Happy 5th Birthday Max!

Happy Birthday Max! You are such a fun boy, we love being your parents. We hope you have an amazing 5th birthday!

During this past year, you have grown and learned so much! We love how inquisitive you are about everything. You have such an excitement for life and the things going on around you. We love that the answer "because that's just the way it is" isn't good enough for you, you always want to know WHY.

This year your love of reading has grown immensely. You are now reading on a 2nd/3rd grade reading level and loving it. It is so fun watching you pick up books and read them to us, and we also still love reading to you. We love that you have to carefully study the pictures on each page before we can go on to the next.

We told you you couldn't grow up and become a 5 year old, but despite our best efforts, here we are! We love you and can't wait to see what this new year brings!
Love, Mom and Dad

Sam's Stats

We finally took Sam in for his 6 month check up. As usual, he didn't really mind his check-up, and I think Max was more worried about the shots that Sam had to get than Sam was. It has been a rough couple of days for Sam since the shots though, with fevers and irritability. I think he may be getting teeth too, and he has a bit of a cold, so that isn't helping matters much.
Here are his stats:
Length: 28.5 inches (95%)
Weight: 18 lbs. 13 oz. (75%)
Head: 44.5 cm (75%)
He's getting SO big! I just love his cute baby thighs and kissing cheeks!

Impressionable Youth

Max is at a loss for what he wants for his upcoming birthday. (He isn't spoiled or anything!) Everyone keeps asking him what he wants and he usually responds by asking me to tell him what he wants, or to show him toys on the internet that he can "choose from". He seems to also be soaking up the commercials on TV too. . .
A few days ago, Natalie asked him what he wanted. He responded, "I want the Smoking Man who can't stand up!". She thought the answer was strange, but just brushed it off until she saw the commercials. When she told my mom and me this story, we got a good laugh! Guess he didn't get that the Smoking Man WASN'T the cool superhero. So much for ANTI-tobacco advertisements. :-)

My baby is 6 months old!

Sam continues to be an absolute joy. He is such a happy baby and so much fun. He is currently trying to crawl and getting very frustrated that he can get up on his hands and then his knees, but not both at the same time. He also has yet to figure out how to move forward, but is getting pretty good at turning on his belly and rolling all over the place. He has started to figure out how to scoot backwards a little bit too.He is learning to like his rice cereal and oatmeal, and he loves his fruits and veggies. He also decided (thanks to a very stubborn mom) that he likes bottles now. In fact, he was fully weaned a week ago (6 months is mom's limit)! After the initial bottle battle, it was a fairly easy transition and has turned out to be great for both of us.
Sam is a great little sleeper again. I put him down between 10:30 and 11:30 each night, and he sleeps until about 7:30am! Heavenly. :-) He doesn't like to take many naps though, so I guess that is my trade off.Sam loves to play in his jumperoo and hang out in his "toy chair". He likes having a toy in his hand and/or mouth all the time. He also loves to play with and chew on his feet. He loves it when I take his socks off so that he can suck on his big toe. Gross, I know. He loves watching Max play and he will try to join in whenever he can get to him (he's becoming a great roller!). He is full of smiles and giggles. I know I say this a lot, but I seriously cannot believe that he is 6 months old! The time has gone by so fast, and we have loved every minute of it.

And it Begins!

Now that Sam is semi-mobile (by rolling and scooting where he wants to be), he likes to go wherever Max is playing. Max has been pretty good about things so far, only occasionally trying to roll him back over or yelling for me to come and intercede.In fact, Max has been very willing to share K'Nex he isn't playing with. I think he's kind of excited to have someone at home to play with, especially now that Sam has started to show interest. This is what I found the other day while Max was playing. In an attempt to "share" with Sam, he brought over a bunch of K'Nex and started piling them on! I can only hope that the "sharing" continues. :-)

Pennies

Max (the oh-so-super-observant one) came home from school after his President's Day lesson and told me that Abraham Lincoln is on the front of our pennies because he was such a good president. He then ran upstairs and got his K'Nex and started building. He came to me with this and said "Mom, here's what's on the BACK of our pennies."

My Little Mario

Who knew that the hat I made Max for his Halloween costume would end up being part of his daily attire? He could care less about what he's wearing, but he loves to have the Mario hat on. Gotta love it!

Sam's First Swimming Experience

We took Sam swimming for the first time a few weeks ago. I wasn't sure what to expect, but he loved being in the water and kept wanting to float on his back (like the tub I guess). It was so fun to swim with our boys and our friends!

