Modes of Transportation

When EJ and I purchased our family room furniture 6 years ago, I never imagined it would be used for such creative things. Now two kids later, it is no longer just a couch and chair. It might be a boat, garbage truck, plane, mail truck, fort, fire engine, train or today's pick, a race car. Yes, those are two booster seats from the mini van we got out for just this occassion :) The race car is one of the cleaner vehicles. The garbage and mail trucks require a lot more props.

Dad's birthday

We celebrated my dad's birthday this past weekend with a yummy dinner at PF Chang's. Happy Birthday Dad. We love you!
Then we all drove by Lissa and Alex's future new home (we hope). Their contract is contingent on the sell of their current house, so its a little too early to celebrate. We are excited because they'll be much closer to us :) Now they won't always have to come to our house. And the new house will be plenty big enough for holiday meals ;)

I LOVE that Owen wanted lettuce wraps for his dinner. He is such an amazing eater. What 5 year old orders lettuce wraps? Mason just stuck with the white rice. And it stuck to him, and the high chair and the table and the floors.

New Blog

I created blog and header for my dad, www.thehowardhouse.com. Anyone need a home in Urbanna, VA? I tried my hand at photography. If only my photography class in college had been with a digital camera :) A "point and shoot" for that matter.

Trusting

Over the past 9 months, I have entrusted my health/body to various physicians out of desperation. Whether PCP, Dentist, Oral Surgeon, Physical Therapist and now a Chiropractor. It feels like I am constantly placing myself in some one's hands (literally). But for some reason (perhaps stigma) I have felt the most vulnerable in the hands of a chiropractor. You would think surgery would have been scarier. I guess the anesthesia took care of those fears. Today, I anxiously went back for my second visit. Unlike, Friday I now knew what to expect and was nervous I'd wouldn't be able to relax. Needless to say my head is still attached and it didn't sound/feel nearly as bad the second time. It's not that the "adjusting" hurts, I just feel so vulnerable. The Dr. was very kind and understanding of my nerves and he claims by body is responding well. Notice, my hesitancy. It's hard to jump on board yet another regime.

So while, it may seem a silly thing to fret. It has been real to me. And it made me realize that all this time I have been forgetting that despite the earthly hands that try to fix me, it's really my Heavenly Father's hands that hold me close. He is still holding me even in those moments. His hands are the ones I need to trust and find my hope. The outcome is ultimately His, even when I question the path I am taking. So I am trying to trust and rest. Both of which my body so desperately needs.

Spoiled

We just got home from vacation on Tuesday.
Today, I had an amazing massage, a treat from my mom and dad.
The massage therapist thinks there is still hope for me ;)
The boys are spending the night with them.
EJ and I are going out for dinner.
I am in my own home in total silence.
I will attempt to get the house back in order (still haven't unpacked).
My first (ever) Chiropractic apt. tomorrow morning (a little nervous).

Hostess with the Mostest

EJ's grandmother, Nana is amazing.
She did a great job enduring the loud noises and fast movements.
As we departed on Tuesday, with tears in her eyes, she told us to stay for a month next time. Really !?!?! Maybe we don't make such bad house guests after all.

I mentioned my favorite part of the trip was the bike riding. Well, I've changed my mind. Not planning and fixing dinner for 6 nights was the BEST part! I feel guilty even admitting how much work she did. I helped, but barely. Her love language is filling bellies! And boy can she cook. It was a good thing we did so much riding, b/c I still put on the pounds.

She discovered the boys like pudding, so they had several flavors to choose from:)

While enjoying Nana's homemade pasta, yum! EJ shared a funny story of the first meal I ever made for him (in college-my Jr year). I attempted to make his favorite, spaghetti and clam sauce. Keep in mind I had never seen or eaten the dish before. Italian food wasn't a staple in my home growing up. So with the help of Betty Crocker and Becca B. I made a not so tasty spaghetti and clams (white sauce). My secret ingredient, flour. Because I thought the sauce needed to be white not clear. Isn't that why it's called white sauce? Well, he loved me for my heart and effort and assumed my cooking could improve. Fortunately I have come a long way and I stick to red sauce;)

Thanks Nana and PopPop for your wonderful hospitality. We are forever thankful.

