Hi, all! I can’t believe it was July last time I posted. Audi and I were just talking about how I should set a day aside to write a new post so I’m posting every week. I think I’ll make it a weekend so Audi has to watch the kids while I do it. Ha! Anyway, Jayden, Josie and I just got back from their well-check appointments. They both are doing very well physically and developmentally. Jayden weighs 37 lbs. and is 41 3/4″ tall. Josie weighs 27 lbs. and is 31 3/4″ tall. Jayden is still in the 75 percentile in height and the 25 percentile in weight. He’s been that way since birth - long and lean - and the kid is STRONG! Josie is in the 75 percentile in height and in the 95 percentile in weight. Guess she’ll have something to be jealous of when they’re teenagers.

We’re starting to get some things done around the house. We frosted the clear glass in two matching flush mount light fixtures and put them up in the hallway. They look really nice. Audi’s a genius with a spray can. We’re planning the kid’s bathroom at the moment. It should be fun. New floor, new vanity and sink, new light fixture (maybe) and new mirror - plus paint. The budget is $500 so we’re slowly getting things one by one. Debt elimination is still the #1 goal.

Oh, last Tuesday my friend, Gwen, called me around dinner time to invite me to see WALL-E with her that night. So after dinner I gave the kids a bath and got ready to go. I put Josie to bed, and Audi and Jayden were watching Veggie Tales when Gwen came to pick me up at 9:30. It was great! She has a boy and a girl the same ages as Jayden and Josie so we have play dates with the kids, but it was nice to get out of the house and do something fun together. We got popcorn and soda and had the theatre all to ourselves since it was so late. We got to talk during previews and comment during the movie. It was awesome - the night out without kids and the movie as well.

One week until Jayden turns four! He’s very excited about his birthday and that Uncle Cory is going to be there along with all his friends, Landon, Seth (Gwen’s boy), and Morgan. No doubt I’ll be cleaning this week and giving Audi small projects to complete. He took off Jayden’s birthday so they can put up his birthday presents. I’m sure Jayden will show you when you walk through the door so you’ll see them soon!

Yesterday, we all went to the park nearby since there was a break in the heat. It was about 70 degrees and beautiful! Josie and I got to the park first. We took a stroller, and as soon as she saw the slide, her face lit up. I got her out the stroller, and she ran right up onto the small platform, climbed the stairs, and slid down the slide. She had gone down five times before Audi and Jayden caught up to us. Audi was following Jayden on his tricycle. He rode all the way to the park all by himself. Granted it’s only a half mile or so, but we were proud of him. Josie, being the fearless girl she is, followed Jayden up anything. She was climbing ladders six feet into the air and didn’t get scared until she was one step away from the platform! I told Audi I couldn’t take it. Every time either one was climbing my stomach got all queasy like I was swinging really high and about to get sick. It was horrible. Ha, ha.

Then some other kids came to play. Jayden found the boy closest to his age and said, “Hi, my name is Jayden. I’m the fastest boy.” Nice introduction, buddy. His name was Caden, and they had races for awhile. Caden was six and much braver than Jayden, although, I try to teach Jayden proper playground behavior (up the stairs, down the slide). Caden was climbing on the outside of the bars and on top of the enclosed slide ten feet in the air. Caden told Jayden to follow him, and Jayden stayed strong. He said, “No, I’m scared.” and went to play on some other part of the equipment. He’s so awesome.

This song is one of Jayden’s Top 5 requests. Notice his “ninja” attire (no shirt and pajama pants) along with his dramatic choreography. He’s quite a kid!

Enjoy!

So the big news for the week is that I chopped my hair off. I had something in mind when I went to see Jessica at Fiesta, but once I got there I said, “You have creative license to do what you like. I want something easy that I don’t have to mess with in the morning.” And, wha-la ~ a new hairstyle. The best way to describe it is “short” - think Natalie Portman pixie cut. I’m starting to love it, and Audi is starting to like it. It was quite a shock to see my short hair become very short.

