I like laughing

Yesterday was a beautiful day. So after naps we played outside. Andrew came inside to go to the bathroom. He thinks he has to take his shoes off to go but I stopped him so he only had one off. When he was finished he said, "Mom, I want to wear unmatching shoes." I told him I didn't think that would be a good idea. Of course that was followed up by a WHY. I said, "It'll look silly Andrew." And his response: "Well mom, I like to laugh. So I'm going to wear one Croc and one Adidas." Can't argue that one.

This morning Andrew and Matthew were "talking" in bed. It turned 6 so Andrew got up and started to come out of their room. Matthew started to cry. So Andrew went back to Matthew's crib and said, "Matt, it's a 6. I'm giving you a super duper kiss."

Then we were playing outside today and Andrew was riding his scooter. He crashed into a big pile of toys in the garage on purpose and said, "Firey (that's what he calls his scooter) I told you not to do that, you're going to blow gasket." Blowing a gasket is a quote from the movie Cars."

Entertaining Ashes

This morning I went to Ash Wednesday mass and when I got home, I had forgotten about the DARK ashes on my forehead. The boys were playing and they both looked up as I walked in the door and stopped everything. Then Andrew says, "Mom, what is on your head." I told him I had ashes on my head because it's a church "holiday" to start preparing for Easter. And he says, "Does that mean the Easter bunny is going to lay and egg in my shoe again?" I explained that the Easter bunny will be coming but not for 40 days. And he says, "Oh, so I wake up and go to sleep and then the Easter bunny will be here." Then I try to explain 40 days at which point he lost interest and went back to why I have ashes on my head. Meanwhile, Matthew walked over and wanted to be picked up so I picked him up and he started pointing at my head, laughing hysterically. Then Drew made a comment about how it is common to be made fun of on the street but I get to experience it right here at home. I told him to just wait until he comes home with ashes tonight. He'll get the questions all over again. Then Drew headed to work and I got Andrew ready for school. As I was helping him with his socks and shoes, Andrew asked if he could touch my ashes. I let him and he wanted to do it again and again. I'm glad I could be so entertaining for my family this morning.

One more story:
I got to start the day with a smile on my face today. About 6:00 Drew turned on our video monitor to check on the boys. They were both sitting up in bed staring at each other but they were surprisingly quiet. Then Matthew stood up to get a better view of his brother. Andrew of course thought this was great because he loves being the center of attention. So then it became Andrew's mission to entertain Matthew. Before I go on, you may be wondering why Andrew was still in bed even though he was awake. Well he's not allowed to get out of bed until there is a 6 on his clock (which we have moved back about 30 min). So Andrew started to move the curtains and look out the window to see if Matthew would do the same. Sure enough he did and Andrew thought this was great. So it became a game and we could hear both of them belly laughing. Drew decided it would be best to let them get up early since we just got these expensive "blackout shades". So we went in but it was so fun to see them enjoying being roommates.

Wild Times

Thanks to the wonderful state of our economy, we had a scare with Drew's job this past week. Thankfully his job was spared and we are so grateful! My dad said it best when I told him the news, "Liz, I'd get down on your knees tonight and thank the Lord."

We had a low key night on Friday knowing we had a wedding Saturday afternoon and the reception Saturday night. Matthew thought it would be a good night to wake up at 3:30 and sleep a total of 45 minutes the rest of the night. How am I supposed to look nice for a wedding with huge bags under my eyes Matthew? Everything ended up working out. We got the boys to my parent's house just in time for naps. I borrowed a few of mom's accessories and we were on our way to the wedding. Of course we were running a few minutes behind. So we got to the church at exactly 2:00, had to find a place to park and then run (in my heals) to the church. The funny part of this story is that the church has many doors and half were locked. So Drew ran up the stairs to find one that was open. On his 3rd try he peaked his head in to make sure we weren't going to walk in and make a big scene. Sure enough he peeks his head in and Tracy, the bride, is peaking her head out! OOPS! She was waiting for her cue to walk down the aisle. Drew told her we would go to a different door but she said it was fine and the wedding could not begin since we were there:)


