Bait and Swap....

(In full disclosure, this picture is a couple months old but I cant help but be in love with it)

I just watched Q pull a bait and swap on C. She was laying on the floor playing with something (a little zippered bag, nothing that would have hurt her and she was happy so I just let her) and Q baited her with a monster truck (a baby monster truck...no worries) and swapped it out. He did it effortlessly. It made me think I must have baited and swapped him many times before for him to do it so well.

What I dont get is that he has watched me do the dishes and yet he has NO clue how to do those!

Incredibly proud of my husband....

I just had to say that I am incredibly proud of my husband. When our daughter was born in July, I think he was at his all time high for weight (possibly due to indulging in all of my cravings with me!)...but where as I gained weight while I was pregnant...I had the benefit of dropping a bunch of weight in just a matter of a few minutes...he didnt.

Between Calia's birth and the beginning of January he lost 25 lbs!!!! He is now nearly at 30 lbs loss. Whats his secret? Changing the way he ate and he has been working out like a maniac.

I am working my way down too. Since December 29th, I have lost 11 lbs. It may sound like it was extremely fast, but by changing the way I ate as well as trying to get in a little exercise every day, its totally feasible...think about those people on The Biggest Loser who lose 20+ pounds in a week.

Anyway...I'm not trying to brag...but I'm on my way down and I NEVER want to see that 3-digit number I just passed up EVER again (unless its in monetary form with my name on it!).

Our cute kids.... (and a shout out to our favorite photog)

We have been blessed with these amazing kids.

Jackson turns 7 this year (SEVEN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!) he is this amazing smart little man. He is so much like his daddy (but a little like me too). He has definitely inherited our love of reading. He is about 3/4 of the way through the 2nd book in the fudge series. He started the series around Christmas time. According to his teacher there are 18 "levels" that they like the kids to be through by the end of the school year, and he is at level 17 of 18. He got straight A's for his 2nd 9 weeks of school and is doing great. We loved having him home for Christmas break, but we were ALL ready for him to go back.

Quinten is our little comedian...on his way to being a class clown once he gets to school (and may I add, that is the goal for the year...get this kid into school!) . He has this charm that is both frustrating yet it invites you in. You can't help but love this kid. They say God never gives you more than you can handle, yet sometimes...I wonder.

Calia is our sweetheart. She is very particular as we like to say, she expects to be held a specific way. And daddy can hold her one way and she is frustrated and I do the same exact thing and she is happy as a clam. She is working on sitting up without toppling over and loves to bounce. She loves for Jackson to hold her and he is really great at helping with her. Quinn makes her laugh and is her fun time go-to guy.

We could not have asked for better kids.

(Shout out to our favorite photog, Tony of MA Photography for this fab pic of all 5 of us!)

I can blog from my phone? So says Blogger.

Happy New Year...guess what....

I'm fat.

The wiifit told me so.

What do I plan to do about it? Not really sure. I am not really the diet type, plus I'm nursing. So what are my options?

A gratuitous shot

Introducing....

Jackson and Quinten are proud to announce....

Calia Lisette Chisholm

July 4, 2009
10:09 am
6 lbs 5 oz

Despite being scheduled for the 6th, our little girl had other plans, so early on the 4th I called the doctor and she told me to head on in. She was already on call that weekend so it worked out well. We werent there that long and they were getting us ready for my c-section. At 10:09 our beautiful and perfect little girl was born. All during my pregnancy I had a dream that she was dark haired and looked like Quinn, as it turns out, I was quite right. She came out with darker hair than either of the boys, less than Quinn but more than Jack and she looks a LOT like Quinn although she does have quite a few Jack "looks".

Catching up...Jackson...

Jackson quite possibly has had the most go on...I suppose that is how it gets when you get older. He finished up his first year of school...hard to believe that he is going to be in FIRST GRADE in just a few months. We really loved and appreciated his teachers Mrs. Fuson and Mrs. Erickson. They have amazing patience that I could only wish for. They taught him so much. Just a few weeks ago, I realized he could read. Now its not to say that we didnt pay attention to him, but he would pick out words he knew...then one day, I realized he was in his room reading out loud. Since then he has just been devouring the books. It is just truly awesome. (See picture picture below of him reading to Q and Oma--my grandma)



He also lost his first tooth! He was so excited...he called everyone in the family. The tooth had been wiggly for only like 2 days...and he lost the tooth just after he got home from school one day.



He also turned 6!!!!!!!! This goes right along with the reading and the tooth losing. Hard to believe he is old enough for all of this. He got 2 cakes...the first cake was an ice cream cake that Oma picked up for him while we were in Ohio visiting...he was amazed by the ice cream cake since we always have "regular" cake. Of course Momo made exactly what he wanted for his birthday cake...a rocket ship cake with blue icing and (star) sprinkles. What would we do without a momo to make the perfect cake every time?

