Lakeshore vs Buchanan Soccer

Last night, we got to watch my cousin Carly kick it for the Lakeshore Lancers! Highlights:

Rocks, rocks and more rocks...

The real highlights

BEST MOTHER'S DAY EVER!!!

My girls and husband usually do a great job of making feel loved and appreciated. But this weekend was especially wonderful. Yes, I had a whole Mother's Day weekend!

Friday after work I had a craving for ribs. Matt offered to take me out but the thought of getting into clothes after I had already put on my sweats just seemed liked too much. Plus, I wanted to make asparagus risotto with the wonderful asparagus I bought at the farmers market. And a loaf of homemade bread was already in the works. But I didn't have to cook the ribs, Matt got carryout for a local restaurant, so it was almost like I didn't have to cook that night. Carolyn was sweet and was my "helpie", helping me stir the risotto and knead the bread. It was shaping up to be a relaxing night. With a wonderful dinner on the table, things took a turn for the worse. Eleanor refused to eat. Carolyn wanted to sit on my lap. And with a 2-year-old wrapped around my neck trying to eat my saucy rib, I looked and Matt and asked "Now why didn't I let you take me out?" Oh well.

Saturday morning, while everyone was still asleep, I got myself showered and dressed. This may not sound like much to some of you, but it's a big feat for me. On the weekends any how. We all ate a nice breakfast of biscuits and gravy and then I was able to get out of the house all by myself. Again, doesn't sound all that impressive to some, but when you have a 2 and 4-year-old, it's a wonderful feeling to go somewhere and not have to buckle and unbuckle two kids into car seats, hold hands through parking lots, answer no to all the "Can I have...?"s, etc., etc. So all alone with no where else to be I headed for Hobby Lobby. After two hours shopping, I left with: a book shelf for Eleanor's top bunk, fabric a foam board and ribbon to make a bulletin board for the girls' room, little flower pots to paint for Mother's Day gifts, decor for the girls' room, two wood dolls for the girls to paint, a wood ABC block and blue, green and yellow paint for Eleanor to paint for her soon-to-be baby brother, and HANK chipboard letters and boy paper to put on the wall in Hank's room (currently Carolyn's room). A quick stop at Target to make a return and buy clip-on lights for the bunkbeds and I was on my way home. Ahhh, what a wonderful start to my day.

After lunch, while Carolyn napped, Eleanor and I did crafts. And once Carolyn woke up, she joined us for the painting of the pots. And I once again got away on my own and bought some begonias for the pots.

After a dinner of leftovers, Matt's brother Jon came over to watch Wall-E with the girls while Matt and I went to see "Date Night" with Steve Carrell and Tina Fey. Very good, wonderfully funny actors!

Sunday started out quite typically with a nice breakfast and quick house clean-up. Then I went to the grocery with both girls while Matt went to Lowes. I happily took my girls who were both in a great mood and cute as could be in their car seats wearing their sunglasses. Grocery shopping was quite pleasant. No whining, no begging, no getting fingers stuck in the cart, and believe it or not no trip to the restroom.

We were home in time for lunch then it was off to bed for a nap - the girls, not me though I thought about it. In the meantime, Matt has bought me a beautiful Hibiscus tree and two large pots and flowers for the front porch. He was also in the process of building a cute little fence for my garden.

After naps, we got cleaned up and met family at Heston for dinner. On the drive there Eleanor sang me her "Mother's Day Song" which was beautiful and if I can get her to do it again, I will try to video it. Dinner was wonderful! I ate a lobster tail and enjoyed relaxing and chatting while both girls stayed occupied with coloring and sat the entire dinner. Amazing! Like I said, BEST MOTHER'S DAY EVER!!!

Carolyn being my "helpie", rolling dough for biscuits

Eleanor coloring her doll

Eleanor painting the block for little brother Hank

Mommy/Daughter Crafts

Hanks letters for his room

The girls painting flower pots

The finished products

IT'S A BOY!

Wow, it's really cool to say that! Matt and I are so excited to welcome a little boy into our family. We went into this pregnancy wanting nothing more than a healthy baby. With as sweet and loving as our two girls are, we would gladly take another. And to be honest, I was a little frightened of the unknowns of raising a rambunctious little boy. But the past couple weeks I found myself changing my mind. Maybe I did want a boy. I know a lot of sweet boys. And I've talked to mom's of sweet boys. And I've looked at pictures of my friends and their sweet boys. Maybe a sweet boy would work in this family. Yeah, I wanted a boy. And I know as much as Matt loves the two little girls that have him wrapped around his finger, he needs a boy. Needs a boy. When I go shopping with my girls, he needs a buddy to take to the ballgame or wood cutting or some other stinky sweaty boy event.

