Happy Turkey Day!

 
 
 
Thanksgiving was great! Food was delicious, and the boys got to make a wish on the wishbone! My Dad cooked a fabulous meal! Now on to Christmas!

Happy Birthday Gavin!

 
 
 
I'm late getting this on here thanks to a massive sinus infection . . . Anyway, I'm feeling better so here it goes.

Saturday, Nov. 15th, we celebrated Gavin's 6th birthday. We got to celebrate with our niece and nephew, Kennedy and Jamison, and their brother Jimmy Wayne. We joined up with them at Monical's in Monticello and later, brought K and J back with us to our house for a sleepover. Sunday, I became plagued with my sinus problems, but everyone else got to go to Jupiter's for bowling and games which was great. Gavin was very excited over his "Cars" birthday cake and gifts. Of course, the pizza was great, too. Taten was struggling with the whole birthday thing. Although he all ready celebrated his, he was having a hard time understanding it was Gavin's birthday and the gifts we bought were for Gavin to open and not a moment sooner. Taten is all ready planning a Thomas birthday party for next year. :o)

Happy Anniversary to us!

 
 
Brad and I have spent 10 great (married) years together (14 years in all). Last night we went out for a nice dinner. Our babysitter, Zoey, was gracious to take our photo before heading out. Love ya Brad!! :o)

Happy Halloween!

 
 
 

Leaves

 
 
 
We love fall. The past couple of weeks the boys have had a great time playing in the leaves. We also invited the Kleinman girls over to join us. This is my favorite time of year. Now that Taten is getting bigger it's fun to watch them get into the leaves.

The New Bike

 
Today has been a great fall day. The weather is cooler, leaves are on the ground, and a boy and his bike are tearing through! Here is Gavin with his new bike and wearing the helmet he received as a gift from school for raising the most money in his grade level. Very exciting! The video of him receiving the prize is "priceless." The look of shock on his face says it all.

Fun in Minnesota

 
 
 
Thanks Karen for your big influence on getting us up to MN for a getaway. Definitely worth the trip and we were in love with the scenery especially around The North Shore of Lake Superior. We visited Gooseberry Falls, went in to see the sights of Canal Park in Duluth, and met up with Karen and Randy and took on Minneapolis. Whew! What a trip. The pics speak for themselves. :o)

A Big Week!

I had to let everyone know the results for the Walk for Westview. We did it! First, the school, Westview Elem., raised over $13,000! That was amazing! 100% goes to the school. What a great time. Gavin was the top fundraiser in his grade level AND THE ENTIRE SCHOOL. It was all thanks to everyone who pitched in to the cause. Wow! He won a new bike (Photos to come later) and a gift certificate to Monical's. Congrats Gavin!

On another note, Brad and I are off to Minnesota this weekend. Thanks to my mom, we will be kidless. Just taking a breather. This Nov. we celebrate our 10-year wedding anniversary so we're stealing away. No, we're not going to the Poconos for those who want to take their shots. Ha!

Happy Birthday Taten!

 
 
 
It's official. Taten is 3 as of today. We had a nice family get-together yesterday with family and our neighbor, Jane. Taten's cake was none other than Elmo. I made it which took a little longer than anticipated but fun. Taten's big present was a big wheel from his Daddy. Gavin's enjoying it more than Taten right now. Ha! Taten got a new train, jammies, a truck and cars, and a savings bond. Go Taten! Unfortunately after all of the excitement, Taten came down with a fever. He's doing better today, though, and hopefully will stay that way. Too much going on.

On another note, Taten's stitches were removed this morning at the Dr. He's on the mend. The Dr. added some stitch glue to the scab and tiny adhesive bandaids which will fall of on their own. Gavin is back in school after a fun weekend. He's learnin' lots. :o)

BATTER UP!!

