Smile Pretty!

Tater had another "big girl" milestone today - her first trip to the dentist! She and Daddy left the house with lots of excitement (Mommy has a dental phobia so Daddy got the honors!). She loved being a big girl and learning all about going to the dentist. She wasn't so sure of the big chair, so she sat in Daddy's lap and laid her head on the hygienist's lap. She had her teeth cleaned, flossed, counted, and sealed with fluoride. The dentist checked her and gave her an excellent report and released her for another six months! After choosing a new toothbrush (Dora the Mermaid) and exploring her goody bag (a ring, a bracelet, stickers, a floss stick, and toothpaste), she and Daddy came back home full of tales about their adventure. Tater was quite upset about the toothpaste - it had Sponge Bob on it and we don't watch that in our house (I love that our values have set in!). The best part of the whole experience (according to Daddy) was hearing her say "Thank you for taking me to the dentist, Daddy!" about five times! I just don't understand the appeal!

Normalcy Returns (from Mexico!)

This past week we muddled through without our beloved babysitter, D. She had the opportunity to travel to Mexico on a free, all-expense-paid, much-deserved vacation - how could we say "no"? So, we had a few days of juggling sitters (between Daddy and our amazing neighbors - Mommy has no sick days left!) and many days of being out of routine. Mommy was slightly out of her mind by the time D arrived Friday morning.

As of today, the kids were back to their normal routine (except for Bruiser Boy who decided to act like a true two-year-old - terrible!). Mommy feels calmer and the house is slowly returning to normal operation!

Welcome home, D!
(P.S. We've decided you are not allowed to move back to Texas! We'll miss you too much!)

Milestones

My little baby who wouldn't sleep anywhere but glued to my side is becoming Mr. Independent! You have to chase him down to steal a hug and forget about a cuddle - he can't be bothered! Bruiser Boy is all BOY and runs so fast that I have trouble catching him! Here a few of his recent independent moments!

He taught himself how to put his own socks on - I guess I wasn't moving fast enough that day!

He now has his own booster seat at the island. After many meals spent trying to fold a screaming child into the highchair, we gave in to his pleas. Now we spend meals asking him to sit on his bottom and not crawl across the counter!

Wordless Wednesday Follow-Up

So, we decided to post this pic for Aunt C! I was at work on Monday morning and came home to Daddy feeding the kids grilled cheese sandwiches for lunch. On the island was the butter dish looking just like the picture. The first thing Tater said to me was "Momma, you know butter melts?" So I was able to deduce what had happened to the butter (a little too long in the microwave, perhaps?) but I couldn't help laughing. It became a common complaint in my husband's family that his sister (Aunt C), would shave the butter off the top of the stick at family meals to butter her bread or roll or biscuit (doesn't matter what the bread product was - that family LOVES bread!). So, when I looked at our butter, I was utterly confused - how could Aunt C have done that all the way from her home over 300 miles away? Daddy and I had a good laugh!

{P.S. I hope this makes sense - I am currently covered in hives (for some unknown reason!) and just took a prescription antihistamine that is making my mind a bit loony - I'm heading to bed to sleep off the itchies!}

Wordless Wednesday

You tell the story!

Never Too Young...

...to watch kids' shows! Sisters!

G-Baby, the Gourmet!

G-Baby has expressed her desire to explore different meal options. In other words - she's hungry! So last week we introduced cereal and she was thrilled. Wait until she discovers apples and bananas!

Happy 100th Blog!!!!!

This is our 100th blog entry!!!! Yea!!!!

If You Give a Pig a Pancake...

Mommy didn't feel like making dinner the other night so the kids helped make pancakes. They were good little chefs!

Earning His Keep!

Bruiser earns his keep! He loves to help with laundry and cleaning - I'm training him well! He will make a great husband someday!

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The other morning I got him up and was carrying him down the stairs. Our laundry basket is at the top the stairs (until I get bored and move it again!) and he looked at it as we were walking down the stairs.

