Christmas Eve

What a wonderful Christmas we had this year! I have a few (ahem, ahem) pictures of this years celebrations so I decided to split up my posts. We shall start with Christmas Eve:

Liam very excited that he is eating a candy cane before dinner

Sprinkling our Reindeer chow outside
so Santa and his team of reindeer can find Grandma and Grandpa Fink's house
(oatmeal and sprinkles)

After several attempts and an explanation
that while you smile you must hold still
instead of jumping up or running towards the camera,
he finally caught on.

Also after many attempts with a dog and a toddler
to which we decided to let the dog go

Selfies with Aunt Emily

Sister shot

Elongating our necks like Adriane asked

Blair and my sweet little niece, Ivy (3 months)

Stay tuned for Christmas morning!

Music preferences part deux

Recently there has been one song on Liam's mind. We listen to it every time we get into the car. He sings it while eating his supper. He wants me to sing it as a lullaby.

Adele's "Rumor Has It" has been making an imprint on Liam's memory for quite some time now. In May while Evan and I were visiting Adriane in D.C., Grammie Walles had Liam in the car with her. They were listening to a mix CD from one of Elliott's birthday parties. Adele began and ended and the CD moved forward as usual when Liam started asking Grammie for "More oo-mer."  At 2 years and 4 months Liam's pronunciation of words was still struggling and Grammie didn't understand what he was saying. She thought he wanted more music so she kept playing the CD. Liam continued with his request becoming more urgent with each time he said "More oo-mer." Finally, it clicked and Grammie replayed Adele and Liam started dancing and bopping his head to the music.

Fast forward 7 months and what started as me just playing the CD while traveling in the car, because it is a great record, has now turned into wanting to hear that song every single time we are in the car. Once he has heard his song he is fine with continuing to listen to the rest of the CD but I am beginning to feel like we may never escape Adele. He even starts tapping his foot to the beat and tries to get me to turn around and watch him. (Even though I remind him I'm driving and I can't turn my head because the other drivers may not appreciate it. "Oh, hello officer. Yes I didn't see that tree and all of those cars because my son's new favorite song is Rumor has it by Adele. You know the one right? Very catchy, I think she won all those Grammy's with that record. Yes, well my son likes to tap his foot on the front seat and he wants me to watch so, you can understand, no need for a ticket this time right?)

Well here's hoping we find a new favorite song soon and I'll try to keep my eyes on the road. Enjoy!

Almost there

With Christmas only 7 days away we were almost there. Almost to the day where we didn't have to keep what we got Daddy a secret.

About 2 weeks ago I took Liam to the mall and told Liam that we were going to pick out a Christmas present for Daddy. I asked him what he thought would be a good present for his Dad. He had many ideas like toys and things I know Liam wants for Christmas. So I had to remind him that the present is for Daddy and not for himself. What if we got him x, x, and x. Naming things that Evan would actually like. Liam agreed with me that my ideas sounded much better.

Until we walked into Macy's and Liam saw the giant display of remote controlled cars, trucks and motorcycles. Good one Macy's, you guys are really smart about how you display your products.

So Liam was beside himself with the very cool toys and completely forgot about what we had walked into Macy's for in the first place. And then I realized that Evan and Liam would have so much fun with this toy together. And at just under $20 with little time before we needed to be home I caved.

There were many times where I had to remind Liam not to tell Daddy what we had gotten him. I was sure that he had told Evan at some point when I was not around. But since I had hidden the present from Evan it was out of sight out of Liam's mind. Until tonight, when I got it out before Evan got home from work to wrap it in front of Liam. Once again he was so excited about this toy and wanted to open it right then. After reminding him that the toy is a present for Daddy from him and that he is not to tell Daddy what he got him, Liam put the present under the tree.

When Evan got home I reminded Liam once again not to tell Daddy what he was getting for Christmas. So, as soon as Evan walked into the room Liam said, "We wrap your present and we not telling you what it is cause it for Christmas. It's a motorcycle!"

Me- "Liam! You told Daddy what you got him!"
L- "No I didn't! I didn't tell him! He doesn't know!"

Me and Evan- laughing hysterically
L- "it's not funny! I didn't tell him!"

Love this boy!

Making Daddy's favorite Christmas cookies: Peanut Butter Kisses

Bring on the snow

Last weekend Bloomington got quite the snowfall. I do believe it was 4-6 inches in our area which means, in our house:  boots on, suit up and get outside! We love playing in the snow!

So happy to be out in the snow

Most definitely Butters favorite season. She was doing belly flops in the snow.

Evan building the base to the snowman

Liam's snow fort

The finished snowman. We later added a carrot for his nose.

