Catching up

Well, my computer died last weekend. Luckily, (1) my pictures were almost all backed up and what wasn't is still on my camera's card, (2) Matthew's mom was already planning on bringing us her old computer when she comes up for Christmas, and (3) her husband thinks he knows what happened to the computer, and he thinks he can pull stuff off the hard drive for us. So, it's not so bad, just not so fun being without a computer for 2 weeks. I'm barrowing my mom's laptop for the night so I can finish up some Christmas projects I was in the middle of, and I thought I'd update the blog too. :)

I was planning on blogging our advent activites this year, I've actually been pretty good about taking pictures most days, but I'll have to add those later. Here's a little recap though...
1- Letters to Santa: I'm not sure the kids ever finished those... Are my kids the only ones who ask for totally random stuff on their lists? R asked for toy snow and surf boards. They just look around the room and write down weird things they've never even heard of before.
2- Group and Gift Exchange: Lots of fun! The kids all got great presents that they're really enjoying. M even planned her outfit for the next day around the purple mittens she was given.
3- Address and Mail Cards: They actually were a big help and didn't complain at all. My favorite quote of the night was from R (who was in charge of stamps and address lables), "I feel like I'm working at a post office." :)
4- Christmas Tea/R at Grandpa's: Both were fun. The girls were so cute at the tea.
5- Decorate Tree: I let the kids do most of it (I just moved around the clumped up ornaments).
6- Scavenger Hunt: fun as always
7- Gingerbread house: I pulled out all the leftover Easter candy (yes, we still had Easter candy) and let the kids completely cover it. They had fun.
8- Read a Christmas Book: Not a huge hit, but I liked that it was pretty quick and easy. :)

So, there's the short of it. I'm off to catch up on some decorating blogs before I have to give the computer back.

2010 Advent Activities

This will be the 3rd year of doing this with the kids, and I think it's a fun little tradition. I thought I'd try to blog it this year and hopefully take more photos of the activities we do. I have friends who write each activity on a paper chain link, but I wanted to be able to switch things around easier than that, so I made a calendar with 25 pockets and a slip of paper gets put in each one.

Here is our list for 2010:

1 Wed- Write letters to Santa
2 Thurs- Debbie & Marty's (gift exchange)
3 Fri- Address and mail cards
4 Sat- Christmas Tea for girls, R w/ grandpa
5 Sun- Decorate tree
6 Mon- Make gingerbread house
7 Tues- scavenger hunt (coloring books) this was such a big hit last year that I'm doing it twice this year, I just put the first clue on the paper slip and they go from there
8 Wed- Make decorations
9 Thurs- Elf Yourself
10 Fri- Play night, family here
11 Sat- M's Night Before Christmas dance
12 Sun- Charlie Brown play
13 Mon- Eureka Inn Tree
14 Tues- Have hot cocoa with candy cane stirrers
15 Wed- Read a Christmas book
16 Thurs- make ornaments
17 Fri- scavenger hunt (Grinch DVD)
18 Sat- Make Christmas cookies
19 Sun- Crab feed with Nana & Zack
20 Mon- Read Luke 2
21 Tues- make Crunchy the Snowman
22 Wed-
23 Thurs-
24 Fri- Track Santa
25 Sat- Christmas!

I would love to add Family Game Night to the activities, but that is a hard one to plan without knowing how late Matthew will have to work. It might get added in that last week though. Also leaving a few blank for room to move and add as needed. :)

Manic Monday

A little early, but tomorrow is going to be crazy, and I'm not sure I'll have time to post. :)

To-do's:
Monday- grocery store, grab M from school and bring her with me to the eye doctor (my appointment, but picking up her new glasses), bring M back to school... Kids get out early, buy tickets for dance at 3, rehearsal at 6 (Target while they're there).
Tuesday- work in M's class, dinner at my sister's
Wednesday- LONG rehearsal (Costco while the kids are busy)
Thursday- group (gift exchange for kids)
Friday- dance @ 3:30
Saturday- Christmas tea at church 11-1
Sunday- church, Matthew's boss coming for dinner

Oh, and I need to call the peds tomorrow morning too and make M an appointment for sometime this week. Seriously, crazy busy week coming up!!

Menu for the week:
Monday- burritos
Tuesday- @ sister's
Wednesday- Chinese chicken salad
Thursday- pizza @ group (something else for N)
Friday- soup and bread
Saturday- ??
Sunday- Thanksgiving dinner again


I feel like things are getting really busy now!! We have been going like crazy all weekend! Thanksgiving day Matthew put an air cleaner in for us in the morning, then we went to my mom's for dinner, and then to his dad's for the night. Friday we hung out up there with his sisters and all the kids, and then came home that evening. Saturday the kids had rehearsal in the morning and Matthew and I did some shopping, and then he put lights on the house in the afternoon. Today we had church, then we went for a walk and "lunner" with my family for my mom's birthday, and then went and got our tree. The tree is set up and I have all the toy bins and bigger things surrounding it so N can't touch it. lol It has lights on (had to toss 3 strands this year, good thing we got a short tree, I'll have to buy more sometime when they go on sale!), but we plan to decorate it later, maybe next weekend. lol

Anyway, that's what we've been up to lately. Here's a funny picture I took the other night...


What's really funny is that I have this picture from when R was that age. :)

New Wreath

I made a new Christmas wreath this year. I had seen this one in blog land MONTHS ago and I bookmarked it so I would remember to copy it when the holiday season came around again.
Here is my version...