25 Random Things About Me

I've been tagged (love ya Amber!). Is it sad that it's hard to think of 25 random things about myself? I'll blame it on mother's-after-baby-absentmindedness. :-)

So here it goes. If you are tagged by me, then you must do the same thing on your blog (and/or facebook) and tag 25 people also. Enjoy

1. I love ice cream, especially strawberry. I'll take a strawberry shortcake serenade from Cold Stone any day.

2. I tend to be obsessive about some things, I just wish I could channel this part of my personality into cleaning my house. (I'm sure Riley wishes this too) :-)

3. I love playing video games, especially Nintendo.

4. I had to get glasses when I was 2. My farsightedness reversed itself by 9th grade. I love not having to worry about glasses or contacts anymore.

5. I love Mexican food. I could eat bean and cheese burritos for every meal.

6. I am a nail biter. It is a horrible habit.

7. I love shopping online. I watch mamabargains.com far too frequently.

8. I am addicted to too many TV shows.

9. I really enjoy cooking and baking. I didn't really learn how to cook until I quit teaching Jr. High. I never imagined that I'd be good at it, or even like to do it. Amazing what having some time at home will do to someone.

10. I love digital scrapbooking.

11. I am really nervous to send Max to Kindergarten. The bus thing scares me too. However, he is very excited about it, and he can't wait to ride a bus. I know I am a totally annoying and overprotective first time mom. :-)

12. I think Daylight Donuts was heaven sent.

13. I hate the cold. If it weren't for my family and friends, I would move somewhere warmer.

14. I don't like being alone.

15. I have a phone phobia. I have a really hard time talking to people outside of my "comfort zone" on the phone. It really bothers me (and Riley). I know it's irrational, and I am really trying to be better about it.

16. I love teaching. My current job is awesome.

17. Mexico is my paradise. I usually wish I were there.

18. I could go to Disneyland every year. I love it there.

19. I also love Las Vegas.

20. My husband is the greatest man alive. I am so lucky to have him.

21. My boys are the cutest. :-)

22. I am very competitive. And stubborn.

23. I am a pack rat. Another thing I'm trying to be better about.

24. I sing preschool songs through my house all the time. Max gets really annoyed with me. I can't decide if he's sick of the songs, or if it's just my voice. :-)

25. I can't wait for spring because it means that we're that much closer to summer!

Riley says too many of these have to do with warm weather. What can I say, I am sick of the cold!

I tag: Natalie B., Tesla, Cat, Rebecca A., Shannon, Laci, Emily H., Natalie H., Heather B., Christi C., Amber G., Stormy, Ashley C., Amber M., Heather W., and anyone else who hasn't yet done this but wants to!

My Chunky Monkey

We went to Sam's 4 month check-up a few days ago, and he's getting so BIG! It's funny that he started out a pound smaller than Max's birthweight, but has now passed Max by over a pound at 4 months. He's definitely a chunky monkey. His stats are:
Weight: 16 lbs. 3 oz. (75%)
Height: 27 inches (+95%)
He continues to be so much fun. He is always happy and smiling, especially if his belly is full. He is becoming so active, he likes to be moving all of the time. He gets his little legs going so cute when he's excited. He's such a strong little guy too. He loves to make himself rock when he's sitting on my legs, and he thinks standing (supported of course) is great. This week, he learned how to roll and he loves to be on the ground rolling, especially if there is a toy nearby to put in his mouth. He is really close to sitting on his own too!Sam loves watching everything Max is doing. He also loves watching Max's cartoons. If you are not paying attention to him, he yells and grunts to get your attention. He LOVES "talking" and "coo"ing to everyone. He makes the cutest little sounds. He loves to click his tongue too.
No more sleeping through the night for Sam. He likes to wake up around 5am thinking he's starving. I am hoping that I get my nights back soon! I had hoped that rice cereal would help, but not so far! He is not a fan of rice cereal. He makes horrible faces when he is being fed. I thought with how much he loves to eat that he would love his cereal, but no. He's all about his milk. He has started to drool A LOT, no signs of teeth yet though.It seems like he is learning something new (and getting bigger) each day, and I am having a blast watching him...I love being a mom!

Happy New Year!

We had a great time celebrating the New Year at my parents house. We had a yummy dinner (steak and shrimp), played games, and chatted the night away. Max got to play his first game of Mario Party with his own controller, and he was so excited! He even made it until midnight, and then we all went outside and made some New Year noise and watched some fireworks.

