Grumpy's Wife

Project Life Week 3

2015-01-19T18:02:00.002-05:00

I love how easy the Project Life app makes this process for me.

Jayden doesn't let me get many pictures of her anymore. After all, she is 12. She's an amazing girl though. :)

Aaliyah doesn't yell at me when I take her picture...yet. And Ryan is always down to take a pic as long as he can make a crazy face. Once a knucklehead always a knucklehead.

Around here...

2015-01-18T00:42:00.000-05:00

I found this picture today on Brand's phone. I love it.

All of the kids are sick. I was at the pediatrician for Aaliyah on Monday and then all the kids on Friday. It's not strep or the flu...just viral. But it has everybody pretty grouchy.

Aaliyah was finally her happy self today. I can usually console her when she's not happy. A boob is always my saving grace, but not even that was helping. Poor skooch.

Ryan also fell on the ice this week and hit his head on the pavement. I'm pretty sure he gave himself a concussion.

Never a dull moment! That's life I guess.

Project Life Week 2

2015-01-15T09:19:00.000-05:00

I totally love the Project Life App.

I have great ambitions of paper scrapbooking, but being able to lay in bed while nursing and making these pages is more my style right now.

Five on Friday

2015-01-09T17:10:00.007-05:00

1. On Wednesday, Aaliyah turned 6 months old! She's now rolling and skooching all over. She can't quite crawl, but she's trying. She growls when she's mad. She's a very easy baby.

2. Since she was born, we have co-slept. I did it with Jayden and Ryan, too. It's much easier to nurse in the middle of the night. I've never worried about rolling onto her. She's still nursing at least once a night, but at this point, I'm pretty sure it's more of a comfort thing. I'm trying to transition her to the crib. For now, she'll play in there in the morning after I've changed her diaper and for other short bursts. She has taken a few catnaps, too, but she screams her head off at night. We're working on it...

3. These two are looking very teenagerish lately. I told them I wanted a picture of them together, and this was the result.

4. Ryan has been obsessed with scooters. He had an old one from years ago, but it got tossed in the move. He just ordered a new one and it finally came on Wednesday. He's been dying to ride it, but with the arctic weather the past few days, he's being forced to wait.

5. Snow day today! I didn't have to work outside the house today, so I kept the baby home from daycare and we had a lazy day. Ryan has been my sidekick lately. We hung out and didn't do too much of anything.

Brrrr....

2015-01-06T22:08:00.002-05:00

It is frigid around these parts today.

I was on my way to a job down in Stamford and discovered that my windshield wiper fluid would not come out. I think it's frozen. I was forced to drive while looking out a very dirty windshield. No bueno, man.

I stopped at Panera on the way home. Brand is at an overnight work conference, so the kids and I had bagels for dinner. With Brand, it's not dinner unless there's meat. Such a carnivore. The asiago cheese bagels are my fave! I gave Aaliyah a little piece, and she kept grunting at me for more.

We had a FaceTime with daddy. Love that technology.

I want to eat her face!

"Mom, pose like an alien."

Um, okay...

Project Life Week 1

2015-01-05T11:09:00.001-05:00

One week down.

It will be so fun to have an album of these printed out at the end of the year.

I like the idea of scrapbooking with actual paper and stickers. As a matter of fact, I have thousands of dollars' worth of untouched supplies because...well, I'm a hoarder.

The cool thing is that you can make a hybrid album, half digital and half paper.

I love this!

Happy New Year!

2015-01-04T23:42:00.001-05:00

2014 was an amazing year for our family!!!

Topping the list of awesome is obviously the birth of our sweet baby girl, Aaliyah Kendall. It's been six months since she was born, and I still stare at her in wonder every single day.

We moved into a house that finally feels like home to me.

Both Brand and Ryan got glasses and joined the four-eye crew.

Early in the year I traveled to Newton, Kansas to attend Whatever Craft Weekend, which was a surreal and awesome experience. I had been following Meg's blog for years, so to meet her in person and stay in that house was so much fun. I don't know if I would have been brave enough to go by myself, so a weekend away with my BFF was icing on the cake.

I turned 32 this year. I finally feel like a grown-up. Who knew it would take so long! I stupidly requested to go to Texas Roadhouse for my birthday dinner, where I was forced to act like an idiot. :)

Here are just a few of my favorite shots of this past year.

In 2015...

I'm going to wipe the cobwebs off this old blog and put it to use. It's so fun to look back on old posts. I'm totally pissed at myself for letting it fall to the wayside.

