All Things Dinosaur

Austen is currently obsessed with dinosaurs! So we decided that we'd take him to the dinosaur museum for family day. He had a blast, but he was a little disappointed that there was only bones there.....I think he was thinking he'd get to see living dinosaurs. The whole extinction thing is a little above him. Since my last two posts didn't have any pictures, I've made up for it in this post with an excessive amount.

He got to touch an actual fossil...he thought it was pretty neat.

Doing his "too cool" pose in front of this thing.

A smile in front of Ankylosaurous......he knows ALL the names and even corrected me a couple of times.

Stegosaurus....his favorite.

This is my favorite picture ever of him.

He posed in front of the raptor and was screaming and pretending the raptor was getting him.

Hugging a proceratops.....I called it a triceratops and he corrected me.

Another "too cool" pose in front of the real triceratops. His second favorite dinosaur.

Trying to reach the great white.

Fascinated by the megladon model.

And last, but not least digging for dino bones.

I Survived

We went black friday shopping as usual, but this year it started very early! We were in line by 7:30 on Thanksgiving. It was crazy and fun and very worth it. I felt a little guilty because I think I bought enough toys to give 5 three year olds a Christmas, but it's hard to pass up all those good deals. We braved Toys R Us and Target and made some good memories.....drunken men and all. My sisters, cousin, and I had a lot of fun freezing and waiting in line, but most importantly we survived another year of the madness!

A Day For Giving Thanks

We had a very nice Thanksgiving with my family. The food was amazing as usual and so was the company. Austen had a blast playing with all his cousins and was exhasted when we got home. I didn't remember to take any pictures though, so this blog post is just words.


I have countless things to be greatful for, but there are a few that standout. I am beyond thankful to have the most amazing partner in the whole world! He is truly amazing and I am lucky to have him by my side through our life. I'm thankful for my sweet little Austen who has taught me what life is all about and who continues to amaze me daily.

I am so thankful for my amazing family who have supported me through a very difficult few months. It means so much to know that I never have to go through anything alone.

While Mom's Away

I left my boys alone one night last week and when I was going through my camera I found all these pictures. They are all so funny, so I had some trouble narrowing it done. The result is a lot of pictures this post.

First they lined up all of Austen's stuffed animals.

Then Austen was glaring at Brian (this is the face you get when he's sick of having his picture taken).

His football cheering face.

I had to include this one because he just looks so dang old!

And of course this one....he's laying up there with his pillow pet and the dog. So cute!

And last but not least.....a picture only Brian would take.

It makes me so happy that Brian is such a great Daddy! I know that when I leave, they are having lots of fun!

P.S. I KNOW that boredness is not a word people.....it was a JOKE! Apparently it wasn't that funny and made a lot of people concerned that I am getting dumber by the day.

Trying To Combat The Boredness

The weather has been cold and wet lately which means I don't want to leave the house and Austen can't go outside to play. I'm pretty sure that's the reason for his "interesting" behavior lately. I think he's bored! So in an effort to keep my sanity (and probably his too) I've been making sure to keep his mind busy. We've been reading a lot of books lately. I discovered that if I take him to the nonfiction section at the library he is in heaven! They have all sorts of books that he will just stare at for hours......especially dinosaur books. I'm pretty sure he knows the name of every single dinosaur. I've also been coloring with him and playing play dough to keep him out of trouble, but the other day we decided to venture out into the cold for a visit to the Aquarium. No matter how many times we go (and we go A LOT....I definitely get good use out of our yearly membership) he never gets sick of seeing all the animals there.

Pointing out the hiding salamander.

Finding the fish he thinks has a beard.....plus I love the tip toe shot!

Playing on the frog.

They have a water conservation area and he is fascinated by this water pump.

The BIG tank with lots of things to look at.

He also pet the stingrays, but I can never get a picture because I have to hold him up so he can reach. Also, they are getting otters in January which we are VERY excited about!

Austen's New Favorite Pastime

Austen has discovered that playing in the kitchen sink is big fun. He loves it, especially when I let him have cups and bowls to fill up with water.

Unfortunately after days of being allowed to do this with relatively few problems, he decided to take the sprayer and soak my entire kitchen, pony bar, and dining room. He did that in a matter of seconds of course and even though he kept saying "Mom, I promise I won't do that anymore, I'm a good boy" he has been banned from the sink.

