A Week in Review

We have had a fantastic week!

We have had plenty of snacks and plenty of quality time with our newest member- Ah-Ah (previously referred to as Tito). He now travels with Alden just about everywhere- here he is actually sharing his pudding with Ah-ah!

Addie and her pudding- a fav post-nap snack. And notice the Dr. Pepper water bottle- all this time I have been spending money to get them nice cups- and all they really wanted were used Dr. Pepper bottles filled with water =-)

Wednesday we had Baskin Robbins for dinner- they had their annual 31cents a scoop event with all the proceeds going to charity. It was a win-win-win situation- the kids got ice cream for dinner, charity was helped, and since we drove to where Al works, we got to have "dinner" with him!

It turns out that Addie picked the exact same 2 scoops as her cousin Kuda, all the way in KC!

The kids think the chore of picking-up Kierke's poo is FUN- and they are pretty good at it! As Addie's new favorite show Wonder Pets says, "What's it gonna take, TEAM WORK!"

Fri found us at the local fountains- and we invited some friends to join us. Since the first week of school for Addie- she has been talking about her friend Molly- who isn't in her class, but the class across the hall. Today, the Mom got their acts together and got the girls together outside of school. They had a BLAST together!

Here are most of the kids- Addie was beside herself- she had Molly AND Aiden- two of her favorite people- at the fountains with her! Having Molly's brother and Aiden's sister- as well as her little friend Ava and her brother- well, Addie was a very happy little girl!

They sure are sweet to a very tired Ava! Alden insisted on pushing the stroller all by himself- I got quite a few "Ahhs" and even a "What a sweet family!" I didn't want to burst their bubble and tell them that the one in the stroller was borrowed....

This should be a commercial for Honda- I love that I can get 3 BIG carseats in the middle row!

It has been a fantastic week- we are truly blessed!

Beach?

As many of you know, we lived near a beach for most of the kids' lives. To them, it's perfectly normal to just up and decide that you will have dinner at the beach- and bam- 30 min later, that is where you are! Living in Richmond has been a bit of an adjustment for them.

I opened the shed to get out their sidewalk chalk, and when I looked up, this is what I found. Do you think it's time to take them to the beach??

Playing Outside

It's been glorious weather- as I believe I've stated before! Here are some fun pics of just today and the discoveries we made!

Silly Addie!

Showing off her boo-boos for the day- scraped elbow and knee- she couldn't show both at the same time, so she decided to show off her elbow....

Daddy was taking the 4-wheeler out for the day, so he let the kids ride around the back yard- they LOVED it. And before you chastise me, Al went SUPER slow and held on to both of them!

Alden discovered he likes caterpillars- sigh..... This poor guy I'm sure, lost a good amount of his life Alden held him so much.... He was gentle and SO excited that the caterpillar crawled all over him....

Showing me

I love the look on his face here!

And here he is talking to him- telling him how cool he is!

Smart Cookie

Today at Story Time, Addie showed that she can write her name, ALL BY HERSELF!!

The best part- we haven't really worked on this! Sure, she connects the dots on birthday cards, and we have talked about letters- but this just blew me out of the water!! Way to go, Miss Addie!!!

Bubble-ishous

These kids LOVE bubbles. Today, since they were feeling great and it was gorgeous, we played outside and I took these pictures. This is how you would most likely find us on any given nice afternoon.

My pretty girl- the master of blowing tons of bubbles out of these tubes!!

Showing the HUGE container of bubbles that I am sure will need to be replaced before too long....

He loves his little monkey bubble container that he got at Grayson and Avery's birthday party- I can't tell you how many times I refilled this container....

She preferred this location- the sun made them extra shiny, or so she said....

Taking a little break to run around the yard!

I love these kids! The simplest things make them happy! I love that I get to play bubbles with them! And I think my yard may very well suds up the next time it rains....

Bye-Bye MiMi, Hello Tito!

Today was a major milestone in our house. Alden put his much beloved Mimi (paci) in a monkey that he proudly named, Tito.

A tradition that started when Addie turned 3- putting her Mimi in a dog from Build-a-Bear, was passed on to Alden today! To make a long story short- he was down to 1 Mimi, it "broke" while he was sick, and then he lost it last night. Once we saw that he could sleep without it- and he was comforted by the fact that he could go get his bear- we seized the opportunity! Of course, on the way out the door to BaB, we found his Mimi- but it was needing to be thrown out, and he was realllllly excited to get his special trip to BaB!

So excited to be going- and getting a good, final suck in!

You can't tell, but he was jumping up and down he was so excited!!

Oh My! SO many choices!!! He took his sweet time picking one out- that's my boy!!

I love the look on his face- you can tell he is telling the lady how important this Mimi is.... She was great- and totally played-up the importance of this Mimi going inside the monkey and how big that made him....

Blowing the Mimi 1 final kiss....

Making sure it's in the right place in the leg...

