My 'lil boys are growing up so very fast. They are no longer babies, or even toddlers. They are just such amazing, beautiful kids; they bless our lives every day. Raising them is a privelage.....and a challenge some days!!! :) But we sure do love them, and thank God for them every day & the light they bring to our lives. :)

Well here we go.....December!!! :) Christmas tree, lights, and decor are up and lit, presents are bought & wrapped (but not under the lit up tree, due to little hands...), music plays, cookies & treats are baked....and even the first snowfall has come & gone!! :) I love this time of year.....and this year has GOT to be better than last year. It seems surreal and still painful that a year has come & gone since we lost Gramps. Still miss him oh-so-much; we got through Thanksgiving and were so glad to be able to be there with & for Gramma. Sometimes it's hard to know how to feel, excited & celebratory about the time of year, but sometimes it's hard to feel happy when I think about not having Gramps here to celebrate with......but I do know that he loved Christmas and that he would want us to remember him and still be happy & enjoy the season with our kids and family. So it's a work in progress, and when I feel those flutters of excitement when I see the pretty trees and such, I try to remember that IT IS OK and even RIGHT to be happy at Christmas time, and that Gramps is even HAPPIER in HEAVEN this year. :) LOVE YOU GRAMPS.

The boys are really getting excited about Christmas and I've been really trying to teach & remind them of the true meaning of Christmas, and that we give gifts to each other to show our love to each other, just like God gave us the most precious gift of all, because he loves us even more than we can imagine. :) Colby even sang Happy Birthday to Jesus already......and then asked for a present. :)

Ryan's been doing some things at school in learning about gingerbread men, and we decorated the cutest gingerbread man for him to hang up at school; He's excited b/c they are making Christmas trees next week!! He's learning so much at preschool, learning his letter sounds and even starting to sound out some words! He's so smart and funny. The boys are really into doing puzzles, and one day I told him that doing the puzzles helped keep him smart or something along those lines, so the other day Colby did a puzzle and said "I did it!" and Ryan said to him "Good Job, Colby.....did it help your brain??" :) Lil smartie. Funny kid!

We were blessed to have Thanksgiving Dinner with Nate's parents, and then we went to my Gramma Shirley's for supper that evening. It was a nice relaxing day, lots of good food & family time!! :)

Colby & Grandpa Jack chillin on the couch, watching the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade

Checkin out all of the toy ads with Grandma Angie & Daddy!

My buster helping me peel potatoes for Thanksgiving Dinner

Mommy & Colby

Mommy & Ryan

My little Mario & Luigi brothers!! They had so much fun on Halloween, and I think their favorite part was wearing their mustaches! I couldn't believe it, but they loved wearing them and left them on all night!! They both got loads of candy, and will probably be on a week-long sugar buzz. :) Ah well, whaddya do. :) At least when they crash, they sure sleep good! ha!

The boys had a fun experience this last week. The local public power companies had an Energy Fest downtown, and they had lots of things to see & do.....including rides in the bucket trucks!!! The boys were sooooo excited to be able to do this, and weren't scared one bit!!! They suited up and grinned nonstop!! They wanted to do it again, and were so wound up when they got down! Ryan was so excited because he could see the rooftops and the trains in the trainyard from the bucket, they extended so high!! Colby was just wound up. :) He loved it and talked the electricians ears off. :) So here's some fun pics from that!! Thanks to the power companies for the fun!!

