Today my older boys slept in for the first time in weeks....6:30am. And it was awesome. That should give you a little insight into my life lately :)
Today I let them eat chocolate chip muffins in my bed while we read books so I could stay put just a little longer.
Today Wesley asked me to break his leg open so he could see what's inside of it.
Today we visited a good friend and got an electric guitar performance from a 7 year old.
Today Xavier and I went to preschool orientation. He was shy. And he brought Puppy Toto with us. But I know he's gonna have a great year
Today Wesley threw my huge new rug into a bathtub full of water.
Today Elliott stood at the window and cried when our neighbor (who babysat for orientation) walked back home.
Today X and W held hands and walked across the Target parking lot singing "I wanna be just like Jesus. I wanna be just like Him!"
Today all three kids went into COMPLETE meltdown at bathtime.
Today I realized there is no sippy cup on the market that NEVER leaks. Seriously, what do my kids do to those things???
Today I finally got my book for bible study that we are supposed to discuss the 1st chapter of tomorrow
Today I saw our old house. And it felt like it was much longer than just 3 years ago since we lived there.
Today I tried to make some phone calls. One of the hardest things to do these days.
Today Elliott figured out it's really fun to pull out almost an entire box of sandwich bags one by one.
Today I bribed the boys with Slushies so they would be good at the store.
Today I tried so hard to praise my kids for doing good things.
Today X used a jumprope for a firehouse and an elbow pad for a mask as he was "Fireman Sam".
Today had its ups.
Today had its downs.
Today was just another day.
Wednesday, August 22, 2012
Thursday, August 9, 2012
How to Get a Popular Playground All to Yourself
You go there at 5:30am on a Saturday morning!!!!
A few weekends ago X and W got up at 4:45am. I don't even remember why now, but I do know that they were wired, and I wasn't thrilled. So, instead of having their wildness wake up Elliott too, I decided to take them to the playground at 5:30am. We were the only ones there, needless to say :) In retrospect it was actually nice. The weather had been so hot during the day that we hadn't gone outside much. But at 5:30am it was still quite pleasant out and the boys could run around and be loud to their heart's content. Plus it was very easy to keep track of them with noone there!
The park does back up to a neighborhood and there was a lady out watering her flowers. She got to listen to this song about 100 times....loudly! The boys call this saucer, and all tire swings a "bounc-ee-oli". I have no idea where they come up with this stuff.
A few weekends ago X and W got up at 4:45am. I don't even remember why now, but I do know that they were wired, and I wasn't thrilled. So, instead of having their wildness wake up Elliott too, I decided to take them to the playground at 5:30am. We were the only ones there, needless to say :) In retrospect it was actually nice. The weather had been so hot during the day that we hadn't gone outside much. But at 5:30am it was still quite pleasant out and the boys could run around and be loud to their heart's content. Plus it was very easy to keep track of them with noone there!
Pretending to be in jail.
The park does back up to a neighborhood and there was a lady out watering her flowers. She got to listen to this song about 100 times....loudly! The boys call this saucer, and all tire swings a "bounc-ee-oli". I have no idea where they come up with this stuff.
Tuesday, August 7, 2012
Training Wes
This boy....who's wearing underwear on his head....is now wearing underwear on his booty!! That's right, Wes has been pottytraining the last 2 weeks. He's doing really well too. You wave an M&M in his face and this kid will do just about anything for you :) He looks adorable in his little underoos. And even better is the fact that we now have one less child in diapers. YeeHaw!!!!
As a side note, Xavier has been hearing me say "we are training Wes
to go potty like a big boy today". So, yesterday as we were all getting
in the car to go out I see Xavier strap Wes into a regular seatbelt in
the back seat of the van (when Wes is supposed to be in his carseat in
the middle of the van). I asked X what he was doing and he replied "We
are training Wes to sit in the back seat today." Well played X, well
played!
Monday, August 6, 2012
How Often Can you Say a Zebra Cleaned your Teeth with Chocolate Toothpaste?
I took the boys to the dentist a few weeks ago. They did really well despite the fact that the office was running behind and we had to wait quite a while. I knew X would do great but I was hesitant about Wes. He surprised me and did EVERYTHING they wanted, even Xrays. Having X go first was the key since Wes wants to do anything X does. Our hygienist was awesome too. She had a lot of fun with the kids. X even roped her into watching videos of him and Wes on my phone -- ha!
We brought Wes' "deb-a-debs" along to get his teeth cleaned too. The boys found this HILARIOUS seeing that debs doesn't have a mouth.
Afterward the boys got their toothbrushes, balloons, popsicles, and a toy. X picked a bouncy ball, and Wes got this fake mustache. Sooo cute!
