5 Day Challenge - Update

The 5 Day Challenge is done! It officially ended Friday at 5:00 pm. (Which I do find a little funny that we got the weekend off starting at 5 on Friday. We - the participants- are so used to a certain way of life that we didn't want to have to sacrifice our weekend. At least, I was glad we didn't have to!) I was ready for 5:00 to come and ready for the challenge to end - I wanted some good food. I really felt hungry all week, which was the purpose of the challenge. A sidenote: Patrick ditched the challenge at the end of day one. He did so without telling me that he was doing it, he just showed up on the couch with a can of pop and a bowl of popcorn! His rationale was that he called me earlier in the day and said I was crabby (doubtable, right?!) and he said he was being crabby so he realized at that moment that if we were going to make it through the week, one of us needed to eat. :-)

I did learn a lot by doing this about myself and about how very privileged and truly fortunate I am. Eating smaller portions helped me to realize that what I need to be full is less than I usually eat. I also realized that I am a sugar-addicted, junk food monger. The hardest things to stay away from were sweets, but I did it. I went all 5 days with no sweets, which I didn't think I could do and was tempted to quit a million times. What's funny is that what I started craving was fruit. I did have a couple snacks to allow me to keep functioning at a necessary level! And I would look forward to having an apple or a banana. My plan is to keep eating healthy snacks instead of sugary ones.
I was tempted to quit so many times throughout the week, but Holly really kept me motivated on the days that were tough for me. Here are a few texts I sent to Holly during the week that show my commitment level rollercoaster ride:
Monday, April 21 : I'm hungry (@9:20 am)
Tuesday, April 22: Ok now I want to quit. I'm just tired and lethargic and have no energy. Don't like this. (@11:02 am)
Tuesday, April 22: I think I'm over this. (@4:10 pm)
Wednesday, April 23 : I feel good and committed! Let's do this! (@8:43 am)
Wednesday, April 23: I'm feeling good. I'm not craving anything today. Getting used to it. (@10:54 am)
Thursday, April 24: Do u wanna quit? (@4:17 pm)
Friday, April 25 : Let's eat! (@4:57 pm)

We are so fortunate to have refrigerators and pantries stocked full of food. When my biggest food problem is not wanting to take the time to actually make dinner, I count myself very blessed.

Oma visits

Last weekend my mom, just back from a vacation in Myrtle Beach, came to visit. Both boys loved spending time with their Oma. William was super cuddly on Saturday morning and lay with my mom for a long time and just looked at her. He also let her give him his nebulizer treatments that day. We went to breakfast at Panera where Henry enjoyed eating some bagels with his cream cheese. He loves cream cheese! He would eat it plain if I didn't insist on him soaking it up with some sort of bread. We also went to a yard sale just down the street from my house where we found the most adorable shelf that looks like a house. My mom bought it for Henry's room; it's going to be a toy shelf. It was pink/green/yellow/blue when we bought it, and we painted it all black with a red roof. I need to finish touching up the inside shelves and then we'll bring it in. Before/after pictures to come. I'm so excited because I really need more storage space for all of his toys. I want him to be able to play with them and appreciate them all, but it's hard when space is limited. I've ended up shoving them in closets and baskets everywhere. I'll be happy to have an organized space where he can find everything and also help put everything away.

Patrick ended up having to work for most of the day on Saturday and then helped our neighbors pack their moving truck that night, so it was nice that my mom was here to help with the boys and keep us company. By Saturday I'm always ready for a little break and some adult conversation! Thanks for coming Oma - we had lots of fun!

Henry makes me laugh

Everyday Henry says things that make me smile. Usually it's his interpretation of the world that really cracks me up. Today he said a couple of things I want to post so that I don't forget.

