When it rains..

We are alive! We hit a huge milestone today as our house was put on the market. Less than an hour later, we received a request for our first showing. Wow! Now let's hope it sells quickly. Dan and I have been scheming about a gigantic adventure we want to embark on this summer, but it all depends on our house selling quickly. We shall see what the cards hold!

I have found myself saying "When it rains, it pours!" a lot lately because IT IS POURING. Not only did we get our house ready to sell. Dan's been dealing with total lunacy at work. I have been swamped with blog work and have no time to complete said work. Sammy's birthday and party are tomorrow. Next week is the boys' last week of school for the year. Soon we will be looking for a new home. And now Elijah is having a small surgery on....MONDAY MORNING. This surgery was supposed to take place on 6/21, but got moved up. It will be a quick in and out procedure but will involve him being cathed for up to a week. Please pray for us if it's on your heart! We have A LOT going on right now, some of it self-inflicted some out of our control. It's a lot. Dan and I are completely exhausted and stressed and we have at least two more weeks of total insanity ahead of us. Big changes lie in wait!

I will post photos from Sammy's birthday party tomorrow! Uhh, that is, if I remember to bring my camera. I have been more absent-minded than a 100-year-old woman lately with everything that's going on.

I haven't been writing down boy funnies at all lately and I'm regretful about that because they are constantly saying and doing funny things. I'll get back there! Have a great weekend!

House whirlwind

I wanted to log on and write a quick post since it has been a while and since I'm leaving town for a few days starting tomorrow morning! Dan's and my heads can most likely be seen spinning from space. We are on the downward slope in getting our house ready for selling. All of the painting has almost been done. This was a huge undertaking, but we were so blessed to receive help from two generous friends last week. One of them is a painter by profession, so he helped us reach the tall walls in our living room and spent five hours on Friday getting the downstairs looking great. Our walls look amazing! I kinda wish we'd done this long ago! When we get into a new house, I see value in painting it the way we like it right away (although the thought of that much more painting makes me cringe).

We have not had time for much else! Our goal is to be picture-ready by 5/31 or possibly a few days after that. Hopefully our house will sell QUICKLY and we can move onto new adventures!

The boys have been good. We have had mostly good days with a few bumps. I was thinking the other day that we never would have been able to do so much work on our house a year ago, as things were not nearly as predictable and calm back then. That's another shout-out to Straterra! :)

I'm heading to Washington DC for two days for a conference, so the boys are going to take care of things while I'm gone! Mondays and Tuesdays are busy days for us, so please pray for health and peace for all! I'm excited to share house pictures but I want everything to be completed first. The before/after transformations will be amazing! :)

Have a great week!

Mother's Day 2016

Happy belated Mother's Day to all of you awesome women and mamas! Women make the world go 'round, right?! I had THE most fabulous Mother's Day this year. My boys spoiled me rotten and made my day very special. After breakfast in bed and receiving the most thoughtful cards and gifts (Dan is teaching these boys well!), we went to church and listened to an amazing sermon. After church we went to a nearby park and enjoyed yummy food while the boys and puppy played. It was perfect! I'm the luckiest mama and wife on the planet, hands down.

We have some big news! It is very big and very recent. So recent that almost nobody knows about it (surprise, Family!). We are putting our house on the market! Everything has happened really quickly, but we feel like this has been in the works (the PLAN) for a while. We want to sell ASAP, so this week we have frantically began cleaning, purging and packing. Today I got a good portion of the kitchen done. Painting and re-carpeting is in our near future.

Our near future seems very uncertain, as we have absolutely no idea what is about to happen in a few different realms. As always, we trust that the plan is in place and we are just living it out! It's exciting (and a little scary)!

Elijah has had a GREAT past few days, both at school and home. He has gotten a few super reports at school lately. So super that his teacher let him sit in her chair all day today! He was very excited about this. I stopped in both boys' classrooms today and it made me so happy to see such happy smiles on both of their sweet little faces.

One thing I've been wanting to write down so I never forget it is how Sammy does a muffled SCREAM when he loves something that he's eating. He says "MMMmmmmm!" as if he's screaming it, except with his mouth closed. It is the cutest thing.

Both boys have been extra snuggly and complimentary lately. I love these precious boys and I'm so grateful that God chose me to be their Mommy!

Have a great rest of your week! Thanks for peeking in.

Commotion squared

I'm wondering if I have ever written a post declaring boredom? Oh my goodness, things have seemed particularly crazy for the past few weeks. The boys are both doing swim lessons again, Elijah's behavioral aide has been coming over twice/week, I suddenly have a ton of projects to complete for my food blog (yay!), work for Dan is crazy (literally), Buddy is driving me crazy most of the time and Sammy started soccer! Look at him go! He has improved by leaps and bounds from last year. He had his first practice last night and I couldn't believe how well he was dribbling the ball and how focused he was. Go Sammy!

