ice, ice, baby....

We have no p'wr, folks. The lovely invention of electricity left us around 6something a.m. yesterday, due to some icey tree branches & downed wires. (actually it blinked off & on during the night, which woke me up several times...so, i woke B. up one of those times...he is still making fun of me for waking him.)
Any-who, we are staying with our friends, the Grahams, for a few days (?) 'til all repairs are made. The yucky part of all this is that we are suppose to be leaving for AL early Mon. morning (early train to Chicago, then flying to D.C. & on to the Rocket City). I am not looking forward to doing laundry elsewhere & possibly packing in the cold (when b. went back home to look for some things this morning, it was 46 in our house!).
We actually stayed home yesterday while B. went to the office to turn in grades & finish up some end of the semester stuff. I bundled both kids & put them down for nap (I knew L. would be too excited to sleep at Zach & Andrew's house :). I stayed awake & read (with quilts around me) until my hands hurt so badly that I called B. & told him to come get us & take us to warmth! I think it was 54 or so, in the house, when we finally left.
So, if we make it down to Alabama (prayers, please), I will not want to leave! Give me humidity, sweet tea, football as religion, accents, & palms with pines any day. I'll take the South, please...y'all. :)

He comes bearing gifts...

L-town came home from pre-school Tues with a little bag (that he had drawn a pic of "langston" on) & a book from his teachers. He then proceeded to talk about his 'tivity & pretend to be the "wise men" bearing gifts. The following is what I overheard, "Hi, baby Jesus. I've got some money for you!" In a different voice, "And I've got the frankenstien." And an altered version of the second voice, "I've got the...muuuurh." :) **See the objects on the blue table for our half-homemade version of a Nativity. And yes, mom, I trimmed his bangs yesterday. He did look like a sheep dog.

*8* is Great!

My sweet gal is eight big months old! Time is flying by. Her nicknames now include: Happy, Little Fat Pants, Zora Ray or Pappaw (bc she looks so much like my Pappaw, Billy Ray ;), Z-ford, and (of course) Zee. She is scooting & spinning all over. She stays on her belly & pushes around. The "all fours" postion might happen for a second, but she doesn't understand how to move from there. She "talks" to us & wants to play whatever big brother is playing. She wants to see & do whatever we see & do, so she loves to be held. Sleep is a struggle right now. Ever since her teeth-cold few weeks, she's not wanted to sleep by herself at night. I can get her down for a couple of naps during the day, but at night she only wants to sleep with me. Urg. Well, no matter what, it's better than Langston 1.0. Hooray for Lil' Fat Pants!

Brrrr....snow.

It's funny how we Southerners--Barclay & I--used to get excited about the snow. Now I think, "Ack! Snow. Messy floors, lots of clothes (=lots of mopping & laundry)." I'm happy that the kiddies like it. :) (Well, Langston likes it. This was Zora's first real snow. She was curious, but not very mobile.) These are from a week or two ago when it was snowy, but still "warm" (20-30s). At this moment it's icey + snowy & feels like 10-15 below. Not play-able.

While I'm posting on this topic, I would like to say that kids in IL play outside unless it's below 22 degrees. (Yea, all you in FL & AL are shivering, right?) I was the crazy mom who thought they would certainly be running around the gym on those chilly days, but then I picked L. up at preschool (he goes 2 mornings a week) & he said that he "cried...kind-of whined a little" at school. I asked why & he said that he was COLD! I got the whole story & found out that he had borrowed some school mittens, but the his jacket wasn't warm enough! (Of course I had been sending him in a lined denim jacket & long sleeve tee & undershirt with jeans or khakis...for the classroom.) I felt horrible! My poor baby had been playing out in the cold! Anyway, I immediately went to our local kid's consignment shop (where I trade things all the time...I've only actually used cash twice in the past 6-8 months) & picked up 2 snowsuits (1 for home, 1 for school). Now he has 2 warm coats, snowsuits, mittens, hats...like he needs those with all that hair! Anyway, he's set. I apologized to the teachers. I felt like a mom that the other moms talk about for not taking care of her kids. :( **Sidenote: babies in the "infant room" at L's school go out to "play" unless it's less than 32 degrees (!) I can tell you that Z. didn't do much in the snow, so that seems wierd, too.

After only 4 years...

he sleeps. Langston really wants me to post this to let everyone know that he can "put himself to bed" now that he's 4. We do the same routine, only he listens to a "story on tape," (instead of mommy's stories) which he turns on by himself. He can also turn his nightlight on & bedside light off. Big boy. And it only took 4 years. (Mel, I know you are laughing. Some of us don't get those Daisy Joy sleepers...no matter our prayers.) :)

please, please...

