Thankful for medicine and fire trucks!

This Thanksgiving season I am thankful for ….antibiotics! Just kidding, well... sort of!
In the past two weeks, all three guys in the house have been sick and been on all sorts of medicines. I think I could probably qualify for a pharmacist at this point! Justin had been fighting a bad cold for a month and a half (yes, you read that right, 1 ½ months!) I finally convinced him after about 3 weeks of begging, to go to the doctor before Thanksgiving and sure enough he had bronchitis. Not to mention the fact that he has severely hurt his ribs from coughing so much that they put him on codeine as well! Payton had a cough that was keeping him up, so he went to the doctor and was found to have a sinus infection! Now Easton is on meds for a severe case of pink eye! I think they are all on the upswing though and hopefully (knocking on my desk) they will be all better soon!
We had a good Thanksgiving and celebrated it low-key at my moms, and of course she made Justin his favorite pie! We were going to go and see the Plaza lights, but Justin was pretty miserable and it was too cold for the kids, so we just stayed at her house and watched it on tv instead. Payton was very upset, but I promised him that we would go and see lots of lights sometime before Christmas. On Friday, we got to go to a fire station! My mom has a friend who is good friends with a fireman and they invited us to come out and see the trucks and Payton got to go on a ride! He loved it! He asked lots of good questions and was very interested in everything. What kid doesn’t like a fire truck! We also got all of our xmas decorations up this past weekend. Easton has been babbling to the tree and lights ever since it went up!
Things are starting to get very crazy busy around here like they always do this time of year. Between a school musical, school Christmas parties, basketball starting and various other holiday activities, we pretty much have something going on or that has to get done almost everyday between now and Christmas! And somehow I have to finish Christmas shopping! (Thank goodness for online shopping!!) I love the holidays, but wow, they are exhausting!!

Halloween - Finally!

I am finally getting to my Halloween posts! It is only two weeks late! I think I have finally gotten the website all set up, so I can now get it updated. (See post below).
I know the kids love Halloween, but by the time it is here I am so ready for it to be over! This year Payton was a fireman and Easton was a dalmatian puppy. On the Friday before Halloween, we had 3 events to go to in one day! In the morning we went to the party at Eastons school. Then is the afternoon we all went to the trunk or treat and party at Paytons school. Then, straight from there we went to my work for the kids to trick or treat on lots of the floors. Then, on Saturday Payton went to a Halloween themed birthday party next door and then Sunday night was trick or treating! (See why I was ready for Halloween to be over!!) Payton loves this holiday, Easton wasn't really into it. I am sure next year he will be when he figures out that he can get candy!
In other news, Payton went to his first sleepover birthday party last night! A friend of his that he used to go to day care with had a party with a few boys. He has been friends with a few of these boys since he was just 3 months hold! He is pretty tired today, but I think they had a great time!! It was so strange just having one kiddo in the house. We took full advantage of him being gone though and went through all of the toys in the house and cleaned, organized and purged!
He seems like he is getting so big! We also had a book fair at his school this week and a little girl that I think he has a crush on was there! He gets giddy when she is around. It is so cute to see them all interact together. He is also almost ready to lose his third tooth! It is just barely hanging on!
Easton is getting so big too! He loves to do whatever Payton is doing. We try and keep Paytons bedroom door shut so he can keep some things out of Eastons reach. But if we forget and Easton realizes it is open, he will make a mad dash into his room and just start grabbing whatever he can! I have even seen him hide Paytons mp3 player in his laundry basket!
It has started getting cold, which has put us in a festive mood. We are all getting ready for the holidays and started getting some shopping done. It will be here before we know it!

New website!

I think I may have finally found a new home for our blog. I was previously using MSN Live, which I really liked, but I got a notification that it was going to be going away after the first of the year. So, I had the option to transfer mostly everything to a new platform. I did that, and didn't like the options or functionality of that one. So, now I am going to try Blogger. So please make sure and replace any links or bookmarks you may have to this new one. Sorry about that, I know it is a pain in the behind!
I had contemplated whether I should keep the blog going or not, but I decided that I like it mostly for myself. If other people read it, great, but if not, that is okay! It is a way for me to record moments in our life, like a diary of sorts. So I periodically look back and reminisce about moments in our life.
It make take me a little while to get things where I want them, but bear with me. Time has not been my friend lately!

October 2010

I can’t believe that Halloween is almost here!  Time goes way to fast!

Two weekends ago, Justin and I were able to head up to Iowa for the homecoming game!  I was able to get tickets through the Alumni Association since it was my 10 year reunion.  This time we left the boys at my moms house for the night.  This was the first time we had ever left Easton over night.  I knew they would do great, but I still hate leaving them. They had a great time with Grandma Joy and spent a lot of time playing outside and at parks.   We like it that she can play and have fun with them, without having to get them all hyper and riled up.  I am not sure who enjoyed the time more, the boys, or Grandma! 

Justin and I had a lot of fun at the game.  We drove up early Saturday morning and pretty much went straight to the tailgate where we met our good friends Erin and Ryan.  I forgot how much fun taigating in Iowa City is!!  Then the game was at night and it was so much fun!  I love night games!  After the game we were so exhausted we just went back to the hotel and then drove home on Sunday.  So, it was a quick trip, but so worth it!

