Sick Time Snuggle Up

We are currently visiting the wonderful Buckmaster family of the Oregon region, and are having a great time. These kids play and play, and it is so fun to watch. Elijah is not sure it's too cool having a younger cousin around, as Shayne took an early liking to his monkey, but loves following the big kids around. Jack and Reese are especially great together, not overly surprising considering they are the closest in age, and they got to spend some real time hanging out while Drew was in school during the first 2 days of our visit. Yesterday Jack skipped his nap because he didn't want to miss out on a moment of fun!  Last night I didn't feel well, and was up a couple times. So, exhausted and still not 100% today, I laid down to get some rest. The boys interrupted a couple times, but when I finally fell asleep. I was out. I woke up to this sweet face. 

Safety Follow-Up

Brief story because it pertains to yesterday's post...

Jack, who I generally worry far less about safety-wise these days than his brother (especially after he insisted on being buckled in the car), decided to be dangerous today.  How quickly the tide changes.

In the mornings, they like to go downstairs in their pjs and have some food (I blame Justin). Then they don't particularly like returning upstairs to dress.  So, many days I will run upstairs, get myself dressed quickly and grab some clothes for them so they can change down stairs. Today, as I rushed around getting out of my pajamas, I walk out of my room to find Jack has climbed the stairs, the entire way up, on the OUTSIDE of the railing. I nearly had a heart attack, but tried not to startle him into letting go and falling 1 story. I moved to him quickly and lifted him over the hand rail.  Of course, I wanted a picture, but it just couldn't wait. We had a very stern talk, and I did my best to explain how injured he could have gotten ("crack his head open" as he often says to me - must have learned that from school). He tried to tell me that because he's 3 he wouldn't fall or get hurt. HA! I decided not to punish him, as many times, the negative attention will suit him just fine.  Oh, the close calls are never ending.

Too Tired = Mistakes

Today I picked the boys up from school, which sounds so simple, but isn't usually.  I go in, get Elijah, talk to the teachers in that room, go into his actual room to grab his notes for the day and his backpack. Then we go get Jack, I talk to his teachers, grab his bag and notes and art projects. I also need to read the sign for any information regarding the next day and make sure Jack has his Show-and-Tell book from today.  But by now Elijah is off playing in the room. I get Elijah to put things down or away, make sure Jack has his snack, hope Elijah isn't throwing a fit because his is already gone.  Then the walk down the hallway either takes forever or I'm pleading with the boys to stop running down the hall. We get to the door, say goodbye to he lady at he desk, hope to not get in too many peoples way upon exit, get them boys in the car without running into the street or off after hidden bunnies. Argh! You can see how I would be exhausted from hat little escapade, on top of the never ending tired I experience.

So lately Jack gets in the car and can start buckling himself into his own car seat while I get Elijah strapped in.  I really like this for its efficiency and safety, for when Jack is in the car, he is in sight and out of the way of physical harm.  When I leave him on he curb he is generally very good at staying by the car, but I still lose sight of him while I'm strapping in Elijah. It makes me nervous, I peek up frequently, but it's just unsettling. So, this method seems to work well.  Until you get Elijah clipped in, sit in the front seat, start the car and are ready to get a move on.  Thank God for Jack, seriously I praise the Lord.  Once I turn the car on, he immediately tells me to stop. I realize instantly what I forgot.  Jack can clip the buckles, but he can't pull the chord to tighten himself.  And on this particular day, he hadn't even bothered with buckling himself yet.  

I read the stories of parents forgetting their kid in the car on a hot day, sometimes ending in tragedy. This was my close episode with putting my kid in serious danger.  Driving without them clipped, even if it is just a 5 minute drive, is a terrifying thought. And I wonder if Jack would have told me if he had been buckled but not tightened... The answer is it probably depends on the day.  Now I just have to make sure it never happens again! Starting with sleep, I'm off to bed.

This is Jack recently wearing 9 new pairs of underwear all at once. They were a real hit. I thank God for this guy, and pray God helps me keep him safe. He was looking out today!

Popsicles...

Along with snow boots and smiles. 

Willful

When there is a will, there is a way! Elijah just wants to turn the water on, and he is resourceful.