Audi is completing his final projects because the term ends this week. He’s excited to have some time off from homework to do some things around the house. I’m excited too. We’d like to have some things ready for the cookout in August like our new mailbox and refinishing the deck. We’ll see how it goes.

It was a long night last night, but it seemed so short. I asked Brittany to come down and hang out since we hadn’t talked in awhile. (Plus, we were having hamburgers for dinner.) She was here until 4 a.m. - it was crazy. It’s so much fun having another sister. We can talk about literally anything. Time just flew by. It was 12:20 a.m. - Then I looked at the clock and it was 2 a.m. - Next time she looked at the clock it was 3:40 a.m. So, anyway, I’m a little tired today, but in a good mood. Jayden and Josie gave their stuffed animals a shower when I kinda dosed off on the couch this morning, and it didn’t even phase me. I didn’t get mad. We just cleaned it up. Jayden said, “We were taking a shower with the animals. We were having fun, Mama.” How do you reply to that? “I’m glad you were having fun, honey. Let’s clean it up now.” Hey ~ it’s only water, right? It’ll dry.

Let’s see…it’s been awhile so I’ll just give you the highlights of the week. Thursday we went to my parent’s house for a cookout. It was just the four of us, Mom and Dad, and Aubrey and Landon. The kids had a good time playing. We watched “The Bee Movie”, which had some funny parts and then Dad wanted to watch “Animal House”. Audi had never seen it before so he got a few laughs out of it.

Friday we just chilled out. It was nice not to have to go anywhere. Chad, our neighbor, gave us a fire cracker so we lit it just before dark. Jayden liked it. Josie did not. Then, Saturday, Audi and I were supposed to go out on a date, but Jayden was running a fever and had a major case of “I need Mommy.” His temperature was up to 101 degrees, and he HAD to sit on mommy’s lap. By the end of the day, I was cranky. Audi’s a big help when the kids are sick, and yet, he still got to take a nap that afternoon. He deserved it. He mowed the back yard and trimmed the trees back there as well. The landscaping is looking really nice. He also put my extra shelves up in the linen closets and let me have 20 minutes to put another coat of paint on Jayden’s bed frame. What a great husband!

Sunday, we chilled again and went to Tod’s for dinner. He and Pam leave for Hawaii next week so it was nice to see them before they left. Tod also showed us the listing for the house when they bought it 15 years ago. It was amazing to see how much the trees had grown in that time. I hope our trees in the back grow that fast. Of course we won’t be here 15 years, but they should grow a decent amount in only 5 years.

Monday, I cleaned the house and did a few loads of laundry. Ah, the exciting life of a stay-at-home-mom! I also finished trimming the back yard and bundled all the limbs so the city can take them away. Today, the plan is to play outside. We’ll probably go for a walk and might even get out the pop-up swimming pool. We’ll see what Jayden has planned for the rest of the day. He’s happily going through wedding pictures at the moment - picking out the ones he wants to put in “his” room. Sure, why not?

Well, July 1st Audi and I decided it was time for Jayden to get a summer haircut. We did it at home to save money. I set the bathroom up to look like “the haircutting place” as he calls it. We brought him in and said, “Welcome to the haircutting place. Jump in the seat there, buddy.” I clipped a Bengals towel around him and explained what we were going to do. He choose which color comb he wanted and did an awesome job sitting still while I trimmed his bangs. Then Audi took over with the buzzer and cut it the same way he cuts his hair. Jayden looks so much older with short hair. He looks six!

Yesterday, Jared a friend of Audi’s who lives here in Sidney called to say he had an extra scoop of mulch he would sell us for $20. Audi had to mow also so we had Jared bring it over. Josie wasn’t feeling well (I think she’s teething) and went to bed at 6:30 right after dinner. Then, Jayden was happy playing his “new” Buzz Lightyear 1st grade game. So with the kids occupied we thought we should mulch that night. At 8:00 Audi quickly mowed the front yard, and I came out to help get things started. We murdered trimmed the overgrown bushes, and, honestly, they look pretty darn good. Then we mulched and at 9:30 found that we still had enough to do the bed in the middle of the front yard. It’s a good thing we have a street lamp close to the house! We finished the front bed, cleaned up, and called it a night. It looks great!

