18 Months

The girls turned 18 months today. After a nice long nap, we had a great time at the park. I've been failing lately and not given them much more than outside time in the yard. They were very thrilled to be at the park. So much fun!


Katie is so much fun right now. She is so good at nodding her head yes or no in response to questions (and always answers honestly). It's so much fun! She's learning to be more social and is really adventurous. If a brother is hurt or crying, she will run over and rub their back until they sit up and then give them a hug. It's the most endearing thing ever. She loves LOVES chocolate milk.

Molly is a little ham. She will wave to anyone and everyone. She is learning new words every day and communicating more and more clearly. She has begun to throw fits and includes banging her head on a solid hard surface at the same time. Soon, hopefully, she will learn that this hurts! She has a baby mullet, that is cute but...

5-Year Vaccinations

Just as the boys turn five, the girls hit a milestone of their own- 18 months! We started off in style and took the boys in for their vaccinations. Dan had the "privledge" of joining us as I was nervous to do it alone. Turns out I called it completely wrong. Joshua, who was totally psyched about it and excited was sorely mistaken and felt betrayed. Thomas, who didn't want to leave the house this morning, prepared himself well and didn't even cry. Here are their stats:

Thomas:
Weight- 40 pounds(50%) WOO HOO, HE FINALLY HIT 40!!!
Height- 45" (90%)

Joshua-
Weight- 35 pounds(10%) He actually lost weight from the last time we were there. WHOOPS!
Height- 42 3/4" (50%)

As I look at this point in our lives, having 2 five year olds and 2 18 month olds I am filled with a feeling. I am not sad that my babies are growing up (ok a little). Instead, I feel hope. These four futures are filled with such hope. The boys show sparks of brilliance every single day. The girls are growing and learning new words every single day, they show more and more personality!

Preschool Fieldtrip to the Pumpkin Patch

The boys' preschool field trip was today to the pumpkin patch. If you'll recall last year, we were unable to go. You don't recall? Let me remind you.

We had the swine flu. All five of us. Where was Dan? Gone, on military training. For all of it. It was the worst period of my life. Ever. The boys missed the field trip. Were sick on their 4th birthday. Spent the majority of the days at the doctor's office or crying...or both. Miserable.

But on to the field trip. We had so much fun! An amazing grandma Patti stayed at home with sick girls. Not swine flu sick mind you, just this darn cold! The boys got some full-on, much-needed mommy time. Hooray! And mommy got to visit with other preschool mommies...hooray!

After last night's birthday party, there wasn't a lot of energy. Five minutes into being there and Thomas said, "I'm done. Can we go home and rest?" Oops! Mommy fail. Guess a party pre-field trip plus a cold isn't what I was suppose to do! Here's the energetic boys on the hay ride.

They were tired? What? Couldn't even muster a smile? It just gets better and better. The happy boys (and trust me, they actually WERE happy, just no energy to smile!) getting apples:

 What? Still tired? Bright sun? A wonderful picture with mommy! (In their defense---and mine---it was super bright. I have incredibly sensitive eyes and was having issues, apparently the boys take after mommy)

One more try on the haystack. No? Let's go home. And get a treat on the way. :)

Chuck E Cheese Here We Come

More about the party in a moment. Enjoy this new memory in the making. A parent from the school that I use to teach at, does this fabulous thing for her kids and I totally stole it (but here's the credit to Robin Hallenius!). She makes them pancakes in the number that they now are. So I made the boys "5" pancakes. They were so happy!!! I love this idea and will do it for every birthday (even Dan's) from here on out!

The boys celebrated their 5th birthday in style, at Chuck E Cheese! It was so much fun! It was a great mix of friends from our Mommy & Me Group, friends from preschool, and family friends. What a great celebration for these fabulous boys! Thanks to all of our friends for making this day such a special day!

