The Dodge Family

Whats going on

2011-10-23T07:49:00.001-05:00

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Guess who came to visit?

2011-09-10T12:00:00.001-05:00

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Just another couple days

2011-08-30T20:13:00.001-05:00

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Best friends

2011-08-25T19:47:00.001-05:00

We had a great day - I love these two!

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Boys will be boys.

2011-08-24T21:43:00.001-05:00

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Tired.

2011-08-24T19:04:00.001-05:00

We are all tired tonight. I started my bootcamp again and the boys were worn out by mimi and papa at the zoo on hot day! To bed we go!

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The ball park

2011-08-21T19:47:00.001-05:00

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My favorite phone photos - from the past year!

2011-08-21T09:02:00.001-05:00

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Saving the world - one day at a time

2011-08-21T08:53:00.001-05:00

There are many moments I wish away the days of toddlerhood. But there are many days I wish they would stay this young, happy and fun forever.

Jack, Brady and our neighbor Jeremy

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2011-08-20T09:34:00.001-05:00

We are trying to potty train the bman before school but he isnt that into it - he prefers plants instead of restrooms!

New tool to help me blog

2011-08-20T09:28:00.001-05:00

Its been a crazy summer! Will update tons more now that I discovered how to on my phone!

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Guess who's back?

2011-04-01T19:14:00.003-05:00

I have been debating re-entering the blog world for some time, ironic I am doing so on April 1. As an avid blog reader I was a little dissapointed in myself that I gave up so quickly! The main reason for giving up was time - but now I feel relatively sane again and miss being able to print a blog book and share with my children the crazy but wonderful times we spent together. Life has truly been moving too fast. Jack will be 4 soon, Brady turned 2, I returned to work 3 days a week (for my own sanity) and Cleo is going down hill quickly (she will get her own post). We are truly a family on the go - but every night Mike and I make sure to slow down and spend quality time with each child. We alternate date nights with the boys and truly attempt to be the best parents that we know how to be. We have many oops moments - more so me than Mike - but we adore our boys and love the little men they are turning into. Daily I am reminded I am not the average mom - the mom keeping up with the others - the one losing sleep over school decisions - however I am the mom who just hopes we make it through the day laughing and liking each other. I live in a real world where crap happens - no matter what kind of person you are. I am not perfect - never will be - but I think I am doing ok and again, we made it another day.

Happy Monday!

2010-05-17T07:02:00.000-05:00

Will this child walk?

2010-05-14T20:42:00.004-05:00

This child can not walk at 15 months (unless you are holding his hands and refuses to stand) however he can climb, walking mind you, up this slide?! Good lord up above help me now!

Back in the swing of things....

2010-05-12T07:09:00.003-05:00

So where have I been since February? That is a very good question and all I can say is I have no idea!!!!

A few highlights since then:

Brady speaks - it's awesome!!! His favorites are Mama, dada, papa, Jack, ball (of course following in the steps of big brother), mo (more) and I think that is it!

We had a bad bout of RSV this winter - followed by asthma this spring. Jack was in the hospital and we have concluded they both have allergy induced asthma. We are the proud owners of an inhaler and breathing machine.

Jack is dominant! He is amazing at every sport and his hand eye coordination is out of this world. Not to brag or anything!!! I have been searching every city around us to find a soccer or baseball team for 3 year olds but they don't exist... boo... so we will stick with swimming - which I lied and said he was 3 and potty trained so I didn't have to get in the pool anymore :)

JACK IS POTTY TRAINED!!!! I mean finally!!!! I guess his only 2 1/2 but I was ready! He one day decided he understood and we haven't looked back. We introduced the potty about a year ago and we are coming up on the age of 3 when they are no longer allowed to attend school or functions without being potty trained so we were super glad this wasn't a battle.

Jack is signed up for gymnastic camp this summer - fun! Reading lessons Mimi purchased at a silent auction and more swimming. I will put Brady in swimming - boo back in the pool for me - next session.

Brady has to see another Physical Medicine specialist bc my little 15 month old doesn't want to walk on his own. I am actually not concerned but others are... I think he is just on his own agenda!

Brady loves Jack - Love him! He lights up when he sees him and Jack is a wonderful big brother to him. We have our occasional moments where Jack steals the toy etc. but all in all he is always saying, "come on little buddy - let's go"!

Jack is infatuated with our next door neighbor and babysitter Laura! Oh this is another word Brady said before mama, "waurwa"!!!

Cleo was attacked - how could I forget! The lab a couple doors down apparently doesn't like small dogs, came in our yard, Cleo got mad, and half an ear later Cleo is gimpy.... Poor girl...

Well that is about it! I am off to NC for a wedding next week and oh yes - I went back to work!!!! YEAH ME! Ok - most moms would not be excited about this but I work 3 days a week (Mon-Wed) and love it!!!!! My mom, Dave and Carol and a babysitter watch the boys and they are having a great time too. I am a better mom bc I feel as though I am an adult again and 4 days to love on my boys is ideal!!!!!

I mean are you kidding me at how slow I am to post recently?

2010-02-11T12:36:00.002-05:00

Here is yet 1 more excuse as to why there are no pics of little mans big day.... We have had RSV and man it has taken a toll on my ability to accomplish anything! Luckily Jack is easily entertained by my arts and crafts projects (and you know they are endless in my house!) or a big bath of bubbles bc Brady has required a lot of attention. The poor little guy has been so bad he was put on breathing treatments and has been to the doctor 8 times, blood and urine sampled, many meds given and lots of unpleasant people listening to his chest with cold tools. Luckily we are on the mend! So instead of going upstairs to my desktop where my Flip and camera are and plugging them in to download everything I am laying on the couch with the Dell Mini watching crappy TV! Momma needs a break before I load both boys up to head to work for 1.5 hrs and our first trip out of the house this week! But does this mean we love Brady any less, absolutely not. I have contemplated ending the blog as I seem to have no time to do anything these days but realize it is the only way I am documenting the important things and silly things these boys do!

Sick 1 year old...

2010-02-02T14:39:00.002-05:00

So the pictures and video are coming, I promise! Little man has been sick with a crazy virus for several days and it is also killing mommy and daddy! He finally began sleeping but now he is old man winter and sleeping day and night. Hopefully that means his illness is going away!!!

Easy Recipe

2010-01-27T11:45:00.002-05:00

Many of you will think this is way off base for me to posting a recipe!!!! However, I am the biggest advocate ever of cooking what you have on hand and not difficult recipes! My sister-in-law made something called "Pizza Casserole" that Mike tasted and said he really liked. So, I looked up the recipe online bc it was early in the morning and didn't want to bother Jen, and found out we had almost all the ingredients already! I just prepared it and will bake it this evening.... it literally took me about 10 minutes to prepare which was awesome bc I could do it while the boys ate lunch!

Egg Noodles ( I used pinwheels bc I had them)
1 lb ground beef
1/2 onion chopped
2 garlic cloves minced
1 green pepper chopped
1 cup pepperoni
16 oz pizza sauce ( I used marinara bc I had it)
4 tblsp milk
1 cup shredded mozzarella

Oven 350
cook noodles
cook ground beef, garlic, onion and pepper
add noodles, pizza sauce, pepperoni, milk once meat is browned
pour into casserole dish cook 20 min, top with cheese, cook an additional 5-10 min

Sick and a Birthday!

2010-01-21T09:15:00.002-05:00

Well the stomach flu hit the Dodge house hard!!! It was very unpleasant but at least our almost 1 year old did not get it!!! Can you believe Brady's Birthday is next week? Big post to come following his party this weekend!

Putting Things in Perspective...

2010-01-10T07:10:00.002-05:00

Recently many of my friends are struggling with conceiving and even dealing with the unimaginable, a sick baby. I feel so blessed that I have two, healthy boys. I surely won the lottery on this seeing that Jackson was born at 36 weeks and Brady at 34. I have friends that all the fertility in the world unfortunately will not give them the blessing they want so badly and friends that finally got their baby after all the emotional ups and downs of fertility. Life is just that, a very fortunate blessing. Mike and I did fertility for almost 2 years to conceive Jackson and only because of him do we have Brady. I know the feelings of disappointment every time you take a pregnancy test. I know that glance of envy when you see a new mother walk past with her newborn. I luckily don't know the pain of not getting a precious gift of a child and I can't even imagine the difficulty of worrying about your sick baby. I just feel very lucky today.

