Anissa Plus Three

On occasion I will tell the kids it’s Pajama Day and that they don’t have to get dressed.  They LOVE PJ day and always ask me in the mornings if today is a PJ day.  Well today I decided it was a good day to do Pajama Day.  I’ve got to get the whole house cleaned before I leave and today’s the day to do it.  Cleaning all day = Pajama Day. 

The kids, especially Addison, are quite cranky today.  We let them stay up until 9:00 last night for the party, and they got up this morning at their usual time, so they’re way too tired and way too cranky/crying.  It’s days like these that I wish they’d just realize they were so tired and go lay down for an hour nap.  But that is asking the impossible.  They never ever nap during the day unless they are in the car and dog tired.  Sometimes that’s a good thing, but on days like today, it ain’t so nice.

I did send them out to the backyard for a bit.  It’s a sunny but cold day today and they needed to get some fresh air.  They’ve been so pent up lately with all their sickness.  I sent them out in PJs, coats, boots and gloves.  Yes, PJ day extends even to outside play.   I’m not sure what we’re going to do with our backyard come this spring/summer.  The grass area has all gone to moss.  It’s seriously impossible to grow grass back there.  I hate it.   Somewhere, in my dreams, is a nice big house like this one with an acre of backyard, lush grass and a giant swing set.   

 
Addison and Austin doing puzzles.  More like Addison doing a puzzle and Austin coming in behind her and undoing it.  Whenever I let him get into the mix of puzzles they are doing I end up with 2 or 3 puzzles all over the floor and it takes us an eternity to sort and clean them up.  He just wants to be like the big kids so much! (And no, this was not another PJ day, we just had finished up breakfast and Mommy hadn’t gotten around to showering and dressing yet.)

I can’t remember if I’ve written about Ethan and his laptop computer yet.  I think I have…  Anyway, this little learning laptop by VTech that my parents got him (and Addison has one too) is his absolute favorite thing in the world.  He plays it all the time, totes it around the house and insists on having it in his bed at night.  He’s gotten so dang good at all the games, letters and numbers, that is blows my mind.  He’s so stinking smart!  I just loved this picture of him lounging on the couch, playing “puter”. 

And one more brag about Ethan thing.  He isn’t as into puzzles as Addison is, and isn’t as skilled as she is either.  But for some reason he loves this USA puzzle.  It’s VERY challenging.  The pieces on the outside are really big and chunky but then all the states are individual pieces with no interlocking edges to keep them in place.  I’ve taught him to look at the picture on the box and see which pieces go next to each other and then carefully slide them in next to each other (something that they don’t do with the other smaller puzzles).  He’s been getting it out and half doing it for some time now, but the other day he got it out and did it all by himself.  I was around the corner working and he quietly sat on the floor and did it, not asking for help once.  When he told me he was done I was super excited for him and had to take a picture.  He felt pretty proud himself.  Way to go Ethan!

So this year my birthday fell on the same day as the Super Bowl.  That could only mean one thing: combined party!  I really didn’t mind since the food we traditionally do for the Super Bowl is up there with some of my favorites.  Cheese ball, Shrimps, Deviled Eggs, Fruit Dip, Meatballs, Veggies, Poppers, Man Dip, Cheeses, etc.  And Kahly made a yummy carrot cake that I specifically requested.  I was so full when I went to bed last night! 

We spent the morning just lounging around the house since we had Stake Conference yesterday (and that isn’t something I’m willing to do with three kids 3 and under).  DJ let me sleep in and then he took care of all the daily kids routine, plus made all the food for the big party that afternoon.  I got to spend time relaxing and sewing, which is exactly what I wanted to do.  And the right team won the game that night, so it was the perfect topper to a perfect day.

My big birthday present this year is the up and coming trip to Vegas with Cheryl.  I leave on Thursday morning, fairly early and won’t get back until late Sunday night.  Excited isn’t even close to the right word to describe how I feel.  I just need to try and get through the next three days without running myself ragged and then I’ll be FREE for 4 whole days.  WAHOO!  Thank you DJ for making this trip possible and letting me take some much needed time away from everything.  I love you!

Dear Austin,

Happy Birthday little one!  I know you’re not little anymore, but I still think of you as my little one.  I ask you almost every day if you wouldn’t mind staying a little boy forever.  You say “ba”, so I’m taking that as a yes and am gonna hold you to it. 

