My Funny Nephews

Click HERE to read a post I just had to share from my sister's blog. She has a couple of the funniest boys ever!! Enjoy.... By the time I was done I had tears in my eyes from laughing so hard!

Riley's Doctor Appointment

It's been months, but I had mentioned that Riley was having chest pains.... pains that our old doctor said were just "growing pains." Well our new doctor didn't want to mess around with this, so he sent us to Wichita to a Pediatric Cardiologist, knowing that there wasn't the right equipment in McPherson to properly cater to Riley.

Overall, we weren't that impressed with this doctor, but he did 4 tests (EKG, Echo, Sonogram.... and another that I can't remember) and they all looked "boring." Which in the medical field is a positive thing. He wants us to keep Riley extra hydrated, and we can keep monitoring him to see what happens. His suggestion was to get a cheap stethoscope and listen to his heart next time he has another episode.

Here is Riley with a smile on this face and bed head.... first thing he did was get gooked up to about 10-15 wires, and he was still smiling! He did great!

We will see what happens.... My brother who works in the Cardiology center at KUMed, isn't so confident this doctor went as far as he should have. If things progress, we may have to go a different route.

First Soccer Practice

Reece had his first soccer practice tonight. He loved it. I actually didn't give him a choice... I signed him up and then I decided to tell him he was going to play. Once we started shoe and shin guard shopping he warmed up to it pretty well. Afterwards he actually told me, "Soccer Is WAY more fun than basketball. I held back my hurt and I will be very happy that he is enjoying this. Just hope it lasts...

A funny from after practice.... after he professed his love of soccer, Reece and I were walking back to the car and right before we hit pavement, he said, "Now here for the girly part...."

I looked so confused and he continued, "You know.... like high heels!?"

Hehe.... he thinks the way cleats sound on pavements sounds like girls with their high heels. Silly boy!

Scary Adjustment....

.... or my boy who calls "Wolf."

Last night was the FIRST night Reece had to sleep in his room all by himself. Due to spring break, and the fact that Riley does have a TV in his room the boys had been staying in Riley's new room and watching a movie and then falling asleep. Well, we are close enough to going back to school, I had the boys in their own rooms by 8:30 for the first true night of separation.

About 30 minutes later, Reece comes in to our room and starts bawling huge crocodile tears. The kind that congests you immediately. He tells us how scared he is, and about all of the noises he hears. Then he tells us that he wants Riley's room. HA!! I'm pretty sure we're being manipulated at this point. Or at least Reece is giving his all at trying to.

After trying to reason with him for a bit, and telling him that the noises he is hearing is mom and dad moving around and it's an old house.... not a single floor that doesn't creak, I agree to go lay down with Reece to try to calm him down.

Calming down did not follow. I offer to allow the closet light to stay on, or the lamp. I offer to turn on some music to drowned out the noise, and he wants none of it. He complains that Riley's room is lighter... so I offer to get blinds for his window instead of his dark curtains. Nope! That isn't enough.

We then go into the "talk" about Riley being older, and many times the older child gets certain privileges, first. I told him I had 6 brothers and sisters older than me, so I never got things first! This prompted him to complain about it not being fair! It's always oldest to youngest. Even with friends..... my mature rebuttal was, find younger friends! Ha!!

I told him how much I LOVE his room, and he tells me he doesn't. His is more fun and WAY bigger than Riley's.... Reece doesn't care. Reece has all of the toys, and again Reece doesn't care one bit! He did ask if he will ever get Riley's room.... I say maybe (thinking of Riley moving out) but it won't be any time soon. Of course, that's too wide open for Reece. "When do you think I will get it?" I told him a LONG time, and in my head I said, don't hold your breath.

When I finally gave up, and told him to calm down and go to sleep it all comes out. He likes Riley's bed, the stripes on the wall, and the TV. As I stated before, this TV will only be able to play DVD's. I then left the room...

This brings me to this morning. I asked Reece how he was, and he was good. I asked how he slept, and he said fine.... but he had a "nightmare." I asked what happened? And he didn't want to tell me, then he downgraded it to a "scary dream." Finally he told me he dreamt about dinosaurs. I don't know how accurate this was, but I told him if he ever got really scared he could come to me. I'm 2 steps across the hall.

Part of me really wishes I would have never put them in the same room..... EVER!!! But that's really just silly thinking. Reece is a clingy personality, and doesn't want to be alone.... EVER! And when it comes down to it, Riley got something new. Reece wants something new too! Here are the 2 rooms we are upset about.... really, aren't they both fun!?

Reece's room that I updated last June.

