Happy Huber House

Oh what fun ...

2012-01-12T13:20:00.000-06:00

Wow, so December came and went in the blink of an eye! I love this time of year with all of its crazy schedules and gatherings with family and friends. Once again we were very fortunate to get to spend time with those near and dear to our hearts. And, the boys were very spoiled again by those exact same people - and loved every minute of it!

Our little family photo taken in front our Christmas tree.

Doesn't our dog, Katie, just look thrilled to be a part of this?

Ha! She is such a sweet girl = )

After our own little family celebration at our house, we headed out to the farm for the Huber gathering. It is always great to get together with everyone - the boys especially love getting to hang out with their cool older cousins. Here Gage is super stoked about his Dr Dreadful's Zombie Lab experiment station his super awesome aunt and uncle gave him! The first creation of our mad scientist? Zombie barf!

Me about to sample said Zombie Barf. Not sure if this was the best idea ever!

Even after my less then stellar reaction, Uncle Jamie is a good sport and agrees to give it a shot, too!

Good grief! So, after taking at least 6-7 photos with Grandma Lawrenz

- with multiple cameras going -

this is the only one that we are all looking at the same one.

Nice one, Corey = )~

From there, we headed on over for the Soukup event. More family, more food, and more fun!

Riley cheeses it up with Papa Soukup while Gage slides in with Aunt Tracy.

Tracy and I in our new hats from Grandma. Love the hats and love those ladies!

Soukup Family photo - a little easier with only one camera going = )

Corey with the favorite gift of the night - an iPad from my sister.

She is seriously the most generous person I know!

Happy Grandma Soukup gettin' a little snuggle from Gage.

You can't tell it from this picture, but this boy LOVES all his new pants!

From here, my folks gave Corey and I a super awesome Christmas present -

they kept the boys for the whole week of their Christmas vacation!

Although it was eerily quiet at our house and I missed the boys like crazy,

I thoroughly enjoyed having a clean house and getting plenty of sleep = )

On our way home, Riley decided he didn't need any BK King hat,

his McD's Happy Meal box was just as cool!

Silly boy = )

As for Gage, upon arriving back in Lawrence, he was super excited to open up this present he had already forgotten about. Doesn't he just make the cutest little worker man ever?!

Here's Riley and Corey's big construction project - a K'Nex Roller Coaster.

They spent a full day connect all 576 pieces, then fully enjoyed

watching the fruits of their labor zoom around the track.

Good times!

Well, this doesn't even come close to sum up all of the fun and excitement we had, but it is a record of some of the highlights. Thank you Lord for blessing us with this time together and safe travels.

Thankful ...

2011-12-02T16:47:00.001-06:00

Our Thanksgiving holiday was absolutely wonderful. We had a great trip out to Colorado to celebrate with the family at my sister, Tracy's house. The weather, the kids, the food - we couldn't have asked for better from any of it. So thankful when things come together so nicely = ) Below are some photos of other things we found to be thankful for this holiday ....

Here we are thankful for fun "King" and "Queen" hats at BK!

Thankful to gather 3 generations together.

Thankful for silly family photos and woodcarved moose slingshots from Aunt Tracy!

Still thankful for the slingshots and a big yard for target practice!

Thankful for my sister and for awesome hula hoops made by http://hoopmamas.net/

Thankful for spare PVC pipe to make "Transformer Arms" for Gage = )

Here Corey is thankful for this delicious snack plate!

Thankful that our Grandma was able to make the trip to Colorado and for Tracy hosting this houseful of crazy people = )

Gage was very thankful for turkey. Here he is "eating like a mogwai!" That's a reference to the movie Gremlins - if you have never seen this movie I feel a little sad for you. Go watch it and be thankful = )

Thankful to spend time with my dad and that he is now retired and much less stressed!

Riley loves his Aunt Tracy and shows his thankfulness with a big ol' bear hug!

The boys are very thankful for Tracy's iPad ... and so were the rest of us ... it allowed us quite a bit of quiet time while the boys concentrated on their games = )

Thankful for the man cave - beers for the big boys -
and power tools for the little guys!

Oh, and more slingshot action, too - those things really were a hit! = )

Thankful Dale has a sense of humor about a slingshot being aimed at his head ...

Riley should be thankful Dale is only kidding about putting him in the turkey fryer ... Gage was ready to defend big brother = )

It appears Gage was thankful for sleep at this point ... the blankie over his head cracks me up!

Corey having a good time and just being thankful in general.

Hope you all had a great holiday and much to be thankful for as well!

What happened to Halloween?

2011-12-02T16:10:00.000-06:00

So, in all the craziness of this fabulous Fall, I somehow missed to make a Halloween Post. My dear little Gage pointed this out to me while I was putting together the Thanksgiving post. So, satisfy my observant redhead and commemorate the occasion, here are a few pictures from Halloween ...

Spiderman Riley and Power Ranger Samurai Gage

with their Trick or Treating Jack-o'-Lanterns

While Trick or Treating, Gage stubbed his toe ... so both boys required extreme medical attention and needed to make use of every splint, aircast, bandage, brace, and wrap we could find. Oh, and of course, crutches. So dramatic!

(The scary thing is, we have all of these devices in our house because I had to make use of them for myself over the years. Poor boys have no chance with a klutz of a mother like me! = )

This picture wasn't actually from Halloween, but then almost everyday is Halloween at our house as the boys seem to be constantly donning a costume of some sort. Here they are wearing one of their favorite creations ... Underwearhead Ninjas!

Finally, this one has nothing to do with Halloween, but I thought it was cute. One evening Riley decided he wanted to play Four Square. However, it was chilly and close to bedtime, so we were not heading out to a park or playground. In the time it took me to put away a few laundry items, our ingenuitive little fella created his own Four Square area in the kitchen. So creative! We had so much fun playing until the tape couldn't hold out any longer. Good times!

The Oreo Incident ....

2011-11-22T15:40:00.000-06:00

Oh goodness, this was one for the books. After I arrived home from decorating cakes on Saturday, our sweet little Gage was napping soundly when he suddenly called for me to please come 'nuggle him. I quickly obliged because really, how could you not indulge such a sweet request? Anyhow, as I snuggle the cute little redhead he says he doesn't feel so good and kind of does a little gag thing. I ask him if he is going to vomit to which he softly replies, "No momma. I just need you to 'nuggle me more to help me feel better." So, of course, just as I snuggle in real tight he begins vomiting. And, not just a little - a scary large quantity that appears to be filled with blood as it is deep red. I cannot tell you the terrible fear that ran through my every fiber at that moment. I call to Corey to come quick and begin quizzing him as to what they ate, what did they do while I was gone, were they around chemicals, should we try to drive him to the hospital or call the ambulance, etc ... At about this time we come to the realization that our little cookie monster had snuck the new Winter Oreos that have deep red creme filling into his room and gorged himself on almost an entire row. Well, that knowledge quickly let the fear fade and the relief set in. Then, the laughter. Are you kidding me? We always warn the boys that it is not good to eat a lot of sugar - especially without some protein to balance it out - or it will make them sick. I think this lesson may actually stick with Gage. Let's hope! In the meantime, I do not think we'll be purchasing any more of these in the near future = )

Happy Holidays!

Fall Festival, Pumpkin Patch, and Maple Leaf Festival ...

2011-10-20T10:53:00.001-05:00

Last week we had the Fall Festival at Riley's elementary school and it was such a good time! Nothing too fancy, just some silly games, fun little prizes, and lots and lots of pie - what more could you ask for? Not much if you're a Huber boy, that's for sure!

Here's Gage winding up for some Fall-themed putt-putt while Riley supervises.

This was one of the boys' favorites and got played a couple of times. They were really good at it!

Here's Corey helping set up the pins for the Pumpkin Bowling. All the kiddos thought it was hilarious to use a small pumpkin as a bowling ball! Just had to make sure to change out the pumpkins before things got too messy = O

Riley with one of his prizes - a beloved "bouncy ball." It never matters to the kiddos how small or cheap these little balls are, they are always a fun treat!

Oh Happy Happy, Joy Joy! Gager won some vampire teeth! You know this just made our little supernatural creature lover sooooooo happy : )=

Just a small glimpse of all of the pie that was donated by PTO volunteers for the event. You should have seen how excited our little sugarbaby was when he saw this display!

The row of toppings for the kiddos to make their slice extra special.

It hurts my teeth to even look at this, but the kiddos sure thought they had created some masterpieces!

For more Fall Fun we headed out for our annual Pumpkin Patch excursion. We were thankful for the most perfect October weather one could imagine. No jackets required! Here, Gage is ready to get the action started, "C'mon Dad, let's GO already!"

Riley found his first winner. He is like his momma and likes the different colored pumpkins = )

Gager loves his li'l "punkin"

The boys with a silly pose in the patch.

Hmmm, the sun was definitely shining - should've had the boys bring their sunglasses!

Gage was pretending to be a pumpkin patch crime fighter while waiting for the hayrack ride to come our way - he would growl at all the bad guys that came near - I'm sure people thought he was a little strange, but he didn't mind a bit = )

Riley's favorite picture pose - always #1!

My cutie pie. Love the way the sun gleams off that red hair!

The boys really get into the ride = )

Our final pumpkin booty. Lots of carving to do!

First round of decorating with more to follow!

On Sunday we headed to the Maple Leaf Festival in Baldwin with some friends. The boys loved it because they got to spend some time with their ol' pre-school buddy, Kohen. Plus, there were carnival rides. Woohoo! Unfortunately, I was too busy gabbing to get any good pics, but a we all had a great time which is the most important thing of all = )

Have I mentioned how much I love this time of year? So much fun!

Land and Sea ...

2011-10-10T10:37:00.001-05:00

What a fantastic weekend! There's not many opportunites in October to go for hike through the fall foliage then go cool off by splashing in the lake! With the exception of a few required duties, we declared this weekend to be two days of play - and play we did!

While Corey helped out some of our elderly neighbors by trimming their tree limbs, the boys and I had our own tree adventure by doing some hiking through the trees. We found this "backwoods trail" and it was just perfect for our adventure!

There were two trails that split in different directions, since we got a little late start I decided we should take the shorter one as it was supposed to take approximately 25-30 minutes to hike. Well, the boys were so excited we ended up running most of this trail and were done in 8 minutes!

Pausing to take a breath and a photo = )

This was my favorite snapshot of the day!

Since we finished the first trail so quickly, we went ahead and ventured onto the second trail as well. This one was supposed to take 40-45 minutes ... it took us 18. We were definitely getting our exercise! In this pic the boys were searching for the sneaky ninjas there were sure were hiding in the trees = )

After the hike, the boys were ready to see some water, so we found our way to the shoreline. Gage claimed this area as his own "Gager Ocean" where he was the king! Such an imagination = )

Here the boys really enjoyed finding interesting rocks and seashells. With the water being so low, we even found several fully intact clam shells with their inhabitants still inside!

Just imagining the possibilities!

A little brotherly love at the lake = )

Here the boys invented the game, "SharkWave" where they tried to jump all of the incoming waves. So much energy!

An opening in the clouds - just thought it was pretty = )

So the boys and I had so much fun at the lake, we decided we needed to bring daddy back the next day to enjoy the nature with us! So, after church that is just what we did! Here's the boys heading out to where the sand meets the sea ...

More "SharkWave"

I tried their game, too ... but we won't share that silly picture, so here's a pose instead = )

Corey and I - I love how this includes the boys frolicking in the background. Perfect!

That group of trees in the distance is a little island that Corey and I used to visit with friends via boat - way back before the kiddos. Now the lake is down so much you can walk to the used-to-be-island via this sandbar. Crazy.

We stayed and soaked up the October sun for hours, the kiddos did not want to leave - and neither did we! There is just something so refreshing and peaceful about listening to the sounds of the beach - the crashing waves, the light breeze, the chattering birds. After all of the rush-rush of our schedules lately, this little nature break over the last two days was exactly what we needed to relax and recharge. So thankful for this peaceful weekend!

Hello Again ...

