Mickey here we come!

We have been counting down for weeks. Each time we leave the house Trevor screams, "We are going to Disneyland!" over and over. I have to break the news and each time there are tears. Poor little guy. Then he'll ask if we are going to Guatemala! Like that would be easier to go to!


I'm finishing up packing and cleaning up while Damon is at work. I made the boys some Mickey shirts this morning and packed them goodie bags for our long car ride to Ventura. I found this trick out last Spring and they love it! I just get a bag and pack it full of snacks and toys (they have in the house nothing new) and they are so excited to see what is in their bag! They are funny boys. This time I added Mickey color pages and some Mickey and Goofy Pez, they're favorite! Check out this blast from the past!

I was trying to find picture of the last time Damon and I went to Disneyland after our Senior year. The only problem, Damon didn't go! He was off on an adventure in Alaska with friends! I thought he was there. So I looked and looked and could not find one picture of us at Disneyland. I thought we had but we have NEVER BEEN TO DISNEYLAND TOGETHER! I could have sworn we have but I guess we haven't! Look at the price to get in to Disneyland too.. $32, wow! I'm off to finish a few things before we leave. I'll let you enjoy my stylish scrapbook page and us young beauties until we return! Hahaha!

Let the celebration begin!

I have the greatest friends EVER! I came home to the best birthday surprise today! Yummy. I did have to share one bite with Trevor (good thing Shane was at pre-school!) I'm sure that was the part that would have put my eating healthy over the limit!

My mom always made such a big deal over our birthdays. We didn't only celebrate on our birthdays but things rolled into our birthday week and then I remember trying to push things to our birthday month but I don't think my mom bought that! Well, I have NEVER had my birthday month start EARLY!! Thanks to my dear friend, Kerry, for dropping off each and every one of my favorite things today. Cupcakes, diet coke, the best chips ever, Berts Bees Wax, what girl could wish for more!
I will be packing tonight and tackling this mess, YIKES! After we get back from my birthday celebration with Mickey I get a week-end alone with more great friends scrapbooking! I am awarding my mother in law the MIL Award of the Year for coming to watch the boys so I can go! A lot of planning goes into a great week-end so I have been busy and making messes as I work. If you can't tell there is organization in there and pages ready to be put together I promise!

Since Kerry started the birthday wishes early I just have to go along with it or that would be rude! I really am turning this into a month long thing, aren't I? The only downfall, unlike when I was a little kid during my birthday I will still be doing my chores! Besides a pedi, cupcakes, and diet coke I mopped, did laundry, and cleaned a bathroom today. All with a smile on my face because we have let the celebration begin!

3.2.1. BLAST OFF!

Life has been great around the Young house. We have been enjoying warm weather (not the past few days.. it's freezing again!) outside bike rides, BBQing, and even a few trips to Toys R Us! I usually write about how much fun it is to be the Mommy in charge and all the fun I have, but today it's about the fun of being the Daddy! Damon and the boys went to Toys R Us (first time out with BOTH boys!!!) to buy a real model rocket to blast off! Here they are putting it together.
Damon ended up having to go to work on his day off (something happening a lot around here. We miss him but will enjoy the overtime!) and it was too dark to do it once he got home yesterday. Instead we waited, and waited, and waited!

Daddy finally got home and we went to launch it!

Proud Daddy and boys! Trevor can hardly hold all that excitement in! He really did like it but it was COLD! When it was done he went on and on about "the awesome rocket going to space!"

It lasted about 20 seconds but an exciting 20 seconds it was!! The blast was faster than I thought and loud too and off it went! It just kept going up and up to over 900 ft or so the box says! Shane was scared that security would come get us and Trevor was screaming with excitement!

We will be having another rocket launch tomorrow if anyone would like to join us for 20 seconds of fun!

Why, oh why?

Something I have always said I would NEVER do and now I have. I have given up the ever so tasty Diet Coke and most carbs. Temporarily. I miss so many things from this cute/messy little picture taken last May. I miss those chip (only found at Target). I miss that nice cold Diet Coke. I don't however, have to miss that cute little messy faced Trevor or the phone! Somethings in life are always constant and good!

