Happy Birthday Jack!

Jack is 3. How did that happen? As I was driving to Monkey Joe's today I realized that Jack has been a part of our family longer than he has not (I'm not counting dating and engaged time here, just married). It hardly seems like he could be turning 3. How do days that often seem to pass so slow quickly add up to years that seem to pass so fast?

We love this little boy so much. He is sweet and funny and full of life. We celebrated his birthday with a trip to Monkey Joe's. Paul took a couple of hours off work around lunchtime and I left Schaeffer and Logan at home with my cousin Lexi. So it was just the three of us for some jumping and sliding fun. We hadn't been to MJ's since before we moved and we had greatly missed it, so when I heard that one was opening in Peoria I was thrilled to tell Jack the good news. Jack had a blast. He opened a few presents and played a little ski ball. Then he got in one jumper and never wanted to leave. He was so excited that he could finally climb up the slides by himself, he had always been to short before. For a good hour he jumped and climbed and slid in the same jumper and had a great time. Finally when I said it was time to go home he said he wanted to try a different slide,  of course. Since it was his birthday I let him do the really big slide a few times. He said it was scary but kept going back for more with a big smile on his face. 

Birthday Streamers

Birthday Bath in His New Bathtub

Birthday at Monkey Joe's

Anytime Jack was asked how old he was today he would say "2 weeks". I guess that countdown we started 2 weeks ago made an impact...perhaps just not in the expected way. And he sang Happy Birthday to himself many times today. So funny. 

Monday Pictures-Week 36

I nearly forgot it was Monday today. This week has been a long one for these guys. Lots of colds and feeling icky. I actually took them both to prompt care on Saturday afternoon because Logan's breathing wasn't quite right. Logan was wheezy and he had to have chest xrays. He hated those, but apparently the harder they cry the better the xray. Thankfully, the xray looked fine. He was diagnosed with bronchiolitis and we were sent home with a nebulizer and a prescription for an ear infection. Also on Saturday was our big move. Sadly Schaeffer and Logan not only weren't feeling well, but they seemed terrified about all the commotion. Schaeffer screamed a lot that day and had the hardest time taking naps. He clung to whomever was holding him for dear life and cried anytime he was set down. Poor kiddos. They are adjusting though and have started investigating their new home.

 The twins (as well as Jack) LOVE going for car rides in the basement. I LOVE rediscovered toys.

Welcome Home

Packing is bittersweet. First of all it's a lot of work trying to track down all our stuff that's worked it's way throughout my parents house. Second of all it's a lot of work trying to fit it all into diaper boxes which are nice and sturdy but really not very big. We have a few other boxes, but mainly we have a lot of diaper boxes. In fact, I even labeled the boxes that still had diapers in them with the word "diapers" just so people knew that's what was really in there as compared to toys, books, food, etc...So the hard work is part of the bitter I guess, but really it's the fact that this is one of our last or our last day living with my parents. As I load up boxes and marvel at how much stuff we have here I also start to think about what life will be like on our own again. Will we be ok? How will I get by without my parents help? How often will I see my parents after we move out? It has been such a blessing to us to stay here the past 7 months. We are just so grateful for all the ways they have helped us through this transition time and also through the early months of the twins babyhood. Thankfully, this move isn't far and will pretty much land us right in the middle of both of our parents homes. And that's just one of the sweet things. As I pack up I also have been reflecting on what this move means for my family. It completes a nearly year long process of moving our family back to Morton. It's the beginning of our life here where for once we don't have a timeline on things. It's finally time for us to settle in to our life here and our life as a family of five. It's a lot of really good things.

Last night Paul and I went over to the house for the first time as its owners. It was completely empty. A shell of a house just waiting to be filled with a new family and lots of love and tons of memories. I can't even begin to imagine all the love and laughter and memories this new home will hold for us. The place we plan to raise our boys and welcome our friends and family. I'm a little nervous as we embark on this next phase of life. Not really sure why, I guess just maybe part of moving into a new phase of life and being unsure of what all that brings. But really I'm mostly excited for all the possibilities and for all the organizing that needs to be done :) I do love organizing. And for the fenced backyard and the basement rec room and the master bathroom and all those cabinets in the kitchen and the friendly neighborhood and the nearness of family.

Thank you Lord for seeing us through this journey and for working out every detail. Please help us to honor you with all that you have entrusted to us.

