Here it comes.... VOMIT OF THE BRAIN!

Monday was my birthday...

I took Tuesday off, got my hair cut (first in 9 months) and colored (first in 5+ years...) I really appreciate that I don't have any grays (YET) to worry about, but sometimes a gal just needs some freshening up... I'm now a california bleach-blond surfer-girl.

Also.

I've gone "over to the dark side," as my co-worker puts it: I got Botox.

Those damn 11's...

another day or two until the effects will be visible, and meanwhile I'm just scrunching up and frowning into the mirror to check for results...



The summer's been busy, and I'm usually glad I just work year-round because then I don't have any back-to-work-panic come now (August); and I had two week-long vacations, but I could have used some more days off!

I did get an overnight trip in with some mom friends - we went down the shore on a gorgeous Saturday, got to beach it (uninterrupted - no "you need more sunblock, come here! Hey, STOP eating sand! Don't go running off to the water!!! DON'T EAT THAT CIGARETTE BUTT!!!")
Just nice calm beach reading and chatting.  And then we were basically too tired to party - a late dinner out on the boardwalk, a noble attempt at barhopping (one bar. one drink each.) and we headed back to the house for some mom-fun: vaping and coloring (LMAO)


We spent a Saturday with the family at a college graduation party up in Connecticut (kids did great on the 2-hour carride!)

We BBQ'd at the in-laws for Father's Day:

Ms. Mack had her 18-month appointment (is it awful? I don't remember her measurements... this is what I get for blogging about it so late....maybe 28lbs? maybe? but 50th for weight, and 50th for height! perfect girl!)

My (adopted) SIL graduated high-school (we only found out she'd be walking like, two days before ceremonies!! ugh)

(bee-tee-dubs: that jumper? was spotted with sweat so bad.... it was so warm that day... ugh)


We made it down the shore (finally!) as a family for the first time this summer:

I grew basil - quite successfully, in fact. (and from seed! ok - I'll admit, E did the in-doors germinating...)

My goal for my basil (and spearmint!) was to make delicious watermelon-basil and strawberry drinks like I've seen and tried from fancy drink menus.
My watermlon-basil aperitif was definitely refreshing and delish!



We spent a day at a lake, watching dark clouds get closer and closer until they broken open right over us, then quickly blew back out leaving sun for 10-15 minutes before returning with a vengeance, driving us to the movie theaters for the rest of the day...

which is when Button had his FIRST EVER MOVIE THEATER EXPERIENCE! (I mean, by default, Ms. Mack had hers too, but it's more exciting for Button - he was all, "I want to buy the ticket! I want to hand the ticket to the guy! I want to get popcorn!")
We saw Despicable Me 3 - he loved it, she only moved into my lap with 30 minutes left where she played with toys and ate graham crackers.
SUCCESS!

We rounded out the first half of July with watermelon and waterplay on warm sunny days:

Second Session:

And of course, let's not forget the day I had work, E was off, and the daycare was closed. So I get home, we're doing dinner (grilling burgers) and while Ms. is in my lap, I start noticing SHIT (figuratively) IN HER HAIR... I ask E - "what do you guys do today?!" and he's all, shrug - "McDonald's, the play place, a store..."

of course I'm all, "It's LICE!! WHAT DO WE DO?! WE HAVE TO FLEA-BOMB THE ENTIRE HOUSE!! BLEACH EVERYTHING!!!!!" and even started making rounds, stripping both kids' beds of sheets and their million stuffed animals, grabbing hats they'd worn that day, ANY AND ALL CLOTHING that was sitting out in their room!

And then E says - "OH! I forgot!! We went to the lake today.... and Button was throwing dirt at Ms. Mack...."

Marathon Catch-Up

This is like, the third passing of the baton in this marathon\relay race of a Catch-Up...

I think I left off with Halloween - owls, pirates and Superman, Oh My!

The next weekend, the girls (my MIL, E's aunt and cousin, and my 3 SIL's) went to Atlantic City for a much-needed girls' night... (plus, my MIL got a free comp'd room! jack pot!)

We got a great room (one king size bed, one L-shape couch, and then got an air mattress delivered. which promptly "popped" on the nightstand handle.... see dead - deflated mattress in hallway waiting for pick up! LOL!)
And then on the first sweep through the casinos, I put $10 or so into a slot machine and hit big! I pulled the lever a few more times, and then cashed out at $90, and put that voucher away!

I jumped at the chance for an outdoor-hottub soak (complete with drinks!) before we headed out for dinner and drinks.  (This is moment I discovered roulette... #newAddict... (not REALLY...) but seriously - started the entire trip with $150 to "play with" and came home the next morning with almost $190 - pretty successful trip!!)

