2/26 - the park & Crystal visits

On Monday, I took the boys to St. Augustine which is only 55-60 min away. I took them to a park to let them get some energy out.

They had fun climbing and sliding and swinging. When it was snack time, I loaded them up in the van and went and met some friends at the outlet mall. We had fun but Aiden was still battling being sick so after we shopped for a short bit, I took them back home to get a good nap. That was a good choice because Eli (he wasn't event he sick one) came down with a fever later that day.
Aiden was playing with is remote control car and he wouldn't let Eli have the remote to play with it. Eli solved that by going to get the car. It cracked me up. Needless to say, crying started within about 30 seconds of me taking this picture.
Aiden wanted me to take a pictures of one of his new shirts so daddy could see it. That was the first new shirt that he has picked out to wear. It's a helicopter in case you can't see it.
Eli is doing much better eating with his fork. He still needs some work with his spoon although he doesn't actually want any help. He makes such a mess though with no help that I have to help him unless I would like to bath and wash his hair after any meal using a spoon. He has suddenly become pretty picky and hasn't been eating much.

I wanted to show Brad Eli's new jammies. They say, "My dad rocks." I took Eli to the doctor on Thursday because he'd had a fever all week and was pulling at his ears and being generally cranky. He did not have an ear infection (just fluid) but was starting to cough and be all stuffy.
Eli was crying so Aiden was trying to comfort him by giving him a hug. What a sweetie.
I was trying to get a meal ready and it wasn't going very well because both boys pulled up stools and camped out right where I was trying to get stuff done. It was cute though. Take a look at the shoes Aiden is wearing. They are my shoes and he has them on the wrong feet. That child cracks me up.
Crystal came over on Friday night and we had white chicken chili and played Wii Fit. After dinner, we played with the boys for a bit and then Crystal had a surprise for Aiden. It's a pillow pet that is a turtle. Aiden loves it. I asked him what we should name it and said, "Matthew." I was in shock. I didn't know he even knew a Matthew. Apparently there is a boy at daycare by that name. Our fishes name is fishy so I was thinking he was going to say turtle.

Both boys were rolling around on Matthew but Aiden made sure he is the only one who sleeps with it right now.

I came out of the kitchen after nap time and found Eli sitting on the coffee table in the dining room. The reason we have to push the table up in front of the tv is because Eli likes to push the buttons on it and that is a no-no.

After a bike ride and playing outside for a bit in the afternoon, we came in for dinner and then playtime and baths. The boys had fun running around naked (that means with diapers). They were actually playing chase and they were both having a blast.
Aiden didn't really want to get into the bath because he was playing with his valentine's game. Let me clarify that the "game" is matching the valentines that Nana sent.
Eli, of course, was having a blast in the bath. He recently discovered he can balance a cup on the spout and thinks that is the coolest thing ever and he's so proud of himself for doing it. I took this picture right after he balanced the cup because I knew he would look over and give me a huge cheesy smiled. I think he added a little more cheese when he saw the camera.
I got Eli out of the tub and then Aiden wanted out so I turned on the tv for Eli. As I walked out of the bathroom with Aiden in a towel, I find Eli climbing on the table again. Little booger. I can see this is going to be a battle.
I had to get out the 2nd chair that we have tonight so there could be peace in the house. These boys are too cute.

We have church tomorrow and then maybe a playdate on Monday. I'm see how Eli is feeling. He is feeling much better but just is always in a rotten cranky mood the majority of the time. He throws the fits that are crazy. I'm hoping it's him not feeling well because I'm scared to death to think of the possibility that this is his personality. We shall see. An ENT doctor did get him an appointment on March 7 which I am so thankful for. Communication with the ship was out for most of the week and then we had a day of communication and I think it will be touch and go for a while. Brad can't even read the blog because they've just internet down on the boat. I need to get everything ready for tomorrow and then go to bed.

2/19 - Aiden uses the pedals!!!

Aiden's daycare has been talking about oral health over the past week and he's showing me is new smile in the first picture.

It was Kia's birthday on Saturday so the block celebrated. Kia is our neighbor and our babysitter! It was a beautiful day. Ms Jen was helping Aiden draw with chalk on the sidewalk. Eli tried to help but just ended up tasting all the colors.

Eli was having a blast. He sits on a step on Aiden's new bike and loves to push himself backwards. It's too funny really. I'm just scared he's gonna fall off the back. He's feeling much better during the day but it teething which is causing him lots of pain while sleeping.

Aiden is getting pretty good at kicking a ball (sorry Brad - I'm not trying to make him like soccer). Eli doesn't find it all that amusing that right as he thinks he's gonna get the ball, Aiden comes and kicks it. Aiden is starting to learn to let Eli have it for a bit and to take turns.
For some reason, all the kids want to play with everything in our garage. Empty strollers are probably the most wanted. Go figure. You can see Aiden on his new scooter and Eli with the empty stroller.
I eventually took Eli in for a bath. Aiden was having too much fun to come in. Eli still had about 20 min before he had to go to bed so I brought him outside so he could play again. He found a football and didn't put it down until I made him when he went to bed.
He was really good at throwing the ball right into the ground! :)

After much waiting, Aiden has finally decided to use the pedals on the bike. He's done one or two strokes a couple of times but then stops and goes back to use his legs to walk the bike. Yesterday, he just decided to try and ride it. He did best when I would stay close because if he got at the bottom of a slant, it was hard for him to go up unless he got a little push. The video below is Aiden pedaling!

