EAA Museum

Today I took Evan, Braden and Olivia up to Oshkosh to the EAA Museum. I'd been wanting to go for a while and a rainy day seemed like perfect timing. We met my dad there and had a great time.

I haven't been to the museum since I was little and the few things I remembered have obviously changed. They now have some wonderful interactive children's activities. I was quite impressed. I think my dad had as much fun flying the flight simulators as the kids did. :)

We had a quick snack and then hopped back into the car for the ride home. I put on a movie in the backseat to keep the boys up in hopes of saving nap time but Olivia was out 10 minutes after leaving. We had peanut butter sandwiches in the car and juice boxes which miraculously did not get spilled.

It was a really fun morning!!

Memorial Day Weekend

My mom usually helps with flower pots but I did these all on my own!!


A view from the front.



Notice the beautiful edging and mulch! Steve did an awesome job.


Playing in the jumper kept Braden and Olivia busy for hours while Steve and I worked in the yard.




The Brewer game on Monday was a GREAT game!!


We had a WONDERFUL weekend full of family time and fun. We spent hours and hours working in the yard, playing and even took in a Brewer Game on Monday. The weather was beautiful and I absolutely loved all the time we had together. It was a perfect.

Tent

We are going camping again this summer and needed a new tent that we could all sleep in together. We slept in two tents last year which wasn't ideal. Today we bought one and had to try it out in the backyard. It's perfect! :) There is a screened in porch in the front that has a floor and then the back tent part is tall enough for Steve to stand in and has a divider so that it can be one room or two! We had a great time pretending we were camping today. :) What fun it will be when we're actually out in the campground!

Braden's performance

Braden had his end of the year preschool picnic today. We arrived at the park by our house and settled in on a blanket. The program started and was full of all the songs they sang throughout the year. It was darling. We then played and caught up with other parents.

Scary Appointment

I just came back from an OB appointment which was supposed to be a quick, regular check-in, but ended up being quite an eventful visit.

I started with the ever dreaded weigh-in and I gained 5 pounds. 5 POUNDS! That's more than I've ever gained in a month with either of my children. Now I'm sure it doesn't help that I basically halted working out and ate whatever I wanted (cheetos, burgers, cookies, candy, etc.) if it sounded good to me. I'm a baby when I don't feel good and totally indulged if I thought something might tame my tummy. The doc started our conversation telling me I looked great and my blood pressure and weight gain were perfect. I frowned at him and he asked why. After explaining, he told me that every pregnancy is different and 5 pounds is totally normal. I'll keep telling myself that although I'd like not to make a habit of it. :)

He then had me lie down to find the heartbeat. He tried and tried and couldn't find it. I was getting worried as this has never been a problem before. He had me sit up and asked me to follow him. By this time my heart was pounding and I was praying that I wasn't going to walk out of the office heartbroken. On the way to the ultrasound room he asked if I had a tilted uterus, which I do, and he thought that was probably the reason why he couldn't hear it.

Sure enough - right away baby popped onto the screen and was busy as can be. He/She was flipping all over and flailing their arms. We did see the heartbeat and it looked strong and healthy. I was SOOOOOO relieved.

After, he wanted to talk to me about due dates. He was under the impression that I am actually 14 weeks and that baby is due November 19th (Braden's birthday). I explained the confusion from the last appointment, which I won't get into here, but he held firm to the changes. So...I don't know how far along I am or when I'd due at the moment. Sometime late November/early December I guess. They'll confirm at the 20 week ultrasound which is in July.

Thankfully all ended well. It was really scary but baby must be meant to be in my tummy for now! :)

First Day vs. Last Day

Preschool Graduation

Today was Braden's last day of preschool! Those of you who follow our blog know that there have been ups and downs to this year but overall it has been such a positive experience for Braden. He's learned a lot and grown more than I could have imagined. I was beaming with pride today as they sang a song with actions and then got their diplomas. It is obvious when I drop him off and pick him up that it is a place he enjoys being. There were times this year when I wondered if we had him in the right place but I can say as we end the year that it was a perfect fit for him.

