Random Thoughts

I don't have one specific thing to talk about today, just a few random things that I've been thinking about.

When did Gage get too big for naps? The past week or two Gage has been waking up really early and not going to sleep well at night, so I’ve tried an experiment the last couple days…no afternoon nap. Low and behold, he goes right to bed at night and he actually sleeps a little bit later in the morning. I suppose we won’t be having naps around our house for right now. I’m just a little sad, tired myself, and bored each afternoon, so if you have any suggestions on what to do all afternoon with a hyper 2 year old, send them my way. Right now he is watching a movie, which is giving us both down time, and seems to be working.


I can’t believe it but I’m already in my third trimester. Everyone keeps asking me if I’m excited, because in 3 short months I will have a baby. I am, but I’m nervous too. I organized more of the boy’s room today and got out more of the baby stuff. I’m excited to see how Gage reacts to the baby. He loves to hold babies and kiss them but he has no idea what to do when they cry. I think it will be fun, and busy. We still don’t know any names. We didn’t settle on Gage until I was about 35 weeks anyway, so we still have about one more month to decide. I’m excited to see if this baby will have the same temperament as Gage. Right now he kicks and moves around the same as Gage did, he is a very active baby. I can handle active, but I’m not sure I can handle another colicky baby. Either way, it will be a fun adventure!

Random thought of the day: Tonight we get to kick off scrapbook group for the SAA (DMU spouse club) and I’m way excited to go and see everyone! I never get a lot done there, but it's just the idea of being there and having fun that I love!

Enough rambling!

Take a guess

 

Can anyone take a guess at who Gage wants to be like when he grows up?

Hint: tall, handsome, funny, wears glasses and when you say his name properly (with a Southern accent) it can become a two syllable word. 

Bring on the Fall weather

 


Just so every blog on here isn’t about my son; I thought I would write about something else for once. Today was cold and rainy and I sure hope that means it is a sign that summer is ending and fall is here!

Don’t get me wrong, I typically love summer. But not Iowa summers…and certainly not Iowa Augusts. The fall here is such nice weather. It usually isn’t so humid and there are so many fun activities around Des Moines. Last year we went to the park all the time and my favorite was the pumpkin patch we took them too.

This year I have a list of things I can’t wait to do…
We didn’t make it to the Madison County Covered Bridge festival last year and I am really looking forward to going to it this year. We’ve been out to the bridges but not during the fall and I think it will be so nice to see. I’m also so excited for all the Farmers Markets, of course they have been going on all summer long, but the produce is so much better now! I haven’t been able to get back to my favorite one at Valley Junction since Wade broke his foot, but I’m going to have to take Gage and do it ourselves now that the weather is cooler. I’m also excited about Living History Farms, now that Gage is a little older I think he would really like going there and seeing the animals…but especially the farm equipment! I know I’m lame, but I have to mention the library! Story time and the toddler programs start next week and I am really hoping that Gage will enjoy them this year. He enjoys the ones at Barnes and Noble, so I have to be hopeful. Last but not least, I wouldn’t be a mom of boys if I didn’t mention that Thomas the Train is coming to Iowa and I can’t wait to take Gage. It’s in 2 weeks and I think Gage will be very excited. Tickets for the ride, however, are a little pricey for a 2 year old ($16!!!!) so we’ll see if we actually ride the train or just go for the free stuff. I think it will just be a fun outing. Oh…and did I mention that tomorrow a group of us are going to Williamsburg, Iowa to the outlet centers! I can’t help being so excited that it isn’t so hot anymore!

Did I mention that I love the fall here in Iowa? 

Please leave me alone...

 

So I'm not sure when it happened. Maybe it has something to do with his age, but in the past week Gage has decided to use more of his independence and wants his mommy to just leave him alone. At night when I leave his room I always give him a kiss, say I love you and walk out, he now wipes off the kiss each night and says, "BYE mama" I leave the room pretty broken hearted.

I understand the whole toddler independence issue, but I would like it if he would let me kiss him goodnight. I guess he still runs to me when he gets hurt, so I've still got that on my side. 

Three Weeks Down.....how many more to go?

 

So it’s been 3 weeks since Wade started school and I’m already trying to figure out how many he has left – I guess that’s a little sad, but it’s just been one of those weeks. The saying around here is that the says fly by like weeks and the weeks fly by like months and pretty soon you are done. This week has been really long for some reason.

Next week he starts a new class on top of this one and it’s going to get crazy again at our house but perhaps a little craziness will bring back a little normalcy to our house. I’m excited for all the upcoming activities that come along with school getting busy. Lunch bunch group has already started up; the library will start story time in a week, the SAA (spouse club) groups will start to get busy, which really means I get to scrapbook soon! I guess we really don’t know how to function without being in school. We’ve been married almost 6 ½ years and been in school for the entire time, so when we have down time I guess we don’t know how to function. However, there are days, and even weeks, like this past one that I really wish we could just be done and have the typical normal family life….or at least the typical school life for us, minus the crutches!

