New Year Resolutions

1) To post something on here almost every day. I've recently gotten sucked into another blog, The Pioneer Woman, and I am in absolute awe at the moments she has captured by posting every single day. Sometimes something as small as a picture, but it's absolutely fascinating to flip through and see how every day has been documented. That's my mission.

2) To start running...again. See, I was doing SO well with running. Then Carl and I attended a wedding in October, and I thought it would be a good idea to borrow my sister-in-law's super sexy, sky-high, leopard print heels. Silly me. You would think that after 29 years I would have learned that I am disturbingly clumsy. I lost my balance several times that night. Once while standing completely still. I was talking to a friend (thankfully the only person around to witness this shamefully embarrassing display of my lack of grace) and I just started teetering to the side. Was there a strong gust of wind? Nope. Just God saying, "Hmm...where is that Dee? Ahh...there she is! " *sigh* Anywho, long story short, I lost my balance on the dance floor (because what's the fun of falling in, say, the bathroom without 250 witnesses?), rolled my ankle, and haven't been running since. But, I'm feeling like my foot could take it now, plus I got some really nice Nike running pants for Christmas, so I'm starting again next Monday! Wish me luck.

3) Regardless of how late I was out on Saturday night or how horrendous my children are behaving, I will drag my family to mass EVERY SUNDAY.

Okay, now that I've filled you in on my plans for 2011, I have to relay to you the silliness that is my 3 1/2 year old's sense of humor. This morning while I'm helping him put on his shoes he looks at me and says, "Knock, knock!"
Yay! I love cheesy jokes! And if the grin that was spread across that mischievous face of his was any indication, this was going to be a doosie! "Who's there?"
"Pee-Pee"
Uh-oh. I think I see where this is going..."Pee-Pee Who?"
"Pee-pee BUTT!"  And the kid collapsed on the sofa as if he'd just finished the most hysterical joke of all time.
But it doesn't stop there. In the car on the way to drop him off at my mother-in-laws, I again hear him say, "Knock-knock!"
"Who's there?" I ask.
"Banana."
Whew! Banana? This might actually be a joke. Alright, I'll bite. "Banana who?"
"Banana BUTT! BAHAHahahahahaha!"
*sigh* Welcome to my life.

Yawn!

I have to say, I just do not understand why Daylight Savings time is still practiced. It was GREAT when I was, say, 21, childless, and changing back to "standard time" meant another hour the club/bar was open. Now that I have children...not so much. Ya see, 3 & 2 year olds do not understand the concept of gaining an hour of sleep. And now that I think about it, I don't really get it, either. Does that mean that November 7 was actually 25 hours long? It sure felt like it since I had 2 kids up at 5am on a Sunday! Clearly this whole time change thing was the idea of a childless person who wanted to screw with all the parents in the world. Curse you, daylight savings inventer...curse you.

Alright, ranting aside, it's already mid-November! I should probably post some pictures of the kids from Halloween. Here ya go...yeah, for some reason it put the pictures on the top of the post...and I'm just too lazy to figure it out right now.

AAAAAAAAAAaaaaaakkkkkkkkkk!

