Last night the kids and I were sitting on the couch watching tv before we went to bed. We were watching Dharma and Greg I believe, when GG said she wanted to give me a kiss. I never pass up the chance to get a kiss from my kids. I went to give her a kiss and she grabbed my head and started smushing her's into mine. I started laughing because I didn't know what she was doing. I told her I wanted a normal kiss and she said she wanted to give me a big girl kiss like on tv. It all made sense now...it was even funnier when she tried giving me another kiss right after that. Just so peoples imaginations don't run wild I want to clarify that her kisses were closed mouth. It was too funny the way she smushed her lips on me. Anyway today we are going to the A's to spend the night. So that we can get up and go to the M's house. We eat there all day long and there are kids for GG and Monkey to play with. We had a lot of fun last year!

Today we woke up to my dad turning on our bedroom light. We had a phone call. The bad thing about it was that it woke J up and he couldn't fall back to sleep. So he got up and after lunch we went to get some ice cream and then to circuit city. J got 4 CD's he wanted for Christmas with his gift card. I can't wait to use my gift card. Then we came home and J went to sleep with Monkey and GG and I spent time together. Then both the kids helped me make dinner. Now we are downstairs playing. GG fell asleep on the couch at around 5pm. It should be interesting as to what time she falls asleep tonight. GG has been playing all day with her my little ponies. I love watching her imagination! I can't believe she is almost 3 years old. Where in the world did the time go? It is so nice to see her getting better. Her and Monkey still have a cough but no fever!!!

This is the second day of feeling better. We have been very busy playing with all of the new toys we got. I still haven't learned how to work the camera but I am thinking tomorrow will be the day?!?! Today we took back some things at Wal-mart. We exchanged Finding Nemo for the DVD...it has games on it. Monkey was the only one that took toys back (because of already owning it) so I am going to get him some more tracks for his train and maybe some engines too! I am hoping to get over to Barnes and Nobles and use my gift card sometime soon. The kids have really enjoyed playing with all of their new toys along with J and myself. Yesterday we washed all of the dirty clothes with the new ones and so the kids are styling in their new outfits today. I can't believe that GG is wearing 3T (even though they are big on her) the 2T are just to short. I have found out that Joe (J's brother) has gotten sick, my dad and brother Travis are both getting sick. I feel so bad for spreading it to everyone. But from the way it sounds at least they aren't near as sick as we were...totally non-functioning. Not much else to report.

I woke up this morning feeling so much better. I just have a little cough. GG and Monkey have been running a low grade fever on and off all day. GG was actually awake for most of the day with about three 2 hour naps. J still isn't feeling the greatest but he decided to go to work tonight anyways. I noticed that I didn't mention what the kids got from my dad's family. GG got two more my little ponys (Becky and Travis)...a total of 5 now all different colors! Good job everyone :) She got two outfits (one "purple" dress and the other a pants set) and a shirt that matches her cousin Kiera, she also got this really cool Dr. Suess game package, and a Sponge Bob floor puzzle (both) Oh yeah she also got a purse kit from my brother Kevin and his family. She wanted that opened right away...it was purple! Monkey got two outfits and a shirt as well, along with a monster truck (Travis), a little people construction site (Becky), an Elmo construction site (Kevin) and a really cool Bob the builder book with camera. I might be missing a few things but that is all I can remember off the top of my head. With our whole family being sick we didn't get to spend it the way we had planned. We were going to make a cake for Jesus' birthday and sing. No cake but we did sing. The main thing is that my kids know the reason for the season is Jesus...not presents. (even though they got a ton of them)

I think it was a good thing we didn't go to WI to see J's family because last night GG throw up and this morning Monkey did. It was mostly mucus but won't have been a fun trip with two sick kiddies.

Ahh the day after Christmas! I will start with what we did the rest of yesterday. Monkey was really cranky and I just knew something was wrong. So we went to the 24hr clinic and got him, GG and J all looked at. Monkey has an ear infection. I was worried that one of them would have bronchitis, croup, or strep. Very relieved that it was only an ear infection. We got some meds in him for it and he feels so much better. J and GG slept almost the rest of the night after we got home. J has the flu and GG they said was viral. The only time J was awake was for present opening, he needed the sleep. We opened presents from grandma M., grandpa M., Aunt Becky, and Uncle Travis.

So that leaves us with today. I am trying to figure out where in the world to put all the stuff they got. Our two toy boxes are overflowing now. I guess it is time for a third box?!? I also need to try on all the clothes that GG got to see if they fit. I have tried on Monkey's and I will say he looks mighty cute in all of them. Such a handsome little boy I have. The rest of our day will be spent playing with our new items...digital camera...and the finding places for them!

The day isn't over yet but I wanted to update with things that have already happened. This morning the kids woke up at 9 and we stayed in the room for about a half an hour. Both of them have fevers. We wanted to get some medicine in them before they opened presents. It worked out good because it gave us time to talk to them about Jesus' birthday being today. Then I carried GG out and Monkey walked. The look on GG's face was priceless. Good thing J got it on camera! Monkey stood there and pointed at all the presents. The only thing GG could muster to say was, "A big present." The poor kids just didn't feel good but that didn't stop them from wanting to open the presents. GG got 5 finger nail polishes, polish remover, 6 hot wheels cars, chutes and ladders, playdough, a handy dandy notebook (she loved that one!), helmet and pads...for the bike she is getting for her birthday next month, puzzles, 4 Sandra Boynton books, paint books, coloring books, and the blanket I had made her. She was really excited about that one too. She also got two my little ponys from nana and pops. Which reminds me that the presents the kids got last night were mostly from grandma and grandpa but they got some from Uncle Joe, Aunt Virginia and Aunt Ribbit. Monkey got 9 hot wheels cars, 6 tools for his tool bench, puzzles, 4 Sandra Boynton books, a push toy, train set, and a blanket I made him. He also got duplos from nana and pops. Now we just have to wait for them to feel better so that they can play with all their new toys. We are doing Christmas tonight with my dad so I will try and update again after that.

Happy Christmas Eve! We got up this morning and headed over to the A's. J and his brother Joe played playstation 2 most of the time. I tried to take a nap but ended up holding Monkey while he slept. My poor little guy isn't feeling good at all. The fun started when grandpa came home from work. We opened presents. I will try and remember all the presents the kids got but I'm warning you now I may forget some. So if you read this and I missed something I am sorry. (I am sick remember!) GG got 8 outfits, a Police Man Mr. Potato Head, slippers, a couple movies (for both) books, a ladybug book bag, a floor puzzle, a Lacy Bear, a magna doodle (both), a suitcase, and a playdough kit. Monkey got 6 outfits, 2 push toys one is a police car, a big truck, bath crayons, golf clubs, leap frog, books, Finding Nemo, and duplos. I think I am missing some things but I can't think. J and I got a digital camera, candles, ornaments, socks (me) and CD's (J) and finger nail set (J) pants and shirt (me). Then we came home and are getting things ready to go to bed even though it is 8:30pm. I will try and up date tomorrow.

I woke up this morning and threw up. I hate doing that. But I must say that I do feel a lot better after that happened. Then I slept most of the morning. I feel much better after the sleep too. J had to go to court this morning...he woke up feeling sick. Then he asked me if I could watch the kids while he slept. I told him sure. He has been sleeping since 1pm and it is now 6:30pm. He needs the rest. I don't think I wrote about this last night but we tried to get GG to take her medicine. She wouldn't, so I put it in some chocolate milk. She drank it all. Then I tried doing that again this afternoon with apple juice. She didn't like the way it tasted and told me over and over to, "Go and dump it out mommy it's yucky!" Then Becky helped me and we got some medicine in her. She didn't like us ganging up on her. She was trying to make Becky feel bad for helping me by pleading, "No Aunt Becky No..." She feels so much better though. She is dancing around and singing. It is nice to have my sweet baby girl back. I hate seeing her in pain and not feeling good. She's still not a 100% but I would say she is about 90% better. I also noticed that Monkey picked up the cough. But he doesn't have a fever and neither does J. So they are both sleeping right now. I think what we got was a 24-48 hour bug that just needs sleep to combat it. I think that over the last two days GG was awake for probably 8 hours at the most. I hope every one is better for tomorrow. We are going to the A's to have Christmas.

So I thought we would go this winter without any major sickness. I was wrong. The story begins yesterday...I got up and got the kids ready for church. We went to church only to be there for 2 minutes when GG throws up all over herself and J. Good thing I packed an overnight bag. So we changed her clothes, everything down to her undies and socks. Then after church we went to the grocery story to get some food. Then to grandma and grandpa A's house. GG laid down and just watched movies the rest of the day. Us girls, grandma, Aunt Liz (Ribbit), Aunt Virginia, and I (Monkey too) went to see the movie Mona Lisa Smile. Came home and we took turns doing makeovers. It was so much fun. We picked out clothes, did hair and make up. GG even got in on the action. She took Aunt Virginia's brown lipstick and put it on except that she missed most of her mouth. Virginia took a picture. Then we ate cake and watched a chick flick (Wedding Planner). That is what we did yesterday.

Today I woke up sick. Soar throat, cough, and mild fever. I also hurt everywhere. So I called J and he and Becky drove out to get us. I didn't feel I could drive safely home. J called in and isn't going to work tonight so that he can take care of Monkey while GG and I sleep. Except he is tired too so he is in the room sleeping with GG and I am out here with Monkey. I just got some more medicine in me so I am feeling a little better though I should take the opportunity to update real quick. Pray that J and Monkey don't get sick too. This is not fun at all.

The big thing we did today was going grocery shopping. I really don't like doing that on Saturdays but it needed to be done. I only took GG and left Monkey(sleeping) with J. When I got back from the store Monkey was awake and playing with the toys. J didn't even realize he woke up and left the room. I am so glad he can't open doors yet. Joe and Virginia got to here safely this evening. They are at my in-laws and I am half tempted to get in the car and drive there tonight. But I think we should sleep here tonight and just see them tomorrow at church. The only problem we are having is how we should get there. I want to drive separately so that I can stay but he doesn't like that idea. We'll figure it out...after he gets done reading books to the kids. I can't wait for Christmas did I say that already?!?! I guess the part I really want is just to see the kids faces when they wake up and see all the presents under the tree. 5 days until Christmas but 4 until we open more presents!