Bruiser: "It's the wash."

Mommy: "Yes, it is.

Bruiser: "It's a mess!"

Mommy: "Yes, it is! Great words!"

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We are still trying to determine what his services are worth - we'll let you know how much we will loan him out for! (And as I'm writing this, he is screaming and crying next to me - so he might be a bargain today!)

A Weekend with the Grandparents

This past weekend, my parents visited for the first time since G-Baby was born around Halloween. They arrived very late Thursday evening and Tater couldn't been happier! I woke her and told her there was a surprise downstairs. She saw Papa, dove out of my arms and into his, and hugged him forever!

The kids got to spend quality time with Mimi and Papa while Mommy and Daddy went to work, ran errands, and enjoyed a night away. In spite of the random illnesses (ear infections and fevers), they managed to have a few adventures and explore the outdoors in anticipation of spring.

I want to know when Papa ever did this with me when I was growing up -

if I remember correctly, we weren't even allowed to write on the driveway!

Wordless Wednesday Follow-up

Bruiser had just finished lunch - I'm not sure I even remember what he ate! I just thought that the face told it all!

Wordless Wednesday Wondering

What happened to Bruiser Boy?

Leave your guess under "Comments"!

Bruiser Boy's Finest Moment

Bruiser has perfected the two-year-old temper tantrums. Enjoy!

Note: He put himself in corner - he was not being punished at all -

I only wanted to put him in his high chair for dinner!

Toddler-isms (Bathroom Edition)

As anyone who has had toddlers knows, your world revolves around the bathroom. You talk about it, you visit it frequently, and you clean it practically hourly! Here are a few of our favorite bathroom-related memories from Tater!
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Tater was just beginning to potty train - I think she was about 2o months old. I remember it was early in the morning and I was still in bed and pregnant with Bruiser Boy. Tater was up helping Daddy get ready for work. All of a sudden I heard Daddy yell "Take the toilet seat off your head!" It was one of those sentences you never expect to say as a parent!
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Last week Tater was crawling over Daddy on the couch and her bum "made a noise." She stopped, looked at Daddy, and said "What's that smell?" with the pure innocence of a 4-year-old. It was the first time she realized that those noises can be accompanied by an odor - shocking due to the fact that she has the smelliest child for a brother!
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The next day she was here with our sitter and had to use the bathroom. While she was in there, our sitter heard a noise and then Tater yelled out,"Did you hear that noise? It was my bum!" It was followed by uncontrollable laughter!

Toddler-isms

This weekend we have had the pleasure of visiting with Mimi and Papa. Tater got her "Papa Fix" and Papa and Mimi got to spend time enjoying all three grandchildren. Perhaps the best part of the weekend was that Mommy and Daddy got to go out to a fancy dinner and stay away overnight - what a treat! As we were getting ready to leave on Friday evening, I came down stair in my dress (probably the first one I have worn in six months!) and Tater stopped in her tracks when she saw me "Momma, are you going to the Stars?" (aka Dancing With The Stars). After I enjoyed her flattering praise, I began to search the house for appropriate shoes - Mommy shoes were not going to cut it for this dinner! I tried on a pair of HIGH heels, walked down the hallway and told Daddy there was no way I could wear those because they were killing me. Tater walked down the stairs and told Papa, "Mamma's not wearing her tappin' shoes - they're KILLING her!" We laughed about it the entire night!

Wordless Wednesday Follow-up

Okay - so its not Thursday - we've been a bit busy! The picture from Wednesday is of G-Baby sleeping in the kitchen while I was cooking. If you look very closely you will see her Nuk in her hand - she was holding on to it like a lovie - when I tried to take it so it wouldn't fall into Shadow's mouth, she tightened her grip and pulled it back!

Wordless Wednesday

On another blog, I read about a someone posting a Wordless Wednesday picture on Wednesday and then giving the words to explain it on Thursday's blog entry. So take a guess at what G-Baby is doing in this picture (other than being cute!) and leave a comment - I'll let you know if you guessed correctly tomorrow!