1. He woke up at 6:00, on the button. Lately it's like he has a secret alarm set because the clock will strike 6 and he will be at his door calling to us. If he's calling "daddy" and gets no response, he'll quickly change to "mommy". I never let him call for long because I know it will wake William. Before daylight savings time started this spring (or ended, I'm not sure how that works) I told him he had to stay in his bed until the sunshine came up. Well, it comes up early now, so that rule doesn't really apply, at least not in my favor anymore. So this morning I went into his room and told him it was still very early and that he needed to stay in bed and read books. I first read one to him, it's called "The Lost Sheep" and has a few different Bible stories in it. One parable was about the fruit that in our hearts and talked about how we can have good fruit or we can have yucky, bad fruit. At the end it asked, "what kind of fruit is in your heart?" Without skipping a beat Henry replied, "apples". I was so tired but started cracking up.

2. To Henry's delight there is some construction being done on the street adjacent to ours, just up one block. Everyday there are trucks there and sometimes there is a backhoe, too. Today the backhoe was there but was just sitting there, parked. It was around 11:00 and he asked me why it wasn't moving. I told him that it was lunchtime and it was probably parked for a lunch break. He said, "what does it eat? Probably dirt."

I love his innocent interpretation of the world around him. It's also so funny to me and I love that he keeps me laughing throughout the day.

Henry and the haircut

This post is not simply about a haircut. If only it could have been that simple.

As you can see from the pictures below, or may have noticed in recent posts, Henry was due for a haircut.

I've always preferred his hair longer rather than super short and have been traumatized on more than one occasion when he's gotten an extremely choppy, short haircut. His previous haircut a few months ago was one of these, a traumatizing, short haircut. Patrick volunteered to take him and when he brought him home, I almost cried. (Again, not the first time. I'm apparently very attached.) So for the past few months I've been fine just letting it go (and letting it grow). Lately several well meaning relatives have been hinting around about Henry needing a haircut, i.e., "Henry, do you want me to cut your hair" and things like that. My defining Henry needs a haircut moment was when I posted these big boy bike pictures. His hair is just too long, I realized!

So last week I took the boys to a haircut place near our house thinking Henry could get a quick haircut and we could get out and on our way. I talked about the haircut and talked him through the haircut step-by-step before we even left the house so that he'd be prepared. And then to sweeten the deal, I brought along a Ring Pop which I told him he could have after his hair was cut. As we were getting ready to leave the house he even said, and I quote, "let's go get my hair cut!" That's where the fun ends. As I opened the door to the hair salon the nice ladies working greeted us with pleasantries and smiles and Henry turned and started walking the other way. I closed the door and walked after him, again explained the haircut and walked towards the entry again. He walked in this time but as a 38 lb growth on my leg. He refused to greet or even acknowledge the nice and friendly stylist. And then as she was offering him a lollipop he hid underneath a chair in the waiting area - to my horror. After several minutes of talking him through the process he agreed to come back to the stylists chair. He refused the booster, but agreed to sit on my lap. He accepted the lollipop from the kind stylist and started licking it but then let it go and got it stuck in my hair while frantically batting away the stylists hands from his hair. There was also some crying and a few screams. After this continued on for several long, agonizing and unproductive minutes I called it quits. We drove home and threw away the Ring Pop! I asked Patrick if he would bring Henry to get his haircut later in the week.

He did, but much to his shock and horror, the same scene played out for him. He gave up on the haircut at a salon, but neither of us could let it go - Henry needed his hair cut. So Patrick brought Henry home, put him in the bath and proceeded to cut his hair while he played in the tub. There are a few spots that scream "Homemade haircut!" But all in all it turned out pretty good. Scroll to see the finished product below.

A few other things about Henry I've been meaning to post:

• He loves lip gloss and shoes. I'll take the blame for both. I'm sure it's a product of all the time we spend together! In the picture above he's sporting some pink lip gloss from my makeup bag. Sometimes I'll let him play to buy myself a few minutes to put on my own makeup. Once Patrick wiped the lip gloss off of Henry's lips before we left for church and Henry got so upset. He said sternly, "don't wipe my lips off Patrick!" Yikes.
• Because I said so. If we were playing Jeopardy the correct answer would be, "what is what I feel like saying when I hear Henry ask Why for the 50th time in a row?" Henry has officially entered the "Why" phase. While I try to elaborate on every last thing he asks why about, I am often so tempted to just say "because I said so".
• He is pretending more now when he plays. He pretends that people are driving the tractors and that his cousins and friends are riding on the tractors with him. Just yesterday I heard him using a different voice when he was pretending to be Grandpa Tractor (Patrick's Dad) driving his tractor.
• He's very observant. For example, yesterday at the park there were a couple of older boys playing. Then they left together, one on rollerblades and one on a skateboard. Later he asked me, "where did that boy with the red shoes go?" We'd never talked about his shoes but he was right the boy did have flashy red shoes. I couldn't believe he'd noticed, much less remembered them.
  