It was a beautiful ceremony...CONGRATS Tracy and Jimmy! From there we headed to the hotel where all the out of town guests were staying. Tracy is from St. Louis but we played soccer together at TU so all of our college friends were in town. So the "soccer girls" caught up and had a few drinks just like the good ole days. From there we went to the Mardi Gras themed reception at Windows off Washington. We danced the night away but were among the first to leave, knowing our early risers would be bright eyed in a few hours. Don't worry we had plenty of fun! Sure enough, Matthew was up at 5:30 and mommy sooned realized I am not 20 anymore. The boys had a great time with grandma and poppa as well. Andrew couldn't wait to show us the bird house they built, the rocks they painted, and his new "Cars look up book". It was a great weekend for everyone!

The Soccer Crew
The Crazies

Welcome Kaitlyn Anne Benoist!

Kaitlyn was born last night at 6:31pm. She weighs 7lbs 14oz and is 19.5in. Congrats to Pete, Jill, and big sister Kiersten!

Proud dad and sister

Uh oh, she's crying

Proud Aunt

It's been a while

Well Friday I got a crazy idea...my parents were headed to Chicago for the weekend SO I thought, Why not move into their house and have a mini vacation ourselves? Drew thought it sounded good to have a few more square feet for the weekend. So we packed up, (we don't travel light) which became a stressful situation because it was close to dinner for the boys. But we made it 10 miles down the road with only a few tears. We had a quick dinner and started baths and bed. Matthew did awesome, right to sleep. Andrew on the other hand rearranged his room and wondered the house until Drew and I realized he was out of bed. He was able to communicate to us that he wasn't able to sleep because it wasn't his room. So I laid with him and he finally fell asleep about 9:30.

We woke up Saturday well rested because both boys slept through the night in their separate rooms. We had french toast, our usual, and hung as a family. I was excited because I got to go on a run through Queen Park. Then John and Christina came over to have lunch with us. They brought the boys back the cutest shirts from their "babymoon" to California. Matthew loved how soft his was and rubbed his belly the entire time. It was so funny. After naps we went to Target so Andrew could spend his Valentine money from grandma on a few new Cars cars. Then we went to Whole Foods and got Valentines dinner, a pizza and bottle of wine. Once we got the boys in bed Drew and I built a fire and had some nice adult conversation. It was a perfect Valentines day.




Sunday we woke up with the sun and went to early mass at Grandma and Poppa's church. Next, we came home for breakfast (where Matthew managed to pull the table cloth off the table and leave a nice coffee stain for grandma). The rest of the day consisted of naps, a run AND the big boys went for an adventure to the woods and creek. Andrew was in heaven! See some of the pics below. We made a trip home to check on the house (still airing out the basement carpet) and get a few things for our last night of our "vacation".



Monday, Drew decided to take the day off (which I think kills him but I think he knows it is good for his sanity and family time). So I went on one last Queeny Park run and the big boys went on one last adventure to the creek. Then we packed up, ran a few errands and had a wonderful President's day meal at Chick fil A. Matthew ate an entire 6 pack of nuggets which I was thrilled about because he has been so picky lately and Andrew ate and entire sandwich. What a good way to end our vacation!

We were back to reality yesterday. The basement (play room) is still not safe for the boys so we had to spend the day upstairs and my internet was down so I felt "disconnected" from the real world...I know, drama:)

In other news:

*Happy Birthday Christina!

*I should have a new little niece sometime today. Jill is in labor!

*Please keep Ellie Kate (Drew's brother Mike's little girl) in your prayers. For those of you who do not know, she has a rare genetic disorder, NKH. She is having a rough time right now and needs lots of prayers. Plus Mike is still working in WV while the rest of his family is in Oklahoma City.

