Teeth and Ears - oh my!

Things have been pretty eventful in our house the past two weeks!  It's a good thing the school year is coming to a close soon.  I'm almost out of PTO and I probably should have saved an extra day or two for this last card marking.  Let's just say I didn't anticipate a sick kid with a fever in April or a kid needing his third ear tube surgery in April.  But, that's how life works.

I took Evan in to the ENT over Spring Break for a hearing test and to get his ear tubes checked.  We knew one had fallen out at some point over the winter and he had multiple ear infections this winter.  The doctor took one look and knew that with the build up of fluid in one of his ears, we were due for another round of ear tubes.  Anytime his ears decide to outgrow this phase would be great...

All considering, he was in great spirits.  He brought along little lamb and got to wear his jammies for the procedure.  I think knowing he'd get some popsicles out of the deal helped too.

Having been through this twice, it doesn't get any easier.  Especially when we haven't had the smoothest of experiences.  But, maybe the third time is the charm!  Things went flawlessly.  He watched Frozen in the car on the way home and then perked up a bit later.  By Friday evening, he was like his normal self running around and playing.

The following day was a busy one.  A soccer game, a birthday lunch, and a night out in Royal Oak, we were worried with how Evan would handle it all.  But, he proved that it was a non-issue.  And that made our night out that much more enjoyable!  The Royal Oak Beer Fest was a hit!  And some National Coney Island at midnight on the way home, like good ol' times, was a must.

The weekend came to a close and our work week was off and running.  Soccer practice, swim classes, staff meetings, oh and Sean lost a tooth.  He came home Tuesday from school saying when he bit into his apple his loose tooth really hurt.  I had him open his mouth and was totally shocked to see it hanging by a thread!  The thing had been loose and barely making progress since November!  We tried wiggling it and pulling it out a few times that evening, but it was holding on.  Fast forward to Wednesday after school and on the second yank, the thing came out!

And then the excitement started over what the Tooth Fairy would bring...

I'm happy to report the fairy came and left $5 and a $1 gold coin (hey, it's his first tooth).  It definitely made for some hump-day excitement...

We ended the week with my parents staying over for dinner.  They watch Evan on Fridays so it was nice to come home from work and have them stick around.  We had pizza and beer, watched Dolphin Tale, and introduced Pie Face to the boys.  It was seriously so much fun!!!

Sean has been watching Evantube on Youtube for quite a while now and always talks about how Evan plays Pie Face.  My parents found the game at ToysRUs and brought it over as a surprise.

I'd say he was pretty surprised!

And we all got to experience getting some whipped cream in our faces...

You know your weekend is off to a great start on a Friday night after witnessing those big smiles and giggle fits!

Sean's Spring Soccer!

Here goes another season with the Red Ninjas!!

Sean missed the first soccer game last weekend when he was sick with a fever, so this was his official start to the season.  It was awesome!  The weather was great - 58 and sunny, Nana, Pops, and Mindy came to watch too, and he wowed us all from kick-off until the end of the game!

We sort of labeled Sean as our "non-athlete" over the past two years because he never really showed an interest in any sport nor did he seem very coordinated, but I feel guilty for thinking that about him.  Maybe he just needs time to develop his skills or find something he enjoys.

We didn't practice at all during the winter.  When soccer ended last Halloween, we put his cleats and ball away for the rest of the winter.  When he went to his first practice two weeks ago, Scott and I looked at each other with raised eyebrows.  Wow, is this really Sean?  He was going after the ball, kicking it harder, and with more control.  Fast forward to Saturday's game and he dominated!

The picture above shows his first goal in the first half.  And his reaction to scoring a goal....

Proud mommy moment.  Not necessarily because he scored, but because look how happy he looks playing!

And then there was Evan...not so pleased that he couldn't play on the field too.  In 6 months, that'll be you, buddy!

Goal numero dos!!!

Love the determination on his face and the tongue sticking out!

It was a beautiful afternoon and one that left us feeling proud, excited, and anxious to see what the rest of the season brings us!  I hope this motivation and positivity continues.

Go Sean!

A prelude to summer...

For the past few days I think we bypassed spring and went right to summer.

The only problem?  It's only April and we still have 2 more months of work.

And what are the odds that the boys stay relatively healthy all winter long and decide to get sick when the weather gets nice?  Our odds must be pretty high.

Sean stayed home sick from school Friday complaining that his stomach hurt.  Fearing a stomach bug, I was relieved that his symptoms remained to only include a fever, no appetite and no energy.  At least we were vomit-free.

Saturday and Sunday were pretty much the same thing for him.  He missed his first soccer game on Saturday, but at least he was able and willing to lay outside for a bit to enjoy the warm weather and the sun shining.  The rest of the time he stayed on the couch with the exception of building his rental Legos when they arrived in the mail Saturday (look at those rosy cheeks...fevers make me sad).  Poor guy...

