West Texas Christmas

Saturday morning, as the boys were eating their breakfast, we got the car loaded up for our trip to Abilene. We pile in the car, then as we were backing out of the driveway, my car stalled. David started it back up and we hit the drive-thru for our own breakfast. And the car stalled again. Three times. So, we decided to go to the Kwik Kar place where I've typically gone for oil changes/inspections/maintenance. It wound up taking longer than anticipated, so they gave us a rental car, David switched all our stuff to it, then drove home and switched everything again to his own car. We then decided to give the boys an early lunch, then head out.

The drive down was fairly uneventful. Well, nothing is uneventful when you have two toddlers and a dog! We got to Abilene in early afternoon and were pretty busy visiting with the family the rest of the day! David's brother Jeff and his wife arrived from their drive from Michigan later that evening. Unfortunately, the boys were already in bed, so they'd have to wait until morning.

Justin woke up around four in the morning coughing. Now, they both had a bit of a cough and we had bought some cough syrup recommended by our pediatrician. We also did not bring it with us. Whoops! Anywho, both boys were awake and screaming by four-thirty. So the four of us plus David's parents were up. Luckily, they didn't wake up Jeff & Sam, so that was good! Needless to say, we were dragging pretty much the whole day. We all were able to take naps later, so that helped a lot!

When it was around dinnertime, more relatives came back over, and we had a grand meal! David and I are becoming quite adept at eating in shifts, although there were certainly enough people who were more than happy to keep an eye on them! After dinner, it was present time! Their big gifts were scooter/tricycles, which they loved! They start out as a scooter, then pedals fold down so they can pedal when they're a bit older. Justin wanted the pedals down, but he didn't quite know what to do with them. They also got some other fun toys, too!

Monday, after we fed the boys lunch, it was time to head back. While the boys fell asleep in the car almost immediately, they woke up a little over an hour after that. And were not at all happy. So, I wound up sitting in the backseat between them, giving them a snack and juice. They calmed down for awhile, but were both pretty unhappy by the time we got home. I know we were ALL ready to be out of the car! It was a good trip, albeit a little hectic, but such is the case with traveling with toddlers!

Next up: Christmas: Act 2!

I got a fever...

Well, Justin does anyway. He woke up with a 102 degree fever on Monday, the day when I had a 7:30 a.m. ARD at one of my campuses. I also had an 8:00 ARD as well, both with an interpreter. It's really difficult to schedule with an interpreter, so I really couldn't reschedule. David took Jack to school, then got Justin a doctor appointment later that morning. Mom met him there and he went home with her for the day. Turns out that it's an ear infection with a bit of a cold. We got a prescription for antibiotics to help.

Yesterday, he still had a fever, so he was back at my parents' house. He was acting okay, but still not feeling a hundred percent. This morning, he didn't feel warm, so off they both went to school. Then we got a phone call around ten-thirty. I was in the middle of an ARD and unable to get the phone, so David picked him up from school. I had another ARD at my other campus in the afternoon, then made my way home.

He was feeling warm again before bed, so he got another dose of Tylenol. He was acting kind of cranky, too, but that's pretty typical of both of them in the late afternoon/early evening. We have arrangements with Mom for tomorrow. Friday is their class Christmas party, lets hope he's better by then! Plus going to Abilene this weekend and Christmas next week!

Eighteen Months!

Last Sunday marked the boys' eighteen month birthday! Saturday, we went to celebrate a friend's third birthday at a place called Pump it Up. The boys didn't do the obstacle course, bu they did like the bounce house! The other kids were showing them how to jump. They're not quite there yet, but they did enjoy bouncing around a little bit!

Tuesday was their 18 month checkup. Justin is 23.4 pounds and 32 inches tall, and Jack is 24.8 pounds and 33 inches tall. They can both run around, are learning new words everyday and they love to sing "Row Row" with anyone who'll sing it with them! This is such an active but very fun age!

Careening toward Christmas

Last weekend, we got the Christmas stuff set up. (Well, David did, while the boys and I were at Costco.) Christmas is sure coming quickly! The boys were very interested in the Christmas tree. They didn't know what to think of it! They really enjoyed touching the lights and the branches, though.

David got the stockings all set up and the nativity set as well. The boys love to play with the nativity set! If you push the button on the top (where the angel goes), it plays music. They love to push that button over and over and over!

The first Sunday in December, the boys and I did the Advent workshop up at church, which was a lot of fun. They had all sorts of craft projects, such as a fingertip candy cane and making ornaments. The boys were a little young for most of it, but they had fun watching the action! Last week, we had the obligatory pictures with Santa. They weren't real sure about him as we walked up, but they did fine with sitting in his lap for the picture! They were, however, fascinated with the brightly wrapped presents and the Christmas tree that he was sitting next to! It's going to be a lot of fun watching the boys react to Christmas this year! And it'll be here before we know it!

