Brutus' Flashlight

When there is a big thunderstorm, we all like to sit in our living room and watch the storm roll in. Recently, Elise asked us where lightning comes from. We told her that lightning and thunder come from heaven. She wanted to know if lightning was like a 'flashlight'. We said yes as what 3 year old wants to hear how storms develop.

To make a long story short, Elise put it together that it was probably Brutus who was shining a flashlight down to us from heaven. The visual is enough to put a smile on my face. 

The last time it rained, Elise wanted a flashlight so she could shine it back to Brutus. I'm sure he's happy to know that we still think of him....

More Summer Fun

We've done a couple fun activities this past month. First we spent several Tuesday evenings at the Toledo zoo taking a class. We learned about different animals (even got to pet a green-eyed tree frog and a hissing cockroach-- Elise loved it!) and learned about their special talents. 

 The day we learned about birds and their eyesight, we made and decorated our own binoculars.

Then all the kids lined up and tried them out. They sure worked well even though they looked a bit like toilet paper rolls.

 Elise and I also took a Bug Walk class at our local metropark. We walked through the woods and a meadow collecting bugs in our bug jar. We collected 5 beetles and one fuzzy caterpillar.  It was a great day for bugs!

 Afterwards we made a lady bug out of modeling clay to take home and had a yummy snack that looked like a bug. The class was mostly filled with little boys but Elise seemed the most interested picking up bugs and sharing them with the naturalist.

And of course our garden is still growing like crazy!

 Grandmas scored some bikes from a local thrift store so we've been upgraded in the biking department. About 2 seconds after this picture was taken, we had a big wipe out complete with a scabbed knee.

 Elise and Jeff went and picked out her helmet. It was such a hit that she wore it out of the store complete with cardboard and price tags. She even wore it through dinner and most of the evening too. By the time she took it off, her head was soooo sweaty!

Here we are sporting our new helmet plus a bug we found.

 Even Garth looks good in it too! He doesn't mind the pink owls one bit.

Big Sister Elise

The news is out. Elise is going to be a big sister on January 17th (assuming I can make it the 38 weeks for my c-section date). She's going to have double the amount of work as we will be having twins.

We told Elise and our parents as an early Father's Day gift back at the beginning of June and then waited almost another month before we told the rest of our family, friends and co-workers. We had our parents over for dinner and had Elise come out wearing a 'Big Sister' shirt. It took the grandmas 0.001 seconds to figure things out.

First Ultrasound at 6.5 weeks

Elise has been filled with questions. "How do those babies eat?","Where do those babies sleep?", "How big are those babies?".... all in relation to them in my belly.  My favorite is "Did you have those babies yet?". She gives my belly tons of hugs and kisses and commonly refers to them as 'babes'. She even slathers Belly Butter Lotion on her own stomach each night after our shower so she can be like me. I have no doubt she'll be an excellent big sister. Elise tells us that she will help with diapers, feeding, and will even do crazy dances for her new siblings. Crazy dancing is exactly how it sounds....

We have a month or so left before we find out the sexes but Elise and I are both convinced we have one girl and one boy. Time will tell. I'm not sure if Jeff has weighed in on the subject yet.

I've been trying to take it extra easy... per Jeff and my doctors suggestions. I have my first (and hopefully last) bout of bed rest right now to help reduce some cramping and bleeding. I've been on my best behavior and appreciate all the love and extra support everyone is giving me. It helps to know the guys are growing and doing well.

Baby 'A' at 12 weeks
My guess: Girl

Baby 'B'- at 12 weeks
My guess: Boy (he's always crazy)

Probably the funniest thing is that Elise assumes that all pregnant women may have any number of babies in their tummies. She was quite perplexed when she asked our neighbor's daughter (who is 8 months pregnant) 'How many babies are in your belly?". She replied that she was have one baby. Obviously Elise was wondering how that could be when her stomach was so big!

Boats and Beds

Hot, hot, hot. That's summarizing the summer. Today it was 101 degrees --not counting the heat index. We've been continuing to find ways to stay cool but the poor dogs are not amused with the summer heat. Plus our air conditioner hasn't been able to keep up cooling our bedrooms. But it's nice that I barely have to warm up the grill to cook!

However, our garden is thriving. This is a zucchini from the sad little plant that Home Depot gave Elise when she painted a flower pot on one Saturday morning. Secretly, I hate zucchini in anything besides bread. Now Elise and I have been baking up a storm. The tomatoes, cucumbers, carrots, and peppers aren't far behind. I better start looking ahead at recipes! (Please ignore my sad, fat little foot in the picture.... it's just for comparison. And I picked another large one today!)

 This past weekend we went on the Sandpiper river cruise. The Sandpiper is a boat that gives rides up and down the Maumee River. It was a gift for Daddy leftover from  Father's Day. Elise was quite excited about going on a 'big, fast' boat. It never really went fast but she thought it did.

