Birthday party -take one!

Ian's birthday take one! My family came down to help with the kids for the weekend since Tim was working and I was still supposed to be recovering. The boys were beyond excited to have company again! As you can see they enjoyed wrestling with Hunter and his good friend Jackson!

At my request my family picked up a chocolate cake with buttercream frosting from Sam's club! Delicious!!! Hunter turned 14 years old on May 28, while Ian tuned 4 years old on May 29th. Ian always seems to remember "Hunter's birthday, then my birthday!"

Ian is loving his early birthday presents! I am sure you can't see why. We have also been loving it! He happy plays in his room on his own forever. I am also happy to say that he has been sleeping much better and nightmare's are becoming rare. Although he did come on night and inform me that I had indeed lied, "I had a bad dream, and you said that my bed protected me from bad dreams." Oops, I reminded him that I meant that it helps keep bad dreams away. Thankfully he nodded and accepted my corrected statement. Ian sleeps on the top and loves it! Plus he can't fall out which is great because he is a big mover. I love that he is holding up 4 fingers just incase you forgot how old he is!

Eventually Aaron will be sleeping on the bottom when he is ready for a bed. His crib mattress actually fits perfectly sideways on the bottom. For now it is a play zone! It has been used day and night. I used to have toys in the family room that I would interchange with others now all toys stay Ian's bedroom! 

The day had only just begun....Did I mentioned that Ian has been loving super heroes? 

Aaron could not be left out, he of course got some fun presents as well. His favorite being the windmill.

The boys had fun dressing up the rest of the day and pretending to be super heroes. 

Daddy got in on some of the fun as well!

Ian was so excited to celebrate his birthday early. Later that day he mentioned, "I had a birthday party today so I am four, then I get another birthday party next week so I will be five! Then I get to go to kindergarten!" While I loved his reasoning and logic it was sad to inform him that he did not get to go to kindergarten this coming year. He was still excited that he will get to go to preschool with his friends Kimball and Taft. 

On Sunday grandma gave the boys a haircut. Ian finally consented to have his hair cut a little shorter. He has been wanting it to be long like Rapunzel -love it!

My family headed home on Sunday morning and the boys and I enjoyed some cake after lunch. Both of them like the frosting and tend to leave the cake. Clearly it is the best part!

It was such a great weekend! Thanks to my family for coming down and helping out. The boys had a blast! Thanks to both of our families for the wonderful birthday gifts! Now to plan Ian's "five year old" birthday party :)

Surgery

This last week I had surgery to remove my gallbladder. I have been having problems with it for about 6 months so it was time to take care of it before summer.  I had to be at the hospital by 6:00 am on Tuesday morning -yuk! Luckily my brother Andrew and my mom came down and were able to help with the kids. Tim had worked that night so he was already at the hospital and met me there. They made me wear this completely horrendous looking robe that could have been wrapped around me a few times. However,A after surgery it was awesome because it is like a big electric blanket!

I was quite annoyed before surgery because they will not let you wear underwear and Tim was not allowed back in the room where they put you to sleep. Oh well. It was then time for the dreaded part -the IV. The same-day surgery nurse struggled with my IV and wasn't able to get it my vein so Tim just did it. He got it first time and was excellent at it, he even did his little IV dance/pose for the doctor. Since the IV took so long and I nearly passed out a couple times everything was a little behind schedule. So the anesthesiologist ended up just coming into my recovering room and pretty much knocked me out there -that is about all I remember of the entire day. The rest of the information is what Tim informed me after my surgery and about 5 times throughout the day since I was heavily drugged :) 

