Tea Party

Last Saturday morning the kids woke up later than usual, and my dear husband got up with them.  I had all the intentions of getting up too, but every time I moved I got more comfortable... I ended up sleeping til 11!  Which is ridiculous!  1.) Usually the kids are playing so the noise wakes me up 2.) Who sleeps in that late?!

It turns out they had been playing upstairs and they had a tea party.  :)  Gaetan brought some finger foods upstairs to snack on for breakfast, to keep it quieter for me, and then Tristan got out the tea cups and pot from their play kitchen upstairs.  It was really sweet.  He even got out the sweet treats for our crumpets and served us.  They had a lot of fun!

Them sharing their snacks :)

Dude was bringing more

Such a lover he is :)

JVG

Baby Girl in her Big Girl bed!

On Saturday's we decided that we are going to start spending the night at my parents because we are there for dinner and then we go to church in GR so it just makes sense!  However, the only reason why we never did before was because Lucy didn't sleep so well over night there... :(  Since Holly and her family moved out the entire upstairs is unoccupied, so we thought that this would be a good time to try her on a big girl bed.  Tristan's toddler bed that he used was still at my parents from when we lived there so we just brought the mattress and was going to get her all set up.  :)

Our plan was to give her a nap, but not as long as she normally takes.  And then we were going to run her into the ground so by the time it was time for sleeping she would be so tired she wouldn't worry about sleeping by herself.  I think the biggest part of the problem was she hated the pack n play and we figured if we could get her out of there then she would be more about it.  We. Were. Right.  In a major way!  :)

We waited til it was her nap time to drive to GR and then we hit up the Children's museum.  That means she was going to get less than a 45 min nap, which is a lot less than she normally gets, but still a little bit.  They had a BLAST at the CM of course.  Then, they played really hard at Mom and Dad's too.  Unfortunately, we had left the hardware to the bed frame at our place (because we moved that for some reason without the bed) so we just put the mattress on the floor.  We also kind of figured that would be good in case she rolled out.

She started to crash and burn so Gaetan put her in her bed, with her blankie and Dino and came downstairs.  I was worried that she was going to get up and bang/open the door and cry, but she didn't make a peep.  It was unreal.  She really just passed out and stayed in her bed the entire night until 9 the next morning!  We were thrilled!  Big time success!

Since then we have just been keeping up with it.  The end goal was to get her used to sleeping in the bottom bunk of Tristan's bunk beds for when #3 arrived.  So Sunday night we just put her in his bottom bunk and she was down with it.  No fussing, no crying or trying to get up.  It was amazing.  And Dude did really well with having her in his bottom bunk.  He was really good and didn't make a bunch of noise to wake her up.  :)  Happy parents here.  This has also continued on for naptime, which she is doing really well with.  I can't believe how easy this transition has been for her!  This is definitely a big turn around because this will make traveling a lot easier and less things to pack!  We are so proud of her and she is really excited that she is can sleep in a big girl bed in Big Brother's room.  :)

Goose waving at the camera

Doing some facial anatomy... eyes

Mouth

Nose

Sweet snuggle girl

Kisses!

She tried to Roar us from his top bunk!  It was hilarious!

JVG

Chili

I am still on the search for the best chili recipe ever, but this recipe was pretty tasty!  :)  I think my problem is that I want to like chili, but I think that I'm just OK with it... but on cold windy rainy days I really feel like chili can warm the soul... or something like that.  I dig corn bread so I think that I will continue my search.  :)  I like the carrots in this recipe and I garnished mine with sour cream.  I also didn't have pinto beans on hand so I used dark and light kidney beans.  I was a little worried that it might be spicy for the kids because of the adobe chiles in it, but it wasn't at all.  Dude was a big boy eater and eat his whole bowl!

http://www.recipegirl.com/2006/09/19/three-bean-and-beef-chili/

JVG

Fast, fun Kid snack

Today Gaetan had a Quantum exam, but it was a take-home... so in honor of having an exam I still made treats, but this one wasn't as 'fancy' as they normally are. However, I feel like they were a big success and it took all of about 5 minutes to make.  :)  And if you have small children, I know you have Cheerios on hand, so this is a nice way to get rid of the last little bit that nobody seems to eat... I used a mini muffin tin, and I personally liked the peanut butter part of it the most, but there definitely needs to be a little bit of chocolate in it.  So the next time I make it I think that I'm going to probably make them the majority with the peanut butter/white chocolate mixture and then add a little bit of the milk chocolate in.

http://www.greedygourmet.com/recipes-by-course/desserts/chunky-chocolate-cheerios/

JVG

Captain T

The other night we were hanging out after the kids went to bed and we heard Tristan making some noises, so Gaetan went upstairs to check on him to make sure he was OK.  Turns out he was and was having a very vivid dream... he was driving his space ship and firing off the guns.  He was making the "pew pew" noise and laughing.  He then proceeded to tell Gaetan that he was Captain T and that he was driving so we needed to get out of his way.  Silly boy.  I couldn't believe that he was doing all this in his sleep.

