Three Thought Thursday: Episode 30

1. Yesterday was no bueno. Actually, it really wasn't that bad. I'm just too much of a perfectionist. I don't allow myself to make mistakes.
Ever.
Especially when they're mistakes that cost us money....Money that we don't have!
So what did I do that was oh, so awful? Oh, only ordered my husband's seventy-seven dollar white coat about four sizes too small. And honestly, I thought I was being the best wife ever when I ordered it. Back in May he handed me a paper from his teachers in Midland explaining where you could get really nice white coats for their white coat ceremony. He has spent a full year wearing a really crappy short white coat during his clinical year and I wanted him to have a really nice long one for beginning his career as a PA. (short is for students, long is for clinicians) So I placed an order on May 10th from one of the sites recommended on the handout and planned on giving it to him as a surprise for Father's Day. Then I got the email confirmation saying that shipping usually takes about EIGHT weeks for custom orders. So there went the Father's Day idea. And here we are just over ELEVEN weeks later. Just a week before the long coat ceremony. The coat is beautiful. Nice, luxurious white cotton. Just small enough to fit me, not him. Somewhere in my ridiculous mind I ordered him the completely wrong size. Oh, and only coats that are not embroidered can be returned. Too bad I spent the extra money to have his name and credentials embroidered. Erg. And there's absolutely no way to let it out a bit. If only it had been a little too big. So off Mark went to the local scrub shop to pick up one of the cheap, crappy ones similar to his short coat. And once it's embroidered, I think we will have dropped roughly $120 and walked away with a yucky, crappy, cheap-o long white coat. Congrats, honey. I know, I know. I need not be so rough on myself. But 99% of the time, I can correct any little problem, fix any little mishap. It's that measly one perfect where there's absolutely nothing I can do that just kills me! Especially when there's money involved! I can't help but mentally list all the things I could have used that wasted money for. Instead, we have a $77 white coat to add to the Halloween costume box.

2. Want to know what's not cool?
The terrible twos.
Want to know what's really not cool?
Two children in the terrible twos.
That's right. My sweet little dumpling, Rudy has decided to join the ranks of other pre-two-year-olds that decide to give the terrible twos an early go. And don't get me wrong. He's not that bad at all. And neither is Kolb for that matter. But he has definitely decided to develop a little mind of his own all of a sudden. And picked up on a few actions that I certainly didn't teach him! Kolb, on the other hand, is on his way out. Not that he's suddenly become an angel. He still likes to rock his crooked hallow. But the reason he is on his way out, is that he's beginning to understand the choice to be good or bad. He's aware that he can be good. Or he can be bad. Here's a scenario from this week:
...Kolbe is playing with something he knows he's not supposed to touch...
Me: Kolbe, go put that back in the closet, please.
Kolbe: No, me just do dat one more time.
Me: Kolbe, I just asked you to put that away. Please go put it up.
Kolbe: NO!!!
Me: Excuse me? Go to your room please.
(crying, fit-throwing begins, though he does go to his room as told. Two minutes later I retrieve him from his room to rejoin society. We begin looking at books when I notice that Reagan has somehow found a passie that obviously had been overlooked. He's not supposed to have one unless he's in his bed so I snatch it from his mouth.)
Me: Rudy, you're not supposed to have a passie right now, baby.
Rudy: Uhhhhhh....wahhhhhhhh!!!
(He turns and gives me his best tear-stained, lip-pouting face, waits a sec for my response, wails even louder when I shake my head 'no', and then has the audacity to rear back and hit me on the top of the head with his closed fist.)
Me: Rudy Mark! Absolutely not, mister. We do not hit!
Kolbe: Mama, RuRu be bad boy dist like me be bad boy.

mmmmm-hmmmm. See. He knows.

