the haircut

It was bound to happen. I have heard it from every mom out there. Every kid cuts their own hair at some point. I had the knowledge. I knew it'd happen one day. I even see those kids in the store that have already suffered the tragedy and thought to myself, "looks like someone grabbed scissors when mom wasn't looking," knowing one day I'd be that mom with THAT kid. But I had not yet prepared myself for it. I really thought we had a little while... at least a few years... before it happened to us. WRONG. I was WRONG. It happened this week. Monday, to be exact.  If you look at the post below, you can see how Monday was.

And here is how it went...
Sunday night I had been cutting threads off of a project and left the scissors laying on the bookstand. I noticed them when I went to make dinner Monday evening, so I moved them to the kitchen table. Asher was playing in the exersaucer and Riley was in between the living room and the kitchen. All was well. Ryan got home and brought the mail in. I read one of the letters  and made him come and read it b/c I was SO confused.  So he did. We discussed. He went to check on Riley. I hear, "oh.my.gosh. RILEY! What have you done!?" followed by hysterical laughter. I am yelling, "WHAT!? WHAT!? WHAT HAPPENED!?" and see that he has the scissors in one hand and hair in the other. Gut punch. No sir. Don't show that to me. Not today.

She got a good chunk of hair and, quite frankly, the pictures don't do it justice. Bangs... gone. About 3 chunks off the side of her head. And a chunk out of the middle. Yep... she does everything BIG and dramatic. Nothing little with this girl.  We've gotten her hair trimmed, but the camera battery is dead right now... I'll try to get a picture of that tonight. There really was no fixing it though...

The middle chunk...

The side... there are a few clumps hidden in there

The bangs

For reference... this is the other side and the amount of hair that she USED to have on both sides.

Another look at her cuteness w/ the bangs...

Just a bonus picture

through the tears

I'm going to tell you a few things up front with this post. 1. There will be no pictures. Don't have any that I can share. 2. It's about my work baby and not my (gave birth to) babies. 3. It's gonna be long. 4. You might cry, but you might just think I'm rambling.  5. Tomorrow evening I will share pictures of the adventure last night.

As some people may or may not know, I work with kids that have emotional and/or behavioral disorders. My job title will vary from place to place. Behaviorist. Behavior Specialist. Clinician. Behavior "therapist" (I do quotes b/c I don't have a masters degree, therefore I am not technically a therapist...). All of the kids we work with are either considered "at risk" for a SED (Severe Emotional Disturbance) or are already considered to have an SED.

So yesterday morning started with breakfast with my favorite 2nd grade boy. We'll call him T. He was goofy, giddy, and (quite frankly) WILD. I took him to the nurse for our normal routine and he informed me he needed 5 cups of water. Oy.  Then I dropped him off in his classroom and went to enjoy my breakfast and put on that make up. Within a half an hr, I'd already chased him around the school, given him a firm talking to, and then had to remove him from the library. It progressed and got worse and worse. As I removed him from his classroom again, I managed to end up with a few battle wounds. Such is life.

He was in the room with us for the entire morning. He was in NO shape to go back to class. He was, however, calm and just sat at the table. We completed a few of his classroom assignments, but  not all of them. I had him walk with me to heat up my lunch. I noticed that he seemed on the verge of tears the whole time.  We talked about how sometimes we just need to cry.  We don't ALWAYS have to be tough. Crying is ok. And sometimes after we cry, we're ready to talk about what we are feeling inside. I'm not sure if I was talking to him or myself, to be perfectly honest.  But he maintained and was able to transition back to class for lunch. We spent recess together completing another assignment and he was able to go back to class.

And then it started. Then the tears started. And they kept going... and going... and going. He just had his head on his desk and he wept. He covered his face and quietly left the room with me and went back to our room. Where he sobbed some more. And he looked at me with tear streaked cheeks and for a moment, our eyes locked. I felt his pain. A pain so deep that I cannot even begin to comprehend the pain this little boy is feeling.  Now, he wouldn't open up to me about WHY he was crying, but we got through it.  And he held my hand and hugged me. He was able to pack up his bookbag without a problem and bounced to the bus line with a huge smile.

I was reminded that sometimes we need to cry.  Sometimes the only way to feel better is through our tears. One huge, big, ugly, snot face, boo hoo cry session leaves you feeling so much better (and sometimes with a headache...). I want to know what is causing him pain, but right now that is not what is important. Right now a little boy felt the freedom to cry until he couldn't cry anymore. Through his tears, he was able to get through the day.

