Oh social life...I have missed you so.

Between Hubby's school schedule, a wicked winter and random kid sicknesses, I thought I had completely lost our social schedule. As of this week, we are back on track! The boys enjoyed a great play date. We were busy every day with fun activities. Daddy's schedule was pretty easy and we enjoyed lots of family time. Mommy got a night out with my Super Mommy friend Katie and she was so sweet to cut and color my hair and wax my eyebrows just for fun!!! We chatted and laughed all night and it was just what I needed. Not to mention, the next day I got hit on a few times at the market! Mini-makeover=Success!

Friday night, we had our friend Chris over for dinner and we had such a fantastic time catching up. We made big plans for this coming year and I can't wait until it all happens so I can blog about it! Side-Note: Chris came over with FLOWERS for me! I told him he needed to call his Mama for me and tell her that I said she did a fabulous job. How sweet is he? You just don't see much of that anymore. I am working very hard to teach my boys much of the same.

Saturday after Hubby was finished studying, he headed off for a movie with our buddy Nate. We are so blessed to live with such wonderfully supportive parents that after my boys were fast asleep at 7, I headed over to Katie's house to help prep for their newest addition. I was lucky enough to get the job of sorting through baby girl clothes, insert heart melt here. *sigh* Cutest little things and immediately, I got it. THE BABY FEVER. Why does it have to be so contagious? I told her I will have to visit each week so she can take a nap and I can snuggle her sweet newborn. Hopefully, that will buy Hubby and I a little more time! :) The guys met up with us after their movie and we chatted until we couldn't keep our eyes open anymore. It is always so much fun with them.

Today, I am trying to nurse my little lovey back to complete health. He is doing much better today, but has had a nasty cough only at bedtime. Hoping tomorrow he is even better, because the next month is jam packed with fun stuff. Lots of friends and birthdays, school activities and Daddy has spring break!!!!! So excited and thankful for such good family and friends.

Izzy's Quote of the Day: Me-"Izzy, please sit down and use your manners when you eat your dinner." Izzy- "Sorry Mama, but tacos just make me need to dance!!!"

2 in a row!!!

Wow!

So remember yesterday when I said a compliment from a complete stranger is the best? Well we have 2 in a row, people!

Today I took the boys on a lunch and play date with Izzy's friend Ella. We had a blast and stayed hours past what we intended. The kids were having so much fun and playing so well together and Ella's mom and I were having a grand ole' time just chatting away and relaxing. When we decided to declare the play date over, I took the boys to the bathroom and a nice lady stopped me midway to tell me she watched my kids play and just wanted to say, "I think your kids are so great. They are just NEAT!"

I know it is such a simple thing, but it is so nice to know that other people notice my kids and not for outrageous behavior...but just because they are good kids.

This time, Izzy overheard the compliment and yelled "Hey Mom! Did that lady say I am the BEST boy she has ever seen?" Followed with, "Can you move my pirate for that?" :)

I think I might just have to take them out again tomorrow and see if we can keep this streak going!!!

Izzy's Quote of the Day: "Mommy, I think you are going to have a baby in your tummy soon. I think it is going to be a boy and we are going to name it, Little Bill."

Heaven on Earth

Today I found Ashers heaven on Earth. The library. My baby loves to read. Now that Christmas break is over and Izzy is back in school, all morning long you can find Asher in his room sitting on a mountain of books and quietly reading to himself. So today when I took the boys to the library, he walked in (first time not in the stroller) and squealed like it was Christmas and took off for the kid section! How did he know where to go? I was cracking up! A few people gave me a look like "Oh great...here comes one of those..", but I would like to think they were pleasantly surprised. Asher ran to the kid section grabbed a book off the shelf and plopped himself down to read. Izzy found a couple of books quickly and then was off to do a puzzle. They were both super quiet and well behaved. Asher wanted to look at every book and was more than disappointed when it was time to leave. I gave Izzy his library card and some books and gave Asher one to carry too. He copied Izzy and gave it to the librarian and was so proud of himself.

