Free Pancakes at IHOP

Today, my mom and I took the kids to IHOP for National Pancake Day, where each guest gets a free short stack of pancakes. Just like when we went to Taco Bell last month, our server did not consider the two kids worthy of their own short stacks. When she came to take our order, I said, "We'd each like the free short stack, please." (Plus drinks and one meal we actually ordered and paid for.)

At the end, when she was recapping, she said, "OK, so that's two shortstacks - "

"Four shortstacks. The kids are eating, too."

Fortunately, she didn't have a problem changing the order, but it was just funny that, once again, the kids were overlooked. They're not babies in infant seats. They're walking. They're talking (sort of). They eat with utensils...or sticky fingers.

We all enjoyed our free pancakes, and Lily enjoyed sampling each of the different syrups - strawberry, blueberry, and butter pecan. I think she liked the butter pecan the most. That girl could eat pancakes "with SYRUP!" all day every day. She was SOOO excited when I told her we were going out for pancakes!



(Here she is, sampling the syrups.)

Lily kept said she was cold and wanted a hat, and thought it was great fun when we hung her jacket off her head instead:



Jacob, not one to be left out, had to get in on the action:



Then he thought it was hysterical when Oma put her napkin on his head:



I can't get over how much bigger our little stinker looks this year than on last year's free pancake day:





Look what a big boy! My goodness. Even just how much higher he is at the table.










And we thought he was cute back then...I wonder how much MORE handsome he will be next year!

A Pregnant Woman's Late-Night Snacks

Ritz crackers with American cheese, pickles, and kielbasa.



Vanilla ice cream with a scoop of honey-roasted peanut butter, a scoop of Nutella, and two chewy Chips Ahoy cookies.

Did I mention that time I had a peanut and butter sandwich for lunch...with lettuce, pickles, and cheese? Yeah, that was awesome.

Who Knew?

Apparently, when you take your kids with you to the midwife for your monthly pre-natal visits, there are lollipops involved. LOLLIPOPS. If they would have told me this sooner, I would have brought them EVERY MONTH.

What - pregnant Mamas don't want Tootsie Rolls?!

Tina was super excited to give Jacob his first ever lollipop. He was very excited to receive it.



She said giving a little kid his or her first lollipop is one of the highlights of her job, and that she loves how they always know exactly what to do with it without having to be told. I found it amazing that he didn't drop it once, considering how the majority of his food usually ends up on the floor every mealtime. Now we have proof that he CAN control it. Stinker.

I told Tina she could have the privilege of this milestone considering she delivered him and all. And there was that whole untangling the cord from around his neck business. She totally deserved this moment.

Lily picked out the lollipops for her and Jacob (pretty funny that they were pink and blue - guess people start indoctrinating them with color bias pretty young):



Of course, I picked out my own - sorry, little girl, Mama's gotta have her chocolate!

As we left Tina's office, Lily lagged behind in the hall and eventually said, "Oh, something's sticking to my teeth..."

Mmmm the core of Tootsie Roll goodness.

Hers was gone long before we hit the parking lot.



Can I tell you how excited I was to take Mr. Sticky Face/hands/shirt/pants into the car? Good thing we had wipes! (Here he is, saying, "Cheese!" - sounds more like "eeesh".)

Dreaming of Warmer Weather

Taken during an unseasonably warm day last month:



(Lily, Kirsten, Hayden)

Lily Loves Her Some Baby

Sweet Lily with her baby sister.



(I figure this qualifies as a belly shot, for those of you who were asking...yep, another three months to go.)

Apparently, We've Had Some Snow Lately

The gigantic icicles hanging off my Opa's roof this past Friday after the snowstorm:



The longest was at least a foot and a half. They were beautiful.

Happy Valentine's Day

I couldn't have asked for a better V-Day than dinner at Wendy's with my funny little family:



She loves her some chicken nuggets with bbq sauce.



Demolishing his cheeseburger before eating it:







Like father...



Like son...

Did I Call It or What?

Remember when I posted this video about pregnant bellies looking much larger than they really are? Well, that's TOTALLY ME now. People are asking, "Are you sure you're not having twins?" (Yes) or "Is there any chance you're really due a couple months sooner than you thought?" (No)

Though it would be nice to deliver a week or two early so our new little girl could have her own birthday month (April), and not have to share with her brother (May).

And so, you know, I wouldn't have a 10-pound baby...

Date Night

Six out of seven of our young charges for the evening:



(Jacob was already in bed)

On Puke Patrol

A few weeks ago, we all got the stomach bug, one right after the other. Jacob started it all. Poor little boy had no idea how sick he was, or why he was sitting on towels on the couch while wearing a bib with a garbage can to his feet...



Here's a shot of the two of them after they both got sick:



I love how she's stroking his hair...

Ryan with his sick buddies:

Barney-Induced Trance

Yep, That's My Girl!

Grandmas the world over share a collective *GASP!*

A Couple Favorite Christmas Pics (A Little Late!)

Decorating the tree:

My Handsome Men Watching the Big Game