Baby J - 3 Months Old!

Time is simply flying around here - baby J is 3 months old!

He is the world's happiest baby.  Unless you are taking two seconds too long to fill up his mega-bottle.  ;)

I don't know his official weight, but I am thinking he is at least 16 pounds or more.  His two favorite things: drinking his bottle and watching/smiling at his big brother.  He is such a cutie and we can't get enough of him!

I love to watch him wake up in the morning - those first smiles are like, oh there you are!!  I have missed seeing you so much!  I am so happy to see you!  

Have I mentioned that he is a happy, smiley baby?

Other new things: cooing, babbling more, giggling, putting his hands in his mouth and a little bit of batting at his toys.  He is wearing size 6 month clothing and those will probably last for another week.  ;)

We are so blessed to have him in our lives.  What an amazing gift!

3

We have a three year old in the house!

Mountain of chocolate cake + Daniel Tiger sweater + dinosaur sticker on forehead = toddler randomness!

I can hardly believe it.  M's music teacher sang "Happy Birthday" to him at music class, and I got all teary-eyed.

M is a sweet, kind and wonderful little boy.  He is so inquisitive about his world and frequently asks us, "what are you talkin' about, Mommy Daddy?"

Giddy to be playing with his new blocks from Grammie D and Granddad

He is the sweetest big brother and twice this week he has said to me: "I'm not sick anymore, so I can give baby J a kiss now!"

Some favorites: driving trucks, playing with Daddy, playing air guitar and going to Church (where there are guitars).

Every time someone would wish him "Happy Birthday" he responded with a cheerful "and Happy Birthday TO YOU!" right back.  Silly goose!

We are so very blessed to have him in our lives.  

Toddler Talk

Some of the latest and greatest heard around our house....

While discussing Lent as the season before Easter:

M: Jesus's Birthday is NOT on Easter.

Me:  That's correct!

M: ALSO, trucks drive on the road!!!

Me:  That's also correct.

While discussing our favorite foods:

Me:  My favorite thing to eat is french fries.

M: And Diet Coke too!! (he knows me so well!)

At 5 am outside of my room:

M: "Good morning, honey buns!!"

I asked him if I could have a bite of his snack:
M: No, it's only for big boys.

Coming downstairs in the morning to see all of his birthday decorations:
M: Oh, this is SO BEAUTIFUL!!! 

While watching me frost his birthday cake:
M: Mommy, will you please wash your hands?

 
 

Round Lake State Park

We recently took a little hiking adventure up to Round Lake State Park. I've wanted to hike here for quite a long time, and I'm so glad we finally had a chance to get up there.

It was a beautiful morning for a family hike.  The trails on the east side of the park were closed due to flooding (spring thaw) so we didn't make it all the way around the lake, but we had a wonderful time enjoying the fresh air and exploring this little treasure.

There was still some ice on the lake, but lots of fishermen taking advantage of the quiet to sit on the docks and dish.  With a toddler and baby in tow, we probably ruined the quiet for them and scared off all of the wildlife, but the trails are perfect for exploring and they look like they would even be nice for some trail running too!  We definitely hope to be back!

Mom's Day Out

My birthday this year came in the middle of a round of sickness in our house, which, unfortunately, we are still enduring!  But one of my birthday gifts from my husband was a day all to myself to do whatever I wanted, while the sick babies had a special day with Dad.  I'm fairly introverted, so I took advantage of the chance to have a nice day of quiet and solitude.  Although honestly, by lunch time I was ready to come home and be with all my guys, sick or not. =)

source

I started off with a nice run by myself, then used a birthday gift card to have a facial at the Coeur d'Alene Resort Spa.  It was heavenly.  The Spa has a remarkable view of Tubbs Hill, and it was so nice (and QUIET, yay!) to sit and enjoy a coffee in my bathrobe while watching all the folks out walking and enjoying the sunshine.

When I finally dragged myself out of the Spa, I went to the library, checked out a book for myself and skimmed The Atlantic.  I had lunch at Bakery by the Lake.  At that point, I felt sufficiently rested and refreshed, so I spent the afternoon running errands that I otherwise wouldn't drag the boys along: The Well-Read Moose (my favorite bookstore!), Ulta, Kohls, Target and Costco.  With both boys in tow, I typically max out at two stops for errands - they can't handle much more, or we run out of time before I have to pull over and give baby J a bottle.  So, I got a lot done and enjoyed some quiet time; so it was a great day.  And I was so glad to get home for dinner with these three sweet smiling faces, runny noses and all.

 

7QT: Recent Reads

With sickness and solo parenting over the last few weeks, I haven't been reading as much as I'd like, but hopefully I'll have some more time in the near future.  Here's what I've been paging through lately, and two that are on the horizon for me.

1.  Winter Street

A light, easy read.  The Christmas version of a beach book, set in wintry Nantucket.  I read this while we were in Big Sky.

2.  The Husband's Secret

Another entertaining read by Liane Moriarty!  She paints such interesting characters and this book really draws you in.  If you are looking for some good fiction to escape into, this is it.

