Neacel and a golf cart

Last Thursday we had the opportunity to go hang out with some friends from church. I was so excited because we were going to an indoor soccer field that my friends brother in law runs. The kids can run and run until they are content. Well, the play date was going great. Everyone getting along, my boys using all of their energy having races with the other kids and playing the kid version of soccer. Then the brother in law who runs it, Mike, came in and said he was going to put the kids to work at another field. So we all go over there and he has them picking up garbage off the field. Of course it became a contest to see who could get the most, and everyone won! Then Mike was taking kids for rides on the golf cart around the field. Neacel was loving it! The look on his face said it all. I was so glad that he was having fun and that I was getting to know another mommy in the area. (I haven't had the best of luck with meeting friends who are people I can get along with, its sad but so many people are caught up in a worldly things...and I'm not like that at all). 

Well, at this point all of the kids have had rides and Mike is out of the golf cart talking with family. Then the golf cart is moving towards me, I'm holding Broden and then realize that Neacel is driving the cart. I panic, I grab on the best I could and yelled at him, hoping to scare him enough that he will take his foot off the gas petal. My arm starts hurting from holding onto a moving golf cart so I let go. Neacel crashes the cart into the corner of a wall, right be the goal net. I panic over a few things, is he ok? Is there damage to anything? Crap, we are never going to be invited again! I was so embarrassed but so worried about Neacel. (this is curious nature for him, he loves to see how things work, and once he knows, he wants to try) He gets out of the cart and looks and Mike and says "I'm really sorry" and comes running to me crying and shaking. 

Part of me is angry, the other part is worried about him. So we make sure he is ok and he is just feeling horrible. Crying and kept saying sorry. I decided not to punish him, the fear was enough at that point. OH and Broden....crying and freaking out too! He got scared over me yelling and running after Neacel. Luckily, everyone and everything was ok. Thank goodness! That day Neacel kept talking about how he crashed the "car" and that it scared him. All day I'm thinking, we are never going to be invited to another play date there, or if we are, Neacel won't be getting golf cart rides!

On a funny note....Friday morning, Neacel was playing with bouncy balls. Then he puts them in him under roo's (underwear) and says "hey mom look! Now I have 3 balls!" Oh dear that child is the reason I have so much gray hair at 25! I love this kid though, he keeps life exciting and fun! Never a dull moment with Neacel around!!!

Family Pictures

We finally have an updated family picture! My friend Katelynn did them for us and lets be honest, they are pretty amazing! We had fun getting these done, Broden got hungry and decided a stick was perfect and Neacel wanted to jump in the river and chase the geese. I caught him once climbing the wall, standing there looking down at the river....I ran! Good thing he didn't fall in, but that boy has no fear of anything! (more written at bottom...)


Life has been very busy, with birthdays and our 4th anniversary, plus I have been working on my Raising Little Dudes blog like crazy trying to help it grow and get some PR opportunities to help people know about us. I need to blog on here better, and I will soon, I promise. I would right now but I have an hour till naps are over and a To Do list thats a little to long. I'll sit down soon and write about the boys birthday parties with plenty of pictures. Neacel had his first friend party and it was a blast, Broden is walking like a fool and they are just growing up too fast. Oh and if you do photo books, Snapfish has a killer deal right now. Head over to the raisingdudes blog to find out details....Like how I smoothly threw that in! HaHa

Hope everyone has an amazing Thanksgiving, Im ready for some 2am Black friday shopping!

Banana's Are Healthy Mom

Neacel knows that we eat healthy snacks in the house and I love it. I love that he runs to get a pear, apple, banana anything healthy. He is so excited that fruits and veggies are the one thing we don't put a limit on. This boy can eat by the way. So yesterday he was eating a banana and the top fell off, because he is picky he freaks out and won't eat the top. I keep telling him to and then he turns around and says "No mom you eat it" I told him no and that I didn't want it. He wasn't taking no for an answer. "Mom, eat this banana, its healthy and good for you. Its so yummy your tummy will be happy" I kept telling him no thank you and that I wasn't hungry, he told me I was hungry. So I told him that banana's make me sick (Im allergic to them when they are raw) he looks at me puzzled and starts laughing telling me that they can't make you sick because they are healthy. I just told him that they do make me sick and that then I wouldn't be able to play for a while. He then puts the rest of his banana down and says "Yeah they make me sick too" Oh dear! Luckily, he ate one this morning and forgot the whole thing. Hopefully he doesn't remember that conversation.

