Sunday

We had big plans for Sunday. Starting out with Einstein Bagels and going to Nana's house. Followed by the pumpkin patch after lunch. Then coming home to a dinner our neighbors prepared and dropped off for us.

Instead plans were changed first thing in the morning. Don brought Einstein bagels home to us and then we hung out here while he worked on the clothing racks for my mom and I. The boys played in our camping trailer and with "found" toys in the garage while I tried to help Don. Eventually things started to get complicated and the project started taking a lot longer than we thought it would.

Once it got to lunch time, we decided to just hang out at our house and have a family day. I set up our bounce house in the living room and the boys went to town on that while I cranked up the movie Cars on the surround sound. A nice way to buy us a half hour of getting things done.

Soon it was time for Don to start staining the racks, but it was the same time the kids wanted to come back out and play. Luckily Don had brought home a skateboard a few days before hand and the boys took turns riding that or the creepy crawler down the driveway like stunt men.

After Don was done with the racks, he got an idea of what to do with some of the wood scraps he had. He got some paint and nails together and helped the boys make their own wood cars. The boys loved it and were sad that they had to wait for their cars to dry before playing with them.

It was nice to have such a quiet Sunday. It was much needed by all of us!

Me and a Sneak Peek

Usually this blog is a way to keep my family and friends updated about the boys. For some reason I really don't use it as a place to write about me and the general going ons outside of our house. Today I will make a concession to that.

For the past six weeks my mom and I have been so incredibly busy getting our business started. Our main priority at this time is inventory. At least twice a week I have been over there past midnight with the two of us sewing up a storm. I have also been taking a stained glass class that keeps me out of the house once a week as well. Life has been very busy. Fun, but busy.

The boys have bonded with Don with all this time they have had to get reacquainted after all his overtime he had this summer. They have begun to go to him when they get "boo boos" just as much as they come to me, which really says it all.

This Wednesday will be the open house of our new business. We will show our family and friends what we have been up to and hopefully get some great feedback as well. I am really nervous about everything being ready in time. The hangers are to be here on Monday -but with that being a holiday probably Tuesday instead. Don's making the racks that we will be using to show most items on (and he is doing wonderfully, but I am nervous about it being finished in time). Last, I know there are many little details to be finished and I am hoping it will all come together tomorrow, the least of being getting some pictures taken so I can share with the online world what it is that we are making.

Bottom line is that I am really excited. Between sewing and stained glass class, the past six weeks have me feeling like I am again part of the world outside these four walls. I miss the kids (and Don), but know life will return to a slower pace once the open house is past. But for now, I am really enjoying myself and being able to be creative with my hands again.

Nana's Birthday!

Tonight we went to Nana's house for her birthday dinner. It all went by in a blur, but I remember lots of laughing, pasta and the boys running around in little groucho glasses with mustaches.

The boys helped Nana blow out her candles after an enthusiastic version of happy birthday and then Nana opened her gifts. She got a GPS for her car, a CD that she had been asking for and a cute laptop bag. Then it was cake time and more fun. Don and Leigha had a bit of a war over if Leigha could paint Wyatt's toenails (it was only a whitish color) and both Luke and Wyatt ended up angry at Don for denying them the fun of it all. Aunt Leigha compromised and let them file their nails with her cool filers instead while Jax played like a wild man with Pops in the rocking chair.

It was a great family night, one that I think we have all been waiting for since the boys were born. They are finally at an age where the entire family can have fun with them because of the interaction that their speaking skills now lend.

Happy Birthday Nana!

Sticker issues

While the boys were having a snack, Luke had noticed his sticker was gone.

Lucas: "Mo-om, Jaxin take my sticker!"
Jaxon: "I not take it"
Lucas: "You didn't?"
Jaxon: "No"
Lucas: "Mo-om, Wy-ditt take my sticker!"

Camping

Don and I have a camper parked on the side of our house. It has not moved since August of 2004 when we took a trip around southern California for a full week.

For the past few months we have been talking about going camping with the boys. Nothing too far, and not more than an hour or two away, but just something to get them used to the idea.

Friday afternoon we took a trip to Mt Charleston (about 45 mins away) with a plan to stay a night or two and see how the boys reacted. About 2 hours later than we were shooting for, we left the house (twice) and started our drive. The boys fell asleep in the car on the way up and woke up just as the man at the campground told us all his campground was already full for the night, and had been since the day before.