*sigh* Sorry. I had to get that out, but I feel better now. Let's just say that the month of October has not been a good one for the members of the Rudegeair household under 3 feet tall. Paige is 1 1/2 going on 13 and Carl's behavior is worse now than when he was 2! Whoever came up with the term "Terrible Twos" forgot to mention that they progress into "Terrible-er Threes!" All I have to say is we'd better get "Fantastic Fours" or I'm selling the boy to the circus.
I think the most frustrating thing (but at the same time a really good thing) is that at school he's wonderful. His teachers are always commenting on what a good listener he is and how kind and patient he is with the other kids. They're saying this and I'm staring at them blankly thinking, "Do they know who my kid is, or do they just say this to all the parents?" But, no. He really is! Apparently there is a new little girl in his class named Katie. Katie gets really upset when she gets dropped off and kind of shies away from playing with the other kids. Carl was telling me about this one day and I told him that maybe he should try and be her friend. So yesterday, when Katie got dropped off and started crying, Carl walked up to her, took her hand, and hung out with her all day. He involved her in all the games they were playing, sat next to her at Lunch Bunch, helped her open her lunch bags (sandwich, crackers, etc.), and proceeded to draw all the kids in Lunch Bunch pictures and hand them out. Color me confused, because as soon as this boy walks through the threshold of our house, he's a totally different kid! Ah, well...I guess I should be happy that he's not a terrible monster at school, right? Right.
Paige is in the beginning of the 2-year-old whiny, temper-tantrum, "Pick me up. Put me down. Pick me up." stage...I am not amused. I've been there, I've done that, I'm not putting up with it again. The poor girl is probably going to have abandonment issues, because whenever she throws herself on the floor in protest of whatever injustice was dealt to her, I just leave the room and don't look back. She then proceeds to follow me through the house continuously flinging herself at my feet. It got so bad one time that I just locked myself in the bathroom until she got bored and walked away! Ah, parenthood...it's so glamorous, isn't it? I've resorted to hiding from my children in the bathroom.
On a brighter note, both kids are really excited about their Halloween costumes! Carl IV, after much debate and going back and forth ("I want to be a gorilla! No, wait...Spiderman! No, Batman!") we have decided on Optimus Prime...with a foam pirate sword...because no ensemble would be complete without a foam pirate sword. Paige is going to be a bumble bee. Her costume is so cute I can't even stand it! I had a tutu made in black and yellow, she's going to have the striped tights, wings, a headband with antennae...I can't wait to see the whole thing put on her! I'll be sure to take oodles of pictures to post.
This past Tuesday Carl IV's school took a trip to a local farm that has a pumpkin patch. I had 5 vacation days left for the year, so I decided to take the whole day off and go with him. So much fun! We started out with a hayride out to the pumpkin patch (which, can I just say, is absolute TORTURE for a mom with allergies whose little boy thinks throwing hay is hilarious?), then the kids ran around the pumpkin patch to pick out a pumpkin each. Okay...if you haven't seen 15 3-year-olds let loose in a pumpkin patch, add it to your Bucket List. ADORABLE! They're running around like it's the day after Thanksgiving sale at Macy's! Carl, of course, headed directly to the muddiest corner of the patch and found the perfect pumpkin...which was immediately discarded because he passed another perfect pumpkin...this happened at least 7 times. Hilarious.
Carl: picks up pumpkin..."Mommy! Wook at dis one! It's so BIG!"
Me: "Wow! That is an impressive pumpkin, dude! Are you sure that's the one you want?"
Carl: "Yep. Dis one's my favowite...I'm going to cut in eyes, and a mouf, and...WAIT! I want dis one instead."
Repeat x 6.

Carl III and I celebrated our 6th wedding anniversary on October 8th! Can you believe it?! Yeah, me, neither. It is so weird to think that I am old enough to have been married for 6 years! Here's to many more! Love you, babe! xoxo

AUTUMN!!!

Ahhhh! Today is the first official day of fall...or it will be at 11:09pm. You would think autumn in Pennsylvania would mean temperatures in the 60-70 degree range, right? Well, it has been amazing the past couple of weeks, until this week...when it is actually fall...we have highs in the 90s. Mother Nature, get with the program, would you? I cannot STAND being teased with open-window weather only to return to A/C weather again! Ugh!
Okay, now that I have that off my chest, onto family stuff.
Carl IV started nursery school again last week. The school did short days for the first week (he's still going Tuesdays and Thursdays), so yesterday was his first REAL day. This year the school's Lunch Bunch program runs an hour longer, so he'll be going from 9am - 2pm! He's thrilled! Apparently the teachers take turns running Lunch Bunch and his teacher from last year was in charge yesterday. She couldn't get over what a big guy he's turned into! She said he was the only one who set up his whole lunch by himself (opening sandwich bags, juice, etc.), and she said he has the most advanced speaking skills of the kids in his age group (and how! He gets plenty of practice!), and according to her a pretty deep voice for a 3-year-old. He's one of a class of 6 which is fantastic! Lots and lots of individual attention, which he craves now that he's a big brother.
Paige is adjusting to flying solo during the day pretty well. The first day that Debbie dropped Carl off at school she said that Paige started skipping to the door, turned around to see if Carl was there, and totally lost her mind when she realized he wasn't coming with them! But, I think she's started to notice that it's a pretty sweet deal having your grandmother all to yourself 2 days a week! She's started talking a LOT more. I feel so bad a lot of the time because she just rambles on with such infliction in her tone and I'm just staring at her with a smile on my face thinking, "What the heck is she saying?!" She's started to get to the point that she's frustrated when we don't know what she wants, so that's super fun. <---- oozing with sarcasm.
Carl III has been back at Asplundh Tree Experts for a few weeks and things are going beautifully (thank God)! His foreman seems to like him and recognizes that he knows what he's doing, so that is always nice.
I have been sick the past week or so, so I'm trying to get motivated to run again...which is a lot like getting motivated to punch myself in the face. I can't deny it, though. When I'm running regularly I feel better, I sleep better, I'm more energized, all that crap that people tell you about exercising turns out to be true. Who knew?! I have to say, though...I will never go running on a Wednesday morning again. My dog tripped me up about 4 times trying to sniff everyone's trash cans and then to chase the trash truck. I was lucky I made it home without a broken limb!
Carl III's step-sister, Krystal, had a baby boy on Monday night. Carl IV is SUPER excited about having a boy to play with (although he doesn't seem to understand it'll be a while before he can). Congratulations, Krystal, and welcome to the family, Avery!

