Pumpkin Carvin' Fun

Today was the first day in a while that I was really looking forward to returning to work. We had (what seemed like) a long weekend and I was glad to have a break today!

Today the boys returned to Natalie's house. Benjamin was so excited about going back to Jack's house. I called Natalie around 11:30 a.m. to see how things were going and I couldn't believe how quiet her house was. She said the babies were napping and the big boys were downstairs in their great basement play area. It sounded like they had a good day and even made it to their nearby playground. She also reported that Samuel went down the lil slide there with the big boys and enjoyed that.
We arrived home for the day just after 6 p.m. so we ate some leftovers and got ready to carve a pumpkin. Benjamin was sooo excited and Samuel was being really good. I have a ton of photos from this evenings pumpkin carving event so I will try to pick just a few of my favorites to post.

I actually purchased one of those pumpkin carving kits at the grocery store the other day. And I was so bummed that as soon as I stuck the main blade into the pumpkin and started to saw it snapped in two. So much for those kits! I got out a knife and got to work. I let Benjamin decide what shapes we would make the pumpkins eyes and nose and how many teeth he would have and after I cut them with a sharp knife he followed along with a plastic knife and got the pieces to pop out. He really enjoyed it.

Then we brought in one of our small pumpkins from our visit to the pumpkin farm with his school. And we put together a "Mr. Pumpkin Head". (It wasn't as easy as it looks. Those pieces just don't pop into that pumpkin. You have to create a deep whole for them first).

Anyways, we all had a blast and I felt like a better and happier mom today. The kind of mom I want to be not the frustrated and worn out mom I was turning into yesterday.

Samuel went down so easy tonight and Benjamin and I enjoyed a couple of Halloween books then he snuggled in too.

It looks like Don bought a camera finally! He e-mailed some photos of his living quarters and a couple of himself too. So, I'll post some here and share this message with you:

"Attached are some pictures of my living quarters. I also took a couple from my front door. The light in the sky is the moon and the T-walls are barricades between trailers. I'll try and take some more pictures so you can get a better feel for where and how I am living."

Tomorrow will be a busy and fun-filled day as well. We will definitely miss Daddy-O on Halloween. We usually all dress up and have a great time in our neighborhood passing out candy with our neighbors and trick o' treatin' with the kids. Just think, Daddy-O, you'll be home just in time to enjoy these festivities next year! We so look forward to that day.

Happy Halloween!

An Almost Napless Weekend

Our weekend was not too eventful. Samuel has yet another cold. So, Friday morning I took him to the doctor for them to tell me he has a cold. ugh. Not much they can do for a cold unfortunately. So, he has had 1 - 2 baths a day since Friday just to get all the gunk off his face and help clear him up a bit. He seems to be doing a bit better now. His nose is no longer just pouring out constantly, thank goodness.

While at the doctors they detected that Samuel apparently has a heart murmur. So, they did an EKG on the lil guy. I was so surprised how well he did laying there with all these wires. I thought for sure he would be grabbing at them all but he didn't. The doctor said his EKG appeared normal however they referred us to cardiology.

We also discovered that Samuel now weighs 24 pounds and is 30.5 inches long. (He's gained 4 pounds since his 6 month check up).

So, Saturday morning we didn't really have any plans so when Nelly called first thing in the morning I was happy to say that we'd meet her, Brooke and Reed at the mall. We got there right around 10 a.m. and met up at the play area. I think it was pretty crowded due to the fact that we had about 3 consecutive days of rain (finally). Benjamin was playing and having a ball. But unfortunately we're having an issue of him hitting and just kind of bullying other kids. So, he played for quite awhile before I spotted him literally knocking a lil girl over. The girl cried and I had Benjamin apologize to her. Her dad said that she is already having problems not playing with other kids. ugh. Then here comes Benjamin and knocks her off her feet. Poor girl. So, as soon as he apologized he proceeded to go hit another child. So, that was it for our time at the play area. He was not happy to be leaving so hopefully he will realize the consequence for acting that way. I'm sure there were plenty of parents witnessing this whole episode thinking "thank goodness that one is leaving!"