Making the Most of it

Despite the down pouring rain, we stayed busy.
The boys like busy :)

Went to the Cape May Zoo.

We took an art pad and markers so Owen could do some drawing.
He loved it and really took the time to look and study several animals.
There is also a picture of a brown bear and zebra in his collection.

The boardwalk arcade - PopPop's treat.

Toughing it out on the chilly beach.

EJ is the best dad and husband.
He was constantly entertaining the boys,
planning outings and giving me some time to myself.
My aches and pains were much better, makes me wonder?

On the beach

I absolutely LOVE the town of Avalon. It is a quaint, beautiful little town. It's also a wealthy little town and with gorgeous playgrounds, ball fields, and piers. The street medians are beautifully landscaped, there are fish, shells, and crabs stamped along the cement sidewalks! Some of the houses are unbelievable. We always check on The Marble house, the UTZ mansion and Opera's house while we are there. I love how flat it is and that all the streets are on a grid. We were able to cruise from one end to the other on our bikes. So fun!

I will say the "beach" in Avalon has taken some getting used too. I have been going to Southern Beaches for so long. Before Avalon, I had never heard of beach tags (you pay to get on the beach). If you swim in the ocean it has to be directly in front of the lifeguard stand. They blow their whistles constantly. If you stray too much to the right/left or in too deep they let you know it. It's hilarious to see 100 people swimming within 25 yards of space and then no one for another 500 yds.
Well, our last morning on the beach we were surprised to see this. I couldn't have asked for a better picture for this post. And no this is not a doctored photo. Why these people continued sitting there, I'll never know.

Bike Rides

We spent a great deal of time on bikes. For me, this was best part of our vacation. We rented 2 adult bikes and a "chariot." We were on our bikes all week long. We went out every morning, before most of the island was even awake. At least the sun was up, so we counted our blessings! Then we always rode to the beach. And we usually took another ride before dinner.
We had rain almost all week with very few chances for beach time. The bikes were just what we needed to fight off the rainy blues. They provided exercise, a little space from each other, time to think, many adventures, and a great way to enjoy all the beautiful homes and landscaping in Avalon. Pop Pop joined us for quite a few rides. He was sporting a slightly less glamorous ride. Who knows how old it was and Owen so tactfully said should "be thrown in the trash." I should have gotten a picture of it.

At first, Mason wasn't so sure of the chariot.
But he quickly warmed up to the idea.

Our first (ever) ride as a family. EJ and I don't own bikes.

See those nice dark clouds over looking the bay.
One of our trips included picking up sticky buns for Father's Day breakfast. This black cloud followed us the whole time.This is how Mason had to ride each time we went to the beach.
It was only 3 blocks. He was a good sport.Spotted this pretty guy during a ride.

Sneak Peek

Too busy to blog!

We just got back from almost a week in Avalon, NJ.
The trip up.
Making good use of our DVD player and headphones.
They are much to big for Mason so we simply added a "baby" adjustment.

Ahh, we made it.

We had so much fun.
The boys are exhausted.
More pics to come. Along with the laundry and grocery shopping, etc.
I only took 255 :) How will I narrow them down.

The trip home.

Big Fans

I took the boys to EJ's basketball game tonight. I wanted to take advantage of the early game time. Most start after their bedtime. They LOVED it. Well, aside from being terrified of that annoying and extremely loud buzzer that goes off all the time. It worked to my advantage b/c Mason was too scared to wander off. The poor thing shook and whimpered every time it buzzed.
I don't think either had ever seen a live basketball game. Even I have never seen EJ play more than a pick up game. He did great.
My pictures aren't even worth posting or keeping for that matter. The gym lights and their motion, not a good combo. Too bad, b/c his duck tape #5 looked so cool on his black t-shirt ;) They did get actual shirts tonight, but the guy didn't show up in time.
I can only imagine Owen's mind racing with new thoughts of another sport to try. We already have quite the list. For some reason (thankfully) he thinks he can only do one at a time. So in his head, we are at least 3 yrs down the road.

