Fall Bucket List Activity (Post #1)... Nature Walk

The kids took extra long naps today while I worked on some pictures so I new we needed to get out of the house for awhile tonight, so... I pulled out the ol' list and decided we needed to check off our first item... A Nature Walk.  My kids are familiar with one of these so when we got half way to the park, Madison asked where our 'buckets' were.  I had thought about bringing them but didn't realize you had to have a bucket for a nature walk... you do.  So we headed back, got our buckets, and arrived at Hartman.  It was a perfect evening to be out and Madison surely did spend the entire walk carefully inspecting each step for perfect leaves, nuts, bark, and whatever else looked interesting to fill up her bucket.  Eliott put a few leaves in here and there but mostly let her sister fill up his bucket.  The kids were especially fond of the camera tonight (a somewhat rare thing... it has been awhile since I've had it out) so we took full advantage.  We even used the ol' timer to get a few family shots.  Overall and great way to see God's creation and have some good family time.  Love my crew.

Fall List...

A couple of weeks ago, Madison and I sat down and made a list of all the things we want to do this fall.  Some ideas came from her and others from me.  Then we worked together to type it up on the computer (Madi chose the pictures) and we now have our list.  Two reasons for the list... I want to make the most of our fall as well as our time before #3 arrives plus I was getting pretty lazy about getting my big ol' camera out of the bag.  I vow to take pictures and journal about each of our activities which hopefully results in more blog posts and more pictures of our fun everyday life.  I 'bucket list' is included :)... look for posts to come.

Conversation With Madison....

I (Mom) am often the last one eating at dinner time.  This is a combination of slow eating and usually one of the last ones to start.  I love eating and dinner time is sacred to me :).   I was finishing up my last bites, sitting at the table, enjoying a little time of calm.  Conversation begins with Madison and I...

Madison - "Mom, I have to go potty" ... as she begins running to the bathroom.  She then circles around the house, back to the table to where I'm sitting and says, "Mom, will you come with me?"

Mom - "Why do I need to go with you?"  (Fyi - She just enjoys the company... doesn't need the help)

Madison - "Because... just because."

Mom - "Madison, Mommy is just enjoying life here at the table."

Madison - "Well... you could enjoy life in the bathroom!"

Snuggles With Dad

Trip to the park

We spend lots of hours playing at the park... my original idea on this day was kite flying but as soon as we arrived at the park the wind stopped and it started to sprinkle.  Matt was the only one to attempt to fly.  We still had fun.  Madison's new obsession is bars and Eliott likes to tag close behind.  I will be bummed when our days become too cold for park play... hopefully some fun snow days ahead :).

One Last 'Mimi' Time

Madison has loved her pacifier (which later got identified as a 'mimi') since day one.  It was her comfort.  When she was two we decided to limit it to her room.  She could have it as long as she was in the boundry of her bedroom.  Some moments of the day you would see her laying on our hardwood floor by the door with her blanket and mimi.  If things got overwhelming, you would usually find her retreating to her room to her little sanctuary.  It calmed her during naps and bedtimes and was definitely one of her favorite things.  I knew we were going to have to get rid of it at some point, but I wasn't looking forward to the day.  I decided long ago, when Eliott turned one, that we would get rid of them together.  I decided to work on Eliott first.  Well that planned backfired as that simply did not go well.  I soon realized that I had taken away Eliott's only tool of comfort other than my arms.  Little to no sleep later (about a week), Matt and I decided it was time to give in.  I am not a quitter, but this was crazy.  I dug the binky back out and give it to him.  Well, he looked at it like he had never seen it before, put it in his mouth and chewed it a few times, then returned it back to me.  It was like he had no idea what to do with it.   Well, we were stuck.  Sooner or later (month(s)), he figured it out and is now a great sleeper.  I said through it all that I would never do that again but it is definitely nice now.  All that to say I was not eager to go through that again.  Well, after a friend had visited the dentist with her 3 yr old and told me that binky's do have potential of hurting their teeth, I figured it was time.  Plus I felt a bit better blaming it on someone else.  Madison and I talked about what the dentist said and decided it was time to give them up.  A friend of Madison's just had a baby brother and we came up with the idea of giving them to baby Kaiden, who 'really needed them', and then heading to the store to pick out something special for her to sleep with.  She was all for it.  A few days later, she was still for it (I was still in hesitation mode).  I felt like I was giving up a bit of my 'little baby girl' and felt a bit sad when I told her she had better go in and snuggle in for one last 'mimi time'.  She did, then packed the last one up in the bag and headed over to give them to Kaiden.  She handed them over to Kaiden and then we went to the store.  She found a little monkey she liked, played a little while with the trains, and then we headed home.  Much to my surprise she didn't seem to care much at all that she didn't have a mimi anymore.  She has only asked about them a handful of times and had no problem sleeping.  I think it was much overdue... what can I say.  This mom stuff always has you guessing.

