Life Goes On...

I know its been many days and even weeks since I've written, but let me just say, its been a very very rough month. Sadly, blogging has not even been on my mind. However, now I'm back w/ an update.


So last you heard, they had just found my kidney stone. Well, I had surgery on the 10th, and let me just say it was horrendous. They told me I'd be up and moving 2, maybe 3 days after. Oh no, so not the case. It turns out the stone was the size of a golf ball and had done lots of damage. It took a lot to get it broken up and then they put in a stent to connect my kidney to my bladder and allow my tract to heal. This stent has just been the devil. The first few days were beyond miserable. I couldn't even get myself to stand up straight, let alone sit, lye down, or walk comfortably. I kept the vicodin close and handy. Even now, 2 weeks post surgery, I have to take a vicodin to get through the night. My stent is coming out today, yeah I know, on Christmas Eve. Hopefully things will get much easier now. It has been a very rough recovery, but Mike has been a real trooper. Poor guy, we went right from the flu to the surgery and he hasn't had a break yet. Tons of people from my church brought us food and helped man the babies, as well as family and friends. This definitely made my recovery easier. Life goes on, even when you're in pain and struggling to get through the day, the kids still need to be fed, played with, bathed, etc. Time doesn't stop for a sick mom or really tired dad.


Well Van had a Christmas party at school and I, with help from my good friend Megan, made the trek to the party so Van could enjoy it. I did catch a couple of good pics so here they are. Sorry there's not more, I'm trying to get by with the least amount of work right now.

**not sure why the pics are so small, I tried uploading them a couple of times, but its still the same. sorry.

Well not only did we get hit with the flu, have a surgery with the worst recovery ever, yep even worst than childbirth, but we got some very sad news this week. We got a call at 2am, Monday morning, you know phone calls in the middle of the night are never good. My mom was making the call to tell us that my grandma had passed away. Life goes on, right...while I'm struggling to even get my feet under me after my surgery, my grandma was slowly drifting away. She had surgery last month and was in a convalescent home so she could recover and get the medical help she needed. My grandpa had been home alone for the last few weeks but went to visit her at least 3 times a day, every day. My grandma was 84 and her and my grandpa would have been celebrating their 65th anniversary on this New Years Eve. Its all very sad. This is the first person I've lost in my family that I was close to, my first "big one" as they say. I went with my mom to tell my grandpa the news...he's really hard of hearing so he can't answer the phone so nobody could call him. We went very early in the morning since he usually gets up at 5 to go visit her and boy did that make for a long day. He looked very sad and the first thing he said to me was, "I'm going to be so lonely". I can't even imagine...my grandparents had known each other almost their whole lives, even before dating and they've been married more than twice my lifetime. How do you recover from that kind of loss? They were a very special couple, my source of stability and hope as I grew up. My grandpa never failed to spoil my grandma w/ love notes or little presents and I ask myself now, who will he spoil? My faith and my love for God give me peace for my grandma, but my heart truly breaks for my grandpa. Everybody has those special people in their lives that they place on a pedestal, or they rely on for wisdom or comfort, and my grandma was one of these for me. She was a very warm person and always had a smile on her face. She was so grateful for the life she led and always made sure we knew she loved us or missed us every time we talked. Its never easy to lose someone you loved, but around the holidays seems so much sadder. Life goes on right, but it just won't be the same.

Well I'm putting a halt to my blubbering for now. So as you can see, this last month has just been rough and the coming days will not be any easier. It may be a while before I get back on, but I will try when things settle down.

B

Long Over Due....

Ok so I'm way past due when it comes to blogging. I feel like life has just been beating us down. I don't even remember everything that has happened since my last post, but we've just been soo busy. Where do I start...

Easy stuff...the kids. Van is doing great at school. He can recite the Pledge of Allegiance all by himself. It's quite impressive to hear your 2 year old say the whole thing, almost brings tears to my eyes. One of his favorite activities now is to trace things. He loves to draw but can't do it really well so he decided that having mommy or daddy draw or write what it is he really wants, then taking his marker/pen write over it is just perfect. And you know what, he's pretty darn good at it. I know all parents must feel like this, but at times I just have to remind myself that he is only 2 and he's still so smart. He loves going to school now and he has friends and all the parents think he's just the cutest thing...its because he plays the quiet shy card every now and again and it just pulls all the moms right in. Such a lady magnet...

Onto my troublemaker...Ava. Wow, do I feel like her life is flying by. Just last night she decided to jump out of her crib. Can you believe it, just barely 9 months old and getting out of her bed. Van was just so content to do whatever it was that we let him that he never really bucked the reins so to speak...but Ava, oooh she'll be a tester. Today was the first day we heard an actual word from her, bye. She has been waving now for a couple of weeks and when Mike was leaving today she was waving bye bye and even though he had left, she couldn't stop saying bye bye. I was very excited for her. Now she's been saying it all day long...its just like any other new discovery. Let's see what else...she can stand on her own, although she doesn't like to do it for me because she just assumes I should be holding her all the time. She walks all around the furniture and she will put on a great chase crawling now. Sometimes she's so fast I lose her...its funny. She eats everything, well everything but bananas actually. She is a very sturdy girl, except for her tiny feet...I wish the darn things would grow already. If I'm not in the room, she is a pretty good baby. She's usually happy, playful, very determined, and just beautiful to look at. She has 2 bottom teeth now too and probably another one on the way. She knows her name and tries very hard to do anything her brother does including climbing in the bathtub all by herself. She loves to play in the bathroom and will get in the toilet any opportunity she gets. There are so many facets to this little girl now, I just can't remember them all.

