Happy 2012

Our New Year's weekend was pretty relaxed.  We headed to Brainerd Friday night after work to spend the weekend at Pat and Leah's.  We got there at about 8:00.  The kids played for a little while before jammies and bedtime.  Saturday we hung out all day while Mike and his Dad and brother went fishing.  I struggled to stay awake until midnight, and went to bed at about 12:01.  Sunday, the kids played some more and we headed home at bedtime.  Mike and I both had today off so we have been hanging at home getting a few random things done including naps :)

Ah, heck with it!

So, I've decided, to heck with my stupid camera and the fact that for some reason it won't let me download any of my pictures to my computer.  I have so many posts I've wanted to write, but I feel like they need the pictures that go with the events.  Whatever.  Here is a picture-less 4th of July Weekend post:

The 4th of July happens to be Mike's holiday to be on call this year.  It is kind of a bummer, but I'd rather have him on call for this holiday than Christmas.  So, because it was 90ish degrees all weekend, he worked a lot.  My family was at "the pink house", so it was pretty much the boys and I.  

Friday Amazih came to spend the night with us.  Thank God, because after a day spent splashing in the swimming pool, taking in the sunshine, the weather quickly turned yucky!  

We had just cleaned everything up outside and headed in when the wind picked up and the skies got dark.  Within about 15 minutes, the sirens were going off in town, so we headed with all three kids, and two dogs (we were also dog-sitting for my parents) to the basement.  By the time we finally got to the basement, my cousin Tammy, who lives in town, texted me to say the sirens had stopped.  Whatever.  We stayed down there and played for a while.  Getting down there was a lot of work!

Saturday, we spent the day at home, and Sunday, again, we stayed home, except for a quick trip to Sam's Club after Mike got home from work.  

After Sam's Club, we met my parents in St. Joe for burgers at the parish festival.  The kids went on one little ride, and we headed home.  

Monday was the 4th, and thankfully, Mike didn't work at all during the day.  We headed to Tammy and Shawn's to watch the big 4th of July parade, then home for naps and lunch.  The evening was spent outside, grilling and playing.  No fireworks for us this year.  For one thing, I didn't think I'd be able to keep the kids awake long enough, and for another, I didn't want to drive all the way into St. Cloud and go through all the work of finding a spot, etc. only to have one or two or three of the boys be afraid, and it be a totally wasted trip. Maybe next year. 

Ash Wednesday

I've been thinking about what I will give up for Lent this year.  It's been a while since I've actually given something up for the season.  Mostly because three out of the past four Lenten seasons, I've been pregnant.  

This year, I've been putting thought into it.  I know what I should give up, and I know what I might give up.  But what will I give up?

I should give up pop.  It's bad for me, and I drink a lot of it.  If I want to get rid of this blasted baby weight, I should stop drinking it.  BUT, it's my drug.  It's my "cold coffee". I feel like I need it.  

I might  give up a lot of things.  Maybe eating between meals.  Maybe chocolate.  Maybe chips.  Maybe eating out for lunch.  

Now, I just have to decide what I will give up.  

Are you giving anything up? 

Is it really about giving something up?
Sometimes it's more about what you will do rather than what you won't  do. I know that I will be more patient with my boys.  I will take time to appreciate what others do for my family and I, and thank them.  I will try to slow life down a little, and enjoy the little things.  

"Balentime's Day!"

"Mommy, is today Balentime's Day?"

"Yep, that's why we are bringing your Buzz and Woody Valentines to Sharon's and to school tonight"

"Oh, and Grammy is getting me a special Balentine today too, it's gonna be BIG!"

The procrastinator that I am, Kayden and I sat at the kitchen table at about 7:30 last night writing names on his Valentine's.  We had to do 20 for preschool, and eleven for daycare.  Toy Story 2 happened to be on the Disney Channel last night, so he was, to say the least, a little distracted.  He finally just said, "Mommy, you just do these Balentime's for me.  I don't wanna miss this movie."  

So there I sat, writing names on the "Balentime's", and putting them together with the pencil that went with each one.  

By next year, he'll be able to write his name, and I will sit on the couch and watch T.V while he signs 30-some valentine's.  Maybe I'll teach him to write, Tyler and Tyson too...... :)


Happy Balentime's Day Ya'll!

New Years 2011

Warning: if the idea of vomit grosses you out, stop reading now.  You've been warned. 

I wasn't going to blog about this, but the more I thought about it, I realized it's something I want to remember, and since this is my journal/scrapbook for my family, I better write it down.

