Saturday, October 31, 2009
Friday, October 30, 2009
Happy Halloween Eve!
A few pictures from our busy day yesterday...
...and a video of Caroline in her first ever school Halloween parade!
...and a video of Caroline in her first ever school Halloween parade!
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Mom's digging the new 'do's!
The boys' locks were getting a little long, so I convinced them to go back to a shorter hairstyle. I do like them in shorter hair, and it is ever so much easier to manage. :) I laughed at this picture...I'm not sure what Evan is up to in the corner there.Speaking of Evan, he is doing MUCH better on the big boy bed front. Thank God! Tonight he left the room only 6 times in the space of 20 minutes. I much prefer that to the first night's 85 times in one hour, or last night's 2 hour marathon. I do believe we are making progress.
Monday, October 26, 2009
A Special Thank You from Caroline...
...to her favorite Godmother, Aunt Karen!!! She loves, loves, loves the Barbies, clothes and accessories that you gave her! She played with them all of the way home today, and pretty much every spare minute she had today.
I am so glad that Robbie liked the books and toys! It made me so happy to see him playing with them. :)
I am so glad that Robbie liked the books and toys! It made me so happy to see him playing with them. :)
It only took 85 times...
...to get Evan to bed tonight.
Zero return trips to bed last night. 85 tonight. 85. I kept tallies. Seriously.
Would you say that our "big boy bed boy" is testing the limits? That would be saying it nicely.
Whose brilliant idea was it to put him in a big boy bed?!
Before I put him in bed, he had a drink of water, went to the bathroom, etc. Yet that did not stop him from requesting a drink and a potty break 10 minutes later. I think it was during his 17th, 18th, 19th and 20th time out of bed. I think.
He also jumped from his bed, turned on and off his lights, hid in his closet, threw his blanket over his head and pretended to be a ghost, and told me about 154 times that he was not going to bed.
Supernanny would have been proud of me. After a couple of times where I said, "Good night!" and gave him a kiss, I just silently kept returning him to bed.
And, HALLELUJAH, it worked! The last two times, he actually said, "I need to go to bed." You think so, Evan?! ;) I had to stop myself from laughing out loud.
Zero return trips to bed last night. 85 tonight. 85. I kept tallies. Seriously.
Would you say that our "big boy bed boy" is testing the limits? That would be saying it nicely.
Whose brilliant idea was it to put him in a big boy bed?!
Before I put him in bed, he had a drink of water, went to the bathroom, etc. Yet that did not stop him from requesting a drink and a potty break 10 minutes later. I think it was during his 17th, 18th, 19th and 20th time out of bed. I think.
He also jumped from his bed, turned on and off his lights, hid in his closet, threw his blanket over his head and pretended to be a ghost, and told me about 154 times that he was not going to bed.
Supernanny would have been proud of me. After a couple of times where I said, "Good night!" and gave him a kiss, I just silently kept returning him to bed.
And, HALLELUJAH, it worked! The last two times, he actually said, "I need to go to bed." You think so, Evan?! ;) I had to stop myself from laughing out loud.
Sunday, October 25, 2009
Bittersweet
Just before I put Evan to bed tonight, I noticed that the bottom rail that holds the side slats was loose. Dave and I theorized that it came loose because of how he gets out of his crib...he uses it as kind of a step. Once I saw this, I knew that he couldn't safely sleep in the crib until we fix it. And we simply didn't have the time to fix it because he was about to go to bed.
I had been contemplating moving Evan to a toddler bed. I knew that he was probably ready, but I wasn't so sure that I was. I love our crib. I love how it looks in Evan's room. I love the little cowboy decal on the side. I wanted a picture of the room when we finished decorating it, and we haven't quite gotten there yet. And besides all of that, and most importantly, he's our last child in a crib. **Sigh**
I knew he would be excited, and so proud of being a big boy in a big bed. I've been so anxious to share that moment with him. I knew that his big brothers and big sister would be so excited for him too.
