Sickness, Painting, Tate, and a weekend without Dad

Exactly a week after flu shots Aubrey started acting a little weird. No throwing up but high fever, achy, weakness, runny nose, and cough. A long weekend, 3 missed days of school and lots of movies later she is almost back to normal. Aubrey is also the easiest to please when she is sick. I have enjoyed spending one on one time with her while Caleb is at school and Ainsley/Tate take a nap. She asked just as many questions as Caleb, tells just as many stories, and knows just as much as Caleb. She just goes about it in a more quiet, shy, and gentle way.Tates BUMBO! These are the coolest things ever. I sound old saying this but...they didn't have these when the other 3 were babies. Tate loves it!! It is a little snug on his legs. He actually has to be put in at an angle to fit but he loves to sit in it and look around!!!

Ainsley and Bleeker. Since Tate wasn't born a Bleeker I named Ainsley baby boy Bleeker...Bleeker. Elmo. Bleeker. Elmo. Bleeker. Elmo. Ainlsey seems to be completely attached and if she cant find and carry both Bleeker and Elmo life is sad. She also has to wear her "DD" pajama shirt. She has been tormenting Caleb like crazy, always making a mess of her room, and always right behind me! Every time I turn around she is there!!! Showers, folding laundry, vacuuming, cleaning, or just answering the phone...she is right at my feet. Her favorite color is purple, she thinks she is a monster, and she loves to look at pictures of herself. She pretends to talk to "PA PA GRAN" on the phone, she hates being dirty, and she wants to be called mom late at night.

Tate is awesome! He sprawls out while sleeping, rarely cries, and loves music.

Andy had to go to St. Louis for an OT conference so it was just me and the kids. What does every cool mom do?? Make cup cakes of course!!! (Don't mind the unsafe looking electrical wiring sticking out of the wall....uhg)

Aubrey got to spend Friday night with the Grandparents, Caleb spent Saturday morning asking Sister Dallman a million questions about his part in the primary program "Praying Always" and Ainsley had fun drawing on my newly painted walls and breaking Aubreys little white table. We sure did miss Andy aka. DAD DAD DAAAAAD!!!

Since Aubrey's room is done being painted it was time to paint Calebs. I still have to do the red stripe but I have decided that I hate painting. Painting with kids is 10x harder and takes 10x longer....Don't touch that!, Please dont!, Stand There!, Can you not breath on my neck?, I am hurrying!

I think it turned out pretty good and he loves to keep his room clean now!!! It only took me a year to put up his pictures and paint. How bad am I?!

I also painted the entry way a lighter color. Painting textured walls are a JOKE, painting upstairs at an angle causes light dizziness, and I hate popcorn ceilings!!! It definitely brightens up the entry wall...Cheerful? Sure. I also put up the new pictures of the kids. You can tell Aubrey is sick, Ainsley has a black eye, and Caleb wouldn't sit still, and Tate was impatient but they are done and I do not have to worry about it again until next year!!!

Also, Caleb starts with a C. He is not happy about that. He wants it to start with a K and tells everyone it does. If you think about it C and K are very confusing letters. I was teaching Caleb about C and we were making soup...CHicken, Celery, Carrots....all C's and they all sound different. Try explaining that to a Caleb! I vote that it was Andy's fault that we ended up spelling it with a C. I went to the hospital on August 24th 2005 deciding to spell it with a K but some time between all the extra meds, a fast deliver, and the doctor showing me my placenta (gross!!!) Andy changed the spelling to a C. Nice.
Caleb has to spell everything. I never realized how many letters and number I have on the wall or just laying around the house. All day for the last week I hear...Mom that's a W or Mom were are the Q's?Aubrey was very excited to go back to school. We probably spent 7 hours or more this past week on her homework and make up homework. She loved working on her "special k" poster all about her favorite things and her personality!!!
We have a busy week ahead of us....Aubrey was invited to her first birthday party, plus Aubrey's Halloween program at school, Aubrey/Calebs class parties, Andy's work family party, Parent Teacher Conferences for both Aubrey/Caleb, Ward Halloween Party, playgroup for Ainsley, and then at last....HALLOWEEN!!! Boohaha!!!