Also, I've been saying for years that I would do Project Life. I bought all the stuff for it years ago, but it's still sitting in the box. Shocking, I know. There is a Project Life app now, which will make doing it so much easier. We'll see if I can stick to it.

Here's to a fresh start!!!

Right now...

2014-08-02T21:49:00.001-04:00

Right now I'm breastfeeding a baby for what seems like 18 hours a day.

Right now I'm worrying about how the heck I'm going to be able to continue breastfeeding when I go back to work.

Right now I'm loving how much Ryan loves on Aaliyah.

Right now I'm dreading school starting again.

Right now I'm loving that Aaliyah loves the swing.

Right now I'm trying to get back to "real life," but it's so hard.

Right now I'm thankful for three healthy kids.

Right now I'm wishing I didn't have to go back to work…ever.

Right now I'm loving all the things that come with a new baby…her smell, the noises she makes, kissing her little lips, the way she wraps her fingers around my finger when she's eating, the way she sleeps on her hands, and on and on and on.

Right now I'm grateful that I have a husband who loves our kids the exact same way I do and who is a great teammate.

Right now I'm hoping I can smoothly navigate pre-teen-ness.

Right now I'm wishing Aaliyah would just learn to like a pacifier and not just my boobs!

Right now I'm really, really happy.

:)

Content

2014-03-25T10:11:00.001-04:00

At 2:00 in the morning, I started having a coughing fit and it woke me up. Brand was laying in bed next to me watching TV, and we ended up staying awake until 4:30 chit-chatting.

We talked about a myriad of subjects, but we inevitably (as we always do) ended up talking about our kids.

Obviously as the years go by, you become concerned about different things.

We've been out of the baby/toddler/preschooler phase for a long time…we'll be back there soon enough! But I've been thinking a lot lately about what exactly my ultimate role is as a parent and what things are important to me and what things really don't matter.

I think it's important to be able to constructively criticize your kids, to let them know you're proud of them, to be honest with them, to realize that they're not always going to agree with you and that they're going to make mistakes, and to help them have realistic view of the world.

Having realistic expectations was something that took me a long time to learn. The world is filled with corruption and injustice, and life is not fair. We all have to deal with it. I don't want to raise spoiled, entitled brats. I want to raise responsible, considerate, gracious adults.

Even though there are days that I want to pull my hair out, I'm to a point where I'm really happy. I am by no means perfect. I'm still paying for past mistakes and making new ones all the time, but I think I'm doing okay.

Being content is a good place to be.

Word, Abe.

Again, not winning...

2014-03-22T11:48:00.000-04:00

When it comes to work, I am always 15 minutes early. Every time. I need to set up my equipment, and I hate doing it while people stare at me.

When it comes to doctor, dentist, etc. appointments, I am always on time.

When it comes to getting the kids to school on time, I'm pretty good. There are occasional tardies, but it is what it is. Right?

Yeah.

So Jayden got a note home yesterday that she is scheduled for a detention on Tuesday because she's been tardy 8 times since the beginning of the school year.

She was freaking out.

When we got home, I cried. Seriously, I cried. It made me feel like the worst mother in the entire world. It's not her fault she's late. It's my fault.

I'm hormonal, so I'm sure that's why it affected me like that. But I wrote an e-mail to the principal right away and asked her to reconsider.

A child should never be punished for something their parents did. You do the crime, you do the time. Your parents do the crime? Not your fault.

She wrote back. She excused the detention. Thank goodness.

The thought of her stuck in detention because I'm a loser is like a knife in my heart.

This whole mom thing is way harder than I thought.

:)

Springing forward turned me into a snail...

2014-03-19T09:26:00.000-04:00

Ever since the clocks went forward, I can't get my butt out of bed. This whole being dark at 6:30 in the morning really has my circadian rhythm all out of whack.

Jayden should be in the shower by 7:15. She hasn't gotten up before 7:30 in over a week. Those 15 minutes are crucial to keeping our morning routine on schedule.

Today Jayden was 5 minutes late to school. Ryan was 15 minutes late.

I am WINNING.

Yet I sit here with my blueberry bagel and cup of pumpkin coffee (because it was on clearance and it's delicious) and still feel accomplished.

After all, we did get out of bed.

And that is not a small feat these days.

Happy Wednesday! :)

22 week belly shot. Looks like a 22 month belly shot.

