4fayz

Liam's New Bed Video

2012-02-05T21:57:00.000-08:00

January Update

2012-01-18T09:06:00.000-08:00

Been working on pictures lately, and I am almost caught up! Just a few days left from December. Here is a cute one of me and kids from the other night.

And another cute one of just them:

Not a whole lot else going on. Liam is back in school, and enjoying it. He is loving his new bed! (Pictures to come). We enrolled Rowan in pre-school for next year. I thought that maybe we could skip the first year for her, but if Liam doesn't go there for kindergarten, than next year would be the only year they attended the school together, so we decided to go ahead and let her go too. She will love it, I'm sure! And Liam will love seeing her there too.

The kids had their dentist apt. on Monday, and they did great! Liam cried a little when they did the rest of his x-rays (a couple they were not able to get last time). But he let them clean his teeth, and Rowan did not really like the angle of the dentist chair, so we let her lay in my lap again. Last time she cried the whole time, but she didn't cry this time! I was so proud of both of them.

I forgot my camera, so these are phone pics.

Kid's Pictures Part I

2012-01-08T19:50:00.001-08:00

So last Christmas (2010), Liam's school had a fund raiser for a couple of girls that have cancer. We ended up having the winning bid on a photo shoot, that someone donated for the silent auction. I casually tried setting up a shoot in the summer time, but nothing materialized, and time flew by, and I kept putting it off. The woman contacted me in the Fall, and asked if we'd like to do it before winter hits...well, to make a long story short we finally were able to set it up on a super beautiful day, Halloween. Unfortunately, Mike was not able to be there because he thought he was going to be leaving on a business trip that week, and needed to be at work when we set up the time. But, we really wanted to get some pictures done before the cold...The kids were being completely uncooperative this day, and I am truly amazed that she was able to get as many as she did : ) Since she was only able to get about 1/2 the amount of pictures she normally does, and Mike was not able to make it, she kindly offered to take a family picture in the Spring time. So, below are a few, and the link below shows the rest. Hopefully, we can get the kids to sit still for a nice family picture in the Spring because we have not had one in a LONG time!

REST OF PICTURES HERE

Here is a link to the photographer's blog

Kids Birthday Party

2011-12-01T17:21:00.000-08:00

So, last month on November 19th, Liam and Rowan had their 4 and 2 year old birthday party. We found a company online that offered to set up a HUGE bounce house in a rented room at Noah's. We invited all the cousins/family and some friends, and the kids jumped and slid down the slide to their hearts content. We had some sandwiches and sides for lunch, and then they got to open their presents, followed by cake and ice-cream. I think everyone had a great time!! We did get a video of the cake (I think), but no pictures, except this one I got w/ my phone after I picked it up, oh well!)

SEE REST OF PICTURES HERE

OCTOBER Pictures

2011-11-28T12:50:00.001-08:00

So thankfully over the long holiday I was able to work on pictures, and below are a few of my favorites...The first two where taken early October at the farm at Thanksgiving Point. I love the picture of Liam, and how proud he looks on the horse. It was his first time riding on the pony while he held on all by himself!! I walked with him, just in case, but didn't hold on. And the picture of Rowan riding was great too! This was her first time riding the pony and she LOVED it!!

The kids were really into Halloween this year. Liam decided he wanted to be a skeleton. Liam was pretty interested in the scary part of Halloween too. This house is near Grandma's house, and he wanted to go see it all the time! We loved how he said 'Wampire' too. He's pretty interested in Zombies too. And he says he wants to be Frankenstein next year, but I'm sure that will change a few times before next Halloween comes round.

This was Rowan's first year Trick-Or-Treating, and she had a blast! She still says 'Trick-or-Treat' when she hears a doorbell.

After I took the kids around to several houses, Dad took Liam out to several more while Rowan and I stayed home to hand out the candy. I started playing 'Nightmare Before Christmas' and she just smiled and sat really still while I got a bunch of cute pictures of her. She is still obsessed with Jack and Sally a month later, so we are trying to get her onto other things, like princesses and Sesame street : )

Happy Halloween 2011

(There are lots more pictures on our Smugmug page...still working on Birthday party pics though)

Update

2011-11-22T19:10:00.000-08:00

So realized I haven't blogged in a while. Thanksgiving is coming soon, and I plan to sit down for a few hours, and work on our pictures...we have Halloween and the kids Birthday party to post! So in other news, my company was acquired. They sent everyone in the company a generous gift card for Thanksgiving, was pretty happy about that. Anyway, I'm writing this on my phone,so check back for new pics. soon.

School Pictures

2011-10-27T21:03:00.001-07:00

We got our school pictures today!! So, my first impression was....oh, he's doing the 'I know they want me to smile, so I'm going to give my silly squint smile'. I thought, well maybe we can do the retakes on Tuesday, but really who's to say he will give a better smile...I think they did a great job touching up is boo-boo above his lip though. You can sorta see it in the class photo. So even though it is a little of a goofy smile, we still think he's cute...just wished he smiled a little in the class photo :) Oh well!

Halloween Program

2011-10-26T10:39:00.000-07:00

So Liam's Halloween Program was yesterday...and ALL the kids were soooo cute showing off their costumes, and singing. We left his mask home since we didn't want to scare anyone, and also so we could see his cute face...but I did give him his skeleton hat at the last minute, and he ended up covering up his face anyway...silly boy. He gets so shy at first, and it takes him a little while to warm up to new situations...so most of the time his face was either covered, or he had his hands in his mouth. Oh well, we enjoyed being there and seeing all the kids from his class. He seems to really have a good group of kids this year. I don't know if the 2-3 yr age group are just more rough on each other, or he had an unusually rough group last year, but he hasn't complained once that anyone has hurt him this year. In fact the one person he talks about most is the girl that he has a crush on...and come to find out, her mom told us that she talks about Liam all the time too.

Stuff on My Mind

2011-10-19T15:22:00.001-07:00

This latest tragic local story about the 3 girls that were killed while taking pictures by the trains, has been weighing on my mind lately. It scares me more now that we have kids, and knowing one day they are going to make dumb decisions that may or may not hurt them. I never thought I would ever have to tell our kids 'If you ever find yourself between 2 passing trains, lay on the ground, so the wind doesn't toss you onto the track'. Or better yet, don't play near the train tracks?! But, I will tell them, just in case. I will have to start making a list of all the things I hear about!! They will think I'm crazy, I'm sure.

It reminds me of one of the dumbest things I did as a kid, and am grateful to be alive to tell it. We lived near a pond, and we would often go ice skating on it, but one day we decided to walk on it, but the ice was very questionable, and we knew it. My friend slipped in, and I quickly grabbed her hand and pulled her out. Thank goodness the ice I was on didn't break too because then we both would have been goners. I don't think we ever told anyone about it. I am friends with her on FB, and she has a little boy that just celebrated his 1st birthday, and I often think of that time when she fell in the ice, and am grateful to this day we both were OK. Anyway, I just hope we can instill some common sense in our kids...I know they will make mistakes, and do dumb stuff, that is just part of growing up.

Pumpkin Land 2011

2011-10-15T22:23:00.000-07:00

Took the kids to Pumpkin Land to get some pictures, and our pumpkins. The kids had a great time, and the day was beautiful!! And because I can't believe I forgot to blog about this yearly tradition last year, I am including a picture at the end of me and kids from 2010.

From 2010

Surgery

2011-10-08T07:19:00.000-07:00

So I was nervous ALL week before my surgery. When I got there, they checked me in, and had me make a payment of my share. When I called the insurance company they said they would pay 100% if they were in network, which they are, but I guess we will see after they submit it. Then this girl with dark brown hair came to get me. She asked me how my morning was. I basically said I was nervous. She made small talk while she was preparing me for the twilight medicine. I remember being even more nervous because she kept repeating questions to me...I had hoped she didn't mess up because of it. Then the room got a little fuzzy, and I was basically OUT. I have this memory of the Dr. saying something like 'Oh Crap' or some kind of expletive. After when they were waking me up, I asked one of the girls if the Dr. had any kind of trouble because I remembered him being worried about something. The girl basically said she didn't know because she wasn't there. I also remember a picture of someones mouth on the big TV screen. It didn't look like my mouth, but who knows I was totally OUT OF IT!! Anyway, Mike has been wonderful!! He got me home, picked up my meds, and then watched the kids while I slept the rest of the day. I'm pretty hungry!! But can only have liquids the first 24 hrs. And only soft stuff for about 2 weeks...BLAH. Well, hopefully I can lose some weight out of this experience.

Life Update

2011-09-26T07:33:00.001-07:00

Realized I haven't posted in a couple of weeks. Things are OK. Liam is doing really great in school. He has a crush on a little girl in his class. It's so adorable, and I had no idea it started this young!

Rowan is doing great! She has been a lot better about sleeping again. One night she just wanted to be snuggled and rocked, and I totally loved it. It seems she is growing out of that stage where all they want to do is explore, and she is starting to snuggle and hang out more. She loves to give hugs and kisses too...just so cute! I will be updating more about the kids soon on their site...

2 weeks ago I had a dentist appointment, and he recommended that I get a gum graft for a couple of my teeth. Turns out I need it for 3!! On both sides of my mouth too....so not looking forward to it. But hopefully it will help get rid of my sensitivity when I have hot or cold drinks and food. Plus maybe I will lose the rest of my baby weight, that will be nice!

It's that time of year that the yard starts giving us food. We have managed to get some tomatoes and squash from the garden after-all. AND all four of our fruit trees produced this year! Even the the little peach tree we planted in the spring gave us a bunch! It's been really nice! Mike spent the day yesterday canning pears. I feel bad I wasn't able to help, but I had to watch Rowan since she is only down to one nap now! Thankfully, we canned so many peaches last year, we have enough for the next year. Anyway, not a whole lot else going on...just got to figure a costume for Rowan...Liam made it easy for me this year by telling me he wants to be a skeleton :)

In Memoriam

2011-09-11T21:48:00.000-07:00

Some of you may know that I grew up back East, in New Hampshire. Sadly my family did not go on many trips...but, thankfully my dad had a younger brother that moved to NYC and he came to visit our family often, and he would pretty much force my mom and dad to do some family trips. I remember a trip to Montreal, Canada, and we also went to visit him in NYC. I have very fond memories of our time together with Uncle Krayton. Here are some pictures I have of our trip to NYC...My first and only trip there. I took the pictures of the close up ones of the twin towers. I was around 12 or 13 years old. And the year was probably 1987 or 1988. I have been meaning to share these for a long time, and I figured the 10 year anniversary of 9-11 would be appropriate.

Lady Liberty

Uncle Krayton

Labor Day Party/Weekend

2011-09-06T08:43:00.001-07:00

So, Mike and I have been wanting to have a family party at our house all summer. We have had one for the past 2 years since moving to our new house, usually around July 4th, but the stars just didn't align this year. So we decided we should have it for Labor day weekend, the last real chance to have an outdoor event before it gets too cold and dark in the evening. Mike got a new smoker this summer, and decided to do something different than our usual sausages. He got a some pork, and decided to do pulled pork sandwiches. And since I don't eat any meat except for fish, he was such a wonderful hubby and got some salmon and smoked that too!

There were some technical difficulties along the way regarding a new part he got for his smoker that was supposed to help control the temperature, but it ended up defective. So many times that day he wasn't sure if the meat was going to turn out. But 12+ hrs later it was finally done!! And it seemed that everyone enjoyed it! Everyone brought some great sides too, thanks to all of you!! The kids had a blast playing on the swing-set and the bounce house. Thank you so much Erica for taking pictures and sharing them with us. It's very hard to get a second to do that when you are hosting and keeping an eye on the kids!!

We had spent 3 days preparing and cleaning up for the party, that we were very glad to have Monday off as a holiday. And it was a really good thing too since Rowan was not being herself, and kept waking up all through the night. She didn't sleep more than an hour combined probably. I spent the night up with her, and she decided she wanted to play!! Such an odd behavior for her since she is usually such a great sleeper. She didn't have a fever, but maybe she was teething, or maybe she had a tummy upset from all the sweets?! I'm not sure, but am very grateful that she slept through the next night, since we all have work and school.

