A Year In Review

Nothing like waiting until the last minute.  Well, not exactly the last, but it's pretty close.

2012 has been a year of such fun for our family.  There have been so many amazing and grand adventures we've had together.  The memories are priceless and the moments are captured in our hearts forever.

Just like any other year, we've had good days, great days and "wish we could do this one over kind of days."  No matter the day, no matter the event, there isn't a day that I would go back and trade though...for each of those moments help to make us who we are today.

Just a snippet of our year...

• Reilly became a successful non stop, always chattering, talking machine.  For the early struggles we went through with his speech, we are so very grateful that he doesn't ever stop now.  I love hearing about the world through his eyes.  He always has something profound to say, often something that stops us in our tracks, makes us laugh or forces us to stop and appreciate the little things in life.
• We spent a fun weekend in Ohio at a water park with some family.  It was one of those spontaneous, pack your bags, we're leaving in 20 minutes kind of trips.  So. Much. Fun.
• We were able to get away and spend Dave's 40th birthday at a beautiful little cabin by the Smokey Mountains.  Keely and Jeff were able to go with us and make memories that we'll always treasure.
• Reilly was potty-trained.  Hello raise to our monthly income!
• Rei had his first overnight slumber parties at Aunt Keely and Uncle Jeff's and Aunt Kim and Uncle Glenn's houses while I was at camp with my students.
• Dave and I should have invested in a broccoli farm for all that our son has eaten this past year.  F.A.V.O.R.I.T.E!
• We spent many summer days with our hands in play-doh, our feet walking around the neighborhood, our arms propelling us through swimming pool waters and our voices talking about anything and everything.
• I was able to fulfill my wish of seeing black bears up close...like 20 feet away up close.  I was in heaven.
• I was able to watch a very dear friend become a mommy, learn what unconditional love is and be a small part of their journey of having a child with special needs. 
• I was able to celebrate with another dear friend the news of becoming a mommy in 2013 and at the same time celebrate an engagement of marriage.
• I learned through very close connections what having a very best friend really means.
• Reilly and I can probably recite the zookeepers talks about all of the zoo animals, and I'm fairly certain I can give you most of their names from our many hours spent wandering around the zoo this summer.
• Reilly and I spent 4 days of fun in Ohio this summer at the Longaberger Bee with some very special ladies.
•  Reilly made the transition from the amazing Ms. Monica in the Farm Room at GCC to the Garden Patch room for 3 year olds.
• We were lucky enough to spend a very special Caillou filled 3 year birthday party with our friends and family.
• We were forced to say goodbye to Gramma Moroni...much too soon.
• We celebrated Halloween many times over with Brady...Reilly went as Mickey Mouse and Brady was a piece of cheese.
• Dave started a new job and was promoted to group leader within a couple of months.
• Dave and I feel confident that we watched just about every episode of Caillou that was every produced.
• The three of us can now speak whale fluently, due to the number of times we've watched Finding Nemo in the last month.
• We can also recite Toy Story 3 (1, 2, 3 Toy Story is what Reilly calls it) by heart, as well as Cars and Cars 2. 
• Reilly had his second surgery--adenoids out, second set of tubes in and a nasal scope.

There are so many other things that we've gotten to do this past year...our days are filled with excitement and love.  Being a mommy and a wife is by far the best thing God has ever allowed me to do...I'm so thankful that 2012 was spent with my favorite people.

I'm so looking forward to making new, wonderful memories in 2013!

Happy New Year!

The Greatest Gift of All....

It's December.

 December means a lot of things.

 Shopping.  Crazy drivers on Grape Road.  Gift wrapping.  Carol singing.  Elves swinging from ceiling fans.  Enormous amounts of calorie intakes.  Snow falling.  Hot cocoa drinking nights.  Candy cane licking.

December has always meant a lot of things.   Just all sorts of fun things.