When I woke up this morning Jack came up into our room and asked, "Can I get in?", meaning can I climb in bed with you? Then he looked up at me and said, " I love you mommy". MELT.

I know I needed my friends more than anything else in the world when we were going through our difficult times. I am hoping I am being the best friend I can to those who are struggling bc I can't imagine their pain. I love you dear friends, all of you. I pride myself in being a good friend so I hope I am not disappointing. Unfortunately on a side friend note, I have been MIA to my girls in CBus recently. Ladies - I love and miss you and lets get together ASAP, I am so sorry for being out of town and out of touch this past month!

2010-01-09T13:30:00.001-05:00

2009-12-27T07:08:00.005-05:00

Funny Things and Random Info!

2009-12-20T19:01:00.002-05:00

So, the other day I was at work (I took a part time gig at a children's boutique I shop at bc I love the discount and it is a couple hours away each week!) Brady and Jack are also welcome to come with me to work, which is amazing!!! The other day I brought them only for an hour before I would take them home to take a nap and papa could watch them. Well, all of a sudden I heard Brady crying from the lower level. I was helping someone so I excused myself and went downstairs to find Jack running away from him with a marker in his hand.... Jack had colored Brady!!!! He colored his hands, face, and head :) I had to laugh and under my giggle I heard myself saying, "Jackson we do not color our brother!"

Brady is "moosing" around as we say! He is crawling better and pulling up to his knees. He says mama and dada but I don't think he knows that it means Mike and I?! He is eating like a champ and loves the sippy cup finally. We are on half formula/half whole milk so that transition in the next month will be super easy. The only thing we are going to struggle with is the pacifier... Jack had given his up by about 5 or 6 months but Brady loves his!!!

Jack and Brady both liked Santa, no tears! Jack is asking for a tennis raquet this year.... which he will be getting! Jack is quite funny and has really taken to watching over Brady. Brady is much more curious than Jack was so when he is about to go in the fireplace or pull the lights off the Christmas tree I hear, "No Brady! I don't think so!" lol!

2009-12-07T19:32:00.001-05:00

BRADY CRAWLED!!!!

2009-12-07T18:37:00.001-05:00

Thank the lord almighty we have movement!!!! Today was a day of many firsts in our house.... It was the first snowfall of the season, mommy ran 3 miles in under 30 minutes for the first time in a while, Brady ate his first Tator Tot and he finally CRAWLED!!!

A couple weeks ago Brady and I went to physical therapy at the hospital to see why our little man had no motion. Well, they dismissed us as quickly as we arrived and labeled us as "content". I think this was their nice way of saying lazy!!!! Bradys gestational age is only 8 months old, but from his birth date he is 10 months.... So, he is okay and I can't wait to see him motor around.

This is the point in time where I fall in love with my children all over again. I LOVE LOVE LOVE when they move and talk! Many will call me crazy but I love to hear their voices, see them explore and really become independent little men. I guess I look at my role as their mom to guide them into independent, loving men. So when they learn things, it makes me more proud than I can express.

We were never too worried about you Brady, I was more or less worried about how much you weighed vs. how much I can lift. (I found myself toting you and your brother into the gym in my arms which is 50+ lbs) Let the games begin!!!!

November

2009-11-27T15:28:00.002-05:00

The remote, everybody's favorite toy!

My most favorite picture ever! Brady looks like he is saying, "Go ahead hit me, see what will happen"!

Handsome.

Beck and Brady, Brady likes to go with one sock recently!

Best picture of the 4 of them....UGH!

Snuggle time.

Jack loves Uncle Jay!

Strike a pose.

I let Jack pick out what he wanted to wear, he went with your standard Buckeye fleece and firemans hat! No pants of course.

I have one curious little boy on my hands.

So cute!

All of Jack's old clothes fit B-Man!

He looks so chunky in pictures but really look how long he is.

Too cute!

I think he needs a hair cut already!

Really, I have to go to the grocery again?

2009-11-18T08:38:00.002-05:00

Now let me first start by saying I do enjoy being at home with my kids but there are many days that I feel like I am in the movie Groundhogs Day! I wouldn't trade these precious moments, the ones where I am peed on, yelled at, used as a Kleenex or occasionally told I look like a princess to be working. There are only 4 precious years before they are in school and someone else is raising them, so I am lucky to be home with them. But wow, this past week has been SUPER LONG. Potty training is resulting in pull ups full time bc Jack is stubborn, Brady has a cold and so that hinders his breathing and sleep and Cleo has allergies.... So if the kids sleep, the dog wakes us up. I mean, can 2 little boys really clean out $150 worth of groceries in 3-4 days? Can they each really poop 4 times a day? Can I get a shower, or at least wash my hair more than a couple times a week? That is how I feel this morning, and I know it will pass within an hour or so but when your husband travels these feelings become more prominent. I told him when he left last night I was very jealous he got to sleep in a hotel room by himself, and I meant it!!!!

Although today when Brady was sleeping, Jack came upstairs while I was getting dressed (aka spraying hairspray on the head, perfume on the body and pulling on something other than work out clothes bc we have a PT appointment for Brady) and told me I looked like a princess and he thought I was pretty :) Awwwww....sweetest boy ever. And I know when I am at the hospital today, alone with Brady, he will grab my face and pull in for a wet hug/kiss and I will melt.

It's the rush of getting to our appointments, park, gymnastics, swimming, the gym for mommy, grocery, Target each week that seems ridiculous. We are constantly running out of things and running somewhere to get them, forgetting to stop and let it all go. So my kids go without fresh fruit for one day, we have canned fruit. So they don't have back up diapers just in case we go through the last 15 today, oh well. We need to start rushing more to get the park bc it is going to be very cold soon so we can swing and run around. We need to start relaxing at our activities and just enjoy one another. If they eat/sleep in the car who cares bc we made great memories and I need to remember that more often! Hence, I am going to attempt to travel with the boys by myself this winter to visit friends. Who cares if they scream an entire flight and I am pitting out by take off, if when we get there it is awesome and they are happy it is all worth it!

Okay, enough venting, I need to get stuff together so we don't to rush out the door. Have a good day everyone!

Gotta luv some naked babies!

2009-11-17T08:18:00.001-05:00

2009-11-15T07:09:00.012-05:00

I am sorry, he isn't even 2 1/2 yet, where did my baby go?

These pictures are in reverse order and I am too lazy to change them, sorry! We went to the fire department with our playgroup last week and then out to lunch. The best thing about daddy working for a bank is that we get him home on holidays like Veteran's Day. (Thank you to the men and women of our armed forces) Sometimes, this still happens, two little ones fall asleep in the car on the way home. I will say we are so lucky bc I can scoop them up and put them into bed without them waking :)

Finally, a picture of mommy. We are the vest crew!

The reflectors on the firs truck would not let my camera get a very good picture!

The most important part of the field trip was when the fireman got all suited up so the kids knew what he would look and sound like in case there was a fire. I guess many kids are frightened and run away from the firemen, so we spent a lot of time talking about running towards them.

Jack was in love!!!!

This is what we all look like at the end of a long day!!!! Mike had an eye infection so his eye isn't normally red. I think you can see in this picture that Jack actually looks likem e and Brady like Mike. We still aren't sure where those amazing blue eyes Jack has came from, oh that's right, Papa! We all hop in our bed and hang out sometimes, love them to pieces!

"Because Dr. Williams said so..."

2009-11-09T21:12:00.002-05:00

Who is Dr. Williams you ask, our lovely pediatrician. Since Jack had his seizure we have been using a lot of this saying. It is weird, who knew a 2 year old would respect the words of his wise pediatrician so much? Tonight bedtime went a little bit like this....

