I finally figured out what has been missing

this summer.  Swimming in an outdoor pool!  In the last 5 days I have swam outside 3 times.  Even though 2 of the 3 times were for triathlon training it still hit the spot!  There is just something about being in a nice pool with the sun beating down on me.  I love it!  As soon as I win the lottery I am going to buy the house behind mine, knock it down and create my own pool wonderland.  I can’t wait, I just might have to start entering the lottery soon!

12 Years of Wedded Bliss…..

Well maybe not everyday of wedded bliss, but here we are happily married 12 years later.  When I think of my wedding day I think of one thing, well actually two.  The first which Bryan still gets in trouble for is that while at our wedding lunch I got up to say goodbye to a friend and when I came back to the table my plate of food was gone.  I asked Bryan where it went and he said, “I thought you were done so I let it be cleared”.   Ahhhhhhhh  I will never forget that.  I was starving the whole day because  we never got anymore food.   I usually get over things fairly quickly, but not when it comes to food!!!  The second thing is that there was something poking me from the sleeve of my wedding dress.  It bugged me all day.  I am over that, I just always remember it.

I have said before that Bryan and I “even” each other out.  We are getting better at listening to each other and knowing when the other needs advice or just someone to listen and not try to solve the problem.  We have had our fair share of trials that could make or break us, we have chosen to make it.  While in the NICU a nurse told us that NICU parents have an 80% divorce rate.  WOW!!!  I can totally see why, it is a very stressful time.  Luckily we relied on each other a lot during that time and survived.

I am grateful for the last 12 years with Bryan.  He is a good, patient and loving husband and father.  Jonah loves Daddy the most if Daddy is around and that suits me just fine.  So here is to another 12 and then another 12 after that and on and on!

To celebrate I made his favorite dinner, calzones and then tomorrow night we are going to stay at Little America.  It is always nice to be able to get away and relax a little bit.

And the party……

was a success!

Jonah had a great day opening presents, although he was scared for most of the day of his power wheels!

I went against everything I believe in and did not make a cake in the shape of Barney.  I had to simplify my life somehow and this was an easy way!  Although the cupcakes with Barney cut outs took longer than a cake would have, I didn’t have to think about them.

Pinata craziness with 15 or so children!

This picture is priceless!  He loved everyone singing to him, unlike Jacob at this age who burst into tears anytime the song “Happy Birthday” was sung.

A great day celebrating our little miracle!

Jonah is 2!!!!!

I can’t believe it.  I know every mother looks at their 2 year old and says. I can’t believe you are that old.  It seems like Jonah has been in our lives FOREVER, but the whole experience of his life is very fresh in my mind.  I can recall exactly many of the days I spent on bedrest and going in for testing several times a week.  I remember exactly the night I was admitted and all that happened up until his arrival.  And of course I remember exactly those 82 days spent in the NICU.  Wow we have come a long way!

Yesterday Jonah slept until 10:00 a.m. which was at least 2 hours longer than usual.  It was great.  Then in the evening he started getting cranky, really crying and saying “hurt”.  I finally noticed him touching his ear as he said this.  Not wanting him to be sick on his birthday I quickly made an appointment with Kids Care.  Before we arrived I noticed stuff oozing out of his ear.  Ah perfect an ear infection.  We apparantly can’t do birthdays this year without antibiotics.  Brandon finished his 10 days yesterday and Jonah started his 10 days yesterday!

I am anxiously awaiting Jonah to wake up so we can start celebrating.  Maybe he will sleep until 10:00 again, I could get a lot done if that is the case.  I will follow up later with the fun events of the day.

Until then, I will try to love and cherish this whole day with my little “big” boy!

Too Fast

I am having anxiety about summer going by too fast.  I  know what you are thinking Tiffany, oh brother here she goes again!  I am having images of my summer being as busy as it has been and never getting to enjoy it.  The weather has not helped!  The fact that I have so many birthdays and other celebrations in a row doesn’t help either.  Oh and the 7 doctor appointments I counted up for June don’t help either.

