Along our Travels

The boys and I drove to Illinois April 30th and stayed until May 13th. We were gone just in time for the big flooding of Nashville and parts of Clarksville.  Thankfully, our home was fine.

It's always nice to go back "home."  However, it can be very stressful for me.  The boys are out of their element so they don't act as laid back as they do at home.  And I can't let Bray roam around too freely because of obvious reasons. But hopefully with time, they will get use to our visits and not act so obnoxious (Connor!). 

It's a 5 and 1/2 hour drive (most of the time) and I love seeing the changes from south to north. 


Driving up I-24

Fancy Kentucky Rest Area

Bridge in Paducah crossing into IL

Across from our stop at a gas station in Lebanon, IL

Craft a week

Wow I am really procrastinating today.  This is the last post for the day, maybe even for the week.  The boys and I are traveling up to Springfield for a week, leaving Friday, and I have some homework I'd like to get completed beforehand.  Instead of doing it, I keep updating this stinkin' blog! 

I was talking with a friend this morning about preschool (by the way, he is now #11 on the waiting list) and during our discussion I realized that I need to make more of an effort of working with Connor on his creative side.  He is so smart in some areas, but there are others that we need to improve on...mostly arts and crafts.  Therefore, I am dedicating at least 1 morning a week to a craft project.  Since he hasn't really been the type that gets excited for coloring, I decided today we would work with scissors and glue.  Two things I knew would enthuse him.  So I dug out some magazines to make a collage and a-hunting we went for things he likes.  Of course, I took pictures.  I'm starting to think that this blog is like a children's book...it isn't complete without photos! 

He thought the glue mark looked like a whale and it actually did!

Finished project

An artist must always sign his work!

Okay, now I must step away from blogging! :)

Now a presentation by Connor

Connor received this book from his Nanny and Bampo for Christmas. Here is a video of Connor's interpretation of reading it:



For those that may not understand him, this is what he says:

"A long, long way dinosaurs was a every where.
There was small dinosaurs.  Big ones.  Some dinosaurs ate meat and some ate plants.
Stegosaurus.  Stegosaurus.  This has sharp points on his tail and it's made of bone.
Oh man! "

All you need is cake

 Well I am now 27.  3 years closer to 30.  I remember when I was a kid and thinking 30 was so old.  Deep inside I still feel this way...I'm dreading 2013, the year of the thirty.  It's so weird sometimes because I still think of myself in my early 20s. Now I know what my mother has been talking about for decades.  I could never relate before. 
This birthday Jeremy had 24 hour staff duty (just like this year's anniversary), so we celebrated with our little family over the weekend.

Jer got me an oreo ice cream cake from Coldstone.  He and I would have oreo eating contests when I was prego with Brayden. 

I also received a new compact (compared to my dslr) camera.  I was pleasantly surprised by this gift, as I didn't think it was necessary.  But it does have the video option, hence all these videos now on the blog. 

Honestly, I think he felt bad because I've been searching for my old one since we moved here.  It was just a couple weeks ago that he realized that camera was in his tackle box that he sold at our garage sale in Hawaii for $30...he never thought to open the box before handing it over.  Probably the best deal that person ever got at a yard sale!

Lastly, I am super thankful for all the birthday cards I received in the mail.  To know someone is thinking of me on the day I was born is the best gift ever! 

Um, you're allergic to milk, remember?

Since it was just Connor and I for dinner, I cooked up some Mac & Cheese.  Brayden was eyeballing me the whole time so I just had to give him a sampling.  I had no idea he'd prefer it to his bananas.  The bambino likes table food more than jarred baby mush, I don't blame him but with his allergy I'm taking things slowly.  This was more for enjoyment than feeding purposes.  Don't worry he didn't have very much. 

Stormy Weather

Flashbacks of my mom playing that song on the piano went through my head Saturday during our first big tornado warning of the year.  It was an exciting time for us.  Not that we are storm chasers or weather gurus by any means, we've just been stormed deprived for 3 years.  If there was a mild, short thunderstorm in Hawaii it was extremely rare and talk of the island for days.

I was at Kohl's when it began but decided against the manager's advice to stay and braved the 5 minute drive home.  I came home to Jeremy watching this:

So, of course we went outside to check it out!

It started looking eerie so we decided to head inside.  Before doing so Jeremy imitated what he would have done if he saw "the" tornado:

We made it inside right before the heavy downfall and gusty winds

Not to mention hail.  (That's when Jeremy regretted buying that unused weight set that takes up the middle of the garage)








Unfortunately, the storm didn't last long enough to miss our dreaded first visit (for Connor) to Chuck E Cheese.  The day of the inevitable had arrived, much to my dismay, and Connor now knows what kids' "heaven on earth" is.  Although I am proud of myself for making it 3 and 1/2 years until he discovered the place.  We were invited to attend a birthday party for our friends' daughter.

To say that he was overwhelmed is quite the understatement.

Extremely thrilled!

We have 2 mobile children

Yep, it's official!  2 fully operating children now.  Watch the video below of Brayden crawling on all 4s.  He started last week, although would only do it on non-carpeted flooring until recently.   He cheats towards the end and reverts back to his army low crawl...he gets around faster that way.
PS Be sure to have your volume on so you can hear my annoying high pitched mommy voice. :)