April-May 2012

I have been looking at pictures I've uploaded over the last couple months, and realize that I have missed a lot as far as recording our lives goes.  So this post is to catch up on all the miscellaneous stuff, and basically give my mom some really fun pictures to look at.

36 weeks pregnant

I thought I looked especially huge this day.

I told Jason that this shirt made me look huge.

Jason said it wasn't the shirt.

Ten minutes later I was trying to get a sock on.  I grunted out, "I'm too huge!"

Jason said, "No, honey.  It's just the shirt.

Then I was laughing too hard, and really could not get the sock on!

One day when Jason got home from work he and these two adorable boys took tons of self portrait pictures.  They are pretty great.  This entertained them long enough for me to get dinner on the table.

He works hard for his money.  Jason came home with a neck of beads for Mardi Gras.  I wonder how many patients he flashed to get them.

Max at his first Blue and Gold Dinner for Cub Scouts. 

Bennett had fun with play doh, and has really gotten into the cheesy grins.  

I LOVE his face!

Bennett sitting at the table for cereal, rather than in his high chair.  Crazy daddy let him do this.  I would have NEVER let him do this.  Jason said it was worth the mess, because he was so happy!

Bath time.  Star Wars Bubble Baths are very popular in our home.

This is what they do on Saturday mornings.  They wake up and play Lego's for a few hours.

These two share a room.  I'm glad for these moments where it is obvious how much they love each other.

38 weeks pregnant.  This is one week before popping.  I took this just for my mom and sisters.  I was wearing non maternity sweats and T-shirt, to do housework in the morning.  I passed by the mirror and thought WOW!  I gotta take a picture of  THAT!  Now that it's all over I feel brave enough to share this picture.

This is Bennett and Maxwell laying in Glenn's bed reading books. 

I was hugely pregnant, and needed to run to IKEA for a few things.  I have strict rules about putting as many kids in a cart as possible.  The more you have strapped in the better.  When I tried to put Bennett in the cart he LOST it!  Being 9 months pregnant, I really truly was not physically able or have the strength to force him in the seat.  He was screaming, "I WANNA WALK!"  over and over.  I sat him down and made him promise that he would hold onto the cart the whole time, and NOT let go.  He promised.  I'm no dummy.  I know that a two year old's promise to hold onto the cart all through the store is as good as broken.  Been there, done that!  Having said that, you must understand how completely PROUD I was of my perfectly behaved child who NEVER ONCE let go of that cart.  I was getting looks of a different sort.  I rarely get these kinds of looks.  The kind that say, "Wow, what a sweet, cute, perfectly behaved child.  She is obviously a great mother."  It felt really good.  Thanks Bennett for this gift.

More self Portraits.  This time it was to entertain them so I could lay in bed longer.

One afternoon I couldn't find Bennett anywhere.  I finally found him with Lily in her room.  She was giving him the royal treatment.  He was cozied up in her bed, with tons of blankets and stuffed animals while she read books to him.  This is probably his idea of heaven.

This year for Christmas Jason's brother gave us a 3D owl puzzle.  Jason loves that kind of stuff, where as I take one look at it and think, "We'll never do that."  Well, while Jason was on paternity leave this is what he did in his spare time.  It's actually pretty cool and sits on our mantle now.

It's slightly sad for me to look at pictures of Theo that were just taken in April.  He has changed so much already.

 

Nothing is better than the ability to sleep through all things.  He has quite a bit of blondish fuzz on the back of his head, you can see it really well in these pictures.

 We had another Gourmet Club Dinner.  It was simply amazing!  If you haven't checked out our blog do that HERE!  Not only is it great eye candy, but also the recipes used that night are posted.  Trust me, they should be used!  The hostesses that night did an amazing job!

We had some really HOT days.  Jason was persuaded to set up the kids pool for a few days.  They would come home from school, get in their suits, eat a Popsicle and play play play!!!

One of those afternoons Max and Harrison teamed up against Dad for game of water dodge ball.  It was pretty awesome!

We had been couped up in the house for awhile, Theo was just a few weeks old.  The weather was so nice though.  Jason made me get out of bed so we could go out to lunch.  We drove through McDonald's and got the two little boys Happy Meals, then went to Five Guys Burgers and Fries.  It's brand new here, and Jason had never eaten there.  The little boys were thrilled with their 'cheap' burgers, while we ate the good stuff.  Does that make me a bad mom?

The best part?  Outdoor seating!  The fresh air was lovely!

