Touch-A-Truck

 

At the beginning of the month we took the kids to the coolest fundraiser.  The event is called Touch-a-Truck and benefits the Austin Children's Shelter.  It costs a few bucks to get in and then there are tons of trucks that kids can play on and explore... fire trucks, trash trucks, construction trucks and equipment, mail trucks, moving vans, buses, neat cars, and so much more.  On the way there Ainsley was whining because trucks were for boys and she didn't want to do a boy thing but look at these faces in the pictures below from when they were in the fire truck.  She loved it just as much as Bailey!  Both kids had such a blast!

 



 

Here they are in a few construction vehicles.  Some of these had really loud horns that the kids could pull.  It was pretty deafening but of course they wanted to do it over and over.  :)

Below they are in the trash truck.  It is like Christmas morning every Friday for Bailey when the trash truck comes to our house.  He runs around with such excitement yelling "trash truck! trash truck!" at the top of his lungs until someone takes him outside to watch the truck load up our trash.  I'm sad to admit that the poor trash collectors have seen me in my jammies more times than I can count.  Anyway, I thought seeing the trash truck would be a big hit for him but among the other trucks, he didn't get too excited about it.  That said, it also wasn't running and it did have quite the odor.  But if you look closely in the pic below you can see the tops of Ainsley and Bailey's little heads in the driver seats of the trash truck.

There was also one of those barrel trains.  George was a trooper to get in and ride with them because there was no way my pregnant self was going to climb into one of those things!

 

And of course it wouldn't be a kid's event without at least one bouncy house.  Here we ran into our friend Claire!  Love these pictures of the kids - such joy!



 

Then of course there was my favorite truck - the UPS truck!!  :)  Neither one of the kids were that excited about posing with me for this picture despite their typical excitement when this truck pulls up in front of our house.

Bailey relaxing in the back of a vintage convertible.  Cute boy.

The event had several other things in addition to just trucks... a small petting zoo, face painting, lots of food trailers for lunch/snacks, and live kids music.  We didn't stay for it all because there were lots of lines and I was kind of at my pregnant limit but my crew is always excited about getting their painted so we were sure to do that.

But we did catch a few tunes on the way out.  Such a fun morning and definitely going to become an annual event for us!

 



Bailey- 2.5 years

I have been writing this post on Bailey all fall, so it kind of spans a bit, but these are all sweet, funny, and frustrating things about his personality that I want to be sure to remember.

At two and a half, Bailey loves to be outside, would always prefer to be running or jumping to sitting still, delights at pointing out bird poop on the car or talking about poop at any chance he gets, already has an opinion on his clothes and prefers to wear pants that have pockets and shirts that have either a car, train, or super hero emblem, already lounges like a teenager, would wear sunglasses all the time if we didn't consistently lose the 5+ pairs we own, and for the most part colors and paints in a series of straight vertical lines.  He is the best combination of wild and sweet and I can't get enough of him at this age!!

For the fall Bailey has been in speech and occupational therapy once a week.  His therapists are awesome and I have been really proud of how far he has come.  Over the past few months since getting tubes in his ears, he has become much more verbal.  He is beginning to speak in short sentences and uses several phrases and words to communicate.  Several of his words still sound very similar and so out of context it can be difficult to know what he needs and we still have lots of instances of frustration when we can't understand him.... but we are still seeing improvement and are thankful.  I also feel like he is able to understand what we are saying better, ie. responds better to our explanations and requests, when he wants to.  He started occupational therapy this fall because we were noticing some oral motor sensitivity issues specifically around eating and his speech therapist had noticed low muscle tone and movement in his cheeks, lip, and tongue.  He has done great in this area and with a few exercises that the therapist does and we repeat at home and a few other changes and additions to his activities and schedules, we have seen great improvement.  He is more willing to put new things in his mouth and is better able to interact with food once it's there.  We have also seen improvement with his gross motor skills like reducing his toe walking and being able to jump with two feet.  He is happy to go to therapy and has fun while he's there but I know that is isn't always easy and I'm so proud of his hard work and the progress he has made.

