Caution! There's a Two Year Old in the House

Stella's behaved like a two year old for a while now, but today it's official. She's already not napping several times a week and pitching fits left and right. Don't even get me started on her "preferences" and her need to wear sunglasses and shoes inside the house.

We don't do cakes around here, we need are cinnamon rolls. For the record we are having a party for Stella and Brooke (with cake) next weekend so this is just to hold us over. Do you like her fat lip? She did that a few days ago messing around in the basement. I think it goes nicely with her lack of hair. Maybe by her 3rd birthday she'll grow a full head of respectable hair.

Stella loves her babies and so for her birthday she got a doll crib. She was very excited and as you can see below it didn't take her long to climb into it herself.

Happy Birthday Stella Love!

The Bench

It all started a few days ago when I decided to declutter our house. Our community garage sale is next weekend and I've been on a quest to round up all the stuff we don't use. This has been done before, actually just this past May, but there always seems to be more stuff that we don't use to get rid of.

At the same time I decided that I was tired of looking at kids toys in our living room. Now that the kids are older and therefore able to play in the basement by themselves, I decided that the play kitchen that used to be beside our fireplace, had to go to the basement too. That left this odd gaping hole between our entertainment center and the fireplace. I'd like to speak to the person that designed our house because it is a pain to figure out how to orient the living room furniture in this oddly shaped rectangular room. That's a whole different issue.

This morning we set out to Hobby Lobby to find the above bench. Mark was willing to go along and try for 20 minutes to fit this bench in our minivan with 3 car seats because he knew he would be eating Skyline Chili as soon as all this was finished. He insisted that this bench would fit and to his credit, it did. He just had to move all the car seats to the back row and take the seats out and put them in the trunk. It was a pain but the beauty of it was that we were cleaning the car out as we went which needed it so badly. I was a little afraid that we'd find animals nesting in the third row with all the crap Brooke had stored, but the only thing we found was trash, hair brushes, water bottles and tons of tissues.

Before we bought this bench Mark sat on it and told me that it "wasn't very comfortable". I had to explain in a slow, loud voice that it's not to sit on, it's for decoration. Men! Not only is it not comfortable, but it's also not all that well constructed. I didn't really concern myself with these tiny details because it's just supposed to be pretty to look at. I plan on getting some pillows for it and a few baskets to go underneath it. I think I'll leave Mark at home when I go on that errand. :) The kids are thrilled of course to put their animals and dolls on it and also to have something else to jump off in the living room (against their mother's wishes).

Like I said before we found lots of crap in our car. Mark was nice enough to clean out that said crap with the help of Stella after rest time. When the car was clean, Stella climbed up in Luke's car seat and wanted to be strapped in. She was cracking herself up and Mark was humoring her by pretending she was Luke and pretending they were going on a trip. She didn't want to get out of his car seat and so Mark left her in there while he did other things in the garage and front yard. And because Stella refused to nap in her bed again today, as soon as she was still in the car, she fell fast asleep.

Drool and all! She was not happy when 20 minutes later we woke her up for dinner. In fact, she was ticked. An all out screaming, hitting, throwing herself on the ground fit was what happened. She ended up in her crib to work out her issues and had to eat dinner after we were all finished. She eventually came around, but man, she's following in Brooke and Luke's footsteps with killer tantrums. Yikes!

While Stella was napping in Luke's car seat, Brooke and Luke were riding bikes and tending their "gardens" (bird seed they planted in the mulch) in the front yard. Since Luke is so good at riding his Scuut balance bike, Mark is anxious to move him along to a pedal bike. He has the honor of riding the hand-me-down princess bike that was originally cousin Emily's. Mark took the training wheels off and insisted that Luke has the balance to ride without them, but Luke was too scared to pedal and back on went the training wheels. Above Brooke is "getting out of the way" so I could take a picture of Luke riding the princess bike (at his request). Crazy kids.

