Gotcher Nose???

When Matthew was around Ben's age (20 months or so), we had a grand time playing that great game, "Gotcher nose." You know the game I'm talking about...you grab the child's nose and run around while they chase you, laughing hysterically. Then you place the nose on their elbow or something. Matthew and I still enjoy that great game, only it's gotten more elaborate.

Well, I tried to play that with Ben today, but did not get quite the same response. We were sitting on the couch and I reached over, grabbed his nose and said, "Gotcher nose!" He furrowed his brow, frowned, stood up, and grabbed my nose. Then he sat back down, triumphant, and continued reading his book, all as if to say, "Two can play at that game!"

What I Did On My Thanksgiving Vacation

Wow. It's over. Thanksgiving Break is actually over. We had anticipated this weekend for quite awhile, and it's over. It was good, but not as good as expected. It was fun, but we're all exhausted and ready to get back into our routine.

We took off on Wednesday for Illinois after Rob got off work at 2pm. For once, we actually left at the time I wanted to leave! Usually it takes a half-hour longer, but this time we were on the road by 2:30pm. Just as we were leaving Watertown, it started to snow, then quickly turned into rain. And the rain, rain, rain came down, down down...thankfully not in rushing, rising rivlets. It was tolerable and we didn't have to pull off the road once. It did take us an hour longer because we crawled around Rockford on I-90/I-39. I'm guessing it was extra traffic/two small accidents that caused the back-up. Then we crawled over the bridge near Ottawa since only one lane was open. We were very ready to stop at my parents' home for supper that night!

The kids had fun playing with my folks that evening and the next morning. We took off after breakfast (turkey bacon--ha-ha!) and went over to Rob's side in Normal. Yes, my husband is from Normal. Make all the jokes you want. We made mashed potatoes, Rob made gravy and carved the turkey breast, and brought the grandkids for entertainment. We ate over at his grandparent's home with 10 adults and the two boys in attendance. We had a wonderful time, but didn't get to visit as long as we would have liked to with everyone. That just seems to happen with large family gatherings.

We did have a wonderful time visiting with Rob's brother, Andy. The kids just love their Uncle Andy, who always comes over when we visit. He wags them around and wrestles and in general roughs them up pretty good when he comes over. He's going to be a full-fledged Daddy in the next two weeks (the sooner, the better, Melissa??) so he needs the practice. Rob and I both enjoy sitting and talking with Andy. Again, I'd just like to say that it is so nice to be nearer to family and to SEE people, not just talk over the phone!!

Oh, one funny thing we saw on Thursday: We went to Meijer's to find a toy for MJ (didn't get it) and on the way back, we looked over at Best Buy and saw a line of about 30-50 people (with tents and sleeping bags) already lined up for the opening on Friday morning. We laughed about it, declaring them crazy, then found out that Rob's other brother (Dan) and his wife had actually waited outside a Circuit City like that! I suppose we might have been crazy enough to do that in our pre-kid years, too. Enjoy that computer Dan...you earned it!!

Rob and I packed up and took off on Friday morning, without the kids. They were invited to stay for another day to spend more time with their grandparents and to get to see Uncle Dan and Aunt Kim. We had a nice drive home, stopping for lunch at a Cracker Barrel. You just can't beat good, southern cooking at low prices (right, Mom?) Rob and I had huge lists to accomplish, but didn't get much done simply because we didn't know where to start! He did get two papers completed and I got some Tupperware stuff taken care of along with a bit of housework, but it just didn't seem like we had enough time. I'm also getting over a headcold, so that didn't help my drive to work at all!

The kids had a great time with their grandparents. They went to the Make-A-Mess Fun Center on Friday. It has a ball pit (gasp!), slides, an inflatible obstacle course, fishing game, dress up, sand area, painting, you name it! They had a blast, but I think Matthew has talked more about Uncle Dan's puppy, Charlie. Little boys and puppies just belong together. (As for me, keep the dog and give me a bird anyday.) The kiddos came home Saturday afternoon and were rather tired, but very happy. They pleaded with Grandma to stay, and as Grandma and Grandpa were pulling out of the drive, Matthew said in a sad voice, "Good-bye, Grandma. I love you!"

