Daddy Hits FIVE!

On Sunday, October 21st Jim ran in his 5th Marathon!  We were so proud to watch daddy run this year - I even came up with some creative signs to hold!

My parents were here to navigate the course and help me with the kids (thank goodness!  I would have never managed with Addisen, she really didn't understand what we were doing!).

Jim did awesome - he improved his time by 7 minutes and finished in 3 hours and 24 minutes (if you know Jim, of course this wasn't the "perfect" run) we were amazed with our daddy!  He has improved his time by almost an hour from the first time he ran this marathon 2 years ago!

This picture is the best - Brody was so excited to see Jim at mile 21.  He was hoping for a hug, but was so excited to at least get his high five!  The expression on his face is just complete awe of his daddy - I think I will love this picture for a long time.

Here comes daddy at the finish line!

Jim had a much better finish this year - no punching the cramp in his leg...thank goodness!  I don't think I could have taken it!

Finish line in sight!

After the race we quickly found Jim and Brody just took off running.  I have a feeling Brody will be following in his daddy's foot steps - he is just so proud!

 

Brody wore a "sweat band" on his wrist that morning.  When he saw Jim he showed it to him and offered to dry the sweat off Jim's forehead!  I just love how serious Brody is while Addisen and Jim are laughing.

The best we could do for a family picture - the kids just don't want to sit still or look at the camera.

I had a few of Brody's birthday party pictures left to post.  He had his "friends" birthday at a local place called Java Gyms - he had a blast playing with his friends!

 Then on that Sunday we had the family party - complete with my SpongeBob cake creation this year!   

Nanny and Poppy sent some treats for Halloween this weekend.  The first "ring pops" that Brody or Addisen have ever had.  You can see they really enjoyed them!

We carved pumpkins yesterday.  Addisen was very dainty in putting in her light pegs - she only filled about half the holes I made for her.  It was Brody's first year for following a patter on his pumpkin.  We think he did a great job!  The light doesn't shine through very well in the dark - but the face turned out great!  I carved a Mickey Mouse this year and Jim did Winnie the Pooh - all in all they were a success!

Baby Raguckas Update:  I went for my 24 week appointment 2 weeks ago.  Everything is going well and I had told the doctor that I thought it was another girl based on the previous heart rate.  But this time - it was 140 when she first checked it but then jumped to 160 as we were talking about it possibly being a boy instead - so I guess it just wants to keep us guessing!  In another 2 weeks I will go back for another ultrasound so they can make sure the blood flow to and from the heart is good (the baby wasn't facing the right way during our 20 week ultrasound).  I am excited to see what the baby looks like then - I can remember getting to see Addisen at 20 weeks and seeing how much she had grown.  I think this one is going to be a little more active than Addisen was - it definitely has it's "awake" times during the day!

He's FIVE!

 I can't believe that my sweet little boy turned FIVE today!  This was the birthday that I actually got to relive the week that he was born.  It was so strange to be at work yesterday remembering that I was sitting there filling syringes with flu vaccine when my labor started!  How can it be five years already?

I'm glad that I have this little one growing inside me right now, it has definitely saved some tears knowing that I still have two more younger than Brody :)

 

Last night I wanted to fill Brody's room with balloons - unfortunately all we had were small balloons - it still fulfilled the purpose, he was excited to see them this morning.

While I really can't believe that 5 years have passed - I have so many great memories with this little guy.  He has forever changed our lives - in a GREAT way!  As he started DK this year, we realized just how independent he is.  He gets on the bus in the morning and heads off to school with no worries at all - he is so much braver than I was at that age!  I got an email from his teacher this week that said she really enjoys having him in her class.  She said that he has a great attitude and is always willing to try something new.  I was thrilled to hear this, but at the same time so surprised that he is so comfortable there - I am use to my shy little guy.  It's amazing how much I love him - with every day he becomes more and more special to our family.  He is so loving - to both Addisen and this little baby I am carrying around.  Everyday he wants kisses and hugs with Addisen and never forgets to hug and kiss the baby each day.  Out of the blue he will just say "Mommy, I love you so much!".  We are truly lucky to have him in our lives everyday!

Our annual picture - the angle has had to change since we now have neighbors and there are not many spots that don't have a house or pole barn :)

This morning I got up early to make Brody his special birthday pancakes - complete with sprinkles and icing!

Addisen was very excited for Brody to open his presents.  She did a good job of not riping into them, but she definitely thinks that they are her toys to play with!

He was actually interested in opening cards this year! 

