Snow fun!

I am married to an amazing dad! I just need to give him props for all the stuff he does with our kids. He is such a creative, imaginative guy, and I had no idea just how gifted he was until recently when he began to entertain our boys for hours on end with stories and play ideas. On Monday he came home from work and took the boys outside to play in the snow. It was finally a good building consistency. I assumed they would build a snowman. Nope--not this guy! He built things the boys would like much more--a train and a truck. (And, mind you, there was only about 3 inches on the ground!)

Here is Grant sitting in his train.

And, as if the basic framework were not enough, Ryan even made a face on the train.

Here is Jack's truck. The reason he likes trucks now? The Beverly Hillbillies, of course!

I guess Ryan did build a snowman, but this isn't your average-looking snowman. Then again, he's not your average-looking guy. He's way cuter! I am definitely lucky to be married to such a great guy!

My ER baby

Before I had children I'd never really been to a hospital. I know that at some point when I was little we visited my aunt who was sick, and I guess I must have seen my sisters at the hospital when they were born, but I don't remember that. How things have changed! I not only have visited hospitals, I have an opinion on ERs. (Is 3 different ERs in 3 years too many?)

My second-born, my sweet, tender-hearted, just turned 3, middle child, is a bit of a daredevil. He will jump off of anything! He is also a bit clumsy. We have said he is our ER child, the one who will accumulate the most experience in the ER. Yesterday he achieved a second notch in his ER belt with a visit to the St. Vincent Children's ER.

After preschool he and Jack went to child watch while I finished up my work. All of a sudden someone came running up to me, telling me that Grant cut his eyelid and was bleeding and upset. No one was quite sure how he cut it, and he was not telling them. This has happened before so I wasn't too concerned, but when I saw it, I knew that we would probably be taking a trip--right at naptime!--to the ER. Ugh! So off we all went (3 kids and me) to the ped. emergency dept. The beautiful thing about going there was that the boys were able to watch the movie "Cars," get popsicles and stickers, and play with toys they supplied. The nurse even gave Grant the yellow car he's holding in the above picture. He received 4 stitches right above his eye, and the whole ordeal was extraordinarily painful emotionally (for him and me).

Is it too much to hope that this is our last experience with the ER? Probably.

And here is a picture of my baby's eyelid with his 4 stitches. Poor thing! Maybe it will just attract more attention to his beautiful eyes!

Happy birthday, Grant!

one day old

1 year old

2 years old

3 years old~Happy birthday!

Dear Grant,

Three years old! What an awesome year it has been for you! A year ago you were not even talking. We knew something was going on in that head of yours, but now we know exactly (well, most of the time anyway) what you are thinking. Many times it is about trucks, which we would have guessed, or food. (A couple of nights ago, when I came to say goodnight to you, you whined, "I want sugar.") I have loved seeing the changes in your relationship with Jack and how you boys can play together now--and, unfortunately, fight. You continue to have such a tender heart. You are willing to share even your most precious things when someone asks nicely, and I love when you try to make your baby sister laugh by playing "Peekaboo." Your little laugh is contagious, and Daddy and I love to make you giggle by tickling your belly button that you love to stick out to tempt us. You are one active kiddo, too. Whether it's jumping off the bunk bed while playing "Rapunzel" (unbeknownst to Mommy and Daddy) or throwing yourself into cushions, you have definitely kept us on our toes. We love you so much and feel so incredibly blessed to have you in our family. We cannot wait to see what God has in store for you in the coming year!

Love, Mommy

Hair!

Jack at 7 months--definitely needed a haircut (We trimmed the sides after this picture.)

Grant's adorable curls at 11 months--I loved his hair and had such a hard time cutting it!

When I thought of having a little girl, I had these dreams of dressing her in the cute dresses and putting bows in her hair. I pictured all the little girls at church that I have seen all these years--the ones with long blonde curls pinned back into ponytails--and assumed that my little girl would be one of those. Afterall, look at her brothers' hair! They had tons! I never thought I would have the poor little girl whose mother puts a bow on her just so people know she's a girl. I keep looking at Caroline's hair and examining the growth. And I know I'm not seeing things--I really do think it's growing! Here is the proof: a bow can actually stay in her hair! Woo-hoo! (And no, I did not just set it on her head for the picture! It really is clipped into her hair!)

