February Rewind

February has been a busy month & I have missed documenting a lot of our day to day lives so we are playing catch up this evening. A little of this, with a touch of that, one big pot of hodgepodge yumminess--and most of which captured through my phone on Instagram…

First up, we all know February was my birthday month & after traveling for the first couple of weeks of the month I was happy to be home with my boys to celebrate turning THIRTY ONE. Since my wonderful birthday falls smack dab in the middle of winter & going to the zoo (for the most part) & parks are out of the question, we took to Crown Center where we enjoyed walking around Funville. We were excited that Josh, Jodie and Leland met us there and for about 45 minutes the kids ran wild. They could have ran around there all day but it got soooooo crowded, so crowded in fact I feared for my children's lives so I decided to scoop them up & away we went to Crayola World.

Don't get me wrong, Funville could have been a lot of fun had it been a weekday and I didn't work--could have joined all the SAHM and their kids then!

Justin fixed me a number of my favorite things for my birthday dinner and the boys, all three of them,  spoiled me when it came to my birthday gift. I even got flowers from my biggest, littlest man!

A couple of days later we decided to hit up our first Maverick's game and Kaden got to tag a long with us. Lucky for us we mentioned something to the Walshes and they just happen to know a guy who had tickets & he just happened to not be using his, so we ended up with FREE tickets and they were pretty great seats too. And to be honest, there really isn't a bad seat in the house. 

While we headed to the game, Logan got to enjoy some special time with Grammie. The entire trip there Kaden talked about going to the hockey game but he had no idea what he was actually getting ready to see. At first he had his hands over his ears but then he got use to the noise and he was having fun. May have had to go to the bathroom 15 times, but he was having fun. During one of the intermissions we visited the team store and after seeing the price of a youth jersey we left with hat and a cowbell. (We will be buying the new Sporting KC jerseys with Ivy Funds logo on them though---gotta represent!)

and for the next few days, he wouldn't take the hat off. He was pretty proud of his new purchase.

Next up was Valentine's Day & due to the amount of travel that I had during the first few weeks of February, I didn't as creative as I would have liked with the boys' Valentines. Actually, it didn't take any creativity because I saw the ideas on Etsy & from a friend on Facebook and went with it! Is there really any "original" ideas anymore?!?!?

A couple things for our dearest Ms. Brenda...

and then a few for the boys & their friends. I am not big on the whole candy thing & I just knew they would already be getting so much so I went the NON-candy route. A little cereal with a touch of DINO.

And then there was that night-Valentine's Night & since I was spending my evening with my Valentine, I felt Kaden should have the opportunity to do the same. So we invited Madi (and her family). And for a first date, Kaden didn't do half bad. He treated her to dinner and then a movie. The most important thing, he kept it G-rated when it came time to say good-bye, just a wave, nothing more. 

That following weekend we had the swing set installed & enjoyed a little warmer weather which allowed the kids to try it out--but you already know about that! What you may not know about is my little surgery that I had a little over a week ago and getting ready to have again…

I had an endovenous laser ablation procedure done on my left leg--right leg to still to come. They say it is a virtually painless procedure but if you were to look up what they do or how they do it or see the other pictures that I took during & the pictures of the "healing" process--pain would be the first word that would come to mind. The procedure was deemed medically necessary-I have faulty valves-but had it not been covered by insurance, I still would have done the treatment. Here I am at 31 and I have varicose veins--I get to blame them on having children but due to the veins, I wouldn't wear shorts & I hated getting in a swimsuit. And over time, they got worse thus they needed to be dealt with. Each of those black marks on my below leg, well I got stuck there and they removed useless veins from there. And then for the first 24 hours I got to chill out in a full leg wrap. Next up, support hose for 24 hours a day for the next 7 days & now I at least get to take them off at night. But my leg looks like I have been beaten with a ball bat. It is not pretty but the ugliness and pain will be short lived--because my legs are getting ready to look like they did when I was 20--with a little help from 30 Day Shred...

And a couple of odds & ends….

Logan found a new favorite hiding spot.

and Justin & I got to go on a boat ride through the Everglades. We got to see alligators of all sizes, even got to hold one & although I didn't think I would, I held a snake too. If a little kid can do it, so can I!

All in all February was a great month & I am glad it brought some great memories but I am soooo ready for the 21 inches of snow it dumped on us to go AWAY! I want to see green grass & have BBQs and & so want to be able to take the boys to the SNAKE parade, St. Patrick's Day just won't be the same if we still have snow on the ground which is TOTALLY possible by the size of the snow mounds around the city. Mr. Golden Sun, PLEASE shine down on us!

Snow Day(s) 2013

This week brought a lot of cold weather & a lot snow. You'd think I'd be lying if I told you less than a week ago it was 55 degrees outside and we were enjoying the new swing set in the backyard but its the truth. That's Kansas for you. This snow storm might have meant canceling a trip home to my parents & canceling a photo shoot for a dear friend from high school but it also meant that Logan would get his first taste of snow--literally.

