My Three Men

Winter

2011-01-01T19:17:00.000-08:00

So, the holidays have come and gone. We had a wonderful holiday with the boys, they got so many awesome gifts. Owen's favorites are his digital camera, work bench with real wood and real tools and his train. Peyton's favorite is his train of course. And the digital camera he guesses. Chris and I had such a wonderful time watching the boys open their presents and their eyes just lit up when they came downstairs and saw all the packages. December has been a very busy month for us, in addition to to Christmas. Chris's 8th grade girls basketball team went to state and won again this year. This is the 2nd time in two years...they won last year as 7th graders. We are so proud of the girls and they did awesome! The boys absolutely were in heaven with the girls and the trophy and medals they got to have. They were just so excited to be there in the middle of it all! We also had our family pictures done this past November, they turned out awesome! I have posted some pics of our last few months.

That is about it from our house hold for the winter.. we had a wonderful 2010 and are looking forward to 2011.

Fall is here!

2010-11-09T10:36:00.000-08:00

Fall is finally here and almost gone. I cannot believe it. Soccer is over, the boys loved it and did great. Our team was awesome and everyone on the team had a great team! With the changing leaves come busy nights for Chris, his basketball season is in full swing. His team has only lost one game and is gearing up for the Regional and State Tournaments. Last year, this team won state, so this year hopefully will be no different. The boys love to go watch the girls play and they love acting like they are basketball girls while they are at home. They always have a basketball or football jersey on. The boys are loving school, they are learning so much and really love to go to school everyday. We have also signed the boys up for Tumbling in Hillsboro. They really love tumbling and are pretty good. They have only had 3 lessons and Owen is already doing a pretty good cartwheel!

I did spend some time in the hospital this fall already, just 3 days and I was on IV antibiotics for 3 weeks to get rid of the infection that I had. I am better, not great, but feeling better than I did. Lets hope that that is my only hospital stay this fall!

I have been subbing at the schools a little bit these past 2 months and its so much fun! I love interacting with the kids and Chris especially loves having me in the middle school! Just ask him!

So that about sums up our last few months. Time really gets away from me, even though I am not working and am less busy than I used to be.

Update Finally!

2010-08-24T06:41:00.000-07:00

So I have not updated this blog in a long time. Since I have posted, so many things have gone on. I have quit working as of May 31. It was bittersweet, but I am glad I chose to stay home with the boys. They have started kindergarten and love it. They are getting used to getting up early and getting out the door by 8 am. They love their teacher, Mrs. Niemann, she is wonderful! Owen was leader yesterday and Peyton is leader today. They love to help in the classroom and at home so that is right up their alley. We had a great summer. We really did not go anywhere exciting or do anything exciting..the boys swam almost everyday, we have been taking care of our Golden doodle puppy, Winnie. She is a handful, but loving. She is still a puppy, but is very fun! The boys love taking care of her and being in charge of her! We went to Six Flags and the boys loved it! They rode rides, loved the water rides the best! We also visited Chicago at the end of summer, we visited Navy Pier, Sears Tower, Shedd Aquarium, The Museum of Science and Industry. The boys loved the museums. Navy Pier was packed, but the boys loved Bubba Gump Shrimp Company. We took the Amtrak up there from Springfield. It was awesome! The train was so much fun and the boys loved it! We took cabs all over the city and the boys thought that was very cool.

School is back in full force. Chris starts basketball next week, so the nights will get crazy around here! I have loved being home and doing things around the house. Now that everyone is at school, its much easier to get things done here. I am looking forward to fall and football season! The boys are pumped to go to the football games! That's about it from here, talk to everyone when the leaves turn red and orange!

Mothers Day

2010-04-21T06:54:00.000-07:00

Mothers Day is right around the corner. I am posting this picture to show one of my most proud moments in the early days of my boys' lives. The was one of the first times I was able to hold them in the hospital. I cannot explain the joy I felt being able to hold them and not have all the wires attached.

Hope you all enjoy this picture as much as I do

Where has the time gone?

2010-04-19T09:16:00.001-07:00

As I sit here at work, I am thinking that in about 6 weeks I will be done working.. I only have about 6 weeks left of work. The thought is exciting and scary at the same time. I am so happy to be home with the boys all summer and to spend the time at home doing things that I have neglected. Working full time, or more than full time at my job and then coming home to fix dinner, give baths and do bedtime stuff, leaves little or no time for extra things. Weekends are spent mowing the yard, laundry, cleaning the house deeper than I do throughout the week, cleaning rooms, stripping beds and playing outside in the nice weather. With Chris and I both working, there is not much time for starting a house project or organizing the kitchen or bathroom cabinets. I cannot wait for the time when I don't have to finish things before the weekend is over and the I cannot wait for the time when we are not rushing around the house at 6:30 am trying to get out before 7. I cannot wait for the days when the boys can sleep in until 7 and we don't have to rush all over. I cannot wait until the day when I can take them to school and pick them up. The boys and I are so excited. Of course, I do plan to sub if I am asked and feeling good and my mom and I are doing great on our Etsy Account...
Check it out if you like antiques or cool stuff for the house.
http://www.etsy.com/shop/mbaugher
So, the countdown in our house has begun...we have really no summer plans, except to use our Knights Action Park season passes that we got this year. I want to paint my bathroom and the furniture in it and Chris wants to put in new basement windows. We worked over the weekend on getting our new basketball system installed, we have the concrete poured and will try to get the rest up this weekend..
So, I have updated my blog finally... I will see you all again in the summer!
Have a wonderful Spring!

