Chalkboard Wall

Maddeck's cute blue bird.

The boys are enjoying the new chalkboard wall.

Hockey Game

Besides getting our van stuck in a muddy parking lot near the arena we had a fun time at the hockey game. It was a late night, as the game didn't get over until nearly 10 PM. We sat in the fourth row so Maddeck could see well.

Kyle, Maddo, Papa Jim, and Uncle Jordan. Jordan had to wear a t-shirt because he got mud all over her jacket trying to push our van out before the game. Half way through the game he realized he had a bunch of mud in his hair. Thanks for helping to get us out Jordan!!

Well Child Exams Today

The boys went in for their check-ups today. Maddeck bravely went into the appointment predicting that since he was now four years old he would not cry if he had a shot. He was incredible at the appointment. We had two nurses, one stayed with Maddeck while I took Evan to be weighed and measured. Evan screamed as if he were being tortured during the process. I eventually had to hold him on the scale and then weigh myself individually to determine his weight (standing on a scale is certainly not something I wanted to be doing since I have to do it every week at my own appointments ... arggghhh ... I didn't look at the numbers). By the time we got back in the room Maddeck had finished his vision test and blood pressure and had attempted to do his hearing test. Maddeck informed the nurse he wanted to wait to do the hearing test because it was too loud to do it with his brother crying down the hall. After I calmed Ev down, he did the hearing test without any instruction from me. He answered all the nurses questions himself and they even checked his handwriting on a piece of paper. They asked him his full name and he said Kyle Maddeck Strong ... close enough. When the doctor came in he informed him that he was four and was NOT going to cry when he had his shots. He was very chatty and told the doctor all about his diet and daily activities. He asked the doctor when he would be able to try eating peanuts. The doctor does not want him to eat nuts and we will not test him for another couple years still. Sooooo with all that said, Maddeck Kyle is a healthy 4 year old weighing 32 pounds and measuring 28 1/2 inches tall. When it came time for his shots he hopped up on the table held my hands bravely as he waited for the shot and then started crying the second they inserted the needles. He has been dramatically limping around this afternoon due to the pain in his legs. He did enjoy his orange sucker candy he got on the way out of the office though. Thankfully he is all set for shots for quite awhile. I had the choice to wait until he was 5 to do this round of immunizations, but I figured we should just get them all out of the way now.

Evan freaked out for all parts of the exam. His height measurement is not accurate because he was climbing the walls to get away from the nurse. The doctor had a hard time looking him over as Evan screamed when he listened to his breathing and checked his ears. He eventually made it through the appointment only to get three shots and have a wart froze off of his heal. He didn't like either. Not sure how he got a wart since none of us have any, but the doctor said that it is a virus that could have been picked up anywhere that Ev has been barefoot. Evan had to sit still for several minutes for this procedure. I had to pin him down on the table while the doctor held one foot. After all this, the doctor reported Evan to be in excellent health. He weighs 25 pounds (41%) and measures 33 inches tall (74%,which is not quite right, he is probably shorter). Evan enjoyed his very first sucker today. He, of course, sucked it down to the stick in no time. Maddeck saved the rest of his to enjoy later today.

I am once again reminded of the Lord's faithfulness to our boys and thankful for their good health report. We are praying for the health of our new little boy as we await the arrival in just a few weeks. We are so excited!! Although, Kyle has informed me that it would be extremely difficult if he is born early because he has finals just days before I am due. If you are praying specifically for an arrival day, anytime after the 25th would be great : )

Nesting Productivity - Part II

For a couple years I have wanted to paint the unfinished wood table we have. Since all the paint was out for another project, we went ahead and painted part of the table with chalkboard paint. I am not sure what color to paint the legs and chairs yet. Probably something neutral since the table is always being moved from one room to another in the house.

One of the most exciting improvements we have made at our house ... OUR NEW FRONT DOOR! Some of you remember (or simply can't forget) our 70s door with the star shaped handle near the middle of the door. The door gave no sense of security and the heat and cold poured through as if there was no door at all. Our new door is solid wood and is the exact style as the original 20s doors in much of the house. The BEST part is that I found it at a liquidation store that was going out of business for only $16 ... yep that is all!! Saving so much on the door allowed us to get the hardware we actually wanted and we are really happy with it. My Dad and Kyle spent 6 hours installing it. All the holes needed to be drilled for the hardware and hinges so it took a long time. Thank you Dad!!! We LOVE it!!!

Now I need to paint the interior side to match the mill work and stain the exterior. Not sure when I will get around to doing it but it is on the list of things to do.

A fun new thing that I have been wanting to do is paint a chalkboard in the kitchen. It turned out great and it adds some new life to the kitchen. I recorded the heights of the boys from birth until now and included the little sprout that is on the way.