Doggy Dip

Chief has two days during the year that he lives for... Frisbee Catching Contest during Sturgis and Doggy Dip night at the water park.  These are the only pictures I got of our kiddos at the pool as well... bummer!  They loved the pool this year and were doing so many things int he water by the end of the summer.  Madison's favorite thing to do the whole time was jump off the side.  By the end of the summer she was going all the way under and even trying to 'swim'.  Eliott liked jumping into my arms and loved running all over in the water.  He didn't mind going under, but it wasn't ever on purpose.  Such a fun fun summer.  We spent many afternoon's here!

Moon Sand

9 cups flour + 1 cup baby oil = about an hour of fun.  Madison sat and played with this for about an hour... building castles and finding 'hidden' objects.  Eliott played for a good 15 minutes (quite awhile for this busy guy).

Fall Nature Walk

We were looking for something to do close to home and were tired of playing around our house.   So we grabbed some buckets and walked a block and a half on a nature walk.  The kids found pinecones, acorns, leaves, apples, walnuts, ... They had fun and I am loving the change of seasons!

Book Bowling...

As we worked on Eliott using the potty, we had to find many activities at home to keep us from going crazy.  Many days we stayed in PJ's until lunch and had fun at home.  I am usually kind of a busy body, so it was really good for me to be forced to be creative at home.  We had lots of fun!  The 'one-hand-clap' is one of my favorites... when Madison is proud of something she has just done (such as bowl down several books) she gives her self one big clap... like a cheerleader would on the sidelines of a football game.  ps... excuse the bare buns, potty training in session...

Praise God from whom all blessings flow...

I need to start updating my blog with this all-wonderful post... I'm not one to show off my belly to the world, more less my over-sized pregnant belly, but here goes...

After Madison was born I never had the feeling of 'I want to wait awhile for #2'.  Don't get me wrong, I was totally overwhelmed in my new world of being a mom, but for some reason I new #2 would happen relatively soon.  After Eliott was born, I new I wanted a break.  Not because of him, but because I wanted my body to have a bit of freedom from big bellies and a constant food source.  We're not quite sure when we decided #3 was on the radar, but it was somewhere between Eliott and Madison successfully sharing a room and Matt finding a different job which would land me at home.  We decided we would give #3 a whirl and a month later we had a positive.  Wahoo.

The next several weeks went by and only Matt and I knew.  We are kind of secret-keeping people and like to keep it between ourselves for the first trimester.  We like to hear/see life before we spread the news.  Well... #3 bellies grow much larger and earlier and I had several people inquire.  I'll always remember the day that the kids and I were in our bedroom.  I turned to grab something and Madison says, "Mom!  What's in your shirt!??"  I'm still amazed that she caught onto that, but I told her that it was a little baby.  We weren't telling people but Madison is not the girl to go blurting out news to random strangers so I figured we were safe.  Since then she has asked many many questions about the world of having a baby.  One of my favorites, "How does God put a baby in your belly?"  Try answering that one.  The concept of 'miracle' doesn't quite sit well with her... she wants an explanation.

The ride of pregnency has been relatively smooth and I am starting to feel on the larger stage now.  I am 22 weeks along and due on January 7th.  I know that so many say that going to 3 is crazy since you are outnumbered but for some reason I have little fears about going to three.  Maybe I will be surprisingly overwhelmed, and I know there will be days, but I am so thankful to have my focus at home for the first time when a new baby arrives.  No thinking about long-term subs, going back to work and pumping milk, finding day care, ...  My mind gets to be in one place.... simplified (sigh).  Madison will be a great help.  Eliott... well I'm sure he will still be scaling counters and getting popsicles out of the freezer but he will keep himself constantly entertained.  I'm sure there will be productive days of tower building and cookie baking, and then others when it seems like I got nothing accomplished and when Matt comes home and I hand them over and collapse on the couch.  I am so thankful that my kids get to have brothers/sisters.  It is so much more work to have multiple children but my joy so full when I hear them squealing in laughter with one another.  Or when I hear Madison say, "Good job T!"  I pray often for the love that they have for one another and thank God that they do.  We talk a lot about how God gave them each other and they are so blessed to have one another.  Little #3 will move right in as a new little blessing for us all.

I am soaking up days of having two mobile, good-sleeping, independent kids that we can do so much with for I know soon these will be coming to a close.  Loving my little family in our humble little house on Hawthorne Dr.