Gager turns 3!!!

Yay! Gage turned 3 on Monday and it was a super great day = ) For our little Batman fanatic, his birthday pretty much revolved around the Caped Crusader -- from the Batman cake, to the Batman shirt, to the Batman party accessories for school, to the Batman toys, and finally -- the coup de grace -- the Batman bike. Yep, he pretty much deemed it the best day EVER! If there is one thing for certain about Gage, it is that he does not hold back his excitement or appreciation and there was plenty of that going on this special day. We are so lucky to have this funny little guy in our lives and truly relish every moment of it! Happy Birthday GagerRager, we love you!!!

Mom and Gage enjoying some time outside before the festivities.

A boy and his Batman bike ...

a winning combination that is not easily separated -- especially at bedtime -- he soooo wanted to bring this bike into bed with him = )

Silliness on the skateboard. Good times for all!

Batman masks and blowers -- what's not to like about that?

Big brother gets in on the action.

New underoos -- Batman and Spiderman -- my superheroes = )

And finally I'll leave you with a cute little video ... LOVE the giggles!

Gone Fishin'

Saturday turned out to be the PERFECT day! PERFECT for a day of fishing, fun, and family. There are some days when things just seem to go right (for the most part) and you can't imagine what else you could've done to make it better (except for maybe winning the lottery!) Anyhow, Saturday was one of those days = )

Fishing off of the dock.

While casting and reeling, Gage mentioned several times,

"I'm really great at fishing!" Too cute!

Papa and Riley searching for the perfect lure.

Here fishy, fishy ...

Grandma helping Gage be safe = )

Taking a nature hike to the next fishing spot.

This was snapped just after they each just oblivously walked over a live 3 ft garter snake!

Perfect picture of carefree boyhood.

Riley wants to be just like daddy. Lovin' life.

One of the crappies that didn't escape the fisherman.

"It's snack time mom, no pictures!"

Thank you Grandma and Papa Soukup for coming up and helping make this a great day and fulfilling the boys wishes. We're already looking forward to the next time = )

Morning Conversation ....

On the way to pre-school this morning we saw a man pushing a baby stroller along. This brought up several conversations between the boys and myself about each of them as babies. It was very cute and I really enjoyed the trip down memory lane. However, the best part of the conversation for me was at the end when Riley declared, "When I get big I want a baby of my own!" (Cool. Just as long as it's not too soon!!!) In response I explained to him, "That is great Riley. Did you know that when you have a baby I will be the baby's grandma and your daddy will be the baby's Papa?"

Silence ... accompanied by a wide-eyed pondering expression.

Then a big, "Awesome!!!! I didn't know that. You will be Grandma Momma!" Then enormous eruptions of laughter from the backseat from both boys thinking this is just the funniest thing ever. I had to giggle, too. Me. The girl who didn't think she was ever going to be a mom is now having conversations with her children about someday being a grandma to their children. I would never have imagined this. And you know what, I kinda like the sound of Grandma Momma. (Again, as long as it's not too soon!) Oh, good times, indeed = )

Easter -- In Pictures ...

Easter weekend was fabulous. We had a fantastic time with our families as usual. The only thing I'm disappointed in is that with over 100 snapshots from our 2 days back home, I did not once think to get everyone together for some whole family photos. What was I thinking? I guess we were just having too much fun. Maybe next time! Anyhow, here are a few of my faves ...

Dad and Corey passing around the ol' pigskin.

Riley devouring his chocolate bunny. It took less than 48 hours for this rabbit to meet his demise. Riley is definitely a fan of chocolate!

Gage admiring his findings.

Aqua Sand really is as cool as the commercials claim.

Thank you Aunt Tracy!

Little man at work.

Oh how Gage loved these yellow work glasses!

Who knew dirty ol' dog kennels could be so much fun?

Out at the Hubers, Connect 3 with Smarties. Fun and tasty!

Paige and Hunter box it out.

Grandma Huber tries, in vain, to teach Gage how to "flick" the football.

He always resorted back to just throwing through the goalposts = )

Corey chillaxin' on the swing.

Full basket = Happy Gage.

Riley came in last in the egg hunt ....

... 'cuz he had to keep stopping to sample the goodies inside!

