Ghosts!

On this Friday morning after a week of sick kids, I am feeling sick now.  I have been trying to entertain the boys with the basics: wooden blocks, play-doh, cartoons, and snacks.  They just want to go outside, but I just want to go to bed. Needless to say, none of us are getting what we want. HAHA But I would consider us all troopers. :)

Well, John was running around the basement when all the sudden he stopped stiff.  He looked at me and said, "MOM!! A SCARY GHOST!!! LOOK, IN STEVIE'S ROOM!" I responded, "John, there are NO ghosts here, I promise." Then, he said, "Yeeaaaa! Mom, look! Pink, with sparkles! There she is! Her name is Sunshine!! AND she is eating your carrots!" 

I couldn't help but chuckle. 
A scary ghost : pink with sparkles, named Sunshine and eating carrots..... HA 

But, the fear was very real.  I checked the closet for any signs of ghosts, We put a carrot in the closet in case Sunshine came back, then we shut the door.  John is now wearing a blanket as a cape in case he has to make a "quick escape"  
How can you not LOVE these imagination games.... :)

Our little CATERPILLAR

I just got a phone call from St. Ambrose's preschool- John has been accepted and will be in their Tuesday/Thursday class starting September 2012!!!!  I am so excited for him, I really am.... but that call was a bit stomach turning.  Oh, the thought of a child in school.... where has time gone?

His schedule will look like this:

9-9:25: Arrival, Welcome, Choice Time/Clean-up
9:25-9:40: Attendance, Calendar, Weather, Prayer
9:40-10:00: Bathroom, Hand Washing, Snack Time
10-10:25: Show & Share and Letter of the Week
10:25-11:00:  Bathroom Breaks, Hand Washing (getting ready to go outside- dressing 20 kids!)
11-11:20: Outside Time or Large Muscle Room
11:20-11:40: VIP (very important preschooler) and Prayer Bear
11:40-12:40: Lunch
12:40-1:00: Outside Time or Large Muscle Room
1-1:20: Large Group and Teacher Directed Activities
1:20-1:50: Project Time and Learning Centers
1:50-2:00: Group Time and Mystery Reader- dismissal!

It will be a long day for us both, but it will be so much fun for John! I can't wait for all of his stories and the big running hugs when I come to pick him up at 2! :) I'm excited for you John- you school career awaits!!

Stephen Loves to PLAY PLAY PLAY!

Stephen has so many toys he just loves! There are four toys we could not get through the day with out. :)
1. Books, specifically books with dogs or animals in them. He likes to kiss and hug the animals on the pages.
2. Legos- (duplos)  He will build and "broke" the towers he makes for hours!  When he makes a tower he is proud of (all of them!) :) he will carry it over to me and say, "HA HA!"
3. Wooden train tracks- He likes to line up all of the little train cars on the tracks and say, "choo choo" and "ready, GO!" and then he will try to push them around the track he built. Nine times out of ten they all tip over off the track and he will start all over again lining them up with a smile. 
4. Bup!  We could not make it through the day with out Bup, his puppy.  Well, it isn't one specific puppy he needs but he just needs A puppy! Big, small... just a puppy. :)

You are so sweet Stephen, Daddy and I love to watch you play and be so content while you are learning and discovering. XO

John and Counting

John is really good with his numbers! He can count to 10 easily and with a little hiccup around 16, he can get to 20! :)  It has been fun for us to watch him explore counting and numbers while applying it to daily life. ...
Everything he counts is "2" ....
John, what time is it? 2 in the noon.
John, this is your 5minute warning until we are leaving.  2 more minutes mom?! PLEASE! 2 minutes! (Umm, sure John, we can stay 2 minutes instead of 5.)  :)
John, How old am I (mommy)?  2!
John, how tall is daddy? 2!

Last night while we were driving in the car, Ryan and I were talking, Stephen was singing Elmo songs and John was counting.  That's when he piped up and said, Dad! Me have 9 finges!!! 
Ryan and I tried to hold back our laughter, as the fear was high that he was missing a finger!  Ryan said, John, did you remember to count the finger you were counting with?? John: OH! That silly fingy!!  haha!! I DO have 10! 10 fingys!

