Nicolas is Back to Bat!

Nicolas was very eager to get back to the ballgame! Here he is the first game he could play again.

Swing and hit that ball!

Run, Buddy, run! Can you see the look of determination?

He takes his job in the field very seriously too. There he is on first base ready to catch the next ball.

We had a full family house that game. Grandpa (Nicolas' biggest sports supporter) was there again along with MeeMaw, Papaw, Grandma Birdie. Aunt Melissa, Uncle Tim, Kai and Edie came too. Lexi got her usual "Edie" time in while Grandpa looked on. What a cute set of cousins they make!

Lord Give Me Strength!

Okay, I know you have to be strong when the kids aren't listening. And especially strong with bedtime. But boy it is getting hard with Lexi. My little girl who used to go to sleep as an infant by just laying her down and walking away. Now... not so much!

Tonight I came home from Collinsville's Faith in Action auction fundraiser. It was about 9:30 and Mary was still trying to get Lexi to bed. Lexi has turned into the queen of stall tactics. "Can I tell you something" is the famous last words as you try to get out the door. She does them all... needs to potty, is thirsty, one more book, one more song. I don't give in so you would wonder why she keeps trying.

I thought we had got her to bed and came down to pay Mary and talk about her evening with the kids. Alas, little 3 year old foot steps came down the stairs. "Bye, Mary" as I headed Lexi back up to her bed and prepare to partially close her door. She hates her door closed even part way as she is trying to fall asleep. But that is the rule if she gets out of bed again.

She is crying... wanting her door open...I leave the room...
"Mommy, can I tell you something? Mommy, I have just one more question."
"No, Lexi, not again. Goodnight." I leave and pull the door half way closed.
"Mommy! Mommy? Why aren't you answering me. Aw! Mommy, you aren't answering me. Will you open my door later?"

I am quiet in the hall... she starts to cry louder. I fear she will wake up Nicolas who is out cold. So I do go back in and told her that her door will be closed all the way if she doesn't quiet down. I leave.

"Mommy? Mommy? Will you open the door again? Mommy? Aw, you aren't answering me again." (all this is being said in a teary, sad little voice)

I am on the other side in the hall struggling between sympathy and laughing. Then the clincher...

"I just can't be happy anymore."

Okay, my little girl is always happy. I laughed and then had to stop myself from running in there to make everything better. Currently writing this just to stop myself from going in and "fixing" it all. Maybe I'll work on more blog photos that I am still backed up on and try to catch up.... please go to sleep my little Lexi!

Lexi Has Her Eye on Mommy!

"Mommy, are you making dinner?"
"Yes, dear, be patient."
"But mommy I am hungry."
"I know dear, I am working on it."
"Do you have a spoon in your hands?"
"what?"
"Do you have a spoon in your hands? No, your hands are on the computer."
Picture mommy a little shocked and embarrassed! Yep, I was. But, honestly, I had just been mixing the veggies, chicken and pasta in a big bowl. I just stopped to check my emails about our soccer game not going on tonight and going to Tropical Sno instead. Hey, it was legitimate. But wow! Caught red handed! She is going to make a good mommy someday!

Nicolast and Lexi play

Nicolas and Lexi play so well together. I see so much of myself and my brother, Ron. And here is another moment that takes me back to my own childhood.

Nicolas and Lexi play wedding!



Note Nicolas' tie and black suit coat. The bear is in attendance.

The whole thing is just cracking Nicolas up!

Good at the Zoo

We braved the heat and threat of rain and got a visit into the zoo. Grandma came with us and Daddy met us there for the stingray exhibit and lunch. It was a good day!


The stingrays were fun to see and touch. I think we could have done this part all day. Well, not Lexi so much. She wasn't thrilled with it.

Lots of great zoo moments. Looking forward to our next visit!

Start of Summer Moments

Nicolas is one week from his surgery. He struggles with the desire to do all but he is so strong. His team had a T-Ball game. I told him he didn't have to go since he could not play.. but he insisted. He insisted on wearing his uniform and sitting on the bench so he could cheer on his team. So proud of him!


Notice... shoes off. Why not be comfy?

