Adventures in Mothering

Our Mothers of Preschoolers (MOPS) theme this year is Adventures in Mothering. And I can definitely relate to this theme. I have made my trips to the "outside" world to a minimum because, well, I just can't imagine it turning out well, no matter how good the kids are. So, we are definitely a little stir crazy but trying to make the most of it....at least until it gets above 10 degrees! But I have a few pictures and quotes I wanted to share over the last few weeks. I thought many of you would enjoy them.
On anther note, Austin and I went on our first date this week, which was SO nice. I loved it and can't wait to go on more.
We are adjusting well and the last two nights I have slept from 10pm-5:30am. I am hoping this trend continues!! Jackson continues to be a great baby.....although on Monday and Tuesday, he was VERY cranky/irritated. There were only a few positions that he would settle down (on his belly and hunched over)...which made me think his belly was hurting and/or some type of acid reflux. But last night and today he has been doing great. So, we'll see how things go.
On Monday, Momma P came over to watch the kids for a few hours. I usually take Jackson, if she is by herself. But the times I have left Jackson(when she has brought Poppa P or Jarred), he has slept through most of the time that I am gone. So, I thought I would try leaving Jackson so I can get a lot done in a short time span. Well, when I got home home Momma P said in her sweet voice "Jackson was a little fussy" during the time I was gone. I was a little surprised (and partially believed her (sorry, Momma P...not my sweet baby boy!:) but after Momma P left, the fussiness continued/escalated until he would fall asleep...which makes it hard to take care of the other two kids. It was a long afternoon/evening. So, finally when all the kids were asleep I sat down on the couch and saw this commercial. I have seen this commercial a few times....but this time, it was extremely funny. I definitely had thoughts that I did this to Momma P on Monday.....and I could definitely do this again, somedays!:)

Here are some random quotes around my house:

• Austin has been rotating between the kids (once they turn 2) taking them on a "date" once a month. It is a special 1:1 time that the kids truly value and look forward to. Drew hates it when it is Maddy's turn. So, today when Austin told Maddy she was going on a date...he came up to dad and looked him in the eyes and said, "But I LOVE you, daddy." And then proceeded to ask Maddy to stay home with mom....hmm, is staying home with me so bad?
  
• Recently when I pic up Drew at the nursery, the nursery workers tell me he is hilarious (which always makes me nervous about what he said or did). They recently told me that he has been saying "Mommy/Daddy says boys don't...." and he has learned that most people leave him alone if he start his sentence this way. Some examples are "Mommy says boys don't color" and "Mommy says boys don't dance". Interesting how he picked up on this.
  
• Whenever the kids are talking to me, I try to give them my full attention. But being a multi-tasker, I notice sometimes I am doing something and partially listening to the kids at the same time. Well, Drew has been quick to call me out. When I do this he says to me "Mommy, don't say uh-huh. Talk to me and use your words". Yikes, that makes me feel guilty instantly. But, I can guarantee I give him my full attention after he says that!:)
• Maddy is able to put her seat belt on by herself. I wait for her to put it on and she gives me the red or green light. Recently she wanted a change, because she asked "Can I say pink light instead of red light? I like that better."
• The other day Maddy pointed to the left side of her chest and asked "Is God here or here (pointing to the right side of her chest)? I thought it was so cute, since she has learned that God is in our heart.
  **This reminds me of Naomi when she was a child. When Naomi came home from school one day, she told my mom "I learned that there is blood in my heart. But Jesus is in my heart, too. Does that mean that Jesus is bloody?" Kind of traumatizing for a kid....but I think she turned out semi-normal!:)

I know there are several more quotes but I forget to write them down. They definitely keep me laughing throughout the day. I am having trouble uploading videos so I will post them separately, but here are a few pictures from the last few weeks:

Maddy loved her face painting from our friend, Dawn, at Nolan's B-day party.

Jackson was crying on his bouncy seat, so Drew said "Don't cry, Jackson. You can play with my train." And placed the train on his chest. It was so sweet.

Maddy loves dressing up and accessorizing....she has found that she can "accessorize" Jackson without too much fuss, for now. It was too funny to pass up a picture. But I'll try to refrain from too many "black-mail" pictures of Jackson....for his sake.

Definitely, a casualty of having an older sister.

One morning we were acting goofy and took some pictures on timer. We refrained from involving Jackson in our "family sandwich". Here's take 1:

The best "family sandwich" picture we had. Random thought: What if Austin's family took a picture like this...it would be 31 people high.....maybe next year's Christmas picture. :)