Hello? Is anyone still there?

I'll just spare you the "sorry I've not blogged since October speech." I'm busy, yo. And I haven't felt like writing anything, despite some huge changes, okay?

If you didn't already know, we're expecting #3 (Little Baby Sunshine, keeping with the weather-themed nicknames) in mid-May. Call us one of the crazies with 3 kids (possibly all boys), we don't care. Someone was missing from our family and s/he is growing in my belly right now. We had an ultrasound last week and all was well. We got a CD of pictures but the CD drive in my computer is broken (I may or may not have dropped this sucker a few too many times in the last NINE YEARS I've had it, especially in the last 6 months or so). No, we did not find out the sex. You know me and how I like surprises!

And...no other news from the last 2+ months tops that, so...moving on...

I always like to reflect on the new years resolutions I made last year and see how I did. Here we go...

Resolutions for 2013:
1. Pay OFF all debt. Heck yeah! This totally happened, earlier than expected even! The only debt remaining is our mortgage.
 
2. Run another 5k. Check that. I walked the Color Run 5k in June (July?) and I also ran the Women Rock 10k in August. And I didn't die!

3. Unplug. Yeah...still working on that.

Now GOALS for 2014: (I like goals better than resolutions)
1. Build savings. Now that our debt is paid off, this is step #3 in Dave Ramsey's baby steps. We are looking forward to getting a decent amount saved up in case we should ever need it.

2. Do yoga and be a strong mama. I follow a mom of 5 named Melissa (she's also MN photographer) on instagram. She started yoga in March and she can do amazing things like handstands and all sorts of crazy things, and I want to do that too. I started tonight by signing up for a free 15 day trial of yogaglo. I can watch it on the TV through Roku or on my laptop. I figure if I can keep up with the trial, I can keep up with it after that. And since I don't like running while pregnant or breast feeding, I can do this as exercise this year instead.

3. Unplug. Still working on it. Still bothers me. I need to set some parameters with myself or something.

So...that's about it. I'm not sure when I'll update next, so don't hold your breath or anything :)

*Clears throat, steps onto the stage*

WE'RE DEBT FREE!

I would LOVE to call Dave Ramsey on Friday and scream that, but, you know...work and all. So I'll scream it by way of large, bolded, italicized, underlined font!

A post I wrote in August about being credit card debt free was a HUGE step because it freed up a large chunk of money we had to pay monthly. If you go back and read that post, we had a goal to pay off our Explorer in November and my student loans in January. Well guess what!??! We made it happen TODAY. In OCTOBER. Isn't that crazy!?!? Kevin has taken a few overnight jobs (and sometimes 3 overnights in a row) every once in awhile to earn some additional money that definitely, definitely helped us pay these off sooner.

Considering our original DMP plan wasn't supposed to end until June 2014 and then we had the other debts--Explorer and student loans--to pay, I'd say we did pretty darn good, finishing a year ahead of schedule.

So...what's next? We're on to Dave Ramsey's Baby Step #3: 3-6 months of expenses in savings. According to our calculations, we should be able to finish this step within 6 months (even with Christmas accounted for) so huzzah! And you know how our calculations go. We always seem to overestimate how long it will take because we think on the conservative side.

I'm really getting dorky-like excited to start saving up for retirement and the boys' college fund (although we do have the college fund already set up for them, we're just not contributing yet).

"About a Bear and a Guy" By Colin, Age 4

Colin wanted to write a story the other night, so I dictated it while he told it. Here it is:

Once upon a time there was a bear, then there was a man who got bit by the bear. He got scared and ran away with his ax. Then he drove in his truck and he saw the bear in his back window. He was in the woods. He wasn't afraid of the bear. He drove back to him. Then he said, "Hey, want to trade axes?"

Then they walked together and built a campfire. Then he went in the woods and built a campfire with bricks and wood. Then he burped when he ate all the marshmallows. Then the bear burped when he ate all the marshmallows.

Then the bear rode in a baby stroller. He broke it and fell and said, "Ow! I'm never going to play with you again." Then he said, "Hey want to carry me?" Then the man fell down.

They walked together and the bear wasn't tired. Then the bear said, "Hey, you want to go home and sleep?"

The man said, "Yes."

Life Lately

We've settled into our routine now, and routine is good.

A few weekends ago the four of us went to Como Zoo/Town for probably the last time this year. Colin had a blast going on the "big rides" with Kevin. My body just can't take those anymore. I went on the Tilt-a-Whirl earlier this summer with Colin and almost threw up. No bueno, because I love rides. Ben rode on the rides that go around in a circle, and I hopped on the train with him.

We also attended Josie's baptism. Benny loves baby "Doe-Dee," and he got his turn to hold her and give her a bottle.

I had a pretty stressful week last week. Kevin was working up north Tuesday through Friday. There was some work drama involving hiring a kindergarten teacher (like, now) and moving either me or a third grade teacher out of the hallway we're currently in. Long story short, I'm not moving--the other teacher is, but oy. There was stress involved there.

This past weekend, we met up with my family in Red Wing at a park to play and eat lunch. My grandma is visiting from Tucson so we had fun spending time with her. She gave Ben (and, as a result, Colin) a "Bug Vac" that sucks up bugs so they can study them. They've been having a blast with it, although bugs in general are pretty sparse this time of year.

