This is big. HUGE.

By on March 11, 2013 in Jansen

Okay, maybe not huge. But a big deal in our house, nonetheless.

We haven’t started potty training yet. He’s 2.5 and I know that the internets think 2 is the ideal age to potty train, but that’s just not happening yet. Spare me the unsolicited advice.

Anyways. He has big boy undies but we’ve never actually used them. And we have a small potty lid attached to our toilet, so it’s ready whenever he is. On Saturday evening after Jansen’s bath, we started talking about his potty. Stephen asked if it was his potty and asked if he could sit on it. Jansen said no, it was his potty and that he wanted to sit on it. So he did. He sat and sat and sat.

Then he farted.

“I DID IT!!!”

It was the cutest thing ever. He got two M&Ms and big hugs. Normally we won’t reward that, but since it was the first time he’d EVER sat on the potty, we wanted him to see that it was a good thing.

We played for a little while in his big boy undies (on the tile) and then decided to go sit on the potty one more time before bed. He sat down and after about 3 seconds, he started peeing. Jansen and I both freaked out so much that he stopped. He looked at my with the biggest smile on his face (I teared up, no joke) and then he finished.

So many hugs, more M&Ms, and calls to his grandmas happened. It was all SO VERY EXCITING!

For the record, we are still not potty training. I still don’t think he’s ready. He wakes up with massively full diapers in the mornings which makes me think that he doesn’t have enough bladder control. And since I work almost full time, I need him to be really really ready.

Anyways, it was a fun evening here in the house. He did it twice on Sunday too, which just makes me so happy for him. I’m glad he is taking to this on his own.

Sorry for the super “mommyish” post today. I’m sure this is only exciting for about 7 people, but it is something I definitely need documented!

Also, I met my friends’ baby yesterday. He is only 3 days old!! Sadly I still have a nasty cough, so I decided to be a good friend and not hold him. I CAN’T WAIT!!

Comments { 11 }

The Friday List Thing

By on March 8, 2013 in Chelsea

1.
I feel yucky. I have some sort of cold or something and it is totally lame. It started with a sore throat, then that went away and I had a cough for a day, then that went away and now I have sneezes, snot, and a clogged nose. It is dumb.

2.
We had baked potatoes for dinner last night. I always forget how much I love them. Why don’t we have them for dinner more often? It is probably because of the butter, cheese, sour cream, and bacon. Hmmm.

3.
This weekend we lose an hour. Which means that next week is the worst week of the year. I’d like to become president for one day. During that day, the ONLY thing I would do is fix this time change crap.

4.
I’m just really tired of cold weather. Really. I live in Houston, Texas for crying out loud. It’s time for sandals and tank tops.

5.
My brain feels like it is whirling around inside my skull. I’m trying to put together cohesive thoughts and feelings, but I just can’t. I’m in a fog and I just want to close my eyes and sleep for 4 days. I don’t really feel THAT bad, I just feel hazy and tired. And snotty. Any my nose hurts.

6.
You know the nerd themed baby shower I cohosted? It was for Amy. Amy’s due date was on Wednesday. On Wednesday she went to the hospital at 5:30 in labor. She delivered Micah around 10:45. That is not normal. I’ll get to hear the full birth story soon, I hope. But I’m shocked that 1) she actually delivered on her due date and 2) she delivered so quickly!

7.
I hope you all have a lovely weekend. We have a few things planned. Nothing huge, just a few little activities. Probably some mailbox playtime.

Comments { 6 }

The Cardboard Mailbox

By on March 6, 2013 in Jansen, Parenting, Toddlerhood

If you have been following my blog for any matter of months, you have probably picked up on the fact that my child tends to obsess over things. When he was a teeny tiny baby, he loved this little turquoise owl that Lauren got him. It hung on the handle of his carrier and he’d stare at it like it was his BFF.

Around 9 month, he developed a love for ducks. His collection of rubber ducks is pretty darn impressive. He held on to his duck obsession for a long time. In fact, we were able to use that as his 2nd birthday party theme. Every now and then, he’ll still get them out to play with or have conversations with.

We’ve now moved on to the train obsession. He plays with his trains ALL DAY. And when he’s not playing with his trains, he makes other objects into trains or train tracks. I don’t mind it, I love seeing his imagination at play. But when he shows interest in other things, I like to explore that with him. Because I think we all know that there is a vast world out there that doesn’t always involved trains.

I know.

