The Joys Jouney

The horrible flu bug has invaded my body

2011-08-25T10:11:00.000-07:00

I woke up feeling a little queasy yesterday. I really didn't think anything of it and went about my day. I got to work and the queasy feeling continued to get worse. I finally went home and proceeded to feel miserable not get much sleep all night. I enjoyed some one on one time with the porcelain thrown. Not fun! Feeling much better today though! Pushing fluids and eating crackers.

Hopefully I will be able to do a few posts that dont include vomit soon!

The Horrible Flu bug of 2011

2011-08-23T14:28:00.001-07:00

The boys and I do not get sick very often. Levi has his bouts of Croup but overall we are pretty healthy. A few months ago Ryan left town for a week on a work trip. The day after he left Levi woke up vomiting (all over my bed). Awesome! He was better in a day or so and then Luke started vomiting, luckily not on my bed. Everyone was better by the time he got back and it wasn't too terrible.

Last Sunday Luke started vomiting just in time for Ryan to leave town the next morning. I really thought it was just another 24 hour stomach bug. I was very wrong. He was sick for 3 days, however, the last day was not bad at all. Wednesday morning was looking good until we went to Hy-vee and Levi vomited on the floor within 2 minutes of walking in the store. Levi proceeded to be sick for 4 days. He was unable to keep any food, water, or gatorade down the whole time. On friday I decided to take him to urgent care because I was concerned about dehydration. My concern was warranted because he was very dehydrated. They attempted to start an IV to run fluids two times with no luck. We decided to go with Zofran and small sips of water. This worked great and he started doing better. Saturday and Sunday he felt pretty yucky but was able to keep fluids down. Monday he finally woke up feeling good and full of energy. Ryan felt terrible on Saturday evening and woke up Sunday vomiting. He slept the majority of yesterday and is feeling a little better today.

I am thankful that Liam and I have avoided getting the worst of the bug. The last thing I need is to be out of commission for a few days. I hope the flu bug leaves and doesn't return

California

2011-05-25T14:38:00.000-07:00

We took a little vacation to California the beginning of May. Ryan and I were both raised there and we have not been back in over 3 1/2 years. We had a family reunion on Ryan's side of the family and family visiting on my side. It was a lot of fun. The boys were able to meet family they had never met and we were able to catch up with friends.

I chose not to take our big nice camera on the trip because it was one more thing I would have to carry through the airport and I knew my mom had a camera once we got there. I took my little point and shoot though. I forgot my charger and on the first day there my battery died. I am waiting for my mom to send me pictures so I can post them.

The boys had no clue what mountains were and were actually afraid of them when we first got there. It made me so sad that they aren't familiar with a mountain. We took the boys hiking, through a cave, and visiting all around. I can't wait to do more hiking and exploring with them.

Dirty Faces

2011-04-14T11:18:00.000-07:00

This little boy (in orange)....

Always has a dirty face.

No matter what.

It's a good thing it's a cute dirty face

Beautiful Spring Saturday

2011-04-13T12:44:00.000-07:00

The weather has been amazing around here lately.

Saturday was a high of 95. We decided to head out for our first trip to the zoo of the year. It was a perfect day for the zoo.

Except it was a Saturday. Ticket prices are discounted due to "Africa" being closed. Therefore, there were a ton of people there. Overall we had a blast. The boys were so excited to see the animals and ride the Merry Go Round. We are looking forward to many more zoo trips and for Africa to re-open.

Now for some pictures of our day.

Here is Baby L hanging out in his stroller

All 3 L's at the start of the day

I miss blogging

2011-04-05T18:58:00.001-07:00

I miss sharing our daily lives with family and friends.

I miss journaling the crazy things my boys do and say.

I miss sharing recipes or asking for advice.

I am hoping to be able to start back for real. I know i've said it numerous times but now that we are on a good schedule with the boys and our lives are not "as crazy" I am hoping I can commit again.

The boys are constantly saying and doing the craziest things. I want to have a place to journal what they say and do so we can laugh about it at a later time.

So this is it. I'm going to be consistent!

Life is crazy

2010-12-01T16:32:00.001-08:00

Life with 3 boys under 3 and a part-time job is crazy. There is always something to be done around the house, a sippy cup to fill, a snack to make, diaper to change, or laundry to do. All this leaves very little time during the day to blog. I truly do miss it. I miss journaling about our daily lives and the fun things the boys are doing. I need to be better at setting aside 10 minutes a day to do this.

We are looking forward to Christmas baking, crafts, and Christmas itself, of course. The boys love looking at Christmas lights when we are out and about at night. I'm looking for large light displays that I can take the boys to. This year is so much fun because they are excited about all things Christmas. We are looking forward to putting up and decorating our tree. However, I am not looking forward to keeping them away from the tree. I'm sure they will do okay with it though.

I'm back...Again

2010-11-15T18:31:00.001-08:00

I have been a very inconsistent blogger. Life was crazy with school, 2 toddlers, moving and being pregnant. Then school was finally over and I could focus on blogging and fun activities. I was finally going to start back consistently and then our computer broke. I couldn't upload pictures and could rarely navigate through the internet without the computer freezing. I was so bummed.

Our computer is now fixed, I am no longer in school, and now I have 3 boys 3 and under. Life is crazy, but an adventure that I love.

From this day forward I will be back to blogging. I hope to share our daily life of chaos with 3 small boys.

To start here are the 3 crazy boys that fill my life...

Medium L, Baby L, and Big L

Today is the day..

2010-07-26T08:52:00.000-07:00

Today I will be making my own laundry detergent. After researching on many different websites and talking to others who make their own detergent I have decided it is worth a try. I found a very simple recipe that I plan to use.

Powdered Laundry Detergent

1 Fels-Naptha soap bar (I replaced the Fels-Naptha bar for Ivory soap because I could not find Fels-Naptha in our local stores and Ivory Soap is cheaper. The reviews I found said it is just as effective.)
1 Cup Washing Soda
½ Cup Borax

-Grate soap or break into pieces and process in a food processor until powdered. Mix all ingredients. For light load, use 1 Tablespoon. For heavy or heavily soiled load, use 2 Tablespoons. Yields: 3 Cups detergent. (Approx. 40 loads)

I have decided to start with powdered detergent because it is easier and faster to make. If all goes well with the powdered detergent I may try the liquid detergent just so I can do a comparison on the two.

I'm back!

2010-07-21T13:19:00.000-07:00

I took a break from my blog for a few months to decide if it was something that I wanted to continue. I would love to have it to document my boys' lives and how they are growing. All of our family is out of town so it is an easy way to share our lives with them and to share my thoughts on different topics. The last few weeks I have really been missing my blog and coming up with topics. As of today, I am officially back in the swing of things. I have a few posts that I would like to get done over the next week or so and am looking forward to being back.

The last few months have been hectic, crazy, and exhausting. The boys had their birthdays with 1 big party. They are now 2 and 3! I can't believe how big they are getting.

I am working part-time and enjoying the time away from the boys. I miss them like crazy but it is refreshing to get away a few hours a week.

I am 6 1/2 months pregnant and looking forward to holding our new little guy in October. It is HOT outside and I dread being outside!

The boys are active and all over the place as usual. We are planning a little trip to Colorado to see family in a few weeks and I am looking forward to time away with my family.

Well, that is all for today. I will be back soon though!

Spring days

2010-04-28T10:48:00.000-07:00

We have had beautiful spring days and the boys have enjoyed playing outside and enjoying the fresh air. I can't wait until we have more outdoor toys for them to play with.

Man this little guy is handsome
I'm not really sure what Levi is running from but it appears he may have been running from Luke.
They love to fill their buckets with rocks and then pour them on my front porch. I appreciate it so much too...

Visit to the farmstead

2010-04-26T08:23:00.000-07:00

A few weekends ago we went on an adventure to the Deanna Rose Childrens Farmstead in Overland Park. I found their website and it looked like fun so we loaded up the boys and left for the day. The farm had so much to do and the boys had a blast. There were horses, cows, goats, chickens, bunnies, ponies, prairie dogs, hay rides, baby goat feeding, and so much more. They only charge $2 a person to get in and then additional fees for goat feeding, hay rides, fishing ponds, and a few other activities. It was a fairly inexpensive but fun adventure.

Here is Luke feeding the baby goat a bottle. He thought it was so funny. He actually tried to drink the bottle himself a few times. Luckily I was able to stop him before it got to his mouth. Levi did a great job feeding the baby goat the bottle and loved doing it. He was bummed when the bottle was empty and it was time to move onto our next adventure.
The baby cows were so cute and the boys loved petting their backs and hearing them "moo"

Luke was "mooing" at the baby cows. There was also a chain of cowbells that you could hit and they would ring. The boys thought it was hillarious to make all the cowbells ring.
We had a great weekend and I look forward to visiting the farmstead many more times throughout the summer. There was so much we were unable to do because the boys were tired and getting fussy.

The last month has been crazy...

