The Road to Conversation!!!!

Yesterday, we started a new journey with Colin.....Speech Therapy!  Ever since getting him off dairy, 2 months ago, this little guy has been changing and doing more things that he should be doing.  So, we felt that now would be the time to start this with him, because he would be more receptive to it and possibly more aware of what is going on.  When I made the appointment I was nervous, but knew it had to be done, so yesterday was the day and it turned out better than I had planned.  I was prepared for the worst, because it was in a hospital type setting, but believe it or not we went right in w/o any hiccups; even though, he got anxious and buried his head in my chest, there were no major meltdowns!  That, is a huge feat in itself!!!  Erin, his therapist, was a gem and did small things w/ him to just 'feel' him out and see how she needed to work w/ him and he did so well.  Granted this was his first time, so it wasn't like a major breakthrough or anything, but a great start!  He was ready to go when it was time and said "Bye, see you" and opened the door to leave....he was ready to go! HAHAHA!!  Anyway, I came away from the experience with a warm heart and know this is for the betterment of him.  Not sure how long it will take to get him talking, but man, we long for that day......I probably will never tell him to be quiet, instead, enjoy all of our future conversations with him!  I said it before, but I'm going to say it again, this little boy sure has shown us patience and the meaning of life......he truly completes our family! 

Let him sleep, for when he awakes....he will move mountains!!!

Fall Fun

Since my last post, we haven't had any major things going on, but did finally get some things done.  One of those things, was the Pumpkin Patch!!!  Man, we had tried for 3 weeks to get to one and unfortunately, it didn't happen b/c kids were sick or we were and so, it was a little late this year, but we got it done.  The boys loved the new patch this year, b/c it included animals, trains, food, and of course pumpkins.  Brenton and I enjoyed it, too and loved watching our boys have fun.  One thing that Colin accomplished, was the corn box....he hated it last year, but this year, he had a ball =)  Ethan loved his train ride and overall, we had a great night.....

 

 

The weekend was pretty uneventful, but we got our pumpkin's carved and celebrated Kay's birthday on Sunday.  Saturday, Paul and Kay wanted the boys, so they took them and they enjoyed some time with their cousins for the afternoon. Brenton and I stayed home and relaxed, watched OSU football, and I worked on laundry (fun, fun).  Anyway, yesterday morning we spent the morning having fun with the boys and gave them their "Mummy" buckets that we made them for Halloween.....they had a ball with their new treasures, bubbles, and laughs...... I love moments like that! =)

 

 

 

 Last night, before we put the boys to bed, I had one more fun idea for them to end our weekend before Halloween gets here......as you can see, they loved their "Spooky" Bath!!!

  

 

 

 

What a Life!!!

You know as time goes on and life continues, I thank God everyday for my guys....all 3!  I'm so blessed and I know it.....These days it seems, no matter which way I look, there is another failed marriage, a child hurt, or another political rant that makes me realize that in this small, quaint, home of ours all that stuff that goes on outside of here, is nothing more than that "stuff"!!!  It breaks my heart to know that the world we live, the world Brenton and I are raising our boys in, is so messed up and honestly, there's nothing I can do about it, but to make sure the boys we raise have a good head on their shoulders for their future!  Being a parent, certainly isn't easy, we make mistakes and I realize at some point we will have to "let them go" but I just pray that God gives Brenton and I the wisdom, courage, and strength to make sure that our job is done and done right, when it is time to let them fly!!!  As life happens and we continue on, I have to say that thus far, this moment we are in right now, feels pretty good!  Brenton is an awesome husband, an amazing "Daddy", and a great provider for this family.....I honestly, do not worry about much, I get to be the mother, employee, friend, etc that I want to be and my life is pretty much "drama" free and I truly do all I can to keep it that way.  Don't get me wrong, there are moments and I realize God gives me those to keep me grounded and I always look up and say "Ok, Lord I hear ya" many times, but overall this life he has given me is a pretty amazing one!  =)
This weekend, was yet, another uneventful one.  The weather on Saturday delayed Brenton and Ethan's Upward Football celebration, we were supposed to go w/ friends to a pumpkin patch, but after Brenton got home from work, he said I think we need to stay home.....Colin, still wasn't 100%, his nose was running (granted he discovered that eating his snot, wasn't so bad...GROSS) and he was cranky, so OSU football, pizza parlor, and sleep were in store for us!  Turned out to be a pretty lazy, uneventful, but "just what the Dr. ordered" type of day!  Sunday, then turned out to be a beautiful day, and we got out of the house!  Brenton and Ethan headed off to their football celebration and had a great time, while Colin and I, headed down to my sister's for Justise 10th birthday party!  We had a fun day with food, kids, painted nails, and drank coffee.  It was a great afternoon and when we got home, Brenton put in the DVD that one of the parents made for his football team, and we both started crying.  Sammy's dad put together a great video/slideshow from the season of the boys and WOW, what a great keepsake!  Brenton had a ball coaching these kids and Ethan said to him, "Daddy you are the best coach ever" after we all sat and watched their team play their little hearts out this year.  So fun to see the boys grow, but when you see moments on DVD (even from a few weeks ago) it tears you up, b/c it is then you realize how fast this is really going.  So, life, as great as it is doesn't stop, it continues, but with each passing day I try really hard to make sure my guys know, Katee too, just how much they mean to me.  Each day brings something new, but I will always be grateful for this life, MY life, that God has blessed me with!!!!

