Thursday, April 7, 2011
Coincidence to End All
Over the past 1.5 years or so I have kept in contact with my ex-boyfriend, Andy, after the loss of his wife due to HELLP syndrome. She delivered their sweet little boy and two weeks later she passed. I wrote about it on my blog here a couple of times in September and November 2009. Since that time, Andy and I have kept in contact here and there. Fast forward to last week my DH came home from work (as a utility contractor) and asked me, "What is Andy's parents address?" We discovered that he was doing some work on the house across the street from Andy's parents house. What a coincidence! It isn't like St Paul is a small city, for Heaven's sake! So, I texted Andy and said, "Tell your parents sorry about the noise tonight. Mike's guys are doing a job at the house across the street from your parents". We were texting back and forth and when I asked how he and Le.land were doing, he told me that they were going to go to a waterpark in Eau Claire, WI for the weekend in honor of Bri.enne's (his wife who passed away) birthday, which was last Thursday. When I saw this on my phone, I COULD NOT believe my eyes. You see, over two months ago we had planned with DH's extended family to go to the same waterpark for this very same weekend. What a crazy coincidence that he and Le.land and his sis and her family would be going there during the same time as us! I called him up and explained that we would be there that weekend as well. We joked that we would see each other this weekend and got off the phone. Friday night we got to the hotel/waterpark and got up to our room. Mike and Logan decided to go down to the waterpark while I put the babies to bed for the night. I went to answer the door a little while later when Mike's cousin knocked on it. As I was talking to he and his family, all of a sudden Andy's sister comes walking by. We started talking and I found out that Andy was two doors down from us and his sisters room was across the hallway. What a coincidence! Not only did we coincidentally go to the same hotel/waterpark 1.5 hours away from our houses on the same weekend, but our rooms were practically right next to each other. How crazy! It was a really fun weekend with the family and it was good to see Andy and his family. His sister has twins who are 14 years old and when I was dating Andy I went to the hospital with him the day they were born to meet those little angels. And now I have twins of my own. At one point during the weekend we were in the pool and waterpark area and Caden was walking in the shallow water over to where Andy and Le.land were playing. I looked at Andy and said, "Who would have ever thought years ago that our kids would be playing together in the pool?" He looked back and said, "I know. I think it's pretty cool though". And it is. I mean, who in their right mind would have ever thought that I would practically spend the weekend with my ex-boyfriend years after we had broken up. Before we officially started dating, we made a pact that we would always be friends, no matter what. I guess the pact that we made all those years ago really was quite fitting and that it has come full circle. And, big props goes to my DH for not having a jealous bone in his body. He handled the weekend with grace and an incredible level of sympathy for Andy and his situation. I love that man so much and I couldn't have picked a better husband. OK, I have formatted this twice and it still comes out like one long paragraph. Anyone else having this issue with their blog?
Saturday, March 26, 2011
Cancun for Spring Break
Two weeks ago we embarked on a spring break trip. Our second airplane trip with all three of our boys. Although the first one doesn't necessarily count because we took them to Florida when they were eight weeks old and they slept the entire flight. We, meaning me, DH, our three boys and our nanny (the one we used last summer for two days/week). Sometimes I think it would be nice to go on a trip without the kids, but there will be plenty of time for that later when they are older and don't want to hang out with their parents anymore. For right now it is a party of five and some help!
All of my boys did so well the ENTIRE trip. I am still stunned at how well they traveled and did away from home. Our trip started with waking the boys up at 3:15 am to get to the airport by 4:00 am to get on a 6:00 am trip. Logan came running downstairs bursting with energy saying, "today is the day we go to Mex.ico!". Caden and Colton were bright eyed and wondering where in the world we were going in the middle of the night.
We had a great flight where both Little Monkeys napped for about an hour (until the pilot came on and talked for a minimum of five minutes giving us a geography lesson about what "sights" we would see from 36,000 feet in the air. News flash: No one cares where we are at that time of the morning and thanks for waking up my babies on this four hour flight). Anyways, even though the boys were woken up, they were pretty content on the flight. We had to stand up with them a couple of times, but it was definitely manageable. And we were able to pass Caden and Colton back and forth between me, DH and Miss M (our nanny), so it was definitely doable. And thank Heavens for the iPad! Logan had so much fun playing games I had just downloaded especially for the trip. Especially An.gry Bir.ds. I swear he is addicted to that game!