I wasn't able to find a square wreath form or picture frame for a good price, so I ended up buying a piece of foam board at the Dollar Store and cutting it to the size I wanted. Then I just wrapped in it tinsel (it took all of two things of it) and glued on my stuff. I really like how it turned out!

Monday Post

I need a new clever Monday title, any suggestions? lol


Menu for the week:
Monday- burritos
Tuesday- roast with potatoes and carrots (forgot to pull it out last week)
Wednesday- ??
Thursday- Turkey, stuffing, ect... Yum!!
Friday- leftovers
Saturday- ??
Sunday- pancakes

To-Do's:
Monday- grocery shopping (with 3 kids the week of Thanksgiving), rehearsal for M
Tuesday- nothing :)
Wednesday- make cranberry sauce
Thursday- make stuffing, up to Mom's, then to Matthew's dad's
Friday- hanging out with the in-laws
Saturday- rehearsal
Sunday- church


Also need to do some cleaning, order my Christmas cards, start working on Christmas presents, and I'd like to make a new wreath kind of like this one. We'll see how productive I am with the kids home from school. I can't decide if it will be helpful (in keeping N occupied), or counterproductive. lol

N at 14 months

Just a couple cute things I wanted to remember that N is doing these days.

The kids taught him how to growl, so now he growls whenever he sees any animal other than a dog. The penguins on his socks- growl, the stuffed fish at the doctor's office- growl, the birds at the kids' school- growl. It's pretty funny!

Another cute thing he does now is when he sees something he wants a drink of he points to it and blows. Like he knows that's the sound drinking makes, but he can't figure out how to make that sound any other way.

He's walking all the time now, and getting really fast! And he says so many words I can't keep track anymore. He just put two words together for the first time yesterday, he said "cracker Mama". He's a little pill, but also a lot of fun these days!

Here are a few pictures from when he was swinging the other day...

Monday post (on Tuesday)

Didn't get a chance to post this yesterday...

Menu for the week:
Monday- family dinner, burritos
Tuesday- pasta with meat sauce (SO over this meal!!)
Wednesday- beans and corn bread (made with almond milk... we'll see how that goes)
Thursday- Chinese chicken salad from Costco
Friday- roast with potatoes and carrots
Saturday- ??
Sunday- hot dogs with garlic fries or sweet potato fries


To-Do's:
Monday- grocery shopping, eye doctor for M, family here for dinner
Tuesday- maybe helping in M's class (not likely as N is fighting his nap right now), dentist for all 3 kids
Wednesday- Target, doctor for me, Costco, rehearsal for kids (small group during rehearsal?)
Thursday- Nothing at the moment (I'm sure that will change)
Friday- early day for the kids, dance for M
Saturday- birthday party for a friend
Sunday- church

Monday Stuff...

Well, today is the first Monday since August that we don't have to be anywhere after school. I'm not quite sure what to do with myself. Working on a menu, but having a hard time... Let's see if I can figure something out and come back to edit this...

Menu:
Monday- grilled cheese and soup (for Matthew and the kids), something else for N and I
Tuesday- tacos
Wednesday-
Thursday-
Friday-
Saturday- pancakes, eggs, bacon or sausage
Sunday- pasta with meat sauce


To-Do's:
Monday- doctors appointment and then shopping with Mom
Tuesday- grocery shopping, working in M's class in the afternoon
Wednesday- kids have rehearsal 6-8
Thursday- No school, kids up to Mom's, clean out toys, try to get some stuff done around here...
Friday- more of the same... M has dance in the afternoon
Saturday-
Sunday- church

Other things I want to try to do this week:
Proof photo shoot (done!)
Stain treat growing pile of R's shirts (done-ish)
Replant basil and parsley
List stuff on ebay/other board (other board, done)
Clean out toys (done!)
Go through and pack up fall bin (done!)

Snapshots of Life

This week's snapshot time was Thursday at 8am, but I forgot to check the blog until after 8am on Thursday, so my photo is from Friday November 5th at 8am (but this is exactly what we were doing Thursday as well). We were on our way out the door. School starts at 8:20 for the kids, and they like to get there a little early, so even though it only takes about 5 minutes to get there we usually are getting shoes on and heading out the door at 8 every morning. Please excuse the huge mess that is my entryway, it was in desperate need of some straightening up when I took this!

Monday Menu and To-Dos

Menu for the week:
Monday- R's soccer pizza party
Tuesday- chicken and garlic fries (unless I find sweet potato fries at Costco)
Wednesday- M's soccer pizza party
Thursday- group (more pizza, lol)
Friday- BBQ beef sandwiches
Saturday-
Sunday- Pasta and spaghetti squash with meat sauce

To-Do's:
Monday- grocery store, R's soccer party
Tuesday- working in M's class, Costco
Wednesday- M's soccer party
Thursday-
Friday- dance for M
Saturday- maybe take Christmas card pictures of the kids (if it's nice out)
Sunday- church

Halloween weekend

What a crazy weekend!!
Friday I was going like crazy all day long. I took the kids to school, got N down for a nap and cleaned the house a bit. After nap we ate a quick lunch and headed back to the kids school for parades and parties. We got home from that with just enough time for M to change before heading to dance, and then straight to her last soccer practice after that (where I was informed the parents were to scrimmage the kids). After practice we came home and changed and then left the kids with a sitter for the night and went out to dinner and a movie (where I finally got to sit down for a bit).
Saturday I got to sleep in for the first time in a long time and then Matthew did some honey-do's around the house before the kids' last soccer games. After soccer he got the shelves almost all the way done (pictures coming soon), we caved pumpkins, made cakes for the carnival, and watched the Giants game.
Sunday was church, decorating cakes, more honey-do's, and the Halloween carnival.
Crazy busy I tell you!!

