Happy Birthday Emma!

Four! Already! How can my little girl be 4 already? Ahhh - to think back to that day... 4 years ago right now, I was in the hospital. My water had broke, but the nurses gave me medication to calm me down, help me sleep, and get me ready for the next day when my baby would be born. I wasn't that calm, I wasn't really sleeping, I was nervous/excited/scared/basically everything. The next day, May 17, at about 5:45pm, Emma Rose Heuer was born.

We had her birthday party today and I think it was a huge success! It was a Disney Princess party, but we had a few Barbie items thrown in also. The neighbor girls hitched a ride on the birthday train to come over around 3 or so to play.



We played a lot outside and then retreated inside for some presents, pizza, and cake.




Kyra's birthday wishes for Emma.


Barbie Cake


Evan wishing Emma a Happy Birthday!



Presents!! She received many nice presents! A Princess Bike from Tim and I - which has training wheels! A Mermaid Barbie, Polly Pockets, Camera, Dinner and a Movie, Swimsuit - so many nice things!







A few pictures of our guests...






Then, other random pictures of the day:







All-in-all, it was great. The weather couldn't have been any nicer. The girls took about 3 rides on the Birthday Train, Evan took about 6 :-) I have the day off tomorrow and Emma and I are spending the day together. We are going out for breakfast with the neighbors in the morning, then she is having 4 year old pictures taken, then a possibly play date with a good friend, then down time. This weekend was very busy, but fun. Down time is needed.

random pictures

And... because I have not loaded any pictures on the blog lately - here they are. (and yes, I realize that I should be studying. HOWEVER... I am tired and I just don't feel like doing it. I was studying, but then I was making stupid mistakes. When I do that, I know it is time to quit.)

Evan one morning, eating cereal. And, because he is a boy, he needs to have a car/truck with him at all times. This morning, he realized he had a pick-up truck and it needed to be filled.





Emma playing cards. Lately, she has loved playing games.



Evan following Tim on the lawnmower. I think I blogged about this earlier. Evan was supposed to be taking a nap, but I could hear him on the monitor "Wide! (or Ride in Evan speak) Da Da! Wide!" I brought him downstairs and he followed Tim back and forth with his little chair in the window. Eventually, he got his "wide".






Mother's day at the cabin





Emma with our garage sale finds. The glasses were in the free box and she couldn't resist.


Her garden for this year. Growing pretty well!

back home and resting peacefully

to all my faithful readers out there - Evan and Tim are back home - and Evan is sleeping well on the floor propped up with pillows for now. he has croup (I have no idea if I spelled that correctly or not) which is basically inflamation in his throat due to a cold. The doctor gave him a shot to help reduce the swelling in his throat so he can breathe better and motrin for his fever. he also has a prescription that needs to be filled tomorrow to further help with the inflamation. The doctor said the shot should really kick in around mid-night, so hopefully he has a fairly restful night.

Tim will be staying home with the little guy tomorrow so he can fully recover.

Now, I am off to bed.

Thanks for the good wishes!

poison control and urgent care

Thankfully - these both did not happen on the same night :-)

Happy Mother's Day! What a wonderful day to reflect and give thanks for all the wonderful Mother's, role models, and friends in our lives. I have truly been blessed with some wonderful Mother figures in my life and I am grateful I have such a strong support system to help me raise my own children.

We had a great weekend to celebrate. We were at the cabin and while the weather didn't cooperate all the time, we had a wondeful time on Sunday playing outside and enjoying the day. Tim and I took the kids on the canoe, which was fun. Luckily it has a little motor on it so I didn't have to paddle. (yeah, my kind of canoe trip!) I had a much more important job though - keeping Evan in the canoe. He loved tipping over the side so he could run his hands in the water. Plus, once he saw the cabin, he immediately tried to climb out of the canoe and stuck his little foot high in the air and over the side. That one always keeps me on my toes! Emma made me some lovely cards for Mother's Day and painted a beautiful plate with her and Evan's picture on it that I can hang up. We made a yummy brunch and just relaxed. Nothing better than spending the day with family.

Now, on to explaining the title of my post.

A few weeks ago we were at the cabin. We were in a hurry to leave, so I was washing dishers, packing cooler, running around and trying to get everything ready. I had my eyes on the kids, but wasn't totally in tune to what they were actually playing with. I look up from the sink after putting a dish in the dish drainer and I see a few pills spilled out on the table and Evan, with pill in fingers, putting one in his mouth. I instantly start freaking out "Evan - NO! Put the Pill down" he kind of smiles and puts it in his mouth anyway. By this time I am over there and trying to see how many he put in his mouth/ate. I wrestle the one out of his mouth and then look at the pill bottle and surrounding area to assess the damage. I honestly have no idea now many were in the bottle/ how long he had the bottle/etc. The pills were a mixmatch of zyrtec, tylenol and ibuprofen. I call Tim in the kitchen to explain what happened and both of us really have no clue what to do. So, I call poison control. After explaining to the kind nurse that I am the worst Mom ever, I tell her what happened. Unfortunately, I don't have good answers for her as I don't know anything. I don't know how long he had the pills (although honestly couldn't have been more than a minute) how many pills were in the bottle (although it was a small bottle) or anything else to help. She proceeds to help me tremendously. First, she had me wet a washcloth that was a different color than the pills in the bottle; then I was to wipe the inside of his mouth/teeth to see if there was any pill residue. Thankfully - there was none. Then, she told me to give him back the bottle and see how long it took him to open it. We timed him over a minute and he was still unable to get it open. She gave me further instructions, like keep all pills out of reach, look for drowsiness/ stomach problems, etc and sent me on my merry way. Definitely a scary thing. The bottle was child-proof, or so I thought, and it was secured in a small zipper pocket in a zippered purse. So - lesson learned, treat all pills as though they are lethal and KEEP OUT OF THE WAY of children. Damn....

