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Sunday, November 20, 2011
Tuesday, November 15, 2011
Monday, November 14, 2011
Our trip to St. Louis
I packed the car to the brim for my first trip alone with these three lil Hooligans. Books, toys, snacks, diapers, pack n play, double stroller, books on tape, CDs, new surprises and my camera which I never took out of the car. These pictures are all from my phone so the quality is not so great. The drive took about 5-6 hours with stops.
I'm not kidding, my kids are AMAZING travelers! They were absolutely no trouble at all in the car. Not even Leo. Of course I let him have his paci, which he usually only gets in his bed. A few times I felt the need to check and see if he was still there! I never heard a peep!
We stopped at McDonalds for lunch, and my kids LOVED playing "Robin Hood" in this awesome playland.
Soon we saw this view and knew we were close....
We had a great time visiting with D and kids, although the first night was extremely rough. John Paul and Madeleine woke Leo up and he ended up not going back to sleep until 1:30 am, finally, in the bed with Madeleine and me. When Madeleine FINALLY fell asleep, she was so tired she didn't even notice Leo screaming and hitting her in the face with his paci!
John Paul LOVED Lucy - and she loved him since he shared his grapes with her! (or as she says, "Apples" - so cute!)
The next day we hit the St. Louis zoo. It was quite amazing! The animals were all so close, much closer to us than the Indianapolis zoo. This Chimp kept following Madeleine around, we called him her "old friend." He followed her from window to window and then sat right next to her! She LOVED it!
Later that day, and the next day before we left, we went to the Magic House, which is their awesome Children's museum. Here are my kids trying to climb IN the water table.
There was a nice baby area, Leo loved looking at the "other" chubby baby in the mirror. He gave him a high five and even kissed him!
John Paul and Lucy riding in the car together.
Hanging out in the Ergo with mama.
They even had little baby seats so the babies could play in the water! Such a great idea and Leo loved it!
More chubby baby in the mirror...
Splashing himself in the face...
Leo and Cecilia enjoying the water. CC is so sweet and cute!
The second night was MUCH better since we wore everyone out! The kids were all asleep in the same room by 8:30. And Madeleine and John Paul slept over 11 hours :) We went back to the magic house the next morning, then left from there. I thought we'd be home around 6, but as soon as we crossed the Indiana state line, we were completely stopped on I70. For HOURS. In the pitch black. There is NOTHING around. M and JP both had to go potty at one point and we barely made it to a gas station. I fed Leo a pouch of baby food and tried to feed him a bottle sitting in the gas station, he was not interested. Then I went through a drive through for us and said we were NOT stopping again. I got back on 70 thinking for sure the construction/ one lane would be over soon. Not so much. I think we went about 2 miles in 45 minutes. Finally Ken told me a different way to go and we were able to get off that road. We didn't make it home until after 9 and everyone went right to bed. Wow that was rough. But my kids were absolute troopers! Even with it getting dark at 4pm, even in horrible traffic, they never complained. Leo even fell asleep for the last hour.
So, even though the first night was awful and the drive home was awful (NOT b/c of the kids H! lol) I am really glad we went. We took a little break from school, got to spend a little time with D and her kids, and got to see a different city. My kids had a fantastic time and have been asking when we can go back.
Thank you D for hosting us and all the wonderful food! We had a great time!
I'm not kidding, my kids are AMAZING travelers! They were absolutely no trouble at all in the car. Not even Leo. Of course I let him have his paci, which he usually only gets in his bed. A few times I felt the need to check and see if he was still there! I never heard a peep!
We stopped at McDonalds for lunch, and my kids LOVED playing "Robin Hood" in this awesome playland.
Soon we saw this view and knew we were close....
We had a great time visiting with D and kids, although the first night was extremely rough. John Paul and Madeleine woke Leo up and he ended up not going back to sleep until 1:30 am, finally, in the bed with Madeleine and me. When Madeleine FINALLY fell asleep, she was so tired she didn't even notice Leo screaming and hitting her in the face with his paci!
John Paul LOVED Lucy - and she loved him since he shared his grapes with her! (or as she says, "Apples" - so cute!)
The next day we hit the St. Louis zoo. It was quite amazing! The animals were all so close, much closer to us than the Indianapolis zoo. This Chimp kept following Madeleine around, we called him her "old friend." He followed her from window to window and then sat right next to her! She LOVED it!
Later that day, and the next day before we left, we went to the Magic House, which is their awesome Children's museum. Here are my kids trying to climb IN the water table. 
There was a nice baby area, Leo loved looking at the "other" chubby baby in the mirror. He gave him a high five and even kissed him!
John Paul and Lucy riding in the car together.
Hanging out in the Ergo with mama.
They even had little baby seats so the babies could play in the water! Such a great idea and Leo loved it!