Here are some pictures...

Brian Wilson, a puppy, and a fairy princess

Snapshots of Life

My friend Darby posted this on her blog the other day, and I thought it might be fun to try. I actually took the picture, but then Friday, Saturday, and Sunday were crazy busy here (more on that later), so I'm just now getting around to uploading it.

Anyway, here is my photo of what we were doing at 5pm on Thursday, October 28th. Watching Matt Cain pitch in game 2 of the world series (of course!). I was also defrosting ground beef in the kitchen, but I thought this would make a better picture. :) And, as typical lately, R is not in the picture because he would not listen and had just landed himself in time out. I almost let him come out for the photo, but decided this is a better snapshot of our life right now. If you look closely you can tell that N is super fussy too, also normal for this time of day. :)


I'm going to try to do this every week (even though it may take me longer to get my photo uploaded), I think it will be fun to look back on.

Monday (with a photo!)

I'm not a slacker today!! Not only have I already made my menu for the week, but I've also already gone to the grocery store!! ...we'll ignore the fact that half the stuff I bought his still sitting out on the counter for now. :)

Okay, on to the menu:
Monday- tacos
Tuesday- pancakes and probably eggs and bacon or sausage
Wednesday- hot dogs and garlic fries (to celebrate the Giants making it to the World Series)
Thursday- pasta and spaghetti squash with meat sauce
Friday- date maybe??
Saturday- chili
Sunday- Halloween, hot dogs (twice in one week, oops!) and cotton candy at the carnival


And my plans for the week so far:
Monday- grocery shopping (check!), no soccer for R, the field is too wet
Tuesday- work in M's class in the morning
Wednesday- soccer for M, watch the Giants in the world series!!! I'm just a little bit excited, can you tell? :)
Thursday- nothing yet...
Friday- Homecoming parade and Halloween parties at school, dance and soccer for M
Saturday- last soccer games, carve pumpkins (yes, we're doing it late, Matthew has been gone the last two weekends), bake cakes for carnival, and hopefully get some stuff checked off my honey-do list now that hunting season is over :)
Sunday- church, Halloween carnival


I posted a bunch of pictures on FB, but here's one of them. Sorry I'm so bad about posting updates and photos lately!

Slacker

Yep, that's me. I'm so tired of the same menu every week, that I just quit planning one. Not good, but I don't want to make the same meal when there's still leftovers from last time we had it in the fridge.

Here's what I have for the week (prepare to be unimpressed)...

Monday- dinner w/ family, tacos
Tuesday- roasted red pepper and tomato soup with fresh bread (thanks Costco)
Wednesday- no clue, but we'll only have 20 minutes to cook and eat it, so something fast!
Thursday-
Friday-
Saturday-
Sunday-

So really I only planned one meal this week. I'm sure we'll end up doing pasta again sometime (just had it last night), and there's still chicken nuggets in the freezer, but gosh that's not much of a menu. I'm dreaming of cheese here and nothing sounds good without it anymore. *sigh* Not much longer hopefully.


Anyway, here is my to-do list for the week...

Monday- grocery shopping, soccer for R, dinner @ brother's
Tuesday- Costco
Wednesday- get fingerprinted for kids' school, soccer for M, small group
Thursday-
Friday- Hannah Montana assembly @ kids' school (the principal is going to dress up and sing karaoke, I don't want to miss that!!), dance and soccer for M, and either school carnival or Mom's night out
Saturday- soccer
Sunday- church

Tagged

My friend Kiera tagged me...

1. If you're a everyday coffee drinker do you set the auto brew the night before or make it every morning? If you'r not a coffee drinker...well, I got nothing for you...
I don't drink coffee, but Matthew does, and I don't think he sets it up the night before right now.

2. If you could have an orchard with only one type of fruit tree what would it be?
Hum... I would like some blueberries, but that's a bush, not a tree. :)

3. Choose 2 people, living or dead, that you'd love to invite to Thanksgiving dinner...two people you've never met...and do you think the 2 would get along...(not Jesus...yes, he is alive, but I'm hoping you've all met him!)
I have no clue... lol

4. Where do you see yourself in 5 years...and Are you where you wanted to be now 5 years ago?
Hopefully not much different than we are now. I'd like to keep doing this for a while (and yes, I think I'm pretty much right where I thought I'd be 5 years ago).

5. what is your "throw down" meal...the meal that you usually have the ingredients on hand to make and you can make it fast without the recipe...
Spaghetti (well, I usually use shell noodles so N can eat them). I use jarred sauce and just add some ground beef and seasonings. I almost always have all the stuff on hand.

6. choose one
Day at the Spa with your best friend...Day in a cozy cabin with your husband...Day at an amusement park with your family...
Disney with the family.

7. do you have a life verse or saying?
Not really a life verse or saying, but I love this quote from a song, "If you want to hear God laugh tell him your plans." It's so true!!

