Mom of the Year is getting closer

Word of advise: 8 month olds HATE car washes. I always loving going through car washes when I was little so I never thought anything about taking Tucker through one Monday as he was over tired and a little fussy to start with.
It was the longest 5 minutes to my life this day. He screamed and kicked and was scared to death. What do you do??....drive out with soap on your black car (another mistake buying a black car).
Big crocodile tears streamed down his face as he glared at me like what in the hell are we doing?

Just leave your car dirty, its not worth the pain for both of you.

Another "Mother of the Year" qualifying moment!

A birthday to remember

I love my family!!! I love hanging out with my family!!! BUT most of all I LOVE celebrating 21st bdays with my family. I tell you what, we are a bunch of fun.

Saturday started out with my nephew Cooper's 2nd birthday and ended with my little brother's 21st bday. It was a day of heat, drinks and fun! I will leave you will one picture until I can update the 100s of pictures from that day.

My brother Kraig, SIL Jin, my soon to be cousin Nick, my cousin Anna, The bday boy, me and the hubs!!!!

What a great night

Its friday!!!

I am not sure why this week has been so busy, which results in lack of blog post....but it seems summer time is always always crazy busy!

Wednesday was my baby brothers 21st bday, that means Saturday the Kyle-Dirnberger clan will be out in full force ( I am sending this as a warning to those who may cross our paths, it could be dangerous)

Tucker man may be allergic to milk??? Humm..you would think we would have caught this before 8 months? Really? We aren't sure, but right now he is a soy baby. This may have been why he was such a pucker all the time, and this may be causing allergies. We will find out soon enough

I will be taking and uploading pictures from this week and many more weekends. Oh and I LOVE my new camera so the pictures should be great quality!

Its blazing HOT in southeast missouri! BLAZING I am telling you! So, I think today will be a pool day for me:)

Vacation is coming soon....I am in such a need for a vacation. It will probably be too hot to breathe and Tucker will probably HATE being away from home, but we are going to try Branson, MO.

Good weekend to ALL!!!!!

Walking Tall

Tucker turned 8 months old last Monday. I still can't believe my baby is 8 months old, but I am dealing.

Our house is turned into a toddler daycare....and I love it!!!!

The baby swing is gone....

The bouncer is gone........

Basically anything that had baby written all over it has gone to storage!!! Its sad, I am excited but its sad!



The last couple of weeks Tucker has been taking steps. He doesn't want to be held, cuddled or even ride in his stroller. He thinks he is way too big! This week Tucker has taken off completely. He walks across a room in a blink of an eye. He gets so tickled at himself that he often falls, but he is walking in my book. There are still some skills he hasn't mastered, like turning around and getting up all alone. BUT in my book he is walking. Hey this could be the answer to all my weight loss issues....I am surely to drop a few pounds following him around !

Never say Never

Its funny when you are pregnant with this little person, you have all these thoughts and plans and things you will NEVER do! I would dream and think about all the wonderful things that are getting ready to happen. I would think of my 2 months of maternity leave and how I would shop, sleep, cook supper and just be this domestic goddess. YEP, that never happened. I barely changed clothes from what I slept in on maternity leave and seriously girls, seriously have no idea when I even showered. I NEVER in my wildest dreams expected what I endured after Tucker was born. It was crazy how the plans in your head all change once reality sits in.

And speaking of saying never...never say never people. Seriously...listen to what your grandma says and never say never. I remember thinking I will NEVER let my child go around dirty or with puke on him. Oh it just grossed me out to see kids like this. Whelp, let me tell you ladies....crap happens! There are many of times Tucker is covered in dirt or spells of throw up and I just over look it. I try to wet wipe his throw up off his shirt or cover his dirt with a bib. Sometimes keeping them happy by not changing them is worth it.

I can always remember how I would NEVER bottle prop. I will want to always hold him and love him the whole time he eats. Last night on my way home from my grandmas, there sits Tucker in the backseat bottle propped.

I would NEVER EVER pop a movie in and let him sit and watch it while I had 15 minutes to myself. OH no, I am not that "kind" of mother. Besides, my kid wont watch TV. Wooo, wrong again. Baby Einstein is truly my soul mate these days. I get all giggly inside when I hear the music come on!

Tucker would always, always have great meals prepared by me. I want him to learn to eat great and be given plenty of vitamins and nutrients at each meal. YEP, I dont want to EVER feed my baby sugar, or any sweets till he reaches a certain age. The last couple of nights he has eaten Ravioli (hey, the commercial says full serving a veggies), sweet tea in his sippy cup and Vanilla cookies for dinner! I would NEVER give my baby sugar though...never

These are just the few examples of what I have learned as a mom. I never say never anymore, and when I dream for Tucker, I dream a little more realistic. You know, like he will play professional football for the Colts one day. (what, that so could happen)

Now What?

I just bought a DSLR camera .....now what??

