Merriest Christmas of All!

Who had the Merriest Christmas at my house? It was MATTHEW! He got to ride in his "new" carseat for the first time today! Nicholas asked Santa for a new carseat for his brother - and I guess his wish came true! Matthew deserves a good Christmas as his mother may or may not know when he was born - out of the three personalized calendars I made, only ONE had his correct birthday! Oooops! I was one day off, writing his b-day as my anniversary & little friend J.D.'s birthday instead (is it not so bad since there are ACTUAL events that occur the day before???). Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas!

Make a Smilebox greeting

ENT, take two

On Monday I received a phone call from the ENT clinic, asking if we'd mind coming at 2:50pm Monday rather than wait for Tuesday. Hard to believe - they rescheduled Nicholas' appointment without telling us, then wanted to reschedule again?!?! Actually it was for a good reason this time - the weather prediction for Tuesday afternoon was not good, so Monday afternoon sounded just fine to us! I loaded the kiddos in the car - no nap for Nicholas, praying Matthew would nap the entire trip + appointment! The waiting room was a ZOO - I was sure we'd be there forever. We were not. The entire time at CMH lasted 40 minutes!!! Dr. Wei was, as always, an excellent Dr. - she proclaimed Nicholas' tubes perfect, his health likewise! For an added bonus, she checked Matthew's ears (as he had fluid a week ago at his 6 mo. check-up). She said "your pediatrician is awesome - yes, there's fluid, but no need for antibiotics at this point. keep watch for a fever or crankiness". Like I said - so great for her to check HIS ears too!

6 months old!

Matthew is officially 6 months old! His doctor's visit went pretty well... we're going to take him off Prevacid & see if there is a change or not. He's still spitting up fountains many times a day (ruining outfits & bibs!). He is in the 50%ile for both height & weight (26 1/2 inches long, 17 pounds, 14.5 ounces). His head is huge, but so it goes in my family! Dr. Mc did note that Matthew has a yucky cold with possible ear infection starting. We'll keep an eye on him & take him back if he acts funny or starts up with a fever. He's also teething, but who knows when that first tooth might appear!

Enjoy the pics - one of Nicholas playing outside on our "snow day", two of Matthew eating (his favorite pasttime - loving peas as you can see!), and one of the adorable Savage brothers.

Baby, it's cold outside!

So my original plan for today was to stop by Costco & pick up pictures on our way to Nicholas' ENT appointment at Children's Mercy. I had a strange premonition that something was up regarding his appointment as we had not received the obligitory reminder call. When I called this morning, I found out his appointment was rescheduled! No one even told us! So glad I called in this morning rather than find out the hard way! It's too cold to have my little ones outside if we don't have to! So we stayed in!
Nicholas continues to impress me everyday & is quickly becoming a big boy. Last week he made his bed all by himself (I couldn't believe it!). Today, he separated clean laundry: Jason's, Mine, Matthew's, Nicholas' AND he put away his laundry & Matthew's in the CORRECT PLACES - I didn't even ASK him to do that! Isn't he amazing?! A funny story - last night Jason asked Nicholas to do a push-up. He obliged and fell to the ground to show his skills. I said, "Do a sit-up!". Nicholas sat up ("criss-cross apple-sauce") and grinned! Maybe you had to be there?!?! Another funny from today: after an episode of Word World, Nicholas was upset. The show told him that the meaning of Christmas is GIVING (instead of receiving). He was so upset because he knows the true meaning of Christmas is Jesus! This led to a discussion much beyond his years about how Jesus is the ultimate gift - not sure he understood any of this!
Mr. Matthew continues to grow each day. Today we tried peaches for the 1st time, but, like many other Gerber foods, he was uninterested. He seems to prefer moms homemade baby food over any packaged junk! Guess it's a compliment to me? He is 6 months old tomorrow, although I have a hard time believing that! We head to the doctor later this week, so I'll post more soon!

Sleepless in KC

So Jason was out of town Sunday through Wednesday this week, leaving me alone with the boys. This is generally not a big deal as he works during the day anyway! On Sunday Matthew & Nicholas boycotted napping, but the day ended pretty well. Monday night was horrendous as Matthew was up most of the night. He is either getting his first cold, or his first tooth. It's unclear at this point! I felt so bad for him - unable to sleep with a stuffy nose! Tuesday night was better... Matthew slept pretty well (thanks to the humidifier??). Unfortunately, I was up nearly every hour, worrying about him! Isn't that the way it is? Poor little guy has the yuckiest runny nose!
I think we all missed Jason & were glad when he returned on Wednesday!