I do remember waking up in some random room with a bunch of people standing around other patients. I was just lying their and could not see very well. I finally shouted to the nurse and asked her if she would get me some food. She came over and said let's take you back to your room. I kept asking her for food but she did not seem to care. I do not remember going to my room or much past that. Tim said when I first got to my room I asked the nurse if I could have my underwear and if she would get me food. I apparently have a one track mind. I then asked Tim how everything went and if my gallbladder did look bad -which I continued to ask him multiple times for the next 6 hours. While I don't remember him answering me he assures me that he did many, many times. Even now I still can't remember what he said besides it was a good thing they took it out. Tim also mentioned that when they brought me back a child was crying nearby and I was very mad that Tim would not leave me and go take care of the crying child. I was also mad at Tim because my mother had called and he did not let me talk with her. Probably for the best who knows what I would have said. For the next 6 hours my blood pressure was really low (about 72 over 48) and thankfully Tim was there monitoring me because the nurses there were not that great. He continued to increase my IV fluids and would have to call the nurses actually working to get me a new IV bag. Since he wasn't working he really should not have been doing anything like that but I think the nurses figure he is a nurse just let him do it. I continued to sleep on and off and then they made me walk around which was so annoying because I was sure I was going to pass out -I think they just carried me back to my room after we started walking. Once my blood pressure came back up in the low 80's over 50's (which is still not very good) and I used the bathroom then they finally let me go home!

At home Tim, and my family having been doing great helping the kids and keeping them occupied. We all have fun playing with the breathing thingamajig. The higher you get the white bar the better your lungs are. Ian discovered that if he tipped it upside down he won!

 

As of today (Sunday -5 days later) I am doing really good. I look like I am about 3 months pregnant with all of the bloating. Ian also thinks I might be turing into the Hulk because the bruising on my stomach has started to turn green. However, I am off the liquid diet (most annoying thing ever) and on a low fat diet (which I have no idea what that is) so things are almost back to normal. As usual I over did it the first couple of days with moving around but after a day or two in bed and getting to eat some real food I am doing even better. I am no longer on any pain medication, although I am still a little sore. Tim had to work again tonight and my parents had to return for work so I was home with the kids all by myself today :$ It is a little difficult because I cannot pick up Aaron plus he tends to kick when changing his diaper. With four incisions and stitches in my stomach it hurts like crazy if he comes anywhere near me. After a good swift kick to the stomach by Aaron I now wake up Tim if he is home and Aaron needs to have his diaper changed or my neighbor has been kind enough to come over whenever Aaron needs to be changed. I am really hoping that I feel excellent soon because I am supposed to go to Lagoon Friday with my friends from Logan High (oh and the rest of the graduating senior class). Tim says, "No way." I say we'll see. Who does he think he is anyway-my nurse??? Lol 

Mothers Day

I think Mother's Day is now one of my favorite holidays! Ian has been excited all month long for Mother's Day, even Aaron has started saying "mama ay.". The end of April he told me they were making a surprise for me at school. Just after he mentioned that he said, "Oops, I forgot I wasn't supposed to say anything." I love that he tells me everything! Hopefully it will always be that way. When I picked him up from school the Friday before Mother's Day he was hiding this darling bag he put together behind his back. The second the door opened he shouted "Happy Mother's Day!" He was sure that it was Mother's Day Friday. So we ended up celebrating Mother's Day all weekend long -even better!

The weekend just kept getting better! On Sunday the kids, Tim, and our ward spoiled me with flowers and tons of homemade gifts they made at church. Ian wrote that he loved his mom because she is so nice. Glad he still thinks I am nice :) Tim had to work all weekend so unfortunately we did not see much of him. I made wonderful peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for dinner Sunday night because I did not feel like cooking! The kids were ecstatic, Ian thought I was joking when I gave him a sandwich for dinner.

The beginning of the week was just another normal week. We usually try to go to the park at least once a week. The boys love swinging, 

and running around!

We are always playing dress-up! Our outfits tend to be very creative.

 Soak up some time playing in the water and riding bikes.

Plus a little downtime lounging around the house.

We also had a unique visitor last week when I left the garage open to go tutoring. The kids thought that he was awesome. Ian thought that "Compass" came to see him. Compass is the pigeon on Curious George. I guess it was quite the challenge to get him out of the garage. When Tim opened the garage he flew and would sit onto of the garage. He finally got the window cleaning pole and the bird balance on the pole while Tim slowly moved him outside. Thankfully I missed all of the drama!