Mike and I are keeping our heads above water. My dad was visiting with us last week, which should have been fun but instead we all ended up with the flu. Not to mention, just a few weeks ago Van had a pretty bad cold w/ chest infection too. So the flu came, hitting Mike first, lots of aches, chills, fever, ick. Then it hit my dad, myself, and Van all on the same day...tons of vomiting, fever, aches, chill, double ick. This was the first time in Van's life that he was actually vomiting, in a pot not to mention, and it was so pitiful. It doesn't matter how bad you feel, but as a parent it just breaks your heart to see your little one not feeling well knowing there isn't much you can do. Luckily for Van, his lasted about 24 hours. For me, the flu wasn't so gracious, 4 days later I was still struggling to gain my strength back. Not only that, but 2 days later I was dosed w/ a horrible migraine and poor Mike has been managing the kids the best he could, but I think he's just tired. And that's not even the worst of it. I've been dealing w/ this medical "mystery" now for 5 months and it has finally been diagnosed. I have a "huge" kidney stone lodged in my uteral track and have to have surgery next week...again, leaving Mike to man the house for a little while. Hopefully my recovery will be easy and I will be up very soon after my surgery, maybe day after and will be ready to go. I've got lots of family and friends around willing to help so hopefully that will take some of the load off of Mike.

Its really late and I'm very tired, probably off to bed. Sorry no pics this time, hopefully I'll get some up and posted soon...maybe even this weekend. Thanks for being faithful.

B

Time For An Update...

So I believe its time for an update on the family. Let's see, before we left for Hawaii, we were in limbo about where we were going to live for the next year and now that's been resolved...we're staying in our house. Our landlords have graciously lowered the rent, granted they weren't as gracious as I had hoped for, but every little bit helps. So for now, we are staying put. Who knows what the future holds though.

Moving on to the kids....

Ava is growing so fast, it seems like just overnight she has turned into a full blown playmate for Van. She just turned 8 months last weekend and I swear her lifetime is going faster than Van's was. She went straight from crawling to pulling up and trying to walk. I do believe there was no time in between. She has been pulling up for quite a while now and is moving herself around the furniture, couch, chairs, etc. I think it probably won't be too long until she's walking on her own. The only thing holding her back is her little tiny feet. She still wears a 2 and has plenty of room to grow in them...I am so sure if she had some good 3's or 4's for feet she's be all over the place vertically by now. She has FINALLY broken her first tooth. She did it about a week ago and boy are we excited. She seemed like she had a runny nose for weeks and now, of course, its all gone. Not only does she have a tooth, but she is soooo over baby food. Hawaii pretty much turned her into a full blown eater. She ate everything from tri tip and potato casserole to blueberry muffins and sausage. Now her daily diet is very similar to Van's and she'll eat pretty much whatever we're having with only small limitations. She has really become such a happier baby now that she can get around so much more on her own. Her and Van chase eachother around the house, they laugh all the time together, and just love eachother's company. Don't get me wrong, there are many times that they are both so sick of eachother, but for the most part, Ava's favorite person is Van.

Onto Van. He's doing great too. Since Hawaii, we have had to nix the "no way"s a lot, thank you Kyler. But we're working on it. He's doing great at school and has started enjoying going too. I'm really glad we just stuck with that one. Its so hard when you know your kid is having a hard time because you just want to take away whatever is hard and make it easy again, but that's not always the best thing for them. Everyone told us to just hang in there and he'd be okay again, and they were right. He even runs up to the sign in table and picks his letter and goes to play with the kids. He has started to make friends, remember the other kids' names, and he always says this "goodbye everybody" when I pick him up. Its really sweet. Even the other parents and teachers have started to see our real Van, the sweet one that all of his church teachers have had the pleasure of teaching. Its a good thing. Speaking of Van and school, he has this new found independence, where he believes he can do everything himself. I do appreciate the help, but sometimes he just can't quite do whatever it is he's trying but he's pretty stubborn about letting us help. For instance, Van is potty trained but initially learned how to go potty sitting down because 1) it's easier and 2) he just wasn't tall enough to do it any other way. However, he is tall enough now (he has grown 3 inches in 1 year) and at school they help him stand up, so now he's all about that. He has also learned to pull both shorts and underwear down, pull up the toilet seats, and do his business standing. However being that he is only 2 and has just discovered the joy of peeing with his "sword", pee does not always end up in the toilet. Now we have to watch him closely because he will just run off, go to the bathroom himself and then come tell us he's done...and I have found on occasion pee in random places such as the bathtub (its right next to the toilet), the floor, the back of the toilet seat, the side of the cabinet, etc. Again, appreciate his striving to go all by himself w/o us asking, going with him, or even having to be in there, but we just need to work on his aim. Its so easy to see why boys enjoy the "sword fighting" game after seeing how boys initially discover it.

Now for some sap...I feel like there have been a lot of couples around us lately who have been breaking up or going through rough patches. Its sad really. I guess I'm just the eternal optimist when it comes to relationships and I always want to see people end up with someone they love. I feel very blessed that even though Mike and I are dealing with lots of other issues, i.e. kids, finances, etc...our relationship is solid. The basis for our family and future, our relationship, is pretty strong. We've been together a long time (at least at our age) and we have a lot of trust and faith in eachother. Not to say we haven't made mistakes or said stupid things, but we're still going strong and, I think, we have that "it" factor. Like I've said before, its not just that I love him, I genuinely like my husband. He is my best friend and I can be myself with him all the time, no hesitations, good or bad. If this were my only blessing from God, I'd be eternally grateful, however God finds it pleasing to bless us in so many more ways.

