Some Days Just Get Worse

Last I wrote, Thomas had enjoyed a bottle of Tylenol. Although my car got fixed (it was a recall issue and therefore FREE), the day did not go uphill from there. Upon returning from getting my car from the dealership, Joshua and I walked through the back gate to go into the house. Immediately I felt this stinging sensation on my shoulder. It took me several moments to realize I was being attacked by bees. What happened to Josh (who I was carrying) I'll never know...I must've thrown him. I quickly stripped down as the bees were stinging my back and shoulder, screaming at Dan to help me. I could not find the bees, but felt the stinging and worried about them getting Josh. I'm sure my neighbors enjoyed the spectacle of me stripping in the backyard screaming HELP...not the greatest impression to give. A little while later, the ice packs came off and band-aids covered the welts. The boys were not too traumatized by my crying or total freak out.

After that, my day improved drastically. One of my best friends (an old teaching partner) and her family came up for the night to play cards and visit. They have a 5 year old (Zoe) and a 20 month old (Ben). The kids all had a great time playing and stayed up well past their bedtime. The adults had a great time playing and all stayed up well past their bedtime. I think we finally hit the hay at about 2:30 AM. The boys, grumpy and tired, woke up at 6:30 AM this morning, leaving a grumpy and unhappy mommy (especially since Dan was golfing and I was on my own). Swimming lessons improved everyone's moods. We then met up with our friends again for lunch and some fun at Riverfront Park. It was such a beautiful day! At about 2:30 (2 hours past the boys nap time...especially after the long day prior), the boys started crashing and we parted ways. The boys didn't even make it up the hill and are currently asleep again. They are SO tired! Hopefully they can get in a good nap so we can head down to Art Fest this afternoon!

If There Was A Test For Being A Parent, Some Days I Would Totally Fail

Some days, with the kids in bed, my feet resting on the couch while watching an excellent television show, I can look back at the day and say, "Man, I was a good mom today." These are what we call "good days." Then, days like today happen, and we're back to square one...sitting on the couch, my head cradled in my hands wondering what where I went wrong as a parent.

This morning, I'm reading a message from my friend Andi that reads, "Lola drank her whole bottle of antibiotics, so we had to call Poison Control." I respond to her message, just as Thomas walks in the room carrying a bottle of Children's Chewable Tylenol. "I eat it all. Yummy." CRAP! Thomas has gotten into my purse and somehow opened the childproof bottle of children's Tylenol that I carry. Now it's my turn to call Poison Control. Those people are awesome. I weigh Thomas on our scale and he tells me that even if Thomas ate a full bottle of 30 pills, he would be fine. Luckily, the bottle was nearly empty, but he still got a massive dose of Tylenol. Thomas is fine, and the good news is, his fever IS down! If there was a test for being a parent, some days, I would totally fail.

Can you find Thomas? Yup, he's in there sleeping! Apparently Josh was talking too much and too loudly!













Josh wanted to swing with someone. Thomas said no. Josh decided that swinging with his pop would have to do...until it fell off. :(

I Put Mine Hand On Mine Butt

A fantastic day with cousin Kierra and the beautiful sunshine. We started with a playdate to Manito, and had a great time playing with friends Charlie and Kyle. Grandma Patti brought us Quiznos for lunch (what a great surprise!) and we got a little more play time in at home before nap. All kids took at least a 3 hour nap giving me time to pick up and even eat a piece of pie...surprised? :) This afternoon, Ba (Aunt Kim) came over and hung out and daddy even got home at a reasonable time. Thomas decided he didn't feel well and hung out in our bed. After a while, Dan went and cuddled with him. I walked in and Thomas was cutely cradling Dan's face in his hands. His smile was absolutely adorable. Then he looked at me and said, "I put mine hand on mine butt." NICE! I cracked up, Dan totally freaked out. Thomas purposefully put his hands on his rear and then placed them on Dan's cheek. The boys have been working on humor and constantly say, "That funny?" wondering if their actions were funny or naughty. This time it was a little of both, or rather funny for me, but Dan was thinking it was rather naughty. Hehehehehehehe.

