Five years old!

Carson turned 5 last weekend. His birthday has always been interesting to plan because the date is so close to Valentine's day and a long weekend. Last year Carson's party was when we were in Tuscon with family. This year we decided to invite a few of Carson's friends. I didn't plan any games, just invited friends with kids in Carson's class, and they also had older kids in Colten's class too! The kids played up stairs, adults ate snacks, we opened presents and ate gooey cake. Carson is really into Batman now so that was the theme for the party, and he loved helping decorate for it. Opening presents showed it was a "Cars" party as well. Here's a Carson-ism for you: Carson thought that he would be able to start kindergarten once he was five. He was really disappointed when we told him he had to wait to start kindergarten in September.

Cooper having fun helping open presents.

Jammies from Grandma Schall!

"Finn McMissle" Cars toy.

Cool "Star Wars" figures from Will.

Cool race car lunch box from Great- Grandma Montgomery

The awesome cake my mom made. Carson chose chocolate (of course) with Neapolitan ice cream.

It took three tries, but he got all the candles blown out.

Carson's batman costume we ordered as his gift

The day after the party was Carson's special day at pre-school, and also their Valentine's day party. Carson and my mom made these cute pirate cake pops to share at school.

Catching up: The Boys

Now that the September panic is over with I can catch everyone up on what’s been happening in my life for the past month. There have been lots of milestones with the boys.

August 30th was Colten’s first day of 2nd grade and Carson’s was September 7th was Carson’s first day of 4-year-old preschool. Both boys have been doing well in school and are having a great time. This summer Colten was diagnosed with ADHD and we started him on some medication to see if it would help. While he still has issues, the medication has helped lots and homework isn’t such a battle anymore. Colten continues to get good marks on his assignments, we still need to work on reading fluency with him. Another new thing for Colten is he is in cub scouts this year. We went to the information night last week and our first official meeting was Friday. Saturday we helped the local Lions Club (the cub scouts sponsor) collect canned food for the Tenino food bank. This was Colten’s first time going door to door and he did a great job explaining who he was and what we were collecting. We got enough food to fill a banana box and then took it back to the Lions and got hot chocolate. At the next meeting we will be getting rockets to assemble and fire off at the end of the month! Colten is very excited for that.

Carson’s class visited the Tenino fire station last week for a field trip. He got to see all the trucks and ambulance and the firefighters gave all the preschoolers a bag with goodies and talked with them about fire safety. This next month Carson’s class will be going to the pumpkin patch to pick out pumpkins.

Cooper has had a busy month also. He now has seven teeth and the dreaded molars are starting to push through. We are still waiting on one last incisor on the lower left side, but I think that Cooper may just have a strange teething cycle. I’m sure we’ll be paying for it later on in his life with orthodontia. Cooper also got his first hair cut! I held Cooper and my mom cut his hair with the clippers. I thought he’d freak out or cry from the strange vibrations and noise, but he just laughed and giggled the entire time. He looks so much different with shorter hair. He’s a little boy and not my baby anymore.

Cooper has also started walking!! It started with just a few steps to my cousin while in Wenatchee, but now he his walking just about everywhere! What’s really interesting is to watch him try to run, but he doesn’t have the coordination for it yet. We’re all still waiting for any real words to pop out of Cooper’s mouth. He is getting more and more frustrated with the lack of understanding what he wants, and I’m hoping he’ll start talking soon so some of the tantrums can stop. I never thought I would still be nursing Cooper at 14 months. He just doesn’t want to give it up. He’s fine during the day while I’m working, and he did pretty good while I was at outdoor camp, but when I’m at home and he’s upset, he knows what he wants. He’s certainly not nursing for nutrition so I’m content to get snuggles a few times a day for now.

Carson,

Today you turned four years old. You’ve stopped being a little boy, and are now acting so grown up. I often joke that you are four going on forty. It always amazes me how much like me you are. It drives both your daddy and I crazy. Grandma says that I’m getting what I deserve.