  

Dad's Day

Last Monday Patrick was invited to Henry's school for Dad's Day. The children sang a few songs for the daddy's, their teacher read a "Froggy" story about Father's Day (she substituted "Dad's Day" to fit the event at school), and then they decorated a craft together. It's an adorable ruler painted red with magnets on the back and it has clothespins attached. One clothespin is holding a picture of Henry and the other is holding a paragraph titled "My Daddy Rules!" and lists things that Henry told his teacher he likes to do with Patrick. It was very sweet. I love that his school makes such an effort to involve the parents. Patrick liked having the chance to go to school with Henry and Henry was beaming when he came home with his daddy!

This is the paragraph attached to the ruler. I'm not sure when Patrick's taken Henry to the mall though??! Oh and we're not sure what the "car place" is.
Henry at school decorating his craft for Patrick.

William at 6 months

William before bathtime. He loves his feet and is trying to get his foot into his mouth in this picture.
Happy boy in his Jumperoo.
Catching a snooze while Henry plays at the park.
William making the most of tummy time.

William turned 6 months old on Saturday. It's amazing to me that it's been 6 months. Although having perspective this time with Henry - who is nearly 3- I realize that he's still such a little baby. Here's a glimpse of William at 6 months:

• He's generally very content and happy. He's an easy-going baby who really likes to be around people and as long as he is, he's very happy.
• He's a chewer. This boy puts everything in his mouth. I think he's been teething since he was 3 months, although no teeth have yet popped through. He has a perpetual glistening of drool on his chin, and has been chewing on his fingers nonstop lately. When he starts crawling I'm going to have to watch him at all times - I'm nervous that he will put all of Henry's toys in his mouth, many of which have small parts. Henry's never been a boy to put anything in his mouth, so worrying about this is all new.
• He's rolled over twice. Once from his back to his tummy , an accident in the middle of the night in his crib. The second time from his tummy to his back, another accident during some tummy time which I completely missed because I had just put him down and turned to get some toys. I turned back around and whoops, there he was on his back. He hasn't done it again since! But we're working on tummy time. I try to do at least 3 -10 minute sessions every day. He doesn't necessarily live to be on his tummy, but he tolerates it now and sometimes seems to enjoy it.
• He absolutely loves faces. He loves people's faces in real life and also faces in pictures. In fact his very favorite book is called "Peek-a-boo". It's a pretty short, board book with different full size pictures of babies faces. He smiles, coos and laughs every time we read that book.
• He loves being in his Jumperoo. At first before he got the hang of jumping, he loved just being able to stand and have a different perspective of things. Now he loves jumping and is so happy when he's in there.
• He makes a few different sounds. It started as cooing and then progressed to a "gooo, ahh-gooo" sound, now his newest is a catlike hiss-like sound when he's really intrigued or excited about something. Ok that sounds weird; it's hard to describe, that's the closest thing I've got.
• He loves taking baths and loves having lotion put on his little legs and feet. He always makes his purr noise for that! He's also very ticklish and now anticipates tickles and will laugh if I just pretend that I'm going to tickle him. It's very sweet.
• He's started solids and loves to eat. No surprise with the 18 lbs 4 oz weight! He's had rice cereal, squash, sweet potatoes, and carrots (which I'm holding off on after some adverse reactions). It's fun being able to include him at mealtimes. I love having our whole family at the table!
• He gives raspberries! Especially when I hold him on my shoulder.

