Happy Birthday Corey!!!

Well, my darling hubby turned 34 years young today. Hooray! The boys and I started his day out right by serving him one of favorite breakfasts -- french toast and scrambled eggs with fresh coffee. Yum! Then we sent him to work. Boo! Oh well, it gave us time to make him a special birthday card on the computer with a favorite pic of him and his sons. But, boo again as Riley or Gage did something to the printer so it won't print anything. At least Corey got to see it on the monitor, though!

Below is a picture of our driveway. The neighbor girls made sure Corey knew many well wishes were being sent his way = )

He appreciated the salutations, but was admittedly a little disappointed. You see, a few weeks back there was a beautiful, loaded, 2009 F150 truck that had been recovered after a theft from one of our customers. In these situations, the claims department offers employees a chance to bid on the recovered item. I had shown him pictures of the truck, but advised that my bid had not been accepted. (No surprise, the bid I could afford was less than 1/2 the book value of the vehicle - - but it was worth a shot!) Anyhow, for a brief second, when I told him to come out and look at the driveway, he thought maybe, just maybe, that truck would be sitting out there for him. I sooo wish I could have done this for him! I will. Someday. When we win the lottery = )

So, anyhow, after a long day at work, we came home to officially celebrate Daddy's big day. The boys came into the house singing Happy Birthday while I carried the cake. We prepared one of Corey's favorite dishes, chicken fajitas, then feasted. Riley and Gage didn't eat very much as they wanted to be sure to have room for dessert! Gage kept saying that he wanted to "stick my finger in it and lick it!" Riley just kept chanting, "I need cake. I need cake." For them, the cake and ice cream is way more important than the presents or the meal beforehand!

Anyhow, below is a quick video of the boys singing to their daddy and helping him blow out the candles. What a great way to celebrate = )

Happy Birthday Corey (Daddy) -- WE LOVE YOU ... YOU'RE THE BEST HUSBAND/FATHER A FAMILY COULD HAVE!!!!!

We LOVE 3 day weekends!

We started off the long weekend with a visit from Corey's brother, Jamie, and his son, Hunter. Good times for everyone!

Corey and Jamie spent almost all of their waking hours working on Corey's shed. They got so much accomplished. More than these pictures show. We are so thankful for Jamie's help and expertise!

Another view of the shed. Yes, it is huge. Now that it has a roof on it, the boys have stopped calling it a castle and are now calling it a house. "Their" house to be exact = ) Who knows, since Corey is doing such a great job on this, maybe his next project can be a little playhouse for the boys. We'll see ....

While the big boys were slaving away in the heat, the little guys and I enjoyed some fun sprinker time!

More good times in the back yard!

The boys sandwiching cousin Hunter. They soooo enjoyed having him here. Hunter is pretty much the coolest guy ever as far as they are concerned. Hopefully he'll come back to visit us again as the boys, especially Riley, pretty much smothered him the whole time he was here. "Hunter, do you want to come play with me?" "Hunter, do you want to sleep with me?" "Hunter, I looooove you." "Hunter, where are you going?" etc .... Yeah, the poor guy didn't get a moment's peace. But, I think he had a pretty good time as well.


Since the boys have been saying how much they miss their daddy, Corey vowed to not work on the shed Monday and have some good times with Riley and Gage. We started off with a trip to the zoo -- always a winner = )

In Gage Park, across from the Topeka Zoo, is a little train that you can ride for $1.00 per person. It is a15-20 minute ride around a beautiful park complete with a large pond/lake, huge rose gardens, and various wildlife. That's a bargain we just couldn't resist -- nor would Riley allow us to do so. The train was just about ready to depart when we walked up. Thankfully the conductor waited for us to board ... I don't even want to imagine the heartbreak that Riley would have endured if we would have had to wait until the next round! In his world, that would have been forever!!!

Riley in Heaven. This boy seriously loves him some choo choo's. Actually getting to ride on one was just about as good as it gets for him. The only better thing would've been if he could've driven it himself!

Gage and Corey as the train starts to move. Gage had fun, but wasn't quite as gung ho about the whole thing as Riley. Especially when we went through the dark, echoey tunnel. He had quite a concerned look on his face upon exiting. It quickly turned to smiles, though, as around the corner there was a family of geese with fuzzy little babies swimming in the pond = )

Another train car. Although they couldn't enter this one, the boys were still satisfied from their previous ride and just relished being able to sit on the steps of the "big choo choo."

Oh, this poor Orangutan. I felt so bad after I took this picture. I think I seriously upset her. She was just sitting there hanging out -- about 10 ft from us -- and checking us out all peaceful like. When I pulled out my camera, she looked down quickly. Then when I brought it up to take the picture, she looked to the side. After the shutter clicked, she walked off slowly and somberly. Ugggh! It broke my heart. That is part of my love/hate relationship with zoos. I love being able to observe the magnificent beasts up close. However, I hate that they look so unhappy and are not enjoying their lives as God intended. Anyhow, she was beautiful, just the same.

