Me & My 2 Boys

I'll start this post with some random photos that I happen to be in, seeing as it was Mother's Day and my husband just got a new camera to toy around with. Enjoy.

 

Mother's Day 2013

Baby #3 at 17 weeks

Keeping-my-head-barely-above-water

This picture really shows how I feel most days. I was working on the menu and grocery list one night after the boys were in bed. I'm not sure why Ry snapped it. Don't I look wasted? It is about all I can do most days to keep everyone clothed, fed, and semi-clean. And that is to say nothing of the house and yard work.

And I am letting a lot of balls drop.

Bad Mom Example #1: I locked Brennan in the car at the gas station a few weeks ago. I had to use their phone to call Ryan's cell (the only number I have memorized) who had to leave work and drive home (20 minutes) to get the spare set of keys and meet us (10 more minutes). He missed more than an hour of work...

Bad Mom Example #2: When interviewed for his Mother's Day gift, Collin was asked what his mom's favorite thing to do is/was. His answer: "Lay on the couch because there's a baby in her belly." We are curious if the teacher prodded for the clarification or if he offered it first off. I bet she was all, "Yikes, we need to get DCFS out there!" Well, at least he made the clarification. Sigh.

Bad Mom Example #3: I clogged our kitchen sink twice in 3 weeks. The first time was a combination of an apple core... and then proceeding to throw up the entire apple. It resulted in 2-nights of plunging and snaking followed by an $85 visit from Roto-Rooter. Nice. The second time was a stack of lemon rinds - because I wanted the kitchen to smell good, lol - which was another evening of plunging and a more expensive snaking device. Luckily, we avoided a second visit from Mr Rooter. Needless to say, Ryan installed a new garbage disposal; it's the best residential one on the market. (This isn't so much a bad "mom" moment as much as a bad Homemaker moment, but it blurs in my little mind.)

Anyway, I think Mother's Day was created to make moms feel guilty - I'm sure of it. And those Primary songs are enough to make you want to crawl into a hole for the rest of the year! Anyway, enough whining.

On a completely different note, what's a post without something cute of the boys?

A few weeks back for Playgroup, we headed to a transportation museum here in town. Brennan loved driving all the trucks.

 This is the cheesy grin I get when I say, "Smile!"

It's serious business chauffeuring Brother around though.

 They have a full steam engine parked out front too. Here they are in the passenger car,

and then with their buddy standing in front (it was pouring rain).

Well, here's to my increased health and strength in the coming weeks. I also hope I get my brain back; it's tough getting on without it.

The Flood of 2013

They're calling this The Flood of 2013, and you wouldn't believe the rain we've had around here. I've heard they are talking about Peoria on the national news even. Go us.

If you are wondering about our brand-new basement, we were dry. The power did go out one night, and Ryan was down there from 5:15-6am one morning baling water out of the sump hole until the electricity came back on. He said it was pouring in faster than the sump could spit it back out, even with the electricity on. No wonder lots of the ward and the neighborhood were wet in the morning. It was rough.

It poured and poured and poured for days - and nights - in a row. It was nuts.

Anyway, we finally bought a real camera. That's right - We actually have more than just a point-and-shoot. I still prefer the one I can throw in the diaper bag, but Ryan has been wanting a real one for years, and I finally caved.

In honor of its purchase, we headed downtown to take a look at the flooding. It was worth it.

It was a little bit of a hassle to get down to the riverfront. Lots of roads were closed and most of the parking we usually use was underwater too.

Riverfront parking garage





This is a pavilion where bands play for the 4th of July fireworks. We usually sit on the terraced concrete area to the right of the pavilion. Oh wait, you can't see any of that.

 

We loved the irony of a submerged sign telling us not to enter. Maybe it means to enter by canoe only.

See that little fire hydrant poking up? We've had LOTS of water.

 



E Peoria Steak n Shake patio seating



 E Peoria Steak n Shake drive-thru

We took these pictures on Monday night, and when we returned on Saturday it looked like Steak n Shake was still closed. The Caterpillar plants in E Peoria were closed for the whole week too. I was jealous of all the guys who got to work from home (Ry doesn't work downtown).

Our week of rain was followed by a week of BEAUTIFUL 80 degree sunshine, so I'm not complaining. The buds are FINALLY on the trees, and the grass has greened up. We needed the rain and warmth, but maybe not to such extremes. I guess that's just the Midwest though.

Happy Spring!