We Beat the Lollipops

Drew just came up to me and said, "I love you and Dad more than candy, licorice, lollipops and cake with icing."  That really means a lot coming from him. :)

Florida Vacation

At the beginning of March we planned an impromptu Florida vacation.  Mitch came home with the idea and a little over a week later we were packed into the van heading south for a week.  I figure if your husband comes home suggesting a beach vacation you quickly make it happen before he changes his mind.  It was such an unexpected but definitely needed break and lined up really well with Drew's school schedule so he only missed a day and a half of class.

We planned to leave on Friday and poor Cade got sick and was throwing up Wednesday and Thursday.  We woke up Friday unsure whether we would be heading out that morning but when we got up we realized Cade was in the playroom and back to his old self.  Armed with a sickness kit in case things went bad we hit the road.  We drove 13 hours the first day and the boys did so good.  The second day we still had six hours and they were ready to be done.  There was way too much excitement to be at the beach house to sit in the car for that long.  On the way we stopped at fun places like Metropolis, IL to see all the Superman items.  Not sure who liked it more; Mitch or the little boys.      

Once at the beach we lazily spent the first few hours of our mornings waiting for it to warm up outside.  It was in the 60s every day but the mornings were pretty chilly on the beach.  There were pretty high winds most days too so that didn't make it any warmer.  Once it finally got warm enough, we all headed out to play in the sand.  Drew and Cade loved digging holes and throwing sand into the water.  Mace on the other hand didn't really enjoy much about the beach.  He played for about ten minutes and then would get up a wander off.  He would either head back up to the house or sometimes someone else's house or down the beach crying most of the way.  I would just chase him around trying to get him to have a good time.  Then we would head in for lunch and a nap. While Mace napped the older two would head back to the beach to play more.  On the days I stayed up at the house with Mace I got to sit on the deck basking in the sun reading a couple magazines and a book.  It was exactly why I wanted to take the trip.  Watching the boys having a blast on the beach, sitting relaxing in the sun, reading a book.  Does it get better?  Well, another 10 degrees warmer would have made it better but I'm not going to complain one bit.  

View from our deck

One of the days we headed out to visit a nearby zoo.  The boys had a good time checking out all of the animals and riding the train through the 30 acre area where they let the animals roam free. It was more like a natural habitat and was really cool to see.  The weather was perfect for us that day to be able to spend the day walking around.

Cade at the zoo

One morning Mitch and the boys headed out to a local doughnut shop that Mitch had found on the internet.  They came home with a box full of yummy.  Note from the picture below that Mitch came home with 11 doughnuts for five people.  Apparently everything was looking good to him that morning.

Doughnut run

Boys enjoying the doughnuts

This is what Mace thought of the beach

Drew & Cade playing in the water

After a week on the beach it was sadly time to pack up to head home.  On the morning we planned to leave, Mace woke us up two minutes before our alarms were about to go off.  He was sick again which is not the ideal situation for being in a car for two days.  After throwing up twice before we left and once in the van we made the decision to make the whole trip home in one day.  We never erven got out of the car for meals and briefly stretched legs at gas stations.  By 9:00 that night poor Cade was crying that his butt hurt and we all felt his pain.  We powered through and made it home in 18 hours.  It ended up being a really good decision because the next morning Drew joined in the sickness.  I guess with three little boys you just never know what to expect.  At least the sickness came at the end of the trip and we were still able to have a great family vacation.  Can't wait to do it again soon.

Cade's Big Changes

When you look at Cade's life over the last couple weeks it has changed dramatically.  So much so that I really can't even believe it.  Last Monday I took him to the doctor for his three year check.  In talking to the doctor we discussed the lack of potty training that was happening in our house.  I informed her that I didn't think Cade would ever want to potty on the toilet.  He has said that he's scared of sitting on the toilet and that he wants to wear diapers forever.  Nothing we tried was even slightly successful in getting him to do anything on the toilet.  The doctor told me a story about her daughter who was also scared of the potty.  Her daughter's really wanted a pair of ballet slippers so every time she was on the potty for a little bit she could play with the slippers for 10 minutes.  I realized that for Cade we had been thinking too small scale with candy and other things as an incentive.  That morning he had mentioned to me that we needed to go to the movie store to buy a Larryboy toy.  Apparently he thinks there's a store somewhere that has all the toys from movies that he watches.  So, on the way home from the doctor I decided to give the doctor's theory a try.  We stopped at Lemstone to see what they had and we found a Larryboy helicopter with action figures.  That afternoon we started letting him play with it for 10 minutes every time he sat on the potty.  You know what?  He sat right on there no longer scared and crying like we had experienced the last six months.  