2010-04-22T13:51:00.000-07:00

The past month has been filled with overnight trips to Springfield once a week for class. The majority of these have included taking the boys with and staying in Branson which adds 2 hours to our trip. I have 2 more weeks of this until Graduation. On top of being gone 2 whole days a week I have had tons of homework, housework, and sick kids. Both boys got a wicked 36 hour virus that included high fevers and aching bodies. They wanted mommy and only mommy. Then we all got pink eye and a nasty cold. I am finally getting on the tail end of my cold, and regaining energy. I always seem to get a nasty cold when I am pregnant and can't take anything to help during the day.

I am really hoping to get back in the swing of blogging this week. We have had a few weekend adventures when Ryan had the day off that I would love to share. If I can get into a good routine this blog will not be neglected any longer.

A day at the zoo

2010-03-18T13:22:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago we had an absolutely beautiful weekend and we spent the whole weekend outside. We spent Saturday walking the outdoor shopping and the Plaza and then Sunday we took the boys to the zoo. We decided it would be worth it to buy season passes so we could take the boys whenever we wanted. I am so excited for our many adventures to the zoo.

I was very surprised that both boys fed the goats. Luke was a little unsure and would start backing up when the goat would start taking the food out of his hand. It was really cute.

I think we spent $2 on food because Levi continued to want to feed them more. It was a great experience. The boys and I climbed a tree house and waved down at daddy
There is a really fun playground at the zoo and the boys had a blast playing.

Overall, it was a great weekend and I look forward to many more trips to the zoo and fabulous weekends.

EXCITING NEWS!

2010-03-17T14:02:00.000-07:00

This little cutie is going to be a big brother in the fall!
Our new little joy will have two big brothers that will love him/her to pieces.

I have neglected my blog for far too long. I've missed posting and I have so many wonderful pictures of our adventures to post. Those will come over the next few days. The last few weeks I have been under the weather. I had a case of morning (all day) sickness. This wasn't your normal sickness. I ended up in the ER getting fluids for dehydration and they gave me some magic medicine to ease the sickness and I am finally getting my energy back.
I have announced the pregnancy on twitter and on facebook but decided I would also announce on my blog as well. This will be a great place for family and friends to keep up with all things baby and family.

Indoor Baseball

2010-03-04T07:47:00.000-08:00

We had a little indoor baseball game the other night. It was not a good idea but it was a lot of fun. Luke got hit in the face with the little ball but he didn't even cry. He is one tough cookie. They had a lot of fun chasing the ball around. We improvised and started using a large water jug as a tee and it worked great. Levi had really good aim. I can't wait until he can start playing t-ball.

The Bogart Award

2010-02-16T05:54:00.000-08:00

I want to say thank you to Nicole from Young Mama Blog for giving me this award. Sorry it took me so long to announce it. We are right in the middle of moving and I am taking classes so blogging has been put on the back burner until I get moved to the new house tomorrow.

"This award means you're really going places, Baby. You'll still be blogging about your great adventures 10 years from now, and I'll still be reading them."

Ok, so here are the rules for this award:
- link back to the blogger who sent me this award
- post where I would like to be in 10 years
- pass it on to 10 more bloggers

In ten years I would love to be the mom of 3 maybe 4 kids. Levi will be almost 13 and Luke almost 12. That is crazy and scary to think about. I hope to have completed my Masters Degree and working in my chosen career of either social work or counseling. We will own our home in a nice neighborhood closer to family. My husband will be in a career that he loves. I don't care what that is. We will still be totally and completely in love with each other and able to take mini vacations with and without the kids. I hope to have been back to Hawaii to see all my family there.

The award goes to...
1. Hilary at A Look Into Our Lives
2 Amanda at Belli's Place
3 Crayon Wrangler at Coloring Outside the Lines
4 Raechel at Finding My Feet
5 Kate at Kates Life
6 Jess at Keep it Together
7 Kristina at Kristinas Chitchat
8 Kami at My Beautiful Day
9 Pineapple Princess at The Love Shack
10 Melis at The Zookeepers Diary

I hope to be back in a few days to normal blogging and back to a schedule.

Ice Cream Clowns

2010-02-09T19:04:00.000-08:00

Baskin Robbins is one of my favorite ice cream places to go.

I love their mint chocolate chip.

Nothing compares.

Fortunately, or unfortunately, there is a Baskin Robbins close to our new house and while we were visiting over the weekend I stopped and got the boys and I a treat. I thought they would enjoy the ice cream cone clowns. And I was right.

Here is Levi trying to get the frosting off of Luke's cone. As you can tell by the look on Luke's face he is not okay with that.

Fort Building

2010-02-04T09:53:00.000-08:00

A few weekends ago Ryan and Levi destroyed my living room and built a fort. I was okay with the destruction since it was for a good cause. Levi thought it was really cool but didn't understand why he couldn't walk on top of the fort. They had a lot of fun crawling in the fort and hiding from me. I love watching them play together. It's really sweet.

Levi and daddy inside the fort. You can tell Levi is loving it.

After Levi destroyed the fort Ryan wrapped him up like a burrito.

Then Luke woke up and joined the fun.

Fossil hunting

2010-02-01T11:16:00.000-08:00

This weekend while we were in Kansas City I took the boys exploring. We went to a restaurant that had a fossil hunting section, build a dinosaur (build a bear set up), dinosaur structures, and caves to go through. I thought this was an interactive dinosaur museum type place but I was wrong. It was actually just a restaurant with a really cool atmosphere. I let the boys play in the caves and go fossil hunting. They had a lot of fun.

Levi kept climbing on the rocks in the caves and I snapped this pictures unintentionally and it was great. I love his expression.

I tried to get a good picture of the boys together but they were so busy looking and exploring I didn't get a good one of both of them looking at the camera.

Levi was brushing the sand away looking for fossils. He had a great time.

Luke is my little explorer. He wasn't afraid to get in and dig. He did end up with a mouthful of sand when he dropped his paci and then put it back in his mouth. GROSS!
Before we left the hotel Ryan told Levi the dinosaurs were going to eat him. He was joking but Levi didn't understand that and was afraid at first. Once he realized the dinosaurs were nice he kept saying he was going to bite them. It was a lot of fun. All in all we had a great weekend and I look forward to many more adventures with the boys.

Dear Levi

2010-01-29T14:26:00.000-08:00

Dear Levi,
I understand you enjoy sleeping with mommy and daddy at night. I enjoy cuddling up with you also. However, I do not enjoy the space your small body takes up in my bed when you lay diagonal and horizontal. You are not supposed to be parallel with the pillows with your cute little feet in my face. I also do not enjoy getting hit in the face with your sippy cup when you are done taking a drink of water. I know this is not intentional but if you could be a little careful I would appreciate it. Lastly, I also do not like getting the remote thrown at my face at 7 am so you can watch Mickey. I know Mickey is super and your favorite but a simple "Mickey Please" would be a much nicer way of asking. It would also probably make for a much happier mommy in the mornings. I love you bubby and I look forward to many more morning snuggles.
Love,
Momma

Pretty cool dudes....

2010-01-28T17:50:00.000-08:00

I have the joy of raising two pretty cool kids. I love my boys a lot and am thankful everyday that they are in my life. They have the ability to make my day brighter with one smile, "hi mama", or kiss. This is not to say that I do not have days that are trying or that I do not get frustrated with my super cool kids. I do and I hate it when I do. Overall, I am a momma who loves her boys more than anything and strives to be the best momma I can be.

Last week we enjoyed a nice dinner at our friends house and Levi dressed up as a soldier. He was walking through the house growling at everyone. (Apparently soldiers growl now) It was a lot of fun. He also dressed up as spider man but I could not find the picture.

(sorry this picture was taken with my phone)

Luke was cuddling with Daddy watching cartoons and he put his hat on and just relaxed. He apparently knows that he is super cool and just wanted everyone else to know. Look at those eyelashes. They are amazing!

Poor little fishy

2010-01-25T12:56:00.000-08:00

I was vacuuming the edges of the living room with the house last night and accidentally sucked up a fish from Levi's game. Levi kept looking in the hose saying "Oh no it's stucks". It was really cute.

Getting to know you...

2010-01-10T19:06:00.000-08:00

Just a little blog hop fun put on by Keely at Mannland 5

1. If you were stranded on a desert island and could pick one person to be stranded with you..Who would you pick? Family members not included.
I would probably take my best friend Beth with me. We always have so much together and it would be a lot of fun.

2. Do you read celebrity gossip?
I am definitely guilty of ready celebrity gossip from time to time. I do not read it daily but occasionally.

3. Favorite show you're watching this season?
Hmm that's a tough one. I would have to say One Tree Hill or Real Housewives of Orange County. Both awesome.

4. How tall are you?

5'3 maybe

5. What was the last book you read?
I have only read books for school in the last year. The last book for pleasure was Tori spellings book Stori telling.

