Holiday Antics

As always, I seem to have a handful of excuses for my lack of blogging and usually they are really good. But this time.....I have to confess. We are deep into season 2 of Homeland, and the only way we can watch it is by hooking our laptop up to the TV. And I am not about to lay my 8.5 month pregnant ass on the floor to blog while we watch it. Sorry people.

But I find myself with a few spare minutes today, and wanted to share some of the holiday antics we have been up to the last month or so...

Thanksgiving was spent in Viroqua and we enjoyed good food, getting to watch Macy's Parade, and then attend our own Twinkle parade. But the highlight of all highlights might have been the pumpkin pie (or for Bea the whipped cream).

We also got to attend a very cute event at a local garden center, where the girls caught their first glimpse of Santa (and lets just say they were okay with the distance between him and themselves). There was a little Santa play which Tillie loved and Bea could have cared less about so we split up and I followed Bea around and sought out some photo op spots.

This girl has the perfect mix of naughty and nice down pat. Just enough of both so that you are never bored.....

Sister Love--or bossiness...sometimes it is hard to tell them apart

"Just look, Bea....just look"

The "I am totally too cool for this" look. We are in trouble for the teen years...

And then amidst fever, chills and other unmentionables, we decorated Christmas cookies. Don't worry--they were not shared with anyone else. We kept our germs to ourselves for this year.

I think Matilda may have been happy to just eat the sprinkles, but eventually got into it.

 Bea tried her best to stick with it. But her fever was higher and her attention span shorter. She didn't really care about eating the frosting or the cookies, but rather was determined to collect and lick every knife we had on the table claiming them loudly as "MISE" (mine).

She is so ready to be a middle child.

Some of the end products

Tillie--hold up your cookie!

I promise you behind that cookie is a very beautiful snowman (with a white blob of frosting and one red hot).

More holiday cheer to come in the next week, assuming we can get healthy-stay healthy-and not cut any more teeth. :)

Realities of Pregnancy

I haven't really given much thought the impending arrival of Baby #3. I'm sure to some that sounds really flip, untrue, or perhaps like I am a pretty terrible parent.

The truth is that I know this baby will demand so much time and attention when it arrives that I want and need to focus all of that on my kids that are here, live and in the flesh and actually verbalizing their needs (like the BUNNY water, not the cow water. Do NOT bring me the cow water).

So many people have asked me if we have names figured out. No. No we do not. We barely have thought about it. Nate will randomly throw names at me every once in a while and I can't even process the thought of it. So.....we just sort of pretend this baby doesn't need a name. For the first 2 we had names 100% decided upon before going to the hospital. I am sort of thinking instead of name, we will be bringing a name book, or app so we can decide once we are holding the baby.

Have no fear--this baby has a way of making sure I am not totally forgetting about it. From insane acrobatics every night at about 9:45PM to the quite large and in charge belly, I am definitely aware that I am, in fact, pregnant.

Probably the most painful reminder (visually and physically) are these amazingly beautiful vericose veins that have come with each pregnancy. I have one from each pregnancy. And of course, the one I got with Matilda is absolutely gigantic now as it has had three pregnancies to flourish. They hurt my eyes, and they hurt my legs.

And after this morning, you can add my ego to that list.....

I walked downstairs in a dress, and hadn't put my tights on yet. (because lets be honest at 8.5 months pregnant you wait to pull on those suckers until the last minute).

I'm standing next to the table, and Tillie is on the ground coloring. She looks up and says:
 "Ew, Mama, what is that?"
"Well Tillie, that is a vein"
"Does it hurt?"
"Yes"
"It's warm!"
"Yup. I have one on this leg too" (turning to show her the really bad one)
"NOT GOOD, Mama. Not good, mama. You need an ice pack"

At which point she goes to freezer, wraps the ice pack in a towel and follows me around the house applying an ice pack to my leg.

So, any hope that these suckers aren't noticeable is completely gone. Time to embrace them (and also hope they go down after this baby arrives!).

Tillie Talks

Tonight at dinner, Tillie got quiet and was contemplating something. She looks up and asks:
"First you eat the food, then you poop it out, and then you puke.That's how it works right?"
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"Daddy, are you the boss?"
"Yes"
"Ok, but I'm the boss of Bea"
"No you aren't."
"Yes, I am."
"Tillie, what does it mean to be the boss?"
"You get to tell people to stand in line and listen to the rules."

________________

"I won't bite Clifford." (after being asked why she bit Bea...although to be fair Bea DID put her hands in Tillie's mouth).

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In the ultimate display of Matilda's well-timed jabs this conversation happened just after Nate got a new bike (his was stolen...again):

"Daddy is super excited to show you his new bike. Do you want to see it?"
Tillie quiet--thinks on it.
"Yes"
(a few more seconds)
"Did you get a new ring too daddy?"

