A Date

A Date--An ACTUAL Date--occurred today! Josh and I got a surprise call this morning from Mom Boyer asking if we would like an afternoon "off" (ie without the boys) because they wanted to spend time with them. I quickly finished the third coat of Jack's fire engine red room and showered so we could head out for a date! Of course we did some practical stuff first.....like dropping off my wedding ring to be fixed, stopped at the bank....and then we headed to famous dave's for a BBQ lunch that we have been craving (totally miss Roscoe's BBQ in Rochester) and to the IMAX to see The Day the Earth Stood Still. The movie was pretty good--which totally surprised me! After the movie, we checked in via the phone and found the boys were having such a great time that we were encouraged to continue our date. We headed to Robinette's to pick up some apples, and then went to their Winery. We did some fabulous wine tasting and purchased a bottle (plus other goodies) from the little shop there. Of course we ended our date with more practical-ness--Target for a carseat and Office Max for "office stuff" :) It seems like as we get "older" (yes I use this term loosely here), our dates usually consist of something practical--such as an errand or two or twelve. It is only a little bit disturbing to me that I don't mind this practical aspect :) It was such a relaxing date with Josh--much needed time for us to reconnect and hang out!

Christmas through the eyes of Jack

Jack is now camera happy! While we were at my parents' house, we let Jack use our family camera (great way to keep him occupied). He took a total of 184 pictures :) I wanted to capture the pictures for my scrapbook but did not want to scrap all 184 pictures so I created this collage to scrap! I did edit out a few that Josh said were "neccessary" to tell the entire story.....Jack took a lot of pictures that were just butt shots ;) Some might say that Jack has good taste....some might say that it is just eye level for Jack. I edited those pictures out.... how many pictures of Mommy's and Aunt Lynda's butts does one family need!?!

BOWLING!

The day after Christmas was going to start a new Boyer Family Tradition--After Christmas Bowling! We called up the neighbors, created a plan and set out for a fun time. After a pizza hut dinner and exchanging gifts, we headed over to the Greenville Bowling Alley. Little did we know, bowling is a big deal in Greenville and the lanes were FULL and had a WAITING list.... we had 5 (well 4 plus Lukie) very disappointed little kiddos! To appease the kids, we ALL headed back to my VERY chaotic and messy house to bowl on the Wii and play with Christmas toys! We also created a new plan--Sunday Bowling. So, yes, folks, we headed back to the bowling alley on Sunday--out and about on a VERY windy day and on treacherous, ice covered roads. Fortunately, we made it safely!!! The kiddos had a GREAT time. Luke was so cute in his tiny little size 8 shoes (only a tad too big), carrying around his pink, 4 lb bowling ball, with his little Budha belly sticking out! He only lasted about 5 frames. Jack, on the other hand, is going to go Pro! He started with the same tiny little pink 4 lb ball (and no pink is NOT just for girls, contrary to the popular belief of my little boys) and after a few frames of "help" from mom or dad, moved up to a heavier ball and decided he did not want any help. He would lug the ball (green and around 6 lbs) up to the lane by himself, set the ball down and give it it a nice push. Each bowling lane at the alley had the unique ability to track the speed of the ball--and Jack was consistently bowling at 4 mph :) He lasted the ENTIRE hour but as you can see in the picture (look at the very edge of the picture) he was not a happy camper to leave the alley! The neighbor three, Sam (7), Chloe (7) and Kaden (3) also had a great time. Sam definitely improved as the hour went on! Chloe was pretty good right from the start and had a great time!!! Kaden, well he was hit or miss, and was not sure if he really wanted to bowl. He really had the most fun when I took him and Luke over to the arcade section and let them drive the race car game :) When Kaden did bowl, he was pretty darn good! All four adults had fun....let's just say that I was not the only bowler who's score was assisted from the bumpers! All five kids were definitely read to head across the street for McD's :) I thought the kids would be worn out from bowling...... nope :) just the parents!

The Day After

uffda am i tired today.... and so are my boys! luke is especially fussy today--he is playing one minute and then screaming the next. i have seen him angry at his suitcase because he cannot unzip it, angry with his new bike because he cannot pedal yet, angry with his ball pit becuase it is a ball pit, angry with the stairs because they are there, angry with his milk because dad handed it to him, angry with his snack because he was handed it wrong...the list goes on. he just climbed down the stairs by himself (huge in his world) and was happy until he got to the bottom and realized he was there and then got angry again..... oh this might be a LONG day :)

The Loot:

Christmas Morning

Santa left Jack a note--he ate all the cookies Jack made for him and even drank the cup of milk.

