Micah

Ah, certainly not least, I am thankful for Micah. We had to be patient for Micah or at least try, I know I wasn't. He went past his due date which was a shock to my doctor and all the rest of us including my brother and Shawn's parents who had been here at separate times to take care of Noah since we were certain he would come early. Jane and Dennis were scheduled to go back home the next day and I had been to the acupuncturist trying to get the show on the road when I went into labor in the middle of the night. Before I knew it we had another son. When I heard it was a boy, I realized that I secretly wanted a boy - brothers.

Emotionally it has been such a different experience having a second child. The excitement and love fest of it all is the same, but I am not nervous about every little thing so we can just enjoy this little bundle of sweetness. Sweet he is. I'm not a naturally laid back kind of person so I'm not that kind of mother but having two kids has mellowed me more than I could have known possible. Micah has also stretched me as a parent. I never really understood the concept of parenting children differently within the same family, until I had two boys with completely different personalities.

A few things we love about our little guy:

He was the most chunkalicious baby.

He is playful and has the best laugh.

He is friendly.

His personality is explosive. He is one happy kid but watch out when he gets mad.

He is a tough cookie.

His favorite stuffed animal is Curious George.

He loves hats and anything he can make into a hat.

He has the funniest way of saying "snow" and "snowman". All nasal.

He MUST have a smoothie every morning.

He is a thrill seeker, climber and a jumper.

He is always running.

He goes right to sleep for nap and bedtime.

He is a spontaneous hugger.

He adores his big brother.

He is an absolute love bug.

I have a hard time thinking of having another baby in a few short months when Micah is still my baby. Just tonight when putting him to bed I wanted to rock and rock because I know from his big brother how quickly the time for rocking passes. This little guy really keeps us on our toes and is truly a blast to have around. We are one lucky family.

Love you Micah!

Kitchen Helpers

I was making pumpkin bread and my kitchen helpers had their own bowl. Their ingredients were very carefully measured out. Ha!

Then Noah got bored and built a "Christmas tree" with various "ornaments" hanging on it.

Bite

I noticed yesterday that Noah had a small bite on his face and today saw him itching it while looking in the mirror. I told him it looked like he got a little bite and he said, "From what?" Sometimes he gets all worked up about these sorts of things so instead of saying spider which is what I suspect I told him mosquito - he's used to those. He gave me a Noah look and said, "Mosquitos don't come in the snow." Shawn promptly told him he was right and luckily he did not persist finding out what else it may have been. Once again, outsmarted by a three year old.

Thanksgiving Miracle

Boys have been playing in the basement together with no fighting or crying for nearly an hour. I've been doing periodic check ins while working in the kitchen and using my super mom listening powers. Amazing!

Shopping

Oh my. Boys are in bed. Whew. We had a good but full day. Play date at our house this morning and then errands and Target run after naps. I typically try to avoid grocery or Target trips with both boys these days because really it only makes the chore infinitely harder but today was a must. Family members start arriving tomorrow to kick off the Thanksgiving festivities and we had yet to get any groceries so against my better judgment we went at 4:30. Eek. No really, they weren't that bad but to keep them occupied I kept doling out the snacks. They started with the free kids cookie, then Annie's bunny fruit snacks from the box we had yet to buy. We were doing well until we got to the checkout lane and all hell started to break loose. I went for the bag of Goldfish but sharing nicely was not in the cards. THANKFULLY I had a second bag in the cart. I laughed as we walked out to the car with each boy eating out of his own bag. Today I'm thankful for those two bags of fish. :)

Dentist

I took Noah for his cleaning on Monday and breathed a sigh of relief when Dr. Amey said all his teeth look perfect. As the dentist appointments creep up on us so does my anxiety that a cavity will be found. So far, so good. I seriously pray that our kids will never have a cavity, like their dad.

Dr. Amey was nice enough to give Micah teeth the once over as well. He got the thumbs up too.

George

When Noah was born one of Shawn's HBS classmates gave him "The Complete Adventures of Curious George." Shawn and I had to get over the fact that George smoked a pipe, went to prison and was essentially a meal ticket for the man with the yellow hat, but those stories became favorites and a fascination for George began. I think Micah loves George even more than Noah ever did. He evens sleeps with a George stuffed animal every night. Last night we went to the Curious George Live show and it was a great family event.

We were shopping at the Gap the day before and Shawn found these cute Curious George shirts for them to wear. I planned to take photos before we left but it was all we could do to get to the show on time so the photo op was abandoned.

