Merry Christmas!

Well, I can't believe Christmas has come and gone already! I've been anticipating it for over a month, but it doesn't feel like a month has gone by already. Lets hope Jan and Feb go by as fast! We had a great Christmas with family, and we'll be leaving tomorrow for more fun in Iowa. Saturday, Sunday and Monday were spent at the Norman's house for family time. We ate, played the Wii and had a good time talking with family. Hunter was pretty excited about the whole present part of the weekend. He prayed at supper last night, "Bless this food, and thank you for my presents and Tate's presents." Some funny sayings over the weekend(that I can remember)
-after saying Happy Bday to uncle Jason, aunt Fawnda asked him to ask Jason how old he was, and Hunter instead just said, "You're old!"
-trying to find his stocking: "Has anybody seen a bag, kind of like a sock?"
-he kept grabbing Brent's hand at bedtime telling him that he couldn't wait to play with him with all his new presents. (which Brent says was one of the highlights of his Christmas)

I know there are much more, but my mind is blank. The boys were really busy at the Norman's. We came home yesterday (Christmas day) after visiting Gigi at the nursing home, where Tate was all over the place and almost knocked down their Christmas tree. I think Gigi was happy for the visit. Then we all took a two hour Christmas nap and it was very enjoyable and needed. Christmas night was spent as a family playing with the new toys and reading books. I couldn't have pictured a better Christmas than that, being with my three best boys!

Today has been busy! I am unpacking and laundering all our weekend things and finding places for the toys, while trying to get ready to leave for Iowa tomorrow. This morning we did some errands. We went to the post office to have the mail held, up to the bank and cashed in our change for the boys savings accounts, brought the library books back, went to gas up the van and we also got a car wash. That is always fun with the boys, they think its pretty cool(well Tate was scared at first) We ate lunch on the new Cars table.


Here are some random pictures from the last few days:










Saturday morning wasn't the best for me. Brent had to work, and I was trying to get the boys and our stuff packed up for the weekend, and bathe them and clean up the house(which if you have toddlers you know its a never-ending job) Anyway, first off the boys had drug out every big toy they owned. They had out their Thomas tent, their car chairs, the riding truck and hippo. I was trying to walk through the doorway and was kicking things out of my way(probably not the best way, but that's what I usually do) I was a little irritated at the mess, so maybe I kicked the tent too hard, b/c I kicked a hole in the wall!!! I was so shocked when I pulled the tent back to see a hole! Not one of my best moments. Here is a pic of the damage.



So I sat down on the couch and was just looking at the wall thinking "Oh great, what a great day this is!" when I heard the boys fighting(they were at it all morning) It escalated fast and evidently Hunter kicked Tate and Tate bit Hunter(really hard!) So, I thought I'd have my daily cup of hot chocolate to make me happier and relaxed, but as I was drizzling the chocolate syrup on my whip cream, the whole cap came off and chocolate syrup went everywhere. It was one of those days for me. Brent came home and the first thing out of Hunter's mouth was, "Mommy put a hole in the wall." Sigh, I guess we all have those kind of days once in a while. Well Hunter is up so I better go.

Shopping and Children.

Shopping and children just don't mix. I'm a bit of a slow learner on this one. Our "routine" after MAC on Thursdays is to go to Jerry's to pick up whatever sale items I think we need for the week. I went there today after MAC and it was a bit of a disaster. Hunter usually either walks along touching EVERY SINGLE THING or he rides on the bottom of the cart and Tate rides in the front. Tate cannot keep his hands away from the groceries no matter what I give him from my purse to play with. Today he was trying to twist himself around the whole time to get into what was behind him and he succeeded. As we were almost done he got ahold of the bag of unshelled peanuts I was buying and somehow undid the twist tie(kind of an advanced move for a toddler I think) and shook the bag to deposit lots and lots of peanuts all over the floor. He stuck a whole one in his mouth and made a yuck face(but still ate it) There were peanuts everywhere, and I saved what I could, but I had to call the clean up person. Then from the time I got my cheese(which is right by the checkout) to the time I checked out he was either into the cheese trying to bite through the plastic or was poking holes in the hamburger. He is so busy! I remember once at the store he was playing with a big thing of honey I was buying, and I thought, no big deal. But I was wrong, he dropped the whole thing on my toe and I limped around the rest of the night. From 3 1/2 feet honey hurts. So anyway, I'm thinking perhaps I should rethink my whole shopping with the kids thing, even to Jerry's.

I have a little book called "Promises of the Bible" that has a whole bunch of topics with scriptures. It has no pictures at all, but for some reason Hunter loves it. He has been carrying it around with him the last few days. He'll say he's doing his devotions, and he pretends to read it. One story I heard him say was this, "I love poop." We're still going through the whole poop thing. He hid the book before nap time, so Tate wouldn't get it if he woke up before him. Before nap I put a pull up on Hunter, and I had some that are actually girls, I got them free from MOPS. They have Cinderella, the little mermaid, and Jasmine on the front, and as I put it on Hunter today he said, "Hey mom! There's the little mermaid and there is Cindergrella!" I thought it was funny that he called Cinderella Cindergrella.

The latest Tate head injury: The kids were playing as I was making lunch, and Hunter found a stick and hit Tate with it, causing Tate to fall against the wall and humidifier. I heard the comotion from the kitchen and it sounded nasty. I thought he'd hit the back of his head but as we sat eating lunch I noticed a nasty nasty bump and purple bruise on his forehead. I have never met any other person who hits their head as much as my child.

Busy week

This has been kind of a busy week. We stayed Saturday, Sunday and Monday nights at Steve and Debbie's b/c Anna and Justin are back in town, so that explains my lack of blogging the past few days. I had my ob appointment on Monday, a Christmas party at a friends yesterday, and today is a stay at home and get put back together day.

Hunter had a Christmas program at church on Sunday night. He and his Sunday school class went onstage with the other classes and sang a couple songs. One had hand motions and the other one he got to shake a rattle throughout. He did really great! He did most of the hand actions until he started looking at one of the other girls in the group, and he rattled his shaker all the other song.

During my ob appointment Anna and Justin watched the boys and Anna took Hunter outside to play in the snow. I am glad that happened, b/c I know Hunter has wanted to go out and play in the snow, but Tate isn't quite at the age where that is fun for him, and I feel too fat to go out clomping around in the snow. Anna and Hunter made a tunnel in the snow, and I think they had a good time in it.

At my friends Christmas party yesterday the kids made a Christmas ornament out of lifesaver candies. We put them in the shape of candy canes and baked them for a couple mins. The kids, however, just wanted to eat them, so they didn't actually make it to the tree. All in all, it was a fun time.

My ob appointment went OK. I asked about my belly button and I do have a belly button hernia. I can still have normal labor though, thankfully. He didn't say much else about it. I told him I felt the baby have the hiccups the night before, and he said that babies actually don't get the hiccups, what they are doing when I feel that is they are practicing taking breaths. I thought that was interesting. I have been hit with another gall bladder attack. I am really looking forward to an end to these. I haven't been feeling good for the last few days, but last night I got the pain in the back, burping up stomach acid, abdominal pain and vomiting that I normally get when I have an attack. They are very distinct. The pain in the back and abdomen is so severe I can hardly take it. I slept(when I did sleep) with a hot water bottle on my back, but nothing really seems to take the pain away. Right now I have a dull ache in my stomach and back and feel weak. I was online checking out some pregnancy sites about gall bladder attacks, and the people who wrote on them are exactly like me. I have decided that I will not be eating out at any restaurants except Subway for the duration of the pregnancy. Fast food and restaurant food is the worst for me, and I have had that kind of food prior to almost every single one of my attacks.

With Anna's help I wrapped the boys presents yesterday. We are going to celebrate our "family" Christmas tomorrow night. We will be at S&D's from Friday night till Tuesday, and then we leave sometime next week for mom and dads, and we wanted to be able to do the kids Christmas at home, so tomorrow night it is! I have the presents under the tree right now, and am totally amazed that they haven't tried to open them yet! They have gone over to the tree a couple times to look at them, but that is all.

Some funny Hunter sayings:
-pointing at the fireplace he said,"That's where Noah's going to come down."(he thinks Santa is Noah)
-about baby(the cats pretty much out of the bag about the name we've chosen) Callie:
"When she comes out she's gonna say, 'WAAA!'" I asked what he would do, and he said, "I'll say, its OK baby!"
-also about the baby, "When baby Callie comes out she's going to watch Sesame Street with me!"
-to me: "Mom, your belly's getting really big."
-to Olivia at the Loukota's last night: "Olivia, you're cute. I love you!"
-at the Loukota's supper table last night while praying: "Bless this food. I forget the rest of the words."
-about the largest present: "I think its a truck! Or a Hunter! Actually, probably not."
-asking more about the baby: "What does Callie do in there?(to my stomach) Me: "She moves around, she sleeps. Hunter: "Does she sleep in a crib?"

