Choose your battles...

At first when I heard this going on, I tried to stop it. But then it was such fun for the boys, and so harmless, that I grabbed my camera to start recording. It's these simple forms of entertainment that seem to be so amusing to toddlers.

Although a little boring at first, it gets funnier when they start giggling and really enjoying the shredding. I couldn't resist recording that laughter!

E.L.M.O.

Does anyone else want to strangle this little character on a daily basis like I do? After the 900th time of playing his song, I thought Elmo was going to make it out into the yard last night. Perhaps it's time to let the batteries die....for good. We had to laugh last night when long after the kids went to bed, this random toy started doing it's thing in the playroom...must be sign that he's ready to "go".

Double Trouble

The boys enjoyed Emily's Barbie car at Grammy & Grampy's this weekend!

An Old Friend

I see this old friend every day – her photo is pinned on my visor in my car to remind me of the important things in life. It's been there for 3 years now. It’s not often that you learn such valuable lessons from a 14 year old. She passed away at the young age of 14 after a 3 year battle that she lost. But not after a valiant fight and a spirit that never waned. She was one incredible girl and she taught more adults lessons in life in that short time than they would ever learn in a life time. Anyone who knew her, even for a minute, was touched by her zest and love of life.

Kati & I first crossed paths back in 2000-2001 when she was diagnosed with Leukemia and I was training for my first (and only) marathon. I started out running in honor of my father in law who had passed away 5 years prior to this and had Leukemia. I finished my marathon in honor of both him & little Kati, and all of the other people who have this terrible disease. I continued on as a mentor only because of Kati. I could write forever about her and everything that she was. Her kindness and life spirit made her a celebrity among many. There were articles printed about her all across the nation. They talked about the connections she made with so many people. Suffice to say, I’ve often found comfort in the fact that my baby Calvin is somewhere in heaven where this other angel resides. I can only hope that the two of them have crossed paths!

I bring this up because I was recently forwarded an email about another child that was diagnosed with Leukemia a few months ago; and her Mom is an incredible woman who is training for the 2008 Olympic Marathon. She's treating her daughter's disease AND training for the olympics. And there is a connection between the two. Here is the link to their site – TWO TRIALS. Please check it out and even consider making a donation (upper right corner, donation button). It’s a great cause and having been involved heavily as a marathon participant and mentor for a few years with the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, I can attest that they need donations to continue trying to find a cure. We never know where our life’s journey is going to take us – and it’s stories like these that seem to keep us grounded and thankful for all that we have. My heart goes out to the Two Trials family – but as you can see, they’ve made something good out of something bad; and that’s the first step in getting through these trials of life! Keep praying for a miracle for Maddie.

17 Months

It's a rareity these days to get a photo of the two kids, in the same frame, not moving, and both smiling. Yesterday was a lucky day....

And just for fun, there's nothing like a 17 month old temper tantrum is there? Got that on film too...something about being stuck in a box was not good for JD.

Can't believe how far they've come!

Never too early....

...for a lax stick?

At this rate, he'll be a long stick defenseman; the only thing he likes to do is whack his brother with it!

Almost Monday...

The weekends always go so fast - here comes Monday again. I had a particularly fun and long overdue week last week which makes going back to work tomorrow that much more daunting. Lots to catch up on. My favorite Aunt Kathy was here last week and we had such a great time visiting. We had some nice quality time to catch up and just hang out. It was awesome for me, and for the kids. We miss you already Kathy!

It suddenly dawned on me today after having so much good quality time with the kids last week that they are no longer babies. We spent much of the weekend re-organizing to keep dangerous things out of the hands of our toddlers. They are everywhere, as are all 17 month olds so it was time to put away a LOT of things! They have changed so much lately and are exploring and learning more and more everyday.

JD is now trying to run - which is entertainment in itself. Cole is still not walking but he's crawling at record speeds and cruising as much as he can before he gets knocked over by his brother. We finally got rid of all bottles last week which was a huge relief for me. I've been hanging on to that last thread for many weeks now and we finally cut them out completely. Now I just need to wean JD from the sippy with milk at bedtime and we're good. It's impossible for me to believe that I've given my last bottle. ever. It is very apparent that the last few weeks of bottles were more for me than they were for the kids...

Last week Grampy bought the kids their first suckers. Not exactly the sucker I had in mind but it was fun to watch. They LOVED their sugar daddies - and we were able to see the sugar take full effect about 10 minutes in!

We had a small incident with a plant today - first so far. I was only about 2 feet away, making dinner and followed by about 30 seconds of silence (which you know is always a sign of trouble), I heard JD's devious laugh and turned the corner to see Cole shoving a handful of dirt in his mouth; followed by throwing up that same dirt. JD sat covered in it laughing his silly laugh. Wait until they figure out not too long from now that water mixed with dirt = mud (the photo doesn't look too bad - most of the dirt is hidden behind JD).

I'm just in awe at how grown up they are getting. Eating with forks, drinking out of sippy's, taking off thier shoes and socks, eating real food, understanding basic commands, going up and down the stairs alone, understanding the context of humor, giving hugs and kisses, finding their belly buttons - it's just amazing. I love seeing them every morning, wondering what the latest trick of the day will be.

We made a family trip to Target yesterday which required a speedy exit after about 30 minutes due to a melt down. Not unusual after being stuck in the stroller with so much to get your hands on. Our target trips will definitely involve riding in the shopping cart from here on out, not the "boring stroller". C. got his first taste of a public meltdown, which in itself was entertaining! Gone are the days of quick errands here and there while they sit passively enjoying the ride...A trip to chick-fil-a fixed them right up.

In other news, my friend R that I wrote about a few weeks ago (bedrest with trips) is doing really well. Sadly though, she did lose one of the babies. The other two babies are still hanging in there and she was even able to leave the hospital and go home to bedrest. We continue to keep her in our prayers as she mourns the loss of her little baby boy and stays strong for the other two so they can stay inside for a while longer.

Only a few more months until my new neice or nephew arrives. We're anxiously awaiting this little one - it will be so much fun to have a baby around again. I can't wait!!!

Nothing else to report. Here are a few recent pictures of the kids from this week. Off to watch the Terps game.

JD on the move...

Cole doing what he does best - sitting runner style

Great quote....

Life is short.
Break the rules.
Forgive quickly.
Kiss slowly.
Love truly.
Laugh uncontrollably.
And never regret anything that made you smile.

The little things...

Why couldn't I have thought of something so simple, yet so brilliant? These have cut down on my "swiffering" considerably!

Say it isn't so...

Some of you may know that my all time fave is the naked bongo player. Just heard the news yesterday that he's going to be a Daddy. What a lucky lady she is. Can you imagine the beauty of their child? Not many better looking than he is - except my husband of course ;)