Seriously, you cannot make this stuff up. First of all we NEVER talk about Nate not having a ring because I don't really care, and it isn't a big deal for us. But I love that she has filed it away and is keeping him honest on priorities.....

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Walking into the bonus room, Tillie is standing on the couch. I say to her "Tillie on your booty, no standing on the couch"

And she yells:

"Stay away Mama!"

Just as I was about to launch into a 'that is not how you talk to your mama' speech, Nate pops up from behind the couch (he was hiding) and says: She is pretending to be Elsa and doesn't want to freeze you.....

Halloween Hijinx!

After much debate, and convincing with Matilda, the girls dressed up as Lions for Halloween this year! I really wanted them to have the same costume..don't ask me why. But I do know the number of years that they will be willing to be the same thing will be extremely limited.

And since Bea has an absolutely adorable little roar these days, I only needed to get the eldest on board. She wanted to be a kitty, a zombie kitty, a peacock, and more. I couldn't quite get her to agree to the lion. UNTIL, we went to Chicago to visit the Keaty's and got to watch the Lion King.

Then I capitalized on that excitement, and branded it as "dressing up as Simba" and she was all in. (what can I say--thats what you get with a mom in marketing). And even as what seemed like every single friend from school told her they were dressing up as Elsa or Anna from Frozen--Tillie didn't waiver. She was going to be a lion.

Which meant that I was getting tips on tutu-making and pulling together some lion costumes. (as a girl mom tip--if you are ever making a tutu--buy those super cheap crocheted headbands, throw it on a canister of some sort, and just slip-knot tie the strands of tulle in each hole). Super easy!!!!

I was a little concerned that after just a VERY short walk down our own walk-way, Bea eyed up her little chair and seemed to already be 'all-done'.

But that was short-lived, because as soon as she understood what the night held she was OFF. And Matilda was trying to keep up with her. It was unfortunate that the first 5 or so houses we went to had dogs because Matilda got a little gun-shy. Not Bea. Bea would step right up, Snag her piece of candy. Wave bye-bye and literally turn on a dime and say more to go to the next house.

As you can see, she was having no fun at all. It was the first night that it was actually cold this fall (which by the way is so typical for midwest halloweens...we literally missed it by one night), and Bea refused to put gloves on. She got a hold of a tootsie pop, and once I realized she had started eating the paper, I gave in and let her have it. Both of the girls ended up getting 2 suckers from their Halloween stash. And Mama got the rest (although I did share with Nate :)).

A few weeks before Halloween we also had a very fun get together with some of Tillie's best friends from early on. Eila and Amanda and their adorable new brothers came over and we had quite the brunch and pumpkin-carving party.

The girls had fun, and each had their own style of carving and how grimey they were willing to get. And of course, Bea was not going to be left behind. As they get older, it is getting harder to get a good picture of all three, but we did our best! :)

18 months!

Ok, so I have been putting off this post. It first started out with procrastination due to unwillingness to admit Bea was a year and half old. THEN, I wrote the ENTIRE post and went to publish it and it vanished. I swore. A lot. And then Nate gave me a foot run. Another full week has passed, and I decided I better get to writing this or it will never happen and it might just be the post that kills this blog.

So, here we go!

Beatrice is 18 months (okay, you can call me on it, she is actually 19 months at this point, but that is what procrastination will get you). She is a wiggly, giggly and quite silly little girl (23 pounds 5 ounces at her 18 month appt, 32.5 inches). She climbs on everything and will not be stopped if she is on a mission.

Bea loves her sister, so long as Matilda isn't taking anything that Bea is playing with, may want to play with, or at some point in her past life played with. "MINE" was quickly one of her first words that is overused and abused. I feel like I can almost hear her singing "anything you can do I can do better" as she follows Matilda around and tries to keep up with her (which she actually does a good job of).

She is already attempting to ride the bike we got for Tillie for her 3rd birthday (of which she has no interest in) and prefers to grab hold of Tillie's scooter and go for a ride.

But in the last few months she has also figured out how to slow down, sit still for longer than 1 minute and enjoy a good book. In fact, she had a brief love affair with one book in particular that came everywhere with us for about 3 weeks. I was getting worried it would replace her lovey and that I would have to order about 12 copies of it on Amazon.

Bea's vocabulary has exploded! She has her "b" words down (which I guess is appropriate): book, ball, bread, etc. And she is not for lack of comprehension. Good lord, this child understands everything we say. I feel like we are already in the 'spelling' zone with her. She has "mama" down, has a sound for Tillie, and well--still calls Nate mama. :)

Nate likes to say that Bea is an inch wide and a mile deep. She is pretty easy going with most situations, but watch out if you misstep on something that she has deemed important. She will meltdown on you like an ice-cream cone on a 90 degree day. I am talking full-out laying on the floor, inconsolable tantrum. Something we haven't had to deal with to date with the eldest (although I realize there is still time).

