Happy New Year!!!

Here's wishing everyone a great 2008!!! As for the Youngbergs, we may be celebrating New Year's with the east coast so we're shooting for a 9pm curfew. I swear, there will come a day when Tim and I will get to actually stay up and ring in the new year. But as of now, we are completely content spending it at home with the kiddies. Cheers!!!

How Things Change

Right before Christmas, I decided it was finally time to clean out Sophie and Noah's toy area. I'm not even kidding when I say I collected about 40+ Dora items, none of which Sophie seems to be interested in anymore. She used to be obsessed with Dora, Boots, and the whole gang. Now, she barely turns to look if Dora is on the tube. I think the marketing geniuses have it planned perfectly and I was the first to be sucked in. At first, it was Elmo and everything Elmo. Thank goodness Noah is now taking interest in all 7 of Sophie's different Elmos, including the Elmo that is programmed to say Sophie's name and all of her likes/dislikes. Then, along came Dora and the whole gang. We even gave good 'ol Diego a shout out. Now, it is princesses galore. There was a bit of overlap between princesses and Dora where she seemed equally interested in each. But now with Cinderella, Snow White, Belle, Sleeping Beauty, and apologies to anyone else I might have forgotten, they are all she seems to focus on these days. She has replaced her blanket with Disney princesses instead of Dora. And for some reason, I'm a little sad to say good-bye to Dora. We still read her books occasionally, but hardly a mention the way it used to be! My girlfriend tells me that her 5-year-old is obsessed with Hannah Montana......seriously, I don't think I'm ready for that.

Sophie's First Bowling Trip!

Sophie had her very first bowling experience the other day. She had so much fun and did so well! There was only one time when the ball didn't make it all the way down the lane! Other than that, she did great and even had one strike!!! And as for me, I think I can get used to bowling with bumpers all the time!!!

Goppie and Sophie hanging out between frames.

Grammy and Sophie taking a break from the tough competition.

Christmas Morning

Santa was very nice to everyone this year and gave the kids many fun toys and games! Here's a few pictures of the kids opening up all the cool stuff!Sophie received a ton of games this year. It's fun to be able to play Candyland, Chutes and Ladders, Memory, and Go Fish all over again!

Here's Noah in his cool car!

Thanks Aunt Cricket and Uncle George for the beautiful faux fur vest!!! Sophie loves it!!!

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas!
May the love of Christ be with you always.

Sophie's Christmas Program

Sophie had her Christmas program today at pre-school. It was the proudest moment ever for both her Mommy and Daddy. She did so great, looked so perfect up there and sang her heart out. I'd show the whole program if I could, but here's a few pictures and one of their many songs they sang today!

In the beginning of the program, each of them walked in the church ringing little bells.

Giving themselves a round of applause!

This is Sophie's teacher, Mrs. Tetzloff, whom she adores so much! She is incredibly caring and nurturing, and she has been the reason Sophie's transition to pre-school has gone so well!

Sophie's sweet little voice happens to be next to the mic, so you can hear her pretty well!!

Favorite Time of Day

It seems bath time ranks right up there with a trip to Chuck E. Cheese for these two. They have such a good time in the bath, I have a hard time getting them out!Look at me!!

It's a bird...it's a plane.....!

This is Noah participating in a "Who can scream the loudest" competition with his sister. Sophie has him beat by a mile. Good times.

Give Me the Goods!!!

The kids have been miserable for what seems like forever; the days are okay, but the nights are tough. After Sophie had such a horrible coughing fit this afternoon and proceeded to throw up on me, I had decided enough was enough. They have had this horrible cold and every symptom imaginable for at least two weeks.....they must have an ear infection, bronchitis, sinusitis, some sort of "-itis" was what I was putting money on. So, I drag the whole family out to a pediatric urgent care this evening because we, meaning I, could not stand another night of running back and forth between their bedrooms.