3. It has been a while since I wrote about something around the house that I just love or am thankful for, but I've gotten a few new things recently that I just can't go without mentioning. You may remember a while back when I wrote about how I loathe vinyl table clothes. But some brilliant genius somewhere has created a solution! (enter singing angels) While looking for a birthday present for my brother at Bed Bath and Beyond the other day, my mom and I came across a these tablecloths that profess to be "fabric with the ease of vinyl." Hmm. A tablecloth that doesn't look like vinyl but acts like vinyl? I'm in. And you know what? It totally lives up to all that it professes to be! Looks like a pretty tablecloth, but everything from milk to ketchup to applesauce to spaghetti sauce has wiped right off just as if it were vinyl. And it's not one of those tablecloths where the liquid just beads up on it but the stains set in. It literally acts just like a vinyl tablecloth but doesn't look anything like one. Plus, it matches my kitchen, to boot! And the 20% off coupons that show up in the mailbox all the time help off set the slightly-more-than-vinyl price. Totally worth it.

three thought thursday: episode 29

1. This post will more than likely have very few capital letters in it. or symbols that require the shift key. why? because my adorable son, rudy, managed to permanently rip off one of the shift keys and permanently disable the other to the point where you have to hold it down forcefully in order to make it work. who has time for 'forcefully' when trying to type fast/ ....yep, that slash is a question mark without the shift key. normally i attempt to be pretty diligent about keeping the laptop on a table that's out of his reach. actually, he can reach it, but he's unable to lift it and therefore can't open the top. but the other day after nap time, i was in the boys' room helping kolbe put his shoes back on while reagan toddled out to the family room. apparently i wasn't on my a-game and managed to leave the laptop sitting wide open on the couch. kolbe and i walked out to find him going to town on the laptop like an everyday news journalist. you would have thought he was frantically trying to beat a five o'clock deadline for his weekly column. i'm not sure what was so attractive about the shift keys. maybe they were weak of character in their making. 9hahaha9...yep. parentheses. oh well. my brother dave tells me you can get replacement keyboards for this pitiful dell online for a mere 410. that's ten dollars. the 4 is a dollar sign.

grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.

2. we got to see my sweet little nephew, jackson twice in the past week. and of course his lovely mama, casey, too. 9isn't it sad how once the kids come along the parents are somehow forgotten///9 casey and jackson came to levelland from boise to stay with her parents while mike was tdy in pensacola. we went out to their house on friday night for a yummy lasagna dinner and then again yesterday for a lunch consisting of brisket, beans, potato salad, homemade bread, and a scrumptious dessert. did i mention that casey's mom, miss lynette is probably the best cook ever? hey1 the shift key worked on that question mark. anyway, baby jackson is just super sweet. and it's almost spooky how much he looks like his father. it's like an infant version of mike. and cuddling him just made me realize even more how much my babies are not babies any more. not even rudy. he's totally turning in to a real boy. but in my mind he's still a baby. always will be. kolbe too. but goodness, there's still nothin' better than cuddling an infant.

3. on the rough side of our second visit to levelland, we had quite the meltdown yesterday afternoon due to the off timing of our regularly scheduled naps. i like to think that the boys are pretty flexible. and they are. gone are the days where we had to say no to attending events or gatherings that didn't fit into their typical routine. but sometimes things just don't go as smoothly as how i hope they will. when my mom, who is in town to take care of my other nephew, john, told me we'd be going out there for lunch at noon, i quickly sketched a game-plan in my mind. kolbe can manage to put off the nap a few hours...rudy will fall asleep on the ride out to levelland...that cat-nap will tide him over a few hours...they'll both fall asleep on the way home from levelland and can finish their naps at home...things went exactly according to plan. rudy napped on the way out there and the boys were both really well-behaved. they had a great time and no fits all the way up to the point of getting into the car. and even the ride home part went as planned. but the ride home part didn't even start until 3pm. so inevitably, kolbe's nap lasted from 3 to 4:30. a far cry from 12 to 1:30. normally at 3pm he has been awake from his hour and half long nap for ....well, an hour and a half. so when he woke at 4:30, which would normally be about 30 minutes before his typical dinner time, he was all kinds of out of sorts. crying, fussing, disoriented. wouldn't let anyone touch him except for me. refused any form of typical comfort. snack. drink. cuddles. he just was not happy at all. which just went to show me that despite the fact that he's growing up faster than i can keep track of, he is still a child. and man, do they ever thrive on a schedule! a routine! something that is normal to them. 'cause when things aren't normal, there's no telling what's going to happen but there's a good chance it won't exactly be enjoyable for either kiddo or caregiver.