When we got off of the flight in Can.cun, we were directed by an airport employee to "follow me". He put us to the front of the immigration/customs line! The Mexican people love kids and babies and we had the same treatment five years ago when we brought Logan as a toddler. There were at least 300 people waiting in line and we did not have to wait. We were so grateful and thanked him a ton! When we arrived at the hotel, the Mo.on Pal.ace Go.lf Re.sort and Spa, we were treated the same way. We were brought to the front of the check-in line, given champagne to drink, the kids were given snacks and Miss M and I were given flowers. When the gentleman checking us in told us that our room would be ready in 30 minutes we were completely fine with that. It was only 11:30 and check-in wasn't until 3:00. One of his co-workers looked at him and said, "No No. Those babies need to get to their room." She made a quick phone call in really fast Spanish and then told us that our room was ready now. Amazing service!! And, what a room it was! We booked a presidential suite and knew that we would have two bedrooms and a main living space.
One bedroom
Balcony
Balcony
The entire week I felt like I was in paradise. We played miniature golf almost every day, hung out at the pool, played on the beach, got pedicures, manicures, massages, ate great food, drank yummy drinks, spent some time alone with my hubby and some time with Logan while the babies napped.
And, having Miss M come with us with the best decision we could have made for this vacation. It was so nice to have another set of hands to help out and she is so in tune with our family. She is such a blessing to our family and we are so thankful that she would come on vacation with us over spring break. Because, really, we couldn't have traveled with three small children without her. She just jumps in and does what needs to be done and we are so in sync that it is amazing. And, my boys LOVE her and feel so comfortable with her.
Before we left I bought Caden and Colton some Ni.ke sandals. The second day we were there we lost one, go figure. We looked in our room all over for it and even asked at the Lost and Found. We had all of our shoes lined up by the main door to our room and there sat the three sandals. Three days later, there were FOUR sandals sitting there. Housekeeping must have found it somewhere and brought it to our room. Now, that is what I call service.
Me, Caden-left and Colton- right
Caden
Colton
Logan
Mike and the boys
Group shot
All of my boys did so well the ENTIRE trip. I am still stunned at how well they traveled and did away from home. Our trip started with waking the boys up at 3:15 am to get to the airport by 4:00 am to get on a 6:00 am trip. Logan came running downstairs bursting with energy saying, "today is the day we go to Mex.ico!". Caden and Colton were bright eyed and wondering where in the world we were going in the middle of the night.
We had a great flight where both Little Monkeys napped for about an hour (until the pilot came on and talked for a minimum of five minutes giving us a geography lesson about what "sights" we would see from 36,000 feet in the air. News flash: No one cares where we are at that time of the morning and thanks for waking up my babies on this four hour flight). Anyways, even though the boys were woken up, they were pretty content on the flight. We had to stand up with them a couple of times, but it was definitely manageable. And we were able to pass Caden and Colton back and forth between me, DH and Miss M (our nanny), so it was definitely doable. And thank Heavens for the iPad! Logan had so much fun playing games I had just downloaded especially for the trip. Especially An.gry Bir.ds. I swear he is addicted to that game!
When we got off of the flight in Can.cun, we were directed by an airport employee to "follow me". He put us to the front of the immigration/customs line! The Mexican people love kids and babies and we had the same treatment five years ago when we brought Logan as a toddler. There were at least 300 people waiting in line and we did not have to wait. We were so grateful and thanked him a ton! When we arrived at the hotel, the Mo.on Pal.ace Go.lf Re.sort and Spa, we were treated the same way. We were brought to the front of the check-in line, given champagne to drink, the kids were given snacks and Miss M and I were given flowers. When the gentleman checking us in told us that our room would be ready in 30 minutes we were completely fine with that. It was only 11:30 and check-in wasn't until 3:00. One of his co-workers looked at him and said, "No No. Those babies need to get to their room." She made a quick phone call in really fast Spanish and then told us that our room was ready now. Amazing service!! And, what a room it was! We booked a presidential suite and knew that we would have two bedrooms and a main living space.
One bedroom
Balcony
Balcony
The entire week I felt like I was in paradise. We played miniature golf almost every day, hung out at the pool, played on the beach, got pedicures, manicures, massages, ate great food, drank yummy drinks, spent some time alone with my hubby and some time with Logan while the babies napped.
And, having Miss M come with us with the best decision we could have made for this vacation. It was so nice to have another set of hands to help out and she is so in tune with our family. She is such a blessing to our family and we are so thankful that she would come on vacation with us over spring break. Because, really, we couldn't have traveled with three small children without her. She just jumps in and does what needs to be done and we are so in sync that it is amazing. And, my boys LOVE her and feel so comfortable with her.