Mat sat.

I don't know how it happened but my boys are growing up too fast. Each day they amaze me at what they are learning. I just can't believe that Shane will be 5 soon. I'm seriously thinking about homeschooling (NOT really) because I don't want him to go to Kindergarten yet! He hit another milestone a few weeks ago and it started the same as bike riding. So here is how the story goes.

Shane has been asking for as long as I can remember to read. Recently this reading thing has been a major topic. He asks and I say later. He asks more and I say later. He began to "read" books to Trevor and was pretty good at what he had memorized. Damon pointed out that I'm a teacher (I have already forgotten about that part of my life!) so we headed off to get some Bob books and guess what?!?! We had success!

I had my reservations about a 4 year old ready to read because he can't even write all his letters yet! He could care less about writing. He is in to letter sounds and numbers. He loved it! He read book one over and over with some help but mostly on his own. I had to make a rule of a new book every 2 days. We are on book 4 of these simple books and he is still enthusiastic! This week we are going to start sight word cards with a few each week. Shane thinks he is sooo grown up reading and all. He told the neighbors, Daddy, his teacher, and pretty much anyone that would listen. I have to agree, he is pretty grown up reading to his mommy now!

He's so grown up he has to not like getting his picture taken like teenagers do! oh well. I'm glad he is taking after his Mommy and enjoying a good book!

Taking the dive

In a few weeks I will be taking the dive into my thirties. Not just thirty (which was bad enough) but my thirtIES! How did I get so old? Or like my mom says grow up so fast? It is delightful being the adult and mom making all the rules. I can have Diet Coke for breakfast with a healthy dose of candy if I want. I can play at the park all day and decide if we will stop for McDonald's or better yet ice cream! If I want new clothes I can usually just buy them. I stay up as late as I want. I have two little guys that have to listen to me and if they don't they go to their rooms. It really is a cool gig but seriously in my thirties!?!?!

To make the transition easy and fun I'll be celebrating with these guys!!

Damon can't say no when it's my only birthday wish! Besides it makes me feel young again wishing to be at Disneyland on my birthday! The boys don't even really know yet and will be thrilled to celebrate with Grandma and Grandpa too!

Then about a month after my fabulous birthday celebration I'll be soaking up some rays with the love of my life here!!!

I knew when we decided on a December wedding that I would NEVER get a proper anniversary. I knew life would get in the way and we'd never celebrate. Sadly, I have been right. So this year let's just say we are celebrating our 10th anniversary early, in style, and alone for 9 days on the Roatan Islands!!!

So I guess after doing this post I'm excited to be in thirties! With trips planned and adventures waiting for me life looks great. I'll continue to enjoy it even though I'm getting old!

Constantly Amazed

I don't know why I let him shock me. I should be use to it by now. He is always doing something to shock me. After almost 3 years of this amazement I should be over it but I'm not. Tonight was no exception.

Trevor's night time bath has stopped. We were having 2 baths and a shower each day so I decided to cut out bedtime bad. He is continuing to ask for every single toy in the house to accompany him to bed. Tonight we picked up the "usuals" before he made it to bed. However, he forgot his prized doggie (yes, Lisa it's the one your kids gave him for his birthday. The only stuffed animal he has loved!) he had been giving the dog trike rides earlier today. I ran outside to get him and told Trevor to brush his teeth and go potty. I meant at different times though. I need to be more specific!!!

Talk about multi tasking! He had his little guy out doing his business, brushing his teeth, and the Leapster over his shoulder!

I can say he is taking after his mother with multi tasking. Most men do not possess this trait so I hope he doesn't lose it when he hits puberty! Needless to say all things made it safely to his bed and Trevor enjoyed his nightly Leapster game before he fell asleep. Another normal day in Trevor's world.