Anyway, we get to the office and of course I have no idea how it works. Who knew you had to make an appointment with this particular urgent care? Isn't the whole idea based on the fact that someone can walk in if they need "urgent care?" How do you plan for urgent care? Anyway, I could go on and on, but I won't. I ended up setting an appointment for the kids an hour later (seriously, I know) and we got something quick to eat and returned. Of course, the doctor tells me every toddler in town is down with this cold and that there really isn't much I can do. They are breathing fine, no signs of an ear infection or respiratory infection, so my best bet is to wait it out and continue doing what I'm doing. Really Doc? I swear I was ready to grab him by the neck and say, "Just give me the pink stuff, man. Please, I can't go another night like this....just give me the drugs!" Instead, I breathed a sigh of relief that my kids are not suffering from something horrible like bronchitis or an ear infection and we trudged home anxiously awaiting the night to come. And so far, Noah's been up three times and Sophie's been up twice. Oh, the night is young.

Cookies for Santa!!!

Sophie and I baked tons of cookies this weekend and she was such a fantastic helper. We made everything from rolled sugar cookies, gingerbread men, Russian teacakes, and chewy coconut cookies. We still have a long list of requests from Daddy, so it seems we will be baking some more this coming week! This year I was smart and hid half the cookies from everyone so they will last longer!!!

Union Square

I had the bright idea this weekend to go to Union Square in the city to see the Christmas lights. We ended up having a very nice time and enjoyed ourselves, but that was after our 1 1/2 hour trip to get there. Little did we know everyone had the same plans for the evening. There seemed to be a huge Santa party all over town and it seems the prerequisite to get into these parties was to be dressed like Santa (we had no clue since we're parents and go to bed at 8)! So, I had the fun job of explaining to Sophie why there were crazy, drunk people dressed like Santa running around downtown!! Sorry for some of the blurry pictures; we're still trying to figure out how to take night pictures with our fancy camera.

Here Comes Trouble!!

We are both excited and scared that Noah is learning to walk!! This has been in the works for weeks now, but I finally got him on film tonight. Here's a video of him taking one of many steps!

Big Trouble

Noah, in the past several weeks, has been slowly giving us hints that he is ready to tackle the world on two feet. For a few weeks now, he would take 2 or 3 steps and then fall. Well, the past couple of days, Noah has increased his mileage to 5 and 6 steps at a time! I am in so much trouble!!! Video to follow very soon!!!

I Made It!

I can't believe it's been exactly one year since I started "blogging." I must admit this experience is more than I ever imagined. I just spent the last hour reading through all of my writings, admiring the pictures, finding myself both laughing and crying. For the first time, I fully realize why I started this and why it continues to be so important to me.

I have always enjoyed writing and it will continue to be a creative outlet for me. My rants, observations, short stories, and a-ha moments are no longer just an opportunity for me to reflect and learn more about myself, but it has become this platform and, dare I say it, sorority among others. Knowing that I have entertained, validated, connected, and shared with others is incredibly fulfilling. I know I have relied on fellow bloggers to entertain me when I need a break at work (or home!) and I know others have been there to make me feel like I'm not alone when I question my parenting and wonder how in the world my life got this crazy!

I look forward to sharing more moments with my family and connecting with others. My two children and husband have brought so much joy to my life and I thank them immensely for always giving me something to write about.

My Poor Babies

It's 1:17 a.m. and I am running back and forth between Sophie and Noah's room because both of them have an awful cold. They both keep having these coughing fits that sound so painful. If this keeps up I might just take them both into the bathroom to soak up some steam! So here I am, wide awake and blogging because I don't know how else to kill the time between taking care of the little ones. And of course, my Timmy is sound asleep next to me and will most likely wake up in the morning having no idea what I've been through tonight!!

Sophia to the Rescue!!!

We took the kids to the park this afternoon and when we returned, we could not get into the house because the garage door opener was not working. Good thing it was cold outside and the house was locked shut. After pressing the little clicker about a thousand times, Tim realized he had his keys in his truck. Lucky for us, he has a thousand keys on his key ring, yet not one key is able to open anything to our house. As Sophie, Noah, Sierra, and I are hanging out on the driveway, Tim decides to get into the backyard and see if there's any way to get in. Of course, all the gates are locked so he must climb the fence. Naturally, and because nothing is easy, Tim breaks part of the fence getting in.