We celebrated by going over to Daniel's house for pizza and playing in their yard. The boys play so well together and it's always nice to have time to chat with his mommy Amber. Thanks for having us over Tanty's!

I've got the bug!

I've got the bug to fix up the kids rooms. I've wanted to do it for a while but haven't found the motivation. Changing Olivia's bed must have been it. We don't really have the money to do what I'd love to do so I'll have to work with what I can find around the house and purchase just a few needed items. But it still should be really nice for them!

I moved Olivia's dresser today and took out the changing table. She climbs it so I wasn't comfortable with her having it in her room at free range. I took the bookcase from Braden's room (white) and moved it into Olivia's room. It looks darling. We will have to get Braden a new one which we had planned on doing anyways to match his dark brown furniture.

I need to paint in Olivia's room and figure out wall space in both rooms. I also need to do some toy reorganizing but other than that we should be set.

SUCH FUN!!

She Did It!

Olivia slept better last night than she has in a while. She usually wakes around 5 or 5:30 and cries out for a bit before falling back to sleep and getting up around 6:15. Not a peep came out of that room this morning until 6:45am!! :) When we walked in she smiled at us and said, "my bed." What a big girl she is!!

A Big Girl Bed!!

Olivia in her big girl bed. Ignore the paint missing on the wall. I took down a wall paper border and haven't painted yet! Summer project number one is fixing up her room!!

Wish us luck!! Tonight we moved Olivia to a big girl bed. We've been talking about it for a while and decided it was time. She was a little resistant to us taking down the crib which I felt bad about. She kept whining and saying, "my bed." Steve and I were really trying to talk up the big bed and how proud we were of her.

After the crib was out of the room and the bed was up she was very excited. She hopped right up and started snuggling with her owl. We changed into PJ's, read a few books (one of the reasons I was so excited for her to have a bed) , and sang our songs. I gave her a kiss and left the room.

Olivia is NOT like Braden. Their personalities are very different in many ways and one of them is her independence. When we moved Braden to a big bed (he was about 3 months older) he never once left his bed. He would wake up and call for us in the morning but wouldn't climb down or get out and play. I didn't expect Olivia to be like that but wasn't sure what she would do.

I stood outside the room. She cried/whined a little bit as she always does and I heard her crawl down. She came to the door and said, "mama?" I didn't answer and she whined a little more before quieting down a few minutes later.

I have no idea what I'll find when I go up and open her door. She could be on the floor or maybe she was smart enough to climb back into her bed. Who knows. I also don't know how tonight will go. I thought bedtime would be harder ... maybe it'll be the middle of the night ... or maybe the EARLY morning. Then again, maybe we'll luck out and the transition will be smooth! Keep your fingers crossed for us!!

Olivia discovered Corn on the Cobb

Weekend in Chicago

For Christmas and for Judy's Birthday we decided instead of a gift we would take her down to Chicago. We left Saturday morning and drove down. We dropped off our bags at The Palmer House Hilton and took a taxi over to the Shedd Aquarium. With no line, we walked right in and headed to a 4D Sponge Bob Movie! It was really awesome. After, we toured all of the different exhibits, had a snack and then ended getting a couple of treats (Thank you Grandma!) from the gift shop.

It was a BEAUTIFUL day outside so we walked back to our hotel along the lake and stopped for lunch at the Corner Bakery. A nice lunch outside was followed by naps up in the room. This Hotel has an amazing history. It was originally built in the 1850's and is RIGHT downtown. It's since been rebuilt and of course updated but it still has that grand old, stately feel to it. I LOVE places like that.

After naps, we gathered ourselves together again and walked through Millennium Park on the way to Navy Pier. Chicago is such an awesome city. It's beautiful, has so much history, and is very alive. The walk to Navy Pier took a little longer than we thought and so we scoped out a restaurant right away. There was a little wait so we entertained ourselves with a ride on the ferris wheel. Wow - what a view. Dinner at Bubba Gump Shrimp was absolutely delicious.