Today started out like every other day. I forgot to mention that yesterday we made handprints of the kids hands again. So today GG painted hers purple. She really likes that color. After dinner GG and I played a game of candy land since we didn't get to play last night, she needed to go to bed. This afternoon Monkey was fighting taking a nap. At first I thought his ear was hurting him but now I think he just didn't want to go to sleep. What a little stinker...he can't stop napping this young. Then tonight my friend called, it was amazing because I had tried calling her twice today and didn't get an answer. They don't have caller id, she just happened to call. Well I am really tired today for some reason, maybe because J was home last night when he should of been working. No that doesn't sound right. Tomorrow Joe and Virginia will be in town. That should be fun.

Ok so here is the update of what we did for our anniversary or as we explained it to GG, our birthday! The day our family was born. We went to a restaurant called Max and Erma's neither of us had ever been there before. It was good food. Then we went to Barnes and Noble. We took turns walking around and looking at the books while the other one stayed with the kids in the children's section. They had a train track set up and you know how my kids love trains! Then we got in the car and drove around looking at the Christmas lights. GG was so funny she kept yelling excitedly about everything she saw. Monkey was sitting in the back eyes wide open. I would ask him if he saw the lights and his head would shack up and down. Then we got home and made J's present from one of the people at work. It was the really good kind of hot chocolate and marshmallows. Then we came downstairs to play games but haven't done that yet. So I don't know if that is going to happen. I am just happy to know that in half an hour J doesn't have to go to work. He took the day off. Well that is it.

It is only 4:30pm but I want to update for now because everyone is sleeping! This morning we got up early along with Aunty Becky and we went to MOPS. It was the open gym day. I always like them. There was a new mom of two girls, the girls were 18 months apart (just like mine), the oldest born in Jan and the baby in July. The only difference was that they were a year younger than mine. It was fun talking to her about some of the same things I went through last year at this time! It is good to know as a mom you aren't alone in almost every situation you encounter! Someone has been there before you and some one will go through it after you! Anyways, then we took the kids to McDonalds for lunch. Before we even sat down I went to get ketchup, I ended up knocking it over on top of Monkey. He had it all over his white shirt. Good thing J went through the diaper bag the other day, when we cleaned, and put a winter outfit in it for him. Thank you J! You rock :) After they ate Becky took them in the playground. We didn't stay long because the play area didn't have heat. It was freezing!!! Then we came home and finished putting ornaments on grandma's Christmas tree. It looks beautiful now. Then Monkey went to sleep and then GG went to sleep and here I am. I did call my friend to see what happened to her today. She was suppose to be at MOPS. Her little girl woke up sick. I'm glad it wasn't my bad directions ;)
So today is J and I's 4 year anniversary, I wish I knew what were are going to do tonight. Do I need to start making dinner? Or do I get a night off? I guess time will tell. I'll try and up date again before bed.

So last night J and I spent a lot of time talking about things...his job, family life, social life and just about everything. I also tried something new last night with Monkey. Almost every time he woke up I got out of bed and rocked or held him until he went back to sleep instead of nursing him. I am trying to cut out the night feedings. He is almost 17 months! Wow I can't believe he has gotten this old. It seems like yesterday he was born. GG too, for that matter, where does the time go? Today while I made lunch I turned on some music and the kids started dancing. As I watched Monkey I was reminded of my friend Julie saying that her little boy Thomas (a couple months younger than M) when he jumps it is more like a bounce. Monkey does that too but today when he was jumping (bouncing) he would lift one leg off the ground. He still couldn't do both but he is getting it. It is so fun to watch my kids grow and learn new things. Right now J and GG are doing her new puzzle she got from my grandparents, on Sunday, I think it is the second or third time they are doing it. She is learning the puzzle! Sometimes I think that GG's learning has slowed down and then I look back at my journal and see that she is still learning, but being with her everyday I guess I just don't realize it. She is turning into such a fun individual. I honestly can say that I enjoy spending time with both the kids. I do love my job of being a mother. Some days it is harder than others but that is true with any type of job/career.

Well today was a little different then most days. J took the kids and left for about 3 hours, shopping for my presents but mainly to give me time to do some scrapbooking, his idea. I thought that was very nice of him. He took them to eat at McDonalds and then let them play in the playground. When he got home I put Monkey to sleep and GG and I headed out to find J presents. I must say that today I had a lot of success with finding things I thought he would like. I just hope he likes them come Christmas morning! Then I made dinner and J went to pick up grandma at the car dealership because her car needs fixed. I was finished making dinner before J came home so the kids and I went downstairs, while the lasagna was baking, and started to wrap J's presents. He came home before I was finished so I have a few more to wrap. After we ate we came downstairs and J cleaned the bathroom and I put away the clean laundry from a couple days ago and then we just started cleaning up everything down here. I must say we did a good job and it looks nice. One cute story before I go...when we came home from shopping J asked GG what we bought him and she said excitedly, "NOTHING!" I have taught her well.

Today was the first day of J's days off. We had a lazy morning and just didn't do things in too big of a hurry. Then we left the house after lunch to run all over the place but we also went to Mall. I signed GG up for that dance class in January. The cool thing about it is that the building it is held in is about 2 blocks from the house. We also went to Wal-mart and the bank. I am happy to say that J and I are done with presents, well that we have to buy together. We still have to get each others. But that's no big deal, right? Then we came home and J started a fire. GG and I wrapped presents for other people. She really liked doing that. After dinner grandma put up her Christmas tree and the kids helped with help from Aunt Becky. J and I took that opportunity to wrap the kids presents. We had a lot of fun doing that. So not only are the presents bought but they are now wrapped, sitting in the closet waiting for the kids to go to sleep on Christmas Eve. J just left to go buy my presents maybe tomorrow he will watch the kids while I get his!

Last night seeing as I needed to get up early Monkey decided to nurse all night, at least it seemed. He is so funny he wakes up hungry and says, "Mama urse, mama urse..." until I nursed him. This morning we left here at 8am took my dad his laptop and were on our way to my grandparents house. We stopped and picked up my brother Kory, haven't seen him in awhile, he is a senior in High School. We got to my grandparents house around 11ish. We ate lunch, talked, got a call from my mom, and opened presents. GG had a great time getting her presents, she is such a girlie girl but I love it. She got a packback/purse that had plastic lipstick, keys, a cell phone (that makes noise), sunglasses, a plastic nail polish, and perfume bottle. This was the first present she opened and almost didn't want to open anymore. I guided her to open the other ones. She got a puzzle, a star wars gadget, a plate, a breakable little girl that is a keepsake, and m&m candy in a tube. Then her last gift she opened was a my little pony. I'm telling you she is a true girl and she wanted to play with both the purse and my little pony. They were both pink and purple! She liked everything she got but she REALLY liked the two girlie gifts! Monkey got a truck that makes noise, he loves to push things. He also got a book, a star wars gadget, a breakable little boy (keepsake too), and I don't remember what else he got because J was the one who helped him open the presents and he is sleeping. Speaking of J he is a wonderful husband. He woke up yesterday at 6pm went to work came home at 7:30am, showered and went with us to my grandparents. He drove the whole way there and back, it is now 10:30pm and he is going to sleep for the first time since yesterday. After we left my grandparents we went to the hospital to see my other grandma who just got came down with pneumonia. Then we were on our way back trying to get to church on time for the night service. We made it and had a great time the choir sang the whole service with us singing a few songs with them. Then afterwards they had cookies and hot apple cider in the gym. As we were about to leave we talked with grandma and grandpa A and they were going out to eat, we hadn't eaten either so we went with them. The food was good and dinner is a whole story in itself. Then we came home and here we are. Oh a funny story happened in the car today. GG fell asleep on the way home and when she woke up her coat was wet with drool. Then she said to me that her coat smelled bad. I smelled it and sure enough it was nasty smelling. So I am washing it right now so that we have it clean and dry for tomorrow. Yes, I am washing other clothes with it...not just her little coat!

First I want to tell a story that was kind of funny but not really. GG left her baby doll upstairs and she wanted to go get it. So I told her to go ahead. She came back down about 5 minutes later, she couldn't find it and this is what she said, "Crap! I can't find my baby doll, mommy." When something bad happens I have been known to let that word slip. It isn't a bad word but really not a word I want my almost 3 year old saying. So we had a talk about saying that word. Today was funny even though we stayed home all day. We hung out with Travis and Becky. Tonight we were going to go swimming with Ethan and his family but it was getting late and it was really cold out and snowy. It made me sad though because I was looking forward to seeing them again. Maybe next time they head this way we can see each other, or we go that way. Tonight GG has been completely silly. Well I guess Monkey has been too. I think they can tell something is different, being the holidays. Tomorrow we are going to my grandma and grandpa O. house. I love going there for Christmas, I'm just sad that my mom won't be there this year. We will miss you guys. I need to go wrap some presents for tomorrow and GG is going to help!

Right now Monkey is standing by the fireplace and yelling...I think he is trying to be like GG. She is always singing and I think that is what he is trying to do. I also keep forgetting to mention that GG has her first pretend person named Pepper. She has had a kitten but for the last week or so she has been playing with Pepper who is a little girl GG's age.

Let's see so today I looked at the winter schedule for classes and I think I missed the deadline for GG to take that dance class and by the time I realized it the office was closed. I am going to have to wait until Monday. I really hope they let her take the class I already bought the outfit for it. If not I will send her to the YMCA. So today the carpet cleaners came today to clean the upstairs. So we were confined to the basement which makes it hard to keep the noise level down, even though J reassures me I am doing a good job. I finished GG's blanket and I started Monkey's I decided not to take a break. We got invited to a party tonight with church but I didn't go because I didn't want to go by myself. J thought his parents weren't going to be there I guess I should of called and asked but oh well maybe next time. J just left for work and GG is sleeping and Monkey is wide awake. Should be an interesting evening!