September Thankful List

9.1- my microwave
9.2- a non-busy day
9.3- shopping with my mom
9.4- shopping with just my husband
9.5- fun with family
9.6- someone to drive home with
9.7- a night out with my hubby (okay, so it was back to school night, but we didn't bring the kids with us!!) :)
9.8- a good morning nap for N
9.9- a mellow morning
910- my ONE year old baby boy!!
9.11- my freedom and those who risk their lives so I can have it
9.12- a fun birthday party
9.13- surviving my first full Monday
9.14-
9.15-
9.16- Thursday night group
9.17- alone time with Mr. N
9.18- not having to leave my house at all
9.19- a nice balance of relaxing and getting stuff done
9.20- a clean inside of the van
9.21- getting errands done with just one kid
9.22- Matthew getting off a little early
9.23- candy corn!
9.24- Friday
9.25- soccer fun
9.26- lunch out
9.27- quickly passing sickies
9.28- not having to make dinner
9.29- quick and easy dinners
9.30- my healthy kids

Just Monday

Mondays aren't feeling quite so crazy anymore (it could just be that the rest of the week has caught up to the Monday craziness), so I didn't feel the Manic title fit anymore. :)

To-Do's for the week:
Monday- grocery shopping, soccer for R
Tuesday- nothing (!!)
Wednesday- parent-teacher conferences, soccer for M, meeting after dinner
Thursday- group!
Friday- dance and soccer for M
Saturday- soccer games for both kids
Sunday- church, maybe the pumpkin patch w/ friends??

Menu:
Monday- Chines chicken salad with fresh bread
Tuesday- baked potatoes topped with leftover chili (and I REALLY need to cook that butternut squash)
Wednesday- chicken burritos
Thursday- pizza at group (chicken for N)

haven't planned the rest of the week... :)

Manic Monday- getting back on track

I was a major slacker last week and only planned a few meals. Between the boys being sick Monday and Matthew being gone hunting I just didn't feel like cooking much. But, I need to get back on track this week!

To-do's for the week:
Monday- grocery shopping, soccer for R
Tuesday- hair cut for me, Target and Costco after
Wednesday- soccer for M, small group
Thursday- watch the Giants in post season!! (just on TV, I wish we could go!)
Friday- dance and soccer for M
Saturday- soccer games and maybe the pumpkin patch
Sunday- church, and maybe the pumpkin patch (not sure which day yet)

Menu:
Monday- breakfast burritos
Tuesday- quick and easy
Wednesday- crock pot BBQ sandwiches
Thursday- pasta with meat sauce and roasted broccoli
Friday- soup with grilled cheese
Saturday- chicken and something...
Sunday- chili

Not much of a menu again, hu?
I'm getting so sick of eating dairy free. It seems like it was a lot easier in the summer when we could bbq or I didn't feel so bad about feeding my family hot dogs more often. Now I feel like there's only 5 or so meals to even choose from each week, and I'm so tired of most of them! I think this weekend I'm going to try giving N some cheese and see how he does, hopefully we'll be able to eat dairy soon!!

Manic Monday

To-Do's for the week:
Monday- Safeway, post office, dance for M, soccer for R
Tuesday- Costco, Bath & Body Works, Michaels, and Joanne's, dinner @ Dad's
Wednesday- just soccer for M so far :)
Thursday- nothing planed yet
Friday- soccer for M
Saturday- games for both, b-day party for R in between (on my own, Matthew will be working)
Sunday- church, honey-do's :)

I also need to do some serious cleaning and decluttering, all the STUFF everywhere is really starting to get to me.


Menu:
Monday- leftovers
Tuesday- @ Dad's
Wednesday- roasted red pepper soup with fresh bread
Thursday- chicken and squash
Friday- crock pot roast with potatoes and carrots
Saturday-
Sunday-

I have a ONE year old!!

I can't believe how fast this last year has gone by! Mr. N turned one on the 10th, which happened to be the same day my sister got married! It was a crazy week/weekend, but I'm finally feeling like life is settling down a little bit now.

We had his party on the Sunday after his birthday and it was lots of fun. N loved watching all the kids run around and play, and he loved his brownie bite!!



He had his one year appointment earlier this week and he seems to have found a curve to stay on at least. He's now 19lbs, 4ozs which puts him at the 6th percentile for weight. His height (according to the nurse) has not changed in 2 months, and she had him at 28" (which puts him at 5th percentile), but I don't really think she does the best job measuring him, so I'm not worried. His head just keeps on growing though, it's now 79th percentile. lol
The doctor was happy with his growth and development, so we don't have to go back until he's 15 months. :)
I'm still holding off on dairy, but I think I'll try giving him some of the almond milk that I've been drinking. He's still nursing 5-7 times a day too, and he eats 3-4 meals a day. We got the go-ahead to try eggs, peanut butter, and anything else we've been holding off on, so I plan to slowly introduce those now. We'll give dairy another try when he's closer to 15 months I think.

Here's one more picture of him from the other day. This age is so much fun and he's just so cute! :)

Manic Monday (again)

Sorry for the lack of posts this last week, it's been a little crazy around here! I'm really hoping things will start to settle down a little now and I can try to wrap my head around all this homework and school stuff. lol

To-Do's for the week:
Monday- grocery shopping, dance for M, soccer for R
Tuesday- PTO meeting
Wednesday- 1 year check-up for N, soccer for M, small group
Thursday- Group!
Friday- soccer for M
Saturday- soccer games for the big kids
Sunday- church (and hopefully nothing else!)

