33 weeks

Another week closer to the end. This little guy is riding low and kicking like crazy. I worry what the trouble he is causing me now means for my future. :) I hope it's not a sign of what's to come.

Angry birds

Yes, my 5-year-old son had to teach his 21-year-old aunt how to play this weekend.



But she showed him some stupid wonderful game where you throw trash into a trash basket. Thankfully, he hasn't asked about that one again.

Celebrating 3 fun years

With swim lessons and the Imagination Movers last weekend we didn't have time to throw a birthday party, too. So, this weekend we invited the family over for munchies, cake, ice cream and of course, presents! A nasty bug hit our house last week (the boys both stayed home with fevers, I've stayed home with a fever and Mike has been under the weather, too) so I respectfully uninvited my grandparents from the shindig (Papa had part of his lung removed a year almost exactly a year ago and doesn't need any chest colds complicating his life).

So .. it was a small, but fun party! And, as usual, Zander was ridiculously spoiled! We got him a MobiGo so he doesn't have to steal his brother's anymore (I know, I am just making my problem with technology worse). He also got a Chuck stunt set ...


this McDonald's drive thru set (His eyes lit up when he opened this -- what does that say about me as a parent?)...


and this big tractor. It was the only thing he ever told my mom that he wanted and of course she delivered.




He gave everyone their obligatory Thank You hug.



And then we got down to the business of cake. I am so not a baker or a food artist, so this cheesy Handy Manny cake is as good as it gets. Thankfully, Zander didn't seem to mind. He was just so excited to have a Handy Manny birthday!


When the food was done he dug into all the toys! Look at the carnage!

Ready to move on

After a month of Saturday swim lessons my boys are movin' on up! Zander celebrated his third birthday which makes him eligible for the class that Nick was in this month. And Nick, well, he's such a little fish now that his teacher said he was definitely ready to move up to the next level (an eel). So, today was Zander's last day in the pool with Mike -- and he didn't even want him in there at first. He was all excited to get in by himself!

Look at his face as he jumps in! I love it!


And look at Mike's face. He's actually having fun, too. I always give him crap because he often appears to be scowling when he doesn't know he is in a picture. He says it's "just his face" but I think these pictures say otherwise!




And look, he's "swimming!" I can't wait to see what he does when he is parent-less in the pool. That teacher might have her hands full with this one!


Nick does such a great job, too. His biggest problem -- he gets bored while the other kids are taking their turns with the teacher. Ok, and seriuosly, doesn't it look like he is trying to sneak a peak down this teacher's swim suit? And this wasn't even the worst shot. This does not bode well for the future!


He practiced his swimming arms - last week he clocked the teacher in the face doing this so now he is a little hesitant.


And the aftermath of diving under to get rings! I can't even do this. I have video too -- it's funny because he comes up shaking his head violently to get all the water off -- but I haven't figured out the best way to load it just yet!

A few hours to relax

I had to spend a couple hours in the hospital today after slipping down a few stairs this morning. The boys were both sick and Mike had offered to stay home with them because I am swamped at work. I was heading downstairs to go to work and lost my footing on the stairs, landed on my butt and slid down a few. It didn't seem like much more than a bruised ego but I called the OB anyway, just in case.

I guess it was a good thing I did. Apparently, anytime a pregnant women slips and falls after the 20th week (no matter how innocuous the tumble seems) they want her to be monitored for four to six hours. So, I left work, headed home to grab the laptop and iPad and then hauled myself over to the hospital for a morning/afternoon of monitoring. My view for the morning:


I had to don the wonderful backside open gown and everything. UGH.


And while I know I should have been worried about the little bean I was cooking (he was kicking so much the dang fetal heart rate monitors wouldn't stay on) I have to be honest and say I was more worried about lunch. You see, I went in about 10:45, which is just minutes before I usually eat lunch. Since one of the reasons they want to monitor you is for pre-term labor the doctor really wasn't keen on letting my mom bring me some food. I get it, but really, the popsicle she offered as a substitute was really quite a disappointment.

So, for four hours I sat and listened to the fetal heart rate monitor and the alarm that would beep everytime Unnamed Baby No. 3 kicked and moved it off. Thankfully my mom came to keep me company for a bit or I think I might have gone nuts (though I did get some work done while I was there).


In the end, they found no problems. The bean's heartbeat and movement were strong and I showed no signs of pre-term later. I promptly left the hospital and headed to McDonalds where I ordered the most disappointing Shamrock shake ever (I thought they would be good, I was wrong) and a large fry.

Fun in the tub

I'm stealing fun ideas from other bloggers again. And again, their pictures are better than mine, so go check out the fun on Meet the Dubiens -- one of my new favorite craft/food/photography blogs. This woman seriously does it ALL! Jill shared this rainbow bath time activity as part of her St. Patrick's Day fun, but we just got the chance to use the idea tonight! These bath paints, made of shaving cream and food coloring, were a hit with Zander. Nick got out of the tub to watch hockey before he realized I was doing something new and fun.


So, Zander took advantage of having the tub all to himself! He painted and played for close to an hour before I finally had to drag him out! And the best part --- the paint washed right off. I was kind of nervous since the shaving cream was tinted with food coloring, but no worries! Oh, and my bathroom smelled like Barbasol for hours after we'd cleaned up!






Doesn't he look happy! And skinny. Seriously, I do feed him. I promise. He just won't eat unless is donuts or McDonalds!