Sharing a bedroom

Tonight will be the third night the boys have shared a bedroom.  We were feeling a little crazy Wednesday night, and Justin said, "hey, let's move Elijah into Jack's room tonight."  I think the impulse is what it took to actually do it, as this time we just didn't think too much about it.

The last 2 nights, both boys have gone through brief times of whining, but the other sibling didn't stir. I keep thinking to myself it can really only get worse, and I'm sure it will at some point, but I'm glad they can share a space without being awful to each other.  It should make traveling easier.

Here is to hoping we have another good night.

Easter Preparations

We have had another great weekend, including some fun with Easter in mind. My sister surprised me with a thoughtful gift and sent us these amazing plastic eggs filled with symbols of Christ's ultimate sacrifice. They are called Resurrection Eggs, and they are cool. We have hidden them twice just to find, and though we haven't really discussed all the symbols, we will.  It's fun anyway. 

Jack has also been talking about dying eggs, so we went for it. Daddy took Elijah on some errands (more specifically to get some beer), so Jack and I dyed eggs without worrying about the dye ending up all over the place. We had a good time. 

The good, smiling picture.

One of the many deliberately goofy ones!

More Easter fun to come. I am really looking forward to it this year, even though it will be the first holiday without my parents as they will be spending Easter in Tacoma. But we will have fun seeing how the Buckmaster's do at holidays, and maybe even establish a new tradition.  Time will tell.

Sunday Fun Day

Yesterday was so much fun. It started with a trip to the Denver Zoo. We watched the feeding of the sea lions, and they brought out two of the sea lions, Nick and Addy, and they both put on a great show. The highlights for the boys seemed to be the 6 elephants complete with one getting a bath, giraffes, the hippo, penguins and the extra large guinea pigs. But the carousel ride was the real hit!

Checking out the giraffes

Elijah's impression of an elephant - his arm is the trunk and he make a trumpeting sound.

Carousel fun for all.

After naps at home, we spent some time outside digging in the dirt and playing on the slides and swings. After dinner we decided we would try to fly the 2 cheap little kites I bought. It was a fail, one ended up broken and in the trash, but we all laughed so hard and had such a good time running up and down the street trying to get it to fly. What great memories!

Elijah at 16 Months, Already!

Elijah is so much fun, and we love this little guy to pieces. He is full of smiles that brighten your entire world, he is smart and learning to communicate, he is athletic with amazing balance and toughness, and he is full of mischief!

To update his statistics, at 15 months he was 33" (95%ile) and 26lbs, 4oz (90 %ile).  There is no doubt I have big boys.  Elijah out-weighs 2 of his older cousins (Harper and Sam), and this growth will undoubtedly continue this way if he continues to eat the way he does.  He is seriously always hungry.  His breakfast of choice would be a banana IMMEDIATELY after he wakes up (he literally signs "eat" the second you pick him up out of his crib), and then 30-45 minutes later polish off a handful of cheerios and four eggs, cooked over medium.  I always give him 2, and when he done, he signs and says "more". He gets one more and then we repeat that process.  He eats everything he is given all day at school, and is then starving until you put dinner in front of him in the evening.  And when he's hungry, he's grumpy.  Must get that one from me, and all of a sudden I know what Justin has been complaining about all these years.

His mischievous side must come from me also. He will go to do something he knows he's not supposed to do, and he will look over his shoulder to see if you're watching.  Whenever I am looking, he gives me this sly smile while he takes pause, then he proceeds as if I weren't watching.  I have to fight back the laughter every time, and I know I'm doomed to trouble in the future.

Elijah likes to dance and it is adorable how he does a little worm move with his arms. He applauds when you sing, especially if you are singing Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, to which he applauds a couple times during the song.  He signs and speaks (I love when he signs "please" and "thank you"), and he knows how to say Mama, Dada, Papa and Harper (sounds a lot like "apple").  It's actually quite adorable how much him and Harper love each other. :)  He climbs on everything including our counter-top high chairs and Ozzie, and I don't think he's too far from learning to jump. He loves bath time, so if you say "bath" he heads for the stairs to go up and get started. He is good in the car, and has gotten better about putting on his coat to go outside. Elijah can take a fall, and often has the bruises to accompany the event. He has learned to whine for attention, he tries to hit his brother whenever Jack invades his space or takes his toys, and he's never been a gracious teether.

