Easter Weekend

I am finally getting around to documenting our long weekend. And what a fun weekend it was! On Friday, we went over to Sabrina's house to celebrate Naomi's first birthday with an Easter egg hunt and bunny cupcakes.After dessert, my parents generously took us all out for fajitas at Alicia's. Mmmmmm, best fajitas in town.

Saturday was a lazy day at home and Tom spoiled me by taking care of the kids for a good part of the day so I could nap, watch TV, and just be lazy. My kind of day.

Saturday night, we put together the kids' Easter baskets. I am not big on giving candy to my kids so their baskets were mostly filled with stuff from the Dollar Spot at Target.
However, no Easter basket would be complete without a chocolate bunny. And I even let them eat it for breakfast!
Ellie insisted on wearing her flower girl dress for Easter and I was more than happy to oblige since that meant one less dress I had to buy!
After church, we went to my sister-in-law Tara's house for more fun! My mother-in-law and Tara had so much planned and the kids just had a blast.
I like this diaper shot of the boys. Future plumbers?
Ellie is looking all devious because she figured out that if she shook the eggs and it made a lot of noise, then that meant more money. If it didn't jangle much, she would return the egg for the "babies" to find.
Tara organized an egg dying table. Ellie took to it like a pro, but little Brannon just liked squeezing the eggs in the dye to make one, big, gushy mess. I'm no fool...I didn't let Jack anywhere near that table!
As if the egg dying wasn't enough, the kids also got to decorate rice crispy treats!
Jack skipped the decorating and went straight to the eating!
And when Jack threw up all over his room later, I remembered why I limit the sugar intake!

Stats

I took Ellie and Jack in for the well-child check-ups yesterday. Poor Jack had to have three shots. At the end up it, not only was Jack screaming mad, but poor Ellie was huddled on the chair sobbing her little eyes out. She does not like seeing her baby brother in pain. Not to worry, a sugar-free sucker and some stickers cheered them both up immediately.

Here are Ellie's 5 year stats:

Height - 44" (63%)

Weight - 47 lbs (87%)

Ellie looks really proportional to me and the pediatrician said that the higher weight is probably due to muscle tone. Which makes sense considering Ellie is constantly bouncing. She is like Tigger.

And for Jack:

Height - 33 3/4 (87.5%)

Weight - 28lbs 1oz (77.7%)

FOC - 19 1/2 (90.5%)

So...he is a big kid, but basically proportional (except for that giant head of his).

Because everyone deserves three birthday parties

The day of Ellie's birthday, Tom and I took cake and goody bags to her preschool class. They do this cute little program for the birthday child where they have her hold a model of the earth and rotate around the sun for each year of her life. With each rotation, her parent tells a milestone or something neat their child did that year. Really, the birthday child just likes being the center of attention...especially if the birthday child is named Ellie. Ellie picked her cake out from Walmart...the Tangled cake. After the party, I promptly confiscated the decorations to put on her next birthday cake that she would be eating in a few hours.I wasn't really planning on doing cake and ice cream with the cousins the night of Ellie's birthday since we were doing the big family party at Chuck E. Cheese's on Saturday. However, Ellie kept asking for strawberry cake for her birthday and Walmart didn't give strawberry as one of their cake options. Being the indulgent mom that I am, I bought a cake mix and frosting and just thought we would do a small party at home that night. Then, I realized Tom would be at a track meet and Ellie would be eating the entire cake by herself. So, we celebrated at Dianna's house with the cousins and my mom so kindly made dinner for everyone as well. Dianna happened to be out of town at the time and I am pretty sure after all the pictures I texted her of us trying to dismantle her garbage disposal to remove a cup, she is never going to let us use her house for parties again.
The big party was at Chuck E. Cheese's at Ellie's request. It was crowded and hectic and I felt like I didn't really get to talk to anyone, but all of the kids had a blast...especially Ellie. She has already requested having her party at Chuck E. Cheese's again next year. I am going to aim for I calmer venue.