Lately Jansen has shown an interest in mail. He loves to watch the mailman walk by. He loves to yell at Rookie for tearing the mail. He knows where the post office is and loves to talk about the mailboxes in there. I’d seen little mailboxes on Pinterest and I thought they were cute. I thought that would be a fun thing to have in his big boy room, but then I changed my mind. We had several big boxes in our house from recent diapers.com and soap.com purchases, so I figured I’d put those to use and make a big blue post office box.

Sorry that image is pretty terrible. I only use my phone to take pictures.

I basically browsed Pinterest to see what other people did, and then I created my own. I was able to build it during Jansen’s nap time on Friday, so it couldn’t have taken me more than about 2 hours. I wasn’t very focused on beauty, so you can see a lot of tape, shipping labels, and rough edges. He doesn’t care. He thinks its the bee’s knees.

The basic instructions are above, and I think you can pretty much figure it out based on the photo. But here are some tips:

I said “remove all unnecessary flaps” because I didn’t know how to word it in a way that wouldn’t fill up the entire instruction box. Basically I turned the box on the side and removed the part that was going to be the top of the mailbox. I also removed two of the flaps from the bottom. I suppose you could cut the entire bottom off as well, but I thought it would make the box a bit sturdier, so I only cut two of the flaps off. I used those for handles and triangles.

I used a completely different box for the curved top. That was probably the hardest part. Turn it upside down and use your hand to help curve it. You basically have to break the corrugated cardboard so it curves, but doesn’t crease. Play with it for a while and be patient. I used the pinky side edge of my hand to kind of karate chop it.

Once I had the curved part perfect and taped onto the top of the box, I laid it down and put it on top of another piece of cardboard. I traced the curve onto the cardboard to get the right size.

I wasn’t really fancy with the tape. I just taped it together using clear packing tape and didn’t really think much about making it pretty. It worked. He’s two and a half.

I know that post office boxes don’t have little cubbies on the side, but I thought it would be a good addition. Every time I’m in the room without Jansen, I gather his mail and put it in the cubby. He walks in and gets so excited that he has stuff to mail! Then he’ll bend down and open the bottom door, take it out, refill the cubby, and mail it all again. Over and over.

I thought the mailbox was cool on Friday but on Saturday I decided it HAD to be blue. I went to Hobby Lobby and got two cans of spray paint. I was concerned about it after the first coat. It looked like trash and I was sad that I had ruined it! But I went over it again and again and it turned out great!!

I hope you like it. Although it doesn’t really matter if you do or don’t, what matters is that Jansen does. I’m pleased as punch that he likes it as much as I thought he would.

Comments { 4 }

YouTube Crashed From the Cute

By on March 4, 2013 in Jansen

I told you I was going to try to get a video of Jansen singing Baa Baa Black Sheep this weekend because it is quite possibly the cutest thing I have ever heard. Well my parents kept

both of my nieces this weekend so my brother and SIL could have a little weekend getaway, so Jansen and I spent a lot of time over with them. Stephen went camping this weekend and THANKFULLY it was a “dudes only” trip. Great for me since camping is totally and completely not my cup of tea.

Anyways. An entire weekend of Jansen and Avery meant that there were so many cute moments.

Jansen and I started our day on Friday with a trip to Half Price Books so he could buy a Franklin book with his pennies. I’m starting this new thing where I teach him that coins actually buy things and when you save them, you can get things you want. So we went to Half Price with a quarter, a penny, and two nickels. He was completely overwhelmed by the selection of books but ended up choosing Hurry Up Franklin to buy. I had told him he was going to get to see Avery later that day so he decided he’d like to buy her a book too. He kept telling me that he thought she’d like a Cars book, but I didn’t agree. He finally decided to get her the same book that he chose. Matching books. How precious. So we went to the front and he gave the man his coins while I secretly slip my debit card. The man gave him a balloon to take home and it was all cute and wonderful until we got int the car and he said, “I need my pennies back!”

Thankfully he didn’t dwell on that

too much. He got over it and decided his new book and his balloon were pretty great.

We came home and read his book and then he went down for a nap. On a whim, I decided to construct a mailbox for him our of some of the giant boxes we just got in the mail from diapers.com. I’ll post about that separately.

After nap we headed to Nana and Poots’ house to have dinner and play.

The remainder of the weekend was full of cute conversations, singing, playing in the pretend kitchen, having meltdowns, taking naps, and holding hands.

Gosh those kids are cute.

And for your viewing pleasure, here are some videos. One of Jansen singing Baa Baa black Sheep, one of the ABCs, and one of Ring Around the Rosie.

Comments { 2 }

Some Things I Like So You Should Too

By on March 1, 2013 in Jansen

1.
First, thanks for the comments about my tax stuff. I emailed his day care and they sent something right over. Easy peasy. I guess that in the future I can just add it up on my own since I now have their ID number.

