Snotty and Sweet

Our poor little baby has a double ear infection and croup! He sounds awful, and the only place he's comfortable is on my chest in the rocking chair. He's having a tough time, but has some good medicine and snuggly parents to help him get better.

We were home with the sick child yesterday and have returned to work today, albeit in a zombie-like sleep deprived state. We told Liam he could stay home from daycare yesterday too, but he asked if he could go instead! I thought it was really cute, so we dropped him off a little later than usual and he went about his normal day!

I forgot to record this little adorable moment for posterity from a few weeks ago:

I was rocking Max in his room before bedtime when Liam came into the room. He showed me some of his toys and told me a few things before heading back out into the hallway. I heard his little (actually big) feet pad down the hall and into the livingroom, but then he turned around and came back towards the bedroom. I saw his head peek around the corner and into Max's room.

"Do you need any-fing, Mom?" he asked.

What a sweetheart! I said I didn't, but that it was very sweet of him to ask. He just ducked his head and smiled shyly. I hope the concern he has for others really stays with him as he grows up. It's his most endearing quailty, I think!

Little Liam!

Look at how little this kid used to be!

Speedy Weekend Recap!

We said goodbye to Hobbes! :( He is living with Uncle Copter and Auntie Annie now!

Auntie Kimmy and grandma and grandpa (not pictured...) came to visit!

Liam likes dinosaurs!

Max looked cute!

Bleh

I apologize for the lapse in posting! We are all sick at our house, and one of us is teething. I'll let you take a wild guess as to who that might be! For some reason this week has been the longest on record for me, and it's still not technically over yet! I've got an entire afternoon to live through!

You know it's going to be a long week when you arrive home after work and school on Monday and can't stay awake to watch HGTV. I will let you come to your own conclusion as to whether this is an accurate description of me or of Aaron.

This promises to be a great weekend, if it ever arrives! My parents will arrive later this evening, and my sister Kimberly got in late last night (and woke up at 5am to play with Liam). Liam now turns on his light when he wakes up and comes out of his room. Aaron found him sitting on the bench at the kitchen table playing with a cat toy the other morning! At 5:30am. I'm not liking this new development, but it is actually entirely my fault.

I usually jump in the shower while both boys are still asleep and then go in and get them when I'm finished. I guess Liam woke up while I was in the shower the other morning and was calling for me. He usually says, "Mommy!" a few times and I come to get him. Well, I didn't hear him that morning (which really hasn't been a problem in the past) and he started to cry. I ran in to see what was wrong when I got out of the shower, and he finally told me that he thought I had left him! It was the saddest of sad moments. I hugged him and told him that if he ever gets worried about where his mom and dad are, he can just open his door and come and find us.

See? I told you it was my fault! But, would you have honestly said anything different when faced with an adorable almost 3 year old thinking you've abandoned him? I thought not!

Daddy & Max

Of course Max was laughing hysterically and being super cute up until the moment I got the camera out! Oh, well. He's still adorable.

*Side Note: look at those chubby little baby rolls!*

Maxwell

Max is four months already! Time has just flown by, and he's getting such a personality already! He's loving daycare and all of his new friends! His favorite things to do are sit in the swing and lie on the floor while Miss Jen tickles him. I can usually hear him laughing from all the way down the hallway when I come to pick him up! He's eating 6 oz. bottles every 3 hours or so during the day, but it takes forever to feed him! He's in a "kicky" phaze where he has to kick his legs full speed and wave his arms around whenever he's lying down. I have to hold his arms down just to get the bottle in his mouth. Of course he has to be looking around the room at anything and everything while I try to feed him, so it's more like me following his mouth with the bottle while he gets a good look at everything!


Liam is so good with his little brother. He'll try to calm him down in the car by reaching over and touching his hand or his leg and saying, "It's ok, Max. It's alright. We're almost home!" It's so cute. He loves that Max can hold things now, and likes to let him hold one of his toys occassionally. I had Max in the Bumbo chair on the floor in Liam's room while we played the other day, and Liam just kept handing him things and acting so excited that Max was able to play, too!