Since I'm sporting the baby bump and maternity clothes I decided to try to take a self portrait of my baby belly. Mark finds it hilarious that every time he comes home from a trip that my stomach sticks out even more. It amazes me that I am expanding so quickly. At 15 weeks pregnant, I'm a little concerned what my body's going to morph into by the spring! As a side note, can you see all our laundry waiting to be folded in the living room? It's been recommended by several people that I should do at least one load of laundry a day, but I just can't bring myself to do that. I did 6 loads and now everything is clean and put away...just the way I like it.

The Death of Her

Stella might not live to see her birthday (which is in 5 days) if she doesn't stop taking her diaper off at nap time. Yesterday, she took her diaper off twice while she was not napping and today I watched her on the video monitor (best investment of baby gear you could ever make) to ensure that she didn't take her diaper off again. I was pleasantly surprised after she threw her now normal bedtime fit, that she fell peacefully asleep. See, what I didn't anticipate was that she would load up her pants and then take her poopy diaper off after she woke up! To be graphic, the poop stayed in the diaper but when she sat bare bottomed in the bed after all was said and done, she got poop on her crib sheets and blankets. I was not a happy camper. I will not be fooled a third day so I'll be taping her Majesty's diaper on tomorrow. That'll fix her wagon...I hope.

One Very Busy Saturday

Today Mark and I were off to visit another grass-fed farm south of Lexington, KY. This outing to Pike Valley Farm was exceptional in the way that we were ALONE, as in just the two of us. Three hours of driving without one Curious George video and no crying. Mark's mom made this day possible because she got up early to be at our house by 8 AM. We were so grateful and I felt absolutely giddy pulling out of the driveway. That feeling could have also come from the anticipation of stopping at Dunkin' Donuts, but it didn't matter because we were by ourselves.

It was so nice to be kid free because we actually got to talk and ask questions uninterrupted. The joy of uninterrupted!

Mark and I decided that the hogs are our favorite. They are so cute especially like these guys that weren't quite big enough to go out to pasture yet.

We saw organic turkeys running around and we actually went into their pasture and I suppose we could have pet them, except we didn't. There are so many health and ecological benefits of eating organic grass fed meat but there is one drawback, the price. A 20 lb. organic turkey will set you back almost $80! After comparing prices eating a strictly organic vegetarian diet would be so much more economical. Skyline chili would have to be the exception though. :)

After we got back from the farm tour we went to dinner with Mark's family at the Hofbrauhaus. Ironically, this weekend is the Cincinnati Oktoberfest in Downtown Cincinnati. We steered clear of the crowds and the heat and went to dine in an air conditioned beer hall.

It is a really fun place to take the kids. It's the only place I can imagine that our kids could sit for 2 hours and be totally entertained. There is music and lots of people dancing. Sobriety is optional in this establishment which is part of what makes the people watching so exciting.

Brooke was thrilled because the cousins showed up and they she disappeared to their end of the table and we didn't see or hear from her until it was time to go home.

Oh, my! We ate so many pretzels and cheese dip that we are all so stinkin' thirsty. I'm sure I'll probably wake up 4 times to pee tonight instead of my standard2 or 3. They were so fresh that it will be worth the extra bathroom trips.

There is usually a band playing and someone singing but tonight the real talent must have been at the festival downtown. We were so disappointed that in the two hours we were there that the German DJ only played the Chicken Dance once. The Chicken Dance is license to stand on the benches or tables and act like you are at your childhood roller skating rink. The kids LOVE it!

Boo to you Mr. German DJ for playing Shout and Let's Twist Again Like We Did Last Summer before you played the Chicken Dance.

Her Majesty was in her element. In two hours she didn't try to climb out of her high chair once. She ate pretzels for dinner and french fries, the dinner of champions. Stella loves the loud music and watching people make fools of themselves. She danced right along with everyone and stuffed her face. Brooke admitted to me on the way to the car that she "over-filled" her belly. I think she was in good company there.

