O, the things that are to come!!!!

I honestly have no idea where time has gone.  We have been a busy little family.  I don't even know when my last post was, and I am currently far too lazy to go back and look.  

I'm going to try HARD to be better about blogging more regularly.  This is supposed to be a journal for my family, and I've been really slacking.  I have a ton of pictures on my crappy camera waiting to be posted and have clever postings written to go with them.  I'll get there.  

I'm hoping the fact that my new camera is on it's way will help the situation a little.  That's right, I took the plunge and spent more than I ever thought I would and bought myself a new camera.  Let me tell you people, I.  CAN'T.  WAIT.  FOR.  IT.  TO.  GET.  HERE.  

Once I get it, you may see some picture overload, but I am beyond excited.  It should be here this week.  when it gets here, I will put my memory card into it and upload pictures and write those clever posts and update ya'll on where we've been for the past month.  Wait for it people.  It'll be good. 

With the girls

Last weekend I went on one of my annual girls' weekends.  It was awesome.  I got to spend some time with some great girls.  We shopped, we saw a play, we ate, we laughed, we shopped some more and we laughed some more.  It's always so refreshing to have a weekend of girl time and girl talk.  I love going, but I also love coming home to kids who missed me.  

I know I've said it 5000 times, but our lives are BUSY.  But beginning in November life gets extra crazy.  It's hunting season and the holidays. That's why the middle/end of October is the perfect time for a girls weekend.  I get in one last weekend before it's all about hunting and the holidays.  

A rarity

Today was one of the rare Sundays at home for our little family.  EVERY weekend it seems like we have something we have to do, somewhere we have to be, someone we need to see.  We talked yesterday about when we'll finish some of the outdoor projects we have left to do this fall and realized that we have something planned EVERY WEEKEND FROM NOW UNTIL CHRISTMAS!  It's ridiculous how busy our lives are and our kids aren't even in school yet.  I can't even imagine what it's going to be like when they become involved in activities of their own. 

Mike was on call this weekend, so we were kind of stuck at home.  Happily stuck at home.  It's Sunday afternoon, 3:00, and he just went on his first call for the weekend.  He worked a few scheduled hours yesterday, but we filled that time by hanging out with Amazih and going to Target and Sam's Club.  Mike was able to squeeze in a few hours of unsuccessful bow hunting last night while Amazih and the boys and I watched a movie we picked up at a Redbox yesterday(which by the way was FREE, thanks to my cousin Tammy hooking me up with some codes to use). 

We spent the better part of today scratching things off our to-do list.  Our apple trees are extremely bountiful this year, so I whipped up some applesauce and apple crisp to make the house smell good this afternoon.  I had time to put away all of the boys' summer clothes, and clothes that are too small, and refill their closet and drawers with fresh, cold-weather digs. 

We also wasted precious time watching the ridiculous Minnesota Vikings game.  

By the looks of our house, you'd never know we were home all day. It's a mess.  BUT, we got things done.  A little tidying up and we'll be good to go for another busy week ahead.  

I'm off to prepare cheesy potatoes and grill pork chops for supper.  I hope you had a pleasant, lazy or not-so-lazy Sunday.  Enjoy your week. 

Back to School

We have officially had our last, first day of school without any kids in school.  Weird.  Next fall, Kayden will go to Kindergarten.  Things will change.  Life will get busier.  We'll have to think twice before we do things during the week that might last a little later into the evening because it's a "school night".  

Kayden started his last year of preschool last Thursday (I did take a picture, but my camera is crap, so I'll have to add it later).  He is going to school on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 12:00 to 2:30.  My wonderful new employer has worked it out so that I can leave work to pick him up at daycare, and take him to school, then return to work.  After school he rides the BUS to Albany, where Grammy or Papa picks him up, and I head to Albany after work to get him. It's not the most convenient situation, but it works.  

He really likes school, but he LOVES the bus!  I was really nervous about him riding the bus because in my head is still so little, but he did great!  I just know this school year will fly by, and before I know it, I'll have a kindergartner.  It's crazy.  I already get sad, just thinking about sending him off on the first day of school. 

I really don't know??!?!?!?

A few people have questioned my lack of blogging lately.  I really don't have an excuse.  I don't know where time went.  We have been super-duper busy lately.  We have spent the past three weekends at "The Pink House", I started a new job, we've gone to a few of Auntie Amazih's volleyball games, Kayden started school, I'm playing volleyball on Monday nights, Mike is playing football on Wednesday nights, I'm working Thursday nights, and before we know it, it's Friday again.  This weekend, Mike is on call, so we will be home.  My to-do list is already really long.  BUT, I've heard the weather is supposed to be wonderful, so we'll also need to squeeze in some time outside since before we know it, it'll be frigid and snowy out there.  

I'm going to try hard to get back on the blogging train.  I do have a few things I want to write about, so we'll see how it goes.

The Necessities

Our house is for sale.  It has been for a looooong time.  If When we sell it, we will build a new one.  I've been keeping a list of the things my new house will have that our current house doesn't have:

1.  Master bathroom.  I HATE having just one full bath.  I want a bathroom where I can leave my underwear on the floor if I want to and not have to worry about everyone and their brother who might stop by and might use our bathroom seeing it.  

2.  Dishwasher.  By dishwasher I mean the machine.  In this house, I have been the dishwasher for far too long.  It wasn't so bad when it was just Mike and I, but along with my apparent extreme fertility comes and extreme amount of dishes.  

3.  Walk-in closets.  At least in the master bedroom.  I don't think this needs much explaination.  

4. Enough bedrooms so that my boys can each have their own if they want.  I have a feeling, that by the time we actually move, Kayden and Tyler may choose to continue sharing a room since that's all they've ever done.  

5.  A pantry.  My kitchen is a disorganized mess.  

Is there any part of your home you could not live without, or that you would definitely change if you could? 

