My not so little Jumping Bean

With Ruby being sick and me being tired, Abby is a ray of sunshine in our house. She constantly makes me laugh. She is so silly and so funny. She LOVES to jump and run. She will jump off of anything and instead of battling her to stay down, I sit back and laugh and enjoy her adventurous spirit. She can be too adventurous at times and it seems like she can almost run faster than I can. I'll say "on your marks, get set, GO!" and she runs around laughing hysterically. I love to catch her and tell how happy she makes me! She is a mischievous one to boot. My mom called me at work laughing and started by saying "I don't know if I should tell you this, but..." I ask what the heck did Abby do? She said she couldn't find her so she went searching around the house. She finally hears her humming twinkle twinkle little star and laughing in the master bathroom. She goes in to find her STANDING IN THE TOILET... flushing it and laughing as all the water swirls around her feet! I know it is disgusting, but you just have to laugh. Ruby is feeling better, but is still pathetic. All she wants is her mamma... all I want is for her to be better. I love my girlies!

Is Abby a bad influence or a good influence on Ruby? I couldn't find them and then I heard Ruby yell "here we are mamma"! (yes, they are inside the dryer)

Too Tired!

We are all Mom's so you are all going to read this and say "so what"! Having said that, I am still going to vent. Tuesday night Ruby never slept more than an hour at a time after 11:00pm, so yesterday I was already tired. I worked 8-4. Got home at 4:30. Run in the house and put in a load of laundry and pull out what I am cooking for dinner all the while on the phone to direct tv - another issue entirely! I run next door to get the girls and Ruby is totally pathetic and Abby is full of energy. As we are walking home, Abby wants to stay outside and run around(which we usually do). Ruby is crying to go inside and lay on the couch. We go inside and Abby has a fit. I get them in and settled. Ruby hasn't really eaten since Saturday and now she is complaining her tummy hurts. I figure good ole' chicken soup will probably do the trick. I actually got her to eat a small bowl - yeah! I finish feeding the girls and begin cooking our dinner, change a load of laundry, and do some dishes. Anthony gets home just before 6. I tell him to go ahead and eat... I have to go to the 99 cent store to get some treats for Ruby's class party on Friday. I take both the girls - that place is awesome b.t.w. I call Anthony on the way home to start the girls bath. Get home, unload, give the girls a bath. Get them out, get them in their p.j.'s and put on Aladdin so I can do a few chores. I switch the laundry over, fold the dry load, put them away. I get out the girls outfits for today. I FINALLY sit down to eat around 8:00. I clean up the kitchen mess and go play with the girls. I get Abby to bed just before 9:00 and tell Ruby she can lay on the couch since she is having such a difficult time sleeping. Anthony leaves at 9:00 for his 9:30pm basketball game. I clean the living room and move on to making lunches for today. I finish around 10:00. I fold the last load of laundry. I realize it is 10:30. I was going to take a shower to save morning time, but I am too tired and decide to watch the end of the Biggest Loser. Anthony gets home at 10:45. I crash into bed at 11:00. At 3:00am Ruby crawled in bed with us. She flops around like a fish out of water. Anthony is quietly snoring, not even noticing this fish between us. Around 4:15 I can't handle it anymore and sneak into the living room. I fall back asleep just before 4:30. At 4:44 Ruby is laying on top of me saying her ear and throat hurts. I get up, give her Motrin and tell her she has to go lay in her OWN bed. Around 5:45 I end up just laying in bed with her. She is sound asleep within 5 minutes. I wait until 6:00 and sneak out. I go to bed and Anthony is now snoring loudly. I decide to go lay on the couch. Now it is 6:15 and I decide I should just get in the shower. I turn on the tv and then fall back asleep!!! I wake up at 7:15 frantic! I have 15 minutes to get out of the house! Both the girls are asleep. I hop in the shower - kick myself for not taking one the night before - and scramble to get ready. At 7:30 both girls are up and I feel horrible that I have to run out. I wake up Anthony, give him a quick run down, bring Abby to my Mom's (she has a major melt down when I leave the house). I tell Anthony to get Ruby dressed and bring her to my mom's in a bit. I walk to my Mom's, drop off Abby... apologize she is still in her jammies, give her kisses and race to work to arrive at 8:04pm. Sleep deprivation is the devil. Don't military people use it as a torturing device? I must say that the last 45 minutes of sleep saved me and will get me through the day. I am - just like ever other mom - TIRED!

Recent Fun... and not so fun.

Last weekend we brought the kids to the LA Zoo. All in all, it was a success. We used our Entertainment book coupons, so it was well worth the 12 bucks!

These two are going to have the worst/best Love/Hate relationship for the rest of their life!

The gang!

Don't you just love Taylors bow? I need to figure out how to make them.