When I was growing up, Christmas in our house looked like most others in the neighborhood.  We had the ol' (and when I say ol', I mean ANTIQUE-FADED-LOSING IT'S PAINT) Frosty that lit up outside, along with the ol' (see above for the same definition) Santa face that hung on our fence.  We spent most of December patiently (OK, maybe not so patiently) waiting for Dad to climb up to the attic and get down the tree so he could do his part in hanging the lights, and then we could decorate the tree.  Looking back, I think something I appreciate now that I never did back then was the fact that we didn't use traditional ornaments on our tree.  Ever.  Only ornaments that the three of us girls made or ones that were specially purchased for us.

Christmas Eve was kind of a tradition...the three of us girls had to sleep in the basement on the couches together, so we would be sure to hear Santa upstairs when he delivered our gifts.  It never failed...sometime Christmas Eve night or early Christmas morning, one of us would have to go to the bathroom.  It didn't happen the other 364 days of the year, but it sure did happen that night.  And of course, if one of us had to go upstairs to the bathroom, we had to take a least one buddy with us.  Although the tree wasn't on the way to the bathroom, I remember creeping around for the first peek of the presents under the tree.

There are Christmas Mornings that I know I will never forget.  Like the year we made our potty trip upstairs and our living room had been turned into a Cabbage Patch Dreamland.  Everything Cabbage Patch. D.R.E.AM.Y.

There were so many great gifts that I received growing up.  Although our family never had a ton of money, we always had a really great Christmas morning because most of our "wants" were fulfilled.

Looking back, I realize now that the greatest gift I was ever given was on the day I was born.  I was lucky enough to be born into a family where two other girls came before me.  I was born a sister to two of the most amazing girls I'll ever know.

I'm not gonna lie and say I've always felt this way.  Kim, Keely and I fought.  Man did we fight.  Like, ALL THE TIME.  We spent many an hour in our bedrooms because we couldn't not fight.  We just fought.  About everything.

We're all older now.  There are not two greater influences in my life than my sisters.  They are my role models.  My heroes.  My people I call when I'm having a bad day.  My people I call when I'm having a good day.  My best friends.  My examples of how I should act.  My examples of the person I want to be.  My listening ears when I need to talk.  My "Get it together--you're acting like a fool" reality check.  They are my everything.  I honestly don't know what I would do without them.  They are the best sisters I could have ever hoped for.  The best Aunts my son could have.  The best sister-in-laws my husband could have dreamed of. They truly are both the best people I know.

I love my sisters a lot.  But on the 19th of December every year, I love them just a little bit more.

 December 19th of 1996 is the day God called my mom to Heaven.  My two sisters are the reason I made it through the second half of my senior year of high school.  They, with the help of my dad, are the reason I had a graduation party.  They got me through college.  They get me through each day.

I see my Mom in each one of my sisters.  If I had to give up a parent at such an early age, I'm so very thankful that God left me with these two to look up to.  My Mom left really, really big shoes to fill...Keely and Kim are doing a fantastic job and there is not a day that goes by that I know my Mom is looking down on us and proud of who we are and the boys we're raising.

 After Reilly's surgery at the beginning of the month...we couldn't leave until he had drank his juice.  Guess who made that happen?  MY SISTERS!

Aunt Keely may have had some "leftovers that he forgot to swallow" running down her back.

Twelve.

It's the 12th day of the 12th month of the 12th year (after 2000 that is) and there's no better way to celebrate this day than with a blog.

I've thought long and hard all day about the best blog I could do.

I've got nothing.  Zip.  Zero.  Nothing has inspired me.

Therefore, I'm going to ramble.  Really just to say that I blogged on 12/12/12.

I apologize in advance.

This isn't going to be my best.  I know that from the get-go.  It's only fair to warn you.  So...you've been warned.  (And quite honestly, I'll never know if you stopped reading right here.  It's still going to show up on my blog views as if you read the entire thing.  It's a win for both of us, really.)

I decided to describe the 12 feelings I'm having right now, on this 12th day of the 12th month of the 12th year.

1.  BLESSED--I have so many amazing things in my life.  My husband, my son, my dad and step-mom, my sisters, my brother in laws, my nephew, my friends.  Just everything.  I am a better person because of who I am related to and who I spend my days with surrounded by. 

