So Happy Together!

Yes, I have the song "So Happy Together" floating through my head.
Alison and Eli have started sharing a room and it's been wonderful!
I was SO worried and concerned that Alison would wake up Eli and we were all just going to be miserable. However, the opposite has been true, and since sharing a room, all of Alison's sleep issues have disappeared. It's a MIRACLE!
They've gone to bed together and even if one of them talks, the other one konks out. Alison hasn't come out of her room for silly things, she has quietly gone to the bathroom by herself in the middle of the night and has slept until 7 every morning and then slipped out of the room and goes quietly to the living room. Why didn't I move them sooner?!

Mimi and Poppy got Eli new bedding and decorations for his birthday and we purchased a twin bed for him last night, but are going to wait a few weeks until we move him up. Eli was very excited about all the trucks and the kids had fun putting all the stickers on the wall.

I found it challenging mixing boy and girl things. I want them each to feel like it's a special space for them and to feel comfortable...and I want it to be cute...and budget friendly. I'm sure I'll tweak things constantly, but I think they're both happy for now.

Fun Stuff

Mimi, Poppy and Aunt Madisyn were here visiting this past week.
Highlights included: Ringo's donuts, a trip to Jamestown and St. Luke's, Easter egg dying, playing games with Poppy and learning to skip.
Alison spent all of 4 minutes dying the Easter eggs and then just wanted to eat them. I forgot how good a hard boiled egg can be and was thankful that I hadn't spent more than $0.99 on the dying kit.

While we were playing games one evening, Eli got ahold of the camera and started taking pictures of himself. I was impressed he knew what to do...he even said, "CHEESE!".

And here's a glimpse of a few more fun things that have gone on:

The Flowering Cross

I got out our Easter decorations and books this past week. I definitely need to work on my collection, but I think we may have started a new tradition that will help.

We read the book 'The Flowering Cross' by Beth Ryan, and for all you parents of young children out there, I highly recommend it. In the book, on Easter, every person puts a flower on a cross to say thank you to Jesus for dying on the cross for our sins.


Alison asked if we could make our own flowering cross and I thought it was an idea that I just couldn't pass up. So after a few bucks spent at the Dollar Store on foam and fake flowers (the kids got to pick their own special flowers), we had our own Flowering Cross. Alright, it really just looks like a flower blob, but it was a great opportunity to talk with the kids about what Jesus did for us and why we celebrate Easter. The "blob" is now on our fire place and is a great reminder for us to thank Jesus every day for what he has done for us. Hopefully next year we can make an upgrade and it will really look like a cross.

St. Patrick's Day 2012

We began our festive day with some yummy green eggs.
Then we went outside and taught Eli how to ride his new motorcycle (thanks Coburn's for handing this down-it's a hit!)

We spent the rest of the morning helping daddy spend some birthday money and had lunch at Arby's...a new favorite in our family. We finally realized that our kid's don't really like Chick-fil-A (our "normal" stop), but 3 things off the dollar menu at Arby's was a big hit for the both of them. I'm going to greatly miss being able to feed 2 kids at a restaurant for $3. And what can I say, I'm pregnant and can't resist their curly fries with a side of cheddar and an apple turnover.

Later that afternoon I printed off a shamrock for Alison to color and talked with her about why we celebrate St. Patrick's day, which lead to a very interesting conversation. First I realized that I was far under prepared for my Ireland facts and details. But I wanted to keep it simple. I explained that St. Patrick was a Christian who shared his love for Jesus with others and used the shamrock as a tool to illustrate the trinity. I asked her if she knew what it meant to be a Christian. She said no, so I told her it was a person who believes in Jesus and loves Him with their whole heart. I asked her if she believes and loves Jesus and she paused with a thoughtful look on her face. She said, "I think so. Are you a Christian Mommy?" I said yes and then she said, "Okay, then I am too!" Little conversations like this always speak hugely to me. I know my little girl knows "Christian" answers forward and backwards...she knows her catechism, bible verses and stories, but non of it matters if she doesn't have it in her heart. However, what is her biggest influence? ME. Does she know I love Jesus? Does she hear me speak His name and not just read hear stories? I pray hard that my love for Jesus pours over onto my children and they too will love Him with their whole hearts.

After dinner we had green snicker doodles, and for some reason, the picture op turned into a "show your muscles" picture.

*Please note that I did not persuade the following pictures*

After dinner, Alison asked if she could wash the dishes.
I love how she sticks out her tongue when she's working really hard.