Fall is in the air!

Yes, that's right...it's beginning to feel like autumn! Ahhhh...I'm looking at the temperature reading in the bottom corner of my screen and it's a beautiful 68* outside right now. I absolutely ADORE this time of year. Windows open throughout the house and office, jeans and tee shirts are the norm, everyone just seems so much more pleasant when it's no longer a bajillion degrees outside. I LOVE IT!
I started a running program called 'Couch to 5K' yesterday and am really excited. The general idea is that this program takes you day-by-day through a training regimen from the absolutely pathetic out of shape (me) to someone who can run a 5K without dying in just 2 months. I made the mistake of dragging my somewhat chubby 4 1/2 year old malamute/german shepard mix out with me yesterday, and I think we made it about 100 yards before he just sat down. I tugged his leash and made enthusiastic "Come on, buddy! Let's go!" noises (which was tough at 5am), to which he replied by lying down in the middle of the road we were on. Maybe I should hide bacon in my pockets next time to make him keep up.
Paige has FINALLY cut all her teeth...until her molars come in, that is (which I'm afraid is going to be right around the corner). But, this lack of gum pain has made her so much more pleasant lately! She's laughing constantly, which I adore because she really has the cutest little giggle; she jabbers to herself all day long about, well, we have no idea what she's talking about because it's jabber, but she'll look at you straight in the eye with such a serious expression and her jabber has the cadence of a real conversation...I'm pretty sure she's discovered the meaning of life and is trying her damnedest to relay it to us, but alas...we don't understand toddler jabber.
Carl IV is, well, getting there. We're still having some serious issues with him talking back and bedtime is something that I dread on a daily basis. But, he's not talking back nearly as often as before, he's not pitching as many fits, and he's going to bed a teensy bit better now that I've started a bedtime chart for him. Fingers crossed that soon I won't have to bribe him with a prize in the morning to keep him from losing his noodle every night at bedtime. I think his going back to school is going to help with a lot of our issues. He'll be worn out from playing with all of his friends, he'll have a little more structure to his days than he does now (which helps him enormously), and hopefully he'll buddy up with some really well-behaved kid who will rub off on him! What? Wishful thinking? ...maybe...
Carl III got some exciting news this week! He got called back by Asplundh. For those of you who don't know, Carl worked for Asplundh (you know...the tree guys with the orange trucks) in Florida for years and years. He was a foreman then, so he was hired on here with chances for advancement at a much sooner rate than a new guy would normally get! Also, he'll be making more money AND get fully-paid benefits for the entire family! Hooray! This also means that once we have health insurance back, we'll be trying for baby #3 (boy, boy, boy...please be a boy)!
My 29th birthday is in a little over a week and I'm getting excited and frustrated all at the same time. My opinion: birthdays are a big stinkin' deal regardless of how old you are. Apparently very few people feel the same way. If I had my way I would still have a huge party with cake, ice cream, presents...just like when I was a kid. When was I supposed to outgrow that, because it seems like everyone else did and I missed it... So many people don't even advertise that it's their birthday. What's wrong with you people?! About a month before my birthday I revert back to my 7-year-old self: Crossing the days off the calendar leading to Sept. 6th; Casually mentioning to everyone I know that my birthday is coming up; Dropping (not-so) subtle hints on what I might want as a gift...I just missed the "Grow up and get boring" bus I guess...thank God! Whoo! It's almost my birthday!

August?! What happened to July?!?!?!

Alright, I can explain. I know I promised to do this more often, but the kids...yeah, the kids...it's all their fault. The pesky little brats want all of my spare attention. Okay, I'll admit it. I just suck at this. Sorry.

July has been a pretty horrible month for the Rudegeairs. We've all been stressed beyond belief Carl III and I because of money, leases, health insurance, and every other adult responsibility that refuses to go away; Carl IV has been SO BAD lately, and I'm thinking that he's probably bored to tears with his whiney little sister as his only child company lately, he also got tonsilitis which really added a certain something to his attitude...crappiness...that's exactly what it added; and Paige is cutting her canines, so she's a real peach.

But, things are looking up! Carl III just found out he got a job closer to home (so we'll save bunches on gas $$) that offers benefits! Hooray! Carl IV starts school in a month, so hopefully that will lessen his boredom and bring back my sweet little boy. Paige's last tooth is almost completely through, so that should help hush her up (God willing)! Ahhh...and if all of this happens, it will brighten my mood SO MUCH!

