What A Wild Weekend!

A couple weekends ago we had ourselves quite an adventure.  Saturday morning we did a lot of child corralling yard work.  I edged the big back beds and then Bryan and I cleaned up all the big dirt chunks.  That night we had some friends come over to grill. 

The next morning we had a babysitter come over so Bryan and I could run the Merrel Down And Dirty Mud Run. I wasn't at all excited about the idea after running a tough race a couple weeks before.  I actually hadn't run once in the three weeks between the two races.  But, the race was so fun!  We met another couple there and had a blast.  It was a 3 mile run with about 10 obstacles along the way.  The first obstacle was a giant mud pit so the fear of getting dirty wash addressed right from the beginning.  We climbed rope ladders, scaled wooden ladder walls, carried bags of sand, and all sorts of other fun!  The hills were intense.  I was huffing and puffing big time.  The photos of me don't make it look like I had fun.  I take the WORST exercising photos.  THE WORST!  Bryan looked good though.  Here are a couple bad ones of me but there are about 20 more that are worse.

When we got home from the race Jackson was acting kind of funny.  We weren't really sure what was going on.  Then he told me that he jumped off his changing table and hurt his arm.  He wasn't crying.  He was just really quiet and sat in front of the tv for two hours!  We thought maybe he was just mad at us for leaving him with a sitter or he was scared to go to the Chicago Fire game that we planned to go to later that day. 

We decided to try the game anyway and give him some time to see if there was really a problem.  He was scared as we went into the game because it's loud and he doesn't like sitting up high.  Overall he did great though.  And of course Charley went along for the ride.

It was pretty obvious something still wasn't right though.  He would cry when I asked him to reach up for something.  I was specifically asking him to do certain things to test it out.  As we left the stadium we decided we should take him to urgent care.  Bryan dropped us off and we got in right away.  The doctor could feel some asymmetry right away and ordered an x-ray.  Jackson was SO good for it all.  He was brave and patient and really cooperative.  What a sweet boy.

It took about .03 seconds to see that his clavicle was broken.  Luckily it was a midline fracture so it would heal nicely on its own.  We were sent home with a sling and orders to see an orthopedic doctor.  It took until Friday to get that appointment but that doctor said everything seemed fine and he just wants to get another x-ray in a few weeks to check the healing progress.

Overall, the whole process has been pretty easy.  The hardest part is keeping him from re-injuring it as he runs around like a crazy man!

 

Bryan and I got into bed on Sunday night and both let out a giant sigh.  It was such a long, crazy weekend!

Caroline Jane ~ Twenty Three Months

I'm late again.  Really late this time.  But at least there's only one more.  I can't believe I've been doing monthly updates for 47 months and in just one more I won't have a baby anymore.  Eeeeek! 

 

Caroline Jane, at twenty three months you:

• are still saying more and more words.  You repeat almost everything we say.  Your favorite thing to say is "yeah."  Mommy realizes she asks you way too many yes or no questions.
• love to be outside and riding bikes.  You ask for your "hat" and then you straddle your bike and walk it back and forth along the sidewalk.  Silly girl.
• rode your first carnival ride.  You were actually an inch too short but Mommy snuck you in to a super safe car and you LOVED it.
• love blowing bubbles.  You want to do it yourself but you stick the bubble wand in your mouth.
• can go up and down the stairs all by yourself.  You get really mad if anyone tries to touch you.
• had your first haircut.  You were such a good girl and sat so still.
• are still a great eater. You love fruits and some veggies and always ask for "muck" instead of milk. You won't drink chocolate milk or juice.  A complete opposite of your brother.
• are getting really interested in potty training.  You ask to sit on the potty but haven't done anything yet. 
• are slimming down and Mommy gets so many comments about how your face is changing and you don't look like a baby anymore.  Slow down, girlie!!

We love you so much!  One more month until you're two!!!

Bubbles!!

If you really, really want something

and you beg your mommy to let you hold the bubble wand

and you concentrate reeeeeeeeaaally hard,

if you're lucky......

you just might blow a bubble!

TA-DA!!!

SO much bubble soap was consumed but so many smiles and giggles were given!  She was pretty sweet for ear infection four since February!

Mother's Day Fun

There are some weekends when Bryan and I climb into bed on Sunday night and high five after a great weekend.  The perfect balance of productivity, relaxation, fun, good food, and minimal tantrums.  This weekend was one of those weekends!

 

Friday, I picked Jackson up from school and he looked pitiful.  He had giant tears in his eyes and told me he couldn't eat his cookie because his throat hurt.  Poor boy.  Luckily, it didn't last long and he was fine the rest of the weekend.  Saturday morning I ran a 5k with my way faster than me friend Amber.  She hung back with me for a couple miles and then she took off.  I wasn't really feeling it so by mile 4 I was walking a bit.  I think I officially broke up with running during that "race."  I was SO slow.  It's done though.  And then the rest of the weekend could go on. 

 Bryan brought the kids to watch.  I like bringing them to as many races as possible because it shows them how important and fun an active lifestyle is.

 The great thing about running slower than 98% of the people in the race was that I finished almost alone and the kids could run with me!  Jackson was so excited after we crossed the finish line and he yelled, "We won the race!!!"

 Then he gave me the flowers that he picked.  I tried "setting them down in a special place" but he totally called me on it as I walked away so to the van they went!

 Saturday night we called a last minute sitter and went to one of our favorite date spots for dinner.  We love White Chocolate Grill and we were home by the kids' bedtime. 

 

Sunday we went to church and then to Golden Corral for breakfast.  Bryan makes fun of me because I love it so much.  You can't take the Missouri out of the girl......

