The night before our vacation...

...and all through the house.  Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse.  The kids are at Grandma and Grandpa's house.  The dog is at Play and Stay.  Our bags are packed.  The alarm is set for 4:15am.  And I'm wired.  So, here I am...blogging.

We had a wonderful Christmas.  My Christmas wish came true; both kids were healthy and happy.  We went to my in-laws on Monday the 23rd for a big family reunion on my mother-in-law's side.  We did the gift exchange with the in-laws and had pizza and ice cream with the family.

Christmas Eve we opened presents at home and Santa came to pay us a visit.  Unlike Sean's birthday, we seemed to get the gifts right this time around.  He was stoked to see all his gifts.  Evan, on the other hand, could not care any less about opening gifts.  He loved playing with the toys, but gift opening was lame (in his opinion).

We packed up after nap and headed back over to our in-law's for our traditional Christmas Eve dinner and poker.  We decided to spend the night so that we could go to church and head over to my parents' house in the morning to do Christmas celebrations with them.

Christmas day was relaxing.  The kids did great at church and came back to my parents' house to take a long nap.  Scott and I were able to relax on the couch and peacefully open gifts with my parents while the kids were sleeping.  Considering Evan was up most of the night on Christmas Eve, I needed this break.  My grandma came over for a little bit in the afternoon, but wasn't feeling well enough to stay for dinner.  It's heart-breaking to see her so weak, but I'm grateful we were all able to spend some time with her.

We were ready to head home that night.  The kids were "all Christmas'd" out, we were exhausted, and were anxious to unpack and find new spots for all the Christmas gifts.  The next few days we spent playing with new toys, re-organizing the play room and basement to make room for new toys, and getting ready for this big trip we're going on tomorrow morning.

It's hard to believe the day has finally arrived.  It's such a mix of emotions as it's obviously difficult to leave my kids for an entire week.  But, it's much needed.  It's time for Scott and I to take some time for ourselves and our marriage.  Having children is definitely taxing on a relationship and the past four years have been devoted to getting pregnant and raising two boys.

I can't help but feel nostalgic tonight thinking back to the trip we took that was our last "hoorah" before having kids.

We had no idea what we were in for, but a month after we got back from the Dominican Republic, we were blessed with a positive pregnancy test.  Since then, our life has been in fast forward with sleepless nights, countless arguments about who's turn it is to change a diaper or get up in the middle of the night, and numerous colds and illnesses that kept us up worrying.  That's being a parent.

I am so ready for this trip, but I'm going to miss my babies like crazy!  I know we need this, but that doesn't make it any easier to leave my two love bugs behind.  I know they'll have a blast with their grandparents and I firmly believe that absence makes the heart grow fonder.  So, on that note, adios!  Prospero ano nuevo!

Everything Christmas!

We made it!!! Christmas vacation started today and it feels fabulous to be home, not working, and finally spending some time with my kids!

This past week was one of the most challenging weeks we've had to date.  Monday, Evan underwent a simple procedure to have ear tubes put in since he's constantly battling ear infections.  He went in with a cough, though the doctor assured us his lungs were clear, and he came out with what they're now calling "post-op viral pneumonia".  Lucky us.

That translated to a stressful Monday at home after the surgery, a night of Evan working hard to breathe, and a trip to the Emergency Room Tuesday morning where he was admitted, spent the night, and was discharged Wednesday afternoon.  Ughh...

We are happy to report that he's healthy and back to normal now.  But, what a stressful week before a big wedding weekend and Christmas!  Poor little guy.

Before this wrinkle in our plans, we were busy as can be prepping for Christmas.  The boys had their Christmas party at daycare complete with Sean singing two Christmas carols with his preschool class and a visit with the big guy, Santa.

Just like last year, Evan is not a fan.  One out of two kids liking Santa seems like a fair deal.

We spent an entire weekend at my parents' house baking cookies, watching National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation, and watching the huge snow storm move through.  We ended up bailing on the Wild Lights at the Zoo due to the weather and roads, but we managed to get the kids out in the snow for a few minutes.

I'm pleased to report that both boys enjoy playing in the snow!  A definite success!  I think Sean might be ready to try out skiing this year.

