Today I went to the doctor and had my IUD taken out.

This means we are officially ‘trying’ for a third child. This might also mean that we are officially nuts.

Doc said that if I show any signs of PCOS in the next three months to come back and we can talk about next steps. I am not getting any younger (I just turned 34) and since we already know that there could be issues there is no reason to wait the normal year.

It was nice to see the Gentle Doctor. He is such a calming and sensitive person.

I am not worried about the whole thing. If it happens that is awesome. If it doesn’t then I am ok with that. I am extremely blessed to have two healthy and amazing kidlets. Zoe just turned three and Charlie turns two in May.

We just decided that if we were going to have another we should make it sooner rather than later, before we forget what it is like to change diapers and wake up at all hours.

She turns 3 tomorrow.

The day and the party went fantastically!

There were lots of Rainbow decorations and foods.

And Happy Birthday was sung!

And a tall Rainbow cake was eaten!

And mustaches for all….

And presents were given! The dollhouse was a big hit!

Zoe was almost passed out on her cousin’s lap before everyone had left. She had such a great time!

I felt like it was just enough decor and ‘theme’ for a three year old!

Much fun was had by all!

From Rainbows and Mustaches

Then on Black Friday at Toys-R-Us I made a poor choice and we got her a plastic dollhouse that was one of their door busters. She loved playing with it on Christmas morning, but even when I was putting it together for Santa I knew it was going to end up in the scrap heap. The stickers started falling off before I even got them attached, and by Christmas evening some of the furniture had broken. Bad idea.

So when we were discussing what to get Zoe for her 3rd birthday I felt like it was a good opportunity to ‘right the wrong’ so to speak.

I found a few options on Craigslist and ended up getting a handmade structure, worn and dusty for 20 dollars. She said her aunt had given it her a few years ago and she had intended to fix it up with her daughters, but had never gotten around to it.

This is the full exterior of the house.

I cleaned up the structure and pulled out most of the icky flooring. It got a good scrub.

This is what the interior looked like after it was cleaned up and stripped.

I picked out some scrapbook paper and used mod podge to adhere it to the walls as new wallpaper.

I bought some dollhouse wood flooring (and stained it) for the ‘living room’. I left the checkerboard kitchen floor because it was so cute. I cleaned up the purple carpet they had and used the best part of it for one of the bedrooms (because Zoe is a big fan of purple). And, I added some vinyl for the flooring in the other bedroom.

This is the interior with new walls and floors.

I also decided it needed a cover so that it would look OK in the corner of our living room since there isn’t enough room in the playroom for it!

This is the super easy cover I made to keep it nice and tidy.

I wish these photos were better, but I have had to do all of this at nighttime to keep from spoiling the surprise.
I researched the best furniture for her age, and there really wasn’t a lot of options. I picked out the Ryan’s Room sets because they were durable, less in cost and neutral in coloring. I only got a few to fill out the space. I figure in a few years she might want real miniature house furniture, but for now these will be good.

The cover is also going to serve as wrapping paper. I will cover the sides that are exposed and add a big purple bow.

I really can’t wait to give it to her! Her party is Saturday.

We are doing a Rainbow theme this year. I am pretty sure pinterest has made rainbow parties very popular, but I love the idea of working with color and not some Disney/Nickelodeon personality.

I spent a long time drawing a cartoon of Zoe for the invitation….

We are keeping it low-key with decorations, etc. Rainbow is pretty easy to do with cupcakes, balloons, etc.
I have a few more things to do before the party and I can’t wait to have our friends over to celebrate.

Three years. It seems like I blinked and they went by. She is sweet, stubborn, cute, smart, crazy, and beautiful. And, I think she is happy which is what means the most.

When we went to visit him and sit on his lap she waited so patiently, waving her hand and whispering hello. When it was her turn she ran and hopped on his lap.
She diligently said she wanted toys for Christmas (she wasn’t really specific, we had talked to her about telling Santa what toys she wanted for Christmas, she just went with the general toys term). She then did not want to get up off of his lap, nor leave Santa’s little location at the mall. I am continually learning the nuances of traveling with an almost three-year-old who knows what she wants when she wants it and that she must do it herself. It is sort of like a game – to see whether I can make it to the car and back into the house on a trip or even whether I can get shoes, coats, and hats on the kids and get her to sit in her carseat. But, I digress.