The House of Sprout is Expanding Across the Blogs!

Check out http://2dertiens.blogspot.com/ to see more of our little ones posted by a good friend!

Preparing for Football...I Think!

Tater has been in various classes since she was just an infant, including Gymboree Play, Gymboree Art, Tumble Tots, etc. Poor Bruiser has been experiencing second-child syndrome! We had him in Gymboree Play for a bit but he didn't seem very interested so we pulled him out to save the money. He did one round of swim lessons but didn't really seem to enjoy that either. Since I teach early childhood, I have been concerned about his social development and have been struggling to find a way to get him involved in a group activity. He exhibits stranger anxiety (which is normal at his age, but Tater never went through that - if you know her, you know what I mean!), has some minor speech issues, and spends all day at home with Mommy and our sitter (no babysitter's house with other kids like Tater had). You can see my concern!

So I have been researching like crazy! I am struggling with two issues - the class times and the outrageous costs of these classes. With three children, its hard to attend a class during the day - either I'm working or I can't bring an older sibling (G-Baby is still in her carrier and sits quietly in a corner!). And the cost of these classes is amazing - $175 for 10 music classes, $80 for 6 swim lessons - unbelievable!

Last week I found a perfect solution! Tater has been attending dance class since last summer and I love the studio she attends and her instructor. We really found a perfect fit for our family and for Tater. So, the studio offers a "Mommy and Me" class once a week for 30 minutes for two-year-olds. I discovered this and thought "Oooo, Jack!" The time worked with our schedule (and for my neighbor to watch Tater!) and the cost is only $5 per session. Now I had to sell it to Daddy! I told him I found a movement class for Bruiser and that it was cheap - he heard "cheap" and stopped listening. We were all set.

So last night Bruiser, G-Baby, and I set off in the wintry mix for the first class. What I didn't tell Daddy was that Bruiser was going to be the only boy and the movement he was going to be doing was ballet-based - minor details! Bruiser clung to me for the first few minutes but quickly learned how much fun it was to dance around and watch himself in the big mirror. He even learned how to do a forward roll!

We got home a few minutes before Daddy and were just starting dinner when Daddy came through the door. Daddy asked Bruiser, "What did you learn at class?" Bruiser, sitting in his high chair, raised his arms above his head and made a ballerina pose - oops! the cat was out of the bag! I'm pretty sure that if he hadn't been in his high chair, he would have been up on his tip-toes as well!

After Daddy's initial shock and annoyance over my inadvertent deception, I calmly explained that even football players take ballet - it's an important skill! We'll see what happens in May when it's recital time!

Milestones!

G Baby rolled over tonight! Right now she is laying next to me on the couch - on her belly - sucking her thumb! Where'd my baby go?

Blogger's Block

I don't know if it is the nice, spring-like weather or the fogginess that the time change has left in my brain or just blog burnout - but I can't remember any of the cute things my children have done to share! Oh, they have been cute - challenging but cute! And they have done things that both Daddy and I have said "Oh, I see a blog entry in the making!" But, as I sit here typing, I can't think of a single tale to tell - blogger's block!

So, in place of a story, I'll give you a list of the many things we did over this beautiful weekend of spring-like weather:
Tumble Tots (M &TT)
Library (M&TT)
Dry Cleaners (M&TT)
Target (M&TT)
bike riding and buble blowing (D,M,TT,BB,GB)
Skyping with Papa and Mimi and Nana and Pap (D,M,TT,BB,GB)
movie watching (M, D, TT)
church (D & TT)
Sunday School (TT)
Home Depot (D&TT)
playing in the neighbors' backyard (M, BB, GB)
playing in our backyard (D,M,TT,BB,GB)
hanging laundry out to dry (M)
adding and replacing outlets (D)
order photo prints (M)
school work (M)
reading library books and bible stories (D,M,TT,BB,GB)
cleaning (M)
laundry (M)

Now, I know I missed things but I think you get the idea!