Caroline at 11 months

The Granny Show

When I put Caroline down for a nap, Jack likes to watch TV. I figure that it keeps the boys quiet. (Yes, the TV babysits my children...whatever) He began talking about "The Granny Show." As I probed further, he turned it on and showed it to me. Ah--"The Beverly Hillbillies." My son tends to occasionally latch on to things to the point of obsession, but I did not know the object of his affection would be this show! He loves to talk about it, and it is HILARIOUS to hear him talking about Jed, Granny, Jethro, and whoever the girl is (he doesn't know her name so neither do I). Here is a video of him singing the intro song.

Snow, Sickness, and Sleep (or lack thereof)

**Warning: This post may possibly contain just a few complaints.**

This week has been a rough one. We have been sick, sick, sick. Grant woke up with a fever on Sunday, which lasted until Wednesday night. It was pretty high a couple of times--103.7! At that point he was put in the tub! It also snowed on Tuesday so the combination of these things made for one stir-crazy house. The other problem was that, because of the sickness, the kiddos were not sleeping well. Caroline has a stuffy nose and teeth coming in so she has not been sleeping well. Grant would wake up with a fever and needing more ibuprofen. Sunday night was the worst night of sleep I've had in awhile. All of these factors made for a grumpy mommy. My fuse was short. I sinned. And, to make me feel the weight of my bad mommyness, I hear from my dear son, "You are the terriblest, meanest mommy in the whole wide world." Usually I can let those things just roll off my back, but this time it really hurt. As I look forward to this upcoming week, I have high hopes for a better one. Caroline turns 11 months on the 17th, Grant is healthy, and we have a resolution for the ugly, disrespectful words (hot sauce--judge all you like, but it works.) I suppose we shall wait and see...

Resolution time!

So it's that time of year. I've decided to jump on the bandwagon and make a resolution. And, in an effort to try to keep myself more accountable to stay with it, I will broadcast it on this blog.

My resolution is to try to keep my house clean and organized. I've tried this before and failed after about 2 weeks or so. However, I think that this time I will actually follow through and do it. I'm using a system from the book Sidetracked Home Executives. After doing this for a week I have come to some conclusions:

• Cleaning products stink! I seriously feel like I am poisoning myself and am definitely thankful for the "green" all-purpose cleaner from MOPS last year and the Method glass cleaner. Those are the only ones that I don't fear.
• I have too many little knick-knacky things to dust.
• This last one is perhaps the most important one. I have three children living in less than 1400 sq. feet (in the WINTER). My house will never be spotless. It will not even be close. There will be some renegade sock lying around or Cheerios on the floor. I will do the best I can but will not let this resolution become an obsession.

So there you go. We'll see how it goes. Ryan is thrilled, and Jack even made his bed this morning. Yay for small successes!

Happy birthday, Jack!

newborn ~~ 1 year

2 years ~~ 3 years

4 years

5 years

Dear Jackson,

Happy birthday, my sweet son! You are five! How is that possible? I feel like just yesterday you were that newborn, so snuggly and warm. This year you have grown so much--in every way. You are so much more interested in school and learning, which is wonderful for your teacher-parents to see. Even better, your heart is becoming more sensitive to the things of God, and you love to read story after story from the Bible we received last year. Your prayers no longer include all of the Wiggles but thank Jesus for dying on the cross for our sins. May this only increase! You are also outgrowing all of your pants! I have no idea how this is happening and fear what the teenage years will hold. I love how enthusiastic you are in your love for life and your siblings. I am in awe of your amazing vocabulary, which leads to so many funny quotes. Five was always a big age for you, and I remember how you would tell people that you were five when you were two. I also remember you saying, "Maybe someday I'll be an ambulance driver...maybe when I'm five." Well, my love, you are now five. There are no ambulances for you to drive, but I'm afraid the years will fly by and before I know it, you will be old enough. Happy birthday, and may God bless you this year with continued health, enthusiasm, and an increasing desire for his heart. I love you!

~Mommy