I really dislike the winter. It is too cold outside and inside. It's no fun going out and doing anything because you have to be bundled up to stay warm. The bad part is that J is on midnights and sleeps most of the day. I have been trying my hardest to keep the kids quiet so he can sleep. Today I felt like I was doing a horrible job and then when J got up he thanked me for keeping them quiet while he slept. So I guess I am doing better than I thought! Today I was making lunch and GG needed her hands cleaned. So I picked her up and washed her hands at the sink, I dropped a drop on Monkey's head. He had a little wet spot on the top of his head. The funny part was his face. He knew that his hair was wet and he looked at me like what did you do? Then he proceeded to rub the top of his head! Speaking of his hair J gave him another hair cut. One thing about little boy hair it grows way faster than little girls! Or maybe it is you have to cut it more because they have short hair?!?! One of the two. I am really excited about GG's blanket. I have finished cutting everything that needs cut and now I just have to tie it together. Then I am going to give my self a couple days to heal my thumb before I start Monkey's blanket. Well not much else to report and Monkey just woke up.

So today was such a do nothing day. I think it might of had something to do with the fact that I was up until 1am and very tired. I will be staying up for a few more nights making the kids' blankets so I will have them done by the 25th. I hate leaving the house during the winter but I feel like I have to take the kids outside the house to give J a quiet sleep. Just today wasn't the day to take them anywhere. I went to get groceries today with grandma while J stayed with the kids. It is nasty out. I have plans for tomorrow to go to the library and get some Christmas cards. I keep forgetting to pick some up so I am hoping that some store still has some. We'll see tomorrow. I am going to finish watching Trista and Ryan's wedding and then put the kids to bed and start working on the blankets again.

Well blogger is working now that it is the next day! I posted our activities of the day on my other journal. There was a cute story about GG if you want to read it. I am about to go to bed. I just spent the last 3 hours working on GG's blanket. I didn't even get half way done. I think this is going to take more time than I thought. But when it is done it will be great. Goodnight

We are back from Western. We had a good time seeing everyone at playgroup and other places we went. It was good to see GG and Ethan play together. She really misses him. I would secretly listen to them as they played and they were having a blast! Pretending to go to Grammy's house and sleep over. Oh the mind of a two and three year old! It was also fun to meet Gavin. I forget how small babies are. Today I spent most of the day doing laundry I think I did a total of five loads. I also applied for a job at the Y. The kids and J went out this morning to get a Christmas present for me. I'm really not in the mood for writing I am in a very sad mood.

I had a very early morning. I was getting up when J was getting home! He helped get the kids dressed while they slept and I ate something. Then I took a shower and woke the kids up to leave the house. We went to MOPS...GG had a lot of fun playing and I had a good time eating lots of food. Monkey ate my food too, I don't mind sharing with my baby boy! Then we came home and tried to stay as quiet as possible. J woke up at 2pm and we started packing for our weekend trip. We didn't get a chance to wrap any presents. We still have time though. Tonight at dinner GG wanted to pray and she folded her hands, Monkey followed suit and folded his too, she said, "Dear God, thank you for the food. Thank you for my new car and Monkey's new car too." I bought them hot wheel cars at Target yesterday. As I was sitting here typing that story Monkey was on one of the chairs and I watched him flip off the side. It scared me to death. I literally saw his neck bend in half as his body fell on his head. J said he was ok. But man I sure am not ok. We are going to be going to bed in about a half an hour. We are leaving at 4:30am to leave, we're going to WIU. So tomorrow morning will be way earlier than this morning was!!!

So last night was J's first night working the midnight shift. The kids were good except for the fact that they stayed up until midnight. But they slept good. I didn't realize how hard it was going to be to keep them quiet while J tried to get some sleep. I took the kids out of the house so he could sleep in peace. We dropped off a bill at the post office and then we went to the library for a while. The kids loved that. I think that is one of their favorite places to go. It is always so hard to get them out of there. Today wasn't too bad though because I told them we were going to go look for a Christmas present for daddy. So we then went to Target. The kids section is right as you walk into the store so I of course stopped there first. Bad idea. I ended up getting GG some stuff for her dance class and a Christmas dress. I got Monkey a shirt to wear for Christmas too. Then I got them a hot wheels car for being good at the library and Target. I also got Monkey a 70 piece train set. I was so happy to find it because I asked the lady who worked there and she said they don't sell them. I think she thought I meant a train for around the Christmas tree. I did say it would be a present for Monkey. Oh well, I found it anyway. We have a few more presents left to get! That is so exciting. J said we can start wrapping the presents tomorrow afternoon!!! We came home around 3 and ate lunch. We ate dinner around 7, so we could eat with J. Then J gave the kids baths, to spend time with them because most of the day he was sleeping and then Monkey took a nap. Now GG is in bed. Monkey is out here with me.

Today was a really nice and laid back day for us. The kids painted their handprints today. I had to help Monkey! GG, of course, painted hers purple! We painted Monkey's blue. Then after dinner GG helped me wrap a few presents, we have so many more to do still. So if you get a present from us that has a lot of tape it was one that GG helped me with. I am in such a mood to wrap all the presents tonight when the kids go to sleep. I know that J would be so mad at me. We have always wrapped them together. I just see them all in our closet and think that there is so many I should start now. (I love wrapping presents! Have I said that yet?) We only have 23 more days til Christmas. We still have to finish buying some too. Tonight is J's first day working midnights. I hope it goes good for him and for me too. Monkey slept better last night so I hope he does good tonight too because it will only be me.

Well remember how I said that Monkey has been nursing like crazy! Last night his teeth were hurting him so bad that he couldn't even sleep. I gave him some medicine and that didn't help either so this morning I looked into his mouth again and I noticed that he is getting three molars. The one has broken the skin but is still coming in the other two haven't broken the skin yet but you can see them through the skin. My poor little guy. Monkey and I nor did any one else in the house get much sleep last night. But J had the day off today and let me sleep in since I was the one who was taking care of him during the night. What a nice husband. After I woke up and got ready we packed the kids up in the car and ran a bunch of errands. We also went out to eat for lunch, that was nice. I like being able to budget money for things like that. We also picked up our family pictures today. They turned out so great. I love them! Then when we got home grandma was already here. She made the pot roast for me since she got home first. It was so yummy. It was from market day. I really like some of there food and other stuff isn't so good. After we ate grandma and I went to the grocery store and J stayed with the kids. I'll tell you what, we were in and out of that place so much faster than when the kids are with us. J has tomorrow off too but he has to go to work at 10:30pm. He starts midnights. I am not looking forward to that, J isn't either. The funny thing about that is when J first got hired he wanted to be on midnights and now that he is going there he doesn't want too. He really wants to work days and I want him to also. Oh one last thing...last night J came home from work with 12 books for the kids for Christmas. They were all Sandra Boynton books. J really likes her books. We only have about three presents left to get for other people then we just have to get each other gifts. I know that I am getting a precious moments Christmas ornament. I get one every year from J in my stocking. I have 7 so far! One day when the kids are all grown I will be able to have a precious moments Christmas tree :) We don't do Santa for anyone who hasn't read my other journal. If you want to know why read the other journal it has the reasons.

We didn't make it to Sunday School like I had hoped. But we did get to church. J didn't get off work until 3 something. We went back to his parents after church and ate lunch then he left for work. The kids and I hung out there until evening church. They had puppets and singing tonight. Both the kids loved watching the puppets. The people and their puppet had a great message to share with people of every age. I thought that Monkey wasn't going to make it through the whole thing but he did really well with a few nursings here and there. He has been nursing like crazy the last day and night. I checked his mouth to see if he was getting any new teeth and I can feel one that is trying to come through but hasn't broken the skin yet. For some reason he seems to teeth two to four teeth at a time. Poor kid is in pain. I did give him some teething tablets and they seem to help him. Whoever invented those things I am very grateful! They have worked great with both of our kids. That was my little infomercial! (I don't think I spelled that right and I don't really feel like checking...even though it probably would of been quicker than typing this long sentence!) I need to go because I am tired and I fear I might again spend the rest of the night with a Monkey attached. I usually can sleep while he is nursing but not lately.

Well this is my second post on this day. But this one is actually about today! We really didn't do much until this afternoon. Grandpa M took GG, Monkey and I to see the movie Brother Bear. It was a cute movie. Then we went to get some McDonalds. Now we are going to be heading over to the A's, for yet another sleep over. We are going to be spending every Saturday night there so that we can go to Sunday school. From here to church it takes about 30 minutes from J's parents house to church it takes about 10 minutes. Sunday school is at 9:45 so we don't have to get up so early when we stay there. It works out great. Plus, then the kids get to have time with grandma and grandpa A and their Aunt Elizabeth (aka Ribbit). Until tomorrow...

Wow what a great day we had! We slept in this morning and then we put up our Christmas tree. The kids had so much fun doing that. Then we put up our other Christmas decorations including our stockings. It is so Christmasy down here it rocks! We got done in time to have lunch with J before he went to work and then my maid of honor Kris came about 2ish. We talked and talked. She played with the kids and they had so much fun. She stayed for dinner, so we had a lot of company for dinner because my parents had friends over too. They had a little girl who is 4. You guessed it GG and Isabel played together and had a lot of fun. They even let Monkey play too. Which I forgot to mention...yesterday at the Thanksgiving there was a little boy GG age that her and Monkey played with. The kids have had three great days of playing with friends. J and I have had a great time being with great people too. I love the holidays!!! My friend Kris just left and I wanted to update real quick before I jumped into bed. Oh here is a cute story. GG fell the other day and got a bruise. The company tonight asked her what happened and when. She couldn't remember when it happened so she came to me and asked, "Did I fall yesterday, Friday or two weeks ago?" That sentence was just to cute. The way a 2 year old's mind works :)

I'll start with yesterday! Most of the day we spent with Uncle Travis and Aunt Becky. At night we went to church and then to the M's house for a party. The party was a blast and GG had fun playing with two little girls Autumn (7) and Erin (5). Monkey chased a little girl named Olivia around hugging and kissing her. I have a little stud on my hands!!! GG was sad though because grandma and grandpa didn't come to the party so she didn't get to spend the night there last night. It was heartbreaking, she was looking forward to it all day and she even helped me pack her book bag of things she wanted to bring. Oh well maybe another day?!?