This morning while I was feeding the boys breakfast, John was not impressed with the almond slivers in his yogurt/granola mixture.  He kept saying, I see nuts in my yo-guy. I would try to skirt the "issue" and I said, boy John, you have a sharp eye!! He looked at me and said, Mom, I have 2 sharp eyes, to see these 2 NUTS!! You have sharp eyes?? SEE! NUTS MOM!!!  Yes, John, there are nuts in your yogurt... you don't need to eat them... :/  LOL

Stephen, the escapee!

It's official! Stephen is officially climbing out of his pack'n'play.  I was hoping this day wasn't going to come until we were in our own house, but it did. 
We bought Stephen some new shoes last week, and he loves them- so much he wanted to even wear them to bed! I let him wear them over his footie pj's, fully intending to take them off once he had fallen asleep. Well, every time I took them off, he would wake up crying until I put them back on.  Since we live in close quarters here, I quickly put them back on for fear his crying would wake John and Ryan (well, Ryan was already up... but my point is that I needed to diffuse the situation immediately!) :)
The next morning, I was up doing some dishes, and Stephen was awake in his p'n'p just singing and talking to himself.  I was going to let him wake up a little and finish the dishes before I went in to get him ... that's when I realized his voice seemed to get quieter and then it was gone.  I thought, maybe he went back to sleep??  So I kept cleaning... then I could hear someone running around upstairs (keep in mind it was about 5:15am at this point) I though, that's weird, Steve is upstairs running around?? Hmm?  DUH! It hit me like a ton of bricks- It was Stephen!!!  I ran upstairs, he was running around looking for Ryan. AHH! I couldn't believe he has crawled out of his crib, climbed up the steps and was upstairs.  Now, every time he wakes up in the night he climbs out of his bed.  I have been sleeping with one eye open (and Ryan just hasn't been sleeping) because we have found him playing in the shower (with no water of course!) at 2am, cleaning up his train tracks at 4:15am, looking for juice (green machine) at 3am etc. 
I am stuck in a rock and a hard place- he is sleeping under the stairs in the "storage" closet (AKA, Alana and Lauren's fort/dress up closet) :) It is big, I can stand in it and walk around, so it was a perfect little room for SJ while we are staying here! :) But, now that he is climbing out, it is a bit dangerous- there is piping, studs, electrical boxes etc.  We have put big blankets around his bed so it will break his fall, IF he does fall...which he hasn't! (the pack'n'plays are so close to the ground, he can actually very easily get out, now that he figured out he CAN get out)  We tried to have the boys sleep together, but Stephen is just to young to understand that John is SLEEPING - don't wake him! Ha, SJ pokes his eyes, lays on him etc... it simply does not work to have a 36 month old and a 20 month old sleep together! LOL
Anyways, it is on to a big bed for him once we move into our new house! :)  When John (14months!) outgrew his crib because he was climbing out we traded my parents our full size bed for Ryan and Jinette to use when they stayed at my parents for 2 of their twin beds.  I think it will be time to pick up that other mattress soon! :)
I can't believe we are on the homestretch of no more cribs!!! I never thought this day would come.  And, I will miss it, but Stephen needs a big boy bed. :)

I'm Yours, Jason Mraz

Super sappy, but truly from my heart....

The song, I'm Yours by Jason Mraz is a song that stirs up so many emotions for me.  When John was a tiny baby, Ryan used to sing this song to him all of the time.  John was a baby that was hard to get to sleep.  I can't even begin to put into words all of the sleepless nights/weeks that we had.  As soon as we would get him to sleep, he would be up again just as Ryan and I had fallen asleep ourselves.  Back to the song, it has so much meaning to me (and Ryan too).  It was almost my rescue anthem.  While I would be desperately rocking John in our Milton apartment, at 3 am watching the Grand Avenue traffic go by, praying (begging) to God that John would stop crying and go to sleep, Ryan would walk into that living room, and quietly say, let me try, you get some sleep.  As much as I wanted to stay up, and rock John, I knew I needed to be at work in the morning and I was so tired!  I would hand off John to Ryan, and John would stop crying as soon as Ryan would start singing, it was amazing the way John would close his eyes and nestle into Ryan's chest. I will never forget laying in bed, falling asleep to the sound of Ryan singing I'm Yours to John as he walked around our apartment.  And, yes that song worked every time- only when sung by daddy.