With a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach, we drove off to other campgrounds in the area. The next one we came across was also full, so up over the mountain we started driving. At the very top of the mountain there was another campground. There was no "full" sign out front, but as we drove through the 35 spot area -seeing every single one had a reserved spot sign on it, our stomachs sunk a little lower. Once we hit number 35 and saw no reserved sign on it, we pulled right in and Don took the quick walk up to the campground host to reserve our spot. Luckily, it was open and now ours!

With lots of renewed energy, we had the camper open and ready in no time! The boys got to explore around our little mountain side area and find every nook and cranny they could use to try to climb higher and higher up.




On our first night out we had a traditional camping meal of hot dogs, hamburgers and baked beans. The boys got a kick out of eating inside the camper, but couldn't wait to get back outside to play with their new flashlights. Soon dinner was followed by roasting marshmallows by the fire.


Surprisingly, we had no issues with the boys around the fire. They understood that the fire was hot and not to play around it. They were even trying to roast their marshmallows with the only problem being not to let their marshmallows touch the logs or the dirt underneath. Wyatt couldn't eat his fast enough, not even caring if his were toasted, just eating the straight off the stick before asking for more.

As we laid down for bed that night, I was face to face with Jaxon as he excitedly recounted the day to me. It was so beautiful how his eyes were literally so bright with excitement as he told me about the marshmallows and the blue and orange fire they cooked in.



After an extremely cold night sleep with lots of wind and rain, we woke up at the first sign of daylight. Don thinks it was 7ish, but I swear it felt about 5am. Either way, the campground was quiet except three little boys in space number 35 yelling for more Apple Jacks (a new kind of breakfast for them). It was freezing still and the area was too wet to even walk around much, so we took a drive around the mountains to peek at the other campgrounds.

Once we got back we really enjoyed our day. There was not a thing that I think we didn't do. Exploring, popping popcorn, snack of grapes, lunch of egg salad and chips and dip, lots of trips to the potty about 100 feet up the mountain side. Soon Don had to go buy more wood from the camp host and he was told there was a slight chance of snow that night.

We started to rethink staying for another night. We brought warm clothes, but not snow worthy temperature clothing. The night before was cold ad we both woke up so much during the night to make sure the kids were completely covered, even though they had footie pjs on, topped off with hoodie sweatshirts with the hoods up. Not to mention folding up the camper was a bit of a beast when the camper is wet. So in about a half hour, we were on our way back down the mountain and heading home.


We had such a great time and there is really nothing that we would change. The space we got to stay in was perfect for the boys and we had such a beautiful view when we sat down at the kitchen table. The boys didn't seem to mind the coldness at all. They had a really good time as well and although they didn't give us a hard time about leaving, they were ready to stay another night if that is what we would have decided. I think they really soaked up the full attention they got from Don and I with no phone, television or computer distractions. It was a great "first" experience for us.

Can't wait to do it again!

Things we hear

The boys are talking so much now a days, but there are a few things that are repeated more often than others.

"I rock!"
"I no do it" (denial of any wrong doing)
"I love you!"
"Jack-in did it" (always the response to who did this?)
"I need licorice" (their favorite treat)
"We go to playground?"
"I want a special treat"
"Going to Nana's house?"
"Daddy coming home soon?" (Always asked by Wyatt)
"I do it by myself!"
"Jack-in said that" (If Jax called someone a bad boy.)
"Baby so cute!"

Pizza at the Park

Recently we found a new park. It is in an area we frequently go by -and have even been to in the past- but the boys are at the perfect age to enjoy it now. We went last weekend and then called Cathy to see if she wanted to meet us for pizza later in the week. Today was finally our evening to meet at the park.

At first none of the kids wanted to sit long enough to eat. They all had the temptation of the playground on both sides of them, and we were in direct eye sight of the water feature area as well. Needless to say, only a few bites were chomped down before they declared they were all done and wanted to go play now.

Surprisingly, Wyatt wanted to get in the water after only about ten minutes of being at the playground. Soon he was joined by Jax, and then Luke followed as well. Robert came over and thought about joining his sister and the boys, but kept out of the water for now.

After an hour and half, it started getting dark and we all decided it was too difficult to do head counts with losing light, and called it a night. It was so fun to finally get together with our friends again. It is so interesting to see the leaps and bounds all the boys are making with their communicating and playground skills. We see them everyday, but to go a couple weeks without seeing our friends, it is more obvious how much the others have learned since last time. Our little guys are really growing up!

