Friday Five-Isabelle the Crack Up

I know I haven't been around a lot this week.  There are just some weeks that are harder to find time than others.  Jason's dad arrived yesterday and I did spend a good amount of time this week attempting to make our house presentable so there is that.  Anyway.....

Today's Friday Five is all about Isabelle.  That girl has been sooooo funny lately.  I seriously don't know where she comes up with it.  She must have one heck of an imagination.  Okay, so some of it I have an idea about where it comes from.  (Jason of course)  Here are five of the funniest things she has been saying lately.

taken a couple of months ago when she was using a napkin as a cape to be a superhero

1.  Isabelle has decided that we have a cat (imaginary).  Our cat's name is Jacklip.  I am assuming she heard Jason (or me) use a similar sounding word and now our cat is a constant reminder to watch our language.  We also have an imaginary dog, Benson.  Isabelle found some cat poop in the backyard a few weeks ago and was convinced that it was Benson's poop.

2.  Everyday Isabelle informs me that her name is Hannah and that Molly's name is Martmel.  I do not know anyone named Martmel.  In fact, my guess is there is NO ONE named Martmel anywhere.

3. In addition to saying her name is Hannah, she insists that Hannah is spelled L-e-a-h.  Which she signs every time she says it.  Let me just tell you, she knows that l-e-a-h spells Leah, not Hannah, but she is not a girl to give in. 

4.  Every night Isabelle asks me to sing the ABC's to her, and every time she starts to sing along with me.  However, each time I start singing Isabelle will choose a letter and sing only that letter.  So she may start out singing and then stop at c and sing ccccccc over and over to the tune of the song, or we may make it all the way to t, or x, but she will sing that letter over and over to the same tune until the song is done.  It makes it very hard to keep singing without laughing.

5.  Recently, Isabelle has started telling me that she wants to stay her same size.  She then proceeds to tell me that she does not want to get big like Jason or me, but wants to stay small like she is now.  I love it!  The funny part is how genuinely concerned she is about getting bigger.  She is very serious about staying small.  I wish I could help her out.

What funny things have your kids been doing?  I would love to hear!

3 months.....

(this should have been posted last week on the 19th, but two sick kiddos prevented me from getting much done!)

three months

Truthfully, it feels like Lawson has been around a lot longer than three months.  It feels like he has been here all along.  Maybe that is weird.  The fact is, having another little one around hasn't been a super big adjustment in terms of everyday life.  Yes, I have to nurse every three hours when I didn't before, and yes, I am up during the night more than before, but really those are the only major changes.  My normal day to day life still consists of lots of diapers, laundry, housecleaning, discipline, cooking, and playing with kids.  Yes, three kids is more work than two kids, just not as much as you might think.

Now on to Lawson.

Here are some things to know about Lawson at three months.

Height/Weight:  No idea.  We don't have a Dr. appointment this month so I don't get to find out this info.  He does look bigger to me pretty much everyday, so I am sure he is growing.

Clothes:  Still 3-6 months depending on if he is in a cloth diaper or not.  Hard to get those onesies buttoned up over a ginormous diaper.  Speaking of onesies....that is pretty much all he wears.  I was much more concerned with the girls and their clothing when they were babies.  Not so much with Lawson.  He is almost always in a onesie. 

Eating/Sleeping habits:  Eats pretty much every 2 1/2 to 3 hours and then plays for a bit (maybe an hour or hour and a half), and then sleeps until it is time to eat again.  At night he is less consistent.  Some nights he will sleep from 9-10pm until 4-5am, other times he is up every three or four hours.  It is never the same two nights in a row. 

New things:  Lawson has started rolling from tummy to back.  Never in front of us though, always in his bed.  We put him down on his tummy (yes, we are sinners), and then come in and he is on his back wide awake.  The only way he will sleep is on his tummy.  He has also started laughing a bit which is adorable, and making more and more baby noises.  It is pretty great.

Special Outings and Events:  Between two and three months Lawson has taken his first trip to the zoo, celebrated his sister's second birthday, gone to two weddings and celebrated Easter!  He had a busy month!!!  Lucky for us, he is a very easy baby to take places.  He did very well everywhere with the exception of my friend Kelli's wedding.  He did great there until the music started!  He does not like loud noises.  (in fact, he starts crying anytime his sisters are screaming)

Other random tidbits:  I used to think Lawson looked like Isabelle, but now I think he looks more like Molly.  Lawson's sisters continue to shower him with hugs and kisses every chance they get.  Lawson is still not a fan of being outside.  The wind drives him nuts.  Lastly, we have several nicknames for Lawson......little man, bub, bubs, bubsy, and wasson (which is how Molly pronounces his name).