2.  SCATTER-BRAINED--It's seriously 13 days before Christmas and I don't know if I'm coming or going.  Really.  HAVE. NO. CLUE.

3.  HOPEFUL--I never give up hope that a house elf will soon show up and start to do chores around my house that I never seem to get to.  Just a few things...laundry, dishes, dust, vacuum, sweep, toilets, sink, you know...not much!  Oh, and I need the elf to use it's magic powers to grow a money tree so I can then pay it for it's elfly duties.

4.  IN PAIN--I'm pretty convinced Dave kicked the snot out of my ankle last night in the 2.3 minutes I actually slept.  He claims he didn't, and I'm certain I would have woken up with the amount of pain I'm in today, but it's my story and I'm sticking to it.

5.  APOLOGETIC--I'm so very sorry for the residents, teachers and students in the state of Florida.  As soon as you read the paper and find out who the new School Commissioner is, you'll know why.

6.  SAD--This coming week marks another anniversary of the day my Mom was called to Heaven.  There is not a day that goes by that I don't miss her, talk to her and see her in my son's mischievous ways.  This will also be the first Christmas season that we go through without Gramma.  I can perfectly picture her sitting in her chair on Christmas Day, surrounded by all her great-grand kids, giggling right along with them when my Aunt Anna passes out all the singing toys.

7. EXHAUSTED--Did I mention I got 2.3 minutes of sleep last night?

8.  BEFUDDLED--In case you hadn't heard, my son wants a real live penguin AND a real live peacock for Christmas.  This is the first year he's really into the Santa thing, and I know there's going to be some disappointment on Christmas morning when nothing under the tree has a heart beat.

9.  THANKFUL--I'm so very thankful for all the blessings I have in my life.  See Blessed.

10.  COLD--Evidently a tank top and pajama pants aren't going to cut it for Dreamland tonight.  That's provided I get to visit at any point in the coming hours.

11.  MISSING MY FRIENDS--I hate when life gets in the way of really great friendships.  Not like in the way in the way, but you know, just prevents you from making face to face contact on a regular basis.  I have some of the most amazing friends, some that I work with, some that work other places, and it feels like I rarely get to see them.  I know that our friendships run so deep that we can pick right up where we last left off, but it sure would be nice to see them more often.

12.  HAPPY--I'm just happy.  I have a good life.  I have a great family, set of friends, job.  Life is good.


Kudos if you've made it this far in this blog.  I appreciate your dedication.

A New Kind Of Tradition

Some may think I'm addicted to Pinterest.  In my defense, I feel I can say with certainty that I'm not the only one.  Everyone, nearly everyone I know, falls into the same category.  There's just so much to do.  So much to see.  So much to plan.  So much to pin.  Aww...the insanity.

I will admit that I've actually cooked/baked/created/invented/copied/produced only about an eighth of the amazing things I've found and pinned.  It was a summer goal.  Oops.  We got some in, but just not nearly enough.

One thing that I pinned a while back was something that I've thought out every day.  I didn't want to forget, so I constantly reminded myself about it.  December finally rolled around and I remembered.  I was pretty proud of myself.

Some genius, far smarter than I am, kind of mom thought up this idea and I fell in love. 

The idea is to purchase 24 books for your child. Sure, that's a lot of books, sure that could be a lot of money...but...umm....seriously...who can balk at buying books for your kid? (I realize this could be the teacher in me talking.)  Instead of having some sort of Advent Calendar (I'm sure you could do both...we're starting small!), the process is to wrap up all 24 books (I may look into paying someone to do this next year!) and put them in a basket.  Each evening, before bed, your child gets to choose a "present" from the basket and open it up.  The book they open then becomes the bedtime story for that night. Even Reilly can count through how many books we have left to open, which is how many days we have left until Santa comes.

 UMMM.....HELLO!  Genius!

I'm not gonna lie.  I had my doubts as to whether this would work with a three year old.  However, I am in love.  LOVE I tell you.  This has seriously changed the bedtime routine at our house.  We've always tried to be the good parents who read to Rei before he goes to bed.  However, if you've met my always-on-the-go-never-stop-moving-until-he-falls-into-a-deep-sleep kid...you can imagine just how fun it was to try to convince him to sit still long enough to get in a couple pages, let alone a book.