I'm happy to report he's on the mend and should be back at school tomorrow.  That was quite the virus for the past five days!

The only positive thing that came out of Sean being sick and on the couch was extra time and attention for Evan, who's not used to getting that much one-on-one time.

I think he definitely enjoyed it!

I knew I needed to get Evan out of the house on Sunday with Sean still sick.  Evan has his 3rd go at ear tubes this Friday so we are making every effort to keep him healthy for the procedure.  We haven't always had the best experience with getting the tubes put in, so I am on edge.

We decided to check out Greenfield Village on it's opening weekend before they do Thomas for the next month.  It was gorgeous!  We rode the train, rode the carousel, played on the playground, and explored!  I even ran into a co-worker and chatted with her for a few minutes while Evan watched the ducks and turtles at the pond by the "spooky bridge".

Let me tell you.  One child is a piece of cake.  He didn't complain once.  We got frozen custard as a peace offering to Evan for behaving and making our adventure out a huge success!  We both got a little too much sun, but man...that burn feels so much better than wearing hats and gloves out in the snow.  :)

As the weekend came to a close, I was shocked at how much fun we had over the weekend, even with Sean being sick.  That's the power of beautiful weather!  Watching the neighborhood come alive again with people playing outside, going for walks and bike rides, and smelling the smells of bonfires and grilling.  I know Bailey is certainly enjoying all the new commotion outside!

Back to 60 degree weather for a while, but I can't complain about that.   Spring has sprung!  Fourth card marking has started at school!  We're coming down the home stretch...

Opening Day!

Opening Day for the Tigers in Detroit is pretty much a holiday in our house!  Before kids we were season ticket holders and always went to opening day.  Tailgating with all our friends long before the game started, getting more and more elaborate with the set-up each year created some really fun memories for us.  Obviously, once we had Sean, we dropped our season tickets and got more realistic with how often we could go downtown.  That also made our chances of getting opening day tickets pretty slim.

For the first time in a few years, we got opening day tickets when they went on sale.  I wasn't too thrilled about standing room only tickets, but this is Scott's "Disney World".  So, I took one for team Ferstle and agreed to go.

Little did we know it would be a high of 40 and a chance of....snow.

So, we bundled up in our winter Detroit sports gear.  Gave me a good opportunity to wear my cute Tigers winter hat!  And an opportunity to pose with Frosty at the game.

We started our morning at home with the boys.  My mom came to watch Evan, as usual for a Friday, and drove Sean to school.  Scott and I took off after that in the hopes of getting there early enough for a parking spot at Greektown Casino.  $50 for a parking spot in the garage, but the promise to get reimbursed for getting a players card and we were relieved to be parked and on our way to win some money (I mean spend some money).

Free t-shirts, free Budweiser beads, playing slot machines, and cracking open our first beer at 11am and we were having a blast!  Scott even chose to play at a Disney themed slot machine...Alice and Wonderland.

After getting our parking money back at the cashier's counter of the casino, we decided to walk through some of the tailgating parties on our way to the park.  Man, the best spots were by the Detroiter bar!  People playing music on the flatbed of their truck, bean bag toss, hillbilly horseshoes, grilling food, etc.  It was fun to just walk around and see everything going on.

And then, a miracle happened.  We walked in to the game, stood near the Tiger's Den with our standing room only tickets, grabbed a sausage and beer, and an usher came and told us we could sit in the Tiger's Den.  No joke!  Some of our favorite seats in the entire ballpark and we got to sit there with standing room only tickets.  Thank you!

Even better than that?  Per tradition, as Miguel Cabrera came up to bat at one point during the game, I bet my usual bet with Scott.  I always bet a vacation.  And Miguel has never lost one for me yet.  It's simple.  If Miguel hits a home run, we go on vacation somewhere this summer.  If not, then we don't go.  What does he do?  Hits a home run.  Jackpot!  He's won me a trip to the Dominican Republic and Portland so far.  This summer I picked something a little more in our budget...a trip to Lake Michigan.

And we're booked.  Kalamazoo, Saugatuck, Holland, and Muskegon for four days, three nights right when school lets out in June.  We'll see the Air Zoo, go on a sand dune ride, go see the windmill, and hit up Michigan's Adventure.  Now just hoping the weather is warm and sunny for some lazy days at the beaches!  Thanks, Miggy!!

After the game, we went back to Greektown for dinner with some friends.  We ate at Santorini on the corner and enjoyed both the food and the DJ/entertainment they had for the day.  By eating dinner downtown, we avoided rush hour getting out of there and made it back to go to the video store and pick up a movie for our evening in without kids.  It was a great game and a great day out!  A much needed day to focus on each other.  :)