Show Us Those Pearly Whites!

Joshua had his first official check up at the dentist today. He has been there several times with mommy for her checkups, but this was the first time that he sat in the chair by himself and had his teeth cleaned and flossed. He said he was scared before he went, but Miss Kathy, his hygienist, and Dr. Mike made it so easy. And the best news was that his teeth looked great! He even has the very beginning of a loose tooth. We should not be surprised if the Tooth Fairy comes our way in the next several months. Luke sat in the chair today to have his teeth counted. He was not sure of everything, but decided he could do almost anything for a Lightening McQueen toothbrush and a bouncy ball!

By the way, did you know that you can leave comments about this blog by clicking on the comments button at the bottom of each entry? Some of you have been emailing me , but I thought you might be interested to know that you can comment directly on the site. But please be kind. :) You can also become a follower by creating a free Google account which is super easy. Then, you can sign up for an email each time we update the page.

Happy 79th birthday to Grandma Nichols today!

One Way To Beat the Summer Heat!

Even though temperatures have skyrocketed outside, listen to the cool music from Luke and Joshua's band. We will try to come up with more cool ways for you to beat the soaring temperatures. Luke started his own band complete with pots and lids as the main instruments. Running around the circle in our house from the living room, through the play room and kitchen, down the hallway, and back into the living room is a perfect path for any band to march. As you can see in the video, the boys have picked up a very distinct marching step to go along with the performance. Joshua asked me to say, "Presenting Joshua and Luke" before we started the recording. What a ham!

Miss Sarah, our Shake, Rattle, 'N Roll instructor, should be proud of this dynamic duo. They have so many instruments to choose from in their collection, but their favorites tend to be the homemade ones made from anything that will make noise. The first video was the most precious, but I realized that I recorded it sideways, so you would have had to turn your head sideways to see it. Not real comfortable viewing, so try this one. We will see how it goes! Enjoy!!!!!

Summertime, Summertime!

Summertime is officially here at our house. In other words, mom is home for the next five weeks. Yes, I do miss the longer summers when I was a teacher (well, if the truth be known, I miss a lot of things about teaching, but I won't get into that). Even though I never spent my summers lounging around doing nothing, but now with the boys, I miss having more time with them.

Since there has been a heat advisory all week, we have spent lots of time in the water. We went to the city swimming pool, and Eric put together a small swimming pool and sprinkler system for the boys. They had so much fun running back and forth under the sprinkler, and spraying each other with water.

This afternoon, Eric brought the kids to McDonalds nearby my work so that we could visit for lunch. It is always fun to see the boys during the day while I am at work.

I want to share another of the million reasons that I love my boys. First, there is Joshua - he is the friendliest boy I have ever met. Everywhere he goes, he talks to people...young and old - it does not matter to him. He walks right up to them, extends his hand, and introduces himself. Then, he will ask them for his name. His next question is usually, "Do you want to play with me?" I should tell you that he always does this with either his mom or dad at his side. And he knows about stranger danger. Fortunately or unfortunately, we have talked about it often, and he knows that he can not do that without one of us around him. He is definitely not shy or afraid to ask other children to play with him. I admire that about him.

Then, we have Luke. Luke is learning a lot about communicating with others from his big brother as evidenced today as Luke took a two year old girl by the hand, and led her to a seat where they could sit together at McDonalds. I watched her talk to him, and he said something back, but they mostly sat there and giggled. It was precious. (I wish I could have heard what they were saying!!) Luke is also a big problem solver, and not afraid to jump in and try to work on things. As Eric was filling the swimming pool last night, Luke was at his side, positioning the hose, turning the faucets on, switching the hose valves....Everything he had seen his dad do one time, he was now the expert at it. He is so smart, and has such determination. Something I really admire about him.

Until our adventures next time...........