About 20 minutes before bedtime, everything gets shut off but the Christmas tree in our house.  Phones, television, electronics, computers...everything.  All three of us sit down on the couch next to the tree and share the new book that Reilly has opened.  It is seriously amazing.  Not only does Reilly leave the other gifts under the tree alone, (he knows his are in the basket), we have a constant way to count how many days until Santa comes, we get 24 new books in our library and we spend quality, uninterrupted family time each night.

LOVE

As a matter of fact, I loved the idea so much, we bought a set for the amazing Ms. Betsy...so now Reilly gets to share our new tradition with his friends, and we're helping build her library, too.

Three

I knew for a long time that I wanted to be a mommy.  So when Dave and I got the news nearly four years ago, I fell instantly in love.  I had imagined it was going to be a great gig, with lots of benefits and rewards.

I never knew it would change my life.  As in, nothing would ever be the same.  Ever.  And, I wouldn't change it for the world.

God blessed me by picking me to be the mommy to my sweet little Rei-Guy.  I am blown away each and every day about how amazing this little person is, and just when I think I can't love him anymore than I already do, he proves me wrong.

His smile.  His eyes.  His tender heart.  His super smart brain.  His little hands that touch everything.  His mouth that never stops moving (yep, he even talks in his sleep.).  His little feet that are always on the go.  His little bum that now works just like it should.  His caring personality.  His love for his cousin.  His "love you's" that I get to hear at random times, (especially when he's done something wrong).  His passing for life.  His EVERYTHING. 

I have such trouble wrapping my brain around the fact that he's been present in my life for 3 entire years now.  I am frantically searching for a "pause" button.  I need it so that I don't forget a day we spend together, a phrase he says that has me laughing out loud, an expression he makes that reminds me of my Mom and Uncle Ron (I'm pretty sure he's channeling both of them on certain days!) or a silly gesture he makes.

Being a mommy has taught me that no matter what life hands me, or the road it takes me down, I still have the best job in the world.  I get to come home to unconditional love, hugs and sloppy kisses, an endless supply of trucks, trains and play-doh and a place where blowing bubbles in the living room makes everything blissful.  Who could ask for anything more?!?!?!?!?!

My Dear Sweet Three Year Old,

          I am so thankful I get to spend my life being your mommy.  You make me smile everyday.  I absolutely love watching you explore the world, get to know the person you are becoming, solve problems without help, embrace the world and smile because you only know happiness.  You make Daddy and I better people by the lessons you teach us everyday.

        Here are some things that make you, YOU, at 3 years old.

• You love Caillou.  We can get you to do anything if we tell you that Caillou wants you to do it, or that Caillou would do it himself. 
• You love broccoli.
• One of your very favorite things to do is snuggle on the couch or in Mommy and Daddy's bed with one or both of us.
• You love, love, love your friends at Ms. Betsy's.  Especially Halee and Carson.  But mostly Halee.
• Ever since we went to see the Pediatric Gastronology Specialist, you are a potty pro.  You go all day (wearing a pull-up) but never having an accident.
• You love spending time with both Aunties and Uncles. 
• Peanut Butter Cups are your most favorite treat.
• You're still such a peanut.  Someday, we'll grow out of your 12-18 month shirts and your waist of your pants will fit (we have to wear 2T, but they just fall off unless we tape or rope them!)  An example of how tiny you still are; You just rolled into the play room, sitting on a toy ambulance (that you can still fit on!) shouting, "Look at me!"
• Your cousin, Brady, is one of your very best friends.
• You prefer to play with anything that has wheels and makes noise.
• Playing outside in the dirt will keep you busy longer than anything else.  Especially if we let you take a truck out to drive through the dirt with.
• If we aren't in the same room, we can always find you by listening for the song you're singing.
• You very proudly count to 12 at all hours of the day.
• You are an amazing problem solver.
• You are persistent in everything.  Especially if it's something you really, really, want.
• You love to play Tozzle on our iPhone.
• You're imagination inspires me.
• You're very favorite person in the world is your Daddy.
• You love ice-cream cones.
• You hate footie pajamas.
• Your smile lights up a room, your little voice makes everyone who hears it smile, your love of life is an inspiration to everyone you meet.

