New vacuum

Derek's fun play vacuum broke and cannot be fixed. Geema and Bumpa bought D his first real vacuum. He loves it!

Bumpa and babies

Bumpa is a big fan of board games so in the evenings, Bumpa would snuggle with babies while we played Settlers. Everybody was happy.

Showing Bumpa the ropes

Derek is serious about picking up dog poop outside- even if it involves the rain so he took Bumpa (or Geemabumpa as he calls him) outside to show him the ropes. It was very generous to allow Bumpa to help (hehe). They both got out the rain gear and we heard the giggles from inside. Geemabumpa come, geemabumpa help). It was very sweet. Bumpa is a great sport.

Tinker Toys

Derek is having a blast with Geema and Bumpa. Today they pulled out the tinker toys and made several cool projects. Derek then took his tinker toys and made a cool creation using his train table. I am not sure which of the three is having the most fun!

Geema and Bumpa are here

Geema and Bumpa are here. We are busy having fun so we won't blog much. Bumpa is busy doing projects around the house (Thanks Dad)! Both Geema and Bumpa are loving time with the boys.

I can do what Mommy does

Derek told me today that Elmo was hungry. So Derek fed him. Then he decided that Bear was also hungry. So Derek put on the pillow and fed both Elmo and Bear. I believe he may have learned this by watching me (insert sarcasm here). It was quite adorable. He burped them as well. When is it time to tell him that only Mommies get to feed babies this way? Derek even told me to take pictures to show Daddy. You betcha kiddo!

About time

It looks like Nate is ready for the high chair. Derek is sitting on the big chairs so we might as well pass it on!

Tummy time for all

The real reason we have pillows

Here is Alex cuddling a pillow on the couch. Why is it that the dog is on the couch all day and we are all on the floor? I am just so glad we spent tons of money on custom slipcovers so the dog can enjoy them. Actually I am glad that they can go into the washing machine after Alex drools on them and Derek wipes his dirty marker- covered hands all over. Worth every penny!

Shaving with Daddy

Derek loves to watch Mike shave. Yesterday, Derek asked to shave. Mike lathered him up and gave him the razor (sans blade). It was adorable. Derek did his own face and then shaved Mike's face. I think he really will be shaving before we know it!

Mike was home Tuesday morning so I could take Will and Nate to their 4 month follow-up from the NICU. They will have these appointments regularly until they go to kindergarten to keep up on their development. Well this appointment (all 3 hours of it) were awesome. Our boys are doing just as well as we thought! Yeah Will and Nate!

Sick and still happy

It is Day 4 of high fevers. We thought it was gone after going down all last evening yet Derek was still not himself. We decided to call the doctor (thank you Saturday hours). By the time we got to the doctor his fever went from 99 to 104.2. We are so glad to take him in as he has a double ear infection and a very very red throat. No wonder the poor guy feels so icky. In the middle of all this, he is still so happy. He was drawing yesterday and singing. I had to snap a picture of him with marker on his nose. Now he has one dose of antibiotics in him and he is happy again.

When writing on your bum is adorable

Our sweet little boys! Thanks Al for the sweet bear outfit.

Just for fun

Nate (on right) is smiling! Will is not cooperating today. Derek is just being his snuggly self.

Sick!

Poor Derek picked up a nasty virus. He had a very high fever yesterday. He actually fell asleep on the couch poor kid. The advil did its work and his fever quickly came down. When he woke up, he cried for 45 minutes in my arms. Then suddenly he was fine again and back to his normal happy self. The fever came back in the evening and again in the middle of the night. Hopefully it will go away quickly. The little boys are still healthy. Please pray for Derek to get better and for Will and Nate to stay healthy.

For Mommy

Here is the gift that Derek made for me at school. He was so excited for me to open it. He was so excited that we hid it until Sunday. I loved it.

To Derek in year 2020

Dear Derek. This is you at age 2. You thought the lawn mower was the coolest thing in the world. You wanted to be big to mow the lawn with the big mower like Daddy. Now you are big.. congrats here is the mower. You can share the privilege with your brothers. You can even use Daddy's gloves.

