Preparing for Baby

I know it may seem early, I mean I am only 24 weeks but we ( Aaron & I) have been busy nesting i guess you could say. However, we kind of have to stay on top of things for two reason, one it's no secret that the third trimester and I don't have a good track record,  and second with Aaron's schedule or lack of I should say we have to take full advantage of the time he is home because we never know from week to week or even day to day when or how long he'll be home.

 

So just what have we done? Well in the last 2 weeks we cleared out the room that Aaron was using as an office, which was  Audrey's nursery a few years back and still had the light tan with a hint of pink walls. So we repainted the walls to a light blue, put up some crown molding, and ripped up the carpet. We have also bought a swing, a nursery bedding set, and a crib which we have already put together.

The start of Ethan's room!

One thing about Aaron is once you get him working he's hard to get to slow down. Before we where even finished with the baby's room he was ripping the wall paper off the wall in our breakfast area. It's a project we have talked about since we moved in over 3 years ago but just hadn't gotten around to it. 

The kids helping sand and wipe down the walls.

The color scheme of that room and the kitchen are green and white. Since all the trim and cabinets in that room are white i wanted to paint the walls a green. Well the hubby tells me to pick out a color I like online from the Home Depot page, and that he will drive up and get it. He doesn't like the color I originally pick because it is a small room and it was a dark green and he didn't think that was a good idea. So I picked a lighter color and lets just say it wasn't pretty! Here have a look for yourself.

Any one else thinking about mint chocolate chip ice cream?

OK, are you done laughing yet or should I give you another minute? As soon as we put it on the wall we both cringed but kept painting any way thinking maybe it would look better when it dried, but by the time we had the room painted we agreed it was awful and had to be changed! I was then informed I was no longer allowed to pick paint colors, like it was all my fault!?!?! So back to the paint store he went and came back with the darker color might I add. So back to painting he went and this time we are happy, or at least I am and Aaron has decided it will work because he's not painting the room again.

 

We have also been talking about moving Audrey into a bigger bed for a little while now, and with  so much change already taking place around the house we decided that it was about time we took care of that too. Audrey was so excited while we where setting it up, but then when it came time for bed my girl who hates change decided she needed her old bed back. It took a little convincing but she did spend the night in her new bed with no issues. The next day papa John delivered big with a princess bedding set and that was all she needed. She hasn't asked for her old bed again, actually she even offered to let baby Ethan use it. She is going to be a great big sister!

 

She look like such a little peanut in her big bed.

As you can see my husband has been a busy bee. I really am a luck gal to have such a hard working hubby, and it's just one of the many many reason why I love him. Since he's polished so much off the  list I'm going to have to sit and think of what else I can add, because there must always be a honey do list :)  Haha!

 

School Days

I'm not sure how it's possible but I do in fact have a child old enough to be in school. John turned 5 this summer just  2 weeks before school actually started. We went back and forth on whether or not to send him. In the end we decided that academically he was more than ready, and to hold him back a year would be like holding back a child already in school that is obviously more than ready to progress. My only concern was behavior. It's no secret that John is a very energetic talkative little guy.

Just getting off the bus.
 

Unlike preschool that was only 3 half days a week, Kindergarten is 5 full days a week and it's taking a bit more of an adjustment than I had anticipated. John loves school, and adored his teacher, but when he comes home he is worn out and grumpy. I was really taken back by his mood the 1st day i picked up, and now that we are 4.5 weeks in it's getting some better, but it varies from day to day. I have found that once he gets home it's best to let him have a snack and go play on his own for a few minutes,he really needs the time to unwind. Then with in 45mins-to an hour later he's ready to talk about his day and tackle homework

 

Nightly home work.

. He is struggling a little as expected on class room behavior. At least once a week I got a little note from his teacher on his behavior chart, that usually goes something like this "John needs to follow directions the 1st time he's spoken to, or John his having a problem with self control and sitting still."  I honestly think that he will get the hang of what's expected of him, at least I'm honestly hoping and praying he does. Like I said it's usually only once a week, he'll have 3 or 4 good days in a row and then he has a bad one. So I know he's capable of doing what's expected, and hope with in the next few weeks we wont be getting any more notes like that sent home. 

 

Reading his sight word book to mom & Audrey

One area they work on in kindergarten is reading. They start off with sight words, and one area that John has always impressed with is his memory. He is picking up on his sight words rather quickly, and is truly enjoying being able to read on his own the books that his teacher sends home with him each night that enforce the sight words they are working on at the time. He will read the same book 3 or 4 times a night to any one that will listen, mom dad, Audrey, papa, and yes even Minnie (the dog).

