Larissa Versus Home Depot

so the other night i told ben i would go to home depot for him to get the last needed supplies for the kitchen. i thought it would be a quick trip but i should have known better. he gave me a written list so i'd know what to get. but needless to say i didn't understand ANY of it. so i start with one employee who helps me find the first item, the the second employee finds the second item....then they start laughing. then i had to try to lug two pieces of plywood onto a cart to get them cut. but first i have to go take all my items in my cart and switch it to get a rolley cart thing. then go back and get the plywood. more laughing from people but not more help! so i get the plywood cut, have to go get more items, more help. all in all six different employees help me. and let me back track and state that i called ben at least five times during this time to ask for clarification of what he ment. so i'm not really letting him work. not to mention that i've now been there for over an hour. the trip was supposed to be quick! there were only six items on the list! then to make matters worse as i'm checking out the cashier says to me "it was kind of mean for your husband to send you by yourself." thanks...but i volunteered. but do you think the dumb boy offers to help me take my giant pieces of plywood to the car? umm...no. so off i go to the parking lot to load these pieces into the back of my van...myself....nice. and i noticed something while i was in home depot. there are only men in there. AND if there are women, they are not alone. oh no, i saw three women 'pairs'! they are smart to know not to go to home depot alone. and i know this for a fact because i ran into a lady i know to be single and she was there with a friend who i happen to know is married. even she was smart enough to bring a friend! don't go there alone...

also, tonight i got a rare treat to catch up with an old friend! grace hardt who ben and i worked with at gull lake and her hubby and little boy were in san diego visiting. they were trying to come for the nice warm weather but i think they got shafted on that. anyways, we met tonight for dinner at red robin! it was fun to rehash times with silly boys at gull lake when grace and i shared a house. i think her hubby found out some fun stories! :)

here's a picture of grace and i together with our little ones! jade really like elias!

kitchen remodel

btw...ben started the kitchen remodel yesterday. two days down and he's over 1/2 way done. i'm so not loving having everything a mess but i know it will be worth it in the end. but i'm also sick and so is zander and jade...so i'm just a pile of crabbo-ness having to be gone all weekend so he can work. and oh yea, it's been pouring all weekend! :( i did NOT move to cali for all this rain!!!!

Ice Skating Helmets?!

saturday i took zander to his first ice skating class. i was NOT prepared for the humor going through my mind at the sight i saw. first off there was seven hundred people trying to get on the ice for the seven scheduled classes at the same time. and most of them were little kids. so yes, ten minutes of your 30 minute class was spent waiting to get them on the ice. nice. then i saw it...kids....with helmets. bike helmets. oh lordy i almost peed my pants. these kids are learning to basically wiggle their little feet across the ice. there is no speed skating, jumping, or throwing the kids...nope...they are spending most of the time on their butts. but please, put helmets on them?! and yet they have little thing gloves on...last time i checked the biggest injuries were caused by getting your fingers run over by the blades!!!! so maybe you should have put your kids in hockey gloves. NOT BIKE HELMETS! in the midwest they throw kids out on lakes to ice skate...they're not worried about head injuries, not even the fact that they could fall through the ice....nope...they're normal not these nut job cali moms. :)
secondly....i am utterly and miserably depressed. i do not know whats going on with me, but the thought of my baby girl turning one is just killer to me. i am so emotional about it! i start bawling every time i think about it! my baby, my little girl...my last child...is leaving the baby stage. her little cuddly squishy time is disappearing quickly. i just can't take it. :( sooo stinkin' sad...she's also taking steps by herself now. just a few but usually she gets so excited she just launches herself at you. that makes me sad too. almost walking....ugh...too emotional. gotta stop talking now...

My little hockey player

For those of you who know zander, he's been obsessed with playing hockey for as long as i can remember. well we finally signed him up to learn how to skate. so tonight ben took him to the kroc center to try skating before his actual class. he absolutely LOVED it! as you can see below, he actually did some skating without holding onto the sides. ben said he fell some, but it didn't seem to bother him. he was so excited that well...he neglected to tell ben how badly he had to pee. suddenly he looked at daddy and said 'i have to pee NOW!'. you always know it's too late when that happens....so z went running, and by the time ben caught up with zander he was standing by the toliet with his pants down, but his underwear still on; peeing....
but other than that he really enjoyed himself and is excited to start his class on saturday.

sibling love

jade is finally at a stage where she is tougher and able to play with the boys more. i love watching their interactions together. today while the boys were in the bath jade stood at the edge of the tub and splashed them. hey all giggled uncontrollably. jade was soaked from head to toe. then after that the boys always run to their rooms and hide under their towels and pretend to be rocks. jade came crawling in and started trying to find the boys. she loved the game and the boys were cracking up. then she did the cutest thing and crawled in between the boys and curled up like she was under a towel just like them. i loved watching the whole thing. then later in the day another heart melting moment....jade crawled up to zander and laid her head on his arm and nuzzled him till he acknowledged her and hugged her. sooo stinking cute.
but my favorite moment from today was going to lunch with my mom at carls jr. after we ate we went outside to the outdoor eating area and with my lovely boys who are drawn to dirt, we found a snail colony. all the blades of grass were covered in snails! so there are the boys picking up every signle one. and one of them was laying eggs. zander thoroughly loved that one. i love that my boys and their gee gee are fascinated with nature and that my mom is there to help teach them about it. but i'm sure everyone in the drive thru line at carls jr thought we were insane.

admissions

Hello my name is Larissa Annen and i am the proud mother of a 'hitter'. yup...that's my latest confession. i really thought i had this parenting thing all wrapped up until i had ronan. he was the sweetest, easiest baby EVER and was just a joy. then he got his personality and stubborness...and well...it's not gotten any easier. i love ronan fiercly! he is the most cuddly child still...but man.....he is pushing every theory and belief i have or should i say 'had' on parenting. no matter what i do...it doesn't change the behavior. and now, well...now he's really into hitting. not everyone...just his family. zander and i specifically. today at playtown when i told him to give a ball to a kid he freaked and started hitting me. which lead to him being taken to the benches to sit on a time out. where he threw a bigger fit and continued hitting. so off i go dragging his butt to the bathroom while he's SCREAMING "don't spank me!" to which i'm getting looks from the 'nonspanking' mothers. REALLY?! you want to shoot looks at the woman who's about to go spank her child? cause obviously you think i have issues...so by all means, pick a fight with me cause i'm soooo stable!!!!! ok side rant....
anyways, after the spank ronan calms down and does better. but the same thing happens again later. soo...we leave. i'm just worn out by him. but we get home and he crawls up in my lap and wraps his arms so tightly around me and gives me 'floppy (sloppy) kisses'. and all is mostly forgotten. at least until he socks his brother three minutes later....
any advice?!

Jade the show boat

oh my word...my girl is a performer. she DOES not like it when people are not paying attention to her. tonight at small group there was no childcaare so she was in the room with us. she and gracie tepfer played together and were absolutely adorable. they giggled and crawled around the room. but jade did everything in her power to make sure i, or someone else was always looking. squealing, throwing her dress over her head, hugging herself and swishing back and forth until she literally FELL OVER! she was in rare form. but i swear i couldn't help but laugh. i had no idea she had this much desire for attention! god help us she is just like i was at that age. i fear for her and myself in the future.