Poor dog

Evan has recently taken up running. If you have known Evan for most of his life you will know that he was in track in junior high. He ran the entire season of track on a fractured foot. When his parents did take him to the doctor they found out that the foot was starting to heal itself but that he would have to wear a boot for the remainder of the healing time and would be out the entire baseball season.

He hated running.

But now that he is getting close to 30 and wants to reduce stress in his life, not from me of course, he has decided to run. His running partner is none other than Butters. Butters hates running. Before we had Liam I used to take her on the trail and try to get her to run with me. I was practically pulling her with the leash every time.

She has not changed her mind with time. Evan tells me that he is always pulling her or jerking at the leash for her to catch up to him. She is such a "free spirit" that she just wants to sniff everything and enjoy her time outdoors.

Tonight Evan was getting his running gear on and Butters laid down next to Liam's chair and stared at Evan. We can only imagine what she was thinking but I'm pretty sure it went something like this,

"I used to love going on walks with you, just me and you without the loud little one and the slow short one. Now I am disgusted with you, making me run, hardly letting me stop to smell what other dog had peed here or there. I am especially upset with you that you insist on taking me before you eat your dinner because I know the loud little one and the slow fat short one eat without us and I can't scrounge for any food that fell on the floor.  You disgust me."

Maybe I was reading too much into those hateful eyes she was sending Evan's way but I don't think I'm too far off.

Some grocery store humor

Ever make a decision that at first you think will be so much fun and then 5 seconds into it you wish it had never popped into your head? I do this pretty much on a daily basis but my most recent disaster involves the grocery store, three days before Thanksgiving.

Liam and I had to go to the grocery store to pick up just a few things completely unrelated to Thanksgiving preparations. As we walked into the store I spotted those carts with the plastic toy car or truck at the front and thought, "Liam will love that, we only have to pick up a few things so we will be in and out and he will get such a thrill from riding in that car."

We have never picked up this type of cart before and within 10 seconds I realized my bad decision.

1. This cart does not turn. It's like the wheels are only designed to go straight, forward or backward. If you want to make a turn you literally have to put your whole body weight into making a gigantic circle.

2. Three days before Thanksgiving means there are at least 50 extra people in the store that would not normally be there on a Monday night. Correction, no one goes to the grocery store on a Monday. So maybe I should say an extra 75-100 people in the store.

3. The super annoying squeaky horn that your son constantly pushes. And since it should fit two children there are two steering wheels which means two super annoying squeaky horns.

4. There are no restraining belts in the car. So that means Liam was literally sticking his hands and legs outside the "windows and doors" and turning in circles in his seat.

5. While pushing this cart my son decides to start singing the jock jams hit, 'Move it, Move it', It goes like this, "I like to move it, move it, you like to move it, move it, etc." except all you can hear is Liam saying "move it move it" and honking that annoying little horn. I'm sure everyone we were passing was thinking that his parents clearly have road rage and he is mimicking their behavior.

6. As discussed in #1 as I was trying to make turns to go down the very few aisles that we need items in I was trying to avoid hitting other people and their carts. In doing this I almost took out 3 displays that were in the middle of the aisle.

7. As I tell this story to my husband late that night and can barely get the words out because I am laughing so hard, he will think that I have completely lost my mind.

8. We will never get this cart again and my son will ask to get in it every single time. And for someone who has never driven it themselves, they will stare at me as I tell my son no way and he is screaming his head off, and think I am the worst mother in the world.

Denver

I may be a little behind about writing this post but about 3 weeks ago I traveled to Denver and met my sister Adriane for a weekend trip. I accompanied her to a wedding for one of her friends and since she played her flute for the wedding that meant we got to go to the rehearsal, rehearsal dinner and of course the wedding.

I cannot say enough nice things about the couple who got married. The bride reminded me so much of my mother in law. She could be the nicest person I have ever met. The groom was equally warm and inviting and both of them in the midst of their blissful weekend made a point to greet me and make me feel welcome even though I had never met them before.

Denver is such an amazing city. We didn't have a car so we were really limited to the downtown area but it was so cool. I definitely want to go back and take Evan with me next time. I think he would love it even more than me. The only thumbs down for me was walking around and being greeted by the smell of marijuana every 30 feet. Seriously cannot figure out why this is now legal. Just my opinion but I never figured out the excitement of this or any drug.

Sister time was also equally amazing and fun. Adriane and I had a ton of bonding time, good conversations and great food. I am so lucky that I get three amazing sisters that are also my friends.

So as they say in Denver, Yee-haw! (I don't think we actually said this at any time during our stay, but I may have seen a woman wearing a vest that looked rather similar to that one that you used to have Stephanie, remember? In high school with the stripes?)

This is what happens when you wake up at 5:30 mountain time and no stores are open yet.

