In Bird's Nest

Just Pics

2011-05-16T21:52:00.002-05:00

As promised, I am back.
And this time I am just here to share some sweet faces.

Is this not the cutest laundry you have ever seen?
I mean really, most days I dread that laundry basket.
Not this day.

I love this one of Finn.
Maybe you have to know him to really appreciate it.
His hair is not going flat, it is just wet in this picture.

There is nothing sweeter than a little brotherly
post-bath playtime.

There.are.no.words.

If You Can Believe It....

2011-05-05T10:05:00.003-05:00

This baby is 8 months old. I know...where does the time go? I wish I could say it has been an amazing 8 months with this sweet little pea, but that would not be entirely true. He definitely made life interesting around here. You see, I have had super easy babies up until Cade came along. Luke slept through the night at 6 weeks, Finn did it around 8 or 9 weeks. Cade? Oh chalk him up to about 6 months. Now, I have had many friends tell me that this is quite "normal" and that their babies didn't sleep through the night for at least that long, but around here we value our sleep, and Cade was putting a real damper on that. He was also a bit of a fussy guy. I will say that the poor kid never got a chance to get on a "schedule". He probably would have been an amazing scheduled baby. It just wasn't in the cards for him. Being the youngest of three boys he was constantly on the go. I was always waking him up when he was asleep to head off to pick up a kid. Or I was trying to make him sleep when he wasn't ready, knowing that pretty soon I would have to get him up to shuffle him some place else. It was hard. I don't do well with crying babies who are sort of inconsolable. Wh does really?

BUT...

Do you ever just know when some things happen for a reason? I know for a fact that I was supposed to have a fussy baby. Why...you ask? Well, if you know me in real life, you know that I am always on the go. Or should I say, I WAS always on the go. Having one baby surely did not slow me down. If anything, it gave me more to do. Parks, zoo, museums, play dates, baby classes...you name it, I did it. When Finn came along, nothing changed. He adapted quite nicely to my busy little schedule I had created for Luke and I. I never sat still. I was never quiet. I didn't want any of that. I remember having a conversation with my mother in law in which I told her that more than a day or two of staying home...meaning not leaving my house at all....would make me insane. Well then came Cade. He sure didn't fit into my busy schedule. He pretty much demanded that I abandon that all together. At first it was just easier to be home...I mean other than the required events, like dropping off and picking up kids from school. Then it became actually kind of comfortable. I spent so much time at home, by myself that I started to get still and quiet. I realized that I had been lacking this in my life, and by lacking this, I was not at all connected with who I REALLY was, or what I was REALLY doing with my life. I started to search for deeper meaning, deeper spirituality, a deeper relationship with God. I had no idea, that in doing so, God would change my life so dramatically. I had gone to church and loved the Lord my whole life. Only I realized that I had never really had a relationship with God. Sure I threw up prayers when things got confusing or uncomfortable or hard. But when all was well, my prayer life was fairly non-existent. I didn't do that on purpose, I just didn't realize what a real relationship with God could be like. Well, to wrap up this long story, I know that God slowed me down for a reason. He has had quite a bit to tell me these past 8 months. He needed me to hear what he was saying to me, rather than just waiting for me to call on him. So, when I told you in my last post that things would probably look a bit different around here, that is why. I am different. In a good way. I need to let you know that. I cannot wait to share what God is doing in my life and in those around me. Of course I will still post pictures and give updates on my kids. There will always be random posts with no real content. But sometimes I want to share bigger, more important things too. Maybe things that will affect you in one way or another.

SO...

Thank you Cade, for making me slow down a bit. I wouldn't change it for the world!

It Has Been........Awhile

2011-04-27T16:19:00.003-05:00

I have gone dark on my blog for a long time now. Life just took over and I couldn't keep up. There were many things that kept me from coming back. It wasn't just a time thing. In fact, it was way more than just a time thing. I highly doubt there are many of you still out there, but at any rate, I would like to come back. Things are going to look a bit different this time around. I am not exactly sure how it will look just yet. I am still thinking that through. I look forward to reconnecting with some long lost friends, and making some new friends. I am not sure when I will be officially back in action, but I hope that it happens soon. Until then....

Wordless Wednesday

2010-12-01T10:15:00.000-06:00

Sweet Fussy

2010-11-17T13:35:00.003-06:00

I call him my Sweet Fussy. It describes him to a T. One minute so sweet, and the next oh so fussy. I feel like I give him a bad rap on here, so I have come to rectify that. I will show you just how amazing he is.

Here it comes. You can see it right there, in that bottom lip. He is getting ready to let me know that all is not well with him.

The fussing commences. Good thing you can't tell how much time lapses here.

Wait, he is reconsidering things. Maybe life is not so bad after all.

Yes, life really is not all that bad. He is happy again.

Sweet sleep here he comes!

Can you see why I am yet again head over heels in love with a boy? God keeps giving me the most amazing boys to love. I never thought I could love a Sweet Fussy quite so much and yet, I sure do.

On Location With Finn

2010-11-11T09:00:00.001-06:00

After my last post, I realized that I posted these pictures of Finn to my Facebook page, but not on my blog. This was just a few weeks ago. I took Finn outside and just had fun taking pictures among all the beautiful leaves in our yard. I am not going to lie, they turned out so much better than I ever imagined they would. That kid really is amazing! I think I need to get him a modeling gig. Anyway, the leaves are gone now, and I am so grateful that we took the time to go out and enjoy them while they were there.

Sneak Peek

2010-11-09T21:13:00.004-06:00

As my mom so kindly pointed out, I dared to say that Cade had turned a corner. Well, I should have never opened my mouth. Sadly, we have been back to fussy. It is not everyday. Some days he is literally THE PERFECT BABY. Then for some reason, other days are just really fussy....pretty much most of the day. I just keep telling myself, it all goes so quickly. It really does. In some ways I think that Cade is helping me to slow down a bit. I say helping me because sometimes I don't take time to just "be". Every now and then I need to be reminded to be still and listen. I know God has so much to tell me right now, and quite frankly if I didn't have a baby to keep me home a bit more....well, I probably wouldn't stop to listen. Thank you God, for my sweet, fussy baby. I know he is bringing me closer to you in many ways. For that I am so grateful.

The weather has been so amazing this fall. I realized that I needed to get out and take some pictures of the boys while I still can. I hoped to get a few good ones for Christmas cards and I think that I accomplished that. It sure wasn't easy. Trying to get two high energy boys and a fussy baby to "smile and look at me" is nearly impossible. Here is a sneak peek of a few of my favorites, without revealing "the one".

The best part is, we did this photo shoot in our own yard and maybe a few in our neighbor's yard. The one directly above is actually in front of our neighbor's house. I had high hopes of taking everyone to some beautiful location, but that just wasn't in the cards that day. When I started looking through the pictures I was amazed at how great these turned out just here at our house.

Dare I Say...

2010-10-18T10:13:00.004-05:00

I am a bit nervous to say this, but I think we have turned a corner around here. Cade has been sleeping 7-8 hours the past 4 nights. He is like a new baby!!! No more inconsolable fussing, and much more day time sleeping! Even though it has only been 4 days, it has made a huge difference for everyone! I am not spending nearly as much time, trying to deal with a fussy baby, and there is more time for everyone and everything else. Although, is there every really enough time for everyone and everything? I think not. Well, I will take what I can get.

Last week, Luke has home from school Wednesday, Thursday and Friday due to conferences. I can't wait to share a bit about his progress in school, but I will save that for another post. Instead, let me show you what he did one afternoon while he was home with us.

Ummmmm...yep he took all those. He is starting to show some serious photography skills. He actually kind of likes it, which really excites me. Maybe this is a hobby we could share?

Thanks Luke. You are a budding photographer and an amazing big brother!

Life As We Know It

2010-10-13T22:29:00.003-05:00

As if adding another little person to this family isn't enough, we have been crazy busy too. We have enjoyed lots of visitors. I was indescribably blessed to have my mother in law come stay with us for 16 whole days!!! If you have been reading my blog for very long, you know I adore my mother in law. She spoiled me rotten, taking the night shift with Cade. Gosh I miss her :)

We also got to visit with Ryan's dad, which was long over due. It was nice to spend time with him, and watch him play with ALL the boys!

After he left, my sister came for a few days. I always enjoy her visits. Sadly, she came at the start of Cade's fussy phase. I don't think she minded all that much. She seemed to enjoy loving on him, fuss or no fuss.

Next we loaded up the Suburban and headed west...to Chicago. We enjoyed spending time with family and friends, and introducing everyone to Cade. Ryan and I were lucky enough to escape for two nights to the Drake downtown (with Cade of course). The other boys stayed with their cousins for a few nights.

Yea, I told you we have been busy. To top it all off, as I previously alluded, Cade is a bit of a fussy little sweet pea. I mean that in the most loving way. We are hoping that that passes quickly. In the meantime, I have been taking lots of pictures. I thought I would post a few of my favorites just for fun. So, in no particular order, here are some of my faves....

My big boy and my little boy.

My Finny Fantastic

I like to call this one...Can I eat those lips right off your sweet little face?

I wonder what he is thinking about.

Finny and Gram at Memorial Park on 9/11

Stretching out

Upside down Lukey

Well, I would love to add more, but Cade just woke up. I got run. I promise I have so much more to add!

Hmmmm....

2010-09-13T09:30:00.001-05:00

Hmmmm...

Do you think I could have red hair?
It certainly looks like it in his picture!

Another First

2010-09-10T10:54:00.003-05:00

Someone else got to celebrate their first day of school yesterday! That's right, my sweet Finny started preschool. I can hardly believe he is old enough to be going to preschool. Oh Finny, slow down.

He has been counting down the days until he could go to school "like Lukey". Of course, he walked right into his classroom and never looked back for a second. I know that is a good thing, but I would be lying if I said he didn't kind of break my heart.

They had paints out, so that is right where he headed. He painted me a lovely picture!

After school, I treated him to lunch. He choose Panera. Good choice buddy!

I love you so much Finny Foo. I hope you have an amazing first year of preschool. I know you will love all the fun things you get to do there. I bet you will make lots of great friends! Just be your sweet little self buddy! I could not ask for a more amazing little buddy. I am so blessed to be your mom! I love you!

Smooch

2010-09-09T10:00:00.001-05:00

I love your little rosebud lips!

~Smooch~

Mokey See....Monkey Do

2010-09-08T20:21:00.001-05:00

You know what they say....
Monkey see,
Monkey do.

I guess he has seen quite a bit of this lately.

Waiting

2010-09-03T09:00:00.000-05:00

Waiting for his big brother to come home from school.
Priceless.

And Then There Were Three!!!!!

2010-09-02T09:14:00.004-05:00

This post is a bit delayed...forgive me. I actually think being only a week late on this is pretty darn good.

The quick details...

Cade Michael Madigan was born on Thursday, August 26 at 12:55 pm.

He was only 19 inches long.

The birth was easy, and amazing. Then they tested his blood sugar and found out is was low. This earned him a stay in the NICU. Maybe some day I will share that story, but for now I am letting it go. It was not pleasant to say the least. Moving on.

The long story....

He is here. He is finally here. Our third boy arrived last Thursday. Actually he was forced out. I had been having lots of contractions, but nothing that every turned into anything regular, so the midwives decided to induce me. At first I was not sure that I wanted that, but after giving it some thought, I changed my mind. Living somewhere where we have no family was really stressing me out. I really didn't have a totally solid plan for my other kids when I went into labor. My neighbor was going to watch them, but I wasn't exactly sure how that would all play out. Instead, my parents were able to drive here to be with my kids while I was at the hospital. It was the greatest blessing in the end.

It all went very quickly. I checked into the hospital by 7 am. They started my pitocin at about 8:15. My midwife, Marilyn, came and broke my water about 8:40. This was actually more difficult than I imagined. She had a hard time breaking it, which was uncomfortable to say the least. She even said, "If I scratch his head I am really sorry. Your water was not going to break on its own." Sure enough he came out with a big scratch on his head! After my water was broken, they let me get up and take a few laps around the hospital. At first I was not feeling much. I asked if they could crank it up a bit. They said they couldn't do that just yet. Within minutes of saying that, my contractions picked up and I was asking for my epidural. I was 3 cm when I got to the hospital. I was 5 cm when I asked for my epidural. From there it went really fast. They checked me shortly after my epidural and I was 7 cm. Before I could even get a text out to my family, I was complete. My midwife asked me if I remembered how to push. I said I thought I did. Three contractions later.....Cade Michael was here! What started at 8:15 was wrapped up at 12:55...not bad. He was beautiful from the moment I laid eyes on him. He pinked up immediately. He gave that newborn scream that let me know he had arrived and he was healthy. It was official...I was head over heals in love with a little boy, again.