Max is a very good sleeper, and he has started putting himself to sleep at a very early hour (just like his brother did)! We typically bathe him and feed him between 5 and 5:30 and he's out by 6. He sleeps until 1:30 or 2 and then gets up to be changed and fed. He'll then sleep until 5 or so before waking up for the day. This schedule varies, especially now that he is teething, and he does occassionally wake up one more time during the night. Aaron and I trade off for feedings, so we really don't mind it.


My favorite time of day with Max is the morning. He is usually talking away in his crib and chewing on his hand when I go in to get him. I'll open his door and say, "Who's awake in here?" and he'll start kicking his legs wildly when he hears me! He sleeps on his belly, so I'll turn him over and lay him on his back. As soon as he sees me, he gets the biggest smile and waves his arms and legs around like crazy! It's so cute. I guess he's a morning baby!

Memory Walk

Aaron and I met on a Saturday in 2004 at my friend, his cousin, Amber's graduation party. I moved to Minnesota for the summer just three days later...and Aaron came with me! We spent the five hour car ride talking non-stop about religion, our pasts, our dreams, our families, our family. It was the turning point in our relationship. We both knew we had found the person we were going to marry.

Aaron has a huge family, and he spent time telling me about each person so I'd have some background information for family gatherings! I remember sitting on the couch and listening to him tell me that his grandmother had Alzheimer's Disease. She'd been diagnosed a year or two earlier, and would soon be moved to an assisted living facility. He told me the details very matter-of-factly, but I could tell that he was struggling with it. We talked about how everyone in his family was dealing with it, and then I asked how he was dealing with it. I asked him if he was alright. He stopped and just looked at me and smiled sadly. He wasn't alright, but we both realized at that moment that our life together wouldn't be all rainbows and unicorns. It wouldn't always be happy, but we'd face it all together.

Every year, Aaron's mom organizes a team for the Alzheimer's Association Memory Walk. The whole family gets together to walk in honor of Grandma Lorraine and to raise money for Alzheimer's research. It's held at the NEW Zoo, and we've taken the kids on the "zoo walk" every year. This year we had 37 walkers on our team! It's just a great time to remember those who live with this disease, and to help raise money for research and, hopefully one day, a cure.

Brothers

Quotable

"I would like to live in a BIG NEST!" ~Liam

A "Special Night"

We've been having a lot of "special nights" around our house lately. I am at school three nights a week and, even though I am home in time to put Liam to bed every night but Thursday, it's hard to be away. For "special nights" we never do anything terribly fancy, but we try to spend as much time with just Liam as we can. Max goes to bed at 6pm, so after that it's just mom, dad and Liam.

Last night we decided to go to a McDonald's to grab some food. The restaurant we chose was right next to the airport, and we took our food outside and ate at a picnic table right next to the runway! Liam was SO excited. I saw a big passenger plane (keep in mind I'm making these words up as I go) driving over to the runway and told Liam to keep watching because one was going to take off. He saw it getting ready and his face just lit up with excitement. He jumped up and clapped his hands together and said, "It's going to be SO COOL!" We had to wait another few minutes for the actual takeoff, but when the plane finally accelerated it rose into the air right in front of us! It was so fun to watch Liam's eyes get bigger as the plane got closer.

"WOW!" he said."That was a REALLY BIG ONE, Mom!"

In all we probably saw 8 or 9 planes take off, and Liam was in awe each time. We'd originally hoped to see some big military cargo planes that were doing some training at the airport this week, but we didn't have any luck. Oh, well. Liam was happy with the ones we did see, and he asked if we could have a "special night" again tonight!

Well, tonight is Thursday buddy, and I hate Thursdays because I don't get to put you to bed. But I do go in and put your sweaty head back on top of the pillow before giving you a kiss goodnight when I get home. We'll have a special Friday night...promise.

Nursing School update

Well, more like Anatomy & Physiology class update, but still.
First test down.
I scored 131/136.
That's a 96%.
And she's back in the game!

All Tom & Jerry, All the Time!

Both Aaron and I grew up without cable TV; we both just watched Sesame Street on PBS all day anyway. We'd go to our friends' houses to watch MTV...! We've been married for four years and have been fine with just our antenna (our honkin' huge antenna that takes up an entire corner of our tiny living room!) so far, but we just decided to get Direct TV.