By the time we made it back to Lawrence, we had 8 total baskets of candy. Yikes! A friend of mine offered this wonderful advice:

"You have to learn about the candy fairy. He comes nightly and eats the kids candy. It is ok though because he works for the tooth fairy and for every piece he takes he keeps your kids teeth from falling out and therefore lightening the load for the tooth fairy. In addition, for every missing piece of candy there is a penny hidden somewhere. Once the kids find 10 of these pennies they can buy a piece of candy back. If your kids are young enough and can't count, this can go on forever. For those of you whose kids can count you still get rid of 10 pieces in exchange for 1. Before long, all the candy is gone!"

Sounds good, right? We're gonna give it a go!

Chuck E Cheez-It's

What's that you say? It's not called Chuck E Cheez-It's? It's actually Chuck E Cheese? Ha! Good luck getting Riley and Gage to believe that one! As far as they are concerned, this place is named after their beloved snack cracker annnnnnnd it is pretty much the coolest place under a roof. Seriously folks, these boys had so much fun here! And to be honest, so did Corey and I. We were a little hesitant to go because of some of the horror stories we have heard, but it really was a blast! I had gone online to get a coupon and there was one for a large pizza, 4 drinks, a couple of salads and 80 tokens for under $30. Sold! I must say though, that 80 tokens was way too many for the little guys. So, Corey and had to force ourselves to help use them up by playing skee ball and pop-a-shot. Good times = ) Other than us parents also getting to have a little fun, the other nice thing was by the time we finally used up all of the tokens the boys were pooped! Not a peep or a fuss about leaving. Bonus! Of course, after all of that fun, we now pretty much get asked daily to go back. We'll have to use this as incentive for our little Chuck E Cheez-It fanatics = )

This is pretty much what Gage did for the first 20 mintues or so. He would be on a ride or playing a game and then see something across the way that caught his fancy and immediately wanted to go check out the new thing. We left many rides still running and games half played, but who cares --- this kiddos excitement was uncontainable!

The boys LOVED this "monster truck" ride. It rumbled up and down and side to side. Of course, I couldn't get any good face shots as they were both too fascinated checking out all of the stuff around them as well as the mechanics of the ride.

Skee ball was truly Gage's favorite game, but I only got pictures of Riley playing it. Riley actually did quite well with it. Gage on the other hand has a bit of wild roll. Now, when I say wild roll, I mean the ball could go straight up and score 1000 points, or it could wind up 3 games over or behind his head! Thus, no pics of Gage playing, I was too busy playing defense!!! Who knew this was a 2 player game?

Gager starting to wind down. Just chillin' with Chuck E.

I'm not sure who Gage was talking to, but he spent almost 10 minutes on this phone! I tried several times to get him to turn around and smile for the camera, but would only get a quick, "Mom. In a minute. I'm on the PHONE" response. Hmmmm, that sounds a little too familiar = )

So, yes. Our first venture to Chuck E Cheez-It's was a success. For those of you who haven't tried it yet, I say give it a shot. Just remember to go to their website and print a coupon first. It saved us almost $20!

New Look ...

Well, it's finally Springtime around here, THANK GOODNESS! So, with Spring comes Spring cleaning -- and for me -- Spring redecorating. Yay! So, with all of this newness around me, I figured it was probably time for a little revamp to the ol' blog as well. Hope you like the new format = )

Along with everything else, we also have some new pre-school pictures of the boys to show off. They turned out so great! The photographer did a super fabulous job of getting the sweet side of the boys personalities to shine through. We all know that's hard to do since the ornery side more often than not seems to win the struggle to front and center! Anyhow, below are the photos that I am so in love with right now I can hardly stand it and I am sure I will cherish for years to come!

Shiny, happy brothers

Handsome devil

Cutie patootie

Love those deep dark eyes

Adorable li'l red

Well, there's much more to chronicle, but no time right now. Will fill you in soon! = )

Never a dull moment ....

So, the other day we were busy doing chores around the house and poor little Gage was not feeling well. He was just lying on the couch zoning out on the TV. But, he really started getting into the movie Austrailia with Hugh Jackman and Nicole Kidman (yeah, I know, kinda of a weird thing for an almost 3 year old to be into, but Gage is definitely not your average kiddo!) Anyhow, after returning from the back room, this is what we found ...