 

 

Because he goes to school now John feels like he's pretty grown up, and wants to do some more grown up things. So one new chore that I had given him and he loves is walking our puppy. Usually sometime after homework or dinner we head out on a little walk around the neighborhood. It gets us all a little fresh air, and because both John and Minnie would rather run ahead than walk they make a good pair. It's also gets them both to burn off a little energy and most of the time means a little bit of a calmer evening compared to nights we don't get out.

 

Friday night family movie.

Because both the kids go to bed fairly early the afternoons go by pretty quickly. Like I mentioned earlier when John gets home he needs a little time to unwind, then it's time for home work, and then they play together while I make dinner. After dinner if we hadn't before we try and go for a walk, then it's time for baths/showers, then a story and they are off to bed.  So when Friday comes around we try to squeeze some special activities into the weekend. Like movie nights, and crafts and outdoor activities weather permitting.

 

Saturday night hike in the woods.
 

Even though dad was technically working this past weekend he was still able to come home every evening. Which was a nice way to adjust to him going back to work, because he's been off since the beginning of August, and both the kids have gotten a little to use to having dad around all the time. I still don't think they'll be happy when he heads back out on his 2 week hitch here soon, but I'm sure they'll adjust just fine like they have in the past.

 

 

So Friday night we watched a movie, and Saturday we went on a nature hike, so Sunday we made fall themed sugar cookies. John's class has a special person of the day each day and this past Tuesday was his day. The special person of the day is the line leader, helps the teacher with any task she may have for them, they get to bring in a show and tell, and John's favorite they get to bring in a snack to share with the class.

So we spent Sunday evening making sugar cookies colored and shaped like pumpkins, apples, and fall leaves.  John could not wait to share them with his class, and his report was that they where a hit. Not that I was surprised, thankfully it's not hard to please 5 and 6 year olds when it comes to cookies.

I know this post is already long enough but I can't leave Audrey out. She too had been working and progressing on an educational level. I have not been as diligent in working with her on the basics like I did with John, and it shows. She is no wear near the academical level John was at her age. So now that we have time to ourselves 5 days a week we try and spend at least a half hour every day working on a few different areas.

One area we have focused the most on is spelling her name, and I am happy to say that she is already not only spelling her first name when asked but she can also recognize and arrange the letters correctly to spell her name.

Grandma Lyons also bought her a preschool work book that she just loves, that works on area like one to one correspondence, putting items in order according to size, rhyming, and much more. Her attention span isn't always the best so what we achieve is different day to day, but she is already making progress and enjoying the one on one attention and right now that's all that is important.

 I do believe we made the right decision in sending John to school this year. Other than a few adjustments that still need to be made, over all he's doing well and Audrey is thriving as well. She  just has to soak up as much as she can now, because come January once again she's going to have to share mom.

Just Me And My Baby Girl

Since John has started school I have an abundant amount of one on one time with Audrey and we are enjoying it! Even when he was in preschool last year for a few hours a day three days a week I was still watching little Noah. So this is really the first time in her life where it's just Audrey and mom.  The mornings start out slow I typically start the laundry for the day, clean up the breakfast mess, and spend a few minutes speaking to mom on the phone. So while I am going through my morning routine Audrey has one of her own.

 

After she eats her breakfast and gets dressed she enjoys a little Mickey Mouse Club House, and Doc McStuffing while snugging with her "best friend" Minnie. Although it may not look like it in this photo I think Minnie look forward to this time just as much as Audrey does.

 

The rest of our time alone is different day to day. Last week we spent a few hours kicking off the fall seasom making apple sauce.We went up to Hershey's market and picked out a bag of fresh apples, and then set to work. I peeled and chopped and Audrey transferred them to the crock pot.

 

You know you never realize what your kids are picking up from you until they really have your full attention. While Audrey was filling the crock pot Minnie was jumping up at the chair and barking ( her way of telling Audrey "come play with me").  Audrey looks at her and says " Minnie not now I'm working. we're busy right mom? You'll just have to wait a while." She said it so matter of fact and grown up I couldn't help but laugh and realize that it's something she's heard maybe a little to often.

