This is the picture of....

PURE JOY! My son asked every Santa we saw for a bike, and alas! He got it! Happy Happy Joy Joy!

But lets back up a bit, our Christmas vacation began with us going for a ride on the Georgetown Express. It was a ton of fun, if not a little chilly. Santa and Mrs. Clause came for a visit and the kids were the bell of our train car. Well mostly Sloan, she was decked out and smiled at everyone who would look her way. Gavin was getting round two of the flu, but more on that later.

Our Christmas was great, we hosted Xmas Eve with my family and Greg's. It was a full house and I think everyone had a great time. I never saw much of the kids, so I am thinking they had a blast in the basement. Our Christmas morning was great, Gavin was a late sleeper and I finally had to wake him up! He was very excited to see his NEW BIKE, tent, sleeping bag, etc. He really liked everything, it was just a little overwhelming. He would open something and then want to play with it, instead of continuing on and finish unwrapping everything. Sloan seemed to enjoy the day also, I think she was most content with the tissue paper. We all had a wonderful Christmas and hope you did too!

Now onto our shit storm that has once again hit our house. ONCE AGAIN I SAY, SERIOUSLY???? Gavin has had an ongoing cough/cold/flu/exploding poop/puking/puking in Daddy's hands. Now he has walking pneumonia/constipation/a fever and to top it off pink eye! We found this out while at the doctor today, once again. This is our 5th trip to the doctor office since the week after Thanksgiving. 5th freaking time. Will this child never get well?

So we are hoping for a very Happy New Year, along with a healthy one! Merry Belated Christmas and a Happy New Year to you and your family!

Baby It's Cold Outside

Sloan and Gavin looking super happy. Sloan really does not like attempting to eat "food".

It is starting to snow as I write this. FINALLY! Maybe we will actually get a white Christmas. I am not holding my breath though!

My lack of having my crap together this year has made me a slacker with my cards. So if you are wondering if I forgot you this year, no. I just finally finished my cards on Wednesday night and then forgot them in the car yesterday. So I am hoping to get out today and get them sent. Who knows though, I may forget them again. And yes, it is some pictures of the kids and dogs. Crash's pic is a little fuzzy, but that is because we put him in soft focus- he is the oldest. He needs it!

Here are one of the only the 4 pictures I took in Steamboat at Thanksgiving. We had a great time!

Here are some other pictures of the kids meeting Santa and Mrs. Clause. I can't believe how well they did. Sloan just won them over and poor Gavin, we did this in the midst of his flu/cold week with a raging fever. But he did better than he did last year.

I will try and do a post next week of our lovely tree(s), hopefully some snow on the ground, some pictures of the house, and our exciting train ride on Saturday in Georgetown. There will be a special guest to surprise the kids!

Bah Humbug

That is somewhat how I am feeling right now. I have a boy that WILL NOT GET BETTER. We took him to the doctor today for the THIRD TIME since Sunday morning and still....NOTHING. He may have MONO? What, what is that? And can we know for sure if that is what he has? Or does he have Strep? Because we have now taken 2 cultures and it came back negative, but wait, he may still have it. AGGHHH! Let me tell you the JOY, JOY I SAY, that my son is right now. Not only is he sleeping about 2 hours a night and then moaning and groaning for the next 6 while withering in pain, but he has not eaten anything but Popsicles for over 2 days. He now has it down pat that if he starts feeling like he is going to throw up he runs to the toilet. It is great, after he power barfed on our bed Sunday and then did the same on our couch the next day. Or he carries around his "pot" that he spits in. NO MORE! I want a well kid, because he is miserable and in turn is turning me into a shrew. Stir crazy is my middle name right now. Poor Sloan got her shots on Monday so hasn't been her peach of a self lately either. I need normalcy.

On that note, we have had our beautiful tree up since Saturday. SATURDAY. We have now just finally decorated it, on Wednesday. I have yet to even think of Xmas cards. I don't even know if I will get them out. I hope I will, but I really don't want to take Gavin to Santa looking like hell warmed over and spewing chunks. Yes, I just resorted to being 12.

Sloan, Sloan, Sloan, our little devil. She seriously sounds like it. She completely makes these crazy devilish noises while motoring all over or when you change her. It is actually very funny. She is very vocal and chatty. Today Greg worked from home, and at one point we looked at each other and asked, "who was that?" We thought Sloan had spoken an actual word. She kind of did, but not intentionally. She is very cute and very advanced. I am not ready for her moving all over the house and teeth yet. Oh well.

A few very cute quotes from my son this week:

While we were fighting over what to watch on TV (yes, when he is sick and feverish that is all we do), he said "Mickey Mouse Clubhouse" and I said, "No, I am sick of Mickey." He just looked at me and said, "Well Mommy you aren't the one sick." Seriously I got upstaged by a 2 year old.

