Pinterest Adventures

I've seen a lot of people posting about pinterest, so I'll throw one out there too!  I heart Pinterest.  I also love that I can hang out with the kids and browse at my leisure.  hehe  At first I just was overwhelmed with amazing ideas.  Now I've started to actually use some of my pins.  I hope that is a trend that continues.  The first thing I used that I pinned was cutting up letters from cereal boxes and other containers that would be thrown away anyways.  I have an old wipe case on a kitchen counter and just throw 'em in there whenever I have new letters.  I hope M (and C down the road) enjoys recognizing, sorting, rearranging, making words ?! at some point,  but I figure that I'll be ready for that day!

Then I made 7-layer dip - one of my favorites.  The recipe I pinned is basically the same one my family uses, so it was pretty much just pinned to remember to make it every once in a while.

The THIRD thing I made is the reason for this post.  JJ had a midterm Monday.  Add that to studying for the boards, and basically we haven't seen daddy in a while.  In a conversation about feelings Sunday, M made the comment, "Sometimes I'm sad when I can't see my Daddy."  I decided we would go on an adventure and bring Daddy and his study buddies dessert!  So. much. fun.  But what dessert??  I had made cookies recently and wasn't feeling it. SO!  I turned to my faithful pinterest and found a Better than *you know what* cake.  Mmmmm.  Since it was my first time making it, PLUS I had two kids keeping my busy while I was supposed to be making it, PLUS I had a very tight schedule to make it (bring it to Daddy AND get home at a decent time), I decided it may not be better than s-e-x, but it was AT LEAST better than studying!  My Better than Studying cake turned out to be a major success and it was way fun to visit Daddy.  M loves some of JJ's buddies and she was delighted that one of them humored her and took her up and around the building, on the elevator, etc. numerous times!

A few other funnies:
M was sitting on the couch watching a movie, when all of a sudden, I heard *a noise*. 
Me: Honey!  Do you need to use the restroom?
M: No Mommy!  That came out of my mouth!

M: Oh, I'm just teasing, like my Grandpa.

J family: Where have we been??!

Ugh.  I know.  I know.  BUT I have a few good excuses.

So, we moved.  We bit the bullet and bought a house.  While I was a little less eager than JJ to move, I'm so very happy with our house.  I guess it was time to put on my big girl pants and suck it up. 

November was pretty much a blur of packing, organizing, ear infections and, oh yeah, moving and unpacking and organizing!  Phew!  We absolutely couldn't've done it without my parents and some of our amazing friends.  A bunch of people from JJ's school helped us out and that meant so much to me - he really has a great group of buddies.  A coworker and friend's hubby were also recruited, and everyone appeared to still be moving even after all was said and done!  : )

My parents came to help us unpack and celebrate Thanksgiving with us in our new house!  The weather was amazing and we hit up the park on a walk - which doesn't always happen in November.  At least not where I'm from - last November, M was getting her first taste of snow!

December was fabulous.  More nice weather plus starting to feel settled equaled a great combination.  The C-man got tubes, which was such a crazy-fast procedure it was insane.  He did SO WELL, only fussing that we couldn't feed him from midnight on.  We were the first ones scheduled for the day, so he didn't have to wait too long and drank 10 oz pretty much as soon as we got to see him - still a little sloppy from anesthesia! 

Oh yeah, that was another development.  Much to Mommy's UNhappiness, C pretty much weaned himself at the end of Nov-early Dec.  : (  I attribute it mostly to stress and working full time, but I could not keep up with his needs - even pumping at work I never had a storage for him like I did with M (well her nursing was another whole story...).  I had no choice but to supplement, and you know how that can be a slippery slope.  Anyways, it's not the end of the world, and I know that I got him as much boobie juice as I could.  : )  hehe

My parents came for Christmas, and this time we felt like we could relax a little bit more!  We enjoyed having them back so much!  We were totally spoiled with not having to travel for the Holidays.  I'm pretty sure A and L J aren't going to let us get away with it next year though... ; )  We did miss them and are so glad they're coming to visit in February!!!