This picture I took at a party we had at the end of the first semester last year. Wade and his friends (besides John, who is in law school (1/6)) were 1/8 done, hence the 8 cake….I know it really doesn’t look like an 8. I know that pretty soon it will be December and I can throw another party, but I guess this week it just seemed all too far away. 

Gage's Favorite Sleeping Bag

Hats off to Grandma's

My question of the day is how to Grandma’s know? For example, my mom sent Gage a tee-shirt with the characters from the movie Cars and of course, now he wants to wear it every day. Me, I would have probably never bought him that shirt.. But apparently Grandma’s know exactly what their grandkids need.

Another example – when we spent time in Utah this summer Wade’s mom bought Gage a frog sleeping bag to sleep in. Well this sleeping bag has been a hit. He has to sleep on top of his bed in it, he has to cuddle in it when watching movies and last night when he didn’t feel very good and couldn’t sleep all night I let him put it in our room next to my bed and he slept in it there. Silly me, I’m just his mommy who has been giving up space in our bed for him for the past 21/2 years, when all I needed to do was buy him a sleeping bag and put it on the floor. He was perfectly happy to sleep on the floor next to our bed! Wade and I got sleep without kicks to the face, Gage got to feel better, and the Grandma’s were right again!

Maybe it’s the experience they’ve had parenting, but even from thousands of miles away, Gage already knows he can depend on a package coming in the mail from his Grandma’s to take better care of him than his silly mommy! So hats off to you, Grandma's.

(If either Grandma is reading this…this is purely just a compliment to you doing a great job – not a request for more packages in the mail!)

  

  

Imagination

Toddlers are funny creatures and our toddler has developed a very healthy imagination. Ever since we have started to talk to Gage about having a baby brother he has decided that he has a baby in his tummy as well…and Daddy and anyone else for that matter. No matter what I say he thinks this, one day last week he actually yelled at me about it and I had to agree with him in order to make peace! Since Wade broke his foot a couple weeks ago and has been on crutches, Gage thinks he has hurt his foot as well, and we have to wrap it at least once daily. He wears band aids all over his body to show us that he is tough and has been hurt too!

(On a side note...Wade's foot is pretty wild to see, it has pins coming out of it, but I don't dare post the pictures - so let me know if you want to see!)

I must say though, my favorite part of his new imagination are his new friends. Gage has plenty of friends that we play with, and sometimes after they really do go home, he tells me that they are still here playing. For example: He has two friends named Brooklyn. One day Brooklyn had to go to the store with us and the only way I could get Gage to sit in the seat in the cart was tell him that Brooklyn was standing in the cart. Of course, either Brooklyn really came to the store with us that day. In fact, since we bought the van and have the room, he tells me that he has all his friends with him in the van and names them off, pointing at each seat!

Gage will only get his diaper changed now if one of his “friends” has a stinky or wet diaper and I have to change them as well…I’m wondering what would happen if all his “friends” started using the potty! Yesterday he told us he had a fishing pole and was fishing catching fish – in reality he had a stick and a kitchen wisk!

I just admire his imagination to play and find things in life and I wonder when we actually end up losing all this and become the adults we are. I will have to work on using my imagination more, right now I have to rely on books, TV, and others to entertain myself…and when I’m lonely I don’t think up friends that come over to my house…well maybe this last thing isn’t such a bad thing!

My new "change"

Here we are at the Indianola National Balloon Classic!

Evolution & Change

Evolution & Change

So things change, and evolution is real. Now I’m not talking about the monkey kind of evolution – I’m just talking about things change and evolve – people mostly.

For example, I can’t remember when it happened, but I’ve evolved. We just bought a new car and it’s a mini-van. Now, it’s a Chrysler Town and Country and it’s loaded with features and it’s not like the mini-van of yore that comes to mind when you say “mini van” but it’s a mini-van nonetheless. When Wade and I got married 6 years ago he promised me lots of things, among which one was, I would never have to drive a mini-van. But somewhere along the way – at least in the past year, the mini-van has become what I covet. And I have to admit, it’s nice to drive now that I have it.

In high school I never would have guessed that in 8 years I would be living in Iowa - admist corn country and have 1 1/2 kids. My plans changed and I'm pretty happy that they have.

So I guess we all change and evolve. I’m not the same girl I was in high school –I’ve done a lot of growing. Sometimes I think it’s just really interesting to take a moment and check out how you and your life has evolved and changed.

So we'll see...

So we'll see. I've enjoyed reading all my different friends blogs so much that I guess I could try this out too. We'll see. I really was opposed to having one more thing on my plate, but I guess the worst thing is I won't post – or we’ll see…

The exact reason that we'll see just walked in the room. In the short less than five minutes it took for me to set this up, my mischievous 2 ½ year old (I can’t believe he’s already 2 and a half!!!) Gage has torn the train track apart in the living room, thrown all his toys everywhere and is now dancing around without his pants - yelling "No PANTS!" He is now quiet, which really makes me nervous.

Perhaps I should go dress my boy and find out why he is quiet...we'll see how this blog thing works out.