Colin is loving school. Every day he comes home with a new song he learned. He illustrated (colored) a book called "Do You Know Clifford?" and he reads the book to us with pride. My teacher heart goes pitter-patter when I see his little finger out tracking the words and "reading" them.

Ben is still silly Ben. He's for sure going to be the comedian of the family. He knows a lot of single words, even uncommon ones like ladder and window. He's still not putting words together. Sometimes he'll say 2 or 3 words in a row that "go" together, but not very often. He'll get there.

My Explorer's battery and alternator died today. I got to daycare and left it running. When I got back, the battery light was on so I turned the engine off and couldn't get it started again. Neither I nor Sandy had jumper cables. I called Kevin who told me to turn off the remote start. I did, and I got my car to start, so I drove to work. When I got about halfway between Sandy's and school, my radio died, my airbag light turn on, and all of my dashboard gauges when to 0. I pretty much coasted to school, my car lurching up the hills. Kevin came to school this afternoon to fix it. When I left (early, just in case!), I was able to start my car, but again, halfway to Sandy's the same thing happened. I was able to coast juuuust past the train tracks (thank GOD because they're still in use multiple times a day), where I called Kevin and waited. He jumped my battery, and we went to Sandy's, but then the battery was dead, dead, dead. I got to drive Kevin's beast of a work van home to make it back in time for piano lessons, while Janelle drove to Sandy's to pick up Kevin and the boys. While I was teaching piano, Kevin and his dad were able to get an alternator and a battery and install it in Sandy's driveway and Kevin drove the Explorer back home. Such a fiasco. Murphy is totally at play here since the Explorer will be paid off in TWO DAYS! :)

New Routine, and then I go off on a tangent. But there are pictures!

We've been back to our school year "routine" for a week. I put routine in quotation marks because it's a new routine for us. Actually, this week we will start our REAL routine. Last week was just a transition week.

Colin's first day of Junior Kindergarten (He looks a little tense. He was actually very mellow. I blame it on the word "cheese."). Oh and...(I had a cute outfit picked out for him, which he agreed he'd wear the day before. But that morning, he decided he didn't want to battle with the button and zipper on the shorts, and the grey henley t-shirt didn't have any pictures on it, so he didn't want to wear it. Whatever...get dressed...as long as it's clean I'm cool with it. So he picked mesh shorts and his helicopter t-shirt.).

While my first graders were at gym, art, or music, I picked Colin up at Sandy's and took him to school every day. I am pleasantly surprised at how easy the transition actually has been for him. On Tuesday, I walked him in the building and helped him find is cubby, hang up his backpack, and walked him into the classroom. He did amazing. On Wednesday, I walked him to his cubby but didn't go into his classroom. He sniffled for about 30 seconds and then he was good to go (I think he was especially tired that day because he almost fell asleep in the car on our way there). On Thursday, I walked him to the door of the building. As I was walking away, he called for me and I thought, "Oh great...here we go" but he just wanted another hug :). On Friday, I dropped him off at the end of a path that the parent drop-off kids get dropped off, and he waltzed right up to the building no problem. Seriously, I did NOT expect it to go so smoothly. Every day after school, he gets walked to the office and I pick him up there after I get my first-graders on their merry ways home. He hangs out in my classroom. The first few days were a little hairy, but now he knows that I have to get work done so he has to be quiet. He has been looking at books, watching Curious George on my phone, and every day I give him a snack.

He loves school. He talks about two boys named Reed and Ryland. There's two reasons I think he chose to befriend them first: 1. They both sit at his table and 2. There are boy-girl siblings at Sandy's named Reid and Rylan. He has learned a few new songs, and he's generally anxious to go to school. I think it really helped that his two good friends from Sandy's also went to school this year, so he's the oldest when he's there in the morning, and he really doesn't want to take a nap with all of the little kids.

This week we start our real routine, where I take him to school Mondays and Fridays, and Kevin's mom takes him Tuesdays through Thursdays. That will be nice so I can have some of my prep time back. The 20 minutes it takes to pick Colin up and drop him off isn't a very long time, but enough that I can get a lot done!

I'm teaching piano on Tuesdays from 5-7 and Wednesdays from 6-7. It's a bit late, but it's nice because we don't have to rush home. Right now I have 11 students, but 1 is moving out of town sometime in the near future. 10ish students is the number my studio sustains itself at. The money is amazing, and I love learning how to play piano Simply Music style, but now that Colin is getting to the age where he might start showing interest in extracurricular activities, I have to stop building my studio. My plan right now is to keep teaching the students I have, but not add anyone. If someone drops out, I won't be too heartbroken. Simply Music has been wonderful for me as a pianist and piano teacher. As much as I would love to quit my teaching job and work from home as a piano teacher, I don't want to take that leap of faith. It's too dependent on too many factors out of my control. Plus, I'd be teaching piano mostly in evenings, and when my kids are in school, I won't have a lot of time with them if my evenings are packed with teaching 60 students (the amount I estimate I would need to have to make the same income, plus purchase our own health/dental insurance). Plus I suck at bookkeeping, so there's that. I mean, I manage 11 students "fine," but I could never keep 60 straight. (Sorry, that was so not on-topic, but relevant I guess).

Anyway, so that's our new routine. Hopefully we can add swimming lessons into the mix in October :)

A few pictures Colin's teacher sent me of him at school on Friday:
Plotting his escape:

 School district motto:

The worst they could say is "No."

