Yesterday's post

Wow, the emails came out of the woodworks on that one. Let me first apologize to Noah via the blogosphere. He doesn't deserve that much bad press. I also must apologize to you all who had to read the mindless ramblings of an embarrassed mom. As my mother-in-law pointed out, it really was kind of funny. Steve also had a very good insight to the whole thing: the situation was uncomfortable for everybody while the kids were being rearranged...the entire sanctuary was so quiet you could hear a pin drop...Noah just felt the need to fill the void. It was indeed "precious" The fact that my pastor was smiling when I was in the office this morning reassured me that it really felt like more of a deal to me than anyone else. So I am sorry to all of you. I will refrain from Noah venting for a very long time.

I will, however, show a couple of cute pictures of the event, as well as a few others from the weekend. It actually was a pretty fun weekend.

Here's Noah before the practice, being the teacher and making a "checklist" of everything we would do in choir this morning.

















Here the are lined up, in order mind you, ready to perform. Noah is right in front on the left. Isn't he handsome?


















Here is the choir performing with their chimes. Noah is on the top right with the red collar.














The boys also got out on their bikes for the first time this year. Aaron was on a little tricycle that was Noah's a few years ago, but his long legs couldn't bend so we put him on Noah's old 10 inch bike with training wheels. He pedaled way better than I ever expected he would. It's going to be a fun summer with these two.














I think I am the only mom who doesn't care to push their almost 6 year old to lose the training wheels. He'll do it when he's ready. Same with tying shoe laces.

We also got out and played soccer and tee ball in the backyard this weekend. I can't believe the changes they make over the winter. Our backyard used to seem big enough to play in. now that the kids are bigger, it seems they play bigger too. We may be spending a lot of time in the field at the park this summer.














We also spent some time with my friend Mary and her three kids, as well as celebrating Deb's Abby's 7th birthday at Playworld. Mary has a brand new baby that Steve held more than anyone else pretty much all weekend. I had left my camera at church, so I will direct you to Deb's site which I know will show pictures from the weekend . She was snapping A LOT of pictures.!!!

Have a great Monday and please return. I promise to be nice from now on.

Church Embarrassment

We all know the trials of the "PK"s. You know, the kids of the church employees, including pastors, who are the worst behaved kid in the church. Well, Noah is truly a PK to the nth degree. Here's our wonderful experience from church today.

The background: Two of my three groups performed this morning. I direct the Youth Chimes and Ada Chimes. Tone Chimes are a WAAAYYY less expensive and hardier way to create a bell choir. About five years ago, I asked our organist why, if our church was as affluent as it is, we don't have a hand bell choir. Her answer was "Because we don't have anyone to direct it and they are very expensive" So with my big mouth, I said, "What about tone chimes? I could direct it if we had them."

The next fall our church had purchased tone chimes, the same organist had petitioned to have me become a paid staff member and Ada Chimes was begun.

Two years ago, our Wednesday night program for the 4th-8th graders was starting to dwindle. Our numbers were close to nothing and the curriculum left something to be desired. Another mom and I started talking about ways to rejuvenate the program. I suggested a youth chime group as part of the Wednesday program. That fall, Youth Chimes was born. Our core group averages between 11-15 kids every week. We have youth that technically have "aged out" but still return because it is fun. I have come to love the group of young people.

The third group I direct is the Cherub Choir. It is 5 year olds - 2nd grade singers. This is my third year with that group but the first year with Noah in it. This is actually where this big long story begins...and ends. For your viewing pleasure, here is a picture of their performance earlier this year. Noah is the smiling one right with the red collar in front of the microphone.

Noah swore up and down (not literally) that he would NOT be in choir. I kind of downplayed it and when it came to start this year, I just sat him down and began the rehearsal. He has done pretty well, BUT....he has truly acted out the part of the PK each rehearsal.

As you have heard in this and this post, he is an AMAZING singer. That is why I have encouraged him. Plus, his music class at school really leaves something to be desired. (It's really bad). So I have encouraged him to participate.

