A Year in Review via FB Status

An Interview with Molly

Molly is 2 years and 10 months old on Christmas Eve 2011. While watching Mickey Mouse, she answered the following questions:

Who is your best friend? Sleeping Pooty

What is your favorite color? Pink

What is your favorite food? I don't know... yogurt

What do you like to watch on TV? Mickey Mouse

Who is your favorite sister? Natalie

What do you like about Daddy? he just drink coffee

What do you like about Mommy? a bunny

What do you think we are going to do today? I don't know. Let me think about this, Mommy.

Who do you play with at Miss Karen's house? Ashley and Caroline and Brian

What is your favorite toy? a bunny

What do bunnies say? I don't know...bunnies say hippity hop

What do you want to be when you grow up? a bucket

What color bucket? orange

Who do you love? Mickey Mouse

What do you do at church? nuffin

Who is your favorite brother? Caroline

Who is your favorite doggy? a purple doggy

What do you want Santa to bring you for Christmas? a butterfly

Stuff

Jack: "Mommy, you are a pancake. I'm going to eat you."

Molly (pointing to Andy's freckles): "Oh no, Daddy, you have sprinkles!"

Molly: "Here Mommy, eat this." (Hands me pretend food. I pretend bite it. She laughs.) "That's doggy food! Ew yuck!"

Jack's new favorite song? Shout, throw your hands up and shout, c'mon now, shout! Now, waaaiiit a minute...

Natalie's recent accomplishments? pulling up to stand, cruising on furniture, saying Mama and Dada discriminately, eating cheerios, bananas, and other random food she finds on the floor.

Molly's new favorite thing? Playing tea party with her daddy

Molly is still convinced that Jack goes to "Pretty school" every Tuesday and Thursday.

Me: "Molly, are you lying? Tell Mommy the truth. Are you lying?"
Molly: "Yes, I'm a lion. Rawr!"

My Little Man

Gushing Mommy bragging ahead...
I can't describe how proud I am of my boy. In the hour that I got to watch him play at preschool today, I felt assured that Andy and I are doing something right in raising these kids. He used his manners with his teachers and with the other little kids, asking them "May I please play with you?" He showed his inquisitive side by exploring every nook and cranny of that classroom. He cracked up the other parents and teachers by singing the ABCs while he washed his hands really really fast and by wearing three hard hats at once.
I know that Jack is going to love preschool. I hope that he always loves school and learning as much as he does now.

Summer Wrap Up

Well, at the beginning of summer I posted about our To Do list of projects and things I wanted to accomplish. Yes, this is very typical of me since nothing makes me happier than a project and my mother says I'm goal- oriented to the point of it being a bad thing. So, I'm now going to virtually cross off stuff!

1. Potty train the big kids: In June, I really buckled down on potty training with Jack and Molly. They are now telling us when they have to go potty, mostly going all by themselves with no help, and staying dry during naps. Molly has woken up in the morning dry several times and she woke up last night at midnight and cried because she had to go potty. All size six diapers are out of our house and we will eventually work on staying dry at night when they are a little more mature (or just start doing it themselves). My only concern is that I think Jack is starting to have accidents on purpose because it makes Mommy come get him.

2. Get rid of sippy cups: They are gone. Jack and Mo
lly drink out of big kid cups very well and I just mop my floor more often.

3. Fence: It's up after many long hours of work by Andy, my dad, and Kyle. We love it.

4. Ensure that we only have three children: The tubes are tied.

5. Attend story time at the library: We did this once and decided the kids are too little for it. However, one of my favorite things this summer was reading them new library books each week. They liked "Someone Bigger" and "Farm Flu" the best, along with the Little Quack series.

6. Go swimming: Oh my goodness, we swam and swam and swam and Mommy worked on her tan.

7. Squelch my type a personality and let the kids get dirty and skip naps if they were having fun: Done to a small extent. The kids got dirty but rarely skipped naps. They just like naptime.

8. Lots o' bike riding and playing outside: check!

9. Tball for Jack: He kinda liked tball and that made us put Molly in gymnastics which she adored!

Natalie started crawling a couple days ago and also pushes herself to a sitting position.

The kids are getting so big and are so much fun! We had a wonderful summer!

Dear People, I'm sorry, Love, Me.

To the child who poured juice on the kitchen floor and then had the audacity to ask for more juice two minutes later... I'm sorry I yelled at you to clean it up and told you that you will never have juice again. I lied. You will have juice tomorrow.

To the lovely patrons of Wal Mart who see me carrying a huge chunk o' baby in a front carrier and hauling two rowdy toddlers in the cart... I'm sorry I didn't scream obscenities at my kids so I can fit in with all the other stressed mommies at Wal Mart. I only muttered them under my breath.

To the child who slapped her older brother just because he breathed her air... I'm sorry I said "Hands are for hugging, not hitting". It's corny and I apologize.

