Forgot this one

Here are the kids with Santa. Jack didn't cry, but check out the expression. There was no talking to Santa, but I would say it is a huge improvement over last year.

Just for laughs, here's last year's picture too.

Long over due...

Whew...it's been busy! Yesterday was the last day of school for me and I am so looking forward to the Christmas break. This semester was really rough! The kids are doing great. It is going to be a very exciting Christmas as Jack is in full Santa/Christmas mode. He is putting together the idea that Christmas is Jesus' birthday. I think it is still all a bit confusing though as Tommy just had a birthday, his neighbor friend had a birthday and now Christmas is Jesus' birthday. I figure the earlier we can really start getting him to hear about it the better! We will be heading to Knoxville later in the week to have Christmas down there.

Anyways, here are some fun pictures of the first real snow that we got today. Jack had a blast!

I also have to brag on Tommy. December 11th was our 5 year wedding anniversary. He was so sweet and had all this laid out when I got home that Friday. The cake is actually a small replica of our cake. He took a picture of ours and took it to someone to make. The kids even went to the neighbor's house so that we could have a quiet dinner (which he cooked!) together. What a treat!

Jump!!

We recently pulled out the jump up to see if Caroline was ready for it. I think both of them have enjoyed it! It's hard to believe that she will be 9 months old this month. She has been such a good, sweet baby. I'm really looking forward to having a couple of weeks off to really enjoy them over the holiday. It will be busy but great!

Halloween Highlights

We took the kids trick or treating today. What a blast! Jack was really into it this year and was basically running from stop to stop. We started the day at Crestview hills for one of those mall trick or treating events. We also tried the new Five Guys and Fries restaurant....yummy! Just be ready for huge portions and a bit of grease. Well worth it though. Anyways, then after naps we went over to the neighbors for some good friends and chilli. We also got to take the little ones around for trick or treating. I saw a few of my high schoolers and kept my head down. Don't want them knowing I lived anywhere around there. We were also naive and left a bowl of candy on our doorstep. When we made it around, our other neighbors told us the 4th group through dumped it all in their bags! Go figure they were big kids. Last year we were able to do that and actually had candy left when we got back. So much for trying to be nice. So here's the pictures of our Batman and monkey!

Fall fun

This weekend fall was really in the air. We headed to a pumpkin patch so we could pet some animals, take a hayride and see some pumpkins. I have to admit, we bought our pumpkins at kroger the day before. Can you believe we only paid $2.99 for these monster pumpkins? Of course, we had to try and put each kid in them. A great time was had by all. Up next, Halloween fun! Jack can't wait to go trick or treating!

Jack and the peanut

This was Jack's first experience with major league baseball and the Reds. Tommy said he loved the peanuts. He is really working hard for it! This still makes me laugh every time!

Fun Video

Sweet Caroline laughing brought on by Jack. Such a sweet sight!

Three!!

It's a little early, but Jack is going to be 3 on Wednesday! (It gets crazy during the week and I probably won't have time to do this!) Where has the time gone. This time of year gets me thinking back to all the anticipation we had for his birth and then all of the things that we never could have imagined that followed soon after his birth. October 12 is a day I will never forget. That's the day that Jack was admitted to the hospital with the diagnosis of his ASD/VSD (heart defects). There was nothing that could have prepared us for the months that would follow. We truly are so blessed to have Jack as a part of our lives. And even more so, we are blessed that he is now the healthy, active and intelligent little boy that he is! Thank you for all the thoughts and prayers that so many of you have had for us over the past 3 years.

It's started

I'm home today as Caroline is sick. Atleast we made it through almost a full month of school before one of the kids got sick. At the high school, sickness is all over the place. They aren't really saying anymore if it is really swine flu, but alot of kids are really sick. I'm just saying prayers that we don't get it. Caroline came home yesterday and took a good long nap. When Tommy got home, she woke up and he noticed she was burning up. She had almost a 102 temperature! Some tylenol and naps later, it has finally come down some this morning. It is so pitiful to see your baby obviously not feeling well. Jack went on it to school this morning so that Caroline could get some good rest today and to keep them apart while she might still have something. Anyways, since I had a few minutes while she is sleeping, thought I would share some new pictures...

