Our Lives: At this Moment (with pics)

Numerous syringes in the dish rack after cleaning 

Box of medicine for beside the bed

 New boxes of meds (cuz you don't wanna run out)

The Med Schedule for Micah. Gotta keep it straight so we don't overdose him...or miss a medication.

Gingerbread Men

There is nothing quite like a 2 year old around candy.

But Joel even listened to the command, "Don't eat any candy!"

But decorating is a rather serious job (you know, dumping as much candy onto the cookie as possible, while your mom takes half of it off and tells you to wait for the next cookie. Spread out the love man).

Oh so yummy! (and he hasn't even had one bite yet!)

Ahhhh! The taste of delicious gingerbread. So good.

And apparently Micah got a taste somehow. We only discovered his lips in red and green later. Perhaps Joel was sharing again!

A (Hell of a) Night in Our Lives

7:00pm: Get boys ready for bed

7:30pm: Micah falls asleep, Joel spends the next half hour getting in and out of bed until he finally falls asleep around 8pm.

8pm: Joel falls asleep

8:15pm: Micah wakes up. Dang that third nap! He's in that transition stage between 2 and 3 naps. Some days he doesn't need it, some days he does. And when he does need it and doesn't get it, he ends up waking up around 8. Yikes! Play with Micah. Feed him. Try put him to bed. He is cranky!

10:30pm: Micah finally goes to sleep. He doesn't want to be put down. I assume that because he's getting another 4 teeth (including a molar) that he is in pain. Tylenol doesn't seem to do much at this point in time. Dan and I crawl into bed as soon as possible.

11:30pm: Micah wakes up screaming. Calm him. Try to feed him (doesn't want to). Rock him to sleep. Try to put him down. Cries. Calm him. Rock him. Sleep. Put down. Pat furiously. Sleeping! That was only half an hour of work!

12:30am: Micah wakes up again! Do the whole calm his cries, attempt to feed, rock to sleep, put down, cries, rock to sleep, put down, pat furiously, cries, calm, rock to sleep, put down, sleep "dance" again.

1:30am: Micah awake. Do the whole "dance" with Micah again. He is just screaming in pain. Try more Tylenol. Try gripe water (his tummy is upset). Farts. Start the dance again. Falls asleep at 2:10am.

2:30am: Screaming Micah. Crying Amanda. Frustrated Dan. Sleeping Joel. Discussion about going to hospital ensues. Can't carry conversation over screams.

3am: Sleep.

3:30am: Crying again. Can't we catch a break?!  Micah sleeps "better" on someone and doesn't want to be put down. Crib=crying. Conversation about who should sleep with Micah on top of them. Amanda can't hold him or she'll get clogged milk ducts and that is PAINFUL! Micah doesn't like Dan. Crib it is. Its now 3:45am.

4:30am: Can you guess? Gee kid! Are you predictable or what?? Micah crying AGAIN! Do the 'get that kid to sleep' dance.

5am: Finally decide that more Tylenol can't hurt. And perhaps a two by four. (kidding!) Finally falls asleep at 5:10am. Longest stretch of sleep yet!

7am: Joel wakes up! Happy as a lark! (perhaps that because he slept the whole night...that's right! My "non-sleeper" slept the whole night!!!!) Dan and I make a deal. I'll sleep till 9am and then get up and get dressed and take the kids to the gym at 10am. At that point Dan can go back to sleep till we get home at noon. Then we both sleep during nap time.

7:10am: Micah wakes up. Feed Micah (finally!!!!) and pump out excess (I was bursting). Amanda sleeps, boys go to living room to play.

8:30am: Micah screaming because he is hungry and tired. Feed him and he falls asleep half way through feed. (so much for sleeping till 9!)

9am: Make doctors appointment for Micah

10am: Take boys to gym. Dan sleeps.

12 noon: Joel to bed. Micah to doctors. Micah has an ear infection. He's got a viral rash due to his cold. He's getting 4 teeth. The perfect storm. Now he is on so many medications that we have a chart on our fridge to keep them all straight. Micah finally falls asleep and sleeps the longest stretch in 24 hours....yep two and half hours! Woo hoo!

A Day in Our Lives

Midnight: Micah wakes up crying. His teeth hurts. He was awake only an hour ago. Try to feed him, but I get a nasty bite instead.

12:30am: Micah settles down, and we put him in is bed, only to have him wake up again. Dose him with Advil. Falls asleep within fifteen minutes.

12:45am: Everyone is sleeping again! Yippee!

6:15am: Joel wakes up. Dan goes in to settle him and then crawls back into bed.

