Harper

This school year Harper has made a ton of progress. He couldn’t read or write at all in the beginning and now hes doing great in both. Hes still technically “below” what they want him to be at but that doesn’t mean anything to me. He brings home two different books every day for practice and usually breezes though them. He gets frustrated easily but once he gets whatever word hes hung up on he is very proud.  He was in a 6 week program during lunch to work on controlling his emotions and he loved it. He uses everything he learned and its helped us out at home. He can tell us what “zone” its in and will take a deep breath and say, “I feel ____ because ____” instead of just flyin off the wall whining and screaming. He removes himself from situations to go have alone time and calm down. Overall hes just doing amazing. Hes a fabulous artist as well!!

Harper likes: pokemon cards (even though he has no idea how to play), playing with his friends, money, his kindle, looking “cool”, dancing, music, showering by himself, cuddling, TREATS, root beer, gum, waffles, getting his waffles ready by his self, tape lol...

Two jokes hes told me recently:
Q: Why cant dinosaurs clap?
(Usually people answer their arms are to short)
A: No! Because theyre dead!

Q: What word has a million letters in it?
A: Post Office

I have to be at the bus stop with them because Bodhi is in 4K. The bus stop is just down the street and around the corner.
Bodhi doesn’t have school on Fridays, so usually I will just walk Harper to the corner and then let him run to the bus stop when he sees his friends. The last few weeks hes wanted me to let him walk alone...So I walk him the end of the driveway and then watch from there until he rounds the corner. He feels like such a big kid.

He turns around every 5/10 steps to wave at me. The other day he yelled, “I LOVE YOU MOM!” from the end of the street. It almost made me cry. I started thinking about how soon he probably wont do that. I mean he already wont give me kisses in front of his friends! Soon hell be too cool for all of that sweet little kid stuff and Im not ready L

Hes such a great, loving little dude <3 I am so proud of him.

Harper - 5 years old

1. What is your favorite color? Green
2. What is your favorite toy? Batman

3. What is your favorite fruit? Bananas
4. What is your favorite tv show? Angry Birds
5. What is your favorite thing to eat for lunch? Bacon
6. What is your favorite thing to wear? Shirts
7. What is your favorite game? Angry Birds
8. What is your favorite snack? Granola Bars
9. What is your favorite animal? Seahorse and Zebra (???)
10. What is your favorite song? Hey Captain Sparkles (A Minecraft video I think)
11. What is your favorite book? Batman

12. Who is your best friend? Max
13. What is your favorite cereal? Ninja Turtle cereal
14. What is your favorite thing to do outside? Play with dad
15. What is your favorite drink? Juice
16. What is your favorite holiday? Halloween!

17. What do you like to take to bed with you at night? My ba and snack, and toys
18. What do you want to be when you grow up? A fireman
19. Who is your favorite person? All of you guys
20. What is your favorite place? Chuck E Cheese (I dont think hes ever been there)

"Anything else?"
"Yes, I love dad. And I like going to chicken and french fries."

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. 

Harper's 2nd Birthday

Since I just updated on him in the last entry Im mostly going to post pictures from his party :)

Size 2T-3T clothes and size 6 diapers.
Favorite Foods - Cheetos, hot dogs, corn, peas, potatoes, poptarts, graham crackers (he calls them cookies), crackers, fruit cups....to name a few. He really just loves eating.
Favorite Book - Goodnight Moon
Favorite TV Shows - "Bob-Bob", Thomas, Sprout, Umizoomi
Favorite Toys - Kitchen, blocks, books, computers, any riding toy, his bunny
Talking - He can copy almost anything we say now.
Sleeping  - Usually naps once a day in his crib, but sleeps in his big boy bed at night.

Happy Birthday little sweet Dinosaur. You are truly one of a kind and have such a strong personality. You do whatever you want (you get that from both of your parents)/are in your own little world a lot of the time. You are absolutely hilarious and so loving and caring. You are my sonshine and I love you so absolutely much. Thank you for being you <3

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. 

then there were three

Alikah: is a proud big sister once again! She asks to hold him and talks about how cute he is. She is still loving school. She always excited to go, sad to leave, and wants to go more days. Im pretty sure shes going through a phase of testing her boundaries and there are lectures about attitudes and being disrespectful nearly everyday. I feel like/know it is partly do to all these changes in her life and shes acting out because shes not sure how to handle it. I try and talk to her about it but she doesnt want to, so maybe she just needs her space for now.

Harper: is so much better with Bodhi than I thought he would be! He still pokes and slaps a little too hard sometimes but Bodhi never seems to mind. If Harper finds one of Bo's hats/gloves/nunus laying around he was go put it in his swing. He tries to push him in it too, but hes not very good at it. When Bodhi whines he gets really worried and runs to him and stands by him staring.
His newest breakdown inducer is waiting for food. He does NOT want to wait. If he knows somethings in the mircowave or oven he will sit or lay on the kitchen floor crying and screaming until it is done. I am not even kidding. I mean hes always REALLY liked food and eating, but man!
Hes also finally sitting through short bed time stories. He used to not make it a page in before grabbing it out of my hands and throwing it but hes starting to enjoy it. AND Ive gotten him to use a sippy cup! But theres no end of his Ba's in sight. He still loves them way way too much.

Bodhi - How weird to update on 3 kids instead of 2! :) I will do a whole NICU post soon as well.
At his last doctor check up he was 7 pounds 5 ounces. Wearing newborn or size 0-3 clothes. We ran out of size Newborn diapers yesterday so now hes wearing 1s. So far Ive been peed on but so far not pooped or spit up on.

I was terrified when I was pregnant. Especially when we found out it was a boy. I was so worried that this baby would be as challenging as Harper was. And for whatever reason in my head I decided if it was a boy he would be for sure? SO HAPPY to report and *knock on wood* ... Bodhi is an amazingly simple baby. He just sleeps, eats and poops. Sometimes we forget hes even here. Spencer, only having Harper to compare with, the other day was like, "Is this normal? Hes okay right?"

Eating: He eats 2 oz every two or so hours. I switched him to 4 ounce bottles yesterday though and hes gotten 3 or 4 down maybe twice? Hes just a little snacker.

Likes: Being wrapped up and warm, snuggling, he liked his first real bath, nunu, sleeping!

Doesnt Like: Getting his diaper changed.

Sleep: Most of the day down here in his swing (not even with the swing going..he just lays in it) so I can always see him. At night I put him to sleep in his crib in our bedroom but when he wakes up to eat I bring him into our bed and he stays there the rest of the night. He eats 3-4 times through the night then goes right back to sleep. He wakes up around 9/10 AM.