Well, tomorrow is Ryan's 5th Birthday. :) Absolutely amazing to this mama. My baby, growin up so fast. Surely it was just yesterday he was learning to sit up & bounce to music, or crawling in my curio cabinet with all the dolls!!! But now he's in preschool, getting smarter than mom by the day, and is so independent, I have to steal the times I can just snuggle with him or even zip his jacket for him!! My buster!! We got him a bycicle for his birthday, and I just can't wait to give it to him. Seems to me 5 years old is a right of passage to get his first real bike. :) Spiderman, none the less! Nate assembeled it and I wrapped the box so he could open it without having to wait for it!! :) Construction zone cake & party subs all ready to go! I think I'm as excited as he is for this birthday!! :)
I made sure I had everything in order ahead of time for this birthday party, b/c I knew I'd be kind of out of commission this weekend. I had my wisdom teeth + pulled on Friday. It went alright, kind of an interesting experience......I was under the impression that with IV sedation I would be pretty much out and not remember anything.....ummm, I was awake, but drowsy, most of it. :) And they couldn't get my right side numb, so it took much longer than anticipated. poor nate sitting in the waiting room. lol. however, i'm doing well. still a little swelling & tenderness, but nothing severe!! Just no bending or lifting for a couple of days, and lots of ice cream. :) there goes my diet plan! ha! Just sooooo glad it's all done & over with!! I have good little helpers at home. :0
The boys are in Grand Island for the weekend; Nate took them to his parents while I recoup,bless his sweet heart, so they're busy doing lots of fun things like going to the park, digging in the sand, playing out on the beach, going to the pumpkin patch, and just playing like crazy with Grampa & Gramma!! :) Hopefully they get some good pictures, so I can share! :) It's so fun to watch them play. Colby's really now getting into using his imagination.....the other day he set up his whole little farm; barn, animals, farmers, tractors....where as in the past he just played with one thing at a time, ya know? And he's hooking things up to his crane, and imagining so many things, it's fun. : ) He's such a character, the things he says. My dad was telling him about their fishing boat, and he says "That's a great boat, papaw!" :) We go get Ryan from preschool, and when he gets in the van, Colb sayd "How was school Ryan? What'd you do today Ryan?" :) Such a little smartie.
Well I'll get more pics uploaded soon. That's the fun part to look at anyway. :)

I just can't believe September is almost over! That means Colby is now 3 and Ryan is well on his way to being 5. No way!! :) Time flies, and we're havin fun. :) These boys keep us on our toes, wether it's playing in the mud and making handprints all over the outside of the house, dressing up in their halloween costumes and jumping around, pushing each other around in the Tonka dumptrucks, fighting like cats & dogs, or snugglin on the couch watchin cartoons and eatin fruit snacks. :) They're so precious.
This week Ryan & I are both fighting sinus infections, we're both on Omnicef and on the mend! Poor kiddo though, he had to miss 3 days of school this week, he had a fever for 48 hrs and started really saying his head hurts, etc so when we took him in and Dr Anderson said he has a sinus infection & possibly some strep throat, I wasn't too surprised. Just glad to get him on something. Sometimes I think "I wish these kids would just SIT down!!!" But then when they're sick and layin around, all you want is for them to be feelin good & jumpin around! :) Today was much better for him than yesterday, thank goodness. :) Colby so worried about his brother!
I can happily say that I have switched jobs again, and hopefully for the LAST time for a very very long time!! I'm back to working in the medical field, at Columbus Women's Healthcare here in Columbus. I am loving it; it feels great to be back in my element, and not 50 miles away!! :) back to part time, so loving my precious time at home with these bebes. Nate's doin great too, keepin extremely busy at work,as he's the only guy in his dept right now. Such a good husband & daddy.
So overall, things are great and we're all looking forward to Fall weather and playing outside even more!!! :)

Again!!

What a month this has been! Ryan's doing great, loving school! He's excited to go every morning and wears his 'lil backpack with pride!! :) He's been painting, according to his clothes :), and coming home & telling me about his "job of the day"...feeding the fish, attendance counter, watering the plant, getting the milk...so busy in preschool! He's just simply adorable. :) And Colby still wants to go to school too, so bad!!! "I wanna go school with brother!!" Our babysitter was sick today, so I stayed home and Colby & I took Ryan to preschool and he wanted to go in so bad and see Mrs Muntz. :) hahaha! He whined when we left....until i told him we'd go to walmart and get a cookie. haha, bribes! So all's well in preschool land and luvin it!!
As for mama's days, whew....!! My job at the school has really been going well. I have alot of fun with the kids, and enjoy getting to see what they learn & how they sneak in lessons with fun things too!!
We took the boys to G.I. for the State Fair on Sunday, and aside from it being the windiest day of the year, we had a great time. The boys are so much fun to watch on the rides and equipment, and checking out the animals. I'll try and get some pics uploaded soon! They loved the roller coaster, and laughed so hard! They got to ride real combines and cruise on pedal tractors! It's like little boys heaven out there! =D

A brand new era!!

