Life on Oeltjen Road

"Jeeping"

2012-02-05T20:08:00.004-06:00

Saturday we tried something new: Jeep driving/climbing/bogging. Now, this wasn't just a hair-brained idea we came up with to spend money; Jesse's boss and a few coworkers do this craziness frequently. I'll admit, I definitely had my reservations going in; but this adventure was pretty cool. Once I got used to feeling like we might flip or tip at any moment (but didn't), the day became much more fun. Jesse did put one dent in the Jeep (he took what I'll call a dare), climbing a very steep, iced hill. We started sliding down and a little tree kept us from sliding the entire way down. Other than that one incident, Jesse did amazing, considering he was driving with a group of very experienced people. Jesse's boss thinks we should buy a Jeep; I told him we'll just keep using the company's rig :-)

The Barnum crew

This is the only complete flip we saw. The girl driving this buggy was no more than 18 years old and her dad just sat and laughed as she got stuck, floored it, and flipped. Apparently, he's not a worrier...

I'm pretty sure Brynn will never crawl...

2012-02-05T14:34:00.002-06:00

So we keep trying tummy time with Brynn (I realize this is more of a newborn skill than a 9 month skill), but she went from hating it to escaping it. Right after we put her on her belly she scoots back up to sitting - Every.Stinking.Time.

A day at home

2012-02-05T13:43:00.002-06:00

Last week, we had some sickness running through our house and daycare, so I stayed home with the kids on Thursday. The weather was incredibly mild (of course), so the four of us headed outside to play in what's left of the snow. Brynn loved being outside...as long as I was holding her, Reece threw snowballs at me and helped make and destroy a snowman, and Jett ate snow and wandered aimlessly. Successful outdoor adventure? Sure thing.

Brynn also had the opportunity to play with Play Doh for the first time, meaning shove the entire glob in her mouth every chance she got...

Making the best of the three inches of snow

2012-02-02T07:52:00.007-06:00

Saturday I returned home to find the yard had a few more marks of character, a.k.a. Jesse ripped up more grass doing wheelies with his snowmobile...but at least the kids played outside again and got some fresh air.

Reece's first
snowmobile jump.

Poor baby

2012-01-29T10:26:00.008-06:00

Brynn experienced (and is still experiencing) her first lasting fever. Saturday morning she woke up after her nap and the fun began: puking and a moderate fever. She was hot off and on all day, and then woke up this morning and puked again. I feel so bad for her because she just lays around and yawns. Hopefully, she'll be a brand new baby by morning. Jesse's parents were up for the weekend and able to assist in the sick baby snuggling; otherwise, Jesse would have had a rough day because I had Heartsaver 1st Aid class from 8-5.

The Giggle Factory

2012-01-23T19:58:00.004-06:00

Saturday we took the kids to The Giggle Factory in Hudson. It was an experience to be tried, but I'm not sure we'll be racing out the door to try it again. The concept is great, but a lack of parent supervision (it might have just been the day we were there) made it seem a bit sketchy. The boys loved it, but we'll probably try something different next time.

2012-01-18T20:33:00.002-06:00

You can thank SeeJaneBlog for this one. (I'm thanking Kallie because I don't read SeeJaneBlog)

1. What did you do in 2011 that you’d never done before?

I had a third kid - something I wasn't sure I would ever do (after becoming an adult; at age 20, I planned on having four. Silly youth)

2. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year?

My resolution was to use my reusable shopping bags, so sometimes? My resolution for this year is the same as last year, so apparently the answer to the previous question is actually no.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?

Christy, Jess, Lisa, Theresa, Amy.
(I'm sure I'm missing someone here...)

4. Did anyone close to you die?

Not that I can remember, so hopefully not?

5. What countries did you visit?

Zero.

6. What would you like to have in 2012 that you didn’t have in 2011?

More time with my hubby, thus more family time.

7. What dates from 2011 will be etched upon your memory, and why?

April 25th - Brynn being born, December 23rd - Jesse's surgery

8. What was your biggest achievement of this year?

Maintaining my sanity while working full time,
making it to places on time with all three children in two

9. What was your biggest failure?

When I end up getting impatient with the children in the morning, despite realizing how unnecessary and unhelpful it is (this still is my biggest failure)

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?

I had a kid...

11. What was the best thing you bought?

A new 3-D television

12. Whose behavior merited celebration?

What day are we talking about here? I believe everyone has moments of greatness. Jesse is the frequent winner of this though; he has the patience of a saint.

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?

Governor Walker, famous stupid people and those who watch them being famous and stupid.

14. Where did most of your money go?

Mortgage, daycare, food.

15. What did you get really excited about?

Having a baby, getting a new T.V., learning the glory of automatic minivan doors, spending time with the kids in summer, going on dates with Jesse, having a solid group of girlfriends at work.

16. What song will always remind you of 2011?
Right Round by Flo Rida. Reece was obsessed with this sound, so I listened to it at least 4x/day.

17. Compared to this time last year, are you: a) happier or sadder? b) thinner or fatter? c) richer or poorer?

Happier, not thinner (although I think others will punch me if I put fatter), richer in loved ones.

18. What do you wish you’d done more of?

Spend more time with people instead of doing things.

19. What do you wish you’d done less of?

Worry about situations that I can't control or change.

20. How did you spend Christmas?

Going to see lots of family and eating lots of food.

21. Did you fall in love in 2011?

Yep, with Brynn. It was love at first sight.

22. What was your favorite TV program?

Grey's Anatomy

23. What was the best book you read?

This is tough...Bossypants in the adult world, about 10 others from the young adult world.

24. What was your greatest musical discovery?

50s on 5, 60s on 6, 70s on 7, 80s on 8, 90s on 9
(sigh, I miss my satellite radio)

25. What did you want and get?

T.V., a new bed, a right-hand ring

26. What did you want and not get?

A bigger house (one with three real bedrooms and possibly another bathroom).

27. What was your favorite film of 2011?

I can't think of one...Phineas and Ferb Across the 2nd Dimension?

28. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?

I think we went to Pizza Hut with my friends? (I can't remember what happened the actual day)
I turned 30...
We're going to do something "real" sometime because December is not a great time to have a birthday.

29. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?

Being able to decide if we should move or refinance or do nothing at all. If someone could just tell me the right decision, that would be great.

30. How would you describe your personal fashion concept of 2011 ?

What's on sale?

31. What kept you sane?

Snuggling babies, naps, girlfriends, hubby (in no particular order)

32. What political issue stirred you the most?

Walker.

33. Who did you miss?
Janelle. She got married and is even busier now.

34. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2011.

Sometimes the unexpected things in life make the best surprises (Brynn)

35. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year.

I say don't you know
You say you don't know
I say... take me out

I say you don't show
Don't move, time is slow
I say... take me out

I say you don't know
You say you don't know
I say... take me out

Franz Ferdinand "Take Me Out"
(Disclaimer: I have no idea what this song means, I just sang it a lot over the summer)

Kitty Cats...snowmobiles, that is

2012-01-11T18:33:00.007-06:00

It has been done: Jesse bought Reece a snowmobile. What prompted this semi-irrational act? Little Jesse got a snowmobile for Christmas...Jesse has been talking about this FOREVER, and this was just the push he needed to finally take the plunge.

Reece was not a fan of the driving the snowmobile himself because of the sound (he said it was loud), but then Little Jesse came to the rescue and invited Reece over to snowmobile on the lake, and all was good.

Jesse and Reece raced in the circle track for close to two hours. Their sleds are set to go almost the exact same speed (thank goodness for the speed screw adjustment on Reece's snowmobile), which led to some fierce competition when trying to pass each other.

Reece's initial reaction

The phone call from Jesse

Riding

Jett's main obsession on the lake:
eating snow.

Amy and Morgan

The forgotten middle children

Little Jesse is crouched down here,
hoping for maximum speed.

Christmas, Christmas, everywhere

2012-01-03T18:56:00.011-06:00

Our Christmas had a little different feel to it this year because Jesse had surgery on the 23rd, so one day before the Christmas madness started back up, we got up at 4:30 and headed to Minneapolis. Insert back story: 9 years ago Jesse tore his muscle while riding dirt bike. He went to the hospital in NR because he had a torn groin muscle with fluid gathering around his hip. The doctor there said, "Yup, you're hurt, but there isn't anything we can do for you." Fast forward 8.5 years: the hip because a constant source of dull pain. In November, Jesse suddenly had a lump a couple inches from his bad hip. He figured it was a hernia, went to the doctor, had a two day lymphoma scare, a CT scan, 20 + biopsies of the lump, MRI, and finally a meeting and surgery with a specialist at U of M - Fairview. Because of this surgical appointment, the kids and I did two church services and two Christmas celebrations by ourselves, allowing Jesse to get some much needed rest and recovery time. It. Was. Exhausting.

I took off on Christmas Eve so I could do Christmas with both side of my family. Jesse said it was weird waking up on Christmas to a house with no wife and kids (his mom and step dad were to take care of him - I'm not that heartless); but I felt bad because I couldn't reciprocate the empty feeling. Why? I was running around like a mad woman getting kids dressed in church clothes, wrestling toddlers through Christmas services, coercing the kids to eat, and making sure no one fed Jett any peanut butter (it turns out that all fun food, especially at Christmas, contains PB). By the time I picked Jesse up for his Christmas on Sunday night, I had a sore back and was in serious need of a nap.

We went to two Christmases with Jesse doped up on Vicodin and muscle relaxers, which wasn't great for him; but at least he was out of the house for a little bit.

So back to the Christmas part of things...Reece loved it, Jett was incredibly antisocial (we had to force him to open gifts), and Brynn thoroughly enjoyed being held constantly and opening presents with crinkly paper. The kids received an awesome assortment of toys, clothes, and a little cash, which makes us very content:-)

I realize this is a very unorganized picture overload, but it'll do. Happy New Year to everyone!

Cuteness

2011-12-28T20:21:00.002-06:00

A kitty lover and a builder

2011-12-28T20:02:00.004-06:00

Brynn is following in her brothers' footsteps by being a baby who loves the kitty. Sadly, Gary isn't a huge fan of anyone.

I believe Reece takes after his father; he built this robot by himself, just by looking at the picture. Not too shabby.

The Christmas march begins...

2011-12-20T16:04:00.002-06:00

Saturday night marked our first Christmas celebration. We were all packed in the car, ready for an evening of fun...and then Jett puked. We were in New Richmond, heading to Hudson, so we decided to finish out the journey. Jett did fine the rest of the night, enjoying himself amongst his cousins (3rd?) and great aunts and uncles. The Kadrmas gathering is always a great variety show for food. Our kids ate none, but Jesse and I filled ourselves to the brim.