As far as new year resolutions go, I haven't really made any. . .I don't think I ever really have, at least not one that I've really followed through with. Rachael has a great idea, so I think I'll steal hers. I hope that this year I am able to slow down a little bit and just enjoy life with my sweet family. 2009 is gearing up to be busy, and through it all, I want to make sure that I take time to stop and enjoy.

Happy 2009!

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas! I hope your day was as amazing as ours!

He's Independable

A few days ago Riley and I were watching the Daily Show before he left for work (as usual). Max was playing in his playroom, and when he came downstairs, Riley and I were laughing at something Jon Stewart said. Here is the conversation that followed:

Max: "Mom, that president is saying funny things."

Mom: "He's not a president, he's just a guy telling us the news."

Max: "Oh, then he's a Democrat, right?" (We have obviously watched a lot of election news coverage this year) :-)

Mom: "I'm pretty sure he is a democrat, but he's also a news guy. (Now I decide to play with him a little bit) Are you a democrat Max?"

Max: "NO!"

Mom: "Are you a republican?"

Max: "NO! Hold on a second and I'll show you what I am."

He then went upstairs and Riley and I continued to watch our show thinking he just went back up to play. He came downstairs a few minutes later dressed in his cop helmet with all of his cop gear and said:

Max: "I'm not a democrat or republican, I'm a cop!"

Mom: "Oh, very nice. So you're probably also an independent."

Max: "Yup."

Later that night we went over to my moms. He walked in the door and yelled, "Grandma, I'm a cop and I'm Independable!"

Cuz it's almost Time for Christmas!

I love Christmastime! I am getting so excited for Christmas this year. I have almost all of my Christmas shopping done and all of my decorations up. It has been so nice to get things done quicker this year so that I can enjoy the holidays with my sweet family. A few of the fun things we're doing this year:

The Nutcracker: My mom's dance studio does the Nutcracker every year. This year it was on Dec. 1st and 2nd. It was so fun to watch. Max loves the battle scene and asked Grandma Colleen this year if he could be the Nutcracker next year. :-) He would love to fight the Mouse King!

Festival of Trees: We went on Thursday night and it was very fun to see all of the creative trees! I have never been before, and we had a really great time. I can't believe I forgot to take my camera in, there were some AWESOME trees!!!

Polar Express Day at preschool: Was on Friday. Max and I had a great time dressing up in matching jammies and boarding the "Polar Express" for a day. Max was so excited to get a "magic" bell from preschool. He keeps telling us to pretend we don't believe in Santa for a minute so we can't hear his bell.

Breakfast with Santa: I've never been before, but heard it is great, so we're going to try it out. Thanksgiving Point usually doesn't disappoint.

Decorating our gingerbread houses: We just use the costco kits, but hey, it's still a lot of fun and easy enough for everyone to enjoy themselves--especially Max. He loves "making progress" on his own gingerbread house.

Christmas Eve dinner and a movie: We love this tradition. Each year we get together with my family and Riley's family and go to dinner and a fun movie. We haven't decided on the movie yet, but I think we'll probably see "The Tale of Despereaux" because "Bedtime Stories" doesn't come out until Christmas Day.

Max's Christmas Program: I love to watch the sweet little preschoolers sing and "act". I can't wait to see Max do his speaking part this year!

Max's friend party: YEAH! Max loves doing this every year with his best little friends. Cat is an amazing hostess! :-)

A few other things we're hoping to do this holiday season: drive through the lights at Thanksgiving Point, and while we're there, check out Santa's reindeer, have a few mario parties with family and friends, get some pictures in the snow (if it snows before Christmas...I won't be sad if it doesn't), make some yummy sugar cookies for Santa, drive around town and look at all of the decorated houses (Max says all of the houses are starting to look like gingerbread houses), and spend time with family and friends.

What are you doing this Christmas? What are your favorite holiday traditions???

Happy Thanksgiving!

I love Thanksgiving. I love having an excuse to eat a ton of very yummy (and filled with sugar and fat...mmmmm...) food. I also love hanging out with family and just sitting around talking and playing games.

