TTT: Season 3, Episode 17

1. Got a little time to listen to me spill about my business? Good! Thanks for listening! Here's the deal: I started my "little" etsy shop almost two years ago with no clear plan or goal in sight. Just sort of a who-knows-might-as-well-give-it-a-try type thing. As things have progressed, I've really fallen in love with my business and it has grown in to so much more than I could have ever dreamt it be when I first started out. Still a small business in the retail sense, but not so small any more. Heck, I was happy to get five-ten sales in a month! Now, I kid you not, it's roughly five-ten sales...a day. I've done more in sales in the four months of 2012 than I did in the entire year of 2011. I'm sure you can see where I'm going with this. I feel like I'm nearing a point where I'm torn. I really do love my business, but my kids have always been my priority. I've always said that I don't ever want my shop to interfere with me being their mom. But it seems that it's gotten to the point where the shop is demanding more from me than  I can possibly keep up with without interfering with their time. I suppose it's a fantastic predicament to have--too much business!?! Most people would be thrilled! And honestly, I am. I've got a fun, thriving  business on my hands. One that can continue to grow and develop as my kids get older. But right now I feel like I'm at a point where I need to make some decisions as to how I can control it right now. Thoughts of outsourcing some tasks are starting become legitimate ideas or even concoctions of how I can realign the shop to control the quantity of orders each day play out in my head quite a bit. It's that strange conversation going on in my head of feeling like this is something that God has given me the talent and skills to build, he's helped me make it successful, now what exactly does he want me to do with it next? How can I control it while still taking care of the most precious and most important gifts he's given me...my boys? Thanks for hearing me rant. And though seemingly frivolous compared to many far more important things going on in the lives of many others, a little prayer for my peace over this matter would be appreciated! (read: I'm probably being a little neurotic and just need to chill out.) The End.

2. The past weekend was a blast! We haven't had very many social "events" since moving down here that haven't involved my family, so whenever we get invited to do something as a family with other families, we usually jump at the chance. Last Friday night, we had dinner my parents' next door neighbors who we got to know while living with my parents prior to moving in to our house. They have kiddos roughly the same ages as the boys, and while the boys and I have had a few play dates with them, this is the first time we've hung out as families. We had great time, and man, I think Mark and I just really enjoyed having some good adult conversation with someone other than each other! Then on Saturday we went to not one, but two crawfish boils. They're all the rage down here this time of the year. For lunch we attended the one hosted by Mark's office. Complete with a bounce house for the kiddos and a margarita machine for the adults, it was a lot of fun and I got to meet a lot of the docs and medical professionals that Mark works with daily. After a much needed siesta, we then took off down in to Houston for the second crawfish boil hosted by some friends of ours, the Kims. (my sister-in-law, Abby's sister Jenny and her husband Jae) Again, a wonderful time! Mark had fun pigging out on all the crawfish he could stomach and I had fun girl talking with a lot of Jenny's friends. And of course watching all the cute little ones play together! Plus, we managed to make it back to The Woodlands with my brother, Andy, who had flown down from Lubbock to job hunt in Houston this week. We've really enjoyed getting to hang out a bunch with him, too. So while last week was pretty lackadaisical, this week has been way out of our non-social norm. And very enjoyable! There's lots of fun to be had in the springtime!

