the blog is back!

it's been on my to-do list to start writing on my blog again. i love to look back at old posts and see the pictures and hear was we were doing. there isn't much time for this these days, but one day i will wish i would have made more time. 

we are 3 months or so into the school year. Eli is in Kindergarten at St. Frances de Sales in Newark.

 Sammy started pre-school 3 days a week at St. Eds. 

So far they both love it! Eli is amazing us with his smarts. He is reading so well and his math abilities are kinda crazy. He can add 3 numbers in his head (6+5+4) and he is thriving with the routine that school provides. He loves his classmates and comes home with stories from them all the time. This year, he tells me a lot about school. Mostly at bedtime when he is stalling, but hey, I'll take it.

Sammy writes his name pretty well (S-A-M IS a lot harder than E-L-I) and is learning how to write Windon. He is known for talking a lot and telling stories to his teachers. He is definitely more outgoing than Eli when is comes to social situations. 

Two very different boys we have.

Eli's doodles in church

 Eli learned to ride his bike with no training wheels this fall, and he lost 2 bottom teeth. 

Sammy gets the gator now (and all the other toys) all to himself when Eli goes to school all day. I think he kinda likes it. 

Both boys wanted to be firemen for Halloween, so, of course, we got the girls in on the action.

This time next year, there will be two more to add to the mix!! 

We are getting ready for Christmas here --- 19 more days! 

April 17

   So I took a little break from blogging... But the "little break" was 5 months, it appears. 5 months sure flies by around here!!! 

   Eli will be FIVE in just a few months. He is all about time, temperature, and counting. He can add numbers in his head like I can't believe, and likes it when it's 4:44. We put a clock in his room, got him a watch, and Mimi got him a indoor/outdoor thermometer. ((I'm not sure if this created the obsession or fed the obsession?) 

And of course, he is still all about cars and trucks and semis and emergency vehicles. He can be found a LOT in front of a book making this face ... 

((Making car noises -- he calls it "driving".)) 

Eli's  first year of school is almost done, and he has done well. He's a lot less shy and a little more rambunctious while he's there. I got to come in for their pajama party and it was fun to watch him interact with all the kids.

Next year we are doing 4 days a week of pre-K. 

Sammy Sam is almost THREE in June.

  Which is crazy because I feel like he was just born, and now he's a little boy with opinions and ideas and can count as high as he wants until he loses interest. He loves to sing (his abc's mostly) and mimics just about everything that Eli does. Eli bosses him around a lot and he usually just listens. If he doesn't listen, he usually just cries -- which we are working on. We have been telling him to tell Eli NO or just ignore him. But Eli sure knows how to push SAMs buttons some times. Other times, they are the best of friends. 

Coming soon for us ... Vacation to the beach!! Potty training (maybe this time will be easy!?) and the circus.

Life is good around here. Challenging every day, but good. We are counting our blessings. 

November 20

November has been a wild month for us. Down time is very rare, if at all. All of my night time things that I like to do after the kids go to bed have not been happening. Instead, I lay down with eli to chat before he falls asleep. Almost every time, I fall asleep with him (or before him?). His bed is so comfy! Fleece sheets. Cuddled up next to a little four year old who is so sweet and thoughtful right before bed. 

So november ... 

November has brought us daddy's birthday --- 38!!!! The day of daddy's 38th birthday, we spent at children's hospital. Sammy came down (suddenly) with the enterovirus (d68-- the one that the news media keeps scaring everyone with!) well, it was scary. My poor little sammy sam couldn't breath, and nothing they were doing to help him was working.  He cried straight from 3:30 AM until 8 AM. He had about 10 breathing treatments and cried and fought me through each and every one. we had to hold him down to have an IV put in. The poor guy had steroids, magnesium, epinephrine, albuterol, nothing was working. The doctor finally decided to leave him alone for an hour so he would stop crying. And what do you know? He stopped crying, he calm down, and fell asleep. And he slowly got better. One minute they were admitting him to the ICU for continuous albuterol, and soon after they were letting us go home. 

That Sammy! He sure does like to scare his mom and dad. It brought back too many memories of the nicu right

 after he was born. Watching that oxygen saturation monitor… Getting so worried when it fell below 90.

No more Sammy!! Never again!!

The doctor sent us home with steroids and an albuterol inhaler. I hope we never have to do that  AGAIN. !!

Mike is been studying for the captains test. He's been at the library for hours and hours at a time. The test was this last Tuesday, and we're happy that the studying is over for now. 

The house is decorated for Christmas. The boys had a blast decorating and are still having a blast knocking the ornaments off the tree and putting them back on again.

We already got our first snowstorm, and both boys have an outside enjoying it. 

We also had a little Indian summer. 

Typical Ohio weather. 

Eli is obsessed with letters and words and spelling. All day every day, it's what does this spell ?? How do you spell this? He really likes to spell things like poop and pee and toot. 

Sammy talks a mile a minute. He used to be the quiet one. Not so much anymore. 

He repeats everything eli does and says. He makes his opinions heard around here. 

And last, here are a few videos...

october 18

cooking show auditions...