#1 Dad

I think this picture is worth 1000 words, but I do not believe that there is a more hands on dad than Luke and Joshua's dad. Besides helping to take care of everything from making breakfast, changing diapers, doing laundry (there has not been a stain that he could not get out), bringing the boys to visit me at school, packing lunches, taking the boys to every activity I find for them to do during the days, putting the boys down for naps, and reading ten books to each of them a day...and did I mention how many Lincoln log homes, Lego garages, cars, and baby dolls Dad has played with. Oh - and the horsie rides that just make the boys giggle with delight. Seriously, I could go on and on because I do believe that Joshua and Luke are the luckiest boys this side of town. Their dad's energy seems endless, and he would do anything for either of these boys. Eric - thanks so much for the good care you take of these boys every day. It definitely makes it easier for me to go to work every day knowing the boys are in such good care.

Joshua and Luke's dad has been filling the hummingbird feeder every couple of days. We all love to sit in the living room and watch the hummingbirds come to the feeder right by the window. I did not know the hummingbirds would come right up to the window to eat while we were sitting on the couch. It has been so much fun to watch.

Father's Day was a great day to celebrate the dad's in our lives. We are very lucky to have Papa Mort (Eric's dad) who comes over every week for one day to spend time with the boys. The boys have gotten to know him so good over the last few years. They usually start each day with a visit to the St. Louis Bread Company, and each visit usually involves a long walk at the park. What a treasure it is seeing them spend time together. We all really love him.

Papa Ed is such a treasure, too. He is truly the most generous man I have ever known. We did not get to see him this weekend because he was not feeling well. Please keep him (and Sandy) in your prayers. We will see him soon.

We also spent time a lot of time thinking about Grandpa Al, my dad. We went to Jefferson Barracks yesterday. That is such a beautiful place. I have also been working on a slide show of pictures of his life. I try to talk about my dad a lot to Joshua and Luke since Joshua only knew my dad from visits to the nursing home. It makes me sad to know that my dad never got to see my beautiful boys. (He was not able to see for the last few years.) But I would tell my dad about each boy's special features so that he could try to imagine them. And I do believe that Grandpa Al is with us every day looking out for my boys and enjoying his time once again ~ able to walk, sing, and play, and tell jokes . From looking at the slide show, Joshua caught the true essence of my dad when he said, "Grandpa Al really liked to be silly and make people laugh, didn't he? And he must have loved animals, especially dogs." Yes, Joshua got it. Happy Father's Day to all the dads!

Go, Froggy, Go!!!! June 19, 2009

Joshua and Luke were each rooting on their frogs at the frog jumping contest today. The boys attended a festival with Grammy and Papa Mort today. Both boys were very excited, jumping up and down, and cheering their frog to victory. Fortunately, Grammy was there to pick up the frogs because neither of the boys wanted to touch the frogs (I think they get that from their mommy.). The boys listened to a band, had their faces painted, had lunch and a wonderful time. They even got to walk to and from the festival from Grammy and Papa's condo. What fun!

Home of the Brave - Land of the Free! June 13, 2009

Look at the brave little boys on ponies! Joshua and Luke had so much fun at The Salute to Scott and military families at the park. We did not have too much time to spend, but we could not pass up the fun time and a chance to recognize our military families. This is the second year we have attended the event, and it was a huge success again. The boys each picked two things to do. Joshua and Luke both loved the pony rides.This was Luke's first pony ride. I think Dad even enjoyed the ride on the antique fire engine. Joshua especially loved seeing Izzy from the Grizzlies, and playing on the bouncy rides, too.

This day also gave us a chance to talk about the importance of our military and soldiers. Joshua is at a perfect age to hear about how soldiers fought for our freedom, and the importance of being respectful to the flag and our country. He loves to hear the story of the Star Spangled Banner, and how our country freed itself from England. We have often talked about how proud we are of Uncle Ray (Amy's husband - Eric's sister) whom is active duty military. Joshua will tell you that he is working to protect our country, and that he listens to President Obama who is his boss. (Joshua reminds us of this each time he sees President Obama on television, too.) I also have the privilege of working with many military families in my job. I see the sacrifices that they make when they have to bring their children to a new school or when they have concerns about the impact their many deployments will have on their children, but our soldiers make these and many more sacrifices every day to keep our freedoms protected. That is something I want my boys to understand, and I want them to truly understand love and respect for our country.