2011-10-07T12:11:00.001-05:00

Wow. So it's been a whole month + since my last post. September was just plain crazy busy, but we like it that way = ) The boys have been growing like crazy and are both really enjoying school. There have been a few struggles along the way, but what is life without challenges? We just keep trying to use these times as opportunities to learn and better ourselves. One example is that Riley recently had his first official "fight" at school. Ugh. It started out that he was doing flips on the monkey bars. On one of his rotations he accidentally kicked another boy that was standing nearby. The boy wanted to Riley to apologize, but Riley just kept telling him that it was an accident. The boy and a friend of his tried to bully Riley into apologizing to which Riley responded, "It was an accident, quit being girls and acting like crybabies!" (ugh, again. seriously buddy?) Anyhow, this stoked the fire more and the boys proceeded to chase Riley across the playground, up the steps, then down the slide. At the bottom, one kid held him down while the other punched him. Good grief. Luckily a teacher was there quickly and no one was hurt. But, this gave us another opportunity to discuss why it is the right thing to do to apologize even when something is an accident so things don't escalate. Yep, gonna be a lot of lessons learned the hard way with this one - I had hoped we would break that pattern or skip a generation, but no such luck = )

Anyhow here is a pic of our little Rocky - er, I mean Rock Star = )

This is one of his favorite things to do right now, rock out on the guitar that Aunt Tracy gave him. He loves to make noise - music, I meant music!

Here's our funny boy, Gage pretending to be a cowboy. He just loves this horse that my Grandma and Grandpa gave us before he was even born. Love that!

Speaking of rock stars, Corey and I had a date night this last month and went to the Heart/Def Leppard concert. Good music, good company, good beer, and good times!

Gage at his friend's bowling birthday party. I wish I had a picture of him actually bowling. We took to calling him the "psycho bolwer" because he is just crazy. He takes off running like a wild man and hurls the ball down the alley. It's nuts to watch, but he sure has fun and does a pretty good job, too!

Guess who had some sugar at the party?

Daddy and Riley cheesing it up during snack time!

We also got to spend some time in Pratt with the Huber side, which is always a good time. Riley just adores his big cousin, Hunter. And this crazy little dog they have, Coco, was a riot. She had just as much energy as the kiddos so that worked out well = )

Our beautiful niece, Paige, turned 13. Hard to believe she's a teenager now! Here she is with the cake I made for her. She kinda liked it = )

Gage is still obsessed with all things creepy and supernatural, so he was super stoked to play with Hunter's werewolf mask from a couple of Halloween's ago. Pretty scary stuff! Grrrrrr....

I also headed to Colorado to spend some much needed sister time with Tracy. We had such a good time! I had so much fun and she spoiled me so much - it was hard to come back! Here we are at a neighborhood bbq where there just happened to be this beautiful, bright double rainbow. Double blessing!

He we were being silly taking a pic in front of this amazing barbecue place. BBQ seemed to be a theme apparently. Anyhow, we liked the bear statue = )

Masses of delicious, down home barbecue. Had to take a photo!

We also had a sock hop at Gage's pre-school. This was so much fun! The kiddos enjoyed being at the school after hours and running around like crazy people in the gym. Aren't they cute little greasers?

This was also the month for our Cooper's Cause 5K. I really enjoy being a part of something so amazing. This is one of my favorite pics of the day.

Here's another favorite of me and Jamie. She did great a great job on the run!

These next couple are just silly. Riley has started taking tons of random pictures with his hand in the photo acting like it's grabbing at or pointing to stuff. Silly, but an interesting perspective!

Another silly hand photo.

And finally, we now officially have 2 boys that can ride bikes without training wheels! Woohoo, go Gage! These boys sure love their bikes.

I know this picture is blurry, but I thought it was fitting. The boys are growing so fast and learning so many things that sometimes I feel like everything is just a blur. I guess that's why I need to keep taking pictures and updating this blog so I can remember it all = )

Yep, I wasn't kidding about the busy part. It looks like October is shaping up the same. Good times!

First Day of Kindergarten ...

2011-08-19T15:51:00.001-05:00

On the way into Woodlawn - First Day of School

Wow. So, Riley had his first official day of Kindergarten. It could not have gone better! He loved every minute of it and was even upset when Corey came to pick him up because he didn't want to leave! Riley said he liked all the teachers, the helpers and the kids. Let's hope he maintains this enthusiasm for education for many years to come = )

Here are a couple of conversation highlights and actions from the first day of school that entertained me:

1. Riley was so excited for his first day of Kindergarten, he kept sneaking into the garage and buckling himself into his car seat ... starting at 6:45 am! I guess he thought if he was in there and ready to go, we'd get on the road quicker! When it was finally time to go at 7:30 am, he was still ready. Once we arrived, he ran ahead the whole way into the school, then I even had to ask him for a hug before we left him. He was so excited to start his new adventure he actually forgot to hug good ol' mom. I really didn't think I would tear up about the whole Kindergarten thing as he's been going to daycare and pre-school since he was just a wee little thing. But, I have to admit, the whole hug thing got me. Luckily, I still had Gage to hold my hand and chat with me on the way back to the car or I might have really lost it! However, I am also so happy and relieved that he is excited about school and wasn't scared or reluctant one bit to move on to this next step.

2. Riley really wants to ride his bike to school on his own (we live 1.5 miles from the school.) This boy is so independent. I explained to him that the school rules say you must be in 2nd grade before you can do this (this is actually in the handbook, thank you Woodlawn!) So, this brought about the conversation of grade levels, which grades are at which school, and what grade a person is in when they become a teenager. So, after advising Riley that K-5 is grade school, 6-8 is middle school, and 9-12 is high school, he had this to say about the whole school situation: "Wow. This is going to take a lot longer than I thought." Ha!

3. Gage is experiencing a little bit of the "green-eyed monster" regarding Riley's entry into Kindergarten. With them being only 13 months apart, Gage often feels that he is just as old and educated as Riley is. Although he is on Riley's level with a whole myriad of tasks, there are still so many skills to learn and hone during the year between ages 4 and 5. To help alleviate some of this jealousy we have been explaining to Gage that with Riley gone, Gage will have a very important job at pre-school. He will now be the only Huber at Building Blocks so it is up to him to be the biggest and best boy he can to bring pride to the Huber name. His response, "I can do it! I can be the biggest, bestest Huber super boy ever!" I know you can buddy! And I love that he added the "super" part. Always above and beyond = )

4. After leaving behind 5 girlfriends at pre-school (yes, 5! oy vey,) Riley was really excited that on his first day of Kindergarten the school had segregated the groups so he was with only boys. He thought this was great because he didn't have to "escape" all of the girls trying to hug him. Yes, he is a little Romeo. He had all 5 girls trying to hug him at once the other day at pre-school. Riley said that when this was happening he thought to himself, "This is a problem. I gotta bust out of here!" And so he did. That cracked me up. Anyhow, come Monday there will be a mix of girls and boys in his class -- hopefully he'll be able to stay more focused on school than girlfriends!

5. Finally, Gage, oh Gage. He is such my little foodie. After he helped me drop Riley off at school, he had to check out the cafeteria and the food line before we could leave. He was so concerned with what Riley would eat for lunch! The lunch lady got a big kick out of him when I told her what we were doing. Gage spied a rack of homemade biscuits, took a big whiff and declared, "Those smell DEEEEE-Wishus!" He decided this food situation was satisfactory and is very much looking forward to eating there next year = )

Well, that's pretty much it for the first-day-of-school report. It went very well, thank goodness!

How do you ride non-stop at the County Fair? ...

2011-08-12T12:05:00.001-05:00

... Go on Saturday afternoon when it's 106 degrees!

It may be HOT, but there's no waiting!

The carnival looks a little like a ghost town.

Our view of Grandma and Papa Soukup (center of photo) from the top of the Ferris Wheel.

Corey and Riley in the seat next to us at the top of the Ferris Wheel.

Gage and I being silly - once again on the Ferris Wheel = )

The boys on the Four Wheelers - still a favorite for Gage but a little boring for Riley.
He wanted to ride the "big boy" rides with Papa and Daddy!

(hmmm, not sure what happened here during the download,

this is actually supposed to be 3 different photos)

The roller coaster is still the fave!

Another angle of the fun!

Once a farmboy, always a farmboy. My dad feeding the little piggy by hand = )

Gage and the piggy.

Riley enjoyed petting the sweet donkey.

Gage kept calling this little guy a "bull" since he had horns = )

Corey and the camel having a serious conversation.

Looks like they got it all worked out = )

Riding the horses was fun as usual. Those poor animals looked so hot, though.

Another good thing about going to the fair when it's super hot? All the carnies are bored to tears, so the little ones are big winners at every game they try! On one dart game, Gage was having a hard time getting anything to pop, so the game operator kept telling him to yell "pop!" This would still earn him a prize = )

Gage and Grandma chilling out in the shade.

It was hot, but it was fun. The boys are already ready to do it again ... the wait 'til next year will be a long one!

Pre-School Graduation ...

2011-08-10T10:44:00.001-05:00

Oh my goodness, we are so proud of our Rileybug! Riley has learned so much over the past couple of years in pre-school and is growing into such a fun, sweet and caring young man. His teachers tell us that in school he has such a big heart and is always one of the first to help or console a classmate if they are having trouble with a project or life issue or even if they are just feeling sad. They say he also truly enjoys learning and is always ready for the next challenge. As a parent, these are things you hope for your child and we see these things in him (along with his ornery side) at home. But, it is also so nice to hear from others what a nice young man he is becoming as well = )

Riley and me in his classroom before the ceremony.

Trying on his graduation hat that he made from
construction paper and cardboard.

Hats off to the graduating class!

Silly boy.

Having fun singing their "Graduation" song. I was pleasantly surprised by how well this group of 5 year olds sang. Riley, of course, made sure he sang the loudest. He was so proud of himself and he really LOVES to sing!

"Flash" Huber running across the stage to get his diplma. Guess I should have had the "action" setting on!

Riley with his rose and diploma next to Corey.

#1!

The class - Ashlynn, Maranda, Braylen, Collin, Elaina, Riley and Xavier
with their awesome teachers - Miss Emily, Miss Jessica, and Miss Brittnee.

Proud Parents with our Pre-School Graduate = )

This evening was a lot of fun, and truth be told, this momma even shed a couple of happy tears. Riley we are so proud of you for everything you have accomplished and learned at Building Blocks! You are so special and your love for fun is infectious. We are looking forward to watching you grow and learn in your next challenge - Kindergarten! We know you will do awesome!

Lakestravaganza!

2011-07-19T21:13:00.001-05:00

My mother-in-law's request for her birthday each year is to have all of us out to the lake for a family camping weekend. We always have a super fun time and this year was no different. It was actually a little more fun than usual - even though it was 106 degrees! - since the boys are now a little older and can participate in so many more activities. Riley, in particular, was especially fond of the water. He takes after his momma, her momma, and her momma before her. He just loves to swim! He's getting so good at it, too. Gage also enjoys the swimming, but he maybe enjoys all of the "lake snacks" even more = )

Here we are making one of said "lake snacks" - hand cranked homemade ice cream. It's a lot of work, but soooo worth it! Riley was first to start the churning ...

Now it was Gager's turn ... check out that concentration!

Little man enjoying his just desserts.

After that it was time to launch the canoe ...

Big boys and little fellas all enjoyed the ride.

Afterward it was time to get in the water to cool off! Here's me with the boys and their cousin, Hunter enjoying some splishing and some splashing.

Next it was pontoon boat time ... guess who's excited to go fast?

My best guy enjoying the cruise = )

My favorite sister-in-law Rhonda and my beautiful niece Paige. Sooo wish these ladies lived closer!

Gage helping Papa Huber drive the boat.

The birthday girl and her boys - thumbs up!

Riley and Corey on the tube - faster, faster!

Corey and Gage on the tube. This was Gage's first year to give it a go. After an initial scare for Gage when he and I flipped the tube, he got back on with daddy and they had so much fun!

Chillin' like villains on the ride back to shore. Yep, this is the life!

Marilyn with her birthday cake that I made for her. Unfortunately we found out the hard way that buttercream icing doesn't stand up to 106 degree temps too well ... it was melting/sliding right off the cake!

Gage, the master angler.

Here fishy, fishy, fishy ...

Super fun weekend for all. Happy Birthday, Marilyn!

Silly pictures of our week ...

2011-07-06T11:15:00.000-05:00

Well, once again it's been another crazy week at the Huber House. So much has happened I don't even know where to start so I'm just going to post a few pictures of our adventures that I found entertaining.

Gage's new superhero impersonation -

HATHEAD SUPERBOY!

Gage decided coloring his nose at Sunday School was more fun than coloring his worksheet.

The boys playing cars on their ramp of books.

Riley's new thing is rearranging the living room furniture into a tight triangle 'cuz it's "more cozy" that way.