Pregnancy

Well, I'm not sure what exactly is going on here, but I seem to really have morning sickness back. You could even call it all day sickness, since it is 2:00 and I still feel like crap. I don't know what is going on! A friend said she heard morning sickness can sometimes come back in the last trimester(of which I just entered) and so maybe that is it. I hope it is temporary. Smells are bothering me again, and I've lost ALL interest in sweets(which isn't' a bad thing, sweets I should cut back on anyway) The only thing that sounds good to me is Mountain Dew. This pregnancy has been so extremely different than my other two! It MUST be a girl. I did and ate and acted the same way with the boys. For breakfast I always ate malto meal. This time I have only had Malto meal once, and it did not stay down. I ate cheese and crackers as my morning snack and drank ginger aisle with them, and this time cheese nauseated me and I haven't had ginger aisle at all. I think that is partly b/c I never want to drink it again after having so much of it while nauseous before. I craved the same things each time with the boys, I had aversions to the same things with the boys. This pregnancy is sooooo different! I can tell I am way more emotional this time, too. I can remember the last two times thinking(although Brent disagrees with me) that I was fairly unemotional except for the obvious discomforts at the end. I would be the first to say this time that I am an emotional roller coaster(Brent's agreeing with me this time ;) ) I have said that I'm not sure its the pregnancy or just the fact that it was such an unexpected surprise. Today for example I feel very fat and moody and I feel almost embarrassed to be pregnant again b/c our other two are so young. I feel like people think, good grief they are irresponsible and can't keep away from each other! I realize that no one probably thinks this, but is how I feel. A man that I know casually asked me at the grocery store yesterday, "Excuse me, is that a baby bump I see?" I felt kind of embarrassed to say yes b/c I was JUST pregnant it seems like. I won't be embarrassed when the baby is born by having three kids, but I guess those are the hormones taking over. At least I can pretty well tell what is me talking and the hormones talking. It will be nice to have my old self back in a few months. It is going fast.

I was at a friends house yesterday and her 5 year old was really interested in the baby. He, Hunter and her daughter(who is Hunter's age) all had their hands on my belly and their ears on my belly trying to hear the baby through my stomach. They even had a flashlight trying to see in. The 5 yr old, Isaiah, asked how come the kids couldn't see when the belly opened and the baby came out. I told him as best I could how it actually happens. Then he said that he knew what the baby ate when it was born. He pointed to my chest and said they ate off of those. Then he asked how we got milk in them. It was pretty amusing. I wonder what kids think about all of that. Tate put his hand on my belly this morning with Hunter. I think he thinks its just a game, though. I really think he is going to be blown away surprised when we bring home a baby. I think it will be hardest on him. This time I at least know that I will have enough love for them all, when I was pregnant with Tate I was constantly worried I wouldn't love him as much as I loved Hunter, but I can say that it was unnecessary worry, b/c I love both Hunter and Tate an insane, even, amount.

I can't think of too many funny things that Hunter has said or done the last few days, except that he said he was going to marry gma Debbie today. We talked him out of it, though, and now he is going to marry Hannah. I'm pretty sure Tate will marry our friends daughter Ella, b/c he is in love with her. He gets so excited when she is around.

the first concussion??

Well, Tate really fell hard today. I would say it has been his worst fall yet. We were at MAC and he was standing in the carpet ball game, which is probably 3 feet off the ground. He backed up and wham, fell backwards and hit his head first on the ground. It was a nasty fall, and I had to watch it happen in what seemed like slow motion b/c I couldn't get there fast enough. I hate that. He cried pretty hard for a long time, longer and harder than the usual cries. Then he sat on my lap for a good half hour looking brain dead. Luckily, one of Brent's old classmates was there who is training to be a doctor, so I had him take a look at Tate, b/c I was ready to bring him in to the doctor. He checked him over and said to just keep an eye on him. I didn't put him to bed until 2:30, and I think he is ok, but it was a nasty fall. Then I noticed that his bottom molar is coming through and he feels a little warm, so that poor boy is having quite the day. I say Hallelujah about the teeth, though, its been a long time getting them in!

After MAC we went to a friends for lunch. One of my good friends is visiting from Michigan, so it was good to catch up with her and find out that she is expecting! YAY! I am really happy for her! Hunter got to play with one of his best buds, Ryan. They compared their Lightening McQueen underwear and Ryan said Hunter was his greatest friend. They took turns dressing up as cowboys and spider man, and he and Hunter sang Hunter's poop song. I thought we'd heard the last of that song, but I guess not:)

Yesterday at lunch Hunter decided that he wanted to feed Tate his yogurt, so exhausted as I was I let him, and it was a big mess. Tate had some yogurt in his hair as hair gel, and his whole high chair was full of yogurt. Hunter was in a "helpful" mood yesterday, though, and I didn't want to discourage him from helping, as I plan on needing his help in a few months. I took some pics of the mess:




We had to make some treats for the youth girls party last night, so Hunter helped me make them. I get a little tense when he cooks with me, b/c he usually misses the bowl at least once, but he is getting very good at it and really enjoys it. He now taps all the measuring spoons and cups on the side of the bowl, so we have a budding chef I think. He has to hold on to the the mixer with me and always wants to lick the beaters. While we were waiting for the bars to cook I vacuumed the house and he took the hose extension and used it as a weight bar. He had it over his head and grunted, "I'm strong like daddy!" Then he stood on his chair and said he was a teenager.

Our youth girls party went really really well last night. It started at 6:30 and I didn't get home from it until almost 10! I think the girls really enjoyed it. We decorated it all fancy and had pizza and salad. Then we did a toast to girls and gave them presents and had them write themselves letters that we will be sending them in two months. Then we had a commitment prayer and played some games. I think all the girls enjoyed it and were flattered that we did so much for it. I have really enjoyed doing youth group this year and have really enjoyed getting to know some of the girls better. I was originally going to quit after the end of this curriculum, but I decided I'd do it until the baby is born.

Speaking of the baby, I am now in my third trimester and am due three months from yesterday! I know that these next three months will be the longest. My baby website tells me that this week the baby will be turning head down for the final destination, and that if the baby were born now, with some intensive care would most likely make it, which is sort of a relief to know. I go for my next ob appointment on Monday and am going to ask about my belly button.

A kind act

This morning we had MOPS. It went really smooth. I had laid the boys outfits out last night so there would be no arguing, and we got out the door at a decent time. It was my tables turn to bring treats, so I had a big bowl of blueberry muffins along with the diaper bag. I wasn't quite sure how to get everything inside the church w/out making two trips, but one of the older nursery workers was getting there as I got there. She came over to the van when she saw me trying to get everything together and asked if she could help me carry something. I gave her the blueberry muffin basket and she chatted with me on the way in. She said she remembered what it was like to not have enough hands. I told her I wasn't sure how I'd get around when we had our next in March, and she said, "Oh yes, but God doesn't give us more than we can handle!"(which my mom says to me frequently :) ) She then said that her third was a surprise(so I can relate to her), but that it worked out just fine. Once inside she went ahead and took my muffins upstairs for me. I have been thinking about that nice gesture all day, and have been kind of motivated to be more aware of others around me that I can help and share an act of kindness with. So MOPS got off to a good start for me and I really enjoyed the speaker. She talked about the birth of Jesus in a character by character way and a lot of what she talked about was shed in a new light for me. I've never been pregnant during Christmas before(well not THIS pregnant) and I find myself totally relating to how Mary must have felt(although not fully, I'm pretty sure I'm not carrying Jesus :) )
It was a nice reminder of what Christmas is about and what we are celebrating. I got lots of goodies at MOPS, too. My table leader gave us all these very cute picture frames, and I won a drawing and got the nativity movie. Hunter enjoyed his class, he was very eager to show his craft to me. They made ornaments with their pictures in them, so he hung his up on the tree first thing when we got home. He got a little jingle bell, too, and Tate had a kazoo, so it was a noisy ride home. Tate's teacher said that she really enjoys him and that he is so strong and definitely all boy. He was going around the room grunting when we got there. I tried to explain Christmas to Hunter on the way to MOPS, about how Christmas is kind of Jesus' birthday and how he was born and there were a lot of animals around, and his reaction was "WHOA!"

Tate woke up very early from his nap yesterday, and was up during the night. I can't think of the last time he was up in the night. It has been forever. Some nights he'll wake up crying but will go back to sleep without me going down there. Last night I could tell he was upset, though, so I went and held him for awhile. I noticed his top gum looks blue, like a blood blister or something, and I can feel his tooth right behind it, so I think that is giving him pain. I wish those teeth would pop already!