 

 

After all the apples where in the crock pot Audrey added the brown sugar, water, and had fun topping it off with a little cinnamon. Then came the hard part, waiting the 6 hrs it took to cook!,but it did make the house smell o so yummy! I love fall I really really do but i have developed more of  a love hate relationship with this season. What use to just represent changing leaves, football games,  lots of apple and pumpkin treats, hot drinks, sweet smelling candles, and the kick off to the holiday season now also represents stuffy noses, sneezing heard through out the house sure to be followed by some barking coughs and time spent on nebulizers :/ Yes, the season is rough on us but I still look forward to us every year.  

 

 

Back to the apples sauce, in the end I'm pretty sure she decided it was worth the wait. The proof is in the thumbs up!  And she was more than thrilled that dad & John enthusiastically praised her for a job well done. 

 

We also go to spend a few hours at the park with our cousins one day last week. Audrey is only 9 months older than Lila and I can't believe it took us this long to get them together for a play date! Unfortunately this was also the day Audrey started coming down with her cold so she was less than cooperative with mom, and not a fun play mate. Hopefully miss Lila will give her another chance :)

 

 

We have to save some fun for when brother is home, so this weekend we did our first fall craft! We made fall trees painting with Q-tips, an idea we found on pinterest.

Both the kids love to paint, and I love anything that has to do with the beauty of fall, It also kept them occupied quietly for a while,so it  really was the perfect craft.

  We still haven't decided what to do with their master pieces so for now they are proudly displayed on our refrigerator, along with everything else they deem worthy which is pretty much every drawing, coloring page and school project they do! Going to have to come up with a better way to show off their work :)

And there you have a few highlights from our past week. We have also been busy preparing for baby! Picking up some equipments and even starting on the nursery, but we'll save that for another post:)

So Much Change in 5 Months Time!

5 months?!?!? Has it  really been 5 months since my last blog post? Not that there hasn't been plenty to blog about, believe me I'll catch you up in a minute. However, I am happy to hear that some of you have missed it, at least I know I'm not just rambling on for nothing. But I needed the break, we have had so much going on and by the end of the day I have just wanted to sleep.. However, I think we have finally adjusted to  our new way of life and fallen back into some what of a routine, at least for a few months ;) Now lets get you caught up.......
 Since the last time I wrote :

John graduated preschool! He did much better than I ever expected ( behavior wise) and I was so proud of him.  I enrolled him not so much for and educational purpose but to expose him to a class room setting, where he had to work with other children his own age, and following instruction given from some one other than mom or dad. I was worried if we didn't set him on the right track now his first your of elementary school would be one battle after another. It ended up working out well, he loved making new friends, his teachers, and all the crafts and activities they worked on through out the year.  He was actually pretty upset after this photo was taken when we told him his was done there would be no more preschool.

 

we also made a big announcement in May!

 

 

Yes we are expecting baby number 3 mid January and couldn't be more excited. However I could stand for just a tad more energy or a couple of weeks or even days in a row that I felt great! Thus the lack of blogging the last few months.  Between a scare in the beginning and then just not feeling right this pregnancy has really taken the creativity out of me. However, more recently things seem to be settling down and I'm feeling like picking up my camera again, and restarting where we left off :)

 

 

In June we celebrated Audrey's 3rd birthday!

 

 

 

we had a small get together here with my in laws and then one in Belmont with my family and of course it all had to revolve around everything princess!

 

In August We spent a week at the beach in Delaware.

 

 

Both the kids where old enough to really enjoy it this year, and we really did have a great time! 

 

We came home just in time celebrated John's 5th birthday!

 

 

 He got to have a party with a few friends and of course family, and this year we did a Scooby Doo theme.

 

Just days after celebrating his birthday he was off to his 1st day of kindergarten. He couldn't have been more ready or excited.

 

 

 He is enjoying it thus far but it has been a bit more of an adjustment then preschool was for him. I'm so glad we did do the 1 year of preschool or else I don't think it would be going as well as it has.

 

And finally we had our ultrasound done and found out the our 3rd and final baby is a little boy.

Our little Ethan!

 

 

And there you have a quick run down of the big moments of our past 5 month. I have so much more I want to share or go a little more in depth about but we will save that for my future posts!

 

Catching Up

I think it's time to accept the fact that I'm just not going to blog as much as I'd like to think I will. Ideally I would like to post once a week, heck even once a month would be better than what I am doing currently but it's just not happening. So if you read I'm sorry they are not more frequent, I hope you can at least enjoy what I have to share when I can.

