Kase is 3 months old!

At three months Kase...

• likes Mom best.
• can roll over but doesn't always love to be on his tummy.
• really likes his bath. 
• has a million nicknames but the one that seems to stick most is Kaser.
• looks quite a bit like Kael did at three months.
• has been swimming about ten times and LOVES it.
• sits on the fridge occasionally. 

• likes being held by his big sister.

• can find his fingers easily. 

• eats approximately every three hours and is gaining weight like a champ.  
• sleeps intermittently throughout the day but is starting to fall in a fairly predictable schedule.  He usually wakes once at night to eat. 
• smiles with his whole face and lights up my day with his sweet giggles. 

Good morning, sunshine

Kase and Kylee had woken up at the crack of dawn, per usual.  Kent was at the gym which means I got up with them.

He finally got home and I walked over to the fridge to get a glass of water and the ice was jammed.  Whatever.  I wanted coffee anyways.  Pulled out the coffee pot and realized that the slow leak that we'd had turned in to a big leak and we lost approximately a full cup of coffee to the counter.  Liquid gold, wasted.  Blerg.

I love waking up to a dishwasher full of clean dishes (sarcasm intended) because then you are forced to do dishes before breakfast, otherwise leave a pile of dirty dishes sitting in the sink which is a major pet peeve of mine.  So, I started putting dishes away.  I don't think it was yet 6:30.  Half the dishes in the dishwasher hadn't gotten clean (operator error, Kent might say).

"Ughhhhh!!!" I grumped. "We have all these nice new appliances and NOTHING is working right.  Ice maker is jammed, coffee pot is leaking, dishwasher only cleans half the dishes!" I said in my growliest morning voice.

"You're sexy," was his response.  I didn't need to look in the mirror to tell me that the sexiness of the dark circles under my eyes was rivaled only by the sexiness of my unkempt hair.  Add to that my grumpy attitude and I was the total package, really.

"Well everything's wrong this morning! I didn't want to get up this early, I didn't want to have to do the dishes, I'm tired of waking up in the middle of the night and all our appliances are stupid." I pouted.

"Is there anything else?" he asked.

"Yes there is actually.  Your clothes don't really match and your shorts are wrinkly." I could barely finish the sentence before I burst into a fit of giggles.  "Sorry, that was low." I admitted.  "I was kidding.  Kind of." He laughed out loud.

He loves me even when I'm at my worst and his mismatched, wrinkly clothes were just what I needed this morning to make me laugh enough to snap out of a bad start to the day.  He can take my teasing much better than I can take his and there's something to be said about that.  He keeps things light around here.

Thankful Thursday

I'm so thankful we FINALLY have a mailbox.  We've been waiting for the postmaster to put up one of those community mailboxes but since only ourselves and one other neighbor have moved in, and the rest of the houses are still being completed, there evidently was no hurry to get a mailbox put up.  If you have not had the opportunity to go to the post office daily to retrieve your mail, count your lucky stars.  It's painful.  I hate to say it, but there are some seriously disgruntled postal workers.

I'm really thankful for my new mailman (see above reference).

I'm thankful for Pinterest, as I begin trying to plan a birthday party for Kylee.  So many helpful and fun ideas! Also found some cute printable "new neighbor" tags- the kids had a blast delivering cookies all around the new 'hood.

Speaking of Pinterest, I'm thankful for the pallet I came across the other day.  B.P. (Before Pinterest), I would have had zero idea what to do with something like a pallet.  Now I have several ideas but just need to score a few more pallets, which shouldn't be tricky, given all the construction going on around our place.

I'm really thankful I've finally completed all the fall paperwork.  Signed Kylee up for tumbling, finished her preschool registration forms, signed Kael up for soccer and football (totally broke my 'only one sport/activity at a time' rule and I am having mixed feelings about it...), paid his school fees, bought his school supplies....sheesh! Moms with full time jobs, how do you do it all???

Holy smokes I'm thankful that my number was not called for jury duty.  There was a chance I was going to have to serve this week but when I called last Friday night, my number was not on the list.  Yippeeeee!

I'm thankful that my mad friendship-bracelet-making skills came back to me.  My almost five year old was seriously impressed I was able to make three variations of bracelets.  "I can't believe you know how to do that!" she declared as we made a few bracelets for the goody bags for her birthday party.  "Yeah, I'm kind of a big deal," I told her, jokingly. I hope she's still impressed with me ten years from now. :)

I'm thankful Kent's brother passed his tests for National Guard. Way to go, Kyle! Now, off to basic.  We'll miss you!!!

