Pudding... YUM!

The basement...

Very cute pics of the kids waiting on the basement stairs while mommy and daddy get it ready for them. They LOVE to play in the basement and we have it pretty well baby proofed, so we don't have to be too cautions as they can't get to anything dangerous, like the sump pump or other machines.

We just got an estimate on getting it waterproofed (leaks on occasion during the bad rain falls and a wall is leaning in that needs stabilized soon), I wont even say how much. Don't know what we are going to do... do we want to put even more money into this house or sell it for a little less than what we have put into it and hope it sells. We love this house and we have put so much time and work into it making it our own... but with me working in FW and Josh in Ossian, it only makes since to move closer. But I think we might be stuck here, if so, we will just have to make the best of it and deal with the driving and time away from the kids.

Build A Bear... Thanks Aunt Jarilyn!

 Maysie putting the heart in the bear!

 Jace chilling with her bear right after he had it stuffed. He had a great time. He does not get to do much as he can be hard to control out and about, but I am glad we took him cause he really enjoyed himself.

 Maysie stuffing her kola bear!

 Mak stuffing her monkey!

 Mak putting the heart in the monkey!

 Jaeli getting ready to kiss her kitty cat!

Thanks Aunt Jarilyn, they had a blast, it was a nice day out and went as good as I could have hoped for! They love their animals... not quite as much as their baby dolls... but they do cuddle and dress them often!

Update on Mak and Potty Training

Potty Training:
Well the girls are about 95% potty trained day and night! We have only had a couple accidents in the last 3 or 4 weeks. Jaeli had one due to laziness and Mak had one in the middle of the night, but it was during one of her "high on fructose" episodes. So I don't really count that one. And then there were maybe one or two accidents where they just didn't make it to the potty in time, they attempted but went somewhere between the bathroom door and toilet. Great job girls, so proud of you! I did not think we would be sleeping through the night without diapers until age 4. I can't tell you how awesome it is to NOT have to put pull ups on each night and take them off in the morning! It is GREAT! And car rides too, we just make them go before we go somewhere and so far, we have not had any problems. Every once in awhile someone will mention they have to go, but they hold it until we get somewhere they can go. 3 down, 1 to go!

Makenna:
So we have been trying really hard to eliminate fructose from Mak's diet, but it can get hard at times as its in most foods. She was still recovering today (monday) from Saturdays episode. We went to a birthday party on Saturday and about 2 hours later the signs started coming out. Not only was she high on fructose as I call it, she was sick too, so that intensified her reaction to it. She so wanted to have cake and ice cream even though I told her it would hurt her... but I gave in and said she could. I took some sweet tarts in hopes it would counter act it, but I think ever single piece of food they had there had fructose in it. And then you add cake and ice cream to that which are both LOADED in fructose. She would have had to eaten a whole box to counteract it. At Jace's bday party, I was able to make her special cookies and limited her cake intake and bought fructose free ice cream. So I think from here on out, I will have to make some special ones and freeze them and take them with us for the next party. Her reaction to Saturdays foods was unbelievable. She had not been that bad since before we figured out what was wrong with her. It was literally like the devil took over her body. If you knew Mak, you would know she is the kindest, sweetest, smartest 3 year old. Her personality is huge and she is always trying to learn new things and help anyone and everyone in any way she can, even her siblings. But when she is high on fructose, she fights, screams, throws tantrums, hits and it goes on for hours. And she does all this to me, not just the other kids. Just by looking into her eyes I can tell she is having a reaction. She seems so irritated, uncomfortable, jittery, and extremely moody and tired. It is like a split personality and you know she is in there and you see signs of her for a minute or two, but then she disappears again. I have yet to accept the fact that a simple ingredient could cause a child to react this way... it is just unbelievable to me. I really hope she grows out of this someday soon.

Jace's Birthday!

Hoping to have some more pictures of his party soon. Been so busy lately, as you can, I have not had time to post much. So I will try to catch up and post a few.

Happy Birthday Buddy! Can't believe my baby is no longer a baby:-(. I gave him a few presents on his actual birthday. He enjoyed the attention but HATED having to share his new toys.

DRY!

No pics, but I do have to say that Mak woke up this morning dry as could be. I forgot to put a diaper on her and she was dry, as well as the other two. But the other two are usually dry anyways. Mak is ALWAYS soaked. Because she knows she has it on, she sure does use it. So tonight we went to bed without, wish us luck! One step closer to NO MORE DIAPERS. 3 down and 1 to go.

My baby boy is turning 2 :-(.

 Uh Oh, Jace got in trouble, paci and blanket ended up in the trash! One of his many punishments for being bad. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't.

 Chillin!

 Cleaning for Grandma B!

Out to eat with Grandma and Grandpa!

 Another hair cut from Grandma K! This boy has had so many haircuts, I lost count a long time ago! But he sits there and lets him do it, never cries. Such a good boy!

 An early birthday party at Grandma's for Jace and Josie... he blew out the candles all by himself!

 Trouble, trouble, trouble!

Climbed a chair, fell off in between the wall and chair and bit his tong. Thought I was going to the ER. And just the other day, he was leaning forward to far on his chair at lunch and busted open his chin. Oh and almost gave Grandma B a heart attack on the stairs as he jumped towards her from the top to the bottom. Thankfully she caught him and managed to stay on her feet. This kid has NO FEAR. He is definitely a boy, that is for sure!

My baby boy will be 2 on January 11th. Time has gone by so fast. I miss having a boy, well for the most part. I don't miss getting up every couple hours to feed. I just can't believe how big he has got and how he fits in with his sisters... its like having quads.. but most of the time Jace is worse than the three of them put together. He keeps me on my feet and I couldn't imagine life without him. Love you Buddy!

I will post his video in the next week or two!