Happy Birthday, Dan!

34 years later, you're greeted with running, giddy laughter and requests for wrestling when you get home from work. You can still perform as the MVP pitcher to cal and jack in the living room or driveway, and you are very "chrong" (strong) as Jack says.

I am so thankful for a husband who provides well for our family and loves me and our boys well. Happy Birthday, Dan! We love you!

Uncle Ben!

Uncle Ben is here from Pittsburg for a couple days! So far, he's read a lot of Dr. Seuss with Cal, held Luke so I could finish getting lunch ready, and taken Cal and Jack on a bike ride...The boys and I could get used to this!

How is Luke doing with tummy time?

Minute 1....typical happy Luke.

Minute 3....fingers still in mouth....happy-ish.

Minute 5.....trying to look for help.

Minute 7....hmmm....this toy could make it all worth it.

Minutes 10-15.....forget the toy!  Calvin is trying to scream over Luke "It's OKAY Luke!"

Man, it is so hard to actually give Luke tummy time...between him not being awake long enough (at home, inside) and remembering to do it at a time when he is is neither too sleepy or too full to spit up all over the blanket. But the real reason I just haven't done it much is because he is just so content and precious like this:

   

So, the real question is, "How is Kelly doing with tummy time?" And I guess the answer is I am vowing to get better......I guess he'll be pretty sweet to watch roller over, too!

Still no peanuts

Today Calvin and I had a date to the allergist for a "food challenge" to see if he is still sensitive to peanuts. The test ended after calvin developed a hive after eating the first of about 20 potential tiny doses of peanut butter.

The bad news is that Calvin still can't have nuts. Apparently he has a pretty good shot at outgrowing this, so we'll try again in a year.

The other bad news is that it cost us a $60 copayment to eat a rice-size portion of Jiff peanut butter and go home.

The good news is that Cal and I had a fabulous time on our date. Here is our picture of the tree guys (embellished with rain jackets, umbrellas, lunch boxes, and a few of their imaginary friends) to prove it!

What is better than a bike ride?

Our plan was to meet Daddy at the office park to ride bikes in the empty parking lot. I thought that sounded like great fun, and they boys did, too...our new bike riding plan until Cal gets a handle on the brakes.

It was fun, but it got so much better when the tree service guys pulled in with 3 trucks. This was our next hour....

Cal and Jack sat on the step....really it was more like, Calvin sat on the step and Jack followed, edging closer and closer to his brother until he was nearly on his lap.

Calvin stood up and moved around on the step to get a better view, so Jack stood up to follow, again edging closer and closer. I think Calvin was oblivious to his little shadow.

Calvin is into counting everything these days, so he counted the tree guys....one, twooooo, threeee, fourrrrr, five.........pointing to the same 4 guys multiple times until he got to eleventeen, fifteen, eighteen, nineteen, twenty!  Actually I couldn't hear the exact numbers, but it usually goes something like that before he counts carefully a second time to get it right.

Then, of course, Jack started counting the guys...fie, siii. 

And then the work began....quite impressive, really! They took down the whole three in about 45 minutes, and every part of it was powerful. The guy scaling the tree with a chain saw, the grinder reducing huge limbs to sawdust in a few seconds, the rope hoisting a load of limbs up the hill to the grinder,  the guys carrying large branches over their shoulders, and of course the noise of chain saws, trucks, and grinders all running at the same time. The boys (and Dan) were in heaven.  Jack could not contain his joy....clapping and cheering every time the grinder finished a large branch. 

Luke missed the whole experience, asleep in the carrier....He has been working on a tooth for a day or so....lots of drool and gnawing on fingers. But in true Luke style, he's not too upset about it. Sweet buddy!

If CPS knocked on our door...

They would find some banged up little guys. Calvin joined Jack with some facial "boo-boos" of his own yesterday.  Though he can now pedal a bike, he unfortunately does not know how to effectively brake.  I think we now have an injury covering every part of the face between the two boys.  

Though, I think our stories of a 6+ foot fall for Jack and bike crash for Cal would check out when they watched them for a while... They are loved, safe, and happy little guys. 

And Luke is still unscathed! Thankfully!  

Caps For Sale

Jack"s laughter at Caps For Sale this afternoon was medicine for my restless mind.  I've had a hard time stilling the pictures and play-by-play in my head since Jack's fall, but hearing him whole-heartedly laugh today was beautiful!

And speaking of therapeutic...

Thank you,  Lord, for holding my three boys in your hands.

Calvin Rides a Bike!

This morning Calvin decided to take "Crocodile Cruisin" (his bike with pedals) on a spin around the neighborhood while I was pushing the stroller. He has tried this many times before, but today was the day! Congratulations, Buddy!

Getting Better

Jack is getting better and better...

His swelling is going down.....his lip looks pretty normal today! Except for the "crumbs" as Calvin calls the stitches, I might not be able to see there was ever a problem with his lip.



I attribute a portion of Jack's happiness these last 2 days to "Birdie" as we are calling him.

Dear CT Scan nurse,
Though you thought you were totally dissed when Jack did not even look at or touch the bird you so sweetly gave him, he is now Jack's new best friend (co-best friend with Mr. Ducky, anyway). He is carried about tucked under his chin or dragged alongside by a wing everywhere he goes.  Even when Jack was deliriously waking up from surgery, his first words were for Birdie to be returned to his hands when he kept dropping him.

Thank you!

Jack's Fall

Jack fell off the top of the play structure in our neighborhood this morning....6+ feet off the ground...and landed on his face. 10 hours, a nasal bone fracture, 2 sets of stitches on his outside and inside lip, surgery, and many tears later we are home. I am so thankful for our friend and neighbor Rebecca, friends from church, and friends at the hospital who made their day busy to operate on Jack and take care of us. We are so blessed.

Calvin's bus

Calvin color, cut, and pasted together this bus. He meticulously colored every inch blue before cutting tiny piece by tiny piece for probably 30 minutes. Though he was really proud of himself, he was not happy to pose for the picture!

Look, Mom!

Yes, you are very strong like Daddy!

This afternoon playtime has been so sweet...riding the indoor bike together, doing tricks, taking a pretend car to shop for pretend ice cream at a pretend store.

Daddy Gorilla!

I don't know what I expected, but apparently not for a gorilla hand, finger, knuckle, etc to look just like mine. Wow, this Daddy gorilla contentedly lounged around kicking the pane of glass between us last week.  I am certain I have never been this close to a "wild" animal. Definitely the highlight of the zoo!

The zoo was on our way to visit some of Dan's buddies (and their families) from college in the mountains. There we watched Stuart Little on a large screen....maybe a bad idea. The cat is repeatedly shown from Stuart's (the mouse) view point. I am not sure if it is the gorilla or the cat, but Jack has been telling me ever since that "____________ (s)care me." Sweet buddy!

Dan and I took a few hours for a hike up to a waterfall with the boys.

The views along the trail were beautiful! 

We definitely got some looks with our crew....especially while Dan was carrying Cal on his shoulders and Jack on his back at the same time.