Sickies

I have been sick the past 24 hours and not happy about it.  I usually push through the colds and the pains, but today, I have been feeling nauseous and just down right blah.  I haven't eaten anything in 24 hours, and if you know me, this comes as a shocker because I ALWAYS am eating, no matter how I am feeling.  But lately, the eating causes an awful twinge in my stomach which makes me not want to eat anything.  Hubby thinks the pain is coming from being so hungry my stomach doesn't know what to do with the food.  I disagree.  I am not feeling so well that I skipped eating at the cook-off we went to last night.  That's how I know I am not feeling well.  I hope that it goes away soon, but I think today is going to be a lazy day with the kids...

Tornado

That's my daughter.  I didn't know forgot a kid could be so destructive.  Its like every room I am picking up after her, she's in the next destroying it.  Oh, and her new thing is to close doors with her in the room.  Which means she is {not so}secretly behind doors destroying a room.  This usually occurs when I am in the shower or cooking dinner and at a point where I can't stop to chase her.  This makes it much worse!  My house is always a disaster and my sanity is dwindling.  I am praying that the week between Christmas and New Years will be my time to catch up.  Greg will be home, I will only have the boys one day.  All this being said, I can kick my loved ones out for a much needed R&R in cleaning!  :)

Give to Cliff *EDITED*

Want to give this holiday season but haven't thought of anything?  Check out my side bar and give to Cliff.  I want to adopt him.  Really, I do.  But Greg told me I need to get a hobby other than wanting to adopt babies. I will work on him.  But until I can get him to say yes, my hobby is to get my readers to give to Cliff.  Your money will go straight to his one day adoptive family.  To read more on this adorable baby, go here.
To learn more about Reece's Rainbow, the organization that helps raise money for babies like Cliff, go here.

* So Greg thinks my heart is way bigger than my head.  Which is SOOO true.  I am so adamant about adopting a special needs child.  I am not sure why, but God has laid that heavily on my heart.  I know that having a special needs child means you need to have the finances to support that child.  Greg, my "head", makes a good point in saying that he doesn't want to bring such a child into a home that can not guarantee financial stability for the things he/she needs.  So, its something I am going to pray about and until our time is right, pray that many people open up their hearts and give to Cliff and/or Reece's Rainbow.  Edit over. :)*

Sseko post

EDIT: I figured it out.  :)  But  watch the video!  :)


Is anyone having trouble seeing the photos I posted?!  I can't see them and I am not sure why.  :(  They seem to load just fine and when I preview they are there, but then when I actually post I can not see them.

If you can't, you can go here and see them all!  Oh and buy shoes.  Even if they aren't 27% off because they are THAT cute and a gift that gives back.

Oh and check out the video...

Dear Santa

Dear "Santa"(s),

I know I have been asking for a laptop for Christmas, but I think its a dire need now.  For quite sometime, I have not been able to use the actual keyboard because, silly me, I spilled piping hot lemon water on it.  So I have a keyboard plugged in.
Then, just recently, the screen wont stay up so I have to prop it on a pillow. Or against the ottoman while sitting on the floor.  Or lay on the couch and prop it on the arm of the couch.
Now, just in the last couple of DAYS, the plastic thingys (technical, I know) have popped off that hold the screen to the base and it makes for a wobbly screen. (As in, the screen can literally come OFF the base of the laptop.)

So with all of that said, I will stress again:  I really really REALLY want a new laptop and I feel that I have been rather good this year. ;0)

Love, like a lot,

Katie

Sseko

Beautiful shoes.

Beautiful cause.

Beautiful women.

Buy yourself a pair today...at 27% off!  :)  (Ends today.)

http://shop.ssekodesigns.com/

I cry

I cry at everything.  At TV shows.
At commercials that are gushy.
At blogs.  Definitely at blogs.
There are some posts that others write that I have to come back to because they are so hard to read.  I always have a Kleenex nearby so that I can wipe away the tears and blow my nose.

Today is no ordinary day.  Everyone is writing about Veteran's Day.  I don't cry at the thought of the day, but at the thought that SO many people have loved ones who have served or are serving today.  Jenny's blog really hit me today.  She is a wife of a military man.  And she painted a picture so perfectly for me of a life that I will never see.  But I felt it, for just one quick minute. I sorta saw her life. And I cried.
I cried because I loved how content she was.  I cried because not only is her husband, Travis, sacrificing, but so is she.  Not really sure why I felt the need to blog about her. And I know how random it might be.  But I want to say thank you to Jenny for being the wife of a veteran and for her husband who selflessly gave up a corporate job to protect me and my family and friends. And to their baby girl for giving up time with her Daddy so that he can serve.  She doesn't know the difference now, but she is much appreciated. I don't know this family personally, but started reading her blog after she shared her story about her daughter Bella on Jeannett's blog.

