Bruce not cooperating for the picture. I told him I was going to put the pictures on anyway.

That's better.

Not cooporating again. He's pretending to sleep. Had to remind him that I was putting them on the blog anyway.

See what I have to deal with every time I try to take a picture of Bruce. He gives me such a hard time. It takes twice as long to get a good picture.

Awe.

Max eating his "big one donut".

Breaking it up to make "tons of candies".

The kids slept in until 8:30. We had just woke up when Bruce got home from work. He is on midnights again this week. I quick got the kids dressed and in their snowsuits so they could go outside with daddy while he shoveled. After getting a load of laundry started, I got Jack in his snowsuit and we joined them outside. I pulled Jack in his little sled and Bruce pulled Hailey and Max in the big sled. We decided to go for a walk down the road pulling them in their sleds. They sure liked that. Then we went inside for some hot chocolate. Bruce went to bed shortly after we came in. It wasn't hard keeping the kids quiet cause they were both so busy playing with their new toys. Max sat and played with all his cars and tractors. And Hailey played with her Barbi's and Polly pockets. It sure was quiet in the house. After lunch, I put Jack and Max down for their naps. They did really well sleeping together in the same room. I wasn't sure how well Max would go to sleep and was afraid he would get up and try to crawl in with Jack or something. I had the monitor on so I could hear if he did. He fell asleep pretty quickly and they both slept for a couple hours. Bruce woke up around dinner time. We had to go to Meijers for a couple things so we got a box of donuts while we were there. Max was so excited to get a "big" donut (usually we get the kids a couple donut holes). We also stopped and got a mocha and then drove around to look at Christmas lights. Every time we passed a house with lights, Max would say "Wow, dats fwitty (pretty)". When we got home, we ate our donuts. Max pointed to the one with sprinkles and said "I want dat one. I want a big one donut." He ate all the sprinkles off the top first. Then he broke it up into small pieces and said "Wook it. I makin tons of candies." While I was tucking Max in bed tonight, he prayed "Thank you for race cars and snow and my bed and my bwanky (blankie). Then he said "Cuase dose are my pabewit (fovorite) things."

Monday, December 8, 2008

Max had a doctor's appointment this morning, his three year old well check. Bruce stayed home with Hailey, and I took Jack and Max to the appointment. As soon as we got there, the nurse asked me to "play some games" with Max and fill out the paperwork while we were waiting. I had to ask him lots of questions and write down his answers. He wanted to play with all the toys but was very good about doing the things he needed to. He sat on the ride on car while I asked him a bunch of questions. He really liked the part when he had to jump over the paper. He was very proud of himself. We were called back pretty quickly so we didn't get all the questions answered. He still was asking to play but was very good about coming when the nurse called him back. She weighed and measured him (he weighed 31 pounds and was 38 inches) Then she took him for his vision and hearing tests. Jack and I waited for him in the room. Max went right with her without complaining. She said he did great on his hearing test but didn't want to do the vision test. She said that was quite commen among three year olds, and she was happy she at least got the hearing test. We worked on some more questons while waiting for the PA. He seemed to really enjoy playing the "games" for the paperwork. We didnt' have a very long wait again, so we still didn't have it finished. As soon as the PA walked in the room, Jack started crying. Max climbed right up on the table when she asked him to. He stared up at her the whole time she was checking him out. He looked a little scared but did everything she asked him to do and answered her when she talked to him. He didn't have to get any shots today. After the PA was done we finsihed the paperwork. Jack was still crying and was very upset, so it was hard to fill it all out. Max seemed to be a little distracted by his crying and really wanted to go play with the "doctor's cars" in the waiting room since he didn't get to. He always looks forward to playing with those cars when he comes to the doctor. It took a little extra work but I managed to get him to answer all but one of the questions. He was done by the last one and refused to answer. He just kept saying "I want to go now. I want to go play wif da doctor's cars. Cause I do." Max was happy to pick out a sucker and a sticker. I asked him what color sucker he wanted and he said "wewo (yellow)". Then I told him there wasn't any yellow and he said "wed (red)". By now Jack was really upset. But as soon as we got back out to the waiting room he stopped crying. I am pretty sure it's cause he remembered being here a few days ago and getting his shots. I knew he wasn't hungry cause I just had fed him before we left and he started ccrying as soon as he saw the PA which was who he saw on Friday. When we got home, I layed Jack down for a nap in his crib. He really likes the mobile and fell asleep as he watched it. I had layed him in the middle but when I went in to check on him, he was sleeping turned onto his side right next to the bumper pad with his hand up on it. He also likes to feel the animals on the bumper pad. He always runs his hands up and down it, feeling all the different textures. And every time I lay him in the crib, he works his way over so he can reach it. Max and Hailey spent all day playing with their new toys. They played so quietly, each in their own little space with all the toys piled around them. This evening, when Jack woke up from his nap, Max asked to get in the crib with him. He layed down by Jack and they played with the mobile. Jack would laugh when Max hit the animals and made them move. Max was so sweet with Jack, giving him lots of kisses and hugs.

