Some scrapbook pages

Hey boys...
We have had a rough 2 weeks...  Joey was puking one week, you both had fevers the next week and now I have the flu.  Nothing better than not being able to breathe and losing my voice.  Daddy is in KC today so we are on our own.  You have been playing around in your room for 2 hours when you were supposed to be napping.  Finally, it is quiet in there so I think now you may be sleeping.  You two really are all that I thought you would be - best buddies one minute then beating each other up the next. Cracks me up to hear Joey scream "LIJAH...NO"  You are sure growing up!!

Finally did our 4th of July photos with Auntie Becky & Uncle Steve.  I love Joey against the flag - just Americana 4th of July

Our visit to the Children's Museum

Snapped these photos on my new phone at Valas Tuesday night.  Joey looks so different to me.  I am not sure if it is the angle or just an eye opening smack in the face that he is growing up.

This is a little bit older photo.  I love it - it is one of my all time favorites of your dad with one of you.  This was in Colorado in June.

Mary posted these photos on facebook of your Mohawks.  Love it!

You guys loving Jake's toys at Cracker Gramma's.  We haven't been there in 3 weeks because of all of us (and now Gramma) being sick.

Uncle Zachary picked you up 2 times this week.  I think you guys had fun with his toys and you were so happy someone besides me picked you up.

Random things

Hey Boys!
You know what I realized this week?  You two spend more time with each other than we do with you. For the most part, you guys are together 24x7 - daycare together, home together, sleeping together.  Your dad didn't see any obvious point in that revelation but I guess it was just kind of amazing to me that you are always together.  While you are now starting to push, shove and slap each other, one of my biggest wishes is that you guys are close and have each other until you are old and grey!

I had a reoccurring thought this week.  When we prayed for you guys, we never really got past the point of delivering you safely full term.  We never really thought about you growing up.  But, I am always completely amazed by how fast you are growing.  I don't mean that in the sense of growing older (while that is shocking, too), I mean it how fast you are learning and changing.  Because I had no frame of reference, I had no idea that a 3.5 year old would be so smart or talk so much.  I think I figured you guys would be pretty clueless until you were in school but you both are so much more advanced than I thought you would be.  I am so proud of you!

Joey is making potty training progress!  You have been doing great at Mary's but not so great at our house.  I would not be comfortable leaving the house with you in undies but we are getting closer.  I joked that we need a plumber to come to the house and install a toilet next to my bed.  You will only go on one certain chair and only when it is in front of the TV  :)

Few scrapbook pages to share to close for today!

Our trip to Adventureland last weekend.  It was a good time and, thankfully, it wasn't hot!

Mila's party - you guys had a great time playing with your cousins and having a sleepover at Aunt Sheila's.

Our annual Orchard trip.  As usual, I am so over apples!!

First day of school at Mary's!

Elijah's soccer clinic.  I can't decide if you love it or not.  You wanted to play so bad but now, you don't want to go.  2 more weeks!

Happy Wednesday

Do you guys see a correlation between scrapbooking and blogging?  Seems like when I have time to scrapbook, I have time to talk to you.  Few random things...

Joey has gone on the potty chair 3 times the past 2 days.  Maybe you are getting the hang of it?  Well, you aren't getting the hang of it at our house but maybe once you master it at Mary's, you will master it at home.

Elijah has been sleeping in his bed all night pretty consistently for over a month.  YAY MOM AND DAD!  It has required some bribing but whatever it takes!  We had a storm last night and I figured you both would end up in our room.  For some reason, I ended up in yours.  I don't recall why but I recall a night of being completely uncomfortable.

Joey is so darn cute when he wants something.  You will grab my hand and say "Come on, Mommy."  It almost sounds British.  Then, if I don't go quick enough, you will say "Come on, Mommy, please."  Your talking has really taken off lately.  You are saying a lot more words and sentences.

We have lots of plans this weekend.  We have soccer, we are going to the Orchards, we have Mila's birthday party and we have a date on Sunday while daddy is at the Chiefs game.  We should all be worn out!!

I did some scrapping last night and it was the wedding in June.  Slowly but surely, I am making some progress.  I also did our yearly recaps.  I have these is a separate book that is kind of like a quick reference for my life.  I will be like "It was the year we got the new car...." and then I can go find it  :)

Decisions Decisions

Hi Boys!
I had some free time on this lazy Sunday - dishes are in the dishwasher, dinner is in the crockpot and I had nothing better to do than scrapbook a few pages!  But, before I show you those, I have to tell you a secret.

Here goes....being a parent sucks.  I don't mean that in a day-to-day fashion when you are being rotten. Those days suck but they go quick.  I mean that in the sense that being a parent forces you to fundamentally shift your thinking into ways that aren't fun. See, here is the deal.  Your dad and I have to make a life-changing decision.  If you guys weren't here, it is a no brainer.  But, because you are here, we are forced to think about your best interests.  That makes this decision agonizing.  We have to decide what is best for your short term interests and long term interests.  We have to make sure that we aren't making a decision emotionally or rash.  And, to top all that, it is the kind of decision that can permanently change your lives.  That is a lot of responsibility.  In the end, we are going to have to work through it, pray on it and put an extra $10 a month into your therapy account.

Back to fun stuff!  Elijah started soccer clinic this weekend.  You loved it.  It is only 5 weeks so it will go by quickly.  I caught Joey counting.  3 days of school and Joey is counting  :)  You made it all the way up to 8!!