The Good, The Bad and The Ugly

Sunday: The Good
YEAH ANDREW!!! As an incentive for Andrew to be potty trained we told him we would have a "potty party" with cake and ice cream as soon as he was FINISHED with diapers. Boy were we desperate! So Sunday was the big day. We took all the goodies over to Grandma and Poppa's for Sunday dinner. And to sum it all up Andrew said to my mom that night as she was giving him his bath..."Grandma it's always been my dream to have my potty party at Sunday dinner." We are so proud of our big boy! (only about a year later than most kids:))

Tuesday: The Bad
Matthew woke up from his nap with another fever and could not get comfortable. It was a beautiful day and I just wanted to be outside with the kids but I knew it would be best to call the doc especially since he was pulling on his ear. After talking to the nurse she thought she may be able to just call in a different prescription so we didn't have to go BACK for a third time in 2 weeks. Well she called back and said it would be best to bring him in in the morning. So we enjoyed the rest of the day and got our poor little guy to bed...praying it wouldn't be a long night.

Wednesday: The Ugly
Well our prayers were answered. We woke up to the pitter patter of Andrew's little feet and his sweet voice saying, "My clock says it's a 6". He climbed into bed with us and I asked Drew if I was delirious or if Matthew had indeed slept through the night?! We were both amazed! Soon after, I heard Matthew so went down to get him (he sleeps in the basement occasionally) and my glee of him having a restful night was cut short as I stepped on the soaking wet carpet. Our basement was wet from the massive amount of rain we got over night. I came up and said, "Um Drew, I think our basement got a little wet." That's not what he wanted to hear. He jumped out of bed to see for himself and began feverishly getting the carpet up and the fans out. Andrew stood at the top of the steps while I made breakfast yelling down to Drew, "Why are you doing that? What's that fan for? Are you going to put up the gate so I don't walk on it? Why does the floor look like that? Where is the carpet going?" How do you tell a 3 year old it's not a good time to ask questions? So Drew did what he could, rushed to get ready for work and was out the door. I got Andrew ready for school and debated calling the doc back and cancelling Matthew's appointment because he seemed better and wasn't running a temp. I decided to just take him instead of second guessing myself. Thankfully I did, he now has an bad infection in the other ear! Weird because he is still on antibiotics from the first one. The doc was a little stumped about what to do this time because right now he is on Omnicef and last time he was on Amoxicillin he broke out in hives so we are running out of options BUT he is on a new one now and we're praying his little ears feel better soon. Oh, forgot to mention we now have to go back for an "ear check" in 10 days to make sure we're all good. Can I get a loan on co pays?

Andrewisms for the week...
Sitting at lunch on Sunday he pointed to his ear and said, "It was my ear, my ear burped"
We are guessing his ear popped.

I told Andrew it was his job to make sure Matthew stayed awake on the way home from school on Monday. He said, "Mom, Matthew can concentrate, he's a little bitty big boy."

On the same ride home I was commenting on how cool the clouds looked b/c it was about to storm. But I couldn't think of how to describe them and Andrew said, "Mom, they look like soft covers." So insightful.

"DRY" Clean Only

Well, this morning I started a load of laundry. Then I went back to cleaning up the house. As I was cleaning, I decided to see if anyone had called my phone. I went to the charging station where it is usually plugged in and realized I must not have plugged it in. So I looked in the other places it could have been. Then I remembered putting it in my robe pocket. Great, except for the fact that my robe was in the washing machine.

Drew was outside installing the new car seats. I told him he needed to come in and briefly explained my "panic". I ran down, checked the pockets of my robe, no phone. Instead it was just sitting in the bottom of the washer, just soaking the water in.



Understandably, my husband was less than thrilled with me. I got online and after "live chatting" with Sprint several times, I figured out I had insurance on my phone. Great news! I had to go through the phone insurance company website but was on my way to getting a replacement. Well I guess I forgot about that lovely insurance term, deductible. I decided to go ahead and pay it and get the replacement...HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY GENIUS!

