Ode to Summer

Summer, oh how we loved you.

Mommy was no longer nauseous or feeling blue.

Swimming pool was quite refreshing and fun with friends, too.

We have popsicle stains on our back deck, along with old sunscreen goo.

Joel got super tan and Mommy and Jesse didn't--sorry, Jesse, you got the genes from you know who.


Slip n' slide and sprinkers, always a kick.

Oh how fast, the time did tick.

Changes are ahead, but these memories will always stick.


To celebrate our last weekend of summer, over Labor Day we went to a great park in Colorado Springs that has a giant fountain that the boys love to play in.

Preschool

I finally got my pictures loads so I am posting a picture of Joel and Jesse on their first day of preschool. As you can see, Jesse was in denial that he had to go--hence the fact that he has no shoes on, is still holding part of his breakfast in his hand, and refused to wear his backpack.

Ahh...poor little guy. He was crying hysterically when I left him this morning--they tell me he recovered eventually.

Joel, on the other hand, is just eating this preschool thing up. He gets to go four mornings a week. Two mornings at the preschool at our church which he started last fall in sort of a "mom's day out/pre-preschool" program that he loved so much we decided to let him go back this year (that's also what Jesse is doing now). And two mornings at the public school to get the special education intervention for Autism--it's all mainstreamed and aside from the support of a special ed teacher and speech therapist, he feels just like he's in regular preschool.

I was a little worried that this would be too much for him, but who was I kidding? This is my extremely extroverted child who is loving it all!

Paperwork

I'll admit it. I'm not very good at it. The more kids we have, the more paperwork that needs to be done. It's exponentially increased since preschool started.

Part of my struggle in this area is lack of organization. Zac has helped put some systems in place that help me tremendously, though.

I was just thinking of this as I have spent the better part of naptime trying to collect receipts and copies of bills to submit for reimubursement from our Health Savings Account. I'm trying to get it all together--this has been one facet of nesting. I want to get reimbursed for everything I possibly can before the baby is born, because after, I might forget and that money will be lost after the new year.

Growing up is no fun.

On that note, we need new tires for our car, alignment, rotors fixed, new brake pads, and a small dent in the back repaired (it was there when we bought the car--we got a great deal because of it--but now it's starting to rust and that's not good).

This is also causing me a slight bit of irritation Another part of growing up I don't like. Who wants to deal with car repair (and find the money for it :)?!

Trying

I am trying to get more into a blogging routine again...obviously it's not been very successful. For some reason the past few days I haven't been able to upload my pictures on our computer and I don't want to post just the stories without the pictures.

I don't have a picture for this story though. Yesterday evening we were going to take the boys to a play area just as something fun to do after dinner. Joel had been testing us all afternoon--something I'm sure all 3 year olds do with their parents--but he just has this incredible stubborn will that tests, and tests, and tests us. It's physically exhausting to try and stay on top of him and enforce good behavior or compliance for the things we ask him to do. Anyway, we gave him several warnings about his behavior as we tried to get ready to leave and it just wasn't getting through.

So...we cancelled our little outing. The funny thing is that it's just as sad for us as for him. It would have been something fun for all of us, and it's painful to enforce discipline, but being parents is not always fun. If it is, we probably aren't doing something right.

We prayed with Joel before bed and asked God to help him make better choices about obeying today and he did seem to have a slight change of heart...at least for today. :) One day at a time....that's all we need to handle.

Wow!

I am just typing this for the record books. The boys have been playing together, approriately, productively, and with relatively little behavioral intervention from me. It is so wonderful!!! I have been waiting for their relationship to reach this level where they can play more as peers and actually enjoy a few play sequences. Yea!!

While they play, I continue nesting up a storm. Zac said yesterday how ironic it is that a pregnant woman's strongest urge to get a lot of strange things done occurs at the time in her pregnancy when she should be resting the most.

Whatever...I actually think I am getting endorphins from this. I wake up at night thinking about all of the things I need to do to prepare and I feel this weird nervous/giddy feeling. I have to force myself to go back to sleep.

Except for last night when I crawled out of bed (for the 1st time of the night) to go to the bathroom and I almost fell down. I have been having sciatic nerve problems in my back/pelvis/leg--it has happened with each baby, but gotten progressively worse. Anyway, I couldn't put any weight on my right leg. I thought about waking Zac up and asking him to carry me but that seemed a bit over the top. So, I dragged myself in there without too much incident. I'm happy to report it's a little better this morning. :) These are the things you conveniently "forget" about when you decide to get pregnant again.