Throughout the week he started asking me to go sit on the potty so he'd be able to play with his new toy.  Then on Saturday Mitch and I decided we were going to see if we could get him to sit there for an extended period of time after lunch to see what would happen.  We told him there would be an extra special surprise if he was successful in going potty.  The three of us camped out in the bathroom for probably half an hour talking and looking at pictures on Mitch's phone trying to distract him long enough.  Then it happened.  He pottied!! As soon as Mace woke up from his nap we packed everyone into the car and headed out for celebratory ice cream at Orange Leaf.  By Sunday he was going so well we decided to let him wear big boy underwear.  So far we have been to my parents house, out for dinner, and to my sisters house all in underwear with no accidents during those outings.  He cries now if we put him in a diaper.  

Just all of a sudden he has completely made a change.  Once he understood what was happening he picked right up on it and is doing great.  He has had accidents a couple times during quiet time and immediately comes crying because he doesn't like that his pants are wet - an encouraging sign.  I hope he keeps on track and I can start working on Mace so I have no more diapers in this house.  That would be so awesome.

Later last Monday after Cade's doctor's appointment he had speech.  The therapist shocked me by telling me she wanted to test Cade again because she wants to discharge him.  I know that he still has lots of issues with his speech abilities but he has come such a long way over the last year.  He has been catching on so fast to her articulation lessons and she thinks he's ready to be done.  I think part of it is that he doesn't like going any more and she's having a hard time getting him to do anything lately.  So this Monday she finished her testing and recommended discharge.  He still actually qualifies for therapy with his test results but was only one point away.  We decided a break would be good for him and we'll continue to work with him at home.  If we feel that he's falling behind again we can always get him tested again and back in for more therapy.  Right now he's just really excited to not have to go there every week.  

Mace - 15 Months

Yesterday Mr. Mace had his 15 month check with the doctor and passed with flying colors.  He is 27 lbs 7 oz (80%) and he's 33.5" tall (97%).  He's right on target for all of his milestones.  He should have 3-6 words at this age and currently has 6 that he pretty consistently uses.  They are da-da, hi, kitty, ball, on, and up.  It's so cute because Mace calls babies and all animals kitties.  He is doing a good job at pointing at what he wants.  He knows that his shoes go on his feet and hats go on his head.  Yesterday I asked the boys if they wanted to go out for supper.  Mace ran right over to his diaper bag, pulled out his shoes and tried putting one on his foot.  He's such a smarty pants.

He currently likes to help with laundry; he knows to pull the clothes out of the washer and put them in the dryer.  Then when he's finished he closes the door and after I set it, he pushes the start button.  He is also getting really good at following simple directions like "throw this in the garbage" or "find your cup".

His current favorite activities include dance parties, itsy bitsy spider, emptying the kitchen drawers, and playing with big boys toys.  Now he can walk around pushing a dump truck just like his older brothers and loves to tag along with them.  

In the last couple weeks he has pooped twice and pottied once on the big potty.  We've only put him on there three times so three for three is pretty good odds.  Please note that I am in no way attempting to potty train.  While we are trying to get Cade comfortable with the big potty we might as well do it with Mace too.

What You Don't Want To Hear

This morning when I went to pick Mace up from his nursery room after MOPS I heard the following, "Has anyone seen Mace?"  This was then followed by all of the women responding "no".  The woman started looking around and he was nowhere to be found in the room.  Apparently he likes to wander over to the other side of the room into the other class.  It's a really large room separated by a half wall with a half door in between.  The door must have been opened and he wondered over.  That's the second time I've found him in that room.  Maybe they have better toys over there. :)

My Poor Little Ones

We have snot, coughing, and more snot.  I just love this time of year.  The two little ones seem to be miserable which makes me feel so bad for them.  They have these horrible coughs that sound so giant from their little bodies.  Cade has had to miss two speech sessions this week due to the sickness.  Hopefully it gets out of here quickly and doesn't infect the rest of us.

3 Little Words

I was just telling the boys goodnight as Mitch was preparing to read them a story and Cade looked up at me and said "I love you".  That was the first time he has ever said those words and they were very clear.  I'm not going to lie, it was overwhelming to hear my son utter those three little words after spending so long not talking.

