10 Things I Think I Think

1. Winter has just got to stop. Seriously. I need to see COLOR when I look out my front window instead of this vast blanket of white.

2. Mike & I need a date. Mimi, and thus our most trusted babysitter, has been in Florida this past week. She & Grandpa get back tonight, so maybe tomorrow Mike & I can sneak away for dinner--we've got a gift certificate to a new restaurant that is literally burning a hole in my pocket.

3. I have an awful lot of stuff to do in preparation for Aiden's 2nd birthday party--just two weeks from tomorrow! Standing in the way of those preparations is a trip to West Virginia that same weekend for Mike's CGAUX district meeting. It's gonna be a busy week.

4. I am SUPER excited for our next Mommy "Playdate"--Lawrene, Angie & I are all going to get pedicures and manicures next Saturday morning, and then grab a quick lunch. Some much needed girls-only time. :)

5. Looking forward to meeting a friend's new baby in a few weeks. I'm so excited for both Claire and Del--they're going to be great parents.

6. Still really pissed off about smashing my car door. Grrrrr....

7. I probably shouldn't mention this in fear of jinxing it, but Aiden has been eating SO MUCH BETTER in the past several weeks. I'd still like to see more going into that little body, but lately he's been ASKING for snacks, and he usually at least attempts (and eats a good portion of) meals instead of flat-out refusing them. Mike & I agree that he looks a little bigger, too, so it will be interesting to see the exact numbers at his two-year checkup in a few weeks.

8. I just experienced a major Mom Fail--as I was typing this, Aiden wiped out behind me, smashing his nose and upper lip on the floor. He was pretty shaken up, and actually, so was I--that's the largest amount of his blood I've ever seen, and that's gonna be one fat lip. SIGH.

9. Definitely missing football season. Weekends kinda suck this time of year.

10. I'm hungry. I need to go do something about that. Hopefully Mike will be home from the grocery store soon.

Not My Brightest Moment

My poor car. It's been so nice to me over the years--coming up on six of them, to be exact. They only problems it's ever given me are the ones I'M responsible for--smashing the back window while trying to break through an inch-thick coating of ice, backing into my in-laws' house (while I wasn't even in the car), obliterating the driver's side rear view mirror while backing out of the garage--and now I've got a new one to add to the list. I was taking my Pampered Chef orders to work this morning, and since the box was too big to fit in the trunk or stuff in the back seat with Aiden's car seat, I put it on the front seat. I stopped for gas on the way to work, and while I was trying to pull up to the open pump, I completely misjudged my turn (due to the monstrous box seated next to me) and hit a pilon, essentially crushing my rear passenger's side door. SIGH. Can't wait to get that bill.

Fun with Photos

Aiden had his two-year pictures today (don't even get me started on how NOT ready for that I was). He did a fantastic job, and of course it didn't hurt that PaPa & PooPoo were there to watch. While he's been taking a nap this afternoon, I decided to have fun with some of the images using a photo program I forgot I owned. Below are my favorites.

Why do we buy toys?

Lately, the only thing Aiden has any recreational interest in is our vacuum cleaner. "The sweeper, Mom! The sweeper loud! I LOVE THE SWEEPER!" Admittedly, it was pretty comical, oh, the first two weeks, but I kid you not--I hear these exclamations in my dreams! If I don't get the sweeper out of the closet immediately after we get home, I get the temper tantrum from hell. It's nearly impossible to get this kid in his highchair to eat dinner because he might lose precious one-on-one time with the Hoover. And do you think I'd get a "Hi Mommy!" when I open his bedroom door in the morning? Oh no--I get greeted with an emphatic "I like Grandpa's sweeper!" It's draining, but it's also pretty darn cute. Below is a bit of evidence that I'm not pulling your leg. (Obviously, this is kind of staged, but the kid is on to me when I try to get candid moments, as you'll notice by his sudden decision to say "Cheese!")

Sweeper Love from Kimberly Cotter on Vimeo.

At least I already had the day off

It's snowing. AGAIN. Supposed to have another 7-9 inches by the time it's done late tonight. I swear, this crap is SERIOUSLY making Mike & I consider moving to a warmer area of the country. I'd put up with hotter summers to not have to worry about driving through snow in the winters. Ech.
The "good" news is that with it being President's Day, I already had the day off. So you think I'd stay home and lounge around, right? Not so lucky. We had our monthly playdate today, so Aiden & I headed over to the Woods' house just as the snow was getting started. We had a great time while there, but every small glance out the window just made me more & more nervous, so we ended up leaving early. Not early enough, it turns out, to avoid some pretty nasty roads. I can only imagine how rough they'll be when Mike's on his way home, so I definitely don't envy him that.
Looking forward to a greener landscape...someday soon...