Lately...

After a very snowy week last week, we are enjoying the sunshine and warmer temperatures of this week.

 

This is what our basement looked like...

 

A sure sign of a good snow day!

Last week during one of our snow days I took the boys to the grocery store.  They recently got a bunch of carts for kids and I was happily surprised when Owen grabbed a cart to push around the store.  Just when I think he's growing up too fast and he's a big kid, he reminds me that he is still little and I absolutely love it.  So if you saw me in Weis that day, I was the crazy mom trying to sneak pictures of my boys pushing their carts (because if Owen noticed me making a big deal about it I was afraid he might stop). 

Over the weekend Adam and I met my sister, Caleb, and mom for lunch.  We told Adam he was Cal's babysitter and he took his job VERY seriously :)

Oh I love them

Saturday afternoon Mike and I went on our February date (a few days late).  For Christmas I got him a year of dates.  In February we were supposed to go to Troegs Brewery.  We have never been there.  We decided to go cross country skiing before heading to the brewery.  Mike had been out that morning and a few days before that and said it was beautiful!  It was very pretty.  I really enjoyed it, despite two big blisters.  We went to Troegs afterwards, but the parking lot was completely packed and we couldn't get a parking spot so we came back and ate at The Hide-A-Way.  It was delicious!!!  Haven't been there in a long time.  We'll have to do Troegs another time.

Sunday was incredible.  The sun was out and it was finally feeling a bit like spring.  I spent hours lounging on our front porch.  It was glorious!!!!! 

At one point, Owen was curled up on Mike's lap and Adam was on my lap.  My happy place:)

Then Mike took a foot selfie...

Here's to more sunshine and warm temps so we can all play outside!

Time with Cousins

Last Thursday, we added another new baby to our family! Maddie and Below had a precious little girl!!!  We needed another girl :)  Wynne (pronounced Winnie) Louise is already so loved and we all can't wait to meet her!

Anna and Fletcher have been visiting for a few months while Jesse is deployed.  They recently traveled to PA and we all got together to celebrate Fletcher's 1st birthday.

His birthday isn't until April, but they will be back to Japan then so we wanted to celebrate him while he was here.

It was so nice to see Anna and Fletcher!  We are already looking forward to Christmas when we will ALL be together again.

The only little cousin missing was Wynne.  So we Facetimed her and added her sweet face to the picture:)  Pretty sure she's the only one looking at the camera!!!

 In other big news...  Mr. Adam learned to ride a bike on two wheels!  We are really proud of him and look forward to many more bike rides this spring and summer!

 

Must be all the healthy food he's been eating...
Last night Adam insisted on eating carrots, apples, strawberries, and a banana for dinner.  He had yogurt for dessert.

We had to make some changes to the boys' diet after our last trip to the dentist.  Poor Owen has 4 cavities (one which may require a root canal).  The cavities are all on his permanent molars.  All his permanent molars are missing the enamel on top.  So his teeth only have the soft dentin on top (which is a perfect place for cavities to form).  It can be caused by a fever in utero or a high fever as a baby.  It also can be caused by antibiotics.  I'm guessing Owen's problem is due to antibiotics he was given before he turned 1 (because he had 9 ear infections that first year).  Although I know it could be worse, it still makes me sick with worry.   My boys will never eat another fruit snack or raisin if I can help it.  Those are the two worst things they can eat.  And I don't know if a diet change will even help Owen's teeth, but it's definitely worth a try and I figure it can't hurt!  The hygienist cleaning Adam's teeth said she has never seen teeth with so many deep grooves and crevices as Adam's.  My boys were definitely not blessed with good teeth, that's for sure!
 

Surprising Adam

About a month before Adam's birthday he mentioned a few times that he wanted a surprise birthday party.  I think he got the idea from a show.  We had been discussing some different options for his birthday party.  I knew I wanted to keep it simple this year.  He didn't really have his heart set on anything in particular so I thought a surprise party would be perfect. 

Mike took the boys to church so I could get ready and everyone arrived to our house before they got home.  The look on his face when we all yelled "Surprise!!!" was priceless.  He was a little shy, but he loved every minute of it. 

He is blessed to have so many family members that love him so much... I know he felt very loved and special and he hasn't stopped talking about his party.

 

Sunday just happened to be Eric's birthday as well!! 



 We made sure to celebrate him too!  He's an AMAZING uncle to our boys and always makes time for them even though he's busy with his own little guy.

 We love our 5 year old so much!

 A special thank you to Finney who made some delicious food for Adam's party!!

