Goldilocks & The Three Baers

I am trying very hard to make Thursday our designated fun day. It's so easy to get wrapped up with work, and all the construction, and I forget to spend time with the boys outside of the house.

So today, despite the heat, we packed up and headed to the park. We were there for over two hours... and we had a great afternoon.

I should have named him DareDevil Baer... He made it up the rockwall in half the time it took me to rescue Zach from it.

I guess the goggles are for wind resistance when your running 90 mpg in your mom's kitchen...

 Even SuperHero's need to refuel, lucky for me.

And so I guess, despite having to grocery shop... we still managed to have tons of fun today.

Good, Good news.

I read somewhere that worrying is like sitting in a rocking chair. It gives you something to do, but you get no where.

That was the definition of my week, I went "no-where" fast.

Last week, Zach had his 4th episode of tonsillitis. The doctor said he thought there was another underlying problem, since his spleen was enlarged. We went to the lab, and let them do all kinds of test.

On Thursday the doctor said the Mono test had come back negative, so he was sending the blood to another lab.

I was standing in the middle of Walmart when when he called, and I heard something about white blood cells, protein levels... and worst case scenario of Leukemia.

The doctor still believed he had mono, but he wanted them to run the test again. And I shouldn't worry until he finds out more answers with the results he expected on Tuesday.

I didn't remember much after the bombshell he dropped on me. And I figured I would do enough worrying for both of us, and there was no reason to ruin John's weekend. So I couldn't even think about it... yeah right.

I have been praying so hard, my fingers are cramping...

On our way home from the funeral service today for Grandma Juanita, I got the call from the doctor.

Good News. Zach has was positive for mono... and nothing else. The doctor wants to wait for the surgery, and other than all of us being exposed to one nasty virus... he'll be fine.

John has watched me cry all weekend over some really crazy things... but on the car ride home... I finally confessed how worried I've been. I thank God that we got a positive outcome, because I don't know how I would have handled anything else.

Now I feel like celebrating, I wonder if there are any firework shows tonight? Maybe I will have to settle for a beer instead!

 Happy 5th of July... as usual... I am a day short.

We had a great day yesterday... we decided to have a breakfast picnic in the park. We thougth we would beat the crowds (and the heat) by getting there early.

You can see, I packed a hearty breakfast. Spent all morning squeezin oranges...

Thankfully this little guy is feeling much better. We're not out of the woods yet, the doctor is running  more tests to rule out some nasty things. I can't even talk about it yet... we are supposed to get the results back on Tuesday.

 

I just don't know why the doctors find it necessary to tell you 'worst case scenario'... then tell you not to worry. I'm just going to keep praying, and try to stay sane until then. (I'll keep you all updated...)

 

Look at these two. Do you think they could look any grumpier?

 

I thought about putting a pitch fork and a chicken in this picture... or maybe it's like those old time photo's where people didn't smile.

Or maybe they were just waiting for mom and dad to dance and cluck like chickens in the middle of the park for a tinsy weensy smile.

Oohhh..they're starting to look like two spoiled children that got to go to the park first thing in the morning...

Ahhh... there's two happy-ish faces... BOTH looking AWAY from the camera. You should have seen the 40+ pictures of one smiling, one not... but I didn't have the energy to post them all.

And on other news... John took his two days off and whooped some butt on the boys room. He's got all the wiring done, and almost has all the sheet rock up! I guess if you don't hear from me, you'll know I'm knee deep in taping and mudding the walls! We just might make our Labor Day goal!! Wish us luck, or better yet... get your butt up here and help!

More Ice Cream therapy??

 Isn't this the most pathetic little face you've ever seen?

For those of you on Facebook, you already know... sorry to bore you again.

The last two days, Zach hasn't felt real well. We've all have had a tummy flu, so I thought he was last in line. Today while I was doing the dishes, he just laid on the kitchen floor with his blanky. I noticed he was warm last night, but chalked it up to a warm summer night. When he refused breakfast and lunch, I knew I was in trouble.

Boy was I right. I started playing Dr. Mom and noticed his lymph nodes were huge, and his throat was all swollen inside. I can diagnosis this now with my eyes closed... tonsillitis.

Sure enough, the doctor confirmed it. He also thinks that since this is the FOURTH time we've had this in just this year... that Zach is a candidate for surgery. He said he hasn't had to refer anyone in years... lucky us, huh?

He's running some blood work to rule out other things, like MONO. However, pending the outcome, it looks like my little man is going to have his first surgery. Gulp.

I know, I know... it's not life threatening. And in the long run he'll be in less pain... but I still don't like it.

John says we should be happy about the ice cream party we get afterward. (Maybe men do understand the therapeutic value in ice cream... )

Or maybe he's not the worry wart in the family.

