HALLOWEEN 2009 PIC.

HALLOWEEN 2009

We had an awesome Halloween!! Friday night we had carved the pumpkins...the boys loved that! Eli carved his own, and Gregory&Nathan helped eachother work on another. Jacob just enjoyed playing with the pumpkin goo:) The boys all looked great in their costumes, and got a ton of candy....we won't be buying any candy for a while! The weather was perfect for trick-or-treating, so we were able to cover a lot of ground. Jacob loved being pulled in the wagon, and he walked up to a couple of houses, but was a bit bashful. Nathan was so excited about his costume, he wore it again today:) It was a very nice family day, and such a fun night...finished off with watching some scary movies(after the kiddos went to bed).

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!

It's feeling a lot like winter today...it's only 63....BURRRR!!! Although, it is supposed to be back to the high 80's next week, so we won't get too used to it...yet.
Halloween is all a buzz here. The house is all decorated, and the costumes are picked out. Eli's going to be "Jason"(scary), Gregory will be a Star Wars Clone Trooper, Nathan's going as a Knight in Shining Armor, and Jacob's going to be a little Elmo. They're all very excited! We're having a pizza /pumpkin carving night on Friday. Then on Halloween, we're heading out trick-or-treating with friends and family; it's going to be a spookely fun weekend!!

COLD & FLU BUGS....OH MY GOODNESS!!

Today was our first day of Fall break. Last night, I had told the boys, we won't set the alarm, and we'll try to sleep in. Well, come 4:30am, Jacob woke up warm, screaming, and grabbing his ears. I knew it was an ear infection. The poor little guy cried from 4:30-7:30am, and I was able to get him to the Dr.'s at 10:40....sure enough, he has a double ear infection. Meanwhile, after one unsuccessful dose of meds making him sick, tonight, he was able to keep it down, so hopefully, he'll be on the road to recovery!
The Dr.'s office was packed with sick kids, people were even waiting in the hall! The Dr. said, thus far, between the regular flu, and the swine flu, this is the worst flu season he has ever seen.
It's only October, this is just the start!! So, bring on the vitamens and anti bacterial hand gel!!

IT'S TIME TO CATCH UP.....and HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!

September continued to be a pretty hot month, so we were able to enjoy a lot of water play days. Both Eli and Gregory started their Religious Ed classes at church; Eli's in the junior high class(EDGE), and Gregory's in the 2nd grade class, and will be making his 1st Reconciliation in Dec.(exciting)! The boys continued to get used to their teachers, and are enjoying school. Nathan has been doing a home preschool program with me, and Jacob is talking up a storm(too cute)! We enjoyed the school Fall festival, and Eli went to his first school dance! He said it was awesome, and one of the teachers said he was a dance machine:) All is good!
Finally we can say....Fall has arrived...YEAH!! It's been chilly at night and in the morning, and the afternoon weather has been in the mid 80's..perfect!! Which also means, ELI TURNED 12 YEARS OLD!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY ELI!! I can not believe he is already 12, time flies!! He is such a special boy, we are so very proud of him! He had a slumber party...they rode skate boards in the cul-de-sac, played football, hit at a pinata, h20 balloons, sprayed silly string, rocked out to Guitar Hero,watched movies, and ate a ton of really yummy food!! He had 4 friends spend the night, and they all had a blast!!
Now we're thinking, HALLOWEEN!! Dave went in the attic tonight to bring out the decorations, and I can't wait to get them all up! The boys know what they're going to be, but that will be revieled in a later blog....

NEVER FORGET!!

