Meet Nascar's future racer

We went shopping at Lowe's Home Improvement Store the other night. We are looking for a new kitchen faucet. Well, with all the wins of Nascar's Jimmy Johnson, Lowe's has these really fun race car shopping carts. And they are built for 2 kids. They have steering wheels to keep the kids occupied as well (I was totally impressed, can you tell?). Well, we are just starting to take Natalie out of her car seat carrier when we go to stores as she is getting big enough to sit up in the shopping carts. She totally loved the race car cart. I think it's 2-fold. #1. she is not sitting in her infant carrier so she can look around more and be part of the action. #2. she was sitting next to her big brother whom she absolutely adores. She was practically squealing in the store she was so excited. It was very cute, but almost embarrassing at the same time. Henry of course is Mr. Cool, and didn't want his picture taken. He too was a bit embarrassed by his sister's high pitched squeals. Oh well. It made for a fun trip to the hardware store.

The Mall

We've been cooped up in the house for awhile (and I really don't know why, but we have) so we went to the mall one evening. Henry really enjoys it because their is a "free" play area sponsored by the local hospitals. The kids take their shoes off and can run and jump and play on the soft plastic "critters" (play equipment). It's a good way to burn some energy. Plus there are always other kids to play with or just watch. The nice thing is that you have to be shorter than 42" so most of the kids are just toddlers or under the age of 5. Once in awhile a bigger kid will play but sometimes they tend to play a bit rough for the little kids. Luckily, it's all soft and padded in the play area so when one does fall, they just sort of bounce. We let Natalie crawl around for the first time and she really enjoyed it too. The one downfall is that it tends to be a germ fest in there and undoubtedly the kids pick up something and end up with a cold of some sort more often than not. Oh well. Until this weird spring weather of ours warms up, we will be playing at the mall.

Bath Time

Just wanted to share a couple of pictures during bath time. Henry and cousin Lucas have a great time in the bath. Lucas is sporting his new snorkel gear. They are going to Hawaii for 8 days next month. Lucky dog! Natalie really enjoys having bath time with her big brother. Henry, well, the jury is still out on whether he enjoys sharing his bath time with little sister.

Post Easter Pics

We enjoyed a great Easter weekend with my sister and her family. Of course the Easter Bunny spoiled all the kids, but that's okay. Today Henry wanted to take some post-Easter pictures of us wearing bunny ears. But some some reason he wouldn't let me take a picture of him wearing the ears....hmmm. Oh well. This is what we ended up with:

Snow?

We woke up this morning to a dusting of snow. And just yesterday Henry was playing outside in what we thought was spring weather. My goodness. I guess winter isn't over yet (1 more day to be exact). My sister and her family are coming over from Seattle to visit this weekend. It's been an annual thing for the last couple of years for them to spend Easter in Spokane. Last year the boys, Lucas and Henry, looked for Easter eggs in the lush green grass. This year the grass is brown and muddy. If the weather is poor, we may end up hunting eggs in the house. Let's hope for good weather. I am looking forward to their visit. We haven't seen them since October, so it's been awhile. Henry is already excited to see Lucas. I'm sure the two of them will be tearing the house apart. Good excuse for me not having to clean before they get here. I don't get a lot of that done anymore. Just call me lazy. Instead, I'll burn a couple of PartyLite candles to make the house smell yummy. I'm hoping the nose will distract from the eye!

Wordless Wednesday: Finally, back outside

Weight Loss Update

Time for another update on our weight loss progress. Daryl has been very disciplined regarding his diet. He is eating less carbs and more protein and has great will power. He has already lost 16 pounds. He looks good and all his pants fit too. Me, well I'm not nearly as disciplined. Actually, I don't have any will power at all. I'm blaming part of it on nursing, but really, I am weak. I like food way to much. I have been drinking a lot of water though, so that's good. I've been holding steady for the last month. I haven't lost any more, but I haven't gained any either, which is a good thing. All in all, we can't complain. We feel pretty good. Now that the weather is finally starting to get nice, hopefully we can get out enjoy a more active lifestyle.

Date Night

My neighbor, Lisa, and I made a deal to watch each others' kids so that we could each enjoy an evening with our husbands. Novel idea, I know. Why we are just now implementing it, I don't know. So, we did it this weekend. Lisa and her husband, Frank, watched Henry and Natalie on Saturday night so that Daryl and I could do date night. We ended up going out to dinner with some friends, and because we had no kids, we were able to relax and enjoy a meal out. Finally. Afterwards, I went shopping for some new jeans. What a nice night out for the both of us. Then, Sunday night we watched Frank and Lisa's kids, Derrick (8) and Marissa (4). Henry and Natalie just adore both of them so it was fun having all the kids play together. Frank and Lisa enjoyed a nice dinner out as well. Why we haven't done this earlier is beyond me. But I look forward to our next date night. Hopefully it will be soon. The picture shows Derrick against the futon watching TV, Daryl on on the floor, looking up at the TV, Natalie in her 'jump and bouncer', Henry on the table in the background (not quite sure what he is doing) and Marissa behind Henry, playing in the dollhouse. Ahh, babysitting at it's best.

Big Boy Bed

Because Henry has been sick, he's been sleeping everywhere but in his crib. At night we was sleeping with us, during the day he would nap on the futon downstairs. I even caught him sleeping at the table. Craziness!

So, we decided it was time to get a new bed. I was actually hoping to take advantage of the crib, since it turns into a toddler bed, but no such luck. And even though we have a full size bed in Natalie's room, I was using it when Natalie was sick. So...off to the mattress store we went. We ended up buying another full size mattress and frame and set it up in his room. He still wants someone to sleep with him (he got used to sleeping with us...bad, I know). But this way Daryl or I can lay down with him until he falls asleep, then we can sneak out. Easier said than done. Daryl keeps falling asleep too. He won't wake up even if I touch him. Amazing. So, lately I've enjoyed an entire king size bed to myself. At least Daryl shares a brand new bed. It's quite comfortable, so I don't feel too bad for him. I still need buy some bedding though, a quilt or comforter for the top. Again, this whole big boy bed wasn't in the immediate plan. Oh well.

All Better Now

Finally, the kids are getting over their colds. It took long enough. After Arizona both kids had runny noses, but it didn't stop there. Natalie came down with a fever and was feeling crummy for a good 4-5 days. Then, Henry had a temperature. Last week they were both congested. Natalie cried a lot, and was not able to nurse very well. Henry, well he was just plain cranky since he was all stuffed up as well. Of course all that mucus in their system didn't help either. They kept throwing up. Yes, it does paint a pretty picture, doesn't it. Needless to say I've been doing laundry...a lot! Now, though, they are both on the up and up. Yippee. When they feel better, they act better too. So nice for the rest of us. By the way, Daryl is coming down with something now. It's a never ending battle. And our kids aren't even in school yet. Where are they picking up all this stuff?

Wordless Wednesday: Playdate