Lexi had a cheerleader camp at Little Gym the second week after school was out. She loved it!

Funny and Sweet Lexi Moments

After riding our bikes in the cul de sac down the street tonight... over and over and over and over... we came home to bed. While Daddy was putting Nicolas to bed, I was chosen to go play dolls with Lexi. Something from our yummy steak/corn on the cob and rice dinner must have upset my stomach. I admit it. Tonight was not one of my highest points in aroma. Okay, only admitting this in writing because the story to follow for some reason still makes me giggle out loud!



Pictures this....

Lexi and Mommy playing dolls. Each doll (and there were several being rotated) was getting baths, fed and to bed in her doll playing area. While Mommy was looking for another baby bottle in the basket to feed doll number three... she tooted what seemed to be a harmless, silent one. Um... yep. Not real lady like, I admit. But not like I can escape to another room to do it as Lexi will just follow me!



Lexi comes up behind me right after... Augh.... and says with a quizzical look on her face "I think I smell something." I respond "Oh really?" "Yes, Mommy, I smell something. Oh no! I think one of the babies must have pooped their pants." She scrambled to get diapers and start changing all of them. "Oh, mommy, one of them really did poop their pants."



I couldn't stop laughing for a long time. Thankfully I never got the blame!



Later, I was slathering aloe on my dear Lexi before bed (another low point of the day was forgetting to put suntan lotion on her at the pool). Luckily she doesn't hurt... but she sure is pink. She very sweetly asked "Mommy, are we light brown?"

"Yes, Lexi, we are light brown."

"Other people are different browns... dark brown."

"Yes, Lexi, other people are darker brown. What do you think that means?"

"Oh, it means that they are very nice."

Okay, that works for me! Was also a great way to build and talk about God making us all beautiful inside and out. But I think she had figured it out on her own!

Yummy Way to Spend a Day!

The Friday after Nicolas' surgery (5th of June) was a nice break for mommy! Grandma Birdie came over so I could go to a baby shower for Shawn's step-sister-in-law. We missed her baby shower because it was on the same day as Aaron and Mary's wedding. Sorry, Joan, but that trumped things I guess. But I sure didn't want to miss a chance to revel in Joan's glowing mommy-hood! So when Shawn's step-mom Mary suggested we all meet up for lunch to make up for it then I was loving that idea. And got really excited when Melissa suggested Jilly's Cupcake Bar.

What a yummy way to spend the day. It was a scrumptious lunch with Melissa, Mary, Joan and Christin. And then a very tempting drive home as I carried four cupcakes to share with the family. I picked them out with each member in mind.

Starting on the right we have:

(white with sprinkles) - Jilly on the Beach - Vanilla Cake with Key Lime filling and Mango cream cheese frosting and a kiwi buttercream.

(chocolate one) S'Murtle - chocolate devils food cake stuffed with marshmallow buttercream and chocolate ganache topping.

(blue) Cookie Monster

(orange) Dreamsicle

These were huge! And we shared each and every one. But they have so many more to choose from. Anyone else game for a car trip?

Jacob Turns Three!

We were very ready to get out of the house and get a little sun after three days at home. But here comes the hard part. We were invited to Jacob's Birthday part at the park... a park... where a five year old boy will be wanting to run, jump, climb, swing and whatever else he can do. But he can't! How is he going to handle this?

Great! Super!

Lexi's little friend, Jacob, turned three and we all wanted to celebrate. So we headed to LeClaire park to party! Nicolas was prepared. We had a big blanket and toys for him to play with. We had a positive attitude... and a special Transformer toy at home waiting to be torn out of its package if he could stay calm and only do what I told him he could do.

Lexi was very excited to go to the park and see her friends too!

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All the kids enjoy throwing the loaf of bread to the ducks and geese on the lake.
Nicolas stands in one spot and helps spin the merry go round for the three year olds.
He hangs out on his blanket and does tanagrams. This took his attention for a long time!
He listens to the funny stories that his friend Ryan tells as they eat a yummy lunch.
Jake, Tyler, Lexi and Nicolas swing the swings for their imaginary friends.