A determined Elephant stretching to get some leaves. The boys loved watching this.

So did we = )

One of the gorgeous Tigers. This was the big guy just chillin'. One of the younger ones got quite curious about the kiddos and came right up to the glass from about 40 yards out. It gave me chills to see it move about and be so close. Beautiful and powerul and a little terrifying, too!

Gage checking out the Flamingos in the Rain Forest. As with everything else, he wanted to "touch them." We warned him numerous times that they would bite, but this of course, did not deter our little redhead. He was nipped at several times, but escaped injury. Each time he would just laugh and say, "That birdie bite me!" Then, he would do it again! Yep, he is one that will definitely have to learn everything the hard way!!!

We were so excited to see this Black Bear. Let me clarify, when I say "we" I mean Corey and I. This is the first time the bears have not been hiding in the foliage during one of our visits. It was awesome watching him climb this tree. It definitely drove home the fact that you do not want to meet one in the wild, because you are not getting away from one of these fellows. They are fast! Unfortunately, this exhibit was at the end of our zoo exploration and the boys were done. As far as Corey and I were concerned this was the most amazing thing we'd seen all day and could have watched forever. But, the boys were more into heading to Mickey D's for some grub. Go figure!

After the zoo we grabbed some fast food then headed home for a much needed nap. We all snuggled in for a good 2 hours. Awesome = )

Once everyone was fully awake, we were off for more fun ... ice cream and the park. Yay!

Corey livin' it up on the horsey teeter totter = )

Riley and Mom on the jungle gym.


Gage checking the rear while backing the Fire Truck.


Riley spying on a bird.


Well, those are just some of the highlights from the weekend. It is so wonderful to get to spend the extra time together. Don't get me wrong, it wasn't all hugs and smiles -- there were definitely plenty of meltdowns and flared tempers. But, those moments help us realize just how wonderful the good times are = )

Things my kids see and say ...

Here are a few things that the boys have seen and described over the past couple of days. It's always entertaining for me to see things from their perspective as it often so different from reality. I love their vivid imaginations!

Me: Ok boys, what do you see over there?
Gage: Horsies and Cows!
Me: Are you sure?
Riley: No Gage, it's 1, 2, 3 horses. 'Member Gage? Mommy said so.
Me: Finally! -- (You see, we drive by these 3 horses everyday, they are a block from our house. The boys have been convinced that they are 2 horses (the brown ones) and a cow (the black and white one.) Admittedly, if you could see all of Riley's and Gage's toys and books, almost all of them have brown horses and black and white cows. No brown cows. No black and white horses. Thus, the confusion. We have had this discussion every day for about 6 months. I'm so happy at least one of my boys has come to believe mommy knows what she's talking about. Now I just need to convince Gage = )



Me: Gage, I said water the tree and bushes, please.
Gage: No mom, there's no rainbows over there!
Me: But, I said .... oh never mind. Nice rainbows, Gager!


Gage: Daddy, what's this stepper block doin'?
Corey: That's the floor for the shed.
Riley: No, it's not a shed. This is for us to run and run and run in circles! -- (he then proceeds to do exactly that with little bro following him frantically laughing)

Gage: What's daddy building those gates for?

Riley: No Gager. That's not gates. That's a castle!

Gage: Oh. Castle?

Riley: Yes. That's where we'll live.

Reality: Corey in the process of building his shed.

Oh the joys of seeing things through children's eyes = )

A boy and his fishing pole ...

Hooray! Riley is FINALLY officially potty trained! It's been a long road, but my big boy has reached the end = ) Part of his motivation was that after he successfully accomplished this goal, he would be rewarded with a fishing pole from Gwamma and Papa. So, this weekend they were kind enough to come up to visit and deliver this much anticipated gift. He has not been more than a few inches from the pole since! It rests on his dresser by his bed while he sleeps, it accompanies him to the restroom and dinner table, it has even joined us in a ride in the van. He loves this gift and is getting quite good at casting, too. However, do you think I can get a picture of him with it? Nope, not a chance. At least not yet ...

Week O' Fun: Days 5, 6, and 7

This has been the best week -- with today being the coup de gras! Happy Mother's Day to me and all of you other wonderful mommies out there -- especially my own = )

The past few days have been filled with so much fun and love, I honestly don't know how I'll survive going back to the office. I will, obviously, but I will miss my boys so much more after experiencing all of the great moments we've had all week. I guess I'll just have to check back on this blog from time to time throughout the day to get my mommy fix and relive the memories .

Below are a couple of pictures from our Friday field trip to daddy's work. The boys love going to airport (or airplane port if you ask Gage!) Corey's love of aircraft has definitely rubbed off on the boys. Riley has even decided that he is going to be a helicopter pilot when he grows up. That sure makes his daddy proud = )

The boys getting to check out a plane that

Corey's working on, up close.

A HUGE thrill for all of them!

Going for a spin on the tractor.

Watching Corey's boss do his pre-flight before taking off. They are watching every move with the utmost intensity!

