One Thing - 3/31/14

Even though these days of caring for 3 little ones while growing another are so tiring and I often long for peace, quiet, and sleep, there are also many things that I want to remember and not let just pass by. One of those things has been a sweet bedtime routine with Silas that just kind of came about without planning or even consciously making part of our evenings. When both Mike and I are home at bedtime, I usually get Lydia ready for bed while Mike takes care of the boys. I get Lydia in bed before the boys and then go in to say goodnight to them. By this time of night I am wiped out! So, a few months ago, it became a habit for me to lay down in Silas' bottom bunk while the boys finished up getting ready for bed. Silas knows how much I like his bed and has recently started inviting me to come lay in his bed. Some nights he even comes into Lydia's room while I am praying and singing with her offering to turn off her light or close her door so that I can come and lay in his bed. He will move his pillow or stuffed animals to make room for me and ask me so sweetly, "Do you think my bed is cozy?" Or "Is my bed the coziest bed in our house?" Then, he will find a book and climb into the bed with me so I can read to him before Mike does a bedtime story with both boys. Tonight, he first brought 2 chapter books to me to read. I told him he needed to pick a shorter book. He replaced those and returned with 2 story books. I told him again that he needed to pick just one book and out the other one back. He left one with me and as he turned to put the other one away he exclaimed, "Don't start reading it without me!" Sweet boy, I'm not sure if he thought I would start reading the children's book to myself or what. I just LOVE these few moments that we get together and know that they aren't going to last. There will come a day that he won't be anxious for me to climb into his bed with him. And, even more immediately, a time is coming very soon that there will be a hungry baby to feed as soon as I am free. I will take every chance I get to climb into my little boy's bed and read to him.

One more Silas story...the other night Silas came into Lydia's room while I was reading to her and wanted to climb up onto my lap as we sat in the rocking chair. There was very little room left for him since Lydia was on one knee and my ever-growing belly was taking up most of my lap. He struggled to climb up and I couldn't offer much help. As he kept climbing and slipping he asked, "Is this baby big enough to be born yet?" I think someone is ready to have a little more room in Mommy's lap!

One Thing - 3/30/14

The kids and I spent some time at Triangle Park this evening. It was a beautiful evening as the wind had finally died down a bit. We played by ourselves for a while and then some new kids that we hadn't met before came to play. The boys played basketball with a boy who was probably about 8 and was super kind to them - letting them play with his basketball, teaching them a few basketball terms, and taking turns shooting the ball. Jonah and the other boy were wearing blue shirts so they became Kentucky. Silas was wearing a navy blue and yellow shirt so he was Michigan...hmm a 8ish and 5 year old against a 3 year old, can you guess who won? Kentucky.

Lydia enjoyed running all over the park and taking a few spins on the merry go round. She really wanted to climb the jungle gym but is still too little. Yet, nothing stops her from trying to do what the big kids are doing! There is a small steep hill in the middle of the park that separates the merry go round from the swings and jungle gym. The first few times Lydia slid down on her bottom. As she gained more confidence, she started walking up and down it. Once when she was walking up the steep incline, she fell backward then ended up doing a few rolls down to the bottom of the hill. I gave her a moment before going after her to see how she would react. She whimpered at first but then seemed to think it was pretty cool. Someday when I am not pregnant I will roll steep hills with her! 

One Thing - 3/29/14

We finally had a warm day without crazy winds that just about blow you over. So, we spent some time in the backyard this afternoon. We were all ready to get out!!

Lydia carried her purse around with her for much of our time outside. Such a girl!

Jonah has figured out pumping

The boys decided to give up on the tee and try pitching to each other...I don't think either one manage to hit the ball

We are thrilled that warmer weather is slowly returning!

