March Madness

All day. Every day. In my living room.































I'm so happy that he's loving playing basketball so much. Hearing the ball slam into the goal over and over again and flinching as the ball flies over my head are not things I'm loving, but he's getting exercise and enjoying himself thoroughly.

We have watched a lot of the NCAA tournament over the last few weeks. A few interesting things have come out of this.

1. He is obsessed with who everyone in the room is "pulling for". He usually picks the team that's winning at the moment we turn it on as his team. He sticks with them to the end, and hell hath no fury like Jacob when "his team" loses.

2. He's also familiarizing himself with different teams that progress in the tournament. Yesterday we turned on a game and before any announcer said the names he asked, "Mom, who are you pulling for, Butler or Kansas?"

3. Watching college basketball has also informed his own bball playing. He typically plays against his "brothers". He is either BYU or Alabama and his "brothers" are usually Florida. He really wants to know who I pull for in these matches. Incidentally, his brothers never win!

4. He is learning terminology like fouls and rebounds. He is always so proud of himself for getting the rebound after he misses a shot, but when he's playing by himself I can't help but wonder why he's so proud.

5. He is still learning how to dribble, so he just holds the ball as he puts his moves on his imaginary opponents.

6. My favorite basketball phrase: "Nothin' but air!"

I think I am pretty close to developing a nervous tick from all of this basketball. Again, ALL DAY LONG. I am just hoping he'll get really good and pay for his own dang college education.

Consequences

Nicholas has become my little artist. He loves to color, paint, sculpt, cut, you name it! I forget how much he enjoys it during the rush of the day, but when I remember I sigh in contentment to see this happening:

























And then this happens:













Ha ha. That marker swipe went a good two inches into his hair. Very weird and a little bit Frankenstein-ish. It took quite a long shower and a lot of scrubbing to get that to come out. He makes me laugh. Such a sweet, silly boy.

And Baby Makes Five

In about a month and a half lil' baby Hutch will be making his (or her) appearance. We are genuinely excited to have a newborn again. I love my newborn babies. Both Matt and I do. And that's saying a lot because there were a number of reasons not to enjoy them (emergency c-sections after long labors, nursing problems, colic). But they were delightful in their own ways and I cherish my memories of those first few months. A truly miraculous time.

I'm getting so excited to meet this baby. I just can't wait to see their face. To know if it's a boy or a girl. To have a name figured out. To feel that beautiful, smooth newborn skin. To know if it will have hair or not. I will be a little shocked to have a bald baby. A precedent for hair has been set and I'm comfortable with it.

Additionally, I'm feeling nervous about adding a third child to our family. What the heck is it going to be like? Um, I guess I can answer that: crazy. It will be crazy. For a while. Standards will be lowered. Sleep will be missed. And it will be OK. It will be great. Crazy, but great.

For now I'll focus on enjoying these last weeks of pregnancy. All of the kicks, gasps for breath, and trips to the bathroom. Preparing our house for a baby and then an imminent summer internship move. Preparing myself physically and emotionally for what's headed my way. Preparing the boys for their new addition. And enjoying sleep. Lots and lots of sleep. And hopefully a few good dates with Matt.

So, here's to baby number three! We are so very excited to have you coming our way.

Here I am at 32 weeks. Hugeness has come. More is on the way.

A Question

"Mom, if I stop shaving will I grow a mustache?"

I didn't know he'd even started shaving!

Any answers?

Peasies

Some of the best nutrition advice I ever got: feed your children frozen peas that are still frozen. Straight from the freezer. Even the ones covered in ice crystals. Even the ones that are fused together into golf ball sized masses. They'll eat 'em.

Sweet with only a tiny vegetable aftertaste.













Even this kid eats them by the handful. Nico tested, momma approved.

By the way, once your kids are down with the peas you can also feed them frozen corn and carrots...although peas are still our favorites.

"Oh, this was the best day. It was like 35 degrees."