There is something about newborn babies. It is like they are straight from Heaven. You can just feel it. It amazes me every time!

Things are been going very well at home. His big brothers are completely smitten with him and want to hold him all the time. In fact, as I type this, Finn is sitting next to me holding Cade. It is probably one of the sweetest things I have ever seen.

I promise there will be plenty of pictures and stories to follow. For now we are just living in the moment with our sweet baby.

First Day of School

2010-08-11T15:22:00.003-05:00

My absence from blogging has been partially due to the anticipation of this day. I wanted to soak up every last minute with my kiddos because, today was the first day of Kindergarten for my sweet Luke. Around here, Kindergarten is all day. I was somewhat dreading what that would mean for me. I can't imagine my little guy being away from me all day long. The good news in all of this is that we are only 2 weeks away from the birth of the new guy (yet another reason for my absence) and I knew that school would be a welcome change for Luke. He is more than ready. This kid requires entertainment all day every day, and lately I just can't keep up. He is so social, and really needs to be around other kids more than I am willing to host at my house anymore. So off to Kindergarten he went this morning.

The traditional first day of school picture on the stairs. This makes me want to dig out the old ones for a comparison. Hmmm, perhaps another post.
Dad stuck around for the big day. How cool is it to have your mom and dad drop you off on your first day of Kindergarten? Luke was really excited.
Proud mama and her boys. Notice Finn had to dress in the same shirt as Luke today. Perhaps it is his way of remembering Luke throughout the day. I think he may miss his best buddy even more than I will.

Luke was so excited to have his good buddy Abby in is class this year. What a great way to start off the school year! Their teacher has no idea what she is in for!

Of course he loved his first day of school! He has a wonderful teacher, and he got to do all kinds of fun stuff. He even reported that the chicken nuggets at school are "really good". I guess that is important when you are 5. Here's to a great year my Lukey boy! Even though I will miss you like crazy, I am so excited and know you will have a wonderful time in school!

Photo Shoot

2010-07-22T09:04:00.012-05:00

Last week the boys and I made a trip back to my hometown to visit my parents, grandparents, and friends. The weather was dreadfully hot and humid, but the company was refreshing. We were blessed to meet up with my old pal Courtney from Courtney and the Boys. I may have mentioned this before, but Courtney and I have known each other since we were little girls in our Sunday school dresses and patten leather shoes. Isn't it great to spend time with someone you have known that long? Anyway, Courtney did a little photo shoot for us, which was so fun, apart from the miserable humidity. Even though she is taking a hiatus from her booming photography business (so don't ask her right now) I really wanted to share just a few of my favorite photos. I can't explain how perfectly she captured my boys and their personalities. Maybe it is because she has two little boys of her own, or maybe because she is just that fabulous. Either way she did a spectacular job. She even got a few of me with my big baby belly (this was 34 weeks). I hope you enjoy them as much as I do. And don't worry, there are more to share later.

It is virtually impossible to choose a favorite out of all these amazing photos (not to mention all the ones I didn't even share yet). BUT...I think if I had to choose...I think I would choose this one. It is perfect in every way.

Thank you so much Courtney! We are in love with the pictures!!! I just wish we were closer so that you could capture the new Madigan brother. Perhaps you will be up for a road trip in a few weeks?

Keep It Clean

2010-07-01T10:20:00.001-05:00

In my endless quest to keep the kids busy this summer, I decided to have a backyard cleaning day. I got the boys a bucket of soapy water, a couple of washcloths, and a hose. You can only imagine the ridiculous amount of fun that they had with these simple items.

First we started by washing the bikes.

Then we washed the picnic table.

Killian just wanted to stay out of the line of fire (and in the shade).

Next we headed over to the playset.

It was a big job, but someone had to do it.
These two someones were more than willing.
Hmmm....perhaps tomorrow should be wash the car day!

Slipping and Sliding

2010-06-30T10:20:00.000-05:00

There has been a lot of slipping and sliding going on around here lately.

It all started when I was in Phoenix.

Dad decided that the boys needed some extra backyard entertainment.

Can you guess what we now have?

Yea, we're slipping and sliding alright.

Anyone want to come join us?

31 Week Baby Belly

2010-06-29T13:37:00.001-05:00

I have been feeling terrible that I don't have a single picture of my baby belly.
This will be my last pregnancy, that I am planning on :)
I really want to document the beauty of the belly.

So today while we were outside playing, I got my camera and asked Luke if he would
snap a couple shots of my belly.
I had no idea what an amazing photographer he is!!!!
I am in awe of how beautiful they turned out.

Here it is, the 31 week belly.....

Now that I have seen what an awesome job he does,
maybe I will try weekly updates for the rest of the pregnancy.

Keeping Busy

2010-06-26T10:20:00.000-05:00

I have been trying to keep the boys busy this summer, while trying to keep myself out of the sticky heat. The other day the humidity was down a bit which made for the the perfect day to spend some time at the park. We packed up our lunch and headed out. Here is just a glimpse of what went on.

Luke has finally mastered the digger at the park. Notice the look of concentration. That contraption is not easy to use!

Maybe this is a bit of a funny picture, but I know I will adore this in a few years. I love the nape of Luke's little neck. Despite frequent haircuts, he ALWAYS has that little "tail" at the bottom of his hair line. I used to fight it, but now I have come to love it!

Finn showing me his "muscles" and how he can "hang like a monkey". I think I see the second a bit more than the first :)

Luke loves to slide down these poles. I kind of freaks me out each time he does it. Boys will be boys, I guess.

Doesn't it seem like he is growing right before your eyes! Honestly! No need to rush it Finny!

The boys were looking forward to throwing some rocks into the lake. It has come to be one of their favorite outings. Unfortunately, with all the rain we have had lately, the lake was up so high there was no rocks to be found! The water was up into the grass, and even covering one of the docks. Oh well, maybe next week.

Splish Splash

2010-06-25T10:30:00.001-05:00

A few weeks ago, we took a trip to Chicago to spend some time with our favorite cousins. As usual, we had tons of fun. There was lots of playing, and some good eating, and even a little napping for this tired momma!

We were lucky enough to enjoy great weather, which led to a great time playing in the sprinkler! And let me assure you, if there is anything more fun than playing in the sprinkler....it is playing in the sprinkler with your cousins! I'll let these pictures speak for themselves!

How Do I Follow That???

2010-06-24T22:15:00.002-05:00

I know I left you hanging for quite some time, but I really wasn't sure how to follow that Tex and Dusty post!!! I got a lot of feedback on that post, and it seems that you all love my little buckaroos just about as much as I do!

Of course we have been staying busy around here. We have been spending lots of time at the pool, and the park, along with a few trips to the Children's Museum and the Zoo. Best of all, I got to take a little vacation back to Phoenix all by myself. Whew!!! That was fantastic! The boys got to hang out with Dad for the weekend, while I visited with friends and family back in Phoenix. What a blessing.

In case you have lost track....I am 31 weeks pregnant (as of Friday). All is well in that department. I just had my 30 week appointment this past week and the little guy was happily kicking away even during the appointment. I am still feeling good, and my only complaint right now is that I am REALLY tired! I guess that goes along with the job! My midwife seems to think that this little guy is looking like he is right on track, despite earlier predicitons of being a little behind. At any rate they did not change my due date, and she assured me that they would not let me go more than a week and a half past that due date. I was relieved to hear that!

I am utterly unprepared for this baby to arrive. I have not even started in on the nursery, because I am waiting to move Finn into the bunk beds with Luke. I plan on doing that really soon....like early July. That should give me plenty of time to get things ready. As far as a name...I feel very unsettled about that. I have never felt this way before, but I feel like this one may come down to the wire. We have a good idea of what the first name will be, but not really the middle name. Then sometimes we throw out a new first name all together. I don't know!!! Anyone out there have some suggestions....in case you don't already know....our last name is Madigan. Give me your best suggestion, and I want first and middle names here people!

Well, that pretty much sums it up. Back to regular posting now. I have a couple of post scheduled already, so I promise I won't let you down.

Tex and Dusty

2010-05-25T20:40:00.005-05:00

Meet Tex.

He is a real cowboy, and he keeps things in check around these here parts.

He has real cowboy moves, but not real cowboy boots.

This is his trusty partner Dusty.

He takes his job pretty seriously.

They compare cap guns.

Sometimes they just hang out, waiting to....hmmm, I'm not sure what they are waiting for. Probably a snack.

I wouldn't mess with this duo.

At least not until they have had their snacks, that is.

Brothers

2010-05-21T10:20:00.000-05:00

Seeing as I am a girl, and I only have a sister, I never knew the joy of brothers. Sisters are amazing too, and I am grateful that I get to experience that still.

But seeing the amazing bond that these two have....

makes me simply giddy with excitement....

to add yet another brother...

to this equation.
Happy Friday!

Hosted by Cecilyand Mom24

Weekend Update

2010-05-20T14:50:00.002-05:00

Last weekend we were so blessed to have my parents come for an impromptu visit! Even though we are now only ten hours apart, as opposed to 24, we still don't get to see them nearly enough. They were so sweet to make the drive on Friday night and stayed until Sunday afternoon. Even though it was a short visit, we sure packed in a lot of fun.

We spent a lot of time in the yard. They graciously helped me plant, or shall I say planted for me, a few tomato plants a yellow pepper plant and lots of flowers. By evening we were all weary, and decided to relax in the backyard.

Finn decided he was ready to rise to the challenge of learning how to ride his tricycle. It took lots of concentration and a few pushes from his adoring fans.

He eventually got it though. He was so proud of himself, as were his fans. Before we knew it he was riding around the patio like a pro.

I love this picture of Ry watching Finn learn to ride.

Best of all, I squeezed in some snuggle time with my Lukey. He is such a lover and I truly cherish the fact that he still likes to climb up in my lap every now and then. You never know how long that will last, so I will take it while I still get it.

A Little Fluff on Top

2010-05-12T12:45:00.002-05:00

My sister came for a visit a few weeks ago. Since we always love to go on adventures, we decided to check out Arbor Day Farm. You know, since Nebraska is the home of Arbor Day (whatever that means).

It was a beautiful spring day and all the trees were in full bloom.

It appears there was a little something else in full bloom.

Just a little fluff on top.

Finn was obsessed with the outdoor xylophone.

And quite frankly, I am obsessed with him.

Pregnancy Update

2010-05-11T21:18:00.002-05:00

I don't know how it happens, but life seems to get busier and busier, and the days seem to be missing a few hours. I am so sad that I have not been updating my blog regularly. I love to keep everyone posted on all our happenings, but even more importantly, I love to go back and read what was going on in our lives. I will be sad that there is a huge chunk missing here. Especially because I will be missing out on the details of this pregnancy. So here is my feeble attempt to document that.

I am 24 weeks although at my ultrasound it appeared that the little guy was not as far along as they had previously thought (I knew this all along). So let's just say I am really probably 23 weeks and I am personally changing my due date to Sept. 5. Ok? Ok.

The ultrasound was amazing. I would be lying if I said I was not completely shocked. This pregnancy started out so different that my previous two. I was so sick and nothing really made that better. I was also so emotional. Kind of grouchy, kind of mopey, just not myself. I was positive that this baby was a girl. So, after clearly seeing that this baby was a boy within the first 2 minutes of the ultrasound, I was stunned. I hate to say I was sad, but maybe a bit. It only lasted a few minutes though because this baby stole my heart shortly there after. He was just so adorable, and had such a little personality. Does that sound strange? He was kicking and reaching and hugging himself. He even put his arm up by his head and "flexed" letting us know that he is gearing up for life outside the womb with his crazy big brothers. It was all so perfect. How could I possibly be sad?

This pregnancy has come with more aches and pains. Worst of all....and I am just going to put this out there...I have developed horrible varicose veins on the back of one calf. It is really painful and horribly ugly. I now have to put on a compression stocking every morning before I even get out of bed. Thus requiring I shower at night, and I am usually so exhausted that it feels more like a chore than anything. The stocking is really uncomfortable and super hot. Not to mention it is ridiculously unfashionable. Oh well. These are the joys of motherhood, right?

My belly is not all the big. I mean I do have a belly, but most of the time people are shocked to hear that I am 6 months pregnant. Hmmm....I am not sure how that makes me feel. All of my maternity clothes still seem big. I guess I should be glad that the big uncomfortable stage is holding off.

We are still working on a name. It seems a bit harder this time around. We like to talk about it as a family, and I love hearing the boys input. Luke actually picked Finn's name, and we all love it!!! Who knows which one of us will come up with a winner this time.