And for the past week or two Eleanor has told us she "knows we're having a boy". Not think, know. And how cool is it that we also have a 4-year-old with fetus gender ESP?

Throughout my pregnancy I've been waiting for 'the dream'. The one I've had with the past two pregnancies that has up to know, shown me holding my little girl. Both times the dream was correct. And finally the night before my ultrasound I have 'the dream'. This time it's not holding my newborn, but rather seeing the fetus during the ultrasound. And guess what I saw, a cute little blond boy. Just like what really happened today minus the blond hair.

I know I've just been talking about the gender, but the most important thing of all is that our baby looks normal and healthy. All appendages accounted for (with the extra appendage we had never seen with our girls). The heart has 4 chambers. The stomach is developed. The brain with all it's parts. So we are one excited family tonight knowing that in 20 short weeks (give or take) we'll get to meet this handsome and healthy little boy. And we think we'll call him Hank. Yep, Hank McGuffey Young. It was nice meeting you today. Be nice in there and don't kick your mom too hard. And grow beyond your current 11 ounces to a nice 7-7.5 pounds (that'll be plenty). And when you come out know that your mom, dad, and two sisters already love you!

Barbies

So Eleanor received some hand-me-down Barbies today which used to be mine. There are a couple of Barbie and the Rockers girls and some kitchen dishes, but mainly the Heart Family. I had the nursery, the twins, the parents, the grand-parents, the playground, the bicycle, the dog. I'm not sure there was anything I was missing. Now it's all Eleanor's. On the way home with the box in the back of the Jeep Eleanor looked at the Heart Family mom and told me she wished she could have new Barbies, not these old ones. Well that ended when we got home and she saw what else was in the box.

I caught the girls playing and I could help being transformed back to my childhood. Me playing quite deliberately setting up the Barbies and making them come to life while my younger sibling gained great pleasure in making the Barbies nude.

Ohh. Kay.

Okay. That's currently Carolyn's favorite word. But her pronunciation makes it more into two words than one. A very slowly expressed two words. Ohh. Kay. For example:

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(at daycare - Carolyn getting out more toys before putting away the blocks)
Sandy: Carolyn, you need to pick up the blocks.
Carolyn: Ohh. Kay.

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(after daycare - Carolyn trying to get into the Easter candy)
Carolyn: Candy.
Me: No, not until after dinner.
Carolyn: Ohh. Kay.

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(before dinner)
Me: Girls, come in. It's time for dinner.
Girls in unison: Noooo. (lots of running and scattering)
Me: If you eat your dinner, you can watch a movie.
Carolyn: Ohh. Kay.

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(at dinner)
Carolyn: Done.
Me: You need to drink your milk.
Carolyn: Ohh. Kay.

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It's quite nice. She's two and it seems that most two-year-olds have a favorite word that is quite the opposite of okay.

Happy Easter

Here are pictures from our Easter. Coloring eggs and then a few from after Sunday Brunch.

Carolyn's 2nd Birthday

Our little Carolyn turned two today and as many parents say on their child's birthdays, how fast time flies. Carolyn is a little sweetheart who adores and constantly tries to imitate her big sister. But who is also independent and determined. She's not the most coordinated and often runs in the funny, arms out, gorilla manner. And, as much as she tries, her vocabulary and pronunciation is not at the advanced level. But there are things she does so much better than any two-year-old we know, like giving her awesome, neck squeezing hugs, saying I love you, and letting out her giggle that will make everyone around smile.

We love our little Carolyn Mae, Mabel, Mabelina.

On the topic of Carolyn's speech, when we were talking about Carolyn turning 2 the other afternoon Eleanor exclaimed, "Yeah, and then we'll be able to understand her!" So when we all went in Carolyn's room this morning and sang her happy birthday and she gave a mumbled something or other, Eleanor asked, "Mom, why can't we understand her?" Some day Eleanor, some day.

So here are pictures from Carolyn's day which started with a birthday pancake, a stuffed E.T., an Easter egg hunt at the Commons, a lunch with family at Redamak's and is currently at the nap stage. But we still have a whole evening left and I'm sure we'll fill it with some playing and maybe movie watching (besides E.T. she loves Honey I Shrunk The Kids).

Candles in her panCAKE :)

The Little People Camper

Oh how she LOVES E.T.!!!

Check out all the eggs at the hunt!

Redamak's for some awesome burgers and birthday fun

The girls loved their outfits from Aunt Jennifer. Who says kids don't like clothes?

Eleanor's Barbie and the peeing & pooping dogs (yikes, newspaper also included)

Eleanor was cuddly with her Daddy

My sister made the cutest cupcakes, yeah - cupcakes!