My 3 Munchkins

Little Victories

2012-01-30T13:35:00.000-06:00

As I work through this healthy journey, I need to take a moment to notice and celebrate the little things. Like the three times my husband has made pizza and I've chosen to stay the course and eat my own healthy meal instead. Or the fact that although I've lost 11.8 pounds to date I can't tell when I look in the mirror~but the pants I'm wearing today that have been too tight for months (years? Yeah, probably years) are loose.

My knee has been aching a little when running, so I did an internet search and learned about "runner's knee." I don't think I have it~could I really have it when I'm still just pretending to be a runner? However, I found it interesting that it is caused by the thigh and calf muscles being weak. In order to prevent my little ache from becoming all-out runner's knee, I have been doing a few minutes of conditioning before bed. Mostly just wall sits and calf raises. Last night I added a little (tiny) bit of Pilates. I was laying on my back with my legs raised, bouncing my hands when I noticed definition in my thighs. What? Me? Definition? It made me smile to know that all this running is working.

When I began this journey, my first run was a five minute walk, one minute run, five minute walk. It was so hard! I am now up to 20-25 minutes of running with a short walk for warm up/cool down. I'm running really slow-probably about 1 1/2 miles in that timeframe. Despite knowing how slow I'm going I can't help but smile everytime I pass the corner (Crestview, for those of you familiar with my neighborhood) where I turn around. I'm still amazed that I can run that far and back without stopping.

My other big victory is the Y. I called them on the 17th to find out about low income memberships and was delighted at the price we'd pay for a family membership. Let's just say it's less than I'd pay just for childcare at the other local gym! And the Y has a lot more to offer than the other place; a pool, kids' classes, etc. We also get a discount on programs. My next project is to contact them about how much we'd pay for preschool if we move Gracie there next year. We love Gracie's preschool, but the cost is going up next year and we're already stretching it to send her at this cost. I'm hoping the Y is cheaper, since when Gracie's done and in kindergarten Bee will be starting. . . and when she's finally done Jerry will be starting! Crazy to think of that!

Reality

2012-01-21T21:35:00.000-06:00

The reality of my life is that I am overweight. I have been for about ten years or so, and I am tired of it. Tired of being tired all the time. Tired of not being able to keep up with my kids. Tired of hating shopping. Tired of not being comfortable in my clothes (or my skin for that matter).

A friend posted a status on Facebook about signing up for the Color Run. I HATE running. Always have. But I LOVE how lean and fit runners' bodies tend to be. What better way to motivate an art teacher to take up running then to have a 5K that throws paint on the runners at every kilometer? I signed up that same day. Then I figured I'd better get my butt in gear, I only had four months to be ready! Luckily, another friend saw my status post about joining the race and told me she used a program called Couch to 5K to train for her first race. It's perfect!

The first day of training was a 5 minute walk, 1 minute run, 5 minute walk. I am not exaggerating when I say I was so out of shape that one solid minute of running nearly did me in. It was pure and complete torture. However, I knew it would get easier and I owe it to myself and my family to just do it (as Nike would say). I am starting my fourth week of training (out of ten) and am happy to say I can run for seven minutes without stopping or killing myself! Tomorrow I up it to eight.

A couple of weeks into my training, a friend invited me to join her on Lose It! It is a website (and app if you have an i-something or Android) that tracks caloric intake and calories burned through exercise. When I signed up I put in my starting weight (218, yikes!), my goal weight, and how much I want to lose each week (1, 1 1/2, or 2 pounds). The site then gave me a calorie budget and the date I will reach my goal. This has helped me so much! I've always known I'm a food addict and eat way too much, but I didn't really know to what extent. The site has completely changed how I view food. It's amazing how many things are known as being healthy that really aren't. For example, my husband bought me some Cinnamon Raisin Granola for breakfast. The portion size is 3/4 C and has 230 calories! Compared to the girls' super sugary Cinnamon Toast Crunch that has a serving size of 1 C and only 110 calories. Crazy! I have a long way to go, but right now I am down 7.8 pounds, which is roughly 10% of my goal. I know I am in for a long journey and that I will probably always be fighting this battle. It sure feels good to be doing something for myself though!

iPad 2 & Kindle Fire Giveaway!

2012-01-09T15:45:00.001-06:00

Rafflecopter is giving away an iPad 2 and Kindle Fire! Just fill out the form below for your chances to win. In the referral link please tell them Jodi from My 3 Munchkins referred you to them. If you win, I could win a Kindle Fire too! Good luck to all! a Rafflecopter giveaway

Bee is for Ballerina

2012-01-07T13:41:00.000-06:00

We arrived about ten minutes early, so Gracie gave Bee a pre-dance class lesson on some of her favorite moves from her class.


They started with a song and then horsies!

The last year and a half of watching Gracie danced paid off for Bee. She instantly put the bean bag on her head and started walking around with it without any prompting from the teacher!

If only I'd captured the giggle that went with this picture!

She loved the ribbon dancing. She started as soon as they were in her hands, regardless of music.

All tuckered out after a fun dance class. As soon as they were dismissed she threw herself dramatically on the floor and declared "Again! Another one dance class!" She continued that fit all. the. way. home. I think it's safe to say she loved it.

Big Girls!

2012-01-02T19:18:00.001-06:00

I know this is a weird place to start a blog post, but you need to know how we got here. I am not in a hurry for Bee to grow up, so the background knowledge is necessary here.

Gracie woke me up this morning by running into my room and exclaiming "I peed in my bed!" After naps (she had to sleep on a bare bed. I'm just thankful I put a new moisture proof cover on the mattress last week!), the bed was still torn apart and I brought the mattress cover and sheets into the room to put if back together. I pulled the bedrail off to get to the mattress, and Bee pointed out that there's another bedrail between her crib and the wall. "For me! For Bee!" I have tried that bedrail on her crib, and it slips right out but the one on Gracie's bed has a part that goes all the way to the other side of the mattress to keep it more secure. Gracie declared that she doesn't need a rail anymore and Bee was asking and asking to have it on her bed. So, here we go! My little Bee has a big girl bed. And my little Gracie has no bedrail. It eases my mind that Gracie's bed is just a boxspring and mattress on the floor so there's not far for her to fall!

Such a big girl!

Rollin'

2011-12-30T21:54:00.002-06:00

Baby Jerry has been trying to roll over all week. It's pretty hard to do when every time he got a quarter of the way Bee would run over yelling "No baby! No baby!" and push him back onto his back. However, Daddy has been showing him what to do when Bee's occupied and tonight after she went to bed he finally succeeded! He got onto his belly, but was still laying on his arm. He didn't really know what to do once he was on his belly and flopped back onto his back pretty quickly. Just to show his skill and that it wasn't a fluke, he did it a couple more times complete with smiles and a couple of giggles.

Peas

2011-12-30T21:35:00.000-06:00

Bee was me getting peas ready for Jerry and begged to feed him. It was also his first time trying peas.

Of course, as soon as Bee got to feed him Gracie wanted to too.

