For the love of chocolate

What does one self-proclaimed Undomestic Goddess do during the great quarantine of '09? You don't care? Well, I'm telling you anyway. The NyQuil altered my mental state enough to send me on a baking spree. And these beauties were the clear winner. This woman makes me look like a complete domestic failure, therefore I hate her. But I do love these brownies. I would give up a kidney for these babies.

And you can enjoy them several different ways. Bode likes the "dive in head first and just eat them out of the bowl" approach.

Mia took a slightly less messy and far more dramatic "I want to savor every bite and act like I am some sort of naked brownie diva" approach.

I've eaten them both ways and many, many more. The latest was the "I'll throw them in the trash that way I'll quit eating them but then just end up eating them right out of the trash can" approach.
I feel no shame.

They're ba-ack

Crazy play time with Dad is the only time of day I want my kids in my bed.

I think the "sick tray" can go back in the cabinet.

Reasons for lack of posting

I don't know why I feel this obligation to justify my lack of blog posts to both my readers out there, but for some reason I do. Some sort of crazy bird flu has struck the Lashley house. The kids went down Tuesday, I went down Friday, and Andy went down yesterday at exactly 4:00 PM and hasn't been up since. It's been a blast lemmetellya. We'll be back in full force soon, I promise.

I'm just feeling a little picture deprived, that's all

Well, that and the fact that my children are both thrashing all over the floor crying, whining, yelling, screaming, contorting, snotting, hacking, and fighting with each other. Go to your happy place, Summer. Think about Starbucks and Sonic and stuff that doesn't involve these two neanderthals....

But darn it if they aren't the cutest little punks I've ever seen.

Random Thoughts Thursday

This post should really be titled random confessions Thursday.

Andy doesn't come home on Wednesday nights until after church. This makes the 5:00-7:00 PM time torturous for all involved. One of my sanity savers on Wednesdays is to feed the kids their dinner in the bathtub. No mess, no clean-up. I give myself permission to not cook a "real" meal on these nights so their dinner is usually apple slices, cheese, grapes, or whatever. I sit on the side of the tub and put it in their mouths one bite at a time. It's kinda fun for an I'm-about-to-lose-my-mind kinda night.

I love cereal so much I could just about eat it for every meal, and sometimes I do. Just call me Jerry Seinfeld.

My kids are sick this week. I secretly enjoy it because they are so snuggly when they don't feel good (and i can let them watch TV all day and not feel bad about it).

I am in desperate need of some Target therapy this weekend. Anyone in?

So once again Ahmo pulls out all the stops...

Seeing as how I will never be able to accomplish in ten years what Ahmo can accomplish in a day, I conveniently sent her this adorable tutorial from Grace Violet . Low and behold a week later, we have peg doll necklaces. Their names, from left to right: Queen of Dresses, Queen of Madelines, Queen of Blackheads, Queen of Everything, and Queen of Roses. I kid you not.

I explained to Mia that the reason there are so many was so that she could share them with her friends and since Raegan was coming over we should probably let her pick one out to take home.

She was thrilled with the sharing idea, can't you tell?:

Finally after much weeping and gnashing of teeth she announced, "Fine, Raegan can take Blackhead."

And so she did.

I overheard this last night.

Andy: Bode this is a blue truck. Hi, blue truck. Look at the blue truck, Bode. Pretty blue truck. Oh good, pat the blue truck.

Andy: Bode, where is the blue truck?

Andy: No, son, that's your nipple.

Easter '09

You're lookin' at it.....

Zilch. Notta. Nothing.

I went ahead and saved myself some time and didn't even try to get a picture of my kids in their adorable pink and gray outfits. I didn't set the Easter baskets out and I will go ahead and admit that I never even bought Bode one (thankfully his teachers had an extra one at the sonshine school hunt in pics below). I sent him to an Easter egg hunt yesterday with our Fisher Price grocery basket sans plastic food.

Someday soon, when the weather is beautiful and I have two pockets full of jelly beans (aka bribery) I will dress my kids back up in their outfits and take some pictures, then I will photoshop today's date on them. And I will buy Bode an obnoxious basket with a huge truck on it and set them out one random morning when we aren't trying desperately to get out the door to church on time.

And I will tell them the beautiful story of Jesus and the empty tomb. I may even teach them "Up From the Grave He Arose." But not today. Today I will just survive. Some days are like that.

The truth is a relief

Mia asked me if the Easter Bunny was real. I casually said, "No," and moved on to something else. She seemed cool with that and I was relieved there wasn't the endless stream of questioning that I had predicted. I just couldn't bring myself to try and convince her that a giant rabbit hops into our house and leaves candy. No can do.
Now if I could just convince Bode everyone would be happy. And frankly, I don't blame him. Look at that thing and tell me you aren't a little scared (no offense to whoever is in this suit).

He may hate the big bad bunny but don't mess with his candy filled eggs.

Cool Cousins

Things started out innocently enough:

But we can only try and impress Henson for so long before our true colors start shining through. First Mia str1pped off her shirt to reveal her scandalous one-shoulder swimsuit (it's cute until it gets wet and then, "Hello n1pple," if ya know what I mean.

And then Bode found the curtain much more interesting than the newest addition to the family. He also smashed a breakfast bar in his cr0tch but darn it if I didn't have the camera ready for that little trick. Welcome to the family, Henson! We put the "fun" in dysfunctional.

Not the typical Monday, but what is.

We spent the past 14 hours waiting...

and waiting...

and waiting....

and waiting...

and waiting...

and waiting...

and waiting...

and waiting...
and waiting..for this precious moment. And it was worth every minute.

Drugs for babies

These lovely videos are crack for 18 month old boys.

"I have a fever and the only cure is lots and lots of fire trucks."

And don't bother ordering them (which I have done) because your kid will get just as high off of the trailer on YouTube. Just loop that baby and and go get a pedicure. He will still be there when you get back, I promise.

Random Thoughts Thursday

I think I may be becoming a runner. I am determined to love it and slowly but surely I am starting to. I do have a slight fear that I will become obnoxious about it. Like it will be the only thing I can talk about and people will roll their eyes when they see me coming. Please feel free to tell me if this starts to become the case. Never mind, you won't have to do that as I am sure Andy will be more than happy to let me know.

I was a terrible failure as a mother yesterday. Note to self: When you are in pain (from a huge and embarrassing fall while running) call someone and have them come and take your children before you scar them for life.

I want to become an aunt, right now. I can't wait for Baby Ross to get here and I am determined to be the coolest aunt ever.

I still get a little overwhelmed and slightly panicked at the thought of running errands with two children. It just totally stresses me out.

I am slightly jealous of women with lots of children. I think growing up in a big family would be so much fun. However, given the fact that the thought of going to the store with two children strikes the fear of God into my heart, I don't think I could handle it.

Bode discovers mud