October Madness

Every time I sit down to write I feel like I write to much. I really try not to, it just happens. My fingers are happy. But I also have to remind myself that if someone does not want to read my blog, they won't. I wanted to say thanks to everyone who does read and takes an interest in our "day to day" relatively boring lives. It makes me so happy to see that you read.  With that being said...SORRY FOR YET ANOTHER LONG POST!!!

October came and went faster then any month I think I have ever had. We have had birthday parties and LOTS of Halloween parties and even a wedding..Here is the down low...

#1....Molly turns 4!! Our amazing friends daughter Molly is an amazing  old soul. If you know her you totally know what I mean. She brings out the absolute best in every child she interacts with. Her birthday party was incredible and the kind of party that every little girl would want.  Not kidding when I say she had about 40 kids there!! Now that is popularity. It was also a surprise birthday party and lets just say it was priceless for everyone that saw her. Of course Kevin, the boys and I were about an hour late so that is no surprise that we missed it, but we saw the video and I know they will be playing this daily for years to come.

#2....Ghouls Night Out!! My girlfriend Leah is in love with Halloween and when I say in love with it, I mean its a count down to Halloween every year!  L is an artist so as you can imagine her home is decked out with hundreds of decorations topping off with a wrapped mummy hanging from the ceiling and its all very tasteful. You know you have had a great party when glasses get broke and there was dancing until the early hours of the morning.

#3....Bethany Roo's 1st birthday (Molly's little sister).  This was such a sweet little gathering. It was the kind of birthday party that I always want to throw but I can never seem to get to that point. It was simple. Cake, ice cream, friends. This birthday was perfection. Maybe someday I can make it to that point.

#4....Lindsay and AJ's wedding. We struggled trying to figure out what in the world we were going to do with our children. The ceremony and reception was at the beach which is about 3 hours away from here. There were not going to be kids or at least very many children attending so we did not want to bring Jackson. As we all know he is a handful as most 2 year olds are and did not want any of his tantrums showing off at the wedding. So we arranged for Jack to have his very 1st sleepover... Carol is such a good friend to us and she loves our babies like they are her family, which we need badly. Jackson is in LOVE with her son Michael (he is 4 almost 5) and wants to be just like him. We talked about how he was going to go "night night" there and when he woke up mommy and daddy would come get him. Well it worked. No tears all day/night!! I missed him badly though. I actually  missed him before we even dropped him off. It amazes me how he can drive me so crazy but I can't stand to be away from him.

The wedding however was beautiful. The weather was 75 degrees and sunny...5:30PM, small gathering of friends and family. Very simple and elegant. Lindsay was stunning. She had on one of the MOST amazing wedding dresses I have ever laid eyes on. She sparkled in the sunlight and she had the perfect red lips to match her beauty. Open bar, live band and one amazing dinner to follow. We had a great time but had to cut the party short since we wanted to drive back home that evening so Brecki could sleep. Being in his carseat is such torture for him. We wanted to bypass as much crying as possible.

#5....Harvest Party at school. What ever happened to Halloween parties at school?? I guess its all in the name of religion and afraid of being under fire for offending anyone. I guess this is just the beginning of all of this "politically correct" titles.  I was very excited to go to Jack's class for this party. I actually showered and was there to the school of course 10 minutes late. When I walked into his class they were all sitting around the tables doing a pumpkin craft. It was quiet with just mumbled talking from some of the parents. Jackson saw me and immediately was talking my ear off. "Mamma...mamma....mamma..." He was not so patient waiting for his cupcake but once he got it, he took the tiniest bites. Some of you may have seen Jackson eat but he will eat something for hours. Its like he savors every little bite. Then the kids sat down on the carpet and got white lunch bags with their names on it and trick or treated. Each bag was filled with 1 lollipop, 1 bag of m&ms, and 1 tiny play dough. All Jackson cared about was the lollipop. Before I knew it the party was over. I will say I was very disappointed. #1 There were only a handful of parents there and their are 20 kids in the class!! #2 No music???!! What kind of party is this? I probably should not complain because I did not sign up to be a room mom. I can barely take care of my two kids and do my daily chores then to volunteer right now, but I know they could have had a better party then that. Like maybe some games, songs....etc....It was just so disappointing.

