Steven Turns 6

Ugh, I can't believe I'm old enough to have a 6 year old. Where does time go? Favorite things about my 6 year old? I love how much he loves learning about things. I love the silly questions he asks. I love it when he plays nicely with his siblings. I love his new desire to break out board or card game to play. I love the stories he tells, especially when they are accompanied by pictures. I love that he still like to have me read to him and that he wants to sit on my lap while I do it. I love that he can frequently be heard saying thank you. Pretty much blessed to have such a fun kid :)

Monday was Steven's actual birthday but Tyler was going to N.Michigan for a work trip so we celebrated Steven's birthday that weekend. We are starting to make it a tradition for the boys to pick one fun thing to do on their special day, it's cheaper than throwing an elaborate party. Steven wanted to go see "The Lego Movie,"and it was a hit for all 3 boys and I am feeling very jealous that I had to stay at home with Lucy and wasn't able to go.

Sunday, Tyler made Steven a monster cake, as requested. Although, I think it looks more alien than monster... And then we had the quietest birthday celebration ever. So weird to not have all of our family there. But at least Steven was able to video chat with his cousins and grandmas and grandpas that night.

He got exactly what he requested: a science kit and a Lego kit. He had so much fun putting together the Lego's (he actually does pretty good at following the directions) and between that and the movie, he is officially Lego obsessed. The science kit, on the other hand, he found a bit disappointing. Any time we do the "experiments" he always comments, "It doesn't look like the box!" Such a bummer when reality doesn't match the pictures...

Steven and Lucy enjoyed the green cake thoroughly...

Steven also got ridiculously spoiled by Grandmas & Grandpas & Great Grandma & Great Grandpa and had tons of money to spend at Toys R Us. It was funny to go through the store and have him asking how much he would have left if he bought this toy or that toy. If the amount was small, he would typically put the toy back and keep moving. In the end he got 2 more Lego sets, a Monster Inc. vehicle, Scooby Doo action figures, and a magic 8 ball (hilarious to listen him to constantly ask "the all knowing ball" questions). Spoiled rotten!

Doctor's Visits

This week Lucy and I both got to visit the doctor. Lucy's doctor visit did not go so well. Her new doctor was positively awful and we will not be returning to see him. I have seen a variety of doctor's at our pediatric office in Arizona and while I didn't always love them, I never felt so strongly opposed to one before. From the get go, he was just no good. He started off by yelling at her in a very mean tone to look a certain direction or to stop moving. I am sorry but she is 15 months, and she can remember now that the doctor's office equal painful shots so she doesn't like them. And a big, scary, unknown man yelling at her is not going to get her to cooperate. Maybe you could try being nice??

Later, when Ben was getting upset with Lucy because she was trying to take a book from him, the doctor decided to butt in and lectured Benny that Lucy was just a baby and we needed her to be quiet and happy so Benny needed to let her have the book. And yet, moments later he was giving me some unsolicited advice about how to raise my baby so she wasn't a brat and giving me examples of how smart babies are and how easily "trained" they can be. *Vomit*

Anyways, enough venting, here are some fun facts about Lucy at 15 months. She is 32 inches tall which puts her in the 95th percentile. She weighs 23.9 pounds which puts her in the 75th percentile. She loves to toddle after her brothers, kick at snow piles, climb on pretty much anything (I constantly hear "mom she's on the table again!") and she can occasionally be seen dancing to songs. She can say "Cheee" (cheese) "This" "Mama" "Da" "Uh-oh" "Tickle,tickle" "Hi" and "Bye". She can also roar (she does so when she she sees pretty much any animal), she imitates my phone's notification tone and she knows what the fox says ;). She also does a great foot stomping dance when she doesn't get what she wants or is told no. If it wasn't so bratty it would be pretty adorable...

And here's pictures of my baby to be....

Can you make out the alien shaped head on the left and the little arms and hands nearby it? It was so much fun to see this little baby squirming around my tummy and to find out that my baby is healthy. The doctor was nice and very personable. He also likes to talk, a lot. The talking part would've been fine if I didn't have Lucy & Ben who were both in need of a nap (I so miss having people who could watch them for me when I went to these appointments!). But out of his socialness, I did get some restaurant recommendations and some pediatrician recommendations so that was nice :).  I definitely feel good about this office and look forward to meeting all the obgyn's that work there.

And to end this post shall we discuss Michigan weather? I keep hoping it will get warmer... and by warmer I mean like a high of 30's, but no such luck. It continues to be super duper cold and the we continue to get snow. And of course, we had to install stupid Progressive's Snapshot in my van the day before we got lots of snow (it tracks your driving habits to determine if you can get a discount on your insurance). That stinking thing is always beeping at me, and unjustifiably. I know I'm not a great driver but when I'm stuck in the thick snow that the plows have left at the bottom of my driveway I gotta get out somehow and yes that means gunning it. Oh well...Hopefully the forecast doesn't lie and there's really no snow in store until next weekend (especially since Tyler will be out of town all week and I don't know how to use a snow blower)! Fingers crossed!

  

Becoming a Michigander

These week we became pretty official Michiganders. And I am not referring to the fact that my can looks like it's been in winter weather for years...