2.
Sometimes I think I’m hip. Sometimes I find out about things like Sweet Brown or Guys Being Girls before the vast majority of the country and it makes me feel cool. But then sometimes I feel like I live under a rock. I only saw the Harlem Shake for the first time about a week and a half ago. I’d seen the name a million times but never clicked any of the links. It’s dumb, y’all. I don’t get it.

3.
Someone in our Bible Study shared this video with us and I think it’s a must-see. Listen, I’m not a Taylor Swift hater. I’m really not. I’m 13 years old in my heart (power to the world, spice up your life) so I will turn up the radio and sing her music when I’m alone. But this is just funny

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HLI4EuDckgM

4.
One of my responsibilities at work is to write our company’s newsletters. Last week I wrote one that had a perfect opportunity for “ain’t nobody got time for that” and it took great restraint to not include that. Some of our customers would have gotten the reference and probably thought we were cool, but I fear that a large portion of our customers would be appalled by the usage of “ain’t.”

5.
Because I’m in the mood to share things, check out this song. Don’t watch

the video, it’s dumb.

Just push play and minimize the browser so you can listen. It’s a gorgeous song. I think it speaks to the insecurities we all hang on to, even (especially?) in marriage. The day in and day out can wear on you and it is important to learn how to love your spouse again. I don’t know if that’s exactly what the lyrics are saying, in fact it probably isn’t. There is probably something I’m not getting, but that’s what it means to me. I’m hearing it as a complete misunderstanding between the two of them because of insecurity. Also, it’s Pink and the guy from Fun. Thoughts?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OpQFFLBMEPI

6.
And because I feel like this post wouldn’t be appropriately documenting my life without this: Jansen can now sing “Baa Baa Black Sheep.” It is HILARIOUS. I’ll try to video it this weekend.

Comments { 6 }

Sometimes I Just Write Lists

By on February 27, 2013 in Chelsea

1.
I just spent an hour working on our taxes.(That sentence makes me feel old. Then I remember that I’m 28 and there is no denying it, I’m a real live grown up.)  I’m a bit nervous because I have misplaced THREE tax documents.

As they come in the mail, I always put them aside until I’m ready to sit and do

our taxes, but 3 of those papers have just upped and moved on. All the rest are there, nicely stacked in their file folder like good little documents. I’m pretty sure I’ll find all three hiding under a bed throwing a party at the end of April. I’m not too concerned. One was my W2 but my boss gave me a copy of it. The other two were giving receipts. I can pretty much figure out what they were by digging through our bank statements for the year, but I know I NEED to have those documents on file. Again, since there are 3 missing and not just one, I’m sure they’ll turn up.

2.
On that note. How does the dependent care credit work? This is the first year I’ve done taxes while paying child care. I didn’t get any tax documents from his preschool, should I have? I emailed his school to ask, but I feel so stupid. She’s probably like, “This girl is clueless. Her poor child.” Maybe when those others forms resurface in April, I’ll see that I actually did receive something. I honestly don’t think I did though. Ugh!

3.
Jansen can consistently sing the entire alphabet without a single mistake. It blows my mind.

4.
You need to spend some time every day this week reading Molly’s blog. I’m serious. She’s a special kind of person and this week of posts just magnifies her amazingness.

5.
Well, read past this week too, because you really should read about her microdermabrasion post. It’s pee your pants funny.

6.
WHAT THE HECK DO THEY PUT IN GIRL SCOUT COOKIES THAT MAKES IT IMPOSSIBLE TO MAKE A BOX LAST MORE THAN TWO DAYS?? It must be illegal. Stephen and I actually had a conversation the other day about the cost of Girl Scout cookies ($4/box!!!) and how if you buy them in bulk and eat them throughout the year, you aren’t ACTUALLY spending that much money. My coworker is the cookie mom of her daughter’s troop. I’m currently $24 into the cookie hole.

7.
What are we going to do with our tax return? Buy cookies.

Comments { 8 }

I Found Two Acorns in My Dryer

By on February 25, 2013 in Jansen

Life with a two and a half year old is the weirdest thing I have ever experienced. Sometimes I think that I may be bipolar, but in all actuality,

it’s just Jansen that is hugging the line of severe bipolar disorder.

One second we are nuzzling noses. The next moment we are running down the hallway in capes pretending to be Superman. Five seconds later, it’s all tears and hysteria because Rookie ate the green beans that Jansen had been refusing for the past 3 hours. For serious, y’all.

This is my life.

…..