Luke woke Momma up at 5:35 on the dot. We patiently waited in his bed for an hour--dosing a bit but mostly tickling. When it finally hit a "decent" hour (6:30), Luke ran to wake Jack. They both ran upstairs to wake Dad and then promptly ran back to the tree to inspect the presents Santa left! The boys sat still for a few seconds so I could snap the picture!

Luke LOVED opening presents! His favorite was the shopping cart he got. Jack was very patient as others opened their gifts :) He LOVED the wooden train set Santa brought!

Christmas Eve

Christmas Eve was RELAXING!
John and Lynda (My sister and her husband) came over for a meal and fun. We spent a LOT of time laughing as we played the Wii and watched the boys play the Wii. We also ate a GREAT meal--I am very proud of myself! Josh grilled up my tasty marinaded T-bones and I made the rest--cheesy potatoes, wild rice, salad with homemade croutons, bubble bread, and to top off the dinner, I made a two layer homemade white chocolate and milk chocolate mousse with sugared pecans. It was divine!

A great picture of our family:)

The boys LOVE Aunt Lynda and Uncle John!



Spending Christmas Eve with my sister was the perfect way to celebrate the night!

Daycare Excitement

Today was our daycare holiday party--the boys had such a great time. It was so fun to see them interact with the other kiddos. We did a gift exchange and it was really fun to see Jack hand his present to Elizabeth. He was so excited to give her the gift and I could tell how proud he was that she enjoyed her present! Luke was not so thrilled to be there but I think he was nervous that I would leave him :) Jack got a great Tonka Truck set and Luke got a fantastic "tag along" puppy from their friends. They also got books and trucks from Daycare Brenda! They were thrilled to get the presents and Jack was kind enough to remember to say thank you on his own. He even thanked daycare Mark when he brought in the pizzas from Little Caesers. It is so nice to hear my little boy all grown up and thanking others. It was a nice holiday party!

Weekend in Cadillac

My favorite picture of Jack and Luke with Grandma Woo Woo!

We celebrated Christmas up North this weekend at my parents' house. Saturday morning, we started with a visit to the Wotila's. The Wotila's have been a part of my life for a VERY long time--I started watching their children occasionally when I was around 12 and by the time I was 13, I was their "usual" sitter :) I spent 7 summers spending 2-3 days a week watching Eric and Kelsey so their mom could work. I also watched them on the weekends so their mom and dad could have dates (which I so understand the need for now). We spent some time playing with the "kids" (Eric is 20 and Kels is 18) :) Jack and Luke had a GREAT time! From there we headed to my parents' house! Jack got to spend time playing with cousin Ben, plowing with Uncle Tom, plowing with Grandpa Dan and playing with new Christmas toys! We had a great family dinner on Saturday night and another family dinner on Sunday afternoon. It was a nice mix of relaxation and excitement! We had a great weekend! :)

SURPRISE!

So the weather held out and we were able to head to GR for the surprise after all! Sarah came back from work (in GR) to get us (and to make sure the roads were good) so we were all able to drive together. She took us first to a restaurant in East GR Gaslight Village--Olives! It was DELICIOUS! It was a quaint and adorable place that had a fantastic seasonal menu! After the tasty dinner, she took us downtown to the DeVos Center to see the Grand Rapids Ballet performance of the NUTCRACKER! It was amazing! I have never been to the ballet before and was in love after the first strike of the symphony! The dancers have this amazing ability to tell the story with their body movements and the music is filled with so much emotion. It was an absolutely heart moving Christmas gift that I will treasure for years to come! THANK YOU Sarah :)

bummed

i was supposed to have an evening out 2 (yes 2) nights in a row to myself this week--thursday and friday. thursday i was not able to attend the gno due to a stomach bug. today (friday) i will not be able to attend a gno with mom b and sarah due to nasty weather! (well none of us will be able to attend due to the nasty weather) we have gotten a foot of snow since 2 am....in less than 12 hours! i am sooo bummed. tonight was a christmas surprise from sarah!

Let's Try this Again

So yesterday I blogged, and blogged and blogged...only to find my blogs disappearing as they "posted" and/or only posting chunks of blogs.

grumble

so i typed up a rather large emailed that went into how i fell on some ice tonight and then went i went to post it, it was gone!!!! oh that just jingles my bells. i have been rather crabby all day

Let's get this POTTY started

Fluke for Luke tonight I am sure but he used the potty... well kind of. Let me explain quickly (will be quick because I am tired and need to hit the hay). Lately, Luke will go over to the potty and want to get on. He never goes but we always appease him and let him sit on it. Tonight I was busy and kind of ignored him but he was stubborn and waited for me to put him on the potty. I left him sitting here with Jack reading to him. Jack must have gotten bored and left Luke there for a minute. (I had dishes to do... :)) Next thing I know, Josh walked through and found Luke still sitting on the potty but pointing to the floor--where his pee had landed! He has got to work on his aim! We are proud of Luke :) Perhaps he is now Flukey Lukey. Regardless, fluke or not, great job Luke! If you want to potty train yourself at 17 1/2 months old, you go right ahead little man!

