a 3 hour tour .... of IKEA

stacey and i are on what feels like a continual hunt for furniture.

today we decided to hit IKEA.
we figured ...
even if we didn't find any furniture ...
it's FREE CHILDCARE ;)
right?!

unfortunately ... everyone in MN is sick of this weather and had the same idea we did.
there was a 20 minute wait for childcare.
SO ...
rather than wait ... we decided it couldn't be THAT bad to just let the kids walk with us ;)

we walked from room to room.
looking at all of the fun possibilities.
i decided that i LOVE IKEA.
BUT ... the place completely overwhelms me.
there are so many possibilities that i seem to have a hard time focusing on just one thing.
(ya .. i know ... imagine that ... zip it!)

we walked around for over 2 hours!
we found a dining room table set we like.
we found a bed for drew that we like.
AND ... we walked away with 2 new members for our family.
(is it sad that my kids have given up on a pet ... and have resorted to naming bamboo plants?!)

let me introduce you to drew and ben's new friends - little guy and david.



they're cute little plants ...
easy to take care of ..
AND ... they serve as a reminder
a reminder of the day we wandered IKEA as a family for 2.5 hours.
AND
a reminder that next time ...
child care is worth the 20 minute wait.

operation haircut 4 alex

this morning i realized alex had officially reached 'furball' status.

he needed a haircut - badly :)

i always wait until the last moment possible because he is not fun to take for haircuts.
he hates the cape.
he hates when they touch him.
and he basically fights the entire time.

so ...
i brought ben as my 'sidekick helper'
we brought mickey and pluto as 'distractions'
and we were off.

he ended up doing really well.
of course we had the help of 3 bubble machines.
alex had one - ben had one - and i had one.
BUT ...
it worked.



the lady that cut his hair today was GREAT!
she had alex convinced that she had a bird in her ear -
and for much of the day today alex was convinced he had one in his as well.

she spent a lot of time with him
and even styled it in a 'fauxhawk' for him.
he thought he was HOT stuff :)

and so did his sidekick ... who got his hair styled and sprayed blue as well!

it wasn't exactly the 'relaxing haircut/spa experience' that i prefer ...
but if an all out bubble war is what makes a 2 yr old's haircut bearable -
it works for me!

what to wear

with drew being 7 and 3/4
(yes that is what he tells people when they ask)
and ben being 5
i don't dress them alike.
they have many similar clothes - but they dress themselves.

that doesn't mean, however, that they don't do it to themselves.

yesterday, for example, i heard them plan it.
billabong shirts ...
khakis ...
they EVEN accessorized and wore matching necklaces that drew made for them!



AND ...
alex, of course, didn't want to be left out -
so he went and got a shirt out of ben's closet ...
(baseball ... billabong ... close, buddy.)
and then he found his own necklace



i'm sure clinton and stacy would be SO proud, boys.
and if they aren't - well, i am :)

when i wake up ...

each night when alex goes to bed and i am about to leave his room he says ...
'mommy! wait. when i wake up can i play puzzles?'

i have no idea why (he never actually does puzzles when he wakes up.)
it's just a weird routine he's developed.

tonight ... however ... he decided to change it up.
out of nowhere he said.
'mommy. when i wake up, can we go to disneyland?'

oh ... how i wish i could say YES.

breakfast of ('inja) champions

let it be known that alex LOVES cocoa puffs.
in the morning - we are lucky if he lasts until 7:15 before requesting a bowl
at lunch - if i ask what he would like for lunch he responds with - 'cocoa puffs' (you'd think he'd catch on that i won't give him cocoa puffs for lunch too - but - he still tries)
AND
cocoa puffs dry are his snack of choice

so ...
this morning i got up to get alex breakfast.
i told him to get his cereal and get a bowl.
he came walking out of the pantry - holding the cereal box high in the air
and declared
'COCOA PUFFS ... FOREVER!'

i seriously don't know where he gets this stuff.
BUT ...
if cocoa puffs are what make you happy, buddy,
then i hope they stay around forever too.

2 weddings and a ....

ben just told me that he informed his class today that he has TWO girlfriends.

i asked him why he has two - and not just one.

his response? ...

'it's not that big of a deal. i can just marry one on september 18th and one on september 19th.'

hmm ...
glad he has a plan ...
but perhaps now would be a good time to let him know that the girl he marries on september 18th may not wait around while he marries another a day later.

homeade love

yesterday i gave stacey a valentine that i had made.

SO ...
not to be outdone ...
he gives me this valentine (edited of course) that he had made with random craft supplies from around the house
(complete with bazzil bling paper ;)...)
the valentine even had paper folded to make the white section 'pop out' :)



i was quite impressed
AND
i am now questioning why i am the only one scrapbooking for this family.

next year ...
Christmas cards are all yours, baby.

happy valentine's day!

math night

tonight was 'math night' at the boys' school.

we walked around to many of the classrooms
and played a bunch of -
you guessed it -
math games!

both drew and ben LOVE math
(which makes sense ... they are my kids and i have always loved numbers)
so this was TOTALLY up their alley.

even alex got into it -
although whatever game he was playing was definitely only understood by him :)
all i know is it involved lots of shaking dice and pennies.
a future gambler, perhaps?

we ended the night with 2 very intense games of BINGO



no bingos ...

but ...
i walked away knowing we need to find ourselves a bingo game with cool sliding marker cards like these!

next game night - our house for bingo!
who's in?!

are you kidding me?!

can't post.

too much in shock that the judges on american idol just put tatiana through to the top 32 -

INSTEAD OF JEN from hi-5!