Friday is an exciting day in our home, its Neacel's first friend birthday party. We are doing a Toy Story theme and he brings up his party daily! He is so excited!!! What he doesn't know is that on Saturday he will be recieving the BIG Buzz Lightyear he has been begging for. We told him that if he used the potty all the time he could have any toy he wanted, he picked the $40 Buzz, luckily, while Nick and I were in Columbus this weekend we found an even better Buzz toy at the Disney store for $25!!! We are done potty training!! Leaving the house is still tough and he did pee in isle 5 looking at Car stuff in Part City, but accidents happen. He has been great lately, his moods and attitude have improved. I can't believe he is going to be 3 on Sunday!!!!

Happy Birthday Broden!!!

Our sweet little Broden turned one today! I can't believe a year ago I was laying in a hospital bed holding my 8lbs 4oz 21 in baby boy. Brody was the calmest baby I could ever imagine. He just wanted to be cuddled all the time. I could just lay down on the couch with him and fall asleep, knowing he would do the same. Unfortunately, this was the calm before the storm! Brody found his lungs, and boy can he scream! Since he found those lungs to this very day, we hear his ear piercing scream many times a day. I look forward to the day he decides to actually try talking! His rock star hair has always won peoples hearts over, along with his cheesy smile. He is a walking machine now, and loves following Neacel around the house. Neacel doesn't always love it though, I don't blame him. Brody loves getting into my bucket of cleaning supplies under the kitchen sink...while many freak out over the thought of me not moving them, please know that he just likes to throw things on the floor and walk away. He has no interest in them, just wants to watch me clean up a million times a day. Nick and I have said the Neacel was tough, but Broden has been tougher. He still isn't sleeping through the night (someone please help me) he has no interest in talking and is growing faster then we imagined. He is wearing 18-24 month clothing...and its starting to get tight! Im so thankful to have him in our family, he is so much fun to be around and just loves everyone. He has such a sweet spirit. Im so thankful that Heavenly Father trusted Nick and I to raise this soul and to teach him all that we know so that when his time comes he can return to his Heavenly Father! We are having a birthday party for the boys on the 12th. Ill have birthday pictures up then from the party of both the boys. Tonight we took him out to dinner and he got a cookie. Nothing huge but something considering dinner was at 8! Mommy, Daddy and Neacel love you Brody, thanks for being such a fun baby! One year down, many many more to go...lets hope he stops screaming!!! Ill have to get it on video so you can hear what we experience!

Here are some pictures from the last year with our loud big bundle of joy!

Happy Halloween!

Hope everyone had a wonderful Halloween this year. Nick and I have tons of candy if anyone is in need. Seriously! Wednesday was the truck or treat at church, then we went Saturday night and again tonight. Tonight was the best though, huge rich neighborhood, and tons of people handing out full size candy bars! Nick and I usually get a random sugar craving so we froze those candy bars....our future cravings thank those people who spent extra money to be a crowd pleaser! The boys had a blast, Neacel was great at remembering to say "Trick or Treat" then he also would say "I need one for my brother too!" How stinkin cute is that? I was horrible at remembering pictures though. The ones I have are from my cell. Something is better then nothing right??? The little girl with Neacel is his best friend Halli. He is always asking about her, and wanting her to come over. She is in nursery with him and it's adorable to see them together. We went to the IX center Trick or Street in Cleveland with her family and they kept holding hands and at one point I caught Neacel trying to put his arm around her. Adorable I swear! He is putting moves on girls before his 3rd birthday! We had a wonderful Halloween though, I actually decorated this year too. I'm usually not a fan of Halloween, but kids make things so much more fun. Now Im going to eat candy and be slightly depressed that my baby boy will be 1 in the morning. 8:49am to be exact, and to think a year ago I was packing to go to the hospital. Birthday blog tomorrow, I promise, pinky promise!!!!

