VA Vacation

Toward the end of June I took the boys up to Virginia to visit the Folks. We caught the tail end of the visit that my Grandpa and Aline were making there so we were able to visit with them as well! At the end of the week I left the boys there and went to Myrtle beach for a girls weekend with Brittany, and it was awesome.

We got home from Virginia and found out the news that we are expecting another baby! Stay tuned for baby Russell #3!

Jake is 2!

I am so behind (like usual)! Jake turned two last month and we celebrated by taking him to IHop for breakfast and then to the pool for a few hours. It was a really hot day but we had a ton of fun playing at the pool. We went home for lunch and cake and then spent the afternoon playing. A week later we had a party for him at our house where we set up the little pools and slip n' slide for the kids to play in. Jake ate popsicles and watermelon like it's going out of style. Thanks to everyone who helped us celebrate!

4 Parties for Turning 4

Sorry that this post isn't in chronological order, meaning before the one about Jake's birthday...I'm a little slow.
It just ended up that we celebrated Ethan's birthday 4 times the year he turned 4, coincidence, right? We are so lucky to have so many friends and family that helped us celebrate and Ethan had such a good birthday that he's ready to turn 5. His first party was in Virginia and my parent's house. We went up to celebrate Ivy's 1st birthday on Saturday, and since everyone was together we had a party for Ethan on Sunday. His next party was at his (pre) preschool and he brought cupcakes in for all of his friends. Next up was his actual birthday which was chocked full of fun activities. We went to Chuck E. Cheese's on the morning and picked up a pizza on the way home, had cake, gave him his present ( a big boy bike), and saw Randy off to work. After nap time we went to see Randy at the bowling alley and we bowled a game. Then I took the boys out for pizza on the way home. Yes, pizza for two meals in a row per Ethan's request. I am not complaining. We may have watched Toy Story 3 when we got home. I don't know, I was in a pizza coma. His 4th and final was a Toy Story carnival themed party the next Saturday, and it was awesome. We rented a bouncy house, had face-painting, a clown, a pinata, basketball game, bean bag toss game, pin the tail on the donkey, food, & cake. At one point Christina told me that Ethan was on his 4th plate of popcorn, m&ms, and cookies. It was that kind of party. Here are a handful of pictures from all of the parties. Thanks to everyone who made his birthday special for him.

Jake's Pre-Birthday Update

Jake is an awesome kid. He has a TON of personality, he's vocal, he knows what he wants (sometimes demanding), he's friendly, and he's rough and tough. I have had many people tell me he is such a sweetie and well behaved. I don't know how those people managed to only see him when he's being sweet! As you all know, Jake has many nicknames. The Goodrich family is known

for giving our pets nicknames...I think Milli had somewhere around 15 different names when it was all said and done. Apparently Ethan inherited the nicknaming trait because he is the one accredited with the name "Jakers". In addition to that one Jake has the following names: Jake-a-saurus, Pooper Plum, Jake-a-dactyl, Sugar Beet, Pooperton, and Honey Bee. These are just the ones that he's called most often. I realize that there will come a time when these names are no longer acceptable, but until that time comes they are keepers.
It seems like Jake has grown up in the last two weeks. His vocabulary has grown exponentially, and he now speaks in phrases and sentences. These are his most used sentences:

"No, not this one"

"What did you say?"

"I'll do it/I'll hold it/I'll come"

"Where's Mommy/Ethan/Daddy?"

"Uh oh, Spaghetti-Os"

"Oh no, problem!"

"Bumpy train track"

"My milk/cup/kitty/race car"

"What was that?"

You get the idea. He knows his colors, which honestly, he learned mostly from Ethan. He can count to 5 forward and backward and now tries to sing along to songs in the car. He is doing great at potty training and like Ethan did, spends his time at home without pants. We, and our neighbors, hope to work up to undies very soon.