(bottom right photo) Then some five year old friends of Nicolas' come to the park... Now I stressed. Could he stay as calm and not be tempted to play when his own friends are there? Oh gosh! But he did! The very gently used the swings and he just hung back and watched them most of the time. When it started to get very, very tempting and a bit sad and frustrating for Nicolas then Taran, Jake's wonderful mom, came to the rescue with an extra cupcake to distract him. Thanks a ton, Taran!

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Lunch and cupcakes were yummy! Can you tell?

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Jacob and Lexi look so sweet together! I am sad they are in different classes next year. Hoping they get to play together outside on the playground or in the gym.

Happy Birthday, Jake! You are a doll!

The Day After... Really?

The next few days were not just okay... they amazed me! Pain meds should have been our helper but it was simply an amazing boy with a strong personality. And thanks to my mom and Sara! Lexi was entertained and loved while Nicolas got to heal here with me. She had a hard time too with being shuffled off and wondering what was going on. Thanks to those of you who helped with her! She would have just wanted to play and Nicolas loves to play with her... and Lord knows the girl doesn't know how to be quiet when someone is sleeping! (smile)

Now, our doctor said that he would have 2-3 days of recovery where he would need his pain medicines and be pretty low key on the couch and such. So being the over prepared person that I am, I had toys pulled out that are quieter and all kinds of other things ready to go.

• movies from the library
• new books including chapter books that we could sit and read
• Tinker toys
• Lincoln Logs
• Lego's
• Coloring books
• Puzzles galore
• Maze and word find books
• Rush Hour Jr game
• Seek and Find books
• So much more!

(photo: concentrating on rush hour game, proud of his tinker toy tower, gobbling up fresh fruit and pancakes made from the wonderful fruit spread that the Bosworth family brought over, excited about the sucker bouquet his buddy Cooper brought over.)

I was ready for camping out with him for at least two days. Um... do you know what we got to use? The Tinker Toys (thanks Erica for lending us those, we will get those back to you), the Rush Hour Jr Game (he loves this), and maybe one movie. But he didn't even sit still during all of that!

I admit that this first full day at home the phone rang a lot and even the door bell... so napping on the couch was not a brilliant idea. But boy, you could not keep Nicolas down. He had two incisions! I would have been on pain meds all day and not been doing anything at all. Him? Nope! He was up and at it from the beginning.

Only days later did he see the second incision and make a comment like "Oh, maybe that is why I hurt there." What? He never told us he was hurting!!! Then two weeks later he stands big and tall with his feet fully together and comments how he can finally that day stand like that without hurting. WHAT? How much hurt has this little boy smiled through, played through, ran around through?

Two weeks after he was cleared for full activity including riding his bike and swimming. He was more then ready!!!

A special thank you to everyone who called, emailed, stopped by! They say it takes a village to raise a child. I feel so lucky to have such an amazing and extended group of famiy and friends around us. Wow! Thank you for being my village! I have learned so much this past few weeks. This surgery seemed so huge to us but I know that compared to what others have to go through it is minor. And yet everyone took it to heart as strongly as we did. I am ready to step up and do the same for all of you! May God bless you with good health and a life of love!

Our Big Boy Has a Big Day

Update! But first thank you to everyone who prayed and contacted us! It was hard and even with the anxiety med I took...I cried. Okay, I tried really hard not to as I know it was not good for him to see me sad... but he would smile at me sweetly as he saw me struggle to hold back tears.

Nicolas, on the other hand, was strong. You could tell he was afraid but he stayed stoic and strong. When we got there they were waiting for us. Apparently they had a scheduling issue and were able to get to him right away. So instead of getting there at 11:30 and it taking until 1:00 for us to go into surgery... he was headed back about 12:15. they took us back so fast I didn't get to bless the doctor or Nicolas with that special holy water that our dear friend and neighbor Jackie had made up for us. But God had his hands on them anyway.

He came back to recovery about 90 minutes later. He had a hard time waking up from the meds. But he is a deep, deep sleeper anyway. He hurt when he was awake. He also got a bit nauseated. But he was hungry, thirsty and smiled. He is very brave!