We have had a couple really rough past couple nights. We went down a bit on the dosage with Elijah's meds a month or two ago and now I'm wondering if we should go back up. We'd need to battle with insurance again, as our dosage request was denied last time. I've been seeing behaviors that I haven't seen in a really long time...LOTS of whining and deliberately trying to make me angry. Tonight's battle began when he whined about not being able to spell the word "mother." Knowing that he knew this, I asked him to politely ask for help and that I'd be happy to help out. Twenty minutes of screaming followed, which abruptly came to an end when his flailing arms knocked a huge jar of salsa off the counter and onto the floor...ugh.

Not only is Sammy doing great with soccer, he is rocking swimming, as well! He has been so brave and I'm super proud of him. He still doesn't like water in his face, but willingly bobs his head when asked and attempts everything else the instructor asks of him.

Last week was cold and rainy, but this week has been lovely again. The boys always know exactly what the expected high is for each day of the week. They are both excited for Friday, as it is expected to be 86 degrees! Both of them have their outfits picked out for that day. We love summer!

Ohh Buddy. He is so cute and sweet as long as I have time to manage our time together well and outsmart him a bit. Yesterday was an off day and we ended up getting very frustrated with each other. Every time I asked him to come or stay or do anything he would do the opposite. I brought him to doggy daycare for a few hours to wear him out and the car ride there (which is like 5 minutes long) was a nightmare. He found things in my car that I never knew existed. An old lollipop stick that he just about choked on. A wrapper buried way under my seat. A plastic bag crammed into the bottom side of the passenger door. As I was frantically pulling him out of the car to go into daycare, I saw a piece of chewed gum stuck to his ear. I couldn't help but take a photo. Only Buddy! :)

He was exhausted after playing and this sweetness ALMOST made up for the morning (not really).

I really do love Buddy. This puppy stage is tough, but I've been thinking about all of the positive things he has brought to our lives:

- I get outside MUCH more than I ever did before.

- The soccer skills I learned as a child are being honed (and are dang awesome, I must say!) since kicking a ball around is my main way to get Buddy exercise.

- People in our neighborhood who we've never spoken to before are suddenly our friends. It is amazing how drawn to dogs people are. We have been forced into a more social lifestyle!

- My laundry is ALWAYS immediately put away because if it's not, it will get chewed to pieces.

- My floors are ALWAYS free of clutter because anything on them will get chewed to pieces.

- Every door in my house is ALWAYS closed (so Buddy isn't tempted to go in and chew everything to pieces), which makes our house look cleaner.

- Aside from the shards of glass from the salsa jar remnants that I cleaned up tonight, I have not swept my kitchen since Buddy's arrival in our home.

- Both Elijah and Sammy find him very calming, which is such a HUGE bonus. They both love lying next to him and snuggling. They love getting kisses and they love when he chases them happily when they get off the bus.


I am very much looking forward forward to a relatively peaceful upcoming weekend. I'm hoping for peace for all of you and thank you for reading!

Empty Tanks and Boys I Love

After finally feeling so much better last week, I managed to cram WAY too many things into our schedule and ended up burning myself out. By Sunday night I was a mess and things unraveled. Elijah had a major meltdown, the dish I was supposed to bring to Life Group tasted horribly and I felt like screaming at everyone. On our way to Life Group Sunday night, we made the decision to turn around and go back home. WHY do I do this to myself? When I'm feeling good I try to do it all and then suddenly my tank is way past empty. Then I either get sick or need to sleep it off. Then I feel better and it starts all over. HELP! :)

And then I walk in on moments like this and feel so happy..

Buddy and I had a rough day. I kept thinking about all of the work I could be doing but can't because of his chewing and his need to get out so much. I was frustrated and I know he senses that. When the boys got off the bus I saw that Elijah was wearing different, foreign pants and I knew that meant there had been a significant accident at school. My heart sank. This has been an issue again recently and it makes my mama heart so sad. I know this has to be affecting his relationships at school (I had to witness some teasing firsthand) and I just want him to WANT to take control of this. I know that he does everything in his own time and that we will get there, but in the meantime it is very, very frustrating.

Since it was Elijah's last OT visit for a while (more on this in a bit!), I decided it wouldn't hurt to bring Buddy on our journey and let him chill in the car. Thirty seconds down the road, Buddy was crawling BEHIND me as I was trying to drive. Then he was digging in my purse for an old cracker that he smelled. I turned the car around and drove like an angry maniac back home and put him in his kennel. I was frustrated and both boys sensed it and turned on the good behavior and sweetness. The rest of the day was a breeze with them.

Elijah graduated from Occupational Therapy today! His OT felt like he has been doing so well with everything that we can take a significant break. We are planning to take the rest of the spring and entire summer off and re-evaluate in the fall. This is great! It means he has made tons of progress and it also means we free up an extra night every week.