Me: Jack, do you remember being sick?
J: Yes
M: It wasn't fun was it?
J: No it wasn't
M: Do you know how we get sick?..... If we don't get enough sleep we get sick... Mommy, daddy, baby and kids all get sick if they don't sleep. Understand?
J: Yes mommy...
M: Goodnight, I love you.
J: Goodnight mommy, I wuv you.

Oh, he is such a peanut! And so easily convinced that if Dr. Williams says you can only have one pack of fruit snacks in a day, or you must sleep when mommy says he buys it. I love the mind of a 2 year old some days! On a side note, since the seizure Jack does not want to be alone. And, who can blame him. So anywhere between midnight and 2 am he walks up in our room and waits outside the door until I say it is ok to come in. Then he asks to sleep with us. Now I know we should fight this but my exhausted self can't at 2 am, it isn't in me. So, we have a sleeping bag at the foot of our bed (mind you we have wood floors and a not so cushy area rug in front of the bed) and he slides in there with a pillow and falls immediately asleep!!! Bad habit but I am too tired recently to work on this.... Bad mommy.

Brady Michael

2009-11-08T18:48:00.005-05:00

I just love this picture... Look at that body!!! I love his little feet in the air too. I wish that darn wipes box was not behind him but oh well!

This is his biggest grin he gives, love it!

He gives me this annoyed look sometimes, heck I can't blame him.

We call him "moose" bc he got so big so quick and I found these pj's that were Jack's!

So stinkin' happy all the time!

POTTY TRAINED!!!!

2009-11-08T18:31:00.006-05:00

Look at that face, I could just eat him up! Too cute if you ask me.

Always a little shy!

Some would say 2 years and 3 months is too young to potty train a boy, I never have been one to listen to what others say! We have had the potty around for quite a while and Jack has been picking and choosing when he goes. But more and more of his lady friends are trained and when he sees other children going to the potty, of course he wants to! Well, Austin, who is almost 4 came over yesterday to play and was using the potty. Jack finally started asking to again bc Austin was, so of course I jumped at the opportunity. So today, we went ALL day with undies on and not one accident! (Well until this evening he mystery peed somewhere in the basement, but he can't remember where?! ) We went to the park (pulled the potty out of the trunk and went in the parking lot) and out to lunch (pulled over at a random Donatos on our way home to again use the potty) with zero accidents. He did so well I gave him his bowling set he has been requesting as his big reward at the end of the day!

These are some of his snazzy Diego undies. Now if you know me you know I don't buy cartoon anything. But when it came to using the toilet, I let him pick!

Just the 3 of us! No, Brady is not nursing in this picture, he just loves to snuggle like this, and yes, I do have a hair appointment scheduled!

Were you worried we dissappeared?

2009-11-05T22:03:00.003-05:00

It has been a very hectic couple months. Where do I begin....

Brady - He is officially 9 months old and in the 75th percentile for weight, height and head circumference. Our wonderful pediatrician, Dr. Williams said, "Wow he is very social!" He is so happy and such a pleasure to be around, however, he does not want to move. I can count on 1 hand how many times he has "attempted" to pick his little butt up on all fours! He just sits and rocks.... Maybe he will just walk!? Oh we officially have 2 teeth and again, Da Da was his first word too! Why me?! We are actually starting physical therapy this month to see if that will help Brady's upper body strength to get him motivated to move (only side effect thus far of his prematurity). He just got over Roseola which brings me to.... Jack!

Jack - Jack had a rough month. He may have had Roseola or just have had the flu, which then led to a Febrile Seizure. Worst, scariest, hardest thing to witness in my entire life. The long of the short of it is he seized, stopped breathing, I gave CPR until squad got there, we went in the ambulance to the hospital, we waited in line with all the sickies, we finally saw doctors and Jack was diagnosed with a Febrile Seizure. UGH!!! We are now more prone to them, it could never happen again, or it might. He is okay, and told me he would have preferred to have ridden in a fire truck so we know he is all good! Oh and BTW - we have the best neighbors ever! In the midst of the commotion, Barb and her daughter Laura came over to watch Brady so we could exit with Jack as quickly as possible. When we moved in we knew our neighbors were nice but we didn't know how great. The next day everyone within a couple houses of us stopped by to see how Jack was and to let us know their schedules if we are ever in need of help again. Who said your neighbors don't care, bc I know that is NOT true in our neighborhood.

All in all it has been a long fall. We have been to a ton of events and kept super busy. There were many weddings, good times and lots of hugs and kisses from two, very sweet, little boys! We are truly blessed to have wonderful children, a great home, and each other. We are looking forward to a great winter full of travels. Jack loves school, started swimming again and is still doing gymnastics!!!

Busy Time of Year!

2009-10-19T06:40:00.002-05:00

Wow, this past week flew by!!!! Mike started a new position last week at a new bank, mommy was sick, Jack had a pumpkin decorating party mommy hosted, we had to go to fall party and watch the marathoner's - our friend Margee!!!! It was a super busy week and all the while I fought off a cold. I am still coughing but have my energy back and took care of my usual business -watched the 2 munchkins, worked at Fireflies and Fairytales and had a ton of monogramming work to catch up on. Jack caught my runny nose and cough, but no fevers in this house, thank goodness! Brady never caught anything and Mike took Zicam right when he started to catch it so I think he is ok. I will post pictures asap :)

Lauren and Andy's Wedding

2009-10-04T18:38:00.007-05:00

Kelley and I enjoying a cocktail on the patio! It was great weather that evening for a wedding in October in Ohio!

How wonderful is it when one of your husbands best friend and his wife become your best friends too? Well, actually, Andy and I were friends in college and hung out quite a bit. When we moved back to Ohio we started hanging out with Andy and Lauren and she quickly became one of my best friends. They had the most amazing wedding this past Friday and we felt so lucky to be a part of the entire event. When I showed Jack these pictures the next morning he said, "Oh mommy, you were at a party with Brutus!" He was so envious it was too cute!

Mike was so happy a couple of his best friends were in town from San Francisco and DC to hang out with all day! And actually night, I don't really remember hanging out with my own husband :)

Wasn't she GORGEOUS!!!! Lauren put the best ensemble together and looked amazing! The wedding was only 50 people earlier in the day and the reception was that night. (Note the outfit change!)

The wonderful couple!

Lauren and her father, so cute!

It's fall.... Goofing off and the OSU farm!

2009-10-04T08:00:00.009-05:00

Jack is very anti-camera recently, go figure! So, if I am tickling him and goofing around he will sometimes let me take his picture... This is the best I got the other day. It did help that Agent Oso on Playhouse Disney was interested in a camera the other day so now Jack is a little more interested.

His first big boy outfit! Thank you Stephanie, Mark and Max for this darling shirt!

Playgroup ventured to the OSU Farms the other day for a meeting with the mini horses and cows! It was a huge hit for the kiddos and completely free! This is a great perk of living in a city with a large university.

Jack and his best gal Emerson.

Here they are being goofy!

Finley and Jack talking to the horses. Jack said, "Hi cows, moooooo..." and Finley replied, "No Jack, you only say mooooo to cows." Love that sassy little stinker!!

Me and the boys! Brady apparently has a huge head and we are waiting for his new winter hat to arrive!

Somebody does not want to crawl at all, can you tell?

My sporty guys in their Adidas gear, too cute!

Brady Talking

2009-09-23T07:46:00.001-05:00

Jackson Singing

2009-09-21T18:41:00.001-05:00

Pretend Play

2009-09-16T11:51:00.002-05:00

This is Brady's crib but has become a source of "pretend play" for Mr. Jack! (Notice the hideous netting.... Brady is much more high maintenance than Jack was. If Brady gets an arm or leg caught he wakes up. We would find Jack hanging in the most miserable position but he never cared! Hence the netting.) Jack's new thing is to take this black puppy, a Webkinz?!, don't even know where we got this or if someone gave to us, and act like that is his baby. Now, I am not against giving him a doll, he actually has a couple but this puppy is his choice right now. He came running upstairs and told me that puppy needed a nap. Next thing I knew he was running into Brady's room, luckily Brady was awake with me, and put him into the crib and said, "Goodnight puppy." He shut the door and came out for a few minutes. Then he told me he had to go and check on him, so he went in and said, "Oh mommy, puppy is awake!" This is all sounding very familiar, I may utter the same words a couple times a day when putting Brady down. It was too cute!!!! Then he wanted in the crib so I put both of them in there to play for a few minutes :)

Brady Cracks Me Up!