 

Jim bought him a special present to wear to Rockford High School's Homecoming game tonight - a new sweatshirt!

 

 

 
Brody was able to open presents from us and Nanny and Poppy tonight.

 

He picked the "Cheese Taco Place" to go to dinner tonight.  We are pretty regular customers there, but Brody typically is too shy to talk to any of the waiters.  Tonight he told the waiter that it was his birthday - he was so excited to see the big fried ice cream come his way! 

 

 This is just the beginning of the birthday celebration.  Tomorrow is his "friends" party at a local place called Java Gyms and then on Sunday we will have the family party.  This will be one spoiled little boy by the end of the weekend!

Fall Portraits

We headed in to Rockford tonight to attempt to take some fall portraits of the kids. 

 

 

 

 

 

This random cat came walking down the trail.  Addisen is scared to death of dogs when they come anywhere near her, but this cat came up the path and she ran over to pet it!  Jim and I were amazed!

The cat really liked the kids - so it ended up being in the last of the pictures.  I thought it was pretty funny, Jim thought it was kind of creepy!

The best we got - Brody was actually participating in the photos tonight, but Addisen wanted little do with the posing! 

The picture that sums up the night - the kids and a random cat :) 

We Survived!

Brody was all smiles on the way to get on the bus the first day of school.  I even did well as he boarded the bus and rode away.  I probably would have been smart to end it there and go on to work....but of course I didn't.

 

 

Jim and I went to Meadow Ridge to meet him as he got off the bus to enter school.  He was still smiles when he got there and came to tell me he had an accident.  He has to change buses at the elementary school he will go to next year, and I guess when he got there he decided to go inside instead of getting on the Flamingo bus.  Luckily he was smart enough to ask a teacher for help!

 

Things went well as we went in the school and got him in his classroom.  Jim and I started to walk down the hall and then I heard it "mommy!".  The tears were in his eyes and mine at this point.  It took a little while to convince him to go in the classroom.   I saw a little boy sitting at a table playing with an activity and said "Brody, why don't you sit here next to Keagan" and Keagan's response "NO!".  So we kept walking and sat at a table by ourselves, then the little angel walked up, Dahlia.  She looked at Brody and said "Don't worry my daddy left me here too, he said he will come back."  And that was the start to Brody's first friendship in DK.  I cried on the way back to the house, but I'm happy to say since that morning things have been great.  Brody loves school, actually says he likes it more than Kindercare.  He even told us that he has a girlfriend - life is good :)

Addisen waiting with me for Brody to get off the bus.  Her favorite phrase as we ride to daycare every morning is "Brody Bus, Brody Bus"

We might have a little tom boy on our hands!

Brody played in his last flag football game two weekends ago.  We had missed one weekend because of his surgery.  In regards to the surgery - my advice to any parent - don't wait until they are older to do something because they will understand...do it early, because they will understand!  It was one of the saddest days in our parenting days - Jim walked Brody back to the surgery room and was near tears when he came back - making it obvious to me just how hard it had been to leave Brody in that room.  Then after the surgery they came to get me as Brody was waking up.  He was in hysterics - there was no calming him down.  They had to put an IV in during surgery and had to put a tube down his throat during the procedure to help with breathing - and those two things made him feel horrible!  He was confused due the anesthesia and the only thing in his mind that made any sense is that those doctors made him feel worse when he was done than he had felt when we showed up.  He even looked at the anesthesiologist and said "What kind of sickness did you give me?"  At times it was somewhat humorous, but it was a good hour before he calmed down enough to fall asleep.  Luckily when he woke up he was in better spirits.  However, we dealt with nightmares for about 3 nights after the surgery - I hope this was all worth it!

At the end of his flag football game he got a medal for participating.  He was so excited "This is the first football medal I have ever gotten!"

Baby Raguckas Update:  Jim and I were able to get our first glimpse at baby Raguckas last Tuesday during my 20 week ultrasound.  I couldn't believe how active the baby was.  I have been feeling it for a few weeks - but thought that it must be pretty calm most of the day.  Nope!  I just can't feel a lot of what it is doing.  We are right on track for our due date and the baby is in the 51% range for size.  Unfortunately the baby was in an odd position during the ultrasound and didn't fully cooperate with all the images they needed.  So I will be heading back at 28 weeks so they can get some more pictures of the heart.  Everything looks great, but they just have to make sure the blood is flowing correctly.  Jim and I decided not to find out with this one - we secretly found out with Addisen, but agreed it was better to not know.  I have to tell you it was hard to not ask!  Although I don't think we would have been able to find out even if we wanted to.  The heart rate was 156 - same as Addisen's during her ultrasound - so my official prediction is girl.  Jim, however, got the feeling that it was a boy during the ultrasound - so in 19 weeks we will see who is right!

