When we went to California, weeks and weeks and weeks ago

Ok - Enjoy

This post has been a long time in the making.  You know, five minutes here, five minutes there.

In between dry heaves and my life being lived from the couch.

But that's another story, for another post...

California went something like this:

The kids and I were the first to arrive (around 2am MN time) after 12 hours of traveling, almost missing our connecting flight, and me dry-heaving on the plane.

I let Noah give the exciting news to my parents and little bro.

Yeah, they were pretty surprised.

And excited!

But, as it turned out, the traveling did me in.  I was pretty much bed-ridden for the next 4 days.

The next evening my sister Michele arrived, with her husband and 2 kids.

I shared the news this time.

I thought it would be pretty obvious when she walked in and found me laying on the couch, a puke bowl at my side.  

Nope.

"You're sick?  What are you sick with?"

"A baby."

"WHAT?!?  NO.  ARE YOU SERIOUS?!?"

And so, the cousins got to know each other again.

Boston loved poking Alex's face but was pretty much scared to death of Noah, whose always running around 50mph and making way too much noise

And we finally got to meet Naomi.  

She is so beautiful and we love her (even if she does scream her lungs out every time we're in the car, right Shel?)

Noah was rubbing Naomi's soft cheeks and declared that they are "soft as fruit snacks."

Oh yeah, and "she's the color of a brownie."

Alex was excited to practice being a big sister.

But frankly, watching my kids around Naomi really had me questioning how long Baby #3 can survive in a house with them.

Exhibit A...

The next day, my sister Tiff surprised us all by showing up (against her doctors orders).

Only my dad was in on it.

So Noah got to share our news again.

Tiff thought he was confused.

Didn't believe him - or me!

SHEESH!

And then the fun really began

(ok not really for me yet - I'm still stuck in bed, dry-heaving my freaking guts out - but at least someone was taking care of my kids)

They headed to the Exploratorium in SF.  

The kids loved it but my sisters said it wasn't as cool as they remembered it being.

And of course they stopped at Fentons on the way home.  

And YOU KNOW I was deathly ill to pass up on that one right???

I still can't believe it...

Maybe it was luck, or the sleeping in everyday, or the afternoon naps, or letting everyone else take care of my kids...

But eventually I improved.

Enough to get out and enjoy myself with everyone else

(and the sunny 75 degree weather we had everyday).

We went to lots of parks

This was an awesome playplace - different activities in every room

But everyone's favorite by far was this room, with the balls (for Boston - obsessed) and these bike thingies

Even the grown-ups enjoyed them.

Michele says she wants one.

The kids spent time in the kitchen with Grandma, one of their favorite things to do with her. 

Notice my mom has matching aprons for her and Alex.  How cute is that?

Noah got the manly red one.

The wildlife museum was another huge hit.

And don't forget about Grandma's backyard!

Lots of grass and paths for running, rocks for climbing, lizards for killing, bench for swinging, and crawdads for catching (in the creek).

Noah was in heaven.

One night some family friends came to visit.  Steph has been my friend from birth.

We had quite a few kids all together.  No wonder both of the grandmas disappeared together for the evening.

The house looked like a bomb went off.

Totally worth it.

And this was the looks on my kids faces the whole time

About to explode with happiness!

Not pictured:

LOTS of good food

Lots of treats (including pink velvet cupcakes)

AND

A girls day with my sisters, sans kids

But one of the highlights for me?

Kisses from my nephew Boston.

Given freely, without even asking, by the end of the week

(and he's stingy with his kisses).

I totally won that boy over

(reaching for me instead of his momma)!

I think it was the cookies I fed him for breakfast : )

Or maybe that it was the most consecutive time we've ever spent together.

Thanks for postponing your departure Shel!

Thanks for defying your Doctor Tiff.

Thanks for spending so much time in the creek with Noah, Landon.

And thanks for making it all possible Mom and Dad.

Love you!

Betcha never thought this was coming...

This post or this little piece of news:

Baby #3 is on the way

Which should explain a lot (like why I haven't returned your calls, commented on your blog, or posted to my own much lately).

The Details:

About 12 weeks along

Due in October

NOT finding out the sex of the baby

And we couldn't be happier!

Except for maybe how happy we'll all be in a few more weeks (hopefully!) when I can function for more than 2 or 3 hours of the day, stay up past 8pm, get 0ut of bed before 8am, eat the food in my own kitchen...and all of that without dry-heaving.

