Well Child Visits

I took the boys for their well-child visits, finally! I have been waiting until we know where we will be living, because I want to find a doctor near our new house- which we hope to hear back on soon, in Woodbury. The boys saw a new doctor at the Allina clinic in Woodbury.

 

Stephen is doing great! His S curve isn't riding the 50% curve any more... he has slimmed out a bit and his height has slowed... He weighed 26LBS. He is about 35% for weight and 25% for height. Our big beefy baby isn't beefy anymore! ;) He did great at everything else. His lead levels are way down from last time (YAHOO!) and his Iron is up (YAHOO!) (we get to stop with the prescription iron supplements.) and he had a few immunizations too. He was a trooper- 2 shots and a blood draw. :/

 

John is doing great, too! John is having the opposite S curve problem then SJ. John was riding the S curve at about 10%-20% but last week, he weighed in at 32LBS and was 30% for weight and 45% for height! That is a very exciting thing for us! His appetite has increased tons since we moved from Ashland! (YAHOO!) John got 3 shots and a blood draw. (His lead levels have gone way down too- YAHOO!)

 

The boys are both doing great in their developments! Not really too much to report- which is a good thing. :)

I am a proud mommy! :)

They both need to see an orthopedist this summer... both for different reasons, but TRIA will be seeing us soon.

Stephen's Singing Career...Needs Help from Aunt Lisa!!

Calling Aunt Lisa Patrick!! ;D

Ryan, John and I sing to Stephen at night to put him to bed. We came up with a simple song that John would be able to sing with us. (Night Night Beef, Night Night Beef, Everybody Goes to Sleep) (Which we have edited to be: Night Night, Stephen, Night Night, Stephen, Everybody Goes to Sleep)

Stephen quickly picked up on the song too. He would sing it with us, (Ni, Ni B! Ni, Ni B!) and it became his song.

Last week, SJ took his song and singing to the next level... Ni! Ni! Daddy!! Ni! Ni! Daddy!! He sings in the highest pitch that there is possible. Ever. And, he rocks his head back and forth while he sings. :) I love his little song.

In the morning, he wakes up, opens his door and comes over to our bed. This is when I tell him it is still night time, because it is! 5:15 is too early for me, and John and it should be too early for Stephen too! HA

He will run back to his bed and I lay him in it. On the rare occasion he will fall back asleep, but usually he will lay in his bed and sing songs. They really don't have specific words, it is just sounds in a high pitch. I love listening to him lay in bed singing to his puppy and other animals he cuddles with at night.

Things that make me smile

* Hot coffee with cream
* Pregnant women
* A clean house
* Open windows
* Hot showers
* Date nights
* Snuggling with the kids
* The feeling after a good workout
* Grilled food
* Martinis
* Seeing Ryan smile
* Christmas Eve mass
* Singing in the car
* Sleeping kids
* Helping someone else
* New cars
* Art projects John and Stephen make
* Airplanes
* Bonfires
* Temperatures between 70 and 90 degrees
* Girlfriends
* My family
* The smell of the boys after a bath (Johnson&Johnson gets me every time!)
* Starbucks
* Family outings
* Arizona
* Apple trees
* Being in the Christmas Spirit
* Weekends
* Homemade popcorn
* Weekends at the cabin
* Skiing (it's been a while, but I do really like it!)
* Christmas songs
* Spring flowers
* Thick, heavy quilts
* Hot chocolate
* A clean windshield
* A can of Coke (However! I have been Coke FREE for just over a month!!!)
* Building blocks with the boys
* Walks in the woods
* Long drives with Ryan
* Dreams of our future
* Disney World
* Sandy beaches
* Nachos
* Reaching a goal
* Coupons
* Leaving Target and spending less then $100
* Pictures of babies
* Long hugs
* Thinking it was Thursday and finding out it is Friday
* Home cooked dinners
* Reading books to John
* Trampolines
* Laundry detergent
* Swimming pools
* Girls night out
* Encouragement
* New socks
* Weddings
* Lemonade stands
* Haircuts
* Columbia zip-ups
* Thinking about my childhood
* Trying something new
* December 28th

I took 10 minutes to see what I would come up with! This made me smile! :D

Thank YOU!