William in his jumperoo

5 Day Challenge, Day 2

Today was day 2 of the 5 Day Challenge. All day long I've wanted to quit. I just felt hungry, tired, lethargic and hungry. Yesterday went well. I stuck to the basics, oatmeal for breakfast, beans a whole wheat tortilla and 1/2 an apple for lunch and rice, baby carrots and another whole wheat tortilla for dinner. I felt hungry at times during the day, but I was satisfied after meals and it seemed like I stayed busy enough that I was able to get through the hunger in between. I also drank only water, and lots of water and I chewed lots of gum (that might be breaking the rules) and also had a cup of decaf last night as a treat. Holly called me and wanted to quit and I encouraged her to eat an apple and keep going. My rationale? Why get through the whole day for nothing? Better to make it through a day.

Well all of that resolve changed today. I was texting Holly throughout the day asking her if she wanted to quit, unaware of her new found resolve to persevere. All day I felt tired and hungry. I wanted to snack and did have a banana in the morning before lunch and another banana this afternoon as a snack. But despite the in between meal snacking, I was craving everything else we had in our house, even the Dots in the bathroom (as Henry's potty success treat) were beckoning me. I decided to make it through the day and indulge a bit more at dinner. So I had a pretty hearty dinner and I was really satisfied. I had another cup of decaf tonight (with a little Coffeemate) and feel good.

I think I'm going to continue on. Ultimately it's not worth being lethargic or crabby, so I'm going to eat sensibly for meals and fruit or veggies as a snack when I start feeling that way. I feel like I've commited to this and I want to try to make it through.

I really realize now more than ever how fortunate I am to live where I do and to have the things that I have which I've always taken for granted. Part of what has made this challenge tough is that we have a fridge, pantry stocked with food and it's hard to not indulge. However, it's also made me realize that I'm so fortunate to live in a home with a pantry filled with food. I've also realized that it's hard to be hungry and still be productive and engaged and I can't imagine how people everywhere are expected to function in a normal way everyday when they are hungry.

Bronchospasm

definition: an abnormal contraction of the smooth muscle of the bronchi, resulting in an acute narrowing and obstruction of the respiratory airway. A cough with generalized wheezing usually indicates this condition. Bronchospasm is a chief characteristic of asthma and bronchitis.

Why all this talk on bronchospasm? I brought William to the doctor yesterday late in the afternoon after he started to wheeze considerably and seemed to have labored breathing. Saturday afternoon I noticed that he had just a slight cough and then Sunday the cough seemed to be gone, but he had a runny nose. Then Sunday night he had a hard night and woke up several times, and the cough came back, so all of this coupled with the wheezing and I felt like I should have him checked on. He has an ear infection in his left ear, and the doctor diagnosed him with bronchospasm. Since the appointment I've done some googling and everything I've read about bronchospasm basically says it's the root of asthma. I did ask his doctor why it's called bronchospasm this time rather than broncholitis (which he had last month, poor baby) when the symptoms all seem the same to me. I'm not satisfied with his answer, he basically didn't give me an answer, he just likened it to asthma, and when I asked if this then meant it would be recurring, he said it was too early to tell. Which then begs the question, why this diagnosis then? Isn't it too early to say he has something that is recurring if it's too early to tell if it will be recurring? Do you sense my frustration?

William is on an antibiotic for his ear infection and back on the nebulizer for his cough and wheezing. It's very sad and it breaks my heart. There's a huge part of me that feels guilty for "letting" him get sick, again. I feel some guilt too that even while still breastfeeding, he continues to get sick. There it is, the bfg that I mentioned before (breastfeeding guilt). I know that all parents want to protect their children and I feel as if I've failed in some way to hear and see him so sick. But I also know that this is a good opportunity to trust God with William (and Henry). I am imperfect and fall short and cannot will my children to be healthy. I'm working on that though, it's hard to let go and trust God to take care of them even though I know that ultimately they are His.

a quick note: William was 6 months old on Saturday. At his appointment yesterday (his well-baby was scheduled for the 24th, but we've rescheduled it for May 1 when he's feeling well) he weighed 18 lbs 4 oz. Just wanted to jot that down so I don't forget. His unofficial 6 month weight!

Highs and Lows

I have some catching up to do - as evidenced by the barrage of blog posts below. I didn't give up on posting highs and lows, I'm just a little bit behind. So this post is going to be the highs and lows from the past two weeks.