We let them rip around the house for a few hours, then we all bundled up tight and walked the few blocks to Main Street to watch the "Parade of Lights." Matthew is now a seasoned parade-goer, so it took no prompting to get him to run out in the street to collect candy, stuffed animals, glow sticks, and coffee packets. They had fun, but eventually Benjamin wanted to run out, too. We didn't let him, but Rob did hold him for a bit. It was very fun, but very cold, so we went home to have chili for supper and warm up.

It was a good weekend overall, so I guess we really can't complain. I think I just had too many high hopes about my childless day....the list was too long to complete! Oh well....why do today what you can put off until tomorrow, right???

Happy Belated Thanksgiving from the Litwillers!!

Glamour Shots

Well, Anna had her first model photos taken today. One picture is of her facing the camera, the other is of her profile. Pretty amusing to get two pics that way!

I had another ultrasound today, just to check and be sure that Anna's heart is fine. The doctor couldn't fully see everything at the last ultrasound and wanted to double check b/c of the heart murmur Rob was born with. She's fine, although we think she was asleep during the whole thing b/c she didn't move much. She sure kicked up a storm on the way home, though!

He did say that she's six days ahead of schedule growth-wise. I saw on the computer that a new possible due date is March 23rd. I've stopped paying any attention to due dates whatsoever for my pregnancies b/c it really doesn't matter. I'm having c-sections anyway, so I'll just show up for the scheduled surgery!! So, the 29th...the 23rd....whatever! As long as she's born and born healthy, I'm not concerned with dates anymore.

In other news, the boys have fully hit their next stage of life as brothers.....the wrestling/hitting/tormenting phase. It's actually pretty funny to watch (for the most part) as it goes in cycles. They'll be playing together nicely, then Matthew will do something (never usually a big deal) to irritate Ben. Ben immediately hits Matthew. (It may also start with Ben hitting Matthew for no reason.) Ben is punished and told to apologize to Matthew. Matthew is told to forgive Ben. Ben pets Matthew on the head, trying to be nice. Matthew doesn't like it and moves away. Ben hits Matthew.....and you get the idea. Matthew doesn't physically hurt Ben (unless he turns off the TV), but instead, takes things from Ben and tried to get Ben to chase him. It's not that bad, usually, but yesterday we watched their friend David and they took a break from torturing each other and ganged up on poor, unsuspecting, brotherless David. Poor kid...but they all played nicely for the most part. I guess I shouldn't feel too bad for David b/c he and his big sis gang up on Matthew and "scare" him sometimes. They all torture each other, and yet they love to play together!

I'm going to stop my rambling now and get to sleep. It's possible this post didn't make sense, so we'll chalk it up to two little boys having nightmares last night and waking us up. Crazy kiddos.....

Matthewisms

We went to Wal-Mart the other day and I tooled around the toy section, trying to get some ideas for Christmas. I told Matthew to let me know what he liked. He'll be easy to shop for: just get him one of everything in the toy department. In particular, he liked the $350 Jeep that he can drive around. I told him it was too expensive and he said, "Well, that's okay. Maybe we can find it at a garage sale." That's my boy!!

I took the boys with me on a prenatal visit today, just to get them involved. They were very well behaved (Ben kept saying "Very quiet. Doctor"), but Matthew got a little concerned when the doctor was listening to Anna's heartbeat. He looked at me and asked what she was doing. I explained and then he said, "Is she going to do that to me?" I told him no, and he visibly relaxed at that point. A doctor he is not destined to be!

This one's just for Grandma Litwiller: Matthew was singing "If You're Happy and You Know it" and was making up his own things to do. The one that made me laugh was: If you're happy and you know it, pat your poe-poe. Rob taught him that one.

And the newest pretending is being Mowgli from the Jungle Book. That would be okay in summertime, but running around in just a pair of underwear in forty degree weather is not exactly acceptable. And of course, Ben has to do it, too.