In the words of Neacel...

Peace Out Alligator!

Mum Festival from August!

 I love Saturdays when we skip naps and spend the day together, everyone in good moods, fun things to do, and being gone for hours. Today was one of those days. We got a late start but around 1 we headed out to the Mum Festibal (thats how Neacel says festival). It was so much fun. Booths with crafts, sand castles that were amazing, and the many many different color of Mums everywhere. It was all around a lake and the had a water skiing show going on. People making pyramids out on the water, jumps flips and everything neat like that. We walked around and looked at everything the place had to offer. Our money was spent on cotton candy, on the cone fresh, not out of a bag. Neacel ate that thing so quick you'd think we never gave him sugar. Then we walked over to the kids area where there was a bounce house and inflateable slide. Neacel loved both and actually went and staid in the bounce house. He usually gets scared and wants out. After that we headed to Akron were a garden center had a little thing going on. It was lame but walking around was fun, dreaming about the many things that I want in our yard when we have a house. Then Nick bought me dinner there since I hadn't ate anything all day. Of course not even 5 minutes after we sit down and eat, they annouced that the meals where on sale. If only we waited a few more minutes. Broden was passed out the whole time at the second garden. Neacel kept his pull up dry at both places and shared my meal with me. The plan was then to head home but Nick said we could go to the dollar store if I wanted to get some Halloween decorations. Im really into decorating the whole house for holidays/seasons. So we went and bought some stickers for the windows and somethings to hang on the walls. Neacel was thrilled, Broden enjoyed all the attention he got at the register about how cute he was and his hair, which seriously looks like a mop on his head. On the way home Nick and I were talking about fall, and how he likes the apple cider and pumpkin pie. I then of course want pumpkin pie and he said that we had just past the store. Jokingly I said, then turn around. HE DID! At the next exit turned around got back on the highway just to get a pumpkin pie for us. I might be slightly spoiled, it didn't hurt that he wanted it too. Once we got home Neacel spent time playing "guns" with his friends outside. Nick found me a 4 leaf clover, Im slightly angry over it because Ive been looking all summer! Then I left it sitting out too long and it dried up. Luckily, I have found another one since then. Neacel had a blast with his friends, Austin (Neacels 8 y/o friend) came up to me and said that Neacel is that fastest little kid he has ever seen while they were playing tag. Neacel didn't know why his friends were running from him but he had fun chasing them. Broden loved eating the dirt while we were sitting out there. We all came in and decorated our windows and somethings in the house. Neacel reminds us that he loves it all because its halloween time. Nick and Neacel sat and watched Rango together. Neacel looked bored out of his mind! After the movie Nick was walking Neacel up to bed and telling him to go use the potty. Neacel said "and then we can have something to eat, and have apple pie" We had totally forgotten dinner since him and I shared at the garden center and Nick hasn't been hungry because he stuffed himself with lunch. So we got him some chicken nuggets with ranch (eww) and green beans, then we all enjoyed some pumpkin (apple in Neacels head) pie. I love family days, I love that even though the kids didn't nap, they were still good. My house might be a mess, dishes piled in the sink, kids toys and clothing everywhere, nothing in any amount of order...but we had a great day together. No school, no homework, no cleaning, no naps....just an us day with nothing else in mind but to have fun. If only these happened more often.

So far behind.....

Ok, so I think its obvious, Im horrible at keeping up with this blog. I need to update so many thing. SO please hang in there and watch the blog the next week. Im going to be getting the updates on here, pictures and everything. Now that I got the little things fixed on blogger (I wasn't able to post for a while from my account) I can get things done. The boys are growing, one is starting to walk, we have done a ton of fun things lately. We are getting ready to celebrate and first, third and thirtith birthday next month...Im going to be updated! In the mean time, check out our new blog www.raisingdudes.blogspot.com a mommy blog about raising my two boys!

Kids...

