Wednesday, June 25, 2008

Top 10 Things I Have Found in Lily's Mouth

Okay, what is the deal with babies and putting stuff in their mouths!?!? I did not encounter this with Abby, but apparently for Lily, her mouth is her 3rd hand... Here are the top 10 things I have found in her mouth this week:

1. 2 magnets off the frig (small, square)
2. Wad of purple lint off her shag rug (this is almost daily)
3. Piece of masking tape (huh?!?!?)
4. Small leaf
5. Small piece of greenery from a vase of roses
6. Wadded receipt that went through the washer and dryer (found while I was folding clothes)
7. Small ball of thread
8. Small rubberband
9. Dirt
10. Streamer of green Easter basket grass (she was crawling around with it trailing out of her mouth)

I have really tried to keep my floors clean, so I think this kid is going to need a muzzle...

The Four WORST Words for a Mom to Hear

Okay... They are probably not the worst - but they come close.


"Mom, my head itches."


Mom, my head itches. Those four words will go down in infamy in the Crook house, and it comes down to one word: lice. (It gives me the shakes to even type it.) Oh, poor Abby. And what luck for the kid with the most hair ON THE PLANET (and her mommy). What 5-year-old wants to sit still for SIX hours while her mother looks at every single, stinking strand God gave her? (I think I am going to add lice to my list of other assorted creepy crawlies I am going to ask God why He created...)


When we first discoved it (or them - GAG!), I immediately looked up on the web how to treat them naturally (of course). WHY IN THE WORLD DO THEY PUT A PICTURE ON EVERY WEBSITE!?!? GAG, PUKE, GAG! Anyway, I digress... So, the first night Abby and I spent the night with our heads soaked in olive oil and tea tree oil and wrapped in plastic wrap. Yup, we both smelled like a bad salad. (BTW, I didn't get them, but I was SO FREAKED out that I slept in the stuff anyway and kept bugging - no pun intended - Keith to look at my head.) Let's just say that this "problem" is hard to remedy. We have tried all kinds of things, including - embarrassing to say - dying Abby's hair. (Crystal Brown by Feria for anyone who likes the color... :)) I took my poor baby into Walgreens to pick out a close color. At first she wanted to be a blonde... Mommy said NO. :)


Abby has been a real trooper . I have questioned every head scratch, and she has had her head looked at more than should be allowed by law. (Even typing this makes me itch...) We even had to "quarantine"all her webkinz in trash bags - poor girl. (She is counting down the days for them to come out and play.)


Alas, we tried to make light of the situation by taking some funny pictures of her hair while it was processing. (Don't worry: no bugs.) This has definitely been an experience... I now am an expert on the life cycle and habits of a disgusting little critter (certainly not planned - ugh), so if you encounter them, you know who to call.



Off to grab the olive oil... just in case...

Thursday, May 8, 2008

Splash

Well, I had just finished washing dishes when Lily came crawling through the kitchen, and being in the washing mood and seeing that Lily looked a little grimy from the floors, I decided to toss her in the sink as well. (Don't worry, I changed the water.) After the initial apprehension, she loved the sink - especially the sprayer on the faucet. She looked so cute that I had to snap some pictures and a quick video. :)




WARNING: This video below contains nudity...

Monday, May 5, 2008

On the Move

It started out about a month ago... On the hands and knees, then the rocking, and then what I like to call the "on-land butterfly stroke". Well, now it is official: crawling at 6 months. I am not ready for this on many levels, but the greatest drawback is definitely the state of my floors, as she finds every little piece of dirt and other assundries on them. (On that note, I truly believe Satan invented white tile to torment me!) Alas, I guess I am going to have to pick up the broom more often. If only I could make Lily an outfit out of dust cloths and string mops... :)


Wednesday, March 19, 2008

Cheap Entertainment

Sisters and babies provide much cheap entertainment. Apparently, Lily finds Abby's harsh treatment of her bunny to be hysterical. (Poor bunny...)


Two Teeth

Apparently my children sprout teeth early. Here are Lily's first two... :)


My Daily Lunch Date

Well, well... It looks like Lily is coming into her own, amazing us with all sorts of pleasantries. We have gone from just spitting to daily fussing and turning toys and other small objects into clubs... especially at lunch. Care to join us? :)


Home Improvement Madness

Oh, I have been a bad blogger, but I do have my reasons... Lately we have taken on our fair share of home improvement projects, but the latest two take the cake: building shelves (pulled out an old trash compactor - still works - any takers? :)) in the kitchen and installing a water filtration system. We are neither carpenters nor plumbers, but we gave it the ol' college try.