The boys, (two of JJ's bro-bros), CP and B surprised us and visited us for New Year's!  P called saying B bought a new car and was itching to test it out on the highway, which I translated as: we miss our little brother.  : )  We were so happy to have them, and the best part of that trip was beating both of them in scrabble... huh... they haven't played since... funny thing... ; )  Oh, and I WAS up at midnight, even if I had a nap on the floor for about an hour that evening.  : )

Enough of this update - can't wait to share a few recent funny stories!  

You know you're moving when...

...you're EXCITED to use up your favorite shampoo (and cereal for that matter) just because it's one. less. thing. to. pack.
...your husband is your hero, not for taking good care of the kids all day (which he did do because he's got about two weeks off!), but for packing TWO MORE boxes!
...you suddenly become less and less attached to the precious and adorable clothes your children outgrew.
...your new favorites at work are the gal who just moved and gave you all her boxes, wrap, and packing paper and the awesome janitor who keeps bringing you paper boxes (LOVE those boxes).
...which brings on another one - you start to have favorite boxes -- paper ones.. oooh... and diaper ones!  PERFECT sizes.
...you're EXCITED it's finally fall -- pack up all those summer clothes.  Done and done.
...grocery shopping becomes trickier -- what do we need JUST this week -- no stocking the shelves for me!
...you can't really think farther than the closing date.  Just gotta get to that closing date.
...cleaning becomes easier -- boxes are covering the floor -- no need to vacuum!
...you suddenly have new family rules -- especially once something is in the box it DOES NOT and I repeat does NOT come out.  That one was made especially for M, who suddenly becomes attached to each and every blessed thing going in the box.
...as you sit on the computer and type this all you can see in the house is more stuff that could be grouped together and fit into x, y, and z box.

Update

I was so planning on this being more regular than it has been!  : ) 

Quite updates:
C-man has taken to food little-by-little.  Praise God!  Not that we were overly concerned at this point, but just that it's so much easier when kiddos want to eat!  He's been a bit fussier than his normal happy self lately, which we are attributing to teeth.  Those darn teeth sure terrorize the whole body.  He's napping now, but it's been like every three hours at night for the past couple of nights and that just is tough on a Momma.  Especially tough is when the big sister has trouble, too.  Last night she must've had a weird dream because she came into our room - no crying, no words at all - and laid down on our floor and slept the rest of the night.  She did crawl around and slept just about every available square inch of our floor though!  I was too tired to put her back to bed and she slept, so whatever.  But back to the C-ster.  He continues to love being outside and also enjoys his exersaucer, but MOSTLY just wants to be held every waking moment!  He watches EVERYTHING big sister does!

M is just our biggest girl.  She has been getting better at using kind words, which we love!  She also has been a huge helper lately.  She will bring C a toy, play more independently, help clean up, and go potty on her own --- in fact --- the other day we were playing outside with our neighbors (oh, they are so wonderful!  We are loving getting to know them!) and she was squirting away (her continued favorite activity from when she went to M's house last year) when all of a sudden she ran inside.  I thought she needed more water or something, so I slowly made my way after her - turns out she just had to go potty and had come in by herself, went potty, wiped, flushed and was washing her hands when I got to her.  Proud moment!  It's the little things people! She also LOVES letters and "writing".    GOOOOOO SCHOOL!

JJ is at the tail-end of his Neuro II section -- praise God!  Neuro just isn't his all-time favorite subject - it's not bad information to know, it's just that it's not his fav.  Neuro II has proved to me a lot of psychiatry stuff, too, which definitely isn't something he's interested in pursuing.  BUT Friday he had to present a neuro case to a panel of three neurologists and got a 100% on his presentation.  Woot!  That's my little doctor!  I'm so proud of him.  I poke fun a little with calling him my little doctor and whatever, but seriously words can't express how fascinated I am by how much he knows and is able to do even now, with two and a half years to go before even residency.  I've told a lot of people this, so sorry if you've heard it, but I'm living in this juxtaposition (huh... just looked it up and that's not the actual word I mean... I'll describe what I'm thinking and maybe you can help me out with the word!).  It's like on one hand I revere doctors and believe what they tell me 100%.  In my world they are completely on a pedestal because they hold the key to health, which is something I truly value.  AND on the other hand, does JJ REALLY need to know every stinking detail of this, that and the other thing??  : )  Know what I mean? 