Here are the lessons from my day:

1. Asher isn't too young to enjoy all that the library has to offer.
2. Mommy only has two arms and without the stroller to stuff all of our junk in, I definitely need to make a library tote for each of the boys.
3. Next visit to the library, I am going to have to schedule some more time for our visit. My kids love it there and they proved they can handle it. Even if the little one isn't strapped in the stroller! :)

And to make our visit even better, I got a compliment on our way out! *Cheer*

One of the librarians stopped me and said, "I am very proud of your boys, they did great!"

Compliments from strangers are the best. Am I right?

Izzy's Quote of the Day

My little guy has been so funny lately, and I can hardly keep up on all of his cute sayings. So here is a quick recap of the few I can remember from recent days:

Papa had tacos for dinner and Asher wanted one. I told Asher if he could say "Taco" he could have it. Izzy said, "Hey Papa, if I say Taco, can I have one too?" :)

Papa drives a Toyota Tundra. Izzy misunderstood and told him, "Papa you go take your Toyota Toilet and go to McDonald's and get me a Happy Meal!"

Once again, the idea of marriage came up in Izzy's mind and when told that he couldn't marry me, or Grandma he said, "OH GREAT! Just who am I supposed to marry then?"

Asher had a horrible fall last week, and as blood gushed everywhere, Izzy said "Oh you poor baby!" He ran off to his room and returned with his acoustic guitar and said,"Ash, sometimes when you are feeling sad, you just need to sing a song to feel better!" He sang a song that went, "Oh don't worry Mr. Sunshine, you'll come out again. When you do I'll be happy. Oh Mr. Sunshine!"
It totally worked and brought Asher out of his hysteria. (I could not agree more with that song by the way.)

One day Izzy didn't want to go to school. He asked me for the millionth time if I could home school him. In my attempt to make him excited for school, I explained that he needed to go to school so he could learn how to read and write sentences and be like his big boy cousins Jayme, Taylor and Logan. I said, they go to school and get really good grades and then they are going to go to College and play baseball and basketball. He stopped me right there and said, "See, I told you! I don't need to go to school. I can play those sports at the YMCA!!!"

While watching Max & Ruby, Izzy asked me, "Mommy what does Privacy mean?" I said, "Well, it is when you want some time to yourself." He said, "Oh, I know. Like when you are in the bathroom and I try to come in, you always say, "I need some privacy." Me: "Yes Izzy, exactly like that."


I am going to try to post his quotes more often. He is just constantly say things that make my day. I came across a notebook for Mommy's called "My Quotable Kids" and each page has a spot for the child's name, date and then space for their cute sayings. I thought what a great idea for a new mother. If it weren't for this blog, I would have forgotten so many sweet things he has said.

Well, it is almost time for me to pick my funny guy up from Preschool. Who knows what his creative mind will come up with today?!?

Obsessed.

I am slightly obsessed with Baby shows. I can't help myself, I love babies. Lately, I have stopped watching A Baby story and Bringing Home Baby and now fill my obsession through "I Didn't know I was pregnant" and "Pregnant And", both on Discovery.

On last nights "Pregnant And" they showed an almost 30 year old, married, mother of an 18 month old son, who happened to be homeless and 9 months pregnant. Her son was being cared for by a Grandma, but neither sets of family would help the parents. The husband had a criminal record and found it difficult to find another job after being laid off. They lost their house, and started camping on a mountain in a National Forest. She bathed in a creek, and pan handled for enough grocery money to buy healthy food for her and her unborn baby. The story broke my heart and I cried the whole way through. Having a baby is scary enough, but not having a home to keep your new baby warm and safe is devastating. She was able to get prenatal care through the state, but they warned her if she didn't set up housing, she would most likely lose the child to the system. Just two days before having her new son, they found someone who would exchange temporary housing for work. The couple were able to bring both of their boys home and applied for food stamps to provide meals. It reminded me, in this economy, how quickly your family lifestyle can change and how grateful I should be that I can provide such wonderful shelter, warmth and fill my babies tummies without much thought at all.