After all this excitement I need to go to bed. We get to take my parents to the airport tomorrow morning because they are leaving on a Caribbean cruise those punks. :)

The Bare Minimum

It's been a while, I realize that and I'm sorry, but it can't be helped. I'm pregnant, home schooling "Satan's Mistress" in all things first grade, and napping every day. The time that's leftover is dedicated to other "must do's" like MOPs stuff and preparing lessons for Brooke, Luke and the weather class that I'm co-teaching with a friend at our home school co-op. And dinner. Don't even get me started on dinner, which is about to be the death of me.

Before I launch into my list of complaints, I wanted to explain the pictures above. This day (one day this past week) I wrote addition facts on post-it notes for Brooke to find and bring to me with the answer. If she got them right, I put them in a pile. If she got them wrong, she had to run and put it back in the place she found it only to try again later. It was a hoot of a good time as far as math facts go and then we turned it into a letter hunt for Luke, hence the "L" on his back. The game quickly got a little out of hand, but that's to be expected.

I have to say that the home school "honeymoon" is over. After the first two easy weeks where Brooke was happy to do the "fun" school work, we've been pulling teeth the last two. One of the benefits of home schooling is that you can finish in a few hours (in theory) and then have some time left for some other fun stuff. It is a sad reality for Brooke that there will be no time for any extra fun in our day. On Tuesday, our normal 2 hour school day turned into 5 long hours and several rounds of hot sauce. FYI: The hot sauce goes in Brooke's mouth when she talks back. Before the school year is over, I will probably buy several more bottles. :( I feel very sorry for her because she has the type of personality that has to do things the hard way. This is nothing new and if I sent her to school, it would be the same when she walked back through our door. It's just the way she's made and I'm sure God has a plan to use these traits for His greater good.

Miss Thing is definitely closing in on her "two's". She apparently didn't get the memo that her second birthday isn't for 12 more days. I have to say that she is saved by her cuteness. It is easier to forgive bad behavior when the offender is so adorable. :) She's not been getting into too much trouble unless you count the day she got into the Kid's Crest, eating some and getting the even more on the carpet in Luke and Brooke's room.

All this craziness is just a season and when the pregnancy hormones aren't pumping through me, I can be more reasonable. I am so tired (even after taking a nap) that I am unable to do things that aren't immediately necessary. Today, I finally had to make myself go out and buy some maternity jeans so that I can put the rubber band that was previously holding my regular pants together to rest. My body is at that awkward stage where it's not glaringly obvious that there's a baby on board and I just look like I've eaten too many cheese burgers. I appreciate your patience while I nap and not blog. I'm hopeful that I'll get some of my "mojo" back in the next few weeks. See ya then.

Stella's New Crib

When I say that Stella's got a new crib, by that I'm not implying that we've sent her to a new home to live with a new family, I mean she literally has a "new" crib. Some days that new family idea sounds appealing, but for the most part, she's a keeper.

I told you the other day that Stella was trying to make an escape from her crib. Really what she was doing was climbing up the end of her crib by the door to turn on her light. See the solid part on the end? Yes, I thought it was so cute when we picked it out only to find out that once the mattress is lowered, the crib bumper cannot be tied on and that curious toddlers can use it as a foothold to escape. Now, cuteness is no longer my concern and safety and containment are number one on my list.

So I'd like to introduce Stella's "new to her" crib. This actually belongs to my sister-in-law who no longer needs a crib. We are borrowing it now for the second time. The first was when Luke was born and Brooke still slept in her crib. Then we still needed two cribs when Stella came along so we (I mean Mark) assembled Brooke's white crib for Stella. I hope by mid-March that we will be back to only one crib in the house at a time.

This is Stella actually napping today. I would go crazy if she didn't sleep in a crib. For one, it would cut into my nap time having to monitor this monkey to make sure she wasn't getting into trouble. Not going to happen. I would beg, borrow, or buy a crib tent before that would happen and Stella would once again be on lock down.

This thing is built like a fortress. I am banking on the fact that she can't get her leg high enough (yet!) to climb out of this thing. I'll let you know if that happens.