Showing me his new "friend" Tito!

Naptime- the true test.... He only cried for 30min- and once I went in and told him he needed to cut it out, he did, and then slept for almost 2 hours!! Tonight, he went right to bed, snuggled, just like in this picture, with his "Ahh-ahh" (the sound monkey's make)... When did he get so big?!?

Thankful....

With the Stomach Bug "fluttering" around the house, I want to take time to reflect on how thankful I am.

I'm thankful for...

1. good friends- Karen went to WalMart on a Saturday morning to pick-up and deliver saltines and Gingerale. She then went the extra mile and picked-up and delivered to my door-step, my Angel Food (we order from them every month we can- and there is a 1 hr time-frame in which to pick-up). And on top of it all- she's 8mo pregnant with #2!!

2. cable- It has been wonderful to have a plethora of channels to choose from as the kids have wanted to snuggle and watch TV all day. At the rate we are going, the kids will be tri-lingual- English, Spanish and Chinese! I have been so impressed with the variety of shows I can choose from at any given time- there is always something on that I feel comfortable with them watching!

3. prayers- I am confident that many of my friends have been praying for me and not just saying that they would. I have had more patience with whining, crazy demands, dragging of the feet, and just plain nasty-ness. This is not me- it can only mean 1 thing- that God has given me what I needed- so thank you, please keep praying!

4. a washing machine- I have put mine to the test! I am so thankful for one- vomit soaked sheets are disgusting- but I can't even fathom having to hand wash them.... What a joy to be able to dump them in a washing machine and walk away.

5. my health- As I write this, my tummy is doing those little "flip-flops" that are a warning sign, to at least me, that something is going on.... I am thankful that I have lasted this long- hopefully the kids will be "turning the corner" tomorrow (it will be 1 week for Alden and 3 days for Addie)- and this way they can be a bit more self-sufficent if I need to be just a lump on the couch.

During trying times, I try to be the Pollyanna, and see the positives. Irritating to some? Yes. Am I partially writing this so when I get majorly sick, I have something to look back on and gain some perspective- probably!!

Pukefest....

It all started Wednesday when Alden didn't eat his bacon. He normally inhales his turkey bacon and begs for more than his 3 slices. Wednesday morning, he only nibbled on one slice- so I should have known something was going on. I just thought it was his molars (I know, he's almost 3 and should have his 2 yr molars, but both my kids have been late teethers). That night at dinner, he puked all over me since he was sitting in my lap at the time. Poor kid got the shakes, spiked a high fever, got the runs and was just down right miserable. I'll spare you the details, but we laid low and stuck to the BRATS diet for both Thur and Fri in a valiant attempt to keep these nasty germs to ourselves. Addie at this point, was showing NO signs of feeling sick- she was eating me out of house and home!!

Friday evening, my MOPS group was having a Mom's Night Out- and I could actually go!! As I was literally walking out the door, Alden woke-up, with puke all over him and his bed. Al, the amazing Dad and husband that he is, gave me a kiss and told me to go- and then cleaned it up and put both kids back to bed.

Midnight- Addie wakes-up crying- puke everywhere. Al and I work together and get her all cleaned up, sheets changed and in the washer, in record time. Just as we are getting her tucked back into bed, Alden erupts, literally. Once again, working together, we get him all cleaned up and put back together, only to hear Addie erupting...again. Alden, thankfully, was down for the rest of the night. Addie was not so fortunate. Every 10-15min for the rest of the night (with the exception of 1, 1hr stretch), she puked into her puke bucket. I will say she's a quick learner- she never got a mess on her bed or herself again- it all went neatly into the bucket!

This morning, both kids had no appetites, issues on "the other end", and Addie still couldn't hold anything down for more than 10 min- lovely. I called the Pediatrician. He made some recommendations to tweak their diets- feed them yogurt pops, Gatorade, and apple sauce- and if they weren't better in a few hours (meaning Addie could keep anything down for longer than 30 min) to call. At 11am, I called and got Addie a prescription for Zofran- hallelujah!!

With 1 dose of Zofran in her system, and Motrin in both, both kids slept for 3 hours!! Poor Alden had some "other issues", but thankfully he slept through them- I hadn't changed a diaper on a sleeping child in ages! It's pretty funny!

Once both up from their naps, both ate sliced apples and toast- and Alden lost all his on the carpet.... Addie is back to moaning about her tummy hurting- even with a new dose of Zofran.

I have no idea where the kids got this- and even if they have the same bug since it's affecting them so differently! I am thankful that they haven't really been sick all winter- and at least they are being sick together- not 1 kid being sick for a week and then the other one being sick for the next week. It's also allowed me to really spot clean the rug and wash all the other rugs in the house! And the best part, all the laundry is caught up- at least for now.... Who knows what the night will hold....

Poor Alden Thur morning- notice Addie eating her 2nd waffle, happy as can be in the background.

