John's Birthday

John turned 31 this month, and I wish I could say that he had a fabulous birthday, but unfortunately, it ended up being pretty miserable! First, I was out of town on a girl's trip to Chicago on his actual birthday, so I wasn't around to celebrate with him. Second, his golf outing with my dad got cancelled due to bad weather. Third, both the kids came down with colds, so his birthday was spent at home taking care of two sick kids. And fourth, the present I had ordered for him hadn't arrived yet, so he didn't have any presents to open...poor guy!

I got home from my trip the day after his birthday, and tried my best to make up for missing it. We had my parents over for cake (I made his favorite) and ice cream.  My parents also brought a really nice gift for him, which was great, becuase the gift I ordered still hadn't come. (Eventually it did come, and thanfully he has loved it.)

Although John didn't get too upset over his anything-but-perfect birthday, I do plan on making sure that next year will be much better!

Easter Activities

We had a really fun time celebrating Easter this year. For Family Home Evening the Monday before Easter, we did the Easter Egg lesson that focuses on the story of Christ's Resurrection. The kids loved opening up the eggs, and seeing the objects that correspond with the story. It is neat as parents to be able to see them begin to understand the true meaning of the holiday.

Afterwards, we made this cute little craft using plastic Easter eggs. (John's is the egg with the facial hair!) 

The activities seemed to continue all week long. We dyed Easter eggs on night, which again the kids loved. It can be a messy tradition (hence the bibs), but is definitely a must-do. 

The kids also had fun finding their Easter baskets and eggs that the Easter bunny had left for them. However, according to Makenna, the Easter bunny needs to hide the eggs in harder to find places all over the house, and not just in the family room. I think the Easter bunny has made a note of this for next year.

After church on Easter Sunday we went out to my parents house, and the kids got to go on one more Easter egg hunt thanks to Grandma and Grandpa. I tried to get a few pictures of the kids in their Sunday clothes, but waiting till after church turned out to be the wrong time. Makenna had already lost her little sweater, and Hudson refused to have his shirt tucked back in. Note for next year: pictures before church!

It was a beautiful afternoon, and the kids loved running around outside gathering eggs. Outside at the lake is a perfect location for an Easter egg hunt, and was a great end to all of our activities!

My curly-haired boy is potty trained!

Hudson's hair has been super curly ever since the weather has been more humid and warm. I love his curls, and I think he agrees, as he says his hair is curly just like Daddy's.


John and I have been talking about potty training Hudson for awhile now, but for some reason I was nervous about it. Makenna had been SO easy, I was worried that I actually didn't learn anything from training her, and was essentially 'starting over'. I was also worried he was going to pee all over our new carpet!

Well I finally decided to give it a go, and started training Hudson last Thursday. Hudson has known how to go potty on the toilet for several months now, since we would often have him go before bath or bedtime, so it wasn't a completely new concept for him, which I think helped a lot. The first day was a little bit harder than it was with Makenna, but overall not too bad. He had a few accidents, but I quickly noticed they only happened when I put pants on him. When I let him run around with just a shirt on (nothing on the bottom) then he would do much better. The best part was that the 3 accidents he did have all happened on hard surfaces (i.e. no accidents on my carpet...yay!).

By Sunday, he was accident-free, and even made it through 3 hours of church wearing underwear, without any problems. He has since continued to do really well. I don't have to worry about being around him all the time while he plays, or watching him too closely. When he needs to go potty he just comes and tells me, and then I help him. During the first couple of days, I would put a diaper on him for his nap, and for night, but he has started waking up from both completely dry!! Yesterday he was 100% diaper-free, and wore underwear for his nap, and overnight. Hudson has had a few accidents this week, so I don't think we are completely out of the woods yet, but we are well on our way.

After 4 1/2 years of diapers, I am happy to have a little break, even if it is only for 4 weeks until the baby comes!

Preschool Fun Days

Makenna absolutely loves preschool. She only goes 2 mornings a week, and is always asking when she gets to go again. This month they have had some especially fun for a 4 year old days, including pajama day and space day.

For pajama day, Makenna not only wore her pajamas and slippers, but also insisted on bringing her pillow and Dorothy Doll that she sleeps with every night.

Makenna and her cousin Ellie

For space day, Makenna and I made her a space helmet out of a cardboard box, that we covered in foil, and then decorated. Her class went on a parade visiting the other classes, before stopping to pose for some pictures.

I'm so glad that Makenna has loved preschool so much, and hope that she will continue to love school in the years to come.

