whobody had fun with dad?

Well...as you all know we have a baby in the house. :)  When you have a baby, it just isn't as easy to go places.  Cruz isn't hard to take care of or anything, but he pretty much does take one person full time...especially when we are on the go.  Because of that, there have been a lot of nights where Jason takes Keaton, Lola and Nash somewhere and Cruz and Mommy stay home.  It is a win win situation for all....Cruz and I enjoy the peace and snuggle time....the kids LOVE to go places....and Jason....well,  he is just such a great dad he goes with the flow!  He has taken the kids to a few Clayton Ridge basketball games and they have been excellent (especially Nash believe it or not).  They enjoy popcorn and bottled water (for some reason water out of a bottle is SUCH a treat?).  One of the things on our list of things to do this winter was to go to a UNI game.  SO....this last week on Tuesday they played at home....so when Keaton got off of the bus they hopped in the car and took off for Cedar Falls!  (This was an outing I was a little sad to miss...but next year I can join in again....)

the kids enjoying their popcorn

I guess that the mascot(s) were heading right for Jason and the kids...but then Nash FLIPPED out and they took the hint.  Again...he is SO afraid of costumed characters. :) From that point on, Nash had his binkie and blankie....but still made it through the game.

After the game, there are always lots of kids that go down and run around on the court.  SO... Keaton, Lola and Nash did the same. (They had already changed into their jammies for the ride home).

K & L are running so fast you can barely see them.... ;)

and Nash JUST loved it!

The kids really had a great great great time at the game. It wasn't the smartest thing to do on a school night, but there really weren't any other good opportunities. Hopefully we are raising some good little Eagles AND Panthers fans.

whobody is terribly two?

Nash. Oh, Nash.  He is reminding us all of the time that sometimes 2 year olds can be a challenge. He is a VERY funny kid FULL of personality.... but sometimes, he just has a little bit too much personality. :)  As I said before, we are trying to reign him in a little bit....but with so much attention focused on Cruz, sometimes I don't have the physical ability to keep Nash in line.  He doesn't do anything absolutely terrible... he just likes to ride the fence of naughtiness from time to time. (and sometimes he barrels down the track of naughtiness going 100 miles an hour.....). 

I am just going to share some pictures of some funny things the little guy has been up to:

First...his best friend Elmo.

Elmo has a mouth that Nash is able to open and close.

Therefore, Elmo gets 'fed' a lot.

Elmo also gets drinks of milk.

The messiest things that Elmo has eaten are:

Puppy chow.... (the powdered sugar coated snack)

and his treat yesterday was a banana....

You might be thinking "Lesa, how do you let this happen?" It goes like this:

I sit down to nurse Cruz (which is usually an hour long adventure).

Then Nash grabs a banana off of the counter *using a chair*, opens the banana, eats a little and then says "Here Elmo!" and proceeds to shove the banana in Elmo's mouth with one hand, while squeezing Elmo's mouth up and down with the other "Num num num."  (How else would elmo be able to eat the banana if he couldn't mush it off with his furry face?) 

With each step of the process I say "Nash, please don't...." and so on...but he ignores me. I don't stop nursing Cruz and stop him, because these are usually pretty minor offenses. NOW...if he is doing something truly dangerous or harmful...I obviously stop Cruz eating, and get up and take care of it...but things like this? Well, lets just say I am choosing my battles.

lets also say that I wish Elmo was machine washable.

Nash's other new obsession is conquering Cruz's baby equipment.