Printmaking

2011-12-30T21:32:00.004-06:00

We did some printmaking today. I taped a piece of bubblewrap to the table for each girl and had them paint on it. When it was covered, we put a piece of paper over it and rubbed it to make a print. I didn't get many pictures because I didn't notice my camera was on video when we started.

Bee also printed on her belly!

"So pretty, Momma!"

Jerry's Christmas Present

2011-12-27T16:01:00.000-06:00

Daddy and I didn't really get JR anything for Christmas. We figure, he's a baby, he doesn't care. However, my mom and I have been thinking he'd like a Jumparoo, and I also think he'd like an activity gym~you know, the kind that is suspended above the baby as he's laying on the ground. However, both those items are very expensive. The kids and I went to Once Upon a Child today and I found a playskool toy that is similar to an activity gym for $8.00! I also found a Jumparoo for $25. Jerry is in heaven. FINALLY! Toys just for him!

6 Month Checkup

2011-12-27T13:20:00.000-06:00

Jerry had his six month checkup this morning. I'm so proud of my little man! Although he got three vaccines, he only cried for a few seconds and was back to my smiley little boy. He laughed a wiggled through the whole appointment to the point that the doc said she felt like she was missing something because it was going by so quickly. He is in good health, and weighs in at 16.8 pounds. I was surprised that he is only the 25% for weight. Feels like bricks to me! He is 26 1/2" long (50%) and his head is 43cm (90%). I find it amusing that all three of my kids have had heads in the 90%. Daddy says it's to hold such squishy cheeks. He may be on to something, 'cause I just can't stop kissing those little cheeks!

Christmas Day

2011-12-27T13:17:00.000-06:00

Christmas Day we went to Grandma and Grandpa's house for dinner and presents with them and Daddy's sister's family. Bee got a huge stuffed Brobee (from You Gabba Gabba, her fav show), and I think that present has been the biggest hit of Christmas. Yesterday after her nap she played "naptime" with Brobee for a really long time. She's put him to bed in the hallway and tuck him in with all her blankies. Too cute.

The pictures above and below the girls are singing "Happy Birthday" to the baby Jesus from Grandma's nativity scene. After presents we sang to baby Jesus and had some birthday cake for him.

Of course, Brobee had to sit by Bee to eat cake!

Momma and Daddy are official NFL owners. Certificate of Packer's stock ownership.


Jerry tried out Grandma's entertainer too. I think he likes it.

The video is dark, but it was late so there ya go. It's still cute, if you can see it.

Christmas Morning

2011-12-26T17:42:00.001-06:00

Santa came!

Jerry's looks empty, but he has four jars of PEAS in there! Woo Hoo, moving on from green beans!

"Polishes!"

Both girls love nail polishes. Gracie got a princesses package of nail polishes, and Bee got Hello Kitty.

They each got toothpaste and a toothbrush.

Santa also brought two larger gifts for each girl. They got some magnetic paperdolls by Melissa & Doug, a light up base Incredible Hulk, and a table easel. Gracie got an easel at a garage sale over the summer and Bee always wants to use it too. Now they both have one!

Opening her easel.

Watching the girls open their stuff.

Gracie made Momma a candle at school. She was very excited to give it to me and asked me to take a picture of her with it.

One of the paperdolls sets had color-your-own dresses.

Bee playing with her new easel. It's been in use pretty much since then!

Christmas Eve

2011-12-24T22:29:00.000-06:00

We started with a little pre-dinner show while waiting for my brother's family to arrive.

After dinner we had a concert.

And then a photo shoot (I didn't take pics when trying to get all the kids, I figured 3 cameras was enough. I'll be sure to add some to the blog when I get them emailed to me).

Jerry liked his sleigh.

At least until Gracie joined him. . .

Daddy and Gracie have been searching for a Red Hulk action figure since early last summer. He got one for her on eBay, and she was very excited~for a minute.

The other big gift Gracie has been begging for since the summer is a set of seven Disney Princess 12" dolls. I told her that was too big a gift for just any day, it would have to be Christmas or her birthday. We got it for her and Bee to share, and as they ripped it open together her eyes lit up and she exclaimed, "It's what I've always wanted!"

Checking out her princesses. I think she was actually speechless for a second.

However, Bee may have liked them even more!

More Christmas Decor

2011-12-23T18:40:00.002-06:00

We hung our stockings today. Living in a small apartment with no entertainment center, I was a little hard pressed for where to put them. I settled for above the china hutch. I am too cheap to buy three-five stocking holders, so I just got a two pack and used a pole from a pack n play bassinet to hang all three from the two. Once we have our own place, I'll get a nicer looking curtain rod to put between them.

Our tree has transformed a bit since the last post. The idea of having a tree they can touch in their room and one they can't in the living room didn't work. They play with both of them. Luckily, I anticipated that and didn't put any breakable ornaments on it.

The girls made stars with Nana one day, which we then added to the tree. In the top picture and the picture below you can see their angels. Pretty sure momma did 90-99% of the angels. That wasn't the plan, but oh well! The top pic is "Bee's", and the one below is "Gracie's." At least Gracie attempted to color her hair and draw a face on it.

The angel making turned into playing with pipecleaners. Gracie asked me to make some hearts for her, and we ended up making them into a chain, which she asked to put on the Christmas tree.

They also colored some baby cradle ornaments that we got at Jo-Ann's.

Big Sister

2011-12-23T18:03:00.000-06:00

Brianna takes being a big sister very seriously. This is what happens when the baby starts crying.

{Almost} Six Months & Green Beans

2011-12-14T08:25:00.002-06:00

Jerry will be six months on Christmas Eve! In celebration of his soon-to-be milestone, he started baby food last night. I started a little earlier than six months because he seems to be ready and I am having a lot of trouble pumping at work. It's a pain to find a private place to do it; I got a new classroom this year and it has a huge window in the door and the blinds don't work. It takes up half of my prep time, and I am way behind in everything I do because of that. Also, I'm only pumping about enough for one bottle anyway. He eats more than that while I'm at work, so he's already been supplimenting with formula. I figure if we can get him to be happy and fullfilled with rice cereal and baby food while I'm at work (maybe a bottle or two of formula), he can nurse in the morning and evening. If last night is any indication, this plan should work. He got home from Nana and Grandpa's at 7:00, nursed, tried green beans, and went to bed. I had to wake him up after my shower~he slept all night! I'm optimistic that this will be good for both him and I, as I need to reduce my stress level and getting my prep time back should help with that. (Graduating in May will help it even more!)

JR will have his six month check up on December 27th.

He has no idea what's coming. . .

Any time anyone makes eye contact with this little one, he gives a smile this big. He's such a happy boy!

O {BIG!} Christmas Tree

2011-12-11T08:12:00.001-06:00

We put our big Christmas tree last night! First the girls made a couple more ornaments. They painted some puzzle pieces that I hot glued together to look like snowflakes.

After washing up, the girls used markers to color a wooden baby cradle ornament that we got at Jo-Ann's when we bought the tree.

Gracie's snowflake dried enough to add glitter glue, but Bee's was still too wet. We'll finish those tonight.

