A Visit from the Iowa Van Leuven's

 Earlier this month my older brother, Eric, & his family came to visit from Iowa. They spent a week here & we were able to do a lot of fun things together. The last time the entire family was together was a year ago when my Grandpa passed away. I didn't get to spend much time with them since Jeff & I were just getting back from our cruise to Cabo & they headed home the following day. 

This time they got here on Saturday & that evening we had dinner at my parents' house with some of my mom's side of the family. We stayed the night there & on Sunday we spent the day visiting & had dinner again that evening. We didn't do much the following few days but Wednesday everyone got together at our house for pizza & it was also Eric's birthday so we had cake before going to the Roller Drome in Nampa. Eric's wife, Jessica, is on a roller derby team & their boys are also pretty impressive on skates. They pretty much schooled me with their skills, although I must say that I'm better on roller skates than on ice skates...

Even though in the 3rd grade I was roller skating on the cement basketball court at recess when my shoelace got wrapped around the wheel. I ended up face planting into the cement, chipping one of my front teeth. I got to leave school for the day, but I had to spend the time at the dentist. I would've much rather stayed in Mr.Diggs' class than get my tooth fixed.

Anyway, it was a lot of fun, especially to watch Ethan & Kamden their first time on skates. They were pretty adventurous & Kamden even fell, breaking one of his skates, but he just got back up & tried to keep skating with half a skate on his foot.

 

 Our plan for Thursday had been to go to the zoo, but the weather wasn't exactly great so we tried to think of something else to do. My mom mentioned the aquarium, which I hadn't even known existed. But we found it & had a great time, even though we bought dead little fish to feed the sting rays & baby sharks (which were freaky) & they were so full that they paid no attention to the fish we kept trying to interest them in.

And, for some reason, there was this guy with a giant lizard. I'm not sure what a lizard has to do with an aquarium, he didn't really fit in with the jelly fish, octopus, or sharks, but the kids were pretty fascinated by him.

 

 Friday night my sister & her family came from Oregon & we were finally all together. We had dinner at mom & dad's followed by a game & a white elephant gift exchange, then got back together Saturday morning at our house for brunch. That afternoon we thankfully had a break from the rain, even though it was still freezing, & were able to get some pictures of all of us for the first time ever.

 That evening we celebrated my nephew, Logan, earning his Eagle Scout Award complete with a slideshow, cake, & all the Eagles in their Scout shirts. I'm not sure why my dad isn't in this picture, he was all decked out but somehow we missed him.

Congratulations, Logan!

 Then we said our good-byes since the Iowa Van Leuven's were heading home the following morning.

We miss you guys!

Home Sweet Home...

 

We are moving.

Again.

You are probably wondering why & even if you're not, I am going to tell you. We found this cute little house for almost HALF of what we are paying in rent right now. It is smaller than where we are living but we really don't need so much space...less house for me to clean! And the bonus room above the garage that I was so excited about rarely gets used since the boys prefer to play closer to wherever Jeff & I happen to be. No, we are not struggling financially & that isn't our reasoning for moving. Jeff is actually doing quite well in his new job & is loving it. He is even ranked 16th out of all the people in his position company-wide (more than 200 others)...and he has only been doing this for 4 months! We may joke about the long list of jobs he has held since we were married 8 years ago, but I haven't had to work since we had Ethan & I'm so grateful that he does whatever it takes to provide for us. Anyway, we are going to be saving more for a down payment on a future home of our own since now the requirements are something like 20% down on a purchase.

Ethan will be able to finish 1st grade at his current school & the boys will have the summer to make friends in the neighborhood & at church before starting 2nd grade & Kindergarten at a new school. And yes, I am well aware that this will be the 4th school Ethan will attend since starting Kindergarten in Emmett. 

The boys are excited, although the move does mean that we need to find a new home for Pudge...which caused Ethan to start bartering with me & I now supposedly owe him the following items:

1. A trip to Lagoon

2. A Nintendo DS & a Mario game

3. Bunk beds(which we were going to do anyway but don't tell him that)with the stipulation that HE gets the top bunk.

4. A swing set for the backyard

He's only 7 & he already knows how to work the system. Not that he's going to end up with all of that.  

We are still going to be in Meridian & only a few minutes away from where we are now. We actually discovered after looking at the house that Jeff's friend from Declo (who is also our dentist) lives just around the corner so we are excited that we already know someone in the neighborhood. There are 4 pools in the subdivision & the K-8 school is also there but is too far away for them to walk, which is alright since that gives me a panic attack anyway.

We are excited & looking forward to getting settled...again. But we are going to be able to take our time moving & will be out of our current home by the end of April. So get your swimsuits ready, if the summer weather ever decides to show up! 

Are You Ready For Some (MORE) Football?

Ethan & Kamden started flag football several weeks ago and let me tell you, it has been COLD! But they are enjoying it & it's fun(ny) to watch these little guys running around trying to figure out the game. Here is a schedule of their upcoming games if anyone wants to attend. All games are on Saturdays at Settler's Park in Meridian.

Kamden:

March 24th 9:40am

April 7th 11:10am

April 14th 9:40am

April 21st 3:20pm

April 28th 12:30pm

May 5th 3:20pm

 *All of Kamden's games are on Field #1

Ethan:

March 24th 9:40am Field 3

April 7th 9:40am Field 3

April 14th 3:20pm Field 3

April 21st 9:40am Field 3

April 28th 11:10am Field 2

May 5th 11:10am Field 3

May 12th & 19th will be tournaments but of course we won't know about those for awhile yet.