 Mostly Harrison just wanted to play with his Happy Meal Toy.  It was spy gear.  When Harrison put on the shades, Jason said to him, "Wow! Cool Dude!"  Harrison calmly replied, "Well, I am a spy."

Bennett was just happy to eat Ketchup for lunch.

The next day we ventured out to the mall to make a return that I had been putting off.  The boys were thrilled to get an ice cream cone.  I was thrilled that you can still do that for $1 each.

 By the way - I used about 10 wipes to clean Bennett up when he was done.

On our way back out of the mall Bennett got really excited at this window display.  He ran full force right in to the glass and fell on his back.  He had a nice red bump on his forehead.  I am a good mom and was laughing so hard I almost peed.  He didn't cry much. 

I think he was going for the white furry thing, because right before he smacked the glass I heard him say, "Meow."

Bennett had fun with his Curious George Paint book.

Theodore came to church for the first time on Mother's Day.  I had fun dressing him in one of Glenn's little church outfits.

 

One thing I do not like about our current home is the lack of yard.  There is really no good place to plant a garden or for the kids to play.  Our kids are always out front in the Culdesac.  Good thing we live in a culdesac, because we have no backyard.  We have a teeny tiny side yard with a huge shade tree.  We have tried and tried to grow grass and other things.  It just turns into a big muddy mess 3 seasons out of the year.  

Jason decided he was going to put fire pit out there with a little patio so we can roast marshmallows and hot dogs this Summer.  I think he might even set up the tent on occasion and sleep out there with the kids.  I think the wheels started turning in his head when I told him there was NO way I was going camping this year with a newborn etc.

When Jason gets an idea like this he can't rest till it's done.  My only main objection to this plan was the cost.  We don't own this home, and I did not want to spend a ton of money on this project.  He agreed and went to his favorite resource.... Craig's List.  He found this HUGE pile of pavers for $20!!!!  

We have never had felt comfortable having friends over here because there is really no where for the kid to play except for inside.  I look forward to getting this done and having some outdoor dinners with friends this Summer.

Bennett crashed on the couch one afternoon.  This was on a hot day after a few popcicles and playing in the pool.

Another super sweet picture of Theodore.

I have been feeling guilty about changing Bennett's life without his permission.  He has been very clingy and all the sudden screams a lot.  I think Theo's arrival has really affected him.  I'm just really glad that Bennett does not realize all of this, and he does not hold Theo responsible for his sudden crankiness.  Instead he loves on Theo as often as he is allowed.

Every once in awhile Jason will get out the kids little tents and tunnels that Max got for his 6th birthday.  We had a space of five rainy days in a row in the forecast, so Jason set these up.  It was great!  The kids played in them, ate in them, watched movies in them etc.  I never went down to take good pictures of what it looked like.  I only have these few that Jason took.

Harrison and Lily watching a movie.

 For Memorial Day the Boys Scouts and Cub Scouts do a flag plant at Willamette National Cemetery.  On the Thursday before Memorial Day hundreds of Scouts meet there.  They plant a flag at each grave, and then salute.  Before all of that they do a flag ceremony.  This year Glenn's troop was in charge of that, and he got to carry the flag.

One thing we look forward to every May is the opening of the Farmer's Market on Saturday's.

We love to bring Karl with us, and meet all the other doggies.  We love to buy a small back of freshly made donuts, dance to the live music, look at artwork, smell the fresh flowers (and buy them too) and we always run into friends.

Just getting out of the car is an ordeal.  This year Theo has taken over the stroller, so both Bennett and Karl were on leashes.  Bennett was tied to the stroller at first.  It was just funny, and chaotic!  I made Jason step back to take pictures.  Glenn was gone camping.

Bennett's favorite part, for sure, was meeting all the other doggies.

Our first trip to market yielded a couple pounds of rhubarb and a loaf of Great Harvest Bread.  

We were excited to get our first Rhubarb of the season.

We had a Rhubarb Custard Pie to go with our Sunday dinner that weekend.

One day Bennett fell asleep at 10:30 in the morning while running errands with Jason and I.  

On the way home he was mad because I wouldn't turn the music up loud enough.  He kept yelling, "UP! UP! UP!"  After I did turn it up, I turned around and he was glaring at me.  I wish I could remember what the song was.  It was a tense alternative kind of song, and he was dancing, while glaring.  I don't know if he was just getting into the music, or if he was mad at me.

I love cuddling with Theo in the mornings.  We usually fall back asleep together after the older kids are at school while Bennett watches Elmo.