Week O' Fun: Day 4

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

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

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

Riley in awe of his new buddy.

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

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

Chillin' like a villain.

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

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

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

Gage running from the spray as Riley unkinks the hose.

Love those flushed cheeks sprinkled with fun!

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

Hanging out at the top of the swingset.

Gage yelling at our neighbor to come over.

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

Digging for treasure.

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

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

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

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

Week O' Fun: Day 3

Um, I know I said this in my last post, but SERIOUSLY! we need to win the lottery. I soooo want to be a stay at home mom. Corey has even mentioned it several times the past couple of days of how much smoother everything is and less stressful. Don't get me wrong. I love my job and am thankful for it. Heck, I even have such a great boss that he has offered to let me have every Wednesday morning off during golf season (and not charge it against my sick leave or vacation time) as I will be working every Friday by myself. He's the boss, he definitely didn't have to offer that, but he did 'cuz he's cool like that = ) But nothing compares to spending my days with my kiddos and watching them learn and grow and just be awesome. Oh well, enough of that, let's get back to another day of adventure!

Getting ready for the excitement ahead. Of course we can't leave the house without our trusty pirate sword and favorite 'copter. That just wouldn't be kosher!

We started the day off with a trip to the Museum of Natural History which is located on the KU Campus. First let it be noted, we have not ventured here before because I always, and I mean always, get lost on KU campus. Heck, I even worked at a bookstore there for a couple of years and still get lost. Well, true to form, I got us lost on our way today. I tried to be prepared and printed off directions and a map, but of course, left them on the table at home. Luckily a very sweet and understanding lady at an info booth guided me in the right direction and we were gung ho from there!

Before we got to the museum, we had to park in a parking garage. Typically this is nothing of note, but this particular garage had a huge elevator with a glass wall where you could see the outside while you are travelling up and down. Pure joy for Riley who loves elevators anyway. Pure terror for Gage who is less than fond of them. Unluckily for him, we rode in several elevators throughout the day as the museum has 6 floors and with 2 toddlers and a bum ankle the stairs got bypassed a couple of times. It did not get easier as one would hope. Thankfully the boys fully enjoyed the exhibits which hopefully erased the dreaded elevator rides from Gage's memory.

Checking out one of the Jayhawk statues. Hope it was okay that the boys climbed on up!

Gage's turn.

Entering the Museum. We do nothing the easy way. We must climb and conquer!

One of many interesting fossils.

This was a huge tunnel that depicted what it's like to be a worm. That's grass and dandelions above. Riley is sticking his head out of a wormhole. The stringy stuff below is supposed to be roots in the ground. You can't see it here, but there was also a huge stuffed worm inside as well. Fun!

Checking out a suspended dinosaur.

A better view. Neat, huh?

Some more bones.

From here we headed home and had a nice lunch with daddy. Then all 3 of us took a nap in mommy's bed. There's not much better than laying in bed in the middle of the afternoon with the windows wide open, listening to the birds chirp and your sons snore while you doze off for a little catnap = )

After we awoke from our slumber, we headed out for some ice cream and another afternoon at the park. Yay! What a perfect day!

You can't see it here, but there was a girl about 6-7 years old that was a bit of a bully around the park. Gage was just up there checking out the view before sliding down when she came up behind him and said, "You're a baby. You can't go down here. Move." Well, my little feisty boy did not take this lightly and replied, "No! You stop it! I no baby! My turn!" The girl turned around and went elsewhere. Well, I guess I don't have to worry about him being bullied. He didn't care how old or big she was, he's not going to take any guff from anyone! Love it~

Getting ready to go down the slide. A sweet smile of anticipation.

My red-headed angel Gage, don't you just love that face?!

Wow, here's a crazy "I'm hopped up on sugar and adrenaline" face!

Watch out world, here comes Riley!

Gager climbing what he called the "Fireman Ladder."
After all of this playing, we headed down to see the beloved black train to nowhere that we pass by every day. The boys were so excited to go in this train and got their little hearts broken. You see, you used to be able to go into a small compartment at the front of the engine and see the inner workings of the locomotive. We actually checked it out last fall. At that time we also stumbled upon some drug paraphanelia and what looked like a "transient's" belongings. I'm sure this type of stuff is why my little boys no longer get to enjoy the thrill of being inside this cool landmark. That makes me sad. But, they survived after I wiped their tears away and they enjoyed the view from outside the fence.