We ended up having a nice time shopping and I even managed to get a lil Christmas shopping done. Yes, Christmas shopping (my shopping time is limited and we have a pretty long list!). Nelly was a total life saver and watched Benjamin and Brooke run around a store a bit while both the lil guys slept in their strollers and I managed to shop. Thank you, Nelly! Overall, I was surprised just how successful our shopping trip really was.

On the way home Benjamin fell asleep in the car. And after lunch he refused to nap. We are having yet another issue with naps! ugh. He really needs his nap because otherwise he is just not his happy self (and I tend not to be as well).

So, I had an appointment to get their photos taken in their Halloween costumes at Portrait Innovations (a photo studio in nearby Leesburg). We got their a lil early and Samuel fell asleep en route. So, he slept for a bit then I had to wake him up and get their costumes on. It went okay. Getting their photos taken together is not the easiest task at this point in their lives. Samuel wanted to crawl away and Benjamin didn't want to follow directions (after his napless afternoon! ugh). We managed to get some cute pics though so I was happy.

As I sat selecting the photos I liked from a t.v. monitor Benjamin kept busy playing with a Lego table they have there. Until I heard "Treat others as you would like to be treated." in a kids voice. I turned to see Benjamin and two other kids who had gotten their photo taken as well. It was a 6 year old boy telling my son this. So, I approached Benjamin and had him apologize for apparently throwing the Lego's. I went back to viewing the photos and next thing I know I turn around and Benjamin has a ride-on toy that he is trying to put on top of the Lego table. (This is precisely how he acts without a nap). So, I put him in the double stroller and gave him a snack. He was much better behaved from that point on. Of course he fell asleep on the ride home. And he went to bed at 7:30 p.m. and slept until 7 a.m.

This morning we made it to church for both Sunday school and church. However, I volunteered in the nursery doing the church service. Samuel snuck in a good morning nap in the nursery but otherwise pretty much refused to nap today. ahhhhh. What is with my boys? After trying unsuccessfully to get both boys to nap for about an hour I decided we ought to just head out to do some grocery shopping and try the nap thing when we returned. Benjamin ended up crashing on the couch around 4 p.m. and Samuel only napped for probably 20 minutes. ugh.

Don called while Benjamin was sleeping. It was nice to hear from him and we talked for about 45 minutes. He was supposed to be traveling so I was a lil surprised to hear from him. His trip apparently was postponed. We are so looking forward to him coming home in a few short weeks! He sounded good. He's trying to keep up with some course work that he needs to complete for an Army course by July.

Please continue to pray for Don and for my strength and understanding with the boys. It has been somewhat of a challenging weekend with their schedules being off and Samuel battling this cold with some restless nights. I often find myself praying for strength as I approach Benjamin. Some days definitely prove to be more challenging than others. And it is weekends like this that I am thankful that I still work part-time and have that outlet to look forward to. I believe it helps me to be a better parent in the long run.

Well, I think I'm going to get some laundry done now and turn in for the night.

Dr. Phil at 2 a.m.

Well loyal blog readers...sorry for the lack of posts lately but I have actually been getting a few things done around here! Nothing major just a few things that I've been meaning to get around to.

Jill and Julia went back to Illinois on Monday afternoon. And Tuesday morning when Benjamin woke up he asked where his friend Julia was. I reminded him that we took them to the airport and they went back to Illinois. The kids had such a blast together. And, of course, Jill and I had a great visit too.

This week has really gone by fast. Yesterday Benjamin had preschool and Samuel and I ran over to AC Moore (an awesome craft store like Michaels). Then we got back to school just in time to pick Benjamin up. His school pictures were ready! And I will post them here. He looks so grown up to me! It often amazes me that he's three years old already.