I think I've mentioned before that we applied for open enrollment for Colin to go to school in Somerset. The first application was due in February and you bet your booty I turned it in on the first day I could :)

Then the wait. From February until May, we waited for the decision from the school board. Turns out, all new open enrollments got denied (the OEs that got accepted were new students who had siblings currently attending, and students who were switching buildings). The reason? Lack of space.

I cried. I asked my principal what I could do. He said I could appeal, and he's only known of two previous appeals--one got accepted and one got denied again.  I cried in his office. Blubbering mess. I talked to the superintendent and asked him what I could do. He was sympathetic, but he's also a rule follower. There's no grey area with him--it's all black and white. He told me to sell our house. "It's a buyers market! You can find a good deal on a new house in the district!" I cried some more. I emailed a former district employee, who is now a school board member, who asked if I had considered the appeal process (and by doing so, kind of got the impression that she was saying we should appeal).

A co-worker of mine, who is a JK (Jr. Kindergarten aka 4K aka 4 year old preschool) teacher also got denied. We decided to appeal the decision, thinking the worst they (Dept. of Public Instruction, aka DPI) could say is no. We had to get all of our ducks in a row, stating why the school board's decision was arbitrary or unjust. We knew, as teachers, that lack of space was a lame excuse. The JK classes had been moved to a different building on campus just a few years ago. There were 3 rooms for 6 sections of students, and so far only 2 rooms (4 sections) were planned. We filled out some paperwork, wrote up an explanation, and crossed our fingers.

Then we waited. In the meantime, I had another conversation with the superintendent who told me that I could apply for an open enrollment exception, which is usually reserved for cases of bullying, a military family, etc. but there's an "other" box you could choose, and submit your reason why attending school in Somerset was in the best interest of your child. He also told me we could sell our house again (sigh...). But overall, he was sympathetic. I told him I hope he took my appeal as a compliment, that I believe in our district and I want my child to go there too. He said he did.

My co-worker and I applied for the Open Enrollment Exception. We wrote up our reasoning and submitted it for the school board to read (they make the decision over these, not DPI).

A few weeks ago, the boys and I were having a lemonade stand. Kevin was home and had gotten the mail, and an envelope came from DPI. He called me and told me the news that "by the order of DPI" Colin was approved to go to Somerset. I was unbelievably excited :)

So, of course, the next day I pranced into the office where I declared, "MY KID IS OFFICIALLY A SPARTAN!!!!!" and got his registration information. Since then, Colin has gotten his backpack and school supplies, he has met his teacher (the co-worker who also appealed) a few times because we've had a few playdates, and he said he's ready for her to be his teacher. We will see if he feels the same way next Tuesday!

Sometimes, you gotta fight for what's right. Just because someone says no doesn't mean someone else will too :)

Photo Dump

(I also posted another post before this if you want to check that out)

I've been very neglectful again. I'm still having a hard time wanting to write. I make no excuses. I just don't wanna. It makes me feel bad because I wrote so much when Colin was little, and now I'm writing so sparingly. I hope that Ben doesn't look back on this and feel neglected. Sorry, Benny, you guys wear me out. By the time I sit down at the end of the day I'm too exhausted to put a coherent thought together. I love you the same amount as Colin. I promise.

Let's cut to the chase here. Pictures of summer. Go.

We met baby Josie, and Ben loved on her. He loves to hold her and can't get enough of her.

  

 Ben's favorite books are: Ten Little Ladybugs, books about diggers, and The Very Hunger Caterpillar

Ben rode in the Boba and helped Daddy mow the lawn.

Sleeping on the floor after we took the rail of his crib off

 Building

 On the train at Como Town

 Playing with water, one of his favorite things to do.

 Eating a hot dog at the St. Croix County Fair. It was all of the boys' first time. I was the only who had been there! Can you believe that?

 Colin and I riding the bumper cars at Como Town

 He told me, "You go in and make supper. I'll watch Ben." Okay then...

 Playing with the sled

 Colin reading a book to Ben

We went to watch Kevin's grandpa fly his model airplane, but it was too windy for him to fly it. All's well though, because I got this picture out of the deal.

 Sitting on a motorcycle at Como Town (I adore how Ben is holding on so tightly)

 Fun Fest parade. He was in a funk, so I told Colin that they don't pass candy out to kids who smile.

 Riding the Scrambler at the St. Croix County Fair

 Doing the ice cream truck dance. We love the ice cream truck!

 Grandma J. bought him a kangaroo at Como Town. He loves that thing.

 More water fun, thus the toplessness.

Whew. I know pictures are way more fun to look at than words are to read, so there ya go! Summer's not over yet. Maybe I'll find another opportunity to share some more pictures soon.

WAHOOOOOOO!

If you've been following our credit card debt pay off, you know that we took charge of the situation way back in June 2010. Since then, we've lived on a strict budget and have spent very little on "entertainment" and other extras. In the beginning, it was a little rough not getting what I wanted when I wanted it. But with that, we've learned some great lessons.

We've learned to live frugally. We've learned to entertain ourselves for free or very little money. We've learned that it's not about "stuff." We've learned we can make ends meet even when life throws us huge curve balls. We've learned not to rely on credit. We've learned that in the future, it is truly best to save up and pay cash.