It is also great to have a day to pause and think about how lucky our little family is to have the amazing people and things we have in our lives. In true Thanksgiving spirit, here are some things I am thankful for this year (sorry, no pictures yet, our hard-drive with all of our pictures crashed, so I'm VERY thankful for backups!!!):

My husband. I know I have mentioned this many times, but he is the best. He is such a hard worker and great provider for our family, while always putting family first. He is my best friend. He is an amazing cuddler and foot massager too. I'm so happy to be married to someone who functions on my wave-length, it makes everything easy.

My sweet boys. I have two of the cutest and sweetest kids. Max has grown up so much this year. (I keep telling him he can't grow up, but he just won't listen!) He is such a great big brother and I love that he is always so willing to help us out around the house. Sam is such a great baby. He is always just so happy and content to hang out with us. He is growing so fast and getting to be a little chunk. He is a great little eater, and he's been sleeping through the night now for over 3 weeks!

My family. I love how close my family is, and what a great support they are to us. One of my favorite things about my mom and dad is that they love all of their children unconditionally. They are such fun grandparents to my boys too, my boys love being with them. I am so grateful to have a mom and sister for best friends, and a dad who laughs at my jokes and crazy t-shirts when no one else will. :-)

Riley's family. Riley's parents are an amazing support for us too. I couldn't ask for better in-laws. They are so thoughtful, and I love that their door is always open to us. Max loves to play with grandma and grandpa!

My friends. I am thankful that I have the greatest friends who are always there for me and who have so much in common with me--they are my forever friends! The day before Sam went in for his test at Primary Children's, I came home to a package at my doorstep. It was filled with a few of my favorite yummy treats, and a good read (gossip magazine). It meant so much to me to know that they were thinking of me and Sam. They are so great and I love 'em to death! I also love that we have kids that play so great together!

Our house. We are so lucky to live in such a great house. I especially love that it is "ours", and that Riley and I were able to design exactly what we wanted. I also love that it is a home we can stay in forever.

Our jobs. I am so grateful that Riley and I both have jobs that are stable and secure through this rough economy. And, not only are they stable, we both enjoy our jobs. I can't say enough good about the preschool. It is such a great company to work for, and such a fun and fulfilling job. I love to watch my sweet class learn and grow.

Max's preschool teacher. She totally "gets" him, and he has done so great with her this year. He is learning so much and he loves going to school.

I hope everyone has a fun and safe Thanksgiving!

Christmas Ideas???

I am so excited for the holiday season! I love Thanksgiving and Christmas time with all of the fun traditions, decorations, family gatherings, yummy food, and shopping. Having kids makes the season even more fun!

I need everyone's ideas this year. Max has been super easy to shop for, he knows exactly what he wants. In fact, I'm almost done shopping for Max, but I am at a loss as to what to get Sam for Christmas this year. I have gotten him some cute clothes, but beyond that, I am stuck. Any ideas???

Sam is 2 months!

What a cute little guy we have! Or, I guess I should say big guy, we took Sam to his 2 month Dr. appointment and these were his stats:

Height: 24.5 inches (95%)
Weight: 12 lbs. 10 oz. (75%)
Head Circumference: 40cm (50%)

He is growing like a weed and starting to be such a little chub. He is so much fun. So many people told me that #2 was WAY harder than #1, but besides the sleeping factor in the first couple of weeks, I would say the adjustment has been easier. Even Max has had a pretty easy adjustment. Max loves watching Sam. Everyday he tells me that Sam is "cuter than he was yesterday". Today he said, "Mom, Sam just keeps getting cuter and cuter!".

Sam loves to talk. He babbles and coo's all day. It is so fun to listen to. He is also a very smiley little guy, and his little giggles are so cute! He is very alert during the day, and just takes a few naps here and there. He has become a great sleeper at night, last week he even slept through the night, 10:30pm-6:30am! I am hoping that he decides to do that again sometime soon, but he usually sleeps from about 11pm until 5am so he is doing great and I am loving the extra hours of sleep.

I am such a lucky mom to have 2 of the sweetest and cutest boys! Being their mom is so much fun!

Trick or Treat!

We had a lot of fun on Halloween! Max and Sam were the Mario brothers! Max has been wanting to be Mario since right after halloween last year, so he was VERY excited to finally wear the costume!
Our day started out at preschool. We did a costume parade to all the classrooms. I was able to get a few pictures of Max when he came through my room. He took the parade very seriously and didn't even want to crack a smile for me!
After preschool, we headed home to get Sam ready and then to Grandma Terrie's work to trick-or-treat. Max loved seeing everyone at the bank. He kept telling them that he was dressed up as Mario and then he would take his hat off to assure them that he was still Max. Sam was a trooper in his costume! Doesn't he look so cute!That night, Riley had to work, so we headed over to Grandma Colleen's house to trick-or-treat. Max had a blast even though it was raining a little bit. He even loved the houses that had "scary things" at their doors this year. He ended up with enough candy for the entire year!

