Out of commision

My computer died this week,so until we figure out what we will do, I will be MIA. I ca still check emails and Facebook on the iPad, but I cannot load photos or anything until we get a computer. So, if you dont hear from me for a few weeks that is why!

Conversations with a 2 year old.

Noah: Mommy I'm sad.
Me: Why sweetie?
Noah: Daddy's at work still

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This one was last night...we have been reading him his child version of the Bible, and have been re reading the story of Genesis the whole week (partly because he really likes it, and partly because I think re reading for a few days helps take in everything). Last night when we were done reading I asked:

Me: So Noah, who made the Sun?
Noah: God!
Me: Who made all the animals?
Noah: God!
Me: And who made the moon and stars?
Noah: God did mommy! And Mommy, Who made farts?

*eyeroll* Are all boys like this? That one I chose to ignore...and totally blaming Brandon for.

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Noah: Mommy, you love Daddy?
Me: Yes
Noah: Daddy love you mommy?
Me: Yes
Noah: GO HAWKS!

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This one is a favorite of mine. A little background...if you aren't a local, the Cyclones are our rival college team (our house is a hawkeye house!). The Cyclone and Hawkeye mascots are both hawks and look similar.

SO here is the story, we were at the mall and Noah saw a family who were all wearing cyclone shirts. He has no idea who the cyclones are, but he saw the mascot on the shirt and I'm guessing thought it was our Herky the Hawk so he walked right up to them and yelled "GO HAWKS!". I died laughing, and Noah got a few cheers from some men in the crowd.

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Me: Noah, you need to come help clean up
Noah: No thank you mommy
Me: Noah, if you don't clean up your toys you are going to get a time out
Noah: Okay mommy, I'll go to time out.

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A rainbow around the sun.

A few days ago we were outside and I noticed something I had never seen before...a rainbow completely circling the sun. It was so beautiful! I took a picture, but it just doesn't do it justice.

How I've changed since becoming a mom.

In honor of Mother's Day coming up, I thought it would be fun to post some of the ways I have changed since getting on the wild roller coaster called motherhood!

1. I used to think getting only 7 hours of sleep was a nightmare...now it feels like a blessing when I can get that much!

2. I used to have a serious clothing addiction for myself...now I have a serious addiction to buying little boy outfits :)

3. My idea of the perfect Friday night used to be going out for dinner and a movie, now it's pizza netflix and cuddling up on the couch with my 3 favorite boys.

4. I never used to be all that worried about the environment. It's not that I didn't care, it's just that I never thought about the consequences our children would eventually deal with. Now, I'm all about cloth diapers, making my own natural cleaners and recycling. I can't say I'm a very "green" mom yet...but I'm definitely looking for ways to cut back on waste and make the world a little cleaner for everyone :)

5) Hobbies...oh how my hobbies have changed! I still enjoy everything I used to do, but I now spend much more time scrapbooking about my kids, sewing them new things, and of all things...I really enjoy looking for new ways to save money! I can't even describe how exciting it was to find a recipe for laundry detergent that actually works on Brandon's work clothes, and I can make for a small fraction of the price of store bought stuff.

6) Cooking...I have always cooked dinner, but since having the boys I have been trying to make more things from scratch to not only save us some $$ and eat healthier, but I really enjoy baking with Noah...who isn't all that helpful, but has so much fun with me in the kitchen! We love making our own granola bars, cereal, and even goldfish crakers!

7) My paranoia has reach a whole new level, and Brandon can attest to that!

8) And lastly...I finally understand why some parents choose to use leashes on their kids! I used to think it was so weird, but now, esp. with #3 on the way, I can definitely say I understand the reasoning behind them!

I'm sure there are hundreds of other things I could come up with...like the size of my jeans, but we wont go there...

What are some of the ways you have changed since becoming a parent?

My Big Brave Boy!

Noah had a traumatic night last night. He fell and hit his head, and got a quarter sized open gash. I took him into the ER and he had to get staples, 5 of them! He was such a good boy through it all, and told all the nurses that he was "bein' bwave" and he certainly was! We didn't get out of there until late late late, then headed to walmart in the wee hours of the night to get him some tylenol for when his numbing meds wore off, and he got a late night doughnut with milk and a new toy car for his bravery :) This morning he is back to his old self, and showing off his staples to everyone who will look. To be quite honest...I am sort of shocked Noah made it 2.5 years without stitches...he is one rough and tumble little boy!

