Christmas Eve Traditions...

Today started off on a bad note, but I know it's only going to get better. It was icy here in MD over night. That means that Jon had to go to work at 1:30 this morning. He went out and salted their properties and while working he had a slow leak in one of his tires. He plugged it and it seemed to be holding fine so he went on working and decided that he would change the tire once he got home so he could have better tools.

Well, he was about 5 miles from home when the tire just totally went flat at about 6am.
He got the truck jacked up and the tire off when the jack gave way and dropped. I'm sure the jack was not meant to hold the weight of the heavy duty truck plus over a ton of chemicals in the back. He had to call me to come get him, so he could come back home, get the floor jack (it's too heavy for me to lift), and go back to the truck to change the tire. After quickly getting the kids out of bed and throwing them in the truck, we were on our way. Jon got the tire changed really fast after we got the proper tools and we are now home getting ready to enjoy our Christmas Eve Traditions.

We always go to church on Christmas Eve after which, we go to Jon's parent's house for a Polish Christmas dinner. That pretty much means that we have all seafood...what a shame. :) Then we exchange gifts with Jon's parents and Justin and Mindy. This usually takes hours by the time we get everything opened. We are very slow and like to savor the time.

This year may be the beginning of a new tradition with our family too. Tonight we will be having a big old slumber party at our house! My parents, my brother and Erin and Jon's parents are all going to spend the night. Everyone wants to see the kids when they wake up and I think it will be wonderful to have everyone here! I always had my grandmother there on Christmas morning when my brother and I got up to open gifts and I know my boys will cherish these memories some day.


Just a side note...these boys are being absolutely BAD this morning. They have done nothing but fight, cry and whine since we've been home. Santa may have a light load to bring here tonight.

Birthday Party...

I was very glad to get the kids out of the house and off to Chuck E Cheese's for Alyssa's birthday party yesterday. They have been so totally wound up this week because of Christmas that I don't know what to do with them and this was a good opportunity to get some of that energy out.

The kids were so excited to see Christian, Allysa, and Allyson, as they always are. As soon as we got there, they took off and started climbing in the tubes and going down the slide. Lyssie and her friend amber were chasing them around in the tubes. They were so loud with laughing and screaming that you could hear them all through the restaurant.

She is going to kill me for putting this on here!

Shelley is 8 months pregnant with #4 and is as cute as she could be. I also go to see Dave's sister's new baby Harrison. He is absolutely beautiful! I even got to feed him and have some snuggles. :) Babies are so sweet, especially when you can give them back!

It was a great time for all of us and after four hours of playing, the kids were exhausted and actually took naps in the truck for the ride home. Hallelujah! Now, if I can get through tomorrow, we'll be good!

Look at the snow...

This morning I was working in the office shipping stuff out. I looked out the window and there were huge snowflakes coming down. I turned around and Magnum was standing behind me.

I said, "Magnum look, it's snowing outside!"

To which he replied, "COME ON NOW!!!!!"

Where does he come up with this stuff?

Magnum is potty trained!

I know, this is old news for most of you, but I haven't written about it yet. He has been for probably a month now but he is doing really well. We had given up after the last post I wrote about potty training. I got tired of him peeing all over the floors in the house. One day I finally decided that I was ready to try again and it took all of 2 days! He did #1 and #2 in 2 days. I was so proud of him and so was Kannon.

It is so great to be done with diapers. Pull-ups at night I can deal with. Diapers are a thing of my past! Yayyy! Good job Magnum!

Putting the tree up...

I finally put the tree up. It's not that I don't enjoy doing it, I was just dreading the thought of the kids constantly touching it and pulling stuff off. I must say, they have done really well since it's been up.....so far. It's only been up two days.

This year, we decided to change up the ornaments. The last two years we have done black, white and silver, which anyone who knows us well, knows that we love black. Our tree is white and I think that it is just really neat with the black. Being how the rest of our house is all kinds of bright and funky colors, we decided to decorate the tree with bright and funky colors. The kids and I went to Target and found orange, pink, green, red and purple ornaments and I was so excited!