As if that wasn't gut-wrenching enough, I followed it up with a "I Didn't know I was Pregnant" episode. Now normally, I just sit and scoff at the idea of a pregnancy without a single symptom or more so, that these women tend to have most of the symptoms, but just don't show (no cycles, mild weight gain, mood swings, cravings, morning sickness) and still have no clue. This episode was slightly different in that, the young woman had MS which caused lapses of numbness and paralysis of her right side. Her cycles remained consistent and she had gained 10 pounds, but didn't know that she was pregnant and already had a baby with a severe heart defect. Next thing you know she is screaming in pain on the toilet and has the urge to push. Then they see that she has given birth to a baby girl and are in a complete state of shock. As they are wrapping up the baby, she continues to bleed heavily and having pain. Thinking she is delivering the after-birth, pushes again, but is once again shocked to find ANOTHER baby girl. A woman gave birth to identical twin girls in her toilet without a single clue she was pregnant. OH MY WORD!!!!

The babies were premature, but healthy. Another miracle is that for the entire year previous to their birth, her right side was paralyzed. While waiting for word on her new twins and wondering how they were going to care for them with her sickness and paralysis, the feeling came back and she went into remission!!! Her son had surgery and was completely healthy, her MS was in remission and two premature babies that were born in her toilet were perfect and well.

Needless to say, I passed out in a puddle of my own tears.

What a weekend!

I spoke too soon on my last post. Late Thursday and Friday were spent crying and sick. I am not a wimpy person, I have been through MANY things and lots of them physically painful, but I have never had such a horribly painful stomach virus in my life. I felt so sorry for my poor babies and what they had been through just days earlier.

Once again, my Superman rushed in to save the day. He took care of the kids before school and set me up for my day. I plopped myself on the couch and cried for mercy. Just a couple of hours later, I got a call from Superman himself telling me he had done his mandatory work and was coming home to rescue me. He studied from home for the rest of the day, took care of the kids, cleaned and cooked. *heart melt*

Hubby then woke up at 6:45 on a SATURDAY morning and studied for 12 hours. Sunday was the same routine for him. I know that I could look at this different ways and maybe be a little resentful of the time and dedication it takes to do well in med school, but I simply can't feel like that. I have always been proud of my Hubby. He has from day one of our marriage, put our family first. He has worked so hard and put time and extra effort into every job to not just do his job, but succeed in every position. Every boss he has ever had has said the same thing about him: Give him something to accomplish and he will get it done successfully and in half of the time of anyone else. He is fantastic at time management and has managed to completely balance our family life and the overwhelming demands of med school. Saturday night when I thought he would just collapse (keep in mind he was sick just like the rest of us, and still studied the whole week through) instead, he asked me out on a surprise date. We asked Mom and Dad if we could just run out for dinner and some grocery shopping once the boys were in bed and they gladly sent us on our way. Now dinner and grocery shopping might not seem like much of a date, but these days, it really doesn't matter what we do if we get the chance to catch up and spend some quality time. We had such a fun night and at dinner we couldn't stop laughing. After the week we had, it was exactly what we needed. Once we were home, we snuggled in and watched a movie. Just enough of a break so that poor Hubby's head didn't explode.

The virus wasn't done reeking havoc on our family just yet. Late Saturday night my Mom came down with it. Sunday morning she informed me that my Dad had a very important client that had bought tickets for the 4 of them to go to the New Dinner Theater and she was too sick to join. Guess who got to sub? ME!!! Mommy who spent her whole week, cleaning up vomit, consoling crying kids, hubby, and even myself, cleaning, the non-stop laundry and just plain ol' exhaustion, got to get all dolled up and go on a special fancy work date with my Dad. The dinner was delicious, the show was hilarious and I felt refreshed.

Sometimes caring for everyone can make you just feel like a robot. It was so nice for two days in a row to go out and feel like a young woman. Turns out, I didn't do so badly as my Dads date because his client loved me. If Dad earns a bonus, I might need a cut of it! Cha-Ching!

All in all, last week was a rough one, but ended on a great note. I have a new appreciation for myself and my Hubby. I learned you can will yourself to do pretty much anything even if it is cleaning up vomit one more time. I learned that there is no limit to the pride I feel for my Hubby. He just constantly amazes me with how well he takes care of us and still manages to do really well in school. I don't know anyone else who would put the kind of time in he does and I love him so much for it.