So thank you to all the men and women sacrificing their life for us so that we may be free.  And thank you to all the men and women out there who are supporting their wife, husband, significant other, daughter, son...you are just as amazing!  :)

Bites the dust

Well about 6 or so months ago, I spilled piping hot lemon water on my computer.  After that happened the keyboard froze up for about a week.  Then everything worked but the letter "k", the space bar and the return key.  Once that happened my dad gave us a keyboard to attach to the computer so that I could type normal again andnotlikethis.

Then just this week the screen no longer stays up unless I balance it, but it falls about every 5 minutes.  I have to hold it if I am watching HULU or balance it just right.

So here I am, putting it on my list to Santa, I would like a new computer.  It doesn't have to be fancy.  Just working. Well. No viruses.

I HAVE been a good girl this year.  Just don't ask my husband!  ;0)

Halloween: The Candy Edition

Halloween is one of my favorite holidays, by far.  Especially now that I have a little one to dress up for the occasion.
I love dressing up and trick or treating (I am forgetting all of the negative connections to Halloween), the fact that it is the beginning of the holiday season and of course, the CANDY!

When I was younger, I used to try to find good hiding spots so that my three other siblings couldn't eat all the good stuff. Sometimes I would even separate my candy in hopes to fool them. One thing I can successfully say about my brother is that when he is determined to find something, it will be found.  Especially if it is something that doesn't belong to him but he really REALLY wants!  :)

Back to the candy.  I could eat it day in and day out.  No issues.

Well, then I turned 25.  And had a baby.  And nothing melts off like it used to.  I swear.  I am eating rather healthy again (I went on a health food hiatus), but with all of the candy{wrappers}lying around my house, you wouldn't be able to tell.

Why is it that when you know you shouldn't have something, its all you think about and want?!

Its a good thing my Mommy group is donating it to the troops.  I can't get it out of my house fast enough! Shoot if I don't hand it off soon, I will be eating it out of my house!

With that said, I don't need any candy in my stocking for Christmas. Give it to Greg.  :)

What I will miss

I was reading Jeannett's blog (amazing, really!) and she was saying that the one bad thing about being a SAHM is that you don't get sick days.  SOO true.  You just can't call in sick.

Well, it got me thinking.  As I get ready to one day go back to work (hopefully), I wanted to know what I would miss.

The cuddles.  I would miss the cuddles.  Sam is the best cuddler around.  Sure, it might take her slapping me first, but I LOVE the cuddles. She is so sweet. She will nuzzle in the crook of my neck and just lay there.  Boy will I miss those.

 I will miss her crawling in my lap to just hang out with me.  I will miss the drive by kisses that she gives me.  For no reason.

I know I will still get them when I'm home, but now I get them all the time.  And I LOVE it!  :)

The temper tantrums someone else can deal with.  Can I just have the cuddles?!

Halloween

We had a wonderful time this year for Halloween!  I decided a while back that Samantha was going to be a cowgirl.  I like to plan ahead because I always have a specific costume in mind and I am not a big fan of the store bought ones (I know that time will come, but I like to not pay $40 for crap...) and I have to search high and low for exactly what I am looking for.

Here's the low down on her costume:

• boots: Target for $19.99. I bought them a size too big so she can grow into them!  :)
• hat: $1 Store so it was $1
• kerchief: Hobby Lobby for 0.99
• Shirt: purchase from Grandma Levine :)
• Jeans: already in her wardrobe.  

Greg and I acquired our costumes from his Mom and Dad.  Amazingly, they had all of that stuff lying around. I guess horseback riding comes in handy for your kids when they want to dress up as cowboys and cowgirls.

Finnegan's blanket is a horse blanket that Greg's parents had in their garage.  

We trick or treated at Greg's brother's house in Ballwin.  We had such a good time and Sam did wonderful with the thank yous and the hi's and sometimes with the trick or treats.  But man, if she was a pro at anything, it was taking the candy out of the bowl and putting it in her pumpkin.  She was born to trick or treat.  And her Daddy and I were born to eat her candy!  :)

I hope everyone had a wonderful and safe Halloween.  I am currently willing myself to not go to the pumpkin full of candy and eat a Snickers.  Or a Laffy Taffy.  Or a Tootsie Pop...

Finally Fall!

It finally feels like Fall here in St. Louis and it's a welcomed season in this home.  We love the changing of the leaves, the crisp air and the fires we get to light in our chiminea while sipping on some delicious wine!