O.K. now I am going to relax.  I don’t have anything on schedule for Friday and hopefully we can just sit back and enjoy the day.  Hopefully there will be several days of sitting in the backyard and enjoying HOT HOT HOT weather!

I got my new range and I LOVE it.  I haven’t had the chance to cook as much as I would like, but I still love it.  It is just waiting and waiting for me to make Si’s lemon cake for Tiffany.  One of these days that is going to happen!

Sometimes I crack myself up!

I just get a kick out of myself and this cake.  I asked Brandon what type of cake I could make him and he said, whatever you want, surprise me.  So I just think I am so clever and made this pig cake in honor of his mistaken swine flu birthday!

I am in between teaching a workshop at Youth Conference, I taught this morning and then am going back this afternoon.  I love youth conference and am glad I get to be there for a small portion of the day.

Ha Just Kidding and Happy Happy Birthday Brandon

So as most of you already know, I didn’t try to start a vicious rumor.  I simply went with what the doctor told me and that was that Brandon had the swine flu.  So after sanitizing everything, keeping everyone especially Jonah far away from his room, quarantining him to his room I got a phone call yesterday morning saying.  Whoops wrong diagnosis, the 2nd strep test came back positive.  I ran up to Brandon’s room and said “You just got the best birthday present ever, you have strep throat and not the swine flu”.  It was very exciting that he could come out of his room and we could start to celebrate his birthday!

It still wasn’t the best birthday ever, but it was much better than being confined to his room all day.  He wasn’t up for cake and ice cream so we will do that hoopla tonight.

Anyways my little baby Brandon is now 10. Wow!  He is my sensitive child.  And even though all my boys are mamma’s boy’s (not by my choice), Brandon is the most.  He loves me and wants to know what I am doing, who I am talking to, and pretty much if he can’t be with a friend then he wants to be with me.  He is very good at sports and we like to do sporting things together.  I love him and am very grateful for his health today!

Don’t worry

Ya, don't worry about me.  It is just the last day of school, one of my favorite days of the year.  Some neighborhood Mom's planned a great "welcome to summer party".  They went to a lot of work and everything looked so fun.  We had tickets to the Bee's game tonight compliments of Jacob's baseball team.  We had a scone party that we hadn't ever communicated well enough to be invited to.  We had Brandon's 10th birthday party set for tomorrow night and his actual birthday Sunday with a family celebration that night.  Oh I was soooo ready for summer.......and then Brandon got the

SWINE

FLU!!!!!!!!!!!

Almost.

The end of the school year brings on a busy time I think.  I don’t know why, but it just seems busier.  I have my teacher gifts almost ready, my graduation gifts almost ready, my mind is TOTALLY ready for school to be out.  Why are they going to school this week?  Everyday I have asked my boys what they did and they say “nothing”.  Yes, I know they probably say that everyday, but really there is nothing going on this week.  The poor teachers are probably tired of coming up with something to keep them busy.  Two more days, two more days.

I am behind on blogging and didn’t get a birthday post done for Bryan on Sunday.  He doesn’t love his birthday like I do.  I don’t understand it, he says he doesn’t want the focus to be on him.  WHAT?????  That is what birthdays are all about!  Without “focusing” on him I will just say that he is a very good husband who loves me and our children very much.  He had meetings on his birthday starting at 6:30 a.m. and he didn’t complain.  We are opposites and I guess that is what brought us together.  I liven him up and he mellows me out!  

Sunday kicked off our month of events.  Bryan’s birthday, next Sunday is Brandon’s birthday, the 18th is Jonah’s birthday, the 25th our anniversary and July 5th Jacob’s birthday.  It would be nice to have them spread out so I could focus just on one, but that is not going to ever change!  Of course my birthday is spread out in August so everyone can just focus on ME!

Oh yes and I almost forgot.  Jonah baby took his first real steps on Monday and is finally deciding that walking might be a good thing.  We are very excited at our house!