Making Memories

Last night we made sugar cookies. Levin felt pretty special, being able to put the decorations on himself. He was even given permission to eat one cookie, once they were done baking.

Snow, snow and more snow

A combination of the weather, and Jason's truck being out of commission, has left the boys and I at home nearly all week. Yesterday I finally took the boys out to play in the snow, which Levin was pretty excited about. I think we stayed outside for a total of maybe 10 minutes, because it was so cold. Philip was not a huge fan, since he had a hard time walking in all his layers of clothing.

As Good As New

Today was Philip's surgery, and we are blessed to be able to say that all went well. The Doctor did diagnose the lump as a Thyroglossal Duct Cyst. It is nothing serious, and should require no further treatment. The surgery was a bit more involved than initially thought (meaning that the cyst was larger than forseen, and even had some scar tissue in parts around it), but Philip did well, and is now at home resting comfortably with the aid of many drugs.

Thank you for your prayers!

Surgery It Is

A few weeks ago, while cousin Erika was tickling Philip, she noticed a red bump under his chin. We initially thought nothing of it, until the following evening when we actually felt it. Whatever it was, it did not seem totally normal and so we made an appointment with the Doctor to find out more. We were given a tentative diagnosis, and then referred over to an Ear Nose and Throat Doctor.

Today, we were seen by the ENT and told the lump could be one of two things, both cyst like in form. It is nothing serious, but nonetheless Philip will be going in for surgery next Thursday morning to have the lump removed. We should only need to be at the hospital for the day, but in the rare case it could be an overnight stay.

Your prayers would be coveted as we approach this situation, knowing that this is all in the Lord's hands.

But he was being so nice and quiet

Levin spent much of this morning reading books quietly to himself. The result, besides a quiet house and time for me to get a few things done, is shown in the pictures above.

Ouch!

Here is my attempt at showing you the result of Philip's smashed finger. The last picture is only there to show you the bear the hospital gave him. Not too bad really, but trust me it looked awful when it first happened.

Two Boys, Nearly Three Years, and.....

......we only just experienced our first Emergency Room visit. Last night we spent a few hours in the ER with Philip, who had his fingers smashed in our bedroom door. I will not fill you in on too much detail, but will just say that one of his fingers was pretty smashed in two places. I remember the very thing happening to my brother at around this age, and also remembered that my parents had taken him into the doctor. After consulting with my mom and Aunt Carol (a.k.a. nurse Carol), we all headed out the door for the E.R, with the screaming child.

We made a quick stop by Jason's parents to leave off Levin, and then went on our way to the hospital. We went to Allenmore, becasue you never have to wait for as long, which was the case last night. Everything moved along pretty quickly, meaning we were in and out of the hospital in only two hours. They did x-rays to confirm that nothing was broken, and thankfully nothing was. He just has some swelling of the soft tissue and some bruising. I will take pictures when he wakes up.

I must close by sharing a Levinism that came from this whole ordeal. While at Grandma Ann's he was sharing that Philip got his fingers smashed in a door by someone.....maybe daddy, or Levin....or....., which he knew full well was done by him. None the less he felt horrible for his poor brother as it was not done on purpose-this time.

Let's hope it's sometime before we visit the ER again.

Look Out!

Well, it's official, Philip is finally walking. Three weeks ago he took a series of four or five steps at a time several times in one day, but then only a step or two every few days. This was all very new to us, seeing as when Levin walked for the first time, he never stopped from that day on. I might add, Levin walked at a couple of months earlier than this.

Philip decided the best time to make this big step to toddlervile was at Grandma and Grandpa German's house, last Tuesday evening. He just took off walking all over their house. Both Grandparents seemed quite proud to be witnessing history.

The next morning, I expected Philip to wake up and take off walking again, but boy was I wrong. Nothing all day long. In fact, he did not do any more walking until Thursday evening when Grandma Ann and Papa were over for dinner. He has not stopped walking since that night, which is a good thing as he could afford to loose a few rolls of chub.

Please don't think I'm impatient with his pace in learning to walk. Thirteen and a half months is more normal for children to learn to walk and he has an extra bit of heft to lug around everywhere.

He also likes to think things through before doing them. In this case he decided that toddling with your feet spread wide apart, is a much safer mode of travel. I'm sure he's wondering why everyone else hasn't figured that out yet.

Sorry we don't have pictures yet, but just visualize a bowling pin toddling around while being chased by a 34 pound bowling ball named Levin.