Five on Friday

2014-02-28T10:03:00.002-05:00

1. I'm 19 weeks pregnant. I feel good for the most part. I'm definitely growing and starting to feel the baby move a little more each day. Some days my back and pelvis area really hurt, and some days my heartburn is off the charts; but I'm just trying to enjoy this experience. I'm starting to get excited. This is going to be a completely different experience than my first and second baby. I was pretty much deliriously tired when my son was born. I don't remember much of his babyhood, which is sad. This time around I'm older, definitely wiser, and I have lots of hands to help! Jayden is super psyched, especially since we found out it's a girl!

2. Jayden's basketball team won their second playoff game last night. Off to the championship game! I'm so excited for them. They started off the season a little shaky, but they have come a long way. Jayden is a totally different kid on the court this season than she was last year. She's incredibly aggressive but still a little unsure of herself. I'm so glad she loves the game like her dad.

3. Ryan received an outstanding note home from his gym teacher yesterday:

"To the parents of Ryan Noble,

I have the honor of being Ryan's Physical Education teacher. Ryan is a fantastic student. He always listens and follows directions. One of the things I like most about Ryan is that he has fun in the gym but he always stops and listens when I ask him to. If his friends are talking, Ryan does not talk with them. Instead, he will move or ignore his friends so he can hear directions. Ryan is the definition of a STAR student. He is always respectful towards his friends and always shows me respect. Ryan easily grasps the concepts that are presented in class. I try to challenge Ryan by making skills harder for him, making him a group leader, or asking him to model a skill for his peers. Ryan goes above and beyond what is asked of him in class. He uses great sportsmanship and brings a positive attitude to class every day. He always works hard to learn new concepts and practices until he masters each skill. Ryan also challenges himself by setting high personal expectations. Each student has a fitness journal and Ryan's goal in his fitness journal was to raise his PACER/running score. Ryan has been improving his score and working hard each time we run the PACER. I just wanted to take the time to let you know the great job Ryan is doing in Physical Education. He is a model student and a pleasure to have in class."

Just wow.

I love that he took the time to write that!

We are so proud of this guy!

4. The kids are growing like weeds around here, so spring cleaning is happening right now as I get rid of all the clothes that don't fit. I'm so sick of piles in every room. I'll be so happy when it's finally under control.

5. There is a cat in our neighborhood who thinks she lives in my house. We call her Shadow. We have no idea if she actually belongs to anybody. We started letting her inside at night when it was arctic cold a month and a half ago because we felt really bad for her. She meows when she wants to go back outside and then meows at my back door when she's ready for a cozy nap on the couch. We are such cat people around here, but our landlord doesn't want us to have pets, which technically I don't...but I guess I sort of do! It's a complicated cat relationship. :)

Happy Friday!

Feet were definitely dragging around here this morning. We are all looking forward to a Saturday morning with no plans!

Happy New Year!

2014-01-03T00:51:00.000-05:00

I'm looking forward to the "fresh start" of 2014.

As of right now, I'm 11 weeks pregnant. Morning sickness has been plaguing me for weeks, which is not something I ever experienced before, but it seems like it's easing up now. The only thing that makes me throw up for sure is when I brush my teeth. It's awful! But the torture will be worth every second.

I've been wanting to have another baby for a long time, but my husband was not in agreement until last December. He wanted us to be living in a house, not an apartment, which is a valid argument. But since that endeavor is going to take us a while longer, he finally agreed to try again. (I'm not getting any younger!) It took us almost a year to get pregnant. Just as I was thinking it might not happen, I was pleasantly surprised with two pink lines.

I went for an ultrasound two days ago. I was so nervous going into the room, but when she put the wand on my belly, the baby was bouncing around and I could see his/her heart flickering. I've been so anxious this pregnancy, even though I know worrying about "what-ifs" is a big waste of time. I'll feel so much better when I can poke my belly and the baby will kick back.

Baby Noble is due on July 22nd. Brand gets to name this baby, so he's been torturing me with the possible names. Right now he says it's either Chandler or Phoebe. I love Friends as much as the next person...but hell no. :)

First Day 2013

2013-09-04T22:50:00.003-04:00

Summer is officially over again.

Today began a new routine for us.

Jayden headed off to 5th grade at an intermediate school, and Ryan began 4th grade at his elementary school. They start and end about a half an hour apart, which is just enough to make me a little crazy.