On our trip to Russell to visit Grandma Galyardt in the hospital, we also stopped by the cemetary to visit Grandpa Galyardt. Riley didn't get out of the van because he gets a little freaked out about cemetaries - it makes death a little too real for him. Gage, on the other hand, LOVES cemetaries. He wanted to know if we could go "under the ground" to talk to grandpa better. Oh, that boy.

At the hospital Riley thought the wheelchair was awesome.

Great-grandma and her great-grandsons.

A tender good bye.

And another.

The slides at the Russell pool. This place is the best bargain in Kansas! A buck fifty for adults and the kids were free. Gage was an adrenaline junkie for these slides, the yellow one in particular as it was super fast!

Having some snacks from the concession stand. The boys 2 got corndogs, 2 slim jims, 2 powerades, 2 reece's pieces packages, and 2 ring pops for about $8. Nice!

After all that fun, the boys zonked out on the way home before we even hit Bunker Hill!

Cool dude, Riley and spoiled girlie, Katie chillin' on the bed.

The boys may be watching a little too much Scooby Doo ... here they are explaining their intricate booby trap to capture the bad guys!

Fourth of July smoke bombs in the back yard. You can never have too many of these.

Sparklers in the daytime are just as fun!

Guess who's excited to blow things up?

Enjoying the blast off.

Hope you all had a safe and happy Independence day!

A little of everything ...

2011-06-23T15:59:00.000-05:00

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 ...

2011-06-13T20:32:00.000-05:00

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!

2011-06-09T15:56:00.000-05:00

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 ...

2011-06-03T15:23:00.001-05:00

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!

2011-06-03T15:03:00.000-05:00

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 ...

2011-06-01T16:53:00.000-05:00

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!

Mother's Day ...

2011-05-08T21:23:00.003-05:00

Well, I'd love to say that my Mother's Day was nothing but sunshine and roses - and it was mostly (literally and figuratively) - but there were also some trying moments. However, even in the midst of the crazy times, I am still ever so thankful that I have been blessed with the gift of being a mother. My boys bring me more joy than I ever thought I had a right to have in this life. Through them I see the world with eagerness, curiosity and fresh eyes. I delight in the simplicities of youth all over again. It is amazing and I love every minute of it. The good times definitely more than make up for the stress that comes along with this motherhood terriorty. Today I have been reminded of that time and time again.

After church my boys took me out for dinner at Chilis.

It was delicious and there were no dishes to clean up. Fantastic!

At home I was presented (and re-presented) my gifts ...

here is Gage giving me his jarred, crushed sidewalk chalk creation he made at pre-school. Very cool!

At church today, they presented each mom with a carnation. It was so thoughtful! Gage really took a liking to the carnation and we ended up with a silly photo shoot of him with it. This first picture was his "sad smile."

He called this on his "angry, growly smile."

This is his "silly smile."

And finally, here's his "happy smile" = )

Then, in Riley's Sunday School class they made these awesome little flower pots. Riley was not in a picture taking mood, so this is just of the pots. The kiddos cut out tissue paper then glued it on in the shape of flowers, then helped plant the marigolds inside. Written on the brim is this, "If moms were flowers ... I'd pick you!" Isn't that so sweet! Such a great project. I seriously love this so much!!!

Goodness. One of things I really wanted for Mother's Day was a nice family picture of all four of us together. This was one of the trying times. First, Riley decided he didn't want to smile and was being a bit of a pill. Then, we were having some user error issues with the self timer. I finally accepted that the perfect photo wasn't meant to be at the moment and decided to be happy with what we got. Here's the best of the bunch. Yikes!

Later on, my sweet, sweet hubby proved once again how much he really loves me. I have wanted to plant a rose bush for a while now, but he's always vetoed it because he has some literally painful memories from his younger days of taking care of rose bushes at his grandma's house. Let's just say it's a thorny issue for him = ) Anyhow, for my special day Corey and the boys planted this climbing rose bush for me. I was so surprised and excited! Now I just need to figure out what kind of trellis I want for it to climb! I love this picture in front of it - aside from the "thumbs down" Riley is sporting. Once again, he didn't want to take pictures. Oh, that boy!

This photo was taken by Gage. He was supposed to be taking a picture of Corey and I by the rose bush. I think his aim was a little off = ) But, I think it is a really cool picture anyway. It's the surprise ones that I think usually turn out the best!

This was Riley's attempt to catch us with the rose bush. Once again, not quite what I had in mind, but I still really like how it turned out. Again, it's the simple things = )

Well, that's it for the photos. I just want to give a quick shout out to all of the mothers out there - biological, step, pseudo, adopted, etc - thank you for who you are and what you do every day. And an especiallly big thank you to my mom who is always there to listen, ground me when I'm losing my footing, give me advice when I need it, calm me down when I'm freaking out, and who is the absolute best grandma to my boys. Thank you and Happy Mother's Day to you all!

Great News!

2011-05-05T16:28:00.000-05:00

We finally got the phone call from Children's Mercy that we've been waiting for ... the Spitz was found to be benign. Thank goodness! Additionally they are confident that they got all of the atypical cells removed during the excision on Tuesday. We can all breathe so much easier now. We'll have a few follow ups to remove stitches and to make sure that nothing redevelops, but everything looks great. We have been blessed. Thank you all for your support and prayers, we sincerely appreciate it!

Excision ...

2011-05-04T10:20:00.001-05:00

The excision of Riley's Spitz Nevus (or "yucky mole" as we call it at our house) went extremely well aside from the fact that Riley was a little nervous at first and would not speak directly to any of the doctors or nurses (so I would repeat each of their questions and he would answer me - hey, whatever works!) Anyhow, once the valium that they administered to him set in, his nerves calmed down a bit. During the actual procedure instead of watching the movie he brought along (Peter Pan in case you're wondering = D) Riley decided he needed to watch every step of the process. He was extremely interested in it all just like he was during the original biopsy. Crazy if you ask me. I couldn't even watch it all, I had to keep looking away to get my bearings, but not our brave little tough guy! He was especially into it while the doctor was tying up the stitches to close the gaping hole in his palm. The doctor commented that with his sincere interest in all these procedures with no squeamishness, maybe we have a budding doctor on our hands. You never know, maybe that will be the silver lining of all of this! Anyhow, we are still waiting on the full pathology of the original biopsy sample and they will want to compare that to what was removed yesterday. We will hopefully know something for sure within a week. We're keeping positive thoughts about it in the meantime. Will post more when we know more!

Kindergarten Roundup!

2011-04-30T21:35:00.000-05:00

So, Kindergarten Roundup was actually quite fun and very informative! I think after our visit both Riley and I felt a huge wave of relief come over us. The school is very nice and the teachers seem really cool and more than competent. From my first impression I feel that one teacher in particlar would really be a good fit for Riley. When our session started the parents were to go in one room while the upcoming students were to go with their potential new teachers to another room for some assessment and just some general getting to know each other stuff. Riley was a little shy to go on his own and the one teacher just swooped right in, grabbed his hand and said, "Come on Riley, booooy do I have some awesome things to show you!" And just like that they were off! No long drawn out goodbyes, no clinging, no tears. Afterward he was really excited to tell me about the interesting things they talked about (cowboys, the biggest number he recognized on the wall, airplanes, how well he could write his names, etc.) Next we were given tour of the school by a couple of 5th grade boys. Riley followed the big boys around in awe. It was really cute! He was even a little bummed when we had to leave, he wanted to play with all the kids at recess = )

Riley walking up to the school like a super big boy!

Mooooommmmm, come on, enough with the pictures!

Being silly while excitedly telling me about his time in the other classroom.

Say cheese!

Wow, August is going to be here before we know it and we'll have our first official Kindergartener! A Woodlawn Riverhawk.Yay!

Hoppy, Happy, Easter!

2011-04-28T11:17:00.000-05:00

Wow, what a fun weekend! It was so nice to celebrate Easter weekend at our home this year. My family came up Saturday morning, stayed the day and spoiled the kiddos as usual. Riley and Gage loved every minute of it! Good food, good times and tons of good chocolate! Riley ate 2 whole small chocolate bunnies and a chocolate cross my grandma had stuffed into his Easter basket - and this was on top of all his regular meals - and who knows what other candy he snuck in while I was distracted! That boy has the most amazing metabolism! I can't believe he didn't get sick gorging himself on his beloved chocolate. He definitely did get the sugar crazies, though! That's okay, however, because it gave him extra energy to accomplish a major goal he has been working on - riding his bike without training wheels! He was so happy and proud of himself - the rest of us were as well. It was especially nice that he was able to do this with so much family around to support him and share in his success. Good times!

Gage with his Easter baskets while hunting Easter Eggs.

Riley showing off one of his much searched for Easter Eggs.

We eventually had to start giving hints as Corey hid the Easter Eggs this year. He hid them in some really tough places!

Riley and Great Grandma Galyardt. I tried so hard to get a good picture of them together, but they both kept ending up with silly faces. This was the best one = )

Oh goodness, Grandma Soukup made the boys' day with Pillow Pet presents! Riley and Gage have wanted these for so long! Riley named his bumblebee "Bizzy" and Gage named his doggy "Tiger," then changed it to "Fluffy," then changed it to "Spot" - but it also has the nicknames of "Puff" and "Softie." I think that's all of the names ... who knows, there could be a couple more by now! But, regardless of what these Pillow Pets are called, they will not spend one moment being lonely as the boys love them so much! = )

Riley giving Aunt Tracy a big squeeze. Poor thing, she was so tired after driving all the way from Colorado. All she wanted to do was take a little nap, but my sugared-up boys were having none of that! Plus, they are always so happy to see Aunt Tracy - lots of love there!

We were blessed with pretty nice weather so we got to get outside and have some fun. Papa did a great job of pitching to Riley, who is becoming quite a slugger!

Another angle of the baseball practice.

Grandma Soukup in the clubhouse with the boys = )

Self-portrait of Gage with his Pillow Pet.

Riley cruising on 2 wheels to the delight of his audience!

On Easter Sunday, we spent a relaxing morning enjoying each other's company and a hearty breakfast. We had intended to head to the early church service but relaxed a little too long for that. It worked out just fine, though as the late service wasn't nearly as packed as we thought it would be. Plus, it was so nice to spend the morning together without being rushed. The church service was really nice and the boys enjoyed learning more about this special day in their Sunday School class. Afterwards it was out to the church yard for more Easter Egg hunting!

Gage hanging from a tree while we waited for Riley to go back inside and get his beautiful stained glass cross that they made during Sunday School.

Gage picking up a treasure!

Corey and Riley re-hiding an egg. Riley didn't think these were hard enough to find all scattered in the grass! He's a chip off the old block for sure!

The super duper egg finders each striking their poses of success = )

So, I hope you all had a super Easter holiday as well. We are looking forward to this next week of a somewhat normal schedule. But, I think we are most excited for Friday when we take Riley for the Kindergarten Round-Up! So looking forward to checking out the new school and just seeing how our little buddy will do. Wish us luck!

Children's Mercy Visit ...

2011-04-19T16:09:00.000-05:00

Okay, so let's get the important stuff out of the way. Considering the possibilities, I think we got some pretty darn good news today. I'll preface this with an apology if I do not use the exact correct medical terminology. There was a lot going on today and Riley was feeling pretty apprehensive so I know I got the gist of it all, but some of the vocabulary may be a bit off. Anyhow, the doctors at Children's Mercy (3 different ones saw Riley today) confirmed that the mark on his left palm is a Spitz Nevus. At this time, their exact words were, "There is nothing to get real scared about right now." They don't think that it has progressed to melanoma cancer yet, but won't know for sure until more pathology is done on the biopsied sample (again, sorry if those are not the correct medical terms!) Anyhow, we are going back in 2 weeks for them to remove it and will hopefully know more for sure then. However, they did mention it maybe up to a month before their panel of doctors can obtain the original biopsy sample, review it, and discuss it. We'll just wait and see and keep thinking positive! I know the staff here is amazing and are the best at their jobs, so I have faith that everything will work out fine.

Okay, now for the fun part of the trip. Although, we have a couple of friends whose children's lives were literally saved by the fine doctors at CMH, we had never actually visited the hospital. Let me put it this way, it is AWESOME! From the moment we walked in, people were so nice and helpful. And then there is the decor. So fun! It sure helped to give our little guy a much needed distraction! I am sure I looked like a dorky tourist snapping a bunch of photos, but I couldn't help it. This place is a piece of art!

Some beautiful, kid-approved sculptures hanging from the ceiling.

Ocean life on the floor.

Wall art made of puzzle pieces fascinated Riley!