They must be accomplished in this particular order.

1. T-ball
2. Gymnastics (we went to a b'day party at The Little Gym)
3. Karate

Early Morning Visitor

I was not expecting to wake up to the sound of pouring rain.
So much for our pool plans.
However, the rain did bring a nice surprise, a turtle.

Bathroom Reno

Our boys/guest bathroom reno is still in the planning stages. After all, that is my favorite part. I won't drag it out for 5 months like I did the kitchen :) We made some great progress. The floor tiles have been chosen, not ordered, but chosen. We agreed quite easily about the vanity cabinet. The top and sink style is still in question. I may have to look one other place.

I am amazed at how well EJ and I work together with these decisions. We met with a designer for the vanity at a local building supply company (same one we used for our kitchen). She may have a picture for us as early as tomorrow. It's nothing fancy, but we like using them better than Home Depot or Lowes. It's just better service. One name, one phone number, etc.

Of course the boys were with us too.
Perhaps that is why we make decisions so quickly.

Since then, Owen has made some design choices too.
He thought this might help. It goes great with the pink sink.
This doesn't surprise me. When he was about 2, he would walk around the house and hold up paint chips.
Then when he moved into a big bed with a quilt and matching pillow sham, he said it looked just like the magazines.

Caught on Camera

A smile for the camera is a rare thing these days.
I think I caught him off guard.

Not so Little

A big swing!

He doesn't use the pedals well, but he is definitely getting the hang of it.

He just got a new helmet so that when we go to the beach he can ride with us. We will rent something. Not sure if we should pull him behind us or attach him to EJ's bike. EJ thinks he'll like being on the back of a big bike. Having the wind blow through his long hair, I mean helmet! I on the other hand witnessed an accident on one of those when I was little. My parents collided into one another while my sister was riding on one of their bikes. No one was seriously injured. I find it hard to believe she remembers, but she is still shudders when she sees one. Any thoughts?

My not so "little" boy.
2yr stats

28 lbs 13 oz 60%
36.5 inches 95%

He is a force to be reckoned with and I think he can truly double in weight when he doesn't want to be picked up or moved. The phrase "limp noodle" does not apply. Noodles weigh nothing! And whoever said, "eat your vegetables so you can grow big and strong," must have been mistaken. Mason is plenty big and I can count his vegetable intake with two hands :)

Down in the Dumps

This has not been the best week. I have been feeling pretty awful, as a result of not on meds for my jaw and neck. We are going to have to re-evaluate life on many levels. This makes me very sad. I will be calling around for a new Primary Care Dr. and also have an appt with a Chiropractor. I am almost approaching the 1 year mark when this all began. I am kind of over it. I wish the pain was too.

The boys are not getting the best of me, but I know they hardly notice. I am thankful they won't even remember. The pool has been good entertainment for them and a good distraction for myself.

I have been trying hard not to be on the computer much to see if that helps my neck/shoulders. Hence the lack of blogging. It's been tough. I confess, I am addicted to blog reading, emailing and Internet surfing.
We will be vacationing soon enough and perhaps that's better than anything a doctor can prescribe!

Sorry to be such a downer.
TGIF!

The Wheels are Spinning

Crazy kids. Who comes up with these ideas?
The dad of course ;)

Mason is actually pulling Owen.

Drum Roll, please!

The four of us went out to celebrate the end of my Physical Therapy.

I stepped it up a notch from my salad on Tuesday (which I enjoyed).
Can't say it felt great, but a little snicker milkshake helped it go down :)
What to eat next?

