May the Force Be with You

Having grown up in the '80's, with brothers, my Star Wars knowledge base is solid. I was Princess Leia for Halloween one year. I wore the braided buns on each side of my head (not just for Halloween, I'm embarrassed to say). Adam was Darth Vader, an Ewok, and Yoda, at one time or another. Mat had a giant Atat, and almost every figurine made. I still remember when Johnny and I were first getting to know each other that he was impressed when I knew the name of the X-Wing Fighter. He was a Star Wars junkie, too. So it's only fitting that our little 4 year-old son is a big fan. And he has the added benefit of seeing Episodes 1-6, not just 4-6. Tonight after dinner we all sat in the family room and watched The Empire Strikes Back. Aidan's commentary is hilarious, and the questions never stop. We often have to ask him to stop talking so that we can watch the movie. It was such a fun night, though. I'm trying to talk Aidan into being Luke Skywalker for Halloween, because then I can make Ava be Princess Leia, and Coop can be Yoda. My dream come true, a themed Halloween! Yuck.... I think I just became one of those parents. Note to self: Get hobby.

Entertaining Ava

Traci told me the greatest news today. Apparently there is a website that will bind your blog into a hardcover book for $30. What a great way to preserve memories for the kids! I think once a year I'll download my blog into a book, and then the kids can read it when they're older. Anyway, I mention this, because I know a lot of my friends blog, too. So, thanks Trace.

To pass time this morning, I gave Ava a squirt bottle of water, some bubbles, a step stool, and told her to play in her bathroom. It's a mess afterwards, but it's only water. And she'll spend 30 minutes styling her My Little Pony's hair. Her other favorite pastime lately is taking a bath. If I have laundry to fold in my room, I just fill my bathtub up, get her a few toys, and she'll swim around and keep herself entertained for an hour. I usually have to add more warm water for her once or twice. We are really ready for warm weather and outside play.

Taking on the world

I have been inspired by Jon & Kate plus 8. This morning at 2:30, during feeding #1, I watched an episode that I had recorded. They took all 8 of their kids skiing. It was chaotic, and Kate did have a hysterical crying fit at one point, but the point is they did it! So today I took my gang to the LIBRARY (where everyone loves a noisy crowd), and then to Mazzio's buffet for lunch. Alone. Yes, I am a rockstar. It went beautifully. First of all, the Basehor library has a new system they're installing, and so the gigantic fine that I was set to pay...gone! My karma was just rockin'. I owed around $25 by my estimate. In my perpetually overly responsible life, something's got to give, and with me it's the library. My books are chronically late. And we don't just check out one. Between the three of us, we usually have about 10. So it adds up fast. (Johnny used to torment me about this, but then he forgot about a DVD he'd rented, so now he won't go to the Movie Gallery. We're stuck renting from Red Box because he's afraid of the late fees!) Anyway, I digress. My kids were extremely well-behaved. I kept pinching my arm, but yes, I was awake. They even chatted politely with Miss Vicki the children's librarian. That, by the way, is one of the reasons that I love Basehor. It's so small town. Aside from the parades that they have, the little newspaper, and the local restaurants like Kelly's, the librarian knows my kids by name. I love that. So after we left the library, I went all kinds of crazy, and canceled the car picnic that the kids had been promised at Mickey D's, and we went into a restaurant and sat down. Cooper slept the whole time, and Aidan and Ava were so grown up. I kept thinking, "Wow, I can do this. We're all alone, and we're fine." And today when Johnny gets home, I have a hair appointment. Just a tiny little step in reclaiming the self that gets lost after a new baby comes home. This morning I was thinking that I should start getting up at least 30 minutes before the kids and do things like my nails, my eyebrows, my makeup, etc. That's part of a sickness that I have. I make big plans about what I'll do early in the morning and then when the alarm goes off, all of my good intentions are lost. But it's nice to dream. And it's the thought that counts, right?