A Cousin To Play With

Today was our first day with cousin Kierra. She stays with us a few days a week while her mommy and daddy work. She is an angel. Our morning was busy with the learning playdate. We had a picnic outside, which turned out to be lots of fun! Joshua is getting better at memorizing his letters, and Thomas is just barely beginning to remember some sounds. It's so much fun to watch them progress! We've just started working on identifying numbers and counting...although it's cute to hear their versions too. After playdate, the boys and Kierra took great naps. After naptime, we enjoyed the lovely sunshine and played outside until daddy got home. Then I got to go for a Mom's Night Out to Tomato Street! HOORAY! This is a much needed and enjoyed event for me. All in all, a great day, I'm exhausted!

A Weekend With All The Cousins

What a crazy busy weekend! We had a great time this morning at Riverfront Park with the cousins. We saw the falls, enjoyed the rides, and a good time was had by all. Everyone gathered here in the afternoon for a family BBQ, including my parents and grandma. The kids enjoyed playing (except for a moment where a head met a metal bat...okay, that was pretty bad). The adults enjoyed chatting and catching up. Crazy to think that there are so many of us now!!!! We can't wait for us all to get together again this summer. In the picture are: Abby (4), holding Natalie (8 weeks), Macey (2 1/2)---all Adam's girls, Jamison (2), Thomas and Joshua (2 1/2), Taylor (4), holding Sawyer (7 months)---Taylor, Jamison and Sawyer are Eric's kiddos. FUN!!!

Boys 31 Months

Every month I try to take a picture of the boys within a week of their monthly "birthday." This way, I can arrange a composite showing the changes over time. Dan says I'm "kooky" but he can't complain since he'll enjoy the pictures when they're older.

Today was our worst experience at church EVER! It might have been that our morning routine was a little off, or just that the boys were off. Whatever it was, I was ready to walk out. Thomas has decided that he enjoys the singing portion. It doesn't matter if the whole congregation is singing, or just him. Embarrassing! Joshua just likes to yell things out. Awesome! We took turns taking the boys out and disciplining them. It was quite the fight. After church (the boys crying and hanging all over me) an elderly couple (that we had purposefully separated ourselves from so they could pray in peace) came over to chat with us. They were so complimentary and wanted us to know that they've all been there before. It was a great chat and we felt a little better walking out the door...pulling our screaming children by the arm.

The day got better as the boys were just exhausted (part of the church behavior) and took an early and long nap. Dan and I did household chores and yard work. It was quite the productive day! We went to a beautiful park and let the boys run on the playground, then we wandered around the pond looking at turtles, frogs, and ducks. After dinner we enjoyed some time with my family as my brother and his family are visiting from Seattle. YEAH! Hopefully tomorrow I'll be able to post some great cousin pictures as there are lots of them now!

Lesson 1: What Should You Do If Your Airbag Light Comes On?

I can tell you for sure that the answer is not "let it go for a bit while you save the $200 to get it turned off" (even though the dealer said it would be fine). Friday morning, the boys and I went to a store and got some balloons. When I turned my car back on, my horn began honking. And not "here a honk, there a honk," but one continuous honk. If I were out on some country road by myself, this would not be so humiliating; I am sitting in the middle of a parking lot with LOTS of other cars. I turned the car off, nothing, the horn continues. You would think the boys would be freaking out like me, but instead they think we are on some awesome ride where the horn is really a great tool for attention! I call Dan at work, trying to decide if I sit in the parking lot with a horn blaring, or try to get to a car repair place that will turn off my horn. I decide to drive. Now, to get to a car repair place, I must first navigate my current parking lot and the neighboring Rosauers parking lot. At 9:00 in the morning, you can imagine it was filled with a plethora of people, all over the age of 65. The kind person in me was waving to let them pass, while my horn was blaring at them forcing them to think I was a jerk. Cars pulled over, drivers flipped me off, lots of people braked in front of me. It was awesome...not. I was a deep shade of red by the time we pulled into the AAMCO parking lot. The workers did not run out immediately as they thought I was a ticked customer honking at them. Then, when I exited my car and my horn continued to blare, they immediately came out and disconnected my horn for me. The silence was blissful, and the cars surrounding me, pulled over to share their relief. The boys still think this situation was both fun and funny and love sharing the story with anyone who will listen. I currently have no airbag and no horn, and an appointment with the dealer next week. :)

On another note, some friends (Kim and Greg) came over and we had game night last night. It was AWESOME! We got through 3 games of pinochle in just a few hours. This is record time with kiddos! We had limited interruptions and just the best time. It not only shows that the kids are getting older and more able to play independently or with others, but also that it's way more fun when you win! If you ask Dan, he might not have the same feelings about the night, as the boys lost all 3 games...BADLY!