Jayden has been so nervous to start at a new school, and she was less than pleased with me that I made her take the bus. Her day went fine, though, just as I knew it would. I rewarded her by taking her to have her teeth cleaned after school. What can I say, I'm nice like that. :)

I can't believe how fast they are growing up. It makes me sad and giddy at the same time. They're independent now...but that means they're not babies anymore. Bitter sweet, man.

How did we end up here so fast?

They were pipsqueaks just last week, weren't they?

Sigh.

Brand and I did enjoy a nice little lunch date at a Mexican spot in town. Solo guac and salsa to celebrate the quiet afternoon. We even walked there holding hands. Romantical, I tell ya. :)

And now I must fill out a hoard of forms...times 2.

Happy Back to School!!!

Quiet camp

2013-07-01T21:54:00.001-04:00

The kids started summer camp today. It's a small camp put on by the parks and rec department in our town.

It was advertised as three hours a day of games, arts & crafts, and sports activities. It was a decent price, so I figured it would give them something to do, since all I hear is "Moooommmm, I'm soooooooo boooooored." You know, they're tortured children.

Ryan hated it. He says he was told "this is a quiet camp" after he said he likes to play basketball and kickball.

Um, hell no.

I didn't pay for my kids to color pictures and be miserable.

I really hope he's exaggerating.

Suckish aspects of life

2013-05-08T23:21:00.002-04:00

What's been going on around here?

Welp...

I found out I was pregnant on April 18. Yay!

I started bleeding heavily on April 25. Crap!

Ultrasound confirms it's ectopic May 1. F*&%!

It wasn't even in my tube, like most ectopic pregnancies are. It was on my right ovary.

Seriously.

Nothing is ever easy it seems.

Since I was only 6 weeks pregnant and my hormone levels were very low, they gave me a shot of methotrexate. That stops cellular growth, and then hopefully your body just reabsorbs everything. I was really hoping for no surgery, and so far I've been lucky with that.

Today I got word that my hormone levels are indeed dropping. I still feel sort of off, I guess...a little dizzy, tired, just not great. I also have a cold, which is not helping.

I can't even explain how much I felt like a ticking time bomb. I was just waiting for something to rupture and for me to faint and bleed out. It has been quite an awful experience.

But, fortunately, life does go on...

My very appropriate fortune on the day I got the shot

LMAO

2013-04-24T01:27:00.000-04:00

Brand and I just upgraded to the iPhone 5's over the weekend.

We are having a great time with Siri.

Brand just asked her, "Siri, are you my bitch?"

And she said, "Please."

Cracks me up.

Grouch

2013-04-09T21:16:00.004-04:00

Pretty soon I am going to change the name of my blog to "Grumpy's Blog."

I seem to be stuck in a foul mood.

So is Ryan apparently.

Today I discovered that my house key fell off my key chain and is missing. How does that even happen?

Also, Jayden's fraction homework makes me feel like an idiot. I try to help her, but I suck at math. Like I'm really bad at math. Like I still count on my fingers.

Is there a practical use in life for mixed fractions?

I guess I'm done whining for today.

My husband says I dress like a grandma...amongst other things.

2013-04-08T18:04:00.001-04:00

A staple to my wardrobe is the ever-so-lovely cardigan.

I wear them to work. I wear them with jeans. If you see me out and about, chances are I'm either sporting a hoodie or a cardigan. Clearly I'm not a fashion icon, but my husband tells me I dress like a grandma. He has straight up given me a complex.

I think my gray cardi is hella sexy. So there.

I think it's time to clean my car out. It's getting a little, uh, cluttered on the passenger side.

Remember how I said my goal was to unpack all my boxes over the weekend?

Welp.

Instead I laid in bed and watched, like, 20 episodes of Grey's Anatomy or, as Jayden calls it, Grey's Academy. So much for progress. I opted for McDreamy instead.

Five on Friday

2013-04-05T18:04:00.002-04:00

1. Jayden got "asked out" today. OH MY FREAKING LORD. She told her suitor that her dad won't let her have a boyfriend. How funny is that?!?!?

2. Today, for the first time in my life, I had a dream that my teeth were falling out. What a weird sensation. Not really a fan.

3. It's Friday...which means Ryan will be in this position for the foreseeable future.

4. Jayden has a friend over and they're playing Barbies. At 10 years old, she is showing interest in Barbies for the first time ever. Stick to the Barbies. Forget the boyfriends.

5. Goal this weekend: Finally unpack all the boxes. I suck at moving.

Cheers to the freakin' weekend, my friends!!!!

