Houston; We Have A Problem

Can you believe this is how I find Alyssa sleeping about half of the time? Every time I lay her down she promptly pulls her favorite pink and white blanket right up over her face and goes to sleep. It is a most distressing habit- no mother likes to check on her baby and find her completely still with a blanket covering her entire face. Many a night I have snuck in after she is asleep to try and surgically remove or at least reposition the blanket. The less successful missions end with me dropping to the floor when her eyes pop open. Houston; we have a problem. Sometimes she will just close her eyes and go back to sleep. But if she starts crying I usually wave a hand slowly in front of her as I try the Jedi Mind trick: "I was never here...you are still sleeping...your blanket is still over your face...". In our worst case scenario she won't settle back down and she ends up scoring a comfort feeding. But these are the risks we mothers must take when our children's self-soothing methods include smothering oneself.

Oh no he didn't!

We were sitting down to dinner the other night, and Kennedy was proudly wearing her brand new shirt. The Clam Chowder was steaming in the bowls and as we were getting seated Kennedy somehow spilled the hot soup on her shirt, pants and all over the floor. Both Nathan and I rushed over to help a panicked Kennedy who was crying that it was hot. Nathan had her shirt away from her skin in a flash and we got her settled down and the shirt off. I tended to Kennedy (who was not harmed in the making of this blog) while Nathan hit the floor to start cleaning up. As the crisis came under control I look down to see how things are coming with the mess on the floor and what do I see? My dear sweet husband wiping up the puddle of soup with Kennedy's new shirt!!!!!!! I had this completely ghetto moment in my mind thinking, "Oh no he didn't!" But yes; yes he did. I had to put my fingers in my ears so he wouldn't see the smoke coming out of them as I asked him why?! And would he please use something else? His defense? "Well...it was already dirty." True- but just because you might get a little ding in your bumper doesn't mean you should go and total the whole car!!! His penance? I made him pose for the picture...and don't fall for the 'how was I to know?' look! Ah geez...I still love this guy!

Smore please!

Tonight for Family Home Evening treats we made Smores. Under normal circumstances smores are fun and yummy but this time we had them out on our deck using a little Sterno for the heating source. Kennedy and Kohen loved it and Kennedy said she wanted to go 'camping' for every FHE...if this was all there was to camping I would have to agree. Even Alyssa got to enjoy some graham crackers. It wasn't actually cold out even though every one seems bundled up, it was a beautiful and fun evening!

Resting

When we finally got home after Nathan's race Kohen and Alyssa were happy to see us. Somehow we all kind of congregated in mom and dad's room which isn't the place we typically hang out as a family! I think it had to do with the fact that mom and dad were wiped out. I think most kids are this way, if you are feeling weak they can sense it! They couldn't get either of us off of our bed and it was a rare "if you can't beat 'em join 'em" moment and just like that scene from The Sound of Music- one by one our children ended up in our bedroom with us (though there was no singing about our favorite things...I will have to remember that for next time.) It was only late afternoon and so we turned on the boob tube for a half and hour and just rested. The sweetest thing was the way that Kohen laid his head on Nathan's chest while he watched the show- as I have said before- Kohen sitting still for any period of time is rare and to be appreciated. He just stayed there resting with his dad while the girls and I snuggled up on the other side. A side note: I have turned into a complete blog freak. I will do anything for a good shot. For this shot I was such a freak show, I could hardly believe I was doing it! I slowly set Aly to my side so as not to disturb her play, then I slithered off of the bed to the floor and then army crawled to the door where I tip-toed down the stairs to retrieve the camera. I did all of this again but in reverse order to get back in the room and obtain the picture without disturbing Kohen!!! I think I need a hobby...er, wait...uh-oh.

Nathan's 3rd Marathon

This Saturday we all headed downtown to D.C. to cheer on Nathan as he ran his 3rd Marathon. We took the metros around to see he and another friend Jen as they passed different mile markers. I was so proud of Jen and Nathan because let's face it, no matter how you cut it 26.2 miles is a long way to run! This time Nathan had another amazing 'sub 4' race (meaning under 4 hours, that's right- they run for 4 hours straight! I can't sit and watch a movie that long!) with his exact time being 3 hours and 49 minutes. It rained and misted all morning off and on but we still had a great time cheering them on. The last picture is all of us (except our friend April who was kind enough to take the picture~) who came to down to cheer on Jen and Nathan. Nathan and Jen- you did an AWESOME job!!!

