The Drury Family

I'm Baaaaaaaack

2012-01-03T23:07:00.000-08:00

Sorry, my lovelies, for not posting since LAST MAY! We've had quite a year (2011) and one of my goals (I refuse to have resolutions) for 2012 is to write more...about my family, my feelings, the world, friends, funny things, sad things....whatever I'm feeling. Stay tuned... :)

Mother's Day

2011-05-08T17:38:00.000-07:00

Today was a wonderful Mother's Day. Jason and the boys gave me very sweet cards, beautiful lillies and cooked breakfast. I went wine tasting with my Mom yesterday and we had a nice time to talk, visit and laugh. Today we had brunch at Brad and Mary's (Jason's brother)...my mother-in-law, Bev, was there and gave me a beautiful hanging basket. Mary cooked crepes and a very nice brunch. This Mother's Day I've been reflecting on women I admire so much most as mothers...

My Mom - You taught me so many things....too many to list, but the one thing that really sticks out is how you went back to college later in life, got your accounting degree, passed the CPA exam and had a very successful career. You paved the way to my career and you also taught me that I could do anything....you did. You went back to school with two busy daughters, a husband and a house to care for and did it, successfully.

Bev - You have been my mother-in-law for almost 10 years and I very much admire your willingness to go to the ends of the earth to help, lend an ear, encourage and show your love for your family. I am blessed to have you as a mother-in-law.

Mary - TECHNICALLY, you are my sister-in-law, but I think of you as a sister. I admire how calm and loving you are with Willem and the way you seem to balance everything with ease and grace. I feel truly lucky to have you in my life. I love our talks and our ability to relate to each other's experiences.

Holly - My sister....for someone who way back in the day never wanted kids, you are a wonderful, dedicated stay-at-home mom to Cooper and have another baby (A GIRL!!!!) on the way. Being a stay-at-home mom is sooooooo admirable and you continue to amaze me at how well you do it.

Chaney - You became a single mom when Logan was only 3 years old. For the past 8 years you've been through a lot and you have managed to raise a sweet, kind, loving child. Logan is a JOY and you should be so proud. Your close relationship with Logan is really amazing to watch...it inspires me to strive to have that same relationship with the boys (where they feel comfortable to tell me anything). I love the amazing friendship we have formed and nurtured since we met as 2nd graders at Naches Trail Elementary. We are able to share our experiences and help each other through this crazy life. Logan is the boys' idol....I love that he fills that "big brother" role for them and is such a good example. I know our boys will always be there for each other....forever.....just like us.

Jen - I am in awe of how loving, patient and involved you are with your children. You always put them first....always. Despite us living on opposite coasts for 18 years of our almost 24 years of friendship, we have always kept in touch by phone and have been there for each other through tough pregnancies, and various child-raising issues. I love that we are able to share so much...I look forward to our kids growing up together (hopefully) and I hope they will grow up to be as good a friends as we are. I will always be grateful for meeting across the fence when we became neighbors in Roy when we were 6th graders...our friendship was meant to be.

There are so many other moms I really admire...Lisa, Jenny, Amy, Tina, Debbie, Sara, Linne, Laura, Stacey.......and the newest mom I know, our cousin Jaime, who delivered baby Henry James Graves 8 weeks early - these next 6 weeks will be emotionally draining, I'm sure, but he is a beautiful baby and I have no doubts that he will grow quickly and surprise us all at how strong he is.

I am also constantly inspired by many of my facebook friends...even though we might not see each other on a regular basis, I love being able to share motherhood and other life experiences with them.

I am grateful to my loving husband, Jason, who is an excellent father and gave me the gift of motherhood. I feel so blessed to be the mother of John Adam Drury and Ethan Timothy Drury....here is a photo of the day I became a mother. This was the first picture taken of me with the boys who were less than an hour old.

I hope everyone has a wonderful Mother's Day and takes time to reflect, and be grateful, for our children, our moms, and people to fill the roles of mother in our lives. God bless!

People

2011-05-04T09:37:00.000-07:00

Sometimes your kids just say something that makes you feel all warm and fuzzy inside and feel like we must be doing something right. The other day in the car, John said something about the long car drive to Chelan that is coming up this weekend....asking questions about Chelan, what's there, etc (we're spending a few days there vacationing with my parents). Then, out of nowhere, my sweet Ethan said...and I quote "Johnny - places don't matter...it's the people that matter most...the people we love like Mommy and Daddy and Grandma and Grandpa". John then said, "yeah".

Brought a tear to my eye and made me so proud of our soon-to-be 5 year olds. Melts a mommy's heart!

Petty Theft

2011-03-23T09:25:00.001-07:00

Well, first of all, I think we all probably experienced this as a child (not jail, but "petty theft"). Stealing a pack of gum at the grocery store, taking something without permission, etc.

Yesterday, we got home from school and Ethan pulled out of his pocket a little plastic monkey. I didn't recognize it and asked him where he got it. He told me that he got it from school. I asked him if his teachers told him it was ok to bring it home and he gave me a blank, guilty look and said "ummm....ummmm....I don't know". After a brief chat with Daddy, we decided to teach him this lesson early nip it in the bud right away. We sat him down and explained that taking something that doesn't belong to you is stealing. It would have been ok if he had the teacher's permission, but he didn't. He cried and told us he was sorry and he wouldn't ever do that again.

SO.....this morning when I took the boys to school, I made him walk up to his teacher, give her the monkey, tell her what he had done and say he is sorry. I got the feeling this has happened with other kids before, because she handled it, in my opinion, perfectly. She told him she accepts his apology and thanked him for telling her and bringing it back. She reiterated how important it is to never take anything that doesn't belong to you unless you have permission.

We hope he learned his lesson. He was brave to face the teacher (and us) and tell the truth, and for that, we're very proud. Hopefully it made a lasting impression on him and this won't ever happen again.

Teaching our kids to do the right thing and be honest when you've done wrong or made a mistake is, in my opinion, one of life's most important lessons. I pray that we handled it right!

Young Love

2011-03-22T13:09:00.000-07:00

Well, it seems that this whole "young love" thing starts really, really early (especially for girls). Apparently, there are several girls in the boys' Montessori class at school (all 4 and 5 year olds) that say they "love" one of the boys and that they are going to marry them.

It turns out, Sascha, one of John's friends at school, has proclaimed her love for him and announced at circle time that she is going to marry John. Of course, Ethan has decided to tease John in the annoying "John's got a girlfriend, John's got a girlfriend...neener neener neener" type tone. I asked John what she says and he told me "she tells me she loves me all the time - I like her Mom and she's my friend, but she says we have to get married". I explained to him that he's 4 and doesn't need to be worrying about getting married...it's ok to just be her friend. Curiously, I asked him "what do you say when she tells you she loves you" and he said "NOTHING....I say nothing".

Yesterday on the drive home from school, John asked me if I would help him made a mermaid when we get home. He then said "Sascha loves mermaids...she'd really love it". How could I turn down my boy? So, I drew out a mermaid and cut it out. He colored it and then put it in an envelope....I helped him write her name on it and he wrote "from John". This morning at school he was so excited to give it to her and I only wish I had my camera (or better yet my video camera to capture Sascha's reaction). She absolutely GUSHED and said "oh Johnny....thank you"...then she hugged him and began to show the mermaid to EVERYONE and refused to put it in her cubby because she wanted to carry it with her all day.

Obviously it's harmless and very innocent, but am I crazy, or is 4 YEARS OLD a little young for this?!?

John - our little Romeo....

Mommyhood

2011-03-08T14:30:00.000-08:00

I make mistakes being a Mom...sometimes more mistakes than I would like to admit. But, I will always be there for you, to hear you, to cheer you, to laugh or cry with you, to protect you with my life, and to love you for eternity with all my heart. No one will ever love you more or more unconditionally than I will, I'm your Mom after all :).

I'm not Supermom....far from it, but I sure try hard. I love you to the moon and back.

Boney Apple Teet

2010-12-20T10:27:00.000-08:00

This morning in the car, the boys clinked their granola bars together and John said "boney apple teet". I didn't bother to tell him it's "bon appetit". I got a good laugh out of that one!

First Report Cards

2010-12-17T14:40:00.000-08:00

This week the boys got their first ever report cards for their first trimester of Montessori at St. Patrick School. They both had all positive marks and their teacher had the following comments (she really nailed their personalities to a tee):

Ethan:

"Ethan is a pleasure to have in class. He loves a project, and takes real pleasure in his work. Ethan loves all the children in the class and is especially drawn to the older boys. He loves being the center of the boy action and is learning who to play with without being rough. He is making good friends and learning the routine of school. Ethan's fine motor skills are progressing and we will continue to push him in this area hoping to see him writing his name better in the next trimester. Ethan is a bright light in our classroom."

John:

"John is a quiet sweet boy who is progressing well in class. He is working well in the area of the curriculum. His writing is improving rapidly as he works hard in this area to develop his fine motor skills utilizing practical life exercises and writing activities. John is a keen observer of the classroom routine and this allows him to grasp new lessons quickly. He is starting to make more friends as he cautiously branches out of his comfort zone. We will continue to challenge him in language and match as the year progresses. John is a great addition to our class."

So proud of our boys. Way to go John and Ethan!

Pride

2010-12-05T21:18:00.001-08:00

I write a lot about how proud I am of my two beautiful boys and my wonderful husband and then I usually go on to beat myself up on the inside about how worried I am that I'm not doing a good enough job as a wife, mother, friend, co-worker, etc. Some of this is just part of my nature and something I will have to fight my entire life, but I also have some control over how I feel about myself.

Today, at this moment, I feel proud. Of myself. Proud that I've supported my husband emotionally to the best of my ability through a long period of unemployment due to the economic recession. Proud that we have a loving marriage that has lasted 9 years and going strong. Proud that we together are raising amazing, kind, sweet, polite children. They are wonderful because WE are doing a good job...I'm proud that I'm a good mother. I'm proud of the woman I've become. I'm proud of how hard I work to provide for my family. I'm proud that I am able, through my career, to hopefully help people through very difficult times.