So today Happy Thanksgiving to everyone! We watched the parade this morning the kids really liked that especially, Snoopy! Then we ate lunch and got ready to go to the J's house. We had so much fun. There was about 40 to 45 people there, all wonderful people too. We ate so much food and it was good :) Then everyone there got in a circle and we passed a bottle around and a cup of popcorn kernels. When they came to you, you told the group what you were thankful for the year. Then you put a kernel in the bottle. When the cup got to GG she said she was thankful for; Mommy, Daddy, baby doll and Monkey. (in that order!)Before we started though GG was eating up the attention she was getting from everyone. She was singing Jesus loves the little children as she walked the circle which then turned into running the circle. She also did somersaults and cartwheels for everyone. She loves to entertain. Someone even said we should put her in the children's choir because she sings her songs on key! She is such a ham. Now Monkey on the other hand was a little more timid than her but by the end of the day he had warmed up enough to go exploring. We got home around 10:30ish and we just got GG settled down and sleeping but Monkey took a nap there and he is wide awake so J and him are playing the PS2 golf game. That was funny too because J pulled out the controller and Monkey immediately went to the game sitting seat. He is now clapping for J! Well I need to go to bed we have another day of eating tomorrow. Oh yeah J got today off to spend Thanksgiving with us, what a nice husband!

Ok after I updated last night I realized I forgot something...Monkey is so funny to watch when doing things. Like when he colors he switches hands, he also does this when doing almost anything eating is another one. It is like he can't decide if he wants to be right or left handed. Also last night after I had already updated GG helped grandma wrap presents for needy kids. I tried my best to explain to her that there are little kids' who's mommy and daddy's don't have enough money to buy them presents. So grandma and grandpa bought them some. I think she understood. She did say that the presents were for other kids that needed them more than her. I think she understands well enough for a 2 year old :)

On to today! This morning we got up and went to get my car fixed. The mechanic is next to J's parents so we spent the day with grandma and Aunt Elizabeth. It worked out nice. They actually got my car fixed today too. But just in case we had clothes packed for spending the night! Since the car got fixed so fast we came home tonight. GG was going to spend the night but grandma had to work tomorrow so no one would be there in the morning to watch her. She was really sad about that so we are going to let her stay there tomorrow night. I am a little nervous because she has never been away from me or J overnight. She has only been without me 3 nights (Monkey's birth). She's almost 3 and I think she can handle it, I hope. If not they are going to call me before J gets off work and he will go pick her up and bring her home or stay with her. GG and Elizabeth made cookies today and GG now has a new favorite movie. It was a fun and relaxing day. Well I am going to go with Roberta (grandma) to the garage and take somethings out to the trash.

I can't even explain how much fun it is to have J home for the whole day! I love his days off. This morning GG and J went to get his truck's emissions tested. Monkey and I spent that time just playing together the two of us. We had a lot of fun coloring, playing with playdough, kicking the ball and catching it, playing with other toys and reading stories. It is very rare that it is just me and one of the kids especially Monkey. GG doesn't take naps so we have time together while Monkey is sleeping. Anyway that time with Monkey was special for me. I also know that GG had a great time with J spending time together. She was so excited when she came home to tell me what they did together. Then J and I worked out our budget. We were suppose to do that last night but someone fell asleep! (J) Then we had our first family meeting. The kids sat on the couch and J and I sat on the floor in front of them and we talked about things. GG also had input in the meeting. We are going to try doing them at least once a month now. Grant it the meeting was short and sweet because we have a 1 and 2 year old! While Monkey took his nap GG and J played the playstation...it was the golf game and GG beat J at the game. She loved it. This afternoon we made paperweight handprints of the kids hands. We are going to be painting them tomorrow or the next day. Now we have another fire going. I want a fireplace when we get a place of our own! We just got done recording the kids on the camcorder. They are going to die in a few years when they see the tapes :) I am going to go enjoy the fire now. Travis just came downstairs and he and J are going to play playstation. What fun!!!!

We are back home. We had a lot of fun hanging out with Grandma and Grandpa (pampa as Monkey says!) and Aunty Liz. He doesn't say grandma yet. I slept horrible last night...it was a combination of Liz blasting her music all night and sleeping on a paper thin mattress. Oh well. We DID make it to sunday school and church! Yay :) GG had a great time in her class too and then she played in the nursery during church. Monkey went to class with us and I sat with him in the parents room during the service it worked out good. For lunch Sue made a huge meal...chicken, steak, sausage, veggies, cheese potatoes, fruit cocktail and apple pie. It was very yummy! Travis is here and my dad is in Las Vegas on a business trip. GG is sleeping on the couch right now which I think is a bad idea because it is almost 6:30pm and J and Monkey are playing playstation together! A very cute picture opportunity. Oh yeah at church I got to see a baby that was born on the 14th of this month so she is only 9 days old. I think I want another one!!!! J and I talked about it last night, actually I talked and J listened. He did say that he thought are two kids were prefect and if we had another one they might not be, he was joking of course, he really doesn't think they are prefect. I'm almost positive he thinks I'm nuts though for wanting another one! I guess we'll see if God has a plan for us to have another one.

We are going to be spending the rest of the day and night at the J's parents. Before we leave we are going to run some errands here. Have a great weekend everyone I know we will!

Good news this morning the picture people called. They are going to give us the proofs to replace the bad disk they gave us. It is a good deal because the proofs is twice what the disk is worth. I was happy to have that settled. J told me that he didn't want to call the other place so I need to decide if it is worth the headache to call myself. Monkey learned a new skill today thanks to Daddy. He now shows his muscles!!! If you ask him to show his muscles he puts his fists on his face and grunts. So sweet. Daddy also wanted to teach him another trick but it wasn't too funny. I was helping GG with something and my underwear was sticking out and J was trying to get Monkey to pull on them. I just thought to myself about my friend's little boy Thomas he does that :) Another thing Monkey learned, there is so many new things a day, he knows who Sponge Bob is and can say his name. I have let him watch it twice and he picked it up that fast. GG learned a new thing today that I am not so happy about. It is a bad word that she heard on ER. She was sleeping last night when it was on but I recorded it for J and he watched it before work. I can't win. If anyone saw it last night it was the scene when Dr Louis found out her husband lived it is what he called the other flight nurse and then she called her that too. Twice in a 15 second period of time made it stick with GG. So we had a talk about how that was not a nice word and if I heard her say that she would be in trouble. She hasn't said it again! Such a smart little girl. Another thing that GG has started doing is wanting to wear the same shirt every day. We let her pick out her clothes but there is only so many days she can wear the same shirt before it is standing on its own!!! Just kidding...I only let her wear it twice and then wash it. She takes a bath everyday so it isn't a big deal but I want her to know good hygiene. Right now GG is watching The Wizard of Oz. It is on tv and she took a nap today so I'm going to let her stay up. J has this weekend off so that will be nice. Grandma A and Elizabeth have next week off for the holiday so we might spend some time with them too. My brother Travis is coming home tomorrow and Becky is coming home on Tuesday. We will have a full house but it should be fun. Which reminds me I need to email Kris and find out when she is coming...

Still nothing from the picture people. And now I have to call a company and demand my rebate that they are snubbing us on. I hate doing stuff like that. Maybe I will ask J to do it instead. This morning we got up and went to the MOPS group. It was the open gym day. The kids run around and play then they do the parachute, sing songs and read books. GG was so cute, she heard a little girl crying and she came up to me so concerned that she was crying, she begged me to help her find the little girls mommy. I watched her stop playing with the kids she was playing with to come get me. She has the best heart. I remember once this summer we were at the park (the one outside our apartment) and there was a baby doll on the ground and she had me go door to door to find out who it belonged to so that the baby doll wouldn't be sad without it's mommy. Back to today we came home just in time for lunch. I was hungry! Let's see what else happened today...oh Monkey likes to blow bubbles with his mouth. He stands there and does it for about 30 minutes at a time. What a silly little boy. Today we went through of the kids' toys. I put all the pieces back with their parts, legos in the box and Mrs. Potato head pieces in her "butt" you know things like that. I also pulled out some toys that they have outgrown. I am going to box them up and put them in storage. I just don't want to get rid of them. The cool thing about going through the toys is that it sparked interest into both of the kids and they have been playing with them non-stop. They play with their toys (ending in fights over them sometimes) but I guess see them all made them want to play with all of them at once. Kind of like having Christmas early. I didn't mind. They didn't fight over any of the toys. Well GG is sleeping and I need to get Monkey to bed because I am tired I got up early this morning.

Alright the picture saga continues...I called the manager today and I got her voice mail so I left a message. I have heard no answer so I will call again tomorrow. This morning Monkey slept until 11:45 he must of needed the extra sleep. Right now they are both in bed sleeping. I really hope they stay there cause it is only 9:15pm. The kids and I went grocery shopping tonight with grandma and had a really late dinner. Monkey put his first sentence together today. He said, "more heese" he wanted more cheese! I was so proud of him. He is talking a lot more now. He also plays this game where you ask him where so and so is and he points. He even points to Brandey the dog when asked. J and I were laughing at him this morning (well after he woke up) he was turning himself in circles and he was so crazy and out of control it was funny. He kept falling...he would laugh and get up and do it again. I love the age he is at right now. They are learning new things so fast and aren't old enough to talk back or be naughty. He is just so cute to watch! GG on the other hand is just a grown up little girl. She was talking to J this morning and I just looked at her and thought, wow where did the time go? She communicates so well and clearly. She has wonderful thoughts...and she is able to share them with us. Last night we were going to bed and I was holding her she looked at me and said, "Mommy I am so comfortable in your arms." What a little sweetheart! I am looking into getting her into some kind of dance or tumbling class. She really want to learn how to do a cartwheel. Oh yeah the other day Monkey did a somersault. It shocked the pants off of me! GG must of been teaching him how to do that. I know I haven't. She is a great teacher...because she can explain things so great anyone could understand.