What I'm...

reading: The Love Dare.  I'm finding it to be very convicting.  I am trying to be as selfless as described/expected in the book but wind up feeling taken advantage of and downright exhausted. Where's the balance??

eating: everything in sight! I LOVE the extra 500 calories a day that nursing burns.

not doing: running.  This cold I have keeps hanging around and so do the 100 plus degree temps.  I haven't run for nearly a week.  Which is fine but...see above reference to eating everything in sight. :)

looking forward to: a weekend at Clear Lake with friends!

listening to: nothing.  Sweet, sweet silence as the big kids are playing computer games and Kase is sleeping.  I don't even have laundry going or music playing.  It is even too hot for all the guys who have been working on the new house next door so there are no hammers or saws or loud trucks or anything.  It is heavenly!

loving: the cleaning chore chart I found.  I know, I'm a huge dork.  But honestly it is so simple and I feel so productive!

doing: packin' up to head to the pool with my favorite buckaroos.  We will most certainly be stopping for ice cream on the way home.  Gotta beat the heat somehow! Later!!

Thankful Thursday

I'm thankful this little guy has learned to roll over.

I'm thankful for the new phone Kent got me!

I'm thankful that the fishing has been good lately. Little bodies can get bored easily but when the fish keep biting, they stay interested!

I'm thankful for the All You Can Ride deal at SummerFest.  We totally worked those guys for the $40 we spent.  Kael and Kylee rode rides for a full four and a half hours!

I'm thankful for the SummerFest Parade.  My mom and dad secure the.best.spot every single year so we always have lots of family and friends join us.

I'm thankful for the policemen who escorted us out of Dairy Queen last weekend saying, "The building next door (Yanni's, which is attached to Dairy Queen, actually) is on fire." We scooted out of there quickly and watched the firetrucks and firemen in action. Extra thankful that no one was hurt in the fire.

I'd really like to say that I'm thankful I figured out how to change my picture on the top of this blog.  I do realize that we have been a family of five for nearly three months how, even if the photo doesn't reflect that.  I tried changing it and it says I have exceeded my maximum photo storage limit. Help anyone?

I'm thankful that we can see the SummerFest fireworks from our new driveway.  Seriously, it is SUCH an amazing view, and there's a lot to be said for not having to fight traffic to get home. :)

I'm super thankful for my mother-in-law's help wrangling the kids up for a photo shoot a couple weeks ago.  She picked out the clothes for them to wear, too, which I sooo appreciated because I tend to mull over things like that for far too long.  Love the bright, summer-y colors!

So much to be thankful for, but lots to do which means not much time to write.  Less than a month left of summer, folks and I'm feeling the pressure!!!

Thankful Thursday

I'm so thankful for a pool party last weekend with friends.  Hop on over to my friend Dawn's blog for a cute picture of the babes.

I'm thankful for my puddle jumper.

I'm thankful that it's Summerfest weekend!

I'm thankful that Kase sleeps through the night fairly regularly.

I'm thankful for a husband who makes big decisions.  We have desperately been needing to order new blinds for the house and I pored over samples indecisively. Last night Kent went and ordered some in a matter of minutes and I love what he picked out.

Happy Thursday!

Burlington!

We had a fantastic getaway with Kent's family.  There was swimming, water slides, go karts, video games and lots of spoiling from Grandma, Grandpa, Uncle Kevin and Uncle Kyle. 

Of course we visited The Crookedest Alley in the World.  

Seriously!

A little splashing in the fountains by the Mississippi.

Kase loved the pool! 

Thanks for a GREAT weekend, Pattersons!

Fun Bully, and a little mess

We woke up this morning and had no plans until later this afternoon.  My fun-bullying ways kicked in immediately: we had to get out of the house and have some fun! We have a park tour to complete! So as I rushed around packing stuff up and getting Kase ready, I heard a faint call from downstairs, "Mom I don't know exactly how it happened.  I'm so sorry." It was Kylee.  With gum in her hair.  Not just a little.  Or not like, on the ends of her hair, but right smack in the middle of the length of her hair, right in the front.  Regular Laura would have lost it but I'm trying to be a bit more patient.  I took a deep breath and told Kylee to go sit in the kitchen until I could work on it.  I had heard peanut butter or ice can help get gum out of hair, but no such luck. She looked super excited. "Mom, are you going to have to cut my hair?" she said with a smile.  I laughed.  Only Kylee could be so excited about a lopsided haircut.  Snip snip.  Bye-bye gum.  She was psyched about her new (sorta) bangs.

