I remember now why we liked sprinklers so much.

Noah and I got to "help" daddy do yard work today.
By "help", I mean we mostly got in his way. Noah did help shovel dirt and stomp down grass and carry small rocks to the rock pile. Then things got really exciting when first Lydia, then Grayson came over! Sweet Lydia watched in amusement as Grayson and Noah tore it up in the back yard. Stephan was watering his freshly laid grass, resulting in two very wet boys. Add freshly-cut grass trimmings and you've got yourselves some super grassy wet boys. When it was time to go in, clean Lydia went in to wash her hands while humorously filthy Noah and Grayson were stripped and hauled straight to the tub to get hosed off. I would include the cute pictures that were taken of tub-time, but I don't want to get in trouble with any teenagers in the future.
   Witten, who has been having super screwy naps lately, is sleepy soundly. That makes me happy. But now, I have to go. I've got laziness to achieve. Thank You, gracious God, for lazy Saturdays!

 

two cute!

*play on words*
I have two cuties who are too cute! And they look so much alike! for example:

Noah Sias, 4 or 5 months old

Witten Allen, almost 3 months old

In other news, poor Noah won't stop being sick. I'm pretty sure it is allergies that are currently tormenting him. The worst part is his heavy cough that wears me out just listening to it.I thank God again and again that, whatever ails Noah, Witten hasn't been affected. 

and now, more cute pictures:

Champions

I very well might be the only one that reads that post title and instantly thinks of Queen. (Weeeeeee are the champions, my friee-eend. And  weeeeeee'll keep on fiiightiing til the eeeeeend!)
 Anyways, I just wanted to show the world what champs looked like in real life:

Can you believe these two just finished running 6 miles?

 Yessirree Bob, these two ladies, who may be very mad at me for posting this picture, ran that there 10 K that I was unable to run. That was Saturday. Yesterday, Monday, the lovely lady on the right agreed to go running with me. Poor planning on my part, as Aubrey was accustomed to going for miles non-stop and I, to state it plainly, am not. She was still gracious and patient with my sad attempt at fitness. And she didn't let me slack off, either. This was no walk in the park, friends. That chick turned all Jillian Michaels on me! And because of her encouragement, I am now delightfully sore all over. Which probably means I'm running wrong.

 In unrelated news, I have discovered that Noah has got some pretty heinous allergies. We're outside for  seven minutes and his eyes start watering and his nose starts running. The kind of good news is that I now know why he has a horrible cough at night. Zyrtec has been administered and positive results are already taking place.

I would really like to go to the beach.

 God bless you, faithful readers!

I don't care what "flavor" the ramen noodles are supposed to be, they all taste the same.

You know when somebody knows something you don't know, but you think you know what they know even though you're not supposed to know? I hate that. What if I'm not right in my secret assumption? Like when you're twelve and you think your parents are planning a massive surprise party for your birthday because they haven't mentioned it and the only alternative is that they really haven't given it any thought. Or if you know a friend/sibling/spouse/whoever is keeping a secret and you assume the very best because that would be awesome. I often set myself up for disappointment, thanks to my hyper-active imagination. Oh well.

This morning, the family went to Berfeld park to cheer on our friends who were running in the 10K that I pledged to run. I'm proud of them, they did awesome.

Witten has been resisting naps and/or sleeping soundly for the duration of his naps. That's kind of a new thing for him. I don't like it.

We're still not sure if we're going to go to church tomorrow. I wish someone could give us a definite answer as to how long it takes for hand, foot, and mouth disease to go away for good. Noah hasn't shown any signs of sickness in a week.

 Well, friends and readers, enjoy your Saturday. It is a beaut, and God made it just for us. This is the day that the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it!  

Sam's Club to the Rescue!

All I have to say is; if this last trip to the store doesn't last us at least a month, I will be amazed and dismayed.

Call me Mother Hubbard

 Rarely is there a picture taken of me and Noah. I came to realize this not too long ago. I'm almost exclusively the one taking the picture. So when pictures like the one you see above are taken, I treasure them.

 This is my little stud-muffin. Watch out, ladies, he's packin' heat and he's not afraid to show off his guns!

"Woah, dude, breath mint!"

 Life is still rather abnormal. This lovely rain that produces plush, green grass and perfect sleeping conditions also makes my kitchen, which is open the the elements via a hole under the sink, smell rather putrid. Also, I haven't been very vigilant with my meal planning and grocery shopping, so, as the title implies, my cupboard is bare. And my fridge. And my pantry.     

I think I like this "bumbo" thing. Indeed.

There are, however, far more perks than downfalls to my week thus far. You can catch a glimpse of them in the pictures I included.  Truly, truly I say to you, these are a few of my favorite things.
   Well, friends, Witten is sleeping off a trio of painful shots he was given this morning, and Noah is hunting down pairs of shoes to bring to me. (Currently, there are four pair beside my chair). I gots to go make dinner ex nihilo, so I bid you all adieu, fair readers. May God bless you and keep you. 

Hand, Foot, and Mouth

...and legs and arms and especially hiney.
Somebody warned me not too long ago that a disease that causes icky, painful looking sores to pop up on three or more areas of the body was spreading like wildfire. Being the smug, confidant mother that I far to often am, I went, "meh", and thought nothing more of it. Fast forward to this past week. After a mild fever that lasted only a day, a vague rash appeared on Noah's torso and thighs. The doctor said that it didn't look like hand, foot and mouth disease at the time, since there were none of the affiliated sores in Noah's mouth or on his feet. Tylenol and snuggles were prescribed, and I went home with a warm toddler. The next day the sores showed up. Apparently, these nasty little blighters itch, 'cause poor Noah is having at his hind-end like a monkey. So much so that when I change his diapers, as soon as the diaper's off, he scoots his hiney back and forth across the carpet for optimal itch scratching.
  The best news is, this disease is going to have him barred from public appearances for a couple of weeks. Even after the symptoms go away, he could still be contagious for quite a while. Therefore, no church, no playdates, no trips to the park for Noah. Poor Noah. Moral of this story: diseases suck.
  Other than Noah's illness, life has been tumultuous this past week. A pipe under our house up and collapsed somewhere in/under the slab, causing drainage issues that make my kitchen smell straight-up gross. Our new insurance representative denied us any coverage for the issue because it's under the house, not in it. (Is there even such a thing as slab insurance?)  Stephan worked valiantly to fix the pipe without having to jackhammer our kitchen/living room floors. After hours of working in putrid sludge from old, cast iron pipes, he realized that it couldn't be done, and the floors would have to go. Poor Stephan. Moral of this story: what the heck do we pay insurance for if they won't insure us??
 
  Yet still in times such as these, when sickness strikes and we have to deal with seemingly overwhelming house malfunctions, I can say that I am blessed. I look at my handsome husband, working so hard to provide a safe home for his family, and I know I am blessed. I look at our children, so happy and loveable and sweet, and I know that we are blessed. Most impressive of all, I look at the Scriptures and read of all the things that God has done for a wretch like me and I am in awe of how blessed I am. Forbid it, Lord, that I should ever grumble! You have been so good to me.

  Have a blessed night, readers!