Spring Break?!

Spring Break this year is much different - sick kids, yuck!  The theme of this year has been our children's sickness!  Ugh!  poor guys.  I'm serious when I say one or the other has been sick since October.  We thought we would have a relaxing Spring Break this year - not so much.  N was sick Thursday of last week through the weekend.  

So, on to Spring Break '09!  To start it all off, we thought we should get out of the house for a little fresh air.  We didn't even make N get dressed!

  

E needed to stop in at TU, so we packed up the kids for a low-key office visit... 

 

It was a rough few days for the little guy (but he is feeling much better (knock on wood))!  

I think the trip out made him feel much better. 

He even got a little work done.  

 

At the end of the day N felt well enough for a frozen chocolate banana. And of course, Beven got in a little "dress-up" time before it was her turn to get sick!  

 

Luck of the Irish?

Not so lucky this year... B has been sick the past few days, so we didn't celebrate St. Patrick's Day to the fullest.  We usually go to the nursery to look at the new plants and flowers and we had planned to take them to Bounce U in the morning - change of plans.  Maybe in the next few weeks...

N is a goofball!  He is playing with B's barf bucket... yes, we washed it out before he put it on his head... gross!  

You can tell he is feeling better - many more smiles for Mom and Dad.

The weather has been beautiful, so he has been enjoying his play time outside.  

 

He really is our funny guy... here he is talking on his pudding cup to Nanny & Papa!  

This week's theme... Park!

 

We went to the park all week!

We had beautiful weather this week.  

It was time to get out and move... slide, swing, jump, run.  

It was a lot of fun.

 

We have a great park just a couple of miles from our house... a hidden gem.  

Now I know where you will find us this Spring and Summer.  

Our favorite?  The BIG slide!  The kids had a ball.  

We packed along a picnic each day.  

The kids rolled around on B's scooter, too.  

What a fun week... 

We could really get used to this weather!

Storm shelter or Playhouse?

We are fast approaching "storm season" in Oklahoma.  So, I thought I should be a responsible parent and get the closet under our stairs in order for the occasional hunkering down.  It was used as our catch all for practically everything and there was no room for a family of four to wait out a storm. 

 

So, my new project for the week... a fun "playhouse" for the kids!  I am proud to say, I didn't spend a dime.  It was a secret project.  We made the reveal to the kids with a game of hide and seek - we hid in the playhouse and B found us.  Surprise!  Play away!  

Now we're ready.  

 

Our days...

B has been back into playing dress up... she loves the tutus I've made her.  

 

N's messy face just reminds me - he's still my baby... but look at how well he eats on his own!  

 

N discovered the hiding place for the toilet paper!

"I'm not young enough to know everything."  

J.M. Barrie

I am Mom...

I did that?!  5 oddly-disgusting things we do as "Mommy" (you do it, but never thought you would)... 

1. Pick your baby up and sniff their bottom to see if it needs changed.  
   
2. During the "toddler-years" you will almost always head off to Target, Church, or a Play-date with some schmootz on your shoulder... it's your new accessory.  
   
3. Pull the biggest boogers you've ever seen out of your child's nose - like you've done it for years, often without a tissue... where do I put it now?!
   
4. While changing a diaper, you think to yourself, "Ah ha, there are the peas from last night..."  
   
5. You try to catch vomit in your hands... yum.

Motherhood is full of surprises.  

Spring is on the way!

Lots of playing...

B and N decided they should have their snack 

on the kitchen floor.

N doesn't look so happy, right?!  Right.  N has been "under the weather" since October - off and on with colds, the flu, croup, RSV, and allergies.  Sometimes there is just not a lot we can do, so after a long day Daddy tried the wheelbarrow.  He may not look like it, but he did like it and I appreciated the effort.  N loves being outside and a ride in something new was perfect.  Sometimes time with Dad is just what a little guy needs.  

N loves picking the berries off our "monkey grass."  This day he really got into it - laying in the garden, getting down and dirty with his work.  

Don't be jealous... but the weather has been nice and B needed to catch a few rays.

Yesterday N picked me a flower - what a sweet boy... it's actually a weed, so either way it was a nice gesture!

B is into jumping rope! 

N's favorite place to hang out... between Mommy's legs.

Valentine's week

What a week...  to start, we had N's 18-month check-up.  We were looking forward to this because we planned to do allergy testing for the first time since N's peanut reaction.  He is in the 25th percentile for weight and 75th for height and head circumference... long, lean, and smart!   He got his usual immunizations and then on to the long awaited allergy test.  We ended the day at the park.  The weather was beautiful!  

We were hoping his peanut reaction was a fluke, but no such luck.  The morning his pediatrician called back with the results, N had just shoveled in his last big bite of oatmeal.  With the classes of allergies already positive at 18-months they said he has some significant allergies.   So, N is confirmed allergic to peanuts, egg white, oat, cashew, barley, soybean, tomato, cat, and dog.   Bummer!  We went through our cabinets and refrigerator and now we are shopping, cooking, and eating out just a little bit differently.

  

  We enjoyed a few play-dates with our friends this week.  B was able to spend some fun play time with her friend!  The kids played and played... and as you can see, they also played dress-up.  I was able to have some adult conversation with my friend, which was nice for me, too.  

On Thursday we went to a Valentine's Day party with some new friends.  G's husband J works with E at TU.  The kids enjoyed a pizza party and exchanged Valentines.  Can you imagine... exchanging Valentines already?  They loved it.  

We continued the Valentine's theme with our good friends the K family and D family.  Everyone came over for drinks, appetizers, and cupcakes.  The kids all exchanged more Valentines and played.  It was fun for everyone to get together.  A little wild, but so much fun! 

 

B and N made Daddy special Valentine's.  We crafted a paper flower and candy bouquet and both kids painted paper hearts.  B even wrote "Dad" and "Love" on her heart.  We took Dad to lunch and delivered his gifts.  B was pretty proud of her work.    

For a while now, B has been having fun with  her letters and numbers.  She is getting quite good at writing.  I also think she is becoming quite the artist!  She likes to draw pictures of N and herself.  She even wrote me a Valentine's Day note!  

Here are a few pieces she has done... we think it's great, so we're showing it off!  

Go TU!

We all put on our Blue and headed out for a basketball game.  It was fun and exciting for the kids.  The cheerleaders and mascot kept their attention when the action on the court continued.

It was great to be inside at a game out of the wind.  Football games are so chilly!  Basketball games are perfect for the kids.  N can walk around and B can move freely and have her very own seat.   It was a nice weekend afternoon.   They won their game, which was icing on the cake.

 

The weather is getting warmer and we have been able to spend more and more time outside.  The kids played with their friends yesterday outside and loved it.  It rained early this morning, so we are hoping things will begin to green up soon.

  Just a note about B - She has been such a good girl lately... beyond her usual nice self.  We have been going to the YMCA each day and N is still adjusting.  When we leave them at their child-watch, N will cry.  B sticks near him, gives him his blanket, etc.  She is so loving with him and tells him "It will be okay.  Mommy is just exercising.  You can play with me and she will be back soon!"  She makes it easier on me to leave him.  

And if it weren't for B, this morning I wouldn't have notice the beautiful blue sky of clouds.  While we were driving home from the Y, she says, "Look how pretty!  The clouds are moving, Mommy!  See N?!"