Happy Birthday to Me!

The day after Christmas is usually a day of rest and catching up for those who had a busy Christmas. I always get off easy on this day....it's my birthday!! I got to sleep in and then was treated to a Pumpkin Spice latte from Starbuck's. The boys were so excited to give me my gifts so they brought them to me in bed as soon as I woke up. There were about 5 packages to unwrap. I open the first one to find a bag of Kitten Chow. Being the blonde that I am sometimes, I say "What's this for?" By the time I opened the cat bowl, litter, pooper scooper, litter box, etc, well DUH, I figured it out. We had talked about getting another kitten sometime when Aiden got bigger and we would wait until at least after the holidays. Well the boys and Todd decided I deserved another kitty. We headed to mom and dad's for my birthday brunch and then headed over to the Humane Society. I found about 5 cats I could have brought home in a heartbeat. Aiden was tired and due for a nap and I didn't want to rush into a decision so I'm still thinking about what I want. I want to make sure I find just the right kitty to fit in our crazy family. A new furry family member will be on the way soon!

The boys helped Todd make me a birthday cake. It turned out so pretty but the best part is this picture. Look at those three lovely boys. How lucky am I??? My 4 guys treat me pretty well.

A Very Merry Christmas!

We had a wonderful (and healthy) Christmas this year. Christmas Eve we headed over to Uncle Joe and Aunt Cindy's house for the Bozarth Family Christmas. That always means good food, good company, good fun. The family always spoils each other with gifts and this year was no exception.

This picture was taken before we headed over there.

This was before bedtime in their new PJ's. (Thanks Aunt Janet!)

We had to read "Twas the Night Before Christmas" and the story of Jesus' birth.

Christmas Eve Todd and I didn't get to bed till about midnight. This Santa gig is stressful. For anyone who knows the layout of our house, you can see why I'd be scared to death of one of the boys waking up while "Santa" was busy setting things up. My heart pounds the whole time. So we finally get everything out and head to bed around 12:00am. We know an early morning is coming....the boys are so excited. So who wakes up first, you ask?? It's probably a tie between Todd and I. How lame are we?? We were so excited for the boys to wake up that we could hardly sleep ourselves. So once they were up, we started the fun. The boys were very excited over everything they got for Christmas. Our busy day continued with lunch at Grandma and Grandpa Klauser's and supper at Grandma and Grandpa Bozarth's.

Noah Claus and Aiden Claus

Aiden and I helped out at Noah's class party on Friday. One cute thing they did was put Vaseline on the kids' faces and have them dip their faces in cotton balls so they look like Santa. Then we put the Santa cap on and took a picture. The kids got a kick out of it. We were there 2 1/2 hours and Aiden was good as gold. He had so much fun with the Kindergarteners.
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Weds. night was Drew and Noah's Christmas Program. It was cute as usual. We got some good video of them singing and dancing. I can't help but laugh at them because they get so into it. At one point Drew and his friend Connor were laughing pretty hard throughout a song. Todd zoomed in and got some good video of it. I was worried they might get in trouble. Afterwards I asked Drew why they were laughing through the song. He said that Connor told him that every time they were supposed to sing the word "Christmas" they should sing the work "chicken" instead. So that's what they were doing. I'm so proud.

Christmas at the Boat Club

Sunday was the annual Christmas party at the Boat Club that we always go to with Todd's parents. There are always games, crafts, face painting, balloon animals, etc. But of course the best part is Santa driving up on his boat. Aiden was just enamored by that. He is still talking about Santa on a boat. He also thinks Santa is his best friend now too. There were probably 40-50 kids there and Aiden was running up showing Santa his balloon snowman. When it was time for presents, they called one of the kids' names and Aiden ran up and climbed in his lap too. Needless to say, when it was Aiden's turn, he was all too happy to visit with his pal.

Noah about broke my heart. When Santa came in he asked if it was the real one. I said it looked like it to me. In a sad voice he says, "It doesn't look like the one that came to Grandma and Grandpa's the other night, I guess he was just somebody dressed up" I said, "No, he really was the real one" And in my eyes he was, you couldn't get more real than him. Noah was fine with it afterwards.

I need a better picture of Drew. He was already turning to get up when I snapped this. I'll have to replace it with one from Grandpa Ken. Amazingly, Drew didn't question Santa at all that day.

We finished off the night with a trip through the Avenue of Lights. It's even prettier seeing all the lights against the snow.

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Aiden and I were at the mall yesterday running errands and when we walked by the place where Santa was, he stopped to look at the animated elves. Santa wasn't busy and came over to talk to Aiden. You should have seen his face. He also said to Santa, "Santa, you on a boat. You 'member?" I "reminded" Santa about the boat club Sunday and he played along. He also gave Aiden a high five and a sucker. When we went into Sears after that, he kept talking about Santa. I said "You and Santa must be buddies". Aiden replied "Yeah, he my buddy". As we passed by again on our way out of the mall Santa shouts "Bye Aiden". Yep, Aiden thought he was big stuff.