Before we left I bought Caden and Colton some Ni.ke sandals. The second day we were there we lost one, go figure. We looked in our room all over for it and even asked at the Lost and Found. We had all of our shoes lined up by the main door to our room and there sat the three sandals. Three days later, there were FOUR sandals sitting there. Housekeeping must have found it somewhere and brought it to our room. Now, that is what I call service.
Me, Caden-left and Colton- right
Caden
Colton
Logan
Mike and the boys
Group shot
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
Give Some Love
Please head over the My Two Lines and give my dear bloggy friend some love, encouragemnt, supoort and did I say love? She found out that her international adoption for two babies, twinblings, will be delayed much further out than originally estimated. This, after she had gone through so much already on her IF journey.
Just.Not.Fair
http://mytwolines.blogspot.com
Just.Not.Fair
http://mytwolines.blogspot.com
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
On the Mend
We have been sick for way too long at our house. Every time we get rid of a cough, cold, drippy nose combo, we get another wave of it. I am thinking that Logan is bringing home these little bugs from the petri dish they called "Elementary School". Thankfully, for the past 1+ week we have been fever free. Just little drippy noses for the babies and I, but it is much better than the not-feeling-good-feeling-like-crap-hacking-coughing-green-snot-nose-crabby-kids-(and-mom)-kind-of-cold.
The worst thing about this winter is that Logan has had two ear infections and a spikey, random fever, Caden has had two ear infections and Colton has had three ear infections and pneumonia. In the last six weeks. Of course, it is no fun to be sick, but I am so sick of my boys and I being sick!
Alas, you think my house is not clean...it is! I do not like a dirty house, even with three kids trampling all of over it. And I am obsessive about washing my hands, their hands and reminding my husband to wash his hands. Obsessive. To the point of raw, open wounds on my knuckles. Last week I even bundled the little boys up in their snowsuits to take them on a walk when it was super cold outside and I opened the windows of the house to air it out and "freeze out" the germs. I am sure when I told my DH what I had done, he saw dollar signs flying out the window as the furnace kicked into high gear.
Next week we are getting all of the boys ears rechecked to make sure their ear infections are gone. In the past, Caden and Colton's infections were gone, but their was still clear fluid in their ears. It may be that their ear is not able to drain the fluid out and that we will need to bring them to an ENT to see if they need tubes. Our pediatrician said that ear issues can be hereditary and my DH had a TON of ear infections and had many sets of tubes put in his ears as a child. It appears that my little boys may have similar issues.
As you may also recall, when Caden and Colton were born they did not pass the hearing screen test at the hospital. They didn't end up passing it until they were around two months old. We were told that a lot of time that fluid from being in utero gets stuck in there and it takes awhile to come out. I am now wondering if their ear canal slopes down and is unable to drain. A good question for the ENT, don't you think?
Throw in three teething children and life gets a little crazy! That's right, Colton has gotten two teeth in the last six weeks and it working on another; Caden is getting another 2-3 teeth and Logan got a six year molar a couple of weeks ago. Craziness!
We are keeping our fingers crossed that we can stay healthy for the rest of the winter. And for our spring break trip we have coming up soon. Can.cun, here we come!
The worst thing about this winter is that Logan has had two ear infections and a spikey, random fever, Caden has had two ear infections and Colton has had three ear infections and pneumonia. In the last six weeks. Of course, it is no fun to be sick, but I am so sick of my boys and I being sick!
Alas, you think my house is not clean...it is! I do not like a dirty house, even with three kids trampling all of over it. And I am obsessive about washing my hands, their hands and reminding my husband to wash his hands. Obsessive. To the point of raw, open wounds on my knuckles. Last week I even bundled the little boys up in their snowsuits to take them on a walk when it was super cold outside and I opened the windows of the house to air it out and "freeze out" the germs. I am sure when I told my DH what I had done, he saw dollar signs flying out the window as the furnace kicked into high gear.
Next week we are getting all of the boys ears rechecked to make sure their ear infections are gone. In the past, Caden and Colton's infections were gone, but their was still clear fluid in their ears. It may be that their ear is not able to drain the fluid out and that we will need to bring them to an ENT to see if they need tubes. Our pediatrician said that ear issues can be hereditary and my DH had a TON of ear infections and had many sets of tubes put in his ears as a child. It appears that my little boys may have similar issues.
