Our Sweet Peas

Instagram Friday

2012-01-27T12:47:00.002-05:00

I haven't linked up in a few weeks so some of these photos are older. I haven't been taking many phone pics because we have been home quite a bit.

1 & 2~ The boys started swimming in the beginning of January. Alex is a fish. Eli hated it at the beginning because he didn't want to let go of Daddy's neck. 3rd session-he turned a corner and now they both love it. We will have to take a break once they are casted but hope to continue after that.
3~ Addie's teeth are in full effect. I swear she went from none to a ton so quickly.
4~ Eli on the phone, pre-bath, as naked as a jaybird. For some reason that just cracks me up.
5~ One night a couple of weeks ago. Kids were in bed, Jared was at the homecoming game and I was watching Parenthood, with a brownie and tea and working on my Project Life Album. So relaxing.
6~ The boys rocking their BK crowns and trying to protect themselves from Addison. I SWEAR she was born knowing how to punch. She's a scrapper.

Not much planned for this weekend other than church. Alex and Addie are getting over colds and we all actually slept through the night last night! Yay! First night this week.

RANDOM

2012-01-25T20:30:00.001-05:00

Hola! I am home. Jared is at church with the boys. Addie is asleep. My usual weekly break. I was actually going to church this week but Addie woke up this morning with a cold so instead I am home and still plugging away at the picture project.

I thought I'd lost about a year and a half of pictures but found them on our external hard drive because my AWESOME husband had already backed them up and we just forgot. YAY!

I also FORGOT my age this past month. Jared and I were on a date a couple of weeks ago and we discussed my upcoming birthday (JUNE) and he said I'd be 37. I was like "weird, I REALLY thought I was 35 and turning 36 this year, silly me". This has been messing with my head since then. I felt SO much closer to 40. I have been convinced that my hair is thinning. If you know me you are cracking up because I have a mane of hair, tons! I also am seeing extra wrinkles and bought night cream. Fast forward to 2 nights ago. The boys kept waking for various reasons and as usual I couldn't get back to sleep. I was lying there contemplating my life and FINALLY did the math and realized that I AM 35. I really wanted to jab Jared and tell him he was a jerk for lying to me. When I texted him later that day he couldn't believe it either. He thought we were both 36. Yep, we are LOSING it. But at least we are losing it together. Isn't that what marriage and parenting is all about?? :)

Speaking of catching up with pictures. I am printing some from January 2010 and watching videos from then and I am pretty sure that I feel PHYSICAL PAIN when I look at and listen to my sweet wittle bubbies. Sorry, about the baby talk but really such wittle bitty sweeties. Ugh, melt my heart.

Speaking of my little boys. We went to Physical Therapy today and the plan is to cast their legs (foot to just below the knee) for 4-6 weeks. CASTS. BOTH LEGS. BOTH 4 year old boys. I am still in a bit of shock. We have known it was a possibility but now I am thinking of day to day life with 2 boys with both legs casted. Yikes. Deep breaths.

I do know that this is SO minor compared to what we could be facing with twin 27 weekers though. I HAVE to say that because I sit in the waiting room at their rehab office and see exhausted parents (often single & doing it ALL by themselves) and their beautiful children with severe disabilities. I don't know why that is not us but I do know that I will try and not complain about casts. Perspective. It is a beautiful thing.

Well that's what is going on here. No pics on this post. I am too busy trying to cash in on penny prints from Snapfish. It ends tonight. Yes, I am the procrastination queen.

Why I Blog

2012-01-21T10:52:00.000-05:00

In the spirit of a new year I started organizing pictures as I recently mentioned and started doing Project Life. This left me wondering if blogging was overkill as far as memory preservation goes. SO I thought I'd share why I continue to blog.

1. I can't believe how many of the little things I have forgotten already. Just last week I was reading an old post to Jared and we had both forgotten so many of the little things that the boys used to say. I don't have room to write all that in my album and I'm not great at journaling on a regular basis.

2. Because she won't always be smaller than the cabinet door.

3. Because Alex won't always beg me to play Zingo (great game) 5x/day.

4. Because Eli won't always look so adorable in his snow pants and he won't always want a pajama photo shoot. These are his most loved "square" pajamas by the way.

5. Because WAY TOO QUICKLY....

AND

So for all the little moments that don't always make it into a photo album I'll continue to blog. It is a hobby that I continue to enjoy and it has been 4 years in February!

FINALLY some snow.

2012-01-13T13:54:00.000-05:00

We really still didn't get much but it is only the 2nd time this Winter, that I recall, we have had any. Neither were REAL snows. If this sounds AT ALL like I am complaining, I am NOT. There is a sweet little boy though who has been waiting and waiting for that glorious white stuff to fall from the sky.

Eli and I were driving to OT yesterday and the weather guy said that they were calling for snow. I said "ELI! DID YOU HEAR THAT? Their is supposed to be snow tomorrow!!" He chimed in from the backseat in his excited little voice "Was he talking to US?!!!"

Needless to say he was really excited and like I said we got a little bit. Enough to appease him for a little while at least.

It has been a nice day home with my kids. One of the things I like about Winter in Michigan is the slower pace. The pace is not always slow, that is for sure, but there are days like this one when it is just me and my babies home together. I love it.

18 Months Old

2012-01-11T11:00:00.001-05:00

Unbelievable! I can't believe it has been a year and a half since Addison joined our family. Brace yourself for a picture overloaded post.

She is not walking but she gets around at lightning speed. We always say "here comes slappy pappy!" because you can hear her little hands slapping against the wood floors as fast as she can go.

She isn't saying a whole lot of words but babbles a ton! We expect a bit of a speech delay due to all her hearing issues that she had as an infant and the minor hearing loss she continues to have.

She is getting a molar and hasn't been happy the past couple of days but she does have a sweet disposition.

Poor baby.

She also has a "don't mess with me" attitude.
She has brothers so she knows how to roll with the punches.

She LOVES playing with their hot wheels, transformers, light sabers and all the "boy" toys...

and yet she loves playing with her shoes and trying to get them on while she carries and snuggles her little baby dolls. Yesterday she was carrying their transformer masks like a purse by the strap.

She will be a well-rounded little girl. No princesses in this house. :)

Ahhh, date night.

2012-01-06T21:57:00.000-05:00

Jared and I had an impromptu date night tonight. Those are the best kind and always seem to work out. We tried during his entire break to go out together and sickness kept getting in the way. Last night I said "we need a date" and he made it happen. Our niece Amanda came over and watched the kids. Yay Amanda! It was nice and now we are home and the kids, except for Alex who I can still hear playing, are asleep and we are relaxed. Ahhhh.

I decided I am not going to go back and post all the pictures that I haven't posted. That is the nice thing about starting Project Life. I don't feel the need to put so many pictures on here. I still will because I enjoy it but if I miss something like Christmas pictures because we were all under the weather, I am not real worried about it.

I have been catching up on putting all my pictures in albums and recording stories about them. I am FINALLY printing pictures at the end of each month (meaning I did it in November & December)and once I am caught up I will only be having to put one month of pictures in instead of 2 years worth. It really is such a relief because I take A LOT of pictures. A WHOLE LOT!

This has been a goal of mine forever. I just needed to find my way through all the possibilities. I aspire to someday do this system. I have been reading Laura's blog for years and we are complete opposites but I think that is why I am drawn to her blog. That and the fact that her twin boys are a year older than mine. She is completely type A and well, I am NOT. Anyways, I have taken baby steps towards my photo organization and that along with sick kids and Eli's OT has kept me from my blogging a bit.

Without further ado, here is a picture from our recent trip to The Henry Ford.

When did my babies gets so big? STOP THAT ALREADY!!! Addie will be 18 months this month and the boys are going to be 5 in April.

And a happy new year...

2012-01-01T20:56:00.000-05:00

I hope everyone is enjoying their new year. After I posted Alex and Jared were hit HARD with the stomach flu. Yuck. We have only been through this once before and it is much like child birth..you completely forget the trauma. It has been crazy. All I have to say is thank God I got my new washer before the flu hit us and THANK goodness it has a "sanitize" cycle. It was used A LOT.

As of yesterday, we have started to feel on the mend but Jared and I are tired and the boys are SO STIR CRAZY. We are hoping to take them out tomorrow and burn as much energy as possible.

We are all very thankful to be healthy on this New Years Day.

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-28T14:16:00.000-05:00

I am a little late. This year we hosted Christmas Eve at our house and it was a really nice evening with Jared's side of the family. Christmas morning we had our little family Christmas just the 5 of us. We had breakfast, opened stockings & gifts and got ready for church. We got in the car and Eli puked. All. over. Alex. In retrospect it was kind of comical. Alex screamed and cried louder than Eli. "Why did you do that, Eli? Why?" over and over again. He was COMPLETELY heartbroken as if Eli planned it. It was gross but such is life.

I of course caught a minor version of the bug and have been sick for the past 3 days so posting pictures is not at the top of my list. BUT I thought I would share one of my FAVORITE pictures of the day.

I am so thankful for these moments.

Friday

2011-12-16T12:28:00.000-05:00

Insta-friday again. Here is a bit about our week.
1. Addie blowing raspberries.
2. Goodbye to our awesome washer. I will miss you but you quit working over a month ago. Our new one will be here tomorrow and while you are pretty I prefer that you function. Buh-bye.
3. Charley got an early Christmas gift. You see when we leave him in the car so that we don't lose him Alex gets concerned that he will be cold so we bought him a parka (target $1 section). Isn't he cute??
4. Cookie swap after-math. After all that baking I really wasn't sure if my kitchen would EVER look the same again.
5. Precious. The boys reading together before lights out.
6. Alex's new, new hair-cut. His first hair cut was THE WORST EVER and we had to go back the next day. It is much better now.
7. My favorite. This was a night that Jared took the boys out and Addie was in bed. It was a perfect cold December night in Michigan. I had my space heater, magazine, quilt and peppermint hot chocolate. Ahhh.

So now I am looking forward to the weekend and having Jared home more. Also I can't wait to use my new washer. (The last sentence can be categorized under "things you never thought you'd EVER say when you were in your 20's and single".) ;)

Destruction!

2011-12-13T06:51:00.000-05:00

Is five the age when boys just start to destroy things? We are just a few months away and yesterday, the boys knocked a frame off the wall, broke another frames glass (at two completely different times of the day), broke the knob off our lamp and lost it, AND broke a library CD in two. It was a $15 disc from 1990 that I thought would be great for night time listening however it was completely cheesy and we listened to 1/2 a song before Eli declared he "hated that one". I had to agree. Well, anyways now we paid for it and it is completely unusable (not that we would have used it). YAY!

Winter weather is here and they are cooped up more so I am guessing the destruction from their play is going to increase. I am going to look into getting them into swimming and try and wear there little bodies out. I am also thankful for the basement because there is not much other than our TV that they can destroy down there.

I am off to OT with Eli today. He qualified. I am planning to get ideas from the session and do them at home with Alex to develop his fine motor also. We are doing this 2x/wk for the next weeks. It is about an hour away so it is quite a commitment, especially at Christmas time. I am excited though to see what they are able to do and to have some one on one time with my boy. We also have hair cuts tonight which I am SO excited about, Jared not so much. He likes it long and shaggy. I am hoping that we will find a good compromise today.

So that's my day, how bout yours??

Friends

2011-12-10T12:26:00.001-05:00

My friend Stephanie and I have a goal to get together once a month and work on our Project Life albums. This means our 4 year old boys get to play together. They have a lot of fun and last week when we made sugar cookies Eli said "Can we make Santa Cookies again when Tanner comes over?" So we did.

They loved hammin' it up for the camera.

Yesterday morning I made some snowman pancakes. They were a hit except for with Eli who wanted waffles. So when I gave him waffles I put syrup on them and he wanted no syrup. He at cereal. I don't normally cater to their whims but I had a headache and decided cereal was easier than a 10 minute discussion on how he needs to be thankful for the food he has been given. :)
I saw this on pinterest and they used bacon as a scarf which was adorable. I just don't really keep bacon on hand. I have been meaning to do a pinterest post for a while and just haven't had the time BUT I am on pinterest if you want to find me I am here. Have a great weekend.

It's Friday, Friday, Gotta get down on Friday

2011-12-09T06:01:00.003-05:00

Jared's students are doing a mock up of that you tube "sensation" tonight at their concert which should be funny. Anyways, it is in my head and I couldn't resist.

So this week I am joining up with life re-arranged to share our cell phone pics. I used instagram for most of mine.

1. Monday was a rainy day but I was at Starbucks BY MYSELF and feeling no pain! Thanks Kim.

2. Alex snuck into my room after bed and we always end up getting silly together. He has the best belly laugh.

3. I am pretty sure that after downloading many a daily planner sheet and purchasing every type of organizer from a Franklin Covey to a Day Timer I like a 3 ring binder and loose leaf paper the best. Crazy.(obviously I don't throw the binder into my purse but I can always rip the sheet out and take it with me.

4. Wednesday night = boys off to church with Jared & Addie to bed which meant I had a little peppermint hot chocolate and listened to Adele radio on Pandora while I........

5. Scrapbooked! Yes, I am the anti-scrapbooker but Becky Higgins makes it SO easy and you basically just slide the pics in and use her pre-made journaling cards. I LOVE IT!

6. Big hugs. It of course turned into a full on tickle fest.

7. Watched my sisters kids yesterday. Alli slept until 10. I was so jealous. ;)

8. Alex was feeling a little territorial about his new library book.

9. It's a chilly weekend here. And this was my first screen shot. In case you are new to all this iPhone stuff like me. I just held down the lock key at the top and pushed the home button twice. Some models it is once and then the pic appears in your camera roll.

Where to begin...

2011-12-04T22:26:00.001-05:00

As I mentioned the boys various appointment and Addie's have all gone well. I can't explain the feeling when you are told your 4 1/2 year olds who have been doing wonderfully may have something wrong neurologically. It's a bad one. The good part of the memory of that night was that I treated the boys to Panera and a pumpkin cookie. We had the best time. I worked through the overwhelmed feelings in my usual way with some heavy carbs. :)

Seriously, though we have jumped through SO MANY hoops since then. I have made countless phone calls and appointments due to this single appointment. It turned our home upside down for weeks on end. We met with the OT finally and she indicated that there were NO red flags. She didn't even think insurance would cover any further appointments. There only issue is muscle weakness which 1) is typical for preemies and 2) can be remedied with some fun games like wheel barrow and crawling around in forts and stuff to build upper arm strength which in turn helps their muscles that help them write. Crazy, right?? Anyways that and some fine motor work through play.