Well, it looks like Mr. Samuel Tommy is coming down with yet another cold of sorts. ugh. Will we ever make it through the season? He was up around 2 a.m. this morning at which point I was dreaming that I was on the Dr. Phil Show. Not sure exactly why I was there. I tried to return to the dream after tending to Samuel but it didn't work. Darn. We will never know why I was a guest on the Dr. Phil Show. This dream was probably due the fact that, thanks to TIVO, I watch too much of his show! (Sorry Don, this hasn't changed!). I think it is that Psychology minor of mine that really keeps my interest in this show. If I was in the medical field I'd want to be a Psychologist. Of course, that's one of the few medical professions I could handle because there wouldn't be much blood. Well, not today. I'll stick to being a Graphic Designer. I may not get paid anywhere close to a psychologist but I sure do have fun! For now I will just live vicariously through Dr. Phil.

Anyways, when I picked Samuel up tonight from Rie's his nose was running quite a bit. ugh. I gave him some Benadryl, a bath, and rubbed some Baby Vick's on him. He went right to sleep. He seemed exhausted and the Benadryl seemed to be drying his nose up a lil bit already. Hopefully we won't have a miserable night. We shall see. His bottom two teeth still have not popped all the way through. They are so close. Maybe tomorrow.

When we got home tonight there was a package on the porch from Grandma and Pappa Ideus. Lots of fun Halloween surprises. The package included a hat and apron (see photos), a coloring book, placemats, punching bags, etc. And the big hit was a harmonica. Only the dogs despised it. With every note Benjamin blew through the harmonica the dogs barked loudly and carried on. Unfortunately, I couldn't put them outside due to the rain. Yes rain! Finally. We had gone like 35 days without the wet stuff until Friday now it keeps coming... a slow and steady rain for the most part. We need it.

I forgot to mention in my earlier blogs that I did talk to Don this weekend. He called on Sunday. All is well with him and he is so looking forward to heading this way next month! And he talked to his parents again Sunday too. He's figured out how to call back to a military line stateside then be transferred from there. It's great and it's free!

Benjamin and I called my mother-in-law last night. Benjamin sang "You Are My Sunshine" to her and hopefully made her day. Unfortunately, chaos ensued and we weren't able to talk long but it sounds like she is doing well.

Well, I still have a few things to get done tonight so that's it for now.

A Super Sunday

Sunday was another fun filled day. We went to church in the morning.

When we got home from church we had lunch then we put Benjamin and Julia down for naps. Unfortunately, Benjamin again refused to nap. He played quietly for a bit but refused to nap. ugh.

So, after Julia and Samuel's naps we went to Trailside Park which is a fun park nearby. The kids ran around and had a good time. Then we went to Moe's for dinner (one of Benjamin's favorite places! He loves those quesadillas!) The kids were all pretty good.

The day just flew by (probably because Benjamin didn't nap! But he sure did go to bed well those nights).

By the time we got home from dinner it was bath time for the kids. So, Benjamin and Julia had a grand time in the bathtub together. Splashing and laughing.

Jill and I borrowed a movie from our neighbor, Katie and enjoyed that. It was the first time I actually watched a movie in I don't know how long. It kinda felt like old times when Jill and I used to live together and just hang out. It was good to share all that time with a wonderful friend.

Farms and Friends

After our eventful night at Chucky Cheese on Friday night you would think the boys would sleep in. No such luck! Well, unless sleeping til 6:30 a.m. is considered sleeping in. nahhh.