Highs:

• Being a guest reader at Henry's preschool. I read "I Love You, Stinky Face" , that has become one of his favorites since getting it as a Christmas gift from Dan and Sara this year. He didn't see me when I first got there and I was standing in the back of the classroom so I was able to observe him there. I loved watching him answer questions and sit criss-cross on his carpet square. I was excited to be able to read a story to his class and be a part of their morning. There's a part of me that loves being in the classroom setting and misses it at times. I love that there are opportunities to help and be involved in Henry's school.
• Having a date night with Patrick that involved running some errands (getting new cell phones) and going to dinner together. Henry and William went to Patrick's parent's house for the evening while we went out. It was so nice to get out together and also to have a quiet, relaxing, unrushed dinner that didn't involve cutting up anyone else's food or using coloring crayons. It was very nice.

Lows:

• Missing Sara's surprise 30th birthday party. We missed being there to celebrate with Sara and the family. We still need to celebrate, Sara....we'll have to plan something big to do soon!!
• Missing the jewelry show. Holly is responsible for introducing this to me and creating a bejeweled loving monster. It's one of my favorite things to go to and it only happens 4 times a year. While I really don't need anymore big baubles to wear on my wrists, ears or around my neck, I do always love to go to look and see what great bargains I can find. Our favorite stops are the dollar booths where everything is just $1.00. For everyone who is intrigued, the next show is in July. I really hope to go then!

Big boy bike

One of Henry's favorite things to do so far this spring has been riding his tricycle. He got it as a gift from Oma (my mom) on his first birthday and he's gradually progressed from pushing it, to sitting on it but pushing with his feet, to finally, just this spring, starting to use the pedals to make it go. The only thing is that he's grown so much that the tricycle was getting just a little bit too little for him. Patrick couldn't resist and went to the store on Saturday during Henry's nap and bought him a big boy bike. He assembled it and put it in the backyard and when Henry woke up we told him there was a surprise for him outside. He peeked out his window and was so excited he ran down the stairs and outside to see his new bike. We both thought the helmet would be a hard sell and were really building it up; he however was most excited about the helmet and strapped it on right away. He's doing really well - he's already learned how to pedal and steer it by himself. It really takes a lot of concentration to ride and steer at the same time, and he is very fascinated by the wheels turning around so he looks down a lot while riding which is a tidge dangerous. He's had a few close calls, but no collisions yet! He can't wait to ride bikes with Papa Bug (my dad).

He looks so big and grown up riding it. It's a little bit bittersweet. I love watching him ride it and beam with pride, but it also makes me sad to see him look like such a big boy and to realize that my baby is big enough to ride a big bike.

Outside soaking up the sun

The weather has been so nice lately that I find myself antsy in the afternoons, waiting for the boys to wake up from their naps so we can get back outside. Henry has been loving the chance to spend time outside again. Last summer he always asked to go to a park, but so far this year he's been pretty content to just hang out in our backyard. His favorite things to do are playing in the sandbox, throwing the Frisbee (we have to keep our eye on it because we never know quite where it will land) or other balls, pushing his bubble mower, drawing with sidewalk chalk and riding his little tricycle. William also likes being outside (minus the blinding sun and sometimes whipping wind). He really loves going on walks, especially when he's not in his carseat but just sitting up in the stroller.
Testing out the double stroller without the carseat. William was a little floppy. Wait, is he supposed to go in the front now when he's not in the carseat?
Henry playing at the park. It was a super windy day and I didn't realize it until we were already there.

5 Day Challenge

Last Thursday Holly posted this information about the 5 Day challenge:

(Taken from http://www.willowcreek.org/) :

The American diet is vastly different than much of the world. Half the world’s population lives on $2 a day or less. As an act of solidarity with our brothers and sisters around the globe, we encourage you to eat as they do for five days, April 21 – 25. Set aside the money you would have spent on additional groceries to include with your special offering on May 10-11.

