Dude Turns 5!

Last year, turning 4.

Taking the dress code at his sister's tea party very seriously.

Last night:

Me:  "Good Night, Buddy.  When you wake up, you will be 5!"

Dude:  "As soon as I wake up?"

Me:  "Well, technically it won't officially happen until later in the afternoon, but this is the last night you will go to bed 4."

Dude:  "Oh, ok." lol...

And this is how he went to bed, with his Wee Willie Winkie night cap that he made in preschool a couple of years ago.  He legit wears this thing to bed in the winter randomly.  Kills.me.

This morning:

Me:  "Good morning Birthday Boy!"

Dude:  "Good morning."

Me:  "Do you feel like a 5 year old?"

Dude:  "No, not really."  Do I look 5?"

Me:  "Yes, you have grown a lot this year."

Dude:  "No I don't"

I have never met a kid that is so calm about his birthday and resistant to turning the new age.  He is so introspective and intense!  Who doesn't believe that they are really 5?!

He was born at 5:50pm, so technically he's 5 right around dinner time, but come on!

Loves taking selfies.

His birthday always lands right near Thanksgiving.  Last year it was only a few days  before, this year we have a full week between, but it still make scheduling parties and things difficult.  We are taking him to dinner at the restuarant of his choice tonight, so we will be celebrating right when he officially turns 5.  And  when I tell him he is officially 5, he'll tell me I have been saying that all day.  I know it.

Posing with his new legos.

Me and him. "Don't Mom!"  Gues what?  I won't ever stop ;)

Happy 5th birthday to my first little boy and the biggest brother.  You are my sweet, sensative and thoughtful Little Man and I will not ever stop kissing you.  Foreget it.

      

Speeding Through the Holidays

We are coming up on the holiday season.  I think Saturday it officially starts the Thanksgiving/Christmas rush.  I can tell that the media is just barely holding back the flood of holiday commercials and sales, with only a few slipping by so far.

Part of me is like "HOLD ON!"  I want to enjoy each holiday for what it is and take my time with each one.

On the other hand, I am a planner and I AM thinking about how what we are doing for Thanksgiving and Gifts and activities for Christmas.

The holiday stress of deciding who to spend time with has gotten easier after nearly 10 years of marriage.  We have a pattern now that seems to work for everyone.  We are very fortunate to have nearly all of our family within driving distance - it's something that we are working hard to keep. However, it makes it a little crazy when you try to be everywhere for every holiday.  I am really glad we have worked  most of that out.

I also don't really cook.  I'm support for anyone who does.  I'm the table setter, table clearer, organizer, etc...  One day, my roll will change and we will probably pay dearly for it, so I am enjoying my time just eating and cleaning at this point ;)

I do bake, but it's only as much as I can handle that given year and how much I can get done with our schedule and kids everywhere.  This year, I think baked goods are going to be one of my main gifts since it can be done inexpensively, so I need to plan my time and budget accordingly.

Having so much family in the area makes Christmas very "big" for the kids.  They tend to get more stuff than we can decide what to do with in the aftermath so we have asked that it be limited some.  Especially since this is the first year that Booboo will really understand what is happening, I don't want another one with grandiose ideas of what Christmas can amount to.  I want the kids to enjoy it, but also focus on what it's really about.

I am kind of happy the Toys R Us wish book came this weekend, ya know? And Kmart's and something from Target...  It felt wrong at first, but I got a really good idea of what the kids are interested in this year and I can start looking out for the best price and selection now.

Did I mention we also have multiple birthdays and our 10th anniversary in there with the holidays?

My husband I don't really exchange gifts for our birthdays or anniversary, we usually combine all three into a date night at a nice restaurant or something.

But it's a biggie for Dude, he's going to be 5!

Every year it's tough to schedule his birthday party because he was born the week before Thanksgiving.  It feels like too much to ask people to travel twice in one week and buy gifts or make food.  We are having something for him, definitely, but it won't be the whole family this year.  I have huge Momma guilt over it, as I do every year.