PUMPKIN PATCH-Okay this was not a party but it is an annual event and something we crammed into between parties. Since Jackson was born we have been going out to the same pumpkin patch. It is a quiet little farm about 35 minutes from downtown and 10 minutes from us. Its like a hidden gem of pumpkin patches. Every year we have went with our friend's the Robbin's and have a blast. We tailgate (classy) and then of course do the rounds of playing on the all slides, seeing the animals, playing on all the statues and playing in old combines and tractors. Every year they add more things to do. When Barb and I went a few weeks ago we actually stayed for two hours and it seemed like we were there for just a few minutes. There is definitely not a dull moment to be had. Its so big that it never seems crowded. They have a super cute little store with snack type items and drinks. Jackson loved the slide so much and of course Kevin was not like me and let him go down by himself. SCARY!! Jackson also loved the tractor ride out to the pumpkins. He and Davis had fun picking up every pumpkin they came across.  We got 2 pumpkins and payed less then $5 for them. I look forward to this every year. Brecken seemed unphased. Maybe next year he will be a little bit more interested.

I love this video!

Jackson and Davis...This is trouble!

Oh Hi baby Brecki!

Either one or the other is not happy...all the time.

#6.....Halloween Party #1!! Kids and adults dressed up to the nines! I of course struggled to decide weather or not Jack would wear his actual costume or a pillowcase made into a ghost. I decided to make his ghost costume literally 10 minutes before we were out the door. It was a major disaster. He hated it and we now have one less usable pillowcase in the house. So he wore his pirate costume and I just prayed he wouldn't get it too dirty. We also decided to make fondue to bring over. What we did not take into consideration is that the cheese would separate on the 25 minute drive to the party!! YUCK! Nothing like gritty, crumbly fondue!! I guess its fitting for a Halloween party. When we pulled up to Jackie and Paul's house I could see ghosts hanging from their kitchen chandelier and after hearing the laughter inside the house I could not wait to get my beer glass filled! My friend J is very creative and every holiday is a holiday in her house. Columbus Day, Presidents Day, you name it...If it is on the calendar as a holiday they are celebrating in some way. One the many reasons I love her so much. Halloween being her most favorite holiday, the party seemed to match. The party ended with a dance party in the kitchen, Molly break dancing and Roo raising the roof! Jackson still does sign language and he was signing for MORE MORE MORE!! There is not a better dance party then when you are doing it with your children. My most favorite thing though was the aftermath of crunched gold fish that covered every inch of the floor. Truly a good, memorable time.

#7.....Halloween Party #2!! Kevin and I have trouble asking anyone for help when it comes to the kids. Help even meaning "Please watch our kids so we can have a night of fun!!" We were invited to two adult Halloween parties this year. One party that we LOVE to go to and haven't been in years. But with our end all be all sitter Carol just watching Jackson overnight for the wedding the weekend before we felt we could not ask her again so soon so we can just have a good time.  So we yet declined another party. Luckily our friends Leah and Kyle invited us to a party in their neighborhood with the luxury of Leah's mom coming over to her house to watch all 3 of the children!! A win win. So a sleepover we had!

Kevin has had this idea for costumes for about 4 years. Wow, its been four years since our last dress up as The Morton Salt Girl and Senator Larry Craig.  So here were are dressing up as Sunny and Chair. I will be a sun, and Kevin a chair. On Friday, Kevin asks me to get 7 tubes of wrapping paper so he can make his chair. So I make the trip with both kids to the Dollar Store....After slamming Jack's finger in the car door, opening 3 things of candy in the store to make up for it, and then Breck crying because he is in his car seat we left the store completely frazzled. Brecken of course screaming the entire way home because he was hungry (and he hates his carseat) and when I get home I open the door and all seven tubes of wrapping paper come tumbling out of the car and its raining outside...Its honestly never a dull trip anywhere with two kids. Anyway.....The morning of the party Kevin decides he is NOT going to use the wrapping paper. He is going to make it out of wood. OMG, you can imagine the annoyance I had. But nonetheless, it looks awesome and much better then it would have with the wrapping paper tubes.

