It's all about the hearts!!!

I know Valentine's Day is one of those "man-made" holidays for the card, flower, and chocolate companies and truly, Brenton and I quit making it a big deal when we married (we do go to dinner or something, but nothing major like it was when we dated), but I do have to admit.....I ♥ it!!!!  After Christmas, I usually leave my snowman decorations out for the month of January and then, it's all about hearts around here for a few weeks....LOL  I get such a different attitude when I grab my "V-day decorations" box and start putting it all out, I know it's weird, but it changes my mood for some reason????  Spring is just around the corner and that makes this girl really happy!!! ☺

Weekend Recap

This weekend was pretty uneventful, well, except for dealing w/ Brenton's back that had him down for the count and let me just say, keeping him down to recoup, was a very hard task!!!!  That man, I tell ya was in a lot of pain and I could see it in his eyes.....for him to make a chiropractor appointment and then to go get x-rays, said alot about the pain he was in.  Glad he did though and now, he can start his weekly regimen and hopefully start feeling better.....surgery, is the only way to fully cure his pain, but hopefully we can atleast keep it under control for a while longer w/ seeing the chiropractor on a regular basis.....It helped tremendously that my sister and brother-in-law wanted to have the boys overnight last night for us, so that meant I could "nurse" my big guy and help him up and down, get him meds, etc.....needless to say, I think that was a harder task than taking care of 2 toddlers.....As much pain as he was in, he still wouldn't sit still and relax......☺

Anyway, while the boys were gone we were able to get Colin's "vroom vroom" bed and his room rearranged (my Mom helped me, since Brenton was out of commission).  I was so excited for him to see it that I picked the boys up pretty early this morning☺  When he got home and saw it, oh my gosh, I wish you could've heard the giggles.....he loved it!!!  We were prepared for Ethan to say something about wanting one too, but instead, he loved his new movies: The Incredible Hulk, Spiderman, and King Kong....after he saw those, he lost interest in his brothers bed....LOL 

vroom vroom

Another thing that happened this weekend.....I cooked my very 1st turkey!!!  Yep, this girl who is not much of a cook did a pretty good job at a "mini" Thanksgiving feast....and in Ethan's words, it was "YUMMY" ☺

my very 1st turkey

my boys loved our Turkey Day feast

Loving the birds

These boys of mine (yes all 3) are now Angry Bird addicts......hahahaha

What do I want????

I've always told Brenton I wanted a snack drawer for our kids and from the moment Ethan could understand the concept of it, we've had one.....Ethan loves being able to get his own snacks and now, Colin gets his own snacks too and that makes this mama happy :)

Ethan the Chef

He loves to cook like his daddy ;)  Colin and I are getting a pretty awesome lunch today....LOL

Snow, Cousins, & Snowboots

Saturday morning we woke up to Ethan excited about all the snow that was dumped on us, so I knew at that point, I would need to shovel the driveway/sidewalk and he would want to go out with me.....sure enough, it worked out just like that.  I was hesitant at first, b/c he woke up screaming and had a slight bark going on, but once we got meds in him he was fine and I knew the fresh air would do him some good.  So, we both got our warm clothes on, after breakfast, and headed outside!  He loved it and played his little heart out....he made snow angels, went sled riding, made snowballs, and helped me shovel!  Unfortunately, Colin has some upper respiratory stuff going on and I didn't want him outside to get worse, b/c he's finally turning the page and I didn't want to back track....so, him and Daddy stayed in and watched Tangled!!!

After our fun, the boys got ready and headed up to spend the night with Grandma & Grandpa Shroyer to have some fun with their cousins, so that Brenton and I could have a date night for his birthday w/ our friends.  I thought for sure we'd have to pick Colin up at least, but as I sit here typing this, they are still in Sugarcreek having a ball.  Colin did great and even ate a good supper, Grandma made "sgetti" and he absolutely loved it....REALLY?  He doesn't eat it here, but I figured out why and next time will make sauce without "meat" in it like Daddy & Ethan like =)

loves "sgetti" now =)

 

 