Kevin woke up on Saturday morning and one of the first things he said to me was, "I'm going to pay off the last credit card today." I mean, I knew we were going to pay it off this month, but I thought we were going to wait for our DMP payment to go through at the end of the month and pay for the rest after that. Nope, Kevin decided he wanted to pay it now to avoid a service fee for the DMP. So he did.

Today is the day that we can officially say that our credit card debt total is....(drum roll please)....$0! Zero. Zilch. Zip. Nada. Nothing. Nuffing (<--colinese p="">
I emailed the lady at Family Means and told her our last credit card was paid off. She's sending us some closing paperwork in the mail and that's that. We're done! I was hoping for a little more fanfare, but oh well. It doesn't matter. :)

Next steps:
Pay off the Explorer. Goal end: November
Pay off 2 student loans. Goal end: January

Then we can officially be truly debt free (except the house...). But this? This is a great start.

And just like that... (2nd edition)

Ben decided to assert his independence on Independence Day by climbing out of his crib on Wednesday night. Not once...multiple times. Then on Thursday morning, I heard him calling for me and a moment later, I heard his door handle jiggle. Thursday's nap was also a battle to keep him in his crib. So...

We took the side rail off and now he's sleeping in his crib-converted-to-toddler/daybed. He's doing okay so far. He definitely likes to experiment with getting in and out before he goes to bed, but generally we can't complain.

I busted out our "baby crack machine" last night. I turned it on and the music playing over and over and over and over and over and over and over.... lulled him to sleep. Same with nap time today.

So I guess that's it.

No more breast feeding, no more crib. The next thing...no more diapers! Wouldn't that be grand?

And just like that...

Ben has officially stopped nursing.

About a month ago, Ben always asked for milk before bed.

About 2 or 3 weeks ago, Ben had a choice before he went to bed: milk or books. He usually chose milk, so I nursed him. I could tell he was getting ready to wean because he would spend about 10 minutes "nursing" while smacking me in the face and frog kicking the arm of the rocking chair and trying to talk to me. He didn't always nurse on both sides either. After nursing, Kevin read him books and he went to bed.

Then about a week and a half ago I just asked him if he wanted to read books with me. He nodded his head yes, and didn't ask for milk. We read books, then Kevin read him books, and that was that.

I thought I'd still be producing enough to make things a little uncomfortable, but nope! Our weaning process was so gradual there haven't been any moments of discomfort.

I am so happy that I was able to let Ben decide when to stop. I don't have to feel guilty for cutting him off, because it ended on his own terms.

I'm grateful for all of those hours we spent so close together. In time, he won't remember ever nursing, but I believe the bond we created will last a lifetime.

Ben: 18 months

Ben is 1 and a half already! 

Ben's newest words:
Blankie = "Geeky" :)
Where did it go? = "Go" with the palms of his hands facing up
Moo
Pig snorts
Water = "wawa"
ummmmm (when he's thinking)
please = "meeeee," in addition to the sign
help = "ow"
baby = "beebee"
mine
ni-night
No (sometimes it's a very adamant, shall I say...snotty?...tone)
out = "ow"
more = "mo"
cracker = "kaka"

He's shown a little bit of interest in potty training. For now, we occasionally ask him if he wants to sit on his frog potty. Sometimes he says no, but sometimes he says yes. He peed in it one time a couple of weeks ago. He hates getting his diaper changed, so I'm hoping he's willing to be potty trained early :) He definitely knows what the potty is for, so we'll see!

Ben loves going for walks and bike rides (he rides in the Burley). If we're going for a walk, he makes sure we don't forget Rocket! He likes going to the parks and going down slides and swinging and doing whatever Colin is doing.

He also loves to wrestle. If he's in the mood to roughhouse, he'll bring you into his room, point to the floor and say "down." At that time, you are to either lie on the floor, or sit on the floor and he'll push you over. Then he'll climb all over you and spit in your face and jump on you. Good times.

Unfortunately, he's battling an ear infection again. Summer is supposed to be sick-free! He's had quite a few ear infections (about 6) in the last year, so if he gets another I'll probably make an appointment with an ENT to discuss our options. I'm hoping to avoid tubes, although I hear they're wonderful.

His current favorite books are The Very Hungry Caterpillar, Ten Little Ladybugs, and a touch-and-feel animal book. He still nurses before bed, but only for a few minutes. Then we read books, and Kevin reads books. Truthfully, he can be kind of a challenge when he nurses. He hits me, pokes me, sticks his finger in my mouth, frog kicks his legs against the arm of the chair, and talks to me instead of nurse, so his interest is waning. I still love the time with him, but many nights I've told him that I'm not going to give him milk anymore if he isn't nice to me. Ideally, I still want him to decide when he's done, so it'll be interesting to see when he'll quit. I can be gone at his bedtime and he'll go to sleep without me, and my body doesn't care either.

Knowing that Ben loves the water, hopefully we'll be able to go swimming a lot this summer and let him be a little fishy. He loves his baths, and even lays his head back and "floats" in the bathtub (with my hand under his head of course). He's so relaxed when he's floating, which I think is pretty cool.

Pediatrician Appointments

This afternoon Colin had his 4 year well check and Ben had his 18 month well check.

Colin:
Weight: 40 lbs (81 %ile)....holding steady at the 80th
Height: 41.5" (3' 5.5") (69 %ile)....3.5 inches taller since June 2012

Everything looked good :) Per my audiologist's recommendation, I had Dr. C. send in a referral to the audiology department to get Colin's hearing test done so we have a baseline to refer to in the future.