Funny Friday (on Wednesday)

Remember how I told you my kids are funny?  Well, they've proven it yet again.  This morning Kayden came rushing into our bedroom as soon as he woke up.  In the most excited tone I have heard from him in a long time, he exclaimed, "Mommy!  I grew A LOT while I was sleeping!  I can keep my head on the pillow and my feet can touch the bottom of my bed!"  I love that he can get so excited over something so silly!

Tonight, I had Tyler and Tyson in the bathtub together.  While I was checking texts on my phone as they played, I heard Tyler whisper to Tyson (as he sipped from a cup of bath water), "Ice-in (this is what he calls him), this is my beer.  Don't tell Mommy!"  Flippin hilarious! 

Not nerdy enough

Did you see the huge poster sized photo of my boys rear ends at the top of my blog?  Yup.  Don't know how to fix that.  It's either too big, or too small.  No happy medium.  I know there is a way to fix it, I'm just not smart nerdy enough to figure it out.  If you now how to fix it, lemme know please!!!

A new chapter

I had my first "real" day at my new job today.  I'm working at Little Saints Academy.  For now, I'm just learning how things work, and getting used to things, spending most of my time in the infant room.  From the sounds of things, I will eventually take over the toddler room or the preschool room.  It's kind of being left up to me to decide which I'd prefer. I'm torn.  I really feel like I'd like to spend some time in the toddler room.  Change things up a little.  BUT, I think that, professionally, it would be more beneficial for me to teach preschool.  It would probably look better on my resume if I ever want to get back into classroom teaching.  While on the other hand, my own preschooler has been challenging me, and I really don't want to get burnt out at work, and then come home to him.  It's not fair to him.  I'm not real sure what I'll do.  Time will tell.  For now, I'm going to enjoy this new adventure in life, and take things one day at a time. 

Add one to my list

Go ahead and add another addiction to my list.  Right behind facebook, comes my newest thing:  Pinterest.  Have you checked this out?  OMG--ADDICTING!  It's kind of hard to explain, but you sign up, and then you just search, based on things you like, or people you know (or don't know) who you "follow".  You can even "pin" things that aren't already on the site, but I'm not quite there yet.  I've been pinning things from ideas for crafts for the boys, to things for our new house, to ideas for my new job, to Christmas card ideas, to food, it's awesome!
I'm in love!  Sign up.  Follow me.  I'd love to follow you!!!!

Funny Friday

I have funny kids.  Well, most kids are funny, but I like to think mine are exceptionally funny.  

Last weekend, Kayden and I were driving through Albany.  He spotted a construction-type enclosed trailer in someones yard, and said, in a straight-faced, very serious tone, "Huh, that's funny.  A fish house with ladders on it."  

He IS his father's son.  And his uncles' nephew.  And his grandpa's grandson.  Who thinks of ice fishing in August?  These guys do!

Como Zoo

Last Friday, Mike and I both had the day off, so we decided to take the boys to the zoo.  I had been wanting to get Kayden there this summer, because he LOVES animals and is at the perfect age to enjoy these kinds of things. 

So, we got the boys ready and were out of the house by 9:00 am, and got to the zoo just as it was opening at 10:00.  This was perfect!  We had no trouble finding parking, and headed right in.  The weather was awesome!  We took the double stroller for the two little boys, and Kayden walked.  Let me tell you, he was in HEAVEN!  He could have stood and looked through those glass windows at the gorillas, and bears ALL DAY LONG! 

We saw all of the animals up close, took in a Sparky the Sea Lion show, had lunch, and were back in the truck to head home by about 1:00.  There was enough to do, that we could have spent a lot more time there, but Mike needed to get home to meet my brothers to head to the cabin, and the timing was actually perfect since the boys were getting tired and a little cranky by that time anyway. 

Looking at the fish

Probably telling Tyler some random fact about the fish

Sitting on the big turtle.  This is probably one of the best pictures I have of all three of them together!

The giraffe!  Tyler's favorite!!!!

Kayden said he expected the giraffes to be much taller than the actually are

Good ole' Sparky!

The scene in our back seat approximately 5 minutes after leaving the zoo parking lot :)

Brush Brush Brush!

I realized this morning that I never blogged about Kayden's latest trip to the dentist.  

At his regular check up in July, they found that a "spot" they had been watching on one of his back teeth had turned into a small cavity.  We decided to just fill it before it got any bigger or caused any other problems.  

He did amazing!  They suggested that he go back alone, and if they needed me, they'd come get me.  He headed back without any hesitation, and was back with me within about 20 minutes.  Before he came out, the dentist, Dr. Erin (who I just found out today is Kris Humphries' cousin and gets to go to Kris and Kim's wedding!) came out and said he did awesome!  She said, "if all four year olds did as well as he did, my job would be a piece of cake!".  I was so proud of him!  He was a little annoyed with the fact that his mouth was numb, but otherwise had a great rest of the day!  

Now, to make that his LAST cavity!!!!

qUirKs

I am not an organized person.  Or, at least I wasn't an organized person.  My level of organizational-ness has risen drastically since Kayden was born.  

When we had Kayden I started to become a little anal about certain things.  Not so much in my house, but more, when we leave the house.  I have a strange fear of being away from home with a baby/toddler/preschooler, and needing something that I don't have.  So, my diaper bag is always over-packed.  We never leave home without sippy cups and diapers and some sort of snack.  I need to pack the diaper bag myself.  I don't trust anyone else (usually, not even my hubby)to get everything I might need. 

Another strange quirk I have is when it comes to my stroller.  I HATE it when I go somewhere with a stroller, and everyone thinks, "oh, perfect, you have stroller, so now I no longer have to carry any of my crap, I can just shove it all in your stroller!"  I don't know why, but this just drives me nuts!  

I'm sure I have lots of other weird "quirks", or things that bother me, but wouldn't bother most other people, but those are the two I'm sharing for today.   So, make note people.  Don't put your crap in my stroller ;)

Rite of Passage

If a trip to the ER is a rite of passage for all little boys, then Tyson can check that off his list.  

