In Need of a Pep Talk (Among Other Things)
I am hoping to have a yard sale this weekend. I've gone through our video collection and weeded out a lot, gone through my closet and done two loads of laundry (well, the second just went in), but I've still got a lot to do, and then there's the boys' clothing stock. It's time to go through it anyway, to find the summer clothes and sort things into sizes. I'm also planning on putting out the entertainment center, our old dining room chairs, and other assorted items (a couple of armchairs, possibly, though NOT the ones in my living room!). It's more than a little overwhelming for a slacker like me, but it would be great to get more stuff out of the house. I don't think I would have gotten this far, except I did some winnowing in my closet when our house was on the market two years ago. It would be easier to just take the stuff to Goodwill, I suppose, as I gather it, but a little extra cash never hurts! Anybody have any pointers?

Labels: Cleaning (Rah?), household hints

- posted by Gary @ 10:04 PM |

 
Dabbling
Isaac's started trying out personal pronouns, echoing Jay's "Me, too!", among other things. Then tonight, while we're eating dinner, Isaac performed a flawless introduction. He looked at Paul and said, "Hi, I'm Isaac." "It's nice to meet you" was answered with "I know."

Labels: baby talk, boys

- posted by Gary @ 6:22 PM |

 
Been There, Done That
We returned Tuesday night from our trip to Ohio. The boys, Uncle Todd and I went to Grandpa & Grandma G's while Paul stayed home and worked. Grandpa and Grandma B were gracious enough to spare us the additional travel to Michigan (which snow threatened to disrupt) by driving down on Easter Sunday. A good time was had by all, and my whole side of the family made it out to meet Daniel. Grandma G took us shopping and got the big boys their adorable Easter outfits (in photo below) and some fancy flashing Lightning McQueen shirts, among other things.

Jay found out that even sitting on the floor and calling the cat won't work if you're three and call the cat "Smelly" [He was trying to follow my instructions which went something like, "Sit on the floor and say, 'Come smell me'" There were a lot of repetitions of "Come, Smelly" whenever Pedro and Jay were in the same room].

Daniel got to sample a bunch of different holders and changers, but didn't express a special preference (though Aunt Mindy's holding him in the smiley photo below).

Isaac had a good time reacquainting himself with everyone. Aunt Jan has toddler magic, and he warmed up pretty quickly to the grandparents. Isaac and Cousin Beka ran a race (the four-year old was a few laps up on Isaac at the race's end). Uncle Ehren still has some work to do, though ;)

Labels: baby talk, boys, cats, family, Travel

- posted by Lenise @ 7:58 PM |

 
Happy Easter [Season]!!

Labels: boys, photos

- posted by Gary @ 2:36 PM |

 
A Glimpse of Hope
Yesterday I changed the curtains from the heavy velvet fall/winter curtains to our summer toiles. On his third circuit through the living room after the change, Isaac stopped suddenly, gazed at a window, and exclaimed, "Cuhtens!!"

Labels: boys, decor

- posted by Lenise @ 2:23 PM |

 
OK, Now I'm Going
Anybody want to buy us this house in walking distance from church?
- posted by Gary @ 8:43 PM |

 
Incredulosity
It's still quiet upstairs! I had to go up once to put Isaac's covers back on, but that's IT. Daniel wasn't quite asleep when I put him down, but not a peep out of him! I'm going to go hang out in the living room now so I don't have to keep going back and forth to listen, but I am SO impressed!!