Okay off of my soap box for now. I'll try and be back soon with some more updates. Holidays are coming up which means lots of family times...oh boy. And, my dad's coming for a visit in a few weeks so that should be fun too. Off to figure out what to do with my Saturday.

B

Halloween Fun!!!

This was our first year REALLY celebrating Halloween with our kids. Van's first year, he dressed as a cowboy but he was too young to really do anything with so it was just a scheme for pictures. Last year, he was sick and so we did nothing...but this year, this was fun. We wanted to find something the kids could wear together and we thought these outfits were perfect. Van was our little devil and Ava, the angel. However, in my opinion I really would probably switch the costumes. Ava just has much more spitfire to her than Van does. Anywhoo.....this is how our Halloween celebrations went this year.

We kicked off the holiday fun with Van's preschool, they had a Halloween party last Wednesday. We all went to Irvine Park, rode on the train, visited the pumpkin patch, and then had some pizza and had the kids trick or treat w/ some of the parents. It was a lot of fun. Mike and my mom accompanied us so that we could manage both kids and there was a free hand for lots of picture taking too. Ava was a real trooper, she pretty much always is so she just hung out while her big brother got to enjoy all of the fun. Everybody loved the costumes by the way, although Van did get called a dragon and Ava a fairy....we thought it was so obvious!!!

Then came big day. Van was running around all Friday saying "trick or treat" even though he really didn't know what it meant...or what he would get if he said it. So we invited Grammy and Pappy over to see the costumes and do our trick or treating with us but Grammy just had surgery so she wasn't up to much, but Pappy came anyways. And, we had invited Mike's friend Jason and his new lady friend over for dinner, so there was literally a heard of us taking our 2 kids, really just 1 though, trick or treating. It was still great fun. Van was a little nervous the first couple of houses. But, once he realized every house he went to and every time he said "trick or treat" he got candy, I think it dawned on him....this is a great holiday. So around we went, probably only to about 10 houses or so, remember he is only 2, but we all really enjoyed it. Its really amazing, how little things like this are so enjoyable as a parent. I think I was so excited and had great anticipation for this fun day, even more so than either of my little ones could have. Its so nice to just get to enjoy these times w/ your babies. It makes me smile just thinking of the millions of memories we still have to make. Enjoy the pics below....

"I was a devil", he says

Okay so she looks a little angelic, don't let her fool you

look at that, almost a smile at the camera

so many pumpkins, how can I pick just one?

doing the hay maze...

and smiling pretty for daddy...

As always, there are more pics on our flickr site so feel free to visit. Can't wait till next year...already thinking, maybe a police man and jailer, firefighter and fire hydrant...hmmm choices choices...a whole year to decide.

Love to all, more posts to come....

B

Hawaii Here We Come

Okay I know you have all waited and waited for some updates. So here is the starter. Although lots more has happened since Hawaii, we'll go in chronological order.

So we left for Hawaii on the 14th. On the 13th we had the worst winds by our house. That night our house was literally creaking and weaving because it was sooo windy. So Van would not go to sleep. He kept trying but everytime he would get close, his window would start shaking and it would completely freak him out. Because he was in and out of his room so much and crying, Ava couldn't sleep either. Therefore, Mike and I were trying desperately to get our little ones to sleep knowing we had to leave for the airport at 430am. Of course they pick this one night out of their lives to not sleep...Murphy's Law huh. Well they both finally calmed down around 1030ish and we managed to get them a few hours of sleep.

Mike and I were both dreading the plane ride a bit just because not only did we have our little ones on it, but Mike's cousin Janelle had her 3 little ones on it. We just felt bad for the other passengers and were praying for a good and easy flight. Surprisingly, the flight there went very smoothly. All of the kids behaved greatly and they were so excited once we got to Hawaii. However, an unforseen problem, there was a 3 hour time change going to Hawaii, we gained 3 hours. So not only did the kids not sleep really well on the plane, but by the time we actually got to Hawaii it was 7ish Cali time and only 4ish Hawaii time. This dumb time change really screwed the kids up for most of the week. We finally put them to bed around 7ish Hawaii time that first day and hoped for a better outcome the next. However, we did end up getting up every morning around 4am because their little clocks just woke them up then. As the week progressed they got a little better everyday but it wasn't until the very last morning that we were there that they actually slept until normal morning time, and even then we had to wake them up to go to the airport to go home. Ughhh!!!

Overall our trip was very nice. It was really relaxing. As I've been telling everyone, we did a whole lot of nothing. Mike and Van went snorkeling with some more in our group, we did a Luau with the whole family, visited the black sand beach, went swimming, played a lot of tennis, and just enjoyed some downtime. Other than the time change, the only downside for us was that Ava was sleeping in our room all week and she's a pretty light sleeper so we had to tip toe around all night and if she woke up, we were pretty much awake because we didn't want her to just cry herself back to sleep and wake everyone else in our condo up. Little Van man did get sick about half way through the trip. Still not sure what that was all about but he ended up with fever, achy, and just poor icky. He was that way for a few days but seemed to be better a day or so after we got home.

It was definitely a new adventure traveling with 2 kids. They were both exhausted when we got home and after a week of being around lots of cousins, aunts, and uncles, we had to really work on Van's listening skills. Well here are some pics for you to enjoy...of course there are lots more on our flickr site (use the link to the right).

