1 Year Ago

One year ago today, my Grandpa passed away. I remember it like it was yesterday. I remember making the tough phone call to my siblings. I remember how quickly he passed. I remember standing around his bed saying goodbye. I remember leaning on each other for comfort. I remember the wonderful hospice staff. I remember the many kind people who came for us and for Grandma.

Grandpa, we love you and miss you. You are not forgotten - your memory lives on.

Tonight the boys and I will spend time with Grandma - we can't wait! She is an amazing and strong lady.

Ugh.

I'm working my way out from under piles of clothing. I'm trying to switch out the winter clothes in favor of summer clothes - crazy when the weather has been so chilly today. :) I also had baskets of clothing waiting to be folded and put away. While I sort, I'm also making a pile to donate. We have way too many clothes for 4 people and I'm certain I am not being brutal enough. I still have a hard time getting rid of the boys' clothes for two reasons - first, I don't know what God has in store for us but mostly I'm too emotionally tied to them. :) I don't anticipate two the same age again so I really have twice as many as any one child could wear. Oh well, I'm working on it. Back to the piles...

Sleep Advice Needed

Well, until now, my kids have been pretty good 11-12 hour sleepers. I've read about and talked to various friends who have struggled with child sleep issues and while I felt bad, I couldn't relate - I now fully empathize. It's not so much that I mind the early rising (although I think everyone knows I am NOT a morning person), it's really that they are not getting enough sleep. As we speak, they are both having a morning nap - we haven't done this in over a year! They are just exhausted.

Here's the problem - I've tried putting them to bed earlier but they stay awake until 8:30 or 9; I've tried putting them to bed a little later but they still get up early. Last night they went to bed after 9 (late for them) and they were up at 6:40 a.m. What's a mom to do? I'm thinking maybe black-out curtains or shades. We are also thinking of regularly separating them at bed time. We have one in particular that used to be a champion sleeper who is now getting out of bed whenever he wants (yes, we have disciplined) and waking up his brother. Another thing I'm considering is teaching them to tell time :) - in other words, put a digital clock with the minutes covered and teach them at what number they may come out of their room. I think they are a little young for this but then they sometimes surprise me...

So I'm calling for all advice from you, my wise friends. Tired, cranky kids is just not an option. :)

News

Now, that my sister has posted it on her blog...I can let the cat out of the bag. :) Her boyfriend, Jeremy, popped the question and she said yes! I'm super excited for them! No date yet, but I think by the end of the year. Hooray! In case your keeping count, this will be wedding #2 for our family this year! Here is a picture of the happy couple:

MPM: 4/28-5/3

April and May just feel extra busy. It seems our weeks are fuller than usual and our schedule more hectic. It's a little overwhelming and it's making meal time a huge challenge. So, I'm going to go ahead and menu plan but it is certainly not set in stone and I'm afraid it is rather boring. :)

MONDAY: Leftovers from Sunday's Birthday Celebration (Andrew working late)
TUESDAY: Grilled Hot Dogs (the "healthier" kind - no msg, no nitrates etc.), Oven Fries, Applesauce (Andrew working late)
WEDNESDAY: Blueberry Buttermilk Pancakes, Fried Eggs, Yogurt (Andrew likely working late)
THURSDAY: Wycliffe Dinner
FRIDAY: Pizza, Fruit, Veggies
SATURDAY: An afternoon wedding and probably a snacky supper at home afterwards.
SUNDAY: Pasta w/homemade cream sauce - fresh herbs, asiago cheese, pepper, Salad, Fruit

Thanks to orgjunkie for hosting. If you would like any more information on menu planning, recipes, etc., please feel free to ask. You can also check out my recipe blog. Have a wonderful week!

The Winners

Well, another bloggy giveaway has come to an end. With 331 entries (I was hoping for 333 :)), the chance of winning was about 1 in 110. Surprisingly, the random number generator gave me 3 numbers that were all above 200 - sorry to those of you who entered early. :) I wish I could send you all a prize... Anyway, here are the winners - if for any reason any of them do not contact me within 3 days, I will draw another number(s) or send a prize to my friend Paula who has offered to fill any vacant spots in the past. :)

Cdziuba
Joy
Lyn21

Congratulations! I hope you enjoy your prizes! Stay tuned, maybe I will have another giveaway this summer - we'll see. :)

New Bikes

Calvin helping Daddy put his brand-new bike together! He picked the blue one and Patrick has the red one. They LOVE them - the pedals are still tough for them but it will come, I'm sure. Both bikes have bells which are a big hit. :) We have yet to get pictures of them riding but we will.

Birthday Day Pictures

The Birthday Boy!

His Brother!