I will never forget every moment of 9/11/01 and the weeks that followed. Gregory was 2 weeks old, and as cute and cuddly as could be, and Eli was loving being a big brother. On the morning of Sept. 11th, I was giving my Dad a call to see how GG was doing(she was very ill and in the hospital), and when he answered, he told me to turn on the news. I was in total disbelief...in shock as to what I was seeing! I had every emotion go through me. Nobody knew what would happen next! I started calling Dave, as I wanted him home, and for the family to be together. I stayed glued to the TV listening to the terrifying news and had both boys in my arms just about every minute of that day. In the evening,I did go to the hospital to see GG, and I will never forget how quiete it was, and hearing almost all the rooms having coverage of the day on TV. That night, and about a week to follow both boys slept in our room. In the weeks..months to follow, people seemed closer...there for eachother, and very proud to be an American.
9/11/01 changed everyone....it was after that day, that I made the decision to be a stay and be home with my kids...my family.
I give thanks everyday for all the men and women that serve our country, and protect us at home and overseas!

AUGUST NEWS

Well, August kept us busy, like most months do:) We began the month with the boys heading back to school. Thus far, they are doing a great job, liking their teachers, and are enjoying seeing their buddies again. On August 7th, Dave & I celebrated our 10th wedding Anniversary. On the 7th, we had a nice family dinner, and the boys surprised us, with getting in their fancy clothes, and being our waiters for the night...too cute! Then, on the 18th, dave & I headed to Vegas for a couple of days!! We had a blast! We did some, wining and dining, a very small amount of gambling,and of course, enjoyed the shopping!! We did the Freemont Experience, and the theme was Woodstock....ton's of fun! We also made it to the Shark reef at the Mandalay bay, which was a great aquarium! It was a great celebration of our 10 years of marriage!! ....And we finished August with celebrating Dave's and Gregory's Birthdays. Gregory chose to have his 8th Birthday party at the lake. So, he had 4 friends and the family come. We did a pinata, h2o balloons, bar-b-que, and had a blast playing in the water...it was a great day!! On the way home, he said he want's to have his party there again next year:)
So, now we're to September, and we're experiencing a heat wave...I think I'm ready for Fall!!

SUMMER 2009

OUR SUMMER

Okay... so...when all the boys are asleep, and the house is calm, I often think, should I blog, or should I veg out, and watch a movie with my hubby; I often choose the second:) However, now, it's time for me to update my blog!!
WHAT HAVE WE DONE THIS SUMMER??
We started our summer with camping up north. We enjoyed bike riding, hiking, swimming/row boating..getting some R&R. As well, we had a lovely visit with Dave's parents.
We had a fabulous 4th of July with family and friends.
A couple of weeks later, we went camping with my parents. We enjoyed water skiing, tubing, fishing, ton's of water play, playing games, and watching movies in their trailer....we had a blast!!
Play days with family and friends
Roller skating
Swimming
We enjoyed seeing UP, Ice Age 3, and Transformers 2
We went to a monster jams show...had great seats
....It's been a really fun summer, and now even though it still is VERY hot, we're to the last few days of summer break. We've finished our back to school shopping, and we're getting our binders/backpacks all ready for the 1st day of school. Tomorrow we have "meet the teacher night". Summertime ALWAYS flies by!!

LITTLE LEAUGUE DIVISION CHAMPIONS

IT'S BEEN A WHILE!!

Wow, it's been a while since I've blogged, so I thought I'd better get caught up! We've been staying busy since school got out. The weather has been very pleasant, so we've been bike riding almost everyday in the morning, swimming at the aquatic center, and using the inflatable pool and slip-n-slide:) We've done some cool art projects, and the boys decorated cupckaes too. Eli's baseball team were the CHAMPIONS in the league finals!! It was so exciting!! Following the BIG win, his coach had a team pool party......the team all showed up, and they were having a blast, then Eli was pushed in the pool, and collided with Branton, as he was coming up from under the water. Eli had to get his chin stitched up, and Branton got stitches on his head. Both boys were able to return to the end of the party after they were taken care of. Needless to say, we've been taking it pretty easy until he gets his stitches removed tomorrow. Thank God, Eli is feeling much better!

BASEBALL&MISC. PICS.

SUMMER IS HERE!!

