Happy Halloween!

It's been a crazy week of Halloween playdates and busy activities. Both kids are under the weather, and I've just joined them. Hopefully we spend the weekend at home recuperating.

The boys had a great Halloween (I think). :) We started this morning with a doctor appointment for Thomas. Thomas has whatever Josh had last week. We went directly to Grandma Patti's office and made the rounds in costume. Joshua is the cutest skunk ever. Thomas could be cute if he kept his costume on for more than 30 seconds at a time! We then went to Ba's office (Aunt Kim) and got MORE candy! Thomas was feeling pretty crummy at this point. We ran to daddy's office and had lunch with him. During lunch, daddy and Thomas ran to Walgreens and got some Motrin...THEN Thomas felt better! After lunch, the boys and mommy had a pleasant (and by that I mean irritating) unscheduled stop for a blood draw for mommy. This was the longest hour wait EVER! Luckily the boys did alright, but at the end, we were all losing it. This meant we could go home for a nice long rest time...right? WRONG! No nap! The boys refused to even sit still. So I gave up and we just played. Then at 4:00 (20 minutes before going to pick up daddy) both boys passed out. I managed to dress them both and get them in the car while still sleeping. They both took a nice long nap on the way to pick up daddy. We visited greatma during her dinner, great-grandma and great-grandpa (during their dinner) and then went to the mall for some quick indoor trick or treating. We ended with a short jaunt around our neighborhood to the people we knew would want to see the boys. We are now home and exhausted. It's time for Halloween to be over!

A Busy Weekend...Do I Always Say That???

I took Josh into the doctor on Friday. His fever took place from Tuesday to Thursday. The rash started on Wednesday. When I called early in the week about the rash, they said it was probably heat rash from the fever. After it spread across his face, I began to worry more. Turns out, he wasn't contagious and it was just part of the virus he had. We figure Thomas and Joshua (and cousins) all had it and just reacted differently. Josh is doing better, the rash is long gone. Now he's moved on to a cough and runny nose. Neat.

Another busy weekend has passed us by. Unfortunately, this is just the beginning of the holiday season, so the busy weekends are just beginning. On Saturday, I was exhausted after getting up at 5:30 AM with cranky boys. I let Dan sleep in, so in repayment, he took the boys to Manito where they gathered chestnuts and ran out all that energy. A short nap later, we went to cousin Macey's 3rd birthday party. Macey was born 6 days after the boys, so it's been really fun to watch them grow together. The highlight of the party for the boys was getting a motorcylcle ride with Uncle Adam. This was a reward we had promised for pooping on the potty. My thought was that they would ride in FRONT of Adam. You can imagine our shock when he placed the boys (one at a time) behind him and took off. Dan finally said, "I am super freaked out, and I can tell by looking at you that you are more freaked out than I am!" Hehehehe. I have to say that we are pretty loose parents when it comes to letting our kids explore new things, but this one had us both on edge. Both boys did great and said they really enjoyed the ride.

Today was yet another busy day. We started off with the usual rush to get to church. We tried to get the boys to vary from routine and go to the pancake feed afterwards, but they insisted we get our usual doughnuts and juice. We gave in and the boys were further encouraged when we pulled into Albertsons (with the best doughnuts on the South Hill) and a fire truck pulled in next to us. The boys ran right over to the fire fighters, shook their hands and promptly got put on to the firetruck. They were in heaven. After doughnuts, the boys and daddy went outside to rake leaves. Joshua was obviously feeling crummy, so we all took naps...I napped with Joshua for 2 hours, Dan napped with Joshua for two hours. Joshua took a 4 hour nap!!! Thomas decided he didn't need a nap today and played all afternoon. After naptime, we went to the Shefflers for dinner and cards. The boys always love playing with their twins (Ethan and Eva- age 5) and Spencer (age 1). They even pet Buddy the dog!!! A first, since they normally scream and cry at the sight of this little weiner dog. :) Halfway through the second game of pinochle (a game in which we girls were kicking some booty!), Joshua's breathing took a turn for the worse and we packed up and headed home. After a breathing treatment, Joshua is doing fine. This always happens when he gets a cold. We just need to carry the nebulizer a little better.

This week shall prove to be busy with Halloween parties and lots of fun activities! It's fun (yet exhausting) having three year olds!

