Moments ago...

Tonight while tucking Jack into bed, he asked if we could all play The Animal Game.  I gave it three valiant attempts, and all three times, the boys guessed my animal within the first two questions - I think I give up.

Take 1:

     Jack: How many legs does it have?

     Mommy: Two.

     Daddy: Is it a kangaroo?

     Mommy: Really?!?!  Yes, it was a kangaroo!

Take 2:

     Jack: What shape are its ears?

     Mommy: I don't know - triangular?

     Jack: Does it have antlers?

     Mommy: Not really.  I don't know...

     Daddy: Is it a giraffe?

     Mommy (kicking and squirming):  Are you kidding me?!?!  Yes, it was a giraffe.

     Daddy (laughing hysterically): There aren't many animals with quasi-antlers.


At this point, Jack starts to feel bad for me that my animals aren't going so well, and Daddy and I are laughing so hard that we're almost crying.  He was being very sweet and wanted to make sure that my feelings weren't hurt!

I tried one more time, thinking of the most general animal I could come up with so as not to have an awkward question that would immediately give away my animal.

Take 3:

     Daddy: Does it live on land or in the water?

     Mommy: On land.

     Jack: What color is its nose?

     Mommy: Black.

     Daddy: Is it a bear?

     Mommy:  Are you serious?  It lives on land and it has a black nose and you know it's a bear?!?!
     Yes, it was a bear.  Now I'm really done.

We laughed some more and decided we'd give The Animal Game a rest, and I'd do some animal research.  Jack suggested I try a snake or a dolphin...

*****

Then - there was this:

{don't worry - I fixed her little leg after I took the picture!}

*****

I'll be back later to catch up on the week and a half I missed.  I have no excuses except for the fact that I was tired!

Wordless Wednesday

{how is it possible that these little lovelies have made me adore feet?}

My Words, Hush Puppies, Toofers, and Valentines

There's a lot going on around here, as usual.  This week is a training week for me at work, and in addition to that, Valentine's Day, Brad's birthday, and Aunt Jess' bridal shower are all occurring at the end of the week.  The kids have Valentine's Day parties (and therefore need valentines!), and I'm also trying to implement some organizational/life-simplifying strategies I'm learning of while reading The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin.

picture source

I never got around to my Words for 2013 post, but I've sort of decided that they are going to be:

organize
simplify
enjoy.

Organize - I appear to be organized, but really I have piles of various importance hidden throughout my house and to-do lists in every imaginable place.  Some of the items on said lists have been there for years.  No lie.  It's time to hunker down and get stuff done.  Last night, I finally labeled hanging folders (infant through senior year of high school) for Jack and Hannah's organizational file boxes (which we purchased before Christmas!).  I even put a few piles of their school paperwork into the appropriate folders.  This made me smile for hours and feel as though a huge weight had been lifted off of my shoulders.  Now I just need to figure out where to place these boxes so that I can easily access them on a daily basis...

Simplify - I'm getting rid of extra crap.  As soon as I see it.  I'm not writing it down on a to-do list to do this summer.  I'm saying no to things I know I can't handle.  I'm trying not to create extra routines that are unnecessary.  I'm having my groceries delivered (seriously folks?  this has been life-changing!).

Enjoy - Sometimes I get so stressed out and overwhelmed by the never-ending to-do list I create for myself that I forget to enjoy the process of things.  I'm trying to slow down and enjoy more.  I think I do a pretty good job of this when it comes to the kids, but I could do better.  And I could also allow myself to just relax and do nothing once in awhile without feeling guilty about it and then stressing about what could have gotten done...  It's a vicious cycle.  And this year?  It stops.  At least a little.

Anyway - those are my words, and I'm reading The Happiness Project for inspiration.  You should too!

*****

Check out this adorable video I took of Hannah last month:

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This year, I wanted to do something a little special for the kids' valentines to their friends.  The paper valentines are cute, but I've done that since Jack was in the toddler room and it gets a little boring.  Not to mention that there are the cutest ideas on Pinterest, and some of them looked rather manageable:)

Here's what we've decided for Jack:

Source: tatertotsandjello.com via Erika on Pinterest

and Hannah:

Source: blog.craftzine.com via Erika on Pinterest

I can't wait to show you how our versions turn out!