Its Been Awhile

...since I shared a Levinism with you all, so here goes:

Yesterday morning Levin was helping me unload the dishwasher, which he often loves to do. Generally we have him organize the silverware, but yesterday he had pulled out all of his plastic bowls and was climbing up to put them all away on a top shelf. He quickly realized it was going to be too high for him, so I jumped in to help. As I was putting them up, he said to himself "If I be a mommy, I could reach". It sure is great to feel needed.

Well, hope you all enjoy your weekend

All Dressed Up

Here are a few pictures of the boys from last night. We went to see all the grandparents, and ended up stopping in at the church harvest party for a few minutes, so Aunt Jen could see the boys. Levin was no too confident in his little costume, but who can blame him.

Confirmed

It is now confirmed that I should no longer be allowed to even attempt to give my boys or anyone else, a haircut.

Last night I took on the task of giving Philip a much needed hair cut/trim. Let's just say that things did not turn out so well, and as a result, we have just returned from having a professional fix the mistakes. I must add that he did not even come close to sitting still for me, and that he sat perfectly still for Sally. Philip is no longer a baby. His haircut turned out much much shorter than I would have ever planned on, but what could one do. The good news is that it will be awhile before we need to give Philip another haircut.

Night Away

Well, we made it back from our little getaway up to Seattle. What a great time. It was so nice to have no agenda involving children.
Friday afternoon and evening we spent time walking around Pacific Place, shopping. We even unintentionally met up with some friends, which was a fun little surprise. For dinner we stopped in at the Cheesecake Factory, and somehow I managed to squeeze in some room for pumpkin cheesecake.
Saturday we walked all the way down to Pike Place Market, which was fun because it had been so long since I was there last. What else does one do when they go to Seattle? After wandering around for a few hours, we headed back to our hotel, where we stopped in for one last visit into the grocery store located below our hotel. I know, your thinking, "a grocery store..woo hoo", but this grocery store was pretty amazing. It was stocked with every kind of food for every kind of person, and housed several different mini cafes each serving different styles of food. We picked up a few groceries and then headed for home.
Of course the boys had a great time with Grandma Ann and Papa, but I am sure the grandparents were happy to give them back.

Four Years

Yesterday marked our four year anniversary, which is hard to even believe. What a wonderful four years it has been.
This year we bought a new camera for ourselves, which we are enjoying. Jason also brought home this bouquet of roses. Tomorrow we will spend one night away up in Seattle to celabrate, so more pictures to come I am sure.

Speaking of Birthdays

After getting home from the pumpkin patch, Jason and I headed off to the Auburn Mall to look for my birthday gift, a new coat. We left the boys with Aunt Jen and Aunt Heather, intending to be back in time for dinner, or so I thought. Little did I know that Jason and few others had different plans for how the rest of the day would play out.
We did get a coat, as well as a few other items, so the shopping trip was considered a success. While on our way back home, we received a call from Kjerste wondering if we could stop by her house to pick up a gift she had waiting for me. Well, of course we did. Several times I told Jason we should call my sisters to let them know we would be home a little later than planned, but he suggested that I not. Ummm...ok..kinda fishy, but whatever. Upon arriving at Kjerste and Dereks, I noted that I saw no familiar cars and proceeded in for our quick stop. It turns out that Jason and Kjerste had been planning a surprise party for me. Of course I then began to wonder about the boys, especially when the two above mentioned babysitters arrived at the party. My mom had it all taken care of, in fact she was keeping them through the night and bringing them to church with her in the morning. What a treat. Thanks everyone!

For pictures of the party click here for the link to Kjerste Blog, and look under the entry entitled SURPRISE.

I Spy Something Orange

Saturday was my birthday, and so to celebrate we went as a family to the pumpkin patch. Here are a few pictures before our camera battery died.

Dinner With Friends

This past Friday evening we were able once again to spend an evening getting to know the Krulish family, new to our church body(Jerid is our new "Youth Pastor") . The men had plans to go take in a local high school football game, and so instead of leaving the moms home alone with the kids we decided to spend the time together. The kids played really well together, and we even managed to get them all in bed and asleep before the men came back home.

And Your Mother Was Where?

Last week while we were at church for the weekly soup supper, Philip managed to pull a bowl of piping hot soup over resulting in a burned hand. He handled everything really well despite the shots he had had earlier in the day. The following day he did come up with three little blisters, which worried me a bit, but they have all healed almost completely with no infection ot other problems. Amazingly the blisters, while present, did not seem to bother him at all. I think I was more worried for him then he ever was.

Presenting....

