Funny things

The other night, as we were getting the boys ready for bed, we had a bit of a nudist fest. Boy2 did not want his diaper put back on. "But you'll get cold! And I can see your testicles (we've always used proper names for body parts)." So what does he do? Pulls down his shirt to cover that area, and says "All gone!" What a goof!

Yesterday after nap time (the Boy rested but didn't sleep) we went downstairs to the kitchen and started baking cookies. The Boy suddenly calls out from the basement. When I answer he says"No, I want Boy2 to come down and play!" I'm glad they're friends even though they fight like nothing on earth at times...

Boy2 is so his father's child! When Hubby was loading up boxes of books for the office today, I had a crisis on my hands. "Go ride truck!" "No, there are too many boxes and no room for your car seat in the truck." Oh, the noise!!!

These boys really do love their Daddy, though. Tomorrow will be interesting, with the first day in the office. Daddy hasn't gone to work for an awful long time. They've gotten used to having him around for naps, lunch, bath, and bed. I hope the transition won't take too long!

Happy Birthday to the Boy!

Happy Birthday to my wonderful snuggle bug! It's hard to believe that four years ago you came into this world, screaming with rage. There have been so many changes in your short life span, but you are thriving, knowing you are loved by everyone.

You give the best hugs, wonderful kisses, and those impromptu snuggle sessions that make my heart melt. I love you so much and look forward to watching and helping you grow as more years go by!

did you know???

The toys we currently have in the bathroom for bath time are foamy letters and numbers. Did you know that, to a preschooler the letter "T" looks like a hammerhead shark?

And to an incredibly smart two year old the letter "I" is a dog's bone?

updates

So sorry about the long absence. Travelling and visiting family will do that.

Well, we made it back all in one piece yesterday evening. Boy! As nice as it is to sit and visit with good friends and family, being back in your own space is fantastic! We spent today trying our best to get into routine, since it's been so long. The Boy didn't nap at all, but he slept in this morning until almost seven thirty, and Boy2 was up at six thirty, but napped for almost two and a half hours. Since there was no nap for the Boy, he was in bed (bathed and brushed) and asleep just after seven. Boy2 was in bed at the same time, but didn't fall asleep until quarter to eight. All in all a good start to a new routine.

Had a prenatal today. Everything is going well. Just over two weeks until the due date, but I'll be very surprised if I have the baby by then. I just can't seem to do anything easy.

We bought little baby diapers today. Oh, boy. They are so very tiny. It's going to be quite the transition, I think, for everyone. From my two very active little boys to bringing a newborn in. Yep, interesting.

Only one week until Hubby officially starts work. He spent quite a bit of time today doing reading and prep work for his first service here on Sunday. Yesterday was amazing! It was his first time presiding over the table and he was able to do it in the congregation where he preached his first sermon. (Also, coincidentally, the church we were married in and the one I was baptized Lutheran in.) Walking into that sanctuary brought tears to my eyes. There are some absolutely incredible people that have seen Hubby along his road.

We have found a preschool for the Boy. His birthday is in three sleeps. Where does all the time go? I am so proud of him. His speech and comprehension has developed in leaps and bounds over the last eight or nine months. Over the last two months. I love watching as he forms thoughts and sentences, shifts them into play, and then is able to relay them to us. He had a dream about nice dinosaurs eating meat coming for a visit, and told us this five minutes after waking up one morning! Just like that and out of the blue!

Boy2 is getting set in the two-year-old groove nicely. I swear, we didn't know we had a toddler until he came along. The Boy was always a little scowl-ey, but Boy2 was happy, happy, happy until this last little while. The frequency in which his world collapses in front of his eyes! You'd think child services would have been called and taken him away with the accusations he lodges at us! Thankfully no one really understands him and those that do realize that his perspective may be somewhat skewed.

This weekend

These are exciting times. We're getting ready to travel south for a week and a bit. Hubby, who has worked long and hard for the last decade, will be ordained a Pastor in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada on Sunday in Calgary. After being a full time post secondary student for the last nine years (eight of which I've known him) he will be able to sit back and be all that he has ever wanted to be.

The Boy will likely be starting preschool in September, Boy2 will hopefully settle into a routine of some kind before Baby is born, Baby3 is going to be here before we know it, and life will shift, change, and become a new "normal".

As much as I'm looking forward to having the service on Sunday, I think I'm almost more excited about going back and visiting the Calgary Zoo. When we moved to Saskatoon last year, I went through serious Zoo-withdrawal. I think the kids did too. We were going two or three times a week, usually starting with the dinosaur part. Since we still have our memberships, we're heading down tomorrow and will hopefully spend some time tomorrow afternoon and most of Saturday there with friends.

