Thumbs Up/Thumbs Down #36

My apologies for the much belated post! I'm going to do something I don't usually do and start with 'downs' first.

Down:

• Mike and I had really been looking forward to a non-work related vacation this Labor Day weekend in Spokane, WA. Mike really enjoyed SERE(survival school) when he was there in Sept. of 2008 and has been wanting us to go together ever since. It's a fairly long drive from Mountain Home, but not bad for a 4 day weekend. We arrived there on Friday night, had a great time Saturday and then in the middle of the night Kennedy woke us up - she had vomited all over her bed. We cleaned her up and calmed her down and put her back to bed, 45 minutes later she vomited again. This cycle continued until the next day when she seemed to be doing fine. Since none of the rest of us felt bad, Mike and I decided it must have been he food we fed her that night being too rich for her system. We went to church that morning and were going to head out to Coeur d'Alene afterwards. We stopped by the mall to pick something up and Kennedy puked all over Mike in the middle of the mall - it was awful. We headed back to our room and stayed there the rest of the day. On Monday we drove home and things had been going great for Kennedy. Literally 15 minutes from home (on an 8 hr. drive) Jackson threw up all over himself and in his car seat. It was so gross, but we booked it home and cleaned everything up. I stayed up all night with Jackson on Monday and by Tuesday he was doing fine. Tuesday morning Mike felt bad, but thankfully never threw up and by Tuesday evening I got it! All of us were doing much better yesterday with the exception of a few diaper blow-outs from Kennedy until last night when Kennedy decided to throw up some more. So far all is well today, but I'm so exhausted and needless to say our vacation stunk - literally! Maybe we just aren't meant to travel.
• With all of this going on we have definitely relapsed on the potty training for Jackson. He did do fairly well on the road trip and always went when we took him at a rest stop. The problem is the miles of nothingness between here and Washington. I suppose we could have just let him go on the side of the road, but we were lazy and just let him go in his diaper. Hopefully we won't be starting back at square one with him.

UP:

• On the positive side of things the one day we did spend in Spokane we had a great time. They had a festival called Pig Out in the Park going on where local restaurants and food vendors gathered in the Riverfront Park. Jackson had fun riding some of the kiddie rides and we enjoyed walking around down town and seeing all the beautiful architecture of the old buildings. 

Didn't think we were ever going to get Jackson away from the big wagon!

Yes, we're the cheesy tourists that took the 5 minute gondola ride!

Who needs a vacation when you can just play in the playground!

Backseater just like his Daddy!

This was the only size available - what a waste, we only ate like an 8th of it.

Seriously!

I just thought this display in the mall was neat, so I took a pic!

Eating at the Rusty Moose!

• For every one thing I don't like about the military (i.e. deployments, TDYs, long work hours) there are at least three things I love, so it more than evens out. We stayed at the TLF (Temporary Lodging Facility) at Fairchild AFB in Spokane instead of a hotel this weekend. It was literally a two bedroom furnished house with full size kitchen, laundry room, dining table with high chair everything you could think of needing for $52/night! Despite this awful illness, we were so blessed to be in a facility with laundry and separate bedrooms so some of us could sleep. There is nothing worse than being sick when you are away from home, but it's much better to feel like you're in a home instead of a confined hotel room.
• Kennedy is walking all over the place and her two top teeth have finally broken through! Such a cutie!

Favorite Thing:

  Last year we joined the iphone movement. I seriously love having a smart phone and all the cool things you can do on them, but it seems like every time I'm talking to someone and try to hold the phone against my shoulder so I can multitask, I end up muting them or three way calling someone else. I found this handset at Bed Bath and Beyond for $15 (I used $5 off a $15 purchase coupon to make it $10) that you plug into the headphone jack. It has a volume up/down and call button on it. It makes it so much easier to talk to everyone! I even like using it in the car!

Thumbs Up/Thumbs Down 2012 #35

Up:

• Jackson started Mother's Day Out (MDO) on Wednesday. He had so much fun and was so excited to go to school. I managed to snap a photo for the first day of school this year. He's also doing so great with his potty training. He hasn't had an accident at school and has gone 3 days this past week without even going in his diaper during nap time! I'm so proud of him. He still doesn't really tell you when he needs to pee, but he absolutely lets you know when he needs to poop. Hopefully he continues to get better at it and we can get rid of pull-ups all together!