.....the number one best autumn breakfast treat. I say treat, because they truly are wonderful. I am of course referring to the Pumpkin Pancakes referenced to in a previous post. Because I have had many people inquire about this recipe, I have decided to include it for all of you to enjoy.

PUMPKIN PANCAKES

2 cups flour
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1 Tbsp. baking powder
1 1/4 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
1 tsp. salt
1 3/4 cup milk
1 cup pumpkin (canned or fresh)
2 eggs
2/3 cup oil
1 tsp. vanilla

Whisk the dry ingredients together. Beat the wet stuff by hand and mix into the dry mixture. Some good toppings may include: sweetened sour cream (sour cream with brown sugar and vanilla), applesauce, soaked raisins, toasted walnuts, sprinkle of nutmeg, and butter with maple syrup.

Enjoy! And don't forget to share how you think this recipe rates.

Philip's Birthday Pictures

Happy Birthday Philip

So, it's official, Philip turns the big one today. We celebrated last night with all of the family, and I'm not sure if Philip had more fun with the paper and bows or with the contents they surrounded. He did thoroughly enjoy his cake, much more than Levin did, but as a result he had a bit of a sugar high, resulting in a later night. Thankfully he is sleeping in today.

For his Birthday breakfast we will be enjoying these pumpkin pancakes, a favorite of mommies.




Stay tuned for the birthday pictures, from last evenings festivities.

Walking together with friends

This week, we have been able to enjoy some beautiful weather. Each day has been just perfect, not too hot, but sunny and warm enough to be outside. Rather than spend our days inside, I thought it would be nice to enjoy the last days of sun before the rain sets in. As much as I am looking forward to the rain, I have convinced myself that it would be good for us all to be outside.

On Monday the boys and I spend two hours in the morning casually walking along Ruston Way, taking time to comb the beach for a bit. We had such a good time enjoying each others company.

Then again on Wednesday, we were able to go out walking, but this time we invited a few friends to join us. It was nice to share the walk with others along to talk with. Michelle and her girls had to get going earlier then Aria and I were ready to, so we ended up spending another two hours together on the beach. They had fun throwing rocks into the water and watching the splash.

Thursday morning, Sharletta called and was needing to get out of the house, so once again we packed up and went for a walk, but this time we went to Owens Beach. The kids all had a great time watching the fishing boats come in and get carried up out of the water by an elevator of sorts. We were also able to watch the Vashon Ferry unload and load.

So, to summarize, our week has been full of walks and enjoying the great outdoors.

"Do my get a hug?"

Last night we had some new friends over for dinner. They have girls about 10 months younger than each of our boys. My boys definitely need more practice being around girls and we so enjoyed conversing that I'm sure we will have to get together with them on a regular basis.

There were many cute stories, but one has to be posted...

As they were leaving, the mother and I exchanged hugs and said our farewells. Levin had been close by, and seemed to not be paying to much attention as he had been running around in the front yard. As the mother got into the car, Levin stopped and asked, "Do my get a hug"?

He did get a hug. And maybe there is hope for boys after all.

High Expectations Suddenly Crumble Away

I am sure you are all familiar with the story, Alexander and the Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day, in which nothing seems to go the way that Alexander had wished for them to go. My day is playing out in a similar way it seems, but not quite to the extreme as Alexanders.

Lately, I have been trying to make a point of getting up earlier in the morning so as to allow for my own quiet time, as well as to get a start on the day before the rest of the house awakes.

This morning started off a bit rough with Philip waking up at 6:00am, but he was easily put back to sleep, and I was able to get up and get going on my day. With the laundry half folded and breakfast going, I was joined by the elder of the two munchkins. No big deal, but then the littler of the two soon wanted to be a part of the morning routine. So much for a quiet and productive morning.

After breakfast was mostly cleared away, and we were all ready for the day, the boys and I loaded up for a quick run to the grocery store for a few items. Well, upon arriving at the store I realized that my wallet had not come along with us, which meant putting the boys and the stroller all back in the car for a quick run home.

Also, I might add that I had decided that today might be a nice day to buy a coffee (i.e. treat), since I had not had any yet, but that plan was not to be since they had no water to make the coffee with (minor details). Guess I will stick with making it myself.

Here I sit, laundry still half folded, a dishwasher waits to be emptied, and the house needs to be cleaned in preparations for company later this evening.

I share all this to say, why have I not learned yet, that setting high expectations when children are involved is never a good idea for anyone.

Suppose I best move on and see what things I can get done with what time I have.

