Pinewood Derby

Jay participated in the Pinewood Derby for Cub Scouts tonight. For about a month now he and Mike have been working on it but Mike credits Jay for doing all the work. Mike said he was only there to "assist." I thought it was cute to see them bond over their first pinewood derby. Last night Mike and Jay were out in the work shop weighing the car to make sure it wasn't too heavy for the race. Apparently it worked because Jay came home with a trophy tonight. I have one happy 7 year old boy in my house.

Weigh In Wednesday

I am in a weight loss program at work. We weigh in every Wednesday. I've lost 15 lbs so I am pleased. However, I find that on Wednesday nights I let myself indulge a little since I know my next weigh in isn't for another 7 days. As I write this blog I just finished a nice helping of french vanilla ice cream. YUMMY!!!

What will Nick say next?

We have finally turned a corner with Nick and potty training or rather poop training. As of 2 weeks ago he was having quite a time with figuring out that it was okay to poop. Now that he has the "hang of it" he's obsessed with talking about it. Tonight, Mike and I took the boys to Outback Steakhouse. Before our dinner came Nick told me he had to go to the bathroom. I take him and he poops. When we get back to the table our dinner had arrived. We sat down to eat when the manager comes to our table to ask how our meal is and Nick very proudly responded by saying, "I POOPED." I think I turned every shade of red. Thankfully the manager had a good sense of humor and kids of his own. Then sometime during the meal I excused myself so I could go potty. I was about 5 feet away from our table when Nick asked me where I was going. I told him I was using the potty and I would be right back. As only Nick can do...........he then yelled, "ARE YOU GOING POOP, MOM?" I think this time my eyes about bugged out of their sockets. Mike & Jay could hardly contain their laughter. It's always a "treat" going to a restaurant with Nick. One never knows what he'll say next.

Boxes

On Friday Mike brought home two huge boxes. Jay & Nick have spent the entire weekend making them into "forts." They have colored the insides of them. They have also cut out "windows" so they can talk to each other from their forts & stuffed them full of their favorite blankies and stuffed animals. They have gotten so much enjoyment out of those two square boxes. It's been nice for them to have something to occupy their time because the weekend has been really cold. I have to laugh though..........those crazy boys made out quite well at Christmas but yet those dumb boxes are the "toy" they have played with the longest. Go figure. Perhaps next year I'll just get them both boxes for Christmas.

BROTHERS

I'm old

I took the boys bowling after school today. We went to ISU Bowling & Billards. I mentioned to Jay that daddy had taken me to ISU to bowl for one of our first dates. Jay's response was..................."This bowling alley must really be old."

I'm so proud

Jay told me tonight that he was able to read a level 11 book at school. It's my understanding that when first graders end the year they should be able to read at a level 16 so he's getting there. Before I had a chance to tell Jay how proud I am that he is doing so well he announced to me that he was so proud of himself! Keep plugging away, Jay, you're doing great!

Nick's Poop Issues

Sometime before Thanksgiving Nick must have pooped & it must not have been a pleasant experience for him because ever since Thanksgiving he has perfected the "art" of holding his poo. He will go days without pooping........I think his record is 4 days. Most weeks he goes 3 days without pooping. Can you imagine? I'm grouchy if I don't go every day. His doctor suggested to me last week that I give him Miralax daily. The goal is to make it very difficult for Nick to continue to hold his poo. She said this is an issue we need to take care of pronto because it will lead to problems later. I'm happy to report that after one week of using Miralax he is going every other day and tonight for the first time ever (at least since Thanksgiving) he has pooped twice since he got home from daycare.
I knew he was thinking about it tonight because he was using his fake phone to call Holly (my daycare provider's daughter, his favorite girl) and I heard him say.........."Holly, do you go poop at college?" About that time he got up and announced he had to go poop again tonight! Way to go, Nick!!!!

Does this kid have a mute button?

My daycare provider took today off so Mike stayed home with Nick & my mom invited Jay over. About 8:30 this morning I got a text from Mike that read...."Do we have a mute button for this boy?" Nick is our talker. He will talk about anything and everything & he repeats himself constantly. I have no idea who he gets that from. Ha, Ha. Anyone that knows me knows he is just like me in that regard. Mike said he tried playing the "quiet game" with Nick but apparently Nick failed miserably at that. What I find so funny is Mike is a fairly introverted guy who really likes his quiet time. Jay is more like Mike and Nick is all me. I find it really amusing though because as different as Nick is to Mike, Mike really gets a big kick out of him. That's our Nickel Pickel!!

Happy Birthday, Jay!! I love ya.

The birthday bash is over

We returned from the water park today and had a great time. Jay really enjoyed himself. His favorite activity was going down the huge water slide with his dad and Uncle Craig. Nick had no fear of the water and everytime the wave pool would start up he wanted to be in it. It was my niece, Laurens, first time going and she loved it as well. We joke that she is so related to Kim and I because of her love of the water.
Mike and I joked several times that we are glad we had our boys when we were young. They are exhausting and when you are at a public water park you can't take your eyes off of either one of them for one second.

Jay is 7!!!

My 5 lbs baby boy turned 7 today. He had a really good day and I'm sure he'll have an even better weekend as we are headed to the indoor water park tomorrow.
I woke Jay up this morning with a cinnamon roll with a candle in it and sang him Happy Birthday. He seemed to enjoy it. Tonight we had a big chocolate chip cookie and ice cream. Tomorrow I got him a cake with a monster truck on it (his favorite). Needless to say this won't be a good week for my weigh in. Ha.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JAY. I love ya!!!