Quote of the night:
Reece: "How do I play with this?" - his response after opening his puzzle box.
Jett: "I got...clothes!" His (fake) rejoicing after accidentally opening Brynn's present instead of his own. He was a little more genuinely excited after opening his own present.

Look at that effort!

Brynn's dress says,
"I believe in Santa."

Jesse and I also decided to let the boys open one of their gifts from us because our Christmas is going to be a little crazy with Jesse having surgery to remove a "mass" on Friday. The timing of the surgery isn't great with the holidays, but we wanted it taken care of before the end of the year. And apparently, I wear this purple sweatshirt for every gift opening. I guess some clothes are just timeless...

The kids and I ended up not attending the Meixner Christmas on Sunday, due to the continuation of the stomach flu at our house. The boys were very excited to open their gifts when dad arrived home though.

Ruth's Chris Steakhouse

2011-12-11T14:13:00.004-06:00

An experience to try: Ruth's Chris Steakhouse. This is where we went for Jesse's Christmas party Friday night. The food was amazing, and we ate plenty of it! One unique part of the restaurant is the steak is served on a plate that is 500 degrees, and the steak comes smothered in butter. Their menu states that butter is the best dipping sauce for a steak, and now I believe them. I want to go back, just for the salad - it was the best salad I've ever tasted! We tried veal ravioli (not a fan) and pickled ginger (it was okay). The farm girl in me kind of wanted to order a glass of milk with the meal, but I thought I would get teased...

First snowfall

2011-12-11T09:35:00.002-06:00

Back in November, we had a nice four-inch snowfall for the boys to enjoy. Looking back, I think Jesse enjoyed it the most because he took his new sled out for the first time and ripped up the yard.

Reece loving the farm life

2011-12-10T21:10:00.003-06:00

Over Thanksgiving we were at my parents' farm, which allowed Reece the opportunity to fall in love with their farm. I'm not sure why/how this has never happened before, but he is now incredibly obsessed with cows. He constantly talks about cows, insists on playing farm, and pretending that he is a cow or farmer. The family finally has someone to take over the farm - too bad he's a tad young.

Jett turns 2!

2011-11-20T13:38:00.003-06:00

First we have the stats:
Weight: 26 lbs 2 oz (27%)
Height: 33" (16%)
Head: 19.5" (73%)
So we have a little evening out to do; Jett is a little more true to form for this genetic pool...(LOL, I was just reading the "Well Child Care at 2 Years" and one sentence says, "Buy a potty chair and leave it in a room in which your child plays." This just sounds like bad advice...)

Jett's actual birthday was a Thursday, so we spent a lovely day at daycare saying, "NO!" to every question Debi asked him - even for things he should want: lunch, cupcakes, etc. It was like he woke up on his birthday and decided that he was going to be a terrible two.

The birthday party was fun (it was actually a party for both boys, as Reece's b-day is surrounded by hectic weekends); we had a taco bar this year, which proved to be a delicious idea. The highlight of the day was when we sang Happy Birthday to the boys, and Jett told everyone to stop...the entire time we were singing.

Our guests were very courteous, so the boys ended up with a nice mix of toys and money for their savings.

Attention overload for Reece

Custom cakes from a coworker's wife.
Reece was pumped to eat the car!

Jett did not remember that birthday
presents are supposed to be fun at first.

Rockin' out

2011-11-06T18:53:00.002-06:00

Elephant noises

2011-11-06T18:10:00.002-06:00

Halloween

2011-11-06T17:51:00.005-06:00

Halloween was a bit hectic with three little ones in costumes - and we only made three (well, maybe four) stops! I brought their costumes with to work, so we changed at Debi's and then went outside to knock on her door; I'm not sure this counts as a stop. After that, we stopped at one more coworkers' house, then headed to the great grandparents'. Reece was a NASCAR driver, Jett an elephant, and Brynn a banana. It was a fun night, but I'm sad because I don't even have a picture of all three kids together. Sigh. If it wasn't for Debi, we probably wouldn't have even had costumes for the kids - she found all three at a thrift shop!

Jett and Reece with
the cows at GG Jensen's.

My only good picture of
Reece in his costume

Brynn's skeleton
outfit from Debi.

Jett looks a little more
like Eeyore than elephant
in this picture.

6 month miss

2011-10-30T20:33:00.004-05:00

Brynn hit the six month mark on the 25th - oh how time flies...

Weight: 16.6 lbs (52%)
Height: 25 1/4 (25%)

Benchmarks in this little lady's life:
-eating baby food (as of last Monday)
-drinks (and spills) lots of milk
-smiles so much
-has whole body smiles, meaning her entire body moves when she bursts into one of her classic grins
-giggles when tickled or playing peek-a-boo
-loves her brothers (probably Reece more than Jett - Reece says how beautiful she is; Jett hits her when she cries)
-rolls but not too frequently
-still gets up 1-2 times a night (Ferber Method coming soon...)
-loves daycare oh so much
-plays in the exersaucer forever, not a huge fan of the jumparoo
-still bathing in the sink, just not in the infant tub
-has rolls upon rolls (must be a girl thing)
-growing hair like crazy and still has her hair from when she was born (looks like a mo hawk)
-chews on everything
-drools everywhere
-is very spoiled...by everyone it seems

Life with three is hectic now I'm working and Jesse's busy season is in full swing. I do love the craziness at times, but there are plenty of days when I wish I could work a little less than full time, just for a few years. I keep saying I'm going to get a cleaning lady, but the cheap ass in me can't commit to it...

Drunken pirate???

Gary puts up with
anything...from
the kids

Snuggling with three of her favorites:
daddy, blankie, and nukie.

Jason's pumpkin party

2011-10-25T20:22:00.002-05:00

A couple weekends ago, our friend Jason had a housewarming party with a little Halloween fun added in. There was a bouncy/jumping house, a pumpkin search, pumpkin carving, and tons of delicious food! Reece had a blast, until a knee injury sidelined him from the fun (not sure what he did...). Jett also had tons of fun, especially once he figured out how to jump in the bouncy house and not be scared.

Random Sunday fun

2011-10-18T19:11:00.003-05:00

We also had Jesse's mom up for the weekend (she helped with our family pics on Friday) and Jesse's grandparents up for the football game on Sunday. Robyn game bearing garage sale finds, and Jesse's grandma brought her amazing fried chicken. We were thankful for both.

Mugga studying
for Fantasy FB

This little car is the
source of much fun
and much arguing

Pumpkin carving

2011-10-16T20:10:00.006-05:00

Sunday afternoon, Jesse carved pumpkins with the boys, which is always a little adventure. The wonderful daddy foolishly mentioned pumpkins before the Packer game even started, letting Reece know that they would begin in a mere four hours. Well, this move didn't work out because the first half wasn't even over and they started carving, due to Reece's incessant requests for carving fun. Reece not only completed his pumpkin but also took care of gutting Brynn's pumpkin too.

Jett was not as interested in the whole pumpkin process. The negative body language shows his feelings, but he soon broke down and began enjoying himself.

Sadly, we didn't put the baby in a pumpkin...yet.

Dancing fools

2011-10-10T20:40:00.003-05:00

Saturday night we headed to New Richmond for my cousin's wedding. The boys absolutely love dancing, so they were out on the dance for the whole time the music was playing. Jett was spinning almost the entire time - no joke. Reece had his first encounter with the chicken dance and the hokey pokey and was rather successful! Sadly, we have no pictures of Brynn at her first wedding experience, as she slept through most of the evening.

Guess who only
took a 45 min. nap?

My lovely sisters

Something to start worrying about...

2011-10-01T18:27:00.002-05:00

The coolest monster truck track

2011-09-25T21:21:00.005-05:00

Reece requested a monster truck track this weekend, and boy did he ever get one. Jesse disappeared after the Vikings' third straight loss, only to be found "working" in the sandbox. After a mere hour, Reece and Jett were in the presence of a kick butt track for their trucks, complete with a bridge and underpass.

Reece with a thumbs up!

He loves going under the bridge.

Jesse asked Reece if it was the coolest monster truck track. Reece's response: EVER!!!

A snuggly group of three

2011-09-18T20:07:00.004-05:00

The cold weather means snuggly jammies at our house, as we have not opted to turn our "real" heat on (aka the boiler instead of just a shot from the...oh never mind). Reece has outgrown footie pajamas, so he looks especially old compared to the other two. And Jett is still wearing the same clothes he left off with last winter - my everlasting midget.

Since I don't have hardly any pictures of all three children (good and bad), I decided it was time to update. Thankfully, NASCAR was on, so we could threaten Reece with turning off the T.V. if he didn't smile for at least one picture. Jett is obsessed with copying Reece (wants to try going potty but also throws fits alongside his big brother), hence the matching poses and action in the pictures. If only Reece would realize that this is flattering, not annoying (see picture below of Reece's hand connecting with Jett's face because Jett was trying to copy).

Kisses for the misses!

Which kid is my favorite right now??? Brynn!

This girl has huge eyes (and she
might be giving me the finger...)

My smiley guy

The Reecey looking way too old

And a real glimpse at what goes on 24/7 at our house.
R: "Stop"
J: "Indecipherable cry!!!"
R: "Jett man, NO!"
J: More "INDECIPHERABLE CRY!!! Mama!"
You get the idea...

Best friends

2011-09-18T20:02:00.003-05:00

Reece had his best friend Landon over to play on Saturday as well. The boys became besties at Heather's house, but with the change in daycare, they never get to see each other anymore. I'm thinking of trying to arrange for Landon and Reece to be in the same section of preschool next year, simply because Landon is an awesome little boy who comes from a great family.

Grantober Fest

2011-09-18T17:19:00.005-05:00

Saturday we headed out to my favorite Grantsburg Event: Grantober Fest. Our Chamber puts this event together to bring a few vendors out of the woodwork and focus on the kids for a day. We started out together in the animal area but soon separated due to the cool outdoors...so the only part I have pictures of is the animal area. Sigh. Plus, Jett was a bundle of fun, meaning we had to leave about an hour before we had planned to depart.

Gary's twin kitty

Jett thought the
animals were fine...

Daycare journal

2011-09-07T20:44:00.002-05:00

I just read the kids' daycare journal and I have to share:

"Ahh...Whitney [4-year old girl at daycare] is learning the life w/a man. She wants to dance. Reece says NO..."but Reece we have to talk about this." Reece walks away.