Evan is currently at urgent care. I just received a call from Tim, who has been there for 2 hours with our child, that Evan is now sleeping and waiting patiently for a doctor. Tim though, not waiting so patiently. Evan has a cold and it has progressed into a bad cold. Tonight, he was wheezing pretty badly and never seemed as though he was getting enough air. Me, wanting to feel comforted and wanting my baby to feel better, prompted Tim to take him in. For the record, we did try to get him in today at the regular doctor, but the clinic was booked up. Anyway, Evan saw an initial nurse and she checked his oxygen levels (which were good) and checked his stomach for something and said that looked okay. However, she wanted Evan and Tim to stay so he could see the doctor. The kicker?? The doctor was sent to the hospital to deliver a baby. So, Tim was warned that it could be awhile. Why they didn't have another doctor available to deliver babies is beyond me. But, I just spoke with Tim and Evan's fever is rising (now at 101.8) and he had a horrible coughing attack, during which it seemed as though Evan could not catch his breath. So, I am glad they are there. Not a good day in the Heuer household.

Emma and I had a lovely night though. We had a game night here since it was raining and we played the Polar Bear Game, the Dora Game, Monkeys Jumping on the Bed, and the Care Bear game! She is also getting over a cold, but could muster up enough energy to play games. She is quite the drama queen when it comes to illness and wasn't afraid to tell me "But Mama, I am too sick to set the table" or "Mom, I am too sick to take a bath" Yeah right little one!

Well, I am off to study. Send good thoughts our way for poor little Evan!

feeling needed

Once again, another great day. it is such a wonderful feeling at the end of the day to feel as though something was accomplished. Today for me it was Sunday School ( the last day) a little garden project for Emma, cleaning out a closet, studying, running ( 5 miles - YEA!) and then relaxing with the family.

The last day of Sunday School went well. We had a really good bunch of 3-4 year olds as they all listened well, did what we asked, etc. I could tell it was getting towards the end of the year, though, as they were all acting a bit more wild, goofy, and starting to gel more as a group. It was pretty neat to see. I am not sure if I will do it again next year. I liked it; it was very rewarding and St. Ambrose really had everything together for us, but Tim and I have discussed the possibility of joining another church that is closer to home and may have more of the kids' future classmates or even finding another religion that seems to fit with us a bit more. But, more on that later.

When we got home, Emma and I decided to get our hands dirty and make her a little garden. As of now, it consists of little pots with random seeds in it that she planted all by herself. Hopefully they will grow, some of the seeds are over a year old, and we can plant them in the actual garden so she can see them grow. Evan, once Tim and he arrived home, had to join in on the fun and instantly got his little shovel and started to "help". This led to "EVAN! NO!! MY GARDEN!" and fights between the two, then Evan collapsing to the ground, kicking his little legs as he didn't get his way.

Despite the wind, we played outside a lot and had the neighbor girls over for a bit also. It is always nice to have a bit of a distraction for the kids and they play together so well. It is nice when the 4 of them can get together.

Tonight was a bath night, as we were playing in the dirt today and tonight was a sticky dinner of nachos, chicken wings, hotdogs, and home-made strawberry shortcake. Yes, all healthy wonderful choices :-) It was after Evan's bowl of strawberry shortcake fell to the floor and Emma stepped in it that I decided to throw them in the tub. Emma does pretty well in the baths, Evan, well, HATES going in them and then HATES getting out of them. He will kick his little legs back and forth and do the running man for both instances. If looks could talk, his would say " OH! I am so mad that I am so little and you can pick me up and make me do stuff I don't want to do!"

Emma has taken to doing everything herself. "MAMA! I am almost 4. I can do this." So, she now washes her hair and washes her body because, as she declares, "Mom, this is my sponsiblity now. I can DO it."

The night ended peacefully enough with Tim finishing some garden jobs and the kids watching some TinkerBell so I could do some of the dishes and clean up the floor. Sometimes I let Emma stay up a few minutes later than Evan, since she is a big girl, and tonight was one of those nights. Emma's eyes light up when I tell her that she can have 10 extra minutes as she is older and she puffs out her chest and looks down and you can tell how proud she feels. I have to admit though, I had ulterior motives, as I wanted to have 5 minutes to rock Evan to sleep.

He had a rough day today. He insisted on wearing his Transformer rain boots outside to play and before he even made it there, he tripped, fell, and his head hit the chair. This was right before I was going out running and he is screaming, tears streaming down his face yelling "MAMA! Bye-bye?? MAMA! Bye- Bye!...." Then of course, he reaches up his little arms and I can't resist. Then, later that evening, he was struggling with supper and he just had to get down to play. Tim and I wouldn't let him and he let's out a big NO and folds his arms up, drops his head on them and starts crying. Grrrr....