Neacel is pretty much potty trained now, except when it comes to poop. He refuses! We have tried everything from bribing to punish....he doesn't care. He has told me he would rather go to time out with no ice cream then go poop on the potty. Stubborn maybe?? Well, use your imagination when it comes to what happens when he does have to go. He will hide, and then when you say to come here (because you can't see him) he tells you not to look at the poop. He will hold it till he has a pull up on at night, but big boy pants have had a recent increase of accidents too. Its a battle, and Nick and I are lost as to what to do.
Well, one day Broden was sleeping and Neacel was into everything, I needed to shower and knew I couldn't keep him walking around the house. So I put him in his room and let him play with toys, I told him if he had to go potty to hit the wall and I would get him as soon as I could. After my shower I walked by his bedroom door and could smell poop. Nothing I haven't smelled before so I just kept getting ready. Then when I went to get him, the pants were missing! I asked him where they were and he shows me that they were under the crib. But I don't see poop, but I can smell it. So I ask "Neacel did you poop?" Neacel says "yeah let me show you" he closes his door and shows it to me. All 3 big streaks across the wall, one on the door and a "pancake" that he was so proud because it stuck. I was so mad. This was the first time he had ever done anything like this. It was gross, I made him clean up most of it, while he was telling me that it was disgusting. I took pictures but Ill spare you the site of poop. Im sure most of you have seen your fair share from your own kids. I wanted to scream. Instead, I sent it to a website that always gives me something to laugh at. (website here) Luckily, since then he hasn't done anything else like that...but he still refuses to poop on the potty!!! Anyone have any ideas on what we could do? We even have offered to go buy the $40 Buzz Lightyear that he really wants...and a potty party but no luck!!!

Catch a Goldfish

Here in town 6 parks have wadding pools for the kids. Lifeguard, 1ft deep, fenced in, and free! Wonderful right? Well, they closed the pools and had an event one night for the kids. The kids could bring something to catch one of the 400 goldfish they put in the pool. We had one fish, why not get him a friend (since he last friend died) Neacel was able to catch a fish, and we then had 2 goldfish named Nemo. (Since then, all the fish died, the first one that died was from Petsmart and I swear it had something because it died, then new cought goldfish died, then our original Nemo died.) Neacel thought it was so cool to catch a goldfish in the same pool he goes swimming in. Im glad that something that simple was so exciting for him. Broden and I enjoyed from the sidelines.

Lake Erie Date Day

Lake Erie, where do I begin? You really shouldn't get in the water, you can see yucky water spilling right into it, but its the closest thing we have to a beach right now. So Nick and I took Neacel one day. Luckily, Neacel wasn't a fan of the water, but loved the sand. It might have helped that we bought some sand toys. By the end of the trip Neacel was

covered from head to toe. Nick and I just relaxed. Broden got to nap and spend time with Nana and Pops. All in all, a nice relaxing day for everyone

Brody's First Haircut

I am really behind on posts. Over the next 2 weeks Im going to be posting a lot, it probably won't all end up in the right order but thats ok, right?

(June 3rd 2011)

Brody was mistaken for a girl a little too much. I guess the sports outfits and boy shoes didn't help. People were constantly saying how cute "she" is and giving Neacel an extra treat for his "sister" (which only confused him). Then one day I was brushing Brody's hair and realized how long it had gotten. I decided that even though he was only 7 months that I had to get his hair cut. We had a coupon and got it done. I'm glad that we did though, it looks so much better!

As of today he needs another cut. 2 months later, his hair is getting longer and might be ready for a trim. We are going with the longer look for him though to help the curl.

Surgery, What Surgery?