Welcome to the daycare soap opera."

We made it

2011-09-07T20:17:00.003-05:00

So the kids and I (and Jesse) survived the first week back to real life. Although when everything kicked off on Monday, I wasn't sure we would make it.

The drama started on Sunday with Jesse opening a package of diapers I was going to take to Debi's (new daycare). Pathetic I know, but the tears started. I had to later explain that the tears weren't directly tied to the diaper opening...

Anyhow...on Monday I had very little sleep to start off the week and then forgot the hoses for my pump at home and had a few other inconvenient incidences. The day itself was horribly boring, as the first day back always is for me (makes it all seem worthwhile). Then I picked the kids up at daycare and Jett hadn't slept at all (usually sleeps 2-4 hours) and Brynn only slept for 45 minutes (usually sleeps for 4 hours), so I felt guilty that my kids couldn't function without me.

It took a few days to adjust and for me to come to the realization that daycare is good for my kids and good for me, and now all is well. I LOVE our new daycare lady and so do the kids. She does all the things I don't feel like doing once I get home from work - letters, numbers, projects - it's awesome.

The boys love their peas

2011-09-06T20:41:00.002-05:00

So our garden was nearly a complete flop this summer, due to storms, a lack of time, and just simple negligence on my part (weed the garden or take a nap? hmmm - tough choice); but we were still able to salvage a few different veggies out of the mess, one being the boys' favorite, peas. I knew Reece loved the peas, but Jett hadn't experience fresh summer veggies (with enough teeth to eat them). It turns out that Jett loves peas too and an occasional green bean, freshly picked only. It's nice to think that in a couple short years, I'll have enough help to do marvelous things with our garden ;)

Storbs turns 30

2011-09-06T20:36:00.002-05:00

August 19th marked a milestone in my amazing friend Jennie's life: she turned 30! Our group celebrated the evening with food and drinks at Champs in NR and a few birthday gifts for the old lady. We had a great time, and the evening doubled as our last summer night out before school started.

Cara, Courtney, me, Jennie, and Lisa

4 month little miss

2011-08-28T19:53:00.003-05:00

Last Monday Brynn had her 4 month check up (wipe tears, insert cliche "she's getting big so fast"). She weighed in at 14 lbs, 2 oz (65%) and was 24 3/4" (71%). Everything is healthy and normal - woo hoo!
4 month tidbits:
- gets up a couple times a night, sometimes three, and hasn't blessed me with any sleeping through the night lately
-babbles constantly
-is a smiley baby
-loves when her brothers slow down and chat with her
-sleeps great on car rides (with the exception of one long trip to Lake City)
-laughs occasionally with some encouragement
-rolls from tummy to back (possibly just graceful falling)
-needs her Nuk and blankie for great sleep
-melts our hearts every day

Tomorrow is the dreaded first full day back to work. Overall, the conditions are not great because we had a busy weekend, with two very short nights. Today has been pretty emotional for me because this is my last baby and that fact is really hitting home. I'm so grateful to have summers off to spend so much time with my kids, but this year went way too fast. I know I simply need to get in the groove of things and everything will be fine (in the female sense of the word :0).

Fantasy Football party

2011-08-26T09:43:00.001-05:00

Last weekend happened to be the Fantasy Football Draft at our house. Despite the importance of the draft, I have no pictures of the draft itself (it looks the same every year: people sitting at tables with expensive magazines, printouts, and way too many highlighters). What I do have pictures of is the massive mayhem of children at the house - nine children under age five! I've never been so overstimulated from shrieks and screams and giggles, but the kids did have a blast. Almost everyone in the league spent the night (camper roundup in our yard), making for a crazy, fun weekend.

Max, Jojo, and Jett
making use of the
sandbox bench.

Supper time!
(Reece was crabby
and didn't fit at
the picnic table)

Reece looks like he knows what he's doing,
but Little Jesse is the real ball player.

Hanging with the girls

2011-08-26T09:10:00.003-05:00

On Tuesday I took Reece, Lexi, and Addy to the lake while Renee watched the little ones. The kids were SO good and had tons of fun!

The coolest veggies

2011-08-24T20:51:00.003-05:00

Yes, it is a red carrot. I planted a new variety and the carrots are all supposed to be different colors, which is pretty cool. Reece devoured it, as usual.

A couple more from Lake City

2011-08-18T18:38:00.002-05:00

Dwight Lake

2011-08-17T09:10:00.003-05:00

The kids and I spent a few afternoons down at Dwight Lake enjoying the water. Renee and her kids were always there with us, helping me with the boys - they are such wonderful help! Reece is a little fish, while Jett doesn't want much more than his legs wet.

Our fifth

2011-08-16T12:31:00.002-05:00

July 7th was our five year anniversary - I can't believe it's already been five years! We didn't do anything over the top that day because Reece's birthday was the day before (and always is...) and then the Fun Fest ball tournament was the day after. Luckily, Mugga was available to watch the kids so we could eat at the St. Croix Winery and Grille. We did buy a new T.V. for our five year. The original plan was to go on a belated honeymoon, but then our little surprise, Brynn, happened...so maybe at 10 years??? We did spend a night away in August, which was incredibly relaxing.
The love of my life is still the love of my life...with a few kids added in the mix.

Brynn at 2 months

2011-08-09T13:39:00.003-05:00

And onto the little lady:

Weight: 12 lbs, 1 oz (68%)
Height: 23 1/4 (68%)

Brynn is still holding steady at being our calmest baby. She's quite predictable for a Jensen baby, generally waking 1-2 times a night (every now and then she throws in sleeping through the night or gets up three times), and napping two good naps (1-2 hours) each day. The few times she's slept through the night are when the room temp is quite cold (when we slept in the basement when the power was out) and her little hands are icicles when she wakes up. Apparently, she's like her dad and prefers the cold...

Facts from the life of Brynn:
-drinks 2-4 ounces each feeding
-still in size 1 diapers
-prefers her mom, of course
-likes her brothers, as long as they don't step on her
-smiles quite easily
-loves her blanket and nuk for sleeping

All dolled up for one of two
days of daycare during summer
school. The headband might have
been overkill, but we don't go
very many places during the summer.

I think she looks like
Jett in the picture
(Jett as a baby,
not toddler Jett
with curls and
ridiculous lashes)

Reece's 4th birthday!

2011-08-08T14:26:00.002-05:00

This post is just over a month late...not too shabby.

The official stats for the first born:
Weight: 35.8 lbs (49%)
Height: 42.2 in (90%)

Things this four year old does:
-loves trucks, cars, motorcycles
-eats like a pig (this week...), especially chicken nuggets (he'll down 10 of them from McDonalds)
-swims as much as possible
-favorite cartoon is Jake and the Neverland Pirates
-The Jungle book is the movie fav
-is a worrier (darn)
-still a daddy's boy
-has an Ipad addiction
-more of a night owl than a morning person
-rarely naps, usually once a week or less
-can still have a temper but is becoming much better at using his words
-says things every day that completely crack us up
-sitting in a car seat because he isn't heavy enough for the booster yet (where's the fun in all this safety? What happened to sitting inches from the dash when you went somewhere with mom while all the other kids were at school?)
-asks tons of hard questions, usually ending with me saying "That's just how it is" after about the sixth question on one topic. I used to think I was somewhat smart...
-knows what a nitro is but can't count to 20 without mixing up at least one of those darn "teens"
-loves his little brother but sure knows how to make him mad (loves Brynn too but she's not much of a bother to him most of the time; the only negative comment he's ever said toward her was when he yelled that she needed to be quiet so he could hear the T.V. - this sounds alarmingly similar to something my dad might say...)

Reeceisms:
"Don't say thanks. Your not you're welcome."
"My eyes are broken. I can't keep them open." (fighting sleep on the way home from Morales')
"That's not your problem, it's mine." (his response when I told him he couldn't have more juice because there's too much sugar in it)
"I have to go tell Gary it's my birthday!!!" Long pause while he goes outside to tell Gary about his day. Me: What did he say? "He said he loves my birthday!"
"Mom, these are sandals, not shoes, silly."

This year was by far the most fun birthday with Reece because of his complete awareness of the day and the meaning behind it. When he woke up, I asked him if he remembered what day it was and he replied, "It's my birthday!....Where are my presents?" And all day he would inform everyone we saw that it was indeed his birthday. I attempted to make his day a little more special by taking him to the lake with his cousins ("my friends are here!") and then we had a little cook out with the great grandparents. Such a fun day for such a neat little guy. Every now and then he'll ask me, "Mom, am I still four?" Innocence at its best.

Test driving school

2011-08-01T15:24:00.003-05:00

The last week in June, Reece had his first taste of school, and I'm glad we're holding him until he's five because he was not excited to go and it took him three days to decide school was okay.

As any parents would do, Jesse and I talked up summer school like nothing else in the weeks before Reece went. We bought him a new Cars backpack and"fast" shoes (that he never wore) to prepare. He was excited about the experience, until the day actually arrived. Getting out the door went fine, buckling in the car seat went fine, but some anxiety started creeping in the closer we got to town. As we pulled in the parking lot he told me, "I don't think the bus driver will let me." I asked what, he said, get on the bus - you get the idea of where this is going.

We went to my classroom first, since he didn't need to get on the bus until 8:10 to go out to the primary school. Reece loves my classroom. Why, you ask? Giant marker boards, a chair that spins, and food (my desk might be a little overloaded with snacks...). Once it was time to leave the room, the trouble started. I nearly pulled Reece all the way to the bus (my thighs were burning by the time we made it up the hill to the elementary). I said bye, well, I tried to say bye, and then the tears started. Luckily, the high school helpers were indeed helpful and whisked him away from me. He cried and I almost teared up but decided to be a big girl and continue on...

We continued this painful routine for three days, until he decided school wasn't so bad on Thursday - THANK GOODNESS!

My favorite quote from Reece during this experience was to Mugga. She was trying to improve his attitude toward school after his second hated day, and he told her, "I tried to like school." Too cute.

Going through this made me more than okay with the fact that he won't be going to school next year. Getting a kid ready for school is way different than getting a kid ready for daycare...hair, shoes, food - it's a bit much for me right now.

Brothers

2011-07-31T21:08:00.003-05:00

These pictures are a couple months old and I don't think I ever finished the post, so here it is. Once we convinced Reece to ride his four wheeler, Jesse designed a hook up for the wagon so Jett could ride along. Jett enjoys the ride but not the abrupt starting and stopping (whiplash comes to mind). Reece is occasionally nice enough to let Jett ride on the wheeler.