We came home from a weekend at "The Pink House", and were relaxing in the living room. I was googling, "Why are my baby's fingers peeling?" when I heard the modem for my computer come crashing down off the top shelf.  Tyson had pulled on the cord, and it landed right on his head.  Immediately, his forehead started bleeding with a pretty large cut in it.  We used a rag to get the bleeding to stop.  When we could finally get a good look at it, we couldn't decide if it was a cut, or if it was more of a gouge.  I called Mike's sister Rhonda to ask her for a little advice.  She agreed with Mike saying that if it was a gouge, they wouldn't be able to do anything for it. So, we stuck a Buzz Lightyear bandaid on it, and ate supper.  After supper, I took another look at it, and decided it looked like it was split open or cut.  So, we decided that I'd give him a quick bath and then Tyson and I would head to the ER to have it checked out.  

The wait at the hospital wasn't long, we were checked in, and headed to an exam room.  We waited, saw a nurse or two, entertained the other patients in the neighboring rooms, ate some raisins, read some books, and eventually saw a Physician's Assistant.  They numbed the area, and the PA decided he would be able to glue the cut rather than stitch it.  So, while the nurse and I held him down, the doc did his thing, and we were on our way. 

Tyson was in good spirits the entire time.  He fell asleep on the way home, and slept like a baby ;)

Busy weekend without plans

Our weekend without plans actually ended up to be quite busy, but relaxing at the same time.  Friday was Mike's 31st birthday.  We didn't have much planned.  It just happened that earlier in the week, I won tickets to a Riverbats baseball game.  We had been talking about going, so this worked out perfect.  We decided to take the boys, and we also took my mom.  It went OK.  People often tell me they think I'm crazy for taking all three boys to places like that.  Sometimes I think they're right, but it won't stop me from doing it.  

Ok, back to the story.  The boys didn't really sit still, but luckily, our seats were on the bottom of our section, so their moving around didn't really bother anyone.  They each got a few snacks, walked around a little.  Talked to a few people we knew who happened to be at the same game.  By the 4th inning, I was pretty much ready to go.  Then, I remembered there was fireworks scheduled for after the game.  We decided that in the 7th inning, we'd take the boys to the car, put their pajamas, and get out of the parking lot and drive to another place to watch the fireworks.  This actually worked well.  They got to see the fireworks from inside the truck(where there were no mosquitos), and when they were over we headed home and all three fell asleep in the car.  Perfect.  

Saturday we decided to head to Brainerd to visit Pat and Leah and the girls.  We got there after lunch.  The kids played, we'd had cake for Mike's birthday, Mike and Pat went fishing, the kids played some more, and by bedtime, the kids gave hugs, and we hit the road.  

Sunday morning we got a surprise phone call from Pat.  He asked if Mike would like some help finishing up a painting project he was working on.  Heck yes!  So, Pat and Leah and the girls came over for the day.  Again, the kids played, they swam, they napped, Leah and I had Bloody Mary's, the kids played some more, we had supper, and they headed home. 

It's always fun to watch the kids play together.  Usually, after an entire weekend together, they are fighting by Sunday afternoon. BUT, since we changed up the scenery in the middle of the weekend, this was perfect!!!

Cruisin'

Well, my baby finally figured out this walking stuff.  I was starting to worry a little.  He has been walking along furniture and climbing EVERYTHING for a while now, but finally, over the weekend, he just took off.  He's walking all over the place.  I love to watch him wobble around, arms in the air, walking with "high knees", it's all so stinkin cute!  I wish these precious stages would last longer. 

I had him at the clinic last Friday for his 15 month check up.  All was well and it was one of the fastest well-child checks I've ever been to(I guess things in the clinic move more smoothly in the morning than at 4:30, which is the time I usually took the boys in during the school year). I don't remember his exact stats, but I do know that he was in the 90th percentile for weight, 80 something for his head circumference, and his height, well, he is in the 17th percentile.  Every time I think about this, it makes me giggle a little.  Just short and chubby---I love it!
Oh yes, he has also been adding LOTS of words to his vocabulary!  Lately I've heard him say, puppy, mommy, ball, stuck, up, NO, out, go, Maya, down, nigh-night, bye bye, hi.....the list goes on, and new words are added daily.  It's amazing!

2, not 4!

Tyler turned two on the 21st of May.  Although, if you ask him, he'll tell you he turned four.  

We celebrated with a party on Memorial Day.  

The super cute, slightly sloppy, really yummy baseball cupcakes. 

Opening presents.  This happens to be the free bike I ordered with my Pampers points!

Our attempt at a picture of all five kiddos

Taking a whack at the pinata

Who knew!  There's candy inside that giant baseball we've been hitting with a bat!

The theme was baseball.  We had baseball cupcakes, a baseball pinata, T-ball set up for the kids, and everyone almost everyone wore their favorite baseball or Minnesota Twins apparel.  The weather was great.  It was one of the first warm, sunny days of the season.  Thanks to everyone who helped us celebrate!

Wordless Wednesday

Ah, heck with it!

So, I've decided, to heck with my stupid camera and the fact that for some reason it won't let me download any of my pictures to my computer.  I have so many posts I've wanted to write, but I feel like they need the pictures that go with the events.  Whatever.  Here is a picture-less 4th of July Weekend post:

The 4th of July happens to be Mike's holiday to be on call this year.  It is kind of a bummer, but I'd rather have him on call for this holiday than Christmas.  So, because it was 90ish degrees all weekend, he worked a lot.  My family was at "the pink house", so it was pretty much the boys and I.  

Friday Amazih came to spend the night with us.  Thank God, because after a day spent splashing in the swimming pool, taking in the sunshine, the weather quickly turned yucky!  

We had just cleaned everything up outside and headed in when the wind picked up and the skies got dark.  Within about 15 minutes, the sirens were going off in town, so we headed with all three kids, and two dogs (we were also dog-sitting for my parents) to the basement.  By the time we finally got to the basement, my cousin Tammy, who lives in town, texted me to say the sirens had stopped.  Whatever.  We stayed down there and played for a while.  Getting down there was a lot of work!