And a huge break through... he's never apologized for the times he has gotten aggressive around me. NEVER. And... I don't make him. And actually, he has never intentionally hurt me. He will intentionally go AROUND me and avoid hurting me... even in the midst of his anger and aggression. This morning when I told him today was a new day and a day filled with good choices. I let him know that the expectation was that he would make appropriate choices. I told him I didn't come to work to get scratched again b/c I had a 2 yr old at home that was capable of doing that. He told me it was the dry erase board that scratched me (well, he was right about ONE of the scratches) and then that the one he did was smaller.  But also that he couldn't have done it b/c his nails were short. Well, I checked... he cut his nails last night. Short. (they were pretty long yesterday...). For the first time in working together, he recognized that he had caused me pain and he took the  initiative to take care of a problem. no prompting. And he apologized. Today was a good day. A day of firsts. It was the rainbow after the storm. Each storm is worth it if there is a rainbow at the end...

Too Many Kisses to Count

First and foremost - I got new glasses. A certain little lady we all know and love mangled mine last summer and I'd had them since 2005, so I just had to wait until it was time for a new pair on insurance. I'm a fan.

So we did it. We took the plunge. We switched the rooms this weekend. Riley has only has her bed, a few babies, and a dresser in her "new" room.  Asher has... EVERYTHING. Ha! It's a hot mess in his room now, but Riley's is spotless.  It's made all of the difference in the world. She is going to sleep within 30 minutes of being put down and she's sleeping later. She slept until 8:00 today... that's later than she has slept in MONTHS. It's a good thing, too, because I accidentally turned off my alarm this a.m. and was able to get ready quickly!

So the other night I was laying in bed with her (don't yell at me... they're only little once...) and she was finally relaxing and super calm.  So she is cuddling in to me while I lay there and she's rubbing my arms and so chill. It was such a sweet and tender moment... one I hope I don't ever forget.  Every few seconds she would lean over and kiss me. She kissed my face, my lips, my arms... anywhere she could reach. It was so sweet. She is such a great little kid when she gets plenty of sleep.  Don't get me wrong... she still throws a temper tantrum if the wind blows the wrong way or screams, "GO AWAY!" if she isn't getting her way... but I'm choosing to cherish those sweet moments. The ones that just melt my heart.

Asher is just so cuddly. I took him to the chiropractor today and when Dr Wimmer held him, Asher just snuggled in. Oh it's so sweet. He's just getting so big so very fast! I can't even believe he'll be 8 months on Sunday! Where did the time go??? It seems like just last week I was screaming, "I CAN'T DO THIS," as I realized he'd be born in just seconds without an epidural! Oh my baby boy.

Now the two of those together... they just make me a big puddle of mush. Riley loves to get on the floor and roll around on him. I choose to ignore the fact that sometimes she lays on top of him. Whatever. Minor detail. Asher likes to pull Riley's hair and, well, that just doesn't work for ANYONE.

Anyways... the part you all care about...

Hands taste so delicious

Big smile

Playing together - Riley was actually sharing her baby doll

So very sweet that little boy is.

So what if there is no snow, Riley is shoveling the sidewalk.

Dirt streaked face... that's how you know she had a good time!

She likes to take herself on a walk with her "child harness" (aka: baby leash)

Those hands are so yummy

(this reminds me... call the guys about cutting our grass this week...)

what in the world has gotten in to this child?

So the sleeping issue has not gotten better with Riley. I gave in tonight and went and laid down with her. Problem solved. I laid with her for about 20 minutes and then told her I needed to go clean up (what a funny joke.) and I'd be back to check on her. Worked like a charm. Mind you, this came after an hr of hysterical crying.

At least we've eliminated the problem of her destroying her room each night! Baby steps, right?

The rooms didn't gt switched. Ryan went to take apart the crib and it turns out the screws/holes are stripped. I have no idea. I just used it as leverage to get a new crib. Asher was using Riley's old crib... which she had so lovingly chewed up the rails... and I was over it. I'm excited for it to come - Walmart site-to-store shipping - and it should be here in about a week.

Now let's discuss the wild woman. Today she pooped on the floor. Um... what? Yes. You most certainly did read that correctly. I have no idea how or why that happened. Then she helped our fabulous nanny clean it up and clogged the toilet with toilet paper. That was just a fantastic text to get at work while I was trying to get a kid calmed down.  Then she was SO MEAN today. However, after nap she ate 2 small bowls of cheerios and a piece of toast... I got home and she was being so mean. No amount of redirections or consequences was working. I gave her some shredded cheese and sat her on the couch... a few of the cookies I was eating... and she was still hungry!!! She then ate some yogurt.  And to top it off, she still ate dinner - well most of it! Zucchini, pork loin with a Ryan created sauce, and rice. I'm going to go out on a limb and say that the girl is growing. Once she had a lot to eat, her behavior and attitude improved greatly!