3. To the highs and the lows...peaks and pits...roses and thorns...
Sometimes I feel like all I do is rant about this or that with the boys and fail to take note of all the wonderfulness that goes on around here too. I think that's the way that journals go...a lot of venting with complaints but rarely any recognition of the good. I think it's important to let steam off about things that are difficult or that are bothering you, but also important to be thankful for the beauty. After all, I'm writing this to remember what these years are like when down the road, I look back and want to re-live it all again. So I thought I'd do a little roses/thorns for each one of my precious boys.
Kolbe
thorns: At this age, his name happens to by synonymous with "hard-headed." If this guy doesn't come up with the idea himself, he doesn't want to participate. If it's not on his time table, forget it. If if doesn't focus on him, he'll let you hear about his distaste for it. Because the world is round and rotating...and according to him, he's the axis, don't you know. Sassy and disrespectful at times, our challenge with Kolbs right now is just channeling his hard-headedness into positive things.
roses: It's is so much fun watching everything blossom in Kolbe. His social side. His athleticism. His intelligence. Man, he is such a neat kiddo! He can slap pitch after pitch with his blaster bat in the backyard. He dribbles down the field with a soccer ball like a seasoned player. He sees letters while we're out and about and stops to tell me what sound they make and tries to figure out the word. He befriends strangers at the playground. He's really starting to grow up and is so much fun to watch.
Reagan
thorns: Oh, Rudy. He's still our whiner. That, and he's in that obnoxious stage where he asks "why" to everything. Not in a cute, I'm-learning-about-the-world way. In the "Rudy, can you hand me that towel?"..."Why?" kind of way. I always disliked the "because I said so" response, but it gets dropped all the time with this guy. Sometimes it is the only answer I can think of!
roses: It's so amazing to me to see how unique this little guy is. While he follows Kolbe around and does everything Kolbe does, he still has his own special habits that are just so "Rudy." His little "treasures" that he carries around. The fact that he still loves to cuddle up to Mama. His joy in playing pretend. And he loves music. He's starting to carry a tune well and has certain songs on the radio that are his songs. Rudy is full of life.
Grant
thorns: One word: teething. Ugh. Ugh. Ugh. He's been cutting his top two middle teeth for several weeks now. It's not pleasant. One has finally broken through and the other is a deep purple, almost black swollen lump. I really do feel sorry for him, 'cause it looks so painful. But heck, it's painful for me too! The second I try to put him down he leeches on to my leg and wants to be held again. And I don't mind holding him, but heck, I have two other kids who need me and there's only so much weight my back or arms can take before I need a break! And man, oh, man is this guy squirmy. Holding him is like wrestling a greased piglet.
roses: But then I look at that precious little face and my heart melts every time. Watching his face light up when our eyes meet is one of the most gratifying feelings as a mother. As if he thinks I'm the most wonderful thing in the whole wide world. And watching him discover the world, explore everything around him, and start to participate in true human to human interaction is just so delightful. To think that less than a year ago he wasn't even living outside of my body! The first year is no less than moment after moment of amazing miracles.

My assistants pulling my flat-bed for me at Lowes...time to plant some new flowers!

Kolbe getting ready for the day. He's very particular about it...brushes his teeth, washes his face, combs his hair. Every day. Like a little man.

Grant's first at bat with Pa's assistance!

A little jam session with Dada...don't you just love that look on Kolbe's face!?! He sure does love his Daddy.

We've got a situation. My little Grant-ness turned 10 months old this week and usually I take his picture and post about his development, but this is what he's looked like for a good part of the week. Needless to say, he's quite obviously allergic to mosquitoes. He got bit about a half of an inch above his eyebrow and the next day his eye was nearly swollen shut. We ended up having to give him liquid Benadryl in a bottle to get it under control after other attempted remedies failed. Poor guy, his forehead was protruding, eye was hardly open, skin was all splotchy...it might be a long summer with this guy if this is the reaction we get to every single bite.

I love everything about this picture. The grimy post-lunch faces, the new haircuts, the way Rudy is holding Kolbe's finger, the joy on their silly faces. Best, best, best, best friends.

Tuesday: After lunch I tell the boys it's time to go out and plant our new flowers. Kolbe is still eating and says he doesn't want to come out yet. I slather up Rudy and Grant with some sunscreen and tell Kolbs to come on out when he's finished. Five minutes later he emerges, looking like this. "Mom! I've got my worker gloves on and I put on my own sunscreen!" Bless his little heart...at least he tried!

TTT: Season 3, Episode 16

1. It's 9:48pm and I'm just now sitting down to write. Not because the day or week has been so overwhelmingly hectic or stressful, but mainly because it's just been a pretty uneventful week. Mark always says he can tell that there's nothing going on when I ask him "What should I write about for Three Thought Thursday?" It's true. Some weeks I already have the entire post written out in my mind long before Thursday. And then there are weeks like this one where sure, plenty has gone on, but it's all mainly a part of the routine of life. Which, to be honest, is important to me. Sometimes it feels like life is so bam, bam, bam. Non-stop, one thing after another. And I know that the older and more active that the boys get, the crazier life will be. But I want there to be normalcy. Family time. Just routine life. Recently the boys have started asking me "Where are we going today?" or "What are we doing today?" And then they're shocked when I say "nowhere" or "nothing." I want them to love just being at home and being with each other and having days...or even weeks!...when not much happens.  And that's how this week has been. Just life at The Asmussens.