HAPPY NOTES for the week...
Caleb said I am fabulous. Not just wonderful or nice but .....fabulous! He also said "Mom, you are always right!"
Tate weighs 15 pounds. 15 wonderful pounds of love, chub, and handsomeness!!
Also, congrats to Seth and Karalee!!!! Karalee, you are gonna be a great Mom!!!!
Steff, only a couple more weeks until you go into the MTC!!!!!!

Have you ever had a Caleb?

I love Caleb. He is kind, compassionate, a great brother, and a wonderful helper.
IS HE FOR REAL though???

1. "Mom, look at me!"
"Mom, LOOK at me!"
(I turn my body towards him but continue to look away while cleaning)
"MOM!! Don't you love me?"
(I look up...completely shocked at such a suggestion)
"Caleb, of course I love you."
"Then look at me Mom!"
(I look directly at him. Exaggerated, he then proceeds to jump on a wrapper over and over again.)
"Do you see mom?!!"
"Very cool Caleb. (pause) Didn't I ask you to throw that away?"
He grins. Looks shocked and says while running, "Ooops. I threw away the spoon instead!"

2. All night Caleb kept waking up saying: "I had a bad dream that I went to school and forgot pants and underwear."
The day past and when I picked him up from school I asked smiling "Did you go to school with your pants and underwear on?"
"I did!!! But Sean Hunt had pants on and they were wet and I smelt them and he peed!"
What would Caleb do without Sean Hunt? Its always...Sean Hunt is my best friend. Sean Hunt hit me. Sean Hunt threw a block at my head. Sean Hunt kicked me. Sean Hunt got in lots of trouble today.
I look forward to the daily stories of Sean Hunt!!!

3. After I get Caleb completely dressed, hair done, shoes on, and jacket on he says..."But MOM!!!! Today is Brown day." Each day he makes up a different color. I know that it isn't really "Brown" day but he is insistent. The last 2 days I have asked before I dress him what color he would like to wear and he does not reply. He never replies until he is completely dressed and looks down at his shirt. EVERY DAY I have to dress him twice. TWICE!!!

4. I keep the kitchen pantry locked. (for a DARN good reason...aka, goldfishes on the floor, an entire container of oatmeal on the floor, chips eaten, noodles all over the floor, flour/sugar/rice etc.) We have a key to open it and I set it on the counter because I knew I was going to open the pantry in a minute but wanted to get the milk out of the fridge first. Literally 3 seconds pass. I go back to the counter to get the key and it was gone. I thought I was loosing my mind. I looked everywhere. It was gone! Was I totally loosing it?!!! I look up and did not see Caleb...I yell,"CALEB, WHERE ARE YOU? WHAT ARE YOU DOING?"
Caleb yells back, "I am in my room. Just hiding my key!"
"Caleb, I need that key. How did you get it so quickly? Come back and bring the key Please!"
"Mom, how will I have a key if I give it to you?"

5. Caleb takes FOREVER to eat. He eat a lot and very very slowly. Tonight when everyone was done eating and the girls had gone to bed Caleb was still at the table eating. I sat down on the couch in the family room to wait it out.
"MOM, milk fell in my hair!" Caleb said crying.
"How did milk fall in your hair?"
"I was holding it high in the sky so it wouldn't spill!"
(OH MAN...)
"Mom, milk is on my cheeks and milk is making my shirt cold"
I arrived in the dinning room to find the table and Caleb covered in milk.

I could go on forever. This really happens to me. Over and over and over again. My sisters answering machine says, "If you can dream it, you can do it!" In my head I repeat...If I dream it...Caleb will do it! (So....I really need to watch what I dream)
I love Caleb. He does so many wonderful things. He keeps me busy and is constantly letting me know how much he loves me by giving me a hug or kiss. But next time I am asked "What do you do all day?" without getting offended I will simply reply,
"Have you ever had a Caleb?"

Note: Caleb eats every thing cold...oatmeal, hot dogs, spaghettio's, leftover brisket, bake potatoes...you name it and he wants it cold. So, if by chance I cook a nice dinner I have to put his in the freezer to cool it down to cold before he will eat it!
Caleb hates peas, corn, cooked carrots.

