Category: Activities

Categories
Activities Cole Family & Friends Health Mothering Parenting Ryan

Update & Party!

My blogging was pretty sparse this week- here are some of the reasons why-

  • Joe was out of town for work all week
  • Ryan was very sick yet again, with an ear infection, bronchitis, high fever, and the beginning of pneumonia
  • Didn’t sleep well at all- Ryan was up every 15 minutes at night, because of his fever
  • Had some stressful personal situations arise
  • Went to work- important project I had to work on
  • Trying to clean up the house for my sister’s visit on Friday

Fortunately, most of the issues have resolved- Joe will be back on Friday afternoon, Ryan started feeling better on Thursday night, I finished up my project at work (it went well, despite me trying to work on it with only two hours of sleep the night before), the personal situation is looking a lot better, and I wrapped up the cleaning tonight, so the house is half way presentable for company.

I am not sure what we are going to do on Friday with my sister- a lot of it depends on how Ryan is feeling.  I  hope he is over the worst of it by Saturday so he can go to my baby niece’s FIRST birthday party.  I’m excited for it, and I can’t believe that little baby girl is now a year old.  My sister is having a party for a few hours in a park near her home “in the big city.”  It should be lots of fun, and the weather is supposed to be nice too.

After the party my dad is having a get-together at his house , but I don’t think Ryan will be up to a full afternoon of playing in the park at the party, and then a late night.  But we’ll see how it goes.

On a happy note, Cole was just an absolute doll and angel this week.  It is like he just blossomed overnight.  He was so independent, entertaining himself, and playing by himself while I attended to Ryan all week.  He is getting to be such a big boy.  I am amazed that my niece is turning one, but Cole’s birthday is right around the corner, and I am just as amazed that he is going to be two.  I think my baby boy is disappearing more and more every day, and becoming this happy, independent, energetic little boy. 

Hopefully I’ll get some pictures of the boys at the party, and maybe a nice shot of the birthday girl herself. 

Categories
Activities Mothering Parenting Ryan

Mommy Alzheimer’s – Chapter 2

A few months ago, I wrote about an alarming disease that I am coming down with.  There really isn’t a cure for it-at least not for 18-20 years, and its “sister disease” is commonly called Mommy Brain. My condition is Mommy Alzheimer’s. 

With Mommy Brain, a mother’s memory doesn’t seem like it holds as much as it used to.  Or the poor affected mother may find it necessary to start writing notes to herself, to help her remember important things- like what to get a the grocery store, and the name and password of her blog.  With Mommy Alzheimer’s the disease goes a step further.  The poor affected mother, me just blanks out important day-to-day things.  Things that are so basic, no note serving as a reminder should be necessary, but sadly the affected mother deterioates to the point where she must carry the jumbo size sticky notes to help replace her memory. 

I recently had another disturbing episode of Mommy Alzheimer’s.  Last Saturday we decided to take the boys to the railroad museum. I was getting the boys dressed in their overalls.  After they were dressed I noticed that the pair of Ryan’s underwear that I had taken out of the drawer for him to wear, was still on the floor.  I knew he had on his nighttime undies (boxer shorts) and didn’t want to undo his overalls and take his shoes off, just to change him from boxers to briefs. 

About three hours later, after he had run around the entire museum, Ryan need a potty break.  We were in the bathroom stall and I undid his overalls, and guess what?  No underwear!  Ryan was going commando!  Mommy Alzheimer’s has stuck again, and it robbed me of the ability to remember to put underwear on my son. 

I dread and hate to see what will happen during the next episode- I hope a cure is discovered soon.  Stay tuned…

Categories
Activities Cole Family & Friends Holidays Mothering Ryan

Our Easter

We had a wonderful Easter.  It snowed the night before, and even though the sun came out on Sunday, it stayed pretty chilly. 

Ryan and Cole’s cousins and aunt are in town visiting with Grandma and Grandpa.  Ryan and Cole just adore them.  They are older- 11, 10, and 6.  Ryan tries his hardest to keep up with them.  We all went to an early church service.  Then we went over to Grandma’s house for brunch and an indoor Easter egg hunt, courtesy of the cousins.  They hid plastic eggs all around the house and Ryan and Cole were thrilled to find them.  Every time Ryan spotted an egg, he had to come running in, get Joe, and lead him to the egg.

Ryan also told me the night before since it was snowing, that the Easter Bunny and Santa are friends, and the Easter Bunny needed something to ride on.  He reasoned that Santa was loaning the Easter Bunny his sleigh.  In the morning he said he had heard a bell ringing, and he just knew it was the Easter Bunny’s sleigh.  🙂

After brunch, we all hung around and the kids played.  Then we took Ryan and Cole home for naps, since they were fading fast.  I actually forgot to make them their Easter baskets the night before (we were working on income taxes- fun I know.)  So I was able to bide a little time by reading a note the Easter Bunny had left for Ryan and Cole.  The poor Easter Bunny’s sleigh had broken down, and it had to be fixed.  So the Easter Bunny promised he would have their Easter baskets here after their naps.  Ryan tried to stay up because he wanted to pet the Easter Bunny, but sleep finally won out.