3.  Siblings Without Rivalry

This is an older book, but worth a skim if you are dealing with sibling issues.  I picked it up from the library because I read about it on another blog, and it gave me some ideas to tuck in my pocket if/when we run into sibling issues down the road.  The cartoon illustrations are kind of hokey, but it does have lots of good ideas.  

4.  Your Money or Your Life

I am just kind of skimming this one.  It has a kind of philosophical take on money/personal finance management, but I am not really a fan of the author's tone.

5.  Ten Habits of Happy Mothers
I'm not finished with this one yet, but I am really enjoying it!  I think the lessons and advice is useful for all women, and men too.  I particularly love her points about solitude and living simply.

Next up:
6.  In This House of Brede
I've seen this one pop up on reader lists from a variety of different places, so it has piqued my interest.

7.  The Whole Brain Child
My sister sent this to me for Christmas, and I'm excited to finally read it!

What are your favorite recent reads?  Linking up with Kelly's Seven Quick Takes!

5k By the 5th - March Edition

This was a rough time for me to try to fit in a 5k.  Sick husband, sick toddler, ugh.  We didn't want the baby to catch the bug, so I haven't been able to pass him off to D and run outside.  The first time I wanted to run a 5k at the gym, there were no treadmills available where I had room to park baby J's stroller next to me.  So, I just pushed him in the stroller while walking around the track.

Do you like my litany of excuses?  Wait, I've got more!... =)

So, my last chance was last Wednesday, and both boys had gotten up multiple times during the night.  I was on zombie mode - excuses, excuses I know, but it was rough!  I can't say that I really "raced" it, but I did it at least.  I covered the 5k distance in about 34 minutes.  Slower than I would have liked, but hopefully we are all on the up and up and I can get more running in outside!  Hopefully our house is done with this bug! 

How was your 5 by the 5th?

Big Sky, Montana

We had this run all to ourselves!

This post has been sitting in my drafts for quite a while - I forgot about it but want to share these memories from our trip to Big Sky over New Year's.  I'm sure that most of America has had enough of winter, but here in northern Idaho this year, we never got much of it.  Big Sky is the #biggestskiinginamerica and it is awesome.  We had another wonderful and blessed week together with my parents and (most of) my siblings and their families in Big Sky, Montana again. 

Cousins together!  What a bunch of crazy boys!

Our pediatrician said it was OK for us to take baby J on our road trip (in fact, he said it would be easier to do it now, rather than later!).  And I was so glad to get to visit with almost all of my family.  We were sadly missing one sister (in Liberia with the CDC fighting the Ebola outbreak) and one brother-in-law (serving in the Navy and currently deployed).

M just adores all of his big cousins.

My parents rented one of the Powder Ridge Cabins.  It was lovely - it had plenty of space for everyone, the bedrooms were super comfortable and it was ski-in, ski-out right out the back door.  Although, I never would have found my way back from the slopes if I hadn't been skiing with my husband or brother.  I hadn't paid much attention to the directions and it was a little confusing even though the owners had provided little handouts to try to make it clearer.

First time on skis!

D and I skied two days while my wonderful mom, dad, sister and SIL watched our boys.  We got to ski with my brother and his two boys and it was great to see my nephews getting better and better!  We made some wonderful memories.  M had the time of his life playing with his big cousins, especially after asking "Can I go to Montana?  Can I play with my cousins?" 500 times during our 8 hour drive there.

On our way down to the White Otter Chairlift

D also took me over on the Moonlight side of the mountain, which was new to me and great.  I had a little panic when I thought we got on the wrong chairlift (taking us only to black ski runs!) so that girl yelling "thank you, Jesus!" at the top of the chair lift?  Yes, that was me when I discovered that no, there actually was a blue run for me to take down. =)

L-R: Nephew, Brother, Husband with Lone Peak in the background

It was a wonderful, fantastic trip full of great family memories.  Thanks, Mom & Dad for all the memories that we will always treasure!

Chairlift selfie with the same crew!

Business Trip

D had his first business trip since we brought baby J home.  He went to northern Virginia and Wisconsin and was gone for a week.  We were so fortunate that my mom, the amazing Grammie D, traveled from Florida to spend part of the week with us.  She was such a help and we loved having her here!

It was really fun to watch M soak up his time with her.  He adores his Grammie D!  We went to the pool, to music class and did lots of shopping together.  An added bonus is that my mom is a pediatric physical therapist, so she always has great ideas for creative play with both boys.  We are so lucky to have her and thankful that she traveled across the country to spend her time with us.

Unfortunately, D brought home a horrible cough/infection/something yucky.  So even though he arrived home on Friday, he quarantined himself in our office/guest bedroom all weekend and still is doing so this week too after work.  It is a little bit confusing for little M - Daddy is home but can't play with him - and strange for all of us.  We really, really don't want the boys to catch whatever he has - but it will be nice to all be together again! 

Hope you are healthy wherever you are!