To Write or Not to Write? That is the Question.

To Write or Not to Write? That is the Question of the hour--do I write a Christmas letter or not? I have the cards ready to go but still can't decide if I will write a letter. Part of me thinks I should but then again I already blog a bunch, and facebook and email updates...

Entertainment

The boys got a kick out of sliding down the stairs today--kept us busy for almost 3o minutes! The only downside is that Jack's tummy now has carpet burn :(

It was controlled chaos!

Car Track

Our masterpieces!



jack made a great car track today! iy was a great saturday morning activity! luke did the coloring and mom did the duct tape! jack was the manager and designer!

Ugh

Ugh. I just paid another grad class bill.... I love the fact that I am in school again. I love the fact that I am working towards a Master's Degree that holds meaning for me. I love the fact that I am an educated woman. I do not love the fact that it costs a lot of money. After paying for 4 more credits, I wonder how I will pay for MORE than 4 credits that I need to take over the summer! Ugh.

Snow, Snow, Snow

Moving back to MI means SNOW! Woke up to this sight--had none yesterday! The school district we live in was closed but the school district I teach at was not. I was home sick today so I did not have to brave the roads after all. More snow on the way for later this week!


Our little snow shoveler! He was so helpful today!

Funny story pertaining to weather--I headed out to the Doctor's today to get checked out and on the way, I asked Josh if I needed to wear a coat or if my vest would be okay. He said my vest would be fine as it was not very cold out. I looked at the temp when I got in the car and it was 28! To Mighiganders, that is cold but to those brave Minnesotans, that is a heat wave! I wore my vest and I was NOT cold! I must have toughened up in MN :)

This is the view from our front door (looking right). We love living in the country!

Our grill, deck and back yard! SNOW!

From Jack

Mom and Dad got us a huge tree! I am hoping Santa comes and puts presents under my tree! I really want a car track, and airplanes, and frogs and cups and that is it. I had a lot of fun decorating the tree!

I decorated this corner of our Christmas tree!

I am being silly here!

Here I am putting the bulbs as my ears!

Luke got the bulbs--he is going to get in trouble! Luke wants a toy and a car toy and a winding car track.

Love, Me (Jack-O)

Fetching a Tree

I love my husband!!!

the pretend scrooge face:)

told him (above & below) to show teeth :)

In the middle of our weekend--in the 10 seconds we were "healthy"--we fetched ourselves a tree. This adorable little place was in the middle of no-where, just 10 minutes from our house (also in the middle of no-where). We got our tree and got a tree for Josh's parents :)

Thank You from the Bottom of my Heart

Dear Friends,
Thank you for the support, kind words and amazing care you have shown me. I truly am blessed to have so many of you supporting me through my anxiety! :)
Love, T

An Inner Most Secret

here is a totally honest blog. i am revealing some of my most secret, inner thoughts. if you are not ready to make that kind of a commitment to me--to hear my inner secrets and then support me, now would be the time to stop reading.

i have a specific phobia disorder and generalized anxiety disorder. who knows how long i have struggled with these but it was diagnosed about 4 years ago. my struggles for sure date all the way back to at least 4th grade where i spent the entire school year struggling with school anxiety and school phobia. one of my phobias manifests itself in puke. i know none of us like puke; it is nasty, stinky and darn right gross. but for someone with a phobia, i used to go to great lengths to avoid it at all costs and even tried to "control" situations so it would never occur. my phobia was so controlling i eventually stopped going to movies, out to dinner or anywhere there were groups of people. phobias are very stressful for the person but can be even more stressful for the spouse. it is with josh's support that i sought help. i went through a very intense 10 week course of behavioral-cognitive therapy where i learned to relax, learned to stop trying to control situations, learned how to get rid of false safety measures (like having 20 plus plastic bags in the car) and to overcome my phobias. most of my phobia training centered around exposure therapy--examples would be watching movies where people puke, visualizing situations that cause me anxiety, being around puke, etc. since it was hard to get puke, i actually bought fake vomit (three kinds) online.