Jon & Kate rock

I think I'm suffering from chronic sleep deprivation. I wanted to blog yesterday, but my mind was blank. All I wanted to do was take a nap. It's not that Cooper's sleep patterns have changed. But I haven't slept more than 3-4 consecutive hours in 5 weeks without being awakened for at least 30 minutes, and it's catching up with me. I have been so irritable with Aidan and Ava the last couple of days that I feel guilty. That should get better starting today because Johnny flips to day shift, and will be home to help with the bedtime hours. The hours between dinner and bedtime wear me out. I'm at my most exhausted, and yet, Aidan and Ava are refreshed from their afternoon naps and dinner, and they are wild. Speaking of....Friday, Oprah interviewed "Jon & Kate plus 8". They have a television program on Discovery, I think, because they are raising twins and sextuplets. I'd never watched it before because I don't like to be stressed by TV. I figured I know what parenting is like, and I don't want to compare myself to superparents, like the Duggars. The Duggars are the family in Arkansas who have 17 children. They do specials on TLC occasionally. They are the most mild-mannered, well-behaved parents and children you've ever seen. They make their own clothes, home school, cook every meal from scratch, live 100% debt-free (including their mortgage!), and the girls don't cut their hair. I admire their Christian values, but everything else about them is nauseating. I watch all of their shows, though. It's just fascinating, as most freaks of nature are. But then I shut off the TV and feel like, 'Okay, why can't I control two preschoolers?' But, Oprah showed clips of "Jon & Kate plus 8", and I love that family! She is real. I saw her yell, "Everybody out of the kitchen!" as little children scattered, and I saw her interrogating the sextuplets with an edge to her voice that I recognized as a combination of sheer exhaustion and desperation. My sister! Then Oprah brought their 8 children out on the set, and they did not sit quietly, criss cross applesauce, like the Duggar kids. They hit, bit, cried, and climbed all over O's yellow couch, just like my kids would have! Oprah asked Kate, "Is it easier now that they're three, and the terrible two's are over?" Kate said, "No. Didn't you know? Three is the new two." Can I get an amen?! I have felt that, too, but I just thought my kids were late bloomers. So, I have found a kindred spirit in Kate, and I plan to start watching their show. I bet Kate understands what it's like to cringe when you hear someone yell, "MOMMY!", because you just wanted to be alone for 10 minutes, and then the guilt that ensues because "good" mothers don't feel that way. For those of you with babies, or just one child, I may sound like a monster to you. I used to think like that, when Aidan was under the age of 18 months, and an only child. I was pretty self-righteous about my parenting skills. But you have to walk a mile in my shoes across my crunchy kitchen floor. You have to set two children up with an hour long movie, get the baby to sleep in the bouncer, and then draw yourself a hot bath. Then just as you close your eyes to relax, your two-year-old comes in with her pole and tacklebox because she wants to fish in your bathtub. Welcome to my world. It goes without saying that I wouldn't trade my life for anyone's, but blogging is helping me to keep my sense of humor about the little things that can really stress a mom out. I already feel better.

Bedtime on Cedar Street

Grandparents....gotta love 'em. No bunny is too big!

"Excuse me, but you must have mistaken me for a baby who sleeps alone in his crib."

Do all four year-olds sleep with a Kansas Highway Patrol ticket book?

And the award for the most hilarious quote of the weekend goes to....................AVA! Aidan and Ava were playing policemen and putting stuffed animals in jail, when deputy Ava decided to take off her jammies in order to better showcase her brand new, big girl, Hello Kitty panties. She then proceeded to pirouette and twirl around the family room while yelling, "Look at me prisoners!" Words Mommy hopes she never utters in the future.

Domestic Goddess in Training

Registering for kitchenware has unearthed a domestic streak in Megan. And while the meat in Singapore is not quality enough for her midwestern tastebuds, the bananas are apparently delish, so this is for her:

CHUNKY MONKEY BANANA BREAD

1/2 c. shortening
1/4 tsp. salt
1 c. sugar
1 tsp. baking soda
2 eggs
1 T. buttermilk
1 tsp. vanilla
4 ripe bananas, mashed
2 c. unsifted flour
handful of chocolate chips

(I never have buttermilk on hand, but you can take 1 T. of milk and add a dash of white vinegar, and it works just as well.)

Cream shortening and sugar. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Mix flour and salt together. Blend dry ingredients into egg mixture. Add baking soda to the buttermilk. Mix with bananas. Blend into flour mixture lightly. Do not overmix. Throw in chocolate chips at the end. Pour into a greased loaf pan. Bake at 350* for about an hour, or until a toothpick comes out clean in the center.