Update on grandpa: As of yesterday morning (the last update I've had), he was looking great! He was hoping to get released this morning and head home. The boys loved visiting him and it was heartening to see him looking so good.

Doot...Doot...All Better

A busy day for sure. How they hold it together so well, is beyond me sometimes! And only sometimes. :) A beautiful morning let us walk to Manito with Auntie Angie and Cousin Kierra. After returning home, I headed down to Endicott to work on the zoo lessons. Teaching was great, the boys had a great afternoon, so all was well. My cousins Ruth and Randall joined us for dinner so the boys worked on their dancing choreography as well as other entertainment qualities. I'm telling you, Ruth brings out their artistic side (while I must squash it in her absence). :) We then trekked down to the hospital to visit Grandpa Lyle, sick with pneumonia. This has been a hard winter for everyone..sheesh! He looked great and the boys loved seeing him. To make hospitals a more friendly place, we've taught them that you go to the doctor and they go "Doot, doot, all better." This makes the boys more at ease when visiting someone, when visiting the doctor themselves, or when I go to the doctor. "You go doctor? Doot, doot, all better?" It's as easy as that and they seem to do really well visiting family and friends at the hospital. Hopefully tomorrow, grandpa is doing better.

Go See The Spokane River...It's Beautiful Right Now..And Raging!

Our morning started off with a lot of fun as cousins Abby and Macey hung out for a while. The kids loved searching for worms and jumping on the trampoline (as you can see in the pictures). After nap, we headed downtown to walk on the bridges and see the Spokane River at the highest levels in years. It's beautiful. I won't even begin to tell you how tightly we hung on to the boys over these bridges as the water literally splashed up from below due to sheer velocity. The stroller was too wet to ride in, so the boys were forced to walk back to the car. :( Overall, just an excellent day!

Water Balloons and Rain...What Happens When You Promise Things

So, that's what happens when you promise your kids they can play with water balloons TOMORROW! They remember! Even though it was raining, I was forced to follow through and after preschool this morning, the boys played with water balloons in the rain. It was pretty cute and it really tuckered them out! You'll see a cute picture of our preschool group below...cute kids! After an awesome nap (and by awesome, I mean 3 hours) we headed over to a birthday party for Dan's uncle David. The boys had a great time, mostly because there was CAKE! Dan's cousin Johnnie painted an awesome mustache on Joshua (see below) and to make it even better, Joshua (never having seen Austin Powers and nobody ever showing him) put his pinky to his mouth. Our little mini-Austin Powers. Gotta love it!

Yeah, Still Stings...

After breakfast at IHOP today, we spent some brief moments at greatma's house and headed to the park. This park is awesome with a sand volleyball court (perfect for digging) and just a great play structure. We met another mom with a 5-year old and 3-year old. We talked as all the kids played. Somewhere along the line we started chatting about having more kids and I told her we did In-Vitro because of infertility. Her response, "That must be so nice! You never have to worry about birth control or anything! My husband just looks at me and we get pregnant. We only had to try once for our youngest. We're just so fertile." Yeah...still stings. The conversation didn't last too long after that as there aren't too many kind responses that formed in my head. I was surprised though that I still felt that strongly. I only needed to look over at my two miracles to remember that every comment (usually well intended) was worth it.

