Braggin' Wagon Wednesday: The Greatest Post of All Time

Made you look!!!!

Well............I already bragged about my awesome four-year-old, my talented husband, and my unique crocheting skills earlier this week. I just spent 90% of the day today doing laundry and then folding it AND putting it away (those three things almost never happen on the same day anymore) and I am EXHAUSTED. Too exhausted to brag. Instead I have a complaint.

Lady Gaga......Is anyone else sick to DEATH of hearing about Lady Gaga? First of all, her music.....well....its awful. Second of all, what the CRAP is with the outfits? Its all for attention and has nothing whatsoever to do with her musical talent (or lack thereof) so why do people care. And DO NOT even get me started on the "being reborn from an egg" thing at the grammys. Sheesh. I keep thinking people will get sick of her and she'll fade away, but I keep hearing about her and seeing her everywhere and all I can think is, what is the world coming to if this is the type of person we look up to? Quit encouraging this disaster of a person, I am begging you.

There. That makes me feel better. If I'm still this exhausted next week be on the lookout for a Katy Perry rant.

And a joke to close: How to you wake up Lady Gaga when she's taking a nap?................pa pa pa poke her face, pa pa poke her face. HA! Sorry. Lame. I had to do it.

I know you regret even reading this post. Sorry, I'm lazy today.

Birthday Boy Videos

Today is Dexter's birthday. He is four, and magically temper tantrum free or not, he is our cute little boy and we love him very much. We are so happy that he is in our family. He always reminds us that life shouldn't be too easy, and trials bring blessings. He has really been a lot better behaved the last several months, for which we are grateful, and we are so happy to see him growing and progressing into such a funny, crazy, and delightful little energy around the house. We love you Dexter, and we hope you can keep us on our toes this year too (hopefully with a little less crying and screaming, from all of us).

Anyway, you all know what I made him for his birthday, now its time to see what his daddy made him. We are so grateful for Scott's experience with video editing, because our family loves these little video montages (even if everyone else doesn't). We have previously only done them for Ivy, but we decided the boys need some also, so Scott has put together two Dexter videos the past week or two. The first covers his first two years, and the second covers his next two years. I hope you enjoy them as much as we do!

Dexy first 2 years youtube link

Dexy 2 to 4 youtube link

It's a Big Ugly Man-Doll!

Many of you may remember Stinky Pete from Toy Story 2. You may say that he's not the most likable character, and I agree, but Dexter LOVES Toy Story 2, and has been asking me to make him an amigurumi Stinky Pete for several months. I promised him a few months ago that it would be ready by his birthday, and two weeks ago I decided I'd procrastinated long enough and got started. Ever since the Bullseye disaster from Corbin's birthday I told myself I'd take stinky pete more seriously, and I did.

Here is how he looks in the movie:

And my amigurumi version. Isn't he cute?! The hat and face were pretty difficult, but overall, I think he turned out great. The only parts not made of yarn are the buttons and the hanker-chief. (Ps, the thing in his hand is a pick ax. He's a prospector.)

The view from the back. I worked really hard on this, so while I'm usually all for negative criticism, if you have negative comments, keep 'em to yourself. Dexy is the only critic I need, and I know he'll love it!!

Braggin' Wagon Wednesday: Random stuff

Dexter's 4th birthday is on Monday. I'm very excited for this birthday because I keep thinking that 4 is when he will magically stop being a difficult child. He can be so hard to deal with sometimes that I seriously pray that I will know what to do with him. I'm not a parent that spanks their children, but he makes me want to reconsider at times, and if he is as difficult at 4 as he is at 3, I don't know if I'll be able to restrain myself.

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I've been slacking on my housekeeping duties the past few weeks (and by weeks I mean months). I struggle to carry laundry baskets up and down the stairs, and folding the laundry hurts my back. I can't keep up with the dishes, it seems like there is always a sink full, waiting to be washed. The upstairs has especially suffered, since that is where we go, but no company really goes. I pretty much only clean what is visible to others. I can't wait to be normal and clean regularly again. That sounds totally crazy, doesn't it.

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Speaking of Dexter's birthday, I am in the middle of making him an amigurumi toy. He's been asking for this toy for months and months, and I must say, I'm pretty proud of it so far. I'm trying to get it finished by the weekend to give it to him in time, and I think its getting close to done. I'm pretty excited for him to see it, he's going to love it. I'll be sure to post pictures after his birthday.

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I think its almost biking weather. I'm excited to get the bikes out, clean them up, and go riding. Can I ride a bike while pregnant? It might not be a great idea since I fall all the time just walking.....Maybe I'll wait till June, but I'm still very excited!

Hitting The Home Stretch

Awww the third trimester, the trimester of hip and back pain, horrible sleep, endlessly needing to use the ladies room, etc. Not my favorite trimester, but the end is in sight.

Gestation: 30 weeks 6 days

Weight Gain: 13 lbs. With just about two months to go, I think I may be safely under the limit of twenty pounds of weight gain that the doc set for this pregnancy. Phew.