Both boys sat mesmerized the entire 90 minute show. Micah did point and yell "George" a few times in excitement. Fun.

**We have been sticking to our thankful routine each night.

I am thankful for naps, date nights and good friends.

Noah has been thankful for trips to the library, dad coming home early to play, birthday presents for a friend.

Noah P

This week has been filled with ups and downs. I don't know the lyrics to Ozzy Osbourne's song Crazy Train but I think the title seems to fit our household as of late and this mom has been on the verge of bonkers on more than one occasion. The last two nights I have made it a priority to go to bed early (7:30! & 9:30) because a mom who is grouchy and tired is a road to nowhere good. It has made a huge difference in how I feel but by 2:30pm I am still ready for a nap?! How can that be? All that being said, it has been really nice to focus on gratitude each night and shrug off the negativity that may be hanging around.

I am thankful for Noah.

This little guy made me a mom, a role I cherish. He allowed me to feel a kind of love that I never knew existed, my heart literally walking around outside of my body. He arrived on Christmas Eve and was the best Christmas present we could have ever asked for. We were in Boston and all of our friends were away for the holidays and we had no family nearby so it was just the three of us. Our new little family and it was bliss. He zapped us back to reality relatively quickly by struggling to nurse, staying up all night and peeing on everything in sight, especially us. Our master of the house had arrived.

I was determined to be the perfect mom, which of course I now know is impossible. I read and read and read books by experts on all topics baby. We took a zillion pictures and videos. I still remember most little moments, outfits, etc. Like when he slept in his bed in our new house in Minneapolis for the first time.

He grew and grew into this happy, smart, funny little person.

He is a bookworm.

He is silly.

He has no sense of rhythm despite being in music since infancy. I apologize as I am certain it is inherited.

He likes to stay up late and sleep in.

His favorite food is watermelon.

He said his favorite colors were yellow & brown for the longest time. Brown is now out but yellow remains.

He likes Fancy Nancy books.

He loves his little brother to bits.

He asks for family hugs and kisses.

He is an expert in trains and dinosaurs.

He give the best bear hug squeeze.

His laugh is contagious, especially for his little brother.

He tries to cheer up his brother when needed.

He is remarkable.

It is hard for me to believe he will be 4 soon. It seems like a blink of an eye ago that Shawn announced he was a boy.

Today I went to an info session for Kindergarten and during a closing prayer I had to fight back tears. Being an overly emotional pregnant woman may have a teeny bit to do with it and the fact that the principal gave this beautiful prayer about teachers, schools and families working together to make our children into something wonderful we could never do alone. More than anything though, I was stunned by the idea of Noah going to school from 8am-3pm everyday and losing all the time with him all to myself...even the not so great days. I drove home focused on doing my best to make our days together really count. They won't all be perfect but there is so much beauty and reason to be thankful in all the imperfect.

Love you Noah P.

Snow Day

We are getting a ton of snow today. Six inches by 10am and it has been coming down all day. The boys were excited to see it this morning, especially Micah. He ran from window to window saying "snow, snow."

This is Micah's first time to really play in the snow and he wasn't sure what to think. He walks like Frankenstein in his boots though. Noah seems to be like his mom and can only stand the cold in short intervals. After about 20 minutes he was too cold and wanted to go inside.

Our Veteran

I will never forget taking Shawn to Ft. Hood the day he left for Iraq. I'm shocked I still have eyeballs from bawling so much. I cried so hard I couldn't even say goodbye. He was smart and wouldn't let me take him to the gym where everyone was meeting. I just dropped him at his office and that was it. I think it was better that way. He could support his soldiers leaving their families and we didn't have to say goodbye surrounded by the collective sadness.

He told me from the get go that he would be gone for a year. At that time, the word was six months max but he kept preparing me for a year and thank goodness, because he got home just shy of a year. March 24th! Another day I will never forget. This time I was at the gym and the joy in the room was overwhelming and beautiful. Thankfully for us that deployment has been our only long separation but today I'm thinking of the many military families. Their sacrifices are real and great.

Beyond being thankful for his service to our country, I am just plain thankful for the best husband and father to our kids that I could ask for. Here are a few reasons why:

He really listens to our boys

He plays and plays and plays

He is pretty darn funny

He loves desserts and no one else in the family is complaining

He lets me sleep in every Saturday, now that is selfless!

He is thoughtful

He is smart

He works really hard so the rest of us can enjoy a more carefree life

He never complains - even when he is sick, seriously never!

