Everyday moments

Have I said how much I enjoy watching my little men play together? Just checking...cuz, I do. Most of the time they play and work so well with each other. They come up with the most amazing story line, games, and inventions. I love their imaginations. I love their little boy fingers (bitten nails and all) grasping a toy soldier. I love hearing their chatter as they discuss what is going on and what will happen next. I love their messy, straight out of bed...and right to play hair. Basically, I LOVE my BOYS and everything about them! (Though, I wouldn't mind finding a little less dirt on the bathroom floor!)

creative kids

I love watching my kids play. I love seeing them formulate a plan and the excitement that grows as they work to put something together. The boys and their friend Katie had such fun, making a new drink and then setting up a stand to share it with the neighborhood. After a few minutes in the cold they decided that summer would be a better time to serve their ice cold, slushy concoction. They came in asking for hot cocoa and to get in the hot tub. Aaahhh, the life of a child. It makes me smile!

what do you do while recovering from surgery?

and you have never really enjoyed watching tv anyway, and you have crafted and colored to your heart's content, and bleh...who wants to do your makeup work from school....


well, you gather random objects and make a tower of course....
let's see just how many items I can balance and stack... then I'll ask mom to take a picture of my masterpiece

and isn't this just the perfect potato to play with...a heart

next I will tie the fishing string across the room and make a trap for Asher.

That's my Addi! So glad he is feeling better. He is finally eating some and making it almost all the way through the night without needing medicine and comfort. Today is his first day back at school. I knew it was going to be really hard on him, since he had been out for three weeks. My good friend Diane and I devised a plan to try and avoid the melt down. We thought maybe if she picked him up and took him to school then he wouldn't cry. He let us know last night that he wanted his Momma to take him to school, but thanks anyway. As it got closer to time to go this morning, his eyes got more and more wet! He said "I just want to stay with my momma!" All went smoothly though, Diane picked the boys up and they giggled and laughed on the way. Then her sweet daughter walked Addi to class. I had lunch with him and his teacher said he seemed happy to be back. All the kids in his class were happy to have him back and welcomed him too. So so glad he is finally doing better. Nothing harder on a momma than watching her baby suffer!

Welcome Trig

Justin and Carrie's little man arrived the day after Xmas. I couldn't wait to see him, and since we were coming to town for Addison's surgery, we planned to stop by and check out the new house and the new baby. I was completely in heaven holding that little man. It is strange how uncomfortable I feel holding some babies, and how completely at ease, comfortable, and pleasant it feels to hold others. I suppose some of it has to do with how close we are and how much I love his parents, but man, oh, man...that little guy felt like some sort of sweet bliss in my arms. I didn't even want to put him down to take pictures. So I'll just warn you that by the time I actually did share him...it was dark outside, and I was too lazy to get my flash, and blah, blah...so the few pictures I did take aren't the greatest....other than the fact that they have this super precious angel and a loving big sister and some really proud cousins. So in my mind, these are the best shots that I could have captured.

Asher was about as bad I as was. He was totally obsessed with holding his new cousin. He kept trying to rub his cheek on him, and nuzzle him like a kitten would. So cute, he was overwhelmed with the urge to snuggle with Trig. Didn't want to put him down, and couldn't keep his hands off of him.

Thanks for letting us stay with you and sharing your sweet cuddles. Wish we could have stayed longer. Hope everyone is feeling all better.

Addison preop

Here are a few pictures of Addison before his tonsillectomy. When we first got to the surgery center, he grabbed my hand as we walked across the parking lot, looked up into my eyes and with tears in his own eyes told me that his "heart hurt". By the time we reached the door, he had turned into a brave boy and you would have never guessed he had a bit of fear in him. He giggled and played with Asher and another boy in the waiting room. Was very big and brave when it came time to take some medicine, change clothes, and climb up in the big bed. He was all smiles and sillies. We are so proud of him!

He was throwing up yesterday, so it was a pretty rough day. He is feeling sooo much better today though. Thank you for all those who have sent prayers up on his behalf, have dropped by to wish him well, brought or sent goodies for him to eat and things to occupy his time. Tomorrow will be hard on him, since Asher will go back to school.

work, best cure for a fight

I'm super duper sore today from working in the yard yesterday with the boys. We finally finished removing all the busted rock and plastic that remained in the pond. It was a nasty mess filled with leaves, dirt, rain...lots of good smelling, decomposing matter and worms and rolly polies. I couldn't believe how Asher was digging into it with his bare hands and loving the icky mess. He said "What Mom, I AM a boy!" Later he took a big sniff of his hands and said "I love that smell, it smells like summer" HMMM, not sure what he was relating that smell to, boy stuff I guess. I always remember summer to smell like sunscreen and chlorine. Addison wasn't as "in" to the whole yuck because I didn't want him to get his shoes muddy and he didn't want to go change into a different pair. So he fell into the role of a servant, which was completely by his choice and not prompted by me in any way. He began bringing us "fluids, to keep us hydrated" (I have been telling him to drink plenty so he can recover from his upcoming surgery more quickly) and snacks (which I had to feed Asher because his hands were covered in muck, but I had been wearing gloves and had "clean enough" hands by boy standards). Addison would sit and wait for us to ask for a different tool and to his complete joy would lend his knife whenever I needed it. After we got all the rocks and things out we started filling the wheel barrow with fresh dirt and filling the hole in. Asher took a break and Addison and I got to work together for a while. I love the conversation that comes with manual labor side by side with your kid. Initially I started yesterdays work because the boys were arguing and pestering. I knew they needed something worthwhile to do. Of course their attitude was not the best when we started, but within minutes of working, the grouch melted away. I saw this over and over again with boys in the foster home we worked in. The child who was making you miserable and being the biggest pain was the one you needed to work side by side with and in time would probably become one of your favorite people to be around. Anyway, after all the work was done, both boys piled in and played in the dirt.....aahhh, boys! And yeah, it is december and my boys don't have any shirts on...can you believe how warm it has been.

*just a note: I typed this up last week, but didn't have time to add photos and post until now. Addison's surgery went well and he is painfully recovering. I'll post pictures and more about it soon.

I've been missing this blog!!!

Sorry it has been such a long time since I posted. Holidays are crazy times!!! Lots has happened since Halloween. Hopefully I will be able to keep up the blogging and get everyone up to speed.

A few pictures from Christmas. I actually didn't take any pictures xmas day, but these are from a few days prior. The boys were going to spend a few days at the ranch with Mema and Pa so we decided to let them open some presents from Grandma and Grandad, knowing that these gifts would be perfect for the ranch.

shaking and guessing....

I started to clone out the candy cane evidence left on his face...but this is how Addison looks most of the time. Loves tattoos on his cheek and breakfast, lunch, snacks and dinner around the mouth...

the first realization of what he just opened

complete delight....(on both sides of the camera)

a few safety tips from Dad, love these pictures!

taking aim at Robert's buck mounted in the corner of the living room

Addison struggling to pump it

needed a little help from Daddy the first time...

will love and cherish this picture for years to come...Daddy's hand wrapped around my little man's tiny hand.

and of course we told them not to shoot out their eye! They actually have done really well and I don't think they have shot anything they shouldn't have. They had a great time shooting coke cans, grasshoppers, cactus, and targets. Both the boys are a very good shot. Asher really enjoys shooting targets, but Addison is itching to hunt!