Dog Kennel Fun

Time Out & One year olds

We have started giving Eli "time outs" when he chooses not to listen.  I question why we even try because rarely is it sucessful!  Tonight's time out went something like this:

We were playing outside and after being told well over a million times to stay off of our neighbor's driveway Dave decided it was time to put Eli in a time out.  He picked him up & stomped over to our patio area;  placed Eli on the patio facing the house and tells him sternly that he is in a time out for not listening & walks away.  Eli immediately turns his body around.  Pulls off one shoe.  Starts chewing on his shoe.  Then begins to yell "da da shoe! da da shoe!".  He stands up & starts running in circles with one shoe on & one shoe off.  Dave goes back over to Eli, makes him sit facing the wall & tries his best to not laugh while reminding Eli that he is in a time out.  At this point I have my head burried in my arm laughing & Breena is hysterically laughing in the sandbox.  Eli stands up again & yells "shoe, da da!"  When a minute has passed Dave went back over to him, squated down to Eli's level and told him he needs to stay away from the driveway.  Eli turns around, plops his butt on patio & puts himself back in a time out giggling.  **sigh**  Someday he'll get it, right???

School Girl!

Since I'll miss Breena's first day of preschool while I recover from a csection I took some photos today of the outfit she choose for her first day of preschool!  She choose the shirt herself & helped me make the pink flower clip in her hair!  She is also so proud of her pink backpack!

Three Weeks!

Three weeks from right now we will likely be on our way to the hospital to meet this baby! I was convinced that this little man was going to come early but now I am not so sure. He seems pretty cozy in there.  The kids & I have been talking alot about the new baby.  Yesterday Breena & I visited my grandma in the hospital & decided to take a trip up to the OB floor to see the nursery.  There were five babies in there for her to see!  I am not sure how much she understands but it was nice for her to be able to see where she will be meeting her baby brother!  We recently made a "Countdown to Baby Brother" Calender & place a sticker on each day.

Breena thinks that whatever she says through my belly button the baby will hear!  Saturday night she thought that he really needed some stickers!  It was almost time for supper by the time she finished covering me in stickers & instead of taking them off I just put my shirt down & forgot about them.  I had quite the surprise later when my belly was covered in an itchy rash from all these stickers!

Watching a movie together!  I've let the kids snuggle down & watch Barney before nap everyday lately.  I feel so guilty allowing so much tv but I am ready for a break by about noon.  I'm looking forward to a couple of months from now when I have more energy & we can re-establish our routine. 

Playing in the big diaper box!

Reading Eli his favorite book!  Breena knows *most* of the words & Eli chimes in when he can.  So cute to listen too!

 Snuggles after nap.  They really do do this.  It is so sweet.

Lunch

The kids had sandwiches, peas & strawberries for lunch today.  In the process of Eli throwing his food off the table he managed to squish a pea.  Several minutes later Breena started yelling, "Uh Oh Mommy! Eli's pea is melting!"

Checklist

1. Buy Breena's Birthday Gifts
2. Make her birthday party invites & cupcake decorations
3. Purchase Birthday Gifts for Nieces/Nephews Birthdays for months of Oct-Nov
4. Cook and freeze two weeks of meals
5. Pack up maternity clothes that don't fit anymore (most of them!)
6. Start packing hospital bag with baby clothes, blanket & gifts for older two kids
7. Register for Preschool
8. Register for Eli's parent/child class
9. Stock up on toiletries & diapers
10. Wait patiently for four more weeks- NOT GOING TO HAPPEN!!!

Patience has never been my strong point....

Seventeen Months!

Eli is seventeen months old today! In one month when people ask me how old he is I will be forced to say "One & a Half". Time flies around here!  The best word to describe Eli is BUSY!  He is inquisitive, fun, silly, ambitious, & very smart!  He plays hard & at the end of the day loves to cuddle up with a blankie to read a book!

Don't you just LOVE that smile???

Excited

There are no words to adequately describe how excited I am to put another little boy into these arms...

Less than a month left!!!

Breena-isms

*** I was getting dressed for work yesterday & Bree was sitting on the bed watching me.  I sighed as I looked in the mirror***

B: What mommy?

Me: This outfit really makes mommy's butt look big.

B (jumps off bed & looks in mirror at herself): This makes my butt look tiny, kind of like Eli's!


***A few days ago we had a rough morning at our house.  Eli was fussy & being a trouble maker.  After pulling him off the couch for the hundreth time I started to laugh at how awful the day had been***

B:  What are you laughing at?

Me: My life.  My whole life.

B: Hahahahahahahaha....I am laughing at my whole life too.


***We were playing doctor.  Breena using her ear/nose/throat tool thing (not sure what its called) to "look at the baby" through my belly button***

B: Mommy, you have an owie but bite on your tummy!

Me: What?
B: (points to my lower belly) Right there!

Me: (go grab a mirror to look. horrified to see what i see) Breena! That is a stretch mark!

B: (lifts up her shirt) I don't have any of those smetches marks

Rub it in kid. You have a tiny butt & stretch mark free tummy.  Way to make bloated mama feel good about herself!  Haha!