Mother's Day Weekend

We had a wonderful Mother's Day weekend. We took advantage of the warm sunny weather to go to the Coast on Saturday. It was Will and Nates first trip to the Coast and out of the Portland area. They were awesome. We only had minor spurts of crying on the drive. We got there in time for an early lunch at our favorite fish place. Then we all walked down to the beach. Derek was very good about holding hands and walking. Will and Nate hung out in a little tent we brought with. Mike and Derek went down by the water for a bit. Derek thought the water was too cold and the tide scared him a bit. He LOVED playing in the sand. We brought plenty of sand toys for him to enjoy. I think his favorite part was trying to put sand in my shirt and covering my feet. At 1:45 (about 30 minutes after his normal nap time), Derek announced he was all done with the beach and sand, put on his shoes, and preceded to pack up his toys. All righty then.. so we all packed up to head home. I am sure we were quite the sight, each adult with a baby in a front carrier (MIke used an ergo and I used my new babyhawk), a backpack, and a 2 year old between us. It was a great day!

On Sunday we took a walk to Starbucks in the morning and played in the yard all day. We even ate outside for our meals It was great to be outside all day. I planted flowers during nap time. In the afternoon, Derek helped me plant the veggies. Derek also mowed the yard with his little lawnmower three or more times- he loves his lawn mower. It was nice and relaxing day!

Sweet boys

Will and Nate are doing great. They are both becoming talkative. Will talks more during the day and Nate more at night once Daddy comes home. Will has amazing neck strength and loves his thumb. Nate is more local and likes his pacifier. Both are great eaters and sleepers. Our sweet boys.. Derek is an awesome big brother. He is very talkative, very friendly towards others, and helpful. In his zeal to be helpful he sometimes tries to pick up one of the boys. He has great intentions but we are trying to teach him that only adults get to pick up babies!

My example

Mother's Day is this weekend. It is our annual time to pay homage to our Moms. I blog all the time about my Mom because she is just that awesome. She is my example on how to be a great Mom. One of the best compliments I have been paid by many people is that I am turning into my Mom. She is the fun mom, the crazy mom, the patient mom, and the money-wise mom (just to name a few). My sister and I have many childhood memories that involve water fights with my mom (who is usually the instigator). My mom was always willing to be the extra person for kickball or the goalie for soccer. My mom hunted all over the Milwaukee area for a toy I wanted (purple pieman for the strawberry shortcake set). My mom has the gift of making situations learning experiences and finding the good in the situation. She didn't cover or try to hide the bad or the hurt- in fact she cried with us but she taught us to laugh at ourselves. She is an amazing steward of money: she taught us the principles and led by example. In fact my mom leading by example and not just words is part of who she is. My mom is the glue that has held our family together through hurt, sickness, laughter, and joyous times. She is a wonderful partner with my Dad (who is also an amazing example). While there was usually laughter in our home, my mom also was balanced and lovingly disciplined us.

My favorite parenting book is the one not written by my mom. It is the memories of how she handled situations in my childhood. It is her always relevant bits of wisdom. It is her example. Her patience and selflessness are humbling to me.

My mom is also an awesome Geema. Geema is talked about a lot around here because Derek loves her so much. Really the only thing missing is that she needs to live down the street! I am very thankful that she gets to visit often.

Thank you Mom today, Mother's Day, and every day for who you are. We all love you lots and lots!

My little Zohan

Every day Derek sits and watches me dry my hair and use the curling iron. Well yesterday he decided to go to work. He grabbed his black and decker tools and started brushing my hair with a clamp and then curling it with a screwdriver. Then he opened the gate (apparently not Derek-proof) and went to get a hair tie. Then he tried to put my hair in a ponytail. Derek is awesome. We think he is a riot.

Walk walk

Derek has a favorite Elmo song called walk walk. He loves to dance and run around the house singing it.

Brothers