And me?  Let's see, I'm very happy at my job in the middle school.  I have a somewhat dicey parent situation in the works, but have total support from my principal/VP/school psych, etc, so I'm not too worried, it just makes for some tense moments.  And if you know me at all, you know that I score about a -10 on the confrontation meter.  I'm not confident with confrontation and I hate it when I'm in sticky situations through no fault of my own!  I dealt with the mother lode of sticky situations last year so when I was chatting with a gal from district about my current one, she was just like, seriously do NOT go to the casino.  I don't know how these things happen to me!  : )  What else?  I've tried a few new recipes - some of them total flops (I'll be the first to admit that!) and a few that have made their way to the regular rotation!  Even with JJ super busy, I've just really enjoyed the last week with my kids.  I go back to a conversation I had with my Grandma on her birthday -- I sometimes get caught up in what life might be like for us in 10 years when JJ is practicing as a physician... but my goal is to be present in the now and making the most of our lives NOW.

Yada, yada, yada!  That's us in a nutshell right now!

One of these is not like the other one...

At M's Open House for Preschool, we were chatting with our Pastor (her school is at our Church!) and he asked if C is just like M was when she was a baby and that got us thinking about our kids' similarities and differences.  So at the risk of sounding like a middle school paper, let me take a minute to compare and contrast my beautiful babies.

How are they alike?  Let me count the ways.  Because they are limited.  (Disclaimer - this is their mother talking.)  They are both a-dorable babies.  They are both cuddlers (although M would sleep on people, or in bed with us (shhh!  Don't tell Uncle A!) much more than baby C.  When he's tired, he pretty much wants to be laid down.  Now.  They both love their strollers, going for walks, and being outside.  Praise God!  They both have also loved their carseats (YAY!) and are great travelers (YAY YAY!).  They both have had their stints as Poopetrators (although C seems to be to a somewhat lesser degree, though he certainly has his moments!).  They both have loved baths.  They have each had times that make me want to pull out my hair.  They both melt my heart and bring purpose and focus to my life.    

But I think the most lengthy right now are the differences.  C is still not sleeping through the night and I'm almost POSITIVE M was by the time I was back at work.  C is a paci (and bottle) man, while M refused both.  However, on a side note, she swears she DID need a paci when she was a baby and reveres them now.  :)  C is much quicker to smile than M was - she was a little more on the reserved, curious side.  C is such a lazy baby... put me on my tummy, fine... put me on my back... fine... I'll just hang out and fuss when I want something changed.  M was a mover and shaker from day one (really -- she was even more active in utero)!  Food is a huge difference as well.  M LOVED baby cereal and most every food available to her since then.  C just isn't a fan.  No thanks, guys.  He will be exited for the first bite, realize what it is and pretty much try every trick to not eat from that point on.  It is the same way with medicine, come to think of it.  **Ready for the funny M story of the day??**  Just the other day, JJ was giving M her meddies and she sighed contently and whispered sincerely under her breath, "I love this stuff."  For C, on the other hand, I have to use the baby medicine dropper thing AND a spoon to scoop everything back up because I KNOW it won't be staying in his mouth for any length of time if he has any choice in the matter.        

The Wheels on the Bus!

M has started school.  SUCH a big girl!  She has done so well with this big transition and I'm assuming things are going well.  I haven't gotten any phone calls yet anyways!  : )  I'll have to grill her teacher at Church.  Yes, I probably will be that Mom.  Maybe not quite to the point of one of my kiddos' parents, who had this to say the first time I met her: "I'm a helicopter mom, but I'm harmless."  I was a little worried by that statement, even with the bit of sugar at the end, but it couldn't be more true.  She is one of the sweetest ladies ever with her kiddo's best interests at heart.  ANYWAYS!

Every school day, M comes home with a sticker of what her job was for the day.  She's been a table washer, snack helper, flag holder, you name it.  I love this little conversation starter.  She's also brought home some really cool artwork, like a homemade "Chicka-chicka Boom Boom" tree, complete with letters cut out of a magazine.  It is WAY too cute!!  M has also had show and tell already (Oops - I was the Mom who forgot to send something her first turn...).  She decided on a cupcake out of her "Magic Princess Baking Set" from Grandma and Grandpa!

