Escape Artist

It has been about three weeks since we moved Bentley to his big boy bed. I mentioned how easy the transition had gone, and how proud we were. Well, that hasn't really changed, but things sure have gotten a little more eventful. :) Bentley has mastered climbing over his railing to escape his bed, and come visit us...even in the middle of the night. He is so very proud of his new achievement, and wears a huge smile to prove it. We, on the other hand, are getting a little "over" putting him back in bed at night and at naptime.... we are hoping this is just a phase, and he gets over it soon.

He makes it look so easy, doesn't he? ;)

After a few middle of the night visits, we decided to put the gate across his door so that he is at least contained to his room. He usually cries now and that wakes us up, instead of waking up to him poking at us. I feel bad "caging" him all the time like hes some sort of animal, but we are both pretty sounds sleepers, and being that our bedrooms are all upstairs, I would hate for him to venture downstairs, or fall for that matter, so for now, this seemed to be a good solution...or at least gives me enough piece of mind to be able to sleep at night.

hopefully soon, he will get over this. It would be nice if he was done by the time his brother arrives....we can all dream, right? ;)

Tot Recipes -- Rainbow Rice

After Florida when we couldn't play outside much anymore, I decided to try and make some indoor "sand" for Bentley to play with his trucks in. So, off to Pinterest I went (shocker, huh?)...

...and here is what I found!

Super easy...I just mixed the ingredients in a baggie and tried to spread the color around evenly.

I lined my pans (just so they wouldn't stain) and laid out each color to dry...again so Bentley didn't get stained, or stain the carpet. It only took about an hour for them to dry.

&& then it was playtime!

The nice weather has allowed us to play outside with real sand for quite a few days in a row, but since it's cooled off again, it's been nice to have a backup to help keep our little "dirt moving" boy busy!

For the WOMAN you are...

I borrowed this from the blog of my "mom" group I attend through church. Thought it was kind of fun!! :)

 

1. What is your go-to meal to fix? 

Spaghetti - a sure hit with my boys everytime. :)

2. What piece of furniture in your home do you love the most? 

I don't really have anything im attached to to be honest. I guess I would say the glider in the nursery, since I have spent many a nights in there snuggling Bentley, and I can't wait to do the same with this little one. :) 

3. What is your favorite picture from last month {February}? 

 

our adorable valentine from our florida trip! :)

4. What household chore do you dread doing? 
cleaning the showers.

5. What was your first car? 

Porsche 944 - my grampa had it for many years and gave it to me when i turned 16.

6. What is your favorite bible verse or favorite quote?
Do not be overcome by evil, however overcome evil with good. 

7. Spring is coming.  What are you looking forward to most?

planting all my flowers and being outside with the boys!

8. What's the last book you read? 

The Love Dare.

 

 

[[31]] weeks

Only 9 more weeks until we are a family of FOUR! So crazy to think its going to be here so soon, but we are really looking forward to meeting this little blessing, and for Bentley to become a big brother. :)

We just went to do the doctor yesterday, for the second week in a row. Everything looked good this week...we had to come back two weeks in a row because of some blood pressure and weight loss issues that they wanted to monitor. My blood pressure has corrected itself from its super low numbers, and my weight gain (or lack of) continues to remain the same. Doctor doesn't seem to be too worried that I haven't gained any weight for basically a month now, because baby is still measuring on schedule, and is continuing to be very active. I do believe I might be feeling what could be some Braxton Hicks, but I never had them with Bentley...so I'm not sure if its that, or not drinking enough with all the warm weather we have had lately. Dr said too, nothing to worry about there - they would be considered pretty normal at this stage in the game. :)

31 weeks with Bentley

(our first boat trip, 4th of July, Pentwater...such a fun weekend!)

31 weeks with baby. Who yes, still remains nameless. :(

We do have our c-section scheduled with Holland Hospital but we are not going to share the date, at least for now. Knowing the exact day he will arrive (if that is the Lords plan, too, of course) has been a bit of a wierd feeling. It seems so uneventful and boring, since there won't be any excitement of going into labor, or having to make any middle of the night phone calls. But, at the same time, it has been very nice to be able to plan ahead for Bentley...and try to plan around the unknowns of Brandon's work schedule. It also has made it really nice to be able to know how much time we have to get things done, because, well....we will probably just wait till the last minute on a few things. Oh well, such is our nature, I guess.

