Notarized

Ok, so I must first apologize because it has been SEVEN months since I promised myself that I would blog. Life (and well to be honest - reality tv shows) gets in the way of my big plans for my blog. However, I have to get a memory on here so that I don't forget about it later on when my little Nickolas is much older!!! It was our 14th Anniversary yesterday and around 7:00 pm Shawn and I left the boys at home to go out to dinner. Ryan and Alex were babysitting Nick and AJ since we were just going to dinner and then back home. No problems anticipated! We were gone right around an hour and came home to a seemingly normal evening of getting the boys ready for bed. I asked Ryan how the little boys were and he said fine but that Nick had something black on his forehead that he had tried to wash off. I guessed it was marker since he had the markers out earlier while decorating a pumpkin. No biggie - it would wash off. As I walked into the kitchen, I noticed a perfectly positioned circle on the closet door from my notary stamp. A notary stamp that has permanent ink. I thought, "Great, nice!" I yelled up the stairs for AJ to come down and he did. I asked him if he was using my notary stamp. Shawn came in then and saw the newly decorated closet door and also asked AJ if he was stamping things. AJ stared at us silently. Hmmmmm. Suddenly I remembered Nick and the black mark on his head. Nick came down the stairs at that time and I see "the something black on his forehead". (see picture) I started laughing (I couldn't help myself). Shawn was not happy. I asked Nick if he had seen my notary stamp and he said that AJ had it! I seriously thought for a moment that AJ had stamped Nick on the forehead. Then common sense set in and I started giving Nick the parent-lecture about telling the truth. He started crying and said that he used my stamp cause he got bored while we were gone!!!! Shawn went off to find the "babysitters". I looked for the stamp. I found the stamp along with notarized pieces of my house including walls, counters, table, wii remotes, and let's not forget Nick of course. After telling him that the ink was permanent, I deposited Nick into the bathtub. I tried baby wipes, shampoo, soap - nothing was working to get it off his skin (forehead, chin, hands, hair, and chest). He told me that water wouldn't work cause he already tried that! Duh!!! Hence the smeared black ink across his face. I gave up and left him sitting in the bathtub while I went to see about cleaning the stamps. The magic eraser worked wonders on almost all of them, which got me thinking . . . . Now don't be calling CPS cause I diluted the magic eraser as much as I could, but it did an awesome job of getting the ink off of his forehead and hair. I could not get the ink off of his chin, but he told me that he stamped his chin about five times! Nice! And guess what - the next day was picture day at school. Awesome!!! Nothing like a cheesy kindergarten grin with black ink on your chin!

B*L*O*G*G*I*N*G

According to Webster, a blog is "a web site that contains an online personal journal with reflections and comments." So I have been thinking about this. I have been thinking about my blog and how I use it. I use it mainly to upload pictures so that my family and friends (near and far) can see how my boys are doing. I think about how I want to use my blog . . . . .
I love to write. Always have. I have a very dear friend who writes the most amazing things on her blog. Her blog is honest, funny, well-spoken, and memorable. I want to write in that same manner. I want to write down the things that are on my mind and in my heart. I want to record the things that are important, funny, sad, interesting, and memorable. I want to write about those things so that I can have a record of them later. I turned 35 today and I think that I want to make a concerted effort to actually "blog". I have things to say. I have memories to reflect on. I have the most amazing little family and I want them to know (to have record of) many things that will be forgotten if I don't write them down. So, here on the day of entering my 35th year of life - I make a promise to myself that I will try to use my blog better. I make a promise to myself that I will find the time to write!!!

Cookie Dough Sales

For our family - let us know if you want to order any cookie dough. Gotta love school fundraisers!

SUMMER OVERLOAD!

Be prepared and be forewarned - this post contains A LOT of summer stuff! Mostly due to my own procrastination combined with a very crazy busy life filled with the miscellaneous activities of four boys. Let's start at the beginning:

AJ turned TWO! Can it be that my sweet little baby boy is turning into a real little boy (and even worse - a real independent-minded two-year-old!) He is the happiest kid you may ever meet. He is talking up a storm. He loves his family, loves running around, HATES swimming, and mostly loves being near his mom. AJ was recently throwing a small tantrum while strapped into his carseat and Ryan piped up to say that he learned from TV that a 2-year-old has no control over his emotions, that the "terrible twos" are actually a result of some changes occurring in the developing brain! Good to know, although it still seems likes a struggle to make it through this stage.


The summer has been filled with lots of happenings. So I will just post a few pics and let the captions do the talking:



This is what happens when Nick gets some alone-time with your camera!



PINEWOOD DERBY! They may not have been the fastest cars, but the boys were very proud of their cars. Nick even made a car for himself. (and yes, it is the block of wood with wheels!)


FAMILY REUNION 2011
Without knowing how much longer my parents will be living in Kimberly - Kallee & Ashley planned a fun family reunion and we all gathered there over the 4th of July weekend.














SWIMMING LESSONS 2011




KIMBERLY GOOD NEIGHBOR DAYS 2011
My parents were honored as the "Kimberly Good Neighbors" this year. We made a quick trip to Kimberly to be there when the announcement was made and they were presented with a plaque. The next morning, they rode in the parade. Ryan & Alex rode with them in the VERY COOL convertible and had a great time!

Rockin' The Talent Show

Ryan and Alex were in a talent show with their friend, Brenden. They had a paperjamz band and performed the song "Livin On A Prayer". They did awesome! I had a small mishap with the camera and missed most of the guitar solo by Ryan! (I caught the very end - see the 2nd video). Good Job Rockstars!!!

Have I Mentioned Lately How Much I Love These Boys?

Whohoo! Updated Finally!

Warning! Picture Overload! Hmmm.....where to start? Christmas has come and gone, but luckily we have plenty of pictures to remind us how great it was.

On Christmas Eve, we went ice-skating with Megan & Carter. The boys were a bit nervous and stayed close to the wall. (except for Nick who got pretty much a "free" ride around the rink by me or Megan! That was a good workout!!!) We came back home and anxiously waited for Kallee, Ashley, Grandpa, & Grandma to arrive. We ate lots of food and headed out to the Botanical Gardens to see the lights. The boys got some very special 3-D glasses that made all the xmas lights look like stars.








Christmas morning was filled with excitement. The boys got an interesting letter from Santa due to the fact that they forgot to leave cookies & milk. We got a trampoline and a basketball hoop so we should be set for a lot of fun (once the weather warms up!) We enjoyed the day with our family.






A few days later - Dec 28th - we celebrated Nick's 4th Birthday! I know, I know - It is hard to believe that Nick is ONLY 4 years old as he pretty much rules this house and the people who live inside of it. It often seems that this is Nick's world and we are all just trying to find our place within it. We sure do love him though. He keeps us all entertained and surprised by the things that he knows. Aunt Kallee took him to Build-A-Bear. Then, we had a little birthday party for him at home. He got a much-wanted pillow pet and train set! We ate cupcakes and then he got his present from mom & dad - a motorized scooter! Happy, Happy Birthday Nick!!






BASKETBALL - HOOP TIME!
Ryan & Alex started basketball a few weeks ago. They have been having a fun time and learning a lot. Sorry the pictures are kinda grainy. I am also going to post a video of Ryan making a foul shot, but it is kind of dark.