Playing Pretend

I am very proud to say that Matthew seems to have inherited his mother's imagination. He's been playing pretend recently, and it's been fun to watch him act. Right now, all of his play centers on movies or characters he is familiar with, but I'm sure he'll be making up his own stuff pretty soon. Peter Pan was one of his favorites for awhile, but neither Daddy nor Mommy appreciated the sword-fighting that was involved with it, so that tape went back to the library. In his Peter Pan world, I was Wendy, Ben was Michael, Daddy was Jon, Grandpa Fulkerson was Cpt. Hook, and Grandma Fulkerson was Mr. Smead. Later, Grandma was promoted to Tinkerbell. That one has worn off and now....

I'm Tigger!!! Matthew was watching the Tigger movie and now pretends he is Tigger. So, we have lots of bouncing going on at our house. I dug up a hat and gloves that Uncle Andy had given us. The gloves are orange with stripes on them and the hat has Tigger's face and ears. He wears them all over the place...he's so cute. Ben, of course, had to have a hat as well, so I found one with Winnie the Pooh on it. Ben walks around singing, "Winnie the Pooh" (the only words he knows) and asks me to sing the rest of the song. I'm now Kanga, Anna is Roo, and Daddy is Christopher Robin. At least I didn't have to be Rabbit!

I will say this for Tigger...he can stay! Matthew repeatedly tells me that Tigger is nice to people, Tigger obeys, and Tigger is kind. If that's the case, then Tigger is more than welcome here!!

The Other Ones

I've been posting a lot about the boys (and why not...they're so adorable!), so I decided to take a moment to update everyone on the other two people that live here...me and Rob.

Rob has about one month left in this semester and he's trying to keep his head above water. He works 40 hours a week (it was more until they caught him and made him reduce hours) and is in school 13 hours per week. Just when he gets caught up on work, he falls behind again. He's hoping that he can get all caught up over Thanksgiving break. We'll be going down to visit family briefly and then come back here for the rest of the time off so that he can get more work done. Thankfully, his big stuff comes after break so he can get that prepared as well.

Rob's carpal tunnel problems have also resurfaced. He went through therapy back in the spring for this problem, but has recently noticed it resurfacing. He's been trying to take care of himself as his therapist taught him to, but we can't find his wrist braces, which would help tremendously. (It's funny....for such an organized person, my house sure is in chaos! I wish I could blame it on the kids, but I was like this BEFORE they came along.)

So, while Rob's plugging away at school and work, I'm busy with the kids and my ministries. I do love raising my kids and count it a priveledge to be with them all day. They are both so sweet and the good times far outweigh the bad. I love to laugh with them, play with them, and instruct them. We haven't had formal "school" times, but I think my kiddos learn best informally right now, anyway. Matthew has recently indicated a desire to read, so I'll be working with him on that.

I love being involved with the church. I can't imagine not having several "irons in the fire" when it comes to church ministries. I love greeting children in the nursery and getting to know the parents, especially our visitors. What a wonderful way to welcome people into the church by warmly welcoming their children and providing a safe environment for them to play while their parents focus on learning about the Lord.

My other ministries are more minor, in that they don't involve much time. I am the missions assistant for our missionary circle and I send out b-day cards to the missionaries our circle takes care of. I am still writing the newsletter for our moms group each month, which is a lot of fun. I was recently challenged to focus more on momish devos instead of discipline techniques and advice, so that will be an interesting new focus for me. I've also been attending the ladies' Bible study each week, and that's been neat. I don't contribute much to the group (or anything, really) but it's neat to go and listen. I spent far too many years yacking over nothing in S.S. and now it's time for me to sit and listen.

And that's me and Rob. Wow....that sounds really boring. But, that's what we're up to right now. We're still madly in love with each other and frequently talk about leaving the kids with relatives for a week (any takers???) and going on a second honeymoon. Come to think of it, we didn't even spend a week on our first honeymoon! I just adore that big guy (although I'm bigger than him right now) and mourn the fact that I can't spend more time with him. I keep telling people that he's perfect...and he really is.

One adorable Rob story and I'll close: The other night I woke up for one of my many trips to the bathroom (why did I drink so much water after 7pm??) and when I came back to bed, I noticed that Rob was on his tummy. He looked exactly like Ben! He was so sweet that I had to kiss his cheek just like I do the boys when they're sleeping. I told him later that the next time someone says, "Oh, Ben is so cute! He looks just like you!" that he needs to turn and say, "thank you!"