 We had a little family Popsicle moment tonight... and that's always makes everything a little better. 

(And just a little shout out to the little man, aka Kyle Baer, he went #2 on the potty TWICE today! First time ever, and now he's a pro! I came into the bathrom, and he was putting the chair up on the seat, saying "I a beeg boy!" And just like that, he went 'poo'! I guess if I leave him alone, he'll just train himself!)

Juanita.

Just got word that Heaven got a new angel this morning.

Our Great Grandma Juanita passed away, and we are going to miss her.

Thanks for your thoughts and prayers.

Ice Cream Therapy

 I know this isn't the greatest picture of Kyle... but in my defense, I was driving. Yeah, not a good thing to do when your driving- but I looked back at him and this was what I seen. (It's a bad picture, but I was watching the road... and not my camera... I swear!)

We were enjoying an ice cream cone... can you tell?

On Thursday we went to the library to sign up for the summer reading program, and enjoy the "Busy Bodies" program that my sister in law puts on. We went to lunch with her, and ran some errands. On our way home, there were two cars that were messing with me on the bridge. It seemed they were trying to make me stop, or make me wreck into them. I finally got away, and when I came down off the bridge the light was turning yellow. I could see everyone was at a stop, and I didn't want to be sitting at a light with these bozo's... so I went through it.

FLASH... I didn't know there was a red light camera in the intersection.

Crap.

So to make mom feel better about the $400 ticket she's going to get in the mail... we stopped for a soft serve cone. (It's Ice Cream Therapy 101, and it makes sense to us girls...)

I guess I didn't get carjacked, or robbed... so it's a small price to pay.

As for the rest of our week, it was busy-busy.

Kyle has decided to really get good at going potty. It figures since we only have one toilet right now. He's so cute, he climbs out of the pool to go pee. Pretty smart 2 1/2 year old!

The boys are just keeping busy between digging holes and playing in the pool. John is finishing up the wiring in the bedroom, and has installed almost all the new lights in the kitchen. Today his job is to put the window AC unit in- at 10 am this morning it was already 88 degrees.

That's why I stayed up past midnight baking zucchini bread... 10 batches of it. We freeze it and enjoy it all year, so it's worth the hassle. It's just sad that it's in season the worst time of year to turn the oven on!

I can hear the boys squealing... they are catching frogs... better go check on them. Have a great day!

Thank You Tonka.

 

It's been really busy around here lately. We are hoping to have the boys in their new bedroom/bathroom by labor day. In order to do that, we have to keep our nose to the grindstone... and that means the boys are keeping themselves busy.

They have discovered their love for playing in the dirt... and capturing bugs and frogs. (Oh joy!)

And as you can see by the picture... they have plenty of dirt hauling equipment to keep them busy. They also have lots of water transportation devices... which means a big ol' muddy mess for mom.

It's okay though, I knew these days were coming!

As for John and I, we are keeping up with a crazy schedule. We actually had a 'date night' on Friday... we went to dinner... then to LOWES and HOME DEPOT! Whoo hoo...

But we really needed to pick out some important things for the new bathroom... and it just can't be done with busy boys chasing each other down the aisle! So my sis in law came to the rescue... yet again... THANKS MISSY! I just don't know what we would do without your help watching the kids- we'd be lost!

Missy's friend Michelle and her two daughters took the boys to "Old McDonald's" for dinner. Then I hear they went to Dairy Queen... where Zach complimented the staff on such good ice cream on his way out the door. Then they went to the park... and played for a couple of hours. They fell asleep on the way home, and it was a great date night with hubby.

We kept busy all weekend with working on the house, and even snuck in John's favorite dinner for Father's day. The boys also found him "Dr. Pepper" pajamas... and they couldn't wait to give them to him.

And in other big news... for those of you that have been giving me crap about the 5 light bulbs hanging from the ceiling in my kitchen/dining room area, you'll be happy to know I FINALLY picked something out! It's not my fault I wouldn't settle. I knew something would eventually jump out at me... and it did.

It's been a nice conversation piece though... "Yes, come see our new remodeled kitchen... new cabinets... new counter tops... new light bulbs."

I think I jumped around enough to make most English teachers have a heart attack... so on that note... good night!

Happy Daddy Day

 

Here's hoping you always remember the day you became someone's hero.

Happy Father's Day.

Ma- watch this!

I ran an errand for John last year to Orchard Supply. I don't remember what I was there for... but I remember walking past a small pool on the clearance table. I think I paid $65 for a 12 foot pool- it was a great bargain.

Little did I know that it would be the best money I've ever spent. I have two very happy water-logged little boys that can't stop giggling when they are in the pool.

 

I get some great shots of two cuties...