Well, we've wrapped up the school year.....and school's out for the summer!! Baseball season is finished...well, almost finished, Eli goes into the post season tournament next week. Both Eli and Gregory had great seasons. Eli has become a great hitter, and catcher in the outfield. Tonight, on Eli's last game of the regular season, he hit a GRAND SLAM!! It was so exciting, and his coach...his whole team was thrilled!! Gregory has become a great catcher, and he did a wonderful job on 1st base!
Today was the last day of school. It was a fantastic year for both boys. Eli was honored last night for being on the honor roll all year; he recieved an award and a beautiful medal. Gregory recieved an award for excellent behavior! Way to go boys; we're very proud of you!!
Now, we're onto summer activities, and I can't wait!! When I was a child, summer was my favorite time, as my parents always made it so much fun for us. So, I hope my boys will have just as much fun, if not more:) I've stocked up on art supplies, science projects, outdoor water play games. We have our inflatable pools, sprinklers, and slip-n-slide, and we're going to do a lot of camping.
Tomorrow, is our day of remembering. It's been 2 years since Great Grandma (GG) passed away. There is not a day that goes by that we don't think of her, or talk about her. In the morning, we're going to the Five&Diner for breakfast, as it was her favorite restaraunt to go to for breakfast. We have so many wonderful memories, and we were all so blessed to have such a special GG.

THANK GOD FOR MOTHERS!!

I'm a bit behind on my Mother's Day blog, as it's been somewhat crazy around here the past week. It started last Thursday, Eli was home sick with a sore throat and low grade fever. Thank goodness, by the end of the day, he was feeling much better! However, by the time it was time to go pick up Gregory from school, I had come down with the stomach flu, and had to drive with my bowl next to me just in case. So, Gregory came home, and by that evening, I was sicker than a dog, and not able to keep anything...not even water down! As I was going through that, Gregory started to complain of a tummy ache, and before I knew it, he was throwing up and feeling miserable too! Thank goodness, Gregory was feeling pretty much back to normal by the next morning....as for me, I was hit HARD, and was sick through Sat. Dave was a huge help; he made us soup, and helped when he could, but he still had to go to work. Thank God for my WONDERFUL MOTHER (did I mention she is AWESOME), she came down and stayed with us, to help with the boys, so I could get some rest to get healthy ASAP. That was a great help!! I am up & running again, and am much better!!

MOTHER'S DAY was a very relaxing day. As we were recovering, we took it pretty easy. Dave and the boys made me a delicious breakfast, and gave me very nice cards, movies(Don't Mess With The Zohan & PS I Love You), and perfume. Dave had also sent me clothes shopping last week. My Dad is out of town, so we spent Mother's Day with my Mom, and we all watched Enchanted, and then we went to have pizza for dinner. When we came home, the boys made Just a Trifle for dessert (it's pudding, angel food cake, and whipped cream-great for a summer treat), and it was delicious! It was such a nice day! I thank God everyday to be blessed with such a wonderful husband and 4 absolutely awesome boys!! It was great to spend the day with my Mom--she is such a special person!

Now, moving on to TODAY.....yet but again, we have the flu going around our family....AGAIN!! Yesterday, Eli had gone to the park, and came back, to lay down for a while...now, he doesn't do that often, if he could be out with his buddies! So, by bedtime, he was saying his stomach hurt, and he better have a bowl. By 10pm, he was throwing up, and didn't stop till 3am! He's home today, very weak, and sleeping. Hopefully he's feeling better quickly, so he can enjoy the last 2 weeks of school!

NATHAN'S BIRTHDAY PICS

RECENT PICS

Zoo and Easter Pics

FIVE NATHAN FACTS...HAPPY BIRTHDAY NATHAN!!

NATHAN gives the best hugs.
NATHAN always says how much he loves his family.
NATHAN would spend every waking hour outdoors playing and riding his bike if he could.
NATHAN loves to help Dave in the yard and in the garage.
NATHAN is our jokester, and loves to dress up & use his imagination.
NATHAN turned 5 today!! He had a super fun Star Wars themed party this past Sat. We had his choice of food, which was hot dogs and nachos, and Grandma's potatoe salad....and of course cake & ice cream. The kids played a fishing game, pinata(it was one that you pull the ribbon, and the 1st ribbon Nathan pulled, the pinata broke), they played pin the sword on Darth Vador, and us adults got the kids with water balloons:) He had 8 boys come, and 1 girl....as you can imagine, it was loud and crazy, and they all had a blast! He told me today, this was his best birthday:) I can not believe he is already 5 years old...the time flies so quickly! He is such a special boy!! Happy Birthday Nathan!!