(See June 2011 blog for more.)

And the room Reece wants now.... My last summer 2011 project I worked on. I'm still putting things together, so I don't have an updated picture.

Growing pains for Reece will continue.... It's tough being the baby.

Spring Break

We are just a couple days away from getting back into the swing of school and work. Can't say we accomplished much.... it rained most of the time. We did get to have the boy's cousin, Aidan come for a couple of days..... and again it rained the entire time. They still had a blast! It was video games and Legos. I actually have to thank Aidan for bringing the excitement back with the Legos. My boys play and build, but only for a bit, then they just get spread out all over the floor only to be touched when I ask them to clean. I always wonder how they get back out all over, when I never see them play with them. Hmmmmm?

We did take some time to separate the boys. They now each have their own room. Riley was definitely ready for this, but Reece was less than thrilled. There is a TV in Riley's new striped room, and Reece doesn't understand that there will never be cable hooked up to this room, so he thinks that Riley will be able to stay up and watch TV all night long. He'll figure it out. Reece also has separation issues.... he will never survive alone in this world, which frightens me just a bit as he grows up. It's still a work in progress, so I am not ready to take pictures of Riley's new room. Jake is working on his shelf, to help organize. Oh, and did I mention in rained? Good thing the boys are best friends..... very little drama.

We signed Reece up for soccer today. Didn't ask him about it, just did it! We went to get the proper gear, and I think that made it a little more fun for him. This kid needs to try new things, he's just built for it!

Lastly, I have a funny to post about the new rooms.... the 2 closets back up to each other, and the boys shared this morning that they can communicate from there. Well, I was in ear shot this morning to witness the "communicating." Of course, YOU were probably in ear shot too! I hear a, "REECE! GET IN THE CLOSET!"

Then I hear, "I AM IN THE CLOSET!

And it continued..... "HI, REECE!"

And so on and so forth..... Lovely communication.... I literally laughed out loud.... they are little geniuses!! I hope we keep the communicating to a minimum for my sake.

I hope these last couple days don't fly by too fast, and when they do, I hope the time for summer comes just as quick!

4 Day Weekend

Well the boys and I had a perfectly planned 4 day weekend from school/work. It was perfect because I got to see the entire Big 12 Tournament, and we haven't had any extra days off from school since January, so my brain really needed this extra time off too. And while I flirted with the idea of completely vegging out all 4 days, I actually had some productivity.... such as these S'mores Mini Dippers....

So I modified it a bit.... I went a little more expensive and got huge Hershey's chocolate bars, and went cheap on the graham crackers. I don't regret the Hershey's.... I mean who doesn't LOVE Hershey's chocolate? I would not go cheap again on the graham crackers.... they wouldn't crack for me the correct way, which is why my treats don't win the "pretty enough for Pinterest" award. Truthfully, I don't like marshmallows that much, so I really didn't make this treat for me, but these were so addictive and yummy, I had a hard time sharing with my boys!! ;)

Yesterday, Jake and I got a little fancier with our technology.... we became proud new owners of IPhones. Jake was gracious enough to allow me to get the 4s with Siri, and Jake stuck with just the 4. Above is my first picture with my new phone. I mostly wanted this for the camera.... now I don't have an excuse not to take great pictures of my adorable boys. And no flash to scare Riley!! Yay!!

Then we actually finished a project from the fall.... Jake had bought these landscape bricks when they had a great sale on them, but we had to wait to do more. SO, yesterday we got busy and this after we bought our plants, but before we got messy, and here is after we played in the mud for hours! It rained on us, but it was so worth it!! Now I think we can say our yard has 1/50th of it landscaped to our liking.

(Please look past all of the other not pretty things in these pictures.... it's going to be a huge undertaking!! A little at a time!)

BEST Aunt EVER!

Last weekend, when I was lucky enough to go to the KU game, Aunt Jaime stepped up to help out with the kiddos.... She was originally planning on making it down Friday night to sleep over, which the boys just love it when she does, but it didn't work out that way. So, Aunt Jaime (who is the farthest thing away from a morning person) woke up at 5am on Saturday morning, only to drive down the McPherson and take the boys to breakfast before taking them on to Wichita.

Then they got to grub on this massive cinnamon roll from Neighbor's Cafe. From the reviews, this pastry looks way better than it actually tasted. I think they even had a chance to bring leftovers home, but declined. Oh well.... I think the atmosphere and company made up for it! 3 cheers for Aunt Jaime!!

Another Good Report

We just had our last parent/teacher conferences for this school year.... and surprise, surprise, it was another great one. I will try to keep this update breezier than the last one.

