Thanksgiving

It's been 4 years since we celebrated a proper Thanksgiving in America, so this was a very exciting, and educational, time of the year!

The kids only know Thanksgiving as a time to make paper turkeys, hear a very watered down version of the story (can't tell the whole truth to my British friends!), and eat chicken. Yes, chicken! Turkeys are for Christmas in England! Anyway, this was my chance to tell the whole story. But, I didn't have to...school had it all under control!

The week before Thanksgiving, the boys indulged in a Thanksgiving feast at school. Aiden got to go in early for lunch and I heard all about the turkey and fixings when they got home. The best part was that Jacob, as a second grader, got to dress up as a Pilgrim - Captain Myles Standish to be exact! They studied the Mayflower the whole week and, on the day after the feast, I boarded the Mayflower to hear all about it. It was very cute! Check out the video below.

We kept the tradition of making turkeys and saying what we were thankful for. Jacob: his cousins (he also wrote food, cause without it we'd die!). Aiden: Georgie (his stuffed monkey). Jeb: blankie. Pretty simple stuff. Was kind of wishing to see 'mommy' on one of those thankful feathers, but I'm going say that that was a given...hopefully.

The actual day was spent at the Blauwkamps. I don't think I've ever seen my mom so happy to have us all around the table once again. I'd have to agree. I've got a lot of things to be thankful for. My thoughts always tend to go back to 2008, when we brought Jeb home from the hospital on Thanksgiving. We were so thankful to have him healthy again. Things have changed, but health is still something I'm thankful for, along with all the crazy stuff that having three boys brings! Yep, I wouldn't trade it for anything.

p.s. It's "I have fiery red hair and a temper to match."

A Little One on One

And I'm not talking basketball here. I'm talking one child, one parent. This, however, doesn't happen too much and we have suddenly realized it.

Lately, in the midst of running around, bringing one boy here or another boy there, we've lost the basic communication skills that lie outside of "Did you do your homework?" or "Have you made your bed?" Jeb seems to get the most one on one time, but to be honest, most times he's being carried around in the same fashion as my purse. We just need to get the errands before school pick-up, so off we go! Sounds fun for a 3 year old doesn't it?

So, we drew a line in the sand and established "Breakfast Saturdays" for the older boys. And, Jeb has experienced his first library storytime with mommy. Sadly, Jacob was about 3 months old for his first storytime. Sorry Jebbers...I'm trying!

Anyway, last week was Aiden's turn to go out to breakfast and he chose mommy. I didn't realize how exciting this would be for him until I heard knocking on my bathroom wall (from his bed) at 6:45 in the morning! I went in his room to find him fully dressed and ready to go. Ok, this is going to be an early breakfast! Off we went 15 minutes later and we slid into our booth by 7:10. I ordered myself a coffee and Aiden a chocolate milk - every kids favorite. Except Aiden looked at me and said, "mommy, I don't like chocolate milk, remember?" Oops, I guess the one on one time is good for me too.

And the following day, I took Jacob to the park. We haven't done it in ages. He was trying to race himself on the monkey bars and I was supposed to be timing him. I looked down at my watch and then up at him and everything seemed to stand still. The fall colors were behind him as he moved along the bars smiling. And then I realized he wasn't so little anymore and I'm just not sure where that time has gone to. Sounds cliche, doesn't it? Not to worry, my sappy moment was soon brought to an end when he was yelling at me, clearly annoyed that I wasn't timing him.

Here's to one on one time. Bring on the waffles, story books, and monkey bars - it's all we need to make some great memories.

Halloween!

It's been about three years since we have really celebrated Halloween, so we tried to really do it up this year! First, came the explanation of what trick or treating was. Aiden, as always, had an abundance of questions leading to the ultimate question of 'why do you trick or treat?' And the final answer of, 'to get candy.' His eyes nearly popped out of his head when he realized the simplicity of trick or treating - free candy if you ask.

The festivities began the Friday before with a Halloween Parade at school. The weather was nice, so the kids were allowed to walk around the neighborhood. Who should lead the parade, but the child who has never trick or treated before - Aiden (aka Darth Vader). He was all smiles. Jacob was pretty pumped about it too. It was a great sight to see and I got the warm fuzzies of being back home to celebrate this event.