While the sink was being occupied, I picked up the broom. Eli came and took it from me.
"I help, Momma"

So here are my helpers and Mother's day is looking a little more promising in the coming years. It does make me wonder, do they see me clean too much?

Beginnings of Spring

It's beginning to feel like spring and we are spending a lot of time outside.
Alison asked if she could wash the car and since it was in the mid 80's, I was ready to cool off.
I was so surprised by the kids this afternoon-Alison washed the whole car by herself, not asking for help once and Eli did not like getting wet.


I thought all this time outside would be the perfect time to work on potty training with Eli.
I just need him to pee on the potty so I can reinforce it!
He tells me every time he goes pee in his diaper and asks to be changed. So I thought if I could just let him be "free" and have the potty right there, we'd eventually get some pee in the potty.
I was so wrong. He clearly does not like being wet, no matter what he's wearing and he does not like just being "free"...but he will not pee on the potty.
I'm not sure what to do next, but welcome to motherhood, right?

Happy Birthday Ben!

My hubby is 29 years old!
I thought it was a big year to celebrate...the last year in his 20's and he's accomplished so much this year. However, I have to admit that I think I might have enjoyed his celebration more than anyone in the house.

We woke up to the most beautiful morning ever. The windows were open and the temperature was perfect. I love waking up to a bright sun and chirping birds. I made french toast and sausage for breakfast, and while we sipped some hot coffee, Ben opened his present from the kids.

Then we headed out to do some shopping. Ben had no problem finding a new outfit and then we had Abuelo's for lunch. We spent the afternoon playing outside, enjoying the beautiful day.

Ben requested that he cook dinner for us (yes, it's definitely true that I can't cook while pregnant) and made a repeat of our Valentine's Day meal. It was, of course, delicious. The cherry on top of the cake, was that we got to eat our meal in a quiet house. The kids were busy playing outside with the neighbor kids (who are just old enough to enjoy playing with them and mature enough to watch them) and we could watch them right outside our open window. I'm looking forward to many more "home dates" this summer.

No Wonder...

I'm 25 weeks pregnant and am measuring 27 weeks. I have always, always, always measured small in my pregnancies. Even in this pregnancy, up until now, I've measured a couple of weeks behind. No wonder I've been feeling so horrible...my body is creating a giant!

Thankfully the Lord has given us a week of absolutely beautiful weather, so I can sit and enjoy His creation while my little giant takes over.

Q & A

I was asked by a friend to answer these questions. So here it goes!

1. If you had to change your name, what would you change it to & why?
Jane. I love the name Jane, it was my grandma's middle name and I'm just a 'plain Jane' at heart.

2. What website(s) consumes most of your internet time?
I hate to admit it, but Facebook would win this category. Maybe I'm too nosy or social, but it helps me feel like 'Jen' some days, and not just a stay at home mommy.

3. Is there one household chore you love to do? how about one you detest?
Love to organize. Am most neurotic about the floors. Hate cleaning the master shower and folding laundry.

4. Coke or Pepsi? Diet or Regular?
Diet Coke, hands down. It's so refreshing. Regular Coke and Pepsi make my mouth feel funny, but I became addicted to Diet Coke when I worked as a teller in college.

5. You have an entire day to yourself- no commitments, no responsibilities. What do you do?
I'd sleep in (aka wake up whenever I feel like waking up, not at 6 am when Alison stands in my doorway shouting at me that she's awake) and then I'd drink hot coffee while watching the Today Show. I'd have a real quiet time, take a long shower, followed by completely getting ready for the day without being interrupted. I would get a hair cut and pedicure and eat a really big ice cream sundae all by myself. I'm going to pretend this day also comes with a non-pregnant body and lots of cash, so then I'd get a massage and go to Ann Taylor Loft and the Gap and buy some really cute new clothes. I'd end the day with meeting some girlfriends at Abuelo's and sip a Margarita. Then I'd come home, climb in some pj's and watch a really good chick flick. Oh, and I'd hire someone to come deep clean my house while I'm out doing all these super fun things. I think I took this question a little too far :)

6. Have you ever been to Disney?
Yes. My parents took me and my sister when we were teenagers. Okay, I was probably 11 or 12, but I was definitely in that awkward stage and do not enjoy looking back at pictures. I'm looking forward to replacing those memories with ones of my princess. Here's hoping we actually make it there before she's 11!

7. If you online shop, tell me where. If not, what stores do you frequent to drop some dolla dolla bills?
I only shop on Amazon...you can find anything and everything you could ever need and thanks to a wonderful mother-in-law, we get free shipping. Living in a small town that doesn't have a Target or Walmart, this website has saved me on many occasions. You can't beat shopping in your pj's, while sitting on your couch and someone brings your things to your door the next day.