Daddy and Riley entertaining themselves in the waiting room.

We even got to see my old office assistant, Savannah, who now works at the hospital.

As fate would have it, another of my old office assistants, Kristin, also works here, but we didn't get to see her as she works nights.

Riley thought this clock tower in front of the hospital was amazing. He had to climb up to get a picture with it = )

We had to take a photo of this building across the street since it had Gage's name on it

wanted to let little brother know we were thinking about him, too = )

Riley having a good time riding in a wagon on the way out to the car. He was happy to be getting to go back home and see Grandma and Papa Soukup who were helping out with Gage.

Lots of love for grandma.

A little love for Papa, too.

So, that's where we are at right now. I am feeling so much relief after this visit. There is still a slight chance that there might be some trouble, so I am keeping that in mind. But, for now I am just so thankful that this is hopefully not nearly as bad as we originally thought. We'll keep you posted as we find out more. Thank you for all of your thoughts and prayers!

Gage turns 4!

2011-04-19T15:29:00.000-05:00

Well, the weather turned out a little chillier than we had hoped for our party in the park, but the birthday boy still a great time and that's all that matters! Gage was spoiled with presents and love on his special party day. He is getting to be such a big boy. He started off the day with creating his own menu for each meal of the day: breakfast was scrambled eggs and bacon, lunch was spaghetti and meatballs, dinner was fried chicken, mashed potatoes, and corn on the cob. Maybe not all of the healthiest fare, but definitely delicious! He's certainly not shy about letting his wants be known! Also, his sense of humor is rivaled by no one - this kid is funny and lives not only to laugh himself, but to make others laugh as well. Gage also loves all aspects of creating art, helping out in the kitchen and he has snuggling down to a science! We are so blessed to have this hilarious, lovable, little red-head in our lives. Happy 4th Birthday, sweet Gager!

Here a few of us are gathering under the shelter in the park getting ready to cut the cake. In all of the craziness this week, this is the only picture of the cake we have. I can't belive it! Anyhow, for future reference for our little super hero foodie, it was a Green Lantern inspired cake with medium green frosting on the outside edges and border with a light green circle in the middle that encased a sparkly Green Lantern symbol. Gage agreed it tasted as good as it looked = )

Gage running up to his friend Dominic.

The birthday boy with frosting mouth.

Little buddines hatching up a super hero plan in their super secret hideout!

Corey, Papa Soukup, and Riley had a great time kicking around the ol' soccer ball.

Gage being a crazy man and launching off a platform.

Can't believe I caught this shot of him in midair!

Riley and Kohen climbing away ...

Gage and Dominic discussing presents. These two were so cute together!

A shot of Gage at home opening his presents from the family. He was adorable, opening each one and explaining/exclaiming what it was. Gage gets excited over everything = )

I think it was a pretty darn good day overall. The birthday boy got to spend the day his way, with friends and family in tow. He also got all his heart desired - and more - in birthday gifts. But, I hope more than anything, though, that our birthday boy felt that he was loved.

Museum of Natural History ...

2011-04-19T14:58:00.001-05:00

After being held prisoner for a couple of days after his adenoidectomy, Riley needed to get out of the house for a little while, so we decided to take a little visit to the KU Museum of Natural History. It was a super fun way to spend a little time out and about without our little recuperating fellow exerting too much effort. It was a great time for all of us. We even got to see our good friend, Savannah, for a moment as she happened to be on campus during our visit. Thank goodness, too! She got this turned around momma going in the right direction - Thanks Savannah!

This here is another reason we were thankful to see Miss Savannah. She showed the boys this working train whistle in the Kansas Union. Riley and Gage loved pushing the button and hearing the whistle blow!

Here the boys are posing with this huge Polar Bear.

Riley and Gage thought he was pretty darn cool.

They named him Bob = )

Out of all of the exhibits, this suspended Mosasaur skeleton was probably the favorite.

It really is awesome.

Another view.

I sure wouldn't want to meet this guy swimming in the water -

check out those chompers!

Riley especially enjoyed this exhibit on viruses and DNA.

This particular model is of the HIV virus.

It was really interesting. And scary.

Here the dynamic duo is checking out some computer videos on virus mutation and slides of different viruses under the microscope. We spent at least 20 minutes in this part of the exhibit alone.

Hmmmmmm, veeeerrrrryyyyy interesting ....

Possibly a couple of budding scientists?

That would make mommy so proud!

Checking out some fossils.

Here's Gage popping out from under a dandelion in the simulated "Life a Worm" wormhole.

Another view of the wormhole. Riley is getting all tangled up in some roots, while Gage is petting the giant 5 foot "worm" in the background. Silly good fun!

This was also a favorite at the museum in the bug exhibit.

A mini-movie theatre with kiddo-sized chairs!

They played 3 short bug-themed films that had 3 bugs commenting a al Mystery Science Theatre 3000 style. Not sure who liked this more, the kiddos or me = )

All in all, we had a pretty fantastic and educational time at the Museum. We will have to go back soon as the 6th floor was closed on this trip. That happens to be the Snake floor. Looking forward to going back to check that out!

Scared. More scared than I have ever been ...

2011-04-15T13:05:00.000-05:00

Well, Riley's biopsy results are in and they are definitely not what we had hoped for. Far from it. According to the biopsy report I have in front of me, the growing mole on his hand was determined to be a Junctional Nevus, Spitzoid Type, Extending to Lateral Margins. The report then goes on to mention things like Atypical junctional nests of plaomorphic melanocytes with melanophages intermixed and parakeratosis. Sound like jibberish to you? Yeah, me, too. But the few things that did stick out are the words Atypical and the ones starting with the "mela" prefix. As in melanoma. As in cancer. I think I'm going to be sick. Sorry, I'll try to keep composed and coherent here, but I'm making no promises. I am seriously beside myself right now. So back on point, from what I can tell from my conversation with our primary care physician and some extensive internet research, this basically means that if it is not already melanoma, it would most likely progress to that quickly. She said this type can be very aggressive in children. So, they have scheduled an appointment for us at Children’s Mercy on Tuesday the 19^th at 8 am (fun side note, this happens to be little Gage's 4th birthday - Happy Birthday, buddy.) It will depend on the severity of the situation whether or not they excise the lesion immediately at that appointment or if they will schedule a follow up visit for the Spitzoid Nevus to be removed at a later date. Please send your prayers for our little Riley. He's strong and a fighter, but we'll take all the help we can get right now. If any of you have any experience with this, please let me know. Thank you.

All is well ...

2011-04-13T13:54:00.001-05:00

First off, Riley had his adenoidectomy and bi-lateral something-or-other (basically piercing his eardrums and removing all the paste-consistency fluid that has backed up behind there.) Anyhow, Riley did pretty great. Although it was obvious he was feeling pretty apprehensive, he complied with what was asked of him and the surgery went extremely well. He is such a big boy! The only real trouble came when he was coming out of the anesthesia. He was a little disoriented and wanted to box everyone around him. Once I got to the recovery room he calmed down and got his bearings and all was right in the world again. This was really a pretty minor procedure, but anytime he goes under I worry like crazy until he is my alert and bright-eyed boy again. Really, I think the hardest part of the whole process is trying to get Riley to chill out during his recovery period over the next couple of days. The doctor was adamant that Riley is supposed to be on strict couch potato duty. Ha! We're trying to keep him entertained with quiet activities, but this boy was just born to move!

Other than that we've just been getting out and enjoying the nice weather. Viva Spring!

This is quickly becoming one of the boys favorite activites -

putting together their own picnic snack.

Unfortunately, the menu is mostly sugary items!

During their picnics they really enjoy chatting with all of the neighborhood people who walk by with their dogs. It's so cute seeing them interact with everyone = )

The boys posing with their best buddy, Kohen, after a play date.

They all had a ton of fun getting all decked out in costumes!

We had a super warm and windy day last Sunday,
a perfect day for flying kites after church.

Gage is prepping for takeoff!

... and getting all tangled up!

Finally, airborne success! He was so stoked to see Batman climb so high!

Here's Riley with his Star Wars kite. He had a ton of fun while it lasted.

Unfortunately, he had a pretty rough crash right away that limited the $1.99 kite's later performances = (

After the flying expo, it was over to the park to let out some sillies = )

They were singing a made up super hero song here.

They are definitely my super heroes!

Here's Gage making his favorite silly picture face.

Somehow he convinced me I needed to do the same -

I'll truly do anthing for these boys!

In other news, we just received our Kindergarten Round-up paperwork. Goodness! I'm still trying to wrap my mind around this. Lots of mixed emotions, but mostly excitement for this next step for Riley. Looking forward to what new and exciting things will come out of this educational adventure! = )

Biopsy fun ...

2011-04-04T17:09:00.001-05:00

Oh Riley, he never ceases to amaze me.

So, we went to the doctor Friday morning to have the mole I mentioned earlier biopsied. As usual, Riley made sure to test all of the equipment in the room while we were waiting for the doctor. I swear, this child can have just as much fun in a doctor's office as he does in a toy store. Anyhow, once the doctor and nurse came in and explained everything they were going to do, Riley was ready for the show to get on the road.

First they cleaned his hand with iodine. Then they asked him to look at me.
"No. I wanna watch."
"Riley, go ahead and turn your head over here and look at me for a minute."
"No. I wanna watch."

Then, Nurse Debbie again gently urged him to look away.
Next came the firm, "No. I. Want. To. Watch."

Ok, then. So, Riley watched as they put the long flexible needle with the numbing solution into his palm. No flinch. No tears. He did mention that it pinched a little. Then came the circular blade that looked a bit like a hole punch that the doctor would use to make a small circular incision. Again Riley was advised he might want to turn his head. This time, no answer, he just kept intently staring at what was about to happen next. Not worried, just interested. Even when the blood started to pool a little bit, he wasn't phased. Then, the doctor got some tweezers to pull up the flap of skin and some scissors to cut the sample. At this point, Riley declares, "Mom, I'm getting sweaty all over!" And, sure enough, in an instant he was drenched from head to toe. The nurse put a cool, wet cloth on the back of his neck and he took a drink of water, and that was it. He was fine. He continued to watch as the doctor used some silver nitrate to cauterize the area to stop the bleeding. He thought this was fascinating!

All in all it went well. The nurse and doctor kept commenting on how well he did. Seriously, the kid didn't move a muscle. He is much better at this stuff than his ol' fraidy cat momma, that's for sure!

Anyhow, that's all for now. I look forward to hearing from the doctors once the test results are in. I'm sure everything is fine, but will be praying in the meantime.

A little of this, a little of that ...

2011-04-04T16:54:00.000-05:00

This is just a fun post with a few cute pics I found on our camera ...

Riley getting 'nuggled in with Vickie and Jamie ... can't wait to meet the new baby soon!

Riley playing with an old fiber-optic lamp of Corey's. It is literally almost 20 years old,

but still pretty darn cool. Especially if you're 5!

On one of our nice weather day, the boys and I headed down to the levee for a little fresh air.

Riley and Gage love checking out the water flowing over the dam.

They also really like to say "dam" about 500 times while observing. Silly Boys!

This is about a mile into our journey. This is where Riley is really wishing he would have listened to

his smart mom and brought his bike instead of his scooter = )~

Luckily, there was a park not too far from here that added some much needed relief for Riley.

He gives the merry-go-round a big thumbs up!

Happy Gage, enjoying the ride = )

Gathering rock to throw in the river.

Cheeseriffico!

They would seriously do this all day long if they could.

For boys, there is just something cathartic about throwing that rock and watching the splash form from the impact. Heck, it was kind of cathartic for mom, too = )

Gage thought he was He-Man picking up this dead limb.

He didn't understand why we couldn't take it home.

Gosh, sometimes I'm just so mean.

Gage took this self portrait of his Barney Rubble feet.

I thought it was cute = )

I snapped this picture of Riley after looking for him for about 10 minutes.

He managed to wiggle his way up onto this old changing table that is in the back of Gage's closet.

He thought it was a cozy placy to kick back. Never dull with these two kiddos around!

Gage took this photo of the step stool that Aunt Tracy sent as a present to the boys.

They absolutely love it! They use it for everything. Great gift.

Thank you Aunt Tracy!!!

One doctor appointment down ...