But then at last, we had the sweet times. I had just got him out of the tub and was putting his jammies on. I picked a random blue pair and he started kicking his little legs and saying "Ball! Ball" He wanted to wear the jammies with the basketballs/baseballs/footballs on them. Then, finally, bed time. Emma was happily watching TinkerBell, so I brought him upstairs, turned on his glow-worm and sat in the rocking chair. He looks at me, squeezes my cheeks in his pudgy little hands, and lays his head on my shoulder. It was so nice. I rocked him for about 5 minutes, while he lightly stroked my arm or my side. He would murmur "mama" every once in awhile and finally started to fall asleep. Nice! what a great way to end the busy night.

Now this week, it is the same old thing - but throw in more studying. Wish me luck on my big test for later this month. I am pretty nervous about it.

Multi-tasking

Why is it that I have the need to do 5 things at a time? Take now for example, I am watching a moving "500 Days of Summer" typing out my blog, with the GMAT study program running also, while I have the strong urge to stop and do sit-ups or lunges or something. I guess it is my nature, my job requires strong multi-tasking skills and I like my job, so maybe it is just part of me.

I think it is a bad thing sometimes as while I am playing with the kids, I am thinking about work or thinking about my grocery list, solving that damn math problem I couldn't get in the stupid practice test, or just zoning. I feel as though I am not always giving my all to my kids, my husband or my home. I am probably just exaggerating, I realize, but at the moment it seems I am always caught up in something else.

So do I have too much going on? Does everyone feel this way? Is there hope that someday I can recover and only focus on one thing?? I hope so...

We had a good week. The kids were pretty happy. Emma had a goofy story this week (per our baby-sitter Tia, who is now Emma's best friend) and Tia called to let us know about it.
--set up: Emma and Tia were watching Princess and the Frog and Emma was itching her eyes. Tia asked here if everything was okay.
(Emma) No, my eyes are itchy. I have bad allergies. Do you know what they are Tia? That is when bugs poop in your eyes.
(Tia, trying to contain laughter) Gee, Emma, that is too bad. (then, Tia tries to explain about allergies and pollen and flowers, etc)
A little while later Tia asks Emma if she is feeling better.
(Emma) Yeah, they are. I have allergies. They are well, you know, what you said before about flowers.

What a nut!

We basically hung out around the house this weekend. We ran errands, I saw an adorable 3 week old little girl and went out for lunch with her Mama. Tomorrow is the last day of Sunday School, which I am happy about. It was a good run, I am glad I did it, but it will be nice to have one commitment out of the way.

Evan seems to be getting feistier lately. Every time we try to get him to do something he doesn't want, he gets really upset, searches for soft spot to land and then throws himself on the ground.. or carpet... or blanket (his precious B). Now, I love the little guy, but the drama can end.

All right, I am rambling and watching a movie while typing. So, I am not going to proof-read (sorry) and will sign off. Maybe I will attempt some sit ups now.

The little stuff

Evan gave me his first real hug this week. The smoosh our faces together, tiny littly baby arms tight around my neck, never wanting him to let go kind of hug. It was great. He hasn't done it since, but that once was nice enough. I don't remember how or why, but honestly I don't care. This kid isn't one that enjoys being held a lot, he doesn't cuddle, he doesn't really ever stop except to sleep. So, that one hug to show me how much he loves me was great. He has been going through a bit of a separation anxiety when I leave lately. So, I guess he shows me that he cares that way also. But, the hug was sweet and unexpected and I totally loved his sticky little arms around my neck and his drooly little kiss on my cheek. Before you know it, my little boy won't want to do that....

We had a great weekend. We stayed around town, which was much needed as the past 4 or so weekends we were gone. It was fairly low key: a lot of errands were run, yardwork, playing outside, picking up worms, Sunday School, etc. I was hoping to go to the zoo to see the farm babies, but the weather didn't cooperate much for that.

I did make a decision that I am going to start grad school this fall; if I get accepted that is. I made my appointment to take my GMAT later this month and am currently filling out the ap and going through all the paperwork for St. Thomas. It should be good. I am a bit apprehensive about juggling everything, but overall, I am excited. Plus, if I can't handle it, I can always stop. I definitely won't be rushing it as it may take me 5 years to complete it, but that is okay. The good thing is now I have a deadline to get my other projects done. I need deadlines... I thrive on deadlines. So, I can guarantee that my blogbook will now be done this summer, as will some organization in my house and some other projects I have been putting off. Because, basically, I won't have time this fall to do them. :-)

Emma and Evan are both doing well. They have been outside all the time, which is great. Emma celebrates the big 4 soon - I cannot believe how fast the time flies. I hurt my knee a bit running this afternoon and she instantly put on the "mom" roll and wanted me to sit down, to stretch, and to maybe put some ice on my "dear old knee". Then, of course, she compared my slight knee injury to her owie on her finger which she thinks will feel better after a good stretch too :-) Evan is still trying to say more words or maybe I just understand what he wants better now. His blanket is "bee" and his Nuk or pacifier is "No" along with all the other words. He can point to his diaper when it is messy and say "poo" so we know when he needs to be changed. Plus, he can point out all the Pixar "Cars" characters in his book. He was supposed to be napping when Tim was mowing the lawn today, but instead he was yelling "wide" (or "ride" for us that speak Evan) in his crib and wouldn't sleep. So, I brought him downstairs to rock him a bit, but he scurried off my lap and then proceeded to run from one window to the next to keep "Da" in his sights at all times. yes, he finally got a ride.