I don't know if this has to do with school time, or what, but M is also a little infatuated with buses.  She is scared to actually ride them, or the first time she saw one up close, but when we're driving in the mornings, she is on. the. lookout.  She's also started this hilarious thing.  So... with that... here's the

Funny M Story of the Day:
M has started awarding prizes for finding a bus.  I have no idea where she picked this up from.  I actually was probing her about where she heard it, and she got a little defensive and said, "M said it!!"  Monday, she declared, "If we see a bus we get TEN MINUTES!!!"  Maybe it's that whole rushing out the door that makes her value ten minutes?  Tuesday it was "50 MILLION DOLLARS!"  And today, when I saw a bus?  TWENTY DOLLARS! 

Hey, what happened to the millions??  Anyways, she just cracks me up all the stinking time.

Big Boy!

No, not the deliciousness that is a brown cow (you Bizzo-ites are following me right?).  I'm talking about my big boy!  The C-ster is a big six month old and had his big appointment today.  How many times can I use the word big?  Somebody get this girl a thesaurus! 

Ok, anyways!!  The results? 

Weight: 18 lb 2 oz --> 59th percentile
Height: 26.5 in --> 49th percentile
Head Circ: 43.5 cm --> 40th percentile

No vaccines, BUT a Rx for amoxicillin... and a diagnosis of a double ear infection.  Arrg...  Poor guy, he tugged on his ears a little bit, but was not super fussy - and when he was we assumed teeth (two more coming in on top!).

Funny M story of the day:
While I was talking to the doctor I set M up with some crayons and a coloring page (thanks to our wonderful and thoughtful daycare gal).  I was answering questions and estimating milk intake, hours of rest, you know just crunching the numbers, when Dr. W says, "Oh honey, let's not color there."  M had taken it upon herself to start coloring on the walls -- something she has never done before!  (Tables, YES, walls, no.)  Of COURSE why not start in public??  M got superduper embarrassed and started all out bawling.  Dr. W felt absolutely terrible, but I maintained that M a) needs to not be coloring on walls! and b) needs to be ok with being corrected - especially so kindly by any adult.  Sweet thing did eventually calm down.  When we talked about it later in the car, she said, "I was crying because I just REALLY wanted to color on the wall!"  Well, I guess at least she was honest!

Rennies!

We hit up our very first Renaissance Festival a few weekends ago and had a blast!  One of JJ's med school buddies (J) and his wife (J) met us there... and actually paid for us too... nice guy!  Ok, so there were a few things I would've been ok with M (and C for that matter) not seeing, but for the most part it was pretty family friendly.  M rode on a super cool ride --- swings that were "operated" by boys walking in a circle turning big knobs.  So quaint!  JJ was an audience participator at a magic show, when the entertainer did "the human blockhead" and pounded a nail into his nose.  JJ was the guy who held onto the nail as he extracted it from his head.  Awesome.  We also HAD to hit up the joust, which was also pretty entertaining.  I'm not sure about the accuracy of one of the "knights" standing up on his horse and jumping down to give the guy the People's Elbow, but in the end "our" knight was victorious and fun was had by all!

One funny little story (because you know there always is one when toddlers are involved):
I thought this gal was a part of the Festival, but JJ thought she was just a spectator who happened to be in costume.  Nevertheless a gal came up to M and commented on her big smile.  Then she told a story about a sad dragon with tears streaming down its face (M can tell you the whole story...).  The only thing that could make the dragon happy was the smile of a little girl.  The tears were then saved, and they turned into precious stones.  At that point she gave M one of those little little smooth glossy pebble things that are used in fish tanks or for decoration in vases, etc.  M referred to it as her dragon (she may have gotten slightly confused with the story) and it became her biggest treasure ever.  Until she forgot about it about a half hour later.  Of course she remembered it as we were loading up back at the car -- there was NO way we were going to track this tiny little pebble down, so JJ and I thought quickly on our feet and decided that Dragon had flown on ahead of us and we would find him later.  We drove straight to a Michaels because Mommy was sure Dragon was shopping for a small gift for M, the girl with the big smile.  I wanted to buy a handful just in case we lost one again, but alas, they only came in bulk.  We now have 50 "dragons" in the event that one gets lost again (we have since used three!).    

