Nuk update

Well our attempt to lose the nuk was sabotaged by the illness that took most of us out a few weeks ago. I just couldn't see not letting E have that basic comfort when he was battling his fever. I'm happy to say that as of today I haven't heard him mention his nuk in a few days. Although, he was eyeing the babies' nuks in the nursery.

Thomas Reflection

I am slowly introducing E to the world of the "toilet". He watches H and is so interested. He will sit and practice (as we sing and read) very well but we're yet to see any actual action. Yesterday I pulled out H's old undies and we tried on a pair of Thomas the Tank Engines. The pride and admiration his face showed was priceless. Especially as he turned around and admired the engine on his posterior! LOL! I saw H admiring his old NASCAR undies with a longing that said he wished they still fit. As potty-training inspires lots of interesting stories I'm sure you'll be in for a few more updates.

Oh one of the books we're reading is It's Potty Time. The flushing button was a hit with H and it's proven true with E too! He especially likes it when we involve his stuffed kitty and have the kitty make stinky sounds about dirty diapers - too much info? Sorry.

Our Babe in B & W

It felt a bit bittersweet going to our first ultrasound today. Part of me kept remembering the last ultrasound we had. Then the other part longed for the confirmation of life. And life is what we saw! A heart pumping, all ten fingers and toes, and wiggling about, maybe about to suck a thumb. The heart rate was in the 140s and weight was estimated at 12 oz. Here's our babe at 5 months!

Bunk Bed!

Just before Christmas last year we moved the boys in to the same room. It took a bit fore them to adjust but H seems very content to have someone in his room now. He didn't like sleeping all by himself. Now it's about time to transition E out of the crib (it's set up as a toddler bed now). Enter the bunk bed! Papa spent all morning hauling furniture to make room and then assembling the bunk with the boys. They adore spending time "working" with him.

Easter Day

Resurrection rolls, wrap your dough around a marshmallow (tightly) and bake. When you break them open the marshmallow has melted into the roll leaving an "empty tomb"!






Resurrection Baskets and an egg hunt (well, maybe three of them).













Egg dying (there's a 5 month old babe hiding in this picture EH snuck!)

Spring Fling

This weekend we visited a local nature center for their Spring Fling. Not knowing what to expect I dressed the boys in their regular shoes - opps.



We stopped by the petting farm,







then enjoyed tromping through the snowy trails visiting the butterfly garden, Little Red Riding Hood, The Three Little Pigs and more.









We wrapped up the trek with an egg hunt in a snowy field.

Mooooooooooom

We're dealing with whiney voices. The other day I had just about had it and I launched into a much too lengthy, good-for-nothing speech to my four year old about how children are to show respect with their voice (not with a whiney sing-songy Moooooooooom - you know the tune). A minute later H requested my help again and this time he said "Sheryl, can you rinse my rag out please?"

Note: Yes in hind sight I realized there was a better way to deal with the situation. Yes I believe in child labor and my children love me for it - really! :)

Laughing it up

The boys are loving knock knock jokes. E heard a joke on Blue's Clues and repeats this version:

"Knock knock . . . who's there? . . . bananana." Hey he's two!

Here's H's pride and joy (thanks Kimberly for sharing this with him - it took me 10 minutes to figure out the joke he was trying share as he was doing it backwards):

"How long will you remember me? 1 month? [sure] 2 months? [sure] 3 months [sure] 100 months? [sure] . . . knock knock . . who's there? . . . you already forgot me!"

Now, be sure to laugh good if you get to be on the receiving end of one of these delights!

No worry

I think we have a little Crocodile Dundee boy here. E can be frequently heard dishing out this wisdom following a spill, break, crash, or some other minor disaster, "No worry, no worry, no worry!" with a reassuring smile on his face and sometimes a hand on your shoulder.