Saturday was our church's annual fall picnic at Great Country Farms out in Bluemont. It is an awesome place and a beautiful drive out in the country! I was thrilled to be going back (although the idea of going without Don wasn't as exciting). We invited our neighbors, Cheryl, Mike, Abby and Hannah to join us. Friday night I whipped up a batch of Grape Salad (recipe compliments of my sister-in-law, Nancy Duda). We were all set to head out and get there and stopped by our neighbors to see if they were set. They were running a lil behind so we were off with plans to meet up with them there. Our time was limited so I wanted to make the most of it by arriving early (the picnic started at 11 a.m.) We didn't actually get there until closer to 11:30 a.m. but it still worked out well. The boys both napped on the way there and I truly enjoyed the drive and awesome countryside. I was pleasantly surprised how much the trees are changing colors here even in the midst of our drought.

The boys and I explored the big slides, rope swings, inflatable moon bounce and a few animals. Someone from church tracked me down and offered to take Samuel off my hands for a bit which was nice. So, Benjamin and I headed back over to the moon bounce where we met up with Cheryl, Mike and the girls. The kids bounced for a bit then we headed over to ride in these barrels that they've made into a cow ride that a tractor pulls (it's quite fun for everyone!) And amazing how you can actually fit in one of these things!

Then it was time for lunch. Lots of great comments on the Grape Salad. Some of the ladies commented that they were hoping I'd make it again this year. It's a huge hit, Aunt Nancy Duda!

After lunch we had to cruise out of there in a hurry. My friend, Jill and her 2 year old daughter, Julia were on there way from Chicago. We were all so excited. But unfortunately, we were having too much fun at the farm and were a lil late picking up Jill and Julia.

On the way to the airport I told Benjamin he could say "Welcome to my house." and "Welcome to Virginia." to Julia and Aunt Jill and that would mean "we're glad you are here." Benjamin got really quiet. Then all of a sudden I heard him say "I want to say "Hi, I'm Benjamin.' I don't want to say 'Welcome to my house." It was really cute. He was really set on what he wanted to say. I told him that was a great idea.

Julia got right in the car. I picked her up and she wasn't shy one bit. phew. She's so stinkin cute. She and Benjamin sat next to each other in car seats. Benjamin said "Hi Julia." then as we drove away from the airport I heard him say "I'm Benjamin." The fun was only beginning!

It was close to 3 p.m. by the time we got home. Julia took a good nap while Benjamin refused to nap (apparently he thought his 20 minute nap on the way to the farm earlier was enough).

So, we had promised the kids a pajama party (kids love their pjs!). So, we got them in their pajamas, ordered pizza and watched some of the "Cars" movie and let the kids play. Shortly before bedtime they enjoyed some Little Debbie Zebra Cakes. We put candles in them and sang "Happy Pajama Party to you..." They totally dug that. Any excuse to sing and blow out a candle is a big hit at our house.

After we got the kids to bed that night, Jill and I stayed up and chit-chatted until almost midnight.

For those of you who don't know Jill, we have been good friends since we were 15 years old. After college, we lived together for about 4 years until Don and I got married (in fact, the night Don proposed to me I woke her up to tell her so she was the first to know!) and she was the Maid of Honor in our wedding.

Anyways, it was great catching up with her. When we visit Illinois it is difficult to really get quality time in with everyone we see so when people come to visit us it is such a special treat.

Benjamin's First Trip to Chucky Cheese

We had a very busy weekend so tonight I will just make this post about our Friday evening and share some photos from our trip to Chucky Cheeses!

I picked the boys up at Rie's right around 5 p.m. and we had plans to meet Natalie, Dennis, Jack and Nicholas at Chucky Cheeses. We all got stuck in a bit of traffic (there was a car accident) and probably didn't get to Chucky Cheeses until almost 7 p.m.

Natalie had found an online coupon for pizza, 4 sodas, and 40 tokens for something like $18.99! Sweet. Dinner and entertainment and cheap! Benjamin has been asking to go to Chucky Cheeses for some time now. This was the boys first time there but Benjamin had seen plenty of commercials on t.v. for the place (those advertisers know what they're doing). In fact, last time we drove by there Benjamin said "Look! There's Chucky Cheeses." So, apparently they have great logo recognition since he cannot read and had never been there!