The night was crazy. We left at 8 PM after a little struggle to get Jack down to bed. The house was amazing, like truly amazing. It looked like we walked into an actual bar. There was a Flip cup table, a ridiculous full size beautiful bar with a bartender included, two kegs, and a creepy scream guy in the corner not talking to anyone. Kevin's chair made a perfect place for people to set jello shots, beer, and even dirty paper plates.  I was mistaken for a discolored statue of liberty many times and to Kevin's and my dismay we did not get any recognition for our AWESOME costumes. After making it home by 1:30AM asleep by 3AM and up again by 6:30AM to head home with both boys, you can imagine how we felt. My morning consisted of Brecken eating or sucking on his first food (fruit loops) and Jackson walking around the house with eggs. ...yes you heard me. Actual eggs that you cook with. I AM NEVER DRINKING AGAIN until party #8.

Sunny and Chair

Kevin and Leah

Kevin and Kyle!

#8......Halloween Party #3....I guess you can see that my friends LOVE Halloween! Shanna and Dave are no exception. They put so much thought and effort into this party. I was going to go as my go to costume Pocahontas, but I could not find my costume anywhere and in the state of mind I was in after the night before I didn't have much other energy to be creative. But then realized we have a BOB MARLEY costume and with Shanna loving Bob, I knew it was perfect. Even though I looked ridiculous and I was the only other adult dressed up besides the host/hostess, Jackson thought I was cool with my dreads and knit hat. I put Brecken in his chicken suit and Jackson in cowboy boats, a plaid shirt and wrangler jeans and we were off 30 minutes late. :) The house was so beautiful. It really was. Very tasteful and not scary because some of the children are scared of darker side of Halloween.  She had made paper balls and hung them from the ceiling,  her ice cubes were colored bones and eye balls, they had coolers of beer and pitchers of homemade bloody marys. I took it upon myself to have several.  Dave is a bit of a chef and he made some of best slider burgers I have ever had (secret ingredient swiss miss) and to top it off the cheese was in the shapes of ghosts and pumpkins. We ended the party with the kids hitting the pinata, and Caleb, Jack and Lera running wild in circles chasing each other. I LOVE seeing Jack playing with his friends. The smiles on the kids' faces make me want to stay in that moment forever.

Our Hosts! Shanna, Liam, Dave and Caleb



 Yum...

Me, Linda (Baby Eva) and Shanna! I'm not wearing my hideous wig at the moment..

Trying to get a picture of all the kids is HARD!!

LAST BUT NOT LEAST HALLOWEEN!!!

Chili, beer bread and left over bloody mary's to start our night. Jack was a pirate, Breck a chicken, Liam and Caleb as Cookie Monster and his cookie! Super fun and super cute. Jackson was crazed by lollipops. I had mistakenly bought a box at Costco in hopes of helping him with this potty training and well I was right, but unfortunately he eats them for hours (because he is savoring every last lick) and that has to be good for your teeth right?? So I am trying not to talk about them and get the out of the house immediately but on our little evening out they were of course giving them out and guess who wanted them right then and there!! So we had a few tantrums, which my husband deals with  much better then I do. Caleb was adorable with him talking to everyone and wanting to go into everyone's houses. He is such a sweet little boy. I love them all so much. Jackson was mistaked for a girl...not once but twice. I guess its time to get that hair cut again. We missed the culdesac that hands out beer but we saw a really cool projection tv on the side of someone's house. We decided they were showing that awful Halloween movie. We returned home to Jackson having a blister from his shoes, Liam asleep on his mom, and with our last candy handout with kids who just got done smoking and dressed up as themselves and with that we turned out our lights!

Arggggg

Pure love.

 My baby girl...Oh I mean boy.