I also need to get to Costco and maybe Target, but I'm not sure what day I'll be doing that yet. I feel like there's lots to be cleaned out and decluttered around here too.


Menu:
Monday- pasta w/ meat sauce
Tuesday- something w/ sweet potato fries...
Wednesday- something easy that we can take with us to soccer (any suggestions?) ...maybe chicken made ahead??
Thursday- pizza @ group
Friday- chili (from freezer)
Saturday-
Sunday- tacos

I also have a butternut squash that I need to figure out what to do with. I bought it because N use to love it when he was eating purees, but I don't know what to do with it now that he prefers table foods. lol

Manic Monday

We just got home from Redding, where we had a great time visiting with the in-laws and celebrating a bunch of August/September birthdays (including N's). Now I'm trying to switch gears and get ready for this crazy week...

To-Do's:
Monday- drive home :)
Tuesday- Costco and other errands with mom in the morning, back to school night
Wednesday- Quick grocery trip, soccer practice for M
Thursday- Rehearsal dinner for sister's wedding
Friday- N's 1st birthday!! Wedding... get kids early from school... wedding stuff pretty much all day
Saturday- Soccer games for both kids, cleaning, and last minute party stuff
Sunday- Church, N's party

Menu:
Monday- Soup from Traders (love stocking up when we go to Redding!!)
Tuesday- Pick up something @ Costco
Wednesday- BLT salad and fresh bread (maybe make sweet potato fries too?)
Thursday- Rehearsal dinner
Friday- Wedding
Saturday- ??
Sunday- Snacks after party :)

August Thankful list

Today I'm Thankful For...

8.1- my shelves getting closer to being done
8.2- a playdate with a friend
8.3- a lazy day
8.4- another playdate with more friends
8.5- Thursday night group
8.6- my husband of 10 years
8.7- my creativity
8.8- being one step closer to having my bookshelves done
8.9- grocery shopping with just the baby
8.10- my 11 month old baby boy
8.11- finding some sunshine
8.12- a movie with my honey
8.13- having my kids home with me again
8.14- having Matthew home all day
8.15- getting to know the neighbors
8.16- family dinner
8.17- a fun fall schedule
8.18- a good 1st soccer practice for M
8.19- finally being able to start setting up my shelves
8.20- lunch out with my favorite 5-year-old
8.21- cute fall clothes
8.22- family time
8.23- warm and SUNNY weather!
8.24- another warm day (it seems so rare that I think I'll use it twice) :)
8.25- this extra week of summer the kids have this year and that they get to enjoy the sunny weather
8.26- one last day by the pool before school starts
8.27- finding a 90% off sale and actually seeing something left that I liked enough to buy
8.28- soccer
8.29- a clean (on the outside) van (and the husband and 5-year-old who did it)
8.30- the first day of school
8.31- getting to stay home with the kids

Jumping on the Bento bandwagon

(my apologies for the photo, I grabbed it really quick without even editing or resizing)

A few weeks ago I read about this thing called bento lunches on a message board I'm on. I had no clue what it was when I clicked on the link, but it seems pretty easy, and I have to say, I think I may be hooked! From the reading I've done (mostly on this blog) my take is that it's pretty much whatever goes, but all in one container where the kids can see everything at once.

I just ordered two of these Lock & Lock containers earlier in the week (when they were $5 instead of $7 something...), but I've done a few in random boxes we have at home (the above were done in those dollar spot sandwich holders from Target). Obviously those wouldn't be something the kids could take to school, they were for lunch one day during summer break.

Eventually I'd like to get some of these cute little fork picks, and maybe a few of these in some fun shapes, but for now I'm trying to just use what I have.

It's kind of fun to see how much food I can fit in a little box, and they kids love it. They can't remember the name, but they ask for it all the time. I think my favorite was when M asked if they could have "one of those bent-out lunches". :)

Mr. N

N is changing so much so quickly all of a sudden. I feel the need to do another blog entry about all the new things he's doing before I forget.

He now says so many words I can't even keep track. New ones in the last couple weeks include "thank you" (SO cute!!), "ducky", and "cracker", but I'm sure I'm forgetting some even now.

He has figured out how to play catch and LOVES to play with anyone who will sit with him. It is the cutest thing ever (IMO anyway). I think he's going to be right handed. At first we weren't sure, but he mostly uses his right hand to throw with, so that's my guess.

We pulled out a few more of R's "big boy" toys that we'd been saving and N is loving them! This rocket (which I still remember as one of my greatest sale finds -less than $20 at Costco!) is a big hit.

He's also STANDING now!! If I put him down in the middle of the room he'll just stand there for a while and then sit or fall right into crawling position.

Little turkey is doing way too much too fast! Luckily he hasn't tried to take any steps yet (unless he's holding my hands), but I'm sure it won't be long. He is getting very good at cruising the furniture and he even pulled up on the wall today.

I gave him a little hair cut the other night when everyone else was getting theirs done (sorry those pictures were from before). Not much, just a bit around the sides and back. I didn't touch the top, so I don't think he looks much different, which I'm happy about. :)

Oh, and a little update on the dairy... I was about to try yogurt when someone accidentally gave him goldfish crackers at church. His spitting up increased for the next week plus, so I let the kids eat his yogurt and I'm holding off until after a year. I'll talk to his ped again then to see what we should do. I still don't think he's allergic, and I'm almost positive that the other two kids would have reacted the same way had I stopped eating dairy with them, I think he's just taking a while to outgrow it (R spit-up until well over a year). Hopefully by Christmas we'll be past this, I don't want to miss out on all those goodies (yes, I plan to continue nursing him through the winter if I can).