So this morning was the Cherub Choir's last performance until Fall. My idea was to have them play tone chimes while they were singing. They have been practicing for a VERY long time and sounding pretty good. We spent A LOT of time practicing how to walk with the instrument, how to play it, and especially where to stand after we walk up. In order for the song to sound right, they HAD to be in order.

After our practice this morning, they lined perfectly, as they have each performance all year. As they were walking to the front of the sanctuary to perform, SOMEHOW, they got all goofed up. I realized after they got up there and it HAD to be fixed. So, for me, it felt like hours while I was trying to get them in order while the entire congregation was sitting and watching. AAGGGHHH!!!!!!!!

As they were almost ready, the entire congregation quiet, Noah shouts out "MOM, CAN WE START YET?" I snapped my fingers at him to be quiet (mind you, I was in front of the church) and the congregation actually laughed. I don;t know if they were laughing at me or that I got him under control (which is what a few moms told me afterward) while the whole world was watching. Either way is NOT good.

I don't know if I have ever been that angry or embarrassed in church before. The performance went off without a hitch after that. As a matter off fact, it was VERY good.

But I still can't seem to let go of it.

When I got his report card Friday, it included a letter from BOTH of his specials teachers about Noah talking too much and showing off for the other kids. The problem is that the naughty kids are the ones who react and then Noah gets the reaction he is looking for, therefore getting in more trouble. He doesn't want to befriend the "good kids" because they don't laugh when he shows off. I don't know how to make him want to impress the "good" kids. He gets more attention the other way. His Kindergarten teacher has told me that the first grade teacher is worried about having him in her class next year. Not something any mom wants to hear. I just don't know what to do.

At the beginning of the year, he was quite aggressive. He would throw things if he got mad and yell when he was frustrated. He does not display any of this kind of behavior anymore. He has improved massively.

I am struggling because, yes, his behavior is SOOO much better, but it still needs to be fixed. How do I continue to praise him for the improvement and yet make it clear that his behavior is still not acceptable. I do not believe he has ADD or ADHD, but there is something in him that needs to be "fixed". The attention seeking behavior is the root of it all. If we could beat that, I think our battle would be won. Have I created these problems in my raising of him? He reminds us A LOT of my brother in so many ways and my brother is one of the smartest guys I have ever known. He also has a successful career and family life. So I know Noah will be successful someday. But I want him to feel successful now, too.

Friday I was crying about his behavior, yet again, in front of him when I realized where some of the biggest frustration lies. I was talking to him and I found myself saying, "The reason I am so sad is that I know what an amazing boy you are, but when you never stop talking and showing off in front of other kids, it doesn't let others see that amazing boy." I think that is the core of my frustration. I want others to see this remarkable kid but that is not what comes out so much of the time.

Wow! What started out as a post about church this morning turned into, yet again, a ramble about Noah. That always seems to happen.

I don't know if anyone is even reading this anymore, but if you are, I would love your feedback. Please comment on this one. I need all the help I can get.

Did you notice?

The phone rang about a half hour ago. It was Ron, Deb's husband. He's going out with Steve to a movie later tonight so I thought maybe they were just changing plans or something. He told Steve to go get on the computer. I was busy freaking out because we had just gotten the kids to bed and Steve was talking loudly. The next thing I heard was "It's Kristi's blog". Now I am panicked thinking some hacker or freak has done some terrible thing with my information and and I come running into the kitchen.

Ron had spent the last last two hours creating my very own header. I am so excited. Deb had mentioned it the other night while she was giving me YET ANOTHER lesson in how to blog. (I still need more help with feedburner, Deb) . She mentioned in passing, "Ron should make you a header" and my response, "How about for my birthday?"

Well, my birthday isn't for two more months, yet here it is. I LOVE it!. It didn't fit my other template so I played around with different ones. I'm not sure if I like this or not. Please give me your honest opinions. I think the side bar is too big but I love the colors. Does it look too much like everyone else's? I know most of you don't blog on the weekend so I will have to wait until Monday to get some feedback. I would love to hear what you have to say.

Thank you again, Ron. I feel like the REAL THING now.