PT FREEKED out when they saw how Alex sits with his legs bent behind him. We are working on that. Addie does the same exact thing and we have to tell her "fix your leg" and she pops it out in front of her. It is really cute. Ok back to the boys. So OT sees no need for concern. The square drawing that concerned the neurologist is not a skill they need to have until 5. The original reason for the MRI's were 1) ankle tightness (can be helped through PT) 2) delay in the square writing thing (not a delay b/c they aren't over 5 years old) 3) brain bleeds (which was misinformation because Alex didn't have one and although Eli did it was a grade 1).

I wasn't super comfortable with the sedated MRI and now that some of this doctors concerns may have been a bit premature I decided I wanted a 2nd opinion. I got in this past Monday and our neurosurgeon who has seen Eli since he was born and sees Addie felt they were doing quite well and would not refer for a MRI. Yay. This doctor is one of the best in the state and I felt he had a better handle on their history. He indicated that their tightness was pretty typical given their history. We will continue to watch the boys but at this point we will just be doing some OT and PT at home based upon the homework we were given from these specialists. I am not quite sure why we were referred to neurology and wish we could have started with the neurosurgeon but live and learn.

As far as Addie is concerned she is still receiving Early On due to her gross motor delay although as I have mentioned she has since been standing and cruising furniture. The PT who came out this week indicated that she is within normal range when you correct her age and that she did not qualify for her program. She did want us to keep working with her on "fixing her leg" but said she was a physical therapists dream. She also said that for fine motor she does some things that put her at a 3 year old level. So funny. Couldn't my preemies have had the same deficits instead of complete opposites. :)

This post is kind of all over the place and I don't feel like I'm explaining it all as well as I could but this is as good as it is going to get. All of these exercises and activities are definitely keeping us busy but Jared and I don't forget that we are so blessed to have these 3.

So much to blog about

2011-12-02T14:59:00.001-05:00

I'm a little behind in my blogging. There is just always so much to blog about and so little time. The holidays are SO fast approaching. We keep things low-key but it is still busy. Honestly the busyness right now seems to be appointments and a baby who is cutting four teeth and STILL has a cough. The kids OT, PT, Neurosurgery appointments have all gone SO well but they have kept us hopping and working with them on these various treatments plans. I will dedicate a whole post to that this weekend assuming I have time to catch up on my blogging.

For now here are the pics from last weekend when the boys and I made sugar cookies with what was on hand. So if you are thinking they are not very "Christmas-y" it is because I only had leftover sprinkles from previous cookie endeavors.

Pre-bath

Post bath and time to decorate.
Eli dumped the entire contents of the container on each cookie every time. Thankfully most of the jars were almost empty.

This was there first time licking the beaters. What kind of mother am I? They are almost 5. :) Seriously thought this was just frosting so I didn't have to worry about salmonella. As a kid on the other hand we ate raw batter often and lived to tell about it. I have great memories of my Mom or Grandma yelling "Who wants to lick the beaters??" I am pretty sure I won that race every time. Should I admit that??? :)

Have a great weekend!!!

So this is how it went down...

2011-11-29T14:43:00.005-05:00

Thanksgiving went really well. I had fun decorating and kept it simple. The turkey came out well and the sides were delicious as were the desserts. My sister Missy made a lot of the sides and the famous peanut butter pie so between my cooking and hers and Linda's goodies we had a TON of food.

In the midst of getting everything together my sweet children came to me and were so proud that they had dressed themselves. One thing I have learned in my almost 5 years of parenting is you have to let some things go. So they donned sponge bob shirts and too big sweats and mismatched socks. It didn't make for a family portrait but it did provide my favorite pictures from thanksgiving. These kids crack me up.

Jared googled "how to carve a turkey" and it went well. Incidentally, I googled everything I wasn't sure how to do and called my sister in law Kim who was SO helpful.
Jared had to remove the boys from the table once and talk to them but other than that the kids table did well and it was fun to hear them giggle together.

My first big holiday is over and now we move onto Christmas Eve. :)

Let the games begin

2011-11-23T15:50:00.001-05:00

The baking and chopping has begun. Tomorrow I host my first Thanksgiving. I have been fine and not too stressed about it but last night I kind of "hit a wall". I told Jared to help talk me off the ledge. I started with what if the turkey is so disgusting we can't even eat it? Jared, who always knows what to say to his crazy wife said...."It will be funny and we'll have a story to tell". He's right. Everyone has one of THOSE stories. I don't want one but it may come along with this holiday hosting gig.

I've prepped all that I can and plan to finish my Pioneer Woman mashed potatoes this evening along with a couple of pies. Oh yeah and then there's the dreaded turkey. Why does the turkey freak me out???? I am going to have nightmares about turkey's attacking. Ugh. Oh well. At this time on Friday it will all be a memory. A good one I hope. :)

Last night at 10:30 I decided I would feel better if I got all the dishes, pots, pans ready and labeled them. My recipes are printed. Lists are made. This all brings comfort to this rookie.
Apple Sauce Done!

Baby bathed!

Cheerios spilled!
This happened this morning as I was trying to get things done. Alex picked up the box upside down and most of the box spilled. After a shared moment of shocked silence we both just sat on the floor and laughed and laughed. Addie failing to find the humor just parked her self in the middle of them and had a feast. It was like Christmas for her.
This was when Alex thought she had a great idea and joined her. I'd like to be able to say I had JUST cleaned the floors so it wasn't that gross BUT I hadn't and it was that gross. :)

Happy Thanksgiving. I am thankful for all the moments that make up this crazy life. God is good.

Ahh, the irony. As I am typing that last line Alex and Eli knocked down my glass vase that was filled with cranberries. The vase shattered and cranberries rolled all over the floor. It wasn't funny like the cheerios, due to the fact that I had been asking them to get off the table for the past 10 minutes. Oh well, still thankful, just a bit annoyed. :)

Decorating Nani and Papa's Tree

2011-11-21T07:02:00.001-05:00

Last year the boys joined in on the tradition of decorating Nani and Papa's tree and in previous years I think my niece & nephew, Amanda & Andrew did it. This year we headed there to do it again. The boys loved it. Addie had fun too.

I love this picture of Eli and Papa.

Thanksgiving Printable & Fine Motor

2011-11-20T07:16:00.002-05:00

One of the main things we are currently working on with the boys is fine motor. For the most part it needs to be incorporated into their play in ways they don't even realize. Play-doh for instance is great at working the muscles needed to improve fine motor skills. We also have wrung out sponges from one side of a dog dish to the other (left to right). Pinched clothes pins open to attach to the side of a container. All very effective and they are just having fun.

A couple of weeks ago I printed these Thanksgivng worksheets from Homeschool Creations to go with our books on Thanksgiving from the library. They loved them and I am hoping to get to them even more this week. There are puzzles and tracing sheets, size sorts and a few other fun activities. They are really cute.

One thing one of the teachers I spoke with who work with children that are behind in fine motor mentioned was to cut down their pencils or crayons so that it forces them to use mainly their two fingers in order to hold it properly. It worked for Eli below but you'll see Alex persisted and managed to still hold it incorrectly. We are working on that but again if it becomes stressful I can kiss this fine motor work goodbye.

You gotta love the messy hot chocolate faces. :) Hot chocolate has become almost a daily thing around here since the weather turned a bit colder.

Even picking up these cards is improving fine motor due to the way he has to grasp them to pick them up off the table.

While I have been aware of some of these fine motor activities some of them are new to me and I'd like to start a little series of posts about them that will help keep me accountable to working on this diligently. Hopefully I will get to that after Thanksgiving. Check out the links to Homeschool Creations. Seriously, GREAT printables.

PS I just checked out the one for kindergarten age and there are a few clothes pin activities. I plan to try these tomorrow.

Ah, the busyness.

2011-11-18T12:20:00.000-05:00

This week we are finally well but that just means there is LOTS of catching up to do. My closet, for instance, is very "Sanford & Son". I have managed to keep it very organized the ENTIRE year we have lived here and last week if fell apart COMPLETELY. I actually told Jared last night that my closet is looking very "Becky" again. This goes for my front room closet too.

OK now that my messy confessions are over I am mainly posting because my sweet Mother in Law, Carol...HI MOM!...keeps telling me that I need to post again and she is here watching my kids so I can breathe a little. I cannot disappoint a loyal reader so here is a random post and maybe I'll even find a couple of pictures to throw in for good measure.

I am hosting Thanksgiving for 11 and am making my first turkey. I figure I am 35 and I have been married for 9 years in March so it is time to suck it up and give it a go. So all of this means I have a busy week ahead. Add to that a parade this weekend (YAY!) and a free photo book that has to be completed in 2 weeks, and nursery this weekend and OT appointments along with raising the kiddliewinks and you've got one busy Mama and Dad. Other than that we are footloose and fancy free. :)

From the outside looking in, or the opposite, actually. (This was a rainy, windy day and the leaves looked pretty all over our porch so I decided to take a picture RIGHT as the mail woman walked up. It was kind of funny.)

We have had to get creative in our play due to the fact that we've been a bit homebound with colds. This is masking tape and the boys LOVED it. They have hotwheel tracks but this was more interesting I guess.

They are doing well with real legos now. The only challenge is keeping them off the floor so that Addie doesn't eat them.

Addie had her first oreo last week. She LOVED it.

Jared and the boys made a really cool fort in the woods (aka Jungle) and of course had to bring home some sticks. I'll have to get the picture of the fort off of Jared's phone. They also found a dead squirrel and when I asked Eli what he thought happened to it he said "it got attacked by a lion". :)

Off to work on the photo book while Mom & Dad are here to help.

Winners

2011-11-10T20:30:00.000-05:00

I haven't heard from a couple of my shutterfly winners. Please e-mail me @ roddfam5@gmail.com so that I can respond. I want to pass on the codes. Thanks!

The Weekend

2011-11-05T15:47:00.000-04:00

We are spending a lot of time at home this weekend trying to get well. We all have some semblance of a cold. Addie has had a 5 day dose of steroids and still sounds gross. SO we cancelled our weekend commitments and we are attempting to rest.

The boys HAD to get outside for a bit because we have been cooped up on and off for about the past 3 weeks with these colds/coughs (and because steroids make Eli CRAZY!). This is how they entertained themselves while Jared cleaned up the leaves.

Addie has been standing up a bit but ONLY on our bed for whatever reason. Today was the first time she stood unassisted on the floor. Apparently, contacting early on and setting up a plan was all that she needed for motivation because she has stood and is cruising furniture despite the fact that I haven't done a single exercise with her yet. Now onto walking!
She is ALWAYS watching us to make sure we are watching her. She is so proud when she hears the "Yay, Addie!"

The Laundry MUST go on!

2011-11-03T16:29:00.000-04:00

Had to find humor in this moment.

Addie wanted a sippy of milk but still doesn't quite grasp the concept of tipping it up. I usually hold her for her milk, which I love, because I know it is only a matter of time before she demands her milk and which glass she'd like it in and then runs off to play. No more snuggles.

Anyways, today I have a child who is a little under the weather and has those flu like symptoms that require a lot of underwear/pants changes therefor requiring a lot of laundry. This same child wants to be snuggled while he watches cartoons. This leaves me little time apart from him for laundry or time with Addie. Therefore the above was my solution while I threw in and folded laundry.

It is definitely a 3rd child moment. I had to laugh.

Halloween 2011

2011-11-01T10:43:00.000-04:00

The Whole Gang. Eli's back is in every one of my pictures. I kind of gave up. There were 5 families at the party last night.

My Super Heroes

Best picture of the night. Some bachelor was giving out Mountain Dew and spicy nacho chips. Eli walked a few steps away and said "MOM! Isn't pop BAD!" Nice.

Tis the Season

2011-11-01T10:18:00.001-04:00

The boys have colds/coughs and Addie has cold/cough/ear infection/teething. Long story, short we had to miss our Church's Fall Festival. Bummer. Jared still went to help and I was home with the boys making super hero masks and we carved our pumpkin. After carving we headed outside and they had fun running around acting goofy. We went back out after it was dark and made spooky noises. They loved it of course.

This is Alex showing me the face he wanted on his pumpkin. I love Eli's expression.

BTW MRI's were rescheduled due to colds. They will be at the end of the month instead of Wednesday.

The Wee Small Hours of the Morning

2011-10-28T06:24:00.003-04:00

I am up. It's early. The past 2 mornings I have been up around 4 A.M. We have had some accidents that require me doing laundry at 4 A.M. I am tired but every time I try to go back to sleep my quiet house calls to me. I love a quiet house sometimes. In the land of "why's" and "how's" and "when's" (any of you who have 3 or 4 year olds understand this) a quiet time when no one is asking me anything is precious. And now I'll insert the line that makes me feel better.....Not that I don't love and appreciate my sweet children, because I do. OK now I can go on. :)

It's been a rough week. Eli is in a "phase" as we parents like to call them. Alex is in the same phase but a toned down version of it right now. Eli is in the amped up, he might be possessed, version. My texts to Jared have been great. They are along the lines of: how close to home are you?, YOUR kids are driving me insane! Mama needs a break!

Jared is good about giving me those breaks. He took the boys to church on Wednesday which he does weekly and last night I had Ladies Fellowship at the church which was a welcomed break. Anyways, 4 1/2 is kicking my butt. 15 months however is a welcomed respite. Despite Addie's 4 teeth coming in at the same time, she is playing on her own a ton and is interacting with us a lot more. She's not an infant anymore. So weird.

And because a pictureless post 2 days in a row would be odd. Here is a soccer picture.

This was their last game. These are friends children who I have known for FOREVER. We have been at the same church since we were infants and went to High School together and still are at church together. It is great to have these people still in my life AND now are kids play together. The girl is my niece Alli. She is stuck with us, but I am glad my sisters are in my life still also. :)

I am still working on a soccer post but I took so many pictures I thought why not throw random soccer pictures on other posts.