She loved Santa when we went to visit my nieces choir show – so much that she insisted on leaving the auditorium to find out where he went when he came on stage and then exited through one of the side doors. I mean – Santa was IN THE BUILDING – it was necessary that she see him and talk to him.

She loved Santa when she sat on his lap on Christmas eve, and she really didn’t want to get up and let her cousins talk to him!

And she loved what he brought to our house!

Another event that happened over the season was Zoe’s first dance recital.

If you have a chance to watch this, I think you will agree that Zoe, the wild little blonde running back and forth on the stage doing practically doing a solo, is not afraid to be in the spotlight. I suppose we will keep up with the dance class thing.

I know this post is very Zoe focused, mostly because she really started to understand Christmas a little more this year. Charlie, on the otherhand, didn’t get much about Santa. You notice his non-excitement in that first Santa picture? He really needed a nap that day. He did love playing with the Rudolph toys and he LOVES his new Buzz!

Also, he liked watching is sissy at the show!

He continues to be more mild mannered than his sister, and she is boisterous enough for the both of them. I enjoy his subtle smiles and tenderness. He is talking up a storm, although most might not understand what he says. The words are there. We are so very blessed to have two beautiful healthy children.

Here is a look at our Christmas card this year. Belated Merry Christmas to you, and yours.

As a fun touch I made matching shirts for the kiddos to wear. It was super easy  – I didn’t even sew them, I just cut out feathers and a turkey body and used stitch witch to apply them to a plain white t-shirt. I threw in a little fabric tu-tu for Z as an add-on.

They looked super cute for the day, but it was tough to get a good picture.

From Fall 2011

Zoe loved running through the orchard.

From Fall 2011

And they both had fun with the pumpkis.

From Fall 2011

This year I vacillated about what the kids would be for Halloween. I thought it would be so cute to have them be Linus and Sally. They were a bit too young to really understand, although we watched The Great Pumpkin and Z was totally ready for trick or treating.
They both ended up being their favorite characters, Z was Cinderella and C was Woody from Toy Story.
This is the first house they went to for tricks or treats.

From Fall 2011

It was so much fun, even if the candy made Z sick. I swear that girl has a finicky stomach. She didn’t have much and she was icky for a few days afterwards. Maybe they had more at school too.
It was still worth it. She didn’t mind.

I hope to write a few update posts on major events of the last few months and keep the spirit alive!
Happy New Year!
Follow me down the yellow brick road!

I want to move
but the challenges to moving seem overwhelming
so i just stay put

let it go
a call is coming in
to divert my attention

The Zerker started ‘Dance Class’ in January.

It is a mommy and me sort of free for all. Most of the time we are running after the kiddos and trying to get them to kick or do a roll or just stay in the room.

She loves it.

She loves it so much that a few weeks ago she decided she wanted to go to dance class on Sunday. She put on her shoes and coat and was ready to go. How do you teach the days of the week to a toddler?

It is so hot they are calling it oppressive. 115 degrees with the heat index.

The kids are just coming off of a cold/ear infections. So am I.

We had an amazing vacation. We stayed in our usual unit at Little Gull.

OCEAN!

Zoe fell in love with the ‘OCEAN!’. It was the word of the week. She also learned that she cannot breath under water and that she should not just jump into a pool without an adult. We need to get her into swimming lessons.

Charlie ate a lot of sand. He didn’t like the ocean nearly as much, but he did like running after the birds and trying to eat the shells.

Zoe can put on her crocs by herself, but she never puts them on the right feet.

It was wonderful to get away.

Charlie is starting to talk more. Today we were playing ‘Tap Tap Baby’ on the iPad and he said Moo, Woof Woof, and Meow.
Zoe is really missing dance class. It is off for the month. Every day she walks around practicing her shuffle step. She actually did her front roll by herself yesterday without rolling to the side.

Work is crazy busy. I took a summer course, but I finished it before we went on vacation.
I am only taking one course this fall. I had to drop an evening one. I didn’t think it would be good for the family. Also, Jason started a new job and he will be on a late shift, so I wouldn’t have been able to take it anyways.

Zoe just attempted to tell me a joke. Something about knock knock and bananas and oranges. Also we are eating blueberries.
Life is good.

PS I am setting some new goals for weight loss. Nadie and I had a talk about #3, but I don’t want to be pregnant again without losing some of this weight. I think it will help my back. And you know what, I think having #3 as a goal will help to keep me on task with the weight loss stuff. It helped before Z.