Great Grandma Miller

This past weekend we all gathered at the nursing home to visit Paul's grandma. We don't visit as often as we should or as often as we'd like to so it was nice to go and it was extra special that everyone was there. Usually we all cram in her half of a shared room and stand around for as long as we can stand it with the cramped space,  high heat, and clingy kids. Jack does pretty good when we visit and warms up to Great Grandma and plays a little and sometimes sings. She likes to tease him and give him a hard time. The twins however, grab on to Paul and I for dear life and freak out if we try to set them down. So visits aren't usually very long and she doesn't usually get to see the kids acting like themselves. This time though, there was no way we'd all fit around her bed, so Nicole asked if she'd get up and come to the front room. She didn't really want to, but she was a good sport about it and got out of bed for a bit. The kids were having a blast running around and looking at the fish tank. They were giving her high fives and interacting with her more. I loved that she got to see everyone acting a little bit more normal and I loved that we had more places to sit and that it wasn't so stinkin hot in the front room. We gathered all the kids up for a picture which pretty much never had a chance or turning out wonderful. But we tried and the results aren't too bad, better than having nothing. You just never know how many more chances we'll have to all get together with her. Somedays it seems like she'll be around forever, and other days it seems she could pass soon. I know what she wants. She misses Grandpa and life in bed isn't all that wonderful. But for now we'll keep visiting her as much as we can and try to bring a little joy into her otherwise not so joyful days. 

My Boys

This picture makes me happy. Despite being hit with this nasty bug we can't get rid of even with multiple rounds of antibiotics, my boys are hanging tough and making me smile. Over the last month or so Schaeffer and Logan's personalities have really started to come through. What's kind of funny, is I think they are opposite of what I used to think they would be. Schaeffer is our funny man. He thinks he is hysterical and he is. His facial expressions are a riot and he has this very mischievous way of cutting his eyes at you, especially if he's doing something he maybe shouldn't be. Right now he says bye bye to everyone whether they are coming, going or staying. He also blows a lot of kisses. No one is exempt from his infectious delight at telling people bye bye and blowing kisses in their direction. He always does it with a huge grin on his face. He reminds me a lot of Jack. Paul and I both remember when Jack went through a phase like this. So while Schaeffer is making people laugh and full of laughter himself, Logan seems like he might be my sensitive child. Not so much that he isn't tough, but he's a hugger and a kisser and a sweet boy. He loves babies right now. The other week he was just the cutest with his cousin Hayden. She was in a bouncy seat at our house and he went over to her and signed "baby". Then I said he could give her a hug and kiss and he leaned over, so gently and hugged her head and gave her a kiss. Then I put him on my lap and put Hayden in his lap so we were all stacked together. He just sat so nice and quiet with his arm around her and his head rested on hers. We just sat there and he loved it and gave her more hugs and more kisses. Then this weekend he saw cousin Mari in her car seat and he signed "baby" and leaned over to give her hugs and kisses. And then there's Jack. What I think I've realized about Jack lately is just what a friend he is...to everyone. I'm not sure there is a soul he's met that he hasn't considered his friend. He has a long way to go in understanding that being a friend is more than just a declaration, but perhaps it's a sign that he's just as friendly as his dad and as social as his mom. These boys are stealing my heart more and more each day which is hard to do when they already stole it 18 months and nearly 4 years ago. 

Spotted Schaeffer

This is hives. I suppose in theory I knew what hives were, but to see them covering my Schaeffer from head to toe was a site I couldn't have imagined. And I'm sure they could even have been worse! These pictures were taken at about his worst. Thankfully, as bad as I think they look, he really seemed very un-bothered by them. I only noticed him scratching a few times over the three days he had them. I guess we don't know for certain but the reigning theory is that amoxicillin is to blame. Thursday morning I woke up at 8:15. That's a problem because Jack has school on Thursdays and we are typically getting coats on at 8:15, not rolling out of bed. So I rushed to get Jack dressed, fed and in the van. I took Schaeffer's last dose of amoxicillin to his room and administered it while he was still in his crib and without even turning the lights on or changing diapers I put Schaeffer and Logan's coats on them in their cribs and whisked them straight to the van. Once buckled I gave them some gogurt and milk and we were off. Jack made it to school in time and as I was unbuckling him at school I noticed a few spots on Schaeffer's face that I thought looked kinda like bug bites. I thought hmm...that's strange I'll ask the doctor about them this morning while we are there for their 18 month well visits. We went straight from school to the doctors office. At this point I had still barely looked at the twins, we were just trying to get everywhere on time. We got settled in our little room at the pediatrician's and started taking off jammies and very full diapers to get on the scale. Logan went first, no issues. Then I got Schaeffer out of the stroller and started taking his clothes off and I said "oh. hmmm. I guess he has hives?" in a very confused voice. The nurse confirmed and I explained that I had no idea how long he'd had them or when they started, this was really my first look at him since I grabbed him out of bed in a rush. I felt kinda silly not knowing that he had hives until then, but I was completely relieved that this discovery was made in the presence of a nurse because had I discovered it at home I would have totally started bawling. After discussing with the nurse and doctor the things Schaeffer had been exposed to that morning it was determined that the final dose of amoxicillin was the most likely cause. Wierd, but whatever. Everyone took an interest in Schaeffer's "spots". Logan poked at them and grinned and Jack asked tons of questions. I tried to explain that the medicine had cause these spots. Jack took that to mean that I spilled medicine on Schaeffer's face and that's what he told people. Thankfully, the spots have almost entirely faded away now and Schaeffer is none the worse for wear. Suppose we'll just be avoiding amoxicillin in the future. Hopefully, those pesky ear infections stay away so we don't need it anyway.