With Fall also comes some other wonderful things:

• snotty noses.  More like constant running of the nose. Like a faucet. (okay maybe this isn't so wonderful...)
• layers.  We LOVE layers in this family.  Okay, I love layers!  :)
• flip flops with sweatshirts.  I am not sure why I love this so much, but it makes me happy.
• soups and stews.  It is the PERFECT weather to start the crock pot back up.  We are having stew for dinner tomorrow.  YUM!
• Halloween.  It is, for me, the beginning of the holiday season and I am SOOO excited for that season this year.  

I hope everyone has a very happy Halloween and there WILL be a post update sometime next week on that!

Hilarious.

Because we all know a Mom like this:

Weekend?! What Weekend?

Last weekend was such a blur.  Scratch that, the last four weekends were such a blur!  Lets go back two weekends ago.  Saturday we had a few visitors out to the house.  My Aunt Jo-Ann (Dad's sister) came in from D.C. for her Aunt's 80th birthday.  She was able to meet Samantha for the first time and it was great to catch up with her.  She made a valid point in saying that although she had never officially met Sam before that day, she felt like she knew her and what she had been up to because of Facebook.  So true.  Facebook has been wonderful in keeping in touch with family members who do not live in St. Louis.  And shoot, its been wonderful for those family members who do and don't get to see her everyday!  :)

So anyway, onto Saturday afternoon.  I know I have mentioned it before, but I belong to a forum full of wonderful Mommies in the St. Louis area.  We had our Fall Fest and it was fabulous!  Thanks to the wonderful Elizabeth, we had lots of room to run around, paint pumpkins, win enter in a chili cookoff, jump on the trampoline, swing on the swing (which we did for quite some time) and eat eat eat!!!  I can't remember the total anymore, but here is the bunch (excluding the Dads who took the pictures.  At least they are good for somethin'!):

Sunday we headed out to Greg's parents' to help prepare for Carl and Cassie's wedding celebration.  We then headed back to my parents' house to have dinner with them and my Grandparents.  Always a good time and I love letting my grandparents' soak up time with Samantha.  They just adore her and lately, she them!  :)

The week started...the week ended...

This past weekend I had a bachelorette party on Saturday.  We started at the wineries and had a blast.  We rode there in style in a bright yellow school bus.  It was rather nostalgic, minus the part that we were headed to the wineries.  I guess I did go to Ste. Genevieve one year for school.  It was for French class so I guess it still doesn't count.  Oh well!

What was supposed to be about 8-10 hours of a party turned into 16.  Yes that's right.  This Momma partied like she was back in college.  I did acquire the nickname from my MIL in college of "Party Girl".  I am not quite sure where it came from, but I assume it was from the first Berger Christmas Party that I attended and fell into the Christmas tree.  That was after "one glass of Bailey's", right Dad?!

  :)  Anyhoo, that is for another time, after a few cocktails.   So I was without my husband and daughter from 9 am until 2 am the next day.  I hate to say it, but GLORIOUS!  I think I would miss them more, buuuuuuut I needed that night out!  

It was also a really good bonding day for Sam and Greg.  She pooped, took off her diaper and spread it all over her bed while "napping".  Such a good little girl!  :)

Sunday we headed back out to Greg's parents' house to do the same ol' thing!  :)

we danced on the way:

We played in the leaves:

We had a grand ol' time!

Now this weekend starts our 3 weekends full of weddings!  I am rather excited about the one this weekend as it is SURE to be a good time!  Update possibly later...probably in about 3 weeks!  ;0)

Food Poisoning

I am pretty sure I have it.  This morning around 1:30, I woke up to MAJOR stomach cramps.  I mean so crampy I thought that I had done 1000 situps or something.  So crampy that my back ached from neck to rear.  So crampy that I had to go sleep on the couch and every once in a while hug my porcelain pillow.  I have never had food poisoning before, so I wasn't sure that's what it was, but after reading symptoms and what causes it, I am pretty certain.
Last night I made these sandwiches for the second time this weekend. (So not good for you but SOSOO YUMMY!)  We didn't have enough of the newer turkey so I ate some of the older turkey(open about 2 weeks, but it smelled fine and and still had a couple of weeks until expiring). Little did I know it was no longer good.  Apparently, Listeria is a bacteria that causes food poisoning.  It is also found in some pre packaged meats like lunch meat.  Like the lunch meat I had last night.  Oy.
I am still feeling a tad bit queasy and the kids and I are taking it rather easy.  Here's hoping its done by nap time because I have TONS of cleaning to do!!

SAHM Playdate

This past Tuesday I hosted a playdate with some StLouisMommies and it was a blast!  Here are some pictures for you to enjoy!!

Bean and Vaeh playing in the sandbox.

More sandbox fun!

Playing with Finnegan. This was just as much of a playdate for him as it was for the kiddos and mommas!