Holidays and SPORTS

2010-01-04T10:59:00.000-08:00

We hope that everyone had a wonderful holiday and enjoyed the time spent with family. We are so fortunate to have such a wonderful family to share the holidays with. Our entire family so blessed. The boys had an amazing Christmas, thanks to all of our families. They received tractors, planters, a combine, a Nintendo DS, tumbling mat, football uniforms and many other great presents. In addition to all the Christmas excitement, the boys have begun to become VERY intersted in sports. This is not due to any encouragement on Chris's part (he wanted me to add that in there). The boys have become obsessed with basketball and football. On any given night, the boys attire goes from a basketball practice jersey and Chris's basketball shoes to a football uniform and helmet. They usually change 3 or 4 times throughout the evening. Owen loves to dribble the basketball and then change into his football uniform and play football. Peyton does as well, but he is not quite as serious as Owen. I will be posting pictures of this soon. It is really entertaining for Chris and I to watch. This is going to be a short blog this week...I will post pictures tomorrow I hope. We hope that everyone had a wondeful Christmas season with their families and again..we are so very blessed!

Its been a long time.....

2009-12-02T09:52:00.000-08:00

I am sorry that I have not done this in a while..it just seems like time just gets away from us. We have been keeping busy these past few months. We have had Halloween, the boys dressed as a dragon and a crocodile. They absolutely loved drssing up and getting candy. It was so much fun this year. We also had a hayride at my parent's house in October. We invited lots of people and it was a great time of family and friends. At the end we had a hayride..it was a lot of fun. The weather held up and it was not too cold for the hayride.

We have come right into the holiday season so quickly this year. The boys are super excited for Christmas. We put our tree up last weekend, the boys helped and had such a great time doing it. Chris put up the lights outside the house and the boys helped with that as well. We also painted our living room a few weekends back. My brother and sister came over and helped up the whole weekend. We were able to complete it in 2 days..it was such a relief to have it all back together before the Christmas Tree went up. The room looks great and I will post pictures as soon as I take some.

Thanksgiving was a blast this year. We had it at my mom's house. Our family and Chris's family went to my mom's house this year.. it was much easier and less hectic for us to only have to go to one house to eat. Everyone had a wonderful time and it was a time to be together and enjoy each others company.

We have been keeping super busy with basketball and the boys swimming....Chris has been having games 3 nights a week and practices 5 nights a week. This leaves me and the boys at home a lot...so we have been frequenting Fusion quite a bit. Owen has actually learned to swim underwater and that is all he does now... he get into the area where he can touch and just swims under water.. getting rings and everything. Peyton is still a bit hesitant to go under.. he hates the water in his face and has a hard time with it still . He will catch on eventually..it will come with time.

So, that is pretty much our last few months in a nutshell. We have been super busy and it will continue as the holiday season nears. We are so ready for Christmas this year.. the boys are super excited and Owen wants Santa to wake him up so he can hug him. Its so cute!

Here are just a few pictures that we have compiled over the past 2 months.. I will post more as I take them.. spec. of the living room and tree!

From our house to yours: Have a very Merry Christmas and a blessed New Year!

Pictures

2009-10-07T07:33:00.001-07:00

In case anyone has noticed, I have put up new pictures on the blog...I know, they are great aren't they? THey were taken by Stella Turner..she is a wonderful photographer, friend and she is also our babysitter. If you have small kids, or want to have a family photo taken, please call or email her. Her prices are the most reasonable around Litchfield and she does wonders with kids... just look at my kids pics...I cannot get them to pose like that at Sears when we take them!
here is her email if you want to schedule a fall picture or winter christmas card picture!
stella_72@hotmail.com - email
here are her rates for pictures as well...she is very reasonable and does a wonderful job!

4x6 Proof…….. 50 cents each

5x7 …………….. $4.00 or 2 for $7.50

8x10 …………… $7.00 or 2 for 13.00

11x14 …………. $11.00 each

12 Wallets …… $5.00

24 Wallets …… $8.50

www.facebook.com/home.php?#/stella.t.photography

Thank you Stella for great pictures!!

Our blessings

2009-09-23T07:50:00.000-07:00

As I type this, I am sitting in the hospital hoping that I can go home today. I have been here since Saturday afternoon. I got my PICC line put in on Thursday so that I could do antibiotics for 3 weeks at home. I was doing well, very tired from the stress of it, but it was tolerable. Saturday was our yard sale, we got finished with that and my arm started to hurt, not just sore, but ached. I knew that I knew I had had this before and I figured it was a blood clot. I sat down and rested a bit thinking it would go away..it did not, it only got worse. So, for those that know me, I don't like to go to the ER, I would rather wait until Monday and go the my doctor. I called the doctor and he said I needed to go to the ER. I got up there about 5 and my sister met us up there to be with the boys. After a couple hours and about 5 diff. tests, they determined I have a blood clot. BIg surprise! So I waited until about 1 am to get a room. It was determined the next day that I would need to get a port put in. This will go under the skin in my chest and I will get my meds taht way. The port will be able to be kept in for a long period of time and will have a very slight chance of blood clots. I was prepped for the minor surgery on monday..Monday rolled around and the surgery was cancelled, my blood was too thin to do the surgery...so yesterday was the day. I went in about 10 am and was back in my room by 1 pm. Chris came up for it. I think that he was more nervous than I was..not really i was pretty jumpy! I am used to many diff. medical things, but this was something new and I did not know what to expect. So all went well, the port is in and I am, to say the least very sore! I did not sleep much last night, my chest and neck are very sore, from all the manipulation and I am finally getting some stronger pain medications. Hopefully I can sleep better tonight.
The title of my post is to express my gratitude and to share with everyone the blessings in my life. First, my family. Chris has been up here with me everyday..he goes home, makes supper, cleans the house and get the boys ready for bed. He is such a wonderful husband and there are many times that I do not thank him enough. He is truly one of a kind. He came into our relatinoship knowing what baggage I had, but he has truly stepped up the plate when things get rough adn I am not at home...
My kids have been wonderful through all this...they are helping daddy and picking up their toys and are being such angels. I know that they are so scared when I am not there, wondering where I am and when I am coming home...they are so strong and brave and never fail to melt my heart when they call me..
My mom has been a godsend through this, she is there to help with the boys, clean my house and to help me when I am home and not able to do much. It is very hard for me not to do things around the house, I usually do too much...my mom is there to help me to sit and not do too much...
Thank you all for all you have given me adn for sticking with me through all the ups and downs...you are all truly angels and I thank God for you everyday!!
Hopefully my next post will be from home!

