Neglect

I feel so terrible for not keeping up with my blog! I am not even sure where to begin??

Well, here goes:

Luke, 3 years old

Luke has all of a sudden become so grown up to me! He is going to school 3 days a week now and seems to really love it. He is so sweet when I drop him off in the morning. I guess he hasn't hit the stage where he is embarrassed of me so I always get a kiss and I love you from him :) His teachers call him Lukey. I think that is really neat b/c that is our nickname for him at home. Luke also sometimes refers to himself as Lukey too :) I think it shows how wonderful his teachers are to pick up on it and to how they must really like him. My friend Charlotte once told me she thinks other children gravitate towards Luke. I could not agree more! Luke is smart, athletic, and fun to be around. He is not shy at all and has the courage to approach other children and invite them to play. For a 3 year old, that is a BIG deal. It is so amazing to watch him literally grow in front of my eyes into a real little boy. He is such a thoughtful child. The best time in my day is when he for no reason tells me he loves me.

Ryan, 19 months

Ryan is often described by other people as "all boy". He NEVER stops. He is very physical and absolutely loves to just run! Ryan has also had somewhat of a verbal explosion. It sort of happened overnight. He says a ton of words now and loves to chat when we are in the car. Right now he is very into butterflies. Ryan calls them "booflies". It is precious! We see a lot of butterflies at the park and it is the highlight of his day when he sees them. Ryan still gives the worlds best hugs and his laugh is filled with joy. We went to the vet the other day and Luke got Ryan to laugh by running around him. The vet, the vet's helper, and me totally started laughing when we heard Ryan's laugh. It was so funny. The vet honestly busted out laughing and apologized to me for not being able to keep a straight face. I think Ryan is going to have a terrific sense of humor. Oh, his other thing is to say "bye bye see ya soon". He melts my heart!

I promise to be better with my blogging!

Oh, shout out to my pickle -- he has been working now for about 18 straight hours. LOVE LOVE YOU

Bye Bye Paci!!!

Day 1 of no more pacifiers for Luke and Ryan.

So far, Luke has not had a paci ALL DAY!! I bought him the biggest spider man I could find in hopes that it will work as a replacement. I am a little nervous about bedtime.

Ryan is proving to be a little harder than I thought. He had a TOTAL meltdown at nap time. So, I caved in and gave him the paci. I am happy to report that he has not had a paci at all besides nap.

We will see how tonight and day # 2 goes.

Wish me luck!

funny times

I am very proud to announce that Luke is totally potty trained! It was actually not that difficult of a process. You will be surprised to find out what a bag of chips and cookies can motivate a 2 year old to do! We only had a few major accidents. One was a tinkle on the couch and the other was a poop on the floor. Thankfully, there are no stains and I feel like I can now totally trust him. I am so happy that this is over with! I feel a little guilty that I worried so much beforehand. I promise to never underestimate my Luke again!

Ba is growing up so fast too. He is now in the pointing stage and loves to see new things so he can point to them and show everyone. He says "ok" all the time. It's hysterical. If I am eating something he wants he will just walk up to me saying"ok" and that is his way of saying I want :) He also says "choo choo" whenever he sees a train or really any kind of heavy machinery. Ba is always polite and says "hi" and "bye bye" to anyone entering and leaving a room. He loves being outside and can putter in our backyard for hours.

Luke is in camp this week and next week. I was so excited for him to start so I could get a break in the mornings but I have to admit that I miss him when he gone and Ryan and I get so excited when it is pick up time.

These are some very special times that I will always think back on with a smile. I can easily ease any pain with a hug and a kiss and nothing is better than seeing their smiling faces.

Happy Father's Day!

I once had a couple of my cousins ask me what it was like to live with my Dad. I remember thinking it was sort of a strange question but I think my answer had something to do with yes, he is just as funny at home as he is at a party.

Anyone who knows my Dad appreciates how unbelievably funny he is. When I say funny I mean laugh so hard your belly hurts. Our family was really blessed is the sense of humor department. My brothers and I probably have at least 5 funny Dad stories that we can tell in the blink of an eye. Since this is my blog I'll tell you mine. I am pretty sure no one else will appreciate these except for my Dad and me. Here goes:

1. The story he tells when my Grandmother went to get his and my uncle Glenn's shirts tailored. I think the tailor described the measurements as that of a seal and an orangutan.

2. Thanksgiving Day 2007 when my mom cut into onions and proceeded to run into the room telling my Dad and me that she was totally blind.

3. Talking to my Dad on the phone after my mom's fist colonoscopy. I think he referred to the night before when she had to drink that stuff as the Passion of the Christ.

4. Cutting down our Christmas tree when I was in college (yes our family actually did that) and somehow the ending dance scene in Dirty Dancing came up when Johnny leads the entire audience down the aisle before the lift with Baby.

5. Any time he imitates Larry Cox. It is unreal how good he is!

I'm actually laughing now even writing this. I should, however, point out that he has done much more for me then just make me laugh. My Dad makes me feel like I can do anything in the world. If I am ever nervous or scared about any big event I call my Dad. I remember before every exam or oral presentation in college I'd call my Dad. In fact, before I had Ryan I called my Dad from the delivery room b/c I started to feel nervous. I hope that I will be able to do the same for my children.