So that is fun. And we are learning how to walk away and ignore.

But then she gets over it and pops back to her mostly-sunny self.

Bea has had a significant Daddy phase over the last month. I blame work travel. I traveled two weeks in a row and I think she is still punishing me for it. But it is sweet to see how much she loves Nate. And of course to see it reciprocated.

One of my favorite things about Bea right now is her mischievous side. And her facial expressions. Together they give her away. 

She has a great little eyebrow lift that seems to say: "watch what i am going to do....you are going to love it as much as me, but just in case you don't i am going to move really fast and then run away"

Bea is a happy explorer--happy to be by herself and doing her own thing. Happy to play with you or by you. It's been so fun to see her grow and become a 'little person'--helping unload the dishwasher, understanding what 'throw your diaper away' means and where to throw it. 

She has actually started to use the potty in the last 3 weeks. Telling us, at times, when she has to go and then actually going. It is blowing our minds, but we are fairly certain this will be short-lived as is anything that seems to good to be true.

Sweet Bea

Looking forward to the next 6 months, and watching this one become a 'little big' sister. It's good to know she has the personality that will ensure she doesn't get lost as the middle child. :)

Orchard Fun!

We decided to brave the cold this weekend and headed out to an orchard with the girls. This was difficult for me on a number of fronts:

1) It was seriously cold--like real feel 32 degrees. Brrr.
2) I have a huge issue with any Minneapolis-ish orchards. They are SO overpriced compared to good old Gays Mills.
3) Also, no ones apple donuts stack up. Not even close.

But it was a fun adventure, and they do have some features not available in Vernon County--like a petting zoo, and train rides.

They also had a CRAZY slide that started at the top of a silo. Tillie got to the top and said: "no thanks".

Bea got to the top and essentially said: "oh yeah, this is happening."

So Nate launched her down the slide and I did my best to catch her as I felt the pressure of every single parental eyeball on me silently judging us for sending such a small kid down the slide. But the second her feet hit the ground, she was running to do it again. The kid is crazy.

Bea is still going through a serious Daddy stage, so she was extremely unhappy anytime his full attention wasn't on her. Here is Nate and Tillie going on a nice fall stroll through the orchards---next to me (behind the camera) is a wailing 18 month old who is screaming Mama at the top of her lungs (because she calls Nate that....)...and will not, I repeat, will NOT let me pick her up.

Best part (ok, one of the best parts) of the orchard---loads of fresh air and wide open fields for running which of course meant good long naps for the little ones. :)

The Simple Joys of Grass

We were without a yard, or any sort of landscaping this summer as we waiting patiently (ok, at times not so patiently) for our landscaping to go in.

It is officially in, and we could not be happier. First, it is truly the completion of the new home project. Second, it was a straight up dust bowl all summer long, combined with the constant battle of Beatrice shoving fistfuls of dirt in her mouth anytime you let her outside.

Third....this.

The joys of being able to run and roll and sit and play in our backyard had yet to be realized. And now that they are here, they are oh so joyous. We got a couple of good nights of playing in before the cold is supposed to come. We look forward to sledding, and building snowmen and snow angels in the coming months. Because lets face it we will see more months with white stuff than this beautiful brand new lawn.

(seriously, this lawn. i took my shoes off and just walked around on it forever. Velvety. Yum)

One of a Kind

It was a very sad day today we we said good-bye to the Teskey Family. Sina and Ryan moved next door to us about 5 years ago and as Sina and I both say: "instantly knew we wanted to be each others friends."

As luck would have it, and as the now long-running joke goes, Sina is to my Nate as I am to her Ryan. More often than not when we would be talking/venting/laughing about something ridiculous in our lives, we would find ourselves saying that we would have totally responded like the other spouse.

Perhaps that is why it always seemed so easy, and natural and as if we had been friends forever. We both found our friend equivalent of our spouse. But with all the benefits that a really good girlfriend brings with it, that sometimes a husband just doesn't get (like when you just need a good cry, or the total understanding that our kids help distract each other).

We bonded over Packers and brats, gardening, books, cooking, kids and everything in between.

5 years and 4 kids later (each almost too perfectly spaced 11 months apart), the Teskey's are WI bound for an amazing opportunity for their family. I am so excited for them and all it will bring. Of course I am jealous at their proximity of the Badgers and Packers, but all the more reason to get together.

But oh, how I am going to miss them. Sina was my 'cup of sugar', my 'wanna walk to get the kids?', my 'its last minute but want to go for a walk at 8PM because i had a super shitty day'. The Teskey's embedded themselves into our lives like famiy. Easy. Simple. Comfortable.

The void will never be totally filled, and it will be felt by all (including Bea who already loves trying to keep up with Elena!). I have already started my countdown for the return that was promised (what 5-8 years from now? :)) and know we will easiy pick up right where we left off.

Now, to start scouting for two perfect lots to build right next to each other.....