Halloween (belated, as usual)

So here I am, over a week later trying to get my Halloween post up. Since I have to jockey between Corey, Addie, and lately Max for computer time, I know that I have to be prepared for a late night, or angry kids if I want to blog. But since I endure both all the time now, it shouldn't matter :)



Addie, as usual, had several Halloween activities to enjoy. Thankfully, her school had a dress-up day (many are getting rid of it, so sad) so she was a 'beautiful princess'. The crown lasted about 3 minutes, even with bobby pins, but we did get the classic picture with the winter coat covering up most of the costume. I didn't get him in the pic, but Addie's standing by her 'best', Avery. I asked her if she was nice, and was informed with a shy smile that Avery is a boy. Good thing he seems to be a nice boy.







Addie's dance class also had a dress up day. The day before class, a sweet girl in our church came up to Addie and asked if she would like her old ballet costume that didn't fit anymore. Um, of course!! So she had a fun dance costume for ballet. I'm trying to figure out if Addie is just a lot younger than the other girls, or is she just that short?




Sweet little girl!




Being married to Magellan the traveler, there is always a trip in the works. This time it was going to Nauvoo for Halloween. Sounds like a weird time, but if you've lived in Milwaukee you'll understand. Halloween, or rather trick-or-treating, is done on a scheduled day and time... and rarely is that scheduled on Halloween (I don't pretend to understand it, but it is what it is). Our city usually is scheduled the Sunday before Halloween, between 4 and 7pm. Also, Addie had school off the last two days of October, so off we went.


Bad Mama, this is the only picture of Max we have in his costume. The hat was a little bent, but Max was a dinosaur. Here we are in front of the Nauvoo temple.



Here's our little monkey...

Fall in the midwest is amazingly beautiful, add a temple to the backdrop and it's just gorgeous!

See?!

What a beautiful boy

Kids needing to burn some energy outside the visitor's center

Dad and Max found a fun ball to play with abandoned in the theater of the visitor center

Dad playing referee

"You talkin' to me? You talkin' to ME?!"

Joseph and Hyrum overlooking the City Beautiful

Weather was great while we were there, and made for some great pictures

Postcard beautiful


And the big cleanup at home

Aren't I lucky to have such hard workers?

Small snippets of family time

Corey is so very busy the past little while, it's been a little frustrating for me and the kids. Tack on that the weather is changing so we're inside a whole lot more, then my foot making me less likely to want to do anything extra. All this and more, and the kids are going a little stir-crazy.

After we picked Addie up from school today, Max started crying when we turned down our street, as if to say, "What?! We're going back to that dump? Let's do something funnnnn!!" So I decided to do something fun. Corey picked up a couple pumpkins Monday night while stocking up on prunes for Hudson (note previous post) and we've been putting off carving so we could do it with Daddy. Mostly because I can't police two kids trying to carve pumpkins while Hudson is yelling for attention. Thankfully, the stars aligned this afternoon. Hudson took a beautiful nap right when I had an hour of nothing to do (if you don't count cooking, but I figured we had enough leftovers we were covered). Corey got home right near the end, about the time when my indulgent attitude was being smothered by my we-are-doing-this-my-way attitude.

Here are the results! We waited till it was very dark out, then lit the pumpkins. They looked sooo cool! I took the picture, then realised my flash is way too good. It was raining out, so very few pics worked before we dashed back in. I turned off the flash for the last one, pretty cool!

Fun times, trials, and accomplishments!

My baby is getting so fun, I love the few chances I get alone to play with him. This Sunday Hudson was so very giggly, thankfully I thought to whip out the camera to catch it.

Our version of peek-a-boo

And then, the not so fun part of my week. A week ago Monday, I was running to Max to prevent him from throwing a tantrum next to Hudson's room while said baby was napping. In my haste (temper) I stormed after him, and crushed my toe into the door jamb. Thankfully, I was talking on the phone at the time so my vocabulary was kept in check.

The results -- my first broken bone. Poor little pinky toe, all bashed up. And it hurts!! I have a friend that has had MULTIPLE broken toes (like every single one, I think), and I don't know how she handled it. Maybe this is harder because I'm a run-around mom and can't take a break to feel better. Probably not, Amber is the toughest lady I know. I was advised by our friend, the podiatrist, that I should keep my foot up and iced 3 times a day, take ibuprofen to keep swelling down, and take it easy. Yeah, right! I haven't iced it since Wednesday, I keep forgetting to take meds, and I have to run Addie (and therefore Max and Hudson, too) to and from school each afternoon. By the end of the day, my whole body is screaming because I'm keeping my weight off one side, walking crooked on my injured foot, and my kids can't help but trip over/step on/bump into my foot 74 times a day!

Here's a picture after 7 days, I even painted my toenails so I wouldn't feel so pathetic...

Enough complaining about my woes, onto Hudson's woes! Poor kid is constipated. Sorry to anyone too sensitive to read about poop, but that's just part of the life of a mama. I've even been feeding him prunes (which he loves, so that's okay) and pumping him full of prune juice, to no avail. If there are any other ideas to clean him out, please let me know. His doctor wants to control this with diet, so I guess we wait.