Please do not listen for my horrible, tone deaf singing in any of the videos. Sorry it's even on there. You know...the things a mom does for love. (I also sneezed & prayed not to pee myself today...that's another one of those things. :)

Happy Birthday Par-tay (s)

Langston felt the love over the course of his "birthday week." He had a school b'day party on the day of his birth (more like singing & snacks with party hats & family there...but that was enough for him). Langston & Lexi's birthdays are only 2 days apart, so I took a pic of the b'day kiddies.Then, that evening, we went back to school for a "teddy bear tea." It was a cute idea. The kids brought their fav stuffed animal (L-town brought Albert Gator...of course!) & got "prizes" for oldest teddy or animal, etc. We had already been forewarned that the pukes were going around, so I was not feeling great about being at school more than the regular hours...or even the regular hours, for that matter. But, it was a party on his day, so...we attended. Until some kid barfed all over his mama, himself, the floor,...then I said to L, "Well, it's time for us to go anyway." My friends Erin & Shelia laughed at us as B. & I hustled the kids out the door. I shouted, "C Ya!" And we were off to sanitize ourselves & the kiddies before heading out to the restaurant of Langston's choosing, "The Spaz," as we call it.
He ordered off the adult menu, as usual...unless my mother-in-law is there to recommend the hotdog...thanks, Donna!:) He had some spicy pasta dish with meat (which we don't do at home, but allow on special occasions), salad, a delish cheesecake via the cheesecake factory & a small bit of decaf with cream. (Yea, he's really 4-0.) We sang to him (again) & opened grandparent gifts as soon as we got home.
Then on Saturday morning...around 9ish, we drove an hour to "Going Bonkers" (kind-of like a clean, more airy, much better Chuck E. Cheese). There, we played 'til the kids were falling out grumpy. :) Then, L. & Z. napped on the way back home. We arrived home, grabbed snacks & such & headed over to Ralph & Joanna's (AU fans)for some football action. :) The Roberts family (fellow gators) joined us & we had a Florida Gators bash. The day didn't end until 8:30ish, so we were all worn out from a almost 12-hour-happy day of festivities & a big Gator win. I think L. had a wonderful, super-duper birthday week. (I know it looks like L. is angry in some of the 'Bonkers pix, but really he's totally worn out. :)

Wood you?

I've been asked about my hard wood floor cleaning technique & supplies (no chemicals, but weekly sanitizing). So, here's my recipe.

1 capful of Murphy's Oil Soap (Veggie based)
about 1/4-1/2 cup of White Distilled Vinegar
1/2- 3/4 bucket full of warm water
lots of old towels or rags
a few rubber bands
a flat head mop (swiffer or some other kind)

Mix up the liquids. Dump several towels into the mixture. Wring out one towel at a time & fold it so that it fits onto the mophead. Rubber band the towel onto the mophead. Go to it!
Change towels as needed. (I use one side of the towel, then flip it...wiping up any excess crumbs or yuckies with a washcloth each time I flip the towel. I usually use one side of the towel per room. In our living room or bedroom, I use the whole towel since there's a lot of floor.)

Go forth & clean chemical free!

4 years ago today...

Four years ago today, at 2:44 p.m., with the Gators playing basketball in the background, I met a guy who would change my life--and my person--forever. Langston Hadley Key was born in Gainesville, FL on Dec. 4th, 2004 to a still-newlywed (we got pregnant on our first anniversary) mom & dad. We were clueless, nervous, scared, happy, exhausted, very poor, and above all...very much in love with that little guy.
L., as he would soon be nicknamed, didn't sleep very well that first night. In fact, he gave us one of the many hundreds of sleepless nights to come. The boy has always been bright--super bright. I can only hope that his brian power is the reason sleep doesn't come easy for him. (They say, all those experts, that some "gifted" children never sleep well...I suppose all worn out parents hope for an explaination to their caffine dependancy. Intelligence is our cop on as to why L-town smarty-pants doesn't find sleep easily.)
Extra smart or not, Langston has always brought some "gift" to our lives. He is quick-whitted, funny, charming, thoughtful, creative, studious, dilligant, gentle, loving, sensitive, & independant. He is a great combo of his daddy and me. We enjoy him more and more all the time.
Having Langston in my life taught me to love. I learned how selfish & petty I could be. I understood more of the heart of God. Selfless love is parenting. (Aren't we all thankful for a Heavenly Parent who loves us as we should love our small ones?)
My hope for my baby boy is that he continues to grow to love God & people, to relate, care, understand as much as possible, & to do his best to make the world better when he leaves than before he came. I have hope that he can do it. I think that to some extent he has. I know that this mom feels overflowing joy because of that little brown-eyed boy. I am a better person having known him. Happy Birthday, sweet pea! I love you from head to toe!

Heel & a toe, L & a Z, baby!

Pre-bed routine: poop (L., sometimes Z.), baths, p.j.s, (sometimes playing with daddy fits in here) snack, stories with milk (breast, cow, or soy). Then out goes the light & mommy tells a story. Sometimes L. picks his and Zora's pjs...this night the theme was "sports." They also had matching socks. Langston digs the "heel-toe" socks SO much. He has two pair. Navy & Red. He has named them his "favorite socks." :) He has worn those jokers out.

for the grandparents Key

here's a daddy & babies pic...as well as a few from our AL trip. sorry it's taken me so long to post 'em. enjoy! we love y'all!

what happens when your kid knows all the body part words?

Langston looked at this pic yesterday (it's my screensaver right now) & announced, "hey! I can see my testicals in my mouth!" Yes, he meant tonsils.

nappie-poos

I LOVE it when this happens...and I can do something without one on my hip & the other under my feet. Ah. Naptime.