The trip lasted 2 hours. Halfway through Elise got a little bored but perked up when they changed the music from Country (yuck! What were they thinking?!) to more contemporary music. Elise unleashed her dancing diva and put on a show for all who would watch. One of the ships attendants also pulled out coloring pages and crayons near the end for all the kids. She commented that Elise colored so well for her age that she even had Elise come up and show off her picture to the entire ship as they made an announcement as to her coloring abilities.

 That same evening, Elise was upgraded to a 'big girl bed'. She never wanted to or tried to climb out of her crib so what was the rush? Plus, I had a fear that she'd never stay in her bed again.

 Armed with tools, Elise and Jeff dismantled her crib and turned it into a twin bed- or so we thought. All these years we thought Elise's crib turned into a twin bed so I had purchased bedding and side rails in anticipation of the event. Jeff finished and laid the mattress on the bed frame. We stood and looked in silence as we really needed a full size mattress and bedding!

 But Elise is none the wiser. She's currently sleeping on mattresses on the floor and loves it. When she wakes up she sits quietly and reads books in her bed until someone opens the door. She loves her new 'big girl bed'. Our neighbors donated a twin bed frame that they no longer needed so maybe this weekend we'll up grade the actual bed!

Here's Elise on her first night!!! Anxious for bed. I've never seen her so happy and willing to take a shower and put on her pajamas....

A Penny for Your Thoughts

After all my years of sheltering, Elise has learned that when you go to the bank, they give you a sucker.  Yesterday, she told me she wanted a sucker (preferably a green sour apple one). I told her that I didn't have any suckers. She replied that we should go to the bank and get one. Unfortunately, we didn't have a bank run scheduled for the day-- no checks to deposit. I told her that I didn't have to go to the bank. She accepted the answer.

When Elise woke up from her nap, she quickly went over to her dresser and picked up a dirty penny that she had found outside. She held it out to me and said, "Let's go to the bank and buy a lollipop."

While we didn't go to the bank, I did have a green sucker tucked away in a hidden drawer. I gave it to her later that afternoon when a repair guy came to talk to me. Her face lit up and said "You went to the bank! I'll have to find more money for next time." I told her that I used my Penny this time and she could keep and save her Penny.

So, that's how you teach the value of money! ...at least that's how it goes for a 3-year old!

Our First Bounty

 Our first crop is up and ready for picking and enjoying.... our radishes.

 So, Elise and I went out the other other evening and picked a few meaty looking radishes to enjoy. She was so excited that some of our 'food' was ready that she wanted to pick the rest of the garden. I assured her that within time, we'd be enjoying more choices!

Elise has never eaten a radish- let alone one out of her own yard covered in a bit of dirt.

We learned that radishes are bit spicy and maybe the tomatoes are worth waiting for. Until then, she'll nibble on our dill. Mommy and Daddy can have the radishes all to themselves.

Summer Vacation

School is over! Elise finished her first year of preschool about a week ago. We prepped her that she would be on summer vacation ('It's like a really really long weekend!') but she still asks every day if she's going to school. We are so happy she had such a positive experience. Her teacher, along with one other class, hosted an ice cream social the day before school got out. It was complete with a slide show of pictures from the past year. Each child also got an album of pictures and artwork. It was so nice. I didn't tell anyone but I got a bit choked up.... what a dorky mom!

The last day of school

So, now what? Actually there is so much to do! So much fun to be had. We've been frequenting a local park. Elise has no fear when it comes to tall slides. I'm happy that she can finally go to the playground and run and play on her own. It also helps that I told her that adults aren't allowed on the equipment. Of course it didn't help when the exact moment I said that, I mom strolled by on the bouncy bridge with her toddler! At least my rule stuck!

And there is always the yard sprinklers!

 Daddy also put Elise to work on the backyard barn. The old, wooden siding needed to be nailed. Elise was more than happy to lend a hand.

 And who doesn't like going out for ice cream? I think it would drive me crazy if half of my ice cream was dripping down my chin. We honestly went through 50 napkins that evening as we kept running into and out of the ice cream store grabbing more and more of those small napkins. I think next time they will charge us more.

 The Memorial Day parade was a huge hit! They passed out flags to all the kids beforehand. Elise seriously waved her flag the entire hour! The next morning, she picked up her flag and waved it more- declaring 'Hey! It still works!'.

 Elise also just had her eye appointment. She had so much fun sitting in the big chair and 'playing games' with Dr. Brujic. Instead of identifying letters and numbers on the far wall, they show the kids pictures. Elise did well until the picture came up as an 'oldtime' rotary phone. By old, I mean a phone from the 1980s. She had no idea what that picture was! Guess I am getting old. I remember when.... I had to get up to change the tv channel. Haha!

That's the tip of the ice berg of our summer fun! We will be doing story time at the library, swimming at the YMCA and a summer camp (1x a week) at her old physical therapy/speech therapy place. Of course we will have time for napping and relaxing.... which Demi and Garth have already gotten a head start!