Busy week...Tate is a chunk...weighing in at 12.2 ounces he is awesome!!!

He laughs, eats, and sleeps a lot!! He loves to sunbath!!

Ainsley sliced her foot open and this is what it looked like 2 days later...still nasty. She wouldn't keep a band-aid on so Andy taped up her Elmo's foot in hopes that with Elmo hurt too Ainsley would leave on her bandage...

"My baby or T" is what Ainsley calls Tate. She is always wanting to carry him and hold him. She is always squeezing and kissing him. Poor Tate. He tolerates it but I doubt he will for much longer!

Tate is a VERY VERY LOUD sleeper. He can fall asleep sitting or laying. He loves the swing and small bouncer chair but we have to set them on the island counter top to keep him away from the kids while he is in them!

I have decided that I would like 1 year old Ainsley back. 2 year old Ainsley is terrible. She cries, screams and cries, screams all day. In that order with nothing else. It's one thing after another....she is talking a lot more which might be one reason why she is crying more. We have a hard time understanding...NaNa means Candy, Sti means thirsty, D means food, bowl means cup and diaper. B means blanket, bowl, burr, and bum. K means Cookie, Cracker, or clean. You see the confusion?? I have to be completely observant at all times. The slightest tone change could mean something completely different.

Tate is the man!! I love to kiss him. The doctor has recently put him on a diet explaining that it should only take 12 hours for Tate to get used to his new eating schedule. I thought 12 hours? Ya right!!! It sounded to easy...but it was!!! New eating routine means I only have to wake up every 3 hours at night now!!

Caleb and Tate at Aubrey school carnival.

This year Aubrey was brave enough to go down the slide.

We were all shocked that Ainsley climbed up the long stairs and went down the tall slide. So brave!

Brave was Ainsley's motto for the entire night. After she got lost 2 times(trying to go back to the tall slide) we finally decided that she would have to be carried for the rest of the night! Luckily cotton candy for 3 tickets solved the "scared" tears.

Yum! Personally, I think they put way to much cotton candy on those sticks.

Painting....here we go. We had left over paint from the basement. Since the paint upstairs ended up way to dark I decided to repaint. I was smart enough this year to realize that I was on my own. Even though it was Andy's idea and he said he would help (just like last year but nada). I learned that the key to quick painting is an angled brush. That way I don't have to try and tape the trim (that is a joke). The lighter color is nice and brighten up the room nicely.

I painted and decorated the gross windowless bathroom on the main floor. I still have to paint the primed door and primed trim.

Kitchen painted. Not done of course. We are waiting for the construction guys to finish the electric and caulking. When they are done I will stain the cabinets.

Patio done! Power washed and stained. Now the kids do not come in crying with splinters in their feet and we can enjoy the cool fall days/nights with some bbq!

Congrats are in for Seth and Karalee!!! You are now officially homeowners!!!
Congrats to Jenny on your beautiful baby girl!!!

Happy 2nd Birthday Ainsley!!

Weighing in at 20 pounds Ainsley turns 2!!! To celebrate we had to tone it down because she had been sick all week and we didn't want her to get any other children sick. So it was just us, Andy's parents, and Elmo decor!! Present time and Ainsley opened the waited for gift! A hop bumble bee thing that we had been looking on-line everywhere for!!! Aubrey got it for Christmas a couple of years back from my Grandma Ras and it got left out in the rain 7 months later. I highly recommend this gift!!If the kids aren't jumping over it, they are running from it, or in Ainsley case...chasing it!! It helps release all their energy and they never get tired of it!!! Perfect for mom and kids!Pretty much the best toy ever made! For $24.99 it rocks!!! The batteries last FOREVER and its not too loud!Cake time!!! Ainsley blew on the candles through the entire song (with no progress). I finally blew them out for her.Yummo!!!