So today has been a roller coaster of good and bad things. The good is that my brother is home from Iraq. The bad is that I went to Wal-mart today about the crappy disk they gave me. Anyways, I drove about a 20 minute drive and took the disk there. The girl couldn't tell me if the pictures were still on it and told me I needed to come back when her boss was there. When she talked to me on the phone she could of told me she didn't know how to do it and that I should come when her boss was there. I didn't need to hear that in person. I was so mad...I had both kids with me too. I now am armed with her bosses phone number and pager so that I can talk to her tomorrow. So it still isn't settled. I just want those pictures back they were super cute. Before I forget I misspelled the word choo choo yesterday and J made fun of me. So sorry I wasn't thinking and spelled the word the first way that came to my mind. After we got done with Wal-mart it was time for the LLL meeting. GG was so funny. I wanted her to stay home with grandma but at the last minute she wanted to come with me. So I let her. She was sitting in the car saying, "Thank you for letting me go to the laleche meeting and play with my friends." I didn't know she could say that word let alone know that was where we were going. All of this by the way happened after lunch. This morning J had court (yesterday on his way to court he got pulled over for speeding!) so he was gone when I got up with GG. I turned on tv for her so I could go shower...Monkey was sleeping. When I came back down Monkey was awake and sitting next to GG watching tv with her. It was the cutest picture. I love that he gets out of bed himself and can find comfort in knowing GG was out here watching tv. He loves her as much as she loves him. It is great!!! Then the kids and I ran some errands today, we went to the library and the grocery store. Came home, made dinner, and left for the rest of the night which was already talked about above! Wow, this is a long post.

This morning was so funny. I went to put on Monkey’s firetruck shirt and instead said, his chew chew train. GG corrected me. Then she told on me when J came in the room. It was really funny. She said, “Daddy! Mommy called Monkey’s firetruck a chew chew train. She said the wrong thing.” Thanks GG for putting me in my place. This afternoon I checked the temperature and it said it was 52 out so I thought we could go to the park to play. We were there for only 10 minutes because we were all cold. It was a nice try, anyways. Oh remember how I said we got family pictures taken and I was going to update the pages with them. Well we went to get the pictures off the disk and it didn’t work. So J called and talked to the lady and she called again after he had left for work so I talked to her. She said that we should bring the disk in and she will check to see if the pictures are on it. If they are she can copy them to a new disk but if they aren’t they are gone. She said she would refund our money. Those pictures were too cute. I don’t want the money back I want the pictures back. I guess we’ll see what happens tomorrow when I go there. I just really hope that if the pictures are lost they will give me back the money and give me the hard copies free, for them messing up. I don’t think that is unreasonable of a request. They are the ones that messed up. Anyway back to a better topic. Today the kids were sitting on the couch…GG leaned over and started whispering in Monkey ear. The faces that Monkey was making while GG was talked to him was so funny for J and I to watch. It was like he was really listening to what she was saying and trying to process it. J and I could hear what she was saying to him and it was…Monkey, pinch Monkey’s butt. What a goof she is. I have my car back again too. The only bad thing is that it stalled on Roberta today so dad is trying to tell me what to do to get it fixed. Hi…have you met me I’m 25 married and have two kids. I think I can handle my car troubles. UUUGGGHHH! The kids are beginning to be such great helpers with the laundry. Monkey is getting the hang of it now! I have been forgetting to mention this but GG has invented an imaginary friend (pet) it is a kitty named Molly. She is so fun to watch pet it and hold it. J was really confused the first time she showed him Molly because she was pointing to the floor and he thought she saw a bug. She loves to point out bugs. But then she explained herself to him and he then understood.

What a wonderfully fun day we had yesterday and today for that matter. Yesterday we went to J's Aunt Judy's retirement party. I got to meet for the second time some of his cousins on his dad's side. The first was at our wedding but when you have about 450 people it is hard to remember people you have never met before. Anyways, his cousins had kids GG and Monkey's ages. They were two girls about 4 months younger than GG, a five year old little girl, and another girl about 6 months younger than Monkey. They had a great time playing with their 3rd or 2nd (?) cousins. We exchanged phone numbers and hopefully we can set up some play dates! I forgot before we went to the party the kids got their presents from Grandma A...all the way from London. She got Monkey a Bobby Hat (it is a London police hat that he looks super cute in) and a sword. She got GG a London teddy bear and a really cute magnet set. The magnets are circles that connect and it is battery operated to turn the magnets. Both kids like watching them. We spent the night at J's parents. Went to church this morning and had lunch with his family. Then he went to work and the kids and I came home. Aunt Becky was in town so we hung out with her. If she is reading this I want her to know that I love her very much! It was good to see you. Then my dad dropped a bomb on me about him needing my car tomorrow for work. So I guess I am going to be stranded in this house all day tomorrow. That is going stink. He better get his car back tomorrow. I just filled my car up too. Oh well.

Number two day off...this morning J made pancakes for breakfast. They were very good and tasty. Also J cleaned/organized the garage so that I can park my car in it for the winter. The only thing was that the opener didn't work. So we had to go get a new one. This afternoon we got family pictures taken and I am thinking of updating the kids pages again. I have the family pictures plus some pictures from grandma's camera. When we got the new garage door opener we also got a screen for the fireplace. So right now we have a nice fire going. It is so warm and homey down here. It really makes it feel like it is our place...sorta. When we got home from the pictures I made dinner and J gave Monkey a hair cut. He used his electric razor. I think it is really short but he looks cute. Then J gave himself a hair cut. Both the boys needed to clean the hair off so both the kids and J took a bubble bath. I sat in there and talked with them. We will probably end this evening with some stories and then to bed. We have a somewhat busy day tomorrow.

J had the day off today. We had a pretty lazy morning...I played memory with GG. Then after lunch we got into the car for a road trip to NIU to see Aunt Becky. Holy Cow! I am so glad I went to WIU...the dorm rooms at NIU are super small. They have no a/c for when it is hot and they can't control the heat. I'm not saying that WIU is better but man I'm glad I went there! Another thing they do is they have a weekly food allowance and if you don't use what is on the card you lose it. With Western you got a food card for the whole semester. We had dinner in their cafeteria too. It wasn't the best food ever but it wasn't that bad either. It was just cafeteria food. Anyway, we met a friend of Becky's named Ruby and she was really nice. Plus, she told Becky that she should listen to J and I about school stuff. I guess J helped her decide what area of nursing she wanted to do. But she is only a freshman and has plenty of time to change her mind! While we were there GG called a girl. It was hilarious. She talked to her for about 5 minutes. She told her name and then asked what the girls name was. I guess the girl said Brandy. GG responded with, "That's a dogs name. My grandma M's dog's name is Brandy." It was cute to see how grown up she is when talking to a complete stranger! Then on the way home J was talking about getting a secondary gun and I was actually thinking maybe it won't be such a bad idea if it will help his safety but after tonights ER I am rethinking the whole thing. I will just say that I was so incredibly mad at J tonight during the show. If you saw it tonight you will probably know what I am talking about. I know that GG knows that she shouldn't touch guns because we have had many talks about it. We have even tested her with J's air soft gun we put it on the ground and when she sees it she points at it and says, "Oh NO! Daddy! Mommy! there is a gun on the floor. Come get it." She doesn't touch it! She is a smart girl but a gun is still a deadly weapon.

Welcome to the world little Gavin Joel! My friend Kristen had her baby today :) They sent pictures and I will say he is really, really cute! I told GG that her friend Ethan has a baby brother now and his name is Gavin. She said, "OH boy, that's really cool! I want to go see him. Do you think I could hold him mommy? ...I want a baby sister." I love how toddlers minds work. Today we went grocery shopping with daddy and also to Wal-mart. Then this afternoon I got an unexpected phone call from my maid of honor Kris. She is coming to town in two weeks and is going to stay with us for a few days. I am really excited!!! I love showing off my beautiful children. I also got a call from Linda from church they are doing a hayride and bonfire this weekend in Forreston. We were planning on going but we are going to be going J's Aunt's retirement party instead. She really wants to see the kids and specifically asked for us to attend. We are happy to oblige. And Virginia I left you a message in your journal about your question, so read it. I think it will make you feel better :)

Last night my dad told me I should go get my masters so that I wouldn't be bored at home. I told him I was definitely not bored. Then he said I could get a promotion with a masters. Oh goody, I could be an executive mommy!!! Anyways, tonight before I started writing this I looked back at a few random entries. Trust me I have proof that I do not live a boring life. How could you with two very active kids?!? I am just so glad that J encouraged (even begged) me to start a journal...it is so much fun to look back at funny things that happen. And even my other journal I just recently started that is about me. I will have those thoughts to look back on too. Last night he read my journal about the doctor's office and he laughed so hard about GG and the shoe tongue that he almost woke the kids up. I don't know if I would of remembered to tell him that story this morning. On with today! We woke up in a sauna. It was so hot in the bedroom that both kids left sweat marks where their heads were. Hopefully we got that fixed though. Our day consisted of playing with playdough, coloring, playing memory, (I only had to play once...I timed it so that we were done when grandma got home!), singing songs, doing 3 loads of laundry, cleaning up the toys, and then vacuuming, taking a bath, and reading books before bed. Doing the laundry was fun Monkey even got in on the action. When the clothes get done washing I put them on the door to the dryer and he pushed them in with GG's help, of course! Then GG folds her clothes and puts them away. This is such a neat trick :) Monkey puts the socks into a pile for me...and throws the unfolded clothes all over the place! Oh J locked grandma out of the basement this morning she wasn't to happy about that :( One more thing...about J's blog and the negativity I totally agree. Life is to short to be so down and depressed. You are alive and healthy (by healthy I mean you don't have a life threatening illness) that is something to be positive and happy about.

