"What the Hell is That on the Floor and Why are You Scratching Your Head?" A Mommy Experience

So I felt the need to write this quick blog post for many of you out there.
The groups that may be interested in this post are:
1. Those of you that are thinking of having kids at some point in the future
2.  Those of you with basically new kids that haven't done much but cry, eat, and poop so far.
3. Those of you that have not-so-new kids that can sympathize and laugh at the mishaps within.
4. Those of you with kids that are grown that have been there done that already.
5. Those of you with grandkids who are up to these types of shenanigans.
6.  Those of you that did not have kids of your own, to make you enjoy your peace and quiet a little more.

OH WAIT!  I have described every human on the planet, basically.
And of course, I love my girls and can't imagine life without them.
It is nights like these that I hit the pillow and wonder what the hell I am going to do when they are grown and gone out of the house... oh wait, then I will slowly become group 5 eventually....

SO, quick synopsis of the night last night in the Blammit household...

7:30am-4:30pm:  Work.  5th grade field trip at school.  Not too crazy, but sprinkled with chaos, as always

4:30pm:  Drove home.  Got home, checked on crock pot supper (Thanks husband for stirring during the day.)  Decided to go for a run on treadmill before supper.
---Todd at orthodontist with DD #3---

5:00- 30 minute run on treadmill (much rather be on the road outside, but got it done.)  Who knew I would need the power in the Pearl Jam, Godsmack, Incubus, and Disturbed that played during this time to get through the rest of the night?

5:30ish:  Suppertime  (Damn good chicken nachoes.. I could eat some more right now.)

Around this time as well:  Todd realized that Autumn had fixed herself a root beer float while I was on the treadmill, so there was something sticky covering half of the kitchen floor.  Decided to mop the kitchen-my absolute unfavorite chore in the whole house.. well besides plunging toilets...
(in retrospect, at least I didn't have to do THAT last night!)

6:00-7:00:  Fold 4 loads of laundry while watching TV with the fam.  Try to get Autumn to think about supper (chicken nachoes are not her thing and she wasn't hungry when I ate).

**Around the same time:  I decided that I would try to get the white beans for tomorrow's supper cooked.  Yes, when you read all of this, you will realize this was a bad idea, because yes, I forgot about the beans, and the one time I sat down for 10 minutes, I smelled something burning, and yes it was the beans, and yes they were stuck to the bottom of the pot... this will come into play later...**

7:00ish:  While picking up kitchen towels, almost stepped in a line of cat poop from the kitchen to the living room... even though the dog door was open as was the garage door to outside for them to get out.  The guilty cat in question was no where to be found to put outside, of course.  Took it out on the cat that was there and put him outside.  Not sure what that solved.

--Todd getting Autie to eat supper--

7:30ish:  After Autumn finally decided to eat, getting her to take a bath and needing one myself, thought I saw something in her hair, decided to check her long straight lice-loving hair.. needed more light so went in garage.  She is crying the whole time because NO, her head doesn't itch but YES, she is scared to miss school tomorrow.  At which point I told her she won't miss school because I can't miss, and we are going to take care of this.  So did I see something?  I am not sure but decide to treat her head anyway, which is another crying fit.  Then decide to treat my own head, just in case.  Which means then I have to throw her blankets and sheets and 5,000 stuffed animals in the dryer for at least 20 minutes on high to kill whatever might be lurking in there.  She gets out of tub, we douse her combed hair with rosemary and tea tree oil solution, cursing the very existence of lice.  (Someone please tell me why these bastards exist???)

***Side story:  This is the third time we go through this lice bit this school year.  Her hair is going to be in a bun from now until the end of the year, I swear.***

--Todd cleaning kitchen and checking on laundry at same time as me fighting the possible existence of weapons of mass destruction on Autumn's scalp--

8:00-8:30ish:  Autumn in bed finally, after getting her sheets and blankets from the dryer.  I come into the kitchen to make my bedtime tea and finally lay down, and I remember the pot of white beans.  I figure that they almost burned and they have been soaking in water for almost an hour, so they would be good to go down the garbage disposal, right??????
WRONG...
I shove them down in there, the sink gets stopped up and the garbage disposal stops.
I remember my days of this happening before... I remember something about a broomstick in the garbage disposal.  I remember a reset button on the bottom of the disposal.  I do all of that... the plunger is needed (didn't have to plunge a toilet, but I did plunge the kitchen sink).  After about 10 minutes messing with it, it was a success (at least)... I didn't have to wake up to a kitchen sink stopped up this morning.