Don't worry, if you need to call or text I have a temporary phone set up. Amazingly, it was a pretty productive Saturday with all of my "live chatting".

Andrewisms

You never know what a 3 year old is going to say, that's why Drew and I have a Word Document full of "Andrewisms". Now that I am blogging I figured it would be entertaining to share these moments with you.

Yesterday, Andrew asked if he could play in the sink. I decided to let him so I could get dinner started. He was in the bathroom and I was in the kitchen. As soon as he turns on the water I hear..."Mom, I'm sorry I peed in my pants." I tried to calmly explain to him that he really needs to focus on staying dry and on and on. Unfortunately I don't think I was too calm...maybe I was a little more stern than I should have been. Anyway, he turns to me and says,
"We don't have to be unified about this." (pretty sure he had no idea what he was saying)

After naps yesterday I had the TV on the food network because there weren't any kids shows on. Andrew was more interested than I thought. Today, he was playing play doh, in his own little world and I hear him say,
"Welcome back, now we are going to make some duck cookies."

Today we were on a run and Andrew was messing with Matthew. So I told him he really needed to STOP. He yells up to me,
"Are we going to mope about this all day." (again, no idea where he heard this)

And finally, tonight we had to go get new car seats since ours were in an accident. So we did the healthy thing and drove thru McDonalds for dinner. We are getting close and Andrew says,
"We are going to McDonalds and everyone can get their own fry case."

The Inevitable

Well about 3:30 this morning our little Matthew woke up like a furnace. Poor guy had a high fever and was so uncomfortable. I just sat up with him as he dozed. Andrew actually slept past 6 today (very unusual) but still had a temp. I decided to call the doc just to see what's going around and what to expect. I was pretty confident they both had the same virus. Before it was late enough to call, Drew reminded me we had an appraiser coming today so we can refinance our house. So the house needed to be presentable. Understandable but highly unrealistic on a day like today. I told him I would do the best I could as he rushed out the door to a meeting he was late for.

By this time everyone had Tylenol, was offered breakfast and Matthew was ready for a nap. So I put him down cleaned and played with Andrew. Then Matthew woke up after 20 minutes. Oh boy. As I'm about to get him my phone rings and it is the insurance adjuster wondering if he can swing by to look at my car b/c he's in the area. He understood the situation and said he would not bother us. He'd just be outside with the car. Ok, now I have Matthew and decide I better call the doc. Well after describing both of the boys symptoms, the nurse tells me it would be best to bring them in. They could get us in at noon.

Thankfully, Drew had planned on being here with the adjuster so I took the boys and he met him here. Well it ends up Andrew has whatever virus is going around and Matthew probably does too but his has caused a bad ear infection. Guess it was a good thing I took them in. So after a double co pay and a $40 prescription I think we are on the road to recovery. While picking up the prescription I rented Space Buddies for Andrew from a RedBox..my first time doing that. Pretty cool. See how thrilled he is below:)

5 Minutes Until Jon and Kate

Yes, I'm a little addicted. This is what I look forward to on Mondays...I know pathetic. Well the kids are in bed (Andrew is still running a temp), Drew had to go back to work, so what a better way to unwind than watch a little chaos. Quick accident update. The crazy lady's insurance company called today and I had to give my statement and have a taped interview. That's a little intimidating. Even though I was not at fault in any way I felt like they were trying to trick me into answering the questions wrong. Plus, the lady on the other end of the phone said, "you need to turn the TV down so it doesn't get on your recorded statement." Um...those are my kids. Anyway, we'll see what happens. She said they have to look at the police report now because our stories are different.

On a different subject, I would like to thank my wonderful husband for letting me get out of the house and go for a run when he got home from work. I was going STIR CRAZY but knew it was best for the boys to not breathe the same air in wind shield.

