Update

It's been a few weeks again since I've updated...so I guess it's time! We've finally had some nice weather again, and have been spending lots of time outside and eating popsicles! We went out to eat the other night at the mall and promised the kids they could play after we ate. Unfortunately, we weren't thinking that it was a Sunday, and by the time we were finished with dinner, the mall had closed and we couldn't get to the play area. So we initiated Plan B and went to Dairy Queen. It had an "outside only" eating area. Nolan and Natalie sat with their cones quietly for the most part. Nathan, however, had no interest in eating any ice cream and walked around flirting with everyone instead. He had many failed attempts at escaping to the road, but we caught him every time and destroyed his plan. I didn't take any pics here, and wish I could have, but we were too busy keeping up with the kids to make sure no one took off! Natalie's face was covered in ice cream, but she enjoyed every second of it (her food allergies have seemed to disappear thankfully). All the people around us were getting lots of laughs from watching our kids get extremely messy and trying to escape! We must have looked like a three ring circus.


Today is the deadline for the father/daughter look alike contest for the local newspaper. I finally got a decent picture of Matt and Natalie together last night....just in time! I just hope it's good enough to capture their likeness!

Here's the pic I submitted.

Nathan the "nakey-butt"

Playing with the water hose.

Is he cute, or what?

Embarrassing Honesty

The other night, Matt was watching one of our neighbor's dogs run through our flowers. He started complaining about the dog and mentioned that he thinks that is the dog that's been pooping in our yard. Matt was thinking out loud of the things he could do to prove his point to the neighbor, and said next time he finds poop in our yard, he would take it down to this neighbor's house and set it on their porch. Nolan told Matt that would not be a very nice thing to do....thanks Nolan for the voice of reason.

Matt and Nolan were outside yesterday evening, and our neighbor and his dog were outside close to our house. Matt was talking to the neighbor, when Nolan asked Matt what his name was. Matt told Nolan what his name was, and then Nolan says, "Terry, my dad wants you to keep your dog out of our yard!" Matt said as soon as Nolan opened his mouth, he knew what was about to come out. Matt was trying to cover Nolan's mouth as soon as he began talking....but it was just too late. So then Matt had to tell Terry that he thought his dog may be one of the dogs that poop in our yard. The neighbor apologized and said he will try to keep on eye on him to make sure he's not messing in our yard anymore.

Hopefully the poop problem has been solved thanks to Nolan. Kids are just honest, what can I say?

So Elated!

I just came from the mailbox, and finally received the preschool letter. Nolan was accepted into the program! He'll start when the public schools are back in session, and will attend four days a week. This will be such a help not only for myself, but for Nolan too. Though he plays well and interacts well with others, he doesn't have much opportunity to be around kids his own age. I'm not expecting him to be gung-ho about attending, but hopefully after a little time he'll be excited too. And the best part for us is - it's free!!! Thank goodness they have this program cause we can't even begin to afford the cost of what the private preschools charge around here.

Weekend with Family

This weekend we went back to Hurricane for Judson's fourth birthday party and Jennifer's wedding shower. We had a really great time at both events. We headed in town on Friday and had an uneventful trip. I had kept the kids up in hopes that they would sleep for the ride in, and luckily they all did. Natalie woke up about 5 miles from the exit, and Matt said, "You're just in time, Natalie. We're almost at Mom-o's house." Next thing you know, Nolan pops right up. His Mom-o sensor kicked in as soon as he heard her name!

We tried a new sleeping arrangement this time, and it turned out to be perfect. Nathan slept in the crib, and Natalie slept in the big bed in the same room. I had concern that Natalie would wake up Nathan or decide to wonder around in the middle of the night, but none of this happened. Matt and I actually got to sleep together without Nolan in the middle. When he's at Mom-o's, he likes to cuddle up with her at night instead!

We headed to Jason and Kim's on Saturday afternoon for the party. The kids were so well-behaved and played very well with each other and the other kids there. Natalie was a happy girl as long as she had a balloon. I had picked out some Superman PJ's for Judson, and felt like such a boring aunt since I didn't get him a toy. However, the pajamas were a hit. They had a Velcro cape that attached to the shirt, and by the end of the party, Judson was wearing the pajamas and pretending that he was Superman.

