Good News!

The house is done! Okay, no, not even close, but a girl can dream. But it better be done by October, 'cause we've got a new resident moving in. That's right, the McAllister Clan is growing, (and so is my belly!). We are proud to announce that Baby #3 is due on October 4th! We are very excited, and we have a lot of work to get done before then! More news on the house later...for now, here is a photo of the newest addition:

The House

Okay, so I'm finally posting pictures of the house. The first one is what the house looked like when we bought it eight years ago. It was a "cozy" two bedroom cape cod. It was great for just Michael and me, and when Rex came along, it got a little tight, but we managed. When Sean came along, he and Rex shared a room, and it got even "cozier". We do plan to have more children at some point, but we were out of corners for them to live in. We had two choices- add on to the house, or move. We seriously considered both, but we love our neighborhood and our neighbors, and we love living so close to downtown. As I told Michael, you can buy a house anywhere, but you can't choose your neighbors. We are very lucky to have such good friends living around us. So we decided to stay and add on. We tore off the roof, added a second floor with four bedrooms, two baths, and a laundry room, and a full attic on top. We should have moved. I know I will feel differently once everything is done and we have our lives back, but I'll be honest- these last few months have been hell. Everything that could go wrong did. We had a three month drought before construction began. Once they tore the roof off, it poured for three nights straight. Michael nearly killed himself when he was walking around on top doing some work and he fell through the ceiling. (he's okay now) The steps that were supposed to take 3 to 5 days to come in took about 5 weeks. You see where I'm going with this. Our one month project dragged out into nearly three months, and that was just until the kids and I could move back home. We've been living in our basement for almost another month now while Michael gets the first level livable again. (It will be several months before the new level is ready.) This is after the boys and I had been living in our neighbor's parents' house for two and a half months. God Bless Them. They are such wonderful people to put up with us for so long. They are retired. They have their nice, quiet lives. She sews, he golfs. And here I come with one year old and three year old little boys. Wham. We must have felt like a mack truck moving in. Rex was like a pinball bouncing from wall to wall, and Sean cried. and cried. and cried. On our third day there, Rex decided to sing a song at the dinner table. "Old McDonald had a penis...." I froze. I literally could not move. I had two thoughts- 1. How fast can I pack my bags? and 2. Where are we going to go? But they did not kick us out. They snickered quietly as I gave Rex the "shut up or die" look, and listened intently as I tried to explain why that was not an appropriate song even though, as Rex so quickly pointed out, it was true. It was a rough couple of months, and Michael and I were beginning to feel like a divorced couple. I got the truck and the kids, he had the house and the dog. I would bring the boys by the house in the afternoon sometimes for visitation. But we are home now, and things are a mess, but we're all together (*very* close together in the basement), and that makes it bearable. I don't know when (if ever) this house will finally be done on the inside, but the outside is finished, so here is the photo you have been waiting for. Hope you like it!

We're Back!

Finally. The boys and I moved back into the house one week ago today. We had been living in Crofton, MD with our neighbor's parents for the past two and a half months. I could spend the rest of the year (literally) going over all of the details and drama of our home renovation, but since it's Christmas- I'll spare you and save it for another day. There's lots to tell. But for now, I just want to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas! Here is a video of Rex singing one of his favorite Christmas carols. (FYI- the brown thing on Rex's head is a balloon hat of Rudolph that he got from a clown at Ledo's Pizza the other day.) I'll try to post the other songs later. Merry Christmas!!!!

Destruction

Sorry, no new pics right now. We've been busy getting the house ready for our renovation. The crew is expected to arrive at 7:00 a.m. tomorrow to begin taking the roof off. We'll keep you posted as we can, and I'll try to get some pictures up sometime soon!

How Many Is That?

That's the question Rex asked me a few weeks ago when it was my birthday. He asked "how many" I was. I told him I was thirty. He looked at his fingers quizzically and asked me, "How many is that?" I told him it was all of his fingers, all of my fingers, and all of his toes. He thought I was kidding! He just said, "Silly mommy, that's too many!" Ha! Honestly, aging doesn't bother me. It's better than the alternative. But I have to admit- I was a little taken aback at the makeup counter in Nordstrom recently when the make-up technician told me she was adding a free sample of eye wrinkle cream into my bag for me to try. Wrinkle cream!?! Are you kidding me!?! I'm not sure which upset me more- the fact that she thinks I need wrinkle cream, or the fact that no amount of wrinkle cream is going to help me. At least, not while I still have two small boys at home. Each wrinkle, I'm certain, is a direct result of either a sleepless night, or some heart-stopping moment that one of my boys has graced me with. Like Rex going head-over-heels down the steps. Twice. Or Sean climbing up onto his bouncy chair backwards and bouncing up and down like a kangaroo. On the hardwood floors. And now that Sean is walking EVERYWHERE, well, I shudder to think what the make-up lady will offer me next time! (Botox?) It doesn't matter, no amount of wrinkles could make me give up these faces:

And here are some photos from the surprise party my hubby threw for me for my 30th!:

Strolling Around

Here's a video of the newest walker in the family. Sean has been toddling around here and there, but last night, just before bedtime, he was walking all over his bedroom! He sort of looks like his daddy after one too many pitchers of beer! He also plays the role of pesky little brother very well, as you can see. I think Rex liked Sean better when he just laid around all day. But he's going to love having a playmate when Sean gets older! I imagine the two of them could find plenty of trouble to get into together.

Here are some photos from last night, also.