How much of it will the kids remember? I know the Boy has a phenomenal memory and will hardly be able to contain himself as we approach. I'm less sure about Boy2, but I do know that he'll enjoy the visit too.

Then there'll be th family visits. A couple of days visiting Amma (Hubby's mom), a couple of days visiting Grandma and Poppa (my parents). Plus Grandpa will be there on Sunday, so it'll be fun.

observations

Here are a couple of things that have happened lately. Just random incidences.

The Boy has started trying to cut out his naps. Not a problem as long as the temper tantrums don't escalate. However, with the heat and the sun setting as late as it is, we haven't been real sticklers for bedtime. The routine is the same, it's just that we don't push it as much. So, there have been days where the boy has his jammies on and will just go onto his bed and fall asleep on his own.

Last night we had a visit with my brother and his wife. First time I've seen him in a year, and the first time we've ever met his wife. They stayed, we were playing games, the kids were playing and fooling around. As they were getting ready to leave, the Boy went upstairs. After they were gone, I started looking for the Boy, since he had been asking for a bath since early afternoon (he got a new Brachiosaurus that he wanted to use as a tub toy). I could not find him anywhere. I knew he couldn't be far because there were no doors unsupervised. Hubby found him on the floor beside his side of the bed, fast asleep and still dressed.

Got him changed and left him there. Put Boy2 to sleep on our bed, then moved both to their own space. This is actually a nice development, since the Boy has always, from day one, found sleep to be the enemy that must be fought at all cost.

Boy2 has had a couple of nights with nightmares. These aren't your normal nightmares. He is a very empathetic little boy. The kids were watching Curious George the movie, Hubby and I were upstairs putting laundry away when we heard the worst wailing and crying. As we rushed down, all prepared to scold the Boy for doing something, we found the Boy, sitting calmly six feet away watching the movie. (Normally if he's done something he'll go and hide under a blanket)

Boy2 was sitting on the couch, watching George get captured, put in a cage and onto a cargo ship. That was th reason of the distress. Later they were watching some Winnie the Pooh, and he starts again. This time because Owl's house got wrecked from the wind blowing it over. Reminded me that he would start crying when the Baby Einstein puppets would take toys away from each other. Very sensitive.

This morning I observed a woman driving her car slowly through the back alley following a dog, then come back the other way with the same dog tagging along. I asked Hubby what that was about, and he said that it was likely that the woman was exercising the dig but didn't want to walk herself. Do people actually do that????

I think that's enough for now.

Interesting times

I'm just sitting here in the living room, drinking my coffee and listening to the silence. Yep. Believe it or not it's pretty quiet right now. Probably has something to do with the fact that the boys are in the back yard, each with a new shovel and bucket, playing in the dirt. We moved in on Saturday to a couple of surprises.

The first was that the yard is a complete mess. Dirt and weeds are what currently constitute our yard. The landlords are planning on putting in sod, but so far there's no ETA on that. That's alright for now, though. I don't care if the kids dig and mess it up.

The second surprise was that there was no washer or dryer here. We were under the impression that they were, but they weren't. So we are now the proud owners of a washing machine and a dryer. Used, but the price was right (you really can't beat free).

Today we're going to get to work on the kids' play room. We have to stay home all day so someone can come by at some point in the day to turn on our gas. Yep. We've been here since Saturday evening (that's four nights) with no hot water. It's been fun. But I'm looking forward to having a hot shower tonight or in the morning!

Found out yesterday that the doctor I signed up with only delivers in Edmonton, so we're going to have an interesting time getting the boys looked after and getting there in time. It almost makes me hope they'll have to induce again, but that's not ideal either.

It's going to be a fun stay here, though. For the first time in our married lives (granted it's only been five years) we are in one place for an indefinite period of time. We got married in Lethbridge with the intention of moving to Saskatoon for Hubby's schooling. Didn't really plan on making that move with a baby, but that's the way life goes.

We knew we'd likely be moving for internship and then move back for a final year. Four moves in five years of marriage. No wonder it went pretty smooth. We're old pro's at this sort of thing!

We Made it!!!

Well, we're finally here! The house is unpacked enough to live in, so we just have to organize and unpack the rest of the stuff. We were welcomed to the absence of a washer/dryer, but were able to sort that out with the help of some people from the church, hot water will be turned on tomorrow (we've been boiling water and all of us have been taking turns bathing in the same water.

It's definitely been an adventure. The kids have been wonderful, though. They seem to be adjusting pretty well. I will likely post more when there is more time.