Akron Zips 2012

Ethan & the Birthday Girl

 

MY life

Bright Future Ahead....

Since I've been blogging a lot lately about Colin, I wanted to take today and talk about Ethan.......What a ray of sunshine this kid is and boy does he melt our hearts!  He is the reason, Brenton and I, have bonded in a different way.....simply because, he was our first born.  He is brilliant, he amazes us every single day, and is tenacious like no other....haha!!!  Ethan doesn't have a hateful bone in his body, he absolutely loves God, us, his brother, Katee, our extended families, his teachers, and now his new found friends from school.  He is doing really well at school and is so funny to watch......we opted out of Pre-K for him, so I kind of figured him starting Kindergarten would be somewhat of a headache, but honestly he's doing exceptionally well.  Ms. Bowden, his teacher, has done wonders and Mr. Davis, his Title Reading teacher, is doing great things, too.....I'm so glad for this, prayed really hard for it, and now see it was exactly what he needed!  Homework is turning into a breeze and we're finding it not to be so painful, b/c he's getting it.  He loves to read now, so I'm enjoying our reading time and his laughter when we make the books interesting =)  His giggle is so dang funny....I just love this little boy and look forward to watching him grow-up.....hopefully not too fast though!!!

YAY, he got it now....Top he told me how to spell and below
he spelled it himself =)

me and E

He also, loves to work!!!  I mean truly loves everything about it and even gets up at 5:30 am to head with Daddy to the golf course on the weekends.  I really hope he keeps his love and his ability to do it, b/c Brenton has a good work ethic and I hope Ethan grabs onto that, so he can have a bright future. =)

putting the flag back 

learning the big rig =)

Daddy's work buddy

working  away!!!

even at the hotel, he's working =)

Blessed!!!!!

I have had the joy of being blessed with two amazing little boys.....both different in stature, different in style, different in likes, and different in looks......just plain different!!!  For the longest time, I worried about Colin, not sure how to bond w/ him and not sure I was doing the right things. Now, I say worried about bonding w/ him to mean this......The moment that little guy came out of the womb, he was independent.....he didn't need me, like Ethan needed me.  I remember telling my mom when he was about 3 weeks old, "I don't know how to connect with him" b/c he didn't need me....haha!!! I just didn't know how he needed me and I had a lot to learn.... Ethan wouldn't let me put him down, where as Colin, found comfort in me rocking him, but would sleep all dang night in his bed (which was new to me, Ethan slept on my chest).  I remember waking up thinking, "when is he going to wake up and want me?"  Honestly, that little guy, was "Mr. Independent" from the moment he graced us with his presence.  I learned to appreciate that difference, fell in love w/ his differences, and embrace them....b/c he brings so much to our family and our dynamic would not be the same w/o him!!!  I know this might sound crazy, but honestly, I was so afraid I wasn't doing something right?!?!  I didn't get the time I had with Ethan, b/c Colin was our second that time had to be split between them and I longed for the day that I got "time" w/ just Colin......Well, that time is now!  Ethan has started school and loving every ounce of it that he even asks on Saturday, "when do I go back to school?" I know this will change, too.....but, right now, I'm enjoying that he likes it so much.....b/c, on the flip side, I get time w/ Colin and just Colin!  We have so much fun together.....we play, talk, nap, eat, read, watch movies, explore, and just plain enjoy each others company!  He has officially turned into a "Mommy's Boy" and that is music to my ears!!!  This is the time that I've been waiting for and I'm truly taking in every moment of it.....I thank God for this little guy in my life and I know the road is going to be quite different than what I am used to, but for that I'm grateful!  I'm learning that through him, it's the small things that count the most.......I absolutely love that!!!!

Mr. Independent loves the great outdoors!!!

Sweet Dreams

grasp of love ;)

Oh the F.U.N.!!!