I have another doctor's appointment on Wednesday, so I will update again after that. I am using a group of midwives this time around and I have enjoyed getting to know all three of them. The experience has been so much more personal and friendly than my previous two experiences. They are a great group of women and I feel lucky to have found them.

Hopefully, this will break my anti-blogging streak. Sometimes just getting something posted inspires me to keep it up. Here's hoping!

Wordless Wednesday

2010-04-21T15:31:00.002-05:00

The Big Reveal

2010-04-14T08:32:00.004-05:00

Big News Around Our House!!!!

We are having ANOTHER boy!!!

Can you even believe it?

I can't wait to tell you about the amazing experience I already had with this sweet boy!

Stomp Rockets Rock

2010-04-09T15:06:00.003-05:00

Thanks to some amazing spring weather, we have been spending much of our time outside. Today we took Luke's new stomp rocket to the park and put in some serious stomp time.

This was my favorite picture of the whole day.

Watching the rocket soar!

Taking a minute to soak in the green grass and sunshine.

Finny taking a turn.

Yes he still has the fluff. I can't believe it is still so fluffy, but as you know I love it!!!

Killian was so happy to be included in this trip to the park!
He was awesome at chasing down the rockets for us!

We may have endured a rotten winter, but spring has more than
made up for it!

Wordful Wednesday....The Real Deal

2010-03-02T22:01:00.004-06:00

The picture is proof...Luke is over the moon these days.

He moved up from the "learn to skate" class to the hockey class. This move came with some major hockey gear. I have to say, I think there should be some rule that kids can't play hockey until they are big enough to carry all their own gear. I guess I'll tough it out though because seeing him this excited makes my day!

He started out in beginner skates, but now has his own real hockey skates. It took him a few times around the ice to get the hang of them, but now he is as fast as lightning!

He loves to shoot the puck. He still hasn't decided if he likes to play left handed or right handed, but there is plenty of time for that to develop.

He takes it all very seriously. He is hoping to make a team this fall. Some of the other kids tend to goof around and not listen. Not Luke though. He is always eager to hear what the coach has to say.

He is such a tiny little guy, and yet on the ice you would never know it. His presence rivals any NHL player I've ever seen! Maybe it is all the extra food he has been eating lately.

So let this be a warning to all the other little hockey players out there....this kid is the real deal!

I am so proud of you Luke!!! I am truly humbled by your dedication, your drive and your talent! You amaze me each and every day. I feel honored to witness your journey!

In case you are wondering what Finn does while Luke is busy becoming a professional hockey player...well, don't you worry. Finn has made friends with all the other kids and moms at the rink. I keep him supplied with snacks, and he really takes care of the rest. That's just how he rolls.

Hockey

2010-02-16T19:44:00.003-06:00

Yikes...I took these pics a while ago, and even started a post about Luke taking skating lessons. The days have been flying by lately, and a big part of my life is spent right here at the ice rink. Luke started taking skating lessons, in preparation for hockey. He has been wanting to play hockey for as long as I can remember. We started him in skating lessons once a week. His lessons just happened to coincide with hockey lessons at the other end of the rink. Talk about motivation. We decided to let him pick up an extra day a week so that he could really get the skating thing down. It totally paid off. After only 8 skating lesson, Luke's teacher said he was ready to move into the hockey class!!! He was ecstatic!!!! I am so proud of him. Needless to say these picture are completely outdated now. :) I mean he is a big time hockey player, with all (okay most) of the gear to go with it. I did take some pictures today, and I promise to load them tonight. I hope that means there will be a post to follow shortly. Until then. Enjoy the skating pictures!
Skating to his coach. I think she is phenomenal by the way.

Mastering the cones.

Even though he was in the "learn to skate" class, he got to go shoot pucks at the end of his lesson. I am pretty sure it was the highlight of each class!

Disclaimer

2010-02-11T13:34:00.002-06:00

I should probably post a disclaimer for the picture I posted yesterday. No children were harmed or even upset during the taking of that picture. It is hard to tell in that particular picture (because I have yet to figure out how to make my pictures larger on my blog), but Finny is indeed under the clothes basket with a huge smile on his face! The boys were playing "special delivery" and were taking turns delivering each other as a "package". I got to "unwrap" each "package" and then I got to tickle it!!! It was quite fun.

In other news, yes Finn's hair is a bit flat. He accidentally got a buzz. I say accidentally because I was clearly suffering from a case of pregnant brain when I took him for a haircut a couple of weeks ago. The girl asked me what we usually use to cut his hair and I just blurted out "a number 4" without adding that we usually scissor cut the top. Ooops! Before I knew it there were piles of fluff on the floor. I almost cried. He actually really likes it. I think it will grow back, but the truth is that the fluff has been slowly fading anyway. It may have been time to really start fresh.

I am feeling better this week, as I close in on the end of my first trimester. Tomorrow I will be 12 weeks pregnant. I am really hoping that by next week I will feel as back to normal as one possibly can when they are 12 weeks pregnant. I am not even really sure what that means, but I am tired of feeling so yucky. Plus, I feel like I already look about 5 months pregnant. Has anyone else shared that pleasure by their 3rd pregnancy??? I could really use an ego boost here people.

We have seen glimpses of that ever elusive Mr. Sunshine this week. Wow, what a difference some sun can make. Even the kids were "happier" on those days. Let's hope he decides to come around a little more often. I know there are many parts of the country that are getting slammed with crazy snow right now. I am happy to report, for once, we are not! Hang in there, only 5 more weeks until spring!

Wordless Wednesday Part 1

2010-02-10T14:48:00.001-06:00

Look very closely!

Wordless Wednesday Part 2

2010-02-10T14:36:00.005-06:00

Just Another Day at the Zoo

2010-02-04T16:09:00.006-06:00

As I previously mentioned, I am not at all above posting Christmas pictures in February. We were overjoyed to have Ryan's mom spend two whole weeks with us at Christmas. We had so much fun. One of my favorite days was spent at the zoo. You all know how much I love that darn zoo!

I really love this picture. The gorillas are my most favorite animal to see at the zoo, and we were not let down on this trip. This guy was sitting right up at the glass for us to enjoy.

I think Gram and I could have spent all day just taking him in, but alas the boys were ready to move on.

We spent a long time in the jungle on this trip. There were monkeys that were making some crazy hooting noise that we had never heard before. I tell you, there is something new and exciting about every trip there.

I love this pic of Finny and Gram because this is exactly how I remember that moment.

Ah yes, the famous Finny smile. I told you it was going to be a rough Christmas, photographically speaking!

Coming Clean

2010-01-31T15:24:00.002-06:00

Did you really think I would let the entire month of January slip by without a single post? I couldn't let that happen. I am really bummed that I did not share any Christmas or New Year's details here, but I am not above posting some of those memories in February. How about if I share with you my best Christmas gift right now? Perhaps it will help explain my absence. You see, on Christmas morning, I found out I was pregnant!!! It was an amazing Christmas gift. Unfortunately, it came with some really nasty friends named nausea and exhaustion. I know, not such a great gift, huh? I won't dwell, but I have been feeling horrible. Much worse than I did with either of my other pregnancies. I am not at all convinced that these differences are indicative of the gender of this peanut, but I will say EVERYTHING feels different. I will be more specific about that later.

In other exciting news...my amazing husband has been indulging me in all kinds of luxuries. Part of the reason that I have not been blogging is because my computer is set up down in the basement. Now don't get me wrong, I love my basement and usually spend lots of time with the boys down there. Unfortunately, because I feel so rotten, I have been spending a good part of my afternoons and evenings on my couch :( So, when Finn jammed a dime into one of the ports on Ryan's laptop this week, he decided to go out and buy a new laptop just for me!!!! I know, I am super excited because now I am like a mobile blogger!!! Don't worry, Ryan got a new netbook to replace his laptop. It was a package deal!

Ryan and I have been having a really hard time physically and emotionally with the gray winter here in Omaha. Our bodies have been craving that warm Arizona sun. This has been the worst winter in 30+ years here in Omaha. We were just not prepared for that. So on top of the pregnancy hormones (and trust me there a plenty of those) I have been fighting the winter blues and blahs. Thanks in part to my loving sister in law, Ryan has booked us a little get away to Mexico in a couple of weeks. That would be without the kids!!!! I know, it's almost too much, but I'm going to take it and RUN!!!!

There you go. Now you are all up to speed. Forgive me for my absence. I really have missed blogging and visiting all of your blogs too! I honestly have not even been taking pictures, if you can believe that! I hope to back to "normal" very soon!

Wordless Wednesday (sort of...again)

2009-12-16T15:54:00.003-06:00

His first snow angel....

ever.

Adventures in Gingerbread

2009-12-15T16:22:00.003-06:00

Yes indeed it did snow here. At least a foot or more. It was fun....at first :) So, we have been staying busy inside where it is cozy and warm. It turns out my kids don't care much for the freezing temps outside. Neither do I.

The other night, as tradition would have it, we made our annual gingerbread house. Now, don't go thinking I baked up all that gingerbread from scratch. We are big fans of the all in one kit. This job had traditionally fallen to Ryan and Luke, but this year Finn was able to contribute a bit as well. Well, he contributed to the eating of the candy anyway.

Here is Ryan, gingerly steadying the roof of our lovely house.

Here is Finn's fluffy head.

Everyone loves the candy!!!

This year Ryan tried a new technique. Thankfully the kids recently had ear infections requiring antibiotics, so we had this syringe handy.

Here is the finished product in all its glory!! Looks tasty guys!

Apparently this is how Finn "smiles" for pictures these days. This could be a rough Christmas, photographically speaking.

And So It Begins....

2009-12-08T10:30:00.000-06:00

I have been keeping myself busy with crocheting lately. I have made several hats and scarves and even a blanket. I am somewhat of a novice, so I kind of experiment with different patterns and yarns. I am having a blast.

Until the other day.

I just finished this cute little hat. I think the yarn I used didn't really have enough drape to make it look exactly the way I wanted. I still thought it was cute though. I put it on to head to the gym (thus the no make up look) and asked Luke how it looked.

He said, "Ummmm...no". Then a few minutes later he came back and said. "Ummm....I guess it is okay. I know, you can wear it tomorrow when I am not here."

And so it begins.

(All photos compliments of Luke)

Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow!!!!

2009-12-07T19:06:00.002-06:00

Yesterday afternoon, we got snow!!!
Oh yea, snow!!!

It snowed all evening.

The BIG, FAT, FLUFFY kind of snowflakes that make me
SMILE!!!

So after dinner, we put on the warmest gear we could find (no one has boots yet),
and headed out into the snow.

Ryan went and got snow shovels :)

The boys loved it!!

I know it sounds funny, but Luke has only ever visited the snow,
and Finn was too little to remember seeing snow.

In fact, Luke got up this morning and headed out into the snow
before he had to go to school.

And in case we didn't get the memo....

our neighborhood looks like this.

Everyone does their trees the same, so it looks
really cool when you drive down the streets of our neighborhood.

And as if that weren't cool enough...

Ryan decorated Luke's bunk beds, and

Finn's crib!

Yea, it's beginning to look a lot like Christmas around here.

Especially after it snows another 6-8 inches tomorrow!

Let It Snow

Let It Snow

Let It Snow

Thanksgiving

2009-12-05T13:55:00.010-06:00

We were lucky enough to spend Thanksgiving with my family this year. My parents have a cabin in the woods where they like to spend their Thanksgiving holidays. We had not been for a couple of years due one thing or another. We loaded up our truck, and set out on an 8 hour road trip.

One thing that we love about going there, is that it is completely remote. There is no Internet, our cell phones are iffy, and the nearest store (Wal-mart) is a good 20 minute drive. It's great!!! We are never bored, mind you. There is so much to do.

We were so blessed to have beautiful weather this year. It made the vacation even more enjoyable. Here I am with my dad, hanging out on the porch.

I was elated that my sister was able to make the trip too!

I love this picture of Ryan drinking wine in his overalls...yea, he's classy like that.

My dad (aka Papoo) got Luke this little bee bee gun. Can you say A Christmas Story???? Just kidding, there were no eyes shot out. Luke was in heaven shooting at the little target Papoo set up for him! This was him making is "tough" face...no one told him to do that.

I am not sure how many acres my parents have out there, but enough that you can get a good hike. The whole family headed down to the creek.

Good thing we had our hiking boots because there were several "slips" into the creek.

Even Killian enjoyed romping in the creek!

Finny was a little under the weather that day. He said his "r's hart"...you know, his ears hurt. Poor little guy.

My mom and I were snapping pictures right and left. We had to stop for one of the two of us.