Saturday evening, Matt and I headed off to Charleston for Jennifer's wedding shower. It was a couple's shower, which I had never been to before, but really enjoyed. It was nice to see Jennifer and Aaron together since I haven't had much of a chance to spend time with the two of them. What a perfect pair. I'm so happy for her and am very much looking forward to their big day!

Sunday, after we had our Mother's Day dinner at Mom-o's we headed back. The weather was terrible, but thankfully the worst of the rain was only in the first 20 minutes of the trip back. Matt and I had taken to-go cups of coffee with us, so unfortunately we did have to stop at a rest area on the way back home. Matt asked Nolan if he needed to use the bathroom, and of course he said he wanted to. So Nolan unfastened his seat belt, but then complained that he was stuck. Somehow, he had locked up his seat belt and had also wrapped it around himself a time or two. When he had tried himself to get out, all of the slack in the belt had retracted. Matt tried everything to get him out of the seat belt, including taking Nolan's pants off. But, nothing worked to get him out, and it just seemed to get tighter and tighter around his belly. I searched the owner's manual trying to find a secret to unlocking the belt. I even sat in my seat, locked up my own seat belt, and tried to figure out if there was a way to unlock it without actually retracting the belt back in...but to no avail. So our last resort was to cut the seat belt off of him. Matt thankfully had a sharp knife with him, and we were able to get Nolan freed. Now, we'll have to take the van to the dealership to get a new seat belt. I told Matt we should ask the mechanics if there is a way to unlock the belts in case this ever happens again.

The kids seemed pretty happy to be back home and they were all pretty exhausted. I'm hoping for some long naps today, so that I too can get some rest! Here are some pics from the weekend.

Now vs. Then

I've got all the kids asleep, and I should be napping too....but today I can't seem to. I'm thinking in my head of the things I used to do and enjoyed so very much....and how these things have changed since becoming a mother. So here we go!

1. I used to love taking a hot bubble bath and soaking for about an hour ,with candles lit, and maybe playing some soft music to set the tone. Now, my baths are taken rarely alone and with lukewarm water. Someone is usually trying to pour water over my head, or someone is standing close by asking me if I want some bath toys!

2. I used to love coming home after getting a haircut and working in front of a mirror trying to find a new way to style my hair. These days, after a haircut, I have little ones who want to brush my hair for me and make it look great!

3. I used to love driving in my sporty car with the windows rolled down and the radio cranked way up. Now, I drive a minivan with windows sometimes cracked to keep too much air off the kids. The radio is just loud enough for me to hear so my music doesn't interfere with the kids' DVD.

4. I used to love spending a day cleaning my house like crazy! Sweeping every crumb, wiping down every wall, and cleaning windows till they shined. These days, I have little helpers all around. They help me dust and sweep and put away dishes. As soon as the house is clean though, I find little sticky handprints all around and new crumbs scattered on the floor.

As much as I miss my time to myself, I wouldn't trade the "now" for the "then." My kids are great, and there is so much love in our house. I'll take the dirty handprints, the minivan, the crowded baths, and the crazy hair...because I know one day I'll have time to myself and will miss all these things (well, maybe not the minivan).

Fish Tales

Sorry for the lack of updating over the last couple weeks. Not much has gone on to be blog-worthy, and I've slacked again on taking pictures.

Nolan went camping last week with Mom-o, Pops, and Abby. He caught his first fish ever, but Teresa said she didn't have her camera with her at the time to capture the moment. Nolan told us that Abby had caught a fish too, and he said that both the fish they caught were small. Matt was trying to teach Nolan the art of telling fish-tales when he tried to get Nolan to say that his fish must have been bigger than Abby's! I think he had a really good time camping and then spending a few days at Mom-o's and then at Granny's.

While he was gone, I enjoyed a break with just Natalie and Nathan. We had great weather last week which entailed spending a lot of time outside. It's SO easy when it's just the two of them. Natalie is more apt to listen to me and to stay much closer by. When Nolan is around, he runs all over the place, and Natalie is always right on his heels! Nathan is even easier since he refuses to walk in the grass. When I take the kids out back, they stay put on the patio....drawing with chalk, playing with balls or rocks, or Natalie occasionally venturing out to find a dandelion to blow!