2009-09-14T19:48:00.005-05:00

This is my all time favorite picture so far!!!! Brady loves, loves, loves Moose A. Moose on Nogen! This is what he does when he sees him!

There was also a face off with Elmo this morning... Brady won, sorry Elmo.

PS - Why is blogger making my pictures grainy?

2009-09-14T19:48:00.002-05:00

Is this happening to anyone else?

First Day of School!

2009-09-14T19:29:00.013-05:00

Wow! Doesn't Jack look like he is about 5 years old in this picture? Nope he is only 2 and we headed to Mommy and Me preschool today at a lovely church near our house.

Gigi came over to stay with Brady, who was napping, while Jack and I headed off to his first day of school!

It was a little shaky at first, he was a little unsure what "School" meant. And, this is the best picture I got of the 2 of us!!!!

Mrs. Fisher is his teacher and he fell in love from the moment she opened the door! I didn't get a great picture of the classroom but was very impressed with this school and their amenities. You would think a church preschool would be a little more low key but this was just like my kindergarten classroom at my private school I attended!

We hammered, a lot! And yes, we are still drooling.... booo.... Oh, like his haircut? I did it myself!

We fished....

We played with golf balls...

We cut out shapes....

We colored... a lot!

We hammered again some more! All in all it was a huge success and as we were leaving I heard, "More school mommy!" In my life, I probably never hear those sweet words again from this boy!

Teething, Talking and Toddlers...

2009-09-13T18:48:00.002-05:00

So I am way behind....again!

Brady - He is doing amazing! He really perked up during his 6th month of life and began babbling. "dadadadadadadadadadada......" He is sitting up really well, we still put the boppy behind him just to be safe but he is doing great. He is eating, 3 meals a day and two snacks, yikes! He weighs about 20 lbs and is so smiley. His teeth start coming in more and we have been medicating around the clock to keep this guy pain free. He is also back on reflux meds once a day and that has totally helped an uncomfortable sleeper to be an 11 hour man again. He loves to be outside and loves to be around people. At the playground he is a big fan of the swing and let's all of Jack's friends push him. He really doesn't eat toys like Jack did but he loves, loves, loves Jack. He laughs exactly like him and can't get enough of him or Sesame Street or Moose A Moose from Nogen. He laughs so hard and pounds his legs, we are working on clapping but the leg pound is all we are getting so far!

Jackson- What a funny little man he is!!! We start preschool tomorrow, whoopee! It is only 1 day a week and I have to go with him but he is super excited. We already wore our new school shoes so I cleaned them up a little tonight, got his book bag out and we are all set. We worked on saying, "Hello Mrs. Fisher (his teachers name), my name is Jackson". I am working really hard to teach Jack that is how we greet people. It is hysterical bc on top of this we are working on looking at people when we speak to them so he will go up to kids at the playground, bend down (bc he is always taller) and get right in their face and say, "Hi my name is Jack, what's your name?" It is so funny but it is better than him yelling at kids with funny noises to get their attention!!!!

******Disclaimer about the Jersey Below*******
I did not purchase this nor would I! My husband came home with this and Jack had it on when I walked in the door, or else it would have gone back :)

Go Bucks!

2009-09-13T18:43:00.003-05:00

Okay, so there are more pictures of Brady than Jack bc Jackson did not want his picture taken, he is two, what can I say! Brady is HUGE! He is wearing Jack's Buckeye gear from last year when Jack was over 1!!!! This 7 month old is going to be a big one!

Pictures.... Finally!

2009-09-01T19:27:00.012-05:00

Crazy Boys!

2009-08-29T07:51:00.002-05:00

Well, I will post the pictures in a little bit, as soon as I go find my camera!!! Life around here has been very happy and fun in the new house. Our day usually starts with our morning wake up call by Brady, who is so happy to be awake at 5:45 am :( Then he gets changed, a bottle and eventually breakfast. Somewhere after 7 Jack wakes up and Brady usually goes in with us to get him out of bed. Jack laughs so hard when Brady comes in squealing, thank goodness he finds this funny bc some people wouldn't! Jack gets up and has some breakfast and then we are usually out the door to the park, playgroup, the gym or to visit a friend. We come home for lunch and naps and then the afternoon grind until daddy gets home. We love to walk around our new neighborhood and really enjoy being so close the schools and parks bc there is always something exciting going on. Then we eat dinner, bath and bed for Brady and Jack.

Brady is sitting up now and loves to sit with a bunch of toys in front of him to play with. We are removing the infant car seat this weekend, thank god! Brady went to the doctor this week bc he decided to get up a couple nights and scream and we put him back on his reflux meds. His best nap is his morning one and the afternoon can be one long one or two short, never predictable. Jack is really turning into a little man. The other day I was singing him his ABC's on our walk home from the park and he said, 'That was a nice song, thank you mommy!" I died laughing but said, "You are welcome Jack." He loves to play outside and told me the other day he is going to be a football player, too cute.

Well, off to enjoy a family Saturday. Since we didn't win the 330 Mega Millions jackpot we need to enjoy our 2 days a week with daddy home!

Jack's First Visit to the Horseshoe!

2009-08-24T19:16:00.002-05:00

I just got this picture via Mike's iphone and couldn't resist posting. Mark the date, Jackson's fist time in the amazing stadium where THE OHIO STATE BUCKEYES play, The Horseshoe! They are watching the team practice tonight with our neighbors and friends Brendon and Will King!

We've moved and we are all alive!

2009-08-18T20:13:00.005-05:00

A cape cod... I thought I would never buy one but now I love it! That isn't our garage to the left, ours is in back to the right. We will eventually change the front door color and shutters but it is okay for now! It is larger than it looks and we are so happy to have our first home!

Me and the boys!

So, first off let me start by saying that I will never move again, and I truly mean that. We had 4 weeks from the day we accepted the offer on our house to find, buy and move into a new home! Luckily we had our eye on the house we are in now and it was vacant! We made money on our condo, not as much as we would have liked, but given the current market we feel lucky to say that. On a Wednesday we closed and got the keys around noon and the work began. We had about 8 vendors in Wednesday and Thursday bc Friday Mike and I moved everything we owned but the furniture... Yes, we are insane. We were trying to save money and decided to sacrifice our bodies, hence why we aren't moving again. Saturday morning the movers arrived and we were all in place by Saturday night. Garbage day was the following Wednesday so I had all but 4 boxes unpacked and we are really about to hang pictures now! The boys have an amazing playroom in the basement, which is where we spend a lot of our time bc all of their toys are down there. Jack has a pool, goal and hoop in his backyard so he is beyond happy!

I will say that I had a little bit of sadness come over me as I did my last walk through of the condo. It was the first home both Mike and I bought, we got our first pet there, we brought both boys home from the hospital to that home and we had many fond memories with family and friends. This new home will bring us much joy and we can't wait to grow into it.

Brady is 6 months old!

2009-08-14T12:23:00.011-05:00

Here are the boys eating breakfast (or Jack is at least) the first morning we woke up at our new house! We got the old space saver high chair out for Mr. Brady but somebody else wanted to take it for a test drive :)
Back to B Man being 6 months old! He loves the bear chair, same as Jack, and loves to prop his feet up on the bears. When he is crabby, Jack will walk over and bounce him and starts giggling uncontrollably!

Boy do we love the bath now! We especially love to be naked :)

The exersaucer is a hit, although it sometimes doesn't mix well with little mans reflux!

We went from hating eating one day, to eating 3 meals a day the next!

Mommy had to find lots of ways to entertain Brady during the moving process and taking pictures in the mirror was one!

Brady can wear 18 month clothes already and will surely be the same size as Jack before we know it!

So cute!

I think Brady looks a lot like me until I see pictures like this and this is Mike's face all the way when he was little.

Moving...