Santa, what I want for Christmas is this.....

http://thebloggess.com/?p=216

I laughed my ass off at this.

We've Got Snow!

Yesterday we got our first big snow of the year--the first one big enough to actually play in! Todd went out to shovel the driveway and one by one each boy wanted to go out and "help" shovel. Noah is the only one that actually did. They had a lot of fun playing and I captured some cute pictures.
Aiden's Trying to Make a Snowball.
Drew Gets Mom and The Camera With a Snowball

A video of the 4 boys playing in the snow!

Drew enjoyed a special date with his Godmother yesterday. Him and Aunt Cindy went and saw the Alvin and the Chipmunks movie. Drew had fun and really enjoyed the movie as well as the music in it! Thanks Aunt Cindy.
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Mom and Dad came over to watch the boys last night so Todd and I could go to my work xmas party. We all had an incredible dinner at the Country Club. It was so nice and relaxing. We had our own private room and started off with appetizers and drinks. Then we had salads, our meal and finally dessert. That took about 3 hours. Nothing like a long relaxing meal with friends. It was nice to have all of us together at once to enjoy each other's company.

I'm A Believer!!

Last night was the 3rd annual Baking Xmas Cookies with Grandpa John night. Grandpa attempts to bake cookies with 5 grandsons while they attempt to eat as much cookie dough as possible. Grandma Paulette videotapes it all and chuckles to herself while snapping pictures. A good time is always had by them all.

Last night though the boys got one of the biggest surprises of their life. Someone knocked at the door and when Noah opened it there stood Santa. Hearing the description of Noah's face when he opened the door was priceless. Grandpa asked him who it was and he said "I don't know" I think he was in a state of disbelief. Santa came in and read "Twas the Night Before Christmas" to the boys and talked with the awhile. He also passed out gifts to them. They each got a christmas DVD and a stocking with candy. Santa also gave them each a card with his picture on it that said "You are on Santa's Nice list". They were so incredibly excited. Luckily we got to see some video that mom took when he was there. Matt and Beth arrived just as Santa was leaving and got to see the 5 boys all peeking out the window watching him leave. Priceless. What I wouldn't have given to be a fly on the wall last night. I think Grandpa and Grandma were every bit excited as the boys! Mom said it was one of the best nights of her life. I know it's one the boys will talk about for a long time to come.

Drew and Noah each took one of these pictures to school today to show their friends. They were just so excited about it.

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Aiden and I had a great morning. We met Beth and Ty at the library to watch the Rudolph puppet show. The boys were just too cute. We got home and there was a message from Grandpa Ken about meeting him for lunch so we met him, Tunie, and Uncle Scott at Krieger's for lunch. What a day. Aiden is passed out in bed and I need to get ready for work. Sounds like a nice snowfall headed our way tonight. The boys are anxious to play outside in it.

Field Trips Can Be Dangerous!

Noah's Kindergarten class and their 8th Grade Buddies took a field trip yesterday. They started off visiting the Quincy Museum and then had lunch at Cassano's. Afterwards they went to WalMart with the money they collected and bought things for the women and children at Quanada. Then they took the items over there and donated them. Apparently Noah had a little problem with his sweater at Walmart but when asked how it happened, he "forgot". Come to find out later that night that a string had started to unravel and he kept pulling on it. This is what his sweater looked like when he came home from school. I was laughing so hard, I had to take a picture. Note the long green thread hanging from the sweater.....that happens to be ripped up past his elbow!

My Little Train Conductor

Aiden and Grandpa Ken got to spend some special time together on Saturday morning. Aiden helped him set up the Christmas Train around the tree. He had so much fun with it and Grandpa snapped some cute pictures. Here are a couple. He looks more and more like his daddy everyday.

Let It Ice, Let It Ice, Let It Ice

One ice storm down, another on its way. I'd rather have the snow thank you! My friend's party was cancelled Saturday night and I was looking forward to an evening out and Drew's soccer and basketball games were cancelled yesterday. We have a day off school today and Drew and Todd were both mad about it which is unusual. Todd's students have finals next week which set him back with covering material before it and poor Drew waited all school year to be Star of the Week and this is his week and now it will be cut short. He's too funny. And with more ice on the way, they could very well not have school tomorrow.
We had a nice day yesterday. Todd and I got a wild hair and rearranged the furniture in the basement and I think I like it better now. The boys wrapped the xmas gifts they had bought. They have been so cute with their little lists and all shopping for the family with their own money. They picked out some cute,thoughtful gifts. I took Drew and Noah to see the movie Enchanted late afternoon. AWESOME movie!! If you are a cheesy, sappy romantic like me, you'll love it. The music was wonderful too so I'll have to get the soundtrack now. It was cute and funny and I loved how it was part animation, part real life. The boys enjoyed it too. Having Patrick Dempsey in it didn't hurt either! We finished off the evening by having all 5 of us crowd in our bed and watch Funniest Home Videos together. Nothing better than cuddling with all my boys and hearing the sound of their laughter!
Off to work for me, no day off here! I wonder if we'll be busy or not.....