I'm not going to lie, I'm not thrilled about letting go of my AZ license plate (now I have no excuse for my bad driving!) but at least it was a painless process, very minimal waiting and the kid's behaved nicely (well except for Lucy trying to color on the nice man's desk...). In 2 weeks we will have our Michigan driver's licenses and be even more officially official.

And speaking of officially official, I got a library card to the public library. Oh my goodness, I'm in love with our new library! 1 point in Michigan's favor! Our old library was...old. At least the books seemed to be. I could never find recently published kid's books and many of the books were in crummy condition. Plus the set up of aisles in the kid's section was kind of crummy for watching kids.

This library's kid's section is HEAVEN! First off it is in a U-shape which means I can see the kids and find books for them at the same time. Second off at the head of the U there is a play place for the kids-- play kitchen, bin of dolls, puzzles, felt board, magnetic letters, etc... And thirdly, it is filled with nice, crisp, clean, new books and not just new as in never used but also new as in recently published.  I love it! Did I already say that!? Needless to say, with it only being a few minutes away, we will be there often.

Also, this week are coffee table finally started to feel like it was home here in Michigan. Can you see the cut by Lucy's eyebrow? Yesterday, she did a dive off the couch right into the edge of the coffee table. It was awful :( And wouldn't you know that literally just 5 minutes later, Ben tripped into the coffee table and got a nice black and blue bruise under his eye. Two crying babies and Tyler off at church basketball (where he apparently was given a bloody nose)...yup, things are back to normal here.

Steven, my cheese ball, has graced this house with some funnies. Every night at dinner we try to ask the kids what their favorite part and worst part of their day was. One night, his response for the worst part of the day was (and keep in mind this is at the dinner table) "My poop taking so long to come out." Awesome. And a second funny, said after Tyler bought some rat bait and with genuine concern, "Do rat spirits go to heaven?"

I think another part of becoming a Michigander is getting your first winter energy bill (similar to getting your first summer energy bill in AZ). Let's say that the first digit was a 3 and it wasn't pretty. Darn, drafty, old house :(

And since getting to Michigan I have been trying to start practice the piano again, let's just say Lucy has other feelings about that...

And even though she just got face time above, I can't resist posting more pictures of my girly girl Lucy. Gosh I adore her so let's just end with her cuteness :)

Lucy's News

So maybe she's not so happy about this news but we are ;) It was less than planned but it'll be fun to have two so close together, right!? Ok, honestly I'm a bit nervous about having this baby before Lucy's second birthday, I've never had two this close together! Plus I've always had babies in Arizona, with lots of family and friends close by! So I would be lying if I didn't say I was nervous about this baby but on the same token, I LOVE babies! And every time I see one or see a picture of one, I get excited. I love baby snuggles and cuddles and their overall cuteness so yeah for a baby on the way :)

And on to pregnancy details... I found out mid December. I had this thought, I'm late! But I also thought, no way I'm pregnant and then I took the test, freaked out, showed Tyler and that was that. First I've ever taken that was completely, assuredly positive. 

According to the internet I 'm 10 weeks along and due Aug 22nd. Once we FINALLY get our health insurance cards I'll get myself to a doctor. And for now, I have lovely bouts of queasiness throughout the day and moments where I feel completely exhausted but overall, I've had worse pregnancies ;). 

Coldness

It's been a long, cold week. So cold that I have taken to hanging out with my friend, the space heater, ain't he swell!?

(Here I attempted to take a picture of me and the space heater and Lucy photo bombed it, ha! Love that silly girl!)

So cold that we had to break out the puffer vest for Lucy, ok really that thing isn't very warm but it is SO STINKING cute!

So cold that we've resorted to crafting because what better thing is there to do when it is freezing outside? 

Actually I didn't craft so much, I only made this cute little candy heart picture that involved me eating one heart than gluing on another and then eating five hearts and then gluing on two... you get the picture? I did also try to make a new' H' for our door but for some reason I thought it would be a great idea to glitter it. I don't know what I was thinking. I abhor glitter, it gets everywhere except for where you want it too. So now my 'H' is sitting up high on a shelf, unfinished, shedding all over everything...I might finish it but it's looking doubtful

So cold this week that school was cancelled for Steven on Friday. So instead of going to school he helped me decorate the windows with this super fancy decorating material called, post-it-notes. That's right we made hearts out of post-it-notes. I think it turned out pretty fun :)

Also this week my Ben & Lucy have decided that they are anti-naps. I am not happy about this. Pretty much Ben has given up naps altogether. I'll put him down and an hour (or less) later he'll come out of his room. I still make him lie down for a bit but it's just not the same. Lucy, has decided two naps was just too much and now I'm lucky if I can get her down for 1 nap. Typically her one nap is just an hour and a half. And typically it is not at the same time that Ben lies down because she's fussy by 11:00 or so and he will not lie down until 12:30 or 1, usually when she's waking up. It means no more kid free time for mama, boo!