Saturday, we spent the day at home, and Sunday, again, we stayed home, except for a quick trip to Sam's Club after Mike got home from work.  

After Sam's Club, we met my parents in St. Joe for burgers at the parish festival.  The kids went on one little ride, and we headed home.  

Monday was the 4th, and thankfully, Mike didn't work at all during the day.  We headed to Tammy and Shawn's to watch the big 4th of July parade, then home for naps and lunch.  The evening was spent outside, grilling and playing.  No fireworks for us this year.  For one thing, I didn't think I'd be able to keep the kids awake long enough, and for another, I didn't want to drive all the way into St. Cloud and go through all the work of finding a spot, etc. only to have one or two or three of the boys be afraid, and it be a totally wasted trip. Maybe next year. 

Top Ten Tuesday

Top Ten reasons/excuses for my lack of blogging:

1.  I have three boys four and under.  

2.  I may be a teacher, but I still work in the summer. 

3.  I have been spending lots of quality time with my three boys four and under doing fun things.

4.  My camera sucks, and it won't let me upload any pictures. Blog posts without pictures=boring!

5.  My computer died. 

6.  I'm busy job hunting.  

7. It's nice outside (sometimes)

8.  I like to shop. 

9. I've been busy visiting all of the new babies my friends and family are having lately.

10.  I have three boys four and under. 

I don't really have an excuse

You would think that since I'm working just three days a week this summer, that I'd have lots of time to blog.  I'm still trying to figure out where the time is going.  We have been really busy, even with me working part-time. 

I've been making some serious Target/Cash Wise/Coborn's runs and doing some serious couponing to save some moolah. 

There was the crazy week where Kayden had swimming lessons every night, and then there has been camping and packing for camping and unpacking from camping. 

The weather around here hasn't been real spectacular.  Summer should be hot, but it has been just, eh.  I'm ready for warm weather, sunshine, swimming pools, splash pads, sprinklers, water guns, you know, the stuff you're supposed to do with your kids when you are a teacher and you have summers off.  

Plans for the rest of this week include, a trip to the Lemonade Fair with my cousin, a trip to the zoo with Leah and the girls, and Susan and Blake, and then another camping trip this weekend, including a trip to the movie theatre to see Cars 2!

Our little "big" boy!

Our "baby" is changing so much every day!  He is saying lots of words, and picking up new ones daily.  He says things like, "mama", "bye bye"(including a little backward wave), "Maya", "Uh oh!", and I know there are lots more, but it's almost 10:00 p.m. and I don't think straight after 9:00.  Sorry.  

He is not walking yet, and has really had little interest in doing so either.  BUT, man, can he climb!  I must have pulled him off the top of the picnic table at least 100 times this weekend!

Just tonight, he found it hilarious to stand next to our end table, and then let go, and giggle at himself standing alone until he fell on his butt.  Then, he'd get up and do it again.  So, maybe walking isn't too far away. I was kind of starting to wonder if I should be concerned about his ears.  Kayden didn't walk until he was 15 months old, but he walked the day after he had tubes put in.  His balance was all messed up because of his ears. Tyson already has tubes, but they haven't been functioning as well as they should, so who knows. 

This new skill reminds me that I need to make sure I get my video camera out soon and get some footage of him scooting on his butt (his preferred method of travel) before he doesn't do it anymore!

'Tis the Season

We had our first real camping adventure of the summer this weekend.  We had our camper out one other time (Memorial Day weekend), but we just went to Mike's aunt and uncle's cabin, and basically just used our camper for "sleeping".  I put this in quotes because there really wasn't a whole lot of sleeping going on with Tyson and I that weekend. 

So, back to this weekend.  

We didn't go far.   Just to a little campground about 25 miles from our house. The weather was, eh, but not terrible. The boys enjoyed lots of outside time, and since they were the only kids there, they weren't lacking attention by any means.  

AND, Tyson slept all night on Friday night, and was up just once on Saturday night.  This is MAJOR progress for him in the camper.  I just hope this continues since we have quite a few weekends of camping planned for this summer, and I'm sure we'll be spending much of our fall in the camper at "The Pink House" (Eric's cabin) since Mike was drawn for a bear license this year.

Now what?

I walked out of St. Mary's School for the last time today as the fourth grade teacher. It was sort of bitter sweet.  

I didn't plan on teaching at St. Mary's forever.  I knew when I was hired, that the position wouldn't last forever.  For a few reasons (mainly financial) I was planning on spending a short time there.  But, I quickly fell in love with my job there.  I got comfortable.  They were good to me.  In the three years I was there I went on maternity leave twice. Never once did my principal complain about it.  

Even though I knew the end of my time there was coming, it was still kind of hard.  Maybe it has become difficult because I don't know what's next.  I am contracted there through August, so I will get paid until then.  I am also working 3ish days a week at Kids Company this summer, so I will be busy.  But, then what?  Will I find a full-time teaching job?  Will I go back to substitute teaching?  Will I go back to working in a childcare center?  Will I find the perfect part-time teaching job?  

At this point, I just have to have faith, and remember that everything happens for a reason.  There is a reason I'm not at St. Mary's anymore. Something will come up.  I may eventually end up back at St. Mary's.  Who knows.  

For now, I will enjoy my summer, continue my job search and say a few prayers. 

Little Fishy

Kayden had his first night of swimming lessons tonight.  It's just a half hour session for four nights.  At first, I thought a half hour wasn't very long, but it was actually perfect.  For me anyway.  Kayden, on the other hand, would have stayed in the water a lot longer.  

He did really well. He knew one of the girls in his class from his ECFE class, so there was some familiarity which is what Kayden usually needs.  He was pretty timid at first, but eventually put his head under the water, and even jumped in.  

We're looking forward to night number two tomorrow!

*Kayden also got his very first sunburn today.  It was about 95 degrees here today, and they spent lots of time outside and in the water at daycare.  Our daycare provider ALWAYS puts sunscreen on the kids (I know this because he has NEVER had sunburn before).  He said she did put it on him, but somehow he ended up with some pretty red shoulders and a red chest.  He hasn't complained about it at all, so hopefully it isn't painful.  I think that if I wouldn't have told him about it, he would have never even known it was there. 