Ummm, that was rude.

2011-10-26T15:30:00.000-04:00

My sweet son Eli speaks his mind A LOT. It is actually getting him in trouble right now BUT quite often it is kind of funny. For instance I was just singing along to umi zoomi and he said "Mom, stop singing. When you sing it kind of freaks me out."

He is always telling Jared and I to stop doing things like he is a teenager and we are embarrassing him.

The boys are REALLY into Spiderman and Super Heros. Books about them, shows about them and of course they pretend to BE them.

Of course in this play there is always a bad guy and Alex calls them "Mad guys".

Jared and I were discussing which is more difficult the physically demanding age, that is Addison or the mentally, emotionally difficult age, that is Alex and Eli. We've decided they are BOTH hard.

The boys just kind of want to do what they want, when they want and they are pretty sure that Mom and Dad don't know what they are talking about.

This morning I told Eli that the number on the clock was 9 and when it became a 10 he could watch Team Umi Zoomi. He told me I was wrong it was a 6 on the clock. He was pretty convincing but I told him "Eli, I am a college graduate, I am pretty sure I know what a 9 looks like."

It was one of the few times in the last 5 years that I have been able to use my degree. :) I knew it would come in handy. ;)

He doesn't just say rude things however. Today, he also informed me that "Daddy, is SO MY HERO!"

He also took 2 steps into the backyard took a deep breath and said "It smells like a Spring day. This is a great world!"

Most of these funny sayings are about Eli because he talks all. the. time. non-stop. BUT I love it, most of time.

As far as Addie Pants goes ... she had her early on appointment today and while she is doing quite well she is a bit behind in gross motor (walking, cruising furniture type of stuff) so it has been determined that she will receive services.

The boys have MRI's a week from today. Ugh. That is all I have to say about that. Well one more word comes to mind....dread. Ok that is all.

They have been referred for OT/PT evals and the state is required to do this within 30 days. As I type this another word comes to mind..... overwhelmed. Today that is. Other days not so much.

Well since this post is all over the place I might as well add to the crazy and state that the boys are officially done napping and I officially miss napping. We are doing quiet times which go well about 80% of the time. The other 20, like today, I just REALLY want Jared to get home.

Shutterfly Winners.

2011-10-26T10:13:00.002-04:00

Hi! I used the random number generator and the winners ARE......

Liz

Amber

Becky

Email me and I will reply with your codes for the free cards.

BTW I could have tried to figure out how to show the number thing on the blog and prove that these are the winners but REALLY didn't want to so you will have to trust me. :)

Congrats to the winners and for those of you who didn't win, thanks for entering.

The Week Begins

2011-10-24T11:47:00.003-04:00

Monday. Not a good start so far. Addie's first Early On appointment was today. This is to make sure she is doing well developmentally. She was referred by our ped. for an evaluation. Long story short, nobody came. So in the midst of evals for the boys and MRI's and OT appointments and dentist appointments all of which are in the next couple of weeks I have to reschedule with someone who didn't show. YAY! Ok venting over. BUT these are the joys of preemies and this lovely system that is in place to help them. Nuff said. (I guess my venting wasn't quite over. :) )

The boys had their last soccer game this weekend. I have more pictures to share but couldn't resist this one.

Yeah, he is hugging her when he is supposed to be shaking hands. My boy has a crush. His first non-mama one, that is. Eli refers to Ayla as "the big one". To him that is a big compliment. I will have to explain that someday she may not be as thrilled to be called that. Nonetheless he keeps asking if she can come over to play. :) Cute. On a side note: He has GREAT taste. She is adorable and is THE BEST PLAYER on our team. She is seriously fun to watch. She kicks butt.

The boys were laying like this and watching themselves in the mirror after bath last night and I ran to grab my camera. I really did not pose them for these.

This is one of the girls in Jared's Senior Class with Addie. These brave kids all let Adds play with their smart phones and she was in 1 year old HEAVEN!

His class is full of good kids. Being around 17 year old girls who are rockin' their skinny jeans can be a bit intimidating for a 35 year old whose had 3 kids however it was not like that at all. They are all really sweet. Even the boys were great with my kids and respectful. I think it would be fun to do an end of the year party for them here. Whaddaya think honey??? :)

Well that's the latest here. Don't forget to enter my Shutterfly giveaway. Your odds are REALLY GOOD! :)

My 1st Giveaway!!!

2011-10-22T13:09:00.014-04:00

Shutterfly has some awesome holiday cards again this year. I had such a great experience with them last year. Our cards came out beautifully. I chose the flat card that allows you to write on the back. I loved having this option. It has a greeting printed on it so there is no obligation to write anything but as you know last year was a rough year for us when we added our 3rd preemie to the home. Therefore there were a lot of people that I wanted to thank for all their love and support. The back of the card allowed me to do this.

(Sorry, I had to take a picture of our card. Our scanner is down and I couldn't link to a full size example on their website. But you get the idea. This picture doesn't do the card justice but trust me I LOVED them.)

This year, I hope to get some good shots before it gets cold and I will probably choose to do a collage again.

There are so many choices but here are some of my faves.

I think this is precious if you have one child or if you can get the perfect family pic. This one is a stationary card like the one I chose last year.

Let me take a moment and make a suggestion if you are at a time in your life where you are pre-kids, or post-kids or never wanna have any kids ;). Jared and I didn't do Christmas Photo Cards before kids and I SOOOOO wish we had. I think it is such a great way to make sure you are getting at least one good yearly picture and I LOVE to see pics of young couples. I recommend you do one this year. Those of you who are post-kids we 30-somethings need to see that marriages really do stand the test of time. I'd LOVE to get a card from couples who are empty-nesters and are still in love. And to my sisters, enter this giveaway because I'd like to have a Christmas pic from each of you too. :)

OK moving on....

I'm really loving this one for our family. I also need to include the year like they have done. Last year I forgot this step.

Love this one too....

this one is great too....

As you can see I am going to have a REALLY tough time choosing. SO I guess my only warning would be to the indecisive.....let another family member choose for you so you can get them done BEFORE Christmas. :)

So all that to say this:

Last year I posted about my free holiday cards and THIS YEAR my readers are going to have the same opportunity. 3 of you have a chance to win 25 holiday cards from Shutterfly.

~~Here is how you win......~~

1) Head on over to Shutterfly, look around at their selection of cards, then come back and tell me which one you would choose. (But don't worry if you win you don't have to stick with your choice. If you are like me you'll agonize over which to choose :) and miss the giveaway all together.)

2) You must be a follower of {Our Sweet Peas} to win.

3) You must leave a comment. No e-mail entries please. (However if you have a question about how to become a follower OR how to leave a comment feel free to email me your questions).

~~This giveaway will run for 3 days. It starts today, Saturday, October 22nd, and ends Monday, October 24th at Midnight EST.~~

Giveaway is closed. I will announce the three winners on Wednesday!

*Disclaimer: I was not remunerated for this post, although I did receive free product. All opinions are 100% mine.

My sweet little 27 weekers.

2011-10-19T10:41:00.003-04:00

We sent our laptop that we thought was a goner because it took FOREVER to turn on to our computer guy (who's 19 years old) for a last ditch effort. He repaired it and it runs great so I am on it currently. It is so nice to have back because now the boys play computer games and they each have their own laptop. This gives me some down time during Addie's morning nap and they are learning while playing. Win, win!

Anyways, while on this computer I started looking at the old photos that were taken well before I started blogging. I thought I'd share them.

This is me doing kangaroo care with Alex. So tiny.

This is Jared with Alex. We weren't able to hold Eli at this point because he was too sick and breathing was his priority.

This was taken about a month before they were born. I look at this Jared and feel like I need to warn him about what our lives will be like and how difficult our first several months with our first born children will be. He looks SO young.

This is me. I was considered full term size at this point which was not quite 6 months into the pregnancy.

Sometimes where we came from is a good reminder for how good we have it. This afternoon I am headed to meet with a woman who works with high risk 4 year olds to prepare them for kindergarten. We are not in the program but are on a waiting list. This all started when our pediatrician referred us to neurology due to some tip toe walking. The neurologist felt there was a deficit due to their inability to copy his drawing of a square. It has since been explained to me that they were watching to see if their brain had developed to the point where they are crossing a midline meaning using both hemispheres at the same time. (I am probably butchering this explanation but this is new to me.) Anyways, they may not be doing this SO they were referred for MRI's (yuck, they have to be sedated) to make sure it is not fluid pressing on that particular part of the brain. And they were reffered for a educational eval. and occupational therapy.

I didn't really see this coming because they know all their letters and their sounds, some sight words, numbers, etc. I felt like I'd prepared them but if their brain can't cross this particular midline they won't developmentally be able to do certain things. This is where OT will come in and part of the reason that I am meeting with her today is for her to give me a book on fine/gross motor games and activities.

It's been a couple of weeks since this was all thrown at us and we are taking it in stride. Doctors warn you when your children are struggling for the first few months of life as a preemie that learning disabilities are a possibility and you feel like laughing at them because that seems so trivial compared to what they are facing BUT now that school is approaching it kind of hits closer to home. No Mom or Dad wants there child to have to struggle. We are definitely not freaking out and the boys are SO bright and do so well but this is a bridge we are currently crossing. We want to give them every bit of help they may need and look forward to being given the tools we need.

So LOTS of appointments for us over the next several months. We are not sure if kindergarten will be in Fall 2012 or 2013. All of these evals. will give us more of an idea of what we are working with.

Monday

2011-10-17T11:24:00.003-04:00

We had an 8:15 am appointment this morning. Addie slept 'til 8, which she never does. I ran a bit late. The boys and I went to Barnes & Noble after where they played trains a bit and each picked a little book. They were excited. Eli attempted to read his while walking through Target. This was our 3rd stop because we needed diapers. Love Target diapers. I snagged some stretchy $1 gloves there that have skeleton bones on them. They can't wait to scare Daddy when he gets home. :)

I love these little hands (Eli) that are suddenly looking kinda big, actually.

Jared passed his head cold onto me. I don't do sick well. I am crabby. I am looking forward to naptime .

I love these ballerina jammies and that smile.

We had a busy weekend filled with soccer and church and a Senior class party and a first birthday party. Today we have 2 appointments, a soccer game and grocery shopping. Jared and I will divide and conquer for the groceries, 2nd appointment and soccer. I love that we "divide and conquer" well. Except for last night when he wanted to watch something that I didn't. I was annoyed. Did I mention that I get ~~CRAZY~~ crabby when I am sick? Yeah, I do. BUT, the good news is, he loves me anyways. He is cool like that.

Alex, Eli & Charlie (Alex's best friend) snuggly buggly. Eli would say "I'm as comfy as a bug" and he also says "comfy as a rose".

He got a new iphone because my electronic obsessed brother in law (whom we love) had to have the new, new one. This means Jared got the new, old, one and I got the new, older, older-ish one. I'm pretty sure that doesn't even make sense. We love hand-me-downs that are CHEAP and still new to us.

So that is what life looks like right now on this Monday in October. I threw in random pictures. I thought it might make reading about absolutely NOTHING a bit more interesting. These are pictures of mornings when we didn't have anywhere to be. I like these mornings. I vote for the calm. I will change my tune by December when I have cabin fever due to our winters.

Off too drink some tea and whine about my cold because I am a wimp and have LOTS more to get done today, sick or not.

15 Months Old

2011-10-11T07:48:00.003-04:00

I cannot believe Addison is already 15 months old. How crazy is that? She is such a good natured baby.....except when she is not. The girl has a bit of a temper. She still sleeps like a champ, taking 2 naps and sleeping 12 hours at night. She has stood on her own although she doesn't do it regularly. She is mimicking some words and mumbles conversations with you. She continues to be nosy and always has to know what is going on. She LOVES to play with her brothers and follows them from room to room. They don't mind it yet. The girl can't get enough peanut butter (soy butter, actually) and jelly sandwiches. She also loves waffles plain and cinnamon raisin bread. Do you see a carb theme?? She continues to LOVE being outside and taking walks. If we are out and about she is RARELY crabby because she loves all the non-stop action. Still not much hair but she continues to work the bald look. I can't even imagine her with hair or that she could be any cuter with it, of course, I may be a bit biased. Unfortunately, not having hair automatically means she is a boy. It doesn't matter if she is wearing a pink dress people tell me how cute my SON is. :) It is the equivalent to the advice well meaning (sometimes) people used to give me regarding twins. It is kind of annoying but at the same time amusing and it keeps things interesting. I sometimes correct them and sometimes smile and move on. What's funny is the for the older crowd "addison" is a masculine name so it still throws them even if I do tell them her name. Now THAT is fun. It is kind of like the "Pat" skit on SNL.

When I get low to the ground with my camera she crawls for it at FULL SPEED. As seen here.

and here.

She likes to hand you things like this and then snatch it right back.

She has to taste EVERYTHING.

She looks adorable in her poncho. This one dates back to my niece Bella who is 6 and it has been worn by all the neices. It may even have been Mariah's daughter, Hannah's. Not sure. Regardless it is at least 6 years old but who can resist the cuteness.

She likes to put clothes into the washing machine and take them out. She likes to do this with everything: Toys in the basket/out of the basket. Cups on the shelf/off the shelf. It is for sure her favorite game.

Another thing she reminded me of this morning is that her milk is like her "morning coffee", don't mess with her before she has it. She whines until it is in her mouth. I enter her room and pick her up, put her on the changing table and insert sippy cup. It is at this point that I see a smile just beyond that little cup.

We love this little surprise of ours. :)

Checking in.

2011-10-10T20:33:00.002-04:00

We have been SO busy and there are lots of pictures to post. We have gone to the pumpkin patch, the village, had a garage sale, played soccer, had appointments with specialist and on and on the list goes. I have lots of uploading to flickr to do but in the mean time here is a favorite picture that I took today.

I hope you are all enjoying fall as much as we are. I love fall in Michigan and all the traditions that go along with it.

Apple Orchard 2011

2011-09-29T08:46:00.002-04:00

Addie's first donut at the cider mill. She LOVED it. The boys were diggin' it too.

