The rest of Spring Break

How Nolan "snacks." Lord, help me.

I'd like to say that the rest of our Spring Break was all rainbows and sunshine...but it wasn't. The weather was cold and miserable. We were all still WAY over-tired and it was quite an adjustment.

We had a temper tantrum in Kroger...because she wanted chocolate milk. I insisted she probably wanted Kids Hot Chocolate. Nope. Chocolate Milk. I bought her the chocolate milk and then she was MAD because she actually DID want the Kids Hot Chocolate. I was supposed to be able to tell the future AND read her mind. Luckily she threw a fit in the alcohol aisle - so I picked up a bottle of wine as a reward for myself later in the evening. It was only 10am.

 On Friday we took a chilly stroll through the zoo. Our zoo is open ALL YEAR - which is awesome! A lot of the animals were super active. Always fun.

We ended our Spring Break with a quick visit to the lake. Nolan thinks he's so funny with his over-sized shoes & jacket. The lake is a nice, quick get-away for us! So excited to spend time there this summer!

Oh, Winter...

Winter in Michigan is just crazy this year. It's freezing one day, then 46 the next (and NO Florida people, that's NOT freezing). We play outside when it's above 45...because we're mentally strong and we like fresh air.

But when it's SUPER cold (like, you FL people would think you were in Antarctica) we have to do the indoor thing...and then things just get crazy.

Nolan plays with my pots & pans, under my feet, while I'm trying to cook dinner. Try that sometime.

Also - Jack does some live performances for us:

Oh, and, sometimes we get lucky enough to enjoy a private rap concert...but then Nolan thinks he's the star:

And Josie is just side-eying everyone:

Winter in Michigan. Only 3 months left. 

Proof:

Remember that time I told you Nolan was a terror after 5pm? I wasn't lying:

This is toddler for: WHERE'S MY DINNER? {mic drop}

Dinner is Nolan approved

By 5pm (and even AFTER a snack or two) Nolan is a terror. Actually, he just terrorizes the entire kitchen - but LORD HAVE MERCY - he makes me crazy. He is into everything, yelling at me (I swear!), and looking to empty every cabinet he can. I'm just over here counting down the minutes until Tyson walks in the door.

Last night - Nolan was up to his usual antics...but then, it was SPAGHETTI night. And he had a serious attitude change:

He was one happy ONE year old. Mom's Spaghetti: for the win!

Don't mind me...

"Nothing to see here. Keep making my dinner - while I just make a huge mess...right here in the kitchen, under your feet." -Nolan

The Next Taylor

The other day, while I was nursing Nolan, Josie decided to put on a little concert for me to enjoy. I had a few favorite parts...the way she holds the guitar, the dance moves, the lyrics.

When people see us together they always say, "WOW! She's a miniature version of you!" Well, I think we can safely say that along with the blue eyes, she also inherited my singing ability.

{If you are in a public place or a cubicle...watch at your own risk}

Dear World, you're welcome.

Happy birthday today to my Grandma Peg (Grandma Gigi). We love you and are sending HUGE hugs from Michigan! XOXO

The Becker Three

Children left unattended with markers WILL write all over themselves. I was *trying* to get Nolan to nap and these two decorated themselves. Okay. Fine. I get it. Drawing on paper gets old, your sister's face is WAY more excited. Hint taken.

Meanwhile - this kid is still happy as can be... Here is his modeling pic when it was Michigan's birthday and The Printed Poppy needed to celebrate. I pay in milk and cuddles.

What's up...

...with the Becker Three.

Jack has been REALLY into building things with Legos. He was recently introduced to the regular size Legos and Tyson & I have enjoyed watching his creativity come alive. Here he is showing a "Robot Monster."

Josephine is still enjoying her Mommy & Me class. Last year I worried that she would be sad to be away from me...and now I know that's entirely FALSE. She would be JUST fine without me.

Nolan spends his days cuddling with his mom, napping in his carseat (because we are always on the go), and he's also earning his keep as a MODEL for the Printed Poppy.

Last Friday night we had family pictures taken. If ever there were a person who didn't believe that the TERRIBLE 3's are worse than the TERRIBLE 2's...just come hang out with Josie when she's tired. She's hands-down the most stubborn child I know. She wasn't interested in taking pictures. So heads up - our Christmas card might be a little on the "BAH HUMBUG" side.

And finally, Nolan recently received an elephant towel from two friends he will come to know & love - Mark and Karen Dixon (lake buddies). Bath time is his favorite time of the day, so this towel is a big hit. Tyson didn't believe me when I told him how excited Nolan gets for bath time. He can anticipate it. Then I had Tyson give him a bath and he saw it for himself. Pure joy.

Wardrobe Wars

Yesterday Josie and I had an all-out War over Wardrobe. It was a defining moment for me, as a mom and a daughter.

Here is what happened: I picked out Josie's outfit...striped shirt & red tutu. At the sight of the red tutu, Josie said "NO" and requested the pink tutu. But knowing we were getting in the car...and the pink tutu doesn't fit in the carseat, I said NO and redirected her to the red. Thus began the all out tantrum. I stood there completely dumbfounded.