Fall is upon us

2009-09-09T09:19:00.000-07:00

This blog will come in two parts...I don't have my camera to post any pictures, but I will do the writing now and post pictures when I can find my USB cord to my camera.. I am convinced my children have something to do with it missing.. Fall is definetly upon us. Football games have begun on Friday nights..that is where you will find us on Friday nights. The timber and pond have been calling out names on Saturdays..we are going out there, cutting firewood, clearing brush, cooking hotdogs and doing a little fishing. Chris has finally said he does not want to see another hot dog for a very long time. Fall for us is a busy time. Chris is in full swing with school, basketball has begun which means many late nights and the boys are finally settled into a routine. Along with all this come my illness. Fall is historically a very rough time for me, health-wise. I am usually in the hospital one or two times during the fall. This is when infections sprout (the flu and pneumonia get the best of me every year). Because I am in the hospital, fall is especially hard on Chris. I know we all say this but, my husband truly is a saint. When I am healthy and at home, we usually split the work around the house 50/50. We are a very good team. We always have been. We really have had to be a team from the day our boys were born. There were always two of them, so both of us were always busy and all the childcare responsibilities were split 50/50. But..when I am sick...poor Chris has to take on all the household and childcare responsibilties by himself. I am not there to help. He has to work, be home with the boys and do all the nightly routines and morning routines and on top of that, always manages to have the house spotless when I get home. He is truly a saint. So, fall is coming, that means I have gotten out many of my fall decorations and am ready for pumpkins and planting mums.. I hope to do this this weekend. I am now ready for the cool weather...I will have pics up tomorrow I hope, once I can find my cord to down load pictures. Until then...everyone have a great week!

Halloween

2009-09-04T07:37:00.000-07:00

So we have been discussing Halloween. Last year the boys did not want to dress up..they got dresed up and ended up just wearing black and we only go to a few houses.. they love getting candy and doing it, but its exhausting for their parents. So this year, I asked them what they wanted to be and Peyton told me a witch. Owen said he wanted to be a crocodile ( no big surprise here, he is infactuated with crocodiles). Last night in the car I asked again what everyone wanted to be..Peyton said witch again.. owen said,"Mom, I want to be God."
The boys are very interested in God. We don't go to church on a regular basis, but we do talk about God and heaven a lot at home. We have many books that are toddler oriented about heaven and God and we read them a lot. The boys are always talking about God adn that is a good thing. They know enough about him at their age..I feel. They know the importance of God and the important things that he is about...and that is all they can comprehend at the age of 4.

School days...school days

2009-08-24T12:24:00.002-07:00

So the first day of school has come and gone. The boys did great and did not even cry this year. Much smoother than last year I have to say. The boys have the same teachers as last year. I am saddened as they enter their 2nd year of preschool. I know that they are growing up just like every other child in the world does and they are going to school like everyone does eventually, but its hard for me to comprehend that next year they will be in school all day! I know that they love going to school, but not is only for 2.5 hours..next year it will be all day. Its just had to believe. Perhaps as this school year goes on..it will be easier for me to realize that they are growing up. Owen asked me the other day if when he gets bigger can he drive his dozer to Caseys and put gas in it...I said sure...you can ride it to Casey's now if you want on our walks...of course you cannot put gas in it, but you can ride it to Caseys..that is going to be on our list for this week I have a feeling.
Peyton missed the 2nd day of school on Friday. He came down with Croup on Thursday night and by Friday early morning he was having a hard time breathing. So I took him to the dr. to get more meds for breathing treatments for both he and Owen. Wouldn't you know it, Friday night...Owen came down with it as well. This morning we got up and did our breathing treatments and seemed much better. Nothing like missing the 2nd day of school to start off the school year right!

2009-08-24T12:24:00.001-07:00

Before I go...

2009-08-18T12:06:00.001-07:00

I cannot close today without commenting on the boys birthday. Owen and Peyton turned 4 on August 1. We had a pool party for them on Friday, July 31 at the Litchfield Memorial Pool. If anyone has a child with a birthday in the summer.. I suggest that you check out the pool for a birthday party. Its perfect for little ones and also for big kids (diving boards and the deep end for those advanced swimmers). The party was wonderful..everyone had a great time and it was big enough that everyone had their own space in the pool and yet could socialize at the same time. The boys got so many great toys and I just want to thank all who came and who helped..we appreciate you helping us celebrate two very special little boys!

Summer is officially over

2009-08-18T11:19:00.000-07:00

Yes, you heard me...Summer is officially over in the Baugher house. Chris has headed back to work and the boys start their 2nd year of preschool ( I can hardly believe it myself). Our last week of summer was spent on vacation. We started out in Sandusky Ohio, at the Great Wolf Lodge...waht a place! It came complete with a waterpark for the boys to enjoy. Boy did they enjoy it...they absolutely loved it! We ate on Lake Erie the first night and the next day hopped a jet boat to Put-in-Bay, an island about 40 minutes from Sandusky. It is a small island and it full of shops, restuaurants and places to see and visit. We rented a golf cart for the day and carted around the island the entire day. We headed to Pennsylvania the next day, with a stop in Pittsburgh. We visited the Carnagie Science Center and rode up an incline to the top of Mt. Washington where we could see the whole city..very nice! We then headed to Hershey, PA. After some nervewracking hotel problems, we finally got settled and visited Hershey Park. We toured the Chocolate factory, watched a 3-D presentation about Mr. Hershey and participated in a chocolate tasting. What a full day!! On Thursday, we got up and headed to Lancaster. We rode a steam train through Amish Country and visited the Pennsylvania Train Museum. We ended the day at Dutch Wonderland. This was the highlight of our trip, that's for sure! Dutch Wonderland is a wonderful place for little kids. They have tons of kid rides and family friendly rides where parents go on the rides wtih the kids. The boys especially loved the airplane, log flume and the frog hopper (which they asked to take home the back yard). We watched a dive show as well, Owen absolutely loved it...
Friday we packed up and headed home. Ugh! I am tired just talking about it all .

