Summer update! Long! Ah..

Hi! Okay for real this time Im going to start updating again. (And I wont delete this, promise Amanda Burg. ;) )   This is going to be a little update on everyone!

Grade: 4K
Favorite Color: Black
Favorite Food: Mac N Cheese
Favorite Subject: Playing
Favorite Movie: Big Hero 6
Favorite Summer Memory: Going swimming a lot!
Harper is doing amazing in school. We were alittle worried since hes really young and....well, hes Harper. But hes doing great. His teacher said hes such a happy kid and really wants to learn. Hes alittle bit to talkative but were all working on that haha. He loves it and is excited every day to go.

Grade: 1st
Favorite Color: Pink
Favorite Food: Apples, carrots, Cosmic Brownies, Spongebob Mac N Cheese
Favorite Subject: The Specials...like gym, computer, library
Favorite Movie: The Croods, The Little Mermaid
Favorite Summer Memory: Going to the beach a lot!
We definitely werent worried about Alikah and she is doing great too. Harper has a reading log and sometimes Alikahs homework is to read so she reads a book to Harper every night (getting both of their things done at once woo!) Alikah spent a lot of extra time at Nonnas this summer and loved it.

Im actually really surprised how well Ive fallen into the "school year" schedule. I get their backpacks ready the night before (And Alikahs lunch if shes having cold lunch), try to go to bed by 11, get Alikah and Harper up at 7:15, they alternate showering every other day, get them all ready to go. Their bus comes at 8 and then I usually go back to sleep for like an hour until Bodhi wakes up around 9. Some days though (like today) Harper woke him up so no nap for me haha.
Then me and Bodhi hang out until we go pick up Harper at 11.

Speaking of Bodhi:

He loves making "garages" and "train stations" with the wooden blocks. I can be on the computer in here and hell just play quitetly building his little cities behind me. He still loves Thomas. Hes very smart and funny. Love playing with Alikah and Harper. Hes scared of spiders and cars...if were walking anywhere and a car drive passed he starts screaming because he thinks theyre going to hit us. (Im guessing he got that fear from me haha) Hes still in his crib with his cribbies and music.
Favorite Food: Chicken, mandarin oranges, crackers
Favorite Color: Blue
Favorite Movie: I like Thomas
Favorite Toy: Gordon (train)
     (Harper just chimed in and said his favorite toy was Spencer (the train) )


Okay so me. Ive been pretty good.
Most people that know me know that last year was pretty rough.
Just a little refresher because I dont think Ive wrote about it since last year....After Marshall died I kind of lost my mind for awhile. The doctor I ended up seeing was phenomenal and I finally got on the right meds for my bipolar and OCD. I also got on the right meds for my heart and havent been to the hospital in months thankfully!!
This article is so true. The waves still come, but less often. I cant say they arent as hard though. Id day when they hit me theyre still 100 feet tall.

(His ashes.)

But I feel okay most of the time. Sometimes I do feel....boring? Numb? But I know I need to stay on my meds. Its the best for everyone.

We had an awesome summer. Spent a lot of time at the lake near by. Went to "A Day Out With Thomas"  on Harper's birthday. Had sleepovers with grandmas and grandpas. Stayed at hotels for fun (or when it was too damn hot in our house!) Lots of backyard swimming in the $10 inflatable pool we bought (cannot believe it lasted all summer haha) and cookouts, bonfires. We were in a parade for Spencers work and the kids loveddd that. Went up north to the cabin - For the last time!! Before the new one gets built! Thats pretty bittersweet. Went to my first Packers game at Lambeau with Spencer. Never again. Way too many people and I dont even like football lol.

I did not walk with my Nike+ AT ALL this Summer....Ill planning on starting again with the boys after we pick Harper up from school, once it cools down. Theres no way Id go work out in 90 degree heat...