Poor little guy....

Last Wednesday, Tyson had a fever in the afternoon.  I gave him Tylenol, and it came down.  This became the pattern every four to six hours for the next day and a half.  

We decided Thursday night that I would take him to the clinic Friday morning.  We were planning on heading out of town for Memorial Day weekend, and I wanted to make sure his ears were ok before we drove all the way up there to spend the weekend in the camper. 

So, turns out, he had an ear infection, and most likely strep.  So, on anti-biotics he went.  This of course leads to some nights of not-enough-sleep.  I am pretty sure he is getting teeth,  and that is what is causing the ear infection.  He tends to get the infections when he is teething.  So, hopefully the amoxicillan will take care of it, and this teething thing will pass soon!

My little MONSTER!

Happy 2nd birthday to my little Monster, Tyler William! 
We're having chocolate cake with chocolate frosting tonight to celebrate, since his real party isn't until next weekend.  Remember to watch for pictures after the party.  I've got big plans for this one! 
*Also, birth story in progress, will post soon*

Thankful Thursday

This week, I'm thankful for:

~no dental problems for our baby Tyson after a little scare

~a clean bill of health after Tyler's 2-year check-up

~the start of a new summer volleyball season

~a couple of full nights of sleep for Tyson

~healthy kids

~sunshine and beautiful weather

~a great dinner/night out with great friends

Oh, the things they say!

I wanted to take a little time to focus on the things my boys are saying lately.  Tyson is just starting to say words, and he seems to be adding to his vocabulary daily.  Tyler is talking non-stop, and if I can't understand him, I just ask Kayden what he's saying, and he ALWAYS knows.  It's absolutely crazy.  Kayden is into stating facts.  Mostly things about animals.  He's a smarty pants.  

So, here are a few things I've heard from each of the boys in the past week or so....

Kayden:

K:"Daddy, did you know that spiders have more than two eyes?"

D: "They do?  How many do they have?"

K: "64!"

*I proceeded to google this fact to find out if it's true.  It's not.  They usually have seven or eight*

As we left his doctor appointment the other day, a lady pulled out right in front of me, so I honked my horn at her.  Tyler said, clear as day, "What was that noise?" I said, "Mommy beeped the horn." To which he responded, in the most adult voice I've ever heard come out of his mouth, and with a ton of expression and huge eyes, "You did?"

On the way to daycare, the boys always point out all of the animals and things they see.  We see lots of squirrels, turkeys, birdies, and even deer sometimes.  But earlier this week, as we were pointing out the things we saw, Tyler yelled from the back seat, "(insert huge gasp here) a LION!"  Which, of course, brought a huge fight between him and Kayden because Kayden knows that lions only live at the zoo, and in Africa :)

Tyson has been saying words like, 

"Mama"

"Maya" (the dog)

"Bye-Bye"

"Ball" (this was all three of my boys' first word)

"Uh Oh"

Tyson's first trip to the dentist

Yesterday was Tyson's dentist appointment.  You can read more here, but I decided to take him in to have his front tooth looked at since it was coming in a little strange. 

So, we went in, all the ladies smiled and goo-gooed at the handsome baby (apparently a child so young is rare in the dentist office). 

The hygenist took a look in his mouth first.  We laid him on our laps, with his feet on me, and his head on her lap.  She looked with her little mirror tool and said lots of things like, "Hmm.." and "that IS strange" and "oh my gosh, it's soft" and "wow".  As she poked at it, it started to bleed, so she decided to wait for Dr. Erin to take a look.

When the Doctor came over, she poked around a little bit, and came to the conclusion that it was not a tooth.  She said that either something got lodged in his gums (some kind of food), or it was tissue that grew differently and happened to be white. 

At any rate, she removed whatever it was, and we were on our way.  

Whew!  I really thought this was the start of some serious dental problems for the poor little guy. 

Tyson John

My induction with Tyson was scheduled for April 20th.  We were to be at the hospital at 6:00 a.m.  My mom came over the night before to stay with Kayden and Tyler.

We snuck out the door at about 5:30, and headed for the hospital.  

After the whole "check in" process, we were ready to get things started by 7:00. I was surprisingly calm.  They got my IV started, and Mike and I "relaxed" and waited for things to get rolling.  It didn't take long for contractions to start. I knew I was going to get an epidural, so I requested it when I thought the pain was "pretty bad", because I knew (from previous experience) it can take a while for the anesthesiologist to get there even after you request the drugs.  

By the time he got to my room, the contractions were bad.  I remember crying a little, but I don't know if I was crying because of the pain, or because everything was becoming so real.  He ended up having to put the epidural in twice, because the first time he hit a blood vessel(sounds a little scary now, but at the time all I cared about what getting those drugs).  

As with Tyler, within minutes of getting the epidural, baby was ready to come out!  Anyone who has had an epidural knows that it doesn't work instantly.  It usually takes 10 to 15 minutes to start working.  Well, Tyson didn't give me that 10 minutes, because he decided he was coming now!  So, basically, we paid a lot of money for the drugs that I didn't even get to enjoy!  I knew I had to push, but my doctor wasn't in the room yet.  The nurses called him, and he said to tell me to "wait", and he'd be there soon since he was just finishing up a c-section. 
Well, I couldn't wait. 
The on-call doctor made it to my room, and he said that I needed to push now.  *I didn't know it at the time, but the cord was wrapped around Tyson's neck, and his heart rate was dropping, so they wanted him out*

It took about 2 pushes, and he slid right out (I know--that might be TMI for some people, but that's exactly what happened). 

I remember the nurse commenting on how small he was, which was NOT what I expected having given birth to nine and ten pound babies previously. Turns out, he was 7 pounds, 9 ounces and healthy!

Baby went nameless for about an hour after he was born.  We came to the hospital with one girl name, and three boy names.  So, after a little discussion, we came up with Tyson John.  Tyson, because it has become a bit of a tradition to have our kids names include the letter, y, and John because John is Mike's middle name.  

