Comments from the back seat

The conversations I have with the boys when we are driving are pretty interesting...funny.... and most shouldn't be repeated! ;)

Tonight, we went to Ikea to do some window shopping.  John was so impressed with the bunk beds.  He kept asking SJ if he would sleep on the bottom with him and dad.  He didn't really understand that someone gets to sleep on top! :)  Anyways, we ended up buying a little table with 2 chairs for in Stephen's room. 
After Ikea we went to Nana and Papa's for a bedtime snack of popcorn and oranges.  The kids ran the circle in the backyard.  (Steve was just finishing mowing the lawn when we got there.  He cuts the lawn in a circle...) They also played on the swing set, in the sand box and with a little frog they caught.  Soooo much fun at Nana's- always!

When we were driving home, I was talking to the boys about how Ryan was at school.  Explaining what he does there; Daddy reads books, listens to his teacher, takes tests, uses his calculator...etc.
Then I said that he was going to be home soon and he would be very tired because he has to get up early and go to work.  I asked John to tell me about what daddy does at work.  Money books! Was shouted from the back seat.  I agreed, but I wanted to expand his answer.  So, I started naming other things Ryan does at work; John, daddy also sends emails, makes phone calls, works on his computer, goes to meetings... he does lots of things!  Every time I said something, John would agree by saying, yaaa and repeating the word (email/call...) I then asked John if he does anything else.  Right away he shouted, EAT! I agreed and asked, what else??  Then I heard, SHIT!! (It was so loud and clear... I was a bit worried because it was too clear....)  I responded, yes, he does sit, he sits at his desk and types emails! Good job John! John: NOOOO!!  SHIT!! Me: Yea, he sits, you are right John. John: DEUCE!  Me: He drinks juice?! Yea, I am sure he does sometimes at lunch!  John: Noo! SHIT! DEUCE! LOG! POOOOOOOPPPPPPP!!!! MOM!   Me: Umm... yes John, he does go potty at work. (all I was thinking was, THANK GOODNESS WE ARE HOME!

Where do they learn these things?!  OY!

Looking ahead to our weekend

I am always looking ahead to our weekends!  I love having Ryan home to spend time with as a family.

This weekend Ryan has a lot of studying to do because he has mid-terms coming up this week.  Other then that we are doing grilling, walks, parks, and playing at home.

We are gong to try to tackle the basement, too.  This last week, we got an offer on the house- but didn't accept it.  It was too low for us and neither party was will to budge.  haha  We had as many as 5 showings a day! And some pretty consistent feedback has been that we need to de-clutter the basement.  Ok, OK, We will!  ;)

OOOHHH, Most importantly, we were invited to a garden party at the CFO of 3M's house on Saturday night!!!!!!!  EEEK!! I can't wait!  It will be super fun to have a night out (or a couple hours) of adult time.  I will have to let you know how it goes.... we can't wait!! :D

John is Making Huge Strides!

John has had a wonderful week!  With all of this heat, we have been spending a bunch of time inside, even though we don't have air.  We have a very old air conditioning unit in Ryan and I's bedroom- it does make the air cold, it just doesn't take the humidity out of the air efficiently.  We have been having big slumber parties in our room.  We have John on a mattress at the end of the bed and SJ in a pack-n-play right nex tto John at the end of the bed.  It has meant earlier wake ups (as early as 5:30) but more quality sleep! :)

John has been doing a lot of "fixing" with his tool set.  He has a set of tools at home, and one at Nana's.  At home he is always working on the door frame, hammering, sawing and more hammering!  At Jana's he has been working on a couple chairs.  He also pounded golf tees into a wine box.  Today, we were taking a diaper break- he was wearing just a tee-shirt.  Ryan and I were rolling on the floor laughing when we turned around to see John was wearing a tool belt, safety goggles and a naked bum.  So cute, and funny!

Another cute (and naughty!) story about John and his daddy having a bonding moment....
Ryan and John were standing in Jana and Steve's kitchen.  Ryan looks over to John and says, "John! 1, 2, 3"- (and he toots!)  John looked up to his dad and says, "3, 4!" and squeaked one out too.  UFTA! I have my work cut out -  I am not a supporter of these kind of teachings.  However, I loved the bond you could see in their eyes.

Tonight, John helped Ryan cut the grass. He followed right behind him with his own little mower.  It was so sweet!  I love seeing John look up to his dad and want to be just like him.  I hope Ryan will always be his hero.  XO
 

BIG Week for Stevie Joe!!

For about the past month, Stephen has been standing, and "dancing" in place but, he wouldn't walk.  I was not pushing him to walk, at all.  John walked pretty early (10 months) and he looked like a drunken sailor for quite some time! ;)  We have not pushed Stephen like we kind of did to John.  This past weekend Ryan and I thought that Stevie Joe was ready ....  So, Ryan stood him up, and HE WALKED TO HIM!!  SJ took about 5 steps for his "first step"- pretty impressive! (7/17/11)  We were all on the porch, John was playing puzzles and books and Ryan and I were coaching SJ to walk.  It was very fun!