Black Friday Shopping!

While I'm not one of those people who shops in the wee hours of the morning on Black Friday, I do like scoring a good deal. I had noticed that shoes were buy one get one half off, and I found shoes online that would be perfect for the boys' Christmas outfits. (Plus the website said the store had two pairs.) So away the boys and I went. Unfortunately, the store in Frisco only had one pair, which I didn't find out until we were there. They called the Plano store and they had another pair and promised to honor the discount if I had my receipt. We went a couple doors down and tried Old Navy, but the line to check out was ridiculous, so we turned around and left.

Once we were at the Plano store, they had the shoes waiting for me at the front. We went a couple doors down afterward to the Old Navy in that shopping center. The line to check out wasn't bad, and I found a couple of cute skirts for less than five dollars apiece! There was a Trader Joe's a few more doors down, but it was getting close to the boys' lunchtime, so we headed home instead.

After their nap and snack, we headed to Mardel. I noticed that some Veggie Tales DVDs were on sale for really cheap and we got a double feature! I also picked up a Christmas cd and devotional. It was definitively a successful shopping day! On Saturday, I went to a craft bazaar and picked up some great Christmas gifts. Hooray for good deals!

Thanksgiving 2012

Yesterday was Thanksgiving! We spent the morning watching the Macy's parade. The boys really enjoyed the balloons! They also liked seeing Santa at the end. Like we have years past (when we're in town, that is), we celebrated with my dad's side of the family. David and I prepared some pumpkin dip the day before, we got the boys dressed in their turkey shirts and got on our way. We arrived shortly before Mass started at noon, and we wound up taking the boys to the garage to eat and then outside to play. There were a couple of other small children out there, too. They loved the food! Well, Jack loved everything, Justin was more picky, but had a bunch of corn.

Overall, the boys did very well. Mom bought them little animal flashlights that made noise, they loved those! Aside from refusing to nap (I'm not sure I could nap with 80 people running around, either), they were happy and enjoyed playing outside as well as being seen by everyone! They even got to try some yummy desserts! At one point, I sat down with some pie and all of the sudden, I had two little boys in front of me, making eyes at my pie. I knew that they had some cheesecake with my cousins, but I gave them a couple of bites of mine, too.

After our evening meal, we got the boys in their pajamas, packed up our stuff and headed home. It had been a long day, but it was great! We got home, got the boys in bed, and they were asleep within two minutes! Here's a few pictures of the boys in their turkey shirts!

October!

It's hard to believe that it's October! Last weekend, the boys, David and I went to the PAMOM fall party out at the Big Orange Pumpkin Farm in Celina. It was a rather chilly day, but we still had a great time. We looked at pumpkins, fed and petted some baby goats, saw other animals and even went on a little train ride! The train was a series of barrel-type things on their side and hooked together. There was a plank inside that we sat on. It was really meant for kids, but I didn't want the boys going by themselves at their age. So I went, too. We had David's jacket that we put underneath the boys so they'd have padding underneath. Here are some pictures of the festivities! This weekend we have David's parents coming in, a double date with my best friend and her husband, plus the Fall Festival at the boys' school!

Arrrgh!

Friday was one of those days. Well, let me rephrase that. Friday afternoon was frustrating. The morning was great, I got a lot of things on my to-do list crossed off. Then I got a phone call from the boys' school. Someone in their class had been diagnosed with hand foot and mouth disease (which I knew), and now both our boys were showing the symptoms. Since it was almost the end of the day for me, I decided to go get the boys myself.

Unfortunately, I got stuck in the after school pick-up crowd, so I was unable to get out of the school parking lot for about twenty-five minutes. Luckily, my mom was able to go get them. While I was still stuck in traffic, I managed to get ahold of the pediatrician's office and get their last appointment of the day.

I finally get out of the parking lot, then was turning onto the access road of I -35 to go to my parents' house, where we would wait until their appointment time. Then I saw that traffic was backed up on 35. I just couldn't catch a break! Once we were at the doctor, they confirmed that it was hand foot and mouth. I got home with the boys, then got their dinner ready. They didn't feel good and were very cranky. Both of them managed to knock their plates off their highchairs, food side down, of course! Luckily Roxie was happy to clean the floor under them!

I'm happy to report that two days later, they seem to be feeling much better. Their blisters are more prevalent, but they're past the contagious part and they're acting much happier! Yay!

Weekend fun!

Back to School

I started back to work on the 9th. Naturally, Justin woke up that day with the same croup that Jack had, so David and the boys wound up meeting my mom at the pediatrician's office, and they spent the day with her. Friday they were good to go to daycare, so I dropped them off and headed to work. That morning was rather difficult, but the afternoon was better. We then worked it out that David would do drop-off in he morning and I would do pick up. That arrangement works really well!