Two days before Thanksgiving, Button came down with a stomach bug... (diarrhea. of course.) so E and I had to do half days at work (one of us worked the morning, then we tagged the other in to be able to work the afternoon).

 (I took this to try to show E a scratch/bruise Button had)

instead, I got a picture of the world's worst haircut, 

and a poor sick boy, complete with purple bags...

He was feeling better by Thanksgiving (and finally had his appetite back on the up-swing) so we had a great time my IL's.

The Saturday after Thanksgiving, we decided last minute to go to the annual local Fire Department Holiday parade...
(Past years,  E has been in the parade with his previous fire department - boozed up in either makeup, tights, or both...)

And then Black Friday I had work (yay healthcare...) and E had his annual NHL game with the guys, so he dropped Ms. Mack off with me at work around 4pm and she helped me clean up and file...

Let's bookmark it there (work is calling...) - at least we're almost into December!!!

Summer, Grandparents, Trucks & Costumes

Working today, on Black Friday...

And I am ok with it.

(First off - I avoid all those CRAZY-ASS SHOPPERS out there!!!)

 But also, and I know I've said this before, but I really believe my time away from my kids helps me be a better mother - more patient, especially!

I was recently reading an older blog post where the author from ByTheBrooke said about the same:

"I think I need a professional career to challenge me and make me happy and I am pretty sure it makes me a better wife and a better mom to NOT be a full-time homemaker/housekeeper/butt wiper."

That said, we had a great time yesterday (except Ms. Mack wails her head off if anyone is holding her besides mostly me... Daddy is sometimes an acceptable substitute... where I wished Button was a little less AllDaddyAllDayEerDay, Ms. Mack is total stage-four cling-on... be careful what you wish for, right?? lol)



And here's some more photo dumpage to slowly get us caught up:

We spent a weekend down the shore, enjoying the brisk-but-sunny days and the available laps to play in...

First time back-carrying Ms. Mack! She loved it!


My mom's parents drove up (FROM TEXAS! long story short, my grandfather - a former commercial airlines pilot - refuses to fly as a passenger...  lmao)
and thoroughly enjoyed time with their great-grandchildren

Button ran poor Grandad ragged - "Come see this!!    Come with me to my play room!!    Hey Grandad, check out this slide!!"

We went to a Touch-a-Truck event (very local, at my SIL's elementary school) and we got a little silly...

Yup... that would be a naked Button, with a bag over his head.....


Don't Ask...


I cleared out too-small clothes, and *gulp* pumping supplies...

(ok ok, I kept one single set, and my hand pump.... in case....)
seriously - we're still nursing 2x a day - morning and night, and I'm enjoying this stress-free phase! 

but - we did finish up the freezer stash for b.milk at daycare!

 And then it was time for magic to transform little babies into Owls and Pirates, and mommies and daddies into Daphne and Clark Kent!

We have a future NY Ranger (Daddy will have to attend the ass-crack-of-dawn practices!!)

We've also found a new yoga studio that has Mommy&Me classes, so both kiddos can come - and Button loves the aerial silks!



Next up (and not too late) is Ms. Mack's 11 month check-up!


And holy-birthday-planning!!!!

Number Two!

but not like, POOP "number two" - or maybe so - it is another "DUMPAGE" of photos!
😜
/\(just discovered blogger has an emoji button?!)

Anyways - where were we...

oh yea, the Great Latch-On, which was back on AUGUST 6th... -_-

I finally finished the sweater I began 16 or so MONTHS ago, and....

IT'S NOW TOO SMALL FOR MS. MACK! 
(so we sent it on to another very special little baby girl!! 💟)  

 We enjoyed my IL's pool (and my SIL's boobs.... LMAO)

 ((And by "we" enjoyed boobs, I meant just Ms. Mack... just to be clear...))

And some more pool time at our cousin's new house!

Dry land fun:

Really silly video of a silly Ms. Mack, egged on by a silly daddy, with Button's silly friend...
(and Button wanting nothing more than to eat his ice pop undisturbed... LOL)

Silliness:

* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *

late August I dropped a pump session at work, and battled the ensuing issues: trying to keep up with a steady demand at daycare (hence the hand-pumping after bedtime each night) and a recurrent milk bleb (that yes, would sometimes bleed when I finally got it cleared out...)

We practiced standing - and look! we're looking at a picture of Button using the same walker 2.5 years before!

We went to a fun local fair, and then had to rest afterwards...

((Busy Friday at work, we'll stop here so I can wrap up before leaving the office for the weekend!))

HAPPY FRIDAY!

Dumpage of Photos-Part I

ok, holy behind...

I have kept a drafted "catch-up" post with events/photos to post about, and was going to scrap it because - yikes - some of them happened 4 months ago!! EEK!

