A tale of two cakes...

Today is Wayne's birthday. It was perfect because Wayne's day is Sunday(actually I say that because he loves football so much) and he turned 34 which has been his hockey number forever...or so it seems! It was actually a really rainy day here, but we did manage a few moments outside, some of which were quite literally moments.

I didn't get a present, because Wayne is tricky to buy for even though he'll say he isn't. I instead told him to pick something out and get it. So far he hasn't made up his mind, but I will guess it will either be golf related, hockey related, jersey related, or some new manly yard tool that will help clutter up the garage! Whatever it is honey, I hope you love it, I put a lot of thought into that gift ;)

There are so many reasons that its important to celebrate birthdays. One of them came over today bearing a very delicious white chocolate raspberry cake. Wayne's Mom came to celebrate with her baby, and all I was thinking was, in some way, maybe we should be giving her the cake...Remember I've been through labor and delivery twice! It was a lovely visit, and a delicious cake, but most importantly it reminded me of how far my husband has come from that little baby Alice held in her arms, to the man we are all blessed to still hold to today.

I mean look at my Three Amigos...and Lennie:

These boys adore their father, and so do I:

He laughs with us(and makes us laugh):

He snuggles with us(and lets us know we are loved):He provides for us, everything that he can (In this instance by serving up some cake!):He's there for important things, like words of advise, listening to stories, or teaching a three year old how to use chopsticks:

Today he listened to us sing to him:But the rest of the year...he does everything he can to make all of our wishes come true:So Honey:Happy 34th Birthday! I hope you enjoyed your two birthday cakes(I did hehe!), and I can't wait to celebrate each and every one of the next 34 with you! I love you!

A look back on Easter...

The trouble with waiting days(almost a week) to post is two fold- One, I have way more images and stories than I can share in a single post, and two I am losing followers left and right I am sure! So I will get right to Easter morning. The Easter bunny did not disappoint, he definitely spoiled the boys again this year, and this doesn't include the Easter baskets from the Grandmas and Papa, not to mention the gifts from the aunts and uncles. These boys are definitely blessed, not for the gifts, but for all the people who think of them, and go out of their way to make their days so special.

The boys were up bright and early on Easter at 6:50 a.m. I would have loved to have slept in, but as we all now when kids want to see what the bunny has brought them their is no stopping them. Zach's basket was "hidden" among some of his other toys, but the bunny was kind enough to drop off Matt's basket by his chair. Fortunately I was able to sneak in a shot of the baskets on delivery, because Matt tore into his before I even had the camera out!

Zach's basket:

Matt's basket:

Matt's big boy basket didn't quite make it here this year, mostly because some Easter Bunny forgot to order it early!

The morning was spent, looking for eggs, tearing apart baskets, and running around playing. That last part it what makes taking pictures of the boys nearly impossible, but here are a few of my attempts:
Zach enjoyed a healthy breakfast of white chocolate and jelly beans:

While Matt ate chocolate donuts and continued to play with his eggs:

Zach was equally excited about his giant chocolate bunny, and his Angry Bird plush(that deserves a separate post). He even posed for a pic with his Dad:

After a laid back morning in our jammies we headed over to see Grandma Alice, who even though she claimed she cut back on the candy, ended up giving the boys a boatload of it :)

Zach only had one thing to say:

And even though this picture is super blurry. It is the ONLY one I have with me and either of my children.
A quick nap, slight detox from candy, and we were off to Aunt Lisa's house, or as Z calls it Jack's house. I would love to show you pictures of the boys playing, but sugar makes little boys super fast...like Flash Gordon fast!

Thankfully, Emma was too sow this year so I was able to get a picture of her on her 1st Easter with her Gigi:

I did get this one photo of everyone sitting down to dinner, and a picture of Matt with one of his all time favorite people, Grandma.

He also managed to pose for a pic with his go to guy...his Dad:

My Mom was kind enough to take a picture of me with the only boy in my family who would pose with me and smile. Thanks honey!


Hope you all enjoyed your Easter as much as we did!

Spring break...more like spring sucks!

OK. I know I don't live in the South, or in the tropics, but just once it would be nice if the weather wasn't so sucky! I mean seriously people, do you remember that swing set I showed you a week ago? Well that was about the last time we were on it. Because between the rain and snow we've been getting, being outside just isn't really an option. Oh yes...you read that right, SNOW! See: Your totally thinking Spring right now aren't you?

The best part of this week is the fact that I am home with the boys. Aside from that good news, I started the week with a trip to the dr. On Monday both Matt and I went to the dr. Turns out I don't have an ear infection, but Matt has two! This wouldn't be such bad news if it wasn't his fouth double ear infection since February, and with the frequency of the infections, it looks like a trip to the ENT is in order. I don't want to get too upset, and I know if he needs tubes than thats what we will do, but I am just looking at the appt as a getting informed meeting, not a lets schedule surgery meeting. Surgery on your small child, even minor, is a scary thought!

Since we pretty much limited our outings in the last day we stayed home today, and enjoyed a visit with Grandma, who is also feeling a bit under the weather. I think we all have the same cold!

For our evening activity we decorated Easter eggs. Zach had a blast doing it. I found some really cool kit where he could roll on the dye. I also went with some PAAS dipping cups for variety. While Zach was prepping for the decorating, Matt was melting down:

Apparently, Matt was really curious to see what Zach was working on, and he wanted in. Dad brought Mattie over for awhile while Z started his egg masterpieces:

Matt and Mommie dropped some eggs into the cups for decorating, while Wayne and Zach worked on finer pieces:

Zach was sure to show off each of his finished pieces. He had a blast painting the eggs. His hands were a mess, but it was a ton of fun watching him.