This past month you’ve started to actually TRY and say some words.  It’s slow going, but at least it’s moving in the right direction.  You have your own style to communicating and I think we’ve gotten too accustomed to and can understand it for the most part, so you’re content with leaving things status quo for now.  But the few words (sounds) you say are:

• “BA” – This is a multipurpose word/sound, and is used for words such as ball, bath, book, banana and “hey, look at that cool thing over there”.
• “Buhbabubub”  Blueberry
• “Nah Nah” – Ni Ni (good night).  Hey, pretty close on this one!
• “BA BA” – Not to be mistaken for “BA”, this one translates to Bye-Bye
• “EH” – This is your sound for yes
• “DA” – Daddy
• “Baaaa” – Another variation of “BA”, but with the extended “a” sound on the end it’s either your paci or your blankie
• “DOW” – Get down or I want down
• “MMM” – More
• “LA U” – This is a brand new one, as of today and it was your attempt to say I love you to me.  Personally, I think “LA U” is the sweetest sounding word in the whole world and we should change I love you to “LA U” permanently.
• “MA MA” – You’ve master Mama!  You started to say Ma Ma with intent a couple weeks ago and I am just so excited about it.  You love to say “MA MA” to get my attention, if for nothing else then to just have me look at you and smile.  It’s your most used word and I couldn’t be more proud.

So you can see that you’ve got a long ways to go, but it’s fun to see you working through noises and sounds to try and make better sense of it all now.  There are some times when you babble full sentences that sound an awful lot like real words.  It’s even more scary when you add  the intonation of the words into the babble sentence and it’s spot on with what you’re trying to communicate.  The whole process of watching a child grow and develop communication is amazing.  It’s a miracle in my opinion!

You love love love to play with your siblings and look up to them so much.   You wrestle with them like you’re just as big as they are.  You try and jump like they do.  You lay down on the couch next to them during their daily movie time, knowing full well that you have to take a nap instead, hoping that Mommy will somehow forget and let you hang out with them.  You climb up on chairs and tables so that you can be at their height and play with the things they play with.  You can reach the door handles and open doors now and you love to show off that you’re able to do it, just like them.  You pitch a fit when they take a toy away, just like they do.  You growl and play “bad guys” with Ethan and do sword fights.  You get excited and squeal with joy when Ethan and Addison do, without knowing what it is you’re suppose to be excited about.  You run and hide from Daddy when you hear the garage door open, just like they do.  You follow them around, trying to imitate each thing they do and be just like them.

BUT…

You give me hugs and kisses and pats on the back multiple times every day, showing up your brother and sister big time, and giving them something to look up to you for.

  I love you Austin.  You’re a special joy in my life and every day it is my blessing to be able to be with you and watch you grow and learn and love.  I love you, your Daddy loves you, Ethan and Addison love you, your whole family loves you and Heavenly Father and Jesus love you.  Always remember that.

Love,

Mommy

We’re still getting over sickness so the past two days have been pretty low key.  Yesterday Marc had knee surgery (again), so we spent most of our day making things for him.  The kids colored cards, we made some amazing chocolate chunk cookies and I sewed him two corn cold pack bags for his swelling.  Then we met up with DJ over at Marc and Josh’s apartment and gave him his bag of get well wishes.  I was stressing the whole time that the kids would jump or run into Marc, forgetting he had a big oowie.   I think his knee was still a bit numb though, so the couple times Austin bumped him he didn’t seem to mind.  Yikes.

Ethan helped me with the cold pack bags and it was so fun to spend that one-on-one time with him.  Addison was watching a movie upstairs (which Ethan for some reason wasn’t interested in) and Austin was sleeping.  So Ethan just shadowed me as went back and forth between the kitchen and sewing room.  He would take the pins out of the pin cushion and hand them to me and then put them back again as I was sewing.  Then he held the bags open as I poured the corn in.  He was loving every minute of it.  And so was I.  They are just so sweet when you get them on their own like that.  Makes me a little sad it can’t always be that way.