Thomas got to choose the theme for this party and he chose soccer. Here is his soccer cake:

Joshua got to see his "best friend Anna" after nearly a year and a half. This boy is loyal. It's a great trait he has. Whenever they see each other, they run and hug, and that's it. They barely speak the rest of the time. I did manage to get this shot though!

I love this look of joy. It reminds me that even though I was busy running around and was so busy. This look of joy makes me happy. It's what a Chuck E Cheese party is all about.

Katie even enjoyed the party. Molly too!

Chuck E Cheese and the birthday boys

Happy 5th Birthday Thomas & Joshua

We yearned for a child. We worked hard to get pregnant. The road was not easy and was full of ups and downs. All we wanted was to start a family. Instead of one baby, we were blessed with two. I cannot imagine a life without these boys. They are best friends, mommy's little helpers, and the best big brothers ever!
Five years ago, I was Amber. Just plain Amber. Wife to one. Sister to another. Daughter to yet another. And then, I became mommy. And my life changed in the best way possible.

Five years ago, October 19, 2001, Thomas and Joshua blessed us with their presence, forever beginning our family and making our hopes and dreams come true. Every birthday before this one has been such a celebration. This is the first birthday that I am teary. Sad. I'm losing my little boys and watching them grow into such big kids. This is a hard one for me! Where did my babies go?

October 18, 2001

October 19, 2001

2006 (1 YEAR OLD)

2007 (2 YEARS OLD)

2008 (3 YEARS OLD)

2009 (4 YEARS OLD)

2010 (5 YEARS OLD)

Thomas:
Definitely the older brother. Thomas likes to take charge and keep things moving. He loves sports (but mostly soccer and baseball). He is just starting to learn how to read. He loves to snuggle still (phew!) and can be the most tenderhearted little guy!

Joshua:

Definitely the youngest boy. Sensitive, dramatic, and so much fun! Joshua is a great dancer and singer. He pays attention to detail and likes things done correctly. Definitely a mini-Dan! :) He is currently enrolled in ballet, but aspires to also do gymnastics and ice skating. Anything non-competitive is Joshua's style. He is in the very beginning stages of reading and is loving it! This social butterfly is a total mama's boy and will snuggle almost anytime. However, he is constantly talking so if you're with Joshua, it's not quiet!

Generation Backwards?

What will our children's generation be called? Could they be the backwards generation?

This evening I was trying to cook dinner in an orderly fashion. And by that I mean very very quickly as all children were falling apart. To keep Thomas occupied I let him play a game on the computer. I found Battleship online. He was instantly enthralled. He didn't get much strategy but enjoyed every single second of the game. We had a great dinner and while cleaning up the kids played in the craft drawers.

Dan looked down to see Thomas drawing his own Battleship board and Joshua cutting out ships from paper. Adorable! They then proceeded to "play" Battleship with their paper pieces.

So I started wondering....is this generation going to be backwards? Will they see and do everything with technology first and THEN realize there is another way?

Sometimes Things Just Don't Go Your Way

Mondays are busy. No way around it. I spend all day cleaning and preparing so that my mom can watch the kids so Dan and I can go to Financial Peace University classes. The afternoon is just crazy, ballet class, followed by dinner, followed by class.

I planned ahead and put dinner in the crockpot. Of course, this had to be one of the few times that a recipe totally fails. So, with little time to spare we had a dinner of pancakes and hot dogs. This was just the beginning of a crazy evening. Just as we were walking out the door, the scene was loud and crazy. The babies were yelling, the boys were coming inside for the night. Unfortunately Thomas had stepped in a huge pile of dog poop. No one noticed until it was too late. He tracked it throughout the living and dining room. I didn't notice because as I opened the door to let him in the screen door frame cracked and broke entirely. So the door is broken in my hands, the girls are yelling, and there is dog poop all over. Awesome. Not to mention that Dan and I are already running late for class. The rugs were taken outdoors, floors wiped down, door temporarily put back on and babies calmed.

I'd like to say this is abnormal, but it's probably not. It seems it's always crazy when we are moving on a timeline. Welcome to this stage of life, right?!