You are the most observant kids. You notice all the little details and of course have to mention them. This attention-to-detail attitude often starts arguments with Colten and when you combine it with your stubbornness, can really try my patience. You also like to be in charge and often tell me what you want or don’t want to do. I’m sure I’ll appreciate this later on in your life, but I don’t want to be told that you don’t want to go to bed or get dressed in the morning. It is difficult to change your mind when it is set on something.

You are not always serious minded. Lately you’ve gotten into telling “potty” jokes. One of your favorite things to do is run around the house yelling, “Coop, Coop, the poop!” about Cooper. Your jokes are always funny to you, but not I don’t always see the humor in them.

Preschool is one thing you really enjoy. You are so smart most of the work is easy for you, but you like going to school and seeing your teacher and other students. You got to take cupcakes the other day and celebrate your birthday. You love doing homework worksheets when Colten is doing his homework and you already want to know your letters and numbers.

You’re not all grown up though. With everything that is going on in our family, you still LOVE your lovey and sucking your thumb. We have butted heads several times about when and when not to suck your thumb. I’m hoping you will lose interest in it once you start school. Last year at this time you were potty trained, even at night, but for a while now you’ve been only day trained. I’m not too stressed out about keeping you dry all night, other than having to buy pull-ups. I’m hoping that this, like the thumb sucking, will be something you’ll grow out of soon.

It is scary sometimes how much you are learning and how fast you are growing up. My little snuggle bug is growing up and I need to try to remember each little moment I can. You were, and still are the best Valentine’s day present I’ve ever gotten. I love you sweet boy.

First day of 1st Grade

Today was Colten's first day of school in 1st grade. He was so excited to meet his teacher last night (and get ice cream). Carson wants to go to school too so bad, but he's not there yet. He kept wanting to know where his classroom was last night and I had to keep telling him he will be there in a few years.

I was a bad mom and put off registering Carson for preschool so now the classes are all full for 3 year olds. We're first on the waiting list and if enough kids get on the list, then the school will add another class. I haven't told Carson that I was bad and didn't sign him up in time. I'm hoping and waiting that someone moved, or wasn't ready, or that LOTS of kids sign up and Carson will get his spot. He is so into doing everything Colten does, he wants to go to school NOW!

Quick update

This is our adopted raccoon, Bandit. She is cute, but quickly becoming a nuisance! Don't let that cute face fool you! She is like a kitten on crack! She plays like a kitten, but really rough! She's getting aggressive towards the boys and the cats. Like a kitten she is curious, but she can climb and destroy so much more than you would think. She's flattened flowers, tossed stuff off shelves in the garage, and almost gotten shut in several doors. Pretty soon she will be taken to a beaver pond several miles away and left to find her way in the world.

Carson and I made raspberry jam this last weeks with fresh berries. It was GOOD stuff! The smell that I associate most with summer is fresh raspberries, usually jam. YUM!

McCord Airforce base had it's air show this last weekend. Tony took the boys (and let me have "me" time) and they all had a great time. They were gone all day and got to see and tour lots of great aircraft!

35/35 and random mumblings

I am 35 weeks pregnant today, and while that in itself isn't that big a milestone, it does mean that I only have ~35 days left of being pregnant! To sit here and think that is a little scary! A very real part of me is SO looking forward to holding this healthy baby, but part of me is sad to have this experience end. I know, I've only been pregnant 4 times, but knowing this is my last one, I want to hold on and enjoy every last minute of it.

It's my first week of summer and I've let some of the "nesting" urges drive my motivations this week. Cooper's room isn't anywhere close to being ready, but I have gotten things packed up to go in the attic, and then some day this next week I'll get someone (Tony) to pull all the baby stuff from the attic and put the boxes of boys clothes up.

This first week of summer has also inspired me to organize all my maternity clothes and pack up all the things I know I won't be wearing again. I've also dusted lots of stuff and swept up the cobwebs. Other things on my list are cleaning out the lower kitchen cupboards, washing down the walls in the stairs, and dusting the baseboards. Anal I know, but since I haven't been motivated to clean this much in over a year, and I've got the time and hopefully the energy, I might as well let the clean me out. It will keep me busier than sitting and waiting for this baby to arrive.