Saturday was designated the day to carve the pumpkins, but before diving into that project, we did a trial run of trick or treating. Downtown Elmhurst was opening up the businesses for trick or treating and I think the whole town came down. It was a bit crazy. The boys went from store to store collecting their loot and at one point I couldn't get in with them, so I waited outside. Big mistake. Suddenly, a 7 year old vampire was at my side with a member of the Lightning McQueen pit crew. Through tightly gripped plastic teeth, Jacob looked at me and scolded me - "You must hold Jeb's hand!" Could it be that I just got yelled at by a 7 year old? No, I must have heard wrong. On to the next store. This time the little vampire took both Tom and I aside and gave a little lecture of holding Jeb's hand at all times. Yes, just when you think you've got it all figured out as a parent, your kid tells you you're doing it all wrong.

We made it home without losing McQueen (phew!) and got out the pumpkins. No one wanted to use the templates, so Tom and I listened intently to our junior pumpkin designers and carved to our hearts content. Jacob insisted on doing his own and, thanks to the kiddie knife from Pampered Chef, we didn't lose any fingers.

Sunday was the designated day to trick or treat by the city of Elmhurst. And it all started at 3:30. A scary vampire, Darth Vader, and a Lightning McQueen Pit Crew memberall took off with daddy to join the neighborhood entourage of dads and kids begging for candy. The kids came back loaded down with goodies and very excited! We had dinner with some friends and took off soon after finding Jeb trying to take a nap on the stairs. The day had taken it's toll, but it was so exciting.

The candy count? 110 peices on average per boy. We all know 25% goes to mom and dad...or is it 50%? Happy Halloween!!

Halloween Parade

Ready for candy in their cool costumes

Off to trick or treat

It's time to go home when you find your kid napping on the stairs

The loot

Saturday at Shedds

This past Saturday we took some time off from watching college football to go enjoy some family time together. Ok, Michigan had a by week, but even so, we thought it would be fun to get away and see some fish at the aquarium. We were meeting some friends from Michigan there, so the incentive was even greater to get there and enjoy.


We lucked out with no traffic despite the rain, so we were in the city within 25 minutes. Tom dropped us off so we could get the tickets while he parked the car. We had debated on bringing the stoller since we don't really need it anymore, but it did offer the chance to go into the side entrance, which is never busy. But, hey, who is going to be at Shedd's on a rainy Saturday? As I turned the corner in the pouring rain, the answer became clear - EVERYONE was at Shedd's today!


Armed with no umbrella, three hyper boys, and no raincoat for myself, I turned to Jeb and told him to turn on those brown eyes and find us some shelter! It only took a few minutes and soon we were sharing umbrellas with two kind ladies from Michigan. And, after 1 hour, we were in the doors. Wait, there was another line to purchase tickets. Why didn't I take that stroller?!?! Forty five minutes (and one very angry Tom) later, we were looking at the fish and with our friends (who did get in the side entrance! GRR!!)


The day only went up from there and we had a great time catching up with old friends and seeing all the cool fish. But, we knew it was time to go when we saw four boys (clearly not ours!) running around and waving the paddles of the show canoe and when we turned to see Jeb pulling down his pants and yelling, "I need to go to the toilet!" After a great ten yard tackle by Tom, we had all situations under control.


We walked out to clear skies, a beautiful skyline, and, well, no line.

4 Day House Arrest

I must admit, I don't know that I had ever really heard of "house arrest" until Paris Hilton and Lindsay Lohan appeared on the scene, but now I'm feeling it first hand. Let me just be clear that I don't live in a mansion like my afore mentioned friends. And I'm not sitting around with butlers and maids to entertain me while I am stuck here. No, I have it much worse - I am in the midst of POTTY TRAINING!

This is my last go-round at this and my biggest challenge yet. You would think that I know all the tricks to get this done, but I've got a stubborn one on my hands. We tried this a few weeks ago, but the stickers didn't do it, chocolate didn't do it and even the famed 'potty party' didn't do it (hey, I was grasping at straws). So, I thought about it and realized that since Jeb has been lugged back and forth chasing after his brother's activities his entire life, that just maybe Jeb's ulimate reward would be staying at home. I was right.