Snow Fun

It finally snowed (for real) and I'm finally blogging about it. Jack was over the moon excited about the snow and we rushed home from school that Thursday to eat a quick lunch and play in it before nap time. Thankfully, Haley was also over the moon excited about it and the two of them played together while Trisha, the twins and I stayed inside and watched.

Saturday morning the snow was still here and we had no plans. So we decided to take Schaeffer and Logan out for their first snow adventure. The snow was really just right for them, not too deep, not too wet. They were able to walk around with relative ease and explore this new white, cold fluffy stuff. Paul showed the boys how they could eat it and Schaeffer really liked that. Logan tried, but it wasn't really his thing. Despite the bundling and the lack of hand usage due to gloves, they did a really great job and had what seemed like at least a decent amount of fun. We took them on sled rides around the yard and slid down slides. It was a very enjoyable morning. I might be wrong but Logan and Schaeffer might have found the most enjoyment out of getting to wear all those funny clothes.

Sunday the sun was out and things were starting to melt. Not wanting to miss a day, Jack begged to play outside before nap time. Paul decided to go out with him and due the the warm sun, the light fluffy snow from Saturday was now very wet. Perfect of course for making a snowman. 

I'm glad we took advantage of the snow while it was here. Who knows how much more we'll get with this crazy winter we've been having. Though I find it hard to believe we won't get any more good snow.

I Have Funny Kids

I think I've said that before, but it's true. My boys are hilarious and I love when I am able to really appreciate these funny moments.

This picture does not do justice for the outfit Logan put together yesterday. I could not get him to cooperate for a cute picture to show off his interesting fashion style. When I went to get him dressed yesterday morning he was very upset that I unbuttoned his jammies and tried to re-button them while I changed his diaper. When I went to take his jammies off the rest of the way and put his shirt on he put up a fight to keep the jammies on. I really could have cared less what he was wearing so I chose to not fight that battle. He stood calmly and let me button his jammies back up and seemed totally fine with leaving his jeans on. After naps I wanted to try a pair of Hayden's shoes on just for sizing. Logan loves shoes and was very happy to wear the pink Toms around for a while and very unhappy when I said he had to take them off. Shortly after taking this picture he had me put a red stocking hat on-that hat really complimented the outfit. 

And here are my goofballs being goofy again. We had the bouncy seat out for Hayden yesterday and this morning Schaeffer decided to give it a try. He climbed in and kicked back to watch a little TV. The look on this face and the way he acted was like he was so happy with himself for finding his own personal recliner. Of course once Logan saw Schaeffer, he too needed to try it out. After Schaeffer got up I saw Logan climbing in. Logan really just thought it was funny while Schaeffer really thought he'd come across something special.

The Friendliest Barber Shop

I should have gone to beauty school. Usually I'm the one coming up with crazy ideas in this family, but Paul had one of his own recently. He thought maybe we could save some money by cutting the boys hair ourselves. He also thought if we want to try we should try now so that if we are really bad at it they will be too young to care. I can't really disagree and in reality I have had this idea myself, but it makes me so nervous. What if we royally screw something up? I guess hair grows back. But still it makes me nervous. Also turns out that if I get around too much freshly cut hair I start sneezing and itching and blowing my nose. So maybe good I didn't go to beauty school, but if I had then I would be a whole lot more comfortable taking on the task of cutting my boys hair. As it is, I didn't do any of the cutting. Paul ordered the supplies for the same price it costs to get the boys cut once. So we really aren't out any money just for even trying once. And Paul did all the cutting. I helped hold some heads still and I handed out treats to keep little ones happy and I tried offering advice. But let's face it, I really have no idea how to cut boys hair, or any hair for that matter. Armed with confidence and the rational thinking that even if he messed up it wasn't a big deal, Paul did all three boys last night. I'd say he did a fair job for his first time. I don't think they look quite as polished as normal and their hair is perhaps still a bit longer than normal, but for his first time he did well. So if you see my kids and you think their hair looks weird, now you know why. We are open to tips and advice from anyone...especially those with knowledge in this department!

Here are some before, after and during shots of the boys.