To the guy who lives with me... I'm sorry I don't cook dinner for you when you work but you are welcome to have the crap the kids eat.

To the littlest child of mine... I'm sorry I keep leaving the room and making you emit the ear-piercing, gut-wrenching, shriek of despair, but, honestly kid, what the crap? I'm coming right back and I don't play this whole separation anxiety game. Get. over. it.

To the old couple leaving the YMCA at the same time as me and my chickadees... I'm sorry you had to witness my two-year-old scream "Jackson Wobert Wolfe, You go to time out! You vewy bad!" as I tried to get him to makes his legs work and walk to the car. Yes, she's cute. Yes, I wish he would actually listen to her and go to time out.

To all the congregation at church who saw my daughter's underpants because she wanted to lay down on the steps instead of sing the VBS song... I'm sorry they weren't a prettier color.

To everyone who gets to witness us living this crazy life... I'm sorry if we're loud, distracted, and can't have a normal conversation without needing to take a kid to the potty. Talk fast, get to the point, or come with us to the bathroom.

Fourth of July

These are the Days of Our Lives

*** Disclaimer: I'm sure this post will be incredibly long and boring to other people, but I wanted to document a Day in Our Life with a 3 year old, 2 year old, and 5 month old so, when I'm old, I will actually remember how crazy our life is right now.***

4:15 am: The alarm blares and I scramble to shut it off before it wakes the kids. Andy gets up to get ready for work. I doze until he leaves. Think to myself, “Natalie didn't get up to eat last night. Cool.”

6:30 am: I hear Molly talking so I get up to get her out of the room before Jack wakes up, but then I hear him talking, too. I let them jabber while I go get coffee. I don't have to make the coffee on days that Andy works. Cool. It's the small things.

6:40 am: Big kids come out and Jack wants to get dressed and go to Grandma and Papa Kandel's to go for a tractor ride on Fergie. Sorry, buddy, Papa is working and Fergie doesn't live at their house anymore. We settle for Veggie Tales instead.

6:55 am: Natalie is stirring. Diaper change and bottle. Happy baby.

7:20 am: Big kids get breakfast of cereal and toast. I run around switching laundry, starting the dishwasher, straightening up the kitchen, etc.

7:45 am: Natalie and I eat breakfast. She gets rice cereal and applesauce and Tylenol for teeth. I have toast.

7:55 am: Jackson. Plastic toast. Real toaster. Luckily, no fire.

8:00 am: Natalie is in the exersaucer and I am folding laundry. Jack and Molly play peek a boo with the baby to cheer her up. She's fussy so I get her out and find out that she can hold herself in a sitting position. Cool.

8:45 am: Natalie goes down for her first nap. The big kids and I get swimsuits on and spend the next hour and a half outside playing.




10:30 am: Time for a snack of Goldfish and put on dry clothes. Molly poops in her underpants. Not cool.

11:15 am: I count extra diapers that are too small for Natalie to list them on Craigslist.

11:30 am: Natalie's up. Jack's asleep on the rocking chair. I wake him up and hope it didn't ruin his nap. I give Natalie a bottle with the other kids pile on the chair with me to snuggle.

11:45 am: I make lunch of eggs, french toast sticks and apples (Molly's pick). Jack wants eggs and “fish sticks” but he means french toast sticks. He gets those confused. Natalie is super happy and laughing at her reflection in the mirror.

12:25 pm: Vacuum and pick up toys. Then, pick up the toys that they got out while I vacuumed and picked up toys.

12:55 pm: Natalie down for nap, but she's crying. Jack asks to go to the bathroom and poops in the potty all by himself. Nice. Read the big kids a book and put them down for a nap.

1:00 pm: Kids are being loud so I go in there to get them to quiet down. Molly is in Jack's bed so I spank her on the leg. She freaks out “Mommy, my leg, my leg. Smack my toes.” So, I swat her toes. She giggles. Whatever.

1:57 pm: Natalie is awake and crying. Weird. I give her a bottle and she is happy and playing again. I sold my diapers that I listed on Craigslist this morning. I buy two end tables online for $7 more than I sold the diapers with free shipping. I'll take it.

2:40 pm: I put Natalie in the baby swing on the porch. She loves it but it grosses me out that she is chewing on the straps that I didn't wash yet.

3:20 pm: Molly is awake and jabbering, again. I put Natalie down to attempt another nap and retrieve Molly. Her Pull Up is dry. She peesandpeesandpees.

3:25 pm: Veggie Tales for the 457th time today....ugh.

3:45 pm: I give Molly a peanut butter cream sandwich cookie. She opens it and the peanut butter falls on the floor. She squats down and eats the peanut butter off the floor all the while muttering, “Oh, da peana budder. Da peana budder.” My girl knows the good stuff when she sees it.