Putting the decorations on the tree!

Our completed tree!

Christmas Art Projects

2011-12-10T15:27:00.001-06:00

Throughout this week, the kids and I created the Christmas tree above. The bottom and third row up are Gracie's handprints (she put a print in the middle of nowhere and we made due). The second row up is Bee's, and the to two are Jerry's. I added the glitter star, and the girls put the jewels on for the ornaments.

When Josey was here for Thanksgiving, she sent Daddy and I out on a date and made foot and hand print angels with all three kids. I found frames that will fit them at work (that I will never use at work) and brought them home. I discovered that the mats looked bad with them, as they were off white so I had the kids paint them in the colors they used for their angel. Gracie painted 3/4 of the mat, Bee painted the paper I put under the mat, and I didn't even try with Jerry! I painted Bee and Jerry's and put them in the frames. I think they look great! I plan on putting them either above our t.v. or in the hallway.

P.S. This is where I got the Christmas tree picture idea.

O Christmas Tree

2011-12-10T15:23:00.001-06:00

I believe it was my mother-in-law that suggested putting a small Christmas tree in the girls' room for them to decorate and redecorate all they want, taking the desire to~ahem~"fix" the big tree in the living room daily. Last night at bedtime, we decorated their little tree. Tonight we'll do our big tree as a family.

Sunday Funday

2011-12-05T09:49:00.001-06:00

With Gracie reaching the ripe old age of three, Christmas is becoming a big deal around here. She has requested several times to have our own tree this year, and we plan to do so. However, we don't have many ornaments. What's an art teacher to do with not enough ornaments? Have her kids make some, of course! I've decided to try to do a Christmas craft with them each weekend, and hopefully a few more sprinkled in the weekdays. This coming weekend will be hard, as I have grad school, but we'll try. Yesterday we did our first one: Popsicle Stick Christmas Trees!

First the girls painted the "skinny sticks" I got at Wal Mart green. If we were to do it again, I'd just have them use markers, like they did with the popsicle stick for the trunk.

Jerry was very into this project.

The girls struggled with the painting at first, so I got some tape out and taped the sticks to the paper plate. Things went much more smoothly after that.

Bee did ask for help painting, but did about 90% herself.

While the paint dried, we went outside to enjoy our new snow!

It wasn't "snowman making snow," but we did what we could.

Gracie asked Bee to help her make a "really big head, like mine!" but didn't realize that Bee's not quite capable of being gentle yet. His head got destroyed, so Gracie kicked him over. (see video)

Oh well, it was fun anyway!

Gracie and I made snowangels, and she added a halo to mine. :)

So sweet.

After lunch and naps (which I used to glue the green sticks onto the brown trunks), the girls were ready to finish their Christmas trees. They chose which jewel to add, and showed me where to put the glue. Gracie got very into it, but Bee doesn't like getting dirty or sticky as much as Gracie does. She got glue on her fingers and decided she was done.

Gracie's is on the left and Bee's is on the right.

Momma just needs to add a string to hang them from!

Thanksgiving 2011

2011-11-26T16:35:00.002-06:00

As is tradition at every holiday, we tried to get a picture of all the kids together. Gracie wasn't really into it. Actually, she wasn't into much on Thanksgiving. I had cute outfits picked out for the girls, but they stated that they would only leave the house in their Packers shirts. I knew that wouldn't go over well with my Viking fan family, so I concinced them to at least wear a team-neutral Koos for Kids charity shirt instead. Oh well, I can't win them all.

At least I got cute one of my niece, Elara with JR.

After dinner the kids made a paper chain for Nana and Grandpa's Christmas Tree.

Then the glitter glue came out to make a few ornaments.

Bee decided Grandpa looked cold.

The grandkids decorated the Christmas tree too!

I'd say the bottom two feet of the tree look marvelous!

Tie Dye with Sharpies

2011-11-23T18:15:00.001-06:00

I did this lesson with my special needs kids on Tuesday and decided Gracie would also have fun with it. We put a cardboard in the shirts and then a plastic cup. With a rubber band around the top of the cup, she used a Sharpie to color the shirt. When rubbing alcohol is added with a dropper, the ink spreads and looks like tie dye. Just keep moving the cup around to make a complete shirt. Gracie loved it and started a second shirt too.

Adding the rubbing alcohol.

Her first completed shirt. Yeah, it's a little big, but Momma made her one her size, and hers was made from leftover shirts that I bought for my students.

P.S. Don't you love my kids' gallery in the background? Our dining room is so artistic!

My Littlest Artist

2011-11-23T17:39:00.001-06:00

Josey got baby Jerry painting! He really seemed to like it, and made three beautiful masterpieces.

"Momma, I'm done."

He Sits!~For Real!

2011-11-23T17:38:00.001-06:00

He Sits!~Sort Of...

2011-11-23T15:04:00.001-06:00

Stone Soup

2011-11-21T21:19:00.001-06:00

Gracie's preschool had Stone Soup today. The kids even went to the river to pick the perfect stones! All the parents were invited to partake in the dish with the children. I must say, I agonized over this decision. A huge part of me hates being away from my classroom. Now matter how wonderful the sub is, s/he isn't the teacher and doesn't know the classroom like the teacher does. However, the voices of many colleagues echoed in my mind, reminding me that our district is generous enough to give us two personal days for just this type of thing, and before I know it my kiddos will be off to college and I don't want to wish I'd done more with them. My students should not be more important to me than my own children. I also didn't want her to be the only kid there without an adult to share her soup with.

So, I decided to go.

I'm glad I did. It was only a half hour, so I was able to take the morning off and still have another 1 1/2 personal days for other events this school year. It was pretty low key, we enjoyed the soup and then the kids sat on pillows and sang a few songs for us.

Get a Melissa & Doug 25% Off Coupon When You Take the North "Poll"

2011-11-17T07:24:00.001-06:00

Melissa & Doug want you to tell them which of their educational toys you think is the best! Just click on the image below to place your vote in the North "Poll!" You'll Get a Melissa & Doug 25% Off Coupon** to use at MelissaAndDoug.com just for voting!

Observation Day

2011-11-15T11:42:00.001-06:00

Gracie is loving dance class. She often asks me to go on day that she doesn't have class. On a typical dance day parents are not allowed in the studio. While I understand that the kids participate better without us there, a part of me also wishes I could watch. Last week was extra special because it was "observation day," which means we parents were allowed in the studio to watch. Unfortunately, I had a meeting after work that I didm't know about until the last minute so I didm't have my camera with me. I did, however find my Flipcam in my purse. So there's a lot of video...

Houlton Fall Bazaar

2011-11-12T21:23:00.001-06:00

One of my schools has an annual fundraiser called their Fall Bazaar. It's a blast, and Gracie looks forward to it every year. It's a lot like the one at the high school I previously posted about, but this one is much bigger, and has been going on for 49 years. They have lots of fair games, crazy hair, face painting, craft vendors, food, test drive a new car, and a wagon ride. We didn't do all of it, but considering I was there with all three kids solo, I think we did plenty!

Gracie getting her hair done.