2011-03-30T09:34:00.000-05:00

Well, I suppose we got good news from the ENT doctor yesterday. Riley's ears are both full of fluid, but he doesn't think Riley needs tubes again. After taking the hearing test, they found that Riley wasn't hearing in the acceptable range in his right ear (which we knew) and he was at the low end of the acceptable spectrum with his left ear. But, at this point they don't think that he has any permanent hearing loss and that it is mostly due the large amount of thick mucus/fluid that is backed up behind the eardrum. It appears that this is occurring because his adenoids are enlarged. When this happens, it doesn't allow the mucus to drain as it should. The enlarged adenoids can also cause him to feel a tickle in his sinuses/throat area which causes him to sniff quite a bit. This causes any mucus to back up further into the sinuses and then the ears. Sooooooo, next week we are off to the hospital for an adenoidectomy. Poor little guy will be sore for quite a bit and will be out of school for a whole week! We'll give him lots of TLC and soft foods during that time. Once he is healed from the surgery, we will go back to have the fluid drained from his ears and do another hearing test. Hopefully with better results. Also, once those big ol' adenoids are gone, our little Riley will no longer snore as loud as a lumberjack sawing logs. I think we'll all be thankful for that one! Please pray that everything goes smoothely during surgery and our little buddy has a quick recovery. Thank you = )

Riley stuff that's on my mind ...

2011-03-28T17:02:00.001-05:00

Our schedule has been jam-packed, so there are a ton of things I could post about right now and pictures I could upload, but I have a few things on my mind that I just need to get out now. My dear mom will tell me not to worry until there's something to worry about. I love that about her, she keeps me grounded. Unfortunately, that is just not how I'm wired. I worry and plan until I know there's nothing to worry about and/or plan for.

Anyhow, there's a couple of issues that I'm worried about, anxious about, and excited about.

First, tomorrow we are once again visiting the ENT's (ear doctor's) office. Riley suffered numerous ear infections again this winter and his eardrum finally burst a couple of weeks ago. At his 5 year checkup, the drum was healing, but once again his right ear was filled with fluid. In addition to this, his pre-school teacher mentioned that he seems to be asking her, as well as other teachers and students, to repeat themselves almost constantly. We have been noticing this at home also. So, hopefully, the hearing loss is just due to the drum still healing and the fluid in his ear muffling the sound waves and not something else. In the meantime, I will fret and pray.

Second, on Friday the 1st, I will be taking Riley back to our family doctor for a biopsy. He has a very dark mole on the palm of his hand that appeared about a year ago. It started very small and no one thought it was of much concern. However, at his 5 year checkup I pointed it out to the doc again and she was a bit taken with how much it has grown. It's now just smaller than a pencil eraser. She did say she isn't overly concerned with it at this point since it has a pretty regular shape and no extending lines radiating from it ... but still, it's an odd place to have a mole and the increase in size should be checked. Hopefully, it's nothing. But, again, in the meantime, I will fret and pray.

Next, we will be venturing to the kindergarten round-up in April. I can hardly believe my little Rileybug will be starting kindergarten this year! I am so excited for this next milestone! He is so smart and makes friends so easily, so I'm not very worried about that. But, along with his intelligence comes a VERY strong will coupled with INTENSE curiosity. Sometimes this can be a challenge for authority figures and Riley. So, I pray that he ends up with a teacher who is willing to listen to him (and me) so he can be the BEST boy he can be. In the meantime, I will fret. And pray.

News from Japan ...

2011-03-15T22:04:00.000-05:00

My cousin, Mitch, and his family are currently living in Japan. KAKE News did a skype interview with him. Click here to check it out: http://www.kake.com/home/headlines/Interview_With_Kansan_Living_In_Japan_118046824.html

Please keep him, his family, and all of the other people there in your prayers.

Here is a transcript of his interview if you can't load the video:

Tuesday, March 15, 2011
Tonight, Japan is setting up a 20-mile no-fly zone around one of its nuclear power plants. The government is advising people in an around the Fukushima plant to stay indoors.
A native Kansan and his family are living too close for comfort to the disaster in the Pacific. Mitch Masden is from Wilson, KS. He currently lives with his wife and daughter in Kitakata, about 100 kilometers southwest of ground zero. Back toward the coast, he is about 100 kilometers due west of the Fukushima power plant.
"Right now the streets are pretty calm," said Masden via Skype.
But Masden says he thinks that's because nobody knows what to do. It's not mass chaos as much as it is bewilderment in the country he moved to with his wife eight years ago. Although more than 100 kilometers away from Sendai, Masden says buildings were heavily damaged and things were tossed inside his own home.
"We didn't actually get hit by any of the wave, but everybody is still freaked out about that part," Masden explained. "I don't even like to watch the news over here because that's all you see."
With concerns about the gasoline and food supply, his family is conserving as much as they can, even though there aren't massive food shortages where he is.
"We're driving as little as possible," Masden said. "Right now in Kitakata, we can still get milk, meat and stuff like that. All the rice and bread is sold out."
Masden's family is not currently in the evacuation zone for nuclear radiation concerns, but that zone keeps getting closer and closer.
"Every day they're expanding the evacuation radius," he said. "The first day it went from 3-5 kilometers. The next day it went from 5-10 and then 10-20. Now it's up to 30 kilometers away."
Meanwhile, Masden says he's struggling with the possibility of returning to Kansas.
"I don't know exactly what my wife wants, but I'm kinda leaning for moving back to the states, but it's also how long will that take?"
Masden told us the one thing that comforts him is that there is no widespread panic and only very few reports of looting and crime.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Riley is 5!

2011-03-13T17:25:00.000-05:00

Well, another year has passed and I can hardly believe the sweet little angel baby I cradled in my arms is now such a big boy! Riley, we all love yo so much and are so proud of the helpful, funny, sentimental, athletic young man you are becoming!

We started out this special day surprising Riley with decorations and a super fun 45 minute game of balloon volleyball in the living room. I wish we had time to start every day like that. I think all our bellies hurt from laughing so hard!

Soon after, the family started to trickle in for the celebration.

Here's Riley posing with Grandpa Huber and Papa Soukup.

From here we headed to Lawrence Fire Station #1 for a tour.

(I totally recommend for anyone living in Lawrence, it was so fun and it's free!)

Riley and his best buddy, Kohen - they can't believe the firemen just said they could touch ANYTHING!

From there on out it was a button pushing, lever pulling, equipment trying extravaganza!

Hunter, Riley, and Kohen checking things out from the driver's seat.

Several of us adults had to check it out, too. This was their newest truck,

only 2 months old. Very cool.

The future firemen getting suited up = )

Each of the boys got a turn getting strapped onto the gurney and loaded into the medic truck.

They thought it was a blast!

Personally, I hope this is the first, last, and only time I see any of them near a gurney!

Me and my niece, Paige. She's 12 and already taller than me!

She is such a sweet girl = )

The boys sitting on the front of the firetruck with the lights going. Talk about excitement!]

After that fun adventure we headed to Riley's favorite place to eat - CiCi's!

Pizza and video games, the perfect combo for busy little boys = )

Then it was home for cake and presents.

Here's Riley's cake. I wasn't sure how I was gonna fit all of those vehicles onto the cake, but I think we made it work. The boys had a lot of input on the design. Riley loved it and I had so much fun making it!

Apparently Riley thought it tasted pretty good, too. He couldn't shovel it in fast enough = )

Corey confiscating one of Riley's presents for himself.

Who doesn't love a toy bow and arrow?

Kohen and Riley - best buddies with matching frosting faces = )

Snuggle time with Grandma Soukup!

All in all, I think it was a pretty darn good day and fun was had by all = )

Gage is funny ...

2011-03-13T16:29:00.000-05:00

So, our little Gager has been on a roll lately with his funnies. Here are a couple that come to mind:

The other day while driving to pre-school we were discussing the differences between mammals and reptiles and what types of animals fall into each category. He had been quiet for a minute while Riley was still rattling off different matches. Then, with an onery little grin on his face he says, "Well, Daddy doesn't have any hair so he must be a reptile!" After that, we all erupted in laughter. Love that silly humor!

On this one, I don't think Gage was meaning to be funny, but his observation still cracked me up a little. Again on a morning drive to preschool, out of nowhere, Gage starts this exchange: Gage, "Mom, God sure is a good hider." Me, "What do you mean?" Gage, "Well, He's everywhere, but I can't see Him!" Seriously, so cute! I love the way his little mind works = )

Old News, New News, and Good News ..

2011-03-13T16:14:00.000-05:00

A couple of weeks ago we headed back to good ol' Russell America to visit my Grandma. I really love that lady. I so wish that we all lived in the same town so we could spend more time together. Riley and Gage also have such a good time with her -- it might have something to do with the fact that she supplies them with enough cookies to feed an army! Here they are enjoying a little fun snuggle time = )

We have to laugh about this. There's close to 100,000 people in the town that we live in. We've lived here 14 + years and have been fortunate to avoid any type of auto accident during our time here. Well, during our short trip back to Russell - population approximately 4000 - we take my grandma out to supper. While inside eating, a local managed to back into our van out in the parking that literally had only 5 cars in it. Are you kidding me? Oh well, at least in a small town when that happens the people are nice enough to come in the restaurant and find you and tell you about it = )

There has been this box of 100 cookie cutters that I've had my eye on for a while and finally broke down and parted with my $10 for it. Inside it has the entire alphabet and number 0-9. This has become one of Riley's favorite new toys. He is so into learning to read right now, it's awesome! Riley loves putting all the letters and numbers in order and spelling out the few word that he can right now. He makes this nerdy momma so proud = )

In other news, we recently joined a new church. I've only belonged to 2 churches in my entire life - the one I grew up in going twice a week, every week, and the one we originally joined here in Lawrence. This was a decision I struggled with for a long time. I just wasn't feeling very connected to my church anymore and really struggled with some of it's teachings and general goings on. This is definitely not something I take lightly. So, I did a bunch of research and we visited a couple of churches in the area. One church in particular really seemed to stand out. For one, it was highly recommended by some very good people I know, and two, their children's program is pretty cool. The first time we visited, from the moment we walked in the door, people were so nice and helped us around (we must have had that deer lost in the headlights look!) So, once we got the children settled into their Sunday school class, Corey and I headed in for the service. Oh, my, goodness. I literally cried during the sermon. I have never done that before! Everything that was coming out of the pastor's mouth seemed like it directed right to me. Some signs are just too big to ignore. It was just what I needed to hear to know we were making the right decision. What a weight to be lifted from my heart! I am so looking forward to the children learning and growing with their wonderful children's ministry and for myself and Corey growing in our faith in such a comfortable surrounding.

Fresh as a baby's bottom ...

2011-02-13T09:25:00.001-06:00

Okay, so Spring has got to get here soon. Cabin fever is driving my children to find interesting ways to entertain themselves. For example, Friday evening the boys were supposed to be working on their puzzles while Corey and I cleaned up the kitchen from dinner. Somehow during this time the onery little devils apparently got bored and snuck their way into our room and the master bathroom. I got worried when we started hearing gleeful giggles from that direction. This is what we walked in to find ....

No need to adjust your monitors folks ... this is what happens when an entire bottle of baby powder is unloaded.

Riley said he loved how "all the white polka dots looked" ...
Gage loved the "spooky smokey fog that smelled good"

It's a good thing I really love these guys ... otherwise I might have to throw them in the trash!

So, I guess the bright side is our bedroom will smell as fresh as a baby's bottom for a good long while!

Thankfully Saturday's temps warmed up a little and we got to get some of that crazy energy out outside. Riley especially enjoyed getting out in the fresh air and not being cooped up! He is definitely an outside boy!

After shoveling the front yard and back yard, Riley celebrated by doing a little happy dance in the slush.

Not listening to mom and trying to make a "slushball"

Now the gloves are history - surprise, surprise!

And where was little Gager during all of this snowy play time? Well, the little guy got tuckered out fast ...

Out!

Oh, and I have to mention this because I think it's funny and just so summarizes the silly little things we encounter every day with boys. While Gage was still napping, Riley accompanied me to the store to do our weekend shopping. He was such a good helper! However, about 1/3 of the way into our trip he stops and looks at me real seriously and says, "Uh oh, Mom, I think we might have a problem." "What's up, Buddy?" "Ummmm, I still have a snowball in my pocket and I think it's gonna make a mess." Ha! Seriously, who puts a snowball in their pocket and forgets about it until a 1/2 hour later? A four year old boy, that's who! Thankfully there was a trash can nearby for quick disposal. It's never dull with these silly billys around, that's for sure = )

The Haircut Incident ...