And something Im SO excited about....Spencer got a new job! A fucking GREAT new job! I am so proud of him. It is a HUGE pay increase and great benefits. Its going to be so awesome for us.
I posted on facebook about this what seems like FOREVER ago because he was supposed to start the next day (sorry to everyone that thought I was pregnant lol) but his old job really needs him for a little bit longer so he doesnt start this new one for a bit. But itll be worth the wait :)

Okay phew I think thats all......hopefully.

kid updates! & hotels

Alikah (Almost 6)

LeapPad, writings, drawing, making crafts, singing, dancing, showers, hot tubs, her kiki (baby blankie) is back.
Lost 2 teeth! Her first one was so loose I pulled it out and she was kicking and crying and didnt even realize when I pulled it out haha. So then she knew it didnt hurt and pulled the 2nd one out herself! Saw her first movie in a theatre with me. We saw SpongeBob. I didnt like it, she did though. And then she saw Paddington with Nonna!
Shes very independent and smart. Likes to pick out her own outfits. Her 2 best friends right now are Layla and Harley. "Boyfriend" is Nolan.
Books: Mo Williams, books about animals, Love Storybook Collection, any really.
TV: Bob's Burgers, Spongebob, Paw Patrol, Octonauts, Blaze, Teen Titans, Breadwinners, Sanjay and Craig
Movies: Oceans, Frozen, Shrek, Wreck It Ralph, The Heat...
Food: Plain noodles, granola bars, cosmic brownies, apples, strawberries, cheeseburgers, banana bread, pancakes, waffles, cereal..

Harper (3.5)

 

Trucks, his ba, wrestling, Spencer, making castles with blankets and pillows, being allowed in Alikahs room, undies, swimming, brushing his teeth....
Potty trained! He potty trained in one day. He can swim! Hes extremely talkative. Hell talk to anyone. But sometimes/a lot of the time he just rambles on and on and on to himself haha. Hes very sweet. He does not listen AT ALL. I made a little booklet for him (Colors, numbers, letters, shapes) to work on, because he starts 4K next year and he needs the practice. Hes been doing a little better so far :)
Movies: All the Shreks, Chipmunks, Wreck It Ralph
TV: Spongebob, Blaze, UmiZoomi, Wallykazam, Amazing World of Gumball, Uncle Grandpa
Food: Pizza, crackers, toast, noodles, mac n cheese, chips, hot dogs, pretzels, cheetos..

Bodhi (2.5)

 

Loud. He shrieks. Its the most annoying sound in the world and I cant wait for it to phase out. Likes Thomas. He has so much Thomas stuff. I have no idea how many toys, tracks, clothes, hats, etc..He sleeps with Thomas' and brings Thomas' everywhere. He lines them up really nicely.
Hes talking great. Almost Better the Harper. Spreaking of Harper, he calls Harper "Bodhi." We have no idea why haha. He used to hate baths and then one day we said "bathtime!" and he was like, "YA!!!" Me and Spencer looked at each other like what the hell? but ever since then he loves them. He screams, "GO!!" at stop lights. Likes to "help" me fold clothes by throwing them on my lap.
He likes swimming, shopping and brushing his teeth. He likes practicing Harpers booklet with him. Hes so adorable and uses his manners really well. Hes funny and super ticklish. Oh and he dreads his hair. He doesnt do it as much as he used to but he dreads it himself and loves them. He cries when we cut them out. (We only cut them out for special occasions..like family Christmas or something)
Books: Thomas books and lift-a-fap books.
TV: Thomas, Blues Clues, Octonauts, Spongebob, Bubble Guppies...
Movies: All the Shreks, Toy Story 3, Turtle Tale, LeapFrog movies...
Food: Toast with jelly, pizza, chicken nuggets, crackers, cinnamon toast crunch, granola bars, all fruit esp. strawberries, cuties, and pineapple, mac n cheese, cookies...

We stayed at a hotel twice this month. The kids loved it, we ate like shit, they all loved swimming, Bodhi wanted to wear arm floats and was trying hard to swim, Alikah taught herself to go underwater and even walk underwater for alittle bit but shes still scared to actually swim.

For Alikah's birthday (April 18th) were going to the Kalahari hotel/water park. Its a surprise and shes going to LOVE it. My mom, sisters and brother are coming.

Ill add to the lists if I think of more :)
As you can see all 3 of them are obsessed with Shrek right now.
Theyre at the ages where they can all play together now and most of the time they play really well. Sometimes they start fighting but they get over it pretty quick. They like playing pretend....theyll pretend theyre grandma, grandpa, Lukey, monster trucks, babies, zombies, each other (we think that might be who Bodhi calls Harper "Bodhi") Theyll play "Paw Patrol" and "Shrek" of course. They wrestle like crazy. Hide N Seek. Harpers allowed to play in Alikah's room if she says so and he loves that.

 

 

I got these cat footies for $3 and posted that picture on facebook. The next day Spencer sent me that picture of himself hahaha. 