Dear Ellie: 5 years

Dear Ellie,

Today is your fifth birthday. 5 years. It is hard for me to wrap my head around that number because it seems like only yesterday they were placing you in my arms for the first time and I felt that overwhelming rush of joy as I looked down at your little face.

This morning when you woke up, I tried explaining to you how special your birthday is to me because it is the anniversary of the day I became a mother. And, baby girl, being a mother is my most favorite thing in the world.

You are such a bright spot in our lives. You are so active, never content to walk when you can run, skip, or hop to wherever you want to go. And you are always laughing or giggling…you have such a positive temperament and I love that about you.

You love playing with cousins or the neighborhood kids. Hardly a day passes that my doorbell isn't being pressed over and over again by small children asking, “Can Ellie play?” The neighbor kids all seem to have free reign of the neighborhood and the streets, but you are so good about obeying my rules of staying in the front yard where I can see you and never stepping into the street. And the kids usually stay right with you…you just have that sort of magnetic personality that draws people to you.

You love so many things these days: princesses, dresses, Barbies, Scooby Doo (on TV or the Wii), riding in Daddy’s Jeep with the top down, getting slushes from Sonic, going to park, cuddling with me, chasing your brother, playing dress up, and going to the library…the list is endless.

You are sassy and independent, but you also are anxious to please and you are always doling out hugs and kisses to your family. You are very gentle with your baby brother and quick to come to his aid whenever he is fussing. I think you are the best big sister ever.

Every one who knows you always comments on the things you say. You are so verbal and quick-witted. I am often caught off-guard by how insightful you can be with your comments. And other times you just plain make me laugh.

Ellie-girl, I wish I were a better writer so I could better express how absolutely amazing you are. You changed my life the day you were born and words cannot describe how grateful I am to have you as part of my life. Happy Birthday, Ellie!

Love you forever,

Mommy

Dear Jack: 18 months

Dear Jack,

Today you are eighteen months old. It seems like every day you are turning into more boy and less baby. We no longer have a room in the house that is Jack-proof because you have found a way to make even the most innocent of objects dangerous. You attempt to climb everything in sight, toys are made for throwing at high speeds, and chairs are yours to move around as you please so you can reach objects placed out of your reach.

You are full of smiles and laughter, but only for those you know and love. If a stranger attempts to coax a smile out of you, you will give him the classic Jack stare-down with furrowed brows. This look is so intense that it stops everyone in their tracks. You also bestow this look upon your family when we aren’t meeting all of your demands. In fact, if something is taken away from you or if you are frustrated by not being able to do something, you immediately switch from happy Jack to screaming Jack. Your tantrums are legendary, but also very funny.

You are such a loving, affectionate, little guy. You frequently pause mid-play to run over and hug Ellie, me, or your daddy. You say our names over and over again while wrapping your chubby, little arms around us (you finally moved past the head-butt hugs). You have a funny sense of humor and are always trying to make us laugh, whether it is by putting something on your head or walking in a funny way.

You always want Ellie to play with you and if she is busy playing Wii or watching TV, you will go turn the TV off over and over again until she gives up and chases you around the house. You still like to imitate her every move and even her speech. Your favorite thing lately is to go in her closet and put on her shoes. You then clomp around the house with the biggest grin on your face. You like to imitate me as well and I take full credit for what a great husband you will make someday. You take wet wipes and clean off all surfaces. Any trash you find goes in the garbage. You love to take the broom and push it around the house. And when you play in your little kitchen, you like to wear an apron.

Your speech is slowly developing into more than just one-word responses. Your favorite word still seems to be “mine,” but now you have mastered two-word commands as well. You love to say “No touching” while wagging your finger and grinning at us. My favorite thing you say, or course, is “I love you.”

Jack, you are fun and mischievous and oh so lovable. You bring so much joy to our family and it is hard to imagine how we ever did without you.

Love you forever,

Mommy

Ellie-isms

Yesterday, Jack threw a toy in frustration when he didn't get his way. I sighed and asked rhetorically, "What am I going to do with this spoiled baby?" Ellie quickly responded, "I don't know. I was a GOOD baby!"