There is no Father's Day card in the world that will do justice in telling my Dad how much I love him. I'm hoping that this little blog entry will come close :) I am by far the luckiest girl in the entire world to have you as my Dad. I love you so much!

Happy Father's Day.

The Guys

I have been slacking so much on updating my blog! I guess the truth is that I am pretty busy these days.

Luke is almost 3 years old now and our latest adventure is potty training. Luke has done a great job so far! Only problem is that he has to be totally naked in order to remember to use the potty. I am trying to figure out how to slowly transition him back into clothes b/c things could get awkward :)

Ryan is 16 months and chatting up a storm! His main words are "uh, oh", "no", "ok", "mama", and he makes that hysterical fish noise that Luke used to do. Ryan only wants to run around and play as much as possible. He still gives the worlds best hugs so I hope that never changes!

This weekend is Father's Day and we plan on heading out to see the Nationals play. I'm looking forward to a night out with my main squeeze :)

We are also officially house hunting again. I am very curious to see where we will end up.

Wherever it may be I hope there is a big backyard for the guys to play in. Oh, and a decent sized master bathroom would also be a nice touch!

Mother's Day 2010

I just love this poem. It makes me think of my sweet little boys every time I read it. Being a mother is by far the biggest blessing in my life.

i carry your heart with me

i carry your heart with me(i carry it in
my heart)i am never without it(anywhere
i go you go,my dear; and whatever is done
by only me is your doing,my darling)
i fear
no fate(for you are my fate,my sweet)i want
no world(for beautiful you are my world,my true)
and it's you are whatever a moon has always meant
and whatever a sun will always sing is you

here is the deepest secret nobody knows
(here is the root of the root and the bud of the bud
and the sky of the sky of a tree called life;which grows
higher than the soul can hope or mind can hide)
and this is the wonder that's keeping the stars apart

i carry your heart(i carry it in my heart)

Happy Birthday Ryan!

Ryan turned 1 on 2/27!

He is already walking (started @ 11 months), can touch his ears, shake his head, wiggle when I ask, give me five, and clap. Genius! He is such a sweet baby. Ryan adores Luke and laughs like crazy when they play chase around the house with the push carts. Luke prefers the Lion and Ryan prefers the fire truck.

We had a great Birthday weekend with lots of parties. Saturday was family and Sunday was friends. Ryan had somewhat of a cake hangover on Monday :) He wasn't really aware what was going on or that it was his Birthday but still smiled on command for the camera and played it up when he was eating his cake.

Luke is still trying to understand that all the presents are actually Ryan's and not his. The whole sharing concept is a bit lost on Luke now but we are working on that.

Ryan had his 12 month Well Check today and he is 60% weight and 70th height. He no longer uses the bottle or formula. Sippy cups and whole milk for now on. It is truly amazing how quickly this year went.

I often think back to when I would ask my mom if she had a favorite child and roll my eyes when she said that she loved all 3 of us equally. Well, I think I owe her an apology b/c it really is true. Luke and Ryan are so different but I love them both so intensely that sometimes I feel like my heart will burst. I wish them all the happiness in the entire world. That is all the matters to me. I love to watch how they grow but secretly want them to stay little forever so I can protect them and make them laugh with a silly face. Forget the sleepless nights - the hard part is letting them grow up knowing that there will be times when they are disappointed or have hurt feelings. I hope they always know that they have me and that I truly do love them unconditionally. I remember a movie I once watched where a mother said "I would love you even if you were Jeffery Dahmer". So funny... But sort of true .. :)

Walking!

Ryan has taken his first steps! He is hysterical to watch. Luke was holding a chip and that was all the motivation Ryan needed to get up and go for it! Watch out - he is going to be fast! Luke's expression was that of shock and a tiny bit of fear. I think he realized that Ryan may eventually be able to catch him :) I'm excited because I know this will bring on more fun times for the both boys when they play together. Luke loves playing chase so as soon as Ryan becomes more stable they will have a blast!

Nothing else is really new. Luke is talking ALL the time now and it is amazing to see how quickly he picks up on things. Potty training - not so great but we will get there!

Sorry!

It has been a long long time! Here is the run down:

Luke is talking all the time now. He is so smart. He absolutely is all boy and loves to run, jump, scream, and just mainly play all day with his trucks and cars. He is so fun to watch b/c he truly wears his emotions and when he gets excited you can not help but share in it with him. He is doing very well in school and the teachers all agree that he is a very sweet child. We are working on potty training him now. No real progress but Luke will sit on it and can not get enough of reading books that explain the potty (again all boy!).

Ryan is now eating finger foods! He loves cheerios, waffles, pears, peaches and yogurt. He took his very first step on Monday but hasn't attempted it again. He prefers crawling and pushing around his walker toys. Ryan is a very sweet and patient baby. He loves to laugh and particularly loves to follow Luke around everywhere he goes. I think he is going to be full of personality and very bright like his brother.

Both boys are starting play more and more together. Luke loves when Ryan will play chase with him. They both crack up. ML and Deuce are also a constant source of entertainment as well.

Overall, we can not seem to get enouh of our boys!