With Elijah in his last OT session for a while and Buddy at home, I thought Sammy and I needed a mini-date. We went to the nearest coffee shop and enjoyed some one-on-one time together. We played the question game and I told him how VERY special he is to me, even when things are crazy. Our time together was so special!

Once Dan got home tonight I was able to put the dishes AND laundry away! Wooo! Exciting! :) Tomorrow will certainly bring new adventures! Thanks for peeking in.

Cool dudes, a field trip and a fun weekend!

Look at my cool dudes! Once the weather finally swayed toward the WARM end of the spectrum, Elijah and Sammy were excited to wear tank tops, shorts, sunglasses and Crocs! We are EXCITED for summer!

On Friday I went on a field trip with Elijah's class to the Minneapolis Institute of Art. It was fun! E's bff was in our group and it was so much fun hanging out with them. I love this picture of them snuggling as they looked up at the art on the ceiling of the atrium.

There were a handful of moments when these two got upset with each other, but it was all in love. They act so much like brother and sister. We are SO GRATEFUL for A and the patience she has for Elijah! She is a good friend.

Both boys started swim lessons this week and both of them did GREAT! Sammy was braver than I've ever seen him in the water. Kindergarten has given him confidence and courage that gets him through things like this. A year ago he never would have willingly dunked his head and attempted everything the instructor asked of him without tears. I'm so proud! Elijah did great, too. He dunked his head underwater at least six times and followed along better than ever before. I'm hoping both boys can graduate from their swim classes at the end of this eight weeks!

Buddy is learning SO quickly and we are all still getting to know each other. He has attended two puppy kindergarten classes and he is getting so much better with walks and leash training. He hasn't had an accident in our house in almost a week! He is still wanting to chew on everything, but we are getting wiser. At peak chewing times, we give him bones and raw hides that keep him occupied and also keep him from chewing our shoes and rugs to pieces. He really is such a good puppy! He isn't even four months old and he sits on command, stays on command, hardly ever barks (we've only heard him bark maybe 5 or 6 times in 3 weeks) and he loves his new pack. He loves to lick Elijah's face (E LOVES this!). When he is excited to see one of us, he wags his tail so hard that his butt wiggles and waggles back and forth. :) He is SO friendly with people and dogs. He found a new pup friend in the neighborhood that he loves named Carter. This morning he saw Carter and his owner walk by and he looked longingly down the street at them and whimpered (we missed saying hello) until they were out of sight.

Today we brought the boys to Lake Ann for some sun and play time. It felt great! Elijah had an allergic reaction to something floating through the air, but we managed it with allergy meds. It feels so good to be able to get out and enjoy the outdoors again. We love spring!

Sammy lost a tooth last week and Elijah lost one tonight. The Tooth Fairy has to get things together! This week we are praying for health, as well as further progress in the puppy realm so I can actually get some work done during the day. Thanks for peeking in!

Warm weather = smiles

I thought I'd do something I rarely do and write two posts in two days! WHAT?! Buddy and I had a rough morning. There was a lot of chewing on rugs, pillows and blankets. We have a crate downstairs now, so every time he started chewing on things he's not supposed to I put him in his crate until he calmed down. By 1:00 I just needed a break, so I crated him for two glorious hours. He really is such a good pup. I keep reminding myself that he's not even 4 months old. He's just a babe! Grace!

Elijah had another GREAT day at school, yay! I stopped by this morning to spend time in both boys' classrooms and they were both happy and working hard.

I took a few cute pics tonight of the boys and the Budster (Sammy's favorite name for him).

We have some big things in the works right now as far as getting even more help for Elijah. He is doing SO WELL, but we always want to stay way on top of things. After many months of waiting, he is finally "in the system" with the state and is eligible for PCA care. We are getting all of that sorted out and will hopefully have things in place within a few weeks.

Tonight Sammy called me back into his room as he often does after bedtime. He said, "Mommy! Do you know how many percent I love you? Like 5 quadrillion percent. Times INFINITY!" :) He then requested "as many smooches and hugs" as I could deliver. That boy. I love him!

The weather was GORGEOUS today! I walked outside around lunchtime with a coat and quickly shed it. We so enjoyed being outside tonight. It lifted our spirits so much!

Isn't this pup adorable?!

I'm off to relax on the couch for a bed before an early bedtime. Thanks for peeking in!

Blessed!

We are listening to a series at church on being blessed, so I will continue with that theme for our family. We are so super blessed! Not every mom is able to get their kiddos off the bus every day and spend a majority of her day with a new puppy. Not every person is able to work from home doing her DREAM job. Not everyone can spend all of spring break with her cute boys. We are blessed and grateful beyond words! 

Spring break was packed with fun things and I mean PACKED. We loved every minute of it! One night we had the boys' second cousin over for a sleepover. She is the sweetest, cutest little thing and the kids all had a blast together. We can't wait to do it again! 

Another day I took the boys and Elijah's bff to see Zootopia. It was such a cute movie and the kids all had a fun time. Look at these happy faces! I love it!

