Better late than never?

I hope so! I apologize for the LONG delay in posting. I was very busy with school and have yet to convince Arnie that he has any time to do any of the blogging. I have 7 weeks off from school (okay down to five), but certainly enough to catch you up. I will start with the current stuff and work backward as time permits.

Currently we are in Arizona. We drove all day Sunday and arrived in Phoenix on Sunday night (Dec. 23). We stayed with my parents at a time share in Scottsdale and visited a lot with my brother and his fiance, Jessie. We didn't do a whole lot in Phoenix, but we did have fun at a night time zoo lights exhibit where a portion of the Phoenix zoo was beautifully decorated in lights, with dancing lighted trees, a carousel and a talking giraffe. The kids really enjoyed that. The other thing Cole really enjoyed was playing David's Wii. The only game he played on it was bowling and for anyone who knows Cole, you know he was completely obsessed and SHOCKINGLY good at it! After several hours of play (we are never buying a system) he was averaging in the 130's with a high score of 177. He was so into it that he kept whacking the controller into the coffee table, which totally freaked my brother out. Ha! Just wait until he has kids.

After we were done in Scottsdale, we headed up several thousand feet in elevation to have some snow time in Flagstaff. Jessie's parents were kind enough to let us use their gorgeous second home up there. It was SO cold up there (daytime high around 35, low around 2)! We all had a blast though. Cole was our true snow boy and wanted to be out in it every chance he had. Jadon liked it, but also enjoyed his inside movie and hot chocolate time. Carter liked to eat the snow, but after that wanted to go back inside. We were so lucky because the snow was about 8-12 inches deep, powdery and everywhere. That said, it didn't ever fall on us, so there was no time when we couldn't enjoy it. There was plenty of space in the backyard for sledding and a hill that was just right for the boys. I couldn't have imagined any more perfect than it was (okay...maybe a bit warmer, but I'm not complaining).

Above, Cole enjoyed an outing into town with just Mom and Dad, while Jadon and Carter got a much needed nap back at the house. Cole probably had 5 cups of hot chocolate in two days while we were up in Flagstaff.

Carter tests out the snow. He was happiest on the driveway where he could really walk. He had a hard time trying to walk in the snow and got frustrated easily.

Cole looking a lot like Kenny from South Park. At least his face was warm!

Jadon and Cole really enjoyed sledding together!

Jadon just posing for a picture on the sled before heading back up for another run.

Pictures!

We are way behind on updating the pictures of Carter for his agency, so we finally chased him around this morning and got a few decent ones. Since it was so much effort to get them, I thought I'd post them for you to enjoy! Have a great week!

16 months and terrorizing!

Well, yesterday Carter turned 16 months. No one acknowledge this milestone, except Carter. He decided that in his advanced age he had better to do something to celebrate and subsequently learned how to open doors. The reality is that I think has known how to open doors for a while now, but he realized yesterday that he is finally tall enough to get his tiny finger wrapped around the handle. Now nothing is safe. The bathroom, closets, and playroom, which all used to be off limits will now be explored at will. Baby locks you say? That would be great if it weren't for the fact that unlike their brother, Jadon and Cole's manual dexterity skills are terrible and they would be locked out of pertinent places like the bathroom along with the baby. The tasks of my day would be reduced to running back and forth opening doors for everyone. Argggh!

This all said, Carter has just blossomed in the last month. He is SO funny. Definitely the funniest kid we have had. His personality is just amazing and he seems pretty bright to boot...great combination. He is talking up a storm and I have no idea how many words he knows at this point. It seems like he knows everything. His favorite word is 'hot,' which he uses appropriately and to indicate that he thinks I have made something really good and that he wants some. He also likes the word 'dangerous,' however he pronounces it 'Day Doh Doh.' Finally he is totally obsessed with cars and trucks so he is endlessly saying 'car, car, car' when we are out and he sees them. It has been such a pleasure watching him toddle around. I finally got him his first pair of shoes (his feet are so wide he couldn't use Jadon and Cole's). He loves to say 'shoes' and walk around in them. What a pleasure he has been.

Happy 16 months Carter!