Coughing was the first thing I heard this morning from both the kids. That made us start the calling for an appointment at a family practice. They got one for 1:30 and 1:45pm. It was the same place J went to when he was little. So it was about a 30 minute drive, especially because I didn't know where I was going. J had court again today at 1:30 and so he left a little after 12 and we left shortly after him. I was happy to learn that it hasn't gone into Monkey's lungs and that it is just viral (for now at least) and hopefully won't turn into bacterial. They checked GG too just to be safe. Her cough wasn't as bad anyway. Monkey weighed in at 25 lbs and 32 inches. Wow has he grown!!! GG weighed 30 lbs (never thought I would see the day she left the 20's) and is 37 inches tall. Cute story that happened while we were at the doctor's. The nurse was taking GG vitals and was going to get her temperature...the nurse told her to put it under her tongue. So GG took her shoe off thinking she meant the shoe tongue! The nurse thought that was really smart of her but I just thought it was pretty funny. You have to understand we take her temperature under the arm and her old doctor took it in the ear. This was completely new to her :) We didn't get home from there until 3:30pm. We played games until it was time to make dinner. So after dinner the kids and I were having a spinning contest/spin off. Basically what it was is that I spun the kids and they tried to walk to grandma without falling over! I was spinning Monkey and GG decided to grab my leg (I told her to let go) and wouldn't let go so she went flying into the wall about 10 seconds later. So I stopped with Monkey (both of us dizzy) and put him down to go see what was wrong with GG. While I went to her, he fell I had sat him on his butt knowing he couldn't stand. But he still fell back. It was quite the site...GG crying because she just flew into the wall, Monkey crying because he just fell because he was too dizzy to sit up and I was holding them both on the floor because I couldn't stand without falling over myself. After they calmed down they both wanted to do it again. I guess it was just to fun to stop! Right now the kids are playing with their school buses, they each have their own. They also just got done taking a bath so they are starting to settle down for bed. YEAH!

We had a great time yesterday evening hanging out with grandpa A and Elizabeth. However, last night was not fun. Monkey is getting sick...at least it is only the first time this season. He couldn't breathe last night so I had to hold him sitting up. If you have ever tried to sleep in a sitting position it is hard, especially when holding a sleeping baby. We got very little sleep (I really wished we were at home so I could of held him in one of our recliners) sitting on the couch. So we skipped sunday school, I was sad. But we did get to go to church! At church there was a guy who went out with one of my friends from high school I hadn't seen him in about 5 years...such a small world that he now goes to the same church. We also got to hear grandpa's testimony. I'd never heard it before and it was neat to hear! We ate lunch with grandpa and got ready to head back home. J left his wallet and knife at his parents house so we stopped at the police station to drop it off on our way home. Both the kids fell asleep in the car! So no nap for me, I really wanted to take one today. Tonight grandma M made a birthday dinner for my dad. It was yummy, we had ham, mashed potatoes, salad, crescent rolls and a pie for dessert. Now Becky is playing with the kids before she goes back to school so I thought I would take advantage and update real quick. I am going to try and watch the Jessica Lynch story tonight, the key word is try! The kids need a bath before bed.

So last night Monkey woke up at about 2am not very happy. I don't know what the deal was but it took him about 15 minutes to settle back down. I mean he didn't even want to nurse...the boy is always attached! This morning we are getting a door installed from the basement to the upstairs. I am hoping this will keep the basement warmer. We can light candles and the heat will stay down here. So that is pretty much all of the excitement for today. We are going to be going over to J's parents house to have another sleepover so that we will be able to make it to sunday school. Oh I forgot to mention this yesterday but when we were waiting for my dad to get home sitting in the dark...I was saying that he needed to get his burgerbutt home. GG was so funny and said, "What was that about, mommy? You called grandpa a burgerbutt! That's really gross." Grandma and I got a good laugh from that one.

Right now the kids are under wraps...watching snow white before bed! I am hoping that GG will fall asleep and Monkey will be content while I post. This morning J had court and got home around 10:30. Not too bad we still got some good time with him. I thought this was cute when J left for work GG said to him, "see you later alligator, after while crocodile." I don't think she realizes she is only suppose to say one or the other. This afternoon GG didn't take a nap but Monkey did. GG and I played memory until my head spun off. She really likes playing that game. I love watching her and Monkey play and learn new things. We got to stop when Aunt Becky came home...thanks to Aunt Becky for saving me from playing yet another game! Don't get me wrong I love playing with her but I can only take playing one game so many times!!!! Then grandma came home. Then Becky's friends (two sisters that have been around GG a lot) came over to pick her up for a concert. GG likes Becky's friends I think it has something to do with the fact that they ooohh and aaahh over her! She is such a people person. After dinner GG, Monkey, grandma and I waited in the dark for grandpa to come home. It is his birthday. As we were waiting I noticed some fireworks going on so we got to watch them from our house. Anyway when grandpa open the door GG screamed, "SURPRISE! HAPPY BIRTHDAY GRANDPA!!!" We had practice because she was first saying purprise. OH yeah we also called him at work so GG could sing him the birthday song. Tonight I gave the kids baths and here we are settling down getting ready for sleep.

Just a side note...I talked to my friend Kristen who is going to have a baby, she hasn't had it yet, but when she does we are going to go see her. She emailed me and said the latest will be Wednesday I am so excited. I love new born babies. I also got a letter from her in the mail today with pictures of GG and Ethan reading books together they were so cute.

The kids and I went to MOPS playgroup this morning! We had a lot of fun I just wish it was a little closer so that these ladies would live by us. But that doesn't bother me that much I know we can always set up play dates! On our way home GG wanted to go to the K's house to play with Ellie. I asked her if she had fun and she loved it and wants to go back again. There was about 8 kids in her age group and about 6 in Monkey's age group. I think all three of us had a very fun morning. Anyway, while we were gone about three hours, J stayed home and cleaned like crazy. What a great guy. He picked up all the toys vacuumed our living area, the stairs, upstairs in my parents living room, did 2 loads of laundry, and cleaned both bathrooms. I didn't ask him to do any of it! It was a nice surprise to come home and not have to do it, I was kind of at a lost for what to do...not really it just gave me more time to play with the kids! At nap time J and I finished watching a movie I checked out from the library. And for dinner tonight I didn't have to cook again. Grandma made a slow roast before she went to work this morning. Then tonight J gave the kids a bath. This was a totally great day for me. Oh and we recorded the kids tonight coloring in the books Aunt Melissa sent them. Then we got them doing some other things...like Monkey saying words and pointing to things and GG singing and dancing, way hilarious.

This morning I went to get my haircut. I really like it too. When I came home I let the dog outside. She started barking so GG and I went to let her in. GG was so cute she said, “Ok Brandey we are coming to let you in. You can stop barking now.” We opened the door and she came in. Then GG made a funny face. I asked her what was wrong and she said, “Brandey stinks! I think we should put her back outside.” Such a silly little girl! Oh yeah before I left to get my haircut J made a pot roast…no cooking for me tonight! This afternoon J left to go shoot at the department with his buddy. I forgot to write about Monkey last night. I changed his diaper before we went out to eat...when we put him in the bathtub almost 3 hours later his diaper was still dry! I couldn't believe it he just might be ready to potty train. But I don't know how ready I am for that. Back to today after dinner we went to Kohl’s they were having a 50% off sale and we went to check it out. J needed some black dress pants for court appearances but we didn’t find any his size, what a bummer. Now I am going to go give the kids a bath for the day. Then they are going to bed and hopefully to sleep too. One more thing I found out today that I have a cousin who is in jail…my hubby is a cop!

It was great to wake up this morning and know that J didn't have to go to work today. After we got ready we and ate lunch we headed over to Wal-mart. Our car died on us about 5 times in the Wal-mart parking lot. We parked and went to get the things we needed. When we came out the car was fine. Weird, huh? So we went to the bank, video store and the to see grandma A. at school. She is leaving tomorrow for about a week and we wanted to say goodbye. Plus, J needed some papers blown up for work. We came home and started talking about dinner. This is the cool part we went out to eat for my "birthday dinner". We ate at TGI Fridays. The kids ate really good too. I don't think we had any food left over from the three meals we got. When we came home J gave the kids baths while I did the dishes. I love the way the kids smell after baths. Right now GG has my pon poms and is running around yelling, "I am a teenager! I am a teenager!" I think she means cheerleader :) Also I got our pictures back today so I will try and update tomorrow. But I'm not promising anything...

So today was a somewhat lazy day. It was so rainy and yucky out that for the most part of the morning the kids and I cuddle on the couch together watching cartoons. This was a treat because they don't get to watch tv that much maybe one show a day or one movie. It was something we could do and still be quite enough for J to get some sleep. Then the kids both took naps after lunch which gave me some free time to start the laundry. When they woke up they helped me fold the clothes. GG is getting really good at folding her shirts and pants. She loves to help with chores and this is a great one for her to do. Then tonight grandpa came home early from work. He normally works until 9pm so we see very little of him. But tonight he was home at 6pm. He gave the kids some gifts too. GG got a Dora Clock, she absolutely loves it. She walked around for about an hour saying, "I really really love my new clock." Monkey got a stuffed animal, he wasn't too interested in it. It was cute though it was a mommy bear and a baby bear. After dinner we ate some ice cream yummy! Then I put the kids in the bath. GG had chocolate ice cream on her belly, Monkey just wanted to take a bath too. He actually threw a fit when I took him out tonight. There was no water in the tub but he still wanted to stay in. My boy likes baths! Now I am going to get the kids to bed. Goodnight!

Ah the day is finally over. As I sit here I can't really remember what we did today except that we went grocery shopping. I think it was because both grandma and grandpa were home all day and the kids played with them giving me a break with J at work! I did give the kids a bath again tonight after dinner. I think that while J is working afternoons I will bathe them at night and when he works days I will do it in the morning. That way we have more time with him instead of showering everyone. GG played with my hair again tonight, I absolutely love when she does. She also went to bed at 8:30pm because she didn't take a nap. J should be happy that at least she is sleeping when he gets home. I am hoping that Monkey will start to get tired and want to go to bed sometime soon. I have been nursing him for the last hour and a half, still awake!