6. Flats or heels?
I love to wear heels but I almost always choose flats. Chasing two boys around is hard in heels.

7. If you had to choose one natural disaster to go through, what would you choose..Earthquake, Tornado, or Hurricane?
Well, since i've lived in an area with Tornadoes the last 4 years I will tornadoes. We always have warnings that there are spotting and one is coming our way. We have time to hit the basement and take cover. Although, we have never actually had a tornado touch down in our area. Thank God!

8. Thong, panties, or (gasp) granny panties?
Almost always thongs. They are more comfy.

Day 4-The Shred and some cuteness

2010-01-09T20:15:00.000-08:00

Today is day 4 of the 30 Day Shred. I almost backed out and rested instead of working out. It took Levi FOREVER to go to sleep. He kept taking his pajamas off and running downstairs. When he finally went to sleep at 9:45 I decided not to back out. It felt so great to work out. I am doing consistently better at every workout. There are only a few techniques that I have to take a break on. I am consistently losing weight. I am tracking every few days. Overall, I am very happy with myself for being diligent with working and I am feeling better everyday.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The boys love to take the cushions off of our couch and Luke apparently thinks they are to be climbed. He is wearing his daddies hat while climbing the mountain.

Levi had a pacifier in his mouth when I walked in the room and quickly took it out of his mouth and put in his lap so I wouldn't see it. Notice the grin on his face. I love these little guys more than words can express. I am so happy my practicum is FINISHED so I can spend more time with them on Saturdays when my husband is home.

5 Question Friday

2010-01-09T14:56:00.000-08:00

I am a little late posting this since it's Saturday today but I want to give it a try. This is my first blog hop but I have enjoyed reading others in previous weeks.

1. What's your "comfort food"?
My favorite comfort food would be sweets. I love to munch on anything sweet, mainly chocolate. Well, I did until I started the Shred. Now it's a rice cake with peanut butter and raisins.

2. Do you send Thank You's (handwritten or email)?
I really try to send out handwritten Thank You's when the boys or I receive a gift but that does not always happen. Sometimes I forget.
3. If you had to be trapped in a TV show for a month, which show would you choose?
Hmm this is a hard question. One Tree Hill is one of my favorites and I love all the characters. It would be my first choice.

4. What is your favorite online recipe site?
I go to allrecipe.com or thepioneer women

5. If you had to choose: "Friends" or "Seinfeld"?
Friends for sure.

oh the soreness...

2010-01-07T20:44:00.000-08:00

Day 2 of the Shred was accompanied by soreness. I am happy to feel that the workouts are working but good golly am I sore. I did a pretty good job getting the workouts without having to take breaks. I did have to take a couple few second breaks but overall it went very well. The boys were awake when I did my exercise today and I will not be doing it with them awake again. They did good while I was up doing jumping jack, they jumped along with me, but when I was on the ground they wanted to climb on me. So tomorrow it will have to be done during nap or after they go to bed. I am so excited to be on this journey towards better health and having friends to encourage and sympathize with. My husband is considering doing the exercise too. He keeps saying he is but we'll see if he actually does it.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
On a whole other topic this face just melts my heart. He is the sweetest little guy and loves to snuggle. He is a mamas boy and I love it. He has the bluest eyes and the longest eyelashes. So full of energy but yet so full of love. Just thought you all needed to see it.

30 Day Shred

2010-01-07T06:05:00.001-08:00

After having the boys I have had a very hard time losing the baby weight. I have not actively exercised and I know that is why the weight is still there. I bought Jillian Micheal's 30 Day Shred a few months ago and it sat in my t.v. stand untouched. Some of my bloggy friends are doing a 30 Day shred challenge and I decided to join in. I was too late signing up to be apart of the actual challenge but I am working right along with them. I think blogging about the challenge and having others encourage me will help me stick to it. I would love to buy a treadmill to use on top of the shred video. I am also eating better to help get the maximum benefits from the workouts. Wish me luck as I continue on this journey.

Day 1: Last night was my first day doing the workout and it seriously kicked my butt. I was all gross after the workout and could barely move. This morning I woke up very sore and am unsure how I am going to complete Day 2 but I must. I can handle 20 minutes of torture since I know I am going to see results.

Monday Night Crazies

2010-01-06T17:01:00.000-08:00

The boys always have a crazy amount of energy on the bath nights and even more on the evenings that daddy is home to play with them. So Monday night was bath night and my husband was home to bathe them and play with them after wards. Luke has decided to be a stunt man and was diving into the bathtub and cracking us up. They loves taking baths but with their horrible skin we have to keep baths to a minimum to keep them from breaking out in rashes. So Monday night looked a little like this...
Jumping on the ottoman after his bath

Daddy teaching the boys how to pillow fight. As if they needed help learning how to hurt one another.

Making funny faces at the camera

I'm not really sure what he was doing but it was so funny and it made for a great picture.

My husband had sent Luke to "get" mommy and this is the picture I got of it.

They make me laugh

2010-01-03T07:18:00.000-08:00

Last night the boys were playing in their new tent and they were having so much fun. They were laughing and tickling each other and playing Peek a boo through the door. I was sitting on the couch watching them and taking pictures and it was heart warming to watch. They love each other so much and I love them so much. They are best friends and I enjoy watching them become better friends everyday.

Saturdays are normally pretty busy for me because I have my practicum and then get home and have to make dinner and clean up the house. I miss the boys so much on Saturdays because I am not used to be away from them. I love when I come home and they are in good moods like they were last night. Next weekend is my last practicum day. I will miss the experience and the wonderful ladies I was working with but I am so ready to have my Saturdays back with my boys.
2010 is going to be a great year for us. In May I will finally graduate with my BS in Human Services. I am so excited to have finally achieved this goal. All our family is going to be here for the graduation and a visit. It will be a great time. I am hoping to make it back to Cali to see some of our family, but not sure that is going to happen. We are not sure what else is in store for 2010 but I know that it will be a great year for our family. I hope you all have a great 2010 also!

Butthead

2010-01-01T08:36:00.000-08:00

This morning started at 7 am when the boys woke up in happy moods. Levi and I went to get donuts and Starbucks. My husband woke up in the worst mood ever. He broke his glasses and then the screw fell on the floor. You would have thought it was the end of the world. He has been a butthead all morning. He thinks he's being funny but he's not. Just a butthead!

Christmas

2009-12-30T13:16:00.001-08:00

This is the first year that we have stayed home for Christmas since moving to Missouri. My husbands parents are in Colorado and mine are in California. This year our best option was to spend Christmas Eve and Christmas at home and meet my in-laws in Omaha a few days later. It worked out great.

The boys were able to open a present Christmas Eve...

Luke opened a Glo-worm and Levi a Handy Manny phone set on Christmas Eve.

Then it was time to put them in their Christmas Jammies and put them to bed. They both slept with their new toys. The fun part for my husband and I was putting together their new easel,wrapping the remaining presents, and putting them all under the tree.

This is what they woke up to on Christmas Morning...
Their eyes lit up and they immediately ran to the easel and started coloring. The easel was from my Great-Grandma in California and was one of their favorite presents. Jammies were from my Grandma and super adorable.

Then it was time to start opening presents...

The rest of the day was spent relaxing and playing with all the new toys. I had to make a run for batteries because I forgot to get some before hand. Thank Goodness Walgreens was open all day. We left for Omaha on Saturday afternoon and had a mini Christmas with my in-laws. The boys received more presents and had a great time.

What a Great Daddy

2009-12-23T07:57:00.000-08:00

My boys are very lucky to have a daddy that enjoys spending time with them and making them laugh. He is always there to roll around on the ground and have a great time! He cuddles up and falls asleep with them, and always makes sure they get lots of hugs and kisses from him. I love him for being a great husband and a great daddy! We are lucky to have him around.

Oh My...

2009-12-18T08:25:00.000-08:00

This little guy is extremely clumsy. Yesterday Morning he was running across the room and fell and hit his little head on the corner of the wall. This is what his head looked like just minutes after it happened.

He only cried for a few moments and then was ready to get down and play. His head looks significantly better this morning. However, he has fallen about 3 times this morning and has random little red marks on his head. I am considering padding my whole house to prevent brain damage. Not really, but there are times I think it might be necessary.

Cookie decorating=BIG MESS

2009-12-15T06:53:00.000-08:00

This past weekend I invited some friends over so we could hang out and decorate cookies together. I thought this would be a great time to get together and for the kids to decorate cookies. I was right. We had so much fun.
As you can tell, Luke enjoyed eating the green frosting. I am pretty sure he wore more of the frosting than he actually ate. He kept saying "mmmm".

Levi was "counting" the sprinkles. Jacquie is a germ-aphobe and was freaked out about Levi licking the knives and spreading the germs. Levi did a great job frosting cookies and loved the sprinkles the most.
All in all we had a great night. After all the guests left Levi snuck a jar of sprinkles into the entry way while I was doing dishes and my floor was a sprinkled mess. It was a lot of work and a huge mess but totally worth it in the end.