I have been meaning to thank all of my readers for a long time now... Today is the day! :)

I have many reasons to thank everyone who faithfully reads about all of the things going on in our busy hectic lives. First, thank you for your interest in our kids, they are clearly the apples of our eyes, and we are glad that they hold a place in your heart too! Thank you for all of your emails, calls, texts, and comments! I love when I get responses to my posts- it makes them feel so worthwhile. :) And, thank you for being a supporter of my Google Ads, it has provided us with a little extra spending cash here and there- Who doesn't love getting paid for something they love to do!? ;)

I have many very faithful readers as close to us as right upstairs (You know who you are!! haha) and as far away as Australia, Ireland, Canada, Russia, Germany, Qatar, and the list goes on! I do track who is reading (yep, I'm watching you!) (for the safety of the kids...) and it brings such a smile to my face when I see friends from school, my mom's group, relatives near and far, friends of relatives and the list goes on, who faithfully come back and take interest in us. My grandma Glennie who lives in Florida has been so great about reading. I look so forward to all of her emails about what she thinks about each post I write. :) Her support and love she sends so often is very appreciated. The comments you all write, even when short, mean so much- that you took the time to respond to what is happening at our house. Thank you.

I started the blog because I have always admired how my mom kept my baby book up so well. It is something my mom is saving for me- such a treasure! I remember on our birthdays, we would read out of our baby book to the rest of the family. The laughs we got, family bonding time we had and the saved memories... priceless. Jana also did such an amazing job keeping journals of Ryan's childhood- he has volumes! When we got married, Jana gave us his books- we spent many many nights reading his journals cover to cover, (especially while I was on bed rest...forever) laughing so hard, with tears running down our faces. We also love our baby books because they always affirms that our parent did everything, during every waking (or sleeping) moment to be sure we were given every opportunity at the best childhoods/lives possible, all we had to to was start reading. To John's baby book.... I am just not a person to sit down and write (pen and paper). I kept putting it off until tomorrow, or thought, is this event worth taking up this whole page?! And, soon enough, his baby book was very empty, I was pregnant with Stephen and life kept getting crazier. After Stephen was born, after we moved and I settled into the new routine of having absolutely NO routine and really just "winging" life I started to blog. :) It was came pretty easy. I (clearly) am no special
writer, I just (clearly) love my family and want to have record of some things we do and memories I find important. I see the blog as a treasure for the boys and one Ryan and I hold very close to our hearts.

When I post, I am happy to know how many relatives I am able to update at the same time- One other reason I started our blog. When we knew we were pregnant with John, the first person we told was my brother Ryan, he was leaving for a study abroad and Ryan Patrick and I really were torn about him not being here for when we told everyone we were expecting and there was no part of us that could wait until he was home! We (eventually) realized that we would have many of our family traveling a ton during the kids' childhood! Ryan did another study abroad in Ireland, Mark to Italy and Greece, Lauren (for a year (!!) to Ireland, Alana and Mark are away at school (St. Olaf and St. John's), Sara, Kelli, and my parents are working fools! ;) and Jana and Steve do a lot of traveling. So, it was time to have a cover all way to update everyone on our life! :) And, so far it has been a great way for me to reach a lot of people doing something I love- writing about our family.

My brother Mark was a key person in the final decision to start this blog, Mark left for a semester abroad when SJ (his godson) was only a couple months old. I knew Mark would be very busy when he was gone, so I wanted it to make an easy way for him to stay connected to Stephen and our family. This blog was born. I was able to see how often Mark was reading (he was the only person I knew at the time in Italy and Greece) and he was reading a TON! I think he usually checked the blog between 10-20 times a week (I think our most faithful reader to date!)! I loved how consistent he was while away- it meant (and still means) so much to me. Mark called last night (as he does from time to time... when he needs a study break!?) to say thank you for writing the blog. It was so special that he called just to say that he loves it and was laughing out loud while reading it. :) He likes that I put the "real" conversations for the boys and all the pictures. Well, thank you Mark, thank you everyone for reading! Glad you like it!