My hope for this next year is that I can continue to be proud of myself. I will, in my moments of self-doubt and worry, look back at this post, and remind myself of how I feel in this moment, today. I deserve it.

Christmas Tree Hunt - 2010

2010-12-02T20:18:00.001-08:00

This year we decided to get 2 Christmas trees. We have room for a large tree in our entry way and since we're having a Holiday party this year, we decided to get our regular tree (around 7 feet tall) and a large 11-12 foot giant. Our day started off well....getting the kids bundled up and ready. We stopped by Jason's mom's house ("Nana") and followed her to the tree farm. Long story short, we found two amazing trees and had a really great time (we even managed to get some good pictures throughout the day).

All bundled up and ready to go...

Mommy and the boys at the tree farm in front of a huge Cedar tree...

Daddy and his boys...this is one of my new favorite pictures...

Our family in front of our 12 foot Christmas tree (prior to cutting it down and trying to get it loaded):

Mommy, Nana and the boys...

Mommy and Ethan having a snuggle in the tree farm...

A great day was had by all and we found both of our trees...2 beautiful Noble Firs. Will post more pictures once we get them all decorated. I love my family!

Thankful

2010-11-29T11:22:00.000-08:00

This past week was Thanksgiving and I've been reflecting lately on just how much I have to be thankful for. For me (I don't know how it is for anyone else....or if anyone reads my blog at all), but I am the worrying type....I worry about things that happen, don't happen, might happen and probably won't happen. Unfortunately, I tend to focus more on the negative and let it drag me down instead of focusing on all of the wonderful blessings I have received, all the wonderful people in my life and just how much I have to be THANKFUL for. The goal I've set for myself is simple....worry less, live more. Live happier. Live without worrying about what bad things might (but probably won't) go wrong. Know that when things do go wrong (as they will at times) that it always gets better...usually very quickly. Know that, in the end, my wonderful family and friends are all that truly matter in life.

Happy Halloween!!!

2010-11-07T22:10:00.000-08:00

John & Ethan,

We CANNOT believe this year was your FIFTH (be still my heart) Halloween! This year was really the first year you decided (on your own, with no prompting from Mommy and Daddy) what you wanted to "be".

John, my sweet boy...you decided to be Thomas the Train. You are currently on the verge of obsessed with Thomas the Train...you love all things Thomas (videos, toys, books...we even have a Thomas alarm clock. My little man...you looked simply adorable.

Ethan, my little lovey...you decided to be Batman this year. We still aren't sure where this decision came from unless someone at school also likes Batman (we don't recall you ever seeing the Batman movie or really anything Batman, but you must have picked it up somewhere). You were the cutest crime-fighter I've ever laid eyes on.

2 little piggies...Halloween 2006 (you were only 5 months old):

2007 you were Pooh and Tiger (and NOT happy about it):

2008 you were the cutest dalmations there ever were:

2009....John was "The Cat in the Hat" and Ethan was "Kung Fu Panda"...cute, cute, cute.

2010...Batman and Thomas the Train.

Can't wait to see what you'll choose next year.

Love,

Momma

Need for Help

2010-11-01T09:29:00.000-07:00

I, thanks to my cousin Michal, follow a blog called Momastery....the woman that writes this blog, Glennon, is simply amazing. She wrote an article last week about bullying that grabbed my heart and squeezed. Her PROFOUND call for love and acceptance (not just tolerance) of others was inspiring and such a good example for everyone, in this Mommy's humble opinion. Her love for her son is unending and unconditional and that's the kind of Mom I am too. Her blog post entitled "A Mountain I'm Willing to Die On" is just about the best thing I've ever read in my life....EVER. This world would be a much kinder and more loving place if there were more people like this woman and I vow to strive every day to make sure to teach my kids lessons of love, acceptance, celebration of our differences...the best way to "teach" this, as Glennon writes, is to live it...be the example. Our children are our mimics....be the example.

Following is a link to her blog...

http://momastery.blogspot.com

This morning, when I checked her blog, I was brought to tears about a guest post about a friend who's 22 month old baby daughter, Evy, has an aggressive form of brain cancer called AT/RT. I cannot imagine what this family must be going through. They are complete strangers to me, but will be included in my prayers and if there is any way I can help, I'm going to. They have set up a donation link to make monetary donations and they also have contact information if you would like to donate something for a "silent auction" fundraiser they are having this month. To donate or read more about Evy and her family, following is a link to their facebook page...

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=111857755534457

I am so inspired by Glennon and her passion for her family, her friends, God and every human being. We should all be doing our part, like Glennon, to make this world a more loving and accepting place.

XOXO,
Shelley

Canning Grape Jelly

2010-10-23T20:44:00.001-07:00

I grew up with a Mom that loved to can. She canned everything from pickles to pears to peaches and lots of other things. I love continuing this sort of dying form of cooking. I love canning dill pickles in the fall and this Fall, we decided to make homemade grape jelly from the grapes that Nana and the boys picked from the cabin. All in all, we've canned about 40 jars or more of grape jelly. I love that we can control the sugar and can make jelly we can use for years to come with no preservatives. Jason and the boys were a big help...here are some pictures from our day of canning.

Cooking down and mashing the grapes...

The boys helped with the mashing (while making funny faces)...

John working on mashing the grapes...

So proud of himself...

The approx. 3 gallons of juice we made to start the jelly-making process...

About 1/2 of our final product...

We all had a great time and it was a fun activity for the whole family. We'll be making peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for the next 5 years :).

Gotta Keep 'Em Separated...

2010-10-22T14:20:00.000-07:00

So, after sharing a womb and then a room (haha...I made a funny), the boys are finally ready to have their own bedrooms. The boys are ready to have their own space, but we also need to separate them so they will sleep better at night and go to sleep FASTER. These past few months have been tough...every night bedtime is a struggle where they either cry and meltdown because they "don't wanna go to bed" or they make it into a playtime session of playing with their toys, jumping on the bed, etc (you get the picture).

The past few nights Ethan has slept in the guest bedroom and the boys have gone to sleep so much faster and easier. They also don't seem to have separation anxiety with each other, so it's been pretty easy. This weekend we're focusing on starting to turn the guest bedroom into Ethan's room. He has requested a "monkey" theme so that outta be interesting for this not very creative Momma. We'll do our best, though, to make his room special. We decided to keep the queen bed in his new room and get some new "kid" sheets for his now bigger bed and leave the extra twin bed in John's room (Mickey Mouse themed) for Ethan to sleep in when when we have guests that stay over night (which isn't very often anyway).

Trying to muster up some creative juices to turn a boring guest bedroom into a Monkey wonderland for Ethan. Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!

Self-Doubt

2010-10-16T22:13:00.000-07:00

As is probably true of a lot of working wives and moms, I am sometimes so frustrated by the "mommy guilt"...the constant feeling of being stretched so thin, doing so many things, that I'm not doing good enough at anything. I have a constant feeling of guilt...that I'm a working Mom with a stressful job...I hope and pray that I don't bring home the stressors of my career to my family, but I know that I do.

My guilt has subsided somewhat now that the boys are in all-day school and I know I am VERY lucky that I have the ability to take our boys to school every day at 8:30, work only while they are in school (with only a few exceptions), and be there to pick them up every day when they get out of school at 3:00. I know not all moms are that lucky. I also, however, am sooooooo incredibly jealous of moms that have the ability to stay home with their kids. Due to financial constraints and the fluctuations with the economy and construction industry (which majorly impact Jason's job opportunities) I just have never had the option of staying home.

I just want to be the best wife and mother possible but always feel like I need to do better. Why do we (as women) put so much stress and guilt on ourselves? I know that nobody is harder on me than myself.

I just hope and pray that we're doing the best by our children and can make quality time for our marriage at the same time...it's hard to do. I thank god for the blessings in my life...I have a husband who adores me and who is the love of my life (but who also can make me crazy at times :)) and the two best sons in the whole wide world. Have to force myself to focus on that in my times of self doubt.

1st Month of School

2010-10-08T22:02:00.001-07:00

As I've posted before, the boys started all-day Montessori school in September. Overall, it's gone very, very well. They love their teacher (Mrs. Renggli) and teacher's aide (Mrs. Joyce) and have been learning so many new things. They are learnings about personal space, writing their letters, taking turns, sharing, show and tell with different letters of the alphabet each week, doing lots of art projects, some age-appropriate general teachings about God and Faith, etc.

We had one minor issue this week of the boys "coloring on other childrens' papers". They, along with another boy, were put in the "think about it chair" for a time out. We talked about it at home and they apologized to their teachers and classmates. Ethan also had a minor incident when another boy was "mean to him"....he pinched his arm. Ethan was put in the "think about it chair" (same day as the coloring incident). We made him color the boy a special picture and we helped him write an "I'm sorry" note to him....hopefully by addressing these issues right away and making them follow-through with apologies, it will nip it in the bud.

Other than the minor behavior issues, their teachers tell us they are bright, kind, loving children that are attentive, anxious to learn and are well-mannered. We are looking forward to parent/teacher conferences on October 21st to hear more about each of their strengths. Below are photos of the boys' first ASB cards....too cute! Love Saint Patricks School!

A Good "Mommy" Laugh

2010-10-05T13:23:00.000-07:00

A friend of mine on facebook posted the comment below explaining how she potty trained her son. I thought it was so funny, I had to post it to my blog...kids are so funny sometimes!

"I used Hershey Kisses to bribe Spencer (referring to potty training) although I hear you're not supposed to do that. He negotiated with me... 3 for #2 (poop), 2 for a #1 (pee), and 1 for farting".

I about died laughing. Kids say the darndest things!

Mother of Twins - A Poem

2010-09-26T20:52:00.000-07:00

There's two to wash, there's two to dry.
There's two who argue, there's two who cry.
One's in the mud having a ball,
The other one's holding a crayon...another marked wall.
Some days seem endless, my patience grows thin.
Why was I chosen to be the mother of twins?