Today Aidan and I worked a 3 foot Scooby Doo jigsaw puzzle. I love puzzles. In the winter, I used to always have one on our dining room table B.K. (before kids) That might be another fun thing to do while B.I.S. (bored in Singapore) Johnny's working night shift tonight, so the kids and I are going to watch Cars and eat popcorn. It's been a nice quiet Saturday. Tomorrow is a big shopping day. Ava and I are hitting Target to buy BIG GIRL PANTIES! Ava has been on board with the potty-training now for about 5 days. Today was her best day yet. So we're going to buy big girl panties, and then have coffee at Starbucks. (This has been a big motivator for her. She'll probably get a frappucino or something, but she thinks it's very grown-up.) I know she's only two, but it's a Heffley dominant trait, this obsession with coffee. We all have it, and we all started young. My brother used to sit outside church (on a bench where all of the old men congregated) with a coffee cup when he was in preschool, and I swear I'm not exaggerating. All of the old ladies at church used to warn my mom that he would "stunt his growth". Back to Ava though, she has about 6 pairs of panties, but everyone under my care needs at least 2 weeks worth of underwear, because laundry falls behind at times. When Johnny moved in with me....I mean, when Johnny and I got married (Hi Dad!), I told him to buy a lot more underwear because I had enough clothes so that I only did laundry about twice a month. Those were the days. Now I have to do laundry almost everyday, and it still piles up. My personal goal is to teach each child to do his own laundry when he/she turns 12. And I'll teach Johnny when he's 40. He tried to do laundry right after Cooper was born, and he shrunk a whole load of his own clothes. We just can't afford to replace all of his stuff.

Tired Mommy

After Cooper's 5am feeding, he and I fell asleep on the couch in the family room. We had a quilt, it was warm, too long of a walk back upstairs to bed, etc. We had just been up at 2am, and I was exhausted. Our family room is downstairs, and when Ava woke up she always turns on her "mommy magnet" and comes looking for me. Only today, I was MIA. Johnny didn't tell her where I was, just that she should let me sleep. Apparently this set her off, and she ended up crying in her room. Thinking I was upstairs, Aidan was overheard by his Daddy telling Ava, "Turn on your baby monitor so that Mommy can hear you crying." How manipulative is that?! Four years old, and already scheming,....if only he'd use his power for good.

Oh, and that first bath for Cooper? Loads of fun.

A Little Ice For You...

Blogging about your kids can be tricky. Sometimes it seems like we can just go days where all we do is watch TV and eat fruit snacks. And then life just explodes with funny stories and I don't know where to start.

Last night, Ava had a total meltdown at bedtime. She would not let me brush her teeth. She stood on the little stepstool in the bathroom with her mouth clamped shut. So I ordered her to open her mouth. She did, but she put her hand in it so that I could not put the toothbrush in. So I told her to take her hand out of her mouth three times. Then I started the threats. "Ava, take that hand out of your mouth, and let me brush your teeth, or I'm going to spank your bottom." I almost never spank Ava. And the few times I have, she just dissolves in tears because I have so hurt her feelings. She didn't care this time. Granted, I don't spank hard enough to hurt, but now the battle of wills was on. One stubborn girl pitted against another. I spanked that child three separate times, and not only did she not cry, but she still would not take her hand out of her mouth. Now Johnny got in on the act. He had been watching the whole thing, trying not to laugh, while helping Aidan bathe, but he'd seen enough. Our kids can get away with a lot, but disobedience and disrespect are BIG no-no's in this house. So, funny as Ava was, Johnny was now irritated. He said, "All right, that's it Ava." And he picked her up and held her little arms at her sides so that I could brush her teeth. It was like she was in a strait jacket. So put yourself in this little person's place. Her two mad, scary parents are now holding her down and yelling at her. What does she do? She bites down on the toothbrush so that I still cannot brush her teeth. And not ONE tear fell from her determined little eyes. At this point, we're trying not to laugh. I just took her and stuck her in bed. Now, I have to admit something. She won, no doubt about that. But I admired her for it. I've always been somewhat intimidated by authority figures, but clearly Ava is not. I wish I was more like her. Of course, she's going to be a nightmare to parent, I understand that, but what a fantastic grown woman she will be! Now, here's a little clip of her being not so stubborn:

Happy One Month Birthday to Cooper Rex!

Cooper has had a big day! We went and saw Dr. Rita for his one month checkup. Here's the stats:
Weight: 11 pounds! (85th percentile)

Length: 22 1/2 inches (80th percentile)

Bellybutton: Present! (Nasty umbilical cord leftover fell off in the doctor's office while I was changing his diaper, right before she came in.)

