On The Road Again...

Ethan, Lucas, and I leave bright and early (hoping for 4ish, but we'll see) tomorrow morning for Lake Chelan, WA. It's a 9 hour drive, but my parents are meeting us in Moses Lake for lunch (if our timing works out right) so only 6ish hours on my own (coming back it'll be all me baby!)
I'm leaving super early in hopes that the boys will sleep sleep sleep for the first leg of the trip. I, however, will not be sleeping. This is a change for me on road trips. Luckily I have the novels (audio) of Janet Evanovich to keep me company and keep me giggling. That and a thermos full o' coffee. Maybe two to be safe....
I'm really looking forward to going back to Wapato Point (the place we stay) - it's been so long and there is lots to do outside there. I'm looking forward to lots of pool time and playground time - just having a good time with the boys. We're going to miss Brian terribly (especially in the middle of the night and at 4am when Lucas apparently needs to be fed every morning) but it'll be nice for him to get some down time (yeah right- I made him a honey-do list a mile and a half long).
So now that I've used my quota of parenthesed snarky comments for the year, I should probably go to bed (after I finish the laundry because someone forgot all my dirty clothes laying on the bathroom floor- how dare he!) ( I shouldn't make these comments as he's out filling up the car with gas right now!)
Off to ride the bike for a bit while my schtuff dries....

What a Trip!

When last we left you, oh bloggy readers, we were off to the zoo... Where we of course fed the giraffes! Ethan loved it at first, but then panicked a bit and would just watch. We made the giraffe pictured above a little fat, I think.
Then it was off to the tot train. Ethan got to drive it all by himself- loved it!

Then, I got to have my very own tiger- isn't he adorable!!! I just loved how patient the young man painting him was. Ethan did a great job and was so sad to wash it off at the end of the night.

Grandpa took Ethan for a pony ride. I didn't know they let tigers ride on ponies! Ethan was so calm and serious about it. He loved it!

And then there was the carousel. Ethan thought it was great. Lucas held on to me for dear life- forcing me to do some squats as it went up and down.

We saw lots and lots and lots of animals. I think the favorite was the grizzly bear who threw the ball at the window. Ethan loved that. There was also a giant gorilla that was eating green peppers and cuddling up to the viewing window. It really is a great zoo.

It was about then we realized Lucas was burning up and not doing so hot. He woke up from his nap and we gave him some tylenol and tried to get him to drink some water.

When we got back to the house, we jetted over to QuickCare as he was well over 101. Sure enough, nasty double ear infection. We were told to load him up on Ibuprofen and Amoxicillin. It still took forever for that fever to come down, hovering around 102 for about 2 days. Eventually it did come down.
In the meantime, we walked to a really cool park near grammy and grandpa's house. Ethan ran and ran and Brian got to play Frisbee Golf with some CO friends.

And then.... that night... Ethan woke up and had gotten sick all over himself. It was awful. He just kept going for about the next 12 hours and was pretty lethargic and miserable. Luckily, by being with Brian's parents, we had lots of help to take care of our two sickos. Yuck, yuck, yuck. But, we survived and stuck close to home, playing baseball in the backyard, cooking lots of yummy meals, and playing racing games on Grandpa's PS3.

The night before we left, the boys seemed a little better, and we had to go to Chick-Fil-A as Brian had not yet gotten his fix, so we headed for a short visit to the mall playground. Lucas loved playing in the house and Ethan loved running all over everything and sliding down the big mountain.

And Lucas practiced walking with Grammy.

Which is a great segue into the next morning when we hit the Focus on the Family Kid's Playground where Lucas TOOK SEVERAL STEPS from his Grammy to his Grandpa and then back again. He is still very unsteady, but he gets it! It's only a matter of time now....

The playground was really cool - not so much a playground as a Disneyland style attraction- minus the rides. It is a re-creation of the town in the series Adventures in Odyssey that Focus puts out. There was an airplane to climb in, secret passageways, a soda shop, puppets and costumes, and all sorts of things from the radio show. It was a really neat place and free!

It was a great way to end our trip, though we didn't want to go. It always goes to fast! We were lucky to get to spend a whole week there!

The trip home was not too bad. The boys slept a lot - probably residual fatigue from being sick. We ate at McD's way too many times, and yet I still managed to make good choices for food. Ethan loves staying in hotels in our "new beds" so the Super 8 was a hit. Not so much with Brian and I as we found out they don't have cribs. So lucas slept with us - not too bad though.