Forgetting Sarah Marshall

My review? Two thumbs up. Not sure if the movie was so great because I just needed to get out of the house so badly, or if it was just a good movie. Either way, I thoroughly enjoyed my time in a theater, with air conditioning and company (Kim) that didn't cry, whine, or require help peeing. Thanks Kim! I needed a break badly after changing 6 poopy diapers in under 30 minutes. Yes, that's right, 6 diapers. The boys have realized that if they don't want to take a nap, all they have to do is poop...repeatedly. You may ask, "Why not just leave them in it and make them deal with it?" Then it becomes a matter of "poop and smear" as I call it. And trust me, changing 6 diapers is nothing compared to the smear issue. Aside from that, the day was fine. We got up at 6:00 and were walking by 6:30 AM. Took a nice walk to Albertsons and got a paper and doughnuts. The boys are SLOWLY getting better about sitting through church. The regular family that sits behind us is constantly complimenting them and entertaining them, even though I am continually apologizing for their distracting behavior. The boys LOVE them and insist on shaking their hands and saying "peace be with you" multiple times throughout the service. We followed up church with a visit to a park with a pond where we saw ducks and ducklings, frogs, and turtles. The boys thought it was really neat! After a great nap (after the pooping session) we went outside to cool off and play in the water. Joshua thought this was a great excuse to sit on the kitchen floor and cry for half hour about absolutely nothing. I finally put him back in bed to rest for a bit, dosed him with Tylenol and he seemed to come out of it. I guess I can say that because I took off as soon as Dan got home from work. :)

Do You Feel Your Poop Coming?

Never thought I'd utter those words. Apparently, as a parent, you say more than you ever thought you would. Both boys were working on pooping on the potty tonight (unsuccessfully I might add, but getting closer!). Our morning started off with a bang as we prepared for swim lessons and the boys decided to test the limits of my patience. After going to the garden and finding big rocks they proceeded to throw them at the sliding glass door. After several discussions (and in the end spankings), we decided to go to the park and blow off some energy. Good move mama! Swim lessons were a big hit! Joshua swims like a dolphin and loves to go underwater. Thomas has turned into the more tentative one (crazy eh?) and while he enjoys the water, is definitely slower to try something new. Below you'll see Josh doing his new swim move. After a long nap (boy this sun is a great thing!), we ate dinner and headed to Upper Manito on our bikes for some extra playtime. It was nice to just be out as a family and hang out.

Sunburns Suck

I put sunscreen on the boys. Didn't even think to put it on myself. It's not like it's a bad sunburn, it's just that I sat in a chair and watched the boys play, so it's just the top of my legs...nice. Talk about a nice day! We walked to Manito Park, then spent the rest of the morning playing in the water table. Below you'll see the video of Josh singing "Row Row Row Your Boat" while playing with the boats in the water table. The boys had a blast and stayed cool and busy with the water. After a blessedly long nap time we met Ba (Aunt Kim) and daddy at Riverfront Park and rode the carousel. The boys were burning up, so we spent the majority of our time at the water fountain. Next time I'll bring them spare clothes. They were soaked, but had a blast! I just returned from grocery shopping and am ready to hit the hay. Tomorrow is our first day of swim lessons...exciting!!!

Beautiful Sunshine

Man, what a beautiful day. We left the house at 9:00 AM and walked to Manito Park. We didn't get home until nearly 11:30 AM. It was so nice out! The boys walked a lot of the way home exploring flowers and roots of trees. Joshua discovered how to go down the pole today, so we practiced that skill repeatedly at the park. Going down for nap, not so pretty. I went in after about an hour of hearing loud noises and giggles and found Thomas wearing what you see in the picture below. He found my "if we ever have a girl" stash of clothes. He was wearing a 6-9 month pair of purple velour pants and a 2T white beaded shirt. NICE! After a super long nap, we went to Grandma Patti's birthday party. It was fun! The boys had a great time playing with their cousins and ran off a lot of energy! They are exhausted and I hope that they go right to sleep in the next 10 minutes.

Man, We Have Cute Kids

Preschool today was quite a bit of fun. The boys absolutely loved a lot of the centers. They loved the sensory table with colored rice, loved painting with cotton balls and clothespins, and loved putting babies (pics of animals) to sleep on a bed (piece of paper) and covering them with a blanket (baby washcloth). We did these centers long after the other kids left! I had an appointment with the urologist. Turns out everything is fine and I'm not at great risk for another kidney stone! HOORAY! I've been cleared of everything related to that. HOORAY! Grandma Patti watched the boys, mostly during bed, but when they woke up they were so happy to see her. And Grandpa Bob when he came to pick her up! It's all I heard about all night long! The boys had a great time playing with each other and were great friends tonight. So cute!