As you may also recall, when Caden and Colton were born they did not pass the hearing screen test at the hospital. They didn't end up passing it until they were around two months old. We were told that a lot of time that fluid from being in utero gets stuck in there and it takes awhile to come out. I am now wondering if their ear canal slopes down and is unable to drain. A good question for the ENT, don't you think?
Throw in three teething children and life gets a little crazy! That's right, Colton has gotten two teeth in the last six weeks and it working on another; Caden is getting another 2-3 teeth and Logan got a six year molar a couple of weeks ago. Craziness!
We are keeping our fingers crossed that we can stay healthy for the rest of the winter. And for our spring break trip we have coming up soon. Can.cun, here we come!
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Colton's Musical Notes
Last week we had to make a trip to our local Children's Hospital. It seems that Colton was having difficulty breathing. This, after all of us having a horrible cold and all three boys having ear infections. When the ER doc listened to his lungs she said, "He sounds quite musical in there". He was wheezing and working hard to get air. She sent him down for a chest x-ray (have you ever seen a baby strapped down on an x-ray table??) and he did so well. It only took about three minutes for them to get two pics. And, with his arms strapped down above his head and his legs and the rest of his body strapped down he was the perfect angel. He did not even cry until he was done. The x-ray showed that he had pneumonia.
We were sent home with a nebulizer to do 3-4 times/day, and another antibiotic. He had just finished another antibiotic after having an ear infection. On Friday he went in for a recheck and our family doc gave him another prescription for a steroid and also put him back on his acid reflux medication.
I am sad to report that the rest of our house has been feeling a bit under the weather as well. In the last four weeks, between my three boys, they have had five ear infections, four separate colds, a chronic cough, eight different medications, eight doctors visits and one ER vist and a mommy and daddy who are sad to see their three boys not feeling well. And it all started with a run of the mill cold that Logan brought home from the petri dish called elementary school. When I brought Logan in yesterday for ear pain in his other ear, after previously being dx'd with an ear infection in the opposite ear, and I said to the doctor, "We're back!". He explained that winters are really bad for small children and with having two one year olds it is impossible to keep everyone quarantined and away from each other.
Here's to hoping that we are on the mend and feeling better for our upcoming trip to Mex.ico!
We were sent home with a nebulizer to do 3-4 times/day, and another antibiotic. He had just finished another antibiotic after having an ear infection. On Friday he went in for a recheck and our family doc gave him another prescription for a steroid and also put him back on his acid reflux medication.
I am sad to report that the rest of our house has been feeling a bit under the weather as well. In the last four weeks, between my three boys, they have had five ear infections, four separate colds, a chronic cough, eight different medications, eight doctors visits and one ER vist and a mommy and daddy who are sad to see their three boys not feeling well. And it all started with a run of the mill cold that Logan brought home from the petri dish called elementary school. When I brought Logan in yesterday for ear pain in his other ear, after previously being dx'd with an ear infection in the opposite ear, and I said to the doctor, "We're back!". He explained that winters are really bad for small children and with having two one year olds it is impossible to keep everyone quarantined and away from each other.
Here's to hoping that we are on the mend and feeling better for our upcoming trip to Mex.ico!
Saturday, January 29, 2011
Time Away from My Angels
Last Thursday afternoon my parents came to stay at our house for two nights. With our kids. While we were not there. We were downtown Minneapolis at the posh Gra.ves 601 hotel. Drinking champagne and toasting us. Because, for Heavens sake, we haven't been "us" in too long. Last summer we decided that if our marriage could survive three years of IF and the first year with twins, well, we might just deserve a little time away, with each other, to bask in the glow of each other.
So, it all began last summer when I asked my parents if they would be willing to come and hang out with our kids for two nights while we went somewhere. One night is nice, but two nights would allow us to sleep in and lounge around and not be in hurry to check out of a hotel or get back home. We had no plans on where we wanted to go, but just wanted to go someplace. As the winter progressed and we have hit almost record high snowfalls we decided that we didn't want to go too far away and be caught in a blizzard. We decided on Minneapolis which is only 45 minutes from our house, but we don't really go downtown that often. Our planning began.
We arranged to go from Thursday evening thru Saturday morning. That way, my parents would only have to focus on the Little Monkeys during the day while Logan was at kindergarten. We found the Gra.ves 601 hotel with a Star.bucks and a spa next to it. They are also adjacent to the skyways. When we arrived at the Gra.ves 601 we headed up to check out our awesome room and get ready for dinner at The Melt.ing Pot. Yum! We had not been to this restaurant since Logan was a baby! The next morning we went down to the spa to have a couples massage. After that we headed over to the Minn.eapo.lis Convention Center to go to the Boat Show, of all things :) We used to own two different boats and got rid of the boating hobby a couple of years ago as we bought a camper and could find enough time in the summer to use both the camper and the boat. So we just went to look and see what was on the market.