When we asked him about it the next morning he had no idea what we were talking about but thought it was funny none the less... so he named everybody Captain M (for Momma) Captain P (for Papa) and then La Capitana (for Lucy).  Our boy.  So smart, and silly.  :)

JVG

New Favorite Preggo Drink

Remember when I said that I was craving different alcoholic drinks?  Well, I think I have found the perfect substitute!  It's fuzzy and I don't think that there is a ton of sugar in it... it's 16% fruit juice so that can't be bad right?  It's San Pellegrino... and the kind that I've tried is the aranciata rossa... it's like orange juice.  To me it tastes like a mimossa sans the alcohol... :)  Bubbly, delicious and refreshing!  Can't wait to try the other flavors they offer!

Also, another favorite is dark chocolate almond milk.  Tastes like chocolate milk, has a ton more calcium and can be a great dessert substitute for me late at night :)

JVG

Hide n Seek

One of Dude's games he likes to play now is hide n seek.  He likes to run and 'count' in the pantry, or a closet while we hide... and he counts to ten so fast... then he comes bolting out of his hiding place to find you... so you better hide quickly!  Sometime we like to just hide behind corners and when he tears around them we scare him and he thinks it's hilarious.  The other day I got him so good he threw Hippo up in the air and just kept running while laughing his head off.  It was really funny.

Something that Dude does when he's hiding is he'll wait til he hears that you're coming and then says, "Come find me!  I'm hiding _____"  in which he then tells you where he's hiding.  It's really funny.  And if you pretend to not know where he is hiding he'll say it again like, come on, really?  I told you where I was!

He's got quite the vivid imagination and I love that he's really into playing these games.  He likes it when Lucy tries to find him too... :)

JVG

Cider Mill

A little while back we tried a cider mill around our area... we went during the week but unfortunately all their rides and activities are only open on the weekends.  They had fun things to do, but they just weren't available when we went! The kids seemed to have a lot of fun playing on their apple train and Dude went in and saw their small petting zoo... but other than that it was a bust.  The weather was at least nice so we ended up going to the playground instead.  The donuts and cider and stuff were really expensive there too so we didn't get any of those goodies... I would be willing to try it next year when you can pick your own apples and maybe go on the weekend to try their other stuff.

The apple train.

Lucy just chillin', maxin' relaxin'.

JVG

Zoo Boo

Yesterday we decided to go to Binder Park Zoo and try out their Zoo Boo.  We tried John Ball last year and we were sorely disappointed.  I thought that there was going to be more of a definite candy trail, but there was just a lot of companies and places promoting their product who happened to be handing out some candy too... but Binder Park was a lot better!  They gave out some tokens at the beginning and there was a definite way that you could go and get LOTS of candy.  :)  Dude had a good time with it.  And I couldn't believe the weather!  We got the kids really warm costumes because usually October is a bit more fall like (unlike the 78 and sunny that it was), but they did all right.  Dude even got to ride a train there and he was SO excited.  :)  The thing I was really impressed about where the prices... I feel like most places like that will jack up the price on the extras inside the zoo, but they didn't at all, which was nice.  :)  I would highly recommend it for those with kids or anybody who wants to dress up and get some candy and see some animals.  :)  Here are lots of pics from our adventuring there.

Here are some of the animals we got to see:

Looking at some tamarins

There was the furry little guy!

I was impressed with his ninja abilities at jumping up and clinging to the  wall with nothing else to hold onto!

Our monkey climbing a 'tree'

Snow leopard is hiding in the rocks under the tree

Cheetah

Peacock on the loose!

Red panda... they look so fuzzy and cozy

Some pics of the kids around the zoo

We were looking at the snow leopard... not a great family shot haha.  But I think I'm looking pretty good for being 18 months pregnant!

On the candy trail... I love Dude's face

Checking out some animals and enjoying some Scooby Treats!

My little cupcake

Dude and Papa rode the train and these are some of the sights

Waiting ever so patiently in line

All aboard!

He was so calm about the whole thing even though he was SO excited

Dinosaurs!

Did you know that there is a brontosaurus in Battle Creek!?  haha

What Dude calls the "Time Tunnel" from dinosaur train

They spotted us while we waited for them to finish their ride

JVG

Pregnancy Update

This pregnancy is funny.  I feel great, but there are some definite cravings that I've been having... and I don't really think that any of them are that good for me.  During the beginning of 2nd Tri  I was really craving cauliflower (hence the huge one that I purchased at the farmers market, and then proceeded to eat single handedly...) But now...

