Big Willie

He learned he can drive the car.  Pure joy. 

 Who knows. Popsicles are all the rage around here right now.

We are buddies.  He likes to sit on my lap and drink his milk every morning.  There are days when I think he wakes up early b/c he knows no one else is awake to be sitting on my lap. We come downstairs and watch Thomas and laugh together.  He's crazy but I love how much he loves.

Baby house transformation

I called Andrew on the way home from Iowa when I went with the kids a couple months ago. I wanted to buy the kids a playhouse from Costco, of course. Andrew said no. He said something else would have to go if I wanted the playhouse. So after considering what I would get rid of I called Grandma and Poppy and threw around my idea. They agreed it was essentially genius.  

I called Andrew back and told him we needed to sell his squat rack/weight machine thing that's been sitting in the baby house for two years. It's been used more than once but less than a handful of times. 

He agreed and put it online. He sold it within 15 minutes of posting.  He was able to sell it for more than he paid for it.  Impressive.  

 The kids and I cleaned out the random remaining things.

Then the trips to the hardware store started.  We picked out paint. We bought paintbrushes and rollers for the kids.  It was more difficult than anticipated b/c we had to paint from side to side instead of up and down.  The boards are old and try so they soak up paint.  The boards aren't smooth so there are areas where a roller wouldn't roll.

Miss M told me I shouldn't be on the ladder while wearing my boot.  I agreed so she climbed up and helped me paint up high.  She did a pretty good job.  And the boot ended up with yellow paint on it giving it some pzazz.

It is hard to get much painting done when there are three kids who don't sleep at the same time and naps are about the length of time it takes me to get the paint prepped.  I put Andrew to work when we went to baby prom and hired a babysitter to hang out with Kit-Kat.  He got almost all of it completed.

I had been Googling and Pinterest-ing the heck out of ideas for the baby house. I didn't know what I wanted to do with the space. I decided I wanted Andrew to make a stage so I went to the hardware store. I had wood cut. I bought indoor/outdoor area rugs for the flooring. After I paid for our stuff I realized that the lumber was too long for the minivan. They tried to tie the hatch down but it lasted about 5 parking spaces before it came loose.  I drove home the 5 miles really carefully.  I didn't lose any boards or carpet.

 I bought a train table off a local email for moms selling stuff.

We have a table and chairs. They are from Costco of course! Big Willie is going through a phase where he likes to wear hair bands like his sisters. He looks pretty cute. 

Poppy worked hard to build the stage and board up the area by the door.  He also managed to run wire to create another outlet. He then cut a board and hung a shelf for me to put a fan on to circulate air since it was decided a ceiling fan wasn't the best idea.

I bought a big mirror for the stage.  I took out all the noise making toys and dress up clothes for the kids to play.

Miss M has been practicing her emotion faces. This is her confused face.  Her surprised face is pretty good.  I think I might start calling her Oscar or Emmy b/c she's surely going to get one of those awards.  She can turn on the dramatics and tears like it's her job. It's exhausting for me.

 Big Willie loves his trains. He takes trains back and forth to the house and baby house.

 And I bought the baby house a microphone.  Where can things go wrong!

The kids seem to love it. I love it. I am so happy we were able to get it put together before summer really got started.

Miss M's first Cubs game

Andrew has been waiting to take Miss M to a Cubs game since the day she was born. Or it feels that way.  He bought four tickets for the game on Memorial Day.  He invited Miss M's friend Gwen and her father Chris.  

 Miss M scored a new Cubs hat.

They even saw Clark Bear. I've never seen him before so I think he's an addition to the game.  The girls faces are so sweet.

Andrew said Miss M did a really good job of sitting and watching occasionally. She didn't come home with a stomach ache so she didn't eat as much as I thought she might.  They left in the 8th inning. Andrew said she could have made it to the 9th inning but they were losing and it was easier to beat the mass crowds leaving and getting to the car.

Busy Tuesday

We got home from Iowa on a Wednesday night. Our friends provided meals for us for days. I finally decided I needed to suck it up and make a Costco trip.  Costco makes everyone happy. Right?!?!

