Never have I ever

gone to the bathroom while a three year old tried to take pictures of me with a compact turned cell phone turned camera...

...until today.

Rabbit Ears

I was trying to capture one of Jack's smiles, and I couldn't capture the smile. I did, however, realize how silly my feet looked in all the shots!

Little Cowgirl

Ella also enjoyed her time on the horses. The horse swing was a little difficult for her to manuever on her own, but she must try everything Bo tries!

There were a couple of small ponies and then two big horses. I couldn't believe that they put Ella on a big horse! She LOVED it. I could not capture a smile, but she was so precious riding around.

She was absolutely exhausted by the time we made it to the carousel. I think she was asleep before we made it out of the parking lot!

Horses, Horses, Horses

I'd been telling Bo that he was going to get to ride horses at the party and he was SO excited. The experience definitely did not disappoint. He was able to ride an actual horse instead of just a little pony!

Can you tell he loved every minute of it?

We ended the party with a trip around the carousel. We were pretty tired by then, but still enjoyed it.

Birthday Party Pics

Here are some fun shots from the birthday party we went to over the weekend.

Bo loved the rabbit so much that he actually broke the rules and tried to pick it up. He was banned [by me] from the rabbit pen after that, and he was NOT happy about it!

Ella was a little less willing to pet the rabbit. But considering the one she was checking out probably weighed more than she does, I can't blame her!

We were warned that the llama would spit, so we opted to enjoy the view from outside the pen!

Memorial Day Weekend

You may [or may not] have noticed that my posts from the weekend lacked many specific details. This was intentional as I was by myself for the weekend. Perhaps I should be more specific: I was by myself with the kids for the weekend. It always makes me a little nervous to post about being here alone.

Jason had to work out of town, so he left for work Friday morning, and came back home last night at 8 PM.

All in all, it was a successful weekend. There were some tense and tired moments, but I made it. Here are a few highlights from my time as a single mom:

Friday we ran a few short errands and Jack made it clear, once again, that he does NOT like shopping!
Saturday the kids had a birthday party at a local farm, so I had a sitter come for Jack. It was great fun for the kids and I was able to enjoy them because I did not have to tend to Jack. Pictures to come on that one...
Sunday we had a cookout with our community group from church. It was a great time to enjoy some adult fellowship and eat a delicious hamburger. Jack enjoyed being passed around, and I was able to relax. Well, I was able to relax for a little while. At one point, Ella wandered into the backyard alone. She was playing "house" with some of the older girls, and I thought they were tucked back in a bedroom. Turned out they decided to go outside and let Ella play, unsupervised; things were a little less relaxing after that!
Bo had a bit of constipation that resulted in two hours of him crying in pain. He was doubled over in my lap trying to work things out and it was not fun. He was finally able to go, so we've added LOTS of fiber to his diet to keep things moving.
I got peed on. Three times. Once by every kid. Not fun.
We had a couple rounds of severe thunderstorms, but thankfully no tornadoes; I think the Lord knew I wasn't ready to handle huddling in a closet at 3 AM with all the little ones by myself!
I was only five minutes late to church, and I had on lipstick!

I will say that I made it very clear to Jason that he is not allowed to die any time soon. That probably sounds pretty morbid, but seriously, I am not ready to be a single mom full time! Amazing how a weekend away makes me appreciate him in so many casual ways that I too often take for granted.

I felt like a high schooler getting ready for a date yesterday afternoon. I wanted the house to look just right. I made our favorite dinner for after the kids went to bed, including a homeade keylime pie for dessert! I was so excited about him being here.

The kids were certainly excited too. Bo gave Jason the sweetest hug. It made me misty-eyed just to see the way they ran to the door and jumped in his arms. Everyone is glad he's home.

This is a year of many responsibilities for Jason [and me with three little ones], but I know that it is a time in our lives that I will remember with fondness!

Hats!

As it's getting warmer, we've been wearing our hats outside! Ella actually really enjoys it.

