Just like Brother

Mikey wants so much to be like his big brother.  He has to do everything James does.  When we take James to school, Mikey wants to wear a backpack too.  

Last night when we took James out for Ice Cream for pooping in the toilet Mikey threw a big fit because he had to share a blizzard with Dad (like he always does) instead of getting his own ice cream cone like James.  We ended up having to buy another ice cream cone for him.  It is so funny to watch him watch his brother and try to do just what he is doing.  

The other night we were driving home and he threw his ball on the floor.  He was crying and wanting me to get it for him and I told him I would get it when we got home.  Frustrated at not getting his way he said in his most pathetic voice ever, "I neeeeed that!"  Wonder who he learned that from!

Happiness

About a week and a half ago we got a phone call saying that a pipe in our house in Utah had frozen and burst and our basement was flooded.  That was a really bad night for us.  Not being close we couldn't really go and see how bad it was, but from what we were being told, it was bad.  Later we received some pictures from Tim.  

Most of the walls looked like this.  Kind of weird.

This is the ceiling where it broke. 

It has been really frustrating because we have been trying to find renters, with no luck.  Nobody has even gone by to see it, although we had several people stand us up.  It is funny though because the very next day we started getting calls like crazy and Doug even showed it to two people last weekend who both want to sign a lease.

Anyway... despite this I don't think I have even been happier.  It is kind of weird.  I can think of a million reasons to be a little depressed right now, a lot of them having to do with this new town we live in, but none of that seems to matter when I think about it.  Maybe it has something to do with the 6 lbs of strawberries Mikey and I ate last week, we also made a lot of these:

But I don't quite think that is it.  I think it mostly has to do with this:

I think he is trying to be a cat

 And this:

We had a fun night dipping fruit in chocolate
He was a mess!

 And this:

They are best friends

 And mostly this:

I really wish this picture wasn't blurry 

I don't think I have ever been so content with my role as a mother and my choice to be a stay at home mom.  There are so many things that Doug misses every day that I get to be around for.

• Every morning when Mikey wakes up I have to get him out of bed, then "donkey" then "blanket airplane" and then "blanket hat" which means he wants the blanket on his head.
• Every morning I get to share my cereal with either James or Mikey or both
• James often comes out of my room wearing one of my shirts as a "princess".  
• I get to get James from the bus when he gets home from school and he is always grinning from ear to ear and so excited to be home.
• I get to help Mikey go "potty" every time James does, or every time I change his diaper 
• I get to hear the boys laughing and laughing when they are playing together.  They are really best friends.  And they love each other so much.  I would hate to miss any of it.  

I don't think I have been more in love with these two boys.  And that is why, even though I have many reasons to be unhappy, I have never been happier. 

ZiGgLeS: Welcome!

My sister-in-law makes these scrabble tile pendants.  They are so cute and affordable.  She is doing a giveaway if you post about her shop on your blog so here I go.
This is here blog she has set up for the business:

ZiGgLeS: Welcome!: "I've finally gotten around to setting up a Blog for my Ziggles Pendant shop. I started making scrabble tile pendants this past summer and ..."

And here is a link to her shop.  Go ahead and look around.  My personal favorite of course is the Autism Awareness pendant she just made.

Being Home

It has been so nice these past few week just being home.  The boys are starting to get into a routine and enjoying our new house.  They LOVE that they can just go outside whenever.  Except for these past few days, it has been FREEZING!  

I finally got in to see a midwife and have an ultrasound to find out my exact due date.  I was pretty close with my guess and we will be having a new member in our family sometime around July 18th.  I am not too excited about the way things are done here in Clovis but I am sure it will all go well.  Instead of just seeing one doctor or midwife you rotate through and see them all and then when you go into labor whoever is on call is who you get.  We will find out at my next appointment March 2nd if we are having a boy or a girl.  But the lady doing my ultrasound this last time said she was pretty sure it was a boy, so I am not getting my hopes up for a girl.  

Doug is finally moving into his office on the base.  He and his co-workers have been working out of our garage for the past few weeks, and that has been nice for me.  I can run errands during nap time because Dad is home!  

James is LOVING school.  He is learning a ton too.  His new favorite song is the ABC song (which I don't know why he didn't love it when I sing it) and the other day at dinner he started reciting the Pledge of Allegiance.  Last Saturday he had his first gum in hair experience.  He had some gum during nap time and he was crying, but more like I am tired and whinny crying so we just ignored it for a while.  Finally Doug went to check on him and he had ripped this huge patch of hair out of his head trying to get the gum out!  Poor kid.

He also had some homework sent home which was a family project.  He was supposed to decorate this heart with whatever he wanted.  So we made Mikey his own heart and they had a ton of fun gluing tissue paper on their hearts.  Also we have had to big steps in potty training this week.  Once James was at home playing and he yelled "I go Potty" then he ran in the bathroom and went potty.  Another time at school he asked to go potty.  So maybe he will actually be potty trained before this next baby comes.

Mikey is just as fun and cute as ever.  Although this week I think he is working on getting a few teeth out because he has been pretty grumpy.  He is sad to move back into his own room and misses his big brother.  Soon he will get to move into James' room with him, but he is just a little too small still.  But don't tell him that, he thinks he is a big boy and can do anything.  Every time I take James potty Mikey follows me in and pulls at his clothes saying "pee, pee" or "potty" he really wants to be potty trained like his brother.