Late night sword fights

2009-12-01T09:02:00.000-08:00

Living with two small boys and a husband who loves to wrestle and fight with the boys makes for a very rambunctious house at times. Last night was one of those times. Levi fell asleep on the couch at 6 pm and after letting him take a short nap I had to wake him up so he would go to bed on time. After dinner and jammies Levi found his sword and decided it was time to "fight" with daddy. Then Luke found the other sword and the fight was on. Levi tends to forget that Luke is smaller and that swords fights should not involve pushing. Luke was pushed to the ground a few times and hit once. He never cried. He just laughed and got right back up. He is a trooper. After the fights calmed down the boys got on the couch with us and I attempted to calm them down and we got a fun picture of the three of us (thanks Ry).
This is Levi getting ready Luke thought it was a good idea to attack the camera and came running towards me. You gotta love the smile though
The raising of swords signifies the beginning of another fight.
Daddy won this battle.

Today is the busiest shopping day of the year and....

2009-11-27T06:27:00.001-08:00

we are TOTALLY OUT of toilet paper! How did I allow this to happen. One would think I would have checked the closet and bathrooms to ensure we were well stocked on the essentials. I did NOT! So today on the busiest day of the year I have no choice but to go to Wal-Mart to buy toilet paper. Toilet paper of all things!
Pray for my safely...Just kidding!

Today I am thankful for...

2009-11-26T10:09:00.000-08:00

My husband and two wonderful boys!

My husband who is a wonderful daddy to our two boys and a wonderful husband to me! He supports me in my journey through school, works hard so I can stay home with the boys, and enjoys playing with the boys and caring for them.

I am thankful for my two boys who are the light of my life. They have added so much to our family and are truly a blessing to us. I love them greatly!

What are you Thankful for today?

Across the bridge

2009-11-25T08:07:00.000-08:00

This week has been beautiful and in an attempt to get the boys outside in the fresh air I took the boys to a bridge that goes over train tracks. In the mornings the trains pass under the tracks and it's a lot of fun. When we first arrived a train was passing under the tracks and we had to hurry up the stairs to watch. The boys run across the bridge numerous times, looked through the railing, and had a lot of fun. Shortly before we left another train came and the boys both stood at the railing saying "Choo Choo". It was a great experience. Now when we get in the car Levi says " Go Choo Choo". As usual I used this as a photo opportunity to hopefully get some good pictures for Christmas cards.I got a few of them separate but could not for the life of me a get a good picture of them together. It is nearly impossible to get them to sit still for a picture at their ages. Oh well.

I love how cute this hat is and how cute it looks on him. I do not love how much older it makes him look.

They were watching the train in the distance. I love when they interact with each other and get excited about new adventures.

Luke was running across the bridge to me. He was so excited to be outside and enjoying the day. We got a lot of energy out and took great naps after this.

After we had watched the trains pass under it was time for us to load back up in the truck and get some lunch. Levi was concentrating very hard while walking down the stairs.

This is my favorite picture of our afternoon. Luke was looking up at my husband and was so excited.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

In other news, I have been doing great with keeping up with the laundry and watching very little T.V. during the day. Although, there is laundry piled on my dining room table it is all washed and ready to be put away. There are not many baskets of clothes just waiting around to be worn. I feel like my house has stayed much much cleaner this past week which makes for a happy mom. I am still trying to de-clutter and organize but that could take awhile.

I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Setting new goals

2009-11-19T21:14:00.000-08:00

I have been a stay at home for a little over a year now. Although, I have the opportunity to stay home I also babysit two little boys. My days are full of diaper changes, more juice, snack please, more mickey, nap times, runny noses, picking up toys, and trying to keep 4 boys, 2 and under, in good moods and playing well. Cleaning the house and doing laundry is not always a top priority and many times the laundry gets neglected. I wish I had a good excuse as to why it does not get put away but I don't. I go weeks with just washing and drying. I have laundry baskets of clean clothes in the basement that need to be put away. It's embarrassing really. It frustrates my husband when he can't find a work shirt because everything is in baskets; It frustrates me when I can't find a shirt or pants for the boys and i'm in a hurry yet I've done nothing to fix the problem.

Tonight I have decided that I am going to set new goals for myself.

I DVR many shows and watch them the following day and I have decided that before I watch any of my shows I will make sure the clean laundry is put away, the dirty laundry is washing, the kitchen is tidy, and the house is always presentable. Will the house always be perfect? No way. Will there be days that I struggle and just want to relax? Yes. Will there be days that I fail at this new goal? Yes.

Another goal that I am making is menu planning and meal making. I enjoy cooking but I despise making a menu. I have found many blogs recently that have new recipes that are easy and delicious. I have made a list of meals that look appetizing to my husband or myself and plan to prepare a meal every night of the week. My husband deserves a hot meal after working (or taken to him on nights he works) and my boys deserve a healthy dinner after a long day of play. As with any new goal there are going to be nights that take out is a must because of a busy schedule but nights that I am home I plan to prepare a hot and healthy meal.

These are my new goals and I hope to stick to them as best as I possibly can. I want my husband to help encourage me to succeed with these goals. Maybe once I get a routine down with these goals i'll make more goals. I'm all about bettering myself for the sake of myself and my family.

Good night all!

Outdoor fun before the Rain

2009-11-17T07:04:00.000-08:00

Last week was absolutely beautiful with sunny sky and warm-ish fall days. We knew rain was in the forecast so we decided it was time to blow all the leaves into a pile and bag them up (or let the boys play in them). I knew our days of outdoor play were coming to an end so we played outside all day for 2 days. The boys had so much fun jumping in leaves...

Laying beside the leaves while covering eyes so I wouldn't take a picture. Too bad I still think it's cute.
Capturing cute pictures of Luke with Levi "hiding" in the background

Making funny faces and looking a little guilty of something I am unaware of

And sitting in a pile of leaves for a cute fall picture. He is my serious little guy.
The rain and cold weather has returned so we are back indoors trying to find fun activities. Today is a homework day for me so the boys are left to play and entertain themselves. Maybe Jump Mania is a possibility for tomorrow.

It has been way too long...

2009-11-16T07:53:00.000-08:00

The past few weeks have been very busy and I have not had a lot of time to sit and compose a new post.
~I finally finished my statistics class and am happy to announce that somehow I passed the class.
~I started a new class and I am loving it. Human Growth and Development is very interesting and keeps my attention.
~Levi and Luke are busy little boys and if they are upstairs for too long without me checking in on them they tend to do something they aren't supposed to.
~Laundry piles are growing daily and really needs to be washed and put away.
~I miss my family in Colorado and California.
~I love my husband and my boys!
~My practicum is going very well. I have completed 85 hours and am sad I am half way over. I have enjoyed learning about Drug and Alcohol addiction and seeing how recovery works. It is an area that I would love to work in after graduation and an area I never thought I would enjoy.
~I miss my boys so much on Saturday and Sundays when I am at practicum. I am not used to being away from them for such long hours.
~I am looking forward to a Thanksgiving feast with friends and their precious little baby girl.
~The spent two days last week jumping in the leaves and ruining the piles that daddy was making. He didn't mind though.

I am hoping to get back in the swing of blogging. It seems that many other moms have the time to blog daily while caring for small children. Surely, I can be better about it too. I would love to join Not Me Monday, Five Question Friday, and many other blog hops that I read.

Happy Monday all!

Halloween fun

2009-11-02T07:11:00.000-08:00

Halloween Morning I got up and completed my rainbow cake for Adelle's Birthday, got the boys dressed in their Halloween shirts, and of course took them out front for a few quick photos. I was running late for my practicum so I only got a few, but this was my favorite of Levi hugging Luke. They love each other so much. I am so thankful for my two sweet boys. I was excited to spend the weekend in Branson with my little family at our great friends house. They have 3 kids that are 6, 4, and 3.

Our weekend in Branson started off with trick or treating in their neighborhood. This was Levi and Luke's first time ever trick or treating so I of course was following them taking pictures. I am so happy Ry didn't have to work and he could enjoy the night with us. They had so much fun. As soon as Levi realized that he got candy when he went to doors he was all about it. Luke is very shy and everytime we went to a door he would hold his bucket and sit down. It was so cute.

Luke was a very sleepy lion and did a great job walking. He occasionally would get tired and just sit down while walking to the next house. He spent some time on daddy's shoulders, threw a fit in a drive way, and face planted once. Luckily his costume protected him and he didn't even cry. It was a great night and I look forward to many more nights taking the boys house to house.

The kids that are already at the door are my friends kids. They are much faster than Levi so my little puppy was alwas the last one to get to the door. He loved the attention the older people at the homes gave him. He kinda said "trick or treat" but definitely said "thank you" at every house. He had so much and I am so happy we were able to take them to a safe neighborhood and have a great night as a family with close friends.