So I just put Ryan to bed, the last night before I have a school-goer!! I just cannot believe it. Seriously! My baby is old enough to start school already!?!?!?!? He's so excited, and so am I.....but I'm really startin to feel the "mommy" emotions that come along with another big "first" in my baby's life! Kinda like when he started walking.....that little tug, of "no longer a baby....." He's just such a punkin, and so smart and handsome, and so mature!! .....unless colby takes a toy or something, then it all goes out the window. :) But here we go, another big step in our lives. :)

Where oh where has the last month gone???? My head is kind of spinning, and it's just beginning!! Done at Women's Health, starting at the school; getting Kindergartners in the school groove, and figuring out my role!! Just a few more days, and Ryan starts preschool, Colby will be the big man at daycare. Mommy's tryin to figure out where I fit in the mix of everything!! Love love love being home at 315 every day; but really missin my home days with the boys. I know it will all work out, but adjusting can be hard!! Especially to a once-monthly paycheck!! haha!! Preschool home visit today so Mrs Muntz can get to know Ryan---however, he got all shy and practically hid in the other room.....Colby, on the other hand, is ready to start school tomorrow!! He made buddies with the teacher & is ready to roll!! Only 2 more yrs, bud!! hahaha!! What a goober. :)
A fabulous weekend at Women of Faith under my belt again this year. Always such a refreshing fun fabulous bonding time too. Missy, Julie, Kathy, Kama, Laurie, Jeanie!! How could it not be fun!!?!?! Such amazing speakers, awesome music, and inspiring stories. Can't wait till next year!!

A Bookmark.....

As I sit here today, I am thinking about changes, and how sometimes they are good, sometimes they are bad, and sometimes they are just hard, wether good or bad. My life is about to take a big change, that will be very bittersweet for me. I will no longer be working at Women's Health in Nofolk, a place that has been my home for the past 6 years. Instead, I am taking on a new adventure as a paraeducator at Centennial Elementary School in one of the Kindergarten classes!! I am very brokenhearted about leaving Women's Health; but in turn am very excited about this new job! : ) In addition to being so very much closer to home, and no longer having to worry about weather/road conditions, I will have such wonderful hours and now that Ryan is going to start preschool at Centennial this fall, I will have the same school hours as he, and within the next couple of years, both my boys. I will be able to be home by mid-afternoon with them, and able to have time at home on a more routine basis. I can actually have time to plan & cook supper before supper time!! I will have summer vacations, Christmas breaks, and other school out days off and home with the boys. :) I can't wait to work with the kids, and am only about 3 minutes from home!!.......However, with that being said, I will wholeheartedly miss my 2nd family, up at the office. It has been such a rewarding and neat time with them, not only as a work environment, but to form such deep, close relationships with everyone there. I have decided to say that this chapter of my life is not closing, but that I am putting a bookmark there, and will go back when I can! :) I'm sincerely hoping I will be able to help them out and work with them on summer breaks & school breaks; a benefit for both them & myself!! =D So I look forward to the next few weeks with mixed emotion, and just have to relax in the knowledge that this opportunity is from God & it will be GOOD!!! Not only is Ryan going to school.....but Mommy is too!!!!! =D

Here are some newer pictures!! They kind of speak for themselves....swimming at Grampa & Grammas house, going to the fair with PaPaw, Katie & Logan's wedding....lots of fun summer activities!!!!