Next on the agenda was fishing. Ryan caught several on our first day out! Way to go babe!

I had to include this one for my sister!!! A few years ago, she hooked her own thumb pretty badly. It was quite dramatic, and she has yet to live it down. It was a 45 minute car ride to the nearest medical center. This year she was extra careful!

Luke was a great little fisherman! He started out with "special bait" but eventually moved up to the real thing. He caught 3 fish all by himself! If you look closely you will see the same Mickey Mouse pole my sister and I used to use when we were little.

I should say a special thanks to my dad. Honestly, I don't know why he even takes us out fishing. When I asked him which pole he wanted to use he said he wasn't going to fish. After about 5 minutes I figured out why....the poor guy must have lost 10 lures, untangled 600 feet of fishing line, maneuvered the boat to retrieve lost bobbers, and completely re-did one fishing pole within an hour or so. Thanks dad, I am amazed by your patience!

Next up we had a couple of bon fires complete with hot dogs and s'mores...but not necessarily in that order :) S'mores are my most favorite treat!

I really wanted to get some cool pictures around the fire, but that was not easy.

I did my best.

Of course we celebrated Finn's second birthday in a big way while we were there. I will save that for a post of it's own. I cannot believe that my baby is 2 years old!

Lastly, here is a little tribute to our friend that we found in the woods, Shelly. We decided to keep her for a day. In fact, Shelly almost had a new home in Omaha, but we eventually decided that it was probably not in her best interest since we were not sure what she liked to eat. It turns out, box turtles can be really picky eaters and we sure did not want to cause Shelly any harm. We miss you dearly Shelly!

Wordless Wednesday (sort of)

2009-12-02T15:47:00.001-06:00

Ahhhh...a dog's life

Grateful

2009-12-01T09:34:00.002-06:00

With Thanksgiving behind us and Christmas approaching, I have been searching that place inside of me where all my blessings are stored. I am so grateful for the life I live each and every day. Some days I am well aware of my blessings, and I thank God for them. I am weepy even. Other days I have to stop and dig deep to find them, escape the daily hum drum of life.

Today is one of those days where I only have to look around me for a second to realize how bliss my life is.

I am so grateful that I am lucky enough to stay home with my two boys. Honestly, there are days when I have had it up to my eyebrows with cleaning and laundry and screaming and fighting and spills and tears and errands and tantrums and arguing and WHINING...OH THE WHINING!!!!

But....even on the worst of days, I am still grateful that I get to be here for all of that. Every little bit. Honestly.

Thank you Ryan, for letting be here to enjoy these amazing moments with the boys. I could never ever repay you for how much it means to me.

I am sure you have heard the saying....

"Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take but by the number of moments that take our breath away".

Luke and Finn, you take away my breath every day I spend with you. The love you have for each other is truly breathtaking. I cannot even put into words the way it makes my heart feel to see you loving each other the way only brothers, best friends can. Last night when I walked into Luke's room to find the two of you snuggled up together in Luke's bed sound asleep...my breath was stolen. I love you boys, more than I could ever describe to you.

So today, I will thank God for these immeasurable blessings in my life; among countless others. I pray that my life will bring even a fraction of the joy to God that he has given me.

In the Meantime

2009-11-18T16:46:00.002-06:00

I am sorry it is taking me ridiculously long to get this Disney post up. I really am working on it. I have already put a couple of hours into it. But until then....

Can you believe my baby will be 2 is a couple of weeks????

I refuse.

Sorry.

Forever my baby he shall be.

Do you think he will agree?

M.I.C.K.E.Y.

2009-11-12T17:07:00.004-06:00

MAGICAL

That is what our trip was.

Unbelievably magical.

For all of us.

Kiddos.

Adults.

We had the time of our lives.

And man oh man do I have the pictures to prove it!!

I have 3 different sets of pictures.

Therefore it has taken me several days to sort through them.

I promise to get back to you soon with many of my faves.

Until then....

Leaving On A Jet Plane

2009-10-31T08:00:00.001-05:00

We're leaving...on a jet plane

don't know when we'll be back again!

Just kidding...we'll be back in a week!

See you then!

Lady Luck

2009-10-30T08:00:00.002-05:00

Do you believe in luck?

I don't so much.

But if I did...I might say this could be lucky.

What am I talking about??

You know....lady luck?

As in the ladybug variety.

Well, luck or not...I certainly feel lucky.

You see, as luck would have it...
We are headed to Disney World for a week with our cousins!

Lucky indeed!!!

Missing You

2009-10-29T16:19:00.002-05:00

Since Ryan took his new job, he has not had to travel much at all. Most of his traveling involves driving. However, this week he had to go to Montana. He has been gone since Monday, and was supposed to be home by now. Sadly, the weather is not cooperating. He is sitting in an airport, just waiting for his connecting flight to bring him home.

Hope you get home soon Babe!

We miss you!

Wordless Wednesday...Luke

2009-10-28T15:31:00.002-05:00

Wordless Wednesday...Finn

2009-10-28T15:25:00.001-05:00

A Note to the Henry Doorly Zoo

2009-10-27T10:02:00.012-05:00

Dear Henry Doorly Zoo,

I am writing to sincerely thank you. When we purchased our zoo membership before even officially moving to Omaha, I knew we would get good use out of it. The truth is, I had no idea that we would log countless hours at your zoo on an almost weekly basis. I almost feel bad that we are taking advantage of you. After all, your membership rates are ridiculously affordable!

Yes, I thought it would be nice to have a membership so that we could "pop in" for an hour or so every now and then. In reality, we just can't spend less than 3 hours each time we come. And because so many of your exhibits are housed inside comfortably temperate indoor "houses", we have yet to let rain or windy, cold days keep us away.

The aquarium is one of our favorite spots to stand in utter fascination.
We could watch those fish swim 'round all day.

We have even watched scuba divers dive down and wrangle fish into nets to move them to different exhibits. That was really fascinating!

And the amazing pictures those tanks make for...well you should charge just for that!

We also really love to visit the gorillas. They each have their own personalities, that we are slowly beginning to know. We love how they play peek-a-boo around the edges of the glass. And who would not be exhilarated by how they love to come swiftly bang on the glass, giving us a little scare, yet truly exciting us!

Yes, sometimes we just relax there for quite some time.

And sometimes, they relax right along with us!

We love how close we get to all those big cats! It almost feels like you could reach out and pet them.

We are in awe of the lion's powerful roar, which he bellows out each and every time we visit. How does he know how much we love to hear him "talk" to us??

I would also like to add, that due to pushing my double stroller up those unbelievably steep hills, I feel that a visit to your zoo is a fair trade off for a day at the gym! Thank you for keep us baby toting moms in shape!

In closing, I just would like to thank you again. We have truly experienced all sorts of wonders at your zoo. We will definitely be renewing our membership next year!

Sincerely,

Jaysi

Overheard

2009-10-26T13:08:00.001-05:00

This conversation was overheard the other day between Luke and the nice lady cutting his hair.

Stylist: So what are you going to do today?

Luke: Go mini-golfing.

Stylist: Oh you are? (She glances over at me) Does your mom know this?

Luke: She does now.

It seems he is already perfecting the male version of communication skills!

Falling for Fall

2009-10-23T14:39:00.000-05:00

One thing that I was most excited about when we decided to move to Nebraska, was having seasons again. Especially fall. Arizona is beautiful, but it is in a perpetual state of summer/spring. I missed fall more than anything.

So, when our days became cool and the air turned crisp, I was overjoyed.
For about...a week.

Then it got really cold, and rainy. Every day seemed windy and dreary. This is not why I came here. I am certain of that. We even had snow already, but we were not here. We missed it. How sad (insert sarcastic tone). Did we skip right over fall and go straight into winter?

When we get peeks of sunshine, the boys and I are out the door before you can say Jack-o-lantern!! Here are some pics from one of our days at the park.

The boys love spending time down by the water!

Finn getting lost in the grass.

This is Finn belting out his ABC's. This looks like the finale!!

Luke loving the curly slide.

Finnie blue eyes.

No trip to the park would be complete without peeing in the bushes :)

Because I Love You So

2009-09-30T16:33:00.000-05:00

Ahhh...fall is upon us here in the Midwest.
I will be writing more about that later, but for now I wanted to share something with you.
Because I love you so; and because it is too good not to share.

My kids LOVE the Broccoli Cheese soup at Panera.
Make that my kids and my husband.
Oh who am I kidding...our whole family!!
So Ryan found the recipe online, and I
of course made it.

Now, I almost had a heart attack (literally) when I saw the fat and calorie content.
Therefore, I lightened mine up a bit.

Here is the recipe.

1 tablespoon melted butter (I used less)
1/2 medium onion chopped
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup flour
2 cups half and half (I used fat free)
2 cups chicken stock
1/2 lb broccoli chopped (I used more)
1 cup carrot, julienned
1/4 tsp nutmeg
8 ounces grated sharp cheddar cheese (I used about half that)
salt and pepper

1. Saute onion in butter. Set aside.
2. Melt butter and mix with flour using a wisk over medium heat for 3-5 minutes. Stir constantly and add the half and half.
3. Add chicken stock. Simmer for 20 minutes.
4. Add the broccoli, carrots and onions. Cook over low heat 20-25 minutes.
5. Stir in cheese and nutmeg. Salt and pepper to taste.

This makes 4 servings. Serve with crusty bread.

Believe me when I say the boys gobbled this up.
Even Finn was gulping down spoonfuls of broccoli!!
Let me know if you make it.
I would love to hear what you think.

What are some of your favorite fall foods?

Cheese

2009-09-29T16:36:00.001-05:00

Every time I ask Finn to "smile" this is what I get...

No worries. I just entered him the Kraft Cheesy Smiles Contest.
Not sure what my prize will be...
perhaps a year's supply of mac and cheese.
I'll take it.

What do you think?
Is this the cheesiest smile you have seen lately?

Why I Sometimes Loathe My Walk-In Pantry

2009-09-24T16:10:00.001-05:00

There are many, many things that I love about our new house. One in particular is the generously sized walk in pantry in my kitchen. I love that I can store ALL of our food in there, leaving my cabinets strictly for dishes and other kitchen items. But, I do have to say that there are indeed times when I loathe the walk-in pantry.

Times like these...

and these....

and these...

and of course these....

It's cool though. I'll deal. Perhaps some type of child proof latch is in order??

Hair Wars

2009-09-23T16:59:00.000-05:00

For as long as I have known Luke (that would be 4 years +) he has always loved his "flat" hair.

Every time we go to get his haircut he declares..."I want my hair to be flat".

He categorizes people by their hair..."I like him because he has flat hair like me."

You can imagine his response when he met his new baby brother with anything but flat hair.

So I was completely shocked when he came out of the bathroom with his hair wet and spiked. He did this a couple of days in a row, and excitedly came to show me his spiky hair-do. It was a day or two later that I realized he was using the lovely scented bar of soap from the bathroom, to help him complete this coif.

I was even more shocked when he told me the day before he started preschool that he wanted to go get his hair cut "fluffy like Finn's". I had to break the news to him, that it is in fact impossible for him to have fluffy hair like Finn's. However, I did agree to getting a spiky cut.

We had to put gel in it of course, and quite frankly, it really only lasted a couple of hours and then fell flat.

He kept it going for a couple of days. Then he just gave up on it. I'm not sure if it was just too much bother, or if he just realized the competition was just too intense.

School Days

2009-09-21T15:29:00.000-05:00

The time has come (and gone) to share with you the annual back to school photo. Luke started a new preschool a week (or two) ago. So far he is really loving it. He has two new friends that he talks about daily. I am so excited for him to make friends at school and learn brilliant new things.

Without further ado, here is the much anticipated collection of back to school pics.

Here he was when he was only 2 years old on his very first day of school.

Ahhhh, just look at that sweet little face.

Here he was the next year, when he was three years old.

Still super excited about the big day.

And here he is now, my big four year old boy!!!

This year he wanted to spike his hair for the first day. This was a new one!

Dear Luke,

I am so excited for your last year of preschool. I know that you are going to learn all kinds of exciting things this year to get you ready for Kindergarten. Since you are at a new school, you will meet lots of new friends. You already talk about Teagan and Nathan all the time. It will be fun to have them over for play dates soon!

I hope you remember to be kind to all of the kids. You are such a sweet boy, and I love that you can find something to play with any kid you meet. Also, remember to listen to your teachers. I know you don't love to sit down and make things at school, but you this year you will be learning how to write some letters and numbers. That will really help you out when you go to Kindergarten next year.

Most importantly, I hope that you have a new and exciting adventure every day you are at school. Make each day a great one!! I love you so much Luke. You bring sunshine to each of my days, I know you will do the same at school.

