Sunday, February 28, 2010

Rough night

so yesterday, we moved Matthias into Ezra's room. This was because we want the boys to share a room when/if we have future kids. But since we are not planning on having these potential children for another five or six years, we don't want them to get used to having their own rooms and then suddenly have to share. So we thought now would be a good time since they both sleep through the night and are young enough that they adjust well.

So yesterday was the big move. And they went to sleep right away. No problems. But this morning Ezra woke up at six and then woke up Matthias. And no one was going back to sleep.

So tonight was night two of going to bed together. I knew that it would not be as easy as it was last night. And it wasn't. We tried to get Ezra to go to sleep first (he was super tired), but he wouldn't go to sleep. Finally we had to lay Matthias down too. And then they started playing and talking. And Matthias started climbing into the crib. Which of course made Ezra upset. It's been going on for four hours and they are just finally starting to be quiet. Maybe this means they'll sleep in? I can only hope.

I know the first few days will be rough, but I wanted to get this all done before I start school and they start daycare in June. so hopefully we all survive the next three months!

Wednesday, February 24, 2010

Just a box?

Since I am going back to school, we will need to buy a second car (finally) and so we need a second set of carseats (Calvin and I will be sharing daycare drop-offs and pick-ups). Babies R US had their great trade-in event going on and if you traded in a piece of baby gear, you would get a 25% coupon for one item. This was great for us, because we have this old toddler bed that we bought for $15 used with mattress, but is now falling apart. Grandma and Grandpa H are giving Matthias a twin bed soon and we were just going to throw away the toddler bed, since Ezra's crib can be changed into a toddler bed. We also had an umbrella stroller that has a broken wheel, so we traded in that too.


So two trade-ins = 2 coupons = 2 great deals on carseats. Yeah, if only it was that easy. Trade-ins were accepted and so we were given two coupons. Great! We went to get the carseats. First stop, a new Graco My Ride 65 Convertible carseat for Ezra! They have two or three in stock, so we grab one. Next stop. Graco Nautilus 3 in 1 for Matthias. Out of stock for the boy/neutral one. They ask if we want the pink one. Um, not so much. So what are our options (we have to use the coupon on the day of the trade-in)? Can they order one for us? No, warehouse is empty. They have 12 in Brookfield, almost an hour away. Well, we decide that saving $45 is worth the drive, so Calvin drives up to get the carseat. Ok, so a bit of a hassle, but we are successful, right?


Not quite. we get home and go to take out the carseats and get them ready to put in the car. Pull out the My Ride 65 and notice that it has a defective latch connection clip. Now, if you don't know anything about carseats, this is what keeps the carseat in the car if you choose not to use the seatbelts. Now we could have just kept the seat and just used seatbelts with it, but when you are paying $125 for something, you want it to work 100%. So we packed it up and I went back to BRU. (which is like 20 mintues from our house) Haul it in the store and they say no problem, we can exchange it. Clerk goes back to get another one. They are now out of stock in this seat too! Crap! Can they order one? No, the warehouse does not have this seat in stock either (I guess we picked two of the most popular carseats). They start calling around. The BRU in Gurnee, IL (about forty minutes from this BRU and twenty from our house) has six. So I drive down there. And finally am able to get a good carseat.


So anyways, the boys didn't really care one way or another about getting new carseats. What they loved was getting new boxes! These carseats came in these great big boxes and they are having a ton of fun climbing in and out of them, jumping on them, and putting them on top of each other. Who knew how much fun a box could be? With the amount of joy they are getting from these boxes, the boxes themselves are almost worth the $300 we paid for the carseats.

Wednesday, February 10, 2010

I got in!

I got an e-mail from Marquette University today letting me know that I was accepted into the direct entry msn program! I'm so excited! I have been praying for this for a long time and I felt that it was my calling to become a midwife, so this is just more confirmation. I can't wait to get back into school on a more full-time basis.

Also, I am so glad that I found out this early. Originally I had been told that they usually notify two weeks after the deadline, and then I found out that they weren't planning on sending out notifications until the end of February. Thankfully, they sent them out early, so I can stop stressing and start planning! I need to find a daycare for the boys. We need to buy a second car. And oh yeah, figure out how to pay for all of this.

But I'm not going to start that stuff until tomorrow. Today, I am basking in the excitment!

Monday, February 1, 2010

So it's been awhile...

but January was a busy month. I am one of the organizers for a high school youth retreat here in Wisconsin, which took place Jan 21-24. So I had to spend a lot of evenings preparing for that on top of my normal schedule. I also started class again on Jan 20. This semester, I'm taking my class at night, which has made for some interesting scheduling. Taking it at night has allowed us to be able to not put the boys in daycare, as Calvin gets home before I leave. This is great because it saves us more than $200 a month, but makes our lives more hectic. For example, this week: Mon-class, Tues-Calvin has a Deacon's meeting, Wed-class, Thurs-I have a Worship Committee meeting, Fri-Calvin has GTsquared (men's gaming ministry). So basically we won't have any evening to spend together has a family. And it is hard for me to find time to study. Last semester, I would study at night, but this semester that doesn't always work. I've been trying to study during nap time, but the boys aren't consistently taking naps at the same time. Today Matthias played quietly long enough for me to prepare for tonight's quiz, but that doesn't happen every day. And of course that means that I don't have time to do house work. So life is busy.

Anyways, what else is new with us? I found out that Marquette will not be sending out acceptance letters until March, which means I will probably go crazy waiting. But that also makes me glad that we decided not to move to Milwaukee, because that would have been very stressful with such a short time frame.

Boys are doing well. Matthias has been putting poop on the walls again, so we've been dealing with a few messes and discipline issues. Ezra is walking finally, but also seems to be getting another cold. He had a sinus infection in January and was on antibiotics and got better, but is now coughing again.

Calvin's job is going well. He got an excellent year-end review and a nice bonus, so that will help us financially, especially since if I do get into school, we'll need any extra money we can get.

I found a dress for my sister in law's wedding. I'm the matron of honor and Matthias is the ring bearer. I was excited, because not only did I find something I like, it was on clearance and was only $23.50!

Wow, this is post is random and ramblely. I need to go get ready for class and make supper. I will hopefully post more often!