Other projects that are not photo worthy include:

- A new doorknob for the bathroom ... it has been broken since the day we moved in 3 1/2 years ago.

- Organized the closet and back room (guest room) so the baby and I can sleep back there if necessary after he is born and it will be ready for guests.

- Cleaned the garage. Yep ... I cleaned and organized the garage because that is necessary for when a new baby is born (nesting is so real and so strange). When Evan was born I was obsessed with cleaning our basement. All that is down there is our washer and dryer, but for some reason I wanted it really clean. I think Evan has been downstairs once in his life.

- I think this may be more counter-productive, but my Mom and I decided to rip all the wallpaper down in our hallway last week. There are three layers of wallpaper dating back to ... the building of our house possibly. It will NOT come off. Mom and I figure it will take at least 20+ hours to partially remove the wallpaper. It is a total mess. I wish I had logged how many hours we spent removing wallpaper from our living room and kitchen when we did those projects. It is insane!! We are going to try using a belt sander because it may work better. Not sure if this project will be done in time for the arrival of our baby boy.

Golden!

Maddeck celebrated his golden birthday when he turned 4 on the 4th. Here are some pics from him at our fellowship group on Thursday night. I made him a three layer coconut cake and put gummy letters on the top with his name. We were missing a lot of letters in the package so all we could put was Maddeck B-Day ... silly but better then nothing. I wanted to put some hockey figures on the top but couldn't find any. Tonight we are taking him to his first hockey game to see the Wenatchee Wild.

Getting ready to blow out his candles...

Happy Birthday Message

Demolition

The boys have been working on demolition this week with their tools and an empty diaper box. This video shows Evan using his skill saw. He is very intense about his work. Hahaha!

Writing

He loves to write. He is getting better at writing his name, but still prefers to make up words and write short words like Mom. I think he has a Kyle expression in this picture.

Cuties

This photo is blurry but too cute to delete.

Maddeck's Art

Not sure who this is but he has a patch of green hair on his head.

I like this one because it is so colorful and he uses the entire page.

Apparently the guy on the far right "is in a purple jail".

He likes to name his guys. This one is Moa. I love him!

I think this is a picture of our friends the Wilkinsons. Notice each has five fingers on each hand (well ... arm) and one little spike of hair. I love the GIANT feet.

Shiners

Evan flipped over the front of his little bike yesterday and got a little shiner on his left eye. Maddeck collided with a little boy while running at church this morning and got a little shiner on his left eye. Oh, the crazy life with little boys. It is funny they have matching black eyes at the same time.

Papa Jim

"Papa Jim is always helping people. He helps everyone when their houses break."

Nesting Productivity

As some of you know, I have been experiencing back pain this pregnancy. I went to see my friend Annie for a massage. She is the best! I felt so much better after my massage but quickly slipped back into the pain (as she told me I would). I also went to the chiropractor. It looks like I will just have to bear with the pain until after delivery. I spent a good week and half not doing much. My back felt significantly better this week due to resting it and trying not to lift Evan so much. My nesting instinct was uncontrollable and I went on a organizing rampage around the house. Here are some photos of my projects this week. I didn't take before photos because I didn't anticipate bragging or accomplishing so many things. I also realize that things may not look all that special or organized to you, but my blog is for documenting as much as it is for sharing so here it is.

I finished painting the walls near the ceiling (finally). It is not very noticeable without a before and after photo. I am so glad to have it finished though.
Toys de-cluttered and organized!

Junk drawer ... check

Kyle's closet!

Maddeck's new twin bed assembled (thanks Kyle) and new sheets put on!

Maddeck and Evan's closet.

Medicine cabinet -so tidy.

Extra linen closet.

Mom and Baby - We are going to share for awhile.

Baby's closet/room. All we need is his bed and he is ready to go. My Grandma Head made the wall hanging. She would have been 101 years old this year! She made it for my brother Brian when he was a baby and now I get to use it. The words that are stitched on it are really close to the wall color I just painted. Talk about vintage!

I have some more completed projects from this week but I don't want to continue boring everyone with them. Six weeks until baby boy three arrives. I am feeling ready now that I crossed so many things off my list. Please remember our baby in your prayers as we approach delivery.

Shake

Maddeck's Farm

Maddeck built this farm for a project in his school book.

There is a mom and a baby for each animal and he learned the names of each (some repeat) but he had certainly forgotten that a baby goat is called a kid.
He was very thoughtful with his color choices. Maybe he got the artistic gene from his Papa Jim, Auntie Sarah, and Uncle Jordan.

He looks so old in this picture.

He spent at least two and half hours on his farm. I was so proud of his dedication. He didn't even complain about his hand or arm hurting. He has already stormed through his first school book and is moving on to a counting book this week. His favorite things are drawing people and writing letters and making up words. It will be neat to see his improvement once he has more confidence and better writing skills. Maddeck will be 4 in just one more month!