There was 2 weeks back in March that we had beautiful weather! It was so nice to be able to take the kids outside on a daily basis so they could exert some energy and we could all get some fresh air. We went to the park, went on walks, rode bikes, blew bubbles, drew with sidewalk chalk , and brushed up on our batting skills. Just a little taste of what's to come in the next couple of months. We finally had our friend the Pitre's over for dinner a couple of weeks ago, and as you can see these two have missed each other. Our friend Tyler is so cute, and he adores my little Audrey. Whenever he sees me he always ask for Audrey and his mom tells me he frequently ask to see her at random as well. They always great and part with a hug and he always tries to steal a kiss or two as well.

We (Aaron & I) have been talking about taking the kids to the Rochester Museum of Play for over a year now. After he got home from Texas we decided it would be a great way to spend time doing something fun together as a family. First of all I would highly recommend the museum to anyone who has children between 2-10, there is so much to see and do you can easily spend an entire day or 2 there. However I would not recommend going on a rainy Saturday! There where so many people there is was crazy and you really don't want to have to rush through each center like we did. No matter the chaos of the day the kids still had a blast. As I said there was so much to see and do and kids enjoyed so many different activities that day but I think the biggest hit with everybody was the grocery store. It was set up just like most store with your produce, dairy, and meat sections on the perimeter and aisles of other products that the kids could shop for and then check out at a register with a moving conveyor belt and all. We look forward to visiting the Museum again some day and hope that we pick a day that isn't as busy.

This past Sunday we celebrated Easter, and this year I had so much more to be thankful for than my own salvation. The Wednesday night before on April 4th on our way home from church my little John at just 4 years old goes "mom I want Jesus to live in my heart" now obviously we had been talking about Jesus recently and how He had died for us, but had risen again and how he now not only lives in heaven but in the hearts of those who ask Him. I never asked John if he wanted to ask Him. Honestly I wasn't sure he was old enough to really understand all I was telling him. However, there was no way I was going to discourage him when on his own after he had obviously been thinking about it for a while said that he wanted Jesus to live in his heart. We came home and after discussing it a little more right here in our living room with mom, dad and Audrey, John bowed his head and asked Jesus to be his personal savior. I can not even begin to put into words how excited John was. He went to bed with a smile of true joy that I will never forget and then next morning he woke up excited to tell anyone that would listen that Jesus lived in his heart.

I can not put into words the joy I felt as a mother to hear my little boy accept Jesus. To watch him dance around the living room after he finished his prayer and with a shy smile asked "that's it? He lives in my heart now?" It's a day I will never forget. It also made me realized just how fast my babies are growing up and changing. I have been blessed with two beautiful children!

Spring Is In The Air.

Warm days! They are just around the corner, and we can feel it in the air. We had one such day last week and it was such a blessing to be able to take the kids out to run and scream and get it all out of their system before naps. We have been stuck inside all winter. It's one thing to bundle up the kids and let them run around in cold weather, but poor Noah the littlest of the crew would have froze. So last week when the temperature hit upper 50's we set out for a walk. When we got back from from out walk and the littles still has energy to spare they raced up and down the sidewalk, until two out of the three sat down out of exhaustion which is always a good time for a nap. If you guessed John was the one still going you would be right, the boy doesn't ever stop. I can not wait for dad to get back home just to help keep this kid busy. My little blue eyed buddy sat happily in his stroller taking it all in. The fresh air did us all some good and we are looking forward to a week of warm temperatures ahead of us, and hope it continues to get warmer as the next few weeks unfold. We will be more than happy to put the cold windy days of being stuck inside behind us for a few months.

Trying New Recipes

The last few weeks I have been trying a lot of new recipes. I enjoy cooking, and love the thrill of finding a new recipe, and trying it out on the family for the first time. However, Aaron has been gone the last few weeks, almost 7 weeks now. :( That leaves only my children to try out my new meals on and they aren't always as thrilled about trying new foods. I have been trying out different smoothie recipes, and the one Audrey is thoroughly enjoying above is one I came up with on my own after reading dozens of other recipes. The night before I sliced 1 banana, & 3 strawberries and stuck them in the freezer, and I also pre blended 1/4 cup of oatmeal. So that the next morning I just had to throw everything in the blender. That morning I put my banana, strawberries, oatmeal, 6 ounces of vanilla Greek yogurt, 1/2 cup of skim milk and then filled the rest of the blender with fresh baby spinach. It was very tasty and one I'm sure we will make much more in the future. Like I said moments ago, the kids aren't always excited to try out something new and tonight's dinner was one of those nights. I made slow cooker Honey Sesame Chicken, and before they even tasted it they where less than thrilled. One of the their favorite stories is "Green Eggs and Ham" and that story is a fun and silly way to remind them that you don't know what you'll like until you try it. As you can tell after trying it John decided he really did like it, while Audrey didn't mind the chicken but was not a fan of the brown rice. She also is a very stubborn child, and does not like to be told that she has to do something, as in " You have to eat your dinner, or you get nothing else for the rest of the night." Yes I'm one of those moms! The recipe can be found here http://www.sixsistersstuff.com/2012/01/slow-cooker-honey-sesame-chicken-recipe.html

Of course these went over very well!

