Is it Really January?

Raise your hand if you are loving this spring-like weather in the dead of winter!!! The kids got outside twice today, with just their little spring coats, to enjoy a perfect weather day. This morning, I couldn't quite get their behinds moving to the playground, so we decided to make some spring puddles on the back deck. Katie was in charge of getting the water, Michael enjoyed most of the pouring, and they both danced to their hearts content. Nice way to clean off the concrete! However, I think I did hear snow in the forecast for this weekend. Oh well, it will be February, right?

Swaggerwagon

Sigh! We are officially domesticated and have joined the "Minivan Owners Anonymous" 8-step program. Or, at least, its 8-yr program to help us get through the wonder years of three dependent kiddos. I don't know how many times we've sworn we would never resort to such a move, but it was all but unavoidable with #3 around the corner. Today, we brought home a certified used Toyota Sienna XLE and are adjusting to the new sweet ride in our Swaggerwagon.

Actually, we have all been checking out our new mobile digs (kids included, as pictured) and, given time, I think we all might become HUGE fans of the minivan. So much more space and creature comforts! Can embarrassment turn into pride? Stay tuned...

We decided to hang onto our Ford Escape, as we figure that our days of relying on only one car to get our kids to their activities are numbered. Plus, a Michigan-man can't be in the position of stating that all his vehicles are foreign, can he?

Dat One!

Yeah, we're suckers for any moment when our kids are being cuddly together. So, get used to these kind of shots! Anyway, the kids were bonding over Katie's Leapster Explorer this morning. Usually, Michael is very picky as to who he actually allows into his personal space. (Only Mommy and Daddy....nobody else can really hug or cuddle with him.) So, it melted our hearts to see the kids cuddling and huddling together. We just kept hearing Michael say, "Dat One!" with Katie obliging.

Always on His Schedule

No parent in his or her right mind would ever start the arduous, torturous process of potty training a toddler just weeks before another baby is due. But, do you really have a choice when the kiddo pushes his own schedule? As we highlighted in an earlier blog post, Michael has become obsessed with stripping himself bare. This was all fine and good until we started finding him in puddles of pee or standing near a yucky, dirty diaper. We figured that he might be taking his diaper off out of wetness discomfort, so we started to put him on the toilet as soon as he started to strip. It's now become so routine that he says "Paw-ey" everytime he tugs down his pants. And, nine times out of ten, he will actually do something (#1 only) on his little potty seat. Great, right? Well, since this is so novel, he's doing it like 500 times a day, which becomes exhausting for a very pregnant mama. (Because he's just getting the hang of things, you sort of have to hover over him to make sure he hits the mark, if you know what we mean... You also immediately have to put a diaper on so that he doesn't run off into naked land.) He's also far from being ready to do this outside our home, so it gets to be a battle of wills when he tries to strip at gymnastics class, Katie's preschool, etc. And, did we mention that Traci will not have time to deal with this once Baby comes? ARGH - we hate this whole process!!!! Hopefully, the novelty will wear off, he'll regress back to just wanting his diapers, and we'll pick this back up when everybody is ready for it.

Sibling Peace

The kids are definitely getting to the age where they engage in many sibling squabbles per day. Each always wants what the other has. Each finds something unfair about how much the other has gotten. Etc., etc... So, how do we ever reach the peace? Simple, just put videos on the computer, and you suddenly achieve world peace. Just wait until they are too big to share a chair....

Katie, These Days

Even though we just filled you in on her birthday, we haven't really given an update on what Katie is like these days. So, here goes:

LIKES: Stickers, Playdates with her buddies, Jumping (see video!), Eating unhealthy foods, Hot chocolate, Antagonizing her brother, Just about anything on Disney Jr. or Nick Jr. (TV), Rocknoceros!!

DISLIKES: Getting ready in the morning or at bedtime, The dentist, Getting tickled, Loud noises, Nightmares, The dark, Being the center of attention

NEW SKILLS: Rhyming, Cutting with scissors, Putting on her own shoes/socks/hats/mittens, Memorizing every song lyric she hears

Our baby girl is growing up so fast!!!

Par-tayyyyyyyyyy!

After a post-birthday 10-day-countdown, the day of Katie's 5th birthday party finally arrived on Saturday!!! The guest list consisted of mostly preschool friends, so we very much missed many of you loyal blog viewers this year! But, we all had a blast, because our host - the Hidden Oaks Nature Center - put on quite a production. They thoroughly entertained the kids with an animal talk (including an actual rabbit!), a nature walk, and a craft to take home. The kids also had free rein over the Nature Center's various animal and hands-on exhibits. We saw lots of smiles and heard so much kid laughter that we think the party was a huge success. Please take a look at our photo album to the right for more details! Now....on to the thank-yous!