My first concert

So last night Mark and I went to Omaha to see Rascal Flatts. This was my first concert ever!!! When Mark and I first met I was not a big country fan at all. He ended up leaving a CD in my car and soon enough I knew the words to every song... and yes it was a Rascal Flats CD. Crazy! Now all I listen to is country music. Call me a prude but the hip-hop I previously enjoyed is just too inappropriate/vulgar for my young family. :) Mark had bought these tickets for me as a surprise in early December. He called me at work to tell me what he had done because he knew I would see the $$ transaction when I balanced the check book. He is the sweetest guy ever by the way; always doing thoughtful things for me. The show started at 7:30pm with Chris Young and Luke Bryan opening the show. We arrived at about 8pm and it was not because we were trying to be fashionably late. We drove through a snow storm to get to Omaha... not fun. We both were tense the entire way. Neither of us have ever been to the Qwest Center either so we were not sure where to go for parking, and by this time it was a madhouse in that area. We parked quite a ways away and then quickly walked through the blowing snow and 12 degree weather to the facility. Our seats were not on the main floor but not in the nose bleed area either; we got a good view of the stage and the big screens. We missed Chris Young completely but enjoyed Luke Bryan and then Rascal Flatts. It was so fun! Mark and I held hands, swayed, danced a bit, and sang out loud. :) The smell of the alcohol around us was enough to give you a buzz... :) We bought a couple of ball caps as souvenirs. The run from the building to the truck was even worse I think... The wind was picking up the snow already on the ground and smacking us in the face. It was also about 5 degrees cooler and I am sure with the windchill even worse. We thought we'd never get out of the immediate area but with patience we were on our way back to Lincoln. Mark's knuckles were white for the track back home. I think it was about am when we got back home. Lincoln got more snow then we saw in Omaha, the roads and our driveway with another 3 inches easy... I thought about my boys while we were out, and texted the sitters a couple of times just to check on things. Thank you Kristi and Jordan for coming over and watching them! I am glad they listened and behaved well. We owe you!

Thank you to my romantic husband who always thinks of me!

Happy New Year!!!

I am sorry it has been so long since my last post.

Emmett has been working on more teeth. His top fangs came in and now he is getting the top middle.

So patient as I pull at his mouth :)

Cael and Mark are silly! I am not sure why they put blankets on their heads like turbans.

My boys are so sweet!

Emmett kicked is socks off so Cael was trying to put them back on.

Cael is using Handy Manny tools to give Mark a pedicure. :) Tough skin and nails I guess.

Say cheese!

Emmett loves to play in the bath. He just kicks and kicks. Now he wants to roll from his back to his tummy over and over again.

My little water baby!

Cael is too cool! He is 30 months old and still measuring big. He had a wellness check with the following measurements:

Height: 38 1/4 inches (90-97%)

Weight: 34.6 lbs (90%)

We love this shirt! Nana, Papa, Mimi, and Poppi sent it for Christmas. Not only is it a good looking shirt, but it is Michigan colors! :)

Emmett looks so handsome in the overalls Granny and Grandpa sent him.

Yesterday morning Emmett was peaking over as I changed Cael's diaper.

He managed to roll into a corner during the night. My boys both loved to snuggle up against the crib bumpers.

At Emmett's last doctor's appointment he weighed 19lbs and 13oz. In February we will for his 9 month appointment, but I'd say he is growing just fine. :)

Emmett had croup and ear infections again but he is over them now. Poor thing had to take even stronger antibiotics this time to help his ears. So what's new with Emmett Lee? He sits up with assistance otherwise he will fall forward or to the sides. He is not getting up on all fours yet but loves to roll all over the place, always getting what he wants. Due to his sensitive belly we have to take the solids a bit slower, though he loves what he has been given so far - green beans, squash, sweet potatoes, carrots, bananas, peaches, and some chicken and turkey if they are mixed with something else. He squeals and makes all kinds of fun noises. Emmett loves his big brother, watching his every move and busting our laughing at his silliness.

Cael continues to amaze me. He is so smart, his vocabulary and grammar improving each week. We have discouraged the use of the word 'stupid' even though every Disney seems to use it. If we say it without thinking he quickly corrects us. We are trying to teach him to say 'yes ma'am' and 'no sir' to be polite and respectful. As of late he is actually doing a pretty good job. Cael is very helpful with Emmett, disposing of diapers, helping when he is crying, picking up his toys, etc.

Mark gets to work a day shift, M-F until about June of this year. So we are getting spoiled with having daddy around so much. It is nice to be together more as a family. My husband is the best; in the mornings he fixes me lunch, helps get all my stuff together, helps with the boys, etc.

I hope you all have a wonderful 2011... I am looking forward to whatever life may bring. :)

Merry Christmas! Ho, ho, ho!!

Merry Christmas to all! We've enjoyed this last weekend. I hope you enjoy all the pictures.

Thank you Terry Family for having us over Christmas Eve for dinner and fun. Our small children dressed up for the Nativity. Cael was a shepherd. :)

Emmett just hung out.

Before going to bed for Santa to come we took some pictures by the tree.
Here are my wonderful presents! - handsome, healthy boys!

Cheese!

Before the boys saw the toys....

A fun, simple Christmas.

Cael was impatient when it came to unwrapping the presents. "Help me, mommy" is what he said almost every time.

It was a Cars Christmas for Cael. Thank you grandparents for all the fun toys!

Emmett was more patient when it came to unwrapping presents.

Yay! Cars stuff!

Emmett rolled around with his toys.

Cael loves playing the drums. Bam, bam, bam!

Daddy played with Cael on the floor.

