Ah, spring

I love spring. Everything is new and coming back to life. Our spirits are lifted and a new smell is in the air. I especially love living in the country. No neighbors, no cars, Libby & Fred bringing dead rodents to the porch..

2 or 12??!!

"Stop it daddy, you in my face" -- Kara

The next 15 years ought to be fun

It's finally gone!

My cast came off today and I couldn't be happier. It is so much easier to type, cook, change diapers, shower, etc. I am a tad stiff but the dr is putting me on a 2 week course of steroids and told me to keep using it and I should be good in a few weeks.

We have a stomach virus going on around here with the kids. It started with Kara on Tuesday & now the boys have it. We have cancelled all plans this weekend to let them recoup. It is supposed to be a warm weekend so the fact that we have no plans is a welcomed surprise. Hopefully, they will feel good enough to go out and play tomorrow.

We had our first fire of the season last night. We grilled outside and then had smores. It was a lot of f and we finally had a chance to burn our Christmas tree.

Hand, Head, Knees & Toes

It has been a little while since I have had the chance to write. About 10 days ago, Libby decided to turn homicidal. Her plan did backfire and she only managed to cause a minor concussion and broken thumb/damaged ligaments by pushing me down the stairs. That was a nightmare but didn't seem to set me too far back in my training for the 5K Adam & I are running in May. I am not up to running about 4.5 miles on average (although yesterday I was just shy of 5 miles) and down 10 lbs. I have a goal for myself with the running and I am determined to meet those goals! I would like to try running a half marathon with Paul in November in Indianapolis.

Jack is doing EXCELLENT on his medications. He is really a different child. And, just as everyone told me, it feels like it was the best decision for us. He has expressed interest in earning his own money so he has 4 chores a day which he gets a sticker on a chart. At the end of the week, we will pay up. He has the ability to earn a dollar a day. I think for a 4 year old this is reasonable. He also wants a wallet to put his money in. I am giving him 1 for Valentines Day. He has been off school all week but goes back today. Just in time for his Valentines Day party. I made chocolate caramel covered pretzel rods with bits of toffee on the end for the students and teachers. He is also giving out Toy story cards with a sucker.

Grant took 2 unassisted steps the other day! He was very proud and its just a matter of time before he is off and walking for good. He is also magically sleeping better. He is sleeping 8 hours straight, waking for a bottle then back to bed for 4 or 5 more hours. I am limiting his nap time and think this is helping the sleeping situation.

Well Jack was officially diagnosed with ADHD. He started on medication on Wednesday. There has been no significant change but it is only a half dose while his body gets used to it. The first 2 days I had to crush half of a blue tablet and mix it with yogurt or applesauce. He did not like the blue color in his food. I was prepared to mix it in sugar free chocolate pudding but Karee decided to teach him to swallow pills. We bought a big bag of m&m's and told him he could have all the candy he wants if he didn't chew them. He got the hang of it pretty quickly. He even was able to start swallowing them without water. The next morning, he was so proud to be able to swallow his pill. That certainly takes the stress away from "is he eating it all?" "is Kara getting some of the food the pill is in?"

Grant is starting to stand on his own without holding onto anything. I am amazed every day how young he is to be doing this stuff. We saw a different pediatrician in the practice the other day and she feels Grant will be walking very soon.

Kara is doing pretty well these days. She isn't quite as mean to Grant as she used to be and is starting to share. She is speaking in sentences now and is starting to be just as funny as her big brother. Grant was crying and she told us that Grant was "crying in his mouth".

First wedding

Last night was our first time attending a wedding together. Within the next 6 months, we have 2 more coming up also. This wedding was for Karee's cousin, Kimmy, and her fiance Jacob. It was a beautiful wedding. Kimmy was stunning. The ceremony was 1 1/2 hours. The kids did pretty well. Karee did take Kara out to the cry area because her speaking voice is 1 volume level. At the reception, Kara had fun dancing. She danced almost the entire night. Grant enjoyed being around all of the people and getting passed around. The wedding started at 1:30pm and we got home a tad after 11pm. Jack was not with us last night though that was the only problem. We felt incomplete without our big bubbs. There were enough kids and family members to entertain our kids that Karee and I got a chance to drink and dance together. It was ALMOST like a nightout without the kids (which this Valentines day marks 1 year of our last time out without kids) but not quite. The kids did not nap and Grant did sleep through the night! Hallelujah for small miracles!