The Easter Bunny delivered, and when Ryan and Cole woke up, they were happy to see they had their baskets, and an extra present- some play construction cones.  We went back over to Grandma’s house, where the boys put on their coats and had a real Easter Egg hunt outside (again, thanks to the cousins, who had hid mroe eggs outside).  Then we had Easter dinner, which of course was delicious. 

I love taking pictures of the boys finding their eggs, and ended up with way more of Cole this year than of Ryan.  But they all had so much fun.  We’ll see if the Easter Bunny returns Santa’s sleigh to him in time for Santa to use it.  Here are a few pictures:

008-copy.jpg

            015-copy.jpg             

014-copy.jpg

 

Categories
Activities Cole Parenting Ryan

Bath Time Funnies

During the past week, two really funny things happened, (while the boys were taking their baths)  but I was too sick to blog them, so here they are:

Joe was giving the boys a bath.  At one point, the boys started fighting over a toy.  Joe said he looked at Ryan, who was holding Cole’s arm, mouth open, and was ready to chomp down on it.  Ryan never bites, so I am not sure why he was doing this, but Joe stopped him and told him we don’t do that.  He added if he saw him doing that again, there was going to be trouble.

At that point Joe said Cole got a huge smile on his face, crinkled up his nose and said, “Trouble.”  He knew his brother was getting in trouble.

The second incident Joe said Ryan and Cole were playing, when Ryan got very serious and said in almost a whisper to Cole, “No one messes with the king.  You never mess with the king, Coley.”  We can only assume that Ryan heard a Burger King commercial or something, and now he believes he is the King who is not to be messed with. 

I told Joe he had better start taking the camcorder in the bathroom so he has it on hand to tape these interactions.  Of course, as soon as the boys saw the camcorder, they would cease their funny material.  I guess we really shouldn’t mess with the king.  🙂

Categories
Activities Cole Mothering Ryan Shopping

Mall Rats

I did something today that I have never done before.  I spent 5 hours at the mall with both Ryan and Cole.  What was I thinking?

After our great weather on Saturday, it turned windy, cold, and snowy on Sunday.  We were cooped up all day yesterday.   I actually had no errands or anything else planned today, and the prospect of spending 12 hours in the house again, was not appealing- evidently going to the mall with two small, active, boys was. 

I had to return a pair of my new jeans that I just bought, because (and I’m not complaining), they were too big.  After having them on for a few hours, they stretched out, and just didn’t fit.  I also needed to pick up a few more casual / work shirts.  I couldn’t believe how empty the mall was.  It seems like I usually go to the mall on weekends.  There was hardly anyone there.  It was so nice being able to shop and look around without bumping into people, especially since I had the double stroller.  Ryan and Cole also liked being able to stand in front of the mirrors and they could move their arms, and not hit anyone.  I must remember any shopping at the mall needs to be done on a Monday.

I returned my jeans, (the size down didn’t fit at all), and I found some nice shirts on sale at Gap and Old Navy- woo hoo!  After I was done with my errands, we ate lunch.  I packed some PB&J’s for the boys.  Cole wanted nothing to do with his sandwich, so he ate most of my sandwich I picked up at Subway.  Oh well. 

Then we went to Pottery Barn Kids, where I took a nap on the beautifully, perfect, made up Madeline Canopy trundle bed, (do adults with jobs even have beds this nice?) while the boys played next to me in the $800 toy kitchen.  (Do adults with jobs even have kitchens this nice?)  Just kidding- about the nap- I did sit down on the Madeline bed, and laid up against the perfect pillows for forty-five minutes while the boys played. 

 I have to say the employees at Pottery Barn Kids were very nice.  I am sure they could tell I wasn’t going to buy anything, but they didn’t mind a tired mama camping out on the perfectly made Madeline Canopy bed, nor did they even flinch when my two boys climbed on it. At least the boys took their shoes off, before getting on the white bedding. I was hoping I didn’t miss wiping up any jelly on their hands from lunch.  They just told me to relax, and told me how cute Ryan and Cole were.  They get my vote for just being so nice.  The next time I am in the market for an item I can afford there (it won’t be the $800 kitchen though), I will get it there. 

Then we went to the play area, where the boys ran around for another hour.  Then we got a snack and headed home.  All in all it went well EXCEPT I forgot that Ryan’s medication he is taking for his double ear infection that won’t go away, makes him have to go to the bathroom in a heartbeat.  Let’s just say it sure isn’t fun dashing across the mall, trying to find a bathroom for your four-year old, when you already know his pants are a mess, and you forgot to bring 3 pairs of clean underwear for him. I wonder if he was the only other kid going commando at the mall today?

Cole was asleep as we left the parking lot, and Ryan fell asleep about ten minutes from home.  They both fell asleep tonight a few minutes after they laid down.  I am happy that they got so much exercise, and they really did have fun.  Ryan asked if we could stay at the mall longer, as we were leaving, and then as we were getting in the car, he told me Coley wanted to go back inside the mall.  I guess we’ll have to become offical mall rats the next time the weather is bad, and we have cabin fever.