The Boys- An Update

Ethan has been coughing for a couple days now so when we were getting ready this morning I made an appointment for him to see the Dr. in the afternoon, just to make sure it isn't just allergies. He wasn't very hungry for breakfast, but I had him eat some toast and milk. He has been having trouble remaining in the seated position while at the table lately (as in the past several months) and this morning was not an exception. While practicing his gymnastics, specifically the even bars using the table and window sill, he slipped and landed flat on his face, smacking his upper cheek/lower eye socket on the floor. He has a red spot which will probably turn into more of a bruise in that area. No black eye, thankfully. Now the good part: he was very upset after the fall so I was holding him while he cried and coughed, but he was worked up into a coughing frenzy which, of course, induced vomiting. ALL OVER ME. Plus, we had 5 minutes before needing to leave for school. My first instinct was to toss him aside to spare my clothes but then that would mean that I would have to mop the floor today rather than just do a load of laundry. Easy choice for me!
I went to the school early because today was his schedule parent/teacher conference to discuss his year and how he has progressed. His teacher is Mrs. Misty Moody and she showed me a collection of his work from the beginning of the school year and it was really cool to see how much better he has gotten at writing and drawing. He can write his name, draw shapes and lines, identify colors, count to 20, cut with scissors, share with friends, understands relationships like a bird flies in the sky and a fish swims in the water, and participates in daily routines & schedules (like he knows to go put his backpack in his cubbie as soon as he gets to class, to sit quietly during book time, to remain in his chair during snack time*How I ask, do they get him to do that??*, and to sing songs as a group). Mrs. Misty says that he has come a long way from the start of the year especially since he used to take toys from other kids, not listen to directions, and be a spaz in general. Now he doesn't do any of those things during school. She said he is very smart and soaks up everything like a sponge- as well as or better than the kids that come to school every day of the week. It is really good to hear that someone else thinks your kid is smart, since you already think your kid is the most awesome-est kid in the world. And, to bring me back down to Earth she then told me that he kicked a kid in the head during playground time. Happens, right?
I took Ethan to the Dr. after a pizza lunch for being awesome at school, minus the head kicking, and the Dr. said he has bronchitis and allergies and we left with 3 prescriptions. He is already starting to feel better and should sleep well tonight. I am hoping for a vomit free evening.
On to Jake:
Jake is getting so big, so fast. He is now a little boy, not a baby...much to my dismay. He speaks a ton and repeats everything we say. His favorite phrases are "stop it, Mommy," "big boy diaper," "Ducktales- woo woo," "Come on, Shiloh," "Oh, Okay!" "Big truck!" "play outside."
He asks for books to look at, particularly Goodnight Moon. He is addicted to fruit snacks and milk. He just got a molar in with little to no fuss. He loves to talk on the phone and pretend to talk on the phone, he loves to eat salad and watch Toy Story. He sleeps through the night and goes to bed with no problems as long as Mr. Kitty is with him (his stuffed cat with a tag on the bum that he runs between his fingers while he relaxes). He is a tough little kid and has bruises, scrapes, and cuts on his legs from playing constantly.
They are both such good little boys and so nice to other kids. We are very lucky to have them and are thankful everyday.

Let's go Fly a Kite

At first Ethan was afraid to lose the kite, he quickly got over it!

Easter Festivities

We went to an Easter Egg hunt yesterday afternoon and the boys had a lot of fun. Jake & Ethan are not in the same age group anymore so they had to hunt at separate times (which wasn't ideal) but it worked out nonetheless. When we got home we colored eggs. Both boys had no trouble coloring them without assistance and both were unhappy when all of the eggs had been colored. The Easter bunny came this morning and filled their baskets with candy and toys and we spent the day playing. I cooked pulled pork for dinner which Randy says could be boxed and sold, it's just that good. Wish I could claim the recipe! Try it some time: http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2011/03/spicy-dr-pepper-shredded-pork/

We capped off the day with a visit from Randy's Mom, and enjoyed some dessert.