Last night, Jansen said that all he wanted for dinner was a banana. Actually, he said that all he wanted for dinner was a “prize,” (which is what we call fruit snacks around here) but he hadn’t worn me down enough yesterday

to make me crazy enough to agree to that. So I gave him several options and he chose a banana. He ate a good portion of it and then remembered the prize he was promised. “All done. I don’t like bananas.” I smelled that stinky lie but he didn’t back down. Mama won that battle though, and the little man never got his prize.

…..

I found two acorns in my dryer last night. In fact, it scared the peewadoodle out of me because they rolled a bit and I thought they were roaches.

…..

Jansen has learned his full name: Jansen Bridges Hurst. The problem is that sometimes he thinks that most people also have that middle and last name. Sometimes he thinks that he is the only one.

So a conversation may go like this:

Jansen: This cracker is for Jansen Bridges Hurst.
Me: Oh! Lucky you!
J: And this cracker is for Mommy Bridges Hurst. And no crackers for Rookie Bridges Hurst.

Or the conversation may go like this:

Jansen: Mommy! Put on my cape! You wear my blanket, cape is for Jansen Bridges Hurst.
Me: I can’t wear your Superman cape? It’s not for Mommy Bridges Hurst?
Jansen: Mommy! Mommy not Bridges Hurst! Only JANSEN Bridges Hurst.

It all gets very confusing since Stephen and his dad also have that middle and last name. I don’t really expect Jansen to understand that at this point, but it’s all pretty hilarious.

…..

We took a little train ride around the mall a couple weeks ago and at one point we passed on of those big blue photo booths. He pointed at it and, thanks to my sister, he yelled, “Look! The Doctor!”

Life is fun with a toddler. He makes me laugh, he has the best conversations, he is the world’s best snuggler, but gracious, he tests my patience! If I have to tell him not to kick me while I’m trying to wipe his hiney one more time, I may snap. I actually heard myself say, “Okay fine. You don’t want your diaper changed. Okay. I’ll just take you to the bathroom and put you on the toilet. Then we can come back in here and put on some big boy underwear and you will never wear another diaper again. How does that sound? IS THAT WHAT YOU WANT?”

Lord knows I love that little boy. He’s my heart.

Comments { 3 }

In Which I Reveal That I Am Actually 70 Years Old

By on February 21, 2013 in Chelsea

Every month or so, I experience a few days of insomnia. I lay in bed, tossing and turning. I refuse to look at the clock because that just makes it all

worse, you know? I can still get 6 hours… Now I can still get 5 hours… Oh gosh…

I’m going through that now. It makes me angry, it obviously makes me tired, but it also makes me wake up with weird questions. Like. Did I just give birth to a baby boy named Connor? I’m not even pregnant. Did I make a lasagna with a side of mac and cheese? That seems redundant. (But delicious.)

Seriously?

And on top of that, my body is angry. I haven’t had a massage in about two years and haven’t been adjusted/worked on in almost a year and a half. (First world problems?) I have been getting migraines and knots in my shoulders the size of meteors. Only they don’t explode. I have been complaining A LOT lately and begging Stephen to rub my neck and shoulders. Basically I’ve been a lovely wife. He has been doing what he can but my back needs the hands of a professional so he urged me to make a massage appointment. I hate hate hate spending money but I went ahead and did it. Now that it is booked,

I CANNOT WAIT until Saturday. I will be a new woman!

So. Onward.

Thanks for the texts, tweets, and emails telling me that Toms were on Zulily yesterday. Did you notice that Zulily crashed about a million times? Crazy. Toms has never discounted their product like that, so America was in a scramble to get their hands on those shoes. But not me. Remember the whole “not spending money on things that aren’t necessary” thing? Yeah. APPARENTLY another pair of Toms isn’t necessary.

I really think we need to sit and define the word “necessary.” We need to all be in agreement on what it actually means.

Oh, I think it is also important to mention that there is absolutely no chance that Stephen and I will be getting on that Carnival ship we were considering. Partially because it set fire and those people had to sleep next to their own poop for 4 days. But also because it set fire so it’s not actually cruising right now. But mostly the poop thing.

This post is a hot mess. I think I need some sleep and maybe a massage and probably a piece of chocolate pie.

Comments { 6 }

The Me That I Aspire To Be

By on February 18, 2013 in Chelsea

What an exciting weekend I had! Well, aside from the migraine from the depths of hell and the 102 fever Jansen sported. I’m willing to look past that.

Saturday was lovely.

