Remember when?

Remember when Allie used to go out and jump on the tramp in her nothings in the Spring?  Nate likes to do it too.

Another motorcycle fan

 Don't let this face fool you.  Jason loves motorcycle rides (and anything with a motor.)
He finishes a ride on one thing and points to another and requests a ride on that one.

He has a fit when it's not his turn.

Sorry buddy.

Random post about me...

I have worn a ring on my toe for as long as I can remember.  I tried to pin down the date and I think I put it on when I was 20 or so.  It has only come off once.  I was about to go in for a c-section and the nurse caught me trying to put the sock on quickly without taking it off.  I have known that you can't wear jewelry during surgery, but I tried to sneak it every time and only had to take it off for one of the 5 c-sections.  Well, it broke the other day.  It was a sad day.  I still have a heart and some squares imprinted on my toe.  

I guess I'll have to get a replacement.

Tent City

Sometimes I think it's cute when the kids make their huts in the back yard.  Sometimes I get annoyed.  This one was a little of both.  It's pretty cute that they made such an elaborate place.  The only problem is the clean up. They never want to clean it up the day they make it because they have plans for days and days of fun.  Then, they find something else to do and tent city becomes my problem.

This day was pretty fun for me because it was a rainy day and they stayed out in their hut instead of coming inside and begging to watch tv.  

I love these kids.

Things I don't want to forget...

"Mom, I wiwy wike tomato chips...no, they're tater chips."

If You Give a Kid a Cookie...

When Nate was potty training, I told him he could have a chocolate chip when he went pee.  He didn't want a chocolate chip.  He didn't want a marshmallow.  He wanted a cookie.  I decided that it was okay because I was just excited that he was using the bathroom.  I was working out great.

 Thumbs up from Nate.

Here's where the problem came in.  Every time this little friend heard the crinkle of the cookie wrapper, he was by my side begging for his own cookie.

He's so loud and insistent that he didn't even have to do anything to earn it.

Nate would do the work and Jason would reap the reward.

 Little turkey.

St. Patrick's Day

The Leprechaun peed in our toilet again this year.

 Nate was pretty grossed out.

 Jake had to make a Leprechaun trap for school and he was excited to see a sign on it that morning that said "you can't catch me Jake!"  Allie thought that was pretty awesome and searched her room for signs that a leprechaun had visited in there.

 The milk was also green and Nate thought that was pretty cool.

Jake's class displayed their traps in an open house for a little while after school started.  It was so fun to see the creative things the kids came up with.

I have read some criticism lately from the moms who get mad that people make too much of a fuss over small holidays.  They think it is overboard.  I agree that you can get out of hand with things, but at the same time, the kids are just fun.  It's fun to see them get so excited to check the toilet in the morning and get grossed out by the green water.  Since Jason came around, I haven't had the energy to put much into things.  I wanted to make a whole bunch of different green foods, but it just didn't happen.  I do love doing the things we do, and I will keep doing them until the kids ask me to stop. :)

Potty Training

I feel like I have so much to catch up on!  Nate is potty trained.  I can't even believe it.  I thought he was the hardest kid ever because he wouldn't wear underwear, but as soon as we got that out of the way, he's been a champ.
It seems like the others never had a single dry pull up through the night and Nate wakes up with a dry one all the time.  I can't believe it.
One morning, I just decided that I had had enough.  I tried to force the kid into unders...no luck.  I also threatened to take back the toys we had bought in order to buy a new box of diapers.  He didn't really care about that though, so I gave up and walked away.  Then he asked (snugly comfy in his diaper) if he could watch a show.  Ding, ding, ding.  That was it.  I told him he could watch a show if he'd wear his unders...so he did!  He only had one accident that first day and then it was just a few here and there until now!

I can't believe it.
He earned a few airplanes from Planes and then the poop prize was Chick Hicks.  I was cheering loudly and giving him all sorts of high fives when he earned that one and he said "Mom!  Calm down!  Calm down!" and acted all embarrassed to know the mom who was excitedly cheering him on.  :)

Showing Dad the Jolly Wrenchers Dusty

I tried again, and failed, to get a picture of the boys on my lap on the wheeler, but I really liked this one because it showed how Nate rides these days.  He has his airplane out so he can catch the wind.   I love our wheeler rides.

...and here's Chick!

Way to go Nate!

The Party

Nate had a wonderful birthday.  He woke up to his favorite thing...balloons.  He picked Chex for his birthday breakfast and tried to show me that he was 3 with his fingers.

 Later in the day, he got to get the mail.  He got a special card from his Aunt Alana and Uncle Steve and was so excited for the money to go buy Skipper (the one plane he wanted and didn't get).

He helped me make the frosting for his cake.

He got really dirty doing that and required a change of clothes.
Then, he posed with his siblings for a picture.  That's always a treat.

Here's the finished cake.  He loved it.
The hardest part of the whole thing was parting with his planes for the day.

He got grilled cheese and tomato soup for dinner with Grandma Bonnie as a special guest.

Then it was time to blow out the candles (with a minor melt down over who was too close to the cake) and gifts.  He got some more planes and was really excited about that.  I think the new motorcycle would have been enough for him though.  He loves those things.  I didn't get a picture of him with it yet, but I will later.

 It was a great day with my boy Nate.  I love him more and more each day.  We went through some rough patches where I worried each day if he would make it to the next because he was so wild and crazy.  Now those days are just a haze and I am enjoying the fun kid that he is.  If you want a good laugh, sit down with him and listen to one of his stories.  He is so expressive with his face and hands.  He gives all sorts of details of scary monsters and treacherous situations that he finds himself in.  He always makes it out okay with only a scrape here and there.  The other kids laugh that they can never have their own minute in the spotlight because he always steals their stories and makes them bigger and better.  He is smart and funny, cute and endearing.  I am always grateful that he is mine.
Happy Birthday Nate boy!

Conversation with Nate...

Nate:  Mom!  Jacob broke my gun!

Me:  He broke it?

Nate:  Yeah.  Now I need to go buy a brand new one.  Before the sun goes down.

Me:  Before the sun goes down?

Nate:  Yeah.  I can't sleep [with]out my gun!

3!

Happy Birthday Nate!

Three years on this earth.  It's been pretty awesome for me.  I love you more than you will ever know.
Thanks for being my cute boy!

March 18, 2011

March 18, 2012

March 18, 2013

A Favorite Drawer

I have a drawer in the kitchen with toys in it for Jason.  Guess which one is his favorite drawer?

School Stuff

There is a little newsletter that comes each month from Allie's teacher and she spotlights a few kids a month.  It was Allie's turn in February. 

She is very inquisitive.  That's a nice way to say that she is always asking questions :)
I love that she is a great friend too.  I love when I go to see her at school that there are lots of kids who say hello to her.

I like that her resolution is to follow directions carefully.  That makes me laugh.

Then, here are some of her art projects that I am not going to save, but wanted to take pictures of.

She is still really loving school.  Her teacher is getting married this month and Allie is so happy for her.  It's been a good school year for her so far.