A Little of This, A Little of That

Literally, last week was truly a little of this, a little of that.

We started out the week with a little infestation of conjunctivitis (pink eye). As much as I can tell Drayson got it first and it was quickly passed to Caleb (who I later found out was being a "good" big brother by picking Drays' eye boogs for him). PERFECT.

When the boys' eyes didn't look like this (red, watery & goopy):

They looked like this (red, swollen & crusty):

A quick trip to the eye doc and 24 hours of antibiotic drops later they were back to their old selves. Turns out Chip had been picking eye boogs out of both of the boys' eyes and was pretty sure that he was going to come down with pink eye so he took a few days off and stayed home with us (the school district doesn't really think highly of the possible spread of pink eye to several hundred students and teachers).

Caleb had just enough time to become "un-conjunctified" before his class took their annual trip to the fire house right next door to the preschool. Pretty awesome! Here is part of the class with Fireman Dan and Caleb trying on the fireman's coat.

I just love these next two pics. Caleb was shooting on Chip with the SOFT puck, but still managed to catch him square in the "junk" per say. This is what I saw AFTER I heard the moaning....

Now for you non-hockey types, this is exactly what the trainer does when one of the hockey players is down on the ice--jogs out to them with the towel and then gets right down by their face to ask how "things are going." This just cracks me up...he watches EVERYTHING!

Saturday afternoon Chip's soccer boys won their game 3-0! And then that night Riley & Kendle were able to come with us to the American's hockey game. Caleb was thrilled to have Kendle there (can't you tell?!)...then again, it could just be the 20 gallons of sugar coursing through their veins. :)

How Dogs Get to Heaven

Several weeks ago Caleb and I were discussing the death of a friend's dog. He wanted to know the usual....will they bury him?...will he go to heaven? Yes to both and the questions usually stop there. But not on this particular day, our guy is getting very intuitive and this is the conversation that ensued:

Caleb: But, HOW will he get to heaven?

Me: Don't worry, God will come get him.

Caleb: Will God FLY down to get him?

Me: Not exactly, see God is with us all the time.

Caleb: ALL the time?

Me: Yup.

Caleb: God is in this room with us...RIGHT NOW?

Me: Well, really, it's His Spirit (just now realizing that this convo has gotten a tad deep for my audience)

Caleb: (runs to look behind the couch) Mom...you are FREAKING me out!

Me: (awkward silence) well....ummm....yeah..........................so ya wanna cookie?

In retrospect, probably shoulda just answered "yes" about the flying bit somewhere around 10 questions ago. My luck he'll go to school and tell his teachers and the 15 other 4 year olds that "God lives behind his couch." Not quite sure this is what Pastor had in mind when he gave the sermon on "spreading the GOOD NEWS!" Let's just pray that next week he doesn't ask where babies REALLY come from.

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And since many of you (including my hubby) think no post is complete without a picture....you may feast your eyes on The Sweeties with Nonni Donna!!

Monthly Tidbits-March

Caleb: 4 yrs/37.5lbs

Caleb is definitely working a Dr. Jekyl & Mr. Hyde multiple personality disorder at the moment. He has been rocking one of two attitudes: either hilariously charming or "you didn't let me get my way and now were all going to pay for it." I will spare you details of the latter. Some of his more charming antics include:

• learning to dive at the pool
• taking his plate to the sink when he is done eating
• "spraying snow" on his 2-footed hockey stops
• walking up to me and telling me almost every letter on the SOUTHRIDGE SOCCER tshirt I was wearing the other day (he didn't know "U"...they haven't quite got that far in the alphabet at preschool yet :)
• Told the waitress at brunch the other morning that "his mommy will have carrots" (after the waitress asked if I was ready to order)--not as a side dish mind you, but that was apparently what he thought I should have as the main course. When I explained that I wouldn't be having "just carrots" for breakfast, he said "but mom, you like carrots!" hah!
• And I guess I could bore you with the same ol, same ol about how weirdly coordinated and athletically talented he is, but instead I will tell you about how he LOVES to split into teams at indoor soccer and then they go 1v1 against each other. Caleb gets all the other kids on his team fired up and they cheer on/go crazy for whichever teammate is playing at the time, and give them high 5's and pats on the back when they come back to the line. And in true Caleb fashion he maybe also yelled "we're taking you DOWN" to the kids on the other team...just maybe!

