5 Monday Randoms

1.  My amniotic fluid levels were a bit low last week when I had my ultrasound so my doctor told me I needed to rest more, not over-do it, and drink lots of water.  The water I can do, and its oh so much fun to have to use the bathroom every 10 minutes!  The resting....well, I'm doing better.  Trying to work in the morning so I can put my feet up a bit while Benjamin naps.  I have an appt tomorrow so hopefully things are still looking great with this little boy!  Only 20 days until my due date :-)

2.  Today Benjamin played with Play-Doh.  I always forget to let him do this.  When he was younger he didn't like the texture and thought it was yucky.  Today he had a great time and played for about 35 minutes!

3.  I got a package full of PartyLite goodies in the mail today as a Christmas present from Peter's sister Steph (thanks!!!!)  I love candles and it was fun to have a mini-Christmas in the middle of January.  One of the items I got was this super cute warmer which I'm going to put in our room.

4.  Peter always asks Benjamin to go poop on the toilet and he'll get M&M's....even though we are not going to even remotely try potty training until we get adjusted to life with 2 boys.  But he has sat on the toilet before and tonight he cried until Peter would let him sit on there before bathtime.  He's so funny.  Nothing happened but he looked pretty stinkin cute and pretty stinkin old!!

5.  Today I made a cake, mostly for my wonderful husband because it's one of his favorite desserts.  We're planning another hot date consisting of a slice of cake, peppermint tea, and another Republican debate.  How we're able to keep our day jobs with our crazy night life is beyond me?!?  :-)



Just keep swimming......another time!

Friday night we were supposed to have an EPIC girls Bible study night but we canceled because nearly all the girls had something come up last minute.  So instead, we decided to meet the Zderads for a night of swimming at the community pool.

Benjamin was SO. EXCITED.  He scarfed down his dinner and coul't wait to put on his swimsuit and go swimming with his friends.  Peter blew up his new swim toys from Christmas and the excitement was building...

we got in the car and when we got to the pool there was no one there and it was dark.  Apparently there was a swim meet the next day so they had canceled open swim for that night.  I thnk I literally felt my heart sink.  Because I knew just how disappointed Benjamin was going to be.  Neither one of us wanted to break the news to him.

He took it pretty well, he just got really quiet and kept saying "maybe we go open the door.  Maybe we go swimming.  Maybe they will open."  It was kind of pitiful.  Thankfully we decided to meet at McDonalds instead to have some ice cream and let the kiddos play.  Benjamin had a blast playing with his friends, eating a cone, and we had a great time chatting with our friends!  We're hoping to take him swimming soon....maybe even on his birthday in less than 2 weeks.  He's going to be 2 which is a whole other reason to make me feel sad.  Am I really going to have a 2 year old?!?!?!

Anyway, the rest of the weekend was spent being productive around the house.  Benjamin found a new place to drink his morning milk!

We ran errands on Saturday morning and came home so Benjamin could nap.  While he napped we worked on some projects for his big boy room and Peter went and got his hair cut.  We made a lot of progress in his room and I'll try to take some pictures soon.  It's nothing fancy but its making his room more cheerful....and cheerful on a tight budget :-)

Today we enjoyed our church service, had our annual business meeting, and we all came home and napped.  Benjamin was soooo tired but woke up after an hour and a half.  I thought Peter was going to bring him into our room but he slept with him on his bed.  They cuddled and slept together which was adorable.  Then they slept in the same position so I had to take a picture.  It was shortly after I took the picture that Benjamin started jumping on Daddy's belly singing the Veggie Tales theme song over and over as loud as he could, ha!!  Peter is seriously the best dad, I love watching him and his little boy.

Peter went to Sunday night church tonight, we're half watching Finding Nemo while playing with Thomas the Train and soon it'll be bedtime for our little guy!  Can't believe the weekend has flown by....hopefully I can have a productive week without overdoing it too much.



Sheets for the big boy bed!