I've been dressing/picking out clothes for Jack for four and a half years and we have NEVER, NOT ONE TIME - had a fight about clothes.

Finally, compromised and settled on the purple tutu. But - like a typical girl - she was still mad at me. There was still crying and she even ran to her room...slamming the door behind her. WHHHHHAAAT?!?! My mind flashed forward 12 years and I wanted to assume the fetal position in the corner. I'm dreading it. 

Now I understand why my parents spent so much money on my clothes in middle school & high school. My mom took me shopping...actually, quite a bit. But because she was present and paying - she basically controlled my wardrobe. While it may have been expensive, they avoided watching me walk out the door in daisy dukes and a crop top!

I tucked that piece of information away after yesterday's Wardrobe War.

Luckily, I had support at dinner...in the form of Mikkel (working in DET from Iowa). He confirmed that Molly is also very particular about what she wears. Joe also confirmed that Amelia voices her opinions...even on PJs. I feel better about the whole thing.

Dear President of our HOA,

Dear President of the Homeowner's Association,

Let me start by saying we love our neighborhood. We look forward to raising our children here. Thank you for welcoming us back to Michigan.

Secondly, I apologize for my daughter's current obsession with various stages of nudity. She's a messy eater. She is also very accepting of her body {a trait we encourage}.  Despite what may have been seen on any given day over the past week in our backyard...we promise that we are NOT nudists. We hear the summer will be "hot" and we can't guarantee we can convince her to wear clothes. However, we will try to limit her nudity to the backyard.

Sincerely,

the Becker family

From the iPhone

We've had rain ALL week. Grrr. I'm just done. My kids need fresh air. I need my kids outside. Everyone is happier outside. The other day - despite the fresh rain - I sent them out to play. Come in wet & covered in mud...I really don't care, just GO PLAY! {is that mean?} They had fun. But then I saw them taking me seriously & rolling in mud...so I called them inside.

I stripped them both down and told them to run upstairs and put on dry clothes. I knew Jack could do this...but wasn't sure about Josie. She came down looking like this:

She was SO proud of herself. Special thanks to Aunt Kim for the tie-dye "Peace" shirt, Aunt Becky for the frilly skirt, and Grandma Nancy for the shoes. Josie paraded around the house, twirling her skirt, and flipping her hair. And I honestly had to question how we were related. Just ask Shirlee - I was never a "frilly skirt" girl...much to my mother's dismay.

I did convince Josie to let me paint her toenails for the first time ever! She agreed but under one condition - only BLUE or as she said, "Boo." If you see her toesies, make sure you compliment her "pedicure."

Tyson was traveling a bit this week...and, again, with all the rain we've had I just needed to get the kids out to play. So Wednesday night I loaded them in the car and set off to Jungle Java. They played - HARD! And ate a SUPER healthy dinner {sarcasm}...then played some more. I lured them out of there at 7:30....and by 8:15 my house was silent. I'll be doing that again.

This picture was taken at 11:00 at night. You'd never know because Josie looks WIDE AWAKE. She was having some belly issues and needed a Miralax cocktail...and some books. She was back in bed by 11:45.

We have friends coming to visit this weekend! Should be LOTS of fun! Happy Friday!

Failures on Friday

Last Friday was one of "those days" - a day that, by noon, I was ready to hang it up, wave my white flag, beg for a margarita/beer/shot of something. It just wasn't working.

First, Jack scared the heck out of me with a tongue laceration. He was jumping on the couch and managed to bite through his tongue. If you've ever seen a tongue injury - you know, they bleed. A LOT. My initial panic was off set by an abnormal sense of reason - that told me to call someone. Tyson was first. No answer. Dr. Kassey (bff from college) was second and she picked up. Her advice was priceless. She spoke, not only as a dentist, but also as a mom - which is pretty much exactly what I needed. Her best bit of info: "I bet he's jumping on the couch again in 45 minutes." And - YES - he absolutely was...

Happy to report the tongue incident was behind us by nap time. Jack was feeling fine. After nap time - things took another turn downhill. I was preparing for Nancy to come visit...but every time I entered a room, a child was making a mess.

Seriously. What is it about a big box of very small toys that says "DUMP ME ON THE FLOOR!" ??

Then I discovered Josie's artistic talents on the wall... The teacher in me did note the straight lines, though.

And then, as I was scrubbing the wall - she "decorated" her face with mascara. Again. Needless to say, by 6pm - I was about to meltdown. It was Grandma Nancy to the rescue. She took over kid duties and sent Tyson & me to a Craft Beer Party...which was actually another form of torture - for a pregnant lady who really just needed a beer.

No Pants, Park Play

On Tuesday Josie and I picked Jack up from school with a surprise - a picnic lunch and a plan to go to a new park. Tyson was home from work and not feeling so great, so I thought we'd give him an extra hour of quiet before we invaded the house.

In true Hoosier fashion, Jack was attracted to the race car and took Jos on a ride.

