Nona, the potty, and a lesson on Garlic

Found this on the driveway (and i swear I had nothing to do with it). Just Jack being amazing...

Awkward 'selfie' of my new haircut and 18 week belly

What's new… I'm sitting here 18 weeks pregnant and not feeling much better than I did at 14 weeks.  It still feels like I am walking around with extra weight on my shoulders.  Or maybe like I'm walking thru sand.  Just a feeling of fog and fatigue that won't stinking go away!!



But enough about me.  What else has been happening around here???

Well NonaJane woke up like this at Grandma's house, and it started my day out with the most sincere belly laugh that I genuinely felt better for at least the next 48 hours.

images to prove that I'm not the only lazy one :)

but I do reinforce eating popcorn on the couch while watching "The Biggest Loser" on TV

Then NonaJane decided that she would like to now poop in the potty, and has done so with no thanks to me for the past week.  She simply informs me that she would like to go poop in the potty.  I labor myself with removing her clothing and assisting her up onto the potty. Then she takes it from there.  I'm hoping that she will take this 'self-driven' approach to peeing in the potty too. She already does quite often, but I'm just waiting for her to wake up one day and inform me that she does not want to wear her diaper anymore.  You may be laughing at me, but actually that's pretty much how Jack did it. And the way my laziness is going, that's probably how it will happen!  A stress free approach (and yes, I do realize how absolutely lucky and blessed I will be if both of my children potty train themselves in this manner).  I think the problem is that BOTH my children are very smart and have quite a bit of control over matters like this.  My point being, when  I ask them to NOT pee in their underwear, it is not really that motivating.  But when they tell ME that they would like to use the potty… well what do you know they CAN do it!!  I swear I fought with Jack for 3 months to get him to use the potty. Then, one day he woke up looked at me and said "I feel like a Big Boy now" and NEVER had another accident.  Seriously.  I was so over-the-moon excited about his 'light-switch' flip in abilities that I didn't really let it sink in until later that my child had totally just RULED that situation.  My power was futile :)

My kids reassuring me that another sibling is going to be GOOD :)

I didn't take any pictures of the food… 

so instead I filled in with pictures of my kids :)

THEN… (because I'm pregnant and I do weird things when I'm pregnant) I got this random urge to learn how to cook.  I, who have shown little to NO interest in cooking, have challenged myself to preparing at LEAST one new meal per week. (Like something REAL, with a recipe and all that jazz).  I started out with a shepherd's pie.  It called for 3 cloves of garlic to be boiled with the potatoes.  I purchased 3 BULBS of garlic under the impression that a BULB was a CLOVE.  Thankfully, I called my friend to ask her if I was supposed to peal the thing before I boiled it. Her angelic cooking skills saved me as she clearly informed me over the phone that YES I need to peel the bulb AND the individual cloves from inside.  She saved my potatoes from a likely death by garlic poisoning.  Anyhoo, the meal turned out great!  My second meal was a chicken penne pasta.  It was loaded with fresh spinach, some kind of cheese called neufchâtel (what the heck is the difference between that and cream cheese???)  and basil.  Things I have never used before when cooking.  Would you believe that the meal was AMAZING??? The 4 of us sat down, and my children (as in JACK AND NONA) ate their whole plate!! With spinach and tomatoes and all! I sat there in disbelief, like surely these are not my children.  My Jack, who doesn't like anything, is eating spinach? The high that I received that night, feeling like a successful mother who actually FED her kids a decent meal… well it was enough motivation to keep this cooking thing going.  In fact, right now I just finished some garlic rice (since I have enough garlic in the house to last awhile now…) and baked chicken is finishing in the oven :)  Perhaps I may turn out to be a better wife and mom than I thought!

The Notorious Jack Wilder is turning 5!

The Jack Man

 I should probably be napping.  The kids are both conked out in their beds, Adam is passed out on the couch with football on the TV… and I'm too busy paying bills and panicking about all our recent expenses to just relax!  Don't you hate when you pile a bunch of unnecessary expenses into one month? For us it has been 3 months of house renovations, leading into a rather large and over-the-top birthday party for our favorite little man (and the Big man in the house too).  So now we move into recovery mode (also known around here as "quit buying crap"! )

Some Adults enjoying a game of horseshoes (and some beer)