He of course loved that he could have all the Popsicle slushies he wanted!

He also was looking forward to watching movies at the hospital and at home but alas couldn't not keep his eyes open no matter how hard he tried. Falls asleep after trying very hard to stay awake for Monster, Inc. Note that he has Lexi's Illini tag blankie, his own blankie, two pillows he loves and his Pandy to comfort him! Not short on love at all!

So we took the long ride home with me in the back smashed between carseats so I could help hold his drooping, zonked head up. I immediately bundled him on our couch while Shawn tried to get the grass cut before our neighbors called the city on us.

So my baby boy slept and I worried about him. Friends called, emailed, etc. And I answered and I watched him.

I don't know if I took my eyes off my baby for more then a few minutes at a time.

He woke up for a short time and his took a visit from grandparents and tried to once again watch a movie. The movie didn't last long as his eyes got so tired. But not before we called Grandma Birdie who was keeping Lexi all day and overnight to help us out. We called to say good-night to Lexi. Nicolas asked to talk to her. All day this little boy was strong and never ever cried. I gave the phone to him to talk to his little sister and watched as his little lip began to tremble.

"What is wrong, sweetie?" I asked.

" I miss Lexi! I want Lexi to be home." he cried

From the other end of the phone I heard a sweet voice of our little girl as she said softly, "It's okay Nicolas, I am right here! I am here. Don't cry. I am right here."

He handed me the phone and cried into his pillow.

They love each other! They may squabble and such as all siblings may do. But these two start their days together and end them together. And I believe not having the other at that moment broke my small boy after a day of being so very brave!

They day was over. He fell asleep with his daddy sleeping on the floor. Let the healing begin!

They Say It's His Birthday?

Shawn Birthday! Yeah Daddy!

And what an amazing Daddy he is. What other dad would answer Incredible Pizza Company when asked where he would like to spend his birthday? Is it because of their grand pizza buffet? It's good but that's not it!
Is it because of their absolutely fun games? Fun, yes but that's not the draw!
Is it because of their indoor neon miniature golf? Not exactly.
Is it the Bocce Bowling? Um... yes, but not for Shawn!

Shawn knew that Nicolas was going to have a rough Monday so he wanted to have the day before (his own birthday) be as much fun as it could be for the kids! What a great dad!

With all the family in tow to help us celebrate (thanks Nancy, Jerry, Jim, Mary, Birdie, Tim & Mel for coming to watch 3 kids and one big kid play). We wanted to bowl and play video games (MaeMae rocked at that)... we headed off to Incredible Pizza Company. Timed it just right to beat the crowds, eat our buffet lunch and hit the playing field!

First stop of course was...

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Bocce Neon Bowling! Okay, not sure if this is the official name but it is to us. The kids had a blast. Bumpers were up, balls were rolling and everyone was glowing! Just check out Lexi's shoes in the top right photo. Yep, we were glowing!

Loving Nicolas' form!
Bottom left photo is actually Lexi cracking herself up at her bowling skills. Now, how do you exactly get the ball on the wrong side of the bumpers???

Then we were off for....


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Neon miniature golf! What is up with all this neon anyway?

There was absolutely nobody in there so the kids (plus Shawn, Grandpa and myself) could just roam from hole to hole and back again. Not sure exactly how many times we played over and over.

The miniature truck and motorcycle were fun to take pictures on with cousin Kai.




After we finally drug them from playing golf, we all went and played skee ball, basketball, and whatever other fun arcade game could draw our attention. Mae Mae had a bit of an addiction going on trying to find the games that would win her the most tickets for her grandkids. It is two weeks later now and she is still talking about the next time we want to go back! Is there Arcade Anonymous for grandparents?

Nicolas helped her put in all the tickets that she had accumulated and then split them between the kids. I think they each got 300+ tickets just from her. Our ... okay MY personal goal was for us to win enough tickets for Lexi to "buy" all the tiny Care Bear characters we got the last time we were there and then apparently left in a restaurant somewhere. Success! 70 tickets per bear and we were able to get all of them plus a tiny slinky that she wanted. Yippee! At least it wasn't some huge adult sized teddy bear instead!