The answer comes clear at the end of each day,
as I tuck them into bed and to myself I say...
There's two to kiss, there's two to hug,
And best of all, there's two to love!

Montessori School

2010-09-25T21:18:00.001-07:00

Our boys started Montessori school at St. Patrick's School in Tacoma on September 7th. Their school is wonderful....their teachers, Mrs. Renggli and Mrs. Joyce are just wonderful and they've loved school from day 1. Even though they love their school, it has been an adjustment to all-day school (8:30 - 3:00 every day, Monday through Friday)....there have been a few tears shed in the morning, but overall, it's been a pretty smooth adjustment.

Ethan is very social and is the first to comfort another child when he/she is upset, gets hurt, etc. He pays attention well and follows instructions, is kind and patient. He had his first time of being the "leader" on Wednesday...it was his day to bring snack for the whole class, be the line-leader and have a special day.

John is excelling in all things academic. They are being introduced to computers and John is learning quickly and craving more challenging projects. The teachers are developing more challenging projects for him because they said he appears to be bored at times with the pace of the rest of the class...our little smarty-pants. John's day to be leader is Monday, so he's very excited for his turn.

We can't believe we're already at the point where are boys are in all-day school....our babies are growing up so fast. They are growing up into such sweet boys!

Movin', Movin', Movin'

2010-08-30T11:50:00.000-07:00

Well....to make a long story short, we're moving. We're moving into a beautiful home (much larger...from about 1400 square feel to 2400 square feet) on Tapps Island. It's a beautiful, safe, kid-friendly community. We were renting our house in Puyallup and have decided to make this move...and we hope to be in this house for a very long time. It has a lovely fenced backyard (great for BBQ'ing, housewarming parties :), kids playing and our dog). We are excited and a little sad all at the same time. This new house will be a great new beginning for us (Jason's also starting a new job this week and the kids are starting full-time Montessori school starting next week).

I included a picture of the front of the house below. Our house is not on the lake, but it's accross the street, has a great view of the lake and of Mount Rainier. Once we get settled, we'd love to have our friends and family over to see our new home and celebrate with us. We'll be moving in officially on October 1, so there will be a lot of work to be done between now and then.

We've had a wonderful summer! Jason and I are both working on exercising more and eating more healthy. In about the past 5 months, Jason's lost 93 pounds (those of you who haven't seen him in a while won't even believe how wonderful he looks) and I've lost 23...it's a start. Trying to be better examples for our children so maybe, just maybe, they won't struggle with their weight like we have our whole lives. We've also been working on staying active...we go swimming at the YMCA at least 4 times per week, go for walks, take the kids to the park, etc.

Big things are happening for the Drury family. Keep us in your thoughts and prayers that this move goes smoothly, that Jason's new job works out well and that the kids thrive in their new school. As for me, I'm happy when my family's happy and I'm excited about this next chapter in our lives!

XOXO,

The Drurys

Mickey Mouse Rooms

2010-08-10T12:40:00.000-07:00

Last week I was home with the boys after their Tonsillectomies and Adnoidectomies. Overall, they've done really well. This surgery, however, is no joke. It's general anesthesia, a lot of pain and a minimum full 10 days of recovery before they're back to eating more solid foods. As far as handling the pain, our boys, true to form, have been complete opposites. John has been lovey, clingy...generally attached to us at the hip. Ethan has just been mad....he's made many "mean doctor", "stupid medicine" type statements, which he gets in trouble for (not using nice words), but apparently the consequences have been worth the outbursts of anger.

We have had a lot of family fun though staying at home spending time together. We've read TONS of books, worked on our numbers and letters flashcards and watched lots of movies (doctor's orders were to keep them "down" and mostly indoors for the first week after the surgery).

We also decided this week to redecorate the boys' room in a Mickey Mouse theme. They LOVE Mickey Mouse...they watch Mickey Mouse Clubhouse every morning, had a Mickey themed birthday party, etc. For their birthday, our very good family friends Chaney and Logan Klespitz and Jim and Vicki Morgan, brought them back all kinds of wonderful things from their recent trip to Disneyland including Mickey figurines, picture frames, t-shirts, sweatshirts, etc. We have used these items to decorate their new room along with the blankets I made them (Mickey tie blankets) and the wall hangings below that I painted myself.

They love their new room...I think they're like their Momma and enjoy a change of scenery once in a while.

We are all getting very excited for the start of Montessori school on August 31. They will be going 5 days per week from 8:30 until 3:00...they'll even get to wear adorable school uniforms.

We're trying to fit in a little visit to the ocean before school starts....maybe a weekend trip to Ocean Shores....trying to work out the details.

Hope everyone's having a great summer!

I just want you to know...

2010-07-24T12:50:00.000-07:00

How much we are enjoying you (our boys) at this age. Your personalities are really distinct and you are both so smart, kind and empathetic. We have no doubt that you will grow up to be wonderful men...just like the men that came before you (your daddy, grandpas, uncles).

John - This week you, one again, showed your independent and curious side by deciding to brush your teeth by yourself. However, you used mommy's raspberry shaving cream as toothpaste. Once we realized what you did, you exclaimed it was "yummy" and your teeth were "fresh....so fresh", which cracked us up. For probably the 5th time in your life (at least), I called poison control to make sure there wasn't anything in the shaving cream that would harm you...after giggling, the poison control operator told us that an upset tummy is about the worst thing that can possibly happen. You constantly make us laugh and amaze us with your curiosity and independence. You are my heart.

Ethan - This week one of your most amazing gifts, your empathy, really shined. Daddy has been recovering from surgery and you have just been amazingly gentle, sweet and helpful in taking care of daddy. You also have really helped to care for our dog, Duke, after his neutering...you've given him lots of gentle loves and even covered him up with your favorite blankie when he slept. When I watch you care for your family, it makes me so incredibly proud to be raising such a genuinely caring, kind child. You are my heart.

In other events, this week you both had to see the Ear, Nose & Throat specialist because both of your tonsils are unusually large (a genetic curse you inherited from Aunt Holly :)). After giving you both a look, the doctor recommended strongly removing both of your tonsils and adnoids, to which, I, your mother, immediately felt a cold sweat, panic-type feeling come over me (2 kids post-surgery to care for at the same time = worried mommy). Your surgery is scheduled for August 4th...Ethan first, John second. Your recovery time will be 7 to 10 days, so it was important for us to get it scheduled prior to the end of August (you are starting all-day Montessori school at the end of August). We will be stocking up the freezer and fridge with lots of ice cream, popsicles, yogurt, jello and juice....that part of it you probably won't mind at all :).

Here you are the "really cool" chair at the doctor's office:

Summer Pics

2010-07-20T13:32:00.001-07:00

Summer 2010

2010-07-19T10:49:00.001-07:00

Wow...it's been a long time since I've updated our blog. We've had a busy summer so far.

Firstly, the John and Ethan celebrated their 4th birthday at the end of May with a Mickey Mouse themed party. We had soooooo much fun, complete with lots of friends, family and, of course, a jump-jump castle :) (our new birthday tradition). The boys continue to amaze us every day with how smart, sweet and wonderful they are.

John:

At age 4, John weighs 38.5 pounds and is 41.75 inches tall. He remains (and I hope will forever be) a total momma's boy. He is cuddly, super smart, and a big helper...he loves to help us with any task including dishes, cooking, folding laundry, vacuuming, making beds, etc. He is a complete joy. He is also hot-tempered and, VERY talkative and, lately, pretty opinionated about a variety of topics. He frequently is in time-out for backtalking. Daddy and I think he will grow up to be an architect or an engineer because he loves to figure out how things work, do puzzles, read and build lego towers (attributes of engineers or architects??). Recently, at his dental appointment, we learned he still has no cavities. We are so proud of our boy!

Ethan

At age 4, Ethan weighs 39 pounds and is 42 inches tall. He is a little more of a daddy's boy, but comes to mommy when he's hurt or needs a little extra reassurance. He is adventurous and loves to get dirty...playing in the dirt and searching for "wormies" is one of his favorite activites. Ethan is a real go-getter...he gets very excited about doing special activities (even if it's just a new sprinkler in the backyard). Ethan was a born lover...he gives lots of hugs and kisses. He is so sweet with our dog, Duke. Ethan is also very smart and especially loves learnings his numbers. Ethan is a good leader and I can totally see him growing up and working with people as a leader...maybe a teacher? He is very empathetic and is the first to comfort anyone who gets hurt or is sad. Recently, at his dental appointment, he had 2 cavities....no fun. We are so proud of this boy!

Jason started and completed a truck driving school and now has his CDL with all the associated endorsements and is excited to get back to work after quite a long layoff. He has, however, been able to spend a lot of quality time with the kids over the summer, so that has been nice for their "boy bonding". He is looking forward to getting back to work soon.

Work has been keeping me busy....not much new there, except we moved offices (1 door down) and I absolutely LOVE my new office space. I have a lot more natural light and a larger office...both good things.

So far this summer, we've done trips to the zoo, Northwest Trek, lots of swimming and sprinkler days, airplane ride & visit to Aunty Holly & Cooper in Spokane, berry picking and making jam, visit and ride on the REAL Thomas the Train, BBQ'ing and lots of get togethers with friends and family, including a couple of trips to the cabin in Leavenworth.

BIG NEWS....the boys will start all-day Montessori school at St. Patrick's school (only about a mile from my office) starting at the end of August. They will go 5 days per week, all day. They are soooooo excited, as their best friend, Logan, goes to that school and they feel like very big boys. I'm sure there will lots of proud mommy tears on the first day of school. We feel that this will be great for their development and will really help to prepare them for Kindergarden next year.

We feel blessed to have the support of such a wonderful family and good friends. Most of all, we are blessed to have each other.

Summer pics to follow :)

Mother's Day 2010

2010-05-08T22:40:00.000-07:00

A look back...

I cannot believe this is my fourth Mother's Day. I am so lucky to be the Mom of such sweet, caring, gentle, kind, smart, sneaky, loving boys. I am proud of you every day and will always be proud to be your mom. You are growing so fast and are becoming "big boys"...sometimes I wish I could keep you babies because, in some ways, these past four years have gone by in an instant.