This is a very bittersweet milestone.
I guess that I could have pulled out Evan's pack-n-play when I noticed the broken crib. However, I just went with my gut feeling that said that it was time. And it was.
With Evan's "help," Dave brought the toddler bed up from the basement. We switched the mattress from the crib into the bed. I spread out his new cowboy comforter and attached his music box. And then Evan tried out his new bed.
He loved it!
We rocked in his chair for a few more minutes talking about this exciting event, how he is big enough to sleep in a big bed now, just like Henry, Seth and Caroline. We talked about how once we put him in his bed, he stays there and goes to sleep. If he wakes up, and its still dark outside, he should just close his eyes and go back to sleep. But if he wakes up, and its light outside, he can come and wake us up to tell us, "It's morning time!" He agreed that this was a good idea.
I have to admit that I was thinking, "Hmm, I wonder how this is going to go..."
However, and I still can't believe it, Evan did NOT get out of bed even once! Dave and I were floored. Fifteen minutes later, all was still quiet in his room, so I went in to check on him. This is what I saw...
He's a big boy! I am so proud of him! :)
And here's our empty crib. **Sigh**
I had been contemplating moving Evan to a toddler bed. I knew that he was probably ready, but I wasn't so sure that I was. I love our crib. I love how it looks in Evan's room. I love the little cowboy decal on the side. I wanted a picture of the room when we finished decorating it, and we haven't quite gotten there yet. And besides all of that, and most importantly, he's our last child in a crib. **Sigh**
I knew he would be excited, and so proud of being a big boy in a big bed. I've been so anxious to share that moment with him. I knew that his big brothers and big sister would be so excited for him too.
This is a very bittersweet milestone.
I guess that I could have pulled out Evan's pack-n-play when I noticed the broken crib. However, I just went with my gut feeling that said that it was time. And it was.
With Evan's "help," Dave brought the toddler bed up from the basement. We switched the mattress from the crib into the bed. I spread out his new cowboy comforter and attached his music box. And then Evan tried out his new bed.
He loved it!
We rocked in his chair for a few more minutes talking about this exciting event, how he is big enough to sleep in a big bed now, just like Henry, Seth and Caroline. We talked about how once we put him in his bed, he stays there and goes to sleep. If he wakes up, and its still dark outside, he should just close his eyes and go back to sleep. But if he wakes up, and its light outside, he can come and wake us up to tell us, "It's morning time!" He agreed that this was a good idea.
I have to admit that I was thinking, "Hmm, I wonder how this is going to go..."
However, and I still can't believe it, Evan did NOT get out of bed even once! Dave and I were floored. Fifteen minutes later, all was still quiet in his room, so I went in to check on him. This is what I saw...
He's a big boy! I am so proud of him! :)And here's our empty crib. **Sigh**
Photo Shoot
We have a fabulous forest preserve just about 5 minutes from our house. We've had picnics there, as well as scout camp outs, hiking with friends, and sledding. It's also one of my favorite places to take pictures of the kids.
Considering the cost of professional pictures, we've been trying to go a less expensive route. Of course, I have about a billion candids of the kids, but I've been trying to take some more "formal" portrait-type shots of them too. I've been pleasantly surprised by the results. While I make a lot of stupid mistakes (like forgetting the flash in the following two pictures),
I am capturing a lot more genuine smiles than I have ever gotten at a portrait studio. I'd like to think that's because they are smiling at their mom rather than a photographer they just met. (Or maybe they are just smiling at their brothers and sister goofing off in the background!)
There are just so many sweet little moments to capture, like this one where Evan was supposed to be smiling at me, but instead was distracted by a bird. (I might not have gotten that cute profile and expression had it not been for that bird!)
I can take many, many pictures, some good, others ok, but I'm learning through each picture I take.
But so far, so good.
And it's ever so much cheaper than Picture People!