Christmas in the Park

Last night we took the kids to see the Christmas in the Park at Longview Park. We've been twice before, but it always looks amazing! This year was the first Nicholas really got into it - we asked him how he liked it pretty early on and he said "good". A few minutes later he was exclaiming "WOW" over & over in the backseat of the car! He LOVED the lights and was super-impressed. Matthew - not so much. He was sleeping as we were enjoying the lights.
Both yesterday & today Matthew took FANTASTIC naps - almost all were 2 hours long! We are THRILLED to have a good napping baby at our house! Matthew has been so much happier with the extra sleep! Let's hope it continues!

Boys, Boys, Boys

Here are some updated pics of the boys. I almost wrote that they are both getting so big, but that's not exactly true! Nicholas has actually lost a pound since his 3rd birthday! Guess he's getting older & smarter ever day! Matthew is definitely getting bigger - our estimates (is a home scale accurate?) is that he weighs 17 1/2 pounds. We can't believe our little monkey is almost 6 months old! He SITS! I mean, he's been sitting for a while, but he's just a little better every day! Enjoy the pics - Matthew & Nicholas in matching outfits (picked by Nicholas), Nicholas giving Daddy some love, and the boys taking a bath together for the 1st time!

Coupon extravaganza!

So I was reading a KC Parents magazine that had information about the grocery game. I've never heard of it before, but parents were saying it saved them tons of money on groceries - cut their bill in half! I was intrigued. The economy stinks & money certainly doesn't grow on trees! I'm always looking for ways to save money at the grocery store! I am a faithful coupon cutter, but I could always be a little better! I was hoping this was the answer. I (again) read reviews of people who LOVED the program and others who say it's actually a waste of money & caused them to buy only processed foods instead of a healthy balance. The "game" basically searches a local grocery store for deals in conjunction with your coupons in the Sunday paper - they tell you what to buy, when. Apparently sales are cyclical - every 6 weeks or so it repeats. For me, I can't see PAYING money for something when I'm trying to SAVE money! I did find the Coupon Mom - a free website with links to coupons and other fun money saving tips. I also got my Betty Crocker newsletter today with a link to coupons - always a good deal. My biggest money waster of the month is the AVOCADO. Jason & I have purchased approximately 5 avocadoes in the past month at $1.49 each. Unfortunately, only TWO have been edible. Bummer. What a waste! We are terrible at picking them out!
Anyone else have coupon/money saving advice for the grocery store?

New Babies!!!!

Congrats to our friends who have new babies! Michael was born on Thursday, November 20th (pictured here) and Mackenzie Patricia was born November 27th!!!

Happy Thanksgiving

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving at the Savage house! My parents were in town for several days, and Jason's parents & brother came over on Thanksgiving. It was interesting preparing a turkey essentially on our own - not nearly as complicated as I'd been led to believe! Jason did as much work as I did as he helped with the turkey, peeled potatoes, made the green bean casserole, and monitored all the food while cooking! My amazing hubby also made a coffee cake BY HIMSELF the day before! He did an awesome job, especially since (in his words) "he's never watched me do it". Nicholas loved his "feast", but was pretty picky with his choices. He tried a black olive (yuck), ate some turkey (okay), ate a clementine (he loves these), ate carrots (yummy), and chowed down on many rolls. Did anyone keep track? I think he had 4 or 5 rolls that day, many of them "double rolls". He also ate pumpkin pie (immediately after he finished his pie he wanted another roll). I'm including a picture of Nicholas' THANKS turkey that he made with assistance from Grandma & Mom. It's pretty cute!

Backing up... on Tuesday we took Nicholas to the Opthamology clinic at Children's Mercy. I felt a little guilty as they mentioned to us it had been two years since his last appointment. :( The exam was relatively painless - he hates the dilation drops, but did just fine. The doctor concluded that his current prescription was way off. I won't mention everything said at the office, but suffice to say we are glad for the new information. His power is a little less strong, but his new prescription accounts for his strong astigmatism. We ordered a new pair of glasses that should arrive in the next two weeks.

