Free Therapy

I have been feeling a little down this week- don't know if it's because of my emotions about Sadie needing glasses, or my head cold, or Josh's hours, or the little temperature dip we've had this week, but I have felt a little less enthused and a little more overwhelmed about my job as mom this week.  I have come to realize that for me exercise is one of the best remedies, so I told the kiddos today we were going on  a walk around the lake whether they liked it or not!  They were a little resistant today for some reason so I told them I would bring my camera along to take pictures of how "speedy" they were.  Shane is super into being fast right now and tells everyone that he is faster than a peregrine falcon (the fastest animal of course).  He is also learning that he is not in fact always the fastest kid (sorry kid it's just not in your genes), a fact that had him very upset with a couple other kids today.  When I told him that sometimes kids would be faster than him, he said, "But that just breaks my heart!"  So here he is pouting because Marissa beat him to the first stop sign (because he got preoccupied with talking to me)

 and then his mood changed when he beat her to the next one.

 Marissa still thinks she can't make it the whole way (it is over a mile) but she does a lot better when I let her push the stroller.

 And Sadie will actually sit in it happily for a sustained amount of time now.  Hallelujia!

It was amazing how much just 35 minutes lifted my mood.  So glad it's warm enough to do this again.  

Our Little Four Eyes

I took Sadie back to the opthalmologist last week because her eyes have been turning in more frequently, and he found that she is far sighted and that her eyes are turning in mostly to accommodate that, so she would be needing glasses.  I wondered how the heck we were going to keep the glasses on her when I can't keep a bow on her, and how I would keep her from breaking them etc. etc.  The first day was rough, though luckily only a few hours because I didn't pick them up til late afternoon. I had to pin her arms down to keep them on her and try to distract her. 

 And when she was crying about it I wanted to cry too.  Of course I think she looks cute, but you grow to love your baby for a year and then all the sudden she looks like a completely different baby, or so it felt.  I am getting used to it now, and I think she is too,

 thanks to lots of loving, and because she knows I won't let her take them off.  She may be stubborn, but so is her mama!  And hopefully they are helping her see better?  That is the other hard part, it's not like she can really tell me what's going on.  She will go in again in 2 months so we'll see how they're working.

 And here's the cute little lady with her glasses on AND smiling, which took a lot less time than I was fearing it would!

Swim Lessons

Marissa (and Shane) have been so excited that she can do swim lessons too now that she is 3.  They had their first lessons of the new session on Wednesday and it was too much cuteness to handle.

Day 13

It's almost 9 o clock as I type this, the kids are in bed, and Josh is still at the hospital delivering a baby.  So I'm watching a show he doesn't care for, and catching up on the blog;)  This is his 13th straight day working, he has another tomorrow and then he will get Easter off (and next weekend).  Lucky for me and the kids the weather has been great and there has been lots of fun things to do while he's been off delivering babies.  Saturdays when he's working I especially like to keep busy, it makes it at least feel like the weekend.  We started with Shane's soccer practice/game

 There he is "using his speed" as he likes to say.  He actually kicked the ball quite a few times this game, next week we'll work on kicking it towards the goal:)

 keeping these two entertained can be a challenge, and mostly involves lots of snacks!

     Then it was a stop at Toys R Us for a free Lego Build they were having

and to a Easter Egg hunt/picnic with my moms group

You know, sometimes being a mom is pretty hard, but it can be pretty fun too!

Marissa is 3!

Marissa turned 3 last week!  She has been asking when it would be her birthday every day since Shane's birthday,so she was VERY excited that it was finally her day.  

 Can you tell?

 Grandma and Grandpa Dettinger and Matthew came to celebrate the Saturday before her birthday to eat cake and open presents.  They got her this Doc McStuffins outfit that she loves

and of course some puzzles.

 We kept the celebrations going with present opening from Grandma and Grandpa Nebeker and us on her real birthday.  I think she had a really good birthday, and got pretty spoiled!