After this great journey we did the usual and headed home to fix dinner for daddy. We had a fun picnic in the backyard and soaked up the last rays of the sun. While we were eating, this lovely dove decided to stop by and snack at our birdfeeder. Just wanted to share this pic.

The forecast is calling for rain tomorrow. We'll have to see what kind of fun we rustle up under the roof. I'm so looking forward to it = )

Week O' Fun: Days 1 and 2

So, this is the week our beloved daycare provider is taking a much needed vacation. Her first since we've been with her in 2 years. So far, so good. Actually, so far, so great! Seriously, we need to win the lottery so we could do this kind of stuff every day. We are having so much fun!!

Getting ready for the adventure!

Monday was Corey's day to hang with the rugrats. Unfortunately, I forgot to remind him to document his every move with the camera (just kidding -- I just had to throw that in there since I've been accused of it!), so, anyhow there are no pics. But, they had a glorious day just the same. They began their journey by taking the dogs for a hike at the dog park -- always a favorite for all involved. However, with all of the rain we've had recently, several areas of the park were more marsh than hiking area. Thankfully Corey had the good sense to bring the wagon along -- although it provided him with more of a workout than he'd anticpated with pulling the kiddos through the muck, mush, and thigh-high grass in some areas. What a good daddy!

After lunch and naps the crew headed to the Topeka Zoo. Need I say more? Probably not, but I will = ) Riley and Gage LOVED seeing all of the animals up close and personal. Their favorite were the tigers. Although Corey said that one of the beasts stood oh so still and stared them down like they were chicken nuggets. Creepy, but probably a fairly accurate assessment. Thankfully they escaped the zoo unharmed. Well, almost. Riley took a tumble and ended up with a pretty significant raspberry on one knee. But, he'll live = )

So, Tuesday was my first day with the boys -- and boy, was it awesome! We started out the day with trip to the library. This was the first time I had been brave enough to take them there. If you know my boys, being quiet isn't exactly their forte. Anyhow, it went way better than expected. We had a great time while there and brought home 4 new books to enjoy. One of the lovely librarians even helped us find 2 super books all about dinosaurs! I don't know how she could have guessed that the boys like dinosaurs, well ... aside from the fact there were a couple on Gage's shirt, one on Riley's hat, and they both mentioned them at least 10 times while perusing the shelves = ) Oh yes, subtlety is thy name!

On the steps outside the library getting instructions to be quiet.

Gage wanted to "get in this rainbow." He did his best = )

After our lovely library visit, we headed to Prairie Park Nature Center. Let me tell you, if you live in Lawrence and haven't taken your children there, please do so! I had heard of the place before, but had never been there. My neighbor girl, Jamie suggested I take the boys there and I am so thankful! There had also been a big write up in the paper recently that the city was thinking of closing this place down due to budget cuts. I am so glad they did not, it would be a shame! It's a great place for little ones to learn and explore. Plus, it's free! Anyhow, that's my plug. Check it out and give them support. It's a great place for the community = )

Here we are arriving at the Prairie Park Nature Center. The boys are checking out some of the wildlife we might encounter on our nature walk.

Here is the Macaw, Biney (I believe.) He is beautiful. He also loves to shriek and scare people -- they even have a warning sign next to him. And boy oh boy, if he didn't shriek like crazy while we were just inches from him! It scared little Gage for a second. But, once he saw big bro giggling, he joined in as well.
Here's one of the exhibits that incorporates both live and taxidermied animals. Gage had a long conversation with this oatie (coyote) including asking him to "Come here, I want to touch you!"
A beautiful bald eagle. It's really hard to grasp just how enormous they are until they're just feet from you. Amazing.
The boys at the beginning of our nature walk. Riley was going full throttle. He really needed to get some energy out!
Another part of the trail. The boys loved walking on the bridge over the "river."Can you see the concerned looks on the boys faces? Somewhere close there must be a construction site or rock quarry as you could hear large machinery working and every so often a loud crash. Gage was convinced it was dinosaurs and literally became frightened they were going to eat him. So scared in fact that mom had to carry him the remaining 1/2 mile of the trail! Poor little fella!!!!

