On to a new year...

Oh boy...it has been a LONG time since I posted hasn't it! I'm not even going to attempt to make the resolution to keep up with our blog better because that is just asking to be broken! As I'm sitting here with 2 hours left of 2010 I can't believe all the things that have happened this year in our family. The boys are getting to big for me to even process at this time. In less than a month I'm going to have a 5 year old. That just cannot be possible! I'm to hormonal at the moment to even delve into that right now. So let's recap 2010 as best as possible in our family. Let me also say I usually only talk about the boys in this blog but to recap this year is going to require talking about myself more than I usually like to.

First off we rang in the New Year and 5 days later I turned 30. I think I handled it pretty well if I do say so myself. After all 30 is only old when you are in your teens and early 20s. After that 30 doesn't seem so bad and anything after that is not so old anymore either. I will confess I'm having a hard time now that I'm staring down 31 in a few days. Go figure. Then on January 25th Eric turned 4 years old. His birthday went smoothly and all was normal. In February we started preparing for Tyler's 2nd birthday and that is when things got interesting. Just a few days before his his party I woke up with some serious pain in my neck. No it wasn't the kids fighting...I'm talking real pain. So just prior to his birthday I underwent a thyroid biopsy. I felt much better thankfully by his party and his party went well. We officially had a 2 year old in the house. March brought the news that I had thyroid cancer. Wow...that was a shock to us and it began the roller coaster ride. Thankfully my thyroid was removed after 2 surgeries in April, I underwent radioactive iodine therapy the beginning of May and was pronounced cancer free by the end of May! During that time we experienced huge blessings from friends and family.

After Eric was out of preschool he went to California with his Omi (Brian's mom) for a week. He got to visit all his family out there and do tons of fun things. We got to enjoy a whole week with just Tyler. Tyler seemed to like it at first but after a day or two he was definitely missing his brother. Throughout the summer we did tons of fun things like Sea World and the beach. In August Eric started VPK and is loving every minute of it. He has a best friend in his class and they are inseparable. He is one smart cookie too...sometimes he is to smart for his own good. I know he is going to be a true handful in a few years when he really thinks he is smarter than us. :) Tyler has had a huge language explosion in the past few months. He has quite the personality. Where Eric is very boisterous and outgoing, Tyler is very soft spoken and more reserved. They are both a ton of fun to have around. Eric says some of the funniest things that just crack me up and Tyler gets these silly looks on his face and then takes off to pounce on you which is too cute.

One of the highlights of the past few months was Eric asking Jesus to live in his heart. This kid has the biggest love of God for a child his age. Eric struggles constantly with the need to control things and to see God working in his young heart is really amazing. He is asking tons of questions about heaven and right & wrong. It kind of breaks my heart that my baby is growing up and asking such smart questions but it is also rewarding to see that he is growing into a young boy of God as well.

This past November I took on the challenge of doing a relay race across the state with some people from our church. The boys took this to heart and prayed for me almost daily that I would win the race. They didn't quite get the concept that this was a team thing nor that we would definitely not win...we did it to raise money for Love146 ministries. Nonetheless when they came out to see me run they brought signs saying "You Rock Mommy", "Go Mom", and "Super Mom". What sweet kids I have...and a sweet husband I have that put them up to it! :)

Also of note is that we signed Eric up for Upwards Basketball league this winter. Let me tell you...it isn't his strong sport by any means but he has fun and it is fun to watch all the little kids practice! They start games this January. He is on the youngest team and almost all of his teammates are friends from his preschool. His coach is one of his friend's dad and this man must have the patience of Job to coach this team! :) We will probably look into soccer and T-ball soon for the next sports since he really seems to enjoy being active. I think we will continually enroll him in basketball though (until he asks not to) because it is an organization that not only teaches basketball and team work but also puts God first. He has a Bible verse to learn every week. Not many sports leagues you can sign your kids up for that does that.

This December brought a crazy amount of energy to our house. We had a cookie decorating party here at the house which was crazy but tons of fun, lots of different events to go to and of course Christmas Day. Dad, Shelby and some of their friends came up to spend the day with us. We had a great time and of course the boys were spoiled rotten. This year it was by us though. I think I went a little overboard with the presents but I got such good deals it was hard to pass them up. :)

So that is the kind of not so short and simple version of our year. Even as long as this post is it still can't say all that has gone on in our family but you get the gist. :) So I have to say all in all it has been a wonderful year. Even with the brief health issues our family is truly blessed! I am now 7 months cancer free and look forward to being able to celebrate many more cancer free years with my wonderful family. Happy New Year from our family to yours!

