A little of everything ...

Gosh, so much has been going on. I guess that is pretty much the norm these days. First I'll start with an update on my Grandma. She is now back in Russell and her physical therapy seems to be going very well. She is already going up and down the halls - slowly, but surely - with a walker. Now, she's not running any marathons and still has many more weeks of recovery and therapy, but she is doing much better at this point than I think any of us could have expected. I am so thankful for that!

I also finally replaced my camera that was broken during our trip to Russell. We do still have our "big" camera that is better quality, but it doesn't fit very well in my purse = ) I felt lost without my little carry around buddy! During the 5 days (gasp!) that I was without my little camera, I was constantly taking mental pictures and wishing that I could document so many moments with actual photos. So, I finally broke down and got another little buddy. Yay!

Unfortunately, I hadn't had a chance to take it out of the box yet when we went to our pre-school's 3rd Birthday Bash. I am on the parent planning committee for our wonderful little school and we've been planning this all school get together for a while. It was a huge success! We had a "country fair" theme with pot luck bbq, 3-legged races, ring toss games, face painting, a cupcake walk, bean bag games, prizes and more. So fun! I think everyone had a great time and no one left empty-handed or empty-stomached!

When we got home I quickly dug the camera out of the box to snap these pics of Gage. Our little Batman fanatic had a Batman mask and symbol painted on his face. He sooooo loved this! He kept looking in the mirror at himself and giggling. Too cute! Too bad these were taken after the face paint had mostly been sweated off and/or wiped away = (

In other events, haircuts have been the big thing at our house this week. It started with our sweet dog Katie getting her thick coat shaved off for summer. Here's our girl all prettied up with bows in her hair even = )

Next, it's that time of year when Corey shaves his head down bald because it's just too hot. For the second year in a row after watching his daddy do this, Gage decided he wanted his "rock star" hair cut short like daddy's. He looks like a totally different boy!

Riley was next. But, of course, Mr. Independent wanted to do his own. He did a pretty good job, I only had to clean up the sides and neckline a bit!

 The pictures above and the one below were taken at our after church Sunday lunch out. I can't remember if I posted this before or not (and am too lazy to check!) but we have decided to make this a tradition. Each week a different family member gets to pick the restaurant. Corey and I have been trying to choose places that we have never eaten at, or ones that if we have eaten their food we've never been inside them - just take out or drive through. It's been really fun so far and it is the only time we eat something not prepared in our own kitchen. Even though I love to cook , this is something to look forward to. This week was my week and I picked Spangles because I was craving one of their pita sandwiches. Plus, Gage had requested that I choose somewhere he could get a milkshake because he was "STARVING THIRSTY" for one. Gage is always one for the dramatics, but really, how can you deny that?

Here the boys are posing with "the king." There were even real strings on the guitar so the boys were strumming and singing their own song as I took this. I'm sure people there thought I was crazy, but who cares. We were having fun = )

Then there was Father's Day. Corey had a big golf weekend planned with his buddies from back home, so he had a really good time doing that. He wasn't feeling 100% on Sunday however. I'm sure you can figure out why = )~ Soooo, the boys and I gave him the best present we could at the moment and we spent a lot of time outside letting daddy chill and relax to some peaceful quiet on the inside. After our playtime was over Riley and Gage decided daddy needed some snuggles to help him feel better. Judging from the smile on his face I think it may have worked!

After Corey and the kiddos vacated the pull out, Katie decided to claim it as her own. Spoiled girlie!

We also visited Jellystone Park for the first time this weekend to celebrate one of the boys' buddy Kohen's birthday festivities. So fun! We even managed to avoid having our pic-a-nic basket stolen by Yogi Bear = ) Unfortunately with everything I had to pack I somehow forgot to bring my new camera. ?@#&*! Anyhow, we've promised the boys we will go again soon and campout as they just LOVED it and it was reasonably priced.