Firefighters

The boys are constantly making me laugh -usually after the fact but nonetheless still laugh. Today was one of those moments.

While shopping at Walmart the Firemen were collecting donation for Primary Children's Hospital. I rarely have cash on me (I don't usually carry cash and if I do Ian or Tim take it) but I did have some change. I gave the change to Ian to go and place in the fireman's boot. Ian excitingly dropped it in and paused. He then pulled out about seven dollar bills and proceeded to walk away as if he had won a prize. The firemen began laughing at this cute little boy Ian that was so proud and excited he had won. I than tried to explain to Ian that this was for the children that are very sick in the hospital. He said fine and went and placed six of them back. Keeping one for himself. After a firm. "Ian." He put the dollar back and started walking towards the car. The firemen thanked us for the entertainment and we went on our way.

The weather the past week has been confusing. We finally had a nice hot day and just as we were about to get out the new slip n'slide the landscaping company came and started mowing the lawns. We tried to be patient and let them finish so at about 6 o'clock it was starting to cool down but we did not care we got out the slip n'slide, pool, and squirt guns anyway. Our old slip n'slide was used a lot last summer and unfortunately most of the seams on it completely broke (it was a great slip n'slide). I found this slip n'slide online and it is perfect! Aaron plays on one side while Ian goes sliding down the other. We have been able to get it out a couple more times this week and I am thinking that it is going to get a lot of use this summer.

Occasionally it has been cold and windy so we staying inside. Ian has been loving the show "Superhero Squad." He especially enjoys watching it upside-down. As I mentioned in a previous post he is obsessed with super hero's. We have recently purchase a few of the cartoon avengers movies and have been quite disappoint. Tim pre-screens them before Ian can watch them for violence, etc. They are extremely violent and just not something that you would show a 3 year old. Ian's preschool friend Kimball and his mom told us about these so I purchased a couple on amazon. They are great if you are looking for a good superhero movie definitely go with these. Ian sits on the couch with his Avengers sticker book and finds all of the different superheros while we are watching the show. Aaron will watch for about 5 minutes then he decides to do something else like "organize" the cans in the pantry.

I am not sure why I took this picture. We were in line for preschool drop off and Ian was beyond excited to bring his superhero wristband to school (not bracelet they are for girls) for show and tell.

Ian and Aaron have been riding their bikes a lot. With that being said Ian has some exciting news....

You can see for yourself...this was his first time! I think it is hilarious to watch Tim :)

He's got it! While he needs some help getting started I love that he is just grinning from ear to ear!

I love the proud look on his face! I too am so proud of him!

Where's Aaron you ask? Don't worry he is watching the cars drive by saying, "vroom, bee bee"

Sunshine

The sun has been shining and we are loving it! In the morning it has been a little on the cooler side so the boys were long sleeves and enjoy breakfast out on the deck...

But in the afternoon, swimsuits are on, and it is war! We have all been enjoying water fights! Even Aaron loves his little squirt gun. Although Aaron tends to shoot you directly in the face and laugh about it. 

This particular day after our water fight Ian came inside to realize that he had not done any arts or crafts that day. He pulled out the clay and a few other random supplies and spent the next 30 minutes getting his project done.

That night both of the boys crashed. Ian changed into his Avengers shirt for bedtime! Yes, is obsessed with Avengers and I had just finished washing it. I saw this shirt at target and knew it was simply a must. I am somewhat regretting that decision because he has wore it day and night for 3 days. He will finally accept the fact that it is dirty and must be washed (only if you are actually doing laundry that day).

Aaron is cutting molars and it looks painful. After giving him medicine to help with the pain and after hours of fighting him to settle down you can only do so much but put him in his crib. About 5 hours later he fell asleep standing up -literally! I did not know that it was actually possible to truly sleep standing up. I guess it is. After three long nights like this he is finally back to his normal sleeping schedule -place in bed at 7:45 pm and wake up at 7:45 am. 