A much needed Vacation

Well, we're back from our vacation to Chelan, which means, back to the tasks of day to day life with two munchkins.

We spent the past five days away with my family, enjoying the sun and view found at Lake Chelan. A great time was had by all. The weather was in the 90's,which made the pool and water park all the better. I think it is safe to say that Levin is very much a water boy. He had a blast in both the swimming pool and the slides at the water park. We even granted his wish to slide down the water slides all by himself. Don't worry, he had a life jacket on.

I should also, add that while on vacation Philip mastered the art of cruising along furniture. Yikes! I think I see walking in the not too distant future. It did come to my atention the other day that my baby is growing up way too fast. He will be one next month!

Oh dear...here we go

I am afraid we have officially started a new stage with Levin, the why stage. I have been pretending for quite some time now to simply ignore the question "Why", when asked, but that is no longer possible. I think I may go crazy! It is all very wonderful that he wants to know and understand the reasons behind EVERYTHING, but how much is too much? I am happy to satisfy his curiousity, after all he has to learn somehow.

My question to all of you is, How have you handled this stage, is is fine to ignore the question after you have answered the initial inquiry? Somebody please tell me I am not going to go gray over this small, yet tiring stage.

Any Thoughts?

Yesterday we had a large family from church over for Sunday dinner, which was lots of fun, but now I have leftovers, lots of them. I am hoping that maybe someone might have a thought or two on what I might do with mashed potatoes, gravy, corn, and beef chuck roast, besides shepherds pie, as it is not a favorite amongst everyone in the family.

Help!

"Look...another boat"

Today we took a little trip down to the Tall Ships Festival, with my sister-in-law, and the cousins. The weather was great, which made our visit more fun.

Fourth of July

Where to begin?

I am not quite sure where to begin, as we have done so much in the last two weeks, but I will do my best. Let me begin with my weekend one week ago.

Friday, we had Darcee's wedding and receptions, which were all so lovely. The boys came with us to the wedding and church reception, and then Jason and I continued on to the "private" reception (down the street from us), at the Pribyl household. We had a fun time visiting with friends and family, without having to worry about what sort of trouble the boys would be into next. They stayed at our house with Grandma Ann and Great Grandma B.

Saturday morning we were up bright and early, to get down to Jason's parents to help with the family garage sale. That all went quite well, and now my basement looks so much more neat and tidy-at least for now. Hmmm.....maybe I should take pictures.

After a long day outside in the sun, we came home to get ready for a family gathering, to take place in our backyard. With family in town for the wedding, we took the chance to get everyone together for one last get together. It is always fun to share our yard with others.

After church on Sunday morning we headed out to the First Presbyterian Church's bible camp, for their annual church picnic. Our niece was baptized in the lake there, and so we were able to tag along for the days events. It was a nice day to be out on a lake, because it was just over 90 degrees.

Here are a few pictures from the weekend.

Too funny not to share

As Levin was going outside this evening, I reminded him that before going out that he needed to put his boots on. He replied, "I don't need my boots on...I have my toes on."

What a Week

This past week was very busy for us, but it was a good kind of busy. Allow me to share.

It all began on Tuesday, when the boys and I went out to my sister-in-laws to watch my nephew, while she went to my nieces Kindergarten graduation. We had a lot of fun, and the boys actually played really well together.

On Wednesday, I had a dentist appointment, which gave Aunt Jen a chance to spend some time with her favorite nephews-also her only nephews. While I was out I was able to sneak in a quick trip over to Costco, without the boys. It is amazing how much faster things go when you are minus two little ones.

Thursday we took a trip up to the Auburn mall with Aunt Jen. We hit the usual stores, and managed to find some pretty good deals, which always makes me happy. Yeah for new pants and Capris!

Shortly after we arrived back at home, Grandpa German brought a truck load of compost over. The theme for the rest of the day was moving dirt. We put fresh dirt on the backyard flower beds and boy do the look good.

We did get a slight reprieve when Aunt Heather and her college roommates dropped in. They are in town for my cousin's wedding next Friday.

Friday was a crazy day. First it was a park trip with my friend Michelle and her two little ones. Followed by "Make it Donald's" for lunch. Then a waterfront walk with recently expecting cousin and super friend Kjerste. After that we dropped in on my Grandma and Papa's so that my extremely handy father-in-law could get our car trunk unstuck. Thanks Papa!

The day ended with an invite to my sister's apartment for Pizza with the other grandparents, Aunt Heather, and her afore mentioned visiting roommates. It's tough cramming a whole month of June fun into the one nice day this month.