We are back to reality this week..boys at Stella's, Chris and I at work...but its the life we love
Looking forward to Old Settlers this week and Chris's class reunion on Saturday (15 years)

Chris starts basketball next week and the boys start swimming lessons in October at Fusion..should be a great fall!
Pictures will be up soon!

Fun Times

2009-07-28T11:54:00.000-07:00

This past weekend was filled with fun. Friday, I took off a half day and Chris and the boys came up to Springfield. We went to the IL State Museum, which is right here where I work. Then we headed over to the Henson Robinson Zoo. I have to say that the weather has been so beautiful these past few weeks...but, Friday was a bit warm. We had a blast at the zoo.. the boys loved watching all the animals and our favorite part is that its never crowded. The boys are free to run ahead and look at the animals. The animals are not as exciting as some of the larger zoos, but for us its perfect.

On Saturday we got up late, had breakfast and headed to Nana and Papa's house to work on fence and to swim in the pool. The boys had a blast and loved helping Papa. Owen's game plan is that the dirtier that you get, the harder you are working. He loves to have his hands dirty, just like Papa. Saturday night we decided to camp out in front of my parents house. The night was beautiful and cool and we had gotten my parents a tent for Fathers Day. We got all set up, got some padding under the tent, our blankets and pillows and settled in for the night. Papa and the Boys fell asleep quickly...Chris and I however, did not. At midnight we decided that we had to go home.. the ground was just too hard for us. We are not much for the camping life. We loaded up the boys and headed home,where we slept like babies.

Monday, we had a playdate planned with the Schwabs. They all came over, we played ball, rode cars around the driveway and played with tractors. After we had all played hard, we had banana splits. They were delicious! The boys sure thought so. I want to say to Ben, Jenny, Tug and Sam, we had a wonderful time with you all. We are looking forward to doing it again real soon!!

Tonight, we are getting haircuts for the boys and hanging out at home..nothing too exciting!

Long time...

2009-07-20T10:53:00.001-07:00

It has been a long time since I have blogged on here. Partly due to my job.. we have been super busy at work settling the budget and partly because I have been feeling a little under the weather. Work is finally quiet again and I am starting to feel more like myself (thanks to IV antibiotics). Blastball is over, the boys birthday is in 2 weeks, we finally have settled on a family vacation spot and date (which had to be postponed, due to me getting sick). Blastball turned out to be a huge success. All of the kids loved it..We handed out trophies at the last game, which turned out to be a make up game from earlier in the season. The weather was just beautiful and the kids really enjoyed it.

We have picked a date for the boys birthday party, they decided that they want to have a pool party at the city pool. After having a blast at Kylie's party, we decided to reserve the pool for their party. I cannot believe my babies are going to be 4 already. They have grown up so much just in the past year. Just this past weekend I took the boys to their first birthday party where I actually leave them there...ugh! It just killed me.. but they were ok with it and loved it. We have come so far in the last 4 years. The boys love to watch themselves as babies and just think it is so funny what they do. We have a lot of video from when they were in the NICU and they just don't understand it yet..but they still love to watch themselves. I think that I fall in love with these little guys more and more each day! Didn't think it was possible to love something so much...but it is!

Chris's birthday is on Wednesday, he will be the big 34. Since the boys love birthdays..we are going to make a cake tonight and hopefully go shopping for something for Daddy..Someone once told me that it is important to take your children along for the purchasing of cards for your spouse..it shows your kids the importance of it...I totally agree!

On a lighter note..we have decided on a vacation spot ( 2 actually). We are going to Sandusky, Ohio for 2 days and staying at the Great Wolf Lodge. There is a water park inside the resort and many fun things for the kids to do. We will be there for 2 days, then we are driving to Pennsylvania to Hershey. We are staying there for 2 days and then taking our time driving back... We are very excited to just explore and not have to rush around...it will be refreshing.
Thanks to all who gave me many ideas for vacation!!

The boys enjoying the "game" or the fence at the game

The team getting ready to get their trophies

A typical inning in a blastball game

Peyton getting ready to bat

Owen just getting done batting

Happy Fathers Day!

2009-06-22T09:08:00.000-07:00

This Fathers Day weekend was wonderful. It makes me think of how lucky Chris and I are to have two wonderful, healthy boys and to have each other. This years Fathers Day also happened to fall on our anniversary. We started out the weekend on Friday, I was off work. The boys went to the dentist in the morning. It was their first dentist appointment. They did awesome! Dr. Shafer said their teeth looked great and had plenty of spacing. Peyton did wonderful..he said it did not hurt and loved his Spongebob toothbrush and toothpaste. Owen did great too, but he had a bit of a crying fit and was not too happy. Eventually he calmed down and he was given a clean bill of dental health! Friday after the dentist we went and had Chinese (our favorite) and went home and got into the pool for a couple hours. My kids just love the water and I think that Owen is partly a fish! After swimming for a bit, Chris and I got ready and took the boys to my parents for the night. We went to St. Louis to the Fox Theater and saw Bill Engvall and Frank Caliendro (the guy that does all voices). They were hilarious. We had a wonderful time and really enjoyed the night out. Saturday was another pool day and we took Chris's dad out for dinner for Fathers Day. We went to Cracker Barrel in Troy and made it home just in time for the rain..or downpour. We drove right into it on the way home and it looked scary! After the storm, the boys decided that they had not had enough pool time and decided to go outside and run up and down the sidewalk ( I will post pictures tomorrow). They were actually laying in the water that had gathered on the sidewalks and were "swimming" in the water. It was just hilarious. Sunday was Fathers Day and our annivrsary. The boys gave Chris their cards that they made themselves. I will post pics of these as well. We went to Hillsboro and had breakfast with Chris's dad and then came home to get ready to celebrate Fathers Day with my family. We had a great fathers day, swimming, dinner and banana split party! Last night when we were getting ready for bed..the boys were exhausted. Peyton was playing with his train on the floor and owen was laying down I told Peyton it was time for bed and he just looked at me and put his hands up and said, "I can'ttttt.....I am playing..." I told him to take the train with him. He laid down and asked for a blanket and I told him he can reach it and he said again, "I can'ttttt....my hands are full" Where do kids get this stuff! I could not help but laugh. So, our weekend was great...lots of rain (please stop rain) but it was great! I will post pictures tomorrow.

