6 Nights In...

CANCUN! :)

I am so in love with my husband of Almost 10 Years
& SO EXCITED for our anniversary trip!
After a great cook-out with Matt & Alli, opening Jermie's birthday gifts
and having birthday cake with the boys,
Jermie & I got online and decided to book a trip
that had an April 30th deadline
& we got an amazing deal!
An amazing deal that is ~unbelievably ~
Right Around The Corner!!!

Leaving: Tuesday, May 12th - 6 a.m., Kansas City Airport
Arriving: 6 1/2 hours later in Cancun!
Staying at the Oasis ~ photos above!
Returning: After 6 nights (!!) on Monday, May 18th - around midnight :)

(Pinch Me ~ is this real?)

4-29

Happy Birthday Love!

Today is Jermie's Birthday!
I'm excited - hope we have a great cook-out tonight & that we'll get to spend time with several of our friends this weekend. Gifts and menu are Ready! The boys have done some arts and crafts to give him - handprints on a special birthday card. I've got some sweet things ready to bake this evening and birthday candles (but probably not 33 of them!)

Now, how do I make it 5 o'clock already? :)

I love the ZOO!

So, this weekend Jermie went to Lincoln, NE for his high school reunion - 15 years. He said again this morning how good it was to see and talk to everyone, he stayed in a really cool suite, had a great time, and surprised us by arriving home early on Sunday morning!
This Thursday he has a Birthday ~ he would love for me to say it's his 28th, but that's how old I am he's 4 years older than me! :) Birthday Plans: Matt & Alli down on Thursday night; Party at our house on Saturday night. I Can't Wait!
We had Company this weekend - Grandma Ludwig - and the boys were so excited! She got here Saturday morning, and we loaded up in the van and went to garage sales in Oxford. I found Gabe next year's winter coat and both boys some clothes, also a pair of sandals for each of them. Some random toys we let them pick out at a sale we went to downtown - we all walked around their little car show - the boys were most interested in the Ambulance! :-) Then we went to Matt & Alli's and had pizza for lunch - the boys were excited to see Kaden! Then we all went to the zoo ~ Always So Much Fun! I love the zoo! We had to run out of the zoo when it started raining late in the afternoon though! The boys loved the excitement of getting rained on and I guess it made it so we didn't have to drag them out kicking and screaming! :)
At Carlos O Kellys we all got to relax a little. Gabe was So tired by then though - he didn't nap and had been practically running all afternoon - so he fell asleep on Grandma's shoulder at the restaurant. There was no keeping him up, either! (precious.)
Anways, a lot of rambling just to say: We Had a Great Weekend! :-)

and last but not least, a photo taken on the way home. I had to pull over ~ the skies were just so amazing. Most of the really big storm clouds had broken up at this point, but still, I really enjoyed driving home with such beauty around us.

I wish we could skip Summer and make Spring last a few more months!

PhotoBook!

All my free time is going to WinkFlash right now, where I'm putting together a photo book of Gabe's first year. Less than a week to complete it & I just finished the 4 month pages!

Love you all, but expect me to be MIA for awhile. Nothing too exciting happening here anyways. :)

Congratulations!

Congratulations to Brandy & Alfredo ~ proud new parents of a healthy baby girl born earlier today. Appreciated getting a text from Brandy tonight announcing that Macy Alexis had arrived! (What a sweet name!) Seemed like an appropriate time to (finally) post these pics from last week when we went over and had dinner at their house. Brandy was looking great, glowing, and carrying that huge belly very well! Gabe insisted on pulling Brandy's shirt up and said with amazement, "Wow! You've got a baby in there for real!" The kids were cute playing together ~ Mya is such a petite little girly! Glad Brandy & Alfredo have had another so there can be double dates instead of my two boys fighting over Mya! ;)

the blink of an eye

This week has been fueled with all kinds of emotions. Work has been a total frenzy - non-stop - and will be that way until after school is out. Home has had some difficulties - Ashton is getting in 2-4 new teeth - 2 on top and 2 on bottom - running a fever, runny nose, super clingy, won't hardly eat... Both boys up and down through the nights. Gabe started the week off with a cough, and is feeling okay now... Sleeping has been hard for me this week - things on my mind, neighbor's barking dog, too hot, too cold, kids awake, kids coughing, checking fevers, getting medicine, etc, etc. It's always hard when your boys are sick.

I am so Ready for this Weekend. And I don't think I am going to the Circus in Salina (sorry Jamie) so I don't think I have any plans... any suggestions? Anyone know of any city-wide garage sales? :-)

Here's a run down of my day: Work: errands, a committee meeting that was rampant with suggestions but low on volunteers to help with the work, followed by some critical emails I sent out that were not returned... But I leave work early. Whew!

4:15 p.m., we sign & E-file our taxes. :-) (4-15 - Tax Day!)

Tonight was a fun family night - a special one for Gabe. We pick him up early and go to Braums, he loves it. Just him and mom and dad. Cool. Then we come home and change and head out again Gabe's pre-school open house - he is So excited! He has been talking about school for So long and can't wait to start Pre-School!

