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Helping mom give bob a bath

My Poor, Clumsy Children

That being said....I'm quite thankful that with 2 little boys we have not yet made a trip to the ER. Jackson hasn't had too many injuries other than a couple bruises here and there. However, in the past week he slipped on the beach and scraped up his hand on barnacles, tripped on himself on our patio and scraped up his elbow and both knees, and he tripped on himself again in his room and scratched his head on the clothes hamper (didn't know that could even be possible) so though everything is very minor he looks a little banged up :) Jaden hasn't had too many incidents but looks pretty rough no matter what happens....first he fell down the stairs a while back outside onto our patio (I'm surprised this has not happened more often) and scraped his hand, knee, and head pretty badly, tripped in nursery and fell on a stair (um....ok....?) and tore most of the skin off of his nose. This actually was not bad at all but it LOOKED AWFUL. Then tonight just before bed he and Jackson were goofing around with daddy and banged heads accidentally. Jackson came out just fine but Jaden got a big, dark lump above his eye. We iced it as much as a 2 year old will let you and later on (they ended up staying up a while) he mentioned to me that his eye was feeling better. We'll see what it looks like in the morning!
In other news, they are obsessed with baseball and everything is a baseball bat apparently. Jared worked with them tonight on hitting but of course they had a short toy bat (not intended for anything really) and a large bouncy ball. Jaden just thought the whole things was fun so didn't focus too much on making it happen but Jackson was pretty serious and got to where he could time his swing to hit it. He was so proud!
Jaden can now reach the light switches without standing on anything and was SO proud and excited the first time he did it - you would think he had won a million dollars.
So, the potty training - not going so well still. Well, I shouldn't say that, but no one has ACTUALLY gone yet. I'm sure as soon as someone does one time we'll be on a faster track and I thought for SURE I'd get Jaden tonight. He drank 36oz of juice/water in about 20 min time and then asked to go potty (though I'm certain his motivation was 1 m&m for being willing to sit there). He even randomly wanted to read a book while he was sitting there (weird) despite all this nothing happened. sigh. Maybe tomorrow :)
We've had a few days of Jaden being mr grumpy pants and he has argued with EVERYTHING - just to argue. At least he's saying no thankyou :) It is SO frustrating but sometimes really funny because it's so ridiculous. Sometimes Jaden will be cranky about something and Jackson will give a giggle (over something random and unrelated) and Jaden will say "no funny!" and it's all we can do not to laugh.
Though there aren't many, I really need to get the pictures off my camera to post :)