Andy's parents got Ainsley 2 books and a shape toy. Ainsley loves to read and it is a great shape toy because you cant just take the lid off and put the shapes in if it gets too hard!!
Happy Birthday Ainsley!!! We love you!!!
At age 2:
*At age 2 you are sleeping in a "Big Girl" bed, obsessed with Elmo, and you speak your mind!
*You are very clingy, very cranky, and absolutely adorable.
*You hate riding in the car, love "DD", and you will NOT go to sleep without your pink/white blanket.
*You sleep through the night, love to help clean up, and you know all the actions to the nursery songs!!
*Your answer to every question is "No", you say "s-" for drink, and keeping you dressed is impossible.
*You are the perfect little sister and follow Caleb's directions willingly (that tends to be both negative and positive:).
*At age 2 you still suck on your thumb when you think I am not looking, you love hot dogs, and you wont leave Tate alone. You are a wonderful big sister and enjoy helping Tate often!
*You are scared of little dogs, you point and beg every time we pass a McDonald's, and you love playing in the dirt but hate being dirty!
*You are impossible to keep clean (clothes, face, and hair), you always want your hair done but you take it out after 2 minutes, and you love having your nails painted.
*At age 2 I am amazed at how tricky but smart you are...how quiet but funny you are...and most of all how much I love you. Happy Birthday Ainsley!

On Thursday before we picked up Caleb/Aubrey from school we went to Andy's work for the annual OT talent show. Andy was performing and Ainsley ended up shaking a noise maker while standing next to him!

"FAT MAN IN A LITTLE COAT"...well, SHIRT!

Tate is HUGE! I am nervous to weigh him for fear that he weighs more than 13 pounds. He is a chunk! I squeezed a 0-3 month shirt on him for an example.

His routine is starting to come along nicely!!! He only wakes up one time at night and takes 2 good naps during the day (one of them is in his car seat...probably not the best but I tried taking him out the other day to put him in his crib and he woke up and gave me the look of "DON'T DO IT MOM!"). He laughs in the middle of the night and at weird times during the day. He is extremely tolerable to Ainsley and Caleb's touchy/feely/I love you so much ways!!He never really cries (only when I cant get a bottle to him quick enough). He still has hair and his eyes are still blue! He goes through 1 can of formula a week, loves the sound of other babies, and he really like listening to Andy play the guitar!

Friday...
I woke up Friday very excited because that night we were having a bunch of young couples over for a BBQ and to watch "The Office" reruns. We have NEVER ever hung out with other couples without the kids around so I was curious and excited to see how it was going to go. I was praying for an "ABNORMAL DAY" and in all honestly I barely survived. It couldn't have been a more normal predictable day!
Story:
*Caleb dumped (what seemed like at least 4 big cups) of hot water on the family room carpet. I came in the room to see a water line from the kitchen sink, across my wood floors, and onto the carpet. When I asked him about it, he said "It wasn't me mom!"...he looked down at his shirt (which was soaking wet) and said "But MOM, I just acidentally on purpose did it."

*30 minutes later, after I cleaned up the big water mess, while I was marinating the chicken Caleb ran upstairs (I thought he was in his room feeling sorry for himself because I was upset over all the hot water everywhere) but then he runs downstairs saying "The water just keeps coming and coming and coming out of the toilet Mom!"
I ran into my room to find then entire bathroom FLOODED, Ainsley soaking wet, and an empty brand new roll of toilet paper. Caleb said "It was Ainsley mom...I watched."

*I came down stairs with a heavy hamper of wet towels (I had to use every clean towel in sight to mop up the water after I spent 5 minuts scooping the water up with a cup and dumping it in the shower) to find the unpainted wood in the kitchen colored on with a Dark Cherry Wood Staining marker and desitin all in Ainsley mouth!

IS THERE NO END TO THIS MADNESS!! I was honestly laughing because...well...of course this was really happening and if I didn't reset my mind quickly I was going to shove Caleb into a box and ship him off to the zoo!!! After settling down I was grateful that I hadn't dressed him in his nice clothes for school yet. When I finally dropped him off for school, I told Ms. Susan good luck! She had NO idea how much she was really going to need it!

