Bathtub Art

It was cold and rainy here today so we did what we do best, got messy!

After Thomas enjoyed painting the traditional way (well traditional in the bathtub) I decided to try to get a few foot print pictures.  What a disaster this was.  After glopping down paint on the floor, it was so slippery, Thomas was holding on for dear life while I lifted him to the paper to make his prints. 

I think our next foot print picture will wait until this summer!  At least I have a print of his almost 2 year old little feet!  Top right picture is his new “smile” for the camera…hmm!

Start of the Veggie Garden

Thomas helped get our seeds started for this years vegetable garden.   We are still getting used to our new climate and the idea of planting stuff in our garden in March.  We are holding off on our outside garden for now as we are getting the house painted, weather depending, the first week of April. 

So we started everything inside.  So far we have started: peas, green beans, cucumbers, jalapenos, sweet bell peppers, and a few different types of tomatoes.   Our family loves fresh garden veggies and I can’t wait for this summers produce and to garden with Mike and our lil helper.

Slow Week…

Last week both Thomas and I had colds.  On top of that he was cutting his top molars, so we kept ourselves away from other kiddos and stuck around the house. 

Thomas was very into being messy with art this past week.  After painting on Monday he wanted to do it every morning.  Tuesday I whipped up this tearing/pasting/collage to replace paint.  He was still all about smearing his hands in the glue, but there was not a bath involved in this activity!

He has really enjoyed his new chalkboard in his big boy room.  He calls it “painting” and we had many pictures “painted” and repainted in there.  We are still working on “staying on the black” but have yet to have time to put the trim on.

Wednesday afternoon we headed out for a Thomas/Mommy date and went to see The Lorax.  Thomas was having a really off day and I thought with it being chilly outside we would give it a shot.  He didn’t have any popcorn (a favorite snack) or Coke (another treat he always wants a sip or two of) and snuggled the whole 1st half of the movie.  Half way thought I asked if he wanted to stay or go and he said “go home.”  So that is where we went.  In the car we talked about it and Thomas said he got “scared guy down” meaning he was scared when the guy fell down from the house.  Not going to lie we both jumped in the theater!  Better luck next time I guess. 

We also were able to get our daily walk/park or dog park/hike in.  This is a quick snippet of my little and big adventures out on our afternoon hike. 

Thomas and I were cleaning out a drawer that wouldn’t close and we found Mike’s harmonica.  Since that moment we have been being serenaded on a daily basis. 

As always, cold or no cold, Mike coming home from work means dinner and then basement for “ha ta.”  They have a ritual, they turn on a hockey game, lace up the skates on the bottom step and then play like mad!   Thomas is getting pretty good on the carpet with his skates, he now likes to “shoot” and “score” as well.  So much fun for me to watch the two of them play.  I just need to get a black and white referee jersey and whistle as sometimes Daddy gets a little rough and needs to take a 2 minute penalty for roughing or hooking.

Messy Paint Fun

What a fun morning of painting Thomas and I had at our house. He was on a roll, he made 7 actual paintings and 5 hand print sheets. We painted for at least 30 minutes before he wanted to clean up, by far his longest painting session to date!

Let’s pour some red on here…

This page needs a ginormous amount of pink!

Messy Hands…

What color should I pick next?

Smear it here…

I guess my Mom was right, it doesn’t taste good!

Too funny I posted one of these pictures on FB and I had a couple comments about how messy it is. I guess in my world, the messier the better! I have worked with so many good occupational therapists over the years and they always told me to get messy and explore!

I guess the tricky thing with Thomas that I don’t really think too much about any longer is his lack of wearing a bib or art smock. I suppose I could throw a old t-shirt on him or something, but really we haven’t had a problem with some cold water and stain stick. He always fought a bib and I just chose to not fight him on it. Now it is just “typical Thomas” to need to change clothes after a messy meal or art activity. Clean up took 10 minutes in the bath and a few minutes wiping down the table and washing the containers off. The hardest thing for me is not jumping in with the mixing of colors…ugh now that is hard!

Weekend Adventures

Mike’s good buddy Uncle Larson was married this weekend in Fargo.  It was hard to not go with Mike back for his wedding as both Thomas and I too love Uncle Larson, but we didn’t have a good option for Stella and the cats for pet sitting.  With a new baby coming into our world so soon, life is going to get a little wild and we were not willing to overly stress the pets.  So it was Mike representing our family solo on a quick “boys trip.”   Just sayin’ he probably was able to get a lot wilder without Thomas and I there to reign him in!  Only bad part is the pictures were from his phone and here they are!

Thomas and I held down the fort for the 36 hours Mike was gone!   He got lots of Skyping in with his grandma and grandpa and some good mommy time.

Friday morning we met up with the Welfare/Langenbrunner clan at the Aquarium for some fun.  Thomas had his mind on his mission to find the baby otter, but stopped for a few minutes to see his other aquarium favorites the shark, big fish, diving birds, and the seals.  On the way home he fell asleep and then continued his nap at home so I could get a few things done.

Saturday we got the house in order and played for a few hours with the neighbor boys.  We also went on our nice day adventure walk to find the tree tunnels (people in our neighborhood need to cut back their trees that hang over the sidewalks), the chickens, goose statue, soft tall grass and cool rocks/sticks.  As always it is an adventure and we always have a good time. 