"Mommy, I happy"

I've heard this a lot from Aiden the past couple of days. It warms my heart to hear this. Sometimes he says it while we're cuddling on the couch reading, he's told me it while we were at the mall yesterday. He's also said it while we were sitting side by side in the kitchen eating our lunch. Each time, we're doing something so simple, yet so enjoyable. And it warms my heart each time he says it. It's just a reminder that it's the simple pleasures that make us the happiest and we need to stop and savor those little moments before they pass us by. He'll usually follow his statement by asking me, "Mommy, you happy??" "Yes, Aiden, mommy is VERY happy."

O Christmas Tree

We decorated the Christmas tree last night. It was a lot of fun and Todd and I agreed this could be our best Christmas ever for two reasons. 1. It might be the last year that all 3 believe. 2. Aiden is old enough to really get into it this year. He has had so much fun with it all so far. Last night he kept putting on the Santa hat, puffing out his belly, patting it and saying "ho ho ho" in a deep voice. It was so funny. But everytime I tried to get video of it, he wouldn't do it, the little stinker. Here he's putting on a Blue's Clues ornament. Look at the concentration.....
Two of Santa's Helpers...........................

Noah striking a pose..................

We had fun decorating, listening to Christmas music and singing along. After the boys went to bed, Todd and I watched a movie with just the tree lights on. I just love that! I have a little video I'm trying to get of the boys singing to put on here. Not getting the cooperation I need once the camera comes out. Keeping my fingers crossed though.

Todd and Drew had "The Talk"

No, I'm not talking about the sex talk, I'm referring to the "Santa" talk. I knew it had to be coming. He's 8 1/2 and very perceptive. It was only a matter of time before he started asking questions. I'm a bit surprised it hadn't happened before now. Todd told me about the conversation and it sounded like he did some good damage control. He says he thinks Drew still believes but still questions certain aspects of it. It makes me sad.....this could be our last Christmas where all 3 of my boys believe. There's just so much magic in it, I don't want him to lose any of that. And of course, once you figure out Santa, you figure out the Easter Bunny, Tooth Fairy, etc. I just want him to be a kid and believe in all of that a little longer. I feel like he's trying so hard to grow up and I'm trying so hard to keep him from it.
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It took me back to a time when my brother Nate was younger. I remember him talking with me and telling me that he knew Santa wasn't real but he wasn't going to let mom and dad know he knew that because he would get more presents this way. That's our Nate!

Things About My Kids That Never Cease to Amaze Me

Drew's Creativity Drew walks out of the bathroom yesterday holding an empty toilet paper roll and excitedly says, "Mom, mom look what I found". I said "Yep, that was in the trash can". Drew says "But mom, there are so many things we can do with this" I'm thinking "yeah, put it out for the trash guy". But Drew goes on to explain how he could make a Christmas Tree, or a Santa, or Paul Bunyan like they did in school. He goes off to his room with his wheels just a turning. Give me a few days, that old toilet paper roll will become a piece of art in my house! He is always thinking and creating. It's so fun to watch. I've actually learned a lot from him and am discovering my own creativity as we go.

Aiden's Memory Aiden has the most amazing memory. He may just be barely two but I can tell him one thing, like we are out of juice and two days later when I ask him if he wants juice he reminds me that it is all gone. He also has his favorite books memorized. Today we read "The Pigeon Finds a Hot Dog" He recited every line right along with me even using the different little voices I adapted for the characters. Then we proceed to sing his favorite songs. He already has some xmas songs memorized that he sang for me. I didn't teach them to him so I don't know where they came from. But that kid has the cutest little singing voice!

Noah's Reading and Math Ability Noah has really been picking up on the reading lately. It's so fun to watch him learn. They also have been having "spelling tests" at school and he can spell pretty much any 3 letter word you give him. He's just a little sponge right now absorbing everything at school. He's always had an incredibly aptitude for math. He loved impressing people in preschool by showing how he can add,subtract, and multiply. He doesn't use his fingers and he just cranks out the answers. It just amazes me. It even amazed Todd and being a math teacher who is brilliant in math, it takes a lot to impress him. Or maybe it's just that it's our kid and our 3 boys never cease to amaze us!! I always look forward to seeing what they learn next!

