… I’m totally showing off now.

But, seriously! With kids this cute and a camera this amazing… How can I resist?

I had to share. She came in the mail today. Bloggy friends, meet Nikon. Nikon, meet Bloggy Friends. I fell in love with the Nikon and I couldn’t help it, despite that I admire the pictures of so many Canon lovers. I don’t really like that the camera doesn’t have the lens motor and that I have to buy more expensive lenses with the motors in them. But I got 2 lenses (the kit lense and the 70-300mm lense), so I hope not to have to purchase any lenses for awhile.

I’m so, so excited!

I’m still learning all the features, I’m sure I will be for quite awhile. I’m loving it so far! Yayyy!

This mommy stuff is a riot! I’m convinced that someone up there loves me something fierce.

My Bella is the most bright, funny and amazing young thing. She’s absolutely one of my best friends! The other day I went to the gym. I think my favorite part about my gym trips is the long, hot shower I can take after my workout and before I get the kids from the daycare. I finished my workout and started heading to the locker room with some pep in my step, looking forward to my hot shower. I get off the elevator and, low and behold, there’s my Bella coming back from the potty with the teacher. No big deal? Well she’s not going to let me go take my shower without her now that she’s seen me. So I take her with me. I’m in the shower, she’s playing with some toys on the bench next to my shower. I peep out at her and find her taking her clothes off because, “Mommy. I’m dirty too.” So I put her in the shower next to mine and finish washing the soap out of my hair. I turn the water off, towel dry a bit, and then go to get her out. I discover that she’s now washing the walls and floor (yuck) with a whole bottle of my favorite shampoo (gah). I wash her off and hand her my only towel while I stand there buck naked. She wraps the towel around her and then high tails it right out of the locker room. I’m standing there naked, dripping, and without even a towel. I throw my clothes on quickly so I can chase her down. I ran out the locker room to find her towel right outside the door and a little naked Bella down the hall trying to get into the elevator. Ughhh.

I can’t take a shower at home, or wee for that matter, without a baby in tow. Usually more than one baby. If I try to lock the door, within minutes there is a loud temper tantrum going on outside the door because he/she/they can’t get in to accompany me. Today, for instance, Bella was talking with Jeremy’s momma on the phone. I got excited because, while she was distracted by her conversation, I-could-go-pee-with-one-less-child. Hurry-Steph-before-she-realizes-you’re-gone! I sat down and, wouldn’t you know, there she is commentating to her Grammy on the phone about how I’m going poop and what a Big Girl I am. I know! It’s hilarious! But I wasn’t pooping, I was peeing, and somehow that makes a difference when she’s telling other people about my private bodily functions! Yeesh.

My boys? Oh, they are the apple of my eye. Noah just started walking this week and it’s the most wonderful and bittersweet thing to watch. He’s quickly becoming a boy, and it makes me happy and sad at the same time. I want him to fit into the crook of my arms for a bit longer, to cuddle until he sleeps, to keep those fluffy cheeks that smell like heaven. But before I know it, he’ll be my next Quarterback. And I’ll always miss him like this.

Austin. He never fails to make me proud. I honestly couldn’t have hoped for a more fantastic kid. He excels in school, he’s always doing kindhearted things for people, he does his chores with little fuss, and he is such an outstanding athlete. I thought the other day how ironic it is that such a dork like me had a “cool kid”. You know–the good-looking, popular, athletic, all around kind of kid. I used to envy those kids, and they weren’t all stuck up rich kids. Some of them were from just good, loving, middle class homes. If you would have told me 13 years ago that I would one day have the Football Captain/Prom King son, I wouldn’t have believed it. But he’s beautiful! Inside and out. He makes his mammy proud!

I removed the mascot name in the middle as I want to keep some annonomity. Can you tell I’m proud though?

Now quit staring at my bosoms. Geesh.

It’s been a week, y’all. Seriously. A busy, busy week.

I haven’t been blogging as much this week, or reading as much as I was. Full time school is starting to kick my hind-end and I’m feeling a bit overwhelmed. I’ll get into a pattern and will be able to get back into my hobbies. Trust. I’ll be back!

We wound down this insane week by finishing the outside of our house, finally. We spent the weekend tearing off old siding, putting up new siding, framing windows, scraping, painting, juggling babies, caulking, spackling, juggling babies, and painting some more… I’ll post some “after” pictures one of these days. I meant to take pictures of the nastiness that was my knuckles after scraping paint for 2 hours. Splinters make me nauseated and faint and I had knuckles full of them. Who knows why I’m such a woosy about splinters when I’ve given birth to a 10.5 pound baby. Geesh, obviously I’m tougher than I give myself credit for!

I’m ok now. You won’t have to send me flowers and Get Well Wishes.

It was all worth it though. Our house is so purdy now!

Before:

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I ordered my camera. OMGoodness! I ordered my camera! It should be here by next weekend and I’ll post pictures of my new, shiney, fancy camera with my old, rickety, worthless one. And then I’ll use my new camera to take pictures of me SMASHING the old one. Ok, not really.

Most of you encouraged me to hold both the Nikon and the Canon in my hand, try them out, and do some reading up. I did all of those things for over a month. I didn’t buy the camera I really wanted– a Canon 30D. I never even let myself hold the Canon 30D because I might have been tempted to have a love affair and Jeremy wouldn’t have liked that. I did hold the Canon XT and the Nikon D40. I could have done the xti and the d40x, but felt better not going overboard since I’ve never had more than a point and shoot. You’ll have to check back to see which one I picked! Fancy Schmancy cameras. They make me drool.

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Check this out! Bella was wrestling with Jeremy and went to jump on his belly. She instead somehow landed her eye socket on his elbow. Nasty black eye.

A few days later, Noah was pushing buttons on the DVD player. I told him to quit and he got so mad at me that he started throwing a ferocious temper tantrum. He began by just screaming, but then he went to throw himself onto the ground. Instead of hitting the floor, he planted his eye socket onto the entertainment center. Yucky black eye.

Try to ignore the boogies, the messy hair, and the cream cheese cheeks.

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After we got those babies to bed tonight, Jeremy and I went and cuddled for awhile. I was telling Jeremy how knobby my knees are and how knarly my toes look. He said,

“Dang, you could choke a man to death with those toes.”

It was so funny I had to take a picture of the moment…

Yeah. Them’s some ugly feets.