Tonight I cried myself silly while watching Cougar town.  It was about her son going off to college for the first time.  Is it silly that I was imagining my little Ethan leaving me for college? I know he is only 7... but time sure is flying by.
Glad I was watching this show by myself tonight.  What in the world would Ryan or the boys have thought?!?

My feelings are hurt...

This is what I felt like doing this morning after leaving Ethan at school.

I didn't get a smile, a goodbye or a hug from Ethan this morning when we dropped him off at Daycare.  I think I got a half wave as he was walking away from me.  What???  I am not used to this.  Ethan has always been the one who doesn't like to be dropped off at daycare.  When he was little, they would have to pull him off of me.  Now that he is seven, thankfully he has grown out of that but... he still likes about 5 hugs, a few kisses and some reassurance that we will try and pick him up early.  This morning... nothing!!  Man, he hurt my feelings and I bet he doesn't even know it.  I have grown accustom to my many hugs from my boys in the morning and now I like them and need them to get through the day.
I am sure as tomorrow is a new day, the half wave will be forgotten and he will need his usual 5 hugs and kisses again.  A Mommy can hope, right?

Aiden's Allergy/Asthma update

Daddy took Aiden to see his Allergy doctor today for a checkup.  Aiden is currently weighing in at 41lbs. and is 45 inches tall.  The Dr. did a computerized breathing test on him to see how his lungs look and to check his oxygen levels.  Everything showed great.  He mentioned that Asthma will permanently scare your lungs and at this point, Aiden doesn't show any scaring!!  He also said his oxygen levels were right on target so if he maintains, then we can lessen his daily inhaler to one puff each day instead of two puffs morning and night. 
His next appointment will be in October for his annual skin test.  They will test everything he is currently allergic to and anything new that we have noticed. 
We continue to pray that he will outgrow a lot of his allergies and also the asthma.  Aiden is very excited about playing sports this coming year and I don't want his asthma to slow him down.

What's wrong with this pictures??

So... can you tell what is wrong with this picture?

That's right folks... Ethan is wearing daisy dukes!  Daddy switched up their shorts again.  Gotta love Daddy though, he had already finished up snack time, homework and they were playing soccer outside all before I got home from work. 
Ethan's uniform is actually from last year and you can see how much he has grown.  Aiden was just happy that he now fits in his brother's cleats and shinguards.  Being the younger brother, Aiden gets all of Ethan's old clothes.  He doesn't seem to mind right now but we will see how long that lasts. 

Do rag??

                        Should Aiden start sporting a do rag or... not so much?

Weekend Roundup...

Friday night we took the boys to our first NHS football game of the season.  They had a blast even though it was still very hot.  We watched the entire game and then let the boys run around the field.  Then they pestered a new fireman so they could sit in their fire truck.  We could tell he was the new guy because everyone else started looking at each other as soon as the boys ran over to them. 

Sitting in the fire truck

Aiden's turn

Then on Saturday, Ethan had his first soccer game of the season and it was so hot.  Ethan played well and he was the goalie for the second half of the game.  They lost but they had a great time running around.

Meet Prince Aiden... shortly after this photo, he was fed grapes and fanned to ensure he did not over heat.

Goalie time!

Blocking a goal!

And another one...

Running through the congratulations tunnel. 

and again...

and then one last time

First time Goalie

Ethan played Goalie for the first time last night at Soccer practice.  Too cute!!

Get ready...

He made his first block for the night!!

He actually didn't mind playing Goalie because that meant he didn't have to be "skins" during the scrimmage.  Since when are boys so self conscious about their bodies??  Majority of them a small six packs right now. 

When it was someone elses turn to learn Goalie, we had to literally make him take his shirt off because it was confusing the other kids too much.  They couldn't remember that he was actually on their team. 

Ethan has his first soccer game tomorrow and he is very excited.  I will update with pictures and the outcome soon.

Questions from a curious child...

A few nights ago Ethan turned to me and out of the blue said "Mommy, I really want a baby sister.  When will you have a baby in your tummy?"   He currently has a few friends whose Mommy's are about to have a baby so he is wondering when is it going to be his turn to have a little brother/sister.  Questions like these are so innocent but yet so hard to hear because I don't know when/if this will happen.  I still have days when I question God as to why we had to lose our baby. I think he understands my hurt and frustration with the way this played out.   I know that this is just a season I am going through and this will make me stronger as a person and in my faith.  I am thankful for a Father who loves me unconditionally and will never give me more than I can handle- with his help. 