It was a culminating feeling of exuberance, for sure.

SO, yes, this is where the story ends, as I head to bed with my tea, I lay down, and I think I read one page of my book before my eyes gave in.  And I slept like a freaking rock.. and did not wake up until my alarm went off at 5:30.

I can think of a million other things that could have happened that didn't last night.
And I am awake and the coffee is hot this morning...
And that's all I've got to say about that....

Blanchards in 2015: A Year of Our Lives in as Few Words as Possible

Welcome to the synopsis of the Blanchards in 2015! January 2015: Taylor got a new car and headed back for her 5th semester at LSU! Todd, Lauryn, Camryn, Patty, Autumn.. all back to work and school as usual. **Note: I am going back to my timeline on Facebook to get some ideas of what to write here, and honestly, January has a lot of "I wish it was summer or still Christmas vacation" posts or "Time to go run" posts, plus some pictures of normal daily events. A regular ol' month, really... Except for the Odell Beckham world record. :)

February 2015: MARDI GRAS SEASON! once again! This time with a freshman in the Fontainebleau's High School Band! Camryn played cymbals, and marched in 4 parades in Mandeville, New Orleans, and Metarie. This was our FIRST uptown parade, and boy was it fun! Looking forward to Krewe of Tucks next year!

March 2015:  A busy month!  Patty ran the Shamrockin' Run 8K in NOLA.  Taylor and Patty ran the Rock N Fly Half Marathon in Pensacola.  The whole family plus the Cadles and the Gillmans went to Austin for Katie and David's wedding at the end of the month.  OH and Patty turned the big 4-0!!!

April 2015:  Taylor and Patty ran the Crescent City Classic.  We had a peaceful, fun Easter here at home, with swimming on Spring Break.  Taylor was inducted into Psi Chi, the Psychology honor society.  We bought a camper!  Ready for some outdoor fun in the Sun Lite!

May 2015:  Taylor and Patty ran the Huey P. Long Bridge Run.  The big girls went to a Paramore concert for Taylor's birthday.  Taylor and Autumn had their 20/5 birthday parties.  Autumn graduated from Pre-K and registered from Kindergarten.  The school year ended for all... AMEN! says all of the teachers! Let the summer BEGIN!!!!

June 2015:  We headed to the beach for an extended weekend of fun in the sun.  The Bodies moved to Mandeville at the beginning of the month.  The Blanchard daughters went to Florida for Girlapalooza, and the Blanchard Mr. and Mrs. and Guinny Boy headed to North Carolina with the camper for a week in the mountains.  (We hiked and hiked and hiked some more.)  Then we came back home for some relaxing pool time and summer goodness in Mandeville.

July 2015:  We enjoyed 4th of July fireworks near the house.  (The first time Autumn watched fireworks and actually enjoyed them.)  We visited in Houma for Paw Robbie's birthday.  Then the whole Blanchard clan headed out for a week+ of camping in Georgia and North Carolina.  We enjoyed some of our old NC stomping grounds.  We loved the majestic views, the cool rivers, and had a few encounters with snakes.. but no bears!

August 2015:  Ah, back to school.  Lauryn started junior high (7th grade), Camryn started 10th grade, and Taylor moved on to her Junior year at LSU.  Autumn started Kindergarten as well.  Camryn joined ROTC; she would soon be moving up in the ranks!

September 2015:  A very busy month getting adjusted to new routines, classrooms, work loads, etc.  Patty became a Girls on the Run coach at Lake Harbor.  Autie truly loves Kindergarten and her teacher.  Autumn was named the Kiwanis Club's Terrific Kid of her Class in September, and she started violin lessons at her school weekly. Patty ran the Saints Kickoff 5K in September.  (and after the season we have had, I may never run across the field again.. was I bad luck?)

