Paintin' Possums

We are officially recovering from the flu around here. Well, Connor and I are recovering from what has to be the world's mildest case of the flu. Poor Connor came down with a fever of 104 last Tuesday, and we went to the doctor for a confirmation that yes, indeed, we had flu. After the initial fever, he was really okay. There was a lot of snot and such, but otherwise he played like normal. On Wednesday night I realized that he had shared the love with me. A few Motrin later, and we were all back on track. Thankfully, Jake and his Daddy were spared the joy. Today we went on a much needed outing.

We traveled over to Oatland Island to hang out for the morning. I told Jason that it was "Operation Wear Out Jake." Well, when your 2 year old tells you on the way home that he is tired and wants a nap, you, my friends have completed one successful mission :) Oatland is great because there are 2 miles of trails with animal exhibits along the way.This January day was cool this morning but was nearing 70 degrees by the time we left at lunch. Jake walked and Connor rolled along in the stroller while we walked about. The bear exhibit was closed, so we brought our own.

Do you see these eggs?

Well, by the time Jake sat on them he had seen a cougar, 4 bobcats, some foxes, cranes, and a hawk. This child continued to talk about these darn eggs for the next half hour until we made it to the barnyard. You seriously never know what they think will be cool. I was afraid we had driven out to Oatland for an egg sculpture to be the highlight of the trip. And then we visited the barnyard area. Well, hallelujah! We found some things cooler than eggs. On a side note, he later said they were dinosaur eggs when he talked about them, so I guess that gets a few more cool points, huh?

We hit up the barnyard, and we made all sorts of friends.

The turkey was really loud and scared poor Connor to death. Jason had to escort him away from the talkative bird while Jake oohed and ahhed over it. The "tur-tey" was a huge attention hog, so he thought Jake was quite fabulous and gobbled away. We saw a few other animals, too.

There was an area outside of the main building that had 2 turtles that were roaming, a bunny in a pen, and an opossum that was painting. Yes, you read that correctly. It was a paintin' possum. See:

Now, Petunia the Possum (not making this up, either) was painting away in the shade. Now I don't know who first thought, "You know what would be cool? Let's slap some paint on that there possum's tail and let her paint." But who am I to judge art? Apparently, Petunia is a sort of family pet to one of the workers at Oatland. That alone gives me the heebies. Possums don't exactly say cute and cuddly to me, but to each his own, I guess. I just know if need to come up with a name for a team anytime soon the Paintin' Possums sound like a sure-fire winner, don't ya think?

Right before we left, Jake and I sat in the back of the car and had a little picnic while Jason and Connor strolled to the dock to watch the dolphins. If we had known there were dolphins to watch we would have joined, but all was well.

It was a great morning, and both boys enjoyed a LONG nap. Success!

So the last post was about crockpot freezer meals. I could not have been more glad this past week that I did those. With us having flu, it was so nice to prepare food with minimal work. I did say I would review the meals. Here is what we have had and what we have thought:

Honey garlic chicken: Ehh. That is the official review. This just didn't do it for me

Mongolian beef: This was good, and Connor gobbled it up

Meatballs: I didn't expect much from this one, but the boys ate it, and it was better than I thought it would be. It would be much better with homemade meatballs.

Chicken Caccitore: This is a good one. We have had it before. Served with a little fettuccine and freshly grated cheese. Yummy.

Those are the ones that we have had so far. I will end this post with a little dessert. This is an oldie but goodie. I made it for small group a few weeks ago, and Jason wanted to know why I had never made it for him before. First of all, Jason isn't a huge dessert person, so if I make dessert I end up eating it myself or throwing it away (yeah, right). I wish I were a better food photographer because this doesn't do it justice, but then again, it isn't the prettiest dessert known to man. Trust me when I tell you it's good.

Butterfinger Cake

1 Box Yellow Cake Mix (prepared according to directions)

1 large container of Cool Whip

3 Large Butterfinger Bars

1/4 Cup caramel ice cream topping

1 can sweetened condensed milk

Prepare cake according to directions in a 9 x 13 inch pan and bake. While still warm, poke holes in cake with the end of a wooden spoon. Pour condensed milk over the cake and then follow with the ice cream topping. Let cool and spread cool whip on top. Top with crushed Butterfinger candy bars. Refrigerate for a few hours or overnight to let everything soak in. YUMMY.

Waiting on Santa

Well, I guess we technically are waiting on Alison, John, Edgar, Gammie, and Grandad to arrive first. All of the Lowe's are coming into town today, and the first should arrive in about an hour! Bring on Christmas celebrations. It seems like forever since I posted, and truthfully, I have wanted to post at least a dozen times, but it has been BUSY. When the boys go to bed or nap, I have either had a list of things to do or I have just wanted to lie on the couch and do nothing.at.all. Sue me...

