Carving Out Memories

As the girls get older, I get much more demanding about carving out time (pun intended) to do things with them that will create memories. Now, I'm no Kate Gosselin, trying to set up ridiculous and fake happenstance just in the name of "memory-building".  But I will make sure that b/c they are finally old enough to get into activities, that we make sure we take them on the fun little trips; especially ones associated with holiday.  Which brings us to our first ever Burtnett Pumpkin Picking Trip, 2010.

Much to the dismay of my husband, I insisted on dragging everyone out promptly at 1:00 which coincided with the Browns game.  However, given the season at hand, I could assure him that we were missing nothing.  Not to mention, it was already set up on the DVR.  But once we got there, I was pretty sure all his resentment over the game had dissolved once *both* of the girls erupted in screams when we pulled in.

The first thing Sophia demanded on doing was the hayride.  She had never been on one, and at the risk of aging myself, I'm pretty sure it had been a good 20 years since I was on one myself.  So in line we got.  It was a gorgeous fall day, sunny and low 60's.  So, as one can imagine, the lines were already forming.  The waits weren't too awful, and surely enough to withstand to give the girls a chance at trying some new experiences. 

The hayride was a blast.  The hot dogs that followed for lunch tasted great, though I'm not sure if it was the hot dogs themselves, or the open air, happy children, and beautiful weather.  After that it was off to the play area - which pretty much consisted of a huge hay pit where kids could run, romp, jump and toss hay at each other.

The last item of the trip was the picking of the pumpkins.  So we ran over the cordoned-off patch, and set out picking out the best sizes and shapes.  This particular farm had a neat little deal - all the pumpkins you could pick up for $13.  Brian did very well, picking up all of the 5 pumpkins we set out for him.  He also insists that, in future re-tellings of the story, that he was fully capable of picking up MORE than 5 (since the record was 13) but we still a far walk to the car, and we failed to think of bringing along a wagon for the pumpkins.

It was a wonderful day for the kids, I (of course) got my 100-or-so requisite pictures snapped, and we were then on our way home to start the carving.  (That I will save for another entry).

My How You've Grown....

So a lot has changed in the Burtnett family since the last post (thanks to laziness).  Mostly having to do with the age of my two girls.  Georgia, now 2, has morphed in front of my eyes into a babbling, crazy talking toddler.  Sophia, now 4, is firmly ensconced into her Pre-K class, learning the difference between upper and lower case letters, and addition and subtraction. 

They still amaze me every day.  We've definitely found our groove over the last 8-9 months with the whole staying-at-home thing.  I look back at the first few weeks months after I stopped working - failing to find a steady schedule, the fear of going it alone at grocery shopping with two little ones (no longer able to fit errands in on a "lunch break"), the terror of realization that these kids' entertainment, learning and exercise were all up to ME now, no longer able to rely on daycare for all of this.  I thought the transition from working full-time to staying at home full-time would be a smooth one.  Holy WOW was I wrong.  Which isn't to say that I've got it down pat now - but I definitely feel that we've hit our stride...More to come - and this time, hopefully, I will stay on top of the blog :)

The Hula Hip Trip

One of the first lessons I learned as a stay-at-home-mom: If you are going to go shoe shopping for only one child, do not take both.  If you are going to go shoe shopping for the one year old, leave the 3 year old at home.  Why?  Because she has a freakishly innate ability to ask for the most expensive shoes that Target has on display. And proceed to throw a fit until that pair of shoes hit the inside of our shopping cart.

So why, you may ask, when it came time today for me to get Beanie a new pair of tennis shoes for outside play, I forgot above rule, carting both girls to the local Target???  The answer is: I don't have an answer.  It's cos I plum forgot.  And so yes, both girls got new shoes today.

Thinking that was the end of the shopping struggle, I then made another cardinal sin/mistake: I accidentally went down the toy aisle.  Oh, not just any toy aisle mind you, the OUTSIDE TOY aisle.  You see, ever since we unpacked Sophia's old princess-crawl-thru-tunnel for Georgia, and then consequently wrapped it back up when interest was lost, Sophia thought the round, wrapped up version was a Hula "Hip".  Far too heavy to get any good momentum going, the tunnel-cum-hula-"hip" wasn't working out for her.  So she started campaigning for the last week for her very own, very real, hula hip.  Which brings me back to my cardinal sin: the outdoor toy aisle.  Lo and behold, down this very aisle, was not only a real Hula Hip, but it GLOWED....how could I say no to that?  Easy, I could.  And I did.  But did it fall on deaf ears?  Indeed it did.  In the cart the Hula Hip went....

Lesson(s) re-RE-learned.   The 3 year old, scratch that, BOTH girls will be staying home next time I go shoe shopping any sort of Target shopping.  But I think Mommy may pick up a new pair of shoes for herself on the next trip. Ya know, for the effort....

The Inaugural Post

So it's only 2010, right? I mean, I'm not *that* far behind in the blogging movement...

Oh who am I kidding.  You see, I've wanted to start one a million different times.  Yet, the reason I haven't in the past is because I always ask myself, "Self....who would want to read your blog?"  My parents aren't exactly what you'd call savants of the internets.  My husband, well he knows it all already (which he loves to point out), and who else is really going to be able to either find my posts or really care all that much when there is all the facebook-ing and TMZ-ing to be done??

Then today, as I was was taking a rather mundane and common trip to the store with my husband and baby girls, for the hundreth purchase of bananas of this month, my preschooler said something pretty darn funny.  The problem however, is that I cannot remember what that funny musing was.  And this has been a recurring worry of mine - she prattles on with funny nuggets daily, and I always wonder how am I going to remember all these cute things in the future?

So my blog is born.  See, it's not really for anyone else, although if you happen to stumble upon my ramblings and stay - welcome!  But simply put, it's for me.  Because years from now, my girls will be grown - off on their dates, sporting events, or what have you, and I will be craving something to look back on to remind of me of these precious years.  The first 3 and 1 years of their lives, respectively, I've worked on my career and in turn, feel as though I've missed so much of these moments.  So I am now soaking it in, swimming in the cuteness.

My girls are simply the best things I've ever done.  And so in lieu of bronzing their baby booties (do they even make those anymore?) this blog will serve as the anals of their childhood (and my concurrent, frazzled motherhood). 

Away we go.......