My techno geeks. I swear Reece is going to walk into preschool and ask where the Ipad is located...

Waterski Days part 2

2011-07-31T19:23:00.003-05:00

So I have TONS of cute pictures from the weekend in Lake City, but our internet is painfully slow...and has been since the storm. We're not sure why....

The weather was beyond hot the day of the parade, meaning the parade was an absolute sweat fest for everyone (even me!). Somehow this is Reece's first parade (just shy of age four!) because we never go to parades. Grantsburg has a parade that we "miss" every year, mainly because I don't want to see my students' parents stumbling out of the bar as their kids go by (this actually happened my first year during the homecoming parade, scarring me for life). Reece liked the parade. End of story. No requests for further parade action. Jett liked the candy and the juice boxes Mugga brought along.

Family photo (Brynn
is in the other stroller
back in the shade)

Reece was pumped
about the police cars
and fire trucks.

Baby Glam dress:
Whoever invented
this line of clothes
is a genius because
they are adorable!

Reece hanging with
his new lady friends

Swim time after the Africa hot

weather during the parade.

Waterski Days

2011-07-19T08:14:00.004-05:00

And the catching up begins...

Back about a month ago, we took the family down to visit Mugga and Grandpa Duey in Lake City. It also happened to be the town festival, so the boys...or Jett had some carnival fun. Reece would not go on any rides suitable for his age, so Jett had 2x the fun.

All smiles for the swings

The crying is because I am
trying to take him off the horse.

Jesse and I had a brief discussion about going on The Zipper and decided we better not because spinning is now nauseating.

And Polk-Burnett Electric Co. said "Let there be light."

2011-07-05T20:42:00.002-05:00

After losing power around 7pm Friday night, we finally had our power restored today and boy are we excited! As most of you know, some storms rolled through Grantsburg at the start of the holiday weekend, leaving some pretty nasty damage. We were incredibly lucky and only lost about 10 trees and none of them hit the house or any buildings. Jesse's work truck did have a near miss with one tree; but the shovel stored on the top of the truck was holding up the entire tree, otherwise he would have had a nasty dent to explain to his boss.

A little overview of the hectic weekend:

Friday night: lose power, sleep in the basement to avoid overheating
Saturday: wake up with no power, go out for breakfast and groceries (in hindsight, bad idea) Jesse goes on call in Monticello, kids and I travel to Kadrmas' for "a little while", sleep in camper at Kadrmas' that night (thank goodness for cool nights)
Sunday: go to Morales' home for lake fun, sleep at home in basement
Monday: go to Kadrmas' and stay until bedtime, boys stay with Mugga at Kadrmas' and Brynn travels home with us
Tuesday: Jesse wakes Brynn at 5:30, takes her to Kadrmas, return from summer school to find LIGHTS ON and T.V. BLARING. YEAH!!!!, pick up children and continue with normal living conditions.

Now all I need to do is catch up with this darn blog...just kidding: I love it!

A little culture

2011-06-19T20:39:00.006-05:00

The Franconia Sculpture Park: a nice little eyesore. Since moving north, we've always talked about stopping, just to see what's there, and we finally did it on our way to Reece's camping weekend. We were a little ahead of schedule and Mugga and Grandpa Duey were a little behind schedule, so we made a pit stop.

Either I don't have much culture (the answer to this is pretty obvious) or art is too obscure for me to understand, but I walked around saying, "I could do this," which is actually a lie. The patience and the time are missing for me to create any art work. If you don't remember, Jesse kicked me out of carving pumpkins last year because the year before I had ruined my pumpkin's Halloween Destiny by doing a ridiculously horrible job carving it.

But we can now say we have experience Franconia Sculpture Park. I feel like a better parent because of it.

Jett has become a
constant straggler.
I think it's the
short, stubby legs.

Unofficial
Exhibit name:
Scary Tractor
in the Sky

The Mound Maze

Jett was convinced that
this was some sort of
messed up slide. He would
go up and down saying,
"Weeeeeee!"

My personal favorite:
a life-size dream catcher?

I actually think the boys
made this one during
Play-Doh time...

Is this one of Jeremy's
catches off River Monsters?

And the big scary lizard...
carrying a shed.

Visit Franconia Sculpture Park: a few acres of awkwardness and oddities at the intersection of Hwy 8 and Hwy 95, MN.

The Morales beach

2011-06-16T16:36:00.005-05:00

A couple weekends ago, we traveled to Spooner to check out the new Morales' residence. I am officially jealous because they have a beautiful spot on a nice little lake...and more than one bathroom in their house:) We brought along the boys' four wheelers and when they weren't in the lake, Little Jesse, Reece, Max, and Jett were cruising around the yard on the wheelers. Jesse and Reece were somewhat rambunctious in their driving, making Amy and me nervous for the future when they start riding snowmobiles...

Mr. Max taking a break
from the water

Brynn had a relaxing day
in the perfectly place shade
by the lake

Little Jesse taking the
plunge off the dock

The sweet ass $5
blow up jet ski

Reece taking the plunge

And the wheeler action

And after the zoo...

2011-06-12T19:56:00.004-05:00

Warning: All parents and children should be on the lookout for the C Squad cheerleader clad only in his underwear. He can strike at any moment, horrifying those around him while trying to recapture his childhood innocence. The Underwear Cheerleader is dangerous and when sighted should be handed a towel and shorts immediately...just kidding. After we hit the zoo, Chip pulled out the sprinkler for the boys to run through. Reece was running through in his underwear and Chip was running through in his shorts. Pretty soon Chip joined Reece in his skimpy sprinkler jumping. It was hilarious, and Ashley caught this great pose of Uncle Chip being a little too secure with his identity.

Reece loved the sprinkler once he adjusted to the water temperature, but we could not get Jett to go through by himself - lots of tears we spent as we tried coercing him through the water. Every time we thought he was going through the water, he would veer off to avoid getting wet. Someday he'll appreciate the fun of a sprinkler.

Ezra snoozed through most of the
fun, but woke up ready to give
Jesse some serious snuggles.

Uncle Chip helping Jett
enjoy the water

Como Zoo

2011-06-11T20:57:00.003-05:00

Well, we finally did it: we took the kids to the zoo. I had been planning to do this with Reece for about two years, and I'm thinking it would have been more successful two years ago because he pretty much hated the zoo, except for the fish and other ordinary animals (he cried and whined at multiple exhibits; he's reached a new stage of fearing everything). Luckily, Jesse's brother and his family and Mugga came along to help us wrangle the troops.

Como Zoo seemed so magical when I was a kid, but now it is pretty...ghetto. Our experience was enhanced by heat and a massive number of people at the zoo. The next trip will be to the Minnesota Zoo...during the middle of the week.

The group (minus Uncle Chip)

The caravan of strollers

Brynn had a nice time too. This was one of her first experiences in short sleeves, so I'm hoping she doesn't outgrow all her cute stuff in this cool weather!

Brynn's two weeks stats...four weeks late

2011-06-06T14:10:00.003-05:00

Yep, I'm that far behind on the blog...I'm over it because the house is somewhat clean and that is an accomplishment with three children (in my world).

Weight: 8 lb 3.5 oz (45%)
Height: 20 3/4 in (68 %)
Head: 14 1/2 in (70%)

I'm going to kick myself for putting this in writing, but so far she's a really good baby. Most nights she gets up twice, and then she gladly goes back to sleep, something the boys rarely did. One night she only woke up once during a 10-hour stretch!!! Last night was not so successful, but she had a pretty eventful weekend.

Her first real smile came when she was almost four weeks (May 21st to be exact). When Jesse and I returned from our first date, I was talking to her and she smiled at me - very precious!

I captured a couple pics of her smile, but I had the camera on the wrong setting so the quality of the pictures stinks. And I included an alien baby picture just for fun (the third child must bring on the realization that babies are kind of like great personalities; they're cute because you know who they are...).

We're deciding that Brynn looks like Jesse mainly because she has a very distinct brow, but that's where the similarities end.

She's a skinny baby with
Michelin Man arms - it's weird.

Jett at 18 months

2011-06-02T12:05:00.004-05:00

A few weeks ago, Jett had his 18 month check up. Here are the latest stats from the middle:
Weight: 24 lb, 6 0z (30%)
Height: 32 1/4 (48%)
Head: 19 1/4 (81%)

Jett has discovered an attitude at this point in life. "No" and "mine" are probably his top two words. Other vocabulary: okay, thank you, Gary, Reece (without the R), mama, dada, please, and why (there are more, but I can't remember them right now). He still loves Brynn and "talks" to her on a daily basis, usually with his hands on his knees while leaning toward her. It's adorable.

He definitely understands everything we're saying and will typically follow simple directions (put that in the garbage, tell Gary hi, etc.) I recently gave some fairly simple directions which resulted in the pictures below. I asked Jett to get a Kleenex so we could wipe his nose, and he came back with the remaining toilet paper from the bathroom. I'm glad we were close to the end of the roll!

Sneak peek

2011-05-25T06:54:00.005-05:00

Here is one of the proofs from our photo shoot with Kim Haug - she's an AMAZING photographer!!!

Family fun with mini golf

2011-05-23T21:03:00.005-05:00

We had our first non-doctor family outing, heading to The Drive In and mini golf in Taylors Falls last Thursday. Reece was pumped to go "golf balling" and Jett was simply excited to be leaving the house. I told Jesse that we are officially the family people most likely dread sitting next to while eating because of our three children under age four, but the kids were pretty darn good during supper.

The mini golf was a little different story. Luckily, the mini golf was free for the boys and we received a 2 for 1 deal with our meal because Jett and I ended up not golfing and Jesse and Reece golfed haphazardly. When I suggested the idea, I visualized Jett and Reece taking turns and following rules...my post postpartum world must be a little delusional. Jett had zero interest in golfing but thoroughly enjoyed carrying around as many golf balls as he could find. Reece scored two holes in one and also managed to be probably 10 over par on the other 16 holes. Jesse had no idea what he did because he was busy avoiding being hit by Reece's club. I ended up not golfing because I couldn't see my feet with Brynn in the Baby Bjorn.

Overall, the night was a blast and a nice break from the house for the boys and me.

Jesse and I decided to go on our first date on Saturday (a day date, of course) to catch up on some much needed us time while my mom watched the kids. Woodbury was our destination so Jesse could complete his shopping trip for the year. A few t-shirts, shorts, and a new pair of jeans later, we headed to Stillwater to eat at one of our favorite restaurants, Nacho Mamma's. Our food was amazing and it was great to have some relaxing adult time.