Meal Options:
Plain oatmeal or Cream of Wheat
A tortilla, rice and beans
Rice with bits of fish or chicken and a vegetable
Portions:
Portion sizes are much smaller than a typical American meal. One cup or eight ounces is a generous portion. Meat is a luxury, with the average African consuming about ¾ ounce per day—the size of a small chicken nugget. Fresh fruit is rare, available only if locally grown and in season.
While these meals seem meager by American standards, they actually represent diets in the broad middle of the world’s population. Approximately 1 billion people live on even less—only $1 per day.

**Please use your discernment in determining a portion size that will allow you to function in a safe manner and to also experience what life is like for the other half of the world. Those with medical conditions should honor your physician's medical recommendations. Contact your doctor if unsure about participation in the challenge.

________________________________________________________________

I'll admit, when I first read the post I thought it was a great idea in theory but thought that Patrick would think it was ridiculous and knew I couldn't do it alone while cooking hearty meals for the rest of the family. Then I talked to Patrick about the challenge and as we thought about the rationale behind it, we decided to give it a try. So beginning tomorrow, we're going eat these lighter meals for 5 days. I know it's going to be tough and I'm sure I'll be craving some sugary sweets and probably some Starbucks, too. But I also think it will be a chance for me to realize how privileged and fortunate I truly am. I also want to be conscious to pray for people around the world this week who have so little and I think I'll remember to do that when I start to feel hungry. We'll see how it goes. I'll keep you posted.

Oh and Henry will be eating and normal and well-balanced diet this week, I knew you were worried!

American Idol

I've added a few new songs to my blog playlist. Billie Jean and Always Be My Baby. Michael Jackson and Mariah Carey you ask? No, David Cook! He's a finalist on American Idol and my pick for the winner. I just love his sound and think he's the most unique. I think there are 6 remaining, so it still could be anyone. Haven't been watching? Check him out on my playlist below and see what you think!

the Circus

So our Friday started with an earthquake and ended with a trip to the circus. Two very odd and peculiar events in the same day!

Henry and I went to Illinois State's Gamma Phi Circus on Friday night with my friend Emily and Henry's friend Charlie. Unfortunately it's more of an acrobatic circus with lots of acrobats and gymnastic stunts and the boys were each hoping to see some very specific animals. Charlie was hoping for a donkey and before we left for the circus Henry said, "mommy, maybe there's a flying dog there"! Even though there were no animals at this circus, both boys really liked it and did really well. We were able to sit pretty close to the stage and fortunately there wasn't anyone directly in front of us so the boys could see easily from their seats sitting or standing. Because it started later in the evening, at 7:00, which is close to bedtime, we only stayed for the first half and left during intermission. We missed the flying trapeze, but other than that, it worked out perfectly!

Henry's favorite parts: The "spinners", he keeps talking about them. I'm pretty sure he's referring to the people in the video below. And the popcorn. He was very protective of the popcorn and even though I thought we were going to share, he ended up holding (and eating)most of it by himself (minus the 2/3 that we spilled all over the arena floor).

Shake, shake, shake

Friday morning around 4:30 Patrick and I both woke up at nearly the same moment and looked at each other. It was the rattling sound of the hardware on our dresser clicking back and forth that woke me up. However, in the next moment I realized the bed was slightly and subtly shaking. I was definitely freaked out and became even more so when Patrick who is very cool, calm, and collected in most every situation had a blank stare on his face. He also felt the shaking and immediately thought it was an earthquake. It was, of course an earthquake as most people know by now. At that moment though at 4:30 in the morning I really didn't believe it and thought it was ridiculous that he was even thinking an earthquake was possible in Illinois. Oops.

The shaking stopped pretty shortly after it started and Patrick immediately went downstairs. He said he wanted to make sure our house wasn't "falling down". Hmmm, that didn't help my shaken up self feel very reassured. I told him to jump right on the computer and look it up. There was nothing on the news yet about the quake, but when we woke up on Friday morning the radio did confirm that indeed it was an earthquake that we'd felt. How crazy. I still can't believe it. It's so weird to think that the earth beneath us was actually moving and there was nothing we could do to control it.