Finally, Tim gets the bright idea to send Sophie through the doggie door that's attached to the garage. Then, we can direct her to either open the garage or go to the front door and open it. After much encouragement, bribing, and convincing that there are no monsters on the way to the garage door opener, Sophie was able to maneuver through the dark in the garage. This could not have happened without the great assistance of her pal, Sierra, and like the superhero she is, Sophie opened the door for all of us! Hooray for Sophie!!! She saved the day!!!

Thanks for saving us, Sophie!! I was starting to get cold!!!

Pancake Breakfast

We went to Sophie's school on Saturday morning to have breakfast with Santa. It was a good morning filled with lots of pancakes and lots of bad pictures with Santa!! From the moment Sophie saw Santa, she was a bit skeptical, especially when she didn't find his sleigh in the parking lot. So inquisitive!!!

Here's Sophie after eating her pancake breakfast!

Here's Daddy doing his best impersonation of Santa. This holiday season, Tim decided to get in the spirit of things and grow a beard in honor of the big guy himself.

This is about the 8th picture I took of Sophie with Santa. She deliberately looked away from the camera every single time!

Here's Noah screaming his head off as he sits on Santa's lap. You might notice Santa's beard slowly starting to fall off......

Tiny Moments

As I was getting ready for work this morning, I had the monitor on in Sophie's room since she was a bit fussy last night. I was quietly getting ready when I started to hear her move around in her bed. I figured she'd crawl out of bed soon and come and see me like she usually does. But instead, she pulled the shades from her window and saw it was raining outside. For the next minute or so, I joyfully listened to Sophie as she quietly sang to herself, "Rain, rain, go away, please come back another day." She kept singing it over and over; by far, the sweetest singing voice I've ever heard and the best possible start to my day.

Tim and I went to a wedding on Saturday night, scheduled during both the Missouri and West Virginia game. Of course, that didn't keep us from having a good time at the wedding! I must say I knew something was up with Tim when his phone vibrated during the ring ceremony and approximately every 5 minutes thereafter for the rest of the evening. Before I knew it, he was giving our entire table regular updates on pretty much every single game that night. We left the reception pretty dumbfounded that we were actually going to be playing in the BCS championship game! But hey, we'll take it!!! Go Bucks!!!

Congratulations to friends, Trever and Lindy!

I Want Him Out!!!

Sophie informed me this morning, after I reminded her about him when she blindly smacked Noah on the head, that Charlie the Elf must go immediately (see post from a couple days ago). Apparently, she's sick and tired of this silly little elf watching her every move and wants to know why he insists on living with us. I tried to sit her down and read the story again to explain exactly why he is here with us, but she was not having it. She didn't want to hear the story, didn't want to make peace with Charlie, and was adamant that his stay was short-lived. Evidently, this may be a clear example of overkill on Mommy's part....and it's not even December yet.

Faster, Sophie, Faster!!

Here's Noah putting his big sister to work. He was absolutely loving it as she pushed him around the whole house at full speed!!

Reading is Fun!!

I was introduced to the cutest book by a co-worker of mine. It's called "The Elf on the Shelf" and Sophie and I read it for the first time this evening. It comes complete with a little elf that watches over Sophie and Noah and reports back to Santa whether or not they have been naughty or nice. The book has beautiful illustrations and Sophie was really wowed by each page. She ended up naming the little elf Charlie and he is most definitely going to be watching over Noah and Sophie, making sure they are being good to each other, and more importantly, to Mommy and Daddy! It was so cute this evening because each time she'd walk by him, she'd look at him out of the corner of her eye as he sat on the shelf, totally aware he was watching her....I am hopeful it will work!! I am sooo not above using this little elf as leverage!

A couple of recent pics of the kids:

Look Mommy! I like to read too! Well, I actually like chewing on books more!

Mission: Accomplished!