2011-02-09T10:58:00.001-06:00

So, Riley's hair is getting pretty long and shaggy and cute if he lets me fix it. But, you know, he's a boy and really not into the whole letting mom fix his hair thing. Shocking, I know. Anyhow, the comment has been made several times that he has my hair - in regard to thickness and texture. So, now he's gotten it in his head that he doesn't want to look like mom because he's a boy and all. In light of this, we have been discussing cutting his hair a little -- leaving the top long and clipping the sides and back short -- sort of a skater boy cut style. Anyhow, Sunday morning Corey shaves his head as he normally does every month or so. Riley watched closely and when Corey was finished I asked Riley if wanted his hair cut now. He decided he wanted to wait until later. Wellllllll, LATER when I was preparing lunch I noticed the house was pretty quiet and Riley was nowhere in sight. Never a good sign. Then I recognized this faint buzzing sound off in the distance. When I rounded the corner to our bathroom, this is what I found ....

Riley starting the haircut process on his own ...

Another view. Also of note, he had to get the clippers out of the child-locked cabinet, plug them in, and move the wooden chair from the computer desk in our room to the bathroom to accomplish this feat.
I would say the boy was determined = )

The massive pile of hair. Sniff, sniff.

The final result from the back ... we left him a big ol' rat tail = )

And from the front. Riley thinks he's the #1 cool dude now!

Snow Days, Fun Days February 2011 ...

2011-02-02T09:44:00.000-06:00

So, we've had some crazy blizzard weather this week which means the boys pre-school is closed. Although this causes some schedule difficulties at work, it is so nice to have the extra time together with the kiddos! Here's a few ways we've been spending our time together ....

Snuggles with dad before he heads out to snowblow ... can you tell Corey's excited to get out in the cold?

Time to get our bodies warm ... Riley is a great yoga partner = )

Gage's request for breakfast ...

"homemade pancakes with strawberries in a circle and an ice cream mountain the middle"

The boy has good taste!

If you're interested here is the best, easiest, pancake recipe I've found:

1 1/2 cups flour

3 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1 tbsp white sugar (or splenda)

1 1/4 cups milk

1egg

3 tbsp butter, melted

Sift together flour, baking powder, salt and sugar. Make a well in the center and pour in milk, egg, and melted butter. Mix with wire wisk until smooth. Cook over medium heat. If you use an ice cream scoop to portion the pancakes, you will get about 8-10 large super fluffy cakes. Yummo!

Here the boys are "cheers-ing" with Rileys new favorite breakfast drink recipe he came up with all by himself:

Red G2 gatorade + Milk + Chocolate Syrup

Not my favorite, but the kiddos sure think it is the bomb-diggity!

After getting all sugared up at breakfast, it's time for a little play in the tunnel.

Gage calls this his "cocoon." = )

A costume change for this wild boy. Time for his "cozy Papa shirt!"

Then it was on to some craft time. Riley constructed these cool pipe cleaner glasses.

Gage's turn to try them out ... he calls them Ben10 glasses because of the colors.

He says they give him powers = )

Finally, it's mommy's turn to model. Yep, I'm stylin'!

Well, now it's on to our next adventures. Hope you all are having fun, too!

Comfort ...

2011-01-28T11:17:00.000-06:00

So, my boys are now quickly approaching ages 4 and 5, and still, yes STILL, they sometimes wander down the hall into our bedroom in the middle of the night to be reassured there's no boogeyman under their bed -- or werewolf in their closet -- or bad guy in the attic -- or sometimes just to cuddle. Thankfully these late night/early morning sojourns are becoming few and far between so this momma can get some much needed uninterrupted sleep. However, last night, Riley comes stealthily into our room about 3:00 or so and tries to quietly sneak into our bed. As I try to put the kibosh on this and advise him he needs to head back to his own big boy bed, he ever so sweetly says, "But mom, I just want to snuggle you a little bit because I love you and you are so comfortable." Ahhhh, melted momma's heart! And yes, I did let him snuggle in for a little bit and I think we both found comfort in that = ) Love those kiddos and these sweet moments!

Things to do in Kansas when it's cold and snowy ...

2011-01-13T18:52:00.001-06:00

Give an impromptu indoor marshmallow roasting seminar to your 3 and 4 year old children.

Demonstrate the correct technique and safety precautions.

Allow eldest son who cannot wait another moment the honor of going first.

Next, encourage little brother to do the same.

Enjoy the giggles and delight of two satisfied little boys!

Get out checkers and work on teaching your children strategy.

Then laugh when they actually get ya good a few times!

Get all bundled up in your snow gear and do some serious sledding!

(However, remember to check the batteries in your camera before you go outside. Because if they die, you will not want to go inside and get new ones because you don't want to miss a minute of the fun! So, sorry, no silly sledding pics.)

Beware - this blog's a bummer ...

2011-01-13T18:33:00.001-06:00

Okay, I'll try not to sound too whiney. Have you ever had one of those weeks where it just seems like everything has just gone all whack-a-doodle? Well, lucky me, this is our week! It started out with the vacuum going kaput. A belt and the roller bar. Thankfully my hubby is handy, so that one can be fixed for a low $65 or so. Then we get tons of snow ... which is all fun and good for playing in, but when it's a large enough accumulation to close school, our pre-school is closed, too. So, there's the additional cost of a separate sitter and/or taking time off work if you can't find a sitter. Next, both of the kids get super sick running fevers which means maybe 2 hours of sleep per night for Dr. Mom, if I'm lucky. Not to mention doctor and medicine costs. The next fantastic item is the heating element going out in the dryer. Another hundred plus bucks. Great! Now, at this point I'm sleep deprived and more than broke. As I'm sitting in the kitchen telling myself that I am NOT going to whine about my little troubles on this blog, I start to smell a burning smell. At this point, I begin to laugh from delirium and the curse of Murphy's Law. Our dishwasher is now kaput. Are you kidding me? Well, I know better than to question what else could go wrong, because really, in the big scheme of things, these little blips are just tiny little bumps in our path, not major roadblocks or devastating events. So, I'm gonna suck it up now, plug along, and pray for the universe to right itself.

Addendum:

Just as I hit "Publish Post," Riley and Gage come to get me to point out that the snow blowing off the roof and flittering through the light looks like Tinkerbell's pixie dust. And, when Gage blinks his eyes, he can make magic. That makes me smile. Yep, life isn't too bad after all = )

Joy of the Season ....

2010-12-30T14:55:00.002-06:00

We love this time of year! Celebrating Christmas with our family is the best way to be reminded how blessed we are. Aside from a quick bout of the stomach flu that Riley came down with Christmas night, the weekend turned out to be about as perfect as it can be with our crazy bunch = )

Gager snuggling a napping Papa Soukup

Corey all set up with flannels!

Me with a pasta cookbook I received as a gift ..

(this is especially entertaining as I am currently doing
a low carb/low glycemic weight loss program!

down 18 lbs since Thanksgiving - woot!)
But don't worry mom, I'll get plenty of use out of this in the near future = )

The boys having a ball playing on the remains of a huge tree my parents cut down.

Gage getting a little love from Aunt Tracy = )

Riley throwing the gangsta signs with Great Grandma Galyardt!

One of my favorite pics ... Riley sharing some jammin' tunes from my iPod with Papa Soukup.

Grandma Soukup about to let the boys cheat and open one gift Christmas Eve = )

At the Christmas celebrations on the Huber side,
this is what it looked like most of the time with the kiddos - WRESTLEMANIA!!!!

Riley finally getting the hang of using the pool cue. His new nickname is Shark = )

Corey and Vern getting in some much needed R & R.

The boy cousins lounging on Uncle Jamie while watching
a really cool science show on PBS.

It was awesome listening to the ooohs and aaaahs coming from them all!

Paige giving Riley a run for his rowdy money!
Isn't she gorgeous? Can't believe she's only 12!

Great Granda Lawrenz and Grandma Huber opening up the ornaments Riley and Gage made for them.

Aunt Rhonda making Gage giggle with delight frome tickles and smooches = )

Four generations ...

Gager and me cheesing it up.

Here are a few of the several dozen pics we took trying to get some good shots for our Christmas card ...

The boys could not contain their silliness, so I said what the heck? Let's take silly pictures ... those more aptly depict us than perfect smiles anyhow = )

Everybody was Kung Fu Fighting ....

Good grief, Mom ... are we done yet?

Finally, a good one!

Hope your Christmas was merry and filled with family, friends, and love. Best wishes for a healthy and prosperous 2011 and we'll see you in the New Year!

Wow, it's been a whole month ....

2010-12-21T15:57:00.005-06:00

I think this is probably the longest time between posts since I started blogging. There has been so much going on these past couple of weeks, I don't even know where to start recapping (nor do I have that much time!) Instead I think I'll just throw out a couple of funny conversations/observations that come to mind ....

Gage: What are you watching?
Me: The Vampire Diaries
Gage: (with a very confused/disgusted look on his face) Why are you watching Vampire Diarrhrea?
Me: (no words, just uncontrollable giggles = )

Me: Just a couple more days and you boys will be staying with Grandma and PaPa for a couple of days!
Riley: Yeah! And I'm gonna stay 7 WEEKS! Instead of going to school today, mom you should just get me a motorcycle and I will drive to Grandma and PaPa's, I know the way.
Me: I think you need to learn to ride a bike without training wheels before we move up to a motorcycle.
Riley: (while rolling his eyes) Mom. I can balance a motorcycle, it has much bigger, wider tires.
Me: Interesting theory!

Riley explaining life stages to Corey: Dad, you started as a baby, then you were a boy, then you were a man, now you're a daddy, then you'll be a grandpa, and then you die and we bury you at the cemetary.

Gage: I want to be a daddy. Mom will you grow my baby in your tummy?
Me: No honey, that's not quite how it works. Someday you will find a nice girl, marry her, and she will grow your baby in her tummy.
Gage: No. I just want to be a daddy all by myself. I don't need any girlfriend. Girls are too bossy!

I know there are a bunch more tidbits to share, but they will have to wait for another post. In the meantime Merry Christmas from the Hubers!!!!!

New School Pics!

2010-11-17T20:08:00.002-06:00

Here's the boys Fall 2010 School Pics. The morning before these were taken I had asked the boys to show me how they were going to smile for their pictures. I was, of course, met with silly faces that included fingers stretching the sides of the mouth, tongues sticking out, and crossed eyes. I told both the boys - and their teachers - that I was actually totally fine with them making funny faces for their pictures because that would truely capture their crazy personalities. So, go figure, with permission to make silly faces, we end up with these perfectly sweet smiles. Works for me = )

Ch-Ch-Chia!

2010-11-17T19:33:00.002-06:00

Okay, so it's not really a Chia, but that is what this totally reminds me of. For one of their science experiments, Gage's class grew grass from seeds. Their awesome teacher had the brilliant idea to take close up photos of each child to place on their cup. LOVE the result! Such a cute little Chia-Gage = )

A Day at the Lake ... IN NOVEMBER!

2010-11-07T17:57:00.003-06:00

It's not too often you get to spend a lovely day at the lake in November, so we took full advantage of the beautiful sunshine and fantastic temperature enjoying a little nature hike around the water.

Me ... and my shadows = )

One of the boys' favorite activities - throwing rocks. At least out here they got to do it to their heart's desire without getting into trouble.

Not sure who had more fun with all of the gourds on the ground ...
Riley and Gage throwing them or Katie chasing after them =)

Gager working hard on building up a small pebble castle = )

Taking a break.

The 3 Amigos.

A man on a mission - Gage was searching for a walking stick, he eventually found it, but my batteries died and I didn't get a pic. Too bad, he was super cute hiking around with it!

This is just a totally random picture I'm throwing in. The boys picked what look to be the last of the flowers from my wildflower garden this weekend. They were so sweet when presenting them to me. They just simply said, "These are for you, momma" and each gave me a sweet little smooch. With my rough and tumble guys, these tender moments are few and far betwee so I have to savor (and document!) each one. Love those guys = )

Brothers: Portraits in Love and Silliness

2010-11-03T10:32:00.004-05:00

These photos were taken Sunday - in the crisp of the morning - in a span of about 5 minutes.

Love, love, LOVE all of their expressions = )

Halloweeners!

2010-11-03T10:14:00.003-05:00

Halloween was a blast! We went to a family friendly party Saturday night at a friend's farm. They had it totally "spookiefied" and the kiddos loved every minute of it! I thought they might get a little scared in some parts of the "haunted house" with lots of things that were motion activated such as flying ghosts, cackling witches, talking skulls, and a vampire that sat up in his coffin. But nope, they thoroughly enjoyed. In fact, Gage liked that part so much we ended up spending a majority of the night going back and checking out all of the Halloween stuff! Riley really enjoyed running around the farm with several boys his age including his best buddy Kohen and chilling by the big bonfire. Good times!

