Just Because

I was surprised this afternoon when, after what was supposed to only be a quick trip to Lowe's, Grafton and Vince came walking in the door with a beautiful bouquet of flowers for me.

I love those "just because" surprises!

We Won't be Making Anymore Lemonade

This Spring my grandmother gave me an entire trash-bag filled with lemons from her tree, along with a juicer to go with them. I looked online and found the recipe for Hot Dog on a Stick's famous lemonade and we made several tasty batches of this wonderful concoction.

Earlier today Grafton dug out that juicer and was playing with it. Before we left for the store I had him put it away and never thought anymore about it.

Then, this evening when we came home from a birthday party Vince noticed a burning smell. I, however, was busy checking my Facebook Account and didn't really pay much attention. He wouldn't let it go and looked and looked until he saw this....

That's right, Grafton stuck the top of my juicer on the light-bulb of our lamp! That lamp is on an automatic timer and had been on for over 3 hours before we found it.

I'll miss the fresh-squeezed lemonade, but I'm thanking Jesus our house didn't burn down!

The Woes of Potty Training

This morning the boys and I left for Grafton's swimming lesson and about a mile down the road he said he had to go to the bathroom "REALLY BAD" and needed me to hurry. Seeing that we still had another 30 minutes to drive I knew he would never make it. As a result, I pulled into a Walgreen's so that he could use their bathroom.

In his rush to get on the toilet, he got some pee on the floor and then he spent another 15 minutes sitting there (he was going, it was just taking a long time for everything to come out). Since we were in a hurry I decided to use instant hand sanitizer to wash his hands, rather than soap and water. He wanted to do it himself, and I wouldn't let him without my help, so he cried and laid on the ground while wearing only swimming trunks. Because of his fit, I made him use soap and water and we were finally on our way.

We ended up spending 20 minutes in Walgreens and were over 15 minutes late for his 30 minute lesson.

If it weren't for the fact that we had plans to go to breakfast & Target with our friends afterwards, we would have headed home after our bathroom incident.

What do you get....

When you combine water, sand, two boys, and a puppy?

A really BIG mess!

At least we had fun making it.

A Pain in the Neck

Tuesday morning I woke up and noticed a slight crick in the right side of my neck. Since that time, the pain has increased and I cannot even tilt my head back. Right now I'm using heat and ibuprofen to try and make it feel better.

We have a big day ahead of us because we're celebrating 5 years of hosting our small group and have at least 30 people come over this evening. I must get better quickly!

Potty Training 101

About 3 weeks ago I decided it was time for Grafton to be potty trained. I've been tired of changing his diapers for a while, but because our summer was so busy and we weren't in a regular routine, I waited until life got back to normal.

I knew this would not work unless he had some incentive, so I used the rewards system. For every time Grafton used the toilet he would get one sticker, and for every 5 stickers he would get a prize. If he had an accident, then a sticker was taken away.

We went to the dollar store and picked out prizes. I put all of them (there were about 25 total) in a bag and he got to pick one each time he earned his 5 stickers.

The result.... Success!!!!! He's only had two accidents (and the last one was a week and a half ago) and he even wakes up dry every morning.

I'm very proud of our big boy!

Family Day

Last week Vince and I realized it's been over a month since just the four of us have gone and done something fun as a family. As a result, we took our boys to a mall we hadn't been to in a while and snacked on soft pretzels, rode the carousel, and watched them play in the play-place. It worked out great because it was air-conditioned, cheap, and fun!

A Birthday Comparison

I thought it would be fun to take a look at the two boys on their first birthdays. They definitely have their own look, but I can tell they're brothers.

Grafton on his 1st Birthday, May 11 2007

Deklan on his 1st Birthday, August 2nd, 2009

Happy 1st Birthday Deklan!

It's hard to believe, but our Deklan boy is a year old today! Having Deklan in our family has been an absolute delight and we are honored to be his parents.

Ever since birth, Deklan has been easy-going and happy. He's a great eater, loves to be held, and already looks up to his big brother. He also loves to wave, say mama, clap, and put anything in his mouth that he possibly can. He's not walking yet, but he will stand on his own for a few seconds when he's not busy crawling.

Deklan has changed dramatically over the last year. Here's a look back...

Minutes Old

3 Days Old

2 Months

4 Months

5 Months

6 Months

7 Months

9 Months

11 Months