The funniest part of the trip home was that halfway back my mom informed me that our trip to Lake Chelan is THIS WEEK! I thought it was still a week and a half away. So, we're only home until Wednesday (just the boys and I) and then off again on another long drive. Hopefully the boys will be used to it?

Hello from Sunny/Rainy Colorado!

It was a pretty uneventful trip out here to Colorado. We took a day and a half to do it, but really had no big hiccups. There were a few fussy moments, but Lucas slept and slept some more and Ethan love watching movies and relaxing... Lucas developed a love for Scooby Snacks (graham cracker dog bones) and Ethan worked hard to entertain him in those few moments he was awake. He really has been such a good big brother on this trip.

We finally got here and haven't stopped moving since. Except of course when Lucas crashed on his Grammy's lap. He just goes and goes and goes and goes and goes. He has gotten everywhere and into everything. He's lovin' it here!

Ethan's highlight so far was the boys' (minus Lucas who got to stay home with Grammy and me) to the Rockies game last night. The boys were wearing their Rockies shirts - all decked out. *Please note Ethan no longer agrees to cooperate with picture taking...*

Ethan LOVED the game. He was so excited to go - talking about it all day. I was afraid he would get bored 20 minutes in (like his dear old mum) but he apparently entertained the masses - yelling and screaming for the team. They got caught in a torrential downpour on the way back - but hey, that' s how memories are made! We've already gotten to see some of our good friends who live here in town - Jason and Jana yesterday and Jacob and Michelle and their kiddos today. It's fun to catch up and see people. We made it to church today and the boys were pretty darn cooperative. Ethan was kind of a stinker afterward, but considering they got back at 11ish last night, that's to be expected.

Lots more fun to be had, but I thought I'd update it to prove we're still out there in the real world!

Stinkin' Camera...

Well- now I can't even get the camera to upload pictures, so I'm declaring it camera shopping season. We're looking at one that can be dropped 6 feet without affecting it. I think that might be a good idea. I can go ahead and blame all the dropping on Ethan, but it is just as much me. I'm a klutz!
We had a great weekend- last night was dinner with the McConnels- Lucas and Liam were rolling over all over each other and Ethan rocked it out on Guitar Hero with Todd. Tonight we got to go over there (all except for poor Brian who had to work) for Todd's birthday party. Yummy yummy food and good company!
Our low point this weekend was tantrum central in the mall today. We just went to walk around after church (too hot to walk anywhere outside) and by the end of it Ethan was full on screaming and crying, trying to lay himself in the middle of the walkways. Lucas was shrieking happily along - LOUDLY. It was embarassing, but we got them out of there as quickly as we could and went home. Poor Ethan just kept screaming because I'd taken away his toy, but soon enough he was his happy self. And he was fabulous at Todd's tonight - I think a bit intimidated by the other kids there.
I have so very much to do - projects to finish before our big trip that starts on Thursday. So off I go! Have a fabulous week and wish us good luck camera hunting!

Pretty as a Princess

Ethan is trying so very hard to be a good big brother. He plays and laughs, lets Lucas crawl all over him, drool on him, pull on him - for the first 30 minutes of the day, anyway. After that all bets are off. You can't blame him for being cranky though. Lucas was shrieking so loud during Ethan's nap that it only lasted about 45 minutes. That kid is SO loud! He is funny though. He's been standing lots on his own, but no un-assisted steps yet. He wants to - I can tell! He has also become a certified Daddy's boy. This morning when Ethan and Brian left for the library, he crawled over to the door, pulled himself up and cried for 5 minutes. He would not let me move him! (Did I tell you he shakes his head "no" now? It's pretty funny!) He also cried for awhile when Todd left tonight. He absolutely loves Todd. Notice I'm not in the club!

Being so stinkin' hot today- we decided to fill up the pool. Lucas was the only one brave enough to sit in the freezing cold water. We eventually joined him, but BRRR! It felt really good in the 100+ heat.

It took Ethan about 10 minutes to get in all the way (me too!) but once he did, he didn't want to get out. Kenya and Duke loved it - they kept throwing their ball into the pool so we could throw it. Kenya tried to get in with us too- she's a sharer.

Ethan's vocabulary is just growing and growing. He has so much to say- it's really fun! Today he told me, "You look pretty! Pretty as a princess! Wow!" He also told me I was cute a few times. Sweet boy he is! I think having a class full of girls is starting to affect him :)

This whole week has been pretty non-eventful. Just trying to get back on routine, just in time to drive down to CO next week. We're getting very excited though!!