Maybe we'll try it again when he's a little bit older and less tempted to do things like that.

It's Begining To Look A Lot Like Christmas

We decided to beat the snow and put up lights a little early this year. Austen was so mad that I wouldn't let him get on the roof with Daddy, but other than that we actually had fun and we didn't freeze either.

Playing dead across my feet.

He kept telling Brian to get on the shovel.....Austen was certain he could help him down from the roof.

I Was Having A Moment

Don't mind my last post, I was having a moment. Austen's two and I guess that's just what they do. Regardless, I love him and think he's great, but it's not all fun and cuddles!

Besides, how could I be too frustrated with someone who does this with their books?

HELP

Being a first time Mom, I'm sometimes at a loss for what I should be doing. Even with the help of my Mom and sisters, I still feel lost at times.

For example here's a recap of my night last night:

After dinner, I went to my bedroom to change clothes and Austen drug a chair over to the kitchen sink and started playing in the water. I came out to find water and soap literally everywhere. I got him out of his wet clothes and started to clean up the mess in the kitchen. Meanwhile he proceeds to lock himself in the bathroom and dump out my bathroom decor containing thousands of tiny little beads. (He KNOWS he is not supposed to touch those because we've had some prior incidents.) In response to this I gave his bum a little tap and stuck him in the naughty corner. While he was in the corner, Brian and I cleaned up the mess in the bathroom and when we were done I went to relieve him of his naughty corner punishment. I went over there only to find that he had relieved himself on our entry tile. (He was still naked from the sink incident.) So he had to stay in the corner longer while I cleaned up the pee.

Am I doing something wrong? Do I have the most naughty kid in the world? I can't understand why he doesn't respond to any discipline I try.....he's so not afraid of getting in trouble and it doesn't deter him from anything. The most confusing part for me is that he's really really sweet most the time, but lately he's been going on these terrors and making me doubt my parenting abilities. I mean he IS only two and if I can't handle him now what am I going to do when he gets older?

HELP......I'm being terrorized by a two year old!

I Regret It Already

I'll just start this post by admitting I have a problem.....

I did it last year too.

I buy Austen stuff and let him have it before Christmas.

This time I may have learned my lesson.

I found these trucks at Costco and they were a really good deal, so I bought them, with Austen in the cart. I know I should have made him wait till Christmas, but I gave them to him when we got home.

The thing is, they are the MOST ANNOYING THINGS EVER!!!!

The sirens and truck noises go off all the time without even being touched and when Austen plays with them he'll set off all six trucks at once.

It gets really loud and annoying.

I learned my lesson.......don't buy noisy toys!

The Coolest Box Fort Ever

Brian made Austen a really neat box fort complete with a shelf, a reinforced window with a handle, a hanging light, and artwork inside. Austen LOVES it and he'll go in there shut the window and play.

A Vacuuming Worker And A Mommy Lookalike

I just have random pictures today......it's cold, so we don't get out much. Austen has to find other ways to entertain himself.

Like being a worker while vacuuming. (He thinks he's a construction worker with that helmet.)

He loves to steal my glasses and say "I look like mommy".

SNOW!!!!

Austen was beyond excited when he woke up this morning to snow!! He immediately got out of his pajamas so I could bundle him up in his snow clothes.

Here he is ready for arctic conditions.

Of course the first thing he did was sit down and eat some.

And eat some more.

He looks cold, but that didn't stop him. He played out there for quite a while digging with his tractor in the snow.

I stayed inside next to the fire!

Mama's Boy

So, I realized that I'm always posting about Austen's craziness and all his shenanigans and I rarely post about the other side to him. Yes, he's super smart and extremely funny, but he's also very sensitive, loving, and caring. The first thing he says to me when he wakes up is always "I love you mom". He is always asking if I'm ok and telling me "I'm the best mom he's ever seen". He loves to give hugs and cuddle and pat my back. If I have a headache or something he always will try to make me feel better. He is seriously sweet and sometimes that is his saving grace!

These pictures are unrelated to the post, but cute nonetheless.

Plus he's looking so dang old lately!