Love,

MOM

Ridiculous

2009-09-21T15:17:00.000-05:00

I just feel ridiculous.

I maybe mean embarrassed.

I feel bad that I have been so bad about keeping my blog up.
I have really even been pretty bad about visiting all of your blogs.
For that I am sorry.

The truth is....
that I have been
REALLY

LOVING

my life.

Do you know what I mean?

It has been so busy around here, and so much fun.
I could not be happier in my "new home".

When you cross the border from Iowa into Nebraska, the sign reads....

Nebraska...the good life.

Well, I for one could not agree more.
We are really enjoying the good life!

The problem is when I get behind on my blogging, I just
never know where to start.
I want to explain it all to you so you know that I still care.
BUT
now that you know.

I am just going to dive right back in.
I think I probably only have about 2 readers left at this point.
Perhaps I will have to come up with a little something to
entice you.

Without Warning

2009-08-27T14:50:00.001-05:00

Without Warning...I completely disappeared on you.
It was totally planned, but I decided to keep it a secret. I'm sneaky like that sometimes.

I disappeared for almost 3 whole weeks. I packed up the SUV, piled in the kids and the dog, and headed off for a 3 week road trip.

Yes, I am that brave...and possibly that CRAZY!! It was a blast!

We visited with our family and our friends that feel like family.

We swam.
We fished.
We played games.
We rode rides.
We saw animals.
We ate great food.
We kissed.
We danced.
We laughed.
We shared tiny spaces.
We got on each other's nerves.
We left things behind.
We bought new things.
We met new friends.
We cherished old friends.
We strolled.
We talked.
We found new fun places.
We missed old great places.
We hugged hello.
We waved goodbye.

It was a great trip.
We enjoyed each and every leg of the journey.

As you can imagine I have a lot of pictures to work through.
I will leave you with a few of my favorites, but you can be sure there will be more to come.

Okay...maybe that is more than just a few.
We all know that the reason you come around here
is to see my cute kids anyway!!

SMITTEN

2009-08-03T21:30:00.000-05:00

SMITTEN

(That's me)

SCRUMPTIOUS

That's

Finn

Adventures with Aunt Bibs

2009-07-31T11:19:00.000-05:00

My sister came for a visit last week to check out our new digs. She and I had a blast exploring all the fun things to do around here. I love an adventure, but it is oh so much more fun with my sister along.

Our first adventure was getting Luke's cast off!!!! YEA!!! It was ridiculously dramatic, but once it was all over, Luke was excited to be out of his stinky cast.

Our second adventure was to the pool of course. I had been waiting all summer to sit poolside! It was so great to be in the water again. Since we had a pool at our house in Phoenix, it was quite an adjustment for me to be without it.

We also went to a wine tasting at our local botanical gardens. It was unbelievably beautiful! I can't wait to go back soon. Too bad we got there to late to really enjoy all the wines!

Here is my sister enjoying a wine from Australia!

The boys were not so excited about the botanical gardens. Oh well, to each his own!

We checked out a local farmer's market and loaded up on all kinds of great veggies! That led to a few delicious meals.

Next we checked out this awesome drive-thru wildlife park. I wasn't sure how cool this would be, but it turned out to be a hit!! We had so much fun driving through the park with our windows down. The kids were out of their car seats, enjoying the freedom of life without seat belts. I couldn't resist taking tons of pictures.

Wild Turkey

White tailed deer

Elk

Swamplands with geese

Bison

Cute little turtle

My co-pilots

The view from my side mirror :)

Next we checked out the Strategic Air and Space Museum. Luke was in heaven!!! There were tons of old Air Force airplanes and helicopters. It was really cool to walk under some of those HUGE airplanes!

Sorry I can't label any of those pictures for you. I have no idea what these planes are called. In fact Luke was asking me questions about things there and I would start to tell him something...that is a rocket ship. Then I would read the sign and have to correct myself...sorry buddy, that is actually a missile :) Perhaps I am not up to speed on large military equipment.

Then it was time for my sister to leave. We were so sad to see her go, and miss her dearly. We can't wait for all kinds of new adventures on your next visit Aunt Bibs!!!

A Fish Tale

2009-07-31T10:50:00.000-05:00

A couple of weeks ago we decided to take a family adventure to the lake that is just 2 miles from our house. We loaded up our fishing poles, some drinks, the dog, and of course the kiddos, and headed out fishing. We were not sure where the best "hot spots" were, but we decided to take our chances and just pick a spot. I don't think it would have mattered if we were in a fish hatchery, we were not destined to catch a thing that day. The dog had a blast swimming in the lake, chasing after sticks and sporadically become entangled in fishing line. The kids picked up dirty, slimy rocks and through them in from the shore, scaring off any fish who may have been interested. We never got Luke's rod to work at all, and as soon as I through my line in, it immediately got hooked on something and never let go. We ended up having to cut my line and scrap the pole. In other words, we only had one working pole, and that one was not catching any fish. No matter. We still had a great time. Sometimes it is all about the adventure and not at all about the outcome!

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Mission Accomplished

2009-07-16T16:26:00.001-05:00

While driving in the car the other day....

Luke: Mom would should have named Finnie...Michael Jackson.

Me (laughing hysterical and almost taking out a mini van): Luke, that is one of the funniest things you have ever said!! Why do you think we should have name Finn, Michael Jackson?

Luke: I don't....I just wanted to make you laugh!

Mission accomplished, little buddy!

Splishing and Splashing

2009-07-16T14:23:00.000-05:00

Yesterday afternoon, our neighbors busted out their kiddie pool. They invited Luke to come splash a bit, but he was hesitant. I assured him that we could fasten a bag around his arm (just like at bath time) that would keep him dry. He adamantly refused. I am not sure if he was embarrassed, or nervous, or what the deal was. After watching the neighbors splash for a while, from the safety of our play set, he decided to give it a go. I put a plastic bag over his cast, and double secured it, just to be sure. He had a blast splashing around.

It must have felt so good, after weeks of nothing but shallow baths. It was a nice hot, sunny day outside; perfect for a swim.

Even Finn decided to get in on the fun.

I cannot tell you how blessed we are to have these amazing friends in our lives. I adore each of these kiddos! It is fun watching friendships blossom, and memories made!

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For The Love of Finn

2009-07-16T09:35:00.000-05:00

I haven't posted much about Finn lately. Not because there hasn't been much to post, because there certainly has. I have literally watched Finn go from a baby to a toddler over night. It is exciting for him, but oh does it tug at my heart strings. He is supposed to be my baby, and quite frankly I was not ready for this.

He is talking more and more each day. Even though his words are still pretty garbly, he is really trying to say more. He has also become so much more social. He loves playing with the neighbor kids. I am delighted that he has his first buddy, our neighbor Carson. They like to do silly things, like throw their sippy cups across the yard, and then giggle hysterically. It is so nice to see him playing with a friend.

I can tell that he understands what we are telling him now too. I can give him something and tell him to go throw it in the trash for me, and he does it with a smile. I tell him to go get his shoes, and he heads straight for the mud room. It is just awesome to see all the new things he is learning every day.

Even though he is growing by leaps and bounds, he is still such a lover. He snuggles up with me daily, and loves to be loved on. At least if I have to give up my "baby", I still get to love on him. His face still lights up when he sees me. I remember when I posted about that way back when, hoping that it would never change. God is good! Every time I come to pick him up from the children's center at the gym, he says "Yea!!!! Mommy!!" , as soon as he sees me. Ahhh, melts my heart every time!

Finn,

I am so proud of the big boy that you are becoming. It is amazing to watch you learn new things every day. I love that you enjoy playing with you brother and have even made your first real friend. You like to play cars, play in your kitchen and you love to be outside.

You are starting to eat vegetables, which makes my heart sing!!! I hope that you keep trying new things each and every day. Your favorite books to read are "Brown Bear, Brown Bear" and the "I Love You" book that Gram and Pap gave you for your birthday. You love to sing and dance, and love to have dance parties in the basement with dad. You play every instrument that you can get your hands on!

I can't wait to see what new things you will accomplish each day. I hope you never lose your sense of curiosity, or your love of laughter. You crack me up every day! I love you with all of my heart sweet boy!

Love,
Mom

More of Our New Digs

2009-07-14T15:02:00.000-05:00

We are seriously loving our new digs. From one room to the next, we are delighted with our new house. One place that we are particularly found of is our yard. Lucky for us, the family that lived here before us had just completely landscaped the yard last year. They did not know that they would be moving a year later, so we have reaped the rewards of that folly. When we put an offer in on this house (in the early spring) the yard was lovely, but over the past two months we have quite literally watched it bloom to life. We have plants we had no idea were in our yard. It has been really fun to watch plants emerge and bloom (and to try to figure out what every thing is). I just can't capture the yard in its true essence, because it is quite large. Here are just a few pics to give you an idea.

We have tons of lilies in the front yard. I should have taken a picture earlier when they were in full bloom. It was amazing!!

I don't even know what this is, but it started out as just a couple of small green blobs. Now it is creeping in all directions and drenched in purple flowers. (This is also in the front of the house)

The back yard is really my favorite.

We all have enjoyed countless hours out there, but the one true lover of the backyard is this guy...

He loves to roam the yard; chasing away bunnies, and rolling in the grass. He is like a kid in a toy store out there. Truly doggie heaven!

Happy 4th (A Bit Belated)

2009-07-14T14:35:00.000-05:00

We have been so busy around here lately. I am trying to get the boys out of the house every day in an attempt to keep all of us busy (or not crabby) and to try and meet some new friends. I have so much blogging it do it is crazy, but I am going to try to catch up.

First off, I hope everyone had a happy 4th of July. We most certainly did. We started out with a neighborhood parade in the wagon. It was a bit drizzly, but fun none the less. It ended at the park where we enjoyed doughnuts and juice.

The evening was spent in our drive way, shooting off fireworks until it got dark. My kids had never seen fireworks until this year so it was quite a novelty. Unfortunately, Finn did not care for the loud noises, so he went to bed early. The rest of us had a blast doing sparklers, and other little fireworks. Once the sun went down it got really crazy around here. We had

THE MOST AMAZING

display of fireworks I have ever seen in my life, right here in our own neighborhood. Who knew!!! Even Luke said..."Mom, I have no words for this." If you know Luke, you know that is really saying something! It really was incredible. We sat out in our yard and watched fireworks in all directions, for 2 hours. Then we finally called it quits and went it. It was a bit difficult to sleep with all the booms still going on, but we were exhausted from the festivities.

Here are a few of my favorite pictures of Luke trying sparklers for the first time.

Crushed

2009-07-09T21:49:00.000-05:00

Me that is. I am crushed.
All my hopes and dreams for laying by the pool this weekend....
DASHED

Luke came home with this today.

That's right, another cast. A yellow one this time.
A short one.
Just for two more weeks.
So they tell me.

I was for sure more upset about it than he was. He actually did not like the feeling of getting the long cast off. Right after he got it off, he actually asked me if I brought the double stroller... because he wanted a "ride" to the car.
As if it were a wheel chair.

Anyway, he was super brave yet again.

Perhaps it was the Superman shirt.
He certainly seems like a super hero to me.

A super hero with a broken arm, that is.

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Where Does the Time Go????

2009-07-02T15:45:00.000-05:00

YIKES!!!
2 weeks without a post
I am seriously slacking.

We had a great time in San Fran and I will share some of those crazy pictures later.

Luke's arm is doing great.
He is back to doing almost everything he was before.
Just no swimming :(

He had a follow up with the ortho last week and they said he could probably get his cast of next week! That is only 3 weeks of cast wearing , which is AWESOME!!

Here are some sweet pics I snapped of him the other day.

See...he is doing great! I love that kid!

Broken Arms and Broken Hearts

2009-06-18T16:41:00.001-05:00

Yesterday was full of drama around our house.

My sweet Lukey boy, took a small tumble off of his bike, into the grass. It seemed so minor, but when he stood up...I saw. I didn't want to see it....trust me! BUT, I saw it.
He had broken his arm.

It is a very long story.
I really do want to tell it. It involved several doctors.
Waiting many hours.
One doctor saying things like...
"put lots of needles in his arm"
"still going to hurt a lot"
"take him to the hospital to put him out"

all of these in front of my sweet, scared Lukey.

My mama bear claws were out.
I wanted to strangle that man.
I think my heart hurt as bad as Luke's arm.

I will spare you the details, or maybe it is sparing myself, because I am exhausted.

We ended up in the ER of our local Children's Hospital 6 hours later.

It was a little scary.

But Luke was so brave.

They blew out his veins 2 times, so he had to have 3 IV sticks.
The third time was a charm.
The morphine drip made all the difference.