After cashing in the loot, we headed out the door a bit past nap time... but not before stopping at the buffet one more time. Well, it only made sense. By the time we left the arcade area it was nearly 4:00 so why not grab dinner for our already paid dollar? Smart economics to me!


Wasn't long in the car before the kiddos... ran out tickets too....
shhhhhhh....... (where are our Rest Upright Pillows right now? Look at their poor heads? I hate when I throw those in the back of the SUV and can't get to them. AHHH... the minivan is just a week away and this scene will never happen again!)

Aaron and Mary's Wedding Day!

We've been waiting! Yep! Been on pins and needles for months and months. Lexi was getting married! Oh, gosh! NO! Not Lexi. But don't tell her it wasn't "her" wedding day. And don't tell her it wasn't a "Ball" she was going to! But it was Aaron and Mary's wedding day at long last. And it was a very special and beautiful day. Mary looked beautiful and so did Aaron! Lexi had a ball.... pun is intended on that one!

Lexi enjoyed every minute. She enjoyed me curling her hair, getting dressed, getting to wear perfume, carrying her special basket of flowers, walking arm in arm with her cousin Kai who she adores, having everyone look at her, all the special attention from Mary and Aaron, the cake, the music, and of course the dancing! Oh, the dancing and dancing until the DJ called it a night. Yep! She was there for the very first song they would let her and Kai dance to as part of the wedding party. And she was there until the last song they played that night. I think it was a day she soon won't forget and neither will the rest of us!

So here is a video of just a few of the photos. I know some other people have some cute ones that I would love to get and insert. And the professionals... you know theirs have to be amazing! Will post those as we get them.

Sorry for the quality and lack of the sound. This is TONS cuter with the song!!! Trying to figure out why it won't post the song on here too. Until I figure that out I suggest going to the link below and watching it right on You Tube! Sorry! Want to see a nicer version, email me and I'll send it to you.

You Tube link is www.youtube.com/watch?v=y7X3P-c9R6k

It's the Best Day Ever!

As Nicolas graduation present we took him on a very special day just with Mom and Dad! No sister to share attention with. A day full of fun things he can't do with a three year old in tow. Don't worry! Lexi had a very special day with Grandma Birdie doting attention on her including a picnic in the park and everything.

We started at the day at The city Museum. It was a lot of fun! Although I must admit... I never realized how tense I get in closed in places. Wow! Nicolas took off outside and stressed his dear ol' mom and dad out a bit. I was having so much fun that we thought he would want to stay instead of go to Flamingo Bowl. But we were wrong! He didn't want to leave but he sure wasn't going to miss his chance to go bowling! So off we went.

Flamingo Bowl was fun! It was pink! It was neon! And it luckily wasn't crowded on a Friday at lunch. So we got to let loose and have fun without bothering anyone else. Ate lunch... bowled... and enjoyed the rest of our time.

Of course, when Nicolas looked about as tired as he could... he wanted to go back to The City Museum. But we knew better. Off for naps he went. Because that night he and Daddy were heading to the Cardinal game with his best little friend, Allison. What a gloriously wonderful day!

Nicolas Graduates Preschool

Can you believe it has been 4 years since we first walked in the doors of Kids First in Maryville? I sure can't! When we started the program was called "Mom's Day Out." And that is just what it was. It was a day for mommy to get some house cleaning done or errands ran for just a few hours. So on Tuesday and Thursday's during the school year, Nicolas went there and made lots of crafts, friends, and memories. He learned songs, prayers and his ABC's.

Then in September he started going three days a week and joined their preschool program. He learned so much ... even more then he had before. He had two amazing teachers, Miss Jen and Miss Amy. And he had a classroom full of friends. It was the perfect lead up to kindergarten next year where he jumps to five days a week of school.

To celebrate all their accomplishments, Kids First put on a very sweet, fun and ... well, okay simply amazing graduation program. The kids sang songs they learned in school and also specific songs geared towards their coming year of kindergarten. It was adorable! I do have video but I don't have it ready to post. So, until then, here are my favorite photos from that night.