Hanging out, chatting, playing!!

Please excuse the lack of lawncare.  We've been so busy on the weekends that its been rather neglected!  But after three hours outside today, its as beautiful as ever!  :)

Samantha Stats

Samantha weighs a WHOPPING 20 pounds and 2 ounces.  :)  She is 32 1/2 inches long.  According to the charts, she is in the 10th percentile in weight and in the 90th for height.   Doc said she is going to be long and lean.  Most likely she will turn out like her Aunt Angie Berger.  Other than that she is a healthy pup.  She's movin' and groovin' like she should and the Dr. said she makes the funniest faces...which she does!!  :)

Enjoy your Thursday!  Its gorgeous in our neck of the woods.  Hope you're enjoying it as much as the kiddos and I have been!!!

Potty Training Two

Do you know how hard it is to stay on top of potty training TWO children?!  VERY, in case you were wondering.
We are slowly working on it.  I am not as motivated this week as I was last week and Sam has begun to tell me "no" when I say "let's go to the potty".  Awesome.  She must love this process as much as me!  :)

In other news, I had a playdate at my house yesterday.  15 Mommas and 18 kiddos!  Now that is a good playdate! (We missed you, Elizabeth!)  :)  We mainly just hung outside and snacked.  It was good to get a little adult time and I loved hosting it.  My goal for next time is to do more activities with the kids and possibly cut the grass before hand!  :)

That's all here in Berger Land!  Samantha goes to the doctor this afternoon so I hope to post later tonight or tomorrow about that!  My guess is she weighs 22 pounds.  I have no idea about length.  All I know is that she is a petite little bugger!

Potty training joys

One of the tricks of potty training is catching your child in the act and running them to the toilet so that they can associate the act with the toilet.

Greg did just that today:

Greg: "Are you pooping?"
Sam: "Yea."
Greg: "Quick, let's go potty!!"
Runs Sam to the toilet.
Greg: "OHHHH. YUCK!!!  GROSS!!"
I come down the stairs from sleeping in...

Me: "What happened?"
Greg: "She pooped already and I thought I was catching her before she was pooping so I threw off the diaper and a terd rolled out, onto my leg and then the floor."

Me: All smiles because this time, it wasn't me!!  :)

Potty Training Week: 1

I decided blindly to start potty training Samantha. I kind of figured it was time to at least have her understand the concept of sitting on the potty and "pushing" out her pee.  The whole attempt to push out process is rather cute, might I add.  She sits on her potty and I tell her to push it out and she grunts so adorably!  :)
Anyway, so far we have not been successful in actually peeing in the potty, but in 5 days she has figured out when she is going in her diaper. When she is wet or poopie or in the process, she is begins to waddle like a duck or like she just got off a horse after being on it for 48 hours straight.  And today, I caught her squatting like she was sitting on a pretend toilet while we were outside.
The most difficult thing about this is that when I go to grab her to put her on the toilet, she doesn't stop doing the duty so we always miss it by seconds.
I do think that this was a good step to take and I really am praying that in 6 months we have it down pat.  We are learning the sign for potty and she already has that down.  We are getting closer and closer by the day!  :)
Here's to week 2!

I hope everyone has a great weekend!!!

Matron of Honor

I get the pleasure of being in this girl's wedding and I couldn't be more excited about it!!!

Here's hoping for quick winter and spring because I can't wait to celebrate THIS wedding!!!

Congratulations, Bestie!  Its going be FABULOUS!!!

STL Kid City Expo

If you are in the St. Louis area this Saturday, you should come check this out at the Science Center.  The mommy forum that I am a part of, stlouismommies.com, will have a booth there promoting the group and we will have a fun activity for the kids to do!  So, come check us out!!!