 

I also get two very tired little fellows at bedtime.

Lifeguard duty also reminds me to go outside and get some fresh air. (Which is easy to forget when your busy trying to keep a path cleared through the house.)

I also got a new great book that I was going to read while on lifeguard duty. I keep reading the same chapter over and over though... because I get the same interruption...

"Ma- watch this!"

And I do.

Dimples.

 He's got the most incredible dimples.

And the cutest smile.

And the brightest eyes.

And he loves attention.

 And he reminds me every day how fabulous life is.

Rolling in the grass....

  

Just a funny picture I found of Zach rolling in the grass at Grandma Mark's house.

Ahhh... to be four again.

All Aboard~!

 Zach the Engineer is blowing his whistle.

Zach the Engineer has been a bit of a hand full the last few days. We have good days, and then some rough ones... but when he back talks to mommy and daddy... his life gets a wee bit rougher.

I suppose it's part of growing up. It would be a whole lot easier to be mad at him if he weren't so darn cute in his outfit.

 

We've also been busy with a big BBQ at the shop this weekend. We celebrated our FIRST Anniversary, and had the radio station there. It was a ton of fun, and a bunch of work.

Sunday, we spent the day tearing out the old bathroom. We are going to make it into the laundry room, so to get the wiring done, we had to pull out the old bath tub and sink. It will be so nice to have a folding counter for the clothes...

Since the mountain of laundry in the middle of the living room isn't the decor I have dreamed of. LOL.

Speaking of laundry... it's calling my name... better fly.

Enjoy your Tuesday.

A walk in the park...

We had the most incredible thunderstorm last night. I was certain our house would be struck... because every direction you looked there were intense flashes- especially directly overhead.

We avoided a direct hit, thankfully. It sure made for a crazy night though.

And this morning when we got up, it was warm, but cloudy. (Perfect picture taking weather!!) So I decided to grab the boys and find a new place to take pictures. We ended up in Oroville at the river bottom park... and they had as much fun as I did.

 

We found a small waterfall- then we collected leaves, flowers and rocks to see if they would sink or travel downstream.

 

I kept wondering if they fell in, would I keep snapping pictures, or rescue them?

 

I'm pretty sure I would have rescued them... after a few pictures, of course.

 

I finally got them away from the waterfall to go exploring. They weren't crazy about it- so we turned around.

And went right back to the waterfall.

Soon though, we needed juice and pretzels... so we headed back to the van.

And I FINALLY got him to look at the camera... and got the best shot of the day!

Yeah, we might have walked through the park... but getting a great shot of these two isn't easy!

Camping

We are back from our camping trip, and we had a great time. It was a little different this year, because the water level was way down. It was a smaller crowd this year, too. And to top it all off, our group got the stomach flu, one by one. The morning we left, Morgon, started throwing up. The boys had played with him all weekend,  but I think we might have avoided this round of illness- thankfully!

Despite all of this, we still had a great time...

Zach got lots of practice "fishing"... he can cast his line about 25+ feet! We don't trust him with a real hook... so he's never caught anything yet.

This little cutie wasn't feeling so well our first day. I think his ear was bothering him- but I gave him some of Zach's antibiotics- and he was much better!

We painted...

 

And played with bubbles...

 

 

And fished some more...

 

But our very favorite part was the boat ride!

 

He was squealing with delight when we took off!

 

And it looked like Kyle had fun, too. He kept yelling "FASTER!"

We had to slow down to let a couple of deers cross the lake. When the fawn got out, it was so small it was still wobbly. I was surprised to see them swimming, but I guess everyone loves the water in California!

 

Especially these three fishy's! Kyle was jumping off the back of the boat with no fear, but we had to coax Zach into the water. Once he was there he had lots of fun yelling "help! help!".

 

This is the Caldwell family. Dusty was John's first friend when he moved to Ca in junior high, and they are still great friends. We got a great family shot of them... such a good looking family!

 

And of course, another funky family picture... which has become our 'norm'. Zach is eating licorice, and Kyle is somehow drinking a capri sun through his life-jacket. It cracks me up though, because that's just how we roll! LOL!

 

Zach fell asleep on the way back to camp. I guess busy vacation days will do that to ya!

Little Graduate

It was almost 3 years ago, that I went grocery shopping for a little 'break'. I needed some time to unwind from a long day with a toddler. I seen a sign for a preschool, like a beacon in the night, I decided that Zach would go to preschool. He would get a little socializing, I would get a few hours a week to breathe.

I dropped him off, and he went right to the train table. I went out to the van and cried my eyes out. I felt horrible for leaving my baby with someone else.

I drove to the Starbuck's a few blocks away, fired up the laptop, and spent 3 hours watching him on the internet camera. He did just fine, and didn't even seem all that thrilled when I picked him up.