I knew someone years ago who also happened to share her birthday with Thanksgiving.  She said it always kind of hurt that the holiday overtook her birthday celebration.  One year she was actually presented with a giant turkey shaped cake as her birthday cake and she said it was the worst birthday ever.  She actually cried afterwards.  That story has stayed with me for nearly 20 years and I will not let that ever be Dude's feelings about his importance in our lives.

He has told me, thanks to the catalogs in the mail, exactly what he wants this year.  This is the first time he has had something so specific in mind and I want to be able to come through for him.

I know that most of this was rambling and I actually sat down to write with a whole different purpose.  This is what came out, lol.  Thanks for letting me ramble :)


   

     

Croup, Respiratory Viruses and 25 Weeks Pregnant

It's been such a crazy week I have hardly had time to stop by and say anything!

A nasty little virus made it's way into our house about 2 weeks ago.  Dude gets Croup nearly every time he gets anything respiratory, but this time he made it out pretty easy.  Low grade fever for a few days, tired and pale, croupy cough.  He was given some oral steroid to open his airway and he was good to go.  It took him about a week to fully recover.

Fast forward to Saturday, Princess starts with a very low fever, feels cold and just seems "off."  By Sunday she was running a 103.5 temp and (despite sayings she felt fine) could hardly stand.

This is super unusual for her because even when she is really sick (like with pneumonia last year), she act completely normal.  By Sunday night she had the worst case of croup she has ever had.  You could hear the stridor (the sound of her breathing) from the next room and the barky cough associated with Croup  was painful. The doctors office sent us to the ER for oral steroids and a breathing treatment.  The treatment helped her croup symptoms tremendously but she is really only just yesterday seeming back to her usual self.

And then there were three...

Tuesday, Booboo started with some cold-like symptoms, but since he has never had Croup we thought he may escape it this time as well.  Nope.

We were in the ER both Wednesday and Thursday for him.  And I have to say, he is such a trooper.

He is more bothered by the oxygen sensor they tape to his toe and the hospital bracelet that the medicine, treatments and rectal thermometer (squirming in my seat...).

Today he is still a bit feverish and very clingy but his breathing is much better.  I pray that we are seeing this thing out the door, but now both grandfathers have the virus and it seems like it's making the rounds at my office.

I have a slight tickle in my throat that won't go away, but I AM NOT getting sick.  So there.

It the midst of all this, I am now 25 weeks pregnant, but without a picture.  I am feeling super enormous and experiencing more contractions than usual, but I bet that has to do with the extra stress and sleepless nights listening to little chests and checking temps.

Has a virus come knocking on your door yet? Any remedies you swear by?  We are vitamin C (through Juice and Fruit), Greens and warm mist vaporizers/shower steam people.

Here's praying for healthier months to come!

     

Spring 2014 Memories

This is an incredibly Fun, but also busy time of year.  The elementary school is out this week, Preschool was out 3 weeks ago, girl scouts just ended, dance has ended, summer camp has already started, Swimming lessons and Princess's birthday party with her school friends are this weekend.

There have parties galore, gifts to buy and food to make, sitters to schedule, work to rearrange and then all the regular day to day things.  I feel like I have been running, running, running and dropping the boys with someone constantly because their sister has had so many things to attend.  She has quite a social life these days ;)

I am so ready to be done with the school year and all the activities!  By September I will be refreshed and ready to start again, but for now we just have to get past this weekend and life will slow down a bit (I hope!).

 We finally got the swing set just right for all three kiddos.  Booboo discovered that he is one cool dude in sunglasses.  It's so cute because his little nose hardly holds the classes up!  Princess had her very first Girl Scouts Cookie Awards Ceremony.  She received the theme badge and the 200 badge, plus the pencil case, stuffed red panda and a craft tape set.  She was so excited!  Dude graduated from his 3 year old preschool class.  He looks thrilled, right?

This weekend was Princess's Dance Recitals.  She performed 4 times in two days and loved every minute of it.  For her first performance is was just me and Dude attending and we all went for ice cream at a new parlor afterwards.  We don't usually get to sit down at the table and eat ice cream cones :)  And Booboo thinks he's a big kid and has decided that Dude's scooter is his.  He loves riding around on it (with help, of course).