Yesterday, the new sheets for Benjamin's big boy bed arrived in the mail.  We had wanted to find some with tractors, airplanes, etc but weren't finding any like that in the store.  When I looked online they were super expensive, but I found ones I liked on ebay (they were brand new) and it had a Make Your Own Offer option.  So I made a low offer and it was accepted!!

I'll take pictures of the bed once I'm finished with all the little touches of the room, but here is what the sheets look like.

They're perfect because they have tractors, airplanes, trains, firetrucks, dumptrucks and cement mixers.  Benjamin is OBSESSED with this stuff right now!

I put the sheets on his bed and he was SO EXCITED.  He laid his head down and couldn't believe he got to sleep on airplanes, tractors, etc.  It was fun to watch him be so excited.  This morning when he woke up he kept pointing to all the different vehicles and saying their names.  When I asked him this morning if he slept good, he said "Yes, I sleep on firetrck!"  :-)

Now I have to finish a few more little projects to turn our guest room into his big boy room!  I enjoy working on it though!

Here are my boys reading stories last night before bedtime....

and here's my little man this morning.  This is his "CHEESE" face!  (Thanks for the pj's again Jack!!)

Happy Friday!



Full Day

Today was a good, full day.  This morning I was greeted by our sweet little boy knocking on our bedroom door.  Yes, the sweet little boy who was told to stay in bed until Mommy came to get him in the morning!  Ha :-)  I watched him on the monitor when he woke up around 7:15.  He rolled over, played with his animals, read a few books I had placed on his bed, then climbed out, opened his door and came across the hall to come see his Mommy.  I made him get back in bed, I went to the bathroom, then I came back to get him.  He fought naptime a little bit today but settled down after being told twice to stay in bed.  Tonight he didn't get out of bed, he just takes a lot longer to fall asleep because he has so much extra space to roll in, play in, and explore.  I'm still undecided whether as to whether or not he'll stay in his new big boy bed, but for now he's doing pretty good.  It just makes me sad to see him in such a big bed.  Where is my BABY?!??!  Even Peter was a bit emotional sneaking into his room before we went to bed last night.  It just all happens so fast and sometimes I just want my little baby Benjamin back.  Mostly I just feel blessed to have such an amazing, growing little boy and blessed that I get to be his mommy.

Here is a picture of him sleeping in his big boy bed...his head should be the other way :-)  I'll get a better picture when his new room is all set up.

I had a dr. appt this morning and everything is going well.  I'm going to have an ultrasound on Thursday just to check the little guy's size and make sure he's still growing on track.  After lunch Kristen came over so we could plan out the events for our EPIC girls group.  Then I taught a piano lesson, and went to pick up one of the high school gals from our group so she could come over for dinner and make some lemon bars and pasta salad for our small group tomorrow night.

I took her home, we got Benjamin to bed, now we're relaxing and watching Courageous.  I had to share this funny picture though.  Peter thought it was a bit cold in our house tonight despite the fact that the fireplace is on (granted, it has been raining buckets today with lots of wind!) but still, it wasn't really that cold.  But after he went upstairs to get some pj's on, he came down looking like this....

yep, he's a dork.  But he's my dork and I love him!



Productive Day Off

It's pretty safe to say that I'm in full on gotta-prep-for-the-baby-coming-in-4-weeks mode.  Once our Christmas trip was over and the decorations came down, it hits you that OH WOW, we are going to have a newborn again.  And soon!

So, along comes a little thing called nesting :-)

My husband might call it "what a dumb excuse to break your back when you have a day off of work" but I prefer nesting!

Today I went through Benjamin's clothes and put away all the 18-24 month stuff that no longer fits.  Then I cleaned out the closet in that room that had shelves full of baby items that he obviously isn't using at the moment, but needed re-organizing for his baby brother.  So I oganized blankets, crib sheets, burp cloths, etc.  I also cleaned out the closet in our guest room, since we're rearranging what we'll be storing in there.