so today i am here to tell you i experienced a HUGE exposure therapy. luke spent 12 hours throwing up. i got the call from daycare that luke had thrown up not once but twice. i didn't have time to think; i went right to daycare. by the time i got there, he had thrown up once more. before we got in the car, he had thrown up a 4th time. all in all, he spent the next twelve hours puking (with a diarhea combo). my anxiety was actually under control for most of the actual event but now i found myself most anxious as i process it. i am also anxious about future pukers in the family--will jack start throwing up? josh? me? my anxiety definately comes out when i do not have control over situations--no one has control over puke. this leads me to ponder, is my anxiety really related to puke or just letting go of control?

thanks for listening today (whoever you are out there) and supporting me through my anxiety. this took a lot for me to write today. i am tired of living in the "mental health closet"--there are so many stereotypes and stigmas over mental health. people think if you have anxiety, depression, etc. you must be weird, sick, or in great need of help. since i have taken control over my anxiety (well most days have it under control...which ironically connects to the last sentence in the above paragraph), i am proud of who i have become. i am a much more stable woman. my moods are not so "topsy turvy" and i am a much MUCH happier woman. i am also a much better mom.

Unique Christmas Gift Opportunity!!

My Mother in Law, the very talented Linda Boyer, has written and published a children's book! I Love You BIGGER Than the Sky is a heart felt story of how love comes full circle. It has captured my heart and the hearts of Jack and Luke. The water color illustrations she painted are absolutely enthralling and beautiful! If you are looking for a UNIQUE, wonderful and heartfelt Christmas gift, there is a website below where you can purchase the book. (www.blurb.com if the link below does not work) I think it would make a fantastic gift for new parents, a daycare provider, a special child in your life, your own parent, a neighbor or just someone you want to share love with. Check it out!

I Love You BIGGER Than the Sky by Linda Boyer

kitchen helper

Luke helped dad in the kitchen tonight:) he cleared the table with mom and then proceeded to bring imaginary things from the table to the sink:)

A doe, a deer, a female deer

josh, the warrior hunter, bagged himself a doe on friday morning. he and dad boyer were out for all of five minutes friday morning before spotting and killing his doe. he spent the rest of the morning and early afternoon cleaning his deer and hunting more. we will now have a freezer full of jerky and snack sticks as i have no intention of cooking doe (which josh carefully and thoughtfully named "Meat"). friday night dad boyer went back out and snagged himself a doe (named "Meat 2"?). poor uncle aaron, who is the original warrior hunter responsible for getting together this gang of warriors, has not snagged himself a deer yet--there is still hope!

Big Boy Bed Update

so it has been 3 nights in a big boy bed for young luke, and we have had some ups and downs. the first night went swell, friday night went so so and last night was rough--he does not get out of bed as one might expect, instead he cries when he gets into bed and then throughout the night actually rolls out of bed. he must have inherited my restlessness. we are disucussing the need for a small guard rail but....probably not! it is not a tall bed by any means and he is resisilient :) watch for more updates!

The boys sure are busy busy busy!

I decided a short video of the boys would be nice for those friends in MN who haven't seen the boys--this is NOTHING special....just the boys being boys :) and in the clip, you get to:

1. See my messy house
2. Hear Jack ask if we have an emergency
3. Watch Luke imitate his brother
4. See both boys expend energy

BIG BOY BED (Knock on Wood)

Knock on wood but it has been 15 minutes since I laid Luke down for his first night in his big boy toddler bed--Josh took off the front of his crib :) Before bed, Luke had a great time jumping on it, climbing in and out (in and out, in and out, in and out), and even brought a bunch of duplos up with him to play. We will have to see how the night pans out!

Little Readers

Jack has loved reading for quite some time but Luke has not really expressed interest in it until JUST THIS WEEK! Al l of the sudden he cannot look at enough books. He "talks" about the stories, points to things, wants us to read to him and seems to REALLY enjoy it. I had an awesome 30-60 minutes with the boys tonight where we sat in Luke's glider and read stories together. I asked Josh to come down and get some pictures but of course the boys were "done being readers" at that point. He did get a couple and I will try to get them loaded. I love that the boys love to read--We both LOVE to read and want to pass that on to our kids! :)

Time

where does all of our time go. it is simply amazing to me how quickly i can "waste" time....for instance, i had 1.5 hours this afternoon to myself to be productive--could have scrapped or cleaned--but what did i do instead....played on the computer most of that time... i did get my desk cleaned off and a few bills paid but still it is simply amazing that the time flew by. example 2: josh is waiting for me right as i type to finish ghostbuster's (quality 80's movie btw) and what am i doing instead--spent 30 minutes playing on my computer--email, facebook, blogging, more email, shopping for christmas, etc. at least i am a multitasker time user!