Work has been stressing me out a bit lately, so that stinks. Tim is still trying to find something new. So, on the work-front, we haven't been doing too well. But overall, no complaints.

Weekend at the cabin

We had a wonderful weekend at the cabin. Tim got home early on Friday from work and off we went, stopping at the Dalles Restauarant in St. Croix Falls first for supper. It was great food, inexpensive, and they had beer. So, all in all, it was good. We made it up to the cabin around 8ish or so and the kids are always so excited to get there. I remember when Emma was little, she would clap when she saw us pull into the driveway. Evan doesn't clap, but instantly starts yelling "Papa! Papa!" as he is pretty sure his beloved Papa is going to be there. They both run around the cabin, playing with toys they haven't played with for awhile, and burn up some of that energy they gained from riding in the car for 2 hours. I am sure in a few weeks when it is warm, they will both sprint to the beach to go in the lake. Emma used to do that also. She would head down to the beach and run to the lake. Sometimes with clothes on, sometimes she would try to strip them off first. Ahh - summer! Cannot wait!!

We had a pretty low-key weekend. We put the dock in, took out the paddleboat, played on the beach, had a birthday party for my father-in-law, and just relaxed. It doesn't get much better than that.

stuff

Well, I can't say I really know too much, but wanted to post some pictures from Easter. Real exciting, I know :-)

We have been good. I was in Milwaukee this past weekend visiting family and friends and that was awesome. I had an awesome Italian dinner, saw a fun Comedy show and had quality time visiting family. It was a nice get-away for me and Tim had a great time with the kids. They played outside a lot and even made it to Sunday School.

Honestly, we have been pretty low-key as of late, which has been nice. We play outside at night, go for lawnmower rides, draw chalk outside, bubbles, etc. Emma has been a bit of a bear at night. She has been fighting naps and we have been paying for it at night. She still needs naps, but her little mind doesn't think so. Evan is good, still climbing all over and talking more. New words as of late: Baby, Emma, Cookie, Treat.

Here are pics:

Goofy Evan


The Golden Egg


Emma with a Car's book


Evan finding his basket


Evan's basket:


Easter eggs


Loving Easter!


Evan's new swinging style


The Easter Egg Hunt


All the kids


Find the eggs

Easter

What a whirl-wind of a week. Luckily for us, in between our sad times, we had Easter. The kids had a GREAT Easter. We made it back from the cabin last Saturday night in time to kiss the kids good night and for us to prepare for the Easter Bunny. While Tim and I didn't get a chance to dye Easter Eggs with the kids this year, our helpful family had a great time helping Emma and Evan out with that this year.

On Easter morning, the kids slept pretty well. I cannot remember offhand which one woke up first, but they were both excited to come down and find the eggs and basket which the Easter Bunny had left. Emma found one egg right away on the stairs and once Evan saw that there was some candy or trinket inside, he could not wait to find one on his own. Emma was running around trying to find all the eggs she could and Evan was content eating some jellybeans out of the egg he found. Emma's basket was hidden behind the couch and the Easter Bunny brought her some Princess and the Frog Polly Pockets and a pretty Princess & the Frog outfit. Evan's basket was hidden behind a chair and his had some Disney Cars stuff. He got a Lightning McQueen car and book.

After the eggs and baskets were found we ate some yummy eggs and pecan caramel rolls and I got the kids ready for Church. Man-oh-man was church packed. Emma did really well in there, Evan, not so much! Luckily there was "toddler hall" where all the mis-behaving kids went to release some pent-up energy. After church, we went over to the neighbors for our Easter Brunch, had nap time, and then the little kids went outside to search for eggs. 48 eggs were hidden, 47 eggs were found.

all-in-all, it was a great holiday. Tim and I are both happy to be back home and are ready to get back in our routine. I am heading off to Milwaukee this weekend to visit family and friends, then I guess the routine will start.

Today, Kristen and I had the second annual spring hot-dog roast. We made Wyoming Whopper cookies first and then headed out to find sticks and logs for the fire. The kids had a great time picking up sticks and riding in the wagon, while Kristen was hanging onto the handle while riding on the lawnmower which I was driving. Did you catch that?! :-) All three kids enjoyed the beautiful weather outside and played on the swingset while Kristen and I tried to keep the fire going. We had enough of a fire to roast hotdogs and make smores, but didn't have much after that. The kids weren't too interested in eating anyway and it was quickly becoming naptime.

I hope everyone had a great holiday! I will post pictures soon.

Quiet Acceptance

It has been one of those weeks when Tuesday runs into Wednesday, Wednesday is then Thursday night and while you swear it is Friday, it is actually Saturday and you are exhausted. Words jumbled, can't think straight, fall down on your ass tired.

