I should have known today was going to be a challenging one when I lost my necklace (I ended up finding it) and Lincoln blew out his diaper all within about 10 minutes of getting the day started. We made it through breakfast relatively unscathed and then the boys decided to turn one of their storage tins into a drum. I had given them wooden spoons to use as microphones, but I guess they made better drum sticks. The rest of the day was actually kind of a blur. I was exhausted and had hoped to take a nap when the boys did, but unfortunately, Lincoln only napped for an hour, so I braced myself for an afternoon with a moody toddler. By the time dinner time rolled around, between the kids and the dogs I was going crazy and looking for someone else to keep me company as I headed there. I even posted my plea for company on Facebook. One of my friends responded saying, “I can’t keep you company, but I’ll open the door and welcome you to crazy when you get here.” I got a much needed laugh out of his comment. Thankfully, when Jake came home I was able to take a few minutes to catch my breath.
After dinner, the kids thought it would be funny to wear books as hats, so that’s what we did. Once again, no matter how nutty some of their antics make me, they can always make me laugh.
Nolan helped me bake a cake today. It was hard for him to wait until the evening to dig in to it, but he made it. He asked if we could put candles in it and have a “pretend birthday.” That sounded good to me, so we lit 3 candles and sang “Happy Birthday.” When we got to the part about saying the birthday person’s name, I paused and waited for his response. He said, “Mommy!” and we finished the song. Guess he’s heard my birthday is coming soon, so we’d better practice 🙂
I gave myself more than 5 minutes on this one because of all I attempted to cover.
Friday night we had a Rody rodeo at the house. Jake gave Rody a little extra bounce and the boys loved it!
Our 7th anniversary was yesterday (10/18.) It’s hard to believe how fast the years have passed. I recently realized how close Jake and I are to having been together for 10 years – we started dating in 2000 when we were at the U. I can’t think of anyone else I’d rather be spending this crazy, fantastic life of marriage & kids with than my husband. For all of the ups and downs that life brings our way, he has been (and continues to be) a source of calm, strength, and consistency for me.
Saturday morning we were planning on bringing the boys to Jake’s parents’ house for the day so we could go on our anniversary date – a day early. Jason, (Jake’s brother) called and offered us his Ford Mustang for the day, so we altered our plans a bit and exchanged cars and transferred kids at his house instead. I didn’t know where we were going until we left our house. All I knew was the attire for our date. It was great to be surprised!
Short side story. My mom and I had the most successful 10 minute shopping trip on Friday night. I didn’t have anything fall-ish to wear on Saturday, so my mom agreed to meet me to do a little shopping. On my way to Maple Grove, she called and suggested we try Nordstrom Rack. When we arrived, it was 10 minutes until they closed. We hustled in, found a couple of dresses to try on, found one, scooted over to the shoes, and successfully found a great pair of red heels. Love them! Not too bad for a “let’s just see what they have” stop.
Back to Saturday. Once we picked up the Mustang, we headed east on 94 and traveled various small highways up through Wisconsin to St. Croix Falls. We had lunch at a fantastic restaurant called Grecco’s on the St. Croix. The place is quaint and has an intimate feel. We sat near the fireplace, which was great because if you know me, I’m always a bit cold. We ordered an appetizer and each chose the herb crusted walleye for our main dish. To our surprise, the host came over a short time later with a different appetizer, Ahi Tuna, “compliments of the chef.” I had never eaten pan seared tuna until Saturday. It was delicious! In fact, every part of our dining experience was amazing. We plan on returning and would highly recommend Grecco’s – it’s worth the drive to St. Croix Falls!
We drove back to Jake’s parents’ place through Minnesota. It was such a beautiful day and the leaves still had some color. We stopped in Afton and got an ice cream cone (my 2nd dessert of the day) and then finally arrived back in Hastings. We spent the rest of the afternoon watching football (poor Gophers :(), letting the boys and dogs run off energy (and ride) outside, and finally having dinner with Grandma, Grandpa, the boys, Larissa, Jason & his girlfriend B. It was a nice way to end the fun day Jake and I shared together.