And Asher boy. Oh sweet, sweet Asher. He's feisty, but laid back. The boy knows what he wants, but just rides the wave of this crazy life. I love it. I love that whenever I get home, he gets so excited. I pick him up and he snuggles in.  Oh I love that. He's getting frustrated b/c he wants to get to toys he likes, but can't do it fast enough. Poor guy. lol

Other than that, we've been pretty boring! Life is still wild at work... but that's why I love it. Still missing family. But ya know what? We're making it. We're thriving. We're growing.  I mean, it could be that we were looking at beach houses for September that is motivating us... but whatever. Details!!

Ohhhh... new project alert! Cloth lunch bag!

This is how I'm expected to get things done. Wild girl climbing up my back. What we failed to get in a picture was the seconds later when that front foot was over my shoulder and her whole body was leaning on my head! I was trying to hand stitch something.

After she brought Ryan the camera, she kept saying, "picture Riley! CHEEEEEESE! uh-mile!"

sleep... or lack thereof.

So Riley has ALWAYS been a fabulous sleeper. She napped great, she slept through the night... it was just great all around. Well she has progressively been getting up a little earlier and a little earlier. 7:00 was no big deal... 6:50 wasn't even THAT big of a deal during the week because we were up. But homegirl was even doing this on the weekend. Since she isn't caged up in a crib like her brother, she just rolls on out of bed and comes in to our room.

Well... this week she's been waking up at oh 5:45 or so. WTH child????? No ma'am. That just ain't gonna work! Tuesday morning I put her back in bed, she was quiet,  and I dozed off.  Ryan gets home from the gym and Riley is cleaning the floors with some white vinegar and water spray! Oh and she also had sent an IM to my friend Mollie which, I'm sure, was QUITE confusing to her several hours later. I mean that clearly isn't going to work. Last night she was fighting going to sleep until 11:15! 3 hrs, folks. THREE HOURS.  Everytime I'd think it was quiet and go to head back to the room to tuck her back in before I went to bed... there she was standing in the door way. When I went to sleep I thought, "well at least since she was up so late, she'll hopefully sleep in." NO. No she did not. She was up at 5:40! Ryan put her back in bed... she cried, "no mommy do it!" Dang it. I'm changing my freaking name. I am only responding to mommy during select hours from here on out.  And, FYI, none of those hours will include between midnight and 7 a.m..

So today I played hardball... kind of.  Our fabulous nanny put her down for nap about 1 (of course she was so whiney all morning) and I got home from work early and got her up from nap about 2:55. We played, had a snack (argued about not having 50 million snacks), went to the chiropractor to visit Dr Wimmer to see if we can continue to keep Asher ear infection free, came home to argue some more about how dinner was almost ready and we weren't getting snacks, ate dinner as a family, and then bath time. We had a small injury, but she survived. Then bed time.  I *think* she has finally fallen asleep, but who knows. She SCREAMED at the top of her lungs for an hr and 15 minutes. She got her books taken away (ALL of them) b/c she threw one at me when I said that it was bed time and nearly lost her babies, too.

Let's hope that going to sleep at a reasonable time (8:30, finally) means she will sleep until a reasonable time. I think we're going to get hardcore about shortening nap time or making sure that she is awake before 3 p.m. because these evenings cannot keep on like this. It's exhausting for everyone.  When she is getting her way or not exhausted she is SO much fun to be around. She is sweet and oh so loving. She adores being with people - especially her brother - and absolutely adores making people laugh. She is such a joy.  But then there are nights like this week.

Big changes will be happening this weekend. Hopefully that'll help, too.

Now Asher boy. He's been eating around the clock like CRAZY. He may be going through a growth spurt. Hopefully.  He did ok traveling up to visit my side of the family last weekend. He was very clingy and wanted to be held by me and me only.  However, when I was holding him, feeding him, or he was sleeping... all was well.  Once we got home, he was so happy and happy to be put down. So the constant on the go up there was probably overwhelming.

I adore these babies. (and it's not that I favor Riley... it's that Asher was sleeping during the egg hunt on Easter.  I'll get some pictures when he wears (both of) his Easter outfit(s) again. Don't worry)

Eating an orange

Getting ready...