Little Ninja's part 2

Today I went with Don and the boys to their third Little Ninja class. The boys all sat/stood on their colored shapes and listened to what Ms. Miller told them. She said today's class was going to be working on coordination. The boys seemed to really love it. They listened pretty well, and the only time they weren't focused on the teacher is when they decided they needed to hug their brother right then. Once the hug fest was over, they are fine again until six minutes pass, and oh- another hug is needed.

The class is only a half hour, and all the parents sit in the same open room as they do (about 14 students), so there is a lot of distractions in one room. Some parents clap for their child after the child raises their arm and hits the target, so then every child expects the applause for the same menial task. Jaxon loves the applause though. He gets a huge smile on his face and he just soaks it up.

Lucas really seems to get into the class, yelling towards the teacher when she asks seemingly rhetorical questions. "I am READY!" when she asks if they are ready to begin. Wyatt has amazing reflexes for someone his age, and great stances. All three definitely seem to be learning in this class and enjoying it all the way.

Here is a video of them in class...

Baseball!

I spent most of last weekend sewing with my mom. We have a lot more to be done, but it is really hard with the boys being underfoot. This weekend we decided to take a break and sew all day Friday instead.

As soon as the boys laid down on Nana's bed to watch a movie (aka nap), we started sewing and ironing. About 2-3 hours later, they were up and Don was off work, so he took them to the mall.

Once he got back, they decided to go watch Ed's baseball team play at a park right by my mom's house. Don said the boys loved watching the game. Jaxon first asked Don if they were playing basketball. Jax thinks every sport is basketball. So Don explained that it was baseball. "They play with a ball and see all those squares they are running to and standing on? Those are bases. So this game is baseball." To which Jaxon nodded and responded, "Wow, I like watching basketball, Daddy!".

Later in the evening, my mom and I were able to join them at the game. When the game was over, Ed and Don gave the boys a quick lesson in baseball. Don would hold the bat behind whoever was batting and Ed was bravely helping the boys learn how to throw. The boys loved running the bases. Luke kept ending up sitting on the dirt and Don pointed out that he was actually trying to slide!

They were definitely all boy while they were out there. They really seemed to get a kick out of playing just like the big kids they saw only moments before. What a fun evening!

Luke Cooks!

After a week of patiently waiting, Luke finally had his turn at cooking class. He was so proud to wear the apron and chef hat this am, he was dressed and ready to go a good ten minutes before I was. I had even more time to spare, but felt guilty knowing he was so excited about leaving.

Today we made rice crispy treats. Luke loved the opportunity to wash his hands as often as he wanted and probably spent an equal amount of time in front of the sink as he did on his stool mixing ingredients together. He did not seem to care for all the butter needed to put on his hands so the marshmallows don't stick, but he loved being allowed to taste the ingredients as they went in the bowl.

Coming home was adorable. He greeted Jax with a hug for once (usually Jax is the hugger) and the boys were so excited to see what "special treat" Luke had made for them. Everyone couldn't sit at the table fast enough. Luke was like Jaxon, asking what everyone thought and even asked Nana, "Is that good, Nana?".

When Don got home from work today, Lucas was the only one awake from their naps. I put out two paper plates with the rice crispy treats on them and he and Luke sat down and ate their snack. It was so obvious how much Luke loved sharing his treat with his daddy. A precious moment to remember for sure.

3 against 1

I watch (more like hear) this video and can't decide whether I am horrified that the kids are trying to take Don out, or laughing because they are actually taking Don out.

Cooking Class with Jax

Today was Jax's turn to go to cooking class. His new cooking clothes were courtesy of Targets $1 bin and Nana's embroidery machine. Pretty good deal, don't you think?

Today's class had us learning to make crepes. He got to break an egg and add in all the ingredients. His face lit up at the idea of being able to wash his hands as often as he wanted to, and that excitement was only compounded by the fact that Ms LeAnn blows soap bubbles on you as you wash your hands.

It was so neat to focus and Jaxon and see how other people respond to his excitement and big smiles. I know he is pretty special, but it is cool to see other people realize it too.

When class was over, Ms LeAnn mentioned there were extras if anyone wanted more. We grabbed one and brought a crepe home for his brothers and Nana to try. He was so proud of his "special treat" and asked his brothers, "you like it, Wy Wy?" and, "That good special treat, yeah Luke?".

Speaking of Luke, he can't wait for his turn. He has asked about his turn to go three times today and loved wearing Jax's apron while helping me cook dinner tonight. When I made him take the apron off to go play outside, he hesitated for a few seconds before agreeing to take it off.

I love that they are excited about this as I am.

But it smells GOOD!