Black Sand Beach

More Black Sand Beach

at the Luau in matching outfits (thanks Grammy)

Van and Kyler getting ready for snorkeling

almost ready...

at our last night at Bubba Gump's for dinner

oh yeah, did I mention Ava is so over baby food, she gobbled Pappy's tri-tip too

I know I have so much more to post about, so keep looking daily. I know I've got Halloween and just a good 'ole update on the family too. Should be coming shortly.

B

I know you're being patient....

Okay I know everybody is waiting patiently for an update...between getting ready for Hawaii, going to Hawaii, and recovering from Hawaii, we've been a very busy family. We just finished uploading a ton of pics to our flickr site and I should be back w/ an actual post to this blog tomorrow...with Halloween pics too. I'm feeling a little melancholy tonite so unless you want a super sappy post, you probably want to wait until tomorrow.

I promise to be back soon and make it worth your while...I know I owe you a few posts so check back soon.

B

No, I Will Not Help You Move....

So, I feel like its been forever since I've written, but its only been a week. We've had so much, and still do, on our plate that I feel like we're kind of stuck in the eye of the storm trying to find our way out. Don't worry, nothing bad, just making some big decisions.

So in my last blog I mentioned our rental situation and my concerns about how that might play out. Well our renters have renewed their lease so that is a weight lifted off of our shoulders. They seem to be happy there but we are having some plumbing issues at the condo right now that we are trying to resolve in a cheap and easy manner. Luckily, if there is one industry our family is full of help, it would be plumbing. Larry and Daniel are going to clear the lines, install new toilets, and faucets that Mike was able to get through work. Like I said, we've got good connections as far as plumbing is concerned. So hopefully this will all be worked out in the next couple of weeks.

Now as far as our living situation goes, we're still in limbo. We decided that we need to be saving some money each month and rent seems to be a good place to start looking, especially because we have rental income and an opportunity to be making some money instead of spending more. So we bit the bullet, so to speak, and told our landlords that if possible we need a rental decrease or we would have to give our notice instead of renewing. You know me, I'm all over craigslist and I know we can find something cheaper, of course with way less room and probably minus the backyard, etc...but what's important right now is saving money and not worrying about how we are going to pay our bills in order to keep a big house. So after a week of waiting, we finally heard back from the landlords and they are considering lowering the rent but are also considering selling the house so...we're still in limbo. Next step, Mike's truck. We've been trying to sell that thing for a couple of years now. Its a great truck, low mileage, and in perfect condition but the reality is our car payment was ideal for a dual income family, not just one especially when it doesn't get driven at all. But the economy being what it is, we've been so upside down in the loan that we couldn't even pawn the thing off...until now. After some research, multiple days at the dealership, so many trips back and forth that I lost count... finally got rid of the truck and bought (we like to say hoopty, but its not really) an older model Expedition. Since I don't drive anywhere, at least not in the extra car, gas was not really a concern. We wanted cheap and safe. It literally was one of the cheapest on the lot and we think its a steal and its a great car we can grow into without Mike giving into the minivan pull, he's been very persistent about "never" driving one, plus we're able to save lots of money a month, and it will be paid off in the same time we had left on the truck loan. Oh yeah, did I mention Mike is loving the idea of not getting called to help people move anymore...not that he really minds, but its just another little thing us lazy bodies are excited about. So all in all, we're making great strides to fulfill our goal of saving money and making better decisions.

Onto lighter notes...last week Van had school pictures so I thought I would post some. This week he's had a fabulous week at school and really enjoyed it, never giving us a hard time about going or having to stay there, but actually going willingly. Hopefully we've reached a turning point, or at least we had a great week. The week of the pictures was still during Van's difficult times, as you'll see in the group shot (just posted so you can see the hysterics). Also, the mom who took the pics also captured some of Ava and either she's getting cuter by the day or that mom is the best photographer around. Although I can't take credit for taking the pics, I will take credit for posting them. Enjoy.

Sweet....sometimes

that was the best smile we could get

as her uncle jarod says...just look at those eyes, we're doomed

...and suckers for those big wide mouth smiles

another pic of them in the same frame...again, you take what you can get, right?

Okay this was the group one I mentioned, check out Van, front row on the right

That's all for now. Leaving for Hawaii in 4 days, may not be back before then...so it may be awhile before you hear from me. I'll try to keep you posted.

B

Is it love?

So everybody knows Van has lots of ladies in his life. It seems like almost all of his friends are girls and Mike and I have always pondered...will he date one of these one day? We always joke with our friends, oh maybe they'll get married, ha ha. Well as of a couple of months ago, it looked like Van had made his choice. Delaney Marrs, 1 1/2 years younger than Van, had really caught his eye. To be honest, she is one of the only brunettes he gets to play with so I think that may be it...my boy may just be into brunettes and not blondes. Well anyways, he followed her around at a family dinner and then again at her bday party. They had all sorts of little converstations and he just thinks she's so pretty. So today I got an email from Jenny Marrs...apparently Delaney found a picture in Maggie's room and has been carrying it around all day...even going back for it if she left it somewhere. Take a look at this...

In case you can't tell, the little picture is of Van. I think it just may be love. We'll be getting together with the Marrs' next week so we'll have to see how these star crossed lovers do. I'll keep you posted.

B

Trying to stay posted...