And finally back home after a long walk through the neighborhoods. Levi was trying to eat every piece of candy in his bucket. I quickly dumped the candy into a bag and only left a few pieces in his bucket. It was already past bedtime and I did not want them up on a sugar high all weekend. I may be a little biased by I am pretty sure they are the cutest little Lion and Puppy i've ever seen. After this picture was taken we had 5 kids on a sugar high. We quickly sent them to the basement to run, jump, play, and get all their energy out. Overall, we had a great weekend of trick or treating, cake making (pictures soon), lots of playing, and a birthday party. The boys are a little cranky and exhausted today but it was worth it. I look forward to many more holidays to spend with my family and friends.

Crazy Days

2009-10-23T08:14:00.000-07:00

It is Friday again already and I am just now posting another blog. I am home with the boys during week, but it leaves me very little time to sit and blog. There is laundry to be done, dishes to be washed, floors to be vacuumed, diapers to be changed, and two little bellies that are always needing to be filled. Monday the little boy I babysit was sick so his mom kept him home and I had great plans of getting all the laundry put away and the house cleaned, but I decided to take the day and have fun with my boys. We ran a few errands in the morning and then off to Branson we went. My best friend lives in Branson and she has 3 kids that are older than my boys. Our kids play great together and it gives us the opportunity to chat and cook a great meal. Since I spent all day there I had to play catch up the rest of the week.

Luke was running around trying to keep up with the bigger kids.
The boys were jumping on the trampoline. This was Levi and Luke's first time on the trampoline and they loved it. I see one in their future...Christmas maybe

The 4 bigger kids were pretending this old tank was a bus. All my friends are so excited it's Friday. I can't say I feel the same way. Tomorrow I am at my practicum from 7:15-4:30 and then again on Sunday for 4 hours. I miss my boys terribly while I am there but love the experience I am getting and the ladies I am working with. It makes me thankful for the time I am home with my family and the wonderful husband I have. I look forward to the day that I have a career but saddened that it means there will be many hours I will not be with the boys. For now though, I will enjoy the time that I am with them and make it as fun as possible. Even if it means my living room is covered in bright colored blocks.

Family visits and ER visits

2009-10-16T12:29:00.000-07:00

This last weekend my In-laws came to visit with Jacob and Andrew. Levi was so excited to see Papa. We had a great visit and the boys were spoiled as usual. We took the boys to Jump Mania on Friday and they had a blast. Luke learned how to climb the ladder to get to the big slide. We had so much fun. Andrew and Jacob raced through the obstacle course and Andrew proved to be very fast. We spent a Saturday at Silver Dollar City and Levi does not like the rides very much. He is a big fan of the tea cups and Elephants but that's all. Then Sunday we were in Kansas City and had to say Goodbye. It was a short visit but we had a great time and will miss them.

Levi on Papa's shoulders at Silver Dollar City.
Luke and Levi
Jacob, Luke, Andrew, and Levi.
The 4 Joy boys
All the Joy boys
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Our weekend ended great and we were ready to start our normal week and get back into our normal routines. Levi woke up very early on Monday morning with a horrible cough and was having trouble breathing. I immediately knew that he had Croup and when the cold air did not help him Ryan took him to the ER. He had to have 2 breathing treatments and some medicine. The first breathing treatment did not have the long lasting effect that it needed to so they gave him another dose which meant we sat for another 3 hours. There was talk of admitting him but luckily breathing treatment #2 did the trick and 3 hours later we were able to go home. All is well now. Just a little cough and runny nose.

Levi getting his 2nd treatment

Levi and Luke watching cartoons while we waited to see if the treatments were going to work. Luke was getting very antsy.

Bath time fun

2009-10-08T12:57:00.001-07:00

The boys absolutely love taking baths. They love to splash each other, dump water on each other, and blow bubbles in the water. Unfortunately, Levi has very sensitive skin so he cannot take a bath everyday and when he does take baths they cannot be very long. It's a bummer for them. To help prevent Luke from having the same problem he only bathes with Levi does.

This is the fun they have when it's a bath night though...

Luke always splashes a lot and it gets in Levi's face and he does not like it at all

We have family coming to town for the weekend and I am very excited for their visit. We have not seen them since Easter so it'll be a lot of fun. Ryans little brothers are only 5 and they love to play with Levi and Luke. I will post pictures and blog about our visit when it's over.

Moped riding

2009-10-07T15:01:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago we purchased a little moped for my Ryan to ride to and from work and classes. It is a lot of fun to ride around on and the boys also enjoy it when daddy takes them for little rides down our road. If Levi goes into the garage and sees the moped he will get very excited and say "ride bike ride bike". It's really cute!

Here is Levi and Daddy. He insisted on wearing his helmet. He was laughing and screaming with joy.
Look at that big smile

Getting ready to take off
Daddy and Luke going for a ride.
Luke wasn't too sure about it at first but really enjoyed it.

Fall is my favorite

2009-09-28T11:16:00.000-07:00

There is something about fall that I absolutely love. I love the cool beautiful days, the pumpkin patches, hay rides, long sleeve shirts, sweaters, harvest festivals, and dressing the little ones in costumes.
This weekend we went to a harvest festival at Rutledge Farm. The boys were able to pet a cow, look at miniature horses, chickens, and pigs. They ran in the large open fields and went on a hay ride. We chose not to pick pumpkins quite yet since it's still September. I plan to take the boys to a huge pumpkin patch in the next few weeks.

Luke sitting on the stairs at home ready to leave for the farm.
Monkey as usual. Always finding something to climb.
This was on the hayride. They had so much fun. Levi kept pointing the fields saying "cow". They are sporting their new Halloween shirts.

And here they are running the large grass area. As usual Levi is chasing Luke with the intent of pushing him down. It's a game they play. Luke laughs, Levi laughs, and I take pictures

Brothers

2009-09-26T11:06:00.000-07:00

I am so happy my boys have each other to grow up with. They are best friends now and I can only pray they will always be best friends.

They love to cuddle on the couch in the evening and watch Mickey Mouse

They chase each other through the house and use kitchen utensils as swords

They dumb dirt over each others head and get extremely dirty while playing outside

They make each other laugh

Bedtime=Frustrating

2009-09-23T19:07:00.000-07:00

Tonight before bed the boys cuddled on the couch to watch their night time episode of Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. They sat this way for the whole episode. They were so cute!

And then they decided it was not bedtime. About 30 min after I put them in their beds Levi decided to go visit Luke...
They were laughing and playing...
Bouncing and pretending to be asleep...
Stealing Luke's pacifier and pretending to be asleep...
This last week Levi has decided I am kidding when I say it is bedtime. Tonight he continued to come out of his room for about an hour. I am not sure about last night because I was in class and did not have bedtime duty. The night before last it was about an hour until he finally fell asleep.

Any ideas on how to remedy this bedtime dilemma we are in?

Cuddle time

2009-09-16T13:17:00.000-07:00

I absolutely love the nights that the boys get a bath and then cuddle on the couch with me and watch Mickey Mouse before bed. Monday nights was one of those nights for me and the boys. After playing outside and getting extremely muddy the boys took a bath and then it was night for our nightly Mickey Mouse Clubhouse before bed. They both cuddled up with a sippy cup and we just relaxed. They layed next to each other on the couch, laughed, played, and just had a good time.

Luke enjoying his nightly cup of water before bed

Levi stole Luke's cup and finished it off
They were laughing at Mickey and Levi was trying to steal the other cup of water

Man they are cute! I love these boys!

Beautiful September Saturday

2009-09-12T12:31:00.000-07:00

Today was a perfect day for an outing to the park so I took the boys to our favorite farm/park. They looked at the animals, ran in the fields, and played in the water. It was a great day.

Levi and Luke playing in the water.
Levi driving the tractor
Luke fell down while running and decided to take a break and just sat in the field
Brother driving the tractor together
My boys and I

****************************************

This evening we are looking forward to a fire in our new fire pit with some friends

Talking two year old

2009-09-11T17:32:00.000-07:00

Levi's vocabulary is getting bigger everyday, and he is starting to talk in full sentences. With this comes pretty funny sayings.
Tonight he walked into the room and said "I want a paci." When I told him he was a big boy he looked at me and started barking. Not sure what the barking was going to do but it made me laugh.
The last few nights I have put him to bed and about 3o minutes later he came downstairs and said "I wake up!" I said no it's night night time lets go back to your bed. He said "No I sit. I watch Mickey."
He is also learning his animal sounds and when we ask him what animal says what he will make that noise. When we ask him what Mickey says he says "Toodles". If you have ever seen Mickey Mouse Clubhouse you'll understand.
I love that he is talking more and able to tell me what he wants or what's wrong. It is so much fun.

Luke is a ball of energy and wants to do everything Levi does. He is starting to move tubs to get to what he wants and has recently starting jumping from everything. He just wants to be like his big brother.
Luke can say dog, night night, mama, dada, hi, and bye. They are both growing up so much and I am loving this stage with them.

The past 4 years...