And also, I drove in some crazy snow today and survived. I went to an enrichment activity and when I was about a mile away from the church building it started snowing so hard I could barely see. Then on the way home there were some pretty massive swirling flakes (better visibility though). I still hate driving in it, it causes me anxiety BUT I'm starting to get the feel of HOW to drive in it. And I'm glad I drove in it, it was nice to meet some people in the ward, it seems like a nice bunch, I just got to work on bursting out of my shy shell....

P.S. I heard the distinct sound of several mice scurrying about and squeaking in the ceiling in Lucy's room the other day. Made me want to vomit. Ewwww! Time to buy mouse traps!

Funny Ben, A Play Date & A Visit to the Zoo

Ben has been the bearer of silliness lately. When Steven expressed his fear of the dark, I had a conversation with the boys about prayer and the Holy Ghost. We talked about what he does and what he doesn't do (beat up bad guys). We event talked about what you need to do to keep it with you. Well that last part really stuck with Ben and later that week when he asked for a snack and I gave him an answer he didn't like he told me, "God does not like it when you say those words! The Holy Ghost will come out of you!" 

Also this week, when Lucy started playing with a doll on Ben's bed, he got mad at her. It was a bunny doll in a dress so I told him that it was actually a doll for girls. He said, "No it's not, it's wearing yellow!" I then pointed out the purple bow on it's dress. Well, Lucy won out for awhile and Ben appeared to be doing some pondering. After a bit Ben stated, "Mom it doesn't matter what color it is." So yellow or purple, Ben will still play with it ;)

On Friday, Steven had his first play date in Michigan. I am so grateful that the RS President arranged for her son to come over and play. Steven woke up that morning saying, "Is my friend coming over to play today!?" He was so excited and they had such a good time together. And bonus, he only lives like 5 minutes away from us and he is also in Kindergarten at Steven's school (just different teachers).

On Saturday we wanted to get out and do something fun so we decided to go to the Detroit Zoo. It was cold, 18 degrees- real feel 9 degrees, but we decided we were going to get a membership so it wouldn't matter how long we lasted. Despite the cold we had a good time and saw quite a few animals (mainly just the ones that were inside buildings). Ben had a tough time walking to exhibits (it was just SO cold) but I loved the lack of crowds and loved just getting out and doing something.

We went into the atrium first and there were some beautiful birds. We saw a HUGE nest (bottom right picture) but were not lucky enough to see its owner :(

I have decided that I LOVE penguins- seriously cutest things ever! And of course the kids were totally excited by them too! Terrible picture though...

Next we went into the Reptile Building. It was full of creepiness! Check out that huge snake! And the crocodile that is going to bite our kid's heads off (although I am still not sure if that one was real...)

But at least the turtles were super cute :)

Our last stop was at the Polar Bears (though I missed them in this shot of Lucy & Tyler) and seals. The Polar Bears were fun to watch pacing their cage and the seals were fun to watch swimming around. We also saw Bald Eagles, Elk and some random horses as we made our way out. All in all a fun day trip :)

Changes

I'm still adjusting to Michigan and might be for a very long time. Everything here is so different, some things are different good and some things are different not so good. It's hard not to constantly feel like a fish out of water...

This week I encountered my first drive in snow, before the streets were plowed. It was awful :( When I got to Steven's school I was shaking, close to tears and did not want to drive home. But I said a prayer, found a better route and made it home (miraculously) in one piece. I really hope everyone behind me sees the Arizona license plate and understands why I drive like a crazy, snail! I also hope the plate explains why I can't back out of our driveway (which it doesn't but I wish it would). I have always had a hard time with backing up and now I have to back up a bazillion feet without hitting the house, the fence, or a big pile of snow. Boo! Why does leaving the house have to be so difficult!?

This old house continues to drive me crazy--allow me to complain for a long moment--- all the doors & windows leak in cold air, all the folding closet doors won't stay on their frames, the dishwasher is disgusting and unusable (meaning I now have to hand wash all dishes), the front door knobs do not work, there are rats that live in a closet in our bedroom (I swear I hear them at night) and the lead paint is chipping. Every time I complain my mom (when she was here) and Tyler say, "But it's SO cute!" They love to tease me. All I can say is, I felt good about this house so there must be a reason were here. There must be!

One last complaint, I miss having everything so close by! Literally everything is now 20-30 minutes away. We do have a Kroger's (aka Fry's) a few minutes away but it's no Walmart. I'm sort of stuck on the layout of Walmart and ad matching and such things and now I have to drive 20 minutes to get to my place of comfort. We also have to drive 30 minutes to church (which starts at 9am) and the mall is also about 30 minutes away. Oh how lovely things were in AZ.

But, I will end with good because it's not all bad. I love not tutoring anymore. It is amazing how much time that frees up in my day, how much more I enjoy cooking dinner and how much more time I have to help Steven with his homework. I love that Tyler is actually home in the evenings and we can have dinner together and Tyler can be there for Family Home Evening and we can watch movies together at night and run errands together, etc. I also love Steven having school later, from 9-4 instead of 8-3. For some reason it divides up our day perfectly plus I no longer have to wake up Lucy & Ben from naps to pick him up. And an added bonus, squirrels! There are cute little squirrels everywhere and the kids are just entranced by them. Really, it's a good life, I just have to get used to life as a Michagander.