Wow

Wow. What a day. The weather has been SOOOOO nice here and we've been able to spend alot of time outside. Today started out great with the morning routine and then going outside to play with the new water toy. I think the novelty is wearing off so they only lasted about 45 min outside, but maybe they were just too hot. We took our dog to get his nails clipped and then I thought it would be fun to take them to the beach for a while. I almost took our dog but decided against it thankfully. Last summer I could have never handled the boys by myself there because they were too wobbly and always wanting to be held, etc so it we would just go as a family. This summer they're great though and run around and entertain themselves with only a few small interventions needed. We went today and the tide was fairly low which meant there were all kinds of rocks with barnacles all over them and slippery seaweed. They don't fall alot but Jackson did today. It wasn't too bad actually but it did upset him. I'm getting too pregnant to carry my heavy boys around much so I picked him up and explained this and told him I'd hold his hand if he wanted. He was fine with this and then suddenly, for no reason, they both got really whiny and upset and wanted me to carry them. There was no way i could carry even one all the way back to the car and certainly not both. So I decided it was time to go, took both their hands and walked back to the car. Fortunately they didn't decide to go limp or we would have had problems. However, the whole way back to the car Jackson was sobbing and talking about going to the water and Jaden was throwing the biggest temper tantrum of all time. I FINALLY got to the car where the tantrum continued back to the house and lasted through their punishment. I then rocked them and they calmed down so we went up for a nap. Major temper tantrum again from Jaden and I think he slept 30 minutes. What a long day. They went to bed pretty happy though and I hope for a better day tomorrow :) Hopefully we can have a successful beach trip too because I was really looking forward to doing that this summer.
I'm definately feeling more pregnant. I probably wouldn't be as concerned about it if the boys hadn't come early but before I do too much my stomach starts cramping up. So..... I'm having to restructure what I do so I don't overdo it. Kind of a pain but I can definately still manage on my own.
The summer has been great so far and we've spent alot of time at the beach and playground which the boys love. They LOVE the beach. I'm getting excited to join the pool though I don't know if the boys will be scared. They'll have life vests but hopefully I can manage easily - it would be fine I'm sure if I wasn't pregnant.
I really want to get the baby's room completely ready this month and get pretty much everything we will need just in case. We went shopping down south this weekend to get some of the bigger items (money money money) and were able to get our crib. It's very nice and we couldn't have spent much less on it so we're happy. We decided to convert the boys beds to toddler beds and get a crib instead of getting something for the boys. Definately cheaper. We did find however that even down south no one carrys much in stock so you have to find stuff online which is kind of annoying if you don't like it and have to send it back but we're so glad we didn't have to buy the crib that way. I think Drs offices shouldn't charge you any money at all until after the baby is born since you have so many expenses in preparation for the baby because it's kind of overwhelming. Part of that though is that I have a really high deductable on my insurance - which is still totally worth it based on the money I'm saving monthly so I shouldn't complain :)
Hmmmm....maybe this post was a downer but I guess I just needed to vent about my day! :) On a more positive note, here are some funny things the boys say and do...

Earlier on I had cravings for bagels from crusin coffee. They have a unique building and every time we pass one the boys refer to it as "Mom's Food"

Here are some words they have learned in nursery (because I don't know where else it would have come from) "No" (instead of no thankyou), "Mines!", "Be Kiwet!" (Be quiet) nice.

Jaden no longer likes nursery :( Actually he has a great time once he's been there a minute but all the way there he says "no thankyou big boy class" "mommy come in a minute" If I come in he's fine but the minute I leave he's really upset. He's never done that before. At one of the classes he goes to he fell down and skinned up his nose really badly. It wasn't as bad as it looked and he didn't seem botherd about it after he cried right after it happend. But it was super lame because then complete strangers would questions us and him about it. He didn't like attention being drawn to it and would get upset and people wouldn't let up (this confuses me. If they had a mark on their face I'm pretty sure they wouldn't want anyone to even notice it let alone ask 101 questions) anyway, I think this whole combination is why he doesn't want to go and I'm praying he gets over it soon.

They wear sunglasses now and think they're super cool. They are and I have pictures (later) to prove it.

They pretend all kinds of funny things and often use a stick to be just about any tool/object they can think of.

They often put their stuffed animals in time out and tell them to obey.

They say "my" alot. "My see it!" "My turn!" "Mines!" "My go get it" Apparently they're still learning what it means.

They like to count but are currently skipping 4. 1 2 3 5 6 is normal but will sometimes to to 10. Sometimes I count with them to 20 and they think it's really funny.

They like to sing "Yes Jesus loves me so!" over and over and play the drums and dance. Sometimes they turn it into a game or concert and line their animals up to watch them.

The other day we were leaving and I was making them juice. They told me they were going upstairs to get an animal to take and would be right back. When I finished the juice they still weren't back and weren't responding to me so I went upstairs and they were standing in the tub with their shoes and clothes, water running, playing with toys. sigh.

Jared has jury duty for 2 weeks. He was in selection for 2 days and then cut. He doesn't have to go back till Monday. Now when he goes somewhere the boys say "Daddy doody doody" (daddy jury duty)

The only acceptable name for the baby according to Jaden is Mommy.

I guess that's enough rambling for now. Off to enjoy some peace and quiet.