Feedings: Cooper had his first bottle today, and he did fabulously! This was a problem with Aidan and Ava. Going back and forth between the bottle and nursing did not work for them. Ava even went on strike at about 9 months, and refused to eat when I wasn't around. She'd drink water from a cup while I was at work. I got new bottles with Cooper, and I'm loving them. I've always used Dr. Brown's, they're supposed to decrease colic, but now I bought the wide-neck bottles, and Cooper had no trouble drinking out of one at all.

This means that I can now leave the house ALONE occasionally, and my baby will not starve. Now, tonight's the night! Cooper and his new bellybutton are getting a bath!

Cooper is Ado(red)!

Is Blogging protected in the Constitution?

Today Aidan and Ava are pretending to be Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Or, as Ava says, "I an 'inja." She always leaves off the first 'n'. They run around the house together yelling, "Ninja turtles!", and then they take things that don't belong to them and hide behind the couch. Right now they have two phone books and a block of Velveeta in their hideout. When I told Aidan that they had to put back all of the things they were taking when they were done playing, he told me, "Oh don't worry Mom. Ninjas always put back the stuff that they steal. Especially Donatello." I'm so proud to be raising such ethical ninjas.



Oh, and about my last post, the one about Aidan's penmanship. My husband is bothered about it. He said that I sounded mean, and that I shouldn't have said other children have messy handwriting. He's worried that one of their parents might read my blog. He doesn't even read majority of my posts, or he'd probably disapprove of several of them. I told him that people read this because I'm honest, and that is the kind of stuff we say, and that I'm not doing PR for our family. This is a blog about real life. Honestly, it's not like I outed somebody, or bashed one of our family members. He tends to worry about what others think a little more than I do. So now I notice when we disagree about something, he'll quickly say, "Don't put that in your blog." Kind of funny. Then, he admitted to me that he just scans the blogs and if he sees his name, he will stop and read. Note to single people: This is what happens when a "reader" marries a "nonreader". So, now that he's challenging my first amendment rights in this house, I'll have to up the stakes. Be prepared for naked pictures! Kidding.

Preschool Penmanship

Yesterday was the Valentine's Day party at Language Lane. The kids were supposed to sign their own cards that they passed out to their friends. This was a source of stress at our house for the past week. Aidan hates to do "desk work", as he calls it. And I had to sit beside him and watch him write every single A-i-d-a-n, because if I didn't, he got fast and sloppy, and truthfully, it's barely legible at it's best. Johnny and I were kind of concerned about Aidan's little signature, but we shouldn't have been. We just didn't have anything to compare it to. Now, here comes the shameful part. When Aidan and I came home with his box of valentines, I went through and read all of them to check out each child's signature. (Isn't that sad?) And I was very happy (thrilled) to discover that 75% of the kids didn't even sign their own, their parents did it. The ones who did sign looked far worse than I had imagined. I happily took 3 of the messiest cards upstairs to show Johnny. I was almost dancing with glee. "Look at these! They're worse than Aidan's!" Now, please understand, I'm not in to competitive mothering. I wasn't happy that other children could not properly write their name. I was just happy that my son wasn't the worst. And believe it or not, I'm not even the demanding parent. Our poor kids....

Our 5-year anniversary

On February 14, 2003, Johnny and I had the most unusual Valentine's Day ever. We spent the morning at the Center for Reproductive Medicine in Wichita, Ks. That morning they implanted two embryos into my uterus. One was a healthy 8 cell embryo, the other was only a 4 cell embryo. Two weeks later a positive pregnancy test revealed that we were pregnant with Aidan. They gave me a little petri dish to commemorate the occasion, and I keep it in his shadow box in his room with his birth announcement. This is what Aidan looked like five years ago today:

Not your average conception, but it's a story I will tell to Aidan and anyone who will listen, because I want everyone to understand that with God all things are possible. I had not one, but two, of the best reproductive endocrinologists in Kansas tell me that I might never have a child, even with in vitro. And five years later, I have three. Not because I was persistent, or tenacious, or lucky, but because God had a plan, and I was blessed to be a part of it. Some days I still pinch myself. (Some days I want to pinch one of these little blessings, but then I remember that they're only on loan to me, and I restrain myself.) So, Happy Valentine's Day! It is definitely a day that I think about love.