 A little about Marissa at 3:
- She is still always a mess!  I took both of these pictures yesterday- the first at a picnic where she got a Heath bar and licked off all the chocolate and got pizza on her shirt,

 and this after she was playing outside with her bucket and brought half the yard in with her before I realized it.

She very often has a snotty nose and drool on her shirt too.  Man, it is a good thing she is so cute!
-Loves her big brother, and endlessly plays what he wants her to even if he's not always as good about playing what she wants to.  She knows how to torment him though!
-Is getting to be cuter with Sadie and makes her laugh, is great if you give her something to help her with, but she also likes to bug her.
-Loves to sing, she knows all the words to the Doc Mcstuffins cd we have and sings along the whole time in the car.  When we get to our destination, I cannot turn off the car until the current sing is finished.  I have learned that I have to be careful about what music I listen to because when I turn the radio on in the car she will try to sing every word she hears!
-Is still a very good eater, and will eat pretty much anything you put in front of her.  She doesn't like the idea of herself not liking something either, so if she doesn't she will usually insist that she likes it and just not eat it.
-Loves to be read to, doing puzzles, giving checkups, playing superheroes, helping me around the house, playing outside, and coloring.
-Is very friendly and I often hear her approaching kids and saying things like "My name's Marissa!" which I haven't coached her on.
-Can be very bossy and I often hear her saying things like "Shane Christopher!!"
-Gives the best hugs and cuddles, and insists on kisses smack dab on the lips.

She gives me a run for my money sometimes, but she melts me the next minute.  I can't believe you're 3 already Marissa, we love you!  

Toledo Zoo

Shane has been asking me all winter when the zoo is opening and that he's getting really worried about all the animals and misses them.  Last week was spring break and when I looked at the forecast and saw that Monday would be a high of 65 degrees I decided it would be a good day to take the kids to the Toledo Zoo.  It was an easy hour and forty minute drive and we got half price admission with our zoo pass, and what was even better was that my friend Katie and her mom and boys rode with us!  We had a blast and 65 degrees felt amaaaazzzziiiinnnngggg ha ha.  Perfect zoo weather.  Sadie was kind of a stinker and wouldn't sit in the stroller for very long but she suckered me into carrying her most of the time so she was pretty pleased about that.  And she also loved the elephants.  She reached her arms up at them and said "More! more!"  and cried when I dragged her away from watching them.  And of course the big kids had the time of their lives with their good buds Carter and Bentley and all the animals.

 

Happy Birthday Sadie!!

After dinner at Texas Roadhouse (the girl has good taste), we came home and did cake and presents.  

 This is the story of her life.  Big sister always up in her business.

A few things about Sadie at 1 year:

-Just like her big sister, her first word was "more".  Of course it was.  She also says mom.  I thought she wasn't really into the whole sign thing but she just started signing "all done" so I may try some more.  

-She is not very picky but you can't always predict if she will like something cause she changes her mind a lot.  Her favorites right now are blueberries and raspberries, oranges, pb and j, black beans, any kind of meat, corn chex, Nutri grain bars, and oyster crackers.  We stopped baby food months ago and if any is in the vicinity she will break into tears.  

-She loves the Y and is always super good at childwatch even when she was kind of fussy at home.  Please stay that way!

-Loves slides and will turn around and go down on her belly herself.

-Not walking and not super close, but she does like to practice.

-Follows her brother and sister around everywhere and especially loves to climb up on the couch with them.

-Loves to give kisses and has a hard time stopping once she's started!

-She is an awful napper but sleeps pretty good at night.  She is almost weaned, but she still wakes up around 5 or 6 a lot of mornings to nurse and I am not anxious to get rid of that feeding because I like sleeping in a little bit after!

-Is generally a very happy and easygoing baby.  Unless you put her in a shopping cart or stroller.  

-She has us all smitten, and I have to remind Shane often that he shouldn't say Sadie is his favorite sister in front of Marissa:)  (Though he loves her too.  Most of the time.)