What happens when your 9 month old has 7.5 teeth

I do not lie, this sweet cheeked, happy little munchkin has a mouth like a shark and our shoulders are, apparently, tasty treats. You hold him up in front of you and he opens his mouth and goes at your nose. It is like an episode of True Blood in this house.

That little baby in his right hand? Sometimes he crawls around with that baby's head in his mouth!!!

He carries his stuff like a tiger

He's still so cute and loveable.

So, after Max was born, Rylan probably thought his new name was "Be Gentle!!!"

Now, I bet Max thinks his name is "No bite!"

Blueberry Pickin Good Times

Before the 900th epidemic hit us this year I was putting this little blogpost together about our trip to the blueberry farm last week. I wanted to do this last year with Rylan, but I was SO pregnant and my body was SO mean to me about being pregnant, that it never worked out. I tried to find us some strawberries to pick earlier this spring, but most of the farms by us weren't able to have U-pick fields because of all the storms we got during spring. When I started investigating blueberry picking, I discovered that there is a U-pick berry farm less than 10 minutes from our house. This is amazing to me, since NO WHERE is a ten minute drive from our house. Not even a good gas station or grocery store. We did recently get a Daylight Donuts, cause out of everything in this world, a donut shop is EXACTLY what my giggly booty needs! They do have excellent donut holes though.

Anyway, back to berry picking. Rylan loves fruit. Especially "BERRIES". He gets so freakin excited about them everytime he sees them in the fridge. Max, well Max loves life in general. Every day is the new best day of his whole life (until you want him to sleep) and he was totally in for some blueberry picking fun.

Ry didn't so much PICK the blueberries as EAT the blueberries. In all honesty, I should have had the guy weigh Rylan before we went to pick and after and paid the difference. It took lots of effort on my part to actually have blueberries in our bucket, ahead of what Rylan was eating. Eventually he got full and quit eating. At which time he declared our adventure as DONE and said "go home, Mommy." Bossy little sucker.

I pressed on and plied him with food and drink long enough to get 3 pounds picked. He'll thank me every morning that we have blueberry pancakes, our family's very favorite blueberry food.

I finally got the picking wrapped up and was ready to leave, when lo and behold, Rylan found friends and together they climbed to the top of a mulch pile, where Rylan decided, that I am a genius and I choose all the fun places to go. This place had MULCH.


Then I made us leave because it was hot as Africa and we were low on sunscreen. I lost my new spot as genius mom and went back to mean mom. But he has no heat stroke or sunburn and we've already had blueberry pancakes twice, so phhhht.

If you've touched any of the Qualls, burn your hands

I have a song going through my head

Whose got the funk?

The Qualls's got the funk

What helps the funk?

Nothing helps this funk.

Stomach flu. uh-huh. We unknowingly drove the flu grossness up to Mountain Home for the weekend. Rob had a dudes camping trip, so me and the boys hopped a ride with him to stay with my parents. Ooopsie, apparently Rylan got a little belly bug from daycare. Saturday morning there was pukes. Then there was other stuff. Involving lots of Pampers. On Sunday he was so super sad and puny. He just kept laying down wherever he was, kitchen floor, bathroom floor, foyer floor. There was a lot of floors involved. We eventually decided that he'd make the ride home at 5pm on Sunday.

Monday went by and we were all fine.

Tuesday went by and all Qualls's were fine, but we found out Grammy had been taken down.

Tuesday night, Rob and I got hit.

1.Maalox is so gross

2.Rylan was on the right track with that laying on the floor business. I curled up on the floor with my head in the boppy pillow for awhile. Its much cooler down there.

3. Toddlers love a good parent sick day. Rylan got to watch Kung Fu Panda twice, How to Train Your Dragon, and Nanny McPhee returns. He was also served toast, rice, and noodles. He wasn't required to eat any vegetables or protein.

4. Please cross your fingers, legs, and toes. Max hasn't been hit yet. The kid brings on the pitiful when you try to make him lay in his own bed and fall asleep instead of drinking milk till he passes out in a milk induced coma/stupor. I don't think I can handle watching him go through a flu level of pitiful.

Just look how pitiful he is!!!

Easy entertainment

He could stand all day and watch the bath fill with water.

So could Rylan.

Too bad its not free!

***new recipe on THAT OTHER BLOG

Bob Ross or an exhibitionist?

So, I'm trying to be more worldly with Rylan (and Max) and be a creative, hip mom. It helps even out the Buzz and Elmo and Kung Fu Panda that goes down at our house. I woke up one day and realized that if we don't go anywhere, we read books, watch TV, clean, and stare at Panda Figurines. Or at least that's what it feels like. I'm sure there is more, but some days I wonder.

I got some ideas from some book I found at a garage sale about how to entertain your toddler.

First we did painting using an old sheet and a fly swatter. You put paint on a cookie sheet, and use the fly swatter instead of a paint brush. I had visions of Rylan getting out all his two year old angst smacking the swatter full of paint into that sheet. And visions of the swatter making Bob Ross happy tree looking things all over our old sheet. He wasn't really into it. So I decided that my effort would not be in vain, and we dipped his feet and hands and did hand prints on the sheet. Which he loved. And he loved that paint so much he rubbed it on his legs and arms. And face. And hair. It was almost like he needed some privacy for his paint bath.

Cute little Max feet

He rather liked frolicking IN it as well (check out the tush area)

Rubbing the paint on his belly

Uh huh, this day turned into Rylan turning himself into art as well.

So worth it to see that smile.


Both little projects were a fun detour from our everyday routine. I also have discovered $1 Panda Bear coloring books are a big hit and having Rylan make fake pizzas with playdough. I was given a broccoli/peanut butter piece of pizza last week.

New blog

So, I might be glutton for punishment, but I finally did something I've meant to do for a really long time. I've started another blog. Its a food blog. Recipes that I've tried and liked. Recipes that my kids actually ate. Recipes that I've said "oh, I have to give you this recipe" and then I've gotten bit by a viscous ant or tick or Max threw up or a new Kung Fu Panda movie came out and we HAD to get all the figurines from McDonalds in a two week span of time.

I spend a lot of time feeding Max in a rocking chair that has a lap top sitting next to it. I've tried to read to Rylan or otherwise interact with him, but he takes my down time as a cue to sit and stare lovingly at his Panda Bear (PEENDA-BURR) collection. I am not kidding. And I would think this was a tad strange, except, this is, quite possibly, the most chill that Rylan gets, other than giving him an enormous bowl of ice cream, so I don't judge the panda bear love. I can easily one hand type-out or cut and paste a recipe to my new blog, so I decided that was a lot better use of this "down time" than facebook stalking people or watching any form of Real Housewives.

So, here is the new blog's address. You're welcome

www.quallsiecancook.blogspot.com