10

2013-04-04T20:54:00.002-04:00

I was in a great mood today...until I picked up the kids from school.

Let me tell you, fighting with a 10-year-old girl over nonsense makes me grouchy.

The newest phase of life I'm in, which I'll entitle "Hormones," is quite trying. I don't remember 10 being such a hard age. I guess 10 is the new 12. And 12 sucks.

When my patience is gone, I tell her to get away from me, that she's acting crazy again. I don't know that it's the most effective manner of parenting, but it's where I'm at.

My son has become quite a video game addict. Our newest rule is that he can only play on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays. I'm forcing him to explore other interests.

Today we spent 30 minutes or so at the park. I wish it would just get warm already so we could spend way more time outside.

Now that we live in a place with zero yard, the park will be my respite.

Life is good, a bit challenging...but that keeps things interesting.

Happy Thursday!

March 6, 2013

2013-03-06T21:07:00.002-05:00

I love that when Ryan is playing a video game and the character swears, he glances in my direction and gives me a "I won't ever say that" look.

At this point in his life, you'll find him doing two things: playing Xbox or shooting hoops.

He reads when I force him to. He is definitely not a read-for-pleasure kind of guy.

He is a math whiz and always a star student. I never have to worry about him getting into trouble at school.

He is still his daddy's shadow.

He is a comedian, but only at home. Not many people know his true personality because he is pretty self-conscious everywhere else.

As soon as he gets home from school, he ditches his clothes for shorts and prefers to be that way no matter how cold it is.

I can never get him to smile for a picture unless I say something really immature, like butthole, otherwise all my pictures look like this:

He's a great kid. And I'm glad he's mine...even though he does scream like a banshee when he's mad.

He clearly gets his good looks from me. :)

Good start to the week

2013-02-25T09:21:00.000-05:00

I got the kids to school today on time, and they both had a pair of matching socks.

There were no fights and no tears.

Backpacks were not missing.

They both knew where their shoes were.

I consider that victorious.

Jayden slept until 1:00 yesterday afternoon. I think she's growing. Either that or she's entering that phase of life where all you want to do is sleep.

Let me tell you, we are clearly entering a new territory with her. She has been having crazy mood swings...C-R-A-Z-Y.

Brand and I just laugh about it really because she can act a fool like nobody's business.

One minute she's good and the next second she's crying about eggs. True story.

The next bunch of years should be real fun.

But, in all honesty, I'm not that worried. She's a good kid. And she has an extremely guilty conscience when she knows she's wrong and she always apologizes. She is also a TERRIBLE liar. I can read her like a book.

Happy Monday!

Five on Friday

2013-02-22T18:52:00.000-05:00

1. I am very fond of Downton Abbey. I spent an entire weekend watching seasons one and two a couple weeks ago. I am now caught up to last week's season three finale and I, like most of the world, am PISSED.

2. It occurred to me the other day that I just need to stop saying "no" all the time. Jayden wanted to make some scrambled eggs. Instead of telling her no because it's just faster to do it myself, I stepped aside and let her do it herself. I need to do that a lot more.

3. I want to take a pottery class with Jayden. For as long as I can remember, I have wanted to learn how to use a pottery wheel and now she does, too.

4. I am addicted to Candy Crush. Why do these dumb games always suck me in?

5. My Christmas tree is packed into a big red bag, but it's sitting in the living room still because I have no idea where to put it. Storage is lacking in our new apartment. I really need to find a place for it because it is NOT a pretty sight.

Smooches!

2013

2013-01-04T11:24:00.000-05:00

Time really does fly. And I feel like I say that too much, but I can't believe how true it is.

To begin this new year, we have a new place to live. We are slowly but surely making our new digs a home. It's been a month since we moved, and we still have boxes to unpack...but it's getting there.

I hate making new year's resolutions because, just like most people, they go right out the window after a week. I'm not going to promise to get skinny because I won't. I'm not going to resolve to cook more because I hate cooking. I'm not going to say that I'll stay caught up on laundry because I hate doing laundry.

What is important to me is to be happy. I hope to stay healthy. I want to experience new things with my kids and husband. I want to turn off the computer and lock up the iPhone and just spend quality time with my family and friends.

Last year was a weird year for me. I was sort of in a funk for most of it. I was out of my element and felt like a square peg trying to squeeze into a round hole.

I think I've finally found a square hole again.

Happy New Year!