Things that may be working

The boys both went to sleep with no problems with the new room arrangements last night. The added bonus...AA came down and "flowered" in the potty for the first time on his own at night! He has been fine during the day, but flowering in his pull up after he fell asleep every night. All of a sudden, I'm sure as an excuse to come back downstairs, he came down, went straight to the bathroom, and did his thing. I wonder if this will be his new routine. If so, we will just push bedtime up 15 minutes.

I also think I may have come up with a solution to pokiness on school mornings. I have tried every praise, bribe, and punishment to get Noah to get ready faster in the mornings. I even got a letter from the principal scolding me for Noah's tardiness ALL YEAR. So this morning I tried another tack. I read Magic Treehouse to him at the table while he was eating. It kept him calm and stopped his arguing with me about not wanting to eat. I may be setting up for bad habits later but if it gets us through the mornings getting ready for school between now and the end of May, I'll take it.

I think I have gotten the rest of the "good" candy out of the kitchen so I can jump right back on the band wagon of this weight loss again. I wish I knew where all of the women are getting those cool graphics for their blogs with the little ruler countdowns. I would love to put one of those on my blog to chart it and make myself accountable.

Today is one of those days that you just need to get things done that have been overlooked. Because of house guests, I have pretty much not done any housecleaning, grocery shopping, returning of library books, paying bills, etc. Won't Aaron have a fun day schlepping around with me all day? (poor kid)

Have a great weekend.

Calm after the not-so much Storm

Well, it is now 9:00 AM. our house guests have just left. They have yet another three hour drive plus three more days of visiting to do. We are sitting here staring at our hands. Not really. I will post later about what I will actually be doing all day today but for now I am just sitting looking around. The house is relatively put together. The boys are dressed. They have already attempted 2.5 fights that were quickly thwarted. I am afraid there may be several battles today, just because of let down.

It was a very good visit. A small house, four days, four little boys, two moms, and a dad could have been disastrous. But surprisingly, everything was somewhat calm. Kids slept every night, ate everyday, played well together, and stayed healthy. Could I ask for more?

I will do my first Thursday 13 to share the highlights from the visit.

13. Bubbles at the Children's Museum














12. Playworld

11. Alex coming to choir with Noah at church and playing tone chimes in front of church

10. Dylan wearing Aaron's doggie costume for the 2nd half of the visit, and still wearing it as they headed out the door this morning. I hope he enjoys it. The head was always too big for AA (long story)

9. Setting up a blog for Beth (I'll post the link on Sunday)

8. Quiet time every day














7. Ordering six kids meals with different contents through the McD's drive-through, only to be told at the window by the teenage employee that I was being "irritating" because of such a large order. I am STILL fuming!

6. Alex reading a skeleton bok to Noah in the back of the car.

5. Marveling at the creation of race track the boys made coming ALL THE WAY down the stairs.

4. Making WAYYYYY too much pasta for dinner. There is still a very large bowl of plain cooked noodles sitting in my fridge

3. Biggest fight of the week: trying to get everyone's hands washed in a Subway bathroom

2. Playing outside with the baseball tees...Alex falling down in the snow and INSISTING that he had to change "right now" because he's "seriously uncomfortable"

1. Spending time with my friend for an extended period of time and knowing that we made fun memories that will last.














Alex, Noah, Dylan (complete with doggie suit), Aaron


Thanks for reading. Stay tuned for later when I share today's project.

Changing Back

Remember this post? The purpose of it was to explain why I felt the boys should share a room. I thought it would help their relationship. And it has. It also served the purpose of having one room for toys and making clean up a whole lot easier. Plus, even though we a have a TINY house, the room upstairs is the entire length of the house, and it is perfect for a shared bedroom. Here is a picture to prove my point.

Bedroom














Playroom














However...

Having Beth here has opened my eyes to a few things. While they were here, Beth, Alex (6) and Dylan(4) all slept upstairs in the big room, Noah slept on the floor of the playroom on an air mattress and Aaron slept on the floor of our bedroom. Sounds cozy, huh?

Here's the funny thing. EVERYONE slept really well. Better than they ever have in any of our visitors throughout the years.