I've hung out with the boys lots this week. We've gone walking with my mom and to the parade in Yelm this week. The warm weather has been so nice to send them outside to play. One of the most memorable moments this week was when they were playing "army" outside and decided that the best way to get the perfect camouflage was to rub dirt over their hands and faces (and of course their clothes)! Typical boys! Tony helped strip them down and toss them in the tub to clean up. They've also gotten caught up looking at the bugs and spiders with the magnifying glass.

The closer Cooper gets to being here, the more concerned the boys both are about how he is doing. They like feeling him move and constantly ask if he's awake or if he likes cookies or ice cream. Colten also asks if the baby is still alive and worries about if he will die like the last one. Carson was too young to remember me being pregnant before, but Colten remembers when I lost Taylor. It is nice that Colten worries, but I don't want him worrying too much.

Carson's latest worry is about spiders. He wakes up at least 3 times a night screaming for us to help him. He's been dreaming that spiders are crawling all over his head. It is really unnerving as a parent to hear hear the fear in his voice at 2 a.m. Nothing is working to help him. He wants the light on, and that is fine, but the biggest problem is that he likes to sleep with his "lovey" on his head and that is what he feels is the spiders crawling on his head. Like any 3 year-old, telling him rationally that the spiders aren't there doesn't work. I have no idea what we will do to try to get some regular sleep. I am so tired already from Cooper waking me up that getting up with Carson and trying to get him back to sleep each night is wearing on me.

At least it is summer; complete with mandatory 2 hour naps and lots of play time for mommy to rest.

Easter Fun

So, this isn't Easter, but a few weeks ago Tony and I had the opportunity to enjoy a fundraiser dinner at church to help teenagers go to their mission trip in Mexico. We got all dressed up and sat with another couple from church, and ate gourmet food. We so rarely get dressed up we wanted a picture, though it is not my best. Definitely not the spaghetti feed fundraisers from the past.
Colten and Carson had a great time dying eggs for Easter.

The boys get only a little candy in for Easter, but it didn't take long for Carson to start chowing down on the jelly beans!

We had all of Tony's family out to the house for Easter dinner. Great-Grandma wanted an egg hunt, so the boys had a great time finding the eggs outside. I'm just happy the rain stayed away until after everyone left.

Significant Milestones

Several things happen this week (and in the last few weeks) that are mention worthy.

Tomorrow marks a significant milestone for me. I'll be 20 weeks pregnant. Why is this such a big deal you ask! Not only is it the 1/2 way marker for me through this pregnancy, but it is also the time that the term "miscarriage" becomes "still birth". For anyone who has never lost a child to miscarriage, the change in a simple term may not matter, but to me it is a big deal. It might sound morbid, but the change in terms means that if my baby were to die after this point, I would go through labor and birth. I would be able to see and hold my baby, to get pictures, hand and foot prints, and answers. I would have something to remember my baby by, instead of endless unanswered questions, bad memories, and a fuzzy ultrasound picture. (For those of you that don't know I had a D&C with Taylor. I was given a drug to start labor, then put under while my baby was chopped up and sucked out of my body into a collection bag. Not the kind of end I wanted for Taylor.) I know this baby is healthy and well (I get kicked often enough) but there will always be the "what if" factor for me. For the "what if" tomorrow is important to me.

Another major milestone is Carson's. I know I've said he's potty trained, but there were accidents, ok, lots of accidents. We were out of diapers, but the part of trusting him to tell us in time wasn't there. Since he turned three he has just grown so much, and not physically. Carson is not only completely potty trained, but he's dry ALL night too! Of course, he wakes us up to help him to the bathroom at 12:30 at night, but I'm not buying expensive pull-ups and worrying about leaks. Carson also moved up to the pre-school class for Sunday school at church. I was a little worried at first, but the teachers say he is doing great and was definitely ready to be there. Now he's ready for pre-school in the fall.