Peyton in the water

The boys in the water ( I think they are desperate for a pool)!

The boys again laying in the water getting their hair wet and filthy!

Owen laying in the water

So far this summer..

2009-06-17T07:48:00.000-07:00

With all the craziness that is my job during the months of January - May...I really try to enjoy summer and devote it to my kids and husband. I try to take time off and spend it with the boys and do family things. We have done a few things so far this month. We went to Decatur to the Kids Museum (which was closed...note to all parents..they are closed on Mondays). We have gone to the Scovill Zoo in Decatur, the boys loved it and it was perfect size for us. They also have a massive playground right next the the zoo entrance, its packed with giant slide, climbing things and a trampoline. It is free and perfect for little kids! In addition to family outings, we are spending everynight outside in the fresh air. We have been fishing every weekend out at our pond and we all love it! Even me...I never thought I would. We just bought a fire pit and the boys love it! We have been cooking on it, having hot dogs and marshmallows. It is really fun on a cool summer night. We have many other things planned for this summer..hopefully we can get it all in. We have not nailed down a vacation spot yet, I guess I should work on that. We are thinking about Gulf Shores, Hershey Pennsylvania or Indianapolis. Hopefully we can make a decision soon.

Owen on the way to fish

Peyton at the pond

Peyton on the way to fish

The boys and Papa fishing in the rain

The boys at Scovill Zoo (Decatur)

Peyton getting ready to leave for the zoo

Help....I need advise

2009-05-30T14:42:00.000-07:00

You would think that this is some big emergency...don't panic...
I need some advice or personal experience on some vacation ideas with 3 year olds.
Chris and I are wanting to go on vacation with the boys....here are some ideas we have been throwing around.. please feel free to give me any ideas or warn me about any places you have not been happy with.
1. Pennsylvania (hershey factory, crayola factory...any more ideas)
2. Michigan (beach somewhere, don't really know much about the area)
3. Florida beach (not really sure, don't want to go too far south.)
4. any ideas you have..

We really don't want to fly anywhere, we'd rather drive. Its just too expensive to fly for all 4 of us.
We love to drive and stop place and not be rushed!
Thanks for any advice you have!!!
have a great weekend!

Pictures..finally!

2009-05-27T06:15:00.000-07:00

Here are some pictures from Graduation about 2 weeks ago! Everyone looked so nice! I just waned to share these with everyone. I am so proud of Chris...what a feat!

Blast!!!....ball

2009-05-19T12:43:00.000-07:00

The boys had their first blasball game on Monday. It was quite the experience. Fun and exhausting at the same time. I have determined that having 9 - three and four year olds on a field is almost too much. 6 would work much better. I have also determined.....since I am the expert already...gloves and hats are just a distraction to the kids and we really don't need or use them in blastball. Here are some pictures below of the game..just my kids of course and Daddy (one of the coaches). Owen and Peyton both did good, there was some arguing over who got to stop the ball and if they were going to bat or not..but in the end we went onto the field and batted all three innings..that is all I can ask for. I am curious to know how everyone else's games go! In addition to Monday's game, this past weekend was Chris's graduation from UIS with his Masters. He looked so cute in his gown and hood..I will post pictures once I download them..Saturday was spent in Springfield all day and Sunday we had his party. A very busy weekend!
I will post pictures shortly!

Finished pictures!

2009-05-11T06:38:00.001-07:00

Here are pictures of the hallway and our room

Finally, the upstairs is done.. I want to thank my wonderful husband for all his hard work on this project of mine! We both agree is looks awesome! An entire differnt upstairs. We painted, replaced carpet and knobs on the doors..its amazing what new knobs will do! Here are some finished pictures! Here are some pictures of the boys rooom

Thank you God...

2009-05-07T07:38:00.000-07:00

I just want to take a minute to thank God for keeping little Joshua Childers from Missouri safe and sound in the 50 hours he was missing over the last couple of days. I was so relieved when I heard they had found him.. Ugh...I cannot even imagine, it brings tears to my eyes...tears of joy for the family and the little boys, tear of terror..imagining if it were my boys..I cannot imagine what was going through that little boys's family's minds and hearts over the last 50 hours. As a mother and even if I was not a mother..I cannot imagine what I would do. It makes me think about how precious our children are and just how lucky I am to have 2 such wonderful and loving little boys!
Just wanted to say Thank you God!

Chores

2009-05-06T15:23:00.000-07:00

As the boys have gotten older, I have started giving them chores to do. For instance I have them set the table at dinner and the after the help clear it off. They use my swiffer vaccum to clean up messes under the table and are great helpers when it comes to organizing their toys...as I type this..I am seeing that I am a bit of a neurotic about cleanliness. Anyway, had to share a picture with everyone of Peyton's table setting the other night. He put each fork at the very end of the table and announced who was sitting where. Very funny! This is Peyton to a "T", he is very exact and a bit neurotic about things.. not sure where he gets that from.

Peyton has finished setting the table for dinner...

Here are some pictures of the room decorating as well.