Especially Noah.

Noah has been better behaved this week than he has in AGES. At church last night, the Wednesday night teacher was BLOWN AWAY by how well behaved Noah was. I have mentioned before that Aaron is a very early riser. I think that Noah NEEDS way more sleep than what he has been getting. He has been the first one to sleep all week and slept WAY longer than he was. Actually, both of them have.

SOOOOOOO,

In conclusion, I think it is time for the experiment to come to an end. It is time to lose my dream of having the boys share a room to create harmony. If this is as big of a factor in Noah's behavior as I am suspecting, it may be worth spending yet ANOTHER day rearranging the rooms again. Also, now that we have doctor confirmation that no more babies will be gracing us with their presence, I no longer need to worry about a room for another baby.

I wondered how Noah would feel about this. He actually said, "Well, Mommy, I never liked being upstairs in the first place."

So began the project, yet again.

The boys actually helped this time. Noah stripped his bed for me and brought down his sheets. Both boys actually WANTED to help carry toys upstairs.



















I ended up with a new bedroom for Noah:














And a mess upstairs. At least I didn't have to carry it all up by myself. They each got a quarter for helping.














I have now run out of energy and it's time to have lunch. At least the mess is upstairs and I can tackle it again later without it trickling throughout the main floor. I will let you know tomorrow how the experiment works tonight.

By the way...I maintained this week. Pretty good considering the candy overload. I made Steve take the rest to work so I can get back on track.

Houseguests

My friend is coming. She will probably be here in the next half hour. Her name is Beth and we have been friends since 1993. We were both music majors in college and active in the same campus ministry. We had some power struggles in the early years (thanks to a overly large ego of yours truly) but we made it through to become close friends.

Neither of us are big phone talkers. We live about 7 hours apart (depending on traffic through Chicago) and we can go months without talking. Yet, the few times a year we see each other, we get together and talk as if no time had passed at all and we are always laughing and crying together within 8 hours.

Hopefully, while she is here, we will be creating a blog site for her (with Deb's help) and I will introduce you soon.

We both have two boys, with no more for either of us in the future. They are very similar in ages and my boys have been bouncing off the walls for days knowing they are coming. they will be staying until Thursday. I am sure I'll be posting lots of pictures as the week progress.

Here are a few shots over the past couple of years of the boys playing together.

Playing with the train table at Barnes and Noble















Aaron and Dylan playing the drum in 2006














Boys eating ice cream at a local shop















Noah and Alex at the park in 2006















The four of them playing in the leaves last fall















Have a great Monday.

Guess Her Age

We spent the afternoon with an amazing woman today. Guess how young she is...














Here's a hint... she graduated high school at age 16 (I learned this today). In kindergarten, while all the others kids were learning what a letter was, she was reading stories to them to help her teacher out.














One day during that year, she got sent to the principal's office. She couldn't imagine what she had done wrong and was very worried. She was especially panicked when her parents were brought in and talked behind a closed door while she was waiting outside.














A short time later, she was brought to school and walked into a 2nd grade classroom...bypassing first altogether.

I asked her if she was ever sad about the situation being younger than the other kids. (She was beaming the whole time she told the story) and her answer was sooo positive. She said "Oh no, I had the best of both. I had TWO groups of friends...those of my grade and those of my age.."

Are you still working on that question? Let me help again (hee hee hee) Here she is walking into the restaurant with Noah and Aaron tonight. The boys could barely keep up with her.















She has a larger social circle than pretty much anyone I know. She drives her own car everywhere (except not at night). She is better schooled in politics than any of us and prefers to watch the Chicago Bulls over any drama show on TV.




















This is My Grandma. What age did you guess? I gather it was probably not 92!

This is the woman who bought my mother a piano just because her 7 year old grand daughter (me) wanted to learn how to play. She paid for my piano lessons all the way through high school and helped me throughout college with gas, and later rent while I was going to school.



















Grandma always expected proper grammar. You KNEW you would never get away with anything incorrect around her, and to this day, each time I correct my boys, I hear my Grandma's voice.