The Fun Never End...............

So Aiden was still sick again two more times last night and Drew woke up before dawn getting sick and it lasted most of the day. Needless to say, we haven't done a whole lot over Thanksgiving break!! I've about had it with puke and snot!! Hopefully a healthy house returns soon!
One bright spot is Aiden saying "Mom, I love you thiiiis much" and spreading his arms as wide as he can and then he says "and I love you thiiiis high" and reaches his arms up as high in the air as he can. I love that kid.
Drew went out and bought a 3ft xmas tree with his money and Todd gave him some money to buy some lights and a few decorations to go on it. He was so excited. He spent all afternoon decorating it yesterday. But if I hear Winnie the Pooh sing "Oh Christmas Tree" one more time, I may break the CD player! Noah wanted one too after seeing Drew's but didn't have the money. I told him I had a little 12" one that I used as a table decoration that he could have. So he bought these itty bitty little ornament balls to put on it. It is too cute and he's excited as can be. Him and Drew also made paper snowflakes and hung them from their ceilings. It's so cute to see them in the christmas spirit already. I've sorta been getting in the spirit a bit myself thanks to my Uncle Joe. I've been listening to my new Olivia Newton John christmas CD he gave me (Thanks Uncle Joe!!) and it's awesome. I'm trying desperately to put a couple of songs from it on my blog but haven't been successful yet. "A Mother's Christmas Wish" and "Every Time it Snows" are my two favorite songs on it.

Happy Thanksgiving.

Noah dressed as an Indian for his Thanksgiving feast at school on Wednesday.
Our Thanksgiving started out perfectly. I got to sleep in since I was out late with the girls the night before. Aiden even came in and went back to sleep with me. He has been sick with another cold and cough. We spent the day watching the parade on TV, playing, coloring, watching the Ghost Hunter marathon and just relaxing...all 5 of us. Todd cooked us a delicious lunch too. It was wonderful. We get ready to leave the house around 5 to head up to Mendon for the Klauser thanksgiving. About 20 minutes after we get there, Aiden starts puking all over. So we pack up and head back home. Noah was home monday and tuesday from school with a stomach virus. 3 days later no one else had had it so I thought we were safe. Wrong. Poor buddy was scared, he just didnt' know what to do. So I'm trying really hard tonight to focus on all we have to be thankful for and not the fact that it's been a long week with sick kids. Colds and flus come and go but we still have each other and our health. There is too much disease,sickness, and tragedies in the world to let a little virus keep us down. I'm so grateful for a husband that is such a rock for me, 3 boys that I love more than life itself, and wonderful family and friends that I can count on for a good time but also help me through the rough spots. Unfortunately not everyone has that. So that is what I'm going to think about this Thanksgiving.
Now I'm going to see what kind of leftovers Todd and I can scrounge up for our "dinner".

Dianna and I

We had the most awesome 26 hours together!! We started out going to Children's Hospital to see Gail and her daughter Natalie. Poor girl has had such a rough time lately. But luckily she got to come home Saturday night. She has a bone infection and is now on IV antibiotics for 6 weeks. I hope this does the trick. After that we headed to the hotel and got ready to head to Fast Eddie's to eat. This place was awesome! This picture of the 4 of us was taken there.

This was one of the places featured on Food Network's Feasting on Asphalt series. It has extremely cheap food that was absolutely delicious. They also had live music and good drinks. (I had the best margarita). This place definitely had atmosphere. Dianna was obsessed with these 3 women she called the 80's Ladies because they looked like they came from the 1980's. There were all sorts of interesting people there. We had a blast.

Saturday we found a cool little bakery to grab breakfast at, hit Toys R Us, and then spent a good part of the day at the St Louis Mills Mall. I had been wanting to take Dianna to the Archiver's store. We spent 2 hours and a lot of money there--it was awesome. Thank goodness for Cabela's next door to keep the hubbies happy. We had a yummy lunch at Tony Roma's and shopped a bit more before heading back to the hotel to take some more pics and hang out till the last minute when Dianna and I had to say goodbye again. It was the perfect time together, but it went by way too quickly. It's so funny, when I'm with her, it's as if we've never been apart, but when we have to say goodbye, it tears me up inside. I can't wait till we can get together again. Love ya Di!

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Check out Dianna's blog. She did a much better write up!! She also has an awesome blog--I'm sure she'd love to hear from you!

http://learningtotaketime.blogspot.com/2007/11/get-snack-and-go-pottyits-gonna-be-long.html

I Fell Hopelessly, Head Over Heels in Love Today!!