We gave Buddy tons of love and attention. He has been chewing on things less, but still a lot. He gets into moods throughout the day when he seems to NEED to chew and rebel. Today he started chewing toilet paper off of the rolls in the bathroom. Seriously. When I try to remove something from his mouth, he refuses to drop said object unless there is a treat staring him in the face. He is a lot of work, but he is so worth it. The boys adore him. We can tell that he is going to be a very good doggy. He went to his first puppy kindergarten class on Saturday and we learned so much about how to train him. We love our Bud who likes to chew on everything....including broccoli and kale! :)

My dad and stepmom were in town for a few days and we were so happy to spend time with them. We did some fun things while they were here, including BOWLING followed by McDonald's! They were able to spend some time in school with each boy and that was so special for everyone.

The boys have had a few great days in school this week. Elijah has received two GREAT reports from his teachers. Yay!

I am still trying to figure out a routine with work and puppy during the day. It is challenging! Productivity for Pip and Ebby is an an all-time low, but we will get there. Like I said, we are BLESSED!

Thanks for checking in!!

Spring Break 2016!

Dan and I agreed tonight that it has been a WEIRD past couple of weeks for our family. We went from debilitating sickness (me) to vacation to NEW PUPPY WHO LIKES TO CHEW ON EVERYTHING to more sickness and strange leg infection (Dan) and then spring break. It's been a lot, but we are doing just fine. Our laundry is piled high. A few stacks of unsorted papers sit atop our counter. I can't seem to keep up with the dishes. I haven't cooked a meal in nearly two weeks. Our bathrooms all need a serious cleaning. But we are alive and happy! I have spent the majority of my energy on: 1. boys, 2. hubby (when he was ill) and 3. dog. And that is just about it!

Elijah loves when Buddy licks his face. These two are so cute together and I know that one day they are going to be a huge source of comfort for one another. Sammy loves when Buddy snuggles his little head into his lap. He writes Buddy notes and draws him pictures and tapes them directly above his kennel. This pup is loved! Car rides are a source of comfort for ALL of my boys.

The boys and I had a great Spring Break Monday today! We brought Buddy down to my sister's house for a puppy play date with her pup Tate. Buddy wanted to PLAY-PLAY-PLAY and Tate wanted nothing to do with it. :) Yesterday Buddy played with Dan's sister's dog Oreo and they basically mauled each other (freaked me out!). He was so tired after hours of play that he could literally barely keep his eyes open when we got home.

We are all looking forward to warmer spring weather! We are going to get another bike for the boys soon and I'm determined to get them riding this spring. Swim lessons start soon and so does soccer for Sammy.

Thanks for checking in! More puppy and boy tales certainly coming soon. :)

Funnies and a Weekly Update

Sammy's bedtime musings tonight..

Sammy: Mommy? How many minutes are in 4 hours?
Me: 240.
S: Soooo that means there are 240 seconds in 4 minutes?
Me: [how the HECK does he know this?]

S: Mom, I have a question about a certain farm animal. It's a chicken. Which came first? The chicken or the egg?
Me: This is a great question! Why don't you think about which YOU think came first.
...2 minutes later...
S: Mommy! I know the answer! The chicken HAD to come first because all babies need a mama and not all mamas need a baby.

Woo! We have had quite the week! Buddy has been adjusting to his new home and we have been adjusting to having a new, very energetic member in our family. The first 48 hours were a bit rough. Dan got very sick and has acquired a strange leg infection/rash in both legs that has kept him off his feet. The timing hasn't been wonderful, but we have made it work like we always do.

Buddy is so cuddly and soft and lovable! The first few days he was here he peed ALL over the place. Today he only peed in the house twice and both times he made sure to do it on the tile (thanks, Bud!). After dinner, I found him patiently sitting by the door and I took that as a sign that he needed to go outside. Success! Let's hope this continues!

He loves to play (and still nips a bit). He is a LOVER and totally loves being touched and snuggled (our type of guy for sure!). He doesn't like walks yet and literally stops at every house we pass thinking it's ours. He will sit in each lawn and whimper because he wants to be home. He obviously needs exercise, so we have to push him a bit with this. When we walk alongside busy streets he doesn't seem to like the sound of traffic, so he walks directly behind me and tries to bury himself between my legs.

Sammy and Elijah both adore him, but they are timid around him and worry about his nipping. It's so cute to watch the three of them when the boys get off the bus. They all huddle on the sidewalk together and LOVE on each other. :)

Dan's legs and throat are on the mend. We are hoping for a turnaround day for him tomorrow. Our family has endured so much dang sickness this winter and we are just so done with it! Yuck! As of this evening, the boys are on spring break for 10 days! We have some fun things planned and we're looking forward to spending some quality time with each other. More later!

Our Buddy!

