Smorgus Board of Our Life

The girls napping in the sunshine

Snuggle Babies

Elin our little fearless monkey

after a park trip Elin couldn’t wait to get back to her naked comfy self-this is literally the second we walked in to the backyard and I closed the fence.

Thomas and Tripp ready to ride to the park

We had a puppy guest for a week, the neighbors yellow lab Zug Zug

 

Elin spinning around a tree in her self picked out outfit

A black eye from a run in with a table at Story Time

Helping Mama Clean

Brushing the coyotees teeth

Whip Cream Heros

Afternoon Snuggles are one of my absolute favorite times

Snuggling with his little brother or sister…a favorite thing for T to do

Sleeping with her babies

Loving playing with mommies “heels”

Thomas is 4 Years Old

It feels like we blinked and here I am writing about Thomas and trying to capture who he is in a blog entry as a 4 year old!  Then in the same thought I cannot imagine life without this guy around!  Wow, time really does fly, and here we are 4 years after Mike and I entered the world of parenthood.

Thomas is quite the character these days.  His personality really shines once he lets you in and gets comfortable.  When meeting new people these days he is a bit shy at first and then he will start “running his show.”  He is still a guys guy and prefers to hang out with his Daddy working and keeping the “ladies” (Elin, Myself, Grandma and anyone else) safe.  He is very into his role of being big brother and helping to show Elin the ropes and what he can do vs. her because he is the “big brother.”  This is coming with some adjustment as she is now to the point that she is becoming more independent and doesn’t always want “big brother” to do everything for her. 

Thomas has a very tender heart and is sensitive to both himself and others.  He doesn’t like to have his feelings hurt and also tunes in if a friend or another child is crying or upset.  He enjoys playing with his buddies and has a few in the neighborhood that we have play dates with or meet at the local park.  When he and his buddies are together they are usually playing in the sandbox, playing with trucks or the fire station riding in Thomas’ tractor playing garbage men or defeating the “ bad” guys.  His imagination is really coming out and he and Elin or his buddies have some pretty elaborate play games they think up. 

Thomas is a great eater and aside from Brussel sprouts I can’t think of anything he does not like.  He still has a warm milk or “hot choc” in the mornings and often will try to get some “chocolate” in there.  The kid sure does have a sweet tooth!  Some of his favorite meals are tater tot hot dish, chicken with scalloped potatoes, crab (although we don’t have it nearly as often now that we live in Texas), pepperoni pizza, egg/tuna salad, cereal (yogurt/milk and granola with a fruit), and a steak.   Some favorite snacks are: popcorn, watermelon, black berries, grapes, snap peas,  granola bars, trail mix, and anything sweet he happens to see in the house.

Thomas is only a sometimes napper these days.  He is trying to cut them out but his body still needs them a few times a week.  On no nap days he goes to bed about 6:30 or 7 (sometimes later).  On nap days he typically sleeps an hour and a half and then goes to bed about 8:30 or 9:30. If we wanted to we could totally push him into a no napping routine, but after a few days of no naps he starts to really show signs of being over tired.  He has trouble making great decisions, following the rules and is very whiney; it is hard for Mike and I to see him like that especially knowing that a quick nap during the day fixes it.  Regardless of when he goes to bed he gets up between 7 and 7:30. It is nice right now to have the varying bedtime as some nights Mike and I have “date night” and others Daddy gets a little extra playtime after work.  Also with the summer daylight hours long that means we can do more outside nighttime fun.  He is still sleeping in bed with us and it is working for now so we haven’t tried to change it up.  The kid is a super snuggler and Mike and I always giggle about how he instantly knows when we are back in bed as his body finds one of ours instantly.  He still wears a diaper at night and we are more often than not changing his diaper/clothes/sheets in the middle of the night.  The boy is a super soaker-although he is now able to nap without a diaper and 99.9% of the time will not wake up wet.  Many people have tried to give us suggestions on helping T get over this hurdle and after continued discussions, Mike and I feel that he will eventually get big enough to “hold it” or get to the bathroom.  We haven’t made it a big deal as we don’t want him to become self continues about it and so far these approaches have been working for us. 