On actual Halloween night, the boys were super stoked to go beg for candy. They did a really great job and were mostly pretty polite. There were a couple of times that Gage thought he didn't get his fair share because he didn't see the people put the candy in his bucket because he was so busy taking in other things. He made sure to let them know, too. The first time I assured him that the lady had put one little piece of candy in his pumpkin, but he was not convinced. As we were walking off he kept looking into his candy pail to see if he could notice the extra piece in there, then would look back at the house and frown. That boys seriously loves him some candy! Thankfully, Riley and Gage both pooped out after about 2 blocks and we headed home to inspect their goodies. They were both super happy with their Halloween booty = )

Riley - Anakin Skywalker the Jedi Knight

Check out those moves!

And some more light saber actions!

Gage - Optimus Prime from Transformers

One tough machine!

Only 2 pictures of Gage because he was off on a mission and couldn't be caught in a still moment = )

Oh, my Riley-boy ... he sure keeps it entertaining!?!

2010-11-02T15:55:00.004-05:00

I so love my Riley-boy. He is my first born. He has these deep, dark brown eyes than can just melt your soul. He is a determined thinker and problem solver. He is the protector of his brother and friends against bullies. He is my sweet boy that loves to snuggle. He genuinely loves to "help" with almost any task and is really adept at most household chores. He can also, at times, be more stubborn, outgoing, opinionated and "helpful" than is good for him.

Last week Riley had an exceptionally trying week at school. In his class at pre-school, they have what they call "centers." Each center has a specific function or activity: building/construction, puzzles, reading, art, dramatic play, writing, housekeeping, etc. When Riley was in a center he really enjoyed (building/construction, puzzles, dramatic play and housekeeping) he would thrive and be just a model student. His lead teacher even made sure to express how he really excels in areas that require fine motor skill and following specific directions (such as constructing cars, helicopters and buildings either through imagination or following blueprints.) However, when he is in one of the other centers that he doesn't like as well he would deem them "stupid" or "boring" and not want to participate. He would even try to escape and go "help" other kiddos that were in centers more to his liking. Occasionally he was even going into full meltdown mode trying get his way. Unacceptable.

Then, to top things off, during a discussion regarding farm animals, Riley decided it would be a great idea to pull his pants down and announce to his friends that, "My private looks like a cow's 'gutters'!" Oh boy. Even though I actually find that pretty comical, it is obviously not appropriate and we had to deal with that along with his disrespectful behavior. This meant being super strict with him and even a couple of spankings - which I totally hate - and so does he - but sometimes that is the only way to get through to him. We also did a lot a role-playing at home to help him learn to make better choices. His prize or punishment, depending upon his actions on Friday was getting to stay for the school Halloween party or him having to leave with me and not get to participate.

I went to his school on Friday at noon with the worst feeling in my stomach. I really did not want him to miss the party. Seriously, how terrible would that be? How did I get to be this mean mom? I just kept reminding myself that he was aware of the consequences and we had talked many times about how he is responsible for his actions. I had the best surprise ever when I walked in to see him being such a good boy and the teachers said they would love it if he could stay and celebrate with them. Yay! He has, for now, mostly continued this good behavior and even got a "Star Student" award on Monday for once again being so awesome!

Lord knows I am all for a little dissent here and there. I definitely do not want to raise a little robot who blindly follows whatever those around tell him. It's good to question routine and authority now and then, as long as it's done respectfully. I sincerely hope that I can find a way to teach this to both of my boys and be a good role model. In the meantime, though, let's hope and pray that this good boy sticks around!!!

Whole mess of pictures of random events and subjects ...

2010-10-27T19:18:00.009-05:00

I got these silly vamp teeth for the kiddos and was so sure they'd love them. They could care less. On the other hand, I dig playing with them!

Riley put together this whole setup one day while I was in the shower. This is him getting embarrassed because he didn't realize I was watching and taking pictures!

Riley came out in his Superman jammies, but couldn't find his cape. I offered him one of my scarves, but he wanted to make his own cape -- all on his own -- and so he did ...

The back view. Pretty darn ingenuitive!

Aaaaand he's off!

A couple of hoodlums made good use of a pair of mom's hose!Gager makes sure to throw up the peace sign before the big getaway = )

We watched a stray cat scurry into this storm ditch. The boys waited patiently, hoping it would come out. In the meantime, they told each other stories of the "werewolf" hiding in the "sewer." They had to be careful not to dangle their feet or he'd get them! Love their crazy imaginations!

The leaves turning color on our maple tree are so gorgeous right now!

Our cat Winston. He is so stoked to get his picture taken. Can't you just see the excitement!

Gage decided to decorate himself with permanent magic marker. On his face. Awesome.Although, this is much better than the permanent marker artwork his brother made on the siding our house!

The boys breaking in their new camo housecoats. So cozy!

Our spooktastic jack-o-lanterns = ) Gage really dug removing the seeds and guts. Riley thought it smelled disgusting and wanted no part of it. He did thoroughly enjoy helping wield the knife for the carving, though!

The S's: Sillies, Sweetness, Stubbornness, and Sadness (?)

2010-10-19T13:29:00.005-05:00

Silly quote:

Riley while heading to the computer, "I'm gonna get online here and see about getting us a pizza going." (side note: we have literally only ordered pizza 4 or 5 times in the past 2 years, but it is always big excitement for the boys!)

Sweet quote:

While I am laying down in bed with the flu, Riley comes in, kisses my forehead and gently strokes my cheek and says, "It'll be okay sweetheart. You'll feel better soon." (it is amazing to me the sweetness that can come out of this boy when he sets aside his orneryness!)

Stubborn quote:

Overheard while the boys were left alone for a few minutes to finish an art project ... Gage, "No. This just isn't working for me. Riley I NEED the BLUE sparkles and the BLUE scissors." Riley, "Gager, I'm using them. Just use the red ones." Gage (getting a tad excited now,) "Wellllllll, maybe I didn't 'splain [explain] myself clearly .... " (hmmmm, maybe he's heard that phrase a time or two hundred?)

Sadness (?) quote:

A year and a half ago we lost our sweet fish Mr. Indigo Pickles. There were many tears shed over his demise. Riley's heart was particularly broken. To help the healing we picked out a new fish, Mr. Fireball Pickles. Unfortunately, Fireball took his last breath yesterday. After a long prepared speech about the life cycle of fish, we held a toilet bowl vigil for our dear departed friend. Riley had these parting words to say to him, "I'll miss playing with you Mr. Fireball Pickles!" Then a quick flush and an even quicker, "Bye bye weeniehead!" (yeah, not quite the dramatics of last time. it's amazing how much difference a little time can make in their reactions to events. however, this is also the boy who still prays for our dear dog Gracie who passed and will shed tears for her in the drop of a hat because he misses her. you just never know with these boys.)

Oh how we love Schaake's ...

2010-10-03T19:33:00.009-05:00

The sillies started at the entrance ...

Then there were so many choices ...

That's a good one!

The master pumpkin pickers in action.

Riley, mom and Gage with our fantastic finds .

Riley, Gage and Daddy with our pumpkin picks.

We ain't afraid of no ghosts!

Eveyone was tired of saying cheese, so we decided to just be silly cheesey = )

Tunnel Vision 1

Tunnel Vision 2

Guess who's about to get spooked? (hint: look closely in the cornfield = D)

Scary Monster Pumpkin 1

Scary Monster 2

Beautiful weather + pumpkin patch fun family outing = a darn near perfect day!

Not enough time ...

2010-09-28T21:29:00.004-05:00

You know, sometimes I feel so overwhelmed trying to keep up with everything and being the best that I can at each thing - mother, wife, careerwoman, part-time cake decorator, full-time cleaning/laundry/cooking machine, daughter, sister, friend ... - the list goes on and on. There is just not enough time to be as perfect as I'd like to be at any of it. Thankfully my compulsivity for perfection is waning with age. I surrendered to just do the best that I can at any given moment and pray that it's good enough. And, I've found that if I actually take time to sit back and really observe what those around me actually want and need from me, it is often less than I am killing myself to give. I am reminded of this often during my lunchtime conversations with my mom. She is the best! How in the world I came from such a wonderful, laid back, common sense person with an easy grasp on the important things in life is beyond me sometimes -- but I am so glad I did! Thank you mom for keeping me sane!!! So that, coupled with the memories I have through all of the pictures I take of our adventures, help me feel not quite so inadequate. One of these days I promise myself that I will ease up and relax, but in the meantime, there's work to do and expeditions to document = )

Entry arch at the Fall Arts and Crafts Fair. So fun. So much to see.

There are some truly amazing artists around here!

The boys partaking of the biggest batch of curly fries ever. And, loving every minute of it!

After all of that grease it was time to burn off a little energy -

what better way than the jumphouse?

This is how Gage looked most of the time in the jumphouse.
He would get to giggling so hard he just could not stay vertical!

My big, independent boy. I walked into the kitchen the other day and found this. The batteries were dead in Riley's Lightning McQueen car. He figured he knew where all the tools and supplies were, so he'd just take care of it himself. And he did. Oh my, he is growing up so fast!

Riley enjoying some quality time with Grandma Soukup,

otherwise known as the person who calms my freakouts = )

Gager in his "AWESOME!" new Buzz Lightyear jammies.

He swears he's going to be an astronaut when he grows up.

Mommy and daddy would be sooooo proud!

Riley in his super cool Bakugan jammies.

They helped him summon super powers for his kung fu moves

Never a dull moment here = )

You're killing me ....

2010-09-13T20:57:00.002-05:00

So, tonight I'm putting the boys to bed. After reading the second book, Gage, as usual, is begging for another. After I say no for what I thought was going to be the final time, I have the following conversation with our funny little redhead ....

Gage: "But, mom, you're killing me."

Me: "Really? Now, just how am I killing you?"

Gage: [with hands clenched tightly over his chest] "Momma, you're breaking my heart!"

Oh my, how can you say no to such sweet dramatics?

Lovin' life on the long weekend ...

2010-09-06T18:57:00.011-05:00

Wouldn't it be awesome if every weekend were a 3 day weekend? We sure think so at the Huber house! It's amazing how much fun can be packed into just 72 hours ... 3 parks, the swimming pool, backyard bbq's, cowboy dress up and just general silliness. Good times!

Howdy partner! The boys had fun raiding mom's hats and bandanas = )

Gage sportin' his cool shades he got from a classmates party at school. He LOVES them!

Daddy had to try them out, too = )

If you ever wondered how Gage's hair got that beautiful color, it might have something to do with the number of oranges this little redhead consumes. He LOVES his citrus fruit!

I didn't have a full and true 3day weekend myself as I started my new part time job on Saturday as a cake decorator at Dairy Queen. Aside from the few extra hours a week I'll be away from the boys, I think I am really gonna dig this job. It's like getting paid to go to art class and create = )

Then here's a short little video of our dancing machine, Riley. This boy loves to get his groove on. Check out the different styles ... I dig how he seamlessly goes from ballet, to jive, to breakdancing. Talk about skills!

Well, after all of that fun, it's time to wind down for another work week. At least it'll be a short one!

Ouch!

2010-08-30T21:19:00.004-05:00

So, as the old saying goes, no good deed goes unpunished. Riley was being a big helper to his teachers today and was helping put away some supplies. In the process, he took a big spill with his mouth breaking his fall against a stepstool. Yeeeeoooouuuuch! The school called to tell me about it a little before lunch. They said he was hurting quite a bit but it didn't look like he needed stitches or anything, so I let him stay in school. During nap time the swelling set in, by the time I got there to pick him up this is what he looked like = (

My poor little buddy! He was so miserable. He didn't eat lunch or snack because it hurt, so not only was he hurting, but my hungry boy was also starving. After trying several soft foods, he decided he wanted something more substantial. So, after some ice cream, pudding, and apple sauce he went on to devour about 20 black olives, a bunch of french fries cut up super small, and half a hamburger. Yeah, I think he's gonna live. After he got some food in him along with some Motrin he was feeling much better ... can you tell?

That's some food stuck in his teeth, by the way ... not a chipped tooth. Thank goodness! There is still quite a bit of swelling, but it is going down little by little. It's always something! Here's to hoping this heals fast for my big boy's sake!

Saturday Fun...

