The house that Jack built

So remember the patio set that we purchased in the not so distant past? Well, we have just gotten around to cutting up the boxes for the recycle pickup, but they would not all fit in the tiny receptacle so we had one box left over. Being as they are fairly ginat boxes, I made a command decision to keep the last box and use it as a little club house for the boys.

It works really well as the box itself is very sturdy. I taped the two larger flaps togoether to form a roof and then folded the other shorter sides to fit in so there would be no opening. i then cut out a door and a window so the boys could go in and out without climbing.

They love it! They are so cute when they play inside. Jack calls it his house and he plays with his toys in it and if you are lucky, he'll invite you in for tea. I have to say this is one of my better ideas. It keeps them entertained for hours at a time and when it is not a nice day to play outside, it gives them something to do other then watch television. We even decorated it with crayons by putting a little fence around it and drawing shingles for the roof.

Not a week goes by...

It seems like everyday or every week at least, something happens to poor little Alex. It seems that just as soon as he heals from one wound, he is on to the next. Today was one of those days.

Afte work I came home and Jack wanted to go outside and play. He was in and out for a few hours, as was Alex, until his daddy came home with some Taco Bell. Jack wanted to eat his taco in his 'house', which is actually the little platform on his play set. I said it was okay so he took his taco up there to eat. Well, as we all know, Alex is very adept at climbing that thing and he made his way up there. No big deal. he's done it before and he just cries when he wants down.

This time I don't think he made it onto the platform before I heard him start crying. I ran outside because it was one of those "I'm hurt" cries. I found him laying on the ground at the base of the ladder screaming. I asked Jack what happened and he said Alex fell. Then he said he pushed him. He said Alex was trying to get his taco so he pushed him. I went a little nuts and yelled at jack and sent him to his room crying. He was not allowed out for about an hour.

Alex calmed down and i checked to make sure he hadn't broken any bones or fractured his skull. Andy checked for bleeding in his eyes, nose and ears (his EMT traing comes in handy a lot more now). Nothing out of the ordinary except a big welt on Alex's forehead from hitting one of the rungs of the ladder and a scratch on the side of his cheek from scraping the support beam on the ground. This boy has a guardian angel... and it's not me. He must have fallen about five feet onto the ground. I am foreseeing a lot of ER visits in the future.


All is well in the end. Perhaps Jack learned his lesson not to push...EVER, and Alex is wiser for knowing not to go after Jack's tacos. Meanwhile, Mommy's schoolwork suffers.

Post traumatic stress....from the pediatric nurse

Alex had a doctor's appointment today and we made it into a little family outing. No big deal, just in for a couple of shots and some measurements to make sure the little monkey is growing okay. We arrived early and Alex and Jack played with the few toys that were in the office. We were called in right away and all was going well until the nurse walked in the room. I am not quite sure what Alex thought of her or what he thought she might do to him, nut he started screaming bloody murder and would not stop. All she did was weigh him and measure his length and head. She wasn't mean and did not touch him otherwise. Afterwards the Doctor came in and tried talking to us, but we could barely hear what he had to say because of all the crying going on. Mean while, Jack is covering his ears saying "It's too loud".

The shots are next and Alex continues to scream. Food does not stop him.Rocking does not stop him. Holding him does nothing. He climbs down then he wants back up. He wiggles out of my arms and then screams because I'm not holding him any more. The Doctor does his best to let us know what is going on and what we need to do. All I get is that we need to bring the two of them back early October for the flu shot. We leave and put Jack and Alex in their car seats. Alex stops crying immediately.

We make a stop at Costco to stock up on diapers because Andy heard that the price is going way up this weekend due to the high price of oil. I get 4 mega boxes that contain 223 diapers each. Alex only put on half a pound so I figure I am safe to buy so many size 3's. Two more random stops and Alex is asleep before we get home.

Did he remember what happened the last time we were at the pediatrician? Did he remember that it was the same nurse this time that stuck him four times last visit with those awful needles? I don't know, but he would not calm down from the time he saw her until the time he was safely strapped into his car seat.He reminds me of Stewie from the Family Guy. He knows more then he lets on. He understands me when I tell him something but doesn't always do what I say.

Right now he is angry because the stools he's trying to stack won't go together the right way to let him reach the top of the counter. Smart. He knows that they stack together. Strong. He can lift them even though they weigh half of what he does. If he could talk, I'm almost positive he'd be swearing. He's going to figure it out. Little baby genius.

Hold on...My heart just stopped!

I don't think I have ever known what real fear is. I admit I have been scared by movies and people and bugs... especially roaches, but I don't think i have ever experienced real fear until yesterday.

For Memorial Day we went over to my friend Josie's house for a BBQ. After we ate we decided to watch a movie while the kids played in their bedroom. Somewhere along the way, Alex made his way through their round-a-bout house and to the back sliding glass door which someone had left open. Josie got up to get a drink of water when she heard crying. She looked out the back door and saw my poor baby Alex crying and banging his hands on the door to be let in. He was soaking wet from head to toe. Josie brought him inside and showed him to me and I asked if it was raining outside, which it was not. I felt my heart stop.

Josie has a little fish pond in her back yard that is about a foot deep. Alex must have been looking in at the fish and fell in. He somehow managed to climb back out and make his way to the back door. I didn't know what to say or think. I was so panicked I couldn't think. I undressed him and put him in a tub of warm water to warm him up. He was fine but I was a wreck... still am.