Fishing opener

2011-05-13T12:37:00.005-05:00

Jesse started a new tradition this year for opener: he took Reece fishing with him. The weather was beautiful (possibly the best it could be) and the fishing was actually decent. Reece reeled in a sunny and a bass and held on to a few of the bass Jesse caught. An injury was sustained though because one of the bass cut open Reece's thumb while he was holding it. On the video, his injury is evident, as his grip on the pole is a little awkward. Despite the injury, he was still quite the little fisherman!

Our family of five

2011-05-08T20:26:00.002-05:00

Life has definitely been busy at the Jensen household, but not nearly as hectic as I thought it would be...we'll save that for this fall when we're both working. One of my coworkers said the transition from 1-2 was much more difficult than 2-3 and so far I agree with that statement.

Jesse went back to work on Wednesday after catching up on some much needed bonding time at home. We were so thankful he was able to spend so much time with us! Thursday my mom came up and helped out with the kids, which was a life saver because I was under the weather. On Friday, Miranda came over and watched the kids for a couple hours while I was getting my hair done. In retrospect, no massive part of last week was me being home alone with the kids.

But we did leave the house a few times with all three kids and that was definitely an adventure. I'm so glad we bought a van instead of anything else because it seems pretty darn full in there with three car seats. I took the boys to Heather's on Wednesday and that went better than expected; I let Jett walk to the van and he actually walked to the van without getting distracted by the scenery. I'm guessing this won't be the experience every time, but I'll take successes whenever they come.

Brynn is definitely a much different baby than the boys - she has Jesse's sleeping habits (aka needs more sleep) rather than mine. For the first week, she slept until eight or nine in the morning. Now she's been getting up at 5:30, but even that's manageable. On Wednesday she went from sleeping all the time to spending more and more time awake. I think her longest awake fest is almost three hours long. This hasn't happened at night yet (also amazing).

At her one week appointment, she was 7 lbs 15.5 oz (51 %) and 20 3/4 in (81%). Tomorrow is her two week check up, so we'll see if she's still gaining and growing!

Some fun facts about life right now:

1. Brynn has yet to wear something other than pajamas. We have cute outfits, but she's only left the house a couple of times for doctor appointments, which are not worth dressing her up for because then I just have to undress her when I get there.
2. Reece and Jett are not jealous...or at least don't express anything in an overt way.
3. I find the more kids I have, the more I like babies (note: this does not mean I will be having more kids), but I still don't feel the need to hold other people's children.
4. Reece will comment on how beautiful or cute Brynn is at least once a day.
5. Drinking 2-3 ounces in one feeding is nothing for this little girl. I think she'll be bigger than both boys...
6. Brynn has Swanepoel legs - skinny and a little bow legged.
7. Jett steals her bottle on a consistent basis, usually attempting to drink at least an ounce before giving up on the newborn nipple that lets out one drop every 30 seconds. He does not need the fat from the breast milk AT ALL!
8. If the boys have their blankets out in the morning, Jett always makes sure Brynn has hers too.
9. Reece is definitely the big brother helper right now, while also holding down the role of big brother torturer.
10. Life is crazy but fun with three kids under age 4!

Family time

2011-04-28T10:18:00.005-05:00

Rewind: The Labor Story (you can skip this part, if you want; it's for my own purposes).
Sunday night I was exhausted from all the Easter fun, so I headed to bed around 9pm (I would say this is early, but that would be a lie). Jesse stayed up to watch "River Monsters" and came to bed around 10pm. I woke up when he crawled in, asked a few questions, then tried falling back to sleep. In hindsight, I realize this is when labor began, but it was difficult to distinguish because I so many "other" contractions before this point. So I had a less-than-restful night of sleep, getting out of bed to pee, time contractions, and worry multiple times. Around 4:30, my efforts to fall back to sleep were useless, so I started some laundry and gathered some necessary items.

Jesse got out of bed around 5:40 with his work clothes in hand. Now, I hate to go calling people names, but Captain Obvious really thought he might be going to work, despite the lights on, running laundry, wife brushing teeth at 5:45 am on a day she doesn't have to work. It's a good thing he's cute and can lift heavy things...

I thought I had everything under control, but I was very wrong. Before I knew it, 6:30 arrived and the contractions were hitting hard. Jesse was throwing stuff in the van, and I was attempting to wake the boys (of course, they slept in on Tuesday, not any other day of the weekend). At 6:45, we were out the door. The boys were going to Jesse's grandparents' house and then his mom was coming to take care of them while we stayed in the hospital. Because of the intensity of my contractions, Jesse was more than happy to beat on the van a little to get there three minutes faster. Although I can't say I blame him for being uncomfortable because it was pretty intense...

We got to the hospital about 7:15 and checked into our room. I let the nurse know that I was plenty ready for my epidural, so she should called the anesthesiologist ASAP. As everyone who has waited for pain meds knows, this took much took long. It was after 9:00 by the time the medicine was in and working, and I had completely given up on being strong. Let's just say there were tears and sobbing...luckily, this anesthetist was much better than the one we had last time, so the line was in shortly after she started. I absolutely do not remember the epidural being so horribly painful with Reece; but with Jett and Brynn, this was the most painful part of the day. My doctor had suggested an interthecal (no idea how to spell this one), which I kindly declined, thankfully, because the labor took longer than she anticipated.

Around 11:00, the contractions were took light and the baby wasn't dropping, so they broke my water and started the pitocin. This led to contraction pain that was equally painful to that before the epidural. But it did the trick, so I could start pushing. One contraction and three big pushes later, she was out. Apparently, she twisted in the birth canal (her head did a weird 180 once it was out) and I was very lucky to not have a c-section because most women can't get the baby past this point (A+ for me and my pushing abilities!).

Once they pulled her out and Jesse double checked that she was a girl, we fell in love with another person...again. She was the most perfect final addition to our family. She laid on my chest for some time, while Dr. Brunclik and the nurse took care of me. I have to say that although I do not want labor ever again, I will miss that first moment of meeting the new baby.

As she was laying on my chest, I thought Jesse had definitely won the baby weight guess (well, he did win but not by as much as I thought he did). She seemed tiny and the doctor agreed - they weighed her twice to make sure the weight was accurate! My mom and Jesse's mom were waiting for her, so they came in and did some grandmotherly bonding with the new baby.

As I knew we would, Jesse and I hadn't decided on a final name. We had four options to choose from, and then we needed to pick a middle name. A mere five hours later, we finally decided on Brynn Harper, dismissing Kylie, Evie, and Liv.

So came to be Miss Brynn Harper Jensen, the long lost girl of Jesse's family :-)

Present time:
This week is our official family week. We decided to leave the hospital after one night because we've done this before, and we were missing the boys way too much. Arriving home at 8pm was a little hectic because we had so much stuff to put away, but well worth it.

The first night was as expected - Brynn only wanted to sleep if she was being held. Last night was much better. I only called in back up for one poopy diaper. She's not a miracle baby when it comes to sleep, but it's manageable at this point.

Reece and Jett are adjusting nicely to her. Reece keeps looking at her, saying "She's still so beautiful!" He's a great big brother. Before the boys came to the hospital to meet Brynn, Robyn took them to the store to pick out gifts. Reece picked out a pink monster truck for her and Chip and Dale onesies. He was so proud when he was showing them to everyone - he was practically blushing! As he pulled each gift out of the bag, he said, "This is for Baby Brynn.(I teared up). Jett just walks up to her and says "baby" over and over again, smiling the entire time. Much to my surprise, Jett hasn't been very jealous; he only was a little frustrated one night when I was feeding Brynn and he wanted to read stories, so not too bad.

Our first family photo

Meeting Brynn for the first time

Proud big brother

A little poop has always
excited the boys...

Thanks to everyone for all the nice messages and visits - we have great family and friends!

Some wisdom from Roseanne: "You were a surprise, D.J., not an accident. An accident is something you wouldn't do over. A surprise is something you didn't know you wanted 'til you got it."

She's here

2011-04-25T17:13:00.001-05:00

Brynn Harper
8 lbs
20 inches
12:24 pm

She's a keeper!!!

We're here...

2011-04-25T09:50:00.000-05:00

...and almost ready to push.

Nope, not yet

2011-04-22T10:59:00.004-05:00

As much as I want to be, I am not blogging exciting labor news from the hospital. Everything seems pretty much the same, except for my level of anxiousness to just get the intense part over, get home, and start life with three kids. It's like having great plans for the weekend, then the plans fall through - every day is a disappointment. I'm now done with work until summer school in June, which is nice. I'm hoping the boys can be part time at daycare, but our current daycare is very full, as is our new daycare (until next year).

And here is the picture part of the post: Palm Sunday at my parents' house. We do Easter with Jesse's family, so this is our celebration with my family. The grand kids (minus Jett and Beck) colored eggs after lunch, and it went better than I thought it would - no clothes needed to be thrown out when we were done.

Such enthusiasm for
coloring eggs.

Cleaning, rearranging, and reorganizing has been the theme of the past couple of weeks. The boys' stuff is now in their closet, my clothes are in our room, and Jesse's clothes are in dressers. Jesse did make some tough decisions to get rid of clothes he purchased and wore in the previous decade. I'm pretty sure there is a ridiculous shimmery shirt which can be only used as costume lurking around here somewhere...

Jesse's clothes from a former
life of riding dirt bike.

On our recent trip to purchase some baby stuff, we stopped in to see Chip, Ashley, and Ezra and check out their newly remodeled upstairs. Ezra is the same size, if not a little bigger than Jett, despite being almost 7 months younger. Reece is in love with Uncle Chip's bird, Mango, mainly because of his obsession with "Jake and the Neverland Pirates" on Disney Channel. Apparently, the bird is free to a good home, but we declined...I don't think having a bird would make me like our cat any more than I currently do.

Poop

2011-04-12T20:42:00.003-05:00

This afternoon was the weekly doctor appointment and we have almost no progress. I'm now a two, maybe a three and no more effaced than I was two weeks ago. I thought after my "I'm pretty sure I'm in labor" hour and a half last Friday morning that I would at least be a three and almost completely effaced. But my body and my mind are not agreeing on an agenda. Before leaving for my appointment today, I told my seniors that they should pray that I go into labor. Their response? We have been!