Today, Jayden declared it “pajama day” and is still in his Blue’s Clues footie pj’s. We played this morning and just like his father sings to himself about whatever he is doing at the time. “I’m keeping on my pj’s, my pj’s, my pj’s, I’m keeping on my pj’s, all day long.” to the tune of “We’re following the leader” from Peter Pan. This morning he made up a song titled “Mommy’s from the Planet of the Toots.” Nice. So we popped in the Sandra Boynton CD of silly songs. Josie started dancing right away to “Cows,” and Jayden did the swing with me to “Philadelphia Chickens.” It’s been a good day.

Jayden drew you a picture for your birthday. Josie helped with her colored pencil. We hope you have a great day!

As requested by a “concerned observer” I finally have a moment to post what’s been going on the past few days.

Sunday the kids and I went to my grandparents house for a cookout. All the cousins (first cousins, second cousins, first cousins once removed, etc.) were there so I got to talk with grownups my age and the kids got to play with other kids their age. Jayden and Brandon (his second cousin once removed) were instant friends. Brandon is eight months older than Jayden, but you’d never know it. Kyle (another second cousin once removed) was there also and brought some of his toy cars along. Aubrey, my sister, got a some awesome video of the kids doing relay races in the backyard and a great photo shot of Landon, her son, Kyle, Jayden and Josie investigating an ant carrying food. We stayed later than I had planned so that they would fall asleep on the car ride home. It was a peaceful evening!

Monday, Grandma and Grandpa Scarpella called last minute to set up a dinner date at Bob Evans. It all worked out great so we got to eat dinner and chat with them for awhile, which was nice. Jayden ate all of his dinner (pancakes and sausage) and Josie had the best time drinking her milk from a cool, orange, bendy straw. She was just grinning the whole time. She also showed off her signing skills by asking for “more” and saying “please.” She also signed and spoke “all done” when she was ready to go. Afterward, she gave everyone hugs in the parking lot and tried to go home with Grandma and Grandpa. She’s so cute. Grandma got a few extra hugs with big squeezes then Josie went to our car and climbed into her car seat. She’s such a good helper.

The link above is to my new favorite song. I heard it on the radio a couple days ago. I just love it. It’s so cool. Although, I think only my mom and sister will truly appreciate it’s dance worthy quality. I’m always finding great “solo” songs. Now I know how my mom felt all those years. My last dance solo was to a song I discovered on the radio and “had” to dance to. It was “Brass in Pocket” by The Pretenders. “Baby, It’s You” came out in 1969 so I’m like 40 years behind. I think that’s so cool when I discover a “new” song that has been around forever - no offense to the over 40!

In other good news, the last payment went through on one of our credit cards, and we got to cross it off with bright red marker on our Debt Snowball list on the fridge. Yeah! We’ve done really well with our budget and have paid off over $6,000 in debt since starting our Total Money Makeover on January 1st, 2008. Not too shabby. Check out the link to Dave Ramsey if you’d like to see how we’re doing it.

We’re still in the process of getting my new blog running, but since it’s my birthday present from Audi, he thought it was fitting to have me write my actual first post today.

So…I’m really excited about sharing our everyday activities with all of you. Today the kids played with each other for almost an hour while I sat on the glider and read through 3/4th of “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.” It was … wait for it… legendary! I haven’t read a fiction book since, well, since Brittany bought me “Wicked” for my birthday last year.

In other excitement, Audi made me cupcakes. My favorite: yellow cake with chocolate icing and rainbow sprinkles. Yum!   Well, I’m off to watch a John Cusack movie. What a way to end a birthday!