But then, looking back through my Googledrive of photos, they're too cute not to share!

So we'll try this as a photo dump (knowing me I'll have to really fight and try to resist getting too wordy in captioning photos)


Went to a Coldplay concert - took E's adopted sisters (18 and 19) and it was their first concert....

Dude - what a concert... we all had light-up bracelets that glowed with the music... and MICHAEL J. FOX came out and played Johnnie Be Good with the band.. what?! WHAT?!??!
Poor girls are going to think every concert is like that... =P


Then we had a wedding (where I conveniently was able to borrow a pump and take care of business at the house where Button was being babysat!)

Same night of the wedding, we hauled ass home after rounding up kids from respective babysitters, because - my parents flew in for a week!!!

The bottom right pic, we are all heading down the shore!

Geez, I've only lived here (NJ) for almost 10 years, and this was the first time bringing my parents to the shore house!

(She loved the pool.... not...)

We came back up north after a great couple of days - had to put in some time at work, had breakfast with cousins, and then started a summer enterovirus...

We weren't feeling well, started to get some stomach-speckles (Coxsackie had hit our daycare 10 days prior - EEK!)

No coxsackie, just a good old summer enterovirus, which ran its course after another few days...

Feeling better!

 and then we went with Mom/Baby buddies to a Big Latch On location (where I won a book, and Mom buddy won a bike!!! (for Baby)
Those babies were all tuckered out!

PhotoDump Part II coming tomorrow...

Holiday Dumpage...

Plus a little bit of brain-vomit...

A few weeks ago, I had to get new phone when my old one suddenly stopped taking charge... E had told me multiple times recently that he was just waiting for my nod to go phone shopping.  Well that day, i messaged him "Verizon store. meet me there straight after work, I'll get kids!"
I watched my battery percent go lower and lower (and didn't even think/worry about getting all my pictures off until I hit 2% in the Verizon store and it died!)
((thankfully, somehow E was able to charge it when we got home later that night... now I just have to offload the pics some day...))

But the good thing (silver lining?) is my new phone has an AWESOME new camera (1000x better than old one - hence the picture-vomit to follow)

So- our recent holiday weekend:
On Saturday morning I was steaming and blending more food for Ms. Mack, when I noticed the Disney movie going on out our back door/on our back porch:

How many animals can YOU count in this picture?
There's FOUR blue-jays and a finch ... at one point we had the four blue-jays, two finches, a squirrel AND a chipmunk. all at once.

After stealthily slipping out of the kitchen to call the boys from the basement to come see (didn't want to scare them off!) Button then wanted ME to come see - he can write* his name!




*E first writes the shadow of letters with his finger, then Button traces... 

but he IS able to free-hand a smiley-face!! =)









Then, because of the impending influx of estrogen and breastmilk (my BF Tribe came over for lunch with their littles!) E took off "to stroll some stores, like Home Depot. maybe Lowe's..."

That night we headed to friends' condo for dinner and Button's first firework show!!! (I considered him still too little last summer to stay up so late - agh summer sun doesn't set until like, 8:45 and firework shows start so late!)

(also - lovely hostess made yogurt/fruit icepops for the kids!)

(It also ended up working out well - Ms. Mack napped late on the way to friends' place so both kiddos were good to stay up a little late!)




Our Sunday morning looked like this:

I absolutely adore her halo of bedhair... <3 <3

While E took off to go fishing with Mr. Friend from the previous night, I made plans with Ms. Friend (their wedding is next weekend!!) to meet at diner for breakfast... We made it out unscathed (and tantrum-free!) and then came home and went for walk before it got too hot...
I squeezed Ms. Mack into her Best Little Sister onesie (it's 3M... we had to wear it one last time!) and we goofed off waiting for Daddy to come back from fishing...

They both went down for naps (YESSSSS!)

 (ok, so it's not like I got a lot done during HER nap... lol)

We killed some time until Button woke up:

And we then went to my in-laws to BBQ/hang out before they left for DTS


(they wanted to see the kids before they started their week vacation)

 

Boy did I love having that three-day weekend...
Fourth of July dawned BEAUTIFUL, and we spent the morning at a nearby reservoir (where, in fact, E went fishing the day before!)

Button got to fish with Daddy (they didn't catch anything but someone else's lure!)

 We spent the rest of the Fourth in our backyard, testing out the baby pool before Button's big Splash-Bash birthday party this Saturday! 

Yup - you saw that, right? Button's THIRD BIRTHDAY PARTY is this Saturday! Agh (better go order a cake, huh?)

We met new neighbors who moved in two weeks ago with a little boy who is 3.5 - perfect for a new friend! We've invited them to the party this weekend, hope they make it!

(oh yea - can't forget Ms Mack's driving lessons!)