Sick Kids= Tired Mommy

Well, the past few days have just been a blur. Tuesday evening the boys woke up from naps all weird and funky. Thomas was really lethargic and wouldn't wake up. When I took his temperature (about 100 times) it showed 93.4 degrees. I quickly warmed him up and gave him Motrin and his temp went straight to 101 degrees. This prompted me to check Joshua who was at 101 degrees also. Ugh. Joshua has since woken up every 2 hours crying from dreams or just from being sweaty from the fever. This has made for a very tired mommy. I think/hope the fevers finally broke today. The boys are both still crabby and unhappy, but hopefully we are on the road to recovery. I, on the other hand, needed a nice break and received one this evening. I left around 7:00 and went to dessert with my good friend, Jenn. We then walked around the mall (a rare treat for me) and enjoyed chatting and shopping. Woo-hoo! I just walked in the door, the kids are asleep and my shows are taped. I'm off to catch up on Survivor and Grey's Anatomy (both of which Dan watched without me which means he is officially HOOKED!). :)

6 Kids...1 Living Room

Tonight was our scheduled night to hang with the nieces (Abby-5, Macey-3, Natlalie- 6 months) while her parents played some Volleyball. Our friend, Jenn, also called needing someone for Harry (3) as well. Everyone arrived at the same time, and wow, 6 kids in one living room. The good thing is that we still had all the birthday toys out, so the kids were all thoroughly entertained with the new toys. However, Dan and I have decided that 4 is enough. We are exhausted. And the idea of that constant activity and noise is just a little too overwhelming. :) Here's the best picture I could get of all 6 kids tonight.

My Babies Turned 3!!!!

Today was the boys' birthday. The morning was typical as we started with church. The boys began to realize it was a special day when instead of getting cake doughnuts after church we allowed them to get doughnuts with frosting AND sprinkles! They felt pretty special! The afternoon was a flurry of getting ready for the party. The house was packed with about 30 members of our family and long-time friends. It was so great to see everyone and really makes us thankful for the support we have so close to home. The boys had a blast and enjoyed playing with cousins and friends alike. Dan and I are totally exhausted. Here are a few pictures before we both crash! :)

**A quick thanks to my friends Kim and Suzy who let me know so nicely that it is time for me to give up the regular pants and move into maternity pants. Thanks girls! :)

Fall Weather Has Arrived

Yup, it's fall. I don't mind fall changes, but I am not fond of the cooler weather. It's so much more of a pain to get the boys layered up and then readjust their car seats so that they fit with the bulky sweaters and jackets.

This week we enjoyed our final days with daddy before he went to work. On our last day, Wednesday, we went up to Greenbluff and got pumpkins. The boys enjoyed this thoroughly and each got 3 pumpkins. Dan and I got our own as well. We started the carving process last night and will hopefully finish tonight or tomorrow.

Yesterday the boys had a birthday party with their friends. It was pretty enjoyable to watch them run around and socialize. They really are getting older. Thomas' favorite gift was the Cars movie. He had just started asking for it on Wednesday and it was all we could do to convince him to wait for his birthday. He's watching it right now and we watched it twice yesterday.

Here are some pictures from the pumpkin patch and decorating pumpkins!

The Days Fly By

The days just fly by. I'm too tired to really post that often; plus I'm just getting a handle on Jenn's camera so it's taken a while to get the hang of uploading pictures with this camera. :) It's been extremely busy lately. We are enjoying Dan's last few days at home before he reenters the workforce. I took the boys to a petting zoo last weekend where they got to ride a horse all by themselves. That was pretty fun to watch! We took them bowling this week and they had a blast! We are pretty much potty-trained aside from a few accidents every so often. Thomas has finally decided to poop on the potty, so that is a big relief for us! We've not attempted to night train yet, but will again wait for the signs they are ready and embark on that adventure as well. The boys have almost fully given up their afternoon nap (much to my demise). If they nap, they are up until nearly 11:00 PM playing in their room. This is no good for us either. With Dan home, he's been taking them during their naptime hours and playing with them while I rest. Not sure what will happen once he goes back to work! That's all I can remember from around here. I'll try and get better pictures and be more on top of this blogging thing! I'm a couple weeks away from being done with the first trimester, then I expect more energy to return!

And The Tables Have Turned

We are moving back into the real life again. Dan got offered the Valley job (his dream job) this afternoon. He happily accepted. Not sure what the starting date is yet, but we are really excited.