6:30am: Joel starts crying and wakes Micah up. Dan gets Joel, I get Micah. Half asleep, I feed Micah.

6:45am: While burping Micah, I get jolted awake when he pukes all down my shirt. Call for Dan to help!  Clean up puke. Play on the bed with the boys.

7:15am: Dan takes boys into living room, while I go back to bed so I can try and recover from this horrible cold. (Yes, I have the BEST husband in the world)

8am: I wake up to the alarm and drag myself out of bed.

8:15am: Put Micah down for his morning nap. Eat breakfast. Shower. Get ready for the day.

9:30am: Get ready to go out to the gym.

9:45am: Leave for the gym. Dan goes to work.

10am: Boys play at the gym. I get to talk with other moms!

11:30am: Joel is begging to go home. He's tired. Joel eats crackers on the way home.

12 noon: Joel goes to the bathroom, change Micah's diaper. Put Joel to bed. Feed Micah and put him to bed.

12:30pm: Boys are sleeping!  I make lunch, watch some TV, read some blogs. Rest and relax! Get some things done around the house (emails, dinner prep, fold laundry etc).

4pm: Boys wake up! (3.5 hour naps...this is unusual!!!!) Feed Joel and prep both boys for going out.

4:45pm: Walk to Canadian Tire. Buy epoxy. Walk home.

5:20pm:  Home again. Make dinner with my lovely helper Joel. Micah plays quietly by himself.

6 pm: Feed Micah (who is starving by now!)

6:30pm: Dinner time! Dan comes home.

7pm: Prep boys for bed. Feed Micah (again!)

7:30pm: Boys are in bed.

8:30 pm: Joel has finally stopped crawling in and out of bed. I have a nice LONG hot shower. (its my way of relaxing) We start watching Elementary.

9pm: Joel is finally asleep.

9:15pm: I'm asleep cuddling with Dan on the couch.

9:30pm: Dan finishes watching Elementary. We crawl into bed. Asleep in seconds.

10:30pm: Micah wakes up. Try feed Micah...get bitten instead.  Drug him with Advil. Falls asleep. I'm asleep while holding Micah. Dan takes Micah and puts him to bed. Sleep uninterrupted until 4:30am. Empty bladder. Wish I could feed Micah. Micah stirs but doesn't wake up until 6:15am. Toss and turn until boys wake us up. Feed Micah...start next day.

Joel's Birthday

Only one month late with my photos! But better late them never eh?

I can't believe my baby is two years old already. Its gone so fast! For Joel's second birthday we invited some friends over for dinner (that Joel cooked) and cake. We had the best time with friends of all ages!

I made a rainbow cake for his birthday! Food colouring isn't bad for them, is it?

My favorite part was hearing the comments when the white cake was sliced open! What a surprise for those around us!

Why I go to Church

Going to church with two young kids, without my husband every other week is A LOT of work. Sometimes I wonder why I do it.

I spend one hour in Sunday School, trying to balance two kids needs. Mostly running after my two year old, trying to keep him semi-quiet and entertained. Luckily, I attend a Sunday School that welcomes my child in all his glory. Its laid back enough that Joel can run around, talk, and play with his toys while I run him in and out to the bathroom 3 times. I can comfortably feed Micah and let Joel "be himself" all while trying to follow the conversation. I must admit that although I may not say a single word the entire hour, I enjoy listening to adult conversation. It makes it worth it to go and deal with the kids, just to hear other adults talk.

Then, we have the hour of church. This is where things get interesting. I don't think I've heard an entire sermon in over two years. I've heard tidbits, but am often spending most of the time keeping Joel quiet and entertained. I am the distraction queen, which is exhausting.

So why do I stress myself out every week and attend church? I often ask myself, "Wouldn't it just be easier to stay home?" After all, its not like I get to hear the message. I spend two hours each week on my "day of rest" doing anything but resting. I spend two hours distracting two tired children. I deal with tears, tantrums and testing all in front of a crowd of people. I feel like I'm being watched every week. Like my parenting is being paraded in front of everyone.

So why do I go to Church?

Its for the 12. Or the 20. Or the 30.

Its for those 12 people who help me every Sunday. Its for the 20 reassuring smiles I receive. Its for the 30 people I interact with during those two hours.

Its for the four self proclaimed "incompete men" who watched Micah for me today during Sunday School while I trudged Joel to the bathroom for the third time.

Its for those in Sunday school who play ball and interact with my toddler all while holding an intelligent conversation.

Its for the ones who direct me in the direction that Joel has run off in, saving me the extra time it would take me to find him.

