Spring Break 2015

Evy and Charlie spent Monday and Tuesday at Grandma Joan's and Papa Jake's. Since Evy was out of school we needed someone to watch her and Charlie got to tag along! Months ago we booked a short trip to The Great Wolf Lodge in the Wisconsin Dells. Evy has been so excited to go. She told her teacher and everyone at school about it. In fact, we ran into one of her classmates at Great Wolf. Turns out he talked his parents in to going to Great Wolf because Evy was talking it up so much. She even wrote us a note while she was at Grandma's:

 

 

Not to be outdone, Charlie dictated a note to Grandma:

 

 

On Wednesday we picked the girls up and hit the road. Movies and snacks were a fun way to kick off the trip.

 

Exploring the lobby on our way to the waterpark:

 

On the second day we ran into some friends and discovered we had missed an entire section of the waterpark that was kind of hidden. We found the wave pool and Evy loved hanging out there.

 

We ate dinner at MooseJaw. Evy counted 21 dead animals on the walls and said she didn't like the place because they killed animals.

 

This little dude hung out with Grandma Joan and Papa Jake while we were at the waterpark. No way were we going to wrestle this maniac during the trip.

9 Months and in to Everything!

 

At 9 months Will weighs 22 pounds which puts him in the 80th percentile. He is wearing 12 month clothes, still mostly zip up sleepers because that is just so much easier! We have finally weaned him from the acid reflux medicine which is another nice step. Speaking of steps, this kid is doing everything but walking. Just 2.5 weeks ago he figured out how to army crawl. Now he is full blown crawling and pulling himself on furniture. He is also in to everything. He is keeping us busy. It is very difficult to get anything done when he is on the loose. 

 

 

The coffee table in the living room is one of Will's favorite places to get in trouble. He likes to pull himself up and pull everything off the table.

Oooh look at all that great stuff to pull at!

On Friday, Charlie was in the bathtub and Will was in Charlie's room playing. I was 3 feet away in the laundry room and heard Charlie start laughing. Will found his way into the bathroom and pulled himself up to see his big sister. He had fun reaching his hands into the water and splashing.

Charlie thought it was hilarious.

The coffee table again!

 

His other favorite location is the storage in the TV stand. This cabinet has lots of great stuff to get your hands on!

Pulling out all the games. This stinker is keeping us on our toes.

Constructing and Crafting

Evy really loves to take stuff from around the house and craft or construct with it. Charlie likes to do what Evy does so Charlie also gets in on the action. The only downfall is I have to find a place to keep all of these treasures.

We just hung some new artwork so the girls got the mats that came along with the frames.

Evy wanted to build a house out of this box. Charlie just kept saying "I'm crafting!"

Morning Routine

Scott wakes the girls up at 6:45 and carries them to the couch. Sometimes they wake up on their own. They always request to be carried. They drink their orange juice while they share the couch and watch a little TV. We have another couch but it's always empty. They do like each other.

At 7:00 it's breakfast time. Typically breakfast is cereal and toast. Charlie never eats her toast but for some reason we continue to make it for her every morning.

If this guy isn't awake we typically wake him up at 7:15, give him a bottle and change his diaper. Then he has to hang out in the high chair until we're ready to leave. He is moving so much these days I have to contain him!

After breakfast I ask the girls to go potty and get dressed. On the 45th time that I ask they usually listen.

Evy, your clothes are on the couch. Get dressed. Please get dressed. Get dressed!!!!!!!!

At 7:45 it's time to load up. The girls know they are supposed to do "shoes, coat, car" but getting out of the house usually involves them fighting over a toy. I think they are fighting over who gets to play with Aerial in this photo. Either way, they are not putting on shoes, coats or getting in the car.

At 7:55 we pull out of the driveway. Everyone is safely secured and not crying. VICTORY!

First drop off is daycare. Charlie and Evy like to get themselves out of their side of the van and run to the door.