Elliott got his teeth checked too. Personally I think this is ridiculous at his age and for how many teeth he has. I'm inclined to think they just want to bill for a visit. But, we don't have a copay for checkups so, whatever. He's already there anyway.
We brought Wes' "deb-a-debs" along to get his teeth cleaned too. The boys found this HILARIOUS seeing that debs doesn't have a mouth.
Afterward the boys got their toothbrushes, balloons, popsicles, and a toy. X picked a bouncy ball, and Wes got this fake mustache. Sooo cute!
Elliott got his teeth checked too. Personally I think this is ridiculous at his age and for how many teeth he has. I'm inclined to think they just want to bill for a visit. But, we don't have a copay for checkups so, whatever. He's already there anyway.
Saturday, August 4, 2012
Photo Dump...Yet Again!!!
Looks like photo dumps might be my new quick and easy way to keep up on posting.
You wouldn't know it's 100 degrees here by looking at X. He had on long sleeve pjs under the blanket and was holding an additional pair of flannel pj pants. And it's not like we live in a refrigerator.
This picture would make my late gma proud. X learning to iron, in superhero pjs no less!
We went to a free kids program at the history museum. My kids blew through the crafts in 5 minutes (they just are not crafters) so we rode the elevator up and down while we waited for our friends to finish crafting. This was clearly the highlight of the outing for my children.
This pic is super blurry, but shows something E enjoys. He likes to walk around the house with his taggie blanket hanging from his mouth. Like a dog!
We got the mega box of sidewalk chalk. Wes decided he needed it ALL 60 pieces out at once. He likes options.
Running through gpa's sprinklers with umbrellas.
Nothing like a good nap on a 100 degree day. I.WAS.JEALOUS!!!!!!
My crew attacking a birthday gift that belongs to our friend Anthony. We bought this adorable toy lawnmower for him. My kids had total mower envy.
A visit with friends Kate and Noah. I LOVE LOVE LOVE this picture!!!!
You wouldn't know it's 100 degrees here by looking at X. He had on long sleeve pjs under the blanket and was holding an additional pair of flannel pj pants. And it's not like we live in a refrigerator.
This picture would make my late gma proud. X learning to iron, in superhero pjs no less!
We went to a free kids program at the history museum. My kids blew through the crafts in 5 minutes (they just are not crafters) so we rode the elevator up and down while we waited for our friends to finish crafting. This was clearly the highlight of the outing for my children.
This pic is super blurry, but shows something E enjoys. He likes to walk around the house with his taggie blanket hanging from his mouth. Like a dog!
We got the mega box of sidewalk chalk. Wes decided he needed it ALL 60 pieces out at once. He likes options.
Running through gpa's sprinklers with umbrellas.
Nothing like a good nap on a 100 degree day. I.WAS.JEALOUS!!!!!!
My crew attacking a birthday gift that belongs to our friend Anthony. We bought this adorable toy lawnmower for him. My kids had total mower envy.
A visit with friends Kate and Noah. I LOVE LOVE LOVE this picture!!!!
Friday, August 3, 2012
Elliott Update - 12 Months
Looks like I'm long overdue for an Elliott update. The last official one was at 8 months :)
Elliott is now 23lbs 7oz, wears size 4 diapers, size 4-5 shoe, and anywhere from 12-24 month clothing.
Elliott has 2 teeth on the bottom. Right around his birthday 3 top teeth broke through and are making their way in. Teething has been rough for this kiddo. Fevers, very crabby, not sleeping well, etc...
At 10 months E started crawling, then at 11 months he started walking. He's doing really well. Loves to walk around the house and out in the garage, or in stores. He doesn't like to walk in the grass and is still unsure of any surface that's not almost completely flat. (He's not a fan of the slight incline of our driveway!) He is able to crawl up a set of stairs if he wants to, but I rarely see him try.
At 12 months, Elliott has just started sleeping through the night pretty consistently. He's usually in bed around 7pm and sleeps 11-12 hours. (Thank you Lord!!!) The other boys were ready to go to 1 nap at around this age, but Elliott clearly still needs a morning and afternoon nap. He's not a super napper, and for the longest time he would sleep 1 hour tops, usually less. He's getting better, and averages 1 1/2 hours each at nap now. I think he's wearing himself out more now that he is walking. He's pretty good about putting himself to sleep as long as he has a pacifier, his taggie blanket, and you rock him for a minute or two first.