I also want Joshua and Luke to know that many of their family members served in one branch or another of the armed forces - Daddy in the US Navy, Grandpa Al in the Army Air Core at SAFB and a veteran of World War II, Papa Mort in the US Army and a veteran of the Korean War, Uncle Len, Uncle Don, Uncle Fat, Uncle Mike, a Vietnam veteran, Uncle Jose....just to name a few more.

We Bought a Goat! - June 13, 2009

Or a sheep, a pig, ducks, rabbits......Not for our house, but through Heifer International. Last night we had 16 adults and 16 children from our church, St. Nicholas, at our house for a cookout. Guests made donations to Heifer International, and I am sure that we raised enough money to buy a goat, sheep, or pig. When we originally signed up to host a dinner, we said that we could have 12 people total at our house - somehow that turned into 12 families when the sign ups went out at church. We were a little nervous about hosting 32 people, but we decided most people would be understanding however it went. We ended up with nine families joining us, and it was great to meet so many people from our church. Joshua and Luke loved making all of the new friends as evidenced by his saying hello to everyone right after we walked up for communion today. We enjoyed making the new friends, too. Dad did a great job with making BBQ chicken, hot dogs, hamburgers, and pork steaks for the feast!

While we were on our long journey to have children, I promised God that if he would bless us with a child, I would teach my child how to be a good disciple of Jesus. I told him I would teach my child how to take care of the poor or the most vulnerable people in the world. There are so many things I want to teach them now, but we are working in baby steps. I think it will be somewhat easier as they get a little older. I try to point out acts of kindness and taking care of others as much as I can. But to be honest, just going to church can be difficult sometimes. I try to pick up one message or one important point at church each week, but it can be very challenging with a wiggly three (almost four) year old and a busy two year old. Eric and I have often thought about going to church separately or taking one child at a time and going to different masses, but I can not expect them to learn about Jesus and how to sit reverently at church if I don't take them regularly. I have seen so much improvement in both of them, and it gets better. (Joshua is enrolled in a special program through church this next year, and that will help him understand why we are trying to teach him the things we do, too.) So we are going to keep at it, and keep hoping for it to get a little better each week. And I do know it will.

My final thought is one thing I really love about each of my boys. And this is difficult because there are a million things to love about each one. I love how much Joshua talks and talks. When I was a little girl, the next door neighbor, Bill, called me Gabby because I talked so much. (Hard to imagine now, I know, but I guess I used to talk a lot more! :) Joshua narrates life and asks so many questions, it really makes you think. And I love how Luke loves to sing and dance. Even though we do not always know what he is singing (but we do more and more every day), we can often recognize his tune...Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star or the Itsy Bitsy Spider. Even his "Alleluia" will melt your heart. On to more adventures........

Happy Mother's Day in June! - June 7, 2009

Yes, that is right..we celebrated Mother's Day today. Last month when everyone else celebrated Mother's Day, we had two sick people in our house. Luke and Dad had quite a bad fever. Then, the next day, Joshua got sick, too. Dad had planned a BBQ for the moms that weekend, but we were not able to do it. It took us two weeks to get over the sickness. Then, we had Eric's sister and brother and their families visiting for a week (It was so much fun!), so we finally got to the business of celebrating the moms. We were not going to let this day go unnoticed.

(Nana - Don't read this part ~ it will spoil your surprise when we get to see you.) Joshua had started earlier in the week with making bracelets for the grandma's. (Luke helped with a few beads, too.) Notice the nice bracelets on both Grandma's wrists in the first picture. Then, he wanted to hide them in the house so that they could go on a treasure hunt to find the presents. So he did. The first thing he said when he got up this morning was that he had to hide the presents so he did (under the couch cushion in the living room). Dad BBQed for all of us, and the boys had lots of time to play with the Grammy and Grandma Nichols. Grammy and Grandma Nichols played with Lincoln Logs, colored, and did whatever the boys wanted to do. Grandma Nichols was even helping Joshua with drawing animals. Grandma Nichols has quite a talent for so many things, but she is a great artist. Everyone felt sad that Nana was not here today to celebrate and that we have not seen her for several weeks. Nana has been staying at Papa Ed's side to help him with whatever is needed. Please say some extra prayers for strength and peace for them. Things are really hard for them. Papa Ed is feeling bad and not getting a lot better right now, but he is going to get better and we are going to keep praying for them.