SUMMERTIME'S KNOCKING AT OUR DOOR!

Can you say spring fever!! Summertime is well on the way. It's been between 95-102 the last few days. This past Sunday, we had such a nice day, having a play day with our friends(theCox family), and Grandma&Grandpa. The kiddos all played baseball, rode scooters, and played WII. However, the evening did take an interesting turn. We came home, and Jacob fell ill with the stomach flu. He threw up off and on from 8pm till 5am Monday morning. Then while he was sick, at midnight, Nathan woke up throwing up too! It was the wierdest bug though, it hit really hard for 6-12 hours, and by Monday morning, they were both feeling much better(Thank God)!
As for Eli & Gregory, they are healthy, and both of them played great baseball last night. Gregory was catcher, and he does a great job, and Eli got awesome hits everytime he was up to bat....Good job guys!!

APRIL

I can not believe we are already to mid April! We've been spending most of this month breathing, eating, and dreaming BASEBALL. Eli & Gregory are both playing baseball, which means baseball 5 nights a week. Gregory is on the Lakewood Blueclaws ( coach pitch ), and Eli is on the St. Luis Cardinals ( major league little league ). Gregory has been switching positions each game, but he does really enjoy being catcher. Eli is in outfield, and most likely will be pitching this season too...he's doing an awesome job with his batting. They're both doing great, and it's so much fun to watch them!

We had a beautiful Easter weekend. On Saturday, we decorated eggs ( they turned out very nice ), and that evening, we took the boys out to dinner. On Sunday, we went to church, and came home to have our Easter egg hunt, and brunch with Grandma & Grandpa(jen's parents ). The kids enjoyed their baskets and goodies from the bunny. We took a short break, and had some down time in the afternoon. Then we headed to Grandma's & Grandpa's house for a delicious Easter dinner with the whole family....19 of us! The weather was perfect, we were able to spend a lot of time outdoors...it was such a nice day!

JACOB'S 2ND BIRTHDAY

SNOW DAY

LOT'S OF PICS

PARK PICS

JACOB'S BIRTHDAY PARTY & SPRING BREAK

We're all healthy again, so we were finally able to have Jacob's 2nd Birthday party with an Elmo theme. He had a great time playing with his cousins, playing balloon toss, and eating cake. When it came time to open gifts, he was pretty tired and not too interestd, so I opened most of them. However, he has had a blast playing with all of his new toys!

The boys were on spring break last week, and the weather was beautiful, in the mid 70's. We spent most of the week at the park, doing art projects, and at baseball practices. We also made it to Chuck E Cheeses, and ice skating. Unfortunately, the last few days of spring break, I was hobbling around with a minor sprained ankle. We had gone to the park, and I turned my ankle on the curb, and went falling into the sand box. After the initial shock of the pain, I had to look around to make sure I didn't have an audience or anything. Dave has been taking very good care of me. He bought me an ace bandage, a heating pad, and a pie.....I'm hobbling a bit less now, and it's feeling a bit better.

It's so hard to believe that spring break is over, and we're now looking forward to summer vacation! Time sure does fly!!

SICK, SICK...AND MORE SICK!!

