Nicholas takes a bath!

Nicholas really enjoys bath time, as long as he is warm!!  Michael loves to help give Nicholas a bath, it's part of his big brother role.  We do bath time with Nicholas on the days Michael B is home with me.  It serves as great entertainment for both of us.  Michael shares all of his bath tub toys, and can't understand why Nicholas has no interest in playing with them!  

Just like the other kids...

A couple of weeks ago Josh's friends from work hosted a surprise baby shower for Josh.  Michael and I had the honor of being the "surprise shower guests"!  One of the gifts that Josh's friends gave Michael was a Cars lunch box.  This lunch box is very precious to our little Michael.  He loves taking his "lunch" to Peggy's house, even though she makes the children a delicious homemade lunch every day.  Michael and I do pack little snacks in his lunch box, though. 

I didn't realize that the majority of the children bring a little snack from home, in a lunch box.  I used to pack him snacks, but he would never eat them and always preferred what the sitter had to offer for snack time. You can imagine his excitement when he received the Cars lunch box two weeks ago because now he is just like his friends: he brings a snack to Peggy's in his very cool lunch box!  He feels very special right now, and really enjoys figuring out what to pack for his snack everyday.  His enthusiasm is just precious, and I love it!  

The routine with the babysitter is working very well right now.  I think he is getting the perfect amount of "being a kid time"/play time, socialization time, mixed in with learning time.  He's much more comfortable with the routine than he was a couple of weeks ago. Every once in awhile he'll ask if he can stay with Mommy (or, Daddy) and then he runs off with his friends.  

I'm so grateful that we've had the time to get Michael settled into this new routine before the baby comes. 

A is for Alien!

Last Friday was a craft day with Mommy! 

 The letter of the week was "Aa" at the sitter's, so we did a quick project last Friday.  I found this blog (No Time for Flashcards), which is full of fantastic crafts for preschool age children.  This is one of the author's suggestions for the letter A.  Tomorrow we're going to complete a few projects for the letter B.  I am planning on making butterflies and bumble bees with the little guy! 

I've just got to figure out what on Earth we're going to do with all of these projects!  I have an idea, I just need some help from Josh because it involves putting nails into the walls of Michael's playroom.  Josh does a much better job of hanging things on the walls than me.

 : ) 

I've been updating the running blog, on the days that I actually "do something".  Check it out at www.runhappy.blogspot.com.  The link is also on the right.  Today I was able to run, yes...RUN!, three miles.  It was ugly and slow, but it was a run nonetheless.  

So Silly!

Well.  It's time for the AB 10k!  And, for some ridiculous reason I still feel nervous.  I'm totally OUT of the racing scene, there's no question!  However, I still feel nervous and I'm foolishly creating little goals for the race. Each time I talk about the race to someone, I mentally shave a minute or two off of my goal time.  Part of me thinks that I shouldn't even do the race if I can't set aside my competitive streak, but that's definitely not fun.  I have tried numerous times to get Josh to run with me, but I don't think that would work, even if he agreed. He's too fast and is too much of a sprinter.  We'd get in an argument after the first mile, I have a feeling.  

As always, I love this race and I am so happy that I'm still running and that I'll be able to participate.  When I was pregnant with Michael I was just weeks away from delivery and had no desire to run in this 10k; though I was extremely jealous of my fellow runners!  Also, around this point with my pregnancy with Michael running three was a tremendous struggle.  I got these awful side stitch cramp things.  Which made me feel reminiscent of running during middle school gym class after a lunch of 'tator tots (GROSS!) and chocolate milk (BARF!).   It will be interesting to see how the race goes for me and this babe.  It's fun to think that this is the second race that this baby will have run with me....  ; )