Oh wait, "Andrewism" of the day. He has a bad cough and says it hurts when he coughs..."Mom, that one didn't hurt! But it made my head feel all squiggly."

Recap of Week

We had an eventful week so I thought I would do a quick (actually longer than I thought) recap.

Starting last Friday, January 23...My baby boy, Matthew, turned 1 year old! I tried my hardest to make it a special day for him but I think I may have tried too hard because big brother Andrew had some major jealousy issues. The morning was great. It was nice enough to play outside and get some much needed fresh air. But, I ended up spending the afternoon in the worst mood because neither of the boys napped well and boy were they tired! Andrew took out his frustrations by peeing all over the bathroom...on purpose. I guess you can say I lost my temper. I decided we were going to drive around in hopes that Matthew would fall back to sleep so he would be happy at his birthday dinner. Well both boys were calm and I think we all regained our composer. Then Drew came home to pick us up for an early dinner at Bartolino's. We thought this would be the perfect place because Matthew recently decided he likes meatballs AND we wanted to share his big night with family. It was a nice dinner and Matthew decided he liked Italian bread much better than meatballs on this particular night.

Saturday, January 24...Party Day! We had Matthew's 1st birthday party at my parents because of our small house and the cold weather. I was a little worried Matthew would be over whelmed since he is pretty shy and has a hard time warming up in large crowds. Well, was I ever wrong! He had the time of his life. Walking around, playing with the big kids, opening presents, and even eating cake! It was an awesome party!

Sunday, January 25...We woke up to a special guest. Mike, Drew's brother, was on his way to West Virginia for work and stopped in STL for the night to break up the drive. Drew and Andrew couldn't get enough and really wanted him to stay the whole day. But it unexpectedly started to snow so we knew it was best for him to hit the road.

Tuesday, Jan 27...We woke up to snow and ice. It was pretty consistent all day so to be safe we stayed in and by 5 we were ready for dad to come home from work!

Wednesday, Jan 28...Boy did we get a big snow! The ice turned back to snow over night and we woke up to about 6 or 7 inches. It was beautiful. Since I hadn't been able to run in a few days I talked Drew into letting me shovel (yes, we both like it, we're weird). Drew was finally able to get out of the driveway and head to work...but to my surprise, he was back in about 30 minutes with Starbucks. He said the roads were terrible and he would need to drive me to Matthew's 1 year check up. So we loaded up and braved the snow. Matthew would have been much happier if we didn't make it. Shots are no fun!

Friday, Jan 30...I needed a few things from Target so loaded up the boys, got what we needed, headed home. I had just pulled out of Target, waiting at a stop light and SMACK! We got hit from behind. I pulled over, made sure the boys were ok...thank God, they were. Got out of the car while calling the police. An older lady had hit me and explained she was on her way home from the doc with double pneumonia. Then she said , "I tried to get his license number but couldn't. I said, "did someone hit you too?" She said, "Oh yeah." I take a look at her car, no damage to the back. The front is basically in her front seat. Hmmmm. Long story short. She got mad because I called the police, the officer tried to explain to her that because of the tire marks on the road and they way her car was "folded" in the front, it is very unlikely she was hit. Well she stuck to her story. So the officer let me know it would be a good idea to inconspicuously take some pictures. At that, Drew decided it was a good idea for him to come by. I'll let you know what happens...I'm sure it will be interesting!

Saturday, Jan 31...Andrew wakes up with a temp of 101 and a bad cough. So our weekend/Super Bowl plans are on hold and we are focusing on getting our little man healthy and praying Matthew doesn't get it.

Don't worry all my posts won't be this long. I just wanted to remember this exciting week. If you made it to the end, hope you enjoyed.

The First of Many

I guess I am officially a blogger. There is so much going on in our lives right now and the boys are growing up so fast, I decided I need to start writing things down. And figured it may be fun to share these moments with family and friends. So feel free to check in anytime to see what's going on with us. There's never a dull moment!