A midst all the holiday cheer, we celebrated a few birthdays too.  Every year I always think it's a coincidence that my dad's birthday and my father-in-law's birthday is on the exact same day.  And five years ago, my sister-in-law was in labor and we were all thinking her daughter would be born on that day too, but she made her grand entrance the following day.  Even so, it's quite a weekend of birthday celebrations this time of year!

Whew!

One of the biggest things on our calendar this month was the wedding of our friends Kristen and Jeff.  The rehearsal was Friday and the wedding Saturday of this past weekend.  Scott and I were both in the wedding party and Sean was the ring bearer!  It was a little hectic with all of us being involved, but it was so awesome having him be a part of their day.  He did great!  Walked down the aisle, took pictures, played with working trucks under the dinner table with the flower girl, danced until he could barely hold his head up, and only had one meltdown moment when he realized he wasn't sitting up at the head table for us.  I believe he walked up to all 18 people at the head table and said, "There's no chair for me!!!" and proceeded to lose it.  Good thing Grandma and Grandpa were there.

And now with our good friends' wedding over, we are ready to focus on the next three days of Christmas parties with family.  Bring. it. on.

Oh yeah...and Scott and I will be setting sail on our cruise in...6 days!!!

Happy Holidays!!

Weekend recap...

Well, it wasn't the merriest of weekends.

You know you're in for a doozy of a weekend when you get a text at work on Friday afternoon that Evan's cough and start of an ear infection has turned in to a fever and a mopey toddler.  We should have seen this one coming considering he was up Thursday night from 10:30pm-2:00am.  A little Tylenol and some TLC later and he was ready to play for a bit Friday evening with Sean.

It's so fun getting out toys the kids haven't played with in a while.  It's like they're getting new gifts all over again.

It's also quite enjoyable to actually see the two of them interacting and getting along with the same set of toys.  Ahhh...peace on Earth.  Or in my living room.

Saturday morning we woke up to Evan with a low-grade fever and in a decent mood.  The kids were up with the chickens so I took advantage of that and made some crescent rolls stuffed with scrambled eggs, bacon, and cheese.  It was nice to have a big breakfast together.

Sean and I escaped for a while in the afternoon to head over to my friend Marla's house for a playdate with her two kids.  Sean and Jack have had playdates since before they were out of the womb.  :)

Snack time is probably their favorite.  Who can resist some Pirate's Booty and water after running around like crazies for the past hour?

By the time we were ready to head home, I was getting reports from Scott that Evan woke up from his nap crabby and warm.  Oh boy...

I came home to find him with a 103.6 fever, no appetite, and completely lethargic.  The rest of the evening was a blur of warm showers, Tylenol, phone calls to the after-hours nurse (who took 1.5 hours to return my initial call), and thoughts of taking him to the Emergency Room.  He was up at 10:30pm, 1:30am, and then again at 6:30am to start the day on Sunday.  And finally, after a super stressful night, his fever broke Sunday morning.  His appetite came back for breakfast and he seemed on the mend.

So, Sean and I stuck to our plans of meeting some friends at the movie theater to see a morning showing of Frozen.  It felt so good to just sit down in the theater, eat popcorn, watch a really awesome movie, and relax.  My arms and upper back were so sore from holding Evan all Saturday afternoon and evening.

We came home for a quick lunch and a short afternoon nap (Sean, not me unfortunately).  I had enough to purchase a few Christmas gifts online and give Evan a few hugs before taking Sean to the Cookies and Cocoa with Santa event that the Plymouth Newcomers group puts on every year.  My sister-in-law is on the committee and we go every year with my in-laws.  Scott stayed home with Evan, secretly happy that he could watch the Lion's game.  What a sight that was...

As if our weekend wasn't full of stress and anxiety enough, Sean decided to freak out mid-bite of a cucumber crying that his ear and mouth hurt.  A quick trip to the bathroom confirmed that he'd rather go home than stay at the event.  So, no Santa visit for Sean.  At that point, I was ready to go home and lay down myself.

Upon coming home, all he needed was some quiet time with the LeapPad and he was back to normal.  Seeking attention?  It's possible.  Either way, we ended the weekend with homemade Broccoli-cheddar soup in bread bowls and some pajama time in front of the tree.  Sometimes it's the simple things that create lasting memories...