Monday Pictures-Week 35

The boys are pretty much the same these days. They are just honing their skills getting ready to say "watch out world, I can stand by myself." They can't do that yet, but I figure it's in their not too distant future. Both of them have figured out how to stand in their beds, Schaeffer in his crib and Logan in his pack n play. Often after naps I find them standing around looking at one another. I've also watched Schaeffer take strolls around his crib (holding on of course) while he waits for me to decide that yes, indeed nap time is over. Sometimes he stands up at the beginning of nap time and doesn't know how to lay back down. One afternoon Paul went up and Schaeffer had his head laid down on the side of the crib and was standing there whimpering, as if saying "Please lay me back down, I'm so tired." Logan has continued to improve on his crawling skills and he also continues to try new methods. If he doesn't like the floor he's on he has started bear crawling, up on his hands and toes. Pictures today were a bit difficult since pretty much none of the kids was feeling super great (can't you tell by Logan's grin?). All three went to bed with fevers of varying degrees. Poor babies (but so snuggly).

Jack has introduced the boys to the foyer and they've been spending a lot of time in there. They like to stand at the piano while Jack pounds on it and push the little tables and chairs around to hear the loud sound they make on the hard floor. They also like to investigate the stairs though they've yet to figure out how to climb them. That too is coming soon, I'm sure.

Easter Buckets

This weekend turned into a mini project weekend. Nicole had found some cute Easter buckets on Etsy and thought perhaps we could make our own instead of buying them from someone. So she found some cute buckets online, I pulled out all my vinyl scraps and we went to town with the Cricut. I expected this to be a fairly quick project and had I stuck with simple designs originally perhaps it would have been. Some buckets took about 10 mintues or less, while others took hours as I cut, applied and then peeled off and started over because it didn't look quite right. I redid Jack's at least three times and I redid Janet and Gregg's three times as well. I finally finished last night and I think I'm pretty happy with the results. Besides these 5 buckets we also did one for Kyle, Kevin & Nicole and Nicole's parents. Now if only I could get the handles on!

3 Year Pictures

I took Jack to get his picture taken on Thursday. I've always taken him to my friend Lindsay who is a photographer, but in an effort to save some money I took him to JCPenney where we have their membership thing. I wasn't too sure how he would do but we talked about it all day and he did some practice smiles for my mom and seemed very excited for the whole thing. I had decided to take along my dad's old John Deere pedal tractor that Jack likes and that was a huge hit with Jack. He was so excited to take his tractor and get to sit on it and ride on it. Between the tractor and the promise of an escalator ride if he did a good job, Jack was highly motivated. He did so great. He listened and was polite and gave his best effort at smiling normal and looking at the camera. And we ended up with some pretty cute stuff.

It's Almost Here

Have I mentioned how excited I am that we get the keys to our new house a week from tonight?!

Guess Where We Spent The Morning?

In the ER. And not for one of the kids either. My poor husband has taken on a lot of stress in the past year and perhaps it has affected him physically. Paul has been complaining of his chest tightening up/chest pains on and off for the past few months. I thought after our house officially closed in Palatine that much of the stress had passed and with it his chest pains. But over the weekend they came back and have been hanging around for a few days off and on. So finally this morning after tossing and turning all night I took him to the ER to be checked out. We are not doctor people. It takes a lot for us to think we need to be looked at, mostly because we don't want to look foolish for thinking there is something wrong when there is not. The fact that Paul was even considering seeing a doctor told me that perhaps this was a good idea. There was no wait at the hospital which was great since we had the kids with us. Once they started running test I left with the kids since they were getting tired and antsy. Paul texted about an hour and a half later telling me I could come back. Thankfully, all the test showed that he is healthy and his heart looks great. The doctors aren't entirely sure what is causing his pain but said it could be a lot of things. They tested for the big things-heart, blood clots and who knows what else. So thankfully it doesn't look like anything major, but of course now Paul feels silly for going. But honestly, I'm glad he did cause know at least we know. And tonight when I go to sleep I don't have to worry that I'll wake up to him having a heart attack. So was a morning in the ER and a few tests worth the peace of mind even if we felt silly for being worried? Absolutely! I can't tell you how many scenarios ran through my mind between last night and this morning of what could be wrong with him and how scary those thoughts were. So Paul, when you read this, thank you for feeling silly, and for getting an IV even if it was just so they could tell you you are healthy. Cause really, isn't that the news we wanted most?