Bentley is really starting to open up to babies and we are anxious to see what he does with his little brother. I picked him up a baby doll last week and while sometimes he carries it around saying baby, other times he doesn't seem to pay any attention to it.

He does like to give baby it's "uh oh" though...I forsee his little brother having a lot of pacifiers ripped out of his mouth. :) He has been very into sharing with the babies he has been around lately, especially his sippy cup. I guess we won't have to worry about his little brother starving! ;)

As far as  names go...we just keep re-reading our list and keeping our ears open for something that might jump out at us. My mom keeps joking if we don't hurry up and decide (which we wouldn't tell anyway, but of course, she thinks she should know) she is going to decide for us! I keep telling Brandon maybe that isn't such a bad way to go -- he says he thinks it would be more fun to let him be nameless until he can name himself. I think not. :)

[[diy]] Dishwasher Detergent

I couldn't let myself make homemade laundry soap without trying to make dishwasher detergent as well. Again, I am very fussy about what kind I use, because given that things don't always get rinsed right away, I need something that works pretty well to remove grime.

This recipe requires more ingredients, but doesn't require any planning ahead like the laundry detergent did, and some of the ingredients are used in both recipes. Bonus!

1 box of Borax (4lb 12oz size box)

1 box Arm & Hammer Super washing Soda

1 container of Citric Acid - this is packaged in a bottle, like a spice would be, and can be found in the canning aisle)

3 cups of Epsom Salt - found by the health/beauty and medicine department

1 Jar LemiShine - found in the cleaning aisle by the rinse aid

(this is what you will use in place of a rinse aid. You could leave it seperate, but I combined mine in the mix with everything else. It seems to work fine.)

*I halved the recipe to start, just to make sure I liked it before I combined all the ingredients.

Combine all ingredients in a container, mix well. Use 1 tbsp per load.

So far so good! The citric acid does make the mix clumpy, but it seems to work just fine. :) again, I definitely think its worth the effort!

Somebody pinch me...

I keep finding myself thinking "Can it really only be march??" We have been blessed with incredible record breaking warmth for this time of year and we are LOVING it! I type this upon returning from an afternoon having lunch and a playdate at a local park with a friend, and my thermostat in the car read 84 on the way home...it just doesn't seem real! Needless to say, we are taking full advantage of it...in many ways.

Like last night, when it was still super warm out, we quick headed to Captain Sundae for Bentley's first popsicle ever. :)

He LOVED it.

And then this morning...we were in the sand by 830. Most mornings he is bringing me his shoes asking "help me" to put them on, before he even eats breakfast. Since he can see his sandbox from his high chair, some mornings I can hardly get him to eat at all.

All this playing outside is causing for one tired, and sometimes super cranky, little boy though. After a few overly tired tantrums and a few tears (from both me and Bentley), I have been working really hard on switching him back to a two nap schedule. I believe his little body just needs the extra rest right now being outside so much. Plus, how bad can it be to have him taking two naps, with another baby due in only two months?

So far so good, we are on day three. He is much happier, and so am I. And he even gets to stay up late enough now to see Daddy before bedtime (&& by late, were talking 9, instead of 830 ;))

Which bring us to the only downfall of this gorgeousness. We don't see much of Daddy, as he is taking full advantage of the weather in making sure he stays on top of things with this big job he is currently working on. It makes for long days for littles and I, but we are doing good together and just try to stay busy. We do miss Daddy though. We look forward to weekends where we get to see him a little more. :)

[[diy]] Laundry Detergent

Ive been getting all crafty and home-made lately and thought I would try my hand at making my own laundry detergent. This was a bit of a tough choice for me, because I am SUPER picky about my laundry detergent. I guess having a husband in the dirt business, and a toddler has made me this way, but I got tired of paying for detergent that wasn't getting our stuff clean. Anyway, I found a recipe on Pinterest, and the ingredients were cheap enough I thought I would just give it a try.

There are only three ingredients - Borax, Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda, and Fels Naptha. They can all be found in the cleaning aisle (at least at Meijer.)

The recipe called to grate the Fels Naptha and let it sit overnight to dry out a bit and then blend it in a food processor. This does require a bit of planning, but it really was no big deal at all. Once you have prepared the FN, then you mix it with one cup of Borax and one cup of A&H Super Washing Soda.

Then you're good to go...just add one tablespoon per load!