Black Friday was quite a success for us. I honestly did not get much sleep the night before because I was pretty excited and anxious! That and trying to go to bed at 9pm just doesn't work for me. We hit several stores and even decided to battle Toys R Us this year. Excluding this visit, the rest of the morning went really smooth! First, my sister threw a mini tantrum because Tim and I made her wait in line at Toys R Us with no cart and about 5 huge boxes to take care of....two to hold and the rest to kick with her feet as the line moved forward. All this while Tim and I were running around grabbing things and trying to figure out the lines, since the checkout lines seemed to wrap around the whole store. After Michelle stood in line for what felt like forever (to her anyway, in real time it was only about 10 minutes, if that!), Tim finds out she is in the wrong line. Apparently, there is a line specifically for electronics and then another for checking out all other items. It was such chaos in the store. Clerks were yelling all the things they already sold out of. I was scolded because I apparently crossed some invisible out of bounds line? Some of the employees were so overwhelmed by nagging shoppers, I heard one of them say, "You know what lady, I have no idea what line this is."

Needless to say, we might keep this store off the list for next year unless they have something major. And thankfully, Michelle bounced back quickly and forgave us. I was about ready to kick her out of the car when she asked me for Advil after the first store! Luckily for me, she's a pro and the rest of morning was a terrific success!

Here's Tim checking out the sales for the following morning. Does he not know Comp USA is NOT on our list?

Don't I Look Pretty?

Sophie cooperated this weekend while I gave her a haircut. It is becoming more and more evident that her hair requires a professional and not her impatient mommy. This is most definitely the LAST haircut I ever give her because people can easily tell when I mess up! She was a little shocked at how much I took off, but she adjusted like a champ and loves it now!

Alarm Set for 4 a.m.!!!

Ok, so maybe I am a little crazy for participating in what is known as "Black Friday." I remember the first time I woke up at 4 am to catch some doorbusters. Of course, I was ill-prepared because I thought the whole idea was silly and I was even a little embarrassed about taking part. We reluctantly went with my sister and some friends and, naturally, I was too cool to do such a thing. That was until I experienced some weird shopping euphoria from all the frenzy! Come to find out, if you decide to participate in this sporting event (and it is a sporting event), it is essential you are equipped with a solid plan, back-up plan, exit strategies, and most definitely make sure your teammates are fully aware of their role (you are only as strong as your weakest link, people).

Granted, I didn't become such a huge fan of waking up at 4 am until I actually became a parent and was often wide awake to see this hour on the clock. Now, the idea of going shopping this early is not such a big deal....especially when I can score some serious bargains. However, I really need to learn to shop more for others rather than myself!!

Now I must turn in and mentally prepare for tomorrow morning's event. Happy shopping!

Happy Thanksgiving

We should all be thankful for

those people who rekindle the inner spirit.
-- Albert Schweitzer

As we express our gratitude, we must never forget
that the highest appreciation is not to utter words,
but to live by them.
-- John Fitzgerald Kennedy

Just a regular Tuesday night!

This is a typical night in the Youngberg household with Sophie and Noah. I'd like to say Sophie is on a sugar high, but nope, this is just another normal night of fun!

WE WIN!!!

Sophie's Favorite Art Project

Sophie is so proud of this art project she did in school, she made me take a picture of her.....and how could I say no?

Another angle....isn't she just so talented?

My Afternoon

projectile vomit
on the new carpet
and all over me
my poor baby
he is ok

no dinner is good
"i'll just eat bread"
she says
as she wears her sundress in the cold
because mommy chose not to battle
for today anyway

house is a mess
pick up the toys
mop the floor
clean the kids
clean them again
scrub them down

can't seem to get ahead
dinner at 8 for mommy
tired
exhausted
skipped the gym
not good
but yet again
i believe
tomorrow will be better

Why Bother?

Every once in a while I have evening meetings at school, which usually means I'm running around like a crazy woman. I did a brief presentation, answered questions, and collaborated with other staff afterwards. I knew this afternoon would be busy...I pretty much rushed home, fed the kids, got Noah ready for bed, and then headed back to work. I couldn't believe how smooth things were feeling when I walked out the door. I managed to take care of the kids and get all of it done without having to change into a totally new outfit for the evening! Woo hoo! That's an accomplishment!