Rowan playing at 4:30 am

Stuff

2011-08-25T19:42:00.000-07:00

Something strange happened when Mike uploaded some pics of Rowan tonight. When he opened the windows view finder to edit a few pictures, they completely disappeared. He searched the entire computer, including the trash, they are NO WHERE. Thankfully he had the pictures opened in a different edit program, and was able to copy the pictures. We were pretty upset, especially since they were super cute pictures of Rowan. Here is one of them.

I got to Liam's school a little early to pick him up. His teacher was reading to the kids, so I waited a little bit, and got this cute picture...

'Spying on Liam'

Liam's First Day of Preschool

2011-08-23T21:57:00.000-07:00

Liam had his first day of preschool today. We are trying the morning schedule this year. We thought maybe if he wasn't as tired, he might get a little more out of the experience. So far I do like the morning time since we can get it done, and then I have the rest of the day to make up my time at work. The only issue so far, is trying to get him to eat something before he's dropped off. He is just like his dad, in that he doesn't like to eat anything when he wakes up. I just don't want him getting too hungry while he's at school. Hopefully we can figure out something out!

Anyway below are a few pictures I got of his first day. I like to get one outside the door, but as you can see it's pretty bright out!! If you want to compare his picture from his first day last year, check this link.

I think he had a pretty good day. It was kinda funny when I went to pick him up, I didn't see him in the room, but they do rotate the kids, so I wasn't too worried. The teacher said he was in the bathroom. One of the girls opened the door to the bathroom which is in the classroom. He was standing with his pants down, trying to get some soap out of the pump. I stepped into the bathroom to assist him, and the girl kept opening and shutting the door!! I quickly put his pants up...it's a good thing he's too young to be embarrassed by that.

He told G'ma that he thought his teacher was really really pretty, and that the girls in his class were cute. So, I would say his first day at school was a success!

Up late working on pictures again...

2011-08-20T00:57:00.000-07:00

Well it is almost 1am, and I'm working on pictures again. I'm caught up on all the pictures that have been uploaded to the computer so far. And I wanted to share a really cute picture of Liam this time. BTW, you can see all our pictures on our smugmug site.

Mommy Brag

2011-08-18T21:32:00.000-07:00

So sorry, this is my 'brag' today, instead of my blog...we went to meet Liam's teacher today. We thought we were going to have Miss Erin, but when we got there we double checked with the front desk, and I guess Miss Erin decided to leave at the last minute because her husband got his dream job and they had to move. So anyway, his new teacher is 'Miss Raya'. She is really nice and pretty, and I think he will love her. After we met her, we went to visit his teacher from last year, and she was talking to another family, so we went on to another room. We were going to go back, but she left her room to come say 'Hi' to us and to Liam. She loves him so much, and we found out the reason he does not have her this year. She took a 2nd job at her church as a director of child development (or something like that) and so she is only teaching one class this year, and it is the tater tot class (4-5 yr olds). She said that she would keep an eye on Liam though since they will be there at the same time. We asked if she would be here next year, and she said she would never leave there, so maybe he will get her next year, or maybe Rowan will? We also asked her about next year, and if she thought 2 or 3 days would be better for him. Since Rowan will be going too, we wanted to send them at the same time. She said that Liam is so smart, that he would be fine with either schedule. Anyway, it seems Liam is a very popular kid with all the teachers because they all seemed very happy to see him, which we are very grateful for. I can't believe that school starts next week?! It seems we just had his graduation, but I think he will very much enjoy being back to school....I'm just crossing my fingers and toes, we can stay healthier than we were last year!!

Update

2011-08-12T00:57:00.000-07:00

Here it is, 12:44 am in the morning and I am working on pictures. I can't believe I am so behind editing them?! I have pictures from May!! Well, I used to work on them after I got home from work...after I put Rowan down for her nap, and if Liam was sleeping too. But, this summer Rowan has decided to drop her 2nd nap, and then on top of that we have the yard to care for too. Sadly my blog, totsite, and pictures have been neglected lately....and I won't even mention how behind I am on the indoor stuff ;) Anyway, needless to say, I am getting caught up (on the pictures that is)!! And I should probably hit the bed SOON!! But before I do, I need to post a really cute picture of Rowan in the tub : )

More Fun Summer Things

2011-08-05T07:18:00.001-07:00

On my birthday, we went to see Bela Fleck and Bruce Hornsby. We met up with Mike's cousin Erica, and her husband John. We all had a great time!! It was raining like crazy on the drive up, so we were really unsure about how the concert would turn out, but amazingly the storm missed the venue completely. The weather was perfect, and we had a really great time on our (me and Mike) 2nd night out together since Liam was born. Seriously, we need to do that more often!!!

I had to pack some rain coats and umbrellas, so I didn't bring the nice camera...but I did bring my point and shoot, and got some video's.

Loving Summer

2011-08-04T14:14:00.001-07:00

I am loving Summer this year, and I am NOT ready for school to start in a few weeks?! We got our notice of who Liam's teacher is going to be this year. Her name is Miss Erin. We had requested Miss Farrah, and are sad we won't have her, but we're sure Miss Erin is really nice too. We get to meet her in a couple of weeks, and then he starts on Aug. 23rd. This summer just flew by way too fast. I have been spending a lot of time outside too, and it's pretty crazy because I actually have a tan on my arms! I put sun screen on most of the time if I'm going to be out for long periods, but some sun must be getting to me cause my arms have color! The last time I ever remember having a tan was when I was a kid!

Anyway, last Saturday I took Liam to this new thing they have behind the Dinosaur Museum. It's called Trilobite Treasures, and you can dig for fossils, specifically Trilobites. I thought they had them already discovered and hidden in sand, and we would use shovels and brushes to 'Find' them...but NO!! They are still in the shale/rock, and you use a HUGE hammer to split the rock open and find as many as you can within the time you pay for. We were there an hour, which is plenty long for a 3 yr. old. Liam had fun, but I actually think I had more fun than him. And in hindsight, I think this activity is best for older kids and adults. The smallest hammer they have is pretty big, and really could hurt a small kid if they aren't being careful. Anyway, we found some great trilobites on our own, and with a little help from the experts. Liam found a couple all by himself, I was so proud of him.

Update on Life

2011-07-19T08:52:00.000-07:00

Ok, it's been a while since my last update. The summer has been going good. We have been pretty busy getting our yard fixed up. We really tried to keep up on the weeding, but there was just so much rain this spring/early summer that we got overwhelmed with it. We decided to hire help to weed, and it worked out because we needed to take out a dead bush and sickly tree and replace it with a new one. 16 man hours later, and we realized that there was just no way we would have had time to do that between working and taking care of the kids. It has been nice to have that out of the way so we could have fun with the kids. We got them a small bounce house this summer. Liam does not know that we own it. We tell him if he's really good we will call up Mr. Bounceman to come set it up. Both of them have been having a blast with it. Although since Rowan is only 19 mo. her attention span is pretty short and she only is on it for a short time. But, she has decided that she LOVES to swing now. She asked to swing one day, and she grins ear to ear!! We are glad the swing-set is finally being enjoyed now...even Liam likes to swing sometimes.

Last month Mike had me pick up a new peach tree to replace the 2nd cherry tree that died on us. We gave up on getting any more cherry trees, and decided to get a different variety peach tree, since we LOVE peaches!! Ever since I picked out that cute tree, I have had a new interest in the yard. We had our yard put in almost 3 years ago, and this year is the first year that it is really looking great. The plants have filled in, and the trees are getting really big. I took Liam with me to pick out a new Tulip tree to replace the original Tulip tree that was not growing, and looked like it might be diseased. I was a little nervous to pick out a tree without Mike's input, but when it was delivered he loved it. It really has a great shape to it, and it's been in for a couple weeks now, and I have been really good about watering it, and it's looking great!! I will have to post pictures soon. Last week I had found this beautiful purple flower that I had been wanting. They had these huge ones at Home Depot, and I wish now I had bought more than one because when I went back a couple days later they only had one left. But I grabbed that one, and went to a few other nurseries and got several more. It's called Salvia nemorosa 'East Friesland'.

We have an electrical box in our front side yard. When we moved in there where some bushes that were already covering the area, so we just decided to leave them when we landscaped the yard. Unfortunately the bush died which surprised us because it survived no water when our house sat empty for many months...anyway, we were not sure what to plant over there to cover the unsightly boxes, but I did come across this really cool plant called 'Burning Bush'. It is green right now, but it's supposed to turn bright red in the fall. We had Blue Stakes come out and mark up the area since it's right by all the utility lines. The lines are a complete mess?! We have no clue if/where we can plant now. Anyway, hopefully we can figure it out soon!

Summer Time and Parties

2011-06-27T09:04:00.001-07:00

Well here it is, Summer has officially started, and I thought we would have had a break from being sick since Liam is out of school. But, he must have picked up something that last week of school, and then maybe another bug hit him because he ended up with 2 separate fevers. He bounced back pretty quickly, but whatever the second bug was hit me pretty hard because after I started feeling better, I ended getting sick again. I had a nasty cough for about 3 weeks?! I even ended up going to the Dr. to get some meds. Although, I really don't think that helped. It was just a lingering nasty bug, and hopefully we can avoid any more sicknesses for a long while! Anyway, Mike's brother and sister-in-law, with their twin boys, were in town this past week, and his family had a BIG get together at his parents house last night and here are a few of my favorite pictures of the evening. Mike was going to take pictures, but he got handed the grilling duties, so I got handed the picture duty for the first half of the evening. I also was in charge of watching Rowan, and keeping an eye on Liam. So there were lots of pictures of Rowan. She also turned 19 months yesterday, so happy 19 months to our wonderful, adorable little girl. She was quite the handful last night, going down the big slide all by herself, and climbing up and down the concrete stairs!! She also loved the babies and loved giving them hugs and kisses. I definitely had my hands full!

CLICK HERE TO SEE THE REST OF PICTURES

FINALLY Finished Graduation Pictures!!

2011-06-09T22:16:00.000-07:00

These pictures were a bit of a pain to edit because there was so much red eye. And the program I usually use has been having issues, and so Mike set up a trial run with Light Room, and it's pretty complicated, but after a few tries, and some frustration, we finally figured it out.

Anyway, about his graduation...His graduation took place at his school on 5-19-11. We were nervous and curious how well he would do at his graduation. He started out shy like he usually does. He was sucking on his robe, and wasn't really singing much. Then after a few minutes, he was the star of the show! He was right in the front and center and he was singing, and doing the moves with the songs. What a vast difference from his first program at the start of the year, which was for Halloween! He got separated from the group, and then kept running down the hallway, his teacher kept having to chase him?! This time he stayed where he was supposed to, and participated with the entire program. He has matured so much, and we are very proud of him!!

Life Update

2011-06-06T07:43:00.000-07:00

Well, I've been meaning to blog about Liam's graduation, but I'm still working on editing the pictures...lots of red eye to fix! He ended up with a last parting gift from school, a lovely cold. So this past week we've all been fighting it off. At least it wasn't RSV, or a stomach bug!! Hopefully with the time away from school, we can all stay healthy over the summer.

We ended up getting a second batch of butterfly larvae. This particular batch were quite silky. Around the day they were getting ready to chrysalize one of them had a little liquid too, and I think that combination made their food like glue, and one of the caterpillars ended up getting stuck. He kept trying to get to the top. I called the company, and they said to go ahead and open it up and help him. We were really unsure because we didn't want the others that already started to chrysalize to fall off...but we just didn't want to see the poor guy die of exhaustion, so Mike was the brave one and took a pair of chopsticks and tried to separate him as gently as he could. He was really stuck!! It was pretty nerve racking, and it took several attempts, but he was finally able to get him lose. Mike got him to the top, and he thankfully didn't go back down, he knew exactly what to do. Although he did keep harassing the others...this batch was quite the crazy bunch. We were glad it was our second time though because we were more familiar with the process. We also ordered our ladybug larvae. They have been really interesting to watch too. When we got them, we couldn't believe just how tiny they were. They have grown a bunch over the last week, and they are getting ready to change to pupa's now.