Augh! I just realized

I just realized how behind I am on some of the most important events recently.

• Nicolas' preschool graduation.
• Nicolas' surgery
• Aaron & Mary's Wedding (aka "Lexi's wedding")
• Shawn's birthday celebration at IPC

So check back soon... and please forgive me as things may be a bit out of order.

Out of the Mouth of Lexi!

After watching the Hooter's Golf Tournament at Sunset:
"Someday, Daddy, you can watch me play golf too. I'll be the one in the funny pants."


After watching mommy forget that I took the lid off the pancake shaker and splash 1/2 the pancake mix out all over the floor. I laughed and tried to act like it was no big deal. Then I went and poured a circle on my griddle... only to realize I turned it on but never plugged it in. Augh!
"Ahhhh! Poor Mommy! It's okay. It's just your fault."


After trying one of the pancakes with strawberries in it. She loves pink but doesn't normally eat strawberries. I saw her eat it and cheered for her for trying it. She then took another big bite and said:
"Be proud of me again!"


Is she the only child who tries to talk through the entire process of brusher her teeth?
"Mommy, can I tell you something?" And then on and on?

Dig Out the Sleeper

Nicolas sleeps the same way every night. I go in before bed to unpile him! Can you find him?

Special Last Day of School

Well, summer is here and school is over! Sad day for the kids but happy day too.

Kids First has been a blessed part of our lives for 4 years. Nicolas has learned so much there. He leaves knowing not only how to write his own name but how to write complete sentences. He doesn't just know how to read three letter words but how to read whole books! He doesn't just know about his own body but also about how to respect other people. The church songs and stories of the bible have been a glorious bonus to preschool years! We have all made friends that we would not have otherwise.

Next year will seem like a breeze as I only have to take one child and one backpack to school instead of three (Chloe was our extra this year which made every morning full of one extra giggle, smile and joke.) I actually think I'll miss the chaos of the car. I know I will miss seeing all those same fmiliar faces I have passed in the hall each time we went. Some days would take me 30 minutes just to get out the door. I'll miss everyone as much as the kids will!



Lexi got a few last hugs in before we left. She is going to miss her pals Jacob, Eva and Addie.

Nicolas says good-bye to two favorites. Imani who he really loved having in his class and Miss Netta who he had as a teacher a couple times. Although we are excited that we might get her again next year in Lexi's class!!!

We finished up with a last celebration lunch at McD's. Wow! I think we took the place over! Wow! It was loud, crazy ... the kids didn't mind. It looked like ants on an anthill! Grandpa Jim stopped by for a bite to eat himself. I don't think he had planned on being used as one of the play equipment though.

Spring into Bonifest!

Isn't it spring? Well, the day of the Bonifest at St. Boniface church felt more like summer then spring! It was a hot one. The kids enjoyed it anyway. This year the fest didn't have the big carnival rides which was a bit of a disappointment to the kids. But I do think the littler ones enjoyed the inflatables almost as much. Older kids were a bit less intrigued by it. We enjoyed family time.



Nicolas and Lexi snuggle and try to not get lollipops in each others hair. I love these sweet pops.



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The entertainment for kids was provided by 62 Sports. So lots of inflatables and a rock wall and train.

Nicolas tries to win a prize by throwing the baseball into holes on the diamond. A bit young yet to succeed but he would have tried all day if we let him!

Lexi loved jumping and she would have done that all day too if we had let her. Prices on these games and bouncers didn't lend for that possibility though.

Lexi's favorite thing to do was ride the train. Yet she wouldn't ride alone. Thankfully they only charged for her! So I got to ride, ride, ride!

Both kids loved the inflatable slide which was our last thing to do before dragging them home for bed.

Nicolas wasn't so fond of this particular rock wall. It was missing some rocks so it made it very hard for his little legs to reach and climb. He tried!

We ran into the Hines family. Lexi convinced Mary to once again sit on the ground and let her style some hair. Maybe Lexi will get to do her hair for the wedding? Um.... thinking not. Thanks Mary for always being such a good sport!

As Lexi does hair, Nicolas masters climbing this pole. Over and over and over.