Anyhoo… the birthday party was pretty fantastic.  We had a nearly 90% turn out from our original invite list. Which I think is pretty impressive.  The bad news?  I'm really not that great at hosting. In fact, I rarely host anything at all.  All week leading up to the party I was stressing more and more realizing that nearly 60 people were coming to my house- and I wasn't sure I could pull it off.  We were working until the last minute finishing the party barn (we literally took it from a dusty old shed to a finished off space in the last week before the party).  I was working on the menu, shopping for the food, and racking my brain on how a person who does NOT cook was going to provide edible food for 60 people.  Thank GOODNESS other people in my family were willing to sacrifice their time to come and help me!   The morning of the party I was in tears over the stove as I was burning a quesadilla and my kids were dumping bowls of cheerios on the floor.  At that point I was convinced the entire day was going to be a disaster.  But my Mom, Dad and in-laws came to the rescue. Pealing the squashed play-doh off the counters and floor (that Jack and Nona had decided they should play with while I was frantically wrapping little smokies in crescent rolls to make their favorite pigs in a blanket).  I had a list of "To-Do's" a mile long, and felt like there was no good place to start.  But sure enough, step by step (and with a whole lot of help from others) the decorations got put out, the food all got made, the piñata was hung, the bounce house was erected, and the party begun.  Ready or not.

Relaxing and enjoying the party barn

 Turns out, we had absolutely PERFECT weather.  A cool 70 degree day, sunny, with a calming breeze.  The bounce house was a HUGE hit as it was occupied non-stop for the entire 24 hours that we had it out. (In fact, Adam, Jack, his cousins, and good friends the Corley's even SLEPT in the bounce house. Mainly because they were too lazy to put up their tents, and the bounce house was basically a giant tent. So what the heck?)  When the kids woke up in the morning, they just kept bouncing. NonaJane would only get out of the bounce house long enough to tattle that somebody made her mad. Then she would retort "I go Jump" and off she would go.  We even ended up renting a porta-potty for the event.  And honestly, it was the nicest porta-potty I've ever seen.  Super clean, even came supplied with hand sanitizer :)  I think the majority of the party goers didn't mind using it at all (I even chose to use it rather than hiking inside).  We figured with that many people, and being on a septic system that we had better be safe than sorry.  Plus,  we all know that I am pretty fanatical (paranoid, obsessive, particular, and annoying) about my carpet. It is brand new, and I don't let people where shoes in my house. So who would be monitoring all the people coming in and out to use the pot?? Too much stress for my little heart to handle.  But honestly, I think we will rent the porta-potty again anytime we have a large gathering, it was handy!

Gift time! So many kids you can't even find Jack in this picture :) If I was smarter I would do one of those cool arrows to point at his head for you. But I don't know how to do that. He is on Grandma's lap, just above Nona's head :)

Beginning to gather as we start the camp fire for S'mores

Of course there were a few who just couldn't part with the bounce house for long enough :)

Jack and Adam seemed to be on cloud 9 all day and night.  They loved the big turn out, they loved the excitement and mess.  Jack had been suffering from an asthma attack on Friday, and I was pretty nervous as to whether he would be able to handle the day- but come party time you wouldn't have known that the kid couldn't breathe.  My friends reported they noticed him occasionally laying down in the bounce house while the madness jumped and bounced around him. But by-golly he didn't miss a minute of it.  He received a table full of presents- definitely more presents than he has ever seen. (we generally don't do a lot of gifts. In fact, we didn't even buy him an actual present. I mean, we DID rent him a bounce house AND a porta-potty!)  Jack opened each gift with genuine excitement, and has been dying to play with them ever since.  After the presents we shuffled the kids right over to the piñata that Jack had so sweetly requested.  A cowboy boot stuffed with noise makers and bags of pretzels. I thought for sure the kids were going to be disappointed when bushels of candy didn't fall out- but not a single kid looked phased.  They grabbed their pretzels and commenced their annoying noise making immediately.

Getting ready for the night-Henry, Ethan, Jack, and Adam's empty spot

Madison, Emma, Dakota and Christian on the other side (8 in total, sleeping in a bounce house of dreams)

By the end of the night, there was not a single morsel of cake left (between the two that I made!)  the food was well picked over, and 5 gallons of lemonade had been consumed. I went to bed feeling strangely drunk, and decided it must have been the extreme fatigue and a release of stress. The party did in fact happen, and it seemed like everyone there did in fact have a fantastic time.  Adam is already talking about the "next time" and all I can think is… you're crazy!

The morning after… a bunch of hungover kiddos :)

I think Nona and I felt the same way...

Let's cure their exhaustion with some sugary donuts. 

