Breaking My Heart...

There are very few things that can break my heart.  Before I had children, I was a sucker for a sappy commercial or news story about a dog.  In fact, one day when I was on my way to work, I heard a news story about a dog that was stranded on the roof of a house in a flood zone.  I'll admit it; I cried the rest of the trip into work.  However,  these days, one sure way to break my heart is the sound of Scout's cry.  Over the past week, Scout has reverted back to her nightly routine of crying at bedtime.  This cry brings on immediate stress and a tug at my heart to comfort her.   Wade, who can at times be the more rational parent, has been reminding me that we need to stay strong and not take her out of her bed.  However, when your child is crying for Momma it is truly heart breaking.  

Have you met Scout(zilla)?

Well, the answer to this question is simple.  If you were traveling anywhere on the east coast last week, you probably met Scout (aka Scoutzilla).  Scout made fast friends with most strangers she met... elderly women gave her stuffed animals, she scored *FREE* food on an airplane, and a flight attendant greeted her by name (and gave her a high-five) outside of the airport.   If you don't know Scout you can be easily charmed by her blue eyes, white blond hair and vibrant personality.  She can even charm a smile out of a TSA officer.  (Unfortunately, as a result of my poor parenting skills she told everyone that her name was Scoutzilla, oops.)  

This summer Scout took her third trip to Florida.  And, this trip, by far, was her best.  Long gone are the days of Scout and I hiding in an airplane bathroom because I am too embarrassed to show my face on the plane.  Scout successfully endured the steamy, daily Florida temperatures of 95+ degrees with a smile.  She stayed in her stroller at LegoLand and didn't try to jump off of any rides. And, most importantly, to her mommy and nana, she was well behaved during our shopping trips.   Scout ROCKED Florida!  

Scout & Jackson at the entrance to LegoLand

Sitting in her stroller 

Scout on the Carousel with Nana & Jackson

Scout sharing a giggle with Nana

So, have you met Scout?

Boudreau + Rybarczyk= Water Lover

Well, summer vacation is underway.  BS (Before Scout) summer meant lounging on the beach, collecting sea glass and playing in the water at the camp.  AS (After Scout), well, let's just say trips to the beach or camp have not been so much fun.  As stated numerous times before, Scout is extremely active and adding water to Scout's activity level equaled a nervous, cranky and (some might say) crazy mother.  However, something is different this year.  Scout is entertained by the water.  She will sit and play in the water with her water toys (almost) independently.    I guess it was bound to happen.  Rybarczyk, my last name, means "fisherman" and Boudreau, Wade's last name, means "waters edge."  Together, we have created the cutest little water lover...

Playing with sand toys

"Swimming"

And, it wouldn't be fair if I didn't include a photo of Jackson

                                                       
And, it wouldn't really be a blog post about Scout if there wasn't some type of "comical" event that happened.  So, here it is...


Scout has been doing so well with her potty training.  She has been primarily wearing underwear, so I let her go to the beach in a swimsuit without a swim diaper.  After she had been playing peacefully on the beach, she let me know that she had to poop.   On the long, hilly and exhausting journey up to the camp, Scout pooped.  By the time we reached the camp, and I tried to take off the swimsuit, poop was everywhere.  At this point, I was overwhelmed by poo.  Seeing my frustration (fear? panic?), Scout starts repeating, "God Dammit, God Dammit"  Enter my friend Stacy, who saved my life even though she was laughing at me...

Do you know where your cell phone is?

Usually, I do.  However, I have a bad reputation of not responding to people as quickly as they may like me to (um hum, you know who you ALL are...).


Well, last night I went to bed with my cell phone on my night stand.  And, this morning, I woke up with my cell phone on my night stand.  But, after waking up this morning, things got a little busy.  Scout had pooped (surprise, surprise), Pilot had puked, and Jackson had to get ready for swim lessons.  Just your typical morning.  When things were more settled, I went to retrieve my cell phone from the night stand, and it was not there.  I searched the bed, the floor and the closet.  I searched Scout's room, Jackson's room  and the sitting room.  Finally, I decided to try my luck and ask Scout where she had put "mommy's phone".   In my mind, I thought that she would respond, "I dunno." But, imagine my surprise when her little fingers took mine, and she led me upstairs to Jackson's room.  Imagine my even greater surprise when she stood in front of Jackson's TV/VCR combo and pointed to the slot for the video cassette.  And, sure as shit (shit, unfortunately has been on my mind a lot lately) there was my phone sitting on top of a cassette inside the VCR.  


What can I say? That's life with Scout...

Nobody is Perfect

Dear Scout,

I am 100% certain that you will NOT look back on your childhood, and say, "Wow, my mother was perfect."  And, at this point, I will be lucky if you don't remember me as the crazy lady sitting in the corner, rocking back and forth, chanting, "It will be alright..."  


Anyway, just know that I love you, and I am doing the best that I can.


Love, Mom

Mother's Day Weekend

Happy belated Mother's Day!  Mother's Day weekend at our home started off just like any other typical weekend.  Scout, with her boundless energy, climbed out of her crib around 6 am and headed out to find her first victim.  With Jackson at a sleepover, that meant me.  Together, we walked downstairs for some good quality TV time with Blue's Clues (whose clues?).  After Scout was settled with Blue and Joe, I started to make a ridiculously complicated raw carrot cupcake recipe.  I LOVE the idea of raw food, and I truly believe it is the best food for your body, but all of the recipes are sooo time consuming.  After about an hour and a half of work, this is what my final product looked like:

Delicious, but complicated Carrot Cake Cupcakes

Next, it was off to Searsport to visit my mother for Mother's Day.  However, every trip to Searsport, recently, has involved a stop at the Co-op in Belfast.  So, we arrived at the Co-op to load up on some of my favorite snack foods and eat lunch.  It was no surprise, to us, that while we were eating, Scout would try to steal the cell phone of some poor, unsuspecting woman.  

The cell phone thief & her new friend

Scout & Daddy eating lunch

Finally, we arrived at my mother's house.  The weather was amazing, so we headed down to the beach where the kids thoroughly enjoyed the frigid ocean water. 

                                    

The day was incredible! And to top it off, my mother and I dined on ginormous lobsters for dinner (the kids and Wade wanted pizza).

Aren't they beautiful?

The weekend fun did not end on Saturday.  On Sunday, after an 8 mile run with the girls, we stopped at Starbucks before heading out to Wade's parent's camp.  The weather was far better then expected, and we got to enjoy some time on the dock polishing our "piggies."  However, all good times, and pedicures, must come to an end, and they did when a very curious Scout fell off the dock into the water!  

What do you keep in your cabinets?....Scoutzilla

This afternoon, while I was doing some cooking, Scout found a "new" place to play.  It started simple enough.  A few pots and pans on the floor, then one child, two children and pillows in a cabinet.  No wonder I can't keep my house clean.

You may be asking yourself why my children are almost completely naked.  However, there is a good reason.  While I was cooking, the temperature in the kitchen reached a scorching eighty degrees.  

And, if there were any questions about my parenting style or lack there of the answer to this simple question will end all debate.  

Wade (to Scout):  "What's your name?"

Scout: "Scoutzilla"

Yes, I have trained my daughter that her name is Scoutzilla.