Ezekiel celebrated his 2nd birthday today with party and special events. He is so fun to play things up with. We started a few days ago working on teaching Ezekiel that he is going to be TWO. Yesterday, I took the boys to the party store to get the supplies for the party today. Malachi & I ended up singing happy birthday to him in the check out line. How fun:)
We had worked hard on Thursday night to get some serious cleaning done. We were working even harder last night...then Daniel decided we needed to paint the second bathroom Which, it actually didn't take that long to paint, and we got to bed about 11:30pm. Not too shabby.
Today, Daniel had to work a few hours at the church before the party at 10:30am. Yes, I said 10:30! It was great!!! All I had to do was get showered and put the veggie tray together. Daniel bakes and iced the Mickey Mouse cake last night (after painting). The family & friends arrived. Daniel put out the bounce house, which the kids LOVED. We did Mickey Mouse stamped fingers. Then it was have snacks, cut the cake, and open presents. We were done by noon, and we didn't have to feed anyone a full meal.
Of the 5 birthday parties I have "planned" as a mom, and the numerous I have attended in the past few years, this was by far the best! I was worried about having it at our little house, but it all worked out well. I can't say that our neighbors appreciated our crowded little street or the noisy bounce house before 11am, but we had a great time!
When we got Ezekiel up this morning, we sang to him (all 3 of us). He wore his favorite Mickey Mouse t-shirt that he got for Christmas. AND we were lucky enough to have "story-time" Saturday on Disney, so it was 2 hours of Mickey Mouse Clubhouse while I got ready and made a few finishing touches before people began arriving. It's unusual for me to allow them to watch that much tv, but I knew they would be busy, and I didn't want them running all over the house early.
Ezekiel loved the singing of Happy Birthday and would insert his name as he sung it on his own, occasionally. Mickey Mouse was an excellent theme. He didn't get a ton of stuff, and it was all useful and loved by the boys. Not to mention, he brought in over $50 cash. Target & Build-a-Bear will love us.
This evening we took Ezekiel for his favorite meal of pizza to one of our former frequenting spots. We splurged (because we haven't been out to eat in a long time) and got pizza, lasagna, garlic knots, & cheesy garlic bread. All-in-all it was a fabulous day, and I couldn't have imagined a better experience of Ezekiel on his 2nd birthday.
Happy 2nd Birthday, Ezekiel Luke!!!
Money! Ezekiel shared with his great-grandma.
Malachi & Renee wanted to help Ezekiel play with his toys.
Renee is Ezekiel's "girlfriend." They hug on each other and love to play together.
There are already people in Renee's family planning the wedding:)
Ezekiel wanted to keep showing Grandpa his new toys.
Daniel blew up the Bounce House. Ezekiel, Malachi, Riley, & Isiah had a great time jumping.
Mickey Mouse birthday cake
Today, I told Malachi to go wash his hands. He went to the bathroom, turned the water on high & hot, and began to wash. He then said, "Mommy, pull my hands up!" Meaning: pull my sleeves up. How funny!
"Broccoli, Sara Lee, gotta be, VeggieTales." - Celery
At dinner tonight...
Z - (pooted) I poot
Daniel - yes, you did
Me - say excuse me
Z - skooz - ee, I poot
Z - I poot (much louder and in the cutest voice)
M & D - lots of giggles (tried to suppress them but only encourage the Z-man)
Z - Daddy, I poot! I poot! I poot!
At 4:45am (this morning)...
Malachi - (knock, knock, knock) Mommy!
Me - (opens door) What's wrong, sweetie?
MJ - Mommy, I said bleh in my bed.
M - did you through up in your bed.
MJ - Yes, I said bleh in my bed.
M - did you get any on you?
MJ - No, I said bleh on my bed.
M - OK. go lay on the couch while I clean it up.
(Thankfully, it wasn't much and he felt better by about 10am.)
Last Tuesday (day after MLK, Jr. Day), we had about 2 inches of snow with some rain underneath that caused a little bit of ice. So, there was no school. AND IT WAS MY BIRTHDAY!!! I enjoyed hanging out with my boys and having a leisurely dinner that evening when everything had melted. Here are some pictures of both the boys "playing" in snow for the first time in their short, little lives.
Malachi was almost afraid of the snow. Ezekiel enjoyed walking through it and kicking a ball into the street. Go figure.
Also, on Wednesday (this week), Malachi had his first dentist appointment. He sat and watched me first. I tried to show him how "unpainful" it was. He wouldn't sit in the seat by himself. He sat with me. He was all right for the first 5 minutes. After that, I had to use one of my legs to restrain his from kicking. I used one arm to restrain his arms for flailing, and I used the other arm to keep his head as still as possible. He fought through half of the "brushing," all of the flossing, and all of the fluoride treatment. Then he picked out stickers & toothbrushes for he and Z. He was fine after that. Here's a picture of how splotchy and red he was when it was finished.
