I can't be the only one...

...who is notorious for assuming something will be a simple afternoon project.

So, Josiah is having a party tomorrow. He's turning three, which is super awesome. We all know how I feel about children's birthday parties, so if COURSE I had to dive in and participate in the preparations! This week is Fondant Lego Week. I think it'll go down in history as "The Time I Tried To Help." (Well, one of the many times I tried to help)

Things always look easier on other people's blogs. My only real goal in life is to look effortless, and somehow I always end up looking disheveled, overwhelmed and humbled. I think this is why Andrew married me. He's one of those effortless people who always stumbles into success. I, on the other hand, am one of those people who throws herself headlong into what would be a good opportunity for anyone else. I really should stick to growing people. I do that well.

You know something is probably a bad idea when you furrow your brow and say out loud, "This would be easier with a cocktail."

• The fact that I have an aversion to right angles? No problem.
• The fact that I've never touched fondant in my life? A minor detail.
  
• The fact that I'm getting low on cocktail supplies? A small hurdle.
  
• The fact that we're driving out of Frostburg bright and early in the morning with a scant 5 Legos built thus far? A mere stumbling block.

I'm going to be up all night. I like to think I'm one of those people who works well under a deadline, but the truth is, I'm just one of those people who likes to think she works well under a deadline. I'm sure they'll be cute in more of a whimsical sort of way and less of a right angle sort of way. I'm having a blast trying to figure this fondant thing out, but I think Lisa's going to have to just put on a big smile and pat my head when I shove my Lego tray into her waiting arms. Whimsical, people. Whimsical.

Let this be a lesson to you. Never let me say "It'll be a great way for me to learn!" if you want a decent outcome. At least three-year-olds don't know what right angles are!

I'm totally going to post pictures later. You've been warned!

Massive Photo Update

Let's start with last weekend. It was awesome. It was my 26th birthday and I had a blast. We went to Ben and Jenna's wedding on Friday night, which was so fun. I had a biiiit too much to drink, but it was a wonderful date and the wedding was gorgeous!

On Saturday morning, Andrew and I packed up the girls and we met Mom and Brendan at the Double T for a birthday breakfast. We had lots of fun, just like always!

We then headed south for a day in Annapolis. It's a beautiful town and we both love the boats and all the shops. It was Lucy's first time there and she loved waving at the boats on Ego Alley.

We stopped for ice cream downtown and Lucy had a great time with her very own cone!

After our ice cream we went to Annapolis Mall and shopped for awhile, and then we met Calvin and Katherine for a late lunch at the Cheesecake Factory. After we stuffed ourselves, they came home with us and we all visited for a long time. It was so nice to catch up. We also got a little time with Lisa, Michael and the kids. A perfect birthday!

We're back up here now and the girls have been keeping me VERY busy this week! I haven't even left the house, but the days have been flying!

Lucy cooking with Mommy!

Our bendy baby! She's so flexible it's scary!

Not a fan of being on her tummy, but she manages!

The Pacifier Bandit rocking a double look. She no longer sleeps with them, but I can't for the life of me stop her from stealing them from Molly!

Kids, never let your dragon play with velcro food.

A little bit of our summer reading list. All highly recommended at the moment! I'm loving Animal, Vegetable Miracle and I can't wait to start Julie and Julia!

Contentedness.

Dinner is made for tonight! I got Chicken Cacciatore in the crockpot before 9:30. Awesome.

We decided Lucy was going to sleep in her own room all night. The absolute best part of the night was when we decided that Molly was going to go to bed at the same time as Lucy. I nursed her at 8:15, popped her paci in and put her in her crib. (In her own room! Sob!) We put Lucy in bed around 8:20 and both girls were out cold by 8:30. Andrew and I played Hangman (No, really. On Lucy's MagnaDoodle.) on our bed until we were sure they were both out, and then we tiptoed downstairs to be adults. It was blissful. Of course, once we went to bed around 10:30, Lucy was up all night, banging on her door in sorrow, calling for us to save her. Molly also didn't sleep in her own room all night. When I came up for bed, I brought her in to the Pack-n-Play because her room was a bit too hot for a baby her age. All in all, moderate success.

My bad day?

I woke up this morning and Molly had spit up all over my side of the bed. But she eats enough to spit up! Lucy has been tearing around the house all day, yelling "Huuuuug!!" But she can talk! As I type this she's howling because I won't let her eat popsicles in the living room. But those little lungs really work, don't they? I didn't get much sleep last night and was feeling pretty sick all night long. But I'm so fortunate to have a job that lets me feel sick and slack off a little. Lucy keeps pulling all the magnets off the fridge and I keep stepping on them. But her fingers work! I miss Andrew today and wish he'd come home already so I have some company. But there's no chance that he'll be coming home to me in a coffin after two years apart, so I guess I can miss him for a day. I've spent the whole day trying to clean a house that never stays clean. But I have a roof over my head and my babies are safe. I can't get a second alone. Lucy just follows me everywhere I go. But I'm not awake at night wondering if she's still alive. Lucy's fascination with floating things in the toilet is driving me batty. But the water in our toilet is still ten times cleaner than many water sources across the world. My office is a mess because it's packed with yard sale items and I just can't organize them the way I want to. But I'm lucky enough to know what it's like to have too much. Andrew and I may never agree on when to have another baby. But we can have babies.

Gluten-Free: Day 1

Well, it's June 1st, y'all. G-Day, if you will. We had a little talk yesterday and decided that the whole family will be going gluten free and I will be doing dairy free, since what I eat is what Molly eats. Lucy is no longer drinking cow's milk in such large quantities, but I'm not going to freak out over dairy here and there. She's doing rice milk in her sippy cups and I'm just not going to worry about cheese and yogurt and stuff here and there for her. Molly and I are the ones who need to be away from dairy and I can do that myself without restricting the rest of the family. As my menu repertoire expands and I'm more comfortable with what I'm offering, I can cut the rest of the family back here and there on their dairy. I think that Molly will also do rice milk or soy milk when she starts to wean, as well. And honestly, if Mama's not eating dairy, it's unlikely that the rest of the house will be eating a lot of it.
Gluten free eating really isn't hard- it's just a matter of clearing out your house and knowing what's what. I went shopping last night and I think I did a pretty decent job, but there's a learning curve. I'm just trying to get the old stuff out of the house and see how it goes. I'm going to give it 12 weeks and see how we're all feeling. If there's a marked difference, the diet stays.
Andrew is taking leftovers from last week for lunch today, so he's not totally on the bandwagon, but Lucy and I are are doing a full day! Lucy did grapes, apples and bananas for breakfast, and she ate a few of my hashbrowns. Andrew and I did eggs and hashbrowns. I think I'm going to do a spinach salad for lunch with hard-boiled eggs, crumbled bacon and honey mustard. Yum! Dinner tonight will be pepper steak over rice in the crockpot. Since we forgot a car at the park-n-ride last night, dinner can cook while we run down to get it after Andrew gets home. :-)