2009-08-28T13:57:00.000-07:00

This time of year 4 years ago Ryan and I were newlyweds considering moving 2000 miles from friends, family, and a familiar life to attend college at Evangel. We had close friends telling us it would be a great opportunity, youth pastors encouraging the move, and even family thinking it would be a great experience. I was dead set against moving. When Ryan first said he wanted to move to Missouri I looked at him and said "How am I supposed to have babies in Missouri?". He laughed and said the same way we would in California. Little did I know we would be packing suitcases to fly to MO day the after Thanksgiving to visit the school, check out the area, and look for a place to live. We had an enjoyable visit and like the school and area.
I was scared to death!
I did not want to admit that I liked it because I was afraid that it would encourage the move. At the time we figured we would work through the winter, spring, and summer and leave for MO in August. Boy was I wrong. 1 short month later we were loading our U-Haul and saying goodbye to family and friends. My best friend drove with me in my car and Ryan and his dad were the drivers of the U-Haul. I fought back tears all the way to Utah. We arrived to a small little duplex in what I percieved as a scary part of town 3 days later. Kristina stayed a week to help me unpack and adjust to the move. I called home every night and missed my friends a ton. We went home for Spring Break and then for the whole summer of 2006.
Fall of 2006 we announced we were adding to our family. The morning (ALL DAY) sickness was horrible and I had early morning classes. I had to find a doctor in the midst of not knowing anyone. Luckily the school nurse directed to me a doctor that she had previously worked with. Family came to celebrate Christmas that year in Mo. We had a great time. In March, we flew to Ca. for Spring Break and a Baby Shower. We were having a boy! We were so excited. 2 1/2 weeks early on June 22nd labor started. I was so scared. We didn't have any family here and we were having a baby. My wonderful girls from the youth group kept me company all night and through the next day until Levi entered the world. He was/is amazing!
Shortly after Levi was born we moved to a bigger/nicer/newer duplex and I got a full time job. I decided to change majors and join Degree Completion. When Levi was just 4 months old we announced we would be adding to our family again. Family had mixed feelings but we were so excited. We went to Ca. for Christmas and had a great time. Everyone doted on Levi and he was spoiled!
June came and we celebrated Levi's 1st birthday. I was 8 1/2 months pregnant and it was HOT! I couldn't believe my baby was 1 and I was going to be giving birth again soon. July came and 3 days after my due date we welcomed Luke into the world. It was an incredibly fast and easy delivery (thank you epidural). Levi was a big brother and I had a newborn again. Thanks to great friends and family the first week of having 2 babies went great.
I started school again (after a year break) in September and decided that doing daycare in our home was the best for our family. I am able to stay home with my boys and also make an income for our family. I've really enjoyed it.
Fall and winter came and went. We visited Ryans family in Colorado for Christmas. Santa visited us on Christmas Eve and delivered the boys a present and they were able to sit on his lap. It was a great Christmas with my 2 boys and family surrounding us.
As summer approached I started planning the party for Levi's 2nd Birthday and Luke's 1st. My dad and his g.f. joined us for the occasion and it was a great time celebrating the births of my boys. We enoyed the rest of summer with trips to the park, pool, zoo, Silver Dollar City, and Branson to visit friends.
This week school started again and I can see the light at the end of the (first) tunnel. This school year signifies my last school year working on my bachelors. May 7th is graduation day and I cannot believe that after 4 years and 2 babies I will walk the line. I start my practicum on Friday the 3rd and am so excited for the experience to work with women in addiction recovery. It is going to be an amazing experience.
It is incredible to look back on the past 4 years and see how far we have come. We went from newlyweds in a new state far from family and friends to parents in a state that is now our home. We have made a home for ourselves in Missouri and love it!

Sunday Fun with family and friends

2009-08-25T07:40:00.001-07:00

It is not often that our family has an afternoon to pack a picnic dinner and enjoy the afternoon in the park. Sunday we had that opportunity. I packed sandwiches, fruit kabobs, chips, and raspberry lemonade and we headed to Sequiota Park. We sat on a blanket and enjoyed our dinner with some friends. The weather was beautiful and the boys were in great moods. After our dinner was finished we let the boys play on the equipment and run around the grass.

Levi decided it was a great idea to chase Luke around and tackle him the moment he stood up. Luke also that was a good idea. He never fussed or cried about it. He would stand up, look behind him at Levi, and start laughing. I fear football is in their future...

And down Luke goes...

Levi spent a lot of the afternoon running around in huge grassy area.

Luke decided it was his turn to chase Levi. Levi is much fast.

Luke is taking off...

Our friends Zach and Amber joined us at the park with their little boy Finn. They are great friends and we are happy we were able to get together.
Levi loves baby Finn...

but does not love their dog Bonham...

Finn is adorable!

Take me out to the ballgame...

2009-08-22T15:35:00.001-07:00

We had a fun-filled Friday night. We took the boys to a Cardinals baseball game. Springfield Cardinals that is. We were able to sit in the grass area so the boys could run around without disrupting others. Levi loved cheering "woohoo" and both boys loved clapping and cheering when the crowd did. It was so nice being together as a family on Friday night. Most Fridays Ryan works. Anna joined us so we were a complete family.

Family Picture at the game.

Luke resting on Daddy's lap toward the end

Luke and Daddy

Levi running down the hill toward us.

Luke had so much fun running down the hill. He would get going so fast that the only way to stop was to fall down. It was really cute.

Levi and Daddy. Levi has a very mischievous look on his face. He gets that from his Daddy.

Anna was picking on Levi and she thought it was hillarious. Levi misses her so much.

He cuddled with Anna a lot during the game. He loves when she is around. His surrogate big sister.

Rainy Days

2009-08-20T19:10:00.001-07:00

We have a nice little sun room off our kitchen that the boys are able to play in on rainy days. They still get fresh air but they are not out in the rain. There is a doggy door off of the sun room that leads to the back yard. Levi was in the sunroom (or so I thought) while I was making lunch yesterday. When I went out to tell him his lunch was ready this is what I found...
It was absolutely pouring and he was just sitting there soaking up the rain. I don't think i've ever let him just play in the rain before so he was a little unsure and kept covering his eyes.

I love these boys...

2009-08-19T11:33:00.000-07:00

Luke relaxing on the couch before bed

Luke riding his dinosaur Kota

Levi thinks bowls should be used as chairs

Man he's cute

Big smiles

Practicum News

2009-08-17T13:05:00.000-07:00

I am in the last year of school working towards my Bachelors in Human Services. Along with a full load we are also required to complete 150 hours of practicum. We were given a list of agencies we could complete our hours in or we could find a location on our own.
On Friday, I interviewed with the administrative team at the Carol Jones Recovery Center for Women. After the interview I felt very confident with the interview and was very interested in what the center had to offer to their clients. It really seemed like it would be a good fit for me. I received and email this morning from the director saying they would love to have me as a practicum student if I was willing. I am so excited to start this new adventure in my school/professional career. I will be meeting with the coordinator this week to finalize all the details.
-------------------------------------------------------------
On the home front all is well. The boys are keeping me very busy, and getting bigger everyday. Luke is starting to talk a little here and there. His favorite word is "tada" from Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. It's so cute. Him and Levi are constantly pushing each other down and wrestling. They are all boy and it's so much fun.
Levi has resumed napping after a week hiatus. Thank God! I was going crazy with the napless days. His vocabulary is growing daily. I have seen a huge improvement since we have taken the pacifier away. He is such a ham and keeps us laughing all day.
Ryan and I start school next week and we are both looking forward to graduation day!
--------------------------------------------------------------
And now a few pictures for you enjoyment...

Why won't he nap??????

2009-08-06T13:02:00.000-07:00

Levi has always been a very good sleeper and napper. He never fussed when we put him down he would just roll over and go to sleep. Nap time was the time of I day I would refocus and plan out the rest of my day. The toys would get picked up and the kitchen cleaned from lunch. The last 4 days Levi has decided that he no longer wants to nap. Instead, he plays quietly (sometimes) in his room.
Where has my little napper gone? How will I get homework done if he doesn't nap? So many questions run through my mind but most of all it makes me sad knowing he is growing up more and more everyday!

Levi just a few weeks when he fell asleep while watching Handy Manny. He once fell asleep on his own...

Diaper snob no more...

2009-08-02T18:48:00.000-07:00

Target Brand Up

VS. Pampers Baby Dry

I have always been a firm supporter of Pampers Baby Dry diapers. I have tried other brands and they all leaked. When I had Luke I stuck with Pampers because I knew they worked. As I browsing through the baby section at Target Friday night I saw that Target had a new brand of diapers Up & Up. There was a diaper sticking out of a package and it felt as soft as Pampers. I looked up some reviews on my phone and after reading many good reviews I decided I would give them a try.

Here is what I discovered:
~Up & Up is just as soft as pampers
~After 3 days we have had no leaks
~They fit the boys very well
~The tabs are more sturdy than those on Pampers
~They are almost half the price of Pampers
~I love them!
~Very cute polka dot design too!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

After Bath Nakedness and Fun...