We had a really nice day at the "apple or-church" which is what the boys called it. Coincidentally we did actually skip church on this particular day so it was quite fitting.

Eli loved feeding the animals. I love this picture because it captures his excitement with Alex peering from behind the protection of his brother. I also love that you can catch a glimpse of Jared's smile. :)

They wore their super hero capes, of course.

I had to get a picture of Eli standing by the "vampire" apples, which is what he called them. This, is what 4 year olds do when you say "Go stand next to the sign for a picture".

I caught a little hand holding on the way home. So sweet.

This weekend is REALLY cold. I am actually hoping Jared might want to use our fireplace tonight when he gets home.

In other news we have actually been invited to watch a Lions game on Sunday with a group of friends. Can you believe it? The Lions are actually WORTH watching. Jared and I only watch sports once in a blue moon but I am wondering if we should get on this bandwagon. I am still just shocked and in awe that they are predicted to have a good season. It's crazy. :)

My fall decorating is complete which was fun for me. Maybe I will snag some pictures of that and share soon. All else is well except I am really cold right now and need to go have a cup of tea.

Good Morning

2011-09-21T09:12:00.002-04:00

I sat down to my computer to check the weather so that I can dress the kids appropriately and now I am bloging. Isn't it crazy how the computer can suck you in? Anyways, This is our morning. We are headed to the park and then to music class for all 3.

On a typical morning Addie is playing under the table. This is her FAVORITE spot. Partly because she gets some pre-meal appetizers like Cheerios from the floor and partly because she can snag her brother's toys and they are none the wiser.

A different perspective: I love Alex's cute little feet and the fact that his head is not even to the top of the chair.

Eli enjoying his breakfast in his FAVORITE way, with a side of TV.

His Cubby craft is hanging on the chair. It says "Jesus Loves Me" which is their Cubby Motto.

Alright, I am off to pack snacks and all the necessary supplies that will allow a peaceful outing, if that is possible.

Random Pictures

2011-09-16T11:23:00.005-04:00

I am so behind on blogging I have no idea where to start so here is a random sampling of pictures.

Addie Paddy Poopers (a nickname that she is going to kill us for) has been pulling up to stand for a few weeks now, YAY! She is VERY proud. She also thoroughly enjoys bananas which is why there is still some on her face in this picture.

The boys have gotten more creative with their gun making.

Jared had a birthday yesterday. The big 3-5. I feel blessed to be able to celebrate another birthday together. I'm also glad that he caught up with my age again so I don't have to hear about how young he is. :)

We started Soccer which warrants its own post at some point. We have 1 cousin and 2 other close friends whose children play on the same team so that is fun for us. Alex cried Saturday when his game was cancelled due to rain. I, being a complete softy, took them to McD's playland and he got over it rather quickly, of course.

Useful instructions from Daddy. I am sure he was saying "Eli, you HAVE to focus." That is what we tell him on a daily basis. "Eli, FOCUS!" Whether we are trying to put on his shoes or ask him to put something away, focusing is a big "focus" right now. :)

Alex scored twice this week and Eli had one "almost" that we are very proud of.

Eli's ipod/angry birds/cut the rope addiction has grown to epic proportions. We are cutting him off as of now. He'll survive since we found Spiderman on Netflix. It's the 1967 version and the boys are obsessed. I have them down to 1 per day and they are only 20 minutes long so that is a plus.

Thumbs up has become big in our household. Not sure how or when it started but started it has.

I started posting this last week and now it is Tuesday and I am finishing it. We had flu shots yesterday and Eli at 4 years and 5 months weighed 43 lbs, Alex was 36 and Addison at 14 months weighed 18 lbs 11 ounces. My babies are growing well and growing up FAST!

Bowling

2011-09-08T10:28:00.003-04:00

Last weekend was hot. Jared had a long weekend and I was trying to think of something to do that involved air conditioning. Bowling was the answer. The boys have never been and they had free vouchers from participating the Summer reading program at the library. They LOVED it of course.

In our family bowling involved:

blurry pictures from all the excitement....

Hugs from Alex when he was impressed with your skill ;)

more hugs

Alex in action

Eli in action

A picture of Mama and her boys to prove I was there

AND the final scores. This was seriously my highest scoring game EVER!

The end.

An Apple a Day

2011-08-27T10:22:00.002-04:00

As I've mentioned Jared started school this week and WAS SO THRILLED to have his very own 1st day of school picture taken as he was rushing out the door. He had a good week. They are working into the school year slowly, which, is nice. This week they had 3 days with students, next week is a 4 day week and so is the following due to the holiday. I LOVE long weekends so that will be nice.

The boys enjoyed counting the apples also. Alex is SO into counting. It is fun to watch. I said something the other day about my 3 children though and he said "Mom, you don't have 3 kids, you have 2." I naturally figured he was leaving out Addie but I am pretty sure he was counting Addie and Eli and forgot himself. It was cute.

This morning I "suggested" (begged with pleading eyes) that Jared take the boys on an errand that he had to run so that I could chill while Addie napped. And chill I am. :)

Other than that we are heading to the park and then church tonight. I love these kinds of Saturdays.

I couldn't resist adding these picures of Eli on an 80 degree day. There is no middle ground with Eli; he is either in underwear or winter gear apparently. Thank goodness we are at home often so he can express his "creativity" through clothing, right?

I'm not sure when I am going to break it to him that this snowsuit is a bit small for him this year.

What's Up?

2011-08-23T09:06:00.003-04:00

A few pics.

Recently I told Eli he had to go get dressed before he went outside and this is how he came out of the bedroom.

Age 4 is really quirky and fun, most of the time.

He had to share the hat with brother.

While waiting for a Tootsie Pop Eli declared "Yay! It's going to be licky!" Then as he was enjoying it he said "Is my lollipop SO lollipoppy?"

He just cracks me up.

The boys started soccer practice and are doing better than when they'd just turn 3 the spring before last. They are more ready for it now.

Addie continues to be a little sassy. I am still blaming teeth that haven't emerged but we will see. She is VERY Mommy-focused right now which is a bit tiring but we are working on that.

Biter biscuit after-math.

We had a nice weekend. Daddy's softball Saturdays are OVER. We are very dissappointed. ;) He starts school tomorrow. We had a nice weekend with family. Jared's family spoiled me by taking care of the kids the entire time we were there which was like a mini-vacation. Loved it.

And so a new week begins. I am looking forward to it.

Preschool, Play-doh and ....

2011-08-18T13:31:00.002-04:00

I don't have a 3rd "P" but here is a bit of what's going on around here. We are not starting the boys in preschool this Fall but I plan to continue working with the boys at home. This week we started reviewing alphabet sounds and tracing the letters with other various letter activities. We are also doing circle time which involves songs, rhymes and books. I asked Eli yesterday if he liked it and he said "No, it's too hard!" After talking with him further he indicated that he doesn't love having to sit still and follow directions but I am realizing that both boys really need practice with this. Once we get going they do seem to enjoy it, although today I said "O.k. either circle time or bed but it is time to shut off the T.V." They chose bed. Yeah, we have a long way to go.

We discovered, thanks to my sister Molly, that Looney Tunes is on every day at noon so we have a new tradition called "lunch time and looney tunes" (creative, I know). This way, (ideally), they are not begging me to watch TV all day.

Addie also played with play-doh for the first time today. She had the homemade stuff in case she tried to eat it, which, of course she did. ;)

She is also not only crawling a little bit like before but she is crawling all over the house which has COMPLETELY changed my day to day living, let me tell you. I forgot what this was like. The difference with her is that there are 2 little boys leaving various little things all over the house and to her they are simple something to insert into her mouth. It has been interesting.

She already knows how to mess up her room too.

Other than that we are counting down the days until Jared starts school: 4 to be exact.

He works all Summer so it will not be a huge adjustment for us but he will be back to dealing with teenagers on a regular basis, lucky guy.

Written Last Friday, I think????

2011-08-12T09:58:00.004-04:00

I hestitate to even put a title on this one because I have no idea what it will be about. This week has been nice. We have been home for the past 3 days with no plans. I thoroughly enjoy that. I'll get tired of it in the Winter but Summer's are so busy that this was a welcomed retreat. It is in the high 70's here which feels amazing.

Wednesday, we were out enjoying the day. I was literally laying outside on a blanket and reading a book while the boys played, it was awesome. The kind of day you just feel so thankful and the birds are chirping, sun is shining....and then screams were resonating. Alex was being swarmed by several bees. The little suckers were relentless and I couldn't get them off of him. It was horrible. I finally just ran him into the house and thankfully they didn't follow. He was stung 6 times. I am SO thankful to God that he didn't end up being allergic. I had the epi-pen poised and ready. Jared works so close that he was able to come home and make sure that he was fine AND take care of the bee hive before returning to work. It was intense and he still has some swelling but again no breathing problems, etc.

One of the things I am most thankful for is that he was back outside the next morning. Alex is our boy who is more likely to have BIG fear. I am so glad he pushed past it. We prayed that he would and he did.

Today they are outside playing and they both have on Superman Capes and Eli is wearing shin guards, in his pajamas; while Alex is wearing a winter coat and pajamas. Eli takes it up a notch wearing his shorts backwards and inside out. I can't even type that without thinking of Alanis Morisette's line "my sweaters on backwards and inside out". Sorry, I am a teenager of the 90's and I can't help myself.

Other than this Addie is cutting two top teeth. I was complaining to my sister about how crabby she has been and the fact that an exorcism may be in order :) and she said "she's probably getting teeth". AND she is of course. Why don't I think of these things??? It is my 3rd time around. Oh well. Orajel, take me away.

Picture proof of the hilarity.

They loved making their capes fly.

Addie attempting her escape. She is intent on joining them.

Off to fight crime or save the world, whichever.

Now that it is Tuesday, Here's Friday.

2011-08-09T03:53:00.003-04:00

How's that for a confusing post. I was tempted not to finish this little project. I realized I am NOT a daily blogger. Anyways, here is Friday.

I love how $3 at a grocery store can be this pretty.

I also love that previous owners, my pastor and his wife Cindy, left some things behind for us. One of my favorite outside of some amazing appliances is this little old black & decker dust buster. The boys love using it and I LOVE when they do.

Truth be told, when I remember, this is their after breakfast, lunch, dinner job. I remember about the 1/2 the time. It is funny how I start doing chores they could easily do just because I am so used to me or Jared doing them.

The boys love to smell my coffee in the morning. They also love to help me grind the beans. Loud machines are fun I guess.

I usually have my coffee around 10 when Addie takes her morning nap. Love this time of day.

I found Alex here .

We got a toy car in the box of Cheerios and they played with it for an hour. I joined them.

Eli was our bridge. I really do make him wear clothes periodically. :)

Such determination.

Oops, car under the stove. He was bummed. Um, and the car is still there because I forgot about it until I saw this picture. :)

Eli's feet. He is awfully cute, however SEE why I don't blog daily? Some days we just sit on the floor and play with cars in our undies. Well, Eli anyways.

Again, I LOVE when they make each other laugh. This was a wrestling match that I had to put a stop to but not until they'd had some fun first. Addie is part of this sibling laughing thing also. They can make her laugh harder than I EVER can.

While taking out the recycling Eli fell and got a huge bump on his head. The picture does not do it justice. I had to add this picture because he was making a crazy face and I said "Eli, can you just smile?" and this is what I got. So funny.

Coffee with my Bible outside. Love doing this and wish I could say it is daily but I miss days and I am working on that.

Alex's tricks on the swing. He is strong, this one.

One of Eli's favorite things to do is fill his little pool.

My partner in crime, laying next to me while I read. If I remember right the Bible reading was never completed this day. I am sure they needed help with something or Addie woke, who knows.

AND that is the last picture I took on Friday.

We went swimming at Miss Vicki's ("like on Angelina, Ballerina", according to Eli). The boys were tentative at first and then they became little fish. They also fell asleep by 8:15. LOVE that.

Thursday {WITL} In reverse!

2011-08-06T21:14:00.003-04:00

So I uploaded these backwards, therefore we will review the day in reverse.

It's getting close to bedtime and although Addie's new favorite activity is emptying the magazine bowl she was over it.

After my doctor appointment I dropped into a drugstore because they had dye 2 for $5. I was excited and tempted to buy a lot more but held off. And of course you can't leave the drug store without a cheapy nail polish. Mission Accomplished.

My appointment went really well and my doc is excited about my weight loss and the fact that my blood pressure was PERFECT as was my cholesterol ratio. My family typically has cholesterol issue but mine is FINALLY in check. Yay!

Addie's new favorite spot. This was her first time noticing our squirrel friends.

We made finger paint. The texture was a bit weird to the boys ended up asking for paint brushes. Go figure.

The pretty jars of paint, ready to go.

They had fun making it also.

End of story. I don't remember much else about this particular day because I am blogging about it two days too late. Oops.

Wow

2011-08-06T14:16:00.000-04:00

Daily blogging is not easy especially when the posts are this photo heavy. I will admit I have a hard time trying to find time to blog lately. It must be a summer thing. We are outside a lot and our weekends have been pretty full. We went to the village today but Jared suggested it be photo free since we go there a ton and I have a ton of pictures. It was actually nice to enjoy it this way. So there are few pics today so far. Maybe tonight I'll finish some blogging since Jared is having some guys over. My night will hopefully go as follows: Addie to bed, boys to bed, blog or read in bed. Yay!

{WITL} Wednesday

2011-08-04T11:19:00.002-04:00

After breakfast the first quesiton after Eli begs for a video or tv is "Can we go outside?" My answer is typically "Yes, but you need to put some clothes on." It is at this point they head to their room and who knows what they will come out wearing. If we are going somewhere I go and guide them or have the clothes out but on days we stay home I don't bother.

As Alex stands here and comes in and out on a typical morning I'd be saying "Shut the screen so the bugs don't get in." I repeat this SEVERAL times a day.

This is what Eli came out wearing. It's in the high 80's today.

Cranky baby.

A little rain meant the boys got to play with umbrellas. They were lovin' it.

I thought I'd intentionally show some messes today. Sometimes on blogs we just like to show the pretty. Here is a bit of the ugly. This is the post breakfast mess before I get the dishes unloaded and Addie's toys put away.