Hi everyone. We've been so busy around here that again, I have to apologize for missing my weekly goal. Ava and Van have been struggling to get through the last couple of weeks with runny noses and congestion. It seems like its been forever that I haven't had to wipe any noses. Van has been struggling in more way than one. He has really been going through a rough time lately. He has decided school isn't all that fun, especially because we leave him there and it's even worse when I'm there working. He cries ever so sadly when I drop him off but is fine after a few minutes. He just seems to be going through something. He's having a hard time adjusting to Ava too. She is officially crawling, has been for a little over a week now and is very active. Her role in Van's life has changed from the cute sister he could share with on his terms, to the little rugrat always after his toys or anything he has because it looks interesting. A friend of ours had it right, she said there are so many books on how to make your child adjust to a new baby but are there any books on how to make your little one adjust to a crawling and moving baby? From what I hear, all of this is totally normal. All of the moms at Van's school say hang in there and that he is doing great for a 2 1/2 year old. So I have to trust them because they have very recently been through the same thing. It just seems like everything is hitting Van at once and he's trying his darndest to adjust. He still gets in the car after school and says he had fun and tells me all about what he did so I know he does like it. He gets so excited to share all of his days events with anyone who will listen so I know he enjoys it. Another good friend told me, once it turns into a negative experience for him, we may want to back off. Great advice. I don't want Van to hate school, especially when he's so young and we're doing this for him so he likes it and can enjoy what he's doing, not because we have to or need the preschool. Just keep our little boy in your prayers...oh yeah us too, the terrible 2 1/2's have hit and hit hard...like I said, lots of adjusting, all at once, for all of us.

As for Ava, she is all over the place. She has had a runny nose for what seems like forever, I think we're going on 3 weeks. In the beginning I thought it was sick, and it may be, but now I'm convinced its got to be her teeth. She has none but is working really hard at getting them. I really hope we see some soon. Yesterday I was just thinking, wow I didn't wipe her nose all day she must be moving on. However, last night around midnight she woke up really upset and daddy went in to check on her and she was super congested with snot all over her nose. So he sucked it clean and put her back in bed...however, the rough night continued and once again we've been sucking her nose out all day. Its got to be her teeth. Well, just keep her in your prayers too.

As for Mike and I, we're hanging in there. Like I said, lots of sickness going around. And, if you read my last post, you can see it just seems crazy around here. We did fix our computer after practically reloading the whole hard drive, but its up and running. Our spider and worm problem got resolved after the exterminator came out this weekend. We've been trying to stay healthy the best we could even though it seems like everyone is sick around us. Hopefully we're on the up and up now. We leave for Hawaii in a little over a week and are very excited. Its a well deserved and very needed break. We're looking forward to sitting back, relaxing, soaking in the sun and just enjoying time together...hopefully we'll all be healthy. Another weight on our minds is our lease. Our renters lease, as well as ours, expires next month. We have sent off a renewal letter to our renters and right now our future is kind of in their hands. If they choose not to renew, we will probably be moving back into our condo. If they do renew, we have to decide whether or not to stay in our house. Of course we'd love to stay in our house, but finances are so tight and we're just not sure what the best decision would be. We know God provides us with all we need and we want to be making the best decisions with those provisions. As much as we love our big yard, our big house, rooms for both kids, and an office for both of us to work from home, we're just not sure this is where God would choose for us to be. Please pray for Mike and I, that we continue to place our faith in God and make wise decisions for our family. Like any loving father, we want to make him proud and want him to be happy with our choices.

Hopefully I'll be back before Hawaii comes around...maybe I'll even get around to downloading some new pics for you...Wish me luck.

B

Can I buy a breath please?

Oh my, where do I start? Do you ever have those days where it seems like so much is going wrong? Today was my day. It just felt like I was losing control, and my good friends know how much I hate that. I couldn't even get my footing without something else going wrong. Overwhelmed is an understatement. Okay I'm going to get on my soap box and tell you everything Mike and I are trying to "fix" right now.

It all started a week ago, well a week ago yesterday. Mike woke me up at 3am to help him fix our desktop computer, we both have laptops too so we're never really without a computer. But anyways, our desktop started getting all of these popups saying we had an infection, blah blah and Mike was a little freaked that our computer was really crashing so he woke me up to see if I could fix it. Well after a little over an hour, yep 415 AM, I ended up sending an email to our spyware company and leaving it in their lap. So, we've been communicating with them for the last week to try and get some sort of resolution to our computer which just seems to get worse and worse as each day goes by. We can barely get it turning on now w/o freezing. Why do I keep trying if we have laptops too you ask...all of my work stuff is on that computer and Mike uses it for work also...not to mention our thousands of pics of our kids....so, its kind of important. So, first issue, computer.

Then last week Mike and Van were running around Ava's room and jumped into the glider and broke it. Me, being poor and cheap, thought I would duct tape it to see if I could make it last. Well our new rule, no Mike in the glider...we're going to see how long we can make it last. I do have to lean to one side now and hope it doesn't fall completely back when I'm feeding Ava though.

Then Friday night Mike and I noticed the carpet in the hallway was a little wet and after stepping on it a bit, realized it was actually drenched for a run of about 3 feet. Since it's right under the closet w/ the AC, we opened the door and realized it was leaking all over the floorboards under the hallway carpet, hence the wet carpet. So we put towels down to try and soak up what we could and called the landload. He's working on getting an ac man out here and in the mean time Mike is working on putting some bleach or something in it to make sure the lines are clear and there isn't a clog causing the overflow. So, we now have wet carpet in our hallway...hopefully it doesn't mildew before it gets fixed.

