Trick or Treat Fun

Hurting a Pumpkin..Really???

We have been trying for the past 2 weeks to get the boys to carve pumpkins.....obviously Colin, being 2, could really careless and Ethan, well, he doesn't want to "hurt" his pumpkin, so we haven't been able to carve them.  We've tried everything, but that boy, will kiss and hug his pumpkin, but wants nothing to do w/ putting a face on it.  We even had to bring it inside, due to the cold weather, so that pumpkin has a nice, comfy spot on the entry floor....The other night, Colin tried to bring his pumpkin in and broke the handle, so his didn't last to even get a face put on it, but he didn't care....he just looked at it and wanted nothing to do w/ it after that, thank heavens :)  Anyway, this morning, the boys and I have been talking about trick-or-treat tonight and Ethan is super excited....he's going to be a pirate and we finally got him his sword, to complete his costume and he's carrying that thing around like it's his best friend :) Colin doesn't know any better, but he does like his parrot costume, so that's a plus and once he gets out there tonight he'll have a ball  (I'll post pics from trick-or-treat later) .....Anyway, we are getting ready for the festivities around our neighborhood and I'm not sure who's more excited the boys, or Brenton and I :)  HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!!

here's Mr. Pumpkin....nice and comfy, w/o a face, in the entryway =)

So much for a quiet night!!!!!

Not much going on in our house tonight, which is actually really nice.....Brenton is out w/ some friends at the Garaway/Strasburg football game and I'm home w/ our boys......we've done pretty much nothing, except for getting birthday gifts and now (it's 8:55pm), I sit here waiting to hear little pitter patter's of feet running across the floor =)  I'm hoping actually, both boys stay in bed....well, spoke to soon on that....I'm now, talking w/ Ethan about a bowl of cereal "his belly is hungry" LOL!!!!  This has been a very long week and I only work 3 days, but it still felt like an eternity to get to this point.  I sit here, but yet I have a dirty house, toys on the floor, laundry in the dryer, a snoring dog at my feet, and cleaning supplies sitting on the island....I've decided to leave everything where it is and call it a day!!!!! Not sure what has come over me here lately, but I feel like a different person and it feels good.....not sweating the small things, has panned out to be the best =)  That was supposed to be my chore tonight, cleaning this filthy house, but rather I put the boys to bed early, in hopes, to watch some horror films on Syfy, but nope...I now have a little boy in bed w/ me watching me type and asking a million "Why" ?'s  =)  So, blog friends, hope you all have a great night and enjoy the Halloween weekend (one of my favorite times of the year)...I need to go get this little boy some cereal so his belly "stops talking" to him =) 

so much for a quiet night for Mommy.....I'm wide awake!!! =)