I finish my portion of the meeting, go to sit down, cross my legs and happen to look down. Staring me in the face is the most offensive spit-up resting on the cuff of my pants. How did freakin' baby food end up on the cuff of my pants??? I seriously could not focus the rest of the night because I was obsessively, yet discreetly, inspecting the rest of my outfit. Why do I bother? Why?

Party!!

We ventured out in what felt like a monsoon for Kitana and Nalani's birthday party. It was nice to catch up with family and it would have been even nicer if I had actually taken a few pictures of the birthday girls! My excuse is they were running around too much having fun. Oh well! Enjoy the other pics!Let's eat! I'm ready for some cake!

Noah with Auntie Paz and Auntie Terri.

Sophie with Auntie Paz.

For some reason, Sophie and Noah were beyond fascinated with this broken banister. I swear they spent half the night playing in and around it!

Dominic's Baptism

We had a fairly busy weekend with Noah getting his pictures done, cousin Dominic's christening, and cousins' Nalani and Kitana's birthday party. Thank goodness I have the day off tomorrow to recover!Here's a picture of Dominic with his grandma Paula. Such a cutie....look at his hair!

Noah and Dominic....literally moments after this picture was taken, Noah gave Dominic a nice poke in the ear. Dominic and he are only three weeks apart, but Noah seems to look like a giant next to him!

I Can't Keep Up!

If Noah is not in cupboards pulling everything out, he's breaking things. Once again, after Uncle Tony was nice enough to fix the door on our coffee table, Noah decided to rip the door on the other side of the coffee table completely off! I don't know if it's even worth repairing anymore! Since we got new carpet, we have conveniently left it out on the back patio in hopes that it might vanish into thin air. I just looked this afternoon and no such luck....it's still sitting there, missing door and all. Needless to say, if we're ever visiting your home....hide everything!

How Much???

I bought $20 gift-wrapping paper from a kid down the street. We were doing our part in supporting our neighborhood elementary school. Not even kidding, $20 for two rolls (you would think they're embedded with diamonds....at least some CZ, come on now). Sophie finds it in my closet while I'm taking a shower and starts playing with the rolls and galloping down the hallway like she's riding a horse. And of course, Tim does not intervene (and he even knows how much those puppies cost!). I do my best to remain calm as I snatch them out of Sophie's hands... what's left of them anyway. Now I have totally creased and crumpled wrapping paper, which I have absolutely no shame using this Christmas.

Come to find out, the stinkin' kid who sold us the wrapping paper ended up being the top seller in school. The little salesman of the year is walking away with a $550 giftcard to Best Buy! I hardly remember getting incentives like that when I was selling candy bars out of a stupid cardboard case!

I Loves Me Some Spaghetti!

Noah enjoying one of his favorite dinners! Oh, who am I kidding? Anything edible seems to be Noah's favorite!

No Fun Being Sick

I can't remember the last time I've been bedridden because I felt so sick. This morning, after a disastrous night of sleep (poor Noah was not having a good night), I could barely move my neck and the pain was quickly moving throughout the rest of my body. Well, with the lack of sleep and what seems like the flu coming down, I decided to just stay home from work. My babysitter showed up so I don't have to be near the kids, so I'm able to rest in bed. Let's just say I have barely been able to move without my body hurting. It hurts enough to type on my laptop, but I'm doing it anyway! I should relish this time since this is probably the first time since I've had kids that I've had the opportunity to actually "be sick" and rest. But no....can't do it....I need something to do to pass the time.

What's worse than being bedridden? Being bedridden without TV. I'm dying here!!! We hooked everything up in our bedroom yesterday and we can't seem to get the satellite receiver to work again. Ugghhh! Tim called Dish Network and the best they can do is have somebody out by Wednesday. Are you kidding? What else am I supposed to do? I can't read, for God's sake, that would just hurt my brain! I need some mindless TV (The Hills, The View, a little Y&R are just what the doctor ordered) to get me through this!

Wrestlemania

Here we go.....Sophie vs. Noah. Although Sophie has Noah in size, one must not count out Noah's tenacity and quickness.

Noah is going for the hair!

Ummmm.....don't know the wrestling terminology on this move.

Sophie is done, but Noah still seems to want a piece of her!