New Words!

I was starting to get worried.

Erick has not been talking. Now, that isn't correct. He talks, but he talks Noblish. Don't even ask me what that is because it is too difficult to explain.

Finally....this week....he started to say real words!

NANANA....banana
JUICE
NACK......snack
BRUSH.....for his toothbrush
BABA......baby meghan
SSSSS.....sam

And I knew this one was coming.

NONONONO....no


My little boy is talking!!!!

No...Mama!

Here is a little video of me trying to teach Meghan to say MAMA!






She just cracks me up! Trying to lick her shirt!! HAHA!

She is crawling!!

I'm so sorry to post this so late but Meghan started crawling on December 8th! Exactly 5 minutes after her Daddy left for the airport!

He missed it. The Crawling...not his flight!

Now, she is crawling all over the place and is trying to figure out the stairs!!





Now...our poor little angel is sick. Erick got it first, with a fever and not feeling good. Now, Meghan has it but with a cough. Keith took her to the doctor today and she has an ear infection. Poor little thing.

A Very Busy Week!

Just so you know....there are only 14 sleeps until Christmas Eve! Fourteen! AGH!!!

Last week was rough. We had a family crisis. My sister is having a hard time dealing with the break-up of her relationship. We wish so much that she lived closer so that we could hug her and make her some Hot Chocolate! We love Aunt Bobbi (Ba Boo as Erick calls her) so much! We just want her to be happy again.

The furnace stopped working on the coldest day of the week. I didn't realize it until it was 65 degrees in the house. But the good news is that the property management company sent someone out right away and we were warming up again in no time. Here is Alex all cuddled up on the couch!

 

Look What I Found Under The Christmas Tree!

Mallory was trying so hard to crawl all week, but could only go backwards. She kept ending up under the tree! And was not happy about it. She worked so hard all week! She whined and cried and got stuck and cried some more. It doesn't help that there are also TWO FRONT TEETH coming up too. This is really great because that is all she wanted for Christmas.

I was getting Mallory up from her nap and had put out the baby food I was going to feed her, when I came downstairs to this:

























Then...he acted like he was just trying to help me out!

He really is a great helper!

He loves to sweep the kitchen.
Give Mallory toys.
Take them away.
And hugs and kisses are FREE!

But wait....there's more!











In addition to all of this......Keith was in Alabama on a business trip. The kids HATE when he is gone and each day they were a little more cranky. And then....because the week had not been rough enough. My car wouldn't start on Friday Night when I went to go to the grocery store. But when I think I can't take another minute and I think I am going to lose my mind.

I look at this precious face.....



And then I feel so much better! I thank god everyday for this little surprise!
She is the light of my life!

Christmas Jammies!!

I knew that I wanted to start the tradition of getting the kids PJ's for Christmas every year and then many weeks ago, I came accross these great PJ's on the Children's Place website. The best part was that they sold ADULT PJ's too! So I got me and the kids matching Christmas Jammies. I was so excited!! I let them open them on December 1st...the first day of Advent.





Here is a picture of Erick after he opened the package. A wonderful friend of mine gave me these fabulous Jingle Bell Socks and I put them on Erick. He looked like a little elf!!










It was much easier than I thought to get the kids to pose with me next to the tree! But Meghan, is just so mesmerized by her brother that she won't look at the camera. After seeing us in our nice warm jammies....I bet Daddy is sorry that he didn't let me buy HIM a pair!





NOTE TO MOMMIES: These PJ's are so super warm! I will be buying more of these for the kids because for the first time in weeks, Meg didn't wake up with cold feet!

Also...the adult PJ's run VERY big!

Erick's First Cupcake!

Erick's Mommy LOVES cupcakes! Is there anything more wonderful then a single, yummy, sugary frosted cake? I think not.



Here is what Erick thinks of Mommy's Yummy Cupcakes! A picture is worth a THOUSAND words!

Potty Time!

I bought Erick a Potty a few weeks ago. I wanted him to get used to it being around so that when the time comes....he will do his business! Well...he and the potty did not get along very well. Being the mini-engineer that he is, he wanted to take it all apart and put it back together. But he had major difficulty getting everything back together.




And figuring out how to sit on it was much harder than it looked!



He finally figured it out! And now he moves it all over the house!

Funny Faces!

Meghan loves to eat. But only certain flavors of baby food. When she doesn't care for something....this is the face you get. It is sooo funny! She also gags alot. But she loves solid food and will gobble it up like it is her last meal. Her new favorites this week are chunks of banana and banana bread!

BREAKING NEWS! Meghan is getting up on her hands and knees!! I think she is going to crawl by Christmas!! But still no teeth. Erick had four teeth by now.

Gotta Go...Meghan is stuck under the couch again!