Carson has been talking, but these last few weeks he's just become even more so. Instead of answering someone, he is giving detailed descriptions of what he did during the day and even corrects me when I get some of the details wrong. I think the part he likes best is he is now able to describe all the things Colten does to him and get Colten in trouble. Carson can now boss Colten around and tell him off when he wants too! It is funny (in a hair-pulling, frustrating way) to watch the two of them go at each other with words. I don't think Colten cares for the better communication skills though.

Birthday boy's Buzz cut and 17 weeks!

Carson got a haircut the other night. It wasn't planned. Usually my mom cuts his hair but he's never allowed her to use the clippers. For some reason he liked our friend who was cutting her kids hair and wanted his cut. Five minutes and a few cookies later his hair was short. It's shorter than I'd like, but thankfully it will grow. Next time we won't cut it quite so short.

This is me at 17 weeks. Things are still going well. This week most of my co-workers started mentioning my pregnancy to me. They've been wondering for a few weeks, but this week the clothes I've worn have really made it obvious. I'm staying healthy and have plenty of energy. Still hearing a strong heartbeat, though it is a little nerve wracking at times tyring to find it for more than a few seconds. This little bugger moves fast and frequently.

So here's the stats for 17 weeks:

How far along: 17 weeks 1 day

Weight gain: 1 pound in last two weeks so 9 pounds total

Size of baby: Size of a mango (Yum!)

Cravings: Strangely enough comfort food! Last week I HAD to have KFC! I never eat KFC normally, but I always crave it when I'm pregnant! It was SO good to taste again! I topped it off with a chocolate Blizzard! Chocolate and good home cooking have been on the menu this week. Thank goodness all that good stuff isn't sticking to me much.

Movement:Yes! I'm getting very definite bumps and nudges. Baby C doesn't like it when I'm crouching or bending over for long. I was pruing my roses this last week and weeding when the weather was nice, and I was definitely being told to let baby have some room! It was great to feel!

Good moment: Hearing the heartbeat still is the best thing. I'm getting good at following the baby as it moves around. I did catch baby resting last night and got to just listen for 5+ minutes!

What I want back: I would love to sleep on my stomach comfortably again. I'm starting to need to switch from one side to the other and only wish I could sleep on my stomach for a while. It would be so nice. Wearing my compression hose isn't fun each day, but they do make a difference. I didn't want to battle with them today, so I left them off. I was teaching so I put my feet up and moved around lots, but my legs sure do ache. I'm back in them tomorrow for my workout!

My Valentine's Baby turned 3!

Yesterday was Carson's 3rd birthday! He requested a chocolate cake and even helped me make it.

He originally wanted a "Little Nemo" cake like last year, but since I didn't have frosting coloring or the artistic ability to pipe out Nemo, I convinced him to go for a John Deere tractor cake.

Colten helped me decorate the cake and helped pipe the rows of "plants" on the top.

We were invited to dinner at our neighbors house so we brought birthday cake dessert for everyone. Carson had a great time playing with all the kids and everyone sang happy birthday to him!


After dinner we got home and opened brithday presents and Valentine's Day cards. Carson got a quad helmet from my parents so now he is all set to go riding quads with the big boys.

My grandma got him a set of "Tigger and Pooh" books with CD. It's one of his favorite shows so it was a hit.

My grandma and mom sent the boys cards and the boys got these goofy M&M fans for Valentine's Day. It was a long, but busy night!

Big boy room

Tony and I worked one night to complete Carson's big boy room. We have been meaning to move him for a while, but waited until school was out. We took the guest room furniture, re-distributed it through the other rooms, and turned the room into a construction, cars, things that move kind of room. While he enjoys playing in it and all the cool road signs (thanks city employee), he doesn't like sleeping in it. We are working to get him to go to sleep as I type, but things are easier typed than accomplished. It will be interesting these next few days to see who wins this battle.

summer fun

Often on summer evenings we build a fire in our pit and the boys roast marshmallows.

Yum! S'mores!

On Sunday the boys and I met my childhood friend, Matt, and his wife and son at Avery Park. It has the neatest old steam engine with a contained coal car. It was great to watch the boys (and my mom) climb all over the train.