 
 
It's the darndest thing. Right before dinnertime, Gavin was practicing his T-Ball in the front yard. As he was swinging, Taten ran up to him and you can guess what happened next. WHACK!!! Gavin accidentally smacked him in the forehead. It split open to about a half-inch cut. Unfortunately it was bleeding profusely and the cut was deep enough we had to go to the ER for 2 stitches. So, we had our first trip to the hospital. I'm happy to report Taten did not cry at all once the bleeding stopped. Even when receiving the stitches, he did not cry. The Dr. was great with him. He and the nurse commended him for how great he was in the ER. He'd doing just fine today. And after about a week, we should be healed. Hopefully minimal or no scarring. Whew! Mama was in dire need of medication and chocolate. :o)

It's Official! We're Paci-Free!!

 
 
 
My boy is growin' up. I'm excited to report Taten has done pretty well without the pacifier. At night when he's attempting to get settled in, he asks for it, but I can't believe the change in his personality for the better. He's not as baby-ish. It's liberating. Nighttime is still a struggle but eventually he gets to sleep and has made it the whole night. Wake-up time is about the same. His 3-year birthday is the 22nd and I think we got this thing away from him at just the right time.

On another note, Gavin came home yesterday from school reporting in about a girl trying to kiss him and wanting to marry him. Apparently, at one point, she was practically dragging him on the ground to get at him, and his friends had a hold of him from the other end in order to get him away from her. Victim of a tug-o-war. Bummer. Not sure what to think. Kids know there's kissing but I know at this age they don't really understand what it means. Regardless, I'm hoping this ceases at least for a while.

Pacifier Fairy

The Paci Fairy visits tonight. It's time to get Taten off the security mouth piece. On that note, please pray hard for us. The next few days are going to be rough. Despite the fact Taten has a security blanket and puppy to sleep with, he still thinks he needs the paci. We explained to him that the fairy will come tonight and take the paci to another baby boy or girl who really needs it. Taten will find a toy in its place. In order to ensure a smooth transition, Gavin will be sleeping in the spare room so he isn't disturbed. I am confident once he's off of it, he will begin the potty training process hard-core. He's done it for a whole evening until he got his hands on the paci the next day. We'll keep you updated on how it goes . . . Dear God in Heaven let things go well. :o{.

School Update

I was informed tonight there is a girl in Gavin's class named Abby. Hmmm . . . He went on to mention he and a few others like her because she is so "nice." And so it begins. Ugh. Then there's an Alex. Apparently this kid "escaped" today and the teachers had to whip out their walkie-talkies to inform others Alex had broken out. He later was caught and sent to the warden's office, I mean the principal's office. Ha! We need to pray for him, eh? I guess it's not boring.

The First Day!!

 
 
 
Gavin went to school for the first time at Westview. I set his alarm last night for 6:50a. He was up at 6:20a! Well, at least we didn't have to work to get him out of bed. Gavin was nervous and it showed with his made-up song for Westview and his strange walking. Brad and I took him to school and walked him to his classroom, snapped a picture, and left. We both were somewhat quiet on the way back. Just in shock Gavin is old enough to be attending school. When I got home, and Brad went to work, it was sooo quiet. Wasn't expecting that. No Five-Year old to answer to and serve :o). Taten slept in until 8:30a (Grandpa stayed w/him while we went to the school). Needless to say, once Taten woke up, we were able to go about our day and we spent some quality time together, including meeting up with the Kleinman girls at the library. I kept wondering how Gavin was getting along and was anxious to pick him up to hear about his day. The verdict: he had a great day and is excited to go back tomorrow!! Whoo hoo! Thank you Mrs. Braun for making it a fabulous day for everyone. He saw his friend, Grayson, from last year's preschool. He got to have recess and lunch with him. Gavin was also excited because there is a computer in the classroom with Arthur games on it (PBS cartoon). He got his own locker to put his belongings in and they worked on some key points to remember while in their school: respecting themselves, respecting others, and respecting the school property. He didn't mention lunch was quick but he ate his sandwich and fruit cup and that's all I cared about. Who cares about the chips and fruit snacks. Gavin did start talking about a kid in his class that would not obey and listen to the teacher. Apparently this kid could have potential ADD issues. Gavin kept saying the little boy was putting his hands on the fans, running circles around the room when they were supposed to be listening, and playing with all of the instruments during music time. Great. Hope tomorrow is better for the teacher and that boy. Taten missed his naptime today, but that just means they BOTH go to bed at 7:30p. What a relief . . . More to come . . .