I feel like the most blessed Mommy in the world!

Easter Eggstravaganza 2010

2010-04-03T12:41:00.001-07:00

This year the boys were VERY into coloring easter eggs. We colored a total of 2 dozen eggs over the course of 2 days. They were so proud of themselves and loved the "magic" of the eggs turning color. More Easter pictures to follow.

Saturday Naptime

2010-03-27T16:03:00.001-07:00

After a day of playing, doing puzzles, reading books and hanging out in the backyard, we decided it was time for a nap (despite the boys' protests). After 5 minutes, I went in to check on them and found them sound asleep cuddled up together.

Goofy Goofs

2010-02-11T15:05:00.000-08:00

The boys (as per usual) have been saying some funny things lately. They both like to boss each other around too (especially John). Here is some of our/their chats lately:

Getting ready in the morning:
Mommy: "Ethan, come and put your shoes on"
Ethan: "I don't want to"
John: "Ethan, go put your shoes on. One...two....ok....you're going to you're room"

During Superbowl:
Announcer on TV: something like "Tackle by #45"
John: "Mommy, why do they tickle each other"
Mommy: "Not tickle, honey, tackle"
John: "Oh"

In the car:
John: "Stupid, stupid, stupid"
Mommy: "John, we don't say that word"
Ethan: "John...say you're sorry"
John: "SORRY!!!!" (yelled)
Ethan: "Say you're sorry nice...like this 'mommy, i'm sorry' (very sweetly)"
John: "mommy, i'm sorry (nicely)
Ethan: "ok then"

Yesterday:
Ethan: "Daddy, can I have a yummy gummy?"
Daddy: "A what?"
Ethan: "Yuuuuummmmyyyy gummmmmmmeeeeee"
Daddy: "huh?"
Ethan: goes to pantry and points out what has is usually referred to as a fruit snack "see, a yummy gummy"
Daddy: "sure."

Relaxed

2010-01-19T13:39:00.000-08:00

This weekend was pretty relaxed. We went to the YMCA, worked out, got the kids signed up for their classes (swimming, preschool gymnastics and toddler sports), etc. We spent a lot of time in our jammies, which is always fun.

John "helping" in the kitchen...

Ethan relaxing in his jammies...

Pity Party

2010-01-13T14:02:00.000-08:00

To say this has been a rough couple of weeks is an understatement. Jason fell on the ice at the cabin in Leavenworth and blew out his knee. Needless to say, between that and the kids having a virus (coughing, runny noses, wheezing, etc), this mommy is feeling a little sorry for herself. To top things off, I somehow managed to fall out of bed last night and hit my head on the nightstand.

Tonight I'm going to relax....I will, I will, I will. I'm going to get the kids to bed, take care of the hubby, then pour myself a glass of wine and just relax.

Ok...I'm done venting now.

Sleep Walking, Talking Tattler

2010-01-07T22:21:00.000-08:00

Our Dearest Ethan,

You are officially a sleep walker and talker (just like your parents were as children). Mommy used to sleep walk amost every night (ask Grandma and Grandpa someday to tell you the stories). Daddy still talks in his sleep with some frequency (one instance that comes to mind is daddy sitting straight up in bed and yelling "I shot the river!!!!"). You, our sweet boy, walk in your sleep (usually into mommy and daddy's bed if you can get away with it). Tonight, you were tattling in your sleep. While I (mommy) was rubbing your back and trying to settle you back to sleep, you very sleepily mumbled "John hit me...that naughty". This was followed by a minute or two of one and off jibber jabber and finally "I need crackers". After that statement, you settled into a restful sleep. I hope you always have happy dreams our sweet Ethan.

Love,
Mommy and Daddy

Drury/Graves Family Christmas

2010-01-04T14:27:00.001-08:00

On Christmas morning we woke up and opened presents and stockings at our house. The boys were so excited that Santa had come and eaten the cookies and drank the milk. They especially loved their new shopping carts...they've been raiding the pantry ever since :).

After our little Christmas at home, we went to Nana's house (Jason's Mom) to celebrate with Nana, Uncle Brad, Aunt Mary, Willem and Aunt Lindsey...a great time was had by all. Once again, the kids had a blast.

Our adorable nephew/reindeer, Willem...
Uncle J with Willem...

Our fam...

Aunt Lindsey, Uncle Brad and Willem opening a baby gift...

Mary, Lindsey, Brad and Will...

Us...

Ethan hammin' it up whenever possible :)...

Ethan holding baby Will all by himself...

Aunt Lindsey and John...

Ethan giving Nana a love...

Aunt Lindsey giving Ethan a ride...he's almost as big as she is already :)...

Nana dancing with John...

Me and Will...chillin'

The boys playing in the backyard at Nana's house...

John and Peyton playing at Uncle Bob and Aunt Kathy's house...

Babes in toyland...

Cute Peyton...

The ladies...

The whole family...growing every year (notice this year's 2 new babies)...

Uncle Bob and Aunt Kathy's Xmas Tree...2 stories tall...simply amazing!

Kid Central...

Geoff and Jaime...

Adams Family Christmas

2010-01-04T12:38:00.001-08:00

We went to my parents' house for Christmas Eve, as we do every year. We got there about 2:00 and within 30 minutes, John walked into the corner of the granite countertop and had a gash above his eye that needed medical attention. 3 hours later, we returned from the ER and they were able to glue his boo-boo and put butterfly bandages on it to hold. I'm happy to report it's now healing very well.

We had a great time visiting with family and the kids were over the moon with all the festivities. Santa even made a visit.

Ethan and cousin Cooper...

Cute, but guilty, look...

My sister, Holly, cracking up...

Ethan wrestling with Grandpa...

Ethan and Santa...

Cooper and Santa...

Boys with Mommy waiting checking out Santa...

John looks like he's about to make an escape attempt...

John with Santa...

The ladies...

The men (and boys)...

Our family...

Aunt Holly and Cooper...

My parents (Grandpa and Grandma)...

Ethan sword fighting with Uncle Mitch...

Ethan has him cornered...

Ummm....don't know what to say about this one...

Boys First Time Skiing

2010-01-02T12:42:00.001-08:00

We took the boys up to my parent's cabin in Packwood on the 27th and 28th to take them skiing for the first time. After getting them all bundled up, they were very excited to give go "stiing". We didn't quite know what to expect, but they both did great. By the end of the first day, the boys were able to ride the "magic carpet" up the small hill by themselves and get off the magic carpet by themselves. One of us would get help get them turned around at the top of the hill and another of us would "catch" them at the bottom of the hill. John even started to learn to turn on his own. Ethan had so much fun that he threw a kicking, screaming fit when it was time to leave. We went up the next day for a couple of runs, but it was much colder and the second day was a short one. Daddy took a lot of great pictures and video. Here are some pictures of that fun day.

Some pictures of Mommy and John...

Grandpa and Ethan riding up the "magic carpet"...

Mommy and John again...

Grandma "catching" John at the bottom of the hill...

Grandpa trying to get Ethan balanced on his skis...

Grandma and Ethan...

New Hats....very stylish :)

2009-12-15T20:37:00.000-08:00

Letters to Santa and Christmas Tree

2009-12-09T13:01:00.000-08:00

This year we sat down with the boys to write letters to santa. We mainly did a Q&A format where we asked them questions and formulated their answers into the letter. Here are their letters in a nutshell:

John's letter:

Dear Santa,
I really want tools. I've been a good boy (said quietly and a little unsure). Please bring me music because I like (prounonced "yike") to dance. I love ("yuv") Santa, Ethan, Mama, Daddy and Duke. Please bring me pink balloons - 2 of them. Check your list Santa Clause. For mommy and daddy, please bring trolls. For Ethan - a book, for Grandpa - candy canes, for Grandma - tables and chairs, for Nana - ice cream. Merry Christmas! - john drury

Ethan's letter:

Dear Santa,
I've been a good boy. I would like a horsey and tools. I really like (yike) you and will make you cookies and milk. I've only been a little bit naughty this year...I was mean to Rawle at preschool when he was naughty to John. For mommy, please bring a horsey or something. For everyone else, please bring a horse or something. I love you! - ethan drury

The boys were sooooo excited to decorate our Christmas tree this year. We made the journey down to Logan Hill Tree Farm in Chehalis (with our good friends Chaney and Logan) and picked out a beautiful 7 foot Noble...for only $25! The tree farm was a little "backwoods/deliverance style", but we had fun and it is a fun memory. Here is a picture of our tree all decorated! Merry Christmas to all!

Terrible 3's

2009-12-01T14:26:00.000-08:00

I had to post this because Jason totally made me laugh the other day. We were driving home from the cabin and the boys had finally fallen asleep after an hour or so of loudness....Jason asked me "so, how long do you think the terrible 3's will last?". My reply - "about 6 more months until they turn 4" *giggle, giggle, snort, snort*. They are such a blessing, but the terrible 2's definitely turned into the terrible 3's. I wonder what the 4's have in store for us....only time will tell :).

Bubble Bath Fun

2009-11-16T15:03:00.000-08:00

These pictures just crack me up (taken on my phone, so the quality isn't great). The boys' favorite new thing to do in the bathtub is float with just their faces sticking out of the bubbles...they think it's so fun and it cracks us up.

Home Haircut

2009-11-06T10:52:00.000-08:00

This morning, our curious, into everything, son John, got up on the toilet and reached the shelf with Daddy's beard clippers. He then proceeded to give himself a reverse mohawk...

We had no choice but to shave the rest of his head. Our poor baby looks like Mr. Clean...it's gonna be a cold winter :(

Halloween 2009

2009-11-01T18:42:00.000-08:00

We had a fabulous time this year on Halloween. Our good friends Chaney, Marin and Logan (our boys' brother from another mother) came over for a yummy dinner, complete with "dirt cake" dessert. We then dressed up the kids for trick-or-treating...John was Cat in the Hat, Ethan was Kung Fu Panda and Logan was Rocky. A fun evening was had by all...complete with sugar highs, lows and meltdowns. Overall though...it was a fabulous Halloween!