Pirate and Cookie Monster

Brecki and Liam (cookie)

Miles between us

To me a good friend consists of  good conversation, being able to be yourself  and enjoying one another as who they are.  I have friends who I talk to on a daily basis or even an hourly basis. I have friends who I email consistently and friends who our relationship seems to be completely over a text message. As you can tell my friends mean a lot to me. They always have since I was a little girl. There was a time probably until I was almost 10 years old where I did not have a friend in the world.  I remember being in the 3rd grade and we had just switched schools. It was a small school, probably about 10 kids in my entire grade. At recess the girls would all split up into twos and that is who they would play with. I remember this vividly because the girls openly refused to play with me. Everyone of them. It was very sad but I still think I turned out okay right??? :) Maybe this is why I love and cherish my girlfriends and want to keep strong, family like relationships with them. As I am whenever anyone from my family or friends from home come to visit me I feel honored.  Its not a quick trip or an inexpensive one for that matter. The year Jackson was born I was overwhelmed with the support of my friends who came to visit me. My sister Lisa came when Jack was just two weeks old, then Brittany and her dad who is like my dad came, then Amanda came and lastly Kim and Stella.....It was very humbling to know that these friends cared about me enough to save money and take their time to come here.

Barbara has always made it a priority to come here almost yearly and has since I moved over 6 years ago. I have known Barb since middle school but we really got close once I moved out to WA and we lived minutes from one another. We practically lived together for two years, and in those two years I grew up and found the love of my life. Last year and again this year we had the pleasure of spending time with her son Leyton who is the sweetest little boy and one of the brightest I know. Leyton and Jackson were born only days apart and when they are here its like family. I don't feel the need to entertain or keep my house spotless. We lounge in our PJ's till noon, eat cupcakes every other meal and talk almost nonstop.  Those of you who have the pleasure to know Barb, know this is very easy to do!

We spent most of our time laughing at the boys as they are as wild as ever. It gave me a glimpse of what having two sons will be like. I also realized that if we decided or "accidentally" were blessed with child number 3, we would have to get a bigger vehicle. The Hyundai just does not fit 3 car seats!! Thank you Carol for lending us the expedition!!

We had a jam-packed week of play dates, pumpkin patch picking, fall festivals, and well dying my gray hair back to my un-natural color of blackish brownish. Leyton cracks me up with his "Okay Mommy" every time she says something to him. For example...Barb would say "Leyton eat your corn dog. " Leyton's response  "Okay Mommy" as he goes over and takes a bite of his corn dog. Barb "Leyton can Jackson play with that?" Leyton "Okay Mommy" as he hands over the toy. You get the point... I asked Barb if she could super nanny my kids in being so polite and being good listeners.  Yesterday Kevin and I were talking about how nice it was for Barb to visit us and I said "Okay Mommy" and Jackson got up off of his chair and started playing a game of "banging your head on the door" like him and Leyton did. It was funny to see him make that connection without us telling him.

Barb and I also had an afternoon or should I say just a few hours to ourselves while Kevin watched all three of the boys. Bless him as my friend B says. I was a little nervous for him but as always he kept them entertained by playing "the banging your head on the door game". They thought he was hilarious as I guess I do too. But during our afternoon out we went wedding dress shopping!!! Barbara is getting married and I'm thrilled to be a part of it. Watching her try on dresses and being able to talk about what is important to her and plan her day made me very happy. She was glowing and rightfully so. She has been waiting for this moment since she met her fiance.  I couldn't help but want to try on a few dresses myself. Like perhaps Kim Kardashian's dress. :) However, seeing Barbara so happy was something that is burned into my memory and I'm thrilled to have shared that with her. She is so in love and has been for years. She would tear up when talking about him and how much he meant to her. So sweet and I could not ask for a better man to be with her.

Tuesday morning came and it felt like they had just arrived when I had to take them back to the airport. I'm not so secretly hoping that Leyton's behavior has rubbed off on Jack while they are here but all signs point to he is no follower.

I love this picture so much I can't stand it.

 Craziness at the playgroup!!

 HA! Brecken looks as big as Leyton in this picture!

He loved the slide...but did not love waiting in line for it.