2009-07-25T12:41:00.002-05:00

So I have been completely MIA from blogging recently and I apolgize! I am not someone who likes to think their life is more difficult than others, bc my life is pretty great. However, moving with 2 young kids is a nightmare! We have a new house, pictures to come, and will be living there shortly! Right now we are busy packing and planning. We were super fortunate to have sold our current home within 3 months and made money on it in this troubling housing market. I guess all the time spent watching HGTV paid off! We got a great deal on a new house in a wonderful neighborhood and are so happy our neighbors, whom we love, are moving 1 street away from us!!!!! So, I anticipate zero blogging over the next couple weeks but will post a million pictures when I am back :)

UPDATE on the Boys!!! We had our 2 year and 6 month appointments this past week! Jack is in the 90th percentile for heighth and 75th for weight. Brady is 50 and 50 and is doing really well so far. Over the next month we hope to see some improvement in his ability to sit and stand but if not we will work with a PT to get him up to speed. So far, that is the only sign he was a preemie :)

Happy Birthday!

2009-07-18T11:46:00.016-05:00

Here is the loot! Jack got a set of 12 playground balls!!! We only blew up 2 bc we have to move in 3 weeks but aren't they amazing? They are from www.orientaltrading.com and my friend got them for her little boy so I totally copied her, thanks Ann! Jack also got a new Mickey, books, raincoat and a balloon, which I later discovered he would have been happy with just the balloon!

He also got so many toys from his Gigi, Doc, Mimi, Papa, cousins and friends I can't believe it! We really are giving ourselves more to move but it made Jackson feel so special that so many people thought of him on his special day.

He carried the balloon everywhere we went yesterday...

Ummmm... was I the last to find out that Paul Frank is designing for Target?! We have so many Paul Frank shirts I got him when I was in Chicago last and so happy we have a second boy to get use out of them bc they were not cheap! However, the line at Target is super affordable and just as cute!

Brady was happy to join in on the partying yesterday! After the inspection on our new house we went to McDonalds for a fabulous Birthday lunch. I remember having a Birthday party there when I was little and I think Jack Dodge will be having one as well. After a nap we then headed to the pool for a little party.

Not kidding when I said he took the balloon everywhere. PS- He loves party hats too!

It poured about 45 minutes before the party and cleared right up to be a cool, sunny evening. Emerson was one of the only brave kids to go under yesterday!

Jimmy is Jack's best "guy" friend and we were happy he made the party. We are going to be so sad to be moving away from them but crossing our fingers a house a street away from our new house works out for them!

Here is the clan enjoying the pizza!

Nothing like an ice cream cake from DQ!

Look at these two silly cousins enjoying some cake, aren't they cute?

Brady needed to be wrapped up in a towel bc it got too cool but he was still partying strong!

Finally, a picture with mommy!

Still has the balloon.... look how packed our car was to get home... the Jeep is just not big enough...

Still rocking a party hat this morning! Don't mind the complete mess in the background!

Love this picture...

2009-07-11T11:36:00.000-05:00

Doesn't he look like he is up to no good?

5 Months - 18 Months apart!

2009-07-11T11:28:00.002-05:00

Wow, these boys are going to look way different!!!! Also I have learned a huge lesson, don't compare your kids!!!! Both my boys are preemies... Jackson was born at 36 weeks and Brady at 34 so developmentally they both get extra time. Jack didn't need any extra time and in fact has an amazing vocabulary for a 2 year old. Brady, we have noticed, physically is a little slower, which is OKAY!!! He is just taking his time to do things and we are letting him do things at his own pace. This morning I found him horizontal in his crib, laying on his back. Now, he sleeps on his tummy and when I walked in to see him laughing at me face up I was pretty shocked! He is so funny, he doesn't even cry in the morning when he wakes up, he just chills!

Is it really July?

2009-07-07T19:32:00.010-05:00

Here is our little Moose!

Daddy and Jack sharing a moment...

Too bad his outfit is so scrunched up, he was pretty darn cute!

Once again, this kid is too cool for school and didn't want a picture with mommy :(

My boys, so handsome!

We are rocking the buzz cut this summer, what do you think?

Mommy went away to Vegas to celebrate Lauren's upcoming wedding!

This kid is too funny, and loves to sleep by the way, thank goodness!

Where has the time gone? Let's go back a little... Not sure if I mentioned, Brady has been trying cereal and tonight I gave him some apples, not too thrilled! I think developmentally he is still a little behind, as many preemies are. He is however doing the head scoot as I call it! This little guy, oh wait I am sorry, "Moose" as we have been lovingly referring to him, can move across the room using his head and legs!!! It is so funny, but strange that he won't completely roll over anymore bc he can scoot to get places :)

Jack is full of life and personality. I must admit, and gloat, that he is so polite and kind. He always says please and really likes to say, "Thanks mom!" I am a little sad that he sometimes calls me mom instead of mommy already but oh well. Potty training is going, we need to just take one day and stick to it but it has been hard with house showings and all the other random things that have been going on. Oh, step back, our house has been on the market for about 50 days and the showings are constant, no complaints, just no offers.....FRUSTRATING!

To blog or not to blog, that is the question...

2009-06-30T20:55:00.002-05:00

Oh wow, life is flying by me faster than I could ever imagine. Is it really July tomorrow? Well let's catch up....

Jack is still potty training. He now tells us when he has to go #1 on the potty which is really refreshing. I really was hoping for rain one day this week so we could spend the entire day working on it, but no luck thus far. Tomorrow we are wearing training pants all day!!!! Jackson's Birthday is only 17 days away, wow he will be 2. I love watching his vocabulary and play grow daily. He speaks amazingly well for a 2 year old boy and has either an imaginary friend named Pook, or a made up language. I don't even know where or how to explain this but it is hilarious to watch!

Brady is awesome, loves to be tickled and laugh. He is getting huge and likes to stare at the trees outside, too cute.

Mommy went away to Vegas this past weekend!!!! IT WAS AMAZING! I will post some pictures soon but have to give daddy a big pat on the back for taking care of both boys all weekend. I LOVE YOU MIKE!!!

Brady Swims!

2009-06-18T19:05:00.007-05:00

I think that we may have had Jack in the pool sooner than Brady but Brady stepped it up and got right in the water like a fish (with the help of mommy)! There are no pictures of daddy bc he was behind the camera this time!

Today is a good day!

2009-06-17T13:14:00.002-05:00

I was just sitting here, enjoying my peace and quiet and thought I could brag for a moment that I have both kids asleep in their cribs, and they have been there for 2 hours! The first hour of my quiet time I spent resting. I have some sort of insomnia recently and have not been sleeping at all, so I needed to just lay down for a bit. The second hour I spent picking up, laundry, organizing and debating what to do when the boys wake up! I realized the other day when Brady was asleep on the couch that is was not "alone" time, that I really need at least an hour each day with the boys in their rooms and some time to myself. I think all moms will relate, that even though the baby is asleep in the room, you can't really rest unless you know they are tucked-in, safe in their cribs.

Jack is now awake and he and I are cuddling on the couch. We went to the library and park this morning so I think we will go to the gym and grocery this afternoon. Have a wonderful day blog world!

Big Update!

2009-06-15T18:23:00.005-05:00

Look at this cute monkey, isn't he so funny! Drooling, drooling and more drooling. I thought no baby could drool as much as Jack did, well, I was wrong! Brady has a ton of teeth just sitting at the edge of his gums but seems to be quite the trooper through it all. He is so funny, and loves to laugh when others are laughing. He just rolled over and I can't wait for him to sit up! I just made a Dr.'s appointment for Brady's 6 month and Jack's 2 year shots for the same day in July, I am officially feeling like a mother of 2!

Things aren't all rosy over here.... Little man still gets up once a night. Brady goes to bed at 7 and usually wakes up between 2 and 3 and back asleep till 6 or 7. We are crying it out next week, wish me luck.

I had to post this picture... Although fuzzy, Mike's parents have a picture of Mike that is identical to this, even a little out of focus too possibly!