The Rockies

Christmas Tree in the oldest hotel in Denver

Teaching about the Season of Giving

Christmas is coming and fast and we want to instill in our child that Christmas is about Jesus and also about giving to others who are in need.

Today Liam and I went shopping with a list of those things that children who are not as lucky as us need. We got the list from our in-laws church but it is for The Baby Fold here in Normal. I was doubtful whether Liam would understand that we were buying these gifts for needy boys and girls and felt I needed to remind him many times why we were walking up and down the toy aisle.

Remembering that usually it's the teenagers who get left out of donations we stopped and got some earbuds for both a boy and a girl. Some fun socks for infants and toddlers. A few baby books that Liam picked out. A Dora bath painting kit for a toddler girl and some legos for a boy.  Liam also picked out a Jake and the Neverland Pirates paint book.

About once every 10 minutes Liam would stop the cart, he was "helping" me push it, and want to look at a toy because of how cool it looked. When I told him we had only about 10 more dollars to spend he stopped at a electric train thinking we should get that gift. It was $90. Also when we were picking out infant socks he wanted to stop and look at the toddler underwear. He really wanted us to get the spiderman underwear, his favorite superhero, but I had to explain to him that underwear wasn't on the list of things to buy. Maybe Santa will bring him some Spiderman underwear at Christmas.

I still am not sure if he truly grasped the idea but it is a lesson that I hope we are able to continue to teach him every year.

And as a special reward for helping me pick out all of these items the only thing he wanted was to ride the mechanical horse at the front of the store. As many times as he could before I had to drag him off of it.

Fall Photos

About 3 weeks ago we had a friend take some pictures in this beautiful fall weather. I absolutely love them and have to share a few of them.

Being Buzz Lightyear

Quite possibly my favorite

We still kinda like each other

Liam laughing because I was singing him the dinosaur song (see prev post)

Another of my favorites

The letter H

Every day that Liam goes to the babysitters I will ask him what he learned today. Up until yesterday he never would tell me. Sometimes he would mention a craft that they would do or coloring but never revealing too much about his day.

Yesterday I asked the question and I heard from the backseat, "We learned about the letter H." With my mouth hanging open I asked him what he learned about the letter H. "You have to make one line down, then another line down, then a cross." With my mouth even wider I could not believe what my ears were hearing. Liam was actually describing for me how to write the letter H. So I dived a little deeper, asking him what else he learned about the letter H.  Did you learn about what words start with the letter H? Not hearing anything in return I started naming words that start with that letter like hair, head, hat.....and then I had a brain fart. I could not think of anything except for the word Hannibal. You know, like the movie or the town in Missouri. As I was scrambling through my brain searching for another H word, Liam said, "How bout hand mom? Does hand start with letter H?"

If my mouth could have hung open anymore....it couldn't.

When we got home and I had him tell Evan the exact same thing, we got out a piece of paper and had Liam write the letter H for us.

It does not look anything like the letter H but we can see the effort and couldn't be more proud.

Once in awhile

Once in awhile you get lucky...

Sunday afternoon before naptime, Evan was already asleep on the couch downstairs and Liam and I were playing upstairs. Until I laid down on the floor due to my lack of sleep (see previous post) and Liam asked me this:

"Why you laying down Mommy?"
"Well, Mommy is tired because someone keeps coming into my room in the wee hours of the morning while it's still dark outside and it's not time to get up yet. Do you know who that could be?"
"That's me! I like coming in your room."
"Well, I'm not such a big fan because then I can't get back to sleep and that makes me very tired. Maybe next time you wake up and its still dark outside you should stay in your own bed."

I had zero hope that this was going to have any impact on Liam's thinking at 5:30 am but I was wrong. Since that discussion Liam has stayed in bed, in his own room for the last 3 days. Here's hoping this will last forever.

Early bird gets the worm, right?

Liam has always been a great sleeper. We can put him to bed between 7:30 and 8 pm and he usually does not get up until 7:30 am or sometimes later. I have loved this.

Recently due to a time change we have not been so lucky. We are still putting him to bed at the same time but now it's 5:30 am that I hear his door open and close and his little feet come running into our bedroom. At first it was 6 am and so I just let him climb into bed with us. It was only for 3-4 days that I allowed this before I realized that I was setting myself up for failure. And to prove me right, he has begun rising earlier and still running into our room. Now I force myself to get up, take him by the hand and return him to his own room. Where he will continue to sleep until 7 am. Me? Not so much. I lay awake in my own bed trying to shut down my brain which has already begun to think of all the things you think of while you're trying to get to sleep such as, What if Liam grows up to be a real jerk?, -or- What if Liam falls in love with a girl who's a real jerk? -or- What if I die in a plane crash, will Evan be able to find another woman as wonderful as I am to help him raise our son? I mean he's got zero game and the only reason we're together is because I kept pestering him on the bus when we were 16, asking him questions even though he would hardly talk to me.