           You are amazing, Reilly Allexander.  Mommy and Daddy love you so very much.  You are the light of our lives and the joy in our hearts.  Thank you for letting us be your Mommy and Daddy and teaching us so many important lessons.  We love you forever.

                                                                                Love,

                                                                                            Mommy

I Heart Fall

Just the other day, while enjoying a not so warm cup of supposed-to-be-hot-cider-but-my-boy-had-other-plans, I was thinking about fall.  It seems, the older I get, the more I love fall.  Everything about it.  The temperatures.  The colors.  The foods. The fun.  The EVERYTHING. 

We decided that Friday was a beautiful fall evening, so we headed to Beutter Park to enjoy the colors and just being together.

 Beautiful

 This big guy was out enjoying the beautiful fall day, too!

 Searching for the perfect dinner

 My boys

 Have we ever talked about how cute this kid is????

 Like father, like son

 I just can't get enough of him!

 This area is by far one of the best hidden treasures in Mishawaka...lived around here all my life and never knew it existed...

 "You see that statue way up there???"

 Reilly's turn to take a picture

 Every fall evening should include dancing in a gazebo with one of the loves of your life...

 I love the memories we are making...

 A well kept secret...that I'm now sharing with everyone I see



Unconditional Love

I try to be a good person. A really good person.  Most of the time.  I know that I struggle, I know I mess up, I know I'm not perfect.  But I sure do try.

My friends mean the world to me.  I try to be someone they can count on, call if they need help, support when they're in a trial and someone they are proud to call their friend.

I pray that in the span of our friendships, I'm able to teach all these very dear people at least one thing.  I owe it to them.  I learn something from each and every one of them every single day.  It's only fair that I try to give something back to them for all I take for myself.  Many of my friends are moms or teachers.  So they all have things that teach me how to be a better person, and I am an anxious student, who is always willing to learn.

Lisa, one of my dearest friends, has been in my life for quite a while now.  We met at IUSB, as were both studying to become teachers.  So maybe around 13-14 years now.  Lisa has been an amazing friend, who I've watched struggle, succeed, learn, grow, teach and love.  I'm not sure she knows just how much I've learned from her in our friendship.

I always knew Lisa was going to a fantastic mommy, and couldn't wait for that day to come.  I knew I would learn even more from just watching her love her little one.

Little did I know, that I would learn more from Lisa in 6 months of her being a mom, than I would ever expect to learn in a lifetime.

I was honored to be with Lisa the day after Sophia was born.  I was honored to be there to support her when she was weak, when she needed friends and unconditional love.  I thought I was going to be her support, little did I know, I was going to be changed for the better for watching her blast through a trial that could have weakened a giant.

I feel like I have been privileged to know the Brooks' Family and walk their journey with them.  We were honored that they asked us to join them last week for this amazing day!

 4 H Fairgrounds

 Reilly was a huge fan of the fun games they had!

 A little golf does a body good

 Not quite sure he was supposed to walk up and put it right in, but I think his cuteness helped him get aways with it!

 Some tutu adjusments are necessary

 Unconditional, unwavering love.

 Reilly really does love "Baby Fia" however...it was nap time.

 The amazing Brooks' Family

 Aunt Keely's turn to partake in some game playing

 Gettin' ready to get our walk on!

 Sophia's Supporters

My family was so very blessed to spend last Saturday celebrating Beautiful Sophia at the Buddy Walk in South Bend.  We are better because of it.

Now, That's Real Love

Love is a funny thing.  It pops up in all sorts of strange places.  It comes when we least expect it.  It causes us to act in funny ways.  It makes us say funny things.  It makes us put others before ourselves.  It makes us smile.  It makes us sad.  It makes us happy. It makes us giddy.  It makes us who we are.