BUT...Since then, he has talked about and asked me to help with brushing in circles. Last night he let me floss his teeth. Tonight he wanted me to floss his teeth. Wow!!! He'll do fine next time. He doesn't like new things, so once it is over once, he tends to remember and be better.
We also found out at this appointment that he has two teeth that grew in fused together. She said his grown-up teeth should not follow suit. She said that since his teeth were so close together we need to floss at least a few times a week, and that it was highly likely he would need braces due to his mouth being tight before the big teeth come in. Yay! I can see the bills piling up already. J/K;)
P.S. I know I never finished Christmas pictures. I'll have to get on that one day sometime soon (lots of sarcasm intended).
Malachi-isms
- "It's a-hind me." We're working on BEhind instead of a-hind.
- "I have full hands!" - My hands are full.
- "My-lick-ky" - Malachi
- "Zee-kiel" - Ezekiel
- I love you like a Licky (what you do when you stick out your togue and lick your mouth). It's a long, silly story that our 3 year old turned a funny phrase into a new obsession. How cute!
- "nu-ver" - never
Ezekiel-isms
- "Ky-kyyy" - Malachi
- "da-que, Mommy" - Thank you, Mommy (or any others)
- "bwa-ka-wee, seg-a-ree, ga-ga-bee, weggi-whales" - Broccoli, Celery, gotta be, VeggieTales
- "Ba-paw" - Grandpa
- "Ba-ka-maa" - Spiderman
- "Zee-kull" - Ezekiel
- "Dat skeer me" - That scared me
- "Yays" - Yes
- "kweem" - Lightning McQueen
- "ta-tart" - Poptart - his breakfast of choice that he asks for every single morning by name
- "piece-aah" - pizza
Last night we lost a very dear loved one. Daniel's grandfather passed away about 8:30pm last night. It wasn't totally unexpected, but we expected him to live a little longer. Now he is with his Savior, worshipping at his feet. I can't lie that I am a little jealous, but we miss him here on earth so much. It was hard and took a lot of thought as to how we were going to explain it to Malachi. He took it well, but I don't think Daniel did. Daniel is now the spiritual leader of his whole family. I know he understands and is much more stable than many in his family, but it doesn't make it much easier. We have been caring for Daniel's grandmother and will continue to make sure that she is all right. She is doing well for the circumstance. They were married for over 50 years.
The boys will miss wrestling with you, Paw-Paw. Daniel will miss your songs and jokes. We'll see you again, Paw-Paw Bill! We can't wait to be reunited with you and are encouraged that all the pain has left your body. We miss you.
-Daniel, Morgan, Malachi, & Ezekiel
Ok. So here are some of the pictures from Christmas. You probably don't care to see them all, so I'll just chose a few.
On Christmas Eve-Eve we let the boys open one present each. We chose their Wonder Pets items. The next mid-morning (Christmas Eve) we let the boys open their other 2 presents under the tree from us. Malachi got a Spiderman costume & HiHo Cherry-O to play with others. Ezekiel got a box with 4 different sets of 2-car trains & a pull (with a string) Thomas with 2 cars. That Evening Uncle David, Aunt Chelle, Grampa & Grammy came over for dinner and presents. The boys got mega blocks and lots of Cars stuff & a few Micky Mouse (for Z).
Christmas day started with a few little things in the stockings at our house and the reading of the Bible story of Jesus' birth. We then went to Great-grandma Carol's for breakfast and fun with Grandpa Rick, Nana, Aunt Miranda, Aunt Tabith, & Uncle Ricky. The boys got a racing/crashing cars set, other Cars stuff, and a stocking full of goodies. They have several favorites but enjoy the Cars "bistro" set just for them and the 2 lap tables.
After breakfast we headed to Grandpa Phil's house with Grandma Cathy, Great-grandma Geraldine & Aunt Krisitin to eat lunch and the second round of presents that day. The boys got tractors and a car to play with outside. They also got a train set, globe, and a few other things.
We were exhausted after the day and had no need for dinner, but we had a great time. It's nice to have the holidays to be with family.
It's all over now. I'll post pictures soon. I've got a lot to get accomplished in the next week. I'm not sure how it is all going to get done. We are overloaded with toys and goodies after the holidays. Daniel and I have been deciding where to put the addition to the house for all the BIG toys the boys racked up at Christmas.
Both the boys are feeling better, but Malachi's drippy nose has been hanging on. Ezekiel had a pretty nasty cold a little over a week ago. Malachi caught it, and it lead to an ear infection. He woke up from his nap on Christmas Eve-Eve with 102.4 fever. It's funny that with all his horrible symptoms, he never complained of an ear infection. Apparently, Ezekiel had a "sort-of" ear infection with some drainage out of his tubes, too. We had to get drops for that. I hope that all will go much better over the next week.
On Christmas morning, We read the Christmas story and talked about it being Jesus' birthday. We asked the boys if they wanted to sing Happy Birthday to Jesus. Ezekiel immediately started singing the birthday song, so we put in Jesus' name.