Meet the newest, softest member of our family...Buddy! This has been in the works for about a month. Dan's dad found an amazing yellow lab breeder in Northern MN who happened to have ONE puppy left in her most recent litter. He mentioned it to us and we both felt like we should jump on the opportunity. It is a small miracle that it was on MY heart to get a dog because I have felt so opposed to it up until now. The timing just seemed right for our family!

Dan and his dad picked Buddy up today! He is 12 weeks old. He is super soft and sweet. He very curiously explored every corner of our house and Sammy diligently followed him with the bitter apple spray while spraying everything Buddy should not be nibbling on. :) He has peed on our carpet six times, but we are working on showing him the proper place to go. Buddy plays HARD but then rests very easily (a lot like us, ha!). We know this first day must be hard on him, so we are giving him tons of love. We are so excited to bond with our new pup! Life with a dog is completely foreign to me, so this will be a huge learning experience.

We are all recovering a bit from vacation still. Dan and I had the most PERFECT vacation ever. It was honestly just plain perfection. It was such a needed time away together that happened to be at an amazing and beautiful resort. We made some unforgettable memories. The boys had tons of fun with their Auntie and cousins while we were away.

The boys have a few more days of school this week before spring break begins. We have a few fun things planned while they are off school next week. Thanks for peeking in. I'm going to go snuggle on our Budster before bed!

Easter Blessings

This time of year gives me joy. The warmer weather is obviously a huge bonus, but Easter holds a super special place in my heart. A few years ago we had just started attending a new church and we were LOVING it. A few weeks into our new church venture, Elijah was able to be a part of the children's Easter program. The kids went in front of church and performed sign language along with singing to Jeff Deyo's Bless The Lord while Jeff Deyo himself sang on stage behind them. I remember being so completely overwhelmed and moved as I took it all in. It was Elijah's first time performing in church. It was Easter, which obviously has precious meaning. The music was INCREDIBLE. My heart was full and I felt the Holy Spirit sink into me. After that service I was on cloud nine. As we left church, I realized that I had not previously truly known Jesus before walking into church that day. When I walked out of church, He was with me and He has been ever since. So now, every time anyone mentions Easter I feel happiness and peace. Easter 2013 was when I finally understood and felt Jesus for the first time in my life.

Despite the sickness that has been running rampant in our family for the past three months, I feel a buzz in the air. Easter is upon us. It's the third anniversary of my true understanding and also the celebration of Jesus' resurrection. And so it seems fitting that we were immensely blessed today. 

Elijah was up early as usual this morning. He was reading in the loft at 6:30 and came RUNNING into our bedroom. "MOMMY! MOMMY! Someone is furiously ringing our doorbell!" I could barely comprehend this, but knew that I should force Dan downstairs to scope things out. :) As he got dressed I peeked out the window and saw a ton of footprints in the fresh snow in our yard. I stared, confused! Who came to our house? What was going on?! Just then a car pulled up and the passenger stared at our front door. I had the thought that maybe our house was burning down or maybe someone was trying to rob us.

When we opened the front door there were three huge Easter baskets filled with goodies greeting us, along with dozens of Easter eggs (candy inside) sitting in the snow for the boys. We were filled with confusion as we pulled everything inside. The boys put their boots on and excitedly collected eggs in the near-dark. As we dug through the baskets, we realized that some very generous people had come to our house. We were completely overwhelmed by the gifts we received. We are still trying to wrap our heads around the generosity.

Dan and I have been chatting about it all day. It is hard to accept such amazing gifts or feel like we are deserving, but we DO receive them and appreciate the generosity and we will of course pay it forward. This time of year brings such major blessings! We are grateful. God is so good to us all. Blessings are ALL around us!

Thanks for peeking in! Bless you all!

Another great cardiology visit!

We are breathing easy tonight. PHEW! I can't even explain how relieved I feel right now. We had been thinking that maybe something was going on with Elijah's heart, but his echo today revealed NO CHANGE from his previous echo (times 10). Amazing! No heart intervention will be necessary at least for the next six months.

Our two main concerns and the reason we brought him in early were: Falling asleep at random times and heightened heart rate.

Dr. G's response to these things were that the sleep issues are related to his chronic sleep problems and NOT his heart. If it were his heart, he would no longer be able to do the things he loves to do (going to the park, waterpark, taking walks, etc). Making this differentiation was huge for us. Most likely, on the days Elijah sleeps during the day he has likely had a lousy night of sleep. He is becoming more self-aware and he is more able to let us know when his body needs rest.

The "high" heart rate and BP that other doctors freak out about is not at all a concern to Dr. G. He told us that anything from 50-150bpm and 120BP is just fine for him. This is such a relief! He knows Elijah's heart better than anyone and we trust him completely.

The relief I feel tonight is indescribable. I was secretly mentally preparing for intervention soon. I feel like we have gotten yet another free pass. It has been nearly FIVE years since his last heart intervention and that is amazing! We will take it! Thank you, Jesus, for more answered prayers and for protecting our kiddos. 