Teeth, Teeth

I have spent today immersed in the dental field. It's the annual IDA (Indiana Dental Association) conference. I spent 6 hours in continuing education classes, enjoyed lunch in between the classes with my husband, and went to the exhibit hall to see what's new in the field, talk to various reps, and to pick up some free samples. It was a long day but I really do enjoy my profession - though I don't spend much time in it anymore. And I enjoy the dental professional world where everyone understands the same lingo - although I find it amusing that we sit in classes for hours talking about teeth.

Anyway, if you have any questions about periodontal disease, feel free to ask. :) It's all very fresh in my mind! And if you smoke, please, please stop. It's not only bad for your health but it's also horrible for your teeth and gums - not that this is new news. :)

Tomorrow will be another 3 hours of continuing education (this time hands-on versus lecture) and then a staff appreciation lunch. I'm exhausted but I know it will be good. I feel that it is so important for me to keep up with the profession to give my patients the best care possible. I'm truly thankful that God called me in to dentistry!

A Few Favorites

We had a wonderful day on Calvin's actual birthday. Andrew took the day off which was also a gift to me! We visited the Children's Museum, Butterfly Garden at the Zoo, a park, and Pizza King for dinner (they bring your drinks on a train and you can watch cartoons in your booth!). It was a lot but we took it slow and just enjoyed the day. We bought the boys bikes for Calvin's birthday (couldn't get away with just one so we just let Calvin choose his first). :) Here are a few of my favorite pictures - I will post more on the boys' blog.

Monster's Inc. Par-tay

We had a wonderful time with grandparents, aunts, and uncles celebrating Calvin's birthday on Sunday! I think he was happy with the Monster's Inc. details. :)

The Birthday Boy!

THE DECORATIONS:

The Monster's Inc. Cups made with stickers. :)

The Pictures hanging from the light fixtures.

The banner I made out of a broken story book that I purchased for 50 cents.

THE CAKE:

My Mom came for moral support and mixed up the various colors. I was so happy with the way the cake turned out! It was one layer of dark chocolate cake and one layer of butter cake.

Blowing out the candles - he still has a hard time with blowing but he managed to get 1 or 2 out while spitting a little on the cake. :)

THE PRESENTS:

He enjoyed his party and was so expressive! He loved the cake and the presents the most. :) Check out Stephanie's blog for a pictorial progression of eating cake. We had such a fun day! Pictures from our family day yesterday to come. :)

Dear Calvin

Dear Sweet Boy,

Three years ago today you entered this world many, many miles away and I became a mom for the very first time. I wish I could have been there but know you were born in my heart. God knew what He was doing and He gave you a beautiful smile - you call it your "broken" or "owie" smile but to me it was perfect.

Your Daddy and I learned about you in June when you were a little over a year old and though we said we would think about whether we wanted you to be a part of our family, we already knew and already loved you and would have said an instant "yes" if they would have let us. It was just about a month later that we saw the very first picture of you, our precious, much longed for baby boy. You were beautiful and we couldn't wait to meet you! Finally the day came after 3 months - the wonderful day. Words cannot describe meeting you - you were shy, sweet, and instantly loving. You let me hold you and cuddle you and tears spilled down my cheeks. I had waited so long to be a mom but the waiting was worth it because it meant that I got to be your mom.

Your dad and I are so proud of you. You fought to stay alive in your tiny, weakened body and courageously learned to walk. You were our hero as you went through a tough surgery to have your clefts repaired and still maintained your sense of humor. You almost never complained even though I know it hurt. You have worked so hard at learning to talk and you are making awesome progress. You are determined, funny, and brave. You make me laugh, you make me cry, you make me smile, you make my day.

I love it when you put your arms around me and hug me and tell me you love me. I love to make you smile and laugh and I love the way your eyes dance. I love to feel your face pressed against mine. I love that you love me and trust me and know that I'm your Mommy. I love that you still like me to rock you and the way you lay back to look in my eyes. I love to see you learn and grow. I love the way you play with your brother. I love the way you express excitement and the funny faces you make. I LOVE YOU and I'm so glad God put you in our family!

Happy 3rd Birthday, Calvin. You didn't grow in my tummy, you grew in my heart.

Love forever,
Mommy

Bloggy Giveaway Time

**THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED! THANKS FOR ENTERING!**

I will announce the winners sometime today or tomorrow and also contact them via e-mail.

It's bloggy giveaway time. What fun! Tomorrow is my son Calvin's 3rd birthday and in honor of that, I will be giving away 3 different prizes this week each with 3 items!

1) 3 children's books - Calvin loves books!

2) 3 cookbooks - I can't do a giveaway without including these since I love to cook and bake!