Nicholas is officially halfway through his "learning to read" book & is doing awesome! We are so proud of him - he works so hard & is pretty excited about being a reader! Matthew may be teething. I think his gums are swollen but can't yet see white gums or teeth poking through or anything like that. Poor guy - teething stinks! On the happy side, he is definitely sitting up all by himself! He prefers that position to any other & still hates laying on his tummy!

Hooter Hider

My friend Meredith has been kind enough to loan me her Hooter Hider for the past 4 months. It has been invaluable to me when nursing in public!!!! My friend Andrea decided she could make a Hooter Hider herself & did a fantastic job! Here is a picture of the finished product! I bought one for my friend Kelli, who is about to have a baby girl & one for myself! The best part? She's charging only $20!!! If you know anyone who is having a baby & might be interested, here's Andrea's e-mail address (apickens317@hotmail.com). A Hooter Hider would make a FANTASTIC baby shower gift too!

Let's Say Thanks

Check out this site:
www.LetsSayThanks.com

Pick out a card & Xerox will print it and send it to a soldier serving in Iraq! It only takes a second...

Love my boys!

Here are a few adorable pics of my boys playing OUTSIDE on Wednesday! I LOVE the short bursts of mild weather in the middle of November! Matthew loved watching his brother be goofy! Nicholas rode his bike up & down the street before playing a game of soccer with his baseball bases & a broom. Jason prefers to think it was hockey, but I know it was a crazy, made-up game that Nicholas created! We had such a great time - too bad it's already cold again!

Nicholas the smarty pants!

This morning Nicholas was trying to make words with his letter tiles (from a game). He said to me as I was feeding Matthew his cereal, "Mom, does Zipr spell zipper? Or is there an 'e' in there?" SMART! Then, he spelled zebra - but spelled it zebru (he did not like the 'a' at the end of zebra!!!) What a little sponge - soaking in all new information these days!!!!

5 months old!

I love my 5 month old! Here's why:
1. PERSONALITY!!! He is just oozing with personality! You can tell he'll be an easy-going guy, easy to please.
2. Smiles/Laughter - this goes with #1. He's just so quick to give you a smile - he'll lean forward to look at you & give you the cutest gummy grin! He giggles often - Jason & I both can really get him going! He gets incredibly giggly when he's sleepy - that's just the best.
3. FOOD! Like his brother, he LOVES TO EAT! He has enjoyed every pureed creation I've put in front of him! He still does his crazy thumb-sucking thing while eating, but we're working on that!
4. Grabbing/rubbing you - today he had the BEST TIME pulling on my hair! He was all smiles as he yanked it in every direction. We've also noticed him patting us or rubbing us (he rubbed Jason's hand during breakfast this morning - he just loves to touch!)
5. HE SITS UP! Yes, he's advanced! We wrote down that Nicholas could sit for 5 SECONDS at 5 1/2 months old! Matthew was doing that at 4 months old, and can now sit alone for several minutes at a time, until he gets bored!
6. Have you SEEN MY KID EAT A TOY??? It's so funny - every toy becomes a chew toy: burp cloths, bibs, high chair toys, his bear thing he loves. It's adorable.
7. He's a great night-sleeper. We're working on the napping, but he loves to sleep at night!
I could go on and on... but this list might never end! My boys are so precious to me, and today I celebrate Matthew turning 5 months old!

Not what I had planned!

My big plan for yesterday was to clean my entire kitchen, top to bottom. Obviously someone else had other ideas! I awoke to the sounds of Nicholas crying quite loudly, so I assumed Jason had asked him to do something & he said no. I was wrong. Nicholas woke up extremely ill, vomiting all over the place. He felt terrible, but kept trying to convince me he was fine to go to preschool (he just LOVES school!). After multiple sessions in the bathroom, hugging the toliet, I told him NO PRESCHOOL. My energetic, active kiddo spent the entire morning laying in his bed. Not playing with toys, Dopey, or books, but just laying there. I felt so bad for him... I turned on music & kept changing out the CD every 40 minutes or so. He napped a little, threw up a little more, and insisted he was hungry. I finally let him have applesauce & crackers at 1:45pm, when he had been vomit-free for 2 hours. He perked up after that and by 4pm was his usual self! Not sure what went wrong... probably just a passing virus.
I finally did get some things done in the kitchen late yesterday afternoon. It's hard to have a clean house when I am mommy to two kiddos. Dirty house = happy kiddos, right? I should clarify, my house is not dirty, but it's not as clean as I would like. And how about laundry? I did three loads yesterday and will do two more today. Yes, some of that is due to yesterday's circumstances, but not all of it!
Last night, Nicholas felt ALL BETTER - ate a great dinner & completed a reading lesson with Jason. He is reading more & more words "the fast way" and we are so proud! It's hard to believe how quickly he is picking up on this! Watching him sponge up the sounds & concepts is amazing - this is the best part about being a mommy/teacher!
Little Matthew is nearly 5 months old. He is so happy & playful - this is such a fun age! Jason & I can't believe how well he is sitting up! Last night I gave him a bath & sat him up to clean his back. He sat in his little bathtub all by himself for the longest time! Obviously I was right there if he needed me, but it was incredible! It's so funny how baby's milestones leave us awed! Of course he will learn to sit up, but it's so fun to watch him learn!

