Creeping up on the big 3-0

I am now one year away from being 'over the hill'. Well, one of many hills that I will creep over, I suppose. It was such a beautiful day and I could not have asked for anything better. I spent the day with my family and friends and it was wonderful! I got to open one present this morning and it was this really cool Alligator pool which the boys and Kathryn spent 3 hours in. I had to drag the boys out of the water at 2pm to make them go down for a nap!

Last year I bought this and we finally got to use it for the first time today! It's a little toddler pool with sprinklers! The boys absolutely loved it!
They even brought their chairs into the pool!

And of course they had to enjoy a little lunch at their picnic table!
Tonight we had a fantastic BBQ with some friends. The best part - Mike planned it and did all of the work! He did all of the cooking and everything. Thank you hubby for making my day special!
My parents got me the most phenomenal chocolate cake from Costco. It was pure heaven. I have decided to start a new tradition and I think I'll get that cake every year for my birthday. Tyler helped me blow out the candles.

Then it was back outside for more fun time. Mike helped Zachary ride the scooter while Tyler drove the Pooh car around and Matthew and Kathryn played catch. I am absolutely loving this summer weather! Although mid-80's is much nicer than the 99 degrees it was for a few days!

I hope you all enjoyed your weekend too!

Chance of Snow?

Highly unlikely, since we've had record highs of 99 degrees the last two days in Salem! But my child, who is really developing and nurturing his independence, decided that snow boots complimented the scorching hot day. He insisted on wearing them all day long, and threw a fit if we tried to change him into his summer sandals. Oh what fun we have ahead of us!!!

Too Good To Be True

Sometimes I think that my life is too good to be true. But then one of my boys comes and gives me a kiss on the cheek and I realize that yes, it is in fact real. I am so lucky. This Mother's Day I have been giving my thanks to God that I have these two precious children that have changed my life in ways I can't even begin to describe. After years of struggling with infertility and feeling that emptiness and the longing for a child, I have been doubly blessed.

Even in the 'not so fun' times of the puking, the times when the boys are fighting with each other and all I want to do is get dinner made, and so on, I still just love them so much I can hardly even describe it. Motherhood is an amazing thing. As I was talking to my doctor this week on the phone about Tyler's allergic reaction to the medicine for his staph infection, he said slightly sarcastically, 'Welcome to parenthood! The fun never stops. Isn't it great?!?' And I said 'yes, it is. Every moment, believe it or not. I love it'. And it's true. Okay, maybe not every moment. But yes, I love being a parent. It is the greatest gift ever.
I am so thankful to my mother and my grandmothers who raised me to be the person that I am today. I am so lucky that my boys will have them in their lives to lead them and guide them into the men they will be someday.

Happy Mother's Day to all of you! Thank you for being a part of our lives!

Medical Mystery

Ever seen the show 'House'? Well, I feel like my life has been an episode of House for about the last 3 weeks. We took Zachary into the doctor for a spot on his leg which turned out to be a little infection, but while there I showed the doctor this weird rash on Tyler and he said 'yeast'. So we started a cream for that. 7 days later, the rash was still there and spreading. Quickly. So, a phone call later, we had a second cream. Well, after 4 days of that, the rash was now up half of his tummy and back, and down to his knees. So, I called yet again and said 'Okay, I know I'm a first time mom, but I'm starting to freak out a little bit here'. So we got a third cream, a cortison one which I was told was the 'strongest'. So, we start on that. And the part around the diaper area seemed to improve, but the weird red spots that had spread were just not getting better. I just had this weird feeling and finally today said, 'we're going back'. So I haul the boys in myself this afternoon and the doctor takes one look and says 'staph infection.' So, we have now started oral antibiotics for the staph infection and still have the cream for the yeast infection. Thank goodness we caught the staph infection this early! Those can be very scary! So after two weeks of trying to figure out why the mystery rash was spreading and which cream is going to work, I think we finally have it under control. Thank goodness for doctors who know what they're doing!

Time Has Flown By....

Gosh, it's been quite a while since I posted anything new on here! We've been really busy lately! Lots of sports, lots of running around, lots of playing outside when we can.....last weekend we went to the Ag Fest and had a great time. The boys loved the animals! Everything that had 4 legs and was furry was 'Dogggggieeeeeee!' to Zachary. It was too cute. He'd squeal with delight every time he touched an animal.

Yesterday I came home from work and found out that while with Grandma, Zachary had learned a new phrase. Much to my dismay, it was not 'Mama, I missed you' or anything like that. He said 'Crap, crap, crap!' Hmmm. Apparently while the boys were playing the grand piano, one of my crystal pianos that sits on it for display got knocked over and broken and my mom said 'crap, crap, crap!' which Zachary instantly repeated. My innocent child has now been corrupted by potty language! ; )

Tonight we played in a Pampers box. Always entertaining.

Zachary loves to touch his nose and say 'noooosh'

Tonight I made hot dog wraps and french fries for dinner. The boys love mustard and ketchup, thanks to their father. I actually stripped Tyler before I put him in his chair because the results were bound to be messy otherwise, along with the shirt getting terribly stained.

Tyler decided to finger paint on his tummy with the condiments