October 2015:  Lauryn turned the big 1-3!  We watched the Saints and LSU games every week... ah, the trials and tribulations of being a Louisiana football fan!  We visited Bourg to celebrate Mrs. Bonnie's birthday.  Lauryn started weekly guitar lessons.  Dash and Euen Bodie were born on October 27th!  They stayed in the hospital for a little over a week.  Halloween was a super rainy one- we trick or treated the night before in a nearby neighborhood!  Camryn and Taylor went to Voodoo fest for the first time on Halloween.

November 2015:  LSU's hopes and football dreams took a downturn with the game vs. Alabama.  There was some time freed up on the weekends that was not spent watching football!  :)  Camryn turned 16 on Nov. 22.  We had a great Thanksgiving week off, and decorated for Chrismas in the days before and after Thanksgiving.

December 2015:  And so this brings us to December again.  Our trees are up (one small in the foyer, a bigger one in the living room), we have some lights outside, stockings are hung.  Autumn is anxiously awaiting what her elf, Lucia, will do next.  She wakes up at 5:30 almost every morning to see where Lucia has hidden or caused mischief the night before!  Autumn had her violin concert on Tuesday, and Lauryn had her Christmas concert at FJHS on Tuesday as well.  We are eagerly awaiting Christmas vacation from school!

We hope you have enjoyed this synopsis of our year.  We are never bored in this house, that is for sure!  We wish you all the best of luck and love in 2016!

My prediction of 2013 for the Blanchards

So every year for the last 4 I have done this prediction for the year to come, which I print out and put in a folder that goes in our Christmas box.  I don't read it again until I am taking out Christmas decorations the following November.  It has been funny to look back on the year through the eyes of early-January Patty.
So I was thinking last night that I needed to compose one of these predictions, which I can't even imagine the complexity for 2013... and here's why:

I will start with graduations.  Within the next 4 1/2 months, we will have two graduations in the house.  Taylor will graduate from North Cobb High School on May 24th.  What a milestone... I can't even imagine the emotional rollercoaster it will be.. I don't even want to think about it right now or I will start crying :)
So with that graduation comes the preparation for college.  And then some of the summer spent at a college campus.  But before we can even get to college, let's not forget the Spring, with Wind Symphony excitement, and a band trip to Washington DC in May, as well as AP tests for college credit, and all kind of other stuff I know I am not even thinking about right now.

Next is my graduation...the road to finish up for graduation will be hard and work-filled.. 4 months to get-r-done.  I don't even want to type more than that as I get anxious thinking about it. :)

The biggest obstacles to tackle in the next 4 months will be our pending move to Louisiana, hopefully to the North Shore.  We toured Mandeville  and really like the area.  The two high schools that are in the area have great state reports, so we are planning on heading there.  Of course, finding a house is the biggest step.  It is looking like we might attempt to buy a house, which will be an interesting feat.

Within the next handful of months, Taylor and I are running a 15K in January, and then hopefully the Publix Half Marathon on 3/17.  So somewhere in the chaos, we will be training for those... a good thing because otherwise I might be liable to shut myself up with a computer and pound out the hours for grad school!

I will say that I hope that this cold I have had for the last 3 weeks is the last one I have for a long time, as I ain't got time for the sickness!  Let's hope for lots of hand washing and hand sanitizer in the next 4 months to keep the germs at bay so that we can get through it all happy, and enough wine in our possession to momentarily be able to forget about it all :)

In closing, I leave you with this:
"Growing old is no more than a bad habit which a busy person has no time to form."
~Andre Maurois

Synopsis of 2012, to date, for the Blanchard Family

So as I place Christmas cards in envelopes, I feel like I am cheating all of you out there on an update to our family.  Instead of typing this and enclosing it in each card, I figure hey!  Use the power of the blog and just send the address to the blog, right?

