A little fresh air!

Yesterday was the second day home sick from school for Ben. We were all getting a little stir-crazy to put it mildly. I hadn't stepped outside since last Friday when I picked Ben up from school, and I had to get some fresh air. Luckily, we were blessed with a warm February day for Kansas, 62 degrees! Yesterday was also the first day that I would say Sophie was finally 100%. She was back to her old trouble causing, funny self (i.e. she found lipstick under the bathroom sink!).

We took the opportunity to get outside and play on the swing set for the first time this year! Both kids had a ball, Sophie especially loved climbing up the ladder to the slide, and trying everything that big brother could do.

Having a first go on the big kid swings!

And finally, Sophie tried her hand on the trapeze bar. She would hang and hang, and then looked kind of panicked like she wanted to get down, but was afraid to let go. What you can't tell very well from the picture is that she was about 18 inches off the ground!

When we had had our fill on the swing set, we took a short walk up the street. By the time we came home, Benny and I were both more than ready to head inside. Poor Sophie wanted to stay out and play some more, but I really needed some rest. It's official, we have Spring Fever!

One Step Forward, Two Steps Back

After I blogged yesterday, Sophie woke from her nap in a much better mood! She had a few snacks and even a little dinner. We gave her some Gatorade, which in her words was "Mmmm Mmmmm". She still didn't seem 100%, but definitely on the mend. She even wanted to help Benny and I make giant chocolate chip cookies (Benny's favorite), but I didn't think she should be near our food just yet. We had lots of tears over the matter and finally we let her watch. Nick had to eventually finish up the cookies because Sophie was fading fast, and only wanted her Mommy.

However, Benny awoke several times in the night, calling for Nick. His eyes hurt and he wanted a cold washcloth. When Benny gets sick, it always seems to start in his eyes for some reason. He is rather dramatic about it, and always demands to have the lights dimmed and for his face to be covered with a damp washcloth. On the second call for help, Nick realized that Ben had a fever. This is not a good thing since Ben downright refuses to take Tylenol. It's been two years or longer since we have been successful in getting him to swallow some. We had prior luck with "Magic" Ice Cream or pudding in which we disguised the Tylenol inside. Benny is too smart for that trick now, and inspected everything we brought to him this morning as if we were Russian spys trying to poison him.

Nick made a deal with him that if his fever didn't go down some by the time Nick returned from Church, that Ben would have to take the Tylenol. Sure enough, when Nick came home Ben's fever had spiked to 104.7. That was taken in his ear, and I think was probably falsely high, but still, too high to ignore. I am happy to report that we were able to get him to swallow, three Tylenol Meltaways, followed by a giant chocolate chip cookie. Few, one battle down! He is now resting more comfortably in our bed, watching nothing other of course but Star Wars.

Oh, and Sophie seems to be about 90% or better today. She is almost back to her normal self! (Maybe I should have let her help me with the cookies last night!)

A Good Read

Sophie has been very much into reading books lately. We read a select few over and over, all day long. A particular favorite is A Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle. I think she loves this book because of all the pictures of food! She really enjoys picture books of animals, and books that have different textures to touch. She loves the books that we sing to her too, like Wheels on the Bus and There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed A Fly.

Nick took this photo of her just before her nap on Sunday. She wore that sweet yellow dress to church with tights and church shoes, but had to exchange her nice shoes for her ruby red slippers when we came home.

We are enjoying this photo so much right now, because it was the last image of Sophie looking healthy. We have been battling a horrible GI virus or possibly Rota virus this week. It has taken a really long time for her to recover. Just when we think she is going to snap out of it, she takes two steps backward. We have been reading lots and lots of books and snuggling in the recliner all week long. Slowly, she is starting to seem herself again. She needs to make a recovery soon, because we have a busy week of doctor's appointments next week. I turn 36 weeks soon, and Daddy should be having lasik surgery on Friday. ( I say should because the Army could still deny his surgery since Nick's vision is sooo bad. The Dr. has to give the final ok on Monday). We are crossing our fingers that the baby won't arrive too early because Nick will be unable to drive for a few days. Yikes!

A Sweet Treat for Valentine's Day

The excitement for Valentine's Day has been building in our house all week. As usual, Benny had two parties at preschool that we had to prepare for. When we sat down to sign his valentines for school to our surprise, shock actually, Benny insisted on writing all the names of his classmates himself! I figured that I would write his friends names on the valentines and he would sign them. It was great practice for his letter writing, and he did such a good job! We had a few challenges, such as some very long names (like Catherine) that had to fit on a tiny card. But Benny prevailed and finished all of the cards himself. He is making so much progress at school, and we are thrilled!

Sophie and I attended his party on Thursday. We even picked up pizza for his class. Apparently, preschoolers love pizza! I brought three medium cheese pizzas, and eight preschoolers ate every last piece! Some kids even polished off three pieces each! I would much rather have them eat pizza, than fill up on cupcakes and goodies anyhow (plus Ben won't eat most of the goodies). We had so much fun at the party. The kids all handed out their valentines, and then they had dance time and story time. Sophie was very much at home in the classroom. I think she would love to be in preschool! Benny was so happy that I stayed for his whole party. I am glad that he isn't embarrassed by me yet!