Fetal Movement: This baby is crazy. It constantly moves...I'm concerned that it doesn't sleep enough which means when it is born, I won't get much sleep. Scott even says that at night while we cuddle and I fall asleep, he can still feel the baby moving like crazy for a while.It's seriously so wiggly! You can see my stomach moving through my shirt a lot of the time and all the kids have become obsessed with putting their hands on me to feel it move.

Symptoms I'm Experiencing: Still crazy itchy (some days are better than others), anemia (I had the routine blood draws a couple of weeks ago, I don't have gestational diabetes, but I am very low on iron), fatigue (still), frequent urination, hip pain, back pain, and trouble sleeping.

Speaking of Trouble Sleeping: I try to make sleep easier by having a lot of pillows very near. On any given evening I use anywhere from 1 to 6 pillows, most often 3 or 4. Scotty doesn't complain, even when he is left with only a sliver of the mattress to sleep on, and still has to listen to me complain about my aching hips. What a good guy (he even lets me sneak in naps on the weekends)!

Hey Babe! Sorry I take up the whole bed with my pillows and three big b's. Thanks for being understanding of your crazy pregnant wife. You're a saint.

Braggin' Wagon Wednesday: Making Mama Proud

On Thursday the 10th when I was dropping Corbin off at school his teacher pulled me aside and said Corbin would be receiving an award during an assembly that afternoon. She told me in secret and had me return to the school at 2:15. Corbin didn't know he was getting an award, and had no idea I was in the crowd. Each class gave 1 student an academic achievement award, and 1 student a citizenship award. Guess which one Corbin got..........Academic achievement! I know, huge surprise right? He never spotted me in the crowd even though I tried to get his attention. But I took lots of pictures when he stood up and totally amazed him when he came home from school and knew about the award and then showed him the evidence that I was present.

Corbin is the first student to receive an award.

Standing in the crowd all alone, waiting for the other kids who also got one to stand.

This is the next day before school. I couldn't get a picture of him in front of the school with his award before because it was pouring rain. (In case you were wondering what the deal is with the hats, it was hat day. Also, Dex is holding up his lunch of a quesadilla that he'd been working on for over an hour, he's weird.)

I'm sure many of you out there have children who've received similar awards (maybe you did yourself in elementary school), and they are probably a dime a dozen, but I don't care. I am beaming with pride over it. Corbin is a great kid and a model student. He always begs to do homework as soon as he gets it, he's the number 1 reader in his class, and his teacher says he's always very quiet and respectful and gets along well with others. He received "Expert" marks throughout his entire trimester report card too. He's so smart and awesome that I can't help bragging about him.

Good job on being such a smart and good student Corbin. Keep up the good work.

Boise in March

March is crazy in Boise. I don't know that I like its bi-polar behavior. Last week we had two snowy days, 2 sunny days, and 3 rainy days. My coat and jacket are getting confused as to who's turn it is to be worn everyday. My kids don't know if they should wear their hats and gloves or just stuff them in their backpacks. My umbrella is a champ during the rain, but it folds away in defeat during the strong winds (whether its raining or not). I don't know if I should dress the kids in cool summer jammies or warm winter jammies at night.

Anyway, on the sunny days the kids had a blast playing outside on our swing set and jumping on the trampoline, they even ate their after school snack of graham crackers and milk out on the patio one day. On the wintery days they had a blast building a snowman in the backyard and getting their shoes soaking wet. On the rainy days they stayed inside and played pretend. They can make the best of any weather. I on the other hand, get depressed on snowy days, slightly happier on rainy days, and downright giddy on sunny days. I can't wait for those snowy days to be gone completely. Rain and sun are very welcome (especially if the rain comes with thunder and lightening. My favorite!).

Anyway, here is Miss Ives on one of the sunny days after jumping on the trampoline with her brothers. They cracked up for several minutes over her hair. She's so cute.

My apologies to a kiwi

Dear Plastic Kiwi,

I owe you an apology. I blamed you for a fall that resulted in a torn tendon. I've cursed your name as I've been limping around my house for two weeks now, but I have a confession to make, I've been unfair. It turns out that our little mishap on the stairs was not the first time I have rolled my ankle and torn/stretched a tendon severely. In fact, its the third time it happened, and the first two times you were not even molded into a green and brown fruit yet. I realize I can't blame you, I can only blame myself. I am clumsy, and obviously have a weak spot in that ankle (since it was the same ankle hurt in each incident).