All was going well after Tyson's birth.  He was healthy, our families came to see him, and I was feeling good.  

Except for one thing.  

I had some excessive bleeding going on.  The nurses tried a few different things to get it under control.  They even put me back on pitocin(the drug that makes your uterus contract).  When nothing else worked, they called in the doctor that delivered Tyson (Dr. Stocker), and he decided that he'd do a D and C.  

He explained that he would need to go inside and scrape he remaining parts of placenta out of my uterus, which was what was causing the bleeding.  He said I had two options.  He said I could, either be "put under" for the procedure, or stay awake and he would do it as quickly as he could.  It just depended upon how "tough" I was.  Somehow he convinced me that I could do it without being put under, so that was what we did.  

We had to ask our family to head home for the night (it was already about 8:00 anyway), and Rhonda(Mike's sister) stayed to stay with Tyson in the hospital room.  I didn't really want to send him to the nursery yet, and since she is an RN, I figured he'd be safe with her.  

After everyone was gone, they put me in a wheelchair, and we headed to another room where they performed the procedure.  I won't go into details on this part, but it wasn't fun.  I'll just say that much.  I'm thinking the nurse who told me to squeeze her hand if it hurts might have regretted saying that by the time the procedure was done.  

In the end, it worked.  

Like magic.  

The bleeding stopped.  

I was back in my room, resting for the night within an hour. 

A day and a half later, we were home and the reality of three boys under three and a half hit, and life has been a bit blurry ever since, but I wouldn't change it for the world!

Batter Up!

I have never been real creative, or much of a planner, but for some reason, I am super gung-ho about Tyler's birthday party this year, and I have BIG plans. Maybe it's because of the time of year, and the fact that I am HOPING to be able to have the party outside, like we did for his first birthday, when the weather was BE-YOU-TY-FUL!!!!!!
We're going with a baseball theme this year.  I plan on picking up supplies this weekend, but I already know everything we're going to use to decorate, eat, etc. 

The Plan~

Food:
hot dogs with a variety of toppings (ketchup, mustard, relish, onions, chili, cheese, etc)
popcorn and caramel corn(on tables for munching)
peanuts(also on tables for munching)
nachos
baseball cupcakes (white frosting with the red laces in red frosting)


Decorations:
baseball plates
red, white and blue napkins
white table cloths with red, white and blue accents
baseball balloons
I'm hoping to find a cheap baseball pinata




Miscellaneous:
a baseball and sharpie for guests to sign
bats, balls and tee's outside for the kiddos to play
Twins game on the radio :)
guests have been asked to come in their favorite baseball get-up

Now, let's pray for nice weather, and we should be good to go!

An unexpected 1st dentist appointment

It's no surprise that Tyson has been teething.  

I've been blaming his terrible sleeping habits on "teething" since he was about a week old.  

He has his two bottom front teeth, and one top front tooth.  

(Leah, please excuse my lack of dental terminology)

His second top front tooth is coming in, with a little issue.  Last weekend when I looked in his mouth it looked to me, like he has two teeth coming in where there should only be one.  I had my mother in law, sister in law and mom look at it, and they all agreed that something about it was not right. 

I wish I could post a picture so that ya'll can see what I'm talking about, but you try taking a picture of the inside of a 1 year old's mouth.  Im. poss.  i.  ble.

He had his 12 month doctor appointment on Monday, so I pointed it out to the doctor, and she said too, that it doesn't look normal.  Her thought was to just let it (whatever it is) grow further in, and then deal with it.  

 

Well, I went home, and it was really bothering me.  So, I called Dr. Erin's office(she is Kayden's dentist).  When I told the receptionist what was happening, she said right away, that Dr. Erin would want to see him since there is really no way to tell what is happening without an x-ray.  

So, at just 12 months old, Tyson has his first dentist appointment scheduled for next Tuesday. 

Again, pray for us people. 

What the Hell Wednesday!

This is my version of a "What the Hell Wednesday". 

My "What the Hell" for this week (and last) is this crazy sickness that has been nagging my boys since last Sunday.  

That is one point five weeks ago.  

It started last Sunday night when Kayden work up and threw up.  I figured he was just sick, so he stayed with Grammy instead of going to daycare.  He was pretty much fine all day, so I sent him to daycare on Tuesday.  

Ever since then, Kayden and Tyler have been on a cycle of throwing up, and pooping like crazy every one to three days.  I swear, they seem fine, then allofasudden, one of them barfs. Or has super-duper runny poops.  

I know this might be a little TMI for some of you, but I need to talk write about it. If you don't want to continue reading, I'm not offended.  Besides that, I'll never know whether you read this or not ;)

I thought we were in the clear, then last night after supper, Tyler threw up all over the kitchen floor. 

All three boys were in bed by 8:30, which, for our house, is early.  But, I figured they'd had a rough week with all this sickness going on, so they were just tired. 

11:00, Kayden comes into our room crying, and then "blaaaaaaaaahhhh" (is that the sound a person makes when they throw up?) He threw up all over our white bedroom carpet.  

Cleaned up, and got him back in his bed.  

2:00, he is back in our room, saying he "pooped".  Yep, in his underwear, jammies, bed.  

Cleaned him up and put him in our bed.  

7:00, I called the clinic.  Explained what has  been happening, and the nurse said there is a bug going around that lasts about 5 days, but this sounds like something that is re-occuring, so they should maybe be seen. 

So, my conclusion at this point is to hope to God that they are fine today and tonight.  If there is any more pooping/puking before tomorrow morning, I will take the day off, and we'll head to the clinic. 

Pray for us people. This sucks. 

Long time, no write

This is my quick apology for a lack of posts lately.  I actually have three posts written that are just waiting for me to add pictures.  

Life in the Frericks household has been a little crazy lately.  We have had some sick kids, built a new swingset, celebrated Mother's Day and Papa's(my dad) birthday, among other things. 

So, I'm just letting you know, we are still here, and we are well, just busy.  