New Kids on the Block Concert

What a great concert! I know at least Becky & Kara (probably Meredith too) were jealous that we got to see the New Kids! Julie & I started our evening out with dinner (and many phone calls from the husbands home on baby duty). The Olive Garden was delicious & our wait wasn't too long at all - I was shocked! It was great to have adult conversation over dinner and not worry about feeding mouths or rushing to eat our food! Plus, you can't beat the company!

We arrived at the Sprint Center about 45 minutes before the concert and rode the scary, scary escalator up to the way-up-high seats only to find out we needed to go back down - they were closing the "upper deck" as the concert didn't sell out. Essentially everyone moved to the lower level so it looked full (curtains blocked the upper area). We loved our $1 Quik-Trip slushies! The opening opening act was Lady Gaga. It was the craziest girl I have ever seen - we didn't exactly enjoy the performance, nor are we running out to buy her CD. The second opening act was Natasha Bedingfield. I loved her music and thoroughly enjoyed her set. Before her last song, she announced that she would be signing autographs at section 120 - we decided we HAD to go! Julie & I both bought CDs & waited in line for our autograph. She was very nice - saying hi to each and every person in the line. We are now proud owners of her new CD, autographed!

The crowd basically went wild during the entire New Kids concert. Even though the place was not even CLOSE to being sold out, it was louder than any other concert I've seen at Sprint Center (really not saying much - I saw Garth Brooks & Elton John).
Here is the setlist: 1. Single 2. My Favorite Girl 3. You Got It (The Right Stuff) 4. Medley:Didn't I (Blow Your Mind This Time)Valentine Girl 5. Please Don't Go Girl 6. Grown Man 7. Games 8. If You Go Away 9. 2 In The Morning 10. Dirty Dancing 11. Tonight 12. Twisted 13. Baby I Believe In You 14. Give It To You (Jordan Solo) 15. Stay The Same (Joey Solo) 16. Cover Girl 17. I'll Be Loving You (Forever) 18. Click Click Click 19. Summertime 20. Encore:Step By Step (contains excerpts from Push It) Hangin' Tough (contains excerpts from We Will Rock You)
The middle of the concert (especially the solo stuff) seemed to drag. Their new music isn't the greatest (although I secretly love Summertime, Single, and Grown Man) - it mostly sounds cookie-cutter. There were many crotch moves - apparently all the girls love those moves. It was odd to me. It was a great concert - I'm so glad we went! Julie & I always have fun together and this concert was no exception! We were both "Jordan" girls growing up... she now has a preference for Jon (quiet, just does what he's supposed to without lots of hoopla) and my loyalties may sway to Joey (he is an amazing singer - hopefully he continues to pursue that career). During the concert, Jordan seemed a bit full of himself... that's just me, though! There was one song (baby I believe in you???) where he was up high on this stage with his white shirt open, revealing his chest & a wind machine on him. I think Julie & I both thought, "Oh please!" to that one! Nevertheless, if they come through these parts again, I will be standing in line to see the all grown up New Kids!

Making some baby food!