Just Jack

While we were snuggling before bed, this is what Jack said:

I'm a tricky boy...tonight I'm gonna sneak up on you so you don't know I'm here and I'm gonna sleep in your bed...

*****

While eating dinner, he finished eating something that wasn't quite his favorite.  He said to me, "Mommy, my tummy's full, there's nothing I can do about it."

I guess he gave me a taste of my own medicine right then.

*****

When I asked him if his tummy hurt or if he needed to go potty, he replied, "I'll just take it easy."

*****

After making a mac and cheese sandwich (gross!), Jack announced, "I have good taste."  He'll eat a mac and cheese sandwich, but not a single vegetable.  He's killing me.

*****

When I asked Jack, "Why are you so smart?"

He replied, "That's just how God made me."

He's learning:)

Friday

Friday was a full day for us.

We had a two-hour delay due to icy roads first thing in the morning, and while I'm usually super-excited to get an extra two hours in the morning, we had so much to accomplish at work to prepare for a training on Monday, that I had to go in a little bit earlier than I normally would.  I got myself and the kids ready, packed up all of their Friday gear and snow gear for school, and off we went.  For some reason, Jack was exceptionally emotional about his clothing choices (everything was itchy or didn't fit right).  Some morning we have these problems...it's part of the reason that we recently installed an extra closet rod at Jack's height so that he can choose his own shirts.

Friday morning that didn't seem to matter, and I was starting to get worried.  I couldn't figure out exactly what was going on with him, but I tried really hard not to lose my cool (which is very hard for me in the mornings when I'm trying to shuffle us all to get ready and out the door), and by the time we got to school he was fine.  Thank goodness.

I also learned on Friday morning that my cousin survived a life-saving surgery that he was not expected to survive.  I don't quite understand all of the details, but I know that he lived through the surgery and is alert and recovering.  Doctors are still concerned and he will need more surgery, but he is a fighter and holding on.  I was so relieved to hear this news...  On Thursday I was on pins and needles while doctors were operating - the surgery lasted for over 10 hours.  My mom was in Cleveland to support her brother, and she was texting updates along the way, but it was so hard to understand what was going on and to get all the details.  Friday mornings message brought a huge sigh of relief. Please keep J.J. in your thoughts...

After receiving that message, I had one of the busiest days at work that I can remember in a long time, and at the end of the day I was exhausted.  I was a little nervous about entertaining the littles that evening since I literally could have fallen asleep anywhere, but our evening went very smoothly.

We made an easy, kiddie-pleasing dinner and watched them play before baths and bedtime.  They are at a perfect age for playing together adorably:)

Hannah went down without her binky again, but this time she cried and cried and cried, and I nearly caved.  The doctor did say she could have the binky at night time.  And she is getting new teeth.  But I held out.  I was proud.  You should be too - for that small moment.

(Because yesterday at nap time - I caved.  And now, as I type this, she is running around the room with Jack, binky firmly in place.  She will not let it go.  Probably for fear that it will disappear.  This could be tricky...)

And then there's Jack.  Our adorable Baby Jack who is growing up to be such a big boy.  He was just oozing cuteness at bedtime.  He wanted to read this story about animals that has magnets, and as you read, you're supposed to put the magnets on the page.  He loves it - it's not our favorite because of the magnets and the time.  I'm not sure what I was thinking when I bought it on one of our zoo trips, but he loves it, and I very firmly believe in letting him choose his book at bedtime even if we read the same damn book every night for a week.  I let it go.  

I had to leave the room for a bit to try to console a crying Hannah (it didn't work), so Daddy and Jack finished reading the book and then Daddy somehow convinced Jack to leave the magnets in place so that next time we can just read the story:)

When they were explaining this to me, Daddy said something to the effect of, "Then it will just be a night time story...and not a burden,"  really talking to me, and thinking that Jack would not understand this at all.

And Jack?  Jack goes, "Burdens are, like, so not awesome at all," in his dramatic teenage way, smiling from ear to ear.  How is it that they learn this dramatic teenage way in preschool, by the way?!