Came to my senses

I finally came to my senses and stopped the insanity.
What was I thinking?
He just looked so cute.

I salvaged the rest of the day.
It poured down rain all day.
I had to cancel with a landscape designer. SAD!
More of that to come :)

Too Early

on so many levels

is it to early in the morning to write-off the whole day?

it feels like the world is spinning quickly around me.
or maybe that's just my children.

Owen has taken it upon himself to potty train Mason.
We've already had one accident.
Mason is wearing underpants.
I am not sure how this happened.
It's pouring outside so I guess we won't be going anywhere anyway.

Meal on Wheels

Mason and I had a fun morning together.
I got down on the floor and played.
Seems a rare thing these days.
We went to the library and then Costco.
We ran out of time for lunch, with an awkward 20 minutes left before needing to pick up Owen.
So I ran home, left Mason in the van while I put the groceries in the fridge. I grabbed a random assortment of food items from the kitchen and a sippy cup of milk. Drove to the parking lot of the preschool and climbed in the back with Mason. We enjoyed a picnic lunch together. It was actually really fun. He sat in his car seat and I wasn't jumping up every 2 minutes like I would do at home. He thought it was fun. Plus, I had very few dishes to clean!
EJ is not going to like that we ate in the car. It's always very crummy inside :(

Rrrr.... because that's what potato heads say, right?

The Chase

Owen has been at Art Camp the past 2 mornings at his preschool. Today is his last day. He has really enjoyed himself. Each morning he has spent some of the time painting on 1 canvas. Today he will bring home the finished piece. He has been talking about it a lot. I am excited to see it. He LOVES bringing a bag lunch to eat with his friends. It's been quiet around here.
Yesterday, he mentioned the girls were chasing him and another boy around on the playground. I immediately thought, Oh no what did he do to deserve being chased. What I didn't realize; the chasing on the playground has started. I didn't think much of it until this morning. I mentioned to Owen that it rained so much last night they might not play outside. His response, "I hope we do, so the girls will chase me."
Really, already? Keep running, Owen. Don't let them catch you.

Nuts about Design

Here's my latest blog header. For a family of 5. They have 3 boys. A 3 yr old and 8 month old twins. The mom suggested this phrase. I can only imagine :)


For more examples of my work, click here.

Business Lunch

Sometimes when EJ has business luncheons at exciting restaurants, like Maggianos, I get jealous. I am sure the conversation at my lunch table is way more entertaining than what the sales persons has to say, but the food not as yummy. Well, today is my turn. I am being treated to lunch by a committee from church. A real restaurant with 5 awesome ladies and no children. FUN! Oh and we'll talk business of course :)

Potty Talk

I know I should not get my hopes up. I am only writing this for future reference.
Mason peed in his little potty. This is actually his second successful/lucky attempt. I can't believe it. EJ, Owen and I were all there and he got BIG cheers, high 5's and even a little jig from mommy.
The "little" potty has been in their bathroom for a couple of weeks, just to get him interested. He hasn't paid it much attention. At bedtime tonight he wanted to sit on it as a means of procrastination (it starts this early???). Sure enough he went. What are the odds?

Released

I am a free woman. Released until July 20 from my post operative appointments ( i have been going every 2 weeks) and after this week I am done with my 2x a week Physical Therapy. I don't know who is more relieved, EJ or myself. I might kind of miss two mornings with a neck massage and no breakfast duty. Plus EJ will have to get to work on time.

So, what will I do to celebrate? This sounds totally crazy, but I am going to have Taco Salad for dinner. A salad is probably the last thing you imagined I'd say. It's been over 8 weeks without lettuce or a salad. I am still not sure I can do it, but I will attempt it (try eating lettuce with just your front teeth and you'll understand what I mean- it doesn't break down). I don't know if it is the salad I miss or the salad dressing :) A big juicy steak is still out of the picture. Unless of course I get the really expensive kind that you can cut with a butter knife.