Last Wednesday Kim and I met Ang at Halloween Disney. We collectively agreed to only take the older kids, even though we all felt horrible leaving the little ones at home. I am glad we did, though... I was exhausted by the time I got home at 10:40pm!

The Cowgirl and the Pirate.

Brady was Mr. Incredible and he was SO cute!

This past Sunday we took the kids to the Nature Center. We did the 2 mile hike and the kids loved it. Trevor walked/ran the ENTIRE 2 miles. Ruby walked about .2 miles:) That's my girl! In another year Abby will be able to keep up with Trevor... as for now she is too side-tracked trying to eat dirt, leaves, and sticks.

I LOVE this picture and LOVE these kids even more.

Don't they look sweet?

After the hike we crossed over to El Dorado Park to eat lunch and take a train ride.

Following the leader...:)

So, the not so fun part... Ruby has Hand-Foot-Mouth disease. It is so sad and she has been so pathetic. She really hasn't eaten since last Saturday. She has all these open sores in her mouth and I feel terrible for her. The crazy thing is... she had it when Abby was 3 weeks old. The doctor told us that it was in the chicken pox family and that once you get it, you can't get it again! So, when I brought her in yesterday, she just said it is very rare to get it twice and that it appears that this one is a particularly strong strain... because of how bad she has it. I called her school to let them know and the coordinator said that there have been quite a few kids out in the last few weeks with similar symptoms... the joys of pre-school. To top it off, we had recently had a lot of success with her sleeping issues and all it takes is a sickness to come around and change everything. Last night she was up and crying about every hour... so I hopped in bed with her and if it gave me ten more minutes of sleep, it was well worth giving in! Kim - I'll keep my fingers crossed that your kids don't get it!

Slow Down!

We had a really fun weekend and I'll post about it later. I really need to slow down. Isn't the saying "Life is not a race"? I just read the saddest article about a woman that was on Oprah. She was a "Super Mom". A married mother of two young girls - one in preschool, one in daycare. She is a Vice Principal and very well liked and respected. One day her husband - who normally brings the kids in the morning, asked if she would take the youngest to daycare because of his dentist appointment. No problem... it was her first day of school after summer break... a busy day for sure. She put her in the car... and forgot to take her to daycare. At 4:00pm she was found dead in the backseat. If this doesn't stop you in your tracks, I don't know what could. When I first started reading the article I thought "this sounds a lot like my life: working mom, two young girls, very busy life". I feel like I am racing every day at almost every moment. Wake up -go go go-crash in bed, then do it all over. I really don't know how to stop that feeling - the feeling like you are barely treading water and on the verge of drowning. This story has been the only thing. What is really important in life? It is our children, our family, our friends. I am going to try really hard to slow down - not stop going places - but mentally. This has especially hit home with me because Abby can be so challenging. She is VERY strong willed and does not listen. I get so frustrated because I feel like all I do is discipline her. As I am hanging up all the clothes she ripped off the hangers in my closet, she threw Anthony's guitar tuner in the toilet. As I am frantically trying to dry it off and go outside to put it in the sun, she is in Ruby's room and has pulled every book off the shelf. As I put all the books back on the shelf, she has pulled every last piece of tupperware out and it is all over the kitchen floor! I want her to be happy - and she is most of the time. She is a slap-happy kind of baby. Right now there is nothing I want more than to run home and hug her and kiss her and tell her sorry for yelling. I will be more patient. I will work harder at being the kind of mommy you need - not the kind your sister needs. I love you more than you will ever be able to fathom. You make me so happy and I promise I will SLOW DOWN!

My New Obsession:

Most of you are going to laugh, but I don't care!! My new obsession is COUPONS! Yes, that's right folks... coupons. I am sick and tired of how much or grocery bill has increased in one year. A small tub of "I can't believe it's not butter" a year ago was under $2, now it is over $3. Everything has gone through the roof, but I make the same amount of money... so it's time to be proactive! I cut coupons from the Sunday paper, shop the sales, and now my new favorite: print coupons from the store's website! And no, this has NOTHING to do with my blogging friend Paige's recent post about deliveries. If I could, I would too. We go through so much milk that I wish someone could bring it to me!!!!
Updates and questions: Abby almost ruined another screen last night. She didn't rip it, but she bent the bottom and pushed it all the way out... what am I going to do with this child? Ruby has slept through the night three times in the last week! It has been so nice that she seems to be getting over the fear of her room all by herself. I was on the verge of pressing the issue, but she has weathered the storm and I am seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. I also took Ruby off the sippy cup a couple weeks ago - which has not been an issue, but now I am looking for a cup with a lid to travel with and put in a cooler that doesn't spill and one that I can fill with water or milk (that's all my kids drink - strange, I know) ... does anyone know of where I can find one? Last question, I now have three art projects that Ruby has done at school (2 are about 12 x 18 inches, and one is a large letter C) does anyone - Aeysha - know a creative way to keep these?