Our family...

Ethan (aka - Kung Fu Panda)

Logan (as Rocky), Ethan (Kung Fu Panda) and John (Cat in the Hat)...

John (Cat in the Hat)...

Brotherly love...John and Ethan...

Our Little Magician

2009-10-27T14:03:00.000-07:00

Ethan, or "The Amazing Ethan", whichever you prefer, learned a magic trick. He always says "watch this...", then does his trick (sorry the video is sideways...couldn't figure out how to rotate it). Make sure you turn on your sound so you can hear his "watch this..." in his very magician-like voice :).

The Yucks

2009-10-23T09:51:00.000-07:00

Well, it's been a bit of a rough couple of days in our household. Ethan came down with a terrible barky cough early Wednesday morning...sounded HORRIBLE. We took him to urgent care and it turns out he has croup. No treatment necessary except his inhaler (only needs it when he is sick). As of this morning, his cough isn't as dry and we think he's on the mend.

On that same day (Wednesday), Ethan fell asleep around 2:30, so I decided to give John a bath while daddy napped with Ethan. After 30 minutes of splashing around in the tub, he was ready to get out. Long story short, he stood up and went to step out of the tub, slipped and caught the under side of his chin on the edge of the tub. I was literally inches away ready to wrap him up in a towel and just couldn't catch him. Lots of bleeding and another trip to urgent care later, John ended up with 3 stitches. He was sooooo brave...didn't cry at all.

Now, they've both had stitches. We're hoping for an uneventful weekend :). Here's a picture of our brave boy, John, at the doctor's office getting his chin "fixed"...

Crapcorn

2009-10-06T11:55:00.000-07:00

Dear John,

The correct pronunciation is "pop-corn".

Love,
Mommy

More Funny Sayings

2009-09-29T22:36:00.000-07:00

This afternoon on the way home from preschool, John was acting up in the back seat. I said to him "John Adam...be nice". A few minutes later, he said to "Mommy Adam...where are we going?".

Tonight Daddy and I were snuggling with the boys and I was giving Ethan big hugs and I said to him "you're my baby boy". He looked at me adoringly and said "you're my baby mama".

Sometimes they totally crack us up. Such goofballs!

Our 8th Anniversary!

2009-09-16T13:04:00.000-07:00

This year (September 15th), Jason and I celebrated 8 years of marriage. It's not all been "wedded bliss", but throughout all the good, bad, happy, sad, births, deaths, jobs, moves, ups and downs....love remains. Jason...I thank you for 10 wonderful years together and 8 years of marriage...I thank you for giving me two beautiful children...I thank you for taking care of me when I'm sick...I thank you for putting up with my Twilight obsession...I thank you for being my partner in parenting and discipline and life...I thank you for being a playful, loving father...I thank you for reminding me about the important things in life and not to sweat the small stuff...I thank you for loving me unconditionally...I thank you for doing laundry without being asked.

I love you...always have, always will.

Trip to the Dentist

2009-09-16T12:39:00.000-07:00

The boys had their first "official" trip to the children's dentist this week for a cleaning, checkup and x-rays. Jason and I were both able to be there, which we think helped them feel a little more comfortable having mommy and daddy nearby.

The report is a mixed bag. On a positive note, the dentist said their brushing is great...no plaque on any exposed parts of their teeth. John had no cavities and has "perfect" teeth. Poor Ethan, on the other hand, has molars that are very close together...it is impossible to reach in between those teeth with a toothbrush. Consequently, Ethan had 3 cavities (p.s. I feel like the worst mother in the world). I have NEVER had a cavity and we've always tried really hard to brush their teeth well, so we feel so bad that he has cavities that have to be filled. We've been informed that Ethan's teeth will require daily flossing from now on since they are so close together and he has an appt in about 2 weeks to get fillings.

They were SOOOOO brave...no crying, clinging to our legs or anything of the sort. Here are some pictures of our big, brave boys:

John wasn't so sure about getting the x-rays and wearing the protective apron:

Ethan was happy as a clam (obviously):

Kids Say the Darndest Things

2009-09-14T19:58:00.001-07:00

The boys have been saying the funniest things lately.

First of all, they are obsessed with their new cousin baby Will. They ask about him all the time and are wanting Mommy and Daddy to swaddle them (I think there's a little jealousy about a new baby in the family). It's so funny when a 3 year old brings you his blanket and says "Mommy, swaddle me". It cracks us up.

Tonight at dinner, Ethan asked for more milk, so I got it for him. He then said "thank you precious Mommy". Jason and I burst out laughing...Jason calls me "precious" when he's teasing me.

Today the boys also got their first pet...a goldfish that they've named Otto. We have a book called Fish Out of Water where the main character is a goldfish named Otto. John and Ethan have been mesmerized watching Otto swim around his bowl and "hide" in his pirate house. After dinner, I was doing the dishes and John dumped the rest of his milk into Otto's bowl. Otto had a near death experience, but we were able to quickly change out the water and he seems to be doing fine. When we asked John why he did it, he said "Otto needs strong bones and muscles", which is what we always tell them to get them to drink all their milk. It was so cute!

Here they are with Otto (which they also call their "wishie"):

Willem Edwin Drury

2009-09-01T14:54:00.001-07:00

Yesterday (August 31) we gained a nephew...Willem Edwin Drury (Brad & Mary). He was 7 lbs 15 oz and 19 1/4 inches at birth. He is absolutely precious and we are so thrilled he his here and healthy. Congrats to the happy family :)!

Best Friends

2009-08-27T11:09:00.000-07:00

Last night, we were all chatting at dinnertime about preschool, the new friends they've made, their teachers, etc. I asked Ethan who is best friend is and he said Rawle (another little boy at school). When we asked John who his best friend is he looked sad and said Ethan (pronounced Ee-tan). I think his little feelings were hurt that Ethan didn't say he was his best friend. We hope they grow up to be close :)...it's looking good so far. Gosh we love these boys!

New Home & Bedtime Routine

2009-08-18T20:47:00.000-07:00

As some of you may (or may not) know, we recently moved into our new home in Puyallup. Our new house has a nice fully fenced backyard with a "big toy" complete with slide, swings and monkey bars. It's a nicely sized rambler (one level) in a great location near South Hill Mall. I think we'll be very happy here in this house.

HOWEVER...bedtime routine has become quite the challenge. The kids have become masters of all possible excuses / delay tactics at bedtime including: have to go potty, have to go poop, want a drink of water, need a hug, need a big hug, need another kiss, read another book, i'm hot, i'm cold, ethan's looking at me, john bit me, keep the door open, open the door more, it's too dark, it's too light, mommy...i love you VERY much, need more hugs from daddy, i sleep in your bed, i have a boogie, there's a bee (really it's a fly) in my room....need I go on?!?

Thank god they're so cute when they're sleeping :). I think it'll just take some time to work into a new routine at this new house. I've attached a few pictures of our new home...

Front view of our house and garage...

View of backyard, before we got it watered and looking green and decorated with our patio furniture (this is about half of the backyard...there's a whole other side on the right (not pictured))...

Fireplace in living room (finally starting to get the house decorated)...

Guest bedroom decorated in chocolate browns and blues...

Main bathroom painted and decorated...

Living room (before furniture & decorations) with double french doors leading out to the backyard (behind me taking the picture)...

Happy brothers riding their bikes in the backyard...

Heat Wave of 2009

2009-07-30T15:18:00.000-07:00

This summer goes down in the record books...literally. This week we've had the hottest temperatures on record EVER, getting as high as 106 degrees!!

Thank goodness for our window a/c units. It's kept our bedroom and the boys' bedroom cool enough to rest at night.

John and Ethan have had a summer full of swimming lessons (they are now in the "Pollywogs" class) and are really getting good. They kick their feet, paddle their arms, jump in and "swim" under water. We'll have to post some pics and video of their lessons at the pool. Here are two videos of them in our little pool in the back yard having fun and enjoying the hot weather (we, on the other hand, wouldn't mind if it cooled down 20 degrees)...

It's also been a rough month for the Drury family. Three weeks ago, Jason's Godmother, Karen "Eve" Keever passed away; not quite two weeks ago, Jason's Grandma, Audrey Drury, passed away; today, Jason's Grandpa (paternal), James Sumpter, passed away. They will all be missed and will live on in our memories.

Busy, busy, busy

2009-07-14T13:21:00.000-07:00

We have been very busy lately. Last weekend we went to the Leavenworth cabin for 4th of July. The boys had a great time playing with cousin Kendal and we all had fun swimming in the river.

Last weekend, we had a yard sale, celebrated Jason's 36th birthday, went to a movie (Ice Age) and went to Aunt Lindsey's dance performance in Seattle.

This week the boys have had a bit of a cough, so we took them to the pediatrician's office to get them checked out. No antibiotics needed, but we were surprised to learn that they've both gotten bigger...John's now 37 lbs and Ethan's 38 lbs (John's gained 4 lbs and Ethan's gained 2 lbs in the past 2 months...major growth spurt).

I'll post some recent swimming lessons pics and some pics from the 4th of July weekend tonight or tomorrow.

Our son (Ethan), the future deep sea diver...

2009-06-30T15:10:00.001-07:00

Brotherly Love

2009-06-28T19:08:00.000-07:00

Just a cute picture of the boys I thought I'd post (this was taken on the first night of swimming lessons). I love it when they're sweet to each other...

John, the boss (just like his mommy)

2009-06-15T13:57:00.000-07:00

We've noticed lately that John has become the little boss around our house telling Ethan to help clean up, remining him to use his manners ("say please Ethan") and just generally trying to keep him out of trouble. Ethan is a go-getter with not much thought to being careful. We think that throughout their whole lives John will be keeping Ethan out of trouble and bossing around all the other kids at school (he is a mini-me (mommy)). Gotta love them!