Today we got up with a sugar hangover! J/K Seriously we got up around 10am and started our day. I know some may say that the day is already half over but we don't go to bed early. GG and I spent some time together running errands. We dropped off the film at Wal-mart. Then we went to pay a bill for storage. After lunch Monkey took a nap and GG and I colored and she played with playdough and her puzzle. Tonight we went to church and GG went to the God Zone and Monkey stayed with me. So I did get one on one time with him too. But I usually get time with him when I nurse him. That is our special time! Only nursing moms would understand. Came home after church and ate dinner. Grandma and grandpa left for the evening they went dancing. So we have the run of the house!!!! I am going to give the kids baths tonight so we don't have to do it in the morning before church. I am hoping we will be able to make it to sunday school again, GG had so much fun last week. I really want to start attending a class regularly too. We just have to figure out which one of the classes we want to go to. There is like 2 or 3 to choose from.

We had the best Halloween ever! We didn't get home last night until 12:15am. So I am going to update about yesterday...J made me breakfast in bed for my birthday and Monkey brought me the card that GG made me. She did a great job with writing the letters it looked great. She did have a little trouble with the p's. After we woke up we got ready for the action packed day. We went to Wal-mart in the morning. Had lunch at home and tried to get the kids to take naps. Monkey did but GG was too excited about trick or treating. When Monkey woke up we got them in their costumes. GG was the cutest ladybug ever (people even said that when they saw her) and Monkey was the sweetest little skeleton (everyone thought he looked super cute too). Then we took them around the neighborhood to about 5 houses at 3:30pm, mainly just people we knew. GG was so sweet when the first person came to the door she said, "May I please have some candy?" We told her all she had to say was trick or treat. So she did at the next house. Then we went to the Mall to trick or treat at 5pm. As we walked around GG either said, "trick or treat" followed by thank you or "Happy Halloween", followed by thank you. The Mall is such a great idea, because you stay warm. I loved showing the kids off. The people gave them hand fulls of candy. Then we went to a store were we bought our wedding rings and the lady was there and gave the kids balloons along with the candy. We had other kids come up to us asking where they got the balloons. J said to me, "they got them for being the cutest kids in the world!" After the Mall we went to the police station and fire station to trick or treat but to mainly show off our cute kids ;) Then it was off to the party at 6:30pm, which we trick or treated at too. (YES the kids got a lot of candy yesterday) The party was a lot of fun. J was so amazed at how well Monkey did at the M's party because he didn't want to be held a lot and there was about 25 to 30 people there! He is growing out of the stranger anxiety stage. Anyway before we went t & t' ing we got into 5 groups and did a scavenger hunt trick or treat. It was a unique idea I thought, and a lot of fun too. We left the M's party at 9ish and drove to the K's house were grandma and grandpa A. were. They were at a party too and GG and Monkey were the only kids there. So GG ate up all the attention, Monkey was sleeping by now. We left there at 10ish and went to J's parents house for a spontaneous sleepover. However, Monkey woke up and GG was wired from eating so much candy. At about 11:40 we decided that they weren't going to fall asleep anytime soon and they only way to calm them down was to put them in the car and drive the 35 minutes home. It worked like a charm they crashed in the car about 10 minutes into the drive! We got home at 12:15am and that was the end of our day. I do want to say thank you to everyone that sent me a birthday card, email and present for my birthday. Also for all the birthday calls too! You made me feel loved :) I still can't believe I am 25 with two beautiful children and a super husband. I love my life.

Wow, what a super fun day we've had already and it is only 6pm! We got up this morning and went out. First we stopped at the library, I got three books and about 10 for the kids. The kids played with the toys there again. It is really hard to get them out of the library, which is a great thing. I am glad they like going to the library. I did get a special book for GG and I to read together. It is for mothers and daughters! I'm planning on reading it to her before bed. Then we went to Wal-mart and got Monkey a Halloween costume and GG some pants and a shirt to put under her costume. We also got the kids a pumpkin candy basket they were on sale for 50 cents, along with a few other things we needed. Then we walked to Big Lots, first time I had every been in one, I wasn't that impressed but we didn't really look around. We also went to the Golf Mart, they had little clubs that were GG and Monkey's sizes. I don't think I have ever seen clubs that small. Grandma and Grandpa A. want to get clubs for GG, either a Christmas or Birthday present? I am almost thinking they should get Monkey some too. But not the little ones the same size as GG's, I don't know. They were too cute though. We came home and there was a package at the door. It was a birthday present from Joe and Virginia, thank you, I love it. There was scrapbooking stuff in it :) Which reminds me I need to start doing their books again or I'll get behind again. This afternoon the kids took naps and J and I started to watch a video I got from the library we only got halfway through it. When I started dinner I realized I didn't have all the ingredients I needed so I sent J to the store to get them. What a great hubby. When he came home GG and J finished making the dinner cause I had a sleepy nursing Monkey on my lap. Now I am going to go eat the yummy chili. Oh yeah today GG was wearing my flower girl dress and wanting to wear it for Halloween, she is a little to short for the dress so we told her she could wear it next year if she is tall enough. She calls herself the princess girl when she has it on. The rest of the night we will probably watch ER together and do a lot of reading, the books we got from the library, of course! Tomorrow is Halloween, YAY!

Today was a nice day, how could it not be with GG running around saying, "It's a beautiful day today!" over and over again. After J went to work I laid the kids down for naps. GG actually let me rock her to sleep for the second time (she let me yesterday) in the longest time. I loved it. She is still my baby girl. Tonight Monkey kept bringing me books to read to him. He is so funny he gets a book and then backs into my lap. I then ask him if he wants me to read the book to him. He shacks his head "yes" and then says "book". I can't believe how big both of them are getting. Also tonight GG played with my hair. She wanted to make me look pretty. She just puts in and takes out hair clips over and over again. Yes, the kids like to do things over and over and over again. I don't mind that is how they learn. Oh yeah GG helped me make dinner. We had homemade pizza. She is getting better at helping cook. I did get another b-day card today in case anyone was wondering! Tonight is J's last day of work until he has two days off :) Monkey took another cat nap tonight not planning on it, GG woke him up about 15 minutes ago. AAAGGGGHHHH!!! So I should go try and get both of them to sleep or at least GG.

So today we got up to no daddy. He had court this morning what a bummer. Then when he came home he took a nap because he got home late last night so late that I actually fell asleep before he got home. We had very little time with him today, which was very sad. I did get another birthday card today! GG watched snow white again today. The only funny thing I can remember that happened today was at dinner. I had made a turkey breast. Monkey ate all of his and half of GG's plate. I think he likes it? Since he ate so good I gave him a cookie. GG of course then asked for one. She on the other hand did not eat her dinner as good. I told her, "no you didn't eat your dinner." She went running to the table and said, "I better go eat my dinner then." She actually ate the rest of her dinner. I didn't even have to bug her about it she ate it on her own, of course knowing that she would get a cookie. Then tonight on tv was Charlie Brown's the great pumpkin. GG and grandma watched it together while Monkey and I spent time together. Now it is time to get the kids ready for bed. GG didn't have a nap and Monkey took an early nap. They should both be sleeping by 9 hopefully :)

Well remember how I said I thought Monkey would be awake later he woke up at 8:30pm. It is 10pm now and he is being a completely crazy little dude! I think I have read 8 silly monkeys to him about 10 times. He is playing peek-a-boo with his shirt by pulling the bottom over his head. He is a little wired?!? Nice of him to take a cat nap now I won't be lonely waiting up for J. GG fell asleep in the rocking chair at 9pm while we both read our books. I love when she just falls asleep on her own at anywhere! (like the potty the other day)

First I want to start out with a cute story about my boy Monkey! He has learned a new word. He says watch but it comes out atch. He says this right before he starts to nurse…then he does this funny thing with his eyes. He can make one move and the other stay still. It is so funny to watch! He has been doing the eye thing for about 2 weeks and I would call J over saying watch Monkey. He is so smart, now he says watch and then does the trick. He knew what he was doing and why I called J over!!! He is turning into such a little ham. I guess he has a good teacher, GG :) This morning the kids stayed with J; reading books, singing, and dancing to songs while I went to the post office. Then after lunch Monkey took a nap and GG and I made cookies together. That was a lot of fun. I love spending one on one time along with family time. I also got my first birthday card today! At least I hope it was the first and not the last :) After dinner tonight GG and grandma M watched Sleeping Beauty. (Monkey and I were suppose to go to the town meeting tonight but J said we didn't have too. Then I thought about taking him to get presents for J and GG from him but it is just too cold out so we stayed home.) GG is really into the Disney movies right now. Monkey is asleep right now and I am afraid he will wake up soon and want to be up until 11pm or later. Oh well I need to go get GG and settle her down cause soon it will be bed time.

This morning we got up and I told the kids they were going to see Ellie. GG said, “She’s going to choke Monkey.” (Ellie likes to hug Monkey but usually ends up pulling him down to the ground.) Then she said, “But I will protect him so he doesn’t get hurt.” What a nice big sister she is. She’s already looking out for him! We all went to sunday school thing morning. GG learned about Abraham and Sarah. She also told us she liked singing the songs, of course! After church we went to see our friends the K's. That was so much fun and it just makes me miss all my wonderful friends at WIU even more. I think Aaron might be getting a job here. Then they will move here and that would be so cool. He has a second interview tomorrow. If he gets the job then Belinda is thinking of staying home with Ellie and we could have play dates all the time. Well I have to stop talking about this because we don't know what God's plans are for them. I just hope it is for them to move here! What would be real cool also is if Joe and Virginia moved here. (Hint, Hint) Oh yeah and having an extra hour of sleep last night totally rocked! The end:)

Ok I have a quick update about Elizabeth's birthday dinner. Here a cute story for you: GG said, "Aunty Ribbit I have to whisper something to you." So Elizabeth leaned in and GG whisper in her ear, "Go over and pinch mommy's butt!" Which then Elizabeth announced to the table. I tell you My little girl is the silliest. What a great sense of humor!

