Tag: motherhood

Uncategorized /

Watch what you say

My mom took the boys for the day so I could get a few things done around the house – like putting my furniture back in order after our new front window was installed last Friday.  While they were there, they captured a mouse (or shrew) that had somehow gotten into the house.  Nolan saw it first.  It wasn’t until the little thing scurried out from the corner and down the steps, that my mom caught a glimpse of it too.  The rodent managed to find its way to the “fort” room under the stairs and was essentially trapped.  The boys danced around in the doorway and sang “No, mouse, no!” to keep it from getting out of the room until my mom came back with a butterfly net to catch it.  They released the frightened animal in the backyard and had quite a story to tell Papa (my dad) and Uncle Tony when they had dinner together that night.

While Nolan was re-telling their adventures from the day, he got to the part about the mouse/shrew going downstairs and how apparently “There’s just all this crap along the wall” down there.  At that point, my brother just about lost it.  Not only did Nolan use the 4-letter word correctly in context, but he said it so nonchalantly that my mom had to ask my brother if he said what she thought he had said.

Unfortunately, I’m to blame for letting that one slip around the kids.  A few too many toys pushed me to the brink a while back and I uttered a phrase similar to the one Nolan used.  Guess he filed it away for a time such as tonight.  At least he was with family 🙂

Uncategorized /

Ingrid’s 1st trip to FL

My baby girl and I had our first girls’ weekend in FL.  We had an early flight out on Friday morning and spent the weekend with Lois & Kathi.  They have been patiently waiting to meet our little miss.  This past weekend was extra special because Lois celebrated her 96th birthday on Saturday.  I’m so happy we were able to be with her on her special day.  She has known me since I was 4 days old and has loved me like a granddaughter.  I am so thankful for her!

No trip to the Sunshine State would be complete without a trip to the beach.  Ingrid wasn’t too fond of the water or the sand.  I’m sure that will change in time.  It was a wonderful weekend spent with fantastic ladies!  I can’t wait to do it again!

Uncategorized /

A little time with Mommy

Today, Nolan was asked to go to a classmate’s house to have lunch and play after school.  That left me with only 2 kids for a good portion of the day.  (Good thing, because I battled a migraine for most of the time he was gone.  But I digress…)

We took a meal over to a family who recently had a baby and then perused the aisles of Sam’s Club – always a rousing good time.  Then, because he was such a trooper, I told Lincoln we could go out to lunch.  We ate at Panera and then grabbed dessert to eat at home.  In the time it took me to unload the groceries from the truck, Lincoln made his way to the dining room table, opened his M&M cookie, devoured it, and threw away his trash.  Amazing what he’s able to do on his own when sweets are involved.  🙂

When I eventually had a few minutes to snack on the cinnamon roll I brought home, he was kind enough to “help” me eat it.  I was able to snap a picture of the two of us using the camera in my phone.  Not the greatest quality, but it captured a sweet moment I was able to share with my favorite almost 3 year old.

Uncategorized /

Lug-a-by

The boys frequently ask me to sing to them before they go to bed.  Starting this past summer, they have requested a “lug-a-bye” (spelled phonetically) in which I recap the days events to the tune of “Lullaby, and Good Night.”  I have to admit, it’s one of my favorite parts of the day.  I love that they get so excited to hear me sing to them, despite my ability to always stay on key.  I’ve gotten pretty creative with turning everyday activities into song lyrics, if I do say so myself!

Uncategorized /

“My girls”

Lincoln, Ingrid & I spent the morning with friends of ours and their kids.  It was a reunion of sorts of the mom’s group bible study I was a part of last year.  When we picked up Nolan after our get-together, he asked Lincoln who he played with at the gathering.  Lincoln replied nonchalantly, “With my girls.”  Too cute!

Uncategorized /

Going home

After 2 days in the hospital, we packed up and headed home…as a family of 5.  I really love the sound of that.

I know we’ve got some adjustments in store, but we’ll get through it.  I can’t say enough about the care we received in the hospital.  I’ve had great nurses each time I have delivered a child, my doctor is top-notch, and my husband is the greatest support person I could ask for.  I may have rough pregnancies, but I think God treats me to “easy” deliveries.  And for that, I am extremely thankful.

On our way home, Jake asked the boys if they thought we should get a birthday cake for baby Ingrid.  They said yes, of course.  We stopped at the grocery store and Jake ran in to get a cake.  He picked a pink one and the lady behind the bakery counter wrote Ingrid’s name on it.  We lit a “0” candle at home and let the boys blow it out before digging in.  It was strawberry flavored…yum!

After cake, we took the first (of many, I’m sure) pictures of the 3 kids together.  It’s so sweet to finally see them all together.

Nolan is absolutely thrilled to have Ingrid home.  That, and after I’ve recovered, I can wrestle again.

Uncategorized /

She’s here!

I thought for sure I’d have a 10/01/10 baby, but she held out for one more day.  That’s right, SHE!  We had a little girl today and she is absolutely beautiful!  I’m thrilled she’s finally here.  The last days, weeks, months, ok most of the pregnancy was pretty rough on me.  But as with the boys, it was totally worth it.

We went to the hospital about 4:30 this morning (our fantastic neighbor came over to sit in the house with the boys sleeping upstairs until my mom could drive over.)  They decided to keep me after monitoring me for a couple of hours.  Once in the delivery room, (the largest corner room they have in the place with a great view of a creek,) I managed to endure the contractions for another hour or so and then decided to have my nurse call in the anesthesiologist to provide me with some relief in the form of an epidural.  I’m not one to endure pain for the sake of pain; I know my limits.  So once the kind man gave me my numbing drip, I was able to rest/doze off and get ready to meet our new baby.  My water broke on its own, shortly after, I pushed once, and at 12:19 P.M.,  little Miss Ingrid Anmarene was out!

When they announced to us that we had a girl to add to our family, I was in disbelief.  Prior to her arrival, I had come around to the notion of having 3 boys.  I just assumed that is what we’d have.  But no, clearly God has other things in store for us – and we are so thankful for the newest gift He has given us.

My second moment of disbelief came when I heard how much my “little” girl weighed.  I thought for sure they were a pound off, but no, she weighed in at 9 pounds, 12 ounces.  That’s bigger than both of her brothers.  All 3 kids were the same length: 22 inches.  My little Sheck babies…they’re long ones!  No “newborn” clothes are worn in our house.  We skip right to the 3 month clothes.

Ingrid is the first granddaughter on both sides of the family and the first great-granddaughter of the 7 great-grandkids on Jake’s side of the family.  Let the inundation of pink begin!

Uncategorized /

Sleeping soundly

I woke up from my regularly scheduled nap on the couch and the toy room was incredibly quiet.  I went looking for Nolan, who I normally can hear while I’m resting.  Here’s where I found him:

Uncategorized /

Moonsand mess

Nolan received moonsand as a gift from our neighbors a while ago and I pulled it out today for the boys to play with.  Note to self…next time, take the moonsand OUTSIDE to play with.  The kids LOVED the stuff, but man was it a mess to clean up!  I had to shake rugs, vacuum, and wipe down the table multiple times.  Nevertheless, watching the boys have fun was definitely worth the clean-up afterward.

Uncategorized /

Household helper

Lincoln decided to give me a hand with the vacuuming today.  I don’t know what it is about this machine, but both boys love it.  It’s gotta be the fact that they can move it around and switch out the attachments.  That, and the fact that it has a retractable electrical cord.  It honestly is one of the best “toys” we have in the house.