So while it feels like he has been around forever, I still don't want him to keep growing so fast.  Well, except for that I wouldn't mind him being able to sleep more, and wipe his own ass butt.  Okay, so maybe he can get a little bigger.  Just not too big.  Ahhh, the joys of motherhood..... constantly wanting your kids to be both older and younger at the same time!

I love you, Lawson.  Happy three months!

Toddler Advice-Part Three

My wonderful hubs and wonderful kiddos.

Raising two toddlers and a newborn can be a little challenging sometimes.  Sure, there are days where I feel like a rock star mom, but there are more days where I feel slightly overwhelmed.  Through trial and error I feel I have learned a few things that could be helpful to other moms.  If you missed Part One and Part Two, check them out!  Otherwise, here is Part Three of my Toddler Advice!

1.  Limit TV time, but don't beat yourself up if your kid watches a little TV.  Now I realize that TV for kids under two is frowned upon in the medical community, but I don't think anyone with children would actually say that their kids watched zero television before two.  However, after two they say some TV time is okay, and I agree.  Should you use it as a babysitter (which i would never, ever, ever do, of course)?  No, probably not.  But is it okay if while you are preparing dinner you turn on a Dora or Gabba or Signing Time or whatever?  Yes. 

And just so we are all on the same page here......When it was 115 degrees out this past summer and I was puking my guts up non stop, my girls watched a TON of television.  They still seem normal so I am guessing it didn't hurt them too much.  The only side effect was my mommy guilt...which brings me to #2.

2.  Get over the mommy guilt.  It has been said a million times, but how does one actually avoid feeling guilty?  It isn't easy, my friends.  In fact, I just saw another article on msn.com today talking about the hundreds of chemicals you could be exposing your baby to just by decorating a nursery.  How can you not feel guilty after reading that and realizing that yep, your kid is probably breathing in a bazillion chemicals???  Well, like I said, it isn't easy.  First you should read this and this.  Then, figure out what is triggering your guilt.  Is it a certain blog, magazine, person on f/b, articles on yahoo.com,  what?  Whatever it is, eliminate the source.  If you are the only cause of your guilt, you need to spend some time evaluating why you feel the way you do?  Are some of the reasons legitimate?  If so, fix them.  Make an effort and move on.  I had to come to grips with the fact that I was not spending as much quality time with my girls during the day as I wanted.  Sure, I was here with them all. day. long.  But, I wasn't really spending time with them.  Since then I have made an effort to actually connect with them more during the day.  And, I have stopped beating myself up about it.  If none of those suggestions work, do what I do and realize that there are parents way worse than me...and in comparison to them, I am a fantastic mom!

3.  Lastly for today, embrace bandaids.  And ice packs.  I don't care if it isn't bleeding, bandaids fix everything.  And what is more important, saving money on bandaids or getting your child to stop whining and crying?  Same with the ice packs.  We have a boo boo bunny at our house and Molly gets that thing out of the freezer like 20 times a day.  It makes her stop crying pretty much instantly after she falls so I say, sure, get the bunny.  Maybe my kids are totally different, but Isabelle will cry for a bandaid for a long time.  We used to just tell her no because she wasn't bleeding, but now I just give in.  It is saving my sanity.  So stock up and when your kid gets hurt, you will thank me.

Do you have an excellent piece of advice for a mom of toddlers?  If so, I'd love to hear it!

Adventures in Cooking

Hello, Monday!  I can't believe how fast this weekend went by!  Saturday was a busy day for me with the OSU Scrub Run, three Mary Kay classes, and church.  Sunday was a lazy day, and now it is Monday again.  The one thing we did do yesterday was cook dinner.  Yummy, yummy dinner.  From PW (of course).  So, I thought I would share.

White Chicken Enchiladas

I must tell you, however, that the link to these on her blog are not exactly how they appear in the cookbook.  So, maybe you should just go buy the darn cookbook.  You will not regret it.  Okay, so maybe your waistline will regret it, but your taste buds won't. 

These enchiladas were so good.  Not too difficult to make, but there are lots of steps involved so it was pretty time consuming.  It was totally worth it.  You must try these, but for your sanity, try them on a day when you have lots of time to be in the kitchen.  For us, that was yesterday.