Porta Waterpark Trip 2016

Our sixth annual Porta Waterpark Adventure has sadly come to an end. My boys and I cherish this time together every year. Each one of us looks forward to this trip and we all feel sadness as we leave our hotel room for the last time. This year the boys asked repeatedly if we would ever get THIS VERY same room again. They were so upset when I answered, "Probably not."

Here are the boys getting their first glimpse into the waterpark! Kinda hard with the frosted glass.

Here we are, doing our customary JUMPING ON THE BED when we arrived! The boys think this is hilarious. This year Sammy played out "Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed," along with actual falling on the floor motions and hitting of his head. :)

My cuties are getting SO big! We always have to climb up to the top bunk and get a picture. This was the first year that Sammy was interested in sleeping on the top bunk, so each boy got a night up there.

This year's hits for snacks: veggie straws and cheese balls. BOTH bags were totally demolished within 24 hours.

The first night we arrived we spent a bit of time in the waterpark. It was nice to have time there when it wasn't crazy crowded. I have to mention that both boys left the waterpark without tears or complaining every single time we departed. This is HUGE, especially for our waterpark-lover Elijah. Yay for maturing!

Look at these cute boys! Both of them were so brave in the water this year. Sammy willingly went into the wave pool AND the lazy river! I was so proud of him. And Elijah went on the BIG waterslide with me, which was really huge for him. On the walk up the 10 flights of stairs I could tell he was getting anxious. He asked me repeatedly if everything was going to be ok. Are we going to be safe? Are we going to go under water? Are you going to protect me? Once we were in the giant tube, all was well. We had a blast! It was one of the highlights of the entire trip.

Even though the boys are too old to be bathing together, we made an exception for this trip just for the sake of tradition. Sadly, it may be the last.

Just like at home, the boys asked to constantly listen to worship music every time we were in the hotel room. Here is Sammy jamming out to one of his favorite songs. I LOVE that cheesy hand in the air.

More worship music time with some snacks and apple juice.

My sweet oldest boy still likes to snuggle.

Sammy kept asking me to take random pictures of him so I could send them to his teacher. :) He took VERY good care of our room key, making sure to keep it in its protective sleeve so we wouldn't forget our room number. Mr. Organized!

Cutie.

A snapshot I keep in my mind every year is of the boys running down the hallway toward our room. They still love to run run run!

And we spent our last night in the arcade, as we always do. We had tons of fun! I reminded Sammy about just a few years ago when he would run and hide behind the arcade machines because he wanted nothing to do with being there. Every year Sammy gets more comfortable and enjoys more parts of this trip. I was so happy to see him truly enjoying the arcade this year!

We earned a ton of points and both boys were super excited to get prizes.

The boys with their loot!

We are super thankful for another adventure together! I love our traditions and that we all cherish them so much.

Elijah has a cardiology appointment right away in the morning. Prayers are appreciated and I will write an update as soon as we get home!

Our little teachers

Have I shown you the boys' haircuts yet? I don't think I've taken pictures of them since all their hair was chopped off! Here is the back of Sammy's head at his kindergarten music program last week..

Being in this small group was the only time he participated in actions. I suppose he figured that not participating when in the spotlight would make him the center of attention even more. When he was in the masses on the stands, he sang the songs but did NOT participate in hand or body movements. That's our Sammy! The cutest little bumblebee ever!

We have all been healing this week. I mean, I have been healing this week! Everyone else has been doing great! We are all super excited for our waterpark trip that begins tomorrow after school. This will be our sixth annual waterpark adventure!

Elijah has had another super week at school! We are so happy about the reports that have been coming home. I have been trying to spend as much time at school as possible and I like to think my hugs help.

Today after school we had Elijah's BFF over for the first time in a few weeks (due to the crazy sickness). She approached me privately and told me that there is another girl in their class who has been getting in the way of Elijah and A's friendship. Today at recess when A was pushing Elijah on the swings (how sweet is that??), this other little girl came up and said, "I'VE got this taken care of....you can leave, A." So after A told me this story I explained that Elijah truly cherishes their friendship and that she just needs to talk to him about this. So A said, "Elijah! I need to talk to you!" E said, "What did I do? Am I in trouble? Are you mad at me?" :) I sat on the sidelines and listened to their chat. A told him her concerns and Elijah replied in the most mature way I ever could have imagined. His response was better than anything I could have come up with! He said, "A....that other girl is my friend. I like her, but I don't like her as much as I like you. You are more important to me. Tomorrow I will talk to her and straighten everything out." She kinda sat speechless (as did I) and I jumped in and expressed how proud I was of both of them for communicating so well and sorting through an issue. It was awesome! I love that E and A are such great buds and that they complement each other so well.

For the past few mornings the boys have been playing "school" before Dan and I get out of bed. They are awake by 6:00 and either play quietly in their room or in the loft until 7:00 when we get breakfast ready. A few mornings ago I walked into a "classroom" where Elijah was teaching a handful of stuffed animals about sea creatures, while Sammy had a few students pulled out for reading. It was seriously the sweetest thing. I couldn't believe the organization involved and the dedication to the project. I took the above video later that afternoon....still dedicated to teaching their students!