The boys were so excited to put the decorations on. It was so funny because they put them all on the bottom of the tree on one side. They didn't quite get the concept of putting them all over the tree. They did a good job though and even though it took a little longer than normal it was all worth it. They were really concentrating and working hard to make it beautiful. Of course, Jon and I went back and tweaked it once they were done.

Then yesterday was the day the kids had been waiting for. They wanted the train around the tree, so Jon set up the Lionel Polar Express train for them. Magnum got this train for his first Christmas. Needless to say, our house is full of the smell of smoke from the train and the sounds of the whistle and bells. Along that comes the sound of two little boys fighting over who is going to run it or yelling that the one running it, isn't doing it right. Ahhh...the joys of Christmas.

The boys are getting so excited about Christmas this year and I have to admit that I am too. They are going to be so much fun since they are starting to understand what is going on. Santa Clause is coming to town!!!!!!

I'm Thankful for....

I have a lot to be thankful for this Thanksgiving. I've been thinking about how blessed I am compared to so many people in the world who have nothing.

So, this Thanksgiving I am thankful for....

1. Jesus Christ who died on the cross that I may have eternal life. There is no greater gift.
2. Two beautiful and healthy boys that make me laugh every day.
3. A husband who works his butt off so that I may stay home with our children.
4. Parents who will drop whatever it is that they are doing on a dime to come help me with the kids or even come help me clean my house! Now that's a dedication! I love you!
5. Justin and Mindy who are about to make me an Aunt (I can't wait!) and don't mind hanging out at our house just about every weekend. I am really grateful for some adult interaction on the weekends! I love you guys too!
6. Aunt Linda and Uncle Ray, who bring so much joy into the boys lives and also for the help that you give with the kids.
7. Friends that I can laugh with, cry with and just relax with.

I was trying to explain to the kids this morning that tomorrow is Thanksgiving. Then I asked them what they were thankful for. Kannon said, "lip gloss!" Well of course, what little boy isn't thankful for lip gloss. He totally cracks me up. Then Magnum couldn't think of anything better and he always wants to be like Kannon so he said lip gloss too.

I hope everyone can find at least one thing to be thankful for this Thanksgiving. I know my list could go on and on, but I listed the important ones.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Trick or Treat

I know...these are a little late. Better late than never right? Kannon was James and Magnum was Thomas. This is the first year they've actually gone trick or treating and they loved it!

Friday Night Lights

I have been so bad about getting on here and writing lately. My life has been hectic as things are starting to pick up for the holidays. Our ebay business is booming, which is good, but keeps me running to the post office and UPS every day.

The kids have been great. A little under the weather with colds, but it's to be expected this time of year.

Last Friday, we took the kids to a high school football game. Jon used to coach the Sykesville Raiders many years ago. He started with a group of kids when they were five and stopped when we moved because it was just too far for him to go to coach. I think the kids were 12 or 13 when he stopped coaching. Anyway, as we all know, time flies and these kids are now juniors and seniors in high school. Most of them play for the same school and they were in a play-off game and we thought it would be neat to go see them.

The kids were so excited as we were getting ready. Kannon wanted to wear his Raven's jersey. I think he thought he was going to play football and didn't fully understand the concept of what we were doing. As I put layer upon layer of shirts on them, they kept asking questions. Mostly about why I was putting so many shirts on them.

When we got to the school, the boys were jumping out of their seats. We were meeting Justin, Mindy, Grandma and Grampa there and they couldn't wait to see them. We arrived a little bit before the rest of the gang so we got our seats and the kids were in awe, watching the teams on the field warm up. Magnum started jumping around, imitating what the guys were doing and Kannon was asking a million questions.

The kids were ecstatic to see Uncle Eesh Eesh and Aunt Didi. We finally got settled in and the game starts. The boys had huge smiles on their faces as they were watching the game. The best part for me was watching Magnum. As the crowd would cheer and clap, I would look over and Magnum would clap every time. It was just too cute.

As we were driving home, Jon and I were talking to the kids about the football game and Kannon asked, " Can we go again tomorrow?" I think that means he liked it.

The Sharpie Strikes Again!

I was downstairs getting some stuff ready to ship out for ebay yesterday when Kannon came downstairs with black marks all over his arms. When I asked him what it was, he said that Magnum was playing with markers. I ran upstairs only to find our oak desk and my oak chest that Jon made me for my 18th birthday covered in black Sharpie!