You didn't fight in GRANDMA'S car. If you did, the car got pulled over. I also have taken to doing this when the boys are fighting in the car. At that time, the car was a '78 bright blue custom made Firebird with white leather interior. I still remember the day it was stolen out of the carport at her apartment. I was 9. She STILL gets sad when she talks about it.

She is still on her own with no outside help. She lives alone and plays the piano every day and still meets monthly with a group of women that she taught elementary school with 50 years ago (the few that are left).














For awhile, I had lost touch with her... life took over. We only live about an hour away...not far enough for any excuse other laziness. I owe it to her, the boys, and MYSELF to make a better effort to keep her active in our lives. Her stories are wonderful and we can all learn alot from her.

While we were driving to the restaurant tonight, she wanted to drive me past the cemetery plot she had purchased for herself 35 years ago. I am not sure why she felt she wanted me to see it but I know it was important to her. She shared a story about her baby she had lost and that he was buried just across the street from her plot. .

As we head into Easter tomorrow and celebrate the Our Risen Savior, I think of other rebirths. I look at my relationship with my Grandma as one these. I will continue to rebuild this relationship and share with the boys how important it is.

Happy Easter everyone and enjoy the day with your family, as I will as well. I'll see you Monday.

Happy Easter

Yesterday, while the boys and I were eating lunch, I started asking Noah questions about Easter. I was amazed at how much of the story he knew well. He even asked for more explanation about why if Jesus died on Friday, it was called "Good Friday". The discussion was over heard by onlookers (we were at a restaurant) and a man at the next table came over and congratulated me on how I was talking about it with my kids.

Now I don't know if I can take any credit at all...pretty much church does all the teaching I think. But I still swelled with pride that my 5 year old seems to "get it" as much as a 5 year old can.

So in the spirit of Easter, I will share some Easter past photos.

Noah's first Easter and a bowl of eggs at Uncle Matt and Aunt Jenny's house (2003)



















Abby and Noah when they were VERY little at their first Easter egg hunt at church (2004)















Aaron's first Easter (2005)














Hannah, Noah, and Abby at our church Easter egg hunt two years ago (daughters of Deb) . I know we won;'t have anything like the green grass this year. We're under a winter storm warning as I write this. (2006)















Decorating easter cookies with Alex in Wisconsin. Notice the back of Noah's hair...it was a VERY bad cut that ended up getting shaved two days after this trip. (2007)














Boys opening easter gifts last year. Notice the shaved head on Noah. (2007)















And I know I've already shown it this year, but we needed something current, so here again is the Easter bunny photo from this year. (2008)



















Have a wonderful Easter weekend.

How well do you know YOUR child?

This morning's weigh in was actually better than I expected. I maintained. No gain...no loss. Why is this good? Because after my doctor appointment on Tuesday, I was frustrated and came home and ate an ENTIRE bag of Hershey's chocolate eggs and then got french fries on the way to teaching. Now THAT"S a bad day! On top of that, we celebrated Steve's birthday on Sunday with an ice cream cake from Baskin Robbins and I HAD to eat some.














So that's why maintaining weight this week is a pleasant surprise.

In other news, I had a funny discovery last week when I went to register Aaron for preschool. I got his birth certificate from the safety deposit box and headed to the school. At a red light, I got it out to look at it. I don't even know why. This is what I discovered:












Apparently, an error has been made, unless they know something that I don't. I have little BOY, not a girl. I don't even know where to start to correct this mistake but I assume it needs to be taken care of. I'm sure it will probably cost money, too.

By the Way, Happy Spring! It started this morning while we were sleeping.

WW # 10 Can't Wait 'Til Summer

Noah and Aaron sliding down the water slide at VBS last summer

Happy St. Patty's Day

I always thought a day that dictated what color to wear was fun. We don't really practice anything on the religious side of it. But when the "leprechaun" showed up at Noah's school last Friday dressed to the tea and told each class the story of the leprechauns, including that he needed to search for gold at the end of the rainbow, Noah was hooked. So yes, he will wear green to school today. I thought I would share goofy pictures from last year's St. Patrick's Day. My mom had shown up unexpectedly and her friend had brought this silly hat that both boys needed to try on. Even thought it was completely ripped, they loved it.