http://www.stlkidcity.com/index.htm

A bunch of randoms

I am a bad mother and haven't taken Samantha to her 15 month appt yet.  In fact, I just scheduled it last week for next week, and she will be 16 1/2 months then.  Whoops.  But when we go, I promise to do an update on her actual stats.
Life just seems to get busier as she gets older.  Its not nearly as easy to load her in the car and tote her along.  I actually have to work around nap time (which, by the way, is 4 hours smack in the middle of the day), lunch time, snack time and the like.  My daughter is such a grazer.  She likes to eat only a little bit but likes it ever 2 hours or so.  It gets rather exhausting to put her in and out of that high chair and more importantly, to actually have to THINK about what to give her.  I get so tried of giving her the same thing, but my creative outlet is pretty dry.
     In other news, we are potty training. I am just starting. I am going to start loading her and Ben up with liquids and then take them to the bathroom every 1 1/2 - 2 hours.  We will see how that goes.  I know that Samantha likes to sit on the potty and Ben has been showing true signs of knowing that he has to go, so its worth a shot.  It could be a long process, but I am telling myself I am up for the challenge!
     I am still in search of a job.  As much as I love love love staying home with Samantha, and really dread about the thought of going back to work, I think that we BOTH need separation from each other.  It would do us both some good. I might be able to gain my sanity back, and maybe it will help with her whining.
     Have I told you my daughter is a whiner?!  Welp, she is.  Its exhausting.  I keep saying that I can't wait until her verbal skills are stellar because I just can't take it some days.  She is adorable, beautiful, so much fun to be around, but when the whining and the temper tantrums (oh!! the temper tantrums) start to erupt, my patience dwindles.  I never knew a child could whine and tantrum so well, but I'm telling you, if there was a competition, there would be no question who would win.  And this is nothing to be proud of.  Greg and I are really working with her.  A lot of the time its out of frustration that she can't communicate with us or can't get something to go her way (usually a toy).  Greg and I are really working on her with patience and telling us that she needs our help (with sign language, which has been a true lifesaver in our house).  Greg seems to get through to her a lot better, but I think the change in scenery for her helps.  We are hoping to nip this in the butt pretty quickly.

Random post.  I don't have much in the way of new pictures.  They are all up on Facebook.  :)

I will try not to be so sporadic!  Life just seems pretty busy with 3 kiddos all day and hubby time at night.  And the weekends, oh my, have been OUTRAGEOUSLY busy.  I'd like to say October is better, but its not!  :)  Until next time!!

Reflections of Motherhood.

What an awesome reminder for those times that you think you just can't!  

Washer and Dryer

How often do you clean the outside of your washer and dryer and the inside of your washer?

Me?  I rarely ever do.  But since I've been cloth diapering its been kind of an obsessive thing.  There is something about washing poopie diapers in the same washer that I wash my towels and underwear in.  That being said, I try to wash the inside once a week.  But to be honest, its once a month at best.

So I ask you again, how often do you clean your washer and dryer?!

Ohio Bound

We are headed to Ohio tomorrow morning and I couldn't be more excited!  I am so excited for my grand parents to have one on one with Samantha.  She's gonna love it and so are they!  For this adventure, we will be turning Sam around to forward facing for the first time. (Gasp!)  I have been pretty against this because of the accident we were in on Christmas last year.  Kids are just SO much safer rear facing and Sam is so little that it made me feel a little better about it.

Why turn her around then?  Because we need this 7-8 hour drive to be exciting and new and not so awful, so this is how we are doing it!  That and some new toys!

Here's hoping that the slight fever and stuff nose she has acquired doesn't make her SUPER crabby!  :0/

I hope everyone has a fabulous Labor Day!  Its supposed to be beautiful in STL and Columbus!  ENJOY!!!

Power Balance Band

I had never heard of it until going to Chicago.  We were in the expo that they held, and well, to be honest, I fall for everything. I mean EVERYTHING I see on info-mercials.  

I didn't even find this first.  Greg and some others did.  he found me and whether its psychological or not, its amazing.  I can't describe it, but its awesome.  The test that was done was incredible.  

I can't figure out how to upload this video, but check it out.  It doesn't even do it justice.  But its amazing.  I will say it again.  Amazing.  Go get one.  :)

Oh, and like I said, even if it is psychological, its doing something, right?!  Changing the way you think, feel and act.  Just a thought!

Tri Athlete

Not me, of course!  But my amazing husband!

Words can not describe how proud I am of him.  This has been a goal of his for the last couple of years and he has finally accomplished it.  He kept saying that he only wanted to do one once, and not again.  But I seemed to know better.  Once we got to Chicago and saw the vibe, I knew this would be one of many.  He seems rather disappointed with his outcome, but in my opinion, the man finished it.  :)  He can only go up from here! (Pending any disasters like a flat tire!)

I think on race day I was more nervous than he was.  Neither of us got any sleep the night before and I was constantly on top of what time it was so he wouldn't miss the start of his heat. (8:56am)

We stayed with a couple of friends who live in Chicago, but the remainder of the group stayed at the Hilton on Michigan Ave.  We had a couple of friends who had done a tri before, so they decided that we needed to be at the transition station at 4:15 am.  Which for us meant we had to be up by 3:00 and out by 3:30 at the latest.  Boy was that EARLY!  Totally worth it though.  It was so cool to see the mass amounts of people who decided to accomplish this feat.  I have never seen so many walks of life in one area to all do the same sporting event.  So cool.