I couldn't help it. I even tried to fight it, but it happened anyway. You would have too if you had seen him. He was a little ball of black fluff, with 4 white paws, white whiskers and a patch of white on his neck. He looked at me with eyes just begging to take him home. Aiden and I went back by the pet store twice this morning to see him and his brothers. The kittens were just adorable and exactly what I wanted. They also had 3 baby chihuahua's....a black, tan, and white one. They were so funny playing with each other and "talking". I think they were Aiden's favorite. We spent about a half an hour in the pet store the second time we came by it at the mall. He loved watching the fish, reptiles, puppies, kittens, and hamsters. It was so much fun but even now hours later, I can't get that kitten out of my mind. We decided we'd have to go back soon and visit the animals. We went to the mall today so I could go walking and do a couple of errands. Aiden and I have a routine down. He sits in the stroller and plays and eats a snack while I walk for about a half an hour and then we stop by the little playground by Penney's for him to play. When Noah found out last night we were coming, he gave Aiden one of his quarters to get some candy from one of the machines. I thought that was so sweet. We had a good time this morning. We had a special morning yesterday too.....we went to the Thanksgiving puppet show at the library. We ended up seeing a lot of people we knew there so it was fun. Then we stopped by Grandma Paulette's to drop off/pick up some stuff and got to see Blake and Ty which always brightens my day. There's just nothing better than one on one time with my boys. Sunday I took Drew to his basketball clinic (he'll be giving basketball a try this winter after indoor soccer is over) and afterwards, him and I went to Coffee on Broadway, got a drink, and sat on the couch there together and read. That's one of our special things we like to do together. Now I just need some time with my Noah and my week will be complete. This is Noah's first year of indoor soccer....he had his first game monday night. I had to work and missed it. His second is Saturday when I'm out of town. I'm bummed but anxiously looking forward to watching him. He has a team with his friends from school which he loves.
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Two more days till I see Dianna and Preston!! I just need a healthy husband now. He coughed and hacked all night. If he even gets pneumonia now, I'll be mad. I know I'm being selfish but I can't have anything ruin this trip!

Am I really THAT old??

Last night I was tucking Drew in and we were talking about various things. Out of the blue he asks me, "Did you have TV when you were younger?" Whoa, back up there! I'm not THAT old. So I started telling him about the things we had back then and all the things we have now that didn't even exist back in the 70's. Then I realized, I AM getting old. Yikes. The big 3-5 lingers next month, it's all downhill to 40 after that. But honestly, it's ok, you're only as old as you feel and although my body feels older, my heart is young and that's what is important. If I'd get my butt out to exercise more, it might feel younger too!

Ahhh, I miss that old Snoopy record player!!

WHY??????

WHY?? Why? Whyyyyy?!? why? W.H.Y??!!!?? Why. Why?

Ever feel like you hear that word too many times in a day?? Well, today folks, I think I've got ya beat. Aiden's new favorite word is WHY and I swear I've heard it no less than a thousand times today. It gets to a point where you just don't have an answer anymore and a 2 year old doesn't understand "Just Because". We got laughing at him because he says it so clearly and so seriously and ALL..THE..TIME!

BEST FRIENDS

Are we cute or what?????

How many people can say they've been best friends ever since birth?? Not many I'm sure. I'm lucky enough to be able to say that though!! Dianna was born almost 2 years after me and we grew up next door to each other until she moved to Florida when I was 12. The distance didn't hurt us though, if anything it made us stronger. I know I can call her or email her anytime and she is there. We have an amazing bond--she is one of the few people that can read me like a book and sometimes I think maybe she knows me better than I know myself. At least she has more faith in me that I do. Sometimes we go a couple of years without getting to see each other, but when we do, we pick up right where we left off.......as if we've never been apart. We got to see each other this past March for a few days. I was so excited. And we did have some really special moments but we also had sick kids so that kind of put a kink in a lot of the things we wanted to do. But now I have the opportunity to see her on the 16th and 17th. I'm so excited I can hardly stand it. Her husbands company is flying some of the employees and their wives to Alton IL for their holiday party. That's like right next door!! So Todd and I are getting to drive down the afternoon of the 16th and spend all that evening and all the next day with Dianna and Preston until they have to get ready for their party that night. It will be so nice to have some grown up time together and get to do some fun things in St Louis. I'm scared to death something will happen to ruin this get together. I'm trying so hard not to worry. I just need to see my girl and have some awesome time with her. I love her as if she is my family. (I guess she is, we did the whole "blood sisters" pact before she moved away!!)