Exhausted

The days are beautiful, but I'm just as exhausted as the boys! This morning was the long-awaited breakfast with grandpa and greatma. The boys absolutely love it and look forward to it every Monday. Afterwards, we spent some much needed time at greatma's house and ran up and down her hallways. This was great, since the boys only slept 8 hours last night...it kept them up longer than they would've made it at home...at least that was my theory. We got home, and I put them down at 11:30 AM. This is early, but not extremely early for them. Greg (a great family friend) arrived at 1:30 to hang with the boys while I went to a doctor's appointment...the boys were still awake. ARG! I finally split them up and they passed out for a few blessed hours. After waking up, we went to the library, played with bubbles, and were busy busy busy until bedtime. Now, I'm ready to sack out and see what tomorrow brings!

Hooray A Parade!

The boys love parades! Today was the Junior Lilac Parade with all the middle school bands. We met Auntie Angie, Kierra, and Ba (Aunt Kim) downtown. The boys had a blast and it was fun to watch them rock out to the music. Joshua insisted on taking his guitar down and loved playing along with the bands! After a good nap, we headed up to grandma and grandpa's for Mother's Day dinner. The boys love going up there and playing. We also headed over to a nearby park and ran out some energy. We did end up staying later than intended, so the boys are crashing an hour later than usual. Hopefully that means they'll sleep in a little in the morning, but we all know that's not what happens. All in all, a day spent almost entirely outside and we are all exhausted! Hooray!

Hey It's 55 Degrees....Warm Enough To Play In The Sprinkler, Right?

Today was gardening day. We finished loosening up the soil and getting ready to plant seeds. We planted a row of sunflowers on the back of the yard against the fence. The boys enjoyed this, but were even more thrilled when I turned on the sprinkler to water the area briefly. They both stood over the sprinkler getting their heads soaked! I did let them play for quite a while as they were having an absolute blast. Then we headed inside and warmed up. The boys are back to being bottomless pits again. Thomas asked for 3 dinners tonight. He ate a Junior Roast Beef Sandwich, noodles, fries, oranges, strawberries, and some tatertot casserole. WOW! After nap we ran some errands (including getting my tabs, which to our surprise, I've driven over a year with expired ones). Turns out they don't send you a mailing every year. How easy it is to forget! We then ran to K-Mart to get some new seeds. If you have any background on Joshua at K-Mart, you can guess how this trip went. We haven't gone to that store in over a year because upon entering the store it is as if Joshua senses something and totally freaks out. I'm not talking a simple lay on the floor tantrum. I'm talking a full-out cough till you almost vomit from crying jag. It's ridiculous. Needless to say, Joshua still feels this way about K-Mart and he will not be visiting the store again anytime soon. We were able to get home and plant peas, carrots, and lettuce before it was time to go inside. The boys are in their current routine of antagonizing each other before drifting off to sleep, so hopefully it will be quiet again soon. Enjoy your weekend!

The Lovely Sheriff Gave Me A Break, Instead Of $1000 In Tickets He Gave Me...

The morning started off on a high note. We went with the mommy and me group to the Junior Livestock Show and the boys got to pet sheep, cows, goats, and pigs. It was so much fun! I needed to teach a lesson in Endicott in the afternoon, so the boys stayed with Auntie Angie. In my usual style, everything went wrong on the drive home. It reminds me of why I don't commute anymore. I hit construction at the most awful time and had to wait 10 minutes and watch them all chat in the road with a car driving through. Then I got stuck behind a combine, setting me back another 10 minutes. To make matters even worse, I tried to make up the time. The lovely Sheriff gave me a break. Instead of $1000 in tickets, he gave me a $261 fine for my tabs being expired. The speeding...yeah that was me. The registration, still can't find, weird. My insurance, on the counter at home. My tabs? Paid for. Fell off? DOL will be receiving a call tomorrow to help me work it out. I always have everything in the car, and this time I had nothing. Not even an answer for the sheriff wondering if I stole this 1996 Dodge Grand Caravan with 2 carseats in the back. C'mon...give me some credit! If I stole something, it certainly wouldn't be THIS van! I even said that to him. He didn't laugh. Apparently I think I'm more funny than most people think I am.