I have been using it for a little over a week now, and so far, I am in love. I have noticed that my whites seem to be whiter, and my colors brighter, and they have a very clean feeling when they come out of the dryer...definately not a crispy feeling like store bought detergents can sometimes give. I also noticed that some things required pretreating using this detergent, where as they wouldn't have with store bought detergent. But once the stains are pretreated, they come out just fine after being washed in this detergent.

I didnt do the calculations myself, but the blog I found the recipe on, figured it cost just pennies per load, using the ingredients listed above. I have about $8 into the ingredients and so far I have been able to make two batches. I will be able to make way more than that, but I used some of the other ingredients to make dishwasher detergent...which will come in another post, shortly. Either way, I would definetley recommend taking the time to give this a shot, I don't think you will be disappointed! :)

St Patty's Day 2012

We headed Downtown again this year for our annual St. Patty's Day Parade extravaganza with The Turkstras...and this year the Avison's joined us! It was an absolutely gorgeous day, and of course the kids had a ball watching the parade and scooping up the candy that was being thrown out by the people in the parade.

We headed home for a much needed nap and eventually some dinner, followed by an evening playing outside and enjoying some family time!

(this is hard to come by these days..the nice weather has made for extra long work days/nights for B, so we take full advantage of any time we have him home with us!)

Another Pinterest inspired festive St. Patty's day bathtime to clean up after a long day outside.

He had his very own "green Chicago River" tub to play in! ;)

**Fill an ice cube tray with water and put a drop of food coloring in each cube...then freeze, throw in tub and voila! More tubby time fun!**

We are looking forward to another week of warm weather...Bentley loves to be outside, and are even hoping to squeeze in a beach day - it doesn't even seem right to say that, considering it is only March...

Meeting Baby Aiden

Our friends Chris && Michelle welcomed their sweet little guy into the world last week, so last night we went over to visit and get some sweet newborn loving! They also have a daughter, Jennifer, who is loving being a proud new sister, and happens to be one of Bentley's most favorite people...can you tell???

Uncle B holding baby Aiden

The sweet little love and his bruised face - he made quite the entrance when he was born, so his face is a little beat up. Either way, he is still adorable. :)

Getting to meet and snuggle all these precious little newborn boys makes us more and more excited to meet our own little guy! :) Just two more months!!!

Shaving Cream Tub Paint

We attempted another Pinterest activity for bath time the other night, and again, we were not let down.

(I honestly am finding it hard to remember what life was really like without Pinterest, but I do know this: it sure was boring!)

Bentley loves bath time no matter what, so I knew this was would be a success, but it was just fun to see him get so excited about "painting" in the bath tub!

I filled a few cups in my muffin pan with shaving cream and added a bit of food coloring, and mixed it together. Simple enough, right?

Our little artist at work!

BoYS BoYS BoYS

Once in a while, my dearest friend, Sarah runs stuck with her daycare lady and needs help with her two boys. That happened this week, so Bentley and I were lucky enough to be able to spend a whole day with our pals Hunter && Preston!

The morning started early with trucks, trucks and more trucks, until I was finally able to round them all up for some breakfast.

We played inside for a while and then loaded up and went to a park down the road for about an hour. I was hoping the busier I kept them all...the better they would nap. One would think that makes logical sense, right?

Apparently they all different agendas. Or the fact of knowing they were all in just a "room" away from each other had something to do with it...but naptime was super short lived. So, we headed back outside.

After another hour or so outside, we headed in to get cleaned up and meet Sarah at a function her work was putting on for the March of Dimes.

Here are our dapper dudes, all ready for a date night with their mommies! :)

We tried to get a picture of them with the MOD bike, but they just weren't having it. Well, other than Hunter, but knows what it means to "stand here and smile!" The little boys don't, quite yet.

Needless to say, we ALL slept like rocks last night, and when I say ALL, I mean myself included.

What a fun but busy day with the little dudes! :) It was a good glimpse into what my life will be like in the not-so-far future...chasing two little rascals around.

[[ BiG BoY ALeRT ]]

It has been TWO successful naps, && bedtimes....

 and we have a BIG BOY in a BIG BOY BED!!!! 

A thousand adjectives and emotions could fill in the blanks of how we feel right now. We could not be more thankful and blessed for the little angel child we were given...literally this transition has been SO smooth, it doesn't even seem right.

(I must thank my husband here, as well, I do believe the firmness he had with me in "forcing" me to put Bentley in his crib the first night home from the hospital, has been a huge part of this child's super awesome sleeping habits, and therefore this super smooth transition. Thank you hunny!!)

