This One's About Jacob

That shouldn't be a surprising title because that's what I blog about. My family. And most of that is my kids. Because that's what I do all day. Take care of them. I'm not complaining because if I were, I would go get a 'real' job and let someone else complain about taking care of my kids. While I pay them too much money. Because that's the kind of thing people do for their kids. Pay too much money for too many things. But this post isn't about that. This is about Jacob and his general discomfort and rashiness. Eczema is what the professionals call it. I don't care what they call it, I care more about why no one can help me fix it. Because I have been trying to fix it since it first showed up. I think he was three months old. Maybe younger, I can't really remember. Since I can remember, he gets rashes from everything. Or nothing. Being outside, sitting next to someone who may or may not have a cat at home, underwear with painted characters on it, underwear with too-tight elastic, eating ice cream, playing in grass, tomato sauce... Who knows. I'm not even certain what is causing this eczema but I am really ready for it to go away. So, in an attempt to help him get rid of this discomfort, I am taking this family dairy free. Except for Emrick who might starve to death if I don't let her drink way too much whole milk every day. From a sippy cup. But as far as food goes, dairy free is the plan. So right now, instead of cleaning this house that is a ginormous mess, I am googling kid friendly dairy free meals. And this is starting to look like way more work that I was anticipating. And what am I supposed to do about things that aren't dairy but have milk in the ingredients? Like a lot of cereals and crackers. I have no idea how to start this. He hasn't ever drank milk, even as a baby he has lactose-free formula. But this is a step further. No cheese, either. I really have no idea how to start this or how to keep it going strong when we eat outside the house. I could really use help and google just ain't cuttin' it.

Jacob Rode an Elephant!

It's hard to see Jacob, but you can see Burger and Jacob is right in front of him. We went to the circus and the whole day before we went Jacob would not stop talking about riding on an elephant there. We weren't even sure they would have elephants to ride! Luckily they did. And he loved every minute of it and wanted to go again. After the show we got to throw peanuts to the elephant and watch him eat. Jacob wasn't very interested in the show but he was intrigued by the elephants!

It's a good thing Jacob had fun because I really dislike the circus. I think everything about them is creepy and too expensive! There was a mom and her seven year old daughter who did the acrobatic show. What kind of a mom would want her seven year old daughter to be a circus performer? And the young boys who did the dirt bike show in the 'ball of death.' I can't imagine ever encouraging my kids to do these sorts of things. Anyhow, none of my business how they raise their kids! In the end, I think the crowds favorite part of the show was the trained dogs. Everyone was excited and loud. Jacob was even on the edge of his seat watching the dogs jump through hoops!

Busy Fun!

Tuesday night Burger and I took the kids to a carnival at the school my mom works at. They got to play tons of games and Emrick got her first tattoo. It was a kitten. She didn't like it. We all ate popcorn and cotton candy then played at the park when we finished all the carnival games. And I got them each a book from the book fair using coupons they won playing games!

Last night my parents took the kids to Chuck E. Cheese. Burger had to work a little late but thought he would be home at about 5:30 so we could hang out and enjoy some kid-free time. The kids were gone and time kept dragging. Then my parents brought the kids back, it was almost 8! Then a few minutes later Burger got home. So I spent some hours alone which was kind of lonely but also kind of refreshing. I did housework. How sad is that?

I don't know what the plan is for this evening. But I hope it involves $.25 blizzards from Dairy Queen and maybe a park. I'll try to keep you updated!

The $75 Tub of Eczema Cream.

I grabbed him some clothes and a washcloth to wash his face. And the eczema cream because he is so broken out right now. I took all of it to the living room where he was watching some show and playing with stuffed animals. I wrangled him out of his old clothes and washed his face, applied cream. Set the cream by the radio and picked up the old clothes and washcloth and put them in the dirty clothes. And off we went! Fast forward hours later. Burger and I got done watching Mythbusters on Netflix and were going to get ready for bed. He set the remote on top of the radio and... BANG, CRASH, BOOM!!! Cream splattered all over the floor and some on the side of the couch. Whoa! I salvaged most of it and put it in a ziploc baggy but I'm not sure how long it will stay good because it says on the label to keep the lid closed tightly and store in a cool, dry place. So, if you have any home remedies to clearing eczema I would be delighted to hear them!

Wow!

We went to the park last night and these are just a couple of my favorites! Emrick was totally in love with the swings this time. She's usually not a big fan, but last night she was really into it! So much fun, they made her so happy! Jacob wanted in on the fun so he was giving her pushes in the swing. He was having a blast with that and Burger and I got to just sit back and watch them have a great time together. I love watching my kids play together and enjoy each other.

Last week I went and have my eyes checked and my glasses prescription updated. I now have my new glasses and new sunglasses. I plan to post a before/after picture but I probably won't get that far. While I was at the eye doctor I asked about my kids' eyes because my eyes are hereditary. So I took Jacob in this morning and had his checked and they are good, healthy little boy eyes!