Exactly 5 years ago today, I was anxiously awaiting the start of my NEW life, with my NEW husband, with my NEW house, with my NEW dreams, with my NEW everything.  I remember the day like it was yesterday.  The most important people in my life were anxiously awaiting right there with me.  They were ready to dab away nervous tears, fix any last minute dress issues, sign their names as witnesses and hold bouquets when they need to!

I have had the privilege of being married to my best friend for 5 years today.  We've created a life together.  We created a son together.  We have created so many darn memories, I'm afraid my head will get full and I'll start to forget them. 

I'm not the mushy-gushy-marriage-is-pure-bliss-and-we've-never-fought-and-are-always-as-happy-as-we-seem kind of gal.  I'm gonna be real.  Marriage is hard.  Really HARD.  But there has not been a trial we've gone through, a path we've journeyed or a trail we've walked that I would trade for the world. 

Each step we've taken together, or those we've gone fighting against one another, has gotten us to the point we are today.  A point that I love.  I get to go to sleep and wake up next to my best friend each and every day.  (Okay, let's be realistic...not EVERY day...)

So as the  big day was approaching upon us, Dave was putting a lot of thought into the perfect gift.  I know this because he kept asking random (but I was onto him) kind of questions that were just odd.

Last Wednesday, in an all sorts of serious manner, this is the conversation we had at dinner.

Dave--"Hey Babe.  I've put a lot of thought into your gift and I know what I'm going to get you for our anniversary."
Me--"Ok, but I'd like to be surprised."  (He's not always the best at waiting until the big day for any holiday!)
Dave--"I know, but I think you're really going to like it."
Me--"Ok, (still trying to get him to keep it a secret) but let's wait until Saturday."
Dave--(In an explosive manner, because he simply can't keep it in) "I'm going to let you put up the Christmas Tree on Saturday."
Me--(As I'm running up to hug him!) "YES!!!! You were so right in figuring out the perfect gift!  And that is why I love you."

Now, before everyone starts blowing up my phone yelling about not putting up the Christmas Tree yet...we haven't put it up.  But that doesn't mean we aren't going to.  Soon.  Very soon!  Because now I don't have to fight about when it's appropriate to put it up.  We're good to go."

And that my friends, is REAL LOVE.

Questions That Have "Sprouted" Up

I have a two year old.  Which means many things.  The main thing it means is we, as in the adults in the house, have ABSOLUTELY NO CONTROL over the T.V.  EVER. NEVER, EVER, EVER.

If it were possible, we'd only need to subscribe to one channel.  Of course, that channel is the SPROUT channel.  It's the only thing we ever watch.  If the TV is turned on, and it's not already on 337, it's pretty much a full on panic attack by a certain member of our family.    The shortest member.  (That's not me anymore!)  If ever we try to sneak the TV on and he catches us, he makes this huge production of covering his eyes and ears and starts chanting, "I not watch this, I too little.  I can't watch it.  Change it, change it."  It's really rather ridiculous.  Disclaimer...we don't watch bad shows...that happens during the 5:00 news!

Earlier this summer, Reilly was content to watch whatever was on...in the order it came about.  However, now, he's not that simple.  He has his favorites.  And that's all he wants to watch.  ALL THE TIME.  Right now, we're very stuck on...




Oh, how we love Caillou!  (As in, I can pretty much recite each episode!)

However, back in the good ol' days, when we were allowed to branch out and watch the other Sprout shows...they made me think.  A lot.  Here are the questions that have "SPROUTED" up from watching channel 337.

• Why is Mama Bear from the Berenstein Bears ALWAYS wearing the same exact outfit?  Even when she's going swimming?
• Are little kids really supposed to know why Thomas is the cheeky one?  What exactly does cheeky even mean?
• Will Nina start to wear winter jammies soon?  I'm afraid her ankles are going to get quite chilly this winter...
• Why is Caillou 4 years old and still bald?  (I actually know the answer to this one...but I did spend a lot of time thinking about it.)
• How exactly do we get to Sesame Street?
• Why are the Berenstein Bears the only Bear Family that live in a tree when all the other Bear Families get to live in a regular house?
• How do the families that Shawn, Noodle and Doodle visit always know exactly when to be outside when the bus pulls up?
• Is Nina really the one making the sand picture?
• Does anyone ever feed Hush the Fish?
• Has anyone ever tested Jeff on the Wiggles for a sleep disorder?
• Do Sean, Kelly, Dennisha, Carly, and Chica really love their jobs that much?  Who is really that wide eyed and bushy tailed so early in the morning?

