where we've been

 

We've been to the doctor ( A LOT) to make sure Cate is growing well.  (She is)  This was at 29 weeks and 4 days.  We get another sneak peek next week on the 1st.  

We've been breaking in our baby legs (and our potties)and taking our last naps in our crib with Bogie...

Kiley made sure Mommy didn't bother me TOO much while I was napping... I was REALLY tired...

Sissy worked on riding her bike(not very successfully though)
My plan is to get MY bike for my birthday so I can show her how...
(I tried to convince Mommy and Daddy to buy it for me now)

  

We went to the zoo...

I wasn't too sure about the Tigers growling, but had a lot of fun RUNNING with daddy!

...I even found a mud puddle to fall in (Mommy was thrilled)

I got UP CLOSE and PERSONAL with the Polar Bear and the Sharks( the shark thought I would share my fruit snacks...silly shark)

We even went to the PARK last weekend when it was nice...

Sissy had a lot of fun chasing me, can't you tell?  So that was our March so far, how has yours been?

We've been re-arranging the house, moving the "girls" to their new bedroom upstairs on the 3rd floor and Fionn has been reveling in the glory of his OWN bedroom.  Maggie got a new BIG GIRL bed, and Fionn got Maggie's twin bed, and Cate got the crib...whew, did you follow all that? 

Our house is still in dis-array as we re-arrange, and we've been through TWO bouts of a tummy bug in the last two weeks!  This week is proving fun as Fionn has his first ear infection AND Maggie was diagnosed with 5th's disease yesterday... I'm not sure what's going on with all the bugs, but we just try to keep going at this point!  

We are LOVING all the sunshine and warm temperatures, and things are blooming all around us everyday!  Everyday we are one day closer to Cate, and we have an official date now as well.  She's a girl, so we don't expect her to follow OUR schedule, but in case she does, she'll be born on the 29th of April...but more on that later...

Odyssey of the Mind

Last year Maggie joined Odyssey of the Mind and had so much FUN, so it was an easy decision for her this year when asked if she wanted to participate again.

(during last year's performance)

This year she just happened to be the only girl on her team, but that didn't bother her. They didn't get to start practicing until January this year (some teams practice year round) and I was AMAZED at how much they got done in less than 8 weeks. Her team was made up of four 1st graders and one Kindergartner. Odyssey of the Mind is a fantastic program, and I would encourage you to see if YOUR school has the program! It is so great to see the kids come up with their lines, and then their props. THEY have to do it all, you can't even hold the paper for them while they cut it, or help them trace things. They have to figure out ways to help each other, or do it themselves. They hot glue a lot, so they are very closely supervised, but they have it do by THEMSELVES...

This is the kids making some of their props a couple weeks before the show, they work really hard to get it all together in time.  And yes, I said they have to write their own lines (and then memorize them)

We have to get there EARLY (we were there BY 8am this year) so we make sure to bring LOTS of healthy snacks to get the kids ready!  Fionn was not so amused with having to sit at the school all day for the big competition, but he did his best to bear it (HA!)  We downloaded "Finding Nemo" to the I-phone so he made himself comfy and watched intently (hahahahaaaa....yeah right) as Maggie got ready for her turn to go in...Last year AND this year, Pop-pop came down and participated as a judge.  Mema came along to help cheer our girl on, and to help me entertain Fionn while we waited!

FINALLY, after they did their "Spontaneous" (its just them and the judges in a room and they have to solve a problem they are given) they waited another hour and then it was time for their turn to meet with the judges before going in to perform...

The judges ask them all kinds of questions about their props, who's idea things were, and ask who made what, and how they made them.  Then it"s their turn to go in. 

Fionn just happened to fall asleep just as Maggie's team was getting ready for their turn. We had hoped and prayed that it would happen that way, but never thought it actually would...As you can see he was VERY proud of his bis sister!! Everyday when she gets off the bus he runs screaming to her
"HUG, SISSY.....HUGGGGGGGG"
as he attaches himself to her legs! Everyday it melts my heart, he just loves his "sissy" soooo much!!
Okay, back to Odyssey of the Mind...
on stage they went...things were going well...

pop-pop and the other judges looked on as they performed their "surprise parties"
UNTIL...
Maggie forgot a line, and got upset about it...THAT threw off the boys, and suddenly no one remembered where they were in their skit...so they just stood there and stared at each other, and my poor girl just cried harder...

This my friends STILL makes me tear up to see...There was nothing I could do to help her remember so we prompted her on her line, and they got back on track...
They worked very hard as a team and helped each other get through it, and honestly besides that one little hiccup they did GREAT!

ALL the judges come up at the end and talk to the kids as they explain all their props and get a better look at them.  I didn't even notice this at the time, but at the very left of this picture is Pop-pop giving his princess some much needed love.  She was so devastated about what happened, it was heart-wrenching as a mom not to be able to run up and just grab her in the biggest hug I could!  I waited for them to finish talking to the judges, and scooped her up!

They all recovered and we told them all how proud of them we were. Here is a picture of her whole team, WITH all their props that they made! They ended up getting FIVE out of FOUR stars for all their hard work overall because of the amount of time and attention they put into the details of their props and skit.  Their skit included THREE different surprise parties, when all they needed was ONE.
Tonight there is an encore presentation at Maggie's school for the Parents and Principal, and the kids are really excited for it.  I'm home with Fionn tonight since I got to go the first time, but daddy is there seeing it for the first time.  He's been a little hesitant to watch the video from the competition with her crying in it, and let's not lie, I don't really want to watch it either.  Our poor girl.  She takes things so seriously, at SIX, geesh!  We had to talk over the last week about dance because now she's afraid of messing up in the big show at the end of the year!
We touched again on Brave Queen Esther last week, and she seems to be better about things now...
We have lots more to share, it was one long and crazy month, so more soon...I promise!!

