corn dogs are a-ok

allow me to show you alex's discovery of corn dogs:

the mere fact that a stick was involved, basically guaranteed her immediate interest- but once she realized that there was a hot dog on said stick- it was love.

"MMMMMMM!!!"

"alex, are you done...?"

"HECK NO I'M NOT DONE!!!!"

"mamma- yummmm! NICE!"

it took her about an hour, but she finished the entire thing (minus 1 or 2 bites stolen by me. when it comes to corn dogs i'm like a 5 year old.)

now i know some of you may be asking, "omg, you let your kid eat hot dogs?! and corn dogs?! nitrates & preservatives & sugar & random animal parts?! OMG!"

and the answer is, yes. yes i do.

because hot dogs are awesome and they're not going to kill her. and corn dogs are even better because there is a hot dog + corn bread. so it's a win win.

and there you go. but if it makes you feel any better, she eats fruits & broccoli like it's going out of style. and oatmeal- the kid adores her oatmeal. so i feel we've got a fair balance.

brynn, on the other hand, only drinks mom's milk. and she's already more than 1/2 of alex's size:









she's already in 3-6 month clothing & things that alex was wearing at 3 months are already too small. keep in mind- she's not even 2 months old yet. she's a tank. who spits up & entices cessna to lick her clean:





i try my best to keep the dog's mouths away from our mouths- but there are times where it's inevitably going to happen. they only have so much self control & spit up is a delicacy. and i'm only so fast.

and that's whats up.

in other news:

- we hired our nanny. did i already mention that? did i also mention that she costs more than our mortgage?! yeah- baffling to me.

- it's snowing. again. lots of inches. i'm over it.

- brynn is in cloth diapers now & i'm just not feelin' it. i was pretty gung ho with alex- but i'm tired. and stuffing diapers is the last thing i want to do. plus, brynn pees/poos ALL THE TIME and it's getting really old.

- our chest freezer is FULL of my milk. this is a problem because i'm out of room- so we have no choice but to purchase another one. asap.

and lastly...

- i've been considering a mini van. i can't even believe i just said that. don't tell my husband- he might leave me. but my God- mini vans are so roomy & comfy & better on gas...i'm resisting so far- but i find my eyes wandering whilst driving.

i see those moms in their vans- they smugly look over at me and i can tell they're laughing inside. why? because they swallowed their pride & purchased a comfort machine that allows easy access to their children, incredible amounts of room & the option to carpool without taking out a second mortgage for gas.

and here i am- in my tank (that i do love), cursing the man as i once again am bending over at the gas station.

that's right Shell, Mobile & Irving- i'm back for more. do what you want with me.

Lord help me.

weekend recap

first things first- the giveaway will be going up on August 9th. apparently i suck at reading & my dates were off. my apologies to anyone who got insanely excited and marked today's date on their calendar (though i'm highly doubting that happened).

ok- moving on!

weekend pics & review.

we had an annual family cookout to attend this weekend & i was selected to make dessert. i ended up going with Dirt Cake & Phyllo Fruit Cups:





both turned out wonderfully & both are easy peasy.

the day of the cookout turned out to be a nice (although muggy) day. alex was the center of attention ::head explodes:: and she had the time of her life crawling around on the grass. she was also 10 months old on saturday- so these are her 10 month pics:



(i'm quite proud of myself. i managed to get her eyes in focus (for the most part)and i cleaned up the mess of food she had around her mouth with pretty Ok results (IMO)




(see that blanket & those toys? pointless. her obsession was the grass & her lotion bottle. why do i even try?)

and lets not forget about the dogs. i think they had more fun than anyone. plus, i'm pretty sure they were "slipped" a week's worth of food:



maximus



cessna



and my in-law's dog, Axel:






(he'll stand like this for-ever until you give him something. it's adorable)

and last but not least- alex once again. after hours of crawling, laughing, playing, eating & etc:



sitting inside (hello air-conditioning) with daddy- exhausted.

so saturday = success.
well...mostly. on the way home the hub's grill fell over in the back of the truck & promptly broke something. i guess the bond between man & his grill is very real & runs very deep because the hub's mood was pretty foul for the rest of the ride.

he perked up a little when i uttered the words "new grill" but we'll see. i think it's fine & i doubt a new one is needed.

and then alex & myself had even more fun on sunday while the hubs & his dad put the roof on the chicken coop. but i'll put up that adventure tomorrow.

how was your weekend?

13 week Belly Pics (and others)

so today = 13 weeks. sometimes it seems like this pregnancy is going wicked slow- then i realize i'm 13 weeks & it's like, wow! it's flying by!

anyway, this morning:

(sorry, no alex in this one)

as you can see- i don't look all that pregnant. by the end of the day, yes- there is an obvious bump (thanks to food, bloat & etc) but i can still walk around without anyone guessing (unless i wear a tight shirt & stick it out...which i don't)

i can still fit into my regular pants & such- so that's a plus!

everyone says you show sooner with #2- but i'm not sure. while i am a bit more "bumpy" this time around, i'm not really "showing" per say. so we'll see what the next few weeks bring...

and because alex is absent from the above pic:

this is her today @ 6AM- none too pleased that i made her sit in the jumper while i took belly pics. but she's into throwing herself backwards with no warning, so to avoid a concussion while i wasn't looking- this was a must.

and here are some other pics- i rented a lense for a week (thanks to the wedding i shot last Sun) and i have to send it back today- so i took a couple shots yesterday before i have to give it up. ::sigh:: it's a beautiful lense, but considering that it has a price tag of $1,500...yeah. not gonna happen right now:

i'm actually not a fan of iris'- but they afforded me a great little photo op- so i say thank you.

and the pups:

cessna

maximus

and them having a..."special" moment.

notice the color differences in this pic & the 2 above. this pic is SOOC while the other 2 have been adjusted in LR. amazing what a little exposure adjust, color bump & blacks bump can do. the grass looks green, the dogs look better- i love LR.

and that's it. don't forget that today is FREE DONUT DAY at Dunkins and Krispy Kreme! i've already taken advantage (at Dunkins because NH doesn't believe in KK).

freezer meals/puppies

this is how cessna rolls while "watching" football:


heh- she's adorable.

and here is what i have so far:

shepard's pie, macaroni & cheese & cheesy cous cous with chicken. nom

aaaaand WAY to many chocolate chip cookies.

i'm trying to figure out what else to make- i'm so freaking BORED so all i can do is cook/bake/cook/bake otherwise i'll just spend money. i'm trying to avoid that.

17dp5dt & peek-tures

first things first: since beta#3 is on the morrow- i decided to POAS when i got home. cool? yes.

so i did it- still pregnant and the test line came up RIGHT AWAY & WAY before the control line and as you can see- it's way darker. that has to mean something, right?
*i know it really means nothing, but still. anywho- superness.


next: LMAO at cessna's "ponytail"- she looks foolish & i love it. weepy eyes & all.
*she hated this- she was rather irked with me

lastly- check out the VERY late christmas present that FINALLY came in for the husband.

he is obsessed with black & green & it's nearly impossible to find b&g shoes that he A. likes or B. fit him. so i went to www.kswiss.com and custom designed some for him. it was loads of fun & worth every cent.

when he walks in the door tonight...BAM! he's gonna be ticked pink!

*woot!!!

and VERY lastly- i'm either getting a UTI or the p4 supps are bothering me- i really can't decide which i think it is- if i still feel "bothered" tomorrow, i guess i'll call the PCP & have them do a dip stick test. better safe than sorry.