Meanwhile Peter was helping to rearrange the bed in our guestroom so it could be up against the wall and have the guardrail put on.  The guest room is going to be Benjamin's BIG BOY room.  I can't believe I'm even saying that!  We decided to try and see if he'd sleep on the full size bed we have in there starting today and if it didn't work, we'd keep him in his crib longer.  He was SOOO excited to be on the big boy bed and though it took him 20 minutes to fall asleep because he was so antsy, he did fall asleep, stayed in bed, and slept for 3 hours!  Hooray!  Tonight he's sleeping there again and though it's taking him longer to fall asleep he hasn't got out of bed.  Now, I really DO think he's going to get out early in the morning, but we shall see.  If we lose too much sleep we'll just put him back in his room.

I have been finding/bringing out some items to decorate his new big boy room.  It's going to have kind of a train/plane/tractor/transportation theme because he is sooo obsessed with those things right now.  I'll post pictures as I get things done!

While Benjamin napped Peter went and chopped wood for a guy in our church that really needed that help.  When Ben woke up, we went to Wal-Mart for some more big tote tubs, came home and fixed leftover strogonov for dinner, then got back to work on cleaning things out.  Peter went through technology boxes, I got out lots of baby gear, got out the 0-6 month baby boy clothes, Peter put Christmas decorations up in the new attic storage.  We made a Goodwill pile and a craigslist pile and though we're not finished, we got a huge chunk done and it feels great (though we are both very very tired and I think baby boy thinks I may have overdone it a bit!)

Tonight, we're going to be super exciting and probably eat some dessert while watching the Republican debate.  Don't everyone swarm our house with visits all at once....I know we are just full of good times!  Closet cleaning and political debates, man, we're getting old!

Benjamin was great most of the day and had a grand old time playing and "helping" us with our projects.  We kinda love him :-)

 he saw Mommy drinking coffee while checking her email and covered in a blanket this morning, and later in the morning this is what I found!  My sweet(ornery) mini-me :-)

 he is very much into his Little People right now and was soooo proud that he stacked them all onto his truck.  He kept exclaiming "I got WOTS and WOTS of PEOPLES!"

 looking stinkin' cute (and a bit dorky) in his pj's :-)

 our sweet almost 2 year old boy!!

while we were busy cleaning out closet/storage messes, Benjamin was busy making messes of his own!  At least he was happily entertained though right?? :-)



It's Friday!!

Just a few thoughts in my head on this Friday afternoon!

1)  I have about 4 1/2 weeks before we are "due" to meet our second little boy.  That is CRAZY.  I'm starting to get that excited/nervous feeling and can't wait to see what he looks like, his personality, etc.  Let's hope that I can take advantage of this long weekend to get a few closets cleaned out and maybe get the 0-3months baby boy clothes tubs out!

2)  I'm pretty sure it's one of the greatest things in life to hear your child randomly singing as he plays.  Today he was building a tower and singing "Every Day with Jesus"  Melts a mamas heart :-)

3)  I've been reading a new devotional book I got for Christmas (thanks Anita!) called The Other Side of the Garden covering God's plan for Biblical womanhood.  It's been amazing so far and I'll probably have to write up a review when I'm done!

4)  I'm going to make brownie sundaes with homemade chocolate sauce tonight for the first time in a looong time.  I told Peter that at lunch and I think he rose up and called me "blessed"  Okay, so maybe not, but he was excited!  Hopefully we can find a good movie to watch while we enjoy dessert and a night at home.

5)  I've been looking for some full size sheets with planes/trains/cars on them for Benjamin's big boy room and so far what I've found either has terrible feedback or are $90.00 which is SO not happening.  We may settle for something else but Benjamin is just soooo obsessed with all things transportation right now!

6)  My church is going to give me a baby shower for our 2nd little guy but I'm at a loss as to what to put on the list of things we need other than diapers/wipes.  We really don't need anything but they sweetly insist on the shower so I need to find some gift ideas pronto.