Sleeping

Back in November, Hudson learned how to crawl out of his crib, and so we quickly converted it into a Toddler bed. He transitioned quite easily, but I would sometimes find him sleeping in strange positions when I went to check on him either during nap time or at night. Here are just a few examples.

I would often find him asleep in the rocker during nap time.

One night, I went in to find that he had pushed his bed into the middle of the room before climbing in to go to sleep.

This night made me laugh the most. I found him in his bed, but with his pants half way off, and wearing his 'monster' slippers.

Minnesota

On 'our way' home from Wisconsin, we decided to take a little side trip to visit Mall of America for a few days, and then spend a day with some of our favorite Business school friends the Stansels! Dan and Annalee came to Mall of America with us, which was really fun. The kids both loved being able to spend so much time with them. On Monday, (our first day at the mall) we spent most of our time at the Nickelodeon Universe theme park. The kids loved going on all of the character-themed rides (i.e. Dora, Diego, Swipper, Backyardagains, etc.). One really nice thing about the theme park was that John and I were able to ride all of the 'junior' rides for free as chaperons.

Uncle Dan and Hudson

Makenna 'driving' Dan and Annalee

Dan and Makenna being chased by John and Hudson on the Swipper ride

After grabbing a late lunch, John took the kids back to our hotel which was right across the street, and Annalee and I did a little bit of shopping. I really could not believe how BIG the mall really was. I only made it to a handful of stores, but did enjoy having some kid-free shopping time.

On Tuesday we spent the morning swimming, and then headed over to the mall around lunch. It was Toddler Tuesday at the mall, so the kids were able to eat free, which was great. We then visited the Sea Life Minnesota Aquarium (which is in the mall). It was a nice aquarium, and the kids really enjoyed it, but it was definitely overpriced. After the aquarium, we did a little more shopping. Makenna picked out a Sleeping Beauty dress at the Disney Store, and Hudson got some legos. We then ended up in the Barnes & Noble store for about 2 1/2 hours while John looked at books, and Hudson played with the Thomas the Train table. He had also found a Thomas table at a store the day before. Hudson LOVES trains, and could spend hours and hours playing with them.

At the Barnes & Noble train table
Playing with another Thomas table on Monday


Tuesday night at the hotel, the kids got my camera and took some pictures, without me knowing (not sure how they did that). I deleted about 30 of their random pictures, but just had to keep the following 2 because I thought they were funny.

Hudson's 'angry face' which he thinks is SO funny to make. He usually has a little half-smile while making it. (This may also be the last picture taken of Hudson with his binkie, which we have since taken away.)
On Wednesday morning, we drove to visit the Stansels, who moved to the Minneapolis area after business school. They only live about 6 hours away from Omaha, and are the closest of our b-school friends. The kids seemed to pick up right where they left off, and were off playing upstairs about 30 seconds after we arrived. After a few hours of catching up and eating lunch, we took the kids to a big indoor playground. Sadly I didn't take any pictures, but the kids had a blast running around and playing together. On Wednesday night after eating a fabulous meal prepared by Amy, we then played charades with all of the kids. We loved being able to see and spend a day with the Stansels. Thank you so much for having us!! We stayed with them on Wednesday night, and then headed home on Thursday.

Makenna and Lucas right before we left. Somehow I left without getting a single picture of Jane and Hudson!

Wisconsin

On February 19th, John's Grandma Helen turned 91! We decided to drive out to her farm in Wisconsin to celebrate with her. John's parents were there, as well as his brother Dan and wife Annalee. We had a great time visiting and seeing everyone.

On Saturday, although it was pretty cold, we did manage to get in a few outdoor activities, including driving the Gator (a favorite for Hudson and Makenna), and shooting guns (John's favorite).

We also took a trip to the Dairy State Cheese Co. in Rudolph, WI. Visiting the Rudolph Dairy has become part of our tradition when visiting John's Grandma. You can watch the cheese being made, which is really fascinating. The kids were mesmerized by the whole thing! You can then buy any of about a 100 different varieties of cheese. They also sell ridiculously good ice cream.

On Sunday after attending church at the local branch, we celebrated Grandma Helen's birthday with a lunch, and presents and cake.

John's Aunt Kathy and Uncle Mike

The birthday girl!
Makenna and Hudson were more than happy to help open presents
John's parents
We are so glad that we were able to make the trip to Wisconsin to help celebrate with Grandma Helen. I am always so impressed by her, and the fact that at 91, she is still living on her farm by herself! Hopefully longevity runs in the family!