Also, as a brief follow up since having tubes put in his ears, he hasn't gotten sick like he was this summer (only having a minor cold and currently strep throat from sister since his surgery) and he has just been able to hear so much better. We are so incredibly thankful for this surgical option especially that he has remained healthy for this long.  We have seen such an improvement in him overall and it is such a blessing!

Ainsley and him have developed quite the bond and want to be together almost constantly. It is sweet because I can tell that they miss each other when one of them is away for awhile.  They often play together great, with the most popular games lately being kitty where they both crawl around on the floor and make high pitch meowing noises, chase where they growl and run after each other, super heroes where thankfully so far they are both crime fighters against imaginary bad guys instead of fighting against each other and pirates on endless treasure hunt adventures.  This past week at school when talking about what they were thankful for Bailey said that he was most thankful for Ainlsey.  Things like that melt my heart.  That said, it isn't all golden and they of course do their fair share of fighting.  They are also funny because they each like to have their own space and if they don't "match up" and one wants to play but the other doesn't, they often have hurt feelings.  But they truly adore each other and Bailey feels so grown up and proud when he gets to do the things that he has seen Ainsley do.  For instance, was super sweet and thrilled when his big boy backpack came in the mail and when he got to go to the gymnastics program and Ainsley went to last year.  He kept saying 'me. me. me' over and over in excitement and disbelief when we walked into gymnastics the first time.

Bailey's imagination is growing more and more each day and I love to watch this type of play develop in him.  He imagines and plays pretend a lot with Ainsley as I just mentioned but he also plays a lot of pretend games by himself.  He loves to pretend that he is a baby and loves to get all cuddled up in pillows and blankets and go 'nite-nite' or just hide.  He can also spend large amounts of time pretending with cars, planes, trains, and little figurines. He zooms them around and around on the furniture, any willing nearby body, and all around the room, the whole time narrating with sound effects.  But just when I think that he is all boy, he shows me his more tender side and will play with his stuffed dolls, making them rough versions of houses, having them walk around, and brushing their hair.

Another thing Bailey adores is books.  He will often bring books over and ask us to read to him and can spend good amounts of time flipping through pages of books on his own.  I love to watch how he studies each page and am so thankful for his interest.  He has started to develop some favorite books that he likes to read before bed and requests them.

Personality wise, Bailey continues to be more laid back, easy going, and less emotional than Ainsley was/is.  George and I often joke that Bailey is all George (laid back but with a temper) and Ainsley is all me (emotionally driven especially when tired).  He is also eager to help often saying "I help, I help" and "Me too, pleeeaasseee" and is much more obedient and less defiant than he used to be.  At times he even gets a little sensitive and heart-broken when he gets in trouble now, which is something I definitely didn't see coming.  That said, Bailey has developed quite the possessive streak.  He has always been a daddy's boy (sigh) but has started getting very possessive of George especially at the end of the day.  He will say, sometimes very harshly at Ainsley, "NO, my Daddy!!"  And he won't let Ainsley get close to George.  He also likes to claim "his" property in a very possessive way, "my book, my book" "my bed, my bed" even if he has just walked into Ainsley's room and picks up one of her toys "my leap pad, my leap pad."  Situations like this usually don't end all that well.  :)

Which leads us to his pouting.  I'm not sure where he got this but he has become an expert pouter and does so anytime he doesn't get what he wants.  It is always silent and short lived but and usually makes us smile because he looks so cute.  But it is definitely his was of showing us that he isn't happy about something!

(This is a phase that passed earlier this fall but I'm still cherish it and want to have it documented.)  At night, George usually does storytime with Bailey while I do it with Ainsley and then we switch because Bailey asks for me to put him in bed and Ainsley wants Daddy to 'lay with her for one minute.'  This is my favorite time of day with Bailey because he is so so sweet.  I hold him and he puts both of his arms around my neck and plays with my hair.  Or he squeezes my neck and rubs noses with me saying 'nose, nose, nose' over and over.  He will also squeal with excitement and give me sweet kisses.  And inevitably before the process ends he will say 'one more' at least once for things to continue longer.  Even thought it all only takes a few minutes, it melts my heart so much to feel such love, trust, and joy radiating from this little boy.  Ahhh.... the best!