Valentine's Day

Mike and I don't really get too into Valentine's Day.  It's probably our least favorite holiday of the year.  That sounds horrible, but I'm just not into all the candy, chocolate and flowers.  And after spending the day with wild and crazy 2nd graders who are VERY MUCH into Valentine's day (as they should be because they are kids and it's another reason to do something fun in school), I'm about over it by the time I get home.

However I like to do something small and special for our boys.  Yesterday when they woke up I had a few little things at their breakfast spot... a big chocolate heart, a game for Owen, a big corkboard for Adam for his room, and tickets to Skyzone indoor trampoline park.

I was so excited to take the boys there.  None of us had ever been there.  Our tickets were for 10am.  This place is amazing.  And even though I am so sore I can barely breathe today, I can't wait to go back!!!

Owen is already talking about taking a few friends here for his birthday.  He LOVED the dodgeball and wants to play with friends.  Mike and I want to go with a group of adults to play adult dodgeball.  We had a blast... definitely my kind of Valentine's Day!!

Happy 5th Birthday Adam!

Today (at 9:10pm) our sweet boy turned 5.  Adam brings us so much joy and love.  He adds so much laughter and fun to our family.  5 years have gone by in the blink of an eye.

Adam brought a birthday treat to Linda's house yesterday.  He felt so special in his Ninja Turtle hat.

Adam spent the day being spoiled by Papa and Finny.  For dinner, he could pick where he wanted to go and he picked Friendly's.  My boys usually choose that place for their birthday dinner.  I'm pretty sure it's the birthday song that they sing when they bring out your ice cream. Even though Mike and I aren't too crazy about that place, I must admit the look on his face when all the workers came out and sang to him was priceless.  One of those simple memories I want to tuck away.  He felt sooooo special.

I thought it would be fun to interview Adam (he enjoyed it too!).  Here were his answers to a few questions:

1.  What is your favorite color?  Blue

2.  What is your favorite TV show?  Miles and Caillou and Daniel Tiger and Super Why

3.  What is your favorite sport?  The Eagles

4.  Who is your best friend?  In the whole world?  Lauren

5.  What do you want to be when you grow up?  Just me.  I just want to live with you. 
*Adam has a fear of getting old and growing up.  The thought of him getting older and moving away from us really scares him.  We tell him he can always live with us because his little mind can't begin to imagine anything else right now.

6.  What makes you really happy?  Snuggling with you

7.  What makes you really scared?  If I was caught in a tornado and no one would come to save me

8.  What are you really good at?  I'm good at sports, hitting a bat.

9.  What is your favorite thing to eat?  Pizza with burritos (He means pepperonis)

10.  What is your favorite toy?  Legos

11.  What is really hard for you? Catching up with Owen because he's so fast, but I'm getting there.

12.  How does it feel to be 5 years old?  Really good.  I feel strong and brave.


I love this boys so much!

Hello February!

I have to say I'm happy to see January come to an end.  January brought two broken teeth for me- first my permanent crown cracked, then the temporary one broke in half which meant lots of trips to the dentist. A car accident.  A frozen and then burst water pipe (thankfully it was underneath part of our house so there wasn't any damage inside our house). And two sick boys.  I know they are all pretty minor compared to what a lot of people deal with on a daily basis, but I'm still happy to start a new, fresh month.

For Christmas I got Mike a year of dates.  At the start of each month he gets to open the envelope for that month and we choose a time to go on the date that is inside the envelope.  All the dates (except one) is to a place neither of us has been to.  Some are restaurants, others are more adventurous.  Our first date was to The Mill in Hershey.  It was a last minute decision to go on the date since Adam had been sick.  We couldn't get a reservation so we sat at the bar, but it was still a lot of fun.

This morning he opened his February date which is a trip to Troegs Brewery.  Neither of us has ever been there so we're excited to check it out.

There are some really fun dates coming up and I can't wait!!!

Growing up my dad would make us an ice skating rink in the winter.  He'd pull a trailer up to the ice rink and put a kerosene heater inside so we could warm up when we got cold.  I have so many great memories of skating on that rink.  It's where I learned to ice skate.

This past fall, Mike ordered a HUGE plastic tarp in hopes of making the boys an ice rink in our yard.  This past week he set it up and the boys were able to try it out today.

Chong was so happy to have all the activity outside.  He wanted to join in the fun and even tried to go onto the ice.

This afternoon while Owen was at soccer Adam and I made cookies.

I can't believe he will be 5 years old in 11 days.  I wish I could freeze time and have him stay 4 for a long time.  Mike and I both agree that 4 is such a sweet age.  We thought the same thing with Owen.