This morning.

I was on the phone with American Airlines checking on escape routes flights to the states. So for some unknown reason, and I know you other moms know this too, the kids seem to go berserk the minute you lift the receiver from it's cradle. They cannot contain themselves. They scream, they run. They bounce off the bed and onto the floor. It's noisy, when only moments before the phone call, it was somewhat calm. Somewhat.

So I gave the kids a pen and some paper. Only I didn't have another pen at the moment, and gave Eddie a marker. This is what he did during my 5 minute conversation. Notice the design he added to his jammies.



He actually colored all over his jammie bottoms too. But I didn't notice until after I took these pictures. It might not have photographed well since the pants are so dark anyway.

After our fun with markers, he jumped off the bed and landed on a ball, which he bounced off of and fell backwards where he bit down on his lower lip. Screaming began immediately and when I helped to pick him up, the blood was already running down his chin.

For those of you who know me, know us, then you know what a terrible panic this sent me into. To those of you who don't, I will just shorten the story and share this with you. When Eddie was 14 months old, he was running in the house and fell on a cardboard poster holder, which he was holding in his mouth. He knocked out a tooth. Root and all. What a horrible experience to have your little baby lose a tooth like that. Right after he just got that one in too. But we lived. And there are worse things. Much worse. But seeing the blood run down his face this morning just sent chills down my spine. I swooped him up and rushed him off to tend to him. He is fine. The crying has ended and he just has a cut lower lip.

So before all the drama, I was trying to find out how much it might cost me to go visit my family. Is it sad that I've only been here 3 months 2 weeks and 1 day, and I already want to go back? Well, the flights that I have found are astronomical in price. Really. I'm being quoted around $6000 for me and the two kids to go. Since Miss Alexa just turned two, she is no longer free. Bites.

I think though, that I may have figured out a way to get the price down. We have those air miles, you know with AA everytime you fly. Only, we don't have a whole lot of them. But we could actually purchase more miles to qualify for the trip. And that would cut the total price of the tickets literally in half. So right now we are looking at around $3000 total. Still. That's kind of high. But a lot better. I also have a reward for an airline ticket worth $225 from my credit card. So that makes the price even better. OK. I'm going to go see if I can research some more before I tell dh how much I want to spend.

Things I miss.

Aussie cheese fries.

From where else?

Then of course, there's this place. Even as this store is super awesome and they do ship to APO addresses, it's not the same as actually being in the store.

I can't even begin to tell you how much I am going to miss this event.

I miss my lovely step-daughter Alyssa. She turns 10 on November 18.

And my step-son Devon too. He will be 15 (Gasp!) on November 2.

This picture isn't the best, but it was taken at Davis Monthan Air Force Base (as were the two previous). I even miss dusty brown and unforgivingly hot Tucson.

Most importantly, I miss my family members who are still there. The ones that I drug across the United States to be with us. I miss them most of all.

Awards

Thanks Littlemansmom!

Thank you Tammy!


Thanks Chelle!

Thanks Stephanie!


Thanks Dawn!



Thanks Patrice!



Thanks Laural!

Thanks My Two B's and Me!

Thanks to The Happy Mom!

Thanks Patrice!

Thanks Chelle!

Thanks Ashley!

How do they do that?

Last night after dinner our children were playing. Playing, running, laughing and of course there was the occasional disagreement mixed in. Things were running smoothly. I haven't had to use a diaper, except for bed & nap times. I officially ran out of pull ups yesterday. But I already ordered some from Amazon.com. They're on the way.

Anyway, like I said in a previous post, my daughter took it upon herself to sit on the potty and poop. All by herself. Without coaxing, without bribery. She just did it.

So as my dh and I were sitting at the table in the kitchen, Alexa walks over to us. She flashes us a very large and somewhat proud smile. She then states, "I did it mommy. I did a-poop." We quickly jump up to go see. Upon arrival to the room, we find that the baby toilet was empty. Dh and I exchange curious glances, and then I looked at Alexa. She says, "I pud-it-inna- toy-yet!" We can hear the water filling the bowl as if it had just been flushed. We ran in to see. Nothing.