7 happy kiddos, and one still in bed (how did Molly sleep thru all this?)

ugh… pregnancy

Me in my usual spot (the couch) and a very BORED little boy

I forgot to add a picture of the new carpet, what better time than now?

Pregnancy, particularly early pregnancy, makes me weird.  Really weird.  I go from being an active, energetic, go-go-go person to a lazy, distracted, inefficient, sickly person. I let my kids eat granola bars for a meal, I leave crap all over the floor, and I let the dust build up on the furniture. But I pride myself in the fact that the laundry is still getting done, and I'm keeping the bathrooms clean (because I had to draw a line somewhere!) A few weeks ago I literally laid on the couch and watched a marathon of dumb movies (Stuck on You, Bubble Boy, rounded out by Dumb and Dumber) all while chowing down on a bag of Cheetos.  The same person, who in my normal state, would never have the patience to sit and watch a movie (particularly such dumb ones) nor would I ever 'chow down' on a bag of Cheetos. But I'll tell you what, eating those Cheetos made me feel the best I had felt all day. I don't know if it was the chemicals, the food dyes, or what… but my body said "Yes PLEASE!"   I miss my old self. Really I do. Adam misses the old me to.  He makes little comments like "I miss coming home to a clean house" and "So… what exactly did you DO today??" with an awkward smile.  But I'm tired, and I don't feel good.  Headaches, nausea, fatigue, body aches, etc. etc.  Heck, I ate a quarter of a sheet cake on my Birthday (wait… I would do that anytime.  In fact, I would have inhaled more than a quarter if there had been more cake to inhale.  It's one of my character flaws that I have taken in stride. But that is neither here nor there :)  BUT I have been pregnant before, and I know I will break free of this pregnancy fog, stupor, whatever you want to call it somewhere in the next month or so.  I will mysteriously regain my energy, regain control of my food intake and return to my 'normal' diet. (except for the occasional sheet cake.)  I definitely think surviving three pregnancies will feel like a badge of honor to me.  I'm really not sure how other women can report they feel "great" while pregnant. Nothing about being exhausted, sick, and fat feels great.  Adam tried to remind me how miserable I was the first two times, but my gut and my dreams got the best of me.  What is a few months of misery for another little life anyways?  A bundle of joy? A child of excitement and wonder?  At least that is what I keep trying to remind myself as the day in and day out of BLAH starts to wear on me.  I also find myself frequently reminded of what a miracle pregnancy is.  And that this will be the LAST time I experience this. Trying to enjoy every moment, every experience (which is insurmountably hard when pregnancy feels like this). Despite my griping, I have not forgot what a blessing a healthy baby is.  How fragile, delicate, and precious the process of pregnancy can be.

back at 10 weeks... sporting the beer belly look

So if you have been around me in the past 14 weeks, or have to deal with me over the next month or so.. I am sorry about my pregnancy stupor.  I apologize for being lazy, grouchy, unorganized, and not myself.  
Sincerely,
My pregnant Self

NonaJane and her BIG personality

Our beautiful daughter 

creativity at work

When Jack was 2, he got compliments everywhere we went. "Oh, how handsome!" "How smart!" "How well behaved!"  Jack was a people pleaser, and he loved the attention about as much as we did.  He knew how to smile and draw people in. In fact, this wasn't just when he was 2… it was really from the day he was born.  Even the nurses in the hospital informed me that he was just the cutest baby they had ever seen.  He was born with that stylish hair, and a smirkish grin that was just so charming. The nurses told me that they fought over who was going to get to care for him each day.
Along came NonaJane. A bit more on the bald side, and although very cute, none of the nurses seemed to be fighting over her.  As she grew, my feelings were hurt when everywhere we went she didn't naturally become the center of attention.  Now don't get me wrong, she gets her fair share of "oh, how cute!"  but she also brings in a large amount of "oh, she is feisty!" "looks like you have your hands full" and "she is a busy one!"

someone is about to get his cookie stolen...

But the other day we were at Panera, and NonaJane got the most sincere compliment that just made my heart burst. A woman stopped me on the way out and told me that she just HAD to tell me what a beautiful little girl we had. But her emphasis was on what a CHARACTER she was, that her personality was so BIG.  NonaJane had entertained her (unknowingly), and the woman said "she brightened my day." That a perfect stranger was able to see exactly what it is about NonaJane that makes her so amazing, just hit my heart in a special way. NonaJane is anything but ordinary. NonaJane doesn't smile because you ask her to (unless for a picture, then she is quite willing), but she smiles only with the purest of joy. NonaJane lives to bend the rules, to try the unexpected, and to experience life to the fullest. When Nona is happy, she is just over the moon. Dancing around, singing, and giggling in a way that could make any situation a good one.  When Nona is mad, she lets you know.  Nona is silly, imaginative, energetic, and creative.

