61 and sunny in january?!

what?  crazy warm for this time of year and we were not going to spend it indoors.  we weren't the only ones who thought of going to the zoo either - it was packed.  mainly it was packed when we went to find a table to eat lunch in the cafe - more on that in a minute.

i let maddux walk the majority of the time again.  he does such a great job of staying with us and coming right back when called.  we have even been working on holding hands in the parking lot and i would say that he is doing better than madelyn and mason did when we first started (i.e. i don't have to pick him up because he pulls away from me).  for some reason madelyn was very focused on maddux and 'helping' him walk to the next exhibit.

i should have taken video of this part, but madelyn was assisting maddux to the exhibit and telling him about the snow leopard while mason was running back and forth as the snow leopard paced in the exhibit.

and then we made it to the cafe for lunch.  it was very crowded and after looking around for a while i realized that all of the highchairs were taken.  so i just had maddux 'sit' in a regular chair.  what was a little frustrating is the table next to us had two highchairs and at least one of the children was closer to mason's age than maddux'.  not only that, but the boy was not sitting in the highchair but going through our stroller instead! and the two women at his table didn't say a single thing. now, i really should have just asked for the highchair they weren't using (maddux was having a difficult time sitting in the chair because it was open in back and his feet kept sliding back and getting stuck) but i didn't.  later in our meal maddux fell out of the chair and bit his tongue.  it bled quite a bit and i was wearing a white shirt.  thankfully, it wasn't very bad and stopped bleeding pretty quickly.  but i did put him back in the stroller once he calmed down because i didn't want to risk him falling again.  i was glad when lunch was over and we were able to get back on our way.

maddux was telling madelyn about the lion.  i tried to get the lion in the shot too but couldn't get the angle right.

like i said, it was a warm and sunny day...

so mason decided that he should wear his sunglasses.

part of walking for maddux means stopping to try out every bench we passed.

we always have to stop by the train with the bell.  it is stationary but the kids love playing on it and i usually have to persuade them to move on and see the rest of the zoo.

i was hesitant to take and then post this picture of madelyn because i was always the 'flamingo' when i was little.  but we were talking about how her outfit matched the flamingos' colors and then she showed me how she could stand on one leg just like them.

i feel so lucky to have somewhere to take the kids for some outside time and that we had such a beautiful day in january!  it makes me so excited for spring and spending time outside every day.  love.

mason's solo party outing

mason received an invitation to a classmate's 3rd birthday party a few weeks ago.  the party was going to be at pump it up and mason was pretty excited.  since i was ill this week, matt took mason to buy the birthday present he had already selected for his friend benji - a fake lightening bug in a jar.  (it is actually pretty cool.  you tap on the jar lid at the 'bug' lights up and 'flies' around very realistically.  there is also a monarch butterfly version.)

today we wrapped up the gift and got ready to go.  and that was when madelyn discovered that she was not invited. this was devastating news to her.  i explained that she was not invited and did not know benji.  i also assured her that she would be invited to birthday parties that mason could not go to in the future; she was more than happy to share this information with mason.


it has been a while since mason has been to somewhere with inflatables so i wasn't too sure how he would do.  he had no problem bouncing around, but it took him a few tries before he would come down the slide.  he would climb all the way up, look down and climb back down.  or he would get climbed over by some of the older kids and come back down.  he finally came down once he learned that he could slide down on his belly (his preferred method of sliding).  and he didn't stop sliding after that!

i think he spent at least an hour of the party sliding.  he would go try other things but always came back to the slide.  it just took that first trip down to get him hooked.  i am just thankful that i didn't have to climb up there with him!

another mom did help encourage him from the top of the slide - anthony's mom!  when she heard mason's name she asked if he was the same "mason" from the preschool class.  i guess she had a similar conversation with their teacher about mason and anthony's playing together. watching them today it was amazing how similar their personalities are!  mason was really excited to see him when we got to the party but i thought he was just surprised to see someone from school.

mason and his buddy anthony

the party was a lot of fun for the kids.  not so many that they were being trampled but enough that they were aware of other kids to play with in/on the inflatables.  the birthday boy is in the red striped shirt.

