Running!

I ran a half-marathon today! I ran through most of the winter, but didn't officially 'train' for this one. I'm signed up for a couple more this summer. I struggled on miles 8-11 with a foot blister forming, so I need to learn to be more prepared for that! I've also been enjoying a mild 'stomach bug' the past few days, so really I was just glad I wasn't throwing up! I have such a goofy face in this picture because as I was finishing I saw a random lady holding Gabbie and realized it was our friend Skip from Carroll!

Crazy Will won't sit still and all I want to do is eat!

Gabbies "runners pose" before the kids run

She's her momma's child, which means she is NOT a sprinter by any means! She got second to last but was a good sport about it.

Such a good sport that for our picture she said "hooray we won!"

I need to get off of Pinterest. One weekend my Mom kept the kids so I could give the house a good scrubbing and in the process I just had to try an accent wall that I had seen on the website. Now I feel the need to paint my living room to blend with the wall. Lucky for me my Mom is always painting something and she is helping pick some colors. I'm holding back until I get the 3 rooms I've started all finished :)

Gabbie girl working on her rocket ship. Amazing what a diaper box can do. She has spent hours over the past month or more working on it. Today we added 2 screws to hang pictures and 2 light sticks so we can see in the dark.

Some girls at work got me addicted to a store near Dedham called Mollie's that has tons of fun decorating tips and ideas. So we went down one Saturday and I spruced up several boring spaces. Wish I could come up with that stuff on my own!

Eggs, anyone? The chickens are going crazy and I'm out of egg cartons. I better start eating egg sandwiches for lunch!

Springtime!

Winter wasn't so bad, but it is nice to see signs of Spring. We have our garden seeds started, the tulips are up, and we have been spending some time at the park.
We had our "winter get-a-way" in Des Moines a few weekends ago with some friends and their 2 girls. It was fast and furious for sure! We went down to DSM on a Saturday afternoon, took a loop around the mall trying to get Will to take a little nap, checked into the hotel and swam, ate out for supper, swam some more while the Mom's did a late night Kohl's run, chatted with friends while the kids 'slept', woke up Sunday and the kids and Dad's swam while us Mom's did a Target run, stopped at Lowe's to get more 'house stuff' and see if we can put some finishing touches on last years remodeling, then headed home Sunday afternoon so the Dad's could get to taking care of their animals! But it was nice to get out of town, even if just for 24 hours.
The night we stayed in the hotel was not a fun one with Will. He woke up multiple times through the night crying. I attributed it to being in a strange place. However, its been constant ever since. Midnight, 3 am, 6am. He woke up at daycare screaming once this week also. So, hoping its just something simple like growing pains or night terrors. A couple of nights this week I just let him cry it out during the 3am wake up call, but it took 20 minutes before he went back to sleep. Thank goodness Gabbie can sleep through a tornado because she has never woken up during his crying. He had just started sleeping through the night at 18 months, so I'm a little frustrated that he's gone back the other direction! I am a 'teeth grinder' at night, which lately let to my ears ringing, teeth hurting, and headaches. I had just started taking a muscle relaxer to help me sleep when Will decided to wake up during the night; maybe him and I can split it and both sleep well?
We had a fun Easter at my Mom's house with my siblings and Brice's parents. The big hit of the day was Brice made a fresh ham, and we ate it fresh off the smoker. It was darn good, and I'm not much of a ham person! The Easter Bunny dropped off some clothes and summer items for the kids. But as Gabbie pointed out, he didn't fill the eggs with candy. That darn Bunny is always forgetting something!
Today I had my 3 month check up since Lasix surgery. I was excited to be at 20/20, although still a bit blurry. I apparantly have a problem with 'large pupils' which is why I can see fine in natural light outdoors, but have trouble indoors. So my eye doctor started me on these new drops that are actually for glaucoma patients. He says he's never tried them on anyone so he is excited to see how they work. And I'm pretty excited to be part of an 'experiement'! I used to love doing those at the University of Iowa, although they would pay me...I don't think that's the case this time! But its nice to know I will not need the revision after all and my eye doctor and the surgeon both just say I'm healing slower than most people, but I can be assured its healing. Whew.
Otherwise we are pretty boring lately. I got my "Spring Cleaning Schedule" out and started tackling that this week. Yes, its an actual schedule and yes, Brice thinks its OCD. This week I worked on taking all my windows out, rinsing them in the bathtub, then washing them. Started sorting everyone's clothes and began the fun yearly project of re-sealing the grout in the bathroom. I'm in the middle of a painting project. And the Goodwill box is already half full. Thankfully my Mom is going to keep the kiddos overnight this weekend and hopefully I will get everything done in one day and then just enjoy.
Wow, what a boring post. I should enjoy this though as it appears every weekend this Spring looks busy, and we have at least 8 weddings this summer, so boring is okay!