Three Thought Thursday: Episode 28

 1. If you live within a twenty or so mile radius of Lubbock, you're well aware of the fact that it has rained off and on for about two weeks. More on than off. And at one point I think it didn't stop for a good 48 hours straight. I'm usually not one to complain the rain. But then again, it's usually refreshing. It's usually a nice cool-down to the hot summer days. It's usually enjoyable. Call me a grouch, but this time around the rain has kinda turned into a bit of a drag. Lubbock is now super steamy. A la Houston, TX. Icky. Sticky. Sweaty. As if we weren't already cooped up in the house during all the rain...now we can't be out there for more than a few minutes without Kolbe getting completely flushed and Reagan breaking out in heat rash. Not to mention...

2. The mosquitoes. Ugh! The mosquitoes! With all the standing water around, they're throwing quite the reproduction party across the whole city. It wouldn't be so bad if Kolbe and Reagan didn't react to the bites so ridiculously. We're talking golf to tennis ball sized welts. And it wouldn't be so bad if they didn't bite through your clothes. Seriously! I have a mosquito bite square in the middle of my back. I know I haven't be outside without a shirt on any time recently! And it wouldn't be so bad if they didn't seem to be somehow immune to bug repellent. So annoying! I completely douse the boys and myself in bug spray before going outside and they still manage to attack us full on. Reagan looks like a spotted leopard. And Kolbe is working the huge-growth-on-the-side-of-his-head look. Adorable, I know. I tried some of the Avon lotion stuff yesterday and it actually worked better than the regular spray on stuff. And I intend to try out the treatment you can hook up to your hose and spray in the yard and trees to kill the skeeters and their nests. Hopefully that works; otherwise, we're stuck inside for a while longer.

3. We'll stay on the outdoor/results-of-rain theme. But I'll stop with all the complaining. On a positive note, the multitude of rain has managed to add quite a bit of green to our yard. The grass...er, weeds....have never looked so lush! Mark cut the lawn and within three days it needed cutting again. But better than the green lawn are the beautiful flowers! Many many months ago I wrote about trying to develop my green thumb. And I'm so excited to see the fruits (literally!) of my labors come to fruition. Just thought I'd share a few pics of what's going on in the "Asmussen Garden" since the flood of rain kicked things into high gear. Hope they bring a little sunshine to your Thursday!

Verbena...grown from seeds.

Zinnias...grown from seeds.

These actually look better in person than in this picture. They've ended up being one of my favorites. They're called bachelor buttons...or cornflowers. We grew these from seeds too. They kind of looked like weeds in the beginning but turned into the cutest little wildflowers.

I forget what this one is called. But it's pretty, right!?! It's some form of a succulent (stores its water in its leaves like a cactus). We did not grow this one from seeds. Rescued it from the dying plants cart at Walmart for $1.00. It's been pretty...and not dead...ever since!

And we finally found a good place for the Jesus statue from Popo's backyard. I bought a bag of caladium bulbs for $3 and planted them in a semi-circle around the statue back in March. Having forgotten to water them, I just assumed they were dead. But about a month ago, they started sprouting up. All six of them! Love caladiums! And the same bulbs can be replanted next year. No need to repurchase.

On to the produce. These are the tomatoes that we grew from seeds. They started in tiny seed pots. Then we moved them to a bigger pot. And finally Mark's dad came over and helped me transplant them into the ground. Now they've turned into these huge bushes. And prior to all our rain, I was kinda sad that they hadn't started producing any fruit. (despite the fact that Mark's dad told me it would probably be August before they did...)

Until I noticed these three tiny little tomatoes yesterday! Yea! I'm not sure if you can even see them in this pic. They're like the size of a peanut right now.  But I can see them. And I'm excited! My very first produce! Ever! (I know...I sound like such a novice...)

And here's our jalapenos. They're much much smaller. Small, but mighty!

This plant actually has 4 jalapenos growing on it right now. I sense yummy salsa with our jalaps and tomatoes in the near future!

Kolbe Kwotes: 2nd Edition

Just thought I'd pop in and share a few "conversations" in case you were interested in eavesdropping on our little Kolbe. He is such a hoot! And oh, so smart!

