YAY! Pacers had a GREAT draft!

ryan says that they are going to turn this thing around with the draft picks from last night and the recent trades. it will be great when people enjoy the pacers again...i want the kids to experience the excitement of the games (especially the PLAYOFFS...those are my fave in terms of atmosphere). so ryan is exhausted from a VERY loooong few weeks that culminated in a great day for him and the franchise...poor guy had to take austin to the dr. at the spur of the moment this morning cuz the kid has been blinking like it's going out of style. we thought he had something in his eye or they were irritated from the chlorine or that he was developing tourettes...so, to the dr. he went. it is fine...the dr. said he just might be imitating someone he's seen do that and we should ignore it to see if he stops doing it. but i digress...ryan was still so sleepy, he took a cat nap on the couch before noon!!!

okay, just that quick update...i still have a ton to do before the BIG bday party tomorrow! binoculars and train cars to make, streamers to hang, and a house to clean!!! be on the lookout for pics of the dora and diego fiesta early next week.

being a parent is the coolest

so, ryan has been super busy with work which means i get bonus time with the kids (read: all day, no break) but i have LOVED it. they are such neat little people and bring such a joy and peace to me that i never could have imagined. yes, even on days riddled with meltdowns and failed attempts at potty training. to see the world through their innocent view is so refreshing and truly reveals God to me. i am trying to remind myself to savor every moment of this unconditional love that a&c have for ryan and i, for fear that "the world" will somehow tarnish it as they grow older.

just wanted to share my heart before it explodes with love! the tater tots are awake and want to play! :)

Happy 3rd Birthday Austin and Caitlin!

On Thursday, the 19th, Austin and Caitlin turned 3! Hard to believe 3 years have gone by so fast, but at the same time, it seems we hardly remember life without them. This past year has seen them really change from toddlers to little kids.

In line with Austin's love of mowing the lawn, we got him a toy blower which had to have the batteries replaced within 24 hours due to so much use and a Tonka garbage truck that allows him to act out the scene that he loves every Friday morning when the real garbage truck comes. He takes both tasks very seriously! Oh, and on a safety note, he is sure to wear his goggles when he uses the blower!

We got Peanut a tea set which she loves. She will invite you to a tea party about 25 times a day, where she loves to serve you at their little table. Also, we got her a cool toddler karaoke machine that hooks up to the tv. She loves to watch herself on tv, and then point out who else comes into the screen. She kind of does a play by play more than sings, but she will belt out "Wheels on the Bus" at times, along with other favorites, "Pop the Weasel", "The Alphabet Song", and a few others.

Caitlin usually has been starting each day with the phrase, "I 3 now!" Austin is starting to come around, but for awhile was pretty steadfast on "Don't like 3. Want to be 2."

We are having a party for them on the 28th. A little late, but the only way we could do it with the draft coming on the 26th. This weekend, I will be at work pretty much the whole weekend. It is going to be Diego and Dora themed, so make sure you have your backpack (if you are a little Dora) or your rescue pack (if you are a little Diego).

Look for a video slide show posted here soon of pictures from the past year. I just have to settle on a good song. If anyone has any suggestions, please post them in the comments!

Austin all ready to use his new blower!

Caitlin warming up her singing voice on her karaoke machine!

cue the heavenly music!

caitlin put her "tinkles in the potty" today! TWICE! she was so proud of herself and loved her treats when she did it (3-4 mini m&m's, one pez, and a sticker). she is wearing pull-ups now and proudly announced she "had to go potty" then proceeded to disrobe from the waist down. it was really quite cute!

austin still has no desire to wear pull-ups or sit on the potty. he tells us, "don't like it" but begs for candy. it is sad to tell him he has to use the potty before he can get the treats, but it's our only hope! ;) the guy has quite a temper...

they have been loving going to the gym with mommy. they play while mommy excercises...today austin didn't even cry when i dropped him off. they love to hear all about the "exercises" and austin does a funny motion with his arms to simulate running. he is such a crack up sometimes.

that's all of the big news for now........hopefully we'll have more potty posts very soon!!!!

Father's Day

We had a great Father's Day weekend. Saturday, I took the kids to the pool that is here in the subdivision. It is really pretty nice. We stayed at the kiddie pool which is 1 foot deep. Caitlin was really excited to go, while Austin strongly stated that he didn't want to go to the pool. He "didn't like it." Well, of course, after he was there for about a minute, he never wanted to leave. They are both looking forward to the next time we can go. I have a feeling we will be there a lot this summer!

On Sunday, the kids each gave me a painting that they had made, along with t-shirts they made from school. All day long they would say, "Happy Father's Day, Dad. I love you." Pretty sweet words...I need to make them believe everyday is Father's Day, or at least string it out for a week or so. They also made me a Father's Day video that they will add to every year.

Austin and Caitlin's 3rd Birthday is just two days away now, and so hard to believe. I guess that you don't know how special it is to be a parent until you are one. So amazing to see them develop and do things. They are both amazing little people in their own rights. Very proud of both of them. Since it is only 9 days to the draft, and this weekend has the potential to be very busy for me, we are going to celebrate their birthday Thursday evening, but their party isn't going to be until the 28th. That is great for me, because I wouldn't want to miss it.

My own priceless works of art...ready for framing

I have the best kids...hands down!

Mother's Day 2008

well, it was a pretty awesome day for me as a mommy. it was the first mother's day that the kids actually told me "happy mother's day" and it was SO sweet! good thing i loved it because they told me about a million times that day (and continue to tell me!).

daddy, austin, and caitlin let me sleep in till about 9:00 and then all came in to the bedroom saying "happy mother's day...i love you!" talk about a great way to wake up! and it definitely sweetened the deal that ryan brought up a hot cup of coffee for me. :) they were very excited to show me my presents downstairs...boy, was i surprised! they each made a garden stepping stone for me with their handprints on them. daddy stepped WAAAAAY out of his comfort zone on that one and they turned out so great! I LOVE THEM! they are proudly displayed in our backyard "garden". the night they did the "art project" (as a & c will tell you) i got booted out of the house and i went to see a movie....in a real movie theater! i almost forgot what it was like! :) they also got me an espresso maker to satisfy my love of mochas, a new regular coffee maker that works like a dream, and a coffee grinder...austin loves it because it's noisy, caitlin loves it because i let her sniff the ground coffee when i'm done. they really went all out and spoiled me!

THEN, they made me cards and a cute little book at school earlier in the week. it's so awesome to get artwork that they made especially for me. definitely something i'll treasure forever.

Lawn Mowing...

Yesterday afternoon was a big day for Austin. He got to follow around Dad while mowing the lawn. He was using his toy lawn mower, while Daddy was using the "Big" lawn mower. Austin was very determined and didn't stop the whole time. I was only going to do the backyard, but the little guy was really mad when I stopped, so we did the front, too. The weed eater must not be quite powerful enough to satisfy him because he didn't like when we were all done and Daddy traded the lawn mower for that. It was very cute, and he was sweating like crazy when we were done. He was concentrating so hard! Caitlin wasn't too thrilled with the sound of the engine, but she sat on the patio and cheered her brother on. At one point, she yelled hi to him with a wave. Austin responded with a wave back. The whole scene was pretty neat, and satisfied one of Austin's earliest loves. The kid loves mowing the lawn. He pretends to do it inside and outside, and talks about it all the time. I don't think, however, that we are going to let him do too much with his other love at this time..."mumping bahbage" (dumping garbage).

We didn't get any video or pictures yesterday, but maybe this weekend when we mow again...