Kennedy's 1st Metro Ride

Kennedy waits anxiously for her first Metro

The Metro blows into the station

Kennedy with Grandma Bonnie just enjoying the ride

Maybe Kennedy wasn't the only one excited about the Metro ride; it was actually my first Metro ride too. However, I was able to sleep the night before whereas Kennedy woke up 4 or 5 times during the night just hoping it was time to get up and go ride the train. She was almost as excited to go and cheer on her dad for his race. Nathan was actually the one who painted the magical picture of the 'underground train' for her so I suppose he has only himself to blame if his race took 2nd place on her priority list. Down on the platform Kennedy waited, listening for the Metro with a quiet enthusiasm that reminded me of how I used to lay in bed straining to hear Santa's sleigh on Christmas Eve. Even with all of the anticipation she was openly thrilled when the train finally roared into the station. I found myself struggling to appear unaffected as I marveled at the size of the underground Metro Station and the speed with which the trains flew in and out. I am sure it was glaringly obvious I wasn't a seasoned city slicker, especially since I was taking pictures! As with most forms of transportation it didn't take long before the newness wore off for me- though Kennedy remained eager for each new leg to our destination. It was a fun 'adventure' and a good reminder to me to enjoy the little things in life...

Play Date Success

I was serious when I said that I needed to schedule more play dates for my cabin feverish children. So we planned for Kennedy's little friend Sophie to come over and play this morning. It was so nice to have them entertaining each other! They played pretend and were princesses- notice in the top picture how they are each holding a side of the magical band- and there was a lot of distressing story lines- my personal favorite of the day " Oh, no! My baby is stuck in the geyser!" Geyser?! Where did Kennedy come up with that? I shouldn't be surprised, Kenna has all sorts of imaginative story lines. When she is playing she is also a huge fan of crying out "Come back your hind-is!" Which always gets Nathan and I laughing. One of my favorite things about Kennedy's pretend play is the names she comes up with. She doesn't just adopt names that already exist like 'anne' or 'jane'. No, no- she likes to create her own. Just a few of our favorites are (spelled like how they sound) : Fragaga, Try-ca, Trianna, Tornicka, Coh-ba, and her all time favorite name for herself is Shelly-ensa. I love and envy her creativity! Anyway, I think I could get used to more of these play dates! ps- Kohen may look a little bit uncomfortable in that headlock of love, but believe you me, he was loving it!

Still Got It

When my little brother was little I would make him lunches that were faces as a special treat. He really loved it and I remember thinking at the time "Man, I am really good at this!" - though really, how would I know? I'm the one who made it up! Anyway, the other day I did a huge mommy no-no. I got my three amigos in the car and excited about a church lunch group that does monthly play dates. We pull up to our destination and I suddenly realized that I had in fact read my planner wrong and the play date was not for today but next week. Luckily I figured out my mistake before we got out of the car- unluckily the children were NOT happy with the change in plans. Everyone was in tears. Kennedy was crying "I wanted to have a play date!", Kohen was crying "friends!...friends!" and Alyssa started crying because everyone else was crying. I was in the dog house for sure. So besides committing myself to schedule more play dates for my socially deprived children, I thought I would do something special for them for lunch. The 'funny face' lunch popped into my mind and so I gave it a try. Soon Kennedy and Kohen were happily eating their lunches, trying out all the different foods...I took that as their forgiveness. It has been a while since I have done a 'funny face' lunch and I am a bit out of practice but overall...I think I still got it.

Behind

Watch closely, you may actually see the clutter multiplying!

Below: our only defenses against Rota virus

Here is a little riddle for you. This week at our house: we are this because of this. Answer: BEHIND!!! Turns out that we are passing a nasty strain of the Rota virus around our humble abode, and man is it terrible. It is no respecter of age, race, male or female- it mattereth not! I believe I can trace the outbreak back to the hours we spent in urgent care last Mon. and Aly came down with the tell-tale fever 24 hours later. Alyssa went through literally every stitch of clothing that she has, and because of the high number of baths all have taken plus how I keep rotating the hand towels to try and keep this from spreading - I have piles of laundry everywhere and in different stages of getting cleaned and put away. Now, if I am being honest there is nothing new about the laundry being piled up and everywhere. What is different is the sheer amount of laundry coupled with the rapid deterioration of the rest of the home when it isn't constantly being kept in check. And I can't get anything done because I don't feel well. And even with the whole entire house and all of it's contents stacked against me, what actually has me stressing is that Nathan's parents Bonnie and Norm are coming for a visit on Fri. We are so thrilled for them to come, and I know Bonnie especially would never want us to stress or worry on their account, but let's face it- I am a woman and this is what we do! You may be wondering if I have so much to do, why then am I wasting time on my blog? Well, I feel best if I just sit and rest. And as it turns out, that is all you have to do when blogging!