After that we headed back to our hotel to get ready for dinner at Ru.th's Ch.ris Steakhouse. The best steak I have ever eaten! And their sweet potato casserole was TO DIE FOR. Super good! We woke up Saturday morning regretting that we had not gone to any real night spots, but we were so tired both nights and just wanted to rest up, relax and rejuvenate.
We are hoping that we will have this opportunity, aka that we can convince my parents to take the kids for two nights again, every year. DH and I have been away from the kids individually for longer than two nights at a time, but we have never been away from our kids, including just Logan before the babies were born, for more than one night. It was quite the treat. And walking into the house after being gone for two days we were greeted by two happy smiling babies racing while they crawled towards us and our big boy Logan jumping on us and giving us hugs and kisses. All the while we were away, they were perfect angels and didn't miss a beat, but we sure felt good being greeted by all three when we got home. :) I also received a thank you email from my parents thanking US for letting THEM come and stay with our children and entrusting them with our children for two nights. What a great weekend!
So, it all began last summer when I asked my parents if they would be willing to come and hang out with our kids for two nights while we went somewhere. One night is nice, but two nights would allow us to sleep in and lounge around and not be in hurry to check out of a hotel or get back home. We had no plans on where we wanted to go, but just wanted to go someplace. As the winter progressed and we have hit almost record high snowfalls we decided that we didn't want to go too far away and be caught in a blizzard. We decided on Minneapolis which is only 45 minutes from our house, but we don't really go downtown that often. Our planning began.
We arranged to go from Thursday evening thru Saturday morning. That way, my parents would only have to focus on the Little Monkeys during the day while Logan was at kindergarten. We found the Gra.ves 601 hotel with a Star.bucks and a spa next to it. They are also adjacent to the skyways. When we arrived at the Gra.ves 601 we headed up to check out our awesome room and get ready for dinner at The Melt.ing Pot. Yum! We had not been to this restaurant since Logan was a baby! The next morning we went down to the spa to have a couples massage. After that we headed over to the Minn.eapo.lis Convention Center to go to the Boat Show, of all things :) We used to own two different boats and got rid of the boating hobby a couple of years ago as we bought a camper and could find enough time in the summer to use both the camper and the boat. So we just went to look and see what was on the market.
After that we headed back to our hotel to get ready for dinner at Ru.th's Ch.ris Steakhouse. The best steak I have ever eaten! And their sweet potato casserole was TO DIE FOR. Super good! We woke up Saturday morning regretting that we had not gone to any real night spots, but we were so tired both nights and just wanted to rest up, relax and rejuvenate.
We are hoping that we will have this opportunity, aka that we can convince my parents to take the kids for two nights again, every year. DH and I have been away from the kids individually for longer than two nights at a time, but we have never been away from our kids, including just Logan before the babies were born, for more than one night. It was quite the treat. And walking into the house after being gone for two days we were greeted by two happy smiling babies racing while they crawled towards us and our big boy Logan jumping on us and giving us hugs and kisses. All the while we were away, they were perfect angels and didn't miss a beat, but we sure felt good being greeted by all three when we got home. :) I also received a thank you email from my parents thanking US for letting THEM come and stay with our children and entrusting them with our children for two nights. What a great weekend!
Monday, January 17, 2011
Birthday Celebrations!
Last weekend we celebrated Logan's 6th and Caden and Colton's 1st birthdays! In December Logan has his friend birthday at a local pizza joint where he and 10 friends made their own pizzas. I am not going to post these pics as I don't have permission from his friends parents to post them and I hate to post pics on the internet without permission. We decided to do the family birthday celebration for all three kids together at our house. With Logan's birthday on December 1 and Caden and Colton's birthday on January 6 and the holidays thrown in-between we thought it was a good idea to have one big celebration together. And, we even asked Logan for permission to celebrate his birthday with his brothers to which he was so excited to do.
Here are some pics of our family birthday party!