We went back to the hotel in between transition set up and racing to get some shut eye and eat some breakfast.  Like I said before, I was so anxious about Greg getting to the start line in time that I didn't sleep.  I tried to keep my anxiety to a minimum in an effort to not stress him out, and I hope I accomplished that.  About and hour before his start, we headed down. it was incredible.  We met up with our friends and got ready.  We wrote on their swim caps so that we could attempt to see them when they were in the water.  On the lighter caps, it worked, but we had to work a little harder with the darker colored ones.  I was able to learn the ropes of being a spectator with two fabulous women who also had their men in the triathlon too.  We hung out until the very end.

Enjoy the pictures.  I didn't get any of the bike because they biked on North Shore Drive with them in one lane and the cars in the other.  I got distracted/blocked by the cars so I couldn't always see them!  We saw two of the guys, but I didn't have my camera by my eye so I missed them!  :(

About to start the swim.

 Just keep swimming, swimming, swimming. :)

I almost missed him. Our friend Stephanie was right in front of him and I DID miss her!  I was too busy talking to the woman next to me!  ;0)  Figures.

DONE!

Anti co-sleeping

This past weekend we spent the night at Greg's parents' house to watch their dogs since they were out of town.

Sam's crib is in Greg's sister's room, which is where we decided to sleep.  Well Sam decided to wake up right before we decided to go to sleep.  We let her cry herself back to sleep, went in and she woke up again.  Refusing to go back down, we put her in the bed with us.  While she was quiet, she sure as HECK did not lay still.  She wiggled and wormed until 2:15 in the morning.  This is when we decided to change her diaper, give her some tylenol (she does have 2 teeth coming through) and stick her back in her crib.  She was quiet so we left and slept downstairs.  It was so sweet of Samantha to sleep in until 10, but I would have rather gone to sleep at 11 like we planned and gotten to sleep in.

Oh well.  I now know that all those times I wished she could sleep with us because I'd love to cuddle just isn't worth it!  :)

A little late...

If it weren't for my adoring Dad, I would never update this blog!  Its Friday (Thank goodness), but I am here to update about the previous weekend.  Better late than never, I say (or do they?).

Last weekend was yet another eventful one for our family.  I had a wine and cheese party on Friday night with the girls and Greg stayed home with Sam.  Saturday we all headed in our own directions.  Samantha got to spend the night with Grandpa and Grandma Levine, Greg went out with friends, and I went to a bachelorette party.

I can't speak for the other two (although according to G&G Levine, Sam had a GREAT time), but staying out past 11 is one of the hardest things I have had to do!  :)
I did have a great time though.  We played it up big.  We were in the CWE the whole time and its been a couple of years since I've been out down there.  I actually think since my 24th birthday...

Good times at Mandarin

I have no pictures of the night since my smaller camera is filled with my parents trip to San Fran, but we did have a blast.  The bachelorette was happy and had a great time so that's all that matters!  I didn't get home until after 2 in the morning (whoa!).  Lucky for us, Sam was not home so Greg and I slept in until 10.  Its a luxury that we don't get often and it was FABULOUS!

Sunday we went out to eat at Steak n Shake (mmmmmm...) with Devin and Jill and then headed to my parents to do some swimming with Samantha!  That little girl is going to be swimming on her own by next summer.  She's got the kicking down and is slowly figuring out how to blow bubbles!  :)  Such a fish!

This week has FLOWN by and I can't wait for next week!  I don't have the boys and so Sam and I are going to live it up!  We will be headed to Elizabeth's for some time at the farm, we will do lunch with Grandma Berger and her riding friends, swimming at Grandma and Grandpa Fleischmann's (and Dad, tell Mom that we will probably come there too, after it opens) and whatever else the week brings!!

Friday Greg and I will be headed to Chicago for his first full triathlon and Sammie will be with G&G Levine again!  I KNOW I will have posts about this upcoming week as well as next weekend!

Stay tuned!!!

Picture Post

Here ya go!

Sam's new thing is to wear two different types of shoes on her feet.

The next few (including the playground ones) are from a trip to Castlewood Park.

We almost NEVER leave the pup at home.

The playground was Sam's treat for being so good in the carrier. 

I have yet to instill "Up the stairs, down the slide".

All by herself.  She's a pro at this!

This is what we do when we are bored.  Its awesome...for her.

She can be so awful sometimes and then I see this and I think "my angel"!!

Blue eyes.