Matt was equally excited to get his hand on his finished product. He was fascinated by the egg and keep holding it saying "ball".

He must have figured out it wasn't a ball though, because he tried tasting it.

He was so proud of his involvement this year. Both of the boys had fun...well until Matt really melted down and needed to head to bed(note the pjs!)

When all was said and done, we decorated some really "pretty" eggs. Don't you think?

I do look forward to the egg salad they will make in the coming days though! Hopefully I'll get a chance to Hop on again before Easter!

Our newest addition...

Patience is not really a virtue around this house. We think of something, and usually within weeks my husband finds a way to make it happen. We have been talking about getting a play set since last fall. Since we had just moved into our house and Zach was two, and Matt 6 months, it didn't seem all that necessary. We thought we would wait till a good deal came along, and six months later...it did!

We were able to get a Rainbow play set on a major deal...which is the only way I think someone can justify buying one, and we are just thrilled with it. I was able to convince Wayne that neither he nor everyone we know had time to set aside for a battle to put together a play set, so he conceded and the set up crew delivered and installed our play set today!

The irony is, that it rained all day, so the best we could do was let the boys' stare at their new play set from the kitchen window. They were both really excited, I think Matt even uttered an "Ooh" of delight! It really is sort of pretty...and it makes our yard feel like a kids' yard. I am so excited to have something outdoors that the boys can play with that isn't near the street! I can't wait to get our deck this year(fingers crossed) and be able to feel like my yard is usable space, not just a field of grass. Now if only we could win the lottery and fence in our yard, it would be ideal! Oh well, as my parents always tell me, if you get things too fast you don't appreciate them. So for the moment I am savoring the play set, the possibilities, and the fact that, for this season anyhow, it won't need to be stained to look good!

Here is where I hope I will be spending quite a bit of my summer days on and around:

Looks fun doesn't it? I hope the boys have as much fun on their play set as I had on my. True, my dad built mine for us with a house on the top, and a balcony, but as the mother of two boys...I never underestimate the ability to see exactly what they are doing at ALL times. I am pretty sure Mattie is going to try to climb up the slide all day, and Z will be a rock climbing pro by week's end. I myself...well I am and always will be a swing girl. Now if only these April showers would pass, maybe we could get outside and enjoy it!

Religion and a chat with a three year old.

Tonight while I was putting Zach to bed, I ended up talking to him about God. For a long time now, I've been wondering, when might he be ready to try to understand the incomprehensible. He gets a little afraid of the dark, so I wanted him to know that one way to deal with our fears is to talk to God. You know, say a prayer. When I said that he asked me all sorts of questions. Our conversation went a little something like this:

Me: We should say a prayer to God tonight before you go to bed.

Z: Who is God?

Me: Well...its hard to explain. God is a good guy. He is stronger than The Hulk, Smarter than anyone, and He is kind. He is always looking out for you.

Z: Where is He?

Me: Well you can't see Him.

Z: Why not? (looking around his room) Where does He live?

Me: He lives in our hearts and minds

Z: When is He going to come out? We can't see Him if He's in our mind.

Me: No we can't see Him, but we can imagine Him. Close your eyes. Think of all the people you love, think of the most beautiful things you've ever seen, and think of light and happiness. That is where God lives, and one day we will go live with Him in Heaven.

Z: But He doesn't live with us?

Me: Well He sort of does?

Z: I don't see Him. (eyes shifting around the room) Mom He doesn't live with us. (Insisting) He doesn't live with us.

Me: Ok Zach. Do you want to go to where God lives?

Z: Where?

Me: To church, you won't see Him, but that is where people go to listen to stories about Him and visit Him

Z: Ok, Mom (at this point he was sort of confused and a bit overtired)

So I left it at that. I caught myself saying, "God won't let anything bad happen to you" and then caught my breath. You see, I know that isn't true. Bad things happen all the time to great people and while I know there is a greater plan at work, I don't want to deceive Z. I want him to know that Faith and spirituality are important. That being good to others and to himself is essential to happiness. I want him to feel God's grace in his life, and I do want God to protect him, shield him, and nurture him with me, and in the times I can't. Religion is touchy for me. I believe in God. I believe in growth and spirituality, and I believe in the rightiousness of the world. Which faith I am is up in the air. I know I want to raise my sons to believe, to ground them with the power of faith, but I am not sure how to go about it. So I am asking when it comes to religion and children, how do you get them to see God as more than the ultimate Superhero? When do you start bringing them to church? What can I say so that Zach doesn't see God as a scary watcher, but a friend who has his back. More importantly to Zach, how do I explain why we can't see God? I'm 32 and there are still days I wish He'd pop in for a visit, and then I look in my sons' eyes, and He's right there.

Mr. Quiet?

It's strange what consumes our minds. Lately it has really started to bother me that Mattie isn't speaking more. He'll say words, but he isn't a chatterbox, and would rather point or grunt at you than speak. I have heard him say Mama, dada, ball, Bubble, Cookie, Lennie, Doggie, Hi, Bye, and Night Night, among a few other words, and while that list might seem promising if you spent a day with him you might get all or none depending on his mood. I know we are not supposed to compare children to each other, but by his age Zach was talking a lot more, and with much more frequency.

Somedays I am concerned that Matt is always going to be:Quiet would be one thing...since we already have a in the house(Good luck guessing if that's Zach, Wayne or Lennie).

And of couse a:

But, you see it wouldn't bother me so much if at the root of it all I didn't just think Matt was being :Or even worse, he knows a lot and has decided just to be:Then again, it seems to run in the family. All of the men/boys here have a little bit of :in them! Heaven help me :)

I guess whatever the reason that Matt has chosen(and I do belive its his choice) not to talk a lot just yet, He'll always be

to me!