One day last week I noticed Jax's face was dry. It was a passing thought before something else distracted me. The next day my mom noticed it was so dry, it felt scaly. We wondered how this was possible. It has not been windy and they get baths almost every night, complete with a lotion rub down. Thankfully, after a few days of super moisture lotion, his cheeks were back to their normal smoothed state. It was fixed and forgotten. Until today.

When the boys wake up from their naps, they come in our room and veg out a bit. They like the novelty of using our bathroom to do their business followed by watching tv from our bed. Then we all cuddle a bit until they are ready to venture out and get a snack.

Today Don and I were playing with the boys on our bed and as Jax was giggling madly while rolling around, something good smelling waffed past my nose. Not being able to pin point the smell from where it was coming from, I held Jax down while sniffing out his little neck. Then I recognized the scent. It was Don's deodorant!

While trying to figure out the logistics of why Jax's face smelled like Don's deodorant, I came to the conclusion that Jax must have been playing around with it while in our bathroom. When Jax was asked about it, he became a little embarrassed. Quickly wanting to get the talk over with -and not wanting to act like it was a huge deal- I explained why he couldn't put deodorant on his face. Can you imagine how that would dry out his face?

AH-HA!

Yes, this wasn't the first time he smelled like this. Dimly a memory of this happening before a week or two ago -a couple days in a row- surfaced. The scent wasn't as strong then, so I guess I didn't think as much about it at the time.

But now Jaxon knows, no more putting on with Daddy's deodorant, no matter how much he wants to be like Daddy.

Paris

This past Friday night Don and I had our first night away from the boys since they had come home from the hospital. Nana had offered to stay at our house for the night to simplify everything and Don and I were excited to start planning our night out.

Thanks to Ed, we got to stay at the Paris hotel here in Las Vegas and it was wonderful! The room was gorgeous and there was nothing as luxurious as not being on a schedule. With no worries about what time to eat, we hung out in the hotel room until we decided to get ready and head out. Sleeping in until 9 and being able to wake up at our own pace was heavenly.

It was a much needed, much deserved night out for us. Hopefully we think to do it again before another three years sneak on by.

Someone is in TROUBLE

Yesterday I was here, only 10 feet away from the boys room when I heard one of the boys talk about someone making a mess. Figuring they emptied their book cube, I wasn't too concerned. I finished posting my things on Craigslist and decided it was snack time. As I walked to the boys room, this is what greeted me.



The pictures do not do this mess justice. You are looking at 84 shirts and 24 pairs of shorts. With random amounts of underwear and undershirts thrown in for good measure.

To put it mildly I was "ooh ooh MAD" (any Barney watcher's recognize the phrase?). Wyatt and Jaxon blamed each other and Luke hid in the other room until things quieted down. Eventually the boys helped me put it away, watching me with big eyes hoping my head wouldn't explode right there in front of them. This is on the tails of writing with pen on my bathroom counter.

We honestly thought we were lucky and the stage of doing these things were long gone. We thought we cruised past it with no incidents. Ha ha ha.

No Fear

The past few weeks I have been taking the boys to a nearby park in the early morning to let them run off some energy. We only stay a little while because soon it starts to get too hot, it is still over 100 degrees here.

They have begun to really take to climbing on the rock formations the park has. The rocks are man made, but they are hard and steep all the same. The boys have no fear of them at all. They will climb up, resorting to crawling or scooting on their rear ends when it gets too steep for them, but they still keep going. When they get as high as I will let them, they find a semi smooth area and slide sown. The drop offs for the make shift slide is about three feet up in the air, and they insist the can do it "by myself!". So I will nonchalantly put my arm out and let them know it is there in case they need it. And thankfully, they use it.

When it gets too hot and their cheeks start getting red, we walk over to the water area and cool off. Until recently, they would just wander around the edges and occasionally put their foot over a water spray coming out of the ground. Finally I told them that if they didn't get their bodies wet (and cooled down), we would have to go home. That same day they began putting their heads in the jet of water and eventually they began running though the whole play area with the carefree abandonment kids should have.

Luke doesn't run through the water area yet, but he will put his head directly in the spray of water and drink the water as it drips down his face. Wyatt and Jax love running through the water sprays and then come running to me so they can dry their face on my shirt.

You can see it here

Little Ninjas

This fall Don was in charge of picking out a class for the boys to take. Having Don choose served a few purposes. First, he needed more time with the boys. With him working overtime this summer, the boys have really become Momma's boys. When they get hurt, it is straight to Momma. If they wanted anything, it was all about "Momma do!". It was bordering on ridiculous and for a Dad who had always been very involved with his children, I knew it had to hurt a bit for the boys to pass him over like that. They needed to be alone with Don and let him handle their needs.