Over the weekend Liam's cousin Emma had her 2nd birthday party. Since we had all been sick, we weren't sure if we should go. But Mike talked to his brother, and he said it would be OK, since they had been sick too. Liam was pretty much over his cold anyway, and it was outside, so I just made sure he didn't cough on anyone ;) Rowan was still running a fever, so Mike stayed home with her. We were glad we were able to go since Liam had a great time, and I was able to be the photographer for the family, and got over 300 pics for them. I love doing it! Below are a few pics, and for the family I left the link to see the rest. The password is the initials of the guest of honor.

CLICK HERE TO SEE PICTURES OF EMMA'S PARTY

Thomas The Train was in Town!

2011-05-30T08:47:00.000-07:00

This past weekend, we finally were able to take Liam to ride on Thomas the Train. The weather wasn't looking good, but we took a warm coat, and an umbrella just in case. After about 30 min. of being there the sun came out, and the weather was perfect. We decided to leave Rowan with Grandma B since it was during her nap time. Plus we thought it would be fun for Liam to have an outing with Mom and Dad by himself. He was very excited and had a great time. After we took a ride, we got a picture in front of Thomas, then we did some of the activities...he did mini golfing for the first time, and we realized that we suck because he's never been before. He definitely needs some practice with that, but he had fun anyway. Then we got him a tattoo sticker on his hand. Then went to the store where he picked out 3 new trains, got both the kids a new T-shirt, and Rowan a hat, and a little Thomas bag to carry everything...They are so spoiled!! Then we were all ready to head home! As you can see in the last picture, he was pretty tuckered out!

Bye Butterflies

2011-05-21T23:16:00.001-07:00

So this past Monday, the butterflies hatched, and they recommend letting them go after a few days if the weather permits...well, just so happens it was rainy and COLD all week?! So, finally by Saturday, the weather warmed up enough, we could release them. We had thought about letting them go in our yard, but there were a few concerns about lawnmowers, and pesticides around the neighborhood, so we thought...if we were butterflies, where would we love to live. And we decided that Thanksgiving Point Gardens would be the place. And even though it was more work to pack up the kids and go there, it was well worth it in the end. The place is beautiful, and has thousands, if not millions of flowers. I did call ahead to make sure they were OK with it, and to make sure no pesticides were used, and they said it would be just fine.

We could tell on the drive over that the butterflies were getting ready to fly. They were opening their wings and flapping more than usual. We found a great spot in the gardens, and we opened their habitat. One flew out right away, and then the second. It was really cool! I think the 3rd came out on his own, but I helped one of them, and Liam helped the last one out. Liam tracked about 3 of them down after they were released. And we were able to capture some pictures and video of one or two around the flowers. It was such a fun experience for ALL of us, that when we got home, we ordered our next batch....plus our ladybugs too.

Click Below for the Video

Graduation Pictures

2011-05-10T15:24:00.000-07:00

We were a little nervous about graduation pictures this time because Liam has been making his silly Thomas train faces when we ask him to smile for a picture. But, we were pleasantly surprised and relieved that he gave a really beautiful smile. And his teacher even wrote a note saying so!!

Next week is his graduation ceremony...I can't believe this school year is nearly over?!

Changing Time

2011-05-09T20:26:00.000-07:00

Saturday morning, on day 9 of having our larvae, one of them climbed up to the top of the jar. By evening, he had turned into a chrysalis?! And the next 4 were hanging from the top. By morning all but 1 had turned. We checked it a few hours later, and the last one changed too!! I had no idea how FAST they changed. I'm sure if we sat there for a couple of hours we could actually see it happen. It is quite amazing.

I know, not the greatest pictures...it's a little tricky with the glass and all.

Tonight we carefully moved them to the butterfly habitat. They should hatch in about a week or so.

Also, I ordered another set...although next time we are going to take the label off the jar, so we can get a better view. We thought maybe they would like the privacy, but I really don't think it's meant to stay on there.

A mother is one to whom you hurry when you are troubled.

2011-05-08T09:16:00.000-07:00

~Emily Dickinson

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!

The tulip's petals shine in dew,

2011-05-07T20:10:00.000-07:00

All beautiful, but none alike. ~James Montgomery

I was so looking forward to the Tulip Festival this year, so I could take some more macro pictures. The tulips came on late this year because of the colder weather. So a combination of the bad weather, putting the swing set up, and all of us being sick, we didn't make it to the Tulip festival before the last day!! Today was the last day, and even though I hate huge crowds, I still wanted to go. Mike did not, so he stayed home with Rowan while she napped, and Liam and I went. Below are a few of my favorite pictures.

CLICK HERE TO SEE THE REST OF THE PICTURES

I've never seen a smiling face that was not beautiful.

2011-05-06T07:21:00.000-07:00

~Author Unknown

A couple of days ago I wrote a rant blog because I was upset with a certain magazine. I took down the post because I don't want to come off as a bitter mom.

So this is all I'm going to say on the matter.

Here is an example of a picture that is out of focus.

Here is a picture that is soft. (BUT STILL CUTE)!

Please vote for Liam!!

And here is Rowan's Picture to vote on too!

(BTW, You have to 'Like' their page to be able to vote)

Butterflies and Easter

2011-05-02T19:14:00.000-07:00

So I am a little late getting our Easter pictures posted because we have all had a nasty stomach bug this past week. I can't even remember the last time I have had a stomach bug...I think I was still a kid?! Mike was a great husband and took off 2.5 days to help take care of the kids, and then to take care of me too, when it finally hit me on Friday. He has felt a little sick for the last couple of days, but knock on wood, he hasn't got it yet, and hopefully won't!

On Thursday evening we received our butterfly larvae. We are excited to see them change.

Liam checking them out on the first day (4-28-11)

Day 1

2 days later (4-30-11)

4 days later (5-2-11)

Here are a few pictures of the Easter Egg hunt that Grandma had at her house.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE EASTER PICTURES

Babies In Baskets!

2011-04-21T16:44:00.000-07:00

I know we don't look a lot alike, but I thought it was fun to see a picture of each of us around the same age, doing the same thing : )

I looked through most my pictures of Liam, and of all the thousands we have taken of him, I couldn't find any of him in a basket?! So, thankfully Grandma B took this cute one of him...I'll have to see if we can get a scan of one of Mike too!!

Mr. Phishy

2011-04-20T14:10:00.000-07:00

Mike and I have had several Betta fishes in the past, but we haven't had one for many years until now. We thought it might be fun for Liam to have a pet that was cool to watch, relatively low maintenance, and doesn't jump up on him. The dogs were low on food, so Liam and I stopped in at the pet store to get some food, and to pick out a fish. There were so many to choose from, and even ones you couldn't see because there were several rows of them in cups on the shelf. I saw one that kinda looked sick because he kept floating to the side. I told one of the employees, and she said they would take him to the back and keep an eye on him. Liam was very concerned about him, and even a few days later he is asking about the sick one.

He absolutely loves watching his fish. He doesn't lag in the morning because he wants to go watch his fish, and he likes to watch him before bed too. He loves it when we feed him, and he comes up to take a bite of the food. I'm not sure how long the excitement will last, but we are enjoying him enjoying the fish!!

We haven't really picked a name yet. One of the cute names he suggested was 'Dorthy', after Elmo's fish. Mike thought that was really cute since his first fish was name 'Talbot' after Ernie's fish. I suggested 'Thomas', but he said 'No, Thomas is a train'...Anyway, Liam likes to change his name several times a day, and we find it amusing, so he may just have an ever changing name.

Swing Set Is Finally Done!!

2011-04-18T08:00:00.000-07:00

And I only say 'Finally' because the weather was finally nice enough this past weekend to work on it. Friday, the night before we finished the swing set, we let Liam do a marathon nap, and we know it's always a gamble when we do. Most of the time he will sleep through the night, but this night he woke up around 11:30 pm, and stayed awake till about 3am! I let Mike sleep in since he stayed up with him, and then he got started on it around 11 am. Liam played on what was done throughout the day, and crashed pretty hard around his nap time. We decided to wake him from his nap, as to not have a repeat of the night before. So in this video he is still waking from his nap, and it took a little coaxing to get him to go down. He finally did and the darn slide was so steep and fast he landed right on his bum, the poor guy. Thankfully, he only cried for a minute or so, but he was ready to go inside after that.

(Play Video below)

Anyway, the next morning we found an old dog bed that has about 6 inches of padding, and we placed that at the bottom of the slide and told him he wouldn't hurt his bum. Thankfully he trusted us, and went down and had a great time!! He slid down that thing so many times that day! We are pretty happy with our purchase, even though it was a pain for Mike to install : )

(Play Video below)

One of the virtues of being very young is...

2011-04-13T07:31:00.000-07:00

that you don't let the facts get in the way of your imagination. ~Sam Levenson

Conversation this morning on the way to work:

(Liam saw the big plume of steam where Geneva used to be)

Liam: Mom, look it's the abominable snowman!!!
Me: Wow, it's amazing! (Thinking to myself...did he just say abominable??!! Do 3 yr olds really use that word? I'm pretty sure he got that from 'Frosty the Snowman' movie, but still...pretty amazing vocabulary.)

(As we got closer)

Liam: That's not the abominable snowman, that's a nightmare!

That kid never ceases to amaze me.

The past is not a package one can lay away.

2011-04-07T08:00:00.000-07:00

~Emily Dickinson

Ever since we signed up for SmugMug, I have been a lot better about getting our pictures and video's posted. I have been very pleased with their service, and it is so easy to use. One of the best features it has is being able to drag ALL the files at once to their site, and they all upload, there is no finding, attaching etc. It's so fast and easy, I LOVE IT!! Unlimited pictures and video too...I finally had Mike show me how to upload the pics and video from my phone last night...so, there are 62 new videos to see, and 180+ pics!!

Magic Mirrors

2011-04-06T13:38:00.000-07:00

Family faces are magic mirrors. Looking at people who belong to us, we see the past, present, and future. ~Gail Lumet Buckley

Family Picture circa 1976 or 1977 (Mom says I'm around 2 here)

April Fools

2011-04-03T08:08:00.000-07:00

Mother Nature can be cruel at times, but sometimes she has a silly sense of humor...hence the snow this morning, 'April Fools', 2 days late!! Although it's probably for the best because we are both pretty sore today. My arms have had quite the work out over the last several days....Thursday evening I did 20 min. on the Elliptical (first time in many months), Friday I spent 2+ hrs. cleaning our stove top (that had baked on grease) and then took the kids for a walk in their stroller up some pretty steep hills, and Saturday I raked the dead grass out of part of the lawn, then helped Mike carry the club house part (left part of set, see below) from the garage to the back yard! Needless to say we both need a break today. I forgive Mother Nature for the snow too, since this storm saved us from a minor disaster last night. As I was leaving to get take out last night, the wind blew the door to our house in the garage open. I got out of the car, and for some strange reason I went behind the car, and saw a box of parts for the set right behind my tires! Had the wind not blown the door open, I would have run over it!! So glad I didn't, that would have been a spendy mistake...it had the swings, and other parts in it. Anyway, we all got to enjoy a short swing before the storm got too bad. Below are some cute pics of the kids. Before the storm blew in last night.

I should have got a before picture, but imagine it looking pretty black around the burners :)
When we ordered the swing set, it said 2-3 weeks for delivery. We got a call from the delivery company the next day that it was ready! Now that is fast service.

First walk of the year 4/1/11

I love this picture of Liam looking back and Gretchen peeing in the background!

Love the crazy look on his face here!
Happy Swinging!!

Apples

2011-03-31T08:10:00.000-07:00

On this day, my 13,031st day on this planet, I realized that I prefer red apples to green ones!