Drayson: 9 mo./21lbs

My guy is one stinkin' HAPPY guy. This kid will literally go days without crying (whiny freakouts after seeing the bottle and before bottle is inserted into his mouth aside, of course).

• LOVES all food, but especially likes cereal bars, mac & cheese & teriyaki chicken at the moment.
• Is now sleeping on his belly with his baby bum in the air (it's freaking me out...I keep waking up in the middle of the night thinking that he is going to suffocate himself)
• Every once in a while shakes his head side to side when you say "no,no" to him. (of course he does it with a huge grin on his face :)
• This boy can't seem to get enough of the pool--hopefully he feels the same way about the river this summer.
• Still no official crawling (mostly just sprawling and scooching), but loves to chase Caleb and the dogs around the house in his walker (and "yell" at them).
• The teeth count is officially at 6 (4 top, 2 bottom)

The Weekend in Pictures

My sis & fam were in town & I was able to snap this adorable pic of Drays & Parker

Caleb had his final hockey practice for the season & got this way cool bobble-head trophy!

Caleb & Coach Tyler (he's the best)

Caleb showing off his trophy to Papa KevO and Drayson

Caleb & his buddy Bryant playing a little street hockey

Look how old & handsome our Big Guy is getting

Chip taught Caleb how to play WAR (and Drays cheesed for the camera :)

That about wraps it up. Hope you all had a great weekend as well!

I would be so lucky to have this talented GAL take our family pics!

So a gal I know, fellow blogger, and amazing photographer has taken a leap of faith and decided to take her hobby and love of photography to the next level. I think that this is such a great and courageous thing for her to do. It is often scary to put yourself and your work out there and I commend her for it. I can not tell you how many times I have cruised her personal blog and though to myself...I would LOVE for her to take our family pics. And now I will hopefully get that chance.

Meghan was raised in the Tri-City area and now lives with her cute little family in Salt Lake City, UT. But she gets back to this area several times a year (this might be a great option for those of you that come home to visit family during the summer...hint,hint, wink, wink :) I am actually hoping (pretty please) that she will be back sometime this summer so that we can get our family pictures with all 4 of us done. Please check out her new photo blog MeghanRoblesPhotography. There is a neat giveaway that lasts until March 24th, where you get a chance to win a free session or discounts on sessions and/or prints.



She is a super talented lady!!! But don't take my word for it....I'll let the pictures speak for themselves (see a ton more on her photo blog)!





P.S. She is actually back here in Pasco visiting family as we speak and should be here for another week or so, and I happen to know that she has a few sessions available. You can contact her at meghanroblesphotography@hotmail.com if you are interested in snatching one up this week.

Happy Birthday, March!

This month some of my most special people are having birthdays. My mom, my bro-in-law Trav, my sis-in-law Charlotte, Chip's Grandma Rosie, and one of my closest galfriends in the whole world Kynda. I love you guys. My life would not be nearly as full or entertaining without you!
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March 1st--Rosie

So "Rosie's" name is actually Charlotte and she is Chip's grandma on his mom's side. She is one of the neatest people. She has the cutest Wisconsin accent. She lives in Billings, MT, so we don't get to see her nearly enough. One of the trips I cherish the most was over Thanksgiving the first hear Chip and I were married. We were able to go out there while Poppie was still alive and it was just the four of us plus Chip's mom, Jane. Of course no trip out to Montana would be complete without a shopping trip to TJ MAXX--I swear those Sturm women just LOVE a good trip to TJ's! Rosie is so sweet, I know that the majority of her time is spent either 1. Praying for her whole entire family daily (and it's a big one) and 2. Checking up on all of the family happenings via her computer (she always makes sure she sends back a "reply" if you send her an email). She has a way of making everyone feel very special and I love that about her.