My favorite sweet moments with Bailey now are probably in the morning.  George will bring him into bed with us and he is always so happy and excited to see us and will say, "hi mommy" in a high-pitched and sweet tone.  I'm usually still half asleep and he will sometimes rub my arm or snuggle his lovey to my face or lay his face down really close to mine on the pillow and just want to be close.  And then sometimes he will shove me to face the other way and say "shush, mommy night-night."  Either way I just love it and I love him to pieces!

Fab 4 Visit

Back in October, the Fab 4 came to visit for the day and brought all their kids!!  This was the first time that we have all been together with all the wee ones since the fall of 2010 and back then there were just 3 munchkins with 2 on board.  In 3 years, we've expanded to 8 munchkins with 2 on board!!  Needless to say the day was full of crazy and somewhat controlled chaos, especially since it was rainy and muddy outside.  Still, somehow we were able to reconnect and dig deeper into each other lives than is sometimes possible over the phone.  And it was such a blessing to see how each other's children have grown.  Here are a few of the older wee ones chomping on popcorn and watching a movie while the younger kiddos napped.

Below is our best attempt at a group shot of the kiddos... right to left, Riley holding little brother Grason, Trip holding Henry, Bailey crying because I unknowingly interrupted his pooping session to make him take this picture, Anna Kate, Ainsley, and Wills.

And here is our best attempt at the full group shot.  Of course we waited till the end of the day when everyone was about to leave to take the picture hence some of the worn out mommy faces... but at least we will have it to look back on and appreciate one day when our kiddos are getting their drivers licences and graduating from high school.  Yikes!  It is not wise for this hormone-filled momma to think such thoughts!  Anyway, love you friends!  I'm so thankful for each of you and your wee ones and appreciate you all making the effort to get get together and stay in touch especially during these crazy early years.  xoxox

36 weeks

This past Thursday, I officially made it to 36 weeks.  Aside from heartburn and normal back aches at the end of the day, I'm thankful that I have been relatively comfortable most of this pregnancy.  It feels like such a blessing especially considering how difficult Bailey's pregnancy and the past 2 years have been.  That said, I am feeling big and tired and in the past week, my back pain has increased and lasts most of the day.  It is mostly manageable with stretching and resting and I'm trying my hardest to slow down and accept more help.  Even on the hard days when a month still feels like such a long time to be pregnant, I'm thankful that I've made it this far feeling so good.

Of course, I'm also incredibly thankful that everything baby-related looks good.  As far as we know, we have a healthy little nugget just growing and kicking away.  My official due date is Dec 12th but by some calculations it is the 4th (which is oddly enough is when Ainsley's and Bailey's due dates were) and although they say my belly measures on the smallish side, they have also told me that the baby is measuring 5 days to a week big (which is opposite of both Ainsley and Bailey who measured about a week small).... so, all that to say, I am hoping that this little gal decides to come closer to her actual due date, rather than Christmas.  :)

Both Ainsley and Bailey continue to be excited about the baby.  Ainsley is sweet when I need to sit down or rest and often comes over to rub my back or belly.  We talk a lot about how the baby makes me more tired and hungry because she is growing so big.  Ainsley tells me that she never wants to have a baby in her belly making her tired!  Ha!  And out of the blue the other day, she said that I looked like a snowman.  She's not far from the truth and it cracked me up!  As wild as Bailey is, he can be so tender-hearted when it comes to his baby dolls and other baby's we see.  I continue to be surprised and pleased by his interest in other babies and even though he can't verbally express much excitement, I'm hoping that this is his way of showing us that he's on board as well.  And with the addition of more and more baby stuff into the house, Bailey has started asking "where baby go?"  He kind of acts sad when he asks, like the baby came and is gone now and he missed it.  When I point to my tummy, he says "yay, baby" and sometimes gives my belly a little rub.  It is very endearing. 