Lacing Alex up so that we can work out. He didn't last real long but he loves trying.

Blurry shot with the timer but you get the idea. It was cute.

Headed to the Library to meet Mindy and her kids. All 3 kids in my car. We thought with our 3rd we would need a mini-van but this works fine and I am glad we didn't have to spring for a new car.

Post library: Alex was mad at me because I wasn't letting him push the stroller in the parking lot. We stopped by and visited Daddy at work and he was fine after some tickling.

My job during nap time was this closet. It doesn't look a whole lot different but there was a lot of junk in there that didn't belong.

I propped Addie up here to see what she is missing by not pulling up. She loved it and didn't want to get down.

After this was dinner and the boys headed to church with Jared. Addie goes to sleep by 7 so we usually stay home on Wednesdays. I did get in a 2nd walk with Addie before I put her to bed. All in all a good day with the usual amount of stress related to 3 little ones.

I have a question for those who are good with computers. This post was finished last night and I lost it even though I'd hit save. When I try to save a little thing comes up on the bottom of my screen that says "java script: void" and WILL NOT SAVE. It has been doing this for the past few days so I just have to "publish post" and then go back to edit it and "save as draft" so that it is saved. I didn't last night obviously but this is REALLY annoying. Any help??? Of course this is happening when I am doing a week with a ton of pictures. It is time consuming to say the least. Thanks!

Tuesday/Day 2 {A week in the life}

2011-08-02T19:59:00.003-04:00

Had another ENT appointment today for Addie. She, as I mentioned before, has low tone hearing loss which is hearing loss nonetheless so they will repeat hearing tests every 6 months forever, I guess. They will also do a CT scan when she is two to see if the hearing loss is due to bone growth. If it is it will most likely continue to deteriorate over time. Right now though, no hearing aid.

I threw a double whammy at her and we got her lab work done afterwards. I had mind done too. We both survived and she doesn't seem to be holding it against me.

Her battle scars. :)

Cheerios ALWAYS on the floor at this stage. Thank goodness for our dustbuster.

The boys endured both appointments without getting too out of hand so they got a little McD's. This was a HUGE treat because they are getting tired of all the chicken and veggies we've been eating.

You can't talk about this stage in our lives without discussing the milk. We are BIG milk drinkers. Jared and the boys LOVE it. Addie just switched to whole milk from formula. The boys do 2% and Jared and I drink skim, hence the 3 different kinds but there are almost always 2-4 gallons in the frig. Jared is always having to stop on the way home to snag another because we've run out of one kind or another.

The boys running circles around me, literally.

Alex didn't nap so he was the first out of his room which meant coloring time with Mommy.

He wanted to take a picture of me "drawing" too. Let's just say my artistic talent peaked in the first grade.

Daddy brought home the big mower today, which, means rides for the boys.

A book I am reading. It is kind of just make me realize we do a pretty good job at keeping things simple, although there are a few tips I have really appreciated. It is worth a read.

Bathtime with the brothers.

Eli rocking out. I love how hard they can make each other laugh. LOVE it.

Alex's rocker attempt.

Post bath snuggles while I dress Eli.

Night time snack for Jared and I. With no butter or salt, of course. I am TOTALLY kidding. We had both. :) This was a nice treat. Jared is down 43 lbs. AMAZING!!!!!! I am down 22, which is pretty exciting also!

Goodbye, Tuesday!

A Week in the Life~ Monday

2011-08-01T21:19:00.001-04:00

This week I decided to do "A Week in the Life". I ran across Ali Edward's blog and she challenged you to take pictures of the ordinary, normal, routine, stuff throughout your day for a week. I read about it on Friday of last week so wasn't able to join in with all of the other's participating but decided I liked the idea and would start it today.

I liked the idea because Jared and I are always wondering "What in the world did we DO before we had kids??" and I often think "How did we survive twin infants?" All of these things are sort of a blur so I think I will appreciate knowing what my life was like on the week of August 1st 2011. I think she encourages you to do this yearly.

Anyways, as boring as it may seem right now, here we go.

Our day starts with Addie jabbering in her crib. Her jabbering turns to crying and I get out of bed and head into the kitchen to make her bottle, open the blinds and head to her room.

I had my first green smoothie (well first one that I liked) today. I used kale instead of spinach and it was so much better. Here's some useful smoothie info. AND the health benefits of kale are insane!! Truly, Google it!

After breakfast Addie has playtime on the floor.

Today the boys vegged out because we were having a play date and Mama needed to clean up the breakfast mess. They were watching Team Umi Zoomi, I think and eating dry cereal out of a bowl with sippy cups. To my defense, I did try to get them to drink the smoothie but we will have to go back to the drawing board because they were NOT havin' it. And the sippy cups were because sometimes I don't want to deal with MORE of a mess. :)

The play date was a lot of fun and the boys were tired so it was quiet time. Eli was in my room and awake so I decided to snag a pic of him and Mama.

Alex's quiet time. A very RARE moment when he wasn't posing for the camera. Yay.

The boys ended up falling asleep so I headed for the dishes. There are ALWAYS dishes to be done AND there seems to always be a milk ring on the counter too. :)

Speaking of ALWAYS......laundry

Listening to the Watermark station on Pandora. We LOVE Pandora.

Addie's post dinner meltdown. She wasn't happy with the fact that everyone had left the table. I was balancing the checkbook, Jared was getting ready for our walk and the boys were playing.

Jared watering our new azaleas. I hope they do well.

A horrible picture of us ready for a walk. "Someone" might have hurried, snapped a picture and then taken the camera in the house before "someone" looked at the results.

Eli deciding which toys to take in his backpack.

Clothes and bags ready for our doctor appointments tomorrow.

And that, my friends, is a Monday.....well, after I do the dinner dishes and pack snacks for tomorrow and shower and read a little. But the day always feels over once the little ones are in bed. Ahhhhh.

A Typical Summer Morning

2011-07-30T15:19:00.000-04:00

During Addie's morning nap the boys and I typically head to the front or backyard and get some energy out. On this particular morning Alex kept saying "MOM! Take a picture of me doing THIS!." I did.

and sometimes during his "photo shoot" of all things AWESOME that he can do, I zoom in and get one of his sweet little face. He has NO idea. :)

Parenting aka a rollercoaster

2011-07-25T15:00:00.002-04:00

Parenting is always changing. I have been saying lately how things seem a bit easier and this stage is so funny, yada yada. THEN the past couple of weeks happened and I feel like I have been hit by a truck.

Last night the boys were up until 11 pm because they napped a bit late. I am ready to be done with the children thing and vegging out with Jared by 8:30 or so, SO this doesn't really work for me.

Today, we are trying "quiet time" rather than napping. Remarkably after shooing them back to their SEPARATE rooms (one is in my room) a few times it has been QUIET.

I am really appreciating this time. I also hired my niece to come over for a couple of hours so that I could grocery shop and breathe. So it is a good Monday, as far as Monday's go. :)

On a completely random note: a blog I read on photography shared blurry pictures that they'd taken and loved. When photographing blurry is not usually what the goal is but sometimes pictures draw you in despite their lack of perfection.

This is one that I took recently that I LOVE despite the blur.

As I always tell my boys: So "hubba-hubba handsome". ;)

Here's hoping for an early bedtime tonight!!!!

More Party Pictures

2011-07-25T01:41:00.000-04:00

I didn't take 1/2 as many pictures as I would have liked. I was trying to enjoy the party a bit rather than be behind the camera. It was a lot of fun and I still can't believe she is a big ONE year old.

Power Outage

2011-07-21T13:43:00.001-04:00

First of all Addie's test went VERY well yesterday. She has some low frequency hearing loss but nothing that should affect speech or require a hearing aid. We are very pleased.

On a whole other subject....a few weeks ago, the wknd of the 4th, we had a huge storm and had NO power. We spent one night at the house but by the next day we decided to make lemonade out of the lemons we'd been given.

Jared decided we would go stay at a hotel. I LOVE this man. We went to a nice hotel with a pool and had room service and actually relaxed some. Truth be told, it was more relaxing than our vacation up north AND way cheaper. :)

Our neighbors tree came down in the storm and managed to fall in between their cars that were parked in the driveway and it missed their house. This made us feel less guilty when we drug a lawn chair to the front yard so that the boys could watch the city workers cut the tree and put it through the chipper. They were quite happy.

Relaxing with Daddy

The boys enjoying vegging out in front of the TV, obliged Mommy and let her interrupt to take a pic.

Addie's Progress

2011-07-19T21:30:00.001-04:00

Addie had her 1 yr. check-up. She is doing well. She is on the chart for height not corrected. 25th percentile, no less. She is not on the chart for weight. She still only weighs 16 lbs. 14 oz. May the girl stay tall and skinny. Wouldn't THAT be awesome for her. Little Stinker.

The doctor would like to see her crawling, pulling up on furniture and doing a bit more than babbling. She also was gagging when I put anything that had texture into her mouth. She was refferred to early on for an assessment with a OT and PT.

Jared and I are not new to these types of referrals. We took it in stride. We are preemie veterans with this one. :) A week later, which was yesterday, Addie decided to start crawling. She is also eating stage 3 foods, puffs and baby biscuits. This has LITERALLY all happened in the last week.

We will still meet with the OT and PT. I think professionals will obviously offer us a wealth of information and I am eager to learn ways in which I can help Addie get on track.

As far as starting to say words we are having a sedated ABR tomorrow and we will FINALLY, after an entire year, know FOR SURE whether or not she has permanent hearing loss that will require a hearing aid. I am so ready for some answers AND I want to make sure she hears our words well so she can get talking.

These are pictures of Addie that I took the day before her party. I had no hope of getting any good ones on the day of. The boys were my little assistants and blew bubbles to entertain Little Miss.

We had such a nice 1st Birthday party for her, surrounded by family. It went really well and it was our first BIG party at the new house. I had fun putting up a few decorations and making my little girl a tutu. SO FUN!

Random Pictures

2011-07-13T10:11:00.000-04:00

Shadows and my Lightscoop.

First of all I happened to have my camera around my neck when we ran to the front yard the other day to see if Daddy was home. I saw the shadows and decided to have some fun with the boys. They love shadows during the day just not so much at night.

Such a Peter Pan pose.

Eli was excited to be "IN the basketball hoop".

Secondly, I got my lightscoop a few weeks ago and wanted to the show the before and afters. I really like this for days when there is not much natural light (ie Michigan Winters) to be had or for at night in your home.

Pop-up Flash

Lightscoop

Pop-up flash

Lightscoop

I thought the results were impressive for $30.

Lucky girl

2011-07-12T10:41:00.000-04:00

Addie's first birthday present was a full round of 1 year shots at the doctor's office. I know, how mean am I? BUT the boys needed shots too and Jared was able to come with AND they were all sick anyways so it just added to the misery.

Hopefully the cake I put in front of her on Friday and all that sugar will go to her brain and she will forget the way I tortured her. Except for the fact that I am blogging about it.

I am currently doing breathing treatments every 4 hours for 3 children. Oh yeah and all 3 are on steroids which isn't that big of a deal except for the fact that Jared has to hold Alex down while I squeeze his cheeks and insert the medicine into his mouth while he gags and sputters 2x/day. It's horrible. Oh and did I mention that I have a cold? Anyways, we are currently the enemy. Even the shake and the chocolate milk we offered him before and after did NOTHING.

Eli on the other hand takes his little medicine cup and swallows it all in one gulp. Done.

Yeah, they are a little different.

Not sure why I am blogging about it other than the fact that I am a HUGE procrastinator and should be cleaning my house because I am having friends over tonight and am therefore avoiding cleaning my bathrooms. Ok. Off I go. Well, after some pictures of all the fun we've been having.

Getting 4 year old boys to rest is always fun. If I let them watch videos they will rest a ton but it's been 10 day since this all started. Only so many videos can be watched. So I am trying to get them to nap and do other quiet activities.

It works sometimes.

Sometimes it does NOT.

P.S. My sons never want to wear clothes anymore. They want to be "nakey belly".

The Birthday Girl

2011-07-11T02:57:00.000-04:00

See this sassy little girl

with these adorable little tootsies

and these precious little hands

last year she was still in Mommy's belly

and then at about 11 am

she was here.

We love you pretty girl. Happy 1st Birthday EVER!

A little of the busyness

2011-07-02T06:24:00.001-04:00

Part of the busyness of last weekend was watching this guy.

My nephew, Colin. He was on the all-stars team and was in the FINALS. This is big news in Little League Land. They were the underdogs from what I understand. He pitches and plays 2nd. We made it to two of the final games and I had a lot of fun watching him play.

Here he is headed towards 3rd.

He could go all. the. way.

And sliding safely into home! Aww yeah!

And here he is looking super cute running in from the field. "Super cute" in an "I kick butt" kind of way, of course.

Oh and here is a picture of Jared and Addie that I HAD to add because they look super cute also.

Oh I forgot to mention that they ended up coming in 2nd. They really did an awesome job.

Up North

2011-06-28T21:30:00.000-04:00

We have been very busy since we got back. I always forget how busy Summers get. It is fun busy but busy nonetheless. Anyways, this is where we stayed. Jared and I have been going to this lake since before we dated. This is where sparks first flew. We love it here.

It was a bit different with kids. Addie was teething. Eli got a little sick. It rained about 90% of the time we were there. BUT it was still nice to go back. I loved having Jared around to hear all of the hysterical things the boys are saying. I loved being there as a family. We definitely made some memories.

The boys were in heaven with all of the sand and water. They didn't mind the cold at all.

And they picked Mommy flowers every. single. day.

I'm sure we will all go back. How could we not? :)

BACK!

2011-06-24T06:34:00.000-04:00

We are back from our get-a-way "Up North" and I am tackling THIS.

3 guys + cold weather + a beach + lots of rain = LOADS of laundry

Hope to be back soon to post pictures. We had and interesting time on our FIRST EVER family of 5 vacation. Details to follow.

Happy Father's Day, Honey!

2011-06-18T21:20:00.000-04:00

Jared, thanks for being such a great Dad to these 3. Your love for them is fun to watch. :) I love you and am so glad I am raising these crazy kids of ours with you.