Summer Adventures

This has been one jam packed summer for us so far and it is only half way over! We've done so much it is hard to remember it all...thank goodness for pictures! Between the beach, short trip down to Avon Park, Daytona Cubs baseball game, July 4th celebrations, chocolate factory tour, the library summer programs, birthday parties, trip to California and Vacation Bible School it has all started to blur together!

Eric had a great time on his trip to California. He got to go camping in Omi & Oti's RV, play in the pirate tree house Omi built for him, go to San Diego Zoo's Wild Animal Park with Grandpa Dale and Leah, the beach and visit with Oma & Ota. He had so much fun that I don't think he even missed us! Tyler sure missed him though. He was not himself the entire time his brother was gone. Eric was definitely a trooper on the trip out there with a cancelled flight and much later arrival than anticipated. At the layover in Texas he sang "God Bless America" for everyone. When they started clapping during a pause he said "no no I'm not done yet!" and continued on. He also LOVED vacation bible school! He keeps asking me when he can go back again. Eric continues to amaze me with his ability to pick up on things so quickly. He remembered all the Bible verses from VBS easily and over the summer has started learning some sight words along with counting up to 160 on his own. He also wants to learn addition and subtraction so I picked up some workbooks for him which he was thrilled with. He is definitely going to be our smarty pants kid. He loves to learn which is such a blessing. I just hope he continues to love it as he gets older. Along with his intelligence comes a very strong will which will serve him well in the future but is slightly frustrating for us at the moment. While frustrating as he can be behaviorally, he is such a sweetheart as well. When his brother hurts himself he immediately goes over and gives him kisses and promptly scolds whatever hurt him such as the wall or table. :) His smile, laughter and love of life is very contagious!

Tyler is growing by leaps and bounds this summer. His vocabulary is expanding so much recently. He also has a personality all his own. Unlike his brother he is not strong willed but is definitely in the 2 year old phase. He is constantly pushing boundaries but once he learns where they are he pretty much stays within them. He is our fun loving make the most of life child. He loves to have fun and laugh. He absolutely loves to pretend to be a dinosaur. He is into anything that Eric likes and I think it is his mission in life to do whatever Eric does. Tyler is also our daredevil. While Eric is cautious, Tyler is the complete opposite. In the pool Tyler just jumps in and tries to swim without abandon while Eric prefers the safety of the swim vest and has to warm up to jumping in. Tyler is the one that is giving me gray hair and will continue to do as he gets older I'm afraid. Thank goodness for hair dye! We are now in the process of potty training Tyler. Today is day 2 and things are going pretty well. He tells us when he has to go which is great. We also have cut out nap time altogether which makes for an interesting afternoon. The upside is they actually go to bed on time and don't stay up until 9 or 10pm playing anymore. Tyler is also starting to pick up on some shapes and letters and can count to 10 now. This fall when Eric starts VPK I'm going to start working with Tyler to help him pick up more basics. He learns so different than Eric that it has been an adjustment for me. Tyler is all about play while Eric would sit still and just read with you for hours. Amazing how 2 kids from the same parents can be so different. I wouldn't have them any other way though. They are each special in their own way and I love them both so much! I tell both of them they are my gifts from God and that Eric is my favorite Eric and Tyler is my favorite Tyler. :)

Geez Louise I have gotten so far behind once again. Now I do have an excuse as most of you know this time but still 2 months is a little extreme to go without posting! :) So what has been going on with the boys you wonder. Tons of stuff as usual. LOL! These past 2 months have been filled with lots of fun things for the boys but also lots of disruptions to their normal lives. With my surgery and recovery from thyroid cancer we've had a ton of people helping us out which has been wonderful and I have to say the kids have adjusted so well! Now that I am getting back up to speed I can't wait to start getting active in their lives again.