Nolan had been asking for a pet, and wanted first a cat, then a dog, then a rooster. I convinced him that the best option for now would be a fish, and also explained that if we had a rooster, our neighbors would probably be upset!!! One neighbor agreed when I shared this story with her....she said we would definitely be the WT family on the street! So this past weekend, we went to Wal-Mart and picked out a fish. The kids are pretty excited about it. Nolan climbs on the counter several times a day to talk to his fish, "Hornet," and yes, Nolan came up with the name. Though I don't encourage climbing on the counters, it's still cute to listen to him talk to his fish. The only problem with his fish being named "Hornet," is that sometimes Nolan shortens his name to "Horny." So it is quite amusing in the laugh-under-your-breath sense.

Again, I don't have any pics to post this time, but will try to get some up soon.

Ultrasound

I had my first ultrasound yesterday. Thankfully there is only one baby! According to my cycle, the due date would be Nov. 19th, but according to the baby's measurements, the due date would be Nov. 12th.....I like the baby's due date better, of course! So, I guess it depends on the doctor as to which date we'll use.

Baby's heart rate was 176 at first count, then 160.....so old wives tales would indicate a girl....but I know not to count my chickens yet! I'll go for a second ultrasound in about 7 weeks or so to find out what the sex is. I was really surprised to see the baby moving around so much at this early stage. Baby was moving arms and legs vigorously....reminds me of Nolan in the womb....that kid never stopped moving, and still hasn't!

Other than that, the kids are doing well. Everyone has a little bit of a runny nose, and Nolan actually had to go to the doctor this week with a case of pink eye! So we went from no prescriptions for the kids to 2 for Nolan in a little over a month! I guess when it rains, it pours!

Spring is Here!

Nolan and Matt have been in Charleston this week, so I've had a little bit of a break taking care of only Natalie and Nathan. We luckily had some wonderful weather this week, and the kids got to play outside quite a bit! Too bad this weekend is going to be cold again and possibly snow! Here are some pics of the kids enjoying Spring!

Stop to smell the flowers!

Drawing with chalk.

They thought it was funny to smack this little bush!

Isn't she precious!

Nathan stood in this spot for a good 5 minutes....he doesn't like to walk in grass!!!

Soccer Time!

Nolan started soccer last week. The first practice was on Saturday at 9 o'clock in the morning. It was pretty chilly and being so early, things didn't go too great. Nolan was really cold and tired since he's not used to getting up early. He also refused to eat breakfast that morning, so about halfway through practice he said he was out of energy. Monday evening's practice was much better....it was warm and Nolan had eaten well before practice. I didn't go to this practice as Nolan only wanted his Daddy to go with him this time. Matt said Nolan did well until he was drilled in the face with a soccer ball...but luckily recovered quick enough to get back into the groove for the rest of practice. Here are some pics.

First Appointment

Today was my first appointment, and I must say, I'm not real impressed. I am going to the same practice where the kids go for pediatrics....so I just thought this would be easiest. My appointment was to be at 8:15, however I watched nurses roll in until 8:25....obviously not a punctual group! I was finally called back to an exam room at about 8:45 and then continued to wait about 15 minutes longer for the doctor....I was expecting a full exam, urine sample, blood work, etc....but none of this happened. I just talked to the doctor...she merely took a history from me. I don't understand how they can confirm a pregnancy without actually doing anything except talking to me! However, the doctor seemed very friendly, and I'm going to go back and hope for things to get better. I'm scheduled for blood work and an ultrasound on the 18th....hopefully all will turn out well.

On a funny note, we had a beautiful double rainbow earlier this week. I told Nolan that God created the rainbow. I had opened the window so the kids could get a better look. Nolan yells out the window, "Thank you, God, for the rainbow." This, I thought, was so precious...he didn't think God could hear him unless he yelled outside to Him. Then, he continued to yell, "God, maybe next time you could bring us some candy too!" Goodness, what these kids can think of!

So Tired...