The Library

2011-06-17T08:26:00.001-04:00

We hit our library almost weekly. Ours has a TON of videos/DVD's that the boys love and of course the books. They also have a puzzle, coloring and puppet area. We attend storytime during the "school year" and in the summer they have a reading program where you log reading time and get little prizes. This year they are also having some specials with the Fire Department and various story-tellers.

I love the inter-library loan system. I can reserve almost any book I want and it will usually be available in a couple of days. This summer I know I'll be reading books on photography so that I can learn to take pictures well. I also picked up a book on teaching the boys to read. They have been watching "Meet the Sight Words" (all from the library) and are suddenly very interested in reading words for themselves so I plan to go with it and see how far they want to take it.

Other than these types of books I've been reading a little L.M. Montgomery and may do the "Anne" series this summer. Not sure. I love reading series if you have any suggestions e-mail me or comment. Or just a good book is fine.

This book, "Caps for Sale", was familiar to me. I am assuming I read it as a child. It was written in the 40's. We read it yesterday and the boys LOVED it. I wonder if that is why I remember the illustrations. I love how some books span the generations in appeal.

The one below has a poem for every season. It is by John Updike, written in the 60's. It is really good and I do not consider myself a fan of poetry. We've checked it out a few times.

This week we are also trying a couple of wordless books. I tend to not get these because well, they are wordless. I have since read a little about the benefits of these types of books and "read" them both to Alex yesterday. He LOVED them.

So we will continue to make our weekly trips to the library and checking out way too many books and pay a few too many late fees. Yeah, I gotta be honest, we basically pay a little bit for the "free" library. :)

Crabby Pants

2011-06-15T10:37:00.000-04:00

Here is puffy-eyed Addie after a particularly draining scream fest.

Here is her brother trying to cheer her up.

Mission accomplished.

The Village Part 2

2011-06-14T21:16:00.001-04:00

Have I ever mentioned that Alex has a "few" cowlicks.

Eli and the girls had fun trying on hats. He didn't want to take his off. Colin took his off before I got a picture. He probably knew Aunt Becky would put it on her blog. Smart Boy.

It was definitely a fun day.

2011-06-14T10:07:00.000-04:00

they crack each other up

a twin thing?

a brother thing?

who knows

We went to the village with my sisters (2 of them) and their kids yesterday.

We arrived a 1/2 late for various reasons (like Eli putting his shorts on backwards 3 times and then leaving without shoes, and Mom knocking over the juice she'd just poured AND of course Addie realizing she needs to dirty a diaper RIGHT before we leave).

Within 2 minutes of arriving Alex fell and skinned his knee pretty badly and NEEDED to be carried.

My clean white shirt was full of chocolate custard and blood by the time I left.

My sisters and I sometimes ask "why do we leave the house? is it worth it?"

To which we answer a resounding "YES!"

otherwise we would be going crazy all by ourselves

The boys had a blast with all of their cousins. It was fun to watch them all play together. I enjoyed stealing small bits of conversation in between all the Mommy duties we had to perform.

Yep, those smiles make it TOTALLY WORTH IT.

11 months old

2011-06-12T22:22:00.000-04:00

Addie turned 11 months old today so we headed outside for a little photo shoot. I couldn't decide which pictures to post so here are quite a few of them.

I think this is a small preview of the teenage version of Addie. She is definitely looking at me like I'm crazy. :)

Happy 11th month my sweet Addie girl. Love you.

A little update on the fam

2011-06-11T14:34:00.000-04:00

I am recovering from round 2 of Essure and it was a success. Yay! I have had my sister in law Grandma Lores and Aunt Linda over here helping with the kiddos.

I told Eli again today that I was going to lay down. He responded: "Mom, you're always feeling yucky!" Great.

He acts as if I've laid in bed for a month straight when in reality it has been on and off for a couple of days.

I have been reminiscing about my bedrest, which, was a year ago at this time. It is so strange that, that was to have a baby and now I have ensured that I am FINISHED having babies. I am good with it though. It feels like a bit of a new start. A new stage in life, I guess.

I have been catching up on my reading and on picture organizing so that I can actually print some.

Jared and I are planning a summer get-a-way with kids, of course. I think the planning is such a fun part of the process.

And that is about it. Here is a recap in pictures of some of what has been going on.

Memorial day with the cousins was fun. (Amanda and Andrew)

Alex and Eli had their last day of cubbies until the fall.

Alex LOVES to try and make me laugh and this was one of his attempts. He makes me laugh until I cry.

Alright, I am going to sleep.

A Glimpse into Motherhood

2011-06-09T20:42:00.003-04:00

One on one time with the boys. Since the boys were babies I try to make the limited time that I have alone with them special. As babies it was during diaper changes. I added lots of rhymes and tickles and hugs and attempted to make them feel like the only baby in the world with ALL of Mommy's attention.

Now, I'd like to say that we take them out individually on a regular basis but we do not. It does happen here and there. Alex is always asking "Am I going with Daddy? Not you and Eli and Addie?" He LOVES his alone time (with other people). Eli doesn't seem to mind being with the whole crew, however.

I try and continue to make each of the moments I have with them individually, special. On this particular night it was 10 o'clock (2 hours past his bedtime) and he was scared of "the shadows". I was cleaning the kitchen and said he could come and sit with me while I finished chopping a pineapple and cleaning.

He thoroughly enjoyed it. And I could tell he thought it was really special.

Jared came home during our snuggle time and I asked him to snap a picture.

You gotta love a 4 year old boy. He told me "Mom, I love pineapple. It is so sweet. Just like you."

I couldn't make this stuff up if I tried. :)

Another small glimpse: Alex is in bed right now singing "though no one join me still I will follow, no turning back, no turning back". So sweet.

Diary Of a Date

2011-06-06T09:52:00.003-04:00

As I mentioned, Jared and I headed downtown for our date.

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My goal: King's Books

Jared kept saying: "It's not like a little coffee shop type place you know." I kept repeating: "I KNOW it is a warehouse. It is old. Yada, Yada." I think he sometimes forgets that I grew up here too. :) I didn't need a Starbucks. I was planning to book shop and enjoy beautiful old books.

So, without further adieu......

5 floors FULL of books old and new. LOVE IT!

Unfortunately it closes at 5:30 and we got there at 5. BUT we will be back. I only saw 1 floor.

We then drove around the city a while and eventually got some dinner.

And here we are pre-date. Jared is looking great he has lost about 30 lbs. I've lost 12. We are walking and he is biking and we are eating more fruits and veggies and less sweets. I wish it were a faster process but we are on the right track nonetheless. I love that we are doing it together.

I had a wonderful 35th b-day with my husband and look forward to all of our years ahead, together. We are trying to squeeze a few more years in by getting healthy and I am so glad he is leading the way.

{Pretty, Happy, Funny, Real}

2011-06-02T07:02:00.009-04:00

{Pretty}

I am so grateful this year to be chopping watermelon and packing bathing suits into bags.

Last year at this time I was well into my bedrest and approaching hospital bedrest where, coincidentally, I craved watermelon LIKE CRAZY.

This whole Summer will feel "pretty" compared to last. Although lots of lessons were learned AND we got a little Addie out of it. TOTALLY worth it.

I also look back at the time with fond memories. I would NEVER have chosen it but that's what is great about God. He knows what we need and doesn't leave it up to us no matter how much we think we know what we are doing.

{Happy}

Birthday to me.

{Happy/Funny combo}

I got Addie clapping (another developmental milestone she needed to conquer) on video. That makes Mommy and Daddy VERY happy. Try not to get dizzy and enjoy my child putting his hand in front of the camera. Both boys do this. As if seeing your hand is something novel. :)

Make video montages at www.OneTrueMedia.com

{Real}

I am 35. I have a Dr. appointment today regarding allergies, blood pressure and I need a skin check. How is that for REAL? :)

Thankfully, after all that fun at the doctors I am also going on a date with my husband. YAY. I think we are finally going to the old bookstore downtown that has 5 floors. I would also like to shoot some pics downtown while were are at it. We will see.

My children are rising so gotta go. I have no picture for the "real". I could take a picture of a laugh line or other various wrinkle on my face to prove my age. :)

ALL the cousins

2011-05-31T16:32:00.004-04:00

Bella, my niece, graduated from kindergarten this past week and it gave us an opportunity to get a picture of all of the cousins together. This is a first since the 3 new babies were born. We are ALL saying that are families are complete. We will see. (I am not hinting at ANYTHING. As for me and Jared, OUR family IS complete.)

Anyways, Bella sang and made me cry. She is precious and has such a sweet heart. Last summer she came to my hospital room with Molly and said she wanted to sing and dance for me. She did. It was so cute. It was also a deeply spiritual hymn since her Dad leads the music for our church....OR... it wasn't. I plan to keep you guessing. :)

The proud parents with the rest of their family. Aren't they pretty???

Sweet Bella Girl

It was so nice to have ALL of us together. I am still amazed at how many there are.

Eli the talker

2011-05-25T21:44:00.003-04:00

The past couple of days here have been PERFECT napping days. Typically I don't nap when the kids nap. Since Addie I have gotten over the guilt of it and try it from time to time. I tend to get frustrated when the boys seem to not sleep on the days that I decided to rest. Anyways, Eli, my sweet son doesn't turn off the talking during rest time. He goes on and on and on. Today while feeling a bit frustrated with my child who doesn't understand the word QUIET I also thought of all of his sweet little boy qualities that I love.

The boy LOVES a good book...

almost as much as he loves is Teddy bear....

almost as much as he loves a good kitchen dance party and his brother and sister...

and then of course there is the dirt that he refers to as his garden.

He loves Winnie the Pooh and Rabbit gardens therefore Eli gardens. His favorite character though is T I double G RRRRRRRRR, as he says.

I love this guy chattiness and all. What I do not love are how long and lanky those legs are getting. He is growing up SO fast.

Addie

2011-05-23T11:58:00.005-04:00

Whether sassy or serious this girl is fun to photograph.

Jared smiles at the fun I have dressing her.

Yesterday he asked "Do you want these sandals on?"

"Yes."

He then asked (while poking fun at me) "If the reason for the hat is to block the sun then why does she need it under the stroller shade?"

"Because she does."

He gets it but that doesn't mean he can't have fun with it. The bottom line was the sandals and the hat completed her outfit. :)

Despite my extreme love for boys and all things boy, this little girl thing is a blast.

Love ya Adds and dressing you for Summer is A LOT of fun!

Random

2011-05-22T17:42:00.002-04:00

amazing weekend

Jared went and got the boy's swingset from our old house

they were pretty pumped

Jared makes this EXACT same face when he is working on a project

YO Adrienne!!!!

(Sorry, I grew up on Rocky Movies)

So I'm wondering would it be wrong to ask that these kids NEVER grow up?

Like, could she always be small enough to bathe in the sink?

And could he always fit on Daddy's shoulders and think that, that is the. best. place. on earth?

And could he always eat ice cream with such abandon??

Ok, maybe not that last one. The poor kid would NEVER get a date. :)

Yeah, I am pretty sure I have no choice but to let them grow up. Sob.

I told you it was random.

The Things That Are Making Us Happy

2011-05-20T15:05:00.003-04:00

The weather is quite nice today and we are thankful. That makes us {happy}.

My sister is have her kitchen remodeled. That makes her {happy}. She and her husband and 3 kids are staying with us. That makes the kids and my sister and I {happy}. The husbands are coping. :)

We keep laughing and calling each other "sister wives" because it has come in really handy to have her prepping meals or loading the dishwasher. Me wiping faces and throwing in laundry. It has its perks let me tell you. :)

The adults have been staying up and playing cards. Euchre, to be exact. My sister and I beat them. Ha! I came out of retirement (seriously had forgotten how to play. It had been YEARS.) and we won. It was AWESOME. They beat us last night though which makes them {happy}.

Here is a rundown of the kids that are currently ALL at our house.

Addie and Ryan are 3 months apart.

Kayla is 2. I was on the phone with Jared for 5 minutes and I said "I've gotta go, I don't see Kayla". I found her in my bedroom eating TUMS. Thankfully, she is fine. You can't take your eyes off of her.

The 3 musketeers are 2 months apart. Alli, Alex and Eli.

Could she be any cuter?

So that is what we are up to. My sister and her family all go home tomorrow. My house is going to feel really quiet and I will miss my sister cooking meals and hanging out with me. The boys are going to be SO bummed that the girls are leaving. But it's always nice to get back to normal. Normal makes me {happy}.

Funny

2011-05-15T21:47:00.003-04:00

This week I didn't get it together to link up to {Pretty, Happy, Funny, Real} but I was just looking through my photos and found some funny moments from this week that I thought I'd share.

Alex explained to me that he had to take the wipes out of the case because Robin needed a bed. But of course.

(If you look carefully you can see his dirty fingerprints on the wipes. Gross.)

I thought it was sweet and funny how proud Alex was of his new idea for car storage.

Eli looking into my camera lens and wondering why he can't see my eye.

(Notice the dirty face and fat lip. These boys play outside 24/7 and get filthy.)

And HERE is proof that Eli has, in fact, been asking to hold his sister.

What's funny about that you may ask. Nothing, it is sweet actually.

The funny came when I took Addie and thought I'd snap a pic of the boys.

THIS is what I captured.

Yep, a child yanking another's hair. So to those who tell me how well-behaved my children are, here is proof otherwise. Boys will be boys.

Moths to a flame

2011-05-15T21:23:00.004-04:00

I have to laugh at the boys and their reaction to Jared's phone. He has had it for almost a year now and they have their favorite "apps". They are big fans of angry birds and cut the rope. They BEG Jared to play games on it. Poor guy. :)

After a year he is definitely still loving it, although I haven't had to refer to it as his mistress in a while which means some of the newness has wore off. Thank goodness.

I love Alex's eyes in the pic below.

I also love that I caught an example of what it is like to read a book to twins. You have to constantly remind them that you cannot see through their heads. :)

And while these picture are really cute we have MUCH bigger news in our household.

Bigger than the iphone you ask.........

YES

Addie is sitting for long periods of time with control ALL BY HERSELF! Yay!