More chubby baby in the mirror...
Splashing himself in the face...
Leo and Cecilia enjoying the water. CC is so sweet and cute!
The second night was MUCH better since we wore everyone out! The kids were all asleep in the same room by 8:30. And Madeleine and John Paul slept over 11 hours :) We went back to the magic house the next morning, then left from there. I thought we'd be home around 6, but as soon as we crossed the Indiana state line, we were completely stopped on I70. For HOURS. In the pitch black. There is NOTHING around. M and JP both had to go potty at one point and we barely made it to a gas station. I fed Leo a pouch of baby food and tried to feed him a bottle sitting in the gas station, he was not interested. Then I went through a drive through for us and said we were NOT stopping again. I got back on 70 thinking for sure the construction/ one lane would be over soon. Not so much. I think we went about 2 miles in 45 minutes. Finally Ken told me a different way to go and we were able to get off that road. We didn't make it home until after 9 and everyone went right to bed. Wow that was rough. But my kids were absolute troopers! Even with it getting dark at 4pm, even in horrible traffic, they never complained. Leo even fell asleep for the last hour.
So, even though the first night was awful and the drive home was awful (NOT b/c of the kids H! lol) I am really glad we went. We took a little break from school, got to spend a little time with D and her kids, and got to see a different city. My kids had a fantastic time and have been asking when we can go back.
Thank you D for hosting us and all the wonderful food! We had a great time!
Thursday, November 10, 2011
Proud Mama
I have a lot to write about, our trip to St. Louis, Leo's surgeon appointment, the hellish drive home from St. Louis, but I wanted to share one quick story.
A few months ago, I made Madeleine and John Paul memorize my cell phone number. They both memorized it easily, and remembered correctly even weeks later. We talked about that if they were to ever get separated in a store or something, to go up to someone with a name tag, who looks like they work there, and tell them their name and that they lost their mommy. Then they could tell them my phone number and they could call me and I would come right away.
So in St. Louis this week we went to The Magic House which is an amazing Children's Museum. There was a toddler area with a sand table, water table, tubes to climb in, slides, dollhouses, and all kinds of stuff to play with and all kinds of tiny rooms to explore in a big enclosed area. Madeleine and John Paul were kind of running all over the place and exploring it all. There was a baby area too with a little ball pit and some other things for babies under 24 months. I took Leo in there and Madeleine didn't know where I was. So she went to a worker and told them my phone number! They didn't call it but instead looked around for me for a minute before they found me. I told her I was so proud of her and she did the exact right thing! And the workers were SO impressed that a 4 year old would know that and know exactly what to do.
She actually didn't know the area code, but on the way home she memorized the first 3 numbers, so now she knows the whole thing. I'm so proud of her!
A few months ago, I made Madeleine and John Paul memorize my cell phone number. They both memorized it easily, and remembered correctly even weeks later. We talked about that if they were to ever get separated in a store or something, to go up to someone with a name tag, who looks like they work there, and tell them their name and that they lost their mommy. Then they could tell them my phone number and they could call me and I would come right away.
So in St. Louis this week we went to The Magic House which is an amazing Children's Museum. There was a toddler area with a sand table, water table, tubes to climb in, slides, dollhouses, and all kinds of stuff to play with and all kinds of tiny rooms to explore in a big enclosed area. Madeleine and John Paul were kind of running all over the place and exploring it all. There was a baby area too with a little ball pit and some other things for babies under 24 months. I took Leo in there and Madeleine didn't know where I was. So she went to a worker and told them my phone number! They didn't call it but instead looked around for me for a minute before they found me. I told her I was so proud of her and she did the exact right thing! And the workers were SO impressed that a 4 year old would know that and know exactly what to do.
She actually didn't know the area code, but on the way home she memorized the first 3 numbers, so now she knows the whole thing. I'm so proud of her!
Wednesday, November 02, 2011
Halloween Pics
My camera died right when we were going trick or treating but it worked out since my sister in law takes way better pictures than I do anyway! Thank you Jenni!
Love my little frog. And my ergo.
So my blog has been totally boring lately, but we have some interesting things coming up. We have an appointment with Leo's surgeon on Monday, and I'm hoping we schedule the surgery. And, we are leaving right from the appointment to go visit John Paul's godmother in St. Louis! All 4 of us will be staying in one room (me and the kids) so say a lot of prayers! We might be leaving the next day!
Love my little frog. And my ergo.
So my blog has been totally boring lately, but we have some interesting things coming up. We have an appointment with Leo's surgeon on Monday, and I'm hoping we schedule the surgery. And, we are leaving right from the appointment to go visit John Paul's godmother in St. Louis! All 4 of us will be staying in one room (me and the kids) so say a lot of prayers! We might be leaving the next day!