I made cake batter rice crispy treats over the weekend while Aaron was home, because he loves his crispy treats! I couldn't wait to try them out this way, and they were amazing. Yes, i had one or two OK maybe three over the span of the weekend, and no they are not on my diet and I'm paying for it now....uhg! Here is the recipe for these and if you enjoy rice crispy treats do your self a favor and try them this way, I'm pretty sure ill never make them the old way again. http://gimmesomeoven.com/cake-batter-rice-crispy-treats/

His 1st Valentine's

Valentine's Day! I am a romantic at heart, and while I do believe we should always let our loved ones know what they mean to us, I enjoy that there is a day dedicated to just that. This year held just a little more excitement because it was the first year John was participating in a Valentine party. The first year we had to come up with the perfect little valentines to give to his friends. Now I know the easy thing to do would have been to buy a box of cards and while there are many adorable ones, I prefer to make home made valentines.

After searching around pinterest for a couple of weeks and founding so many cute ideas, our problem became which one to choose. This is the one John decided to go with, and it was perfect. Like I said this was an idea we found on Pinterest,and I would love to give credit to who ever came up with it but it wasn't properly pinned by the original pinner so I can't share the link with you. I know some of you are not fans of all the candy that kids get during the holidays, but my feelings are that it's only a couple of times a year and why not enjoy it. I don't let my kids sit down and eat all their loot in 1 day or even the week. It all goes in a jar and they get to pick one piece a day, and only if their behavior hasn't been horrible all day long.Yes, we have days they don't get any! However, John was eager to give a squeeze and kiss to all his friends, and a jar full of Hershey hugs to his teachers with a note that read " Teachers can't live on apples alone. They need "hugs" too!"

As always both the kid's woke up to Valentine's from mom and dad and Grandma Wright came bearing gifts as well. Still Audrey was a lit upset that John was going to a party and then came home with all kinds of treats, and she wasn't invited. So to cheer the broken hearted girl up we made cake batter pancakes for dinner, which I also found on pinterest. What did I ever do before pinterest:)

The recipe can be found here http://www.chef-in-training.com/2011/06/cake-batter-pancakes.html. They were not the best pancakes I have ever had, but they made both my children smile, and for that reason alone I will keep the recipe on hand.

Streams of Consciousness

The holidays have come and gone and a new year has began. The kids have been thoroughly enjoying all their new toys.

They definitely have plenty to choose from. It was funny to see the two extreme type of toys that filled our house over Christmas. Every thing Audrey got was pink, girly, and had to do with princesses or barbies. Then there are John's toys that fell mostly in the super hero, or sports category. What's great about it, is that they both love playing with all of it. Audrey loves trying to play basketball with John or pretending to be spider man, and John loves to play house with Audrey, or have a tea party in the bath tub.

I can't wait to show him this photo some day, and tell him he eagerly played tea party with his sister.

The new year has brought a big change with it, at least it was one we were expecting. Aaron ( my husband) left for Texas on Sunday the 8th, and will be gone for 9 weeks. So we obviously we wanted to spend Saturday just enjoying our family. We have had unseasonable warm weather for January and figured we would take advantage of it and take the kids to the park.

The playground ended up being very wet so after a few minutes on the swings we walked up the trail to through rocks off the bridge,which my kids find extremely amusing. Once they tired of that, they played a few rounds of hide and seek in the trees. It was so nice to see them running and laughing and playing with their dad. We will miss him sorely over the next 2 months +, but are thankful for modern technology that allows us to skype with him every day.

Because of skyping with dad, Audrey has a new interest in the computer. There are so many education preschool games any more that I decided to take advantage of her enthusiasm to use the computer as a learning tool. She was so excited so play with "Dora" and " Curious George" today, that even hours after she had finished she was still talking about it.

And that is what is going on in our little home these days. Now that things have settled down some I plan on updating more frequently.