My Baby Boy is Leaving the Nest...on a BUS!

 

Tomorrow will be Brody's first day of Developmental Kindergarten (Young 5s) at Rockford Public Schools.  I have been dreading this day since one week ago when we went to orientation with him.  He did pretty well overall, a little shy, but after his teacher read him a story he ran off to ride the school bus without looking back.  Jim and I met him out on the playground, he was standing next to the jungle gym watching this little boy yell at his mother, and that's when it all started setting in.  He was going to be exposed to the world, not the world that I created for him (or decided on for him), but the real world...I wasn't ready of this!  And then to top things off we asked him how the school bus ride was, he said bad, no one wanted to be his friend...my heart broke again!

Since last Monday Brody had become more excited about riding the school bus and starting in Mrs. Zimmerman's class - which was making things easier on me.  But then this weekend he started talking about how he was getting nervous to ride the bus.  At first it was because there are no seat belts on the bus and he could fall and hurt his head, and now today it is because he may not make any friends.  It is taking everything for me to not drive him in to school everyday...I know this is good for him, this is good for me...but it doesn't feel good tonight!  I told him before he went to sleep tonight that tomorrow he would leave mommy's nest, he curled up in my arms and said he didn't want to...oh how I wish that was an option!  I sit here writing all this while my "school ager" is sleeping in his bed and I can feel his little sister/brother just barely kicking away in my stomach - how strange to be trying to hold on to one so tightly with literally carrying the other one everywhere I go!  It seems like yesterday that I was laying in bed talking to Jim on the phone and telling him " Oh!  I just felt the baby move!" - now I just wish I could keep him with me forever! 

 

 Luckily I also have this little one to keep me busy tomorrow!  She will keep me smiling and moving in the morning!  The plan is to take her off to daycare and make it back here in time to see Brody off on the bus.  And then of course meet him at school to make sure he is feeling okay about the change (and so I at least know he made it through the bus changes and arrived at school!)  I did check with the teacher to make sure it wouldn't disrupt his day too much by showing up!  Then I told Jim I will probably end of leaving work early to come home and see Brody off the bus, I don't think I will be able to stand not seeing his expression as he gets off the bus - that will be the answer to everything for me...is he smiling?  Yes - then that will make my days ahead easier!

 We spent the long weekend at the cottage - and Brody did a lot of fishing with his dad!

 Yesterday we were out swimming in the water when Brody tried to climb the dock and slipped off.  At first I thought that he had just gotten scared, but then we realized his finger was bleeding. Some how he got his finger stuck on the dock and tore the skin between his top two knuckles off - the poor little guy!  I have been changing the bandage daily and he just cries and cries...I think it will be a while before it heals - and of course happens the day before school starts!

 Here he is trying to get me to give his worm a kiss!

The local orchard had a special event this weekend - so the kids were able to enjoy some rides and ponies!  On Saturday we went for a horse drawn wagon ride and then on Sunday went back so the kids could play in "Kids Land".  We were shocked by how many rides Addisen went on - she even rode a pony!  Brody had a great time on the rides and in the bounce house - I think he went through it 15-20 times!  The Cottage has turned out to be everything I hoped - a place to make great family memories!

Brody started playing flag football a few weeks ago.  Jim is the assistant coach and is definitely getting a new idea of what patience means (it is a team of 4-5 year olds!).  Brody has been doing great - he got to play on the field at the local high school for his first two games.  He was lucky enough to make a touchdown the first game and was oh so close to doing it again in game two!

 One of my favorite parts about being at the Cottage is sitting by the fire at night and watching Brody and Jim fish from the dock.  The joy I see in Brody's face and all the trust he has in his daddy - it just seems perfect.  And then the best part is Brody always comes running to me to make smores...most the time the marshmallows are a lot crisper than I would like (he insists on lighting them on fire)...but how can a mom say no!

I hope everyone has a great week....I will keep you updated on how I make it through tomorrow morning!  Then on Thursday Brody will be having his 3rd set of tubes put in his ears and his adenoids removed.  The surgery is only suppose to take about 30 minutes - so keep us in mind from 8:30-9am - I'm sure I will be a worried mess then too!  The recovery isn't suppose to be too bad, he may have a sore throat for a few days, but hopefully he is feeling good by the weekend.