Day out with Thomas event that we did this weekend. Jack got to ride on Thomas the Train!

Trying to get a shot of both of them smiling!

Love that smile.

Jack trying to read to Caroline

Another Thomas picture. Can you believe this boy is about to be 3???

Back to Reality

Things have drastically changed in the Bowman household. I started back to work 2 weeks ago and everyone's schedule changed! I am now up at 5:15 to start the day. The rest of the crew is up around 6 to get dressed and feed before our days at work and school. Jack had a seamless transition back into school. He loves his friends and teachers and is already doing great again. Caroline also did very well in her transition to daycare. The only hard part was getting her to take good naps there. The first few days were a bit rough as she came home with red eyes and a bit cranky because she wasn't wanting to take a nap. The teachers kept saying how social she was! She wanted to smile and laugh at everyone through her exhaustion! This week has been much better though. Tommy also started back to school this week. He is finishing his last stretch at Thomas More to get his bachelor's degree. We'll be so glad to have that completed. I finished my master's degree this past summer. We are definitely ready to stop making tution payments!

Jack is still playing soccer. Each week has been progressively...different. Week one he was all about it. He played hard and didn't want to stop. Week 2...our fault. We brought gatorade (like all the other kids...I know, I know...) and he just wanted to sit on the side and drink his "blue juice." This past week, my parents and the Gautraud's came to watch the game. Jack decided to lay down, sit on the ball, and throw fits. I ended up having to run around the field with him. We have the next two weeks off from games, so maybe the break will be good for him.

Here are a few new pictures.

Loss of a Companion

Last night was a first for Jack. He slept with out his paci. We had been putting it off and putting off for the last little while. The child is going to be 3 soon...it needs to go. Now, I do have to say, he was only using it at night and naptime, but still, it needs to go. So, the question was, how do we do it? Do we "accidentally" leave it somewhere? That would lead to a breakdown. Would we tie it to a balloon and let it float away? Would he then associate every balloon with is paci? Would he be searching for it? No, we just snipped the end and watched his reaction.

"It's broken," he said.

So what's his solution, "Daddy, put some water on it."

Water won't work...sorry. So what happened then? He came up with a new solution for how it broke. First, he said he stepped on it. Then, by the morning, it turned out that dinosaur stepped on it and broke it. So what do you do with a broken paci? You throw it away. That near broke my heart as Jack walked in the kitchen and tossed his beloved paci in the thrashcan. I about cried for him! He did well though. He asked for it a couple of times before settling in for sleep. Then he got up at 4am and asked me where it was. I reminded him of throwing it away and he went back to sleep. Same process for nap today. Let's just hope every day gets better! I'm waiting for him to find some of the pacis that Caroline doesn't use and try to take those!

Too much to blog about

So we've been busy with life lately and I don't think I could even sit down and blog about it all! I get bad about not doing this regularly and then there's not enough time to upload all the pictures I would like. One big this is Jack starting soccer today. It was fun watching him. He did great. I was afraid he would be one of those kids that was crying on the side without us playing with him. Instead, he was out there running like crazy and having a great time. He even followed directions pretty well. We look forward to the rest of the season. I'm just going to put a link to the photos of the day...

http://picasaweb.google.com/twb2500/JackSSoccer?authkey=Gv1sRgCPP86KjmtaL7MA&feat=directlink

What else...Caroline is eating solids now. I've made her some squash, sweet potatoes, green beans, apples and pears. She really seems to be enjoying it. I took her to practice at daycare the other day and they said she even wanted more cereal than I brought! I think we have a healthy eater on our hands. I just hope I can keep up with her and pumping once I head back to work on the 17th. Way too soon! I know I can't be too hard on myself though. Formula isn't a bad thing. I just really want to nurse as long as possible and keep her on breastmilk for cold and flu season! That's my goal anyways.

We had several doctor's appt this week. So far all is good. Just trying to get everything done before school starts back up.

One thing I have to share that really made me laugh. We had lunch with one of Jack's favorite heart nurses from the times we spent at Children's Hospital. Jaime has a special place in our heart! Anyways, at lunch, Jack decided to show Jaime his scar. (He had noticed it the other night and Tommy explained it all to him...in a way an almost 3 year old would understand.) He proceeded to tell Jaime that he got his scar from falling down on the driveway. I just had to laugh. If only that was how he got it. Here's reminder at what a blessing he is!