P.S. Rosie, I'm sorry I don't have a picture of you, if I get over to Jane's in the next couple of weeks, I will try to find one to post before the month is over!

March 15th--Kynda

Kynda and I have been fast friends since 1st grade...school, soccer, church, you name it, we were probably there together. We even coached together for several years. Some people may think Kynda is quiet...her close friends would know better :) To make the package even better, she married her awesome hubby Dave this past June. We have a great time hanging out with them and a couple other "couples" on a regular basis, where we usually share good laughs and a little too much wine! Though, apparently she must be pretty good at staying out of the line of my camera (probably afraid she'll end up on the blog :), because I did not have any recent pics of her (well none that were taken before we started drinking the before mentioned wine--Kynda you are so lucky that my mom took pity on you and told me that it would not be in good birthday spirit if I posted the pic of you in the granny panties from your Bachelorette party!) So here are a couple oldies but goodies that I found in my pic box (sorry about the poor quality).

From left: Trish, Kara, Jon, Kynda, Me--circa 2000?

From left: Me, Kynda, Katie W.--circa early 1990's?

March 22nd-my Madre Donna (aka, Nonni)

I usually do not reveal the ages, but seriously I have to. My mom is 50 and looking dang good if I do say so myself. Thanks for the "genes," Mom. I kid you not, we regularly get mistaken for sisters. What can I say. My mom is SO AWESOME! I KNOW that I got the best of the bunch with her! She is one "cool" mom and always has been (I don't ever remember being embarrassed of her--even in middle school ;). She is one of my best friends and greatest shopping buddies. She is a wonderful cook (and feeds us regularly). She is caring & loving & thoughtful, but she is also feisty and quick to jump to the defense of any of her family or friends. She wears her emotions on her sleeve (if anyone was wondering which side that came from, now you know). I swear she was born to be a GRANDMA or Nonni (Caleb's name for her since he could talk...I think that will be around for a while). She doesn't think but knows HER grand kids are cuter than anyone elses! :) She is such a great support system and has really shown me how to be a good mom. So here's to you Mom. And I know you hate all pictures of yourself, but I think you are beautiful and I love you!

Mom & Me

The Fam in 2005?...missing some key players here obviously (Trav, Parker & Drays were yet to be added to the roster :)

March 24th-Travis

I don't think they come much better than this in the brother-in-law department. He is a riot, a good addition to the "good time friend." When my sis first started dating him I fondly referred to him as "new guy" or "in between" guy....well it would appear that he's here to STAY and we couldn't be happier. He and Chip get along great. He even laughs at my jokes (well at least I think he's laughing at the jokes...maybe it's just me). He is a great husband and dad also. We can't wait until they move back down here in June.

The gals & Trav at their wedding

Trav vs. The Chair on the best camping trip known to man. We have to do this again.

March 30th--Charlotte

The first time I met Charlotte was very early on in mine and Chip's relationship. I was 16. She opened the door and yelled up the stairs "Chip, you're little FRIEND is here!" So, yeah I was pretty much terrified of her for the first year or so. Now a decade later it is easy to laugh at this story. Char is a wonderful wife and mother. I was honored to be by her side when she gave birth to Nathan last year when George was in Iraq. Truly, being able to watch the miracle of birth is one of the best and greatest gifts ever (and makes you kinda proud of yourself for going through that after seeing it from the other side). I even got to cut the cord...so cool--I'll probably never get to do that again. And I think it made us closer (I had just (literally like 3 days before) had found out I was pregnant with Drays). I will always treasure those hours of "bonding" that she and I were able to have.

Charlotte with Nathan at Disneyland over Christmas vacation.

Whew!...that was a long one. And that was just a "warm-up" compared to next month. This one was kinda emotional for me too (yeah, i know, i know...what's new?). I really do love these 4 people! Happy Birthday, Kynda, Mom, Trav, Charlotte & Rosie (aka the original Charlotte :)....you guys deserve it!

Have some KID pics!