They had to give him a medication that would keep him conscious,
but allow him to forget what happened.
Then they straightened his arm back out,
and put a long arm cast on.
ORANGE
to be exact.

He was pretty foggy for quite some time.
It was unbelievably sad.
Although, if I had to guess
I would say he felt pretty good!

Ryan and I were supposed to be on a 6:30 am flight to
San Francisco today.
To meet up with some friends in Napa before a wedding this weekend.
It was sad for all of us.

Luke was feeling okay today.
Pretty sore.
He laid low all day, poor little guy.

His poor fingers look like little sausages today.
It really breaks my heart to see him with that big cast on.
It will be a long 4 weeks with the big cast before he can hopefully move in to a shorter one.
It will be a long hot summer for the poor kid.
He is so tough though.
I am unbelievably proud of him.
He is handling it all so well.
Please pray for a speedy, and easy recovery for him.

A Swinging Great Day

2009-06-16T22:45:00.000-05:00

In all honesty, even I am so darn excited about this that I could not go to bed without posting some pictures.

Thanks in part to my amazing parents, we are now the extremely proud owners of this beauty.....

It is awesome, right?

Check out that bucket swing!!

And the rings!!

The boys giggled for an hour straight on that tire swing!

That's right...they were playing together on the tire swing.

Apparently they were so excited about it...they even started smooching each other!

Even though Finn looked like this. Cheetos mouth and snot nose.

Neither seemed to interfere with his fun.

I think we will be logging many hours on that play set this summer. Which is fine by me.
Watching my boys having fun together....
well that is PRICELESS!

PSF...For the LOVE of Fluffy Hair...Part II

2009-06-12T11:35:00.000-05:00

Several people have inquired recently as to the fluffy status of Finn's hair. Indeed, as has happened previously, it was starting to loose its floof. This post is to reassure all those who were worried....the floof has been restored. A simple haircut and we are back in action.

I also thought I should follow up my previous post, with a bit more "comfortable" shot of Finn. Here he is enjoying the park we found the other day. It was a lovely little spot at the lake. What more could you ask for on a sunny summer day?

Long live fluffy hair!

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For the Love of Fluffy Hair

2009-06-09T18:28:00.001-05:00

What happens when you throw a tantrum because you don't want to eat your lunch?

You fall asleep in the most uncomfortable position ever.

Seriously!

PSF....Saying Goodbye!

2009-06-05T09:33:00.000-05:00

On our last evening in Phoenix, I was blessed to spend time with both my sister and my mother in law. It was so bittersweet, knowing that I would be leaving them behind to start a new chapter in my life. I was very excited about the possibilites ahead of me, but also sad to leave loved ones behind.

To my sweet little sister,
We have been through so much together over the years. I feel so lucky to have had you so near to me the majority of my life. I have no idea where either of us will end up in the years to come, but I pray every day that God allows us to live close again some day. You are an amazing young woman. I have watched you grow tremendously this past year. I am so proud of the woman that you have become. I know your life is moving quickly these days; I hope that whatever comes next for you is all that you have dreamed of. I pray that you seek God first, and the rest will come.

I love you,
Jaysi

To my unbelievable Mother in Law,
I can not put into words what our relationship means to me. I know that God has perfectly orchestrated every piece of who we both are and the friendship we have made. I would not be who I am today without you. While I never took our relationship for granted, I never looked ahead far enough to realize that some day we might not be 4 blocks down the street from each other. I know that amazing things are happening for both of us, but I pray that some day God will put us right back together again. Until then, you will be in my heart daily. I love you immeasurably!

Love,
Jaysi

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Never a Dull Moment

2009-06-02T16:35:00.000-05:00

I'm back. I bet you thought I got buried in boxes or something, huh? Things have been C.R.A.Z.Y. around here. Unfortunately, I don't have a ton of house pics for you today (sorry Courtney). I think you will understand when I tell you what we have been up to around here. It started out with lots and lots of boxes and unpacking. That looked like this...

But of course I quickly turned that into this..

In the meantime, the kids were in the basement doing this...
I didn't mind one bit though. In fact I let Luke have his friend Abby over to help create the mess. At least I was able to get things done in other rooms.

Then they moved into my dining room for a bit of this...

What else would you do with all those boxes but build a box fort?

The reason I was so busy unpacking was because 8 days after we moved in, Ryan's sister and brother in law drove here with their 4 kiddos! His mom flew in from Phoenix the same day! It is so great to be driving distance from all the cousins!!! We enjoyed some time hanging out and visiting.

Finn was loving his aunt Shanny!

Gram was loving having all her babies together!

Of course we had to make a trip to the zoo with our cousins...

Everyone loved the aquarium!

I LOVED the jellyfish!

No trip to the zoo would be complete without a train ride.

Here is one of Finn and I just days before I chopped my hair off. Did I mention that it is a bit humid here? Can you tell?

After everyone left, we had 3 1/2 days to get cleaned up and pack our bags so that we could drive to Chicago. Silly I know. We spent one more night with the cousins before we headed over to visit some of our best friends. We were honored to become Godparents for their sweet baby Allie!

Isn't she cute?

The baptism.

Now I don't know if I have mentioned this before but our best friends (Owen and Jenine) have two little girls. We are crossing our fingers that there we can arrange at least one marriage. We figure we have four different possibilities. My money is on Luke and Emma...

So that is what we have been up to. I am hoping that life can return to "normal" soon. Whatever that is. We still have some boxes to get to, and tons of decorating to do. This house is like a blank canvas, and quite frankly I am a bit overwhelmed. I also want to get out and explore a bit this week/weekend. I really have only been to the zoo and a few essential stores (ie: grocery, Target, Costco). We even have a date night planned for this weekend...long over due!!! I promise I will take more pictures soon.

Omaha...ahhhhhhh.....

2009-05-17T15:38:00.001-05:00

We made it!!! We are finally in our new house, and loving every.single.minute. of it! We left Phoenix last week with many tears and lots of hugs. It was a sad goodbye to many wonderful friends and our dear family. I was way more emotional about saying goodbye than I had anticipated. I walked through the empty house and cried in each room as unbelievable memories came rushing over me. This was the home where we started our family. One dog and two babies later, it was difficult to close the door on our first home. Sigh.

I cried pretty much the entire day we left. Ryan had already left; driving my car with the dog to Omaha. The boys and I flew out to meet him a couple of days later. It hurt to let go of my sister. It hurt to let go of Ryan's mom. I have never liked saying goodbye, but those two were physically painful. I cried on the airplane as I opened a card and gift that Ryan's mom had tucked into my purse. Even as I type this it is unbearable for me to think that she is not 4 blocks down the street from me anymore. Ouch.

BUT, then we landed. The boys and I were ridiculously excited to see Ryan. Oh my gosh, had we missed him. It was time for us to be a family again...under one roof. From that moment on, I can honestly say I have been nothing but overjoyed. We are so in love with our new house. All of us. Even the dog is loving his new digs! Luke has already made a new friend who lives right next door. He and his new pal Abby are inseparable! Luke waits in the backyard for her to come out, and then it is hours of playing for those two! He even told me that he loves her, but that I shouldn't tell her mom! Too cute!! Her parents are just as delightful. We sat out on their patio with them last night and enjoyed a couple of beers while the kiddos played. It is exactly what we hoped it would be! We love it here!

I know you probably want to see pictures, and really I want to show you. Unfortunately, I am not exactly sure where the cords to my camera are. Hmmmm....they must be in a box here somewhere! We have plenty of those! I promise I will unpack it soon, and get some pictures up for you. We have a whole house load of people coming this weekend, so I need to get back to work. Check back soon for pictures!

This Is NOT What I SHOULD Be Doing

2009-05-04T23:09:00.001-05:00

I know that I should be off organizing or cleaning something, but I needed a break from the chaos. I thought I could use a little makeover. This looks a little more spring-like, don't you think? I know many of you have had fancy makeovers, and I am really jealous. This will just have to do for now though.

*SIGH*

Just a brief update. I did get lots done today. I now have many,many zip loc bags full of organized toys! There was an unexpected turn of events though. I ended up at the doctor's office this afternoon. Luke has strep throat (again)...lovely. Finn has an ear infection...awesome. I now have two big bottles of amoxicillin in my refrigerator...sweet! However, my refrigerator is freshly cleaned. Compliments of my oh so wonderful mother in law. Seriously, be jealous...I didn't even ask her to do it! No, that is just the kind of amazing woman she is. Not only did she volunteer to come stay with my sick kiddos while I was off getting their drugs, she cleaned my fridge to boot!

Okay, I am off for some mindless TV and laundry folding. Good night!

T-3

2009-05-04T10:00:00.000-05:00

Okay we are in the final stretch now...T minus 3 days until operation pack the entire house commences. I know, I know...I am seriously THE luckiest girl on earth because I actually have "packers" coming. Is it possible that they can pack our entire house in one day? I'll believe it when I see it people.

Anyway, things have been busy around here. I am trying to throw away as much junk as I can. You know, so when I get there and open up boxes I am not like....why in the heck did we pack this? I am also trying to get things organized. Today is operation toys. I am trying to convince Luke that life will be so much better in Omaha, if we find all the parts and pieces to every toy and get them together to be packed. I literally have toys all over my house right now. I find cars and transformers in the strangest of places. In with my makeup, in my nightstand, in kitchen cabinets...you get the idea.

So we will get packed and loaded this week, and move in with my mother in law for a few days. Then Ryan will drive my truck out with the dog (remind me to update you on him later) and the boys and I will fly out early next week. Hooray!!! It is finally here. I know many of you asked about my dream house, and I am sorry that I didn't share more. I just didn't want to talk about it for fear that it might not happen. The sellers were kind enough to push out the close date one month so we could sell this house. We still have not closed on the house here, or officially there yet either, but next week is the big week. I feel much more confident that it will happen this time. So, I will share with you one sneak peak of my new house. Keep in mind that this is not my furniture (although I wish it were). This pic is from when we looked at the house originally.

This will be my new kitchen. And in case you are curious as to why there is a leather chair in the kitchen, it is sitting in front of the fireplace :)

Random Picture Challenge

2009-04-18T11:27:00.000-05:00

Here is a new one for me....
Random Picture Challenge over at 4 Little Men and Girly Twins

The challenge was to go to your picture folder
from April of 2008
and post the 42nd picture

Here it is.....

This was from Luke's 3rd birthday party last year. We celebrated at the Indoor Mini Golf Paradise. It was a jungle theme party complete with hats and party blowers, pizza and cake! Here is Luke getting ready to blow out the candles on his cake. And yes, it did get a hole in one on his special day.

To see more entries, visit.....

PSF...When I Am a Man

2009-04-16T22:34:00.000-05:00

The other day out of the blue Luke said to me.....

Mommy, when I am a man will my voice still sound like this?

To which I replied...

No honey. As you grow your voice will start to sound different. When you are grown up you will have a deeper voice like Dad's.

He just smiled and started to walk off.

I asked him...

Is that what you wanted to hear?

His eyes lit up as he said...

Yea, I want to sound like my Dad!

I know it is super sweet that he wants to be like his Dad, but I can't even let my heart begin to think about him with a deep voice. Oh how I will miss that little boys voice when it is gone!

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If You Give Two Boys Some Play Food.....

2009-04-16T12:36:00.000-05:00

They will dump it on the floor and yell "cannonball" as they jump into the mess!

Yesterday before nap time, I sent the boys upstairs together to play for a few minutes while I finished up a few things downstairs. This is a relatively new activity because Finn is truly into everything and I fear leaving him alone for even a second. I decided I would take my chances. As I finished up my tidying downstairs, I heard lots of belly laughing coming from both boys upstairs. It was truly music to my ears to hear my boys playing together. They were cracking each other up. I also heard things being thrown (followed by giggling) and some pretty loud jumping with the word "cannonball" being used. I went upstairs to find Finn's room covered in play food. They were literally throwing it everywhere! Luke would then jump into the bin that previously contained all the food and yell "cannonball". It was too funny not to laugh!

Listening to my two boys crack each other up=PRICELESS

Wordful Wednesday....I Think You Have a Little Something on Your Nose

2009-04-15T10:30:00.001-05:00

I haven't done a Wordful Wednesday post in a while. As you know things have been a bit crazy around here. I thought this would be a good one to get me back into the game.

I like to call this....I think you have a little something on your nose.

Even as a baby, Luke loved veggies. He would actually ask me to make him salads for lunch and then cheer when they appeared. Finn on the other hand, well he only eats carbs. Bread, crackers, pretzels...nothing with any color for sure. BUT he does love guacamole. So I have been whipping up guacamole everyday. I try to throw in some "hidden" veggies every now and then. Then I give him veggies to dip into it. He just uses the veggies as a utensil to scoop the guacamole into his mouth. Oh well! It's a start!