They are both growing up so fast. The school year is almost done for Eric. He has had a wonderful time. I cannot believe he will be in VPK next year! After that is kindergarten! Craziness I tell you. Right now we have him and Tyler enrolled in swim lessons. So far they have only had one lesson. Eric liked it but Tyler was not especially thrilled. The day after school ends Eric gets to go to California without mommy, daddy or Tyler. Before you freak out we haven't lost our minds and are letting him fly alone. LOL! Brian's mom is coming out and taking him back with her for a week. I am excited and anxious all at the same time. I have never been away from Eric for this long or this far away from him either. I know he is going to have a wonderful time though. Once he gets back we have him registered for vacation bible school at a local church. Some of his friends from school are going to be there so I know he will enjoy it. We are also thinking about signing him up for Tball. He talks about playing baseball all the time. He will probably be really good at it if he can learn not to talk incessantly and learn to listen. Haha! One of the academic things he is learning is sounding out words. He has some sight words already which is great. We will definitely keep working with him over the summer.

Tyler is just taking off by leaps and bounds when it comes to vocabulary and personality. I swear this little guy is going to be a charmer if there ever was one. He is starting to pick up some academic things a little more now that we have learned that he learns things differently than his brother. They couldn't be more different but both of them are so precious to us. They really get on each other's nerves and fight alot but then they can't stand to be away from each other for any length of time either. Too funny! I just have to tell you something Tyler said about a month ago. Sometimes I have to tell Eric that I wasn't talking to him when I am correcting Tyler because Eric thinks he is Tyler's boss. Well in the car I told Tyler "I love you" and he says clear as a bell "I wasn't talking to you mommy"! I was crying I was laughing so hard. I know I shouldn't have laughed but I just couldn't help it. He hasn't done it since thankfully but he does say some other funny things. The words goldfish and oranges both sound like "oh s**t" when he says them. The first time he said it Brian and I looked at each other stunned because he certainly doesn't hear that from us. Then he said it again and pointed to the goldfish and we figured out that was just the way he says those 2 words. I don't know which is worse...that or when Eric used to call milk "dope"! LOL!

Can't wait to see what fun the summer has to bring for us! I'll make sure to keep updating...hopefully a little better than I have done lately. :)

Birthdays!

As usual the start of a New Year is filled with birthdays for us which means lots of parties, presents, and cake. :)

Okay, so I started off the birthdays by turning 30 on January 6th. I have to say I was pretty okay with turning 30 believe it or not. I do believe I am one blessed 30 year old and it can't get much better than that! :)

Eric turned 4 about 3 weeks later on January 25th. I cannot believe that my baby (well one of them) is 4 years old! I say this every year but where has the time gone? Eric is such a little man and can be so serious and then be so darn silly. It is sometimes hard to remember that he is only 4 because he acts so much older at times. He is a smart little guy. He loves, loves, loves school. We love his school as well. Besides all the normal things he is learning they have a strong Christian base. He has come home and told me more about the real meaning of Easter and why Jesus died on the cross than I ever thought possible for a child his age. It just warms my heart to know we have him somewhere that is teaching him not only what he needs to know academically but they are also teaching him the same views that we teach him at home. He has made numerous friends as school with a few of them definitely being his close friends. It is really cute to hear him talk about his friends. His imagination is just extraordinary. He loves to save me from the coyotes and polar bears that lurk in our house. :) Some of his other favorites are Cars, Thomas the Train, anything to do with sports, anything Daddy is interested in, reading and anything to do with the computer. Right now he is super excited that he gets to go to California in June with Omi without mommy or daddy. I can't quite say how mommy is dealing with this though. Haha! :) He is also super excited to see Grandpa Dale and Aunt Risa in a couple of weeks. They are coming to visit for about a week during Easter.

Following Eric's birthday by a month is my little guy Tyler. Tyler turned 2 on February 21st. He is such a joyful kid. He is a lot different than his brother in personality. Where Eric is very scheduled and regimented, Tyler is very laid back and just goes with the flow. Eric is very deliberate and Tyler is very free spirited. Eric loved to just sit and learn at Tyler's age (and still does for that matter) and Tyler just loves to run and be active and enjoy life to the fullest. It just amazes me that two totally different kids can have the same parents. They are both wonderfully made by God! Tyler just adores anything to do with animals...especially dinosaurs. He loves to pretend that he is a dinosaur and he stomps and roars through the house. He also loves to dance! It is has got to be the cutest thing ever. I can't wait to get it on video. Tyler has also just jumped on the talking bandwagon. He has always jabbered but he is now talking full sentences and definitely states his opinion on things. He leaves no doubt where he stands on things important to him. :)

So far this year we have managed to squeeze in 2 trips to Sea World and a few trips to the Jacksonville Zoo. The boys just love it every time we go. Now that the weather is getting nicer we are looking forward to going biking with the boys and also to the beach. As you can tell we also got the boys a new bed which they love. It is like a bunk bed but not quite as high off the ground. As always we are just so blessed to have the kids we do. They are both great kids and they have managed to teach us quite a few things even at their young age.