So, as we are waiting patiently for our little boogers to get home, Brenton and I are enjoying our morning with warm coffee and our little princess!  Soon, we'll be watching the 2nd service of church, b/c we are too lazy this am to get ready and we love having the option of an "online service".....Anyway, as we are waiting, Katee obviously had to go outside and I hate watching her hobble or even sit, b/c her paws hurt so bad while she does her business, due to the snow, so I pulled out her snow boots and let me just say, she was able to do everything she needed to do w/o hobbling and she even was being a little nib nose, while another puppy was outside being walked =)

 

 

watching her little friend Timmy out walking

On another note, I love that our boys enjoy ALL their cousins so much and love that they enjoy going to spend time with them.  As I mentioned, last night they spent the night w/ Brenton's parents and they got time with the Erb kids and I guess had a ball.  I got this picture a few minutes ago, and Colin sure had fun and was given kisses =)

 

love my Chloe

While Colin and Grandpa stayed home, Ethan and Grandma headed off to church.....that boy, absolutely loves church and learning and enjoys going so much!  He is so funny, and is such a great little boy =)

ready for my class

so proud

Daddy's Birthday

We had a fun night last night celebrating Brenton's 34th birthday.....the boys, were too stinkin cute singing to their daddy!  Brenton, of course, thought nothing was going to go on b/c he kept saying all week he didn't want anything and didn't want a big fuss, "it's just another day".  Well, me, I'm a giver by nature and love to celebrate birthday's...so, that wasn't going to happen!!!!  It was a crazy morning, but we got everything out before we left for the sitter....hung birthday sign, sat out his presents, and then stopped at Dutch Valley to get his Peanut Butter Cream pie (he's not a cake person). So, when he got home, he had a nice surprise and then when I got home from work we celebrated all together.....Anyway, this is crazy to say, but I remember his 14th birthday....holy crap, we are getting old!!!  LOL 

 Happy Birthday to Daddy

 To the best Daddy ever

Patience is KEY!!!!

Last year, one thing that happened that benefited me....I got a new job!!!!  Going from something that just wasn't me, to what I'm doing now, has truly given me a new look at working and I can honestly say that I believe this to be true....."when you do something you love, it's not work"!!!!  Well, today I came into work to find this waiting on me (see below), I was like a kid at Christmas!!!! Did I mention how much I love my job, my boss, my coworker, etc.....well, I do!!!! LOL  I've wanted one of these, but just haven't felt the need for it, but now that work is providing it....I'm a happy girl!!!!  Guess another statement is true "good things come to those who wait"!!! ☺ Now, to just figure the thing out.....hahaha

Scrapbooks, a Shiner, and Hippos

This weekend has been quite boring, to say the least....but, after getting Colin medicated and feeling better, it's ending on a positive note =)  Today, since Colin has proven that going to the church building isn't going to happen for awhile, I stayed back w/ him and watched an awesome service online, while Brenton and Ethan headed off to church.  When they got back, we had a great lunch and then relaxed the rest of the day.  Hoping to keep everyone healthy, but I know it's bound to hit sooner or later and I'm thankful we dodged the bullet this weekend.  I think Mr. Colin just had a sinus thing going on and after a few doses of meds, he's back at it...Anyway, not much else went on here at our house, but it was proven to me this weekend, why I need to get the boy's scrapbooks back up-to-date (I'm 8 mths behind & thank heavens for my online option), b/c we've enjoyed looking back at the past 4 years......

they loved looking at their books

(wish you could've heard the giggles)

This morning, while getting Ethan ready for church (I leave the room for a split second to get him some orange juice) and we hear a huge scream from his room......not from Ethan, but from Colin! See, Ethan, likes to push him around and then run off....well, this time he pushed Colin right into a chair.....Don't worry, he didn't get away with it, either!!! =)

Yep, my brother gave me this shiner (poor baby)

However, on a positive note, we were able to relax and chill out this afternoon, so we decided to have some fun w/ our games and Ethan got to pick tonight and he chose.......

Hungry Hungry Hippo 

a true Daddy's Girl....human or NOT!!!!

