Mr. Lucky...

It's Sunday, so you know what THAT means!!!

It means I'm about to unleash an obnoxious amount of photos for your viewing pleasure!!  As a matter of fact, I'm so nice that I'll skip a lot of boring words tonight and show mostly pictures.  You're welcome.

Here is the picture story of our exciting weekend:

I rearranged the playroom!  Woo Hoo!  I should have posted the "before" but I'm not that clever these days.  Here's a tour of the "after."  Use your imagination - and please pretend the "before" was AWFUL so this "after" will then look AHHHmazing.  Thanks.

Hope has her own fenced in area (mainly to make sure she doesn't swallow a lego - my biggest fear).  We're calling it "Romper Room."  The gates are "Friendly Toys Little Playzone" and I got them on Amazon, before you ask.

Here's Hope checking it out:

Brian loved the new room and the special corners.  Like the secret book corner...

...and his toy area.

Friday night was Brian's swim lesson.  He made major improvements in just a week.  He was able to float/swim on his back the entire length of the pool by himself.  My niece, Julia, came to watch and visit with us!  She will soon be leaving for a semester in Peru with Tulane!  I'm telling you - one day you're going to read about this young woman.  She's out to change the world.

After the swim lesson, we sat outside and talked while Brian climbed a tree next to us!

Saturday afternoon we went to the Kimberton Fair (a yearly fair near our home to raise money for the local Fire Department).  Brian had SO much fun!  Ed and I did, too.  And I was in Heaven.  Two words:  Funnel Cake.

Brian and I had a blast on the swings!

So much so, we rode them twice!

We rode the merry go round together!

Brian and Ed conquered the giant slide!

Brian conquered the rope ladder and made it SO close to the top every time, but never could touch the red button to win a GIANT (GIGANTIC - and dirty) stuffed animal.  I was so sad (not).

But make no mistake.  Mr. Lucky still managed to come home with gems like this huge blow up hammer with money printed all over it...

...along with six other stuffed animals and a real goldfish.

At this point we have two choices.  We can start our own carnival.  We have enough dirty stuffed animals and crappy plastic toys to give out as prizes for a year.  OR we can move to a bigger house so we have room for all this junk.

A good time was had by all... and Brian named his new fish "Cutie Pie."

We also celebrated Hope's 34th Saturday with us!!  Thank you to Granny for this adorable and pretty dress.  Hope is such a happy girl and her personality is showing more and more every day.  Lately she loves the attention she gets when she SHRIEKS!  Here are this weeks photos...

And finally, here is your tip of the day.

If your baby goes a day without going "number 2" and the next day you plan to be out for several hours not that close to home... don't forget to check your diaper bag to make sure you have your "emergency outfit" in there.  Wait - what I mean is check for the "emergency outfit" for the baby.  Wait - what I mean is check for the "emergency outfit" for the baby... and an "emergency outfit" for your husband... and a SECOND "emergency outfit" for the baby after the first "emergency outfit" becomes useless... and don't forget to have trash bags and extra wipes and maybe even a bag to vomit in all in your trunk.  And then make sure you bring new pants for you because you'll find yourself peeing the pants you're wearing because you're laughing so hard as you're rummaging (twice) through a bag in your trunk that was intended for Goodwill (thank God it was there) and you end up putting this crazy "Tinkerbell-looking" outfit on your baby in a parking lot. 

So the tip of the day is this:  if your baby goes a day without pooping, STAY HOME until he/she does.  No charge for the tip - it's on me.  (No, literally - it really was on me.  And Ed.  And the carseat.  And the trunk.)

But a good time was had by all in the bathtub once we got home...

...and all was forgiven.

The end!

Hi, My Name is Kate...

...and I am an addict.

I am addicted. I'm addicted to re-arranging and updating the boys' playroom. I guess in the realm of addictions, this isn't a bad one to have. Last night I was up past midnight going through the toys and adding a cool new cube system. It often bothers me that there are some toys in bins that Gavin can't access. So last night at Home Depot I bought the Martha Stewart 6 Cube Organizer and had a master plan. Ed and I put it together and then I filled each cube with 3-4 toys that Gavin would like.

My hope is that he will be encouraged to reach in and retrieve toys from any of the cubes whenever he wants - which would also mean he'd have to use his hands! So now the playroom, which I also rearranged a little, looks like this:

If you're wondering if it's always this neat...well, kind of. It's important to me to keep things organized for Gavin's sake. I want to make it easy for him to physically get around the room - and I also want him to be able to access everything easily. So here's how I have things organized...

I put some of his favorite toys on the coffee table to encourage him to stand and play. I covered the table with hard foam which I cut to fit and covered with fabric - it generally keeps him from biting the sides. It also protects the wood from dents and scratches and drool and teeth marks.

The books...many of which were generously gifted to the boys from a loyal reader (and now a great friend) - Barb Grimmie....are stored in a book display by Guidecraft.

I have Little People and all the farm animals in the green buckets and random toys in the canvas bin. I always need to keep the front of the entertainment center blocked. Gavin likes to stand and bite the edges. The blue on either side are pool noodles that I cut to fit the shelves to save them from Gavin's chompers. I have them on either side of the bottom of the coffee table, too.

I brought back the Mush Lounger from storage. A friend sent me the link to this when Gavin was a baby and it was a lifesaver for a LONG time. It's great for an infant - you just lay them on there (if they can't roll over) - turn on the vibrations - and it soothes them right to sleep. I use it now when I sense Gavin needs some oral stimulation. I park him in that chair, turn on the good vibes and hand him his toothbrush or his Nuk. It's like sensory overload - Heaven for him.

I couldn't wait for morning - I couldn't wait to see the kids reactions! Here was Brian's...

And here is Gavin checking out the cubes filled with toys...

We had a fun day playing together. Ed has been working a lot this weekend and actually spent the day in the office so it was just me and the boys. I have to say - playing with the Thomas train set and re-configuring the tracks is pretty addicting, too.

The other thing I'm horribly addicted to? Pregnancy tests. But don't worry - there's no way I'll bankrupt us. I know where to score cheap, very sensitive tests in BULK. (I realize I'm out of control.) This way I can test once (okay up to four) times a day (hey - you never know when it will turn!!) and not feel guilty. Unfortunately...it has not turned positive yet. And with the amount of random tears that have fallen out of my eyes today...I'm guessing it's not likely it will. But that's a whole other post called "MY LIFE SUCKS" - so I'll save that for another day.

Today, it's all about happiness and fun and great moments like this one...