A room for a girl, some dirt for the boys

2011-04-10T20:45:00.003-05:00

We're as close to ready as we'll probably be this time, but that doesn't mean everything is ready...
-the room is painted, re-bordered, and set up in pink
-we still haven't washed anything, but I can do that to detract from the contractions when the time comes
-I'm ready to have hips again/stop weary maternity clothes
-the baby will still be nameless when she comes out (sorry to those who have suggested names; we can't seem to agree on anything here)

Saturday the boys (all three) and I went shopping, first to Slumberland to get another dresser of some sort (found one that will work) and also ended up buying a new kitchen table on a whim. We really like our table, but it only seats four, so anytime we have people over, things get a little too cozy. After that we headed to Key's Cafe in Forest Lake for an awesome lunch (now I'll officially be jealous when Jesse tells me he ate there during the work day), and for a quick visit to Uncle Chip's to see his family and remodeled upstairs. While out on our adventure, we picked up a few summer clothes for the boys, along with some newborn diapers. As a result of the money flying out of the checkbook, I feel much better about our level of preparation after this weekend.

And on Sunday, we had a household case of Spring Fever. Reece, Jett and I napped for awhile after lunch, then headed outside to enjoy the humid day. I messed around in the gardens (now I want to buy plants!) and the boys ate their snack outside and played in the sandbox. It took a little coaxing to get Jett to put his feet on the grass and in the sand, but once he decided it was okay, he was off!

Beautiful Lake City, MN

2011-04-06T19:31:00.007-05:00

A couple weekends ago, we took our final "away" trip to visit Jesse's mom and stepdad. The weekend was very low key - something we all needed. The boys enjoyed being spoiled by Mugga and Grandpa Duey...and so did we.

Reece's quote from the weekend: "I'm going to take a nap now. There's been a lot of excitement this morning."

Baby update: no progress. Tuesday night I was exactly the same as I was the week before, and my doctor didn't "assist" my body along because a) we aren't ready (the nursery is in shambles right now) and b) Jesse's been out of order this week. I'm hoping to dig in the gardens this weekend, prompting much progress toward the arrival of the baby...but I'm not holding my breath.

And the countdown begins...

2011-03-30T21:02:00.004-05:00

Tomorrow I'm officially 36 weeks, thus allowed to go into labor at any point. The numbers aren't looking good though, as I'm only measuring 35 weeks, dilated to a small 1, and effaced a mere 25%. I shouldn't complain though because there are some women out there (see you this weekend, friend!), who are barely to this point by their due date.

In comparison to the other two pregnancies, I'm an inch bigger (around) than I was with Jett - two inches bigger than with Reece, and my weight is the same as it was with Reece, but one pound heavier than with Jett. In a nutshell, the numbers show that consistency is indeed one of my strengths.

The cankles are starting up a bit, as is the constant heat wave, and I'm now acknowledging that I have more of a waddle than a walk. I now wear only maternity pants (bye, bye Belly Band), but I can't force myself to wear all maternity tops. In the next few weeks, it will probably become necessary.

We made a run to Babies R' Us on Sunday to pick out a baby blanket, some Nuks, and newborn pajamas. We're still hoping to find a border to replace the jungle one that Jett kindly started removing during his last weeks in the crib. No such luck at this point, mainly because we don't want to repaint the room and matching a girlish border to a neutral room is difficult. A few generous friends/family members have loaned us their girl clothes, so we're good for at least the first little bit, which is very exciting.

We have no idea for any girl names, so if you have a suggestion, we'll take it (unless it is your own name; we have no intention of naming the baby after anyone).

The torpedo is back.

And the boys: the shared sleeping arrangement is going horribly, with one or the other waking up about every 2-3 hours. It's like we already have the newborn baby home...they mess around for about an hour each night before going to sleep, despite the fact that they're ready to pass out by 8:30 most nights. I'm hoping this is the "it has to get worse before it gets better stage" and next week will bring vast improvement. We'll see.

On the positive side, the room sharing has created a much stronger brotherly bond. The boys play together so much better now that I can hardly believe it. Jett's walking probably factors into the bond too, since he can now "run" around with Reece...screaming, of course.

And a couple weekends ago, my brother, his wife, and their children came to visit and we all had a blast (except for some puking, by Reece and then their entire family). Our kids are pretty much the same age, so we have tons to talk/gripe about together, and it's fun watching the kids play. Paige and Reece are back on the "we're best friends" train, and Beck and Jett really don't pay too much attention to each other. Beck is definitely more boy than Jett (and maybe even Reece); he climbs on everything and just bulldozers his way through the day - it's hilarious!

Spring Fever

2011-03-23T07:17:00.002-05:00

Ironically, I'm writing this post as the boys and I are home with 9+ inches of snow - I love snow days!!!

Prior to this late winter storm, we all had a little spring fever going on. Jett had his first walk in the great outdoors, although he wasn't too sure of his shoes/water boots. Reece was kind enough to teach Jett how to splash in the puddles and to let him squish on the 4-wheeler. I have even taken a couple walks myself, possibly hoping to go into labor at 36 weeks...

The big boy look

2011-03-21T20:48:00.005-05:00

Saturday we finally opted to give Jett his first hair cut. There is no doubt that he was in definite need of a trim, but it's really hard to cut off a young man's first curls, especially since they might not come back.

He did great while Grandma Meixner cut his hair, playing with cars and watching cartoons. Looking at him now, he seems like such a big boy (and the walking definitely contributes to this).

The luscious curls, which
were usually snarls...

The finished product.

Yum, yum/transitioning

2011-03-15T20:11:00.004-05:00

Well, I survived. Last week, Jesse was in Seattle Monday through Friday, which wasn't the highlight of my year. Luckily, the boys were really good while he was gone, but I still gained major respect for single parents. If I hadn't been pregnant and saving every day off imaginable, I would have gone with him; but missing work is simply not an option for me right now. My AP students are already mad that I'm going on maternity leave before the big test, so I don't think they would have appreciated a week-long vacation.

The "yum, yum" refers to The Melting Pot in Minneapolis. Saturday was Jamie and Amy's anniversary, so they invited a few of us to join them in celebration. Our experience at the restaurant was great because the eight of us were given our own little enclosed room to eat in, allowing for us the actually hear each other and be able to speak without censorship (which we took full advantage of - our poor waitress!). Being the foodies we are, Jesse and I (and everyone else) went all out and ordered one of the four-course meals. I decided that I can go for the appetizer and dessert next time and still be happy. We were at the restaurant for four hours, which was perfect since we hardly see each other.

And the major transition to prepare for the baby's arrival occurred over the weekend: the boys are officially sharing a room. The first night went great because we brought the boys home and they were already asleep. Sunday and Monday night were not as easy; the boys laughed, talked, and cried (Jett only on this one) for an hour or so before falling asleep. I guess it's better we do this now rather than our first night home from the hospital, as babies don't last long sleeping in our room. Timing this to overlap with the time change wasn't wise though because the boys are never ready to go to bed when we think they should be. But we'll keep toughing it out because we really don't have any other options right now, unless someone out there wants to buy our house:-). The new house I have picked out has plenty of room...

Belly pics are coming soon. I am not pleased with how last night's shots turned out.

Walking helper

2011-03-08T21:02:00.003-06:00

Jett is taking leaps and bounds in his walking and understanding what people are saying. The more he understands, the more I understand that he is going to be a complete schmoozer.

The big ride

2011-03-06T20:01:00.003-06:00

With many snowmobile complications, a busy schedule, and freezing weather, Reece's first full ride (aka, out of Anderson Township) wasn't until last weekend. Jesse took him down to his grandparents, so they rode a whopping 50 miles together. In an unpredictable move, Reece opted to take Jesse's snowmobile, which wasn't the greatest choice because it isn't made for a nice, relaxing ride. But they made it back in one piece, which Jesse and I were both grateful for.

And while other people are starving, Jesse is eating steaks like this:
He did finish it but did not look pleasantly full afterward. Ew.

On a side note: I did pass my gestational diabetes test, although I do have low iron. I've started eating a spinach salad for lunch again rather than the romaine lettuce in hopes of getting my numbers back up where they belong.

We made a small step toward putting the boys in the same room by purchasing a full-size mattress for the bottom bunk on Saturday. Next weekend, we're hoping to figure out the arrangement of their room and possibly try out nap time together. We'll see how tired we are come Friday night...I'm going on week #2 of a ridiculous cold (again), and Jesse is coming down with the same symptoms.

A lengthy update

2011-02-22T20:27:00.005-06:00

Oh the mayhem of our lives...not only am I caught up in everything going on at home and work itself, but politics have caught my attention for the first time in my life, but I won't get into that for those of you who might love Walker...

On a happier note: Jett's walking! Tonight was the first time he took steps on his own, so we're making it official. He's definitely unbalanced, but he made it about 10 feet, so it counts. Now he's going to seem so much older, which is long overdue.

Reece has a few quotable quotes from the last couple of weeks. After throwing up at 1:30 last Monday morning, he then informed me that, "Mom, I'm a good puker. I didn't get any on the carpet like Gary." I'm guessing he received some praise from Jesse about his abilities and felt the need to relay them to me. Then tonight I was tucking him in and he said, "I want a snowmobile of my own." He seems to forget about the seemingly less dangerous four-wheeler sitting in the garage.

This dish is the best invention:
no massive spills with this protection.

And progress on the baby: awhile back I was fitted with an SI belt for lower back pain, but I haven't used it since the day the PT put it on, which is a good thing. Other than my rendezvous in the ER for the pulled ligament, my back has been hanging in there.

Currently, I'm 29 weeks and measuring 31 weeks, which isn't abnormal since my children like to torpedo. I'm 1/4 inch smaller around than I was at this point with Jett and two pounds lighter. The weight gain has slowed dramatically, which is more than okay with me...unless she decides to come out a week late or if I gain 15 pounds in the next 8-10 weeks or something else ridiculous.

Yesterday, I had my gestational diabetes test, which I'm praying comes back negative because I might cry if I need to either cut out complex carbs or give myself a shot. Everything else is seemingly healthy. From this point on, I start my check ups every two weeks. I think I should just get a blood pressure cuff and call it good until I go into labor.

Reece painting his rubber duck for the tub. He was supposed to wait and paint it with Paige, but he couldn't resist...and we're pushovers sometimes.

Reece and Paige painting normal pieces of paper. Painting seems to be more appealing to Paige than Reece at this point. He covered one sheet and decided it was time to play trucks.

Saturday night we had a wedding dance for my cousin and his wife, which Reece absolutely loved (and Jett too, at times). Both boys have a destructive cold right now, so that took away from needing to stay late (along with the impending snow storm).