Before and during:

The closet door before, with the old painted walls and carpet

The boys helping daddy take down the awful ceiling fan!The room again with the old paint and carpet

The new paint. The trim and carpet is not finished in this picture.

There have been some delays...but we are almost done!

2009-05-04T12:34:00.000-07:00

There have been some delays in the painting and the new carpet on the 2nd floor of our house..finally I can say that we are almost there. Wednesday is carpet day and we will have our house back to normal! I am so ready to have my upstairs office back and my bathroom as clean as I like it to be. I have to stop here and give kudos to my husband. God bless him...we have had some minor setbacks in the painting..I was in the hospital for 5 days and while I was in, Peyton has double pneumonia and Owen had strep throat. Chris was home with them the whole week adn still managed to get stuff done around the house in preparation for our carpet being laid. I don't tell him enough how much I love him and how lucky I am to be married to a man like him. I am doing that now. In our household...there are times when Chris is forced to be a single parent. These are the times that I am unexpectedly put into the hosptial for days on end. We don't know when I will be able to go home and Chris is left at home with the boys, his work, school and the house to keep up...I don't know how he does it...while he is home slaving away I am in hospital sleeping and having all my meals made for me...I don't know how he does it! But I love him to death for it and want to thank him for all he does to help me. He will never know how much he means to me.
Now, for the updates on the rooms. The painting is done. I am going to post pictures tomorrow I hope. The boys room is looking awesome and we are so ready to get the carpet in there so we can decorate it and put their new furniture and bed in the room. It is finally going to be their own room! The carpet is all pulled up and the furniture us all moved, except our bed, which we will move tomorrow night. We are ready to have our house back together. The upside with having to move all your furniture into one room is that you tend to get organized and downsize a bit. That is what I have been trying to do as we have had our upstairs torn up. I have organized all the boys clotehs into boxes for winter/summer. They are all ready to go into the drawers whenever the furniture is in place. I have organized all the closets upstairs and gone through the stuff in them. Its very cleansing and refreshing.
I want to take the time now to thank everyone that has helped up out while I have been in the hosptial. Everyone that made my family meals, my mom who cleaned my house for me and did some laundry so that I could rest, my sister and Chad who helped paint one weekend and for everyone else who helped us out! You all mean the world to me and I am very thankful to have such an awesome support system!
That is all from here..pics are on its way!
Have a great week!

Projects, projects

2009-04-14T08:18:00.000-07:00

We have decided to start some projects upstairs. We are getting new carpet, painting the hallway, the boys room and putting capet in our room, the boys room, the stairs and the hallway upstairs. It will be a lot of work, but well worth it in the end. I would have loved to have done this before we moved it, but that was not possible. The boys are excited about their room. We are going with a woodland/camping theme. We painted the ceiling last night, three coats...actually my wonderful husband painted the ceiling..I love you honey!
We are going to make a final decision on paint this week and start painting the room this weekend I hope. I will post pictures as the rooms progress. Wish us luck!!

Train...check!

2009-04-13T08:36:00.000-07:00

Last Thursday, Chris and I took the boys on their first Train Ride. We took the Amtrak from Carlinville to Springfield, we then walked to my work and visited with many of my coworkers. Some of them had not seen the boys in a year or more. It was nice to catch up with everyone. The boys absolutely loved the train ride! It was about 45 minutes late and we were impatient. Here are some pictures of the boys waiting for the train!

The train finally came!

On the train at last...

The boys had a blast and we are already planning a train ride to Chicago this summer!

Anyone parents who has thought of doing this...its a blast! I am fortunate enough to be able to park at work at the capitol and just walk from the train station...but it was a very cheap trip and the boys loved it!

The Zoo..check!

2009-04-06T11:19:00.000-07:00

Here are some pictures from the Zoo this past weekend. The boys loved the animals. They were most excited about the train..we rode is about 4 times! The minute we got there, they wanted to see the crocs and the snakes. Funny I thought..I always wanted to see the monkeys and the gorillas. They were not that impressed with the monkey house. The elephants and the hippos were another favorite and the boys even got to feel elephant skin...it is kind of hairy if anyone is wondering!

we had a great day and the weather was so nice! We are planning another trip to St. Louis in two weeks...to the science center!

I will be posting more pics this weekend...we have an Amtrak ride scheduled for Thursday from Carlinville to Springfield. We are going to go to my work (the castle, the boys call it) and visit everyone that we have not seen for about 6 months. Then we'll pick up some stuff for the house and head home.. the boys are going to love it! I will have pictures this weekend!

More pictures from our checklist

2009-04-06T11:11:00.001-07:00

We decided to make cupcakes this weekend, the boys helped, they were sure a big help!

We are going to make chocolate ones next weekend!

Check, Check, Check

2009-04-06T10:56:00.000-07:00

So, I have begun to check things off my list that I made a few months back. I have been super busy at work and with session going late into the evenings..but we are on spring break for two weeks so it shoudl be some great family time and relaxation time...wait a minute...its me we are talking about...we are not relaxing..we have decided to paint the boys room and get them new carpet. We are going to begin this project this week on Friday and probably work on it next week and the next few weekends. We are also putting new carpet in our hallway upstairs and on our steps and in our bedroom. I am looking forward to the new look, but not all the work. My wonderful husband is great about doing these jobs for me. I know he hates to do all these house projects, but he lives with me and knows that I like to do projects. I will post pictures as the room progresses..
Wish us all luck!

My Husband

2009-03-03T11:14:00.000-08:00

I want to take this time to thank my husband from the bottom of my heart for being so couragous and responsive on Thursday night. I have begun exercising...which for me consists of running/walking about 1 1/2 miles every other night. I have really been trying to do some cardiovascular. Don't get me wrong..I don't usually sit down unless I am sick or about to go to sleep. I am one that is constanly doing something around the house, cleaning, playing, organinzing...I don't sit around. Anyway, I have begun exercising and have not adjusted my insulin to this new exercising. So, I went to bed at about 10 pm on Thursday night and woke (sort of) up at about 1 am and my husband was slapping me in the face and was on the phone with 911. I was having a diabetic seizure in my sleep and had actually passed out. My jerking and shaking on the bed woke him up and he realized what was happening. He got up and called 911 immediatly. They were there within 2 minutes. They did my blood sugar and it was 21. So they put an IV in and gave me some instant glucose. My sugar went from 21 to 267 in about 5 minutes. Once I was able to get up and walk I went down and was able to eat some cereal. We eventually fell asleep at about 3 am. It was a very tiring Friday.