A Normal Day Around Here

So this morning Drew didn't have school.  I had great visions of the boys sleeping in and having a nice relaxing morning.  Normally on school days I end up having to wake them up but on non-school days they don't have any problems getting up early.  This morning was no different.  Drew and Cade were up much earlier than normal and I was disappointed my morning hadn't worked as I had it planned out in my head.  So, I told them they could watch cartoons in my room with me for a little bit before we went down for breakfast.  A little while later I woke again because Mace was awake.  When I got up I realized the boys were gone.  They had sneaked out without telling me and went downstairs.  As Mace and I walked down the stairs, I was scared of the make-your-own-breakfast mess I would find on the counters but I was pleasantly surprised that I found them void of any supplies.  As they sat on the couch watching cartoons I asked them what exactly they were doing coming downstairs without telling me and Cade handed me a wad of plastic.  I grabbed it and studied it a minute trying to figure out what in the world it had come from.  What exactly had they been doing?  It was strange because the bottom was full of white little crystals.  Then it hit me.  They had gotten into Mitch's candy stash.  He had an unopened box of Sour Patch Kids in the pantry and they had helped themselves to the whole thing for breakfast.  What a healthy way to start your day when you are two.  They seemed pretty proud of themselves though that they had only taken one box of candy so I guess we have that going for us.  They didn't wipe everything out.

Then a little later Drew and Cade were upstairs playing and Mace was downstairs with me.  I was cleaning up the kitchen from the actual breakfast I fed them and Mace headed into the pantry.  I was calling for him because I needed to run some dirty towels up to the laundry room and didn't want him in the pantry alone while I was gone.  He didn't come and it was pretty silent back there.  I headed back to grab him and threw all the towels on the floor and screamed when I saw what he was doing.  He was standing at the toilet with his hands inside of it.  Gross yes, but it got so much worse when I got closer.  Drew has had the tendency not to flush the toilet lately.  It's so nasty and I don't know why he all of  sudden started doing that.  So Mace had been playing in a toilet full of pee.  Nasty, nasty, NASTY!  At least he hadn't thrown a whole roll of toilet paper in the toilet again.  I would not have been very happy about fishing out a pee soaked roll of toilet paper and having a pee covered baby.

The best thing about the morning was realizing that these two incidents didn't even really strike me as crazy or out of the ordinary.  I didn't even text Mitch and let him know.  Well, I guess I did make Drew send him an apology email.  But with three active little boys in the house right now, we're constantly finding ourselves part of crazy situations like these.  I now think of these times as amusing stories to share instead of stressful situations.  The alternative of losing my mind doesn't sound all that appealing to me.

Is it Really That Time Already

I cannot believe that I just had to bundle Drew & Cade up in winter coats, hats and gloves to play outside after lunch today.  It is really cold out there!!  I still want more glorious fall days to be able to play outside and enjoy before the bitter cold temperatures of winter move in.

It Made Me Happier than I Thought it Would

I feel like in a pinch I am really bad about coming up with something quick and easy for dinner.  If I don't make up a menu for the week I'm totally lost at dinner time.  Ask Mitch; I think it drives him crazy when he asks what's for dinner and I say I have no idea.  It is especially difficult because the defrost on our microwave doesn't work.  It just cooks the meat no matter what you try.  So everything I think of I can't ever make.

Mondays are terribly busy days around here.  We get home from speech when I would normally like to be sitting down for dinner.  So, I'm working on finding quick and easy things to be able to still get a good dinner on the table for us.  I'm finding that the easiest way I'm able to accomplish this is by putting something in the crock pot so it's ready for my hungry kids right when we get home.  Over the last few months as I've made crock pot meals I've doubled the recipe and made one for dinner and put the other in the freezer for later when I need a meal.  Today as I was struggling with what I was going to do for dinner because I hadn't yet made my menu, I decided to get one of those meals out.  It was awesome.  I had no prep time at all and we're going to have a great yummy meal tonight.  It's really little things like this that make me so ridiculously happy.  It wasn't that much extra work when I froze them because I was already using all the ingredients and it made no extra dishes (big plus).  Just a bonus meal to use on a day like today when I don't have time to whip something up.  {happy sigh!!}

Boys Update - September

The boys are growing up so fast.  I thought I would give an update on each of their little lives.