Aaah... but how can we be sure? Maybe it was a little one? I drug her to the bathroom to clean her up. Still, not much evidence. Did she really do it? It did kind of smell. Ugh. I wanted to know for sure. So I asked again. "Did you do pee-pee?" She was clear. "Noooo! It is a poop." Ok. So there you have it. She pooped. I want to be very excited, but I just can't be. Without knowing for sure.

So I go back to the kitchen to wash the dishes. Dh stays in our bedroom with the kids. As I was getting the soapy water to just the right temperature, dh yells. "Uuuuhhh. Moooommmy???" Oh Lord. This doesn't even sound good. I thought to myself. "What." I grumble. "There's poop on our bed." Really. That's fantastic. Honestly. Fantastic for two reasons. One. Because, although there is poop on our bed, and I am not even in the room, when I arrive in the room, it will still be there waiting for me to clean it. I know this. Two. Because Eddie is wearing long pants, it it highly unlikely that it came from him. Alexa was only wearing a sweatshirt and training undies. So what I want to know now is, how in the heck did this happen?

Did she fling it? Did she sit on the bed first when she realized that she had to go, and when she got off the bed, it fell out? Ugh. So. Of course I went to inspect, remove and clean. That's my job. Sure enough. The child pooped. Maybe she got most of it in the toilet. And one little piece on my bed. That's good. Right? Most of it in the toilet? By herself? Yeah. I'm happy. At least I didn't sit in it. That's a good thing right there. Bad thing? That's my brand new duvet cover. Oh well. I'm looking at the big picture.

It screams, No more diapers!

I can't blog.

I can't even hear myself think. I have a small child sitting on me. Because I'm cool like that. And because we still wake up at 6. I tried to tell them mommy isn't getting up until it's light outside, but they don't seem to care.

Alexa just said to me, "Let's get yooh-nah mommy." Eddie responds by saying, "Let's get lunar Leslie." They get this from a show called Lunar Jim.

I can't even listen to Grey's Anatomy. Yes! I found a website that lets me view it. See here. And as I stated in my earlier blog post, you can't watch the episode until after it airs. So I was right about that part. The link came up this morning when I checked it. So I've been trying to watch it. But it soo isn't happening.

Eddie is bouncing on my bed. Yelling out various things. He's pooped. In the wrong place. Alexa is peeing on her potty.

Oh I forgot to mention last night this funny thing she said to me. We were walking to the school so that I could register. And I didn't bring along a stroller. Lately Alexa likes to walk. Well, since we are walking I need to hold her hand. Alexa is very independent, and she does not want to hold hands. With anyone. So I had to force her. It's not like being at home in the states, where I could just let her walk on her own up our street where we lived. We are on a busy city street with a lot of people walking by. So I needed to hold onto her. She protests. Loudly. There is a litte crying on her part. And then she said it. "You diving me kaa-zee mommy."

That one was just priceless. Apparently someone has been saying that around here. Hmm. Wonder who that could be. {{Mommy looks over her shoulder to see if there is anyone else here that might have said such a thing. Not finding anyone, she goes back to her blogging.}}

For the moment, the kids are playing. So I am going to try to catch the show.

No Grey's.

So today is the premiere for Grey's Anatomy season 5. And I am conveniently not in the United States to watch it. Yes, I'm addicted to it. Yes, I've been so looking forward to it. I was even quite certain I would be able to watch the full length episodes on abc.com. Wrong! I get a lovely ERROR message that informs me that you can only stream the videos from computers within the United States. Well, that sucks. That's un-American! I have rights!

So. I've been scouring the net for other TV sites that show full length videos. I have found a few. But also just as many that will not allow me to watch videos, as I am out of the country. Then I found some that might let me watch. The only problem I am having now is that while I type this blog post, the show is currently in process. So no matter what, I don't think I can download it until it's over. Right? I don't know. I think I will try again tomorrow.

Today I went and registered for Spanish classes. It's official. I'm going to be educated. They've taken our money. I'm looking forward to it though. It gets me out of the apartment, and it's a kid free several hours. So I'm game.