DIANNA---only 8 more days!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

MY SOCCER STARS

Daylight Savings Time Sucks

Whoever came up with the idea for Daylight Savings Time obviously didn't have kids. "Gain and extra hour of sleep" my ass. It's more like you wake up an hour earlier with the kids who have no idea that the time is any different. Then their sleep patterns are screwed for another few days or so. Not fun. Throw in some coughing and hacking, some bed-wetting, and other not-so-fun night wakings and pretty soon you expect your kids to be braying at the moon. I'll be happy to get a full night's sleep again, especially after surviving 3 kids with pneumonia (at different times), time change, and now my own cold and Todd's hacking cough last night. Winter is coming in like a lion at our house!!
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On a funny note, after I gave up trying to get Aiden and Drew back to sleep this morning, the three of us were laying in bed talking and Aiden was asking where Mawmaw, Pawpaw and other family members were. One by one, I said that they were in bed sleeping (and wishing I was too). Drew says "And Uncle Joe is probably snoring on the cough" (I have no idea why he said that) I explained that Uncle Joe works all night at the post office while we are sleeping and that when we are getting up in the morning, he is getting off of work and then goes home to sleep. Drew says "OH, so he's nocturnal!" Yep, my kid knows his science.

An Impromptu Trip

The boys were off of school Friday due to Parent/Teacher Conferences. Todd got done with his conferences by 10:30 and we decided to do something fun with the rest of our day. We ended up driving to Hannibal. We got there in time to grab some lunch at Subway, a family favorite. Then we headed over to Sawyer's Creek which wasn't a real happenin' place this time of year. But the boys enjoyed feeding the GIGANTIC fish in the pond. We then decided to take the boys through Mark Twain Cave. They had never been through it but we thought they would really like it. They LOVED it!!! Noah was scared at first but once he was in, realized there was nothing scary. The older boys enjoyed all the stories that went with it and even Aiden was amazed at it all. He's a tunnel fanatic so I thought he'd get into caves too. When we finished up there we headed downtown to hit some of the neat shops and get a treat to eat. I ran into Steve & Barry's and Goody's and we headed for home. Since we always come in the 36th street exit, we popped into Jane and Pete's to see Sarah and Jordan's new kittens. They were so adorable and so sweet. They were perfectly ok with being passed around. Good thing too because all 3 of the boys loved the cats and passed them around like hot potatoes. Aiden was very gentle with them. I miss having a cat soooo much. After our visit we talked about maybe getting one after Christmas. We'll have to wait and see.

Here's a few pics I took today at Grandpa Ken and Grandma Tunie's house. We went there after Drew's indoor soccer game and had a wiener roast down by the lake. It was a beautiful day.

My Little Climbers

Aiden takes tree hugging very seriously.

Halloween 2007

Todd, The Master Pumpkin Carver. We found some neat websites where you could print out templates for carving pumpkings. Aiden picked out Blue's Clues, Drew picked Darth Vader, and Noah picked a Ghost. They turned out pretty spooky, eh??

Chewbacca, Blue, and Obi Wan Kenobi. They were all so excited about their costumes and had a ball trick or treating. I was put in charge of Noah's Halloween party at school and it went great. I got to spend time in Drew's classroom too. The kids have such a ball at those parties and I have to admit I have fun too. The Kindergarten through 3rd got to wear their costumes and parade around school and it was neat to see all the creative costumes kids had. Trick or treating was fun as we always go around to some of the family's houses. The boys come home with so much loot it's insane. They are definitely spoiled. So now it's time to pack up the Halloween decorations and get out my few little Thanksgiving ones. It will be here before we know it.

Girls Weekend

Last weekend was the best weekend I've had in a long time. Us girls headed to St Louis on Friday for the weekend. It was Jen, Johnna, Jill, Gail and her friend Jenny, and me. We ate at great restuarants, did some major damage shopping--but got some great Christmas gifts, and went to a comedy club Saturday night. One of the highlights of my weekend was my love affair with my bed. I was one of the lucky ones to get a bed to myself and what a bed it was. Johnna got us a great deal on a fancy hotel on Priceline. This bed had the most incredible mattress, about 6 pillows, a down comforter, and it was heaven. Honestly I had 2 of the best nights of sleep in my life. No one was snoring, no one woke me up because of a bad dream or a wet bed, no sick kids to get up with, no one wanting milk at 6:30am. It was heaven. Goodbye Doubletree Hotel, goodbye sweet bed. I miss you already.
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Aiden started his speech therapy monday morning and did great!! I don't think I mentioned that I had him evaluated. He scored really high on receptive language and how much he comprehended. He also has a good sized vocabulary. Where he was lacking was in his articulation when he tried to put words and sentences together so that is what we are working on. His speech therapist says she thinks some of it might be from when he had RSV as a baby and then was sick so much after that and had a few ear infections. That's such a critical time for learning sounds and if his ears were full of fluid that might have contributed to it. He did great with Amy though and she got him making some sounds he hasn't been able to make yet. I was proud of him. So we have some "homework" to work on with him with certain sounds until his next session.
We had Drew and Noah's parent/teacher conferences yesterday. Some parents dread them, but I love just sitting there like a proud parent and hearing how smart, well behaved, likeable, etc my children are. Who wouldn't like that???? I feel myself snickering inside---if only they could see how they act at home! I'm thrilled that my boys are thriving in school and enjoy it so much. They really do have a thirst for knowledge and I hope that continues throughout their lives. When I hear a teacher say that they wish they had a whole classroom full of Noah's, my heart just wants to burst!!