Today, as I was driving to meet Ryan at St. Ambrose for a tour of their preschool, that song came on the radio - and boy did it pull my heart in all directions!   Oy, talk about water works.  It is so hard to think that our little baby John is going to go to school next year.  I just never imagined this coming, especially during all of those nights Ryan and I took turns rocking John, all night long.  Time really does go way too quickly, and I do still wish for the nights when I could hold him all night or listen to Ryan softly sing to him.  Even though they were very long nights, and I didn't know how we would get to the weekend many of the nights, they are nights that I treasure, dearly.

We are waiting on exciting news right now, but I do need to make it clear, that none of this is official.  Ryan and I have been looking and many, many, many houses in the last month.  We really are quite the critics of houses, which I would consider normal after our last house was just not the house for us!  Long story short, (haha) we were pretty set on a 5 bed/4 bath house in Burnsville.  It was a great house, on a quiet street and move in ready. Our only hang up was the location- it was 40 minutes from 3M, which was just too far to drive if he didn't have too.  That's when Ryan and our realtor found a house that had been on the market about 5 hot minutes! We knew it was going to be the house for us! When we got to the house in Woodbury it really checked all of our boxes; big fenced in yard, 4 bedrooms, 4 bathrooms, close to Ryan's work etc. etc.  We wrote up an offer and submitted it fast as there was a lot of other interest in the home.  It is a short sale, so we won't know if we got it for a while still.  This is why we are getting John all signed up for school... and this is why things are really bitter sweet right now.  I really feel like this is the house for us, and Ryan and I never felt that way about our last home.  We can hardly contain ourselves because we have so much excitement about these next years of our lives as a family.  I know that preschool is next in line, and I know that I am not ready to send him yet, but I know that he is ready and will have an amazing time!  I also know that having extra time to spend with just Stephen will be wonderful too!! Things are always changing as kids grow... it feels like as soon as I get a handle on one thing, 3 other things change.  So, here's to change, it is good change... and that is what I need to remember.
And, for the record, whenever John hears I'm Yours on the radio, he will freeze, no matter what he is doing, just to listen to the song- babies are really listening and remembering even when they are so little. <3

Update: 37 Months and 18 Months

John:
Playing: John has been doing a lot of Lego and block play.  He has been creating some very amazing little worlds out of his wooden building blocks.  There are always many structures involved in each little world he builds- one being 3M, one home, one school, one Target  and what ever else comes to him that day. :) 
John loves to be outside!!  Yesterday Jana had him outside playing outside for over an hour and she had to beg him to come inside for lunch! He is hard to get outside- (he is rarely interested) BUT once he is out, it is game on!! :)
John still loves water play of every kind- He loves baths, loves it when I fill the sink with warm soapy water and a few bottles to fill and dump out. 
He is still enjoying his trampoline, too.  Ryan and I think this summer we are going to get the boys a trampoline for our backyard- they would both bounce all day! :)

Eating: John has been eating much better lately too.  I would say he is eating close to double what he used to and needs much less coaxing and convincing.  He is growing!!  All of the sudden his pants seemed to be 2 inches too short over night! Good thing Grandma Mitty bought him a bunch of new 4T size pants for Christmas. :)  They are a little long, but he will grow right into them in no time.  Favorites? Eggs, oatmeal, pasta with Alfredo sauce, oranges, broccoli, corn, sausages, chicken, strawberries and more.

Sleeping: It is still a process to get John to sleep but one that Ryan and I do enjoy!  He needs quite a bit of time to calm down enough to to sleep.  Ryan reads and sings to him- it is usually a hour process.  However, John has been increasingly harder to wake up!  He for sure got that from the Lais side!! HA


Stephen:
Playing:  Oh the love for animals and puppies is still in full swing!!  He carries them around most of the time- he does have his favorites, but just about any animal will do. :)
Stephen has been playing Legos a bunch lately- he has been building tall towers, some as tall as he is! As it slowly leans to one side and breaks off, Stephen a matter-of-factly says,  oh, broke.
Stephen has been playing trains too- if we set up a track together, he will time up trains on it for a loooonng time and drive them around.   He has been just starting to make sound effects for the trains in the last few days.  I love being home to see this progression.  :)

Eating: I would say that Stephen is a good eater.  :) He has been drinking the Naked Green Machine juice by the gallon!  It is his go-to! haha  He likes most of the food we offer him and will usually try it.  Favorites?  Eggs, pasta, yogurt & granola, potatoes, strawberries, oranges, broccoli, goldfish crackers and more.  He is not a big milk drinker, but we are offering it at meals and usually if he drinks one cup he can have some green machine.