First up, Riley.

A note from Mrs. Stucky:

Riley is an absolute joy to have in class! He continues to exceed expectations. An area to improve would be in writing, more specifically the mechanics of it! Comprehension is harder for him but he does a nice job! Keep up the hard work! Mrs. Stucky

She says getting the ideas from his head to the paper, he gets things jumbled and switches which person he is writing in (1st, 2nd etc). He is still on par with the grade level and in his class. His ideas are usually very fun and creative, it's just organizing those thoughts! I can't complain.... I don't know how many writing assignments I actually did without the help of my dad.... who is the writing expert. All of Riley's writing assignments happen at school. He will get there.

His Reading level is T (he should be at Q by this time) so he is ahead of the game. She said comprehension doesn't always come right away, but if he reads it over a couple times, it all clicks. I asked with Reading state assessments coming up, if we should worry and she said no. He actually comprehends great at the grade level, so he will be just fine. This reading level is just pushing him more day to day.

Math is still a strong subject, and he gets his "gifted" math 30 minutes each day too. His gifted teacher says he is doing well! And Spelling is still a strong 100% (which came down from that 101%.... I'll have to get on him for that ;)

Music gave him all 4's, which means he is slightly above grade level in all areas. This concludes Riley. He really is doing well, and I can tell that his teachers really do enjoy him. I'm so glad he will have Mrs. Stucky for another year!

Next up, Reece.

A note from Mrs. Olander:

Reece is a mature, confident learner. He is very helpful and considerate of others. He is very responsible and completes assignments accurately and quickly.

Reece is reading at a level J, in Reading. G/H is what is expected at this time in 1st grade, so he is just above. He has been given above grade level in Reading and Math. He knows how to spell 34 of 35 first grade words. The word "when" gave him trouble.... he spelled it "wen." Silly silent H!

Mrs. Olander has referred to Reece as the "model" student, and she might really have a hard time passing him off to 2nd grade. I just love how much she cares for all of her students, but I think Reece has a special place in her heart.

Reece is really doing well in writing, he really pays attention to capitals and punctuation. Here is a sample of one of his writings when the class was describing themselves.

Reece is getting 3/4's in Music, but Mrs. Olander is amazed that he was given ALL 5's in PE. She has never seen a 1st grader with these high marks. He must really hustle and he is very competitive. With him doing so well in this area, why doesn't he want anything to do with organized sports?? Apparently he is beating up on 5th graders at recess in 4 square.... if only there was an organized 4 square team to join. Haha! I may just have to start signing this kid up in random activities, I feel like it may be a waste of talent if I don't.

Well, I thought this would be shorter, but at least it is documented. I'm so very proud of my boys, and I really look forward to these conferences! Keep up the great work!

Senior Night

My amazing brother, Shawn, treated me to SENIOR NIGHT AT ALLEN FIELDHOUSE!!! Yay!

(Technically, credit should be given to his new in-laws, but Shawn chose me to accompany him!!)

It was amazing.... and to be there for Senior speeches and farewells was even more cool. However, this year's senior's lengthy speeches may bring more strict regulations to future seniors. They were very detailed to put it nicely.

Here are just some of my pictures from the night. I still need a better camera, but it didn't help my camera that we were up at the top. And for your sake, I tried being super selective while uploading these!!!

2008 Championship trophy!
BEAUTIFUL!!

NO, I was not trying to photograph this random man, but the banner above is pretty sweet in the HALL OF FAME!

2008 Championship team above, 1988 below with Danny Manning.

52 minutes until tip off against the Texas Longhorns.

Here is the banner that is already outdated..... 2012 needs added.

Team huddle.... Big Jay and Baby Jay wore tuxes in honor of our Seniors.

Team swaying with the crowd to the Alma Mater.

"Hail to Old KU!"

We were behind the seniors.... here is the back of their framed jerseys to send them off.

Seniors: Tyshawn Taylor, Conner Teahan, Jordan Jeunneman.

Here we go!

We love to ignore those visitors during introductions... and BOO them.

"Believe in the Phog!"

After we won by 10, Bill Self introduced the seniors, but we also got to give junior Thomas Robinson a long standing ovation because we all know this was his last game in AFH too.... Off to the NBA, but he deserves it, and will be taking care of his sister in the process. He might be the ONLY underclassmen, we as fans won't be mad about leaving early. His life circumstances need him there!

LOVE BILL SELF!!

Thanks for the memories!!

(But the post season is just beginning, so make us more of them!!!)