I have a new campus (to me) and one of my old ones. So far, I'm enjoying both of them. It is really nice to see familiar faces and they all ask about the boys, want to see pictures and act like they're glad to have me back. Things have been good at my new campus as well. While it is a bit difficult to take over someone else's campus, being unfamiliar with things, the staff there has been great. I really think this is going to be a good year.

I wondered if it would be hard to not be with the boys all the time. I do miss them, but I'm able to see them on the camera at daycare and they are doing great. I am so lucky that my district let me take a year off to be with the boys. I really enjoyed that year with them, I'm so glad I was able to do that. Now I get to return to my job, and I'm really enjoying that, too. I get to enjoy the best of both worlds, how awesome is that?

Now my days are a whirlwind of getting everything in order for the start if the school year. It's going to be a wild ride!

Big Changes

This week started a new phase in our lives. The boys were supposed to start at their school on Monday. We had everything all ready for them, then Jack woke up with a fever and congestion. We called in sick to the daycare and got an appointment with the pediatrician. Diagnosis was croup, and we were given a prescription, as well as a note to take to daycare. So Tuesday wound up being their first day.

I was excited about them going and I absolutely LOVE their school. They'd been in the church nursery frequently and stayed with a few family members, so they were used to being dropped off. Nonetheless, they did cry some when I dropped them off. Now I did cry when I was still at home, but did okay once we were in the car on our way.

After taking them to their room, I was taking care of a few odds and ends at the front desk. Their teacher called up to the front to report on how well they were doing. I thought that was great! I had a meeting with my supervisor up in Denton. It was good to get caught up and plus, show people the boys' photo book!

Once I got home, I was able to log on to the site and see the boys on camera. They were very excited when I came to get them yesterday afternoon! They were definitely worn out from the day, though! Today's drop-off was very smooth, the boys didn't fuss at all! I stayed close to home, had fun checking in on the boys from time to time. Tomorrow is the big day, however. It'll be my first day back to work since April 2011. Overall, I'm very excited about the year. It's definitely going to be a change!

Crazy Days of Summer!

The boys and I have had an action packed week! Since they start school and I start work next week, we're trying to make the most of our time! Here are some of the highlights!

Playing at McDonald's!

Movie Time with Grandpa Jack!

Splash Park Fun!

Cooling off at the Mall!

Fire Station Tour!

Date night!

David and I decided that we should have a monthly date night. Last month, we did dinner and dancing. I was in charge of date night this month, and I had a LOT of fun researching ideas: playing mini-golf, cooking classes, going to a rodeo, etc. I decided on the activity and made reservations for the Saturday before our anniversary.

David's parents came into town for the weekend, so we had a couple of built-in babysitters. Of course, a few minutes before we were supposed to leave, the skies opened up and it was pouring! We grabbed an extra umbrella and headed on our way. By the time we got there, the rain had subsided. We were headed to a performance of a melodrama at the Pocket Sandwich Theatre. I'd heard fun things about this place and thought it'd be a fun anniversary date!

We were seated, ordered our food and turned our attention to the playbill. We were going to be watching a show called "Sinbad the Sailor." This show was going to be a spoof of Saturday morning cartoons, with music, a hero, a villain and of course, a damsel in distress. The big thing at this theatre, is that we were encouraged to throw popcorn: at the actors, at the staff, at anyone who looked like they needed popcorn thrown at them. Let me tell you, giving people popcorn to throw turned everyone into six year-olds! And it was awesome!

Before the show started, a cast member came onstage and led the audience in a couple of songs. Then, he gave us instructions: say 'hooray' and cheer at something heroic, say 'awwww' at something sad/tender, and and boo/hiss at evil actions. We all had a blast! Between acts, people bought more popcorn, as the staff swept the stage. Sometimes one of the waitstaff would dump a big bowl of popcorn on a table. One of my favorite parts was where the villain was making a big speech, and the table to the right of the stage was bombarding him with popcorn! I was amazed that he never once broke character! The show was an absolute hoot, and I'm so glad that we went! We will definitely be doing that more in the future!

Seven year anniversary!

Today marks our seventh anniversary! At this time, seven years ago, we were just arriving at the church. My parents had borrowed my grandparents' van in order to fit all of our stuff (including my big poufy dress and petticoat)! My bridesmaids pulled up alongside us in the parking lot, and we were talking to each other via cell phone. My dad spotted David and his best man pulling into the parking lot, so I had to duck down and sneak in at the front of the church.

Once we were all in, we got dressed and were ready to walk down the aisle. I remember once the doors opened and everyone turned to look at us, what a cool feeling that was. I also remember thinking how awesome the organ sounded! I had a huge smile on my face pretty much the entire day. I enjoyed our wedding day so much. I loved seeing all the people who came together to celebrate with us.

Seven years later, we have a house, a dog, different jobs, and of course, our boys. While the wedding truly was a wonderful day, it's the marriage part that has been the really great part! Hooray for seven years!