Then a couple of nights ago I started noticing these weird little worm like creatures on our ceiling in our kitchen and dining room. There was only 1 or 2 when I first noticed them so I got a chair and wiped them down. Well now, 3 or 4 days later, there seem to be 5 or 6 everytime we turn around. They are only a 1/2 inch long, clear in color, and super skinny and we have absolutely no idea where they are coming from...but they are GROSSING me out. Luckily they stick to the ceiling, not in our cupboards, sink, trash can or anywhere we can track them. We keep switching off "worm patrol" because its just gross having to kill them. At least they are small, its not like outdoor worms crawling around and they just seem to hang out in our "popcorn" ceiling. However, disgusting.

So today my to do list was, talk to computer guy and get it fixed...we had a call scheduled at 7am, get back in touch with the landlord about the leaking ac and wet carpet, call an exterminator to come out asap, today preferably, to kill these worms, take Ava to the doctor at 10am for her 6 1/2 month checkup, go to my bi-weekly meeting with my boss at 130pm, call the doctor (did I forget to mention I'm still seeing a specialist for my kidney issue and waiting...2 weeks now...for approval on more testing)...hmmm lets see what else. Oh yeah, its Monday so my house is a wreck from the weekend and tornado that is our Sunday and all the hampers are full again. Oh and did I mention while I was on the phone w/ the computer guy, who suggested reinstalling Windows by the way, which I did then lost all of our files for a while...don't worry I ended up finding them after a minor breakdown...Oh yeah, I was saying, while I was trying to reboot the computer like the repair guy said, Van spilled daddy's coffee cup (a big full one) all over the desk with work papers, cords, etc covered, yep more on our white carpet.

By about 915, I was just DONE. After some encouragement from my husband, I tried to catch my breath. Like he said, it wasn't like he got fired or anything...these are all fixable, hopefully. So Ava went for her checkup, all is well. I managed to make my meeting on time, with my agenda in hand after hours of reloading programs onto my craputer. Got an exterminator coming tomorrow am, first thing, to kill these bugs. And still managed to put Ava to sleep in my squeaking, duct taped chair.

All is well. God is good, we will survive.

B

How Lucky Am I?

So after feeling sick for the last couple of days and taking care of everyone else in my house that hasn't felt good, I was exhausted. I went to bed last night to try and get a good nights sleep and woke up to my little boy saying "surprise mommy" with a whole bouquet of flowers in his hand. When Mike came to bed last night, he asked me to get him up with Van in the morning, so of course I obliged so that I could sleep in a bit. My boys got up, went to the store and bought me fresh flowers, and came home to make me cinnamon rolls. So I was lucky enough to get a yummy breakfast in bed and a beautiful bouquet of flowers, thanks to the 2 boys I love most in the world.

Ummm...

5 busy days
4 runny noses in my house
3 other people to take care of
2 hours a day working a paying job, at least
1 exhausted me...

here's how my week went

Ahead of the Game

Yep, the picture to the left is my attempt at getting both of my kids in the same picture. Now if only I could get Van to sit next to his sister long enough to take a picture life would be grand.

Well I think we have another hectic week ahead of us so I thought I would try to get ahead of the game and get my post done early. We are starting a new week with the same 'ole commitments. With Van starting school, Tuesdays and Thursdays will be very busy for us. As one of my good friends has said, Tuesday will be that day for me. You know, the one day of the week you kind of dread because you know at the end of it, you will be exhausted and so happy that you have another 6 days before it comes around again. Thursdays won't be so bad because I don't have to work at the school, but I still have to have us all up and moving early enough to get Van to school on time.

We also have a playdate planned for Wednesday this week with an old friend. Before Ava was born, I used to watch another little boy, just a few months older than Van, 2 or 3 days a week. He's a real sweetheart and his name is David. It was always entertaining because David is Czechoslovakian and was learning Czech as his first language and I was pretty much his only source of English. It was always fun watching him and Van talk to each other in some sort of combo language. Its amazing how kids just adapt though and can easily understand each other. Anyways, his mom and I have been emailing the last couple of weeks just to stay in touch and are getting together this week so the boys have a chance to hang out. I also agreed to help her out 1 day a month watching David for a couple of hours while she does some extra work. I know, I know, why do I keep piling it on myself. But, for the most part, he's a really good boy and pretty easy to watch. Plus it will just be like a playdate for the boys anyways, so I might as well help out.

Let's see, other than that, I have lots of work to do. I told my boss on Saturday that my work load was kind of tapering off the last week or so and I'd be willing to take on a little more work so she responded with about 10 emails of new things to do. So I will be a busy bee earning a paycheck for our family. I really enjoy the work I do for her. Being that I've been working for her for a couple of months now, I find the work pretty easy and have managed to cut my workload down because I've figured out how to do most everything in a timely manner. So bring on the next challenge.

What else, what else. Right now I can't think of anything else but I'm sure there will be. Our weeks always seem to fly by and before I know it, I'm behind on blogging again. Well I hope you enjoy reading my little update. I really do have the best intentions when it comes to writing often. I should show Mike how to blog so he can update all of you when I get super busy or ridiculously tired. Well love to all of our faithful readers, I'm not sure how many of you are out there but you are the reason I'm sitting here blinking away sleep and typing away my tired fingers.

xoxo

Multiple Posts

Since I don't get around to blogging very often anymore, sometimes I do more than 1 post at a time..please be sure to scroll all the way down to get all the scoop so you don't miss anything. xoxo

First Day Of School

Okay I know its only preschool, but this is still a big deal to us. Since this preschool goes along the normal school schedule, fall to spring then summer off, it really feels like school. Thanks to nana who took Van shopping for school clothes, he was all set to start his first day. He has been very excited about this day. I've really been debating, is he too young, how often should he go, how much is too much at his age, what if he wants to go everyday, etc. I know, I know, I'm a headcase. But, he's our first and I just want him to like school and I don't want to push him if he's not ready and I don't want to restrain him if he really wants to do it. So, the fine line we will walk.