Mike is 12,594 days young
Liam is 1210 days young
Rowan is 490 days young

CLICK HERE TO FIND OUT HOW MANY DAYS YOUNG YOU ARE

I came to this realization this morning because Liam was up late again last night. Last week at school his teacher told me that Liam was darting out of the class room, and we think it's because he was in his loopy phase, which means he's so tired he doesn't listen, and he acts crazy...it's the stage right before he gets really cranky. Anyway, today is a school day, and since I had a little extra time from working later yesterday, we decided to let Liam sleep in. Rowan was already awake, and she was downstairs in her chair watching Elmo, she can say 'Elmo' now BTW, sooo cute!! And I decided to eat an apple, but all we had left were green ones. Maybe it was just a bad apple, but I did not enjoy it at all! Anyway, Liam woke up around 8 am, and he was well rested! Last night before bed Dad told him to dream about Georgie riding Thomas the Tank Engine, and the first thing Liam told me was he had a good dream about Georgie and Thomas!! Their minds are like clay! It's crazy.

Movies, Liam and School

2011-03-30T13:56:00.000-07:00

So Liam has had a hard time with the time change, no shocker there. Even before the time change he was having problems going to bed at bedtime. He now wants his light on, and that makes it hard for him to fall asleep. He will call me several times after I say good night to him. And he's not falling asleep till past 10pm?! It is also really frustrating because now I have even less time to get anything done before we get ready for the next day, have dinner, and go to bed. Our dinner time has been pushed from 9pm to 10pm!! Then he has a hard time getting up in the morning, and is tired all day, and crashes in the car on the ride home, and it's just a vicious cycle!! I know he needs his naps, and I need them too...but this schedule just isn't working. Anyway, so since he's been up later on the nights he takes a nap, we let him watch a movie last night. He picked out Snow White. Well, now that he is 3, his imagination is at full swing, and he is also very good at following what is going on in the story, so he ended up having bad nightmares last night. I didn't even hear him wake up, but Mike did, and being the really good dad that he is, slept on his floor for much of the night because Liam was scared and asked him to stay. Most of the time I just tune out what the kids are watching, but really I need to pay closer attention, cuz duh, I knew that the story of Snow White was scary, but when it has the Disney name on it you kinda forget it's not ALL cute animals and dwarfs...there is a scary forest scene and a scary witch too! He also recently watched Bambi and cried so much when the Mama was killed. Poor kid!

He is a 'Tender Heart' for sure. That is a term his teacher Miss Farrah used to describe him. And speaking of her, we had a parent/teacher conference with her yesterday, and she says that he has made a very good improvement from the fall. And she asked if he was coming back next year. And we said, for sure, and we also requested her to be his teacher. She was very thrilled to hear that, and even said she wanted to request that Liam was in her class, but wasn't sure she could do that. Anyway, if that doesn't make a parent feel good, I don't know what does!!

Outdoor Fun

2011-03-22T11:54:00.000-07:00

Well, to make a long story short...

'Tax refund=the largest, sight unseen, online purchase we've ever made...a swing set for the kids!!'

We are not going to tell Liam about it because we don't want the same thing happening to the swing set as it did with Riding Thomas. It will just have to be a big surprise, and aren't those the best anyway?!

We have thought of getting a swing set for a while now. But, we really didn't want the maintenance of a wood set, and all the metal ones we had seen were a bit of an eyesore. I happened upon Costco's site yesterday, and found a really nice, attractive metal one. It has really great reviews on all the sites we looked on, and is $400 less than the manufacturer's site...gotta love Costco! It will get here in about 2-3 weeks, and we are very excited. Our yard is pretty, but is also pretty boring for kids...so hopefully this will get us out enjoying fresh air and our yard more!

VIDEO

Correcting a Parent's Mistake (Hopefully)

2011-03-19T12:02:00.000-07:00

Liam is TOTALLY obsessed with Thomas the train right now. And I made the mistake of telling him that we got tickets to go ride on him over 2 months in advance. He wants to go 'RIGHT NOW!', and because he's only 3, he doesn't fully understand the concept of time, and that he won't be here for a couple more months. Lately, he has been waking up and wanting to go 'RIGHT NOW!'. And after I explain to him that it isn't till May, he gets very cranky, and is not happy for a long time. I got the brilliant idea (I hope) this morning to print out Thomas's schedule and a map of the U.S. and put stars on the state he's in...I hope it works, otherwise the next 2 months are going to be miserable ;)

SCHEDULE

MAP

We Got Our New Lens Today!

2011-03-18T22:00:00.000-07:00

And Mike took this beautiful picture of Rowan...

Birthday Party!!

2011-03-12T20:26:00.000-08:00

So today Liam's cousin had her 4th birthday party. They rented a bounce house, and Liam had an absolute blast!! That kid played for 90+ minutes strait. He crashed about 5 minutes after I got him in the car and fell back asleep right after I got him in the house and changed him...Looks as though he will sleep through the night (if we are lucky).

Since I know how hard it is to get pictures when you are in charge of an event...I went crazy taking pictures (233 to be exact!!) Family you are welcome to visit the link and upload any picture, or the whole lot. Sorry they are unedited, so if you like them you are on your own in that department :) The password is the initials of the guest of honor...if you are unsure of her middle name, just email me :)

CLICK HERE FOR THE LINK TO THE BIRTHDAY PICTURES

If you want a specific picture, just run your mouse over the picture, a pop up menu shows up...there is a yellow folder at the bottom of the menu that says save photo. It will save that file at full resolution. If you want a zipped folder of the whole lot, just let me know and I can forward it to you...I'm still learning how this site works, so just let me know if you have any issues or questions. Thanks!!

Spring is around the corner...

2011-03-10T17:20:00.000-08:00

I think the kids are on the mend as well as myself...sadly Mike seems to be feeling worse, but his started later, so that is to be expected. For the past 3 days Liam has slept really hard at nap time, but then was up really late, close to midnight?!?! Today we stopped at the store on the way home, so he did not take a nap. I'm hoping this will get him back on track. But then another whammy...daylight savings this weekend...not really looking forward to that!! Last year it took us about a month to recover from it. It never really affected me that much until we had kids. Only time will tell, but I'm hoping it will be easier this time.

Below are a couple of my favorite recent pics of the kids.

Rowan 14 months

Liam 3 yrs

And here is cute one of them around Christmas:

Sick day AGAIN.

2011-03-07T06:31:00.000-08:00

Liam started to have a fever last Monday evening. He started with a fever and cough. His cough was so bad that he gagged up his food and sometimes his medicine. Usually when he gets a fever it breaks after about 3 days. This one was not going away, so by day 5 we took him to the Dr. The Dr. listened to his lungs, and heard a crackle. He checked his Oxygen too. He wanted to determine for sure if it was a bacterial or a viral infection, so he had us go to the hospital to get an x-ray. While we were waiting to be seen, Liam was getting anxious waiting. We walked around a bit, and we came across a vending machine. He wanted the Doritos, and so I checked my wallet, and there was NO CASH! I called my mom, since she wasn't too far away and asked her to bring some cash. They took us to the back before she arrived, but they told her where we were when she got there. Liam was happy to see Grandma. Liam did really awesome getting the x-ray. He listened to direction, and wasn't scared at all. We got him the Doritos and went home 2 hours later! The Dr. called later that afternoon, and told us that it appeared as he thought, as a viral infection. He thinks it's RSV, so no meds for that...just have to wait it out. Now it's a week after his fever started, and his fever seems to have broke, but his appetite is still gone. And poor Rowan has a fever, and me and Mike are sick too! Ugh, hope this thing clears up soon!!

Potty Party

2011-02-23T10:46:00.000-08:00

So I happened upon a site from someones blog, and found the secret to potty training our stubborn 3 yr old. We knew he was ready for it, but we just needed that extra tool to figure it out.

The site is: http://www.3daypottytraining.com/

It is an E-book, and there are some copyright issues, so I can't share too much publicly about it, but we are just thrilled with how well her information worked with Liam. After reading it, I have to admit I was a little skeptical and a little upset we had just paid $24 for an E-book, but being able to potty train him in about 4 days all but makes up for the diapers we are going to save!!

We did a variation of her method, and since we didn't have 3 entire days in a row to work on it ourselves, we decided we would just test it out, to see how well it worked and go from there. We also have decided to not worry about night time right now, and let him wear a diaper. We also were unsure what to do about preschool since he has multiple teachers throughout the day, so we decided he could wear a pull-up until we are all confident that he is comfortable asking to use the bathroom there.

So we started our 'Potty Party' on Friday morning. He had pooped in his diaper that morning, and I was ready to begin!! On went the big boy underpants, and shortly after that he told me that he had to pee in the potty!! I was shocked how quickly it worked?!?!

Day 1: He did all his pees in the potty! Had some #2 accidents though.
Day 2: He had one pee accident, and 1 #2 accident, and did 2 #2's in the potty
Day 3: Tricky day since we had prior plans and had to send him to G'ma's he did really well with pee's but not so well with #2
Day 4: Back on track, had ZERO accidents!!!
Day 5: Went to G'ma's again, and had school, NO ACCIDENTS

We are currently on Day 6, and I got a text from G'ma that he told her he needed to go #2 for the first time! I dare say our little boy is potty trained, for the most part. I expect he will have a few set backs here and there, and we will need to work on night time later, but we are just super happy with the results. So if anybody out there is needing a little help with this, I do recommend this plan.

Monday Pick-Me-Up

2011-01-31T09:47:00.000-08:00

We took this video on Friday night. We had a dance party with the kids, and apparently our 1 year old has more rhythm than our 3 yr. old?!?! It is really funny to see Rowan dance especially since Liam never really started dancing till he was over 2 years old, and even then I'm not sure if it's really dancing ; )

Click below to see video.

Rowan's First Hair Cut

2011-01-17T08:57:00.000-08:00

Last month, on December 17th, we all went in for a haircut. This was the first time we all went in at the same time, and it was also Rowan's first time getting a haircut. She did amazingly well! Mike took a video, although it was a little tricky because Liam was running around the salon while I was holding Rowan, so we had to keep an eye on him, to make sure he wasn't getting into trouble. Anyway, I still think we got a cute video of her.

(Click on the picture below to see it).

Liam's First Play

2011-01-12T08:14:00.000-08:00

Last month, on December 12th we took Liam to his first play 'If You Give A Mouse A Cookie'. We had purchased the book to read to him so that he would be familiar with the story, and be excited to go. He had just turned 3, and we have never taken him to a movie or anything like this, so we had no idea how he would do. He was very interested in the new experiance and was very attentive for the first 15-20 minutes, but then he got anxious and wanted to run up on stage, and go down the side isle. Mike had to restrain him for a good part of the play. We tried to distract him and keep him quiet with some snacks, but that only helped for a few minutes at a time. The play was SUPER cute!! And hopefully next year he will have matured enough to sit through a whole play.

Liam waiting for the play to start.

Very cute set for the play.

Liam and Mom

Liam and Dad

After we left, he discovered this interesting metal sculpture.

It was unusally warm for December so before we went home, we took him to the park to play for a bit.

Someone is Walking!!

2011-01-07T16:53:00.001-08:00

When we were on our vacation over the holiday Rowan started to take more than a couple steps at a time. She would stop and pat her legs, and sometimes do a little dance, then she would fall to her knees and crawl the rest of the way. About a week later she is now walking across the room!! She is also standing up in the middle of the room without any assistance. I was home today with the kids and was able to capture this video.

CLICK HERE TO CHECK OUT OUR 'NEW WALKER' VIDEO

You can see at the very start of the video, she stands up on her own. She is by the kids table, but she is not holding on, and you can also hear Liam's commentary about Rowan standing...Pretty cute video : )

Liam's School Christmas Party

2011-01-06T17:34:00.000-08:00

Well, pictures are coming along slowly, so I thought I would just blog about the events as I get them done. On December 8th, Liam's school had their Christmas party. And here are a few of the pictures.

This is Liam's teacher, Miss Farrah. I was smiling because she was telling me how great Liam is :)

They had some different snacks to make a reindeer treat. Of coarse Liam wanted to get his hands into all the bowls, especially the M&M's!!