Seriously..now what??

Food for thought

Ok maybe there is no food so to speak, but I will talk about it. And there is always a lot of thought.....

My dear friend Target. We have this love/hate..and not just regular hate but bitter hate relationship. You see I love to browse your store and look at your clothes, but really do I need to spend so much money every time I am in there!!! This weekend..trip to Target cost me 140.00. Today a trip to Target for ear drops (10.00) cost me 60.00. Is this necessary to have so many cute and adorable things ? And we can't just stop with adorable things, oh no you have to move Pizza Hut in there. I was in a hurry and on my lunch break and the pizza smelled GREAT! So there goes another 7.00. I will just drop off my paychecks on Friday and keep a running tab.

And speaking of Pizza hut. This baby weight that I was going to drop last month, the month before and for sure by the time Tucker was 6 months old. Its still there. Still lingering around my thighs, butt and don't forget the stomach area. What do I do? Buy baggy clothing. Isn't that what everyone does??

Tucker is 8 months today. Gosh where has time gone. We put away the bassinet (well months ago really), now the swing is gone, and the bouncer chair and we should rid the changing table too. Is my baby really not a baby any more. I mean yes he is a baby, but not a cuddle, snuggle, wants to do everything to please you baby.

This weekend is Nate's hometown picnic. The first of many for Tucker. This really only means nate will be busy all week and single mom mod is back in gear.

OH and the latest and greatest news. My boyfriend (Believe me Nate knows about him too...we have that kind of agreement) Jason Aldean is coming to our town. Whoop Whoop!!! Can't freakin frakin wait here ladies. I am super fruper excited!

(Don't think its weird that we have b/f or g/f's and are still happily married, really they are far fantasy's. You see if Jason Aldean or Brad Pitt or Bradley Cooper want to take me on a date, I have the rights from nate to go....and if Jessica Simpson wants to date Nate...more power to him! B/c come on ppl....neither of those will ever happen)

Things Moms should know (Helpful Hints)

1. You will never find those cute shorts, socks or hat to match a shirt at 6:30 in the morning. My suggestion, clip all matching outfits together!!! When Tucker was small I bought tons of matching things, and when I would look for them you could never find them, try to clip them together and it is all right there.

2. Place toys or any object (nose syringe, toenail clippers) at your changing table to keep the baby entertained. Otherwise he/she will be scooting and moving everywhere and its impossible to get them dressed or even diaper the little people.

3. Have food in all places,.......purse, diaper bag, car, stroller ect. When you need a snack you NEED a snack right away.

4. I know not all moms will agree, but I kept all Tucker's bottles at room temperature. (so not the case with breast milk, I am talking formula babies)So I carried a bottle of water with me to make bottles in a flash. No warming up or keeping cold when you are on the road. When they are hungry and screaming....you need a bottle fast. This made it easy to travel, shop and go out to eat. I didnt' have to go anywhere to warm it and he always had a bottle in seconds. (frustrated baby, means frustrated mom)

5. Always Always have the video camera, or camera laying out. This used to bug me because I hate clutter. But if you put the cameras away you will miss something important.

6. I got this from my friend (thanks Hannah) but I am glad I do it. I write on all presents Tucker receives. Well not all, but all the keepsakes. Piggy banks, books, stuffed animals, blankets, special outfits or anything you are going to keep. I take a magic marker and write who it was from and when. Ex: My grandma gave Tucker a cow piggy bank, so on the bottom I wrote it was from her and when she gave it to him. I think Tucker will enjoy this one day

6. Try to document everything. I write a letter to Tucker each month. I tell him what he has accomplished, trips taken, everything he eats, weight, etc. I will put these in a journal or book when he turns a year old. Then every year I will write him a letter to continue the journey. Baby books never had enough room for me so I thought a letter to him, letting him know how we are so blessed was a great idea.

7. Every month when I break out the video camera(b/c I do this at least once a month) when I first turn it on I always, ALWAYS tell his age. If he is crawling or doing something funny (b/c he is a little ham) I make sure and say "Tucker is 6 months old". I want to be able to look back and know exactly how old he was when these events where occurring.

8. I bought wipes the whole time I was pregnant. Every time I bought groceries I bought wipes or diapers( tape the receipt to the top). I didn't buy diapers or wipes for 6 months!!!! YES 6 months, close to 7 months actually. Also for my shower, my fabulous sister in laws wrote on the invitation anyone who brings diapers or wipes will be entered in a drawing for a give a way basket. I was soooos stocked up, and that is an awesome idea :)

There are more helpful hints stored in the brain of mine. I will recollect and hopefully add to this list soon. I owe alot of this knowledge to former moms, sister in laws and friends. BUT I am glad I did know and happy to pass it on. If you have helpful finds that I don't...please let me know!!!!

A day of Silence

(I did Nate's bday wish a day early for this reason)

(You can read about this little angel Cohen here or here)