So that's how the day started. On the list of fun things to do was use the free pizza coupons we had received when the kids completed their library reading logs.  So off to Godfather's we go. We had just ordered and sat down when Kase woke up, so I picked him up out of his carseat.  I sat him on my lap and he gave a huge smile.  Awww, I thought.  He loves me so. Well, that may be true, but that's not what he was smiling about.  He had pooped all over.  Somehow he managed to get absolutely NONE on his outfit but successfully got poop all down the front of me.  Now, I had been a pretty good sport about the gum in the hair this morning, but the poop was threatening to send me over the top.  Then a verse popped into my head from the Proverbs 31 book I've been reading, "She is clothed with strength and dignity.  She can laugh at the days to come". Well, I was clothed with baby poop.  Lots of it.  But I chose to laugh.  Ran to the bathroom to clean myself and Kase then rejoined the kids at the table.

Our weekend is off to a messy, but laughable start.  Yours?

Thankful Thursday

I'm thankful for the return of boy bands.  Awesome.

I'm thankful for a friend who lent me the book My So-Called Life as a Proverbs 31 Wife.  Have you read it? A good read, and a bit of a wake-up call.  "...a quarrelsome wife is like the constant dripping of a leaky roof." Proverbs 19:13 Not that I'm necessarily quarrelsome, but I could try a bit harder to keep my arguments thoughts to myself.

I'm thankful for the first sweet corn of the summer!

I'm thankful for sparklers.

I'm thankful that Kent's mom could join us for dinner, fireworks and a sleepover last night.

Happy Thursday!

Fourth of July, Part II

Last night (July 3) there were a lot of fireworks going on around the area since the Fourth falls in the middle of the week.  Kent and I had been out to dinner and when we picked up the kids, it was kind of late, and they all were in good moods so Kylee and I tried to convince Kent that we should go watch fireworks.  He'd had a super busy day at work and was exhausted, and he also made the good point that we would be watching fireworks on the Fourth and next Sunday during Summerfest.  Seeing a firework show three times in less than two weeks kind of takes the magic away, I suppose.  Anyhow, we decided to just head home.

I told Kylee, who was a little disappointed, that when we got home we'd all get in our jammies and sit on her window seat in her room and look out her window for fireworks.  (She's got a pretty good/open view out her new room window.) We watched for a minute or two and didn't see any.  Then, as clear as could be, we spotted some fireworks to the north/west a little bit (Maybe Slater? We weren't sure.) I was silently thinking how nice it was watching fireworks from the comfort of our own home: just us five, in our pajamas, no bugs, no crazy traffic jams afterwards and just as I was about to open my mouth to say how lucky we are, Kylee sighed a happy sigh and said, "I'm just so happy after all." Girl took the words right out of my mouth.

Happy Fourth of July!

Our holiday started off with a bang (See how I made that Fourth of July reference there? Like fireworks? Bang? Ahhh I crack me up...) Kent and I had a very rare dinner date without the kids on Tuesday night and today has been a fun-filled family day.  

Tell me your husband also makes faces out of the veggies that he doesn't eat when you're out at restaurants? 

My littlest patriot.

Fourth of July-ish toast. I didn't have blueberries, or anything blue for that matter, but the kids didn't mind.

Kase's first boat ride!

When Kael woke up and heard that Kent and my dad were out fishing he really wanted to join them, so we did.  Turns out he's quite the fisherman! 

Kylee and I are similar in that while we do like to fish, but if we're truly honest, boat rides are for snackin' and sunshine.

Kael is holding up ten fingers because this is the tenth fish he caught.  He went on to catch a total of 12 (!!!) fish in less than an hour! What a happy guy. 

This is Kylee's second of two fish that she caught.  See above reference regarding snacking. :)

What a stud.  

The mandatory family photo. 

Red-faced kids and it was only 10 AM!

Red, white and blue make.....

Firework Floats!

Right now Kent and the big kids are at the pool, Kase is sleeping and I've got a blueberry pie in the oven.  Life is good.

Weekend Wrap-Up Part II

Made in the shade!

Having fun at Aunt Chris and Uncle Richie's pool.

What an amazing, fun, family-filled weekend.  We are so blessed!