Since Kit-Kat can sit up pretty well I decided to see how far I could get.  The older two kids decided they wanted to ride on the cart. Not ideal b/c they want on and off over and over. I don't mind them getting on and off except when I have limited time with Kit-Kat in the cart.  The other problem is that Miss M walks in front of the cart, stops, I run into her heels and then she cries.  Lather, rinse, repeat. 

Good. 

 Better.  All three contained.

Big Willie had been in a funk all day and not feeling well. I had planned on taking them to the gym for some babysitting and a workout. Or babysitting and a smoothie in the cafe.  But I scraped my gym plans, threw all the kids in the stroller (Miss M can ride on the back of it with an attachable stand), and headed to the park. As we were walking to the park I got a text from a friend whose kid was going to make her pull her hair out. So I did what all sane friends do and told her I would pick up her daughter and take 4 kids to the park.  Why not!?!?

The girls were good and they play with each other so really it's helpful for me.  E would run around the park screaming WILLIE and laughing insanely as he chased her. I tried to keep them out of the sand and splash pad but I eventually lost that battle. It was more gross than usual due to recent rain.  I conned them back into the stroller with popsicles and filling up the pool (to clean the sand off them).

 I probably should have bought a bigger pool.

E's mom and brother ended up coming over. We played for a couple more hours and ate dinner. Miss M asked if she could stay up late. I said sure but she had to help me clean up. Although she has no concept of time so I usually tell her she's staying up late and it's her actual bedtime.  I came downstairs after putting Big Will to bed to find her sacked out at the foot of the stairs. It was like she just didn't have the energy to walk up the stairs so she just stopped at the bottom. Success.

Bulldog

Kit-Kat. She's a bulldog.  Especially in her facial expressions. 

She feeds herself her bottle! Life changing. 

She's also learning how to eat out of a pouch.  It's another life changing event.  Equivalent to crawling, feeding oneself, potty training!

 Look at that face.  Well from both of them but Kit-Kat. So serious.

 That's her 'don't mess with me' face.

 But then look. Sweetness.

 Girl loves fruit.  I think she loves it b/c she can squash it in her hands and make quite the mess.

 Grrr.

Our friends gave us a smock for her to wear. They use a smock for their 18 month old. A bib just doesn't do the trick.

She wants to climb up on everything.  She's not safe anywhere.  She's always looking for something to pull up on. Tonight she used the pool but the pool isn't very tall so she just teetered on the ledge until she finally face planted.  She doesn't even care.

She's not safe in the car bc she tries to use the door to stand up.  I am nervous she's going to face plant to the ground from the car and that might not feel so well.

 Just chewing on her toes on the way to JCP to get pictures taken.

Kit-Kat was good to Poppy.  I think they are going to be friends for a long time. 

One day a couple weeks ago she just started randomly sleeping through the night. It was pretty amazing. I woke up confused b/c Andrew told me he didn't wake up either.  I don't understand parents who wake up b/c they are used to waking up.  I am not waking up unless someone is waking me up.

Bob's funeral weekend.

Again, we are fortunate that we had Poppy at our house taking care of the kids.  I had a babysitter lined up to come over at 8am to help him.  And when we found out we were going to be in Iowa longer than anticipated we called Aunt Nessie and again she offered to help without hesitation.  

Andrew and I got to the hospital around 1am on Sunday morning.  Nick and Callie got there around 10 minutes before us.  Bob had been checked in around 3pm.  He'd been in and out of the hospital for a couple weeks.  There weren't any definite diagnosis during any of his stays. We learned that his liver had been taken over by cancer and b/c of his liver being enlarged and the cancer taken over the organ that his organs were shutting down/if not already shut down and there wasn't anything to help him.  

It was difficult for so many reasons.  But like we tell Miss M we will all miss Bob and all we can do now is tell stories of him and remember the good times.  

Bob ended up passing around 4:30pm in the Burlington hospital with his children by his bed.  The boys and Missy and Cambria and I went to Amigos as an ode to Bob.  He loved to eat out and he loved to eat at Amigos.  We've been there so many times with him.  The place hasn't changed at all.  Nothing. Not the food, plates, bar, wall paint, chairs. Nothing. It was like taking a step back in time but it felt right to be there.  We ate, we laughed, we told stories. 