Love the swing!

Lots of Easter Bunny! I got some potting soil and potatoes to plant! Dad got socks and T shirts. Kiddos got everything else!

Looking good and ready for church! Even if Will does spend half of church in time-out...

Last year at Easter, just for comparison.

Gabbie got a princess cookbook from the Easter bunny. So...we had to make a cake for "Jennie's Birthday". Jennie is the imaginary friend, but when Jennie needs to show up to blow out the candles she appears in the form of a white teddy bear. Gabbie wanted a picture of the party and the cake (which she mixed up and frosted mostly by herself).

March Mania!

 

We are ready for Spring! The garden seeds are up. I've been running outdoors (until the recent snow anyway) and the light has been extended in the evening. But we'll enjoy the snow for the short time it is around! Gabbie built a 'snow castle' tonight and Will enjoyed a ride to the mailbox in the sled. I signed up for a half marathon to keep my motivation up and give me something to look forward to-though last time I signed up for this particular half-marathon it rained the entire run.

 

Here are some pictures (from my phone...so the quality is a little questionable but not too bad!)

 

 

Getting the fish tank ready! Too bad the kids both ended up sick for a whole week after we got it ready, so we still have not been to get the fish.

 

I have a heck of a time getting a good picture of both kids! I've been trying to get a good 18-month photo of Will instead of having a professional. Now I see why I get a professional! I'm hoping to try a few more times, maybe will have a good one before he turns 2.

 

 

After this picture she went and found a mouth for the snowman using my mulch! Supposedly this day the kids were home sick. She seemed fine so I sent her to daycare the next day, when she got sick again. At least they got some fresh aire I suppose!

 

 

 

Working on her spaceship. I had to hand her whatever color crayon she requested! She's so creative! And sometimes so adult like. Tonight one of my home health clients called and Gabbie answered the phone so well saying "Well hello, how have you been lately?"

We were really classy and took our kids to the bar :-) Good thing it was for an anniversary party.

 

 

 

Wearing my snowshoe boots!

 

 

Above-our drive home on Sunday afternoon. I'm sure glad Brice was driving! I hadn't anticipated the bad weather. Below is a picture from 2010 to remember that 9 inches of snow isn't so bad!

 

 

 

Toward the end of last year I was finding that continuing home health was not fitting well into my schedule. So I started turning down clients. But lately I took on 2 and was not sure why I did that, knowing it would be stressful. Well, everything for a reason! Above is a quilt square from several years ago. Lucky for me one of the clients quilts and I see her in the evening, at which time she also helps answer any questions I have about this project. Lucky I don't go to her house until I get the kids to bed since it makes for a lengthy session!

 

Below is a fun result of the other client. My New Years Resolution was to be happier in the 'here and now'. Until now I've always 'looked forward' to something...marraige, kids, another kid, a vacation. So this year I'm going to be happy in the moment. Its been fun-I find I go for a run more often over my noon hour (instead of worrying about how crappy I may look the rest of the day), and I drink a lot more Cherry Coke (because in that moment at 3 p.m. it sounds so good!) I also decided that instead of waiting until my kids are grown and I have time, I'm going to start now with something I've wanted to do since I had Gabbie at St Anthony Hospital. I always said that when I had more time I wanted to make the blankets and hats that volunteers make for the new babies. Well, turns out it doesn't take long to make those. Just is going to take me time to get good at it. Anyway, my client helps with these and showed me several of hers. She also showed me the Prayer Shawls they make for the more critically ill patients at the hospital. She showed me her patterns and told me who I could talk to about donating.

The start of a purple baby blanket. I find I have to knit on round needles, not sure why. It drives the lady at the Yarn Basket crazy when she's trying to help me!

A hat, the green yarn is fuzzy so this one is kinda fun!

 

And just for the sake of randomness:

                                                     This picture was taken 3/9/12...                               

 

 

This on eon 3/9/13!

 

Both shots are blurry, but the point is a lot changes in a year!

Gabbie-isms

Some of the recent things out of Gabbie's mouth make me laugh...as well as cringe as I think of how mouthy she already can be. I thought I better get a few down before I forget them.