Update as written by Patty on November 23, 2012

Todd:    Todd has changed jobs a few times this year, but has seemingly found a happy place working for Northrop-Grumman doing work for the Center for Disease Control.  We are thinking that this job, being mostly remote work, will be able to transfer with him when we move back to Louisiana in Summer 2013.  (Which is possibly NEW to some of you reading this!)  Him and Guinness have been enjoying some quality time during the days, Todd working hard and Guinny Boy laying at his feet.

Patty:  I started working this August at Kennesaw Charter Science and Math Academy as the technology teacher as well as the technology specialist for the school.  I am also still in grad school; I extended my graduation date until May 2013 in order to take 2 more classes toward my certification toward Online Teaching.  I also ran my first half marathon in October (here's a link to the blog post about that experience).  Taylor and I ran a few races together so far this year, including the Peachtree Road Race in ATL, the biggest 10K in the country.  We are signed up for a 15K in January as well.

Taylor:  Taylor is halfway through her Senior year in high school, and just got accepted to LSU as well as LSU's Honor College!  She made awesome scores in her SAT in the Spring and then recently in the Fall.  She is one of the Clarinet Section leaders in North Cobb High School's Marching Band.  Here is a link to the only video so far on YouTube of their show this year.  She also just found out she made first chair clarinet in the school's most prestigious musical ensemble, the Wind Symphony.  Here is a video of the Wind Symphony from last year playing Rising Sun by Allen Vizzutti, playing with Allen Vizzutti at Kennesaw State.  In 6 months, she'll be graduating from high school and gearing up for her freshman year at LSU.  Keep reading the blog for updates!  (Note:  The marching band made grand champs at the festival in Asheville, NC.  The North Cobb football team is in round 3 of the playoffs... we are looking forward to another win this Friday!)

Camryn:  Camryn is in 7th grade at Awtrey Middle.  She is in her second year of band as a percussionist.  She particularly likes melodics- bells, marimba, etc.  When she is not at school, a lot of her time is spent creating all kinds of artwork.  Check the blog for updates... I will upload some pictures of her Halloween mask creation as well as the clan of dragons she has been sculpting.

Lauryn:  Lauryn is in 4th grade at Kennesaw Charter,  decision she made the week before school started.  She is doing great, making awesome grades.. she is really into her music class at school, which led to inquiring about band for next year, so she is planning to play the saxophone next year. 

Autumn:  Our little toddler  truly makes everyday interesting!  She is happy at her little preschool where she spends Mommy and Daddy's working hours, and her make-believe skills have matured extensively!  She's a very loveable creature that we can't get enough of.  Check the blog for some videos of her doing cute toddler stuff. 


We took a great family trip Labor Day weekend to Cherokee, North Carolina to one of our favorite cabins, Water Rock Retreat.  We have been super busy the last few years, what with a growing baby, three growing girls, and me in grad school.  I know I am definitely looking forward to graduating in May and having a bit of time to not worry about assignments and deadlines with school, although that always turns into other kinds of deadlines.

So keep checking back here for more videos, pictures, and blog entries to update everyone on our lives.

We hope everyone has an awesome Christmas season and a fun and joyous new year!

Puzzle Time

Autumn Ivy, 2 years, 1month, with her awesome Ernie Rubber Ducky puzzle from the mid 70's that I bought at a consignment store.

Father's Day 2012

EDIT:  Have to add in here that Taylor, Camryn and Lauryn woke up at 6 to make Father's Day breakfast.

Taylor and Lauryn, bringin home the bacon, fryin it up in a pan

(Camryn was busy creating decorations and her biscuits were baking.)

On to the rest of the day:
I hate that I have no pictures from yesterday, because we all had a fun time, even with the tremendous crowds.  We decided to FINALLY take the girls to White Water, which they were extremely excited about.  Camryn, Taylor, and Lauryn planned their attack on the slides, and all agreed they would ride "Cliffhanger", which was the first slide of the day and Todd went with them.

Autie and I were standing there when they each came down, and I can't believe I didn't hear Lauryn scream!  I don't think she had time to!  