We had actually planned to spend New Year's Eve at home.  We'd probably be in bed before 10:00, and I was totally cool with that.  Then, my friend Kristy invited us over, and said we should bring the kids too.  So, we decided we'd go over there instead.  I figured we'd still leave before 10:00 because the kids would be cranky, and ready for bed.  To my surprise, they were playing really well, and we ended up staying until 11:45 (terrible mother I am, I know:::who keeps three kids under 4 years old up until 11:45???).  We headed back to my mom's, put the kids to bed, and headed to bed ourselves.  By 1:00, Mike was tapping me on the shoulder.  "Do you have extra pajamas for Tyler?  He threw up."  What???????  Yes, I had extra pajamas for him.  I got the jammies out, and headed into the bedroom to get him up and change him.  OMG!  We needed more than pajamas.  Not only did he throw up, but he rolled in it, layed in it, you get the idea.  And, if you've seen Tyler's curly, long hair, you can about imagine how much was stuck in it.  Yuck!  So, I pulled the poor, tired baby out of bed, and headed for the bathtub.  I woke my mom up to help me find new sheets and bedding for the crib. As I was trying to peel his pajamas off, I was gagging, so I had to go get Mike to take care of that task.  Vomit and I don't do well together.  So, Mike bathed him, my mom and I changed his bedding, and we put him back to bed.  He threw up just the one time---thank God!---and seemed ok on Saturday.  I thought maybe he just ate something bad. The more I thought about it, I realized he hadn't eaten much that day at all, and he usually eats A LOT.  So, maybe the flu.  By Sunday, it was confirmed.  He had been sick.  My mom, dad and brother had Tyler's flu ;)  Thank God, Mike, Kayden and I never got it. I do think Tyson had a baby version of the flu earlier in the week, but I'll spare you the details on that. 

Traditions

As my boys get older, we are forming a few traditions.  It seems like we add a few things each year.  This weekend consisted of a few.  

*Saturday I had a day of shopping (and bonding) with my mom, Amy, my aunt Ruth, and my two cousins Holli and Tammy.  (Amazih would have joined us, but decided to work at a basketball tournament to make money instead).  We spent the day shopping in the cities.  We first hit up the General Store in Minnetonka, then headed to Eden Prairie Center.  We had lots of fun, laughs, and I actually got LOTS of Christmas shopping done.  I'm VERY close to being done!  Mike was on call (again) this weekend, so the boys spent the day at Grandma Doris' house with Rhonda and Grandma and Grandpa.  

*Sunday the boys and I headed to my mom's to do some Christmas baking.  We met Amy there, and we worked hard and made a HUGE mess!  Kayden loved it. He brought his tractor apron form home and by the time we were done, he was covered in powdered sugar, flour, chocolate, etc. from head to toe!  

*Sunday night St. Nick made a stop at our house while the boys were sleeping.  This was the first time since Kayden was born (I think)---mostly, because I have always forgotten about it. I actually kinda forgot about it this time too, so after they were in bed, I ran to the basement and grabbed a few little things out of the Christmas stash.  Kayden loved that there was a surprise in his shoes this morning, Tyler was just excited that  there was fruit snacks there.  He didn't care where they came from, who put them there, or why the heck they were in his shoes, he just wanted them open, NOW!!! 

The busiest time of year

As I've mentioned before, November is crazy for us.  Mike spends A LOT of time hunting, and then, the holiday season begins. 
We celebrated Thanksgiving on Thursday at my mom's house with her family.  There were far less people this year than there usually is, but still, they managed to be just as loud as normal ;)
Thursday was also the day that Mike finally came home!  The boys were so excited to see him.  Kayden and Tyler were napping when he got there, so I had him go wake Kayden up right away, and they were able to have some time together before we woke Tyler up.  It's nice to have him home again. 
Friday morning, Holli, Tammy, Amy and I headed to St. Cloud.  I picked Amy up at about 4:30, and we were at Shopko by 5:00.  We didn't necessarily find any amazing deals, but we all managed to buy a lot.  I'd call it a successful trip, since I did get quite a bit of my Christmas shopping done. 
Saturday, the kids and I spent the day at home while Mike worked, and then we met Mike and my mom in St. Augusta to cut down our Christmas tree.  We've always had a fake tree, but this year I really wanted a real one.  So, we ventured out and cut one down.  (I'll add pictures later). 
Sunday we had Thanksgiving with both sides of Mike's family. 
Today, I am home with the boys, because our daycare is closed.  This afternoon, I need to take ALL of them to the clinic.  Tyler has his 18 month appointment, Tyson is getting his 2nd flu shot, and Kayden and Tyson are having their ears re-checked.  Should be interesting ;)

It's coming....

The holidays are quickly approaching. Tomorrow is my birthday, Sunday is Halloween, then deer hunting, then Thanksgiving, and then it's Christmas. I've been starting to think about what I'll get the boys for Christmas. This is a struggle for me in many ways.
1. I like to shop. I tend to go a little overboard when it comes to my kids at Christmas time.
2. We don't have the funds to support my love of shopping.
3. The boys don't NEED much. Especially Tyler and Tyson( although I do want a Sophie the Giraffe for him). We have plenty of toys for kids their age. Remember, I have a shopping addiction, so I bought all of those things when Kayden was their age.
4. I want my kids to remember what this season is really about. Not that it is all about getting presents and eating. I haven't done a very good job of this in the past--although Kayden was a little young to understand. This year though, that is my goal.
There has been discussion with my family of my parents, rather than getting everyone lots of presents, that they would take us all to a waterpark type place for a weekend. I am loving this idea. I'm starting to realize that my kids need experiences more than they need things. Hopefully this will be the route we go this year.
Another thing I've been struggling with this year is our Christmas card. In the past, I've just sent out the typical photocard. This year, I'm considering a letter. Do I have enough to write about? Do people want to read about what has happened in the past year with our family? Maybe I should just send the regular photocard, and sign it with our blog address =)
The other thing that becomes a struggle almost every year is scheduling time to be with each of our families. Now that some of us are married, others have boyfriends/girlfriends,work schedules, etc. it often becomes difficult to find a time that we are able to get together. My dad had to work on Christmas day last year, and he does again this year. It'll be interesting. It always works out though....