This is just a small dose of what's been on my mind while suffering enjoying the amazing world of Sprout.  I may just end up spending the evening googling some answers.

I Have An Ugly Pan!

Sometimes it pays to have ugly pans.  Today was one of those days!

My sisters, Kim and Keely, along with Bonnie, hosted a Longaberger Open House today and they challenged their guests to bring an ugly pan. 

I knew I had this one.

I have some ugly pans.

So I dug it out.  Not that I had to search hard, I still use it all the time.

And guess what?

I won!

Hooray!

Guess what else? 

I got a brand spanking I'd-never-be-able-to-afford-one-on-my-own  new FLAMEWARE PIZZA PAN!!!!

Hooray for having an ugly pan!

Hooray for having such amazing sisters and friend named Bonnie.

Thanks for my new pan, girls!

The Trouble With Butts

Yep.  This blog is about the trouble with butts.  Not the conjunction buts, but rather the back end of a person kind of butt.

(Disclaimer...this is not a butt that belongs to anyone I know!)

For those people that know the Woods' Family well, you've heard our trials regarding Reilly's fanny.  It doesn't always do what it's supposed to do.  As in, it never hardly ever releases the digested and processed food from his belly.  Let's be frank...the kid just doesn't poop.  Like ever.

This isn't a new issue.  We've been dealing with it for quite some time now.  We've chatted with people, we've taken medicine, we've done lots of suppositories, and we've even eaten special food and drank special drinks.  Heck, we've even prayed for poop.  A LOT.

After visiting the Dr. a couple of weeks ago, we've been taking 2 cap fulls of Miralax, 2 fiber gummies, 3 Tbsp. of mineral oil and really limiting the amount of dairy he's gotten each day.  Just last weekend I nearly did cartwheels down the aisle at Meijer when I found PRUNE ACTIVIA yogurt.  There's really no explainable way why this kid isn't running around constantly pooping...but it just isn't happening. 

Ms. Betsy (our babysitter)  is amazing and totally on board with trying to get Reilly to poop.  She takes such good care of him, does exercises that he's supposed to do and feeds him high fiber foods.  She also usually gives us a run down of diapers when we pick up since she knows we're tracking them closely.  We're so lucky she's a part of Reilly's life and his pooping progress. 

I got a phone call from our pediatrician on Friday that we were being sent to a specialist at Memorial, who will do some further investigating to see what's going on.

We also got some other news on Friday. 

News we weren't expecting.

News I'm not sure we were ready for.

News that doesn't make us proud.

Dave went to pick up Reilly from Ms. Betsy's after work on Friday and found this waiting for him.

And then Ms. Betsy began to tell Dave about Reilly's day.  She went to change his diaper earlier in the day and saw something strange.  (Remind me sometime to blog about what she found previously this week in his diaper.)  There was something in his diaper that didn't belong. 

I'll spare all the details, but let's just say, it hadn't completely passed.  She had to help.  And she saved it for us.  Luckily it's not a great picture.  (You should still skip this part if you are weak stomached!)

MY KID ATE A CAPRI-SUN STRAW.

AND WE HAD NO IDEA.

WE DON'T KNOW WHEN.

WE DON'T KNOW HOW.

WE DON'T KNOW WHY.

But he ate a straw, and Ms. Betsy had to pull part of it out.  Of his bum.

SERIOUSLY?

OH. MY. WORD.

I have no idea if this has been part of the pooping issue. Not that I'm excited that he ate and swallowed a straw, but I am praying that was issue and now that it's out, we'll get back to normal.    We've had some movement this weekend--more than usual, but still not enough.  My fingers are still crossed though.