 

My little man had his preschool graduation on Friday night. I can't believe it's almost over.

Hopefully he will be more excited at his high school graduation.

He got a cute little puppy attached to his diploma. We got him a little stuffed teddy bear with a cap on it. He also got to eat
"Old McDonald's" for dinner. And his Uncle David and Aunt Missy came to the ceremony... and he always loves seeing them!

 I know he loved all the extra attention... his latest favorite questions is: "Are you so proud of me?"

You betcha, baby. I mean big boy.

(We also just got back from camping today... and I will post those pictures in the next couple of days. We had a fabulous time playing at the lake for a few days!)

Great Grandma Juanita

 

We got some really sad news today that our time with the boy's Great Grandma is going to be short. She hasn't been feeling well, and this almost 90 year old woman that runs circles around most of us, got some bad news about her health.

Please say a prayer for her, and keep her lifted during this rough time. She is a strong woman, but everyone could use a little help, right?

She's been part of our family since John's mom married her son. She's been the boy's Great Grandma every since, and has always made us feel like 'old' family.

She didn't even get mad when Zach broke her beautiful antique vase... and from that second, I strived to be that gracious.

We love you Juanita!

Quick Check in..

I try to set a goal for myself to post at least three times a week. Usually that is easy... since I am taking pictures almost everyday.

This week... well, that isn't going to happen. We are loading the RV for our annual camping trip to the lake. Zach came home Wednesday with a nasty case of throat/ear gunk- but he's much better after a couple doses of antibiotics!

And of course, that isn't even the half of it.

So the blog must suffer, sorry! :)

I will post a few pictures from our week, then I will try my best to post thousands of pictures next week!!!

This is Uncle Joey and Kyle, during his visit with us on Memorial Day. Joey was just a little older than Kyle when John and I started dating... man does that make me feel old! They LOVE when their uncle comes to visit! (They also love Whitney... but she would skin me if I posted pictures of her in her swimsuit with the boys!)

The pool is part of the reason I am so behind this week! It's hard to get stuff done in the house when I am on lifeguard duty. So I guess I really can use the excuse that I've been 'poolside', but sadly, no margarita was involved.

 We've also been very involved in a mean game of Candyland. I have to tell you, Zach has been whooping my butt! Is there a trick to this game I am unaware of??

So you see, we've been VERY busy having fun. And too busy to get our work done, lol.

Hope to have tons of pictures for you next week!

Half the fun is getting there!

Saturday, the boys got to spend the day at a birthday party. After I got home from work, we decided to set up our 'big' pool. Zach was in the perfect outfit- swim trunks and rain boots!

 

They were sure to supervise Daddy.

 It's a dangerous thing to do- get near two little boys with a hose... while holding an expensive camera. But my job is to report... so I learned to move quickly!

  Yeah, he own's swim trunks. He just chooses to let his jay-bird out.

He thought it was fun to make it rain. It's amazing there was any water that stayed in the pool.

Then they discovered what a great slip and slide they had!

Even Kyle was sliding through the water!

And that was good, because it saved me from washing one dirty boy! LOL!

Have a great Memorial Weekend!

Summer Fun

First off, I wanted to say thanks to Scott for being such a good sport. He said he wanted to 'one-up' me, but at this point, couldn't. LOL... I am sure I will pay for this the next time I see him!!

As for us, we are knee deep into summer activities.

What you ask... summer stuff in mid-May?

Yeah, we've already had two heat waves of 100+ degree weather. That means the kiddie pool, sunscreen, and popscicles are abundant.  We have opened up our new 5 gallon bucket of bubbles, and are working on our summer art projects.

 

 

Isn't it funny how summer brings such great memories? Even though it's one of the most miserable times of the year as far as heat goes. The days are longer and filled with more fun things to do. I don't think the kids think about where all the stuff comes from, they just expect mom to be stocked and ready to go.

We are going to put the larger pool up this weekend, and hopefully have a small bbq. We are also loading up the RV for our first camping trip. I except this year to be lots of fun, since the boys are getting to be a little older. They are so excited to sleep in their 'fort' and are already blowing up the swimming toys.

 

Sounds like my two naked boys want to go back out to the kiddie pool. I better catch up with them to spray more sunscreen... Gotta fly!

Have a great one!

Scott LOVES the NINERS!

 

I should know better than to throw my neice in the pool. I should think twice about it.... especially before I get her husband to help me.

I used to be a Ram's fan... but I have seen the light and I will devote the rest of my football years to rooting for the 49ers.

I am a turd... and now the world knows it.

(LOL! LOL! This one picture has just justified the price I pay for the blog... and allowed me to have the last word!)

Can you believe my family would conspire against me like that??????