The egg hunt (yep, yours truly made the dress)

(totally not impressed)

Just Imagine

So on Riley's favorite show... Yo Gabba Gabba (don't even get me started of the level of obnoxious that show is, but whatev) they say, "close your eyes and imaaaaaaaaaaaaaaagine..." So if you tell Riley to imagine, this is what you get. So sweet and so hilarious.

lots of stuff.

I mean, how else can I title this? This one has recipes, links, updates, funny stories, and PICTURES!

First off... Neither of us felt like making dinner tonight, so pancakes it was. Except... we were out of pancake mix AND syrup. So I quick searched allrecipes.com and found 2 that I liked. They were SUPERB.  The syrup recipe, well I wouldn't use it if I wanted the "maple" syrup taste, but it was sweet and delicious. Pancakes... best ever. For real. No more pre-made mix for us. Plus it is cheaper. Who doesn't love cheaper???

Here are the recipes I used (I altered the originals)

• 2 C flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 eggs
• 2 1/4 cups buttermilk
• 4 tablespoons Smart Balance butter, melted

Mix together dry ingredients and then add eggs, buttermilk, and butter.  Batter should be lumpy and appear thick and bubbly. Pour in to skillet and cook! 

(adapted from THIS recipe)

Syrup... copied this almost exactly... except we didn't have maple flavoring, so I left it out. 

• 2 cups white sugar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1 cup water
• 1/2 teaspoon maple flavored extract
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

In a saucepan, combine the white sugar, brown sugar and water. Bring to a boil, and cook for about 3 minutes. Stir in the maple extract and vanilla, and remove form the heat. Let cool, and serve at room temperature. Store in a sealed container in the refrigerator. Be aware that it may crystallize a little if the container is not completely airtight.

 So next order of business. I got a new blog. I'm going to keep all of my craft and sewing stuff there. I have had a bunch of crafts lately and I don't want to bog down this site! So feel free to check it out! It's http://pleasecommitme.blogspot.com/ .  I also got a new logo for my ETSY shop.  So check that out. I've been working on getting stuff listed on there again, so that is part of why I have been absent. 


And next...
My grandfather died. It wasn't sudden, but it's still sad. I miss the fun we had when we were little kids... he was so much fun and absolutely loved everyone. Whoever he was with was the most important person in the world. He was suffering from an illness called Cerebral Ataxia. It is a terrible disease. His body was failing him, but his mind was fine. He was in constant pain. He had an amazing home health care provider who shared the Gospel with him often and my brother in law was able to lead him to Salvation. So, while I miss his presence on this earth... I'm rejoicing that he is no longer in pain and that he is worshiping God in heaven right now. 


And next.
This beautiful weather. I just cannot tell you how much I love it. We've had days in the 60's and 70's recently! WONDERFUL! We've been taking the kids outside a whole lot. That means tons of great pics! Riley LOVES being outside. I am pretty sure if we never forced the issue, she'd stay outside all day and night. Too bad this weekend is going to be gross and chilly. Guess I'll be forced to do some cleaning. UGH.

Oh Riley lies now. LIES.  Last weekend Ryan asked her to please come away from Asher's door b/c he was sleeping and he didn't want her to wake the baby up.  She looked at him and said, "mommy said I could!" I assure you, I never said such a thing. Never would I tell her that she could wake the baby up! She also told me Ryan smacked her legs. He did not. I'm not sure where she learned to lie. lol. Oh and everything "here-ts" lately.  She got a rug burn on her knee from throwing a temper tantrum and she keeps saying, "ohhh it here-ts" instead of "hurts". It's so cute. And bugs. Oh the bugs. She searches for them all over the house and outside. Lately every speck is a bug.  She "sees" a bug and then starts screaming and sometimes becomes hysterical. Sigh.

Asher boy. He was 7 months yesterday. When did he get so old? I need it to SLOW DOWN. On Monday we have his "6 month" well-baby visit.  However, I don't think she is going to find him to be "well".  I'm pretty sure she is going to find he has another ear infection. Classic signs today... fussy when laying down (happy when upright), not sleeping, not nursing (but will take the stinkin' bottle), and lots of congestion. I'm really over the ear infections. DONE!! We've started taking him to the chiropractor to see if that'll help. I figure it'll do nothing or it will help. We'll see.  He is rolling all around. Everywhere. In split seconds. He's going to be army crawling soon, too, I think. He is trying his hardest to move all around! I'm not ready!

And some pictures.

An evening outside (that's right... EVENING!!)

From earlier in the month when Ryan's family visited... chillin'

Playing outside...

I wonder if we'll ever get her to look at the camera again?

Always smiling!

St Patricks Day outside at my parents.

Worn out after a fun time playing with her friends Cole, Dean and Rosa.