In other news, Michael related, I am becoming completely frustrated with the night-time routine.  Every evening he gets out of his bed at least four to five times a night.  It's not the middle of the night, it is as soon as we lay him down.  I'm trying to figure out some sort of consequence that will make him want to stay in the bed.  Time out seems silly(-he's getting out of going to sleep, which he WANTS!), we don't spank, my stern voice makes him laugh; so I'd say we're kind of up a creek right?  However, I may have (at least for tonight) gotten him where it hurts:  no cars (Wing-go, Leak Less, Lightning McQueen, Dinco Blue, DJ---all from the Cars movie)  tomorrow if he gets out of his bed one more time.  He initially laughed when I mentioned this, and then he realized that I was serious.  I asked him if he likes his new car- "Leak Less".  He said yes, and then I told him again--Leak Less will be taken by mom if you get up one more time.  So far, so good.  I absolutely refuse to start the whole laying down with him, rubbing his back, talking to him, etc, etc, to get him to sleep.  

Maybe I'm onto something....Let's hope, at least!

(The photo is from last year's race--a bunch of friends from school ran in this 10k.  We all had matching shirts!)

Spring Fever.

Ever since our 70 degree day last week Michael begs to play outside every night.  He had about a fifteen minute temper tantrum when we got home from the babysitter's this evening because I told him he had to wait until after dinner.  In truth, though, I just can't say no to the time outside with Michael. This evening I did say no to the sandbox in the backyard and convinced him that a walk would be better (after dinner).  I could write a whole post about our walk this evening, but I won't.  

I will summarize, though...picture a lost dog sprinting through the neighborhood, a woman telling me to pick the dog up when I see it next (sure! no problem! my hands weren't full!), a dog fighting the gentle leader, and a young boy looking for poop (again! yuck!).  

Since it seems we're in a nightly routine of playing outside or walking, I'm ready for the temperature to rise a bit.  

Thank you to everyone for the well wishes regarding our news!  I am fourteen weeks today, which is so hard to believe!  Maybe I'll do a belly shot one of these days, since I'm definitely starting to show.  : )  I love watching my belly grow....My hips and butt?  Hate it.  Why does that area have to grow??? (I know the answer: so I can FEED our baby in October. But STILL!)   

The growing belly is very fun, though!!

Making himself at home.

The first time we went to the library, Michael wouldn't touch the books.

A few trips later?

Now, he refuses to leave them on the shelves. They all belong in our basket, in fact.

Surprisingly, he picks out some good ones this way. Maybe I oughta try it? Forget recommendations, best seller lists, book club lists; a pretty cover and a good size will suffice.

I'm really enjoying Here if you Nee me. You should check it out if you get a chance...remember the library is FREE. How awesome is that??

Not an Option.

One of the best things about parenting a toddler is that going to the park is not an option, it's a must!

We spent some time at a park yesterday as a family. And, this morning Michael and I walked to a park in town, while Josh worked.

We're so blessed...

Wearing Deodorant at the Age of Two.

We take personal hygiene seriously in these parts.

Michael is already wearing deodorant! Why, yes, he's only two!

Let me explain:

Michael has taken a keen interest in the process of getting ready for the work day. This means he pretends to clean his face with the Clinique clarifying lotion; he pretends to put lotion on his face: he pretends to paint his fingernails; he pretends to brush his teeth; and he pretends to use Josh's deodorant.

The lotion piece can be quite messy...he rubbed his hair with two fistfuls of Oil of Olay as we were getting ready on Wednesday. His hair was "OILY WITH OLAY" the rest of the day because I didn't allot time to wash his hair before heading to school.

And, in fact, just a few days ago he put the deodorant in his daycare bag. He, of course, pulled it out shortly after we arrived at Peggy's. I figured that I needed to explain that the deodorant was not packed for Michael; and that he tossed it into the bag because he enjoys rubbing the stick of Old Spice on his forearm?? (Where, oh, where, did he come from???)



Anyway. For kicks, Josh and I have been putting it on under his arms. He doesn't like it. We think it tickles him...

***Our day was fab-u-lous. Michael and I went shopping with my mom, and Josh spent the day drafting the very best picks for his FFB team. One of my favorite purchases of the day was the book "Sunshine on My Shoulders," which is a rendition of the John Denver song. Michael seems to like it...We have a "reading room" (aka..living room!) now, which seems to help tremendously with the concentration and focus on books.***