Now since I don't want to just leave you with one new recipe, I will also share something I recently made for the second time, Chicken and Cheese Quesadilla Pie. (this link takes you to another blog with the recipe.....I am too lazy to type it out!)

I am in agreement with that blog on how good this is.  And it is easy to make if you have chicken already prepared.  We had bought a rotisserie chicken the day before and had leftovers that I used to make my Pie.  This was a great meal for us because we always have leftover chicken and because I almost always have the rest of the ingredients on hand.  The girls loved it and so did Jason!

Lastly, a Mexican Rice that will go great with both.  Also a PW recipe as you will see if you click the link!

This rice was yummy in terms of flavor, but mine was not cooked enough.  I think I needed more broth.  Her recipe calls for equal amounts of broth and rice and I have found that I almost always need close to twice as much liquid as rice when I am cooking with long grain rice.  I will try making this again because the rice that was done was delicious!

What are you making that is yummy?  Have a recipe that I should try?

Embrace the Camera-April 12th

This week I am embracing Molly, Lawson and Jason.  I am working more and more on being sure to take pics with my kiddos and hubs on a regular basis.  And while I am still not getting as many as I'd like, I am making an effort.  These moments are precious and I hope my kids appreciate pictures with their momma when they are older.



My first attempt at a picture with Molly at her birthday party.



My second attempt at a picture with Molly.  Slightly better, but still....



With my little man at my brother's wedding.



Pic with both of the men in my life....and yes, I know it is grainy.  .



Thankfully, Lawson's arm is making this picture appropriate.

Without Emily's challenge to embrace the camera, I might not have started being intentional about getting IN the pictures with my family.  I am usually behind the camera.  If you are the same as me, check out her blog and start taking some pictures.

Easter in Pictures....and a few words

Easter this year was a little different than normal.  We went to church early Sunday morning...like 8:30 a.m. early, and then didn't do Easter lunch but instead had our Easter tacos for dinner Sunday night.  And while I do prefer Easter lunch to Easter dinner, we all still had a great time.  The girls had an outstanding day eating candy, hunting eggs and eating more candy.  Sadly, I did not get a single picture of Isabelle in her dress or Lawson in his new Easter threads.  Such is life.

Molly hunting eggs. 

My bro, Danny and my niece, Lauren.

Danny and my sis in law Katie.

Even Jason got in on the egg hunt.  Don't you love his pink basket???

Isabelle with candy.  She has not stopped asking for more candy.

Easter baskets for the girls....with a fun new chair for the backyard.

Molly....hyped up on sugar.

It is pretty tricky explaining the meaning of Easter to a two year old and a three year old.  We tried our best to make sure they knew Easter wasn't about bunnies and eggs and candy, but who knows.  I think that next year I may incorporate Emily's idea and not go quite so candy crazy.  I hope you all had a great Easter!  And if you have ideas for how to explain Easter to little ones I would love to hear them!

Embrace The Camera-April 5th

I am actually shocked at how consistent I have been getting pictures with my kids.  Of course, I admit that when I have the opportunity to post a picture with the kids I usually don't until Thursday so I can do an embrace post....but still...at least I am taking pictures.

These pictures are from my friend Kelli's wedding.  I was able to get a couple with the bride and then one with my precious Lawson.

A little blurry, I know.  Sorry.

The wedding was amazing and I was so blessed to be a part of Nick and Kelli's big day.  I was also glad my hubs was there to snap a picture of me with my little man.

Do you embrace?  You should.  Check out Emily's blog here.

Molly's Birthday Par-tay

Molly's birthday party this year was actually on her birthday.  Crazy I tell you.  Crazy.  Usually with all of the family members we have and all the schedules we try to plan around it ends up being somewhere close to the actual day of birth, but never on the birthday itself.  This year it worked out. 

As usual we had a houseful and it was only our family.  There were 19 of us (including little Lawson) wishing Molly a very happy 2nd birthday.

Here are some pics from the party.  And also, let me add that parents who throw actual birthdays complete with family and friends and other two year old children and food and games and party favors are amazing to me.  I don't know how or frankly why they do it, but I think it is amazing.

Molly asked for a bear cake and this is what she got!  Obviously J and I won't be opening a cake shop anytime soon, but Molly loved it.  We used a 10 inch pan for the body, 8 inch for the head and made cupcakes for the ears and paws.  It took two cake mixes which was nice because I was able to make a white and a chocolate cake.  J used a fork to make the frosting look like fur.