Mace
Mace has grown so much in just the last month.  His baby days are definitely gone now.  He loves walking all over the place exploring everything he can.  This week he has been working on going from sitting to standing without holding on to anything.  He's doing awesome.  The first time I saw him try was over at our neighbor's on her driveway.  He wanted to go get the cat and tried three times really hard to stand and walk.  On the third time, he was able to take off walking.  It was so fun to see although a little scary on the concrete.  He can reach the doorknobs now and is trying with all his might to open them when the big boys leave him behind.  He has added "kitty" and "door" to his vocabulary.  He points to what he wants and says "dat" (that).  He clicks his tongue and whistles and loves dancing to music.  I love watching his little dance moves.  It's guaranteed to put a smile on your face no matter your mood.  He still wants to take two naps most days although if you can get him through the morning he'll be fine with one.  His nighttime bottle is gone now and we'll just give him a drink of milk from a cup if he wants it before bed.  I'm worried about writing this for fear of jinxing it but he's been sleeping through the night consistently again which is wonderful.

Cade
Cade is becoming very grown up now.  He is talking up a storm and is trying lots of new words that we can't even figure out.  His therapists all say that is a really good sign that he's trying to say new things even if we can't figure any of it out.  I was able to have my first real conversation with him this week.  It made me smile so big to actually talk with him.  Here's our conversation:
   Mom "What's your favorite color"
   Cade "Green"
   Mom "What's your favorite food"
   Cade "Apple"
   Mom "What's your favorite thing to do outside?"
   Cade "Dig"
   Mom "Would you rather play outside or inside?"
   Cade "Outside"

We continue to do therapy both through the AEA and through a clinic in town.  Combined he has six sessions a month and we see his vocabulary continue to grow leaps and bounds.  He has many two word utterances and the other day even said four words together.  My mouth about hit the floor.  During therapy yesterday he counted to six.  I was not aware that he could do that so what a great surprise that was.  If we allowed him to, I believe he would play all day outside digging in his hole at the back of the yard.  He also is very helpful when we are out working on projects.  He wants to get in there are be of great assistance.

Drew
Drew is becoming so grown up now.  He is very independent and slightly stubborn like his mom.  He is able to carry on such grown up conversations now and sometimes blows me away with what he's able to talk about.  He continues to work on his reading and spelling and is doing a really good job.  He's also super good at adding and subtracting.  We've been doing lots of drawing and coloring and he's enjoying that more.  He doesn't like to get too crazy when he colors though.  I think he did a whole coloring book in blue because that's the color he likes.  I notice that about all his art projects he brings home from school too.  They are only ever one color.  He still loves school and loves playing with his "crew".  He says that all the boys are friends and they are all a crew.  He has come home with some interesting phrases he's learned from some kids and I have had to tell him we won't be using those in our house.  Luckily nothing bad though.  During indoor class activities he's still pretty shy and doesn't like doing his sharing time.  He answers the teachers questions and then I guess she relays his answers to the rest of the class.  I'm really interested to see what they are going to say at his conference in November.        

Happy Birthday Mitch

Today is my wonderful husband's birthday.  Over the weekend we were able to have both of our families over to celebrate with a football game and good food.  His gift from everyone was a giant seafood boil.  To say he was excited would be putting it mildly.  It was a great time getting to spend the day with everyone.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MITCH!!!!!

A Change in the Air for Naps

I remember when Drew was two and decided he didn't want to take a nap anymore.  We had a gate on his room so he still had to stay in his room for a couple hours and he would eventually fall asleep after looking at books for awhile.  Then after he turned three he was completely done with any nap attempt.  Cade has now also gotten to that point.  Sometimes he'll get out of his bed and then lie under it.  I'm not really sure what that's about but he has taken multiple naps on the floor in the last few weeks.  Most other times, he makes his way down to the playroom.  If Drew is resting with his stuffed animals in the guest room, Cade will just play by himself.  Otherwise the two of them play or read books.  I'm not ready for Cade to go from 3 hour naps to nothing.  He's not even 2.5 yet.  I used to work with people that would talk about how even their kindergartner still took naps on the weekends.  I don't understand that at all.  Why do my kids want to quit when they are two?  