I'm Tagged

Ok, Dianna tagged me. I'm supposed to list 7 random things about myself. I'm trying to be creative and come up with things that aren't obvious about me, but it's difficult. So here goes.







7 Random Facts:







1. I'm now addicted to the show Ghost Hunters. I've watched it faithfully for months and would give anything to go with TAPS to investigate a haunting. The Stanley Hotel episode was the best.







2. I have a strange addiction to Good N Plenty's, candy corn, and candy hearts.







3. I enjoyed High School Musical as much as my boys did.







4. I learned a very important lesson this morning.....do NOT let one of your children put a magnet on your TV screen. I now have two areas of the TV that are green at all times. Oh please Lord, let Todd be able to fix that.







5. I hate celery. (one of the very few things that I hate)







6. I miss the days of getting to sit and devour a whole book in one day.







7. I'm starting to dread Christmas. It's too damn much work and too stressful. I would love to simplify things a lot but would never be able to get my family and friends on board with that.







8. (One more for good measure!) So many people seem to think I've got it all together. Boy, are they seriously mistaken!!!







Happy Halloween!! Here's a picture from a past Halloween. I'll post a current Halloween picture later.





Halloween 2004----Drew, Blake, Noah

Halloween 2005--Aiden the Sweet Pea

I'm Prairie Dawn

Ok, so NOT fair. Todd is Matthew McConaughey, I'm Prairie Dawn from Sesame Street. Every time we see that little blonde haired muppet, Aiden says "That mommy". I'm a freakin' pink muppet with blonde hair! Why can't he look at Heidi Klum and say "That mommy"?
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Can you see the resemblance?? Come to think of it, I may have that same dress in a lovely shade of green.

I don't even have a NOSE for cryin' out loud!

I'm Married to Matthew McConaughey

I'm sitting and reading my trashy celebrity magazine tonight (have to keep up on the gossip you know) and have it opened to a picture of Matthew McConaughey on a surfboard wearing nothing but swimtrunks and looking very yummy.

Aiden points to the picture and says "That daddy". I said "No, honey, that's not daddy". He gets very indignant and points again saying "That daddy". Every time I turned the page, he'd turn it back and say "That daddy". ~sigh~ "Ok, honey, that's your daddy".
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I think Todd will be pleased about that.

School Pictures

We got Drew and Noah's school pictures back yesterday. They turned out so cute but these kids look too grown up to be my babies!!

Whirlwind Weekend

We had a wonderful weekend! We headed for Chicago Friday evening, just Todd, Drew and I. The other two got to stay with Gma and Gpa Klauser. We got in to Tom and Christa's late and hit the sack. Saturday morning Todd and Tom competed in the Urbanathalon in downtown Chicago. http://www.menshealthurbanathlon.com/ They did a 12 mile run along Lake Michigan and by Navy Pier. They had different obstacles along the way. One was they got to go in Soldier Field and had to run up and down all the steps. They finished the race having to climb over the cabs below and climb the 8ft wall in the background only having a rope to help them. They finished the race in 1 hour and 49 minutes. I'm not sure I could WALK it in that time so I think they did awesome. Todd finished 35th in his age group and 427th out of 900 individual runners. There were also some that did it as teams too so I think he said there were about 1400 people competing in all. I love this pic of Todd and Tom at the end of the race with the skyscrapers in the background. It was such a beautiful day for a race. They had a festival set up also with free food, gifts, etc.

Drew gave this huge rock wall a climb. Tom said something about giving him 2 1/2 minutes to climb it. No problem for Drew. He got to the top in 1 minute, 40 seconds. He did awesome! I wish I had given it a try because it looked like so much fun. Once the race was over he also tried the 8 foot wall. He came so close so many times and we just kept cheering for him. He just wouldn't give up and we could tell we couldn't leave until he mastered it. On about his 20th try, he did it!! He was so proud and of course so were we. I was impressed actually....I don't think I could do it and I'm a lot taller!

We got a later start than we'd hoped coming back but still got back in time to enjoy ourselves at Matt's 30th bday party. Now mom and dad have two kids in their 30's. At least they have Nate to keep them young!!! I have a hard time believing my baby brother is 22 though!