Sleeping: Well, I wish it were going better.  Stephen seems to be having a harder time sleeping in his (closet) room. :/  He wakes up 2-3 times a night, and just wants to be held- almost like he is scared?  He is a very light sleeper!!  So, even though Ryan is super, super quite when he leaves in the morning, he usually wakes up- to the tune of 5am! I could do without that wake up call! :)  I am hoping this wears off soon and he snuggles into his bed a little longer! :)


The usual January cabin fever is in full swing here! I have been catching myself day dreaming of being outside from morning until night- playing in the sandbox and swinging with the boys, drinking lemonade while grilling and no snow gear- just simply shorts and tee shirts! OHH! And the smell of sunscreen- Yummy! ;)  I. C.A.N.N.O.T. W.A.I.T. F.O.R. S.U.M.M.E.R.!!!  :D

Going to College?

Yesterday we were driving in the car to Southdale Mall in search of Stride Rite shoes.  John was watching for us to pass 3M so he could wave to Ryan.  We were not going to be passing 3M, which I was explaining to John-- but he was SURE that we would catch a wave from Ryan. 
Trying to (kind of) change the subject... I asked John where he wants to work when he gets big like daddy.  He immediately responded- 3M!!! I was kind of expecting an answer like this... So I went with it... :)
I started telling him how hard you need to work to get a job at 3M.  How you need to be a kind person to everyone, how you need to eat all your meals, play hard, and then go to pre-school, grade school, high school, AND college!  I was (clearly) trying to give him a bit much to think about so that we could get off topic of not seeing 3M on our way to Southdale.  His response was quick and just what every mom wants to hear (when their child is three) ... "No Collie (college) for me!" 
I asked why was would not be going to college? I said, Auntie Alana and Lauren go to college, Uncle Mark goes to college! Daddy went to college!  His response, "but mom, won't you miss me!  Nope, NO collie.  Me miss my mommy."
That may have worked yesterday in the car- it was very sweet! But, my hope for you and Stephen is that you both go to a great college! :)

Do You Know The Muffin Man?

The songs I have been singing to Stephen at night and nap have been getting a bit old.  Last week I decided to mix it up a bit and try a few new ones.  Well, when I tried the Muffin Man song- it sparked his interest!  So I went with it... And may be taking it too far... but he really really likes it!  It goes something like this:
I start with the original verse:
Do you know the muffin man? The muffin man, the muffin man?  Do you know the muffin man, he lives on Mulberry lane.  Yes, I know the muffin man, the muffin man, the muffin man, he lives on Mulberry lane!
Then, I change it up:
Do you know Uncle Ryan? Uncle Ryan, Uncle Ryan? Do you know Uncle Ryan, he lives in Rochester! Yes, we know Uncle Ryan, Uncle Ryan, Uncle Ryan! Yes, we know Uncle Ryan, he lives in Rochester!
And so on....
Gramma Mitty....Portland Avenue.... (Or, she is a nurse, too! )
Poppa Joe.... Portland Avenue... (he works at Plantra!)
Auntie Kelli... Bloomington...(she is an engineer!)
Auntie Sara..... St. Paul... (she is an engineer!)
Auntie Jinette.... Rochester....(she is a nurse, too!)
Uncle Mark.... St. John's College... (his girlfriend's name is Jill! Or, he is your god-daddy!)
Nana Jana... Arbor Court.... (she is a hockey player!)
Poppa Steve...Arbor Court...(he likes to golf!)
Auntie Lauren..... Ireland..... (she is a rock climber/likes to kayak!)
Auntie Alana.... St. Olaf College... (she is a your god-mommy!)