Today we opted not to go swimming because of continued congestion, so I spent a lot of the day working on the swimming party room redesign and the kids did lots of make believe playing, puzzles and art projects.  They actually had a really good day today, with minimal fighting and meltdowns.  It was a rare treat.  Addison came up to me at one point and had on: two princess crowns, a sleeping beauty dress up dress, an animal print vest, a pink feather scarf, and pink dress up shoes. And she was standing there asking me to help her put on a purple tu-tu skirt over the top of it all.  I wish I had gotten a picture.  SUCH a girl and so so cute.

Austin didn’t nap very well, but wasn’t his typical super crank because of it.  Actually, he was an angel boy today.  He suddenly got very loving and began giving me spontaneous hugs throughout the day.  These were different than his normal snuggles.  He actually wrapped his arms around my neck and would make snuggling sounds while doing.  The little noises that I normally make to him when I hug him, he was now giving back to me in spades.  It’s like he figured out how to give proper hugs and couldn’t get enough of them.  He was playing with play dough at the island counter and I was behind him on my computer and every few minutes he’d stop playing and turn around and reach for me to give me a hug and loving sounds.  At one point I told him I loved him and he attempted to say I love you.  He really doesn’t talk much at all still, but he got the “la” sound out and attempted a “u” sound.  I about cried.  There were lots of “I want to stop time right now and never leave this moment” moments today.  He was just beyond sweet.  I don’t know what I did to deserve such a wonderful and special boy.  Oh how I love him!  He just melts my heart.

And here are a bunch of pictures that are totally random and from the past few weeks.  I just haven’t had a chance to post them individually, so they get to all be bundled together.

Daddy let them all eat snack on the floor this day.  Something Mommy never does, so they were happy.  And please remember we’re all sick, that’s why Addison’s hair is a mess, Ethan has only one sock on and Austin has mismatched clothes and the vacant expression.

This was about a month ago when we had some sunshine on a Saturday and decided to go to a park.  DJ stuck Ethan up in the tree (when I was off somewhere else, obviously) and decided it was safe to leave him there while taking pictures.  Huh.

These pictures require a bit of explanation…

DJ surprised me last month with a one night getaway for our 12 year anniversary.  We left on Saturday afternoon and went to a movie and did some shopping and then went out to eat in Snoqualmie, where we then stayed the night at the Salish Lodge.  The next morning we had a 5 course breakfast at the hotel and then got massages at their spa.  It was a wonderful, far too short, trip.  We needed a break from the kids!  And my parents graciously came over to watch the kids for us.  The kids had such a great time with their grandparents that they didn’t even ask about us the whole time we were gone.  Who can blame them, when they do fun things like finger painting (the picture of Addison and my Mom above) and build giant obstacle courses in the living and dining room. 

So the picture of Ethan is when we got home from our trip and I took one look at him and said “what in the world are you wearing?!”  He had on one of Austin’s 12 month shirts.  It had accidentally been hung up in Ethan’s closet and my Mom just happened to chose that shirt the one morning she dressed them.  She said she wondered why it was so tight.  I couldn’t stop laughing and I’m laughing about it again right now.  Poor kid, we about took his head off trying to get the thing off .  I think it’s hilarious that he could even wear it.  A picture was an absolute must. 

Anyway, thank you to DJ for a wonderful anniversary and thank you to Mom and Dad for making it possible.  Here’s to another year!

I was trying to get a picture of Addison wearing this skirt I made here but I’m a terrible photographer, plus she wasn’t in a cooperating mood.  Hey, you can almost see my new carpet underneath the mess of toys here!

How about THIS face?!  This is the exact face he makes each and every time you get the camera out and point it at him.  The only way to avoid this face is to sneakily snap a picture when he’s not paying attention.  I love the long stream of drool that is perfectly dangling there for the photo.  At least the drool cooperated. 

She doesn’t have as much garb on in this photo as she did today, but you get the idea.  Who doesn’t love PJ day and princess dress up all at the same time?

Austin having big boy moments.  (NO, STOP GROWING UP!!!!)  Sitting and reading in the chair all by his lonesome and having his first snack in E&A’s highchair at the big table.  What a cute boy he is.

And lastly, a tribute to the daily battle I fight with Austin in regards to CLIMBING.  This boy climbs anything and everything.  So I usually put all the kitchen chairs, E&A’s high chairs, my computer desk chair AND the barstools into the pantry.  So what does Austin do to retaliate?  He gets HIS high chair and slides it to the nearest counter of interest and climbs up and over the tray and perches himself very unstably on the tray.  I can tell him NO and put him back onto the floor a million times and he just gets right back up. 