Good News!

Mommy didn't get sick!!! YAY!

My boys and Hubby are all getting better by the minute. Izzy ate his first meal successfully and we are just waiting for his leg pain to go away. I am sure he will be good enough to return to school tomorrow.

On a side note: Isn't it amazing what a hot shower does to a Mommy? Immediately I feel refreshed and ready to start again. I just closed my eyes and pictured my spa day for a really long time.

I am officially over feeling sorry for myself, so you don't have to worry about reading the pity posts anymore! ;) YaY for you!!!

The waiting game

Now this has just crossed the line into ridiculousness. Asher still can't eat, but is feeling better. Izzy can't walk, he is so weak. Hubby is now worse than both kids combined. I feel like I can't even breathe I am so exhausted. I wish I would have counted how many times I ran up and down the stairs today or washed sheets. My washer/dryer is begging for mercy, as am I. I am literally shaking I am so worn out. If I get this virus, I am done for. I will just pass out near the toilet and wave the white flag. If you don't hear from me for a couple of days...you will know where to find me.

Mean Mommy

Monday, my little Asher was not himself. More than a tad grumpy and very whiny. I couldn't wait for bedtime that day. I went to bed at about 12:30 and was asleep 10 minutes when I heard the weirdest cry. I ran downstairs and as soon as I opened his door, the smell told me exactly what I was stepping into. I tried to maneuver my way in the dark, which was in hindsight a big fat mistake. I saw the outline of his body and reached down for him, but instead put my hand into what reminded me of the show Double Dare. Literally, it was as if everything that kid has ever eaten (and apparently not chewed) was in that crib. He was completely covered, and I was completely grossed out. I ran him into the bathroom and trying to control my own gag reflex, I stripped him down and got him bathed. He woke my Dad up with the loudest screaming I have ever heard come from his little mouth. Now, my Dad is much like most men. Tell them step by step and he will do whatever you need. Dad is not so good in the stomach virus area. I can't even remember a time when I was a child that he didn't run to the other room, so he himself didn't get sick. However, something happens when it is your grandchild because he turned into Superman. After I got Asher bathed, he held a clean baby, while I cleaned up the room. Within 4 minutes, he got puked on twice, and he didn't even flinch! That is love, people!

Now it is about 1 am, and Asher continued to throw up every 10 minutes for 12 hours. He slept 1 hour that day and he was so weak he couldn't even pick his head up anymore. It was so heartbreaking and I felt awful for assuming his bad day was age based instead of the possibility of sickness. I was so exhausted from getting just 1 hour and 10 minutes of sleep and the constant cleaning and soothing of the day. I couldn't even take Izzy to school because of the frequency and knew if I couldn't even go to the bathroom, there is no way Asher could make a car ride. Luckily for me, Daddy had a different kind of day at school and was home by 2. At that point I would have paid money to use my own shower and take a short nap. Hubby saved the day again, and let me do both while he cuddled and cared for the boys. By dinner, Asher was all perked up and running around. Still not eating, but drinking pedialyte and holding it down.

I went to bed before 11, just in case of a relapse. As I write this, it is 8:30 and Asher is still fast asleep. Unfortunately, when Izzy came up to my room at 7 to get ready for school he said his tummy hurt. I figured that he might just not want to go to school, but shortly after that thought, my little guy was over the toilet and crying. Round two. At least this time Mommy is rested and Izzy is old enough to know what is coming.

Mommy needs to work on reading her kids a little better. For now, I need to cuddle and clean up for the next 12 hours or so. I am sure tomorrows post will be something about antibacterial gel and my love for Clorox wipes.

Monday in review

Morning started out quiet and peaceful. Izzy came up at 7:15 to get ready for his first day back at school. We had a great time talking and and enjoying some quiet time together. When I dropped him off at school this morning, we got a little surprise. A giant turkey had was walking back and forth in the circle drive and refused to allow a car or bus in or out. Izzy was delighted to see him up close and thought it was hysterical that all of the parents were blasting their horns and revving their engines at the bird. Izzy decided his name was Tom and he thought Tom came to celebrate his first day back to school.