We also couldn't be any more proud of our BIG BOY and his new bed, and the way he has handled sleeping in it for nap time and bed time without a single fuss or excuse.

It has been very fun to see him get excited about going to bed at night, knowing he has a "new" spot to call his own, and the smile he flashes when he wakes up in the morning and wiggles his way out of his new bed. We can't wait to continue to watch you grow and mature as a big boy, Bentley. We love you the most!

dresser[[diy]]

I have been on the hunt for some furniture for Bentley's big boy bedroom, and not only was I unable to find anything I really LOVED, but I also was having a hard time finding something that didn't seem to cost an arm and a leg, yet was functional. So I took to craigslist and started searching for dressers, as this was the first piece I felt he was really going to need.

I stumbled across this beauty, for a whopping $10 and called the girl to see if I could come look at it. It definately needed some lovin, but for $10, I couldn't resist.

Pre paint

Pretty masculine drawers, eh? ;)

I decided to go simple and paint it navy to match the other walls in his room, and add the splash of green in the knobs, since it was going to be on a green wall. I am happy with the way it turned out, and I am confident it will be perfect for what he is using it for!!

Hard to go wrong with a $10, a little paint, and whole lot of love. <3

Happy Birthday, Hunter!

Our buddy Hunter turned 4 this week! It's so crazy to think he's four already, considering Brandon and I were babysitting him when we were just dating, and he was just a little peanut. How the time flies!

We were invited to go bowling with Hunter and some friends on his birthday night, to celebrate. Bentley has an attention span that is about non existent right now, so I was not sure how it was going to go, but he actually did awesome! (other than having to wait his turn. He must get his lack of patience from his momma :S)

He loved walking up the approach, and most of the time he yelled BALL BALL BALL until he got to the ramp.

He LOVED pushing the ball and watching it go down the lane. He didn't understand the whole point of trying to actually knock pins down, but he did clap for himself a few times when some fell over.

The handsome birthday boy!

Birthday boy and his friends!

It was such a fun night celebrating a sweet and handsome little love, and watching all these little munchkins bowl for their first time. They were a great group and had a ton of fun together!!



Fancy Shoes*

The other day, I heard some stomping around in the living room. I peeked over the couch to see what was up, as I was sure Bentley was into something he wasn't supposed to be.

Instead, I found this...

He has been very into putting on and taking off shoes lately, so I wasn't too surprised. He normally chooses Daddy's shoes over mine, I would guess because they are more his style (ha!) but they are also much larger, therefore heavier, and he doesn't typically get too far without a face plant.

I have many pictures of myself at his age, walking around in my moms high heels, but being a girl, that was totally to be expected. I guess I just never expected to find our little boy wearing my shoes, but he was pretty proud that he was able to put them on himself and make a few successful, non-face-planting trips around the coffee table while sporting his mommy's cute kicks!

I can't wait to hang this one on the graduation open house board, someday! :) I am sure he will love it too!!!

//eighteen/months//

Bentley Ivan -

I feel like just yesterday I sat down and wrote you about being 17 months. The time just speeds up month by month, and I'm having a love/hate feeling about it. Daddy and I just love every new stage with you, you seem to just keep getting better and better. We have been looking back at pictures of you as a newborn, anticipating the arrival of your little brother, and Man! Do I miss that stage too! I am so thankful that you are the cuddler you are, or I think watching you grow into a little boy would be much harder if you wouldn't still snuggle with your momma.

You are a busy little guy, still, and I don't see that changing anytime soon! Not much has changed with your interests and behaviors for the most part - you are still all boy and love anything truck or tractor. We have been able to play outside quite a bit because the weather has been cooperative and you are just completely content driving your trucks back and forth in the dirt...like for hours.

We recently put together a toy kitchen we had bought for you a while back, and you played with it for all of about two minutes, till you tipped it over and climbed on it, standing up, as if to be surfing.

 I looked at Daddy and said "well, that was a waste of money, I guess..." and he simply replied, "what did you expect? that's what happens when you give a boy a kitchen!" I guess he's right...at least with your personality, little one.

You are still taking about a 3 hour nap in the afternoon, everyday, and you are sleeping about 11 hours at night. You have all your teeth now, with the exception of your molars that are working on popping through. Even this though, hasn't affected your temperament or sleep habits too much. You are such a little trooper!! You continue to be our big eater, eating three meals a day and snacking whenever you can get your little mitts on something in the pantry. We still haven't found much that you won't eat or don't like.