The kids sang songs for the parents. Liam was so excited to get up there and sing! He got right up in front of the crowd, and sang his little heart out. He was so adorable.

He's the second one in from the top left.

Here you can see how cute and magical his school is. They had a really beautiful tree too!!

They had a silent auction to raise money for 2 girls at the school that have cancer. We ended up winning a photo shoot for the kids. Everyone was so generous, and donated what they could to help out. It was a really great way to start out the holiday season!

Click on Picture below to see a video of Liam singing his favorite song.

Happy New Year : )

2011-01-04T16:17:00.001-08:00

(Photo Credit: psdeluxe.com)

Well, once again I am behind on my blogging AND my pictures. There was so much I wanted to do over our vacation, but we got busy watching the kids (and lazy) and didn't get much done. But we did do one major thing on our 'To Do' list, and that was to go to a movie!! We did it!!! After 3+ years we finally went to a movie together. We went to see 'True Grit'. It was a really great movie! There are a ton of fun things that I have wanted to blog about, but I think that once I get the pictures uploaded I may just condense it into one update....so stay tuned. Hope you all had a great Holiday!!

Happy Holidays!

2010-12-22T17:40:00.001-08:00

Happy Birthday to our Wonderful Boy!!

2010-12-07T22:41:00.000-08:00

We saved a piece of cake in the freezer from the kids birthday party for Liam to have on his actual birthday. We lit a candle, and sang happy birthday to him.

And let him have his presents from us. We found this cute little chair at Costco, and put a big bow on it.

And we also go him a really cool backhoe loader.

Liam really 'got' his birthday this year. He understood that it was a special day for him, and was excited for his gifts, and could tell people that he was turning 3 by showing 3 fingers. He has changed so much since a year ago. His communication has improved greatly! He is really loving going to preschool, and loves his teacher, and his classmates. He loves to sing, and cook, and loves to play with his cars and trucks. He loves his little sister and is a really good older brother-most of the time ;)

He is taking after his mom in that he likes to color and paint. And he's taking after his dad by being very independent and always wanting to 'do it self'! He continues to surprise us by the new things he says and does, and is always keeping us smiling. Happy 3rd Birthday Liam! We love and enjoy you everyday!!

Happy Birthday to our Wonderful Little Girl!!

2010-11-26T22:49:00.000-08:00

So the store we bought the kids birthday party cake at offered a free 4 inch smash cake for baby's first birthday. They forgot to make it for our party, so we went back for Rowan's actual birthday and asked for the cake, but it ended up being 8 inches. Not sure why it was so big, and they also spelled her name wrong..But, cake is cake, and free is free, so we can't complain! We lit the candles and sang happy birthday to her. We ended up just cutting her a slice since it was such a big cake. She wasn't sure what to do with it, and she started to cry just like Liam did with his first cake. I put a little on her lip, and then she decided she actually liked the cake!

Click on picture below to see the video:

Liam helped her open her presents. She got a Fisher Price Talking/singing tea set, an Abby Cadabby 'P is for Princess' DVD, and her first doll. She still is more interested in chewing on Liam's cars than snuggling a doll, but perhaps that will change when she gets older : )

Anyway, we just can't believe that she is ONE already?! This year just flew by, and she is just growing and changing so quickly. Everyday we just marvel at how wonderful a baby she is, and feel so grateful to have her in our lives. We love you Rowan!

Last Thanksgiving

2010-11-25T21:17:00.000-08:00

Last Thanksgiving we spent the day in the hospital giving birth to our sweet little girl Rowan. We can't believe a whole year has flown by sooo fast?!?! We want to keep her our little baby forever, but alas time doesn't work that way. Here is a video of Rowan on her 52nd week of life, and the eve of her FIRST birthday.

Click on picture below to see the video.

Liam and Rowan's Birthday Party

2010-11-18T07:46:00.000-08:00

We had Liam and Rowan's Birthday Party this past weekend. Rowan turns 1 on November 26th, and Liam turns 3 on December 7th. We decided to have the party early because some family members will be out of town during their actual birthdays. Anyway, we had our party at Arete Gymnastics. We had the whole place to ourselves for 1 hour of playtime, and then 30 min. to have our cake and gifts. The kids had a great time playing! There is a link at the bottom of the post for more pictures of the party. (I'm using the site on a trial basis, so they will be available to see for 2 weeks. Then I will have to decide if I want to pay for the site).

Rowan and Mom

Liam in the foam pit

Rowan and Dad in the foam pit

Their cake...well we had a Curious George theme, and we ordered a monkey cake, similar looking to George, but they did not have the kit to make it. So we had to pick a different design at the last minute, and we ended up with Finding Nemo...so we called this theme 'Curious George Goes Scuba Diving'. We put 2 monkey's on the cake, one for Rowan and one for Liam!

Right before we lit the cake I was looking for Mike to make sure he had his camera to take pictures, and while I wasn't looking poor Liam lost his balance on the bench and fell backwards onto the concrete floor! He hit his head pretty good, and I felt so bad. He cried for a bit, but he was OK thankfully. We sang happy birthday to the kids, and enjoyed some cake. We let Liam open his gifts, but we were pretty pressed for time, so we took Rowan's gifts home to open later. All in all I think the party was a great success! And I have a whole year till I need to start planning again : )

Thanks everyone for coming, and for the gifts! They will surely enjoy them.

CLICK HERE TO SEE A SLIDE SHOW OF MORE PICTURES FROM THE PARTY

Christmas Service Project

2010-11-09T09:05:00.001-08:00

Below is a letter from Liam's school. We will be donating, and if anyone would like to donate as well to this cause, please contact me:

Dear K.V. parents,

As many of you remember, for the past several years we have sponsored a Hug-a-Bear project for our Christmas fundraiser. This year, we would like to shift our focus to help meet a need a little closer to home. We have as a part of our school two very special girls who are in the midst of their battle with cancer. This year, we will be replacing our hug-a-bear project with a fundraiser in behalf of these families.

Some of you may know one of our sweet Tater Tots named Alivia C. Alivia has been undergoing treatment for Pre B acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL) since July of 2010. She is loving, tender hearted, playful, outgoing, happy, smart, talkative... all mixed together with a kick of diva! It's hard not to love her. She loves EVERYONE! And she'll be your best friend in a heartbeat. Alivia is very brave, and her treatments are going well. She has a long road ahead with weekly outpatient chemotherapy treatment over the course of the next three years. Her family is positive and full of hope.

The second little fighter is Daphne Y. Daphne was registered to begin Sweet Peas this fall when, last May, she was also diagnosed with ALL. She is currently not well enough to attend, but hopes to next year. Daphne is full of personality. She is the sweetest little girl you'll ever meet. She helps around the house, is polite, and always tries to be a good friend. She loves to giggle and play. She loves to learn. Her blue eyes twinkle, her nose crinkles, and her blonde ringlets bounce. Her parents, amazingly, count their blessings through this difficult time. They feel lucky to be near Primary Children's, lucky that Daphne has a curable form of cancer, and lucky their little girl has responded so well to chemotherapy. Her treatments should last about two more years.

There is so much hope for these two special girls. But that does not mean the road won't be hard or that it won't be long. They have bouts of nausea. They gain weight. They lose weight. They lose hair. They attend physical therapy. They receive weekly chemotherapy. And they need our support through this difficult time.

If you have a child, you know the fear attached to those moments when you look at your little one and you realize just how fragile and vulnerable their life really is. These two families deal with that reality in an agonizingly personal way each and every day. This holiday season, many of us are blessed with the means to help them fight this battle. Money should never have to be an issue when it comes to saving a child.

Not only do we have the opportunity to help these families, but this fundraiser also gives us a fantastic chance to help our children understand the true meaning of the Christmas season. Many schools hold fundraisers for many different purposes, but at our school, we like to use fundraisers as an opportunity to teach children selflessness, a value that is being lost in today's self-centered world.

We will start accepting donations November 8th and will continue to accept donations until the Christmas break. Here are some ideas on how to get your children involved and excited about helping these special girls:

· Talk to your child about what cancer is and how it changes the lives of the families affected by it. Ask them how they would like to help.

· Together, check out the families' blogs: www.loveforlivi.blogspot.com and www.dailydaph.wordpress.com The pictures may help them see that these are real children who aren't much different from them.

· If your son or daughter earns money through chores or receives an allowance, encourage him or her to think about donating some of that money.

· Consider how your family might help. Remember that absolutely 100% of your donation will go right to these families.

We would love for this to be a major home run for Alivia and Daphne! Please join us, and let us know if you have any ideas for ways we could encourage everyone in our school to give what they can. Thank you in advance for your generous support.

Most Sincerely,

K.V.

Update on Life and Halloween Time!

2010-11-02T08:00:00.000-07:00

Ok, I know, I've been quite the blogging slacker lately. It's just that when you have a second kid, and that second kid starts to be mobile, life gets a little bit hectic. So here are some highlights of our recent days...Rowan has perfected crawling, and cruising, but really isn't too interested in walking, which is totally fine by us for now. She has started to say 'What's that?' a lot. She loves to 'read' books. She doesn't chew them as much now, she likes to look at the pictures, turn the pages and she babbles like she is reading them...it is pretty adorable. Liam is loving school, although he missed a week last month because there was a stomach bug going around. He has always been such a healthy kid until he started going to school. But, I guess it's just one of those things that is bound to happen sooner or later when you get exposed to the public. The stomach bug he got was the first major illness we've had to deal with so far. He had pretty bad runs, and had no appetite! Thankfully, no throw-up with this one! We tried putting him on the BRAT diet, which worked OK if he was in the mood to eat anything. It cleared up after about a week...then Rowan got a minor version of it...I'm so grateful that I have kept up with pumping because Liam is bringing all sorts of yucky germs home, so far she has been pretty good! I'm hoping to be able to continue till he's out of school in the spring, but we will see if my body cooperates. Anyway, he had his Halloween program last week. We went to see the kids sing. We were unsure how he would react if he saw us, so we hid in the back. The kids walked holding hands around the back of the crowd, and Liam and another boy got separated from the line and escaped into one of the classrooms...then Mike had to herd him back to the front. All the kids stared at the crowd in shock as the teacher belted out the songs. Liam started to dance at one point, but mainly he kept running down the hall, just to be herded back by his teacher. We got video of it, and hopefully we can figure out how to convert the HD to load online.

Liam had a great Halloween! He actually was very excited to go trick-or-treating this year. He was very good about putting on his costume too. The first time we got it though it took a little convincing. We ended up putting Rowan's Flower costume on first, and just showed him how cute she looked, then he was fine putting it on. He was a dragon this year, and a very cute one at that! Halloween landed on a Sunday this year, so our state decided Saturday would be the Trick-or-Treating day...but unfortunately, it also was cold, windy and rainy! But thankfully Liam's costume was warm, and we had an umbrella. I took him to handful of houses, then we went home to warm up. After he ate some dinner, Mike took him to several more...the rain had calmed down, and he kept saying one more house, one more house. The next day he wanted to go again...we told him that it was over, but we could do some Trick-or-Treating in the house. It got pretty late and he needed a bath, so I asked Mike to have a few pretzels behind one door, and his milk behind the next one. He knocked on the first door, and dad handed him some pretzels, and then he said 'I want some candy'...such a funny kid! Anyway, it was pretty fun watching him enjoy Halloween!

I will post more pictures as soon as I get a chance to edit them : )

Pre-School Pics

2010-10-12T20:43:00.000-07:00

We got Liam's school pictures back today....so cute! He's got a little bit of stubborn bed head going on, but I still think he's adorable : )

Here is his class...(I blocked out their names, except for Liam's)

Also, this is Miss Farrah, his new teacher. Miss Emily no longer works there.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY...