About 4 years ago I learned what blogs were. I started my own and creeped on a strangers’ blogs, occasionally leaving a comment, wondering if they thought I was a psycho stalker. Soon after, I learned that reading blogs written by people you don’t know is actually completely normal internet behavior. Fun!

There was a specific blogger that my friend Kelly told me about. I remember vividly. She emailed me and told me to check out Big Mama. “She’s so funny and she was a Diamond, just like us! But she is an Aggie…” I checked her out and proceeded to read just about every post she had ever written. I loved

her. She was honest, friendly, funny, uplifting, yet she wasn’t an over-sharer. Over-sharers get on my nerves. I knew just about her life to make me feel like we were actually friends, but not enough to be creepy.

I’d read her blog and think, “I think I could want to be her one day.” Of course, this is back when I actually wrote on my blog. Back before I got pregnant with Jansen and forgot how to write and instead turned this place into a spot to type junk in to post format and call it a day. I’d spend an hour or so each night writing a 1000+ word post that people actually read, commented on, and sent me emails about. Good days.

I have given up my hope for become the next Big Mama and have changed my desire to just being her friend. And no, that is not irrational. Yes she is incredibly talented and hilarious, but in the Land of Blog, she is still kind of a hidden gem. Sure, she is buds with Pioneer Woman and Beth Moore, but she is from Texas, which basically means we are sisters.

Anyways. She came to Houston on Saturday for a signing. She released her first book last week, Sparkly Green Earrings. And while I can’t actually wear earrings without my lobes exploding in painful anger, I support them and any metaphor they are trying to illustrate.

I

got a text from Tina a few weeks ago telling me that Big Mama is coming! Big Mama is coming!!! Tina is my real life Big Mama. She is about 10 years older than me, wise, a mother of 4, incredibly laid back, funny, a writer, honest, and a wonderful role model for me. The only difference between her and Big Mama is that I don’t feel like a poser when I call her by her real name. And also I can text her without being considered a stalker.

Tina and I made plans to go to the signing together, and I so glad we did! It was so nice to finally meet Melanie (see how I slipped that in) and give her a hug. I felt like my world might explode with them meeting. Like I should say, “Hi Melanie, this is my friend Tina. Tina, this is Melanie. You two are the same. I just want to be you. Let’s go get coffee.”

But I didn’t.

She was lovely and friendly. And so darn pretty. And her hair is incredible. And Tina and I both commented to each other about how TINY she is. I mean, I have seen a billion photos of her so I knew what she looked like. But holy moly, she is one of those people who only has single digits in her jean labels. Maybe even digits I haven’t seen since 8th grade.

I got a picture with Melanie and Caroline. And remember I have a photo leaning problem. I can’t help it. Don’t judge.

Thankfully the two on the left are the ones in the spotlight. The two on the right look a hot mess. Jansen is wondering why I am making him taking picture with strangers, and I am leaning so far that Melanie can probably still smell my shampoo. Sheesh. Anyways, lovely weekend. And if you’re wondering, I’m sure Melanie will be writing an almost identical post on her blog about her fabulous day finally meeting me.

Comments { 4 }

Lent

By on February 13, 2013 in Chelsea

I don’t normally give things up for Lent. I have a few years here and there, but not regularly. This year I have decided to give something up: Spending money.

Let me define that a little bit further. This doesn’t mean that I’m not going to be buying groceries or deodorant or diapers for Jansen. It doesn’t even mean that Stephen and I won’t ever eat a meal out during this season. It means that I won’t spend money unnecessarily. I won’t buy nail polish or clothes. I won’t get fast food for lunch or pick up Chinese food because I don’t feel like cooking.

I don’t spend money often. I am very frugal and make pretty wise choices with money. I take my lunch to work almost every

day and I only get Starbucks if I have a gift card. So someone may think that this is a cop out kind of sacrifice.

Here is my reasoning.

I may not spend money often, but I think about it all the time. I stress about it almost daily. I analyze and justify every purchase (“I don’t have a chocolate brown nail polish, and look, I have a coupon!”) and feel like I am in control of everything. Basically, I view money incorrectly. My money does not belong to Stephen and me. What I mean is that my money belongs to God and it is up to Stephen and me to use it wisely.

So my goal isn’t necessarily to save money, though that would be a great thing. My goal is to be AWARE of what money actually is and how I am spending it. To loosen my hold on money so I can learn to be more comfortable with God’s plans for it. To learn to trust that God will provide for our needs.

I really don’t know if any of this makes sense. It makes sense in my head… and I

guess that is what is most important. Oh and I do have to say that the one exception is this Saturday when I go to Big Mama’s book signing, I have to buy the book. Necessity.

Comments { 5 }