RICE KRISPIE TREATS!  I can't get enough of them.  I don't know what's wrong with me.  I think that I've made a 9 x 13 pan each week, and it's gone within a matter of days... and the only reason why I don't make more than one a week is because I only buy one bag of marshmallows during our grocery trip to try and save myself from the disaster that would be... I think that's my way of self control?  haha... right.

Another thing that I've been really wanting to try are different mixed drinks... I know, it sounds terrible.  Don't worry, I'm not giving into those temptations (like the rice krispie treats) but I want to try all sorts of things!  I don't know what's wrong with me!  I remember with Dude I really want margaritas... but I think it was just the salt, so Gaetan appeased me by getting the mix (sans alcohol) and rimming glasses with a bunch of salt haha.  So to curb these cravings he's been getting fancy different pops and I've been drinking them out of wine and martini glasses... haha.  Dorky, I know, but I don't know what else to do!  My big craving is a bloody mary... but I think it's just all the pickles and olives that garnish it... and that, I cant definitely indulge in.

Another craving... crunchies (as my good friend Ashley calls them) and seafood.  Crunchies are anything chip like that are munch-able.  :)  And the craving seafood?  I don't know about that one... I thought maybe it was because we were watching Top Chef Canada and they were cooking a lot with lobster and crab and stuff, but I feel like I could eat my weight in it...

As with the other pregnancies this baby starts to get real lively around the time the other ones go to bed.  They're still nice little gurgles and pokes, but I can definitely feel them getting stronger.  The other day Lucy was pretty upset from her nap and so I was holding her and baby #3 didn't like it at all and kicked HER!  It was kinda funny, and I don't think that she even noticed, but it does give a glimpse into this ones personality already...

We have also started reading the Narnia Series again.  Just like the other ones we started around the time that they started to kick, and then we usually finish around the time they're born.  :)

Our ultrasound is less than two weeks away!  And I am PUMPED to find out if it's a little Norah or Jude.  Don't worry, I will let you know as soon as I can.  :)

JVG

20 Liters Article

As I mentioned before I did get interviewed by 20 Liters about our fundraising!  It was cool because they sent out the email newsletter with our little story in it.  Thought I'd share the link and say how appreciative I am of all the support and love everybody has shown me, and the people of Rwanda, by donating to my campaign.  Keep up the good work!  There is still more work to be done!  :)

http://20liters.org/2012/10/find-your-idea-run-with-it/

JVG

Kiddo Update

I know I'm probably biased because I'm their parent, but my kids are AMAZING!  They learn so much, and so fast and they are HILARIOUS.  I think there's some study out that says you're supposed to laugh a certain amount of times a day, and seriously before nap time I think I've hit that quota.  They. Are. Full. Of. Personality.  Especially Miss Miss.

She is getting more and more vocal and she LOVES to mimic your facial expressions.  The other day I was drinking some chai and she really wanted some, so I gave her a sip.  She just licked her lips and signed more more!  She was pretty happy with it.  So, I gave her a few more sips.  Then I realized that she had almost drank the entire cup so I told her she could have one more sip and then she held up her index finger and showed it to me very enthusiastically and kept showing it to me when I told her it was her last sip.  Clever girl was trying to bargain to get one more sip after that one.  It was really funny.  She seemed pretty pleased that I understood what she was trying to convey also.

Dude is also getting very interested in music.  Since joining KPhil I've had to practice a lot more than they've seen me practice before and he's loving it.  Ingrid did bring Gaetan's old violin, but it's to big for him right now.  I'm starting to think that we might start him on piano because he does really well with following music and playing the keys.  I think the biggest thing that he's doing right now is singing a ton.  He likes to make up words to songs that he already knows the tunes and then he just likes to sing those songs too!  And little kid singing is extra strength cute.

They are really into holding hands and walking together.  I think it's sweet

They got new slippers!  They are very excited when they are both wearing them.

Sharing the Panda Rocket ride together

Checking out some geology at Papa's work

This is probably one of their most favorite times together... bath time

Who doesn't enjoy a good snack together?

I think that this pretty much sums up their relationship.  Dude put his favorite pal, Hippo, around her favorite pal, Dino and covered them up.

He was showing her how to get up the ladder so they could slide more together

As ever they are siblings to the max.  They love to play together, but only sort of... ya know?  I love watching them interact, and I love seeing how much he wants to take care of her, and how much of her independent side shines through.  Very fun.  He can't wait for baby #3... he likes the idea of having another play mate.  :)

Here is a video of them playing together at the playground.  They love to race each other to the ladder, and then he helps her get started down the slide.  Sometimes he likes to slide down with her.