I’ve run out of room in my pantry, so what’s a Mom to do??? 

Take pictures, of course.

I haven’t forgotten my goal of journaling more often, but sickness took hold of us this past Friday so everything went to the bottom of the priority list.  All three kids have had a runny nose and cough and DJ had a small bout with it Sat/Sun and now I’m dealing with it myself.  Blah.  We had to cancel preschool this morning because it was my turn to host and I just didn’t have it in me, plus Addison and Austin are still not quite over it.  Ethan was well enough to go to speech therapy today though, so that was good.  His therapist said he was making good progress and is optimistic about getting results over the next few months.  Let’s hope so, cause our insurance will only take us through about May and then we’ll have to quit and wait until next year to start again if needed.

I taught sharing time on Sunday (solo) and it seemed to go well.  I wasn’t feeling that great (sickness was looming), so the preparation of the lessons was the hardest part for me.  I just couldn’t get a good idea to stick and it took me forever to finalize what I wanted to do and then another couple hours to pull it all together.  Hopefully it gets easier the more we do it and I won’t be such a stress case over it when it’s our turn.

Only 9 more days until I’m off to Vegas with Cheryl.  I’m beyond excited.  It’s been such a long time planning that it’s seemed like the day would never come.  4 days without anyone but myself to worry about.  I would probably be happy taking a vacation in Nebraska, if it just meant some alone time.  So the fact that we’re going somewhere fun and get to see Garth in concert makes it bliss.  I’ll miss the kids for sure, but I’ve needed a break for quite some time.  4 years with only a 1 night escape a couple times means that I’m long overdue.  Vegas here we come!

Oh, before I forget…  One of the cutest words that Addison says (and has said for a long time now) is “lasterday”.  I think this word is better than the original.  Lasterday makes much sense then yesterday, don’t you think?  She talks so much like a grown up these days.  Every now and then it turns into a bit of sass, but most of the time it’s just sweetness.  I love to sit and just talk with her.  And that girl can TALK.  She is 100% girl and chats it up like you wouldn’t believe.  Sometimes Ethan goes on “strike” and won’t answer the million questions she asks him.  I can’t fault him too much for it, because I understand all too well that sometimes you just want quiet.

Thursdays are our swim lesson day.  Today Addison had a bit of a runny nose so I wasn’t sure if she was going to go in the pool or not.  But even the mere mention of not going and she would start to cry.  So I let her go and hopefully she doesn’t get a full blown cold now.  The kids are doing so well swimming.  They are totally comfortable in the water and can swim quite a ways under water.  They love doing cannon balls into the deep end.  Addison has become very buoyant lately and floats with her face down in the water, not remembering to kick or scoop and just stays in one place.  Ethan has got a super speed kick and can really go fast across the width of the pool.

There are so many thing you have to remember to do when you swim, so many motor skills that have to be chained together, that I completely understand why it’s tough for them to put it all together.  They both will be focusing so hard on one aspect and then forget to do the other things they already know how to do.  Addison is working on keeping her chin down so that she doesn’t sink when swimming.  So she forget to scoop her arms.   Ethan always shakes his head side to side when under water (something Miss Connie says is normal) so when he’s focusing on not doing that he forgets everything else. 

She’s had them try out a mermaid (or dolphin) kick the past few weeks and Addison is just too darn cute at it.  She really caught onto the whole “kick like Little Mermaid” thing and her bum goes clear up out of the water and she’s able to then bring it back down and lift her head up on her own.  Big accomplishment!!!  Ethan isn’t quite as skilled at the mermaid kick, but he excels at all other things in the water so it’s nice for Addison to be a bit ahead in one area.

I just love to watch them swim.  It’s so rewarding because they make small improvements each and every week.  And they absolutely love it.  She lets them use the noodles at the end of the lesson and their faces are so lit up and excited, it’s contagious.  Makes me want to jump in the pool with them.   I know Austin wants to, that’s for sure.  I’ll probably start him up in the fall.  It’s great that I’m able to help with Miss Connie’s party room remodel because we’re swapping my time for lesson time.  Come this fall, when I want to have three kids in lessons all at once, those trade hours will come in REAL handy.