Our actual anniversary was pretty laid back, which was ok with us. We went to mass in the morning, came home and had donuts – Nolan’s favorite 🙂 and then watched the Vikings game. Jake also worked on a few things around the outside of the house since the weather was so beautiful! Later in the evening, my mom came over and watched the boys so we could go to a movie. Neither of us would recommend seeing Where the Wild Things Are. Unfortunately, it was a depressing movie with no real plot. I’m glad I know the book is good because had I not read it before, I don’t think I’d even pick it up. It seems we’re 0 for 2 lately with picking movies to watch at the theater. We seem to do better with our picks from RedBox. Plus, in my opinion, it’s way more comfortable to watch a movie at home. I’m guessing we won’t be hitting the theater again for a while – unless someone can recommend a really good flick for us to see.
Today was business as usual. Nolan went to school and Lincoln and I headed to the gym. I feel so much better when I get a workout in in the morning. After school, we came home for lunch and then everyone took a much needed nap. We spent the afternoon outside – took a walk, played with chalk, and took “cheesy” pictures with the bale of hay we received from the local volleyball boosters we supported.
The boys had a “non-routine” afternoon today. We had the pleasure of spending 1 1/2 hours at the doctor’s office for Lincoln’s 18 month check-up. Nolan & Lincoln enjoyed entertaining the other waiting room patrons by pointing to the different artwork, jabbering & laughing with one another, and doing laps around the chairs. (No one scowled at us, which I appreciated. We only received smiles.) When Lincoln’s name was called, we spent a few fleeting moments in one patient room before moving to one that our doctor typically uses instead. After the good doctor checked Lincoln out, I asked her a few questions and did my best to focus on her responses as I attempted to corral the boys. They were extremely interested in the sink & goose-neck light in the room – why am I not surprised?? I don’t blame them for getting antsy – an hour and a half is a long time to be cooped up like we were. I’m so glad our doctor has lots of patience, loves kids and likes to laugh.
Our time at the clinic ended with both boys getting shots. Nolan went first, which ended up being a good thing. Had he seen Lincoln get poked first, I’m not sure I would have been able to get him up on the exam table. He was rewarded with a chance to pick out his stickers, which made him forget the leg poke he just received. Lincoln had no idea what was coming. He was poked twice, and afterward, was very concerned that he had a band-aid on his leg. Poor kid hasn’t quite figured out that stickers are supposed to make everything better.
We pulled out the Play-doh when we got home to take our minds off of the shots (and to give me a chance to put something together for dinner.) I’m happy to report that tonight the Play-doh was only “played” with and not eaten. Hurray!
After working out at the gym, we went to my parents’ house to have lunch with Nana (my mom.) The boys have a special “fort” area under the steps leading to the lower level of the house. The room used to be my mom’s “stash closet.” She kept presents and snacks under lock and key while we were growing up; as teenagers, we had a habit of eating anything that was left out. Now the space has been cleared out to make room for the kids’ toys. There’s even a funky green silicone-covered light bulb that they can turn on and off with a string (not just a switch) – this was a new discovery today and they loved it!
This evening, Nolan’s preschool invited all of the kids to bring their dads to St. John’s for the 2nd annual “Dinner with Dad” event. The group had hot dogs, chips & carrots for dinner and floats for dessert. Such a fun way for the kids to spend one-on-one time with their dads!
Here are the guys before they headed out. After they returned, things got a little silly at our house. I’m not sure who started this, but we ended up with buckets on our heads. Nolan and Lincoln thought it was pretty funny. Actually, I did too 🙂
It’s times like these that make me forget how stressed or frustrated I can get when the boys are having a meltdown or I can’t figure out what they want. Note to self: make prints of these and put them where I can see them when I need a reminder of why I love being a stay-at-home mom.
I think God gives moms a few extra special gifts when it comes to being able to handle disgusting situations with poise, skill & composure. I know I don’t embody all of those gifts in every situation where they could be used, but I am proud to say I did keep my composure and used a little skill with a tad bit of poise this afternoon.