Help Cooper get a bellybutton

My son's umbilical thingy won't fall off. So officially, he still doesn't have a belly button. Just that dried up little grey knot. It's disguisting. This baby is 24 days old! I cleaned it twice a day, as instructed, with alcohol, but now I've stopped. When I had Ava in 2005, they were on a "don't clean it, leave it alone" kick, and her's fell off in about 13 days. The crazy thing is, Aidan's didn't fall off either, and I cleaned his with alcohol, too. When he was 5 weeks old the doctor had to remove it and cauterize the area to prevent bleeding. So I guess I'm blaming the alcohol. It's not a huge deal, I know, but you can't bathe them in a tub until it's gone, and I'm just itching to put that little boy in a tub of sudsy water and scrub him. He doesn't like his spit baths because he gets too cold. And I like my kids to smell good all of the time. I still baby wash and lotion all three of them even though Aidan is four years old. (I just realized that I may be the reason that Ava smells everything. You may remember that she recently told me that I smell like a pop tart.) Yes....I think it's true. I am a weirdo like Ava. I have Pier 1 room freshener that I use in the house, "Asian Spice". I have a reed diffuser in our bedroom, also "Asian Spice". I have lavender linen spray that I use on our bedding. I have 6 different kinds of scented lotion in my bathroom. Wow....how could I not have seen this before? Sorry, got a little distracted there. Anyway, if anyone can recommend how I can get Cooper's umbilical cord thing to fall off, I'm open to suggestions.

Creek Ridge...the next Wisteria Lane?

Day 1 as a single parent:

# of hours that Cooper slept = three (down from about twelve hours the day before)

# of times that Cooper ate between morning and bedtime = 10 (up from about 5 the day before)

# of times that we left the house = once. (had to go to the post office for eBay business.)

# of times that Mommy cried = once. (after the post office run. cooper crying nonstop.)

# of friends that saved the day = two.

Thanks to Rachel and Traci for bringing dinner and presents and laughter to my house last night. We ate soup from Panera and talked and laughed the whole night. It was wonderful, and just what I needed after a long day. Rachel and Traci are two of my closest pals, and also my neighbors. In the summer our neighborhood sort of lives outside, and we all socialize daily. But in the winter we seem to stay in contact more by email as everyone holes up in their houses and waits for the snow to melt. (Oh, and we all spy out our windows to keep track of everyone else's comings and goings.) Think Desperate Housewives, but with younger children, and without the revolving spouses.

Baptism by Fire

I'm alone with all three children for the first time. Johnny left for Salina this morning. This is his first morning back to work since Cooper was born, and not only is he working, he's in Salina until Wednesday at 5pm. I have been a little nervous about being alone with my gang. I'm not too worried about being at home with them, it's just that we're kind of stuck here. I don't think I can go anywhere with all of them. They are all still in carseats. Aidan and Ava need constant supervision, hand holding, etc., and I'd have to carry Cooper's carseat. I don't think I could physically keep everybody safe. And Johnny might be mad if he came home and I had lost someone. As an alternative, I have thought of a few drive-thru's we could hit for lunch. Drive-thru's are the new mom's safety net. Eating out without the fear of making a scene. Baby needs to eat? No problem, just park at the back of the parking lot. Kids bored? No problem, just put in a movie. (I love that Rear Entertainment System in the Odyssey!) Everybody crying? No problem, I can cry too, no one can see me. Gotta love the drive-thru.

Anyway, so Johnny left at 6am, and by 6:15, all three kids were in bed with me. Children, like animals, can smell fear. So the minute Johnny pulled out of the cul-de-sac, here came the little migrants. At first I tried to make them believe that it was still night out, but Cooper's upset tummy kept all of us awake, so I gave up and told them I'd turn on a show. Then the TV wouldn't work right. So I called Johnny, and we trouble shooted the television so that Aid & Ava could watch Max & Ruby. It's funny, but when I'm at work, Johnny calls with questions like, "What should we eat for lunch?", or "How much Tylenol does Ava get?". When he's gone, my questions all revolve around the electronics in the house. We've become very dependent on each other. We unconsciously decided after Aidan was born, that the only way to survive raising a family, with our sanity intact, was to divide and conquer the household chores. And since then, we've each forgotten how to do about 50% of the necessary things to qualify as adults. Johnny, for instance, can barely cook, and cannot do laundry. I have no idea how much most of our bills are, and I have forgotten how to check my oil and run a lawnmower. We're a little scary at times, but hey, it works for us.

If anyone is interested how I've found time to blog today, here's my secret: Cooper's in the bouncer, and Aidan and Ava are playing "the dog and the scientist". Aidan pretends he's a scientist who makes potions, while Ava crawls around on all fours and barks. Occasionally she gets stuck somewhere, or gets hungry, and he helps her, then she licks him in thanks. They are insane, but very entertaining.