Colton and Caden
Logan joyfully throwing a big pile of wrapping paper in the air for "confetti"
Family pic
Logan and his cake
Caden and his cake in the face
Caden and his cake in the face
Colton and his cake in the face
Colton and his cake in the face
Caden on his new four wheeler
Colton
Although I am bit sad that these Little Monkeys are ONE, I am also glad. The last year has been a lot of work, albeit enjoyable work. Things are getting easier every day and they are growing so fast! We had their one year well-check with the pediatrician last week and here are their stats:
Caden- 7lbs 1oz at birth, now 22lbs 9oz
Colton- 6lbs14oz at birth, now 24lbs
It seems that my 14lbs of baby has grown to almost 47lbs in the past year! My, oh my, where has time gone? In the past year they have gone from 8-12 feedings and diaper changes in a day, to big boys who eat all types of big people food and whole milk in a sippy cup, with only 6 diaper changes/day. They sleep from 7pm-7am without getting up and take two 1.5 hour naps each day. Colton has six teeth and Caden has two teeth. Colton can take six steps alone at a time and Caden, well, he just has no interest in walking on his own, but loves to walk holding onto furniture.
And, they laugh, giggle and talk all of the time. They are such happy babies and are so easy to please. Caden's favorite sound to make is "Mom" and will repeat it over and over to his little hearts content. This is so fitting since he has grown into quite the Mama's boy. Colton has said several clear words such as "kisses", "fishies", "Yeah", "Caden", and "Colton". Logan was speaking clear, three word senteces at 18 months and I think that Colton will surely follow in those footsteps.
They are both really busy and are constantly on the move, giving me a great workout! Since September I have lost 20 pounds and am officially at my wedding day weight. I'd like to lose another 10 pounds, but have fallen off of the weight loss bandwagon with the holidays. I need to get in shape so I can keep up with these Little Monkeys when they are running all over the place! :)
What a great year we have had! I can't wait to see what this coming year brings for all of us as I continue to watch my three boys grow and change. These three little miracles whom I love more than I could ever express in words. How did I get so lucky?
Here are some pics of our family birthday party!
Colton and Caden
Logan joyfully throwing a big pile of wrapping paper in the air for "confetti"
Family pic
Logan and his cake
Caden and his cake in the face
Caden and his cake in the face
Colton and his cake in the face
Colton and his cake in the face
Caden on his new four wheeler
Colton
Although I am bit sad that these Little Monkeys are ONE, I am also glad. The last year has been a lot of work, albeit enjoyable work. Things are getting easier every day and they are growing so fast! We had their one year well-check with the pediatrician last week and here are their stats:
Caden- 7lbs 1oz at birth, now 22lbs 9oz
Colton- 6lbs14oz at birth, now 24lbs
It seems that my 14lbs of baby has grown to almost 47lbs in the past year! My, oh my, where has time gone? In the past year they have gone from 8-12 feedings and diaper changes in a day, to big boys who eat all types of big people food and whole milk in a sippy cup, with only 6 diaper changes/day. They sleep from 7pm-7am without getting up and take two 1.5 hour naps each day. Colton has six teeth and Caden has two teeth. Colton can take six steps alone at a time and Caden, well, he just has no interest in walking on his own, but loves to walk holding onto furniture.
And, they laugh, giggle and talk all of the time. They are such happy babies and are so easy to please. Caden's favorite sound to make is "Mom" and will repeat it over and over to his little hearts content. This is so fitting since he has grown into quite the Mama's boy. Colton has said several clear words such as "kisses", "fishies", "Yeah", "Caden", and "Colton". Logan was speaking clear, three word senteces at 18 months and I think that Colton will surely follow in those footsteps.
They are both really busy and are constantly on the move, giving me a great workout! Since September I have lost 20 pounds and am officially at my wedding day weight. I'd like to lose another 10 pounds, but have fallen off of the weight loss bandwagon with the holidays. I need to get in shape so I can keep up with these Little Monkeys when they are running all over the place! :)
What a great year we have had! I can't wait to see what this coming year brings for all of us as I continue to watch my three boys grow and change. These three little miracles whom I love more than I could ever express in words. How did I get so lucky?
Monday, January 10, 2011
Rough Weekend
On Friday we received a phone call that DHs grandwas was very ill. She has been battling cancer for some time and it seemed to be getting better and her cancer spots were shrinking with new treatment that she started a couple of months ago. We saw her on Christmas Eve and she looked good, although she had just been released from the hospital that day from one of several hospitalizations she had in the past few months. It seems that last week she developed an infection somewhere in her body and her blood cell count was too low to fight the infection. She went from coherent conversations on Friday morning to passing away Saturday afternoon.
