Happy Monday.....

Ahhh I love this time change....I love that it's light outside when we wake up and you do not feel like you should be in bed by 5!!! Last night it was 7:30 and still light outside. This time I prepared the kids all week for the change so it was a pretty smooth transition. I can't believe that it's Monday already. We had a very productive weekend with Neal being home and we are one step closer to being ready for the move. I also made and froze a few meals which is a good feeling. I am a little nervous about having 3 kids 4 and under at home. I am sure we will do just fine but I still can't help but wonder how our life will change!!!! My next appointment is this Wed.I have to see another dr. because mine is gone all week. We will see if anything has changed. I felt SOO SO good this weekend and it was just refreshing. Conner has been sick all week long again and now Ethan has it so it will be another week of that I am sure. Ethan even woke up at night the last two nights which is very unusual for him he is such a good sleeper and almost NEVER wakes up (unlike his brother) it was nice though because he is such a snuggler he just wraps his arms around me and holds on to my ears and rubs his face on my cheeks :)   I did not get any sleep myself but I enjoyed the snuggles. Well off to get this Monday started then hoping to make it to the park with the kids later this morning....should be a pretty nice day.

My amazing hubby....

I know that we all (well maybe some of us) feel like we have the best hubby in the whole world but I am truly blessed. He is amazing and I am so lucky to have him in my life.

Wow it's Saturday.....

Well this week went by in a hurry!!! Not sure how it's already Saturday!!!

A little over a month left before we have to move and we still have not found a place.

Our storage has to be cleaned out and moved in the next two weeks....eeek. Hoping to get some of that done today if the weather cooperates.

Baby is due in 3 weeks.

We are back to the drawing board with the name....I think the dr will really be picking this kids name.

I'm crabby.

Conner is sick again.

This weather needs to improve.

The end.

Randoms.....

Conner has been asking for doughnuts all week long. I'm not sure how he got the idea for doughnuts I don't think I've ever even bought them before.....not that I can recall anyway. Well this morning first thing he asks me "mama you know what I dreamed about last night?"  what baby did you dream about zooming like a superhero (his usual dream story) he goes "no mama that's silly"....hehe....."I dreamed about doughnuts" so while I was out for my appointment this morning I stopped at the grocery store and got him some doughnuts.

He was one happy little boy when he saw those doughnuts and enjoyed every bite. 

He is such a little artist this little boy. EVERY morning the first thing he does is goes and gets his notebook and crayons and starts drawing. Yesterday while I was getting breakfast ready he made me this. 

He cut it all out and glued it all by himself. My crafty little man :) It's Sponge Bob Square Pants just in case you were wondering :) hehe I love it. We have been talking about moving so much around here lately and yesterday we went to look at an apartment. It's amazing how much kids listen and take in. Well this morning he drew a fun picture of the different parts of a house like the square part the triangle for the roof the doors and windows even mommy's plants and put them on wheels because you need wheels to move big things!!! I love how he always tells a story it's never just a picture. We are signing him up for piano lessons once we get settled down. We finally did get a piano FREE a couple months ago but for now it's just in the garage and it will probably go into storage till we get settled. I am now thinking tho that I should sign him up for some kind of art class since he enjoys it so much. Maybe this spring and summer.

I love how kids can entertain themselves with the silliest things. When we went to see Neal at work last week he gave Conner this huge spindle of ribbon. It has been HOURS AND HOURS of fun for our kids. They have used it for everything like dragging toys around the house pulling each other in baskets tying it on the bed and swinging like monkeys or as Conner would call it "exercising" did you know that a silly ribbon could be so much fun?!?!

My computer has officially called it quits....Neal has declared it finished!!!! Haha it was long time coming I guess. For now I have to share with Neal till he finds me something that he deems good enough for the things I need it for. He hates it when I use his tho so sharing will not be easy!!!! He found one for about $200 which seems fair but has another one that he is looking at on e-bay that he might get me. For now I just hope he can get the THOUSANDS of pictures that I have stored on my old laptop....I knew I should have moved them LONG ago but kept on putting it off. 