The neighbors watched Aiden as I put Eli down for bed. I let Aiden play a little bit longer but then had to convince him to take off the life vest he had while riding his scooter.

Early this morning at about 2am, Mr. Armadillo came back. I was shocked to see his little legs walk right over the 2x4's, go part-way in to the trap (and then turn around), and then go under the fence. I went out right away and moved the 2x4's and cage closer. I tried to make it impossible for him to go under the fence and not end up in the trap. I did have to leave a little room for the door to close. We'll see what happens. If he doesn't come back tonight, I'll water the yard tomorrow and make him want to come back.

It was beautiful out today so after naps, we went outside to play. Our neighbor gave us a wagon and a big boy bike for Aiden. Ryan, our neighbor, took the boys around in the cul-da-sac. They enjoyed the wagon ride.

Eli had a blast just going down the driveway on the bike and then he pushed the stroller around in the cul-da-sac for quite a while.

Aiden put on the elbow and knee pads the neighbor gave us. He was too funny with them.

Aiden is starting to feel pretty yucky and he was up coughing during most of his nap. I put the humidifier in his room tonight to help with his breathing. We'll see if it works. If Aiden is feeling up to it, we are going to take a trip to St. Augustine tomorrow morning. All communication from the ship has been cut off so I miss "talking" to Brad and reading his e-mails. I have no idea how long it will be until I hear from him. I'm not even sure he can read the e-mails I send. I'm hoping he might check the blog which is why I updated it. I love you Bradley and we miss you. Eli has a surprise for you if you call when he's awake/around next time!

2/17 - Just truckin' along

The first picture is the tulip that Brad sent me last Friday. Aren't they so pretty? They smelled good too. Unfortunately, the cats liked the leaves so I had to keep moving them. Eventually, they went into my bathroom and I closed the door but the good thing was my bathroom smelled really good.

On Saturday we went to Gymboree and they had a sale on Gymbo, the clown of Gymboree. We got one. The boys take turns sleeping with at night. They also play "follow Gymbo" and do exercises. It's pretty cute. The ironic thing is the picture I posted is of Aiden giving Gymbo some love when it's really Eli that loves Gymbo.

On Sunday, we decided to get the race tracks out so the boys could play. Unfortunately, even though Eli has his own track, he just wants to play with Aiden's.

Monday was Valentine's Day and the boys got to open some cards and presents. They had fun. I had them all ready to open when they got home from daycare. Eli got a bright blue stuffed lizard and Aiden got a book and some Thomas DVD's. We watched one of the new DVD's that night. This is 3 years in a row that Brad and I have not been able to celebrate Valentine's day. I feel a Valetine's weekend coming on next year!

On Tuesday we went to the doctor. Both boys are doing better. Eli's ears look much better and Aiden, while he had a fever all weekend and wasn't feeling well, didn't have an ear infection. The fluid in his ears subsided which is why he probably stopped pulling at it. Aiden was giving Eli a hug because he thought Eli was getting shots again. That child has a heart of gold! Eli also went to the ENT and had a hearing test. He showed some hearing loss in the test and, in addition to his examination and history, the dr recommend tubes. I have no problem with that but unfortunately they are backed up until April. We just found out today they are going to refer us out but will keep us on the schedule in case more operating room time opens up. I pray it does because I really like the dr Eli saw.

On Tuesday night I went to a consignment sale and bought some good stuff. Both boys are pretty good on clothes for quite a while. I did pretty good and only bought 2 toys. One was a giant floor ABC puzzle (for $2) and the other was a pack of Cars characters (for $2). Not too bad.

Here is Aiden playing with his new cars.
Eli is playing with the McQueen car in his hand that came with new pack of cars. He is finally feeling better although he slept horrible last night.

Yesterday was hair cuts in the back of daddy's truck and then baths. Eli loves bath time as you can see from him trying to climb in the tub. I love bare bottoms. Too cute.

Aiden is getting pretty good at washing the soap off himself. He actually wanted to play in the tub last night which was good. The past few bath times have been pretty rough so it was nice to finally get a good bath night under my belt.

I have been trying to catchup with grading school work. There is also lots of yard work to do so I am trying to balance my time. I need to do some yard work or I will get a notice about how horrible our yard looks pretty soon. Hopefully my mom will be able to come up soon to visit. I have some good news: Brad's ship should be getting access to FB soon. This is huge! I'm pretty excited. I need to go pick up the boys and get back to make grilled cheese sandwiches which Aiden won't eat. It should be a fun battle tonight! I checked out books tonight on potty training and raising a "strong-willed" child. Until next time ....