We woke up late this morning, so we only had about a half an hour to get ready for church. Right away the kids begged to see the bag of toys from Aunt Jessie. While I picked the kids clothes out, they had fun playing with the new toys. Max loved his cars and Hailey loved the little dolls and the pet game. They got to play with them for a few minutes before they had to start getting ready. We were only a few minutes late for church, but we were all tired. Max even got right back in his bed and asked to go back to bed this morning. He said "I tired. I want to go in my bed." After church, Grandma Brenda, Papa Dan, Jessie, and Molly came over for lunch. We ordered a pizza. Then we headed over to Walmart so they could take the kids shopping for their birthdays. They let them pick out a bunch of toys. Hailey loved going around telling us what she wanted. As we walked down the Barbi isle, she said " I need a daddy for my Barbi's." Max found some tractors and cars that he liked right away. He was kind of confused why he could take so many toys home. He saw the tractor and carried that around until he saw the cars (a car carrier truck with a bunch of cars from the Cars movie) that he really liked. He put the tractor back on the shelf and grabbed the cars and said he wanted that. He didn't notice us throw the tractor back into the cart. He held onto the cars that he really wanted the whole time as we walked through the store. Every time we showed him another toy and asked him if he wanted it, he held up the cars he was holding onto and said "No, I wike dis." He thought he could only pick one thing. He hugged his cars very tightly cause he didn't want to let them go. He looked back at all the toys in the cart and said "Dat's too much." The cart was full of toys. We left and the kids had a few minutes to play with them before we had to leave for the live nativity. Hailey remembered going to see the live nativity last year and was really looking forward to it. She was very excited about seeing baby Jesus again. We met my parents and Kimmy and her family at the church around 5:30. First, we all gathered in the sanctuary to sing Christmas carols while we waited. The church was packed and they let a couple rows go at a time. While we are waiting, they also have an angel appear and tell us about the new born king. They turn down the lights and they have a projection of an angel on the ceiling which the kids really think is neat. They all love this part and think the angel is real. When it was our turn, we went outside to a tent where a shepherd introduced himself and then led us through the town of Bethlehem. Along the way, we stopped and talked to some more shepherds. They let us warm up by their fire. We also got stopped by some Roman soldiers, who talked very loudly as they searched us and then sent us on our way. They kids always hold on to us very tightly when the soldiers come near us. We came to a tent where we had to get our scrolled parchment papers and then we took them to another tent to have them stamped. We continued on through the town where people tired to sell us things like animals, jewelry, food, blankets, etc. The kids love to see and pet all the different animals (sheep, goats, rabbits, chickens, a donkey, and even a camel.) Then we came to the inn. The inn keeper told us there was no room in the inn and sent us to the stable where we found Mary, Joseph, and baby Jesus. I love to see the kids faces when we come to the stable. You can tell it just seems so real to them. It is such a neat experience. Afterwards, we go inside for drinks and cookies. The kids had fun running around and playing together.