I am updating early because we are spending the night at J's parents house. Last night the kids were wired. They stayed up until 1am. I think it had to do with the fact that Aunty Becky came home from college this weekend (and daddy was off of work). They have so much fun with her. It was kind of nice having them awake that long because they slept in this morning. I am usually up until 1am anyways. This morning we got up at 10am and got showered and ready to go grocery shopping with grandma. We came home and ate a yummy lunch. I need to go pack some stuff for tomorrow so we can head out at nap time. Tonight we are taking aunt Elizabeth out for dinner it is her birthday. Happy Birthday Elizabeth. She is now 13! As you can tell this weekend is filled with crazy fun. Aunts and grandparents and friends from WIU. Oh yeah remember how last time we went shopping and Monkey lost his shoe? Well today GG lost her doll. I wasn't happy, I don't let her take the doll into the store so I don't know why she had it. She knows that the doll stays in the car. I went in the store and it was at the service desk. Good thing because that is what GG sleeps with at night.

Today was great. J was off! We didn't do much this morning just family stuff. Then after lunch the kids took a nap at the same time giving J and I time alone. We watched ER that I had recorded from the night before. Then before we knew it the kids were up and went out to run errands. When we came home we carved our pumpkins. I took some pictures so they will be on the web page when I get the pictures developed after Halloween sometime. We ordered pizza tonight for dinner. We had a free coupon so that was nice. After dinner both the kids were messy, mostly Monkey though. So J gave the kids a bubble bath and I picked up things downstairs and got their pjs for after the bath. Now they are watching Peter Pan again! I am not feeling the greatest right now. I think it was the pizza?!? So this is going to be short.

So today we got up early…9am. I got the kids showered and J woke up just in time to help me get them out. That is about all that happened this morning. After lunch the kids and J were playing with the dog while I watched. They were having a tug o war with her. Monkey was actually able to hold on to the toy longer than GG. He is such a strong little boy. The other day at the park I put him on the monkey bars and let go of him and he held on for a good 30 seconds. The kids seem to like the dog but I don’t really want one when we move. This afternoon both kids took naps just at different times, which is ok with me. I got to spend alone time with each of them. Tonight for dinner the kids and I went to McDonalds…I didn’t feel like cooking and I wanted to get out of the house. I am starting to get cabin fever and it isn’t even winter yet. The McDonalds had a playland that I let the kids play at after they ate their dinner. As I was getting GG’s shoes on to leave Monkey walked off and one of the older kids there knocked him over. Then this guy picked up my crying baby, like 2 seconds before I got to him. I was a little unhappy about that especially since he reeked of smoke. Why in the world did he think it would be ok for him to pick up my baby? I tell you some people are just out there. Then tonight I got a call from our friends the K’s they are going to be coming here this weekend. So we are going to meet up with them on Sunday. I am so stoked. The kids are going to have so much fun playing with Ellie.

This morning we didn’t do anything interesting. J left for work and he left us a note on the bathroom mirror. It was real cute. This afternoon before I put Monkey to sleep, GG came up to him and said, “Give me five, on the side, up high, down low, you’re too slow!” The cool thing about it was that Monkey actually gave her fives throughout her game! They interact with each other so nice sometimes and then so bad at other times. I guess they are kids being kids! Monkey has also learned a hand thing. J taught him to put his two pointer fingers together, then you “cut the pickle” (his two pointers) then you tickle him. So he will come up to you with the two fingers together wanting you to cut them and tickle him. It’s too funny. Anyways, while Monkey was taking his nap my neighbor stopped by to see if we wanted to go to the park, since Monkey was sleeping, we didn’t go. I felt bad, but now I know it was a good thing because Monkey slept for 2 and half hours. (he usually sleeps for an hour!) I thought something was going on with him this morning when he woke up because last night he nursed almost the whole night. After his nap I noticed that he had a little fever, good thing I didn’t take him out in the cold. I want to keep him healthy this winter. He seems fine now…just wants to nurse more. (no problem for me) Then I talked to my mom and siblings on the phone for over an hour! It was good to get caught up with them. My phone conversations with my mom usually get interrupted by one of my brothers or one of my kids after about 15 minutes or less! Tonight we aren’t going to be doing much considering Monkey isn’t feeling the greatest. Just a side note, I’m really excited about, we got invited to a Halloween party on my birthday, which is Halloween. So if J is working I will have something to do with the kids. If he isn’t working even better we can go as a family. It is at the M’s…remember how cool their house is? I’m so excited.

Today was quite interesting for lack of a better word. This morning we all laid in bed playing, cuddling and just being together as a family. We didn't get out until 11am! Then we went to Wal-mart; J needed a shirt and I wanted to get GG some vitamins. We ended buying some Christmas presents. But while we were there a girl, that lived on my floor sophomore year of college, came up to us. I haven't seen her in about 4 years. She lives here and has a little boy a little older than GG. I gave her our number so maybe she will call us someday?!? We came home and the dog had knocked over the garbage and had it all over the kitchen, the dumb dog. (sorry Becky, but she is) Then J left for work and the kids took naps. I worked on the computer for a little bit and then the kids were awake. Time to make dinner :) Then tonight we went to the LLL meeting in the town J works. That was a lot of fun. There was so many people there. A little overwhelming but ok. The kids had plenty kids to play with and food to eat! When we introduced ourselves a couple ladies commented on how much they liked the kids' names! I love that they are unique names. Then on the way home from the meeting there was an accident, it blocked 14, the way we go home. So we went around the block to get back to 14 and saw J in his uniform. He looked so cute. He doesn't even know that we saw him standing out there. I can't wait to tell him when he gets home. I'll probably say something like...that was a real bad accident you had to direct traffic for! But I don't know maybe I will wait for him to tell me! Oh yeah we got our closet fixed tonight, I am glad to have use of that again:) It should be a late night tonight considering J will be working late because of the accident that happened around 9:30ish pm. I like waiting up for him and talking, call me crazy.

What a beautiful day we had today! This morning after we got ready we took a family walk with the dog too. The kids picked up leaves, sticks and rocks. Then we ate lunch and J left for work. Monkey took a nap and GG and I played with playdough together. I finally unpacked it, it took so long because once I did, I knew she would want to play with it. We had lots of fun. Then when Monkey woke up we went to the neighbors house to see if they wanted to play at the park. We went to the park and there was tons of kids there to play with. Then we came back home and I made pork chops. After dinner I got an awesome phone call from my friend Matt. I haven't talked to him in forever. It was so good to catch up with him. J is going to be so sad he was working when he called. Monkey is taking a second nap right now. I think that he is starting to come down with something. I really hope not though. I don't want another winter like last with him. I took him to the ER twice in the middle of the night because he couldn't breathe. He ended up with croup two times. I just want him to be healthy this winter so he can go play in the snow with GG! Anyway, GG talked to Matt on the phone she loved that. Then she told me she had to go potty and I told her to go ahead and go. (that is so weird of her she usually doesn't tell us!) After about 10 minutes I realized she hadn't come out of the bathroom yet. I walked over there to her sleeping on the potty. I should of taken a picture but I was nice and didn't. I did wake her up though. I guess being outside so much today and not having a nap has made her tired. Once I woke her up she went potty and is now wide awake. So nice of her to get a little cat nap in ;) I hope she goes to bed at a good time tonight. Like before J goes home. I also don't want Monkey to sleep too long that he is wide awake later. Oh well that is the great thing about being a stay at home mama. I have nothing to do (like work or errands, tomorrow) I can stay up late with them and take a nap with them tomorrow!

So peaceful here right now. Both the kids are sleeping, J is at work and grandma and grandpa left town. So I thought I would update real quick! This morning we didn't make it to church because J didn't get home until 2:45am. I thought it would be nice of us to let him sleep in...and we did go to church last night. I got the kids showered and dressed this morning all by myself. I haven't done that since J has been in the academy I kind of forgot what it was like! This afternoon I vacuumed and I am still doing laundry. When Monkey fell asleep I cut his hair. It works great. I just turned his head and was able to cut it without him moving. So for moms with little boys, wait til they fall asleep to cut hair! Then again I don't really know how long that will last. He may turn two and not take naps! I am planning a low key night for us since we will be the only ones home until about 10pm. The kids watched Peter Pan this afternoon and GG really liked it. I am going to go and enjoy the quietness and read my book.

This morning I woke up to both my boys giving me kisses! It took me a long time to open my eyes because I knew that when I did the kisses would stop. This morning J and the kids racked the leaves. Don't worry I took pictures that will be put on their web pages sometime soon. I, of course, took advantage of the fact that J had both kids outside :) I jumped into the shower. When I got out they were inside heading to the bathroom ready to take baths. I got dressed and got their clothes and helped get the kids out. I got Monkey out first and dressed. Then GG, while I was dressing her Monkey was behind me. He went to one side and kissed me and then to the other side and kissed me. He did this the whole time it took to get GG dressed. He is such a lovable little boy! Then we all went to Cosco including grandma M...talk about buying in bulk. I couldn't believe how huge everything was. You could only buy 6 lbs of meat at a time. They did have cool carts though. Since everything is so big the carts are too. The kids both sat in the front. They had two seats in the front of the cart. Moving along we came home and ate lunch then J left for work. This afternoon grandma, the kids and I went grocery shopping. While we were there Monkey lost a shoe. So we walked and walked around the store looking for it. I even asked the service desk a couple of times and an employee was helping look. These are the only ones he has and I thought J was going to be mad. As I was walking holding a now sleeping Monkey with only one shoe, a lady came up to me and told me she knew where his shoe was. I was so happy! Whoever found the shoe put it on a shelf. And we were looking on the ground, of course. She told me that the same thing had happened to her a few years ago and she was on her way back to get the shoe to take it to the desk when she saw me. I am so grateful for nice people like her. This evening we went to church with grandma and grandpa M. Before we left Monkey was sitting on the stairs and for some reason fell down them. I was so scared and I think he was even more scared. He hasn't ever fallen down the stairs from the top to the bottom. It was only a couple steps. I watched so helpless. At church Monkey was cute. As they were singing songs he was raising his little hands and dancing. I can remember when GG used to do that. I love the baby dance! Did I ever tell the story about GG dancing in Old Navy?!? (It was a couple of days ago) They always have music playing in there and she was wearing the hat that we got for 1.97 she was walking up and down the store dancing. Hands going and spinning she ended up having an audience :) We are now home and winding down from the day. I am going to try and have the kids asleep when J comes home because I like spending time with just him and today is sweetest day!!!