6 years ago...he was 5 lbs 6 oz and 19.5" long. Now at 6, he is 46.5 lbs and 45" tall. He is turning into quite the helper, he will take out the trash, do the laundry and help corral his brother. He is very excited for his sister and will tell anyone who will listen all about her. I can't wait to see how much he changes in the next year!

Thanks to everyone who came to his party (Grandma Paula, Aunt Mandy, Uncle Andy, Steven, Brooke, Momo, Papa, Mimi, Andy, Chrissie, Kenzie, Raegan, and Madison). You made his birthday VERY special!

Catching up...Quinten...

Oh, our little monkey. Larry was over at an friend's place catching up while all of our kids played together. This particular friend is a father of three lovely little girls...and said to Larry "I didnt know your kids were infused with monkey DNA". This phrase has come up numerous times since then...because its true...Quinten is quite the little monkey.

He is also starting to grow up before we can realize whats going on. He's asking questions all the time, learning to share much better, and I hesitate to say...he might actually be growing! It was just a few months ago that I got sick of his 24month/2T stuff that I put it away and just dealt with the baggy 3T stuff and just yesterday went through his drawers and put away a whole box full of stuff that I know wont fit when the colder weather hits.

If you ask most kids they WANT to be big kids...not Quinn...he says he is a "little boy". We have made sure to tell him that he has a VERY important job when babygirl gets here...he's a little brother AND a big brother. I think he's pretty excited at that prospect. But it will be a big adjustment for our little boy...even if he is excited.

Catching up...the baby....

The picture is from the ultrasound we had on 5-20-09 at our doctor's office. She was concerned about the baby's size as I was measuring consistently "ahead" (in their magical doctor measurements where they use a measuring tape and measure the outside of your stomach) for like 3 appointments. Babygirl of course measured perfectly where she should be and coincidentally, I was measuring "behind" at that appointment. Figures...right?

Babygirl is always moving in the evenings after her brother's go to bed. Its apparently her time to show off and get attention. The boys are still VERY excited about her and they both sing and talk to her practically every day...sometimes to the point where I just ask them to leave her (and me) alone for 5 minutes.

We are working on getting everything together for her. The clothes have been washed (thanks, Papa!) and put away, the crib has been put together...but still more to do. I finally finished the quilt top for her room and it is on its way to one of my mom's friends to be quilted together. Can't wait for it to be done!


We are VERY excited about her arrival...which...should be no later than July 8th. I should have a better idea later today after my appointment about her scheduled c-section date. Last night, Mimi (my sister) called AT 11 PM to tell me that I needed to have a conversation with my daughter because of people being out of town...my mom is going to Honduras from June 26-30th and my sister will be at camp from June 28th-July 3rd. Yah...because babies are great at following plans...I'll get right on that!

Oh the time we have spent talking about names....

Well...middle names. Her first name (yes its still pretty much a secret!) was decided long ago. But the middle name...gosh...it seems every time we talk about it...the list gets longer. Want a sneak peek?

Elise/Elyse (eh-LEES, Short form of Elizabeth (God is my oath) that is now commonly bestowed as an independent given name)
Juliette (joo-lee-EHT, A French diminutive form of Julie (downy-bearded, youth)
Jayne (JAYN, English cognate of the French Jehanne and Jeanne, which are feminine forms of Jean, a cognate of John (God is gracious). )
Violette (pronunciation up in the air... Vee-oh-let or Vi-oh-let but for sure not Vi-let, From the Old French violette, a diminutive form of viole, which is derived from the Latin viola (a violet). )
Isabelle/Isobel/Isabel ( I-zə-behl, A Spanish variant form of Elisabeth (God is my oath).)
Sienne (See-ehn, not sure of origin or meaning...Larry was the one who suggested it)
Renee (maybe) (reh-NAY, Feminine form of the French Rene, from the Late Latin Renātus, which is a direct derivative of renātus (reborn, born again).)
Marie (maybe) (mah-REE, French cognate of Mary, which is derived from the Hebrew Miryām, a name of debated meaning. Many believe it to mean "sea of bitterness" or "sea of sorrow." However, some sources cite the alternative definitions of "rebellion," "wished-for child," and "mistress or lady of the sea.")
Ryan/Ryann (RIY-in, From the Irish surname O'Riain (descendant of Rian). Rian is an ancient Irish name believed to be a diminutive form of rí (king): hence, "little king.")

I like them all for different reasons, I think some sound better than others, but I'm not drawn to any one in particular. I'm fine with waiting but I do analyze the names on a regular basis. My thoughts?