I know some of "my readers" are actually more like "lookers" (mainly my Dad :)....they only hit up the blog for kiddo pics and could really care less about what it's like "around the house." So here are some random pics from the past few days. Enjoy!

This was what was left of Caleb at about midnight of the soccer sleepover. This is like "where's waldo"...can you see Caleb among the sea of blue soccer gear?


Caleb is really into taking pics lately. Here is one that actually has our heads intact! :)

The boys are starting a "tight jammie" club! Only people under the age of 6 will be allowed out of respect for the rest of the viewers (after that it's just not cool ;)

The other night Drays was doing this hilarious thing where he would pull the curtain back and look at his reflection in the window--then he would look back at us and GRIN and chuckle. It must have gone on for several minutes. He and (we) thought it crazy funny...oh how babies can hold our attention with the silliest of things.

And look who is trying to pull himself up on things...really great! How things change from Baby #1 to Baby #2. With Caleb we were like "wow, he is so advanced and amazing." With Drayson I'm like "crap, do you think it would be bad to bind his legs for a couple months?" :)

PS--don't worry...March Birthday post soon to come. Just compiling all the most embarrassing (oops, I mean most FLATTERING) pics of the special people!

March Journal Entry

March 6, 2009


OUTSIDE MY WINDOW:

It's 10:45pm...dark. But today there was SUN, glorious SUN!

I AM THINKING:

That I am lonely. Chip took Caleb to the Southridge boy's soccer sleepover at the gym. He is getting to be such a big boy now. Though he still took his BB (blankie) with him, he told me that it helps him "sleep tight!" :) I asked him what the big boys would think and he said he didn't care what other people thought of him....OK--now who does that sound like?--Chip!!

I AM THANKFUL FOR:

2 kiddos that sleep so good and always have. We usually have them in bed and asleep by 8:30pm at the latest. Which is when Chip and I actually get to spend a few moments together catching up on our daily events or zoning in front of the TV (we're kinda addicted to Idol).

FROM THE KITCHEN:

A sink full of dirty dishes that I have been protesting all day. It's a shame that they will still be there in the morning.

I AM WEARING: A Southridge soccer tee of Chip's and my favorite jeans. Let me just say that these jeans are to die for. They are 7 for all Mankind and I have had them for years. I am a very picky jeans person...I want them to be soft and comfortable, but still look good, oh yeah, AND fit my scrawny butt. I do not buy them because of their designer label, I wish a zillion times that those $29 jeans at Old Navy did it for me, because then I could have like 6 pairs compared to my one. Anyone that says that they could never spend this much on jeans has never had a pair of their own. I would say "I dare you" right now, but I don't want all your husbands leaving me nasty comments on the blog!! And once you have 1 pair, all other jeans will pale in comparison. These are "special event" jeans, meaning I only get them on Christmas or birthday, etc. Oh, I can not wait to be 27!!

I AM CREATING:

I think that I should just permanently delete this prompt from my journal entries--because I am sadly lacking in the creativity department.

I AM GOING:

To go stare at my baby in awestruck wonder before I go to sleep in my lonely cold bed. Caleb always gets to sleep on Chip's side of the bed if Chip is out of town...so today caleb wanted to know if Drayson was going to sleep on daddy's side...um NO (he is a crazy loud sleeper...he has been in his own room since the day we brought him home-- staying out of town when he has to sleep in the same room as us is torture). Then caleb wanted to know if I was going to let Abby (our dog) sleep there...um NO again!

I AM READING:

My email and other people's blogs...yeah how's that for enlightening. Lame, I am totally lame!

I AM HOPING:

That Chip's soccer season goes really well. He and the boys have been working so hard in the off season. He puts his heart and soul into this. He accepted the job 3 years ago when they didn't even have enough players to field a full JV team and they had win less seasons when a 10-0 loss was the norm. They have come a long way. Last year they had their best season record of all time and made the playoffs. Hopefully this season will even be better!! Chip is truly the kind of coach I wish I had growing up (I may be slightly biased)...he always pushes and expects the very best from people, without have to raise his voice and act like a total prick.