After lunch and naps we headed to a "big park." Our backyard has now been deemed the "little park" since Corey installed the new swingset. Thus, any of the city parks are now deemed "big parks." So much fun as always. Although, Riley has me a little worried. He quickly made a "girlfriend" at the park. She was cute and fun, but definitely the most high-strung, loud and crazy of the bunch. He followed her around like a puppy dog. Oh goodness, not yet!

Climbing

Gage bossing someone around. He was Mr. Bossy-Boss at the playground telling everyone to "sit here" "not so loud" "you stop it" -- some of it was good, some of it not. We'll definitely need to watch that. Guess that's one thing he got from mommy that I wish he wouldn't have. Mommy should probably work on that, too = )~

Cheesing it up while swinging.

Well, that's about it. I'm exhausted, how about you? It was a superb day and I cannot wait to see what tomorrow brings. Take care!

Weekend with Mommy ....

Corey left Friday evening to help his brother work on his new house in Pratt. Soooo, this left the boys and I to our own devices for a whole weekend. We survived, although there were several instances where at least one of us mentioned that we missed daddy -- particularly Riley. I think he is making the transition from momma's boy to daddy's boy. I have so many mixed feelings about this. Too many for words. Anyhow, we all survived by finding numerous projects to fill our days ...

We took a trip to mommy's office to catch up on some work since my computer was out of commission most of friday afternoon. The boys loved this! Here's Riley putting an important date on the calendar (it was still on April, so he was extra thrilled he got to bring it home with him = )

Gage making an important busines call. There were several actually. Each basically consisted of this, "Hello Gwamma. Good Bye." "Hello Papa. Good Bye." Yep, he's a talker!

After a tough morning of work we went to purchase some flowers for the backyard. I had actually scoped out 3 different types that I wanted to create a staggered height arrangement with in a planter the day before. However, when we arrived at the store all of the flowers were arranged in different spots than they were previously. The boys were constantly off in separate directions -- no matter how many threats mommy doled out, so I changed my plans and ended up going with 3 different colors of the same variety instead of hunting down my previous selections. The boys had a lot of fun helping with the plantings and I think it turned out ok. We might try something different next year, but mommy will definitely have to do the shopping by herself or have daddy there to help wrangle the rascals!

Here's Riley watering the Petunias. He was such a good little apprentice helping pat the dirt down around each flower. Gage's favorite part was helping dig the holes, but as you can see, once the digging was over, he was outta there!

After the flowers were taken care of we ventured to the Pet Store for some adventure. We spent almost an hour in there! The boys have decided they need a Bearded Dragon, a Corn Snake, a Macaw, a Gerbil and some Nemo's (clownfish.) Well, obviously, this is not going to happen. But, maybe, just maybe, they might get a fish this week. We'll see ....

From there we spent the rest of the time at home hanging out in the backyard, cooking, making snakes with clay, destroying and reconstructing puzzles, and watching cartoons. Some pretty good times for sure!

Here are the boys standing on their race car as if they just won a Nascar race.

Riley is even saying Number One as I take this photo. What cheeseballs!

I wish I would have had the camera ready when Corey arrived home late Sunday afternoon. The boys expressions were priceless. They were so happy to see their daddy! But, poor Corey, he was not only bombarded with love and hugs, but before he could even set his bags down the boys tried to tell them all about their weekend ... at the same time ... at about 100 decibles. Whoa. It was a lot to take in, but he did it with perfect dad style = )

Gloria is on a much needed vacation this week, so Corey and I are going to get some really great bonding time with the boys. Corey is home with this them Monday and I will be the rest of the week. Should be fun! We have tons of things planned --- looking forward to sharing! Take care and wish us a great week = )

Journey to the Center of ...

Well, last week was a journey on a bunch of different levels. New and exciting stuff everyday! Here are just a few of our journeys ....

