The Zoo, Part One

Well, here's something I never do anymore...BLOG!! Life has been happy and moving along. We had the chance to escape winter for a moment at the Henry Doorly Zoo in Omaha. I still haven't explored the place thoroughly, but I've decided that it might be the Best Zoo Ever. Parts of the exhibits remind me of Disneyland!

Lee had to go to the zoo as part of a class assignment so we figured I could go down later in the day with the kids and meet him there. It was so much fun!! I (shockingly) remembered to take some pictures. I now remember why I tend to not take pictures.

My kids are fast moving and easily distracted. I am terribly impatient and not a great photographer. This combines into epic photo fail most of the time. But hey, we're weird and so are our family photos!

Could have been awesome, if not for the photographer!

At least the peacock was cooperative

and the spider crabs!

Decisions, Decisions...

So, I took about a year just contemplating whether or not to keep doing a blog. As far as I can tell, the main person who reads it is my ex-husband's wife and I'm still not really sure how I feel about that.

Anyways, obviously I just decided I may as well keep blogging. I have such a bad memory that it's good to have this spot to remind me of how cute my kids were back when, after I've forgotten.

A lot of things that were up in the air have been mostly settled. We are definitely staying put in our little town for at least four more years, so that is a big thing off of my mind. I love it here. Crimson has successfully conquered her first year of middle school with the best grades of her life. That's a pretty big accomplishment in my mind! The best part is that it was entirely self-motivated. That's one awesome life skill and she's really blessed to have that one!

Rejeanne has made so much progress. She's starting to express herself more verbally which is very exciting for me. She's also engaging other kids more. I wonder if the two are connected at all. Either way, she's really growing and doing well. She's still an impish little sweetheart.

Cyrus makes me laugh so much. He totally has my personality, so I now understand how I infuriate people all the time. Sorry about that. He gets over stuff so fast and he's constantly in motion, both body and mouth! He's my little buddy and I love him to bits! He hurt himself yesterday and I think he pulled a groin muscle. He kept insisting a freckle was an ant bite because he was hurting right under the freckle from the muscle. He said he felt good enough to go to the park, but after 20 minutes he comes over to me and says "Mama, I lost my run!!" So it turns out he's hurt himself enough that he's not able to run, which really seemed to annoy and perplex him. I guess things aren't as much fun if you can't run everywhere!

I guess the other big news in life is that I'm having another baby this summer. I'm due on Cyrus' birthday and he's very excited about getting a baby for his birthday. Of course, he's been planning his birthday wish list AND his birthday party since January. I've never seen such a thing before. Hopefully it will live up to expectations!

The other big thing is that my oldest daughter Kellie is turning 18 this month. It's hard for me to believe. I love her deeply. She's a beautiful, complicated, talented, kind, lovely girl...woman? Yikes! She's tough and I think she's awesome. I'm seriously blessed to have her in my life.

Maybe someday I'll get all five in the same room. You never know, it could happen!

Silly

Me: "I love you, dude"
Cy: "I not dude, I Cyrus"

The Little Man in My Life

I love this guy.

He makes everyday a good day.

Santa Attack

Cyrus really really loves Santa. If he sees a Santa, he says "Claus! Santa Claus! HO HO HO!!!!!!!!!!" over and over again.

He was especially crazy about the Pope in his Christmas outfit:

And when he finally got to see Santa, Cyrus went right for the hat:

Cutie Bootie

Me: "Cyrus! Where did that rash come from?"
Cy: *cranes back to look down at his butt* "It fun!!"
Me: "That's your bootie"
Cy: "It's a good one" *runs away*

Cyrus and the Brownie

So, I decided to sneak some fat girl food this morning. Of course, this means I'm going to go eat a brownie in the restroom (don't judge).

I'm on my way to the bathroom and I very quickly and stealthily grab the brownie container and try to get into the bathroom without Cyrus.

He saw me grab the brownies and sped up to join me in the bathroom. I locked him out. Here's the conversation that ensued through the locked door:

Cyrus: "MOM!"
Me: "Cyrus"
Cyrus: "What is that?"
Me: "None of your business"
Cyrus: "Is that a brownie?"
Me: "Yes"
Cyrus: "Gimme one!"
Me: "I'm not giving you a brownie"

Cyrus runs away screaming. Thirty seconds later, he comes back:

Cyrus: "MOM!"
Me: "Cyrus"
Cyrus: "Let me in!!"
Me: "I'm not letting you in"

He runs away screaming again.

About a minute later, he comes back to the door.

Cyrus: "MOM!"
Me: "Cyrus"
Cyrus: "I want a brownie"
Me: "No"

Cyrus runs off screaming for a third time.