Here's Jack 2 weeks after his heart surgery when he was 3.5 months old. In his words, that was a good fall on the driveway!

Crockpot Yogurt

So I've never been a real natural, green person, but since getting married and having kids, things are changing. I've got a garden, doing some sewing, and now making my own yogurt. Small steps, but we are getting there. (no cloth diapers here though!) Here's the link I used for the yogurt...great stuff!

http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/2008/10/you-can-make-yogurt-in-your-crockpot.html

Jack keeps asking for more. We made strawberry-banana and raspberry for this go around. It makes a ton. I'm going to try and half next time. Next thing...anybody have know-how on composting?

Who's Who???

I think the resemblance is uncanny. Definitely a daddy's boy!

4 months

Caroline is now just over 4 months. We went for her checkup yesterday and she is doing great! She now weighs 12 pounds 12 ounces. I guess she's slowed just a bit. At her 6 week check, she was in the 65th percentile. Now she is sitting at the 30th. The doctor wasn't phased by the drop. I guess Tommy and I are just not meant to have monster babies! She's still a lot plumper than Jack ever was! I love her full cheeks and rolly thighs! She's also a long baby in the 60th percentile for her length. I figured that as some of her 3-6 month things are actually getting short. We also go the go-ahead to start with some solids. I was already prepared. Once home, we got out the oatmeal and tried some. I've also been working hard to making so great summer veggies into baby food to save for when she's ready. So far we are stocked up on green beans and sweet potatoes. I need to do some butternut squash and some fruit. Let's hope she likes it! Here are some pictures of the first cereal attempts. She seemed to enjoy it and want more. It was just difficult getting it to go down instead of all over the bib. Or the fun part...her hands that contantly went to the mouth and then cereal was everywhere. Of course, Jack wanted to be a part too. He kept wanting to try the oatmeal (mixed with breastmilk). I let him try...check out his reaction. I think it was just because it wasn't like the normal sweetened oatmeal I have!

Getting ready for first food!

During the process. Alot of it came out!

Jack having to take a turn...yum oatmeal with breastmilk!

Not so sure about it.

Telling me he's all finished!

Sitting Pretty

Caroline is really growing! She will be 4 months on the 20th. We pulled out the old bebe pod seat to see how she would do. Of course, before we could put her in, Jack had to try it out. I can't believe he still fit in it.

Jack taking his turn.

One of my favorite pictures from when Jack was little. It's funny that he still fits!

Caroline's turn!

They are so sweet. Now we just have to figure out the whole getting them to smile at the same time thing.

Jack's finished sharing the camera with Caroline. Back to Jack time.

First Harvest and a Good Night's Sleep

Yesterday was a good day at the Bowman garden. Jack helped me to harvest all these vegetables! He has been a good helper out in the garden. He will pick weeds (I just have to keep an eye on the things that he thinks are weeds!) He also got a little excited when we picked the red tomatoes. He then started handing me green tomatoes as well. And I was pleasantly surprised when at dinner he ate his whole serving of squash and zucchini that we had sauteed. I kept reminding him that he helped them grow and that he picked them from the garden. That seemed to make all the difference! We even got one small sugar snap pea and Jack had half of it! Hopefully taking some responsibility in the garden will make him be a bit more adventurous in his table habits. I wonder if that would work with Tommy for his eating squash, zucchini, and tomatoes! Hopefully soon we'll have some cucumbers, peppers, jalapenos and others to go with our harvest!