Let's not forget about Ziki!

 Arent they the cutest! I want to squeeze Leyton's face off here.

 I love this picture. You are adorable Jackson O'Hare!

I love this picture so much!!

 Yes my child has a pop...but it almost looks like PBR.

 Driving the Tractor. Jack is steering and Leyton is doing the petals!

I love this picture.

 My beautiful boy!!

It was a complete wrestle fest when Kevin was home.

New News!!

BRECKEN
Brecken is now rolling from his back to his belly in seconds flat. He almost refuses to stay on his back. He is getting up real high on his arms and spins himself around the room. He is getting around without crawling yet.  He is also trying to sit up from a lying down position. Its almost frightening. He absolutely loves the johnny jumper. He could stay in it for hours if I would let him. He no longer appreciates his swing or lounge bouncy seat. He is beginning to be "okay" with his bumbo but would prefer it if you would just sit with him on the floor while he stands or sits. He is becoming more of a hip baby every day, which makes me happy yet sad since it means he is becoming less babyish every day. He is now interested in toys!! Its fun to see him really pound on a musical toy and grab and mouth all kinds of other toys. Jackson is now obsessed with all the baby toys too. We have started to "take turns" and share. Its very hard for Jackson but hopefully in 3 or 4 years we'll be past this. :)

I know that I'm a little biest in saying that Brecken just has the most sweetest little face and most beautiful eyes. His eyes don't seem to be mine or Kevin's so I'm not sure where they are coming from but they just glisten. His eyelashes are so long and he is the most amazing cuddler. Every time Kevin holds him, which is often, he says "Isn't this guy just so sweet?" Its true. We both feel so blessed with such amazing boys. Very different boys at this point, but so incredibly special.

He had his 4 month appointment a few weeks back and he is over 50% in his height. He may be the first O'Hare to reach the top shelf in the kitchen without a step stool. He weighs about 11 pounds 14 oz. He is very content, loves to laugh and smile. He is sleeping from 9:30PM-4-6AM. Naps are almost non-existent, but we are working on it and he screams bloody murder everytime you even think of putting him in his carseat.  I guess not everything can be perfect.

Excuse me Mr. Binks...My thumb is moving in.

Helping mom get ready

The mom shoulder.....It will only be another year before I wear a clean shirt.

JACKSON
Jackson is loving school. His teacher tells him she loves him when she puts him in the car every afternoon and kisses his cheek and forehead. This makes me well up. Its very apparent the kids love her too. If she is not there in the morning when I drop Jack off and another teacher is filling in, the kids are all so sad. She is most definitely made to be a preschool teacher. Like today she tells me when she finally got into the class room, a little girl told her "Ms. H it is about time you got here.." It makes me very happy we did chose this school even though the number of students in the class room made me uneasy at first. We have already had 2 homework assignments. #1 being the letter B...we had to find things and paste them on our letter that we made at home. And #2 being the letter C doing the same thing. It was really fun to do with him and we tape them on the fridge and talk about all the things that start with both. Its rewarding to be giving him the chance to grow his mind. Its also fun to tape on the fridge all the projects he has done at school. He will run and point to them every so often and talk about them.
****Jackson also brought home his very first illness from school. It only took a week. Just a head cold. Passed it to me, Kevin then lastly Brecken. It was real fun to see between the two boys who needed the humidifer more. I never thought I would need two humidifers but I guess that is now on my wish list. Jackson's head cold soon turned into the WORST ear infection in history of Team OHare. He woke up from his nap (which is never a plesant adventure) and he was unconsolably crying, grabbing his right ear, and pounding his head on the couch, floor and chair. He wanted to be held, but not wanted to be held. I was hysterical at this point. Brecken also decided to become hysterical too. The calm part of me thought, it has only got to be an ear infection. The part that was coming out of me was "OMG did he lodge something into his ear??? What is wrong? What if its something much bigger!!??" So I called the doctor and got an appointment for 1 1/2 hours later. Called Kevin and we all went as a family to get there an hour early and have them tell us they are running 40 minutes behind..Needless to say after a very exhausting evening it was only an ear infection but it was a very hysterical moment in my life. Seeing your child in any kind of pain is a horrible experince. I feel like becoming a mother/parent there is nothing worse and I would do anything if I could and can to take it away.