Platelets and Blood

Arnie is donating blood for the Denke boys on 10/6 at 8am. I am donating platelets on 10/13 at 8 am. Thought I would let you know in case you wanted to coordinate schedules. Also, the Denke boys need O+ blood and platelets from any blood type.

Amazing news!!!!

Another update:

The Denke Twins found a bone marrow donor! They had their bone marrow transplant last Friday!

So what do they need now? Like, Hailey, they are in desperate need of blood and platelets ASAP. These products need to be donated at Children's Hospital Los Angeles and should be donated in Keane and Ethan Denkes' name. If you are local and can donate, PLEASE do. Be sure to emphasize that the donation is for these boys.

Thank you to all who are willing to help and to those who keep them in their thoughts and prayers.

Update on baby Hailey

For those who may be interested, there was an article run in the Simi Valley Star on Hailey Kent the other day. Here is the link:

http://www.venturacountystar.com/news/2007/sep/23/patient-of-leukemia/

Have a good day!

We're going to Disneyland!

I LOVE Disneyland! I love it even more when my kids behave well there. Today was a great day. We surprised the kids and took them to Disneyland. They thought they were going to the airport to pick up Daddy who had been away on business, but instead Daddy drove from the airport (with his car that was parked there) and met us at Disneyland. They literally didn’t know until we pulled up and Jadon was saying, "Hey, why does the airport look like Disneyland? And HEY! Why do all the poles have characters on them?" Too fun! The park was pretty empty and we waited no more than 7 minutes for anything and got to walk on almost everything. Cole rode the roller coasters that he is tall enough for 7 times! Jadon tried Splash Mountain and I think he liked it. We got to the park at 3pm and it was only open until 8, but I think we rode at least 17 rides. All the kids changed into their PJ’s at the car and fell right to sleep on the way home. I took them all right up to bed. Too easy! Enjoy the pictures.




Jadon tries the Tea Cups for the first time and decides he likes them!

The three boys hang out near the 100 Acre Wood after discovering Pooh's honey stash.

We meet Pluto and Jadon tells him something "very important."

Disney is getting all dressed up for Halloween. The official Halloween party doesn't start until tomorrow, but we got to take advantage of a few decorations that were already set up.

Good night Carter, sleep tight! I hope you have some very sweet Disney dreams tonight.

Updates

Hello!


So here is an update. We had busy week with the holiday and Arnie being out of town the entire week. I had lots of extra kid work. Cole had a check-up with his endocrinologist and we got 'sort of' good news. He is still growing normally for his age. So basically, he grew as much as any child his age would have, but he isn't making any catch-up growth either. He is still in the 1st percentile for height and his projected height is still 5 foot 3 to 5 foot 4 inches. The more I think about it, I realize we have A LOT of male friends in that height range and they all seem normal and well adjusted so I am not too worried. I am still not caving to the pressures of the doctor to put him on growth hormone!


We went to temple in Thousand Oaks with cousins Stephanie and Samantha for the holiday. We had a play date last Friday at Under the Sea with our twins club. Carter's Mommy and Me class, which was on hiatus, started up again this week and he and I had a great time seeing our old friends and singing songs with his teacher. The boys enjoyed "B" week at school and brought their baby dolls to share. Next week is "C" week and they are really looking forward to bringing their CD's to share. We are also planning a trip to Disneyland and the L.A. Zoo for next week, so I'm sure I will have some fun pictures of those adventures to post soon.

Cole and Jadon driving around Under the Sea at the twins club play date.

Carter with some red toy at Under the Sea.

Carter with our friend's 5 month old son during our babysitting adventure with 5 boys ages 4 and under! Notice how similar the "babies" are in size!

At temple with cousin Samantha. It was so hard to get all 4 kids to stay in the frame for more than a second.

Cousin Samantha kindly shares a cracker with Jadon.

School is going REALLY well. I had tests or quizzes in all my classes this past week and I am proud to say I aced everything! Woohoo! Knowing I can do well and still be a Mom feels amazing and it is also nice to know that I can probably ease up on the studying a bit and still do well enough is all my classes. The pressure lies in the fact that if I don't maintain a 4.0 I probably won't get into the program I want to, but after this first round of tests, I'm no longer worried about the grades. Ah...