And Reece likes Gary treats. He always talks about them, but I have never given him one. Jesse, who might be the bigger pushover, gave him one on Sunday...and he liked it.

Jett's cold made him a bit drowsy. He didn't even wake up when we washed his hands and face. I checked to see if he was breathing because I was freaked out by his lack of response.

So naughty but so cute.

The moments of peaceful play have been increasing lately. Jett is starting to realize a few boundaries, but that doesn't mean that he leaves Reece alone all the time. Jett is fighting back now too, which has its advantages and drawbacks.

Sorry for the random hodgepodge of pictures. I'm sure it will only get worse before it gets better!

Fun with the Vrieze girls

2011-02-13T19:55:00.004-06:00

On Saturday, Rob, Amber, and their girls came up to visit. While Jett was napping, Amber and I took the older two outside to enjoy the perfect winter weather (Addison went in the garage to help fix her dad's snowmobile). Reece and Amelia had a blast! Amelia is the perfect partner in crime because she has no fear. Luckily, Amber was a trooper and volunteered to take care of the up and down the hill part of the sliding, so I could simply take pictures (I think I'm getting to the size that invokes some sympathy). I did feel bad that Jett slept through the whole excursion, but it simplified things a bit too.

A good laugh
after wiping out

Reece is assisting
with the countdown.

Click on this picture;
Amelia's facial expression
is absolutely priceless.

Here they are
pretending to
be the sled.

And no visit involving

small children is complete
without a bath picture.

Noisy at age 3

2011-02-07T20:14:00.002-06:00

Snow much fun!

2011-02-07T19:57:00.004-06:00

Saturday was the first time all winter we were a)home with b)weather warm enough to go outside. We celebrated the circumstances by taking the boys outside to ride in their sleds and ride on the snowmobile. Jesse and I pulled them side by side and they laughed and laughed, which was amusing to observe. Jett had his first snowmobile ride, and he definitely has Jensen blood racing through his veins because he loved the ride and started to kick and scream when it was Reece's turn (I think Jesse was close to this the last time he went snowmobiling...).

The trusty ZL needs to go for
a good ride, since I haven't
gone on a trip for two winters!

I think we've been watching America's Funniest Home Videos too much because Reece tried to jump off his swing and did a backwards tumble instead. And as a result of watching AFV, he thought it was hilarious.

Play pals

2011-02-02T19:55:00.003-06:00

Every now and then, the boys warm my heart by playing nicely together. The moments are very sporadic but well worth the glimpse of their future friendship.Reece has found his tongue to

be a great substitute for a tissue.

Jett's great smile
for the camera

A strong love for
blankie has developed.

And the ever-constant
monster truck companions for Reece.

Cream of One Big Mess

2011-01-23T19:26:00.003-06:00

A couple weeks ago, I decided Jett was ready for his first Cream of Wheat adventure. Reece and Jesse were sleeping in, so it seemed like the perfect opportunity. The idea of the spoon is still lost on Jett because even when I would scoop some up for him, he still used his fingers to get the cereal in his mouth, then finally resorted to simply tipping up his bowl. Sadly, this mess wasn't much worse than every other meal he eats at home. I don't have any clue how daycare gets him through the day with just one outfit...

Da boys

2011-01-17T20:32:00.005-06:00

The boys (all three) just love playing Legos, especially since Legos can be smashed without ever breaking.

Jett is my little morning bug, so he sometimes ends up eating Cheerios in the bathroom while I finish (or start) getting ready. If he could make it until 6 am every morning, I would be much happier with him.

So Chip and Ashley gave the boys a bath dye (?) for Christmas. Some nights the color is a little creepy (red and yellow - yuck), but the blue is pretty cool. Reece enjoys being able to request the color of his bath each night.

Over the weekend, I had the pleasure of throwing out my back (I assume). I slept on the couch for two hours Saturday morning, and then I awoke to barely being able to walk. I called 4 or 5 chiropractors before I finally gave up and decided to just ice and stretch. Hopefully, this is a one-time deal because if it had happened during the work week, I would have needed to stay home. I hear a massage calling my name...

Growing

2011-01-12T20:47:00.003-06:00

It's official: I've gained the first 20 pounds. Well, after eating a few Rolo Cookies, I've gained the first 20 pounds. I'll be 24 weeks on Thursday, so I'm pretty much on the same growth track as the previous pregnancies. I'm .2 of a pound heavier than I was with either of the boys at this point, but 1/2 -1/4 inch smaller. The best part is hearing about how big I am or getting asked my due date, followed by a gasp (and I'm not just talking high school students). I just keep telling myself, "It's the last time, and it's magical" over and over again...

Such a peanut

2011-01-10T20:39:00.004-06:00

During Christmas Break, we took Jett in his for one-year check up. Despite being almost 14 months, he's still very much on the small end of the spectrum.
Weight: 21 lbs, 9 oz - 18th percentile
Height: 30 1/4 inches - 40th percentile
Head: 18 3/4 inches - 76th percentile

His eating is hit and miss, depending on the day and the meal. He absolutely loves taco salad and carbs. I swear he would eat an entire loaf of bread if I let him. Bananas are his favorite fruit, and he does not have a favorite veggie.

We've officially made him a once-a-day napper, along with completely removing the Nuk from his life. He still loves waking up much too early (usually before 6 a.m.), unless it's Jesse's morning to get up (7 on Saturday!) and goes to bed consistently around 8 p.m.

Jett Man loves his big brother, although we've discovered that Reece isn't nearly as bad as we thought because Jett is quite the instigator. Before we always thought Reece was always pushing Jett around and taking toys away, but it turns out that Jett likes to antagonize his hot-tempered brother as well. I'm sure in a few years I'll be telling them that someday they'll call each other just to talk and they won't believe me...

We're still battling the eczema, especially now that it's winter, along with allergic skin reactions to an unidentifiable food. Hopefully, we can figure something out so we can take preventative action instead of always reacting to his breakouts.

I cannot commit to a haircut, due to the adorable curls he has after his bath! Granted, the rat's nest I have to use detangler on some mornings is ridiculous, I know the curls probably won't come back once they are trimmed.

And he is still not walking, but he's definitely edging around at a faster pace, along with pushing toys with excessive encouragement. I'm in no hurry for him to walk. Walking means running, and running means chasing. This is not my favorite move as a pregnant lady.

"Might"

2011-01-10T20:21:00.003-06:00

So the official word on the ultrasound is might, as in the baby might be a girl. The ultrasound doctor was going about the usual business, taking pictures and measuring "stuff" and when it came to gender determination, nothing was 100%. Two problems existed during the ultrasound: a) baby position, b) umbilical position. As she passed the genitals, she said, "Ooh, it might be a girl." After a few minutes of not readdressing the issue, I had to ask her what kind of percentage we were considering. 80%. I realize this is a majority, but I'm not biting until we're looking at a minimum of 90%.

With a less than definite answer, I regret "finding out" the sex of the baby. Plus, the position of being a mother of a girl seems much different than being a mother of boys, which is difficult to explain, so I won't try. And the cheapskate in me can't help but gasp at the thought of having to purchase all the frilly, pink apparel.

This baby seems monstrously huge, mainly because of where I'm getting kicked. I told Jesse that this will probably be our brutus baby, with scrawny little Jett only 18 months older.

Other than that, the pregnancy is progressing nicely, with my official complaint still being back pain. Saturday Jesse and I did some cleaning and purging of unnecessary items, making me feel the burn of my actions for the next 12 hours. I think I'm nesting already because I've been cleaning and baking quite a bit. Or it might be the subconscious idea that I won't get much time to do these hobbies once the baby arrives. Maybe this will be my mellow baby who barely disrupts the balance of the universe...

An abundance of Christmas celebrations

2011-01-04T19:33:00.008-06:00

As always, the boys and I had a very busy weekend of Christmases. We attended seven celebrations in all, starting on the 18th and ending on the 2nd, seeing almost everyone we're related to, other than the extended Swanepoel family (it was their year to get skipped). Even with the sleep deprivation, everything went smoothly...mostly.

Disclaimer: This post is out of order, and most of the typed information is for scrapbooking purposes.

#1 - Pictures are MIA. I'm sure they are on my memory card somewhere...

#2 - My immediate family on Christmas Eve day

Jett had no problem finding
trouble at Grandma Swanepoel's.
Note: the cheesy smile appeared
just in time for Christmas.

All the grandkids, ranging
from ages 12 - 1.

#2 - Meixner Christmas (Jesse's mom et al)

Eddie? Is that you?

Reece with the pickle
for the pickle prize.

Opening presents with the laptop
so Brandon's girlfriend in Texas
could participate in the fun.

#4 - Jesse's grandparents on the Jensen side

Our own little Christmas was very peaceful.

#3 - My mom's side (Fouks).

All the great grandchildren

Reece starting to
lose focus on reality
(it's about 10:30)

...more from Jesse's mom's.

Brandon was home from Texas.
Reece found Brandon makes a great buddy.

#7 - Jesse's dad and family

I apologize for the laziness of this post. My Christmas enthusiasm is...gone, if it ever existed.

On another note, our New Year's resolution is the wean Jett off his Nuk. When he goes to bed, he is fine; when he wakes up in the middle of the night, he is not. I feel like we're using the Ferber Method all over again...He needs to become a good sleeper because it won't be long until he's sharing a room with his brother to make room for the baby.

Reborn sled

2010-12-22T21:25:00.005-06:00

So Jesse's snowmobile had a bit of an overhaul over the summer, and it is now an F8. He's pretty proud of his "new" machine. His sled has the most horsepower of any Bikeman F8 carb sled put on the Dyno (the horsepower measuring machine): 171.8 hp.

The now F8 on the Dyno table.

Joey (the Dyno tech) hooking up the final hoses.

The first start up.

Photos

2010-12-19T20:39:00.002-06:00

Here are the pictures we ordered from our photo shoot at Falls Photo. In a nutshell, the pictures are fine, but everything else about the place is not, so we will not be a repeat customer. Enjoy!

Fogo de Chao

2010-12-16T20:38:00.002-06:00

Saturday night we braved the snowstorm to attend Jesse's Christmas Party at Fogo de Chao. The drive was eventful, with lots of snow; but we took the work truck (Jesse was on call), making nothing impassable. Downtown Minneapolis is a sight with more than a foot of snow. We were jumping through huge drifts at intersections and seeing stuck cars, buses, and limos! But all the excitement was worth the experience of Fogo de Chao. The restaurant is considered a Brazilian steakhouse and it was like nothing we've ever experienced before - definitely a worthwhile trip and a fun Barnum Gates outing.