Day at the park

2009-08-01T08:18:00.001-07:00

Yesterday was a beautiful day and I decided it was the perfect day to take the boys to Rutledge Farm. I was excited when I pulled up and there were only a few cars in the lot. It is normally so busy it's hard to have fun because of the amount of kids. I took the boys to see the miniature horses, cows, and goats. Levi would not get too close but loved seeing them.

Levi and Luke playing with the water spout. They really wanted to get in the water.

Levi playing in the tunnel slide

Little Luke looking at the animals

Driving the tractor

Brothers driving the tractor together

Levi was not happy that I made him sit on the tractor. He had just woken up from his nap so there were no smiles.

I enjoy beautiful days that I can spend outside playing with the boys. They have so much fun running around and getting all their energy out.

Saying goodbye to the Pacifier...

2009-07-27T13:43:00.000-07:00

The pacifier has been our best friend over the last two years and I have contemplated the best time to send him away. A few months back we took him away cold turkey and then a few days later Levi got sick and all he wanted was his paci. I just could not handle it so I gave it back and did not think about how attached Levi would become over the next few months. Friday night Levi woke up many times during the night asking for his Paci and it was that I night that I decided we were saying goodbye to our friend Mr. Paci.

This time I decided we would take it slow and start by taking the paci away during the day while Levi was playing and slowly move toward naps and night time. Saturday and Sunday went fairly well. He only asked for his paci a few times and didn't completely lose it when we said no. On Sunday after a nap Levi threw a fit because Ryan took his paci away so Ryan had Levi throw one of them away hoping that would help him realize that they were going " bye bye". He did really well the rest of the day.

Sunday night rolled around and Levi had done great all afternoon without his paci and so I decided we would try bedtime without his paci. I put him to bed with his cup of water and when he asked for his Paci I told him that they went bye bye. He fussed for a little while but eventually fell asleep without it. Go figure he wakes up a few hours later with a horrible cough and a mild fever and all he wanted was his paci. I did NOT give in this time. I just cuddled with him and told him the pacis went bye bye. He did not sleep well sunday night but I am unsure if it was because he did not have his paci or because he was not feeling well. All I do know is I am so excited that I will not have to worry about leaving the house without a paci.

We have decided to continue letting Luke keep his paci at nap and bedtime for a little bit longer. Ryan works most nights and so I do the bedtime routine on my own and decided that I would lose my mind if I had to deal with 2 kids in the process of saying good bye to Mr. Paci at the same time.

Levi has remarkably well today without his paci and even took a nap with very little fussing at all. He is such a big boy and it saddens me that he is growing up so fast.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Here are a few pictures just because I think they are the most handsome boys around. I love them so much and cannot imagine my life without them. I am so thankful that I am able to stay home with them all day and care for them.

Beautiful July Days...

2009-07-22T11:20:00.000-07:00

This week has been absolutely beautiful. The humidity has been low and the days have been perfect. I bought a little inflatable pool for the boys to enjoy during the day. The majority of Monday was spent sitting outside watching the boys play in the water. They had so much fun!

Man he is handsome...

Levi apparently thought the pool floatie was necessary in the little pool also.

He is one cute little 2 year old

After I blew up the pool they decided to eat their breakfast in it in the middle of the living room.

Crazy painting fun and Coco Krispie Treats...

2009-07-17T14:44:00.000-07:00

It was a beautiful day today!
We spent the morning outside playing in the water and sand. The kids had a blast. They all got a long great and there was very little screaming...unusual with 4 kids 2 and under playing together. When the crying started and I could nap time was needed we all headed indoors.

While the kids napped I made these...

After nap Levi and Jolie painted.

I have designated one wall in my dining room to hang all of Luke and Levi's paintings up. Luke has not painted quite yet because he thinks paint is a snack. I can't wait until I can hang one of pictures on my wall.

It was a perfect Friday!
When Ryan gets home I think we might take the boys on a bike ride or to the park. We have to take advantage of this wonderful weather.

That's all for now!

It's been a crazy few weeks

2009-07-16T14:20:00.000-07:00

It has been a crazy few weeks for our family. Our friends, Daniel and Amber, were in town for the 4th of July weekend. They have a little boy who is 16 months old and we all had a great time. We took the 3 boys to Jump Mania Saturday morning and wore them out. The 3 boys got along great and wore each other out.

Aaron had a great time playing in the toddler play area. There was a fire truck slide that he had a blast going up and down.

Luke had a great time playing with the baby/toddler toys while Levi ran around and jumped in all the bounce houses.

Levi really enjoyed the bounce area for the toddlers and loved hugging the dog. They had so much fun. It was a great weekend with friends.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Zach and Amber arrived very late Sunday night to look for a house. They were here for 3 days and Levi LOVED playing with little Finn. He was such a good friend to Finn. He would sit on the couch and hold Finn for 15-20 min straight. If Finn started crying Levi would grab his pacifier and give it to him. It was very cute.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Following Zach and Amber's visit we had 2 days to rest and get ready for more company. On Friday, I drove to Kansas City to pick up my dad and Leslie from the airport. They were coming to meet Luke for the first time and to spend time with our family. They were lucky enough to be able to come the same weekend as Levi and Luke's birthday party. We had so much fun. We spent Saturday baking and decorating the boys' birthday cakes and shopping for the party. Then Saturday afternoon the party was on. We had a bounce house and had so much with the boys. We were all exhausted after the party and came home and napped.

Papa, Me, Levi, and Luke in the bounce house at their party. It was a lot of fun!

Luke is not sure what to do with the cake. He was so careful even when we tried to get him to smash it.

Levi enjoyed his Chocolate Handy Manny cake. He ate way way too much.

On Sunday, we relaxed in the morning and then headed to Branson to go to Silver Dollar City. We had a lot of fun taking the boys on the rides and touring the different shops. We had funnel cake and frozen lemonade. Both of which were wonderful. We came home and had delightful Tri-Tip tacos made by my dad.
Papa, Leslie, and Levi on the train ride. We all had fun on the train ride.

Papa and Levi were pretending to nap in Levi's race car bed. Papa and Leslie bought Levi new Handy Manny sheets and pillowcase for his birthday. He loves them.

Levi, Luke, and Me on the frog ride. I was happy that they allowed Luke on the small rides as long as I was with him. It made it much more fun for him.

Monday was a very relaxing day. Luke had his 1 year appointment in the morning. It went great and the doctor was very impressed with how he is growing and learning new things. After the dr. appt we went to Bass Pro shops and the boys had a great time looking at all the fish. We came home for the boys to nap and then dad made Fried Chicken. Yum Yum! I ate way too much.

Tuesday was a sad and tiring day. I had to take Dad and Leslie back to the airport. After driving about 8 hours (to KC and back) I had to go to class. I was very sad to say good bye because I do not know when the next visit will be. I will say that I will not allow it to be over a year and a half like last time!

All in all we have had a great few weeks. I have been so busy I have been unable to blog. Now that company is gone and life is returning to normal I will be able to blog much more.

Adventures for our week!

2009-06-22T09:02:00.000-07:00

This is a very exciting week for our family. Tomorrow Levi will be 2!!! I can't believe that he is already 2 and such a big boy. I miss him being a baby. I plan to make him a special breakfast and have a fun day with him.
On Thursday, Ryan and I will celebrate our 4 year anniversary. By celebrate I really mean drive 11 hours to Michigan for Jess and DJ's wedding. I am excited to get out of Springfield for a few days and have some family time. Maybe Anna will stay with the boys in the hotel so Ryan and I can go out to dinner and celebrate.
DJ and Jess will be married on Saturday and I am so happy that we are able to be apart of their special day. Ryan will be a groomsman and Levi is going to be the little ring bearer. It is going to be a beautiful wedding and I will post pictures of our weekend in Michigan.

Cranky Luke and Swimming

2009-06-19T06:07:00.000-07:00

Fussy? Cranky? Attached to Mommy?

Luke has been all these for the last week. I did not understand what was going on. He was not running a fever, he was fed, dry, and had napped. He would not stay in the nursery on Sunday. They had to come and get me because he would not calm down. I discovered Tuesday (I think) that he had two teeth coming in. No wonder the poor little guy has been fussy. His teeth have been hurting him. Then I discovered last night that he actually has 4 teeth coming in at ONCE! Poor little just can't get a break. Hopefully, after these teeth come in he will have a little relief before more come in.

As for the not staying in the nursery on Sunday. I think that may have to do with him being a Mommy's boy. He stays home with me all day and doesn't like to be away from me. Levi was used to being away from me at this age because I worked full-time. Having the opportunity to stay home with the boys is an AMAZING opportunity that I am so thankful for. I am hoping the play groups will get Luke used to being around more people and he will be a little more social.

Thursday Night Swimming!

Ryan and I took the boys swimming at a friends pool. We had a lot of fun. When summer started Levi was deathly afraid of the pool. I have no clue why but he was. We have gone swimming quite a bit since then and he is no longer afraid and has lots of fun. He is jumping to us from the side of the pool and he plays on the steps (with us right by him of course). Luke loves to sit in his little floaty and splash. He is so content when we are in the water. He is a little fish. I am thinking about signing of for a mommy and me swim class if I can find one on Tuesdays that has childcare for one of the boys each week.