Unfortunately for me, this is NOT the first time this has happened. I immediately ran for the Magic Eraser and started scrubbing the black masterpiece off. An hour and a half later, you would never know that anything had happened.

Thank you Mr. Clean (or Dadda as Kannon calls him...he really thinks that it is Jon) for your wonderful Magic Erasers that can even get permanant marker off of an oak desk and chest!

I am also proud to say that no children were injurred as a result of this incident. We can thank God for giving me control!

A New Place To Play

The boys have found a new favorite spot to play. They just discovered that the pine trees behind our house make a great place to hide. They especially love digging in the pine needles and raking them up. I especially love all the nice sticky sap that gets all in their hair, on their hands and on their clothes. Boys will be boys.

Excuse me!

The kids have been outside "helping" Jon work on one of his mowers. He finally thinks he has it fixed and Magnum was standing in the driveway when I walked out the door.

Magnum: "Daddy taking me for ride on mower. Stay there!"

He says this while pointing his finger a me and waving his hand back and forth.

Well....excuse me!

A Fun Time Before Bed Time....

This is what I call a fun night at home. No animals were injured during the photographing of these shinanigans, but Daddy was during this last picture. I love the action shot though!

Scrambled Eggs...

Yesterday I was on the phone with Jon and going over some stuff on the computer with him. When I got off the phone, I realized that Magnum was being very quiet. Just about that same time, Kannon comes running into the office and says, "Mom, Magnum is making scrambled eggs!"

I said, "No, he isn't." and then realized what he had just said and ran into the kitchen. Much to my surprise, Magnum ran into the living room and the refrigerator door was open. I look in it only to find 6 eggs broken inside the refrigerator and running down into the drawers and all over the bottom shelf.

Of course I had to call my mom as I'm cleaning up this mess because that's always what I do when my kids do something crazy. Kannon decides he wants to talk to her and he is telling her what Magnum did. Then out of nowhere he says, "Well, I'm gonna kick Magnum's a**!" I hear my mother burst into laughter and I take the phone away from Kannon and tell him he may not talk on the phone if he's going to say "bad words." Of course at the same time I am doing my best to hold back my laughter.

I never know what each day is going to bring with these two. I told my mom that I never hear of my friends kids doing crazy stuff like this or like the time they dumped a gallon of canola oil all over the living room area rug and floor. I love them to death, but some days I could just scream! I am laughing about it now and that's why I started writing these things down.

I'm Living with Martha Stewart...

On Saturday we had a cook-out for Jon's employees so last week we were busy trying to get things done around the house. We had been talking about putting some wrought iron sconces around the carport to kind of jazz things up a bit. He called me on his way home from work Wednesday night and wanted to know where he may find them. I told him to try Michaels and then I offered to go the next day. He said that he would do it and he came home a while later with a truck full of stuff!

He got some really great sconces and a really cool one to go on the chimney. But, to my surprise he pulls out this brass cone looking thing and a bag of silk flowers. He hangs it up and starts making a flower arrangement in it! What's even scarier is that it looked really good. When he got done, I looked at him and said, "So, what's next Martha?" He started cracking up and said, "I am!"

Anyone who has been to our house knows that Jon does all of the landscaping and does an amazing job. So now, not only is he doing that, but making flower arrangements!? What's next.....baking?

Yes people, I am living with Martha!

Magnum's Language

The following are some words that Magnum says that totally crack me up. It is so cute when kids are learning to talk and have their own versions of words. The following is a list of some words that he has recently started saying. You will see that there is a pattern.

Pockset = Pocket

Ticksel= Tickle

Cooksie = Cookie

Kannon's is 3

Dear Kannon,

I'm sorry I'm posting this a week late, but I don't think you will really care. Things were crazy last week with getting ready to go to Ohio for Jonathan's wedding.

So, you are 3 years old and it is so hard to believe. The last year has just flown by and you keep doing more and more amazing things.

You and Magnum are best buddies, but at the same time you constantly fight. You're favorite form of torture, unfortunately, is still biting. Magnum will not fight you back for some reason, no matter how hard I try to get him to. He gets you back in his own time. You all love to play with your Thomas trains, your Power Wheels car and motorcycle and your playground. The newest thing you all have gotten into are Matchbox cars. How fun is that!