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Sunday we relaxed as we were all exhausted. We enjoyed the beautiful weather and played in the backyard. Mom and dad called us that afternoon for a last minute cookout at the cabin. I'm glad we decided to go and enjoy what was probably one of our last beautiful fall weekends. With all the wind we had, Todd brought our kite and Aiden got to fly a kite for the first time. The other two boys flew the airplane Noah got for his birthday. We had an incredible meal on the grill.....bbq pork steaks, potatoes, zucchini, rolls, apples, and guacamole and chips. We ended our weekend on the perfect note.....right as the sun was setting, all 7 of us climbed in the gator for one last ride and counted 19 different deer out running around. It was so beautiful to watch them and we all enjoyed looking for them.

Aiden's 1st Kite Flying Experience

You Say "Ammonia" I Say "Pneumonia"

So I take Noah to the Dr on Monday because he has a horrible cough that has kept the house up for nights on end and we are all wearing down, especially little Noah. We find out he has pneumonia. (Zithromax RULES by the way!) He's doing much better now, thank goodness. I'm glad I took him in. I felt really stupid at first b/c everyone kept asking for symptoms and I'm like "uh, he has a bad cough". But mommy instinct told me there was more than just a cough going on so I'm glad I acted on it. So Wednesday night at State Street Bar & Grill (more on why my kids were in a bar later) Noah comes up to me and says "What's ammonia?" I'm thinking, why is he asking me about cleaning products? So I asked him what he meant. He said Grandpa John gave him some money and said it's because he has ammonia. I explained that he had pneumonia and Grandpa gave that to him to make him feel better. Oh, he says.
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So Wednesday night me and some of my female family members waitress at State Street Bar & Grill. All the tips we got go towards the Avon Breast Cancer Walk we are taking part in early next summer. A lot of family,friends, and co workers showed up to show their support and we raised about $1500 in tips towards the walk! YAY!! But I learned one very important lesson that night. I should never become a waitress. When you have a huge table full of people, trying to keep all their alcohol, meals, and tickets straight is enough to send you screaming out the door. I've worked in retail for years and feel I am very good at taking care of my customers but this was very different. I have a new appreciation for waitressess. That said, it was still a lot of fun, and we raised a good deal of money for a great cause!! (So THAT is why my kids were eating in a bar!)
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We leave for Chicago later today. Todd and his friend Tom are competing tomorrow in the Urbanathalon. Since it's such a quick trip, (we'll be back late tomorrow afternoon for Matt's bday party) Noah and Aiden are staying with Todd's parents. Drew really wanted to go with us and I"m excited about getting to have that special time with him. I know it seems like Aiden and Noah have gotten all the attention lately with both of them having birthdays and Noah being little king and then being sick, so this will be a special time to focus on Drew. He is soo excited too. I'll post all about our trip when we get back.

Whew, my week is over!!!

It was a great week but what a busy one, especially the last few days. Noah had a wonderful birthday. He got to take treats to school thursday and then the gmas,gpas, Uncle Scott, Uncle Matt, Aunt Beth, Blake, Ty and even Uncle Nate was in town and they all came over for dinner. Friday, Aiden and I got to go with Noah's class to Central Fire Station on a field trip. It was a lot of fun and Aiden had a ball hanging with his big bro and friends. Today was Noah's birthday party with his friends. All 11 kids that were invited showed up. Noah must really rate!! All the kids had so much fun and were so cute playing together. I had to include this picture of Noah and Drew together. I thought they looked so cute and brotherly!! The other one is when all of his friends sang happy birthday to him. Since Noah wanted a Halloween themed party, we made plain cupcakes and then I had all different kind of Halloween sprinkles, candy corn, black icing, orange icing, etc and the kids all got to decorate their cupcakes however they wanted. It was a hit and amazingly not too much of a mess. I am looking forward to having nothing to do tomorrow except go out to eat with Todd's parents. Drew and Noah are looking forward to Wednesday because it's Grandparents Day at school and they get to have some fun with Grandpa John and the Grandma's

Happy 6th Birthday Noah!!

My sweet, adorable, little Noah, how did you grow so quickly from this..........................

to this......................(you were the cutest Dumbo ever!)

to this........................................

to this..........................................(ahhh, what a sweet moment)

all the way to this big guy............................

You have grown so quickly that it makes me a bit sad for the days gone by. But I love my time with you now too. You are always such a ham and can say the funniest things and then you turn around and say something so sweet, it melts my heart. I remember when you were Aiden's age (2) and every morning, like clockwork, around 5 am you'd come running into bed with me. I'd spoon you, we'd snuggle up and go back to sleep. Those were some of my best sleeping hours. We just fit together perfectly. I'm so proud of you and the wonderful kid that you are. You'll always be my little guy. I love you Noah!

Oh, and your Dad thinks you have the coolest birthdate...it reads the same front and backwards. 10-11-01