1. Mommy, someday when I grow up I'm going to call you Melanie.
2. Fine! You aren't my best friend anymore! (to which I said 'I never was your best friend, I'm your Mom) Fine then! You aren't my Mom anymore! (to which I said 'that's too bad for you because I will always be your Mom) Fine then! This stinks!
3. Mom, the other day on Dr Oz he put a string in his mouth and then pulled it out (Brice asked her 'do you mean dental floss?') Oh yeah, that stuff. He put that stuff in and out of his mouth.
4. I'm not sure how it went, but I got an earful one day about "Daddy's chores" and "Mommy's chores". So that night I made sure she saw Brice pitching in to help with dishes and laundry.
5. When I grow up I'm going to marry Will but he's going to have to quit squealing.
6. I'm full, can I have some ice cream?

Some difficult-to-take things also come out. Such as "Why didn't I get to have a roller skating birthday party?" and "Why don't you have a Daddy?" and "Why don't I have my ears pierced?" She is becoming acutely aware of things others have that she doesn't, but doesn't seem to bothered by them. She prefers to wear a boy's winter coat and wears the same pair of shoes every day despite how worn they are getting. I hear her compliment other kids' shoes, coats, backpacks, etc. But luckily she doesn't ask for anything more than what she has as far as material things (I'm sure that day will come yet). And she doesn't argue when I tell her that it hurts to get your ears pierced, the roller skating rink isn't open during her birthday time, and seems happy to know that my Dad, who she never met, is in Heaven petting Gypsy (I can't take credit for that connection, those were her words).



Here she is at the dentist-I love the thumbs up! She got a great report from them and I'm happy her first trip there went so well.

A Valentine plate for G & G, Brownies on a stick, heart cookies, and an ILU card :) Still not sure why I thought the extra chewy brownies would hold up on a stick...the goal was to put them in a cup. It worked better in my head than in real time.

Got the Eggplant, Tomatoes, and Peppers started!

Roller Skating Saturday!

For their 'Daycare Christmas Party' the kids were treated by their daycare provider to a day of roller skating and treats. I got to help cart all of the kids to the Skate Palace and was happy for the chance so I could watch the kids! I hadn't planned on Will skating, but it worked out and he LOVED it! He didn't want any help. Gabbie did good after the first few falls. She was nervous about the party the night before (she had asked me if I would hold her hand and put a pillow on her back in case she fell). I knew she'd cry with every bump at first. I took her aside, threatened to take her home, and there were no tears after that. She even made new friends while skating!

 

Will wanted to play with the lights, Harper didn't think he needed to do that!

Getting some help; it was Gabbie's second try at skating-she went once when she was 3

A very important call came in I guess. This was toward the end of the afternoon, and he needed a nap bad! I resorted to the phone to keep him occupied

Me trying to get Will on his feet to start; took a little getting used to!

Hokey Pokey!

Becoming a pro!

Nothing like a stick of Laffy Taffy...

...then a car nap!

Sunday FunDay Marathon :)

I enjoy the holidays, but I also enjoy the part of winter where all of the Christmas decorations are put away, cards are sent, holiday running is done, and we can enjoy a Sunday at home! We can sleep in, go to church, and come home to a day with no schedule. I've been a little deficient with taking pictures of the kids lately. So today I kept the camera out while we looked for some fun 'Sunday' things to do! 

 

 

A fun 'science' experiement!

I kept some paper that had been in a package I'd ordered. We flattened it out today and started coloring on 10-12 feet worth of paper! Try hanging that on the fridge :)

 

The kids are able to help with laundry, or toss it on the floor

 

Why not use a magic marker to paint fingernails? Gabbie's justification: it will wash off easier than polish. Good point

 

Working on our letter/number skills and returning to 'menu planning' which we had become lax on since working on holiday leftovers. Now the fridge and freezer are cleaned out, so we can get back on track! I've been trying to involve Gabbie in choosing healthy/not healthy foods, so we picked some good stuff from the Taste of Home magazine today.

 

It all sounds good! It might not be fun tomorrow when we have to stop at the store in the 5 degree weather!

 

Photography lesson. Gabbie wanted to learn to use the camera, so she took some pictures. She took several of me making funny faces, then took pictures of everything in the living room. They weren't too bad!