Baby Kisses...

So I tried to get a picture, but then he refused to cooperate.... So I'll give you a mental picture...

"Lucas, give me a kiss!"
Lucas leans forward, mouth open all the way, tongue out - and kisses....
So much slobber, but so adorable.
That boy loves to make you smile. At dinner he kept putting his tupperware on his head until I'd laugh. Big smiles, giggles.... so sweet.

Ethan is having a hard time with the fact that Lucas can get in to all of his stuff. He does not like not being able to choose what things Lucas can play with. And obviously what Lucas wants most is what Ethan has. Poor kid. He's having a crash course in what it really means to share.

I am loving being back in my exercise classes. I did both Zumba and Yoga today and feel great (well, not my ankles so much, but the rest of me)... I have a new toy that my parents got me- A heart rate monitor. It is so much fun to track my heart rate and the accurate calories burned. It really makes me push my intensity. I burned 622 calories in Zumba today. I thought I might fall over, but I didn't. I think I'm kind of proud of me :)

Back to reading Harry Potter - getting so excited for the new movie!!

What a Trip! - A Novel....

Warning- this blog has a whole lotta pictures, so if you're not in the mood- don't bother :) I didn't even pick a quarter of them- there were so many! I for one, love the pictures.... And promise to be blogging somewhat more faithfully.

First stop was my parents' house. We were only there for a very short time- so we just hung out in the backyard in their pool. Well, Ethan was brave enough to get in. The rest of us just waded. We were able to see Nana before we had to get ready for our flight.

We jumped on a plane to Chicago - not too bad - rented a minivan, and then drove to South Bend to my grandpa (Baboo)'s house. We awaited the arrival of all of our cousins, aunt, siblings, etc. In all there would be 20 total for the 4th.
I got to meet my niece Maddie for the first time. Morgan (other niece) and Ethan helped me feed her. Help is a subjective term here, but it was fun. Maddie is beautiful. Red hair like her sister and definitely persistent. I didn't let go of her much the whole weekend. I'm not much of a sharer. :)

Morgan and Ethan did not take long to warm up and take over the house. They were so funny together. They all took turn having tantrums, but there were a lot of just plain fun times too.

These three were so cute together- Morgan at 3.5, Ethan at 3, and Lucy at 2.5. We loved swimming in the pool!

Staying still has never been easy for us, but still... I like this picture

Our side - my have we grown.

All 20 of us. Sheesh. We make a good picture, don't we?

My Aunt Mary Leigh brought her dog, Pamela. She helped me feed Maddie. Note her cool shirt.

Cousins Lexi and Casey helped take care of Maddie and Lucas. Lucas thought Miss Buckethead was pretty funny.

Ethan was not a fan of the fireworks. He watched from inside the back of the van. He would ask me what color they were... Later on he ventured to the front of the car and he and Morgan were pretending to drive everywhere. When one particularly loud firework went off, he yelled to my mom "PUT MY SEATBELT ON !!!"

Lucy brought her T-Ball set and it was a *hit*.

We took a few trips to Notre Dame- where my Baboo was the Assistant Dean of the Law School and taught for many many years. We visited my grandma, who is buried there, saw Baboo Bill's office, ran around, and, of course, bought out the bookstore.

This is the dorm Kev lived in. Future Notre Damers?

Baboo and Ethan hanging out on campus. I love this picture.

The guys- in front of the law school, in front of a tree our family had planted there in honor of our Baboos' anniversary.

Lucas had his first trip to a Chick-Fil-A. He approved.

We flew back to WA - somewhat uneventful (except for the tag team temper tantrums) and relaxed for a day or so before we jumped on the ferry for the Seattle aquarium. Ethan makes a good jellyfish, I think.

Ethan was a little too freaked out to touch the starfish, so I did it for him. Slimy!

Lucas crawled as fast as his chubby little legs could go to Nana every time he saw her. He even pushed himself over on that table thing-y.

Ethan loved loved loved driving the john deere with my dad. Loved it loved it loved it...

All in all- we had a fabulous time. I'm sure I'll think of more things as time goes on... My only regret was that we didn't get to see any friends in WA. There just wasn't time. Bummer, but next time, for sure. The 9 hour drive back took 11.5 hours and was fairly miserable, but we survived- kind of... Now 10 days before our next big trip!