Physical activity continues to be his strong suit.  He is riding a bike like a pro, running, climbing and jumping off of everything and just on the go all the time.  He is a bit cautious about being safe and we have noticed that he is a little taken back by heights (which both his Daddy and I are too)!   He loves to get exercise and needs some sort of physical activity daily to keep himself happy.   He likes to call himself “a hard workin’ guy” and Bumpa taught him to say “I’m a hard working son of a gun.”  He is still pretty shook up from whatever he decided offended him about preschool.  In fact we are on a “no school talk” rule in our house and we are hoping his displeasure with school blows over.  He is enjoying art projects at home where he can color, cut and glue, learning how to write, practicing “reading’, and has started to understand number sense.

His language skills are outstanding and the thoughts and memories he has and communicates are fantastic.  He is still holding on to some age appropriate phonological errors which makes it a bit hard for an unfamiliar listener to understand.  Those of us around him understand him and he is able to communicate without becoming frustrated.   The conversations we are having with him are so much fun and it is really interesting to see the world through his eyes. 

He really is all around a sweet, gentle, kind hearted kid.  He is cute as heck and charming as ever.  Mike and I are very bless to be his parents and we cannot wait to continue to help him grow and watch who he becomes. 

 

A few of his favorites:

Shows: Jake and the Never Ending Pirates, Wild Kratts, and Sherriff Callie’s Wild Wild West

Activities: Anything his Dad is doing; playing with his buddies,  playing with his truck/cars/fire engines, swords, playing in his sandbox and with Elin. 

Foods:

Meats: Crab, Steak and Scallops

Veggies: Carrots, Green Beans and Snap Peas

Fruits: Grapes, Apples, Strawberries

Other: Rice, cereal (granola), Olives and Cookies (coo coos)

 

Thomas Answers:

What is your name? Thomas James Laschen

Where do you live? In Texas

Who is in your family? Mommy and Daddy and Elin and Stelly and our cats

What is your favorite toy? my gun

What is your favorite thing to play? with my gun; and in my sandbox

What is your favorite color? Red

What is your favorite thing to eat? I don’t know….cereal (oats and honey granola).

What do you want to be when you grow up? A Fire Fighter

Who is your best friend? Tripp

What is your favorite thing to drink? Fizzy Drink or hot choc

What are your thoughts on turning 4? Turning 4 is super cool, because I get to do different kind of stuff.  Me-like what? Thomas-I don’t know because remember I have never been that age.   

What is your favorite thing to do with Dad?  wrestle

What is your favorite thing to do with Mom? Play with you and help cook

What is your favorite thing to do with Elin? Play with her

Grandpa and Grandma McConachie Come for a Visit

Grandma McConachie had spring break and decided to come spend it with us.  She came in on Saturday night after the kids went to sleep and when they woke up they were ready to play.   Grandma offered to babysit and Mike and I went on a super fancy date to the grocery store, a kid less trip that we haven’t done together in a long time!  After lunch while Elin napped and Mike and Thomas had alone time, my mom and I ran to the mall to get a few things.  Then it was home for more play, dinner and bed.  Monday started off normal, we were going to go somewhere but Thomas just wanted to play at home with Grandma.  So I ran a few errands and when we were just about to sit down for lunch we got a call that my sister in law was in labor….a few weeks early!  That kind of threw us all for a loop and the rest of Monday my Mom and I spent pacing waiting for any and all updates.  I swear all my woman parts ache when anyone I know is in labor…and we were all hopeful for a quick and easy delivery for her.  As with most babes, that sweet girl had her own plan and she arrived just after Midnight.  While my mom and I waited for word on her birth we watched TV and crafted getting ready for Thomas’ birthday party.  Tuesday and Wednesday we also stuck close to home.  We headed over to the park for some playtime and then home for afternoon crafting and naps.  Thomas wanted to “help” so he did his best to cut circles and help us out.  With my mom playing with the kids I was also able to get another big chunk of organizing done in my craft room.  I still have a long way to go, but every hour in there helps.  I can’t believe how much old graduate school, therapy/work and such stuff I still have and continue to weed through.  We also got the house in a bit more order as we knew that Grandpa was coming in on Wednesday night and we had some busy days planned ahead.  