Anyway, just wanted to post a little update on him and share those pictures I forgot to upload the other night.

Manic Monday -1st day of school style

Well, they're back in school!! I was planning on posting this this morning, but N decided not to nap while the kids were gone, so no break for mommy (I did eventually get him down for a little bit, but not long enough to do anything).

Anyway, here are our first day pictures (and, gasp! they don't match the front door this year!!)...

My big 2nd grader

Kindergartener
Both of them with their new backpacks
And all 3 of my babies :)
They both had a great first day, and R just put himself down for a nap before soccer practice. lol


Now back to your regularly scheduled Monday post...

Menu:
Monday- Costco Chinese chicken salad (yum!!) with bread
Tuesday- Aloha chicken and sweet potato fries
Wednesday- something that can be cooked and eaten in less than half an hour (probably burritos)
Thursday- not sure yet
Friday- we're out of here...

To-Do's:
Monday- 1st day of school, grocery shopping, R's soccer practice
Tuesday- errands with just the baby!!
Wednesday- M's soccer practice, small group
Thursday- nothing I don't think (shocking!!)
Friday- dress fitting in the AM, Redding after school

That's it. Two more weeks and then we add dance into the Monday craziness. I just wrote all that stuff on my calendar and it's crazy how much is up there now. I'm still waiting on their soccer schedules too. Yikes!!

Summer List -end of summer check

Well, we didn't do everything, and I had to change a few of them to make them fit, but I think we did pretty good. I was debating leaving this up until the official end of summer, but I don't think we'll have a chance to do anything that's left on there between now and then, so I think it will be coming down soon.

Manic Monday

Yep... Mondays are looking to be crazy again here soon! Once we're in full swing this is what my Monday will look like: School for both kids (!!) 8:20-1:25, dance for M 3:30-4.25, soccer for R 4:30-5:30. Luckily dance and soccer are right down the street from each other!
Wednesday is also looking to be a little jam packed, at least every-other-one... School 8:20-2:25, soccer for M 4:30-5:30, and small group every-other week starting at 6:30, but a 20 minute drive to get there. Should be interesting... lol

We are easing back into the swing of things slowly though. M started soccer practice last week. She has it two days a week, Wednesday and Friday. Bragging for a minute... her coach actually came up to me after the first practice and said he couldn't believe she'd never played before, she's naturally very athletic. She's loving it so far too, so I'm glad I went ahead and let her do two things. R started his soccer practice this week, which will only be once a week. Then they start school next week, and dance won't start until the Monday after Labor Day, so I feel like we're getting back into it at a good pace. :)

Menu for the week:
Monday- last minute invite to my brother and SIL's for family dinner... they had pizza, N and I had BBQ chicken and Brio (thanks Mom!)
Tuesday- Costco's Oriental chicken salad and garlic bread
Wednesday- ??
Thursday- I was going to make chili, but I think we're going to go swim one last time, so I'm not sure what we'll do...
Friday- pasta with meat sauce
Saturday- church BBQ/potluck or chili
Sunday- tacos or chili

To-Do's:
Monday- grocery shopping (last time with all 3 in tow for a while!!), soccer for R, family dinner
Tuesday- enjoying my last day of not going anywhere for a while (and need to call dress alteration lady!!!)
Wednesday- soccer for M
Thursday- swimming in WC (leave R up there)
Friday- get R back, stop by school to see who their teachers will be, soccer for M
Saturday- soccer jamboree (scrimmages for both kids, and team photos), church picnic/bbq
Sunday- church, working in nursery

Here we go...

Outside

These boys love to be outside.


I cannot believe this little boy will be ONE in 3 weeks!! Where on earth did the last year go?!?

Just one Picture

I snapped a few of Mr. N a couple days ago and I thought this was cute. He's getting fast, and I usually can't get him to look at me now, so good pictures are going to be few and far between soon I'm afraid.

11 months

I was going to wait to post this until I could get some recent pictures edited, but I've been busy. So, hopefully new pictures will be coming soon, but in the mean time, my baby boy is 11 months old now and doing all sorts of new fun (and not so fun) things!


Words: Dada, Mama, Ut-oh, Hi, Doggy, and Bye, Bye

Loves: Being outside, swinging, splashing in the tub/pool, bring rinsed off in the bath, having pillows thrown at him by M and R (lol), stealing the remote controls and my water bottles.

Hates: Being wiped off after a meal, being told "no" or pulled away from something he was getting into that he shouldn't be.

New things he's doing: crawling, pulling up, and starting to cruise! Throwing fits and voicing his opinion very loudly! Cutting 4+ teeth at once (I'm not 100% sure on that, he won't let me get a good look).

Favorite foods: Fruit, meat, and French bread

I put off giving him yogurt this week as he doesn't seem to be feeling 100% and he's been spitting up a little more over the last few days anyway. Maybe I'll give it a try next week.

Okay, time's up, he's done with lunch and screaming at me. lol

Hi-Ho, Hi-Ho...

Back to the doctor's we go...