Silly Mallory

When I was at Wal-Mart the other day, I decided to get Mallory a hat and gloves. I have been looking everywhere for a hat and gloves that fit her AND match the jacket that I bought her. The Jacket is purple and pink plaid. I have found tons of toddler hats and gloves but none for infants. I bought a set thinking it looked like the right size. Well...the hat fits but the gloves are huge! She is looking at me in total disbelief!

What are you doing to me Mommy...doesn't my favorite store carry hats and gloves? Someday take me to Gymboree NOW!!!



Poor Baby is getting her second flu shot today!

Brothers & Sisters

Mallory is never so happy as when her big brother Alex is in the room. Well, she is almost as happy when Daddy is in the room but she really really loves her brother. They play together so well. Alex brings her toys and hangs out next to her when she is bouncing. He even keeps trying to get in the jumperoo with her! Silly boy!

She always looks so sad when Alex is taking a nap and she has to play by herself.

I hope this lasts!

The Case of the Missing Shoes!

Yesterday...we had plans with Tracey to go to Tona for lunch. It takes a bit of planning to get us all out of the house and I usually make sure I have extra time in case something goes wrong. I was thankful for that extra time yesterday because I couldn't find Alex's shoes ANYWHERE! I searched high and I searched low. I looked in the car, I looked in the family room, kids bedrooms, the toy box, the kitchen cabinets, the refrigerator...well...I got hungry when I was looking so I looked in there since I already had the door open. I ended up putting a pair of shoes on him that are too big because I didn't want him to go barefooted.

When we got home...I searched again. Alex has been hiding things around the house so I tried to think like him. Still no shoes!

When Daddy put Alex to bed last night, he went to put his stinky poopy diaper in the pail and there were Alex's shoes. In the diaper pail. GROSS! Alex's other new favorite thing is to throw things in the trash.

I think it is time to go SHOE shopping!

Happy Halloween!

Another Halloween has come and gone! Alex was a lion but not for very long. He hates anything on his head and immediately ripped the headpiece off. I did manage to get one good picture and that makes Mommy very happy. Mallory was, as usual, very accommodating. She wore one of Alex's costumes from last year. She chose the Pumpkin and she was so darn cute! I felt bad for her though. Everyone sent Alex costumes last year and she had to wear hand-me-downs. Get used to it Mallory!

We did not take the children trick or treating because Daddy's rule is that they have to be able to say Trick or Treat to go. Mean Daddy! So hopefully next year we can take them out!

Happy HALF Birthday Alex!

Happy HALF Birthday little boy!

I can't believe that Alex is 18 months old today. He is such a big boy and so much fun to be around. Last night, he was giving me kisses. I just love Alex's kisses! He can be so sweet. He is sure good to Mallory which makes me so happy. Today we are going to Layton to Toys R Us to scope out some Christmas Presents and to get Alex a chair to sit on in the family room. I want to get him a potty too but it may still be too early. I'm hoping that any day now he is going to start talking. Real words....not this japanese that he picked up somewhere.

I was so excited yesterday! I got me and the kids matching Christmas Pajamas!!! I found them at Children's Place. I can't wait to see them in person and to give them to the kids for Christmas. This is going to be one (of many) Christmas traditions that I do for the kids. I was just so thrilled to find they had MOMMY jammies too.

Mallory's 7 Months Old!

Today is Mallory's 7 Month Birthday! We had her 6 month appointment last week and she is growing like crazy!

Weight: 14 lbs 12 oz 25%
Height: 27.25 inches 90%
Head: 42.25 cm 25%

She is tall and thin with a little head! She is doing so great! She is sitting by herself and is babbling away. I guess she is going to be a little chatter box like her Mother! She is eating great too. She has tried sweet potatoes, carrots, bananas but does not like Peas. She does not like them in a box, she does not like them with a fox. She will not eat them in the house, she will not eat them here or there...she will not eat them anywhere! Most of all she LOVES her brother and her daddy! No one can make her laugh like Alex can.

I love to feed her in the middle of the night. I just sit and rock her, and thank Jesus for such a fabulous family, wonderful children and a loving husband. I look at my daughter and her beautiful little hands and feet and gaze into her sweet face and know that I am the luckiest Mommy. I wouldn't trade places with anyone else in the whole world. There are some women that aren't cut out to be stay-at-home moms....some Mommy's want to work and can't take the monotony of being home all the time, watching the same episodes of The Wonder Pets week after week, making peanut butter and jelly sandwiches day after day....but I love it. Many women don't find joy in finding a new recipe to try out on their families, or sitting in front of the TV making a quilt. But I love it. If there was ever a perfect job for me...this is it!

Gotta run...Alex is trying to call people on my cell phone again!

Leonard Emil Olson

My grandpa, the kid's Great-Grandpa passed away on October 1st. We wanted to go to the funeral but it was all the way up in Northern Minnesota and we had all just been sick so we didn't go. I was really sad that it didn't work out and that Grandpa never got to meet the kids.