Hunter was being a little disrespectful before nap today, so as I was rocking him to sleep I told him that God gave him mommy and daddy to raise him up to be a good boy and that he needed to obey and listen to us. His response: "I don't like that story."

Remember: do a kind act.

The return of morning sickness.

I'm not sure what has happened, but my morning sickness has returned! Yucky! I've felt sick in the mornings for the last few days now. I got sick on Friday morning, and this morning also. At church yesterday I felt like getting sick all during the service. Its weird, I was doing fine, and now I have to snack every hour or I get nauseous. Maybe the baby is growing? I will be entering my third(and final!) trimester this week, so the end is somewhere in sight! I still can't believe that we are going to have another baby!

We were busy the last few days. On Saturday we went to Brainerd to get our months groceries and stuff for our Christmas party. I decided that I'm NEVER going to go grocery shopping by myself with the kids, it was SO nice having Brent along to help. We stopped by Sears and picked up our pictures a couple days early, they were in luckily, so now my next thing to do is to get my Christmas cards out, which I am not at all motivated to do. It will go fast once I get an idea of how to make them. Then on Saturday night we went over to Steve and Debbie's to watch the parade of lights. We had the best arrangement, we got to watch it from their warmer porch. It has been really really cold here lately, so it was nice not to stand outside. The kids waved and waved and Tate kept saying Hi to everyone. Then we went and watched the fireworks from the van. It was an impressive show, quite longer than I expected it. The boys got a little antsy, but enjoyed it. Then we went back to Steve and Debbie's for some hot chocolate. Tate got loose in their bathroom and put a whole box of band aids in their toilet. He is all mischief and smiles.

Yesterday we had our Christmas party. I was so nervous about the food I made, I started cooking on Saturday afternoon, and cooked pretty much from 1-4 yesterday. Everything turned out great, though! The boys went to gma and gpas after church, so Brent and I had the house to ourselves to get ready, and that was a total lifesaver! Brent got MAJOR MAJOR brownie points. He cleaned pretty much the whole house the hours I was cooking. He scrubbed the bathroom like it had never been scrubbed before, and vacuumed up and downstairs. It was so nice this morning to not have to do my normal Monday cleaning. All I had to do were the 4 or 5 loads of laundry that accumulated over the weekend. Then Brent helped me make an appetizer, so he is husband of the year right now. Also, this morning he got the kids cereal ready and read to them and played hide and seek, so he is doing mighty well right now. It was surprisingly easy, also, to clean up after the party since adults don't make the messes kids do. The party was really fun(at least I enjoyed it) It was amusing to me, that as moms we long for some time to ourselves without the kids, but when we get it we spend the time talking about them. We all talked about our labors last night, and its so weird to think that I'll be doing that again soon.

We had so much leftover food b/c two couples couldn't come last minute, so I had my friend and her kids over for play and lunch today.

This morning Hunter greeted me carrying "baby Miah" and has been carrying him around all day. I took a picture of him cuddling with him this morning. Then Tate was being a ham, so I took one of him, too.





We have a nickname in our house for Hunter's bottom, because they resemble dinner rolls, whenever I give him a bath I "pinch his dinner rolls." This morning he brought me his outfit for the day and his only pair of boxer briefs(which are the cutest things ever) and after I put them on him he started dancing around and shaking his booty and went and asked Brent if he wanted to pinch his dinner rolls. I got the same question from him, too. It's funny now, but when he's 16...

Well, I better go either fold the mound of clean laundry on my bed or make Christmas cards.

To borrow from my friend Jen, I remain: drinking hot chocolate out of my "Because chocolate can't get you pregnant" cup. (Thanks Nikki!)

Zapped

Today I am zapped of all energy. It has been a draining week, and I'm trying to think positively, but I'm a little on the cranky side. I know I have a lot to feel blessed about. I guess I'm just in need of a little "me" time. The kids have been sick this week, as have I, and I just hope that is the cause for this mostly awful week. I feel kind of defeated as a parent, like I'm not good at it and am failing. I pretty much put everything I have on a daily basis into my kids happiness and well-being. I'm not feeling "well liked" by my children at the moment, and it is hard. I deal with low self-esteem sometimes b/c I don't bring anything to the table financially, and yet I work so hard. I just hope all that I am doing will matter and that I'm not totally failing like I feel I am. It mostly started a couple days ago when Hunter found his (hidden) Christmas presents downstairs and wanted to play with them. I said no, and oh my goodness you would have thought the world was ending. I've never seen him like that. He kept yelling, "I don't like you!" at me and said he didn't like my face. That's a wonderful thanks for all things I do for him. Then it continued and is continuing. He woke up the next morning and went directly downstairs and got the presents again(b/c I hadn't the energy to re-hide them) and when I said no again, the same thing happened. He said he didn't want to look at me and for me to leave and that I was bossy. I know he loves me and I love him dearly, so its a little hard for me to hear this kind of talk, especially the amount of times he's said it in the last 3 days. I guess today its getting to me, and I feel sad. Perhaps I'm just being a little selfish, and need to harden myself to those sayings, after all, they WILL be teenagers someday and I'm sure I'll regularly hear I don't like you, but I want my little boy to think I'm the best! I guess there are days when being a parent is easy, and there are days when being a parent is hard, and this is a hard day. I know it will be better, every day is a new day.

In other news, Tate somehow hit his face on the kitchen chair and bit both the top and bottom of his tongue very deeply. I could not believe how much it bled. Hunter was upset that he was bleeding, he was very sweet, he came and brought Tate a washcloth to wipe up the blood.

That's about all for now, I'm going to go try to get a little nap in, might help me feel better!

Winter Wonderland

That is the lovely view from my front window. I feel like I'm in some sort of Disney Christmas movie, it is REALLY pretty out. I never thought I'd be saying that about snow, but it is. Also, I'm listening to a little Nat King Cole Christmas on Pandora, so its beginning to look(and feel) a lot like Christmas! It's sunny out, too, which is nice for someone like me.

Yesterday, however, I was at odds with the snow. I decided that we should go to the library and stock up on lots of books b/c I really plan on only going out when necessary. Our driveway had not been shoveled b/c the neighbor couldn't get to it quite yet, and I had my doubts that I'd be able to get in and out, and I should have listened to my gut. We were at the library and had picked out our books and we were at the checkout when I realized I'd forgotten my purse with the library card in it(at home, even though I'd reminded myself a couple times before NOT to forget it) so the books were held and I was to "run home" for the card. I got SO STUCK IN THE DRIVEWAY! I mean stuck. I sat there for about 20 mins going back and forth, shoveling out my tires and trying hard to get out. I was extremely frustrated. Hunter was a sweetheart, though, he could tell I was frustrated, and when I'd get in the van after shoveling a little and I'd go a few inches forward he'd say, "Mom! You did it!" But then we'd be stuck again. He did that several times, which I found to be sweet. Yesterday wasn't much fun, though. The boys are still stuffy, and Hunter has been really crabby and disobedient. I try to cut him some slack, its no fun being sick, but when you hear, "I don't like you!" too much, it starts to wear on you. (Thanks for the pep talk last night, Mom, I don't know what I'd do without you!)

Today, however, has been a lot better. We stayed in, the sun is shining, the driveway is shoveled, I have my appetizers picked out for the party, its a good day. I've been kind of stressing about this party, but I think I have a good selection for everyone. We are also having a youth girls party to end our 10-week study, that will be next Wed, but I found out last night I had to have my affirmations written in the journals we are giving them by tonight, and it was proving to be harder than I thought. I got them all done, though, so I feel a load has been lifted. Tonight we have a meeting at the DQ about what to do now for youth group. I don't plan on going to youth, though, I don't want the kids to get other kids sick in the nursery.

Brent's aunt Beth had borrowed me a toddler activity book with a TON of great ideas for all kinds of activities, so I got that out yesterday and was looking through it. I got the idea to have a "Color Hunt" so this morning I wrote with markers on some paper all the different colors, and we got our "hunting hats" on and went on a color hunt adventure. Hunter was REALLY into it! I was a little surprised how much he enjoyed it. Basically, we just went around and found things in the house that matched the color on the paper. We went up and down the stairs. He did a really good job, even the subtle hints of color he found. Tate wore a little backpack around, and thought he was pretty big. Speaking of Tate, I finally outsmarted the kid! I unplugged the TV, so no more CONSTANT turning off and on of the TV. My life is more peaceful already!

