Monday, February 27, 2012

Tubes....

....are going in tomorrow for our little man... we are saying a few extra prayers tonight for sweet little Sammy.


 Hopefully he'll be smiling again in no time!!

Thursday, February 23, 2012

LEAPING through February

I just realized this year is a LEAP year.... where have I been??

Oh my... I almost had forgotten just how busy toddler boys can be....and no...you can't ever take your eyes off of them.  I feel like I spend 99% of my day just chasing, saying "no," and trying to prevent actions that result in some form of injury!!

Here's what has been going on the last week or so at our house....(I'm furiously typing this....so I can get to bed before Sammy's middle of the night crying episodes begin.

Last week, J and I had some fun making a "construction site" with trucks and lima beans...He loved filling his cement mixer and dump truck up with those beans!




We had ANOTHER beautiful 60 degree February day here....so after a few days of being stuck inside with yet another case of strep....Sophia had some fun with her Sammy rolling in the grass!


Here's my sneaky little Sammy...


And though we did go to Ash Wednesday Mass....  I can't blame that AWFUL big bruise on those ashes.  I did mention that I TRY to prevent injuries, didn't I?  Well.. I didn't have much success in that department today....Sammy ran into the corner of a wall....He spends so much of his day just wandering around....trying to get into things.. it was bound to happen sooner or later...oooohhh..but I felt so bad.  Then of course... J had to have sympathy "accidents" all day...

J:  "Oh Mommy....my arm rubbed my batman house... I think I need an icepack"....or "Mommy, my cheek rubbed on Sam's shirt... is it red? Do I need a band-aid?"


And this pic is so blurry.....he is sooo fast... but I love his smile!


He is on meds AGAIN for another ear infection... He was off for about 2 days before getting another...(though I think it just never cleared up).  Now he's been on meds again for almost 5 days...and still tugging at those ears in pain...and not sleeping well at all... Poor little Sammy...and to think that the nurses at my doctor's office still try to make me feel guilt for scheduling the tubes next week.  At this point...the only guilt I feel is that I waited so long to schedule this!!! I feel terrible that he has felt so miserable for so long!

Lent has begun, and I always struggle to find ways to make the meaning of Lent more relevant to my kids. I think it is a hard concept to understand.... It's hard for them to understand the "giving up," and sacrificing that we need to do especially during this time.  I am not a big believer that  one needs to "GIVE UP" something to be a good Christian during this time....I try to encourage that we make sacrifices in other ways...(ie...trying to turn your cheek when your little brother pulls your hair incessantly...this is really the hard stuff....being the better person, forgiving, etc).

I have found some amazing ideas through Pinterest.  We have made crosses and Lenten Paths to document our efforts at making some of those "sacrifices" this Lenten Season.





And while we are on the subject of Forgiveness....


Here's what J did last night after we put him to bed....He found Sister's chapstick...and went to town...all over his bathroom counter, floor, the WALL.....(Papa Rick... I hope you are NOT reading this!!!) and in his hair ( I guess he was aiming for the "waxy styled" look).  

God is definitely testing me on that topic of FORGIVENESS...:)

Wednesday, February 15, 2012

One of those days...

It was the 100th day of school for my Miss Sophia.  We got her THIRD quarter progress report yesterday....and I had to do a "double take" when I read the word "third."  I truly can't believe the school year is already more than half over.  Sophia's assignment for the 100th day was to create something with 100 pieces to display at school for the 100 Days Museum.  Here's what we came up with...


We were invited to attend the "viewing" of the Museum.....So... I was scurrying around this morning after Sophia left for school trying to get J ready for preschool and a few things done before we headed back to school.  Obviously... I took my eyes off of little S for too long because this is what I found shortly after  Sophia left....




Oh my.... this little boy is IN TO EVERYTHING.  This incident (finding and dumping my powdered sugar stash) occurred only AFTER I found him rummaging through my desk, throwing my IPAD on the floor, climbing into the fireplace, pulling out a glass mixing bowl and rolling it like a ball on the floor, and requiring a full wardrobe change after a rather large episode of spit up.  All this.... and it wasn't even 8:30.   Needless to say... the rest of the day didn't get much better....

It was pouring when we had to run to the car after leaving the 100 day museum ( I had forgotten my umbrella), Sam had the hiccups continuously about 8 times today which of course interfered with both of his naps.  I brilliantly decided to try apple juice for the first time with Sam while errand running this afternoon...without bringing any milk (just in case).  He did not like it...nor was he too happy that he didn't have his usual white stuff to drink.  All of the people at Whole Foods...also knew he wasn't too happy about it.

And tonight...more toys turned black from mysteriously being placed inside the fire place....and one final fall into an empty bathtub....( I wasn't being neglectful...was running after him...but just couldn't catch him before he made the leap).  No signs of injury to report, however! :)  The laundry is calling my name.....my fairy duties still need to be fulfilled....but ahhhh... I think I'll just sit for a minute and enjoy the peace and quiet:)
 

Tuesday, February 14, 2012

Valentine's 2012

We made home-made Valentine's this year....found this idea on Whipperberry...and thought it was sooo cute!  The kids and I had fun making these heart shaped crayons out of old crayons....I only wish I had found a smaller mold.... we had to peel soooo many crayons to make enough for both Sophia's and Joseph's classes!