Yay....well kinda :)

So I had my appointment this morning....ughh yuckie roads to drive on. What is up with all the new snow?!?!? Where did spring go???? I did get a little bit of good news!!! As she was checking me she says WOW how are you walking???? Well I told her I would not really call it walking and I also said so I'm not being a big baby there is something going on?!?! The head I guess is really really low. Lower than she has seen it in a LONG time. She told me that if this baby has not made it's appearance in the next two weeks there is no reason why I should suffer and be so miserable that I should get induced. I'm not sure if I want to do that yet as much as I want this baby out being induced at 38 weeks just does not seem right. SO she told me that she will scrape the membranes and go the natural route see if that works and I am ok with that. She also did say that if that does not work that she would do the induction. Also the baby is measuring SMALL but she just thinks that it's because the head is so low. Either way it sounds like we will be holding a new baby two weeks sooner.

Ohh just throw me a pity party someone or just smack me maybe that would help to get me out of this mood I am in. I HATE IT!!! I was just thinking that it's Ethans b-day in a little over a week. I just can't believe that he will be 2!!! How is that possible????

The week we brought him home :) He was such a sweet baby!!!

2 years ago around this time I was 9 months pregnant ALONE with Conner with my husband almost 6 hours away!!! Survived 2 moves during the pregnancy and was waiting to sell yet another house and hope to move to be with Neal at his new store :) I have nothing to complain about this time things were much harder back then so why do I feel like this move is just the worst thing in the world!!!

Last week was my b-day. I made myself cupcakes with my FAVORITE FROSTING ever!!! It's so delicious but also very addictive :) The rest of them are getting tossed today so that they no longer tempt me!!! Neal took the kids out to get me a little something from the boys though the quiet house for an hour was present enough (I got delicious chocolates from both my boys)!!! I have done well controlling myself and not eating all of them at once :) And Neal got me the most awesome present EVER. New fancy paint brushes and a huge 24 x 48 canvas!!! I love my hubby. I have been wanting to paint a big picture for a while....something other than children's art so this will be perfect for me to work on after we move and get settled!!! I think I may have to paint something small this week just to try out my new paint brushes though :)He also found a store in Madison that sells canvas for CHEAP so I will have to check it out!!!

This week will be long because we do not have much going on so it will drag I am sure. I wish the weather would be a little nicer. I took Ethans 1 year picture at the park last year but I don't see that happening this year :( I will have to get creative at home!!! Just hoping for a sunny day so I can have some good lighting!!

Well I better get this day started almost 9 and I am dragging my feet.....might be because I did not go to bed till 2:00 AM!!!

Ready.....

I AM SO READY for this baby to come out. I really am miserable and uncomfortable. My dr. appointment on Friday reassured me that this baby is not coming any time sooner than the due date though he feels like he will fall out at any moment. Apparently this kids head is LOOOOOWWWW....unusually low and sitting right on the cervix which is causing me to contract when I walk when I sit and especially when I have a full bladder (at night)!!! And then there is the pressure from the head being so low in my inner thighs and my buttocks!!!!Well I have 4 weeks left but all I can think right now is that 4 weeks feels life FOREVER!!! Tuesday is my next appointment!!!

We finally found some glasses for Conner.....we went to a few places but ended up getting some at Target and we should have them in about a week! He looks so cute and I'm hoping he does well wearing them. I did purchase the warranty on them which I think will pay off.  I REALLY REALLY think that the patch will work and he will not need the surgery....it's only been three days and we have already seen a bit of improvement.

Neal is working all weekend :( as usual. The kids and I drove out to Brookfield this afternoon to get the glasses then we went and had pizza with my sister and her girls then we went to Madzias soccer game which was fun. She is such a great player and scored half the points on her own!!! She's awesome!!! The boys love their cousins so anytime they get to see them they are excited. They fell a sleep on the way home and I am really wishing Neal was home. Miss him much....even with his day off yesterday it was just not enough.

Ethan has REALLY REALLY taken off vocally......he has been talking up a storm!!! Both boys are late talkers but Ethan is a little earlier. I think Conner was closer to 2 1/2 when he started saying things. It's fun getting him to say new things.

Well that's all I have for tonight. I think I'm gonna go make myself a hot cup of tea and catch up on some American Idol then head to bed and wish that Neal was home for me to snuggle up with or lean up against to try and get comfortable :)

Belly shot.....