Ben:
Weight: 32 lbs 13 oz (100+ %ile)....holding steady around this weight for about 6 months now.
Height: 33.75" (2' 9.75") (88 %ile)...grew 1.25 inches since March

Another healthy boy. Dr. C. noticed that Ben's front tooth is chipped a little bit. I hadn't noticed. How horrible is that? He said there's a 50/50 chance it will turn black and die. Awesome. Let's hope we're in the "good" half, shall we? Dr. C. has this "trick" that he does. He turns on his light and has his little patients "blow it out" while he flips the switch. Ben watched Colin do it, so when Dr. C. told him to blow it out, he did. And then he let out the best belly laugh. Dr. C. said it's so fun to see an 18 month old interact like that.

Then it was shot time. Ben I wasn't worried about. He cries when he gets poked, and then I pick him up and give him a hug and he's fine. Colin, on the other hand, is a bit more dramatic and hadn't had a shot since he was two. When I told him he had to get a shot, he immediately closed up. I put him on the table and he crawled all over me to get up, but eventually we pinned him down and got it done. He clung to me for a little while before we could leave, but the rest of the night he was fine.

We made things happier by going to McDonald's for supper. A rare treat, so we went all out and Colin and I got a chocolate shake to share :)

The worst part of these appointments is getting those two to be QUIET while Dr. C. and I are talking. I should have learned my lesson by now and do the appointments separately. That would be a lot more productive. We're both distracted and the boys go nuts. Ben opens the door and runs away, Colin is (trying to get attention?) loud, etc. Not cool. Someone remind me in December not to bring Colin with us, okay?

Debt: 90%!

We paid off our 4th credit card! Now we only have 1 left, with a balance of about $3000. It WILL be paid off in August. With my summer school checks and the payment we already pay towards it, it will GONE. That is going to feel so great!

It's still so hard to imagine our past life when we owed $35000 to our credit cards and now we're only down to a measly $3000. And soon...$0.

I look forward to my next debt update, when I'll be screaming it from the rooftops and doing a little jig :)

Preschool Woes

I had this vision that Colin would go to preschool in the district I teach in (Somerset). I'd drop him off at Sandy's house in the morning and then he'd go to school with his buddy Rece from daycare in the afternoon. I started talking to him about where "his school" was and how he'd be going there with Rece. He was finally getting excited. We open enrolled him. I thought we were a shoe-in. We got denied. All 81 applicants got denied. The superintendent is not likely to change his mind. Apparently there's not enough space for us. Way to go me, counting my chickens before they're hatched.

I'm super sad about it. I don't want him going to school in New Richmond. The district just doesn't impress me. I think back to my days as a substitute teacher and when I worked at the teen center at the Y and how I wasn't impressed. I'm not impressed that we weren't sent any information about registering for preschool. I'm not impressed that we weren't sent any information about early childhood screening. There's just so much that gets me fired up about it.

I will fill out the papers to appeal, hoping it works.
I've got the principal on my side, who says he doesn't understand why. He said there were only 3 preschool applicants. He said he'd talk to the superintendent and see what he can do.
I asked Kevin to talk to a friend/co-worker/"boss"-type person, who is also the school board president to ask him what we can do.

Just in case those don't work, we need alternative plans.
1) He doesn't go to preschool. He stays at Sandy's full time. Not a fan--I want him to have a nice transition year before he goes to kindergarten all day.
2) He goes to preschool in New Richmond at our church. I really want him to go to Sandy's for the other half of the day though, so I'm not sure how we'd figure out transportation there. It's a 30 minute round-trip gig every day.
3) Sell the house this summer (if even possible. Good lord...we'd have to get on that like, yesterday) and find a place to rent in Somerset, then save money for a down payment on a house.

Sucks when a vision disintegrates at your feet. Sucks. :(

Ben: 17 months

A long awaited Ben update!!!
Benny is 17 months old now. Already! He's saying a bunch of words like:
ball (bah)
toys (/t/)
car (gah)
bubbles (buhbuh)
light (ight)
bowl (bo)
deer (dee)
on
up
please (signs it)
eat/drink (signs it by pointing to his cheek)
ick (/ccckkk/)
done (signs it by waving his hand)
hi
hello
bye bye
dada
mama

He's constantly in the fridge looking for snacks. He takes after his brother in that aspect.

Ben is Colin's little buddy. They get along pretty well. Of course there's a squabble here and there, but for the most part they play very well together. Oh...except for when Ben doesn't get his way and bites Colin. Yep, Ben is a biter if he's having a bad day.

He has proven to be a water baby. He loves taking a bath and lying on his belly in the tub, getting bubbles all over himself and kicking and rolling around. I'm excited to take him swimming this summer to see how he likes the water this year. Last year he was pretty chill in his floating chair. I'm sure this summer will be much different!

Ben's sleeping through the night pretty well now that his 2 month long ear infection is over. It's such a nice change. He's a great (but flexible) sleeper. I can lay him down in his bed at nap time and after he fusses for about 15 seconds, he'll go right to sleep. He still nurses at night for about 10 minutes and then he gets a book and takes it to Kevin and they rock and read.

He gets a lot of compliments when we're out and about how cute he is. Must be his little man walk or his squishy cheeks and belly or his little smile. I'm not sure what it is, but we'll take it!