You are in size 4 diapers still and are wearing mostly 24 month clothes, with the exception of pants that are 18-24 months. You were so richly blessed with Daddy's tiny little waistline and short little legs, which has pretty much kept you one size behind in pants compared to shirts. Either way, you continue to be growing, into a handsome healthy little guy!!!

You're vocabulary is expanding by the day, sometimes by the minute even, it seems. Daddy and I are having fun teaching you new words and watching you apply them situations and things you see and hear. Right now, every animal is a "goggie." I asked you what a cow said the other day, in which you had previously been answering with a Moo, but this time you said "goggie." I am working really hard on trying to teach you other animal names, but you don't seem to be too interested. I guess you are content with everything being a dog, for now.

You have also learned to say ducky, help (which comes out "ho"), milk (which is also juice, in your mind), ball, mine, book, wee (like when you climb down or slide down something), digger (which comes out dee-goo), hi and bye bye, and you have recently started calling Jayda, Bub (which is her nickname). You are still signing Please and Thank You, we can't quite get you to say that yet.

You can point to your nose, eyes, ears and mouth when we ask you, and you now run to the back door for your coat and shoes when we ask if you want to go Bye Bye. You also have mastered how to let the doggies out of their cage, and its the first thing you do when we get home from being gone. It's a pretty exciting task for you right now!

You are also very good at pointing out babies, lately. Anywhere we go that you see a baby, you point and yell it out. You have done a 180 as far as your "love" for babies in the last few months, and I thinking the time you have been spending with the triplets has helped that a lot. The first time you were with them and I held one, you cried and wanted to be held. You kept trying to push the babe away and didn't want me to touch it. Last week, you were very quick to help "push" them in their swings, and give them their pacifiers when they were crying, and you also dished out lots of slimy kisses on their sweet little faces. You didn't even mind that I was holding one! Daddy and I are so anxious to see what you do with your little brother, and we hope that your sweetness and love continue.

We are hoping to finish up your big boy room this weekend, so we can get you in a big boy bed before baby comes. We are hoping this transition will go smoothly, as you are indicating that you may even be ready. We were working in your room the other day and I asked if you were ready for a big boy room and big boy bed and you shook your head yes at me. I was sure this was a coincidence so I asked you if you were a big boy now and you also shook your head yes. :)

You are a big boy, Bentley, but you will always be our sweet baby. We look forward to what the future brings and can't wait to watch you turn into a "big boy."

xoxox Daddy && Mommy  

28 Weeks

I about croaked when I walked into the doctor on Friday and he smiles and says, "Well, you are in the third trimester, the end is in sight!" WHAT!?!?! Already??? He didn't seem to be too surprised by my disbelief and responded to my look of shock, with, "It goes much faster when you have one at home to chase, doesnt it?" And did he hit the nail on the head there...

That being said, I am really trying to enjoy and soak up the last weeks of this pregnancy, although we are getting more excited by the day to meet this little guy! I still have been feeling great, having my tired moments, but starting to see some small signs of nesting settling in as well. Maybe the nesting is due to the fact that after realizing the end is near, I feel like I have a bazillion things to do, and not enough time to do them. :)

Baby is very active these days and we are loving every minute of it. I remember Bentley being very active at this point in the pregnancy too - I just love feeling all his little kicks and nudges.

Not much else new to report, other than my growing self! :)

28 weeks with Baby

28 weeks with Bentley

Baby still remains nameless. I have compiled quite a list of names that I like, but I am having a hard time getting B to agree to any. He has his own list, and a few of the names, I honestly don't mind, but there are a few that are just over the top. Like Rowdy. Yes, honestly, the name Rowdy is on his list...

We decided last night to each pick two off our lists and write them on paper and put them in a hat and let Bentley draw one out. We thought that would be a good fair and square way to decide on something for baby, and a fun way to include Bentley (or at least a fun story to tell them someday!)

So we told Bentley to reach in the hat and pull out one piece of paper.

He grabbed his one piece and handed it to Daddy...

And Daddy read the name out loud.

It just so happened to be one of "my" names...and therefore after all was said and done, Daddy still isn't so sure. I think its fair to say that if it was one of "his" names, then we could say a decision would have been made. Funny how that works, isn't it?? ;) Just teasin babe!!

Anyway, we laughed and had fun and threw all the papers away...and were back at square one. I guess we will continue to browse baby name books and apps and see if anything pops out at us.

It would not be unlike us to wait until the last minute, considering Bentley was about 3 hours old before he ever had a name....