On another note ... sixty degrees today and snow tomorrow...welcome to our crazy weather!

A Taste of Spring!

With warm temperatures and bright skies, we spent a lot of time outside today! Tater tried her best to ride her bike around the block - she peddled well but had trouble remembering to steer! Bruiser and G-Baby just enjoyed the fresh air.

G-Baby - sound asleep after being in the fresh air!

Look at the big girl - sitting and holding her head up!
(And, no the beer isn't hers - it's Daddy's "root beer"!)

Tater

Bruiser saying "Cheese!"

Playing dirty!

Our One-Man Band

Bruiser had some one-on-one time with Mommy and Daddy tonight when Tater turned in early. He chose to get the music basket out and had a blast jammin' with Daddy. Check out his rhythm!

"Wordless" Wednesday

This is where I found Tater at about 5:30 this evening - two days of no naps and shots yesterday took a real toll on her! And Mimi says she is out-growing her naps - I tend to differ!

Bruiser was playing "I Spy" while Sis-Sis was snoozing.

Really Stupid Virus (aka RSV)

Last week G Baby started with a horrible sounding cough. Saturday we went to the doctor and were told it was just a cold but could develop into RSV, a respiratory virus that is extremely dangerous in infants under one year because their lungs aren't fully developed. So Tuesday we went back to the doctor for her 4 month well-baby check-up. Little did we know that before we left the doctor would detect a wheeze in her lungs, discover her oxygen/blood level was low, start breathing treatments, and have a swab done for an RSV culture. We left the doctor with orders to continue the breathing treatments every 4 hours, continuously run a humidifier, wait for the culture results, and watch G Baby for signs of respiratory distress. How much sleep do you think we got?

Well, because I used all my sick days for my maternity leave, I went to work this morning fully expecting the doctor to leave the culture results on my answering machine and that I would hear them when I got home. Luckily we have a great sitter that I completely trusted with my sick little one - I knew everyone would be fine! So I got home from work and there was no message. My blood started to boil...I called the doctor's office...I spent a total of ten minutes on hold...my blood boiled some more. Come to find out that the lab ran a flu test, not the ordered RSV test and the results were not available and may not be available for several days - AHHHHHH! So we went back to the doctor this afternoon for a follow-up, just to be safe. And get this - her lungs sounded better but she developed an ear infection! Go figure!

Long story short, we got the culture results this evening and she is RSV-free. Yea! We are treating the ear infection, continuing with the treatments until the cough goes away, and trying to limit her exposure to evil germs and stupid viruses - we've had enough scares!

Mommy Will Find Me A Prince

(I am paraphrasing this conversation as it was told to me by our sitter. I am taking some creative licence!)

Tater: When I grow up, I'm going to get married.
D: Who are you going to marry?
Tater: Mommy's going to find me a prince!

Tater's Bucket List

In my mommys' book club at church we just finished reading The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch. In this book, the author - who is dying of cancer - shares several lists with his readers. The first is his childhood dreams and how he achieved them. He also details the characteristics he wants his young children to exude and life lessons he wants them to learn. As we finished the book, our pastor encouraged us (actually more like assigned!) to create our own lists as well as a "bucket list." As I was working on this this evening, Tater chimed in with her own "bucket list."

Tater's Bucket List
-be a princess on the princess coach
-be helpful
-to play
-to help babies play
-to collect baby food
-get a princess dog
-get a prince

Out of the mouths of babes!

(In future posts, I'll publish my lists - I'm still dreaming!)

Snow Day!

"Now I Know My ABCs..."

Bob the Builder Came to Our House!

Daddy had two helpers today as he replaced the toilet

seat in our upstairs bathroom.

Bruiser helped open the package.

Tater added some woman power!

Great minds think alike!

G Baby in the Spotlight