Ayres Insanity

  For about a few months or so Taevin has been on this vegetarian kick. It all started with a rotisserie chicken from Costco. (those things are amazing!)    We were eating dinner when Taevin told me that he felt bad for the chicken that had to die so that we could have dinner. Since then he has periodically expressed his disapproval of the killing of animals for food. Most times I would just brush it off and explain that that's what animals were put here for, but finally the other night at Applebee's, he declared that he was officially a vegetarian. I agreed to support his decision and gave him a few days to think on it.  He seemed committed so I sat him down to have a chat about his decision, what it really meant and how to substitute foods to get protein in his diet for proper nutrition.    The poor kid was torn between his conviction to the ethical treatment of animals and his dislike for beans and nuts. It was so funny and sad to watch this inner...

  My throat hurts tonight, not because I'm sick but because I yelled THAT much today. It was just one of those days.   I suppose I shouldn't admit to having failed as a mother today. I could blame it on a number of things, stress, sleep deprivation, feeling overwhelmed, PMS, blah blah blah, they're all just excuses so what the hell, it is what it is... Better luck tomorrow eh?

  I turned 35 on February 28th. I had been having a hard time with this birthday for some reason, turning 30 didn't really affect me but for some reason, 35 seemed so old... or maybe it was a premonition of what was to come.   We didn't have too many plans for the day so we decided to head down to Trader Joe's, I'd been wanting to check it out. I called Dan while we were on our way, he wished me a happy birthday, I asked if dad had gone to work today (he had hurt his back and hadn't been feeling well) , he looked out the window and saw that his car was still there and said that he must have called in again, I said I'd call him later.   We got to Trader Joe's and Dan called back just as I was putting Aspen in the cart, he asked me to  come over right away, I asked if it was serious, he said "yes, come now", I said "I'm on my way". We hopped back in the car with a knot in my stomach and started driving. Brian called me back a few m...

  As always, it's been a crazy few months, so here's a quick update.   Ryler turned 6 on November 10th, he wanted a new scooter after the one he had gotten for his birthday last year was stolen after only one use... yeah, I'm still a little bitter. well, his wish was granted and he was a happy camper again, and a very cute one might I add. I can't believe how big he is getting! He's such a character, half of the time he's telling me how beautiful I am and praising my mothering skills, and the other half he's tormenting his siblings and protesting my constant requests to clean up after himself, but we can't help but love him.   Aspen turned one on November 30th. At her 1 year doctors appointment she weighed in at just over 16 lbs. but has more than enough personality to compensate for her size. She is beautiful and very vocal but we love her in spite of her high level of maintenance!   The holidays were a busy blur but for the most part, went smoothly....

  Tonight the kids were talking about daddy's jobs and they asked if I was allowed to work at Union Pacific, I said yes, but that I didn't want to. They asked "if you had a job would you quit to take care of us?" When I told them that I did quit my job to take care of them, the looked at me, shocked and puzzled and said "YOU WORKED???" I don't think they understood why I was laughing.

  Kid conversations are the best and   I've had some fantastic conversations with my kids lately, a couple that we're worth remembering so enjoy!   The other day the boys were discussing flies at breakfast, they were talking about how flies only live for one day, then Taevin asked me is there is a heaven for flies to go to when they die. Being still early and not really paying much attention to the exchange, I just said "I don't know bud". Ryler immediately looked at Taevin and said, "Well if mom doesn't know then NO ONE knows!" Boy have I got those kids fooled!   This morning I was sitting on the steps with Zoey, she looked at me and said very matter of factly,  "mommy, you have boobies."  Me: "yep, I sure do"   Z: "to feed Aspy?   Me: "yep, to feed Aspen." She looks down and says "mommy, I don't have boobies." Me: "you'll have them when you get bigger." She smiles and says "I wan...

Zoey and her little friend Sadie   My little Zoey turned 3 one week ago. She is getting so big and more beautiful every day. A blond haired blue eyed princess, or should I say queen? Because she seems to think she's the queen, and is obsessed with princesses, particularly Cinderella. In fact this morning she was waving around her sparkly wand while wearing a tiara and singing bippity boppity boo!   For weeks before her birthday she begged for a pink Cinderella bike, and who were we to resist such a cute face? So a Cinderella bike it was, and the look on her face was worth every penny!    When I imagined having a daughter, I pictured a quiet, delicate girl who loved tea parties and princess movies so I was in for a surprise when I got Zoey. She is loud, spunky, wrestles with the boys, and has never showed any interest in a tea party, but she is becoming more and more girly every day.   She has recently given up the binky which has been a challenge to sa...