I’ve got to try and catch a second wind.  I’m so tired today.  I go to bed too late and then run around like a crazy person all day and by Thursday or Friday it catches up to me.  Plus I’m trying to add exercising to my regime in the mornings which, when you’re so out of shape, does NOT give you that extra energy they say is suppose to come from working out.  That comes later, when you’re in shape and working out feels good.  Right now it just plain sucks.

Today I tested out Austin’s knowledge of body parts a bit.  I remember that was a big deal to me with E&A, but I never have done it with Austin.  So I asked him where his belly, head, foot, nose and ears where.  He pointed to all of them but the ears.  Way to go Austin!  And he is getting more animated with animal sounds now.  He’s got the roar down for the ferocious animals, the monkey sound, an elephant sound that would melt anyone’s heart, a partial crocodile chomp noise and a kitty meow.  I’m loving it.  He’s just such a sweetheart.  He’s got a stubborn streak in him, but most of the time he’s so lovey, helpful and kind.  Can’t get enough of him!

Tonight is another busy night for me.  Business call with Ramon, Visiting Teaching and then business talks with DJ and his brothers.  Not exactly the best schedule for someone who is dragging at 2:00.  I’m sure I’ll go to bed far too late again tonight too.  Hard to break the cycle!

Last week I took both Ethan and Austin to see the allergy doctor.  It was time for Ethan’s annual check up and I wanted to double up and get Austin checked out too.  He’s such a picky eater and I’ve had a few suspicions that he’s a lot like Ethan when it comes to allergies, so I wanted to get those confirmed or disproved.

The appointment itself was long since there were two of them.  Plus we got a “nurse in training” that did all the testing and measuring so it took twice as long.  Not cool with two small kids.  I wanted to ring the neck of the senior nurse that was hovering over the training nurse and just tell her to do it and get on with it!  Old books and blocks only entertain for so long.  They did give them blue lollipops during the waiting period after the tests are put onto backs to try and help distract from any itching, and that helped with Ethan.  But with Austin all that did was create a whole new set of obstacles for me to deal with.  Sticky hands, face and clothes and blue drool everywhere isn’t exactly fun when sitting in an 8×8 room waiting for test results.

Ethan’s allergy status stayed the same.  Still allergic to peanuts, although it isn’t a severe allergy, peas, soy, dogs/cats and we tested for some tree nuts to see if those were potential problems.  It was a mixed bag on the nuts (ha ha). He’s ok with walnuts, cashews and pecans.  He’s iffy on almonds and pistachios.  And he’s quite allergic to macadamia nuts.  Strange kid.  But at least we’ve got some nut options with him now, which is great.  I also told the doc about all the bloody noses he has and the congestion he seems to never been fully rid of.  They took a sample from inside his nose and he had quite a few allergen cells, which means he is suffering from mild constant allergies.  He said this is most likely from our dog Lexie.  He said he could do some prescription nose spray everyday, but I wasn’t too jazzed about that idea.  Medicating him everyday isn’t ideal in my book.  So we talked with Kahly and she agreed to take Lexie semi-permanently.  She’ll keep her unless she’s going out of town or has a particularly busy schedule.  Kahly loves Lexie to death and the feeling is mutual with Lexie, so everyone is happy.  And hopefully we can get this house de-dogged enough that Ethan can get some relief. (it can also potentially help with his speech therapy, but that’s for another post another day)

So anyway, my suspicions were confirmed and Austin does indeed have quite a few allergies.  He’s allergic to dogs/cats too (another reason for Lexie to go live with Kahly).  He has a peanut allergy, but his seems to be a lot more severe.  I’m hopeful that it won’t be quite so bad after a couple more years, like Ethan’s is now.  He isn’t allergic to the peas and soy and dairy.  BUT, he is allergic to eggs and wheat.  The egg one just means no scrambled eggs or wet eggs.  He can still eat them in baked goods. PHEW.  And the wheat one seems to be mild.  But the doc said it’s probably what is causing his face skin rashes.  He said to eliminate wheat for 10 days and see if it improves.  HA HA HA HA!  If I did that then Austin would starve.  The kid is too picky.  I’m just going to do some hydrocortisone and see if he outgrows it.  It’s not severe enough to go to drastic measures.  I’ll just be praying that it doesn’t ever get worse.  A severe wheat allergy is a terrible thing to have.  Poor Austin!   Makes me sad. 

