The Library

This morning, I took the boys to our local library. Sadly, I have never been to the branch closest to our house, so it was a new excursion for all of us! I was so impressed with the children's area...they had a fun play area inside AND a fun little play area outside.

We played with beads,
In the kitchen,
On the submarine (I had originally typed "boat", but Brychan was so kind to point out that it is, indeed, a submarine!)

And with the trains.

We also managed to do a little bit of reading!

We had lots of fun and can't wait to go back!

Information Catch Up

There is so much going on around here lately that I want to make sure and get it all "journaled". **Yes that means this is a long, boring and wordy post!** By the way, I recently ordered our first year of the blog in a hardcover book and I LOVE it. I plan on doing so each year, and possibly ordering enough copies so my children can also have their own. Such a fun, easy alternative to personal history!

So in the name of family history, here's what's going on.

*David's birthday was kind of skipped over this year. He was sick, we had super sick dogs all day and so it just got lost in all of the chaos. We did manage to spend a few hours at the Glendale Chocolate Affair and Dave and I went to see The Green Hornet late that night (we both ended up sleeping more than watching).

*Kehlton is in love with all things covered in fur. He loves his puppies (as evidenced in prior photos) and this afternoon at the park he spent the entire time chasing the birds while laughing and signing "bird". He says momma, dadda, puppy, hi, and just today started calling Brychan "bubba". Not sure if he's trying to say brother or Brychan, but either way, it's cute. He's still pretty small, but holds his own with his brother. He has figured out how to open his bedroom door, but so far he hasn't seemed to notice that all the other doors in the house work the same way! :)

*Brychan loved Valentine's Day this year. He made each of us our very own Valentine and delivered each of them with a hug and a "Happy Valentine's Day!" He was thrilled beyond belief that he got his very own box of chocolates. And getting Valentines in the mail was almost even better than the box of chocolates! He has a new obsession with giving us a "hug, a kiss and a squish" before bed. We're not sure where the "squish" came from, but he won't let us forget about it! He never ceases to amaze me with the things he comes up with, and many times I have to remind myself that he's not even 3 yet, as I tend to expect more out of him. He loves having his two friends Jackson and Wes come to play once a week.

*I am still in the process of trying to figure out my recent health issues. About 6 months ago, I started getting really sick after eating avocados. I figured it was just a food allergy and stayed away from anything with avocados in it. In January, I was getting sick with a whole new variety of foods. There is no rhyme or reason to the foods that make me sick (ie: I can eat pancakes, but not french toast. And the bread I eat in the french toast I can eat in sandwiches no problem. One morning I'll eat breakfast burritos just fine and the next time they make me sick). Many times the pain is so totally and completely debilitating, so I've missed work, church, YW activities and a lot of house work has gone undone. I don't think I'm ever going to get caught up with the laundry again. David came home one day to find me sleeping in the hallway floor, which is as far as I could get myself after putting the boys in their beds for nap. Blood tests show that it should not be my gallbladder and my thyroid checked out fine too. My doctor is currently treating me for GERD, but until just this week, I had still been finding myself getting sick. Although...I haven't been sick since Saturday (which is a HUGE step; I had been getting sick every 1 to 2 days). I go back to see the doctor next week. If I am still getting sick, then the next step is an ultrasound of my gallbladder. After that, I have no clue.

*David continues to get busier and busier with work. YAY!!!! He and his partner, Doreen, just keep reeling them in. The last wave were all sellers; right now they seem to have a huge influx of buyers. Brychan and Kehlton got to go to work with Daddy today, which is always a huge treat. Brychan loves to sit at Daddy's desk and make phone calls.

*Our 2 year "anniversary" is coming up. So far, this year it's already much easier than last year. I recently decided to write down all my memories and thoughts of that experience, and it seems to have helped tremendously. I don't think about it as much anymore; it's like I know I have all those memories tucked away safely on paper to be revisited if wanted and I don't have to keep all of it up in my head to pop up against my will. Last year, David and I decided that we would do a quick "parents only" trip for our fun day this year. My sister was so kind to take time off of work so she can stay with the boys while David and I head to Las Vegas for a few days. We are both pretty excited about it. We may spend the entire time trying to catch up on sleep, but that's just fine!!

Okay! I think that about does it for now...I consider myself caught up. Phew!

Pillow Pet

What a Life!

Just as happy as can be, sitting on the world's messiest desk, eating crayons. What more does a toddler need?

One of THOSE Days

Today is just one of those days.

I don't feel good and I'm running out of patience with always feeling icky.

I'm tired of cleaning up accidents (from both dog and boy).

I'm exhausted,

(thanks to the adorable new puppy who woke the entire house up at 4:15 this morning),

I have 2 very crabby, very sensitive little boys today who have evidently forgotten how to listen or follow rules,

and maybe worst of all,

I am COLD.

I just want to curl up in my bed with some fresh homemade bread and a good book.

But...

there's laundry to do,

a dishwasher begging for attention,

an entire house needing cleaning,

diapers to change,

boys to take potty,

dogs to take potty,

dinner to be made,

a YW activity to attend.

So...the bed, bread and book will have to wait!

Meet Maximus

This is Max.

Max is 8 weeks old.

We met Max on Saturday, and he joined our family today, quite unexpectedly. However, we are already quite fond of little Maximus, and he is also quite fond of 2 little boys and the great big dog.

All the boys love playing with each other,

just looking at each other,

And napping/watching cartoons with each other.
What more could you ask for?

***Now for the rest of the story***

My sister had been looking for quite some time to get another dog to keep her dog company during the day. This weekend, after lots of looking and asking Dave lots of dog-related questions, she decided on Maximus (She named him Maximus because her current dog's name is Brutus...) and purchased him Saturday afternoon. Yesterday afternoon, she found out that her apartment complex wouldn't allow Max to live there due to his breed. He is a boxer/shepherd mix. That is the *only* thing we didn't think about and are still quite surprised by it. Evidently pure bred boxers are okay, but anything mixed with a shepherd is not. Go figure.

Anyway, unfortunately for Ashley, she had to get rid of him pronto. It was either sell him or let us take him. So, we took him! This way, Ashley still gets lots of visiting time with the puppy and we get to enjoy playing with him all the time too.

And yes, if you're wondering...potty training a puppy and a boy at the same time is exhausting. And messy. It'll be a race to see who gets done first! :)