7)  The sunshine of the past couple of days has been awesome!  Benjamin and I bundled up yesterday and went for a walk and it was great even though it's still cold.  Between our long walk, cleaning our house, lots of laundry, etc, my back is speaking very angry words to me at the end of the day.  Luckily I have a sweet hubby who gives me a gentle backrub most nights before bed which helps silence the angry back a bit :-)

8)  Benjamin is big into jokes right now.  The other day we told him that he was being funny when he said "Peas Please" and so he said that over and over as his "joke" and we would laugh and laugh.  Today I taught him to say "Nacho cheese!" when I ask him what kind of cheese isn't his.  He's super cheesy (no pun intended) and super adorable, we can't help but crack up at him!

9)  I'm excited for Courageous to come out on DVD next Tuesday.  It's hard to find good, clean movies to watch lately.

10)  Why am I constantly hungry?  As in, I'm always looking for a snack within an hour of finishing a meal.  And I'm hoping that this blog will distract me from wanting to snack some more before I fix dinner tonight.  It must be the baby right??? :-)

HAPPY FRIDAY :-)

Christmas in Ohio!!

We got to Aunt Jennifer's house on Sunday evening.  Anita, Nate and her kiddos arrived a few hours later and we all sat down to a late roast beef dinner...soooo good!

We just took it easy on Monday, letting the kids play together while we caught up on one another's lives.  I couldn't believe how big my nieces and nephews were....it had been almost 3 years since I'd seen Josh, Caleb, Hannah and Jason, they seemed huge to me!

Tuesday morning we loaded up the cars and headed to West Virginia for a family reunion with some more relatives on Peter's mom's side.  We met up with Peter's sister Stephanie and her kids, Poppy & Gong Gong, Peter's grandma, his Aunt & Uncle and their 2 kids, a cousin and his wife, and another Aunt & Uncle.  It was a full cabin at meal times :-)  I had met all but one of the Aunt and Uncle's before and it was good to see everyone!  We all split up into different cabins for sleeping but spent lots of time together during the day chatting, eating, walking, swimming, golfing, etc.  It was a beautiful setting and a fun time!  We left to return to Ohio on Thursday morning after breakfast.

 lots of great cousin time!

 our growing family!

the whole reunion crew in the lodge!  All 29 of us!!!

Steph's family and Peter's parents came back to Jennifer's house after the reunion so we had a full house of 11 kids and 9 adults!!  We spent the next few days running errands, playing games, chasing kids, going to church and staying up until midnight for New Year's Eve.  It was definitely a full house but Jennifer was the.most.amazing.hostess.ever and it was such a great time! 

 the power went out (seriously!) while I was playing a Christmas carol and everyone was singing. It stayed out for the next hour so we had a Christmas brought to us by flashlights and candles.  Not ideal, but it worked and makes for a great memory!

 the 2 youngest of the bunch, wondering how they're going to survive all the chaos :-)

 celebrating Jen's 40th(I mean 28th) birthday!

 inhaling some New Year's goodies!

 ready to watch the ball drop ringing in 2012

Peter & his dad worked on a project most of the week putting in a floor in the attic above Josh & Caleb's room

 family picture at Jen's church

 Poppy, GongGong and all their grandkids

3 generations of Klinglers

Steph and her kids had to leave on Sunday afternoon which was super sad.  Peter, Anita, Nate and Josh  headed out to Cleveland that afternoon for a Browns game!  I was planning on going until the last minute because I was afraid it would wipe me out too much with all that travel and sitting in the bleachers, etc.  So Josh took my ticket and had a great time.  It was a good game even though they lost.

The rest of the week was spent just enjoying each other's company, attending the kid's various school events, cooking, keeping our kids from breaking anything, staying up too late, and just enjoying time with each other.  Unfortunately there was a bit of a flu bug going around and though it didn't seem to last long, its never fun to feel sick. 