Easter party

Ethan had his Easter party at school today and Jake and I went to visit. They sang songs, had an egg hunt, and had pizza & cupcakes. Jake thought he should sit at the table with all of the kids and so he did! Ethan was very sweet to share with him (as he usually is). Click here to see a video of Ethan singing: http://youtu.be/Jrh_R6qTjP4

On another note, check out the gift that Dan & Stephanie got me for my birthday! It's a 16x20 canvas and I chose the new picture of the boys for it. I love how it turned out!

Our room FINALLY!

This is a picture of our bedroom as it was for the past 6.5 years. We painted it red before we got married, before we moved any furniture in. We loved the color but it was time for a change! I found a duvet cover that I liked and decided to match the new paint to it. 3 walls are light tan and the 4th wall is teal. I hadn't put the duvet cover on before taking the "after" picture, but you get the gist of it. Randy installed a new ceiling fan and I found lamps on craigslist ($30 for both!!!)

Happy Birthday to Randy

We celebrated Randy's birthday at lunch today since he works at night. Ethan was a big helper and helped make the cake, decorate it, and he put on all of the blue candles. As you can see from the pictures, it was a blazin' inferno! ;-)

Jake is 21 months old

Jake is developing very fast right now and really communicating well. He uses two and three word sentences and doesn't have any trouble getting us to understand what he is saying. We introduced the potty to him last month, but won't be really training until after he turns two. We are having so much fun with him!

Conversation

With Jake getting older, Ethan is able to interact with him and I overheard one of their first conversations. Here's how it went:

Ethan: "Jakers, you have to listen to me. I need you to listen. Say 'yes ma'am'."
Jake: "Yes, ma'am""
Ethan: "OK, so, we have to be quiet because Harvey is sleeping. Do you understand?"
Jake: "Yes, ma'am. Shhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh"

Ethan-isms

Randy's Mom came over to watch the boys while we went out to dinner for Valentine's Day, but earlier that day I took the boys to a nearby playground. Ethan got a splinter for the first time while playing but he wouldn't let me or Kathy pull it out, we had to wait for Randy. So, when we got back from dinner Ethan said "I've been whining and crying the whole time about my splinter!" When Randy to pulled it out, Ethan cried and cried (well screamed really) while he was doing it. Then we laid in bed together to help him calm down and while crying he said "this is really incredible!"

If you ask him if he wants to do something, he says "I would LOVE to!"


Randy was reading a book about volcanoes to Ethan and Ethan tried to say "eruption," but pronounced it wrong, instead saying "eruftion." Randy said, "no it's e-rup-tion." Ethan said "whatever, Daddy."

We were shopping for jeans for Randy and we had been to several stores and not a single one had his size. I was muttering under my breath, "this is ridiculous, no one has a single pair in the right size!" A minute later Ethan shouts "This is RE-DICKEROUS!"

Ethan is interested in volcanoes, space shuttles, and octopuses. He randomly spews "facts" about them (Dwight Shrute style) such as:

"OK, so, volcanoes have lava in them."
"OK, so, space shuttles have fire in them."
"OK, so, an octopus will bite you."
"OK, so, when lava melts, it turns into ice"

You can't be right all the time. :)

Long car rides

Jake: "Mahhhhmeeee. . . . .mahhhhhmeee. . . .MAHHHMEEEE. . . .MAHHHMEEE!!!"
Me: "Yes, Jake?"
Jake: "(points out the window) Treeeeeeeeeee" (sounds like E.T.)
Me: "Very good, it's a tree!"

Repeat until the car ride is over.

Open for Business

Randy opened the shop on Feb. 1st and has been pretty busy already. We are adjusting to our new schedule and it seems to be going pretty well. Randy worked really hard to remodel the shop before he opened and I am really impressed with how it turned out. He built a wall, put in cabinets, painted, built a shop vac box, and much more. See for yourself!