One Thing - 3/28/14

It's been a rough week at our house. There hasn't been anything major, just lots of little unexpected things on top of me working 3 long days. Monday morning an important piece on a garage door broke leaving our garage door hanging off the track and in need of immediate repair. Just a few of the other events of the week...our furnace acted funny, our car got a tire rotation and the dealership thinks we need some new part even though they told us everything looked great just a few weeks ago (definitely getting another opinion on that one), Lydia got ahold of my favorite glasses when no one was looking and broke them in a way that looks unfixable (we will try though!), and after Jonah finished practicing piano yesterday he turned on the bench and fell off of it on top of this cute book rack that held my piano books breaking it such that it can't be repaired. By last night, we were ready for a break! We climbed into bed before 9 so that we could relax and watch our one TV show - Parenthood. Just about half way through the show, Lydia began to cry. We gave her a minute or two to see if she would calm down, but she didn't. So, Mike went in to check on her only to discover that she had vomited in her bed. :( So, I gave her a second bath in less than two hours while Mike cleaned up the crib. I got her back in bed and prayed that she would sleep well. She did sleep well. She let out a few cries during the night but always went back to sleep within seconds. Then this morning, while I was getting ready to head out for a doctors appointment, Mike went into her room to get her up when she woke up only to find that she had vomited a few more times during the night leaving her and the crib a mess again. :( Lydia got her 3rd bath in 12 hours while Jonah got ready for preschool and I got ready to leave. I'm so thankful for a friend who was able to give Jonah a ride to and from preschool on very short notice this morning! And, I am so thankful that Lydia bounced back fairly quickly. By late morning she was eating lots of crackers and playing like her usual self. Oh how we pray this isn't a stomach bug that will spread! 

When I got home from my appointment and grocery shopping this afternoon, I found this on the counter:

Jonah made this sweet note for his sister at preschool this morning! I just love that he was concerned about her while he was at school and that he thought to make this for her. Although I wasn't there when Jonah came home, I guess that he brought this to Lydia and she got so excited about it!

Thankfully, the kids all went to bed happily and healthy tonight. We are praying for continued health. And, we praise God that He is faithful to us constantly - in the quiet weeks, in the busy weeks, and in the ones where so many things just don't go the way we planned.

The steadfast love of The Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. "The LORD is my portion," says my soul, "therefore I will hope in him." Lamentations 3:22-24

One Thing - 3/24/14

Silas' reading skills have really taken off recently. I think he has had quite a few sight words for awhile. But, unlike his older brother, Sy is not quick to show off what he knows. Last week, he read the first few pages of both Green Eggs and Ham and Ten Apples Up On Top with me. Today, he pulled out a not-so-basic book - Bear Shadow by Frank Asch - and read the first two sentences before giving up. I know he could have done more, but I never push it at his age. It's so amazing to see literacy skills grow!

One Thing - 3/23/14

While her brothers were busy cleaning up the basement Lydia lounged in the recliner and talked on her phone. Is this how it will always be?!

One Thing - 3/22/14

We had a movie night last night and watched Chicken Run. It was the first time the boys had seen it. Today, Jonah's mind was still on the movie. These were his Lego creations this morning -

Off to the left is the pie maker which was quite detailed, the vehicle is the plane the chickens built, and the creature next to it is a chicken. He is so creative! And, when I made my menu for tonight a month ago, I had no idea that chicken pot pie might be a bit strange.

One Thing - 3/21/14

Despite having just received 3 shots in her chunky thighs, Lydia was sure happy to stop at Bakers after her 18-month well-visit this morning. She got a thumbs up from her doctor on health, growth and development. At 18 months, Lydia is 27lbs, 14 oz (95th percentile) and 32 inches (52nd percentile, but her doctor thinks this measurement might be a little off as she is usually in the 70th percentile). I think her head circumference was around the 90th percentile, too.

At 18 months, Lydia is quite full of life. She absolutely loves her brothers but tends to get in their way (purposefully). Lydia loves her kitty cat, dolly, and blanket when she sleeps, which is usually from about 8:15pm-7 or 7:30 am with a 2 hr afternoon nap. She loves to read books - The Very Hungry Caterpillar, Happy Baby Colors, and a First 100 Words book are a few of her favorites. She babbles and jabbers non-stop but has been slow to say real words. I think she has around 15 words. If she was my first baby I probably would have been crazy worried about that, but I'm not at this point. Lydia's receptive language is quite remarkable and seems to understand just about anything we tell her. She loves baths, balls, animals, and being outside. Lydia has started to really enjoy a few puzzles in the past few weeks. If you ask Lydia where the baby is, she will pat her tummy. She loves one-on-one time with us, so it will be interesting to see how she is when her baby brother arrives. 