Responsibility Award

 

On Friday Ethan received a Student Recognition Award for being Responsible.

Seeing as how I'm his mother, I'm sure I'm most likely a bit biased...but I tell you what, that kid earned it.

Despite being tripped & ending up in a mud puddle, then two days later being choked because he wouldn't give up his ball at recess...I'd say he deserves an award for more than that. But, when both of these things happened, he did the 'responsible' thing and found the duty teacher...and, despite my offers of karate classes or the option of me hiding in the bushes at recess, Ethan just laughed and told me how embarrassing it would be if I jumped out and kicked some kid's butt on the playground. He assured me that he can handle it. Even if not all of me wants to let him. I guess it's part of growing up and, in a way, it's good for him to know how to handle himself in situations like these. But I can't say that I'd punish him if he gave some kid a black eye that had his hands around my son's neck.

I'd probably take him out for ice cream.

 Isn't that responsible of me? 

Probably not, but that's why I have Ethan.

To teach me how to be responsible. 

Ice, Ice, Baby...

 Have I mentioned how glad we are to be living back here?

It means that we can do things like go on a triple-date with my two little brothers & their lovely wives!

This weekend we went to dinner & then ice skating, the entire evening cost each couple under $20 because I had coupons for the restaurant & the ice rink for buy one get one free!

Bargain!

 I left my phone in the car, & Erin was the only one who took any pictures. Thankfully she didn't get any of my embarrassingly hilarious fall...although I would like to have seen it.

The front of my skate caught on the ice & I fell forward, landing on my knee, hard. I have the bruise to prove it.

Then I sort of decided that I was done, so I did a chest-plant (instead of a face-plant) onto the ice and laid there while Charly tried not to pee her pants from laughing so hard.

Realizing that people were skating past me while I lay there, sprawled out on the ice, I figured it would probably be safest if I got out of their way. So I rolled over & managed to pick myself up...it was the only crash of the night for our little group.

  

& a BIG THANK YOU to Wade & Lauren for entertaining our little guys, they always love spending time with their awesome aunts & uncles!

a-POX-icillin

I took Kamden in to the Dr last week because he'd had a cold but had started complaining of his ear & throat hurting.

Since Kamden isn't really one to complain about that type of thing, I figured I'd better get him in to see the pediatrician. Turned out he had an ear infection so they put him on Amoxicillin, which he was supposed to take for 10 days. 

A week later, I was helping him change his shirt & discovered he was covered in little red bumps which hadn't been there the night before when I helped him with his bath. My first thought was that he had Chicken Pox, but then I remembered my brother is allergic to Amoxiciilin so I called my mom & told her what was going on. She said it sounded like the same thing so I called the Dr & they had me bring him in. Since he didn't have hives, they said it wasn't a technical allergic reaction and that he could still use the antibiotic in the future. His ears looked clear so we could stop the Amoxicillin and give him an allergy medication for the itch. 

Luckily my mom was in town & was able to help me out with the boys while I got Kamden checked out. He is doing much better & his a-POX-icillin spots are almost completely gone.

Are You Ready For Some Football?

 So I'm not a football fan.

Not much of a sports' fan, if you must know.

But, if you know me, you already knew that.

Don't get me wrong, I enjoy the occasional sporting event.

If it includes figure skating (which IS a sport) or if my kids are on the team. I also like watching some of the Olympic events, but those only happen every so often, there's enough time in between them so I can get excited about them again.

Track was the only sport I participated in during school, but that left me with a bum knee that likes to start aching every now & then. There was also my short stint on the 8th grade volleyball team & a sad attempt at 7th grade basketball tryouts which resulted in a broken wrist for me.

Maybe my personal experiences with sports contribute to my dislike for them?

But then I married a Stoker and I had to change my ways a bit.

Or maybe HE changed my ways.

Yep, that's probably more accurate.

Especially since I NEVER saw my dad sit down and watch a football game on tv, ever. Until I married him:

He changed my Dad's ways, too.

Because now he is a devoted football fan, especially if it's BSU.

So anyway, we like to have football parties and I AM SO THANKFUL that we don't live on that mountain anymore and we can actually have people over now.

But I'm also glad that last week was Super Bowl Sunday because that means that football season is over!

But I don't know why I get excited about that, because it's always someone's season, weather it is golf, basketball, baseball, or whatever. But that also means that there is always an excuse for a party! Here are some random pictures the boys took on my phone during the big game last week: 

I know I have said this a bazillion times, but 

I AM SO GRATEFUL to be living back here near our family.

It is so awesome and has really meant so much to us, especially to see how much each of our family members means to our boys.

The greatest blessing in life is FAMILY.

And, if football gives us another reason to get together with them, then bring it on!

When My Phone Goes Missing...

 I find pictures like these...

 

 

 I am so thankful for this kid.

He has for sure been my biggest challenge so far, but someone once told me that we clash the most with the child that is most like us...

Not sure if I wanted to hear that, but it's beginning to make sense to me. I was reading a book titled 'Contentment' by Maria Covey Cole & she tells a story about one of her sons that caused her to feel frustrated and angry. When she went to his room with the intent to reprimand him, she found him lying on his bed and she writes, "For just a moment, my soul comprehended who he truly was, and I felt overpowered by a profound love and reverence for him. The Spirit chastised me, inquiring, 
"Do you have any idea who this boy is?"

I love that.

It has strengthened and comforted me at times when I felt I was completely failing as this boy's mother.

But I love him more than I can describe and I am thankful to have him in my life, and I feel so blessed as I begin to learn "who this boy is".