Yell Free (One Day!)

I've been reading a mom's blog on BabyCenter.com (great site by the way) for awhile now and she has a no-yelling-for-3-months goal. Of course, if you read it today you'll find that she didn't make it. :) BUT....it got me thinking. My kids are whiners, moaners, screetchers (sp?)...you name it. And usually I'm the only one with them every morning during the work week. So, it's easy to say that yes, I yell. (Please, get that shocked look OFF your face!) Most of the time I have no choice but to yell to get Olivia out of bed or get Cooper moving to the bathroom. I don't want to yell though - I feel like it starts their mornings off so negatively and then I feel guilty for the rest of the day. I've decided that I'm going to try this goal....kind of like those monthly resolutions I lost track of months ago....remember those? It should be easy....all I have to do is keep my cool during our morning routine of getting two wet octopuses into clothes, fangs brushed, hair patted down, and out the door.....after that I'm at work and I've made it! So, starting tomorrow I am going to try for ONE whole day of no-yelling-at-my-kids. If I can make it one day, then I can shoot for two. One day at a time you know?

And of course by yelling I don't mean I'm standing there screaming at my kids at the top of my lungs - but if you have kids and you're reading this - you understand what I mean! Wish me luck! :)

Likes and Dislikes

Olivia Likes at AGE 6

1. Pink - anything pink....even pink if it's edible!

2. Taylor Swift and Beyonce....yes, I know it's a weird mix but it's her style.

3. Doing "girly" things with Mommy (etc. painting toe nails, finger nails)

4. WATER - she's a fish and would swim all day!

5. The Beach.....she's already got her vacation planned out. :)

6. iCarly - even though I think she's too young to watch it, she loves it...which just goes to show that she's growing up faster than I want her too.

7. Her little bother Cooper - she's VERY protective of him.

8. Her Nana and Grandma - they let her get away with murder

9. Reading

10. Logan

Olivia dislikes at AGE 6

1. Getting up early

2. Pizza from Subway

3. Brushing her hair

4. Manwich

5. Tap and Ballet

6. Her little bother Cooper :)

Cooper Likes at AGE 3

1. Molly

2. Mommy and Daddy

3. Playing outside

4. His Jeep

5. His Play cellphone

6. Boy music (which is anything a male is singing)

7. His BFF Hayley

8. Playing with cousin Louis

9. Sissy Grace

Cooper Dislikes at AGE 3

1. Getting up early

2. Brushing his teeth

3. Molly jumping on him

4. Watching Sissy's TV shows

5. Going to bed

Splash Pad

Today we went to the Splash Pad in Lynches River Park. We had a blast! It was a long ride over there with a car full of adults and 3 kids but it was definitely worth it. I really do plan on taking the kids back. If you're local to my area and you have kids, you really do need to check it out. Worth it - trust me!

Olivia and Cooper laying in the water.....

The Splash Pad basically is an in ground pool that was filled in and replaced with all sort of sprinkler type things for the kids to run in and run through. There's no pool or anything there anymore. Still a ton of fun!

Sweet Louis!

Cooper was LOVING it! He's not a big pool person so he really enjoyed himself.

Olivia, 6, Cooper,3 1/2 and Louis, 2

My new hair do

Ok, I admit, it's not the BEST picture in the world but it does show my new hair pretty well! I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE it! It's such a big change from my dark, dark hair. It took me a day to really get used to it but now I think it's the best. I have to give a HUGE shout out to my friend Becky Hogge for doing my hair. She even talked me into getting some long layers cut in it and I had SWORE that I would never do layers again. Thanks Beck! Anyways - this is proof that I'm living on the edge these days. :)

Are you 23?

Olivia is too funny. This morning on the way to daycare (which is she still feels she is too old for) she asked me if I was 23. Here's the conversation:

O: Mommy, are you 23 years old?

Me: Nope, I wish though. I'm older than that.

O: Are you 24?

Me: Nope, older.

O: 25?

Me: *sigh* I wish I were 25 again. No Boo Boo, I am 31 years old.

O: *BIG FROWN* Great, I have to go to daycare today and tell Skylar you aren't 23 years old. Why do you have to go and be 31?

LOL!!! Like I should apologize for being 31.....that girl is a riot!

Molly...

Right after vacation, Al and I surprised the kids with a new puppy - they were both heart broken after losing our boxer, Layla so we gave in. I had told Al that I wouldn't have another dog for awhile but after seeing Molly, I just knew we had to have her. She's been with us now since mid April and she's getting so big! She's a great dog - very loving to the kids, and really is a "family dog"....we are still struggling with getting her fully house trained, but we're making progress.

Olivia named her Molly Diamond SeaWorld Adventure....but we just call her Molly. :)

She may fly with those ears one day. :)

Cooper singing

Here is a video of Cooper being silly.....

Tummy Time

A friend asked me how my stomach issues have been going and I'm happy to report that things are MUCH better than they were a few months ago. That's not saying that I don't have *any* problems with my stomach, but I'm definitely not having all the problems I was before. Yesterday was torture though, my stomach hurt the entire day no matter what I put on it. I have days like that though and there's not much I can do about it. The medication and Metamucil cocktail I drink at night (ha ha) can only do so much. But I feel 100% better! I still have to watch what I eat and be picky about some things - I have given up caffeine, I limit my dairy and fried foods, and steer clear of anything acidic or leafy. I miss salads though - but I can't digest lettuce at all. It sucks. So, most of my lunches include grilled chicken or something of that nature. I guess that's not so bad - but I do miss Mexican and Chinese. I can eat it, but I will pay dearly if I do! So, there's my update on my tummy. Things are definitely improving so I'll continue doing what I am. It won't ever be perfect, but I'll settle for close! :)

And can someone tell me how June snuck up on me? Geez!