Waiting for her big sis to get her hair done.

Little sis's turn!

Spotting a puppy sculpture while waiting for Bee's hair to be done.

Duck pond game.

Gracie showed Bee how to do this game. It took her a couple of tries, but she eventually got the ping pong ball into a blue bowl. The girl running the game told Bee to "do just like your sister did." So, Bee grabbed the ping pong ball, walked up to the cups, and placed it carefully in the exact same blue bowl. At least she listens to someone.

Spin Art!

The big reveal.

Bee and her masterpiece.

Gracie and her masterpiece.

"Dinosaur Dig." The kids dug out Easter eggs with prizes in them and got to keep both the egg and prize.

Facepainting.

Just before we left. Loaded down with colored hair, painted faces, too much candy and lots of prizes. A successful morning!

Post Halloween

2011-11-12T21:12:00.001-06:00

Daddy and I hit the post Halloween sales for dress up costumes for the kids. We have lots of dress up stuff, but it's all girly, and we're pretty into super heroes these days. Among others, we got these. . .

Wolverine

Jasmine

Bumblebee

Snow White

Rice Cereal

2011-11-12T21:11:00.001-06:00

On November 1st, my boy had a huge milestone. He tried rice cereal for the first time. He reacted pretty typically, eating some and spitting it out periodically. He's been doing great with it since. I can't believe he's already old enough for solids!

Happy Halloween!

2011-11-12T20:54:00.001-06:00

Our family tradition is to meet at my brother's family's house for trick or treating. They have a wonderful, family oriented neighborhood. Here are all the girls in their costumes. Spider-Man, Rapunzel, Iron Man, and a duck. Lots of people laughed at my girls in such boy costumes, but it was always with a smile. I have unique kids, and I love it.

We managed to keep track of Gracie's Spider-Man mask for three days, just to lose it the morning of Halloween and find it the day after. Figures.

Painting Pumpkins

2011-11-12T15:58:00.001-06:00

Cousin Evan came over to paint pumpkins before Halloween!

Hilltop Pumpkin Party

2011-10-29T17:40:00.000-05:00

We went to the annual Hilltop Pumpkin Party today. We have never gone, and this year they had a new venue, the Camp St. Croix Day Camp. It was great, and the kids had a lot of fun.

They got to pick a pumpkin from the pumpkin patch and then decorate it with paint pens.

Spider-Grace found a winner.

So did Iron-Bee.

They took their decorating very seriously. We were sitting there for. ev. er.

There were two bouncy houses, complete with huge slides.

They each got to sit in a real firetruck.

I love this pic. Especially because the fire helmet happens to have Daddy's name on it.

What a coincidence!

Checking out the pony rides. The line was huge, and it was the only thing they charged for, so we didn't ride them. We went next to them and checked out the petting zoo.

Bee fed the llama, and Gracie fed...everything. She went to pretty much every pen and gave them just a little bit.

He Giggles

2011-10-29T15:31:00.000-05:00

First, the sleeper Jerry is wearing is a 12 month sleeper. That's why the video starts farther out on him and zooms in. I think it's crazy that it fits him so well. (Sorry that it's pink and purple, Jerry, but Momma was focused on keeping you warm and we didn't take you in public with it on, I promise!). I have discovered that if we kiss him just below the left side of his ribcage, he will almost always let out a nice big giggle. Makes Momma's day every time. Sorry the video is so dark. We turned on every light in the apartment, but it's a pretty dark apartment in the evening.

Two Years and Four Months

2011-10-29T15:22:00.004-05:00

My two little ones had their well child exams yesterday. I don't know what I was thinking, making it a block appointment at a time when Daddy couldn't come with. NIGHTMARE!! Anyway, they are both doing awesome, and got flying colors from the doc. Bee weighs in at a whopping 27 pounds and is 34" tall, both of which are about the 50th percentile. I got a kick out of some of the questions. I guess I didn't realize that she's ahead of a normal two-year-old in so many ways. Not that she's "gifted" or anything, just that she wants to do everything Gracie does. The doc asked questions like "do you think she has at least 50 words in her vocabulary?" More like 50,000~ the girl is never quiet! And, "does she show signs of wanting to use a fork and spoon?" She's been using those for about a year now. "Can she make a motion like brushing her teeth?" She brushes her teeth twice a day, and would another 10 times if I let her.

Jerry also had his checkup. He now weighs in at 14 pounds, 14 ounces which is about the 25th percentile. He is 24 1/2" long (25th percentile) and his head circumference is 43 cm (90th percentile). The doc said he looks chubby but is actually very proportionate.

The pinnacle of the appointment was when both kids were due to get two shots. Brianna's was the worst, and her look of betrayal at me had me tearing up. Her sad little "owie, momma" topped it off. The baby gave a similar look, but was much quicker to be consoled. I'm thankful that Gracie and Bee are both up to date on their shots and won't need any until their five year checkups. I'll just have to send the baby with Daddy for the next couple.

Glow in the Dark Bathtime

2011-10-29T14:22:00.002-05:00

A friend that I've known since grade school wrote on her Facebook status that she was giving her daughter (who is Bee's age) a glow in the dark bath. Of course, there were many comments asking how in the world was she making the bath glow in the dark. GLOWSTICKS! Brilliant. Especially this time of year, when they are cheap for Halloween. Michael's has two packs on sale, two packages (4 glowsticks) for a dollar. Score. The girls loved it.

Exersaucer

2011-10-17T22:27:00.002-05:00

Baby Jerry tried his exersaucer tonight! Note to self, if we have another child, bring the exersaucer in a day or two before I actually want to try it. The girls kept climbing into it and trying to spin the baby. After a while of chasing them away I gave up and hid it behind the baby gate! Jerry seemed to like it though.

Can you see Gracie? She's under the exersaucer, entwined with Jerry's legs. Sigh.

"Spin him!" Oh, Bee.

Is it just me, or does he look dizzy?

Dress Up

2011-10-17T22:22:00.001-05:00

I love it when my girls break out the dress up stuff. Yeah, it's messy and sometimes takes a while to get cleaned up, but it's so much fun! Last night they got it out to become fairy princesses. They each got a wand and took turns turning me into things. They were pretty nice, and stuck mostly to turning me into a princess and back into mommy.

Seeing if Gracie's prince spell has worn off.

HHS Fall Carnivale

2011-10-17T22:17:00.000-05:00

The local high school had a choir fundraiser last weekend and we decided to check it out since I know the director, she has kids the girls' age, and it's a family friendly event.

The girls got their face painted. I think the last two events have ruined face painting for Gracie. She's expecting full face paint at every place now. Here she asked for Hulk and was a bit disappointed when she got a little drawing on her cheek that looked a bit more like Frankenstein than Hulk, but, hey, it was high school kids not professionals. Bee also got her face painted, requesting "yellow." We repeatidly asked her "a yellow what?" and just got "yellow" in response. She ended up with a yellow flower.

The girls and Grandma all decorated their own pumpkin.

Bee may have had a little help...

Both girls got crazy hair.

My crazy haired girlies.