At this point, I'm done with my fat girl moment and feel bad about not sharing my brownie. I come out and find that his sister has graciously given him a piece of chocolate. Sometimes, it's good to be the littlest one.

grrrrr

Dear Cyrus,

Does every day REQUIRE a poopscapade? I'm really sick of cleaning up your poop. I'm pretty sure your dad is sick of getting it out of the vents too. Are you trying to tell us something? You have now smeared poop more times than I can count on my fingers and toes. We surrender.

Three Crappiest Days of My Life

If Cyrus doesn't magically potty train himself in the next day or so, I think we may have to keep him outside in a tent. He has decided that waiting until he's put down for bed or nap is a great way to let us think he is sleeping while stripping off his diaper, crapping somewhere in his room and playing in it! In the last three days, we have cleaned his ENTIRE room (including the vents) twice and the hallway once. Oh, and Rejie decided it was a great idea and slathered herself in poop and white out two days ago. Yesterday's pooptacular events took Cyrus about 30 minutes to do, and took us about FOUR HOURS to get completely cleaned up. Cyrus hasn't pooped in his diaper in three days. He waits until he's alone, then takes it off, then poops. Why can't he just yell "poop"??? Why does he have to play in it???? He's even eaten some. Yummy.

I figure he's either ready to potty train or he really, really likes to get covered in poop then sit in a bath. I'm going to just try to potty train him and use the "cold shower" method to clean him up. Apparently the cold shower has stopped many little poop monsters from continuing the parties during nap time. I'm also going to let him play with playdough for an hour before his naptime. Maybe that will get it out of his system?

Oh, this morning he also dropped his diaper and dropped a deuce on my bedroom floor. Of course, he picked it up and set it on Lee's leg because it was too hard to smear on anything. So, I guess really we've cleaned up five poop adventures between the two kids. Plus he peed on the floor 4 times and once in the drawer.

At this point, I have to say that I'm really really blessed to have a friend with a shampooing machine because we don't have the cash to have carpet cleaners come in here.

Cyrus' poop can also take the paint off the walls.

So, how happy is everyone that this post has no pictures? Does anyone have any advice on how to stop this madness? Should I rent the boy out as a tool of revenge? Will he do this in hotels during next week's road trip? Will my mother-in-law's meditation room survive the Poopulon? Should I take him out to choose some underwear?

I'm so sick of poop. First the giardia, now this!

Cyrus and the Spoils of War

Cyrus was just out torturing his sister. I yell for him to get back in here with me and quit tormenting his sister. He ran in the room with a HUGE smile, holding his sister's diaper out for me. *facepalm*

Looks like the boy snatched the drawers right off her and took off running.

Hollywood, really? Did ya have to??

So, uh, this is what happens when you complain about some minor side characters having the same name as your son. Don't do it people! Just don't do it.

http://www.hulu.com/watch/122242/movie-trailers-cyrus

What Gives, Hollywood?

Why do you keep naming random side characters after my son? Seriously, it's starting to trip me out a bit. You used to occasionally use Cyrus for a Persian guy, but how often are you putting Persian guys in sitcoms? Oh, what? Never? My point exactly. So, just off the top of my head, dearest Hollywood, you have used the name on some desi guy on some lame show (edit: it was The Ex List)that got canceled last season, used it on the Princess Bride dude on Gossip Girl and now on some rich guy's lackey on Caprica!

Is there no other foreign name that suits you, Hollywood? Wasn't it bad enough that my son had to live with people wondering if I liked Achy Breaky Heart *that much*??

Grrrrr!

Poor little Cyrus. I give him this awesome name that is both Persian and Biblical and it has turned into the sidekick name of the decade and attached to some questionable country folks on the Disney channel. Sadness is mine.

I probably should have just named him Lazarus.

Halloween Pt. 2

Cyrus is much easier to get on camera. He is clearly swashbucklin' in this costume, but if you lose the hat, it apparently is much more reminiscent of "scarecrow" or "Civil War soldier". Too bad I couldn't get the parrot to stay on!




This last photo is of my friend's jellyfish costume. Best use of an umbrella and office trash EVER!!!!

Photo update

Moving has sucked! We do have a really nice neighbor though who has two kids (4 & 2). I thought she was single, but her husband is actually in med school and gone for a few months with that. They're in their last year, so she'll be gone in May, but it is nice to have a normal neighbor (other than Andie).

Anyways, moving and scholastic calamity aside, here's some of the latest photos. Not much to talk about so I figure the pics will do!

So Very Talc-ey

When Rejeanne gets mad, she usually creates a great deal of screaming and drama. Today, she got mad, then got fairly quiet. Since it was near naptime, Lee thought she had put herself to bed. Moms, you guys all know what silence means! Especially with two:



Please notice all the particulate matter in the air obscuring your view of my blinds. My camera ain't blurry, folks; Rejeanne just has a cloud around her.



Baby brother seems to be enjoying himself, despite his powdery coating.



It looks like she dumped the whole container on his head!