DH and I went to the hospital on Friday afternoon to see her and say our goodbyes. She was sleeping when we went there, so DH and I placed our hands on her and I told her that we were there and thank you for being such a good grandma and great-grandma. I told her that we love her and that Logan, Caden and Colton love her. She loved her family fiercly and Logan and her had such a neat bond.
When we got home I explained to Logan that we were not home when he got home from school because we had to go see great grandma at the hospital because she was sick (don't worry, my parents came over to take the kids for us while we went to the hospital). I explained that she had a great life and that she was going to go to Heaven soon to see Jesus. He looked at me, stuck his lower lip out and lowered his head. I asked him what was wrong. He looked up at me with his big blue eyes, lower lip sticking out and said, "I'm going to miss great grandma when she goes to Heaven". Melt my heart! DH and I talked with him and explained in simple terms about living life and death and that great grandma would always be with us and watch over us.
On Sunday we had a fun birthday celebration for all three boys with lots of cake in their face! :) I will post more about this soon, but for today more sadness.
Last night while we were getting the boys ready for bed we heard lots of emergency vehicle sirens. As I went to put Caden to bed I noticed two fire trucks entering our neighborhood. We live in the country and not much happens out here. So, I put Caden down and then I heard more and more sirens and saw too many emergency vehicles to count and then I looked into the distance of the dark, night sky and saw billows of smoke and above the rooptop of another neighbors house I saw huge flames. I instantly got a sick feeling in my stomach. After talking to a couple of neighbors we determined whose house was on fire. When Logan saw it he said, "I bet that great grandma can see all of this. I am so sad, I think I am going to cry. I feel so bad for them, Mom." Ahhh, my little sensitive, caring soul. :)
A fire, no matter where it is, is a huge deal. What made this one unique is that dozens of fire trucks were called in to help put this fire out. You see, we live in an area that does not have fire hydrants because we are not hooked to city water. We all have our own private well water. So the trucks had to go to the two closest hydrants to pump water into the fire trucks so that they could come back and spray the water on the fire. We are about 1.5 miles from the nearest hydrant. And, with the icey cold weather last night the area around the hydrants was freezing and causing a hazard for firefighters. And all of the gawkers that came by it made it more challenging to navigate the area to get the fire under control and eventually put out.
Our neighbors were out to dinner at the local restaurant and were not home at the time. They did have family pets who did not survive the fire. I know that it is sad to lose pets, but am so thankful they were not home at the time. They have three grown children and several grandchildren who live in the area.
Throughout the year my neighboorhood of about 20-25 houses has several get-togethers. I know all of my neighbors and although I am not particularly close to this couple, we feel their loss. The loss of everything is so devastating and to just watch from my window as their house burned down was sickening. I have left messages for two of my neighbors who seem to know what is going on to see what we can do to help this couple.
So, the week that was not looking too busy is beginning to fill up. We have the wake and funeral for DHs grandma on Wednesday and Thursday and hopefully I can do something to help my neighbors this week.
Here's a sneak peak at my next post: CAKE EVERYWHERE!
DH and I went to the hospital on Friday afternoon to see her and say our goodbyes. She was sleeping when we went there, so DH and I placed our hands on her and I told her that we were there and thank you for being such a good grandma and great-grandma. I told her that we love her and that Logan, Caden and Colton love her. She loved her family fiercly and Logan and her had such a neat bond.
When we got home I explained to Logan that we were not home when he got home from school because we had to go see great grandma at the hospital because she was sick (don't worry, my parents came over to take the kids for us while we went to the hospital). I explained that she had a great life and that she was going to go to Heaven soon to see Jesus. He looked at me, stuck his lower lip out and lowered his head. I asked him what was wrong. He looked up at me with his big blue eyes, lower lip sticking out and said, "I'm going to miss great grandma when she goes to Heaven". Melt my heart! DH and I talked with him and explained in simple terms about living life and death and that great grandma would always be with us and watch over us.
On Sunday we had a fun birthday celebration for all three boys with lots of cake in their face! :) I will post more about this soon, but for today more sadness.