But, it was a good appointment today!
We saw a doctor that I hadn't seen since N was a newborn and I really liked her! She said they don't like it when babies drop so much on the chart, but she thinks he's fine. She said he may not be getting quite enough milk from me, but that he would be okay and at this point we can just focus on more solids and doing what I'm doing with the nursing (more frequently and on both sides each time). She said to do 3 meals a day (which is what we've been doing) and add a snack, and she gave me some ideas of what to feed him. She also said to try him on baby yogurt to see if he can handle dairy yet. I'm supposed to give him one bite and then wait a couple days and if he seems okay with that then try half a container and go from there. She said the yogurt and butter would be helpful in getting his calories up.
He gained 2 ounces in the last week and is holding steady at that 3rd percentile for now, so that's good too. We don't have to go back until he's a year old, which is only a little over a month away (yikes!!). I made that appointment with this same doctor too. :)

Monday Stuff...

I need a new title for my post, at least until school starts back up and I can call it "Manic Monday" again (yes, we'll have dance on Mondays again, and maybe soccer too).
Anyway...

Menu:
Monday- blueberry pancakes, bacon, and eggs
Tuesday-
Wednesday- tacos
Thursday- Walkers!! (pizza, which I'll be picking the cheese off of)
Friday- OUT!
Saturday- pasta, meat sauce, veggie
Sunday-


To-Do's:
Monday- playdate with friends, grocery shopping with all 3 kids
Tuesday-
Wednesday-
Thursday- Target run, Walker's for Thursday night group!
Friday- Doctors for N, 10 year anniversary, out for dinner
Saturday-
Sunday-

Update on N...

I took N back to the peds this morning for a weight/growth check and to talk to the doctor who ordered the upper GI. I was always so pleased that all though N's weight issues they never once said anything about my supply, but that ended today. He wants me to nurse on both sides and then try to give him a bottle. I'm pretty sure N won't take it, he seems full after just one side usually, but we'll see... I had only been nursing on one side at a time, but every 2-4 hours (which is what I did with the other kids at this age too), so that he would keep it down better. I just nursed him on both sides before putting him down for a nap, but I didn't offer a bottle, I'll try it later. He said if he won't take the bottle we will try more solids (he's already eating 3 meals a day), and if he seems to be spitting up more with the increased meal size then we'll find a med that insurance will cover.

I just feel like a failure right now (and I don't know if I really believe that he needs the formula). I nursed two other babies who spit-up much more than N does (now that I'm not eating dairy), and never once had a problem. I really don't think it's my supply, but if it is I would guess it's either from not eating dairy (catch 22, hu?) or because I've been SO stressed for the last year and a half.

I also have to wonder if they've changed the charts in the last 5 years... N is 28" now, and R was 28.75 at a year and right above 50th percentile. Right now they have N in the 17th percentile for height at 10.5 months.
He is back on the charts for weight, he's 17lbs, 11ozs now which puts him right at 3%.

Of course, he just started crawling last week, so I'm sure that's not going to help anything either.

So anyway, I came home with two sample cans of soy formula. I'm very unsure about giving him soy, but the doctor seemed to think it would be fine.
We go back in one week and see a different doctor, but I made sure to ask this one who he recommended I see because they all seem to have different opinions.



UPDATE:

He just got up and I nursed on both sides and then tried to give him 2ozs of EBM that I had in the freezer (I just can't do the formula yet). I got half an ounce in him and that was a fight, he wanted nothing to do with it. I had to fight him to take the second side to begin with.

When I mentioned to the doctor that he really only seems interested in one side at a time the doctor said he probably taught himself not to eat as much so he wouldn't be uncomfortable and spit-up. I'm not sure I buy that, this is how I nursed both other babies.

I think I'm going to just keep trying to offer both sides at each feeding instead of just one, and in the mean time I'm going to make sure I'm eating enough and drinking a ton of water. I think I'll just tell the doctor next week that he didn't want a bottle after he nursed.

Some New Photos

Sorry I haven't posted any photos in a while. My computer is running a little bit better after I deleted a bunch of stuff from the hard drive (after sending it all to my EHD), but it still only lets me do a few photos before it slows way down (and I have way more than a few that I'd like to edit and post...).
Anyway, here are a few I got to tonight.

10 month baby boy (I think he looks just like Matthew in this picture)

Matching tattoos, lol

At the lake

He learned to crawl, climb, and pull up all within a few days (and he's so much happier now that he can get into things!)

I love this one. He was being all cute with M's baby doll, so I pulled the camera out, and then he noticed that the baby had a tag on her butt and this was the face I caught. lol

Mr. Cutie... I loved how his eyes, outfit, and the chairs all matched!


See his teeth? :)

M is now sporting a symmetrical hole in her mouth. :)

Hopefully there will be more to come soon, I'm going to try to edit some tomorrow morning if I get a chance.
Hope everyone is having a nice summer!

Monday...

I've been slacking on the blog this last week, sorry!

Menu:
Monday- chili (frozen from last time I made it)
Tuesday- dinner with family for my sister's birthday
Wednesday-
Thursday- BLTs
Friday- pasta w/ meat sauce
Saturday- @ a wedding
Sunday-

To-Do's:
Monday- dentist for me, make popsicles with kids
Tuesday- grocery shopping, family dinner
Wednesday- Mom's to swim, tux fitting for R
Thursday- maybe taking M to see Ramona and Beezus
Friday- doctors for N
Saturday- wedding
Sunday- church, ect... Maybe a Crabs game (need to check the schedule)

Whew! Much busier week this week!

Monday, back to reality...