Update on the boys

My baby is 9 months old. He weighs 20lbs 12oz and 29 inches long. He is crusing along the furniture & the dr is predicting he will be trying to take his first steps very soon. He can stand alone for a few seconds at a time without holding onto furniture. He is so sweet and laid back. He is growing so fast and has 4 teeth with 2 just getting ready to pop through the gum.
I also had a consultation on Jack. He has always been an energetic boy. The older he gets, the harder it is to control him. He gets so defiant or angry and it takes hours to get through to him. I have tried so many ways to try to get through to him including changing his diet and adding in various vitamins. We are in the beginning stages of diagnosing with ADD or ADHD. I am filling out papers for the pediatrican. Also being referred to a developmental specialist (although it will take months to get in) and a behaviorist. I am struggling just because it is beyond my control. The pediatrician alone may be able to prescribe medication if it is needed. I want to set him up for success and he's so funny and sweet..i want others to see those qualities in him as well. Not a wild boy who won't listen when he gets super excited. I am sure I will be blogging about this as it is a major part of my life at the moment.

Trip to Michigan

I really expected our first short trip to be pure hell. It was actually a fun trip. The 4 hour car ride wasn't bad at all. Thank goodness for the dvd player in our car. Kara & Jack slept in a double bed together and they slept pretty well. It helped that they were worn out both nights and promptly crashed after hitting the bed. Grant did pretty well also. He enjoyed exploring new places.

Jack, Karee, & Karee's friend Jason went to the Detroit Autoshow. This was their second time going. Jack was in heaven with all of the cars and the fact that you can sit in the cars, etc. He would just sit next to random people & start talking about the cars and making them laugh. Karee noticed the Toledo Blade following Jack for a little while, taking pictures & asking what his favorite car was. Sure enough, Jack made the paper the next day. It talks about him in the article then there is a link to the picture gallery & Jacks the first picture. We stopped in Toledo on our way home and picked up a paper also. Last year he was on the news.
http://www.toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20100117/BUSINESS02/1170341

While they were at the auto show Kara, Grant & I went to the Ann Arbor Hands On Museum. The museum was neat we stayed in the preschool area which was enclosed and they had various activities like a couple of Lego tables, water tables, an area to wash and scrub a rock, firetruck to play in, kitchen area with an above "loft", and a few other things for the kids to do. We met Kristin & Max and Becky & Owen. It was a lot of fun since I have known these girls for almost 3 years but we never met face to face. At first, I think the kids were overwhelmed by the other kids there but once we were there for a bit they all played and had a good time. They had such a good time that Kara threw herself on the ground when it was time to leave and didn't want to walk the 1 1/2 blocks to the parking garage. I had to try to carry her and push Grant in a stroller. Meanwhile, one lady walking her dog decided it was appropriate to shout out "wait until she's 4". WTF was that? No one asked you so keep on walking and make sure to pick up your dogs shit.
Becky & Owen:

Kristin & Max:

Kara & Grant at the Lego table:That evening we let the kids swim in the pool for just a bit and they had a great time. We didn't bring their floaties but they still had a blast. Kara has no fear of the water whatsoever. Jack was a bit nervous at first but by the time we left he was holding his head under the water. After swimming, we went to Jason & Missy's house. Karee went to high school with Jason and he is one of his best friends. Missy made us spaghetti & meatballs, salad and brownies. I was afraid that our kids were going to be wild since they had no nap and were very tired. Kara had a fit at first because we left Boo at the hotel but she ended up coming around and eating her dinner. Jack was very good!

I hope this was the first trip of many throughout their childhood!

For hire

Everyone gets to the point where they admit defeat, throw in the towel, wave the white flag...You know that feeling when you must hire help. I am now in the market for hiring help. I have realized I cannot get through my day without the assistance of someone important. The reason for this is before 8:30am I had been up every 2 hours with Grant, had Kara throwing a fit because she didn't like her pants, Libby ate a poopy diaper - vomited the diaper - ate the vomit and then vomited one last time and Grant had a blowout from his diaper to his ankles. Running late on a Monday morning has helped me come to realize that I need to hire a professional ass scratcher. Because folks, there are days I have no time to scratch my own.

Posting by Grant

"So this is the Aunt Cathy my mommy told me about. She sure does have a nice boobie pillow. She doesn't smell quite right though. I think I'll muster up some projectile vomit to make her smell better. (then I proceeded to spit up a few minutes later). Ahhh, much better. Why is everyone freaking out? She smells awesome now!"