Potty training is still on the go. We kind of fell off the wagon for a bit because life here has just been crazy, and well a day spent with Jackson O'Hare and his stubbornness I'm sure you would agree. I have a few new ideas and I am ready to do this. We just need a weekend that is clear and ready for us.

Speech Therapy. We are there Monday and Friday mornings for 30 minutes. She takes him back all by himself (my big boy) and me and Breck sit out in the waiting room. I sat with him for the first two weeks and he does so well. She has set up 4 numbered bins and in each bin is a different activity. He loves this set up and he loves her too. After they are done she gives me "homework" for the week and tips on what to help with and how to.  She said he is doing AMAZING and she is very impressed. Makes me wonder if he really needed it in the first place. We went there a while back and she came out with another child because they needed to use the restroom and Jack thought she was coming to get him so he was UPSET when she left without him. He screamed for the next 10 minutes. Two other ladies in the waiting room both said to me "ohhh that's so cute that he loves her so much"...yeah I wanted to shoot myself. Brecken in one arm and trying to contain Jackson in the other. Yeah real freaking cute. But....I wonder if its this, school, or him just getting older that is helping him. He is talking much more now or I should say talking with words since before it sounded like he was Chinese. He is saying bizarre things like bicycles, toothpaste, pumpkin, and it is very clear like you or I would say them  but I have yet to hear him say cat, dog or cup....I guess that is the stubbornness in him. He is so smart and I hate comparing his speech to everyone else's child but I guess in the long run he will talk and with his babble it will be nonstop so I should probably  just enjoy this.

Mr. Independent-So he has now learned how to open all doors, use the water dispenser on the fridge, get food out of the fridge and pantry and pull up chairs to get stuff off the counter and is refusing to eat off of any plate that is made for children. It looks like he doesn't need my help anymore. So we are now in phase two of child proofing and it does NOT make Mr. Independent very happy.

On another note, Jackson has decided to stop eating every piece of paper and cardboard in the house so I have taken the books and puzzels out from hiding. They are disgusting since they look like a pack of wild dogs mistaked them as a tasty treat but at least we can still manage to read them. I was beginning to wonder if we were going to be on the show "Obsessed".

hummm...something is just not right with this picture??

Don't mess with me

This past weekend, someone mistaked Jack as being a girl....I wonder why??

Once a Year....

We love to have visitors. We love to entertain. This may explain why we have built a bar upstairs in the "Family Cave". Every year the Hunt family comes down from OH and stays the night with us before traveling along down to the beach. Every year we sit, laugh and catch up on our new adventures, talk about our kids and maybe play a drinking game or two. This year was no exception.

They arrived a little after 5 PM with a big box fan in hand and ready to start their vacation.  The girls were a year older and more beautiful then ever. They always keep us laughing with their stories and how "grown up" they can  be. They only had one request, to get some cupcakes from a local cupcake bakery here.  But before we could manage to fill that request we cracked beers open and started the reminiscing. As the year prior, we played Truth or Dare with Maddie again. Nate is always keeping me laughing because well he is just funny and you can't help but like the guy. One of the "Truth" questions Maddie asked her dad was "Have you ever kissed another guy".......We'll let the answer to that go unknown. So the game ended with Nate running around our cul-de-sac with his shirt off screaming. Our neighbors must really wonder about us sometimes. No surprise to any of you who read my blog regularly is that I love to shot gun a beer. Something about it reminds me of being 17 with my girlfriends. So true to form I make Jill shot gun a beer with me as I do every year. She needed a little bit of a notice to get geared up for the event so like I do with Jackson I set the "carrot" timer and when it went off, we were off....and for once in my life I won!! Sorry Jill. :)

All in all its such a fun night when they come. Kevin and Nate stay up until all hours of the night...or early morning (5AM),  Jill and I have good conversations and play Yahtzee, Maddie makes us laugh with her cruise director love song tribute and Shelby makes us want to be 13 again thinking that nerd glasses and fake mustaches on your finger is whats cool... It never seems quite right that we only see each other a few times a year.