Baking, singing carols (Jake's favorite is Jingle Bells), lights, and the cards rolling in daily with the mail are all pointing toward the Christmas season. I LOVE the cards. It is always wonderful to see everyone and their families. For those of you who know my husband will also know that he takes the Christmas cards seriously. If you don't know, I will only say that according to Jason Lowe there are very strict rules on the "how to's" of Christmas cards.

I said that Halloween was fun to experience all over again through little eyes, and the Christmas season has been no different. We have talked about the bebe (baby Jesus), Santa, chris lights (Christmas lights), and so on from sun up til sun down. We went to see Christmas lights a few weeks ago when the Bamboo Farm opened their trail. There are a lot of lights out there, and Jake had a great time.

His little face just cracks me up. He was TOTALLY excited. I haven't had this much fun at Christmas in years! He and Connor are finally interacting a little - most of the time in the form of shoves and hits, but sometimes they actually play.

Speaking of the little one, he is 10 months old today! Where does the time go? There are already discussions about #3 taking place. Call me crazy, I just want to go ahead and get it over. If you had asked me that a month ago, I would have punched you, but now it doesn't seem so crazy. Of course, Jason has been ready to add #3 since Connor was about a month old. Men... No news to report or anything, so don't go get the rumor mill flying. Connor is pulling up and crawling like a champ now. Life does become easier and more complicated at the same time when they learn to do that. At least you don't have to physically move them from room to room, but you have to watch every second.

There hasn't been a bunch going on in terms of projects around this casa lately. I never did do any decorations outside - not even wreaths. Next year - maybe. I did give a Dollar Tree nativity scene a makeover with a little spray paint. I wanted a bigger one, but this one will suffice for now. Looks better in the second pic, huh?

In a post from January, I talked about resolutions and how I don't make them. I did say that I wanted to take more pictures this year. It has taken all year, but here in the last few weeks a few of the sweet girls from church have allowed me to play around with their beautiful families. It has been fun to do this, and hopefully I can continue to shoot more to get out of the house. Now, I must find a willing photographer to let me ask a million questions. Any takers? Here are a few of the pics from the 2 shoots:

I probably should get up now to do the last few things before the fam arrives. I hope that you all have a wonderful Christmas. See you in the New Year!!!!!

Thankful

 The month of November has been filled with daily "thankful" posts on Facebook. I do enjoy reading them although I don't do it myself. That is not to say that I am not thankful, but to actually log onto Facebook and type something daily is probably too much of a commitment - haha. I will just sum it up in a really long post. Believe me when I say, these are in no particular order - I am trying to summarize a whole month in one post.

I am thankful that I got to re-experience Halloween this year. To see your child beam with delight at his costume in the mirror 1000 times before we made it out the door that night made Halloween the holiday it was when I was little. I got to watch the kids go to doors and yell "trick or treat." I got to watch our neighbors' faces when they opened the door to find a cute pirate and parrot along with a little doctor since we had a friend's daughter with us that night. The kids were excited and Jason and I caught their excitement. It was really, really cool.

I am thankful that I got to see another year. My birthday came and went and, all in all, it was a pretty low-key day. This year has introduced a new baby, a new home, and finally a feeling of being settled. It is a good feeling.

I am thankful that my boys are growing up and are beginning to interact. Well, that Jake is interacting with Connor because poor, sweet Connor has been trying to interact with his brother since day 1 - HA! I can't wait to see them play together and enjoy and entertain each other.

We spent one rainy day at home playing, and Jake couldn't play with his trains without Connor "aka Con-Zilla" destroying them. Mama saved the day with a fort complete with a "train room". Jake thought it was the coolest, and Connor spent the morning trying to break in. This particular morning I was thankful for creativeness and peace :)

I am so thankful to have found a man who just gets me. He accepts my quirks, my stubbornness, and he loves me anyway. He takes care of our boys without any pushing or prompting from me, and he does a wonderful job. We do spend a lot of time hanging out at home with our boys, and I don't think we would change a thing.

With that said, I am also thankful for a reliable babysitter who I trust with the boys so that the hubs and I can escape every so often for a night out :)

I am thankful for healthy children. For all that they have been little beasts lately between being sick with colds and just being kids, I am thankful to have them to worry the snot out of me. I have read stories of loss and injuries this month, and I am so incredibly thankful to be able to hug my babies tightly at night.

I am thankful to have found a church we love here in Savannah. Jason and I have always said that we wanted to raise our children being part of a church family, and we have found one here. We are growing as a couple and a family in ways that are making us all stronger. God is good.