Later that morning around 10:15, Henry and William and I were upstairs in my room while I was getting ready and felt a little more slight shaking which we later found out was an aftershock (or tremor - I'm not really sure if those words are interchangeable). Since Henry slept through the quake at 4 am and then felt the aftershock in our bedroom he keeps saying that mommy had an earthquake in her room!

Daddy's boy

Spring is here, it's official on the calendar and in the springlike weather we've been having. Henry has been begging Patrick for weeks to take his big mower to mow the lawn. Finally last week Patrick gave in and decided to give the super short, but starting to grow, grass a little trim and they mowed together.

First a picture of Henry mowing with Patrick last spring - doesn't he look so little?

Henry mowing with Patrick this spring. He couldn't wait to take his bubble mower out! I love how parallel they are in these mowing pictures. Henry really mimics Patrick. It's very sweet to watch them together.

Since beginning a new job in the fall and now beginning to commute, Patrick is working longer days. Henry has really been missing him and has become a bit of a daddy's boy. He says things to Patrick that just completely melt my heart and his, too. Here's a few of them: "Daddy, you're the best friend I could ever have" (he's really into adding "ever" to things), running to Patrick when he walked into the house one evening, "Daddy, I missed you sooo much!", and asking him "you got to go to work Daddy, or do you want to come play with me?" Very sweet, and also very bittersweet when Patrick does have to go to work. Don't get me wrong, he doesn't mope around the house all day when Patrick's not home, but he just absolutely loves his daddy and I heard him tonight after his bath when Patrick was putting on his pjs say to him, "I love you Daddy". And that sums it up.

William rolled over?

Yes, that's a question mark and not an exclamation point.

Last night around midnight I heard William crying, he was pretty upset. So I quickly went into his room to find him laying on his tummy! He had apparently rolled over from his back to his tummy and got very agitated when he couldn't figure out how to roll back again. I was so happy that he rolled that I didn't mind being up with him at midnight! Although, it's a little sad to me that I missed a milestone, his first roll - in his sleep. He has yet to duplicate his new skill during waking hours.

Time for highs and lows

It's that time again! As I've reflected over the past week, it's been hard for me to come up with a low. Although there have been frustrations throughout the week, all in all I have more highs from last week. That's a good thing. Just for the sake of this little posting game it made it a little bit more of a reflective challenge. So here we go:

The highpoint ('s) from the week:

• Spring weather! We were able to spend a lot of time outside toward the end of the week and during the weekend. On Thursday we packed a picnic lunch and had a picnic/play date at the park with some of Henry's little friends.
• Some sleep breakthroughs - kudos to "Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child". I think I'll post more on this, but have been loving this book.
• Taking Henry to an "open gym" at a local gymnastics academy and watching him bounce from trampoline to trampoline and jump into a huge pit of foam blocks. I loved that he was really in his element there being able to jump, run and bounce. He loved it. (a possible adjoining low, adults weren't permitted to jump on the trampolines and it killed me to have to stand by and watch without jumping in and doing a few toe-touches! ha ha)

The low point:

• Feeling a lot of anxiety, uncertainty and stress about vaccinations and vaccination schedules. I have been questioning the current vaccination schedule for our babies and thanks to the help of some friends who have referred me to websites, I've been doing some research on this. I just feel like William's 6 month check up is looming like a dark cloud over my head. I'm still not sure what I'm going to do (which vaccines, if any) and I feel nervous about talking to the doctor/nurses about my decision. I'm not one to stand up to authority, but I recognize that this is absurd especially when dealing with the health of my children. I'm just nervous and really still confused about what to do.

Ok, now it's your turn - I'm excited to hear yours!

Men at work

My younger brother Cory generously gave up his Friday and Saturday to come help Patrick work on our basement last weekend. Patrick is finishing our basement in an attempt to get rid of the scariness and create a playroom/family room area. They were able to get a lot done in the time Cory was here. They hung some dry wall and framed a lot of the room. Cory was so helpful; he was in and out of the house cutting wood and dry wall and lending his muscle to help hold the dry wall up while Patrick drilled it in to the wall. Henry wanted to be by Uncle Cory's side the entire time he was here and I had to constantly gather him up from the basement. Every time he'd go down there I'd find him holding something dangerous and asking Patrick, "what's this?" For example, an exacto knife: "what's this?" It's a great jump start on something we've been talking about for a long time. It's exciting to see it taking shape. A huge thanks to Cory for his help. Thank you Uncle Cory!
Cory hard at work.
A view of our scary basement. The only reason I'm publishing this is because it will only make the "after" pictures look that much better!