Here’s to another year without any allergic reaction scares!  We’ve been blessed so far without any incidents and hopefully we can keep it that way through 2010.

Hmm… maybe chocolate pudding all over his face isn’t the best way to clear up a face rash. ;o)

A couple weeks ago I attempted to give Austin a hair cut.  His hair is still super short in the front and on top, but the back was getting a little to “mullet-like” so it needed a trim.  I totally butchered it.  It looks terrible.    So now we have to let it grow out for a couple months and then take him to get it cut by a professional.  I guess I’ll hold off on getting any formal photos taken until the hair is fixed.  It’s just too funny looking now.  I’m just not cut out for cutting hair!

We don’t have anything on the schedule today (WAHOO) so I’m officially making it our cleaning day.  I hate cleaning, but if I can get it all done in one day then I’m free the rest of the week.  And I’ll turn it into a game so the kids can get involved. 

I gave each of the kids their own cleaning spray bottle (which isn’t child neglect because my cleaning solution is vinegar and water) and their own rag.  It was a cute when they were all standing at the sliding glass door “helping” me clean the windows.  Ethan’s technique is to spray about 10 squirts of his spray then vigorously clean it up with his rag.  Addison’s technique is to carefully squirt a spray, right up next to the window, so it just dribbles down and then wipe it up.  Austin’s technique is to hold the spray bottle upside-down, shake it and then eat his rag.

Austin continues to climb on anything and everything he can.  He is truly happiest when he is up on a stool or table or perched somewhere.  Some days I just let him and keep close eye on him.  Other days when I need to get stuff done I have put all the kitchen chairs, the barstools, the kids highchairs and my computer desk chair into the pantry.  It can be a bit annoying.  This kid has no fear and even though he falls from time to time, nothing deters him from climbing.  I think it has something to do with trying to be bigger like his brother and sister.  He’s actually better at getting in and out of chairs then they are.  Oops.  He just semi-fell out of the hair chair he was climbing.  He used his upper body strength to make it a controlled fall, so it just scared him more than it hurt him.  Probably time to intervene.  Let the crying begin.

DJ is at a dodge ball game tonight so I flew solo for dinner, bath and bedtime.  Never a fun thing, but it wasn’t too bad tonight.  The kids all seemed to be a good spirits, despite a runny nose that Addison and Austin mysteriously got today.  Hopefully sickness isn’t knocking at our door.  Sickness seems to throw a wrench in your entire life for a good week, and then it takes another week to get all caught up.  Please no sickness!

I did good with my reading time and focused one-on-one time with the kids today.  YEAH!  Austin loves to sit on my lap or lay across my stomach (if I’m laying down) when we read books.  He isn’t content to sit to the side of me and read.  He whines and complains until I let him onto my lap, right in the center of things.  And if we are all reading together he becomes quite disruptive because he sits on my lap, listens for approximately 6 seconds and then is bored with the “big kid” book we are reading and gets back up again, pushing and kicking as he leaves.  And then about 30 seconds later he wants to sit down again.  It’s amazing how much their attention span grows in a couple short years.  Although, if it’s a book he loves, he’ll sit quietly on my lap for a long time listening.  So hard to please everyone, but never a dull moment!

Tuesdays seem to be our busiest day of the week.  The kids have preschool in the morning and then Ethan has speech therapy at 1:15.  And then there always seems to be something going on in the evenings too.  Like today, Kahly and Thelma are coming over for a visit and dinner.  And then after the kids go down I’m headed out to a meeting with the kids swim instructor for a party room remodel I’m designing/managing.  PHEW!  Barely enough time to sit and write for two seconds, but I wanted to stay on track with my goal, so I’m making it a priority.

While driving in the car today Ethan told me “someday I’m going to be a man”.  He was completely serious.  I have no idea where he picked that one up.  What happened to just growing up and being a big boy?  I told him I wanted him to stay my sweet little boy for a long time.  He said okay, but then he was going to be a man.

That’s all I have time to write for today, but considering how busy it was, it’ll have to do.