We received one of those calls on Wednesday night that people dread. Tim's Mom was rushed to the hospital and it wasn't looking good. Not a lot was known, tests had to be run, but still, it wasn't looking good. We went to the hospital Thursday after my parents came to get the kids and we went.. in droves. All of the family went to be by her side. Tests and more tests, nurses and doctors with half explanations, but more-over the fear of not-knowing and the unfailing hope that she would pull through and all would be okay. In the end, it wasn't okay. She passed away last night at the hospital.

Rosalie was a quiet woman. A very caring, gentle, wonderful woman. She accepted me faithfully as the much younger woman that was going to make her son happy. While she could have made comments, made things incredibly difficult, she quietly accepted the fact that Tim and I were together, very much in love, and oddly very well suited for each other. She loved our children whole-heartedly and while she couldn't always get down to play with them, she always commented on Emma's beautiful dresses or her wacky outfits and knew just what to say so Emma would flash her the biggest smile. Then Evan, aka Dennis the Menace, came along and I think he reminded her of what her son used to be: the little blond boy with big blue eyes and spirited nature. She loved to watch them both and would often come every Sunday after church to our cabin so she could be an active part of their life.

When the time came, we all knew the right thing to do, her children and husband knew what she wanted. It was with quiet acceptance, a thing she taught those that loved her, that all support was to be removed and she was surrounded by everyone that loved her. As apprehensive as I was to be in her room, it was a beautiful and wonderful thing. We shared memories, laughed at stories and celebrated her. It really couldn't have been any better.

So, here is to Rosalie Jean Heuer Mueller. A woman that lived a long life and gave me the best gift of all, her son.

She will be greatly missed but very fondly remembered.

When to say no.

So, we may be giving up on Evan and swimming. I know he is little yet, he is only 1.5 years old, but Emma loved them at her age and Evan just doesn't. I took him in the pool again this week and he did okay for the first 15 minutes, then he cried and yelled and kicked (did the running man) and just had enough. Trust me, by then, I had enough also. If only the whole 30 minutes could be filled with enjoyment on his own terms, he would be much happier. Try to get him to kick or blow bubbles or God forbid move his arms and it is pure torture. The good thing is since we were members at the time of signing up, they only cost like $35. We will see what this week brings..

This past week was good - normal - not much going on. I did receive good news at work, a promotion of sorts. I am now a team lead in our group! So, that is awesome! I small bridge to management; a good step I think. I started those duties this week and so far, so good.

Emma has been struggling a bit at daycare as of late. We are not sure if they are just the almost 4 year old, finding her independence issues or what. She struggles a bit when Tim leaves and then hasn't been as warm to Theresa and then has been awful sometimes to Evan. We had a good discussion with her on Wednesday night when I found out that she had been pulling Evan around by his feet, laughing at him while he was crying. NO GOOD! She was basically pulling him down the stairs by his feet. I am not sure how many steps or really all of the circumstances, but any way you spin it, it doesn't sound good. Theresa took care of it there, but you can bet that Tim and I discussed it at length also. Ever since then she has been okay.

This weekend I got a small insight as to how her mind works though. We went to the cabin this past weekend, which was nice, and we have been letting Emma and Evan share a room. Which is great - sometimes. Both Tim and I were ready for Evan to be out of our room (he snores and gets so excited when he wakes up and sees us, even at 4am, that he doesn't fall back to sleep) and Emma loves having Evan there with her. They jump around and "talk" and do silly stuff when we lay then down, but that is okay for the most part.

Yesterday, Emma didn't want to nap. She is getting old enough to where she may be able to drop her nap, but let's be honest, I am not ready for that yet :-) So, Evan was already asleep and Emma was not wanting too. She kept getting up, changing clothes, etc and nothing would work. This lead to many talks about how she needs to sleep and be quiet because Evan is in there. Finally, I can see at the bottom of the door that the big light in the room was on, which is a HUGE NO --Seriously kid!! So, I go in there to get her back in bed and I have to stifle a laugh. Emma is on the floor playing dolls with the big light on, but now I see Evan in his crib with one of Emma's sheer play dresses on top of his head. Emma, realizing that the light might wake Evan up, put something over his head so he wouldn't see the light and wake up. Obviously, I am not happy about this but it still amazes me a bit that Emma would think to do it. Evan did stay asleep, Emma didn't nap, but she did get another talking too about how that behavior does not fly and we do not under any circumstances, put blankets or any objects on others heads.

That kid keeps things interesting, that is for sure.

Pinching Pennies

I took the kids out on a shopping excursion last Friday. We needed groceries, Easter clothes, and some Dairy Queen ice cream :-) They did really well. Evan loves looking at story books now, so I typically bring along some of his Cars books. Emma, well, she is just Emma and is constantly jabbering the entire time.

We did the groceries first and then headed to TJ Maxx. I bought a handsome little outfit for Evan with khaki's and sweater vest. Of course he didn't care, he just wanted to look at the toys. Emma on the other hand, was a different story. She was overwhelmed by all the little Easter dresses they had. In the end, she picked a pretty white one with purple flowers which also included the same miniature dress for her baby doll. It was a bit more expensive than I wanted ($25) but she knew the consequences. Buying a more expensive dress meant no shoes to go with it. I liked that she had to decide what she wanted and really took the time to think of all possibilities. Especially when she saw the pretty sparkly shoes that I wouldn't let her get with the dress she picked out.