Cross your fingers.

[California post coming...someday...]

Dedicated Readers

We (meaning me and the kids) are off to Cali!

Catch you in a couple of weeks...

Check it out

The number of shots Noah got the other day, in preparation for Kindergarten...

and the number of years until Noah needs any more shots.

Look at that happy face

Background:  Noah hates to get shots.  Previous experiences include having to move the table in the doctors office to pull him out of his hiding spot and calling in several extra nurses to help me hold him down.  All this followed by HOURS of Noah screaming.  And this was just 6 months ago, when we got our flu shots.  So you can imagine how excited I was about taking him in for 4 shots.

We've been prepping him for awhile.  All kids who want to go to kindergarten have to get these 4 shots.  This caused him no small amount of anxiety.

Then, about 2 weeks ago, Noah suddenly announced he was ready for his shots.  But things are hectic around here (as usual) and I didn't get around to making the appointment.  Until last Friday, at 4pm when Noah got mad at me saying, "Mom, why haven't you scheduled my appointment yet?!?"  I called right then and there - and got him an appointment for Monday afternoon.

To encourage Noah to be brave, we told him he could go to the "Bounce House" afterwards.  That got him excited.  Noah was on the countdown all weekend.

And suddenly, there we were, in the doctors office on Monday afternoon.  Noah was calm and talkative and I was so nervous I thought I was gonna puke.  Noah kept saying, "I hope they call my name next!"

He didn't get nervous until they had him lay back on the table - and then I could see it all over his face.  He got 2 sets of 2 shots at a time, in the thighs.  He cried while they were going in (so did I) but as soon as it was over, he was fine.  Although he did make a rule that no one could touch his legs except for him.  He made me promise to tell dad "no wrestling."  The best part?  Noah learned he doesn't need any more shots until he's 13.

So we headed to the Bounce House, where Noah had an absolute blast with his little sis and his legs didn't bother him one bit.

I would like to thank Jocelyn Jackson, Noah's friend and inspiration for getting his shots.  (She got hers first.)

(Overdue) Confessions

A week or two (or three) ago (it's all a blur) I spent three hours working out at the gym.  Because I was watching The Bachelor.  The Season Finale.  Which was 2 hours.  What I didn't realize is that the "After The Final Rose" episode would come on immediately after.  And then I couldn't leave.  So I did three hours of (slow) cardio.

Embarrassing, yes.

The week before that, I'd missed the "Women Tell All" episode (also 2 hours).  And we don't have tivo.  So later that week, when everyone was in bed, I plugged my headphones into my mac and started watching it online.  It was late.  It was dark.  And suddenly someone puts there little hand on my shoulder.  And I about had a heart attack.

Turned out it was just Noah (who is a little insomniac lately).  But I couldn't calm down.  All I remember is the words "freak" and "crap" coming out of my mouth a lot for the next 30 seconds.

And now Noah keeps saying "freak."

As for The Bachelor...

I don't really believe in it.  I never plan to watch it.  I don't start out watching it.  But (usually on one of Paul's call nights) I'll be flipping channels and suddenly there it is.  And then I'm hooked.

But after this season, I swore I was done.

And then they announced that Jillian would be the next Bachelorette.

I love Jillian.

So I might just have to watch one more season.

But she did say she doesn't want her dad seeing anymore hot tub scenes - so maybe I can watch it guilt-free : )

One more thing...

Paul is so embarrassed that I watch The Bachelor.

A First

Yep.

Noah lost a tooth.

And I don't think I've seen anything cuter than his smile in quite a long time.

The loss of this tooth came as a surprise, at least to me and Paul.  He lost it at his friends, while jumping in the bounce house.  My first thought was that he'd knocked it out.  But it turns out he'd told Paul a few days earlier that it was loose.  Paul didn't believe him.

The toothfairy came that night.

Noah was very excited about the "100 cents" she left him.

 

Stay tuned...the next tooth is already loose.

Shout Out

To my Rochester Girls...

(specifically Steph, Jo, Jess, Shell, Carls)

You know why!

(What?  You haven't seen "What Happens in Vegas"?)

Thanks for being the best friends a girl could ask for - and filling in for those (many) times when my husband can't be there.

(We BOTH) Love you for it!