It's TIME

 

We stocked up for the storm, just in case.  We still cloth diaper, you know 85% of the time...pretty much always when we're home.  BUT with the threat of no power (and no washer and dryer) I thought we had better be prepared...just in case.  That's the kind of person I am.  A just in case kind.  And I'm turning my daughter into one as well.  I'm not sure if that's a good thing or not.  

So since we were so well stocked, and stuck at home the last few weeks, I thought it was time to get SERIOUS about poddy training.

So we bought undies as well, well more undies actually, Santa was sweet enough to bring us some for Christmas.  But this time, I bought "training underwear" (like those would work better)

I didn't however buy baby legs which would seem would be the next things we need to purchase.  His poor little legs have to be cold!  And of course I was afraid to let him wear his Robeez (as we didn't want them soaked in well, pee) so socks it was...

As you can see, he's a mover.

oh my goodness, i love little tushies in undies!  After YEARS of princesses and pink, these crack me up!

 As you can see, he had no idea (or just didn't care) that I was SERIOUS about going on the poddy, he was more interested in playing.  I love this shirt he has on.  Just as of lately is he a hugger and a kisser.  This shirt was perfect for him, he'd love you...but on his terms.  

"hot, hot" he whispers as he turns on the water.  He likes to run in and wash his hands, without using the poddy...

Soccer is, after all, more important, especially when sissy is home to play with him.  

Since we took his poddy downstairs, we decided it may be a good idea to buy a second one to keep in the main bathroom upstairs.  He had been eyeing this one up for a while every time we were at Babies R Us, so I caved. 

So...Fionn...we're READY.  You have TWO potties, underwear, pull ups for naptime, and as of tonight, and understanding of when you "poop".  Bring it on.  Accidents and all.  

ps. I have NO idea on how to train a little boy and welcome all suggestions.  Maggie and I just try to make sure he has his "jiblet"(as she calls it) tucked in when he sits.  Poor boy, daddy isn't home enough to really help out in this area, soooo...like I said, i welcome ALL suggestions!  Maggie was soooooo easy to poddy train, and was pretty much already there by this age.  I at least want to have it started before Cate gets here, with him on the right track.

So that's what has been happening at our house, lol.  Nothing that exciting, but here it's BIG!

tiny feet, HUGE footprints

Two years ago today I had the pleasure and privilege to help our friends Kristy and Howard welcome their fourth child, Asher Joseph, into this world. Two years ago today, I also joined them as they said good-bye and watched him go home to his heavenly father.

Asher came a little faster than expected, and by the time we made the two hour drive to Erie and made it to the hospital, he had already went to meet our Lord.  His brief 36 minutes on this earth were spend literally SURROUNDED by love.  Not only were his mommy and daddy, big brothers, grandparents, and aunts and uncles there to meet him, but so were a multitude of friends and other family.  Walking into the waiting room of the L&D floor, you would have never known we were all there to say goodbye...because we weren't.
We were there to CELEBRATE his beautiful little life.  No matter how short it was, HE was a part of us, a part of our "family".  For those of you that do not know this story, Asher was not only greeted in Heaven by our Father, but by his big brother, Isaac as well.  It is quite the road our friends have traveled, and if you would like to read more, I urge you to go read their blog to read the story from their persepective.
This story, is from my perspective.  It is about how one little boy can make such a HUGE impact in this world.  I know he and his brother have in mine.  In 2008 I joined Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep in their honor.  It is in their honor that I go, when called, and join other families as they say good-bye as well.  It is in no way easy, I carry a little piece of each child I meet with me.  They effect me, change how I see life, and I could never truly explain the emotions I go through while helping these families.  And if I am having a hard time with a session, I just think about my sweet friend, Kristy, who deals with this grief everyday, and I realize that I have my crazy children to come home to, and it helps me get through.  To remember the grief isn't mine to hold onto.

Every time I walk into a hospital room, I try to think of these parents as I would my friends, I remember the little things that were important to Kristy and Howard, and try to capture the small details for these families as well.  And yes, I think of Asher EVERY time I'm with another family.  I didn't take the pictures of Asher for Howard and Kristy, but I helped them edit them, and put a few things together for them. 

Just for a visualization, let me show you just how big of an impact these Bolte Boys have made in all of our lives.  This was team Isaac in 2007 for Walk America in Erie, Pa. 

 

This was our team picture in 2008, when we became Team Isaac AND Asher.  

and this my friends is our team picture from last year.  There were OTHER Team Isaac and Ashers as well, at other March for Babies across the country.  

These two little boys have left some mighty BIG footprints.  They have helped raise large sums of money for the March of Dimes and in their honor we are getting ready to walk again. 

Today is Asher's 2nd birthday, and if you feel inspired to do so, please help us honor him by donating to the March of Dimes.  Our widget is now up on the sidebar, you can either donate here, or over on Kristy and Howards blog. 

So today we want to wish Asher a sweet 2nd birthday, and thank him for impacting our lives so greatly.