I get this adorable little bundle out of his side and rush inside. Brrrrr!

Then, it's Evy's turn to be dropped off. We usually arrive at school around 8:20, but it's usually 8:27 when she actually jumps out of the car. She hasn't been tardy yet this year. Whew!

An hour after leaving home I arrive at work and park in the last row. I spend 3 minutes digging through my purse trying to find my key card for the building. Why is it nearly impossible to find????

Then, I do it all over again in reverse. Pick up time! Traffic is blocking the road, people are trying to cross the road without being killed and it's nearly impossible to make a left hand turn into the school.

 

And, that's a wrap! Let's do it again tomorrow!

8 Months

 

Will has started moving this month! He is able to roll across the room, get himself on all fours and start rocking. Just tonight he was doing a bit of an army crawl. He has already managed to get into more things than Evy and Charlie ever did. He has pulled a wooden decoration off of Evy's wall, figured out how to open the drawers on Charlie's dresser, and knocked over our fireplace tools. He is sleeping through the night for the most part and drinking about 5 bottles per day. He really likes oatmeal and all of the pureed veggies and fruits we have offered. At daycare they say he is a very good baby and they can't believe how strong he is. Apparently he lifts and tosses many of the larger toys that they have in the nursery. People constantly say that he is huge. And he is. His 12 month clothes are nearly too small. He is our only child who has liked a pacifier. He loves to knock anything together that makes noise. This could be his hand on a table or a flashlight on a tile floor. He likes to clap. And he is the happiest clapper I've ever seen. Unfortunately, we are still dealing with ear infections and were at the pediatrician's office this week. He is on a round of oral antibiotics which will hopefully clear the double infection he's had for 11 days. He seems to have a constant cold that immediately goes to his ears. Poor little guy. He is unbelievably happy for how uncomfortable he must be. His sisters adore him and have been known to wipe his runny nose, sing to him when he is crying, and request to hold him when they are upset because "holding Will is the only thing that will make me feel better."

Snow Day

Public school was cancelled today and since I have no non-school day care for Evy I had to clear my work schedule and stay home. I kept the little kids home too and while Will was taking his morning nap the girls and I ventured outside to build a snowman. This is our first substantial snowfall of the year. Unfortunately the snow was not wet enough to build a snowman, so we went sledding instead.

Across the street there is a new development built on a very steep hill. The girls were having a blast sledding down the hills. I put both of them on a sled and sent them down the hill. They hit a snow bank and went about 2 feet in the air before spilling all over the street. It looked hilarious but they both ended up in tears. After that we went to their snow cave which is really just a huge bush.

7 Months

I've been trying to get pictures of Will each month and post to the blog. He was born on the 5th and usually by the 16th of the month I get around to it. So, this is technically his 7.5 month update!

 

At 7 months Will still wears zipper jammies almost every day so it was a special occasion for him to get dressed in a big boy outfit. You can also tell in this picture that he continues to be sick. Ugh. I forgot how horrible the first year of daycare is. He constantly has a runny nose. And his cheeks are bright red this winter as a result of eczema. The good news is that he is completely off of the million dollar Alimentum formula. We have tried to wean him from his acid reflux medicine but he is still having a problem with that so we are staying the course for now.

Will loves his big sisters and his big sisters love him. Both girls always ask where he is. They want to hug him and hold him. I'm thinking this will start to go South in about 3 months when he starts to walk.

Little buddy is a happy baby and a good napper. I think daycare exhausts him--on non-daycare days he will take 3 hour naps in the morning and afternoon. He is doing better with nighttime sleeping. We feed him for the last time at 10 p.m. and he usually makes it until 5:30. 5:30 is a brutal time to do a feeding as this means you're up for the rest of the day but, I'm happy to have some longer chunks of sleep for the first time in 7 months!

He is eating oatmeal cereal and starting some veggies and fruits. He seems to really like it.

He is pretty good at sitting on his own, but sometimes takes a little tumble.