Birthdays

Today was the big day, for Paul and for Alex.

Except we did most of our celebrating earlier this week, due to the fact that Paul is on call today.

Noah and I did, however, get up early to make them breakfast in bed.

(okay Alex wasn't really allowed to eat hers in bed, just daddy)

Belgian waffles, whipped cream, strawberries, and Izzes.

Delish.

For Alex, the celebration began on Tuesday with her long awaited 

"Princess Party"

After deliberating for what seemed to me like hours, she decided on her Cinderella dress.

One thing Alex was very specific about was the "muffins"

(i.e. cupcakes)

Chocolate, with pink frosting, and pink hearts.

I did my best to fulfill her wish.

I even went so far as to add pink sprinkles.

Made her day.

(good thing I took the time to make those cupcakes from scratch - the kind with the yummy cream cheese and chocolate chip filling.  cuz at least half of the kids only ate the frosting.  which was also made from scratch, per Paul's request.)

Most pictures of Alex look like this - squinty closed eyes, but look at that happy face!

The Project:

decorating tiaras

(I got Noah a visor)

Alex had the sweetest little look on her face as we sang "Happy Birthday" to her.

Making a wish...

A few of the princesses

(check out Alex's evil eye)

Opening presents was the best - Alex always gives a great reaction.

This was her face every time.

Now add a lot of gasps and squeals from her and you've got the idea.

After the party we let Alex choose where to go for lunch with the family.  She picked Noodles and Company and ate mac and cheese to her hearts content.

For Paul, the celebration began on Monday night, when we dropped the kids off with our friends and enjoyed a nice dinner together.

And even some shopping afterwards.

(I let Paul pick his own presents, it just works better that way)

One more birthday story...

I was asking the kids what they wanted me to write in their dads birthday card.  They both started telling me all the things they love about their dad.  One of Alex's was, "I love when he comes to visit me."

Apparently she's not clear on the fact that he actually lives here.

So 

Happy Birthday 

to an amazing Husband and Father 

and

to our beautiful little girl, who's not so little anymore.

I love you both!

Almost Forgot

Noah wants one of these.

Umm...it's a Hedgehog.

A Hedgehog.

You know, the animal covered with spikes?

He wants one.

For a pet.

Just the idea of a pet, any pet, makes me laugh.

And he asks for a hedgehog.

Which is why this post belongs with my previous post, titled "For Laughs."

Paul and I haven't been able to stop laughing.

Because we are so not getting a hedgehog.

(Or any kind of pet, for that matter - we're holding out for as long as we can.  Maybe we'll get lucky and never have one.)

It all started last week, when Noah checked out a magazine about Hedgehogs at the library.  I didn't think anything of it - he always checks out the animal magazines.  (This is the kid whose favorite show is anything on the Discovery Channel.)

One night, as we were reading the magazine before bed he told me that his friend had recently brought his pet hedgehog to show-and-tell at preschool.

Well, Noah sometimes thinks it's funny to tell crazy stories and see if he can trick us.  So I started laughing and told him I didn't believe him.

Noah promptly burst into tears.

He sobbed on and on about how it was true, Michael really had brought his pet hedgehog to school.

So Paul did a little googling.  I mean is it even legal to have a pet hedgehog?

Turns out it is.

And Noah wants one.

Bad.

He asks (ahem, begs) us pretty much every night.

And for all of our excuses, Noah has a solution.

(He's getting to smart for us.)

ex: 

Us - what about when we go on trips to see Grandma?

Noah - we can take it with us

Us - it can't go on the plane

Noah - so we'll take a roadtrip

Us - I don't want it crawling around the car

Noah - I'll make a special box for it

and so on and so on...

I knew the day would come when our kids started asking for a pet.

I just never thought it would be a hedgehog.

For Laughs

On Valentine's Day, as I was getting ready for my date with Paul, I asked the kids what I should wear.  They ransacked my closet for something red and came out empty-handed.  Then Noah got a brilliant idea.

"I know mom!  You could wear your red swimsuit!"

Yeah.  Me walking around my house in the middle of winter in my red bikini (that does not look as good on me as it once did).

Paul would have been in for quite the Valentine's Day surprise.

Paul's birthday is next weekend.  Same day as Alex's.  Paul is on call though, which pretty much wipes out the three days surrounding his birthday.  So we're celebrating early this year.  But I digress...