2. One thing that was out of the ordinary for our week was an unplanned trip to the movies for Mark and me. A few weeks ago I jumped on the bandwagon and started reading the Hunger Games books. Of course, just like everyone else, I got hooked quickly on such easy and action-filled reads. Truthfully, I don't get to ready nearly as much as I'd like to. Before children, I read all the time. And even after Kolbe was born, I did somewhat. But once you have kids running around...ones that are very active...ones that no longer nap...kicking back and reading a book is next to impossible. The only time it gets done where I'm actually comprehending the words that I'm reading is after they've gone to bed! So books that normally would have taken me mere days to read have stretched out across a few weeks...and I'm still on the third book...but man, it sure has been nice to read again. As a child I loved to read, as a teacher I loved to teach literature, and now I just don't want to "give up" on a favorite hobby just because it's not exactly easy to do anymore. Anyhow, after enjoying The Hunger Games, I just had to see the movie. So I was thrilled when my parents offered to come over and watch the boys on Tuesday evening so Mark and I could go see it. It was very entertaining, and even Mark enjoyed it, though I still always prefer the book. And the time alone with the hubby was second to none! Definitely the highlight of my week.

3. Several weeks ago I mentioned that I finally broke down and created a "cleaning schedule" for myself as part of my 2012 Bucket List. I also promised to divulge it if it actually worked out. Weeks later, I'm still following my little routine and I think it has actually stuck! So here's what I've been doing:

First, I broke up the cleaning in to daily, bi-weekly, weekly, bi-monthly, and monthly categories. Daily chores, like dishes and picking up toys, are just understood and don't go on my to-do list, but everything else gets thrown on there as a reminder. It looks a little something like this:

Monday-
laundry
hard floors touch up (swiffer vac and wipe any spots)
Tuesday-
vacuum downstairs
stip beds/wash sheets or full mop of all tile floors (alternating weeks)
Wednesday-
vacuum upstairs
clean toilets or clean showers (alternating weeks)
Thursday-
hard floors touch up (swiffer vac and wipe spots)
wipe down bathroom counters
Friday-
vacuum downstairs
dust

There are also what I consider monthly chores, like dusting/cleaning all the mini-blinds or wiping the baseboards, but those just get added on. And that's about it! Like I said, so far this is what has worked for me. And I like that it's what works for our house and family. I think each person/family has their own hang-ups or unique cleaning "behaviors." Like some of you might be thinking There's no way I'm doing the laundry all on one day or She only changes her sheets every other week? or I can't believe she changes her sheets every other week! To each their own with cleaning. I think whatever makes you feel comfortable, not stressed, and in control of your household is what you should do! Just glad I've nailed down something that works for us. Oh, and if you happen to have any "assistants," put them to work, too! The cleaning list should be for the whole family!

My "assistant" vacuuming out my sewing nook with the crevice tool. Atta boy!

Grant, Blankie Blue, and his thumb

I rarely, rarely, rarely get to do this anymore. Nothing like getting to cuddle with your very first baby, no matter how big he may be getting.

Two little monkeys getting ready for a bath.

The new Joann opened in The Woodlands! Sewing heaven. If only each of these machines didn't cost as much as car.  

TTT: Season 3, Episode 15

1. Last week I was eagerly anticipating our trip to Dallas for Easter, and let's just say that it did not disappoint. We had a fantastic time! I was worried that with it only being a roughly 48 hour trip, we would feel rushed and exhausted and over-worked, but somehow it really just flowed well and we enjoyed every minute. Of course everyone was thrilled to see the boys, and especially getting to know the little Grant that has emerged in the three months since we saw them last. He was all over the place, as usual, and managed to leave unharmed by the hazard known as himself. Well, at least we think...he did consume a few pieces of dog food from what I hear. And the other two boys were just soaking up all of the attention. They crashed very quickly on the way home! To say that Cristi went over and beyond in planning and executing the whole weekend would be a huge understatement. The food was perfectly planned out for each meal and was oh, so yummy. Not to mention all of the little hand-made Easter decorations and goodies spread across their new house. All of her effort made us feel so special! Heck, wonder if they'd let me come back for my birthday!?! (wink, wink) It was a fantastic weekend and we can't wait to see them all again this summer.