8. What are your fears?
not having a close relationship with my kids, tornados and not getting back into shape after this baby.

9. If you were a famous athlete, what would you be famous for?
I'm not a sports fan...don't enjoy watching or playing. But if I had to choose a pretend life, I'd choose a surfer. I mean, who wouldn't want to spend life on the beach and have a ripped body?

10. Right-handed or left?
Right.

11. 30 years from now, what does your life look like?
I'm scared to answer this one. Many years ago I said what I thought my life would look like when I was 30, and as I'm approaching my 30th birthday, it's scary (and yet absolutely amazing) how everything has actually happened. It is incredible how God answers unspoken prayers...how he knows the inmost longings and desires of our heart. I said I would be married, a stay-at-home mom of 3 kids, with the oldest one going into Kindergarten. However, after Eli was born, Ben and I decided 2 kids was a better fit for our family. Little did we know. My husband turns 29 next week, my son turns 2 in April, I turn 30 in May, we have our third baby in June and my daughter turns 5 in July. How's that for answered prayers?

Maybe in 30 years I'll be that surfer on the beach, running around with my grandkids (let's just say we have 8), building sand castles and sippin' lemonade. Ben and I will be renowned chefs and spend our time entertaining friends and family in our beautiful beach house. Sounds nice, but for some reason Giada De Laurentiis keeps popping up in this vision.

The Simplist Things Make Life So Sweet

Transitions

We have lots of transitions coming up in this house and hope to make them go as smoothly as possible.

Transition #1: Move Eli to a "big boy" bed.

Eli was very excited about the bed, but we still left the crib in the room, just in case he couldn't handle staying in the bed.
To be honest, this was a time that this hard pregnancy has had it's advantages. We got the bed out because it was getting physically painful for me to get Eli in the crib. Ben was out of town this week and Monday night I was just too exhausted to hoist the mattress and Eli into the crib, nor care if he played in his room before crashing in the toddler bed. I fell asleep on the floor of his room and he fell asleep in the toddler bed. No fussing, no fighting, just sleeping.
The next night, he laid down on his own and fell asleep...it was beautiful.
Here's hoping potty training goes just as smoothly!

Now we just have to move Alison into Eli's room (Lord willing, they'll be sharing a room), turn Alison's room into a nursery, potty train Eli, teach Alison how to wash her own hair and, oh yeah, have a baby.

24 Weeks

24 weeks

It's amazing how much can change in a short amount of time. A short week ago, I was teaching at the Y and running around with the kids at the park. Then all of the sudden I began to have braxton hicks contractions which turned into strong contractions by the next morning. Strong enough to wake me out of a deep sleep and keep me awake. I attempted to go about my day and drink lots of water to get them to subside. But then consistant lower back pain hit, and I called my doctor. I was told to rest and drink lots of water. When the pain didn't go away by the following day, my doctor asked me to come in so he could check me. Thankfully, I haven't started to dilated and everything with me and the baby is healthy. The baby hit a big growth spurt this week, is sitting literally in my hips and we're hoping this is just my body's way of trying to catch up. However, since I have a history of preterm labor we have to be careful that these "normal" pregnancy pains don't turn into actual labor. So resting it is for me. I'm done teaching at the Y, I've cleared my schedule and some great friends even brought us a couple of dinners this week. I'm still experiencing some strong contractions and lower back pain, but hopefully within the next week things can start to calm down. I can tell the baby grew a lot this week-instead of feeling just random kicks and flutters, I now can feel whole body parts. If Ben puts his warm hand on my belly, the baby will push a leg or head or his bottom up against him. I'm anxious to hold him in my arms and I know that in that second, I won't remember a single ache or pain. I won't remember the months of sickness and tiredness, all I'll remember is his tiny nose and precious feet. I look forward to that moment...it's what get's me through these long days.

Learning

I'm learning how to be a mommy of a boy, and I better learn quick because soon I'll be a mommy of 2 boys!

Lesson 1: Be quick on your feet

Lesson 2: Never leave snacks on the counter

In the millisecond I had my back turned, Eli pushed a chair up to the counter, climbed up and dumped out the entire bag of goldfish. Oddly enough, my first thought was, "Geeze, you don't get very many goldfish for $2!".

Later that night, he did the same thing and finish my beloved box of Samoa Girl Scout Cookies. However, this prego mommy was not laughing this time.