2010-10-06T15:15:00.001-07:00

TO MY WONDERFUL HUSBAND!! HAPPY 34 YEARS TO YOU : )

BIRTHDAY VIDEO

Friendly Warning About Hand Sanitizer

2010-10-05T14:46:00.000-07:00

It seems that hand sanitizer has only been around for a short time, but now it is EVERYWHERE! Especially after the swine flu epidemic. I try not to use it very often on Liam, but I do put it on his hands after we have been somewhere public. This past Saturday, I took Liam to the park. It was busier than usual, and there were some older kids there, and they were climing on top of the playgroud structure, above where the other kids walked to climb up to the slides. I was concerned that they could fall on top of Liam, so I tried to get Liam to go to another slide area at the park, but he would have none of it....so I took him back to the car, and was going to see if I could find another park nearby on my phone. Liam had been upset and crying, and I had a difficult time getting him into the car. I was flustered and upset with those older kids ruining our fun, so when I put the hand sanitizer on Liam's hands I was not paying close attention to him...I am guessing that the sanitizer was not fully dry, and because he was crying he must have rubbed it into his eye. He complained of his eye hurting, and it only got worse, and he cried for at least an hour. We thought of rinsing his eye out, but we didn't think he would cooperate with us...although hindsight we wish we would at least tried! He seemed to be OK after about an hour or so, but the following day, his eye was really puffy. I called the after hour clinic, and they said to just keep an eye on it, as long as it isn't infected, he should be OK. Then on Monday, it didn't look any better, it actually seemed worse! So I made an appointment with the Dr. He basically said the same thing as the nurse the previous day. Finally, Tuesday afternoon, it started to look better! Needless to say, I will be SUPER careful using this stuff for now on, and probably will stick with wipes for a while! In fact, after explaining what happened to Liam's teacher, his school is reconsidering the whole sanitizer stuff at the school...Here is a picture of Liam's eye, it was taken 2 days after he got it in his eye....poor guy!

Update on Life

2010-09-19T08:43:00.001-07:00

So far Liam is doing well in school. The first couple of weeks were a bit of an adjustment, and we often wondered if he wasn't quite ready. He cried when I dropped him off, and he would say he doesn't want to go. But then when I picked him up he was happy...And then on some days he would say he wants to go, and to see Miss Emily. Since school is in the afternoon he does tend to be more tired, and his naps now are hit and miss from day to day, and I suppose that is partly the schedule change and partly he is getting closer to the age where he will be dropping his nap. Although, a couple of weeks ago he fell asleep around 4:30 pm for his nap and when we went in his room to wake him up for dinner, he was OUT! We couldn't wake him and wondered if we should try harder to wake him, or just let him sleep. We were concerned that he would wake in the middle of the night, but we took a gamble and let him sleep....well I think we made the right decision because he not only slept for the whole night, he ended up sleeping for 15 hours! That was a first ever, guess he really needed some sleep?! We even were able to get some pictures...

Rowan is now 9 months, and is ALL over the place! She is standing, clapping, 'talking', playing, dancing, showing her independence-and even doing things she knows we don't want her doing?! We are shocked that she has learned this rebellion at 9 months...doesn't seem like Liam started that till over a year old. The older she gets the more we realize how similar she is to Liam, and how much trouble we are going to be in...Right now they are both very cute to each other, but we think that the older they get the more they will clash...We are enjoying their sweetness to each other as much as we can...and hopefully we are wrong and it will last forever : )

This picture was taken earlier this month (9-5-10)...you can tell how proud she is of her standing. Now a couple of weeks later she is cruising, and walking across the room with the help of her lion walker. This girl is going to be walking on her own before we know it!

Liam's First Day at Pre-school

2010-08-26T07:15:00.000-07:00

So Liam had his first day of preschool this week. Unfortunately, our 'old' camera was on a manual focus setting that I didn't realize till later, but thankfully I had my phone with me and grabbed a few pictures. I couldn't get him to look at me either...but I still think he's cute!

Here is Liam standing outside his school...

Here is Liam in his classroom...

They had some toys out for the kids to play with while the parents dropped them off in class for the first day...a few of the kids were crying, as to be expected. Liam looked rather confused, and a little withdrawn. This is the first time he's been in a setting like this with other kids. The room was pretty chaotic, and I stayed with him until class started. I'm not sure he even noticed me leave the room...he sat here playing with the toys.

When I picked him up he seemed happy to see me. Some of the things he said he did was play with crayons, saw some kids...he also mentioned that he made Miss Emily cry, which I hope is just in his 2 yr. old imagination!

Rowan's 7 Month Professional Pictures

2010-08-21T14:02:00.000-07:00

CLICK HERE TO SEE SLIDE SHOW OF PICTURES

Pre-School

2010-08-19T19:42:00.000-07:00

So for the past several weeks as we drive by Liam's school I will point it out, or Liam will. A couple of weeks ago we got an e-mail announcing who Liam's teacher will be...Miss Emily. He has been very excited to meet her, but unfortunately he came down with a cold, and we didn't want to expose him to the other kids, especially right before the first day of school. So Mike and I went to meet his teacher, and she was kind enough to let us take this picture for him. He seems to be on the mend, so we are crossing our fingers he will be ALL better for his first day of school next week!

(BTW, come to find out she went to high school with Mike...small world, eh?!)

Happy 8 Months to Rowan!

2010-07-26T10:40:00.000-07:00

Well Rowan is now crawling! She's not too fast yet, but getting there! We had our pictures done on Friday. There was a communication issue, and she ended up being an hour late! And with young kids, an hour is a huge deal! Rowan wasn't as happy as she usually is. Partly she was tired from being up from her nap for over an hour, and partly I think she was overwhelmed by it all. Liam was wanting to be around the action, and like a 2 yr. old was getting in the way. Mike had to chase him around and try to keep him from messing with the equipment. She almost got a super cute picture of him, but her battery was low, and the light didn't go off. Despite it all, I do think she managed to get several cute pictures of Rowan. Rowan really started to smile when I picked her up, so I think she got some good ones of me and her. Sadly, though after about 90 min. the kids were pretty fed up, and we were not able to get a good family picture! Also, we totally forgot to get a 'Dad and Rowan' picture too. Man it was so much easier to do Liam's 7 month pictures with just one baby! Anyway, Mike's cousin has offered to do some family shots for us, so we are looking forward to finally getting a good (or as good as the kids will let us) family picture!

Update on Life

2010-07-20T07:15:00.001-07:00

Been feeling a little behind on things lately...mainly up keeping the house, working, editing pictures of the kids, maintaining the garden, etc. all while making sure the kids are getting enough love and attention as well. It is a juggling act for sure, and I feel like I'm dropping the ball somewhere. I often wonder how people manage more than 2 kids and keep their house running because I am just feeling...well, overwhelmed!

Anyway, I just wanted to write a little update on us, so that morph kid isn't staring at you on the top of the page! Mike and I hired a babysitter for the first time over the weekend. We felt it would be nice not to drive the kids south to our family's house when we are heading north, so we signed up for a babysitter site online and found a nice girl. We wanted someone that was older, not a teenager, and had experience and knows CPR and first aid if anything happened...yes we (or at least me) are picky! We paid a lot for her, but Liam really liked her, and it is nice to know now that we can actually go out for a dinner and movie sometime! We haven't been out to a movie since I was pregnant with Liam, how sad is that?! So below is a recent picture of Rowan...she is sitting like a pro now, which is good because our pictures are this Friday! She is also sitting herself up!! The other picture was sent to me this morning from Auntie Tiff (thanks!) It is a picture of Liam and his cousins eating ice cream at our 4th of July party.

Morph Thing

2010-07-13T07:34:00.000-07:00

Well, this is what the 'Morph Machine' came up with when I put in Me and Mike's picture....I do say our kids are MUCH cuter!

Outing with the Kids at Thanksgiving Point

2010-07-08T19:02:00.000-07:00

So, now that my foot is healed, I have been getting caught up on our pictures, and I realized that I had these pictures from Thanksgiving Point from last month. The day before I went to the Dr., on June 3rd, we met Mike's cousin's family at the Farm at Thanksgiving Point...Liam and his 2nd cousin are only 3 weeks apart, and they just have a great time playing together.

Sadly, Liam was a little scared to ride the horse this time...Mike ended up having to carry him for the ride...Hopefully, it's just a phase!

He had a great time feeding the ducks!

Cute pigs...

This little duck kept following me around, it was pretty funny.

Liam hanging out...

Goat...

Horse...

Liam and Cousin playing...

Liam sitting on bench...

Cute face sitting on bench...

Two peas in a pod!

Rowan being a saint in her stroller...

Update on Life

2010-07-01T13:51:00.001-07:00

Well, the summer is flying by. June was kinda a bummer month because my foot was healing, It is still not 100%, but it is getting better everyday. I miss wearing sandals...and because I can't wear sandals I am also stuck wearing pants too...Oh well! At least it's over with and we can move on.

I have a bag in my closet that I have been slowly putting unworn/unwanted clothes in, and I hope to make some more room for new clothes! I have a tendency to hang onto things for no good reason, but I am really trying to simplify my closet. Even though our house is bigger than the townhouse, our closet space is sadly smaller...and as such I really just need to do a good purging!! Wish me luck :)

It's July already, and I told Mike today that I couldn't believe that Liam will be starting pre-school next month?!?! I hope he does OK. It will be in the afternoon which is when he starts to get tired, so we will just have to see how he does. Thankfully, the school is very accommodating and will work with us, if we have any problems. I do have him on the morning 'wait list' so perhaps there might be an opening. Anyway, Rowan turned 7 months on June 26th! And she is just changing so much all the time...I will be posting updates of both of them soon on their totsite....anyway, here is a really cute picture of them.

My Phobia

2010-06-29T08:05:00.000-07:00

So I'm going to preface this blog post again saying that I am a bit of an oddball...but here is my thing...I have become a germaphobe, and it has escalated since we have had kids. I wasn't much of one as a kid, in fact I used to run around all summer barefoot, and had black soles until school started up in the fall. I know I never liked using public restrooms as a kid, and would try to hold it all day at school. But, I never really worried that much about germs until I started doing animal rescue. I saw how easily the animals would catch things, even after being so careful. I spent a lot of time reading up on diseases and such, and proper disinfecting techniques. Then it got even more crazy when we had a baby, which also coincided with people using Purell and disinfecting wipes more. And then when I was pregnant with Rowan, the swine flu broke out, and now I am even more conscientious about germs. I'm not as bad as Monk, and you won't see me on that new show on A&E 'Obsessed', but I am enough of one that I drive my husband crazy!

Anyway, Rowan is now at the age that she is going to be crawling around, and putting more things in her mouth and I have this urge to get the carpet cleaner out now, but I am going to wait till after our party this weekend : ) Anyway, if it were up to me I would ask everyone at the door to please take their shoes off, but I find it a bit awkward to do so, but I do try to have people take them off when they go up to our second floor which is where the kids mostly hang out and play. I know I am a little weird about this, but I did a little google search on 'shoes and babies' and came across a blog 'Etiquette with Miss Janice' and she had a post titled: "How Dirty Are Your Shoes?"

She had a few interesting points:
There are several benefits to removing shoes at the front door:
~Children play on floors...think about all the dirt, pet excrement, insects, pesticides and others chemicals that are tracked in with shoes; it's disgusting!
~You will not have to clean your floors as often.
~Shoes can scratch wood floors.