Today, all we did was stay home. You would think that would be more relaxing, but not when you have a pile of compost in your backyard. We spent the day moving dirt from the backyard to our flower beds in the front of the house and trimming bushes around the yard.

Highlights include the first de-slivering of Levin's fumb. (He was so brave, but who told him about the healing power of band-aids.) And boy do flower beds look nice with a fresh coat of dirt!

Hopefully we can share pictures soon, but until then you all will just have to stop by to admire all of our fresh dirt.

Father's Day Weekend

This past weekend was full of fun and celebration. It all began on Friday when Jason and I went on a date to the mariners game. Jason's boss handed him the tickets on Wednesday, and who could turn down a chance to get out together, even if to a baseball game. It does seem to be becoming a tradition to go on dates to sporting events. We are handed some sonics tickets by another boss of Jason's a few months ago. I must add that even if the Sonics were sticking around, we would not be doing that again only because it was way too loud and I don't care too much for the squeak squeak of basketball.

The Mariners game was fun, and we had really great seats-on the second level, but still pretty good. My parents had the boys and had offered to keep them both over night, which was such a treat. It is always a little strange for me to be at home and have no children.

We were able to sleep in till just before 8am on Saturday, which was also a special treat. Jason had to head out to do some work, which left just me , alone, in my own house-no music, no talking, no noise, no crying, no noise! It was short lived, but still very refreshing.

For dinner Saturday, I decided, very last minute, to grill up the steaks that I had bought earlier on in the week. It turned in to our pre- Father's Day dinner, which I think I can safely say, Jason enjoyed.

For Father's Day we went to my parents house along with all of Jason's family. It sure is a Blessing that our families enjoy being around each other. We had a great afternoon with everyone, and Jason was even able to slip in a little Sunday afternoon snooze.

The boys and I got Jason a hammock post to replace the tree that we lost two winter's ago. Now Jason will be able to use his hammock again, once he is able to install the post. Isn't it great that I gave him something he cannot use until he puts in some time making it usable, ah well.

I think we did away with the saying, "Mother's day weekend...father's day half hour", because that was one full weekend spent doing things all for our daddy!

I will have to share pictures another day, as we are currently experiencing slight technical difficulties with our camera.

Grandpa Drives the Garbage Truck

Here are a few pictures from our time at the annual Duck Parade of University Place this past Saturday.

Levin and Aunt Jen, waiting for the parade to begin.

Philip and grandma watching the parade.

Brand new fire truck.

Grandpa in his garbage truck.

Another slice please

Philip has taken a liking to watermelon these past few days. He mostly enjoys chewing on the rind, getting every last bit of juice from within.

This is only the beginning of the many summer traditions that Philip will be able to experience for the very first time.

An Afternoon in the Mud

Today we were able to enjoy a nice, muddy walk on the beach, with some of Jason's coworkers and their families. Today happened to be a record low tide, the lowest Jason's boss had ever seen. Jason's boss invited everyone out to his house, and then led us all on a walk through the muck, to look for all kinds of sea life that is normally left open to only the underwater sea life. The weather cleared up for the time that we were out on our walk, which made our time much more pleasant. The boys seemed to have a good time. Levin especially enjoyed seeing the crabs and starfish. We were also able to see lots of clams, tube worms, snails, huge moon snails, and even a baby octopus. There were other interesting things to see, and by the time we returned to the house, I think we all had muddy shoes and wet socks.

BUSY BUSY BUSY

For those of you who may have been wondering, we are still around, but have been very busy this past week. It all began with me making cupcakes and helping to serve food for the Senior spring tea at TBS, on Tuesday, and ended with catering an event at our church. I am happy to report that all went well and I am still mostly standing, though the house is in need of some work. Here are a few pictures from our week.

Philip and daddy getting ready to mow the lawn together.

Levin and daddy got in for long over due haircuts. Levin is officially growing up way too fast.

Philip has begun to pull himself up on things.

Luncheon for church

Breaking out the swim trunks

Since Levin was sick last weekend, through our heat wave, he was not able to take part in any water fun, so today we took advantage of the nice day. I am not quite ready to pull out the pool, so we settled for using a blow up baby bathtub instead. Levin seemed to think it was great. Can't wait to see what he thinks of the pool, as I am sure he will not remember it from last year.

Jason later set up the sprinkler, so he and Levin could enjoy the water together. I did not capture any picture of the sprinkler fun, but did get quite of few of Levin in the bathtub. Philip was napping, so he was not able to take part in todays fun, but I am sure there will be more opportunities.