With Evan almost back to normal and Sean his usual-self, I'm hopeful that the kids are in good shape to finally see Santa at their daycare holiday party on Wednesday.  If not, we've got one last chance at the Wild Lights event at the Zoo on Saturday.  I cannot believe we are 15 days away from Christmas...

Moving on up!

Both boys have been busy checking milestones off their lists over the past month!  Before I get into Evan's 15 month happenings, I have to pause and share how incredibly proud I am of Sean!  Little man is sleeping in underwear at night and hasn't had one accident yet since we started a week ago!  It was like he flipped a switch.  One day he just started waking up dry in his pull-ups and after a week of dry pull-ups, we threw the pull-ups aside and decided to give the underwear a try.

The expression on his face here sums up exactly how I feel about him being completely potty-trained after almost an entire year.  Although he's been day-trained since about March, we've been in pull-ups at night for about a year.  I'm thrilled to have one kid diaper/pull-ups free!

Aside from his potty success, he's been busy working on counting items and recognizing numbers.  He's rocking his ABC's and letter recognition.  So much so, that we're moving on to lowercase letters and a few sight words.  If someone asks me one more time if I'm teaching him Spanish, I may go off on them in Spanish.  Let's just say, I'm trying.  Sean's tolerance for hearing me speak in Spanish comes in 30 second spurts.  Then he says, "Stop speaking like that, mommy!"

As for Evan, I can't believe he's 15 months already!  He has his own opinions and is not afraid to let you know!

Temper tantrums at 15 months already!  We are in for it.  Although, we could also blame it on teething (no tooth in sight though!) or that he's going through a lot of change.

He's moved up to the toddler 1 room with Miss Jessica.  It's so funny being back in Sean's old room from a year ago.  He's having a difficult time with the drop-off in the morning with new teachers and new surroundings.  But, he does an amazing job taking a nap on the cot and doesn't need any assistance falling asleep on it!  I can tell a difference already from him being in the toddler room because in two short weeks he's started saying, "Sock" and "Bye, bye".  He's a big fan of saying "Dada" and he's quite stingy with "Mama".  He calls Bailey, "Daaaaaaaaag" and loves to point out animals in every.single.book.  He'll point and say, "Dis" (this).  

He's absolutely obsessed with any kind of push toy, Fisher Price popcorn popper, broom, mop, or vacuum.  I think we need to invest in a kid's size that actually works so I can put him to work with all the pushing and walking around he's willing to do.  

Evan is quite the dancer.  For a week straight, we had 20 minutes of dance time before going up for baths.  Sean thought it was more fun to dance while naked.  Hey, whatever works, right?!

As far as bedtime goes, we're finally ready to wean him off the last bottle of formula that we were required to stay on to ensure he was getting enough healthy fats since he has to be on soy milk otherwise.  I can't wait to put away those last two bottles we've kept out and to finish off the last can of formula.  That stuff was expensive!  Even though he lost a pound from the last time he was weighed at the doctor, they're confident that he's healthy and growing as he should be.  Weighing in at 21 lbs. 10 oz. today, he's definitely behind where Sean was at 15 months, but you could never tell by looking at him.  

After he demands that you read him several Eric Carl or Sandra Boyton books, he's willing to take a little of his bottle.  Sometimes he'll be ready to sleep, other times we have to put him in his crib and leave for a few minutes because he seems to catch his second wind and think it's play time.  After letting him cry for a few minutes, he's ready for a few more snuggles, a couple more sips of his bottle, and a little Nick Lachey and his lullaby music.  He's sleeping through the night on most nights, so I can't complain too much.

Our biggest challenge is getting him to eat!  Suddenly, foods he once liked, he'll push aside and shake his head no.  He'll eat any fruit you put in front of him, yogurt, cheese, foods with peanut butter, and a few other random odds and ends like my broccoli pancakes I make and breakfast foods like waffles and pancakes, but meats are a no-go and pasta isn't popular either.  Our dinner hour is a bit stressful these days trying to figure out what we can get him to eat either than fruit and peanut butter crackers.  Little stinker...makes me appreciate how great of an eater Sean is.

Nevertheless, every day is new and exciting for Evan and Sean.  And it is for us too as parents.  Watching these boys grow and learn in the few hours we get with them each day during the week is a real joy, despite the food battles, the nightmares, the colds and ear infections.  The snuggles at bedtime and "I love you"s make it all worthwhile.