 We have also found some fun bike trails around the valley. Aaron rode in the chariot and Ian enjoyed biking majority of the ride. A few times he got tired and decided to ride with Aaron as well. We stopped near the Jordan River to have a picnic and throw rocks into the water.

 While the boys were hungry neither of them wanted to hold still and actually eat. 

We had a blast going together as a family -even if the boys both decided to fight the entire 4 mile ride back to the car. It was most definitely nap time for everyone!

 Aaron is also starting to talk! I was unsure if this day would ever come but it finally has. Most of you are aware that Aaron struggled with ear infections and had tubes put in the beginning of March.  His vocabulary has been increasing a couple of new words each day. We have to be very careful and not say "outside" or Aaron will run for the door yelling "owww iiidd." He will standing by the back door waiting for you to open it. When you finally decided to open it he will grab his shoes and hold one foot out for you to put them on. Being outside has also brought a lot of new problems like the road. He will lift up his feet and go tearing down the hill as quickly as possible (forwards and backwards). While we have a helmet for him I still absolutely crazy. I am now advocating for a speed bump to be placed on our street to slow cars down. Tim enjoys calling me Clare (from modern family) as I glare and shake my head at the cars driving down the hill to quickly. It could be worse I could be chasing them down and yelling at them -hmmmm? Might make for an awkward conversation when I see them at church on Sunday...back to Aaron. He loves to say dada, andrew (an-rue), more milk (mmm ilk), pike (ike), mama, Ian (nnnn), and snack (nack). The words are in order of what he says the most. He can also understand and comprehend everything you say. He loves watching Jake and the Neverland Pirates, Curious George, Tangled (especially Tangled Ever After) and Ellen. If he hears music he will stop what he is doing and get up and dance (probably why he loves Ellen). His favorite foods are baked pasta, string cheese, and bread. He has started running to the bathroom when he need to go potty. He has successfully used the bathroom quite a few times so it is time to start pushing potty training. Next month sounds better :)

In other news the count down has begun for Ian's birthday! We decided that this year he could have a friend birthday party. He has struggling to find a good friend that he just gets along with here -thus the friend party. He is beyond excited and has already informed us of what he wants to do and a few other details. You'll have to wait until his birthday to see what we (mostly Ian) have planned. 

Soccer

Last week Ian started soccer! He was extremely excited about it and could not wait to go to practice and meet his team (keyword being was)! At practice him and another boy were running to kick the ball, both boys were looking directly at the ball, and collided into each other head first. He then decided that soccer was not very fun. He has a few friends from our neighborhood on his team and his coach is our home teacher. When it came time for game time he was ready to "intimidate" the other children. Yes, Ian is the sweet child with the black tape on his face.

Why the tape? That afternoon we were at a friends house and the boys were running around in the backyard while Tim and their dad set up their new swing set. Since they were busy setting up the swing set the boys snuck the electrical tape and had a fun being bad guys.

The soccer game went well it was so fun to watch all of the kids so excited and eager to play! Ian did not want to play because he was afraid he would get hit in the head again. We reassured him a million times that it was just an accident before. If you watch were you are going you'll be ok! Wouldn't you know that the same exact thing happen in this game. Poor kid, at least he got back up and kept playing. 

In typical Ian manner he loved getting in there and kicking the ball but after a couple kicks he decided it was boring and stopped. Sometimes (as in video 3) he would decide to jump back in and play.

Ian taking a break on the sidelines. We made him take the tape off his face because he seemed to be getting a rash. He was not too excited about it but said it did feel better.

I wonder what he was thinking about.

I love that both teams get excited when anyone scores a goal!

Ian's favorite part of the game! Shouting the cheers. Their team came up with the name "Dragons." Ian is the boy with his hand in the air.

While Ian decided that he did not like soccer he did love that everyone got a fun drink and a treat after the games -Bonus! His next game is Tuesday and thankfully he seems a little excited -I think he forgot he did not like it! 

Special thanks to my brother Andrew! He helped me figure out how to load the videos at a better quality. I will have to go back to some of the older posts and upload those that would not load. Thanks Andrew :)