Have a great Monday!

Spring? Really?

My apologies, Matt. This one will be a little wordy...I have a story to tell.

I encountered several signs of Spring this morning.

The sun was out this morning and it's supposed to be in the lower 50's. A heat wave! So of course, the half dozen or so spring/fall jackets that were all over the place last September are nowhere to be found. I REFUSE to buy more. Maybe they'll show up as I prepare for our May garage sale.

Aaron and I needed to pick up a few groceries. As we're driving home, Aaron sees the car wash. He really doesn't like them all that much but they're still a novelty. He says, "Mommy, let's do the car wash". I thought that we might as well and I can vacuum it when we get home. So after I run in and buy a code, we proceed to the car wash. About a minute into it, I start hearing car horns very loud. Then I realize that we're not moving. The next second, WERE RAMMING INTO THE TRUCK IN FRONT OF US. At this point, Aaron is in the back, "Mommy, I'm scared" and all I could think was "Me, too." I can't get out because the big round sponge thing is stuck washing my driver's window over and over and the ramming continues. Finally, I decided the only choice was to BACK OUT of the car wash. I didn't know if this would destroy my tires, but I couldn't think of another choice. I was shaking by this time. After checking for any damage on my bumper, I went inside to ask for a refund for the car wash that has now left tons of suds pouring off the roof of the van. When I told her what happened, the manager actually SCOLDED me for backing out of the car wash. What the *&%^& was I supposed to do? I was still shaking and I still needed to find somewhere else to go rinse off the suds that has now dried on the van. I seriously don't think I will ever go in an automated car wash again in my life.

So we came home to eat lunch and it was so gorgeous out that AA wanted to stay out and play for awhile. I grabbed the omnidroid (that's what my Incredibles boys call the Shop Vac) and started vacuuming. While I was working, AA was climbing around in the bushes that are trying to awaken for spring. When I went to look, I was so excited at what I saw:














Yes, indeedy. I, who have killed pretty much any plant I have ever touched, planted bulbs last fall and they are ACTUALLY SPROUTING. I lovingly cleared all the leaves away just to see how many I could find. I don't even remember what I planted but I hope they will turn into something pretty I can post in a few weeks.

So after a terrifying car wash experience, I came home to the ultimate sign of Spring. I don't think I will put AA down for a quiet time today. I think we need to go back out and play.

Happy Friday!

Happy Birthday Daddy.

Limiting pictures of Daddy was a challenging feat. I just pray that Blogger will keep them on and not drop any of them. I posted a few days back about how much of a "hands-on" father Steve is. Here are just a few pictures to illustrate my point. Enjoy!

Running through the sprinkler. Notice no one has bathing suits on. They weren't planning on it but Steve has a way of joining in the fun when the boys get a whim.














With Aaron at the New Years Eve Party at the Children's Museum














Christmas Eve with their buddies














Collecting cicadas to bring back to people in Michigan who wouldn't get to see them. Steve was a little nervous about picking them up with his hands so I found two beach buckets in the back of the car.



















Noah was about 3 when we took this picture of them in the mall.



















Daddy changing Noah's first diaper in the hospital. I don't know if the picture does it justice, but Steve's expression is very confused. He became an expert quite quickly.














Because we live in Michigan, there are a lot of pictures at the beach

Daddy swinging Noah while I was pregnant for Aaron. These are the only pictures we have of me pregnant with Aaron and the boys are fascinated with them. While I was posting them this morning, Noah said, "Wow Mommy, I bet you made big splashes with that tummy!"














Showing his muscles at the beach. Once again, we're not in bathing suits. This happens a lot in Michigan. You go to the beach to watch a sunset and you are drawn to the water. Usually when we DO bring our suits, the water is too cold or the waves are too high.














Playing with Aaron














Happy Birthday Daddy. We Love You.

Friday update

Two pound weight loss...hurray.