Jack's new trick is to say, "I sleep in mommy and daddy's bed!" We let him snuggle with us for a while but he never falls asleep. And he always says, "Go to my bed mommy." Too cute!!!

Getting a picture of this kid smiling is near impossible but who can resist this face?

We are still attempting the potty training. Unfortunately without much success recently. We need a rainy day so we are stranded and we will have a full on potty party! Until then, we still attempt every morning.

Guess who decided to roll over today? YEAH BRADY!

2009-06-15T18:09:00.005-05:00

Look at the anger in his eyes that he can't get his arm out from under his 15+ lb body!

This was a conversation at nap time today....

2009-06-08T11:28:00.002-05:00

I put Jack in his bed and came downstairs to check on Brady and about 5 minutes later I heard crying....

Mommy: Jack what is wrong?

Jack: Where did Mickey go?

Mommy: Jack you don't have a Mickey...

Jack: What about Pluto?

Mommy: Do you mean your friends in the picture? (we have a framed piece of Mickey Mouse and his friends film hanging in his room)

Jack: Yes...

Mommy: They are all still in their picture on the wall.

Jack: Ok, good night Mommy...

??????????????????????

Pee Pee on the Potty!

2009-06-08T07:03:00.001-05:00

Jack has gone pee pee on the potty so far this morning!!!! YEAH!!!!

Brady is teething like crazy...

2009-06-07T18:34:00.002-05:00

My poor little man is totally teething and being a trooper! He started on rice cereal for dinner this week, not really getting it but hopefully will soon. He is so happy all the time and truly an easy baby. He laughs now and it cracks me up bc he sounds just like Jack!

It was a HUGE day in our house!!!!

2009-06-07T18:29:00.003-05:00

Today, Jack Dodge went on the potty for the first time!!!! We have had a lot of saying he has to go potty, running to the bathroom and never making it... Or, he shuts the door to the bathroom and goes in his diaper. Today, he said he had to go poo. I ran and got the potty, sat him on it and gave him a book. I told him to take his time and to let us know when he went. He stood up and said, "I did it daddy!" Mike walked over and to his surprise saw that Jack had done his business!!!!! We cheered so loud and made him feel so proud he even attempted to tinkle on the potty!!!! We are going to continue this every day and hopefully we will get a potty trained little boy by his 2nd Birthday!

Oh and PS - he got a bike helmet today and wanted to wear it :)

Boys Will Be Boys!

2009-06-03T15:32:00.008-05:00

Jack took a little spill at Mimi and Papa's, oh boy!

Dodge Family Dinner!

2009-06-03T15:18:00.009-05:00

Look how beautiful Ms. Finley is!

Finley and Jack hugging it out, Jack usually loses this battle!

Brady, Mike and Beckett

Brady and Papa

Me and my little bundle of love!

Brady is so happy!

Daddy and his boys :)

Baseball Jack, he is going to be amazing I know it :)

Here is my little athlete.

Live Writer Issues....

2009-05-31T07:08:00.002-05:00

So the newest thing out there is Live Writer that everyone is using and I would love to use too! I am getting an error message every time I try to upload my post from LiveWriter to Blogger. Can anyone assist? I went to the help pages, emailed for help but still can't figure out what is going on. I have tons of pictures to load like this one below but am impatient!

Pictures and Updates!

2009-05-31T06:52:00.008-05:00

Yesterday we had the most fabulous weather so we decided to pack up and head to the zoo! We are very, VERY fortunate in Columbus to have one of the best zoo's in the country. Every year we buy a pass bc Jack and I visit the zoo at least 2-3 times a month. Also, when you purchase a zoo membership you get discounts at other zoo's around the country. Jack met a large turtle on our way out. He was a little apprehensive to touch him but mommy sure wasn't!

We also lucked out in our arrival time to only have to wait about 15 minutes to see the newest addition to our zoo, Beco, an Asian elephant! Some people have been waiting hours, so we really did get lucky!

So cute!

You will notice a theme here, Brady is always with me and Jack with daddy. Now that Brady is not nursing that is going to change!

Jack was very good waiting in line.

Brady and I snuggle and chat a lot! He definitely is going to look like mommy!

Okay, so you can't really see the teeth in this picture bc they just punctured the gum but I tried! You have to look down and I couldn't get a picture that way, oh well!

The drool on the outfit is evidence enough of teeth!

4 Month Appointment for Brady

2009-05-31T02:00:00.003-05:00

Well... he is a healthy, thriving boy! Brady weighed in at 15 lbs 1 oz and was in the 60th percentile for height and weight. He was in the 50th percentile for head size and once again did not like his shots! He is really starting to come alive recently by laughing and holding his head a lot better. We are also amazed at his ability to take the worlds longest afternoon nap! Oh and most important, Dr. Williams confirmed the 2 bottom teeth and that he has about 6 top teeth that look like they could drop! She did say the top teeth could sit there for a while but she was laughing how early our little preemie is teething. He is technically considered 2.5 months old based on his due date!

Not all is rosy over here at the Dodge house. Now I will say my boys are pretty darn amazing but we have one small issue. Jack thinks it is hysterical to laugh and scream at the baby when he is crying, which then causes Brady to cry louder (Imagine this on our car ride to SC, hence we bribed with M&Ms). The pediatrician recommended time out - which we do but does not stop the behavior - or put him in his room - this does work. It is hard to do but we have to. Otherwise the time out and apology method I learned from Super Nanny seems to be working with the occasional outburst!

Teeth?!

2009-05-28T12:05:00.002-05:00

This week has been a big one for Brady! First, we started weening him from nursing as I am going out of town in June and want him to be okay well before I leave. He has done great taking bottles so far, a few grunts and groans of complaint here and there but he is getting the picture. Next week we will be crying out the 4 am feeding, it is rough in my house isn't it. Well, Mr. Crabby today was getting a bottle and wasn't very happy, something made me glance in his mouth (ps today is his 4 month birthday) and low and behold he has his 2 bottom teeth!!! What?! I couldn't believe it. Then I started snooping around, after a dose of motrin, and noticed his top 2 are going to drop soon. Wow, time is flying and he is growing too fast!!!! Congratulations Brady Dodge on your two first teeth!!!!! WE LOVE YOU!

Picture to follow when he wakes up!

Charleston, South Carolina

2009-05-25T20:27:00.012-05:00

Well, we survived! We had an amazing time visiting Merilee and Ryan and want to thank them for welcoming the entire Dodge clan into their beautiful home!

Jack Dodge still loves the beach!

Brady seemed to enjoy it as well!

I love my water babies!

Jack was out on the streets downtown and loving the people talking to him and dancing with him. I should have given him a tip cup!

I miss Merilee so much but was so happy to get some time with her!

Wow, family pictures are tough to get these days!

On the drive home we stopped at my alma mater, Ohio University! We took a little tour to stretch our legs and had some pizza. Maybe the boys will decide to go to school there, but if not we will continue to stop down and visit! Oh and this is the worst background but we were rushing to get in the car before it poured! OU is very pretty and this does it no justice!

12 hours with 2 boys and tons of rain was actually ok! We all survived :)

Mike or I sat between the two the entire trip which was actually okay.... considering a mini van at this point! JUST KIDDING, kind of....

Brady is a trooper and was amazing!

Jack did AWESOME, we are so lucky to have such a good boy and to have had plenty of DVD's from the library!

Wish us luck...

2009-05-20T11:35:00.002-05:00

We are off on a family vacation, and all I can think of is Chevy Chase and his family in that station wagon... Rusty and his sister fighting in the back and poor grandma.... Luckily, it is just the boys, Mike and I heading down South to see some of my best friends!!!! WISH US LUCK! I have the DVD player all set, movies from the library, books, snacks, drinks etc. Hopefully we avoid any traffic that could make things longer and worse and everyone gets there alive :)

Jealous mommy...

2009-05-16T16:29:00.002-05:00

Mike took Jack to the circus this afternoon and I have to admit, I am sad I missed it! I actually chose not to go thinking Brady and I could have some quality time (errr... I mean shopping). Now I am a little jealous I didn't get to see the excitement on his face :( Oh well, I will know better next time.