Over the past week we got to attend a pre-school open house (for Jack) and two birthday parties. It turns out, NonaJane IS the center of attention, and knows how to party! At the pre-school open house she was proficient at bossing around the 3-4 year olds at the train table. They handed over their trains with wide eyes, backed themselves up each time she needed through, and for some reason let her run the show.  I sat right there and watched the whole debocle and couldn't figure out how she managed it… then one of the other parents smiled at me and said "what you have there, is an alpha child."  I think I'll take that as a compliment :)  At the birthday parties she preferred to be up front and center, assisting with the presents, finagling the toys and and new items away from the other children (which somehow she managed to do without making them cry… quite the  persuasive little one!)  In fact, all the other children we have met seem to REALLY like her.  Drawn to her in a way.  Perhaps I should take notes on how this is done...

assisting Johanna 

Perhaps with the third child on the way, I will be better prepared for the variety of ways that people may react to a child.  I won't let their brief interaction with my child hurt my feelings, or effect my perception of their behavior or abilities.  Jack and NonaJane have amazed me in different ways… I can't help but wonder what personality traits will I be bewildered by with the next one?

NonaJane and Makayla. The daughter of MY childhood friend. So neat to see these two together :)

14 weeks along

Jack and ME...

My Mom has always felt strongly about her intuition, reminding me to "follow my gut"and "listen to my heart." She has always believed that you will know deep down when something isn't right, or for that matter, when something IS right.
Deep down in my gut, I have known that our family was not complete.  I recall one night staying up late and talking with Adam.  My eyes welled up with tears as I explained to him  "as crazy as it sounds,  if we don't have another child, it feels to me like we are giving up on someone who is supposed to exist."  Adam would reiterate the adverse advice we had heard from hundreds of people.  The advice that had poured in over the past few years in an overwhelmingly negative land slide:  "Don't do it!"
 "Stop at two kids!" "Cars aren't made for families of 5, hotel rooms aren't set up for families of 5, vacation plans aren't set up for families of 5" "it costs an arm and a leg"  "they'll out number you!"  "the third one will wear you down" and most of all "you'll never have any fun ever NEVER EVER AGAIN."  (okay well maybe no one ever said that last one.)
I couldn't exactly argue with the logistics of it.  A lot of it seems very true.  Fitting three kids in a car will be tight, sharing beds in a hotel sounds like a nightmare, feeding three kids will be expensive, and vacations will cost more…. BUT I couldn't ignore my gut.  And eventually, neither could Adam.  He slowly began to make comments like "Well, I CAN see us with three kids" and "With all the land at the new house there will be plenty of room for the kids to play outside…"
So low and behold.. Adam, the kids and I are excitedly expecting the third addition to our family.  Our #3 (despite the advice of many, and God willing) will make his or her debut in late February.  And if my intuition, my gut, and my dreams are on par… then I think it will be a little boy.  We will wait and see!!!

 I absolutely love these pictures.  I love their inquisitive looks, and their excited faces when they found out there would be another sibling.   Jack was able to read the sign out loud on his own, and with a dropped jaw exclaimed "is this for REAL!??"  "Is there REALLY a baby in your belly!??"  And the series of questions regarding the baby, how it got in my belly, how I will make milk for it, etc. etc. etc. has ensued.  My answers have been total flops… as I was not expecting my 4 year old to care, or question it.  Oh dear. He even informed his Mema that "Mom wanted another baby and... BAM! It's in her belly!" NonaJane on the other hand was smiling because we were, and she liked holding the sign.  Not sure she really cares about another baby, and in fact, when I hold other kids she gets pretty outright jealous and mad about it. BUT, we have 7 months to not worry about it :)  I love these two, I love their smiles, I love their questions, their shenanigans, and am beyond thankful and excited about the opportunity to round out this picture with a third little smiling face.