Once home the neighbor boys who are almost 4 and 6 and Thomas adores played soccer with him, let him try out the scooter, fed Stella sticks and then came in for a little play time before it was time for dinner.   Mike was home for dinner and then the Daddy/Thomas time began until bedtime. 

Sunday started with Daddy and Thomas playing hockey in the basement, making a sticker art project and then a family trip to the park.   I worked on organizing the office for its move downstairs.  It was a great weekend both apart and as a family.  The old office will now be transformed in to our baby girl’s nursery!  Thomas’ magnetic chalkboard is also finished so we tried out a few magnets.  The little guy has had a rough time getting his second molars in, last night he kept saying “owwa teef” and pointing to both sides of his cheeks.  Then today Grandma Nancy asked how they were and he said “no” but during nap it was obvious that his mouth was hurting.  Poor guy, the good news is though that they are almost in!  The bottom 2 have been in for the last few weeks and the top left one is through and the right one has cut through the gum!  Wahoo!

Thomas also got to try on his new big boy soccer undies.  His tiny little self in these tiny little undies is too adorable for words!

Book Nook/Office-Basement Project 2

With my dad and brother in town the boys got to work on making the basement more than a creepy old basement.  What a difference a day and a week made in that basement.

First the guys started off by framing out a second wall and our future book nook/office area.   Once that was done, my dad and I finished taping, mudding and sanding the area.  Then it was Mike’s turn to prime and seal it.  I followed it up with some paint and Mike moved furniture down.

Then the big change was the carpet.  We both love it and even with it being a very quick Friday estimate and Saturday install, it forced us to get the basement organized and quickly! 

There is still some things to do but at the end of the day this is what the new room looked like.

Final basement reveal to hopefully be completed in 8 weeks or less!  Stay tuned!!

30 Weeks..well now 31!

Time is quickly passing for me with this pregnancy.  It feels like my due date is coming faster and faster and I am NOT READY!  I know I will change my tune soon, but for right now I am in “must get done mode.”   Once the basement is finished then I can start on her room and will more prepared!

I had my 30 week appointment last week and all is well in baby land.  I passed my glucose screening and my blood pressure remains normal (so here’s to hoping it continues to do so!)   My iron levels are bordering low, so I have been increasing my iron and vitamin c intake.

As far as baby goes, she is active just like her big brother was.  Her movements that I can feel have changed from a kick or push to actually feeling her wiggle and move.   As much as Mike hates this (he thinks it is why Thomas never slept) I could spend all my time pushing back and playing with her when she is awake and moving.

Thomas and I went and picked out a few outfits and Thomas picked out a soft pink blanket for his “baby in there.”   He is still excited for her to come out and “play with To-Tiss,” and Mike and I keep explaining how at first she won’t play but eventually she will. 

Food has been getting a little easier although I still have days where stuff just doesn’t taste good, I am also finding that some things again taste amazing!    Currently, I am loving salads, cucumbers, red peppers,  strawberries/yogurt and granola and apple and orange juice.

Mike was off last night celebrating a very good friends wedding in Fargo and Thomas and I started to wash some of his old stuff and baby’s new stuff.  I couldn’t believe how little all of his clothes were, I showed him his coming home outfit and it hit above his knees. 

The pictures are from last Sunday, 30 weeks 1 day, before we headed off to dinner with Max and Amy.   Mike, Thomas and I are all blessed with a pretty bad “fake smile,” so forgive the right pictures smile!

Stick Handling Lesson 1

Thomas is very into sports right now.  His current favorites are soccer “sha-ka shoe,” hockey “haa ta” and baseball “go go throw.”

His adorable tiny skates hang in his big boy room on a hook and every few nights he asks to skate.  Tuesday night we did indoor skating and on Thursday, while I was out for dinner, he and Mike went to the rink again.  Once he got the stick he was happy to pose for a picture with his Dada.

He also needed a few “breaks” during his skating.  He is really a riot and a constant source of laughter in our house.

Lunch with Daddy

Thursday Thomas and I’s schedule finally coordinated with Mike’s and we made the journey over to his office to grab lunch. 

Thomas was very shy when we got there.  On our way over he kept talking about Dada working with the “hamma” and “Shaa” or hammer and saw.  I think he too is a bit confused between the basement work and Mike’s actual work.  Once he sat in Daddy’s chair and got a Coke bottle he was much more relaxed. 

Thomas and I got to meet a few of Mike’s co workers and then it was time for lunch.  We all decided that we should try to do lunch more often as it was a nice way to fit in some extra time with Mike/Daddy!

Semi Big Boy Cut

After several week of Mike and I commenting on Thomas’ ridiculous mullet and fluffs of hair I decided to see if a cut was possible.  I have wanted to take him in for a hair cut, but have been unsure if his wiggly self would sit still.  I also really want Mike to be with for his first big boy hair cut and so while he was occupied with play doh the scissors came out! 

I was careful to start off slow at first as I didn’t know how much he would let me cut.  After the first few cuts he thought it was pretty neat and off I went.  He looks pretty handsome with his new do and about a year older in an instant.   The pictures on the left/bottom are his long locks and self styled hair, the top/right are his new do.