Just Another Day in the Life at the Dodge's!

2009-05-12T19:20:00.006-05:00

Don't mind Mike's finger in the top left corner! Here is my little guy after a family walk!

I can't stop laughing when I look at this picture! Jack likes to chill after he wakes up from a nap, and this time he wanted his shades to chill in. He looks a lot like my brother in this picture!

"Show us your muscles Jack"! Okay, let's chat about the pj's.... Not my choice and nor has Jack seen this movie, Cars I think?! Mike's good friend works for a retail company that produces the Disney pajamas and sent us about 10 pairs of pj's for Jack!!!! It was so nice of him and Jack loves them bc most of them are Mickey Mouse.... You all know I wouldn't go buy these but I pick my battles and Mike's friends generosity is appreciated greatly!

Constantly rubbing his head, oh Brady, what are you thinking?

Can you tell he doesn't miss a meal?! PS - He is still sleeping through the night since Mother's Day!

Mother's Day

2009-05-11T06:02:00.002-05:00

I had a wonderful Mother's Day! We got together Saturday evening with some dear friends and the hubbies planned the meal and played with the kiddos. It was really fun and Jack was quite the charmer walking around saying, "Happy Mother's Day Ms. Becca"! Saturday night I also received and amazing present, Brady slept from 8 to 5:30 am, no crying it out for him :) ( he will be 4 months on 5/28)

Sunday, I woke up and we headed off to breakfast, yummm... Then, I actually spent the next 2 hours getting ready for a showing (believe it or not, being alone to clean was quite enjoyable) and Mike took the boys to his parents for the day. I then headed out shopping by myself, which felt so weird. I usually have at least one of the boys with me, so I just strolled along and really enjoyed it. When I was finished I headed to meet up with my men and we had a lovely dinner at my Mother in Laws that Mike grilled and Carol prepared.

I woke up this morning to feed Brady at 5:00 (another successful night, he went to bed at 7:30) and had one of those "mommy moments". There is this point right after he closes his eyes to go to sleep where this sense of peace rolls over his face, then he gives the biggest grin and then really is asleep. It just made my heart melt when I watched his face grin that a little food is all it takes to make him that happy. I always forget that all the "stuff" we have is so not necessary, it is just the love and time we spend with each other that will be remembered when they are older. Jack is such a little boy already I squeeze him daily knowing he will not give me hugs in public or need his mommy soon enough! I feel so blessed to have such happy, healthy little men that are still asleep right now at 7:00 am, this is unheard of in our house seeing that bed time is 7:00 pm!

Pictures

2009-05-04T10:55:00.013-05:00

The boys attempting to play together!

Who knew one chocolate covered pretzel could do this?

Here is my charmer!

We had an amazing visit from Aunt Amy!

Aunt Amy made silly faces with Jack! She also got to play a lot of baseball, basketball and soccer with him. She read him books and I think just enjoyed listening to him chatter non stop!

Snuggle time! Aunt Amy and Brady nap very well together :)

The boys! Brady (infant), Jack (toddler), Tyler (baby)!!!

The only thing we can tell so far that may be a side effect of Brady's prematurity is lack of neck strength and movement. We are doing a lot of different things to work on it but will inquire at our 4 month visit if it is not significantly better. PS -He hated the Bumbo!

Just waking up from his nap, yes he has reflux so he sleeps on his tummy!

Love this picture! Does anyone else dress their kids the same without even knowing it?

The infamous Bear Chair makes every baby smile!

Oh Jackson!

2009-05-04T10:52:00.001-05:00

So two quick stories and the next post will be all pictures!

1. Today Jack sang Twinkle Twinkle Little Star to Brady as I was putting him down for a nap, too cute!!!

2. Jack ate out of the trash can the other day, yes he did.... I was feeding Brady and he was very quiet, the first sign that something was going on. I walked into the kitchen and found him licking a paper plate that had old cake on it that I had thrown away. By the looks of his hands he had already eating the cake and really liked it so the plate was the obvious next thing to eat!? I just started laughing and then explained we don't eat out of garbage cans!

Where have the days gone?

2009-04-28T14:11:00.003-05:00

Oh my...We have been so busy with Birthday parties, (playgroup girls and guys, Doc and Mimi) and just a lot of random things! The house is back on the market and my little business has been going strong so blogging has taken a backseat (Moving up in priority as I don't even own a baby book for Brady yet).

What is new..... Brady is smiling and cooing, so fun! Jack is a chatter box who knows to say please when he really wants something! He is singing a lot, his ABC's, I should say his abbreviated version. He also sings Twinkle Twinkle Little Star and likes to count. His new favorite saying is, "Hi mommy, how are you?" I guess I must say this a lot?! He loves Baby and baby likes to watch Jack run around (we all started calling Brady baby bc of Jack). So far Jack has shared his goldfish with Brady, puts his pacifier in his mouth when it falls out and is OVERLY protective when anyone goes near him. Jack is going to be a great big brother. Brady likes to sleep finally, thank goodness! Jack also likes to say, "Daddy get me a basketball hoop someday". We have told him that when our house sells and we buy a new one daddy will get him one, someday!!! Now he says it every time he sees a hoop and ps- about every third house in America has a hoop!

We are off to Charleston to visit Merilee and Ryan in May, Mike is going to Chicago in June and I am going to Vegas! We are also having a good reunion with my college girls in June at our house. Pcitures to follow soon!

2009-04-19T19:29:00.004-05:00

Easter Pictures Finally!

2009-04-19T19:20:00.007-05:00

Bad Blogger... Bad Blogger

2009-04-16T19:26:00.002-05:00

Okay, so I apologize for the lack of updating recently! Easter weekend was awesome and will post pictures ASAP! I have been a little under the weather with allergies, as have the boys. I am on Zyrtec (or should I say Waltec - all about the generics) since it is okay to take while nursing.... Which brings me to another mood altering experience that I am going to have to bring to and end and I praise all women who do this for a year. I also praise the women that know when to say when and those who make the decision that is right for their family and choose formula. I LOVE ALL MOMMIES AND MY PHILOSOPHY IS HAPPY MOMMY = HAPPY BABY!

Jack has been "punk" as our friend Jaymee says but is feeling better and back to his charming self. Just as I was thinking we had a great day I look up to see him shaking my full Diet Coke all over the newly cleaned carpet and wood coffee table. I jumped up from feeding Brady and put Jack in time out immediately. He laughed a little when doing it but when I got up he knew he had gone too far. As I was going in the kitchen to get the paper towels I realized there was something painful and sharp in my heel. I turn my foot over to realize Cleo must have brought a small piece of glass in from who knows where and I have stepped on it!!! (At least it was me is all I kept thinking and that it was really ironic I had a tetanus shot today) All of this took place 5 minutes before daddy got home so can you imagine what he walked into? Me, hobbling around with a paper towel wrapped around my foot wearing a flip flop on that foot only. Jack is in his chair bawling bc I told him he had to go in time out, Brady is crying in his chair bc he was not done eating and there was Diet Coke everywhere!!!!! Wow..... What a day! So needless to say, no pictures this post. Mike took tomorrow AM off so I could have a break, I think he thought I was losing my mind, which I think as well!

They Make My Heart Melt Daily!

2009-04-07T19:46:00.004-05:00

Easter/Passover .... Another Confusing Month!!!

2009-04-07T19:31:00.008-05:00

Someone loves suckers! We found this out shortly after returning from the Easter egg hunt at Thompson Park. It was a fun morning, very cold, but quick and successful!

This year was much more fun watching Jack gather eggs/candy!

Jack and daddy on the hunt for some candy... Thanks Aunt Katie for the best Easter basket ever!

This guys should have stayed inside, it was way too cold!

"Mom can you stop taking my picture already!"

Molly and Avery Asmo were there as well :) We also ran into Finley, Lucy and William but mommy didn't capture them on film as her hands were frozen!

Only in Ohio are you bundled up for an Easter activity.... Where is our warm weather?