This clumsiness made itself more apparent this Monday (exactly two weeks after the accident on the stairs). I fell at the elementary school......twice. I did not however roll my ankle, but slipped on very wet snow that had been accumulating for several hours. The first time my kids laughed, along with about 30 3rd grades who happened to be walking into the school at that moment. I was holding my 2 year old when I went down, re-twisted my injured foot and soaked my pants and coat with the wet snow. No one offered a helping hand, so I fought my enormous belly and finally stood up. I went in the school dripping with snow and kissed my boys farewell. As I walked back out to my van it happened again. One foot on the snowy grass and I went down again. I was holding my 2 year old this time as well, but was relieved when there was only one other witness, another parent dropping his son off at preschool. He immediately rushed over and helped me up, and didn't even laugh. I thanked him and joked about my bruised ego, finally made it to the van and drove home, realizing that it was not you, Mr. Plastic Kiwi, but me who made me fall. I am sorry to have blamed you and I hope you can forgive me of my discretions.

Thanks for your understanding,

Rochelle

Its a Wall-e Town

My kids are no longer as obsessed with Toy Story as they once were. However, the evil geniuses over at Disney have managed to fill the void with none other than Wall-e. He's popping up all over the house. Every picture the kids draw have to do with Wall-e or Eva. Its crazy. Want some proof?

This is a story written by Corbin on Pbskids.org and emailed to Daddy at work. Its 3 pages of pure adorableness.

Page 1 Text says: Wall.es here (Wall-e's here)

Page 2 Text says: a storme is giteng wall.e (a storm is getting wall-e)

Page 3 Text says: wall.e eve the end (Wall-e, Eva. The end)

Multi-colored Wall-e Drawn by Corbin

This is quite possibly the CUTEST Wall-e picture ever! Drawn by Dexter, kind of looks like some sort of bug. I love it.

Not quite as cute when its on the wall! I guess he took the "Wall" part literally.

Here's the same picture after going crazy on it with a Mr. Clean Magic Eraser. It turned out to not be so magic after all. We're going to have to paint!

Ps. You are not fully meant to understand the title. It refers to a made-up song by Dexter that signals to Corbin that he's ready to play pretend. Here are the lyrics: "Its a Wall-e town, its a Eva town. Lets be Wall-e and Eva!"

Pps...If anyone out there is friends with Mother Nature, make sure and tell her that she and I are no longer on good terms as long as this snow sticks around. Spring is two weeks away and I fully expect spring weather!!

Is it a boy or a girl?

Backstory: A few years ago when I was pregnant with Ivy, Corbin asked how she got in my belly. I didn't know how to answer this question and was thinking about it when he asked if Daddy put the baby in there. I thought this was an acceptable answer for a three year old, so I said yes. Little did I know that he would hold on to that answer.

This is a conversation I had with Corbin and Dexter a few days ago:

Dex: Is the baby in your belly a boy or a girl?

Me: I don't know.

Dex: Is it a boy?

Me: I don't know. Maybe.

Dex: Is it a girl?

Me: I don't know. Maybe.

Corbin: Does Daddy know if its a boy or a girl?

Me: No, he thinks its a boy, but he doesn't know its a boy.

Corbin: But how could he not know?

Me: What do you mean?

Corbin: Didn't he see the baby when he put it in your belly?

Me: Um........(a long pause as I try to figure out what to say to these little boys who are hanging on my every word) It doesn't work that way. Its more like, Daddy has a piece of the baby and I have a piece of the baby and we put them in my belly and they join together to make one baby. But its in my belly and we can't see it, so we won't know what it looks like or if its a boy or girl until it comes out.

Corbin and Dexter: (Staring in confusion. I can see Corbin trying to work it out in his mind.)

Corbin: When the baby comes out will you tell us if its a boy or a girl?

Me: Yes.

Corbin and Dex: Okay.

More and more of these uncomfortable conversations keep popping up. I really don't want to have the "sex talk" with a 6 year old!

Braggin' Wagon Wednesday: Why I Blog

A couple of things in recent weeks have made me wonder why I blog. This is what I have come up with.

1. It keeps my family and friends up to date on what I'm doing in this city that most of them have never visited. I don't get to see or talk to everybody as much as I'd prefer and this is a good way of keeping in touch. Now they all just need to blog more so I feel in the loop in their lives (hint hint).
2. It makes me happy because I love to write. I write in a personal journal often and have done so for the past 17 years, I like writing stories, I wrote lots of teenage angst type of poetry in high school, and I'm currently writing a book about my experiences with motherhood. Its just a hobby that I enjoy!
3. There's a little pressure from grandparents for pictures. I'm not saying this is a bad thing, but its definitely a reason to keep going. They all live far away and they want pictures and this is an easy way for everyone to get to see them!
4. I like to think that its a good personal and family history. Last year I read Scott's Grandma Jensen's personal life history and I loved it. A few years before that I read Grandma Jensen's parents life history's and enjoyed them as well. I think its interesting and fun to look back at how life was and is for other people, and I think it will be fun for my kids and grandkids to look back and see how life was for us....maybe this is a bit too optimistic, but I don't care, I'm going to think it anyway.
5. Because I like the comments!! I'm not going to lie, I like when people read my blog and have something to say about it. Its not the main or even close to the main reason I do blog, but it keeps me going sometimes. So feel free to leave comments and leave them often.

Happy blogging everybody. I hope you all have a wonderful wednesday!