Keep posted for more info. Oh! A quick update on my kids...Hailey Kent went home from CHLA a few weeks ago (after months and months in the hospital) and I haven't heard anything since. The doctors reiterated to her parents that her odds were not great, so if you have room in your prayers, please include her. Fyn's Mom posted that his AFP is down to 7.7, which is normal! It appears that the removal of the tumor several weeks ago did the trick and they are hoping it stays down. Again, prayers are awesome!

Why I Love Being a Mom...

...Because when I am sorting through the laundry basket, not only do I get to separate darks from lights, but I also get to separate Legos from plastic bowling balls. Those moments put a smile on my face that lasts all day. I truly love it!

He made it!

The Hanna Andersson winter catalog came out in stores in the last several weeks and Cole IS on the cover! We had checked online while I was in Baltimore and the winter catalog online does not have him in it, but my aunt just called me from the mall today to tell me he is on the cover in the store version. For those who have asked, you can go to http://www.hannaandersson.com/ and at the bottom there is a link to order the catalog. My aunt picked up several copies for me, so when I get one I will try to scan it and get it up on the blog.

Yay Cole! Good job buddy!


Cole on the set all dressed (minus his cape) chatting with the photographer who subsequently hired him for another job for a magazine about a month after this shoot.

Busy, busy, busy

Taking 12 units may have been a mistake. I have SO much work. Actually, all my time is primarily being consumed by my Antatomy/Physiology class. I study from 5-7 am, 2:30-4:30 pm, 8-10pm, and almost all the time on weekends (so far). That said, during the week when the boys are awake and I am not in class, my time is totally theirs. It is nice because our free time is so well defined now that I actually think we are making better us of it. The weekend before school started we went to the L.A. Zoo for a 'member's only' early morning visit (while the animals were actually awake). Monday we went swimming at my parent's house in the morning, Wednesday we went to an indoor play place with huge inflatable climbing structures with two other sets of twins (Carter's age), and Friday we had a great play date with some of our cousins and friends. The kids played with water, toys, and we got to see our Cousin Erica's beautiful new house! I really enjoyed having so many well defined, scheduled events. I look forward to more in the coming weeks!

Jadon and Cole (a bit blurry) on the giant slide!

Carter wants to climb up the giant slide. I can't wait until he can! It was hard work carrying him up there, but a good workout!

Jadon, up close and personal, with an orangutan.

Cole and Jadon hanging out in an animal sculpture at the zoo.

Sunday Pancakes

The end of the week? The beginning of a new one? Does it really matter? Anytime is a great time for pancakes and since I have been most neglectful of my children this weekend while studying like crazy for my insane Anatomy/Physiology I wanted to surprise them this morning. I try to make pancakes at least 2 times a month on the weekends for a treat. Today I made chocolate chip for Cole and Carter, Blueberry for Daddy, and plain for Jadon (which I accidentally burned while making eggs). I pulled a camera out to take pictures of Carter's chocolate chip face (one of my favorite subjects - Carter with chocolate) and ended up taking pictures of all three boys. Jadon decided to 'model' with a pancake and a bottle of syrup...bizarre, but funny.

Carter and Cole play peek-a-boo through the handle in the back of Carter's high chair.

A quick update!

Thank you to all who have sent e-mails, called, and posted comments here on the blog. They have been very encouraging and I am so excited that some of you are finding ways to help these families!

Here are some ideas for those who can't donate blood, platelets, etc. First of all, if you are out of area, go to a hospital near you. They are all in need and greatly appreciate the donations. Second, do you know a great artist, musician, anybody famous? Could you get them to make a donation of artwork for auction, play a benefit concert or donate proceeds from an already scheduled concert, or make a guest appearance? The possible ways to help are endless! Of course, if you have extra change lying around and are looking for a good way to donate, I believe every family I have mentioned has a fund set up for them or you could make a donation to CHLA, an organization that helps families with sick children, or a hospital near you!