I AM HEARING:

"Rain" noise from Drayson's sound spa coming through the monitor. Period. That is all. Odd. Strange. How will I ever sleep tonight?.

AROUND THE HOUSE:

Pretty clean except for those dishes who won't get a clue and take a hike, plus the continuous onslaught of dog hair that plagues me daily (especially now that Drays is trying to crawl). Note to self: next time get a shed less dog--or better yet, no dog at all.

ONE OF MY FAVORITE THINGS:

1. Blue corn tortilla chips. Is there an actual difference in taste or do they just taste better because they look cooler?

2. Individual pre-sliced and sweetened pink grapefruit cups from Costco. I love grapefruit...but seriously, too much work after all the slicing. Of course I throw an extra spoonful of sugar on them.

PLANS FOR THE UPCOMING MONTH:

SOCCER, SOCCER, and more yup you guessed it SOCCER. Spring sports started Monday. Also Caleb started indoor soccer Thursday. Throw in a little playoff hockey and that should do it.

A PICTURE THOUGHT I AM SHARING:

"Babies are such a nice way to start people."

I never knew what I was capable of or how much I could do until I became a mother. Here's to all you other "Super Moms" out there! Have a fantastic month (even when the munchkins are giving you the business!)

P.S. I don't want to brag and make anyone out there jealous...but this is totally like 2 weeks before I gave birth to Drays. That's just how I roll friends...and Heck NO, I did not work out while I was pregnant...take your preggo pilates and stuff 'em!

Just doing our part to Stimulate the economy...

As you all know we have been considering a new "family mobile" for a while now. Well, we finally bit the big one and picked up this pretty thing on our trip to Seattle 2 weeks ago....Happy Valentine's Day to Us! Happy to report that we did not get a van--I jokingly told Chip that "I don't even have to do my hair and this car makes me look good!" :) It is an '06 Acura MDX and I still can't believe it is ours. We ended up getting what we think is a good deal on it (in comparison to a lot of the other stuff out there that we looked at), the previous owner took really meticulous care of it. Apparently it gets really good safety ratings, so that makes me feel, well....SAFE! :). My "buyers remorse" is finally starting to wear off (does anyone else get this?...it sucks)--I think I felt the same way for a couple months after we bought our house as well. I was sad to see the Honda go (and the awesome gas mileage as well), but this is definitely a vehicle that our family will be able to use and enjoy for a long time.



Last night was the final "Skate with the Ams" for the year. And of course Caleb could not leave the ice without having Kruise sign something...

And in a totally wild turn of events, Caleb has decided he likes Winger now. He announced at the game last week that he was going to "go give Winger a hug"...we were like "yeah right", but Chip took him anyways.--and sure enough he walked right up to that thing and hugged him! This is a poor picture (sorry, I wasn't ready for it) of Caleb hugging him again last night! :) Everyone we sit with was in shock, I think we all expected him to freak out and revert back to when he was 2 and all he could say was "Bird eat Dan head" (that's a story for another time :)

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I had the boys in the bath the other day and all of a sudden it struck me...my heart is so full (don't get me wrong, sometimes they drive me absolutely bonkers, but every once in a while I have these great moments of peace). There is just something about having BOTH my kidS in the bath together...this is what being a mom means to me (does anyone get this?). Ok, so I know I am rambling and it is hard to explain, but when Caleb was little and we had been trying for over a year and a half to get pregnant again (and were starting to think that we might not), I felt a hole, like I was meant to have another child. And even though we love kids and will more than likely try for a 3rd eventually, I feel like if it isn't in God's game plan for us to have another, my heart now feels like it is really content and full with both my boys. It's kinda like being at Costco with the BIG carts that you can fit 2 kids in the front seat of...so friends, what I'm trying to say here is that I have 2 bums to wash, my Costco cart seat is full, and therefor, so is my HEART!

p.s. check out those eyelashes on both the boys in that top pick...I would kill for lashes like that--those definitely did not come from me :(

Here is a random fun pic from last week