As we were standing in the check-out line, I feel a little tug on my arm. I look down to see Emma's bright blue eyes looking up at me. She points to the floor where she sees 3 pennies and pulls me down to her level. She whispers in my ears "Mama! Someone left their money on the floor. Who does it belong too?" I explain that someone must have dropped it and not realized it. So she asks "Can I pick it up?" I say, yes of course and her eyes sparkle at me with the wealth she has just found. She proudly bends down and picks up the pennies and flashes a big, bright smile to the woman behind us in line. She happily puts the pennies in her pocket, but I can see her constantly feeling her pocket to make sure the treasure is still there. On the way home she takes them out, turns them around in her hands, looks at them closely and just can't keep her hands off of them. Once we get home, she races upstairs and puts it in her piggy bank.

Now this isn't a huge deal, I realize. But for some reason watching her so proud with her three pennies just struck a cord with me. Maybe it is because of her innocence and not knowing that three cents is well, just three cents and not really worth anything. Maybe it is because of how happy finding something expected made her. I am really not sure. But I think of that time and remember her happily plucking them up off the ground and proudly putting them in her pocket and it just makes me smile.

Every once in awhile, I will let her take some money out of her piggy bank and we will go shopping. We usually go to Target and I let her pick out something small with her money and I try to explain how some things cost more pennies than other things and try to make her really think about her purchases. I guess I am trying to instill some sense of money to her at this point and have her appreciate the things she receives or buys. Just like the dress - you get a more expensive dress, then you don't get the shoes. I don't know if it is working or not, but I think in our money/possession hungry society starting small with little kids is the way to go.

Calling it quits

Tim has pretty much decided that Evan is done with swimming lessons - at least with him in the pool with him. It was a disaster last week really. My fault maybe... I thought it would be a good change to see how Evan does in the pool with Tim. Plus, I didn't really feel like putting on a bathing suit. So, it was Tim's turn. Not a good decision. First, Emma refused to go in the pool. She never does this. In the past, she would barely turn around to wave goodbye when the instructor came to get her. This time, she hid in my shoulder and wouldn't move. Honestly, I think she is jealous that Evan has a parent in the pool and she doesn't. Last week she made comments to me that she wanted me in the pool and that she wanted me to swim with her. I did the whole, "No, you are a big girl Emma" yadda, yadda, yadda. It worked last week, this time, not so much. So, strike number one.

Then, Evan. He seemed excited. We got the basketball urge out of him too because we were in the gym for like 15 minutes so he could run around and shoot hoops. It started out okay, I mean he walked into the pool on his own. He got some toys and kind of splashed. It is really the group activities that throws him every time. Let him wander around on his own = good. Try to get him to blow bubbles, splash, kick, etc = evil. He basically cried for 15 minutes straight. Then Tim had enough and left. Strike Number Two. I still have hope!! I haven't given up on the little man yet, I will try again.

This weekend was good. Very relaxing which is what they should be. I had to work a little bit Friday morning, so Tim stayed home with the kids at first. Then, we just relaxed. Did some grocery shopping, they took a good nap, I cleaned, lots of fun stuff :-)

Here are some pics:

Evan the stud with his favorite boots. They don't even fit the kid, but they were a Target clearance item for $3. Who could pass that up?? I knew they would fit him eventually. He always picks those when we leave. He picks those when we don't leave and he wants to wear "Shooohs!"



Both the kids going down the "tubey" slide together. Evan has no fear, but of course he has his older sister for guidance. He marches right along with her up the steps and down the slides. Tonight I saw him go head first down the tubey slide. That didn't make me happy.



Playing gas station.



Mr. Blue Eyes.

content

A picture of my 3 favorite people outside.

Yesterday we ate supper quickly and then headed outside. We played chalk, we played on the swingset, Emma and I went for a run, and then the first lawnmower ride of the year. The kids could not be more excited. Me either for that matter - there is nothing better than being outside.

Kids are good. They are pretty exhausted (and cranky) come bedtime due to all the playing outside. They both had pretty big meltdowns tonight, which is never fun. I made Evan a bottle to calm him down, which we had weaned him of last week, and Emma just got sent to bed. An hour later, she is still upstairs reading books and getting up periodically.

Evan's favorite thing lately?? The movie Cars. He will see pictures of Lightning McQueen and will start hopping up and down saying "Cah!! Cah!!" and will be all happy. So because we do not have many boy books in the house yet, I bought him some Cars board books at Target last week. Tonight, he snuggled in his crib with his favorite blanket and his Lightning McQueen and Mater books. I was pretty cute. So, maybe the Easter Bunny will bring him some Cars stuff this year.

Mama, I need to focus on this...

What wonderful weather! Man - it has been fabulous and we have been taking advantage of it. Sunday we were outside a lot - the kids were playing on the swingset, we went for a walk, we got out bikes, it was great.