Tonight when reading our nightly books before bed, the boys requested "Dinosaur Roar." This is a classic in our house and a book that only daddy can read right. We have multiple copies, so Dan read one and the boys each read their own, all three boys turning pages and reading at the same time. Not only was it totally cute, but it was so neat to hear the boys reading! It's one of those first steps towards reading! Thomas will follow the words with his fingers while reading, and it's just adorable! Joshua likes to describe the pictures, "That dinosaur grumpy. Why? No nap."

I think Dan and I are starting to feel like things are looking up. The babies are starting to perk and I'm expecting great news at my next ultrasound on Friday. Assuming all goes well, I'll be released to my regular OB-GYN and have less frequent appointments (sad a little bit for me because the paranoia starts to set in, but good because it means I'm turning into a normal high-risk pregnancy). :) We'll keep you all posted!

**I just went into the boys room to see what the thump was. They are suppose to be sleeping mind you. They had pulled out their sock drawer. When asked what they were doing, Thomas explained, "I Captain Hook." He had socks on his hands and was pretending. CUTE!

A Busy Monday

Breakfast with grandpa this morning was a real treat. Joshua was just coming off of his breathing treatment which leaves him like a kid on speed. It's quite the experience at home let alone in public. Thomas, of course, fed off of this and I ate as much as I could as quickly as I could and got out of there! :)

We then went to a Mommy and Me playdate at a friend's house. The boys had an absolute blast. Thanks for having us over Kari! There were lots of kids and lots of moms and we all had a great time. Thomas even surprised me by finding a bathroom and going by himself and washing his hands. It's a big step for him to go without me even asking him! HOORAY!

After the playdate, we picked up Dan and went to McDonald's with grandma. The boys again were very busy, but did great. We were quite certain they would crash and take a great nap, but we were totally mistaken. Today was a no nap day. And to my surprise, here it is 8:20 PM and they are still awake!

Dan had his 2nd interview for the City of Spokane Valley today. We are very excited about this job. It is between him and one other person. Say a quick prayer tonight for us! He also got a call back from WSU. That job is also between him and another person. We're hoping for a good call tomorrow or Wednesday!

All in all, a very busy Monday.

A Rough Weekend

Guard weekends are always rough. Dan is gone all day, and being so exhausted, it's pretty difficult. Last night, Joshua's runny nose turned into something more. His breathing became labored. I pulled him into bed with me to monitor and watch him. After about 2 hours (at about 1:30) I finally gave in and used his last breathing treatment and dosed him with some Benadryl and Motrin to see if it helped. He finally fell into a fretful sleep around 4:30 AM. This morning, we called in a refill on the medicine and had doughnuts at Albertsons. This is our weekly ritual. Today, we've been really lazy, in fact I'm back in my pajamas. Joshua is exhausted and Thomas always likes to cuddle. We've watched movies, read books, and colored and that's about it. I finally turned on the heat so their room should get nice and toasty and hopefully we can all take a nice long nap. I'm so glad tomorrow is Monday. :)

The Nice Fall Weather Continues

This week has been beautiful. I love summer. Not just a little bit, but a lot! I already miss my shorts and 90 degree weather. Don't get me wrong, fall is one of my favorite seasons too, but first I have to mourn the end of a short short summer. We've spent this week playing outside and getting as much time in the yard and at parks as possible. My friend Jenn was nice enough to loan me her camera, so once I figure out the uploading process, I'll be back in the pictures!

Dan and I are amazed at how much the boys have grown this summer. They have left toddlerhood and are now little boys. Thomas is obsessed with football and wants daddy to tackle him all the time...all the time. Joshua is becoming more social and is involved in absolutely everything. "Why?" is something is asks ALL THE TIME! They have real conversations with each other, show real empathy for other people and things, and love their mommy. :)

A conversation from the car today: "I love you daddy," from Josh. "I love you too Josh," daddy replied. "I love you too daddy," Thomas wants in too. "I love you right back buddy," daddy says, "I love you both the same." Josh realizes he wants more, "But daddy, I poop in the potty." Let the competition begin. :)

**I forgot to add that Dan is currently in Pullman interviewing for a job. The great news is that our "dream job" for him called back for a second interview. We are praying that this is the job for him.