10 and 25

Jonah and Samuel had their 4 year old well visit at the pediatrician this morning. I prepped them for shots all morning.

"Yes, you are getting a shot. It will only hurt a little bit. Then you can get some special candy and that will be really fun right?"

"No, I don't want to go. I'm staying home"

New tactic

"Ok, if you don't get a shot then you can't go up North with us on vacation this summer. Everybody needs shots before we go there."

"Mom, I want to get my shots today!"

Excellent

When we got to the doctor's office Samuel told the nurse that he was older than Jonah because he is a "little bit bigger".

Then he followed it up by telling her that he is "in charge of Jonah".

I said "No, you're not in charge of Jonah"

Then Sam said "Yes, I am in charge of him when we are in our bedroom because I am bigger."

And it turns out he is right. Samuel is in the 25% for height and weight and Jonah is in the 10% for height and weight.


And it turned out that they didn't need any shots.

But my two little peanuts are healthy and that's all that's important...no matter who is in charge!

Free Free Free!!!

John and I had a free night out on the town last night. We met a couple of friends for dinner. They had 4 kids in 3 1/2 years just like us. Dave, the husband, works in sales and John's company is a client of his. So, we ended up having a business/casual dinner with them and Dave's company paid the bill. It was so nice to hang out with another couple that "gets it"...the chaos, the noise, the mess, the fun that we have with all of our kids!


Our babysitter was a girl that works for John. She gave John a "free babysitting" as a Christmas gift this year! I can honestly say that it was my favorite present! She brought her husband with her and they got all of the kids tired out, in bed, and asleep before we got home! Yipee!



We had a great time together and are looking forward to doing it again soon!

Sharkey

Somebody is a little nervous about cutting the ties....literally!

Snow Day

School was canceled today. We had some snow last night and it was apparently too much for the plows so they canceled school. Honestly, though, by 1pm the roads were melted down to the cement. I have a feeling that school was actually canceled for cold weather. And boy was it cold! We ended up hanging out inside for most of the day.

When boredom sets in becoming a superhero is so appealing!

The Trio

These two have tons of fun together! Sam is so attached to his Daddy it is amazing! They went sledding down the hill in our yard the other day over and over and over again. I got tired just watching them from inside the kitchen. But Maggie never got tired of chasing them down to the bottom of the hill and back up again. Pretty good for an old girl huh?

Brainstorming

I have started researching garden supplies again. I am probably CRAZY to try this again this year after the poison ivy and animals wrecked everything last year.... I know. But if we can figure out how keep it together after having 4 kids in 3 1/2 years then I am optimistic that we can do a simple garden right this time!


The first issue was the fence. It was too short and not flush with the ground. So deer would lean over the top and eat the plants while groundhogs and rabbits would crawl right into the garden through gaps at the bottom of the fence. It was basically the most ineffective garden fence ever. The only things that we kept out of the garden were the kids and Maggie.

So here's what I'm thinking. We need to dig down around the perimeter of the garden and create a layer of cement block or railroad ties. Then the fence can sit flush on top of the cement block/ties. The fence will have to be about 6-8 feet tall to keep deer out. I am still researching fence options...wood, metal, solid or open. I don't know yet??? The fence itself will have to be attached to a frame for sure. If there is any gap between the fence and posts then the animals slip right through. This part of the plan still needs work....


The poison ivy looks like it might be able to be controlled by Brush B Gone. It's an Ortho product that can be sprayed on the ivy. Apparently it has to be used several times if the infestation is bad before it kills for good, but we can do that. We are going to spray the entire green space behind our house for as long as it takes to nail it ALL!

I will be so relieved if we can get rid of the poison ivy! I was SO worried last year about one of the kids wandering into the woods at the back of the yard and getting covered. I am highly sensitive to it and I was concerned that one of the kids might be allergic!


It feels good to have a plan moving forward...even if it is not totally complete yet. I know that we will be more prepared this year than last year. Of course I am sure that other issues will arise with the garden, but at least we got a head start this time!

Shane's Bad Day

Shane was helping shovel yesterday and slipped and fell face-first on the ice in the driveway. He didn't even put his hands out. When I picked him up his face was covered in blood and he was crying. I checked him out and it turns out that he hit his upper lip and nose but his teeth were ok (thank God!!!) So, got him all fixed up and then put him to bed.

When he woke up this morning his face looked pretty bad. Fortunately we didn't have to go anywhere after dropping the boys off at preschool today so Shane and I hung out together all morning and nobody had to look at his sad little nose and lip.

He was pretty clingy all morning though and I should have realized that he was feeling crappy. By tonight he had a fever and didn't want to do anything but be held. I am not sure what is going on with him yet, but I have a feeling that tonight will be a long one for both of us!

Pile It On!

It started snowing yesterday afternoon and it still hasn't stopped yet! Everybody's school was canceled so we spent a lot of time outside today. These boys were made for winter!

Snow Removal

If you need help with snow removal this season we have a great little shoveler.


He works for soy milk.

This one can remove your snow and move it to another location.


It will take a while though.....

This one.... he is in charge of the lawn decorations.

Birthday Time of Year

Yesterday was John's birthday! The kids are REALLY into birthdays!

I took the kids shopping for presents for Daddy and they picked out some good gifts. I only had to redirect them once when Wyatt picked out a pink soccer ball for John. I know he really wants this Mom! I know it!

Shane got John some twine

Sam got Daddy some car wash liquid.

Jonah got John some hand lotion.

Wyatt got Daddy a grill lighter and a tiny lantern for fishing (I wonder who wants to use that gift????)


I got John certificates for 2 massages.

Then we went to pick up the birthday pie for John. He likes lemon meringue pie instead of birthday cake lately (it must be an old person thing!?!?). The store that had the pies was packed when we got there. Me and 4 boys in tow. And just inside the doorway was a fully uniformed policeman enjoying a nice cup of coffee.

Then the boys spotted the policeman.

Did you know that it's my Daddy's birthday today? I just had my birthday and now I'm 4! I had a race car cake. I had a tractor cake. My birthday is after Halloween. I'm five. Shane is a baby. He is allergic to milk. He drinks soy milk. Did you know that? Are you at work right now? Where is your police car?

Oh my God they would NOT shut up!

The policeman talked to them and answered their questions. Then he told the boys that he would turn on his sirens and lights for them.

And immediately all three big boys raced out of the store. They were chased by a uniformed policeman, me carrying Shane, and a checkout woman from the store that saw the whole thing happen.

Luckily we stopped them before they hit the parking lot or the police would have had to fire a warning shot!

Then he turned on the lights and sirens for them, we went back into the store, paid for the pie, and had a checkout woman escort us out to the van carrying my pie for me. Is that standard protocol or do you think that she thought I needed some help? (The alternate title of this post could be called "The pie that almost cost us 3 lives!"

So we drove home with Daddy's near-death pie.

Then the kids wanted to decorate the house and surprise Daddy when he got home from work. They hung streamers all over the place and we hung the birthday banner over the stairs.


Then the kids practiced turning out the lights, hiding and jumping out and yelling "surprise" for about 2 hours. I had to make half of the birthday meal in the dark.

But Daddy was excited about his birthday.... and even more excited when the boys went to bed. Especially the part where we enjoyed the peace and quiet and sat in complete silence for a half an hour.... that was his best present yet.

Robes

Testing out our new Christmas robes.....

Four Years Old!!!!

It's hard to believe that these guys turned 4 years old today! In the words of Samuel "Oh my gosh!!!!!!"!