So I finally got my act together and started making baby food. I am a little bit of a perfectionist at times, so starting something new is pretty hard for me. Sunday I made Matthew sweet potatoes (who knew two potatoes could yield so many ice cubes of food???). That was okay, except I burnt the pan when the water dried up. Stinky! Luckily the potatoes were spared! Yesterday I was feeling ambitious and made both applesauce & pears (or pearsauce according to Nicholas). Nicholas helped & Matthew mostly screamed. Not sure what his deal was yesterday afternoon, but he was unhappy! Both purees turned out great and I can't wait until he can try them! I'm still introducing new foods slowly, so he's had peas, squash, and sweet potatoes so far! He seems indifferent to pretty much everything - he loves to eat but doesn't seem to notice/care about the different tastes! I'm wondering if I have another super-hungry boy on my hands. He cries when the food is all gone, leaving me to wonder if he wants more! Guess we'll have to try it and see! Last night, Matthew slept from 7:30pm until 7:20am! Can you believe it???? He's been a great through-the-night sleeper for a while now, but I think this morning I finally realized it!
Nicholas is doing wonderfully as always. He had a great time with our playgroup at Chuck E. Cheese yesterday! Strangely his favorite part was having Chuck E. "draw" our picture. He put one picture on Jason's bedside table and one on mine - so we can see our Nicholas! He is doing AWESOME with his reading lessons - the program is incredible and seems to be a great fit for him! The 20-minute lessons are about all he can handle! We're ready for lesson 31 (out of 100) so he's getting closer every day!
Jason is SO EXCITED that his favorite author, Jeffrey Deaver, will be on the Sprint campus tthis week signing autographs! He is going to buy the newest book & meet Jeffrey Deaver!
Nicholas & I are both nearly out of our sickness. It stayed at our house FOREVER & we're ready to be done!
Less than 9 hours until the BEST CONCERT EVER - that's right - I'm going to see the New Kids on the Block in concert tonight! I know, everyone is SO JEALOUS! I think it will be awesome to hear the old songs (Popsicle?) coming out of the mouths of old men! Anyway, I'll end this post as if I'm 10 again: I LOVE JORDAN!!!!!

First Peas

Today Matthew tried peas for the first time! He is increasingly frustrated after each cereal feeding - he's still hungry! So we decided to start baby food today. My original plan was to make all (most) of his baby food. However, many books I read cautioned against making certain foods before baby is ___ months old (peas - 7 months, carrots - 8 months). So I bought a little and am making what I can (pears, apples, avocadoes, bananas) and using some store-bought as well.
He LOVED peas - strange to say but he did! He ate it up quickly and cried for more! What an exciting time!!!!

Unnecessary

Tonight in the car I was singing Meatloaf's "2 out of 3 ain't bad" - LOUDLY. Jason joined in the singing (not sure why - he really hates Meatloaf). Nicholas said from the backseat, "That's unnecessary noise!" Haha! The really amusing part is that I have nearly no voice and I sounded horrible singing - but I still wasn't the bad one!! We cracked up the entire rest of the way home!

Difference of Opinion

So usually Jason & I agree on various parenting issues. Occasionally we have to stop & discuss when an issue comes up, but usually we agree. This weekend, I had a revelation. Why on EARTH did I take Nicholas to see an optometrist when Dr. Mc screened him & said we needed to get his eyes checked? It's not that optometrists aren't capable of diagnosing issues, but I WORKED for opthamologists for several years and KNOW the quality of care they are able to provide. Nicholas has been to the Opthamology Clinic at Children's Mercy numerous times (3? 4?) and I'm sure he is due for a check-up. Unfortunately that is the one CMH clinic that I just don't keep up with - why not I'm not sure. Can I blame it on the pregnancy/new baby? I should have immediately scheduled an appointment through CMH since they have records of his history and, I'm guessing, better equipment to examine him. Here's where the disagreement occurred: Jason didn't think I was insane when I told him we MUST call CMH Monday morning to schedule an appointment. However, Jason thinks that Nicholas doesn't need his glasses. The boys read together every night, and Nicholas reads fine without the glasses. I, however, have no clue. I don't know what the kiddo needs, but I want to make sure he gets whatever that is. I called this morning, assuming it would be months before we were able to get an appointment. Crazy thing: they have an opening for November 25th! I am thrilled. I can't wait to take him there! Now how will I explain the glasses??? We really did love our optometrist. If CMH comes to the same conclusion, I'll be thrilled. However, if they say something different, I'll be glad we had another opinion. We know that Nicholas does not have Retinopathy of prematurity. Our optometrist believes Nicholas' time on oxygen led to his farsightedness... our next appointment will hopefully give us more answers.
Another note: Nicholas & I are both battling yucky colds... as of now I am afraid Matthew is joining the germ-fest. He is sneezing & coughing a bit. Pray for health to return to my family soon!!!