The day started off with lots of sugar (Thanks to Duncan Donuts)....and a few teensy little Valentine's gifts.  Sammy just wanted to eat the paper off of his Valentine present!



Sophia was very gracious and thrilled with her cheap little headband from Target.... (I never had time to find the Fairy book she really wanted) but while she was at school today... the boys and I headed to Barnes and Noble and ordered just that:)



A few pictures of little J before I headed to Sophia's Valentine's party at school. 


I was in charge of snack...so those little sock monkeys made yet another appearance...  Thank you to Dazzle Expressions for helping to design the labels for the sentiment I wanted to add!  They turned out sooo cute!


I was not successful in getting a decent pic of all three together...Mr. Sammy just wouldn't sit still for long enough....He was probably just under the kitchen sink again sneaking that 409 bottle....HA... We are discovering that the new childproof locks we installed are not really "Sam" proof after all!!!


We ended the day with dinner and a movie at home.... "Lady and the Tramp,"  such a sweet little movie and perfect for Valentine's Day!



Monday, February 13, 2012

First Snow of 2012

Well.... who would have guessed it would have taken until February 13th....for our first snowfall of the year... it wasn't huge...just  a few inches...but enough for some good old fashioned snow fun!  Our school actually had the day off today anyway...so it wasn't a "real" snow day...but S and J sure enjoyed it all the same!

Here they are all ready to head out....


It was pretty good snow for packing and for snowball making.  I thought for sure they would start to make a snowman...but instead they thought it was really fun to attempt to ride their bikes through the snowy yard...until I had to put a stop to that after it looked pretty unsafe!





Ahhh...the fun of making snow angels....


And this little guy was supposed to be napping...but instead decided he needed to mop.... I'll take an extra helper over nap time any day! :)



He was pretty content until he noticed just what the others were doing outside...



And of course that looked more fun than  cleaning the floors!


But just as I was going to bundle him for a quick jaunt in the snow...the others decided they were too cold and headed in.....I'm guessing their will be other opportunities for little Sammy to have his fair share in the snow too!

Sock Monkey Fun for ONE!

Twelve days ago... our youngest little man turned ONE....and 12 days later... I'm still not quite sure how that happened.  I can't even put into words just how quickly this last year has flown by....and just how much we love our little Sammy.  I have sooo many pictures to share.....not all of them are great...but all are definitely ones I want him to see when he gets older.  We were joined by family and friends and so many of the people who love this special little guy.  What an incredible gift he is to our family!  

We celebrated with a sock monkey party.... so of course we had some sock monkey treats.  


Vanilla cupcakes...



More sock monkeys....


Here is one of my helpers the morning of the party....helping me set the table....(translated:  sneaking lots of hot tamales and tootsie rolls)


I love those old fashioned candy jars....I've had them for a while and never really used them...but I thought they looked cute on the table with red and brown candies to match our color scheme!


The plates and napkins







Dining room decor



Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies for the guests to take home....wrapped up in cd packaging.


A little slideshow of our baby's first year...



We surprised Sammy with a bunch of balloons before the party....  He and Sophia had a great time bouncing them around!  I just love this picture below.....Sophia has been so incredibly in love with this little guy from the moment we brought him home.  She is soooo good with him and he adores her like no other...  The smile on his face when we go pick her up from school every day....is simply incredible.  How lucky my little boys are to have such an amazing big sister.


I tried to take lots of pictures of Sam before the party... I knew it would be hard for me to get lots of good ones during....and I did capture a few funny and sweet little smiles!





Awwww....look at those sad eyes... He really wasn't feeling too hot the day of his party and it wasn't until the beginning of the next week that we discovered he had a double ear infection.




A little monkey craft for a few of the kids at the party.... but I don't think the kids even got to it...playing in the basement was much more fun!


THE CAKE..... I searched high and low for a sock monkey cake pan, but to no avail...  Instead, I had to use the regular monkey pan from Wilton and just improvise with the decorating.... I wanted it to look just like his cookies!


His brother and sister did most of the opening for him.....and he just loved to watch and enjoy the freedom of the "ungated" living room... Of course the wrapping paper and ribbons is always the most fun anyway!


Big brother J showing Sam the ropes on his new Alpha train.  He also got some darling clothes, shoes, jackets, cars, and trains from his Grandparents, Aunts and Uncles, God Parents, and friends.


Uh-oh... there's that sad look again!


I did not get good pics of the cake and candle blowing...



He wasn't smiling...but he DID like his chocolate cake! YAYYYY!!!!!


We had one tired little guy by the end of the night...he had fun with Daddy and learning the ropes to all of his new toys!


Hope you enjoyed your special day sweet Sammy!! We love you sooo much!