The park also has "dinosaur bones" that are concrete formations shaped similar to vertebrae and in a circle. The boys had a blast climbing over them and seeing if they could go from one to another without touching the ground.

After the park the boys and I went to my grandma's house for a party with family. I got to visit with everyone and my boys got to play with my cousins.

We spent the next two days with my grandparents. The boys played in the dirt and played with my cousin's boy Tanner just 6 weeks older than Carson. It was nice to relax and take time to visit with my grandparents. My grandma has been researching her family to find relatives from the revolutionary war. She told me stories about her grandparents and I got to see census copies and read the names of all the children. One ancestor had 18 kids (by two wives)! Another lived to the age of 98 and died in 1832! Longevity runs in the family!

Potty training has been hit and miss with Carson, but he surprised me and did great at the grandparents. Not 100%, but better than before. Now if only he could do that well at home!

We're home now, but will be leaving soon to go camping at Ft. Flagler.

Potty training problems

We started potty training over spring break. It was interesting, but I have come to the conclusion that Carson is not quite ready yet. He would go if I sat him on the potty and we spent time there, but he wouldn't tell me he had to go. One thing he has learned is how to tell us he is wet or poopy and to change his diaper. Carson can also tell when he is in the process of going, but he just can't tell us before he needs to go. Hopefully he will progress along and we can finish training this summer. The worst thing about starting now is Carson will randomly want his diaper off and/or refuse to wear one. Driving me crazy.

A new stage..

Check out my cutie in his stylin' "Nemo" underwear! I think the "Cars" slippers just finish the outfit! I was pulling out the training pants thinking of getting ready for potty training this spring break and Carson found the pair with "Nemo" on them. He couldn't resist stripping down and trying them on. We haven't had any "hits" in the potty, but we've had great fun practicing pulling the undies up and down and sitting on the potty. I can only hope it will start to click soon and we will have more hits than misses.

2 Year check up

Yesterday was Carson's 2 year check up with the doctor. The doc was surprised at how much he is talking and understanding what we say. It was funny, she was asking if he says yes and no, then asked him if she could look in his ears and he clearly told her no, then asked me to put his shirt on because he was cold. She was very surprised to hear all that. Carson is still in the 20-25 %tile for his hight and weight. The good news is that he is proportioned, the bad news is that we think he got my short genes, instead of daddy's tall ones. Poor guy, I hope he hits a growth spurt soon to catch up. Not much else to make note of. Carson did very well with his one and only shot and had no side affects, other than a few tears when it was given.

Quite an outing

Today we went to the Hands On Children's Museum in downtown. Since I had the day off and it was Carson's birthday, I decided to try out the place with both my kids. The museum is a collection of rooms with different themes, filled with toys for role playing and pretending. It was perfect for both boys. Carson really enjoyed the construction room, complete with a small dump truck and rocks to load up in it.

The next room had a waterflow table with all sorts of pieces to create channels and dam up the water. Even better was the boats and fish to watch flow downstream. I couldn't get Colten out of the water. He loved it and fussed about leaving it.

Next to the water table (notice the wet shirt!) there was a play boat complete with engine room, bells, intercoms, and all things nautical. It even had a complete little galley where Carson made me lunch.

Carson really enjoyed the toy bus, complete with swing out stop sign.

Colten joined Carson to help drive the bus. This area had a garden area and market with produce, boxed goods, bakery, and meat department. It even had baskets for shopping and real play money and cashiers for the kids to buy things.

Colten really liked the hospital, complete with x-rays, ambulance to drive, and even a dentist office with a real dental chair.

Even though we got to the museum when it opened, it was packed the two hours we were there. Preschool groups came in and there were lots of parents groups. Of course there were lots of pregnant women and babies. Surprisingly, I was ok with the bellies, once I noticed them. Maybe it was because they were complete strangers, but I didn't obsess over it or get really uncomfortable. It could also be that I was too busy chasing after my 2 boys to really worry about it.

We are heading to Wenatchee tomorrow morning, so I'd better get packing quick.