For those who have asked for more information on Hailey Kent, I didn't put any links up for her because much of the information on them is old (pre- her bone marrow transplant). Since you've asked, I will provide some links. Also, I am including the link to the CHLA care pages for those who wanted access to her care page.

http://www.carepages.com/ (Care Pages website...go to the new visitors section on the right and sign in, then request the care page titled: 'haileyjoykent' Just like that...no spaces)

http://www.haileyjoy.com/ (mostly older information and a prayer chain)

http://www.ryanandhaileykent.com/ (and underdeveloped, but super cute website that highlights the twins acting and modeling career before Hailey's diagnosis...many of the links don't work)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sE2AHpvEudo (youtube video)

http://ghkidsevent.tripod.com/id48.html (old article from the Ventura County Star)

Thank you again to everyone who has showed both me and these children support. I appreciate it and I know they do too!

Also, a huge thanks to everyone who has wished me well on starting school again as a full time student tomorrow! It is so very appreciated!

Why are we so lucky?

I admit it. I am obsessed. I am obsessed with other people's sick children and I don't know why. It all started many months ago when a family contacted our twins club desperately seeking platelet donations for their daughter (a twin) who was diagnosed with leukemia and was gearing up to have a marrow transplant. She and her brother are 3 days younger than Carter and I instantly felt compelled to help. I made an appointment at Children's Hospital to donate and have donated three more times since then. I have also convinced Arnie to donate and we try to alternate Saturday mornings doing this (you can only donate once every two weeks). I feel it is incredibly important to donate as Children's Hospital (CHLA) always runs a deficit when it come to platelets. They have had to skip every other treatment for Hailey because there just aren't enough. I signed up to receive updates for this little girl through her "care page" at the hospital. It is more or less a blog that her Mom updates every few weeks to keep everyone posted on how she is doing. I have never met these people...why am I so drawn to the story and so compelled to help? A few nights ago her Mom updated the care page and said that the doctors had sat them down and told them that the chances of this sweet baby making it are not good. I was told by a nurse at Children's that babies with this type of leukemia diagnosed before age 1 generally didn't make it, so although this news was not a surprise, I was still devastated. It brings tears to my eyes just to think about it, which I find myself doing all the time.

If you are interested or can find time in your busy lives to make it over to CHLA, platelet and blood donations are always desperately needed and greatly appreciated. The phone number for the blood donor center is: 323-361-2441. You can make an appointment to donate blood or platelets at this number. Be warned, unlike blood, platelet donation is a long process. It is usually about 3 hours from start to finish. You get to choose a movie to watch and they give you juice, cookies, and a $5 meal voucher for the cafeteria (which actually can buy quite a bit of nice food) when you are done. If you are going to do it, eat lots of calcium rich foods before you go and in the few days leading up to it! I highly recommend doing this if you can. It is a big investment of your time, but the feeling of pride you get knowing that you did something great for someone else is priceless.

BUT, this isn't all. We also have a set of identical twins in our twins club who have a rare genetic blood disease (HLH) and are trying to find a marrow match to do a transplant that will save their lives. So of course, I ran right over to the LDS church down the street where they were doing the drive and got 'swabbed.' Arnie couldn't make it, so we ordered a kit for him to do it at home (anyone can do that by the way). If you are interested in getting your marrow information into the system to help the precious twin boys or anyone else in need, you can go to http://www.dkmsamericas.org/ and click "join the registry" on the right hand side of the page. There you can have a kit delivered to your home or find out where the next local drive will be. It only takes a few minutes to join. No needles, just a couple swabs of your cheeks to get some good cells. Admittedly, it took me almost thirty minutes to do it because I was riveted and in tears watching the video of the twins they had running when I went to donate. If you are a glutton for punishment (or not an easy crier) you can watch it too at: http://web.mac.com/xander.denke/X&C_Home_Page/Marrow_Drive_Video.html

With any luck one person will match these two sweet boys. One person, can save both of their lives in this case! If you would like to know more about these babies, you can visit their family's website at: http://web.mac.com/xander.denke/X&C_Home_Page/PRIVYET!.html