The first point is my main concern now that Rowan will be crawling...anyway, she (the blogger) was interviewed on the subject by Good Morning America, and after reading that article and finding out that shoes do in fact carry all sorts of bacteria, it made be feel that maybe I'm not as much of an oddball after all ;)

Snips and Snails, and Puppy Dogs Tails

2010-06-23T14:00:00.000-07:00

OK, I need to preface this story by saying that I do know that I am a bit of an oddball, but hey that is what makes me, ME. Last night after Rowan had just gone down for bed, we took Liam outside for a bit to play. Mike was watching after Liam, so I decided to get the cushions out for our lawn furniture. We had put the covers in the storage bin the night before because I had hosed down the frames. Anyway, after Liam was in bed, Mike ran to Lowe's to get some new shades for the pergola and pick up dinner since it was so late. I went back out to cover all the chairs and one of the covers had a snail on it! It startled me a bit, and I didn't know what to do with it. I didn't want to kill it, but I had remembered Mike saying they were not good for gardens. I thought of putting it in the bug jar for a while, but I didn't know what they needed and didn't know if it would survive. I walked it down the road to an area that no one really takes care of...There are 2 large trees and some weeds. After Mike got home, I had mentioned it to him, and then he told me it probably wasn't a great place for it because it's really dry over there, and it would probably dry up. I felt kinda bad, and decided to go back to see if I could find it. Mind you, it's 10:30 pm. I took a flash light with me, and as I was looking around, I realized this area is where all the dogs and cats crap! POOP is everywhere! And the ground is pretty sandy, and the weeds are dead. I look for quite a while trying to be careful not to step on the poor guy or the poop. I was about to leave, but I shinned the light under one of the trees and see him! I can't believe I actually found him, but he was all sandy, and I thought he might have died already, but I placed him in the container and as I was walking home he started to climb around again. I found a place for him in the flower bed away from the garden. Anyway, I tell this story because I am trying to teach Liam to be kind to creatures big and small. And I also think stuff like this can be a fun learning lesson for kids. So next time we come across one, we can let Liam look at it and teach him some interesting facts about them. I did a google search on them, and learned a few things myself!

Snails can live up to 5 to 10 years. Some have been known to live up to 15 years.

They have the reproductive organs of both males and females which categorizes them as hermaphrodites. However, the myth that they can create offspring on their own is false. They must mate with another and then both of them will have the ability to lay eggs.

Snails don’t see very well so they have to rely upon their good sense of smell to help them find their prey. They also aren’t able to hear.

Garden snails can move about 55 yards per hour. While they don’t move fast, they do move at a very steady pace. They are believed to be one of the slowest creatures on the entire Earth.

They are nocturnal animals which means most of their movements take place at night.
http://www.snail-world.com/Snail-Facts.html

I also found a series of 'Back Yard' books on Amazon that teaches about all sorts of backyard creatures like snails, bees, ants, etc. I'll have to get some for Liam because he is so interested in those kinds of things right now...cause that's what little boys are made of : )

Kiddo's Update

2010-06-18T21:16:00.000-07:00

Liam's new favorite word is 'Nope', and he is starting to want to pee in the toilet now. He has done it a few times in the big toilet, but tonight he actually sat on his Elmo toilet. He has a hard time relaxing enough to let it out, but hey it's a start!

Rowan had her first taste of fruit. It was Mango...she had finished her Rice cereal, and was still hungry, and I know it probably wasn't the best idea to start off with Mango, but that is all I had in the house that was left from our previous baby. Anyway, this is a video of our little girl trying a fruit for the first time...she has only had mama's milk and rice cereal until now. This was taken on 6-17-10, she is 6 months. Her expressions are priceless!

CLICK HERE FOR THE PRICELESS VIDEO OF ROWAN EATING MANGO:

I also have uploaded a bunch of video's of the kids on my Vimeo site,
CLICK HERE FOR THE LINK.

Update on My Foot

2010-06-17T09:11:00.000-07:00

Well, my foot is feeling a lot better this week, and I don't need the crutches anymore, thank goodness!! I went in this morning to get the stitches out, but because of where the stitches are, the Dr. felt it would be good to give it another week before taking the stitches out. I'm a little bummed, since I was looking forward to having them out, but I would rather play it safe, and make sure it is good and healed before they come out. He also said to start using my foot, and stretching it as best I can, so that when the stitches do come out that it doesn't split open...yeah that would really suck. Anyway, while I was there I had him take 5 more moles, leaving the grand total to 20! I have to admit it was starting to become a bit of obsession because each time I went, I found new ones (or rather ones I hadn't noticed before), and then Liam would also point them out, but I think it's a good idea that I take a break for while and give my body some time to heal. The remaining ones are really not a big deal, and they are what the Dr. calls 'Angel Kisses', meaning they are harmless. (I will post some progression pics of my foot as soon as I can download them to the computer).

Privacy Issues

2010-06-11T16:59:00.000-07:00

Dear Friends and Family;

I was on whitepages.com today, and I was totally shocked to find that they have a new feature that links your name, address and phone number to your personal profile page, like Face Book and Linkedin! Even if your name is not listed in the phone book, it still links to it. So I had to sign up to whitepages to edit my account. Originally I just wanted to take off the link to FB, but it would not allow me to. So, I ended up having to remove my name and # completely, but the FB link still remains. I sent them an email requesting that they remove that link, but I am not sure if they will, and who knows what other phone listing sites are doing the same, but I feel that this should be completely illegal!

Anyway, since our family has an uncommon last name I am a little more careful about not using my last name on public sites...I DID (past tense) use my last name on FB, but that is because it was a private account where only my friends could see it...but now that phone book listing sites are linking to it, it's not so private anymore. Anyway, I really would like to keep this blog public so that people do not have to sign in to read it, and I think I will still keep it public for now, I just ask that if anyone wants to link to it to please not use my last name. I am really flattered and honored if you do link to it, or would like to but please just use first names, or the name of my blog 4fayz...I guess I'm just a little more paranoid about it now since finding that information on the white pages site. Thanks!

Whack-A-Mole

2010-06-09T12:28:00.000-07:00

Thankfully, I am not talking about this kind of mole! But, I do find the irony in that game 'Whack-A-Mole'...you find one, then you notice another one pop up, that you never noticed before. Anyway, so last summer every time my mom saw me in a tank top she would tell me that I should really have the moles on my shoulders taken off. I was pregnant at the time, so I knew if by chance anything came up malignant, that I would not want to start any Chemo, so I put it off till after Rowan was born. I finally made my first appointment at the end of April. I started with the first 5 biggest ones, then went back a couple of weeks later, did 5 more then asked the Dr. about the one in the arch of my left foot. Of ALL of them, he said that one SHOULD be removed! He also said that it would need stitches, but I would be able to walk still. He said to come back in a month, so last Friday I had the one on my foot taken off.

I think the thing I was most nervous about was the injection in the arch of my foot! And I was right to be nervous, it was very painful! It even stung more than the one in my back when I had an epidural, but really that is not a fair comparison because being in labor really throws your whole pain tolerance out the window. Anyway, they numbed it up really good, and I didn't feel much else except a little pulling when he was stitching it up. He said it was pretty deep and that they had to do internal stitches as well as external ones. He also figured I had it most of my life, since it was so deep. I do know that I have had it since I was a kid because I remember that my brother has one in the same spot, but on the opposite foot. So for the rest of the day I was able to walk OK, but just with a limp. However, the following day all the numbing medicine was gone, and I could not walk on it AT ALL, even with the pain medication! The arch of the foot stretches if any weight is put on it at any point, and anytime I tried to put any weight on it pulled on the stitches, and was very painful. Thankfully, my mom had lent me her crutches because I don't know how in the world I would have done anything! Mike took over everything the whole weekend, the kids, the house and me! He is a Saint!

Then on Monday, I just didn't feel healed enough to go to work, so I took a sick day. My mom and Mike's mom came over to help with the kids. I am very grateful to them for their help. Then on Tuesday I decided to go to work, and man was it a LONG day. I usually leave work around 2:30-3:00 pm, but since I can not carry the kids inside the house, I have to work late the rest of this week so that Mike will be home to get them. I can tell that it is feeling better each day, but I still try to not put too much pressure on it because I don't want to pop any stitches out, plus I think the less I use it, the quicker and better it will heal. This experience has really given me a lot of sympathy and empathy for others that have to use crutches, or a wheelchair. My upper arms are pretty sore, and the leg that I am using is sore,and my hands are sore from holding onto the crutches too! And my knees are bruised and sore too from crawling on the floor! Everything is 10 or 20 times harder to do, and it wears you out pretty quickly too. I will be so glad to get the stitches out at the end of next week!! I really hope that it is benign, and that my foot heals OK...there are just so many nerves and muscles in your foot...I appreciate the arch of my foot so much more now.

Rowan's First Rice Cereal

2010-05-31T15:22:00.000-07:00

She seemed to go right for the spoon...then not so sure what to do after it was in her mouth...then she started blowing bubbles...lots ended up on her bib...but first time out, not so bad.

Liam's Day Out With Thomas

2010-05-30T15:39:00.000-07:00

Several weeks ago we purchased some tickets to take Liam to go on a ride with Thomas the Tank engine. He has loved Thomas since he turned 2 years old. We decided to leave Rowan with Grandma because we figured it would be easier, plus we thought it would be good for him to have a 'Liam Day' where he gets to hang out with Mom and Dad all by himself! It was a bit of a hectic morning trying to get everything and everyone ready to go, but we managed to be in the car at 9 am on the dot...as we were backing out, I had a sinking feeling that we were forgetting something, but that is not unusual for me...so then we got to the event, and realized that Mike had forgot to grab the battery off the charger to our brand new camera that we got last night! It was a bummer, but thankfully we had our video camera, plus my little camera. The quality isn't as great obviously, but as you can see there is no shortage of pictures of Liam!

Liam playing with the trains.

Liam riding Thomas the Train.

Liam in the maze.

Liam and Dad in front of old locomotive.

Liam and Dad in front of Thomas the Train.

Liam playing with trains...again.

Testing Out the New Camera...How Does it Look?

2010-05-29T18:27:00.000-07:00

Rowan's 6 Month Check-Up

2010-05-28T18:38:00.000-07:00

Rowan had her 6 month check-up today. I had a couple questions on the questionnaire that I was not sure of. One was does your baby act differently around strangers, this can include staring, frowning, withdrawing or crying...since she is not around a lot of new people, I wasn't sure how to answer the question so I left it blank, and figured we might find out how she is around the Dr. She was fine when he first walked in, I had her on my hip, then all of a sudden she burst out crying...then I told the Dr. well now I know how to answer that question on the sheet! It was so cute!

Here are her new stats:
15 lbs. 8 oz. (39.86%)
Length: 25.5 inches (40.74%)
Head: 17.25 inches (85.05%)-as you can see her head is still BIG, just like Liam's!

Below is a link to a cute video of her while we were waiting for the Dr.
VIDEO OF ROWAN'S 6 MONTH CHECK-UP

Mom and Me 25 Weeks Comparison Pictures

2010-05-24T15:53:00.000-07:00

So we attempted to dress the same as in Liam's Mom and me picture to compare their size at 25 weeks...I think Liam looks a little bigger, but I think part of that is his big head;) Anyway, Rowan is now starting to be like her mom and is squinting at the camera flash. It makes for taking pictures a bit difficult, but here are a couple of ones that I think are cute!

Penguins at the Aquarium

2010-05-23T13:01:00.000-07:00

Today we finally decided to check out the penguins at the aquarium. They arrived in March, but we wanted to wait for the crowds to die down a bit...it was still a bit busy for a Sunday, but not too bad. When we got there we went straight back to the exhibit. Liam really loved watching them! For the first 20-30 minutes he really enjoyed looking at all the different animals. We were so excited that he actually wanted to see them, rather than run wild like he usually does. Then we went to the stingray tank, and he put his hands in to feel them...he did that for a while, then one of them spooked him a bit when he touched it. He jumped and screamed a bit, then he would not put his hands in anymore. After that, he kinda had a melt down, and was sitting on the floor and pouting. When we started to walk away, his feet magically started to work again! He started to run around like a mad person again, and shortly after that we decided it was time to go...Rowan on the other hand was a perfect angel :) Even after being woke from her nap from the car ride up, she just was content to hang out in her stroller and smile...we are so lucky that she is so easy going! All in all it was a fun trip, and I can't wait to go back to see them again. (By the way, in the video you will see Liam and a little girl (to the left of him), she is in Liam's gym class, as well as her twin brother...kinda funny running into them today.)

VIDEO OF THE PENGUINS AT THE AQUARIUM

Update On Life

2010-05-09T18:46:00.000-07:00

Well Spring is finally here!! And it's Mother's Day Today! I took a few pictures in the yard to celebrate spring and mothers!

Pretty Pink blossom on our tree...

Ladybug hanging out on the peach tree.

