The Goodness of a Sunny Day

Here is Duncan's "mini" garden. The big garden is next door at mom's & is where all the corn, beans, tomatoes, etc are planted. This year Duncan made this cute raised bed and decided to plant a few things.

Baby's 1st...

Fall from the crib.

I tell you this week has been traumatic, first Levi's incident on Monday, then he had a bad play care experience yesterday, and then Alex decided to climb out of his crib.  He would have made it had he decided to NOT let go.

Of course, I wasn't in the room at the time so I can only speculate what he was trying to do. All I know is the loud thud was heart stopping, and I am still traumatized from Monday's experience...therefore I was expecting blood & stitches!

Yes, I overreacted...he was absolutely fine. No blood, no cuts, barely a bruise. Life lesson for little Alex...don't let go!

Mommy needs a calming spa day. Since that isn't in the cards, I will take a calming soak in the tub, with some lighted candles and a glass of wine. Hopefully tomorrow.

Boo-Boo ~

As much as I would like this post to be about the yummy cinnamon rolls & cookies that were baked this weekend, instead I will be writing about my lovely visit to the E.R.

Levi and I were so excited for the Y to open today, as it has been closed for a whole week for facility maintenance. We arrived and I fed Levi a snack, changed into my workout clothes, and then we headed to Adventure Zone for some climbing tube fun.

Soon Levi had to use the restroom. We gathered our items together and headed off to the bathroom. Now, what happened next will most likely be one of the most terrifying moments I, as a mom, will live through. My lovely son fell and slid like a baseball player into the door way of the bathroom.

He hit his head HARD & oh my goodness, blood. I couldn't believe it. My poor little man split his head open! About a 1 inch boo-boo in his hairline, which bled badly. He was so upset, I was upset, there was shaking and worries about head trauma.

It was horrible...just horrible and I truly hope I never have to live through another moment like that again. Anyway - the Y folks were very nice and extremely supportive. They called 911 - the fire department showed up and assessed my baby. Daddy showed up and off to the E.R. we went.

Levi was unbelievably brave, only cried when they had to do the shots for the stitching. 4 lovely stitches later he was good as new. Here I am suffering emotional trauma & he is acting like nothing happened! Little boys are resilient.

My wonderful little boy - I am so happy that he is okay, and so very thankful that it was not any worse.

I love you my little big boy!

A Rainy Saturday ~

I could complain about another rainy weekend...however I won't. Instead I will cherish the time I get to spend inside and outside. So far today I have done the following:

Woke up at 5:45 a.m.

Made coffee.

Started the dryer.

Hitched a ride with Sally to the Swede Day 5k race in Rochester.

Ran the 5k in 27 minutes & some-odd seconds.

Got this sweet ribbon:

After getting home we had breakfast, started some laundry, started the dishwasher...and best of all --- started some homemade cinnamon rolls (more to follow on that later).

Right now I am watching "Taking Chance" and enjoying the quiet. Soon the boys will be awake and noise will commence.

Like I said, I will just cherish the rain today.

Take me out to the ball game...

We (Sally, Duncan, and I) took the boys to the Mariner's Game last night. They were playing the Reds & WON!!! 1-0!

Little Alex got to stay with Grandma and Grandpa. Levi and Wyatt got to enjoy the game, hamburgers, french fries, and the crazy dancing. Here are some pictures of our night out:

Duncan being tortured in the small backseat between the two boys...he only had to ride back there for about 15 minutes. That's what he gets for being mean to me right before we left home!

I (being the nice person that I am) moved to the backseat after we got gas. The boys tried to behave...hard to do when you are stuck in traffic for 3 hours!

At the game (Wyatt, Sally, & Levi):

Mommy & Daddy:

Levi - very seriously watching the fan cam!

Mommy's favorite part of the evening...driving by the Starbucks Center!

Overall, we had a really good time and the boys enjoyed themselves. And, it was made even better when the Mariner's WON!!!

The Bathtub ~

It is one of my favorite places to go. The fragrant bubbles, the warm water, the cozy towel, the paperback novel, and the best thing...quiet.

Being a mom to 2 boys is wonderful and very, very tiring. Being a wife to Duncan is also wonderful and very, very tiring. Why do women/wives/mommies have to be the ones to worry so much? Loving, hugging, comfort, food, clothing, school, cleaning, shopping...the never ending list.

For me, 20 minutes in this lovely bathtub makes it all go away (for a little while anyway). I can accomplish several things in the tub - get some reading done, take a cat nap, shave, or just sit and stare out the window.