Weekend Fun

Greg and I got to enjoy a relaxing weekend on the beautiful Meremac River with some of his co-workers.  Now, if you're from STL, and are thinking of the Meremac in and around STL, don't.  Its not that part of the river.  That part is scary gross.  We went to Steeleville which is about 1 1/2 hours away.  I never got to do any of this as a kid, and I plan to bring Sam up doing the whole camping/floating extravaganza.  In fact, we are seriously considering taking her camping this fall.  We will wait on the float part for a tad bit longer!  :)
We arrived at the campsite (The Rafting Company) around 10 and set up camp.  We boarded the bus to take us up river so that we could float down and end at our campsite around noon.  We had our coolers stocked with beer, water, fruity pants drinks and our dry bags filled with sunscreen, lunch and delicious snacks!  :)  And boy, oh boy was I ready to dive in to drink and eat!  Nothing, and I mean NOTHING, beats a king of the hill from Schnucks and some original pringles when on a float.  From the beginning of my floating time, this has been our meal.  Add a delicious bud light to the mix and I am set!  :)

We have been introduced to the most awesome-est drink ever.  The John Daly.  Would you like the recipe?  I bet you would!

1 bottle (750 ml) of sweet tea vodka
2 cans of concentrated lemonade (you could buy 2 pre made lemonades, but its expensive that way)
a rather large pitcher :)

Mix, chill and drink!  It tastes so yummy and is my favorite fruity pants drink ever!

We ended the float around 7 and cleaned up (a shower after a float is fabulous, in case you were wondering).   Hotdogs, brats and hamburgers were on the menu and of course s'mores.  If you know me, you should know that s'mores are my all time favorite treat.  I could/do have them over the fire or in the microwave any day of the week.  :)  Nothing beats a perfectly toasted marshmallow, mixed with melty chocolate and delicious grahams. And when you buy it all at Aldi's, its a steal!

Everything that happened in between the written story is left up to your imagination but let it be said that everyone behaved and no one got sick.  A truly successful float trip, indeed!

Samantha was able to spend the weekend with Grandma and Grandpa Berger.  We were told that she enjoyed playing with the hose (surprise surprise) and was stopped in her tracks when it turned into ice cold water!  :)  She also got to see Great Grandma and Grandpa Fleischmann and fell asleep kicking the wall next to Grandpa.  Crazy girl.

Over all it was a good weekend and I can't wait for the next opportunity to camp again!

I will post pictures of Samantha soon.  Promise!

Writer's Block

Its what I've got.  Maybe after a weekend on the river (WOO HOO!) I will be refreshed and have something to write about!  :)

Everyone have a fabulous weekend.  Its gonna be pretty nice here in the Lou.  But I wouldn't know, cause I'll be on the river...not in the Lou.

PEACE!

Samantha Update

Sam is a learning machine.  I think she does something new every day.

Most recently she has begun to talk "jargon talk".  She has serious conversations with you and expects answers. When you respond, she'll do "I don't know" (something that is somewhat new) or just say "yea".  Its pretty hilarious.

I have also been teaching Sam to wink.  Its my new favorite :)  I will wink at her and she will concentrate really hard, open her mouth (mimicking me) and shut both eyes.  Eh, its a start!

She is learning sign language like a champ.  She learns something new everyday.  It is so easy for her to pick up; it amazes me!

She is going down the stairs both forwards and backwards.  In fact, I caught her going down the stairs forwards by herself and oh boy, did she get into trouble!!!  She knows that it is only a skill she does holding on to Mom and Dad's hands.  There is a spot on our stairs where it curves and there is no railing.

She has started to try to put her own shoes on.  Its pretty cute to watch, even when she gets frustrated.

She likes to help me "cook".  I put a bowl and spoon down on her level with goodies in it and she stirs it and usually eats whats in the bowl.  We call it "testing" to make sure that it tastes JUUUUUUST right!

She LOVES to brush her teeth.  And she is so good about giving the toothbrush back when she is done.  (It was a struggle at first.)

She still loves to swim.  She practices her swimming the the tub too.

That's all I can think of right now.  :)  I can't believe how big our baby is getting.  She is becoming a toddler more and more every day.

Greg said it perfectly the other day.  We were talking about how big she is getting and he said "I can't believe it.  Our daughter is becoming a little person!!"  For reals.  A little person.  Gosh that was fast!

Worries

Things I used to worry/think about:

• How does my hair look?
• Did I remember to put on make up?
• Does this outfit make me look fat/flabby/short(ha!)/lean?
• Will I make it to bed by 10 tonight?
• If I eat this, does that mean an extra 20 minutes on cardio?
• What should I do with my night free?
• What should we do this weekend?
• Should I go out to dinner and then drinks or just drinks?

Things I worry/think about now:

• Does my hair look greasy since I have not showered in a couple of days?
• Did I wash my face? Brush my teeth? Put on deodorant?
• Should I wear scrubs or actual clothes today/
• Did I stay up til 10 last night?
• If I eat this, will I still be hungry afterwards?
• I'm going to sleep with my free night.
• Do we get to relax this weekend?
• Do we have $$ for a dinner out?  