The Joys Of A Head Cold

Head Cold, noun: A common cold mainly affecting the mucous membranes of the nasal passages, characterized by congestion, headache, and sneezing. That's me on the phone, except when I speak no one can understand me because my nose is so plugged. The good news is that the faucets attached to the boys noses have stopped running freely and we can now move about our day without a supply of Kleenex. The boys were super excited because today is pop can recycle day! That's when our stash of pop cans becomes so big it's a nuisance to step over on the back porch. The boys take great pride in carrying the garbage sacks of pop cans to the recycling guy. Even more fun for them is that he is deaf, so he signs, and they totally dig it! Today we made $3.60! Woo-hoo! It goes into our Disneyland Fund. We'll be able to go to Disneyland in approximately 25 years at this rate! :-) The pop can adventure was followed up by a visit to grandma's office. Grandma Patti keeps cookies in a special drawer. The boys think this is a huge treat and want to go to grandma's office all the time! After a great nap, we visited the library and played outside for an hour or so. Exhausted as they are, they are in their room antagonizing each other, not by hitting or biting, but with words. All I hear is Josh saying, "Stop please, WAAAAHHHHH." And Thomas responds by singing a song, which apparently Joshua dislikes. Ah the joy of having a sibling and sharing rooms! I'm off to watch P.S. I Love You (thanks for letting me borrow it Kim and Greg, I'll be crying all night long!).

The Tulips Have Bloomed

The tulips have finally bloomed. NOW it feels like Spring is here. It's taken forever, but they are so pretty. The weather today was beautiful. I'm finally getting a handle on this crud that I got from everyone, so I'm just starting to feel better. The boys are loving the great weather!

Sleeping In Is A Beautiful Thing

The boys did not wake up this morning until 7:45 AM!!! To me, this is the latest I've slept in in FOREVER! It was awesome. Sunday is doughnut day, so we went to the store and got our doughnuts and enjoyed every fattening moment. The rest of the morning was spent at Adam and Mere's with the boys' cousins Abby and Macey playing outside. Naptime and a quick trip to Costco concluded our Sunday. Joshua is currently sitting at his bedroom door (for the last 34 minutes) crying because he wants milk, attention, he's wet, wants to be rocked, is sad, or hurt. He'll try anything! Hopefully he'll quiet down soon and fall asleep anywhere but right next to the door where we bang his head when we try to go in and check on them. Night everyone!

Hello Sunshine

The day just flew by! A morning trip to Wal-Mart doing our twice monthly grocery shopping was made successful by the prepared mommy bringing suckers for those little mouths. The first 30 minutes was EASY! Grocery shopping with 2-2 1/2 year olds, not easy. The boys did great and we made it, but the apples that Thomas was carrying, sadly, did not. He apparently had slippery hands, and now we have bruised apples. :( The afternoon was extremely enjoyable as we headed out to a cousin's house for their one-year olds (Claire's) birthday. Her brother Kyle, is only a few weeks older than the boys, so they had a great time, and we got to socialize with other adults! HOORAY! The boys are now OUT and exhausted. Dan has Guard this weekend, so he's exhausted too. Tomorrow is suppose to be beautiful, we'll be out enjoying this great weather and watching all those Bloomies run!

Nothing Like Following Up A Kidney Stone With A Root Canal

Yeah, it's been crazy. I had an emergency root canal on Wednesday. This requires me to be fully drugged and pretty unaware of happenings. Luckily, my endodontist is familiar with me and keeps me totally drugged up. It was a 3 1/2 hour procedure, so that part was pretty bad. I just took Thomas back into the doctor this morning because his temperature went back up to 102 degrees. The doctor (one I don't care for) said that it is just his body working out the rest of the virus. However, both boys were given the all clear for pneumonia, so at least we're through with that! The weather is beautiful, we're able to play outside and work on the yard and garden. Life is getting better!