The Best Gift Ever

I am fully aware that this may be a gift that only a mother would love, but there is more to this gift than meets the eye. Kennedy does things in her own time, always has. So when many children her age started drawing their first versions of people (a circle with sticks coming out of it) I wondered when she would decide she wanted to give it a try. Occasionally when we were coloring I would ask her if she wanted to draw a person, like mom or dad, and she would refuse even if I offered to help. So I have left it alone. I have never seen her try to draw even a hint of a person. She has always stuck to coloring in coloring books...until yesterday. I was shocked when Kennedy handed me the pictures she had colored while she had a babysitter the night before. For the first time ever Kennedy had drawn a person!! The drawings are so good for literally her first try ever- I questioned whether or not the babysitter had helped her- but she had not. I mean, they have hands, hair, pupils, and even eyebrows (gotta look real close for those, in the top picture they are both over the right eye)! So, they will be forever precious to me because when Kennedy finally decided to draw people, she did it for me on my birthday and she did an awesome job. Ten years ago I don't think I would have believed you if you would have told me that a 4 yr old's scribblings that look like a hairy bean would be such a precious gift...my how times have changed!

Twenty Seven

Today I turned 27. Even writing it it doesn't seem right...or possible. Getting older is a strange, strange feeling...but I think I like it. After church we had dinner and then the Bell's came over and had Maggie Moo's ice cream cake with us (luckily Nathan took the hint two months ago when I said, "I am only going to mention this once. I want a Maggie Moo's Ice Cream Cake for my Birthday." You see, my 'hints' have to be worded strongly or I have learned that my dear husband will miss them, sweet boy!). I just had to put in the progression of these pictures around the cake- my children, ah man- they make me laugh! All three of them were trying to get a taste of the cake while we were trying to get a quick picture! Kennedy looks the least guilty but she actually just waited until Alyssa got some frosting on her hand and as you can see in picture #2 she is holding Alyssa's hand and as soon as the picture was taken Kenna stole Aly's hard earned loot! Kohen cracks me up, you can see him trying to be all sneaky going for a taste- next shot he is looking around to see if he is going to get caught- last shot, SUCCESS! I was just trying to hold his casted hand down to keep it from getting dirty! And perhaps the most clever is the one we underestimate the most. In the last shot as we all pose for the picture Aly J. makes her move! Anyway, my first birthday away from Boise turned out fine, thanks everyone for your Birthday wishes!......27......I think I can do 27... I mean really- what is the alternative?

Temperamental Weather

Last week on Wednesday Loudoun County schools were closed for a snow day- exactly one week later? We hit over 80 degrees!!! I can't believe how temperamental this weather is being. But we enjoyed the weather all day, the children played out on the deck and down on the trampoline. When Nathan got home everyone sat with Dad on the porch swing for a bit- which is saying something since Kohen doesn't sit anywhere for more than 2 seconds unless there is food in front of him! The next day was also nice, 70 something- and Kennedy and Kohen were out on the deck playing together with their bikes and I called out the back door that it was time for naps. I heard whispers and rustling and this is what I found when I went out to get them. And they actually stayed 'hidden' long enough for me to grab the camera! Kohen...not quite as adept at hiding!
p.s.- today we had a 40 degree drop and tomorrow there is snow in the forecast!!!!!!!

NCAA Picks

How I fill out my NCAA Tournament Bracket. Heads or Tails?

And I usually do pretty well if I do say so myself :)

Midnight Madness

Alyssa woke up at midnight the other night with a fever and she seemed very uncomfortable. Not knowing what else to do besides give her Tylenol I got her up and decided to feed her. Afterwards, I was holding her when she blew out her diaper- something she hasn't done in months. Sorry for you squeamish types, here comes a little bit of potty talk. This was no ordinary blow out. It was crazy, I heard and it was simultaneouly clear down her legs just like that. So now we had the runs to add to her growing list of ailments. Anyway I was in the kitchen and after rushing over to the sink I kind of froze in place standing there holding her out from me trying to decide just how to proceed. I didn't know the number for Hazmat so I decided to just bathe her myself in the kitchen sink. She didn't seem to mind the chance to splash around a bit and I had her clean and back in bed just after 1am. 36 hours later her fever finally broke though the runs have lingered. Tonight I think she is finally on the up swing of this bug. Either way, I thought she looked cute in that big 'ol sink with just her head peeking over the top. It would have been even cuter however, during daylight hours!

Last Meal

I am aware that usually when you get the opportunity to choose your 'last meal' it is usually because you are incarcerated and on your way down the green mile -if ya know what I mean- but if I was ever to have to choose a last meal (hopefully under less disgraceful circumstances than death row) this sandwich from Panera Bread is what I would choose- especially if my last meal was lunch cuz I have something else in mind for dinner. This sandwich is called Turkey Caprese' and it is UNBELIEVABLE! Everything at Panera is delicious but this sandwich with turkey, sun dried tomatoes, pesto and fresh mozzarella is amazing. This scrumptious sandwich alone is worth a trip out east. But if you can't make it out that is fine...more for me! Check out www.panerabread.com