Monday, October 31, 2011
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
Perfect day at the Patch
Yesterday might have been the last really nice day so we hit the pumpkin patch with our Playgroup. The kids all had a blast. And guess who was the cutest pumpkin EVER?
The huge hay pile was a big hit. Hooligans with Hay.
Have I mentioned on here that I LOVE my ergo? I could carry my hefty boy all day.
We got to take a hayride to the pumpkin patch.
Hay was thrown.
I love this picture. I cannot believe my baby girl looks like this. She is going to be 5 in March and she looks so grown up! She is getting more helpful and she is a terrific student. She remembers everything and I am loving learning right along with her. I just have to get her to start being nice to her brother and we'll be good. Any tips on that??
The huge hay pile was a big hit. Hooligans with Hay. 
Have I mentioned on here that I LOVE my ergo? I could carry my hefty boy all day.
We got to take a hayride to the pumpkin patch.
Hay was thrown.
I love this picture. I cannot believe my baby girl looks like this. She is going to be 5 in March and she looks so grown up! She is getting more helpful and she is a terrific student. She remembers everything and I am loving learning right along with her. I just have to get her to start being nice to her brother and we'll be good. Any tips on that??
Saturday, October 22, 2011
Feast day of Blessed John Paul 2
John Paul: Can I be naked a few minutes??
Happy feast day!
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Wednesday, October 19, 2011
Sunday, October 16, 2011
Interesting
I had two interesting "cleft experiences" this week. The first one was during nap time, flipping through the channels, I happened to catch a few minutes of Dr. Phil. I noticed the woman on there had a cleft lip repair (and boy did she have ISSUES!) I listened to her for a few minutes and she sounded absolutely perfect, nothing wrong with her speech. I wondered if she had a cleft palate as well. Finally she told Dr. Phil she was born with a cleft lip and palate. That made me feel great that her speech was so good, since that is what I'm probably the most concerned about - other than his surgery. I shouldn't say I'm too concerned though, since the surgeon and speech therapist assure me that eventually no one will ever know anything was wrong.
The second thing happened at Chick fil A on Thursday night. Ken was gone on a business trip this week (left me alone with these hooligans!) so on Thursday night I took them there for supper and for them to wear themselves out in the play area. Leo was in the stroller at our table and this adorable little 3 year old Asian girl kept coming over to him. She walked right up to him and started playing with him and they both had huge smiles on their faces. I tried to ask her a few questions but she didn't answer. She did sign "baby" and point to him with a big smile on her face. I said, "Do you like babies?" and she nodded emphatically "yes!" Then I noticed that she had a cleft lip repair. I asked her dad sitting at the next table if she had also had a cleft palate. He said yes. She was adopted at 18 months from China, and had her repair at 20 months. I asked him about the surgery and told him Leo would have his in 4-5 months. He said she came through it with flying colors and it wasn't a bad recovery at all. That made me feel good too! They were so cute together. It was like they had a little connection. So so sweet.
The second thing happened at Chick fil A on Thursday night. Ken was gone on a business trip this week (left me alone with these hooligans!) so on Thursday night I took them there for supper and for them to wear themselves out in the play area. Leo was in the stroller at our table and this adorable little 3 year old Asian girl kept coming over to him. She walked right up to him and started playing with him and they both had huge smiles on their faces. I tried to ask her a few questions but she didn't answer. She did sign "baby" and point to him with a big smile on her face. I said, "Do you like babies?" and she nodded emphatically "yes!" Then I noticed that she had a cleft lip repair. I asked her dad sitting at the next table if she had also had a cleft palate. He said yes. She was adopted at 18 months from China, and had her repair at 20 months. I asked him about the surgery and told him Leo would have his in 4-5 months. He said she came through it with flying colors and it wasn't a bad recovery at all. That made me feel good too! They were so cute together. It was like they had a little connection. So so sweet.
Thursday, October 13, 2011
Understatement of the year
Yesterday we were talking about this or that we did before we had kids. This is a totally foreign concept to Madeleine. Once she asked me, "When you were a little girl, Who was my mommy?"
Anyway, after listening for awhile, she said, "Was everyone happy when I finally got here?"
Honey, you have no idea.
Anyway, after listening for awhile, she said, "Was everyone happy when I finally got here?"
Honey, you have no idea.
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Tuesday, October 11, 2011
10 month pics
He finally outgrew that baby bathtub. Like 6 months ago. But this is his first sink bath.
He got his first tooth!
And that would be his first bruise. He got that about 2 minutes before his speech therapist came over last Friday. He's pulling up to his knees on everything, and crawling EVERYWHERE. I think that he's already slimmed down since he started crawling about 3 weeks ago. I miss the chunk!
He got his first tooth!