Shelby and Brecken

Madison and Brecki

Jackson LOVED Maddie. He followed her around the ENTIRE time they were here. He was so sad to see her go.

Little "inexpensive" gifts...

It seems as if the littlest gifts make the biggest smiles, especially when you are 2. Once each spring and fall our neighborhood has a yard sale. I love this and I look forward to it the second it gets posted. I have gotten almost all of Jackson's and now Brecken's big toys from them. We have purchased a rocking fish ($5), a kitchen ($25), tool set bench ($15), table and chairs ($20),  a basketball hoop ....oh wait that one I actually dumpster dove for :) but you get the point.

Saturday morning came and it was still dark out and for us a bit chilly. I made coffee, brushed my teeth and put on my puffy vest and waited for L to arrive. The first stop I picked up a shopping cart. I have been wanting one FOREVER for Jack. $2. We drove around for a bit stopping at one here and there when someone gave us the scoop about 2 other neighborhood yard sales. We were so excited! So it was fun going to a different neighborhood and I picked up a bigger than a gallon Ziploc bag of figurines. Shrek, Woody, Buzz, The Incredibles, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles....ect and some yes McDonald happy meal toys were also included. But this bag of bliss brought MANY MANY hours of happiness to my son. It was his most favorite of all the toys I brought home. And still 3 weeks later he is still in love.

It was like Christmas morning after this yard sale. Kevin and I had smiles from ear to ear watching Jackson  be so happy. I live through Jack and his happiness and now Brecken too. Christmas this year is going to be very memorable and I look forward to feeling like a child again through my own children.

This was one eventful week!

I noticed just the other day when I ran through our neighborhood that the leaves were already changing colors and accumulating on the ground. It took me by surprise because it was still August at the time and I was not expecting to go from Summer to Fall so quickly. The temperature has been much cooler the past week and I can see pumpkin picking, decorating for Halloween and eating a Thanksgiving feast in the future. I love this time of year and perhaps it may be my favorite and we have started it off with one heck of a birthday party.

Kevin's 36 birthday is September 1st and every year Kevin wants to have a party. I think we may have skipped a few years but this year definitely made up for it. Now that we always have two kegs in the house (because my husband built a bar upstairs in the "family cave") I figured it would be an all you can drink kind of party, and to my liking it was. Our house the next morning looked like a bomb exploded. We had toys in every square inch of the house, the kitchen looked like a banquet hall that no one had picked up after and outside was filled with plastic cups, already shotgunned beer cans, and Popsicle sticks. It was like I was 18 again waking up from  a college party. I had to ask myself after we shotgunned 5 times throughout the night ,when will I be to old to do this? When will I be to old to poke a hole at the bottom of my beer, round up any suspects who can not say no and lose by spilling most of my beer down my shirt??? I don’t know the answer to that but I hope I haven't already reached that age.