Life's Lessons

As I sit here this morning with my boys watching movies, many things are running through my mind.....it comes to my realization, yet again, that these 2 little blessing's sure do make life fun!!  Let me rewind life to 2 weeks ago, a point in time that we were faced with something that we thought, "well, maybe".  Our sweet, little Colin who is a ball of energy and quite independent brought us some concerns, maybe autistic????  Wow, that word, still brings tears quickly to my eyes and that weekend our life "I thought" was about to change!!!!  I studied hard, read so many things, took quiz after quiz, talked to knowledgeable people, evaluated him up and down, and held on to him like I never had done before.......That Sunday, as I sat in his room just watching him, one thing that I was asked and didn't know the answer to was...."how does he play with a truck, when you give it to him" As his mother, I was embarrassed to say, "you know, I'm not quite sure" b/c up to that point he really wasn't into playing w/ cars, trucks, etc....he loved balls, books, movies, and music (quite different from Ethan and honestly, that was a concern I'd had for quite some time) however, our little angel took that truck and played with it just like he was supposed to and didn't bang it, throw it, or anything of that nature.....he smiled at me and just laughed!!!  As I sat with him, it hit me, it was like he was laughing at me and saying "Mama, I'm just me" and from that moment on, no matter what was ahead of us, I knew that this little boy was given to us for a reason and that reason is to love, enjoy, and let him be the person God wants him to be!!!!  As all the studies show, yes, Colin has a few of the "book" traits if you will, but as I looked back in Ethan's baby book, so didn't he. However, his focus and facial expressions are great, he is talking, and communicating with us, too =)  I learned that weekend that he's not autistic, but a better word that fits him is STUBBORN!!!  He's doing all the things he's supposed to be doing, well, except 2 word phrases....which, Ethan didn't really talk till he was 3, and many other mother's that I talked to, same thing...their child didn't talk till later, either!  So, our little boy, is showing us that in time, he'll do it and he'll do it when he's good & ready, too.......We learned at that moment in our lives that even if the outcome were to be autism....SO WHAT.....didn't mean we would stop loving him, but rather find a new way of life for him to be able to enjoy all the things he could!!!! Now, don't get me wrong, it was music to our ears to be able to have knowledgeable people, and his pediatrician included, say no to the possibility of it.....but, in the end of it all, it truly didn't matter and we learned that weekend, life as we knew it, would still continue on but with a new frame of mind and that would be "our" family is what matters most!!!!  The other stuff, that is out of our hands, doesn't matter and our future is up to us and with God's guidance, we will listen and strive forward.....My husband and I gained a new bond that weekend, as well....even though he was upset, but is always my voice of reason, if you will, and our connection, b/c of these boys God has graciously blessed us with, our life together means so much more.  That weekend all the unknowns has lead us to this point, and now I sit here, watching this movie w/ Colin looking at me w/ his big ol'blue eyes, saying "Mama" and grabbing my hand before he runs off to grab his toys...just melts my heart.  The truth of the matter, every child is different and I feel terrible to even say this, but as his mother, I was guilty of comparing him w/ Ethan's growing stats!!!!  Not anymore though, b/c I've said it before and I'll say it again, Colin is Colin and will do things when it's time for him to do it, or in other words, when he's good in ready!!!  LOL  Our precious, little, blue-eyed boy melts our hearts and no matter what, that will never change =) So, to end this post...trusting in God to show the way, regardless of the hurt that it might cause at that moment, in the end I find this to be true if he brings you to it, he'll bring you through it!!!!  =)

       Hi Mama!!!

proof he knows how to manage a car =)

Fall Fun 2011 (click pic to see album)

Click here to view album

Change

So, I did it....got rid of FB!!!  My husband was shocked that I did, and that I even found another phone that doesn't require the $30 data plan fee, and for those of you that know him, he was thrilled!!!!  These 2 things alone, will help simplify my life and that is my goal!!!!! Also, after so long of daily nonsense from folks that I truly didn't care to keep in touch w/ any longer, just did me in w/ FB world.....so now, we've combined efforts and created this "family" blog.  I fell in love w/ a few blogs over the past couple of years and thought "one day I'm going to do one, too" well, our "one day" started today!!!  So, for those of you reading this, I'm glad that you are and care enough to keep up with our family....We will post our family craziness to our family fun....I'm trying to figure out how to post pictures, so you can view those too, but I have yet to figure it out....so bear w/ me =) 

Anyway, as our weekend wraps up, not much got accomplished in the Shroyer house, well except for our blog, hahaha!!!!  Seriously though, Colin is finally back to himself 100% and Ethan, well I'm trying to figure out how to get him to listen....I never would've thought that a 4 year old would be so defiant, but wow, was I wrong and this weekend he was really pushing it.....I still can hear my mother saying to me "I hope that one day you are blessed w/ a child just like you" well, I got them =)  I've been telling my husband that God knew what he was doing blessing us w/ our boys, b/c I truly have learned so much about patience, love, understanding, respecting a child's decisions, the counting to 10 method, and letting go of the things that are just not important!!!!  Life is interesting every single day and honestly, we're loving every moment of it!!!! =)

Getting Started

We are new to blogging, but thought it would be fun to share family moments/pics/etc and not have the day-to-day stuff that FB has to offer.....so stop back and we hope you enjoy 'keeping in touch' w/ our family