Labels: babies, boys, bragging, sleep

- posted by Gary @ 8:37 PM |

 
Cuteness of the Day
As we were leaving the shoe store, I said to Isaac, "You're really excited about your new shoes, aren't you?" "Yeah!!", he answered, whereupon Jay chimed in, "I'm really excited about my new shoes, too. But I'm not excited about the scary monsters in the closet." I glanced back to see if the ladies in the shoe store had heard and understood. It was evident they had. :)

Labels: baby talk, boys

- posted by Gary @ 8:25 PM |

 
Hey, What Do You Know?
After the real craziness of several weeks, today has been a really good day, with the single exception of having a number of items stolen from our car *Sigh*. I got up early enough to take a shower (gasp!) before Paul started work. Though it took longer than it should have to get out of the house, I was able to get to Wal-mart, drop off my Rx refill, pick up my site-to-store items, buy the big boys new shoes (a bit on the large side, I'm afraid) at the Shoe Show across the parking lot, and get back to WM to pick up the rx and a few extras (provisions for our upcoming trip, a St. Patty's Day treat, some other groceries). We had home-made mac'n'cheese for dinner with Colby cheese, only watched two videos today, and the boys went to bed in good spirits (even Daniel!) The one item I forgot was picked up this evening at the drug store on the corner by Paul and Jay (thanks, honey!). Jay and I also tested the portable DVD player my wonderful Aunt Gail gave us for Christmas and put together the new stroller we got through Wal-Mart SiteToStore while the little boys were taking their afternoon naps! Our old plain-Jane umbrella stroller served us well for nearly three years, but was starting to rip and was just stained and beat-up. Same with our fancy travel system stroller. This one should replace both, and was bought with a gift card from my awesome co-workers. Works for me! I just gotta get the other two out- Goodwill or curb, is the question.

So, during our second sojourn in WalMart, somebody stole a classy tote/diaper bag (a Christmas gift from my sister =-[ ) from the van, along with the boys' old shoes. I am thankful that:
1. They didn't take my site-to-store items!
2. The boys wore their new shoes out of the store
3. They didn't take Paul's French horn
4. They didn't take our stereo
5. The shoes were really beat-up, and neither pair was going to be serviceable for Daniel anyway

I'm still mad. They were Jay's cute light-up Lightning McQueen shoes, and the pair of shoes we just moved Isaac up into (gym shoes, whereas the ones we bought are a bit too big and are kinda full of holes [Lightning McQueen/crocs]). I had planned to keep using both those pairs of shoes for a while. The fact that the perp only took those two items (both right in the front passenger seat) makes me think she/he was watching us when we put the shoe store bag into the car. What kind of person would steal from a woman with three SMALL children??? *Sigh*

All the more reason to take the Christmas money to the Nissan dealer tomorrow and buy a pair of keyless remote entry key fobs. Paul still may not lock the car, but I might start leaving it locked in the driveway even.

Labels: boys, bragging, crime

- posted by Gary @ 7:58 PM |

 
One Month Old!!


Well, we're not quite a week out from Daniel's one-month check-up, so I guess this post isn't THAT late, but it's more than a week since he turned a month old! He's old enough to be crotchety after the big boys go to bed, which, I suppose, means that we should try putting Daniel to bed at the same time. Anyway, he weighed in at 10 lbs, 2 oz, which put him at the 60th percentile. He was at the 50th percentile for height/length, so seems to be getting along just fine! Daniel loves sleeping in his two slings, so is very co-operative when we're out, usually not waking up until just about lunch time. He's been doing a fair amount of spitting up, more than either of his big brothers, I would say, so we get to use most of his clothes, despite doing a load of laundry most days ;) Daniel's also a champ at keeping a pacifier in his mouth, so he uses his a lot more than the older boys did. Daniel enjoys being talked to, and has done a little talking and smiling himself. Let's try the diaper/milk/bed routine, and maybe I can tell you my harrowing tale of crime later!

Labels: baby 3

- posted by Gary @ 6:55 PM |

 
It's Going to Be a Lonely Life
The other day, I mentioned to Jay that I was going to buy some dining room chairs* to match my mid-century modern blond wood dining room (Paul didn't like the bench idea). His response could have come from Paul's lips verbatim: "We already have chairs." Not one in three could have been a girl, huh?


* Off Craigslist, $9 a piece,(the price on mid-century modern furniture being the motivation for my continuing to collect it)

Labels: boys, furniture

- posted by Lenise @ 8:35 PM |