And for a potty training update, my girl has been accident free today also. As an added bonus, she took herself to the potty and proceeded to do #2 all by herself. She didn't complain, she didn't refuse, she didn't hold it in. She went to her potty, and did her business. The funny part was, she didn't even tell me. But I smelled something. So I checked her. She was fine. Clean even. If you can believe that! But I kept smelling something not so fresh, if you know what I mean. Finally, I get up to look for the source. And lo and behold, I see a huge present that she left in her potty. She was so pleased with herself. She smiled very big and said, "Mommy, I did pee-pee!"

I almost fell over in shock. Mostly because I am still bribing my 3 year old son to go on a regular basis in the toilet. I can't believe that she did it without any problems. I wanted to cry. Well, not really. But I was very happy. She's been in big girl underwear and accident free for 3 days. She got mad and screamed even when I put her in a pull up for nap time. Let's just hope this trend keeps up!

Missing sleep, potty succes, and an award!

The kids have been waking up way too early lately. Like in the 6 o'clock hour. And as much as I want to blame my husband for making too much noise in the mornings, well maybe it all can't be his fault. Right? (or can it?) I can't make the kids lay back down.I tell them to go back to their rooms, get back into bed. And sleep. Now! Please. Pleeaasse??

No. They pile into my bed. Because after all, I am the mommy. And mommies ROCK. We rule the world. And make pancakes too. And there is no better thing on earth than to climb into a warm bed with mommy. The kids creep in. Quiet at first, then they start looking at each other. And then they hold hands. A patty cake game of sorts begins. I wonder to myself, could they entertain themselves this way for another hour while I slept? Quietly? The answer is a resounding NO. What a ridiculous thought. Out of nowhere, laughter ensues. They begin jumping on the bed. Jumping at each other, away from each other. Over me, to the other side of the bed. All the while laughing wildly at the sheer fun of it. Can't. Sleep. Through. The. Noise. I certainly cannot sleep through the little people trodding all over me. Ugh.

Morning time. It's starting way too early. So I get up. The day starts. When it used to be later. But on a positive note, my little girl is making HUGE strides on the potty. I've been putting training underwear on her for the past several days. There have been many puddles to clean up. Then yesterday, I think something clicked for her. She didn't have one single accident. She peed in the baby toilet 7 times. She told me each of the times before she actually had to go. Oh it was a proud day for us. And there was much rejoicing.

Today she is back in her training pants, and I'm hoping we can catch a #2 with as much success as yesterday. Hoping. Please dear Lord, let me have one child who is easy. Please?

On another happy note, I have received another blog award! I am surpsrised and honored to be thought of at all. I received it from Dawn over at Dawn's Place. Thank you so much!

Of course you should know how this works now. You get an award, you pass it along, there are rules and such:

Here they are...
Mention the blog that gave it to you and comment on their blog to let them know you've posted your award. Publish these rules. Share 6 values that are important to you and 6 things you do not support. That sounds easy enough.

So here are 6 things I value.

1. My family.

2. My health.

3. The health of my children and family members too.

4. The fact that I even exist at all. I thank God and my mom for that.

5. My maid. Honestly, she is a lifesaver.

6. Every single blessing that comes my way.

Now for 6 things I do not support.

1. Barack Obama.

2. Foul mouths in ear shot of kids.

3. Rude and inconsiderate people.

4. People who litter.

5. My dh's irrationally long showers.

6. Other people eating my chocolate.

Now that was fun, and relatively painless. And since it has taken me nearly an hour and a half to compose this blog post, I'm only naming 3 people to share this award with. (I've had a small child clinging to my back, one that unraveled the toilet paper in the bathroom, and one that missed the toilet and peed on the floor.) So you'll have to forgive me. One day, I just might actually follow the rules. One day. ;)

1. Mrs. Newlywed over at The Misadventures of a Newlywed.

2. Casey over at The Ever-Changing Life of a Military Wife.

3. Lizzy over at The Journey to the Hot Tub.

Random stuff.

Here is Alexa talking to Nana and Tito just before we sang happy birthday to her and let her open her presents. We brought the laptop out and called them up so that they could sing to her too. She loved it!

Eddie admiring the cake.

And loving Aunt Vicki's gift.

Playing with the water table. This is a big hit. I don't mind all the water, now that I moved the table outside!