Preschool Halloween

Nicholas' preschool had a Halloween Parade & party yesterday. Like last Saturday, Nicholas removed much of his costume before the parade! It was cute to see all the kids & they posed for a class picture so parents could take some good shots! Nicholas' bff, Ryan, was The Hulk - so cute! A great, fun, sweets-filled day was had by all - we'll be eating only fruits and veggies for the rest of the week! Thank goodness Nicholas is okay with very limited amounts of candy - NO MORE SWEETS!!!

Halloween Fun... Part 1

Today we took the boys to Boo Springs & WCUMC's Trunk or Treat. Despite living close to downtown Blue Springs, we've never been to the Boo Springs event. After this morning, I'm not sure we'll go back. It's a great idea, but standing in long lines with two small children is just not fun! It was inconvenient to take a stroller inside the businesses, so Jason kept Matthew outside most of the time. We walked down one side of Main Street collecting goodies, but decided not to walk down the other side - the lines were too long! Nicholas really enjoyed the maze and didn't mind at all when we left after just a short time.

Yesterday evening, our church had its annual Trunk or Treat. This is our third year taking Nicholas so we knew it would be great. It's nice that we don't have to go door-to-door or be out in the cold. We know the families of the church that distribute candy, so it is a safe & fun environment. Everyone loved Matthew the giraffe. Nicholas had a tough time - abandoning many parts of his costume right away & refusing to talk to his friends while trick-or-treating. He ended up enjoying the event but was excited to come back home for dinner!

My Prince Charmings

Today was picture day at preschool. I'm sure the professional photographers take GREAT pictures of the kids, it just makes me nervous that I don't get to see the proof before buying! I took several pics of Nicholas this morning before school just so I had a cute pic of him! Nicholas is on lesson 10 of his learning to read book (there are 100 lessons). He's doing a great job & rarely gets frustrated (but often squirmy!).

Matthew was all smiles in his borrowed Prince Charming onesie (Thanks, Jack!). He is sleeping a little bit better... Matthew talks/coos more every day! He is such a happy guy!

Ouch!

Nicholas got his flu shot today! Matthew is too young for a shot, I didn't get mine yet, but Jason already got his from work. Yesterday I told Nicholas he was getting the shot today & explained the purpose. He was immediately upset, worrying about the pain. We talked it through and he decided it would be okay. Plus, Daddy got HIS flu shot! He willingly went into the Dr. office & even the exam room. He let me put him up on the table and didn't start to get nervous until he saw the needle. I held both his hands and we talked about going to tunnel voyage after the Dr. office. He screamed and carried on for about two minutes and then was absolutely fine! It was "no big deal", according to Nicholas! He picked out a sticker for his bravery (High School Musical - who knows why!) & off we went to play at Tunnel Voyage with Bryce & Jack.

Matthew is still struggling with sleeping/napping. Our favorite nurse at Dr. Mc's office (Nurse Kelly) suggested it might be teething or an ear infection (ruled out as he just visited the Dr. last Thursday and problems existed before then). I don't think he's teething - maybe pre-teething if that exists??? Anyway, he had a rough morning (20 minute nap) and rough afternoon (40 minute nap). He might be making up for it now as his current nap has lasted 1 1/2 hours!!! Poor guy WANTS to be happy, but he's so tired! He has been night-waking for the past 3 nights... always at 4am. Let's hope our little guy gets some sleep soon! You can see the sleepiness in the pics above... the adorable outfit was Nicholas', given to us by my friend Loralei - she has such great taste in clothes! His outfit received compliments all day & everyone LOVED the matching hat! I also put a picture of Nicholas in the same cute outfit... although he was two months younger than Matthew in this pic!

Far-Away Friends

Last week we got to spend some time with friends from St. Charles. On Wednesday, Jenny & J.D. (also 3 like Nicholas!) came over for a playdate! The boys took a little time warming up to each other, but had a good time playing together! It was so good to chat with Jenny while the boys were playing! On Thursday, we met Jenny, J.D., & Matt at Ted's Montana Grill for dinner. My chicken was yummy & we had a great time. Nicholas & J.D. both loved the Wikki Sticks (something like that) to play with instead of the usual crayons & coloring sheet! Unfortunately, the weather didn't cooperate on Friday. Jenny, J.D., Nicholas, Matthew, & I planned a trip to Deanna Rose - Pumpkin Hollow, but the rain made it less than optimal for a 4-month-old baby! We decided to spend the day at Paradise Park instead. The boys had a great time building, dressing up, playing in water, cooking, eating, face painting, and playing "store". It's always a fun time! Friday night we met up with the whole family & our friends Theresa & John. Dinner at Chipotle & then back to John & Theresa's.