You are totally obsessed with chapstick and lip gloss. As a matter of fact, whenever we would ask you what you wanted for your birthday you would say, "Ummm, just some green lipgloss and chapstick." So, on your birthday, I took you to Wal-Mart to pick out your "chap and lip-gloss." Of course that was the first thing we did when we entered the store. As we were walking around finishing our shopping and you were holding your goods, you looked at me with this huge smile on your face and said, "Mom, I am a happy boy now!" Oh, you melt my heart! How could something so simple make you so happy. I just love you to pieces!

You love to talk on the phone to your grandparents and aunts and uncles. The first thing you always say is, "So, whatch you been doin?" It totally cracks us up because you sound like such a big boy.

Some other exciting things you did in the last year, besides speaking very well and potty training, is that you really learned how to drive. You can back up and go forward better than some people who have been driving for 20 years. I'm not just talking about your motorcycle and your car either. You can drive the mower without daddy helping you stear and you can drive the loader like a pro. I always joke around and say that you are going to be the next big Nascar driver because you really have a natural ability to drive things.

You are starting to want to do more things with daddy now, which is good. You love to work in the yard with him and help him pull weeds and dead head the flowers. You're a great helper when it comes to planting and doing anything that daddy is doing. I love to sit in the house and watch you two work together and daddy loves that special time with you.

As you can see, growing from 2 to 3 has been a busy year for you. You have made some great accomplishments and are just such the little man. You are still a mommy's boy, which I will always love, but you are growing more and more independant and becoming your own little person. I am so proud of you!

Happy 3rd Birthday Kannon! I can't wait to see what milestones and adventures the next year will bring!

I love you!

Mamma

Ohio Day Two...Jon's Big Day

We woke up and were anticipating the big event of the evening. After a quick continental breakfast, we headed over to the farm because we were sure that our help would be needed. Good thing we did! Jon ended up dragging old cars out of the way and helping Jonathan drag all kinds of tractor parts and stuff out of the field. Dad was still helping with the plumbing. I didn't have much to do at this point, but keep an eye on the kids and make sure they stayed out of the way. I helped Aunt Debbie carry some stuff up to Jon's apartment and littel odds and ends. Mostly, I was playing photographer.

Tina arrived with the food and we helped her unload the truck and figure out how we were going to store it all. It was Pizza Hut Tuscani Pasta's (SO GOOD!) and what a great idea! Once we got everything organized with that it was around 3 and we need to get ready for the wedding at 5, so we headed back to the hotel with kids who were WORN OUT!

We had a lot of fun pulling together with everyone trying to get stuff done and although it was a bit stressfull and chaotic, everything came together well.

Of course we got ready and headed to back to the farm and knew we were going to be late. As we run through the field, the bride was in the horse carriage almost ready to head up to the hill, but they waited for us. Wheww! I quickly grabbed my camera and started snapping shots!

The setting was beautiful, up on a hill in their field on the farm. The ceremony was perfect...short and sweet and I loved every minute of taking pictures. Jonathan and Angie looked so happy and excited.

After the ceremony, it was time to party. The reception was in tents that were attached to Jon's garage. It was a really nice set up, but it was as hot and humid as I have ever felt! Jon, Jason, Erin, my dad and myself ended up setting up the food while the family was getting photo's taken. By the time they were introduced and it was time to eat, everything was ready to go and it was so good! I'm getting hungry just thinking about it.

Of course there was the traditional, cake cutting, flower throwing and garter grabbing. And who can forget the dancing. It was a fun and exhausting day.

I think the best part for me was being able to spend time with my cousins that I don't get to see that often. Tina and Jonathan are still in Ohio and I get to see them once or twice a year. Amber lives in California and I haven't seen her in years. Probably since my wedding in 2001! It was great to spend time with the family and introduce our boys to some of their relatives that they had never met before.

Congratulations Jonathan and Angie! Thank you for a fun trip!

Ohio Day 1

The day started off well. Jon and I woke up at 6am with plans of leaving by 7am. Of course, the kids were so amped up about going that as soon as they heard us moving around, they were both up. That's fine, I used to get excited like that too. We didn't have much to do, just load the truck up, get dressed and lock the house. We did pretty good and were out the door at 7:15am. Not bad with two little ones.