Happier Things

I am not posting about a certain team. My post brought them bad luck and must have been responsible for making them give up 4 runs in the eighth inning, but again, I'm not talking about them.

Last week I brought the girls to the Pumpkin Patch on PCH. They have rides and a petting zoo. The downfall is that it is really expensive - especially for me these days. But, the girls had a blast. Ruby actually sat on the horse on the carousel(she normally prefers the bench) - but I suppose if your baby sister is on one, you better, too! I even put Ruby on the bumper boats - after I saw a mom put her 3 year old twin boys on. I always feel uncomfortable about carnie rides. She really wanted to, so I gave in. When I saw where her feet were, it was right where the motor was! WTH! I thought "I am going to kill this place if she gets burned or zapped!" See the video below - it's pretty cute and certainly makes me HAPPY! Yes, I know... Bean needs her doo cut!

Ruby and Abby on the faux Dumbo.

OK, maybe this doesn't make me happy, but it did make me laugh. Seriously, we are renting and she is going to destroy the house. I was in the other room and came out to find her RIPPING the screen out... is this a sign of things to come?

We had Kim and the kids over for a Pumpkin Painting project. Surprisingly, they all did really well, it lasted more than 2 minutes, and, of coarse, Bean was the only one with a mouth full of blue paint.

Taylor has the cutest profile around!

The finished projects... so cute!

Saturday was Kelly's birthday party at Glory Days. It was so nice to get out and socialize with adults:) Happy Birthday, my love!

Me and my BFF! Love the new bangs.

Sunday we had a get together for Anthony's Aunt Mary and Uncle Don. They are very sweet people and we are sad that we don't get to see them more often - they live in Arkansas. Unfortunately, I didn't get any pictures of them, but cousin Jade was there and the kids had a blast wearing each other out! Thanks to everyone who came!

This may not seem like a big deal to anyone else, but is sure made me happy. Ever since Ruby started school, she is learning so much every day!! Below is a picture of a a happy face and a sad face that Ruby drew on the sidewalk. Kim said it best... it is such a good feeling knowing that your kids are in school and not WATCHING TV ALL DAY:)

Last, Abby had her 18 month old check up last week. She is 31.2 pounds and 34 inches. Neither were even on the growth chart!

Bleeding Dodger Blue

OK all you Dodger fans... I couldn't not post about the BIG game tonight! Even if you aren't a fan, but just remotely like me or Kelly, you should find it in your heart to root for the Dodgers tonight!

Personally, I really like Manny and the fire he brought to the team. I liked his little outburst last night! It ignites something. It brings back the muster and grit of games of old. To top, he's got a great sense of humor... just don't mess with his team mates!!!

And lets keep our fingers crossed that Lowe brings his A game!

For Kelly's sake, for my sake... for Anthony's sake... and even for my children's sake: PLEASE WIN TONIGHT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Abby's Turn

MyHeritage: Family trees - Genealogy - Celebrities - Collage - Morph

If you see Anthony's baby pictures at the same age, they look like twins. Give it a try if you are curious, but I don't EVEN think this is accurate.

Take a Look...

MyHeritage: Look-alike Meter - Free genealogy websites - Family history

OK, these aren't the best pictures of all of us, but I looked through hundreds and it is very rare that you find a picture by yourself. Personally, I think I look more than 6% more than Anthony. I knew it wasn't going to be that accurate when I saw that neither of the Allen kids looked more like Ang... come on now!

Happy Birthday Kelly!!!!!

OK, this isn't the best picture, but I looked through all my albums on my computer and 95% percent of them are the kids:)

Happy Birthday Kelly! I love you and appreciate you more than you know! These are just some of the reasons why I am Lucky to call you my friend:
1. You have ALWAYS been there for me - both to celebrate and to pull me up when I am down.
2. You are fiercely loyal.
3. You love unconditionally.
4. You are fun to be with whether we are at home or out on the town.
5. You are the best traveling buddy, and I promise that one day I will be able to travel, again!
6. I LOVED living with you on the beach... I will always cherish ALL the memories we created there.
7. You are passionate.
8. By all accounts, you are a phenomenal teacher.
9. You are an amazing Aunt! Both my girls genuinely LOVE you and ADORE you!
10. You have a great sense of humor.
11. You introduced me to LOVING the Dodgers!!!! You know!
12. I like the way you drive:)
13. I can call you any time to talk about nothing.
14. You are just an amazing person, friend, daughter, sister, aunt, cousin, niece and I am so grateful to have you in my life!!!

Thank You for being You!!! Have a Wonderful Day! Go Dodgers - beat the Phillies!!
If you know and love Kelly... leave a message for her, too!