They came to install it last night and Aaron was trying to explain to Liam what they were doing. He told them that we were going to have TV like Grandma Pammy does, with shows like Tom & Jerry. Liam was super excited when he heard that. Turns out he thinks there is some kind of Tom & Jerry channel where you can watch the show on a loop 24 hours a day. He was also so fascinated by the installation process that he cried when he had to go to bed. He said, "But, but, but I want to watch that man for a little more time, Mom!" Ah, the anguish.

The tech had to cut a hole in our wall for the cable, and Liam watched intently. He is fascinated by tools and building things. Maybe he'll be a carpenter when he grows up! Although, he also loves hunting, so maybe he'll have his own hunting show on Direct TV! Come to think of it, he's already combined the two. He has a toy nail gun that he points at things in the house and "bams". We don't buy the kid toy guns and discourage him from pretending to shoot things. He is not deterred...

What's Cooking Wednesday!

I'm starting a new weekly blog post called "What's Cooking Wednesday!" I like to cook, but I can never find the time or the motivation to do it. I want to start slowly with a few recipes and see what works. Giving myself an entire week between cooking posts should be motivation enough to whip something up on a Wednesday!

This Wednesday we're having: roasted asparagus, baked potatoes and spicy baked chicken.

My sister taught me a quick trick for baking potatoes - cut an X about a 1/2 inch deep into the top of each washed potato. Place them on a baking sheet and bake at 350° for 45 minutes to an hour.

I got the asparagus and chicken ready to cook while the potatoes were baking.

Spicy Roasted Chicken Breasts

6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1/2 stick butter (you could also use a few tablespoons of olive oil instead)

1/2 c lemon juice (fresh or bottled)

1 T seasoning salt (I used Tony's Creole Seasoning)

Melt the butter over medium heat and add the lemon juice. Stir in the seasoning salt. Dip each chicken breast into the butter mixture and turn to coat. Place each coated breast onto a baking sheet. Brush each breast with the leftover butter mixture and sprinkle with additional seasoning salt (I skipped the extra seasoning on one breast since Liam can't quite handle things that are "too spicy, mom."). Bake in a 350° oven for 30 minutes, or until cooked through. (I put these right in with the potatoes and they cooked up just fine.)

Roasted Asparagus

2 bunches fresh asparagus (thicker works better)

5 T olive oil

kosher salt

freshly ground pepper

Thoroughly wash the asparagus, pat dry. Cut off the bottom inch or so of each stalk. Place in a single layer on a baking sheet. Drizzle 4-5 tablespoons of olive oil over the asparagus. Sprinkle with kosher salt (table salt works, too) and freshly ground pepper to taste. Bake in a preheated 425° oven for 10 minutes. The stalks won't look very brown, but the pan should be nicely browned where the asparagus touches it.

This was a relatively easy meal to make even though everything had to be made in the oven. I timed it so that the chicken went in for the last 30 minutes of the potato cooking time. I ramped up the temperature to 425° after the chicken and potatoes were finished and then popped the asparagus in for a quick 10 minutes. It worked out well!

Liam asked for seconds of both potatoes and chicken, and even tried the asparagus. He's a big veggie eater already, but I wasn't sure what he'd think of asparagus. He tried a piece, chewed it and swallowed it before saying, "Ummm, I don't really like this, Mom." Then he ate another piece.

(I'm aware that this is a sub-par food photo! I'm going to need a little more practice, and maybe a better camera (Santa?), I think!)

Crystal & Travis

My friend Crystal and I met freshman year of college. She's a wonderful friend, and she just got married this weekend! Aaron and I went to her wedding at Springbrook Chapel in Burnett, WI on Saturday. The chapel was so perfect - on an estate right in the middle of a cornfield! She and Travis had a beautiful day for their wedding, and we were so happy to be a part of it!

Worst Night on Record

Teething baby? Check.
Hot attic bedroom? Check.
6 hour power outage? Check.
Dirty diaper during pitch black power outage? Check.
Monitors have no batteries so parents have to sleep on the living room couch & floor? Check.

It's not a good day.