Okay, and that has GOT to be it right? Nope! I was looking for a good web resource about Hailey (the baby with leukemia) to send a friend of mine the other day and in my search stumbled upon yet another family's blog. They have a little boy named Fyn who was diagnosed with a form of liver cancer that had metastasized to his heart and lungs when he was a few months shy of five years old. He was 4. Jadon and Cole are 4. I am now sucked in to yet another soberingily sad story. That said, he is doing okay right now. He is also being treated at Children's Hospital, also occasionally needs platelet and blood (O+ Arnie's type), and lives very close to my parents. I must have spent 2 hours last night reading their blog form March 2006 when he was diagnosed to present. I may have skipped some in the middle, but I got the picture. They have been doing many benefit concerts to help his family financially as well as one truly amazing art auction (Fyn's Dad works for Cartoon Network). If you feel compelled, you may want to keep an eye on their blog to see if any concerts are coming up (in the LA area) or if they need blood or platelets. http://fynstec.blogspot.com/

Why are WE so lucky? I don't know and I don't want to know. All I know is that I need to do my part to make sure that I help those in need whenever possible. Jadon and Cole know that we go to CHLA to donate platelets. They know there is a sick baby there that needs them desperately and that we are trying to help. They are young, but I still think it is a good lesson for them and I hope it impacts who they will be as adults.

As for me, I don't know if this is good for me. I know I have learned a lot about myself and have begun to change my thinking because of these children and their stories. I don't know if I am changed for the better, but I am changed for good.

And on a lighter note: to avoid any accusations of plagiarism, yes, I know that the sentence just prior to this one is stolen from "Wicked." I think that that statement is one of the most powerful ones in the play and I can see how it applies to my life in so many ways. So there...duly cited!

A strong argument against chocolate chip pancakes...

UPDATE: 8 hours after eating the pancake, I am still finding chocolate between his fingers and stuck in the folds of his eye lids.

Good Morning Baltimore!

We are home! Carter and I spent the majority of last week in Baltimore visiting a really good friend of mine from high school and her family. The trip was...interesting. While seeing my friend Ivy and getting to know her new baby Ella and her husband Mike better was a lot of fun, Carter was not. It all started on the day we left when I had to wake him at 4:50am to make our flight. Mistake #1. Then I gave him Benadryl on the flight to knock him out, which I later remembered has the opposite effect on him. Mistake #2. We spent a lot of time sight seeing and never put the kids down for naps. Mistake #3. Are you getting the picture? Carter was a cranky mess the entire time we were gone. Moreover, I discovered that my sweet little baby ain't so sweet. Apparently, he has developed a passion for picking on those who are smaller than him (and let's face it, there aren't many). Ella was a perfect target and sadly sweet Ella adored Carter. She was constantly staring at him and always wanted to be near him when they were on the floor playing. Every time Ella would try to sit next to Carter he would grab a toy from her hand and throw it at her head. She would bravely pick the toy up again and try to play with it and he would repeat his actions. He would do this until she cried or I removed him from the situation! Poor Ella! Ella also like to touch Carter. Every time she would try to touch him or hold onto his clothes he would start screaming and crying hysterically. I SO hope this behavior was due entirely to his cranky tiredness, because if not, I have a monster on my hands.

In addition to us being gone on our trip last week, Jadon and Cole started their second and last year of preschool before Kindergarten! We are trying a new home preschool this year and so far it is friggin' unbelievable. The teacher is fantastic and the best part is that the boys LOVE it. They barely say goodbye to me when I drop them off because they are so eager to get inside and start working/playing. I already have Carter on the waiting list and I have deemed it totally worth the 1 hour round trip that it takes me to get them there. Gone are the days of listening to the whining in the morning before school. Hopefully this will give them just the positive experience they need before Kindergarten next year.

Oh, and then of course there is me. I go back to school this coming Monday. I am taking a full 12 units this semester. This is not how I envisioned the prerequisite course load being, but because some of my sciences have aged out (more than 7 year old) and because CSUN has some really stupid requirements, I have a lot to do before the actual program starts. If you find that I am not as good about calling or making plans as I used to be, please know that it is not you, it's me and my crazy schedule. Please call me though and nail me down for a date and time to "play." I really do want to keep in touch despite my crazy life.

More funny things Jadon has said...

