Roomba

We got a new vacuum the other day. Since my old one had been on the fritz for an embarrassingly long time, we finally broke down and replaced it. In the mean time, we had three little “Roombas” to crawl around the room avoiding furniture and swallowing up anything big enough to see on our carpet. Gross.

The twins were fascinated with the vacuum.

Joe, on the other hand, wanted to keep a safe distance.

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We are really full swing into potty training now. Joe is great about using the potty in the mornings and occasionally in the afternoons and at bath time. His treat for actually producing: watching a trailer of “Cars” on the computer. It is his all time favorite movie (of the two movies he’s actually seen.) We’re still working on our first #2. :)

More from Joe:

• “Bath time is over, Joe. Say bye bye, water.” Not ready to head into bed, he protested: “No! Hi, water! Hi, water!”
  
• “Joe, we can play with the Play-Doh when the twins go down for a nap.” I was thinking that the babies needed to go down in an hour or so, but Joe had other ideas: “Okay, goodnight babies!”
  
• “I’m naked!” screamed as he gleefully runs through the house.
  
• “No, babies, you’re too little.” Joe has to protect his Play-Doh and crayons and coloring books from their grabby little hands. Playing on the coffee table with Joe was when the babies first started “cruising” – another big milestone on their way to walking.
  
• “Mader’s too fat” He was trying to stuff his Hot-Wheel-sized Mader (the tow truck from Cars) into a shape sorter slot.
  
  I heard a bunch of screaming in the basement the other day. All three of the boys were in their play tent screaming at each other – taking turns, of course. They were having such fun that I couldn’t squelch the noise. They continued the game later that day in the bath tub. This was a little harder to take. They’re SO loud. But, I must admit that it was heartwarming to see them interacting and playing together.
  
  

I'm okay, thanks!

Thank you so much for all of your prayers. Luke did just fine with his surgery.

"I'm all ready in my baby hospital gown."

"Let's play!"

Luke was given some type of medication that helps the babies relax and not be scared to leave their parents and to not care much that they are getting an IV, seeing the operating room, etc. They say it also has an amnesic effect so that the child won't even remember leaving mom. Oh, the wonders of modern medicine.

"Whoa, man! You gotta try this stuff!"

As he woke up from his surgery, he was groggy and super cuddly. All he wanted to do was snuggle with his new little friend (any suggestions for names for the floppy little Dalmatian?) and nurse. He was such a trooper when the anesthesia wore off. He hasn't been very fussy at all. What a tough kid!

Again, thanks to all of you for your heartfelt prayers and well wishes. We know God was watching over our little boy.

Prayers Please

Our darling Luke is having some minor outpatient surgery tomorrow. Please pray for him. The surgery starts at 9:30 am. Thank you!

The Birthday Boy

Happy 29th Birthday, Daddy!

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We love you very much!!

We spent the day having fun – Blueberry pancakes for breakfast, Mass, naps, the Packers game, a trip to the apple orchard and a concert at church. We even got to enjoy Mass as a couple since all of the boys went to the church babysitting. Joe really enjoyed the orchard and seeing how the fruit grows. He also loved riding on Scott’s shoulders.

The Bruisers

Luke clapped today! He was so proud of himself. I taught both of the boys to give “high five” when we were driving home from KC. They both laughed and laughed when their little hands made noises when they hit mine. Now, Luke doesn’t need me to make the cool sound! When I clap to get Luke to imitate, Patrick “claps” his legs, the table or whatever makes a noise. He hasn’t figured out to use his other hand.

The twins have been fighting a lot lately. Usually, it’s over a toy (the “toy of the moment”) that they both MUST have at that exact moment. Sometimes it’s over a binky or one of Joe’s sippy cups that has found it’s way to the floor. At first, it was cute, but now they are really going at it. They roll around and whack each other on the head and pull hair. I noticed this morning that one of the fights resulted in a little cut under Luke’s left eye. I’m sure it was just a fingernail that needs to be clipped, but with all of their other bruises just from still being wobbly on their feet, the boys look pretty tough. I just hope no one calls social services...