Here's a parting shot of the boys with my new stability ball and pump. Sadly my old one recently bit the dust (it had a little help from two rowdy munchkins.) Anyhow, it cracks me up how excited Riley and Gage get anytime something new is brought into our home - even if it is just replacing something we've had forever. Gage bounced himself silly around the house with the ball for almost an hour straight while Riley made us "the most beautifullest music in this America" with the pump that emitted a high pitched whistling sound. Yeeouuch! It was definitely a song only a 5 year old, or his mother, could love!

High/Low, Up/Down, Joy/Sadness kind of weekend ...

Well, unfortunately, this weekend wasn't all fun and happiness like the one before it. We enjoyed some pretty good times, but also some very sad and scary times. Riley pretty much summed it up when he was explaining it to Corey like this, "Well, it started out really fun and awesome ... and then, it was just horrible." So, here's what happened ...

This weekend in my hometown of Russell, it was a big celebration called Prairiesta. This happens only every 10 years and it just an incredibly fun time for the small town to celebrate its heritage and history and for everyone to get together. Corey wasn't able to join us this time as he was on call at the airport since his boss is out of the country. So, it was just the kiddos and me. We headed out Friday night to stay with my grandma and prepare for all of the fun the next day. Once the kiddos were sound asleep I headed downtown to meet up with some old friends at the beer garden. It was so fun! I saw a lot of people that I haven't seen in person for 10 and 20 years. I love that!
The next morning my mom joined us at grandma's house, then we headed downtown for the parade. The kids loved it. Not only did they get to fill their bags full of candy that was thrown from the floats, they also got to witness a real live longhorn cattle drive right down the center of Main Street! Only in Russell, KS does that kind of stuff happen folks!

Riley being silly on the bricks of Main Street before the parade.

Gage climbing on some post rock.



Grandma and Gage cheesing it up before the parade.



Grandma Galyardt, Riley and Grandma Soukup impersonating a totem pole.

Grandma Soukup and the boys waiting for the action.

Me trying to get my camera back from Riley.

The Longhorns. Such a liability situation. Thank goodness the cattle were on their best behavior!

Still can't believe this!

The boys lined up waiting for candy to be thrown their way!

So, everything was pretty lovely up to this point. After the parade, we headed out to McDonald's to grab some lunch. The kiddos were stoked about this and grandma really enjoys doing anything in public to show off her great-grandsons = ) Once we were all finished, we headed out to the van. Gage and great-grandma were holding hands when he tripped. She tried to keep him from falling but got pulled off balance and fell herself right onto the hard concrete parking lot. After 2 separate trips to the ER in Russell - a total of about 6 hours time there, a trip to the Hays WalMart for pain medication since the pharmacy in Russell was closed, then finally an ambulance trip to the Hays Medical Center, it was determined that she had broken her hip during the fall. She is to have a pin put in Monday then will have a long recovery time. It is just devastating. For an 81 year old woman, she could run circles around many people 20 years her junior. She still mows her own lawn, walks downtown to get her haircut, takes care of her garden, cleans and maintains her own home. I just feel so bad for her and hate that this happened. Even though I know it doesn't help, I keep going over and over all of the what if's and why's - What if we'd gone through the drive-thru? Why wasn't I holding Gage's hand? etc ... I just pray that the surgery goes well, that she heals quickly and this won't be a pro-longed life-changing event. However, I just do not have a good feeling about it.

Riley and I trying to entertain ourselves while waiting in the ER.

Between ER trips, I did manage to get the boys downtown to the carnival that they had been promised they could go to right after lunch. They had been waiting as patiently as they could through the first 3 hour visit in the ER then an hour and half trip back and forth to Hays. They had energy that needed to be released, plus I thought it would be a good idea to get them out from underfoot so grandma could have some quiet and privacy. So, while we were there we had a really good time. The boys loved the kiddie rides and rode on the big Ferris Wheel for the first time. Gage kept shouting at the top of his lungs, "I can see the WHOLE WORLD from up here!" And Riley, our little sportsman, won a couple of little stuffed animals playing the dart game and the mini-skeeball. He was so proud of his accomplishments! I would love to post photos of these happy times, but unfortunately, while trying to entertain the boys my camera was accidentally knocked to the floor and broken during the first trip to ER. Ugh.