Crazy Little Ben-Ben

**chuckle** My adorable little twenty-month old did something today that I figured would happen sometime, but I didn't expect it to happen just yet. Here's the tale of crazy little Ben-Ben.

Rob had taken our laundry down to the basement this morning and had started a load. About 1/2 an hour later, I went down to transfer the laundry into the dryer. Matthew decided to come with me and Ben stayed upstairs, happily playing with a fire house and cars. As I was transferring laundry, I heard a scraping noise upstairs that could only mean one thing: Ben was moving a chair across the kitchen. Hmmm....is he doing what I think he's doing? Nah...he wouldn't. I finished my chores, called for Matthew, and we tromped up the stairs together. We got to our door and tried to open it, to no avail. Ben had locked the door.

The door to the basement has a simple lock on the top, with no actual keyhole on the other side. The boys have played with it before, but always when we're upstairs. They usually come down with us, so it hadn't been a problem thus far. But, now Matthew and I were on the basement stairs, with nothing but a one-year-old to help us. Here's how the following ten minutes transpired:

Mommy: Ben, unlock the door.
Ben: (Jiggles the door handle.)
Mommy: No, Ben, not the handle. Move the chair back to the door.
Ben: Oh. (Chair is heard moving to the OTHER door in the kitchen.)
Mommy: No, Ben, bring the chair over to Mommy and open the door.
Ben: Oh. (Chair is moved back, door handle jiggles again.)
Mommy: Ben, climb up on the chair and open the lock.
Ben: Oh. (We discovered later that he got into my recipe cards at this time rather than opening the door.)
Mommy: (Gets a good idea). Ben, turn on the lights! Climb up and turn on the lights. (They are located right next to the door.)
Ben: Oh. (The light switches are being flipped.)
Mommy: Okay, Ben, now open the door.
Ben: Oh. (Gets down off the chair and turns the handle again.)
Matthew: Mommy, I don't think Ben is going to open the door.
Mommy: I don't think he is either. I'm going to go around the house through the basement doors and see if Daddy left the front door unlocked. You stay here and try to get Ben to open the door.
Matthew: Okay, but I don't think he's going to open it. Ben, climb on the chair....

I go out the basement door and around to the front. Praise the Lord, Rob left the front door unlocked and I hurried into the kitchen. Ben was rather surprised to see me. I let Matthew in and told him to keep Ben from locking the door while I shut the basement doors. I came back upstairs, and Matthew had locked me out.

Thankfully, he opened the doors after about two seconds. Needless to say, I haven't been back downstairs today to do the laundry. And I haven't stopped laughing about it either. Oh, and about 1/2 hour after this, Rob came home from class, so we would have had some help w/o having to break down the door.

And we're having another one of these people???

Where Cooties Come From

We have now found the answer to the eternal question: Where do cooties come from? Matthew says, "Cooties come from drinking after girls. That's how boys get them."

So, to all the little boys out there, don't drink after girls!!

If you take two little ones to school....

...then they will want to wear costumes. If you put them in costumes, then they will want to run around (and out). If you let them run around, then the little one will appoint himself "official door opener." If he opens the doors, he might get blown away.

And I could go on, but I'll stop there. Today the boys and I went to Maranatha for a dramatic play group, hosted by Matthew's Sunday school teacher's class (she teaches early childhood education at the college.) We were the first one's to arrive, mainly because we dropped Rob off at work and then puttered around campus for a bit. The boys enjoy visiting several people and going to the library, so we did that for a bit. Praise God for "Grandma Jan" (Mrs. Sturgill) who took Matthew potty, as it was downstairs and there's no elevator for Ben's stroller.

As the first one's to arrive, we got the first choice of costumes. Matthew chose a lion costume and I picked out a toucan for Ben. I really wish I'd had my camera, b/c they were adorable! Many of the students in Mrs. K's class took pics, so perhaps I will get a copy. They had a blast running around with their friends (about 15 or so other children from church.) Ben kept trying to run out the doors and did appoint himself doorman (even though he could barely open the door!)