Pee in a Cup

I didn't quite know how to label this post, so I'm just throwing it out there.

Tuesday evening our daycare gal texted mentioning that M was complaining of it hurting when she was going potty and M doing some itching.  Oh great!  I consulted with my personal doctor-to-be AKA Daddy, and he said it could be a UTI or possibly a yeast infection so it'd be a good idea to get it checked out.

We met up with our favorite NP, AM, who said that she wanted to rule out a UTI and requested that miss M pee in a cup.  Ok friends.  This may sound like a simple task.  Or maybe not for those of you with children or a bad personal experience?  BUT, FIRST OF ALL, M did not have to go potty.  I coaxed her with her sippy and we read and hung out.  She decided she wanted to try so I lugged C-man, three alcohol wipes, a pee cup, and a wide-eyed-with-anticipation toddler into the nearest restroom.  She thought the wipes were pretty cool, but Mommy sticking a cup under her, not so much.  She declared that she did NOT have to go.  It sure appeared that she was trying, so I decided to not force the issue.  We washed up and with slight embarrassment, let the nurse know that we hadn't quite peed in the cup yet. 

We went back to "our room" for some more water and stories.  The nurse set some more supplies on the counter, and about two seconds later M declared that she really had to go now!  Riiiight.  Those darn wipes were so appealing... I tried to have her wait a little bit more, but you know that the first rule of kids is that you don't mess around when they say they have to go potty.  At any rate, we did eventually end up back in the bathroom for a second strike.  After we walked back to our room with our tails between our legs, the nurse came by with a big surprise for the M-girl: an apple juice box.  WHAT?!  Apple juice is like liquid gold to miss thing.  She sucked it down and really, but this time C is just done with the whole experience, and I realize that I don't even have a diaper bag in the car.  Yikes!  A short while later, M declared that YES, this time she really did, in fact, NEED to use the restroom.  I got (I'll admit it) a little crabby and was like you BETTER be peeing in that cup woman.  Or else.  Something.

We get her bottom all re-sanitized, plunk her down on the potty, and she tries and tries but does not go.  I've just about had it but being crabby never really does solve anything, so I just admit defeat and toss the cup into the garbage.  At that very moment, I hear a tinkle.  In one fell swoop, I grab that container, shove it under M's bottom and catch about five seconds worth of pee stream, but seriously, it's the best we could do.  The nurses must've seen my harried expression because they declared that they could make it work!  I decided not to mention that this particular pee cup had been in the garbage.  It just wasn't worth it since the whole garbage was practically full of our garbage in the first place.

End of story?  M was prescribed meds for a yeast infection and Mom had a new story to blog about.  : ) hehe

Road Trip, Stop 9

STOP NINE: HOME!!!

To make a long, long trip story short, (TOO LATE!)  ; ) we planned on driving all the way from my family's house to our house.  The kids did awesome.  It was that pesky river that got in the way.  You know that one?  The one that flooded and wreaked havoc for lots of people?  Yeah that one.  It was flooded over I-94, so we took a detour, a VERY poorly marked detour I might add.  Instead of getting home at about 2, which was our ETA up until the detour... we got home at 5 am... GOOD TIMES!  The kiddos were such troopers, though.  M slept as long as I held her hand (and we did run out of her dipes, so for the last stretch, she wore one of baby C's!).

Road Trip, Stop 8

See?  Stop 8?  A bit much for a two year old.  I keep saying this because I'm still kicking myself.  Still.  Let it go, EJ.  Let it go.  It just took a few days of being home to get "our girl" back, but still.

STOP EIGHT: Bismarck, ND

We just HAD to make this stop because the C-man needed to meet Great Grandma and Grandpa, and the feeling was definitely mutual.  Great Grandpa, ever the man to wear his heart on his sleeve, was crying immediately at the sight of great grandchild number three.