They had a great selection of things for kids their age to do. Lots of rides and games for a token each! And one of Jack and Benjamin's favorite attractions was this stage they could dance around on in front a blue screen that then put them dancing and acting silly onto a t.v. screen with stuff going on behind them. It was perfect for our two clowns!

All our kids were well behaved which made for an eventful but pleasant evening there.

We didn't leave Chucky Cheeses until after 8 p.m. which is after bedtime. So, the night ended up being rather hectic with one very overtired toddler on my hands. He didn't get to bed until after 9 p.m. which I was not excited about with the busy weekend we had ahead of us. Oh well, somehow we all survived!

"That Kid"

I haven't posted a blog entry in days. Hmmm. What have we been up to?

Well, on Wednesday Benjamin went to school. He is always so excited to go. When we arrived I told him about car line (which is when parents can drive up to the school and pick up your child curbside). It's very well organized and great for parents with younger kids, such as myself! So, I hadn't yet taken advantage of car line but Benjamin seemed cool with the idea and Samuel fell asleep en route to the preschool. So, out came Benjamin to the car with his teacher, Miss Tracie. I had the window rolled down and Miss Tracie said she wanted to speak to me for a minute. Well, she went on and on saying what a good kid Benjamin is but what she was really getting at was that he hit some of the little kids. (Keep in mind that Benjamin is the youngest in his class... but he was hitting the "little kids.") I was a bit appalled to say the least. You never want your child to be that kid. That kid that hits or picks on kids. That kid that makes the other kids cry.

Miss Tracie said he pulled another child's necklace and the child cried. She said he is really good at apologizing and for that reason he still got his sticker for the day. I reassured Miss Tracie that we are working on these issues and now we are REALLY focused on working on these issues.

So, yesterday when he went over to Ms. Rie's house he was told NOT to hit, kick or push Hunter. And if he could make it through the day he would get a Reeses Peanut Butter Cup. He was thrilled. He loves Reeses Peanut Butter Cups. So, I told Ms. Rie the strategy and she was on board. But shortly after Hunter woke up for the day Benjamin kicked him. ugh. Ms. Rie told him he lost his Peanut Butter Cup and she said that was the first time she made him cry. I reassured her that "she" did not make him cry. It was his behavior that made him cry and asked her please not to give in and not to give it to him.

Today he returned to Ms. Rie's house with the same instructions. And, hopefully, he will have better success today. I did noticed he seemed to be very well behaved last night and really didn't pick on Samuel. We have had several talks about how hitting makes him feel (Hunter has hit him too). If any one else has any other suggestions, I'm welcome to any input.

On Wednesday while Benjamin was at school I was determined to get our lawn mowed. It really just needed one last good mowing for the year. So, I pulled out the lawn mower and could NOT get it started. So, I figured I would just use the trimmer and at least tackle the really high spots. I couldn't get the trimmer started. ugh. So, I called our neighbors Paci and Rebecca. Rebecca answered and said Paci was home but on a business call. He would be able to come help me in about an hour. So, when Paci showed up he was able to get both the mower and the trimmer started pretty quickly. I was able to get the yard mowed and trimmed in about 20 minutes while Samuel sat in his stroller and watched me pretty intently. I think the loud noise kinda fascinated him. Then we were off to pick up Benjamin from school.

After nap time that day we enjoyed some time outside. Benjamin played in his sandbox for awhile while I picked up the yard a bit. Our yard really needed some TLC. Then we kicked a ball around the yard which Benjamin loved. After that we went for a walk around the block in the wagon before dinner. The boys both really enjoy riding in the wagon. Samuel fell back into Benjamin's lap on several occassions and they would both totally crack up over it. It was really cute.

I have heard from Don via e-mails frequently this week. He seems to be doing well. We are all looking forward to his upcoming R&R which is less than a month away!

We have some pretty busy days ahead of us this weekend so I'm not sure if I'll make another blog post for a few days.