September also rings in the school year! It sure is annoying when you get stuck behind a school bus or that you have to leave the house a little earlier because traffic is 100 times worse. But I remember when I was a child and being super excited for the 1st day of school. Most kids are even if its just this one day.   We would go school shopping about 2-3 weeks before school would start. We would each have a set amount of money we could spend (usually $100) and off we went. I of course fell in love with ROSS the first time I stepped foot in there. My mom and sister Casi would laugh at me because at that point in time, it was the happiest moment of my life. All this "name brand" clothing for cheap. Its heaven for a pre-teen from little town MT where the biggest store I had shopped at was Maurices or Herbergers. Then talk about school supplies. Why this stuff always excited me I do not know. I loved the smell of it. I would put it in my backpack and then back out. I would sit out in the living room looking and loving all my school supplies and and clothes and I would  give fashion shows to my parents until the day school started. Oh to be a kid again.  Jackson started his first day of preschool this week. I was not looking forward to it because once we went to the open house the week before I realized there were 20 students in his class. 2 teachers and 20 two year olds. Seems like complete chaos to me. Not to mention the lead teacher is very pretty (Kevin mentioned that he wouldn't mind taking Jack to school :O) and the assistant looks like Nanny McPhee. Not that looks has anything to do with the way they treat and teach the children, it just seemed so odd to me. All of it. Of course when we get there about 5 kids are screaming. Jack knows what's happening and I look down at him and see HUGE tears. My heart sank. How in the world are these women going to cuddle my child when they have 6 other kids to cuddle too???!! I walked out, leaned against the wall and sobbed. Literally sobbed. As I was walking out the director asked me if I was okay and I could barely get any words out. Pathetic I know. I did feel silly and a little embarrassed about my reaction but it broke my heart to leave him there. But when I came and picked him up he was happy and smiling...and the same thing the very next day. We will see how Mrs. McDreamy and Nanny McPhee do with my baby for the next couple of weeks.

First Day of School!

You would think we would have gotten a better picture but this it it! The very best one.

This week brought on a pretty miserable moment in my life so far. I have a family history of colon diseases...ulcerative colitis, Crohn’s disease, and the list goes on. Recently a family member had to go in and get a procedure done because they were not feeling so well and they found precancerous polyps in their colon. Since its highly hereditary I had to go get checked for preventative measures. I have been dreading this for quite some time. I like to eat. I do not starve myself EVER and for one entire day I could only have clear soda, broth, Popsicles, and Jell-O. I knew I was in trouble when I woke up at 3AM already hungry. Then I had to prep myself. The stuff I had to drink was awful. It smelled like a weird generic lemonade and tasted like...well its almost unexplainable its that bad. It made my eyes water, my nose run,  and I gagged every time I drank some. And I had to drink a lot. 1 gallon. Boy oh boy I thought I would never get through it. So with no food, drinking until I was sick, and no sleep I was one weak woman. But when I got to the doctors office (55 minutes after leaving my house thank you school buses) they drugged me up and it was like I was a very happy drunk. I don't know what they gave me but it was awesome. I think I was just in love with everyone. I remember telling the nurse in a drunken slur how nice my doctor was and I really liked him. I just wonder what else I had told them.  But I did come out of there with no cancerous measures and I don't have to go back for 10 years. I have HUGE delight in this!

I have mentioned in the past that a few of my girlfriends and I did a “kick off” to fitness and we had all signed up for a 5k.  I have run my fair share of races however it has been several years since my last. As the day inched near I kept putting off those runs and now that its here I’m thankful that we are only running a 5k instead of a 10k like I originally was trying to make them do. Kevin and the boys came to support me and Jackson was standing the the finish line run way as I came up. I waved to him and he was happy to see me and maybe a little shocked to but then instantly was upset since I didn’t stop and he proceeded to run after me. I finished in 33 minutes. Not my best, but definitely not my worst. I do feel like I ran a half-marathon possibly because I didn’t stop once and I ran up one big hill or though it seemed. It was fun to do the race with 3 other women that inspire me and to cheer each other on after we finished.  After the race our family went over to our friends house and had a celebratory beer which lead into maybe 60 celebratory beers. It was awesome because as I spent much needed time with my girlfriend, our children were happily playing in the yard, eating fruit snacks and also eating charcoal :). We did have big plans to go to a festival, but what is better then spending a warm day with your friends??

Some of my favorite women...Me, Shanna, Michelle and Jackie!

The most exciting end to our week is one to celebrate. A dear close family we know have been going through some rough trials on dealing with multiple awful trips to the ER, doctors, ect and were trying to find answers on what was happening to their little boy Caleb who is also Jackson’s best buddy. After 5 weeks of waiting for blood test results he is FINALLY out of the clear for a terrible brain degenerative disease (ADL). God is truly answering our prayers. Thank you for sparing this wonderful, beautiful child and family of this disease. We love you Nelson family!

Yes I need 2 binks.

I just love that I have a MILLION pictures of Kevin and the boys but none of me....:(