"Come to me when you are weak and weary. Rest snugly in My everlasting arms. I do not despise your weakness, My child. Actually it draws Me closer to you, because weakness stirs up My compassion-My yearning to help. Accept yourself in your weariness, knowing that I understand how difficult your journey has been".

My boys are precious and have such tender hearts.  I love them with all of my heart and I am so blessed to have them in my life.  I couldn't imagine life without either one of them.  They make me laugh often and even cry sometimes but my life is so much more meaningful with them in it.  Thank you boys for teaching me new things each and every day.  I love you both for being exactly who you are!

No Bullies allowed...

I am realizing each and everyday that raising children is hard.  It is hard to know what to do in certain situations so you don't scar the child for life, right?  It is hard to juggle balance all of our daily tasks and still make sure that we give quality time to each of our boys.  We now have soccer practice, homework, church and baths to complete all before getting into bed at a reasonable hour.  Each night we are going and going.

My most recent parenting hurdle is bullying or more accurately being bullied.  I was a shy kid in school and probably didn't stand up for myself as much as I needed to.  I will never forget my 10th grade year, I was bullied everyday by a girl over an ugly boy!  I was not a fighter but if I had to get in a fight, couldn't it at least been over a cute boy??  I will never forget how I felt and how I hated to go to school.  I want to shield my boys from that feeling at least as long as I possibly can.  I know I can't be with them 24/7 and I am sure they will come across kids that are just plain mean.  However, I want to protect them for as long as I possible can and I have a hard time not fighting their battles for them.  I guess it is something people call the "protective Mommy" that comes out. 

Ethan had been telling me about a girl that has been bothering him at daycare and calling him names.   After he would talk to me, I would go over some things he could say to her to stand up for himself.  I explained that he needs to always be friendly but if someone is being mean then he needs to speak up in a strong voice and say you don't like what they are doing/saying.  I guess this wasn't working so it was really starting to bother him and affect his mornings on the days she was there at daycare.  So... I decided to speak with her myself about her treatment towards Ethan.  I kept it short and "sweet" but also making a point to explain that I don't like anyone treating my child that way. Ethan came home yesterday and said that she was playing with him that afternoon and she might even be his friend now.  I was very proud of her because this morning, she came and apologized to Ethan for calling him names and the way she had treated him. 

Ethan has a very sensitive heart and doesn't understand why some people might not like him.  He tells me " Mommy, I am nice to them.  I just don't understand why one day they are my friend and the next day they aren't."  It hurts my heart when he gets his feelings hurt.  I hope that we can continue to instill in him confidence in who he is.  He can't control how other people act but he can control his own actions.   A good lesson learned with many more to come. 

Ethan's birthday night with the Barfields

Nana, Papa, Chad and Steph were all out of town for Ethan's party on Saturday so we all meet up last night at CiCi's Pizza and then went to play some Goofy Golf. 
That was the last time I will be eating Pizza for a long while.  The boys could eat Pizza everyday and be happy but not me. 
Here are some fuzzy pictures from our night of Goofy Golf. 
                                                   Getting started!!

Daddy's turn.  Tiger Woods... watch out!

Aiden is a lefty and we were having some issues figuring out the best way for him to hold a golf club.  Papa stepped in to save the day.

Trying to hold up the dinosaur.  He sure was heavy.

Then they had to sit on his tail.

About to fall off.

Mommy, Ethan and I think even Daddy all got a hole in one!!  Steph got a hole in one when it really counted.  The last hole, she got it right in the snake's mouth which wins her a free game.

Happy Birthday Ethan!!

Today, Ethan is 7 years old.  My how time is flying!!  I remember like it was yesterday holding my little chunky baby in my arms.  That was the best day ever!  We had both gone though a very stressful delivery and to finally hold him after 9 months of waiting, was fabulous!!  He has changed a lot since those earlier days and each day just gets better. 

• He is growing by the day.  I think he is going to be as tall as me very soon. 
• He loves sports.  Currently he plays soccer and baseball.  He loves to watch football with his Daddy.  Go FSU unless he is around PaPa and then... Go Gators!!
• He recently has learned to ride his bike minus the training wheels.
• He can be temper mental at times but has a very sensitive heart.  We are still working on the temper tantrums and hoping that they just disappear now that he turned 7.  Is that wishful thinking??
• He still loves to give Mommy hugs and kisses even in front of his friends!!  I treasure these moments because I am not sure how much longer they will last.
• He loves his little brother even though right now... they love to fight. 
• He loves to play video games (any kind) thanks to Daddy.  I think this is their special bonding time. 
• He favorite toys are Legos, Nintendo DS and Zhu Zhu pets.  He got 3 new Zhu Zhu pets from his party so we now have little hamsters running all over the house.  This is driving the dogs crazy! 
• He has the best memory (which is helping with his spelling words).  He is doing great with reading and seems to improve each day. 