Busy little bees

Yes, that's what we've been! We moved Jesse into his new room tonight (our old guest bedroom). Originally his new room was going to be Joel's room--they were going to be bedroom buddies. However, after careful thought, I have decided that's not the best thing for them right now. Jesse still has different sleep patterns than Joel, and is also much more introverted than Joel.

In typical Joel fashion (after we'd been out all day), he asked me after naptime, "Where are we going tonight? What friend's house are we going to?" And he doesn't like the answer to be that we are staying home. Every morning when he wakes up he asks me where we are going that morning, and he does the same thing after nap time.

Jesse, on the other hand, prefers to just stay at home and play. All that to say--Jesse still needs a little space from his often smothering, seriously extroverted brother.

Sorry future guests at the Hicks' household. It's back to the futon for you. I just decided that our family sanity day to day is more important than having a guestroom that is rarely used.

Anyhoo....back to Jesse's room. I wasn't really going to decorate it, but I wanted to make the little guy feel special, not like he just got booted out of his room for the new baby. So, Zac and I painted a mural on his wall, painted an old dresser, and bought him some new curtains and a bean bag. The paint was all colors that we already had and the whole makeover was a whopping $30!! I'll post pictures later, Zac has the camera at work.

He's really such a chill kid (except for that independent streak that's cropping up all to often these days) that it doesn't seem to phase him one bit. Zac then pointed out that he has actually slept for almost half of his life in a closet so he's not that picky about his accomodations. The closet thing was when he was a baby and still nursing (in a bassinet in our closet--close enough to get there easily, but with a door to close so we didn't hear his noisy sleeping), when we lived with my parents last summer (and every time we visit now), and when we had company that stayed in his room. The pack n' play really is like his second home.

So, that's what we've been up to. That, along with the 5 preschool orientations I have attended in the past week (Yes, I only have 2 kids in preschool--I'm still trying out why I had to attend so many. It's complicated.).

I also made my official final "nesting to do list" this afternoon. It's a doozie but I think we can get it all done. Item 1 was completed tonight--move Jesse. We are coming upon the home stretch and are getting excited!

Preschool

This week is full of preschool orientation! I told Zac that I am attending 4 different ones, even though I only have 2 kids in preschool. I guess we will be fully prepared. Joel officially starts tomorrow and Jesse starts next Tuesday. Jesse is just going one morning a week (I think the idea really is for the kids to have a little socializiation and for the moms to get a little break). Either way, I'll take it! It gives me one full morning a week to myself!!!!! That is, for another 2 months. :)

They both seem pretty excited and I can't believe that the summer is almost over already. We did lots of fun things and I am really thankful for all of the things we were able to do.

Plus, it will be nice to run errands with just one child in tow for awhile. I was THAT mom this morning at Walgreen's. Both boys were screaming, Jesse had pooped and had crusty snot on his face. I was tired and hungry (it was too close to lunchtime). I know people were looking at my belly and saying to themselves, "What is she thinking?!" It really wasn't our best moment. We had another one of those moments at preschool this morning too. Those incidents combined propelled me to ask someone to come babysit the boys tonight while I attend a church music party with Zac. He will be "working" at the party and I just decided I didn't want to handle the boys by myself.

I mention all of this because a friend recently emailed me, mentioning how she really feels like she needs help, but has a hard time asking others. Ditto, sister. I was just talking about that last night with Zac. It is REALLY hard for me to ask people to help me--especially with the boys. I don't want them to feel pressure or to feel like I'm shirking my duties as a mom. However, I have gotten a lot better in the last year or so (maybe out of desperation). What I've decided is that it never hurts to ask people. They are more than able to say no (if they have a problem with turning people down, then it's just that--their problem). Many times, I've found people are flattered at the invitation and really enjoy a chance to do something different for awhile. Plus, I do try and rotate who I ask so that the same people don't feel too frequently called upon. To those that do help out and are reading this---THANK YOU!!!! Zac and I often say that we will return the favor to other young families when we are in your position.

What it comes down to is that I don't want to live life with regrets. If all I think about when I look back on this phase of life is that I was stressed out, overwhelmed, and felt trapped with the kids frequently, then I will always wonder why I didn't do something to try and change that. So I am. Now--while I still have the chance!