4:45 pm: Wake up Jack so he will sleep later. He wakes up super crabby. But, his Pull Up is also dry.

5:02 pm: First major meltdown of the day. Jack is upset that he can't swing in the baby swing on our porch. He declares that he is NOT big, he is little and can swing in the swing. “I not break it. I not big. I'm little. It is my turn cuz I'm little.” I'm out of diversions so I just hope he forgets about it. I put the swing in Time Out.

5:08 pm: Molly melts down along with Jack. Molly scares Natalie so everyone is crying, now. I just walk away from the big kids and take Natalie to the kitchen for her dinner. She gets cereal, green beans and carrots.

5:25 pm: The big kids recover and get their supper. Jack requested fish sticks and I'm pretty sure he really means fish sticks and not french toast sticks.

6:00 pm: The big kids get in the tub for a bath. They play in there while I change Natalie's crib sheet, take off her bumper, and get her ready for bed.

6:15 pm: Jack tells me that we have to get out of the tub before the dragon comes. We wash quickly and vacate before any fire-breathing creatures approach.

6:20 pm: Jack melts down because the Wii freezes and he can't watch Toothfairy. Life is rough.

6:30 pm: Daddy should be home soon. He better be home soon. Mommy is DONE.

6:36 pm: Andy texts to say he is running late but on his way. Seriously. I can't make this stuff up.

6:37 pm: I make Natalie's bottle. I see Andy's text. I get mad and lose count of scoops of formula. I throw another scoop in. Natalie downs her bottle and burps without the projectile spitting up that usuallly goes down the front of my tank top. That must be today's silver lining.

6:59 pm: I put Natalie to bed.

7:01 pm: Andy's home. Praise God.

7:20 pm: Snuggle Buddy time. I always get stuck with Jack. He's really boney and he digs his elbows into me. But, he's also quite cuddly. Andy always gets Molly. She is usually pretty chill.

7:27 pm: My snuggle buddy accidentally head butts me in my cheekbone. I resist the urge to deck him and send him over to his father.

7:36 pm: My snuggle buddy is back. He is supposed to be at Tball right now but we decided to skip tonight since his game was late and he wouldn't get to bed until really late.

7:57 pm: Jack's bed. Read book. Get a drink. Sing Appletree. Count stuff. Say prayers. And, that's a wrap. Good night!

8:00 pm: Finish blog and watch Army Wives. Cool.


So, this is a typical summer day for us. We didn't go anywhere or do as much cleaning as usual, but it was pretty normal. Going somewhere just requires a little more stategizing and organization. It also took a lot of time to write all this down!

Father's Day 2011

Summer To Do

Here is an official beginning-of-summer post about what we hope to have done/changed by the end of summer:

Get Jack and Molly fully potty trained. (They are both doing really well staying dry during the day with an accident here or there. However, they both still are wet at naptime and nighttime. We also need to work on #2s going in the potty. Having only one kid in diapers will be like getting a raise!)

Get rid of sippy cups. (I packed them all away today and the kids have done okay with drinking from big kid cups in the kitchen. Hopefully, limiting drinks will help with potty training.)

Get the fence up THIS WEEKEND!

Lots and lots of bike riding and playing outside! So far, we do this every day.

Ensure that we only have three children

Attend story time at the library.

Jack playing tball (one game down, five to go)

Squelch my Type A personality and let the kids get dirty or go to bed late or not nap every now and then as long as it means they are having fun.

Redecorate the front room

Take the kids swimming

Survive the day-to-day craziness with three kids three and under while maintaining my sanity and not screaming at them all the time. While the list isn't elaborate with trips or tons of stuff to do, this will keep us plenty busy, but not too busy to lead to exhausted kiddos.

In other news...

Natalie's Five Month Stats

Weight: 16 lbs. 10 oz. (90th percentile)

Height: 26 inches (75th percentile)

Head: 25th percentile (but the measuring tape wasn't around the largest part so I don't really think this is accurate)

Healthy and the happiest baby ever!

Jack's 3 Year Stats

Weight: 32.6 lbs. (50th percentile)
Height: 39 3/4 in. (95th percentile)

Dr. says Jack will probably be 6'2 when he grows up.
He has met or exceeds all the developmental milestones.
Now, we just need to tackle potty training.

Who needs sleep?

We're spoiled with three kids who are usually great sleepers. Tonight, not so much.

7:30 pm: All three in bed and quiet.
9:00 pm: Mommy and Daddy are sleeping, too.
11:30 pm: Molly is up, crying. I go in to lay her back down and comfort.
11:48 pm: Molly is up, crying. I think she's warm so we go out to the kitchen for temp check, Tylenol, sippy cup, comfort and back to bed. Check on Jack. He's cool.
11:56 pm: Molly up, crying, comfort, etc.
12:48 am: Molly up. Comfort. Jackson up. Kitchen, Tylenol, sippy cup, he jabbers about candy. Sings Appletree, counts stars, says prayers.
1:17 am: Molly up. Out to chair to rock in the dark. Set a ten minute time limit. Didn't say a word to her, just rocked. Back to bed.
2:00 am: Mommy to couch because Daddy is snoring. Watching tv.
4:05 am: Alarm goes off. Time to work a full day with no hope for a nap.