Finally wheeling

2010-12-16T20:33:00.002-06:00

Reece reluctantly overcame his fear of the four wheeler last weekend and took a few runs up and down the driveway. He keeps talking about "needing" a snowmobile, so I keep telling him he needs to ride his wheeler first. The turning was lacking, but we'll blame this on the snow.

Daredevil

2010-12-16T20:29:00.003-06:00

Jett has decided that he likes to climb. As with most small children, the climbing isn't what worries me; the getting down does. I've been a mother long enough that I should know that quiet is no good, but I still get fooled by these rare moments, as I did this night (and one other incident involving Vaseline). When I left the room, Jett was sitting nicely in Reece's chair. When I returned, he was on top of the desk playing with the remote for the fan. Scary. Maybe a girl wouldn't be so bad after all...

LOL

2010-12-12T19:57:00.003-06:00

The visual quality of this video isn't great, due to a lovely smudge on the camera lens, but the audio is priceless.

Christmas decor, courtesy of the man

2010-12-12T18:25:00.002-06:00

Thanksgiving weekend the boys took care of the decorating, and it looks great! I love having the extra color around the house! We finally splurged and bought icicle lights for outside, which we do not regret one bit. Now we just need a few more inflatable characters for the outdoors.

Jett hanging his ornament
on the tree for the first time.

The boys are sprinkling themselves
with my holiday cheer.

Reece loves his talking Sylvester
and Tweety ornament!

Time is flying!

2010-12-01T20:44:00.006-06:00

Apparently, I've been "lazy" because it's been over a week since the last update. I'm going to say I've been busy (or perhaps falling asleep in the chair before 9pm) instead. Anyhow, here are a few pictures and updates.

Reece loves playing games on the Ipad, and he is probably better than some adults (my mom) at the games. Every night he gets a little Reecey time with the Ipad, which seems to be quite relaxing for him, as long as Jett isn't around. Jett also understands the touch screen, as he thinks every computer, phone, etc. is a touch screen.

Jett had his first real encounter with snow this year. Some days he likes the snow, other days Heather is holding him in her arms when I arrive. I pulled him around in the sled a couple nights this week, and he definitely likes gliding on top of the snow. Soon we will see what he thinks of snowmobiles!

The pregnancy is progressing nicely. I've adjusted to the minivan (as long as I'm inside it), and I've been feeling pretty good (other than the premature bedtime in the recliner). In comparison to the other two pregnancies, I'm roughly the same weight (+/- .5 pound) but two inches bigger than I was with either of the boys. Gaining weight isn't nearly as alarming to me as being bigger around, especially since Jett was a complete torpedo belly. Maybe my hips are being stubborn and have yet to relax...

My biggest complaint is the back pain - lower back pain is ridiculous! And the chiropractor has not filled out the paperwork from my insurance, so I'm staying away until that gets cleared up...hopefully, it's soon.

Reece is pretty into this pregnancy. He still asks how the baby is doing every now and then; the other night he even asked me if I would take my baby out. It was adorable! Then I had to explain to him how small the baby was, and he was more than a little amazed.

I'm almost forgot! We have our big ultrasound on the 27th. We shall see if I can keep a secret or if I'll spill the beans before I even get home...

And here are two of the three photos I took at Thanksgiving: Keith playing with the four youngest nieces and nephews. He has a cool app where a cat repeats any noises or words it hears. The kids loved it!

Thanksgiving was a success, as we had a deep-fried turkey this year and a had few other fun dishes. We ran out of turkey, which was disappointing for my soup-making desire, but I guess that's what happens when 30+ people gather for lunch. We decided that next year, two turkeys will be prepared.

Monster Jam

2010-11-21T20:49:00.002-06:00

Last weekend, we finally made it to Monster Jam with Reece (we've been talking about it forever). Despite a short night of sleep and no nap, Reece did great! My godson Blake came with us, adding to the fun. I'm hoping to upload some of the freestyle videos at some point - the drivers are crazy!

Boys, boys, boys

2010-11-16T20:57:00.005-06:00

A brief update on the boys:
Jett is picking up the same one-year old attitude that Reece did at approximately this same age. Needless to say, I am not excited for what is in store for me.

Reece, on the other hand, is getting much more helpful and independent each day. He's definitely not advanced for his age, but he's advancing, so we'll take it.

A noisy night in the rarely empty clothes basket.

An even rarer moment of the two of them
getting along (or Reece not bullying Jett).

Last Saturday's snowfall. Reece wanted a
snowman - doesn't he look interested?

And the best bath toy ever - it blows bubbles!
This contraption has expanded Jett's vocabulary,
as he now says "bubble" when it's turned on.

Why I love my kids

2010-11-07T19:17:00.003-06:00

Tonight I was sitting next to Reece at supper and he looked over at me and said, "Mom, how's your baby doing?" He thinks of the baby at the oddest times.

Then he got out of the bathtub to see that football was still on and told Jesse, "I'm sick of the football show!" Take a number, my friend. The complaint has been filed.

Taking the plunge...

2010-11-07T17:33:00.002-06:00

...of the minivan. Saturday Jesse and I faced the inevitable and went minivan shopping. I hate car shopping because it isn't this wonderful, fulfilling feeling as we drive home; it's more of a remorseful spending feeling. Somehow, despite the circumstances of our purchase, we both feel like things went well. We ended up buying a Chrysler Town & Country with all the bells and whistles because a)we're going to have this for a long time and b) since I didn't want a minivan, we figured a really nice one would ease the pain.

Originally, we set out to buy either a Honda Odyssey or a Toyota Sienna. The Odyssey was great; the Sienna (we drove) was not. I'm a huge fan of the back-up camera since I'm 5'1" (on a good day) and have mediocre depth perception, so that was another strike against the Sienna, as no model carries it. Over lunch, we decided to go back and purchase the used Odyssey but thought we should look at one more just to make sure we would have no regrets. In a nutshell, the brand new T&C wasn't much more than a four-year old Odyssey and included a warranty and more extras. Since we're not looking to get rid of it anytime soon, resale wasn't a huge selling point for us.

So we officially own a minivan and I'm officially ready for my soccer mom role (although I prefer it to be football or something else more manly than soccer).

On marches the pregnancy

2010-11-04T19:24:00.002-05:00

Here are a couple of pictures from 13 weeks (approximately 2 weeks ago). At 14 weeks I left the stage of constant nausea and entered the world of normal people. I'm still tired, but I'm thinking it's simply the tiredness of working full time and having two children. Although it is a little difficult to remember what life was like prior to children...so who knows.

My baby belly is definitely quite pronounced already despite not gaining as much weight as I had at this point in the other two pregnancies. This might be the result of two vultures intruding on pretty much every meal/snack/treat I eat.

I'm still planning on finding out the sex, but I'm thinking I want to try and keep the secret, mainly because Jesse told me I won't be able to. We'll see.

And the next exciting item on the agenda? Minivan shopping. Poop.

Jett Man turns 1!

2010-11-01T20:30:00.007-05:00

Saturday we had a dual birthday party for the boys (since Reece's falls on the 4th of July weekend when everyone is busy) and had a house full of people! Hosting a party during one of the cooler months of the year is a little different than July!

Jett took an excellently long morning nap, making the afternoon pretty darn good. One problem both kids have is not eating when there is a crowd of people around, so that was pretty much the only downfall. Enticing Jett to open his gifts was a little difficult, but he seemed to be having fun! Reece, on the other hand, is to the age where he is tons of fun when opening presents yet slightly embarrassing. ("Am I done opening the clothes now so I can open the other presents?") He also tried giving the money in the cards back to people when we asked him to say thank you.

Jesse had a special Tom and Jerry cake made at Dairy Queen for Reece (he's OBSESSED with them right now), and Jett had chocolate cupcakes with chocolate frosting (note to self: no chocolate cake for baby #3 - way too messy).

Fun facts about the one-year old:
1. He's becoming more independent every day, taking on more exploring which sometimes equals a little more trouble (he opened the Vaseline container one night when I was the only parent home and coated himself and the carpet; silence is never good).
2. Still smiles and snuggles so much!
3. A bit partial to momma but daddy is slowing creepy in to steal him away.
4. Hates wearing a hat, so winter should be fun.
5. Eats/tries almost every food. We discovered tonight that he likes black olives. Now if he likes green gummy worms, he's a definite keeper.
6. Keeps loving the Nuk but only for sleeping.
7. Has started edging around stuff and standing on his own for short periods of time.
8. Loves dancing and music.
9. Waves bye-bye and points at people he likes.
10. Has the most contagious laughter ever.
11. Takes a pounding from his big brother.
12. Snuggles with a blankie but isn't nearly as addicted as his brother.
13. Splashes (thus destroying) the bathroom during bath time.
14. Wakes pretty early most mornings (before 7, sometimes before 6).
15. Still a two-a-day napper.

The first year with Jett has been great, probably because Jesse was laid off for all of the "sleepless" nights, making my life oh so much easier. I'm excited that he's one now and even more excited that he's still so snuggly and a little clingy. It's definitely exciting watching the boys grow up and seeing the different personality traits they have of Jesse and me.

Thanks to everyone who was able to make it to the party! Celebrating with friends and family is so meaningful for the boys and us!

Halloween et al

2010-10-31T20:46:00.004-05:00

Last Saturday (23rd) Jesse and Reece took charge and carved three of our pumpkins (I was not invited to participate, due to an apparent bad attitude last year). Reece helped with the guts, then told Jesse what kind of face to make on each pumpkin. The pumpkins turned out great and Reece had fun!

Jett stuck his hand in for his first Halloween experience but wasn't overly interested in the guts.

Halloween was a bit hectic because the Vikings played the late game, so instead of leaving to trick or treat while it was still light out, we were leaving at dusk. The boys did great, especially considering the busy Saturday they had. Jett was an adorable little spider and Reece was an awesome Spiderman.

Tired Jett Man,
muscular Reece.

Two booger pickers
...and eaters?

We stopped at Great Grandma and Grandpa Kadrmas and Great Uncle Jay's and Great Grandma and Grandpa Jensen. A weak showing, but the boys still received more than enough candy.

Help! We're getting our butts kicked!

2010-10-25T20:42:00.004-05:00

Okay, everyone, we need a favor! I entered Reece's screaming pumpkin picture in a photo contest and we're losing big time! I don't think we'll win, but I at least want to put up a good fight. Go to Pear Tree Greetings blog and vote for #9 (even if you think someone else is cuter). Vote with a unique comment for it to be counted! Thanks!