He got a haircut this month. No more mop top. I loved his curls but his hair was getting a little out of control so I cut it.

This month was also punctuated with the fact that he almost impaled his eyeball with a low-sitting branch on a bush. It's so scary to think it could have been much, much worse.

He still hasn't gained much weight. He's still 32 lbs and some change. He's gotten a bit taller and his belly doesn't hang over his pants anymore. He's toning up with all of the moving he does :) He does like to be chased, with his hands behind his back protecting his sides from being tickled.

Ben LOVES art. He loves to color and loves to play with Play-Doh.

I love (most) ages we've gone through, but Ben's age is so fun because he's so busy, he's learning words, and learning how to be more independent. We shall see what this month brings. It'll be fun, I'm sure!

Colin's birthday

I have a 4 year old. Can you believe it? This little man will be going to preschool in 4 months! How did that happen!?!

Colin had a great birthday. We got him a bigger bike (16") for his big day. Not that he could ride it because there was snow outside (ugh). Now that we've had a week without snow, he was able to put some miles on it though. It's a tad big, and since it doesn't have training wheels, either Kevin or I have to hold onto it while he hops on. Then he cruises off, and he's getting the hang of his dismount now. I love watching him ride his bike.

 The day after his birthday was a Friday and Kevin and I took the day off of work to spend the day with the boys. Colin wanted to go to Skyzone, an indoor trampoline park. We had a lot of fun. It was Kevin's first time, and Colin had fun showing him everything. His favorite is definitely the foam pit :) After getting some energy out, we had lunch at McDonald's.

On Saturday, we had the big birthday bash. Colin chose a Jake and the Neverland Pirates party.

My coworker made the cake. I made the sail, and the figurines were from the store.

He got a great variety of presents. Games, building toys, some artsy gifts, etc. The day after his party he spent a bit of time playing with each of his presents.

 Always entertained by a singing card...

 

Happy birthday Bud! We hope you had a great day. We look forward to what 4 is going to bring us. We're sure you'll continue to keep us on our toes and amaze us every day with your creativity and imagination!

Ben's 15 month check up

We had a pediatrician appointment on Friday.

Ben's stats:
Weight: 31 lbs, which I believe to be inaccurate. Just 4 days before that, he weighed 33 lbs. So we'll just say that he's holding steady at 32 lbs. He hasn't gained any weight for about 4 months but he's still way over the curve and still in the 100th percentile.
Height: 32 1/2 inches (87th percentile....slacker)

Ben had been to the doctor a few days prior and was diagnosed with an ear infection and bronchiolitis. His ear looked like it was getting better and Dr. C. didn't hear any wheezing indicating bronchiolitis. Ben got his 4th round of DTaP and Hib vaccines. He barely whimpered when he got poked, but his DTaP site was very red (softball size in diameter), warm, and hard over the weekend.

While we were there, I had Dr. C. look in Colin's ears and he had an ear infection too, but since it doesn't seem to bother him, we decided not to get antibiotics.

Nothing else to report. Next time we go in June it's a double appointment...Ben's 18 month and Colin's 4 year! Don't tell Colin that he's probably going to get shots. He plugs his ears when Ben gets his, and I'll put $100 on Colin crying more than Ben when he gets his shots.

Colin's haps

I talk a lot about Ben because he changes so fast, but you know...there's Colin around these parts too. I thought I'd give you a little update on him with some pictures.


Colin wrote his name about a month ago and I was quite impressed. I didn't help him write this. I traced my finger on the paper, and then he wrote it with a pen.

Dude loves smoothies. Here we were at Target and shared a strawberries and cream from Starbucks.

He came to school with me so I could do something really quickly and listened to a book on CD. Seriously. He looks huge here.

He loves playing Starfall on my laptop and using Kevin's iPad to watch PBS and Disney Jr. shows. I wish he liked playing games a little more than watching shows, but it does provide for some good consequences ("stop yelling or no iPad tonight.").

 I forget what he was talking about here, but he looks huge in this picture too.

His current favorites:
TV Shows: Jake and the Neverland Pirates, Phineas and Ferb, Little Einsteins
Foods: Mac & Cheese, hot dogs, pears, clementines
Toys: Legos and other building things, anything that can me made into a rocketship/airplane
Games: "Spiderman," Chutes and Ladders

He's a great shopping buddy. Most Sundays he comes with me to Target and Aldi. We were at Target yesterday and I was trying on some t-shirts (I got 5 shirts for $20!) and he said they looked pretty on me. I mean...how can I not buy them if they look pretty on me? :)

Colin continues to prove that he's an excellent builder. It's amazing what he can create with Legos, Tinker Toys, etc. He drew a stage on the whiteboard at daycare. What 3 year old draws a stage? I love his creative mind :)

Colin is SO ready for spring. He doesn't want to wear his boots anymore. He is anxiously awaiting the snow to melt so he can get his Gator out of the shed. Every time it rains and the sun shines, he gets super excited that the snow is melting, and he groans when it snows. Can't say I blame him :)

We open enrolled in the school district I work in for Jr. Kindergarten (4K/preschool) next year. It's a half day every day, and then he'll be able to still go to Sandy's for the other half of the day. We won't find out if we got accepted until June. Then we have to figure out transportation between Sandy's and school since the bus can't stop at Sandy's.