Neighbors are Great

My neighbors are great--they are fun, friendly, helpful and all around just nice. Our kids play well together but, in my opinion, more importantly, we get along well as adults. Shannon is so enjoyable to hang out with and Scott is a great guy. We are blessed to have such wonderful people around us--especially after we had MULTIPLE awesome neighbors in MN. We miss our MN neighbors so much!!!!

Addedum to Previous Blog

Highlight was that the boys slept great at grandparent's house.... however, it was just as fantastic that we only had to drive a bit over an hour to spend time with my parents :) We took the boys out of daycare early on Friday so we could leave as soon as I was done with work (and remember I am only 2/3 time at Sparta) which means we got an entire weekend with my parents--not just a tiny chunk! It was so great to throw a few things in a laundry basket, load it into the car (car did not even become a low rider as in the past when we had to pack our entire house when we traveled from MN), and zip North! We LOVE LOVE LOVE living in MI!!!!!

Weekend with My Parents

We headed up to Cadillac this weekend to visit with my parents! It was a fantastically relaxing weekend--we spent a lot of time playing with the boys, eating good food, hanging out with my nephew Ben and brother Tom (plus met a "new" girlfriend...), visiting with my grandparents, and playing more with the boys. Josh was able to get some quality time in with Jake--they said it was just like the "good ole days"--took in a movie, ate at Taco Bell, talked, watched tv and drove around! :) I made it over to the Cadillac Band Boosters Craft Show (alone time as my parents stayed with the boys during nap time)--I can't even remember the last time I was there! I picked up a marshmellow gun for Jack--I am now the cooler parent in his eyes :) We made it over to Frosty Cup for a cheap yet tasty breakfast and of course got dinner after church on Saturday. The kids were so well behaved in the car (knock on wood) and slept great at Grandma and Grandpa's house!!! This was probably the highlight of the weekend--Jack slept in his own room, in his own bed, without a fuss! I didn't hear him when he woke up early on Saturday morning but Grandpa did and took care of him. When I woke up I found him in Grandpa's room, wearing one of Grandpa's sweatshirts and watching cartoons! Luke is getting too big for a pack n play so we decided to let him have his FIRST big boy bed experience--he slept with me on the double bed:) I was so proud of him--he listened to his music like a good boy and fell asleep BOTH nights without fussing at all! This made our lives OH SO MUCH better! Parents who get good sleep are much happier!

Lazy Weekend

What a fantastically lazy weekend...just what we all needed after our weeks of colds and sniffles! I was able to sneak in a few naps, played a few rounds of cards with family, trick or treated on a warm 60 degree night, cleaned a few rooms, did a bit of school work, had a campfire, watched some Harry Potter and finished a GREAT book (The Memory Keeper's Daughter) and did it because I wanted to, not because I had to! We had so much good family time together :)

Okay enough warm fuzzies for now :)

Little Shadow

Luke is a little shadow of Jack--whatever Jack does, Luke wants to do as well. Jack uses the potty, therefore Luke wants to use the potty as well. I remember when Jack was 18 months or so, he too went through a phase where he wanted to sit on the potty and flush as well. That's right folks, it was just a phase--nothing came of it! I figure this too is a phase for Luke but one that I am content to humor. Luke will come to one of us, grab our hand and walk us to the bathroom--all the while "talking to us" as if we can figure out what he is saying. He gets into the bathroom, points at a book and tries to put himself on the potty! If Luke wants to sit on the potty (does not go yet but does a LOT of sitting), it certainly cannot hurt in the potty training department. He makes sure he flushes and washes up after :)

Halloween Fun

Happy SPOOKtakular Halloween from The Boyer's :)

Jack and Luke, aka Doctor Boyer and Lumber"Luke", had a marvelous time! Thursday they had a HUGE party at Daycare Brenda's and won tons of fabulous prizes through various games and Bucket Bonanza! Friday we Trick or Treated in town by Aunt Sarah and Uncle Aaron's house and helped them hand out candy! Jack and Luke ENJOYED the candy, were very wound up but in the end crashed hard and slept great through the night :) We had a VERY fun time!

Costume Info...Jack chose to be a doctor and loved every minute of it :) He took my temp this morning because I have a cold and he wanted to make sure I was okay :) Luke's costume stemmed from his OBSESSION with the toy chainsaw--that kid takes it all over the house! A lumberjack didn't fit due to his name so he became a Lumber Luke :)