Last night while we were getting the boys ready for bed we heard lots of emergency vehicle sirens. As I went to put Caden to bed I noticed two fire trucks entering our neighborhood. We live in the country and not much happens out here. So, I put Caden down and then I heard more and more sirens and saw too many emergency vehicles to count and then I looked into the distance of the dark, night sky and saw billows of smoke and above the rooptop of another neighbors house I saw huge flames. I instantly got a sick feeling in my stomach. After talking to a couple of neighbors we determined whose house was on fire. When Logan saw it he said, "I bet that great grandma can see all of this. I am so sad, I think I am going to cry. I feel so bad for them, Mom." Ahhh, my little sensitive, caring soul. :)
A fire, no matter where it is, is a huge deal. What made this one unique is that dozens of fire trucks were called in to help put this fire out. You see, we live in an area that does not have fire hydrants because we are not hooked to city water. We all have our own private well water. So the trucks had to go to the two closest hydrants to pump water into the fire trucks so that they could come back and spray the water on the fire. We are about 1.5 miles from the nearest hydrant. And, with the icey cold weather last night the area around the hydrants was freezing and causing a hazard for firefighters. And all of the gawkers that came by it made it more challenging to navigate the area to get the fire under control and eventually put out.
Our neighbors were out to dinner at the local restaurant and were not home at the time. They did have family pets who did not survive the fire. I know that it is sad to lose pets, but am so thankful they were not home at the time. They have three grown children and several grandchildren who live in the area.
Throughout the year my neighboorhood of about 20-25 houses has several get-togethers. I know all of my neighbors and although I am not particularly close to this couple, we feel their loss. The loss of everything is so devastating and to just watch from my window as their house burned down was sickening. I have left messages for two of my neighbors who seem to know what is going on to see what we can do to help this couple.
So, the week that was not looking too busy is beginning to fill up. We have the wake and funeral for DHs grandma on Wednesday and Thursday and hopefully I can do something to help my neighbors this week.
Here's a sneak peak at my next post: CAKE EVERYWHERE!
Thursday, January 6, 2011
The Big Oh-ONE!
One year ago today my Little Monkeys, aka The Brothers, aka The Little Boys, aka Caden and Colton were born! We started off the day with a banana and a donut of all things! :) Pretty healthy, I know, but Big Brother Logan thought it would be a great way to start their day. When they woke up this morning we went into their room and yelled "Happy Birthday", they both just smiled at us and got all happy. We have been hanging out all day in their jammies and playing. We have been running all around town for the past couple of weeks and all this week so I thought it would be fun for them to have a lounge around the house day. I keep singing the "Happy Birthday" song to them all day today and they smile and giggle every time. They always love when I sing to them (even though I am a horrible singer!), especially when they are having a crabby moment. For some reason my singing calms them down, who'd have thought, right?
We have a couple of birthday festivities planned this week. Yesterday I brought them in to get their one year pics taken (I also had their 3 month, 6 month and 9 month pics taken). Colton was full of smiles, but Caden was so serious yesterday and we couldn't crack a smile out of him. I will be bringing them in again next week to try again. Tonight we are going to go to a local restaurant for dinner and the boys will get an ice cream sundae for dessert on their special day. Tomorrow we have their one year well-check with the pediatrician. On Sunday we are having our family over to celebrate Logan's 6th and Caden and Colton's 1st birthdays.
In the next couple of days I will post more about their birthdays, but for right now, they are waking up from their naps and I need to go sing "Happy Birthday" to them again! :)
We have a couple of birthday festivities planned this week. Yesterday I brought them in to get their one year pics taken (I also had their 3 month, 6 month and 9 month pics taken). Colton was full of smiles, but Caden was so serious yesterday and we couldn't crack a smile out of him. I will be bringing them in again next week to try again. Tonight we are going to go to a local restaurant for dinner and the boys will get an ice cream sundae for dessert on their special day. Tomorrow we have their one year well-check with the pediatrician. On Sunday we are having our family over to celebrate Logan's 6th and Caden and Colton's 1st birthdays.
In the next couple of days I will post more about their birthdays, but for right now, they are waking up from their naps and I need to go sing "Happy Birthday" to them again! :)
Monday, January 3, 2011
Goodbye 2010, Hello 2011!
As much as I loved 2010, I am happy for the new year. Happy with the possibility of a fresh start that only the new year can bring. Not that things are bad right now, but the new year brings the freshness like the melting of snow and greening of grass that springtime brings. I have high hopes for 2011. It won't be an easy year, but it will be a fun one. Having two babies that turn ONE in a couple of days (sniff, sniff) and an ever growing six year old will continue to challenge us in a good way. As our three boys continue to change and go through different life phases, we will continue to grow together as a family. We will embark on adventures together that will not only create memories of a lifetime, but will allow us to be together and to continue to create a strong family bond.
So, HELLO 2011! Bring on the fun and excitement!
So, HELLO 2011! Bring on the fun and excitement!
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