This year, Lauren has been gone for SO SO long- she is in Ireland for the whole year... (brave girl!!!) and she has been a great reader. I love that she knows what is happening here and when we Skype, she is up to date on life at (our) home.
I know Alana is busy at school too, playing college hockey and having a crazy course load, she is able to sneak in a quick read between classes, or while getting ready to turn in for the night. :)

Anyways, I could go on and on and give shout outs to so many readers, but the boys are ready for me to be done on the "puty" (computer).... thank you! Really, it means so much that you read, support our family, (and support my ads!!) ;)

HAPPY FRIDAY!!!

Ryan, My Super-Husband

This post has very little to do with the fact that I have such a long way to go before I am ever swimsuit ready again, and everything to do with how much support I have from Ryan while trying to be again, someday.  ;)

I had been trying to work out for over a year.  Ryan would help me get everything packed for the gym the night before (put the stroller, diaper bag, snacks for the boys, etc. in the car) and I would spend my days TRYING to work out. Every time I would go it somehow ended in a disaster.  EVERY TIME.  WITH.OUT.FAIL.
I would get there, realize I forgot my shoes or something. (end of work out attempt)
When I remembered everything, I would ALWAYS be paged to the childcare center 20 minutes into my run: CAROLINE PATRICK, REPORT TO THE CHILDCARE IMMEDIATELY! (end of workout)
When I got to the CC, one of them was poopy, had puked, took their clothes off, peed their pants, was LOST etc. (we went home)
OR, if for some reason, I got to finish my work out, the next morning, they both would wake up sick- fevers, runny noses, puking ... you name it.
After really trying to make this work for about 6 weeks. It was the biggest headache.  I was so stressed about the gym, I wasn't getting good workouts in and the boys were not benefiting from the CC.  I called it quits, UNTIL our house sold.
Ryan does understand that making time for me to get to work out is important, and he has been nothing but supportive in any way I have ever asked him to be. Every time.
I came up with a crazy workout plan, and presented it to him to see if he was on board with how much training I wanted to do to get (as close as possible, while still being realistic!) back to my pre-baby self.  It has been consisting of long nights of him home with the boys after working all day.  Oh, and the BIGGIE, it also meant he took this semester off of school!!! 
Ryan has been doing such a wonderful job, I can't stress enough how wonderful it is to go to the gym and be able to put "home-life" on my back burner; not worry about the laundry, who has appointments tomorrow, what phone calls need to be returned etc.  I get to focus on me 4 weeknights a week for what has been turning into 3 hour workouts (not including drive time....) and weekends too --I have been feeling so much more human, been able to clear my mind, and I am loving the time to myself.
Thank you Ryan for being SuperDad and Super Husband!  I don't thank you enough- Thank you for your support, your love and all the long day you put in for me!
You are the best, Pooks! XXOO

Valentine's Day 2012

Ryan and I had a lovely Valentine's day!

Over the weekend, (on Sunday) my parents met Ryan and I and the boys at the MOA.  Ryan and I had some major shopping to do and my parents wanted to take the kids to Lego Land and spend some time with the boys.

Ryan and I are on pins and needles still waiting to see in writing that the house in Woodbury is truly ours.  We are going nutzo! ;) The excitement is eating us alive... in a good way!  Anyways, the house we hope to be living in soon needs ALL new appliances- the last owners took everything but the dishwasher. 
Soooo.... CAN WE SAY A WIFE/MOMMAS/GIRLS dream come true is to get to pick out ALL NEW APPLIANCES?!!  Ok, well, it is surely mine!! I have spent many of hours researching them online, I have been to the stores a couple times to see them in person, read (probably) thousands of reviews, and hunted deals! :) 
We went on Sunday to order them all... Yep, oven/stove, hood, microwave, refrigerator/freezer, disposal, washer, dryer, and water heater.  It was so exciting to pick them out to fit our family, our needs and what we think will work for us for many years to come.  I love them, I think I really do. :)
Ryan was a real trooper, he stood smiling the whole time as I asked all the "dumb" questions, "tried" each one out one last time, and checked online to price match one last time before making final decisions. 