Rock and roll!

Cael got another 'baby jaguar' paw. ROAR!!!!

Thanks to all of you who sent us Christmas cards! I was horrible this year about getting cards out so please forgive me. I will send some pictures of the boys in the next couple of months.

Thank you Beesha, Dziedze, Granny, and Grandpa for making this Christmas so special.

Nana, Papa, Mimi, and Poppi, we will take some pictures of the boys in their new clothes and send them to you.

Aunt Judy and Aunt Sandy, thank you both for the gift cards. The boys will love more toys and movies we buy with them.

Can you believe it is almost Christmas?

We went and saw Santa yesterday. Emmett was not scared.
Cael didn't want to give the other kids a turn. - the exact opposite from last year.

Mommy loves Cael!

Cutie by the Christmas tree

Emmett's first solids

Making rolls with mommy.

My birthday stack.

I am sorry it has been a while since I last wrote. It has been crazy around here... Good crazy!

Emmett was 6 months old on 11/19. He weighed in at 18lbs 6oz and 27 inches long. Apparently when they measured his length back in September they did not do so accurately; therefore it appears he did not grow in length when it is obvious he has. He is in the 75th percentile or less for his measurements which of course is great. Emmett is not the tank Cael was. :)

Mark's birthday was 11/10, turning 32 years old. Time flies when you are having fun! I got him a video game - the new Black Ops game and surprised him with a cookie cake. The last couple of years I have tried to surprise him and be as sweet as possible because I was not always the most thoughtful. :) I took Friday, 11/12 off and we went to lunch and to a movie. I love Mark so much!!!!

I turned 31 years old on Thanksgiving. Yep, that's right. I am a turkey! We had a nice holiday together just us as a family. Mark surprised me with several gifts which left me feeling like it was Christmas - 3 sets of comfy, warm clothes for around the house, the latest scent collection from Bath & Body works, a new Willow Tree statue, and a little something for Victoria Secrets. :) That was a late present for Mark! We did make some good food for Thanksgiving:

• Ham, we always make ham instead of turkey. We buy the Sam's Club brand it is always yummy!
• Rolls - I used my sister-in-law's recipe to make some yummy homemade rolls
• Sweet Potato Souffle - Mark's mom's recipe. Make you smack your granny they are soooo good!
• Old South Carrot Cake - compliments of Sis. Author. Yummy!
• Broccoli - not the casserole this year since I cannot have the cheese
• Banana pudding - made by Mark for him and Cael to enjoy
• Stuffing - made by Mark and enjoyed by Mark

Emmett had his first solids on Thanksgiving - sweet potatoes! I did not give him the ones I made but the Gerber brand. :) We also put up the Christmas tree over the long weekend. I love this time of year. I love to be merry, cheery, and bright! Cold comes with it but that goodness this year has been very tolerable so far. :)

My brave story

Happy Halloween!

BOO!

Mommy loves her boys!!!!

So I traveled just the boys and I too Florida. I went for work but made a family trip out of it as well. Cael and Emmett were awesome on the airplane - sleeping, watching the portable DVD player, playing, etc. It was the running from one gate to the other in Chicago which caused me anxiety. All in and all they were great for a 2 year old and a 5 month old. I was able to change Emmett's dirty diapers in the empty seat beside us on the plane, change Cael's wet diapers in the airport restroom, go to the restroom myself with Cael holding Emmett in the stroller.. hey, we managed.

It was so nice to see our family. We split up our time between Macclenny and Jacksonville. We had a great visit with the Morgans - Kim and Ron. Thank you for the yummy dinner and your hospitality. Cael loved to chase the kitty and surprisingly liked the bigger dog Cally. Since returning home he will ask for Granny, Grandpa, and Cally. When I ask him to tell me where they are he says "Florida. At Cally's house." So darn cute! I am also glad we got to see Great-Granny, Ellene, Joe, Sierra, Shannon, and Donovan. And can I just say the Trunk or Treat in Macclenny ain't no joke. :) Granny was able to help us find the perfect Halloween costume. Cael loves cars so we found a costume that looked like a race car driver - it is a jumpsuit for an off road biker and it came with a mask which looked like a helmet. Cael loved it. He wore the mask for the Macclenny party but I could tell it irritated him a bit because it kept slipping and it was so HOT. So for my parents' Trunk or Treat we did a faux-hawk instead of the mask. That seemed to suit Cael just as well.

We then went to Jacksonville and spent time with my family. Luckily Dziedze was home from the train so we could spend time with him. We had fun at the beach (see previous post) and also went to the zoo. So Cael loves Diego and Diego has a friend Baby Jaguar who accompanies him on most of his rescue missions. When looking at the jaguars at the zoo I called them baby jaguars to engage Cael. Which did work. Then when we were leaving we went to the gift shop where I thought I would buy him a little stuffed Baby Jaguar. Well instead we found a a Baby Jaguar paw - a big jaguar paw you wear on your hand like a puppet. They only had one spotted but then a couple plain tan lion paws. So Cael had those paws on the floor attacking us like a jaguar. It was hilarious. I only bought him the one jaguar paw because it was $14.00. If they had two jaguar paws I probably would have bought them. So now he sleeps with his paw at night. :) We also got to see Jenilee, Joe, and they are lovely home. It was nice to hang out with them. Cael had a blast kicking the ball around with Joe outside. Oh, and Joe throwing him around.

I missed my husband so much on that trip. To be honest, Florida did not seem like home without him. I was comfortable and enjoyed my time, but life is just not the same with out my husband. And yes I am saying it, Lincoln is our home now.

We love you all!