Back at it

I have discovered that blogging is like getting in shape. When you're working out (or blogging), it is easier to keep it going. But once you stop, it is hard to get motivated again and find the time.  I have not gotten exercise back into my routine, but maybe I'll start with blogging again and see where that leads :)  However, in order to be successful with blogging, I will need to be better about taking photographs. Everyone would rather see a photograph than read words. 

More to come in the coming days!

Surprised Loss

It has been a long time since I last posted a blog, and I will blame busy holiday and birthday season for most of that. However we have also experienced an unexpected loss that has caused us heartache and worry.

On December 23rd, we were enjoying Zoo Lights with family when we received a call from an unknown number.  First it came to my cell phone, then minutes later to Justin's phone. Justin called back and was shocked to be talking with a woman who was the executor of the will of our daycare lady. Michelle had been diagnosed with terminal bone cancer and had been sent home on hospice care. She explained that Michelle wanted to call herself, and she may still do so, but we can all imagine how hard that call would be to make. Michelle died less than a week later, on December 28th. We never did get an opportunity to talk to her, or more importantly thank her! I will forever be grateful I left a Christmas card for her the previous week with a brief but sincere thank you note on the back. Regardless, I continue to struggle with the reality that I will never get the opportunity to properly thank her for the profound impact she had on my sons and the wonderful little people she helped them become. Her guidance, discipline, knowledge, activities, and most of all LOVE has helped develop these two little people who are our world. My heart aches, but I pray every night that she finds herself in a better place, and that her soul is a rest. 

This reality has put us in a tough place as we try to decide what to do next, and what would be best for our kids and family at this point. We have interviewed, asked neighbors for recommendations, toiled over financial implications, had talks about family planning, learned A TON about the rules and regulations for schools now and later in life, and considered another small in-home environment where everyone knows everyone. 

During the last many months, Michelle has had helpers at daycare. These 2 lovely women, Elaina and Tonya, worked part-time so that someone was always there with Michelle, and could provide care while Michelle attended doctor visits. We all adore these women! It has been so easy to leave our kids in their care as they seem so happy to be with them. When we all got the news (they received the same call we did), they worked quickly over their holiday vacations to come up with a plan so that we wouldn't be left without care. They transfered Michelle's stuff to Elaina's parent's house and would provide care through the month of January so we could find a good place for our kids. It didn't take long and they modified their plan to stay "in business" and keep this small group of wonderful kids together.  We trust these woman immensely, and we know the deep love they have for Jack and Elijah. Though we had done research in the meantime, we wanted to see what that option would look like.  We had the pleasure of meeting Elaina's entire family, who are all so warm and kind. We saw that the new house environment could work, with fun opportunities like feeding the geese at the lake practically in the back yard.  However there were concerns. They did not intend to be licensed, which we came to terms with and wasn't really a sticking point for us.  But as a result, Reyna, Jack's dearest friend, would be leaving (Jack includes Reyna in his prayer every night without falter, and we met with her mother to duscuss our kids' futures - they really are good buds and we hope to stay in touch wih them). 

We began to really weigh pros and cons. We know that love would never be lacking with Elaina and Tonya, our kids would be comfortable in that environment, and their best interest would always be the first concern.  But they would have less interaction with kids their age, and they are currently both presenting discipline problems we need to get a handle on.  We have had daily discussions (multiple times every day) about every aspect of this decision and how it affects our family, I have had a minor stress headache more often than not, we struggle to focus at work, we worry non-stop about the many lasting results of this decision, I have shed so many tears.  But we have finally made a decision.  The boys will soon be attending school.  We told Elaina today that we plan to move the boys, and I cried the whole time Justin spoke to her.  We believe we are making the right decision for them, but I can't help but have doubts and extreme trepidation. I have to believe my hesitations for this new environment are mine, not theirs, and they will do so well and really thrive. That they will make friends. And I really hope to stay in touch with these women, and that we will find opportunities to have them visit our boys.

I am optimistic that this change really is for the best for both boys, but in all honesty, I feel like leaving is losing Michelle all over again.  But this time it's not just losing her, it's losing everything that is familiar, losing all that has been relatively easy until now, turning away from their obvious love and sacrifice, all while facing the possibility that we are making a huge mistake.  What remains is hope, prayer, and seemingly many more tears.