Bodhi - ONE Year

Height: 2 ft 7.25 inches (95%)
Weight: 25 lbs (85%)
Size 18 month clothes.

Eats: Everything. His favorites are probably crackers, corn, peas, pizza, noodles. Drinks whole milk and apple juice.

Sleeps: He shares a room with Alikah and usually goes to bed around 7 or 7:30 and sleeps for 12 hours. He naps twice a day.

Movement: Hes in LOVE with his walker and walks holding onto stuff. Crawls normally now (not an army crawl) and super fast!

Likes: Everything? His family, toys, his zoomer, Ellie or any animal, being outside, walks, laughing, chasing Alikah and Harper, eating, dancing, my laptop, glasses, kleenex and wipes, shoes, his noice lamby in his crib, his aden and anais blankets, keys, the remote...and on and on and on :)

Doesnt Like: Getting his diaper changed, getting dressed....??

Happy FIRST Birthday Bodhi

Boden - You were born too early and so fast it didnt feel real. Then I basically lived at the NICU with you. I had no idea how much I needed you but you have taught me so much. And anyone that looks at you smiles because YOUR smile just screams "LIFE IS AWESOME!" Now you are a year old and crawling and laughing at everything. Happy Happy Happy 1st Birthday baby! Somewhere over the rainbodhi - I love you so much!

"on the night you were born,

the moon smiled with such wonder

that the stars peeked in to see you

and the night wind whispered,

"Life will never be the same."

Bodhi - ten months

Two months until One Year!?
I still dont feel like writing much so this will be quick & to the point :)

Eats: He still eats baby food twice a day but he doesnt like that he cant do it himself. He likes to eat "our" foods now. Cereal, any kind of cracker, french fries, bread, fruit. He likes sippy cups and juice.

Movement: He can crawl on carpet and outside, but on our wood floors he still just slides himself around. He can pull himself up on whatever he can reach to his knees and to standing. He likes to climb over things, and to walk with you holding his hands. He just started to sit more. He is scared of falling to he whines if you let go of one of his hands or when he thinks hes going to tip over from sitting.

He likes chewing on remotes, exploring, being held and tickled, the cord on the blinds, laughing, playing, going for walks, songs, eating...

He copies if you making spitting noises or do scrunch face. He can mumble mama, daddy, and he says "t - t- t" if you say "Eat?!"

Still the happiest baby ever, taking everything in trying to learn new things. I think he thinks a lot. Hes the sweetest little-big guy. Im really looking forward to watching his personality come out more and more.

And since Im so far behind....

Bodhi - nine months

He had his 9 month appointment today.
Weight: 22 lbs 10 oz (90%)
The doctor laughed when he looked at his chart and was like, "Man this kid gains weight." Haha
Height: 30 inches (95%)
Size 12 month clothes
Size 5 diapers, sleeps in size 6

-4 teeth! 2 top, 2 bottom and hes teething right now
-We think he can say mama, dada and hi
-He waves
-Still army crawls, still doesnt want to sit
-He LOVES jumping. In his exersaucer or with us holding him up.

Eats: 4-5 8oz bottles a day, 2 baby foods. He likes puffs and baby cheetos. Honestly, he could probably eat a lot more of "our" food but....hes probably my last little babe for awhile and I dont fucking want him too :) I want him to stay little forever. Plus I am absolutely terrified of choking. I still freak out about choking with Alikah and Harper too. (He eats food off the floor that Harper drops all the time.)

Sleep: Still in playroom. Bed around 7, I give him another bottle around 11. He wakes up at 6:30 almost everyday...sometime he just whines for awhile then falls back asleep, sometimes I go down and give him another bottle or sometimes if Im already kind of awake we just get up then. Otherwise he sleeps until about 8.

The kid army crawls everywhere. All over the house. He gets up on all fours and rocks a lot but he still hasnt actually crawled. He absolutely loves playing with Alikah and Harper. They all play really well together at times. Him and Harper practically wrestle now because they are almost the same size.

Not much has changed since last month. Hes not as much as a cuddler anymore because he just wants to go go go. Although since hes been teething again he has only been able to fall asleep in my arms twice now, which I missed.