Jadon was spinning around in the living room while I was making dinner. At one point he came running into the kitchen to tell me that the painting on the wall was sliding off and the banister rungs were cracking. At first I was perplexed and then I realized it was because he was dizzy. He insisted I come see. So he spun aroung and then collapsed onto the ground screaming, "Look Mom! See...see! Can you see what is happening? Is the house going to break?"

After tripping over one of Carter's toys and dropping a stack of books he was carrying, Jadon (sobbing) said "My whole life is broken!"

Conversation: Tami: Do you want a pear? Jadon: A pair of what?

Brilliant and Hysterical

I was just reading our local magazine/ad circular called The Magazine (Santa Clarita). It is comprised primarily of short articles about aspects of various services and accompanied by ads for those who provides those services. There is also some news from around town. The cover story this month is about cancer support for parents/families who have children who are currently fighting cancer. I decided to check out that article, but on my way there I saw a byline that read, "In my mind I'm goin' to Carolina..." I was curious to see what that could possibly be about and how it found its way into this magazine. To my amazement (and shock) it was actually an ad placed by a North/South Carolina realtor! The opening line reads, "Here is the Pavelich Family of Quartz Hill, CA in their new Centex home. They came to Charlotte for a vacation and decided to stay." It depicted several amazing homes (some ranches, some palatial, etc.) all at prices that would seem beyond ludicrous to find anywhere within 500 miles of here. I am AMAZED that anyone thought to do this and frankly, I think it is BRILLIANT!

Jadon and Cole gave me a run for my money today. Honestly, I started off in a crappy mood, so their trouble-making just made things worse. In the end, Jadon ended up having to stay in his room for the late afternoon/evening. This was primarily because of extremely bad behavior at Babies R Us. The list of naughty things is to long to bother with, but the final straw was that he wouldn't stop pulling on the elastic things that can be used to make line markers. You know, to identify how a line of people should flow? They had a bunch of them sitting off to the side and he and Cole were pulling them out. I must have asked him to stop about 6 times before I finally warned him that he would be spending the afternoon in his room. Anyway, long story attempting to be shorter, as I was walking him downstairs this evening to have him put on his PJ's and brush his teeth I commented that he had been very naughty today. He apologized and said that it was an accident. I said there was no way that him pulling on those things after he was told not to multiple times could possibly be an accident. He shouted, "But wait Mom! It was an accident. I have batteries in my arm and I forgot to change them before we left. I had the bad pulling batteries in my arm and I meant to change them to the good "not pulling" batteries. So it really was and accident!"

How can you not laugh at a story like that? Hysterical!

Jadon and Cole: Our Little Performers

Today Jadon and Cole did their finale performance's for the singing class they've been taking this summer. The class was AWESOME. It was only 4 weeks long and they missed the first class because Jadon was working, but they still learned so much. Today, the fifth class, was the finale. They were asked to come in costume and, of course, Jadon HAD to be Peter Pan. Cole was Michael (also from the story of Peter Pan and always depicted in footie pajamas). Enjoy the show!

Where have we been?

I know this update is a long time coming. We have been SO busy! Since my last post we have celebrated my Mom's 60th! birthday, the 4th of July, had David and Jessie (David's fiance) stay with us for a week, gone to the beach, and of course, I have gone to school 4 nights a week...ack! Of course there have been play date, family obligations, and the boys' summer classes thrown in the mix too.

Briefly, we through a surprise party for my Mom on July 1st. She is really into square dancing so it was square dancing themed and we had a caller there to teach everybody how to square dance. It was cute (really)!

The 4th of July was crazy this year. We combined it with a little "celebration" of my Grandfather's life and ended up having many more people than we usually do (at my Mom's). For those who didn't know, my grandfather (Dad's dad) passed away in February. Then, we normally stay in Thousand Oaks for the fireworks, but due to parking hassles at the mall, we decided to come home and try out the fireworks show they do in our neighborhood. It was fantastic! There was still something sad about not beign there with friends and family though. Maybe next year...

David and Jessie were here with us for a week, but we didn't get to see them too much as they spent a good portion of their time trying to meet and secure vendors for their wedding. They are having a VERY small wedding next summer here in California, so their only chance to meet with and interview vendors was during their visit. We still had some fun though, especially in the evenings when the boys were and bed an we could play games. We all love games (board, strategy, cards) so it is a blast when there are 4 of us in one house to play every night.