Junk food!

An older lady stopped me and asked to see the baby. When I uncovered him, she cooed and raved about how beautiful he is. She stated "Oh, I just adore babies! But I can't stand children." Um. Ok? I just smiled and said "Well, that poses quite a problem doesn't it?" and quickly excused myself. Odd.

The girls also got to go fishing~a couple of times. Bee didn't want to fish a second time, but when Grandma mentioned she could go fishing for Cousin Evan, she was all for it, exclaiming "For Ev-A!"

All in all, it was a very fun day! I can't wait for my school's Fall Bazaar, which is similar but with many more games and lots more food and vendors. It's always fun to see my students outside of a classroom atmosphere too. Gracie looks forward to the Bazaar every year.

Brianna's Second Birthday Party

2011-10-17T22:00:00.000-05:00

Happy 2nd Birthday, Brianna!

We celebrated on Saturday with a gathering of friends at a local park. I had hoped to have a bubble art project and lots of bubble making activities but it was too windy to attempt any of that craziness. Instead, we just played and visited, ate, and opened presents. It was a nice way to celebrate and when we got home and were getting out of the van I asked Bee if she had fun. Her response was "Yeah. Miss. It."

While I was setting up Bee found a big stick to carry around.

Both girls love this playground.

The cheesy poofs and big rock were the hit of the party.

Today

2011-10-08T22:24:00.000-05:00

I had grad school this morning, but boy did the kids and I pack a lot of fun in once I got home!

First we went to the park. . .

Bee decided she was tired, so she stole JR's blankie and settled down for a nap-at the bottom of the slide!

JR was jealous.

The girls rolled down a big hill, which we plan on sledding down this winter.

When we got home we decided to do a very Fall-ish art project. Apple painting! It took a while for the girls to catch on that it's more fun to stamp with the apples, but eventually they did and Gracie was thrilled that the stamps look like hearts declaring that hearts are her favorite shape.

2011-10-03T22:34:00.000-05:00

Last weekend we went to the apple orchard with my parents, my brother's family, and my friend Carrie and her daughter, Jolynn. We had lots of fun picking out pumpkins, riding the wagon, eating apple treats, and playing at their attractions.

Bee was impressed with the humongous pumpkins.

Gracie's mission was to find one she could pick up. She kept rejecting them, saying they were too heavy if she couldn't hold them for a while. The picture above she had just dropped the pumpkin at her feet and declared it "not THE ONE."

Mission accomplished! I'm not certain it's actually a pumpkin-it may be a gourd, but she was happy and satisfied. She waltzed to the scale without me and tried to pay for it. The worker said "It's one dollar and sixteen cents." Gracie: "ok." Worker: "Do you have one dollar and sixteen cents?" Gracie: "Yep." Eventually, my dad came up and paid for the pumpkin as I was busy chasing Bee and the stroller, with my wallet was a ways away.

Gracie, Bee, Jolynn, Elara.

Bee loved this cutout. She kept running into other people's pictures. She kept me busy!

Hudson Art Fair

2011-10-03T22:22:00.002-05:00

Gracie and Bee each made sand art pictures at the Hudson Art Fair two weekends ago. They made a design in glue and poured sand from a bottle over the wet glue. Bee had a blast showing off her knowledge of colors, even asking for white. The lady running the booth had to grab white from under the table as she hadn't put it out for the kids! Gracie was also very into the project, and got a little upset that Bee was done so quickly and she had to go. They both had plenty on their papers by then though.

Gracie found a "Spider-Man snake" at one of the booths. To talk her out of trying to buy it, we took a picture of her with it instead.

He Smiles

2011-10-03T22:16:00.000-05:00

Playdate!

2011-09-11T13:50:00.000-05:00

Shirley came over today! This always calls for a fun activity, and I've been meaning to do this painting activity with my girls all summer so it seemed like the perfect time. I rolled tennis balls in paint and put them into the pool and the girls gently tilted the pool to make the ball roll over the paper that was taped to the bottom of the pool. The older girls did awesome, and seemed to really like the process but Bee was slightly tortured that there were balls and she wasn't allowed to grab.

Shirley declared that she was making the painting for her Daddy, so Gracie agreed that the next painting was for her Daddy. What a lucky couple of Daddies!

When all the painting fun was over the kids started begging to swim. I tried to talk them out of it, saying they'd get cold, but all three were asking so sweetly that I got the suits and hose out. Funny, though, as soon as we were situated and I started to clean the patio they all wanted to "help" clean the patio. I gave one of them a sponge to wipe off the picnic table and went in to start lunch. When I came back out, all three of them were using the water to "clean" the patio! It's never been cleaner :)

Scottish Festival

2011-09-10T22:25:00.003-05:00

Grandma took us to the Scottish Festival today. The girls had so much fun, they didn't want to leave. Both of them got their face painted. Gracie started to get her hair braided but lost patience with the process. They rode on a car with "Nessie" on top, listened to Scottish music, and shopped at the little vendor booths.

Gracie chose to have her face painted like Ironman.

Of course, it had to be sparkly, so she is "Sparkly Iron-Gracie."

Bee was next. She was quite agreeable to pretty much anything I suggested, but when I said "Puppy?" her face lit up.

Becoming a puppy.

Bee Puppy!
The woman was working on her spots and Bee was excitedly pointing to her pile of paint and exclaiming "Yellow! Yellow! Yellow!" so she became a brown and yellow spotted puppy.

Riding "Nessie."

Gracie went back to the face painting and asked for Spider-Man on her arm.

Mini Ninja

2011-09-10T22:23:00.001-05:00

Bee cracked me up today when she grabbed Gracie's Karate uniform off the desk and proceeded to put it on. She asked me to help with the pants and belt and then walked around the room kicking the air and yelling "hi-ya!" Of course, she toned it down as soon as I got the camera on, but towards the end of the video she does a couple of cute kicks.

Preschool

2011-09-10T22:17:00.004-05:00

My heart broke a little this week when Gracie had her first day of preschool and I couldn't be there to drop her off and pick her up to ask her about her morning. When I got home from work, I asked her about school and she told me about a little boy that was crying. Apparently he fell and hurt himself but the teacher gave him a band-aid and he's ok. Whew. I plan on getting a picture of the kids on their first day of school every year and wanted to start with PK, so I had her pose on our kiddie picnic table and asked her to "look excited for school." The pic above is what she gave me. After asking to see it, she asked to try again and gave me the ones below. Always a ham!

State Fair

2011-09-10T21:33:00.005-05:00

I am not a fair-goer. I don't enjoy the crowds, and it pains me to spend so much money on all the food and other things that are so frivolous. However, when Daddy said he wanted to go so the girls could see the animals, we went.

Not being a fair person, I had no idea where to park. We ended up finding an sweet elderly man on a corner who let us park in his driveway for free. When we thanked him for letting us, he thanked us for trusting him! He said lots of people ask him "what's the catch?" and drive away. It was about a two mile walk to the grounds, which would have been fine. But then we realized we were also on the wrong side of the grounds for the animals! Ugg. I can handle a long walk; but a long walk with thousands of people, who all view my stroller as clearing the way so they can cut me off is a bit much for me.