• Kennedy is walking as of yesterday! I was on the phone with my Mom and Kennedy was playing with Jackson in the living room. She just let go of the coffee table and took off - it was crazy! She did it a few more times throughout the evening, but won't do it on command yet! She also went for her much belated 9 month check-up this morning. She is 19 lbs. 9 oz. (47%) for weight, 29.75 inches (92%) for height and 78% for head circumference! The doctor did find a heart murmur, but doesn't think there is any need to worry. He's ordered an echocardiogram just to be on the safe side. 
• It has been so great having Mike back! We had a very relaxing and enjoyable weekend at home hanging out as a family. On Saturday we went into town to run errands and eat lunch then after the kid's nap, we went golfing with Daddy. Jackson of course loved it and Kennedy enjoyed crawling around on the grass. We only played 9 holes, but it was a lot of fun. On the 17th hole, Jackson said he needed to go potty. Mike educated him on how to go outdoors - it was priceless!

Chillin' watching some Letter Factory!

Trying to be like Daddy!

Kennedy loved the golf cart!

Down:

• The fires here in Idaho have made the air outside so hazy and sometimes very smokey smelling even. It hasn't gotten to Mtn. Home yet, right now it's still in the mountains, but the end isn't really in sight. Some reports are saying that the fire will stay around until the first snow.
• Poor Kennedy is having a terrible time with her top two teeth coming in. I hope that they will break through completely and she can go back to my super happy baby!

Favorite Thing:

Many of my Mtn. Home friends have tried to get me to join Bountiful Baskets, but my neighbor Becky finally succeeded. Last Tuesday I placed my first order and picked it up on Saturday. They have sites all over the U.S., so you should definitely check it out and see if there is one in your area. I paid $15 for a basket of half vegetables and half fruit we received: Romaine lettuce, cauliflower, 2 onions, brussel sprouts, 8 Anaheim peppers, 4 grapefruit, 3 apple pears, 4 white nectarines, 2lbs. of champagne grapes, and a huge bag of cherries! It's a great way to try new things and make sure your providing fruits and vegetables for your family. On Sunday Mike smoked a delicious pork tenderloin and we ate roasted brussel sprouts - delicious! It's definitely not something that I would have gone out and bought in the store, but I'm so glad that they were in our basket this week. This is the link to the recipe we used http://www.laaloosh.com/2012/03/21/roasted-brussel-sprouts-recipe/.

Thumbs Up/ Thumbs Down 2012 #34

Sorry for the delayed post; haven't been very motivated this week - you'll see why when you get to the Favorite Things!

Up:

• Whew! This has been such a long week; I started potty training Jackson on Monday and he is doing better every day! So proud of my little guy. He gets a sticker every time he goes in the potty (big stickers for poops)! Once he gets 8 stickers, he gets a prize. He really doesn't care what the prize is, just the way you say it! Like the other night his prize was extra bubbles in his bath! At any rate, he is doing great and is such a big boy in his little Mickey underwear! Today he went 2.5 hours without going at all and no accidents and even woke up from his nap to go poo, pretty impressive for week one I'd say!

Check out my big boy underpants!

• Our beautiful girl is already 10 months old, time is seriously flying by with her. She is absolutely on the verge of walking and has been taking one step here or there mostly towards Jackson! She is also working on getting her top teeth in which hasn't made her very pleasant to be around come bedtime. 

Oh, and this is a size 18mo. top!

• The older Kennedy gets, the more she and Jackson play and get along together. It is adorable to see how much they love each other. Granted they both have their moments of weakness with this, but honestly the majority of the time they are so good to each other. It is so cute too when Kennedy is up from her nap before Jackson because she constantly looks at the stairs waiting for him to come play with her! When he wakes up before Kennedy he wants to be the first one to open her door when we hear her on the monitor and runs upstairs to see her! Love those two!

This is how Kennedy crawls in the grass!

She is notorious for taking every magnet off the dishwasher and refrigerator!

Jackson is always really good about cleaning up Kennedy's mess when I ask. I think I may have created an OCD child though. This is how he put them back on the fridge which is how I had done it before! Of course we have to fish the other halves out from under the stove!

• We had Jackson's Mother's Day Out (MDO) Open House this week. It was his first time seeing his teachers since last school year. He went right up and gave them huge hugs - adorable! He will be in the two year old class again this year. He was actually only 16 months when he started going last year, so he still fits the criteria for the 2 year old class. I think it'll be good for him though especially since he's so attached to the teachers already.