We're back! We left last Saturday and went up to my FIL's for Matthew's grandparents 60th anniversary. Then we headed to Redding to hang out with MIL and SILs for 3 days. We mostly just laid low inside (with the AC on full blast!), but we did head out to Wiskeytown for a few hours one day, and the kids loved that! Wednesday we headed back to FIL's and Thursday Matthew and his dad built the bookshelves I've been wanting for years. They're still up at FIL's, and once we get them we'll have to paint them, but at least they're actually built now, so hopefully it won't be too much longer! We spent the weekend up at Matthew's grandparents log cabin in the mountains (seriously, out in the middle of nowhere) and tried not to melt in the heat. Got home yesterday mid-morning and just hung out, did laundry, and tried to get ready for the week.
It shouldn't be too crazy of a week, I'm just still trying to mentally switch gears here. Monday lists as always...

Menu:
Monday- Roasted red pepper soup (thanks TJ's) with fresh bread
Tuesday- Tacos
Wednesday- Pasta with meat sauce and veggie (spaghetti squash if I can find it)
Thursday-
Friday- Breakfast scramble or burritos
Saturday-
Sunday- Chicken and sweet potato fries

To-Do's:
Monday- grocery shopping (with all 3, oy!)
Tuesday-
Wednesday- small group
Thursday-
Friday-
Saturday-
Sunday- church, Costco, dad playing in Blue Lake @ 6

Not a lot on set days, but here are my other to-do's:
Try on too big clothes to see what is still needed for school
Make popsicles with kids
Clean out the boys closet so N's new memory box will fit
Start baby proofing (N is finally starting to crawl!!)
Make appointment to get hair cut/highlighted
...and now my mind has gone blank, I know there's more!

Update on N

I realized I updated FB, but never posted here, so just in case someone didn't catch it there... :)

After that week I had calling the pharmacy, doctor's office, and insurance over and over I was finally able to talk to a doctor Friday afternoon. He said he thought the meds he prescribed were covered by insurance, and that they were "more for N's comfort than his spitting up". He doesn't seem uncomfortable, he's just not growing well, so I decided that wasn't going to be right for him at the moment. I ended up making an appointment with Dr. Cody for later this month and I'll wait until then to do anything more about this. I figure that way we can recheck his height and weight and I can actually talk to the doctor about what needs to be done (if anything). I'm glad we went ahead with the upper GI so I know there's nothing going on with his stomach that's causing the spitting up, but right now I feel like the meds prescribed wouldn't be right for him. I feel MUCH better after making this decision, so I'm going with my gut on this one. :) Will update again after we see Dr. Cody at the end of the month.

What We Wore Wednesday

My friend Darby jumped on this bandwagon over at the Pleated Poppy last week and I thought I might play too. I figured it might help with my effort to dress a little nicer. I decided to include the kids in this too and make mine What We Wore Wednesdays because, let's face it, their outfits are almost always way cuter than mine! :)

So here we go (please forgive the awful pictures, I need to figure something else out for this)...

Wednesday

Small group in the evening, hanging out at home all day

Shirt is from Target
Jeans are Gap (and a little big at the moment, I bought them right before I quit eating dairy)
Shoes are Borns

Thursday

Cleaned all day

Brown T is abercrombie
Hoodie is from Macy's
Capries are from Mervyns
Flip flops are Gap


R is in a Crazy8 shirt and Old Navy shorts
M is in a Disney shirt and Old Navy capries
N is in Gymboree brand new baby line (and not too happy about this new thing we're doing)

Friday

More cleaning

Shirt is from AT&T Park :)
Pink tank is Old Navy
Jeans are Gap
(I don't usually wear shoes in the house, so I forgot to put some on for the picture)

R is in a Gap graphic T and Old Navy jeans
M is in Gymboree Watermelon Picnic (this is my favorite outfit of hers right now)
N is on Gymboree baseball stuff (and still not happy about this, lol)

Saturday

Lazy day, I can't remember what exactly we did all day, but it wasn't much. lol

Tanks are both Old Navy
Hoodie is from Macy's
Cords are Loft

No kids today, they were just in play clothes and off running around by the time I got dressed.

Sunday (4th of July)

Church, working in the nursery, and bbq with friends.

Top is Macy's
White tank under it is Old Navy
Jeans are DKNY
Shoes are from my SIL's wedding
Earings (that you can't see) were made by that same SIL :)

R is in The Children's Place top and Land's End shorts
M is in a Gymboree dress, Gap leggings, and and Old Navy T
N is in The Children's Place top and Crazy8 jeans (I think??)

Monday

Grocery shopping

Top is Old Navy
Capries are Mervyn's (most of my capries are from there, I bought them all right before we moved to Redding)
Flip flops are Gap

R is in Gap (my favorite outfit of his right now)
M is in Crazy8
N is brand mixing in a Gymbo onesie and Gap pants

Tuesday

Took the kids to Toy Story 3

Purple tank is from New York & Co.
Pink tank under is (once again) Old Navy
Jeans are Gap
Shoes are Clarks
Jacket is Old Navy

You get Matthew instead of N for this one (he was with my mom so we didn't have to bring him to the movie)

M is wearing Gymboree
R is wearing a shirt form AT&T Park and Old Navy jeans
Matthew's shirt is from the park too, jeans are Costco :)

Okay, wow, that was a lot of work! I'm not sure if I'll be able to do this every week, but it was fun.