Elise/Elyse - Love the name, I think its a bad transition from her first name.
Juliette - Was my original favorite I do still love it, nothing really negative to say about this one
Jayne - People either love it or hate it. It fits well, but dont want to hear "plain Jane" out of anyone!
Violette - Sounds nice, gives her a less used initial like the boys each have, dont want to have to constantly correct people about pronunciation
Isabelle/Isobel/Isabel A name we have both always liked, sort of a weird transition from first name, and its sort of popular
Sienne - Might be nice to not have a name to spell and pronounce for everyone, so this may not be a great option
Renee We dont do family names...and not necessarily a blood family member, but is the middle name of a little girl who is only a year older than babygirl.
Marie See previous discussion about not doing family names, this is my middle name, I hate to use it because it sounds like filler but it still flows really well.
Ryan/Ryann Her first name is VERY girly so a name like this really balance our the girly name.

The days are flying....

Holy gosh...I swear it took 3 years to get from 4-20ish weeks...now all the sudden...I'm looking at 31 weeks (so yes this picture is 2 weeks old). I think she must have been laying funny because I looked extra pregnant that day! We are looking at 8 weeks left until we have her...thats 8 weeks to finish up her room, get a ton of other things in order, let Jackson turn 6!!!!

I cannot believe how quickly the days are flying by!

I made it all the way through the month of April....

while pregnant and didnt get into a car accident!


WOOOHOOOOOOOOOOOO!

Easter 09

The boys were quite excited about Easter, Quinten picked out his tie at Children's Place WEEKS in advance! I was going to get him a different one but he loved that one too much! I picked out one for Jack that was a bit more "him". He tends to gravitate to more solid colors or less flashy clothes than Q (who would wear neon orange every day of the week if we'd let him). I also got them hats and matching shirts, I was so excited for Easter day. I had this "vision" of them wearing their outfits with their sleeves rolled up about 1/2 to 3/4 of the way...Jackson DID NOT like this (he also likes his polos buttoned up all the way) and in turn Quinten didnt think it was a good idea. Nonetheless, they looked pretty stinking adorable!

Jackson had his first grandparent's day

What a big kid he is turning into!!!! Last week I was out of town for work (out in Oceanside with Robyn doing a lot of just general idea work...we did some shopping for the site...but mainly bouncing ideas off each other for a trip we are going on in September) and on Monday, Jackson got to have his grandparents (that could make it) for a special snack and craft.

Grandma Paula and Jackson
Papa and Jackson

From what I hear, fun was had by all!

April 1st was a great day....

and yes I'm just getting around to talking about it.


Thats our babygirl! We are lucky enough to have a wonderful friend who was able to get us in for a 3D/4D ultrasound. This is our 3rd baby and we have NEVER had one of these before...so it was just AMAZING for us. Apparently even though the pictures were awesome...she said they could have been better.

We cannot wait to meet her!

End of March already?

So March is closing down on me soon and I've been a bad blogger (though I dont think anybody actually reads this so its really more for me).

What has happened?

Boys BOTH got scarlet fever...Jack for the second time.
Larry got bronchitis...again.
I got bronchitis...again...and I was a huge whiny baby about it.
We went to the Children's Museum with some friends.
Ate an awesome meal with the same friends (minus the kiddos).
I started on a blanket for the baby.

So in lieu of an actual post, I'll just leave you with some pictures!

Blanket top made by me, her name is blurred out in the middle

Fish hat made by a friend for a swap

Frog prince hat made by a friend for a swap

21 weeks pregnant

23 weeks pregnant

I cant wait for warm weather!!!

I'm so sick of the COLD...and to make matters worse we didnt even have a ton of snow all winter juts a few days of bad snow...somehow having snow makes it easier on me for the weather to be that cold. but it is SO deceiving to see the outside and it be so nice and sunny out only to be greeted by bitter cold.

Between me being sick with this pregnancy and the cold weather, Quinn NEVER gets to go out and do anything fun during the day. Sure we go to the store and out to lunch on occasion...but we've only been to the museum I think once and havent been to the zoo at all. I cant wait to be able to take him out now that he's talking and understanding so much more than he was in the fall. I want him to be able to do some fun stuff before the baby gets here and Jackson is off of school for the summer.

Okay so its not a tumor....

I am OBVIOUSLY pregnant. There is pretty much no denying it...you can tell at a glance. So pray tell, I ask you....WHY OH WHY must people constantly point out that I am pregnant?!?!?!?!?!? Like I didnt notice....

Tonight, this very crass old man points at me and says "You're pregnant"...and I look at him as serious as possible and say "No I'm not its a tumor"....and then I walk away while he looks bewildered. Its not that I dont like him, but good gosh...I've pretty much figured out that I AM knocked up.