Its for the ones who hold my baby for a few minutes so I can use the restroom.

Its for the bench behind me who oogle over my children and comment every week on how much they have grown up.

Its for the gentleman who tells me every week, "You're a good mommy!" and shares stories of his grandchildren.

Its for those who hold Micah during the service so my hands are free to distract Joel.

Its for the girls who play with Joel after the service every Sunday, keeping him out of trouble, and busy enough that I can get my stuff together so we can go home.

Its for those who are thrilled by the smiles they get from the boys.

Its for those who don't say anything to me about how distracting my kids are during Church and keep quiet about it.

Its for those who have realized that Joel loves fans and turn them on every Sunday.

Its for those who gently guide Joel back to the front during the children's feature.

Its for those who let him run around the sanctuary during the children's feature.

Its for those who take the time to say hello to my boys. To give them hugs and kisses. To give them high fives or a pound it.

Its for those who have gone before me. Who know what its like to raise young children and give me that reassuring smile. That "I've been there" nod. That, "You can do it " look.

Its for those who give me the encouragement to continue. The understanding that it will get better. And the forgiveness when I make mistakes.

Its for those who allow my children to be who God created them to be. Who are there during the good times and the bad. Its for those who accept my children when they sit quietly during church and when they are loud and distracting.

Its for the 12. Or the 20. Or the 200. Its for each member of the church. For each of those I interact with and for those who interact with my kids. You guys are the reason I go to church. You are why I keep coming. You are why I deal with unruly children. Why I exhaust myself trying to keep my kids quiet for 2 hours. You are the reason I go to church. And why I LOVE it.

The Greatest Gifts

As per usual, the baby LOVED playing with the paper. Thanks to Darnell and Christina (well, Darnell's dad) for the good quality paper which stood up to Micah's drool! Thanks for the puzzle for Joel. What a great gift from around the world.

Playing with their new toys (thanks MCC for the airplane!)

Dan was super surprised by his new shirt!

Can you tell that we LOVE The Big Bang Theory?

Joel really got into ripping the paper.

Micah, not so much.

There were a bit of tears and lots of love!

A cute handmade sweater for Micah---thanks to my Sister in Law, Sarah for her hard work!

A lovely hat (one for Joel and one for Micah). Thanks cousin Karen!

A lovely handmade wooden penguin from my brother Jon. Thanks James for putting it together! We were certainly blessed by our family's handmade gifts this year.

A surprise from our friends in Korea (thanks Greg and Karmen!)

My fav. gift from Korea: Sporks!!!!! (I've secretly always wanted one...and now I have a family pack!)

The Great Christmas Tree Caper of 2012 (now with pictures!)

Every year, for the last 6 years, Dan and I have gone to the local supermarket, literally picked up our Christmas tree and WALKED it home. I have done it with my roommate (and Dan). I have done it 9 months pregnant. I have done it 3 months pregnant, sick as a dog with a 1 year old in tow. And now, I have done it with a screaming toddler and a baby.

As per tradition, we make a stop at the local Starbucks for a beverage (and a bit of a break). It makes for a great photo op as well....we sorta.

Joel wasn't the happiest camper the entire time. In fact, he cried most of the way home. We realized later that he had to pee and that he refused to go in the public washroom or in the diaper we forced him to wear (he just started potty training at this point and we didn't want any accidents).

Anyway, we stopped at City Hall fountains to let Joel run around.

Dan had a bit of fun dressing up the tree!

And once we got home, we took almost a hundred shots (yippee burst mode!) to get this one, with all of looking at the camera, semi smiling! Our annual tradition is complete and we were exhausted!
But it was worth it!

Joel's Kitchen

Joel's big gift this Christmas was his own toy kitchen from Ikea. The idea behind it, was to reclaim our own kitchen from a two year old (which worked for about 2 days, but then became an epic fail). But he certainly loves playing with it.

The great unveiling! He pulled down the sheet...

...gave us the "woah" look....

...and proceeded to play for the next hour...

...without a single word or response to us.

Finally, an hour or so later, we got a "thank-you!"
I think the kitchen was a good choice!

Setting up the Tree

Joel took his job of putting the star on the top of the tree rather seriously.

In fact, he wanted to repeat this procedure numerous times, he loved it so much.

But luckily, he moved on to putting the other decorations on the tree.

We often had disagreements about where to place the objects. Joel wanted things low, so that he could touch them again. I preferred them high to keep his little hands away from breakable items.

But Joel finally agreed that the temptation of having little balls low would be too much, and decided to place them higher up.

 

But don't get me started about the nutcrackers.....

 

....he'll have nothing to do with 'em.