a chance at having good eye sight!!  hubs has been wearing glasses since he was a child, and was diagnosed with glaucoma when he was 23!  i'm feeling a little smarter today, and a little sexier too!  ugh, i'm such a nerd!! lol

off the grid

i've been laying low for the last few days.  with the busy-ness of thanksgiving and revving up for christmas, i thought i'd take a little internet break.  oh, and i thought it would help the tension headaches that i've been getting-alot-from slumping over at my computer, reading all of your lovely blogs! 

we had a really nice thanksgiving at my aunt's house!  emily ate until she was about to pop!!  she loved everything!  david was a little stinker!  he hardly ate anything with the exeption of a bite of pumpkin pie.  he played all.day.long.  my parents took him for the night so i had an awesome girls day with my sissy and emily.  no, we did not brave the stores--although i would have liked to.  i think it would have been overwhelming for emily.  we had a nice relaxing day with turkey sammiches for lunch!  this weekend is now a blur, but we did get alot accomplished.  the house is ready for christmas to vomit all over it!!  can't wait!

here is emily on friday-nice and relaxed, and david free for the whole day!!

david helped me vacuum this morning!!

i hope you all enjoyed the weekend!

Happy Thanksgiving!

i can't believe its here already!  i can not wait to stuff my face later!  i'm drooling a little just thinking about it!! 
i have so much to be thankful for this year.  i have a hubby who loves his family, and works hard for them.  he supports me, and holds me up when i'm down.  i am thankful for the smiles that i see on my kids' faces all.the.time.  i am thankful that they are healthy, and bright.  i am thankful for my family.  i have the most terrific parents, and brother and sister.  i am thankful that i have such vivid memories of holidays passed...and of loved ones that are no longer with us.  i am thankful for the roof over our heads, and the food in our tummies. 
i am especially thankful that emily is taking her first steps, and may be full on walking by christmas!!(that one always brings a tear to my eye)  i'm also thankful that emily now lets david kiss her goodnight!(another tear!)

hubby went to emily's thanksgiving feast on tuesday--i was down and out with a terrible  migrane, so i had to miss it :o(  this is what he captured...

Happy Thanksgiving to you all, and your families!!!

ding ding ding, we have a winner!

congratulations, YONCA!!

you are the winner of my very first giveaway!

i loved reading all of your traditions...they were such a nice pick me up for a long and busy "short" week! hahaha  thanks to all who participated...i will definetly do this again!

(i'll be emailing yonca for her info!!!)

my first giveaway...

starts today!!  here's what you're playing for:

my pottery barn look-alike wreath!

its easy to enter!  Just leave me a comment on this post, telling me your favorite holiday tradition.  don't have one?  tell me one you'd like to start!

Giveaway starts today(nov 23rd) and ends wed. nov 25th. i will choose a winner using random.org @ 8 pm eastern time.  please make sure you leave your email address if it is not linked up!

weekends are too short.

so here we are at sunday already!  sheesh, it goes so fast!  yesterday we got the kids outside for some nice fresh air.  emily wasn't feeling it too much, and preferred to hang on the screened in porch.  fine by me...i'm getting to the point where if the wind blows just right, i have to pee!!  those little things--like peeing when its cold, and facial hair, and seeing things from the eighties(that you don't remember from the eighties)--remind me that i'm not 16 anymore!! 

anyhoo...  david had a blast raking leaves with hubby.  he was out there for hours!  i finally asked him if he wanted a snack, and he drug me into the house!!  i guess some gold fish and juice were sounding better than dead leaves!!  he was a good boy for the rest of the afternoon.  left overs were on the menu.  we're trying to curb out eating out habit--especially with christmas coming! 

i haven't crafted much these last few days.  there are things on the list, but i've just felt burnt out this week!  its too early to be burnt out--i still have christmas gifts to buy!!  so i took some time off to regroup.  that's hard for me to do.  i always have something up my sleeve!  i think this nice quiet weekend is just what to doctor ordered. 

i think these will be the xmas cards pics.  since i can't get them to sit TOGETHER, i decided to try and get a couple of nice individual shots.  i managed to succeed before the camera batteries died...go me!

one last thing!  MY FIRST GIVEAWAY WILL START TOMORROW!!  check back for rules...it won't be difficult--i can't handle difficult LOL!  hope you all enjoy the rest of your weekend!

ATWT

so last friday, she did it.  she took more than 7 steps all by herself.  i was so surprised that they sent pics home this week!  i was sad that i missed her first real steps, but the pics make up for it a little.  she is like a whole new kid!  these are the first pics that we have of her walking-not attached to anything(walker, hand, counter top, jean pockets!) i think her talking is not too far behind!  holy cow...so proud.