Bo really wanted to wear his basket hat when he saw Ella in her hat. I kept giggling when I would look at him because it was just funny to see him in a sombrero!

Afternoon Delight

Superhero Bo

Dad got these shots of Bo in his pajamas the other night.

How about those muscles?

The belly is the real weapon!

Here's SuperBo in action...

Thanks to Aunt Sarah for the great pajamas!

On a Roll

Ella was asking for a tissue for her nose the other day, so I told her she could run to the bathroom and get a little toilet paper.

Apparently, I should have been a little more specific with my instructions!

Excercise

Jack really enjoys lifting his head and looking around. I could NOT capture him looking at me on camera, and shortly after this photo was taken, Bo and Ella began attacking Jack with kisses. So much for my photo opportunity!

This kid is quite a kid! This morning I had to wake him up at 5 AM to nurse him. He'd been sleeping soundly since 9 PM, and I had to start his day at 5 AM so I could nurse him at 9 AM before we left for a birthday party. It killed me to wake him up, but he went straight back down, so I was able to get another hour of sleep!

How crazy is this? I just found this old picture of Ella. It was taken when Ella was almost the exact same age that Jack is right now. This was the shot I was trying to get this morning!

Co-Sleeping

Bo and Ella are napping in the same room today for the first time in many months. They sleep in the same room at night, but I've been napping them separately to ensure good rest time for the both.

The problem is that it's been a little too restful for Bo! He's gotten into a sleep cycle that is really not great:
Day 1: great nap [3 hours+]...bedtime at 8 PM...Bo lays awake and counts, sings, kicks the wall until 10:30 or 11
Day 2: Bo sleeps until 8:30 or so because he was awake so late...naptime is shorter an hour or two...bedtime at 8 PM, but it still takes Bo until 9;30 or 10 to fall asleep
Day 3: Bo is awake around 8 AM and feeling great...naptime is playtime with lots of singing, kicking, and some whining bedtime is 8 PM, but sometimes it bumps back to 7:30 or even 7:15
Day 4: Bo is awake around 8, and crabby, crabby by naptime, he takes a great nap, and we're back at the beginning of the rotaton once more.

It seems that no amount of outside play or high energy activities can break these habits!

So we've gone to co-sleeping for several reasons:
1. the above mentioned sleep issues
2. some upcoming travel that will require one room sleeping for all the kiddos
3. naptime is a little less sacred for me now that I have Jack to care for; I figure this is the time to be flexible and implement some new routines

And now Bo is whining; I guess I'd better go check it out...

Just thinking...

For some reason, I can't get these images out of my head today. Hard to believe this was Bo three years ago...

And now I get to enjoy watching Jack sleep in the same carseat!
Both my boys sleep well in the carseat. Ella would sleep when we were driving, but as soon as I got her out of the car, she was awake! Jack really sleeps well in the seat, which is a huge blessing. Last night I buckled him in after I nursed him at 4:30, and he almost immediately fell asleep. He slept through our dinner at Wendy's, a VBS meeting at the church, the car ride home, and my bed time ritual with Bo and Ella. I woke him up at 8:50 to nurse him and put him down for the night! He's a keeper!

Okay, as I was looking at that last post, I had to go back and add one more picture. I've been saying that I thought Jack had the same nose and lips as Bo, but look at this shot of Ella's lips. I think she and Jack have the same mouth. And the more I look at it, I think Bo's eyes are just like Jack's! Hmmmm...

Come On Over

Thanks to some neighbors who are moving and cleaning out their back yard, the kids have a new outdoor play house. It's a hit!

Bo makes a mean cheeseburger, and the service can't be beat!

W-a-t-e-r

Bo started spelling the other day during lunch, and it totally caught me off guard. I was even more surprised when he knew what he was doing! I couldn't resist the video...

I think...

Ella was mid "diaper change" when something else caught her attention, but I'm not really sure.