The Doll House

Santa brought Kennedy a doll house for Christmas this year and Kennedy LOVES to play with it. She will solicit any willing participant (and several not so willing) to play with her any time they will. We use playing doll house with dad as a tool to get her to get ready for bed quickly because she loves for Nathan to play with her. For Valentines we even got Kohen his very own "Kohnee" so he has something to play with besides the Spiderman he was using before... though now he just uses both. But it is funny because we can play role reversal and I can be Kennedy (as seen in picture #2 sitting next to Diego) and throw tantrums and it is so funny to listen to Kennedy being the 'mom' trying to reason with a naughty child. The hit of the century was when Nathan, playing himself, took a tumble off of the roof and when he landed he let out a toot...I couldn't figure out why when I came in the room Kenna and Kohen were laughing so hard- well following their father's brilliant example all of the characters were going around 'tooting' which meant the kids were actually just spitting all over each other (trying to make the toot sound) and laughing hysterically. Anyway, I have found the house set up in some pretty funny scenes before...and apparently Spiderman is an accepted member of this family because he is always hanging around. Moral of the story? Flatulence is always funny.

Sticks and Stones...

Sticks and stones may break my bones, and so will falling down the stairs. Kohen learned that this Saturday when he took a tumble down a set of stairs (one of many in our townhouse) in his rush to go down and greet his dad. I knew he had actually gotten hurt by the sound of his cry and the fact that there were genuine tears. But soon he was playing again though I did notice he wasn't putting any weight on his right hand. I was sure something was amiss when he kept bringing up that his arm was "ow-ee" and that it needed a band-aid. We took the wait and see approach and Sunday morning his wrist was mildly swollen, he was still nursing it and if we put any pressure on it it still hurt. So this morning I took all three children to an urgent care facility (those words 'took 3 kids to urgent care facility' can lead to nothing good!) with x-ray capabilities and then we were sent immediately across the street to an orthopedic surgeon. The whole ordeal took well over 4 hours and ended up running past lunch and nap time and could be a whole different post in itself. Anyway, Kohen was a great little patient and truly just observing him you probably would never have known he wasn't functioning at full capacity. The break is not bad and should heal fine. They did put the cast clear up to his shoulder, however, to keep him from pulling it off- and I just hope that up to his shoulder is far enough! As soon as the cast was dry and the nurse let go of his arm Kohen took a good look at it, and promptly whacked the wall behind him giving a little 'yah!' for good measure. The nurse and I met eyes and I breathed out "oh no." Yes, it has taken all afternoon to try and get it into Kohen's head that he can't hit things -ANYTHING- with his cast. He is disappointed. He can't figure out why they put it on him then. I mean, what do we expect when you encase a 2 year olds arm in fiberglass? It sure gives a whole new meaning to 'armed and dangerous'!

The Dunnings visit!

This weekend our dear friends Mark and Kristy Dunning came to visit us and brought their sweet little boy Rowan to play too! Mark and Nathan were roommates in college and we have a great time any time we get the chance to be with them. Kristy is a good 'ol Idaho girl which made us love her the minute we met her. Mark had to come to D.C. for work and so Kristy and Rowan came too so that we could all hang out. We had such a fun time! Never were there 4 people together who could ALL talk 'the hind leg off a donkey'! If you see a donkey around without any legs, I am afraid we are to blame! The highlights of the trip were dinner in Georgetown at an Italian restaurant and also shopping and dinner at Tyson's Corner. But truly, these few sentences just can't express what a great time we had and how grateful we are we got to spend the weekend with the Dunnings. Check out almost 5 month old Rowan chilling in the swing- he is too cute!

'Holistic' Health Care

Kennedy picked out this adorable horse at Build-a-Bear on her 3rd Birthday. She adores this horse and plays with it often. She went through a stage where she would put her dolls to bed in all of the beds around the house, which gave me a scare on more than one occasion. One night I went into my room and found her horse all tucked in...with ear plugs in each of her ears! Nathan and I thought it was too funny- we didn't even know she knew what earplugs were! Well, today Pony got sick and we found her on the couch in this condition:

That is right, medicine syringe in the left nostril and ace bandage over the eyes (which she reported were broken...oh my) and then tied around the hoofs- now that, good people-is some excellent health care. Kennedy realized what Nathan and I were snickering at and taking pictures of and she promptly rushed to her Pony's side and gave us that "don't mess with one of my patients!" look. And this is the girl who will care for me when I am old and infirm? Hide the ace bandages!

High Decibles

FACT: Boys are loud...very loud. So it doesn't really surprise me to find Kohen behind any loud banging or raucous in our home. He likes to vacuum randomly throughout the day and this particular time I found him wearing his 'Bob the Builder' goggles- for protection I am sure. I have to laugh when I look at these pictures because he looks like such an adorable goober! Then the other day he found a noise maker and I am telling you, he was giving it his all! He was blowing so hard it kept flying out of his mouth- Nathan even caught it on camera!