Meg, these videos were made for you. Hope you're having a great day. Love you. Oh, and if anyone wants to read about Megan's adventures, I've posted a link to her blog on the right. (Ha Ha. Your blog just became rated PG.)

Mommy Humor

C: I like having three kids. (looking over my shoulder in the minivan)

J: I don't. (smiling)

C: What?! How can you say that? How will you feel when we have four?

J: (laughs) I'll be long gone.

C: That's okay. The child support check would be HUGE!

J: Ha! You'd have to find me first.

C: No big deal. I'll just ask their fathers to start sending checks.

Boys will be boys

Well, it took 19 days, but I knew I'd hear it eventually.

"Maybe if Mommy didn't have a baby, she wouldn't be so busy..."---Aidan

Oh well, I guess he'll have something to tell his therapist someday. You'd think he'd been neglected, instead of the truth. This comment was brought on by my inability to get him a glass of water as quickly as he would like because I was changing his brother's diaper. Do you know what my daughter does? She climbs up on the counter and gets her own drink of water. If that's not the X chromosome in action, then I don't know what is. By the way, this is not an attack on men. I live with three of them that I adore. Just another observation to make my point that it's nature, not nurture.

Motherhood is a marathon, not a sprint.

Being a mom to little ones is very time-consuming. I know that is kind of like saying, "Water is wet." But what I mean is, I'm busy all day long, and yet, I don't feel like I get anything accomplished lately. Take today, for example. I didn't get up until 8:00am. I don't normally sleep in that late, especially on Tuesdays and Thursdays when Aidan has school, but Johnny has been taking over in the morning since I do all the night feedings with Cooper. By 1:00pm, I had showered, dressed, changed 4 diapers, changed Cooper's clothes, dressed Ava, fed Cooper 3 times, talked on the phone to 4 people, emailed 2 people, fed Ava lunch, threw a load of clothes in the dryer, and picked up the kitchen. But I don't feel like I got anything done today. These are all just tasks that I think of as keeping our heads above water. No projects got done, the laundry room is not empty, the kids' rooms are still messy, I didn't leave the house, etc. I have decided that I'm my own worst critic. I keep thinking about a girl I know from the Y. She has three kids, who are older than mine, but are exactly the same distance apart in ages. When she heard I was pregnant last summer she offered me some free advice. She said, "Lower your expectations, and don't expect to get anything done during the day." At the time, I kind of blew her off, but now I think she knew what she was talking about. I keep trying to remind myself, this is a marathon, not a sprint.

Fancy Ava

I call this picture, "So you're my brother?" I love how Cooper is studying Aidan.


This is just the three kids hanging out in Mommy & Daddy's room:


And, our big event for the day was attending the launch party at Barnes & Noble for the new Fancy Nancy book. We went with my friend Anne, and her girls, Allyson and Chloe. Ava loves Fancy Nancy! All of the little girls were dressed up, it was very cute. We didn't actually get our book signed though. About five minutes into the book reading, Ava announces, "I hungry," and she totally lost interest. We ended up leaving before standing in the hour long line for an autograph. Oh well, Ava's favorite part was getting ready for the event anyway.

Cabin Fever

Aidan's teacher says he has "excellent mouse skills". How's that for 21st century parenting? Very different than the "plays well with others" olden days. He gets lots of practice at pbskids.org. It's a great website with a variety of educational games.

After chasing Ava away from the computer, she was very sad, so she got to help make dinner. In the meantime, Johnny and Cooper retreated to the family room because the kids were making Daddy a little testy. Aidan and Ava continued to argue, and I heard her tell him in MY voice: "Aidan, just go to your room. We don't need to hear that while we're cooking. Do we Mommy?" "Fine!", snaps Aidan, "I'll go see my dad!" Then I hear Ava say in a singsong voice, "Daddy is mean right now, Aidan...". It was a loooooong evening. The great thing about having little children though, is that they can't tell time. So bedtime is whenever the mood strikes us. Tonight, that's 8:30. They used to be in bed by 8:00, but since Cooper's been here, our schedule has been off. We've all been staying up later, sleeping later, napping longer, etc. But Daddy will return to work next week, so we need to start transitioning back into the real world.

This is what I'm up against

Spoiler Alert!

These are Cooper's super cute birth announcements that we ordered this week. I had a very challenging time getting him to look at the camera and not blink or cry. Cooper is named after his great-grandfather, Rex Heffley. My grandpa died when I was in high school. I adored him.