Wow that's huge :) 35 weeks and counting. My appointment is tomorrow and I am so excited! Contractions woke me up last night more than once and I really thought I was going into labor but no such luck. I got up at 2:30 and walked around and they went away I fell back a sleep but at 4 they woke me up again and when I got up they went away again. I really think this baby may be making it's appearance early!!! I think it's pretty normal though the 3rd time around to feel like you are gonna go any time but actually your still a ways away!!!

Amazing.....

Talk about a fake smile.....he hates the patch but it is only day one and it will take some time getting used to. I was amazed though because he was trying to draw some pictures and write his name and he could not do it. He could not see well enough with the weak eye to write or draw.....poor guy!!!

Hardi harrrr harrrrr...........

I am SOOOO proud of my little boy!!! He did so well at the dr. appointment today and he later informed me that it was his favorite dr. The nurse was so fantastic with him. With all the touching and questions and demands to look at this and that he did EVERYTHING that he was asked. SO SO proud that I almost cried....only because he can be so strong willed, stubborn, frightened of strangers, shy and uncooperative and I was so worried that he would just hide in a corner.


The verdict NOT GOOD.....we will be going to pick out glasses tomorrow. They are STRONG but not because his eyes are bad only because his left eye needs to be corrected. He also has to wear an eye patch 2 hours every day. In May we go in for an MRI with sedation.....eeeek!!!! Because it is such a late onset the dr. wants to make sure that it's not something more serious that would require surgery which he said is a 2/3 possibility....keep your fingers crossed that the eye patch and glasses work. The surgery would not be on the eye but at the back of the head to open up a nerve that presses on the eye and causes it to turn in. Not sure what that condition was called.

I also made an appointment for Ethan to make sure his are ok because if it is caught earlier it is much easier to correct and since one kid has it the other has a strong possibility of also having the same problem.

SO hardi harr harrr our little man will have an eye patch and we will be playing pirate around here for a while :)

Hello March....

Yay it's March and I could not be more excited. The two most excruciating months of the year are now over. I really hope that this week goes by quick. Tomorrow is Conner's much anticipated appointment with the pediatric ophthalmologist and I'm a little nervous but if he has to wear glasses HE will just have to adjust somehow. With how high strung he is it may be difficult though.

 

My little helpers and sidekicks. Does anyone else do this....we almost always have jello with fruit or pudding in our fridge for snacks or a treat after a meal. The kids love to help make them too :) 

This is like the 10th bloom on my hibiscus. It has 3 more new ones coming up too....amazed because it's so little and the bloom is almost as big as the actual plant. 

This was in my mail box this morning :) Where do I get a real one???????????Hehehee!!!! Click on the image to enlarge if you can't read it!!

Today is the VIP store opening for the Hilldale Target. I was going to go for the ribbon cutting and see all the great deals but then decided that it would not be worth the 2 hours of driving. The store opens to the public sometime next week. Neal is still MIA......he mind as well just get a hotel in Madison for right now and stay there since he is at the store from 6 to 8 or last night 10 then 2 hours of driving. 1 more week I think then he has a day off. Is it selfish of me to say that I want him to get a new job....I'm really getting tired of this!!!!I know every job has some long hours and all but sometimes this is just ridiculous.

Our new addiction....Home made granola!!!It's good as a snack it's good for breakfast with milk it's good any time. The kids LOVE it too so simple to make very versatile and inexpensive. 

Well the kids are finally napping and I am exhausted so I think today I will just make myself a cup of hot tea and curl up in bed with a book and relax a bit. We had story time this morning then went and got groceries and ran a bunch of errands I was so happy to make it home in time for naps so that I can relax and have a little quiet time. I am finally done cleaning and it feels so good though our children have already started their destruction :)

Farewell February.....

Yay today is the last day of February......come on spring.....melt this snow and bring in the warm breezes I AM READY. Ohh wait I've been ready since the first snow fall. This also means that we have to give our 60 day notice tomorrow and we still do not have any additional news from Target.....grrr. This is REALLY frustrating to me right now. Ohh well....deep breath and one day at a time.

SO someone needs to make me go finish nesting.....that need for cleaning is now gone but I still have the living room to do and I'm not sure if my hips can handle any more furniture moving, curtain ironing, climbing on chairs, furniture restoring (yes I have literally restored every wood piece of furniture in our house) window washing or any movement at all right now. My hips kill and my sciatica is making it difficult to move right now. I am so close to being done but I don't think I have it in me to do the cleaning that I have been doing. Wow it was crazy I've never experienced such a feeling in my life. It was strange, weird, obsessive, compulsive, CRAZY but most of all AMUSING!!!