***

This morning as I was getting Jack dressed, Ellie commented on how she can't wait til Jack gets big. I told her no way, that I want to keep him a baby. She walked over and gently put her arm around me and said, "Mom, even when we're big, I'll always be your girl."

***

On our way to the library today, Ellie informed me that when she is big, I can always come visit her. She then said she will live by me and will have one baby. And that Jack will be with her. I asked why Jack was going to be with her and she replied that he will always be with her and they are going to get married. When I told her she couldn't marry her brother, she insisted that she could because she loves him and nobody can stop her. I decided to just let that one go because I am sure she won't still feel that way in a few years

My pizza obsession lead to this

After getting a little "motivation" a few weeks back, I have been trying to be more careful about what I eat. But the problem is pizza. I love pizza. I love pizza so much that I would eat it for breakfast, lunch, and dinner if I could. I blame pizza (and Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years, and all special occasions) for my weight gain this year. But pizza doesn't really fit into my new diet of lean protein and veggies for dinner each night. I have missed pizza so much that I decided to attempt to make a low-carb version using cauliflower for the crust. It sounded good…cauliflower, egg beaters, mozzarella, and oregano mixed together, patted into a crust, and put into the oven til crisp. Then, a little sugar free pizza sauce, fresh veggies, and a little turkey pepperoni and you have a healthy pizza. It looked and smelled delicious. Unfortunately, it tasted TERRIBLE. So, I tried again last night. This time I used an egg beater crust, salsa, mozzarella cheese, and turkey pepperoni. Not as good as real pizza, but certainly better than cauliflower pizza! I guess the lesson here is that when you are dieting you can’t have your cake and eat it, too. Literally.

Continuing to embarrass me on a daily basis

I like to stop by Sonic on our way home from school to take advantage of their Happy Hour special (1/2 price drinks!) and get my Rt. 44 Diet Dr. Pepper. Sometimes I get Ellie a slush, too. The man that brought us out our drinks yesterday had long hair pulled back in a ponytail. As he was handing me our drinks, Ellie loudly announced from the back seat that she had never seen a boy with long hair before! Her tone implied that this was just beyond ridiculous. I just drove away quickly and hoped the man with the lovely locks could find humor in the situation.

Later, we had to go to Walgreens for one battery (yes, just one...it was an emergency involving an escaped dog and a dead shock collar...don't judge me). As I was unloading the kids from the car, I saw a lady trying to get into the car next to us. I apologized and she commented on how my hands were full. Ellie takes one look at her and says, "That lady has a BOY haircut!" Now, this lady was rather butch from head to toe, but I pretended not to hear Ellie as the lady was standing right there. I should have known better because Ellie felt the need to repeat that over and over again as I rushed her into the store.

So, I am thinking I need to sit Ellie down and have a little talk with her about not commenting on people's appearances. At least not within earshot.

Let the burping and farting begin

Awhile back, Tom and I were at the Newlywed Game party and one couple let it slip that when the wife goes out of town, his boys like to say, "Let the burping and farting begin." Boys are so gross, aren't they? And now I have a boy who I like to think of as a sweet, innocent thing who would never be so gross. But something happened recently that gave me a glimpse of life to come. I was bathing Jack a few nights ago, trying to get him to sit down because he prefers standing in the tub (anything to increase the possibilities of getting hurt...that's how he rolls), and a loud fart escaped his rotund little bum. He looked at me with surprise and then we both started laughing because, let's be honest, it was a little funny. But then he got this look of intense concentration and lo and behold another fart came out. He had discovered intentional farting and each time he followed it with a belly laugh. I quickly finished the bath and hoped this wasn't going to become a habit. Fast forward to last night...once again I am bathing Jack, but this time he burps. You can guess where I am going with this one. Yep, my boy can apparently burp on command. Boys are so gross.

Side note: We were never allowed to say "fart" growing up as it was one of the junk words (along with words like butt and crap). The fact that I used the word fart mulitple times in this post and in the title makes me feel very risqué!