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AHHHH potty training. I HATE it. I only hate it because I think it's a lame thing to have to do and I'd rather change diapers for years to come than have a couple kids i need to rush to the bathroom when out in public. Sigh. I'm sure it will be better than I thought. They're only showing a TINY bit of interest. I'm going pretty easy on them until probably next Thursday and then we'll switch from training pants (which they couldn't care less about) to underwear. Pray for my sanity. The boys sleep schedule has been just awful and they nap until late then when i put them down for nap they goof around FOREVER. I'd seperate them if we weren't about to change the other room into the baby's room. Maybe when we get a crib in there I will do it for just naps. I have, however started sitting in the room next to theirs while on my computer (I'm doing it now actually) and if I hear them move a muscle or make a peep I tell them to lay down and no talking. I've only done it a few days and it's been pretty successful so far. However, they're getting quite good at switching cribs and goofing around pretty silently and whispering so I can't here. Still going better than it was though. So here are some long overdue photos and a quick video from our ultrasound last month. This is a VERY short video clip but if you look closely you can see her lips sucking on her fingers. So cute! On a side note - we need a name! I like short cute names that are somewhat girly but not too girly. Preferrably no more than 4 or 5 letters but am open to considering whatever. I also want to like how it looks as well as how it sounds. I don't want it to be too common or too unusual. :) Jared likes names slightly longer than that (typically) that are definately girly. Oh, and they have to mean something good. HELP!!!!!! Even with our pickiness please suggest ANYTHING because you never know :)

Where to start

Yep, I've been a lazy blogger. So much so that I have no idea what I've written and what I haven't. I'll try to stick to what I haven't.
I'm hitting the 5 month mark and feeling pretty good. Pregnant but good. Everything looks good and we're having a GIRL. We're quite excited but don't have any idea what we'll name her so suggestions would be helpful!
My dad was here to help in April which was great and I know the boys had tons of fun.
We got a van! Never thought I'd be excited about THAT but I love it! We didn't go with a Honda like we wanted due to the cost but got a great deal on a high mile dodge caravan. It has worked out quite well and the price was great! We are very thankful.
Jared and I left the boys with Jared's parents for 5 days and took a trip to visit my Grandparents in Las Vegas and see the sites. We hadn't been away just the two of us since before the boys were born and it will be at least another year or so before we have another opportunity so it was a good time. We had alot of fun visiting with my Grandparents, seeing the sights, and seeing shows! No, we did not win any money. We did play $20 once while waiting for a show to begin. Now if we'd won a bunch of money we would have cashed out but the intent was to spend $20 entertaining ourselves - and that's what ended up happening. I also found it quite hillarious to see people walking around inside and out on the strip with bottles of beer and glasses of wine. HILLARIOUS. They even had these giant fake guitars FILLED with beer that you strapped around your neck with a straw reaching to your mouth. I don't know how much was in there but it was ALOT. I'm surprised I didn't see people falling down drunk. Probably though people were drunker than I realized :) What I did NOT find funny was all the smoking! Yuck! Living in Washington I've grown quite accustomed to not even seeing a cigarette for WEEKS at a time. What I also did not find funny was all the people handing out completely inappropriate material on some of the street corners. They really try to get you too. They stick there arms out in front of you right as you're walking by. It became my goal to give them no eye contact, as if I didn't even see them and walk as close to them as possible to see if they could pull their arm away fast enough before ran into them. They're pretty good. I didn't hit a single one. When they call it sin city - they're not joking. No they are not. BUT there are PLENTY of other things to do, the weather was gorgeous, they had great food, and we were able to see "Phantom of the Opera", "The Blue Man Group", "O" at the Bellagio and my grandparents took us to the Stratosphere (kinda like the space needle) for Jared's birthday dinner! We had a great time and it was such an added bonus to visit with my grandparents!
Easter was really great. The boys looked adorable in their outfits and we did Easter baskets after church. They were SO funny. They were excited and had a great time. I put things in the plastic eggs and it was funny to see them find them and open them up. They haven't had much chocolate so it was very exciting for them. I gave them peeps and they thought they were toys. I showed them that they were not, they were candy and bit the head off one. Jackson was COMPLETELY upset about that. He could not believe I did that. We did not bring out the peeps again. Here are some pictures.