After our color hunt I got out this tent I had picked up at a garage sale this summer(possibly the bargain of the summer, it has a chair, sleeping bag, flashlight, compass and is in a bag with wheels on it, all for $3! It wasn't even opened!) Anyway, I got out and set up that tent in our living room, so the boys went in there and read books for awhile. I think they enjoyed that, too. Its good to have a few things you bring out rarely to keep it special. Here are some pictures. Tate is really drooly, his bottom teeth are about ready to pop, I can see them through the gums.







After they got tired of the tent, we played play dough and watched a Disney Christmas sing-a-long video, so it was a busy day. At lunch Hunter called Tate a "macaroni monster" b/c he was shoveling mac and cheese in his face fist at a time. I thought that was funny. Then, after lunch I was reading them books before nap, and I was reading an animal alphabet book. I got to the "L" who's animal was the Lion, and I gave a big roar, and the baby totally jumped! I think I scared it! After that the baby was moving all around and I put Hunter's hand on it again, and he felt it and said excitedly, "She's coming out! She's coming out!"

I am in my 26th week now, and have been pregnant something like 182 days, with only 98 more to go! That doesn't seem like so long compared to how long I've been pregnant. The kicks are getting stronger.

I sure hope its a girl...

Well, today my sister-in-law and brother-in-law found out that they are having a girl. I am excited that we can be pregnant at the same time, and now even more excited that its a girl. Which has me thinking this morning...I SURE HOPE MINE IS REALLY A GIRL! Most days I am certain its a girl, I go over all the evidence in my head and convince myself it is, then other times I think, but wait, maybe its a boy and they just missed it! I guess I had come to terms(before I found out I was pregnant) with the fact that I would have no girl. I thought about it more than I realized. I had sort of made my peace with the fact that I'd never get to put pigtails in my daughter's hair, never get to paint her fingers and toes. I'd never get to see the father-daughter bond between her and Brent, never see her walk down the isle on her wedding day. I'd never get to share in the awesomeness of being a mom with her, never get to have that mother/daughter adult relationship, but now that it is a possibility, I would go crazy if it didn't happen! So I sure hope it really is a girl for us! I would, however, not be totally unhappy if it turned out to be a boy, I love my two boys so much, and it is very familiar and we would have tons of fun, but I guess a little part of me would have that "wonder what it would have been like.." thought. Plus, I have some CUTE clothes! I did decide that I think Joe and Nikki HAVE to move up here, though, so our girls can be close friends, since I'm(although I've said this before) done after this one!

My silly boys have been busy today! We all have colds, unfortunately, though. I've gone through about a half a box of tissues, and I gave Hunter a little decongestant before nap. I was reading the bottle and it has the normal "2 and under" ask a doctor and I realized that he is 3 and I can give him some. I guess I forget he is 3 most times. It sure goes by fast! The boys tore into their closets today and drug out every toy they own. The played with it all, but it took quite a while to pick up before nap. I always hurry when I'm downstairs changing laundry, b/c that is when a lot of mischief happens. I finally got a great idea today to tell Hunter to hide while I am downstairs and I'll find him when I come up, so that way he doesn't get into anything. I think that I am brilliant:) Hunter told me he had to go poopy, so I sat him on the toilet, but then he said he needed privacy, so I left him alone and kept checking on him. I went in there after a few minutes and he had the toothpaste(again!) and had unrolled completely a half a roll of tp. Yesterday morning Brent went downstairs when the boys had woken up to find that Hunter had squirted toothpaste all over the bathroom sink and floor, and then had gotten into the gum that is in our top cupboard in the kitchen. He had been trying to hide it I think, b/c when Brent went to put toast in the toaster he found about 5 gum wrappers. Ornery stinker! I'm hiding the toothpast from now on!

Well, I better go, we are having a Christmas party on Sunday and I am making appetizers for it, so I am going to browse my cooking sites for some delicious recipes. Here is a slide show I made from a site I got from my friend, Erin.

The first winter storm

Well, the weather forecasters were right, we got and are getting the snow they forcasted. We probably have at least 6 inches so far. I need to work on my attitude towards winter, I DO live in Minnesnowta. I want to hibernate. Between getting the kids stuff on and wearing my uncomfortably fitting(read: tight) winter coat, I think it best to not go outdoors unless I have to. That being said, the snow is pretty. Brent and Hunter had some hot chocolate after Hunter's nap today: He had quite the 'stache going:





He told Brent he was pretending it was coffee.

Hunter has been on a banana kick since Sesame Street. Last night he wanted one after supper, and I gave him a whole one(he can peel it himself) and he came over to me and said, "Mom, you better wash this off, its dirty!" He had a bruise on it and thought it was dirty. I thought that was pretty funny. Last night he also felt the baby moving for the first time. I've tried to have him feel it several times, but his attention span is(expectedly) short. We were in the playroom and the baby was moving so much I put one of their legos on my shirt and it was bouncing back and forth, so I grabbed Hunter's hand and put it there. I was looking at him and could tell the moment he felt it move, b/c he looked at me with his eyes big and said, "What's IN there?!" After that he kept his hand on my stomach feeling it for a long time. I think that is really fun.

Tate is proving to be a little stinker. He has been turning the TV on and off lately. I'll hear it turn on when I'm in the other room and I'll go in there and say "No, Tate, turn it off" and go turn it off. I think he thinks its some sort of game, b/c he laughs now and runs back and does it again. Tonight he did it probably 20 times and Brent and I both were disciplining him(unsucessfully since he kept doing it). He is going to throw us for a loop I think. Such an ornery stinker!

It's cold outside!

Brr, I am not a fan of this weather. It feels too cold for only being November. The weather needs to pace itself. My friend called and asked to do something today, but I said I didn't want to go outside, so she came over and her son even went out and got my mail for me, so I won't be stepping outside today.

The pictures were a little disappointing. I'm used to Tate smiling constantly, but he really didn't smile once during the pictures. He was really scared and wouldn't stay put and cried, so they didn't turn out like I'd hoped. I think I might just take my own pictures from now on. My friend and I were talking this morning and she said she put up a sheet in their basement and tried taking pictures of her kids, and I'd seen them in the frames not knowing they were taken by her, and I thought they were professional, so I think we might do that next time. Then I could do them more b/c it wouldn't cost so much. I gave the boys a bath the morning of the pictures and as I was drying Hunter's hair he looked in the mirror and said, "Oooo! Lookin' good, lookin' good!" I thought that was funny. We left about 10 and didn't get home until 4. It was a looong day. I had a coupon for film processing that expired in two days, so I stopped by Target first to turn my film in. I don't like leaving the boys in the car even for a minute, so I had to take them in for that. Then, after the pictures I had promised Hunter he could ride the tractors that I'd seen there once. We walked the whole mall to find them and I was getting nervous that they weren't there until I happened to peek into where the old arcade used to be and saw them there. Whew! So I had enough quarters for him to go on all but one. That was two days ago and he is still talking about how fun that was, so I'm glad we found them. After pictures I figured they'd be hungry so we went to Wendy's for chicken nuggets and mandarin orange cups. I'm glad fast food restaurants are starting to have a little healthier variety of things. We ate inside and Hunter thought it was a "very nice restruant." Then I had to go to Wal-Mart to get a few things and then back to Target to pick up my pictures. Hunter had to go potty in Wal-Mart just as we got up to the checkout and our stuff on the conveyor belt, but luckily the bathrooms were close and the lady let us go really quick. Hunter was very fascinated with the automatic flushing toilets. He looked up at me with big eyes and said, "Mom that toilet just flushed itself!" I figured they'd fall asleep on the way home, Tate fell asleep before we were even out of Brainerd, and Hunter fell asleep as I turned on our street. I knew that they wouldn't go back to sleep if I took them in, and I knew that 45 mins for Tate was not near enough time, so I drove up to Backus to do some banking and then got gas, and by that time they were kind of starting to stir, so they got a little more nap than they would have. I was very tired by the end of it. I had planned on going to the bank yesterday, though, so I didn't have to do that, and that was nice.

MAC was yesterday, and Hunter wore his Vikings jersey b/c he said it would make him run faster. He did run around the gym pretty fast. I try to chase him, but I can't really do that anymore, so I just walk as fast as I can. I'm pretty sure if I do that when I'm due it'll put me into labor:) The DQ had cheeseburgers 2 for $2, so we went there with my two friends and their kids after. We pretty much took up the whole place, there were 7 kids amongst us.