What a week!!!

Well I'm happy to report that Nick and I are both feeling better. Nick still has a little bit of a cough but he's not running a fever and he's sleeping through the night except last night when he came into our room at 2:30 a.m. to report he couldn't find his shark blankie. Then at 3:30 a.m. he came back to our room carrying his other blankie (giraffe blankie) because he wanted me to have it. At 4:00 he was up because his music had shut off and at 5:00 he was up again because he wanted me to rock him. Needless to say it was a long night. Nick and Jay both sleep like rocks so it's very rare that I'm up with them.
Last night was the first night in 10 days that I didn't run a fever. I went to the doctor today and he said I probably have 5th disease. At this point the virus is about over with. I just have a lovely rash now that I get to show off at a public water park this weekend.
The weather here is absolutely freezing. Jay hasn't been to school since Tuesday and he doesn't have school tomorrow either. I feel like this is how it is in Alaska. Speaking of Jay.....I was so proud of him tonight. Jay has struggled with reading since school began. He is pulled out of class daily to get one on one help with his reading which has really benefited him. His attitude about reading has gotten much better through the months. I could care less how long it takes Jay to read as long as he feels good about it. Tonight as I was putting him to bed I picked a fairly easy book for me to read to him because it was getting late. Jay saw what I had picked and wanted to read to me tonight. He read all of "All By Myself" by Mercer Mayer, literally all by himself. What I was so happy about was the look in his eyes when he was done. He was so pleased with himself.
On that note........I'm off to wrap a certain almost 7 year old birthday present.

We are on the mend

Today is the first day I've felt human in 9 days. Although I'm walking with somewhat of a limp due to the pain in my knees and feet from this darn virus but I do feel better and I can tell this nasty thing is on its way out. Nick is still sick but he was able to sleep all night last night. He stayed with his grandma today and had a good time. Tomorrow he gets to split his day between his grandma and his nana. I'm hoping by Thursday he can get back to daycare.
I am planning Jay's birthday dinner tonight. He is so his dad sometimes. He wants steak, corn, corn bread muffins from Famous Dave's and applesauce. It doesn't get any more exciting than that. I got him a big chocolate chip cookie for dessert. On Saturday we are headed to Grand Bear Lodge Water Park to celebrate Jay's 7th birthday. It's hard to believe my 5 lbs baby boy will be 7!!!

I am hoping that as I write this blog I do not fall asleep. I took Nick to the doctor today and he has RSV, poor little guy. I was up most of the night with him either sitting outside in the cold air (to help him breath) or sitting in a steamy bathroom with a hot shower. I went to the doctor myself as this is day #9 that I have been sick. This morning I noticed an ugly rash on both of my lower legs. It's almost spider like under the skin. Plus today my knees and wrists hurt so much it's difficult for me to type or walk stairs. Thankfully it appears I'm not dying but I do have one nasty virus. Ha. And it's clear to me this virus started at the top and is moving it's way down and I can literally feel it in my feet now. The rash is a sign that "the end is near." At least that's what the doctor said. I hope so. I am going to work tomorrow but the thought of doing that makes me even more exhausted.
Moving to a better subject.....Jay's 7th birthday is Friday. I just hope we are all well enough to proceed with our weekend plans which is go to the water park. This will be our 3rd year going in celebration of Jay's birthday. He loves it!

The Sickly Sieberts

What a day this has been. I have been sick for 8 days with I have no clue what but it's time I seek medical attention tomorrow. I've run a fever on an off for days in addition to having an on going back ache that has shifted to my neck and is now in my wrists. I kid you not........I now have wrist pain to go along with the back & neck pain/ache. Then Nick got sick this morning. By noon I noticed he was really wheezing so Mike and I took him to the ER. The ER was like the TV series, ER. There were so many people there there wasn't enough room to sit down. I checked Nick in and we patiently waited and waited and waited. It was obvious to me we were going to be lucky to see a doctor by 5:00 that evening and I'm not kidding. Meanwhile Nick stopped wheezing and was dancing around the ER singing "Jingle Bells." Mike and I decided to leave at 1:30. Perhaps it wasn't the smartest parenting move I've ever made but I just couldn't sit there for 7-8 hours with my 2 year old who probably has a viral infection and had stopped wheezing. We came home and we sat in a very steamy bathroom. So far tonight he's eaten a really good dinner and is drinking plenty of fluids. The biggest down side is he sounds like an 80 year old man who has been smoking his entire life. Somehow I have the feeling I could be outside in the middle of the night with him......cold air always does the trick with wheezing.

The other day I arrived at Nick's daycare/preschool, his teacher, Christy, told me she had a funny story to share with me about an incident that happened the day before. She said it was not something she could have shared with Mike but that I could share the story with him. I was curious at this point. What story could she tell me but not tell Mike but give me permission to tell Mike? It sounds like one of those riddles on the morning news I watch every morning. Christy told me that Nick was in the bathroom with another little girl washing their hands when all of the sudden Christy hears Nick say....."My dad has a big penis." Christy said she immediately went into the bathroom and "changed the subject" with Nick. She was afraid that this little girl would have gone home to her parents and repeated what Nick said. What great dinner time conversation that would have made.
My sister summed it up perfectly with my boys. With Jay we always had to watch his actions with his body parts. I believe it was Christy who took Jay to the bank where he got caught mooning people. With Nick we have to watch his words with his body parts. He will say anything and Jay will do anything.

I have wanted to start a blog for quite some time now. So, now I have. My blogger friends can be so proud of me. Look for more to come.