When Sloan was crying, he said to her, "Sissy don't cry, Mommy will always love you and take care of you." He is the nicest little boy to his sissy goo goo. I literally started crying.

Tonight, while decorating the tree, Gavin was coughing. I reminded him to cover his mouth, "so we all won't get sick." He responded with his favorite word, "WHY?" I said, "well because if Mommy and Daddy were sick, who would take care of you?" His little witty response was, "my doctor."

The kid has a great memory and very quick on the come backs.

There won't be any pictures until I figure out my computer. I had a virus and Jerry took it over to correct the problem and since I have had it back, my camera won't download to my pictures. I am sure it is operator error, but having a sick kid I haven't had much time to figure it out. I am actually doing this after they are in bed. Then we will be off to bed, getting about 5 hours of sleep for the past 5 nights does not a body good.

HUGE NEWS BEFORE I SIGN OFF. My hubby got great news from his job, that not only will he be keeping his director title, but he is getting more responsibility, more people and moving up two levels in the company from where he is now. YEA! We celebrated last night with a couple of glasses of champagne, in the midst of holding Gavin's hair while he was puking. FUN TIMES I TELL YOU!

Whoops

There will not be a post this week and maybe not for awhile. I let my son take the camera into a pile of leaves a few weeks ago. Greg and Gavin were raking and jumping into the piles. Anyway I can't get my camera to work. So???? I may be asking Santa for a new one!

Plus it has been a little chaotic around here. Gavin is catching a cold and so am I. Greg got his "MANHOOD" taken today and is loving frozen pees, while I am being nurse maid. Sloan....well she is not so adorable lately. Her sleeping is out the FREAKING DOOR! She is up constantly through the night. I don't know if it is the cold she is getting or the 4 TEETH she is getting at the moment. It is fun. FUN FUN FUN I TELL YOU. This week alone, I think my total nightly average of sleep is 5 hours. And that is on a good night. Ugh. Today is her 4 month birthday and still NO HAIR!

At Last

Ok, finally Halloween! It was a busy week for us that is for sure! But here is our 'Ween in pictures:
The Friday before Halloween, Gavin had a party at his school. It was very fun and we realized that the girls out number the boys about 3-1 in his class. No wonder he only talks about 1 other boy! He does talk quite a bit about some of the girls though, it is very cute.

The carving, I love the pose of Gavin annoyed. He is so my child! We had a fun time and he actually got more into it, especially the drawing on the pumpkins (can you see all the black marker residue?) and the stabbing of the pumpkins. It worried me for a minute, but it may just be a way for him to get his frustration out on being a 2 year old and having parents that have hardly any patience lately. Who knows.....

On Halloween day it was a nice day so we were all outside playing, Sloan of course in her Halloween onesie and Gavin in his scary shirt! Too cute!

That night we got our outfits on and headed over to a neighbors for some chili and drinks. We then piled onto the trailer to do some trick or treating. Gavin had a ball! He loved getting off and on the float and going up to the neighbors and saying "TRICK OR TREAT!" He was usually always the last one to get up there. It was so fun and it turned out to be such a nice night!

I also threw in some random pictures of our week. I decided to go to Target a few days after and buy some of the costumes 50-70% off. I thought, even if the kids don't want to be it next year, they would be good for dress up. I think Elvis looks dashing as a cowboy!

SCARY BONES!

On another note, my little missy has 3 teeth coming in. AT THE SAME TIME! sheesh.

Halloween

Here is a pic to tide you over until I get the time to do a BIG BLOG on our super duper fun Halloween, complete with Pumpkin carving, Party at Gavin's school, slaying some vermin, a lot of witches, hay ride and of course passing around a flask!

Never fear, our wonderful Spiderman will save the day of his baby Ladybug!

Seriously adorable, but WHEN IS SLOAN GOING TO GET HAIR! And we are still not sure of why Gavin picked Spidy to be his costume, he has never seen, watched, read anything about him. Oh well, he is still wearing it around the house....

Sloan is now rolling over onto her tummy (she started this last week) while sleeping and holding her own bottle. I had a break down when I realized she is not going to be my baby for FOREVER!

Greg and I are off tomorrow to the Ameristar to win BIG and celebrate Linda's bday. Wish us luck!

I am trying....

Our beautiful trees and Papa's motorcycle. Love, Love, Love Fall!

Bellow is my only burning bush that burned.

I am trying to not let Sloan have the younger child syndrome. You know the one, no pictures of them, no videos, no baby book (I still haven't bought one for her- not for lack of trying though!) etc. I noticed that I have not taken a lot of pics of her lately. So I am trying to make more of an effort of just her. I mean, she is adorable and photogenic. It is just me being a slacker.