Here we are enjoying our lunch. What this picture doesn't show: Josie playing in the dirt in between bites of her food, Jack losing it because a dragon fly is flying around us, Josie dismantling her sandwich to pretend like she's eating, Josie stealing grapes from her brother's plate while he's watching for the dragon fly...

Lesson: Lunch outside the house is exhausting.

Here is the dismantled sandwich.I swear it looked appetizing before Josie got her hands on it.

And it's technically NOT an adventure unless someone leaves without an article of clothing. In Josie's case, it was her pants... I'll spare you the details. You've heard it before: same story, different day.

Rain, Rain

We had some rain in the forecast last week...and I refuse to complain about it because - AT LEAST IT WASN'T SNOW! So we filled our days with more "indoor" activities - like play dough!

Rainy mornings make it hard for Josie to get out of bed...Nope, wait...That's just EVERY morning. I swear to you, she is a teenager trapped in a two year old's body.  I have to wake her up to get Jack to school on time and I'm always met with flailing arms and shouts of "NO NO MOMMY!" Gosh, I can't wait until she's in high school.

Last Wednesday we observed Epilepsy Awareness Day by wearing purple for our friends Greta (Carrie's daughter) and Finn (my Alpha Phi sister's son). If you want to know more about Epilepsy and Seizure Awareness you can click HERE or to learn about Dravet Syndrome click HERE.

Have a great week!

Wrap-up of the Week

Cruel & Unusual Punishment: Preschool closing for a week (still not sure why) in the middle of winter when we are JUST getting back on schedule. Needless to say, it's been a LONG week. I know summer will be here soon - but at least I can sit outside while my kids play.

 I snapped this pic of Josie. She was pretending to talk to one of her "Papa's" on the phone. I caught her hiding behind the curtains & blinds in Jack's room. Jabbering away.

Jack had a AWESOME swim lesson! He is starting to swim by himself! Hoping we can get him in the pool a few more times before Florida.

Tuesday I was washing sheets. This is usually a chore I do while he's in school - but since he didn't have school this week... He wasn't happy about me "stealing" his sheets. He protested with Occupy Laundry Room - his first official sit-in. I see BIG things for this kid as a politician.

At one point - I walked away and went to clean up Josie's room. When I came back Jack & his sheets were missing. But never fear - I found them both. Jack was trying desperately to put them back on his bed. It didn't go well. Eventually I convinced him to HELP me wash the sheets...and when he went to bed that night he was loving how clean they were. I guess he doesn't realize when they're clean every other time...?!?!?

Never Will I Ever...

Judge a woman walking through Target with a pant-less toddler when it is well below zero outside.  Why? Because I was THAT woman last week. Oh yes, Josie was pant-less as we strolled through the aisles of Target. I got some looks. I knew what people thought and I didn't really care. Here is why: Poop happens. Unfortunately for Jos, it happened in a real bad way as we were enjoying some beverages at the store's Starbucks.

I scanned my purse. Phew! I had BOTH wipes and a diaper (which may not seem like a big deal, but I have been caught without them on more than one occasion - which was an epic mom fail). We went to the bathroom and that's where all hell broke loose. Poop was everywhere and by everywhere - I mean, it got on the sleeve of my coat and shirt...all over Josie and the changing table. Awesome. We made the decision to abandon the pants - because we ARE in Target and we can buy a new pair. It took me about 20 minutes to get everything cleaned up. I apologized to anyone who happened to come into the bathroom while this was going on. They were all older ladies who claimed to "remember those days." I also reported our debacle to Guest Services...because reinforcements were needed. And then we went shopping. (And pretended nothing happened)

As we left, my sleeve still smelled like poop. But Josie got new pants and we headed home to do laundry.

So next time you see a lady with a pant-less child in public - don't be so quick to judge. Perhaps she just spent 20 minutes of her life cleaning up infant/toddler poop...  Also - don't get too close. Poop happens.

So Much Christmas

We're back. And I'll be honest - we've had SO much Christmas it's hard to know where to start. Which is exactly how I'm feeling as I try to put gifts away.  Where do I start? 

For blogging purposes - I'm starting with Christmas Eve & Christmas Day. We enjoyed time with Nancy & Denny. They joined us for potato soup, Christmas PJs, and a drive around Northville to look at lights. OnStar told us Santa was in Spain, so we hurried home and got the kids to bed.

 The kids left some cookies & milk for Santa...and, of course, carrots for the reindeer.

Then Santa (& his helpers) got busy putting gifts under the tree. See why I'm having trouble putting things away. Holy geez, Santa.

Christmas morning I awoke to a trumpet sound. I ran from my bed and peered over the stairs to see Mr. Jack jumping on a trampoline Santa left. I hurried him back upstairs for the obligatory Christmas Morning on the Stairs picture (and he was saying, "but Santa came and I've been playing with my all my new toys, Mom.") Yes, well, you broke Christmas protocol...so get on the stairs for a picture.

 Jack found that the big man must have been in a hurry. He left the fireplace open.

It was a fun Christmas. We enjoyed a big meal and spent the day playing with all of the new toys.

Don't worry...there is plenty more "Christmas" to come...