Broden is a champ! Friday was his surgery and oh man was I stressed. Who wants their little (fat) baby to get surgery? We got to Akron Children's hospital at 8:30am, and Brody was starving. He hadn't had formula since about 1am and had pedialyte around 7:30am. He wasn't allowed to eat till after surgery which was scheduled for 10:30 and would take about 2 hours (or thats what they had scheduled). But he ended up taking a binki, good thing I thought to bring one, and going to sleep. He didn't cry when they pricked his finger for blood, and didn't wake up during all the pre op stuff. He woke up minutes before they took him, and smiled, such a happy little smile of course. They took him and we were told to go to the waiting room and that we would be paged once he was in the first recovery. Well, Nick was starting to feel yucky and needed to eat. I was fasting but holy cow, I felt like I could eat a cow. So we went and walked around the cafeteria, I opted not to eat till surgery was done, but Nick got himself some yummy things. By the time Nick was done eating it was minutes later that they paged us and Dr. Clark came out to tell us they were done. Thank you Nick for passing time and eating! They did find a hernia which is common and took care of that along with bringing "it" down. Very little bleeding and everything. Our boy is a champ! So we went to the first recovery and all the nurses kept saying is that they just "love love love him" I don't blame them. He woke up groggy but a bottle of apple juice was a welcome. He cuddled with nick and slept. He had an epidural too to help numb things even after so that the pain was easier to handle. We left the hospital around 1pm that day. By 3pm, Broden didn't have any meds and was army crawling across the floor!!! Since surgery Broden has been fine. We have the tylenol with codine that they perscribed for pain but he hasn't taken any. Just a dose of our tylenol later that night because he got really fussy. Come to find out...3rd tooth cut through! Broden did great, and Im so glad its over with. And for the record, he comes out of surgery like his momma! We don't need pain meds, we just keep going!

Broden's Surgery :-(

We went to Broden's urology appointment this morning to find out what we are going to do about his little problem. After the doctor looked at everything he said that either we can wait for surgery, but there is only a slim chance that "it" could drop on its own and some people want to wait or we can go ahead and proceed with surgery. Nick and I both agreed that if it hasn't dropped by now that it probably won't so we agreed on surgery. Broden is scheduled on the 17th to have his surgery :-( I hate that my baby has to have a surgery. Its about an hour long but the worse part right now....no formula 6 hours before surgery! Which means anything after 4am is a no no. Broden usually wakes up between then and 5 for a bottle. I guess we will be crying it out that night. I'm not nervous yet but I know that time will fly and that when I have to hand him over to the doctors that I will loose it. A good friend went through this with her son and said that was the hardest part for her. I pray that everything will go perfect and that the doctor will do his job to the best of his ability and that I don't go insane sitting in the waiting room!

Also we found out a few days ago that Broden weighs 21lbs....bigger then Neacel was at 7 months. Neacel was 22lbs at 10 months, Im scared to see what Broden will be at that point. But he has one mean army crawl, pulling that chubby body across the floor, its too cute!
We had a great time in Utah and I have 300+ pictures to prove it. So once I narrow things down Ill get a post up about all that fun stuff!

Utah Bound

We are heading to Utah for the month of May! How awesome is that? We are leaving bright and early tomorrow morning and will get there later Wednesday night. Im spending the day packing and cleaning...and stressing but thats normal when your me! We are so excited to spend time with Nick's family and let them spend time with the boys. Nicks parents say Broden at 2 weeks old but haven't seen him since then. He is now 6 months old!!!!

Quickly, Broden had his check up this morning. He is 18 lbs 15 oz and 26 inches long. He is growing like a weed and such a happy boy with tons of hair. We have his first urologist appointment June 7th and we will go from there with his little "issue". The dr was impressed with how he is trying to crawl and the fact that he can sit for a few seconds on his own without support. Yay Broden. Well, the clothing needs folded, the house needs cleaned and we need to run a few errands! Ill try to update while in Utah but Ill be honest....it probably won't happen!

Royal Wedding

Aren't they just adorable? They are so perfect for each other and such a cute couple. I'm so happy for them. I am so excited to have the opportunity to watch the Royal Wedding! I was debating on getting up early and watching it or just watching the news all day and seeing it then. Well, my little Brody bear must have known about this debate going on in my head, because he was up at 3:30am this morning. People are filling the church, the bridesmaids are adorable and the bells just bring chills to me. I wish that I could be there, to see every second and to be apart of all the people there to support Prince William and Kate. I can't imagine all this for a wedding. Mine was simple and just the way I wanted it. No frills! I can't wait to see her dress, she is such a beautiful woman and the fact that everything has been so secretive with the dress it just kills me to not even have an idea. We all know its just beautiful though. They showed clips for Princess Diana's wedding to Prince Charles and it was so special. William and Kate are doing many things that was done in his parents wedding....