At least Natalie slept all night...

Twirling Ladybug

My Blue Eyed Son

Favorite Foods: Chicken nuggets, Goldfishes, hot dogs, french fries, taking one bite out of an apple

Favorite Things to Do: go for tractor rides, ride his bike, go make coffee and shake hands before church

Favorite TV shows: Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and Wonder Pets

Cute Things He Says: "You fetcha", "It sure is does", "Oh, gee, fanks", "What's next, Mommy/Daddy, what's next?", "Thanks, pal"

Greatest Frustrations: not potty trained, bullheadedness, need to have everything just right (OCDness)

Awesome Abilities: singing/dancing/drumming, using his imagination, bike riding, counting backwards (to blast off), dresses himself, says the whole supper prayer all by himself

Greatest Fears: loud noises and losing Blue Puppy

Best Attributes: tender-hearted, happy, polite, smart, loving

Funny Stuff He Does: puts crayons behind his ear like Papa holds his pencil, takes his shoes off on the step like Papa does, tries to wash Molly in the tub, has a super long routine for the tractors, knows most of the words to "Johnny's in the Basement"

Three seems to be a magical age when kids are stuck between being a baby and being a big kid. Jack still sucks his thumb when he's tired and is incredibly attached to Blue Puppy and snuggling Mommy and Daddy. However, he rides bikes, talks ALL the time, and is going to play tball this summer. I think this age is amazing since I'm not ready for my first baby to grow up, but I love watching him learn new things and experience the world.

Just Some Cute Pictures and a Natalie Update

The big kids' first time bowling! Jackson playing at the park

Molly is "bowling" (or just eating Oreos)

*****

Welp, our littlest girl is an amazing baby! As her Uncle Kyle says, so is so laid-back, she just says "Excuse me, can I trouble you for a bottle whenever you have a moment. There's no rush!" She's been sleeping from 8ish until 7ish since three months and is eating about 6 ounces, five times a day. She is smiling and cooing and squawking and gurgling. We're enjoying every single stage of our last little baby. She is the most precious baby ever!

Ehh... I tried...

This is how I felt when we were done, too!

Mish Mash/ Miscellany/ Hodge Podge

Lots of Fun Stuff!

I squelched my OCD tendencies and let the kids play with dry oatmeal. They had a blast scooping and shoveling. Jack called it "building sand castles". It kept two busybusy two year olds occupied for almost an hour!

We also played with shaving cream which they found out tastes pretty nasty!

Who needs romantic candlelight and violins when you can make your kids a special Valentine's Day dinner of pink and purple food?

Molly Turns Two!

Molly turned two years old on Feb. 27 and we celebrated her birthday two different ways. Andy had to work on her actual birthday, so I found willing Grandmas to watch Jack and Natalie for an afternoon and Molly and I had a special Girl's Day. Molly woke up to Jack and Mommy singing Happy Birthday, we had special birthday sprinkles in our oatmeal and then we went to church.We took lunch to Andy and Molly got lots of special snuggles from Daddy and then we went shopping!

It's so special to spend one-on-one time with the kids and I'm amazed at how their little personalities emerge when they are by themselves. Molly jabbered my ear off and loved getting a big cookie without having to share. She also got to do her very favorite thing: Play in the water at the sink!

We had her birthday party last night and she had a butterfly cake with a rainbow center. She also got a lot of cute clothes, books, ladybug stuff, Leapfrog puppy, coloring stuff, Veggie Tales stuff, puzzles, and toys. Jack had a blast, too! He ran around yelling "This is so much fun!" over and over again!

Stats and Stuff

Molly's Two Year Stats:

Weight: 31.5 lbs (90th percentile)

Height: 35 inches (90th percentile)

Head: 75 th percentile

The doctor thinks she will be about 5'7'' tall.

Molly also got her first haircut this month. Lots of M&Ms kept her distracted!

Natalie's Two Month Stats:

Weight: 10 lbs. 10 oz. (50th percentile)

Height: 22 inches (50th percentile)

Head: 50th percentile

The doctor thinks it's too early to tell how tall she will be, but if she stays 5oth percentile, she will be around 5'4". I think she will be taller than that.

Natalie is such a good baby! She is sleeping for about 5 hours at night then eats and sleeps again. Some nights are better than others but she's doing just what a two month old should. This month she has started to smile, coo, and roll from belly to back!

Okay, this kid is just stinkin' cute!