Wow...where has the time gone?

Wow...I haven't posted since May 2009 and here it is January 2010! Maybe one of my resolutions should be to post on the blog more often. Haha!

The boys are getting so big! Eric will be 4 at the end of the month and Tyler will be 2 in February. I no longer have babies. Kind of bittersweet. I'm glad to be out of that baby stage of sleepless nights, endless feedings, and almost out of the teething phase (only 2 more to go for Tyler...yay!); however, I am not glad to be out of the holding them while they sleep, discovering their first smile, first tooth, first laugh, first word phase at all. Life goes on though and there are many things for me to be excited for I'm quite sure. :)

One thing I am really excited about is that we recently moved them in the same room together and made Tyler's old room the play room. The boys really like being together and later on in the year we will get a bunk bed for them to share. We went to California for 2 weeks during Thanksgiving time and had a wonderful time. The boys got to go to Legoland and Knotts Berry Farm. They loved both of them and Eric can't wait to go back. We also got a chance to be with family a lot more than usual while out there and it really made an impression on Eric. He talks about his family a lot now which is really cute. They also got to go to the Santa Ana Zoo and the Discovery Science Center in Santa Ana. They were thrilled with both. Tyler loved all the animals at the zoo and Eric was fascinated with all the things at the science center. As for the zoo I do believe Eric had more fun playing with his friend Harrison at the playground there than anything else. :)

Like I said, Eric will be 4 on January 25th. He is quite a handful and very strong willed. We love him just the way he is even if there are times he drives me insane with his stubbornness! Haha! I'm hoping the saying "if you raise a strong willed child to do the right things then they will be stick to those morals and ethics instilled in them during childhood later in life" is true. It is challenging but the payoff in the end is so worth it. He is quite a smart little cookie. He is in PreK-3 at First Baptist Christian Academy and LOVES it! He loves his classmates and teacher and he is developing a love for Jesus that just warms my heart. He is starting to put words together by sounding out the letters. His eating habits are starting to get better. It is taking a lot of patience on our part but he is trying new foods at every dinner and some he has even liked. I think he secretly likes cesear salad but refused to fess up on that one. lol! He did fess up to liking mandarin oranges though. :) As far as potty training that was a success and something I hope to get done with Tyler before he turns 3. His favorite things right now are Disney Cars (loves Lightening McQueen), trains (of course), airplanes, playing outside at the park, reading, finger painting, and going to Sea World. This last trip we let him feed the sea lions and that was a huge hit. Christmas was a huge hit with him and he was spoiled rotten! He asked me the other day if it was going to be Christmas again in the morning. He was quite bummed to find out he had to wait a whole year! Haha! :)

Tyler is 22 months now and has quite the personality. He shows a few signs of being strong willed but for the most part is way more complaint than Eric ever dreamed of being. He is quick to smile and laugh when you play with him or if he sees something funny on tv. He is getting quite the vocabulary going lately. Sometimes he just burst out in a whole sentence but heaven help me I can't understand any of it yet! LOL! When he says one or two words at a time then I can make out what he is saying. He absolutely loves dinosaurs, animals, Diego, Nemo, and playing outside. He also likes blaming his brother for everything. I watched Tyler trip the other day over his own two feet and when I asked him what happened he pointed right at his brother (who was in the other room) and said "brother" in a very pouty voice meaning brother/Eric did it to him. Oh boy...shades of the future to look forward to. Haha! :) He isn't much of a reader like Eric was/is but will sit with you when he is tired and let you read to him. He is harder to work with when trying to teach him things like numbers, letters, shapes, and colors as his attention span is way less the Eric's at the same age. Then again I think Eric's was a little longer than a usual 2 year old. Haha. We are getting there though and I'm sure he will catch on pretty soon. He is way more active than Eric was at 2 though. Tyler is a monkey! I think the gray hair I have found (it is colored now so don't bother looking next time you see me...haha) is a direct result of his climbing antics!

As for Brian and I we are staying busy chasing after the kids, with work and with church. We celebrated our 7 year anniversary back in November. This year will mark 10 years from when we first met. Hard to believe how God has blessed us in the past 10 years! We wish all of our family and friends a very happy 2010!