No matter what I do, the bathtub is always a wonderful experience...

Thanks Tub - see you tomorrow for another stress relieving, quiet and relaxing soak.

Sunday Dinners

Sunday's at my house usually involve a fully cooked meal. Not the usual what is quick and easy meals, like we do during the week. Sunday is the only day I usually have available for full on cooking.

This Sunday we had spiral ham, purchased from Costco - it was on coupon! Throw in some candied sweet potatoes and some peas and we had ourselves a fabulous dinner.

Yummy!

Remember When ~

I love it when a smell brings back memories. I have always been able to "see" my memories, just like a flashing picture right before my eyes. (Apparently I have a "Picture" mind).

On Saturday, at the Y, during step class I was suddenly back at the lake with my cousins and my Grandma, probably 5 or 6 years old. One of the towels that I was just about to use to wipe the sweat away smelled just like the towels we used at the lake, the ones that used to lay out on the sand and in the sun for hours -- I had an instant flash of "A Day at the Lake".

Then on Sunday, Sally and I were off to do a little bit of shopping. Baby needed some shoes, especially now that he is walking and LOVES to go outside and garden with his Daddy.

We wondered down the makeup aisle and I spotted this........................................................

 N.Y.C. Roll-On Lip Gloss - Flash back to middle school - instant! The mall bangs, bright blue mascara, and E.S.P.R.I.T. bag. I don't often see something and then get a flash memory. Usually it is brought on by smells. Needless to say, I had to buy it. Just like old times!

Alex also got what he was shopping for - some sweet, light up when he walks, fireman shoes! What a big boy!

Whole Wheat Rolls ~

My new (or old & resurfaced) favorite thing to do is to make bread. I had a huge failure a few weeks ago when I tried to make a whole wheat loaf...the bread didn't cook all the way and the longer it sat in the oven, the more it dried out. Then I tried it in the bread maker and ended up with a brick.

So, when it came time for a healthy food potluck at work today, I decided to make whole wheat rolls. This is my 4th time making them and each time they have turned out perfect. The loaf of bread may not work out yet, but the rolls are always a hit!

The ingredients:

The rising:

The Rolls a'risin:

The finished product:

Dining Room Decor Part II -

Finally I am getting around to posting the decorating finale of the dining room. Though there are still spots on the walls for some more pictures, or a clock, or some other wall art - I can at least say that the room is decorated.

Here is the dining room before:

        Window Wall:     

                                         

Long Wall:

Entry Door Wall:

After some painting and some picture hanging...here is the room now:

Window Wall:

Long Wall:

Entry Door Wall:

We went with Kilz "Mocha" paint color for the window and entry room door walls. It sends off a grayish color which helps to mute the dark/bright green walls. As you can see I will be on the look out for more wall stuff for the entry room wall.

Special thanks to my hubby for hanging my stuff up, and for helping me paint! Love You!

In the middle of ~

A horrible and rainy week, we finally had a beautiful sunny day. Just in time for little Alex's 1st birthday party! The gods must love him, we were just shocked at the beautiful day. Here are some pictures of the sunny b-day party:

Opening Presents...and then in the bag of presents!

Here is Alex's new pose. Sometimes he actually lays on his side and does the same type of pose. It's like he is asking for GQ to come knocking!

Then came the cake. At first he was really excited to see the cake......he almost couldn't contain himself.

Turns out he was only excited about the toy on top of the cake. Levi loved messing in his 1st birthday cake...Alex not so much.

He did not like getting all sticky and hardly touched the cake. He didn't even eat any of it!

In the end, the birthday boy feel asleep in his buggy. He was plum worn out.

What a sweet and loving little boy my Alex is. I can't believe how fast they grow. This year has flown by. It is amazing how quickly he has gone from an infant to a toddler.

Happy Birthday Little One!

Happy Birthday Little Monkey ~

Today is little one's birthday. He is the big 1!
I can't believe that it has been a year since he was born.

I couldn't have asked for a more perfect little baby - he loves to cuddle and snuggle. He sleeps at night, eats almost everything we feed him (no picky boy here). He loves his big brother, smiles when he sees us coming in to pick him up from work. He is walking, starting to drink from his sippy cup and growing so fast. Soon he will be out of his crib and in the beloved Thomas the Train bed (see this post).

Oh, it makes my heart flutter and as I sigh, I think how quickly he will be 5 and getting ready for kindergarten. Then, 15 and getting his learners permit. Then, 25 and graduated from college and off to run his own life.

I can't wait to go home tonight and hug my little one and cherish another night where he is still our little boy.