This past weekend the weather was so beautiful that we took full advantage of it!  The city has completed these great new bike trails near our house, so we went on two separate walks and Payton rode his bike.  It was wonderful to be outside all day!  On Sunday we went to the Deanna Rose Farmstead and went to their pumpkin patch.   They boys got to pet baby goats, Payton went on a pony ride and we all went on a hayrack ride to get the pumpkins. 

We had Paytons parent-teacher conferences this week and he is doing outstanding at school.  He has had some attitude issues at home, but luckily at school he is wonderful.  The teacher is going to get with some of the other teachers to find things to keep him challenged as the year goes on.  She told us to be very proud because we have a very bright special boy on our hands!  Which is easy, because we are always so proud of him!

 

(I added pictures to the Fall 2010 and Hawkeye Football albums)

September 2010

I have been a little behind on updates! Two weeks ago we took Payton to his first Iowa game!  We went up to Iowa City on Friday for FryFest with both boys and my mom.  Thank goodness for my mom.  It was great to have another set of hands because we were reminded on the way home how much Easton dislikes the car!  The next trip Justin and I are going by ourselves, so it will be a much quieter and faster car ride! But we had a GREAT time while we were there.  On Friday we went to the pep rally and both boys were just in awe of everything going on around them.  Payton even got a high five and a quick hug from Herky, so now he is obsessed with him!  Saturday morning we took the Hawkeye Express to the game.  Payton has always loved trains, so how could we not take it?!  We had great seats for the game and we really enjoyed ourselves. Payton thought the game was pretty cool!  The boys were both great the entire trip. 

This past week/weekend Justins brother came for a visit!  It was great to see him and Payton did not want him to leave.  Easton just kind of stared at Jeremy, with a look like you kind of look like my daddy, but you are not, so I am not so sure.   On Saturday we headed to two festivals.  One was a hot air balloon festival.  We tried to go to one over Memorial Day, but the balloon launch was canceled due to the weather.  So we thought we would try it again, but this one was cancelled too!  I think we are jinxed!  Hopefully next time we can actually see the balloons go up! Then we headed to the plaza for a waterfire event.  It was really neat experience. 

The boys are both doing great.  Payton is doing fantastic in school!  He really enjoys it and seems to have grown up so much in the past month.  He was picked as a student of the month for the first month of school, so we have an assembly to go to this Friday to recognize the students from each class.  I have also gotten an email from the teacher telling me that he works really well with others and that he is very respectful to all of the teachers and other students. The first few weeks of school he was so very tired when we got home.  Sometimes to the point of meltdown.   But, from what I hear from other parents, this is normal and I have already seen it get better.    

Easton is getting the sweetest and funniest personality.  I wish he would stay this age forever!  He just cracks us up.  He is really starting to communicate with people.  Not necessarily with words, but with some signs and gestures and the beginnings of some words.  He really likes giving kisses and high fives, and he is still obsessed with the cats!  He will just sit there and yell at them and follow them around the house.  They are not nearly as amused as he is!  He is also a huge flirt.  Which I remember Payton was at this age as well.  If we are out and about, he just waves at people and gives them a huge grin!

Back to School!!

Payton has now completed three days of kindergarten!  He started school on Tuesday and has said that Kindergarten is awesome!  Monday night he went to bed early and was so excited.  Then, Tuesday we woke up to rain, but that did not dampen his mood.  He was just beaming all morning.  We got to school and Justin and I took him in and you could tell he got a little nervous, but did wonderful.  I held the tears for when we were leaving so he wouldn’t see them.  I am just so proud of him.  That night when we got home we celebrated his first day with a cake and some candies that I made for him.  Then the next morning, I was going to walk him in and he told me that he was a big boy now and I didn’t need to.  He wanted to just get dropped off out front and walk in.  So he did, and never even looked back!  He is such a big boy.  Last night he was already drawing pictures for his teacher, so he seems to like her and I'm sure will be a teachers pet in no time!! 

 

On back to school night, along with our paper work we got was this story.   It really stuck out to me and is so very true:  (Be prepared, it may make you cry!!)

               