Luckily, the kids' reaction to the animals made it all worth the frustration.

We saw the goats first. Gracie's preschool has goats that the kids take care of and both the girls fed them at the open house. So goats are pretty popular around our house right now. However, Gracie spent most of the time in the goat building asking for the piggies.

Gracie was elated at meeting the piggies. She was amazed by how big they are, and how big their noses are. She danced around in the aisles, singing and loving the pigs~who started at her like she's nuts. I tried to get a video but, of course, she stopped when she saw the camera.

The girls also met and pet a horse, but every time I tried to get a picture of it the horse turned his head out of the frame. Gracie made the owners crack up when she exclaimed "This is the most humongous horse I've ever seen!" It is also the first horse she's ever seen in person!

When walking through the cow building we saw a man caring for this cow and he asked the kids if they would like to pet her. The Bee was very excited, and pet her nose right away. Gracie was a little more timid, but when the man told her they don't even have any top teeth (I didn't know that!) she went closer to pet her.

The kids participated in the Girl Scouts' exhibit, Little Farm Hands. It was a bit frustrating at first, as I thought I could handle both girls and let Daddy take a break. Then we reached the tractors. . .

First, there weren't enough tractors for how many kids entered at once. Then the one Bee got didn't have a trailer, so she didn't know what to do with her bucket of chicken feed she was supposed to be transporting. All the while, Gracie was trying to get on her tractor. None of us knew how far to drive. Bee tipped over on her tractor. . . finally Daddy heard the commotion from across the "farm" and came to rescue us all!

LOVE this pic.
Gracie asked if she could pose with Charlie Brown-which is rare!

Turning in all the fruits, veggies, and milk we "grew" and "milked" to get a dollar from the Girl Scout.

They then brought their dollar to the "store" and picked out a little treat for all their hard work. Bee picked out potato chips, and Gracie surprised us all by picking an apple.

Enjoying their hard-earned treat while Daddy bought some Cheese Curds.
Always the 'Sconie!

So Big, Indeed

2011-09-05T22:28:00.002-05:00

See this post?
Gracie was almost ten months old, learning to sit up and do "so big."
See that sleeper she's wearing?
Yeah, JR wore it to bed tonight (at two months) and it fit fine.
What a difference!

Happy Birthday, Elara

2011-08-25T22:37:00.006-05:00

We recently celebrated my niece's fourth birthday by going to Como Town, a small amusement park geared for children ages 2-12. Gracie had so much fun, she really loves playing with Elara.

This video is Bee's first ride, the teacups, with Uncle Tony.

Gracie rode the Frog Hopper, which is a lot like the Wonder Pets ride at MOA.

Gracie loved the cars.

We took a break from the rides to have some cake and sing for Elara.

Then we headed to the splashpad.

Finally, Gracie had to check out the zipline, because "the gang" uses a zipline in the Scooby-Doo movie we have on Netflix.

2 Months

2011-08-25T17:40:00.003-05:00

My baby boy is two months old. It's hard to believe he's so big already! We had his two month check up today and it's official, he's huge. He now weighs in at 12 pounds, 15 ounces and is 23 1/4" long; both of which are a little over the 50th percentile. His head circumference is 41 cm, which is the 90th percentile! He got three shots, which I selfishly made Daddy hold him during. However, that backfired on me when both girls started screaming because their baby brother was getting hurt. They both ended up in my lap crying with him for the shots!

Announcement

2011-08-20T00:18:00.000-05:00

Photo Card

View the entire collection of cards.
I'm a little slow, but I finally ordered Jerry's birth announcements!

Hudson

2011-08-17T16:44:00.000-05:00

I love Hudson. It's such a beautiful town.

Princess Dance Camp

2011-08-17T16:35:00.003-05:00

Gracie spent the mornings this week Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday at Princess Dance Camp. I don't know all of the activities they did, but a sampling of them are: makeup, nail polish, sidewalk chalk, princess stickers, played "frog, frog, princess", and made a door hanger. Today they invited all the parents to come earlier than normal to pick the kids up and stay for a performance by the children. Gracie was very excited when I told her not only would I be there, but also Daddy, Bee, Jerry, Grandma and Evan!

The dance.

Gracie is officially a princess! She even has a certificate to prove it.

One of the assistant teachers. Gracie seems to have liked her best, as she ran to her often, and was usually with her when I came to pick her up at the end of class.

Karate

2011-08-16T22:57:00.002-05:00

Gracie has improved in Karate so much. We are very proud of her! Last week she earned her first belt, a white belt. She was glowing, she was so proud! Each class, they get a "stripe" on their belt if they did a good job participating. The stripe is a thin piece of electrical tape that they put on the bottom of the belt. She is so happy to be able to earn her stripes like the other kids now. Here are a couple of videos from tonight's class. We have decided to keep her in class as long as she continues to enjoy it.

Beginning of class and stretching.

Working on a move.

Obstacle course.

Bubbles!

2011-08-14T00:00:00.003-05:00

Bee's favorite thing in the whole world is bubbles. So much so that her birthday party theme is going to be bubbles. With this in mind, I simply could not pass by the clearanced "Infinity Bubbles" bubble maker. I think it blew her little mind. Lucky for her, Gracie was out with Grandma when we tried it out, so she got all of those bubbles to herself.

She didn't quite know what to do with all those bubbles at first.

But she got the hang of it!

Thirsty

2011-08-13T23:58:00.001-05:00

Should I be concerned that she's drinking pool water from a severed doll head?
How about that she intentionally pulled the head off in order to drink from it?

Wheels

2011-08-13T23:50:00.003-05:00

Gracie has been asking for rollerskates since early spring when we had a nice day and two neighbor girls (who are much older) were rollerblading around the parking lot. We've been somewhat looking for them, to appease her, but not really looking, since the only place to skate is our minimal sidewalk or the parking lot-right, a three-year-old learning to rollerskate in a busy parking lot. No thanks. Nana was able to find a pair at our church garage sale, so Gracie has been very excited to try them out.

First attempt.

Victory!

Bee nabbed her own set of wheels out of the storage unit when we got the skates out, and diligently followed her big sis around.

And then stole her helmet.

Teddy Bear Park

2011-08-13T23:39:00.004-05:00

Through the grapevine, we have discovered a new park. It's called Teddy Bear Park (for obvious reasons), and it is awesome. Both kids love it. There is only one entrance/exit, and equipment for children of all ages, so both girls were very happy to have something at their level to play on. I find that Bee sometimes gets bored at other playgrounds because she's too little for so many of the features. That doesn't happen here. Most of the park is a soft astroturf or the rubbery material that many parks use these days, but there is also a sand area off to one side so the kids don't have to get all sandy if they don't want to (or if their mommy doesn't want them to).

Gracie loves the Teddy Bear sculptures, and goes back to them often while we are there.

JR had fun too!

Gracie was so proud that she can go all the way up the rocks all by herself!
Bee didn't get any farther than she is in the picture.

At the top!