JVG

Feeling the need to travel...

Last Friday when Gaetan got home from school/work we both had the feeling that we wanted to do something epic... we both had the bug to travel.  Our first thought was maybe heading to Rochester, NY because they were having their batizado this weekend... but that might've been to epic.  It's either an 11 hour drive in the car, so we checked out flights... and that wasn't going to happen.  So, we put the cabosh on that.  Next we thought maybe Chicago, but the weather was really rainy and we couldn't really come up with what to do... I tried to get a hold of some friends on the east side to invite ourselves over, but that didn't happen... so... we came up with something to do!

We headed up north.  We have some really good friends up in Ludington, who we don't get to visit as often as we'd like, but since we had the time this was the perfect opportunity.  :)  It's so nice visiting with DJ and Hannah because they are young and have young kids too!  It's fun to swap recipes, and share what has worked as parents and what hasn't.

And OMG do I love smelling new babies.  Baby Ethan is 4 months old (already!) and he's quite a cutie.  Their first son Benjamin wasn't as cute, in my opinion, which was funny to me because I think that they're both pretty good looking individuals.  But Baby Ethan seemed very alert, awake and ready for action.  And of course, he smelled like a new baby, and that is a heavenly scent.  After a fun time and the kids having good laughs and teaching each other new things, it was time to go.  Lucy is usually our meter of when its time to go because she's the one who will crash and burn first.  So, we packed them up, and headed home.  It was a pretty uneventful ride home... which is unusual.  Usually on the way home from their place we get a HUGE rain storm, or the kids will wake up and be unhappy that they're still in the car... but not this time.  It was nice.

Then on Sunday we went to church and headed over to my parents.  We had quite the amount of recycles to take there so we hung out for a bit afterwards.  The weather was so nice again that we played a lot outside.  We helped my parents finish up the rest of their garden stuff and lawn stuff and the kids even played a bit of baseball together.  It was really cute.  Dude was batting, Lucy was the catcher and Papa was pitching.  They were having a good time.  :)

Dude getting ready to hit!

Lucy the catcher getting ready to throw it back to Papa

It didn't make it that far... haha

Am loving all this nice weather!  Kinda crazy that its probably going to snow soon ;)

JVG

Dentist and Girl Time

They (yes, the infamous they) recommend that children should start seeing the dentist sometime between 2 and 3... and I'm a bum and finally got around to getting Tristan an appointment.  They told me that the appointment usually runs 30 minutes, so I planned accordingly.

Gaetan actually ended up taking him to his appointment while I stayed home with Goose.  He had to call a few times to get some information about Duder, but then he said they were ready to go.  About 5 minutes after his scheduled appointment I get a text from him saying they're on their way home.  My initial reaction was... "Seriously?!  After all that time and work you had to do filling out paperwork they didn't even take you?"  But it turns out that Dude has such awesome teeth the appointment was already done!  The dentist there said that Dude had the best looking teeth that she had ever seen on toddler... maybe on anybody.  She just gave him a quick cleaning and some fluoride.  He did great, and was even really excited about the prize and tooth brush they gave him!  :)  I was so proud of him for taking it so well.

I hope you're ready to go in Dino because that's where you're going!

Meanwhile, Lucy and I were tearing it up girl style at home.  Haha.  It was nice having the one on one with her and doing what she wanted to do.  I mean, really she does what she wants to do anyways, but this way there wasn't anything else to interfere.  She really wanted to take a bath... which I thought was interesting.  Normally, the kids take a bath together, and Dude plays with Dinos and Letters while she plays with bubbles and her feet.  But, since he wasn't in the tub with her this time she got to play with the dinos... and you know what?  She did the exact same thing that he does.  She lined all the dinos she could find up on the ledge, and then she pushed them in one by one.  Dude says that they are diving in, so she was say, "ga-ga" (which he her version of go) and then push them in.  It was pretty funny.

Leaves galore!

Later that day Lucy had her 18 mo check up and Gaetan took her to her appointment, because I couldn't remember if she had to get any boosters or not... and this Momma doesn't like being around for shots!  So Dude and I got to hang out at Grandma and Don's together.  Again, another really nice one and one for me with him.  We pretty much stayed outside the entire time, which was great!  Mom was doing some yard work, getting rid of things in the garden in prep for winter, and Dude was having a blast helping her.  They ended up raking some leaves together and playing in the pile which was cute.

Missy's "I just threw something behind the couch, even though I know I'm not supposed to" face

Sweet Goose baby

I am happy to report that Miss Lucy is healthy as a Goose ;)  She is 26 lbs and 33 inches... she is now within her range, not off the charts.  She is in the 80% for height and 75% for weight.  She is probably way smarter than she should be, but we love her sassy little personality.  :)

JVG