On Thursday morning, Thomas could hardly wait to wake up and bust into wake up Grandpa, Elin wasn’t far behind.  After breakfast we headed down to the Perot Museum to see what we could see.  I forgot that every day but Monday’s are open to field trips and there were hundreds of 1st-4th graders running around, which made it a little tricky to see/do too much.  The kids still had fun and Grandpa and Grandma, more Grandpa, hung in there too.  After grabbing lunch we headed home and it was time for naps.  Then started the playhouse construction idea forming session.  Mike and I approached my parents and asked if they wanted to help make a playhouse as a joint present for the kids birthday.  It took a bit of convincing and ironing out the details but we finally had a master plan, and I knew it wouldn’t disappoint. 

The guys went to the store and picked up the first round of materials on Thursday night.  Grandma and I started Thomas’ cake and then got Elin to sleep.  The cake took much longer than anticipated with the littlest one waking up a few times and the HUMIDITY….UGH!!!  I seriously almost gave up but kept on and it turned out ok, Thomas liked it and it tasted good so I sucked up my pride and left it at that.   The guys all beat us to bed on Thursday and my mom and I stayed up constructing and cleaning until just after midnight. 

On Friday morning we were in party and construction mode.  We had a bunch to do and also the littles to play with.  While Grandma was at the grocery store she bumped into a few fire fighters and had them send a message to Thomas.  He was a little confused as to “how they knew it was his birthday?!”  It was a great idea on Grandma’s part and it started off the “party day.”  The party was a huge success and Thomas really enjoyed himself.  If you missed it you can check out pictures from the party here.

On Saturday and Sunday we got more done on the playhouse.  Grandma, Elin and I also snuck away to the nursery to get a few new flowers for our front pots and a couple more veggies we needed (pictures in the garden post here).  Then we spent the day outside as it was gorgeous and got lots of work done.  Before we knew it it was Sunday and time for Grandpa and Grandma to fly home, which is always bittersweet.  On their end this time it was softened as Grandma got to go and meet Miss Maggie on Monday.  Can’t wait for their next visit and project, wink wink!  Thanks for all the help and memories Mom/Grandma and Dad/Grandpa!  

Garden Update

I have been navigating the crazy spring weather here in Dallas with our garden.  As of now all of my cool weather crops are in and planted: parsnips, leeks, carrots, peas, lettuce, and onions were planted the last weekend in February and have started to sprout.  The peas below were also hung on our fence and we are hoping in a few more weeks we have walls of peas.  Garden peas are some of our favorites and we all eat them like they are candy.  So I have been planting a set of peas every couple of weeks so we hopefully have peas for a few weeks, maybe a month or so before it gets to hot?  We will see…

The last frost date for our area is March 15th, so we started to watch the weather and look at when we could transplant our tomatoes/peppers.  I have been hardening them off for a few weeks.  The night temperatures have been staying closer to 50 degrees so into the ground they went.

We now have everything planted and I can’t wait to see how they do in our boxes and in this climate.  

Thomas’ Birthday Party

We had a small get together with some of Thomas’ neighborhood buddies on Friday night.  When all the kiddos arrived they were excited and quickly started picking up the “fire fighter” theme.  They were fighting fires inside and out and we decided it would be a good time to start our first game.  The game was a Pinterest idea for a burning building beanbag toss and it was a hit. While some of the boys played the game the others were happily digging in the sand box.  Then the pizza arrived and we got ready for dinner and the big finale of cake.  Again I tried to construct a fondant cake and found this year and the humidity to be a particular challenge.  It was not my best cake, but it was a valiant effort, and Thomas loved it, which is all that counts! This year while we all sang “Happy Birtlhday” to him he grinned from ear to ear.  He was so excited and Mike and I could tell that he really “got it” this year.  He happily blew out his candles at the end of the song and then it was time to dig in.  The fondant usually peels right off, this year it was a goopy mess, blah!  Once the boys and Elin had their sugar fixes it was time for some more fun outside and then a final game, cup knock down, before people started to head home.  It was also a lot of fun to have Grandpa and Grandma McConachie here for the party.  Grandma and I spent the week crafting and getting ready which was so helpful. 