I know I am so lucky and blessed that My little Baby Alex is still with me. I am so lucky he was being watched over by someone higher then me and my husband. I feel like such a horrible mother and now realize that acidents like these can happen in the blink of an eye. I got a second chance to be a better mom. This could have ended on a more tragic note, but I got lucky. I know what fear is... Fear is almost losing your child in a moment because you're not paying attention like you should be. Fear is realizing that your life could be forever changed for lack of checking in on your baby every five minutes. Fear is knowing you were one step away from losing your heart in one foot of water.

As for Alex, well, he's on about his life like nothing even happened. Andy and I are more careful about knowing where our children are every minute of the day. You think it can't happen to you, but that is when it does. For those of you who have kids or are responsible for a child, keep a watchful eye on them because they could be gone in a moment.

Pay Dirt

Okay, so we got the new playset up and put all together. The kids love it and spend more time outdoors then in and we should buy stock in the sunblock industry as we are constantly going through bottles and bottles of the spray on kind. The final piece to this project was completing the sandbox beneath the little house. Andy made a makeshift lid for the top of the sandbox so cats and other critters would't use it as a litter box. he also stapled a plastic liner on the sides and bottom so nothing would grow or burrow up from underneath and also so the sand would stay put. Finally we made a trip to the Home Depot to get playsand for the sandbox and it is EXPENSIVE. Not overly expensive, like twenty dollars or anything like that, but almost five dollars a bag, and we needed six bags! Does anyone else think that it is just ridiculous to pay for sand when you live in the desert? The boys love it and got dirty instantly. Looks like it's bath time everyday in the Konlock household from now on.

A Passing

It s always sad to hear when someone in your family dies. It is even more sad when you consider yourself to be close to that family member. It is even worse then you can imagine when a disease takes the life of that person before you can fully accept that it is that person's time to leave this earth.

So many people care about my Aunt Yvonne that it is hard to imagine how we can live without her. She was a rock in our family; so strong, you could always count on her. When my own mother was injured, it was Aunt Yvonne that came to help. When my mother was tired, she did what she could to let her rest. She was a companion to more then just my Uncle Leonard... she was an ear to listen and a sage advice giver. She never sugar coated things, but always told it how it was.

When I was younger, I remember going to her house to eat homemade french fries or homemade anything. There was never not anything to eat in her house. I remember her chastising me when I did something naughty, but being all the better for it. I remember her incredible quilting and sewing abilities. How she could make something beautiful out of anything. I remember her house always feeling like more then just a house, always like a home. I always felt welcome no matter the time of day or night.

I can see how her influence has been spread throughout our family. In her children see her compassion and wisdom. I see and feel her love whenever I see her children. I have never heard anyone speak ill of her of anything. If we could all be such a wonderful influence then this world would be a great place indeed.

Although the warmth of her light has faded, it still shines as bright as ever. As cliche as it sounds, she is gone but not forgotten. I miss her and know I will see her again someday. I just want to say thank you for all that you have taught me and all the love you have shown me. Good-bye Aunt Yvonne.

Catching Up

So here it is... May. I have not even thought about this blog until I read my brother's, sister's, and brother-in-law's blogs. (Bobloblaw...sorry, too funny if you watch Arrested development) Anyways, I was reading these other blogs and couldn't believe I forgot about my own.

In my defense, I have been incredibly busy. I am enrolled in an Accounting degree at University of Phoenix Online, I have a full-time job, I have two wonderfully active kids who do not know what it means when Mommy says "I'm so tired, can Daddy do it?", and I try my hardest to keep my family and friends informed of my goings on through Facebook and MySpace. I am BUSY.

So, obviously, a lot has happened since the last time I posted anything here. Unfortunately, none of that included a vacation of any sort. My kids have been growing, as much as I have told them not to (I can no longer afford to clothe the little weeds). My husband has been working, but this does not keep him from buying the kids things like giant play sets. I don't know who he's kidding...he buys these things for himself more then for the kids. Transformer actions figures anyone?

Probably the biggest accomplishment I can recall, because I can't really recall a lot, is that Jack has been potty trained. POTTY TRAINED!!! I am so excited. That is not to say he doesn't have any accidents. Sometimes he gets to involved in playing that he doesn't have time to go to the bathroom. "I'm busy Mom." OK, so let's change your pants and you can go back to playtime. My proudest moment to date is when we were in Mervyn's and he had to use the bathroom but we had no potty chair to use. I was afraid I would have to kill myself holding him over the toilet seat so he would not touch the filthy thing, when he just pulled his pants down and stood in front of it like a man and peed standing up. Do I sound way too excited? I am.

Alex is a regular little daredevil. Ever since we got he play set, I am continually rescuing him from the top of it. He climbs up and cannot figure out how to get back down. Lucky for me, jumping never enters his mind, at least not yet. A major milestone we have accomplished is Alex now has the ability to throw his own diapers away. This may not sound like much, but eventually he will tell me when he needs t be change which will lead to him changing himself and finally to being potty trained. I know, I'm a dreamer.

Just so you know, I have a 4.0 in my classes and still play with my kids for at least an hour outside everyday when it's warm. You don't have to tell me I'm Supermom, but I know you are thinking it.