The road trip was pretty uneventful. Traffic was light and the kids were very well behaved. We stopped for breakfast and a couple of other "pee" breaks. It wasn't long before we realized that our GPS was taking us right through Wheeling, WV. Wheeling is the home of one of the Cabela's stores. We decided to stop. We've been to the one in PA several times and thought the kids would enjoy seeing the stuffed animals. Besides, Jon gets a lot of his winter work gear from there and we could see what they had in the bargain cave.

It was a good opportunity to stretch and the kids loved the giant fish tanks. Silly me forgot to take my camera in...can you believe that?! Jon found some things for work and we were on our way.

It didn't take long to get to Ohio from there and when we arrived at my Uncle's farm, things were pretty chaotic. My dad was helping Uncle Arthur put plumbing in for the toilette that was going to be used for the reception. Aunt Debbie and Amber had gone to get their hair done and my cousin Jonathan (the groom) was totally stressed because nothing had been done that he was told would be ready when he got home. We kind of felt in the way and Jonathan said that he didn't really need us to do anything so we took the kids and headed to the hotel.

The kids were so excited about the hotel room that they kept running back and forth in the room, like it was a big playroom or something. I don't think they have ever stayed in a hotel before. We've only stayed with family or rented a house for vacation, so this was a new experience for them.

We decided to go to Target, which was right next to the hotel to get some snacks and drinks and then head to dinner. That was a bad idea. We ate at Damon's and the kids were absolutely horrible. Jon said, "This is the reason we don't go out to eat." It was pretty bad, but I know it's because they were in the car all day and just amped up about being in a new place.

We went back to the hotel and the boys took a shower with daddy. Kannon hated it and Magnum loved it. They were still wired and ran and jumped around the room until about 9:30 when my parents came to our room to see the boys and say good night. We finally got them calmed down and asleep around 10:30. Jon and I were watching coverage of Hurricane Ike anticipating how much damage would be done to the poor people of Texas. I finally could hold my eyes open anymore and turned the TV off. Whewww....what a busy day!

Best Buddies

My mom asked Kannon the other day who his best buddy is and he he said, "Namum." That's Kannon speak for Magnum. It melted my heart. They are best buddies even though they fight 99% of the day. So sweet.

Yard Sales and Falling Off the Wagon

Last weekend we had a yardsale. We actually did really well and got rid of a lot of bulky stuff taking up room in our basement and storage trailer. The fun part of having a yard sale, for me, is all the different people you meet.

At our house, things can get very intresting. We have the nosey neighbors who want to see what you've got or check out our landscaping. We live out in the middle of no man's land so we don't really know too many of our neighbors. There were a couple of ladies who actually looked at our house when it was on the market. It was fun to see their reaction when we brought them inside to see what we have done to the place. They couldn't believe it was the same house. We had some bikers who were just our cruzin' and decided to stop for a break. They stayed and talked for probably 20 minutes or more. Then you have your hard core serious "yard salers" who come in and buy a bunch of stuff. Sometimes I wonder what they are going to do with it. We also had people just pull up in the driveway, look from their car and then turn around and leave. I'm not sure what that was all about.

Anyway, our yardsale was on Saturday and Sunday. (Jon will kill me if he knows I put this picture up!)Things are Sunday were pretty slow, so Jon hooked up the boys red wagon to the mower to pull them around for a while. The kids just loved it and insisted that I get in and ride with them. Fun! So I hop on in there and Jon takes off. We head back to the woods and Jon goes up a hill that I know doesn't have a trail that goes to anywhere. I was wondering what he was doing, but figured I was safe and he wouldn't do anything that would hurt the kids. WRONG! No longer had that thought entered my mind, when Jon starts trying to turn around...on the mower and BOOM! The wagon tips over. It was all in slow motion to me as I put my arms down on the ground to try to hold the wagon up and keep the kids from flying down the hill. Kannon goes diving over my head and Magnum was right behind him. Once I knew the kids were okay, I tried to get myself up and realized the back tire of the mower is on my knee spinning because Jon was trying to keep the mower from going down the hill any further. I finally get up and Jon felt terrible. He kept appologizing and it was an accident. The kids were fine, just a few scratches. My knee is still pretty sore, but I'm glad it was me and not the kids that got hurt.