What a weekend we had, but didn't get too much accomplished. Oh well!!!!  Ethan and Brenton had their last Upwards Football game on Saturday and they came out again w/ a win.  They were undefeated for the season and Ethan, got a touchdown!  YAY, Ethan!!!  He wanted to get one so bad during the season, and he finally accomplished his goal on Saturday.  Not sure who was more excited, Ethan or Daddy =)  What a fun season they had together and I'm so happy Ethan enjoyed himself!  I unfortunately, wasn't able to make it.....Colin, was sick and during the night had vomited and had a sore bottom from it coming out that end, too.  So, him and I stayed home and tried to get him better.  He seemed to be ok, but just wasn't himself and staying home was in store for sure.  Turns out that him and Daddy slept from 2 till almost 10pm.....they were exhausted!!!! 

On Sunday, he still wasn't himself and I knew we wouldn't be able to take him to the horse therapy we had planned, so instead we headed to my parents for a nice relaxing afternoon.  My dad got the kids pumpkins, so they enjoyed coloring them and playing in the leaves....what a fun fall afternoon!  The best part, he made a mock Thanksgiving dinner w/ all the trimmings, so we got to enjoy that and nothing beats my dad's dressing.....negative, I had to count my points, so I only got 1 serving =/!!!!

 

Monday, came to quick like normal, but Ethan had to go to school so we got up and off he went.....Colin and I, we got back home and headed back to bed.  Reason being.....Colin had been up since 1am w/ a sore bottom and it finally hit me why....he can't tolerate OJ or any kind of orange drink, for that matter!  Man, it goes right through him and that's been half our battle this past weekend, the Tampocia drink was not doing what we wanted it to, even watered down it went right through him.....Man, it's so hard to learn the hard way, but I'm so glad we know and now, little man is healing up great.  Also, we got to pick Ethan up, all of us (he loves that), and when we got home he was so excited to show us that he got his very 1st book from Title Reading for reaching his 25 book mark.  He was thrilled!  He is doing really well and enjoying school, thank heavens =)

Today, Colin and I got Ethan got to school again and then when we got back home, I started laundry and as soon as it was warm enough we headed outside.  Boy, this kid loves the outdoors, so why not feed it to him =)  Anyway, he has discovered the wooded area behind our house is so much fun and I love watching him explore.

Vroom Vroom..........

You know, I thought we had the "perfect" gift in mind for Colin this year for Christmas; however, little man decided he needed it a few months early.......A new twin bed and not just any twin bed, but a car bed!  That boy loves his matchbox cars and I knew going from his toddler one, he needed the big boy version and sure enough he got it.  Man, we should of done it a lot sooner, to be quite honest.....but he's happy now and that's what matters!  For the past few weeks, bedtime and nap time haven't been so easy, b/c he'd want to go to our bed or his brothers bed for more room (I was trying to hold off, I guess), so when my sister called said she found one that she wanted to get for her son, but felt he was too old....I jumped on it!  This bed, that we had picked out for Christmas, was $500 and when I called the lady selling a similar one, she said it was in mint condition, she really didn't want to get rid of it, but her 3rd child was on the way and they needed the space.....I was kind of skeptical, but when I saw it it was perfect and for $100 to boot!!!!  Anyway, he was meant to have this bed and to have it now.....I'm so glad we found it, b/c little man is 100% satisfied =)

A little break....

We had such a great weekend and finally got a chance to get out of this house! Not taking a vacation this year, has truly taken a toll on us, and we needed a break!  Anyway, Brenton got tickets for the OSU/Nebraska game, so we treated that as "date night" and the boys got to stay back at the hotel w/ Brenton's parents to enjoy the pool and eat some pizza.  We had a great time and so didn't the boys!!!

Ease of Morning Frustration!!!

We have so much to be thankful for, but today I just have to say I'm so thankful for my family!  My dad has come to the rescue again and I'm so grateful to have such caring parents, on both sides!  Our boys are truly blessed to have grandparents that love them so much.  Ethan is home from school today, sick and Colin has a cold, but I had to come into work and so I didn't have to change my schedule....my dad made sure to call me last night and make sure I had it figured out.   He came into the house this morning and is watching the boys for us! Just that step alone, is so helpful and has made my work mornings so easy!!!  I didn't realize how much running I did the mornings, until we eliminated the sitter!!  WOW, is all I can say and I'm so thankful I don't have to do that anymore.....Colin is, too!!  That little boy is wrapped around his Papaw's finger and they have the best time together, what a difference in him, since being with my dad and I love every part of it!  I don't always see eye to eye w/ my dad, but boy I really do love him and my mother for that matter!  My mom is the most caring person I know and always there to make sure her kids/grandkids are taken care of....Love them both to pieces and even as an adult now, they still are there for my kids and I'm so grateful!!!