The other night, Ethan said to me at bedtime "mommy, i no like (pronounced "yike") you, I love (pronounced "yuv") you. So sweet...made my soft little mommy heart melt.

Why do they have to grow up??? Whaaaaaaaaah, sniff, sniff.

Scary News Story...

2009-06-08T10:45:00.001-07:00

Yikes...

http://www.komonews.com/news/local/47123577.html

Soooooo scary!

Age 3 Stats & Percentiles

2009-06-05T10:01:00.000-07:00

The boys had their 3 year checkup at the pediatrician this morning and they are sure getting big :). Here are their stats:

John - 33 lbs (81%ile); 38 1/2 inches tall (87%ile)
Ethan - 36 lbs (87%ile); 39 inches tall (95%ile)

They didn't have to get any shots, which was great. Looks like they're going to be big, tall boys :)

New Helmets

2009-06-04T20:18:00.000-07:00

The boys got new bikes with training wheels and bike helmets for their birthday. They LOVE their helmets and have been wearing them all over the house today...

Ethan...

John...

3rd Birthday Party!

2009-06-04T20:03:00.001-07:00

Here are some random pictures from the boys' 3rd birthday party at our house on Monday, May 25th. Can't believe our babies are 3 already (sniff sniff)...

Nice Weekend

2009-05-18T09:57:00.000-07:00

We had a nice weekend at home. The weather was great, we ate our meals on the patio outside and played in the sun. Here's a cute picture of Daddy and John napping together and a video of Ethan hamming it up with a rousing rendition of the ABC's...

Tonight's Colorful Art Project...

2009-05-14T21:33:00.001-07:00

The boys are totally into "projects" lately...tonight we decorated paper cups we will use for our orange juice tomorrow morning. So thrilling for the boys and a fun family project for all four of us...

Day with Grandma and Grandpa

2009-05-14T11:50:00.001-07:00

Grandma and Grandpa (Shelley's parents) came back from Palm Desert this week and the boys spent the day with them yesterday. They had so much fun...Grandpa took them for lawnmower rides and Grandma did an art project with them...they made Indian headbands that they decorated with stickers (spelling their names), crayons and a feather. They wore their headbands on the drive home, during dinner and the rest of the evening until bathtime.

John...
Ethan...

Never Want to Forget...

2009-04-19T20:49:00.001-07:00

I was inspired by a friend's blog about things we never want to forget about the boys (they will be 3 next month):

- How Ethan gives big bear hugs and “soap opera” kisses with his eyes closed
- When John said to mommy “I have a weaner and you wear make-ups” (the way he distinguishes between boys and girls)
- How Ethan LOVES to be outside and search through the dirt for “wormies”
- How John throws major temper tantrums over such minor things
- How Ethan is such a snuggler in bed
- How John loves certain books…Green Eggs and Ham, Missing Dinosaur Bone are his favorites
- How John is OBSESSED with the movie and book The Grinch that Stole Christmas
- How the boys talk about “knuckle-sandwiches” whenever the subject of Grandpa comes up, only they pronounce it “knuckle-sambitch” (too funny)
- How Ethan says the word “owchie” whenever he wants attention (even when not hurt)
- How Ethan says the word “poopie” whenever he wants us to run upstairs during naptime
- How when John got mad at mommy, he said “momma, you a boy”
- How Ethan is so expressive and how hysterical it is when he looks at you out of the corner of his eyes
- How John’s eyes are precisely the blue color of my Grandpa Johnson’s
- How excited the boys get if we take them to Donald’s for chicken nuggies
- How the boys end up in each other’s beds together almost every night
- How excited John gets when he is praised for anything
- How big Ethan smiles for pictures (so big that he closes his eyes and gives his best cheesy grin)

I also never want to forget that just looking at our boys makes me love Jason more than ever.

Easter & Easter Bunny Discussions with John

2009-04-13T15:45:00.000-07:00

Mommy: What does the Easter Bunny bring on Easter?
John: Candy!

Mommy: He also brings chocolate...
John: Mmmm...that would be good (mommy chuckles)

Mommy: How big do you think the Easter Bunny is?
John: (glances from side to side, thinks a few moments, then)... that a good question momma

We had a great weekend. We visited the Seattle Aquarium on Saturday, rode the carousel and had fish and chips for lunch on the waterfront. On Sunday, the kids were thrilled with their easter baskets, I cooked a yummy brunch (if I do say so myself) and we had dinner at Jason's mom's house. Daddy took lots of good pics, so those will be posted soon. Hope everyone had a wonderful Easter!

Wild Weekend!

2009-03-30T15:24:00.000-07:00

We had a wild weekend! On Friday afternoon, the boys were standing at the front window saying "turkey, turkey" ... sure enough, our neighbor's turkey, the famous "Tom" (survivor of 2 Thanksgivings) had gotten loose and was hanging out in front of our house.

Tom in our front yard ...

View from outside of the boys watching Tom out the window...

On Sunday morning, we woke up to 4-5 inches of snow! It was melting quickly, so we got the boys bundled up and made a toddler-sized snowman in the front yard. Wacky weather!

Haircuts

2009-03-25T10:44:00.000-07:00

Ummm...Jason took the boys to get haircuts last weekend and he thought that their buzz cuts looked so cute, that he decided to get one himself. He hates it. I don't think it's his best look, but I love him anyway. I did have to ask him to please never do that again :). haha

Funny Boys!

2009-03-17T13:47:00.000-07:00

The boys are talking so much lately and are such characters. We still use the baby monitor and every morning we hear them (on the monitor) talking when they wake up. Usually, we let them talk for a few minutes before going to get them...usually when the volume starts to rise and they start calling for us (they totally understand the baby monitor concept). The other Saturday morning, they were talking and Ethan started calling "Mommy, momma..."...after a minute or two, he then called "momma....I yuv you momma"...such a charmer :). Of course, that got me and I went up to their room right away. He was waiting for me at the door with a huge grin on his face, as if to say "i knew that would work like a charm".

On a not so cute note, Jason and I were playing with them outside on their swingset and John needed help off the swing. As I was helping him, his boot fell off. He said (in perfect context) "oh dammit". Uh oh...Jason and I just looked at each other and winced, but tried not to call attention to it for fear of the "I can see you don't like that, so I think I'll do it / say it some more". Guess we have to be more careful with our language :)...they are total sponges!

Pink Lady Glasses

2009-02-27T10:58:00.000-08:00

So, we've been cleaning out our house and storage areas lately in preparation for selling (hopefully) our house. The boys came across the glasses from my Pink Lady costume from Halloween a couple of years ago. They kept putting them on and saying...."mama, yook ("look" for those of you who don't speak toddler-ease). I thought it was funny and decided to snap a couple of quick pics. They are both such hams...

John grinning from ear to ear...

Ethan with his big, cheesy smile... :)

Happy Valentine's Day!!!

2009-02-14T13:57:00.000-08:00

We've had a fun Valentine's Day so far! This morning, I (mom) made heart shaped french toast (big heart cookie cutter) and before nap we made heart shaped sugar cookies...look how proud the boys are of their hearts (we didn't have a small heart cookie cutter so these are hand shaped). They did a great job and we all had fun (Daddy's favorite part was eating them :)).

Hope all our friends and family have a wonderful Valentine's Day with your loved ones!

Another Funny Moment...this time courtesy of Ethan

2009-02-12T09:32:00.000-08:00

This morning, the boys were at the breakfast table and their conversation between each other went something like this:

Ethan: "John (pronounced Don)...sit down an' eat yur ceweaw (cereal).
John: "Nooooooo"
Ethan: "You don't say no to me. Sit down an' eat."

Too funny. That's exactly what I say whenever they tell me no is "you don't say no to me...I'm the mom".

Funny!

2009-02-11T13:20:00.000-08:00

So...we've been working with the boys on potty training and John is doing really well...he LOVES to be praised and loves to tell you all about his...um....deeds. The other day John and I were sitting on the couch and, out of the blue, he said "Mommy....I like (prounounced "yike") poop". I laughed and said "do you mean you like to go poop on the potty". "Yeah", he says. It was so innocent and cute...we're still laughing about it and it happened a week or two ago. I have to remember to write that in his baby book.

For inquiring minds, Ethan's still not quite ready on the potty training front...doesn't even want to sit on the potty hardly. He'll get there...he's just too busy playing :).

Why God Made Moms

2009-02-08T12:18:00.000-08:00

Hope you have a good laugh...

Answers given by 2nd grade school children to the following questions:

Why did God make mothers?
1. She's the only one who knows where the scotch tape is.
2. Mostly to clean the house
3. To help us out when we were getting born.

How did God make mothers?
1. He used dirt, just like for the rest of us.
2. Magic plus super powers and a lot of stirring.
3. God made my Mom just the same like he made me. He just used bigger parts.

What ingredients are mothers made of ?
1. God makes mothers out of clouds and angel hair and everything nice in the world and one dab of mean.
2. They had to get their start from men's bones. Then they mostly use string, I think.

Why did God give you your mother and not some other mom?
1. We're related.
2. God knew she likes me a lot more than other people's moms like me.

What kind of little girl was your mom?
1. My Mom has always been my mom and none of that other stuff.
2. I don't know because I wasn't there, but my guess would be pretty bossy.
3. They say she used to be nice.

What did mom need to know about dad before she married him?
1. His last name.
2. She had to know his background. Like is he a crook? Does he get drunk on beer?
3. Does he make at least $800 a year? Did he say NO to drugs and YES to chores?

Why did your mom marry your dad?
1. My dad makes the best spaghetti in the world. And my Mom eats a lot.
2. She got too old to do anything else with him.
3. My grandma says that Mom didn't have her thinking cap on.

Who's the boss at your house?
1. Mom doesn't want to be boss, but she has to because dad's such a goof ball.
2. Mom. You can tell by room inspection. She sees the stuff under the bed.
3. I guess Mom is, but only because she has a lot m ore to do than dad.