You hear a great deal about our boys, but I have yet to post about our 'dog'ter and this little girl, has been a part of our life for 5 years now and we love her to pieces, so she deserves to have the limelight for this post ☺....yes, she is treated just like one of our human kids!  This dog, for Brenton and I, was our first child and our first step into parenting together.  I know, I know sounds crazy, but that's honestly how we look at her.....see, when we bought our house back in 2006 and were planning our 2nd marriage (to one another, again ☺), Brenton stated that he didn't want a dog and very adamant about that, too. Well, wouldn't you know I wanted a dog and a white Shih Tzu w/ apricot spots, to be specific, but I don't think Brenton thought I'd find "exactly" what I wanted and I think he blew it off???  However, would you believe about a month after our conversation my mom called and said she found one and she was so stinkin cute, only $300 registered too boot!!!!! That was music to my ears, but Brenton wasn't having it and he had me so frustrated that I started crying like a big ol'baby, b/c I found out that my sister was going to take her.....I already had her name and everything, but I wasn't allowed to have her.....I was heartbroken!!!!  Much to my surprise, my husband got w/ my sister and had it planned to bring "Katee" home on Valentine's Day back in 2006.....OMG, that (besides our boys) has been the best gift he ever gave to me =)  Now, 5 years later, Katee has truly become a "Daddy's Girl" and Brenton loves her more than I do....that's no joke, either!!!  We call her our 'golden' child, b/c she had to have emergency surgery last year, is on a daily Rx, and eats a can of Rx food a day.....Yep, we spend roughly $100 a month, just on her, but she is worth every penny (atleast to us and yes, we hear how crazy we are)!!!!  This dog, is a special part of our family and even her snoring (she snores like a man) is "cute" to us.....she sleeps at the foot of our bed every single night and this picture I just took (isn't she cute) to show you...LOL!!!!  Katee, aka Sissy, is the perfect sibling for our boys, she might not be human, but she sure acts like it and we just absolutely love her!!!! 

I'm quite the diva and I snore like a man..... =)

 she squints when I take a pic....LOL

yep, she's a Daddy's Girl

Giggles from the backseat & 123's!!!

I just had to share this from our morning drive, b/c it sure made me smile while driving the boys to the sitter......My boys, absolutely love Tom & Jerry, and they have several DVD's that they watch in the car every now and then....well, this morning, 1 was picked from the basket and from the time we left the house to getting out of the car, those boys giggled, Colin belly laughing too boot, and as I'm watching them through the rear view mirror I had a big ol'smile on my face.....I loved Tom & Jerry, too!!!  What a classic cartoon and for my boys to love it, as much as I did, just had me smiling.  This week has been an emotional one for me, not sure why, but I'm really holding on to these types of moments and realizing that very soon, these boys of ours, will be heading off to college!!! It's really going way too fast! =)

Another thing, I almost forgot to mention.....Colin, our little Peanut (as we call him), surprised the crap out of me last night....We were outside, looking at the stars and singing 'Twinkle Twinkle Little Star' and I started counting 1, 2, 3 (as I was pointing to the stars), and all of sudden I hear coming from his little mouth.....fur (4), fibe (5), sixed (6), sebin (7).....OMG, did he just count, so I did it again and sure enough, he did!!!  WOW!! I took him inside and had him do it for Brenton and then we did his ABC's.....I was amazed and had a tear in my eye, all at the same time.  This little guy, has truly, shown me a lot about life here lately and I love him to pieces.....This morning, I asked Lisa (our sitter) if she had been working w/ him on his numbers (knowing they are working on ABC's) she said, "No"!  Really??  So, this little boy of ours, is alot smarter than I'm giving him credit for and slowly, but surely, coming out of his shell.  His Daddy was right, "just give him time" he says to me all the time and Colin's proving that 'time' is all he needs!!!!  =)

Park Fun in January???

The boys and I took advantage of the sun this afternoon and headed out to Sugarcreek to play.  Our mission was Winklepleck, but got there and it was closed, so we headed over to Cherry Ridge.  One park that my boys know all too well, b/c Papa & Grandma Shroyer live right up from it, and they love to visit that park during the warmer months.....so, I thought it would be perfect for a picnic and some play time today, as well! They had a ball and yes, before we left I let them get in the creek!  Had to do this last, b/c I knew they'd want to get wet and it is January, so we would have to head right to the car.....and that's what we did!  They had a ball this afternoon and got to let off some steam....