And that would be his first bruise. He got that about 2 minutes before his speech therapist came over last Friday. He's pulling up to his knees on everything, and crawling EVERYWHERE. I think that he's already slimmed down since he started crawling about 3 weeks ago. I miss the chunk!
Friday, October 07, 2011
Quick takes
1. Let me get the complaining out of the way first. Sometimes I really hate pumping. Like this morning, when Leo was in our bed sleeping so peacefully, and I had to get up and pump, and Ken had to get in the shower, so I had to move him to his bed where he woke up and cried the whole time I was downstairs pumping. That doesn't happen often, but when it does, I just can't wait for this to be over. On the other hand, I'm SO glad I've been able to keep this up for 10 months tomorrow! No plans on stopping anytime soon either. Ok I'm done complaining.
2. We hit the apple orchard again this week. The weather for this entire week was absolutely gorgeous so we made sure to enjoy it!
The CAMERA. Look at the CAMERA.
John Paul. Look. at. the. camera.
THE CAMERA.
3. OK one more small complaint. This sweet boy is going through the special needs nipples like crazy. He's chewing on them and making the holes bigger and then they're unusable. I just bought 4 of them today. $56. He's working on drinking out of a cup.
(John Paul! The camera is RIGHT HERE.)
4. I gave Leo his second haircut! I made sure to leave the curls on top. Actually the top was the only part that needed cutting!
5. Since Leo started crawling, I've really enjoyed watching all 3 of them play together on the floor. (This was his before haircut pic.)
6. Madeleine's absolute favorite thing to do is catch bugs. Here's how much I love her. This week I caught a beetle, 2 grasshoppers, and a giant scary looking black spider with yellow stripes. You would have thought it was Christmas morning.
7. Leo got to ride the dinosaur at the "dinosaur playground" as John Paul calls it. No pictures of this, but this week I figured out how to put Leo in the ergo on my back. My life has completely changed! We've gone on hikes, to stores and playgrounds, and I can even cook with him on my back! Totally hands free, it's amazing. I can't believe it took me 3 kids to figure this one out. He is super happy back there too.
7. Our hike at this beautiful park. I asked Ken what he thought his kids did on this hike (without showing him pictures.) He said, Madeleine looked for bugs and John Paul threw things and hit things with sticks. Right on the money.
Check back for Leo's 10 month pics tomorrow! 10 months!
2. We hit the apple orchard again this week. The weather for this entire week was absolutely gorgeous so we made sure to enjoy it!
John Paul, look at the camera.
The CAMERA. Look at the CAMERA.
John Paul. Look. at. the. camera.
THE CAMERA.
3. OK one more small complaint. This sweet boy is going through the special needs nipples like crazy. He's chewing on them and making the holes bigger and then they're unusable. I just bought 4 of them today. $56. He's working on drinking out of a cup.
(John Paul! The camera is RIGHT HERE.)
4. I gave Leo his second haircut! I made sure to leave the curls on top. Actually the top was the only part that needed cutting!
5. Since Leo started crawling, I've really enjoyed watching all 3 of them play together on the floor. (This was his before haircut pic.)
6. Madeleine's absolute favorite thing to do is catch bugs. Here's how much I love her. This week I caught a beetle, 2 grasshoppers, and a giant scary looking black spider with yellow stripes. You would have thought it was Christmas morning. 
7. Leo got to ride the dinosaur at the "dinosaur playground" as John Paul calls it. No pictures of this, but this week I figured out how to put Leo in the ergo on my back. My life has completely changed! We've gone on hikes, to stores and playgrounds, and I can even cook with him on my back! Totally hands free, it's amazing. I can't believe it took me 3 kids to figure this one out. He is super happy back there too. 
7. Our hike at this beautiful park. I asked Ken what he thought his kids did on this hike (without showing him pictures.) He said, Madeleine looked for bugs and John Paul threw things and hit things with sticks. Right on the money.
Check back for Leo's 10 month pics tomorrow! 10 months!
Monday, October 03, 2011
I don't even know what to call this one
As I got John Paul out of his crib this morning, he started poking my chest.
JP: Mommy, what are THOSE?
Me: Those make milk for baby Leo.
JP: OOH, they're so nice and LUMPY!
(Side note, I told Ken about this and he said, "That boy is gonna be a smooth talker.")
M: I have some of those too! They're little right now but someday they're gonna get bigger and THEN I can be a SISTER! (She means a nun!)
Me: um....
JP: Mommy, what are THOSE?
Me: Those make milk for baby Leo.
JP: OOH, they're so nice and LUMPY!
(Side note, I told Ken about this and he said, "That boy is gonna be a smooth talker.")
M: I have some of those too! They're little right now but someday they're gonna get bigger and THEN I can be a SISTER! (She means a nun!)
Me: um....
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