We laughed and kept talking.  We were talking about how on Saturday, we were going to go out and do some birthday shopping for Daddy.  Jack, proudly, leans over and whispers into my ear (loudly...loud enough for Daddy to hear and smile at me over Jack's head), "Maybe we could get him a new tool like a screwdriver or a hammer!"

And he came up with that all on his own.  Such a kind heart...

After I left, Jack and Daddy were snuggling for a few extra minutes, and later Daddy told me this part:

Daddy was snuggling Jack, and whispered, "You're the best little boy in the world."

"I know," Jack replied.

Kind, and modest, to boot!

***** 

On Saturday, I got to wake up to this:

It doesn't get any better than that...

Binky Blues

If I'm being honest, I'm feeling a little down.

This week has been tricky.  Actually, I feel like it's been tricky since before Hannah had croup, but this week especially is trying.  Hannah and Jack have both been super emotional and fussy, and I'm exhausted.  Working all day (especially on days when I'm training all day) and then picking up the kids, and coming home to whining and fussiness from the time we get home until they go to bed is not easy.  It's really, really hard.

Per our pediatrician's suggestion, we're trying to use Hannah's binky less and less.  This is not going smoothly.  Hannah really loves her binky.  

Jack really loved his binky too.  His even had a little stuffed animal we called Milo at the end of it, but then one night, when he was 18 months old, he just decided he didn't want it in his mouth.  He went to bed that night without it, and I cried and cried.  I knew it would have been crazy to give it back to him after that night, so I kept it in my closet to see what would happen the next day.  Would he ask me for it?  Would he cry and want it back the next night?  Not at all.  In fact, he never mentioned it again until many months later, he found it in my closet and asked me about it.  But my mommy-heart?  It was broken.

I seriously think one of the cutest things you'll ever see is a baby with his or her binky.  I don't know - I can't explain it, but it gets me.  

Anyway, Jack loved his binky, but Hannah?  Hannah really loves her binky.  Strangely enough, while we started Jack on a binky right away, we waited eight weeks after Hannah was born before we even attempted to use a binky to avoid "nipple confusion".  I really think it made a difference too since our second attempt at breastfeeding went much more smoothly than the first.  But after that two month mark, Hannah took to the binky like a champ, and they've been best friends ever since.  However, at our 18 month check-up, our doctor suggested that we start to only give Hannah her binky at bedtime and during naps, and perhaps on the way home from daycare since that always seems to be a clingy, tough transition.

It hasn't been going well.  I take that back - at school, they say she is fine without it during the day.  But at home?  Completely different story.  Her back teeth are coming in like crazy, and when we get home, at least lately, Hannah is super clingy and fussy, and she just follows me around and wails.  She says, "Biky, biky," over and over again, just looking for it.  And I cave.  I do - I can't take it.

And then yesterday at school, they seemed to have lost her binky.  We went home without it - she cried.  We got home, and I couldn't find the one she'd had in her crib the night before - she cried.  But then the rest of the evening...she was fine.

She went to bed without it.  Not.  One.  Peep.

And I knew.  

It was over.  We cannot go back.

My mommy-heart is sad because I feel like our baby phase is over.  We are about 99% positive that our family is complete.  Jack and Hannah bring so much joy to our lives, but Brad and I are very aware of our limits, and together we agree that we probably cannot voluntarily handle anymore chaos than we already have in our lives.  We struggle to handle the stress we have today - and we simply cannot imagine going through one more pregnancy or bathing one more child.  How do you successfully put three children to bed on time when you can't get two in bed by 9:30 on nights they take baths and need breathing treatments?

Some people have the answers to these questions.  We are not those people.  And we know it.

And it's sad.

I'm pretty sure that no matter how many babies we had, I would always want one more newborn.  I'd always miss the baby stage.  I'd want a newborn to cuddle up on my chest.  To pick up a baby that still keeps its tiny legs curled up by its belly.   To breathe in that newborn smell.  

To watch a baby sleeping, binky and all.

Thank goodness my sister is due in approximately one month.  

I'm counting on that to give me my little newborn fill:)

Silent Sunday

Yay!  Steak-Dinner Sunday in February:)  

Oh, how I love Pinterest for teaching me how to cook a steak without using the grill!

                                                                          Source: laurenslatest.com via Erika on Pinterest