4 Years Old

2009-04-09T17:31:00.000-05:00

I sincerely apologize for the serious tardiness of this post.

Last Thursday my sweet Lukey boy turned 4 years old! It almost pains me to write that. Where have 4 years gone? Anyway, with dad out of town, I had to work extra hard to make it a great birthday. I think we had success!

We started out the day with opening presents of course. It was a Transformer birthday around here. Luke and I played while Finn snoozed in the morning. Then I told him I would treat him to a birthday lunch. He choose McDonald's cheeseburgers! What can I say...he has simple taste.

Later just Luke and I headed to our favorite fun place...CrackerJax! I surprised him by having his best buddy Jack meet us there. The boys enjoyed a round of mini golf and all the arcade games they could stand! It was awesome. Then they used their 114 tickets to select some serious treasures from the prize center.

Later that night we headed over to Grandmas for her famous spaghetti and meatballs...YUM!!! Then there was more present opening. Luke was really excited to get some new soldiers to add to the ones that used to be dad's.

Of course no birthday would be complete without a cake! Luke said he made a great wish as he blew out the candles.

This is Luke's tradition (of 2 years)....he likes to take a huge bite out of his cake before anyone gets a piece! Hey...it is his birthday!!!

It always results in an awesome photo! I swear I was cleaning chocolate out of his nose for 2 days!

The next morning we hopped a plane and went to visit Dad in Omaha. He had presents waiting at the hotel for Luke. This kid hit the jack pot this year! We had an awesome weekend. We went to a lake that is close to our new house, spent a day at the zoo, went swimming at the hotel and watched movies snuggled up on the couch. Luke loved sleeping on the "Transformer Bed" (aka: pull out couch). We really just enjoyed spending time together as a family again. I think both of the boys were desperately missing their Daddy. I didn't even take a single picture because I was really just enjoying the moments we had. I think Luke had a phenomenal birthday!

Please Tell Me the Third Times a Charm!!!

2009-04-08T10:01:00.000-05:00

I debated whether or not I should even post about this. It is truly gut wrenching, and I don't care to share the details. The deal on our house here has yet again fallen through. I will only share that it has nothing to do with us, and more to do with the buyer's lender. It is almost inconceivable that this could happen again. We are dangerously close to losing the house we have purchased in Omaha.

The good news is, yet again we have another offer coming in today. I know it is totally unbelievable! God is so good! This will be our 4th offer on our house! You all must think we have the most amazing house, huh? The reality is we have a very lovely first home. We have done many upgrades and changes. It is truly one of the best in this price range. We have heard that over and over from people who come through. We know this house will sell. We are very hopeful that this offer will be THE ONE.

We were supposed to close on this house next week. The movers are scheduled early next week. The boys and I have been saying our goodbyes. It looks like we may have to attempt to push out our close date in Omaha. We pray that the seller on that end is understanding of our situation. This means that we won't be moving next week. The boys and I will stay here for a few more weeks, while Ryan continues to work in Omaha. While we are very blessed that Ryan has a job and we have a home to live in, it is very stressful for all of us to be apart. We were so looking forward to being reunited next week.

I know there are many sad and scary things that you are praying for right now. Sick babies, cancer scares, healing deep wounds...I am praying for all of you too. It seems petty to pray about our house in contrast to those issues. Yet, it is our reality. For us it is very exhausting, emotional, and confusing. If you so feel...would you pray for us today? Pray that this next deal goes through without any more trouble. Pray that we can keep our house in Omaha. Pray that we can make it through a few more weeks living separated.

I have already decided that no matter what happens, I will have faith in God's plan. Even if it is hard to understand today. I will not be angry or mad. I will rejoice for the blessings we already have.

As Promised

2009-04-01T16:12:00.000-05:00

I told you I wouldn't leave you hanging long. I just needed to break away to play with the kids and shake off the yucky feeling I get when I think about this.

Where were we? I believe we left off at being worried about losing our house in Omaha. In the meantime, our realtor called back the lovely folks who had made the first offer. Unfortunately, they had bid on another house. There was also another couple who had wanted to make an offer, but never got the chance. They actually came back to look at the house over the weekend, and were waiting to see what happened with the flaky guy. So, when he flaked out, our realtor called up this couple and said we were open for business again. Mind you this was the day we left for the Grand Canyon. They had already written up and offer, and just needed to sign it and then they would send it via email to Ryan's Blackberry while we were on the road. Another agonizing story....the offer never came that night. We waited and waited, but it was one thing after another. They had to work late, then they couldn't get it to send properly. We were in a hotel room with both of our boys (I would love to hear how you all do this cause it was pretty brutal for us) trying to get them to sleep, while we waited for the offer. Finally we just went to bed, not that either of us slept at all. Finn totally did not sleep and was restless all night. This all led to everyone being more than just a bit edgy the next morning. Again, we were told the offer would be sent ASAP, but it didn't come until about 1 that afternoon. After all that waiting, let's just say the offer was ridiculous. No offense to the sweet young couple, but it was kind of a joke. The only good thing about it was that they would be able to close on the date we needed them to. We ended up leaving the Grand Canyon exhausted and some what ticked off that we had waited 24 hours for that, when our house could have been back on the market.

So, that afternoon we told our realtor to put it back on the market. Just an aside....Finn through the biggest, screaming, nasty fit of his entire life on the train ride home. Awesome. I totally needed that. I sat in the "ladies room" on a lovely couch, with him for a good 30 minutes while he thrashed and screamed! Quite honestly, I felt just the way he did. I wish I could have joined him!

On the drive home, Ryan and I had a chance to talk while the boys slept. We decided to go ahead and counter the offer and see what happens. Maybe there was a reason this couple...Matt and Ashley...were supposed to have our house. The next morning we had 3 calls to show the house. One backed out, but the other two came. It felt like such a low blow to have to get everything spotless again, and vacate our house for a few hours. I was so ready to be done with that. Anyway, we did counter to Matt and Ashley, but they claimed they could only come up so far and would need some money from us for closing costs. We just let them hang. One of the other people who had looked at the house really liked it, but wasn't in a hurry to make an offer. She also had about a billion contingencies that would have to make their way into the deal. It was going to be super messy. It was Friday night, and Ryan was leaving on Saturday morning for Omaha. For good. We just didn't have any fight left in us. We only had 3 weeks before our movers were scheduled to come. We weighed all the options, carrying two houses, asking the owner in Omaha to push back the dates a bit, but we just waned to be done.

We worked with Matt and Ashley the best we could. We each gave a bit, and in the end I think we came to a good deal. We signed all the papers before Ryan left on Saturday, and felt that weight being lifted off our shoulders. It had been a very stressful process. I really can't even put into words the burden we were feeling. Not knowing what was best. Not knowing what was most responsible. It was really hard.

Matt and Ashley came for their inspection on Monday. They looked so young. They are not even married yet. This will be their first home. They seemed really nervous, and probably overwhelmed. After they left, we sat down to dinner and I said a prayer for them. I asked that this home bless them as much as it has blessed us. That maybe this home will lead them to a closer place with God. I know that he chose them to have our home for a reason. I cry when I think of all he has done for us in this home.

I also realize that in this terrible economy, when many people are suffering, we were immeasurably blessed. We had 3 offers on our house in 3 weeks. That is unreal! That is how I know, this move is exactly what we should be doing right now. Even when times seem so stressful and difficult, God sees us. He makes a way.

The Good, The Bad and The UGLY!!

2009-04-01T12:18:00.000-05:00

Several of you have asked me what was horrific about our trip. Several of you have also asked me about our new house in Omaha. Well, these two topics go hand in hand. For better or worse. Let me preface by saying, I am going to try REALLY hard to keep this short. I do not like to dwell on the negative. It just makes me feel rotten. I do not often feel "angry". It simply is not an emotion that I favor. Honestly. I am a super emotional gal, but anger is not usually on my dial. So, with that being said....this story honestly makes me very angry. So I will shorten it. :)

I told you we had two cash offers in one weekend...Praise God!!!! One was a bit low, with all kinds of extra writing...all appliances, HOA transfer fee, ALL of our outdoor furniture, etc. The other was significantly higher, with no other writing. I'm sure you can guess which offer we choose. We were going to counter on the first offer, when the other offer came in and made life so much easier. The only hitch was that this couple wanted to close April 6, which was just a few weeks away. We asked if they could push it out to the 16th, and they agreed. Great! That was a Sunday. On Monday, Ryan and I were sitting here thinking...holy cow...we need a house...quick!! So we literally booked flights to Omaha that night and planned on spending the next day looking for houses. It was crazy, but kind of exhilarating all at the same time.

Getting to the point. We found a house in Omaha, that I LOVED!!! I feel kind of bad to say this, because I never dreamed I would be this blessed, but it is pretty much a dream house for me. As soon as we walked in, I knew this was the one. Without a doubt in my mind. I told Ryan that I didn't want to see any others, I just wanted to go write an offer. Let me just add here...I am never this decisive about anything! I go back and forth on even the pettiest of decisions. Getting to the point again...we got the house! Unbelievable. I will post pics and tell you about it soon. I love it!!

We got back Tuesday night. Ryan left for Vegas on Thursday with a bunch of his buddies. On Friday, my realtor called and said..."I want you to sit down, but I think this is all going to be OK." Yikes!! The couple who bought our house had never put the earnest money into escrow. The guy had surgery early in the week, and had some "complications" and had not been able to get to the bank or title company. She felt confident that the money would be there by that evening, and the inspection was scheduled for 5 that evening as well. I called Ryan in Vegas, and let him know, but neither of us thought it was a big deal. Until that evening when the inspector did not show up at 5, and the money was still not in escrow. (This is where I am going to really condense to avoid angry feelings.) We set a deadline of 1:30 on Monday, for the money to go in. Their realtor was very upset, but later said that there were some health issues she had not been aware of and then the couple got good news about it, and there should be no more problems. Monday, 1:30 rolls around...no money. They called and said that technically that had until 5. Whatever. They rescheduled the inspection for 4 that day. Of course, 4 rolls around....no inspector. 5 rolls around....no money. Ryan ends up talking to this guy himself Monday night, he promises to put the entire purchase price of the house in escrow by 10 the next morning, as we are leaving for the Grand Canyon. You guessed it, 10 strikes with still no money. Just a call from the guy saying he is on his way to the bank right now. 11 still no money, 12 still no money...random texts to his realtor stating he has the check in hand and he is heading to the title company. Then 1, more texts, he is on his way. We say enough is enough. He calls our realtor at 1:30 and asks if the deal is still good. She says no, he says ok thank you. End of story with that guy. CRAZY!!! Turns out he is cheating on his wife, etc. I don't even care. He was just a liar. I am done with that.

Now we are in a pinch. We close on our house in Omaha on the 20th, and we have no buyer for our house here. It is a mere 4 weeks away. I sooooo don't want to lose that house. Remember? It is my dream house!!!

Okay...I gotta take a break. I don't mean to leave you hanging, but this is emotional for me. I promise I will finish it really soon. Check back later today.

Finn

2009-03-30T17:16:00.001-05:00

Just in case you were missing some Finn....thought I would share this.

Grand Canyon Bound

2009-03-28T14:17:00.000-05:00

This past week we took the boys on a trip to the Grand Canyon. We figured we better make sure they see it before we move away from this state! The trip was amazing and horrific all at the same time. The amazing parts, I'm sure you can imagine. The horrific parts I will save for another post. I am dying to share some cool pics though! I hadn't used my camera for a while and it was great to have it in my hands again!

We took a train from Williams, AZ up to the Grand Canyon. The boys loved the train. It was pretty cushy, with free drinks and food. There was lots of activity, like musicians and cowboys, and even a train robbery! We were on the train for about 2 hours and 15 minutes, then spent about 3 hours at the Grand Canyon, before we got back on the train for our ride home. It was more than enough time with two little ones, who did not get naps.

Here are just a few of my favorites.

I love this one of Luke on the train. His reflection in the window is so cool!

This is cool too, because you can see him looking at the front of the train as we go around a bend.

Here is Finn eating one of about 4 muffins. Priceless!

Luke would not take a good picture in front of the canyon because the sun was in his eyes. Whatever. I look good :)

This is how Finn enjoyed the Canyon.

This is how much Finn actually enjoyed the Canyon.

This is a breathtaking view of the Grand Canyon. It really is so much better in person.

I don't know why, but I kind of love this little tree.

The boys taking it all in. Well, maybe not so much Finn.