 

After nap time we headed to the carnival by our mall.  It's there around Mother's Day and since we went last year too, we went ahead and called it our tradition. Jackson was excited for the rides.  His face on this slide kills me!

 Here's Momma with her babies who are getting way too big.

 Really, Jackson loved every ride.  This truck ride was his favorite.

 Charley was sad she wasn't tall enough to ride.  She kept saying "car?'  Poor girl.

 She liked the carousel but was sad that Jackson wasn't on it.  She just waited to go by him every time it went around.  She would should out his name and he'd wave.  She calls him Shacksee and I'm loving it.

 A great smile. :)  He hasn't stopped talking about how much fun he had at the "varnicle."

 And then there's this.  Ha!  We cheated on the height requirements because she was so sad.  Despite the faces, she really did like it.

 I can't believe I've been a mom for 3 years already.  What a blessing!

We're looking forward to more great weekends coming up!

Caroline Jane~Twenty Two Months

 

Caroline Jane, at twenty two months you:

• have officially moved to the Toddler room at school.  For a while you were going back and forth between the classes but you're always there now!
• LOVE playing outside.  You stand at the back door and say "ah-side" over an over.  You love the slide and to play tee ball.
• have moved to the Explorer room at church.  The sweet ladies in the nursery were so great that mommy didn't want to move you but you do well in your new room.
• have developed quite the personality.  You say no often and make it very clear when you don't want to do something.  You are starting to tell Mommy you don't want to go to bed but you always fall asleep right away.
• have had your fifth ear infection since September.  The pediatrician is waiting for one more before you turn two before we get evaluated for tubes.  Mommy wants them!
•  are very attached to your dolly, lovie, and paci ("bossy".)  You whine and moan when someone takes one from you in the morning.
• have become very interested in books.  You like reading them independently and you gibber jabber while you read them just like you are actually reading the words.

 

Just one more update before you're TWO!!!!

 

Happy Easter

We had a great Easter weekend with Mimi!  This year we decided to skip the Naperville Egg Hunt which is always super overwhelming and just do the Oswego one.  This time we invited several friends to go with us!  The kids had a good time.  Charley was a little unsure of the Easter Bunny but Jackson was in heaven.

 They do a new hunt every 30 minutes all day which makes it much more relaxing and the kids can take their time.  Inside are small games for the kids to play.

 

 

 Jackson knew just what to do but this was Charley's first time.  Here we caught the egg flying OUT of Charley's basket.  We put some in her basket and she threw them out.

 It took a lot of adult supervision for her to end with any eggs in her basket.

 

 Our friends all enjoyed the hunt too and then we went back to our house to grill hamburgers on our new grill.

 JJ had a massive tantrum on the way home and then Charley was screaming too so both kids went to their rooms when we got back to the house.  It was only 10:30 so we Charley fell asleep almost immediately I figured we were in trouble for nap time.  But..she slept for FOUR hours and missed the whole party!  The kids had fun finding even more eggs.

 After a big rest time we headed to the Outlet mall to pick up a couple things and enjoy the amazing weather.  We stopped soon before we left for a small snack.

 And then he crashed on the way home.  We went for pizza after the mall and he laid on the floor for about ten minutes because he was so tired.  I was slightly worried he was getting sick but as soon the pizza came he pepped up again!

 And of course he had plenty of energy left for ice cream.  What a "helper!"

 Charley is getting so independent.  She sat her forever eating her ice cream and she wouldn't accept help until the end.

 This morning we got up to see the Easter Bunny baskets and then headed to headed to church.  I wasn't thinking when I put him in Christmas pajamas.  We're really festive.

 Charley loved her new swim suit cover up from Mimi.  She wore it all morning and even left it on to eat her cereal.  She has been loving this rocking chair lately!

 Those bangs...  I reeeaaallly don't want to cut them but they are always in her face until I get pull her hair into a ponytail.  She says "mess" and tries to push it out of her eyes.  I'm hoping it will get easier to deal with when it's long enough to tuck behind her ear.

 SHE LOOKS SO OLD!!!!

 Tripod and self timer!  This was the first photo and they kept getting worse and worse.

 We tried a new way of dying eggs but we'll be going back to the old way next year.  The color on these didn't stick well.

 

 It was incredible outside today and we played in the backyard for two hours and grilled dinner too.  It was a great weekend!

HAPPY EASTER EVERYONE!!!

Caroline Jane ~ Twenty One Months

Let's just pretend that Charley juuuuust turned 21 months old instead of focusing on the fact that she'll be 22 months in 12 days.   Ooops.

There are just a couple more of these updates to do.  I can't believe my baby is almost two and that I have done monthly updates for the kids for 4 years! 

Caroline Jane, at twenty one months you:

• weigh 28 pounds.  Mommy took you to the doctor before our trip for Spring Break and she was shocked that you had gained a couple pounds.
• are still mostly wearing 2T clothes but a couple things are starting to fit you at 3T.
• are walking everywhere.  You haven't crawled in so long.  You are getting better at walking on mulch too.  The first trip to the park was hard for you because you kept falling and your hands were dirty but you kept trying.
• love going down slides.  You call them "sides."  Mommy still has to help a lot though because you lay down almost completely flat.  It's another sign that we still have a lot of strength building to do.
• are spending more time in the toddler room at school.  You are kind of split between the two rooms. 
• are talking so well.  You are even starting to put a couple words together.  It's still pretty mumbled a lot but it's getting better and better.
• love singing Gonk Gonk and Itsy Bitsy Spider.
• ask to take a bath ("bats") every night.  You love splashing in the water with Jackson but you aren't a fan of getting your hair washed.
• are still sleeping and napping like a rock star!

We love you so, so much baby girl.  You are growing up so fast and we're so proud of you.