after playing, the kids were treated to pizza, ice cream and cake.  what was mason most excited about?  pink lemonade!  you could tell which kid doesn't get to drink juice on a regular basis!  i was almost embarrassed by how much he drank!  i actually had to cut him off.  when i asked if he liked his drink, he asked if it was lemonade. when i confirmed he smiled and took another big drink.

while the kids finished eating, benji got into the big birthday boy chair and opened his presents.  mason did come up to show him how the firefly worked and told them all about it, but then he went back to his cake and ice cream.  he was the last kid eating at the table.  i think picking up every crumb he dropped on the floor slowed him down a little.  that and drinking all of that lemonade.

mason thoroughly enjoyed the party.  in retrospect, i should have sent matt to the party because he would have had an easier time climbing around after mason - not that i had to very much but most of the parents were playing too.

when we got back home, madelyn was very excited to see what mason brought home in his goodie bag.  love.

just becase i said he doesn't...

...maddux has started signing - "more" and "all done".  anytime they can make mommy out to be a liar.  love.

parent-teacher conferences

even though i have been terribly sick all week, i went to parent/teacher conferences for madelyn and mason tonight.  i was feeling a little better and since the kids had it first (although much, much milder), i didn't feel that i was exposing their teachers to anything they hadn't seen already.

the evaluations had been sent home earlier in the week so that matt and i could review them prior to the conferences (he stayed home with the kids since they were not invited).  madelyn's was what we expected - straight "my progress is satisfactory. be proud of me!!".  her teacher did put a comment about her stuttering and that she was ready for kindergarten.  we weren't worried about the kindergarten recommendation, but it was nice to see.  with madelyn's teacher the conversation was primarily about being the oldest/youngest/tallest in her class through school.  her teacher said that she felt madelyn was confident enough and a "leader" that she felt comfortable recommending her for full-day kindergarten but would support a decision to keep her back a year (so that she wouldn't be one of the youngest) if we wanted to do that.  matt and i have discussed this several times over the past year and feel comfortable letting madelyn go to school next year and being on the younger side of her class.  we have more hesitation with mason being the biggest and the youngest but have some time to think about that.

mason's conference was the one we were really looking forward to since this has been his first year in school and he is so different from madelyn (who has typically crossed milestones very early).  his evaluation is marked primarily with "progress is satisfactory".  he had a few "we are working on this at this time" but we expected them in the "language" category since he is more on the 'normal' timeline.  there were a few that surprised us a little.  he needs to work on his listening during stories and songs, helping to put things away and tearing paper.  mason is always asking to be the "big helper" and is usually great at cleaning up.  the tearing paper one made us laugh because we are always teaching the kids not to rip things up!  and the listening one is understandable because he tends to go do something else if he doesn't like a story at bedtime or a movie we might be watching (he's got that wander/disappearing act like his dad and uncle).

mason's teacher explained that the cleaning up has to do with mason getting giggly with his friend, anthony.  apparently these two are quite the buddies and get into their own little world.  mason often talks about playing with a "boy" but now i had a name and the areas he needs to work on make much more sense.  his teacher had nothing but kind things to say about him and how much she looks forward to seeing him on his two days.  she said that he is totally normal and she has no concerns about his development at all.  that was what matt and i wanted to hear.  here is a quote from her write up:

"mason is a pleasure to have in class. his smile and friendly attitude add joy to our day. he is always quick with a hug and so willing to please. mason has made many friends in our class and is asked for and talked about by classmates."

she did mention that she has actually been pleasantly surprised by how well he has done adjusting to school.  mason is on the younger side of the class (some of the kids turned three at the beginning of the school year) and started a few months into the year.  she said that it is also obvious that he has siblings.  he really excels at imaginative play and i told her that he gets lots of practice with his sister.  she said that he is a typical two-year-old boy but shows no aggression towards others (meaning that he doesn't tackle someone not playing 'wrestle' which some boys might do) and is extremely easy to redirect if needed.

all in all, we have been very happy with the school and the progress the kids are making.  love.