I have such great memories of spending time with Grandpa in Warren Minnesota. He tried more than once to teach me to play cribbage but I just could never catch on to it. Bobbi and I used to walk on his back and he always had all of these gadgets to rub his feet! My Grandpa also loved honey! Every time I buy honey at the grocery store...I think of him.

I still can't believe he is gone. But he is in a better place now and he isn't in any pain and I'm sure he is happy!

This might sound crazy but I believe that Grandpa has been here in the last week to visit us. I walked into Mallory's room the other day and smelled cologne and ben gay! Then Steve smelled it downstairs in the guest room that I have dedicated to The Family Cabin. I heard from my Dad that Grandpa has been to see my Aunt Patti too....and he was wearing long johns tucked into dark socks. Grandpa always was a snappy dresser!

Cost of Children!

I have seen repeatedly the breakdown of the cost of raising a child, but this is the first time I have seen the rewards listed this way. It's nice, really nice!

The government recently calculated the cost of raising a child from birth to 18 and came up $160,140! That doesn't even touch college tuition. For those with kids, that figure leads to wild fantasies about all the money we could have banked if not for (insert your child's name here). For others, that number might confirm the decision to remain childless.

But $160,140 isn't so bad if you break it down. It translates into $8,896.66 a year, $741.38 a month, or $171.08 a week. That's a mere $24.44 a day! Just over a dollar an hour.

Still, you might think the best financial advice says don't have children if you want to be "rich." It is just the opposite.

What do your get for your $160,140?



Naming rights. First, middle, and last!


Glimpses of God every day.


Giggles under the covers every night.


More love than your heart can hold.


Butterfly kisses and Velcro hugs.


Endless wonder over rocks, ants, clouds, and warm cookies.


A hand to hold, usually covered with jam.


A partner for blowing bubbles, flying kites, building sand castles, and skipping down the sidewalk in the pouring rain.


Someone to laugh yourself silly with no matter what the boss said or how your stocks performed that day.


For $160,140, you never have to grow up. You get to finger-paint, carve pumpkins, play hide-and-seek, catch lightning bugs, and never stop believing in Santa Claus.


You have an excuse to keep: reading the Adventures of Piglet and Pooh, watching Saturday morning cartoons, going to Disney movies, and wishing on stars.


You get to frame rainbows, hearts, and flowers under refrigerator magnets and collect spray painted noodle wreaths for Christmas, hand prints set in clay for Mother's Day, and cards with backward letters for Father's Day.


For $160,140, there is no greater bang for your buck. You get to be a hero just for retrieving a Frisbee off the garage roof, taking the training wheels off the bike, removing a splinter, filling the wading pool, coaxing a wad of gum out of bangs, and coaching a baseball team that never wins but always gets treated to ice cream regardless.


You get a front row seat to history to witness the first step, first word, first bra, first date, and first time behind the wheel.


You get an education in psychology, nursing, criminal justice, communications, and human sexuality that no college can match.


You get to be immortal.


You get another branch added to your family tree, and if you're lucky, a long list of limbs in your obituary called grandchildren.


In the eyes of a child, you rank right up there with God. You have all the power to heal a boo-boo, scare away the monsters under the bed, patch a broken heart, police a slumber party, ground them forever, and love them without limits, so one day they will, like you, love without counting the cost.


You also have the wonderful benefit of eating (low calorie) egg salad sandwiches for 2 weeks straight...after Easter Sunday each year!

Trees....

Trees
By Joyce Kilmer

I think that I shall never see
A poem lovely as a tree.

A tree whose hungry mouth is prest
Against the earth's seet flowing breast;

A tree that looks at God all day,
And lifts her leafy arms to pray;

A tree that may in Summer wear
A nest of robins in her hair;

Upon whose bosom snow has lain;
Who intimately lives with rain.

Poems are made by fools like me,
But only God can make a tree.

Stopping by the Woods on a Snowy Evening....

Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening
By Robert Frost

Whose woods these are I think I know.
His house is in the village, though.
He will not see me stopping here
To watch his woods fill up with snow.

My little horse must think it queer
To stop without a farmhouse near
Between the woods and frozen lake
The darkest evening of the year.

He gives his harness bells a shake
To ask if there's some mistake.
The only other sound's the sweep
Of easy wind and downy flake.

The woods are lovely, dark and deep,
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.

Growing Like Weeds!

I took this picture yesterday. I am so pleased that Alex & Mallory seem to like each other. I try to take as many pictures of Alex being sweet to his sister as I can so that I can prove to him someday that he really did love this sister at one time! He was giving her kisses yesterday and he is really good about playing nicely with her. Once in a while, he tries to smash Sam into her face but it doesn't happen very often.