Watching the takeoff with daddy.

Friday afternoon turned out to be quite warm so we enjoyed more time in the backyard with the sprinkler going full blast. Both the grass and the boys benefitted!

With so much watering, the lawn definitely needed some mowing!

Bulldozing some sand. Check out the concentration!

Future Hall of Famer.

Seriously, check out that form!

Taking the sports car through the "car wash."

Riley devouring WaterMountain

(that's watermelon to you folks out there who don't know Gage's special language = )

Who's afraid of getting a little muddy? Not my boys!

Riley has not met any mud or muck he does not like. What a dirty boy!

Another day another park. Riley checking out the view.

Big winding slides never get old for this little fella!

Riley took this picture of me on Mother's Day. Can't you just see how happy I am? Love it!

For Mother's Day I got an unexpected present. My computer monitor went out on Friday (thus the delay in posting days 5 & 6.) Sooooo, I got to go out to Best Buy and get myself a new fancy flat screen. Much better than the huge old classic style that was 2 feet deep on my desk! Corey and the boys also got me a brand new blender. Yay! I soooo needed this. I've been using the same blender I got in college, at a garage sale, for $5.00, way back in the fall of 1992. Seventeen long years ago. Yes, it was definitely time. The boys love smoothies, so they will benefit as well. The ice will now actually be tiny pulverized bits instead of small-ish chunks. Much easier to suck through a straw = )

Corey also did it up right with getting breakfast ready for us all and then preparing a huge feast for dinner. Smoked ribs, potato salad, corn on the cob, baked beans. Yep, he went all out and it was wonderful. I also managed to squeeze in a nap today as well as give myself a well-deserved and overdue manicure and pedicure. Plus, with it being kind of a soggy, grey day, the boys were very snuggly and cuddly today. The perfect ending to a magnificent week.

Week O' Fun: Day 4

Well, today rain was in the forecast so I planned several indoor activities. But, wouldn't you know it the rain was gone before 8:00 am. Fine by me! We started the morning a little slow lounging around in our pj's until about 8:30 which was great. That almost never happens! Riley also got to enjoy his favorite breakfast at the moment -- cinnamon vanilla french toast and maple sausage. Yummy! He had 2 helpings and finished Gage's. I should have gotten a shot of his belly afterward, it was huge!

Anyhow, after this, we cleaned up and headed to the grocery store. I seriously underestimated how much food and snacks I would need to feed my hungry little guys for a whole week! We ran out of veggies, fruit, crackers, ice cream, and popcorn. For such little tykes, they can really put it away. I guess they need all of that fuel to propel them through all of their adventures = )

After the groceries were put away, we made another journey to the pet store. While there we found a new addition to our family. Here he is ... Mr. Indigo Pickles. (Indigo is the name Riley picked - since he's a blue Beta fish, I offered them several words for blue: Indigo, Azure, Sapphire, Blue, Navy, Cobalt, etc ... but Riley liked Indigo best. Gage didn't like any of those names. He wanted to call him Pickles. Thus the creation of our new family member's name = )

Riley in awe of his new buddy.

Gage checking out the fish. We had to stop him several times from attempting to feed the fish cheetohs and trying to drink the fish water. It's never dull with Gager!

Well, I didn't think it was possible, but the boys actually pooped out before me today. After naps, which I had to drag them out of at 3:30, I was going to take the boys to a new "big park." However, neither of them were up for it. Riley's exact words were this, "Mom, let's just chill down. Ok?" Seriously? I never thought this was even possible! Gage just requested that I 'nuggle him. Who can resist a request like that?

Chillin' like a villain.

Finishing the cheetoh's from earlier and waiting patiently for 'nuggles = )

Lo and behold, the lethargy did not last long. About 4:30 they both came alive and it was to the backyard for some springtime fun!

It was quite warm so we broke out the sprinker. Always a winner = )

Gage running from the spray as Riley unkinks the hose.

Love those flushed cheeks sprinkled with fun!

Riley kinking the hose for the 147th time. He just thinks this is the greatest.

Hanging out at the top of the swingset.

Gage yelling at our neighbor to come over.

Gage taking a break to enjoy his new favorite dessert -- strawberry shortcake. Mmmmm!
As you can imagine, along with an afternoon of the sprinkler running, there are bound to be some mud and sandholes. Perfectly delightful for little boys to play in!

Digging for treasure.

The gruesome twosome.
The boys had to be hosed down after this before they were even allowed inside for a bath. Riley enjoyed this immensely -- Gage not so much. He was very vocal about it also. I'm sure the whole neighborhood thought we torturing the poor kid!

An unsuspecting toad trying to enjoy the lovely day. He's obviously new to our block. Between the boys and the dogs, toads do not get much peace until they find their way out of our fence!

"Gonna getcha, toady!" -- exact words.

Well, tomorrow's Friday and it's probably the first Friday in a long time that has come too soon. I know there's still the weekend, but this week has been so great, I just don't want it to end!