Malachi said that he wanted to wrestle Daddy. It turned into, "let me stand on his back and jump off while counting." And, yes, he is wearing a Bob the Builder outfit handed down from friends at school. Of course, Ezekiel had to get in on the action, too.
We have A LOT of FAMILY around us, SO we had our first family Christmas party today. The boys had fun with their cousins on Daniel's Dad's side. It was a 2pm (so not good for naptime), so Malachi had no nap, and I tried to put Ezekiel down early. It kind of worked. Malachi was fine. Z was not horrible but oh-so irritable. It doesn't help that Z has been getting over a HORRIBLE cold (although, Z's colds are always bad. He rarely has easy colds and gets them often). Anywho. Malachi has caught his cold (& Daniel, too). There weren't a lot of presents (which none of us minded), but we did have a good time. The boys got pj's & matching Mr. Potato Heads. We've got plans for Christmas Eve & day. I've also got plans with lots of friends. More to come.
What you can't tell from this picture of Ezekiel in the background is that he kept throwing the paper from his presents on the floor to try to mimic what Daddy had done with his wrapping paper towards his dad.
Ezekiel has had an explosion of words and thoughts lately. He's saying thank you all the time and sorry when he does something wrong. He'll respond to some questions with "ok." It's good conversations and thoughts. He's had the ability and has talked in ununderstandable sentences for sometime, but to understand more and more what he is saying is just precious. It's like all of a sudden he realized how to talk to us in complex thoughts. I love this time in their lives. 18 months on is just a blast! I like the early months, but there is just something special about being there when they are taking in so much information and figuring out how to use it.
"Wa-woo" - water
"Ga-gi-go-goo" - God is so good (the song)
"eye-di-ooo" - I love you
"da-kyoo" - thank you
just to name a few
Tonight we took Malachi, Ezekiel, & Jasmine (the boys' cousin) to see a house we found last year in China Grove. The dude's house is CRAZY! I tried different modes for my camera, but none of them came out exactly right. All 3 kids had a blast looking at all the lights, inflatable santas & snowmen, and trains, etc. I think we overheard the man saying that there were over 20 trains in the case, and I don't have a clue how many lights.
It was a great plot by my husband. A 6 year old, a 3 year old, and a 21 mo. old running around our tiny little house for several hours was not going to work. It must also be said that Jasmine & Malachi always seem to have huge arguments because they are both strong-willed and would "argue with the wall (if it would talk back)." Ezekiel was actually a little dejected that he lost his playmate (his big bro) when Jasmine came in. I was very surprised that they all did pretty well this evening. It's a good thing, too. I don't know if we'll be ready for #3 any time soon, though.
I would like to welcome Erin Mackenzie to the world. That means that the boys' friend, Kyla, is now a big sister! She was 9 lb.s & 9 oz. Wow! Your Mommy really is SuperWoman! Welcome little girl. We can't wait to see you. I know that your Mommy was anxious to have you here (especially since you were 2 weeks overdue), but you are very welcome. Congratulations to the whole family on a great day that went relatively uneventfully.
I heard this tip from one of the DJs either on our local station of 91.9 or 106.9.
Are your bananas ripening too quickly to eat them? Try this.
When you get home, take all the bananas apart, then put them wherever you normally would. They will not ripen as quickly, leaving you more time to eat them before you throw them away.
Here is a video of Ezekiel singing and dancing the VeggieTales theme song. It's a riot. I hope it works!
I've never been so excited to fill up my gas tank! Yesterday, I filled up my tank for $23!!! Only 2 weeks ago, I filled up for $29. This is something that I could get used to.
The boys are doing well and growing quickly. Malachi is already moving into 4t clothes. Usually, he's ready by the END of winter. I just bought a bunch of 3t clothes. Now, I need to go look for 4t. He's not supposed to grow this fast. It's a good thing that his brother will eventually put most of them to good use.
Ezekiel needs 24 mo. shirts to cover his long, skinny torso, but he still needs 18 mo. for around the waste (or 12 mo.). He's definitely getting taller, just not fatter.
You should hear the two of them "sing" songs. Ezekiel added to Malachi makes for endless laughs.
Have you ever heard the "Pirates who don't do anything" song? There's one part in the chorus where they say, "we just stay at home and lie around..." Malachi's version goes, "we just stay home and FLY around." More to come!
I was so excited that I filled up the Saturn Ion for $29. The gas was priced at $2.29 a gallon (that was last Sunday). The next day gas dropeed to $2.19! I could have saved over $1.30. Even better now, I have seen gas as cheap as $2.03. I think I'll do a little dance when it drops under $2!I did my first arts and crafts project with the boys (and cousins). It turned out great!Our internet router STINKS! It won't let us get on the internet at home. What a bummer.
Last night Malachi had his first pee-pee accident in MONTHS! How does that JUST happen when you are going to put your milk cup in the fridge, and leave a yellow puddle on the floor? Just curious.
Money! Ezekiel shared with his great-grandma.
Mickey Mouse birthday cake
