Spring Break 2017: Part 2

The 4th day of spring break (Tuesday) we woke up once more to see more snow covering the ground.  It was a very light dusting, but I was still shocked (and a little disappointed).  After spending Monday at home though, we were ready to be out and about.  An added twist to our outing that was completely unplanned is that the day revolved around some of Billy's favorite things:  Ikea, Billy Goat Chips, and barbeque. 

First, we decided to do go to Ikea for breakfast followed by some shopping.  Billy can only convince me to go to Ikea about once a year, so we had to make the most of it.  After Ikea, we got some barbeque at Adam's smokehouse in South City.  Then, we got a tour of the Billy Goat Chip Company.  We'd won this during the silent auction at the Westchester trivia night.  We also brought home a fabulous package full of delicious Billy Goat merchandise.

On Wednesday, we started our mini roadtrip through Illinois.  First stop, Greenville.  We started the morning with a visit to my grandparents, spent the afternoon at Papa and Nana's helping put a new engine in the kids stand up Jet Ski, and ended the day with dinner at my parents house.  It was a lot of fun to visit with family and get to watch the kids learn about mechanics.  They did find a snake skin in the hull of the old standup they were pulling the engine out of, so that made them give up on their endeavors pretty quickly. 

Thursday, we went on to Springfield, IL.  On the way, we stopped in Litchfield and had lunch with Billy's grandma and grandpa.  After a nice visit with them, we finished the trek to Springfield and visited Abraham Lincoln's house.  It was fun to watch the kids, especially Audrey, see all of the furnishings as they would have been 150 years ago.  They had a lot of great questions and even learned what a chamber pot was for. We stayed at a hotel that night, so the kids got to spend some time swimming in the pool there.  I can't say it was the best night of sleep we all had during spring break since there were 5 of us in one hotel room, but it was worth it to see them having fun splashing around in the water.

On Friday, we started the morning with the continental breakfast at the hotel, which the kids thought was the coolest thing.  Then, we spent a couple of hours at the Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum.  Fletcher fell asleep.  Barrett was really into it for the first 30 minutes, and then started to get restless.  Audrey, however, loved it.  She also learned a lot.  So, next time you see her, you'll probably get to hear all of her fun Lincoln facts.  Oh, and she knows now that I am way to young to have ever met Abraham Lincoln. 

After lunch, we headed to Bloomington to spend some time with Brian and Laurenn.  On Saturday, they had a gender reveal party at their house so they could let all of us know whether we have a niece or nephew coming at the end of the summer.  The kids got to pull the first string from the piñata, but it wasn't until Brian and Laurenn (with a little help from Audrey), pulled the last string that we found out...

...that they are having a GIRL!  Audrey and Barrett were both determined it was a girl from the start, so they are both really excited.

All in all, it was a fantastic week together as a family.  We didn't do anything too fancy, but that was part of the beauty of it.  We spent some quality time with our family and with each other.  We also learned a few fun things along the way.  I think we've set a high bar for next year though! 

Spring Break 2017: Part 1

This years' spring break is off to a fun start, despite the fact that 2 of the 3 days we awoke to snow covering the ground.  The worst part is that it wasn't really enough to play in!  We started our Saturday like most others; Fletcher had swim lessons, and we had a few things to get done around the house.  By lunch time though, we were downtown at the St. Patrick's Day parade.  We braved snow and freezing temperatures, but in the end, we had a great time.  Fletcher even managed to take a nap amidst the noise and crowds. 

Sunday brought with it daylight savings time.  So, after a slow start and going to church, we came home and hunkered down for some quality Lego time.  We made a lot of progress with organizing the hoards of Legos all over our house, which started by moving them all to the basement.  We now have 6 binders full of Lego building instructions from all of the sets we have too!  Barrett had one new set he hadn't put together yet, so he was really excited for that. 

Monday brought more snow, but by the time we got up and ready to go, it had turned to rain.  So, instead of playing outside, we decided to have a pajama day at home.  We played Xbox Kinect sports, MarioKart on Wii, played with more Legos, and even made chocolate chip cookies.  On the whole, I'd say it was a pretty successful Jammie/Snow day at home.

All in all, Spring Break 2017 is off to a pretty awesome start.  I can't wait to see what the next 6 days bring! 