Joe’s latest:

• “Guess what?” followed by a little babble, then a string of some of his favorite things “Blah, blah, Bob Builder, Wiggles, Trawberries”
  
• “Great song, Mommy! Great song,” whenever something he likes is playing on the radio or a CD. He even said it when he set off one of his singing toys – Old MacDonald really isn’t a great song over and over.
  
• “I make a song all by myself. I did it!” His potty chair plays a little song when he potties. This is very exciting to him and fine with us.
  
• For minor infractions, Joe has to go to timeout for the amount of time it takes to sing the alphabet song. I told him to head to the corner and say his ABC’s and he trotted to his timeout spot and said “ABC’s!” I had to give him credit and he got a free pass out of his mini-timeout.
  
• When Joe was making a Play-Doh snake, he accidentally broke it in half. He took it to Scott and asked, “Can you fix it like Bob Builder, Daddy?”
  

The twins are the age that Joe was when we moved into this house. I just can’t believe it. Time flies SO fast. Joe is growing so tall and changing so much lately – talking, jumping, reasoning. He’s such a big boy now. Patrick and Luke seem so young compared, but I know they will be walking in a few months. All these toddlers! I love it.

Where's that kid's mother?

Bedtime prayers are so fun for us. Everyone is bathed and has been wrestled into diapers and PJ (and I mean WRESTLED!) The twins like to roll around Joe’s room chewing on his books while Daddy reads and then we all say prayers together, asking God to bless everyone in our families and all our friends and neighbors, and we end with the “Angel of God” prayer.

Joe loves lawn-mowing right along side Daddy. He even turns his bubble mower when Scott does. It’s super cute.

From the mouth of Joe:

• “I’m glad to see you, Daddy!” as Scott walked in from work
• “I’m excited!” He says this often now when he’s about to do something he wants like eating pancakes at McDonald’s, playing on the computer or watching a Wiggles DVD from the library
• “What are you doing in mommy’s slippers?” “I’m going to Notre Dame” “What are you going to do there?” “Watch football”
• “Hello, I’m reading” he said matter-of-factly when I opened his bedroom door after his nap. He was sitting in his rocking chair with one of his favorite books and babbling to himself.
• “That’s yucky” Most commonly said in the bathroom
• “Are you okay?” I ask when he recently bumped his head on some furniture. “Yes, I’m fine”
• “I… hungry. Uh, I …am hungry” Nice to have him correcting his own English.
• “That’s silly” when he saw this picture of cousin Kolbe wearing funny glasses:

We were reading a book about plants and I thought Joe would need a little explanation of what a cactus was because he probably hadn’t seen one before. I was wrong. Joe immediately said “Yes, racecar said ‘ow, ow, ow!’” I thought that was a funny thing to say until we were watching a preview for Cars the movie and I saw the scene he was talking about – Lightening McQueen drives off a cliff into a bunch of cacti. Pretty clever association, Joe.

Is this a pattern? Joe seems much less in control of his emotions lately. I would just blame it on a lack of sleep, but twice in three days? Joe had a total breakdown at the zoo on Friday. This was very difficult for me having the twins, too. Eventually, I just had to strap him into the stroller while my friend Dawn helped out with one of the babies. Joe basically screamed his head off the whole LONG walk to the car. Normally, I would try to pretend that he wasn’t my kid, but that wasn’t an option since I had to push him in the stroller.

Sunday, we went to a fall festival at a city just north of us. Joe did fine on the 5 block walk from the car, but once we got to the exhibits, he lost it a little. When we got all the way down the street – the farthest we could be from our car – he lost it a lot. Since he was wearing a Packers shirt, one guy commented that he was just being a typical Packers fan. Other people didn’t realize that I was his mother (Scott had Joe, and I was pushing the twins behind them) and would eye-roll and whisper once they had passed by. I guess I should have defended Joe (maybe my husband, too. Who knows what they were saying about Scott) but I was too busy pretending he wasn’t my kid!