When Asher and I returned home, there was a weird feeling like what do we do now? Before winter break, Asher took a nap during Izzy's school time and I finished my chores. I have decided to cut the morning nap and they both take an afternoon nap at the same time, which left our morning wide open. One problem. Asher didn't seem satisfied that his buddy wasn't home and apparently I don't know how to play anything the right way. He was quiet and a little sad all morning. Both Daddy and Izzy are back to their routine and he was missing them badly. I tried to perk him up by playing the piano with him and singing and chased him around a bit. In the end, he just walked quietly to his room, dumped a basket of toys and kept to himself. It made me a little sad that I couldn't make him happy, but I am hoping as we readjust to the new routine, we can enjoy our special time a little more. When it was time to get Izzy I barely got out the entire sentence: "Asher it is time to pick up brother..do you want to go bye-bye?" I think I got to the word time and he was already opening the door. I think it is more than obvious he missed his brother today.

Izzy was thrilled to come home and was talking a mile-a-minute. The two of them ran off and locked themselves away to play until lunch time. I couldn't make lunch fast enough and Asher came in to get a snack. He normally will eat anything offered, so I laid a Sun Chip down on his table and he gave me a dirty look and opened his hand wide and smashed it into 20 pieces like he just killed the biggest spider known to man!! I gave him a "Mama don't play that" look and he wiped his hand and ran off to Izzy crying. I think I made my point. That soon became the theme of our day as Asher didn't take a nap because he couldn't stop POOPING!!! Are my babies the only ones that seem to only poop when it is time to sleep? Not sure if he has an upset stomach but he is exceptionally regular this week. Come to think of it, I think this is a consequence of the ginormous amounts of buffet food he had yesterday. So really, I did this to myself. Either way, he was too busy pooping to nap. No nap Asher=Very grumpy Asher. The afternoon moved from background noise of whining to all out squeals because Izzy was sitting to close to me or I picked the wrong book to read or HELLO don't even think about crossing your legs. I don't know the kid is random. Izzy at one point got a book to the head and that put Asher in one of his first real time outs. He sat there but did give us a dirty look for one minute. He gave Izzy a big kiss sorry, but furrowed his brow afterwards and babbled as if to say, "Come on Izzy, don't be a traitor!"

Soon after Daddy and Papa came home for the night and I was able to say the words I normally dread, but today they gave me escape from whining...time for Mommy to make dinner!

Asher went to bed early and Izzy and I got to have some play time. He wanted to play Castle. It is by Playmobil and it has 100 pieces, but it is seriously so fun. It is a riot to hear how Izzy's mind works and his imagination is endless! First he wanted me to be the bad guys, so I threw flames from my trebuchet and broke down his castle walls. I tried to steal his treasure and just as I was about to be victorious he took away all of my weapons and sat my guys down and said, "Ok, that is enough. Now our guys are going to be friends ok?" Me: "Um, ok? So what do we do now?" Izzy: "Well, friends play games. What kind of games would you knights like to play? At our castle we have Monopoly and Connect 4. Which is your favorite?" Me: "Hmmm. Wow. This has taken a turn. I guess Connect 4?" He used the treasure chest as the table and pretended to take turns playing the game. Then he said, "See knights, it is great being friends. Sharing is fun."

That pretty much sums Izzy up in a nutshell. He is a lover not a fighter, even in imaginary play. :)

For every cause for patience there was something funny and sweet to fill my day. I am exhausted, but looking forward to a new day with our new routine and hopefully a lot more smiles.

Brunch

Today we went to church and had an amazing service. It was just what I needed after being cooped up for so long! After church Hubby and I took the boys to Tomfooleries for their brunch buffet. We hold a special place in our heart for Tom's. That is where we shared our very first date. Hubby invited me to a birthday thing for his friend and when I showed up it was the three of us! Unexpected, but still very fun. Our lives started over a yummy plate of chicken fingers and really not much has changed since then.