 

We made pudding filled chocolate cupcakes, and licked the bowl (even though I was reminded it wasn't a healthy choice! Sometimes fun is healthy too)

 

Gabbie wanted to make Tucker a house. The holes are so he can see out :)

 

Sometimes you need a big fat Sunday nap

 

She was really good at peeling hard boiled eggs for potato salad. Those little hands are helpful!

 

I dominated a game of CandyLand-that's my blue guy at the castle!

 

Gabbie loved that I taught her how to make a 'farting noise' with the box!

 

Dad came in for a break from the cold and read a book

 

 

Kids Dance on the Wii! Good exercise at least!

 

 

Why yes, I'll eat my green beans out of the can! I was vacuuming and came downstairs and found him eating them this way. Not sure I want to know how he got the can off of the table...

 

Had to fit in a birthday party for Jennie (Gabbie's imaginary friend). It was a princess party, duh

 

 

At the end of the day when I asked them to clean things up I found them in the closet instead, playing with more toys. But its okay, Gabbie said. They were pretending and Will was her King. I had to debate if pretend play should trump following directions? They snapped into shape pretty fast when I turned the vacuum on an threatened to vacuum all the toys up. That works everytime. Wonder when they will get smart enough to realize that it isn't even possible. Until then I will use it to my benefit!

 

Another beautiful sunset! Now time to get everyone bathed and to bed for another week of work, school, and another attempt at Will's hearing check and shots! Next week Gabbie starts going to school 4 mornings a week! Yikes! The van hit 100,000 miles last month, we'll be at 200,000 before we know it! I should have listened when people told me the kids would get to be "a whole different kind of work" as they got older. At least when they were babies their social commitments were minimal and didn't require transportation arrangements! On the way home from church today Gabbie did tell me "Mom, someday I will get big and I will be able to drive your van". I should have recorded it because I doubt she'll find driving a van to school someday to be a fun thing to do!

Boredom...

Wow, I can not remember the last time I had the feeling of boredom! I actually didn't get off work until after 6pm tonight, thanks to a follow up eye appointment that took my afternoon off course. And I've barely been home half an hour. However, Brice picked up the kids from daycare and took them to visit some friends. So here I am in an empty quiet house! I can think of 10 productive things I could be doing, but its no fun without chatter in the background!
This week Will had the stomach flu. Brice's Mom watched the kids Sunday night while I did chores (so Brice could go on his "yearly entirely too short vacation" as I call it). Will started throwing up at that time, then again during the night. He ran a slight temp, seemed fine on Monday but I still kept him at home. He went back to daycare on Tuesday, threw up again on Tuesday night. Seems great since the last puking session! Too bad the "last puke" happened in his crib and was all over the wall, in the cracks of the floor, down his crib, through his sheets. I'm glad he is back to normal! We played outside the past couple days and he seems back to himself. I worked last weekend and thought Will seemed a little 'off', but attributed it to Brice and I being gone both days. I should have known better to think he was that attached to us! We have been blessed to avoid the respiratory crud so far this winter, so I hope we can keep that up!
The kids were scheduled for 'well child' checks on Monday anyway, so we went (as the nurse told me on the phone, 'its not like we haven't had sick people here all winter'). Here are the stats:

Gabrielle Heidi Hundling: apparantly thinks here middle name is Linda (so she tells the doctor). She weighs in at 38 pounds and is 3' 4.5". She is in the 75th percentile  for her height and weight. Very proportional! I was a nervous mama at her 2 year check up, where she didn't check off on all the skills for her age. I should have calmed down as she did fine at this one, had all the 4 year old skills and quite a few of the 5 year old. I still question who decides all that stuff to begin with anyway! We did not do a 3 year check up with her since she had been in the hospital in DSM and I knew she had had enough of doctors. I was nervous about this appointment, but she did fine and did everything the doctor asked her to do. Now we'll see how the dentist goes at the end of the month!

Wilhelm David Hundling: so tolerant of the doctor that its scary! I opted to delay his shots due to his stomach bug. He has 4 shots (3 of them would typically be combined into one-the Dtap I believe-but there is a shortage of the combo vaccine so they are all separate, which I prefer anyway). So the next 2 Mondays he will get those done. I also had to delay his hearing screen since his flu, so we'll do that next week also. He weight in at just over 24 pounds and was 32.75 inches long. He falls on the 50th percentile for both; very proportional also! He also checks off on all his skills except one...can you guess what that is?! The bottle of course. Doctors advice: keep trying. Sure, I bet that will be about as easy as potty training Gabbie was?

My computer is being difficult and not letting me add my pictures, so will have to try that later. Stay warm!