Lydia is a joy and a blessing to us! We love our chunky little girl!

One Thing - 3/19/14

These two were anxious to get out tonight. So, after we dropped Jonah off at Awana we took a short walk. When we got home, we filled out our brackets for Warren Buffet's 1 Billion dollar contest. We thought we would give the 1 in 9 quintillion chance a shot. I'm sure we made some foolish choices as we favored teams from the states we have lived in and Big Ten schools, but it will be fun to see how it all plays out!

One Thing - 3/18/14

Lydia has started to enjoy coloring like her brothers. Notice anything about how she is coloring? Yes, we may have a lefty among us. She has always majorly preferred her left hand for eating and throwing, but recently she has started doing more with her right hand and will sometimes switch crayons and pencils to her right hand. Lefty? Righty? We will have to wait and see!

One Thing - 3/16/14

Our boys truly are best friends. We are SO thankful for that. Most days they do a great job of playing together and are surprisingly gracious with each other. But, they are also typical brothers and have times that they are just not all that nice. This afternoon was one of those times. I don't know what changed, but thankfully tonight was different! They posed for this picture and asked me to take it of them. I gladly said yes!

I can't leave Lydia out!

One Thing - 3/15/14

This morning, we dressed in blue and drove to Lincoln to watch Wahoo take on Bishop Neumann (the Catholic high school in Wahoo) in the state boys basketball championship game.

Wahoo definitely did not play their best game and weren't able to defend their title of state champs from last year. But, we certainly enjoyed our morning out!

"Go Warriors!!"

One Thing - 3/14/14

Over the past few months, Jonah has started asking me to make certain things. So, we have been working through his list. One of the things he has wanted me to make is pumpkin pie. So, this morning I decided that there would be no better day to make a pumpkin pie than Pi Day. Although he has no understanding of what pi is, Jonah enjoyed celebrating the day by baking and eating pie!

Here we are with our pie that was ready to go in the oven. I planned to take a picture of us enjoying our pie, but we enjoyed it before I remembered to grab the camera!

(Jonah has a funny face because he wanted to show off his missing tooth)

One Thing - 3/13/14

I always love getting pics of the kids sent to me on my phone when I am at work. Sorry this one is a bit blurry. Apparently the boys were trying to teach Lydia to jump this afternoon...

One Thing - 3/12/14

Jonah lost another tooth yesterday! Apparently it fell out while he was sleeping and it was loose in his mouth when he woke up. So, the tooth fairy got to visit last night. Thankfully, the tooth fairy was better prepared this time!

One Thing - 3/11/14

Yesterday it was 75 and sunny. The kids spent tons of time outside and wore shorts and t-shirts. Today, Silas ran to the window and exclaimed, "It's snowing crazy!" Big slushy flakes flew this afternoon. That's spring in Nebraska.

One Thing - 3/9/14

It was a beautiful day today! 73!!! Our extra hour of daylight combined with the warm temperature was perfect for a walk to a nearby park after supper.

One Thing - 3/8/14

Caught this sweet sight this afternoon :)

One Thing - 3/7/14

Mike took a longer lunch today and took us all out to lunch at Pizza Ranch in Lincoln. The kids have really needed to get out. This was a great opportunity to do that! I have been craving Pizza Ranch buffet, especially their bacon cheeseburger pizza, for quite some time. My craving was satisfied. Mike got Jonah to try the bacon cheeseburger pizza. He later told me that the next time we go there all he will eat is that pizza. Yum! Oh, and another great thing about it was that Silas and Lydia were both free! 

One Thing - 3/5/14

Just being silly this afternoon

One Thing - 3/4/14

I got to spend part of the evening with just these two. Mike had a meeting. And, some friends invited Jonah to join them to watch their 5th grade son in a concert at school. All of us had a great evening with what we did!  Each of the boys picked out a book to read before bed. I loved their choices. They were so fitting! Both picked out Little Critter books - "Just Me and My Mom" for Silas and "Just a Little Music" for Jonah.