Beauty and the Bucket

Liam is always sharing things with us. He'll be drinking a glass of milk and he'll hold it out to me and ask, "Do you want some of my milk, Mom?" It's really sweet. He also brings me wildflowers he's picked all by himself, or, as was the case a few days ago, rocks he's picked all by himself. It turns out these weren't just any rocks -

"I found these beautiful rocks for you, Mom!" he said.

And he had! There was a bucket of pea gravel in the garage he had been sifting through. Most of the rocks were pretty unremarkable, but he had carefully chosen the shiniest, whitest ones just for me!

Daddy James Renquin

I sent Aaron an email with some pressing questions I had for him and thought you all might find his answers interesting. You've always wanted to know why he piles things on top of the fridge, right?! I've also added a few of my own comments/clarifications in some instances. Read on for a peek inside my handsome husband's mind...



1. What is your favorite thing about me?

Your eyes and your ability to be silly/make me laugh.

2. If you weren't a teacher, what would you want to be?

A writer

3. If you could visit anywhere in the world, where would you go?

I very badly would like to see London with my wife.

4. What is your favorite memory from childhood?

I think my favorite memory is of when my father quit smoking in order to ease my fears about him dying from smoking.

Adulthood? Our wedding day and the boys’ birthdays.

5. What is your favorite color?

Blue

6. What is your favorite food?

Burritos

7. Should we have any more kids?

Ummmmm . . . . . . . .

8. Why do you think we make a good couple?

We make a good couple because we show so much respect for each other. We also compliment each other’s strengths and weaknesses.

9. Why don't you kill spiders when I scream and ask you to?

Spiders are God’s creatures and deserve better. They eat yucky bugs. Also, you can kill them yourself.

*I do kill spiders by myself, but I like to give him a chance to be chivalrous, you know...?*

10. What is your favorite thing we do together?

I love taking long drives with just you. We have fantastic conversations.

11. What are your hopes for our kids?

My hopes for our kids are boundless.

12. Would you rather eat a live worm or watch Golan-Globus' Snow White with me?

I’d rather eat two worms than watch Snow White.

*This version of Snow White is the best ever made. My sister and I love it to death. Aaron...not so much. Although he did watch it with me...once.*

13. What is your favorite tv show?

M*A*S*H*

Movie?

It’s a Wonderful Life

14. Do you wish I cooked more?

No, but I wish we cooked more.

15. What three words would you use to describe yourself?

Compassionate, Inquisitive, and Flatulent

16. Do you believe in God?

Yes

Why?

I have seen too much, felt too much, and loved too much to think otherwise.

17. Are you liberal or conservative?

Moderate

Why?

We’ll never get anywhere by doing things the same way all the time. Likewise we’ve got to preserve the ideals and morals that have made our country what it is.

18. What were your plans in life before you met me?

I was considering a career as a traveling teacher in Alaska.

19. What are you afraid of?

The dark, snakes, terrorists, unemployment, etc.

*I would kill a snake for you, honey...*

20. What is my most embarrassing moment?

“Are you in Band?” “Yes.” “What instrument do you play?” “I don’t know.”

*I may have the slightest little bad habit of answering when I didn't really hear the entire question. I may have had this little exchange while mini golfing with a guy I had a huge crush on. Hey, he still dated me...I do not know why.*

21. What's your favorite stupid thing I've said?

I believe that would be when you called me “Garbage Dust Patch” instead of Pigpen.

*Sometimes I forget the actual names for things and just make names up instead...*

22. What is your favorite song?

At the moment, it is probably “Tomorrow Comes a Day Too Soon” by Flogging Molly.

Why?

I’ve never heard a better expression about what hope is really about.

23. Question and answer omitted by blog author. Some things you all just don't need to know! ;)

24. What is your earliest memory?

I remember that I was swimming with a bunch of other people. We were having some sort of race . . . I think I won.

25. Who is your favorite relative?

The ones who read your blog.

26. Why do you pile things on top of the fridge?

The fridge is at my eye-level, and I spend a lot of time there.

*I clean off the top of the fridge every week. Every week the pile grows...*

27. Do these questions make you uncomfortable?

No, but the chair I’m sitting in does.

