The Trailer ~

We did it...we bought a travel trailer!!!
I will give you the whole story & pictures soon!!!

Saying Goodbye ~

Well, it has been a month since I have posted. A lot has happened in the last 30 days. The first major thing is that I have left my job of 8.5 years. I was an accounting supervisor at a credit union. I love the people there and will miss them.

Saying goodbye is never fun, but getting to have the very exciting potluck was! Thank you to all the lovely ladies and gents that helped to put on the potluck, and for all the wonderful years together.

The Spread.

Jenn's Artwork.

The last flowers I'll get from work :(

My Co-Workers Screen Pic...Hysterical! I will miss it :)

Homemade peanut butter cup ice-cream. Thanks Chris!

Of Course - Cake!

More cake & a story is of course behind this artwork.

After a lovely day of food, sugar, and a few tears. I walked out of the building with out my security badge or keys. It was a little weird.

What was nice though, is on Friday, October 1st, I got to stay home! Levi, Alex, and I had breakfast together and I got to put Levi on the bus for the 1st time!!!

Breakfast with the boys.

Then Alex and I headed to the Y to work out. He went into playcare for the 1st time! Poor little guy, he was very confused! He did get to play with the yoga ball though. That was fun.

Wondering what the big ball is for!

After working out & picking Levi up from the bus, we headed to Seaside for the weekend. A nice break before mommy started her new job on 10/4! (that is another post though).

Good-bye old job...hello new one!

Gamers in the making ~

Duncan has started a bad habit with the boys, one that has to be limited to about an hour once a week or so.

What is it....

That's right, sweet X-Box video games from the 80s & 90s!

Levi loves it, however he has his mama's temper & when he gets frustrated it comes out.

The X-Box gets shut off when that happens.

Alex loves to sit and watch his brother play!!!

Alex's Mess ~

You may remember this post.

Levi is very much an organized and non-messy boy.

Here is Alex:

He looks so happy though:

So, we let him make the mess --- he has to help clean it up!

A bike ride ~

Daddy helping Alex learn how to ride Levi's tricycle:

Alex's intensity of learning how to ride Levi's tricycle:

Wahoo! Alex on his own!!!

Well, not really...but he sure is trying! What an adventurous boy.

Just another day ~

I start my day out at around 5:30-5:45 each morning. I get up and shower, then get dressed. Then I wake up the beasts! From the moment they open their eyes, they are up for playing and rough housing. We don't have much time before we have to leave the house & head off to daycare, school, and work.

This morning the boys entertained themselves by flopping toys around the the gate and the banister of the stairs. Alex was squealing with joy! Levi was making his puppy play hide and seek:

After a very loooooonnnnnnnnggggggggg day at work I picked Levi up from school & dropped him off at Duncan's work. I then headed to the Y to work out.

When I got home the boys were still going strong, hubby had made dinner, and the toy room was a mess. The boys tend to leave toys all around the house. Alex leaves them flung randomly across the room. Levi tends to line everything up nicely (like they have been 'parked' in the barn). This toy has been nicely tucked in the corner of the upstairs loft area for a few weeks now:

His nicely aligned toys don't bother me as much as the pile Alex leaves behind!

Anyway - after bath, teeth brushing, an argument about book time, and finally two boys tucked nicely into bed, I finally get to crawl into bed and enjoy this:

  

Oh happy evening snack AND finally some reading time!

Good evening all, and a very good night.

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!

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!

Oh what a world ~

On Friday my cousin Sally, friend Tara, and I went to Seattle for the Tim McGraw concert. It was AWESOME!!!

Afterwards though sucked. We got back to Sally's truck - which was parked on the 5th floor of the parking garage - to find that some a-hole had broken one of the windows and took all our stuff. Totally sucks because Sally had picked me up after work, so I had my gym bag, changes of clothes, my lunch bag...and yes, stupidly my purse in the truck. (please note that the purse was tucked under the seat).

So, my beloved Coach bag, Old Navy pants, favorite shoes, and much more was taken away. I have had to spend the weekend moving my accounts, putting credit freezes on the credit bureaus (just in case), even getting a new YMCA scan card.

Well Mr. Criminal - sorry to tell you but there wasn't any money, credit cards, debit cards, or ID in the stuff you took. Just personal belongings that won't mean squat to you, but have a lot of meaning to me.

The silver lining - no one was hurt. Insurance will fix the window. I can replace the items stolen. And, I had already used my free punch for my free meal at Happy Teriyaki. Ha, Ha.

Life will go on...and Tim McGraw was again --- AWESOME!

Tomorrow I get to take the day off of work and go to the zoo with my kids. No more tears over this stupid mistake, only joy and laughter that the kids will sure to bring me tomorrow.