On a whim we took the boys to the beach a few weeks ago. I had a great time. Carter had a great time. Arnie had fun, but has never been a big fan of the beach. Jadon and Cole hated it! Jadon didn't like it because he got hit by a 'big' wave and Cole didn't like it because about half way through our visit he developed an extreme fear of seaweed after some got stuck on his foot. These boys are ridiculous!

School is going really well for me. The class has been fairly easy so far. The only unfun part has been having to memorize the processes of cellular respiration (the break down of food into energy) at a molecular level, but I am all set now. I have 3 weeks of class left and then I get an 18 day break before Fall semester. I have come to realize that I need quite a few more classes than I originally thought. This is mainly because each university I am applying to has different prerequisites. Annoying, but I'll get through it all!

The boys' art and music class ended Friday. We missed it because Jadon had an audition. It was fine thought because the teacher was horrible anyway and the class was a total disappointment. Their singing class ends this Wednesday. That one has been phenomenal. I am going to video their final performance and hopefully we can figure out a way to post it here for everyone to see. Carter is still in Mommy and Me and Jadon and Cole have camp for another 4 weeks. Then school starts again...it all goes so fast!

Hand to Hand Combat

Lately I have been finding myself engaged in hand to hand combat with my 1 year old. I know it sounds ridiculous, but seriously I have. His new 'game' is to throw food off his highchair when he is done eating. This really isn't anything special as I think every baby I know does this. What makes the experience unique is what he does when I try to take the food away. First of all, as Carter sees me coming over he starts to throw the food faster. Then, when I get to his tray and frantically start to grab whatever is remaining off his tray, he starts smacking my hands and trying to reach underneath them to get the food out from under them! Because of the angle and shape of his tray, I have a hard time getting my hands on his food and it truly turns into a little battle. The big boys think the whole scene is hysterical. Frankly, I do too!

Back to School

Just as Jadon and Cole have finished up preschool for the year, Mommy has decided to go back to school. Yes, I already have a degree in psychology, but I want another degree in nursing. I haven't yet figured out how exactly to pull this off with three children and the desire for at least one more and the strong desire to be a stay-at-home Mom, but I am going to try. This week I started a night class at the local junior college to begin knocking off the handful of prerequisites I need before I enter an actual nursing program. It is a biology class that meets three hours a night 4 nights a week for 8 weeks. I have already taken biology, but unfortunately my sciences that are more than 5 years old won't be accepted by the nursing program and have to be retaken. I am lucky though because a lot of the local universities have started reinstating or creating nursing programs in the last few years and they have created special programs for people like myself who already have a bachelors degree in another field. I can feasibly (gruelingly) get my bachelors degree in 12-15 months depending on the program I choose. I am thinking of possibly entering a program when Carter is three, so I have two years to finish the prerequisites, but we'll see if I am really willing to leave Carter when the time comes.

I'm off to study!

More Pictures from Carter's Birthday

I just found these saved as a draft! Oops! Well a few months late, but better late than never right?

Feeling SO Blessed and SO Tired!

As some of you know, the kids have been attempting to do acting and modeling for some time. Up until 30 days ago this meant a lot of auditioning, with only one booking over three years. In the last month things have really started to pop for us though. First, Cole booked a some print work for a children's clothing catalog, which we believe he will appear on the cover of in the Fall. Then we found out Carter is being paid for a commercial that he was booked for, but never shot, a few months ago. Then, a week later the photographer who originally shot Cole for the catalog, hand picked him to do some shots for a new magazine (including a cover try). Right after that Carter auditioned for and booked a print job for Disney. As we were driving home from Carter's shoot on Monday our agent called to tell us that Jadon booked print work with a toy company to be shot the next day (no audition...just picked from his picture!). The day after he shot that they called to book him again for today (Friday). This has been totally unreal and although I'm sure there are kids who book a lot more, we sure are feeling smiled upon these days!

You will see Jadon on toy product packaging sometime soon. Carter may appear in a brochure to be distributed with Disney's new paint product produced by Behr. Cole will be seen in the Fall in the Hanna Andersson catalog as well as Toddler Magazine.