These are all serious questions that I must try to answer at 5:45 in the morning. Until I give up and get up around 6:30.

The only bad part about all of this is I am falling asleep at 8 pm. Which means that when Liam gets me up at 5:30 I actually feel refreshed and the whole cycle continues.

I must stop the vicious cycle! But the couch and my favorite blanket just keep calling my name.

Dinner music

The other night we were listening to some music while eating our dinner. Liam asked, "What song this is, Daddy?" "It's called, eat your chicken and rice. From the musical eat your dinner and stop playing with your food."

I love Evan so much sometimes.

(We were actually listening to The Planets by Gustav Holst.)

The basics of toddler fashion

This morning Evan is taking Liam to the Normal Public Library for a special exhibit called, 'Trains, Trains, Trains!' Liam is very excited to be going somewhere with Daddy without me and reminded me numerous times this morning that, "Daddy and me are going to libaby and you are staying home with Butters." "You not coming Mom, only me and Dad are going to see trains."

So while Evan showered I told Liam that he should get dressed so he would be ready to go when Dad was. I set out a themed sweater for the train event and then thought Evan would not want to go anywhere with him in that so set off to try to find a t-shirt that had a train on it instead. When I came back into the room this is what I found.

With Liam telling me he was all dressed and ready to go,

                                             

As you can see he's still wearing his pajamas and just threw the sweater on top of his sleeper. I also think the boots add a nice touch. And no he did not go to the library like this and no I am not at all sad that I don't get to go.

Best Halloween giveaway is.....

These vampire teeth...that Liam continues to put in his mouth to try to scare us.

And those bubbles in his other hand. Top prize for best Halloween handout according to my little vampire.

Starving

Today, about 30 minutes after lunch we had this discussion:

L: "I'm hungry, Mom."
M: "How could you be hungry? You had 5 dinosaur chicken nuggets, cottage cheese and half a banana. And when I asked if you wanted more food you told me you were full."
L: "Yeah, but my belly is not big anymore, see?" Lifting his shirt up to show me how skinny he is. "So I need more food so it gets bigger."

Did I give in? Yes, but he only got to eat a Halloween cookie after he used the potty.

Meet Ivy

How could I have forgotten to blog about this! I am such a horrible aunt.

I am very proud to have a new niece, Ivy Gwendolyn Freeman, born September 26, 2013. She weighed 8 pounds 11 ounces and has "my" giant V birthmark across her forehead.

If it is truly a genetic inheritance she will not lose it until she turns 12 and her older siblings will constantly trace it with their finger to make her super mad. Not that this happened to me, my sisters were all very loving to me as we grew up together. Nor did anyone try to shove someone in a closet or encourage another to get closer to the table fan until our hair wrapped around the blades, while it was still powered on.

Oh, right, this post is about Ivy....here she is:

Music preferences

A few weeks ago Evan made a mix CD for Liam on our road trip to Indianapolis. He put many kid songs on it such as, "Mahna, mahna"; "C is for Cookie" and "We are the dinosaurs."

Liam asks to hear his dinosaur song every single time we are in the car now. I really liked this song at first but now it's getting a little old. I can't even distract him with a different really fun kid song because he just wants to hear the dinosaur song.

Evan also put a few other songs on this CD and the one that comes on right after the dinosaur song is "Blitzkrieg Bop" by The Ramones. I think we are finding out I am not much of a Ramones fan because everytime I reach for the skip button in the car, Liam yells, "No, Mom, I like that song don't skip it!"

So now I get to listen the dinosaur song which is starting to creep under my skin and Blitzkrieg Bop right afterwards. Which I already can't stand. At least the next song is Grover's "Monster in the Mirror" to bring me back down into a relaxed state. Or maybe I should have Evan add "I wanna be sedated" by the Ramones. I can listen to that one without cringing.

And so you can suffer through enjoy the music that I hear every single time we are in the car...

We are the dinosaurs

Blitzkreig Bop by The Ramones

Fires and odors

Our furnace is out for the time being which means a house that is in the 50 degree range. We should be getting a new furnace on Monday but for the time being we are managing. With multiple layers and blankets and me being a very grumpy wife and mother. I hate being cold. It is why I love summer so much because there is little chance of being cold.

So, we have lived in this house for 5 years now and never once used our fireplace. We were told that the previous owner used it very often and even had a chimney guy come out last year to see if we could use it safely. We were given the green light but no matter how many times I have suggested it, my husband has not been up for building a fire in the middle of our home. We may not be 100% sure that the flue is open but 90% for me is good enough. Especially when I am freezing.