Monday Pictures-Week 34

I have two pros on my hands. The boys have both gotten so good at pulling up on things and both are taking slow but steady steps with their push toy and around whatever item they've chosen to help support their standing/walking efforts. They have both been a bit fussy this week, I think mostly due to colds, so there has been a lot of snuggle time in the rocking chair. Sometimes with one but often with both, one on each side. I enjoy their snuggles but it makes for even more unproductive days and the fussiness really wears on me and in turn I've been a fairly "fussy" mom this past week. The only really new thing I can think of from last week is that Logan began to crawl "correctly". He still reverts to his inchworm ways but his actual crawling abilities are improving and he has gone significant distances the "correct" way. It's only a matter of time before he figures out just how much faster this way can be.

putting their heads together

Oh and one funny story from the weekend. Often the boys take toys away from each other or use each other to pull up on or crawl over. One afternoon Schaeffer was laying on the floor playing with a toy and Logan came over and tried to take it away. Schaeffer wouldn't give it up so Logan grabbed a toy that was nearby and put in on Schaeffer's chest/head. Schaeffer started playing with the new toy and Logan got the toy he wanted. Smart kid, huh. You think he knew what he was doing?

Monday Pictures-Week 33

The boys these days are exhausting! So far gone are the days of sitting in one place and being content. Schaeffer is crawling his way all over the house. He loves to venture into places he doesn't belong like my parents bedroom, the office and even the laundry room. You can just see in his eyes that he's roaming around looking for something to put in his mouth. Anything paper is a prime target. I imagine it won't be long before he discovers the stairs and starts trying to ascend them. Schaeffer is also continuing to practice pulling up and standing. He has started to very tentatively take a few steps with the push toy or around other things he's using to support himself. I can tell that he is getting stronger and more stable. Lord help us when he starts walking. 

Logan too, has been doing a lot of practice pulling up and standing. He is probably better at pulling up than Schaeffer though he hasn't really started taking any steps. He stands at the activity table for very long stretches  and can use just about anything to pull himself up. He has picked up on this skill quickly and as with Schaeffer, Lord help us when he starts walking. Logan also does some exploring but usually it's with Schaeffer, not so much on his own. Although he does really enjoy slapping the ground with his hand and hearing the different sounds that different surfaces make. Sadly Logan has a bit of separation anxiety and frequently melts down when I leave the room.

Jack's Life These Days

Life in Jack's world is quite exciting these days. He is growing up right before our eyes. There are days that he pushes me to my breaking point with whining and tantrums and his wild crazy ways, but there are also so many moments of sweetness from him. And the things that come out of his mouth are constantly cracking me up. Sometimes when I ask him a question he puts one arm across his chest and puts his index finger form his other hand up to his lips. Then he taps his lips, rolls his eyes up high and says "thhiinking". Makes me giggle every time. Other times when he's working to accomplish a task and it doesn't go as he planned he'll say "That's not quite right". And he's so very serious and matter of fact about it. He's also started giving impromptu kisses to me (which I love). One of Jack's latest interests is Paul's iPod touch. He's been playing with it for about 2 weeks and we are amazed at how good he is at not only navigating around but playing a variety of different games. We've put a lot of learning games on there for him and he's actually been learning letters pretty well. He's not too bad at Angry Birds either.

Jack has also been working really hard at potty training. Some days he has no accidents, other days he has 5 or 6. Along with the potty training he's been practicing a lot at dressing himself. In the past week he has become pretty good at this and can do undies, pants, shirt, coat and boots himself. Can't guarantee things aren't backwards, upside down or crooked, but they're on. I've been trying really hard to let go of some of my perfectionist ways and not stress over his clothes being on correctly or his waist band being situated just right.  We've gone several places with his coat on upside down, the hood flapping around his butt with each step. I just mentally tell people as we walk by that I didn't put the coat on, Jack did! :-) He loves to do all of these things by himself, without help. He also loves to put things in his pockets. He keeps all sorts of things in his pockets like his hands, rocks, phones, iPods and especially money.

Another thing that has struck me about Jack recently is his imagination. It is really starting to take hold and I love it. The other day we hid under the covers in the bed so the sweepers wouldn't get us. And often he puts on his gloves and boots so he can go to work. Then he walks down the hall to my parents room where one of those spring loaded bouncy horses lives. Apparently, Jack's job is to take care of the horse. He feeds it, rides it and pets it and if he forgets to put his gloves on and picks up the "food" for the horse he has to make sure to brush his hands off because they get dirty.

So while Jack is indeed a handful of an energetic, rambunctious, loud and not so gentle almost 3 year old he is also incredibly sweet, funny, smart and loving. Above all these things I've mentioned the thing he spends the most time doing is loving on and playing with his brothers. I know he will be thrilled when they can finally play with him how he wants to play, but for now I just pray that they survive babyhood without any major mishaps thanks to their big brother.