Gage had gone into his room and pulled out his horse.

Apparently wanting to be like the people on the TV = )

Soon after, he ventured off again to return with his trust shotgun. Such a cowboy!

It just cracks me up the things kids do and the way their little minds work.

We are also still working hard on the potty training at our house. First off, let me start by saying Gage is oh so smart. You can ask him a million different ways of where the pee and poo are supposed to go and he will always tell you the correct answer - NOT IN MY PANTS, IN THE POTTY! He'll even say it with much gusto and a big smile. However, his actions do not always match his words. The other day, not 10 minutes after he had sat on the potty to do his duties, he comes waddling into the kitchen while I am doing dishes. He is walking funny and has no underpants on. As he turns around, I notice he is sporting a little brown tail. Yuck! So, I ask, "Gage? Where are your underpants?" He then giggles and takes off running for his room. I am yelling at him to "STOP!" because I do not want his little tail to dislodge and land on the floor. Little did I know that was the least of my worries! As I catch up to the little red flash and start explaining that he needs to sit on the potty ASAP to finish his poo poo duties, what do I see? Underpants on the carpeted floor of Gage's room along with three big turds. Are you kidding me? "Gage! Why did you poop on the floor?" "Because mommy, I'm not supposed to poop in my pants. I need to keep them clean!" Grrrrr. So, I set the little squirt on the potty and begin the clean up. As I'm doing this with steam coming out of my ears, I hear this sweet little voice coming from the bathroom singing the song from the Elmo Potty video ... "Accidents happen ... that's what they say ... accidents happen ... and that's okay ..." Even though I was pretty angry, that little song did bring a little smile to my face = ) Oh, I am so ready for this potty training stuff to be a distant memory!

Then there's always silly conversations that strike a chord with me and make me appreciate just how sweet the boys can be and proud of their attempted problem solving abilities. Each day on our drive home we drive over what has become known in our household as "The Pooey River." You see, the Kansas River is not very clean and is often somewhat foul smelling. The fish and game department even recommends not eating fish caught in the river. There's lot of run-off pollution from upstream that contaminates the water. Anyhow, several of our trips over the river have brought up questions by the boys as to why the river is pooey and how to make it not pooey. So, I try my best to explain how the river got that way and ask them how they think it should be taken care of. Here's my favorite theory they've got going right now. Gage, "They need to pull the plug so all the pooey water goes down the drain." Riley, "Yes! And then we can fill up a big, huge bucket with clean water from a hose. It will be really heavy, so we will need a big crane to lift it up and dump it in. Then we can swim in it!" Oh, if only it were that easy! But, I love that they are trying to think of ways to make it right. Who knows, maybe someday they'll keep thinking like this and solve some real world issues! Anyhow, they make mommy proud just the same = )

Along this same line, we have been talking to the boys a lot about taking care of our planet. Such things as re-using items, reducing the amount of trash we make, and conserving water. We've also talked about recycling, but hadn't done too much of it because -- well .... because -- well, mostly because we have been lazy. However, thanks to a great new service in Lawrence we have stopped the laziness! If you live around here and haven't heard, Deffenbaugh is now offering curbside recycling pickup for only $4.95/month. They even supply the recycling material container and pick it up the same day as your regular trash pick up. Even better, the items do not have to be separated. So easy! So, we've started this and it's lead to many fun questions from the boys and learning experiences about what things are made of and how items can be recycled. Riley even caught me the other day when I almost inadvertantly threw away a milk jug. He screamed, "Nooooooo, mom that's PLASTIC!" at the top of his lungs like it was life or death. That made me laugh = ) Thank goodness we have him to keep us in check!



Also, my sweet Riley said one of the nicest things to me the other day. We were snuggling on the couch watching cartoons, just being lazy for a bit. I had my glasses on and noticed he kept staring at me. Then, out of nowhere, he gently reaches over and takes my glasses off and says, "There momma, now you're more beautiful." Awwwww, talk about melting momma's heart!

Finally, please send some prayers out to our little buddy Cooper. He is having a heart catheter today and will be finding out how soon his next open heart surgery will be. He is such a tough little guy, I know he will be fine. But, extra prayers to help him through are so appreciated.