Down:

• Church was not as successful this week as last. Jackson was really pushing my buttons. Thankfully our neighbor was in the row in front of us with her daughter and they helped keep us entertained/contained!
• More of the same on the sleep subject - except this week it was JP and Kennedy. I'm really ready for Mike to give home to give me some what of a break even if it's only one night out of the week!

Favorite Thing:

My Mother-in-law lent me her copies of Downton Abbey seasons 1 & 2. OH MY GOSH - SO ADDICTING!!! I love period pieces to begin with, but this one is really well done. I spent every nap time and bedtime after the kids were asleep glued to the tube! I even stayed up 'til midnight to finish the second season one night, which if you knew me is a big thing! Therefore, I've been absolutely unproductive this week! The worst part of starting this show now is that the season 3 premiere doesn't happen until January 2013. I guess it will be a good exercise of my patience! You should really check it out though and get caught up so you too can watch season 3 in January!

Thumbs Up/Thumbs Down 2012 #33

Up:

• Kennedy is officially off the pacifier! Jackson quit on his own at 9 months; he just refused to take it anymore. We noticed that Kennedy hadn't really been using it very much, so we tried it out and sure enough - the paci is no more! Along with the paci apparently so goes the baby food. She is refusing all baby food with the exception of a fruit here or there. However, she is seriously the best eater ever! She will eat anything you give her and still with only two teeth! So blessed to have one child that will eat well. Hopefully Jackson will catch on soon! Oh, as if all this wasn't enough proof that my baby is getting less baby by the day, Kennedy started standing up by herself this week. My new mission is to find some shoes to fit her chubby little feet 'cause I have a feeling she will be walking soon!
• I'm very proud of myself. On Thursday I took both kids shopping with me and then to The Cheesecake Factory for dinner. Surprisingly, both were well behaved and Kennedy was eating everything in sight! I even took a slice of Godiva Chocolate Cheesecake home with me to eat on during the week. I was also proud because I managed to handle both children in Mass on Sunday. Thank goodness for that child harness though; I would not have made it without that!

Dog pile on Daddy!

Kennedy showing off the new bow MiMi made her!

Jackson asked me to take a picture of him - someone loves the spotlight!

So proud of Jackson he drew a circle all by himself! He may be a right hander after all!

Yet another reason to add to my list that Kennedy is growing up - she's been drinking from a straw since we went to The Woodlands. Aunt Laura suggested we try it and sure enough she took to it right away!

Cutie! 

The Olympics are over, but never fear - Shark Week is here! Mike absolutely loves Shark Week, we got this headband in Jackson's kid's meal from BK and I had to take pics of the kids to send to Mike!

Don't think many people would be scared of this shark!

Down:

• True to form, as soon as we got home from Alabama, Mike had to turn right back around and leave again. He left on Thursday to go to Barksdale AFB (Shreveport, LA) for 2 weeks. I think we'll have him home for a little while after that and then gone again in October. Uh, never ending! It's been kinda hard on Jackson too because he got so used to having Daddy around every evening at dinner time while we were in Alabama. I guess we should just be thankful that we get to see him as often as we do. There are so many other military families whose spouses are gone for a year at a time. At least we don't have to deal with that (yet).
• Since Mike left, Jackson's decided he needs to get up multiple times in the night and then come sleep with me between 4:30-5 am. I've been getting hardly any sleep thanks to that kiddo! The thing that stinks is that if I discipline him for getting out of bed then he cries and wakes up Kennedy, so I'm sort of stuck until I can figure out a different plan of attack.

Favorite Thing:

It's back to school season!! I love this time of year when the school supplies come out. That was one of my favorite activities growing up - picking out which trapper keeper I would use! It makes me think of that quote from You've Got Mail - " Don't you just love New York in the fall? It makes you want to buy school supplies. I would send you a bouquet of newly sharpened pencils if I knew your name and address"! In honor of school resuming, I thought I would share two of my favorite school supplies!

1. Sippy Cup Labels - well actually they can be used for water bottles or even hair spray during summer camp when the kids get older. At any rate, I absolutely love these orbit labels from inchbug.com! They come in a variety of colors and wash well in the dishwasher. 

2.  It's always fun to explore the latest in lunch box trends. This year, I bought Jackson the LunchBlox from Rubbermaid. They have a large variety of container sizes that all fit together and also click into an ice pack. I purchased the sandwich set from Target for 9.99, but they also have special ones for salads and entrees. They are all dishwasher and microwave safe. You can also buy special lunch boxes that go with the set too. Obviously the hope is that Jackson will enjoy this new system so much that he'll eat his

lunch all gone :)