So last night we had a fire in our fireplace. It was very nice. Liam and I had a fire picnic, where we just read books on a blanket in front of the fire. And Evan filled up a bucket of water that was nearby in case things got out of hand. Seriously.

Unfortunately that flue may need some looking at. After a 3 hour fire it began to be very obvious that not all the smoke was exiting out of the chimney as it should. Which has resulted in a home that smells like Evan and I smoked 2 packs of cigarettes last night, each. Yuck.

This morning I was lighting fragrant candles and spraying Oust to neutralize the odor and exclaiming how it really stinks in here.
Liam said, "Did someone poop in here?"
"No buddy, remember the fire we had last night? The smoke from the fire stinks!"
"The fire pooped?"

Oh brother.....

Arrrgghhh!

This potty training thing is the worst. Last week was such a difficult week for Liam. Accidents numerous times throughout the week, with one time in particular at the babysitters where she could clearly see that he had wet himself as his pants were soaked, asked him if he had had an accident, and he said, nonchalantly, no.

Sunday was a particularly challenging day because we drove up to Joliet to meet Ivy. I thought Liam would be able to hold it for a 90 minute car ride but 10 minutes from our exit, he announced that he needed to go and we had no choice but to just let him do his thing in his seat. Luckily, there wasn't enough to soak through his pants and the car seat was spared.

After insisting that Liam try to use the restroom before our drive home we weren't but 10 minutes into our drive when he again announced that he needed to go. This was the moment that Evan told me that he had not been successful the last trip at Aunt Stephanie's. So, the question was what do we do? We were just getting into the horrible construction traffic which meant we were at a stop or going 5 miles an hour and who knew how long it was going to take to get to the next exit. At which point we would most likely be too late anyway.

So, I did what an desperate mother would do (I think) and climbed into the backseat with an empty cup in hand. I figured 'he's a boy and should be able to do this, right?' Well, I explained to Liam what we were going to do, pulled down his pants and prayed that this would work. With a giant grin and a couple of giggles, Liam peed in the cup and I put him back into his seat. Since traffic was still moving rather slowly and we were down to only one lane I think we were able to do this without anyone knowing what was going on.  Well, it's possible that the people behind us thought we were being extremely odd but I'm just going to pretend that they didn't know what was happening.

Did this help us get all the way home dry? Unfortunately not but at least it made a pretty good story.

We now have a potty chart hanging on the fridge with 5 boxes that Liam can put a sticker on if he stays dry all day. At the end of 5 days he gets to pick out a toy, book, get ice cream or basically we will do anything his little heart desires. We need some goals and momma is tired of doing laundry every other day.

The voice of an angel

Liam singing the ABC's

Singing Take me Out to the Ballgame, kinda

As you can see we need to work on Take me out a bit more but I couldn't resist sharing.

I'm so mean!

Last night I got to see 'Chicago' at the Peoria Civic Center with my in laws. Just the girls and we had a great time.

So that means that Evan and Liam were on their own and of course when I called on the drive home I got to hear how amazing Liam was and how much fun they had together.

Since today is my day off I was hoping for an equally fun day with Liam including no tears or tantrum throwing. We were not successful. Surprise, surprise.

Two screaming fits at the Children's Museum here in Normal and after the second one, once he had calmed down. I asked him, "What is your deal? Why are you throwing fits?" To which he replied, "Cause I not getting my way."

Well, at least he knows he's not getting his way or exactly what he wants in that moment. And here's a news flash for you my dear son, get used to it.

I may need to clean out my ears

Today Liam and I were playing in his room with all of his stuffed animals. Liam said, "It's a party!" and I thought he said, "Let's get a keg!"

So I had him repeat himself and swore that he said it again. "Where did you hear that?!?!?! Don't ever say that again! Did you hear that at...." naming numerous kids at his daycare that he maybe would have heard this phrase.

Then Liam said, "No, mom I said Kix, the cereal."

Whew! I better not hear that one ever again! At least if he was smart he would never say that in front of his mother even if he is at a legal age.

A ray of sunshine in our storm of terrible two's

After a week and a half of the most horrible behavior you could imagine from my child, today was an answer to prayer.

He listened, he was calm, he was polite and very well behaved.

So tonight we had this conversation:

M: "I had so much fun with you today at the pumpkin farms."
L:  "Yeah!"
M: "Did you have fun with me? Or just fun?"
L: "Just fun."

And here was a song that he told me that he made up from earlier in the day.
"I got money in my pocket, and I want to go shopping."

And when we went to the library we sat down next to the Elephant and Piggie books.