11 Months Old

It is a bit surreal to be saying this, but you are officially 11 months old.  One month from now, we'll be celebrating your first birthday!  When I look at you and watch the way you interact with the world, it is easy to see that you're clearly turning the corner into the world of toddler-dom.  In fact, just a few days ago, you took your first steps; thus, you've officially toddled!  You aren't sturdy at all and can only take 2 or 3 steps before you either sit down or fall forward into the arms of the person waiting for you.  I have found that if I let you stand with your back leaning against a chair, couch, or ottoman, you're excited to take a few steps across the floor to reach me and get a hug.

You've also taken on that endearing (and exhausting) trait of being curiously into everything.  You would rather pick up your sister's shoe and bang it on the floor than play with the basket full of toys sitting on the ground next to you.  You have figured out how to open cabinet doors, and you love to pull everything out of the cabinets and bang those things on the floor too.  You also love getting into the laundry baskets or drawers and pulling all of the clothes out on the floor.  When I am folding laundry, you immediately grab it and pull it on the floor too. 

The hardest part about your growing curiousity is your ability to get from one curious object to another at warp speed.  You can navigate the stairs, both up and down, with lighting speed.  You can crawl across the floors so fast that I can't even go to the bathroom without you getting into the dogs' water bowl.  The other day, you crawled so much and so fast that you put a hole in the knees of your pajamas; they were hand-me-downs from Barrett and had been well-loved, but still. 

You have become more vocal than you've ever been.  You imitate sounds and noises that we make, like patting your hand over your mouth while going "ahh."  You also say "hi" all of the time.  Last weekend, your daddy got you to repeat "hat" when he would point to his Blues cap.  You also love to yell when you are not getting your way. 

One thing we've noticed about you is that you are generally very good with the dogs.  You don't grab their eyes, nose or ears, which is typically what kids go after when they're with a dog.  Instead, you like to just rub their backs and pat their heads.  Even dogs other than ours, you are very good with. 

You are still an eating machine, and in the next month, we'll officially begin to transition your diet away from breastmilk.  You're already eating real food, but it's been more for fun and learning.  You're doing really well and eating a variety of things, so you're ready for that next step.  Your still in that endearing messy eater phase, and the dogs love it.  If you don't like something, you just pull it out of your mouth and drop it off the side of your chair for the dogs. 

You are still the chillest child I've had.  You love to watch your siblings play and are starting to imitate the way they play and the things you see them do.  I've also seen that look of pride in your eyes a couple of times when you've accomplished something that you see them do, like pushing a toy car across the floor or throwing a toy that the dog fetches.  There is no doubt that you are going to try to do everything you can to be just like your older siblings.

We are so blessed that God gave you to our family.  No matter what we call you:  poo-pants (Audrey), Fletchy Fletch (dad), Fletch Fletch (Barrett), or Fletchy-wetchy-poo (me), we all love you more than you can imagine. 

First Haircut

Yesterday, Fletcher got his crazy mop top trimmed down to make him a respectable looking young gentleman.  It was long overdue, but like any self-respecting boy-mom, I waited until the rat-tail was halfway down his back and he couldn't see if you didn't brush the hair out of his eyes.  As a reminder of just how out of hand his hair had gotten, here are a couple of before photos.

We took him to the place that Billy and Barrett have gone to for some time now.  Fletcher did pretty well at first, but after a few minutes, he grew restless.  I guess that can only be expected of an 10.5 month old boy.  Billy helped hold him still though to ensure he got an even trim.

After the big cut, I think Fletcher looks so much older.  He really is exiting the baby phase and entering toddlerhood.  Look at our big, little, baby boy now! 

As Time Goes By

The other day, a picture popped up on my Facebook page from 6 years ago.  It was just a picture of Audrey, grinning mischievously as she squeezed one of her baby dolls as tight as she could. 

As I saw the image, I was struck by just how much has changed in the past 6 years.  Two brothers, different house, and an almost 8 year-old Audrey. Thankfully, Audrey has a lot more hair now, but oddly enough, her hair at 22 months old closely resembles Fletcher's hair now. 

I was also struck by just how much Fletcher resembles Audrey when she was younger.  Because they are further apart in age and Barrett is a boy too, I think I sometimes miss the resemblance between my youngest and oldest. 

Thinking back on the past six years is a reminder again of just how blessed we are.  We've had our share of challenges, but God is good.  He is faithful.  He has brought us through each of those struggles to this moment.  As I sit and look out the window at the sunshine, I can't help but be thankful.  As much as I enjoy my career, adore my friends, and love my extended family, nothing melts my heart more than my husband and 3 precious kiddos.  I love them dearly, smoosh-face smiles and all.

That last one is of Barrett, in case you were wondering :)