I've been exremely tired lately, and haven't felt much like blogging! I'll post our Easter pics, though there are not many. Easter turned out great, and the kids really seemed to enjoy what the Easter Bunny brought them....especially the candy!

Natalie has made it to another milestone. Yesterday, I took the front rail off of her crib to make it a toddler bed. She slept there all night without falling or getting out of bed. This morning I heard her making her normal wake up sounds and waited a while to see if she would crawl out of bed herself and come downstairs...but she didn't. So I went up to get her, but allowed her to climb out of her bed by herself hoping that she would realize she could do it without help. Next we'll have to buy her an actual bed, cause we'll be needing her crib later!

Nolan with his Frisbee.

Natalie with her pink bunny.

Nathan walking around with an M&M filled egg.

Easter Eggs

I got the camera working again...thank goodness....though it looks rather beat up now. The kids and I colored some eggs yesterday and again today with Matt. It did feel a bit weird coloring eggs while it's snowing outside, but oh well, that's what an early Easter brings. Here are pics of our eggs and a few of Natalie the other day when she was being quite the "girl".

Cute eggs.

Nolan hard at work putting some paint on his egg.

So pretty....check out her lipstick!

Hey look! She's actually trying a smile for the camera!

OOPS!!!

First of all, Nolan dropped our camera yesterday, and we cannot get it working, so it may be a little while before I have new pics! Second of all...OOPS! We did it again. I was a couple days late and took a home pregnancy test....and of course it was positive! I seriously don't know how it happened (I know how....but not really). Matt and I were not planning on this again, but we are trying to remain positive about the whole situation. I know it is extremely early to be announcing this, but if it is meant to be, it will happen. I don't have a doctor here, so that will be my first task. I'm not really saying too much to the kids at this point....just in case. According to pregnancy calculators, I should be due around November 19th. So that is our big news.....another baby, and hopefully only one!

Nathan's First Haircut

Matt took the boys to get haircuts yesterday. This is Nathan's first official haircut....and Matt said he was excellent. Matt said both the boys were very good even after having to wait for over an hour. Nolan kept trying to look in the mirror so he could see what was going on....guess he wanted to make sure he still looked good! We think Nathan's haircut makes him look even more like Pops!

Great Birthday!

Today started off with Matt feeling sick enough to call into work and take a vacation day. But after he slept for a few hours, he was feeling a bit better. He then offered for me to go shopping while Natalie was napping and Nathan was approaching his nap time....so I did, with Nolan of course. We went to the mall, and I looked around, but unfortunately couldn't bring myself to buy anything (this is why I do not like to shop). The mall has a great play area for kids, so Nolan got to play for a while, and we also saw the Easter Bunny. When we came back home, I told Matt that I'd really like to go out for dinner instead of staying in. So we decided to head back to the mall for dinner and to let all the kids see the Easter Bunny.

We ate dinner at Garfield's, and it was really good...I especially enjoyed the fact that I didn't have to clean up afterwards! When we sat at our table, Matt told our waiter that it was "mommy's birthday". So after our main course, the gang from Garfield's sang a birthday song to "mommy"! Natalie however didn't care for the singing, and burst out crying about halfway through the song....I'm sure this did a number on their egos!


After dinner, we headed to see the Easter Bunny. There was one family in front of us posing their newborn baby with the Easter Bunny. The photographer must have taken at least 6 shots trying to get that perfect photo...which is what you do with just one little baby. Then came the Cook kids. We had them all situated around the Easter Bunny, but the photographer wasn't quite ready for us, as she was still checking out the people ahead of us. Natalie was busy telling the Easter Bunny about her shoes and her shirt and making sure that he knew who he was.....just saying "Natalie shoes, Natalie shirt, Easter Bunny". I was surprised that neither Natalie or Nathan were afraid. Nathan sat beside the Easter Bunny, and kept reaching up and touching his shirt, then cracking up laughing about it. Nolan was just ready to get this pic over with because he was ready to go play in the play area. The first pic was not very good at all, so we opted to take another photo. While the photographer was trying to get the kids' attention, Nathan rolled right off the bench, but thankfully I was in time to catch him. After the second shot, the photographer was trying to talk us into taking another one....but Matt and I knew that this would probably be the best we would get, and knew the kids were growing restless (probably the Easter Bunny too). And besides, these candid, unposed pictures are great....these are OUR kids in these pics....not models! Natalie doesn't get how to "smile" for the camera, Nolan puts on a fake smile (gets that from me!), and Nathan is hooked on his thumb! So this pic saves the true moment for us!

