This week was…not so good. Obviously. My low point was Thursday, when I fought with the kids nonstop all day, the house was a total wreck, and I was up more than 2 pounds at my weigh in. Looking back at my pictures I can see how out of it I felt that day, but the rest of the week wasn’t too terrible.

Sunday:

Potty training = pantsless toddler

These are most delicious fake-meat product ever

Ready for an emergency

Monday:

My doll house furniture is so vintage, it includes a record player

Damn you Christmas Tree Shops and your stupid siren song of the choochoo trains

I decided this is the right way to do puzzles. Because Little Evan says so.

Tuesday:

Suspicious of the baby in the mirror

He insisted he needed a bag for his Dora balloon

Caroline is making her Christmas list

Wednesday:

I almost lost my toddler in the fog at Stroller Strides

This is my thankful thing: I am thankful my kids are best friends.

She's annoyed I put the pillow there, because the game is SUPPOSED to be "fall on my face".

Thursday:

They put in new glass railings at the mall and they kind of freak me out. Also, there's a dog on that escalator. They bring them to the mall for bomb sniffing training.

Teething cranky baby demands more boob

I let Evan rip my purse apart so I could listen at my Weight Watchers meeting.

Friday:

Caroline is excited about Christmas decorations even though I'm ashamed I put them up at all.

11:11 on 11/11/11

They did this for 20 minutes. Best Friends!

Saturday:

Disaster Area

When Daddy dresses her, she ends up looking like a bottle of Pepto

I wasted a FOUR HOUR NAPTIME on a stupid craft that was supposed to take 10 minutes. Tutorial coming soon!

We don’t have any plans for this weekend besides catching up on all the chores I totally neglected all week…although I have a killer sore throat and laryngitis and I sort of feel like I’m getting sick (Which I am NOT because I REFUSE to be sick when I have another week of single parenting ahead of me). I’m just a little overwhelmed by life at the moment and the holidays are coming up SO FAST (as is Caroline’s first birthday but I also refuse to think about that because my baby is not allowed to be more than one year old) and I haven’t gotten a full night’s sleep in more than a year and…yeah. All that. But today I am thankful for sleeping in, new recipes that turn out amazing and kids who love each other.

Did you take any camera phone photos this week? Link up with one or lots using the linky below and grab the code (so it shows on your blog too!) over at Amy’s . It’s really fun!

Today’s thankful post is easy. I am thankful for everyone who has served our country in the armed forces. I am proud to count so many people in my life as veterans – both my grandfathers, my step-grandfather, my grandmother, my father, and my best friend are all veterans, and my husband is about to start his 13th year as active duty Navy.

Thank you for your selflessness, thank you for your sacrifices, thank you for your commitment, thank you for your bravery.

My Grandpa (the one who just passed away this week) in his Navy days

My dad in his Coast Guard uniform.

Evan's pinning (the day he was promoted to chief)

Little Evan in Daddy's hat the day Daddy re-enlisted

Thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you.

I am thankful that E was able to come home this weekend. I am thankful for sleeping in. I am thankful for the beautiful weather. I am thankful for apple donuts and fresh cider. I am thankful we live in New England, where things like “steam-powered cider press”es exist.

Happy Monday! Only five days until another weekend!

Today I am thankful for my beautiful, healthy 31 month old son.

I’ve decided I’m going to stop with the monthday updates once Evan is three – so only 5 months from now. At this point he’s not hitting milestones as much as just growing up and learning stuff and turning into a real human being. I don’t need some chart to tell me how many blocks he should be stacking to let me know he’s awesome. He can tell me himself, while he does the Fresh Beat Band dance, including the part with the breakdancing.

Also, there aren’t any more charts. But I had decided to stop before I noticed. You aren’t the boss of ME BabyCenter!!

The most challenging “milestone” lately has been a sudden understanding of how negotiations and/or bargaining works. He won’t do anything the first time I ask. Instead, he waits to see how serious I am about the consequences. Is he going to get a time out? Lose a toy? Get strapped into the stroller? Be forced to watch The Price is Right? Just being told to sit down BECAUSE I SAID SO gets zero reaction. I suppose this is mostly my fault (I am a huge fan in counting to 3 and then something bad happens) but I don’t really know what to be doing differently. I thought this was the RIGHT way to do this. I can’t just WILL him to listen to me. Trust me, I’ve tried.

But when he’s not being a totally normal kid and testing boundaries, he’s being an amazingly awesome kid. Just last night he was lying on the floor drinking his milk when Caroline launched herself right on top of him. Instead of freaking out, he laughed and tickled her and got her to do it again and again so they were wrestling and playing. It was like there was a big huge flashing neon sign over their heads that said “THIS IS WHY YOU HAD TWO”. Last week he used a box to make a dino cage, put a snack in it for bait, and then caught a dinosaur that looked suspiciously like a certain 10 month old I know (but he assured me it was really a tee-recks!) When we come home, he takes off his shoes and socks, puts his shoes by the door and throws his socks in the downstairs laundry basket. One day the basket wasn’t there and he carried the socks around for 20 minutes until I told him it was OK to just put them in the laundry basket SPOT. His three most common phrases are “please”, “I’m sorry”, and “no thank you”, although his new favorite thing to talk about is farts.