M: "Oh here's one Liam, do you want to take this home with us?"
L: "I want to read it right now. Oh, this is going to be funny!"


So, glad to have my sweetheart back. Last night I was watching little videos when Liam was a baby and he was cooing and so happy. Evan was making fun of me and said, "Trying to remember what Liam was like when he isn't throwing a tantrum?" Why yes, yes I am. And today I got to have a whole day with him while he was just being a sweet, curious 2 1/2 year old boy. What a blessing!

Love

On Sunday Evan and Liam were playing with each other and Liam said...

"Daddy, you are my best friend, ever, ever, ever."

Even Evan couldn't contain his proud smile when he came to tell me. This boy is so sweet!

Priorities

Today we went to the Morton Pumpkin Festival Parade. Liam and Staley were sitting next to each other and when the first pageant queen drove by everyone was pointing her out to Staley so she could see her beautiful crown. I told Liam who she was as well, "Oooo, Liam look a real queen!" To which Liam responds with, "Look at the car, what kind it is?"

So, good to know that Liam could care less about the beautiful 17 year old teen but is definitely more interested in what kind of car she's riding in.

I hope that we will continue to not care about beautiful girls until the age of 15. Maybe even 24.

TMI

which stands for Too Much Information.

This morning Liam was eating breakfast with Grandma Fink. Liam had chosen Cap'n Crunch Berries, which at the moment very much outshines Kix-Mother Approved. While Liam is eating his cereal he says, "This makes my poop turn green." With which my mother said, "WHAT?!?" I'm sure thinking that she had not heard him correctly. So, he repeated himself. While I laughed in the kitchen and my mother sat perplexed with that jewel of knowledge, Liam just continued on with his breakfast like nothing odd had happened at all.

Just a fact of life, if you're going to eat cereal so heavily dyed with artificial coloring and flavor, it just might turn your next bathroom trip into something.....different.

Wrapping it up

It is with the deepest regret that I type we are in the last days of summer. I know, I know, it is September 6th. Labor Day has come and gone. The pools are closed and it's beginning to get dark at 7:30 pm instead of 9. The kids are back in school and the playgrounds are empty. (finally!) I adore summer and all of the things that come with it. But considering tomorrow it's supposed to be 90 degrees out I will not give up on summer just yet. But I will show you a few things that I liked best about this summer. 

Learning how to ride a tricycle

Hoping to go to State Farm Waterpark
and instead having to wear Evan's winter coat to keep warm on the playground. 

Riding on Daddy's shoulders through Wildlife Prairie Park

And riding the carousel all by himself!

Let's face it, tonight we went to the Rader Pumpkin Farms, next week is the Morton Pumpkin Festival and Tanner's Orchard is sounding pretty good too. Until next year summer! I'll miss you!

Small roles with big impressions

Disney movies are great. There is usually a fun character who is the hero of the story that everyone likes such as:

Remy, the rat from Ratatouille.

Liam likes Remy and for awhile we would watch quite a bit of Ratatouille, in chunks of time. But recently Liam was looking through his movies and brought us this one with great interest. Thinking that he wanted to watch it I asked if he wanted me to put it in. He suddenly became very anxious and kept saying "No, pow, pow! I don't like it." Well, it took us a few minutes to figure this one out but than we realized that this part:

In the very beginning, where the old lady wakes up to discover she has two mice running around her kitchen and pulls out a rifle to kill them. Yeah, apparently that part has left quite the impression on Liam. We have assured him that we can fast forward through that part to get to the rest of the movie, which is not so "cary". 

But for now he wants nothing to do with Remy or Linguini. I guess he's not quite ready for The Godfather yet.

Howdy

BIG BOY BED

Well, I know I said that I wouldn't be moving Liam out of his crib anytime soon but with one month of potty training under our belt I thought it was time. He never did try to climb out of his crib but he is getting heavier and heavier to lift and I just thought it would be easier for everybody. 

The morning that I was considering converting his crib into his toddler bed I asked Liam if he wanted to say goodbye to his crib and get a new big boy bed. He very enthusiastically said yes. So, despite Evan and I misplacing the instructions on assembling our crib (does this really surprise anyone?) I went ahead thinking that it couldn't be that hard to do. Thankfully I was right. (but if we ever have to take this thing completely apart I will be in serious trouble)

My baby is no longer a baby!

So you might ask how are things going in the new bed? Well, so far so good. Liam continues to stay in bed even when he wakes up to let us know that he is ready to get up. I will say that it has probably helped that he has had several months of training at daycare with sleeping on the cot, and staying on the cot. Although for a good few weeks every night when I picked him up from the babysitters I would hear a new story about how he got everyone up from their nap so that they would play with him. 