How Addie has spent most of the day- cuddled on the couch, watching Kai-Lin. We are all learning some very helpful Chinese....

Earlier this morning- isn't she the cutest little puker ever?

My Mr. Clean- happy to be helping clean up his puke!

You would never know he had just puked AND filled his diaper!

Fun @ the Fountains

It has been super warm so we have been taking advantage by going to some local fountains that have actually been on!! We went the day before this, but I forgot my camera at home....

Waiting for the fountains to be turned on....

Such a boy- showing me how it works....

Yay! The fountains are ON!! We were the first ones there for a bit!

Having fun playing with and "helping" with our friend, Ava.

Sharing their buckets with Ava

Valuable Lessons Learned @ Huguenot Park

Today the kids woke up a bit cranky so I decided a little change of scenery might help. Alden has also had a few accident-free days (knock on wood), so slurpies were also on the agenda. A local park is near the Sheetz, so that seemed like a wonderful location!

Every outing with my kids teaches me something- here are a few funny and hopefully slightly poignant lessons learned just from today....

1. Slurpies make life a bit sweeter. The kids woke-up a bit cranky- they had had a sun, water, and running filled morning and I think they were still tired when they woke-up. When we walked into Sheetz, their eyes got huge as they saw the Slurpie machine! They were tickled pink when I handed them their own cup and let them pick their very own "color" to eat- Alden picked orange and Addie picked blue. It's amazing how something as simple as a Slurpie can make kids feel so special! After a single swig of their Slurpies, both kids were all smiles!!

Lesson Learned: Sometimes unwarranted kindness is all it takes to turn a situation around.

2. Don't smoke around Addie. There was a Grandma there with her just toddling grandson- and for some reason she thought a park, with a covering of woodchips, filled with small children, was a good place to light-up. She was near us and the conversation went something like this:

Addie: What's that stinky smell Mommy?

Me: You are right, it doesn't smell good. Let's move to the other side of the park.

Addie: (as we are walking away from the smoking Grandma) Why does she smoke? It stinks. She shouldn't smoke, it's bad for her. I don't think her baby likes the smell very much.

To Addie's credit, she did say all this not in her loudest voice and as she was walking away- but the Grandma must have still heard her as they left the park a few min later.....

Lesson Learned: Don't smoke around Addie. In the car, we had a little discussion about the importance of doing the right thing but being kind in doing it....

3. Going to the park in the afternoon is going to be a cultural experience. When we arrived at the park, most of the families there did not speak English, except for the smoking one- who left after Addie so eloquently pointed out the downfalls of it. Addie and Alden didn't seem to mind it- I honestly didn't think the kids even noticed it until we got in the car to go home and Addie asked me why no one else spoke English there today... Granted, there were a few black families there- but their ghetto accents were so thick, I struggled to understand them.

Lesson Learned: It sure is a great life that just going to the park provides chances to talk about how God has made people differently and how special that is! I'm so glad that my kids can recognize differences and not just balk at them!

God is in the little things and for that I am grateful! Today's trip the park is just a little glimmer into our every-day adventures and the lessons we learn along the way!

Easter

Easter has been a fantastic time this year! The kids are old enough to understand that Easter is more than chocolate and marshmellows- but about Jesus giving His life for us and rising again. Anytime Addie would find an empty Easter egg, she would gleefully exclaim, "Look Mommy! It's empty, just like Jesus' tomb!" How sweet it is to hear your children telling you what you have been teaching them!!

We hit the road for NY early Saturday morning. MarMar had eggs all ready to dye- and the kids were totally intrigued but happy to just watch and tell me which egg went in which bowl.

Then my Master Chef and I decorated cupcakes- as you can see, he took this VERY seriously!

After no naps in the car, they were tired- Alden wanted to rest and Addie graciously "told" him the story of Easter- so sweet!!

Sunday morning, the kids put out carrots for The Easter Bunny, in hopes that he would leave them chocolate (Alden's wish) and a baby doll (Addie's wish)

Outside taking pics while waiting for the rest of the adults to finish getting ready. And yes, it's not even 8am at this time- scary! This picture is just too cute to NOT share!!

I asked her to show me how sweet she was- and this is what she did! I just love this girl!

I asked Alden the same question- and this is what I got- I just love how God made boys and girls SO different! I love this guy!

Yay! After church, they came home to bags FULL of Easter Treats- thank you, MarMar & PopPop, I mean, Easter Bunny.....

Checking out Uncle Frank's new iPad- they loved it as did all the other adults! One just might be in our future as the desktop is about to die!!

Addie LOVES her boys- and they are waiting to go find all the eggs we parents hid!

She found one and is already looking for another!

So sweet- Addie is giving Alden the egg that he just fell, attempting to get!

Good eyes, Alden!!

Guess who hid THIS egg? Only fitting that he help her get it!!

We had a fantastic time, despite all the traffic!!