This week looks to be shaping up to be just as  busy as the past few. Tyson has his 12 month well child check this afternoon, Wednesday night I have a "purse party" at my mom's shop (let me know if you're interested, I can get you info).  This weekend Mike will be gone fishing and I just agreed to pick up some extra hours at the bowling alley on Saturday, along with city-wide garage sales in Albany, and shopping for Tyler's birthday party, I've got a lot planned! 

I never...

A few things this mommy NEVER does.

I never, ever--

...buy diapers without coupons

...give my kids pop

...buy things (from a store) that aren't on sale

...gave any of my kids juice in a bottle {something I see on Teen Mom, that always urks me!}

...have left my kids with a babysitter that wasn't family or a very close friend

...skip my kids' vaccinations(personal preference)

...sleep through the night

What do you NEVER do??????

Top Ten Tuesday

Top Ten Phrases out of this Mama's mouth daily:

1.  "Uh, Oh! Tyler, do you need to go in your bed?"

2.  "You can go potty by yourself!"

3.  "Yell for me when you're done if you poop"

4.  "Tyler, Puh-lease!"

5.  "Ssshhhhhh!"

6.  "That's too loud, and it hurts my ears"

7.  "Please leave him alone"

8.  "Tyson John!"

9. "Kayden Michael!"

10.  "Tyler William!"

My "Little Surprise"

Today is baby Tyson's first birthday! 

It's hard to believe he's been in our lives for an entire year, while at the same time, it seems like he's always been here.  I don't really remember what our lives were like without him.  

*I'm working on his birth story, and will hopefully post it later this week*

Sooooo....for the next month, I will be the mother of TWO ONE-YEAR OLDS who are NOT TWINS.  

I don't believe there are a ton of people out there who can say that. 

Do you know of anyone?  

I'd LOVE to know them too!

Sooooo...hApPy bIrThDaY tYsOn JoHn!!!!!!!

Top Ten Tuesday

Top Ten....

Reasons this summer will be AWESOME

1.  I only have to work 3 (maybe 4) days a week, and I will almost always be off before 3:00

2.  We will have a new swingset for the boys to play on

3. We get to go camping

4.  We don't have a newborn

5.  We will take the boys to the zoo, and I KNOW they will LOVE it!

6. We will go to at least one of Auntie Mazih's basketball tournaments (maybe even stay in a hotel)

7.  We will spend family time at "The Pink House"

8. Thursday night volleyball

9.  Twins games

10. HOPEFULLY selling our house and starting our new one!!!!!

The beginning of Easter and shopping?

We had a busy, yet relaxed weekend.  Friday night we stayed at home, and everyone(including mommy and daddy) was in bed before 10:00.  

Saturday morning, Eric and Amy and Matt came over for breakfast, then we headed to my cousin Holli's for Easter on my dad's side.  It was a long drive, but we made it work.  We spent some extra time there so that we could put the kids in their pajamas before we headed home. They all fell asleep on the way home, so it worked out perfectly.  

It was a nice, relaxing day.  It was really fun to watch all the great-grandkids play together.  They don't get time together all that often, and they are fairly close in age, and almost all boys!

Sunday we hung out at home, getting a few things done.  Then, after nap time we headed into St. Cloud.  We wanted to get dog food, and planned on shopping for a swing set for the boys.  We walked into the first store, and realized that we would be just browsing, and the dog would have to go hungry until the next day because neither of us brought our wallets :)

So, we spent some time looking at bikes and swing sets, then headed home. 

*Oh yes, and Tyler insisted on looking at all of the "potties" at Mills Fleet Farm.  So, I obliged, in order to avoid a screaming fit.*

Time to put my foot down!

Does it seem like I write about sleep {or a lack thereof} a lot?  Hmm.  Weird.

Well---*NEWSFLASH*---my little kids(#'s 2 and 3) DON'T SLEEP!

Lately, it's been worse than ever:

Tyson will be a year old in just two days {*tear*}. So, naturally, we should be weaning him off of his bottle.  During the day, he does great.  Usually, he has just one, maybe two bottles.  At night, is a different story.  He has a bottle at bed time.  Then, he wakes up at least once, lately, twice, and has a bottle.  

I really need to buckle down, and get this job done. He needs to understand that he will not starve if he doesn't have a bottle at 2:00 a.m.  

So, I've been taking baby steps.  I have been shutting my bedroom door at night.  This way, I don't hear him cry until he's really crying.  Otherwise, I wake up at the first whimper, and I have to listen to him scream until A. I go get him up, or B. he goes back to sleep {insert sarcastic laugh here}

The next step is, to send my kids somewhere (one of their grandparents' houses) and take two nights to let him "cry it out". Yes, I have done this once already.  But then he got sick, and I caved.  So, the rest of this week will be spent working on this sleeping at night/no bottle thing.  By next week, if the problem isn't solved, I'll have to use more drastic measures--like sending my bigger kids to Grammies house.

At my wit's end!

I can't take it anymore. I have this handsome little boy.  Almost 2 years old. He's adorable. He's hilarious.  He's busy.  He's lovable. HE WHINES.  A LOT. 

It's partially mostly my own fault.  You see, he has this loud, obnoxious whine he uses to get what he wants.  I can not stand the sound of it, so I find myself (more often than not) giving him what he wants so that he'll shut the h-e-double hockey sticks up! I know, that sounds mean, and very un-motherly. But, I challenge you to spend a day with the boy.  See how you feel by the end of the day.  

He asks for fruit snacks and juice constantly. If you don't get it for him, he repeats his whiny request 5 bajillion times, until you give in.  

If I'm trying to make supper, or wash dishes, he will put his body between me and the counter and push on my legs or pull on my pants.  

He wakes up in the morning YELLING.  He might call for me quietly once, maybe twice, but then it's a full-on yell.  

It's bad enough that other parents notice when Tyler is missing from daycare, because it's so much quieter.  