Anyways, it may sound (very) strange to you, but Stephen loves it and it is a good way for me to tell him little tid-bits about his family! :)  I change it up each line... and add/edit the song to however I need to while he is falling asleep.
Nighty - night!!!

Daddy Withdrawal

We have been home for just over a week, and are still getting over the fact that Ryan has to work.  Well, I am well adjusted to the fact that Ryan needs to work- We have never had so much time off work and school since we started dating 10 years ago... but the boys obviously don't understand.  They want dad to do everything still and when they need to settle for me ...well, they are settling.  :/  I knew it would be a transition back to life with just mom at home.  They wake up in the morning calling for dad, their voices are so sweet, hoping and wishing that dad will come around that cracked door.
John has figured out how to call dad from my phone and did so one day last week.  The conversation went like this:
John: Hi Dad!! Dad, me no like 3M any more!  You coming home now? 
Ryan: John, where is your mom??  Does she know you have the phone?!  (And, YES I am in the background supervising!!)
John: Me miss you.  Me NEED you. 
Ryan: I will be home soon.
Caroline: NO YOU WON'T! DON'T SAY THAT!  IT IS ONLY 8:20AM!
John: Me no like mom.  You coming home now?? 
Caroline: Dad will be home after we play outside, have a snack, play more, eat lunch, and take naps.... it will be a lot of playing before dad gets home.  :)
John: (in a desperate plea...) PLEASE. COME. HOME. DAD.!! WE NEEEEEDDD YOU HERE. 
Ryan: I love you John, you will have fun with Stevie Joe and Mom, build a train set that we can play with when I get home.  Tootles!
John: OoooKkkkay. Tootles.

I think John got hung up on the tootles part.... and he handed the phone to me and went to build a train. :) 

We miss do miss Ryan while he is working... but have gained a different dad this week- it's Steve's first week home RETIRED!!!! :D 

This is the necklace John made for me to wear today!  I have always dreamt of proudly wearing my kids' hand made jewelery... and this necklace made for a bit of a reality check!  HA.  I never thought the necklaces would be made of a saw, a wrench, a hammer, a wagon wheel, a couple wooden number beads, a baby stroller and a bolt.  HAHA,
Thanks John- I love it!

Lais Christmas Celebration... New Year's Day!

We headed to my parents for dinner on New Year's Day...after the boys took 5 hour naps!! Yahoo!

Dinner was yummy! Turkey, ham, BBQ meatballs, mashed potatoes and gravy, corn, stuffing, fruit platter, (and I'm sure I'm forgetting a bunch...?!?) Then, Cecil's Chocolate cake and ice cream for dessert. YUM!

John had missed the iPad while we were gone in AZ...so while the rest of us ate, he iPaded. :/  Poor Gamma...she was running back and forth from the dinning room (eating) to the Kitchen (where John was) every time he had a question or just wanted to show her something.  We did manage to get him to eat in order to open his "presses" (presents)

 Stephen deep in concentration! HA

Yes, my son can do tricks! I am proud... LOL

John and Gamma

Our gift to Gamma and Papa-

They are going to take John to his first movie at the theaters!  John wants to see Alvin and the Chipmunks- DATE NIGHT! :D

 SJ opening my gift from my Godmom, Terri- Gerber goodies and chocolate Santa's ! YUMMY! :) Thanks Terri!!

John un-wrapped this box, and walked away...he thought it was just cereal! LOL

I told him to go back and open the box.... he did, it was a sweater.  In his opinion, better then cereal? Maybe not? HA! 

 It was clearly an opening mess!!

A way cooler remote control car!!! 

This car will be making miles as of 8am tomorrow! ;D

 Wooden beads- gotta keep up on the fine-motor skills!!

 More of an opening frenzie!

Checking out the car again!

It was an evening of fun had by all!! 

Glad Mark and Jill called during dinner- made it feel complete! :)

The boys and Ryan and I were showerd with gifts- and Grandpa Kreuser lives on.... Christmas envelopes were delivered.

Thanks everyone for all the gifts!

