Strawberry picking

I took the boys to Mrs. Heather's Strawberry Patch this morning, the same one I took Van to last year. Learning from my mistake of waiting too long last year I went a week too early. They were just starting to get red, you had to hunt through a good number of green ones to find the few red. We managed to find 1/2 a flat of red ones and then bought jam and chocolate covered ones just for good measure. Van looked at the animals and Casey chomped away at the strawberry I gave him to pose with. It was pretty impressive since he still does not have any teeth.  We stopped by Mike's work on the way home but he was in meetings. He was notified by a coworker of the arrival of the strawberries by a coworker bringing one (for him not Mike) in to eat during the meeting.

Our Weekend

Mike's sister Stef her husband Eric and their dog Poncho came up this past weekend and it turned out to be the perfect weekend for them to come.

Saturday we went to Bonnetcreek Swamp for a nature hike/treasure hunt. The Geology club was hosting a treasure hunt walk where we collected polished stones for our chart, made a pet rock and colored rock snakes for the garden. On the way home we stopped at Sweet Wishes for gourmet cupcakes and then yummy VooDoo BBQ. Eric and Stef went off to explore BassPro while we took the boys home for naps. To add to my yummy cibiata bread french toast I successfully attempted homemade whipped cream for dinner. 

Sunday we went to the Fishing and Hunting Sportsman Expo. Eric was in heaven. Van got lots of freebies from the vendors. He and Eric "caught" a fish. Poor Eric as much as he tried to interest the fish they were full and Van had to reel in the already on the hook fish to get the experience of catching a fish. He found the fish wiggly. Then he rode a motorcycle amusement ride, the first time riding alone. Eric shot a bow and arrow with him. The upon his request we ate lunch outside. Eric and Stef got to go to Cabella's and we went home for naps. Pot roast and Samoa ice cream for dinner.

Van and Lily did well with Poncho. Lily arched her back for a bit and then realized that Poncho didn't have much interest in her. Once Casey is potty trained I will think about letting a dog into our house, only 1 thing I have to clean up poop from at a time.

It was a great weekend. And Stef if you would have had your phone on you could have gotten my call about leaving the cupcakes. Thanks for leaving them the raspberry filling one was great. :)

the rest of the pictures are on the slide show.

SPRING!!!!

I have been elbow deep in my front garden for the past 2 weekends and loving it. Each year I get twitchy when I start seeing my plants die down for the winter and can't wait until I can plant again. I looking longingly at the garden center of Lowes awaiting the colors of spring to arrive.

I have given up on my dream of having a orange and blue garden, my blue hydrangeas are the brightest fuchsia you can find. And have embraced the pinks and purples that my soil creates. This year I have slowly begun to add rubber mulch to the mix. So the front has rubber mulch and then further back in the wood stuff where it tends to get washed out by rain.

With the final addition of discounted pansies I have finished and now need to wait for the growing to start. Once we figure out how (and who) will de-flood the backyard I will start back there. We have 5 weeks to get the swingset up and things figured out before it is my turn for the baby-sitting co-op to meet here.  Cross your fingers it's not raining that day.

My 3 boys

Our Valentines

Much like the last Valentines Van and Mike went off to Lowes on Saturday to create mommy a valentine. This year was a necklace hanger. I had already bought a purse for myself from the boys and Mike can home with planted tulips and a dust buster, which is sorely needed in this house. Van got some Toy Story candy and a Trio bulldozer. Mike got points on goozex.com for games.

We got up in the morning and Van and I made chocolate and banana pancakes. He was so happy that I let him help since most of the time I cook he can't. The rest of the day was playing and talking to Aunt Celia and Mimi on Skype, which means Van can talk to the TV and it talks back. Not sure he fully understands that Celia and Mimi are real people yet.

It snowed Friday about 2 inches. It took 2ish hours for it to fall and 2 hours for it all the melt. I did take the boys out while it was still snowing (Blizzard on the Bayou they called it) and Van made the snowmen he's been wanting to build, complete with carrot nose and threw some snowballs.

Casey is growing like a weed and finally figured out eating solids. Last week he started picking up puffs from his tray and feeding himself. Quite cute as he's not a huge fan of how they taste. Once he started feeding himself  he realized that opening his mouth was an easier way to get fed than having his mouth pried open by a spoon.

Getting the helium

I went to my first social worker appointment. It is a bit nerve racking waiting to see what someone else thinks of how you are feeling. A few checklists and a lessen in brain chemistry (that I kind of remembered from college classes) later things we fine. I found out that hyped up OCD feelings I am having is a part of postpardom and is on the lesser side of the scale. Mike and I describe it as I never left the nesting phase of pregnancy.  And I still grumble every time I get up in the night with Casey, but it doesn't feel as hopeless.  I feel relieved that what I am feeling isn't abnormal and that there is help and I am correct in getting that help.

In need of some helium

A few months ago I started feeling off, like a deflated balloon. I was tired and easily frustrated. Things just didn't seem to settle comfortably. I wouldn't call it depressed but clinically I think you do. I never wanted to hurt myself or the kids but I did wish several time to be left alone. Combined with those feelings and how quickly the baby weight came off and then gaining a few pounds back and the continue hair loss I made a doctor appointment last week.

I think most doctors that are faced with a crying mother of 2 sitting in their office would do what my doctor did. Calm me down, tell me about her experience after her second was born and that it is normal, give me a prescription for zoloft and get me an appointment to see a nurse social worker who deals with these issues.

I think I would make a horrible test subject, I would be fully deceived by any placebo. Just the fact that I went to go get some help and that the blood tests came back normal I feel a little more at ease. I can see that some of the things that were bothering me can wait, I realized that some of my OCD tendencies had been stronger. My neighbor who is a school psychologist told me that the OCD feelings were most likely normal for a stay at home mom, that the messy closet that bothered me is something I look at many times a day and would stick out in my mind more.

I have about another week before they say I should really feel the effects of the zoloft and I am hoping to be lowered in dosage. And I believe when Casey starts to sleep through the night again, he did it for 2 weeks straight and then stopped, the tiredness will go away. And now that I am a bit calmer I think Van is a bit calmer too, well until Mike gets from work (Daddy is his favorite person in the world).