A taxi took us back to the hotel where we quickly changed into our swimming suits and headed down to the pool. Braden and Steve had a good time romping around. Olivia hated it. I guess one of my jobs this summer is to expose her to the water more. Oops. Oh well.

The next morning we were up early, packed our things and had breakfast before getting on the road to head home. It was such a wonderful trip and will leave us with many memories for years to come. :)

Miss Independent

Olivia is my little Miss Independent. There have been two instances in the last week that have made me giggle. Not only is she independent but man oh man is she a girly girl.

Steve came down the other morning to find her with her baby doll, the wipes and a diaper. She had laid out her blanket to put her baby on and was going to change her diaper!

Then yesterday I was moving clothes in my closet... starting to replace with maternity ... and I realized that it was REALLY quiet in her room. I thought she had probably fallen asleep so I went to peek in and man oh man was I wrong. She had the bottom three drawers of her dresser all but emptied and she was trying on clothes. She had her diaper off (which is becoming a regular occurrence) and new pants and a shirt. Oh goodness are we in for it. :)

Happy Mother's Day

Today was a wonderful day. Sam, Em, Steve, my mom, the kids and I went out to a wonderful brunch at Firefly. We came home and I took a short nap, ran some errands, made meals, went for a walk, and as you can see.... snuggled up on the couch with the two adorable kids who have made me a very proud mommy today.

If I am being honest motherhood is harder than I ever could have imagined. It has its rewards and of course I love my children like no other - that goes without saying - but there are times as well that I wonder if I am going to make it through the day and all I want is some time by myself. You can never appreciate your own mother and the sacrifices she made to be the great mom that she was until you go through it yourself.

All the challenges aside, I wouldn't change being a mommy for anything. Braden came up to me about 10 different times today to tell me, "Happy Mother's Day," and when we went on our walk he held my hand. It was the most dear of offers because if you know Braden at all you know that Daddy is always his first choice for attention. It made my day and put a smile on my heart. It's funny how those small words and acts of love can erase all the other heartache that comes with being a mommy.

I love you Braden. I love you Olivia. I love being your mommy!

And to my own mommy and mommy-in-law... I couldn't be more fortunate. I appreciate how much you love our family and all the mothering you still do for us! Doesn't everyone need a mommy? Your continued love and support from when Steve and I were born until now has been amazing. I speak for us both when I say that we are two of the luckiest kids around.

Olivia

When did she get to be such a big girl? I was looking at this picture and thinking about what a beautiful little girl she is. She loves to snuggle, constantly giggles at Braden, is attached to her mommy but LOVES playing with her daddy, and she is about as dramatic as they come. I wonder where she learned that from??

Braden's Brewer Weekend

Braden went to the Brewer game Friday night with Steve, Brady and Carson. They had a great time. Braden also got to go to the Brewer game Saturday night with Steve, myself, Nana, Sam and Emily. The best part was that the Brewers beat the Cubs both times! I think we have a fan in our midst.

Sleeping

Braden has been a great sleeping since he was about 5 months old. He takes great naps still and sleeps really well at night. So well in fact that we still wear pull-ups. At times (because his naps are still so long) he has a hard time going to bed. We will put him down, read him stories, and then go back up later to find his light on and toys or more often, books, all over his bed.

Steve took this picture last night after going up to see Braden, thumb in mouth, fire engine up against his face and a book underneath it all. Oh to be little!

Cuties

Aren't they just adorable? They have a very love/hate relationship right now. I know that is normal for most siblings but it just twists my heart when I watch Braden being mean to Olivia. He absolutely hates sharing his toys with her and of course that is all that she wants to play with. I do know this is only the beginning... so I'd best get used to it.

Twilight

I can't stop reading! I'm about 3/4 of the way done with number four and our book club is Friday. My goal is to have the book done by then. This was not a series that I thought I'd like but I was quickly swept up and haven't been able to put it down. If you haven't tried them I would encourage you to.

The best way to watch a movie!

This was actually last weekend but I am just posting now!