While the big girls and Todd were waiting in line, Autie and I checked out all of the kiddee areas.

This was cute.. a lot of water spraying everywhere which Autumn is not too crazy about.  She was ok with it once I was carrying her and splashing through it.  We headed over to the next kid-friendly area.

This part was a lot more fun.. although she wanted nothing to do with the house part in the center with all of the water falling unexpectedly.  (She has never been one for liking water poured over her head, and now she only likes it if SHE is the one doing it.)  There were three regular looking water slides that moved real slow in this part, and she loved em all, when sitting on our lap. 

So we headed, Autie and I, to the next upgrade of kid areas called the Treehouse.  This spot had some kid slides that moved a little faster, which she would have LOVED I have no doubt if it weren't for the fact that the entire structure had water shooting out, spraying, or falling out of some part of it at all times.  This is the part with a huge 500-gallon bucket that fills up and spills every couple of minutes.  This bucket was a love-hate part of the day for Autie.  She could sit and watch it from a distance where it didn't splash on her all day, I think, but don't get her anywhere near the fall out!  Therefore, we never could get to any of these slides, no matter how fast we'd try to run through all of the water as Autumn was kicking and flailing her limbs to get away from the splashing water and the freakiness. :)

So Daddy took over with Autie for a bit.. well a GOOD LONG bit as it took FOREVER to get through the line to ride The Tornado with the big girls.

Well worth the wait.. all four of us on a raft.  Doesn't look like much but the first drop out of the chute and up the side of this thing... I am sure the people waiting in line were laughing at the insane look of fear on my face as the centripetal forces took over the raft and therefore, all of our bodies.  Fun stuff...

The girls rode Run Away River together 

while Autie played for awhile with Me and Todd and then took a MUCH NEEDED power nap.

Then the girls and dad rode Dragon Tail

while me and Autie discovered her love of the Lazy River, where the water pushes you along.

I traveled the whole loop squatted down so she could "swim", and she was happy as can be the whole 6 or 7 lengths we traveled during various parts of the rest of the day.

The Dad/girl foursome rode Black River Falls= more Lazy River fun for Autie plus ice cream time.

As it began to grow late, we decided to try Bahama Bob with Autie, as all of us fit in one raft, and she was BASICALLY tall enough to ride.  (Doctor appointment had said Thursday she was 35+" and the limit for the ride was 36".)

 

So you ride in a raft side by side, which Autie sat on Todd, and barrel down this white slide, which looked calm enough from the outside.  And it really was, but it went a bit faster than I was expecting and Autie had a look on her face like, well, like she might not trust us again the next time we try to get in anything in water that is different!

The girls had plans of riding more, but it was 7 and the park was closing.  The chicken tortilla soup in the crock pot was calling our names; It was a fun day, and our toes were tired!

Fridays aren't supposed to be crappy!

DISCLAIMER:  If 'poop talk' makes you squeamish or you think it's gross and shouldn't be discussed, do not read any further!!!

OK, if you're still with me, then you are like me and a funny story about bodily functions grabs your attention and lightens your world a little bit with humor.  So here we go with my latest escapades with a potty-trained almost-2-year-old.

Autie and I had a great morning, and then lunch at Panera Bread, followed by a quick hop into Rue 21 for an Easter present for Camryn, and a glance at shoes in Famous Footwear due to $15 off coupons I had been saving.  So probably an hour or so later, we head back to the van before running into Target for a few groceries, and lo and behold, I can't find my keys.  Yep, a glance in the window confirms that somehow, they never made it into my purse and are sitting there on the van seat.  (Yes Janice, I know.. I should have had an extra key made...)

I call Todd twice.  (Usually one call from me during the day and he assumes it is a 'butt call' because I never call him on his phone, always text.  Two calls usually means I need to talk to him.)  No answer.  OK... so I text him... no answer.. must be in a meeting, I think.  Hmmmm....

So I text Taylor, since she is the only one with a Momma and Autie transport device and a key to the house.  She calls, says she will check out... which I have to ok 10 minutes later with the office at school... and come and get me.