Bruce got up with the kids and let me sleep in. I woke up around 9:00. After eating breakfast, Bruce and I worked on hanging all the things on the wall in the kids bedrooms. We had some pictures, wall hangings, and shelves that we had taken down when Bruce added the third bedroom. They've been sitting in a box ever since and we never got to putting them back up. The kids were both so happy when they saw all the new things hanging on their walls. Then we set Jack's crib up in Max's room. While we were doing that, I had Max lay down in our bedroom for a nap. Max was still wide awake talking when we were done, so I moved him back to his room. When he walked in and saw the crib set up, he said "Wow, wook it my woom. Dat's my bed. And dats my bed too." I think he still remembered sleeping in the crib. I guess it hasn't really been that long since he moved to his big boy bed. I told him that Jack was going to sleep in that bed, and he said "Cause he a baby... And I big now?" I turned the baby monitor on so I could hear if he got out of bed. I figured he would since the toy box was moved to a different spot (more out in the open) and the basket of stuffed animals was right next to his bed. I just knew he would get up and start playing. And sure enough he did. I heard him playing on the monitor and when I went in he was getting toys out of the toy box. As I opened the door, he said "wow, wook at dis! I wike dat!" It was like they were toys he had never seen before just because they were moved to a different spot. Some of them he hadn't played with in a while. I got him back in bed and told him to stay. He fell asleep pretty quickly after that. While Max was taking his nap, daddy showed Hailey some videos on the computer of people playing different musical instruments. She really enjoyed listening to them all. Max only got about a 45 minute nap. I woke him up when Bruce's parents called and said they were coming. I wanted him to be awake for at least a few minutes before they got here so he would be grumpy for them. Alot of times lately when I wake him up, he's grumpy for a short while. After he was done crying from me waking him, he was very excited to see the room again. He just kept pointing at the crib and all the things hanging on the wall saying "Wook at dat!" About 15 minutes after he woke up, Grandma Brenda, Papa Dan, Jessie and her friend, Molly, got here. Jack was very fussy and cried whenever they held him. I fed him and he was happy with Grandma for a short while and then fussed again. Jessie held him for a little while too but he still was acting really fussy. He just wanted me to hold him. Max had fun playing cars with Papa Dan and Hailey was showing off dancing for everyone and acting goofy. After visiting for a little while, we all went out for dinner. Max sat by Jessie and she was such a big help with him. She fed him some bites of soup and cleaned him off when he got dirty. He was so hungry and ate a ton. Hailey sat by Molly and they were both giggling. After dinner, we went back to the hotel with them and went swimming. The kids were so excited about getting to swim. Max liked the water for the first 10 minutes but then got scared when he saw the filters. He kept saying "I scared. I don't want to go in da hole." He was really holding on to us tight and wanted to get out. Jack also went swimming for the first time. He really liked it. We only kept him in for a little bit thought becasue the water was a little cold. Hailey did really good in the pool. As long as she had her life jacket and the ring on she even let us let go of her for a few seconds at a time. She was so proud of herself and kept telling us to let go of her and then would hang right back on after a few seconds. She had so much fun in the water. Max and Jack were so cute cuddling in their towels on Grandma Brenda's lap. Max was so tired and looked like he was almost falling asleep. We went back up to the room with them. Max and Hailey crawled right up on the bed and both looked so tired. Grandma Brenda told them she would look for some cartoons on TV for them to watch. Max said "Cars toons?" He doens't know what cartoons are so he thought she ment watch something with cars. Papa Dan took them to go get a snack out of the vending machines. We didn't leave the hotel until 11:00. Of course Max still didn't fall asleep on the way home. He was too excited about seeing all the Christmas lights. Everytime we passed a house with Christmas lights, he would say "Ooh fwitty (pretty)." After telling the kids that it was very late and they had to get right to bed when we got home, Hailey kept asking if it was the middle of the night.

After dropping Hailey off at preschool, we took Jack for his four month well check. Max liked playing with the cars and trucks in the waiting room. He would push them all around the room, saying "I gotta find a parking spot", and then park them under the slide. Jack was very good for his appointment. He smiled lots at the nurse when she was checking him over. He only cried for a few seconds while he was getting his shots, four of them, but stopped as soon as I picked him up. We stopped and picked Hailey up from preschool on the way home. She wanted to make her teacher a picture as soon as she got home. She asked me to tell her how to spell everything and wrote "I love you. You are a great teacher. Have a great day." Hailey said "Max do you want me to read to you? Wah or no?" (I think it 's funny that she always say "wah" just like he pronounces yah when she's talking to him.) He climbed up by her in the rocking chair, and she read the Bible to him. After lunch, I cut some shapes out of construction paper for the kids and helped them make cats. We glued on the shapes, circles for the head and eyes, triangles for the ears and nose. Then they had fun decorating their cats with markers. Max drew "stripes" on his kitty, and Hailey drew purple hearts all over her and said her kitty had "heart spots". They turned out really cute. This evening, my mom came over and went to dance class with us. The shades were open today, so we could watch her. She sure does a great job. And I love to hear her class sing the recital song. They all sing so loud and it's so cute. After dance class, Nana stayed and watched the video of Hailey picking out her doll with us. The kids sure love to "wake up" the snowman every night. When I tell them it's time to wake him up they both come running. They take turns every night flipping the switch to turn him on. Max still hasn't stopped playing with his toys he got for his birthday. He gets them all out first thing when he wakes up until it's time to go to bed. Unless we have to go somewhere or it's time to eat or take a nap. Then he always gets upset for a little while because he doesn't want to stop playing. He cried again tonight when I took him to his room to go to bed. I took one of his stuffed animals and made it dance and sing. Max thought it was so funny and stopped crying right away. Hailey soon joined us. So we all sat in Max;s room and sang songs. We lined up the stuffed animals at the end of Max's bed. They liked when I would make each of the stuffed animals talk and say what their favorite song was. Then Hailey and Max would sing it with them.

Hailey's kitty.

Max's kitty.