Why does me suddenly having a baby give every stranger the right to comment on (1) my weight (2) the size of baby I'm going to be having (3) how I should be so happy that I'm having a girl because I would never want 3 boys.

Lets examine these carefully....

(1) my weight. MYOB...as in MIND YOUR OWN BUSINESS. My weight is between me and my doctor...but I love hearing how huge I am and then reminding people that I spent the first 1/2 of the pregnancy losing weight. So I actually havent gained a million pounds...its just my 3rd kid...my body is much more comfortalbe going back to that shape.

(2) I am only like barely 21 weeks pregnant...you cannot tell what size baby I am having by now and anyone who really knows me will attest that the amount of weight I gaine seems to have no affect on the size of baby I have. I gained a TON of weight with Jackson and he was only 5 lbs 6 oz....with Q I gained about 25% less than I did with Jackson and he was 6 lbs 7 oz. I have little babies but they get bigger every time.

and last...

(3) Of course we are thrilled about our daughter on the way...but if she had been a boy instead, it WOULD have been okay....it would have been great and we would have loved him just as much.

Please....if you encounter a pregnant one...THINK about what you are saying BEFORE you open your mouth! Do it for me...and do it for yourself so you dont come across that one crazy pregnant girl that flips out on you!

For Lynn....on marriage

Lynn over at Love, Laughs, & Lice posted this and I thought I'd play since I havent answered any of those little meme things on Facebook either...though some I half consider.

What are your middle names?
Mine is Marie (I have an Aunt Maria and my Aunt Christine's middle name is Marie so that worked out)...Larry...sort of didnt get one (I wont go into it, if you want the details...you can ask him). He got a middle initial so just "M".

How long have you been together?
Ummmm...we have been married 6 and some odd amount of months (anniversary is in July) and we were together about 8 months before getting married so, I'm going to answer 7.5 years...give or take a month.


How long did you know each other before you started dating?
We knew each other maybe two or three months..I think he might argue longer...I dont remember.


Who asked whom out?
He asked me out...but I declined and then finally one day I decided we need to do something.


How old are each of you?
I'm 27, he is 30.


Whose siblings do you see the most?
We are both the oldest...I have one sister who is over usually once a week and then he has 2 sisters, one of whom we see probably once or so a month..sometimes more, sometimes less and then another sister who we dont see at all (again not going into details, if you want to know about that...ask him). They all live in the "greater Indianapolis area".


Which situation is the hardest on you as a couple?
Oh gosh, our kids for sure. We balance eachother well most of the time but every now and again we dont agree and thats hard!


Did you go to the same school?
Nope...I went to IUPUI he went to Ball State.


Are you from the same home town?
Yep, we are both from good old Indianapolis!


Who is smarter?
Him. He is up to the minute on news and is a big computer geek (yes he knows I call him that). Not saying I am an idiot...but book smarts...him.


Who is the most sensitive?
Me. I cry over stuff like not having chips in the house (to be fair I AM pregnant but I'm still the more sensitive one!).


Where do you eat out most as a couple?
As a couple...like alone...Thai Cafe...the kids dont like to eat there so we go there when we can go without them.


Where is the furthest you two have traveled together as a couple?
Florida, for his friend/boy's godfather's wedding...it was a LONG car trip! And that was with the kids...


Who has the craziest exes?
I will go with we have both equally crazy and wierd exes.


Who has the worst temper?
Him. Ask anyone.

Who does the cooking?
Mostly me, but I've been so sick this pregnancy he's been doing a LOT more cooking.


Who is the neat-freak?
Him. No contest.


Who is more stubborn?
Him. Again, ask anyone...I'm stubborn too, dont get me wrong...but by far he is the most stubborn.


Who hogs the bed?
Me. As Quinn puts it, Daddy sleeps on the edge of the bed.


Who wakes up earlier?
On purpose? Him. If I'm up early its a special occasion or the kids are up with an issue.


Where was your first date?
Our first date...maybe his apartment. We watched a movie and he cooked dinner. (He was unemployed and was still trying to be impressive)


Who is more jealous?
I dont think either of us are jealous of the other.


How long did it take to get serious?
It was on again, off again for a few months and then we just decided to be serious and get engaged (honest).


Who eats more?
Him. Especially as of late...sometimes I eat less than the kids.


Who does the laundry?
I would say its like 70/30 and then we usually fold it together (or break down and pay my sister to do it!)


Who's better with the computer?
Him...for sure, see previous answer about him being a computer geek.


Who drives when you are together?
Him, most of the time its my job to keep the kids quiet and his job to get us where we are going, but occasionally I do drive.

So there it is...all about us.