Most often I hear Kolbe repeating things I say; however, lately he's been more prone to repeat things that Mark says frequently. One of these sayings happens to be "Dang girl!" It comes about it expressions such as "Dang girl! Why did you make all these cookies!?!" or "Dang girl! You got all that done today!?!" So the other day Kolbe was trying to tell me something in his special little Kolbe language....
Kolbe: Where's me's tugol go?
Me: What?
Kolbe: Me's tugol.
Me: Say it again???
Kolbe: ME'S TUUUUUGOL!!!
Me: Kolb, I can't tell what you're saying!
Kolbe: Dang, gul! I said. Me's. TUUUUUGOL!!!!
Me: You're turtle?
Kolbe: Yeah! Me's tugol!!
Me: Oh. So-rry.

A while back we were traipsing through Walmart picking up a few odds and ends. Reagan was in the cart and Kolbe was walking along behind me.
Me: Come on Kolbs. Keep up with Mama.
Kolbe: Me's wants to walk s-yow.
Me: Well Kolbe, people need to get by us. Do you want me to carry you?
Kolbe: Yes. You carry me.
Me: (after picking Kolbe up) Good grief, Kolbs! When did you get so big!?!
Kolbe: Monday.
Me: Oh really! Monday?
Kolbe: Yes. Monday. Me's gets big on Mondays.
Alrighty then.

Kolbe has become quite the disciplinarian for Reagan. Unfortunately. I often tell him he's not the boss, but he's determined to be a typical first-born....
Reagan: Waaaaahhhhhhh!!!! Eeeeeeeee!!!! Uuuuhhhhhhhh!!!!
Kolbe: Mama!!! RuRu whining!!! RuRu whining!!!
Me: Kolbe, Reagan's fine. He's just fussy cause he's hungry. I'm getting your lunch ready.
Kolbe: You tops that, RuRu! Yock it up! (Lock it up!)
....That's definitely one he picked up from Dada.

From time to time I add the word "boy" to the boys names. Such as Kolbe Boy or Rudy Boy. On top of that, I love to make up little songs using the boys' names. This morning while we were playing with puzzles, Kolbe started singing his own little song made up of both of these habits....
Kolbe:   Kolbe Boy, Kolbe Boy.
             Rudy Boy, Rudy Boy.
             Dada Boy, Dada Boy.
             ....(long pause)........
            Umsbody Boy, Umsbody Boy.
            Umsbody Else Boy, Umsbody Else Boy....
Me: Kolbe, Who is "umsbody"???
Kolbe: You know. Umsbody else. Like Uncle Brian.

He has also become very thoughtful and conversational recently. Like he is finally aware that people have different experiences than what he's having at any given time. The other night Mark and I went to a wedding. Kolbe and Reagan stayed with Mark's mom. On the drive home, Mark and I were talking to each other about people we had seen at the wedding while Kolbs and Reagan sat in the back listening.
Kolbe: Mama!
Me: Yes, Kolb?
Kolbe: Mama, you have a good time at wedding?
Me: Well as a matter of fact, I did.
Kolbe: Un-huh. You did. And me's has good time at  G-ma's. Good time.

Hopefully it won't be long before we have a post like this about Reagan! He's kind of following in Kolbe's footsteps and not saying much just yet. He likes to do his signs but still just grunts and moans a lot. Kolbe went through the language explosion around two, so I'm sure the same will happen with little guy! Love my babies!

Three Thought Thursday: Episode 27

1. On Tuesday one of my girlfriends, Lisa, gave me a great treat. She came and watched the boys in the morning so I could go indulge in a little guilty pleasure of mine: a viewing of Eclipse. Yep, I'm one of those crazies that loved the Twilight series of books and can't get enough of the movies either. Slightly embarrassing, considering I'm a mom of two and obsess over a story-line based on high schoolers (kind of...). But hey, it's a little somethin-somethin I can enjoy completely separate of the kiddos, and lets admit it, it's fun getting into a good story line with unique characters that carry admirable qualities. And no, seeing a couple of good looking fellas on the silver screen isn't exactly torture, though I do feel like a bit of a perv for thinking so! The better looking of the two guys is younger than my baby brother! Creepo. The movie was great (the best one so far), and it was fun to get out with a couple of girlfriends during the hours when I'm normally ankle deep in toys, changing dirty diapers, or applying a fresh coat of medicine to an out of control mosquito bite. And even better, when I got home, it was nap time so it was like back-to-back me time. Score.