On another note...Caroline slept all the way through the night last night! There wasn't a peep out of her. Before last week, she was still getting up for a 3am feed. After I taught my week long class at NKU, I knew that feed had to go. I was getting up at 3 to feed her and then at 5:30 to get ready for the day. I had an awful hard time actually getting back to sleep after feeding her. Starting the day at 3 and going all day was just not going to happen in August. So last week began the process of breaking that feed. The first couple of nights were really rough. I let her cry (and Tommy was happy to enjoy the guest bed in the basement and not hear anything!). Jack didn't wake up in his room next door either. Then she started waking, fussing a few minutes, and going back to sleep. Her first feed would then begin at 6am. That will work out great for August. I will be able to feed her once before school. But last night, I rolled out of bed for my 3am pumping (building a freezer supply) and didn't hear anything from anyone. Then at 6:30, I heard Tommy getting ready. He assumed I had fed Caroline already but was surprised when I said I hadn't. I was bad...I woke her up to feed her. I know, I should let a sleeping baby sleep, but there is something nice about having her on a good feeding schedule. It just helps out with our day and keeping a 2 year old happy as well. So I fed her and she went right back to sleep! Yay for Caroline!

First Swim and new photos

The summer has been lots of fun. We are trying to do fun stuff, but I tell you, it's a different world with 2 kids!

Here's Caroline at her first swim party. She got in a little float and fell asleep in about 10 minutes. Atleast she didn't cry!

Jack had a great time swimming...once we finally got him in. He really did have a good time. He just didn't like the noodle here! He keeps asking to swim in the big pool. I guess we'll have to make another trip to a big swimming pool, not just his kiddie pool in the backyard.

Our friend Lauren took some pictures again last weekend. We took some family photos and then some for Caroline since she is now 3 months old!

They love each other!

Pretty girl! She's getting so big.

Caroline and Daddy

Yay! We figured out how to do video on our camera and now I can upload to our page! Here's the first video Tommy made. He got Caroline talking to him.

Quick Update

While everyone is sleeping, I'm taking a break from grad school homework! Only a couple more weeks and I'll have my masters...whohoo! Anyways, about Jack. He's doing great still with the potty. The last two nights, he's even slept in big boy underwear and woken up dry. He doesn't want to wear a diaper anymore, which I think is a big deal in the whole process. He likes to pee and really likes getting a sticker. The pooping...we're still getting there. Those have been the only real accidents we've had. He has gone a few times and is sleeping with the little dinosaurs and frogs that he's gotten as incentives. So, I guess we found some good prizes. And better yet, a huge bunch of them only cost $1 at a yard sale. Good buy, I guess.

One thing that I think has been good as well is keeping a little potty in the back of the car. He says he likes to pee in Mommy's car. Kind of scary! He will tell me he has to go, I pull over, and he pees in the back of the pilot. Good thing for IKEA's $3 potties!

I hear Caroline stirring. Better get her before Jack is up too. It took him a while to go down today. He told me "no nap Mommy" and that "Jack slept good last night." Well, Mommy won. I needed to get some homework done!

Yay Jack!

We are on day 5 of potty training. Day 4 was such a good day. Jack was able to wear the same pair of big boy underwear (with dinosaurs, I might add) ALL day long! That's right...absolutely no accidents. We even visited the ENT for a tube check-up and he stayed dry the entire time and peed on the potty while there.

He's also been waking up dry from the night and after naps. Today when I put him down for nap, he was adamant about not wanting a diaper. So, we'll see how he does during nap with no diaper! What is the worst that could happen? I might have to wash sheets. But if it makes him feel like a big boy, I'll let him try.

I also like to think that Jack got a bit of my mathematical blood. He likes to examine the volume of the urine after he's gone. It's either a baby pee or a big, big pee. That a boy!

We've just got to really get him comfortable with pooping though. He did manage the other night, but wanted to hold my hands while performing. I guess it can be kind of scary for them. Oh well...we'll just keep the incentives coming.

These have been some long days of potty, nursing, potty, laundry, etc, etc...but it's really starting to pay off. I'm so proud of the little guy...and I think he can tell by my excitement. We've also learned a lot of new songs while waiting on the potty!

Potty Training: Day 3

So far so good in the world of potty training. Today was a big improvement over the others. This morning we've only had one accident and actually had poopy on the potty! That's a big thing. Jack's also realizing when he has to go and initiates the sitting on the potty. We've tried to stay home to really focus on that. We did sneak out to a pool party with David and Michael yesterday. Caroline and Mackenzie also had a playdate of their own.

Jack can barely keep up the 12-18 month swim trunks! He eventually just ran around in his swim diaper.

The girls really get along well.