Kids are napping now and I need to get to it and get this done.

Another day closer.....

I have been nesting the last two days!!! I remember having an urge to clean and get things ready before Conners and Ethans arrival but nothing like this. I woke up the other day just feeling miserable with my cold. I got up fed the kids got my cup of coffee and crawled back to bed with the boys to read some books. About 30 minutes later, still feeling miserable, I got this sense....urge....neeeed.....to clean and I have not stopped since. I am leaving nothing unturned and I can't seem to stop myself. Even with knowing that I will have to do all this all over again when we move and it seems so pointless to scrub out cupboards move the furniture and wash and iron curtains. I am sore from moving things around and scrubbing floors and moving the fridge and washing EVERYTHING out. I have the living room left and the boys room then I will be done. I guess that to justify my crazy nesting behaviour we will at least enjoy a super clean place for a little while and I won't have as much to do when we move :)

The store opens this Tuesday and Neal is one day closer to the 16 days on being over. He literally leaves in the morning and comes home just to go to bed :( The kids really miss him and so do I. I guess it's a good thing that I  have been busy nesting. This week will also be busy and go by fast with Dr. appointments and such plus I will probably go to Madison on Tuesday for the store opening.

I lost the mucus plug about a week ago now and now with this nesting it feels like I am getting closer. With Conner I lost the plug 4 weeks before he was born and with Ethan I think it was only a week. I will know more of whats going on on Friday when I have my appointment.  I am getting so impatient now and so ready for April 5th to be here already. March is only  a day away now tho....yay :)

34 1/2 weeks!!!! 

Well I'm off to look at a couple apartments....wish me luck :)

 While the kids were busy playing with play-doh and making a mess (does anyone else hate play-doh mess) I was busy.....

listening to my morning show, enjoying a cup of coffee with a home made Samosa cookie and yes once again crafting.....I think I am really stressing because all I can think about is doing something creative while everything else seems to be falling behind. Check out what I made today :)

mmmmm....a little chocolate that melted from the cookie resting on the rim...hehe!!!

I hung up the pictures today. I'm not sure why they are just getting packed up soon, probably because the nails were already there from the other pictures that hung there.

Ohh and this is just another perfect example of why I am ready for this baby to come out. I am a clumsy person as it is but when I'm pregnant I am CONSTANTLY spilling things, walking into things (you should see my legs one big bruise) and when I cook I cant focus so generally things are either burned or undercooked or well don't taste all that great. 

Now I am snuggled up in our bed with the kidos waiting for them to fall a sleep so I can go and clean their room....it is a disaster and in desperate need of some cleaning. Washed their sheets today too so need to get those back on the beds. I found another apartment that is willing to do a 6 month lease but they cant show it till tomorrow so I rescheduled my appointment I had today and I'm heading to Madison tomorrow instead. It actually worked out well because we are still  sick here and would hate to drag the kids out into the cold.

Chicken Noooooodl.....

Do not underestimate the power of good ol home made chicken noodle soup. We have been living on this stuff the last two days. The kids are feeling much better already though still a little congested nothing a little warm soup can't clear up though :)

Conner loves any kind of soup but chicken noodle is his absolute favorite. 

Though it can be a little difficult to eat sometimes. 

And if all esle fails you can always use the noodles to make the alphabet on the table :) 

And Mr. independent gobbles the stuff up as well even if it means that half of it is all around him but the thinner the noodles the better :) 

Side note - Please try and ignore the big stain on the chair I just can't keep up these days and these chairs just simply need to go!!!

 Yeah why not just use your fingers baby.

Yup dig right in!!!

So I finally finished the PICTURES for the baby's room today not that we will be able to use them. My life can now go on as I have devoted every free min to them lately. I am feeling much better about the move now that we will not have to move till the end of April (after the baby's arrival and not the week of the due date) and Target is relocating us which is a big help. I am having a REALLY hard time finding a place that is willing to do a 6 month lease. So far after calling 10 places (and that's just today) I have found only ONE place that is willing to do a short term lease with a higher monthly rent. It's a 2 bedroom 800 square feet but they will let us in with 3 kids :) It will be TIGHT but it's summertime and we will be outside and they have a pool too which would be nice. TEMPORARY is what I would have to remind myself every day!!! I'm going to look at it tomorrow....I'm really hoping it's clean and in a decent area ohh and it has a washer and dryer IN THE UNIT.....not easy to come by I'm finding out in the Madison area.