Luke stopping to pose.

Then making some sort of weird face. What can I say...he's a strange kid!

I am sad that we didn't get a picture of the 4 of us. I think we are due for an updated one. Maybe on our next trip. Or maybe in front of our new awesome house!!! More details on the house we bought in Omaha to coming soon!

Life in the Pocket

2009-03-22T10:23:00.000-05:00

This conversation transpired between Luke and I as we pulled out of the drive way yesterday.

Luke: Mom, our house is in a pocket.

Me: You are exactly right. It is like a pocket. It is called a cul de sac.

Luke: Well that's fine. You can call it a heart attack, but I am going to call it a pocket.

Me: Not a heart attack, a cul de sac.

Luke: Well, I am going to call it a pocket. It is like a guy wearing pants, and we are in his pocket.

How did I score the coolest kid in the universe?

Part Two

2009-03-13T17:28:00.001-05:00

****I just realized how long this is. If you read all of this...you must be a good friend!! Sorry its so lengthy!!!

Okay, now that I have you all intrigued, on with our story. Like I was saying the gig in Omaha was moving quickly. They wanted to fly Ryan out for a face to face interview. I was nervous for him, but I still hadn't decided what I really wanted the outcome to be. I could tell that Ryan was getting more and more excited about this position. I was thinking of him in his interview, as I was driving Luke to school. I just happened to notice that the license plate on the car in front of me said

HUSKRS

As in Nebraska Cornhuskers? Seriously? Of course the interview went great. We knew we had some decisions to make. We began to research any thing we could find on life in Nebraska. We started telling a few friends about the prospect of moving to Nebraska. I think we both must have said it with a tone in our voice that indicated we were not so sure about living in Nebraska. EVERY SINGLE person we told about it had the exact same response. "Omaha is actually a really great city. I think you might be surprised." This came from people that I had no idea had ever been to Omaha. Suddenly everyone one had a best friend from there, or a step brother who lives there, or their college roommate. It was crazy. Not one person said..."Ugh, not such a great place to move." It turns out they have really great schools (11th in the country). The cost of living is more reasonable. The people are really friendly and nice. There are lots of family friendly activities to do. What more could we ask for really?

I began to think about all the praying I had done. I guess I had said...Lord, help us to move closer to our families. Well, Nebraska is closer than Arizona. Maybe this was the answer to our prayers. Then the craziest thing happened. We went out to breakfast one morning with the kids. There was a short wait, so we sat down on a bench that looked straight into the parking lot. As we sat there, a car pulled up into the space directly in front of wear I was sitting. Can you believe it was that darn HUSKRS car again? It had that same plate on the front and it pulled right up to me. Crazy!!!! I mean we live in the 5th largest city in the country! The chances of seeing a random car twice in a week...I would say pretty miraculous!!! After that there were other signs as well. Like when I was visiting with some friends who had come into town for the weekend. On friend turned her Ipod on shuffle to start up some music for us. The very first song was called...you guessed it....Omaha. I have never even heard that song. We just couldn't help but feel that God was telling us to trust in this plan he had for us.

The offer came, and it was a great one! Ryan accepted. We were offically moving to Omaha. They flew Ryan and I out together to "see" Omaha. We looked at houses and even found one that we loved. We knew we had to sell ours first, but we were excited about the possibilities. Unfortunately, there were things that had to be worked out on this end with Ryan's job. That is why I wasn't able to blab this info right away. In fact, it got really hard because it was almost a full month before I could tell anyone here. I told many of our friends and family that don't live here, but I felt like I was living a double life with my friends here. It was really stressful.

We began the overwhelming task of selling our house. Truth be told, we needed a new house no matter what. We had really outgrown our 3 bedroom house. We had been over taken by toys and baby items. I worked my buns off to get the house spotless, and remove all the clutter/toys. We were disgruntled by the realtors. We knew our housing market was bad (3rd worst in the country) but we had no idea how bad it had gotten. We interviewed 2 realtors that we didn't really care for. They wanted us to list our house for much lower than we wanted to. Then we called our realtor we had used to buy our house. She was much more upbeat, and agreed to start out listing our house a little higher. I was really nervous that I would be stuck here with the kids trying to sell this house for the next 6 months, and Ryan would be leaving the end of March.

Once the house hit the market, it was only a couple of days until we started getting calls for showings. The realtors said one showing a week would be good in this market. We were getting calls almost daily. It was really stressful trying to keep the house spotless (with two little kids) and then constantly having to "get out" with the kids and the dog. I started to feel like we didn't live here anymore. I knew if I had to do this when Ryan was gone, I was going to be in trouble. It was truly exhausting! Then just this past weekend, just barely over two weeks after we listed the house...we had two offers on our house!! Two cash offers!!! Our God is truly amazing! I knew that if he had taken us this far, he wouldn't leave us hanging. We sold our house yesterday, at a price that was just fine with us!!! Thank you God!

Yesterday we tried to put an offer in on the house that we had love, but it was already under contract. I felt really sad about it, but I know it must not have been the right house for us. I trust in that. We are in a bit of a pinch now because we will be closing on our house in one month, and we don't have any place to go just yet. We need to get back out to Omaha to look at houses again. I just know we will find the perfect house. So there you have it!!! We are moving to Omaha! In a month. I'm sorry I couldn't tell you all of this as it was progressing, but some things are worth waiting for, huh? It felt weird to blog when I couldn't talk about the biggest piece of my life. That is why I have been a bit sporadic. Now that this is out in the open, I will be back more regularly. In fact, my camera was put away during all the showings, so I haven't even taken pictures lately. I will now though. I know you miss seeing my sweet boys. There has been a lot going on with both of them lately. So, I am off. To start documenting life again! Thanks for being patient with me!

This Blog Has Not Been Abandoned

2009-03-12T10:33:00.000-05:00

Hi. It's me. Bird. Remember me? I know, it has been a while since we have spent time together. Don't take it personally though. It has nothing to do with you. I think it is time for me to come clean on some secrets. There has been a lot going on here, that I haven't really let you in on. I think it is time you know the truth.

Last summer, Ryan and I decided that we were ready to move back to the mid west to be closer to our families. Both of Ryan's sisters live there as well as my parents and both of our grandparents. Not to mention lots of really great friends that we consider to be a part of our family. Ryan was really burned out with his job, and was looking to make a change all together. So he decided that he would look for a new job some where in the mid west. We debated where would be the best place for our family. We have family in Chicago and in Indy. Perhaps we would find ourselves somewhere between the two. We thought about neighborhoods, and even looked at houses online. We made a decision, and then changed our minds and made another decision. We prayed, and prayed, and prayed that the right opportunity would come along. We just knew that this was what was right for our family.

Well, several months passed and nothing really came through on the job front. Ryan had applied for several positions, but with the economy taking a nose dive it seemed that hiring in the financial industry was not a priority. We also wondered if the fact that we were all the way across the country from the jobs he was applying for was possibly hurting our chances. We continued to pray. Ryan started to dread going to work every day. The outlook was a bit grim as we headed into the holidays. We felt pretty sure that no one would be hiring until the first of the year. So, we relaxed a bit, and decided to find peace where we were and prepare for the new year. We felt certain that this would be a year of great change for our family. Change that we felt we needed.

The first of the year arrived, and within a couple weeks Ryan had an interview scheduled. The problem was, it was with a company here in Phoenix. Even though we would still be here, Ryan felt that this job would open a lot of doors for him, which could send us back home in the future. The interview went well, really well actually. I was somewhat sad though that we would be here for a least a few more years. Then Ryan got a call from someone who has found his resume online. He described a position to Ryan that immediately excited him. It was what he has really been wanting to do for some time. When Ryan asked where exactly this dream job was located, the recruiter said...."Omaha, Nebraska".

We decided not to rule anything out. Thinking that an offer from the company here in Phoenix was imminent, he decided to just "look into" this other position. He interviewed with several people and then things began to snowball. The company here seemed to be dragging their feet, while Omaha was picking up speed. We began to talk about the possibility of actually moving to Omaha, Nebraska. I was open to the idea, but it didn't really feel like the right thing to me. The whole point of moving was to be closer to our families. Omaha is still fairly far from Chicago or Indy. We know not one soul in Omaha. In fact neither of us had ever even been there....ever!! So, we prayed.

***********This is a really long story, huh? I think I will take a break here and continue later. Now you will have to come back to see what happened next.*******************************

Wordless Wednesday

2009-02-25T16:23:00.000-06:00

Pink Eye, Stink Eye

2009-02-23T10:40:00.000-06:00

As we all know, timing is everything. Well, this weekend we had some bad timing. Luke woke up on Saturday morning with the dreaded pink eye. This really is not a good time for any of us to get pink eye, because we have so much going on right now. Ryan and I cringed as the goop oozed out of his eye. We were forced to make a game time decision and quarantine him to his room. I know it sounds terrible, but it really wasn't all that bad. Ryan put a TV in Luke's room with a DVD player. He loaded up every kid DVD we had. Luke was perfectly content to lay in his bed and watch movies. Of course, he expected me to wait on him hand and foot. He asked for every snack we had and even some we didn't. He came out and played outside for a little bit, and then happily marched back up to his room for some more movies. I gave him a "new" game that I just happened to find in my spring cleaning. He was so excited! He played his new monkey game, cars, and read books while watching his movies. By Sunday, his eye looked so much better. He was allowed "out", but he really just wanted to watch more movies. We let him watch a little more. He got up today with his usual bright blue eyes...no sign of pink eye. I told him that he would be able to go to school today, thinking he would be so excited. Instead he said, "That's okay. I think I'll just stay home and watch some more movies today." I don't think so couch potato! I had to laugh though, it was a good effort!

Photo Story Friday...Is This Bad????

2009-02-19T16:23:00.000-06:00

Yesterday I took the boys outside to play. Luke wanted to do some painting, and I really didn't see the harm in letting Finn do a little watercolor painting too.

That is, until he put it in his mouth.

He refused to paint on the paper. He only wanted to paint his mouth.

I'm sure he had no idea that his mouth was green, but he seemed to act with some sort of determination anyway.

I would assume watercolors are non-toxic. I washed his mouth out the best I could, and gave him a sippy cup of water. I will say though, his mouth is still a bit green.

Any thoughts??? Is this bad?

Hosted by Cecily and MamaGeek

Do You Ever Feel Like This???

2009-02-19T09:43:00.000-06:00

Life has been a bit like this around here lately. Dad has been out of town for the week....thank goodness he is coming home tonight. Grandma is gone for a month...seriously??? Even my sister will be gone for 3 weeks. Ahhhh....help!!!! Anyway, Finn is getting a tooth and is feeling pretty rotten. On top of that, he had a really bad ear infection. I didn't even know his ears hurt, because I only ever saw him shoving his hands in his mouth, but he never tugged at his ears. So sorry little buddy. Luke has been quite the helper though, and I really appreciate that. Finn has started throwing some award worthy tantrums. I think he could earn a Golden Globe for his performance of "anger when told no". Perhaps a nomination is in order? I think the throwing your head back, wobbling around until you fall over, then laying face down on the ground while screaming like a banshee- should earn you something. A hug from mom and some goldfish at the very least.

Birthday Wishes

2009-02-06T08:53:00.000-06:00

Me: Luke did you know that next week is Dad's birthday? What do you think we should get him?

Luke: How about a gigantic jungle gym so he can get some exercise?????

Me: Wow!! Now that is an idea. What kind of cake do you think he would like?

Luke: A monster cake!!!!!

Me: Does Daddy like monsters?

Luke: No, wait....I know....I work cake! Daddy likes to go to work all the time!

2009-02-03T22:49:00.000-06:00

I know I have been lacking on the blog front...it just seems like things go in spurts around here. Right now things are beyond crazy. Lots of stuff going on and I hope to have updates to share very soon. In the meantime, here are a few tidbits to get you through the down time.

Luke lost one of the tubes out of his ear, and we actually found it in his bed. He decided to keep it in a little box in his room so he could show all his friends when they come over....sweeeet!!

Finn is cutting a wicked tooth, and feels quite fussy about that.

Last night Ryan's mom gave Finn a bath and swore that he repeated her in saying...where is the captain?...here he is!! This is refreshing because I have only ever heard him say hi and oh. Aye, aye captain!

Last week Luke got mad at me and said...Mommy, I hope you sit on a tack! (from Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day) He later that night told me that the old Luke moved to Australia. (same book)

We are bummed about our Cardinals losing the Super Bowl, and feel that the last play should have been reviewed, possibly leading to a better outcome for my Cards, but we had a great time at the party any way! Thanks to all of you who cheered them on!

I promise I will be back with more photos, great stories and updates soon!