The title of this post was said by me, to Matt in complete sincerity. And it took a few moments after saying it for it to seem ridiculous. That being said, it is winter. Cold, snowy, dark, etc. Sunshine and warmth seem very far away. So, after months of the high being in the teens and twenties 35 degrees feels pretty amazing.

In the midst of winter we had some rain that washed the snow away and we made the most of it. (The next day it snowed...) It felt so good to bring boys and bikes outside. I dig the outside. And I frankly dig no snow. We have since had lots and lots of snow and played heartily in it, but to me this really was the best day.

Faux-Hawk

Nico then.














Jacob now.













Way to rock the hawk, boys.



(Please, please know that our house is not always completely strewn with toy debris. I feel like the last few posts have shown off some very messy backgrounds. I mean, we have plenty of toy debris...just not quite as often or as bad as pictured. I hope.)

Baking

I think many young mothers have visions of baking with their children. As the children wear sweet little aprons and soft music plays in the background. Maybe. Something peaceful and instructive at least. I certainly thought I would really enjoy it (even without the aprons).

But I historically haven't much. It's stressful. They are like little time bombs in the kitchen. Whenever I bake I think about if I really want them in there. I usually grudgingly decide I should offer to let them help me. They gleefully say yes. I sigh. As they noisily drag chairs into the kitchen my pulse quickens and I start thinking, "No! Back! Stay back!". But, by then it's too late and into the kitchen and onto the chairs and into the baking they come. These pictures were taken during some Christmas baking (remember, backlog). Note the careworn expression on my face.














Despite my desperation as I watch flour miss the bowl or salt spill on the floor I do realize one thing: they really, really like it.














(Even if Nico looks like he's in incredible pain. That's joy, man. Pure joy. I know the signs.)














This past week Jacob and I baked some oatmeal cookies while Nico napped. It was genuinely more enjoyable than other baking experiences. Perhaps having just one child to guide helped. One child who has better motor skills. Regardless, Jacob was even up to the task of scooping the dough onto the cookie sheet. I really didn't want him to. And pretty much ached to just do it for him. Despite my ridiculous desire to snatch it out of his hands and do it for him he did a great job.

And I guess that's the point of baking with kids. To teach mom to let go of some control and to let the kids (and moms) know that they are capable of some pretty fun things.

























Even if they're not wearing pants. Ever.


















So, for now, we'll keep on baking.

Just Reading

A few weeks ago, when Jacob had his infamous stomach bug (the one Nicholas had had a few days before with minimal problems), I found the boys in Jacob's messy, messy room like this.

























I really like these two. Especially at these moments. Not so much during power struggles. Or tantrums. Or whining. Or fights over toys. Or brazen defiance. But here? Man, I really like them. It is oh so easy for me to not appreciate these moments when they come. They sneak up on me so quietly sometimes I just don't notice. Darling.

When Upon Life's Billows

I can't sleep tonight. I've got a lot of little and big things on my mind. Nothing too terrible, but I am feeling a bit overwhelmed by all of the moving parts in our life. From where will be be living during Matt's summer internship to how am I ever going to find the time and energy to clean the bathrooms...and just about everything in between. These worries are compounded by the gloom of a Chicago January and a frustrating lack of confidence I often feel during pregnancy.

Since I was just allowing all of my worries to tumble through my head as I listened to Matt's peaceful breathing I decided to really help myself sleep by getting up and checking my email! The best way to ease insomnia, right? In a twisted attempt at 3 AM productivity I decided to do a new post. I know I should be catching up on Christmas and well before that, but I couldn't resist these pictures.

These little boys are so darling, really even at their worst...which I've seen on occasion. I feel so fortunate to have them. And even though a good chunk of my worries are about them, that's OK with me. I'm grateful for their personalities, their lightheartedness and their love. I really have been given so much.





































Oh, and I'm grateful for this awesome face Jacob pulled when I asked him to get out of the shot so I could get one of Nicholas by himself. If you look closely you can see real tears welling up in his eyes.