Neal has been leaving before the kids wake up and coming home when they are getting ready for bed :( this 16 day stretch is going to take a toll on all of us. We miss having at least one meal with him. Ohh well this too shall pass!!! 

Now that I'm done with the pictures I need to get this house back in order :)

I finished the 2nd PICTURE and also posted the COOKIE recipe so take a look!!!

Monday schmunday......

This weather SUCKS!!! I don;t mind gloomy days but I hate gloomy cold days!!! Neal starts his 16 days on today :p that's how we all feel about that!!! Haha great attitude this morning huh. Might have something to do with us all being sick except Neal so far. I really really hope that he does not get this nasty bug with no time to rest. Conner was up most the night with nightmares and just not being able to breathe :( poor baby!!!

 We will be doing a whole lot of nothing today. I want to finish the 2nd picture for the baby's room. I did the border yesterday while the boys napped so all I have to do is the actual picture which does not take nearly as long. We will be eating a whole lot of soup today too. Home made chicken noodle....can't wait!!!

The kids are being punished right now.....hehe!!! ALL their toys were put away last week when Neal was off. Trying to teach them to appreciate their things a little more and take care of them better. They have to ask for a toy for the next two weeks and when they are done playing with it they have to put it away to get a different one.

Well that's all that I have for today. I did make home made Girls Scout Samona cookies yesterday....hoping I can get the recipe posted today!!! Seriously delicious!!!

1 down 2 to go....

I finished one of 3 PICTURES today! They match the crib bedding.....I wish I had not bothered though because if we end up moving the 3 boys will most likely be in one room since most places that we have been looking at are 2 bedrooms. Since I started I do want to finish tho!!!

sick baby....

Poor Ethan is not interested in much this morning. He just wants to lay in bed and watch " doobie doobie do" I love it how he says it!!!  I hate it when my babies are sick:(

Flashback...

When I got my little camera out this was still on it. Hehehe Conner was a little over 2 in his little cast :) in the corner of the room you can see all the baby things we were getting ready for Ethan's arrival and yes the move to the apartment we are in right now.

Need to vent.....

Neal's 1st day at the new store was yesterday and after the LONG day at work and the LONG drive and getting gas in the van he is back to moving again. Ughhhh I just don't even want to THINK about moving right now it literally makes me sick. This baby is due in 6 weeks and I just don't have it in me to pack everything up and unpack then do it all over again in 6 months OR LESS!!! I am so done moving and never knowing what's going to happen next and always wondering when is the next move. I WANT TO SETTLE DOWN, I want to buy a house and fix it FOR US or rent if that's what we have to do. I know I just feel like this because ONCE AGAIN it's all happening at the wrong time right when I want to enjoy my little baby. Ughhh so I am back to looking for a place. I e-mailed a few places last night hopefully we can work something out. Neal is working for the next 2 WEEKS straight with no days off which is just going to make this even harder to do but such is life. Grrrrrrrrrrrrrr......I hope I can feel better about this as the day goes on :(Ohh and to make things worst we got a letter from our landlord saying that if we want to stick to a month to month lease our rent WILL GO UP.....frustrating.

Yesterday I managed to somehow get all my chores done before my favorite morning show was over probably because I was up at 4 and could not sleep. I decided to take the kids to the park but when we made it outside it was REALLY windy and Ethan hates the wind and would not even leave the garage so they just played by the house riding their bikes.

It has happened the thing that we have been trying SOO SO SOOOO hard to avoid. Ethan got this bug that has been going around. He is running a fever and is SO congested and crabby. Conner is not yet showing signs of being sick but as always I am sure thins thing will make it's rounds....that's all we need right now.

I did start a really fun project yesterday when the kids were napping which now I am really regretting doing but stay tuned for pictures.

A week in a blink of an eye......