Oh the changes that happen with a husband and a child!  :)

(granted some of these have improved over time, but only a little! ;0)  )

Weekend Wrap Up

There are some weekends that don't feel like weekends at all, but rather just a part of the work week.  This usually occurs when I have Sam to myself for the weekend; when Greg is busy with other things that keep him away.

This weekend was one of those weekends.

I had Friday off because the boys' grandparents were in town and wanted to spend some quality time with them.  Sam and I went to Creve Coeur Park with some SLM mommies and had a splendid time.  My daughter is NOT afraid of water squirting out of the ground or jungle gyms or jungle gyms when wet.  She has no fear.  And while I totally appreciate this, sometimes I wish she just didn't want to climb while wet!  We came home, napped until 5 and then hung out.  Daddy had a fun event at work and then a very important happy hour (for reals.).

Saturday Daddy had to move Aunt Angie back to STL from Columbia so he was gone that day.  Sam took her nice 2 hour nap and I cleaned all the floors.  They were DIS.GUST.ING!  I can't believe I let the wood floors get like that.  I guess its because since you couldn't see the dirt, I didn't care as much.  But the feeling on my bare feet when they were clean is indescribable.  :)
We then headed to a "messy" playdate where the kiddos had the opportunity to paint with colored ice cubes, play in oatmeal, finger paint with pudding and marshmallows and cut out jell-o shapes.  My daughter felt the need to EAT all of these things.

(All pictures courtesy of Andrea Rudolph)

That being said, while on the way home Sam was a tad more fussy than usual.  I thought it was because the sun was in her eyes, but no...it was because she was about to get sick.
She whined for a while and then got rather quiet.  I assumed she passed out.  Not more than 30 seconds later I heard the sounds of up chuck.  Awesome.  We christened our new car seat!
I had to get off the highway and clean as much up as possible because the car was beginning to smell rancid.  I pulled over the first place I could find to stop...and where was this you ask?  Ahhh, Plaza Frontenac.

Yes.  I pulled into Plaza Frontenac to clean the puke off my daughter while a nice little family walked up: Mom dressed in a white dress and pearls and heels, Dad in a polo and khakis and loafers and Son in the same outfit as Dad but with a sweater tied around his neck (WTF?!?!? Who the hell does this anymore?!  Oh yea, people who live in Ladue...whatev).

Anywho, thanks to Sara I had paper towels to clean up the puke, and they held up pretty well!!!

We got home just to clean ourselves up again to turn back around and head out to West Co.  where Sam was dropped off and Grandma and Grandpa's and Greg and I headed to a going away party :(  Sad night for us.  But we are excited for Paul and his adventures in Chicago!

Sunday we were honored to be the God Parents of Eric and celebrated with family and friends of Eric's afterwards.  We then dropped Sam off at Grandma and Grandpa's* AGAIN so that we could see Inception (GREAT movie, btw).  AMC was having $1 soda and popcorn any size yesterday, so we just had to use it!

I bought a medium of each and barely made a dent in either.  I can't believe people eat all of that stuff in one sitting.  Ew.

We picked Sam up, came home, put her to bed and sat on the couch wondering where our weekend went...

I can't believe its Monday, but I will spend the day enjoying the peace (well as much peace that comes with 3 kiddos...).

Hope you had a fantastic weekend!!!

*Thanks to my Mom and Dad who make it easy for us to "have a life".  We couldn't do what we do without you!!!!

"Circle Time" Enforced

Samantha and Ben are definitely at the age where I can keep their attention span for 5 minutes.

That being said, I have started "Circle Time" at my house.  More like a triangle, but you get the idea!

We sit down, sing a good morning song, along with other songs, and learn sign language and have just started counting.  We also go over body parts as well as read books.

I have done circle time with 2 year olds and up, but never with the 1-2 age group.  So, I am asking for a little help.  If you have any other ideas that can be taught to this age group in the span of 5 minutes, I would greatly appreciate it.

Also, I really want to start art time, so if you have any ideas that would be fun, I am all ears!  We have done coloring with Crayons, but that gets rather boring.  I have vanilla pudding that I will add food coloring so that we can finger paint with that, but I am out of safe, edible ideas after that.  (Sam and Ben both still put EVERYTHING into their mouths.)

Thanks in advance!  :)

Picture Post.

Here are many pictures that have yet to be posted!  :)

                                                               Petting the goats at Grant's Farm

Feeding the goats

Riding the Carousel

Crazy Chicken

Paying no attention to the pony behind them (with Ben)

Playing with the balloon ball while Daddy enjoys a free beer!

Petting the baby Clydesdale

First time eating applesauce by herself.

First time in the sprinkler (with Ben)

Hanging with Daisey the Duck

Walk in Tower Grove Park

Feeding some duckies (but not Daisey)

Best buddies.