Poor Kayden can't get a word in sometimes, because Tyler thinks that sitting in the backseat of my car and talking to me is some sort of competition.  Whenever Kayden is trying to tell me something or ask a question, Tyler feels the need to repeat, "Mommy!" 4,298 times.  It's ridiculous.  

Now, it sounds like I'm complaining, but I'm not.  Really.  I'm not.  It's more of a plea for help. 

So, I called my sister in law this morning. She's been to a class on Love and Logic Parenting.  I asked what I should do, and she gave me some ideas, and I've come up with a plan.  

In my head, I see it working perfectly: 

When the whining or yelling begins, I am going to give a short phrase like, "Yelling hurts my ears", or "Uh oh, no whining please".  Then, I'm going to put him in his crib, and tell him he can come out when he's ready to stop.  When he quits yelling/crying/whining, I will go get him, and give him a hug, and we'll move on with our day.  Hopefully this works. We'll see.  I'll keep you posted.  

By the way:  If you have other suggestions---please share!

Thankful Thursday

I think we're past the icky sickiness.  We've all had it now, except for Mike.  And if he gets it?  Well, he's on his own.  I'm d-o-n-e wiping butts, giving baths, and cleaning up vomit.  Done I tell you.  Now, if only I could get my two-teething babies to sleep through the night, I'd be golden. 

So, after all of the crap we've been hit with this week, I'm thankful for:

**a hubby who is able to clean up vomit without vomiting himself (this can be a struggle for me)

**a Grammy and a Grandpa who made themselves available to take care of sick kids when they couldn't go to daycare

**a fun outing with Leah, Rhonda and the girls at Bounce Depot and La Casita (until the dreaded puking incident, that is)

**an appointment after school today to get my hair did

**a sister-in-law who is willing to pick my boys up from daycare and help watch them so that I can get my hair did, and work tonight

1st conferences!

Monday night I had Kayden's first preschool "conference".  I met with his teacher and we chatted about his progress since September, and where he is at socially, and academically.  The things she told me, were exactly what I expected.  He is quiet at school, but listening.  He knows his numbers, some letters, shapes, and is working hard at writing his name. 
I think it's really funny how he is a completely different kid at school versus at home.  At home he is always talking, and thinks he's in charge. At school, he just sits back and watches everything happen.  I often have parents of my students tell me the same thing about their kids.  My quietest kids in the classroom are the loudest kids at home. 
We are still deciding what we'll do with Kayden next fall as far as preschool.  Right now he is registered for an evening class (much like he did this year), as well as an afternoon class (two days a week).  I would much rather have him go during the day for a number of reasons, but we aren't sure if that will work out since I don't know for sure where I'll be working in the fall.  We'll have to just wait and see. 
Up next for Kayden--swimming lessons!

Is it over yet????

It has been one helluva week around here!

Let's go to the beginning (actually the end of last week).  Mike left Friday night to go fishing with his brother.  The boys and I spent most of Saturday at home.  I wanted to give them some time to relax and play at home, and I wanted to get caught up on some laundry and cleaning. 
Saturday morning I realized that I was out of Tyson's prescribed ear drops.  So, after naptime, we packed up the car (we were heading to my parents to spend the night), and headed to Target.  I was dreading the trip for two reasons: 1.  it was 50 degrees on a Saturday in April in Minnesota.  I knew it was going to be craziness! 2.  I was taking three boys, 4 and under to a store where they were bound to see toys. 
So, I loaded everyone into a cart, and we went in, got the $140 ear drops (don't get me started on the price), headed to the baby aisle because Tyson needed new generic Robeez since Mike lost one of his (which we of course found 2 days later), then to electronics for new ink for my printer, then to the dollar section to get Kayden a $1 prize for going potty by himself ten times, and a $1 prize for Tyler for--I guess I'm not real sure why he got a prize :) Then, we were out the door.
We spent the rest of Saturday afternoon/evening at my parents' house. 
Tyson woke up early Sunday morning, and threw up while I was holding him.  A little weird, but whatever.  He seemed ok, playing like normal, etc. 
A little while later I went to get Tyler out of his bed only to find him covered in vomit.  Again, weird.  He had had a really runny nose, cough etc, so I just figured he had either coughed hard enough that he threw up, or he had gagged on some of the crud that was coming out of his nose.  So, we got them both cleaned up and the rest of the morning went fine. 
Sunday's plan was go to Bounce Depot with Leah, Sydney, Karsyn and Rhonda. So, we picked up Rhonda and headed home to meet Leah and the girls.  The kids played for a little while, then we headed out to lunch.  After lunch, we spent an hour or so at Bounce Depot.  By the end of our hour, Tyler was wanting to be held, and just layed his head on my shoulder.  This is really rare for him, but it was almost 1:30, so I figured he was just tired. 
Wrong. 
As soon as we got out to the entry way to put the kids' shoes and coats on, he threw up all over the floor!  I'll spare you the details, but it was yucky!  I got him cleaned up, and we headed back to my parents' house. 
On the way to my parents' house, I got a call from our daycare provider, saying that there would be no daycare on Monday.  This was fine, because I was figuring I'd have to keep the boys home anyway.  So, I called Mike, and we decided that he'd stay home on Monday. 
Tuesday, daycare was closed again, and the boys were feeling better, but still not eating much, and lots of yucky diahhrea.  They spent the day at Grammy and Grandpa's house. 
By Wednesday evening, Kayden was getting hit.  His temp was right around 100, and his "tummy hurt".  He spent the evening laying on the couch.  By 9:00, he had thrown up the first time, and it was confirmed: I'd be taking today off to stay home with them.

*Thankful Thursday*

This week, I'm thankful for:

{a friend's baby doing well, after a VERY scary start to life}

{time (last week) for an appointment and errands with just Tyler(and the patience to survive the afternoon)}

{one last snow day(hopefully) for the winter last week}

{my big boys being "responsible" enough to play outside the kitchen window by themselves while I make supper}

{a "snow castle" built by Kayden and Daddy}

{the start of Twins season!}

{melting snow}

{enough Pampers rewards points to "buy" Tyler's birthday present}