The first class of parents going through orientation is full so we wait, Gabe plays with all ages of kids and is having a great time. Jermie and I end up talking to the principal of another pre-school and end up pretty impressed with their program! Then orientation for us, get Gabe out of the play room, go out to Grandma Peggy's to get Ashton (who has a fever) and come home.

Here's my sad but true moment: I was waiting at the Pre-School and looking over all the cutesy enrollment packet - his First list of School Supplies, checklists of Dentist and Vision appointments we need to make, etc... And at some point I kind of teared up (but held it all in.) I mean, is my son really almost 4 and almost starting School? So crazy!!! I just can Not believe how fast it goes! When I look at him, I have all the confidence in the world that he will do well and love it and will be so happy...

I never guessed I'd be that mom who cries at her son's first day of Kindergarten - but I Guarantee that's Me! Guaranteed. :-)

Not that I'm complaining... It's all good... couldn't be better... unless it could all just slooooow down for awhile!!!

My boys are Amazing. Ah-ma-zing. I am the luckiest mom in the world. I just want to keep them little... but by the summer they'll both be big boys. A toddler and a pre-schooler.

sigh.

That went by in a Blink!

Easter Portraits

4 Boys Almost 4 & Under

Gabe, Ashton, Quintin & Kaden... Sure wish Bill, Summer & the kiddos could have made it!

No time to chat but wanted to share some pics of our Easter weekend. xo

Big Boy Ashton

Ashton is struggling with being the little brother...

This week I put a booster seat in the van for Gabe. He can still sit in the built-in seat, but he complains it is too tight... So, he gets the booster seat put in. Without fail, Ashton has leapt into the van to get his butt planted on that seat every time since I've put it in - and then, of course, begins screaming and crying when I move him over so his brother can have it.
Problem solved - I've put his regular seat in the van. It's rediculously big and bulky. It makes it hard for Gabe to get in and over to his seat. It's harder for me to lift Ashton into it... but it's there and he's happy.

Ashton has been sitting in Gabe's chair at the table on and off lately. Last night he totally buckled his legs and would not let me sit him in his high chair. okay.
Problem solved - He's moved into the booster chair and out of the high chair. Crazy kid. He was so happy last night sitting up straight in his little booster chair...

Ashton has been pulling his pants down for a long time now. Some of you know this from experience but both my boys are quite the exhibitionists! For Ashton, lately this has led to him taking off his diaper too. Oh, you ought to see those smiles. It's like being a little 'Naked Ned' is the best thing in the world. So you can imagine the fits that come when I inform him he is going to put his diaper back on...
Last night Ashton was put to bed in a diaper and jammies, but by the time Jermie went up to check on him he was sleeping naked. About an hour later, he was crying because he had just wet the bed! Ugh! (I didn't know he was sleeping naked until after I got him back to sleep and Jermie told me...) But, again, Ashton was upset because we had to put a diaper on... So, I put a pair of Gabe's undies on over the diaper. Ashton was content and asleep in no time. This morning he was prancing around the house, and Gabe thought it was pretty cool too!! :-) Ashton even wore the big boy undies/diaper combo to Grandma Peggy's and was proud to show off in front of her!!

Oh my. Is my baby boy growing up on me or what!?

Super Heroes Don't Eat Dinner

Mom, I will not eat that … Because I am a Super Hero! … And I will Save the City! … Come on Dinosaurs, Save the City!! … I think a Super Hero needs a Popsicle because I got hot today with all my working and fighting away the dragon. … A popsicle would be a good dinner for a Super Hero. … Come on Dinosaurs, eat your popsicles & how about a brownie? That is Super Hero food! … Yes it is! Mom, have you ever seen a Super Hero eat his dinner, or anything? No you haven’t! …

Gabe is pretty difficult at the dinner table because he does about everything except Eat. Even when he likes what we are having, he wants to talk, blow bubbles in his milk, bother his brother, talk more, worry about the cat, spin around, etc. Well, last night he did Not like what was on his plate. (An enchilada.) This is also a problem, because he is known for deciding something is ‘gross’ and then not even tasting it – which drives Jermie nuts (so I ‘m pretty sure he gets that from me.)

Sometimes it's a real fight. Other times it truly is funny!

4 Easter Pics

So many great Easter pics to choose from - just you wait and see - but I'll start out with a simple Blogger upload of 4 pics and call it an early night. Above, Ashton with the eggs he has found during the Toronto City-wide Easter Egg Hunt!

Below, Alli, Matt & Kaden... getting so big!

Two bunny buddies - Quintin & Gabe posing for moms before we leave the house Saturday morning. :-)

Shaina, me (short hair! but you can't see it too well...) and Jamie - Toronto Alumni, class of 1999. :-)

Happy Easter!

Happy Easter everyone!

Easter is a big deal with a 2 & 4 year old. Finding hidden eggs is the biggest thing since Christmas, so I'm looking forward to this holiday with a lot of excitement and anticipations - same as the boys!

I know no one likes the mom who won't share pictures of her kiddos - and trust me that's on my list of things to do... But it seems like that To Do list is about as big as it has ever been and so I put it off for another time, yet again.

One thing I can't wait to share - the Easter pictures we had taken last weekend. I know you will love them!

In the meantime though - Happy Easter to everyone - xo.