Upcoming Surgery

Well, for those who don't know I will be having knee surgery to replace my ACL next Tuesday. It should be very interesting since I will have weight restrictions and can't lift my children for 2-4 weeks....yes I said I can't lift my children for 2-4 weeks. I am really not sure what I will do with all of the free time...and free hands. I do have a pile of books waiting to be read and magazines that continue to get tossed to the side. So maybe I will actually catch up on some reading, some recipe finding/sorting...and maybe if I am lucky enough to prop my leg up just right I can even start a scrapbook for Lilly since she is almost 16 already.

My husband is taking some time off work and I will have Tim's mom here for a few days and my mom for a few days. So I am not worried about the kids or the house b/c I know Tim will do an amazing job. But I am worried about sitting still long enough, trying to explain to crying children that they have to come over and sit on my lap b/c I can't carry them, getting frustrated with not being able to do simple things or screaming in pain b/c Lucas jumped off my knee from the top of the couch. I am sure it will be a humbling experience and I thank everyone ahead of time for helping out in all the different ways I am sure you will be asked to do.

I think Lucas is planning on cooking for me, he has been in training...

So at least that is covered! :) Now all I need to do is teach him how to do laundry, bathrooms, dusting, vacumming, and not to forget autocad so someone can earn some money too!

Lucas' first pics

We got Lucas a kids digital camera for Christmas and he loves it. Before he had a fisher price one that I got a garage sale for 10 cents (it actually used real film) and he LOVED to use it this summer so we found a deal on the new supposedly "drop-proof" kids camera and below are some of his first pictures...

His favorite train table of course...don't look behind at the rest of the messy house. This MUST have been an odd day since my house is always spotless. ;)
his favorite sister...well most of her.

kind-of an artistic approach to the push toys.

And I thought I would share this picture of the dog that he took vs. the other end that we also have a few shots of.
and the famous self-portrait!

Alot of dog pics in the bunch, probably b/c he is fun to follow around with a camera...moving targets are always more challenging. I am sure we will share more of Lucas' famous photos with you as his aspiring photo career takes shape! What do you think?

Naked Works...but then what?

I am talking about potty training by the way. Asking for any and all advice from anyone who has potty trained a little child, (especially if that little child was a boy). We have been working at this for a little while here and there and he has gone to school in pull-ups for the last month or so and does pretty well there. The best results we have with him at home are when he is naked.
Sooo this past weekend Lucas spent 85% of the weekend naked. We did keep a fire going most of the time to keep his little cheeks warm. (Thanks to my hubby). Lucas did amazingly well. Most of the time he would run to the bathroom yelling "I gotta pee! I gotta pee!" which then Tim or I would stop what we were doing and follow his little naked butt in there (to make sure he didn't fall in and to wash hands etc.) Other times you would just all the sudden here the toilet flush and the lid close (Yes, I am training him in the proper way a man should use the toilet...by closing the lid afterward!) And half of those times he would be washing his hands by the time you got in there! Impressive!
So OBVIOUSLY the kids knows when he has to go. (Even #2 in the potty both days!) So the question is where do we go from here? We tried some "Thomas underwear" on Saturday...which were wet 5 minutes later with pee running down his leg. I guess we will try that again soon, but I guess I am wondering how you actually get the kid to just decide to do it all the time? What are the next steps in the process...or at least ideas or what worked for you or a friend? Thoughts?? Anyone...anyone??

Wordless Wednesday- Blue Eyed Conductors

Two Little Helpers

My little helper in the kitchen.

And Daddy's little helper in the Garage.

The "help" these two offer may slow you down at times...or make a mess...or accomplish the complete opposite of what you are trying to accomplish. But in the process they are learning something new and enjoying spending time with you and that is what it is really all about. Don't forget in the business of your day to be thankful for what you have and to cherish the time spent with those around you.

Pirates!

My kids are ready for the Veggie Tales Pirates Movie...are you?

This is a silly pirate.
This is a slobbery pirate.If you haven't heard of the Veggie Tales movie that comes out this weekend...where have you been? We are definitely going to hit the theatres and suggest that you do too! Check it out on www.Fandango.com to see where it is playing by you. I promise you won't be dissapointed!

Choo! Choo! All Aboard for a Birthday Party!

Lucas initial moment when we first revealed his train cake...utter excitement!!! Totally worth the effort! I got the original idea from my friend Stephanie who had made one for her sons birthday a few years back. And thanks to my siser-in-law Amanda for helping me late Friday night on this icing and candy adventure!

Lucas waited all morning to show his friends his cake...what patience!

You could tell all the kids were anxiously waiting to eat some!

His friends not only got to help eat the cake but also open presents! Good job sharing by everyone...and that is saying alot for a bunch of 3 year olds!

Thanks to everyone for making Lucas' golden birthday so special!!

Lucas Turns 3!!!

Lucas turned 3 on Thursday the 3rd. I just realized it was his golden birthday now that I write this! Well...I think it was his best so far! We went to Chuckee Cheese for his birthday dinner...

Can you tell that it was pretty exciting??

He even let Lilly ride with him...as long as he was steering!

Then we came home for a Thomas Brownie Cake!
And check out the new wheels! (Green is his favorite color). And check out the next blog to see pics of the big TRAIN party we had on Saturday!

New Years Eve...minus the little ones!

We got together with our college group of friends (5 couples minus our 10 kids) for New Years Eve. We had dinner, drinks and hung out/played pool till last call then crashed the Hilton downtown. It was great to have an adult night out!

The Happenin' Hess'.
The Hip Hoffmans.
The Marvelous Maples.

The Kick-a$$ Kearneys.

The Cute Clarks.
The totally hot sexy ladies of the evening.

And here is my stud of the night.

Everyone but the Slammin' Stamms...missed you guys!

Good times with great friends...never forgotten!!

Catching Up...

Well, I have alot to catch up on, Happy New Year to all...I will blog about ours tomorrow. But first here is Christmas Day...

As you can see, Santa did arrive with lots of goodies.
Christmas Love filled the air.
Lilly had lots of hugs and kisses for new dollies and Elmo.

Lucas had big smiles and is ready to work with daddy on new projects!

Lilly fed her new hungry babies with care.

And Lucas passed out watching a movie late morning.

Ahhhh...it was fun watching the kids excitement, I think it will only get better each year. It was also fun the next few days trying to fit all the new toys in our house. We are overly blessed and thank God for how lucky we truly are. Hope your Holidays were filled with as many blessings as ours and hope your New Year is even better!