2/13 - A visit from the Hunter's

We started the week off not so great because when I took Eli for a check-up on Monday morning, he still had a horrible double ear infection even after a few rounds of various antibiotics. They started him on Rocefin shots and he got 2 shots in both thighs on Monday and Tuesday. These are very painful thick shots. On Tuesday afternoon, I picked up Grace and Arin from the airport. It was SO GREAT to see them again. In some ways, I felt like I had just seen Arin but in other ways it did seem like the 8 months that it has actually been. Right after we got home, Brad called to skype with us. Arin took a picture of Eli and I skyping with Brad. Grace was quite interested as well.

We also had to put our sticker up for the day on Brad's deployment calendar. Brad has been gone a month now! It hasn't been as bad as I thought it was going to be even with Eli being completely fussy because of his ears.
Grace and Aiden hit it off right away. Grace didn't remember Aiden, but Aiden did remember "baby Grace" as he calls her. It's too funny to hear him say that because I think he called her that the whole weekend, even when I said, "Grace," and tried to tell him she wasn't a baby anymore. Grace loved playing with the trains.

This picture cracks me up because Arin was taking pictures of Grace and Aiden and Eli was right below her, staring at her and laughing while she was taking pictures.

This picture of Grace and Aiden watching tv was too cute. I just put Eli to bed and we were getting ready to put the other 2 down.
This picture is too precious. Before we could change them into their jammies, they were playing on the futon in Eli's room (where Arin and Grace were staying). They were having so much playing on the bed. Seeing them standing next to each other, it's hard to believe that Grace is 10 months younger than Aiden. Look how tall she is!!
On Wednesday, I had to take Eli back to the dr to get his last set of shots for his earache in the morning. In the afternoon, we went to a local park to let the kids play. It was beautiful outside and they enjoyed running around.

It pretty much rained all day on Thursday so we built some tunnels in the house and played. I also took Eli back to the dr because he was so grumpy. The dr said his eardrums were still bulging and big and referred us to an ENT. On Thursday night, we went to Chic-fil-a. It was a madhouse so we didn't let the kids play too much because there were lots of older kids there for Family Night. Grace did a great job of climbing through all the tunnels. Aiden loves it there and Eli is getting better about trying to climb without me.

I originally had all three carseats in the 2nd row but Aiden was having a very difficult time with people (Eli and Grace) getting in his space or touching his seat. I moved his to the third row and it worked out much better. He actually really likes it there because he has a cup holder right next to him.

On Friday morning, we decided to drop Eli off at daycare and go to the zoo for the morning. It was a little chilly at the beginning. Grace had fun in the petting zoo area. Aiden didn't really want to be there so he didn't try and pet any animals.

We had cereal bars in the stroller and walked by some monkeys. I won't write about what we saw gorillas do but my respect level for them just went down. I thought they were smart. Not so much. Aiden was begging to head to the play area so we did.
For the firs time, this little section was open and it had a net bridge. Aiden was a little scared to go over it but it led to a cool little treehouse. I went first and even though I had to carry Aiden part-way, he walked the rest of it.

He liked the little treehouse. It even had little windows to look out of and chairs to sit in.

We then went to watch some more monkeys play. These were nice clean, non-offending monkeys. Aiden likes the squirrel monkeys.

We went to go see the elephants and Aiden enjoyed playing on the rocks by there. He also started jumping for the first time on Thursday. He always jumped just one foot off the ground and finally figured out how to jump with both feet at the same time. He was practicing jumping on the rocks as you can see.
By the end of the morning, Aiden wasn't feeling that great.
Aiden and Grace (and both mommies) enjoyed the zoo trip. It turned out to be a nice day.
After naps were done, we picked up Eli and went to the playground and pond to feed the ducks. The ducks just about mauled us over when we walked in to the park.
Grace had fun feeding them even though he managed to ration out a breadstead and his pieces were so small that the ducks couldn't even find them. Eli didn't really care and only got one bite of moldy bread this time. He likes when I pick him up and give him pieces to throw in the water. He had the most fun trying to drive me crazy by stealing Aiden's sippy cup. Grace liked being in Arin's arm during the feeding process but by the end of the experience, she was walking with about 10 ducks right next to her.
I love this picture of all of us. It's the only we got of all of us and thankfully it's a good one.
Grace was surrounded by ducks when she left and didn't care all that much. I was more scared than she was.

I started reading a story to Aiden and Grace sat there for a few minutes to listen. Aiden got a treat by me reading his book to him out in the living room since Eli was already in the room sleeping most of the nights we had company.

To summarize, we had an awesome visit and it was great to see Arin and Grace. I can't wait to see them again. When I put Aiden to bed the final night Arin was still here, I told him something really bad ever happened to mommy and daddy then he would go stay with Ms. Arin, Mr. Mike, and Grace. We had a blast with them and Grace and Aiden had so much fun. I can't believe how much Grace is talking - she is doing an awesome job.

Both boys have to go to daycare tomorrow so I can volunteer at a consignment sale and then get some work done. As long as they are both on motrin, they are doing okay. Tonight Aiden's fever wouldn't come down with motrin until I gave him Tylenol too. Tuesday Eli goes to the ENT and we will hopefully have some questions answered and some more relief for Eli. I'm also going to ask for an ENT referral for Aiden since he keeps having ear trouble.