I couldn't ask for much more than this

The boys absolutely adore their daddy...although some days it gets a little annoying when the "when's daddy coming home?" questions start right after breakfast. But I feel so lucky to have a husband who is so focused on our kids! It makes my job much easier :)

Happy Earthy day, and have a joyful Easter!

Today is Good Friday, a day to remember the amazing sacrifice made for us! Tomorrow we will be going to breakfast with the Easter Bunny, and scavenger/egg hunt for the kids. The Easter bunny and Santa have been a debate for us...do we participate or not? I know many parents who do not participate in these activities as they can take away from the real meaning of the holidays, but we have decided to teach the boys that it is fun to hunt for eggs and talk about the Easter bunny, as long as we celebrate and understand the real meaning of the day! I have some awesome ideas and suggestions from other parents about how to incorporate the fun things into the holiday while keeping the focus on Christ.

And now...Happy Earth Day! today is a great day to remember our responsibility to take care of our Earth. Our Earth day activities are going to be put on hold until next week, as it's cold rainy and the boys are getting over colds. We were going to do some plantings outside, but today is just not a good day to take the kids outside.

So that's that...hope you all have a great Easter weekend!

The cat is out of the bag...

Yep, we're expecting again! I am 9 weeks today, so we still have a few weeks left in the first tri, but we have had 2 great ultrasounds and have seen and heard a healthy heartbeat. Our loss was right at 12 weeks, so I'm still nervous, but everything is looking good so far.

So here is a quick summery of information answering all the questions everyone always asks :)

We are due November 23rd, and yes we are very excited! Yes, I do know my hands will be full, but I enjoy the chaos of having a house full of kiddos, and we wanted all our kids close in age. This will be our last, unless we have some sort of miracle baby down the road. Brandon is hoping for another boy, and is pretty much in denial that having a girl is a possibility. I don't care what we have, so long as we have a healthy baby! I would like a girl, since this will be our last, but I have also envisioned our family full of little boys, so it's hard to see myself being the mom to a little girl. Either way, I will be very excited! I do feel different this time around than I did with the boys. I am completely drained of any energy I may have had by noon. I am quite certain that has a little to do with keeping up with a 1 and 2 year old though. I also had some morning sickness this time around, which I didn't with the boys (actually with all 3 prior pregnancies, which were all boys!). I still feel sick on occasion, but it is starting to subside quite a bit. I have a lot of food aversions, and have trouble eating meat, but I'm craving all the same foods I have with my previous pregnancies (mainly honey comb cereal, McDonald's cheeseburgers, and pizza!). I have also already started with my sciatica pain. It got really bad with both boys so this time I've decided to see a chiropractor for it.

So I think that's about it. The ultrasound picture was done between 6-7 weeks so it just looks like a blob. But by now s/he should look like a tiny little person with a gigantic head!

Exhaustion

I know I've been so bad about posting new entries the last few months. We are all doing well, I've just been so tired it's not even funny. I can barely manage to pick up the house, and if the kids didn't all nap at the same time, so I could nap too, I don't know how I would manage! I'm hoping spring brings some energy for me!

Here are a few random pics of the kiddos for family. Noah is doing awesome, he can now identify letters based on the sound they make (so for example I say "Noah, what letter says ba" and he will say b!) I'm pretty proud of him :) Eli is doing well too, he is picking up some new words, and trying hard to keep up with the big kids here everyday. He certainly can stand his ground now :) We have finally gotten a few nice days, and being able to get outside to play really makes the days go by easier.

PS...that picture of the kid in the hat and mittens is Noah. Everyone seems to think it's Eli, but Noah got that hat when he was spending the day with his Gramma Cindy and is so proud of it, he even wore it outside on our last 80 degree day! It's never too hot for a cool hat!

it's been awhile

I've been lazy with my blog :) There really hasn't been a lot going on here though. Eli is starting to add a few more words to his vocab. His favorite is "get down" which he says while climbing on things he shouldn't be climbing. He is also getting a little possessive of me, and if I even look at one of the daycare kids he will run across the room to make sure I pick him up instead. It's annoying to put it mildly. Noah is still his goofy self. He is very into superheros right now. I made him his very own cape, and he wears it just about everywhere. He also has a dinosaur hat he wears all the time...even to bed! He is talking very very well and I am amazed every day with all the new things he is doing. Last week we said "bye bye" to his potty chair and graduated him to the big potty (he had been terrified by it but I was tired of cleaning out his potty chair every time).

So that's about it. And here's a picture of Noah with his cape and hat :)