"jesus loves her"

madelyn was snuggling with me on the couch one night while i was watching the local news.  after a few minutes she said, "mommy, jesus loves her."  i had to have her repeat it before i realized that she was talking about the reporter on the screen.  and then she told me again that jesus loves them when they went back to the anchors. yes, she is right.  jesus does love them. love.

20 weeks

it isn't the best picture (but really, do i like any of them...?).  i wasn't really feeling that well and just wanted to get into my pajamas.  my sleeve kind of covers my 'bump' which has just appeared in the past 2 or 3 days.  it is a little bigger in the picture than normal because i had just had a big dinner with desert and had a wicked stomach bug brewing (i was a little bloated).

half-way there.  and in two more weeks we will get a chance to find out the sex of the baby.

unfortunately, i spent all of monday very, very sick with the bug the kids had.  only i didn't get the 'good' kind.  i got it much, much worse than they did and even called matt to come home early for maybe the second time in 10 years because i was in so much pain and just needed to go to bed.  he only got home 15 minutes early, but it helped get me to bed faster.  and the kids were one their best behavior since they were all feeling 100% again so it was more about me having to leave the unsupervised more than i was comfortable with that made me call matt.  thankfully, i had already planned on a slow cooker meal and he just needed to make cornbread to go with dinner.

here is a picture of me just shy of 20 weeks with maddux for comparison, i think that i am actually smaller this time.

'belly picture'?  check.  now i can wait a few weeks before having to take another.  love.

date with daddy

daddy took madelyn out for a special 'date' to see beauty and the beast in 3d. it has been a little while since just the two of them have gotten to spend time together and madelyn really enjoyed it!  i would have loved to go too, but it is really important to me that madelyn and matt have a special relationship.

madelyn was very excited about going to a movie theater and that daddy got her pink lemonade.  she has already requested to go on another 'date' with daddy soon.  i think that daddy is looking forward to their next date too. love.  

hair cuts

now that maddux had his one-year pictures, we took him in for his first hair cut!  and since i had gotten mason's hair pretty uneven last time, i had them cut his hair too.

maddux kept enough length to keep his curls.  it was a little sad to cut off the length in the back, but he was starting to look a little too 'pretty' and i was getting the urge to put a clip in front when he ate - it was time.

we got no pictures of the actual haircut because matt had to go get cash when we discovered that they didn't accept credit cards and i had to hold the boys on my lap for each of their turns.  and then i didn't take 'before' and 'after' pictures either.  so here are pictures the next afternoon during snack time.

mason's haircut wasn't any better than i do (at least i blend it better in the front so that his bangs aren't so straight), so i will most likely do the rest of their haircuts.  he was pretty proud and wanted me to take his picture too.

i had gotten the play-doh out for the kids during nap time and they just kept right on playing into the afternoon.  maddux even got in on the action and only tried to taste it once.  i think madelyn played with it for almost 5 hours straight!  it was a great quiet activity for them and we need to do it more often (i just hate cleaning up all of the little crumbs left behind on the floor when they are done). love.

like big pop

big pop loves the dolphins.  and he wears a lot of dolphins gear.  for Christmas he gave mason his own dolphins shirt and today he picked it out to wear for the first time so that he could be 'just like big pop' ( i can't remember exactly what he said - "match" or "just like").  i thought that it was sweet that he remembered and put the two together (not surprising because big pop really likes the dolphins).  i just love this picture of him because it is so 'mason' to me.  love.

sickies

the two older kids had this bug over the weekend, but maddux came down with it today.  i knew something wasn't right when he was laying his face on the couch while standing next to me.  the weird part was that when i got up off the couch, he didn't move.  i would call maddux my second skin, but he likes to be closer than that.  madelyn has even commented that he is going to "be in big trouble when the new baby comes" because he will have to share me.

this was a 'good' illness in my mind because it didn't bother the kids more than being tired (and the boys had a few days of very unfortunate diapers).  all three just took naps and rested on the couch while i had some super productive time.  there were no fevers, no coughing, etc.  it still broke my heart to see them so unlike themselves.  at least it only lasted two or three days.  love.