Holding Back

Reece's teacher must be preparing her 1st graders for their big move coming up. They have had the same teacher and classmates for 2 years, looping for Kindergarten and 1st. 2nd grade may come as a bit of a shock for most of them.... the bubble will burst! Several weeks ago, Reece came home to tell me that he was never going to leave 1st grade. When asked why, he simply told me Mrs. Olander would miss him too much! Truthfully, he can stay this age awhile longer if you ask me..... 2nd grade is the age I remember school becoming more serious for Riley. It was actually the ONLY year Riley told me he didn't enjoy. I know Reece will adjust easily, but it will be a big change!

***

I have a feeling the awesome art that comes home from Reece will decrease too.... here are some of his latest!

Patriotic for President's Day!

Can you believe Reece drew these sunflowers? WOW!

Happy belated Kansas Day!

And 3D Kansas Day art too....

Very modern!

Highs and Lows

I can't believe March is here. February was quite the month.... as you can tell from the lack of posts, it wasn't too eventful, however the month brought a crazy roller coaster ride of emotions.

First came the sick loss my Jayhawks lost to their evil rivalry.... the Missouri Tigers. It was a tough loss, only because we were up by 8 with 2 minutes to go..... okay so that was petty, I'm over it.

Second was the big turning of 30. I thought it would be tough, but it really was not! I am at a good place, and a feel good. As the weekend that Jake spoiled me rotten was coming to an end, I get word that a high school teacher, friend, coach and mentor had lost her 13 year battle with cancer. The high came down quick and I cried myself to sleep..... I was so close to Mrs. Poynter, she even had a role in my wedding. She was such an amazing person, who NEVER wanted a single person to pity her or even treat her like she was sick.

I haven't lost many close people in my life, so I don't handle death well. I know her pain is gone, but I hurt for her young children who had their mother robbed from them at the age of 48.

So after celebrating another year in my life, the next day I had to face the loss of the most inspirational person I'd ever known. I had to say goodbye to her, and it still doesn't seem fair. She had a smile that would light an entire room and she never let a single moment go for granted. In her eyes, there was never a better time to do anything than right now. I want to be this way. I want this motivation.

During this same week, Reece came down with a double ear infection!! What? Babies and toddlers get double ear infections..... or so I thought. We can't even remember the last time we had to deal with this, but thankfully, he responded to the meds well, and was back to his normal self in no time.

Continuing on the roller coaster ride.... Jake worked late most of my birthday week. So my neighbor friends, Laura and Casey, made me a surprise dinner. They came over with homemade lasagna, bread, salad and the best part was homemade cheesecake! YUM! Along with some beautiful flowers, that I got to put next to the flowers my coworkers got me. I guess some people find 30 to be a special number. And by the end of the week, I was feeling special!

The very next morning, before Jake was off to work, he came to me and says, "I don't want you to freak out." Well of course I'm expecting the worst, and ready for my roller coaster to come crashing down. He showed me a paper his boss had put together, with jibberish I didn't understand. Turns out, we should be getting an unexpected bonus this year!! You see, this store, Menards, moved in right across the street from Lowe's this year in Salina. In a smaller area, when you have competition move in, your sales will be affected a bit. Well, a bit meant that it was so effected that not a single goal was technically met. Jake's awesome boss (I'm sure his awesomeness changes by the day in Jake's mind ;) went to corporate and told them in the market of Salina, it shouldn't be a big shock that sales were so down from previous years. Corporate finally budged and adjusted the numbers, so much that we will not only get a decent bonus, it will help us do another project on this old house. Yay!! The way Jake's career has gone here in Salina, it really confirmed to me that the move here was best for our family. As much as I miss my Gardner friends, our family's well being is better here. In Johnson county we were working to stay afloat(medical bills didn't help), but here we aren't feeling the same struggles.

Lastly, we got to take on the Tigers again. This game took me up and down and up all over again! It was supposed to be a payback game, and we were at our house. We never lose there. Well, we went down by 19 and the depression hit hard. But wait! Suddenly we were only 3 behind!! Then in the last seconds we tied and went to overtime!! Amazingly.... with every shot seeming to go in, and going back and forth, back and forth in OT, we were the lucky team to be ahead as the clock ran out of time. This game may have taken 10 years off my life. This was a high, for sure, and what made it so much better, my brother invited me to this Saturday's game, which happens to be Senior night! Woo hoo!! As up and down as February was, it definitely ended on a wonderful high!!

Now it's March..... the most amazing month of the year, a month that again will take time off my life. I may need anxiety medicine for future basketball seasons due to my emotional investment, which may or may not be healthy! ;)

Happy March Madness, Everyone!