DQ

We had a nice relaxing day at home with our kids today.  Eli is feeling a little under the weather but still enjoyed playing in the pool this afternoon.  And Breena was a gem all day.  We like to treat them (especially her) for good behavior so tonight after supper we took the kids to DQ for an ice cream cone.  I so regret leaving the house without my camera.  We ordered each kid a "preschool" sized cone & Dave & I ordered cones as well.  We sat in the grass outside of DQ to enjoy our treat.  But it was hot out.  And we couldn't keep up with our melting cones!  Eli was covered in vanilla ice cream from head to toe.  A few times he dropped his cone in the grass & before we could grab it away he took a huge bite of grassy ice cream.  It doesn't help that he bites the bottom of the cone before licking the top either!  Breena had chocolate ice cream running down her legs.  Her face was also smeared in chocolate from her chin to her eye brows!  Even Dave had drips of ice cream on his legs & I had it running down my forearm. We were quite the sight at DQ!  It's been a while since I've laughed that hard- especially at how disfunctional we must of appeared to the other DQ patrons!  We were a sticky mess.  But it was worth it!  The kids enjoyed themselves & we did too.  It was a perfect way to end a beautiful Saturday!

Nesting & Other Random Things

Perhaps the best & worst thing about entering into the last month of pregnancy is nesting.  That nesting instinct has found me once again.  I can't even tell you how many times I've reorganized the baby's things in the past week!  It's simple things- like one blanket being in the stack the wrong way- that throws me off & I have to refold the hold stack.  I have suddenly felt a strong urge to cook & freeze meals as well.  Since Sunday I have cooked & frozen: 6 pounds of ground beef, shepard's pie, 2 tatortot hotdishes, &  shredded bbq chicken for sandwiches.  I spend $191 on groceries today stocking up on our normal week's meals plus ingridients for more freezer meals.  Left for the week: cook turkey breast for sandwiches (usually get 4 meals!), taco meat (several pounds, we are taco eaters), & perhaps a new enchilada recipe I found.  I would love any other ideas you might have for meals that are easy & freeze well!  Leave a comment or email me if you have any recipes to share :)

Having the realtor come last week was beneficial because it forced me to clean things that I don't do regularly.  My closets for example are fairly neat & kitchen cupboards are as well.  My goal is to keep those areas neat until my due date so if the little dude comes early (like Eli) I won't feel so much pressure to clean!  Daily picking up & weekly deep clean should be enough to keep the house decent for baby's arrival. 

It's finally been a decent few days weather wise.  The kids & I have been outside without feeling like we were going to melt.  We had a playdate with a friend yesterday at a park & went out to "old mcdonalds" for lunch.  And today we went to a park to feed the ducks & played in our backyard.  We are definately enjoying the cooler weather.  Dave's been helping with VBS at church every night this week which has left the kids & I alone without daddy in the evenings.  Tonight is the last night & we are looking forward to a quiet weekend & calm week next week!





 

Birth Songs

When Breena was born I had the song "I saw God Today" by George Strait stuck in my head.  It was replaying the entire time in my head- from when we drove to the hospital to the moment I held her for the first time.  For months I would cry when it came on the radio and even today I feel a lump in throat when I hear the song.  I guess it takes me back to that day- the rollercoaster of emotions and pure joy I felt the day Breena came into my life.

When I went into labor with Eli we had John Denver playing in the car.  Breena had just learned to talk & she would sing along to the lyrics "Sunshine on my shoulders makes me happy".  It was so sweet.  I distintly remember driving home from church after my water had broken listening to her sing.  Dave & I were nervous & anxious.  But Breena didn't have a clue what was happening & happily sang along to the music.  While I was laying on the csection table waiting to meet my son I played "Sunshine on my shoulders" in my head.  I was feeling pretty ill and it definately helped keep me calm.  Inevitably that song always reminds me of the day I met sweet Eli. 

I wonder what song will remind me of the new little guy!  Currently in the van we have been playing Michael Jackson- specifically "Beat It" & "Thriller" (per Bree's requests).  I sincerely hope that "beat it, beat it, no one wants to be defeated" isn't this little one's birth song!?!

Preschool

I received a call today that there is an opening at the preschool I was hoping to get Breena into this fall.  It is a t/th class from 9-11:30am.  I am so excited for her to start because I really think she is ready & she will love it.  On the flip side, I am feeling so emotional about letting my sweet baby girl go off on her own I am about to melt into a puddle of tears.  It's probably a good thing that I will be confined to a hospital bed on her first day & Dave will be taking her.  If I had to do it I probably wouldn't let go of her hand.  I feel like I blinked and this drooling baby girl

turned into this beautiful & intelligent two year old.

I selfishly want to keep home with me forever.  I love all my kids dearly.  But Breena was my first baby.  She made me a mommy.  And for the first time I have to let her spread her wings and fly by herself.  I know she'll soar.  This will be a great adventure for her & we wouldn't be sending her to preschool if we didn't think she would absolutely love it.  But for as for a nearly eight month pregnant mother's heart- it aches to see her growing up.