After a bit, Mrs. K. had the kids settle down for a story. She had multiple puppets to show the kids, and among them were Fred the Attentive Dog and Cocoa the Obedient Bear from Sunday School. Matthew sat okay for the story and added his usual input to the group. Ben sat on my lap for a bit, but then fussed off and on. I had to take him out to talk to him a few times, but he finally did better when I let him walk a bit. He's just to young to sit still yet. Matthew eventually laid down on the floor. I could tell that he was getting tired...trip to Grandma's combined with time change made for a very tired kiddo. He didn't even try to sing the songs, and that is VERY unusual for him. (Being his teacher in Tiny Trackers has made me more aware of his capabilities and participation level in things like this...and I'm so glad I've been able to observe him!)

I finally figured out what was going on about halfway through the class. Mrs. K. was teaching her students how to handle the little guys along with demonstrating a bunch of different ways to use puppets and other objects. The kids just loved it. She had Matt and Ben's friend David come up and sing "Amazing Grace" to show that children are not too young to learn. He was so sweet and he brought tears to my eyes. (Okay, that's not saying much, b/c I cry alot when I'm pregnant! I can't even listen to country music because I blubber like an idiot! Oh, and Mom and Dad? That video on Sunday made me cry, too!)

At the end, she had a gift for each of the children. Matthew chose a little container of Play-Doh and I picked out a giraffe for Ben. We left pretty quickly b/c it was very hot in there and b/c the boys were in need of naps. They slept for 3 hours this afternoon, which means I got a nice long rest as well!

Trip to Pontiac

This past weekend, the boys and I travelled to Pontiac, Il., home of the Indians and my parents. We had a great time visiting with them and I'll try to stay awake long enough to finish this blog.

We took off after taking Rob to work on Friday and it took us a little longer than usual to get there. We had to make two potty stops (one for Mommy and one for Matthew) and one break for lunch at a Wendy's. I think I have amnesia about taking the kids places, b/c I forgot that one parent vs. two little guys are not good odds at a fast food place. They weren't bad, but Matthew had to go potty twice, so we all had to troup to the bathroom and back, leaving our food on the table. I was smart enough to ask for it to go so that I didn't have to deal with a tray.

We did finally make it to Pontiac, and I stopped outside of Wal-Mart to get the kids into their Halloween costumes. We went trick-or-treating at Grandpa's Work (or Papa's work, as the kids call it.) They got a few treats (and some laughs) from Dad's fellow employees, then we went to trick-or-treat at Grandma's. My parents only had one treater on Halloween, so they had lots of candy left. Matthew tore into about four pieces before we caught him!

Mom and I took the kids to a park and then to do some grocery shopping. I was pretty worn out by that time. We went to another park the next morning and Dad and Mom took the kids to a third park Saturday night. They were so excited to get out to all of these fun, new parks. They also picked their favorite activities in the house. Ben's was getting into Papa's chair whenever Papa got up and Matthew's was hiding in a tub while Papa bopped it around. It was fun to watch them play with their grandparents.

On Saturday afternoon, I got to go to a baby shower for Rob's brother and his wife. Their first little one will be arriving in the next month. They got a lot of nice things (although I missed some of it b/c I had to exchange some items with my sister...like our new phone!!!) It was so nice to go to a family event. That is something we really missed about living in Cali. I especially like how well I fit in with Rob's side. I know some people feel akward with in-laws, so we are very blessed that both of us fit in well on the opposite side. (I had to say that b/c I know that all of them read my blog---I love you guys!!)

We went to church w/Mom and Dad and I was a little nervous about leaving the boys. Neither one did well a month ago at their Litwiller grandparents' church, but this time they were fine. I think they were sick last month, so that's why they were cranky. We left for home after lunch, and that was an interesting trip. It was so windy that I almost got blown off the road a few times and when that calmed down, I hit lots of construction, and when that calmed down, the boys started playing together. They are so cute, but their loudness is not conducive to a car ride, so I had to ask them to quiet down. I did find a Patch the Pirate radio program, so that interested them for the rest of the trip.

It's good to be home. I keep having huge waves of tired (like during supper when I almost fell asleep eating.)

Congrats to Jesse and Karen on the birth of Anthony David. For my blog friends, please pray for the little guy. He is 8 weeks early. He's doing good so far, but as with most premies, breathing is an issue. Pray for Jesse and Karen as well, as Anthony will have to stay in the hospital for awhile.

Pics of last weekend