4 months old!

It's hard to believe but Matthew is FOUR MONTHS OLD today! Unfortunately for him, he is not celebrating today! We went to see Dr. Mc for our 4-month well-baby visit. Matthew is a happy, healthy, growing baby boy! He weighs 15 pounds and is 25.5 inches long. Today we talked to Dr. Mc about his reflux issues. Matthew has surpassed his brother in this department and it is becoming unbearable. He spits up all day, every day. The spit up can be a variety of consistencies (I won't describe, you don't want to know!) and is often times painful for Matthew. Many of his symptoms have reach an unbearable stage. Today we are going to elevate his crib mattress (this didn't do much for Nicholas) & try a new medicine. Cross your fingers.

Sweetest Thing

Nicholas today told me, "Momma, you are my best girl in the whole world!". He got very concerned about me when I started crying... but I promised him they were happy tears!

Jason's hair comment

So last night Jason, Nicholas, & I were discussing Nicholas' hair - will we let it grow? cut it? what is our next step? Nicholas said, "My hair is growing!". Jason replied, "You can feel your hair grow. I feel it all the time - it tingles." WHAT?!?! Honestly he feels his hair grow?? Is that possible?

'Tis the Season Part 2

So I'm comforting my crying baby when I hear loud, annoying music erupting from the street. No, not noisy neighbors. It was the ICE CREAM TRUCK! Are you serious?!?! They've hardly been around all summer & they pick TODAY to drive around hunting for business? It didn't even reach 60 degrees in KC today! Do you think it's because gas prices are suddenly much cheaper? It's now worth it to drive around? Any thoughts?

'Tis the season!

So our lovely neighbors to the west really go "all out" with festive decorations. Whether it be Christmas (obvious), Halloween (still pretty common), or the less common Valentine's Day, Easter, & I'm SURE I'm missing something else - they always have TONS of seasonal decorations outside (& inside) their house. You may think this is great, you may hate it. All I know is that we have NO PROBLEM directing people to our house during a "seasonal" time. We affectionately refer to the husband as "Darth Vader" after reading an article about him & his special Star Wars room in his basement in the KC Star. Anyway, you NEED TO SEE their Halloween decorations. They have a graveyard, an arm sticking out of their front window, ghosts, goblins, signs, etc. all over the front, special "Halloween lights" decorating their house, and the scariest blow-up thing I've ever seen. It's a black horse pulling a black carriage-type thing. A headless horseman is driving the carriage. Inside the carriage (yes, there is a window) is a black casket with a corpse popping out of the casket periodically. Nicholas didn't like it one bit last year, and is very curious this year. What, exactly, do you tell your 3-year-old? It's pretty scary! Boo!

God???

So Nicholas has been on a kick lately (who am I kidding - it's been MONTHS) where he wants to know WHAT GOD MADE! He'll pick something, anything and ask if God made it. Our job is to take whatever it is, and tie it back to God. Sometimes it's obvious - "Did God make the trees?" YES! The game continues FOREVER, but we really don't mind. After all, according to Nicholas, "God lives in our hearts & in my soul, where I've got JOY!" Gotta love it! Anyway, last Saturday he asked "Did GOD make GOD?" What?!?! Where did he come up with that. We, of course replied "YES" and moved on! Of course, now I know my son is a deep philosophical thinker and welcome his ever-present questioning!

Let it Snow!

No, it's not actually snowing in KC. The weather happens to be GORGEOUS!! However, my little monkey is growing so fast that his "Let it Snow" outfit probably won't fit during the appropriate season! We took a picture of Matthew in his "snowy" outfit & Nicholas couldn't resist the photo-op! Then he wanted to take a pic of the 3 of us (Nicholas did take that, believe it or not!). Enjoy!
Matthew is a sleeping fool today, taking two FANTASTIC naps! Must have been the dirty diaper this morning? Who knows! We've had a fun day playing it pretty close to home... Nicholas has re-found his Diego Walkie-Talkies so we're having a blast with that! Off to make yummy dinner!