Journey to the Center of Kansas - We traveled to Claflin to attend my lovely cousin Laura's baby shower. It was wonderful to visit with all of the family and to see Laura just beaming with joy. She is gonna make such a great mommma! Little baby Charlee Clare is adorable and couldn't be more loved! We also celebrated Corey's Grandmother's Birthday in McPherson. Well, I say "we" but Corey and the boys actually celebrated as I didn't get back from the shower until the end of the party. But, the boys had a great time playing with their cousins and extended cousins as well as entertaining the adults. Riley especially liked cruising around the farm in Marilyn and Vern's golf cart, while Gage apparantly was his comical little self and ate up being the center of attention = ) Unfortunately, we don't have any pictures of this since I had the camera with me. Next time!

sweet, sweet baby

some laughs with gwamma and papa soukup

Journey to the Center of the Potty - Riley is now officially in big boy underwear during all waking hours. He is getting to be a pro at making pee in the potty and often does so on his own without a reminder (especially first thing in the morning!) There have been a few wet accidents that typically occur when he is outside playing and doesn't have time to -- or forgets to -- stop playing and go inside to relieve himself. These can be forgiven. However, he is being very stubborn about making #2 in the potty. He will hold it and wait until nap time (when he is in a pull-up) to do his duty. He has also made poo in his big boy pants a couple of times. I'm at a loss. He knows how to make poo on the potty, he is just refusing to do so and it is about snap my fragile, but still hanging on sanity. Wish us both luck with this final potty-training step before I break!

a peek at the big boy pants due to some major saggage

Journey to the Center of Riley's Memory - Before books and bedtime, we usually let the boys pick out a program or video to watch to help them wind down from their jam-packed days. Last night they picked the cartoon "Penguins of Madagascar." Funny show if you've never seen it. We've actually only caught a couple of episodes, with the one that was about to start being one we saw a few weeks ago. Corey surmised this from the title and title page that showed several sets of little red eyes peering out from darkness. Immediately after Corey stated , "This is a rerun." Riley jumped in and said, "Oh yes. This is where they have sticky tongues and go 'slurp, slurp' and pick up all the animals. And have a party!" What? How can he remember such explicit details about a show he's seen only once, several weeks ago and he cannot remember to poop in the potty? I believe selective memory is the correct term. One more trait he has in common with his daddy ; )

father and son

Journey to the Center of the Dogs - I sooo wish I had a before pic to compare with this after pic. Our Golden Retrievers are outdoor dogs and they grow extremely thick, long and heavy undercoats during the cold winter months. One of my favorite parts of Spring is when the weather is finally warm enough on a consistent basis that the girls can get their hair cut. See those tails? Imagine that, plus some, all over their bodies. Yep, they needed a trim. Aren't they just so pretty?

Ahhh, my lovely Gracie and Katie = )

Journey to the Center of the Earth - I had never seen this show before, nor did I have much desire to, but Corey has been wanting to see it for a while -- he's a big Brendan Frazier fan. Anyhow, he turned it on Sunday afternoon and the boys plopped down with him in his recliner and nobody moved for almost the entire 2 hour show! Miracles do happen! The boys loved all of the adventure and action just as much as their daddy did. Too cute - wish I had a pic!

There were many more journeys I'd love to share, but I'm out of time and brain power right now, so those will have to wait for another day. Take care!

2 Year Check-Up

Well, little Gage had his 2 year check-up the other day and guess what? He's perfect! Yeah, like we didn't already know that = ) He's a whopping 35" tall (69th percentile -- give or take, you know this boy can't stand still long enough to get an accurate reading!) and 28.6 pounds (53rd percentile -- the 0.6 pounds may be from all the candy the nurse gave him to bribe him to stay on the scale until it could complete the weighing process.)

I did ask the doctor what she thought about his little turned in, pigeon-toed feet. After a thorough examination of his legs and feet (that little Gager was all too happy to comply with for the cost of a pack of Smarties) she said it didn't appear there is anything to worry about right now. There's some slight bend in his tibias, but nothing that is too out of range for his age. So, hopefully, he will just grow out of this like his big bro did. If they're still this turned in a year from now, she said we may want to look at having an orthopedic doc check him out then.

Gage also put up a little struggle when the doctor wanted to listen to his heart, but nothing like the animalistic lash-out that Riley displayed. Thank heavens! He even did pretty well when he got his shot. There were some very dirty looks and a couple of tears shed, but once the nurse let him pick out his sucker (he took 2, of course,) he was fine. He even told everyone thank you when we were leaving. He is such a sugar baby. Literally and figuratively = )