Brent and I had a date night last night, and we went to Applebee's(we had a gift certificate from my old coworkers) and that was really really fun. We had a good waitress and I really enjoyed my food(I totally out-ate Brent) and company. It is so nice being waited on and not having to get up 50 times during a meal. I didn't take that for granted. After Applebee's we went to Wal-Mart to get a couple presents for the boys. I never could see before how people could spend hundreds of dollars on their kids for Christmas but I am starting to get it. We don't have a lot of money, but we figured $60 total for the kids is reasonable, but that doesn't go far at all! We had already decided on a $20 Cars kid card table for both the boys, so we had $20 each left and it was really hard to find something. Hunter is fairly easy b/c he loves cars and trucks and tractors so much, but Tate was a little harder. He is almost too old for the baby-ish toys, and yet a little too young for the other toys. We ended up getting him a moo-ing cow flashlight and a hippo you can push and ride on that picks up blocks. It was a good deal. As for Hunter, we got him the mack truck from Cars that had three cars(including Mqueen) I hope they like them.

Hunter has taken after his dad. Yesterday he was watching Sesame Street while I got ready, and he came into the bathroom and said, "Mom, I NEED a banana." I asked if he could wait, but he needed one right then he said, so I went and got him one. Then he told me he could peel it on his own, so he sat down in front of the tv with it, and that is when I noticed that they were singing about banana's on tv. Brent I'm told was banned from watching Three Amigo's b/c he would imitate some parts in it, and Hunter seems to be going down the imitation road himself. All the time around the house he says, "Paachow!" and "Checkered flag here I come" and "Oh yeah!" all from Cars. He doesn't even watch it that much, maybe once a month. So I think he's like his dad on that.

I'm expecting gray hair any day now...

Don't these two look ornery? They are.

It was an interesting day. Last night Brent left for work at 9:30 and I messed around for awhile on the computer, then went to bed to watch King of Queens on the portable DVD player, and as I entered the bedroom I heard that scratching again. There is still something in our wall!! AH! It kept me WIDE awake until Brent came home at 1:30. I then fell asleep somewhere around 2:30 just to be woken at 3 by Hunter falling out of bed downstairs. Then he woke up for good at 6. He was sitting on his floor yelling "MOMMY!" at the top of his lungs. Now 6 is over an hour before he usually gets up, so I am not accustomed to that. I got around 3 hours of sleep and that isn't enough for me. I told him to look at books and went back upstairs to bed, but I heard him pushing the kitchen chair to the counter a few minutes later and decided that it would be better to be down there with him. So I did my Beth Moore study which was on Joy today(it is an in depth fruit of the spirit study). I was motivated to have lots of joy today, but I got kind of stressed out later on...

We had MOPS today, so that was fun. The speaker we had was a karate teacher in Crosslake who showed us how to defend ourselves in an attack situation. It was very interesting and educational. I felt like wrestling Brent when he got home, but I am not in a position right now where that would be good. I just wanted to see if it would work. We moms practiced on each other. A couple of the moms were quite feisty. I always ask Hunter if he has to go potty before we leave and today he said no, but as we picked up Tate from his class he was doing his potty dance, so I found a bathroom, lifted him up b/c the toilet was too high for him to stand, and he peed everywhere. EVERYWHERE. Tate meanwhile was getting into the supply of tp they had. TP was EVERYWHERE. That kid is quick, but more on that later. Hunter told me when we got home, "I love you mommy, you're so cute!"

After nap Hunter wanted to play Candyland, so we got that out, then the wooden blocks, then they tore into their closet, flinging all their socks and diapers and Hunter's underwear and the sheets and pillow cases everywhere. It was a big mess. I'd already picked up the socks and underwear/pullups once today. I don't' like bending over. Then it was time to make supper. I was busy with that and Tate unbenownced to me got into our("kid-proofed") cabinet that has our dishwasher soap etc. in it and got the Fabreeze out. I did not hear him at all, probably b/c he is so fast and sneaky. How I found out they had it was Hunter came into the kitchen holding the Fabreeze can, facing him, with his hair COMPLETELY soaked and his face all wet with the stuff. I was like, "!!!!!!!!!!!" He said his eyes hurt, so I frantically grabbed him and put him under the sink with his face in the water. I got him rinsed out really good, and then went to check Tate, who smelled strongly of Cucumber Melon as well. I washed out his eyes thoroughly, and then asked Hunter if he'd swallowed any of it. I think they will be ok, they just will be smelling of Cucumber Melon for the next 5 years. So in the middle of making supper I had a near meltdown. I was pretty stressed about it. I will be putting ALL household cleaners up high. I always make sure the nozzles are closed so it won't spray, but that can didn't have one. So much for childproof. As we ate supper I told Hunter never to do that again, and he said, "Yeah, you should put that up high so we can't get it. So high that we need a ladder!" I think that is a good idea.

I think they found some speed laying around somewhere though, maybe they got a little silly from the Fabreeze, b/c they were tearing around here tonight like crazy. They were running around in circles, dancing about and all that. Crazy boys. Pictures are tomorrow, and I have been a nervous wreck that someone would get bruised. Tate fell tonight and split his lip, so he has a fat lip, and he bit Hunter's neck while they were wrestling, so I hope Hunter doesn't have a hickey-like bruise tomorrow. But...I've come to realize that that is life and they might just look goofy and beat up. That is real. They have tractor rides at the mall, so I am going stocked with quarters. I've been priming Hunter about the pictures, and we practice his smile. He makes a big pouty face and says that's how he's going to look.

Tate said a couple new words today. Hunter was coming out of a room, and Tate was a little ahead of him, and came running to me and said "Hide!" really clearly. He said "Bye" really clearly to Brent this morning. Later we were reading a book and when it was over he said, "All done!" and started clapping. All of these were really clear. He also (when asked) today took his diaper and threw it in the garbage for me. He's getting so big!

And now for funny Hunter sayings: Tonight after supper as he got down from his chair, he said, "Thank you, Sarah!" He's been saying my name occasionally. Then at supper he told me, "Mom, your belly is going to get really big." I asked him if it looked big now and he said no, so he is a nice boy!

back to routine...

Well, Thanksgiving weekend is over and we are getting back to our normal routine. We had mom and dad for a few days, and that was really really fun. It was nice seeing them for more than a day. We had Thanksgiving at the Norman's with gpa and gma and Jason and Fawnda and Gigi. I got nice and full. Then we had a turkey the next day with mom and dad. We went to Walker on Friday night for their lighted Christmas parade and fireworks. We bundled the kids way up b/c it is cold and Tate looked absolutely hysterical. I didn't get a picture of him but I did get a video of it. The only snow pants we had around his size are 24m, so we put them over his coat and since they were tan colored he looked like one of those sumo people. It was so funny!! He could hardly walk at all. They did really good at the parade, Hunter just sat in the stroller under a blanket and smiled and waved at everyone. We had to hold Tate, but he watched, too. I asked Hunter what his favorite thing was about the parade, and he said candy. And the horses(and their poop of course) And Tate really liked the horses and the firetruck. They both enjoyed the fireworks also. We got a really good parking space, so Tate and gma Mary and gpa BJ stayed in the van and Brent and I took Hunter outside to see them. I guess Tate was saying "Oooh! Wooo!" the whole time. Hunter really liked them also. Although its cold, its nice that they can see fireworks, 4th of July is just too late for kids to be up.

We've been having some computer problems lately, so I've been pretty frustrated with that. Definitely have a large surplus of pregnancy hormones floating around. I'm surprised our printer wasn't hurled out the window by me. Then we've also been having what we think are bats in our walls. That is a bit unnerving. I'm pretty sure they are there by accident and are going to die, but it is irritating none the less.

I made the kids picture appointment for Wed and 11, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed that no one gets bruised. Tate has a slight remnant of his black eye, but I think it will be fine in the pictures. Hunter had his car wash out today and got a little water on the floor, and Tate walked by and took a big fall, but it wasn't on his face luckily.

I'll try to remember some funny sayings lately, it is hard b/c there are so many...
As we were on the way home from Walker the other night Hunter sighed and said, "I'm tired of being patient." I guess he and Debbie were talking about the new baby last night, she said that there would soon be a new baby, and Hunter said, "Yeah and Tate's got to go." Man, that is all I can think of right now, I know there are more, so maybe I'll write them later...
I found this on myspace and thought it might be fun to do for the boys since I will probably forget everything:

Mommies, fill this out about all your little ones!!!! Have fun! Fill in the answers for your baby(s)


1. Age?
3 years

2. name?
Hunter Allen

3. Date of Birth?
September 17, 2004

4. time of birth?
10:40 pm

5. how long did labor last?
from start to finish 12 hours

6. who was in the room when baby was born?
just daddy and me, but gmas and gpas and Anna & Justin were waiting outside the door

7. how long did you push?
about a half hour

6. weight?
8 lbs 4 oz

9. length?
20 inches

10. any hair?
lots of dirty blonde hair

11. who does the baby look like?
they said you looked like us both

12. Be honest, how much weight did you gain?
28 lbs

13.was your baby early or late?
2 days early

14. Who drove you home from the hospital?
Brent(very slowly)

15. how many baby showers did u have?
1

16. when did baby start sleeping thru the night?
7 weeks, just in time for me to get a good nights sleep for my first day back to work

17. did u breastfeed?
as much as I could for about 8 months

18.if not, what kind of formula ?
you were also on Enfamil while I was at work

19. who keeps your baby the most?
me right now

20.. how did u pick the name?
If it was a boy, daddy got to pick it out, if a girl, me and daddy really liked the name Hunter

22. how did u know when it was time to go to hospital?
the doctor induced at 7 in the morning(actually not but that was when I had to be there)

23. who drove u there?
Brent

24. Did u go home or somewhere else when u left the hosp?
to gma debbie and gpa steve's

25. Anyone spend the night with u first night home?
Just the three of us.

Tate

1. Age?
1 year

2. name?
Tate James

3. Date of Birth?
August 17, 2006

4. time of birth?
9:39 pm

5. How long was labor?
from start to finish 5 hours, (lots of waiting time)

6. who was in the room when baby was born?
just daddy and me, but gmas and gpa BJ and Laci were outside the door

7. how long did you push?
about 5 mins

6. weight?
7 lbs 7 oz

9. length?
21 inches

10. any hair?
lots of dirty blonde hair (covered your ears!)