When I got Shecklet #2 out of his highchair after lunch, I noticed he needed his diaper changed. I thought I had a few minutes to clear the table and then change him. WRONG. Next thing I know, he’s sitting in the hallway whining because he has somehow managed to dislodge the contents of his diaper and make a total mess of the floor and himself.
Forgive me if this is a tad too gross for those of you who are checking in with me, but I am actually sitting here chuckling about it as I replay the conversation I had with myself this afternoon….
“Should I pick him up? Of course I should. But wait, I can’t just walk off with him…the dogs need to go somewhere. I have to get him upstairs for a bath! Where is Shecklet #1? Oh, there he is. Ok, Shecklet #1 needs to come with me, but manage to walk around the mess. That’s right Shecklet #1, don’t step there, step here. Good job! Mav, Coop – upstairs, now! Alright, dogs are in our room, where’s the baby gate? What in the world is that? Great, something else to clean up. Ok, Shecklet #2 needs to get scrubbed down. Shecklet #1, stay where I can see you. Towel. Washcloth. Johnson’s Baby Wash. Phew! I think we’re going to be ok now.”
And we were. Ok, I mean. We all needed a nap after all that excitement though. Good thing it was dark and rainy today – I didn’t feel bad snuggling back under the covers and dozing while the boys took their naps.
One final tidbit for today. This actually happened last night while I was blogging. Here is what my dogs think of “Where The Wild Things Are.” Can you believe these two can do this?
This is the 2nd book Mav & Coop have sunk their teeth in to. Number 1 was a library book. Not good. I’m beginning to think they have a preference for pricier books. They have yet to chew apart the cheapo books from garage sales or the thrift store. Who knew they could tell the difference?
Today and tomorrow we have an extra little guy at our house. Friends of ours are attending a conference not far from where we live, so their little man is spending some quality time at the Sheck house. Nolan and Lincoln think the temporary addition is pretty fun to have around. They enjoy entertaining him and are doing a fine job showing him how to play in creative ways.
We did have one interesting event today that I thought was worth mentioning. When lunchtime rolled around, I placed our friends’ son in Lincoln’s highchair. You would have thought I was giving him Lincoln’s most prized possession. Lincoln stomped his feet, started crying, and was just about to pull out his tantrum face when I picked him up and walked to the side of the table where we have Nolan’s booster chair. I asked him if he wanted to sit in Nolan’s chair and the crying stopped instantly. Who wants to sit in the high chair when Mom offers the big boy booster seat instead? He was SO proud to sit next to Nolan at the big table and use a placemat. Now that he’s experienced eating at the table (instead of next to it) we’ll see if he’ll even go close the high chair at meal time again.
The thing I dislike the most about being a parent is having to discipline. I hate being the bad guy. I wish someone would invent a fool-proof way to get my kids to listen to what I’ve asked them to do (or not do) and have them follow through.
Today Shecklet #1 was having a overly-whiny afternoon, so I told him he would be taking a nap. No tantrum was thrown when I said it was time to head upstairs (which was positive) but the little guy refused to stay in bed. This tends to happen when he naps, so I’ve been having him sleep in our bed instead of his so at least Shecklet #2 has a chance to get a good nap in. I swear I went back upstairs to check on him a half dozen times. A few times he was just sitting up on our bed, so I had him lay back down. But at one point I walked in to find the lamps on and clean socks, that were previously in the laundry basket, strewn all over the room. Apparently I missed the memo that nap time meant throw the laundry everywhere. At this point, I had to follow through with the consequence for not napping that we had talked about – no afternoon trip to the park. I don’t know who was more disappointed, him or me. It hurt to have to say we weren’t going, especially when he turned on the waterworks, but I knew I had to remain firm. I’m hoping that one of these days, something will click in that little 3-year-old head of his and he’ll understand that his actions have consequences. Until then, we get to keep working on the meaning of cause and effect.