Only once, a couple nights ago, an hour after laying him down did I hear little footsteps on the carpet and then BAM! Followed by many screams because in the half sleepiness he ran straight into the door. He has since recovered and now we have a cautionary tale as why one should stay in bed.

Because apparently us telling him that alligators are hiding under his bed and will chomp off his toes if he gets up didn't do the job.

Michigan Part Deux

My boss has a place in Michigan that he allowed us to use earlier this August. Even if it was just for a short weekend you can't go wrong with Lake Michigan. We had a blast with Aunt Emily, Uncle Blair, Aunt Stephanie, Violet and Eli. Well, of course we did....we were at the beach! Enjoy our pictures...

Buried in the sand

Sisters (minus one)

We missed Adriane the whole day but I think my favorite time that she was missed was when Emily said after dinner, "Man, I miss Adriane. If she were here she would already be up, clearing the table and doing the dishes." 

We love you Adriane!

Animal Behavior

Tonight Liam and I were doing one of his puzzles and he was asking me what the animals were. I told him the bird was a parakeet and he started laughing at the word parakeet and told me that I was wrong. So, I went to my trusty IPhone and brought up images of a parakeet so he would know that I was indeed correct. This resulted in Liam wanting to look up more pictures of animals, so we looked up images of a lion and also images for a shark.

Many images for the shark looked like this:

My commentary for the picture so that Liam wouldn't be scared was, "Wow, he looks hungry! What do you think he wants to eat?"

Liam's response: "Cheerios."

And then I decided I really didn't want that image to be the last image he saw before bedtime so I tried to think of a very gentle animal that does not have 5 rows of teeth. I went with this:

Seriously, when I typed in zebra images, this was the first one to come up. Much less scary than the shark for sure but I hope I will not be woken up numerous times tonight because of these two photos.

Exciting times

Yesterday we went out to Evergreen Lake to take Butters swimming and to have a picnic on a beautiful Sunday. We were extremely prepared for our afternoon at the lake including beach chairs for Evan and I to sit in during our lunch, a blanket for Liam to eat his lunch and even his potty chair in case the public restrooms were not the cleanest.

Butters went swimming first and had a great time. Evan would throw her a stick, she would go retrieve it and bring it almost back to shore. Liam and I sat on the grass and watched her for a good 10-15 minutes enjoying every second of watching her "work." And we thoroughly enjoyed watching Evan almost slip in the mud and fall in the water to get the sticks that Butters refused to bring all the way back to him. She was a happy dog after that workout.

After our picnic lunch and watching Liam play with a few of his trucks that we brought along, he suddenly stood up, and announced that he had to poop! As we have been potty training for a month now, we understood that we must move fast or we would be in serious trouble. I jumped out of my chair, grabbed Liam's hand and off we went at a sprint to the car which was a good 30-40 yards away. Yelling back at Evan who had the car keys I screamed, "Pop the trunk!" as this was where the potty chair was.

So, picture Liam and I running towards the car, Evan still sitting in our beach chair hitting the remote repeatedly, finally getting up as he was not within range of the trunk actually opening and now sprinting after us so that the car would register that we were in an emergency situation. I was continually asking Liam to hold it, we're almost there in a frantic frenzied voice.

Miraculously, he made it. Success in the potty chair instead of his underwear and I was so proud. Until about 5 cars drove by staring at us, while I tried to shield Liam from their site.

After I sent Liam back to our picnic spot with Evan I suddenly realized that I now had to figure out how to dispose of "our success." I have never been camping but I think what I ended up doing would be acceptable at most campsites. I won't go any further.

After our exciting moment we spent the rest of our time playing on the playground equipment and letting Butters dry off in the sun. It was a great afternoon!

Just some good advice

This past Sunday we took Liam to Wildlife Prairie Park due to the marvelous below average temperatures we've been having. The cooler temperatures are perfect for viewing animals because than they're not hiding in the shade. They're out an about in the 78 degree weather enjoying the beautiful day!

So, anyway, Evan and Liam were watching the Cougar walk around his den and than Evan told Liam to tell the Cougar goodbye so we could go see more animals.

Liam: Bye, bye Cougar.

Evan: Say, keep cool Cougar.

Liam: Keep cool Cougar.....and keep your undies dry!

This made Evan and I laugh quite a bit as I hope it does you as well. Everyday when we drop Liam off at the babysitters we tell him goodbye, that we love him and to keep his undies dry!

It's really quite excellent advice for everybody, including cougars.

Mysterious lady

My dog is truly a mystery to me.

When I think she will be good, she isn't. And when I expect her to be awful she is the most obedient dog in the world.