11. who does the baby look like?
Norman all the way

12. Be honest, how much weight did you gain?
28 lbs

13.was your baby early or late?
1 days early

14. Who drove you home from the hospital?
Brent(not as slowly)

15. how many baby showers did u have?
0

16. when did baby start sleeping thru the night?
8 weeks. The first 3 nights Tate slept through the night Hunter woke up in the night. Go figure!

17. did u breastfeed?
yes, just breastfed until 8 monts when I quit overnight. Not recommended.

18.if not, what kind of formula ?
he was on Enfamil for a few months after

19. who keeps your baby the most?
I have stayed home with him since the begining

20.. how did u pick the name?
If it was a boy, daddy got to pick it out, if a girl, me. I figured this would be the last time I'd be pregnant, so I helped pick it out a little more. Little did I know...

22. how did u know when it was time to go to hospital?
the doctor induced at 7 in the morning(actually not but that was when I had to be there)

23. who drove u there?
Brent

24. Did u go home or somewhere else when u left the hosp?
yep, we went home

25. Anyone spend the night with u first night home?
Gma Mary, Gpa BJ and Laci

I feel so huge...

0Here is a picture of me right now, I'm just starting my 24th week:



I feel kind of huge all of a sudden! I'm not upset by it, but I just think I grew overnight. My belly button is ridiculously sticking out.

Tate got a black eye the other night. It looks kind of nasty, but when I tried to take a picture of it, you couldn't tell at all. Plus he was a ham, so I'll post a picture of him:



He is so goofy. Over the weekend while at Gma and Gpa's he found their white ceiling fan remote, and started swinging it wildly about. It only took me a second to figure out that he was pretending to play the Wii. I guess he's seen mommy and daddy play it a little too much :) It was pretty cute.

Hunter has said a few funny things (actually most things he says are funny, these are the things I can remember, though) over the last few days. Last night as I was putting him to bed, he said he was scared of the dark. I said that Jesus was here with him so he wouldn't be scared, and he said,"But Jesus doesn't live at our house!" So I could explain that to him. While we were picking him up at our friends house from date night, he had to go to the bathroom, so I took him in and we saw a box elder bug on the floor on its back with its legs wiggling, and Hunter looked at me and said,"Look, mom, that bug is making snow angels!" I thought that was SO funny!

Brent just came upstairs with some peanut butter and chocolate ice cream for me. We had been reading an email survey and it talked about peanut butter chocolate chunk ice cream, and my mouth started watering! He is so sweet. Perhaps this is why I've "grown overnight"?

latest ob appointment

I had another ob appointment today. We're at that point again where they know me by name and don't even have to ask it. I had my glucose screening today, so I had to drink the gross juice and wait an hour and give blood. The giving blood went great, I was really happy, b/c I don't usually have an easy time with that. I was hoping for another ultrasound, but I guess I won't be getting one until week 36. I was hoping for him to be able to give me one to know its "for sure" a girl. The heartbeat was 154 and he said, "Its a girl, Sarah, its a girl," so maybe I'm just being paranoid. I just don't want to be expecting something and then get a surprise at the end. Everything was fine, though, so that is good. I think I've gained a fair amount so far, the nurse said I was having no problem with that. And Thanksgiving is Thursday so... The baby has been pushing on my bladder a lot, I feel like it uses it as a trampoline, and I have to go to the bathroom a ton. Sometimes I haven't even gotten done washing my hands when I have to go again. I remember that happening with Tate, too.

Hunter has been calling everyone his best friend lately. At lunch today I was attempting to make it exciting for him to eat his sandwich by saying he would turn into a bear and could growl at us, and he said, "Mom, I won't growl at YOU, you're my best friend!" He told Tate he was his best friend, too, and gave him a hug. They are really getting to be best friends. Today before nap they were wrestling around. Most of the stuff they do while wresting doesn't look fun to me, but they laugh and laugh. I guess that is just how boys are. Hunter fell out of his bed this morning. I heard a loud crash all the way upstairs and then he started crying. He hurt his jaw, but mostly he was just scared by it. The normal routine for nap time with Hunter is we go downstairs, I say "love you, goodnight" and I rock him till I hear him snoring, and today when I said "love you" he said "love you, too." (which he normally does) Then a second later he said,"I love you so much" and pretty much melted my heart like a stick of butter.

Things I'm thankful for:
-mom and dad are coming to visit
-health for me and the baby
-being able to stay home with the kids
-Debbie watching the boys while I went to the doctor

crossdresser?!???

Here is what my sons looked like this morning:



It started out innocently enough, Hunter wanted to be a cowboy. He put on a vest, a cowboy hat and carried around a gun. Then it got interesting. He found some of my friends daughter's fairy princess stuff and wanted to wear that. He kept the gun, though. At one point he looked at himself and said, "Oh, I look like a girl! But I'm a boy!"

I am my parents!

For the last day or so I've realized that some things your parents grew up doing to you you can't avoid doing to your own children(whether you like it or not!) For example, my dad used to try really hard to make me smile when I was pouting, he'd make faces and say, "You want to smile, I know you do" and stuff like that, and Hunter has been pouting lately, he'll fold his arms and push his bottom lip out, and sure enough, I find myself saying and doing the same things to him as my dad did to me. I can just picture him doing it to me even as I do it to my son. Its funny really. Then, mom used to some days really crank up the music and dance around the kitchen while cooking or cleaning, and today I found myself in the kitchen, music cranked up singing and dancing with Hunter and Tate. I wonder if they will feel about it like I felt about it. (I didn't mind most of the time, mom, except when you brought out the John Elfante) It is inevitable, though. You WILL do the same things to your kids that your parents did to you. Its in your blood I think. And, its definitely not a bad thing.

Today we had MAC at the warehouse, where the kids play in the gym. We played London Bridges today, and I chased Hunter around a lot. I'm pretty sure I shouldn't be "running" but it was fun. We bring out some toys stored there, like a kitchen set, some trucks and tractors and some balls. My kids did such a good job of picking them up! I am really proud of them. They have been doing an excellent job of pickup lately. I have them pick up the books and toys before nap and bedtime, and they do it without hardly any reminder(read: nagging). This may be a basic thing, but I think its awesome. I really want them to be responsible and self sufficient. I heard something the other day about if you don't train your kids to be responsible and self sufficient by doing the basics of picking up and stuff like that, then you are in essence teaching them to be lazy. I never had thought of it that way before. All I can say is that I am really proud of my boys.

Tonight Grandpa Steve came and got Tate for some one on one time with him. He took Hunter to the new Bee movie last Thursday, so he and Tate played over at his house tonight. So Brent and I took Hunter to Grandma Debbie's new work open house, and then we played Candy land. He was a bit preoccupied with all the special candy spaces, but he ended up winning(after I was totally ahead but got a lousy candy cane card at the end). It is fun to play games with him, now that he is a little older and is starting to comprehend that stuff. He's been carrying that blue bear around still, and he came to me upset b/c the bear was crying b/c daddy threw it across the room(I think they were playing) I showed him how to rock it to calm him down, and he was talking gently to it. He is really interested in all things baby! A little while later I was telling him that in a few months our baby will come out and sometimes it will cry and we can be gentle and calm to it, and he said, "Yeah, and daddy will throw it." So Brent and I had to have a talk :)

I still haven't satisfied my mozzarella stick craving, but I did make pecan bars today and ate half the pan. I'll maybe try making those ravioli things tomorrow.