Now all we need is a car seat for Autie, since her's is strapped in the locked van.  Oh well, I think, either I will bring it back tonight when we come back for the van, OR I will just keep it if it's not too expensive because we really need two of them.

We enter Target, and Autie tells me she's got to potty.  No problem.  YEA!  She poops... better out than in, I always say.  We wipe, wash hands, on to business.

We scoop up a handful of things we need (forgetting coffee for in the morning as we are out.. DAMN ME IF I FORGET LATER TO GET COFFEE!!!)<-hoping this helps me remember!
And I must also scoop up Autie and place her on my hip so we can get our butts through the checkout and outside to wait for Tay.

So there I stand, waiting to enter my PIN on the debit card machine, when... I smell poop.
Now, I know she had pooped in the potty, and it was a pretty massive amount for a little body, so I'm thinking MAYBE I didn't wipe as good as I thought?  Surely whatever is left is residual...

Autie stays on the hip (amen I had the sense to know she wouldn't want to get in the buggy and left her on the hip) and we head to the door.  As we exit, I switch hips, and lordy me...
on my white t shirt are skid marks... (let me say Autie had on a skirt with the little pants underneath today).  Obviously what I thought was just a butt crack smell is much more (yes, Miss Brandee, Autie and I were both smelling "Buttish!"), and I've already switched hips.. So once I get out of the door and away from the pedestrian traffic entering the store, I put Autie on the sidewalk and look down.  YEP... my other hip is just as nasty.  I proceed to look on her thighs, in the back of her skirt and there it is... the mess that I squished upon putting her on my hip, which went through the pant legs of the skirt and was threatening to go up her back.

And let me remind you I am locked out of my van, have no wipes, no extra clothes, and am waiting waiting for Taylor...
with a carseat I intend to return, possible...
with a kid with poop everywhere..
and with myself, equally full of crap, literally because dammit, I can't make this stuff up.

Autie plays in the puddles.. i think, hey at least it quit raining.. and we are both smiling.
Tay drives up and I send her inside for wipes, cuz there is no wiping this off with the napkins from Panera Bread nor the 18 rolls of Charmin I just bought.
we need clean wetness.. maybe I could have dipped her in a puddle?  Didn't think of that...

Taylor comes back out with the wipes, and I proceed to the back of her car with a Target bag for reinforcement to lay her on (lord help us if poop gets into the carpet of Tay's trunk), the wipes, a Target bag for disposal and catching of poopy clothes.. and I proceed to clean my sweet baby girl as best I can and as quickly as I can before my back breaks from being bent over.
So I am trying to meld into the trunk and be inconspicuous, when I hear the squeaky wheels of a buggy approaching.  "please don't talk to me.. or better yet, please don't look this way".. knowing that the poop undoubtedly is showing through my rolled up white t shirt, and hoping my daughter's poopy butt isn't pointed her way.

The woman.. YES!.. proceeds to talk to me.
How does Taylor say that "There goes Momma.. talking to random strangers again."
(Maybe this will make me think twice about talking to 'random strangers'.. maybe they don't want to have a conversation with me while cleaning up a serious mess.)

The lady says "Well that's an interesting use of a trunk."
I say "Well, whatever works sometime, right?"
(not enough for her, evidentally)

She says, "Yeah, when my kids were little, that's why I always had a big station wagon."
I look and smile and say "That was a good idea." (I think that's what I said.. please tell me I didn't say "Can we just not talk right now??")

She finally gets in and drives away, I finish with Autie and put her clean new pair of Elmo panties on (at least we had bought THAT while in Target), put her in the car seat (which is new and I had to figure out how to adjust to fit her.. sheese) and I get in and we drive off, in poor Taylor's car, who gets grossed out by bodily functions of any kind lately.  Oh well, yet another one of those days we both won't forget.

OH and I have to add this.. almost forgot.. I get home to wash all of this nastiness and, whatdayah know?  The fancy washing machine that the home owners left in this house has a setting on "Stain Inspectors"  for "Personal Stains" and THEN a LIST! of which "feces" is one!  LMAO!