Alex is turning 3.  (what???)

Paul is turning 30.  (what???)

As we were discussing this last night Noah chimed in with this cheerful thought:

"Old is here, Dad."

Which I think was pretty clear to him when he came home from his basketball game last night, injured yet again.

Still love ya hon : )

Where did that come from?

At the grocery store today I said, "No" like I was born and raised in Minnesota.  Not sure how that happened.

And that's about as exciting as things get around here these days.

Just in time for Valentine's Day

Naomi's Story

simply click

here

here

and here

(in that order).

And, oh yeah, don't forget your kleenex.

Happy Love Day!

Love

Meet my newest niece...

Naomi Grace Cloward

Don't you just want to kiss her?

I do.  So bad I can hardly stand it.

In fact, the day she was born, I thought (very seriously) about throwing the kids in the van and driving to Utah immediately.  And it wasn't the drive that stopped me.  It was the realization that the last thing my sister needs right now is my 2 crazy kids running through her house.

She's got her hands plenty full right now.

A one-year old and a newborn.

(cuz she's crazy like that).

The story of how Noami came to be a part of my sister's family is amazing.

And it reminded me of a few things...

I believe in the power of prayer.

I believe in friends that are really like family.

I believe I would do anything in the world for my sisters.

I believe Heavenly Father has a plan for all of us, a better one than we could come up with on our own.

And I believe in love, in all its many different forms.

Because that's what it's really all about.

Happy Valentine's Day.

I love you Naomi!

Boredom

We've got the whole afternoon ahead of us...

(and tonight and all day tomorrow)

and nothing to do.

I knew today was the day.

The day to break out the "special markers" my mom bought for the kids (without their knowledge) which she instructed me to save for a day like today.

Aren't moms/grandmas the best?

You should have seen the kids faces when I told them they could color on the glass door.

And then they got busy creating this work of art.

And posing of course.

And I had some fun editing my pictures.

I've never done it before.

Ever.

In my life.

Never used photoshop.

Still haven't.

I just clicked a few buttons in i-photo.

Ta-daaaa!

Today was one of those days

you know...

the kind where you haven't seen your husband/father in 31+ hours.

the kind where you load up the kids at 6pm and head straight for the Wendy's drive-thru.

you can't actually go inside because you're all wearing sweats (or tight fitting pterodactyl pj's if you're Noah.)

the kind where you wished you'd taken a picture of the boy in said pj's bundled up against the sub-zero temperature (think big coat, beanie, mittens...and tight pants on skinny little legs) but you just couldn't handle one more thing at the moment.  So you settle for a good laugh and lock the picture away in your memory (or describe it on your blog so when you forget, it's here to remind you).

the kind where your almost 3-year old makes it across the balance beam all by her-big-girl-self at gymnastics and you've never seen her more proud - and you're right there with her.

the kind where the cuteness of said almost 3-year old has worn off before 11am and you spend the rest of the day doing way too much yelling.

the kind where you do your grocery shopping (alone!) at 9:30pm.  in your pepto-bismol colored sweats. 

the kind where your sister calls you with very exciting news.

the kind where you show up at your good friends house at 9pm cuz you need to borrow something.  and then you talk her ear off for 30 minutes.  and think about how lucky you are to have said friend.

the kind where you come home and eat a chocolate bar with a big glass of milk at 10pm because it's wednesday-treat-day...except you've already had a donut from Kwik Trip and 4 oreos from the cupboard earlier today.

the kind where you snuggle up with your kids to watch American Idol and that cute-little-naughty-little almost 3-year old falls asleep in your lap.

and you realize...it's all worth it

[but maybe not the chocolate bar (?)]

Confessions

Today I heard this little girl singing as she played,

"gives you hell, gives you hell"

Whoops

This little boy is now registered for Kindergarten

(that is if we can get the 4 shots in him that he still needs)

I'm relieved it's only half-day

I didn't like this movie

(please don't kill me)

but for some reason I listen to "What I've Been Looking For"

The Ryan and Sharpay version : )

(the only catchy song from the movie if you ask me)

I read NieNieDialogues

but really, I'm more of a cjane girl

(that's almost sacrilegious)

I don't like country music

and I definitely don't like Taylor Swift.

so why is "Our Song" on my favorite i-tunes playlist right now?

I shouldn't be blogging right now.

or thinking about treats.

 Oh, but I am...