What's the difference between moms & dads?
1. Moms work at work and work at home and dads just go to work at work.
2. Moms know how to talk to teachers without scaring them.
3. Dads are taller & stronger, but moms have all the real power 'cause that's who you got to ask if you want to sleep over at your friend's.
4. Moms have magic, they make you feel better without medicine.

What does your mom do in her spare time?
1. Mothers don't do spare time.
2. To hear her tell it, she pays bills all day long.

What would it take to make your mom perfect?
1. On the inside she's already perfect. Outside, I think some kind of plastic surgery.
2. Diet. You know, her hair. I'd diet, maybe blue.

If you could change one thing about your mom, what would it be?
1. She has this weird thing about me keeping my room clean. I'd get rid of that.
2. I'd make my mom smarter. Then she would know it was my sister who did it and not me.
3 I would like for her to get rid of those invisible eyes on the back of her head.

And the Worst Mother of the Year Award Goes to...

2009-02-04T21:39:00.000-08:00

Yours truly! Over the weekend while my sister and friend Chaney were visiting us, we got teriaki for dinner. I always save the packets of sweet & sour sauce because the boys love it. Tonight I made chicken, rice and veggies for dinner and Ethan asked for "dips"...so I grabbed a packet of sweet & sour sauce from the drawer and put some on his plate. He then dipped a piece of chicken in it and took a big bite. A few seconds later he started screaming, spitting the food out of his mouth and saying ouchie. For a split second, we didn't know what was wrong...then I grabbed the sweet & sour packet only to discover that it wasn't sweet & sour sauce....it was spicy hot chili oil...OMG (crap!!!!)...I gave him his milk and he drank all of it down. Another glass of milk followed by a few bites of banana seemed to do the trick and he was fine after that. I felt soooooooo bad! The packet was orange and looked just like the sweet & sour...I didn't even know they give you spicy hot chili oil. Jason's only response was "I'm glad that you did that and not me because you would have been so mad at me :)". I think this move definitely puts me out of the running for mother of the year!

3 boys, 2 sunglasses, 1 goggle

2009-01-28T22:50:00.000-08:00

We've been having lots of fun this week visiting with my sister Holly and her son Cooper. Tonight after dinner, each of the three boys found a pair of sunglasses (goggles in Ethan's case) and strutted their stuff looking very cool. Top model...toddler style...

Ethan in goggles...

John rockin' Daddy's sunglasses...
Cooper looking oh-so cute...

Fun Outside

2009-01-19T20:21:00.000-08:00

Daddy played with the boys all day outside today. Here they are taking a ride on the tractor with their fireman and viking hats (very important).

Here's John as a future NBA slam-dunker:

Sunday Brunch

2009-01-11T16:44:00.000-08:00

Today we had a nice brunch out our house with Grandma & Grandpa (Shelley's parents), Nanna (Jason's mom) and us. It was the first time we've been able to get this group together in such a long time. The food was yummy and the company was even better. My parents are leaving tomorrow to head back to Palm Desert, CA for the next 5 months (they spend about 7+ months of the year at their house there these days).

The boys said their goodbyes to G&G until May with big hugs and kisses and so did Jason and I. After they left, I felt pretty sad (sniff sniff)...it's hard to have them so far away for such long stretches. But.....we look forward to seeing them again in May. We hope they have a safe trip and enjoy the warm weather (we're sure it'll be very nice for them to get away from this terrible weather we've been having).

On a more positive note, my sister, Holly and her family (husband Alex and son Cooper) are moving back to Washington in 2 weeks. Alex is in the military and they have lived out of state for about 8 years now. They will be living in Spokane, but Holly and Cooper are going to come and spend a week or two with us while Alex gets everything set up in Spokane. My sister and I are very close and it'll be so nice to have her close. It'll also be great to be able to get John, Ethan and Cooper together more often (and see Alex of course too :)).

Words you never want to hear on the baby monitor...

2009-01-09T11:49:00.000-08:00

"Momma.....I sick....I sick momma". The night before last this is what I heard and went upstairs to find that John, who has a cold with a terrible cough, had coughed so hard that he made himself sick...everywhere...all over his clothing, bed, blankets, etc. I felt so bad for him and started to comfort him and clean things up. After I got everything cleaned and got him into the bathtub, he said to me..."Momma...I ok. I wuv you.". It was so sweet and I felt so bad for my poor, sick boy. On top of this, Jason had been stuck on the east side of the mountains not able to get home since Monday due to all the flooding and pass/road closures.

All is well now...John is feeling much better after a day home resting with Mommy yesterday and Jason got home (finally) last night at 9:00pm. It was sooooo nice to have our family back under one roof again!

Happy Birthday Jake!!

2009-01-06T11:42:00.000-08:00

Over the holidays, my friend Jennifer, her husband, John and their son, Jake, came home to visit from New York. They came to our house and we spent the entire day visiting, watching football, hanging out, and letting all three boys run buckwild through the house. A great time was had by all.

Yesterday was Jake's 3rd birthday...happy birthday to the big boy! Also, congrats to Jen & John who are expecting their second child this August!!!

Here are a couple of cute pictures we captured from their visit (unfortunately, Jason is the picture-taker in our family, so he's usually the one behind the camera...hence not too many pictures of daddy):

John & Jen Vossler reading books to all 3 boys (the kids are almost as big as you, Jen):

Me (mommy) helping the boys to share the puzzle:

Goofballs (Ethan, John and Jake - from left to right):

Nosepickers & a goofball (Jake, Ethan & John - from left to right):
We miss you guys already!

Ethan's Song / Jibber Jabber

2009-01-05T13:29:00.000-08:00

We love him!

Other Christmas Pics

2009-01-04T21:59:00.000-08:00

Grandma & John...
Mommy & Ethan...

Holly & Cooper...

Erik, Aunt Debbie & Jessica Johnson

Holly, Cooper (hidden behind t-shirt) and Alex...

Grandma, Grandpa & the boys...

Cooper playing with new truck...

Holly, Cooper & Alex...

Mommy and the boys...

Boys & their new toys...

Toy lost under the couch...

Uncle Mitch & Aunt Debbie...

John (resembling Hugh Hefner)...

Ron & Chong Hull (Mary's parents)

Ethan in Kendal's car...

Geoff & Jaime Graves (cousins)...

Uncle Chuck & Grandma Drury...

Ryan Graves & father in law

Michal & Kendal...

Nanna & Ethan...

The whole cooking crew...

Brad, Mary, Ron & Chong Hull

Bev, Jason, Brad & Lindsey...

Mary and her good friend Kat...

Daddy with his boys (my personal favorite)...

Christmas Day at Nanna's

2009-01-04T21:26:00.000-08:00

Christmas morning we woke up bright and early, came downstairs and checked that Santa had come and eaten his milk and cookies. Sure enough, we had been here. We did stocking and presents from Santa here at home, had a quick breakfast and packed up to head for Nanna's house (Jason's mom) for Christmas Day. We had a great time visiting with Jason's sister, Lindsey, and his brother Brad and Brad's wife, Mary (my brother and sister in law). It was a fun morning of watching the snow, opening presents, visiting, and spending time as a family. Here are some pictures at Nanna's house:

Nanna and Ethan...

Playing basketball with new hoop...

Playing with the new fireman and policeman puppets from Aunt Lindsey...

Left to right - Ethan, Aunt Mary, John & Nanna...

Ethan and Aunt Mary (robes were a present from Uncle Brad & Aunt Mary)...

Daddy & Ethan...

Later that evening, we went over to Uncle Bob and Aunt Kathy's house for Christmas dinner. It was great to visit with everyone and Uncle Brad and Aunt Mary surprised us with the exciting news that they are pregnant!!!! Everyone is thrilled for them...they will be wonderful parents!

Luckily, Jason had his trusty camera to capture the reaction of the parents to be telling the family and the grandparents to be hearing the news:

Brad & Mary (the parents to be) just before telling everyone...

Mary's lovely parents Ron & Chong viewing the home pregnancy test...

Bev (Nanna) absorbing the news...

This holiday season was full of many blessings. We are thankful for each other, our family, friends and good health. 2009 is sure to be wonderful!

Christmas Eve

2009-01-04T20:34:00.001-08:00

The Drury family has been busy, busy, busy over the past 2 weeks. My sister, Holly, her hubby Alex and their son Cooper (our adorable nephew) came home on Friday Dec 19th, just missing the huge airport delays and arriving just a few hours after schedule. We had lots of fun visits with them over the course of the 10 or so days they were here.

The day or two before Christmas, we all spent the day at my parent's house playing in the snow with the kids, sledding, etc. A good time was had by all!

Before we knew it, Christmas was upon us and we spent Christmas Eve at Shelley's parent's house celebrating. All the kids had so much fun, especially when Santa (otherwise known as Grandpa in disguise) made a surprise appearance, handing out candy canes and presents to all three of the boys (John, Ethan and Cooper). John and Ethan loved Santa, but Cooper was a different story...let's just say that Santa was not his favorite thing about Christmas this year. At one point during the evening, John leaned over to my mom and said "Grandma...I like (yike) Santa". My mom got a good giggle over that. Here are some pictures of Santa:

Sitting with Grandma as Santa ho, ho, ho'd his way into the living room (everyone looking a little uneasy):

Ethan was first and immediately went right over to Santa and climbed up on his lab. He studied Santa's face for the first few minutes as if he was thinking "you really look familiar to me", but he didn't figure it out this year that it was Grandpa. When Santa asked Ethan what he wanted for Christmas he said "I want that" and pointed to the candy canes in Santa's hand.

John was next and was a little nervous at first, so I (mommy) had to take him over to Santa and set him on his lap. Once he saw the candy canes he was sold on Santa and happily sat there (also curiously staring at Santa once in a while):

Cooper's turn was last and this picture pretty much sums it all up:

Here are some other fun family pictures from Christmas Eve:

UsHolly, Alex & Cooper
(from left to right - John, Grandpa, Ethan, Grandma, Cooper)

Erik, Aunt Debbie, Jessica & Uncle Mitch

Christmas Eve was a ton of fun!