The brunch buffet is delicious and both of our boys are free. Delicious and budget friendly...a win in my book. They serve every breakfast food imaginable plus meatloaf, chicken fingers, chicken parm-ok I have to stop, I am getting hungry just thinking about it. Oh, but I do have to mention CHOCOLATE COVERED STRAWBERRIES. I would pay for the whole buffet just for that item alone. We had such a nice time eating until it hurt. My boys are much like others their age, right now they just kind of pick around at their food and only eat what they have to. Apparently, Tomfooleries is an exception. Asher ate, lots of fruit, waffles, sausage, chicken fingers, biscuit, and a bite of a brownie. That is more than he would eat in a 2 day period at this point! I was amazed. He quietly ate while watching the train go round and round. Izzy loves eating there and in between bites shared stories of his time in church and what is going on in his 4 year old life. It was such a relaxing brunch and my favorite part was the no waiting for service! I think every mother can relate to going out to eat with children and feeling like it would have been easier to eat at home. Keeping the kids occupied and happy, while trying to get them to ignore their grumbling bellies while the food cooks. Then when your food finally arrives, there is all of the cutting, and the serving and the spills and if you are me, all of the cleaning before with the antibacterial wipes...it is exhausting. When the kids are done eating you realize you have only eaten 2 bites of your meal, but you know better than to make your children wait on you, so you box it up to take home. Brunch buffet, makes a moms meal enjoyable. And really is there a better way to end your time with 3 full and happy boys than a chocolate covered strawberry? I think not!

Cabin Fever

We have officially been snowed in for 6 days. That is almost a week. I don't plan on getting out tomorrow as the high for the day is 1. ONE!!!! In other words they should just tell you if you open your front door at all, you will have frost bite. At 9 am, it is supposed to feel like -24. Ironically, my parents got us a very expensive electric blanket for a Christmas present. We have never needed such a thing, so we returned it for a new King size sheet set...they are lovely by the way. Wouldn't you know, one week later, this would happen. I feel like I need to befriend an Eskimo.

My kids have been great this week, but I can tell we are getting a touch of the Cabin Fever. Asher has taken up learning new dances to keep himself entertained. Tonight while we were cooking dinner, he decided (totally randomly I might add), to learn the Moonwalk. He did this for about 20 minutes straight. Of course, an older brother can not be out done, so then Izzy had to show us that he could do the moonwalk too, and much faster. Then how high he could jump, fast he could spin and so on, and so on.

The Christmas toys are losing their excitement. The basement is too freezing cold to enjoy. It looks like tomorrow, Mommy is going to have to get creative. I would hate for Asher to have to learn to drop it like it's hot just to chase the boredom away. :)

For the LOVE

2 A.M. Tuesday morning, I found myself in the bathroom and I might as well never left. I have what seems to be some stomach virus that feels like it is eating through my guts and leaving my back extremely sore. No fever, no other symptoms other than the agonizing pain and annoyance of being in the bathroom every 2 minutes. I haven't really slept since Sunday night so now I am crossing over into the delirious category as well.

Lucky for me, I have two great kids and the sweetest Hubby a girl could ask for. First week back in school, and instead of taking a break in between studying, he was taking care of the boys and making dinner, played with them and even put them to bed. In all of that, my sweet little Izzy came up to visit me in bed and said, "I need to pray for you, this is not good. You are too sick." So he did, and it was precious.

I was hoping after my intermittent 5 minutes of sleep, I would wake up today free of this bug. Not so much. I think I might take my pillow and blanket and move into the bathroom today. Cut out all of those steps. My muscles are beginning to contract and I believe that to be the first step in the side effect called Dehydration.

One good thing has come of this. I weighed in this morning and I have officially dropped all of that nasty Holiday weight plus a pound. I would prefer a less painful weight loss regime, but I don't think I get a choice in this case.

Hubby just brought home Chinese. I know, I am totally stupid and doing myself in, but I haven't eaten a bite since Monday and I figure it isn't going to matter much anyway. I might as well eat something yummy even if it only lasts a second.

I declare this Snow Week!