Whenever I lay Cruz in his turtle Nash goes in the other room and gets our extra turtle, brings it out, and joins Cruz on the floor. (gotta love garage sales for baby equipment)

and the swing is Nash's FAVORITE new toy. (This is another thing he does when I am nursing.)  He has figured out how to unlatch it, turn it on, and get in. He sets it as fast as he can go, climbs in and says Whoa whoa whoa whoa with each swing. I let this go for a few reasons.... first of all, in the swing he is contained and I know where he is....(I worry when he disappears towards the bathroom or kids rooms and I can't see him)....the other reason I let this go is because Cruz really doesn't enjoy the swing much anyway...so someone might as well be using it! (yes...the weight limit is 25 lbs...but it seems to be holding up just fine....)

more time on the turtle (He loves Cruz)

and every 2 year old fits perfectly in a baby carrier carseat....

and this "crib" is Soooo comfy

and sometimes Nash drinks and drives

(here he took this carton out of the garbage....)

we really haven't figured out yet how Nash has so much energy....

he has a balanced breakfast every morning (see below)

okay. So normally he is NOT allowed to 'sprinkle' his own sugar.

Sometimes, we just aren't quick enough.

whobody enjoyed another Sunday Funday?

Sunday Funday made a triumphant return to our family a couple of weeks ago.  We took the kids to the Mississippi River Museum in Dubuque for the afternoon...and we all had a great time.  It was Ice Fest so they had Dan Wardell (sp.?) from Iowa Public Tv and 'Buddy' from Dinosaur Train as special visitors.... We had lots of fun... Jason was in charge of Nash and I pushed Cruz in the stroller and  kept track of Keaton and Lola. (by the way, my job was the easiest by far :)

lola, nash, and keaton

front row seats for Dan Wardell reading Dinosaurumpus!

AND Keaton and Lola were the FIRST ones to see Buddy.  They just happenend to begin the line right in the corner that we were sitting! By the way, our brave little boy Nash is not so brave when it comes to seeing things like Buddy. I guess this is NOT the winter for Disney World :)

fun with hands on stuff

"MINE"

of course nash said this was his

Lola and Keaton BOTH touched a snake!

playing in the water area

and our favorite aquarium!!!

whobody needs to catch up?

It has been a crazy couple of weeks....

As anyone with little kids knows...routine is CRUCIAL in keeping things under control. Well, the last few weeks, things have been anything but routine.... Obviously, the hospital stay for Cruz threw us for a loop... and then after that it seems to have been one thing after another.  In all honesty, this month I have been feeling a little

'in over my head'

with all that has been going on around us...and trying to keep up at home.  I am a creature of routine (as are the kids) so when things are not 'normal', I have a hard time keeping pace.  It also seems that Nash is becoming even MORE challenging to keep in line. I know, I know, he is TWO....

but we need to work on him.

There has been a lot to blog about over the last few weeks...hopefully I am able to catch up soon. :) I really LOVE having this record of our family...and I would hate to keep it on the back burner for too long. SO......here goes. A few pictures of the kids in this post....and then I will get to the other posts I want to write.

I do have a great helper with Lola around...she loves to 'take care' of Cruz... She has been pretty sad about Grandpa Firetruck passing away...and seems to be needing a little extra TLC. She loves school and is so disappointed when it is cancelled because of a late start.  She really likes doing crafts and writing things!

Here is a picture of Keaton through the front door....He is always so happy when he gets off of the bus... (and oddly...he keeps his mittens inside of his hat on top of his head on the way home...don't ask me why.) He was 'star student' at school last week, and is involved in pee wee basketball on Saturday mornings.

Cruz is as sweet and squishy as ever...I would like to introduce you to the two newest members of our family...his cheeks! He is growing every day....busting out of his 3-6 month clothes :( and almost getting too bigfor size 2 diapers.  I am glad that he is a healthy weight and everything, but it is so sad how babies grow so darn fast.  He still has a nasty cough hanging around from the whooping cough,but that should hopefully be disappearing soon.... (don't you just want to kiss those cheeks?)

Lola and Keaton have LOVED playing in the snow. Keaton really enjoys shoveling, and he is thinking that he might just do that for a job someday. :)

and then there is Nash....oh, Nash. He is into everything...and I mean everything. The instant I sit down to nurse Cruz, Nash is into something he shouldn't be, doing something he shouldn't be doing. When I am able to, he is put into timeout...but that isn't always possible.  He is naughty...but VERY enjoyable, and of course we love love love him.   As I have said before, the differences in personalities of our children are just amazing... I will post some pictures of his antics later.....