Last AZ post... my reflections on our way home

As I sit here on our home from Arizona, both of the little ones are sleeping, Ryan is reading the book he picked up while in AZ (Winning) and I am having  myself a drink and have been looking at all of our pictures.  We will never forget this trip; all of the swimming, stories, playing outside, drives in the car, family shopping trips, Sedona, Beach’s, Christmas and so on……

Stephen and all of his “Puppies” He has been carrying these animals around since Santa brought them.  Oh how the “gear” never lightens….

Ryan, John and Stephen and the Phoenix Zoo. 

We took the boys there one afternoon.  It was crazy busy, but the boys loved running around, climbing the wiggly steps and playing in the Gnome Home.  Yes, I realize I didn’t mention the animals…most seemed to be “sleeping/eating” AKA: most of the exhibits were empty?  But, the boys honestly didn’t notice!

Swimming!!!  We couldn’t get enough!!  We swam in Nana and Papa’s hot tub, Lifetime’s pool, the hot tub at Seven Canyons and the hot tub at the hotel in Sedona.  Enough swimming??  Nope, none of us tired of it! J 

After we finished swimming/showering, john just wanted to make a “nest” and “snuggie” …  Stephen just wanted to be a little elf.  J

More snuggles!! 

Playing outside in the backyard.  We lived outside the whole time!!

Stephen in his Arizona shades – he found them at the park, and instantly became attached… ?? 

 I took the boys to meet Chrissy and her 4 charms at the Phoenix Zoo while Ryan stayed back and did laundry/tidy up. (AKA: smoking a cigar in the hot tub while reading his book.) J haha SO happy he got to have some alone time to relax too!!

.....

Ducks and giraffe watching.  Isabelle was such an angel the whole time.  She played with the kids the entire time.  John and Stephen are just starry-eyed for all of the Beach kids- We will all really miss them while we are home in MN!!

Looking at the HUGE bird… YIKES!! 

Group shot- Love these kids!!!  They make a good group! J

These next three?? This is what life is all about….

 

Stephen’s 9 month sized swimsuit have officially been retired.  They were so tight, but I thought we could get just one more trip out of them… NOPE.  He took them off while in the hot tube and threw them to sea in the big pool.  This is Ryan netting them out of the pool.  :/

Dad and John’s camp!

Our trip rocked!!!

A few of my favorite parts:

~Singing Christmas songs like the Griswold’s while driving through the canyons.

~Our anniversary dinner at Eruo Pizza in Fountain Hills-  we sat out on the patio, enjoyed the evening (all of the 30 minutes we were there!) and chowed our pizza down!

~Ryan and I “getting in the Christmas Spirit” ….shopping for all of the kids gifts, making cookies, decorating the house, fireworks, and staying up late reminiscing about our favorite childhood Christmas memories. 

~All of the snuggles, cuddles, stories and play-doh in the backyard.  We LOVE ARIZONA! 

Thank you again Steve and Jana for putting us up in your Scottsdale home!  We believe we left it as we found it… just a new water heater! Haha!!

Happy Birthday John, New Year, And Time to head to MN

It's our last day in AZ.  We have had such an amazing time- mostly spending time together.  Three meals a day, from sunrise to sunset.  This has been a vacation that we will never forget.  I will hold on to all of our time together as 2012 picks up with speed and there are long days that Ryan and I only see each other in passing. 
Ryan and John are getting the car washed and I am cleaning/packing up the house.  Stephen is eating a snack outside on in the backyard and it smells like cleaning solution around here.  :)  Life is great, our ride will be here in 2 short hours as we make our venture back to the freezing MN cold! 
I know one thing for sure, John and Stephen are thrilled they get to see Gamma and Papa tonight!!!! :)  Hopefully the transition back to Nana and Papas house goes well....John into his bedroom with a huge bed, Stephen into his closet pack'n'play bed ... :)

6:08pm, we will be in flight, can't believe it was three years ago I was laboring at United hospital, as we awaited John Roman's arrival. 
Cheers to 2012!!!!

Are you SURE they are sleeping??