One of the days we headed toward Miamisburg, which is Peter's hometown, to visit the Air Force Museum, hit a few favorite food spots, and see his old stomping grounds/house.  Anita and Nate took Katie with them, and we took Benjamin with us.  We had a great time at the museum, it was hardly busy at all and Benjamin had THE BEST time just running around looking at all the airplanes, helicopters and rockets.  He kept saying "LOOK UP!"  "LOTS AND LOTS OF AIRPLANES!"

I didn't read much at the museum, but it was fun to watch it through his eyes.

Afterward we hit up an Esther Price chocolates store, ate at Frisch's Big Boy for lunch, then drove around Miamisburg taking in a few spots where Peter had so many memories from the 15 years he lived there. We also hit a Friendly's before we headed home.

 wearing his super cool Captain Benjamin pin from Aunt Nita :-)

 Benjamin got a 2 minute nap before lunch!

 this is out of order but its my guys at the park Peter played at every day as a boy!

 cousins at the museum!

 my goal of the day was to make sure this little guy followed this rule!  Ha :-)

 he spent most of his time running from plane to plane

 and pushing every button he could on the hands on sections!

 The Jolly Green Giant that my dad flew in during the Vietnam War

 standing in front of the Huey my dad flew in too!

 it really is an awesome museum

 swinging at Daddy's childhood park

 a nostalgic Daddy telling his son the tales of his youth :-)

 Benjamin was NOT HAPPY when we had to leave the park!

 standing in front of his childhood home!

 he stopped by his elementary school and the only teacher that remained from his time there just happened to be his favorite 4th grade teacher!  How fun!!

 we of course had to end the day by sharing a Reeses Pieces sundae at Friendly's!  It's our vacation tradition and this time we got to have Benjamin there too!

he kept saying "this is soooo yummy, this is sooooo yummy"

The last couple days were spent hanging out and just enjoying being together.  We had to leave on Friday morning and though we don't dread going back to Oregon, we really hate that we don't get to see all of our family more often.  It was really sad to leave!

Travel day coming back was overall pretty smooth.  Benjamin didn't sleep a minute on the plane, but took a 1/2 hour nap in the stroller during a layover while we ate lunch.  He was a little high maintenance on the plane, but considering we were either driving in a car, at an airport or on a plane for nearly 10 1/2 hours, he did great.  We were SO TIRED when we got home, but I got a second wind and we unpacked everything and gave Benjamin a bath then we headed to bed right after we put him down.  We were SO excited to put Benjamin in his own room that night and sleep in our own bed.  Most of the nights while we were in Ohio he got pulled into bed with us at some point because he slept in a playpen right next to our bed and once he realized this, there was no keeping him quiet once he woke up and wanted in with us.  Being almost 9 months pregnant with a 2 year olds set of feet at your face most of the night is not exactly comfortable.  I love our little guy to pieces, but he just needs his own bed :-)

Saturday we spent the day at home doing nothing.  Benjamin played with all his new Christmas toys, we read and watched online shows and it was pure. bliss.  It was really nice to relax and rest a little bit, because this pregnant mama was worn out from all that traveling.  We ate spaghetti that night and called it another early night.

 we literally spent all day in our pajamas, it was awesome

 he is OBSESSED!

 hooray for Thomas! (and hooray for trying to have an almost 2 year adjust back to the Pacific Time Zone....3 hour difference from Ohio!)

ending the day with a little bit of Finding Nemo.  Life is good for this little boy!

Sunday we went back to our own church and it was great to see everyone.  We ate lunch at Pizza Hut with friends, all took a nap, then played until Sunday night service.  We went to bed fairly early again because we knew that Monday morning was coming all too quick. 

We had such a great time in Ohio and will have such fun memories of our Christmas together!  Sorry to write such a novel, but this is really my only form of scrapbooking and I want to remember everything!  I'll probably update this with more pictures once I get some "missing parts of the trip" pictures from Anita.