Thoughts from the Bottom of the Beanstalk

Once upon a time there was a little boy named Jack who was about to climb his very first beanstalk. He had a fresh haircut and a brand-new book bag. 
     Even though his friends in the neighborhood had climbed this same beanstalk almost every day last year, this was Jack's first day and he was a little nervous. So was his mother. 
     Early in the morning she brought him to the foot of the beanstalk. She talked encouragingly to Jack about all the fun he would have that day and how nice his giant would be. She reassured him that she would be back to pick him up at the end of the day. For a moment they stood together, silently holding hands, gazing up at the beanstalk. To Jack it seemed much bigger than it had when his mother had pointed it out on the way to the store last week. His mother thought it looked big, too. She swallowed. Maybe she should have held Jack out a year... 
      Jack's mother straightened his shirt one last time, patted his shoulder and smiled down at him. She promised to stay and wave while he started climbing. Jack didn't say a word. 
     He walked forward, grabbed a low-growing stem and slowly pulled himself up to the first leaf. He balanced there for a moment and then climbed more eagerly to the second leaf, then to the third and soon he had vanished into a high tangle of leaves and stems with never a backward glance at his mother. 
     She stood alone at the bottom of the beanstalk, gazing up at the spot where Jack had disappeared. There was no rustle, no movement, no sound to indicate that he was anywhere inside. 
     "Sometimes," she thought, "it's harder to be the one who waves good-bye than it is to be the one who climbs the beanstalk." 
     She wondered how Jack would do. Would he miss her? How would he behave? Did his giant understand that little boys sometimes acted silly when they felt unsure? She fought down an urge to spring up the stalk after Jack and maybe duck behind a bean to take a peek at how he was doing. 
     "I'd better not. What if he saw me?" She knew Jack was really old enough to handle this on his own. She reminded herself that, after all this was thought to be an excellent beanstalk and that everyone said his giant was not only kind but had outstanding qualifications. 
     "It's not so much that I'm worried about him," she thought, rubbing the back of her neck. "It's just that he's growing up and I'm going to miss him." 
    Jack's mother turned to leave. "Jack's going to have lots of bigger beanstalks to climb in his life," she told herself. 
     "Today's the day he starts practicing for them...

And today's the day I start practicing something too: Cheering him on and waving good-bye."

 

August 2010

Last week we finally got the insurance company to come out and meet the roofers and decide that we get a new roof from the storm damage that we got almost a month ago.  As of now we have these nice pretty blue tarps on our roof to prevent any more inside damage then we already got.  A few houses on the block have the same blue tarps, so at least we all match!  We are glad that we are finally getting a new roof because we were needing a new one.  Although, we are not happy because since we live in a high tornado zone we have separate and much higher deductibles on wind/hail damage then we do on the rest of the homeowner’s policy.  So even though insurance is paying for the bulk of it, we still have to fork out over $2,000!  But, hopefully it will help us when we try and sell this place!

On top of meeting with roofers and insurance adjusters, both boys also had a stomach bug that seemed to also wipe out a lot of kiddos from day care.  It didn’t last long for either, but they were miserable for those days.  So that meant a lot of missed work and working from home for me!  It wouldn’t have been so bad, but Justin has been gone a lot working overnights at work because they are remodeling his store and they have to do a lot at night and my mom was in Florida visiting Grandma, so I had no relief from anyone!  But that’s okay, we managed! 

 

Payton was such a big help while Easton was sick and his pretty much a big help all of the time.  He has really grown up a lot lately.  I am so proud of the boy he is and is becoming.  He has also though started acting like he is 15, instead of 5!  The other day, we were in the car and Justin yawned.  Payton said, “Save it for the pillow dad!”  He has also really been into singing lately, so I will try and get a video of him this weekend to post.  We finished his last Tball game last week.  This season was night and day from last year.  He really seemed to get the concept and really enjoyed it.  Although, I asked him afterwards if he wanted to play next year and he said that no, he wants to play Tennis!  So, who knows what he will want to do next year!   He will be starting flag football soon!  It is a good thing we have connections at a sporting goods store for all of the stuff we need for these sports!   I got him enrolled for school last week and we went shopping over the weekend for supplies and everything that was on his required list.  We even got him the cutest alarm clock that is shaped like a red Lego block!  He was so excited to get an alarm clock!  I am sure the excitement will wear off really quick!  He starts school in less then two weeks!!  Next week we have a back to school night and will get to meet his teacher and such.

 

Easton is growing so much and changing every day.  He is becoming very dramatic!  He will protest A LOT if you take away something he wants or tell him no.  He is really into throwing things as well.  It could be from his high chair, stroller, shopping cart, whatever!  He will usually give you this dirty look first, and then throw something!  We think he seems to be growing quite a bit.  He looks like he is getting really tall.  He eats like crazy! I am going to have to get a second job just to feed these boys!  He had a cardiology appointment last week and we found out that his device is still in place and it is doing its job.  We knew it probably was, but it is still always nerve wracking.  We also found out that the part of his heart that was enlarged is now within the normal range!  We do not have to go back for 2 years!  The cardiologist always sends our pediatrician a follow-up letter and sends us a copy as well.  Whenever we get them it makes me realize how lucky we were to have found his defect when we did.  The doctor always makes us feel at ease, but when you read the letters with the words like ‘generous sized defect’ and all of the medical jargon, it kind of takes your breath away for a moment.

Easton is pretty much all over the place now a days and gets into EVERYTHING!  He also really likes to dance to anything that sounds remotely like music!  I can’t even sing him lullabys at night because he perks his head up and starts rocking back and forth!  I will try and get a video of that this weekend as well.

 

We have been trying to do lots of fun summer stuff, but it has been unbelievably hot, so we haven’t been able to do as much outside as we would like.  Our actual temp on Monday is supposed to be 100 degrees!

And BTW, only 30 days until football season starts!  Go Hawks!

 

(added a few pictures a couple of days ago to the Summer 2010 album)