`236789\

Videos | Thomas and Friends

Getting Bigger . . .

 
 
Our boys are getting so big. My Dad took these pics during their last visit a couple of weeks ago and I wanted to blog them. They're so good. These guys have been pretty animated lately. Aside from their drama when things don't go their way, they manage to keep me laughing. Gavin asked me one day if a show was "appropriate" for him to watch. Last night at bedtime, he told me he didn't want to have any fun today. He also told me thankyou as I was dusting/wiping down the TV because now he could "see it better." I couldn't decide if I wanted to be mad or grateful he was using his manners. I had to just walk away. Taten continues to talk a lot. Some words you can tell what he's saying and then there's plenty you can't. Oh well, he'll get there. Half the time I have to ask him to show me what he means. I did realize, as his 3-year birthday approaches next month, he'll be potty-training this year (praise the Lord) and then next fall in '09, it will be his turn to go to preschool. It goes by so fast. His big moment has been learning to peddle his little big-wheel. Taten likes to ride it especially when his big brother is out there. It's definitely Ralphie and Randy in the flesh (A Christmas Story).

Jones' Family Reunion

 
 
 
Hold on Roberta! Brad talked his mom into taking a ride with him on the 4-wheeler. I think the ride was a little too exciting for her. It's not her cup of tea. Anyway, last weekend we went to White Hall, IL south of Jacksonville and had a great family reunion. This was with Roberta's family (siblings, nieces, nephews, their kids, etc.). It took place at the Green Gables Inn in White Hall which is indescribably beautiful. Then we high-tailed it out to Uncle Forrest's house to eat more, ride go-carts and 4-wheelers, and hang out the rest of the evening. The weather was great and it was so good to catch up with everyone. Gavin and another cousin, Lane, hit it off and were pals the whole evening. We later spent the night with he and his parents at their place. Lane is the son of Brad's first cousin, Pat. On the way home, we stopped in Springfield for lunch and ran some errands. Then we got back to Champaign.

On another note, we are on the official countdown to school time. Gavin's first day is Aug. 22. He'll have the following Mon. off then will be back for the rest of the week. I have to say, I'm ready. After trying to accomplish some much-needed housework, Gavin's will to entertain himself is zilch!! We are excited to say he has all ready met someone from his classroom and will be seeing a familiar face on the first day. It's exciting to see him start this new chapter in his life . . . Brad continues to work hard but hopefully we'll begin to see a slow-up. Next month we'll be off to St. Louis for the last Cards game, then Oct. to Minnesota for a 10-year anniversary trip. Can't wait to see the Kleinmans' on the way back. Brad's ready for some much-needed R&R. That's it for now.

A Fun Weekend

 
 
 
 
We were excited to be with our neice and nephew and their family this past weekend. Jamie and Kennedy had a blast hanging out with us. They arrived around 12:30p and got to stay until 6p. We were all pretty tired afterward, but it was definitely worth it. Uncle Brad was sore from playing baseball and Gavin was impressed with himself being able to hit the ball without a tee. They also entertained themselves on a waterslide and bubbles. Taten missed his naptime and its taking a couple of days to get him back on track.

I was amazed how much Gavin and their little brother, Jimmy Wayne, look alike in physique and stature. They were born in the same month and same year (Nov. '02). Gavin shared his bike with JW although we found out he can't steer well. Deb (their Mom) made him get off after a few close calls. He was having fun and that's what matters. Ha!

We topped off the weekend last night by going to the drive-in with friends and seeing the new flick "Wall-E." It's interesting and just remember it's really for the kids. Wasn't Brad and I's top favorite for a Pixar film. Taten stayed behind with Grandma and Gavin was exhausted when we got back around 12am. He had lots of fun, though, and I know he'll want to do it again soon.

This week is our last week of Tee-ball and we get a few weeks off before starting VBS at FCC. Hope you all had a great July 4th.