Backing up - swimming lessons...
They went better this time. Tim got to the YMCA earlier so he was able to take Evan into the gym and get all of the basketball out of his system so we were hoping it would be better in the pool. Overall, it was. Evan acted mildly irritated at the things the instructor wanted us to do, but he wasn't crying or fussing so it was better. He really enjoyed the lesson where we taught them how to climb out of the pool and jump back in. He would scamper as fast as he could out of the pool, turn around to face me and squat as low as he could. Then, he would stick his pudgy little hand up in the air, yell "GO!" and jump into my arms. It was really cute. Then, we got out some of the floaty balls and played with those, which he also enjoyed. He did try to blow some bubbles, but that was it. At about the 20 minute mark though, he was done and it was time to leave. So, much better, but he still didn't make it to the end.

Friday was Mama Mia and it was fabulous! Tim and my father stayed home with the children and my Mom, Aunt, and I headed to downtown. It was a great time away and a much needed break.

The rest of the weekend was good too. Saturday we had a small St. Patrick Day party and Sunday was Sunday school and book club! Emma didn't quite make it to Sunday School. She was up running around with some kids at the party and with the time change she was too tuckered out to go. The lucky thing? I taught that day so I brought home all the projects so we were able to do them later. She loved that! At one point I was talking to her while she was making her sheep puppet and she looks at me with a disapproving stare and says, "Mama, I really need to focus on my Sunday School project right now." okay kid, whatever...

Otherwise, I don't really know too much. We are just basking in the sun while we have it. I had my first run outside this year and it went really well.

Emma-isms:
Tonight we were reading stories on the recliner and she squirms a bit and says "Mama, this isn't really working out for me, we need to move."

Here are some pics of the kids playing outside.

Evan, being the stud, and going for a ride in his car.



Emma playing Princess Fiona. I was the prince and I needed to slay the dragon and rescue her. When I went up into her little playhouse, this is what I found. Her mouth was twitching as she could barely contain her laughter.



In the wagon taking a tour of the yard - finding tracks, stomping in puddles, all the fun spring stuff.

A snip,snip here and a snip, snip there

It always makes me nervous when I get back to my desk at work and I see a missed call from daycare. Numerous things run through my mind when I see this... is one of the kids sick?? Did they do something wrong?? Did, God forbid, Evan get bit again?? Unfortunately, I have had a few calls lately for all of these reasons. This past Monday though, it was for something I wouldn't have thought of. Emma and the other girls were playing beauty parlor and were cutting each others hair.

Theresa said that she was in the process of bringing the little kids upstairs for snack and told the girls (ranging in age from almost 4 to 4 & half) that they could play downstairs while she did that. She didn't think anything of it until all the kids were upstairs eating and she noticed a wisp of hair on Emma's shoulder. Then she looked and saw a wisp of hair on Breezy's shoulder. Thinking this wasn't good, she asked the girls what happened downstairs and 3 little sheepish sets of eyes looked up and said, "I don't know." Theresa went downstairs and surveyed the scene. There was a chair propped up under the shelf on which Theresa placed a scissors they were using for crafts. Not far away was hair... blond... brown.. and dark brown. Not much, thankfully, but enough. Emma now has some bangs on one side of her head and the other girls had a few chunks cut out also. Emma feverishly insists that she did not cut any hair "because Mama, I know only BIG people can cut hair." Which lead to the "just because other kids are doing things, doesn't mean you have too" conversation. Not that I think she got it, but we will see. Thankfully, it doesn't look horrible, I don't even know if others can tell. Fun times with an almost 4 year old!

We all had a great night tonight. Emma had dance/gymnastics and Tim and Evan went grocery shopping. After the craziness, Evan and I had some time to play. Emma just wanted to lay and watch Cars because "All that dancing and jumping just makes me tired." But Evan and I had a great time. It was one of those times I hope I can always remember. We were chasing each other and playing peak-a-boo. He would run about 5 feet away from me and slow up, then wait and giggle. He would let out the biggest giggle and turn slowly to look for me and wait. Then I would make my first move toward him and he would turn around and run, run, run. It was so much fun. So great to have these times to offset the frustrating times. Once I caught up to him, more giggles ensued then he would lean against me or bury his head in my shoulder and just cuddle. I could smell the mixture of baby shampoo, blueberries, and peanut butter on him and then his little sucker-sticky hand would reach for my finger so he could pull me up and we would do it again. Wonderful, really wonderful.

Tomorrow night is swimming again - I hope it goes better :-) Well, it really cannot get any worse. This time, I am bringing a stroller to lock Evan in while I get Emma ready and then Tim is going to try and get there a bit early to help out also. More to come, I am sure.

Swimming Lessons

Oh - what a lesson they were. A lesson in patience more like it.

Emma was a champ - she loves the water. Swimming is old hat to her. She knows the routine, we give the front desk our card, we go to the locker room, she picks out a locker and puts her stuff in it, gets on her suit and she is ready to roll.

Evan, not so much. He has been to the Y with us before and we attempted lessons before, but a scheduling mis-hap occurred and his class was cancelled. But, he LOVES the Y. He loves the gym. He will stand outside the door to the gym pointing, jumping, screeching and yelling "MA BALL"! BALL!!" and will try to get in. Not so good when I need to steer him around the gym to get to the pool. I think the gym is the downfall to Evan's success at swimming lessons. It was a struggle from the start. Just to get Emma ready for lessons was a struggle with Evan's need to go to the gym. He would not stay by me to help Emma get ready. He was constantly running from me, pushing at me when I would try to hold him, whatever he could to get away from me to go and play with the basketballs. argh....