Last night, I took John with me to run a couple errands (fill the gas tank on the car, get snacks for the plane ride, etc.)  As we were driving home we talked all about the stars in the sky and how the moon was out....leading into the fact that it was bedtime when we got home.  That is when it got sticky.  John started asking me question after question about Dan's cows.... Dan is my uncle, he lives in Jordan with his wife and four kids on his farm.  My mom has taken John to visit Dan and his cows a few times this past year.  Anyway, I wasn't sure where the cow questions were coming from; we had seen no cows, not seen Dan in a while, not talked about cows/Dan at all....???  John was so sure that the cows were NOT sleeping that we actually called my mom to ask her.  "Gamma" explained that the cows are all sleeping and that he should go to bed too.  The questions ended...until we got home. 
As he ate his bedtime snack, he erupted with more questions about where they sleep? why they sleep? if Dan puts them to bed? do they eat snacks? Etc. 
It was a long night here!!  But, the questions is, Dan, did you get the cows to sleep?!!!  :)

Birthday letter to John

Happy third birthday John!  We can’t believe you are three!  You are getting so big and handsome. 

We celebrated your birthday early this year since we would be in AZ/MN traveling on your actual birthday.  You have grown and changed so much over this past year.

We had a pretty big change this year with the sale of our home.  Mom and I were both a little worried about how the transition would go since you were so accustomed to your room at Ashland.  You proved our doubts wrong though and did so well with the transition to Nana’s house!  Not once did you complain about missing your old room or house.  I think you are just so excited about being at Nana’s, but also, you are maturing and understanding change as well.  When we moved into Nana’s you even helped with Stephen’s transition.  The first few weeks we were there was not so easy for him, but you stepped right up to the challenge and helped sing him to sleep every night….”Ni ni beef, ni ni beef”  it was so stinkin cute!  Stephen really liked it too as he has really started to look up to you as a big brother.  

Speaking of big brother, you have really taken that role on this year.  Lately, there have been occasions where Stevie has been sad and you have been quick to go over and say, “Ok Stevie? Ok?”  Just tonight, Stephen was a little upset when you had a cookie and he didn’t, and immediately you ran to him and told him it was ok and asked him, “You cookie beef?”  You took his hand and led him into the kitchen to find a cookie.  Mom handed him a small corner piece of a toffee bar and you immediately said, “Too little!  Beef like BIG cookie.” …always looking out for your brother! 

Do the (clap, clap) potty dance!  You asked to start potty training all on your own John!  Mom and I were planning on potty training you on our extended vacation down in AZ, but about a month before heading down you got up one morning and said, “No more diapers!”  And that was that.  Since then, you have been outstanding at potty training and have had minimal accidents.  This is mostly because you wanted to do this – you set your mind to being done with diapers, and have followed through.  Your big thing lately has been wanting to ‘stand up’ while you go.  (Dad has to hold you up so that you can make it in)  Just for the record, you prefer briefs and not tidy whities or boxers! 

Another big thing that has become part of our daily lives is you helping out around the house.  “Self!”  Is often heard, meaning, ‘I want to do this myself!’  You really want to be involved and are curious as to how things are done.  A few of the things you like to do yourself lately have been; getting dressed, helping mom in the kitchen (especially cracking eggs – this is done by counting to three (cracking the egg each time) and then squishing the egg into oblivion with one hand into the fry pan, oy!)  You also like getting into the car and into your car seat, moving the clothes from the washer to the dryer, brushing your teeth, buckling your shoes, and the list goes on.  Mom and I have really enjoyed watching you develop and learn to do so many things.

A few things you enjoy right now.  First, taking care of Sabo.  It has always been your job to take care of sabo over at Nana’s and now that we are staying there you have taken ownership of that job.  Walking him and feeding him and telling him to go to his bed are all your jobs….poor little sabo has gained about 10 lbs since you started feeding him!  (Sabo is supposed to get one scoop and four dog nuggets in one meal…this is usually doubled because you do one scoop for you and one for beef and then usually throw in a few dog biscuits for good measure!)  However, sabo has really enjoyed all the playing outside with you and Stevie.  The second thing you really enjoy and have taken to is technology.  It is so amazing how quick you have picked up on technology that is brand new to the world and that mom and I don’t even fully know how to use.  One such thing is Gamma’s iPad and Papa’s iPhone.  It only took one time and you quickly understood the touch screen technology.  You flip through the apps and find the games you want like there is nothing to it!  You have even purchased a few things…..  Lastly, you have really enjoyed ice skating this winter.  Nana has taken you a few times, and Mom and I went with you as well.  This last time that we went, you brought your new hockey stick and pucks and shot the pucks into the net while on skates! 