What a Valentine's day! We hope they will be delivered March 24th. Can't wait to use them all!

While Ryan and I were at Sears, my parents had a ball with the boys!  They played at LegoLand for a few hours!! And, when Ryan and I were done and met up with them, both boys were not overly thrilled to see us!
We went and had a little bit of a late lunch at the golden arches and the boys each got an ice cream cone too.  They were both a mess- sticky, tired, and full. :)

John eating his cone! Thanks Gamma! :)



CHEESE! Can we say MESS! ;)


On the actual Valentine's Day...
I was surprised to get a super cute (and of course romantic!) ;) card from Ryan with an arrangement of red roses and other flowers.  That was SO sweet, I thought he had gone way above and beyond at Sears a few days back... I love you Pooks!  You are my best friend, forever and for always - nothing will change that, we make such a great team. 
The boys got Valentine's from Nana and Papa AND a card in the mail from Gamma and Papa.  We are so blessed to have you in our lives. <3

Today was a BIG day!

On this day in history, John started his school career!
He went to visit St. Ambrose 12 days ago and has been back a couple times to drop off forms, pick up paper work etc. and I have had to carry him out of the building each time kicking and crying because he wants to stay and play with his friends, play in the muscle room, sing songs, read books and paaainntt! He has been looking forward to school in the worst way! :) 
He woke up this morning running around the basement very excited, but as the morning went on, the excitement dwindled.  He eat his egg whites, banana and milk as he told me he wanted to stay home with his brother and papa.  : /  He got dressed in his Valentine's outfit of red unders, (haha) red socks, and a red "work shirt" then boys took a few laps of the main level here at home while I taped up John's family picture. (I got a little wallet sized picture of our family, covered it in packing tape (cheapo way to laminate) so he could have his family with him at all times during the day)  As I loaded John up in the car, he was OK going to school.  I fought back the tears the whole way to St. Ambrose- it seemed like such a long drive!!  John called Ryan so Ryan could wish him a great first day of school.  I was surprised at his response when Ryan asked him what he was going to do today, "Me play toys, play with me friends, eat food, sing songs, me read books, lots of things daddy!!!"   As we drove into the parking lot, I went down the mom list, (share, use your manners, remember to go to the bathroom, ask the teachers if you need help....) Then, I said, "John, today I have 2 things I want you to do- 1. Make ONE new friend today.  2. Play with 2 new toys." John was quick to tell me, "Mom! There are lots and lots and lots and lots of friends at school!! AND TOOO many toys! Me play ALL DAY!"  Wonderful- just what I needed to hear! :)
We got to school, and I couldn't wipe his giddy smile off his face! :)  We took a few pictures, and as I went to give him a hug and kiss good-bye, he said, "No time mom! Tooo many toys to play!"
I drove home happy.  I was so excited for him, there is so much to explore and play with, friends to make and relationships to grow, self help skills that will be tested (to the max!) and long naps on school days! :) I am feeling so confident in our decision to send him for the last half of the year. 
When I got home, Papa and Stephen were just coming inside from being outside with Sabo.  SJ and I went downstairs, I cleaned up a bit, did dishes, and made lunch- Stephen played the whole time.  I can't tell you how different it is to only have one kid at home! WOW. I got so much done, I had a lovely lunch with SJ and then we went to walk around the mall and get John new shoes.  It was wonderful to not have to lug a double stroller, gear and a kid under each arm.  (lol- but true!)
We met Ryan at John's school for pick-up.  Ryan was really bummed he couldn't come with for the drop off this morning, but he made it so he had his lunch break at 2 for John's pick-up.  John was so happy to see us! We both got running hugs, kisses, "Me missed you!!" AND a Valentines card from John.  It was great.  Everyone of us felt so happy.  :) 
We got in the car and John ate a half of an apple, a string cheese and passed out. 