While this falls into the category of too much information but it is too funny to keep inside!  This morning, you guys went to the Safari.  Apparently, Elijah had to use the portapotty and things got a little out of hand.  Apparently, Elijah was unable to hit the target.  Your daddy was telling me about it and Elijah said "Mommy, my pee pee just went CRAAZZYYY."  haha.

An early 4th of July at Gramma Lang's.

Gramma's bday party at Sortinos.

Joey's roller coaster for his birthday in May.  I love how you were helping to put it together.

A quick video to capture Joey's giggling this morning.

Mom is MIA

It has been 3+ months since I wrote you last.  I am a slacker!  I have been highly unmotivated and probably a bit down in the last few months.  We only swam twice the whole summer and that is crazy!!  Last year, we went almost weekly! So, what have we been up to?

June was all about our Colorado trip for Brian and Erica's wedding.  We also celebrated Daddy's birthday, Joey's birthday and Gramma Lang's Birthday.  We had Father's Day with daddy.

July flew by me going to Phoenix for convention and lots of locket parties!  We spent 4th of July with Aunt Becky & Uncle Steve.  We had our 15th wedding anniversary with little or no fanfare!  You went to the Zoo with Gramma Debi D and Allen and had lots of fun.  She visited with you another time and you went bowling.

August was lots of fun.  You went to a family reunion/birthday party on the Lang side.  I couldn't go so Aunt Val & Gramma took you.  We went to St. Joe for a hotel night with a pool and KC Chiefs training camp - so much fun!  My birthday came and went.  Now, August is over and it is time for fall!!

I need to get on here more often so that I can make notes of little things.  It was nap time on Friday and Joey was having a hard time settling down.  I went in there and he laid on my tummy for a bit.  Elijah asked if he could lay on his tummy.  Joey laid his head down and Elijah stroked his hair and sang "Hush little baby."  I just had to watch and sigh in contentment.  You guys sure do kill me sometimes!!

We have some assigned chores around the house.  Just today, Joey has started helping, too.  You guys have 3 chores...  gather your milk cups around the house so we can wash them, unload the dishwasher (handing me one item at a time) and then putting the soap in the dishwasher and starting it.  Joey would just play but today, he took it all over.  He unloaded about 75% of the dishwasher and was ready to put the soap in and close it before I even started loading it.  He also likes to stand on his chair and rinse out dishes to hand them to me for the dishwasher!

This weekend is a holiday weekend and our intent was to stay home all weekend and boot camp potty train Joey.  Well, yesterday was a fail.  And, it looks like today, we gave up because you guys are at the Children's Museum with Andrew & Tyler.  :)

I am way behind on my scrapbooking but I got quite a few pages done yesterday.  I haven't posted in awhile and so some of these go all the way back to October!!


Christmas morning at our house.  I think I am finally done with scrapping Christmas!

The Halloween party at Disney during our last trip.

Joey's 12:55 shot on his birthday!  We were in Colorado.

Elijah's bounce house party.  And, he is planning on having his party there again this year.  (So he thinks)

Joey's favorite - the carousel during our last Disney trip

Our visit to the circus in May with Morgan.

Erica's visit in March

Yummy chocolate fondue in December

My garden this year.  You guys loved helping me water and drinking hose water  :)

Disney photos from our trip this year.

Impromptu shot of Joey while we were at the gymnastics studio in March.  I put my camera on the ground and just took a shot.

Two year old photos.

Joey's bday party in Colorado.

Photos from the lake party in August.

Daddy's birthday

The big helmet walk at Chiefs Camp.  Elijah was an internet sensation - ha.  He made facebook (KC Chiefs site), Twitter (Tamba Hali's site) and Kansascitychiefs.com!!

Mom should have done her hair, huh?

Christmas again!

Ramada hotel pool day

Elijah's birthday present to Joey.  We made Spongebob at Build a Bear.

Some photos/layouts

Hi boys!

Quick refurbish on your blog.  It was finally time to take the snowman down as I think we are now officially done with winter.

We survived our trip and had a great time.  Now, May is almost over and we are counting down to the wedding.  This Memorial day weekend, we are resting because Joey has an ear infection.  Looks like both you boys are going to have tubes.  Aunt Sheila is out of town so we don't even have a BBQ to look forward to - she is our BBQ Matriarch :)

As we prep for the wedding, we also prep for Joey turning 2.  Can't.even.believe.it.  wow.  He will turn 2 in Colorado surrounded by 1/3 of his family.  Then, we will do a picnic for the other parts of our family.

This week, I said extra prayers of thanks for my boys and their health.  A good friend reminded me that we take health & being "normal" for granted.  Besides being stubborn and lippy, we don't have much to complain about.  Most of our medical stuff is pretty minor and pretty short term.

I have been busy scrapping this weekend so there are even some new Disney photos to share!


Here are some oldies from our September 2012 Disney trip.  I am a bit behind there.

Still have a couple of Christmas pages left to do!

Elijah's birthday at Great Gramma's.  Still have to do your bounce house!

For your books, I decided to do one page with one photo a month.  This is Elijah's 2012.

Couple Easter down, couple to go!

Our April 2013 Disney pool photos.

Unfortunately, I lost all our beach and pool photos except what I put on facebook that day.  DARN IT!