Here he is, loving his prunes! Note how dirty my own hand is, he seems desperate for those spoonfuls of cereal. I must not be fast enough for his taste.

Lastly, we enjoyed another group doctor's appointment. Why didn't I learn the last time? Oh, well, we all survived.

Addie got a flu shot. No tears, just a grouchy "ouch!" barked at the nurse (yes, one nurse to administer six shots to three different children... smart). Max got a flu shot and two other shots AND had blood taken for a lead test. He just watched the lab tech draw the blood, no flinching or anything, but he did cry a little with the shots. Mainly because it was one after another instead of all at the same time. And Hudson had an oral vaccine and two shots. And he cried the worst! Good thing I'm immune to crying by this point (or at least desensitized).

Stats: Hudson weighed in at 18 lbs 12 oz which puts him in the 75th percentile. He is 28 1/2 in so that's the 95th percentile, and his head is in the 80th.

Max is a tank. He weighs 33 lbs 4 oz, which is the 90th percentile, 36 1/2 in tall also the 90th percentile, and his head is 75th percentile. While this is just SOOOO big, his doc assured me that there's nothing to worry about, as his growth is steady and he is proportional... big all around! Compare him to his sister that is twice his age, she weighs 35 lbs and is 39 in tall... soon to be surpassed by little bro!

Speaking of being desensitized, I saw this commercial and started laughing hysterically!! Aside from the sitting on her bed doing nothing, this is totally a scene out of my own life. Can any of you relate?

Too busy for naps!

I have just clued in to why Hudson can get soooooo needy and whiny 'all of a sudden.' He's tired! Why don't I try putting him down for a nap more often? Because I feel like a slave to my schedule. I guess I figure that if I put him down for a nap an hour before I have to wake him up, he'll learn poor sleeping habits. But if I extend his time between naps just to try to get him to nap longer when I can, maybe he'll learn to deal without naps... and that would be tragic! I value nap time more than any other time of the day (even more than bed time, probably because I'm so pooped by this time that there's no productivity even though the kids are sleeping). Even with this realization, I've still been putting him off his needs.

See...

One of the many times that I've just ignored Hudson's fussing while trying to accomplish something (I think I was making dinner this time). He's sitting up pretty much by himself now, but I still leave the Boppy around him for those times that he turfs it. I realized he was being quiet, so I came in to check and found this scene. See all the presents on and around him? The kids can't quite tune out his neediness like I can (should I brag about or apologize for this?)

Interpretation

I don't think she remembered we signed her up for ballet...

Funny girl!

Is this one really ours?

When Addie was born, the hospital was having a hard time drawing blood from her heel. They tried several times, and finally decided to take her to the nursery for this (I think we were making the nurse nervous after a few failed attempts). Corey's mom didn't like this and sent Corey to monitor this activity. She instructed him to not let Addie out of his sight, for fear of a baby switch. I kind of laughed at this, but the idea was planted.

When I was recovering in the hospital with Hudson, this thought came back full force. I was marveling over my beautiful boy, when I noticed a scratch on his face. Later that day, after getting him back from his circumcision, I started wondering... He was born looking exactly like Max, but was starting to lose that look. And his scratch was gone! I'll bet I searched his face for an hour or more, looking for an expression or something that would reassure me. I blame this on postpartum hormones.

Since then, I've stopped wondering.

Look at these two!! Think there's a little family resemblance?

Here's Max at about the same age, for comparison.

There are a few more things that have thrown me for a loop. Like the fact that Hudson really doesn't prefer his binky. Isn't it just a matter of giving him the binky, like his brother and sister? They loved loved loved theirs, right from the beginning. Not Hudson, he's just as happy chewing on his fist (please don't become a thumb sucker, please please!!).

And there's the fact that he's my first baby that would go to sleep by himself, just needed to be laid down in a swaddle (another first, the others never liked swaddling) and he would put himself to sleep.

Now, he's cut his first tooth. He's only 5 months old. This is the first time his individualism is making me nervous. Addie and Max both got their first tooth right before turning one, so I just assumed that's how my kids would be. Never would I have to worry about getting nipped during nursing, since I don't make it much past 6 months. Wish me luck!

Here's my cutie in action

Bro-mancing the playdough

Max has a boyfriend. Seeing as he's a two year old, I think it's okay. We love Kevin, and Kevin tolerates Max's craziness so well. We watched him this Monday so his mom could clean and check out of their old apartment and officially be homeowners. This was great to keep Max happy, and since I made a HUGE batch of edible playdough the kids had lots of fun.






Aren't they cute?



Maybe I should add salt so he'll quit eating it.





Kevin does the best 'cheese' face ever!

Edible playdough

3 1/2 cups Creamy Peanut Butter
4 cups powdered sugar
4 cups powdered milk
3 1/2 cups corn syrup

Another Birthday

Oh, my, I am a bad mommy!! We've had a big birthday and I let nearly a week go by before putting this up.

That's right, Max is 2! Finally! I feel like he's been 'nearly 2' forever. Could be because he's looked like a little man since he could sit up, or maybe it's because he's not exactly petite. Either way, he's a big boy now and quite the handful.