throwing in the towel - again

we have stopped potty training - again.  over the course of the week there was only one accident outside of the bathroom (on a neighbor's indoor trampoline!), he woke up dry every day, he willingly tried to sit on the potty without being asked, would generally go 'try' when asked (like before getting in the car or before meals) and was getting great feedback from his teachers about how great he was doing at school (he stayed dry/clean but never went at school).  the problem was that he would hold it as long as possible.  there is no problem with bladder control here - we are talking more than 5 hours in some cases. 

the problem was that he would jump off the potty at the moment he couldn't hold it any more and pee (and/or poop) on the floor.  we tried everything.  we let him have treats while sitting on the potty, play games on our phone while sitting on the potty (that was our one total success) and every other means of keeping him sitting at the moment he started peeing.  what was worse is that mason is our super neat kid who has to use a napkin (or several napkins) at meals, he likes to be clean and the mess of pee was getting to be too stressful for him.  not to mention that the twenty trips to the potty and crying leading up to actually going was starting to wear on me!  but peeing on daddy while he helped in the bathroom - twice - was what caused us to throw in the towel. 

we will try again in the spring.  i really, really don't want to have three in diapers, but i don't want to stress mason out either.  just from hearing from other friends, it seems that turning three is the threshold for successful potty training for boys.  only mason doesn't turn three until after baby is born...  love.

sledding

it wasn't a lot of snow, but it was the most we have had, so matt took the kids out 'sledding' into the back yard.  i don't think mason was willing to give it a try, but they did have a pretty good snowball fight. love.

that's me!

whenever mason sees a picture of a blond haired boy, he says that it is him.  especially if the boy is doing something mason likes or wants to do.  he was looking at one of matt's 'history of baseball' books and found a boy just like him with a man just like daddy.  he was so excited to share this news with daddy and me!  unfortunately, the video does not capture his excitement or chattiness (he is getting to be quite chatty at times).

one-year pictures

so i am pretty late with maddux' one year pictures.  but at least i finally got him in!  (he hasn't helped with bruising his face at least once a week and having a super red nose from a fall on the concrete and tissue wiping.)  he was all smiles and personality in the waiting room even clapping and 'talking' to other waiting but the second we walked into the studio he clung to me for dear life.  the photographer commented on the change.  the had to crop me out of most of the pictures just to get any.  he was semi-willing to sit on the little chair for a bit but most of the time he cried and clung.  i was amazed that we got as many decent pictures as we did; at least i don't have to bring him back again until the birthdays in june. love.

maddux speaks

maddux is accumulating spoken words and i wanted to jot a few down here: dada, mama, ball, dog, teeth, yes, all done (not totally clear but definitely what he is saying), choo-choo, vroom, brrroom (the car noise), sis (for madelyn) and i am sure that there are one or two i am forgetting.  he seems to be adding every day.  and he is the first one that didn't do any signing.  mainly because i forget in the rush of waiting on everyone else during meals.  we have been working on it more, so he might sign yet.  love.

baby week 18

had a "belly check" today while the kids were in school.  maddux just watches/listens quietly.  baby's heart rate sounds good and the doctor confirmed that this on is quite the mover!  his guess was a boy but he said that he has been wrong all day.

bummed to find out that we have to wait until 22 weeks for the ultrasound!  oh well.  i was able to schedule it when matt and the kids can join me.

on a related note, matt was able to feel the baby move too the other night - i think on the 8th.  this kid is very busy and seems to be awake during the day.  so much of this pregnancy reminds me of madelyn's that i am really 'feeling' that it is a girl but i was wrong with maddux too...

i hate 'belly pictures' but will try and take one soon - or at least when we go to the ultrasound.  i think i just look 'thick' as opposed to pregnant.  i thought that i would show much quicker with this one, being #4, but i haven't really rounded out yet.

more in a few weeks. love.

potty training - again

doesn't that just say it all?  potty training is going fairly well so far.  the past few times he has done well for the first three days or so and then mason gives up entirely and puts forth no more effort to make it to the potty.  he hasn't had a ton of successes, but he is very enthusiastic about keeping his underwear dry and gets super excited when he gets even a little urine in the potty.