The Queen just arrived to the church in her "daffodil" yellow dress as they keep mentioning. Prince William and his brother have been there for about 30 minutes now. This truly is just amazing to me. They just showed Kate in her dress and its breath taking...oh it just brings tears to my eyes. Small bouquet, lace, full veil, tiara, and the train is said to be about half of what Princess Diana's was. This all just brings tears to my eyes, I'm such a sap when it comes to weddings. She looks just amazing, I can't imagine what she is feeling right now. I was just a stress bucket before my wedding. But the day was perfect and I hope that everything is picture perfect for William and Kate. May they have all the happiness in the world, they deserve it!

HELP!

I hate teething! It's that simple. Brody is having the hardest time sleeping, eating, and just being himself. He doesn't sleep unless he is being held. I can feel myself going insane. I can see those little pearly whites but they are causing him a ton of discomfort and not cutting through.
Neacel was great when it came to teething so I need advice moms! We are giving him tylenol and it helps but we need a miracle. Teething tablets aren't helping, and neither is teething gel.

All in all, Im getting more gray hair, less sleep and Im feeling like I might need a padded room.
I HATE TEETHING!!!!

The End!

First Time Crafter

So I have always wanted to be crafty, but always have gotten the impression that's its super time consuming and expensive. Silly me! It's not if you use discount stores. I want to put my own touch on our home, I want homemade things that I look at and smile because I love the work I put into something small that makes such a difference in the house. First I needed to get some ideas from others. A friend shared an amazing site that has everything you could think of.(Click here for site) I check this site daily and get so many ideas. First thing first....what craft to do?I chose a simple, cheap wreath idea. Wreaths can go anywhere right? I had the perfect spot to put it in my head. Thanks to Born Again Crafter I knew what project I wanted to take on, the Book Wreath. I bought the wreath at Salvation Army for .45 and an old book for .50! Of course because I wasn't a crafter before this I needed to get a glue gun. I know that it looks kind of by its own right now, but I have a picture that is going to go almost next to it that hasn't been hung yet.

The craft bug then had hit! What things could I do next? Well, I'm going to make a magnet board (still looking for the perfect frame) and homemade magnets. A cork board because I am tired of all the appointment cards and what not on my fridge. Then I realized I had some letters that were boring and still packed up. How to fix them? Mod Podge and scrapbook paper silly goose! They were a dark cranberry color before and since my living room is no longer dark colors (its now yellow's greens and brown) it needed a new look....Tada! It's on top of the tv right now, but its going in our room. At first glance I thought it looked a little hippy-ish, which isn't a bad thing, just not me. But now I love it and the fact that it was SO easy to makeAny one have ideas how to clean up the top of a tv and hide every thing on it? We have the dvd player, Wii, xbox, and a few other random things. I hate the look but have no idea what to do about it. My only thought....time to buy a flat screen and a nice entertainment center :-) Nick says no...

Watch Out Picasso!

So one night Neacel and I sat at the kitchen table and colored pictures. Neacel of course colored pictures for Grandma and Grandpa, Nana and Pops, and Uncle Josh (who is serving his mission) Well, the crayons spilled and so I cleaned them up and sent Neacel to bed. (not because he was in trouble, it was just bedtime) Well, the next day I was sitting with Broden and playing with him while Neacel was in his room playing. All the sudden he comes down and in his toy corner starts coloring on the wall! Where did he get the crayon? Who knows, I must of missed it the night before or he grabbed it and hid it before I could find it. So I quickly grab the crayon and told him no....then I go on a search to see if there was more....bad idea! It was all the way up the stairs, the landing at the top of the stairs and his bedroom. Nick had just left for school so I put Brody down for a nap and started to think of ways to clean it. Alcohol (cleans everything including nail polish on carpet!) it was taking paint off, so I tried a blow dryer to heat the crayon and then soapy water to wash it away....paint coming ff again. SO I had Nick buy magic erasers before he came home....those took the paint off too! So I thought I was stuck with "Baby blue" (which is a lot darker then you would imagine!) crayon on my walls. Then we remembered that there was paint in the basement...wonder if any of it matches whats on the walls? Why yes, yes it did! So we painted over the crayon. I still need to get his room done but I figured I should wait till I know he is done ruining the walls in there...
Enjoy some pictures from our little Picasso. They didn't turn out great but you get the picture!