So I want to say thank you to my husbandfor saving my life more or less. If he had not woken up and called 911, I would probably be in bad shape...coma or even death.

I am very very lucky to have such a great husband and support system at home and I love you all!

One of Our Finer Moments!

2009-03-03T09:09:00.000-08:00

May, 2007: This is not one of our better moments...but its a reality of raising two boys the exact same age..

I promise...

2009-02-25T11:28:00.000-08:00

On the way home from dinner last Sunday...Owen asked me to open up his "keetles" (skittles)..they were actually M&M's..anyway..he asked me to open up his M&M's that Grandpa had boughten him. I told him to just wait until we got home so that they were not all over the van. I said, "When we get home I will open them up." He responded by, "Promise mommy?" Wow! I was floored..after I quit laughing and reassured him that I promised that I would open them when we got home I began thinking about all the things I wanted my kids to experience and how much I have put off. Either I am too tired after work, we have other things going on, the weather is not nice out...whatever the excuse, I need to start on that list and crossing them off.
I decided to make a list of things that I want to do this spring/summer..lets start out slow here.
Here is what I have compiled so far..

1. I want to take the boys on a choo choo ride.. Even if its from Carlinville to Springfield, I want to do this this spring..perhaps during Spring Break

2. Go on a vacation this summer...fly perhaps. Am I crazy? Perhaps, but the boys would just love it

3. Start going on walks once the weather is nice. Allow the boys to wander and explore on the walk..take as long as they want

4. Get pictures of the family done..I need to talk to Stella about this

5. Have more playdates with Owen and Peyton's friends. We had one last weekend and all the kids had a blast

6. Go to the zoo.. I am curious how their perspective on the zoo will have changed since last year

7. Let the boys help me make cookies or a cake...really let them help..despite the mess we make! This may have to wait until nice weather!

8. Start planning for Christmas. We have decided this year to try to do something otehr than gifts. We have seriously talked in place of gifts, giving out our time to ourfamilies to help them accomplish something. I am hoping my family will do the same and we can do away with gifts, except a few for the boys. I hope this will teach the boys the true meaning of Christmas.

9. We want to get together with Chris's best friend from North Carolina...we are planning a trip to Gaitlinburg. our kids will love playing together.

That about does it for now...I guess I need to get planning on some of these.

I am open for any more fun ideas for kids that we can try! I am getting spring fever and I am so ready for some nice weather.

I also have some new pictures that I am going to post soon!

Homesick...and at home

2009-02-02T08:54:00.000-08:00

Most mothers will be able to relate to this after reading..This weekend my brother moved from one place in St. Louis to another place in St. Louis. We volunteered to help him move on Saturday. We loaded my van up with furniture and loaded my parents truck with stuff and headed to St. Louis..minus two little boys...Owen and Peyton. This leads to my heading...homesick. We dropped off the boys at my mother and father in laws and headed to St. Louis. I know that my kids love their grandma and grandpa and love spending time with them, but still, I hate to leave my kids anytime. We moved my brother and at about 1 I began to be very homesick. I just wanted to see my boys. I know that most mothers can relate to this homesickness. I really missed the boys and was almost sick that they were not there with me. Chris and I both work, so on weekend or days that we are not working, we spend every minute with the boys. We really are never away from them unless we are working. Perhaps is the working parents guiltiness, but we hate to be away from them for any length of time.

On top of my feeling sick for my kids, the boys woke up on Sunday with terrible colds and their eyes matted shut. We used warm washcloths on their eyes and they took some dimetapp and they recovered enough to make a snowman outside. I hope that my whole family can get over their colds and be on the path to recovery.

2009-01-22T08:40:00.000-08:00

Here are some pictures of the boys from December and January..I have finally figured this thing out

Football

2009-01-20T10:10:00.000-08:00

So we have discovered the Owen loves football and sports. I am not one to push my kids into anything. Chris and I both played our share of sports, he more than I and with him coaching basketball, I figured that one or both of our kids would be into sports. I was not however expecting Owen to take to sports like he has. He found an old football helmet of Chris's in the basement and decided to try it on..it fit like a glove! He does not take it off and some nights it sleeps at the foot of his,or our bed...depending on where he is that night.
Needless to say..Chris is pumped about someone being into football and science..oh yeah, we discovered Owen loves the science channel and watching nature shows as well. Chris has found his soulmate!

My wonderful husbnd

2009-01-14T12:11:00.000-08:00

I just want to take this time to congratulate my husband on earning his Masters in Education. He finished up in December and I am very proud him. In our house, its difficult to find a quiet moment to study or do homework, but he succeeded and it only took him 2.5 years.
If anyone sees Chris, tell him congrats!