2. With the celebration of Easter this past weekend, my Lenten Facebook fast came to an end. I have to admit, it was one of the harder things I've ever "given up." And I'm pretty sure that's the way it's supposed to be. As a stay-at-home mom, this house is my world. Sure, I venture beyond these walls to go to the store, the park, church, etc, but let's face it: on any given day, I talk to roughly two-three adults on average. But social media, like Facebook, somehow gives me the effect of being in touch with other people. Like I'm a part of their world within my own little world. The whole "living vicariously" thing. So to draw an abrupt halt to Facebook was definitely challenging in the beginning. But it comes as no surprise that I'm really glad I did it. And going cold-turkey kind of helped me re-evaluate how much I should be using Facebook outside of Lent. Really, I don't need to know what's going on with everyone on an hour-to-hour basis. So I've decided to just go with once in the morning and once in the afternoon. No more hoping on my app on the couch while the boys play with puzzles. Beyond the fact that I need to be down there with them, there's only a ga-jillion other things that need doing around the house far more than reading everyone else's status! Can I get an Amen!?!

3. If you've seen my little Reagan lately he's more than likely had some form of a box in his hand. Rudy has always been somewhat of a habitual little fella. He likes things a certain way, becomes territorial over certain items, and in particular, loves "little" items. You know...the things that typically fall to the bottom of the toy box. The ones most people throw away. Happy Meal-style toys. He loves them. He calls them his "treasures." Months ago, he would typically carry one or two with him throughout the day. Then Dada gave him a tackle box for his birthday in February. And that became his first treasure box. He quickly upgraded from one or two items to a whole little box full. Then, after our little money counting/ bank visit day, he purchased a long-desired metal Cars lunch box. Stylish treasure box. And he got new shoes for Easter, so of course, the shoe box became the easy flip top treasure box. He never carries more than one box, but always has one. It's become his little thing. He even sleeps with it in his bed. And gets his feelings hurt when I won't let him take it inside of a store. On any given day, other than the random mini superman/spiderman/batman/super hero toy, you might also find a fishing worm, plastic ring, small notebook referred to as his "checkbook," gum, rubber bands, quarters, and at least two to three hot wheels. My little Rudy...he's definitely his own little person.

The treasure box hanging out at the park

I'll try to control myself and not post too many Easter pics so I can save them for my Easter blog post, but I had to throw in a few. Here we all are dying our Easter eggs!

My handsome big boys, ready for Easter mass

managed to get all three in a picture before they destroyed their outfits!

G-ma loved getting to cuddle her little Grantness

It's impossible to escape this guy. He's so quick now, that I can rarely sneak off. He follows me into the bathroom to get dressed each morning and usually ends up plopped in the sink so I can get ready without holding him on my hip or having him hang on my leg. He loves it.

My little Rudy Boy

Kolbe the climber!...He has become such a dare devil at the playground!

My sweet baby. Doesn't that face make you want to love life a little more?

These two love each other! Kolbe is so good with Grant and Grant just adores Kolbe.

TTT: Season 3, Episode 14

1. Is it warm where you are yet? I'm pretty sure that Houston just went straight from fall back to summer. No winter. No spring. It's already full on hot, humid, sweaty ick. We've had the AC on for several weeks , but now it's the point where it's running all the time. I have to admit, that while I love the fact that it's always green here, I do miss getting all four seasons in Lubbock. We spent most of the weekend working out in the front yard and apart from the occasional breeze, it was pretty miserable. But we figured we better get it done now, 'cause Lord knows that when May and June roll around, you won't be seeing me out there picking weeds. We got some new flowers planted, new mulch down, and patched a few spots in the yard with sod. We were quite productive for one weekend! Even with the baby trying to eat leaves and pine bark non stop. And the mosquitoes leaving us spotted all over. But the best part was just being together. On a weekend. Which, for us, is something new considering Mark was on call all. the. time. with his old job. Not any more. He's actually home on the weekend, and it has been fantastic for our family.