As challenging as it is some days with the stress of trying to get everything down both for the baby and for the upcoming holidays while being so tired, I am trying to enjoy these last few weeks being pregnant.  I don't know if I will have this experience again and I'm trying to be mindful, appreciative, and prayerful of each little (and powerful) kick and squirm of this new life.  I'm so excited to meet this baby girl and feel so blessed that the Lord has allowed her into our life.  

Halloween

I have to admit that at this age, I kind of love Halloween.  It is just such a fun holiday of imagination and pretend and what little kid (and kid at heart) doesn't love that?!  Both munchkins had Halloween parades at school so they got to go to school in their costumes at the beginning of the day.  I was planning on just sending Bailey in his skeleton jammies because I wasn't sure if he was going to have a chance to change out of his costume and I didn't want anything to happen to it before trick-or-treating that night... but little brother wanted to be just like big sister.  When he saw Ainsley putting her wonder women costume on, he begged and pleaded to wear his superman costume, so I gave in.  He was just asking so sweetly and was so excited about it so I just had to remind myself what was really important.  He was so thrilled when he got to be "man-man" (which is what his version of superman sounds like) that he even added the shades himself.  Above is my super hero crew on their way into school.

Ainsley and Bailey go to different schools that are in the same building and they each had parades at the same time but in different places.  But thankfully, I was able to swing by both and get to see the each kiddo in their moment.  Ainsley's school announced each child and what their costume was and they had the opportunity to walk across the stage.  Ainsley choose to sprint across the stage like wonder women and so this was the only picture I could manage!  The next picture is her afterwards waiting for the rest of her class to go.

Then it was off to catch Bailey's parade.  Their class walked around the building and got to trick-or-treat at the school office at the end.  Even being superman, Bailey had a slower pace, so I was able to get lots of cute shots of my lil guy.

 Later that morning, I was in charge of Ainsley's class Halloween party.  I was not in charge of the decorations but look how cute the tables turned out!  I handled the food - mummy hot dogs, witch's stew (Halloween trail mix) and jack-o-lantern orange fruit cups!  Something that was fun to see was how Ainsley has changed between this year and last year.  I did her class Halloween party last year too and then, she was very excited to "experience" the party with me, meaning she wanted me to help her with the craft and sit next to her the whole time.  This year she was very happy to see my there but was more excited to "experience" the party with her fellow classmates.  She wanted their input on the craft and was eager to show them what was in her goodie bag.  She was happier for me to just snap a few pictures and then socialize with the other moms.  It made me happy to see that she has "found her place" socially but made me a little nostalgic for how fast she is growing up. 

 Bailey got to tagalong during the last half of Ainsley's party.  I'll admit that I was a little nervous about how this would go because he would be coming at the end of the party when the big kids would be getting cupcakes and treats which he might not get and it was past his naptime.  But he did awesome and sat in this chair eating the two tootsie rolls that he got at the end of his class parade and playing with this phone... for almost 20 minutes!  It cracked me up!

Then after the longest afternoon of my children's lives, it was finally time to trick-or-treat!  We went over to a friend and neighbor's house for dinner beforehand so that we could all trick-or-treat together. Here are more pics of my crime fighting duo.  I have to admit that among all the princesses and fairies, I was a little proud that my daughter had chosen to be a super hero.  :)

The crew...  (left to right) Emma O, Henry, Rebecca Jane, Harper, Ainsley, Claire, and Bailey.

These two were super excited to score the first turn in the princess car.  It did take me a while to get comfortable with their freedom on the open road in this little car even though the streets had little to no cars on them.  This momma is definitely not ready for driving yet!  :)

Bailey doing his superman pose...

Picking up a few more passengers...

Needless to say, it was a late and fun night.  The kids scored a ton of candy and had a lot of fun.  We didn't go up to the door with them every time and after a several houses, I realized that Ainsley was going up and getting a piece of candy for herself and then asking for a piece of candy for her little brother... even though Bailey was standing right there next to her asking for his open piece of candy.  But she was honest about it and would deposit the extra piece of candy in his bucket when they walked away from the house.  Once I realized how Bailey's bucket was getting so full, I put an end to it, but thinking about it still makes me laugh.

Happy Halloween!