If Neal could stay home for the next 6 weeks then this baby would be here much quicker or so it would seem. This week has gone by in a blink of an eye and Neal starts at the new store tomorrow :( We have changed our minds about moving (or so we think for right now but if we find something reasonable in the next 2 weeks we still may move) after looking into prices for the Madison area and what you get for the money we decided that financially it would not make sense for us to move. Even more so since we can not commit to more than a 6 month lease and for most places you have to come up with 1st months rent and then a deposit not to mention the cost of the move and the hassle of it all plus short term leases cost more monthly. It's going to be very straining for him for the next 6 months, we just hope that the move South can be expedited. 

I still have not gotten my adapter for my computer....grrr....I was really hoping it would be in the mail when we came home today but no such luck :( Neal is letting me use his computer tho so that was nice of him!!

On with our glorious week!!! So sad it's already over!!! Starting with last Friday I had a surprise night planed for Neal but he ended up having Friday off work so I had to reveal it to him a bit early. We dropped the kids off at my sisters house for the night Friday night and went out to supper ALL BY OURSELVES (originally I was going to have a romantic dinner ready for him when he came home from work Friday). It was fabulous though a little strange not to get the kids menu and coloring crayons when we were seated. We stopped at a store and got ourselves $20 worth of fruit and enjoyed strolling the isles without any crying whining or toddler talk then headed home and watched a movie, enjoyed our fruit and went to bed early. We got to sleep in Saturday, if you can call 7:00 AM sleeping in :) and it was so nice not to have to get up and tend to children or worry about breakfast and getting everyone dressed. We got ourselves big bowls of fruit for breakfast and hopped right back into bed to watch another movie. We did eventually get up and go walk the outlet mall and enjoyed lunch by ourselves then headed to my sisters house to pick up the kids (though to be honest we were not quite ready to do....hehe....is that terrible....I don't think so) I think it's very important for parents to get away ALONE once in a while and we RARELY do it!!! I do have to say that it was nice to see my babies though. We love having the house to ourselves MUCH MUCH better than going to a hotel!!!

 Thank you sis and thank you girls for watching our babies for us. You guys ROCK!!!! I'm pretty sure that they did not miss us a bit and they had a fantastic time.

 They got to play with play dough!!!Thanks sis for the pictures!!!

 Cupcakes...yum!!!

Horsie rides....it's no wonder they had such a great time....someone to play with every second of the day!!!

 Cutness!!

Awwww.....thanks again girls!!! And Steve I bet it was nice not to be the ONLY man in the house for a day ;) I feel for ya man!!!

 This is how happy they were to go home!!!A little tired tto, at least that's what I was telling myself  :p

We even got to go see Babcia and Dziadzia for a little bit and G'ma and G'pa which was super special we don't get to see them enough!!! 

 I was so excited to score this on Freecycle on Sunday and got to go pick it up get it washed up and put together. It is literally like brand new and FREE!!! The only thing that does not work is the mobile which I would probably not use anyway. She even gave me the matching blanket and the cute receiving blanket!!!

It also rocks or it can stay put....and it also can be used as a co-sleeper....I love it!!!

And in case you wore wondering it does fit two toddlers as well :)

We had a fabulous Valentines Day and to go with my New Years resolution I tried to make it super special. For breakfast I made the boys heart shaped banana and chocolate chip pancakes with whipped cream and fresh fruit!!

 For supper we had grilled chicken (a little taste of summer) baked sweet potatoes, home made dinner rolls, our favorite salad EVER (mandarin orange, apples, home made candied walnuts, carrots with poppy seed dressing...yum) and for dessert I made peanut butter (yum) chocolate covered bananas with sprinkles for the kids and for Neal and I cheesecake with a strawberry sauce.

 I think that even mac and cheese tastes batter with a pretty set table....I think I will make this a habit to make the table all pretty at least a few times a week.

I made the cute little heart shape silverware holders with Conners help. I wanted to write a little message for all 3 of my babies but ran out of time :( next year!!!

 The salad....it had grapes too :) and we had a sparkling juice too that was yummy!!

 Conner and I made this frame for Daddy a while back. He helped paint the letters and glue them. Though I just found out that he may not even have a desk at this new store since it's so temporary.

 While eating their dessert they got to open a little something.....nothing fancy I only spent a couple bucks I don't think it should be about gifts but it's always fun to open something.