I'm thankful for:
-the ability to stay home with the kids
-my portable DVD player to watch in bed when Brent is at work at night
-apple cider
-my kids(and Brent's) hugs and kisses
-Hunter telling me I'm his best friend today

Week 23

I can't believe I'm already 23 weeks pregnant! I'll tell you this, the more kids you have, the faster the pregnancy goes. I remember when I was pregnant with Hunter time seemed to go so slowly, and with Tate I remember it going a little faster, but this one is flying by. My baby website says the baby is over a pound and almost a foot long. I feel like I'm really popping out. Some of my formerly baggy maternity shirts aren't as baggy anymore. I was hoping to get a few maternity sweaters since I don't have any, but I am totally lucking out in the Jr department at Kohl's. I was there the other day, and I got a sweater that I'm sure I'll be able to wear the rest of the pregnancy, and it wasn't even maternity. I do not know why an unpregnant person would wear some of today's "trends". I'm liking it though, the sweater cost me only $10, as opposed to the $30 I would have had to spend on a maternity one. I have been having some hardcore cravings. I could kill for some mozzarella sticks. And some pecan bars. And Debbie's salsa. I really want those mozzarella sticks! Last night I was craving and craving them, but it was after 8, (which is oddly the time I crave things) and I knew I could not have them. It is probably good for our finances that we don't live in a bigger town, b/c I sure would have gone out and gotten some last night. I saw a recipe for dipping cheese ravioli in breadcrumbs, frying them in oil and then dipping them in marinara sauce, all the ingredients I have, so if I get the energy that might work. I've been noticing the baby responding to loud noises,(read: my boys) which is fun. I remember the boys would always wake me up kicking at 5 in the morning, and this one waits until 7, so that is good.

The boys and I have been reading tons of books today. Our library has kits that have books and activities and puppets all together with some sort of theme, so we got one last week and I brought it out today. Hunter used the ladybug puppet while I read them "the grouchy ladybug" by Eric Carle. Both the boys can(and did) sit for quite a while as I read to them. I kind of like that, I want them to enjoy reading as much as I do. I was vacuuming and Hunter brought out his toy vacuum and followed me around(he always does this) and I could tell Tate wanted to help too, so he found the saw in their workbench, and he followed Hunter around raking the saw on the floor. They are good helpers. We are teaching Tate now how to throw away his diapers after changing and to pick up after himself, like putting his cup on the table when he's done, and putting books or toys away before he does other things. He's pretty stubborn, but he has been doing well at it. Today Hunter had a little blue bear he was carrying around calling it baby Miah(my friend Erin has a baby named Miah) and talking to it and feeding it. He put it under his shirt and said it was ready to come out. I will have to tell him sometime that he lucked out and won't actually have to give birth :)

This morning as I got up to all the demands kids make, while feeling nauseous and tired, I had a mini pity party for myself.(I think those pregnancy hormones are to blame for my emotional state lately) I felt frustrated b/c I want someone to take care of ME, to do stuff for ME and all that. As I was in the shower I was praying(as I usually do in the shower, its alone time!) that God would help my attitude, and the thought struck me that God helps me every second of every day. I AM cared for, loved, spoiled even by God's love and grace. It really got me out of my funk and made me motivated to be more giving to others, b/c I have such a good example through Christ. I thought I better write that down for a reminder the next time I'm tempted to feel that way.

Things I'm thankful for:
-my boys health
-God's word to help me
-music
-a nice warm house
-tonight is my last lesson to teach at youth group
-date nights(we have one next week!)
-Mercer Mayer books

What a difference a day makes

I am feeling not so crabby anymore. Last week was just one of those weeks I guess. I feel a lot more rested and happy this week. I decided that I'd write a few things I'm thankful for at the end of each blog from now until Thanksgiving. I sure can't wait to start decorating for Christmas!!!

I got rid of my headache. All in all it lasted five days, and I layed on the hot water bottle numerous times. Yesterday I even called the nurse hot line to make sure it was ok for me to take a Tylenol, and for the first time in all of my pregnancies I took a Tylenol. It was that bad. My chiropractor was out of the office on Friday, so I called first thing this morning and got in, and wow was my neck out. It was out in three places that he said would definitely make my head hurt. Already my head feels better, I just love chiropractors!

Hunter and Tate have been getting along nicely lately. Today they were wrestling around together for a really long time, and they read books together and played play dough together, so that is fun to see. The other morning when I went downstairs after hearing them up, I went into their room and found Hunter in Tate's crib and both of them completely naked(Hunter had his shirt on b/c he doesn't know how to take that off) and Hunter told me they were taking a bath in the crib. Their pj's and diapers were in a pile on the floor. I had to go to the bathroom before I put them all back together, so I ran in the bathroom quick and they followed me in, and Tate peed all over the bathtub mat, but that is better than the carpet, and I washed the rug right away. I was sure surprised to see them naked though! We played outside this morning b/c its so nice out, and I put the bubble thing in Hunter's lawn mower. He loved it, he went around the yard giggling and saying, "Look out, its the bubble man." Tate just walked behind him stepping on the bubbles. He also tried to eat some chalk, but that doesn't surprise me. I am sure happy its so nice out, though. This morning as we were on the way to the chiropractor, this truck pulled right out in front of me and I had to put on the brakes, and (even though I NORMALLY hold my tongue) I said, "What a jerk!" and Hunter piped in from the backseat, "OHHH! Mom, you aren't supposed to say THAT word!" So I was busted. I know I need to watch what I say, and perhaps get over my road rage.

Well, I better go, here are some things I'm thankful for:
-my family and friends
-the walk we got to go on last night
-chiropractors and health
-my house and that it is clean for now
-my Beth Moore study
-playing Old Maid with Brent last night, even though I lost most of the games
-chocolate and the cupcakes I'm about to make

I am crabby!

I should give a disclaimer, this won't be a very positive read. I am tired, crabby, emotional and VERY TIRED. Some days it is really hard to have the energy to be a parent. This would be one day where if I had the option I would have called in sick. I have made it mostly though the day, praise God, and we only have an hour till bedtime. I started getting a massive sinus headache yesterday, which I can't really do anything about since I'm pregnant, and I'm pretty sure its sinus infection. I had a sinus infection while pregnant with Tate, and the medicine my doctor gave me made my stomach burn really bad and I threw up with it, so I didn't take it more than a couple times, so I don't really want to go to the doctor. Then theres the small matter of the amount of sleep I've had. Since Brent's been working day and night I haven't been sleeping well. (I know I shouldn't be feeling sorry for myself b/c HE'S the one out there not getting any sleep, but I can't help it) Last night he left about 10:30 and didn't get home until about 6 this morning. He thought he'd be home around 3 or 4, so I was tossing and turning from 3 on(after not being able to sleep until 11:30 and Tate was up crying every hour) and finally at 5 I looked out the window and there was snow, so I got worried and called his cell. I still didn't sleep after I heard from him, and the kids were up at 7, so I basically slept from 11:30-3. That is NOT enough sleep for a pregnant woman and I have been a basket case today. I can't do anything without crying, and I am so short and impatient. I plan on going straight to bed once the kids are asleep. To make matters worse Hunter, who is only POTTY trained, not poopy trained, has had diaraha today and while at my friends house this morning(had to get out to save my sanity) pooped in his pants the worst ever and got it all over their bathroom rug and it was a nightmare to clean up. Then after nap time he had to pee, so I took him, but Tate was still asleep and I put his underwear in the hamper in their room without thinking, so he had to not wear underwear until Tate woke up, and I thought since he probably wouldn't be pooping again today he would be ok going commando for a little while. BAD IDEA. I was going to put undies on as soon as Tate woke up, but alas, as I was sitting on the couch in the playroom being with Hunter, he got in the closet and pooped out his pants onto the floor. Luckily Brent was here and cleaned up the floor, and I cleaned up the pants and surrounding areas. Hunter is in a pull up now, as I cannot handle another bout of that today. Sorry, for the negativity, some days are hard. I better go, Tate is playing with scissors. One more hour...

sharks and playdough

That was the theme of our day, sharks and play dough. I thought it might be fun for us to make some play dough this morning because our old play dough is just that, OLD. It was getting really dried out, so I found a recipe for koolade play dough and I decided we'd make it today. Hunter wore around his shark mask he got for his birthday from Alex and Laci all over the house this morning, sneaking up on Tate and I and "attacking" us, and when it came time to go to the grocery store to get the koolade packets, he wanted to wear his mask there. So I said fine(it was only Carl's which is usually quiet while I'm there) and he wore it in the store. I kind of thought he'd take it off when we got there, but he wore it the whole time, and sometimes he growled. Now I'm not sure if sharks growl, but Hunter thinks they do :) He also made up a new song that he sang while we were there(kind of loudly), called chocolate pudding. He just sang chocolate pudding over and over. There were some older ladies there getting groceries that gave me some strange looks, but I tried to just look straight ahead. I let him pick out the packet of koolade, since they come in all different colors and he chose pink of course, his favorite color. It was watermelon cherry, which actually smells pretty good as play dough, I'm not sure what the inventor of that recipe was thinking, kids already want to eat the stuff, I don't think they need it smelling good to tempt them further. The play dough actually turned out, and both the boys played with it for about an hour. Tate repeatedly tried eating it, but that is expected.

