Tomato Worms

On Saturday we did some gardening and trimmed back our cherry tomato plant. While doing this we found some HUGE tomato worms...and my kids had so much fun with them! These are the worms I remember from my childhood when we would help my mom out in the garden. They are big and fat and have a red spike on their butt. These worms also poop...it's pretty disgusting! Anyway...here are some pictures so you can see for yourself!

"Spike"

Jakob has always asked for his hair to be spiked...and we've tried all sorts of different products and nothing would work...until now. I let his hair get pretty long, and then today I shaved off the sides and the back and left it long on the top so he could spike it. He is so proud of his new hair cut and so I told him we would show it off on my blog! It will be weird to have to actually "do" his hair now...before it was just buzzed, or it would just lie flat. But this haircut looks funny unless it's spiked...so hopefully I can keep up with it!

Pee-Pee in the POTTY!

Joshy has been showing signs of being ready for potty training...but I've been trying to ignore them since I know it is probably futile to begin so close to the birth of the new baby. Well, today while getting ready to go to the pool, he said he needed to go pee-pee in the potty. He's said this before, and I've sat him down on the toilet, and nothing. But, I obliged him and we went into the bathroom. As soon as I set him down, he farted and then peed! It was awesome (well, not the fart, but the fact that he actually peed)! Jakob and I were very excited and Joshy flushed and then gave me a high five. So...maybe he is totally ready and I should just bite the bullet and dive in head first. I think I just might! How great would it be to have him potty trained in the next 2 months???? It would be AWESOME! So mabye we'll go buy some of those thick Gerber training pants and some rewards for him. Even though it was such a pain with Jakob...I think it just might be easier with Josh not only because he seems ready, but also because he sees Jakob use the toilet all the time and knows what it's all about. Keep your fingers crossed for me!!!!

70 Days Until October 29...

It's kind of strange how time plays tricks on you...sometimes it feels like it's going so fast that you can barely see what's happening and other times it just creeps along like a slug. Well, that's pretty much how this pregnancy has gone...but now we are in the home stretch. Only 10 weeks or 70 days until the baby is due. That still seems a bit far off at times...but then reality sets in and I know that it will be here before I know it.

On Friday morning I had my most recent appointment with Dr. Clayton and he asked me a few questions which really made reality sink in.
"Do you want an epidural?"
"Yes, " I answer him.
"I would too if I were you, " he replies.
"You're having a boy, right?"
"Yes," I answer.
"Do you want him to be circumcised?"
"Yes."
"You know, we will let you deliver up to 4 weeks early."
"Really? Wow. Well, I doubt he'll come early...the other two were quite content to stay where they were..."
"Yes...and they were both big babies too! So, we'll do everything we can to make sure you don't go over with this one. Once they reach 9 1/2 lbs then it's usually better to get them out."
"Great...I agree with you 100%!!!"
"Ok, let me measure you and we'll see where we're at."
He proceeds to listen to the baby's heart beat (156 bpm) and then measures my belly. "Yep, you're getting bigger! Come back and see me in 2 weeks and if you've gotten bigger at that point then we'll have an ultrasound to see how big this baby is so far."
"Ok," I say...stunned that I'm already at the point to be seeing my OB every two weeks!

So, after that visit I really felt like I needed to start getting things done - JUST IN CASE - this baby does decide to come early...or he's really big and they induce me early...or whatever! So I wiped down the crib and put it together and talked to Brad about getting a new carseat...I started thinking about sorting through the bins of baby clothes I have...but decided that could wait just a little bit longer. I've been trying to figure out if I want the baby to sleep in my room in the bassinet at first, or try to keep him upstairs in his room. AHHH I don't know. Then I started thinking of how we are going to rearrange the car seats to make room for the baby carrier. We have the HUGE Britax Regent car seats for Jakob and Joshua, and I am HOPING and PRAYING that they will both fit in the 3rd row so that we can put the baby in the middle of the 2nd row. Well, I'm sure we'll figure it all out...I"m not very stressed out about it right now. Not yet at least...I'm not in full blown nesting mode yet. :)

So, some of you know that we've decided to name this little guy Andrew James...and probably call him Drew, or Andrew, but not Andy. (I just don't think Andy sounds right with Hanson...) We've told our boys that's what we're going to call him and Jakob is starting to catch on...I know this for a fact because while I was putting up their names in their room (those little wooden letters that you hang on the wall...) Jakob was spelling his name and and then said, "Andrew." I turned to him and said, "Who's that?" and he said, "Um, our baby!" very matter-of-factly. It was so cute...kind of like, "DUH MOM!" He's such a character...and so is Joshy. I remember not being able to imagine what another little boy would be like after just having Jakob who is so funny...and then comes Joshy with his own funny little personality. It just makes me that much more excited to see what kind of personality our little Drew will have. Well, I only have to wait about 10 more weeks to find out!

