John turns Four

Four year olds know exactly what they want for their birthday . . .everything you find in the toy aisle! And I think John covered the gamut with what he actually received:Ben 10, Bakugons, Transformers, Super Heroes, puzzles, Lightning McQueen, games etc.



John begged to have a birthday with his friends this year, so we had a get together at McDonald's. John had a blast and was so thrilled with everything he got. The kids had fun with a few games and then playing in the indoor playground.



We also had the family birthday, where John was thrilled with even more toys. He did get a few books and some clothes, which I liked but did make the top of the list for the 4-year-old!

Planet 51

We took the boys to the movie theatre for the first time and saw Planet 51. They loved the experience, the movie was mediocre.


As soon as the previews started, Nathan's eyes got as big as saucers. And both boys were smiling from ear to ear. Some parts got a bit load and John insisted on covering his ears.


They behaved very well until about the last 15 minutes and then both got a little squirrely. John thought that we should watch all movies this way, but maybe find one that is not quite so long.


Anyway, it was fun for us all.

We are officially renters

We closed on our home and have moved into a 2-bedroom townhouse until we find the home of our dreams.


We are excited to be onto the next step. However, I must admit I was a bit teary eyed as I walked through the house one last time. The boys bedroom with their baseball border especially got to me.

Lots has changed in the 7 years we lived there, but we can take all those great memories with us. And we will have plenty more memories to make at our new home.

The town home is less than ideal. It is great that we can rent month to month. However, WOW is the space tight. We have our one-car garage packed floor to ceiling with our belongings. The space is pretty tight all except for the master bedroom. This room is massive and we have used the extra space as a storage space for more of our boxes.

John asked me where the other living room was and why we didn't have a basement. I don't think Nathan has realized the big change except for that the toys are more limited.

The good news . . . much less to clean (one bathroom, one small living room/dining area and just a small kitchen).

Let's just hope it's only a short stay though. We may drive each other mad!

A 10-point Buck

Joe had a successful weekend deer hunting and bagged a 10-point buck.

The boys thought is was pretty cool to see a deer up close and poised for a picture. John was very excited to help hold the antlers.

However, John is still my sensitive little man and was a bit concerned about the "owie" that the deer had.

Major League Status?

The entire family was watching the MLB playoffs. And John suddenly turned to dad and asked "Daddy, why don't you play with this team?"


Joe answered in his most serious tone "John, I'm too good to play with them?"


I tried very hard to keep the laughter from bursting forth, but completely lost all control when John stated "No I think you are too old!"

The taunting begins

John, Nathan and I were on our way home from daycare. John became upset because he wanted to be picked up in Daddy's truck. Monday's tend to be long as John is over tired from the weekend, and he continued to cry. As I am trying to convince him to stop, I hear Nathan singing. And then I realize it is more of a chant . . ."John is the baby. John is the baby. John is the baby." As you can probably guess that didn't help the situation and John was not happy about it at all. All Nathan did was smirk. I'm guessing this is only the beginning!

Shoe shopping

Who needs girls!! I have two boys that love shoes! We went a shoe store to buy new sneaks for the boys. They were ecstatic and ran down the aisles trying to find the coolest shoes . . .size was not an issue.

John insisted that he had to have Sketchers since his friend Kayla has Sketchers. I didn't realize that brand loyalty would start this early.

Nathan was all about the blue Nikes. When I gave him a choice he only said "Blue" (keep in mind that blue is the only color he ever names!)

Both had to wear their shoes home and were so excited to shoe everyone we saw.

Later that day John and I went to Office Depot for a few things. As we stood in line, John exclaimed to the check-out guy (who was probably about 20). "I have Sketchers on!" The guy replies with "Cool! I have Sketchers too!" John's eyes got big and he exclaimed "No way!" John was so proud that he had shoes like a big kid!

*I also found out days later that John's friend Kayla does not have Sketchers, but now wants them because John has them!