Here’s a video of everyone singing happy birthday to Thomas.  Cannot say how much joy it brought Mike and I to watch him smile and enjoy his party!

Sandbox

After seeing how much Thomas liked his buddies sandbox we decided to take the plunge and build a sandbox for the kiddos in the backyard.  We spent Saturday building the sandbox.  While Mike and Elin ran to home depot to get the sand, Thomas and I painted away in the garage. While Elin slept Thomas and Mike put the sandbox together.   It was complete just in time to withstand the major rain storm we got that night.  After over 2 inches of rain fell in a few hours the filling of the sand needed to wait.  Thankfully the kids didn’t know what they were missing.

We finally filled it on Monday night and Thomas and Elin both couldn’t be happier.  They can spend hours playing and creating in there.  It has been a wonderful addition to our back yard and all the fun the kiddos have in there, helps Mike and I think it is “worth it” when there is a little more cleanup in the house and yard for Mike and I.   

A Super Fantastic Day at the Critter Farm

Oh my goodness did we have a fun day at the farm.  We loaded up about 9:30 so we could be there on time for the piggy feeding.  We thought we were going to see some baby pigs be fed, we had no clue we were going to be able to be the ones to feed them.  Absolutely amazing, these little piggies were so tiny and adorable!

After we got our 1st fill of these little loves we headed over to help bottle feed the baby goats.  They have a large goat herd with babies and then they have this crew who is bottle fed, either because the mamas had too many babies or the babies were not being taken care of.  Either way it was a great experience for the kiddos and I even fed a baby or two.  So much fun and they sure drank the bottles quick.  

Then it was time to move onto the birds; chickens, ducks, geese, turkeys and peacocks to be exact.  The birds weren’t as people friendly but they did like to have the chicken feed.  Elin then wanted to go back to the baby piggies and the other kids played in a little park and hay bale area.  There was also a very friendly horse that kept coming over wanting treats, but he wasn’t their horse so we didn’t want to feed it and have it get sick.

Then we went onto the larger animals they had Llamas, Alpachas, donkeys, sheep, pigs, goats, a few cows, horses and ponies that the kids could feed.  Again these animals were all so friendly and it was so much fun to feed them and watch the kiddos get to interact with them.  Once Elin started to eat the animal feed and cried so hard when I took it from her, her Mama finally realized she and the other kiddos were probably hungry and ready for lunch.  It was 12:30 already and in what felt like a blink we had been at the farm for 2.5 hours.  We went and grabbed our picnic lunch in the back of our friends SUV and the kiddos were instantly recharged.  The kids then enjoyed the open farm feel and got a “hike and exercise in.”

After lunch we walked back to the farm and the kiddos got to pet and hold the bunnies and baby chickens.  Thomas was in his element.  He was helping hold the animals and showing his sister and the other kiddos.  Then it was time for the next most amazing thing, as you can tell there were a lot of wonderful experiences on the farm!  We got to go in and feed Kangaroos, a Wallaby, Emus and some pot bellied pigs.  The kangaroos were so chill and docile.  I don’t know how many times we will have the opportunity to pet and feed a kangaroo, but these boys were so soft and lovely.  Very cool experience for all of us.

We were not quite done with the kangaroos, but a preschool/daycare with about 50 kids showed up and we were out of there as fast as we could go.  That is just too many kids with ours in the mix of chaos.  The kids then wanted a second turn with feeding the pigs before we left.  What a wonderful day at the farm, seriously this place is one of a kind and was so so wonderful.