Our Annual Pumpkin Carving Party

On Sunday, we had our annual pumpkin carving party at my parents house. We ate some very yummy chili (thanks Riley!) and breadsticks, and then we started carving! This year we got some great cut-out patterns from this website. Here is Riley carving a Mario pumpkin for Max.

Natalie and Craig getting the "guts" out of their pumpkins.

Sam got to chill with grandpa John while the rest of us were carving.

Natalie carving her masterpiece. I think her pattern was by far the hardest!The finished product! Riley's puking pumpkin. :-)

Mario (carved by Riley and Max), Wario (carved by my mom), and Princess Peach (carved by me).

Jack Skellington (carved by Craig), and the witch (carved by Natalie)After our pumpkin pie and brownie dessert, it was time to call it a night. We had a great night! This is such a fun tradition.

We have a Diagnosis

On Tuesday we spent most of our day at Primary Children's with Sam figuring out what is wrong with his kidney. He had to have 2 tests done in medical imaging in the morning. We knew it would be hard to watch, but I didn't know HOW hard! Poor kid had to get an IV before they could do his renal scan and they just couldn't seem to get it in. After being poked 4 times (twice in each hand), they finally got it. Between the IV and the catheter that he had to have, he was screaming. So sad. He calmed down and was able to get some sleep after they put the sandbags on his arms and legs and put him under the scanner. This picture is of my little radioactive baby under the scanner. He had to stay like this while the machine took pictures of his kidneys and bladder every 15 seconds for 45 minutes. Luckily, we were able to sit right by him, and even reach in and comfort him the whole time. At the end of this test, it seems that there is no blockage and that his kidneys are working normal, so now onto the next test to figure out what is causing the dilation.

We went directly across the hall to wait for an X-ray room. He got to have his IV taken out, which was great. This picture is of him in his little hospital gown with his poor little bandaged hands.

While we were waiting, he started to get hungry. Just as I started feeding him, they came out to get us for his VCUG. Needless to say, he was TICKED when he had to stop eating and get underneath another scanner. For this test, I had to hold his arms down while the nurse held his feet down. It only took about 10 minutes, but it was so hard to watch my hungry and mad baby scream. After turning him from side to side so the machine could get pictures of every angle while his bladder emptied the contrast, a Dr. came in to make sure we were getting all of the right pictures and to explain the findings to us. From the results of this test, it looks like he has Vesicoureteral Reflux.

In the above picture, you can kind of see the pokes and bruises on his hands. :-(

After feeding Sam and eating lunch, we were able to meet with a pediatric urologist to determine what this diagnosis means for us. The doctor was so great (everyone we worked with up there was amazing, which made it nicer). Since he doesn't have a blockage and both kidneys seem to be OK, there is not much we can do at this point. His reflux is a grade 4 or 5, which is pretty serious, but at this point, nothing is being damaged. So, this diagnosis means that we have to make appointments every 4 months for a year to go up and have ultrasounds done to watch the severity of the kidney dilation. He also has to continue to take a maintenence dose of antibiotics every day for a year to prevent UTI's (if he gets a bladder infection, it will reflux into his kidney and cause permanant kidney damage, thus the antibiotics). When he is 1, we will have to repeat the VCUG test to see if the problem is correcting itself. If it is, great! They will continue to monitor him until it has fixed itself. If it doesn't start correcting itself and continues to be a grade 4-5, they will have to do more tests/scans to pinpoint the exact problem and schedule a surgery to fix the problem. So, now we wait and hope for the best!

Being at Primary Children's made me realize again how lucky I am to have 2 healthy and happy boys. I am thankful that we were just there for outpatient tests, and although fixing the problem may take a while, Sam doesn't seem to be bothered by it and so far there isn't any long-term damage. As I watched the little kids who are in the hospital long-term being brought in for tests, or walking around the halls and lobby because they are tired of being in their room, my heart ached for those kids and their families. We are very lucky!

In happier news, I finally caught a smile on camera. He is started to smile a lot now and he will even sometimes give me a little giggle. He is such a fun and happy baby.