After much trial and error (and lots of paintable caulk), the shelves are done. (Lean left to view...) The plumbing project has not been an easy one. We got the new faucet installed pretty easily, so we were feeling good about ourselves until... leaks. Ugh. More tightening, more teflon tape... still leaks. Then there was the issue of getting a 3/8 inch male fitting with a tubing connection to attach the system to our refrigerator... It was pretty hilarious finding the part in Home Depot as I was practically the only female in the place - with a baby on hip no less - in a sea of male contractors as I navigated around the plumbing section. (I found out that I need a 1/4 inch compression fitting... Yup, I'm a plumber now!)




Well, we finally got it all set up to discover another leak - from a part I cannot fix. Alas, the company is sending us a new part, and we may have to do it all over again. Oh well, at least we have learned a few things...

Wednesday, February 6, 2008

Watch Out... She Spits

Apparently camels and Lily have the same past time: spitting. She has discovered in the last couple days that it is really fun to turn plain ol' drool into a bubbling, gurgling mess. This can be a little unnerving when you bend down and smile at her, as she tries her best to spray said spit all over the place... Alas, she finds such joy in it that she is happy as a little lark just laying there and spitting to her heart's content. I guess we Crooks are entertained by such simple things... :)


Roll-y Poll-y Lily

Thursday, January 31, 2008

Me and Katie Holmes... Ha!

Well, apparently I have a 70% match with Katie Holmes...

I found this site where you can have a photo of you scanned, and it will show which celebs you look most like... (Please let it not be Richard Simmons...) Hey, what else am I going to do while I feed Lily!? :) Check out my celebrity look-alikes down below. Also, you can see who your children look like most: you or your spouse. Apparently, the debate continues with our family... a perfectly even split between both our kids. :)

Thursday, January 17, 2008

Top 10 Ways to Tell You Have Small Children

10. You refer to needing to use the restroom as "having to go potty".
9. You feel you have accomplished great things that day if you get a shower.
8. Your house looks more like a toy store.
7. You clap when someone goes number 2...
6. The contents of your purse could feed 10 children.
5. The new minivan that someone down the street got looks strangely appealing.
4. Every time you leave the house it looks like you are moving.
3. You do enough laundry a week to clothe a small army.
2. Your alarm clock calls you Mommy.
1. You can hold a baby, prepare a bottle, make a lunch, dress a child and talk on the phone - all at the same time.

Go here if you need a laugh, especially if you are a mom... http://www.anitarenfroe.com/video_02/video_clips_main.htm

Tuesday, January 8, 2008

I Must Be a Marsupial

...And I really thought I was human...


It was one of those days. No matter how asleep Lily appeared to be, her eyes instantly popped open - like the exact opposite of one of those "sleeping" baby dolls - every time her little back grazed the mattress. Sometimes I got the big grin, with the "nice try, Mommy" look. Other times I got the " you better pick me up or I am going to wail" face. What's a busy mom to do?


Enter the life-saver: the bjorn.


Just strap her on in her little "pouch"and away we go. We have cleaned, cooked (which is a bit precarious), taken ornaments off the Christmas tree (the holiday that never seems to end at the Crooks) - you name it. This wasn't really how I pictured my new exercise plan for the new year, but hey, weight training is good. :)


Little did I know that I was going to carry her on the outside like this for months after carrying her on the inside for what seemed like an eternity. I now have a new-found respect for kangaroos... :)

Friday, January 4, 2008

Our Newest Tax Deduction (or credit as Keith corrects!)




A Webkinz Christmas



Oh, Webkinz... If you have preschool or elementary age children, you know what I am talking about. Stuffed animals with computer codes to play with them virtually online - clothes, rooms, games - you name it. They even have a gem of the day that you can "win". One is called the Booger Nugget... (My first question was if it is green. It's not. Must have been a guy programmer that added that one... yuck.) Anyway, I digress... Abby now has SIXTEEN of these things. Oh, brother... Let's just say she is a BIG fan. :)




Abby and Her Webkinz




We ended up heading for Dallas for Christmas (last minute decision). We were afraid that our entertainment skills would be sub-par for Abs, and she would much rather play with all of the cousins. She did. Plus, our Lily is sleeping about 10 hours or so at night (what a good baby!), so we thought we could swing it. We saw over 70 family members over the course of 3 days. Man, our families like to procreate...

Now, I am trying to put away presents and the dreaded Christmas decorations. What excitement to put them up, what angst to take them down. Maybe I will get them all down by February!

Hope you and yours had a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!