Gabe's 3rd Birthday

Last weekend we went to Chicago to celebrate Gabe's 3rd birthday. Gabe chose to have a Ratatouille party based on one of his favorite movies and it was the most fun and adorable themed birthday party we've been to. There were chefs hats and aprons for the kids to wear as they created their own mini pizzas and then later as they decorated their cupcakes complete with blue and yellow frosting and gobs of sprinkles. Henry's hands-down favorite part was decorating cupcakes. He never got too far though, he would spread some frosting on the cake and then bite the frosted part off and eat it. He also loved the sprinkles and once when I turned my back I turned back around to find the entire jar dumped out in a pile on the table. Sara also made adorable goody bags for the kids, each with a mini frying pan, a rubber whisk, spatula set, apron and gummy candies shaped like different foods (hot dogs, hamburgers, etc). Everything was absolutely adorable! They served French foods and even made some ratatouille, which was really yummy. We had so much fun and loved celebrating with Gabe. And I just want to say very well done Sara! As I write about it, I realize that having kid "chefs" could really be an ordeal, but you did a great job and everything went so well!! We loved it.

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A new game

Did anyone's family ever do highs and lows from the day around the dinner table? It's when you go around the table and everyone says the low point of their day or the worst thing that happened and their high point of the day or the best thing that happened. I was thinking this might be something fun to post on once a week. It would be a good way to share something exciting that's happened and also to laugh about something not so great. Anyone want to join in on the fun? I'll start:

First my low point from last week (so we can end on something positive):
Running over a clerk with my shopping cart at Wal-Mart who was bent over stocking shelves. I was hurriedly pushing my cart through the pasta aisle with William in his carseat in the front and Henry sitting in the back with the groceries when I hear "ahhhhhh". I quickly stopped the cart and saw a nice lady stand up from the floor. She had been crouching down stocking the shelves when I crashed into her. I really didn't even see her down there. In my defense, it's really hard for me to see over the top of William's carseat. Henry was too engrossed in his donut to alert me of her presence. Luckily she was very kind and thankfully not injured.

Now for the high point: ('s - I have a few)

• Seeing my friend Tiffany, the new mother of quadruplets, for lunch on Saturday. She looks great and is doing really well! She has a very contagious positive attitude and she and her husband will be the best parents to 4 little babies! Can you even imagine? It was good to catch up with her and was the first time I've seen her since the babies were born. They're 6 weeks old and they're all doing really well. Yay!
• Celebrating Gabe's 3rd birthday. We went to Chicago for his party on Saturday. I'm going to dedicate a whole post to this because it was such a great party and I have lots of pictures! Sara (and Dan) threw the cutest themed party I've seen. So much fun. More to come...
• Having a sleepover with Holly. She came to visit during her spring break from school. She got here late in the evening and we wanted to go shopping but after leaving Starbucks around 10, the options were limited, so we wisely chose Wal-Mart and Meijer. Then we had fun with the boys on Friday, going on a walk to the bakery and park, and baking sugar cookies. We're so similar in so many ways that we once made up a song about being twins before we even met. Weird? Maybe. But we're the best of friends and it's always so much fun when we're together.

Ok, so that was my turn doing highpoint and lowpoint. Wanna join in on the fun? I'd love to read yours, too!

m & mmmmmmm's

Who knew they could improve so much upon something that is already so great? First came the addition of peanuts, then peanut butter, then almonds, then they made them crispy and mini, then they made the chocolate dark and even made dark chocolate peanut ones, well now there's another level of m&m greatness - the wildly cherry m&m. Mmm, they are so good. Thanks to Holly for recommending them. She told me they taste like a Bing cherry, and they really do. They're super yummy and I also find that the fruitiness makes them feel somewhat nutritious. So here's a plug to go buy your own bag and taste my new favorite m.