We have movement

A couple of nights ago I was vaguely aware of stirring feeling within. I remember feeling so excited thinking it was the baby. In the morning I couldn't remember if it was real or if it was a dream. Yesterday I felt it again and even more today so I think we officially have baby movement. :) The babe has surely been scooting around in there for a while but it's fun to finally feel it. This Friday starts week 20 (the halfway point!) and next Wednesday we'll get to see our baby on screen at our ultrasound. Grow baby grow!

Big Lion, Little Lion

Easter Planning

"Can we just practice having an Easter egg hunt?" H keeps on pleading. He is especially excited to pop open our resurrection eggs again and explore the tokens inside. The Heart of the Matter has instructions for making your own or we received ours as a gift from Grandma from Family Life Today.

I happened across a lead over at The Heart of the Matter on unit study for a book that we own called The Easter Lily by Liz Curtis Higgs from Homeschool Share. One of my favorite Easter ideas from the unit study is to make Resurrection baskets for the boys for when we finish the study. It's filled with things like 30 nickles (silver), a sponge (the vinegar drink), animal crackers (for unleavened bread), etc. This site is filled with many more free fun unit studies so I'm pretty sure we'll be back for more.

Heart of the Matter has more fun ideas I'm hoping to use as well - like resurrection rolls - YUM!. I'm so grateful for great online resources!

I'm a believer

This pregnancy has been like no other.
Extended morning sickness . . .
I generally can't stand the thought of ice cream or peanut butter . . .
two horrid colds that last forever . . .
and the back pain.
I have great feeling and a better understanding for those in my life who deal with back pain. For the last 3 months I have struggled with the need to function with it. I know I could go to my chiropractor and have this taken care of with a series of appointments but then again I also want a finished basement for homeschool this fall and the budget won't handle both.

In the past I have tried various magnetic treatments that my parents have suggested for miscellaneous ailments without really seeing a big difference or at least not know what treatment I had tried that actually did the trick. This time around, I slipped the magsteps (magnetic insoles) into my slippers and within an hour my back pain disappeared and has stayed gone. I can't explain the relief I feel - it's magical (well maybe science) and I believe in it.

Conversation between my dear EH and I:

Me: Since I've had this cold, I haven't felt morning sickness and I haven't felt like my belly has been getting any bigger - I hope everything is okay with this babe.

EH: Oh I think your belly feels bigger!

Me: Really?

EH: Oh yah!

Me: Oh good.

Note: This is one of those one and only moments where a husband can get away with saying his wife's belly is getting bigger.

Bit by the bug

The cold bug hit our house, for the second time this winter season. Sunday morning little E woke up with a fever that lasted 3 days. Poor guy, I finally broke down and gave him Tylenol for the first time in his life. He was just so miserable. Usually I just keep feeding the boys Congaplex so their bodies will have what it takes to fight whatever it is that's causing the fever. Since E won't take the congaplex I had to do something else and the grape flavored children's Tylenol went down pretty well.

H had a few days of droopy eyes and a cough which he handled like a trooper. He asks for vitamins like they are candy so there's no problem getting the congaplex or really anything down his hatch.

Then I got nailed with the cold. I credit it to the lack of sleep from caring for sick kiddos. Thankfully Ga was already planning to take the kids this weekend so EH's sister and I could go to a women's conference. Unfortunately I won't get to go to the conference now but I'll have a quieter weekend to recover from a screaming sore throat, a cough that tastes metallic and all over aches.

One of those moments

You know those moments when you shake the hand of someone famous or someone you really admire and you just know you won't ever wash your hand again? Well, our pastor's wife just called and let me tell you it's going to be awhile before that message gets deleted. So ah . . . I guess I'd better return her call about trading nursery duty dates.

This one's for you!

Hey Ezra! This post is for you! Here's a picture of H last fall. He had just gotten his hair cut and was trying out some blue hair gel for crazy hair night at AWANA. (Note for other readers: he hid behind me at the store so no one would see him with blue hair and we had to wash it out before AWANA - silly guy!) I hope you had fun at your concert - I tried to find Toby's Boomin' on iTunes but to no avail. Maybe H could listen with you sometime. H sure is lucky to have such a bestest, bestest, bestest friend like you.
Love,
H's mama