Goodbye Summer

I know that technically there are still about two weeks of summer left, but as far as I'm concerned, summer ends with Labor Day. School has started, the pool is closed, and its getting dark earlier and earlier. The only good thing about this time of year is football. How 'bout those Mountaineers!?! And Go Steelers! There is something about the cool, crisp air of early September that smells like football. I love it. Okay, enough rambling. I don't have any new pictures to share, so I thought I would share this video of Sean I took a few weeks ago. He really is having a good time- despite the lack of expression on his face. He is so serious sometimes! As for his crying marathon at school on his first day, it seems that he is over it. I learned to NOT hand him over to someone (this immediately results in tears). Instead, I just put him down on the floor to play, kiss his head and leave. He does much better this way, and is actually having a lot of fun. Rex is still enjoying his new classroom. He's a bit baffled that we go to school five days a week now (we only did three days over the summer), but he's having lots of fun as well. That's it for now. I'll try to get some new photos up sometime this week!

First Day of School

Today was the first day of the new school year at preschool. Rex started in his new classroom, and Sean had his first day in his new class as well. Until this point, Sean hung out in the office with me. It was a little weird walking down the hall today without him on my hip. It was kind of sad. But I think he will really enjoy being with other kids. He is the youngest in his class, and he cried all morning long (luckily I only work from 9-1), but I am hopeful that this will turn out to be a very good thing for him. He is so attached to me- it is good for him to learn to trust other people as well. But it breaks my heart to see him so sad. Hopefully tomorrow will be better. Rex had a good first day, although he misses his old teachers. I think he will like his new teacher once he gets to know her (she is new to the school), but it takes him a while to warm up to new people. He is in a room with 19 other three year olds. That's 19 kids to play with- but also 19 kids he has to share and take turns with. Should be interesting. His new teacher is from Peru, so I am hoping she will teach him lots of Spanish. I've tried- but all I have accomplished is Rex's new ability to make up words. I try to incorporate Spanish into our everyday routine. ("We call this milk, but in Spanish it is called leche.") Now Rex thinks he can just string a few different syllables together and he has a new word for something. In reality- he is speaking pure jibberish. Today he asked me if I wanted some jobberflocky. Yesterday, he told me his schnagerplaster was broken. He is quite proud of himself. I have no idea what the hell he is talking about. It is very frustrating at times, but at other times I just have to sniggle. I mean laugh.

Rex's Waterski Video

I hope this works! (This may take a long time to download- I'm not sure!) This video cracks me up! Rex had recently been on a boat ride where he was watching his Uncle Paul waterski. I guess it left an impression, because Rex then decided to "waterski" (i.e. run from side to side as if a boat is pulling him) on his slip and slide. I did not get his first attempt on video (during which time he fell down and announced- "Mommy- I was waterskiing and I fell down just like Uncle Paul did!"). But his second attempt was pretty good as well. What a ham!

Something's Got To Give

Okay, so we have been home from vacation for a few weeks now. Rex still complains every day about having "no friends to play with". Sean just isn't quite playmate material yet, so I am still the number one (and only) choice when it comes to finding someone to play with at home. It has been especially hard this week since preschool is closed for summer maintenance and we have the whole week off (and thus no friends to play with at school, either). I feel bad for the kid, but to give you an idea of what I have been through, just today alone I was a pretend truck driver, a race car driver, a police officer, a construction worker, a doctor, and a sick patient. And that was all before lunch. After lunch, I convinced Rex to play with his shadow. That amused him for almost twenty minutes, and then his shadow wouldn't share with him, so that was the end of that. Then I became a helicopter pilot. I love playing with children- I truly do- that's why I love working in preschool, and I generally spend a lot of time playing with the kids each day anyway, but Rex used to be able to amuse himself for an hour or so each day during which time (if Sean is napping) I could do some dishes, or start some laundry, or (gasp) check some email. He has completely lost the ability to do that. And to top things off- he's been really grumpy lately, so he's not even a fun playmate most of the time! I'm never taking him on vacation with other children again! (N0- not really- I'm just being melodramatic- he had so much fun!). But Aunt Mindi just might be getting a 3'6", 35 lb package from UPS soon. Did I mention that Daddy has been busy obsessing, I mean working on, the plans for the addition we're adding to our house in a few weeks? (Honestly- better him than me!) That means that in addition to playtime, I still have to cook dinner, feed two children, bathe two children, read stories to two children, and put two children to bed. Luckily, the neighbor girls are spending the afternoon here tomorrow, so I get a day off from playtime. (I'm free!! I'm free!!) And I have a date with the Robert Andrews Day Spa on Saturday for a mani, pedi, and massage. I CAN'T WAIT!

Sean, on the other hand, has been wonderful lately. He had surgery on Monday to have tubes put in his ears. He is recovering very well. It's such a quick procedure. His appointment was for 7:10 am, and I had him back home by 8:3o am. The doctor said they removed a lot of fluid from his ears, so he should be able to hear better now. (I didn't say he would listen, just that he can hear). He is also starting to toddle around a little bit. He took his first steps at the beach, and practices around the house sometimes, but still prefers crawling for a faster mode of transportation. As you can see in the picture, he has lots of fun rocking on the little bike Aunt Deb and Uncle Harry got him for his birthday! He really gets that thing rocking!! His new favorite pastime is splashing in the miniature swimming pool we have in the kitchen (also known as the dog's water bowl). I have to keep putting it out of reach (poor Kaleigh gets neglected again), and he still goes after it! I love the look of "What?" on his face. He's something. All of his hard work just wears him out. They're all angels when they're sleeping, aren't they?