You can't tell in the pics, but she stripped nude for the festivities and was doing simultaneous jump-twirls on my very powdered bed. Wheeeeeee

First Day of Preschool

I really wish my camera battery hadn't decided to stop charging about a month ago. It has caused us to miss taking a video of Cyrus trying to crawl and dance at the same time, most of Rejeanne's birthday goodness, her new skill at building forts, and most criminal of all: Rejie's first day of preschool!!

I managed to get her there early. She must have know she was going to have to stay by herself by assessing the adult to kid ratio. She refused to enter the room. She hunkered down in a tight little Rejie ball and wouldn't cooperate. I finally coax her into the room, and she re-balled by my feet. I decided to go the the circle puzzle to bribe her and while I was searching for it, she made her escape. Unfortunately for Rejeanne, one of the preschool staff saw her bolt on me and went to chase her down. She played with the puzzle with me, but I had to leave pretty quick after that and she screamed and screamed. I felt like a total jerk.

On the upside, the preschool staff considers her screaming from 8:45 to 10am a good day because she was mostly chill from 10-11:30. With standards that low, I probably don't have to worry about any meetings with the principal. I'm also pleased to report that Rejeanne kept her clothes on the entire time. *sigh* She is getting so big.

Oh! Cyrus is trying really hard to talk and is saying two word phrases here and there. I thought the boys were supposed to be the slow talkers???!

Rejie is THREE!

I can't believe she is three now (well, at 2:11 pm PDT). She is such a sweet, crafty, loving little girl. She doesn't listen to me, she lives in her own world but she brings me into her world very often. She cuddles and jabbers at me. She's really started to engage and communicate this week. I think she will bloom very soon with the words. She said button today and I haven't heard her say that word in over a year, but she just spontaneously said it while playing with the buttons on my shirt. She's also discovered a way to get stuff without using a chair. Lee and I are both stumped as to how she is getting at the far back of the counters and the top of the microwave without the chair, but we have evidence (i.e., contents of entire new box of cheerios all over the floor). Rejeanne is mysterious and keeps us on our toes. She still loves her brother even though he tackles her and pulls her hair. She has started giving him a good night kiss if he looks sleepy enough. Our lives are so blessed by her entrance into our family and we are so thankful for her health and her beautiful personality. I can't say enough about how much I love Rejeanne and I can't wait to see her grow in the coming years. She brings so much joy to my life.

In other news, Cyrus the over-enthusiastic baby encountered the Jensens' cat today. I thought he'd pull its fur off, but instead he immediately tried to kiss it! That didn't work too well, so he snuggled the kitty instead. It was sooo cute!

I have my U.Discover poster session in 13 hours. I think I'm nervous. How else would I know how many hours away it is?? *ack*

Also, for all the prayin' types, please pray for my friend Mandi's daughter, Kenna. She is getting tubes in her ears in a few hours. Not only would we like Kenna's surgery to go off without a hitch, but her mom has not had the best month and doesn't really want to finish the month off with anymore unhappy surprises. So, pray for Miss Kenna!!

Very fuzzy pic of TEETH!

Because the tops are rarely seen since they are still growing in, I had to go ahead and post the fuzzy pic of his teeth. Please ignore the multitude of horrifying photographic errors.

The Ides of...July?

It was my darling Cyrus Evander Leif's birthday on July 15th. I can't believe he's a year old already. He is big, strong, beautiful and well-suited to his warrior-ish name. He's also made me his favorite person! After having girls who preferred their dads at this age, I have to admit all the mom-cuddles and turning to me with his tears is very wonderful. I know a lot of the moms out there get a little sick of kids sticking to them like velcro and wanting ONLY them, but for me it is still a rare privilege and treasure. My girls are very interested in me now, but not then! There is something special about being the baby's favorite person, and I do adore holding the title (finally!).

My blog is sort of decrepit. I'm hoping to make it a little more bloggy in August. For now, I have vertigo and an ear ache in addition to my usual lengthy list of things that cause me pain all the time, and my summer research is in desperate need of love from me. Well, more work than love, but I think I'll be missing in action until the 25th or so.

Cyrus loved his gifts and still has a few more coming in August from his birthday cash from relatives. Unlike Rejeanne, he went right to task ripping paper and yelling at Rejeanne everytime she'd grab his freshly unwrapped gift and run away with it. It was pretty funny! I guess she finally gets the whole present thing. She even learned to say "present" very quickly! If only all words were as exciting as a present, she'd be set!

Finally!!

Well, Cyrus started cruising yesterday! None of the girls ever tried to walk this early so I'm pretty excited about him being the fast walker. Today, he FINALLY did the one thing he was just a wee bit behind in: CYRUS SAT UP ON HIS OWN!!!! I can't tell you how exciting that was! I've been waiting for about 4 months for him to put himself in a sitting position and it finally happened. He's been able to sit if we place him on the floor in a sitting position, but he hasn't been able to sit up for himself. What a goof!