28. How many times do you think about me during the day?

3.14159 times

29. What's your least favorite thing about me?

You ask too many questions.

30. What quality do you admire in yourself?

My ability to remember absolutely pointless information that has no business being in my brain.

31. Who is your favorite historical figure and why?

Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain. He saved the Union flank at Gettysburg and went on to accept Lee’s surrender at Appomattox Courthouse. After the Civil War he became Maine’s governor four times over and the president of Boudoin College.

*It makes me tingly when he talks about history...*

32. Who is/was the most influential person in your life?

Liam and Max. Everything I do and every decision I make is done with them in mind.

33. Do you like Bill Cosby?

I LOVE BILL COSBY!!!

*This may or may not be an inside joke.*

34. What is your favorite memory from when we were dating (for 6 weeks) or engaged (for one year)?

I’d have to say that my favorite memory was of the day that I proposed. The whole day was as perfect as I could have hoped for.

*Yes, we got engaged after 6 weeks!*

35. What did you think of my family when you first met them?

Whew. Thank God she doesn’t have a weird family.

36. What's your favorite food that I make?

Homemade pizza

37. Why did you decide to become an Eagle Scout?

It was a position of honor that very few scouts ever attain. It was a brass ring that was dangled before me that I knew I could reach.

38. Does it make you tingly when I say things like "Iron Brigade" or "multi-melta" or "I just got my new Space Marines codex"?
Yes. It means that you actually pay attention to the things that I do.

39. What have you learned from me?

More than I could write in here.

40. Are you a pessimist or an optimist?

I’m a realist. The glass is not half-full or half-empty, it just is. Drink it and be happy you have some.

*I am an eternal optimist and constantly try to convert him!*

41. If I bought you a long-sleeved white t-shirt would you wear it?

No. Maybe. Probably. No.

*He had a dream once that I made him buy one. I think there is some kind of hidden meaning behind it...*

42. Do you think I will be a good nurse?

No. I know you will be a good nurse.

43. Why do you have to be doing something else while watching movies with me?

I honestly don’t know. It’s always been that way. I have to be doing something when there is a movie on.

*Drives me insane.*

44. What do you think heaven is like?

I’m not sure, but I’m willing to bet that I won’t be able to hunt or fish there.

45. What is your favorite quote?

“All that glitters is not gold. All who wander are not lost.” - JRR Tolkien

46. Why do you like Star Wars?

What’s not to like? Robots? Check. Lasers? Check. Cool villain? Check. Spaceships? Check. Wookies? You betcha.

47. What is your favorite story from the Civil War?

The Jenny Wade love/death triangle. Look it up.

48. When did you decide to ask me to marry you?

May 19th of 2004. It just took a few weeks to work up the nerve.

*Note: we met May 14th, 2004.*

49. Are you happy?

I will be in about two hours.

*He was coming home in two hours.*

50. Will you buy me a Land Raider Crusader?

I will, but I’d advise you to get the Land Raider Redeemer instead. It would be far more effective against enemy infantry.

I love you!

All of my love,
Aaron

*I love you too, honey!*

Star Wars: Watch Out for Jabba the Hutt!

Both Aaron and I were able to recite the words to our favorite books well before kindergarten. We both loved to read, and still do. Liam is also an avid reader, and is starting to memorize his own favorite books! I didn't know he knew the words to his Star Wars book, but last night he would finish every sentence I read! Observe:

Please pay no attention to the meltdown and nose-picking at the end. This is indeed a rare occurrence at our house, since Liam is usually too busy reading the encyclopedia and memorizing prime numbers to cry or pick his nose...

Totally Random

Two recent, but totally random pictures of the boys. My camera's batteries need charging before I can upload anything else...and I keep forgetting to do that!

Cat Nap

Here's our cat, Hobbes, all snuggled up with Max's (and coincidentally Liam's) favorite baby toy! It's a plush butterfly with "crunchy" wings. You know, the wings are filled with that crinkly paper? The paper that sounds like you're trying to open a butterscotch candy during the quietest part of church when you touch it? It also still plays "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star," which I'm constantly amazed by considering the frequency (read 1,000 times per day) with which we had to push the button to keep Liam entertained.