Daddy did get a little spoiled....he got a wireless keyboard that he has wanted for what seems like AGES. 

And this was our dessert!!!

The kids got to play outside almost every day with daddy and I did manage to go out once with them. We managed to get SOMETHING productive done while Neal was home too. We got our garage all cleaned out and organized. We would like to get rid of our storage unit when it warms up and save a little money also possibly have a garage sale this spring to get rid of some junk.

Hard to believe that a lot of this snow is GONE today!!!

 Spring come on GET HERE SOON please!!!We are ready....more than ready....this little taste of warmer weather feels like a tease!!!

 LONG awaited pictures of the van....sorry no outside. We still love it even though it has given us SOME trouble.My favorite feature is still the power sliding doors and power trunk opener thing. SO awesome and whoever invented those two things 1. was a genius 2. was a stay at home mom or dad Those two little things have made my life SO much easier. I love it that I can push a button and the doors slide open the kids can climb in on their own I do not have to worry about banging doors into cars that are parked next to us and walking around doors and I can again push a button and they close same with the trunk by the time we get to the car the trunk is opened and I can load it up....AWESOME :)

 I miss using Stella (our GPS) but I am getting used to Bertha the built in GPS in the van :) though I hate the fact that you have to pull over in order to find a new destination or to look up restaurants or stores in the area. 

On Wed I had my Dr. appt. early in the morning and guess what in 2 weeks I may be getting my membranes scraped(that sounds terrible). I am so excited though it's not a for sure thing that it will work or that it will even happen but there is a SLIGHT possibility so keep your fingers crossed for me. This week with Neal being home it has not been good on my behind....ugghh. I am up 25 pounds now but hoping to do better now that Neal is going back to work. After my appointment we headed for our FREE night at the Country Springs.The kids had so much fun this time and we learned our lesson last time not to let them skip their nap....it was WAY more enjoyable for all of us this way. They are little fish and the perfect age for the water park now. 

 This place is the best....we love to stay there. Ethan absolutely hates it when the water bucket dumps and as soon as he hears the bell ringing he goes running away Conner does the opposite heads right for the water. When we first got there Ethan started to get in the water but right away he heard the bell and went running and grabbed onto this random older lady and held on so tight. I think he thought it was me but did not notice for a long time ant it was just hilarious when he did :)

 Waiting for Conner to come down the slide.

 This guy LOVES pizza :)))

 All I can say is AWWWWW.....sorry for the blue it was at night and all the lights are a hue of blue....pretty!!

 This is so cute....Conner traces EVERYTHING....from signs to pictures to numbers and letter. Ethan saw Conner tracing this warning sign so of course he had to do it too.

 Snacks and juice before bed.

 His eyes are more and more green every day!!!

Conner was addicted to this slide....he spent hours on it. I have to say that I was not as good about going on the tube slide with the kids this time. I did make it up the stairs 20 times or so over the course of the 2 days but it was HARD work. My swim suit did not cover as much either which just amazed me because it has only been a couple weeks since we were there. This baby is SO low I feel like he is going to just fall out sometimes....seriously!!!

I finally got my little camera out and got some batteries for it so I got a few little videos. Ethan was FINALLY brave enough to go down this slide all on his own without us holding his hand every time. It was nice because Neal and I could just sit on the edge and watch the kids play. 

I love this one!!!

Now our fabulous week with dad home is over :( so sad that it went by so fast. Tomorrow we are all back to reality. We did finish the week off with a BANG. While the kids were napping at the hotel Neal and I watched HGTV the show was called the worst cook in america or something like that and they made these crapes filled with with a mascarpone filling and topped with a cherry flambe....it looked so yuumy. I ran out when we came home to get the stuff to make it tonight. OHHH MY WORD....AMAZING......we ate it for supper but it really is a dessert. It was a bit pricey to make but ohhh so worth it!!! I will post the recipe soon on my cooking blog so stay tuned.

 We made a strawberry flambe instead of cherry. SO cool to see it light in a flame did not get a good picture tho.

SO rich and creamy and yummy....I could not eat more than one and I do not even want to know how many calories are in one....haha. I love cooking with Neal and wish we had a chance to do it more often. He is a MESSY cook though everything out everywhere and I always end up cleaning it all up but it's still fun.

Back to reality :(