2. Yesterday was a total bust. I suppose that's what I get for such an awesome Tuesday. I stayed up reading way too late on Tuesday night and was not so happy when Kolbe stumbled in to our room at 4:15am soaking wet. We went to the bathroom, got him cleaned up, and back in his bed, but not without waking up Reagan in the process. By 5:00am I had all parties involved back to sleep, just to have Kolbe return at 6:00am....with Reagan hollering in the background. To clarify, these guys usually wake up around 7:30ish. And to add to it, Kolbe stayed up way too late the night before. Things just continued to unravel. Kolbe threw a colossal fit in Target because we didn't have time to stop and look at the toys. Reagan threw an entire carton of yogurt on the floor. And on and on. These things probably wouldn't have bothered me so greatly had I gotten enough sleep the night before. Why is it that after having a baby, you can easily get by with four to five hours of sleep and still somehow have enough energy to keep going!?! And here I am with two toddlers and I go one night with less than seven hours of sleep and completely lose it!!! I suppose it's got to be all those great post-baby hormones that provide the fuel to keep you going. I could have definitely used a big dose of those yesterday, because, as always, probably the biggest factor in a bad day with the boys isn't the boys; it's me and how i deal with them.

3. We are soooo close to being done with PA School. Soooo close. Actually, Mark's final white coat ceremony is a month from this past Tuesday. Granted, he doesn't take his board exam until September 2nd, but it still feels like it's just around the corner. I can taste the freedom of no school. Mark has literally been a student for our entire relationship. Dating included. It will be so weird, but so great to not have school to worry about! Not to mention a paycheck to live on instead of financial aid. School has always been a big black cloud hanging over our heads and both of us are thrilled to give it the boot. We're not crazy enough to think that there won't always be something to provide us with stress, but at least we'll have the future paved and be on the road to great things for our little family. Can't wait!

Three Thought Thursday: Episode 26

1. Kolbe has developed the sneakiest little habit. Every day when he stumbles out of his room after his nap, I ask him: "Kolbe, are you wet or are you dry?" He used to tell the truth. But that was before he put two and two together and realized that 1) he knows where his dry undies are stored and 2) he's fully capable of changing his undies on his own. Most days he comes out and is, in fact, dry. But then there are days when he comes out and the convo goes a little something like this:
Me: Kolbe, are you wet or dry?
Kolbe: Dry.
Me: Kolbe, I'm pretty sure you had on your truck undies this morning.
Kolbe: Me wanted to wear me's Buzz Lightyears.
Me: Well where did the trucks go?
Kolbe: In me's hamper.
Me: Well are your truck undies wet or dry?
Kolbe: ummmm.....
Hey, on a positive note, at least I don't have to change the wet undies! But he fails to realize that it's more than just his undies that are wet when he has an accident. That part still gets left to good ol' mom.

2. My birthday was way too wonderful this year! It was celebrated on two separate days and was so much fun! As I wrote last week, it kind of seems like turning a non-significant age like twenty-eight is about as exciting as sweeping the kitchen floor...not horrible, but certainly nothing to rejoice over. But after so much fun and attention from my doting husband, family, and friends, maybe birthdays are something that should be amped up, no matter what the age! And it must just be blatantly obvious that I'm obsessed with sewing. I got five gift cards to either Joann's, Hobby Lobby, or Hancocks. FIVE! And two to Target! My heart has been fluttering ever since! Hey, at least my loved ones know me well! They really really shouldn't have gotten me anything, but the fact that they did just adds to my obsession. I'm sure you all can see the wheels in my head turning...

3. Notice anything special about Three Thought Thursday: Episode 26? I'm half way there! Hard for me to believe. I set out at the beginning of the year in hopes that I could force myself to write and exercise my noggin at least once a week. And honestly, around March  I was starting to think it was a bad idea. But now that I've gotten in the routine of it, I must admit that I really love coming up with three little things to talk about each week. It's been a pleasant outlet to talk about things Kolbe and Reagan could care less about and Mark probably isn't interested in hearing when he gets home from an exhausting day of work. Who knows, you, dear person reading this thought, may not be interested in most of the stuff I have to say either. But thank you for reading anyway! As a stay-at-home mom, there's often times where it feels like I have absolutely no contact with the outside world...or with anyone over the age of two. And even if you are just reading this and aren't exactly holding a conversation with me, it still feels like someone is listening to me. Like I'm being heard, in a way. So thanks!