More FRIGGEN' snow!!!

When will it be over? We got 2" between Saturday and yesterday, which in talking with my mom and dad was more then they got in MI mind you where it is supposed to snow and 'stuff'! It all disappeared by the afternoon yesterday, but that's not the point; I'm just so ready for summer to be here...We got into the mid 40's today with no rain, but it was very windy which made it seem even colder & crappier!!! Who REALLY knows if spring showers will ever bring May flowers since it is continuously snowing here! I'll have to post a couple of the pics I took yesterday morning.

If only I wasn't scared to let go...

I posted Justin first pushing this bike around a couple months back (I think) and now he basically runs behind it and steers it like he knows exactly what he's doing and where he wants to go. The video below really captures the love Justin has for this bike. As soon as we walk in the house from daycare, he's all over it until it's time to go to bed...I think he really wants to be upright and walking on his own, but can't quite figure out to let go and do it on his own. You'll see from my expert videography that I basically was going in circles trying to capture him and this bike without falling over myself:)

He's not walking on his own yet, though he has taken a step or two here and there without holding onto anything or someone. I'm giving him less then a month before he's walking on his own. He turns 1-year old a week from tomorrow...I'm wondering if by his birthday party on 4/18 if he won't be walking everywhere on his own. I'll let you all know as soon as it happens!

Justin looks like a big boy...(new pictures)

Do you like my overalls...I look just like Grandpa in them; too bad whenever I next go back to MI, they will be too small to wear!

I REALLY love not wearing clothes...maybe when I grow up I'll be a chipendale dancer:)

Outside Winter Fun (2009) for the boys!

As was promised awhile back, I've posted some photos below of Jordan actually riding the scooter with all of his gear on. He is just so grown up! These are photos taken in Feb-Mar which is still considered winter on a nice day outside. Justin is all bundled up in the stroller watching Jordan ride his scooter and hanging out with Mommy. There's not too many days like this that happen during the winter time where you can be outside and not get rained on, blown down the street, or froze like a Popsicle...you've got to enjoy the days you do have I've since found out with kids in WA!

Plans are well under way!

Birthday plans are well under way for the boys, yes I said boys since I'm almost confident I can have one birthday party for both boys now without BOTH of them screaming it's their birthday, fighting, and then causing me to go to my grave early:) I figure Jordan will assume it's his birthday party, Justin won't know the difference, and I can kill two birds with one stone:) Philip and I were just discussing if this was something we could do for another 1 or two years, but I'm thinking maybe one and that's just a 'shaky' maybe because if I remember Jordan at 2, he was pretty much a chatter box and everything was already all about him:) I think this will be the only year where I won't have to have two birthday parties in April...three if you count Philip, but he hasn't had his own birthday party in a really long time so he can just piggyback off of the boys and choose one!

I asked Jordan who he wanted to invite and he picked all girls...no boys, though I've got an invitation out to his friend Wyatt whom he went to daycare with since they were 12 weeks old together. Wyatt had to go to a different daycare last year since his older sister started kindergarten and they wanted her to be bused to and fro after school daycare so Wyatt of course had to tag along. I'm hoping they come since Jordan would have a lot of fun! We are just having a BBQ at the house, though Jordan seems to think we are having it at Chuckie Cheese's; I think we are going to have to go and have lunch there one day just so he forgets about it (if that'll ever happen). He'll ask me for the car keys one day and say 'Ma, remember when you didn't have my Birthday party at Chuckie Cheese's and you said you would?' I CAN totally see that happening! Anyways, it is just going to be a few folks and kids.....AND Philip's mom (Nana) is making the trip up here for the birthday weekend too!

Well, I best be hitting the rack since it's about 9p here and I've got a bus to catch in the morning at 0445, yup you bet your sweet a-- that I get up at 0345 every morning! At least starting today, I'm off of school for the next 3 weeks:) Makes more time during the day and weekends to do other stuff...goodnight all!

Following in big brother's footsteps...

I took Justin to the ENT specialist today because of all his ear infections, and just like Jordan, he is getting ear tubes too. It is by the same doctor as who did Jordan's, but for the life of me I don't remember exactly how old Jordan was at the time...I'm thinking around 1 year old just like Justin, anyways the appointment is set for tax day (4/15). The whole procedure from the time you check in until the time you leave after the monitoring amounts to less then 4 hours. It is obviously an outpatient surgery and very fast...I think the surgery itself lasts only 10 minutes! Hopefully we can last the 3 weeks until then! Justin had both ears infected on Friday when I took him to his normal pediatrician; he's on ANOTHER medication, but none of them seem to be working so I guess it's do or die on the sleep for the next few weeks!!!! I'm hoping he takes hold to the ear tubes in the same way Jordan did; no more problems w/the ears until one time when one fell out and we had to get it replaced...else they fell out on their own early last year and that was it!