That is all for now! Hope you all have a fabulous Friday!

Play Group Thursday

2009-06-17T18:50:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow is going to be an exciting day. Tomorrow I will be meeting up with other springfield moms for a play group. I am excited about this new adventure because I really do not like meeting new people, but I really want Levi and Luke to make new friends and I would love to make new mommy friends. So I am going to jump into this adventure whole heartedly and make the best of it. This is a play group that I am starting and putting all my effort into. My goal for this group is grow and for us to become a great group of friends who can rely on each other for support, advice, and of course girls nights out.

Before I had kids I would see "mommy groups" at the park and I always laughed and said I would never be apart of a group like that. I would hear them talking about their kids newest illness, their fear of SIDS, starting new foods, breastfeeding, and who knows what else. I never understood why they needed to get together and discuss these issues.

Now as a SAHM with two little boys I see the need to get together with other moms and discuss frustrations or get advice from moms who have had experience in an issue that I am heading into. For example, it will soon be time to potty train Levi and I have NO CLUE where to start and I am hoping that another experienced mom can give me advice so I can make it a successful experience.

I will post sometime tomorrow about my thoughts and ideas from the play group tomorrow. Pictures will also be added!

Silver Dollar City

2009-06-15T08:00:00.000-07:00

Luke and Levi were playing in the playground at silver dollar city and having a great time. They were riding in the lady bug together.

Luke was just hanging out in the lady bug. He's cool like that.

I took Levi for a ride in the Elephant. He was not too sure about it at first but once we got flying he had a great time.

We had a great family day at SDC on Sunday. It was the first time we have taken the boys and we have not been in almost 2 years. Thanks to my dad we have season passes so we will be able to go as often as we like. It was wicked hot but still loads of fun. We took the boys to see a Veggie Tales show and I am pretty sure they were the only kids in the building who had never seen veggie tales before. Luke was very entertained by the singing and dancing and Levi enjoyed laughing at the dancing veggies.

I love nothing more than great family days and our sunday at SDC was just that!

Friday Evening at the park!

2009-06-13T15:10:00.000-07:00

Luke was going up the slide and Levi went down...

Levi is going down the slide

My little walker is getting too big!

I am going to try this again...

2009-06-13T14:52:00.000-07:00

I started blogging many many months ago and gave up after only a few posts. I kept telling myself I did not have enough time to blog everyday, that no one would read it, and that it wasn't important. After following blogs that other moms write I decided that I am going to get back on track and blog about my life as a mom and the life of my family. I feel like this blog will be fun to look back on in a few years when the boys are getting older. I'm sure there will be many funny stories and pictures from my boys.

Saturdays are always fun days at our house. I always try to do one really fun activity with the boys since it is one of the few days that we are not stuck at home while I babysit. Today I was so excited that it was hot at 9 am. I got the boys in their swim diapers and swim shorts, packed towels, and juice (water) and we headed to a local park that has a kiddie pool (free). We got there to find out the pool did not open until 1. Ryan had to be at work until 2 so that was not going to work out for us.

I was bummed!

We decided to head home get the family dressed and head to the farmers market. We found yummy oatmeal raisin cookies made by the Amish and Levi got the opportunity to pet a little bunny. He was all smiles and kept saying "bunny". It was very cute. We then decided to take "Auntie" Ashley her birthday party invitation and "Uncle" Tyler was there with Sawyer. Levi thought Sawyer was funny but did not want to get too close. Luke was not fond of Sawyer either. We were able to see some of our good friends though!

It was a great morning!

Now it is time for me to change diapers and get the boys loaded into the truck and head to Anna's dance recital. This will be her last recital forever :(.

Stay tuned for more blogs. Some will be updates on our days, some will be questions that I ponder, and some will just be random thoughts.

Ryan Update

2008-11-22T17:08:00.000-08:00

Well, as many of you know Ryan has been in the hospital since friday morning. I took him to the ER at 1 in the morning and he was admitted at 6 for possible meningitis. They have him on antibiotics, pain meds, sleeping pills, and anti-nausea medicine. It has been a scary few days for me. I have tried my best to be strong for him but it's hard at times. I am doing pretty good though. The boys are doing great. We will be getting the test results back tomorrow and will know for sure what needs to be done. Please pray for him and our family. This is a very rough and stressful time!

Link to the website.

2008-11-07T11:28:00.001-08:00

http://www.generationsoflight.com/generationsoflight/html/index.html

You can go to their website and check it out!

Purity Balls..crazy!!!

2008-11-07T09:34:00.000-08:00

Ryan, Anna and I watched a show on TLC the other night called Purity Balls. It was a short documentary on a prom type ball that fathers take their daughters to so they can sign a purity covenant promising to remain pure until their wedding day. The daughters get all dressed up in fancy dresses, get their hair done, and make a huge show of it. The girls are forced by their parents to sign these covenants.
There was one girl on the show that was interviewed that got pregnant when she was 17 ( i think). She got pregnant the first time she had sex and she was disowned by her parents. She ended up having a miscarriage at the beginning of her pregnancy and her parents were not there to support her. She is now living with her boyfriend and is not accepted by her parents because she had sex the 1 time and got pregnant.
In theory this is not a horrible idea. A covenant can be a reminder to stay pure until marriage, however, a covenant that was signed out of force is not going to do anything. Disowning a child because they made a mistake and got pregnant is not going to make the pregnancy go away. We are supposed to love our children unconditionally. Pregnancy, especially in a teenager, is a very emotional time and calls for a lot of support. More than likely, they are already ashamed and disappointed that it happened. Why make them feel worse?
I have recently heard stories of girls who were afraid to have sex on their wedding night because they were always told that sex was a SIN. That is was BAD. These girls were mentally and physically unable to have sex because of their fears. This was a night that they had waited for for so long and they were unable to enjoy because of fear. I understand we need to teach that sex is a sin OUTSIDE of marriage and that we are too remain pure for our husbands, but simply teaching it is a SIN no matter what is not doing any good. As a church we need to make sure that young girls and boys know that even if they make that mistake they will still be loved and accepted in the church and hopefully in their families.
I could probably go on and on about this because I was so amazed by it but I will end now. The show will air again on November 12 & 13th on TLC. You should check it out.
I would love to hear everyone's thoughts on this!

I'm the worst blogger

2008-11-05T15:16:00.000-08:00

I really thought that I would be able to keep up with blogging but it has proven to be difficult. I have been very busy. Levi was the ring bearer in Justin and Rachel's wedding over the weekend. Zach and Amber were here for 6 days for the wedding..which I was so happy to see them.
All in all I am just not good at blogging. I will try my best to keep on top of it, but can't guarantee anything!

Wow...What a weekend!

2008-10-20T10:26:00.000-07:00

Overall we had a great weekend. We had a birthday party Saturday morning and got the carpets cleaned as well. On the downside Friday night Anna, Levi, Luke and I went to Coldstone and Levi fell off a chair and landed on his head. He now has a little cut on his head and a bump. He screamed so hard that he almost passed out. It was quite the scene. I felt so bad for him that I took him to Toys R Us and bought him Backyardigan sippy cups. Ridiculous I know. I hate it when he gets hurt like that though. It breaks my heart. Then Sunday morning Levi fell down the stairs and now has a little bump on the other side of his head. Ryan had to leave for church early because he was playing bass and I was trying to finish getting ready and Levi stood up under the table and hit his cut and it started bleeding like crazy! I felt so bad for him. His poor little head is all bruised up. The rest of sunday was accident free which was nice!

Behind the couch...

2008-10-17T12:31:00.000-07:00

We are getting our carpets cleaned so I just pulled the couch out to make sure it was cleaned (levi throws stuff behind there) and I found 8 pacifiers. I have been wondering for some time now where all the pacifiers disappear to. Now I know! I wonder how many I will find behind the chair. I have boiled them all so they are clean and ready to use.

So happy it's friday

2008-10-17T07:53:00.000-07:00

This morning started out well. Levi woke up in a good mood. Luke only woke up once during the night. I thought it was going to be a great day. The kids I babysit showed up and within 2 minutes someone was crying. Levi and Lilly aren't sharing well at all. They keep taking toys from each other and crying. All I can say is I'm SOOO Happy it's friday, and I can't wait until nap time!
I am planning on taking Levi to the park or the pumpkin farm this afternoon. I don't like being stuck in the house all day and all afternoon, and neither does Levi. It should be a good time!

Ryan made me

2008-10-16T08:37:00.000-07:00

So I really never thought I would have a blog because I really don't have time for a blog. Ryan has been bugging me for months to get one and post pictures of the boys and the funny things that Levi does. So here it is! I hope you all enjoy!
At the moment Levi is pulling everything out of one of the drawers in the kitchen. Luke is asleep and Levi keeps going in the living room and trying to get into the swing with him. He loves his brother!