Kids throughout Kansas City are rejoicing...and the loudest voice you hear may be Izzy's. Tomorrow we are entering day 2 of school cancellations due to inclement weather, with a possible closing on Thursday. I am just calling it a week. Lets stop delaying the inevitable and just call it already. I hate checking and rechecking the websites until our district comes up and the scratching the cute outfit I have planned for Izzy just to be replaced with sweats because it is too dang cold for anything else. This is the week to break out your Snuggies people! Blast! Why did I make fun of those things? I totally wish I would have gotten one for Christmas. Snuggies were made for school closings. I was wrong to think otherwise.

Back to our new normal

Today marks the first day of Hubby's second semester of Medical School. Last semester was challenging to say the least. It took a little while to find our rhythm and feel on top of things instead of drowning in the unknown. The workload is unimaginable. One of his friends put it best when she said Medical School is like drinking from a fire hose. I am sure that is exactly how it feels. Although, I don't have the constant studying and stress, my role changed last semester as well. I felt like a single mother at various times and had conversations with Izzy that were much better suited for a Daddy and son.

We lived for winter break and couldn't wait to spend real quality time together and as a family without the looming tests and deadlines. Hubby got to spend some much needed guy time with his buddies, we were lucky enough to get several dates in and had special time with lots of our friends. My ribs are still sore from all of the laughter we have had and I can't tell you how refreshing something as simple as laughter is. It felt good to be normal again. My only complaint is that it went too quickly.

Winter break was exactly what our boys needed as well. Izzy had been having a rough go of it in November and I guess all he needed was his Daddy. As soon as he had some time he transformed into the old sweet Izzy we love so dearly. Asher had become quite the Mommy's boy until break and now I can barely get that kid to acknowledge my existence! I gladly give it up though, because I know how much it meant to Marcus to get all the loving and snuggles in the last couple of weeks.

Izzy goes back to school tomorrow and that makes me a little sad as well. I have thoroughly enjoyed having him home all day everyday. He has been so kind and helpful and it goes without saying that Asher is going to miss his buddy when school starts back up. Today while the boys were in the bath, Izzy said, "Mama, I love my Ash. He is my best friend. I don't even need nobody else to play with because I love him so much." *heart melt* I know if Asher could talk he would return the love.

Right now, Asher has just woken from his slumber and is sweetly calling out for his Daddy to save him. I know Daddy wishes he could get him up from nap everyday, but hopefully it will make his day that his little guy was calling for him.

As winter break draws to an end, I have reflected on this fabulous quality time and decided that I need to do whatever it takes to keep this going no matter the sacrifice on my part. I am willing to sacrifice my time here and away to keep the closeness we have felt these past weeks going. Med school can really suck your life away and I am determined to enjoy life as we get through each section. I feel much more confident as a mother going into this next semester, I know I can handle everything on my own. This time, I am going to do so with more patience and a lot more smiles.

I have got the time management, the confidence and a more positive outlook on the days to come. Now if it could just stop snowing for like 5 seconds so that I could actually leave my house to resume my normal activities that would be great!

Wishing you all a very happy and blessed 2010!!!
Michael

Trains, planes and automobiles

I know my kids well, but even I have been a little surprised at how well one special gift has went over. The magic Train table!!!

We put the table in Ashers room since he is less territorial. Izzy can hardly wait for him to wake up in the morning and every other minute of the day those two are glued to each other. We have a baby monitor in Ashers room and so I can always hear them playing and this train table has been an amazing thing for their relationship. Literally that is all they do all day. Right now as I type this, they are in Ashers room, giggling, trading trains and making up stories for where their trains are off to. They have always played well together, but since Christmas it is unreal how close they have become.

Today, I even hot glued that thing down so I no longer have to be interrupted with a track destruction call. I think besides the purchase of the train, that could be the smartest thing I have ever done.

Something else I love about that table, it is actually fun for me to play with too. Am I the only mother who dreads the "Lets play armies or Hot Wheels" request? I just don't know what I am supposed to do with them. I don't know any military terms and I just feel like a loser trying to come up with things. My creativity is limited with cars as well. Besides driving through a car wash and having a wreck...I've got nothing.

So now, when they ask me to play trains, I can relax and enjoy. There is something calming about it and the train table makes all the noises for you...no more feeling like a loser for me!

It is almost bedtime for my boys so I better go check on my little conductors.

Choo Choo!