Well Tuesday was his first day and I believe it was a success. Because this is a co-op program, I am required to work at the school one day a week and my day is Tuesday. I thought I would start him then instead of Monday just because its completely a new situation with people he doesn't know, nor do I really, and I would just be more comfortable. So all day Monday I had to answer yes to the hundred times I was asked, "I'm going to school tomorrow?". I swear, you would've thought school was Disneyland. Anyways, we got up Tuesday, got all 3 of us ready (I am able to bring Ava with me on the day I work), and packed into the car nice and early. Daddy was the camera crew all morning so I could make sure I had everything we needed and we didn't miss a second of Van's big day.

Van took to the kids immediately. It only took him a couple of seconds to think about whether or not he wanted to play with people he didn't know, then he dove right in. Since I was working there, it did prove to be a little difficult to get Van to listen to other parents when I was in the room, or myself for that matter. He kind of resorted to "oh that's my mom, I'll just go by her", but then when I needed him to do something he'd treat me like his mom and just say no if he didn't want to. This wasn't working. One of the other moms was thinking it was because it was his first day and maybe he was nervous or uncomfortable, but I know my boy. He has gone into similar situations with bible class at church and never had a problem...my gut was telling me it was because I was there. Well sure enough, I stepped into the back room to get snacks ready, leaving Van with the other kids and parents and he was perfectly fine. Once he got distracted enough to forget about me, he was fine. He is definitely not one of those kids who needs mom there, in fact, its the opposite, he needs me NOT to be there. So this will prove to be a challenge on the day I work but I am going to work very hard to stay where he doesn't see me, at least until he gets settled, so that he can just enjoy school for all it has to offer.

By the end of the day, its only a 2 1/2 hour preschool, he was tired and hungry. We hurried home to get some lunch, which he devoured and off to bed he went for a good hard nap. The rest of the night he was constantly asking to go to school again so I know he enjoyed it. I think for now I'm going to stick to my original plan of sending him Tuesdays (because I have to work that day so he has to come) and Thursdays (by himself). If he wants to do more and I think he can handle it w/o getting bored later on and good behavior maintaining, we might have to reevaluate.

As for Ava you ask, she enjoyed school as well. She is just a real trooper. She hung out in the snuggli for about 2 hours, ate for a bit, then got down and played with some of the kids. Its so funny to see small children around babies, you'd think she was a monkey or something they way they poke and laugh at her. And, of course, she just loves it. I think she likes kids even more than she likes adults. She didn't fuss all morning, not even a peep, just enjoyed being out and taking in all the action. Thank goodness for good babies...that's all I can say.

Here's some pics of the big day.

All dressed and ready to go. I think we've finally taught Van how to smile looking at the camera. Yippee!!

Because it was my day to work, it was Van's day to share. He chose to take his dolphin as his "secret share" toy.

In the car and off to school we go.

Eating lunch after a long hard morning.

Van has now even completed his first day by himself at school. The teachers said he was great, of course, because I wasn't there. It was a little rough taking him and dropping him off like a big boy. It just made me a little sad to come home without him. But he had a great time and I know this is just baby steps for both of us. Before we know it he'll be going to kindergarten then off to high school. Wow, they grow so fast.

B

PS There will always be more pics on our flickr site and just a few here for you to see. Click on the link to the right whenever you want to check out our babies.

Remembering 9/11

Can you believe that 7 years ago the worst tragedy our nation has seen on our soil happened? It seems like just yesterday. I remember getting a phone call from Mike telling me to turn on my tv because a plane just crashed into the World Trade Center. I was so in a fog I didn't even realize the impact of what he was really saying. I remember driving to school and listening on the radio as everybody talked about it. I remember getting to school and seeing the campus closed and really feeling like something major happened. It wasn't until later that day that it really really hit me. Seeing the actual destruction, watching on tv as survivors were searched for, listening for weeks as the death toll was raised. I think 9/11 was for me what the shooting of JFK was for my parent's generation. I will always remember where I was when I heard about it and remember how I felt. In the recent weeks, Mike and I have caught a few specials here and there about the bombing, talks from survivors, seen video footage of the attacks. And it all still takes my breath away. Its one of those things that breaks my heart watching, but I can't seem to look away. I can't seem to walk away from the tv as I hear someone recall running down 47 flights of stairs to try to get out of the buildings before they crumble. I almost look back at it like it was a dream. Did it really happen? I think wow, this is crazy, I wasn't even there that day, nor did I lose somebody I cared about or had to even count the minutes until I heard they were safe. I can't imagine what the anniversary of that day does to those families directly impacted. I don't know what else to say other than my heart aches for those families, my anger burns for those who thought this was the way to get their point across, and my spirit prays for everyone who watched or listened and was forever changed by that day.