Feeling Better?

Good news....I am feeling great now, and Nathan is doing better except for a runny nose still. Nolan and Natalie were only sick for one day, so they must have avoided the flu somehow. Matt is a little sick now....but it may just be sinuses, and it appears that Natalie is starting something again as she has started to have a runny nose today as well. The thing that bothers me is that Natalie's cough is sounding the way Nathan's did last week. So I thought we were in the clear, but now I'm not completely sure. But for the time being, everyone is seemingly okay....so I'm going to hold out hope that no one else gets the flu!

As you can imagine with all of our sickness, we have done NOTHING the past week. Matt did go fishing this weekend, but the kids and I have just been hanging out. I'm hoping that we are all well because I'm supposed to meet up with an old friend from college next week. We're going to have lunch with our kids and catch up! I'm really looking forward to having an old friend to talk to!

That's all the news for now! I'll try and get some pics for my next post...I know it's been a little while!

FLU!!!

Despite my best efforts, we have the flu. Monday evening, Nathan, Natalie, and myself became sick. Low grade fevers, sore throats....just thought it was a cold. Natalie rebounded quickly....totally acting normal today with no signs of sickness. But Nathan and myself are still sick, and on top of that, Nolan started feeling sick this morning. I decided to call the doctor and have Nathan checked out since his cough sounded deep, and he was just not acting quite like himself. The doctor said his ears looked great and his throat was a little red. I told her about the rest of us getting sick -except for Matt- and she thought we should go ahead and swab him for the flu. And, of course, it was positive. So she wrote the whole family prescriptions for Tamiflu....this will be the first time that we've had a prescription filled for any of the kids. The other bad part of this is the doctor said an ear infection will typically follow the flu....

So it's probably going to be a LONG week here....just hope I can keep some sort of energy going as I feel achy all over and cloudy in my head. Wish us luck and a speedy recovery!

Playing Dress Up!

Today, Nolan asked if he could dress up like a pirate again, so I went ahead and got out dress up clothes for everyone! Nolan was the Pirate, Natalie was the Princess (make-up and all), and Nathan was the Chef (only other thing I could think of and had the supplies for).

Here are there pics....

"Chappy the Pirate." As I have mentioned before, Nolan has an extreme case of chapped lips! But he still makes a good-looking pirate.

The pretty Princess....but I kinda miss the hard hat!

The little Chef!

The couch/bed was the pirate ship....and he's not throwing a punch at me, he's steering the wheel!

My Son,The Storyteller

Two posts in one day....guess I'm making up for the last couple weeks!

I just came back downstairs after hearing Nolan tell Matt and me his "scary story". He told us that we had to all be in bed, and he would tell us. So we all get in the bed, and luckily in a very dark room (to conceal laughter), and Nolan begins his story - in his scary storytelling voice (which you can only imagine how cute that is!). "One night, a very scary ghost booed right into a house..." He went on the tell us how the ghost left one house, then he "began to go to another house, where a little girl lived." The story then diverted to "the next morning, the girl and the ghost went to the ice cream truck, and the ice cream truck guy said 'what's your favorite ice cream'." I was nearly in hysterics by this point, but did my very best to keep my laughter bottled up! I know he was being so serious, and didn't want to be laughed at... The story continued with the ice cream melting into the sewer and making a "kerplunk" sound. He finally wrapped it up with a "and he lived happily ever after". The story may not make a lot of sense...but to him it does. I love to encourage his creativity, and his imagination fascinates me. He pulled so many different "big" words into the story and his sequencing was great. I could actually pinpoint some of the books in which he pulled the word or idea from!

I'm sure this is one of those "you had to be there" moments, but I still had to share.

Hey Teresa, I'm sure he'd love to make up a story for you when you come to visit! Or maybe next time he talks to you on the phone!

More Snow!

Today, I got the kids out for some fun in the snow. Here are the pics!