Trying to get a picture of the girls before the party was near impossible.  Getting a picture of them smiling was impossible.  They are making their funny faces here.

Birthday girl opening a singing, cupcake birthday card.  Probably the biggest hit of the party.  After she opened it she ran over and gave my mom the biggest hug ever.  It was pretty presh.  She also is in love with her Dora guitar.  We had to make a little adjustment to the guitar to make it not so loud, but Molly hasn't noticed. 

Blowing out her candles....with a little help.

Eating some birthday cake and ice cream with a little help from Dad.

 Playing with the new bubble machine!

Pretty sure Molly had a great time at her party.  She got to open tons of great presents, ate cake and ice cream and then played outside in the sprinkler and then played with the bubble machine.  We had a great time celebrating such a wonderful and energetic little two year old!
 

My Two Year Old

Molly turned two over the weekend.  She did not ask me if she could, she just did it.  RUDE.  I am realizing more and more how precious these moments are while my kids are still little.  And because I know they won't be little forever, birthdays make me a little sad.  Yes, happy also, but a little sad.

My post about Molly last year when she turned one actually made me laugh out loud as I reread it.  My how things can change.  To make sure that there is no mistaking her for that child, I thought I would update that with facts about Molly at two years old.  The party post will come (hopefully) tomorrow.

1.  She has all her teeth except her two year molars.  Molly is the child that has a terrible time with teething.  She is cranky, runny nose, diarrhea, up at night, all of it.  I am sad that I just learned about amber teething necklaces, as they might have helped.

2.  While a month ago I would have described Molly as a human garbage disposal, that is not true anymore.  It is crazy how dramatically her eating has changed these past couple of weeks.  She has gone from my eat everything and eat as much as I can fit in my mouth child to my picky, non-eating child.  She does love one food in particular right now, stroganoff.

3.  While I once described Molly as laid back that is clearly not her disposition anymore.  She has developed quite the active personality.  I won't go so far as to use the word hyper....but I do believe that Molly might present me with the greatest challenges when it comes to parenting.  Both my girls seem to have pretty strong wills.  Wonder where they get it???  Must be their dad....HA.

4.  Molly sleeping is mostly good.  We do still have to lay her down before Isabelle as she has a hard time going to sleep if there are any distractions.  We have to also make sure that none of the toys that play music or make noise are in the room at bedtime because if they are she will lay in there and play with them and never fall asleep.  Her three favorites are the dog, the pig and a yo gabba toy.  She does take a nice afternoon nap and will almost always sleep 3 hours.

5.  Molly wears size 2T in clothes and size 8 in shoes. 

6.  Molly could be potty trained if we had the time to do it.  Hopefully we will be able to take some time and get it done after Easter weekend.

7.  Molly's favorite activity is still playing with her sister.  Most of the time they get along great and play very well together.  Occasionally we have a fight, or Molly hits (or bites) Isabelle and then Molly has to play by herself for awhile, but for the most part they do great together.

8.  While Molly still isn't a huge fan of TV, she does like Gabba and Diego.  Of course her sister now likes Dora and Sesame Street so we have to switch up what we watch from day to day.

9.  Molly really isn't a mama's girl anymore.  She isn't a daddy's girl either.  She is pretty independent overall.


10.  Disciplining Molly is our greatest challenge right now.  While she used to be a child who immediately responded to just a look or the word no, she now pushes the limits and tests boundaries every day.  She will look right at us while she does something she knows she should not be doing and then gives us a face like, "what are you going to do about it?"  We have tried multiple forms of discipline and nothing seems to totally work.  We thought the hitting issue was solved...and I guess it is, just now she bites.  And while it is a challenge, we are lucky that the majority of the time she minds us.


11.  So despite the fact that she is more independent and despite the fact that she has some discipline issues, she is still a sweet, sweet girl.  She is constantly giving hugs and kisses and is way more of a cuddle bug than Isabelle.


12.  I said it last time and I'll say it now.....at two years old Molly is still a constant reminder of God's faithfulness.  Her first few days were kind of rough, but they have proved to be one of the greatest faith building experiences in my life.   I am so thankful for a God who hears my prayers and is a healing God.  Molly is a testament to His love.

Happy Birthday, Molly.   I love you so very much and am so thankful to have you as my daughter.