the doorbell rings

I hate it when the doorbell rings.  In the last 7 days, I have had 4 random doorbell ringers: 3 magazine subscription sellers and one city building inspector.  Sounds like it shouldn't be a big deal, and it shouldn't, but for some reason it causes several tiny moments of panic for me.  Here's how it goes down in our house when the doorbell rings:  First, it's the dog barking before the ring.  (Have you heard a beagle bark!?)  I try to get the dog to calm down, not knowing why he's barking.  Second, the actual DING DONG!  The baby starts to cry at this point because of the barking and the ring.  Then, Will is napping and wakes up crying (yes, all 3 magazine sellers came at 2:30-3:30-naptime).  Now, I look in the mirror on my way to the door - I have not showered in 2 days, no make-up, 4 new blemishes I just picked at, and a stained shirt and dirty sweatpants.  "God, I hope it's not a new neighbor wanting to meet us!"  Finally, while holding the crying baby Mason and trying to block the door so the whining 2 year old William doesn't escape, I open the door.  Porter, the beagle, barks and jumps as I explain that he's a nice dog and won't hurt whomever is standing on the porch...no, I haven't even looked to see WHO the visitor is.  Finally, they realize that they'd better spit out why they're here, cause I won't make it much longer.  They give the quick version...I have found that the chaos sometimes helps in their acceptance of my initial "No, I'm not interested.  Thanks for stopping"  which is nice - although still a whole uproar that I wish never happened.  My feeling overwhelmed does not stop there.  Once the visitor is gone, I shut the door, blocking out the cries as best as I can, I turn around and I see what the visitor saw - bummer...I look really bad...again.  Laundry from the day before piled on the couch, toys blanket the floor, the ironing board is out (had good intentions), snacks and sippy cups on the coffee tables and whatever else I had going on that day.  Then, I realize, they're gone...who cares!  That is until it happens again the next time.  Will I ever get my act together!?  I'm not sure.

the boys

Some photos of the boys having fun.  Clearly, you can tell the pre-haircut from the post-haircut pictures.  Haircuts are not a fun time at the Gross household.  Major chaos during haircuts.  But, we do have some fun in the Gross household.  It's not all chaos and messiness and stress - sometimes we have fun and relax - it's those moments when we feel like great parents.  I'll try to post more of that stuff soon!  It's just not as funny when things are going well!  Until next time...here's the latest fun stuff...             

the best feeling in the world

There are many moments that can give you the best feeling in the world.  Some of these moments happen at the culmination of a big event, like holding your baby for the first time or being announced husband and wife and walking down the aisle at the end of your wedding.  Other times, these events are special everyday happenings like a hug from your two year old at just the right time.  Finally, sometimes, you can feel the best feeling in the world from itsy bitsy happenings...like last night.  No...not that.  I'm talking about when you wake up feeling so exhausted and lay there thinking about how dreadful the thought of getting out of bed is, only to glance at the clock and realize it's only 1:30am and you get to go back to sleep.  At that moment, snuggling back in bed, I said to myself "Oh yeah, this is the best feeling in the world".  Yep, that was a very nice moment...Now all I have to do is train my mind to stop racing with all of the things I should do the next day, so that I can fall back to sleep in less than an hour.  Off the computer now, time to do some of those things I was thinking about at 2am.

Just out of curiosity and for fun...what gives you the best feeling in the world?  Write a comment!

Here are some more of mine: a toffee nut mocha latte - a shower with no interruptions - a piece of chocolate after a good meal - the feeling of clean sheets with just shaven legs - walking out of the salon with a haircut you love - paying off your car or credit card!

typical morning

Why is it that as soon as you tell someone your infant has been sleeping through the night for a month, that's the first night in his life that the baby wakes up 3 times? My 3 month old put me through the ringer last night. Just as baby Mason and I returned to our deep sleep at about 6:30am, that's when the 2 year old pipes up... I hear, "want GOOOK" (gook is Will's word for milk - yes, he can say milk, but he prefers GOOK) and the bedroom door bangs open. I'm laying there, praying the baby doesn't wake up right across the hall, trying not to be upset that Will woke up an hour earlier than usual, wishing the coffee were made, wishing his diaper was changed, and that his breakfast plate and milk were magically ready - after that millisecond full of thoughts, I rocket out of bed - to prevent the first issue (Mason waking due to Will's morning excitement) from becoming reality. Walking past his bedroom, I also pray that his bed is dry and he didn't pee through his Pampers yet again - YES! One tiny victory, no sheets to wash this morning. Now, hurry to make breakfast before Mason's cry blasts on the monitor. I keep rushing to squeeze in a tiny breakfast for myself - got it! Rush more to maybe get the dishwasher unloaded, got it. Pour my coffee - just in time...now, feed the baby...more diapering...more dishes...call G'ma...fold laundry left out from last night... Holy hell...it's time for lunch and we're all still in pj's...I guess I'll blog about my morning while Will is enjoys his lunchtime gook.

blog WHAT!?

Hello Everyone...if anyone is actually out there! I'm a relatively new Stay at Home Mom and just decided to blog all of the uber-important things I have to say. I live in suburbia somewhere in Minnesota. Here, I do my best to juggle my husband, two little boys and a very loud beagle. In this little bloggy-deal, I'll share my most recent adventures, thoughts, problems or opinions. Feel free to comment and share as well...as long as you agree with me! :) ...now on to the first BLOG!