We are so proud of Ethan and the little man he is becoming.  We pray that he will bless many lives just like he continues to bless ours each and every day.  We love you so much!!
Looking back from beginning until now...
                                   
                                          Ethan's first bath

Watching some football sporting the old man hairstyle (Poor little man... he was born with a head full of black curly hair.  Where did it all go??)

 a few years later...

Party weekend!!

Saturday we had Ethan's 7th birthday party at Lincoln Park.  We were both nervous because it was raining up until 30 minutes prior to the party.  Parties always stress me out. Our family has outgrown our house so I can't fathom bringing a bunch of other families into the mix.  So we normally have their parties at a park in the area which means there is always a chance for bad weather.  This same thing happened last year and left me scrambling for a covered area at the last minute.  We were lucky this year and some families under the pavilions left right before his party was to start so we set up and no one knew the stress I was under 5 minutes before.

Ethan had a great turn out for his party.  He had a good mix of church friends, school friends and daycare friends.  He felt very special that all of his friends came out to help him celebrate.
                          Eyeing the cookie cake.

On Sunday, we went to a party for one of Ethan's classmates at Fat Daddy's.  The boys love the arcades there.  Needless to say, Mommy and Daddy were very tired after this long weekend of parties!

First they started off in the arcades and this is the Ethan cashing in his tickets. 

And now Aiden's turn.- doesn't he look happy??

Now on to the alligator area at Fudpuckers

Look at the confusion of their faces!!  A guy had just jumped into the nasty water to catch an alligator.  No thanks!

Labor Day weekend!

Our family spent a lot of time bonding this weekend.  On Friday, we went to Walmart and then to the boy's (Daddy included) new favorite store Game Stop for a special PlayStation game they all have been secretly wanting.  The only thing Mommy dreamt of doing that night was taking a long hot bath and relaxing but I guess that won't happen for another 10 years.  Don't get me wrong... I take hot baths often but they are neither long nor relaxing.  This is the time that Aiden decides he wants to sit and have a conversation.  Although at the time I might seemed annoyed, I really do love those moments because I know they won't last forever. 
Saturday the boys and I made our routine visit to Big Kahunas.  This was the last day for us this season and we had a blast.  Ethan finally realized that he could do the big yellow slides and wouldn't be scared to death and Aiden grew since the last time we went so he was now tall enough to enjoy the fun as well.  I soon realized going up the 100+ stairs holding a double tube and a single tube was a bit difficutl.  At the top, I had to squat down and catch my breath (I am sure that was a pretty sight).  My legs were actually sore the next day so I guess I got a decent workout as well.  Then on Saturday night, the boys spent a few hours with Aunt Steph so Mommy and Daddy could visit a friend's art show at a local gallery.  I even guilted Daddy into buying me a beautiful necklace that Laurel had made. 
We were very lazy on Sunday and actually skipped church.  This is a rare occasion for the boys and I.  I always feel too guilty when I miss and the boys also never allow me to miss a Sunday or Wednesday.  Even if I am sick, they will beg for me to take them.  I have no doubt that they do love Jesus and their friends at church so I can't complain.  We had lunch with Chad, Steph and the kids and then headed out to Walmart (again- twice in one weekend is not good for the wallet) and Sam's.  Ethan's birthday party is this coming weekend so we had to load up on some goodies. 
On Monday, we took the kids canoeing at Black water.  This was the perfect day.  Beautiful weather and zero crowds.  We spent the entire day on the river.  The kids played and swam and I thought for sure they would fall asleep as soon as we got in the car.  No... not even when we got home.  They were wired and ready to play some more.  What?!?  Mommy needed a nap!!
            Ethan was very excited to ride in a yellow school bus.  Can you tell???

Aiden and Ian

The adults

Showing off his new swimming skills

Jumping from a small cliff. 

His karate move

There are the bunny ears.  We have to have at least one picture with those things.

Pretty deep hole.  We almost lost Ian.

This was not a good idea to let Aiden out.  Right after this picture he got stuck between the canoe and a log.

Hold on!!

We let them swim to the stopping point. 

The boys loved canoeing and as long as we can pick another day like Monday with little crowds, we will definitely do this again.