Still no hair but the girl ROCKS the bald look. In her Mom's opinion anyway. :)

10 months old

2011-05-10T21:15:00.002-04:00

Addie is going to be a year old soon. I cannot believe it. She weighed 15 lbs. 4 oz. at her last check up and is doing well developmentally thus far. She is behind a bit but there are no concerns at this point.

We are currently working on sitting. She still doesn't sit with control but part of this is due to me avoiding tummy time because I was afraid she may be trampled by her sweet brothers. I have definitely given her much more since her developmental assessment a few months ago so I am sure she will be doing it soon.

Her brothers continue to be in love with her but one a bit more than the other. I am not mentioning any names though. :) The "other" brother has shown a LOT more interest as of late and has even asked to hold her twice. BIG improvement.

Mother's Day

2011-05-09T21:25:00.004-04:00

Mother's day in a nutshell w/ lots of pictures.

Church. Baby Dedication. Brunch with 1 side of the fam. Sister get-together with the other. Too much food. Tree climbing, cousins. Sweet smiles. 4 sisters, 4 husbands, 13 children and a partridge in a pear tree. Chaos, but lots of fun. Basketball. Sidewalk Chalk. Baby-feeding. Laughs. Realizing it is inevitable that you become the generation before you. Old-school music discussions. Flowers. Hugs. It was a good day.

I somehow managed to miss 1/2 the cousins and all the husbands in these pictures. Oops, I guess I was enjoying the company too much to take all the pictures I could have. That is a good thing, right?

Being a Mom

2011-05-07T14:54:00.006-04:00

This morning as I ironed our clothes for church tomorrow. I remembered when I ironed the boy's outfits for baby dedication 3 years ago. My first Mother's Day was a bit rough. The boys were both a few weeks old and in the NICU. The 2nd year I was so thrilled to have them home with us. And now this year I prepare yet another child's clothes for the dedication. A GIRL, no less. Crazy.

It really got me thinking about "officially" dedicating Addie tomorrow. With the boys I was VERY anxious. I had just come through hell with them. I was happy they were alive and I wasn't sure I wanted to lose "control" by giving them over. It is laughable, really. We are NEVER in control, even though, as Mommies, we all wish we could be.

With Addie it is much different. It is truly just a public admission of what was decided previously. Not to lessen the meaning of it or what it means to dedicate your child publicly but because I gave Addie to God in the womb. I've NEVER felt like I had control over this one. She is His, as are the boys.

In my four years being a Mom I have learned so much and yet I know there are volumes of knowledge ahead of me.

I took a walk with the kids while Jared was at work. During the course of the bike ride Eli's peddle fell off his bike. I fixed it despite struggling a bit and felt a bit triumphant. We proceeded and Alex had to stop and chat with each neighbor we passed. "Are they our neighbors, Mama?" "Yes, Alex, now how 'bout we let them enjoy the day." He charmed many a neighbor let me tell you.

On the way back as I yelled "Alex, stop at the end of the street.", several times. He didn't. I gave him the look and assured myself that he'd gotten the message. Until, that is, he looked at me and said "I am coming back over". He proceeded to cross the street AGAIN.

We entered the house and they were thirsty I poured the milk in their glasses and before I could hand them to them Eli grabbed his and spilled it onto the floor and it splashed and hit the clean, ironed clothes that I had spent time ironing this morning.

This IS motherhood. I was walking and enjoying the sunshine and thinking it was such a charmed life I led. Within an hour I was snapping at the kids and my husband feeling overwhelmed. It has it's ups and downs but I admit to loving it.

SO......

to Alex, Eli and Addison, I love each of your MESSY little FACES!

Thanks for putting up with my flaws as I navigate through this unknown territory that is Motherhood.

While I am talking about "putting up with my flaws"...thanks to Jared for making me a Mommy and for buying me flowers and the sweetest card, despite my crankiness.

{Pretty, Happy, Funny, Real}

2011-05-04T21:35:00.005-04:00

This week I am linking up to "Like Mother, Like Daughter"

{pretty}

It has rained (or snowed) for the past month so a sky like this is greatly appreciated.

{happy}

Eli had a window of opportunity to play a game on the computer before Alex woke up. When you are a twin this time is precious. He was thrilled.

{funny}

Eli "hiding" during hide and seek. (Bet ya can't find him).

{real}

Alex fresh from his bedroom in the morning with his "blank" and pillow pet. The unfolded clothes in the corner are a very "real" part of our day also.

A teething, crabby, Addison is also a current reality. Poor baby.

Shopping for Glasses.

2011-05-04T21:05:00.002-04:00

Alex tried these

Adds tried these

Eli tried these

and this is what we ended up with

Pretty adorable.

I'm 1/2 way there

2011-05-04T10:25:00.003-04:00

I'm laying in bed while MK plays with the boys outside. Addie is asleep. I am in bed recovering from my Essure procedure that I had yesterday. Essure is supposed to "ensure" that I don't have any more babies. It is pretty awesome in that I got to the office at 12:45 and left around 3pm. I wasn't in pain just a bit drugged up and today I feel fine I am just a bit sleepy. LOVE that. It isn't so awesome in that it only worked on one side. Yep, I have to do it again.

This was a risk I was aware of but I figured it wouldn't happen to me. Why I thought this I am not sure. Nothing that has to do with this part of my life (i.e. getting pregnant, birthing babies, etc.) has been easy. So now I have to decide my next move.

The first thing I said to Jared while I was still doped up and fresh into the recovery room was "Did it work?" He shook his head no and I began to weep. WEEP. Like, my dog just died, kind of weeping. I blame the drugs partially but I admit to being really bummed that I have to coordinate all of this again. I laugh now that I completely lost it. The poor nurse, although I am sure she understands. They know I have had 3 preemies and I know my ob was probably turning cartwheels when he heard I was having the procedure done.

Ok enough of that. I have been having fun with my new camera and since I have time I will upload and post some of thos pictures.

I plan to post more pics of the boys soon. Alex REALLY like to ham it up for the camera.

Mud

2011-05-01T22:33:00.003-04:00

The boys found a tiny puddle of mud last week in the back yard.

You can't really explain the draw of mud to two 4 year old boys.

These pictures will help.

*alex's "camera smile" is back with a vengeance.*

I took these pictures about 1/2 way through the mud bash and I thought they looked SO filthy. This was just the beginning.

Spring, are you there?

2011-04-29T01:01:00.002-04:00

Spring may never come to Michigan to stay but we have had some nice "teaser" days thrown in to the rain and snow. I hear a rumor that this weekend is supposed to be nice. I am hoping it is true.

I am up because a sweet little girl woke me. That was 2 hours ago and she has been back to sleep for about 2 hours. :) Don't you love how kids can do that. Anyways, I am up and thought I'd post some pics from a warm spring day a few weeks ago. I think Alex was praising Jesus in the first pic. I know I was. :)

On a TOTALLY unrelated topic...my camera arrived and I am feeling a bit clueless. Can anyone recommend a good beginners photography book and websites or blogs. Thanks.

I am off to bed. Goodnight.

My babies are 4! (part two)

2011-04-28T08:54:00.000-04:00

The birthday boys were none to happy to wake to snow on the 18th of April. They got past it and the snow did melt before the actual celebrating started. We didn't have a party this year, just Mom, Dad, Alex, Eli and Adds. We did of course have ice cream and cake and took them to McD's.

Here are the iphone pics taken with the hipstamatic app that is so popular right now. It is kind of a fun, funky, vibe.

Chickened Out Again

2011-04-25T21:14:00.000-04:00

*I wrote this post below last week. I chickened out on pouring it all out there but am sharing now. Details regarding appointment will be below original post.

enlarged ventricle

I'm realizing that I tend to write about our trials when we are on the other side of them. Unfortunately, that is not reality because before we are on the other side of them there's the hard part.

This time I plan to share all of it. Maybe for keepsake's sake, maybe to get it out of my head and on "paper", maybe because I want more people to pray for my girl. Whatever my intention, here's the story from the beginning, when I don't know what the end will be.

My sweet little Addie girl. Has an enlarged ventricle. This usually indicates a blockage. This can mean increased pressure on the brain. To release the pressure a shunt it usually put in. She'd always have it. The pressure that may exist already can cause damage. That is what we want to avoid.

Here's the catch we can't proceed until I meet with a neurologist. I called for an appointment today and they said they could see her in JULY. Seriously? Apparently, YES.

My Dr. is trying to make it a bit quicker. That is probably prayer request 1. 2. well I am not sure what 2 is. I know that I want her to be fine.

We are trying not to get ahead of ourselves with this so the sooner the appointment the better.

I remember when Eli had fluid on his brain it was on the surface and the neurologist kept saying that is was good that it was on the surface and not in the ventricles. This is obviously not a comfort to me now. The enlarged ventricle could mean it is in fact fluid in the ventricle. There are obviously lots of "could be's".

Fast forward to today......

After I wrote that post the pediatrician called and I was supposed to call Neurosurgery not Neurology. They were able to get me in today (Monday, 25th). This was big for me. I felt like God was telling me "I got this" and I knew He did. How he would choose to "have it" I was not sure.

Sunday, the elders of the church prayed over us and Addie. It was such a huge encouragement to me and Jared.

Today, they repeated the head ultrasound (the first one was done 6 days ago). He agreed that there was fluid but he did NOT find the ventricles enlarged beyond a normal range. He wants to keep track of her head growth but he has no concern that their is pressure. We see him again in 3 months. He hopes, much like with Eli, that as her body develops it will absorb the fluid as it should.

We are relieved and thankful and in awe. This kid is making us crazy. :) I'm kidding, kind of.

Here are some pictures of the trouble maker. BTW she is 9 1/2 months old. Ridiculous.

In this bottom picture I was trying to capture one of my favorite Addie things.....her wrists. I love the fat roll on her wrists. That extra skin that she'll grow into. Uh.. Love It. Yes, I am weird.

These are camera pics again but that is all about to change. Hurry, shipment, hurry!!!

Good Friday

2011-04-22T20:42:00.004-04:00

Read to the boys from their "Jesus Storybook Bible" tonight. Jared read it at dinner and then they wanted to hear it again before bed. We read the story of the crucifixion and Alex asked "Why are they hurting my Jesus?" which Eli followed with "Why is Jesus sad?" Uh, love the innocence of their questions and the dialog that it allows.

Sharing your faith with your kids. There is nothing like it (on earth). :)

Wait 'til they hear what's coming on Sunday!

I love their simple (although not really) questions. We should all strive to have faith like a child. I wonder what are the simple questions I should be asking of my Father (the heavenly one of course).

FOUR!

2011-04-18T10:02:00.006-04:00

My babies are 4 today. Jared and I have been thinking a lot about 4 years ago. A lot. So many words rush into my mind. So many words that previously bore no relevance in our lives.

Viability

Preemie

Quality of life

Disabilities

990 grams

27 weeks

Fragility of life

"if they go home" being said rather than "when"

Fear

Dark, deep, fear

And thank God there were other words.

Hope

Faith

Love, Intense Love

Marriage

Friendships

Family

Prayer

Sweet, precious babies

Alex

Eli

I cannot speak words that explain what they've done to me, to Jared. For me, For Jared. They've changed us.

This day will not be taken for granted. Their kisses and arms around our necks will be cherished. Those candles being blown out will be monumental. A monument to what we got to keep on April 18th, 2007. A monument to what God had planned for Jared and Becky, Alex and Eli and now Addison. A monument to His Grace poured out on us.

I love you guys.

Thanks for making me a Mommy 4 short years ago.

Addie's Developmental Assessment

2011-04-04T09:33:00.002-04:00

Just realized I've yet to post pics of Addie's Appointment. We headed to the hospital that seems to be our 2nd home. The boys were there for up to 3 months, Addie for 2 and I was on bedrest there for 6 weeks. We visited the NICU, my high risk docs and my antepartum floor. It was really nice to see everyone again. When these people are your only companions for weeks on end you actually do miss them when you are discharged. It was like visiting old friends.

Kelly, on the right, was my kick-butt nurse. You needed something done, Kelly was your girl. Some nurses were so timid about paging doctors it DROVE ME NUTS. High-risk docs tend to say things like "Um, I don't like what I am seeing. Let me talk to the team, we may want to deliver you today." They sometimes say this in the morning after all of your tests and then send you back to your room. What they fail to mention is that they may mean that TOMORROW they may deliver you or in 2 weeks, either way you won't hear anything for HOURS. This is when you want a nurse on your side who has kids and realizes that you may have some arranging to do IF you are in fact delivering in an hour.

In reality the morning I delivered the decision was made about 30 minutes before I was in the OR. Jared was left scrambling to find a sitter and I had not seen him when they were wheeling me into the OR to be delivered. Once again a nurse stepped in and said "we just called her husband and he is in the elevator" to which an intern replied, "we can't wait the OR is ready" TO WHICH the awesome nurse said "We are waiting. She needs to see her husband."

I LOVE NURSES!! It was so much better to go in with Jared by my side. That nurse got it and I am thankful she did.

This is the Dr. that delivered Addie. He is a great Dr. and is very quirky. I heard him tell someone that a lot of people have compared him to the Dr. on "House". I have never seen the show but if the guy is quirky, I agree.

Sweet, nurse Amelia. She was the boy's NICU nurse and Addie's. We love our NICU too. She was the one to show Jared how to bathe our little 2 lb babies.

Addie did well on the assessment as I think I mentioned in a previous post. She needs to start sitting up but other than that she was on track. Oddly enough she likes to stand up holding onto the couch but does not sit or scoot or crawl. Crazy kid.

2011-04-03T10:44:00.003-04:00

Ahhhh, the joys of a finsihed basement. Let me re-create for you what just took place in my home. The boys immediately following breakfast wondered whether or not they could watch a video. I want to be off "t.v. begging duty" for the weekend therefore I said "Go downstairs and ask Daddy". They did. They haven't come back up. It is quiet. I am drinking coffee. It's been an hour. Ahhhhh.

I have made some blog changes and am now going to blog AGAIN. That is 3 times this weekend. Wow.

Now I will begin the post I just had to share my exciteme with you.

Baking

The boys and I love to bake. We usually do this in the morning because that is when I have the most patience for spills and 55 355 questions.

This is our set up.