We're gearing up for his 4th birthday. 4TH BIRTHDAY. ::jaw drop:: So far it's Jake and the Neverland Pirates themed. Kevin and I are taking the day after his birthday off to do something fun with him. Not sure what yet...waterpark, Skyzone, zoo...we'll see what he picks.

Ben: 15 months

Holy moly. The biggest "new" thing that Ben does is communicate more. You've seen my lists. I love documenting first words/signs. It's fun to see what's most important in a little life. Like...

Words: Mama, Didi (daddy), mopmopmop (mop), ball,  there/this/that, uh oh, hello, hi, and "baa" = what a sheep says.
Signs: nodding head for yes, shaking head for no, waving goodbye, milk, daddy,
"please"

"water"

He gets into a bit of mischief, too. He's always opening the refrigerator and getting clementines, pears, hot dogs...whatever he can find. He knows how to get the step stool and set it next to the couch to climb up on it, he climbs on it and turns the light switches on and off, and tries to reach things he shouldn't be reaching. It's tough keeping up with him. :)

Benny is drinking out of one of the Tupperware cups with the sippy spout really well. He also has is own Camelbak for water just like big brother. He's working on his last 1 year molar. The others came through the last few weeks.

Ben LOVES to color.

 

and brush is hair 

 teeth.

He weighs 32.4 lbs, so he hasn't gained weight in a few months. He has a pediatrician appointment next Friday.

Ben is still nursing. Mostly in the morning when he wakes up, and before he goes to bed, sometimes when we get home from daycare, and sometimes once at night too. When he nurses he signs "milk please" over and over. :) I do refuse to nurse him at times now and distract him instead. He's usually okay with that. I love nursing, and I want to follow his lead to wean, but I would also like to be done by May or June.

Please forgive me for future posts that document more words. :)

Words, Signs, and Andectodal Accounts

Just thought I'd jot down a few words and signs Ben does/says for my own record. It's so fun to see him acquiring language :)
Words:
Uh-oh
Mama
Hi
Bye
"Duh"-This/that/there
Didi (Daddy)

Signs:
Milk
More
Please
Ball--just learning this one
All done--sometimes
No (shakes his head)
Yes (nods his head)
Daddy--as of today!
Waves his hand for hi and bye
 *We're currently working on help, book, and thank you

It's also quite fun to see his relationship with Colin growing. They're becoming buddies, which I love. This evening, Colin told Ben to sit in the laundry basket, so (with help) Ben got in. Colin took his claw grabber toy and closed it around the laundry basket handle and pulled Ben around the house. When Colin decided he was done playing, Ben climbed out, found the claw grabber, put it in the basket, climbed into the basket, handed the grabber to me, and signed "more please." So silly.

Ben: 14 months

Happy monthday Benny!

Ben is getting to be more like a little boy now. His personality shines through more and more every day. Here's what he's up to these days:

Words:
Ben can sign: "more" and "milk," and we've caught glimpses of "all done." Actually, the "milk" and "more" signs he uses universally when he wants something. We're working on "help" now.

Ben can say: "Mama," "Hiiiii," often says "baba" (brother?) when talking about Colin, "da" (there/this/that), and "uh oh." He mimics a few other sounds like for "woof"...he says "f" and for "buzz" he says "sss."

Other smart tricks:
Sometimes when I ask him where his belly is, he lifts his shirt up. When I ask him where his nose is, he puts his hand to his nose and blows (sometimes when he does this, he blows snot all over his hand and then wipes it all over his face, which is disgusting). When I ask him where his hands are, he claps them.

Favorite things:
His blankie that Auntie Stephie made him
Opening the refrigerator and taking something out of the door (usually salad dressing).
Playing/lying on Colin's bed
Reading books (Ten Little Ladybugs is a favorite)
Playing outside, even though he falls down quite frequently in his winter gear.
Playing with cleaning objects--brooms, vacuums, mops, shovels. Adult-sized, please. No small versions allowed.
Food! Anything, really. He ate 2 clementines yesterday. He still likes meat a lot, but he also likes veggies and fruit. He wants to eat fresh pears, apples, and carrots so badly but they're usually too hard for him so he gets upset when I tell him he can't have them.
Being chased around the basement with the corn popper toy
Climbing on top of things
Tackling other people
Coloring
Dumping multiple puzzles all over the floor at a time (ugh)
Throwing balls

Things I love:
When we're cleaning up toys, Ben helps too! He'll even put his clothes down the laundry chute.

When it's his bedtime, I tell him to give Daddy and big brother hugs, and he gives them the sweetest, most genuine hugs.

When I pick him up from daycare, he runs to me, arms open, says "Hiiiii" with the biggest smile, wraps his arms around my legs and squeezes them with his hands a couple of times.

Other hapbenings:
Ben still nurses, but it's usually only before/after nap/bedtime. He goes down for a nap without me or a bottle just fine, though. In fact, he hasn't had a bottle since before Christmas. I packed them away. I'm done pumping at work, too. So now I'm just taking his cues on when he wants to be done with nursing. I have a feeling he'll drop the "wake up" morning nursing session soon, because he's okay not nursing when he wakes up from his nap.

He has 8 teeth and he's working on his molars. His gums are so swollen, and you can see a white bump under his gums in at least 2 places where future molars will be. Poor guy. Hopefully they'll poke through soon.

