Cardinal Game With the Boys

View from our seats :) I love that Arch!

Me & my Boys

We had a great day, perfect, cool weather for Jack's 1st ever time to the ball park. Amazingly we lasted 3 whole innings in the seats before we got a case of the squirms. We loaded the boys full of blue cotton candy and they snuggled in for some good ol' fashioned baseball. Jack was even yelling "Charge!" at the most appropriate times.:)

I enjoyed the day with my little Cardinals birds. I love this picture for obvious reasons, but mostly if you look closely Parker is holding both of my hands, just on his own doing.:) This makes a Mama smile.:0)

Big Muscles But Also, Big Hearts

Just when you've lost yourself in the rough and tumble of boys, witnessing their countless attempts at wrestling, couch jumping, monster truck toy crashing a brilliant break through! Had to share, this is too good to be true. Today, a normal Weds. after lunch, the boys are loudly playing in the other room and I am emptying the kitchen trash. As I pull the very full kitchen trash bag from the can and lift the can with it, it suddenly drops onto my 2 smallest of unsuspecting toes. The pain that results from this is almost in fathomable! haha. I yelp and go hopping across the floor and what to my wondering eyes appear..two wide eyed little boys, stopped dead in their tracks! Now what is funny is that my youngest who just turns 2, he's hanging out in just a diaper mind you, comes running over to me "mommy, k?" "Mommy OK?" he's asking. He then rubs me on the shoulder to console me and sits in my lap to hug me.:) I was flattered, all my work of consoling them when they crash is starting to set in? Nah..but then, Mr. Jack goes one step further. He goes into the kitchen, sees the trashcan out and the cabinet door still open where it usually resides. He grabs the can (that's every bit as large as him) and GRUNTS as he flexes his baby muscles to pick it up and places it back into the cabinet, closes door! I couldn't believe my eyes..takin' care of his Mama! What a gentleman! More than the hugs and shoulder rubbing, I think that grunt he let out and seeing him lift that ginormous thing in Pampers was my favorite moment of it all. *sigh..I truly do love my boys and all of their "moments." :)

Jack Is 2!

I am a cowboy in a polo!

slick willy heading to church

one "Ma" cake..translation..."Monster Truck Cake"

I lost my pants in the sandbox, and also, this is the only organized photo of me at my party because I am kid #2 and my parents have dropped the ball on photos for me.:)

We had a great day outside celebrating! The culdesac in front of our house was soon taken over by little Tykes cars, hot wheels and bikes with training wheels. To some, it would appear a Shriner's circus..to us..just a normal day with our family and closest of friends.:)

Parker Goes to School..Kindergarten Kiddo!

watch yourselves ladies!

hugs for little bro


Charming...

not happy at all that more pictures were taken!

Daddy & Parks with their morning Starbucks mugs

off to school in a convertible ride!

The first day of school is here! Well..was here, on Monday.:) I could hardly sleep the night before in hopes of rising before the little kindergartener and pushing that button on my coffee pot. I made sure everything was in order the night before, socks out in the shoes ready to go, uniforms washed and actually IRONED...and oddity for me! I packed him breakfast in a brown bag and even put a note in it since he rides to school with Daddy early, he eats breakfast with him every morning in his classroom. What a great morning it was, although I was tired from staying up until midnight, I was just as excited as I was when I went to school. Check out these cute photos!:)

Update on Parker

Just realized....I'm almost in a new category..starting to outgrow the stay-at-home Mom of toddlers identity! I have myself a 5 year old after all, who can do all sorts of things! Vacuums the floor for me, helps his little brother and has even taken on the roll of all thing recycled in this house. While my kitchen counter is covered full of "trash" to be ran out to the recycling bin, I am most thankful for my environmentally aware and helpful firstborn. Kuddos to you, Parks for forcing this family to "go green.":)
I am enjoying my littlest man these days and relishing the last few times of "babyhood" with him, he's about to turn 2, but let's be honest, he's really still a baby! I do more clean up and assistance after him than I can even wrap my mind around, trying to recount doing all this work for Parker! I know I did, it just seems ions ago.
The next few days I will be washing up little boy school uniforms, no more of the 2T, 3T, 5T clothing, yup, real boy clothes now! I am equally excited for my Parkie bear to begin his school career. Now that we finally have an answer to what was making him so miserable, and treatment seems to be working, I am thankful that he will do well at school and everything else. Parks seems to suffer from a somewhat rare iron deficiency, a low ferritin level that went undiagnosed for over a year when we last had a blood draw. From what I understand, a person's level should be over 50 and if it is under, restless leg syndrome (in which you can't sleep well) results and extreme irritability. The poor guy's number was a mere 11. When I got the call from the lab almost immediately after the draw was done, I cried to the lab attendant who gave me the news. I was so thankful and relieved to have finally found something! I knew there was a missing puzzle piece, I knew something was wrong with my kiddo. I can't tell you how frustrating that is as a Mom! But to have confirmation and a treatment plan and that's it's not something serious was more than music to my ears. So far, his treatment of prescription iron twice a day seems to have some improvement, although Dr. says it will take months.
I owe Dr. Luitjohan a MASSIVE plate of cookies for suspecting this, even when the Pediatrician laughed and assured me he's only had 1 child in his 20 years that has ever tested positive for this...Dr. Luitjohan, you were right on! :)

A Kindergartener in the Making!

Here he is and all of his divine school supplies! Can't believe this kiddo is headed off to Kindergarten. I am really excited for him, he will love it. I'm not one of those Moms who's sniffling about it..while very sentimental I am and I do love to cuddle my Parks, I'm excited for this and embrace it full on. I may shed a tear or 2 when it's just Mr. Jack and I..what an adjustment that will be. I'm enjoying labeling all his markers and supplies...would you believe each and every marker has to have a name on it? I also found it funny that I am completely clueless in the world of new Crayola products. What in the world is a twistable?! And whatever happened to regular old Crayola crayons?! Parker will be learning so many news things, and apparently, so will I! Here's to a great year of Kindergarten Parks!!! xoxox

~Mommy~

My Kind of Town, Chicago Is.....

An exquisite dinner at Tuscany

Love my man :)

Me & the Mr.

Cheers to lifelong friends!

Mrs. D & Mrs. D freshly manicured from the spa sportin' our fav. drinks! Cosmos!

Frank Sinatra said it best...my kind of town, Chicago is! I love, love, love this windy city! So many great memories, the ambiance of the city, the lights, the wind, the coolness and the electricity of the "mini New York" feel. I love Starbucks on every corner, people on trains with black bags, large black sunglasses..Chicago has a fancy feel. A certain fancy feel that I fancy at least once a year! Every year we have started making a tradition of taking a trip up there to see our great friends, curiously named the Dreyers...very close to Dwyer isn't it now?:) It is SO great to getaway just the 2 of us and have a weekend of sheer bliss! I will have to post pics I have from 3 years in a row! Here are some of my favorite memories from that weekend..