She's such a teaser. I was sitting on the floor trying to take her picture and she kept throwing things at me...like her blanket with the brown tag. It's just one of those many gross things kids have.

And lastly, this is Stella's collection of babies she keeps in her crib. This has become the norm this summer and when she's not sleeping, she's mothering them. It's so cute. She covers them and uncovers them. She picks them up and pats them. I tell her she's such a good little mommy. Wonder where she gets that from? :)

In Other News...

We are excited to announce that we are expecting baby #4 in mid-March. Before you can even ask, yes this baby was planned. You might call it planned insanity, but still we were not taken by surprise like we were with Stella. I am already 12 weeks along, so I anticipate that this pregnancy will go very quickly between home schooling and the holidays. I haven't been sick at all which I believe is God having mercy on me. I have been alone a lot with Mark in training and I can't imagine doing that while feeling like I was about to lose my lunch. I've been napping everyday which has cut into my productivity, which in turn has crippled my blogging (as you can tell). Brooke is so excited she keeps talking about when our new baby comes. Mark and I feel the same way too. Can't wait to have fresh cheeks to kiss!

Labor Day, Bronchitis, and the E.R.

First things first: Luke has bronchitis and I had to take him to the ER on Sunday morning. I really didn't see it coming either. Luke went to bed on Saturday night and his voice was hoarse just like it was on Friday night. He seemed fine, other than sounding funny and he went to bed without any other issues. Then he woke up coughing around midnight and so I put him in bed with me so I could keep an eye on things. At 5 AM he woke up coughing, gagging, gasping, and wheezing. I could tell he needed some medical attention, so I did the only thing I could think of: call Mark, call my father-in-law, call our pediatrician, and then go to the ER....in that order. I was so thankful that we were at the lake with Mark's mom because I was able to wake her up and leave Brooke and Stella behind.

Luke was so, so good while we were there. Thankfully, we got there early enough and didn't have to wait much, considering we were in the ER. They gave him a breathing treatment and we waited and waited some more. Thankfully, Mark's mom let us take her lap top and some DVD's which made the waiting so much less painful. Luke also got a chest x-ray to make sure he didn't have pneumonia. He doesn't have that, just bronchitis.

Ironically, after we picked up an inhaler on the way home, he hasn't coughed since. Isn't that just the way things tend to go? If he wasn't eating and a bit sleepier, I wouldn't know he is sick at all. I am thankful that his cough has vanished because it was really scary and I can deal with spending $10 on an inhaler and not using it. In fact, I prefer it that way.

Despite not sleeping on Saturday night and going to the ER, there was still fun to be had. The annual Labor Day boat parade was part of that. Mostly people with pontoon boats decorate them and cruise around that lake while people throw water balloons at them. It's a hoot and a holler I tell you.

Her Majesty has been as cute as ever but up to no good. She's been not napping several times a week and trying to climb out of her crib. Mark and I are making a plan for the crib part, but the napping is just ridiculous.

The kids were in cousin heaven the last few days. Mark's sister's kids are so sweet to our kids and as a result, can't get enough of Joe, Emily, and Dan. They swam (even though the weather wasn't very warm for swimming), they boated, played Lego's, and ran through sprinklers. What I appreciate about Joe, Emily, and Dan is that they are always so sweet and kind to our littler kids. If Brooke had the choice, I think she'd go live with them in a second.

The weather was perfect for a fire and if there is fire, there will be S'mores. Mark's mom found these special campfire marshmallows at the store and you wouldn't believe how big they are.

Does this picture tell you anything? Stella who usually stuffs whole marshmallows in her mouth, had to work triple time on these things. Gotta love 10 times the high fructose corn syrup.

The kids obviously didn't care. Sadly, I think this will be one of our last trips to the lake for this season. I don't want to admit it, but it finally seems like fall is right around the corner. I'm starting to think about jeans and sweatshirts, pumpkins, and leaves and that makes me a little less sad about saying good-bye to the lake.