Hide and Seek

2009-01-12T08:14:00.000-08:00

Owen and Peyton has started loving to play hide and seek at Nana and Papa's house...that is my parent house if you don't know. The last 4 times we have gone over there have been in the evening and its been dark out. The minute we get there, they want to play hide and seek. Only they call it "Wolf". I should explain the rules of Hide and Seek that we follow. One of the boys or both of them go hide with someone...you could to 10 really loud and then say,"Ready or not, here we come." Here is where we have changed the rules a bit...the hider then makes noise like a wolf howling....the boys usually are the wolves and they continue it until you find them. I guess its easier to find them if you can follow the sound. Once someone is found...they yell, Surprise! Not sure why.
So, on Saturday we were at my parents house and playing "wolf" Peyton decided that he was brave enough to hide by himself. Which is think is pretty good, since I get a bit scared when we are playing...he went downstairs and we counted and howled and went upstairs to fine him...we then hear him saying, "I am down here." I guess we did not find him quick enough.
So we go into my parents room and find him laying on the bed with his face down...hiding! He then jumped up and said," surprise." I guess it is true, if I cannot see you, you cannot see me

Playing this game with my kids has shown me how creative and imaginative they really are. I love to hide with them and see how excited they get just standing there hiding. I love to see their faces when we are found, they jump out and try to scare us. I love how they are a bit scared and nervous...I admit..I am a bit nervous and get a twinge of fright when we are found...its the surprise I think...
The boys have really turned into little boys these past few months...they love to sing songs that start out.."Trick or treat, smell my feet", they love to play crocs and act like they are being chased and eaten by crocs, they love to play with my mom's thousands of cars, they love their trampoline and don't care if its 10 degrees outside...they will wear their snow suits and gloves and the special jumping socks and will be out side for hours while Chris and I are outside freezing our tails off!
I love this age and Chris and I are learning how to play again...we are loving it!

New Pictures

2008-12-29T07:44:00.000-08:00

I am going to post more pics very soon..maybe today!

Christmas, Family, Fun

2008-12-29T06:40:00.000-08:00

I hope that everyone had a wonderful Christmas, I know that we sure did. It seems that in our household Christmas is a week long celebration. It began on Saturda, Dec. 18 when the boys received an early presents from Santa...a trampoline with an enclosure. Santa actually come over Saturday afternoon and set it all up for them..I guess it was too big to fit into the sleigh. It was too cold that nighSunday, Dec. 19...we had Christmas as my dad's house in Carlinville...we then celebrate Christmas with Chris' family on Christmas Eve day. His whole immediate family came and we had great food, lots of social time and tons of presents! The morning of Christmas Eve the boys got up and we had already put out all the presents for his family...they were so excited to see all the presents and went around and asked who each present was for. Once everyone arrived and we had lunch, we went to open presents and all the kids were sitting in front of the tree waiting patiently. Within minutes, it turned into a mad house of present and gift wrap...I don't even remember what everyone got. There were about 15 people opening presents and it got pretty crazy for those 25 minutes or so that it took to open all the presents. The boys loved their gifts and were so excited...
We stayed home Christmas Eve..the boys went to bed at a decent hour..they were very excited for Santa to come..so it took a whle to get them calmed down. Christmas morning the boys actually slept in a bit. It gave us time to get showers and dressed before they woke up. They woke up about 8 and we went downstairs and saw that Santa had eaten the cookies and the reindeer had eaten most of their food...but they made a bit of a mess.
We opened presents and then loaded up and went to my mom's for Christmas breakfast. Presents were opened there and the boys got to play a little with their presents before breakfast. We then headed home to rest before leaving again for my aunt's house for dinner. At my aunt's house, the boys really loved my cousin's 10 month old baby. They just made over him like crazy! They wanted to hold him and thought he was the funniest thing...
So, that was our christmas week. We had a great time and the boys had so much fun with all their cousins and toys!
We are very fortunate to have such great family and such a warm and loving relationship with each one of them...

ICE..Ugh!

2008-12-19T08:14:00.000-08:00

Two posts in two days....dont' expect this every week. I did not think that the roads and driveways would be too bad. It looked as if everything had started to melt as I headed out the door this morning. Boy was I wrong...as I was driving my car to Taylor's Tire and Auto to get my car tuned up and tires rotated, I applied my brakes and ...nothing! My car slid right into the building leaving a large, large dent in the shape of my car in the metal building. Of course, I just sat there with my hand over my mouth. Finally, I put it into reverse and backed out of the little hole I had just created for my car. I put it into park and got out..almost falling down. Apparently, the lot was a sheet of ice! Anyway, it was 7:15 and they don't open until 8, so I waited until 8 and called and told them the obvious...I am sure they saw it as they drove up today. My insurance company is dealing with it and I am just thankful it was only tires on the other side of that wall, and not some expensive car equipment!
Lesson Learned!
Just thought I would share this with everyone. I am still a bit shook about it all.

First Blog

2008-12-18T09:41:00.000-08:00

So...this is my first blog. So bear with me. As Christmas nears, my kids are getting so anxious, they have begun asking me,"Is Santa coming -night?" I have to continue to say, "Soon." They then answer with,"Monanday?" (that is monday in their language) I then say, "no, in a week," as if I am expecting them to know what a week means...they then reply, "a week?" I then answer, "yes"
This conversation goes on every evening after dinner and baths. Owen and Peyton are so pumped, I love it! It is such a blessing to see Christmas through the eyes of a three year old. Actually 2 three year olds. In one just year, their interest in Christmas has grown 200 %. They wanted to put the tree up at Halloween, but we were able to hold back until Thanksgiving. The Friday after Thanksgiving, we put the tree up. Their eyes were so big when we finally turned on the lights, the glow of the ornaments and glitter on the tree engulfed their attention.

Boxes:
For those of us who are parents, we know the fun and excitement of boxes. At our house, we actually used a refrigerator box as furniture for about 2 months. The boys played in it for weeks and weeks. They just loved it! We finally were able to get rid of it in early spring. Just a few days ago...we received a package in the mail. I opened the box up and inside was another box with a gift in it. I took the gift upstairs and left the large box downstairs in the kitchen. I came back down and heard fighting...very common in my house. I came downstairs and saw my two boys fighting over who could sit in the box and drive and who had to sit on the floor outside the box and be passenger. Well, Owen won the battle and Peyton had to sit next to the box and be the passenger. So I sat behind the box and was the "baby". THe boys loved that!
The box is still in the house and its been used as a car, cart, baby stroller, table...etc. The possibilities are endless.
That's it from here... for now...
Everyone..have a great Thursday.