But first, we had to dig out the gear. Logan wasn't really sure what was happening as I was bundling him up but as soon as he realized he could still stand & walk around, he was one happy lad.

Not to mention, the cutest snow bunny that I have ever laid eyes on. Wouldn't you agree?

And after I looked and looked for any sort of water resistant gloves but only came up with yet another stocking cap, I realized that these boys have WAY too many hats. I guess since I don't have girls and can't buy lots of frilly dresses and hair bows, I buy hats…But I did save on snow bibs, these were actually Kaden's when he was Logan's age, so I have that going for me. 

And now that little boy who use to fit into those tiny little snow bibs, is not so little anymore. He is a fully fledge big kid. He insists on getting himself dressed each morning. He tries telling Logan what he should & shouldn't be doing-although he doesn't follow his own advice. He helps with the laundry and can almost fold better than I can, almost.  He makes me kiss him goodnight at his door now before he closes it and climbs into bed himself--he is just getting WAY too big, too fast. 

We decided to take the kids out in the snow after they woke up from their naps and most of the snow had subsided-a few flakes remained here and there but the boys certainly didn't care. We took out to the front yard so that we would still have fresh snow in the back yard to tackle the following day. 

Logan didn't venture too far and wasn't quite sure what to make of it all--that is until I gave him his first taste. From that point on he wouldn't be seen without a little snow in his hands to munch on. I told you the kid likes to EAT! 

We lasted about 30 minutes before the kids noses were as red as Kaden's hat and their little fingers were as cold as the snow. It was time to warm these babies up. 

Today was a little different. The sun came out and started to warm things up and even melted some of the snow. We didn't need layers and layers of clothes to stay warm, just our trusty hats, gloves and boots. 

Have I mentioned that Logan likes to eat snow?

He didn't want to play, he found himself a clean patch of snow and there he stayed put. 

Kaden played on the swings. 

Kaden played on the slide. 

and Logan just stood there & continued to eat. Hey, if you are good at something, might as well do it all the time!

Kaden played with Brodi. 

and Logan, well, you know...

And when I mentioned we only had a few more minutes of play time surprisingly, they both said no. Why would they want to go inside but with a little bribery they gave in. The hardest one to get inside though, BRODI. The other two I was able to pick up and carry over my shoulder, no such luck with this guy. He and Stoli are polar opposites. Stoli couldn't wait to get in, heck she barely got her feet wet but Brodi, he could have ran & played all afternoon. And he loves a good game of snowball fetch. I never said he was the brightest...

We have tried making the most of the last few days but I won't be upset when we finally get rid of the snow once and for all.  Sadly, round two is said to be headed our way come Monday and I don't think it is going to be as pretty of a snowfall that we just received. Guess there will only be one way to find out, bundle the boys up and let 'em loose. 

The Day FINALLY Came

We woke the boys up and said we had a HUGE surprise for them but first we had to go see Nanny & then take a nap. They were not so happy when they heard the word NAP but luckily, they played along and fell right to sleep.

Before they headed off to bed they got to see this…

a big pile of wood that didn't make one ounce of sense to Kaden & especially to Logan. Kaden just kept asking "who are those guys?" And we just kept telling him that they were going to build him something very special & when they woke up, he would know exactly what it was. 

It only took a matter of 3 hours or so & it went from the above to this…

We were itching to get the kids up from their naps but WE decided it would be best for them to get a GOOD nap. Next thing I know, Justin heads upstairs to make a little noise and comes down with Kaden. Right! Like he just happened to already be awake when Justin stomped across the floor…

He told Kaden to close his eyes and to keep them closed. Kaden followed instructions. Justin brought him over to the windows & told him he could open them. The first words out of his mouth were exactly what we wanted to hear…

"WOW, is that for me?" "Can I go swing?"

You most definitely can buddy & with a cheer of excitement he woke up Logie but that was perfectly fine by us. We didn't want the little guy to miss out on any of the fun. & fun it was…

and for the next 45 minutes they played hard & I just kept thinking about all the Spring, Summer & Fall days that are just ahead where we will be sitting on the deck, watching the Royals on TV, Justin will be grilling hamburgers & we will be having drinks with friends all while our little kids are running, laughing & playing in the yard. I can't wait for those days to begin! 

So here is the official South invite. First Saturday with 60 degree weather--burgers are on us. & I know that before the BBQ even ends, we will be planning our next one. 

And if we can't be reached by phone (highly doubtful, my phone & camera are attached to my hips) you will know we are in the backyard making more memories with the boys! Some come on over & join the fun!

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If you need a company to help install or in our case INSTALL COMPLETELY, you should really check out Rec Installations--they were GREAT. They knew everything about the set we bought--this particular guy has done over 1000 swing sets himself. They also do basketball goals and lot of other recreational equipment. 

http://www.recreationinstallations.com/

Ask for Steve and mention our name, they do a referral program for both sides! Plus they often have a $25 coupon in the Value-Paks.