Both kids are about to need some new clothes. They are both outgrowing all of their summer clothes and it is starting to get cooler here. I love shopping sprees! It reminds me of school starting when I was a kid and I always loved getting new clothes! Maybe I will get them some school supplies too! School supplies for a 5 month old baby? Sure! School supplies never go out of style.

I came across a poem yesterday that took me back 25 years. My Grandpa Leonard used to recite this poem to us when we were kids! I will never forget it. There was another poem too and I searched and searched last night until I found it. I am going to post them in separate posts.....

Busy Children!

The Children have been very busy and therefore, MOMMY has been very busy. Alex continues to amaze me with his manual dexterity...he is putting the puzzle shapes into the right holes and putting the coins into the toy pig. He is trying so hard to talk and sometimes he does say a word but he doesn't do it again for a long time. The lastest was Banana...he said Nana. I was so excited! He is going up and down the stairs really well now. It makes him so happy to go down on his belly like he is supposed to. Oh and Alex is quite the dancer. Any music causes this kid to bounce up and down and move his head.

Mallory just turned 5 months old and grew a bunch. All of a sudden her clothes don't fit! She is also rolling, back to front...but now seems to have forgotten how to roll back. She spends much of her time on her tummy and Alex loves to come over and play with her...his idea of playing anyway. Which consists of taking whatever toy she has her eye on and handing it to me. He is also very good at putting her pacifier back in her mouth...weather she wants it or not!

The name of Alex's favorite toy is....

SAM!

Larry? Really? Who answered that?

Stay tuned for a new poll! This one will be about Mallory!

I'm 15 Months Old!

Alex is 15 months old, as of yesterday. He is growing so fast and seems to be either learning or unlearning something new everyday. Right now, he loves to throw things. But he doesn't know the difference between throwing balls (which are okay) and throwing the remotes and books (which are not okay). From what I have read, you can't teach them to throw one thing vs another at this age so we all have to wear protective gear until he outgrows this or turns 10.


We also have daily temper tantrums. The slightest thing can make him frustrated and cause him to pound his fists into the floor or whatever has offended him. I'm also told that this is normal and that he will outgrown this too. I'm beginning to think that Erick has joined Fight Club...and you know the rules of Fight Club!


Alex has also decided to be a vegetarian. He will take one bite of meat (mostly chicken) and then throw the rest on the floor. But he will eat all of the veggies and fruit that you put in front of him. Oh, and bread. He loves bread. He will never survive on the South Beach Diet!

Alex has always been fond of the toilet. Mostly he would just splash in it so all the bathroom doors have been shut for some time. Well, Wednesday afternoon Alex picked up my cell after I got off the phone with Hubby and held it up to his ear like he was talking. I ran and grabbed the camera and of course he stopped doing it. I went into the bathroom to knock some mud off from my shoes and he came in behind me and plop! In went my cell phone. I grabbed it out of the bowl, turned it off and dried it off. We left it to dry off for two days and now it works great! I am amazed! And so glad that I didn't get an iPhone afterall. That would have been $600 down the toilet...no pun intended!

4 Months Old!

Mallory is FOUR months old today. I can't believe it. She is still so little and baby like. We tried to feed her oatmeal yesterday and she didn't want any part of it. I think it will be a few more weeks until she is ready. I'm really not in any hurry for her to start eating real food. The longer she can stay my little baby, the better. She is such a sweet and happy baby. Even Alex thinks so, he loves to give her little kisses. And she lights up with the brightest smile when he gets close to her. I can't wait until these too can play together. I think they will have a great time. Next week, Mallory has her 4 month appointment so we will find out how much she weighs and how much she has grown.

Mallory looks so tiny in the high chair. And she has her lips tightly together like...don't feed me anymore of that FOOD! I just love the look on her face.


A recent development...Mallory thinks she doesn't need naps anymore. And she laughs and laughs at me when I wrap her in her blanket. She and I both know that she will get out. But I wrap her anyway and she finds it hysterical.


This is Alex in the same high chair at 3 and a half months. Look how HUGE he is! He started Oatmeal before his 4 month birthday and he loved it. Something tells me Mallory will not eat everything we put in front of her like Alex does.
It will be interesting to compare the kids stats at 4 months.

Just a pickin!

His nose,that is. Alex has discovered the fine art of nose picking. And if he happens to be hungry he eats his treasure. I'm told that PooPa used to do this too. I'm hoping this is the last of PooPa's habits that Alex picks up.

Alex has been having a rough couple of days. He is breaking two more molars...this time on the bottom. He is in a lot of pain and sleeping has been difficult. Luckily, a little motrin takes the edge off. He still has a lot of teeth that need to come in so this is not the last of it.

Alex also has a old new word. Thank you. He said it a long time ago but has picked it up again. He says it anytime you give him something or when he gives you something. He is so polite! It sounds like TANK GOO. So cute!