I am feeling very frustrated and achy so I won't bother with much more posting until my questions are answered on Tuesday.

We will be celebrating Steve's 36th birthday on Sunday so I will share some thoughts about this loving husband and father later this weekend when I am feeling more cheerful.

Have a great long weekend.

Ladies, Remember When...

you were pregant? You went for your first ultrasound and they asked you to show up with a full bladder. You obeyed instructions and showed up filled to the brim. You were so miserable that you wanted to cry...
However...
Once the ultrasound got going and you heard the little heartbeat and saw the little dot the resembled a peanut, part of that misery started to fade because you were focussed on that little human indeed of you.
Now...
Imagine the same scenario. But this time, take away the joy of seeing a little baby and sit through the discomfort for no purpose other than measuring the size of your ovaries.
Add...
A quick scolding because you apparently didn't drink ENOUGH water for their liking.
Throw in...
A dash of a stoic technician who is, of course, not allowed to say anything about what she sees. Ask anyway, because you want to know if you canceled your commitments at church for nothing. When pleading the technician to throw you a bone, the only answer you get is "well, it's interesting"
Not much of a bone...
I guess we'll play the waiting game a little longer. Hopefully, more answers will come on Tuesday.

WW #9 Brotherly Love

Hands-On Daddy

Steve needs a daddy break. We weren't able to go church together today so he stayed home with the boys while I went. He made them homemade pancakes and took them to the burger store, park, and ABC Warehouse. While I was walking in the door, AA had "flowered" his pants. Steve turned to me and said "I'm done!" and went to lie down.

To be fair, he also had them all afternoon yesterday. My sister and I went to a Women's Expo together and then out for dinner. We realized that it was the first time EVER that just the two of us had ever done dinner together. Pretty strange since I am 30-something and she is 40-something. I gathered MANY pamphlets from various women's health booths so that whatever diagnosis comes down this week (hopefully this week, ultrasound couldn't get scheduled until a week from Friday), I have a pamphlet to cover it. I have a tendency to over-read about things. We also managed to get LOST in the parking ramp (that I have been to MANY times in the last 5 years) .

While we were at the Expo, Steve took the kids to Playworld. It's basically an indoor playplace and the kids can run around crazy as much as they want. Here is a picture of our kids with Deb's girls and Mary's two (before the baby) last fall for Hannah's birthday party. Notice Noah, of course, trying to control which way his brother is looking.














In the morning, we took AA to his first Symphony concert. The Grand Rapids Symphony puts on concerts for kids ages 3-6 for $5 a piece. His reaction to seeing the instruments was priceless.














I don't know why this is his reaction to many loud noises, but it was also his reaction to the cicadas last summer.



















I think I've shown that picture before, but I love it so I put it on again.

After the concert, we were going to go to lunch but we were by the hospital in which both boys were born and it's being torn down since a new one was built. Steve wanted to know if it was an empty lot yet so we drove by. They were actively knocking down, so we parked and watched it for 15 minutes or so. I think the boys (including Steve) enjoyed demolition better than the symphony.














I was amazed at how many people stopped and took pictures while we were sitting there. I am kind of sentimental about stuff like that and I am kind of sad that the hospital where they were born is being ripped down.

Oh, and of course we had to visit the Easter Bunny at the mall while we there buying Daddy's birthday present.















AA loves characters that wander around while I had to bribe Noah to sit on his lap. "It's just a guy in a suit, Mom."


So after a busy weekend, Steve is getting his break. I can't take any credit however, because I am cheating. The boys are presently watching "Milo and Otis" and I am blogging. I think we're all getting a break. I am not sure what we will do the rest of the day, but I imagine it will involve not leaving the house. I have to teach tonight and ONCE AGAIN, poor Steve will have to put the kids to bed by himself.

I am lucky that Steve is such a hands-on dad. I know he will do whatever he needs to do for the kids and I am blessed for that. Next weekend is his birthday so I will make up for this weekend by letting him call the shots. After all, even if it's only for a couple of months) he's going to be TWO YEARS OLDER than me, the Gramps of the house (hee hee hee)

Have a great Sunday.