Road Trip!

We don't do this very often....but we had the chance to take a road trip! Mike and Colleen decided to bless baby Aimee in Utah rather than California, so Mike's family didn't have to travel. That made it possible for us to be there as well...we were so thankful! We took the day before to do a few fun things, and the kids did great all things considered...despite the scorching heat!

Potty Party!

I finally decided to tackle it....Sunday we did an offical "say goodbye to diapers" potty party for Nathan. We just celebrated Matthew's birthday, and Nathan loves all things party....if they are for him at least! So, we did a little party, complete with a little cake (so he had a candle to blow out) and presents. He was delighted to be the center of attention, and we were ready to take the potty world by storm!



Now we're a few days in, and I'm HORRIBLE at this! He's three and a half, but showing no signs when he feels that he has to go, and doesn't seem to be bothered when he's wet. I'm surprised by that...and a little unsure of how to proceed. Sigh.....we'll see how the next few days go, I guess.

Head Injury

So, I've been swamped lately. I mean REALLY swamped. I've had the most difficult time keeping up on everything, and feel like I'll forever be behind. I'm a pretty independent person, so I think it surprised Darrin just a bit when I actually begged him for help one day. THAT'S how overwhelmed I feel. It's been a couple weeks back now, and I pleaded with him to get off of work as early as he could that Wednesday. Wednesday is the day I put all the week's signs together, and it's always a full day. I hoped that by having him home a bit early to go through the evening with the kids, I might be able to get enough done so I could be in bed by midnight. He assured me that he could be home in the early afternoon...no need to stress. I was SO relieved by the thought.

When I got home from errand running at about 5, I was surprised that he still wasn't home. The phone rang shortly after that, and it was his friend, John. The first words out of his mouth: "Darrin's okay, but...." Now, that's the second time in the last few years I've gotten a phone call that started that way. The first time was when Darrin sliced his hand and ended up in the ER. THAT injury required surgery. So John tells me that Darrin "bumped" his head a little bit, but it was being taken care of. I immediately panic, get Papa over here to sit with the kids, and rush off to Dr. Harper's office. I get there just as he's finished up. Here's the story:

Apparently, he stepped on something as he was stepping off the curb, and his feet went out from underneath him before he could even blink. He fell back, and hit the back of his head on the curb. Fortunately, all of this took place in the parking lot of Dr. Harper's new building, so John helped him across the lot, and right into the procedure room. 16 staples and a pressure wrap later, we're on our way home. I immediately signed off on the work that had to be done that week, and had to notify clients that their signs wouldn't ship until Monday instead. Sigh....it's quite a nasty wound, and it makes me crazy to think how much worst it could have been. Things like that tend to put life into a bit better perspective....

A day in the life...

Today has been a WILD one! It's the day I ship signs out, and I am a little bit behind this week. I have spent all morning packing up signs, and basically leaving the kids to their own devices.

Here's what we've dealt with this morning (so far):

Spilled cereal on the living room carpet (dry, thank goodness)
A burp cloth sucked up the vacuum
Cereal down the heating vent
Spilled pink milk in the entryway
Matthew fell and bonked his head
Nathan got a bug bite of some sort just under his eye

I'm going a little bit crazy, and hate that I'm so busy and have to get this stuff done, rather than sitting down and giving the kids the attention they need. Matthew and Naters are both down for naps now, and I'm listening to Matthew sing and talk himself to sleep. Just now, I sneezed a couple of times, and he heard me from his room next door. So, in his adorable voice, pacifier still in his mouth, I hear "Bless you, Mommy" from behind his closed door. I immediately start to laugh, and feel some of that stress melt away. I call back, "Thank you, Matthew." And of course, ever the polite little guy...back comes, "You're welcome, Mommy." He just reminded me why I do this "Mom" thing....the little moments. Thanks little man!

Happy Birthday Matthew!

Happy, happy Birthday our sweet little Matthew! It's CRAZY how fast the last two years have gone. We had a fun little party with the usuals....Nana and Papa, Trev and Missi and the kids, Brad and Katie and the kids, and John and Stacy and the girls. You weren't nearly as interested in your cake this year, but definitely had the present thing down!! We love you so much....bring on the terrible two's! : )

A bit of bragging...sorry!

This post is dedicated to our sweet Emma. School is out now (yay!) but several weeks before school ended, she brought home some information on the 2nd grade spelling bee, along with a list of over 200 words to study. Well, the spelling bee brought back so many fun memories from when I was little, so we set about studying! We went through the list once, and then just focused on the ones that were a little challenging for her. She really seemed to get into it, and was ready (but a little nervous) when the day of the Bee came around.

The first day, they just did some practice Bees in their classroom. She was so exited to come home and tell us that she won both of them! The next day was the real deal in her class. Again, she won both times, for a total of four wins in her classroom. The top four students in each class would compete the next couple of days against the rest of the top second graders. She came home the first day still in the running, and she was feeling good. Well, the final day, I'm not sure who was more nervous....me or her! I showed up at the school to watch her talent show, knowing that the Bee had been decided already. My sneaky little girl tried to tell me that she wasn't going to tell me how it went until she got home from school......THAT definitely didn't fly! Well, she goes over to her backpack, and pulls out the FIRST PLACE medal!! I was blown away!! Not that I doubted her for a second, but there are lots of smart second graders! Words can't even express how thrilled we are for Emma.....she learned an amazing lesson about how hard work pays off!

Just a bit more bragging, and then I'll stop. Along with her final report card came a report on her reading tests from the end of the year. Em has always been an amazing reader, and we're used to her testing above her grade level. But we weren't quite prepared for THIS report! Lil Miss Thing is reading at over a 7th grade level!!! That's in the 98-99th percentile for second graders NATIONALLY! Such an incredible little girl.....all academics aside!! We love you sweet girl!

Father-Son

Once again...I'm way behind on blogging. Sigh....but, the good news, is that I've started a blog for each of the kids, and have been pretty good about keeping up on those. I've given up on ever getting into scrapbooking again, so blogging is the answer! I write each blog directly to the kiddos, and include things that are unique to them. It's been fun!

But, it's also fun to share with everyone, so here are a few pics from the Father-Son a few weeks back. The last time Darrin tried taking Nathan, he wasn't even two years old, and it didn't go so well! He is such a little creature of habit, and couldn't handle sleeping somewhere other than his own bed. After listening to him cry until about 10:30pm...he had enough and drove home!
Fortunately, this year went incredibly well! Nathan really liked the campfire, and sat with Daddy and just watched the flames. Then, Brother Hammar broke out his guitar, and something in him clicked! Darrin said that he was so fascinated by the guitar...he went right up to it as Brother Hammar was playing, and just followed his finger's movements with his eyes. Since then, he's been stealing Emma's mini-guitar as often as she'll let him, and will just sit down and play. He makes up his own songs, or sings one of the many Primary songs that he knows by heart. We love it!! Such a fun little guy!