Love seeing the concentration and the little hands working hard. They love to dump and pour and use the mixer.

This is what happens when you tell two 3 year old boys to stand still for a picture. They listen....just not at the same time. :)

You can quote me

2011-04-02T04:25:00.001-04:00

Some of the entertaining things they've said in the past few weeks.....

"Daddy, I love you and sometimes I may get angry but I just have to get past it." Eli (Wisdom taken from one of their Larryboy videos).

"nagget!" Eli (I think this is swearing, little boy style. He says this when frustrated. A combo of dang it and darn it, if you will.)

"I'm on it". Eli (Ex. "Eli, go potty before nap". Response: "OK Mom, I'm on it".)

Are you seeing a trend here on who these quotes are mainly from. He talks all.the.time.non-stop. My brother in law was in town for the past couple weeks and stayed with us. He referred to it as a running commentary.

Recently, Jared and the boys came home from "Cubby Church". Jared threw me a bag while getting the boys out of the car. It was the "pre-school bag of shame". You know, the wet pants and undies due to an accident. I felt bad for Alex and worried about whether or not he was embarassed at having to wear the "extra pants" provided by our nursery. All this running through my head in 5 seconds. Meanwhile Alex bounds out of the car......"MOM, I got new red pants at Cubbies AND sponge Bob undawear!!!!!!" Ahhhh, crisis averted. Maybe it is a boy thing but he could not have cared less.

After their cashew reaction Eli says to me "Mom I don't eat nuts". You are right Eli, you don't so if anyone tries to give you some or asks that is what you tell them. "Mom?" Yes, Eli. "I don't eat poop either." Yep, Li-li you don't eat poop either. I walked away from this conversation a bit grossed out and strangely, relieved.

One more poop story. The boys came in from playing in the mud, which, has been there favorite past time, although, I wish my floors could say the same. He went to the bathroom and after several minutes I went to check on him. I asked whether or not he was alright and he replied "yeah, mud makes me poop".

To the squeemish, sorry about the poo stories. I have avoided them mainly on the blog but that is IMPOSSIBLE with 2, almost 4 year old boys in the house. Trust me.

Their favorite line in a book right now is "and to the tigers in the zoo Madeline just says pooh-pooh." Herer are a few more pics from the hands on museum...

the weekend

2011-04-01T14:56:00.003-04:00

I am really happy it is Friday!!!

It's been a long week.

Both boys had SEVERE reactions to cashews.

Not peanut butter. Not walnuts. Not pecans. CASHEWS! Actually cashew (they each only had one).

Never again.

Our Monday included swelling, rashes from head to toe, vomiting and watching our kids throughout the entire night because according to the doctor anaphylactic shock can happen up to 24 hours after the initial reaction. Great.

When you have a Monday like that the week REALLY drags.

BUT.....

It's Friday and Jared is taking me out this weekend.

I get to go to the bookstore downtown that he and his brother have been going to, every time he comes into town, for years.

I think this may mean I am in "the club".

It sells old books and it has 5 floors.

I planned to take a lot of pictures there but alas I broke another camera.

What is wrong with me and cameras?

Forgive the ridiculous spacing in this post. I am ready to shoot blogger. :)

Seen and Heard

2011-03-23T19:10:00.002-04:00

Overheard this afternoon:

Alex to Eli- "Oh yeah, that was OFF THE HOOZLE!"

Um, what?

They picked it up from "Despicable Me". Hysterical, these two.

Here they are watching it in Uncle Kevin's car on our way to Ann Arbor a couple of weekends ago.

They were in little boy heaven. Somehow they aren't as excited about Mommy's ride anymore.

Alex did his own hair, hence the soaking wet bangs because playing in the water is the best part of doing your hair.

We used to go to Ann Arbor without 6 kids in tow.

This is us now.

We went to the Hands On Museum.

This was Eli the ENTIRE TIME.

He was a blur! SO MUCH to do.

Back to Blogging

2011-03-22T21:19:00.006-04:00

Just needing to get my feet wet in the blogging/computer world again. I have been absent for a bit due to.... well, LIFE. Mom to 3, wife to 1 can be busy enough, right? So in honor of just throwing something on to the ole' blog that I LOVE, I really DO, here are some pictures. My awesome sister Mindy got a new camera because her husband has to upgrade electronics like the rest of us upgrade well I can't think of a comparison but he likes his gadgets and due to this I have her old camera while we save money for my future camera.

Updates:

Alex- is getting sassy (God give me strength) and I think 4 is going to be the year of questions. OH MY WORD. We watched a movie together and he asks the kind of questions you can't answer. I can't think of an example but trust me there are no answers to these questions and they come at rapid fire speed.

Eli- is more manageable currently but every time I say that they decide to pull a 180 so tomorrow he'll probably wake up and be a different kid. He is really big on showing us love lately. He seems as if he might burst if he doesn't tell you he loves you. It is adorable and he has captured many a heart. Jared's brother Steve is here visiting and Eli told him something along the lines of "you're great to hug".

We took him to get glasses tonight. He has REALLY bad vision in his right eye. He was on oxygen for 6 months which can cause vision problems. The eye doctor said if you covered his good eye he wouldn't be able to see accross the street. Insert: preemie mom guilt. It is ridiculous but it rears it's head periodically. Glasses pictures to come after they come in.

Addison- did really well at her developmental assessment and they already discharged her. Yay! I have pics of that too. She is eating solids and loving it. She is tipping the scales at 13lbs. 8oz.

Jared & Becky- Celebrated their 8th Anniversary on March 21st. We had a slightly odd waitress that asked what our "secret" is (consequently this made me feel kind of old) and we were both sort of speechless. Actually Jared said "leave the kids at home". But, after she left we discussed it and I said (as cheesy as it may sound) "marry your best friend". No matter how crazy things are or even how mad I may get at Jared from time to time he's the one I want to talk to and laugh with. We were best friends almost from the time we began "hanging out" and our friendship has only grown. I know his love and friendship is invaluable.

Wow, long post. This is what happens when I stay away from the blog for too long. And I still haven't posted pics. OK here goes.

In this lighting you can see the peach fuzz on top of her head. It's coming!!!!

Eli giving Addie some love. (LOVE this picture.)

Addie getting a little TOO much love.

Me and the boys on a random afternoon. It is possible that that little glimpse of snowflake you see in the corner are my pajama pants. Just keepin' it real, just keepin' it real. I am not a "dress to your shoes" kind of mommy and some days call for pajama pants past noon. :) They just do.

2011-02-28T20:35:00.003-05:00

Love this kid.....

and he loves his Mama and Daddy and Eli.......

but I think she has won his heart

and his....

oh yeah, and mine

Even Eli is coming around, I don't have a picture to prove it, but

today he was singing a song to her about how pretty she was (precious).

Do you think she knows that she has us smitten????

It may all be part of her plan for complete family domination.

Look out!

A Glimpse

2011-02-24T12:49:00.003-05:00

On this day in February 2011:

We are hunkering down for another winter storm. Actually in Michigan we don't do much hunkering. We are out in it for the most part. We're cool like that. :)

Jared's working.

I bathed the boys this morning and cleaned 2 of the 3 bathrooms. I never go in the basement bathroom and am kind of in denial that it needs to be cleaned. With twin 3 year old BOYS in the house this is a very dangerous decision but I am fearless that way.

The boys are watching a movie downstairs and Addie is sleeping.

I took Adds to the doctor for her 6 month appt even though she is 7 1/2 months. She is a little behind on her shots. She was so tiny they waited on the first round which will back us up for a while. She is well developmentally and weighs 12lbs 12 3/4 ounces.

Out of curiousity I asked the Nurse what the boys weighed at their 6 month appointment and Alex weighed 13 lbs and 13 oz. Eli weighed 14 lbs and 10 oz. Addie was 12 lbs and 1 oz. at 6 months.

She is not on the chart for weight but she is in the 10th percentile for height not corrected (which would be 5 months). Maybe she will be tall and thin. That does run in our family. No, actually, it doesn't but wouldn't that be nice? :)

That is about it on the homefront. I am off to throw in some laundry.

I am going to be so glad that I documented this exciting day. :)

Phone Pics

2011-02-22T14:38:00.002-05:00

Addie is over 7 months old. I cannot believe how fast the time is going. I haven't gotten a chair pic this month because as we know I am cameraless and I forget to snag Jared's phone to get pics as often as I'd like. Here are a few I've captured of her domain. She LOVES her mobile and her glow sea horse. She is always entertaining herself in her little mirror also.

She is getting over the crankies that she experienced after surgery which is good. We are currently trying to get her to eat some cereal and fruit or veggies but she is not having it. We will continue to work on it. Preemies can be a bit fussy in this department. She' remains a smiley little girl who LOVES attention from whoever will throw some her way and we remain in love, of course.

Valentines Day

2011-02-14T22:04:00.001-05:00

I like Valentine's Day. I dont' do 55 heart crafts and decorate my house but I like the chance to tell my boys and now girl why and how much I love them. Our family (Me, Jared, Alex, Eli and Adds)say's "I love you" a lot. We don't hold it in until specific designated days and for that I am grateful but why not enjoy another day to pour out some love, right?

Our lives have been crazy and I have yet to write about that. Addie is well following her surgery to have tubes put in and have her hearing tested. She had some complications regarding her breathing following the surgery. We spent a couple of days at the hospital but all is well. For that I am grateful. She still, after her tubes were put in, has mild to moderate hearing loss in one ear. I like to focus on the fact that she has complete hearing in one ear and some in another. We'll face the rest as needed.

It's been a long ~~week~~ ~~month~~ year. BUT (and this is the important part)God really has taken care of us. He does not leave us. He does not forsake us. He has taught us what love looks like. Perfect love and that is another nice thing to remember this Valentine's Day.

Jared and I are actually going to go on a date tonight. It's been WAY TOO LONG since we have done that I am really looking forward to it. He just happens to have to the day off of school today too. yay.

Boys?!?

2011-02-03T14:24:00.003-05:00

A few weeks ago we were all at the breakfast table, Jared was flipping through the channels and this was on

I told Jared that as a little girl I would always try and stay up until Midnight to watch "The Three Stooges" with my Dad. This was the only time it was on....no dvr, no hulu, nothing.

I also said that the few (very few) times that I did manage to stay up I always thought it was kind of boring.

As I am saying this Larry hits Moe with something or vice versa, or maybe it was Curly. Truth, be told I have NO idea which one is which, although, I think the bald one might be Curly because as a child I did NOT get the irony on that one. :) Anyways, the boys BOTH start laughing hysterically. They continued to be entertained by all the falling and hitting.

So now I know what is was I was missing about the famous "Three Stooges"......

IT'S A GUY THING!!!

"The one where I go on and on about squirrels"

2011-02-01T10:28:00.003-05:00

There are a lot of perks that came along with our new home and our new neighborhood. A couple of the boy's favorite things are the "twin" squirrels, Alex and Eli. They believe that they are twin brothers and the squirrel's names are the same as their own. Not real original, I know, but really adorable, nonetheless. They do not come every single morning but they do visit several times a week.

When we first moved in we attempted to feed them bread or pieces of cracker. This, however, simply would not do. My sister Missy was over one day and said just throw them bread that is what ours eat. I showed her their response to bread. They walked up picked up said bread, sniffed it and threw it down. I'd watched them repeat this several times and was not surprised. These are some high maintenance squirrels.

One day when Jared was on his way home from work I called and said "we NEED a gallon of milk and nuts". He laughed a bit. I'm sure because, feeding the neighborhood squirrels had become such a priority. They were coming to the door regularly and begging. I hated to look at their "sad, little faces". So we got them some nuts, walnuts to be specific. They now LOVE us! No more looking down their noses at us because we had now pleased their rather particular palates. Oy.

Fast forward to this morning. The squirrels came and knocked. The boys began to feed them their walnuts and decided that they would sit down and have their breakfast with the squirrel on the other side of the door. It was adorable. They talked to one another, squirrel to child, and I got to listen. The squirrel brother came along and chased away the smaller squirrel so he could eat also. The chase escalated and the boys LOVED watching. And then Eli suggested that they simply "need to share".

Ahhhhh, some things do sink in. Yes, I went on and on about squirrels this morning but there are few things more precious than realizing a little bit of what you are attempting to teach your children gets through to them. NOW if I can get him to actually share and not just know that it is the right thing to do I will be thrilled!

As far as what's going on around here other than us communing with the squirrels we are bracing ourselves for a huge snow storm. We have been in the house A LOT due to various colds and such. I took Addison to the Dr. yesterday and said out loud to her in the car, "I am sure glad we got out Addie, Mama needed this." I had to laugh at myself. We went to the doctors and to get groceries. It felt like a spa day. Ok, not really, not at all. But it was a welcomed outing and I returned much happier.

I think that throughout seasons of motherhood you have to take what little solace you can get. Sometimes it's 15 minutes with a magazine (or on a really good day a book) and coffee on your couch. Jared and I currently have 3 children, 3 and under. We are quite often exhausted by the end of the day. But it is a season.

I was thinking the other day about grocery shopping and the fact that I can't even go to the store anymore, poor me, yada yada, and I heard a still, small voice (enter: the Holy Spirit) say "You will be able to in about a year, you'll have all day, 5 days a week to get errands done. Your house will be quieter, you hours a bit less demanding." Ugh, it hit me hard. You see the boys start school soon enough. I will just have Addie at home. I have NEVER just had one child at home, ever. I'll miss my boys. I'll miss their demands of my time. I quickly changed my thinking and decided to revert to enjoying their crazy, little, loud selves and wishing they'd stay 3 1/2 forever. Perspective is a beautiful thing. I need it on a regular basis.

I am RAMBLING! O.k. off to play with those crazy boys because Addison is napping. See what happens when I don't get out much. I write huge posts about squirrels.

Sibling Love

2011-01-27T11:41:00.004-05:00

More glimpses into Motherhood.

I think for a parent there is nothing like seeing the love between your children.

I love to see the boys hug each other.

I love seeing them show compassion.

I love seeing them get excited when Addie smiles or laughs at them.

Conflict goes on between the boys right now.

I will not pretend otherwise.

But there are very sweet moments also......

and those I cherish.