For most of February, we had lot's of rest, fluids, meds, and multiple trips to the doctors. Almost every week, one or more of us had a high fever, and a terrible cold. For most of us, it turned out we had a viral syndrom, that needed to run it's course. Unfortunately, Dave just found out, he has Bronchitis. Of course, it's when work is super busy. He is now on antibiotics, but I'm hoping he doesnt relapse.
We did have a very nice Valentines. That morning, when I woke up, Dave had put together a huge gift basket of bath products, and movies and goodies for me(so romantic)! We took the boys out for pizza, then my parents watched the kiddos while we went to the movies and saw, New In Town....very good, must see movie!
About 2 weeks ago, we made it up to Flagstaff for a snow day. It was 58 degrees, sunny.....beautiful! There was about 5 inches of snow, which was perfect for sledding. We spent the day with Dave's parents, and our niece, her husband, & 2 boys(on Dave's side of the fam). We all had a blast, and the boys had so much fun flying down the hill!
Jacob turned 2 on February 28th! He is growing so quickly, and learning something new each day! He is such a happy and fun little boy!! Unfortunately, we had to postpone his Birthday party due to everyone being sick. We still had cake on his real birthday, and he had fun opening gifts from his brothers too:) We're planning on having the party this coming Sunday, so we're praying that we all stay healthy!!

SUPER BOWL SUNDAY!!!

What an awesome Super Bowl!! I have been a Cards fan for many years, and I was so happy to see them make it to the play offs, and then to the Super Bowl. They played so good, and tried hard till the last minute.....I'm proud of the Cards, and will always be a Cardinal fan! The game was Dave's dream game, as he has always been a Steeler's fan, so of course he was thrilled that they won, but he also enjoyed watching the Cardinals. The boys really enjoyed the game too, and had there buddies over, and had a little Super Bowl party. It was a fun day!

A PAINFUL WEEK.....

About a week ago, I had to have some extensive dental work done, which included getting 4 teeth pulled. I chose to have them all pulled at once, and it's been pretty painful to say the least. That's without mentioning, that I'm still on the yogart, jello, and pudding diet....Dave has been making me shakes every night too:) Then, while I've been in the recovery process, Jacob came down with a TERRIBLE flu. He had fevers of 104, and throwing up non- stop. Thank God, he is feeling much better today, and I'm slowly beginning to use the left side of my mouth again.

BABY TALK, REPORT CARDS, AND FUN TIMES AT THE PARK

I had gone out shopping the other night with Jacob. He LOVES to talk in his 22 month old language. So, on the way home, I didn't have the radio on, and he talked and sang to me the whole way home(about 25 mins.). Oh, it was so sweet; I wish I could have recorded it!

Way to go Eli and Gregory!! They both got awesome report cards! Eli was honored in an assembly this last Friday for being on the honor roll!

Januuary has thus far been like spring....in the high 70's-low 80's. It's been absolutely beautiful! We've been riding bikes and going to the park everyday! The boys have been becoming expert fort builders and tunnel diggers at the park. However, we're not getting too used to the weather, as winter usually hits somewhat hard in Feb.

WAY TO GO CARDINALS!! I've been a die hard Cardinals fan for many years. THEY ARE ON THE WAY TO SUPER BOWL!! YEAH!!

NEW YEARS CAMPING TRIP

THE BOYS WITH THEIR NEW TOYS

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

The week before Christmas was very interesting, as we had our share of asthma attacks, the flu, and trips to the Dr. Knowing that we were having Christmas parties at our house, for both Dave's family, and mine, I was getting pretty nervous about all the germs going around in our house. Thank goodness, everything went great! We had Dave's whole family for an Italian feast the Sat. before Christmas....it was great to visit with everyone. My family came for our annual Christmas Eve sleepover, and Christmas day. We all had a great time, and the boys were so surprised with all of their new toys! Eli woke up to a RipBoard under the tree, Gregory got an RC Truck, Nathan got a new bike, and Jacob got His own "CARS" couch.
For New Years we headed out camping with my parents. We did a lot of hiking, play washers, and the boys had a blast riding bikes. The weather was perfect...in the low 70's! We rang in the new year....Gregory got the biggest kick out watching the new York ball fall( I think he enjoyed being up till midnight)! So, now we're into the new year, and things are starting to slow down a bit. The boys are back to school, and I'm back to work. It was such a nice Christmas season, and of course, it goes way to quick!!
We hope you all have a very happy and healthy 2009!!