If Sammy becomes bored in the morning before 7am, he has been coming to my side of the bed and asking to get into bed with me. This is NOT typical, but I have loved it. A few mornings ago he said, "Special DELIVERY! SAMMY SNUGGLES coming INNNNN!" Once I had my arms wrapped tightly around him in bed, he said, "Mommy? At the end of the day at school when we do circle-up, I'm going to say that my favorite part of the day was THIS. Snuggles with you are the BEST!" He always asks me to squeeze him tighter tighter TIGHTER!!!! This morning as I was squeezing as tightly as possible without suffocating him, I told him that I had to get in the shower. He said, "But you smell so good! PLEASE don't wash that delicious smell off you!" Oh that boy..he melts my mama heart.

Have a great rest of your week! We'll be back early next week!

A bit of tachycardia and some funnies

The sickness has lived on for the two adults in our house. Just when I think I'm feeling better, I have a terrible day. Today was better. Dan feels like this weekend will be our turnaround and I sure hope he's right. The boys have been great! Sammy healed quickly from his flu and praise GOD it never touched Elijah. It's a miracle!

We have had a few other concerns with Elijah lately. He has been falling asleep at school on occasion, which is something that has just never happened in the past. Then on Sunday he laid down on the couch and said, "I'm REALLY tired and need a nap." I was kind of anticipating the flu, so figured it was finally hitting him. But then he never got a fever or had any other symptoms, so I was back to scratching my head about the request for a nap. I called Dr. G right away Monday morning and he wanted to move Elijah's standard 6-month cardio visit up by a month based on what I'd told him. We will go in for a check-up on 3/14. We had his well visit with Dr. Judy scheduled for today, which was timely.

In addition to the naps, E has also experienced some headaches (maybe 2/week) and random body pains recently. Dr. Judy felt like the pains and headaches were side effects from taking Strattera, which is what my gut had been telling me. The naps and exhaustion, though, could be a concern. When she checked his heart rate in the office it was 130bpm at rest. She checked it a few different times and it didn't change. She was mildly concerned by the tachycardia and told us to keep an eye on it. If it gets above 130bpm before 3/14, we should bring him back in. His blood pressure was high today, too, but that has slowly been increasing over the past few months. My gut tells me that some sort of heart intervention will need to happen soon (maybe a cath) due to increased pressures. We will find out on 3/14!

Other than these concerns, Dr. Judy is super happy with Elijah's growth and progress! He's in the 4th percentile for height and the 51st percentile for weight. Considering everything, our oldest boy is doing GREAT!

Speaking of great, Elijah has had a few really great days at school this week. Today I got a few reports that used the words "super" and "fantastic." Wow! He has been buckling down and doing work at school that he previously was fighting and refusing. 

I'll end with a few funnies..

When I was super sick last week, Dan was helping me change clothes when I literally could barely move on my own. Sammy happened to walk by and yelled into the room, "Take care of your WIFE.....Dad." :)

While we were waiting for Elijah to get done snowboarding last Saturday, Sammy grabbed some supplies from the cafe. He had a few spoons and packets of salt that he was playing games with and I didn't think much of it. On our drive home Sammy said, "Mom, I'd like a peanut butter and jelly sandwich for lunch, please.......And you won't need to get out the jelly. Because I've got these.." as he passed me the jelly packets that he had stolen from Afton Alps. :)

I've been trying to consistently make time to be at school with the boys on Wednesday mornings. I go into Elijah's class first and then Sammy's. I LOVE spending time at school with my cuties. It is such a special time for me. I help their teachers out with whatever they need and I give lots of hugs to my boys in between tasks. I have loved getting to know their classmates a bit, especially Sammy's friends who I've been able to spend more time with. Mrs. H has had me take a few students out in the hall and play a numbers game so they can become more familiar with writing, recognizing and saying numbers. This week for the first time Sammy questioned why I never pulled him out for the numbers game. I told him it was because we could do our own game at home, so I have started writing some challenging numbers on paper for him to read back to me. This boy! He is so dang smart! I have been testing him with numbers in the millions such as 7,002,004 and he can read them back to me accurately. So impressive!

And tonight Sammy used the word "approaching" correctly in a sentence. While in the bath, he said, "Mom, look! The minion is approaching a waterfall!" I can brag about having smart boys, right?! :)

Tomorrow we will attend Sammy's kindergarten musical performance which involves him being a bumble bee. We can't wait to watch! Sammy warned me that he probably won't be singing in front of anyone because he "hates performances." :)

Thanks for checking in! More later!