Monday I drove home to pick up Poppy and the kids. I got home. Annessa had the kids already packed.  She sat with me in my room to help me pack for Andrew and I.  She loaded the kids. Poppy got pop for us and we hit the road to Burlington again.  

The family was to be at the funeral home Tuesday morning to get ready for the visitation later that day.  The family set up picture boards and other important things of Bob's.  We took Poppy and the kids.  They ended up doing well.  Big Willie ran around like a bulldozer.  Miss M asked a few questions then she saw Bob lying in the casket and more questions came in.  It wasn't excessive. I think she was just taking it all in. I don't even remember what I told her about someone dying.  She didn't want to go to the casket to see Bob but she wanted Andrew to go see him. She was more upset that he wasn't going to see him.  

Andrew and the kids sat on the floor and went through pictures and Andrew told them stories.  

One really learns how wonderful their friends are during a time of need.  My friend Megan dropped off a bag of toys for the kids which were perfect for the car, hotel, visitation, funeral.  It was the best gift.  There was a floral arrangement from friends from Miss M's school.  Then when we got home our friends lined up dinners for three or four days. The thoughtfulness was touching.

Poppy did crafts with Miss M since it was in the bag of goodies while we finished up at the funeral home. He looks like a natural.

The funeral was on Wednesday.  The funeral was very thoughtful.  Craig and Jessie came up to be supportive of Andrew but also to help take care of our kids. It was a quick trip for them but it would have been difficult for me to get through the funeral without having people to entertain them.  It takes a village.  Each of the boys spoke at the funeral. They each had their own spin on their father. It was touching. They all did an amazing job. Andrew got a little wordy and lengthy in his discussion but I wouldn't have expected anything else.

We finally loaded up the car, exhausted, to go home. We stopped at a gas station and Andrew picked up a Diet Coke bottle saying "share a coke with Robert". It was an appropriate end to the weekend b/c Bob loved pop as much as I do.

Prom/Wedding weekend

We've been a bit busy as a family lately.  Grandma and Poppy came to visit for a week.  Grandma was planning on flying out on Wednesday, to see her parents, and fly back on Friday.  Andrew and I were planning on going to the wedding of a high school friend in Iowa and leaving Grandma and Poppy with the kids. Sometimes life has different plans than that plans we set.  Grandma had to make a visit to Texas to visit Aunt Stac which left Poppy as the babysitter.  We were very fortunate that Aunt Nessie was available and more than willing to come out all day Saturday to help.  She left to head home after all the kids got to bed b/c she had a big race the next morning.  

The weekend happened to also be the weekend of prom for our high school. The kids were planning on going to our babysitter's house to see the girls all dressed up.  The babysitter texted me while we were in Iowa asking if she could come take pictures in our yard. Of course I had no problems with them taking pictures at our house.  

Poppy and Kit-Kat hung out. It is possible that leaving Poppy with the kids provided him with more hands-on baby training than he ever received with his own children. It is a possibility. 

 Miss M was in heaven.  The girls looked gorgeous.  I wish I could have been home to see them.

This is MacKenzie.  She's Kayleen's best friend and pretty much always at our house if she's not playing softball. My plan is to lose Kayleen to college next year and acquire MacKenzie as a babysitter since she's going to school locally to play softball.

We went to celebrate the wedding of Tameem and Shannon. It was a beautiful wedding.  We weren't sure who we would see since we graduated from high school more than 15 years ago.  We ran into people we expected and people we did not expect. There was not a large Keokuk showing of guests so it was extra special that our friendship still holds and we could be apart of their day.

 Ryan, me, Janice and Roger creeping in the background.

It was about the time of these pictures being taken that I noticed I had a text from my sister in law. I had texted her earlier in the week asking her to tell me when I needed to get concerned.  I am not always in the loop of conversations with Andrew working a lot.  The text came in at 9:50pm.  She said it was time to get concerned. I called her. The mood of the night quickly changed.  We called the people who had information i.e. the brothers and headed to the hotel to pack.  The doctor had given Nathan information that Bob had 6-72 hours to live.  We drove to Burlington and set up shop in the hospital.  Wedding clothes and all.  We didn't pack for wearing anything other than our wedding clothes and the clothes we drove to Iowa in.