it occurred to me that i do not want three kids in diapers come june so we are going to try and hang tough this time for more than a week.  we do put a diaper on him at night and he doesn't go while he is sleeping so we just need to build the successes during the day before we will let him sleep in the underwear.  the getting out of the diaper and into underwear in the morning has been the most difficult part so far, but once he is in his underwear he is very happy about it.  and he stays dry in public - so far.  i am hoping that going to school this week will really help him with the transition to using the potty all the time.  i know that it helped reinforce things for madelyn.

time will tell.  love.

good weather continues

today's weather was even better!  near 50, sunny and no wind.  we picked madelyn up from school and headed to the zoo for lunch.  mason was very excited to tell her the news when we picked her up too!

it was much warmer, but not warm enough to not have a jacket.  madelyn thought that it was and chose to leave hers in the car.  so i let her wear my scarf to help stay warm.

i was feeling the beautiful day and decided to let maddux walk as long as he could behave.  he blew me away!  he isn't holding a hand when he walks yet, but inside the zoo i let him roam free with his sister and brother.  he loved every minute and walked almost the entire two hours we were there.  he only stopped for lunch and when we were getting ready to leave and had to go down a steep hill i put him back in the stroller. 

we know that maddux is pretty fearless but i was surprised that he took off across the rope bridge.  it might have helped that he watched madelyn and mason do it several times before he went over to the starting side.

not only is maddux fearless, but he is quite tough.  i have mentioned before that i don't usually let him walk when we are in public places because it is just easier to keep him in the stroller for safety with all three.  and hills were definitely new to him.  he fell down a few times but would just brush himself off and keep going.  he did stop himself from falling once, but the stop was so sudden that he tipped right over and landed on his forehead.  he cried a little that time, but just a little.  mainly he just ran and laughed trying to keep up with madelyn and mason.

just a fun day in the sun. love.

good-bye pictures with big pop and grandma

for some reason we always wait until the last possible moment to try and get some pictures of the grandparents with the kids.  and this time was no different.  we were literally walking out the door for school while my parents were loading up to head home.  the boys were set to wandering around, but we did manage to get semi-decent pictures none the less.  love.

playing in the snow

unfortunately for big pop and grandma, it warmed up the day they left.  it had been in the teens and single digits with the wind (40-45 mph gusts) while they were here and today it was around 40!  the kids were bummed that the inch of snow or so that we had gotten over the past few days had all but melted.  it was nice to spend a little time outside though. 

the kids rode bikes and scooters for a little while and then we chased each other around the yard throwing small, slushy snowballs.  madelyn scraped together what was left of the snow on our front step into a "mommy and daddy snowman".

 and mason made his own "snow mouse".  i guess he called it a mouse because it was so small...

it was really nice to get some time out in the sunshine and fresh air while maddux was napping.  love.

a girl and her doll

madelyn got a new doll and accessories for Christmas which has given her an interest in dolls again (she doesn't really play with them very much generally).  i think the matching jammies might have helped too.  love.

indoor training

because we can't get enough golf around here, we now have an indoor putting course.  just maybe not the one matt had in mind...  unfortunately golf clubs are weapons and the course is only open for limited times. love.

1...2...3 with big pop

wet, cold walk

the forecast was not that great for big pop and grandma's visit but new year's day looked like we might be without temperatures that would be too extreme and mostly dry so we headed out for a walk.

it is a mile and a half walk to a shopping center where we could have lunch. only the restaurant wasn't open so we had lunch at wendy's instead.  it was very busy because it was one of the only places open.

after lunch we walked over to starbucks for warm beverages for our walk back home.  and then it started pouring! it was very cold and very windy.  matt ran all the way home to get the van and pick us up while we tried to huddle by a bank.  realizing that this was crazy because we were cold and wet - we went back into wendy's to wait for matt.  we felt so bad for him, especially when it stopped raining around the time he might have made it back to the house.  we would have had a rough walk with the wind by the time it stopped raining anyway so we were very happy to see matt with the van.

before it got messy out, we had a nice walk with just a few drizzles.  here are a few pictures.

mason talked to big pop the entire time.





big pop and grandma enjoyed the walk and hope to do it again when it is a little warmer (or maybe a lot warmer).  love.