Uncle Orv

2008-12-20T20:02:00.001-08:00

Today we went to the funeral of my Great Uncle Orville (Orv). He fought a corageous battle with cancer. The sentiments shared at the funeral were touching, but one thing struck me as so sweet. One of Uncle Orv's daughters, Charlotte, wrote about memories of her dad. One thing she shared was that her blood type is B+ (be positive) and her dad always reminded her of that when she was feeling down...what a heart-warming memory. I wish I had been able to get to know Uncle Orv better. I hope the family is comforted with happy memories of Uncle Orv this holiday season.

For your listening enjoyment...

2008-12-18T12:23:00.000-08:00

John's heartwarming rendition of Jingle Bells (with a little background singing from Ethan)...happy holidays everyone!!!

Our Gingerbread House

2008-12-16T11:32:00.000-08:00

Ummm....Jason took John for a trip to the hardware store so Ethan and I got out one of our two Gingerbread House Kits. All was going ok (we were still in the beginning stages), until I went into the kitchen to wash some icing off my hands. By the time I returned, (about 2.7 seconds later) Ethan had half of the roof off and was in a mid-candy-eating extravaganza. Oh well, it was a fun project for Ethan (and Mommy too) and he enjoyed the sweet treat :). The sugar high lasted for approximately 47 minutes. Maybe John's house will come together (and stay together) a little better...lol

Tom LIVES!!!!

2008-11-29T22:54:00.000-08:00

Reference a previous post regarding our neighbors' turkey, Tom. He survived another Thanksgiving....we were excited to run to the fence yesterday and see him waddling around gobbling at us!

Before I Was a Mom

2008-11-29T17:53:00.000-08:00

Before I was a Mom,
I never tripped over toys
or forgot words to a lullaby.
I didn't worry whether or not my plants were poisonous.
I never thought about immunizations.

Before I was a Mom,
I had never been puked on.
Pooped on.
Chewed on.
Peed on.
I had complete control of my mindand my thoughts.
I slept all night.

Before I was a Mom,I
never held down a screaming child so doctors could do tests.
Or give shots.
I never looked into teary eyes and cried.
I never got gloriously happy over a simple grin.
I never sat up late hours at nightwatching a baby sleep.

Before I was a Mom,
I never held a sleeping baby just because I didn't want to put him down.
I never felt my heart break into a million pieces when I couldn't stop the hurt.
I never knew that something so smallcould affect my life so much.
I never knew that I could love someone so much.
I never knew I would love being a Mom.

Before I was a Mom,
I didn't know the feeling ofhaving my heart outside my body.
I didn't know how special it could feelto feed a hungry baby.
I didn't know that bondbetween a mother and her child.
I didn't know that something so smallcould make me feel so important and happy.

Before I was a Mom,
I had never gotten up in the middle of the night every 10 minutes to make sure all was okay.
I had never known the warmth,the joy,the love,the heartache,
the wondermentor the satisfaction of being a Mom.
I didn't know I was capable of feeling so much, before I was a Mom.

I'm thankful for...

2008-11-26T13:46:00.000-08:00

This Thanksgiving I am thankful for:

1) My husband, Jason. We have been married 7 years and together 9 years. I am thankful that he loves me and continues to put up with me :). I love you Jason!

2) Our miracle sons...John and Ethan. I am so thankful to be a mother to these two smart, sweet, loving, handsome, active little boys. There were so many years that we thought we might never have a family and we feel so blessed.

3) My health...although, I defininitely need to work on losing a few pounds (ok, more than a few).

4) Our families and friends. Both Jason and I are lucky to have wonderful, supportive parents, siblings other relatives and friends.

4) My career, coworkers and partner. I work with an amazingly warm and funny group of people and they make my time at work so much more enjoyable.

5) A comfortable home to live in.

and last...

6) Starbucks' Black Tea Lemonades...yum...love 'em

I hope everyone this Thanksgiving will take a moment to reflect on everything there is to be thankful for.

Prayers for Tom :)

2008-11-25T10:43:00.001-08:00

This is Tom...

Tom is our neighbor's turkey. See...our neighbors have a small 2-acre farm and they bought Tom about 2 years ago and planned to cook him up for Thanksgiving last year. However, they got somewhat attached to Tom, ended up giving him at least a 1 year reprieve and took family photos with him last Christmas. Tom may not be so lucky this year...what with a slowing economy and all. We love us some holiday turkey, but we've gotten attached to good ol' Tom. Keep your fingers crossed for him over the next couple of days :)

Talking, talking, talking

2008-11-18T11:32:00.000-08:00

The boys are talking constantly now and repeating just about everything they hear (yes, that's a scary thought...we're starting to be much more careful regarding our choice of words lately). They are saying the funniest things too! Yesterday, I picked them up from daycare and Ethan was dancing in his carseat and I said "Ethan's such a silly goose" and they both laughed. After a few minutes, John says "Mama...I not a goose". I thought it was pretty funny!

Wasn't Me

2008-11-10T19:11:00.000-08:00

After coming into the room and asking John who spilled his milk, he very innocently told me "Ethan did it"... interesting. He doesn't look guilty, does he? :)

Halloween 2008

2008-11-01T09:24:00.000-07:00

The boys had a great Halloween and were dressed as dalmations. We went to some houses in a neighborhood near our house and they were eager to say "tick o teat" and "tank youuuuu". They looked so cute and had a great time. Here are a few pics:

Frankie

2008-10-31T20:15:00.000-07:00

This week, I got the shocking news of the passing of my former mentor and current friend, Frank Ault. Frank hired me and was one of my two mentors for five years at RSM McGladrey. He joined my partner and I at our firm and later decided to work out of his home. We always joked that Frank had been "three to five years from retirement" for the past 10 years.

My single most embarassing professional moment happened in Frank's presence as I gracefully tripped while trying to board an elevator, dropped my briefcase and paperwork, and nearly headbutted the back of the elevator wall. This was all in front of a new client. I will never forget the roll of Frank's eyes and how hard he laughed once we were in the car heading back to the office. He loved to tell that story and it always made us both laugh.

Frank had a great sense of humor, was fiercely loyal and was instrumental in my career. He encouraged me when I needed it, knocked me down a peg when I deserved it, and gave me a hard time whenever he could (which was typically every time we spoke or saw each other). He was gruff and endearing all at the same time. I am better for knowing Frank and will truly miss him.

Boys

2008-10-23T12:05:00.000-07:00

I received this as an email and thought it was too funny not to post about "things you learn when you have a son(s)":

1.) A king size waterbed holds enough water to fill a 2000 sq. ft. house 4 inches deep.
2 .) If you spray hair spray on dust bunnies and run over them with roller blades, they can ignite.
3.) A 3-year old Boy's voice is louder than 200 adults in a crowded restaurant.
4.) If you hook a dog leash over a ceiling fan, the motor is not strong enough to rotate a 42 pound Boy wearing Batman underwear and a Superman cape. It is strong enough, however, if tied to a paint can, to spread paint on all four walls of a 20x20 ft. room.
5.) You should not throw baseballs up when the ceiling fan is on. When using a ceiling fan as a bat, you have to throw the ball up a few times before you get a hit. A ceiling fan can hit a baseball a long way.
6.) The glass in windows (even double-pane) doesn't stop a baseball hit by a ceiling fan.
7.) When you hear the toilet flush and the words 'uh oh', it's already too late.
8.) Brake fluid mixed with Clorox makes smoke, and lots of it.
9.) A six-year old Boy can start a fire with a flint rock even though a 36- year old Man says they can only do it in the movies.
10.) Certain Lego's will pass through the digestive tract of a 4-year old Boy.
11.) Play dough and microwave should not be used in the same sentence. 12.) Super glue is forever.
13.) No matter how much Jell-O you put in a swimming pool you still can't walk on water.
14.) Pool filters do not like Jell-O.
15.) VCR's do not eject 'PB & J' sandwiches even though TV commercials show they do.
16.) Garbage bags do not make good parachutes.
17.) Marbles in gas tanks make lots of noise when driving.
18.) You probably DO NOT want to know what that odor is.
19.) Always look in the oven before you turn it on; plastic toys do not like ovens.
20.) The fire department in Austin, TX has a 5-minute response time. 21.) The spin cycle on the washing machine does not make earthworms dizzy.
22.) It will, however, make cats dizzy.
23.) Cats throw up twice their body weight when dizzy.

Our little helper

2008-10-17T22:16:00.000-07:00

John is such a helper. He always likes to help unloading the dishwasher, folding laundry, cleaning up toys, etc. Yesterday, he decided to "help" in the kitchen by pulling all the pots and pans and tupperware out of the cupboards...

Mommy & Daddy's Tub

2008-10-15T13:55:00.003-07:00

Lately, every night, the boys ask to take a bath in Mommy and Daddy's tub. They love that it's bigger and has jets (makes for lots of bubbles even though I don't the the bubbles are good for the jets). Here they are last night having their tubby...

ABC's, Twinkle Twinkle & Jibberish

2008-10-06T11:24:00.000-07:00

Binky Free!!!!

2008-10-04T22:51:00.000-07:00

The boys reached a big (and long overdue) milestone this week....we gave up the binkies!!! We arranged a "ceremony" at school whereby Mommy gathered up all binkies, divided them into 2 ziploc baggies and tied them up with ribbon. On Friday morning at daycare, we knocked on the door of the infant room and the boys ceremoniously gave their binkies to the babies. Jason and I are so proud of them! To celebrate them being such big boys, I took the boys to pick out special, big boy stuffed animals to sleep with. Ethan picked a doggy and John picked a gorilla (monkey). Since we bought them, the boys have slept with their animals and even given them rides on their tricycles (see below)...

John's monkey is between the handlebars in front:

Ethan's doggy is on the back between the rear wheels:

Bathtime Fun

2008-09-23T14:47:00.000-07:00

Lately Ethan loves to lay down in the tub and stick his face out through the bubbles...he thinks it's so funny...

John thinks Ethan's funny and loves to try to turn the water back on after we've turned it off...

You're funny....no, you're funny...