Wow! I am tired! Meanwhile, I am starting school next Monday to begin prerequisites I need to start a nursing program. I am putting that in writing to keep myself from chickening out (which I did last Fall). My class will meet M-Th nights for about 3 hours for 6 weeks. I then plan to take two more classes in the Fall, which will keep me in that same M-Th schedule...yuck!

The boys are done with preschool for the summer, but start a whole slew of summer classes over the next week or so. We just finished a two week round of boot camp style swimming lessons that went really well.

Carter and I have been and continue to take a great little Mommy and Me class with our cousins, Stephanie and Samantha, which we love! I probably will have to stop after summer because Jadon and Cole will be attending a new preschool that doesn't keep hours conducive to me getting to Carter's class, but for now we get to enjoy it.

My brother and his fiance are coming to visit for a week in late June and into early July and Carter and I have a trip to Baltimore planned between semesters in mid-August. We are taking some time to visit one of my best friends from high school and her little one who is 5 months younger than Carter. It should be fun and Carter will be the first of our kids to ride on a plane...too bad he will probably think he is on a long car ride!

Well, that isn't ALL that we have going on, but that is a lot of it and probably gives you a taste for our crazy life. If you ever come over and find out the house is a total mess, at least you will know why. No one is ever home to clean it!

Happy 1st Birthday Carter!

Okay, yes this is a little late, but better late than never. We had a great little party for Carter on his actual birthday (June 3). We had cake, balloons, a bouncer, and of course lots of family and some really great friends there to celebrate too! It was warm so we all congregated primarily inside and we kept the air running. As you can see from the picture above, Carter definitely enjoyed his cake.

Last Thursday (June 7) I took Carter for his 1 year check up. Everything was great. Our pediatrician couldn't believe how much he is talking (is this really a shock....look at his Mom). He was 20lbs 7oz (18th percentile) and 28 1/4 inches long (7th percentile). Yes, we have another peanut child on our hands.

Most of Carter's new tricks are verbal. He sings "Happy Birthday" endlessley, but it sounds more like "Happy day day.....yooouuuuu." He likes to go for walks and any time he sees his stroller, a push toy, or even if we just step outside he says "walk?" He calls me mama now and will actually call to me from around the house if he doesn't see me. He says: hat, balloon, ball, dog, woof, 'happy day', dada, mama, walk, all done, bye bye, chicken, cheese, banana, baba (bottle), night night, book, and many more words that I am too tired to think of right now.

Carter now pulls up and walks around the kitchen hanging onto the cabinets and will even walk with just the guide of a flat wall, but he has not stood on his own yet for more than 2 seconds. He loves to play with toys and really enjoys it when Jadon and Cole allow him to interact with them (they are usually chasing him away).

Happy Birthday Jadon and Cole!

Well, 27 minutes from now, Jadon and Cole will officially be four years old. Of course it seems like they have been here forever and in that respect, four doesn't seem that old. On the other hand, four seems so old. It is so close to five and to Kindergarten and is totally the end of anything that could be remotely considered toddlerhood. Yikes!

They had there first real "friends" birthday party this past Sunday at there gym, which is called My Gym. We had a Peter Pan cake as that is their favorite theme of the moment. We had a TON of kids and their siblings. Despite the sheer number of kids involved, everything ran relatively smoothly and the boys has a lot of fun. We were having a hard time with the camera. With the flash the pictures were dark and without it they were blurry. This probably has more to do the lack of knowledge by the operator than the actual camera. Below are a few of the pictures that turned out half way decent!

Cole with one of his favorite My Gym instructors, Joe.

Grandma and Grandpa came with the BIG car to help. Thank goodness. We would not have been able to fit the balloons and Jadon and Cole in the car!

The cake! Half chocolate (for Cole), half white (for Jadon) and filled with strawberries and custard. We ordered WAY too much cake and still have some in the fridge!

Cole is getting ready for cake.

Jadon is waiting for his slice to arrive.A group photo (minus a few who conked out early or got cut out of the picture!

Jadon and Cole went home and after playing outside for a while were ready to open presents.

It was a great day and I can't imagine that the boys could have been much happier!