Now the kids didn't want anything to do with riding back to the house in the wagon, so they sat on the mower with Jon and I rode in the wagon....by myself. I looked so cool! Especially since as soon as we got back to the house, we had some yard sale customers pulling in. Ha! Talk about a red-neck family. Here I come climbing out of this wagon, covered in dirt to greet them. I couldn't stop laughing, wondering what these people were thinking.

Anyway, our yard sale was a success and the boys experienced their first of many crashes. I know there will be four wheelers and dirt bikes in our future, so this was a good way to break them in. Now we just have to teach them to get back on when you fall off.

All Aboard....

Thursday, Jon and I took the boys to the B&O Railroad Museum. They knew that they were going to see choo choo's, but to them that means a train show with scaled down Lionel trains.

As we pulled in the parking lot, Kannon was amazed at the huge trains that lined the parking lot. These things are massive and pretty amazing when you think of how old some of them are. Kannon was so excited to get out of the truck and inspect them up close. Magnum was asleep. As Jon woke Magnum up, he looked in front of us and saw the huge train. His eyes got huge and he said, "Choo choo, Eesh eesh!" Eesh eesh is what the boys call Uncle Justin. I'm not sure why he said that, but it was pretty cute.

We had a great day there walking through some of the trains and taking a short train ride. I think the highlight for everyone was seeing the C&O Streamlined Hudson though. This is one of Jon's favorite trains and they actually had one there.

After several hours of walking around, it was time to go. The boys were getting whiney and that's a sure sign. I'm sure this was the first of many trips down there, but it was so much fun to see how the boys reacted the first time seeing real trains up close.

Do you love me???

At 6:00 this morning, Kannon came running into our room and hopped in bed with Jon and I. He said, "Mamma, I want some Ahhaa (which means drink in Kannon speak)."

"No, Kannon. I'm not getting up right now to get you a drink. Please go back to sleep."

A few seconds pass.

"Mamma, do you love me?"

Now, how can I not get up after that?!

Potty Training #2

I almost can't believe it, but I think that Magnum is ready for potty training. Last night, Kannon went to the potty and I walked into the bathroom to find Magnum with his diaper off. Kannon told me that Magnum went pee-pee in the potty too. Then Magnum insisted on putting underwear on. "I want big boy's," he kept saying.

This morning as soon as we got up, Magnum went and got a pair of "big boys" and brought them to me. He did not want a diaper on at all.

What is really cool about all of this is that Kannon is so excited for Magnum. This may be the easiest potty training experience I'll have. Kannon keeps asking Magnum if he needs to go "pee" and he takes him in to go. I really can't believe it. Whenever I try to take Magnum in, Kannon will say, "I will take him Mamma."

Can this really be happening? Am I really on the verge of a diaper free life?

August Summer Night

I love it when the boys discover something new for the first time. It's so amazing to me how they learn about their world and how excited they get about something new that we, as adults, do not pay any attention to.

Tonight Jon and the boys were out on our swing and Kannon said, "Dad, I just saw something...it blinked!"

Jon knew what he was talking about because he had seen it too. It was a lightning bug or firefly as most people call them. Magnum quickly caught on to what was going on and joined in on pointing them out when he saw one. They were so facinated and excited to watch them. We all just sat out under the car-port watching the dancing twinkle as if they were performing a ballet for us.

Sometimes I catch myself forgetting how little my boys are because they can do so many "big boy" things. It's little moments like these that make me sit back and take notice of their innocence and wonder of the world. They have so much to learn, but they are teaching me so much along the way.

Here I am...

This officially starts my life as a mom blogger. I've wanted to do this for a while to chronical the muses of my two boys and I am finally doing it. This is mostly for myself and later for my boys. I hope that one day we will look back on these journals and laugh at the things they have done, although as they happen, I'm usually not laughing. I suppose it is my fault for having two kids who are 10 months apart, but it's no fun to do things like normal people do. So for now I say good-bye until I have a story to tell. I'm guessing it will be as soon as the boys wake up from their naps.