He's usually tired at about 7:15, so he nurses and goes to sleep. Right now he's waking up once a night for a quick application of orajel. Sometimes he wakes up a little later and I nurse him for a few minutes (because I feel bad about his poor teeth) and he goes back to sleep. We wake him up for the day at 6:30. On weekends he sleeps until 7:00.

Ben can climb up and down stairs too!

Kevin asked me today when Colin started talking. I told him that 18 months is usually the month that words start coming from every direction. It's unbelievable that we're only 4 months away from that!

Oh Benny, how I love watching you become a little boy every day.

60%

I'm SO freaking happy to say that we paid off our third credit card on Thursday! :) We're on track for paying off #4 in June and #5 in August! Our credit card debt is now under $10,000. It's still a huge number, but it seems so small and manageable compared to where we started less than 3 years ago. We have a plan and there's a light at the end of the tunnel that we keep creeping closer and closer to.

It's going to be a long couple of months wait until June, since we paid off 3 cards every other month since September. However, we write the new balances every month on our whiteboard and to see card #4 drop between $660 and $900 a month is going to be very satisfying!

60%. 3 out of 5 credit cards paid.
73%. Total amount of money paid off.

Ben: 13 months

Ben is 13 months old and FINALLY had his 1-year well baby visit.

He weighs 32 lbs, 6 oz (100th percentile) and measures 32 inches tall (95th percentile).

He was not a happy camper. We went at 4:00 on a Friday. I'm sure he just wanted to go home, but instead was being checked out by three people (nurse, resident, pediatrician) he didn't know. He didn't want anybody touching him.

He had a rash on his hand. He had it over Christmas break, it went away, and it came back again Friday morning. It was just some dark red spots on his right hand, mostly around his thumb but also on the back of his hand, his wrist, and a little bit on his forearm. I guess the consensus is that it's broken blood vessels. In other words, he gave himself a hickey from sucking and chewing on his hand. He doesn't do that very often, but I guess just enough.

Ben's bottom lateral incisors (hence the sucking and chewing on his hand) cut through on 1/11. His hair is getting to the point where I feel like it's almost time to cut it, but I just can't bear to snip the curls off yet :(

Ben's words are:
"na" = milk
"da" = this/that/there
"uh oh"
"mama" but only sometimes, like when he REALLY wants something.
"hi"

He's a bruiser. When he walks, he has a lot of momentum behind himself and crashes and falls a lot. He always has a bruise somewhere.

I love when I pick him up from daycare and he runs to me, his arms outstretched, and hugs my legs. I bend down to give him a hug and he puts his arms around my shoulders and hugs and pats my shoulders. Then he lets go, looks at me, and hugs me again. Such a great way to feel loved :)

Ben follows directions very well, which I'm quite impressed with! When we tell him to sit in his chair for meal times, he walks over to it. When it's bath time, he walks to the bathroom, opens the cabinet and picks out what toys he wants, throws them in the bath tub, and then stands next to me so I can  take his clothes off. When it's time to put his socks and shoes on, he sits on the floor in front of me and lifts up his little foot. Of course, there are times when he doesn't listen, like when he's getting his diaper changed.

Ben loves to wrestle and play with Colin. He loves to be in Colin's room, and his favorite part about it is his bed. He likes to climb up on it, walk around on the mattress, and fall down.

New Year's Resolutions 2013

We rang in the new year in exciting style. The boys went to bed at their regular times and Kevin and I were tucked in at 11:00, although I wish it were more like 10:00 (or maybe earlier).

I'm so excited for 2013. I already know it's going to be an amazing year. Before I get to my new resolutions, let's review the 2012 version.
1. Pay off more debt.
Heck yeah! We paid off 2 credit cards, and another will be paid off this month.

2. Declutter.
I was a very good declutterer while I was on maternity leave. Our closets are still pretty organized with the baskets and bins I bought last year. As life goes, I didn't finish the whole year's worth of decluttering and it would probably be beneficial to start all over again. I've learned a lot about decluttering though and that "stuff is just stuff" and I truly won't miss the things I get rid of.

3. Survive the "Terrible 2s" and the first 8 months of the "Trying 3s": Round 1 (Colin).
We're surviving and there's a light at the end of the tunnel. Now that he's getting closer to four, he understands there's consequences to his actions and he takes less time outs. Thank the baby Jesus.

4. Be more generous. I don't know...I kept this resolution in the back of my mind a lot though and I like to think I was a little more generous. There's always room for improvement.

5. Make time for Rocket. I made a conscious effort to make sure I gave Rocket attention every day. If he snuggled with me in the evenings as I'm relaxing he'd get a lot more pets. But this is one thing I will be continuing to do.


Now for resolutions for 2013:
1. Pay OFF all debt. The remaining 2 (count 'em TWO!) credit cards will be paid off this summer at the latest! Then we're going to pay off my student loans and the Explorer and then we'll be debt-freakin'-free (aside from our mortgage) baby! I'm so freaking excited about this. We've been working really hard at sticking to a budget and "sacrificing" to get this debt out of our lives forever.

2. Run another 5k. It has been far too long. I've run one time since May 2011. Not good, but growing and breast feeding Ben took priority and now that we're on the cusp of being done with it, I can start running again.

3. Unplug. I admit there are times when I'm on my phone or laptop when I should be playing with the boys or doing something more productive. So I'm going to put the phone and laptop away until they're in bed.