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Tuesday, November 27, 2012

Where does the time go!?

I can not believe how fast time has gone! My little baby is six months old! That's half a year (you're thinking...well DUH, when one year is made up of twelve months....half of twelve is six...so YEP six months is half a year!)
It's not fair that time goes by SO much faster after they are born than it does when you are pregnant!

He has grown so much, learned so much, developed and changed...you got it, so much! He started out looking like his "own" little person, a little like Paisley when she was born, but he definitely had his own little look. Now he just looks like a little Marshall!

He started out weighing 6 lbs 14 oz and only 19" long, now he's 16 lbs 11.2 oz and 26.5" long. He can roll from his tummy onto his back and can sit up by himself for a tiny little bit. He LOVES to jump! He can put his own soother in his mouth...and he's pretty good at taking it out too! He can scoot along the floor on both his back and tummy. He knows who is family is and smiles big for his Brother!

Even though he is my third, I'm still so amazed at how fast they grow and change!





We sure LOVE you Mr.Benson! We are so incredibly happy that you came to our family, it just would not be the same without you! It warms my heart to see your older siblings absolutely adore you (even though they sometimes love you a little 'too much')!! I hope that you three will always be such good friends and will be able to work out your differences (because I know they will come).

Thank you for bringing so many smiles, snuggles and giggles into our home! We love you a bushel and a peck!!

Sunday, November 25, 2012

The Run Aways

Two weeks ago I had my first experience with my children "running away". Let me tell you, it was SO funny!

It all started one day after school. I was on the laptop doing some online banking and was just about to get off as Benson needed to be fed. Marshall came up to me and asked if he could watch some basketball on the laptop (something him and Irish do on a regular basis...usually at breakfast time). I told him that I didn't have time to set it up for him, that I needed to feed Benson...AND that he hadn't earned it. Well apparently that was just the 'end of the world'. He got all pouty and whined "I hate this word" (I'm assuming the word he wasn't liking was 'No')

I replied saying "I'm sorry hunny, but you haven't earned it & I need to feed Benson" He stomps his foot, has his arms folded, and with a scowled look on his face and says "I'm so mad, I'm going to run away"
Me: Run away!? Where are you going to go?
Marshall: I don't know, I need a bag

So he goes around the house looking for a bag to 'pack' some items. He comes back into the living room and starts putting some toys into it.

I continue to ask him questions that will hopefully get him thinking and maybe realize that running away isn't the answer

Me: Marshall where are you going to sleep?
Marshall: By myself
Me: Who is going to feed you?
Marshall: I don't know, I'm just going to run away

He goes up stairs and comes back down with a stack of P.J's an puts them into his bag. Meanwhile Paisley is beside herself. In tears, crying "I don't want Marshall to leave". I'm trying to console her, and let her know that he's not actually going to leave...and then all of a sudden a switch flips and She's going with him! So now she's looking for a bag. I ask the kids if I should give away their bunkbed, toys & other clothes...you know...since their running away. Marshall told me no, because they weren't going to run away forever!

As Marshall is getting his coat on he tells me "I have some of my toys, pajamas & my boots in case it snows"
I ask him "Hunny, where are you going to go? How are you going to keep warm? Who is going to feed you? Who will tuck you in tonight? Who is going to sing to you at Bedtime" He pauses for a minute and then tells me that they are going to run away to Mary-Pats (Our Grandma friend & neighbor who lives kitty corner to us).

Since they said they were going to go somewhere in particular I decided I would let them 'go' and hopefully get this whole running away thing out of their system.

I watched them go over to her house. Marshall knocked on the door, no answer, knocked again, no answer....put his bag down and knocked on the door a couple more times. They then walked down her side walk and around the side of her house, at this point I could no longer see them. I thought to my self 'oh I hope they aren't going to just sit there and wait for her to come home'!

After a couple of minutes they come walking back around the side of the house and look like they are heading home...when who comes driving down the road!? Yep, Mary-Pat! Great timing! They see her and turn around running back to her driveway.

I start laughing to myself just thinking of what Marshall is going to tell her, how he'll say it and what her reaction will be! I give them a couple of minutes to go inside and then give Mary-Pat a call. Luckily she's laughing at the whole situation as well!

Apparently Marshall told her that they were coming to live with her!! Told her what days he goes to school, when he needs to be there and when he needs to be picked up! I tell her that I'm just in the middle of feeding Benson and I'll be over as soon as he's done!

Not too much later I see Marshall running back to our house. He bursts in the door and says "I forgot my backpack...and I need to get Paisley's coat" At this moment I am trying so hard NOT to laugh! How cute & funny is it that he came back to get his backpack!? And with that he was gone back over to Mary-Pat's!

Once Benson is finished We get our coats on and head on over to Mary-Pat's. When Marshall sees me come in the door he just groans.

"Mooooom, what are you doing here? I told you that we are running away for two sleeps and then we will come back home"

I told him "I came to talk with Mary-Pat and then we are all going home" He wasn't to pleased with the fact that I said we were all going home. I think he honestly thought they were just going to live there for two 'sleeps' and then come back home. As if Mary-Pat could just drop all her plans for the next two days and take care of them.

When we finally did go home we all had a nice chat about how we don't run away from our problems. Instead we need to talk about them, because running away wasn't going to fix anything.

Not that I can 'blame' this whole thing on a book...but I am! I blame a book on putting the idea of running away in his head. Not too long before this whole incident we read "Just So Mad" (one of the Little Critter books) throughout the whole book the critter wants to do certain things and he keeps being told 'No' by different people. So in the end he says he's going to run away. He packs some snacks and I think some toys and is about to run away when his friends show up and ask him to play. After reading that book to the kids I specifically mentioned how it was so silly that the Critter was going to run away just because he was upset...apparently Marshall didn't get the Memo!

All in all everyone involved (except the kids) had a good chuckle over it! They haven't mentioned running away again...yet!


Sunday, November 11, 2012

Freezer Meals

About three weeks ago I was preparing to make another five week meal menu (I'm telling you this is the BEST thing ever! Not having to stress about what we will be having for dinner for five weeks is AmAzING!!) my friend told me about this site (six sisters' stuff). She had told me that she had been on there looking at some recipes and they all looked delicious. SO I decided to go and check it out...I think i`m safe to say that the majority of my meals on the latest menu are from this website.

I found recipes for 8 freezer meals! (that apparently you can put together in 1 hour...but whoever did this did not have three children at home, one of which is the most adorable little boy you have ever seen...who (at the time) never seems to sleep, considers naps to be 45 min or less, and just wanted to be held)

It took me the better part of the afternoon...all afternoon to put them all together. I went shopping in the morning & got everything that I needed. They also provide a printable shopping list, & a suggested side dish...very nice, no `thinking`required! I was amazed at how in expensive it was. When you think about it, I was purchasing groceries for the entire week, plus all the items for the eight freezer meals (I already have the chicken and spareribs in the freezer...so I didn`t have to buy them) annnd also purchased some items that were on sale! I spent just over $100 (that is almost enough food for two full weeks...not fresh fruit & veggie wise, but dinners for sure)

Needless to say, I`m LOVING prepping dinner this month!!


So far we have eaten two of the freezer meals. The BBQ Spareribs & the Maple Dijon Glazed Chicken. Both were good, not amazing, or oh my goodness I have to make this again...but they were good...and my kids ate it (always a bonus)