Stuck in a spiderweb!

B's slide, lol!

Gracie insists on kissing each teddy bear good-bye before we can leave (ew). When we came back for our second visit, she ran in and exclaimed "Teddy bears, I'm back! I missed you!"

Wonder Pets Ride

2011-08-10T23:22:00.002-05:00

Gracie decided to try a new ride at MOA the other day. I was a little weary, but she was big enough, and it's a preschool ride. Boy did she love it! Some of the photos are pretty funny!

JR

2011-08-10T23:14:00.001-05:00

Nursing: A Love/Hate Relationship

2011-08-06T11:08:00.001-05:00

Beauty Parlor

2011-07-27T14:37:00.003-05:00

Bee found some nailpolish this morning. Gracie excitedly asked if she could paint Bee's nails. I was weary, but decided to let her. I had them sit at the table, and Gracie started with her toes. She did her hands too, but Bee usually wipes it right off of her fingers.

Later, Grandma came over to help me out, and when we told her about our beauty parlor, she asked if they would do her nails too. Gracie replied "No, it's just for kids." She was surprised when I told her adults could have nailpolish on too. So silly! This time Bee helped with the painting!

For You, God

2011-07-27T14:30:00.004-05:00

Jerry Richard Youngman was dedicated to God on Sunday, July 17th, 2011.

Thank you to everyone that came and made our day extra special.

Dora's House

2011-07-27T11:10:00.002-05:00

Gracie spent every Saturday morning visiting Dora last summer. When we went last week, it was like she was visiting an old friend...

So excited!

Tummy Time

2011-07-27T10:55:00.003-05:00

I'm not a huge fan of tummy time. Both the girls hated it, so we didn't do it often and they both crawled and walked on schedule. So it's not surprising that yesterday was the first time we tried tummy time. He did great, no complaints until his sisters got a little too close. He even lifted his head a few times!

It became a family event.

Sling

2011-07-27T10:54:00.000-05:00

JR's favorite sling. He's gotta see what's going on though!

Touchdown!

2011-07-27T10:30:00.002-05:00

I have pictures of all three of my children sleeping like this. Love the "Touchdown" pose.

Sillies

2011-07-26T22:28:00.003-05:00

Gracie is having a bit of trouble in Karate class. She runs around and doesn't listen to her teachers very well. I decided to take her to a park before class to get her "sillies" out.

Getting her sillies out.

Gracie's Song

2011-07-26T22:24:00.002-05:00

Swimming

2011-07-26T22:17:00.002-05:00

JR's first time swimming! He was three weeks old, and only lasted a few minutes. We went again today and he seemed to really enjoy it-until his sisters got a little out of control.

My waterbabies.

RF Days

2011-07-08T22:49:00.002-05:00

Tonight we went to the River Falls Days parade with Aunt Jenni and Cousin Evan. Gracie ended up with a big bag of candy, and we all had a lot of fun. Bee was not too impressed with the loud horns on the emergency vehicles, but decided it was ok as long as she was in Daddy or my arms. One of my students even sat next to us for most of the parade, so we gave her all of the gum that was thrown to us.

The kids all especially loved the marching bands. At one point, all three kids were dancing along with the beat!

Dance Class

2011-07-08T22:36:00.005-05:00

Gracie is in summer dance class again this year. She is confusing me, as at both Karate class and today in dance she came to sit by me and claimed that she was "too shy" to participate in class. It was fixed in dance by just having me come into the studio to watch her, but at Karate she's having a few problems with participating. It may not be her forte. Here's a few videos of today's dance class.

Two Weeks

2011-07-08T16:59:00.004-05:00

Jerry had his two week checkup today, and we are so proud of our little man! At is first appointment, he weighted in at 8 pounds, 3.5 ounces-which impressed the doc as his weight leaving the hospital was 8 lbs 1 ounce. Today he was at a full NINE POUNDS! This boy loves to eat! He is 21 1/4" long and his head is 37 1/2 cm around. I had so many questions for the doc that I forgot to get percentiles (plus, I had both girls with me, vying for my attention). We officially got a referral to a specialist for his hearing, but was told that it's no hurry to get him in. Any concerns about his circumcision were relieved, and I asked about his bellybutton too. The newborn diapers were not doing their job, so I switched to size one when he was just a few days old, and they are so much taller than the N size that they rubbed on his cord. The cord fell off at day 11, but I wasn't sure it was completely ready to fall off, or if the diaper made it come off prematurely. I was afraid that his belly button would remain as it is-half innie and half outie (it's really a bit weird looking at this point.) She didn't seem to think that it will stay that way, but we'll have to wait and see. Our next appointment will be at his two-month mark and I'm having trouble with the fact that I'll probably have to schedule it around work, as I told our HR person I don't plan on taking time off this fall. The summer seems to be going by much too quickly, though, and I'm afraid I may regret that decision.

JR's Birth Story

2011-07-08T16:42:00.005-05:00

I looked back at Brianna's birth stats to compare with JR's and realized that I posted both the girls' birth stories, so I should probably post his too.
I went to be at eleven the evening of the 23rd, thinking that my water may be leaking, but not thinking that it had actually broke. I walked around a little, waiting for the "gush" the nurses always talk about but felt nothing, so I went to bed. I woke up at midnight and one rather wet, and got concerned. Finally, at one I called the hospital. They were really busy, so they said they'd call me back. I went to the bathroom, and finally felt the "gush." I headed to the hospital a little before two a.m. I told Daddy he didn't have to come yet, as I wasn't feeling contractions and didn't know for sure if I was in labor.
Upon arriving at the hospital, they tested to find out if my water had broken and announced it had, but I was only dilated to a two-which had been my status for about four weeks prior to that. Active labor is at a four, so I was at a standstill. I tried to rest as much as possible with a bright hospital room and nurses coming in every twenty minutes or so. At eight a.m. I was still only at a three, so they started Pitocin. I hate Pitocin. It makes me so sick, but it also makes labor progress so there we were. The baby kept falling off the monitor, so they put an internal monitor in to hear his heartbeat. A few hours later they came in to put an internal contraction monitor in and announced that it wasn't needed because I was fully dilated. Crazy! I literally went from 3 to 10 in about an hour and a half. However, JR was still very high and not ready to come out. sigh. The doc decided that I should try to push him lower. After two hours of pushing, on literally no sleep, I was completely exhausted and JR was in the same spot he had be in at the beginning of the pushing. My doc looked at me and stated that I needed to rest and let my body push him down for me. She declared that I would get a half hour nap. Yea! I woke up an hour and a half later, confused. They said they didn't have the heart to wake me, I was so out and snoring. It was just what was needed, though, as JR did move into position, and the nap gave me enough energy to push for another 40 minutes, which was enough to get him out, at 4:48 p.m.
When the nurse saw him, she was amazed at how big he was, and stated she was certain he was well over nine pounds. The first thing she did was get a blood monitor to check his blood sugar-she thought he may be diabetic because he was "so big." I was confused, thinking Bee looked bigger than that... His blood sugar was fine, and he came in at eight pounds, ten ounces-two ounces smaller than Brianna.
I had a rough night the first night. For some reason, I was gushing blood. It got pretty scary for a while there, I couldn't move without a huge amount of blood pouring out of me. They called the doctor, who said to give me three shots-one of which was Pitocin. With my IV already removed I felt like a human pin cushion, but it worked to stop the blood loss. However, it also made my entire abdomen cramp. Needless to say, it was a long, painful night.
After several tries, he passed his hearing test on his left ear, but has continued to fail on his right ear. We have been referred to a hearing specialist for his right ear, to try and determine what, if anything, is going on there. One of the pediatricians mentioned that his ear canal it exceptionally narrow, and that could be causing his failures. Other than his hearing, he is perfect. He looks a lot like Gracie did when she was a newborn-same nose and puffy cheeks, but with darker hair. It does still have a hint of red to it like the girls' hair though.