I had the pleasure of taking my sister-in-law, Leah, my cousin-in-law (?), Kelsey, and my friend Kim to a concert on the waterfront in Philadelphia. That was a blast!! I got to see 2 of my favorite bands (Tegan & Sara and Paramore), hang out with some awesome girls, and get out of work early! All in all a pretty super Wednesday!

Paige has started talking more and more, and it's so entertaining to listen to her try to figure things out. A lot of "words" are more sounds than actual words. Like "hot" to her is a "HAAA." Hillarious. "Carl" is "Cawa." She has mastered "kitty" (which is funny since we don't have one, and "Mama" which is nice and obnoxious at the same time since she follows me around the house, arms lifted whining, "Maaaaamaaaaaaa!").

Carl III starts a new job on Monday (cue the choir of angels)! It's for the same pay that he was getting at his last job, but it's about 30 minutes closer, so we'll save a ton on gas money, plus it's a driving position, so no more physical labor! Hooray! I'm hoping that goes really well, because I know the poor guy just wants to find a job that he can go to every day, work a set number of hours, and come home.

July

Sheesh! Over a month since my last post...that's just disgraceful. Sorry, cyber-stalkers, to keep you in such anticipation for so long! LOL
Alrighty, so what have the Rudegeairs been up to lately? Well, my mom and dad flew up from Florida over the 4th of July weekend. It was so great to see them, and to see them interact with my kids (especially dad and Carl IV). So cute! They flew in on Friday evening, and by some fortuitous twist of fate their plane was late, so we missed all of the traffic and made amazing time on the drive home! We then picked up Carl at home, left the kids with Debbie (love you, Deb!) and headed over to Pepper's, a local Italian restaurant, for dinner. After that, everyone was exhausted and we called it a night. Bright and early on Saturday morning we braved the 100+ temperatures and roamed the Philadelphia Zoo. It was a great time, but I have to admit, I think the ice cream was probably what everyone enjoyed the most since it was so freakin' hot! After that, we dropped the parents off at their hotel and took the kids home so they could take a nap (which, of course, they didn't because they had slept in the car...grrrrr...). So, after the imaginary nap we piled back into the car and headed over to my parents' hotel to invade their pool (which was located in the center of the hotel, therefore shaded from the ridiculous heat and FREEEEZING cold!). By the time we thawed out and changed, we hit the hotel restaurant for dinner and headed home. Sunday was another scorching hot day, so we just hung around our house all day. I picked up mom and dad and brought them home for breakfast. After breakfast we all just hung out for a while. It was during this hanging out that I overheard what could very well be the most adorable thing ever! I was washing the breakfast dishes and Carl IV had my dad in his room showing him all of his cool toys. Dad asked Carl, "Have you ever been fishing?" (For those of you who don't know my dad, fishing...kind of a big deal.) Carl replies, "Nope. I don't have a fishing rod." Dad looks at him and says, "We'll have to see what we can do about that. Then, next time you come visit my house, we can go out on my boat and I'll take you fishing." Carl's eyes got huge! Cutest. Thing. EVER! It was a great weekend and I was just really happy to have both parents here!
Since then, my bestest friend, BJ, has moved to Pennsylvania! He's in the Marines and has recently become a recruiter. He and his wife, Keila, moved to Seilensgrove, PA (about 2 hours away from me) last week, so I drove up on Saturday to help move some furniture since Keila is about 5'1" and probably 97 lbs soaking wet! But, to my suprise, I arrived to a fully unpacked house! So, we just hung out and drank and I got to get to know Keila, which was nice. I have to admit, I was a little worried...I mean, she's married to my best friend, but I'd never met her...what if we hated each other?! But, luckily, that is so not an issue because she is so nice and really personable, so we got on beautifully!
Paige has started talking a little more lately. It's part of her evening ritual (pre-dinner) to follow me around the kitchen whining/moaning/crying...must be the combination of not seeing me all day, hunger and almost bed time that brings out this beautiful side of her. <---Imagine me saying that ooooooooozing with sarcasm for full effect. So, for ages, I would just ignore her whining, she would follow me around whining, and eventually give up. The other day it finally happened. Somebody taught her my name. "Waaaaahhh....Maaaaaaaaaamaaaaaaaaa..." Ugh! Damn it! Ah, well...she also says 'baby' and 'dada' and 'all gone.' WAY more than her brother said at this age. I think it definitely helps that she has an older sibling that she can hear talk. All the time. Continuously. Without stopping. Ever. Even if he's alone in a room. Talking. CONSTANTLY. Oi!