Sappy Morning =)

Woke up this morning feeling very blessed, and sort of sappy for some reason?  We live close to a school and we watch the buses and the kids walking to school, and it just has me thinking that very soon we'll be doing the very same thing w/ Ethan....watching him "go to school" (and I think that's the culprit for my sappy feeling)!!!  As I started to think back, it just seemed like yesterday, we brought him home!!!  I'm very grateful for the time I've got to spend w/ our boys and only working part-time, has enabled me to watch them grow, not miss a doctor's appointment, and simply be here to have PJ days during the week (like today).... I have a gem of a husband and thank God for him everyday!!!  I smile w/ gratitude watching our boys play....thankful that the good Lord blessed us w/ them!  They are happy, loving, handsome, healthy, different, and just a joy!!!  So, I grabbed the camera and started snapping pictures of them again.  It's been awhile since I've heard "No more pictures, Mommy"!!!  LOL  Anyway, had to share a couple pics from our morning......



Mr. Donut Face

loves his "new to him" DS

(thanks to his cousin Bryce)

What to do?!?!?!

Today was a pretty eventful day, starting with church and then our nephew's 8th bday party!!! While at church, Colin, made it loud and clear that he doesn't care for that building one bit!  I mean he hates it and gets himself all worked up to the point of having to leave the building!  Today, was my turn to be w/ him (we've decided to take turns each Sunday, so we can both get into the service once and awhile) and wow, he was a mess!!!! Finally, I decided after sitting in Volunteer Central for about a half hour and him still not calming down, that I had to get him out of the building.....so, I grabbed his coat and took him to the entry and put his coat on there.  Once he got outside, the tears and screaming stopped!  Wow, I'm not sure what we are going to do w/ him....this has been a month of this and he starts, as soon as, we pull up the road! I was hoping that the more we do this the easier it would be (and I still have hope it does) but right now, sure makes for a trying time....LOL  I guess we'll have to maybe do online service w/ him for awhile and then one of us can take Ethan, b/c Ethan, absolutely loves church and learning about God and he deserves to do that.  Anyway, as I was sitting in the car w/ my lil guy and we were talking, all I could do was smile b/c he's definitely teaching me a thing or two about life =)

I'm a happy boy now.....

sure love a birthday party & all the sweets

watching his cousin open presents

bed bug w/ sound!!!

This little guy was, I thought, sound asleep in his own bed......I'm laying in bed watching TV and I hear little pitter patters across the floor, then I hear all sorts of sounds coming from a truck, all while Brenton is trying to get Ethan to sleep.  Next thing I know, this little guy is in bed with me (truck going w/ sounds to boot) and all I could do was smile and make room for my little buddy and his truck!!!!  =)

Hello 2012!!!!

     Hard to believe that 2011 is over and 2012, is now reality.....Trying to think back upon the last year and like every new year, I find myself saying "that went really fast"!!!  As I try to make each year meaningful and memorable for our family, I find myself thinking "man, what did we do w/ that time?" Thank heavens for my scrapbooks, pictures, and this blog, b/c I look back on last year and these things quickly remind me that we did have a great year!!!  There were moments of hurt, happiness, sadness, excitement, etc and with each year all those emotions will still find there way back, but we welcome 2012 with open arms and new resolutions w/ no fear!!! LOL  Anyway, for the most part, 2011 was a great year =) 

     As we were pondering what to do to ring in the New Year, b/c we are not party people, my sister-in-law came to our rescue.....Saturday morning we headed down to Columbus to celebrate w/ them.....It was a fun night filled with tons of food, Twister, Wii, Dsi, adult beverages, kids screaming, and Ryan Seacrest.....would you believe, we all made it to about 11:30....really, a half hour or so till the ball dropped and we were out.....well, Kayla, our niece, was the only one that stayed up and got to see Lady Gaga perform, but from what I hear, we didn't miss anything...LOL  Anyway, it was a fun night and the exact way we like to do things, low-key w/ enough food to get fat on.....Happy New Year to you all, hope you had a great time celebrating, as well!!!!

Twister Fun (Aunt Angie, Kayla, and Ethan) ☺

Kayla & Dylan getting the Wii fun started

Ethan & Kayla doing it "Just Dance" style

they were buddies all night...Dylan & Ethan

Brenton chillaxin

 guess what he's getting for his birthday?!?!

A long night of fun = tired boy on New Years Day