On Saturday Nick and I put out a few little goodies for the kids. I just love the holiday, not for romantic reasons, but I think it is a great way to celebrate the ones you love. Both sets of grandparents had sent some things also. The kids were so excited to see their packages in the morning!

Sophie was overly excited at opening her 'purse' with fun things inside. She was delighted by the Hello Kitty bandaids and had to put one on immediately. She has lots and lots of imaginary boo-boos lately. Grandma sent an outfit for her Bitty Baby, and Oma sent a cute new dress. Benny was so excited by his new Playmobile's and a new Star Wars action figure. Oma and Pa sent him a gift card to McDonald's with instructions to take his family out for a treat.

After a fun morning, we had to head out to Topeka to run lots of errands. The baby is due in five weeks, and Sophie was a full two weeks early, so we needed to get some things in order before she comes! We've decided to keep Sophie in her crib for now, and plan on moving her to a big bed this summer when we move. So, we needed to pick up a pack n play for baby #3. We've decided to let her sleep in our room for the time being (we'll see how that goes), so she won't disturb Sophie in the night. Hopefully it won't take long to get her into a good routine so she and big sister can sleep together in the same room. We also needed to pick up some new spring clothes for the kids, Easter clothes for the kids, and some baby items from Babies R Us. For those of you who have been to Kansas, you know that the shopping here is limited. We try to make a Topeka run every few months and stock up on what we need. Valentine's Day seemed like the perfect time to go. We could have a nice lunch out and get the things we needed. We had a very successful trip, including finding Birthday presents for Sophie (she'll be two in six weeks!), and we had a great lunch at Ruby Tuesday.

Before we headed home to Junction City, we asked Benny if he would like to stop for a treat. He decided that he would like to take us to McDonald's for hot fudge sundaes. He was so proud to use his gift card to buy us a treat. He took his wallet in, placed our order and even used the card himself in the machine. He was proud as punch to do everything himself. When we sat down, Nick and I thanked him over and over for taking us out for a treat. He responded that he had been wanting to take us out forever, but he didn't have any money. It was just so sweet! He thanked us for the nice day, and it was a great way to finish our trip to Topeka.

Here is Benny with his sundae, chocolate face and all.

Of course Sophie was very excited to dive into my Oreo McFlurry. She was happy to have an ice cream treat too! This particular McDonald's had a 50's theme, and the rock n roll music kept her grooving the whole time.

We are so thankful to have two sweet kids to spend Valentine's Day with!

A first trip to the dentist....

I finally got around to taking the kids to their first dentist's appointments. I know, I know, I should have taken Benny long ago, but I always found an excuse. Besides, he doesn't eat anything, so I knew his teeth had to be in good shape! His diet is actually quite tooth friendly, lots and lots of cheese and milk, and hardly any sweets. I figured that while I was taking Benny, I should get Sophie in too. She is almost two, and has all of her teeth including those two year m0lars!

I made the kids appointments forever ago, hoping that Nick would be able to accompany me over Christmas break. No luck, this office is very popular, and they didn't have any appointments until this week. I took the kids to Little Apple Pediatric Dentistry in Manhattan. Benny was super excited about going, because they sent him a welcome package back in December telling him all about the great things at the office. Both the waiting room and exam room had a train on the ceiling that the kids could push a button to make it run. There were also flat screen tv's above the exam tables playing Disney movies. It was great!

Benny had to go back for his cleaning, exam and x-rays by himself, per office policy. I actually thought this was a great idea. I knew that if I was present, he would be much more hesitant. If he was by himself, he had no choice but to be brave. We don't have any problem brushing teeth at home, but still, Benny is not really accepting of new things......especially new flavors in his mouth. Most of you know that he is very, very picky. Apparently, all really went well. When they came to get me, Benny was already done, and calmly watching a movie. His had been a bit nervous about the dentist's toothpaste, and despised the fluoride treatment. But, they had no problems at all cleaning, examining and x-raying his teeth. I was so proud that he let them do everything that they needed to do!

Benny got a clean bill of health-no cavities or problem spots. I am so thankful for that! We had quite a bit of drama once we left because he wouldn't stop complaining about the banana fluoride treatment. In fact, he refused a Happy Meal before school because he was afraid it would taste like bananas. I even offered a trip to Panera's for a chocolate chip cookie, but that was a no go too. All he wanted was a bottle of water. So, we swung into Target and picked up a few things, including a new Star Wars action figure and a bottle of water. Funnily enough, he was so thrilled with his new figure that he never even drank the water. Go figure, the banana couldn't have been that bad! On another funny note, he told me that he was terrified that he would swallow the x-ray films. Oh, the drama!

Sophie didn't have much done. The dentist sat her up on the table and took a look at all of her teeth, and her bite. Unfortunately, she is a thumb sucker, and all of her sucking has pushed her front teeth/jaw out a bit. We may need braces down the road. She was thrilled to pick out a new toothbrush, and a sticker. For the rest of the day she kept saying 'teeth' and smiling a huge smile. Every time she enters her bathroom at home now she wants to brush her teeth with her new pink toothbrush. I'm trying to limit her to three times a day. Good habits start young, right?

Happy Brushing everyone!