And for a refresher on the last time this happened to us, ironically also when I locked the keys in the van, read this: Wanna Hear About My Crappy Morning?

Christmas Cookie Extravaganza

Autumn watchin the big sissies.. waiting for her turn.

Lauryn helping baby girl.

Camryn looks like she is about to unleash the power of the flour. :)

Tay Tay came to play, too.

She loved squeezing the icing.

Taylor's First Creation

In honor of a game of Hedbanz :)

Camryn's "tribute" to Katniss Everdeen,
main character in The Hunger Games.
I love her armor made of Sno-Caps!

Camryn's Draco Malfoy cookie.
Something about "20 lashes" with purple sprinkles,
and his 3 eyes are the "ghosts of his past"...
only Camryn :)

Taylor working on her Harry Potter cookie.

Autie was making her way around to snipe some candies from
that side of the table.

Good times...

Everyone's gone...
Autie's turn to make a "golly-mah-cha" of what's left of the goodies!

 

Can you say "SUGAR BUZZ"??? :)

Autie's Word Play

Colorguard Chickee in the makin?

Autie Makin "Waffles"

Playin at the Park

GIVE ME THE RING POP!!!!

Shark Bait! OOO haha

Wanna Hear About My Crappy Morning?

So my morning was so eventful that it surpassed being worthy of a simple Facebook status. I feel an entire blog entry is in order here!

The start of the day went well and without a hitch, with three big girls hitting the roads to their respective schools. We had a few errands to run, so off Autumn & I went right after breakfast. Kohl's was awesome, as we found a few real awesome deals, and was offered a 30% off coupon (better than my 15%!) by the customer checking out before me. Then we headed to Petco for Guinny boy food; Autumn loved the fish- I can't wait to bring her to the aquarium!

("Patty," you say, "this isn't sounding too 'crappy'." Hang in there, I say! It gets better!)

Off we go to Wal-Mart...

So I stop for a second in the parking lot to organize some coupons, think to myself that I don't need the diaper bag cuz I will be no longer than 30 minutes, grab a cute little baby out of the seat, and hop out.... press "lock" on the doors... slam the door, and realize...
the damn keys are inside...

SECOND time in a month I lock myself out of the van
(I've never done this while driving this bus of a vehicle, btw)
to manage to do it twice in a month.. ggrrrrr...

So Todd tells me he is on his way from work to assist me
My buddy Tara says she could come get us and bring us home, but we'll just stay and take our time with shopping...

Autumn is decently good in the store.. (after eating half of the groceries I put in the cart!)... and while killing time in the jewelry, I HEAR Autumn and then I SMELL her...

recall I left the diaper bag in the van...

but no worries, I think, I'll go check out, and in the buggy are diapers and wipes and I'll take care of the problem

well of course there are only 2 checkout lanes open... so we wait and wait... again, other than upending some gift card displays at the checkout (why are those at kid level anyway???) Autumn is behaving even tho we are waiting forever.

So here it is, our turn to checkout... things are going well, I am organizing my price matches with my circulars from a few stores, getting coupons out, etc... when I look down at my sweet, well-behaving angel....

...and there she stands, one hand still in the back of her diaper, the other covered in POOP. I scramble for paper towels from the cashier, and in the process Autumn wipes her hands on my shirt, on the coupons that were still in my hand, and apparently I learned when I got home, on her face and in her hair.

All of this at the time when I am attempting to tell the cashier which circular my price match items are in....

well, we managed to keep the poop contamination to a minimum, get out of there without the cashier realizing what was going on or without her puking on us, get to the bathroom for a clean up, and just in time for Todd to pull up next to the van and unlock it for us.


So essentially, not a bad morning, but literally, CRAPPY!

Bein silly with sissy

On the way home from picking Camryn up from a sleepover.
Autumn was so happy to see Cam and soooo silly!

Bite for Guinness, Bite for Autumn

She likes to DANCE!

Playin', Playin'

Where's your bellybutton?

Finally a video of her walking