A pretty good eater, Elliott is usually willing to try new things. He's already developed some favorites though -- loves strawberries, PB&J, yogurt, green beans, cinnamon avocado oatmeal, graham crackers, and homemade smoothies. He's not too sure about meat and does not like really like cheese. E drinks whole milk from a sippy cup. No more bottles (not that he ever had that many to begin with). I started weaning him at 11 months and was finished nursing completely by mid July. I'm happy to have made it a year nursing him, but I'm already enjoying the freedom the comes from being finished with that.
On the language front E doesn't really say much that's understandable. Mama and Dada are about it. He makes a lot of noises that seem intentional like he's trying to say words. And he's definitely got the frustrated "I need to get your attention kind of scream down pat". Elliott's receptive language is great and he understands a lot of what's said.
As the little brother, I already see E trying to keep up with the big boys occasionally. He'll try to follow after them or mimic sounds they make. He's still the underdog, but when Wes hit Elliott the other day, E hit him right back. The look of shock on Wes' face was priceless and he freaked out! Xavier continues to be pretty kind and loving to E, while Wes continues to see Elliott as a threat the majority of the time. This naturally causes E to gravitate more to Xavier than Wes. E loves to play in the basement and has a love affair with the treadmill. He knows what to do because he'll crawl on, stand up, and march in place - ha!! Outside E's favorite toys are bats and balls.
I love (most of the time) how E is such a snugly baby. He lays his head on my shoulder every morning when I get him out of his crib. He leans in with an open mouth when I say "give mama a kiss", and he likes to rub his forehead against my face. When Walter walks in the door E's little legs get going for an arms in the air request to be held and kissed.
I'm looking forward to the next 12 months as we ease out of the ultra-demanding baby phase and into the fun-loving, slightly more independent toddler phase. I think E is too. This boy's got things to do!!!!
Elliott is now 23lbs 7oz, wears size 4 diapers, size 4-5 shoe, and anywhere from 12-24 month clothing.
Elliott has 2 teeth on the bottom. Right around his birthday 3 top teeth broke through and are making their way in. Teething has been rough for this kiddo. Fevers, very crabby, not sleeping well, etc...
At 10 months E started crawling, then at 11 months he started walking. He's doing really well. Loves to walk around the house and out in the garage, or in stores. He doesn't like to walk in the grass and is still unsure of any surface that's not almost completely flat. (He's not a fan of the slight incline of our driveway!) He is able to crawl up a set of stairs if he wants to, but I rarely see him try.
At 12 months, Elliott has just started sleeping through the night pretty consistently. He's usually in bed around 7pm and sleeps 11-12 hours. (Thank you Lord!!!) The other boys were ready to go to 1 nap at around this age, but Elliott clearly still needs a morning and afternoon nap. He's not a super napper, and for the longest time he would sleep 1 hour tops, usually less. He's getting better, and averages 1 1/2 hours each at nap now. I think he's wearing himself out more now that he is walking. He's pretty good about putting himself to sleep as long as he has a pacifier, his taggie blanket, and you rock him for a minute or two first.
A pretty good eater, Elliott is usually willing to try new things. He's already developed some favorites though -- loves strawberries, PB&J, yogurt, green beans, cinnamon avocado oatmeal, graham crackers, and homemade smoothies. He's not too sure about meat and does not like really like cheese. E drinks whole milk from a sippy cup. No more bottles (not that he ever had that many to begin with). I started weaning him at 11 months and was finished nursing completely by mid July. I'm happy to have made it a year nursing him, but I'm already enjoying the freedom the comes from being finished with that.
On the language front E doesn't really say much that's understandable. Mama and Dada are about it. He makes a lot of noises that seem intentional like he's trying to say words. And he's definitely got the frustrated "I need to get your attention kind of scream down pat". Elliott's receptive language is great and he understands a lot of what's said.
As the little brother, I already see E trying to keep up with the big boys occasionally. He'll try to follow after them or mimic sounds they make. He's still the underdog, but when Wes hit Elliott the other day, E hit him right back. The look of shock on Wes' face was priceless and he freaked out! Xavier continues to be pretty kind and loving to E, while Wes continues to see Elliott as a threat the majority of the time. This naturally causes E to gravitate more to Xavier than Wes. E loves to play in the basement and has a love affair with the treadmill. He knows what to do because he'll crawl on, stand up, and march in place - ha!! Outside E's favorite toys are bats and balls.
I love (most of the time) how E is such a snugly baby. He lays his head on my shoulder every morning when I get him out of his crib. He leans in with an open mouth when I say "give mama a kiss", and he likes to rub his forehead against my face. When Walter walks in the door E's little legs get going for an arms in the air request to be held and kissed.
I'm looking forward to the next 12 months as we ease out of the ultra-demanding baby phase and into the fun-loving, slightly more independent toddler phase. I think E is too. This boy's got things to do!!!!
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