2 Month Photo Shoot for B Man

2009-04-07T19:23:00.007-05:00

I was feeling terribly guilty that we had no framed pictures of Brady, (The B Man) in our house. One random day we went to Portrait Innovations! Here are the shots I chose and I thought they came out pretty cute! We are going to have Karla Banks of Banks Photography shoot the family in May so she will work her amazing magic and we will have the best pictures then! www.bankspix.com

Where did my baby go?

2009-04-03T21:28:00.008-05:00

Playgroup went to the park this week. Lauren's mom Jen thought of a great way to enjoy summer playgroups by doing a tour of the parks in Upper Arlington! This week was at our old standby, Northam, and I had to bring my camera. I can't believe how big all the kids are and really my own little boy! He is no longer a baby and really turning into a big boy more and more each day!

Just Another Morning at Home!

2009-04-03T21:26:00.002-05:00

I thought this was too cute not to post! Jack gets to watch Mickey every morning and this morning I placed Brady next to him for a picture :)

Cleveland or Bust!

2009-04-01T18:55:00.002-05:00

We had the pleasure of meeting baby Lucy Jais yesterday!! She was born this past weekend and is absolutely darling!

Here is the new family!

Julia Malatesta, Brady and Lucy Jais!!!! Are you seeing a theme here, my boys are surrounded by women friends!

Looks like Brady was going in for a snuggle with Julia!

It doesn't look like anyone wanted to be in this picture, especially aunt Schwab! Thanks Jess for making the trip with Brady and I! Brady slept on the way there and back and was an awesome travel companion :)

Mr. Serious is 2 Months Old!

2009-03-30T18:36:00.004-05:00

Well this little chunker has seriously been making up some ground in the weight department! He is officially 11 lbs 1 oz!!!! (Jack was 10 lbs 8 oz at 3 months) He is in the 50th percentile for head circumference and weight and 75th percentile for height. In the picture above with Jack, Jack instructed me to let him hold baby and then kept telling me "Picture!" until I took their picture, what a ham!

Finley's Birthday Party

2009-03-30T13:32:00.007-05:00

Jack: "Want a sticker Brady? You really have no choice now do you? This is how we role to parties..."

I can't tell you why Jack likes to put stickers on his head, he just does! And now Brady is victim to this too! And really, I don't consciously try to match them but it keeps seeming to happen!

The Birthday Girl!!!! Finley hosted an awesome party at Wendy's Gymnastics!

Warm up time. Can you see Mimi wrangling Jack in the background?

Jack still has the stickers in his hair!

The balance beam with daddy.

Jumping around with his best pal Emer!

Molly

2009-03-20T12:57:00.004-05:00

Something about little girls... they are so sweet with baby's and naturally have an interest. We were so happy to have Molly over Thursday afternoon to join us in some fun! She is so sweet :)

What a crew!

Whoa... I don't think Uncle Andy will approve of this!

Me and the boys!

2009-03-20T12:47:00.009-05:00

Me and my baby boy!

Jack always is making sure Brady or aka "baby" is okay! He says, "Oh no baby" when he hears him crying, too cute!

Waiting for that first smile... Unfortunately our wait is a little long since he was 6 weeks early, we have to wait an extra 6 weeks :(

Just a little nibble on his arm, tasty!

Chunky monkey :)

Look at this kid, too big to be in a picture with mommy!

Semi-smile!

Playdough

2009-03-20T12:42:00.005-05:00

Brady and Brotherly Love

2009-03-16T11:48:00.006-05:00

Jack is so sweet to Brady, we couldn't be luckier!

I asked Jack to hold Brady's head and this is what he did!!! LOL!!!

Jack always peeks in on Brady when he is in his chair to make sure he is ok!

So chunky now!!!! We are still struggling with some tummy issues but other than that Brady is a very happy baby!

Oh Jackson!

2009-03-16T11:38:00.008-05:00

Isn't he so stinkin' cute?

Here is Jack taking all the groceries I just carried into the kitchen back out to play with!

He took his favorites out of the bags and brought to the coffee table... Mac N Cheese, pretzels and granola bars... Although those are mommy's Fiber One bars, I don't think he could tell the difference... And yes, I serve my child Easy Mac, please don't judge me!

He and Cleo scoping out the goods...

Here he is contemplating whether it was a good idea to play with the groceries... look at those long legs!

We have an interest in the potty at this point but no success, we will keep trying though!

Aunt Katie... WE LOVE YOU!

2009-03-16T11:33:00.003-05:00

Aunt Katie came to visit last week and we love her for it! She brought Jack a sports themed basket and he was so happy he almost started shaking. (He of course slept with a couple of the eggs at nap time.)

She works crazy hours so when she has a week day off she makes the 45 minute drive up to our house and hangs out with us for the day!!! She is a true saint bc who in their right mind, on their day off, wants to chase around a wild man and his little brother?! THANK YOU Katie, we love you so much and are so lucky to have you as an aunt and best friend. We hope that you have a baby soon that will be best buds with Jack and Brady just like we have been all these years.

Thanks Daddy!

2009-03-14T20:41:00.002-05:00

Last night Mike and I went out bowling with some of our friends and came home later than we are used to being awake these days! So when I woke up this morning I was super tired and asked Mike to take care of the baby and Jack for an hour so I could catch some more shut eye. (I am nursing Brady so I am the one getting up all night long ans thought this wasn't a horrible request of my hardworking husband!) When I woke up I realized it was abnormally quiet in our house. I just thought the boys were playing down in the basement. When I got downstairs I realized that Mike had taken the boys out for breakfast and I had time alone, at home by myself!!!!! Thank you Mike, that was the break I needed. I love you!

Birthdays Galore!

2009-03-14T20:35:00.003-05:00

Action Jackson in the foam pit at Emerson's Birthday party.... (last picture before my camera died)

We celebrated Emerson's second Birthday this past week, she is 2! She is one of Jack's bff's and now that he is turning into a loud boy he is scaring Emer a little, sorry girlfriend!

We also celebrated Finley's second Birthday, wow time flies. Our god daughter and niece is so darn cute and we love watching her grow. Of course I didn't have my camera that night, I was a complete scatter brain on Thursday and missed out on pictures. This is Ms. Finley at playgroup last week, look at those cute curls!

What a Helpful Big Brother

2009-03-10T09:58:00.002-05:00

This morning Jack and Brady were in our room and Brady was chillin' in his swing while Jack was busy brushing his teeth. He decided that maybe Brady needed his brushed too and I watched him walk over, open the cross bar on the swing and go in for a little cleaning. He didn't really touch him with the toothbrush but more or less held in front of his mouth. Then Jack put his arms out like he was going to pick him up! Mind you I was 2 feet from them but Jack's back was to me. Mike walked in and asked Jack what he was doing and he said, "Hold baby daddy"! It was too cute but also very frightening to know Jack has a real interest in Brady now and we will have to watch a little closer!

Another Brilliant Idea Gone Wrong!

2009-03-08T19:40:00.007-05:00

Jackson was not really interested in having his picture taken. He finally did cooperate but didn't really feel like smiling this evening.

Brady had no choice, he can't move!

This is the best picture I got!

This is more or less what was going on!

So I thought it would be really cute to have a photo shoot with my two men... Well... It didn't go as planned... We will try again next week when these pj's come out of the washer again!

My New Best Friend Carter...

2009-03-08T19:05:00.005-05:00

Word up Carter.... your older sister is cool and all but it really stinks you have to hang on her girly blankets! (Just kidding Lindsay!)

Whoa, whoa, whoa mom... He is the same size as me and I am 5 weeks older!

It's cool, we can snuggle....

Brady had his first and best friend arrive last Tuesday, Carter William!!!! We are so glad he is finally here. Look at these two cuties!

The day after....

2009-02-28T16:46:00.006-05:00

This is what you do when you only slept a couple hours the night before... Baby on chest = quality nap time!

Trying to act not tired!

Jack's best friend Jimmy came over this afternoon and Jack decided to help him try to walk!

Baby Brady, can you believe how awake this little one is?

I think I have a second blue-eyed boy!

This was Jack last night ready to go to Mimi and Papa's for a sleepover! Can you believe he is only 1 1/2? He looks like he is ready for school!