I hear babies cry and I watch them grow,
They'll learn much more
Than we'll know
And I think to myself
What a wonderful world world

Bodhi - eight months + Alikah and Harper updates

Weight: Will get later
Size 9+ month clothes
Size 5 diapers

-Still only 2 bottom teeth but I think hes teething right now.
-Doesnt use a nunu anymore.
-Only talks in smiles and laughs ;)

Eats: 8 or more ounces a few times a day. Baby food twice a day. He likes baby cheetos now! So Im going to start giving him other finger foods to try :)

Sleep: Still in the playroom. Goes to bed between 7-8 PM. He has been waking up at 3 AM to eat and I know for sleep training Im not supposed to go in by him but I cant help it!!
He wakes up between 6:30-8 AM and usually takes a nap about an hour after he wakes up.

Hes so happy that he can get wherever he wants now. He scoots everywhere.

Likes: Playing, tickles, bathtime, his family, aden + anais blankets, going for walks, his favorite toys are his teething rings, foam bath toys to chomp on, a crinkly book, and wooden blocks. When we sing the ABC's funny.....a-b-c-d-e-f-G!-h-i-j-k-l-m-n-o-P!-q-r-s-t-u-V!-w-x-y-Z! We do the capitals in a louder deep voice and he cracks up every time. Harper loved this too.

Dislikes: Getting dressed! He just wants to roll and move away.

He loves to observe everything. Hes still a cuddler and still a mamas boy. Hes such a happy, life-loving and calm baby. He makes everyone else happier and calmer too, we are really learning a lot from this little boy <3 His name couldnt fit him more perfectly. 

Harper

•Harper goes from being the loudest, fake crying, whiniest dinosaur in the world to the sweetest and funniest kid ever every other 5 minutes.
•Hes still obsessed with cooking and food. 
•He always puts his toy cups under our Keurig which I think its adorable. 
•Hes naps in his crib but sleeps at night in his big boy bed. 
•Hes showing a lot of interest in potty training so were going to start that soon.
•Absolutely loves being outside. 
•Absolutely loves his daddy.
•Hes awesome with Bodhi and him and Alikah are best buddies.
•We started time-outs - he would go in the bathroom - until he started playing in the toilet every time he was in there. Now he sits on a chair. Hes actually super awesome with it. When we say, "Time out!" He pouts away and goes himself. Sometimes even if we tell him, "No!" Hell go put himself in time out haha. 
•Says: Hi, Bye, Daddy, Mommy, Gahgah (What he calls Alikah), Baby, Bodhi, Food, Eat, Spoon, Cookin, Love you, "Peez" and "Ank Ooo", can sing the Spongebob song and other theme songs, sings the ABCs all the time to himself, Poop, Pee....and a lot more. He talks all the time and gets really frustrated when we cant understand what hes saying but hes trying so hard! 
•Oh god the other week when we were trying to get him to nap in his big boy bed he was so mad and he pooped and it got all out of his diaper and everywhere. It was the first time Ive had that happen with a kid. It was gross.
•Then last week I was cleaning upstairs and he was messing around in my room and I heard him shaking something so I ran in. He had my sleeping pills. Opened. He just put his arms out and dropped his mouth and said "Ucky?" so I freaked out thinking he took one and Spencer took him to the ER. He was fine. Im pretty sure now he just said "Ucky?" because when hes grabbed them before I yelled, "NO! Ucky!" But oh my god was I having a heart attack. 

Alikah 

•Alikah and Ellie (the cat) are obsessed with each other. Ellie never leaves Alikahs room. The only time she does is if Alikah is downstairs watching TV or something and Ellie misses her and wants to find her. Then she just sits right next to her. They sleep together..
•She is doing amazing in school and her teachers say shes beyond ready for Kindergarten. She loves learning. We have "Getting Ready for Kindergarten" workbooks and she really enjoys doing them.
•Loves coloring, drawing and writing. Knows all her ABCs and always asks how to spell/write things. She is so good at coloring I really believe she is going to be one amazing artist.
•She has a pretty sassy attitude lately which lead to the new behavior chart I posted previously. Its helping a little. She still hasnt turned in any of her tickets either...
•She likes telling stories and imaginary play. She could entertain herself for at least an hour.
•She helps out a lot with Bodhi and Harper. 
•Extremely outgoing and happy. She says hi and talks to everyone we see pretty much. 
•Really picky eater still. 
•Alikahs in a weird phase right now. Sometimes she really wants to be left alone and other times she will not.stop.talking and you never know which one itll be.