Who said spring is this Friday?

We woke up today to snow on the ground...as I write this about 1/2 inch and it is STILL really coming down out there. I can't believe it is the middle of March and we've got snow on the ground with a whole bunch still coming down! Like Philip said this morning, it was really nice out on Friday (sunny & spring jackets), yesterday it was cold and rainy, and now today it's snowing with a wind advisory of upwards of 55 mph for the next 24 hours...what the hell is up with this weather? I'm SO done!!! I'll have to post a couple of pics once it's all done...

Last night we took Mary Kay out to dinner at the Ram Steakhouse and Brewery for, as Philip put it, the best rib eye steak in town! She was really the best friend you could've had this past Wednesday by taking care of sick kids so I could go to work...I don't know what we'd do without her! She's a great neighbor & even a better friend!!!

Justin is so funny...he now turns on and turns off tears at the drop of a dime! You tell him 'no-no' for doing something and he goes into this sad face and lets out a cry/wail of oh no you've hurt my feelings and then he moves on. He's getting so big so quickly...I can't believe he turns 1-year old in a couple of weeks.

It's a new day...

It's only been two days since my last post and I think we are all (for the most part) back to normal...It is actually sunny and 60 degrees outside today so I was able to open all of the windows for a few hours today while I worked from home and air the house out! Hopefully we've got no more germs and disease in the house:) I got Justin to the doctor today and he actually got a clean bill of health...no eyes, ears, nose, or throat problems so the doctor said if he's cranky it might just be he's got something viral or even just a headache. I didn't know babies could get headaches; who knew! Right now Jordan and Justin are playing with their big cars and walking or running as in Jordan's case, behind them and running them into walls and stuff. They are laughing...it's a GREAT day!!!

When it rains, it pours!

Well, where do I begin...it's only Wednesday but I really just wish it was summertime!

My last post on Friday night had us going to Cabela's on Saturday, well first off in trying to get there Philip's truck somewhat broke down on Hwy 512...he was able to spot that the radiator hose blew, so we were able to slowly drive 30-40mph back 1 mile or so to a Chevy dealer to get it fixed. Of course they had to get the dodge part from somewhere else and fix it, but all told that ended up taking a total of 1 1/2 hours. Whilst waiting, I said 'hey, we haven't eaten, let's go across the street to McDonald's'...It was like winter out pushing a stroller in headwinds down to the crosswalk and then back up the other side, but eventually we made it and got some food. The final brilliant plan of mine was to let Philip go back across the street to wait for them to finish up his truck and Jordan, Justin, and I would wait in the McDonald's play area; BAD IDEA (all you mom's out there probably know where this is going)!

To make a long story short, we made it to Cabela's & Camping World, however, Justin had other plans, threw up all over the cart and the floor, then passed it on Sunday to Jordan, Monday to Mommy, and Tuesday to Daddy who of course had to travel Monday through Wednesday so he spent his sick time away from the house whilst I was sick taking care of sick kids! Needless to say, I can't wait for summertime! Everyone is back to at least 90% w/the exception of Justin who still has something wrong with him...He's only drinking 1/2 the amount of bottles he's used to and once he swallows actual food, he throws it right back up. I'm taking him to the doctor on Friday since I called the doctor yesterday and he said if he wasn't back to normal by the end of the week to bring him in for a check up.

If I've learned anything from this fiasco it's to NOT EVER let your kids play at the McDonald's play area unless they are fully sanitized/scrubbed and disinfected before and after since I've never let Jordan play in there before until Saturday when all of a sudden we all get the rotovirus or something very close to it!!!

How much gear do we need?

Tomorrow we are heading out to Cabela's to search for some fishing poles & gear for our fishing trip this coming Aug. They only have so many of these stores in the US, and the one by us opened in Lacey, WA early last year. It's about 30 miles south of us, which is like the distance from our house north to Bellevue.

http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/templates/community/aboutus/retail-detail.jsp?detailedInformationURL=/cabelas/en/content/community/aboutus/retail/retail_stores/lacey/lacey.html&cm_re=Retail*RetailStores*Lacey
I'm sure we'll find everything we need there & hopefully we won't end up w/stuff we don't need! I'll let you all know how goes...My co-worker lives right by there and said the boys, specifically Jordan should probably love the place since it's more then just an outdoor store. We'll see...