So, this was pretty much our weekend. We had some very good times and some very bad times. If you will, please send some prayers my grandmother's way for a successful surgery and speedy recovery. Thank you.

Super Duper Fun-Tastic Birthday Weekend!

 Whew! So, my birthday weekend can only be described as Fun-Tastic! Somehow the stars all aligned just right and it really felt like I won the lottery or something. We got to participate in so many fun events and I was surrounded by family and friends the whole time. I couldn't ask for anything more!

After work on my birthday proper, we headed to Kansas City to take in a Royals game. It was the boys first visit to "the K"

The boys were so excited to take in this new environement. My cheeks hurt by the end of the night because I couldn't quit smiling. Their observations and awe were amazing to witness = )

It was a pretty warm evening and these spray bottles were lifesavers! They kept us cool and kept the boys entertained during lulls in the action. Thankfully those around us were pretty relaxed and actually asked the boys to spray them a few times, too. These requests were unsurprisingly met with much enthusiasm by the boys. They LOVED spraying people and themselves!

 Another excellent part of the evening is that it happened to be dollar night at the stadium. So the boys got their fill of hot dogs, peanuts and drinks. It was nice to be able to feed my hungry group without breaking the bank = ) We even splurged on this $4 popcorn. Guess who was ecstatic about that purchase?

Here's Corey explaining a play to the boys. Riley's pretty sure he's going to be a professional baseball player when he grows up in addition to a pilot and a fireman = )

Gager all ready to catch a fly ball!

Then to top off the night, it was Friday Fireworks night. They had an amazing show!

On Saturday after I got off work, it was over to our friends, the Fitzgeralds, for a good ol' Ping Pong Extravaganza. The kiddos also had a good time as they had several water activites and a trampoline for them to expend their energy. Always a good time - and no injuries this year = )~

Corey in action.

Then bright and early Sunday morning around 7:30 we headed to Kansas Speedway for the NASCAR race. I was very fortunate that a company that does a lot of clean up and restoration work for my company offered us free tickets to the races and had a really nice hospitality area set up. They even had driver Kurt Busch come to our tent to talk. Here's Corey listening to Kurt.

Here I am with Kurt. He was seriously such a nice guy!

Here's Corey with the track behind him, he soooo wants to get a chance to drive on that track!

The score tower.

Before the race there were several things we got to do courtesy of our hospitality sponsor. One thing I thought was really neat is they gave everyone a chance to get down and check out the track. Here I wrote our names on the white line for the boys. This way they can say their name is on Kansas Speedway = )

Me with my ticket and race headphones. It was really cool getting to hear the drivers talk with their team. There were some pretty heated exchanges, too. Oh, and Tony Stewart has a seriously foul mouth! It was entertaining, though!

A view of the track and stands during the race - it was a packed house!

Whew! That was so much fun. However, I can't say I wasn't super ready to just chill at home Sunday evening with the hubby and the kiddos in front of the TV and AC. It was definitely a fun-packed, hot weekend. But even with all of that excitement, it couldn't compare to the snuggles I got from my kiddos while watching Scooby Doo for the 437th time. Life is good = )

Anniversary ...

Wow, the years really have flown by. We celebrated our 13 Year Wedding Anniversary on Monday. We honored the day by just hanging around the house and enjoying each other's company. It was one of the best days I could have asked for!

Here's Gage working on a project in the garage. He's painting a shelf for Riley's room.

He did a really great job and was really into it!

Another view of the painter hard at work = )

Here the boys are playing with some wind socks they made the day before at Sunday school. They were learning about the flood and when God created the rainbow, thus the rainbow colors. I LOVE these projects they bring home and so do the boys. Each time we see them we are reminded of what they represent and many interesting conversations are started.