Lost and Found

Like most of you I have been in an organizing and purge mode. Cleaning closets, the garage (this is in baby steps), cupboards, toy boxes, you name it! During one of those cleanings Mr. Trevor found a treat. Only problem, I don't know how old that treat it! This kid has some candy radar. He doesn't care if it's hot candy, sour, chocolate, fruity, he does not discriminate. I have found him one to many times picking up the spilled candy under the candy machines in Sam's Club and eating it! YUCK!!!I found this way back in our coat closet which isn't even really a coat closet until now. Damon had about 8 uniforms (which he doesn't wear now) and 4 jackets/coats uniforms too! I found my diaper bag. There were binkie's in there along with cracker crumbs, and toys we have not missed. I'm thinking all these treasures have been in there since Trevor was under 18 months old because he gave up the binkie then.


Why is it when you need a binkie you can never find one? There were TWO in this bag! The only problem, I can't bring myself to toss them out! It reminds me of my sweet babies. A time when they were dependent on me. Feeding them bottles and holding their hands. Trevor seemed all to eager to plug himself again so they are safely hidden in a drawer where I can see them every so ofter and think of those sweet babies of mine.

Maybe I shouldn't have admitted not cleaning my closet out for a good 1.5 years but oh well!! I swear you need to have a baby every few year to be nesting. An uncontrollable urge to clean is something each house needs every once in awhile.

Making the world a better place

If there is a shooting here in Vegas and Damon is working or on call he will be there. Every violent crime in the valley is his call. Today I got a text letting me know Damon will be in the Las Vegas Sun. The call: 2 men kick down a door in a quiet neighborhood and shots are fired at the homeowner.

Damon works hard for our community and keeping us safe. He sees things I don't even want to know happen. He comforts those when they lose those dear to them. He is quick to respond, always first on the scene to help those in need. He makes sure those who do these unimaginable things get punished. He does this and sees all this and is still able to come home happy giving kisses to all with a smile on his face. Thanks Damon for making this world a better place!

Milestone

It all started about a month ago when Shane continuously asked to have the training wheels off his bike. Christmas Eve was the big day Damon finally took them off. Shane was so excited and I don't think he realized it would be hard. I think he thought he would just be able to ride the bike without the training wheels. When that didn't happen his excitement turned into disappointment and then frustration. After a few tries Shane stormed into the house declaring he hates his bike and asking for the training wheels to be put back on!

It took Shane a good few weeks to ride his little bike again. Last week he decided to start practicing on his own. He didn't want help until a few days ago. I helped him up the street once on Saturday. Damon helped him a few times today. Then it happened... HE DID IT!!!

He took off leaving us behind in his dust!

I learned how to ride on a classic Radio Flyer bike too. I love how it hasn't changed in design since the '70's. It does seem way smaller though.

He was so proud zipped up and down the street having me cheer him on. The great thing about training on such a small bike is he NEVER fell! He could always catch himself with his feet.

After many times back and forth up and down we needed a drink break. Our neighbor and friend, Shelby, brought over some Popsicles and we needed to rest. This seems like the beginning of a great childhood. I remember playing outside, breaking for Popsicles, running in and out of each other's houses, and lasting friendships. I love that my boys have this too.

Off he goes, Mr. Independent. Not needing mommy or daddy by his side to hold him along. He's growing up. This is a milestone. It's official now, my baby isn't a baby anymore but a little boy riding bikes and exploring the world one neighborhood house at a time.


Do you like the 1970's look of these pictures. I had fun playing! Mom don't die, I know you hated when we did everything in black and white, then added an old fashioned white boarder now the yellow tone on pictures too! I love it but am not sure I like it for this type of picture. A classic event in the scrapbook may need to be in normal color!