Second, I didn't want to sign the boys up for totnastics again. With Preschool on Mon & Wed, and cooking on Thurs, I wasn't looking forward to a fourth day of driving out to the center. Which leads me to my third reason -I just flat out need some down time in my own house. Some quiet time to relax and take a bath or clean up around the house without the boys underfoot.


So today, the boys had their first Little Ninja class.

They learned how to punch out their arms and bow, as well as punch out one arm at a time and kick out their legs. Don said the instructor would have the kids punch at her open hands in front of them, and then she would squat low for them to hit her lowered hands to practice aiming while kicking. Wyatt had misunderstood and when she squatted, he also squatted and punched instead of kicking. :)

I am impressed with what they learned today, especially with the class only being a half hour. Don said the boys behaved well and he was really proud of them. Afterwards he took them to a nearby park to let them run. Then he took them to get smoothies.

Once they got home, we all laid down and watched Nemo in hopes of a quick nap. After that, Don basically had the boys for the rest of the evening while I was cutting material. Not once did they get hurt and demand to see me. They let Don handle all their spats and boo boos, and would only occasionally feel the need to come check on what I was doing.

So to wrap it up, the boys learned some cool ninja moves, Don is quickly getting his "can do" status back with the kids and I spent about 6 hours today cutting fabric. I do believe we had a very productive day.

San Gennaro Fest

The other night we went on our traditional trip to the San Gennaro Fest. We have been going at least once a year since the boys were about 5 months old and last night we invited Leigha and Ed to join us.

We all had so much fun! The boys went on a couple car rides and towards the end of the evening all 7 of us went through the fun house complete with moving steps and a circling hallway. There were lots of booths to look at and amazingly enough,even though we didn't bring a stroller, the boys did great!

We had "authentic" Italian food and Luke was having so much fun he kept telling me, "We no go home now". The real highlight of the evening though, was the first ride they went on for the night. We were unsure of how they would react since it has been almost a year since the last time they went on one, but they did great!

So Tired

The boys had such a busy day. Wyatt had his cooking class while Jax and Luke went for a walk in the desert with Nana. They didn't have a nap since we needed them to go to bed early tonight, but they were still pooped from a late night at the San Gennaro Fest.

For the first time ever, Wyatt and Jax both fell asleep at the dinner table. We were sitting for less than 5 minutes, and both of their heads went down. At first I though Jax was pretending to fall asleep because it happened that fast. He was leaning his head and he was out. You can tell we just sat down since the majority of our dinner is still on our plates.

We ended up waking them up right after the picture and sending them outside to play in the fresh air. Poor little guys are just pooped from their busy schedule!

Cooking Class

Today was the first day of cooking class. It is six weeks long and each week I will bring a different child, giving each of them two turns. Wyatt's turn was today.

We made stuffed shells, which was a big hit with my little pasta lover! He got to taste the different cheeses and look at the shells before and after it was cooked. When he first saw the uncooked shell, he immediately brought it to his ear and told me he could hear the ocean.

After he got to mix in little parts and the stuffed shells cooked, we were able to eat our creation. It was delicious and also something I wouldn't generally think of cooking with the boys.

It was a great way to get the one on one that is really needed with the boys. Wyatt and I had fun on the way home, chatting about what we did and he kept reenacting how he "ate it all" like a hungry beast. Jaxon was very upset when I got home -he felt very left out and it took him over a half hour to settle down. But he will have his chance next week. Yummy!

9 years ago

Today is our ninth anniversary. Don happened to call me this morning at 9:09, the ninth hour and ninth minute of our ninth year being married. Coincidental, but interesting.

Don had surprised me with a beautiful flower arrangement and balloons (that the boys went crazy over!) along with a very perfect card. That was the end of our celebration for the night though, being it was my first night of class. We will continue to celebrate with a night on the strip, and our first night away from our house -boys this weekend. I am very excited and only a bit nervous. We will only be 10 minutes away, but far enough that we get to wake up after 7 am if we want to!


So after 9 short years, I am so thankful that Don is even better than I had thought possible. He has really been supportive lately, helping me to branch out and go to the MOM's dinners and start taking the stained glass class, not to mention starting a business with my mom. He is understanding of the fact that I need to regain a bit of myself and totally encourages me to breathe outside of the house, and even has the house cleaner than I left it when I get back!

He is my better half and I am so blessed to have him.