Jab to my Heart

I was just talking with Drew as he was unloading the dishwasher.  I was giving him suggestions of what his reward could be when he gets his reward card full of punches.  He looked at me and said, "Daddy is the best Daddy but you are cranky all the time.  One time Daddy let me have the marshmallow cereal that you don't let me have."  Really?!?!  Yesterday he informed me that he liked Daddy best because Daddy always buys things for him.  Gotta love that he tells you what's on his mind.  I guess I'm going to have to develop thick skin for the next few years.

Making a Change in Dinner

Dinner together is something that is very important to us.  From the time that our kids were at least 9 months, they sat with us at dinner and ate what we ate for the most part.  It was important to us that from the beginning they learn about family meal time.  There are foods of course that little ones cannot feed themselves either because they are not ready to use a spoon and plate or because mommy doesn't like them to make super big messes.  Take applesauce or messy spaghetti for example.  That means of course that we have to eat our food while at the same time feeding the baby and making sure the older children have everything they need.  This causes some problems for impatient hungry little babies.  Mace is now screaming when he wants another bite if it has not been given to him fast enough.  This is through no fault of his own though.  For a year he was able to communicate with us in no other way than to cry.  That was the way he let us know he was hungry, tired, or dirty.  Now we have to break that reinforcement and get him to communicate with us in ways that do not cause pain to our ears.  (I'm not kidding...you should hear this kid scream.)  I remember going through this with the other two as well.  To break the yelling for food cycle, we introduce signing to our kids.  Drew only ever had a few signs because he talked early.  With Cade's talking issues he has quite a few that he learned and uses.  Tonight we taught Mace to sign "more".  When he yelled for a bite I said "more" along with showing him the sign.  He immediately did the sign and got a bite and gave us a big smile.  This happened three times tonight and he did the sign right away every time we showed him.  It's just amazing to me how quickly they can pick up on things.  He has also recently started giving high fives and waving bye.  It's fun that you can show him something one time and see him start to do it.  

He'll Get it Soon

Mace is working on walking.  I really think it won't be long until he's buzzing around at lightning speed.  Every night after dinner, Mitch and I sit and make Mace walk between the two of us until he no longer has any interest.  He's getting pretty good at it too.  He'll take about 5 steps and he'll have the biggest smile on his face the whole time.  It's great to watch.  Last night, I was standing in the kitchen when Mitch sent Mace towards me.  I stepped backwards as Mace came towards me and he paused, keeping his balance, and then kept walking.  It was the furthest he had gotten.  I can't believe that soon he'll be out running around with the older two.

Words I Never Thought I Would Hear

Friday at dinner Mitch was talking to Drew about school that day.  Then I heard Drew utter a phrase I really never expected him to say, "I love school!"  I could not believe my ears.  Mr. School Is Not Going to Be Fun now loves school.  We'll see how long that attitude lasts.  Do boys still think that when they're 16?

My New Helper

With Drew being at school in the mornings, Cade has stepped up to become my new helper around the house.  On Wednesday, he helped me unload the dishwasher and organize the diaper laundry.  Today, he was a very good helper at the grocery store.  It's nice to see him wanting to help and do the things Drew normally did when he was here.  I also noticed this morning that he talked a lot more while we were shopping.  Drew is usually the mastermind behind their play so it's a change for Cade to be the one in charge.

Most Likely an Alien Abduction

After Mace's birthday he was abducted by aliens.  I really don't know how else to explain what has happened to my baby.  He was a nice calm, easy going baby.  Now he's a cranky, screaming, angry one year old.  He now spends most of his time screaming.  I'm not talking about a little baby yell or cry.  I'm talking ear piercing, brain rattling screams.  I don't even know how he can be that loud for how small he is.  But luckily it's only when we're in the car, at a restaurant, while I'm getting lunch or dinner ready, or while he's playing.  The aliens also altered his sleeping as he is no longer waking up at night.  It's so nice that he's finally back to sleeping well but I don't know if I would have exchanged that for all the screaming.  Hmm, I'm not really sure which is worse.  Hopefully whatever they did to his little brain doesn't last long.

Drew's Day

When I picked up my little guy today he had the biggest smile on his face.  When the teacher called his name, he came running out the door to us.  The first thing he said to me when he got to us was that he thought it wasn't going to be fun but it was.  That was honestly the greatest thing he could have said.  Especially when coupled with the excitement in his voice.  I'm so glad that he had a good day and is looking forward to going back.  When I asked his favorite part of today he first answered with snack time but then quickly changed to everything.  Could there be a better answer than that he loved everything they did?