Another close up of Corey and I by our budding photographer, Riley. He was telling us a joke as he took this. It went like this ...

************

"How do you make a Pteradactyl laugh?"

*****

"You FART!"

*************

Bahahahahaha! Goodness, the boy about fell over he was laughing so hard at himself! This is turn made us laugh pretty hard. What he lacks in a punchline he definitely makes up for with enthusiasm = )

After working and playing outside, the boys were filthy, so it was bathtime.

Guess who poured his own bubbles in the bathtub?  Here Riley is being a bubble pirate. Funny boy!

Oh, and lets not leave ol' Katie out of the fun. It's hard to tell here, but she is wearing a cup on her head that is attached to a headband. It is for a game - you wear the cup then try to catch a ball in it. Again, funny boy Riley was the instigator here. He thought this was hilarious! I don't quite think that Katie would agree with that assessment, but she played along well being the sweet old girl that she is.

Finally after all that fun I went to check on the boys as they were watching a movie in Gage's "ocean room" ... this is what I found at 7:45pm. Yep, both boys were completely zonked!

That was a nice little surprise gift as it left Corey and I to spend a few hours together uninterrupted. That was really nice. Happy Anniversay to us!

Corey's Birthday - #36!

Last Friday was Corey's Birthday ... the young fella turned 36! He's looking pretty good for his age = )

For his birthday his first request was double chocolate fudge cake with chocolate icing ...

here's the birthday boy with his cake.

I'm not sure who enjoyed the cake more, Corey or his doppelganger, Gage!

After cake it was on to the presents the boys and I had picked out for him.

Corey had a little help with the unwrapping ...

 

Some more help = )

Then some birthday hugs and smooches from his family.

This picture of Gage toppling Corey with a huge hug would've been funnier if he were grimacing because of silliness instead of because he was in pain. The poor guy had tweaked his back earlier in the week and let's just say this sudden jolt didn't help matters = (

Thankfully he recovered soon enough to pose with his lovely bride = )

After this we headed to Kung Fu Panda 2 per the birthday boy's request. It was so funny and the boys did a pretty good job of staying seated (most of the time anyway!)

All in all, it was a pretty great day and most importantly we made sure Corey knows how much he means to us and that we are so glad that he is the husband/dad of our little family!

2 of My Favorite Places ... the Backyard and Dog Park ...

Goodness. I don't know if there are words to describe how happy I am that the weather is finally turning warmer and we can comfortably spend more time outside. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy outside Winter activities as well, but for me, they do not even come close to comparing to Spring and Summer fun. Here are just a few pictures of the outdoor things I enjoy ...

First, spending more time in the backyard adding more plants and flowers. Here I am with my new baby ... rosebush that is = ) Aaaaaannnnd, my favorite new trellis that my hubby and boys constructed for me. Isn't it cool? I think it has an Asian feel to it. I'm hoping to turn this area into a kind of Zen Garden area. Lord knows I could use a little more Zen and meditation in my life!

Next is the dog park. I just love how everything is so green and alive here right now. It is just a wonderful place for all of us to run off some energy and enjoy the fresh air.

Here's Riley, he maybe loves it out here even more than I do. I can seriously see him as a Cross Country runner in the future. This boy just loves to go, go, go! Thankfully I can now keep up with him - at least for the time being!

Taking a little break to remove a layer and enjoy some quality time with a Rolly Polly.

My adventurous and imaginative hunters, aiming for some big game = )

Gage takes his pretend hunting very serisously!

My boys and my Katie-girl, all lined up along the path.

Pretty cute sight!

Katie's on the scent of something!

Now the scent is on Katie. She found a chest deep mud puddle to wallow in - and she loved every minute of it = ) Thank goodness we took the old truck on this trip!

Well, that's just a few snapshots. I have a million more in my head. I wish I could put them all on here so I don't forget a single moment!