Let the countdown begin!!!!!!!

Underage Drivers

There must be something about being 2 years old and suddenly developing a fascination with driving the car. Lately Joshua hasn't wanted to get out of the car when we get home, instead he climbs up into the drivers seat and "drives." Today, when Joshy refused to get out of the car because he wanted to drive, I had a memory of Jakob doing the same thing at pretty much the same age! I knew I had pictures of it, and so I ran inside to grab the camera and take a few of Joshy doing the same thing.

So, here's Jakob "driving" at 2 years old:

And here's Joshy:

Meeting Diego

Last night we took our boys and Jakob's best buddy Kai, to meet Diego at the Aquarium of the Pacific. Diego was very nice actually...I was pleasantly surprised and the kids were in awe of him because he was "real" and not a cartoon! Joshy was a little aprehensive about taking a picture with him, so I ended up holding him on my lap, but that's OK because at least we got a picture without him screaming! After the picture I could tell he felt a little more comfortable because he gave Diego a high five! So cute!

Grama Betty

My mom flew in last week, and it's been fun having her here. She's helped me with my gardening, cleaning, unpacking, watching my kids, sewing, etc.! The boys have loved having her here and the first two mornings Jakob came and knocked on her door (early) because he was so excited that Grama was sleeping at our house! They have enjoyed watering the plants with her and Joshy especially has enjoyed playing in the mud! She read lots of stories to them (which is one of their favorite things!) while I was busy making dinner or taking a shower or whatever. Today we are taking her down to San Clemente to stay with her dad (my grampa) and my brother & his wife and little boy. I'm sure they will also enjoy having her around! We love you Grama Betty and look forward to seeing you again when the baby is born in October!

ADHD or "Just A Typical 4-year-old Boy?"

Jakob has been having some issues with listening/following directions for the past few weeks. Now, I know he's only FOUR and I know he's a BOY full of ENERGY...but he is normally pretty good. He has swimming lessons five times a week, for an hour each time. As he has become more comfortable in the water, he strays farther and farther away from his class, and ignores his teachers more and more. As a parent this is very frustrating because I want my child to be a respectful student and to more importantly,

LEARN HOW TO SWIM!!!!

At school he has had issues also...wandering off from group activities, ignoring directions and rules set by the teachers, etc., etc. So knowing that he is now not listening to other authority figures - besides Mom & Dad - we decided to give him a week to improve, and if he didn't, then he would lose all television/movie privileges for a week. Our hopes and expectations were high...but unfortunately he didn't pass the test. So, since last friday, he has not watched TV or movies and I must say that it has really helped! I may just keep it this way FOREVER! (Well, maybe not, but a lot less TV has definitely helped the situation!)

We have also made a chart for him to earn points and once enough have been earned then he can get a reward. This not only includes listening the 1st time, but other responsibilities he has around the house as well. Maybe every parent repeats themself a thousand times every time when talking to their children, but even if that is the case, it doesn't make me feel any better!

So, being the hyper-control-freak that I am (at times...) I was starting to feel as if I was helpless in this situation. But, seeing that things are improving - not only at school and swimming lessons, but also at home, is giving me hope as well as enouragement not to give up! If anyone out there has any ideas or wants to share any experiences with me on raising

strong-willed boys, let me know! :) Jakob is such a sweet boy, and very sensitive. He is one of the most creative and imaginitive people I know and I love hearing his made-up words and stories and explanations for things. I don't want to stifle that side of him, I want him to still feel free to express himself and to explore things and life but I also want him to be able to listen when he needs to listen and to follow directions and rules when they need to be followed. I have been trying to focus on not yelling so much and just talking

calmly and making my directions short and simple for him

because I know his attention span lasts about 2.2 seconds.

I am SO grateful for his funny jokes

and out-of-the blue hugs and kisses and "I love you Mommy" moments.

I hope those never go away.