Taking the kids out in the new double stroller...

Rowan turned 5 months on April 26th!

She loves her new Jump-a-roo!

And she found her feet!

Surprisingly, Liam didn't fight his new 'Cars' helmet and pads...

Loving his new trike.

Looking cool in his shades (well, dad's shades).

He climbed in when dad wasn't looking...does not realize he is WAY too BIG!!!!

Gym Class Video

2010-05-03T10:37:00.000-07:00

I just opened up a You Tube account to share our video's...I'm still learning if/how you can import them here, but below is a link you can use to see the first one.

Gym Class Video

The above video (link) was taken on May 1, 2010 at Gym class. LT is 2 yrs,4 mo old and he loves to run and jump. He has lots of energy, and has little fear. In this short video, his teacher drops him into a foam pit....he loves it!

I did figure out how to embed, but for the blog, I kinda like the link better, it keeps it cleaner looking, so here is the link to the 2nd video...it was taken the same day at the gym and is of Liam jumping...

Liam Jumping Video

P.S. I also uploaded a bunch of new video's (older ones, that haven't been uploaded till now) to our Vimeo site, you can see them HERE

Earth Day: Getting All Philosophical

2010-04-28T16:18:00.000-07:00

Well Earth day was last week, and it has got me thinking about the ideals that we would like to instill in our children. Liam is at that impressionable age now that what he learns now will form and shape who he will become when he is grown. One of the main lessons in life that we hope both our children learn is the importance of the Golden Rule; do to others what you would like to be done to you. I think this is one of the most important ethical codes that everyone should try to live by. I also believe that it should go beyond 'others' and extend to the Earth, and other living creatures. Teaching children to have respect for other living 'things' whether it is another person, a dog, a tree or even an insect is the first step in teaching that child to have empathy. In celebration of Earth day last week, I ordered a handful of 'Be Kind to the Earth' books as well as a book on bugs, so he can learn about the different kinds of bugs. Liam LOVES to be read to, and we look forward to teaching him some valuable lessons.

Tulip Festival 2010

2010-04-27T10:05:00.001-07:00

Last year we bought a membership for Thanksgiving point at the first of May, and we missed the Tulip Festival by just a week. So I have been waiting for an entire year to go and take some pictures. My new found hobby is taking macro pictures of plant life. Here are a few of my favorites.

And the most beautiful of all! I love her eyes in this one.

I was not able to get any pictures of Liam because he is a very fast 2-year old, and now thinks it's a fun game to run away from mom and dad! Seriously, I think that kid will end up doing some kind of sport that involves running, he is just too fast. How do you train your kid to stick by you? It just isn't safe to be running off like that, especially in big crowds. And the harness/backpack thing does not work because he just pulls on it till he falls over. Anyway, training him to stick by us is going to be a work in progress, and we are open to ideas.

20 Week Mom and Me pics

2010-04-20T07:18:00.001-07:00

Family Dinner

2010-04-19T07:29:00.001-07:00

In our family Mike does most of the cooking, and even 2 nights a week his mom is nice enough to send us home with a prepared meal. I get home now around 3:30pm, and I try to get something done around the house; dishes, laundry, take the garbage out, pump milk for Rowan and/or I will tend to Rowan if she is awake. On very rare occasions if both the kids are sleeping, I will try to get a nap in. Mike usually gets home around 6-6:30pm and I'm usually trying to feed Liam at this time as well. Then he gets play time sometime around 7pm, and then we try to get him in bed by 8pm. At this time, Mike goes downstairs and prepares our meal and we usually eat around 9pm. We really would like to start eating as a family, but we are just unsure how we can pull off having dinner ready around 6 o'clock when Liam is needing to eat? Yesterday for example, which by the way was Sunday, we attempted to have a family dinner and it turned out to be a complete disaster! I don't even remember when Mike started cooking, I think it was around 6 pm, Rowan was sleeping and I took Liam outside to entertain him. All he wants to do is run in the backyard, but unfortunately he also likes to run on the concrete patio which makes me very nervous, so I took him on a walk. Then we went on another very long walk in the stroller, and by then I needed to kill another 30 minutes, so I took him in the backyard again...unfortunately, this is when he fell in the garden onto some dead weeds. He cried for a bit, I checked his hands, and he seemed OK. We got the bubble machine out, and shortly after is when I noticed his shin was all scratched up, and once he noticed it as well is when it started to really hurt him. By this time dinner was ready, so we cleaned up his boo-boo and put some neosporin on, but he was a wreck by this time, and didn't want to sit down for dinner. Partly, I think he was really tired, and partly he was in pain. So, I plated up dinner and we ate in the playroom. Having kids you just need to adjust your plans around them, and improvise, but I just find it so sad that the one time we really try to have dinner as a family, it blows up in our face! I often wonder just how other families that have two working parents do it?! I guess we will have to keep trying and improvising.

Gym Class

2010-04-18T07:54:00.000-07:00

So since Liam will be starting preschool in the fall, we decided that he needs to get some practice socializing with kids his own age. He tends to run wild and just wants to do his 'own thing' in new situations, and that does not make for a good student, so we took him to a couple of free trial classes at some local kid's gyms. The first one we went to was Gymcats. We got a coupon flyer in the mail announcing their new location. They are VERY close to our house, about a 10 minute drive. He had a great time! He got to try a bunch of new stuff like walk on a balance beam, and slide into a foam pit, and climb a rock wall! Then we went into the larger gym area and he got to hang from some rings, and a rope and jump on a trampoline. The second week we took him to Little Gym. He had a great time there too, running and jumping! Each place had their own benefits, but in the end we decided to sign up with Gymcats because they are closer, and they also offer a shorter 7-week class commitment, which we like because summer is coming, and we'd like to do other things on Saturday. I wasn't able to get any pictures of his trial class at Gymcats because Rowan was awake and needing my attention, but I was able to get a bunch of ones at the Little Gym.

Jumping!

Running...

Jumping some more...Notice in the above picture, all the parents are holding their kid, and Liam is bouncing around like Tigger! That is his personality to a 'T'. He bounced so much he went off the side at least once!

Climbing on bars...

More jumping!

Rowan's 4 Month Pictures

2010-04-12T16:07:00.000-07:00

Our sis-in-law is nice enough to have us over to her families house to take pictures with their equipment...here are a few of our favorites. Thanks Tiffany!

Rowan's 4 Month Check Up!

2010-03-31T19:39:00.000-07:00

Rowan had her 4 month check up today.

Weight: 13 lbs. 13 oz. (51%)

Length: 24.3 inches (48%)

Head: 16.4 inches (67%)

Here is a recent favorite picture of Rowan

We were doing Mom and Rowan pictures, and Liam came and sat down next to me. Usually we have to pin him down for pictures, but he's starting to get the hang of it now : ) I love this picture...although, we do need to get someone to help us get a whole family picture next time!

House of Cards

2010-03-30T19:26:00.000-07:00

Back before kids, which seems like a lifetime ago, the time change affected me for a day or two...these days with a toddler AND and an infant it seems like I'm still trying to get back to normal a month later?! Raising young kids feels like building a house of cards, and if you take out one little card, the whole thing just falls apart! Anyway, I've never been a fan of debt and sleep debt isn't any different...I hate it! Hopefully in another month or so we will finally be back to normal : ) Another thing I've noticed about the time change is, it seems like toddlers are not on 'time' schedule, more on the schedule with the sun. Liam tends to be ready for bed when the sun goes down...which will make for an interesting summer when it doesn't get dark till after 9 pm!

The Owl Box

2010-03-25T09:43:00.000-07:00

I heard about this link on one of my podcasts. It is live streaming video of a mother owl. As of today, 2 of her eggs have hatched, and 2 more will hatch soon. I thought it was pretty cool!

(Click Link Here to See Owl and her Babies)

2 Isn't All Terrible

2010-03-24T07:58:00.001-07:00

We had a pretty good day on Sunday. Mike made breakfast with blueberry pancakes, hash browns, and 'sausage'. It really depends on Liam's mood if and what he will eat on any given day. We usually give him a little syrup with his pancakes, sometimes he will eat it, sometimes not. Same with the hash browns...although he does like the veggie sausage! This particular morning he asked to try the ketchup...he actually liked it with his hash browns and ended up eating ALL his food. Then for lunch he had a little ketchup with his veggie dog.

After breakfast I was feeding Rowan, and Mike was watching Liam. He likes to go in our bathroom and turn on the water to the tub. Then he asked to take a shower. He LOVES bath time, but generally doesn't like water in his face, so we were unsure how he would react to the shower. Mike decided to give it a try. We both figured he would want out as soon as he got in, but to our surprise he actually enjoyed it, and did very well with the water in his face. He spent the time in there using the squeegee on the glass, pretty funny! After that we took him to the aquarium. He hadn't been there since his birthday party in November. He usually just wants to run around like a mad person, today wasn't any different, but he actually stopped a few times to take a look at the fish this time. Anyway, 2 is definitely a difficult age, but they have their good days too!

Bender Ball Review

2010-03-23T11:29:00.000-07:00

After our first baby, I did not start to work out regularly till he was about 9 months old. After about 4 months of working out regularly, I was back to my pre-pregnancy weight, but not my ideal weight goal. The tummy area was not where I wanted it to be either, but I didn't stress over it because by then we were planning our 2nd baby. This time round I worked out a lot more during my pregnancy, and it really has paid off because I am almost back to my pre-pregnancy weight and it's only been 4 months! I am not stressing too much about getting to my ideal target weight right now because I am still nursing/pumping and I don't want to mess with my production, but I am focusing on my trouble spot, the tummy! I HATE doing crunches because it hurts my neck and back. I have seen other products that claim to help with the movement, but they often had mixed and/or negative reviews, and were pretty spendy too. So when I saw the 'Bender Ball' infomercial it really caught my eye. It was fairly inexpensive, and overall had decent reviews online. Although I do have to mention that a lot of people said NOT to buy it from their site because they will automatically sign you up for their monthly DVD program, and the customer service to fix the problem stinks. Amazon carries it online...but I was also able to find it at our local Target. The ball was about $20 and it came with 3 work-out DVDs. I have done crunches on my own with it, as well as the program a couple of times, and I have to say I am already feeling a difference. The ball is nice because it supports you enough to where your neck isn't getting bent, but you still need to use your abs so they get a good work out. I will keep it up and report again in a few weeks!

Turbo Snake Review

2010-03-22T09:34:00.000-07:00

I don't know why, but I often get sucked into those 'As Seen On TV' type ads on TV. Even if I have no interest in them, for some reason I find them entertaining. I rarely buy the stuff, but if something catches my interest, I will get on google or Amazon and read reviews on it. My husband generally thinks if it's on an infomercial, it is generally crap, and he teases me for watching it sometimes...I do admit, most of the time he's right, but once in a great while you will find a decent product. I have found a couple lately that are worth mentioning. The first one is called 'Turbo Snake'. I have long hair, and my bathroom sink tends to get clogged. We have both tried to get the drain to come out so we can fish it out, but for some reason it won't come out, and we don't want to break it or cut our self, so I have tried Draino several times. It helped a little, but did not fix the problem for good. I also hate the idea of using harsh chemicals that go down the drain into our water system. So, when I saw this infomercial for the Turbo Snake I was pretty interested. It works around the drain, so that was a plus. I decided to get on Amazon, and read several reviews. It was pretty mixed, but overall positive. I figured for $10, it would be worth trying. It took several attempts to get the gunk out, but I was able to get quite a bit out, and my sink has been working well for several weeks now.

3 Piece, Turbo Snake Set, Includes: Sink Snake, Shower & Tub Snake & Storage Hook, Slow Drains, Fixed Fast, No More Chemical Drain Cleaners, Instantly Clears Slow Moving Drains, Flexible Design No Need To Remove Drain Stopper, For Bathroom Sinks, Showers & Tubs

I also noticed it is on sale on Amazon.com for $1.49 plus S&H. I would definitely recommend having this product around your house!

(The other product I saw on TV was the 'Bender Ball'...I will write a review soon)