3) 3 packets of seeds - spring is finally here!

Here's how to enter:

- Leave a comment with a way to contact you. You do not have to be a blogger to win.

- Tell me your favorite children's book, your favorite thing to cook or bake, OR your best gardening tip! (If your comment does not include one of these, you will be disqualified.)

- One entry per person.

- Due to shipping costs, I'm sorry to only be able to offer this to U.S and Canadian addresses or anyone serving overseas on a military base.

- As always, if you are friends or family, you are eligible to win, too!

This giveaway will close on Friday night at 11 p.m. I will draw the winners (3 different people) sometime on Saturday and post them here on the blog. I will also contact each winner. You will have 3 days to reply with your mailing address.

Enjoy and have a wonderful week entering all the amazing and generous giveaways!

MPM: 4/21-4/27

This week is not a normal one for us! We will be eating out twice in a row which pretty much never happens :) and I have continuing ed all day Thursday and half of Friday so I'm keeping the menu simple for those evenings. I didn't follow our menu very well last week - oh well, inspiration hit. :)

MONDAY: Out for Calvin's 3rd Birthday!
TUESDAY: Out for our church small group fellowship!
WEDNESDAY: Fish, Couscous Pilaf, Broccoli or Green Beans
THURSDAY: Egg & Potato Scramble w/Bacon, Toast, Fruit
FRIDAY: Pizza, Veggies, Fruit
SATURDAY: Burritos, Chips & Salsa
SUNDAY: Chicken and Beef Kabobs, Grilled Asparagus, Roasted Potatoes, Fruit, Angel Food Cake w/Strawberries and Whipped Cream (My Mom's Birthday!)

We had a great family celebration for the birthday boy today and I tried this macaroni and cheese from Ina Garten - it was wonderful! Thanks to orjunkie.com for hosting MPM every week. And check out my giveaways for this week!

Movin' & Shakin'

I would be remiss if I don't note the earthquake of today. We live in Indiana, for goodness sake - this is NOT normal. We have tornadoes and horrible thunder and lightening storms, blizzards (once every several years), and various other things but not earthquakes. I've felt maybe one other in my life and it was nothing compared to today.

Andrew woke up at 5:37, went to the bathroom, came back to bed, and went back to sleep. I noted that he got up and asked what time it was and then promptly fell back asleep to catch the final zzz's before getting up for work. 45 minutes later, we got up after hitting snooze a couple of times (a very bad habit) and Andrew mentioned that he had felt the house shaking which is why he had woken up early. Now, I must, as an aside, mention that my husband occasionally sleep walks, gets disoriented, and talks in his sleep. So with that information and having not felt anything myself, I laughed and said I was sure it was nothing. :)

Fast forward an hour. I arrived at work and my co-worker mentioned the earthquake that happened at 5:37 and that it was a 5.4 on the Richter Scale. I was so surprised! I called Andrew and let him know that he was right! Then he was the incredulous one and thought I was kidding. :)

At 11:15 I had my second to last patient for the morning when I felt the floor moving and my light started bouncing up and down. It lasted for several seconds. No big deal except that I work on the 17th floor of one of the taller buildings downtown and my car was parked in our underground parking garage! Yikes! I didn't like it. :)

Anyway, all is well. The 2nd earthquake or tremor measured 4.5 (I think). I guess we may have more? It's been quite the breaking news here in the midwest. It's just so uncommon and I guess that at least the 1st one was felt as far away as West Virginia. So that's the fun here. It's a beautiful day and I have much to do so I'll see ya later!

Updating

It's been awhile since I posted on the boys' blog. So today was the day - check it out! We are enjoying the beautiful weather and working on plans for Calvin's birthday. He is quite set on the Monster's Inc. theme as previously noted but I can't find anything with Sully & Mike! So I'm probably going to buy some books and cut them up and see what I can come up with... :)

On an unrelated note, I wrote about potty training here and while we started well, it quickly went down hill so we took a break. I'm pleased to report that Calvin is on day 5 of underwear (no pull-ups except at naptime and bedtime)! We have had zero accidents and that includes trips to the store, zoo, nana's house, and more. My goal was to have him trained by 3 and I'm hoping that we are there! He is very pleased with himself and we are very proud of him. I'm certain we will have accidents and tough days but we are so happy with his incredible progress! Patrick is uninterested so we will wait a little longer for him but hopefully by July 29 (his 3rd birthday), he will be trained, too.

The Zoo in Pictures!

Today, we went to the zoo with our friends Rachelle, Sol, and Eden. The weather was gorgeous and we all had a wonderful time! The boys had a chance to see the walrus fed which was one of the highlights. We also rode the carousel and the train.