Jacob's entire face is covered in a rash. He gets really bad eczema quite often for a reason that is unclear. The doctor gave us new cream last time we went in for it but it has a light steroid in it so I wasn't sure if I could put it on his face or not. I called them today and they told me I could, sparingly. So they told me to try the cream first and if his face isn't cleared up in a few days to bring him to have it looked at. I feel so bad for this poor kid, he is almost always rashy and scratchy.

We signed up for a two week free trial of Netflix on Friday. Because we can use our PS3 to get movies directly we decided that it sounded interesting. We got our disc in the mail today. You have to put the disc in the PS3 before you can watch movies with the direct streaming. Burger also got the movie Men Who Stare at Goats. Burger is extremely excited to be trying out Netflix!

Emrick fell down outside of my parent's house on Saturday. She was bleeding like crazy, according to my mom. A busted lip and a scraped nose and cheek were the result. She is perfectly fine and normal and happy. But from what I gather, my mom had a bit of a panic when she fell!

All in a Weekend!

My mom watched the kids and we painted the living/dining room. Finally. And by 'we' I mean Steve and Laura, our neighbors. Well, Burger and I did a little work but most of the painting was actually done by Steve and Laura! Thanks guys! We hung new curtains and blinds and got a shelf thing to hold shoes. I meant to hang pictures yesterday but it never got done. So that is still on the list. Along with buying a new, nicer looking clock to hang. On Sunday Steve and Burger put a gate in our fence and Laura and I took the kids to Bed Bath and Beyond to find a corner shelf for the living room. We never found one. Those things are hard to find!

I have been feeling tired and a bit run down lately. Burger moved back to first shift yesterday and we are all waiting to get back into our regular routine. Staying up late and waking up early while he was on second shift really wore me out. Plus, Emrick is getting bigger and has started learning some fun new tricks. Like moving her little yellow chair to climb on it and reach things she's not supposed to have. And emptying out my purse until she finds my wallet. Then emptying that out completely, too!

Sweet

Jacob woke up at 6 o'clock this morning and I was 100% not ready to wake up. So he laid down in bed with us. Obviously he made himself very comfortable! When I got up and saw this I very quietly snuck to get my camera. When I snapped it and the flash went off it woke them both up. I was kind of sad that I ruined such a cozy moment.

How to Train your Dragon

Grandma came to watch Emrick and I took Jacob to the movie. Just him and me. We don't do that kind of thing often enough. Spending some alone time with him really reminded me of what an awesome little person he is! He brought tears to my eyes when he showed true concern for characters in the movie. He really understood the story and was asking appropriate questions. In our day to day life I sometimes forget what my kids really are. Little miniature people with ideas and questions of their own. And if they're anything like Burger, I won't be able to answer most of those questions. (By the way, if anyone knows how the movie at the theater gets on the screen would you be willing to explain it to my son?) I feel so lucky that I am able to have these opportunities because my mom is almost always willing to watch one or both of my kids. And most of the time being able to do something just slightly out of the ordinary really helps brings things back into perspective. Jacob and I had a nice time and I hope that tonight is one of the memories that lasts him forever.

Easter

Jacob checking out his eggs in the middle of the egg hunt.

Emrick enjoying Grandpa Oldenburger's kitty.

We had a great Easter. It was busy, but mostly fun! The Easter Bunny brought way too much stuff for the kids but they loved it all! Emrick discovered that she loves chocolate eggs. Jacob is still obsessed with gum. The Easter Bunny brought him two whole packs all for himself! We spent most of the day at Burger's Dad's house. His dad graciously put a new tire on our van, after the old one somehow got a screw in it. Thanks Dave! Then my parents brought lasagna over for dinner.

Work, Splurge, and a Flat Tire.

That sums my day up, mostly. Add a giant thunder storm, some McDonald's, and a haircut in there and you definitely got my day summed up.

Burger is still working second shift and we are just starting to get used to it. Jacob wanted to go with Burger on his errands this morning instead of going to work with me but we didn't have a seat for Burger's car and Burger didn't want to switch it. So he ran to Target to buy a booster seat then came to the Y and picked Jacob up to finish errands. Jacob had a blast at the car wash. I went to Toys'R'Us because they are having some Friday-Saturday only Easter sales. Got some fun stuff for the Easter Bunny to bring the kids.

We met at home and ate some lunch while a massive storm was brewing outside. It was kind of nice to have a thunderstorm instead of a snow storm! Burger went to work and the kids and I got ready to take Jacob to get his hair cut. As I backed out of the drive way I realized that my back tire was completely flat. So I went around the block and back into the alley to pull in the garage. My neighbors came over and put the spare tire on for me. They are awesome people! So then we left and got Jacob's hair cut and then to Hobby Lobby to look for some decor for the living room. We are painting tomorrow!

Now the kids are in bed and I am watching Food Revolution on ABC. I love this show, but it totally grosses me out!