Here are some pictures from my dad's visit....oh, and on a side note the boys now LOVE getting a bath. They seriously thought they would die in the bath until this point. It was too much for me so Jared would shower them. But that was getting difficult. We gave them a bath once when my mom was here and Jaden actually liked it but not Jackson. Now, they absolutely LOVE it. ....

And here are some pictures of our Las Vegas Trip...

And I owe you some pictures and video of our ultrasound - but I can't find the CD at the moment. Ok, so I haven't looked. But I will soon.
Ok, I feel better now, and more caught up :)

SO BEHIND

I am SOOOOOO behind on blogging! Alot has been happening but I'll have to skip alot of details here.
I'm 16 weeks along and starting to feel better. Still occasionally nauseated and super tired - though a little less so than before. Our whole family is getting over a terrible cold. LAME. I think we're all on the mend though!
My mom came to visit and help at the beginning of this month and the boys had a great time! She was a great help and I was able to get some extra rest as well as accomplish things that are especially tricky if I have to take the boys along.
The weather has been a little nicer some days and so we have been able to get out more and to the playground which the boys love. Only trick is getting them home!
A couple weeks ago Jared accepted the position of part time worship pastor at Word of Life Church in Lynden (about 25 minutes from us). It's a long story but we felt God leading us to this next step and are extreemly grateful and excited about it for many reasons. At the same time it was super hard to leave Christ the King. I worked there a couple years and we attended for over three. Jared led worship there for a couple years (as a volunteer - CTK has a great worship pastor). They commissioned him during the service this weekend and that was hard/sad but we know this is the right thing. I also know that I see most of my CTK friends outside of the services anyway and we can always pop in on a Sat night so it's all good :) Jared will not be away from home much if any more than he currently was since he will no longer be volunteering at CTK which is also a blessing. Please pray for us in this exciting new venture.

On Jared's last night leading at CTK I took the boys in for the music because they love it - it's just hard to keep them still and quite that long. They did well and made it to almost the last song before I took them to class. On the way home Jackson gave a commentary on the whole evening which is funny because though they talk alot I don't think they've really "told a story" before. It went something like this.... "Big boy class (their new class at church). Sticker on (their name goes on the back of their shirt in sunday school). Igic on (music on). Daddy winging mucklebone (daddy singing microphone) Igic off (music off). Daddy eating rice (we had thai food after). Daddy all done. Daddy o car (daddy's in the other car)." It was pretty funny to listen to. He went through it several times to be sure we understood all the details :)
Speaking of "Mucklebones" In Jared's recording closet he has microphone stands. The boys know what they are and associate them with an actual microphone. One night Jared was on the computer and they went in there to sing on the microphone (even though there was no actual microphone and they sang into the wrong end :)) Here they are in action.


As I said, my mom visited earlier this month and here are some pictures from that...


Here are the boys eating pizza with their pal, Aubrey...


We were out the other night and Jaden got to wear a "cowboy hat" for a little while....


The boys have been learning to count to 10. Sometimes they do it on their own and soemtimes want to repeat us. They often get hung up on the number 3 for some reason but other than that they do quite well. Here they are...


My dad will be coming out in a couple weeks to visit and help which will be nice and then Jared and I are going to Vegas for several days in April. We are so looking forward to it. We haven't been away together in over 2 years and it will probably be that before we have a chance again. We'll get to visit my grandparents to which will be a special bonus! They boys will stay with Jared's parents.

The boys have been pretending alot which is SO funny. They often pretend to be making potatos which I think is funny. They also have become more attached to their teddy bears and blankets when they are sleeping or tired.

Well, that's all I can think of for now. I'll try to do better at updating, but we'll see how that goes.