Not good enough

Yesterday was a great day. Nothing extraordinary but a calm Saturday. The boys and I played, cleaned up the house a little, went to Sam's and then started dinner. While we were waiting for the chicken to boil to make broth we decided to go for a bike ride. It was a beautiful January day. The boys were giggling in the back and I was enjoying listening to Lenka. Sometimes I take my life for granite. You know food in my tummy, money in my pocket, a roof over my head. I always seem to want more, much more. However, yesterday I didn't want more. I felt pure joy being home with my boys. Knowing I didn't have to go to work on Monday. Knowing my biggest problem at the moment was figuring out how to get 2 big bowls of chicken noddle soup to sick friends without spilling it all over my car. I felt so carefree and happy as we cruised along. Growing up I always wanted to be a mom and have fun with my kids and here I am living it. Living the dream. These darling boys of mine fell asleep and they looked so snug sleeping together. I ended up riding longer because I wanted them to get a little sleep in! We made it home and I finished up dinner. We delivered the soups and guess what? I didn't spill. Damon was working late so I dished us up some soup once we got home. Shane was so excited for chicken noodle and so was I. Homemade soup is the best and I even made the broth with a rotisserie chicken and found semi homemade noodles at Sam's!

Shane had one look at his bowl of soup and declared it was NASTY! How dare I give him something made with love because I guess it was just not good enough. He went on a quest for REAL chicken noodle and finally had a victory. Good old Campbell's never lets a boy down.

He traded his bowl in for this and was happy. Trevor was happy with cereal and then a cookie or two. I was happy to have dinner made, kiddies fed, and almost bedtime.

I tucked my 2 little boys in bed and waited for Damon to get home. My day had seemed perfect minus the normal messes, fights, and tantrums but I was missing something, someone. 4 hours of overtime was good and he was on his way home. He just needed to stop at the hospital. This is usual for Damon because he is always there with a victim or suspect but this time it was him. I was living my fairy tale and he was hurt! My perfect day turned into not so good. Now that he isn't working patrol I often forget he is still in danger. I haven't had a hurt call in over a year and now I feel blessed. Blessed to have him home safe with his split eyebrow and the luck of the hospital having dermabond on hand so no stitches! Maybe everything about my day was good enough even though Shane still won't try my soup!

Song in his heart

Trevor is our happy go lucky grump! He is so much fun to be around that is when he wants to be happy. I think I have a class clown forming in my house. He is always looking to get a laugh out of someone and making us smile. He cracks me up daily. We love him fake smile and all!

Tonight I put Trevor down for bed and then I was finishing up with Shane. I make my rounds kissing and tucking all my boys into bed. Damon get up for work at 4:30 so he goes to bed early on work nights so he is part of my nightly rounds. As I walked past Trevor's shut door I hear...

In a sing song voice.. Mater mater and you maaaackkkkkk!

(can you tell what is in his bed tonight as part of the stash?)

Jingle bell jingle bell jingle rock.

Jingle bell high and jingle bell low.

Jingle bell bye and jingle bell rock!!!!

Rudolph the red nose reindeer. Had a nose. YIPEEE!!!

I get Damon because he just keeps going and going. I'm cracking up and so is Damon. Trevor must have heart our quiet giggles because all of a sudden his voice changes to super high just waiting to get more laughs out of us!

I love this quality of Trevor's. Always look for a good time and making others happy. It's hard when I'm mad because he cracks a joke or gives me this silly grin because he always knows I'll laugh at him! Thanks Trevor for bringing so much joy into our home even when I am doing the dunk/rinse method on your underwear in the toilet for the 1.000th time! When will this boy ever finish this training business? Until then he will continue to share the songs in his heart.

It's snow time!

While Grandma and Grandpa Young were here for Christmas we decided to take them up to Mount Charleston for some good old sledding fun. It take me longer to find our snow stuff and pack the car then the boys last in the snow. Trevor hates the cold and didn't have fun until Mommy took him to the car and Grandpa came and fed us gummie bears! Everyone else had a blast and I have never seen so much snow there. I was sinking down in the snow to my knees.

Damon played the guard up the trail. He helped us up to go sledding down.