John standing at the front welcome desk  (Noah's Ark)
February 14, 2012



Hanging up his bag... clearly we need to get him a backpack still....




John with his teachers-
Ms. Tina, John and Ms. Shannon

 These are the pick-up pictures:

John and his mommy holding the valentine he made for Ryan and I! <3
I just can't get enough of this kid! :)

John and his proud daddy-
It was really special that Ryan came to pick up John at school on his first day.
<3 You are a lucky boy John! <3



I think it is safe to say he liked having the picture of us with him!
He said he played with Stevie at school! :) CUTE.



And this my friends, is what John looked like about 1 minute into our drive home!!!
He was SUPER tired!

Playdate at Tami's

A girlfriend friend of mine just built a dreamy new house in Blaine! I met Tami at ECFE when I had John there, we connected fast- we both had kids the same age, we were adjusting to life as a mom and our living situations were about to change! :) Tami traveled to countries (!!)  with her kids while her house was being built after their town home sold, her hubby stayed here in MN to work and now they are all together living a dream! ;)  Anyways! Another girlfriend, Jackie that I also met at ECFE and I went to Tami's for a play date. 
It was SUPER fun to chat with other moms about life; preschools, potty training, furnishing a home, remodeling (Jackie is about to put a big addition on her house!) etc.  the kids played, had lunch, and decorated cupcakes. 

Nolan, Piper, John, Emma, & Stephen 
(Josh was with his mommy)

Piper squished between the boys! :)

SJ lining up cars



I took this before Tami was ready.... But here is her new kitchen! :D



Stephen and his cupcake with a M&M in his mouth

Emma and her cupcake

Nolan and his cupcake- very proud!! :)



Josh figuring out his cupcake!



John and his cupcake

Thanks Tami for having us over! I love you house and hope to be back again soon! ;)

Just another day ...

in PARADISE! ;)

I woke up (after my nap this morning from 6:40-7:15am... SJ decided to get up at 3:50am!) to an email from Ryan.  Usually 2-3 times a day I get little love notes from Ryan that will pop up in my inbox.  (for sure one of my favorite parts of the day.)  When we started dating waaayy back when, we would write each other love notes, letters of our dreams for the future, and make scavenger hunts for each other all the time.  (I have most of them saved in a big box! They are true treasures.) Anyways, this morning he sent me the lyrics to a song by Phil Vassar, Another Day in Paradise.  I know, this song is a few years old, and I remember when it came out, Ryan and I called each other that day so excited to tell one another that we heard a song written for us!!!  haha! Well, it is still the story of our lives! And, it probably will be for a few years to come- which, even on all the hard days, neither of us would change it for anything! :)

As many of you know, Ryan and I invested in a house that was just not right for us.  It was just not the right set up, location, space anything for what our growing family needed.  Not only that, the house seemed to be haunted- not by ghosts, but by bad luck, maybe? In the first year living there, we had to replace the washer, dryer, garbage disposal, the floor in 3 rooms, deal with a ton of water problems, well... I don't need to go on, or into details, you get the point- we had (and seem to have) bad luck with that kind of stuff!
Since we sold it, we have been staying with Jana and Steve- excited to be safe from our 'disasters' of being homeowners! LOL! Well, we have not been as lucky here either, when we were in AZ, somehow their water heater started leaking and needed to be replaced, and now the day after Jana and Steve left for AZ, their dryer seems to be acting up here in MN! At our next house, we simply plan to buy all new appliances- a fresh start for our fresh start and attitudes about home owning! HAHA I love warranties, I love to see that everything is new and will work... for longer then a year or two!

Anyways, as we are definitely in the throws of parenting, career development, potentially becoming homeowners (again), this song just rings true to how Ryan and I are feeling these past few years.  And, just to make it clear, we love it- it is reality!! :) VERY REAL- lol!

 A link to the song/music video...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QR4Y6Ll0DwA

Happy Friday!!!

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!