A few times in the past weeks he’s gotten upset or scared because of OTHER kids being upset or scared. He doesn’t like it when people get in trouble and he’ll cry and want to sit in my lap because he feels so bad FOR THEM. Who knew my rough-and-tumble little man was so sensitive too?

Still not potty trained. Still working on it. He wore underwear all day yesterday (minus his nap) with no accidents.

Favorite things include watching TV, running, playing with his sister, forts, telling stories, climbing things, sitting on the kitchen stools, trucks, boats, dogs, riding ON the shopping cart, milk, lemonade, FaceTime with Daddy on the iPad, horsey rides, Row Row Row Your Boat, kisses and peeing outside.

Dislikes include posing for pictures, being scolded, scary cars in the parking lot, riding IN the shopping cart, and booboos.

31 Month Milestones (from BabyCenter, as usual)

Mastered Skills (most kids can do)
• Recites own name – He will tell you his name if you ask him, and also calls himself “Evan” in sentences. Evan no take nap! Evan no hit sister! Evan donut, mama, more donut Evan!
• Draws a circle – He can draw circular type shapes. I bet even YOU can’t draw a perfect circle.

Emerging Skills (half of kids can do)
• Puts on a T-shirt – Yes. Correctly? Not always. But man is it hilarious when he gets it wrong.
• Balances on each foot for a second – He can stand on one for a lot more than a second.
• Recognizes ABCs – Soooooometimes? He knows a lot of his letters but doesn’t always get them right.
• Brushes teeth by himself – Yes, although I still extra-brush the back ones. The idea of a toddler with a painful cavity makes me want to stab myself in the eye.

Advanced Skills (a few kids can do)
• Uses two adjectives – At a time? Total? Because he can use lots of adjectives, as proved by the following statement he made this week: “Look mama! Big poop! Big poop is stinky! Poop in potty!” (The poop was not in the potty).
• Draws a cross – We haven’t really gotten to religious symbols yet. I’m letting him master circles first.
• Points to objects described by use – You mean like “Hey Evan, bring daddy that thing to open this beer!” Because, yes.

This week was fueled by left-over party food, lots of Stroller Strides to balance out the party food and plenty of begging my children to behave themselves so I didn’t have to drag them home and entertain them myself all afternoon. But even on the days when I resorted to bribery, tears, screaming and more screaming we had tons and tons of good moments. Today I am thankful my iPhone gives me an easy way to capture those moments, so once a week when I review them for this post I pretty much forget all the bad stuff. It is extremely good for my sanity.

Sunday:

Nursery floor pillows are probably never going back up to the nursery. SO COMFY. (Sidenote: not my kid)

After finally sorting all the baby clothes, Caroline's room looks like a real playroom

Mmmmm...dirty, soap filled water is the BEST.

Monday:

Oh no! I'm being attacked by the tiniest most adorable dragon ever!

The button on that bench at Old Navy didn't do anything. Best toddler toy ever.

My I got new boots boots! (They're miraculously large enough for my huge calves and were only $25 at Old Navy)

Tuesday:

My kid might be the only person on the planet who gets one of those "part of a complete breakfast" cereal commercial breakfasts...and then doesn't eat any of it.

This buckle? Is NOT OK. It totally doesn't match my outfit.

I'm kind of obsessed with taking sleeping pictures of Caroline, since Little Evan was such a picky sleeper I never got to take any.

Wednesday:

SO EXCITED. And it's not even on.

Sinking her teeth into a little vampire fiction (IT'S TWO JOKES IN ONE!)

Cut up food. Throw it in a freezer bag. Add mustard and rosemary. Freeze. Voila, easy peasy dinners.

Thursday:

Overdramatic toddler is overdramatic. NO MAMA, NO WALK DOWNSTAIRS. FOOT HURT. (He has a hangnail.)

It made my house smell like CHRISTMAS.

Four children. Two shopping carts. WHO WILL BE THE FIRST TO FALL ON THEIR HEAD?

Friday:

I take your picture take my picture, mama!

Using the ball winder at the yarn store is oddly thrilling.

"Evan, what are you doing?" "Fire truck! Weeeoooooh!" "Uh, ok."

Saturday:

Clyde's. Pretty much the best place ever on a Saturday in November.

This is what 1 dozen apple cider donuts look like after I've shoved half of them in my face.

I just don't even know.

Now we’re going to go cram a week’s worth of family time in less than 48 hours. There will be forts, dancing, messes and pizza with our weird, wonderful kids. I am thankful for ALL of those things.

Did you take any camera phone photos this week? Link up with one or lots using the linky below and grab the code (so it shows on your blog too!) over at Amy’s . It’s really fun! (linky up on Sunday!)