Karate

2011-07-04T11:13:00.005-05:00

Learning how to bow before entering the classroom.

She was so excited! We're hoping it will help her listening skills.

Gracie and JR

2011-06-27T19:05:00.002-05:00

This was Gracie's second time holding JR, but the first time visiting us without Brianna~which makes it much more calm in the room! Just before hitting record I asked Grace what she thinks of her little brother.

Jerry Richard

2011-06-27T18:11:00.005-05:00

Our little boy has arrived! Meet Jerry Richard, aka JR. He is named after the three most influential men in his life (excluding Daddy, who Bee is named after). His first name comes from my father-in-law, and his middle name comes from both my father and my husband's best friend. Here are pictures of our first three days together, in no particular order.

On the quilt Nana made for him.

He loves sleeping on the Boppy pillow. So far he is a very good eater and sleeper.

Bee seems so big now, compared to little JR!

Ready to go home!

Kissies from his sissies.
They are completely in love with him.

I think this is my fav pic so far.

Or maybe this one...

Daddy and his little man.

Daddy recorded my first moments with my son. I didn't even know he knew how to use the video function~so I had no idea I was being recorded!

Week 39

2011-06-15T08:13:00.003-05:00

I'll start with our crazy week 38 actually. Two weeks ago we moved, and our wonderful landlord has given us plenty of time to clean the old place out. So last weekend I spent a significant part of my Saturday working on getting it ready for her to inspect. Apparently, I did a bit too much and I realized that evening that I couldn't remember the baby moving at all throughout the day. I figured that I was just so busy and used to feeling him move that I didn't notice. However, with two stillborns within a couple of months of each other at work, I had to be certain that everything was ok with this little guy! I texted my sister in law, who is a nurse and she told me to drink juice or chocolate milk and lay on my left side. If I still didn't feel him, call the doc. I did, but didn't get to lay very long with the girls demanding this and that, so I tried again. Still nothing. I called the hospital, and they said to come in right away. After being on the monitors for about an hour in different positions they were satisified that they had gotten a constant reading with plenty of movement and I was sent home. Whew!

Yesterday I had my 39 week OB appointment, so the doc talked with me about the weekend. Sunday the baby more than made up for the lack of movement on Saturday. I don't think he slowed down all day! Figures. She checked me and found that I am dilated to a "Two, almost three." That didn't encourage me, as two weeks ago I was at a two. So I would be very surprised if he comes before his due date. I'm honestly expecting him to be late at this point. Everything else at the appointment was good, and I have only gained 16 pounds this pregnancy! That surprises me, as he's been demanding junk food constantly.

Our Verticle Garden

2011-06-10T21:47:00.004-05:00

When I found this blog post, I was inspired to try and make something grow this summer with the girls. After considering our options, I decided that an herb garden would be silly, as I don't cook much and when I do, I don't use herbs. They would just go to waste. One of my students' parents gave me eight Impatiens as an end of the year thank you gift, and they are perfect. They grow in the shade, and our new patio is mostly shady. I went to the store and got a few more flowers to fill up our shoe organizer and Gracie and I set to work with Bee watching.

I ran into trouble as I tried to put the organizer on our outside storage door. It turns out that the door is thicker than an average door so the hooks were too small. I ditched the hooks and nailed the organizer to the deck above us. It works, but now it is really high. As in, so high I will need a step stool to water the top row. This made planting a much bigger challenge than I would have liked, but she did plant a whole row of flowers with my help.

Standing on a table, putting soil in the bottom row of pockets.

Once I got Gracie working, I got Bee started. She helped me dig holes in our small section of dirt to put some extra flowers in. We planted three plants, and that's about all that can fit with all of the other plants that are left over from previous tenants.

Of course, they had to water the flowers once they were settled into their new homes!

We ran out of soil, so we had to stop about halfway done. I got more soil today, but we didn't get a chance to go outside, it's been so cold. Maybe we'll have time this weekend to finish up.

Summer Finally Arrived!

2011-06-10T21:42:00.002-05:00

Last weekend was finally nice and hot, so we got to go outside and swim for a while. The girls loved to put their faces in the water and splash each other. I love watching them play together.

Marble Painting

2011-06-10T21:37:00.003-05:00

Gracie has been asking to do marble painting for a while now. With everything packed up, I had no idea where the marbles were hiding. However, with the conclusion of school yesterday, I was able to bring my bag of marbles home from work for them to play with. Surprisingly (or not), Gracie did one painting and was done but Bee did several and was very into it!

Trikes

2011-06-10T21:34:00.002-05:00

We got trikes!

Gracie has a little trouble reaching the pedals, but we're getting pedaling down.

Caterpillars

2011-06-10T21:28:00.002-05:00

We have found a lot of caterpillars outside lately. It makes me hopeful that we will see many butterflies later this summer! One day Gracie found two caterpillars on our patio. She was so excited! She gave them leaves to eat and watched them for quite a while before letting them crawl off.

Muddin'

2011-05-21T20:49:00.005-05:00

DISCLAIMER: I WAS AT GRAD SCHOOL THIS MORNING. I DID NOT DRESS MY CHILDREN!

It rained all morning today, which meant it was the perfect time to get more use out of those rain boots the girls got.

There's a puddle just waiting for kids to jump in it!

Or not! Too deep!

After playing in the puddles, we called Auntie Jenni and Evan to go for a walk.

Gracie and Bee loved picking the dandelions and trying to blow the seeds off.

What a beautiful evening!

Baseball!

2011-05-16T21:32:00.004-05:00

If you've read our blog for a while, you should know that we are big baseball fans around here. With Daddy on two softball teams, Gracie has been asking for her own bat an ball for a while now. Daddy found a Spider-Man one at work today. Gracie loves Spider-Man, and often shoots webs at us, just like he does in the cartoons, so this was a double treat for her.

"Momma. Don't take picture of me."

Swing batta, batta!

Not so sure about her expression~she was having fun, really!

Big Girl Swing!

2011-05-16T21:28:00.002-05:00

This is old news.
Gracie like the big girl swing at times~usually when the other kids are outside so she can feel big too. She's even catching on to how to pump!

This, however, is very new news.

Yep, my little Bee tried out the big girl swing today, and she was pretty proud of herself!