2010-08-30T21:09:00.006-05:00

Sometimes the best times are the simplest times. Nothing planned, nothing organized, just letting things flow. Saturday was super hot so we ventured to the pool (for the first time this summer!) We all really enjoyed the stress free hours of just soaking up the sun and chillin' in the water. The boys ended up seeing a friend while we were there ... the beloved Elaina. Oh boy, so much fun for all of them! After we got home late, the boys pooped out soon after supper. However, it turned out to be just a nap and they soon joined Corey and I in the backyard for some more good times ....

Corey strumming some tunes while Riley plays air guitar.

A great photo of Corey and I taken by Riley.

Another Saturday night dance party, check out those silly rad moves!

I wish we could have about 100 more of those days in a row!

Odds and Ends ...

2010-08-25T15:39:00.004-05:00

Whew! These last weeks of summer have been jam-packed with fun adventures, amazing conversations and silly shenanigans. There have literally been dozens of times where I thought to myself, "Hey I need to write this down, it would make fantastic blog material!" I even accomplished the actual act of documenting the moment on paper for future posterity on a few occasions ... ahem ... but do not ask me where in the world those notes are because I have no idea. When my brain fails me like this, I usually fall back on the bazillion photos I have taken of our escapades. But alas, I find no help there either. We've been so busy just doing stuff I've apparently slacked on my photodocumenting (with the exception of a super cute video of the boys having a dance party to Metallica's "Master of Puppets" which I hesitate to post on the web because the dance party occured right after bathtime and they are in just their undies. Also, I fully realize this is not really the most appropriate music for 3 and 4 year olds, but we were just cruising the radio dial and this came on and the boys flipped! So, there goes my mother-of-the-year award again. Regardless, the boys have some serious dance skills and it was super silly fun for all of us = )

Okay, so this might end up pretty random, but here's a few things that have just popped into my head ...

Girlfriends - A week or so ago, I found out from one of the pre-school teachers that a little girl has a serious crush on Riley. She always wants to sit by him during meal and snack times, stand by him when they line up, and be in his assigned "center" when doing projects. Now this in itself is nothing new, he's a bit of a chic magnet. However, this is the first time Riley has taken a shining right back to a little filly. Are you kidding me? He's only 4! Anyhow, he's become pretty fond of this raven-haired cutie with huge sea green eyes. The other day as we were leaving school he stopped to chat with her while she was picking up her little brother in the infant classroom. Their conversation consisted mostly of some "Nana nana boo boo's" and "You can't catch me's" followed by some "Oh yes I can's" and "I'm gonna getcha's" and well, you get the picture. When I advised Riley it really was time to go, he looked over and informed me in a no-nonsense tone, "Mom. Just a minute. I am trying to have a conversation with Elaina." Oh boy~!

Girlfriends cont. - So, on our way home after this I was quizzing Riley a little about his girlfriend and in typical guy fashion he blew it off as nothing. However, Gage did not want to be left out of the conversaton and started to tell me about his girlfriend, Sally Mandy. "Who's that?" I ask, since we know no one named Sally Mandy. He explained it's the girl with the crazy red hair, black eyes and striped socks. "Oh, you mean Raggedy Ann?" "Yes! But I call her Sally Mandy. She is my girlfriend. She is a mommy and I am a daddy. We have 2 babies, a girl and a boy. The girl is Sally Candy because she likes to eat all of the candy at Halloween-time. The boy's name is Coco Loco Choco." Aaaand, then the story went on from there for like 20 minutes or so. Gage is a bit of a storyteller (that's a HUGE understatement by the way!) Anyhow, to this day, Sally Mandy is still his girlfriend and we are treated to stories about their little pretend family fairly regularly. That Coco Loco is a crazy character = )~

Letters and Words - Riley is really excelling in his letter and word recognition and his handwriting skills are improving by leaps and bounds. It is truly amazing to me how much these kiddos learn at such a young age now. Much of what they do now I am sure back in my day we did not even attempt until at least first grade. Anyhow, he super duper loves his dry-erase pre-school books that he gets to practice on at home. This last weekend he was drawing lines matching small letters to capital letters, completing mazes by following the letters in order, and practicing his letter formation. Upon completing each of the skill sets he would proudly proclaim, "Wow, look at this! I'm really great at writing!" We cheered him on 100%. There will be plenty of time for modesty later on, for now we are all about encouragement = ) On this same line, each day at school the children sign in their own name. It is so fun to see how different Riley's name looks from when he first started. He has also taken to singing his name while he writes it in kind of a DA DA DaDaDa melody ... R - I - LEY. While we were signing in on Monday, the teacher remarked how each of the student's now also sings the spelling of his name. I assumed that meant they sang their own names, but no, she clarified that Riley's little song has caught on and each of the students sings Riley's name. That just cracked me up. Love it!

Potty Training - I think we have finally reached the end. After 4 1/2 long years, no more Pull-Ups or diapers at this house. Hooray! I don't want to jinx it, but Gage is really doing great. He's been fully potty-trained for quite a while during the day, but still needed Pull-Ups at night time. He is going on 6 or 7 days straight with no Pull-Ups at night and has had only one accident. Yay! Finally! We are all super happy about this and Gage is feeling pretty proud of himself, as well he should be = )

Chauvinism - What? Exactly. So, any of you who know me well know that I do not put up with any kind of chauvinistic macho attitude bs. No how, no way. So, imagine my horror when the other day we are at a friend's home and my sweet little Gage starts telling this little girl (who was only 2 and couldn't verbally defend herself yet) that she could not play in the swingset clubhouse with the boys because it was not for girls, she should go play with the dolls. Oh, no no no no NO little buddy. That will not fly! So, I took him aside and we had a little discussion about being respectful and that girls can do anything that boys can. From there I gave him some examples of things that I, mommy, a girl, can do that might be considered boy things such as throwing a football, playing with army men, climbing trees, etc. To which Gage's only reply was, "But, mom, you're not a real girl. You're just my mom." And then he was off. I'm not sure what to make of that comment and I'm not sure I want to follow up on that just yet. You just never know what those darling kiddos will say!

Well, that's it for now. Looking forward to what the rest of this week will bring. I promise, next time there will be pictures = )

Fair = Fantastic Fun!

2010-08-06T07:20:00.008-05:00

Wow. We LOVE the fair. There's just no other way to put it. We all have so much fun it really should be a crime. And goodness, what a difference a year can make in the boys. Last year, Gage had a lot of fun but there were only 3 rides he would venture his little body onto as the rest scared him a little too much. This year those "scary" rides are his favorite and he wanted to ride them over and over again = ) Then there's Riley. Oh Riley. That boy is just crazy about the adrenaline rush. He probably enjoys the rides more than anyone. This year he spied the "BIG" rides such as the Bullit, the Octupus, the Squirrel Cages, etc. He soooooo wanted to go on these, but we explained he needed to be a little bit bigger and that those rides go super fast and can be really scary. His reply? With an eye roll and a bit of a condesending tone, "Geez, those won't scare me!" Such a daredevil! Below are a few pics of our adventure ...

Gage feeding a goat at the petting zoo. Always fun!

Gage kept commenting how hungry all the animals were = )

Riley feeding a cow. His was amazed by their "crazy strong tongues!"

Riley on the pony ride. He's only 4 and starting to think he is too big for this.
He thinks they need to go faster!

Anyhow, I think he still enjoyed the ride on "Slow Poke."

Here's Gager doing such a great job. Last year I had to walk beside him because he was too timid to ride without mom by his side. Not this year!

This is one of my favorites of Gage. This ride was nuts. The cars went up and down really high and quick. Corey and I were just waiting for the tears of fear to arrive, but instead it was just the opposite ... nothing but shrieks of delight = )

Riley on the 4 wheelers. He thought these were a bit boring this year because they didn't go up and down or do wheelies or anything. Poor deprived child!

Gage on the swings, just lovin' life!

Riley on the swings ... can you see the ornery on his face!

Even the ride operator commented that this one looks like trouble ... oh my! = )~

The beloved roller coaster with a shot of the envied Green Bullit in the background.

The boys are in the 3rd seat from the front.

The next time around the boys made sure to get the front seat and totally dug it!

Check out the smiles on those faces = )

After the rides we headed over and enjoyed the free concert for a while. The boys thought this was just about the coolest thing ever. They were a little too pooped to dance at this point, but they thoroughly enjoyed sitting on the bleachers and taking in the music. The band was a cover band and one of the songs they played was "Don't Stop Believing" by Jouney. This is one of my all time favorite tunes. As I was singing along Gage reached over to me and said, "Mom, stop that talking right now, please. I NEED to hear the music!" That just cracked me up! He was so into it! When the band took an intermission at 10:00 we decided we definitely needed to hit the road as that is super late for us to have the boys out - on a school night no less! They didn't want to go at all and Gage kept saying, "But they said they'd be right back," meaning the band. Awww. It's hard to leave when you're having such a good time! But, that just gives us something more to look forward to next year = )

CHEESE BALL(S)!!!

2010-08-04T10:14:00.003-05:00

So, if you didn't already know this, in addition to being a cheeseball, Riley also LOVES cheeseballs. So, when we saw this huge container on sale at Target for $2, we caved. I know this is totally unhealthy, but you should've seen this boy's face light up when he saw these goodies. It was priceless. It also cracks me up to see him holding this monstrosity of cheesey goodness that is almost as big as he is. It is his bliss. Thank goodness he has his daddy's metabolism!

Who are these guys?

2010-07-20T19:39:00.007-05:00

We're not sure what's going on around here lately, but we definitely don't want to jinx it. It's no secret that our boys are a super-duper-rambunctious-handful of crazy, however there has been a strange change in the air. The sassafras and tantrums are starting to become few and far between instead of every, oh let me see, 2 or 3 minutes! It's been lovely to have these cooperative fun little guys around! Now, don't get me wrong, there is still the occasional meltdown, but those are lot easier to deal with when the memory of the last incident has already faded = )

One of our recent favorite outings was taking the boys to Carlos O'Kelley's. We rarely go to restaurants because a) it's too expensive, b) I actually enjoy cooking homemade meals for my family, and c) you never know if the Jeckyll boys or the Hyde boys will be accompanying us. Luckily on this trip the good boys showed up! They loved the atmosphere, food, and mexican music playing in the background. Such a fun family night out!

Riley ordered this cheese sauce to dip his chips in and ate almost the whole bowl! He would share when asked, but somehow the bowl always ended up right back in front of him.

He loved this stuff = )

No surprise, Gage was super into the coloring activity the restaurant provided. My little artist!

After the cheese sauce was demolished, the music got the best of the boys and they just had to bust a move a two.

Ugh! I hate that I cut the top of Gage's head off on this one, but he was just so bouncy! I had to post it anyway 'cuz I just LOVE that smile = )

With the weather being so hot, Gage finally agreed to let me cut his hair. I was just going to trim it up so he wouldn't sweat so much, but once he saw Riley giggling while getting tickled with the clippers, he wanted his hair short in back too, so I obliged. Here's the little cutie after his first haircut of the day ....

Riley with his short spikey new 'do.

A short while after the first round of haircuts Gage went up to Riley and rubbed his spiked hair. Next he went up to Corey and asked his daddy to take off his hat. Corey has a real short buzz going on right now. The next thing I know, here comes Gage requesting his hair be buzzed like daddy. Really? He has such beautiful red hair, it was hard for me to comply with this request, but I did. It's his hair after all. Annnnd, he LOVES it! I think for the first couple of days his hand was constantly up feeling his new fuzzy buzzy cut. Too cute!

A shot of the matching buzzes during wrestlemania!

This weekend we took the boys down to the Kansas River which was flowing full force. We had a great time discussing water safety and showing the kiddos the power of currents.

Riley telling us a story before our adventure begins ..

Down by the River ...

Just a nature shot I liked = )
After our river adventure we went home and had some good ol' family time in the backyard. As the sun began to set, we started a bonfire in the fire pit per the boys request. It doesn't matter how hot it is outside to them, it's never too hot to have a fire! While out there, the radio station we were listening to started an old school 80's punk rock show. The boys totally dug this crazy music and we spent the next hour dancing like maniacs and giggling like crazy. I haven't had that much fun in a while. Thank you God for blessing me with my boys!!!

I know there are a ton of other things I wanted to share, but they are escaping me at the moment. I need to start taking notes! Anyhow, the fair is this week, so that should make for some exciting adventures as well. Even though it is hot and dirty, it is still always one of our favorite things to do each year! Stay tuned ...