We began on Tuesday. Loaded with drink boxes, m&ms, stickers and no plans. Jeb got out of bed to find no diapers (aka nappies). He cried. He threw himself on the floor. The neighbors heard the three year old cries of "I need my nappy on!!" I ultimately paid Jacob 50 cents to talk Jeb into wearing underpants. His first trip to the bathroom produced the right results and I gave him an m&m. His response - "I don't want this, I'm giving it to Jacob." I was worried. We finally found the best reward was another drink box. We were in the bathroom a lot. We had 4 accidents that day due to school pick ups and making meals. Obviously, I need to be around him at all times.

Wednesday. Things are getting better, but the house is falling apart while I sit and do puzzles, play cars and read books. Jeb has never had this much attention and is gladly visiting the potty in order for mommy to continue playing. I found him in the corner while I was making lunch - opps. Two accidents today.

Thursday. Got some laundry done today, but I am getting restless! The cupboards are empty due to no grocery shop this week and the wine bottle is getting close to empty! Potty training has to end soon. I think it will - no accidents today. However, I have noticed a couple of things today. The first is that Jeb is staying dry during his nap. This is because he is calling me every 10 minutes to go potty. Not sure if he needs it or if he is manipulating me. I am guessing it's the latter of the two. The second thing I noticed is Jeb's request for me to hold his "willy." That sounds really bad when I write it doesn't it? I tried to correct this yesterday and had him hold "it." Big mistake. The aim was not to the bowl - it was the wall, then the floor, then the back of the toilet. And ultimately his hands and mine as I tried to stop the mess! We'll work on that later I guess.

So, my house arrest is almost over. I did almost go crazy, but I think it was worth it in the end. I am finally done with diapers after 6 3/4 years! Maybe I shouldn't have said that. Fingers crossed I'm right!

When the Relatives Came

It's been a big secret for the past month - the second grade classes at Jefferson Elementary were reading the book "When the Relatives Came." Doesn't sound like a very fun secret does it? Well, it is when you team it up with really having the relatives come!

I secretly invited both sets of grandparents and even got Daddy to clear his schedule. Everyone arrived at our house slightly before the big event (although Grandpa Koops wasn't able to make it, maybe next time!). We walked down to the school's front lawn and spread out our blanket, complete with cider and donuts.

While we were doing that, Jacob's teacher was reading the book (which, I admit have no idea what it is about...I guess the title is a big clue). Then Miss Lancaster announced to the class that they were going to plant some apple seeds on the front lawn. Jacob was the first out. Totally surprised with a hug for everyone. Except, now that I think about it, I didn't get one! Oh well, I was too busy crying! It was a bit emotional!

We had a nice time picnicking and having a nice chat. What a nice excuse to have the relative come!

Happy Birthday Jeb!

Last week we celebrated Jeb's third birthday. Yes, for me it was all the usual feelings - unbelief that my baby is this old, happy to reach this milestone, etc. Except this year I had the feeling of hope. Hope that Jeb is just going through a stubborn stage, hope that we were getting out of the terrible twos, and hope that this wasn't the "trying threes." On September 25 I realized all hope was lost! Oh well, so what if Jeb's stubbornness keeps building, at least he's still cute right?!


In spite of it all, we had a great celebration - smaller than in years past, but Jeb and I are actively seeking a new BBF for him! But, in keeping with tradition, Jeb had requested a Lightning McQueen cake. So, he got it for the second year in a row. This time made not by me, but the local bakery. It was seriously the worst cake I've ever tasted - even Jeb wouldn't eat it - but it looked really good. So, that is all that matters.


Jeb's one request for his birthday was an orange car. Easy request, but hard to purchase when the child is always with me! Let's just say that Jeb saw all his presents being bought, yet still acted surprised when he opened them. This may be the last year of that happening.


On Saturday we had a family day and Jeb got the choose where to go. The zoo of course! Brookfield Zoo is an easy 20 minute drive for us and we had a great time. Jeb loved petting the sting rays and was fascinated by the penguins as they dove down to see us. I can still hear the laughter - priceless.

So, here is to the next year and whatever it may bring. My wish as he blew out the candle was for good health, less dirty looks, and no more nappies!!!!! (I don't see the last two happening anytime soon). Happy Birthday Baby!