So here are some pictures of my baby girl, who just turned 3 months old! I can't believe she is getting so big. Still being wonderful, sleeping like a champ. I did have a rough day last Friday with both her and Gavin. One of those days that both kids were just out of whack and could not be consoled. I think I cracked open a bottle of wine about 2. It was THAT KIND OF DAY. We were supposed to go have dinner for Tony's birthday that night and Greg ended up leaving with Sloan as soon as we got there. She was crying that hard. Gavin and I stayed & partook in the fiesta and I drank a few margaritas (Marv & Mom drove us home). Good times!

I think we figured out she may be getting a tooth in. Not fun. She has been a drooling fool and not her perfect little self. Don't get me wrong, she is still sleeping wonderfully, it is the rest of the 12 hour day that she has some little "melt downs". It is definitely a new side. With Gavin we did not deal with this so early. Teeth, rolling over (she did a half roll today with the help of Daddy), hating the bouncy, hating the swing (since one week old); she has taken a liking to the saucer. I don't think Gavin was in it for another month. Great, next thing I know she will be getting boobies and starting her period. S#*T! Having a girl may very well put me and Greg into the loony bin.

Oh well, at least she is adorable! As is our pumpkins Gavin and I decorated! We had a blast and I am still trying to get glue glitter out of our clothes. We will actually carve them on Friday. Friday will be a big day for us, with a play date with a little girl in his class in the morning, heading to his school for trick or treating that afternoon in his costume and then carving that night. Busy Busy! Sunday will once again have us out on a hay ride trick or treating with our neighborhood friends. Look for pics of my handsome boy being Spiderman and my little Ladybug!

Please note, NOT ONE PIC OF GAVIN! It was hard, but alas, I am trying! I had to throw this pic of Elvis in, him licking his nose - gross, but funny. Just don't ask me about his gas today, DAMN NEAR KILLED US! Something seriously crawled up his bum and died. True story.

A Whole Lot of Stuff!

Ok, where to begin..... I love fall, I love October for 2 things, Halloween and my birthday! Oh, I guess three things- the leaves turning on the trees. One of the things I wanted for my birthday was to take a drive and see the aspens. So we bundled up Sloan, left Gavin with the Kunz's and headed out, here are some pics of that drive....

As you can tell, I took them all from inside the car, either through the window or out of the sun roof. Yes, that is how we do it!

We also did some celebrating for both my Mom and I at a bbq Mom and Marv hosted. Some pics of the kids, being kids. I love, love, love, the fact that they are all cracking each other up. Gavin loves his cousins so much and is so lucky to have them close by!

Last weekend we ventured out to Anderson Farm, always a good time (can you hear the sarcasm in my voice?). Sloan slept 2 out of 3 hours being there. Gavin had a great time, with the grandparents and his cousins. It was very crazy and crowded, but overall a fun day. Sloan looked adorable as my little ladybug.

Here are some randomness from our days at home. All of us on the floor playing together. I love the fact that Crash is not only protecting Sloan, but also the puzzle pieces (note his foot on it). Love these type of days.

I will snap some photos of our adorable pumpkins that we finally decorated on Sunday. Along with our gorgeous trees, they just finally turned this week! They look awesome, Gavin and I go out every day and look at them.

I know, I know

I have been slack about updating. It has been a fun, yet crazy few weeks. And to be honest, I really have forgotten to take any pictures the past few weeks and to update. I will try to do a lengthy post about my birthday month thus far, driving in the mountains to look at colors, roofers, dogs, my adorable kids, Pumpkin Farms, and much more.

My.....

Baby girl has now slept through the night 3 nights in a row! Today I was thinking I had to wake her up, BECAUSE IT WAS 8:00AM and we needed to feed her, get ready and take Gavin to school. And yes, I do say, MY BABY. I am the sleeper in this family, not Greg. She is definitely taking after me... I am a lucky Mommy.

Home Alone

That has been my weekend- Home Alone. But not really! Last night the kids and I headed over to my sister's house for movie night and that is the movie we watched. Gavin actually got some popcorn for the first time too. A big night indeed!

Sloan....my Little Miss. She slept through the night last night. And not just what some people consider sleeping all night- 6 hours. Nope, my girl slept 9 HOURS! She woke up at 6ish, ate, played for about 45 minutes and went back to sleep. She is conked out in front of me on the table while I write this. She is so darn cute, smiling, cooing, just overall being a peach. The first three pictures I took this morning- her smiling and Gavin with his memorabilia on...more of that to come.

Our weekend alone has been very well, out of the three nights, the kids have been with me 2 of those. Of course both those nights Gavin has ended up in bed with me. Nothing like getting kicked in the face or head butted at 3 in the morning! Such a joy. You would think with a king sized bed it wouldn't be bad. Alas, it is, it is like sleeping with an octopus that is wearing boots.

Gavin had a special treat yesterday with Grandma and Papa, they went to Thomas the Train. Very exciting for a 2 year old! I think overall he had a great day. Lucky boy.

I am ready for Greg to be home and I think so is Gavin. It is possible we get on each others nerves????