Holy terrible twos!! Hopefully since they started early he'll pull out earlier too.

Good thing he's a cutie!

Present opening went well. He tore into each toy carefully, making sure all the paper was removed. Then he wanted to play with each present (a bunch of cars, and one buzz lightyear from Addie) before moving on to the next. I love the ease of pleasing a two year old.

We love Sunday Night Football, especially the gatorade commercials!

Raspberries

For being such a good "go to sleeper", Hudson is really fighting going to sleep lately. Today he barely even napped, even after the car ride home from church he only slept 20 minutes. He did crash for about an hour this evening, but that just meant that bedtime was that much harder. I finally gave in and brought him out to visit for awhile. I was holding him and Corey was entertaining him with annoying noises and pulling funny faces, and here's what he ended up learning to do...

BTW, not Max. Just wearing Max's layette gift from 2 yrs ago. Curse of being the second boy, I guess...

Four months and four years

So we had a big doctor appointment this week. Hudson had his 4 month appointment and Addie had her 4 year check up on the same day. I figured it would be easier that way, instead of setting up different appointments and getting sitters for the other kids. I just brought all three, thinking I was so smart. WRONG!! What a joke! And my biggest trouble was Max. He is way too curious for the small doctor's exam room. Too many fun things for him to get into.


Just a sample of Max, always getting into something that you don't think will be trouble until he gets near it. Birdseed is a form of whole grains, right?

So, the stats...

Hudson weighs 17 lbs 2 oz, and is 26 inches tall. That puts him in the 90th percentile for both. His head is at the 75th percentile, so he's BIG all around.

Addie weighs 35 lbs and is 39 inches tall. My doctor stops doing percentiles at this age and starts talking about BMI. Terrible to think about, but at least she is perfectly in the center of where she should be. She has 20/20 vision still (probably not for too many more years as Corey and I are both very nearsighted), and is very smart (thanks APL Preschool). She is also very flexible, kind of strange that Dr Dan commented on it, but good to know. He predicts a great dancing future for her.

Happy Birthday Baby

Our little girl turned 4 this weekend. For some reason, I am very nostalgic this year. I'm having a hard time remembering all of her 4 years, and that bothers me because that's supposed to happen much later in my life. I constantly have people (usually little old ladies) tell/warn me that it's over much too quickly and they will soon be grown and gone. I 'yeah, yeah' them, but I'm already starting to feel it. So I'll have to be better at documenting the lives of my kids so I don't miss out on too much when my brain gives way to my years.

We decided to attempt another water-play party, since Addie's birthday is the end of August. Surely that's all we'll want to be doing outside at this peak of summer, right? Wrong again!! TWICE I've been foiled by Mother Nature! We've suffered through two cold parties when we really needed the hot sunshine to play in. Oh, well. The risks of living in Wisconsin, I guess. Can't guarantee anything when it comes to weather.

Here we are, enjoying a BBQ lunch. At least it didn't rain


Doesn't Max look like a tough guy? Don't mess with him!

Here's how Hudson spent most of the party... zzzzz!

As did Baby Julia, guess the mild weather was just too soothing (plus she sleeps for her mom all the time!)

One thing we didn't give up on (no sprinklers or pool, though). Fortunately, all the kids just wanted to throw the balloons onto the grass to pop them. Anyone realise how hard it is to fill up water balloons? Even with a hose attachment, you still have to tie them off. What a pain!!

Some got into the toss game...

Finally I wised up. Just do cupcakes and let Addie and her 8 year old cousin, Sully, decorate them however they wanted.

And they were a hit!! I did fill them (thanks Jen for the idea!) so I guess I did have a little more work than I needed, but they were tasty!

Never one to be neat, Max got cake and ice cream all over!

Gwen captured the way most everyone was eating... two fisted!

My little girl was so gracious over her gifts. She even got up after opening each one to hug her friend that brought her a present (well, about 80% of the time, after all she is a four-year-old)

Grandma Kathy brought the best present, a surprise of her and Sully showing up from Minnesota for the party!! Even Corey was in the dark, it was great seeing his confusion and delight to run into family when he came home from work :)


Max and Kevin, BFF's. Doesn't this look like trouble?

Grandma uncharacteristically waited till Addie's actual birthday on Sunday before letting her open her presents.


What a treat to have an older cousin to play with all weekend long. Thanks Sully!

How cute are my kids?!?

While in Minnesota last month, we had the kids pictures taken (thanks Grandma Mickey!). I haven't put them on the blog, because I thought I had already. Oops! That was facebook. So here are some pictures of my favorite people.

My all-time favorite pic, too bad you can't see anyone's face.

What my house is like all the time, Max entertaining himself... and his brother and sister!

Fun action pose!

Sweet, sweet girl loving her sweet baby brother

Classic Max, always on the go

We had a little trouble keeping all the kids on board with the idea of a good photo

See...

She's classy, isn't she?


Love these kids!

He just melts my heart!

There isn't a prettier face out there, I'm sure

Practicing her glamour poses