This photo will most likely cause my mother to anxiously wring her hands, as she dislikes any co-mingling of the animal and child world. She dreams about our cat attacking our kids (when the closest he comes to the kids is to smell them on occassion), and was terrified that he would sit on Max's face while he was asleep in his crib. Now I know this has actually happened to babies before, but I can assure you that if I was at all worried about this we would have given the cat away long before Max arrived.

That being said, we do like Hobbes, and he is a very good cat, but (cue my mom singing the "Halleluia Chorus") he will be going away soon. We just can't give him the attention he needs with two kids in the house, and we think he'll be happier with someone who has more time for him. He's going to a very nice girl who will spoil him and take good care of him. We'll miss him, but I think he'll be just fine.

Thank you, God...

We've recently added a new prayer to our bedtime routine called "Thank You, God." Liam has "Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep (Hi-Ho)" and "The Lord's Prayer" memorized, so we decided to add this new one to give him a chance to say his own prayer at night. He usually says "Thank you God for having a good night..." and then might add one or two other legitimate things before moving on to things in his immediate line of sight (curtains, lamp, etc.).

Last night he did his usual "Thank you God for having a good night..." and then added, "and thank you God that Max is sleeping."

HAHAHA. Yep, buddy, most days mommy is pretty thankful Max is finally asleep, too!

Pseudonyms...

This morning in the car Liam asked me:

"Mom, can you call me Eagle Trot?"

Ummm...sure, buddy. But I hope this isn't like the time I wanted to change my name to Shannon Miller...

Ole!

Hi-Ho!

Liam has a pretty set bedtime routine. He takes a bath, puts on his pajamas and brushes his teeth. Then he dances around in the living room and remains fixated on whatever is on the TV for about 5 minutes (FYI this is not an official part of the routine). We read a few books and then settle in to say our prayers. After prayers are songs, and after songs it's bedtime. It sounds time-consuming, but we don't mind it and it usually only takes about 20 minutes or so.

Anyway, Liam usually requests the same songs from both Aaron and me each night for two or three months straight. Awhile ago it was "The Rainbow Connection" from Dad and "Jesus Loves Me" from Mom. Now it's "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" ("and can you rub my back?") from Mom every night and "Hi-Ho!" from Dad. He thinks "Hi-Ho!" is the most hilarious song ever and even tries to do the whistle himself. Last night he kind of overlapped his prayer and song time a bit. It went something like this:

Now I lay me down to sleep...HI-HOOOOO!
I pray the Lord my soul to keep....Hiiiiii-HO!
Guide me safely through the night....Hi-HO!
And wake me with the morning light....Hi-HO!

He keeps God on his toes.

Good Job, Mom!

Liam has been very interested in drawing and coloring again lately, after taking a short break from artistic pursuits in favor of hitting a large rubber ball with a big plastic bat. Repeatedly.

He received a giant bible story coloring book from Auntie Sarah as a baptism gift. He loves nothing more than to take a big handful of pages (this thing is like 800 pages long) and flip through (very dextrously, I might add) each individual page until he finds the one he wants.

Unfortunately, he is very much in love with the story of Jonah and the whale (he's a budding outdoorsman and loves the big fish!). He forgets that he's already colored the one picture of Jonah and the whale that was in said coloring book and continues to search for it. Through all 800 pages. Such a patient kid. He didn't even throw a fit when I reminded him for the fourth time that he'd already colored the Jonah picture and sent it to Grammy Pammy for inclusion on her Refrigerator Door of Fame.

We were coloring last night after I got home from class, and Liam was knee-deep in a self-pity party over not staying exactly in the lines as he colored (not something you'd expect from one of my kids, right?!). Anyway, I assured him that he was doing really great and to keep coloring. He would color for a minute and then stop and lament his "sub-par" coloring skills. If he's this hard on himself at just shy of 3 years old, I can't imagine how closely he'll resemble his OCD mother as an adult!

What was adorable about all of this wasn't just the fact that he was even worried about staying in the lines, it was his sincere admiration of my master coloring skills and his deep appreciation of my ability to stay in the lines. He would stop coloring to check out what I had done and say, "Oh, GOOD JOB, MOM! That looks so nice!"