VIP Seating

They have a lot of cute kids chairs out there. Like one of these maybe?

But, do we have one of these cute chairs? No, we have this...

Yes, it's a little person's metal folding chair. We bought it from our church garage sale for $1. It cracks me up. Remy thinks it's awesome!

His other favorite place to sit...on a RockBand box we have currently have in our living room.

Usually, I would hound Cody to get this box out of our living room, but Remy is so entertained by it I don't really mind. The other day he sat on the box and played with at toy for 15 minutes...that's like an hour in toddler time.

Grocery eater

I love it when this happens. That is, when you can see a big bunch of bananas hanging in the kitchen...because that means we have groceries. Bananas are the first thing to go in our house, so when they are fully stocked, you know our cabinets are too.

It's funny how much more grocery shopping you do when you have a little one. When you're just a couple you can go weeks without going to the store. Sure, some nights you eat nothing but cereal or take-out, but it doesn't really matter. It did get annoying when your recipe asked for milk or eggs and you didn't have it, but that never happens now. I'd forgotten how good "kid" food is. Grilled Cheese? Gooooood. I always have fruit and vegetables, which is also a good thing.

Remy is only 15 mo and I can't even imagine how much he'll eat when he's a teenager. I picture him and bunch of his friends going through our kitchen, kind of like that Tyson "Any'tizers" commercial. I hope that's the case, and it makes me smile thinking of the future. But, I'm definitely not in any hurry. I am enjoying every second of my time with Remy. I know I'll greatly miss it when he's no longer little. I KNOW I will miss him dancing spontaneously every time he hears music. I hope that lasts forever. OK, not forever...it would be a little strange if he did this when he was a teenager. But, I sure am loving it now.

For the love, will you put on a shirt!

Cody and I had a date night last week-end for my birthday. Dinner and a Movie (Date Night!...hence the title of this blog entry. See the movie, and you'll get it). While we were out, it got me thinking of how different a married date is compared to a first date. So, here's a list of how things would have been different if it had been a first date:

1) I would have washed my hair that day.

2) I wouldn't have told Cody where to park at the restaurant.

3) I wouldn't have told Cody to put his phone away (but I would have thought it).

4) I wouldn't have texted at the table (I would have waited to do that when I went to the bathroom).

5) Cody wouldn't have said inappropriate things to me all night.

6) I wouldn't have ordered the asparagus, because it cost more and I would have felt bad.

7) Cody wouldn't have questioned my appetizer choice.

8) I wouldn't have sung very loudly and offf key to the radio as we were driving to the movie.

9) We wouldn't have talked about our baby boy.

10) It wouldn't have been near as much fun.

I love Cody so much, and I am so excited when we get to go out. His birthday was the 21st, and he somehow got several restaturant gift cards for his birthday. More date nights, oh yeah!

Mercy Mocha

Don’t you like how you always decide to start to eat healthier and give up soda just AFTER eating a 2 cheeseburger meal with an XLARGE Dr Pepper? Yeah, that decision lasts until the sugar/fat buzz wears off. Fast food sucks me in. It’s fast, and it’s food. Two of my favorite things. It’s “I’m lazy” food. It’s “I don’t even have to get out of my car” food. If there weren’t drive-throughs I wouldn’t eat it as much. Why? I’m lazy. I’m not about to tote Remy into a Taco Bell, that would require too much muscle. My window was broken awhile back, and I did go into a Taco Bell during my lunch hour just to get a free large drink with a coupon. They looked at me as if I were insane. When I was in college Allie and I went to Target to get something to cook for dinner. I said "I don't want anything here." She looked at me and said, "Heather, they have EVERY FOOD." Ha ha. What I really meant, is I wanted something greasy and fried that I didn't have to cook. So, I’ve learned how to eat healthier and to stop drinking soda. Willpower, you ask? Willpower Schmilpower. I just use my laziness to my advantage. First of all, don’t carry cash. Easy. Second, don’t have sweets or candy in the house. I accomplish this by doing my grocery shopping when I’m full. If I have a dozen chocolate chip cookies in the house, I will eat them in 2 days. If I have 2 dozen chocolate chip cookies in the house, I will eat them in 2 days. You get the idea. My other obstacle, Mercy Mocha. Mercy Mocha is the little coffee shop right NEXT to my office. It’s filled with sugary coffee treats, soda and muffin deliciousness. Yes, there’s healthy options like hard boiled eggs, yogurt and organic granola…but that’s hard to pick when it’s sitting next to the pop-tarts. And, my no cash policy doesn’t work because guess what? They take payroll deduct. That’s right…I’m just one badge swipe away from a Milky Way Mocha or a bag of cheetos. So, this does require a little willpower. But, if I can make it until 1:30 pm, then I’m good. Mercy Mocha closes at 1:30 (see sign). If they were open until 3:00, I’d be in trouble. Once 3 pm hits, I want something salty, and then I want something sweet and fizzy. Why do I love this caramel colored fizzy sugar water so much? I’ve gone long stretches of time with no soda, hoping I’ll outgrow my likeness for it. But, once I give in and have one, all I can say is “Ah, I missed you.” I am getting better, but I’m not there yet. I’m still mourning the loss of my crappy food. But, I do feel so much better when I eat my veggies and drink my agua. Someday I’ll be one of these people who say they’d rather have carrot sticks than French fries. Someday.

I love naps, but I love Jesus more.

Every mother of a nap-taking child hates Sundays (Sorry Lord). The day completely messes up their schedules. Some people say you don't want to be one of "those" moms who let your life revolve around your baby's schedule. I say the heck I don't. Not because I'm worried about my child, but because it makes my life miserable. When baby is happy, mom is happy. When baby sleeps, mommy can clean the house. OK, not really...but I can watch "The Housewives of New York" on Tivo. Some of you might have babies who can sleep during anything, and let me tell you you're lucky. Remy has to have a perfect sleeping environment. He must have eaten, pooped, burped and be in his own room with no new stimuli. This last Sunday we went to the in-laws for lunch after church. I was "lucky" to wake up with a sore throat from allergies, so I kept him home from Sunday school so he at least got his morning nap. When it came time for his afternoon nap he was so enthralled with the posters and pictures on his Aunt Hannah's walls that he would not go to sleep. He just kept pointing at the picture of Marilyn Monroe on the wall and grunting. I know son, she's pretty. Cody finally got him to sleep and then he put him down in the bed. Ah, victory. Until he opened the squeaky door and Remy shot up out of the pack and play and started crying. The next trip to Grandma and Grandpa's I am taking a can of WD-40. You think I'm joking, but I'm not. Easter Sunday is even worse than a regular Sunday. It's a Holiday and a Sunday on the same day. Ugh, that's a double nap-killer. At least he was too distracted by the eggs to remember he was hungry and tired. The picture of him crying was the BEGINNING of the day, not the end. My Sunday routine after church includes changing his diaper, removing any uncomfortable clothing, rushing him to the car as people try to get him to smile and laugh, and get him in his car seat. Then, I feed him lunch in car seat (I'm not kidding). That way, if he falls asleep on the way home I can just transfer him to his bed. Ugh, I'm tired just typing this. It would be really wonderful if the church would agree to change their schedule around Remy's. Is that too much to ask?