Influenza A-bomb

In the wee hours of Monday morning, Influenza A unleashed itself in my unsuspecting body. I.A., as I lovingly call it, ended up being the most intense sickness I have ever experienced. I knew it was bad by 6am Monday. In grunts, I let Dan know that it was bad. I ended up canceling every single thing on our calendar for the entire week, sadly including a little family vacation we had planned. Our waterpark adventure has been rescheduled for Mar 10-12, which was a huge disappointment for our boys.

Ironically, the only thing I could not cancel this week was a work project I had to complete. When you are a food blogger, working is NOT fun when sickness is involved. I had to look at, touch and smell lunch meat and cheese on a day when I wanted NOTHING to do with food of any kind. 

Sammy also had the flu last week and missed a day of school. He was much more resilient than I. Later in the week Dan was diagnosed with Sinusitis and Bronchitis. Seriously! We cannot shake the garbage! Sam, Dan and I currently have matching coughs, which is just great. The doctor I saw on Tuesday as I was writhing in Influenza pain told me that this version of the virus is VERY contagious, so to expect it to make its way through the family. Obviously with Elijah's heart condition, we have to recognize the flu asap and get him on Tamiflu. I have been SO careful this week about washing hands and not breathing on him. When I hug him, I do so carefully and usually while holding my breath. We are so thankful that he has not yet gotten sick and we pray for a bubble to continue to surround him.

It was so unbelievably nice out today (nearly 60 degrees!), so we woke up and decided that we would ALL bring Elijah to his snowboarding lessons. Dan hadn't seen Elijah do his magic in person yet, so it was fun for him to see. E's instructors said he boarded more today than on any other day. We went out and watched him at the end and he did so awesome. He was much more confident and much less afraid today than ever before. So proud of him!

Going into a fresh, new week we are praying for HEALTH and improved spirits all around in our family. Also praying for health for all of you! Did you know that February is the #1 month to get the flu? Also, that getting a flu shot reduces your chance of getting the flu by 7%? Just a few little facts I learned this week. :) Have a great rest of your weekend!

Happy 9th birthday, Elijah Daniel!

Happy 9th birthday (one day late) to our oldest boy! As I drove Elijah to snowboarding yesterday morning, I reminisced about the day he was born and for the first time ever he was interested in hearing the details. The details from that night are still so clear and I remember being so afraid yet so excited. When he was in the NICU, Dan and I spent every possible moment by his side. I would rub my fingers in circles around his soft face, telling him over and over how loved he was and that everything was going to be ok. I remember chatting with a NICU nurse and having her tell me that "These heart kids are ALWAYS uniquely special." At the time it was so hard to envision what that could mean, but it stuck with me. Nine years later, I can say that she was right on. It is hard to wrap my head around how far we all have come and how many hurdles we have leaped over and sometimes dragged ourselves over. The past nine years have been a collection of big and small miracles and our boy HAS turned out to be awesomely, uniquely special! One day I hope Elijah understands all of this. For now, he gets that he was and always will be LOVED and that is the most important part.

The party yesterday was a smashing hit. Dan and I agree that it was probably the most enjoyable one yet. It was the perfect collection of people with great treats, good company, awesome gifts and smiling faces. We invited only family, with the exception of Elijah's bff. She fit right in! We sooo appreciate her friendship!

Tomorrow I'll try to remember to post the video from Elijah blowing out his candles. That last one just would not go out, so he tried to snap it out. It was cute!

Look at these cute, happy faces! I love it!

Snuggling with Auntie Lissa and cousin Emma! They are the best!

If I had to count all of the minions that are in our house right now, I'd need a piece of paper to keep track. I feel like they are going to join forces and take over our home.

Elijah caught another little bug on Thursday. He got through school Friday and collapsed during pizza movie night. He ate two bites of his pizza, which was a red flag. I considered keeping him home from snowboarding the next morning, but he seemed to be in better spirits. Not only did he get by, he made huge progress! He can now shimmy and hop on his snowboard and go without hands for quite a while. He can put his board on and take it off and even get up all on his own! And yesterday he accomplished a huge feat...he rode the chairlift for the first time! His instructors said he was pretty anxious about it, but once he was on he said, "This isn't so bad!" His instructors are SO sweet and they went out of their way to make his morning extra special. They taped birthday hats to his helmet and brought him candy.

By the end of yesterday he was totally exhausted, so we put both boys to bed early. Then this morning Sammy woke up sick! Ugh! He was lethargic and feverish all day and at the end of the day could hardly even stand up. Poor kiddo. Most likely he and I will be hanging out tomorrow!

Later this week we have our annual family winter waterpark trip and we are all super excited! We are praying for good health so we can enjoy fully. Have a great start to your week and thank you for peeking in!

A few quick funnies to sign off with..
At bedtime tonight I said to Elijah, "I love you, my big boy nine-year-old." He said, "Oh Mom, I love you, too, my 40th-year-old woman."

Yesterday as the boys' cousins were leaving, they were all giving hugs and Elijah hugged his cousin Bella. He said into her ear, "Awww, thanks for coming...I think you are very important to me." :)