Tonight Evan is at a concert in Peoria so that meant that instead of the four of us it was only the three of us on our nightly walk. Walking with a stroller, with a toddler in the stroller for part of the time and the rest of the time asking when he can get out and walk, and a 65 pound dog who is pure muscle, can at times be tricky.

In my head I know that Butters can walk alongside the stroller without any trouble. I often decide, hastily, to risk it all and go somewhere where I know that Butters will have too much temptation and therefore she is pulling on the leash or trying to meet other people and dogs and making me want to take off her leash and leave her behind.

Tonight was no exception of my poor decision skills as we headed out for our walk a few minutes to 7 and I remembered that there was a band concert at the park a few blocks away from our home that will begin shortly.

My Fantasy: Sitting in the park listening to music while my son and dog sat nicely next to me and behaved themselves.

My Goal: To walk the perimeter of the park and scope it out. See how many dogs were attending the concert and just how many people that would tempt Butters into being a naughty but friendly lab. Possibly sitting at the edge of the park listening to 1-2 songs.

Our Reality:  We sat in the park, listening to music while my dog sat nicely beside me and my son sat in my lap. Liam got up and danced around us during the Sousa marches and Butters stayed put. She wagged her tail furiously as people walked past us wanting so badly to go over and say hello, but did not move or try to dart off. We were able to stay and listen to the concert for 25 minutes before we left. (due to a need for potty time and an upcoming bedtime)

It is true that we were at least 30 yards away from the majority of people. But only 10 yards away from the nearest person.

I mean who is this dog???? It's times like these that I can see all that time and money we used on obedience classes when she was 2 and under have really paid off. Now if I can only get her to sit and stay when company comes over instead of mauling them as soon as they walk in the door and pretending she's a German Shepherd, I may be a happy dog owner.

Are we really doing this?

I don't know how I feel about potty training. I don't even know if we're actually doing it. What I do know is that we're going with the flow so to speak. If Liam wants to go on the potty he tells us and if he wants to wear undies, he tells us.

I believe with the vacation we just got back from, where both of Liam's cousins that we were staying with were either being potty trained or already a potty pro, has greatly encouraged and spiked his interest in going on the potty. I also was told by our babysitter last week that we should start bringing undies to daycare for him to wear because she thinks he is ready.

 I decided since the last part of the week we stayed in Canton that I wouldn't bring any undies because I didn't want to potty train at Grandma and Grandpa's house was the best decision. However, the first thing that Liam said when he woke up the first day was "Mommy, I want to go potty!"  Ok, great so apparently this potty training thing really only works when the child has it made up in his mind that he is ready. (so I've heard and read)

Luckily we had 2 pairs of undies from daycare in his backpack that he was able to wear for an hour. Until he peed in both of them.

Today I asked Liam while trying to rush out the door if he wanted to wear undies to his babysitters house. Of course, he said yes, much to my dismay and surprisingly stayed dry the entire time while I was cursing every red light that we came across. (of course only in my head)

At the end of the day I was told that Liam wore undies all day with no accidents and even got up from coloring to go on the potty without being prompted. Holy cow! A run to the Dollar store was Liam special treat for staying dry all day at daycare, where I told him he could pick out any toy that he wanted. Of course a race car was the one that was taken to the check out line where he told the cashier why he was getting this special prize. She was great and played along nicely telling Liam what a great job he had done and to make sure he did it again the next day!

Unfortunately, once returning home Liam had 3 accidents. Why is this? I can't decide if it's because he missed his mom and dad so much that he would rather play with us than go potty or he was just doing it because....I have no idea.

I really was not looking forward to this milestone but I'll just try to remember to stay relaxed about it and hopefully Liam will catch on quickly.

Pentwater

Vacations are a wonderful thing. A time to relax with your family and loved ones and spend 24 hours a day with each other until you can't stand to look at each other anymore. Good thing that on our family vacation we see Evan's entire family so there's lots of faces to look at and you don't get sick of any one person in particular.

Building castles with Aunt Carrie

Making it rain on sand castles with Staley

Proof that I did get in the water this year

Riding a big boy bike with Uncle Ethan

The beginning of Liam's modeling career

My birthday crepes made by my awesome husband

We were only slightly tempted to leave him buried in the sand

Elliott and Liam riding in the boat. Thanks Uncle Eldon!

The boys and Grammie

Sweet baby Adelie and Uncle Ethan

Our adorable little family

I can't think of a better way to spend my 30th birthday than on the beach with some of the people who love me most. Thanks to my husband who made everyone crepes in the house to celebrate, my awesome mother in law who babysat so that we could go mini golfing without Liam and to Aunt Mary who bought a cake for both myself, our cousins Kirsten, and the next day Elizabeth. 

It may be the same vacation year after year but it just keeps getting better!