35 years of wedded bliss

Thirty-five years ago Monday, my parents were married. We want to wish them a very happy (belated) anniversary.

Getting what he deserves

This is what happens when one baby doesn’t get his morning nap. I had to pry the scrambled eggs out of Patrick’s hand as I put him down.

So, yesterday, Scott decided to be Mr. Nice Guy and make us all dinner. I needed the break, and I tried very hard not to add my own commentary or offer suggestions to improve his cooking effort. It was almost entirely his project. The end result, I must say, was a very tasty meal. After dinner, the smart aleck quipped that it was the best meal he’d had in years. To which I replied, “Yes, Scott. And I think that you deserve only the best, which is why you should cook dinner from now on.”

and another...

Scott’s cousin Matt and his wife Jen announced that they were having baby #3 in May! We are very excited to have another cousin.

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When we saw them the other weekend, Joe and Clare had a great time performing for us “on stage.” They used the fireplace tools as microphones and sang at the top of their lungs. The only thing they sang in common and understandably was “TODAY!”

Our beautiful little goddaughter Gabrielle was only mildly interested in her sister and Joe’s antics. We’ve been told that she is an excellent baby. Due in no small part to her fantastic godparents, I’m sure.

Miss Clare strikes a pose.

Joe thinks it’s a burlesque show.

Another new family member

Scott’s sister Katie is engaged! We are all so happy! Michael is a wonderful guy. He will fit right in with the family. Scott’s happy to be getting another brother-in-law and the boys will be excited about getting such a cool new uncle (once they understand what is happening)

We visited Michael’s fire station with the boys. Joe was a little out of sorts, but Grammie, Granddad, Scott and I really enjoyed learning all about the house and the trucks (technically, it was a “quint” not a truck)

We peppered Michael with questions and posed the boys on the fire trucks, proving that we are already going to be the imposing in-laws. Michael was a very gracious host.

Joe has already added Michael’s name to his bedtime prayer list!

Uncle Jeff

Happy Birthday to Uncle Jeff! We're sorry we missed posting this on his actual birthday, but we are very proud of him for serving our country in Iraq right now.

Brian and Kelli's Wedding

Scott’s brother Brian’s wedding was last Sunday. Kelli looked beautiful! She and Joe are good buddies and he wanted her to hold him right before the big show. Joe was so handsome in his tux. I was so nervous about Joe not being able to walk down the aisle that I couldn’t sleep the night before. I’m happy to report that he did it! He held hands with the two adorable flower girls. On the way down the aisle, he announced to the last few rows, “Hi, I name is Joe Joe!” Maybe he did it the whole way down, but I didn’t hear. He was such a little angel during the wedding, too. I read the petitions, and after I returned to my seat, Joe said “Yay, mommy” while clapping. Luckily, only a few people heard that. Nothing like your own cheering section!

After the wedding, we took the trolley to Union Station and then to the reception. Joe loved the trip. He also loved the little flower girl!

After the first kiss, she kept asking him to “give me a kiss!” He obliged for a while, then he got bored, and the two of them enjoyed looking out the window together.

Suzanne and Scott on the trolley

Uncle Chris with Joe

At the reception, we noted that cousins Johnny, Scott and Matt looked a little like a mafia meeting – talking football or politics, no doubt. They paused for a minute to get this shot

Cousins-in-law? Sarah, me and Jen

Of course, knowing that the photographer would be taking all of these lovely pictures of the bride and groom, I didn’t take any. So, on this post dedicated to their wedding, there are no pictures of Brian and Kelli!

We'll post their photographer's link when we get it.

The rehearsal dinner

Sorry about the lack of posts recently. We have been in KC for Scott's brother Brian's wedding. Here are some pics from the rehearsal dinner:

Scott’s sister Katie, bride Kelli, mother-in-law Kathy and me

The boys: Caleb (friend of the groom), Scott, buddies Brian and Matt, Groom Brian with brothers Chris and David

Family friend Pauline with Scott’s maternal Granddad Carrol

Scott’s paternal grandparents, Rita and Norbert