Thank Goodness we have some pretty special guardian angels looking down on this crazy boy...we could have had some very serious issues with that silly straw.

Now...we're going to bed to pray for more poop.  We'd appreciate your prayers, too.

Sweet Summer Memories

Today is the day I've been dreading since June.  I knew it was coming.  I knew there was no way to get around it.  I just chose not to think about it.  Unfortunately, for about the last week and a half, it's been all I could think about.

Today is the LAST day of summer break.

If you're reading this and you're not a teacher--I understand that you don't get this.  But if you are a teacher, I know you GET this. Today is the LAST day before life gets crazy again.  Like, really crazy.

I'm almost certain, without even having to look, that I blogged another post about this same topic this time last year.  I'm sure it was all mushy about having to go back to school and how much the Mommy part of me was sad.

Looking back, I don't think last year had ANYTHING on this year.  This year is rough.  I have a feeling I'm going to keep saying this as the years go by and Reilly gets older and older.

Reilly is 2.5.  He's like a miniature man.  He's SO. MUCH. FUN.

We have spent the last 9 weeks making memories that are going to last forever.  These are days that I wouldn't trade for all the money in the world.  We have spent time with friends, family and strangers.  But some of my favorite times have just been the two of us. 

Just a snapshot of our summer days....

We've:

Snuggled. Played play-doh. Pretended to drive Daddy's car.  Built with blocks. Rode bikes.  Taken walks. Baked treats.  Played on the computer.  Went to work at school.  Taken Daddy lunch.  Played to the water park.  Visited Indiana Beach.  Played  on the swings.  Swam in the lake.  Been to Ohio.  Gone to the zoo.  Made volcanoes.  Visited friends.  Sang songs.  Mowed the grass.  Had picnics.  Watched Sprout.  Had cookouts..  Visited the animals.  Swept the floors.  Cleaned the toilets.  Went swimming.  Gotten boo-boos.  Been to the Farmer's Market.  Transitioned to a big boy bed.  Went potty on the big boy potty.  Blew bubbles.  Tye-dyed t-shirts.  Ran around.  Played tag.  Watched fireworks.  Visited festivals.  Danced.  Waved to the trash man.  Said hello to the mailman.  Colored pictures.  Went shopping.  AND MADE MEMORIES.

My mommy heart hurts this morning.  I know it won't be long until we've made the transition to our "normal life."  But for today, I'm going to snuggle extra along, sing extra loud, dance extra crazy and love extra hard so that my little man never forgets how much I treasure him .

Cousins

I have amazing memories of growing up surrounded by family.  As kids, we spent A LOT of time at my grandparents house at Bass Lake.  We were there practically all summer, and the memories are endless.

I can't even begin to count the hours we logged riding around on the golf cart, 4 wheeler, spending time on the paddle boat, swimming in the pool and eating fudgesicles on the deck.

No matter if we were at the lake, or up at our house...we were always with family it seemed. Cousins, aunts, uncles, grandparents, sisters, parents...just always had family around.

Every holiday was spent somewhere together.  It was awesome.

One of the worst things about growing up is that everyone else grows up too.  All of us have started our own families and our own lives fill up our time so we don't get to hang out as often as I would like.

So it's always a very special treat when we all make time to get together and hang out.  And super fun now that most of us have spouses and kids of our own.  It's unfortunate that they don't know each other as well as we did at their age...but the time we spend together is priceless.

We recently got to hang out my Grandma and Grandpa's house...with lots of cousins.  What a fun day it was catching up!  Here are just some of the pictures of the next generation playing...

 we should probably be concerned that the two youngest are in control of the golf cart...

 Just hangin' out waiting for a ride...

 We waited about 45 minutes for a 10 minute parade...

 Just some of the crew...

 We've got to be careful...these two are just about at the age to start causing some serious trouble together if left unattended.

 I love catching up!

 I wish I knew what made this huge laugh come out of this little lady!  Pure joy!

 Awe!

 Just playing some ball in G'ma and G'pas' yard!

 This is what happens when we put the dad's in charge...

I can only pray they have some of the same memories that I hold so dear in my heart...