I could go on and on about all the ways I am thankful and honestly that wouldn't even cover just how I feel. Nope, not all days are great, but even those days where I want to pull my hair out aren't all that bad in the grand scheme of things. I have God, family, food, shelter, and the love a wonderful man. And for it all, I am thankful...

Mommy-cation

In the last post, I commented that the lack of adult interaction was the hardest part of being a full-time mommy. Well, that feeling continued after writing that post. Combine that with just missing Jason and you have a full on meltdown in the making. I don't mean the kind of missing that comes from someone being away, it is what happens while life happens all around us. Jason and I juggled the kids on his off days as we ran errands. I watched the boys while he took the dog to the vet or he kept the boys while I went to the dentist, etc. Then it seemed that on the days he worked we still sort of vegged in the evenings instead of actually spending quality time together as a couple. Then it happened. As someone I know calls it, I became "broke down with the motherhood." It's that feeling of defeat where you just have had enough or at least it is for me. So last Tuesday afternoon, I announced to Jason that I was leaving for the night. I have never done this before, and at first I think my poor husband thought I was kidding. I remember one of the nurses that I used to work with saying that one night she packed a bag and drove to the next town to just spend the night alone. That suddenly sounded like the best idea on the planet. My plan was a little deflated because Jason had some charting that he had to finish, so I didn't actually leave until about 5:30 after I had fed and bathed the boys. I drove to Tybee, got a room and crashed. IT.WAS.FABULOUS. I think the lady at the desk thought I had had some kind of huge fight with my husband or something, but I didn't care. I ate dinner all alone, feeding no one but myself. I think I heard angels singing... I took a walk on the beach, and that night I slept knowing that at 6:30 I wouldn't have to get up to feed someone. I got ready the next morning, went to breakfast, and drove home - crying on the way. It just wasn't long enough, and I felt so guilty admitting that. I still feel guilty admitting that, but it is true. Sometimes it is nice to get away and actually remember what it was like to just be you versus thinking about taking care of anyone else in the world. I forgot what that was like. That was the first night I have spent away from Jake since May 2011 and the first night I have ever been away from Connor. Maybe no one else feels like this, and hooray for you if that's the case. I know as they get older, vacationing with the kids will be fun, but for now a vacation is getting away from the kids. I enjoy going to dinner or spending time with my husband without my children around. Someone asked me if Jason was upset that he had to take care of the boys. I think my head might have spun around all crazy. Huh? These are his children, and he is just as capable of taking care of them as I am. I would not have chosen to have children with someone who wasn't okay with taking care of our children. Duh...

On a lighter note, October has been a whirlwind. It has flown by, and November is already knocking at the door. Jake and Connor are going to be a pirate and a parrot for Halloween, and Jake is excited about his costume. He is very into all things pirate right now. Now is the season for Fall festivals and such, and I love this time of year. We went to the bamboo farm a few Saturdays ago. Jake is just now getting scared of things and while he wanted to talk about the helicopter, he didn't want to really get close. Same thing with the horses. Of course, we didn't figure the last one out until it was a little too late.



The balloons were a way safer choice

That afternoon was Connor's first OU/Texas game which is a big dang deal in this house.

We headed to pick out a pumpkin a few afternoons ago. Jake enjoyed looking at all the "big pumps" and Connor just thought it was cool to hang out with Jake.

Pumpkin envy


Last night, we decided to carve the pumpkin. Jake thought it was a good idea for all of about 8 seconds, then picking up acorns seemed like a much better plan. The squirrels have demolished the acorns so it took some skill to actually find whole acorns (see below pic). Jake took his little bucket all around the yard. When I asked him if he was going to feed the squirrels his acorns, he looked at me for a second, took out an acorn and laid it on the patio, then yelled, "Kwurl (squirrel, for all you who don't speak Jakanese), eat" like he was ringing the squirrel dinner bell. Upon seeing the completed pumpkin, Jake told us he was scared - great... haha - here are some pics.

Before

Taking off the "hat" as Jake called it

Focus, people

Told you

One thing that has helped the feeling of just being "broke down with the motherhood" was getting out and taking some pics the other day. My nephew recently got home from Germany after getting out of the Army. He has been in Germany for the past 2 years. He also recently got married, and so he and his wife visited Savannah (and other parts of Georgia) before they headed to Texas to live. I got them to let me take some pictures while they were here. To do something that I enjoy doing was really good for the soul :) Here are a few of their pictures.

I think all this month has taught me that balance is the key. There must be a balance of alone time, husband time, kid time, and time to do things that you truly enjoy doing. Hopefully, I can remember this lesson that October has given me and put it in effect every month. Until next time...