We can’t wait for what this next year brings and are so blessed by you each and every day John!  You have a great smile and can brighten up anyone’s day!  Happy third birthday son!

Love Mom and Dad

Christmas Day 2011

John woke up bright and early, and Stephen was up a bunch during the night.  Ryan and I were afraid for how we would all get through the day …

We held John hostage in his room as long as we could.  Eventually, we had him wake-up Stephen and they walked holding hands into the living room to see if Santa came. 

Santa left a note and he ate ½ of the cookies they set out for him.  Obviously, the boys ate the rest of the dried out cookies ;) while I read the note Santa left them; explaining how he has been watching them, giving them things to work on, and encouraging them each on accomplishments they have done this year.  He also explained that the gifts with green wrapping paper are Stephen’s from mom and dad, blue wrapping paper are John’s from mom and dad,  and the red polka dot paper are the one’s Santa brought for them. 

This is when a bit of the fun wore off for John.  I think the excitement was too much??  He was excited as he opened each gift, but then 2 seconds later, he looked at it, said “me no like this” and threw it. :/  Stephen on the other hand was in his element!  He was exclaiming wow! each time he ripped a little paper off his gift, and wanted to play with each gift after he opened it. 

1/2 eaten cookies and Stockings!

Christmas 2011

John kindly leading (still sleeping) Stephen to the gifts. 
It was super sweet!! <3

Stephen loves dogs, specifically Biscuit. 

SJ surveying the site- a dog in each hand, content for now. :)

Ryan reading John his new Mickey book. 

Stockings??  What that?? 

WOW!! COOL!!  (HAHAHA)

 Stephen carefully pulling each gift out. :)

Curious George book!

Yep, TOO TOO TOO much! 

 Stephen holding a beading toy... the bow? Classic!

John helping open his toy. :)

 Uno Moo!! 

John was thrilled he got a gift with COWS involved! ;D

 Ready?? GO!

 After all that, Stephen just wanted his "puppies" (AKA, Animals)

 He even lined them up.  (notice the elephant)

The boys got a bunch of gifts:

John:
Under Armor shirt, Remote Control car, Play-Doh, water toys, finger puppets, Mickey dishes, Uno Moo, plastic animals, books, light up glow toy, Play-Doh fun factory, Jacobs’s ladder, bug catcher, no-mess paint set, flashlight and more.

Stephen:
Under Armor shirt, remote control car, Play-Doh, water toys, finger puppets, Mickey dishes, plastic animals, books, light up toy, no-mess markers, flashlight, a race car set, wooden beading set, and more.

Clearly, they were both very blessed! And, Ryan and I are even more blessed to have them in our lives.  We love you boys, Merry Christmas. 
We had lunch and put the boys down for naps at 12.  I was hoping they would sleep until everyone got to our house at 4.  Ryan and I cleaned the house, got the food ready and showered.  4PM came and went, and both boys were still sleeping! We knew they were exhausted!  SJ woke up a few minutes before people started arriving. 

We had the Beach’s (Conan, Chrissy, Christian, Isabelle, Katie, and Abby), Jackie, William and Lisa Lawler over.  It was a full house of fun!! J  We had a dinner of ham, salad, potato casserole, corn and buns.  Everything turned out prefect- yummy!  Dessert was pumpkin cheesecake and apple pie.  Delish!  We all sat around and chatted, the kids played with their new toys and ended the night by singing Christmas songs on the couch and a blessing before bed.  Simple, great company, memories made- done!

 Auntie Lisa and Stephen

 Ryan and Stephen playing peek-a-boo after dinner

 Lisa giving Isabelle a pedicure....

 and the Patrick boys were very interested

.... hmm, maybe they can give me one! ;D  KIDDING!

 Ryan reading to John

 Isabelle playing with Stephen. 

Thanks Aunt Jackie- the boys love their new Thomas Train set! :)

 John cuddling with Christian. <3 

 He sure looks up to all you Beach kids. 

Singing Christmas carols together followed by a beautiful, very heart-felt blessing from Chrissy to end our Christmas celebration.