Hopefully after school tomorrow, depending on the weather, we'll be able to go back and shoot some pictures of the big boys.
After the photo shoot, we went on a hike in the woods. It was drizzling and misting pretty steadily, but we still had an excellent adventure. Doesn't the rain in this picture look like snow?!
Seth wanted me to take a picture of him jumping off of this stump...it turned out kind of fun! :)
Considering the cost of professional pictures, we've been trying to go a less expensive route. Of course, I have about a billion candids of the kids, but I've been trying to take some more "formal" portrait-type shots of them too. I've been pleasantly surprised by the results. While I make a lot of stupid mistakes (like forgetting the flash in the following two pictures),
I am capturing a lot more genuine smiles than I have ever gotten at a portrait studio. I'd like to think that's because they are smiling at their mom rather than a photographer they just met. (Or maybe they are just smiling at their brothers and sister goofing off in the background!)
There are just so many sweet little moments to capture, like this one where Evan was supposed to be smiling at me, but instead was distracted by a bird. (I might not have gotten that cute profile and expression had it not been for that bird!)
I can take many, many pictures, some good, others ok, but I'm learning through each picture I take.
But so far, so good.
And it's ever so much cheaper than Picture People!
Hopefully after school tomorrow, depending on the weather, we'll be able to go back and shoot some pictures of the big boys.
After the photo shoot, we went on a hike in the woods. It was drizzling and misting pretty steadily, but we still had an excellent adventure. Doesn't the rain in this picture look like snow?!
Seth wanted me to take a picture of him jumping off of this stump...it turned out kind of fun! :)
Saturday, October 24, 2009
Cheap Entertainment
After yesterday's decluttering of the house, today was the big day to kick out all of the germs that have been hanging out around here for about a week. We washed everything. I am hoping that means that we at least won't cycle through this particular flu bug again.
After all of that hard work, we went out to celebrate. And fortunately my kids are cheap dates. :) I let them choose a restaurant to go to, and their decision was unanimous...McDonald's. Then it was on to the Dollar Store, where the kids got to spend a little of the Halloween fun money that their Great-Grandma sent to them. They were thrilled with the treasures that they found. And to top it all off, on the way home we toured the neighborhood's Halloween decorations. Good cheap fun.
Are you wondering why they were taking a picture in the laundry room? Well, that would be because its one of the darkest rooms in the house, and they had cool glow sticks and other toys with lights to check out.
What do you think, Grandpa Nosek? Should Henry have his teeth checked? (Henry found these fake teeth and immediately thought of his dentist-grandpa.)
Because one child playing a recorder apparently isn't enough. ;) I guess that's why I let Caroline buy this purple recorder tonight. (WHAT WAS I THINKING?!!!) She wanted to accompany Henry on the songs that he's learning for his 4th grade recorder unit. All I'm going to say is that my ears are still ringing.
After all of that hard work, we went out to celebrate. And fortunately my kids are cheap dates. :) I let them choose a restaurant to go to, and their decision was unanimous...McDonald's. Then it was on to the Dollar Store, where the kids got to spend a little of the Halloween fun money that their Great-Grandma sent to them. They were thrilled with the treasures that they found. And to top it all off, on the way home we toured the neighborhood's Halloween decorations. Good cheap fun.
Are you wondering why they were taking a picture in the laundry room? Well, that would be because its one of the darkest rooms in the house, and they had cool glow sticks and other toys with lights to check out.
What do you think, Grandpa Nosek? Should Henry have his teeth checked? (Henry found these fake teeth and immediately thought of his dentist-grandpa.)
Because one child playing a recorder apparently isn't enough. ;) I guess that's why I let Caroline buy this purple recorder tonight. (WHAT WAS I THINKING?!!!) She wanted to accompany Henry on the songs that he's learning for his 4th grade recorder unit. All I'm going to say is that my ears are still ringing.
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