I forgot to make Alexa take a nap yesterday, the kids were having too much fun. Here she fell asleep next to me while I was on the computer.

And no! Mom, I didn't leave her there. As soon as I looked down and saw that she had fallen asleep, I picked her up and laid her on my bed. (After I snapped this photo of course.)

OK. Now I know that I never post pictures of my dh. Mostly because he hates it. Doesn't like it. Prefers not to be seen, yadda, yadda, yadda. Well. Today, he can just bite me. I'm posting this pic. Because I can. And because I have changed the kids, fed them twice, folded laundry, moderated fights and now still he does this. It's 12:27 in the afternoon. Yes, mom. Truth be told, this is what your son in law is doing right this instant as I blog.

Cool.

So I'm like minding my own business and stuff, and then I get an email from a very nice bloggy friend of mine, and she tells me that I have an award! Cool. Really cool! She made me smile. And I'm thrilled to wear it on my blog! {{Big cheesy grin}}

OK, now along with the award, I am to pass the blog love forward. So here are my picks.

Susan over at Fordy Days and Nights. She is mommy to two beautiful children, she's currently potty training, so I feel her pain. She takes incredible pictures and has a wonderful way with words. Not to mention, she also shares incredible recipes. I enjoy her blog very much, and hope you will too!

Littlemansmom at A Brand New Day With No Mistakes in it...Yet. She is a very inspiring single mom from Canada. I love to see what she's up to, and she often leaves me wondering how she handles it all. Any mom who can run the show, date and still have time to blog truly does rock in my book.

And to Tammy over at My Life. She is an incredibly busy do it yourself type of mom who btw is also a runner. I'm jealous of her dedication to her hobby, (or sport). But still, I wish I could be as driven. She has gorgeous kiddos too. If I only knew her IRL, I know we would spend lots of time at the mall. It seems that we have something in common. The love of sales. Shoes, clothes, whatever. I'm in. ;)

OK, I'm stopping short right there. Thank you very much to Stephanie from Serentity Now! Serenity Now! for nominating me for this award. I do appreciate it very much!

Oh, and I must not forget the rules.

Award 5 bloggers!
Let them know in your post or via email, twitter or blog comments that they’ve received an award. Share the love and link back to both the person who awarded you and back to Mamma Dawg. Hop over to the Kick Ass Blogger Club HQ to sign Mr. Linky then pass it on! Simple, right?

Happy Birthday Alexa!

Today my little girl turns two. I can hardly believe it. These 2 years have literally flown by. I can't imagine not having her always this little. But I know I can't make her stay a baby forever. And I know she isn't really a baby anymore. But she's my baby. Every day she gets smarter and smarter. Today she told Eddie, "Don't you do dat. Don't you evuh run away fum me again, baby." I'm pretty sure she heard this from Monster's Inc. This is an exact quote from the movie. Minus the word baby. I can't believe how well she talks. I can't believe how well the kids play together. Sometimes.

This little girl has a strong personality. My husband just gave me one word to sum her up, "firecracker." She's a momma's girl, and she loves to play with trains and cars just as much as her baby dolls. She fights with her brother over any random toy he picks up as the toy of the moment and vice versa. If she feels that Eddie has done something wrong, she points her finger at him and sternly commands him, "NO. NO. DON'T DO DAT!" She's also very sweet and loving. She needs lots of hugs and kisses. But she'd rather get them all from mommy. I must add too that she likes shoes. Thanks to her nana (and her mommy, with the shoe fetish) the girl has quite a few pair. {{thinking of that, I owe a friend a picture of her shoe closet, lol!}} Miss Alexa actually goes into her closet daily and picks out a pair that she wants to wear. What can I say? That's my girl!

So yesterday, in preparation for today, I took out the camera and snapped about 100 pictures. Honestly, I couldn't get the child to sit still. Mommy had plans of capturing a sweet smile, a with her face looking at the camera, all while holding up a number 2 that I had cut out of cardboard. Alexa had other ideas. Do you want to know who won?

Yup. She did. But I bet you probably guessed that. Here are a few more of the pics I took.

So now, as of today, I am mommy to a two year old, and a three year old. Sounds a little crazy huh? Even to me.

Happy Birthday sweet girl!! Mommy loves you!