NEW ROOM - Thank you Grandma Jeanne

Grandma Jeanne came and got the room done!  AHHHH!!!  Feels good to have one of the first big things off the list before baby!  She had two little helpers (hard to believe, I know!  ha!).  Peyton "helped" the longest, probably about an hour, and Jack, well he lasted about 5 min.  But the room is DONE and everything is in place, almost!  Have to get some new curtains, but otherwise I think it's good.  We are happy with the colors and overall, I think it looks pretty good for a "neutral" room.  SO...thank you, thank you Grandma Jeanne for helping my anxiety by getting this big project finished!

Jack has slept in there a couple times.  He decides at bedtime where he wants to sleep (his old room or his new room).  Until we get his room switched to the nursery he has that luxury, but when that happens it is to Peyton's room for good!  Peyton has came around too, she's okay with him sleeping in her room now.  We will see how long that lasts!

It hasn't been all bells and whistles tho.  A few nights ago (the last time he has slept in her room), he woke up at 3:30 am.  I heard him say, "Peyton?"  When Peyton didn't answer (because she was dead asleep), he decided to climb down the latter.  When he did I heard a big BOOM!!!!!  I thought for sure he had come dumbing down the latter, as did Mike.  We both sprung up from bed and ran in there.  He was fine, however, he had knocked over Peyton's little nightstand.  When I asked him what he was doing, he said he was getting up.  He thought it was morning.  Soooooo, we have to work on this.  I guess he isn't quite use to his surroundings yet.  So I put him back in his old bed and he went back to sleep fine.....I, however, did NOT!!  My heart was pumping still from hearing the big BOOM!!!!

Spring fever, along with a little tude!

Could the weather be any nicer for mid march....I think not!  I got sunburnt last Tuesday at the park!!  I guess that's my clue to get out the sunscreen for the year.  We had a very busy week of outside activities.  Lots of dates and lunches at the park, bike and scooter riding, driveway basketball, baseball, backyard play and grilling, and driveway chalk (which sometimes turns into side of the house chalk).  Mike actually mowed the yard for the first time of the year yesterday too, and it was definitely necessary!

We also had a very bad behavior week.  LOTS of whining, fighting, back talking, name calling, ugly faces, etc......I'm hoping it's just because we are "overly tired" from all the fresh air.  I certainly hope this is not a long lived phase.  I told Mike I'm so annoyed with them right now because they don't want to play WITHOUT each other, but they can't stand to play WITH each other.....I don't get it.

We have also decided to bunk the kids together instead of moving Jack downstairs.  I told the kids about it last week....Jack is excited about it, Peyton is LESS THAN THRILLED!  She does not want to share her space, she does not want to get new bedding, she does not want to replace her pink walls with something more "neutral"....and it goes on and on.  I bought the quilts for the bed the other day and then I let them pick out their sheets.  Peyton picked yellow and Jack picked grey.  I let Peyton pick the color for the walls, since she was NOT impressed with getting rid of the pink ones.....she chose a light blue.  Grandma Jeanne is coming to help paint today, so I will post pics of the new room soon.

Happy Monday!

Happy times

The fighting is taking place!

Friends again, for a minute

now on to arguing with daddy

Here's a short clip of Mike and Jack's mean game of basketball, and a short clip of how the fighting is taking place.  You will notice they both notice I'm video taping half way through the fight, so some of it might be for "show."  :)

 

Things this week that have made me feel old.....other than turning 30!!!

Yes turning 30 this week was NOT easy.....I had been dreading this for a LONG time and it finally came and went, and well, now I'm 30!!!

There were a couple other things that occurred this week that made me feel old as well.

1. Registering Peyton for Kindergarten......*tear*   I didn't think I'd be "that" mom when it came time for my kids to start real school, but, yep, I think I will be "that" mom.  I will have a hard time on that first day of school.  I'm hoping we get our first option which will have her going 3 full days and 2 half days.  That will help Mommy and Peyton....mostly Mommy, probably.  
2. When I went to Iowa I got to hang out with one of my former students.  She was in 5th grade when I taught her.....well now, she's a grown girl and gonna be a senior next year.  WOW!  Does that scream OLD?!?!?
3. Jack has started the early steps of reading.  He now knows about 8 site words, which is amazing....BUT what happened to my BABY?!?!?  Babies don't read!!! 

All in all, my 30th birthday was fine.  I don't like the new number, but I'm trying to remind myself, it's just a number!  The kids and I spent the day at the park and zoo (it was in the 70's!!), Jeanne and Mark sent VERY pretty flowers, Mike brought home a birthday cake (always good), and I received lots of birthday love via Facebook, text messages, cards, and phone calls!  I have lots of wonderful people in my life!  Last night Mom, Dad, Mark, and Jeanne all came down for dinner and today will be the last hurrah.....a day with the best friends.  Going to get pedi's, lunch, and shopping with Leigh-Anne and Taylor.  After today, I'm gonna put the number in the back of my mind, besides when my kids remind me everyday that I'm 30!    

 

Daddy Day at School

Monday it was "pancakes with Dad" in Peyton's class and "Doughnuts with Dad" in Jack's class.  Both kids were overly excited to have Daddy go to school with them.  They ate and went to church and then Daddy headed off to work and the kids went on with their day at school.

Peyton came home with some papers about Dad that day.  One of them was a questionnaire about her Dad.  Her Dad's first name she answered with, Michael.  Which I thought was interesting because she never really hears him called Michael, just Mike.  But here's the best part..........

Her answer to, What is Daddy's job.....she wrote down, "fixes cars."  OMG this is soooo funny to us on so many levels.  Is it sad or funny, that our cars are all so old and so junky that Peyton thinks his occupation is to work on cars?!?!?!  We currently have three cars....a 20 year old car, a 15 year old car, and a 10 year old car.  Hey, with those numbers there is bound to be one broke down all. the. time!!!  One of these days we will have a reliable car!

When Mike and I were laughing at this, she asked us what we were laughing at.  I asked her what Daddy's job was.....THEN she responded, studying and Doctor of X-Ray.  ha!  She's got those about right!  If he's not at work, he's studying!!!!  Mike's 13 year journey is almost over tho....hallelujah!  And with that, hopefully comes a new car!

First Trip Back To Iowa

Well, the kids and I set out on another adventure.  We headed back to Iowa for the first time since leaving (almost 5 years ago!).  It all happened about perfect.....left St. Louis and it was 65 degrees.  Got just north of Hannibal and it was SNOWING!!!  Iowa City was about 28 degrees, snow on the ground, and just as windy as I remember it.  We stopped in Mount Pleasant (45 miles south of Iowa City) and the kids cried when they got out of the car because they thought it was too cold.  HA!  I DO NOT MISS THAT COLD WEATHER!!!

What did the bachelor do all by himself at home!?!?!  OH, studied, studied, and more studying.  May 20th can not come soon enough!  For any of us!!!  I'm gonna run out of mommy steam, Mike's gonna run out of studying steam, and the kids miss their daddy!

When we were in Iowa we stayed with a friend that I taught with.  She has two kids as well, and I've gotta say they all did great!  Jack and Gavin played lots of Mario, and Peyton and Bella....who knows??  I think they did  a little bit of everything.  We went swimming at the pool in the casino on Sat and wore the kids out!  We also made a trip to see the Stecher's, friends from med school.  All in all, great trip, just too damn cold!

I charged my camera and got it all ready for the trip and forgot to take it out of my purse.  I told Sarah to email me some pictures that she took, so maybe I will be able to add some later.

*update*  I got my hands on some of them hot pictures, here are some.......

Bella and Peyton "face painted" each other...here is Peyton's art work on Bella