B

All About Ava

Okay so my last blog, or shall I say, day of blogs, turned into a Van fest. As promised, here is a page just dedicated to Ava. I will post some new pics of her too so you can get your fill. She is a really cute baby, has super squeezable cheeks, and a very sweet demeanor. She will pretty much let anyone hold her and offers smiles to anyone looking. She is much sweeter than Van but also much more determined. She is easier to get smiles out of, but also easier to get a fuss out of. She will definitely let you know when she isn't happy. She, like most girls, likes to have a lot of attention. Don't get me wrong, she is not a fussy baby. She is happy, as long as somebody is in the room with her and stops every so often to acknowledge her. Van used to just sit by himself quietly and play. Another reason we believe Van got his mommy's genes and Ava is leaning towards daddy's side. She sits up like a champ and is making great strides toward crawling. She spins herself in circles trying to get where she wants to go. I'm sorry to say I just don't dedicate as much time on the floor with her like I did with Van which is probably why she isn't moving all over the place yet. Its so hard the 2nd time around, I find my hands always full. Luckily, she's content doing whatever I need her to and pretty much goes with the flow. So here are some new pictures.

Seriously, how cute is she. Like I said, sitting like a champ now. She is such a smiley baby but catching a picture where her smile is cute and so is the rest of her face is proving to be a difficult task. I thought this picture was cute even though she isn't total smiles. Sorry for the crazy hair.

Okay here she's rockin' the double ponytails. Mike says she looks like Satan when I do her hair this way. Its hard, the sides are so short but the top is this crazy madness of hair. I get bored doing one ponytail everyday, so I'm trying to switch it up. I think its cute, a nice pair of palm trees.


Ooh, my nemesis. Also mentioned earlier, she is a very determined little girl. As most of you know, I'm a bit of a control freak. So the head butting has begun. I've been trying to break this thumb sucking routine since she was about 2 months old. I've even put gloves on her when she sleeps but now she's so smart she can just pull them off and still claim a victory. She's such a putz, she will stick her thumb in her mouth and then look at me with this huge grin as to say..."ha ha mom, what are you gonna do about it". Ugghhh!!! I may have to surrender here and just make Tabasco my friend in the years to come. Ha ha Ava, what are you going to do then?!?

Okay look for another post soon. Van, I know it was all about Ava, but he started school the other day so I'm hoping to get that one up later today. Talk to you all soon.

B

Last one...for today

Okay so I think I've got everyone caught up on everything. Can anyone think of anything I'm forgetting? If so, go suck an egg...I'm a busy girl. Okay I'm just kidding, don't mean to be mean. I really had the best intentions when I started out this blog and to be honest, I really enjoy doing it. I love to write...whether it be on a blog, a mediocre journalism article, an insightful for my eyes only journal, or even a love letter for my hubby. I like to tell everyone what's going on so those who we care about and don't get to see as often as we'd like can be all caught up on our life history. I love to look back at the pictures and just see how our kids are growing and learning and making us smile. Life is full of only the memories we make, so we might as well enjoy it, right?

Well I've got just a couple more pics for you of Van and some of his newest antics.

Van really enjoys sitting down with Mike or I and drawing on his easel. He has just discovered chalk on the chalkboard, as opposed to the sidewalk, and this picture to the left is after he drew his first stick person. Yes, he had some guidance from mom, but the circle and body are all his doing. I believe the head may be missing, because his 2nd favorite part is erasing his artwork.

Since the olympics have just ended, my schedule has gotten a little back to normal. Some of you may or may not know that I'm just a tad bit obsessed with gymnastics. As Mike says, womens olympic gymnastics is like my Super Bowl. But this year was Van's first time seeing mens gymnastics, I think. Well after watching just a few minutes of it, one guy dismounted from the High Bar and raised his arms (like they all do), and Van yelled out, Yeah..you did it... So he's been a little excited to do this himself now...off of his bed, after a ride down his slide, etc. Here he is...our little olympian.

Another new obsession of Van's is puzzles. I'm not talking the little kid ones made of wood, matching animals or letters, but real puzzles. Grammy started this with a Handy Manny puzzle which he finished on his own in no time at all and we've added to his collection. He just got this CARS puzzle and was so excited about finishing it, by himself, in a matter of minutes. Yep that's right, my 2 year old can do a puzzle. We are so proud...one, for his ability and two, because we think he didn't inherit his attention span from his dad. Whoo!!

Alright, and lastly here's just a little one of Ava. After all of this blogging about Van today, I will have to commit a whole page to just our little girl next time. Stay tuned.

Love to everyone...enjoy all my efforts.

B

A boy and a grasshopper

So earlier this week we were in the backyard enjoying a nice sunny morning and happened to find a grasshopper. Van was instantly attached to it and surprisingly gentle with it. He couldn't wait until we gave him permission to touch it, once of course dad had grabbed the camera to capture it all on film, or memory card should I say. But anyway, here's some of the best ones...

Okay so we're over an hour and a half into this blogging and picture updating, and I'm getting worn out. Man, who knew blogging could be so much work.

and one of Ava...just for good measure

I believe the dinosaur show is up next...

Okay so we went to the Walking With The Dinosaurs on Saturday and Van loved it so here are some shots from there. Again, trying to get Van to even pay attention long enough for a picture is quite the challenge, but...he really did enjoy himself.

Ava comfy on Pappy's arm

Hunter enjoying the show

Sorry Karen, but she looked so cute here, Carson

Janelle and Jason

Okay I know his eyes are closed, but Kyler, this is a very sweet picture

Okay literally the only one where Van is even kind of looking at the camera

I have a couple more good ones but you'll just have to check out our flickr site. Time is ticking...

B