Brent has been working days and nights this week. I don't like it, but I am glad he has work. God has really blessed him with work.

I have been still having those crampy feelings, and I am glad I am going in for my appointment next week, just to ease my mind. I do remember though, having them with the other two. I try not to lift heavy stuff, but kids are heavy! I'm hoping to get another ultrasound, just to make more sure its a girl, but I'll have to see how busy the doctor is.

I had the phone in my hand today to call Sears for an appointment, when I realized that Tate's head was still bruised from his latest fall, so I will call late next week. While I was showering this morning I heard him start to cry so I went out as fast as I could and found him laying on his back with the kitchen set on top of him, and now he has a cut on his nose from that, so I might just have to put makeup on him if I EVER want to get their pictures taken. The poor kid is always falling down.

Hunter was pretty cute after youth group tonight. He runs around with the kids(teenage kids) of the family that used to watch him while I worked. They were chasing the boys around and making Hunter dizzy. They have some microphones set up for CR and Hunter sat on a stool and sang songs into the mic for everyone. He sang the ABC's, twinkle twinkle little star, hey diddle diddle, and of course, his poop song.

the first snow

We had the first snow yesterday(5th of Nov) and so now that's over with. I was hoping it would wait until November at least, and it did so that is great. I was excited to see it only b/c it gets me in the Christmas mood, which I can't fully enjoy until after Thanksgiving. But...I did get out my favorite Christmas CD by City on a Hill recording and started listening to that. I am pulling out the boys winter coats and washing them tomorrow.

I've officially decided that being pregnant in the winter is the best way to go. I never minded (too much) being pregnant in the summer, but now that I can see what its like in the winter, it is great! I'm more relaxed about it and not so hot and HOT and I'm not missing any fun activities outside b/c there aren't any fun activities outside. I am looking forward to next spring being able to be outside and run around with the boys and BEND OVER easily. I remember that being the most frustrating thing about summer pregnancy, bending over to play with Hunter outside and having a hard time with it. Plus, I'll be able to shed those baby pounds right away in the spring outside instead of all winter indoors. So, it is definitely cool to be pregnant in the winter. I've had some crampy feelings the last few days, which I remember also having with the boys at five months. I'm not sure why, I think they say the ligaments are stretching, but it isn't any fun, sometimes I get woozy and nauseous from them. It is a relief that I've had them before and been fine, though. I've also started the "charlie horse" phase of the pregnancy. I have to be careful not to stretch too hard when I wake up, or the charlie horses come on pretty good. The baby is moving more strongly now, which is fun. It tends to happen the strongest when I am rocking Hunter to sleep at nap time. I think the baby is kicking for more room. I haven't figured out a solution to the nap time rocking problem for when I get really big and have no lap. Now that the guest room is downstairs, though, I at least don't have to carry him up the stairs, so that is nice.

We have been trying to keep the baby's name a secret this time, which has proven to be tricky, b/c some people we've told and I still want it to be hush hush, but Hunter the other day was saying we should name the baby Alaina, and I told him, no, we were going to name it ***** and so he started telling all his friends the baby's name, so I'm pretty sure the cat is almost fully out of the bag. Brent says we'll just keep the weight a secret and I think that's dumb :) We've yet to determine a middle name, so maybe we'll keep THAT a secret.

We had a good weekend with my parents. Laci surprised us and came along, so it was good to see her, too. We took some family pictures(I will post one at the end) down below the dam here in town. They turned out pretty well. Speaking of pictures, I think I might call Sears tomorrow and set up the appointment for Friday, the kids are fairly over their colds. Tate is still drooling from the teething. I figure if I put a sweatshirt over the shirt he will wear, and then a bib(maybe two) he just might be shirt slobber free by the time we get there:)

We have been staying in the last couple of days. This morning I watched my friend's little girl, Ella, who was born two days after Tate. She is really easy to watch, and I think I might just be able to handle three kids. The kids are really enjoying the playroom. Hunter just said to me tonight that he really really likes it still. I was feeling kind of queasy this morning so I just sat on the couch in there and read them about fifty books.

Tate is really starting to talk and respond. He nods yes or no when you ask him things, he tries repeating words you say, and has learned what sheep say and what gorillas say(he also pounds on his chest when he sees one, it is really cute)

Hunter has changed the words a little in his "poop song" so now it is "horsies poop" over and over again. I might be a little ready for the poop phase to be over, but his father seems to still be in it so that makes me nervous :) Today at nap I told him to go wait with his blanket by the stairs while I went to the bathroom and when I came out he was laying by the steps on his back with the blanket over him, and it was really funny to see. That is about all for now...

Boys

I am really excited to see my parents, they should be here in about 3 hours. I have been telling Hunter all week that they are coming, and he is excited to see them, too, and get a new book of course. We stayed home all day again today, so by tonight we were ready to get out, so we went out to eat with our friends, the Nornbergs. They have a daughter two weeks younger than Hunter and a seven month old son. When we went into the restaurant we got the usual(not that we usually ever go out to eat with the kids, but when we do...) "oh great, kids" look from everyone we walked by, but the kids were really good, and as we were leaving a couple next to us stopped us and said that our kids were the most well behaved kids they'd ever seen and went on about them being so good. As a parent that made me pretty proud, because I think my kids are pretty great and well mannered. So that was nice. Then we had the Nornbergs over to play some Wii and Hunter and Hannah played pretty nice. They had EVERY single toy in that playroom out and all over the place, the blankets off Hunter's bed, the blankets off the guest bed, the cushions off the chairs, they were busy. They are really cute together, though, and chase each other around. We were all downstairs bowling and Hannah came down and said to me, "I have to ask you a question, Hunter is upstairs making a huge mess in the toilet." So Brent went up and found Hunter in the bathroom with his diaper off(I had put on his pj's and he sleeps with a diaper on) his pants off and the brand new roll of toilet paper in the toilet. Hunter had to go potty and did it himself. He was proud of himself and told Brent, "I had to go so I just did it myself, that was ok, right?" I'm glad he's taking initiative:) Other than that, nothing worth mentioning happened today. Except for Hunter beating Tate ALL day. I am a referee. Tate now has a brand new bump on the side of his head from Hunter and so we'll have to push the pictures back a little longer. That poor kid has had more head injuries than most people have in their life I think. And as for me, I have all of a sudden developed an all sweets appetite. I cannot get enough. I liked sweets before, but it is an obsession now!

What a day!!

I think I have finally reached the "crazy pregnant energy" mark in the pregnancy. I have been going and going and going today. Over the last couple weeks we have been going through our closets and getting rid of some stuff and organizing. We also decided since sooner or later we'll have to move the guest room downstairs that we might as well do it now and turn the guest room into a playroom for the boys. So today I cleaned out Hunter and Tate's closet, went through ALL of their toys in the toybox(and under the couches) packed a box of books away, put the play food in a plastic tub, the train tracks in another, and the mini people and animals in another. Now they can actually PLAY with their toys becuase we'll know where they are. We had our friends over to help move the guest bed downstairs and the couch upstiars, and the desk and computer up upstairs. I can say for the first time maybe ever that my house is very organized. I am pleased with how the playroom is, it will be nice to have it all in one area, although I know that it won't stay in one area. The boys were pretty entertained by all the "new" stuff we found. I put batteries in the dead toys and taped all the ripped books back together, so we should be set for awhile.

Hunter watched a video today for the first time(a garage sale find) of "Elmocise" where Elmo is doing excercises, and so he had fun with that. He came and told me he was going to do his excercises, and it was funny to watch him. Since I found all of his tools to go with his workbench, he came out to the kitchen tonight while I was making supper and said that he was going to work. I asked him where he was working and he said in his room, so I asked him what he was going to work on, and he told me that he was going to build a giant backhoe loader. A little while later he came and got me(while holding his hammer and saw) and told me he was done, so we went in his room and he showed me his pretend backhoe loader. He's very talented :)

Tate just had fun playing with all the animals today. I think animals are to him and tractors are to Hunter. Maybe its his age, but he really likes animals. He's getting the sounds of a lot of them down. And he's added "ball" and "cup" to his vocabulary.

Here are some pics of my new living spaces:







The third picture is to show that there are now no toys around my front door. YAY!