My cute family enjoying our day in the snow. Well, most of us. Look at Mr. T's face! Grandma even got a turn going down. I went down with the boys too but I was the photographer. I love sledding! We first went up here when I was pregnant with Shane. We look Liberty and she loved it. I was so mad that Damon wouldn't let me sled pregnant!

Enjoying all the fun in the snow, my sweet boy Shane.
I don't think Trevor ever smiled. Well, he loved sledding but that only lasted a few times. Damon looks oh so sexy!

Cool Grandpa going down the hill! He will do anything for his grandkids and they wanted him to go down.

Love you grumps!

Soon enough Shane was tired too and just wanted to hold onto mommy. We had fun but the fun doesn't last long in the snow with these Vegas kids!

First Trip to the ER

We have been blessed in this home when it comes with sick kids. Shane hasn't even had an antibiotic yet and he's almost 5! Poor Trevor has seen better days but is doing just fine now. It all started last night when he woke up crying 2 times in the middle of the night. He woke up crying and snuggled with Damon. He didn't want to be put down and wouldn't walk on his left leg. I had to carry him to the bathroom and sit right by him for comfort on the couch. When he wanted me to carry him down to play with the bat cave with Shane I knew he was in pain! I wasn't sure what the pain was about and I tried to remember an event from yesterday that he got hurt but I couldn't. He's a boy and is crazy. Doesn't get hurt easily and is always crying about something! If you are ever in Vegas and need to go to an ER go to St. Rose San Martin Campus. It was amazing. The nurse waited for ME to finish up the paperwork and brought us back. By this time Trevor wasn't crying when I held him or set him down. As the nurse admitted him he said maybe it's a leg cramp! I felt like those freaky over paranoid moms! Trevor did not like his new bracelet and once I told him it was time to go home he tore it off by himself!


Today I realized I'm not one of those strong moms. As he got the first of 2 sets of blood work I was fighting back tears! I thought about my friends, Angie, and her little guy and wondering how she was so strong. Read their story here she is amazing! They wrapped him up like a burrito and I could make it fun telling him I wanted to eat him and make him laugh until he hurt. Until his lip curled the biggest I have every seen it as he looked at me with a tear in his eye for comfort. I told him it was OK and the tear never came out because he knows mommy is always right.
He got Xrays and an MRI too. They all said 2 year olds are a disaster but he held still as still could be. He just quietly looks at those big cameras and the big flashlight soaking it all in. He got some meds in him and soon he began to smile. A good mom always comes prepared and this I was. I was thinking more for the waiting room but after all the tests and waiting for the tests we were there for almost 3 hours! He had Mack and all his race cars with their "babies." Lucy gave Trevor the cutest little cars and he has so much fun with them!

We were entertained and I even had to close the door because he was getting loud in his play!

The car ramp down the bed was an added bonus!

We thought we were done with all the poking when they came back for more blood work. This time Mr. Trevor wasn't so nice because he knew what was going to happen. He screamed and cried then asked if we could leave. Our dear nurse, Hulga (which was not her name but it could have been with her big old wart on her chin with 3 long hairs growing out of it!) felt so bad and brought him drinks and Popsicles. Trevor became bored of the TV and wanted to play on my phone. It kept me busy too for awhile!

Good news: no broken bones and nothing too serious. Diagnosis: transient synovitis. We got sick the week before Christmas with an awful bug. It kept coming and going. The Dr. said this virus settled in Trevor's hip joint and there is fluid built up in there now. It's a little boy thing for every 4 boys that get it 1 girl does. There is nothing to be done it will drain on it's own and the pain should go away in 3-5 days. As for now the Dr. said he is in pain. He is like an 80 year old with an arthritic hip! He hobbles around like a little old man!

As soon as we got to the car he conked out and I said a prayer of gratitude. It is hard seeing your little one in pain and I'm glad he will be back to normal soon enough. I now look at this time as a time of cleaning. A time to clean those walls and old messes before he can move on and make more! This will be huge in my world! Trevor was happy to be home and show Daddy and Shane pictures of his bones and to sit and play with Shane and the bat cave. I was happy he was home safe and sound.