He is always level headed, can I even express how much I need this when I've gone into a tizzy about who knows what

He knows what is important in life and he prioritizes the important stuff

He is about a million other things but that's a good start. :)

I read this quote shortly after we were married and thought THAT is exactly what I want and guess what? I have it!

"Sexiness wears thin after a while and beauty fades, but to be married to a man who makes you laugh everyday, ah, now that's a real treat." Joanne Newman

And thank you to our other favorite veteran, Grandpa Dentist (I mean Dennis)

Also HAPPY, HAPPY BIRTHDAY to Grandma Jane. Love you!

Quiet Time

Last Monday we started *Quiet Time* for Noah in the afternoon in lieu of a nap. Bedtime has always been a struggle for him. We had tried no naps before but I think he wasn't ready for it and it did not go well. Anyhow, I decided that we were ready to give it another whirl. So far, it has been going fantastic. He plays quietly in his room - the whole time. In fact, I always check on him because I can't believe he is staying in there. He does get a little grumpy and whiny starting at 5pm, but most importantly, he is going to bed very quickly at night and sleeping a full 12 hours and waking up happy. Can I get a woo hoo!?!

We meet him outside on the playground for preschool pickup. So typically the boys play for about a half hour then we head home for lunch. Today I could tell that something was up with Noah. He wasn't playing much and said he was ready to go home. Suffice it to say the boy was tuckered out. This is how I found him a few minutes ago during quiet time.

Shawn is headed back to Texas this evening so chances are Noah will give me a hard time come bedtime thanks to this little snooze. Wish me luck!

Nov 8 - For Madison park. The park at the end of our block.

Dad's Back

We are most thankful that Shawn was back home for the weekend. He had been gone to Dallas and Boston since Tuesday and mom and boys were eager for his return. We had a great weekend just hanging around the house and playing outside. We have some serious leaf collectors.

Noah was also thankful for the following:

*"That we are eating dinner." I'll interpret that as being thankful for our food. :)

*"For the leaves that are falling and that mom bought Cheerios."

Micah is thankful for our Thanksgiving turkey and squash decorations.

Teacher Love

Last week Noah and I were having a discussion about all the people who love him: mom, dad, brother, grandmas, grandpas, etc. After we had listed everyone I could think of he said after a couple of seconds, "You forgot to say Mrs. Schubloom (his teacher)." I immediately welled up with happiness to hear him say that he feels so loved and taken care of at school.

I recently read an interesting article in Harvard Magazine about a study that found a child's kindergarten experience and specifically a good K teacher has a large impact on their future success, earning potential, etc. I have been thinking a lot about it as Shawn and I are in the midst of planning to move next year so that we can be in the best school district in our area. We go back and forth on public or private, this school or that. I'm just happy that for right now we seem to be in the right place.

Noah is thankful that he loves his mom and dad. (Really the kid is on a serious sweet streak!)

Micah is thankful for leaves.

I am thankful for this:

Behind the dustbuster this immersion blender is the workhorse of the house. First I used it for baby food and now I make the boys smoothies every morning. It is so easy to use and clean and a very good use of $35.

Voter

Yesterday Noah's preschool recognized election day with a school vote. The kids voted on their favorite pizza: cheese, pepperoni or sausage. And to prove that life really is simpler in preschool, as it should be, today the kids are enjoying cheese pizza for snack while the rest of Minnesota braces for a recount in the governor's race.

Noah with his "I Voted" sticker.

Nov. 2 - We are all thankful for the weather. It snowed, barely, last week so I was preparing myself for the worst but the cool weather is holding out and we are happy!

Thankful

Last year we started a tradition of saying what we are thankful for each night during the month of November. Then we write it on a card and put it in this calendar. It is a wonderful reminder of what is really important day to day and should be fun to look back at what our kids had to say a few years down the line. So here goes:

Nov. 1st - Noah is thankful for new friends at preschool and his old friends. I am thankful that he said that, it just lit up my day. So sweet. :)

Halloween

We have been bustling with Halloween celebrations for the last week. A festival at our local nature center, our annual kiddie costume party, and two parties with friends on Halloween itself. Whew. We had so much fun but I'm ready to pack up the decorations and be done with the over abundance of sweets and candy.

Micah was a feign for any and all sweets. No candy for him this year but he made up for it in the form of cookies and other treats.

Second year running as fire chief for Noah. Very easy on the parents.

Our spider sans hat.
Trick or treating with several friends. Our "big kids" have known each other since they were under a year old and it is SO cute to see them grow up together, friendships bloom and enjoy holidays like Halloween.
Spider wasn't cooperating for photo ops. He is in the far left corner running away from the cheerleader. :)