We had a relatively brief visit in Bismarck, but it was still jammed-pack (jam-packed ?) full of stuff.   We hung out with my grandparents, my parents, my brother and his fiance (a little - she works nights, so we saw her coming and going a little bit!).  It was awesome, too, that my uncle D and his daughter C, and her son C (phew!) where in town for a reunion on his side of the family.  Little C is a handful to say the least, but it was still a very good visit!

We ALSO got to meet up with my friend from school, AO, her hubby BO, and their SWEET, sweet little one, EO.  Oh my!  It was so great to just sit and chat and love up on that little girl! 

Road Trip, Stop 7

Thanks for hanging in there with me.  If you're getting sick of this trip, magnify that times 30 and you'll about be where M was by this time.  Poor kiddo.  We pushed it too hard, but we really really wanted to see everyone and do everything up north while we could...

Anyways!

STOP SEVEN: Fargo, ND

Westward, Ho!  The whirlwind that was us landed in Fargo to visit our favorite Fargo J family - L, A and their three kiddos.  We love, LOVE visiting the Js for a number of reasons.  They have kids, we have kids!  They have tons of kid stuff!  They have a beautifully finished basement so we can have a little personal space time for a bit if we need to!  And we just plain love them so much!

We did a ton of fun stuff -- including the main reason for the stop -- JJ being in a golf tournament.  The kiddos, L and her kiddos, and I went to the Fair (where we got to view niecey L's artwork!!) and even hit up the library for story hour - complete with a craft!  We also treated ourselves to some fro-yo, Fargo style.  Another superfun thing that happened in Fargo was our friends, the Ls drove down from Grand Forks just to visit us.  It was amazing seeing them again.  We love them so much.  Our visit was cut short due to M's terrible mood and fighting sleep... but it was so great to see them!

Sadly I only have a few pics from this stop - but they do show off L's beautiful artwork (and some petting zoo animals!)!

Stop 6, cont.

I forgot two funny quotes:

M woke up from a nap, and still bleary-eyed, stumbled out into the living room mumbling, "Where'sthedog?" 

Also, while inspecting the deck, she declared triumphantly, "There're NO kitties here!"

Yes, she was a bit pet overloaded!

Road Trip, Stop 6

STOP SIX: Craguns Resort, Gull Lake, MN

My parents took advantage of us and our big trip-dee-doo and rented a lake cabin at our favorite resort.  We've been going there for a while... like almost every summer.  My brother, his fiance (!), and my parents met us there (we were about 10 minutes away at L & M's house, fondly referred to here as "Stop 5").

We did so much in this time that I'm just going to give you the whole photo rundown again.  It was amazing, filled with family, fun, laughter, love, HGTV (what can I say, I'm readdicted!), sun, and good food.  My kind of vacation!

Water was the main theme of the trip.  Shore,

pool,

ot boat!

And check out this cool dude!

M watched, amazed, as kiddos did handstands --- and she wanted to give them a whirl herself!

And she CAUGHT A FISH -- #2 on The List!  (with help from Grandpa!)

We ALL golfed...

Oh fer cute...

And even did some putt-putt -- #27! (of which M lasted about two holes... so much for me thinking she would LOVE that game!).

M took her cute new car for a spin!

We walked to get ice cream treats.

And the girls were even treated by my Dad to pedicures at the Spa!

Still stop 5...

 M had a love-hate relationship with puppy M at Auntie L and Uncle M's house... when I finally told her, in exasperation, that puppy M wasn't concerned about her at all and that puppy M didn't feel well anyways, well, that just tugged at her heartstrings.  She worked up to even petting puppy M (who really does just lay around all day, poor thing), but the sweetest thing is when she remembered puppy M in her prayers!

Oh, one more "adventure" at M and L's house is that M got to sleep in a BUNK BED!  How cool is that??  She got some really good sleep (yay!), but was pretty fascinated by the TOP bunk.  One night before bed, she prayed, "And pray that M doesn't have to sleep there (pointing to the bottom bunk because she REALLY wanted that top one!)."

AND did I mention the food??  This year *almost* every family planned a meal (or fifteen if you're LC or three if you're JJ).  : )

JJ's "new" salad that I request all the time now.  Yum.

Mmmm... cupcakes... but not just any cupcakes... corn on the cob cupcakes!  Not sure if they were worth the impending hurt feelings, BUT they were delicious!  ; )