what's on your bus?

Every night before Zach drifts off to La La Land, Brandon and I ask him what song he wants us to sing to him. Occasionally we can fit in a few lines of the The Battle Hymn of the Republic or The Grand 'Ol Duke of York before he proclaims that his little ears would love to hear Wheels on the Bus.

Because we sing Wheels on the Bus so often (at least twice a day), to keep our brains from going numb, Brandon and I have taken to making up new verses. Zach could care less, but I think we are hilarious. Our bus contains all sorts of funky things. Some of my favorites:

• Whales
• Seals
• Asps
• Tractors
• The letter S (in an effort to teach him the sounds of the alphabet)
• Bugs
• Wind
• Fingers

But my #1 favorite: Giraffes. We just sat there for the majority of the verse looking giraffe-like, but saying nothing, trying not to bust out in laughter from our creativity. I wonder if my parents were so strange... Maybe Brandon and I will grow out of it before Zach begins to retain these memories.

Anyways... we could use some suggestions for upcoming new verses? What's on your bus?

Prep for the Big Hunt

Yesterday, Zach and I pulled out the Easter decorations which primarily consisted of goobers of pastel plastic eggs. It was time to prep for the big hunt. Every year Clinton city has an Easter Egg Hunt and I feel it is my duty as a mother to prepare my child for the big event (he is still young enough that he shares his bounty with his mom - yummy!) We've been having mini egg hunts ever since we pulled the Easter decorations from the garage. They pretty much go like this:

1. I hide the eggs in a room of my choice - usually in the baby's room... yes, we have finally returned to having a baby's room.
2. While I'm hiding the eggs, Zach will yell in from the other room every two seconds, "Ready, Mom?" In which I respond, "NO!" I must take a long time hiding because Zach asks me if I'm ready probably 15 times before I finally respond that I am.
3. Zach runs in to find the eggs. After some hmmmms from Zach and some hints about the color of the eggs from me, Zach happily finds all the plastic treasure. He could do it all day.

So you other Clintonites, be prepared. Zach is ready for the big hunt. Be afraid, be very afraid... :D

30 - a wonderful age

I wouldn't know (hehe), but I'm guessing 30's a wonderful age and now Brandon knows. He has lived three decades and is as wonderful as ever. Happy 30th Birthday, Love!

I think I may be becoming a sophisticate

I think I am on my way to becoming a sophisticate. I still have a few habits to break, like wearing sweat pants in public and listening to Alan Jackson, but I am definitely making leaps and bounds, especially since Brandon's last Valentine's Day gift to me. Hmmm.... maybe that makes Brandon the sophisticate... but let's not get caught up in the nitty gritty details.

I am on my way to sophistication because I now own my first official piece of art. It's not a poster. Zach didn't color it. It didn't come from Walmart. It's real. Some international artist (okay... she's from Canada) painted it using real paint and probably even an easel. Here is what it looks like:

In case some of you might wonder, this is not my house. I will never be sophisticated enough to have zebra-patterned pillows and white floors.

I am very excited about the paintings! Even if they aren't to your taste - COME ON - it does seem pretty dang awesome to have real art, right? Oops... I think my true colors are shining through. I will never really be a sophisticate because I use phrases in my writing like pretty dang awesome.

you know you're pregnant when...

You know you're pregnant when...

1. You wish you had kept your stretchy leggings from the 80s.
2. People stare at you at Walmart like you’re a One Man Freak Show.
3. You secretly despise your skinny neighbors.
4. Your child likes to use your tummy as a step ladder.
5. It takes a good 30 seconds to roll over in bed at night.
6. You eat a big bowl of ice cream while watching the Biggest Loser.
7. You sleep with three pillows at night: one for your head, one between your knees, and one to prop up your large midsection.
8. Your primary kids believe you when you say you’ll eat all the treats if they’re not good.
9. Your husband tells your child to help you remember how to run in a couple months… thanks, dear.
10. One month you look like the picture on the left, and the next, the picture on the right.

something for the grandparents

Here's a little video of Zach singing the ABCs (I use the word "singing" loosely). He skips a couple letters, but really, who needs the letter E anyways.

not in my 2-year-old vocab

As Zach's vocabulary grows, it reminds me of the changing times. Here are some words in Zach's vocabulary that were not in my vocabulary when I was 12, let alone 2:

1. computer - Zach loves the computer. He loves looking at the Thomas the Train website and playing the games. I should probably check to see that he doesn't have an email account set up yet...


2. Obama - he picked this one up after watching the run for the presidency on the news. He even points to President Obama when seen on the TV. Who was the president of the United States when I was 2? I'm 27 and I still don't know the answer.


3. iPod - this one is my favorite. There is something super funny about a 2-year-old asking, "Daddy's iPod is?" Zach is obsessed with music (and is quite picky) so Brandon taught him early on how to use the iPod to change the music selection. By the time Zach's 3, he'll be able to give me directions on how to change the music on my iPod. Maybe that's what Brandon is grooming him for - to be able to help his sometimes-not-so-technological-savvy Mom.