The puzzle master

Yes, this is another post about puzzles, but when we get on a kick in our house we really get on a kick. Nick loved helping us put together the big tractor puzzle and was very intrigued by the idea of getting to roll up the pieces every night and then unrolling them again the next day. So ... he wanted his own puzzle that would work on the mat. I found a fun 550 piece puzzle at Target and figured, with a little help, he'd be able to handle the challenge. Needless to say this boy surpassed even my best expectations. Other than the sorting --- and a few stray pieces here and there --- Nick did every piece of this puzzle by himself. They only thing we had to do was sort the pieces into the color/picture piles and chill with him while he worked on it. It took a week or so, but he got it all done! And, can I just say, it was so hard for Mike and I not to "help" with this puzzle. It looked like so much fun!

A rockin' birthday celebration

I've always wanted to take the kids to a Disney show or some other character show, but have been disappointed to find that many are on a weeknight at 7 p.m. Hello! My kids go to bed at 7:15 on school nights. So when a friend posted that the Imagination Movers and Choo Choo Soul (both Disney shows) were going to be in Ames, on a Sunday at 4 p.m., I jumped at the chance. Despite the expense (I don't even spend this much on an adult concert) and the fact that this show is never on when my kids watch TV I figured they would enjoy it. They have one of the CDs and they've watched it in the past.

Though the outing was considered a special celebration for Zander's birthday (remember we were at the waterslide hotel for Nick's special day) Nick probably enjoyed the show a little bit more.


The show started with the Choo Choo Soul. This funky duo does a little short half-animated show between the longer shows on Disney. Zander was still pretty awake for this part of the show and actually got up and danced a few times. Nick was up dancing around for most of their performance.




Then it was on to the main event -- The Imagination Movers! Zander's favorite part was the gigantic Warehouse Mouse puppet! His eyes lit up every time the critter came on stage (which wasn't very often).


I was very surprised at how interactive these guys were with the crowd. They were regularly down in the audience, sitting in empty seats and getting the crowd all riled up. I truly believe that (other than the balconies) we were sitting in the only corner of the auditorium they did not visit!


For the grand finale -- they shot confetti into the crowd. We'd seen their live show on Disney the previous week and Mike had said, "Oh, they won't do that when we are there. That's just for TV." Nope, not true. I feel bad for the poor Iowa State students who clean up the auditorium after these kinds of shows!


Oh, and of course I had to steal a picture with my boys (and one of ALL my boys together, too).

Anyone there?

Yep, it's Mema calling to wish Zander a "Happy Birthday." Yes, she called on his birthday, but there were already too many pictures for that day! I just think it's cute that he can finally (sort of) talk on the phone and the person on the other end can understand him!

I've said it before ...

... and I will say it again. My boys take after their father.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

By now it is quite apparent that I read a lot of other blogs. I have my favorites, the ones I can always count on for new craft and food ideas. And these bloggers didn't disappoint in the plethora of great St. Patrick's Day craft and food possibilities. Unfortunately, I'm too tired put together (and clean up after) any big art projects, so we settled on special foods this holiday!

I found these AMAZING rainbow waffles at Random Thoughts of a Supermom (one of my new favorites). Unfortunately, we don't have a circle waffle maker nor apparently the delicate hand in creating the rainbow colors that she did. But, the kids didn't seem to mind. They loved their colorful dinner, though the whipped cream was nothing more than a pretty garnish - my kids still wanted syrup.




(Obviously food styling and photography is not my strong suit!).

Then, last night I made this fun Jell-O dessert (also from Random Thoughts of a Supermom) for the boys to enjoy after their already-sugar-filled dinner. (Please, go look at her pictures. They are so much more appetizing than mine!)


But, like most fun desserts I try to make, the boys did not like it. So, they had these mint Christmas tree ice cream desserts (still green, though) instead.


Why do I even try?

Um ... I guess if it's comfortable

So keeping the house spotless is not high on my list of priorities right now. Nor do I even consider it within my ability. So, when the laundry gets done (which isn't always on time) I sometimes forget to put the basket away. For days. But, the kids have found new ways to make use of the things I leave around the house. Apparently we don't have enough furniture in our house as this is where Nick has taken to sitting while watching TV.


And I don't know what is up with the finger in the mouth. He's been doing that a lot lately, too.

Man I love these boys

I mean, really, what mother wouldn't? Even though they can try my patience (usually on a daily basis) they make me smile, laugh and love this time in my life!

Another birthday party for Nick

This time his friend invited the kids to the YWCA for a pool party - so it was swim lessons in the morning and pool party in the afternoon. Nick was pooped by the end of the day - even with a nap in between. The YW required all the kids to wear life jackets, which reminded me I need to buy a new one for Nick. He is now to big for the Toy Story one we bought last year (by about 4 pounds), but we made it work for this event.


Nick was one of the first kids to jump in the pool (literally) and he didn't want to get out until the very last possible minute.


Even with the life jacket on he tried to practice going under. It didn't work that well, but he at least put his face in!


Now we just have to work on getting him to come up without looking like he might die.


With the life jacket serving as a safety device he even practiced his "swimming arms" and managed to swim across the pool! I was so proud. I guess those swim lessons really are working!


And in between all the "work" he even managed to have a little fun with his friends! I swear, he isn't trying to drown this little boy.


And then, what post about Nick would be complete without his new signature picture!