A month in, and no time wasted

The family on our second weekend in the house

As of Thursday, we will officially have been in our new home for 1 month.  And a whirlwind it has been.  I'm pretty sure neither Adam or I have come up for air in the past 4 weeks.  Together we are a pretty determined team.  Thank goodness for such a handy husband, and an even greater "thank goodness" for a husband who is just as willing and motivated to work around the house as I am.  There is no begging, pleading, or manipulating around here to get things done. (of course… I guess I kind of did hold his new golf membership hostage until "The house is liveable!!" Which to me entailed a thorough scrubbing, wall paper removal, whole house interior painting, hanging of every picture, shelf, and decor item, and changing every fixture, knob, and pull in the home.  That's not too much to ask is it??)   Between the scrubbing, and painting, and scrubbing, and painting, and on and on and on and on… we also managed to get some new flowers planted, moved an entire retaining wall comprised of over a hundred 90 pound stones, mowed the yard each week ( a mere 4 hour job), and fix a broken windmill.  I'm exhausted just thinking about it.  I'm pretty sure I didn't go to bed before 11:00 and was up by 6:30 for a month straight, with very little sitting in between.  NonaJane would comment "Paint!  or "Paint?"  sounding slightly more exasperated with each day that Mommy told her  "don't touch!" or "get off the ladder" or "No, NonaJane can NOT paint".

Adam took the kids to Deanna Rose with their dousing Luke, Amy, Landon and Lauren

But somehow the kids got fed, the laundry got washed, bathes happened (although perhaps not as regularly as one should) and we all survived.  Here we are a month later, I sit in my living room typing my blog… and I feel relaxed.  This house feels like home.  Every room has our touch.  Of course we still have a list of projects, plans, hopes and dreams.  But who doesn't?  The rest of the work will be like the icing on top of the cake!  I know that many of the people who know me think I am crazy- just relax, take your time, the work will be there tomorrow, what's the big rush, etc. etc. etc.  You may think that my persistence, my obsession, my determination, stubbornness and unwillingness to budge is a character flaw. But I DON'T.  I'm proud of what Adam and I can accomplish.  I love feeling comfortable in my home, and am glad we didn't waste anytime getting here.  We are ready to enjoy the rest of our summer. To explore our new territory, to experience life, and take our kids on new adventures :)

Since we live in the country now I figured I better start letting my kids play in the rain and stuff. We are still a long way off from digging for worms and catching grasshoppers with our hands… maybe next time we will lose the umbrella?

Adam took the kids out on the pond for a couple of boat rides.  NonaJane is giving Adam the 'stink-eye' for telling her  to SIT DOWN!

Jack helping me take the trash out each week.  Again, living in the country so we better start teaching him how to drive young.  And let me tell you, taking out the trash with this driveway is quite the ORDEAL!

All the stones that we inherited for future use 

The retaining wall that Adam and my Dad removed 

The Windmill.. or a dying cow

When we moved into our new house, the windmill was one of the things that gave it such amazing curb appeal and drew us into the beautiful spot we call home.  We noticed over the few weeks of visiting prior to our move that it never really spun.  We asked Jim (the previous owner) "How come the windmill doesn't turn?"  He explained that he had the brake set on it.  Adam and I were content with the response, but deep down thought "what good is a windmill that doesn't turn?"  The second weekend that we lived here, a big windstorm/thunderstorm blew threw overnight.  The next day as we were out running around the pond assessing how much the water level had rose, we noticed the windmill was turning!! "She's ALIVE" we proclaimed. Adam excitedly recorded the windmill in all it's glory, sending the video to my parents to share the exciting news.  But… why was it spinning? We had not removed any brake or touched the windmill.  But due to our excitement, we didn't really investigate and just counted our blessings instead.

Our excitement quickly began to dissipate as the giant metal monstrosity began to groan, and grind, and whine with every turn.  The damn wind just wouldn't quit, and the windmill only got angrier.  Adam attempted to climb the windmill and add some oil, but with the high winds all he managed to get was backspray in the face, and risked losing limbs from the flying blades. Upon closer inspection, Adam could see that due to rust and possible lack of earlier maintenance the windmill had completely busted and was in a free spin. Day after day I became more annoyed with the hideous NOISE.  I began to think "oh no, the neighbors are going to hate us! Surely they can hear the windmill too"  I texted Adam- "you HAVE to do something about that windmill!"  So at 2:00 AM one night, Adam had noticed that the wind had died down to a calm breeze.  He climbed the tower in the pitch black night , marching to the top of the slow groaning beast (which at this point sounded like a cow dying.. I don't know if I really know what a cow dying would sound like… but anyhow) and in his usual ingenious manner Adam managed to rig the windmill up with wire, bungy cords, and I don't know what else.  All I know, is the noise stopped!!! Our windmill has returned to its stately, beautiful, and awe inspiring self.  Adding art to our scenery, and beauty to our hillside.  Let's just hope this solution can last!