For Kim

Since Kim couldn't get her video of T.T. up, I thought I would! I love you T.T.!!!! I love the way she says Star in the end... makes me smile!

Museum's, Dodger game, & Twilight:)

The weekend started with meeting Shannon and her kids and Kim and her kids at the park. It was a nice way to start the weekend... the kids wore themselves out, ate at the park, came home, took a bath and hit the hay!

I am always looking for something to do with the kids that is free or inexpensive. The La Habra Children's Museum was free on Saturday, so Kim and I ventured out there to spend the morning. Abby has never been, T.T. went when she was a tiny baby, and Trevor and Ruby hadn't been since they were about 18 months old. I must say, we all had a great time. I am always concerned about Abby - she's a runner and not the best listener:). All in all she was really good!!!! The kids are really starting to get to a fun age and I am really excited for all the adventures that are yet to come!

Ruby was milking the cow... I'm not sure if this picture is more sweet or more creepy - kind of:)

Police Officer Ruby... yeah right, she's more accident prone than anyone I know. I love you, baby!

This was the Taxidermy. Abby was scared to death. Trevor was a little frightened at first, but a few M & M's solved that and he was posing for the camera.

Bean on the carousel... time for a haircut, my love.

T.T. was bringing me food to eat. I stinking love you!

OK... now time for the good stuff!!!!! Are you kidding me... a Dodger Sweep over the Cubbies who had the best record in the National League! That was hands down the best game we have ever been to! We took the Blue line to Union Station, then the free Dodger trolley to the Stadium. The atmosphere was electric! They won 3 to 1 and we stayed WAY too long to watch the on field celebration. So much so, that we missed our connection on the Blue Line in Wilmington at 12:30 AM!!!!

Needless to say, by the time I got to bed it was almost 2:00am and the kids were up at 6:00am... the things we do for the love of the game:)

Dodger Mania!

Last, but not quite least... I have been sucked in! I started reading Twilight! I am only a 130 pages in, but can't wait to finish!!! The first night I only read about 50 pages and already had a Vampire dream and they haven't even talked about vampires, yet!!!!

This is Ruby at the museum. One of the rooms has a stage with a microphone. It is hard to hear her because it was so loud... but sweet none-the-less. This is her rendition of "When you wish upon a star".

Angie's & Disneyland!!!

Last Sunday we went to Angie's house - finally!!! We can't let that much time pass before we see each other again!!! I love you all way too much! We had a great time catching up! The kids had a blast playing in the pool, playing in the dirt, and destroying the book shelf! One of these days they will have more fun actually reading them:)

While the big kids (Brady, Trevor, and Ruby) ran around with squirt guns, our sweet little princesses played in the dirt. If Abby was rich, she would pay me a million dollars to have something like this in our backyard! What dainty little ladies they are:)

In heaven! Cookies and dirt... all mixed together in Abby's dream come true.

Disney's website said it opened at 9:00am. We got there around 9:20 and THEY LIED! (kind of) The park was technically open - meaning the street of shops all the way to the castle was open. JUST THE SHOPS - NO RIDES!!! So I strolled around for 40 minutes in a crowd trying to entertain this girl. I went in the shops becasue it was so freaking hot! I told myself I wasn't going to buy anything!!! Then Abby grabbed a princess Minnie and was smiling and laughing. I looked at the price tag: $14.00. I guess not that bad. Maybe I'll get it. Then, I thought, I should get Ruby one too, right? So I grabbed another one and let her play with them while I walked around. Right before I was going to pay, I had an epiphany... I hate stuffed animals... I just got rid of a large bag of them... now I was going to spend (with tax) over $30 to add two more to my house... nope! I put them back and the park opened 5 minutes later.

This is pretty much what her face looked like the whole time:)) I love her!

Who is this big kid? That's right.. it's my baby girl! Please stop growing up so fast!!!

The video is short, but this is seriously what she did on every ride. A total dumbfounded, what the heck is going on look:)

Last night we met up with Kim and the kids, Kelly, and Julie to watch the Dodger game! We were so nervous, but they came through BIG TIME!!! They hit 3 home runs, including a Grand Slam!!! Minus chasing Abby around the ENTIRE time and Ruby's black eye... we had a good time! We let the kids play with the pool table balls. They were rolling them around and trying to get them in the pocket. Taylor, bless her heart, kind of threw one that bounced off the table and hit Ruby right in the eye. I don't know who was more upset: Ruby or Taylor. Poor T.T. was upset that she hurt her... a total accident. Poor Ruby, no matter what the circumstance, she is always going to be the one getting hurt. Sorry sweet pea!Tonight is the Neil Diamond and game two. Kelly and I will be at the concert, but following the game via our cell phones!!!