I know it sounds cliche, but I do feel like the luckiest mom in the world. Being a mom is the most awesome thing I have ever done in my life. I really enjoy and love being a mom. It is not always easy, but nothing good ever is. I also feel so lucky to be blessed with three wonderful moms who are awesome grandmas to my children. Each one of them is special to me, and each one has shown me ways of how to be a great mom. Thank you from the bottom of my heart to each of my moms - Bonny, Sandy, and Wanita ~ for being an awesome mom and for being a WONDERFUL grandma to my boys! I could not leave out this adorable picture of Papa Mort and Luke. Luke had just gotten up from a long nap, and was feeling a little cranky. Enjoy the pictures and have a great week!

Fishing Derby - June 6, 2009

As if the first t-ball game wasn't enough today, we all went to a fishing derby. This was incredibly fun - and it's free if you can beleive that! Luke and Joshua caught blue gill, learned how to tie knots, went on a scavenger hunt to find gold coins, painted a fish, ate buffalo, and watched fish get cleaned and prepared. It was a blast! The best part was watching how excited Joshua was when he caught the blue gill. Luke did not want to catch a real fish. I think he was too tired by the end of the day. Luke was asleep before Dad closed the hatch on the van in the parking lot. Luke should have been tired after all the words he has used today. Luke's words are progressing so much and he is talking more every day. We are going back and forth on whether or not we should get tubes put into his ears or not.
The thought of him going through a surgery is frightening, but we want to be sure that he is hearing sounds OK. We will have to see....

One more picture...just because it is so cute. Joshua and Luke are cooling off with A & W popsicles on the backporch before baths tonight! I know I had a lot of posts this week, and I am sure that this will not be typical of most weeks, but I will write more soon! Thanks for checking us out!

First T Ball Game- June 6, 2009

The first weeks game was rained out so Joshua had his first game today. He is playing on the gray team. He wanted to call the team - The Gray Elephants with the motto that we will stomp the other team. I am not sure where he gets this competitiveness! He did not like holding his glove so much, but he enjoyed batting and anxiously awaited the snacks at the end. Joshua said his favorite part of t-ball today was the coach - and he had a substitute coach today. Then, he said he liked throwing the ball with his friend "Elle." Luke was a wonderful spectator. He sat most of the game and watched Joshua with his own glove in hand of course. Luke will definitely be ready to play next year.

Preschool Reunion - June 5, 2009

Dad arranged Joshua's first play date for the summer with the boys from Joshua's preschool class (Miss Pam's class at Mother's Day Out at St. Paul's Church.) They met at the park, for lots of fun in the sun. They played on the wonderful enclosed playground, fed the geese, had snacks (Yes, Dad even brought fruit snacks, Oreo cookies, and juice boxes for the snack!), played T-Ball (practicing for Joshua's first t-ball game) and ate pizza from Little Caesar's for lunch.

The boys had so much fun. When I got home, the first thing that Joshua said was "Mom, I had so much fun today." Luke's face says it all in the picutres - he is so happy to be running around and playing with the big boys! Way to go, Dad, for planning such a fun day!

Luke's First Movie - June 1, 2009

This was a first for Luke this week. Grammy (Eric's mom) took Luke to his first movie with Joshua. Joshua told me before the movie that I did not have to go and he preferred that I did not, but I was not sure how Luke was going to do with the movie. (I tried not to let that hurt my feelings too much, but I know how much they love going with Grammy.) We saw the new Disney movie "Up." The movie was cute - only one small scary part when the house caught fire. It was quickly controlled and the tears had not started rolling yet. (Thank goodness!) Luke sat amazingly well through the movie. I could not beleive that he did so well. He was most interested in the popcorn and soda and sitting on Grammy's lap. The evening included a walk to the colorful fountain in the middle of the square in Highland. Then, we all walked to Grammy's home from the movie theater. It was so much fun!