2. One of my favorite things about being a mom is listening to my childrens' perspective of life. One of these conversations happened this week and I think we all got a huge kick out of it. We were over at my parents' house (just my Dad was there) and then Kolbe started filling us in on something that happened the night before:

Kolbe: Pa, last night I was in my room and it was dark and my eyes were closed but then a video came on. I watched a video in my room! And in the video Dada was standing there and and and and I was holding on to one of his legs and Rudy was holding on to his other leg and we didn't go down the stairs. We went over by the window and then we started to flyyyyyyy! We went all the way out to the street but we were flying!!!

Pa: This was a video?

Kolbe: Yeah! It was dark and my eyes were closed but I was watching a movie!!!

Later, in the car on the way home, he re-told me the story again.

Me: But Kolbe! How did you watch a movie with your eyes closed!?!

Kolbe: I don't know! It was crazy! Mom, I think that God turns those videos on. He turns the video on in my room so that I can watch it with my eyes closed!

Me: Has this even happened before?

Kolbe: Yes! But sometimes I forget which movie it is before I remember to tell you about it. It's always good movies though. God just puts the movie on and I watch it and then I wake up!

Don't you love it!?! I've explained dreams to him before it's been a while. And it's so much cooler to hear it from his perspective. Makes me want to close my eyes and see his dreams with him. I certainly miss seeing life that way.

3. We are headed to Dallas this weekend and I can't wait! Mark's brother, Brian, and his wife Cristi recently built a new house and moved in a little over a month ago. They've invited us up from The Woodlands and Mark/Brian's parents down from Lubbock for a big family Easter celebration. We haven't seen them since Christmas and we definitely miss them. I know they miss the boys a ton, too. It will be a really quick trip, since Mark has to be back at work on Monday, but luckily it's a relatively short drive and totally worth it. We've got egg dying, egg hunting, lots of eating, and G-ma baths planned. (G-ma gives the best scrubbin's for the boys. She loves doing it. And I've vowed to bring them nice and dirty!)  Sure, we'll probably consume way more sweets in two days than we do in a solid month and spend most of our time trying to keep Grant from scaling the stairs or destroying any decor within reach, but we can't wait to see Brian and Cristi's new house, and most of all, can't wait to be with our awesome family even if only for a few days. 

My poor baby...his brothers put him through all kinds of shenanigans.

Kolb and Ru doing their chores. It's important for us that the boys learn the importance of hard work...might as well teach it while they still think it's cool!

Last Friday we had a money day and I tried to teach the boys a little about how money works. Kolbe managed to glean the whole 100 pennies in a dollar, 20 nickels in a dollar, 10 dimes in a dollar, 4 quarters in a dollar thing. I had them sort out all of the coins in Dada's coin jar. (a great activity if you need them to be busy for a while!) We then took a trip to the bank where they got to trade the coins in for dollars. After dividing them out, we headed to the store where Rudy immediately spent all of his on a lunch box he's been begging for for ages. And Kolbe spent two dollars but decided to save the rest. I was proud of him! I think he actually gets it. Rudy, on the other hand, is still a little young. He was crushed that his dollars only bought him one thing. And that he didn't have any more left over. Guess he'll have to pick up some extra chores and earn some back! Ha1

Kolbe has been on a major Buzz and Woody kick lately. He's been toting these toys that G-ma got him several years ago around day after day. During quiet time a few days ago he came out and told me that he wasn't tired but that he had to be quiet because Buzz and Woody were both asleep. I later found this scene. 

My sweet guy. I had to take him to the ENT this week because he's been having problems with one of his ears. Sure enough, his tube was completely obstructed and had to be removed. We'll have a few weeks of drops to clean out the infection that's in there and then make plans to get new tubes in. The doctor said that kids with clefts usually need them until around age 8. I know it's what's best for him, but I always feel sorry for my little guy. He goes through a lot. So that's new tubes and a tooth pulled within the next few months. He's such a trooper and always the perfect patient. I'm proud of my brave little guy.

Don't I have the most handsome yard boys ever!?!