Finally, Emma was in the pool and splashing away and having a grand old time. Evan, finally was in his heaven - the gym. He runs as fast as his little legs can carry, almost falling head over legs because he is pushing that fast. I worry about him with the other people in there shooting hoops, but I always try to position myself in front of him so he doesn't get hit. He runs after the balls, grabs one, and hoists it up and towards the hoop. Then, he runs after another one and does the same thing over and over again. He cannot get enough. Unfortunately, he had to have enough because his time in the pool was fast approaching. He did not want to leave... for anything! It was a big fuss when we left. It was a bigger fuss to change him into his suit. I was torturing him!! Man... it was brutal. He wanted to go in the pool at first, but he did not want ANYTHING to do with group activities. He wanted everything on his own terms. Then, the pouting came... and then the crying.. and then the "Mama! Mama! Ball! Ball!" Finally after 15 minutes of him refusing to do anything that sort of resembled swimming or blowing bubbles or kicking, we left. Much to my embarrassment, my frustration, my "I am never doing this again with this kid" we left. Let's just say Tim and I had a long conversation that night of our game plan for this week.

Wish me luck.

It's a beautiful day for a campfire

"Mom, it's a beautiful day for a campfire!" as spoken by Emma yesterday.

We had a great weekend! We were up at the cabin and thoroughly enjoyed the beautiful weather. Saturday was an early morning as the kiddos decided to be up around 4:30ish for the day. Luckily, we were able to keep them in their rooms until around 5:30 or so and then we watched some movies, ate muffins, and just relaxed... you know, until around 8am :-) Then, Saturday was fishing, snowmobiling, and great food as we had Tim's family over for a dinner party that evening. It was off to bed early, since we all were up so early, but alas, sleep was not part of the plans as the kids were once again up around 5:45a,. UGH! Seriously - SLEEP small children!!

Sunday was more relaxing and being outside. I couldn't believe how nice it was and the kids were so happy to be outside enjoying it. We did some more snowmobling, more fishing, and got out some toys so the kids could play outside. Yup, playing in the sand and snow on the beach - it was lovely! They were running around, making sand/snow castles, and just wearing off some energy. It was great!! Then, we decided to build a fire and roast some hotdogs outside. Seriously, it was a wonderful day. The kids napped on the way home, so Tim and I got a nice, quiet relaxing drive.

Otherwise, all is good. The kids are great. Evan is repeating so many words now. Thank you is "Dan do", "Ca" is Car (his favorite is Lightening McQueen) "Peh" is Please and "MA" is Emma. very cute... he really likes his soft blanket and he insists on carrying it around with him in the morning and at night. He will periodically bury his head in it and rub it against his cheek - very sweet! He just got another haircut, so he once again looks like a little boy. All-in-all, everything is good for the Ev.

Emma is as funny, talkative, and inquisitive as ever. She has been asking some of the most interesting questions lately. Some, involve personal anatomy and are hilarious! "Mom, this Barbie must be a Mommy because she has boobs." Then, of course, there are the odd ball "how the hell do I answer this?" questions. So, here is a conversation had over breakfast....

The scene: I am making scrambled eggs and Emma is peeling some hard boiled eggs.
Emma (very matter of fact): Mom, baby birds come from eggs.
Me, curious as to where this is going: yes, they do.
Emma: So, do we eat baby birds?
Me: No, we eat eggs.
Emma: Mom (because she starts almost every sentence with Mom) but baby birds come from eggs.
Me: yes
Emma: Mom, but where do the baby birds go in the eggs if we don't eat them?
Me: Emma - there was never a baby bird in there, just an egg.
Emma: But Mom - birds come from eggs.

ergh... then I try to change the subject. sometimes, there is no winning with a three year old.

some pics...

Emma, basking in the sunlight!



Evan, getting all dirty, but loving it!



Me and the hubby



The kids making sand/snow castles



Mom & Dad



and more pics...

NOT GOOD!

Look at the pictures!!! Just look...





See the cheek?? See the BITE MARK on his cheek? Yes, bitten at daycare. I wish I could say this was the first time, but NOPE - the third. This, by far, the worst bite. Our daycare provider is trying to work with the parents, but let's just say, they are not the best at that kind of confrontation. So, the by-product? My son gets MAULED at daycare. Ergh... I know, kids bite, but why does my cute, adorable son need to be the bitee. If he were old enough, I would tell him to be the biter and fight back. Unfortunately, he is not. Tim tried to teach him a one-two punch, which got Evan laughing pretty good, but he is too sweet and innocent to use it. It makes me sad. Hopefully, it does not happen again, or I am not sure what we will do.

Suggestions???

Here is Emma -whom I was told was very sweet to Evan today and kept giving him kisses all day. However, I think all of Evan's attention got to her as she was a bit of a bear tonight. She told me "Mama, you spend all of your time with Evan. I am sad, I want you to spend time with me too."



Today, I took the plunge and signed up for Coburn's Delivers - a grocery delivery service. I have been putting off grocery shopping for a few days and after today just didn't feel like going out again. As a new customer, I get free delivery (which the charge is usually only $5) and the prices didn't seem abnormally high. So, we will see. Just one more thing to make life easier I guess.

Here's hoping the week gets better.