*The last thing to happen actually involved Aubrey. The day seemed to be winding down and all the kids were in the back yard playing. The neighbor kids came over and all seemed to be happy until Aubrey fell off the rock wall. 3o minutes later she was still crying over her arm, holding it close to her body, and she would scream whenever I tried to touch her arm. I felt awful for her, gave her some Tylenol, and she fell asleep. It ended up just being badly bruised but for a while I thought it might be broke.
*When all was said and done Andy ended up coming home over an hour late. I figured the rest of the night was doomed to fail but it ended up being really laid back and fun! The kids fell asleep by 6:30, couples came over and 7 and stayed until after midnight. It was nice to have a kid free night and spend time with couples closer to my age. I might add that we were the oldest couple in attendance and the only couple with kids which was different and fun! We played POP 5 (probably the funnest game known to man) and relaxed. Hopefully, we can do it again soon. Its nice to have friends, it gets lonely over here in Kansas:)

Starting the week off rightAubrey has been really easy to wake up lately! She loves Mondays because she gets to go back to school. Mondays are P.E. days so she HAS to have her hair off of her neck. She rotates between oatmeal and toast. Luckily I had left over oatmeal in the fridge...made for a quick and easy send off!
*note that I also LOVE Mondays!!!

We seem to have the routine down....make sure all the papers in her backpack are signed, her library book is in, and her towel for resting time is washed and repacked. Check the weather to make sure her outfit is weather appropriate and make sure she has her running shoes for P.E. Go over how important it is for her to follow directions, tell her to have a good day, and send her out the door with Andy by 7:50am. I have also come to realize that if I put her hair in braided piggy tails on Monday on Tuesday morning I can take them out and she can wear her hair crimped. She has such long pretty hair and it looks really cute crimped!!

Ainsley...what can I say. She is obsessed with Elmo and recently wont stop saying SpongeBob (no thanks to Andy and his recent obsession). She is barely 20 pounds, never holds still, and is still running a small fever from having the flu over the weekend but the transition to a BIG GIRL bed is complete and successful!!

The kitchen seems to be coming along. To my surprise I walked downstairs this afternoon to find the construction guys in the kitchen clearing stuff out. They told me they weren't coming until Tuesday (which usually means Friday or 2 weeks from Tuesday:) but when I asked about it they looked at me like "I" was the crazy one and that they had planned to come Monday all along. Ya right, I think I would know if they had said Monday....especially after the project has taken them 4 months longer then they said. But hey, I am not complaining just stating. The tile is up and tomorrow they will grout and put the trim up. Then it is up to me to paint!!! Eventually we will get hardware for the cabinets but it will have to wait until after our trip to Utah and after Christmas spending.

We do have to sand the cabinets down but we will not be staining them. I like the light contrast with the super dark floors. Attention to my handy work on the stainless steal door handle on the small pantry door!!! I fell asleep on the couch holding Tate the other morning and woke up (not even 10 minutes later because I dozed off watching Clifford and Clifford was still on when I woke up)to find an entire large box of gold fishes and a large brand new container of oatmeal dumped and spread all over the floor in front of me. That was it!!! Caleb knew right away he had done something very wrong, while Ainsley continued to kick and spread around the little oats. Have you ever tried to vacuum up oatmeal?? So, to ensure that no one ever got into the pantry again I put the door handle on backwards so that it has to have a special key to open!!! Ainsley is very frustrated by the fact that she absolutely can not open the door, while Caleb understands and is constantly asking for food.
*note to readers...I do not often fall sleep while watching my children but clearly I had not slept the nights before (due to chunky Tate). I mean who could, in their right mind, sleep through such craziness happening right in front of them. Lessoned learned:)Caleb has taken his role as "Big Brother" very seriously. Always helping, always protecting, always watching, and always kissing/hugging. He said this morning "Tate smiles and laughs at me because I am his older brother!" He is extremely proud of every little achievement that Tate makes like moving his head, holding up his head, laughing, etc....

Things that are funny:
*Tate is weighing in at 12.2 pounds:)
*Andy grabbed Tate and Tate threw up in Andy mouth:)
*Every commercial Caleb see's he says "I want that for my birthday!"
Since his birthday isn't for an entire year I say "Uh, hu. Okay."
In which he loudly and frustratedly says "Write it down Mom!"

Question:
Do you think that if we hang a BYU flag outside of our house (you know, ya gotta support The Lords team:)our neighbors will measure our grass daily to make sure it doesn't get about 8 inches???:) We would hate to have a sudden increase in complaints:)