Stephen has also been saying a bunch of words! 
He said:
I want down. Hi John. Hi Daddy. Bye daddy.  I want milk. (I am totally drawing a blank on a few other phrases he has said... I will have to come back to this post and update it when I remember!) hahaha
When he wants to drink, or just drank, he makes the refreshing sound- just like John did.  It has been so sweet!

Stephen has been dancing, jumping and loving playing with toys!  We have this "beading" set. It is big jumbo wooden beads that are shaped like clothes and then you put them on the "clothes line" or string.  Stephen can do all 12 of the beads by herself.  I was very impressed the first time I watched him to it. 

Stephen is also quite the dainty eater.  Now, dainty is not to be confused with a small eater.  He has a big appetite! :)  He is such a sweet eater- he always needs his utensils.  He holds his fork/spoon and attempts to put the food on it and then when he doesn't get any food he uses his other hand to pick up a little piece of food to eat.  He doesn't throw food on the floor- no wasting for SJ! ;) He finishes his food at every meal, but he also takes the longest.  Healthy little boy!! XO

TWO Words!

EEEEKKKK!!!  Today Stephen said his first 2 word phrase!!!

We were driving home from speech this morning and everyday we go past Ryan's work- 3M. 
So, every morning we wave to daddy, tell him good morning and talk about if he is; in a meeting, sending an email, talking on the phone, or reading "money books".  John is so excitedly interested in Ryan's work- I love it.
Anyways-  So, John was saying, "Hi Dad, Hi Dad, Hi DAD!"  and Stephen was saying "Hi, Hi, Hiiiiii!" When all the sudden I heard, "Hi Dad, Hi Dad!!!" from Stephen!!  Super exciting! 

These boys sure love their daddy- so hard working, handsome, and loving. <3

Other words Stepehn is saying:
Hi, Bye, Mom, Dada, Num-Num.   It will be fun as this begins to expand..... :)

Girls Night Out!!

Tonight I went out to dinner with some of my girl cousins on the Brown side.  What a fun group of girls!!!  We got piled into the suburban and Alana drove us down to Chino Latinos in Uptown.  We ordered a few of the main dishes and sides (?) and ate family style.  The food was SO yummy!!  The conversation was good... it sure made me feel super old! ;) .... or very cautious, sheltered and careful.... which is all true! haha 
It was such a great night, going out with girl friends is always fun! =)

Thanks Alana, Tera, Jackie, Mackenzie and Chrissy.  Lauren, we missed you!!  But, lucky for you, we want to do it again... when you can come too!! ;) XXOO

A fun weekend is planned.... Ryan, Jinette, Mark and Jill are coming over tomorrow after the Twins game.  Then on Saturday we are going to go to the Farmers market.  On Sunday we have an OH planned... Yikes, the forecast looks HOOOOOOOTT!  :D
Oh, and pray to St. Anthony.... tomorrow marks the one week mark of me loosing both sets of my car keys!!!  Ufta, I am having a hard time not having a vehicle!

Ants, Ants, Ants

The Ant Chant!!

I have been reading this book to John a lot lately! 
He has turned into such a bug kid-  Nothing phases him!  Nothing creepy, crawly, juicy, fast, slow, too many legs to count....nothing! 
He has every rock in our yard over turned daily, digs in the dirt for "SSssSSssSS" (AKA: snakes ... AKA: worms) and stomps any ant he can find.  His ant stomping is quite humorous-  as soon as he spots an ant the connectors in his brain start going a million billion miles an hour and before he can get everything in the right place at the right time he is already stomping, usually, each ant gets about 7-10 stomps.  (and by that time, the ant is safely hiding somewhere far from John's heavy foot! :)
When ever he finds an ant in our house (yes, we do have them... :/ )  he picks it up and throws it out the front door saying, "NO ENT! NO ME HOUSE!! OUT!" 
Oh, bugs!
I feel very protected with John around.  I never have to worry about a big spider getting too close to me! ;)

Summer Days = Play Days

This summer has been lovely!  We have been trying to keep it simple! :)
Other then John's therapy (4x a week) we have nothing else "in writing"   -- everyday we just make sure there is time for the boys to be KIDS! :D

We wake up around 8am and have breakfast- scrambled eggs, fruit, waffle/bagel and milk.  Then it is time to change diapers and put on play clothes.  I do sunscreen 2-3 times a day (morning and after nap; I re-apply if we are doing water activities)  most mornings we play in the backyard doing sand box, sprinkler, water table, tee-ball, find the..., pulling weeds, biking on the tricycle, oh and of course, squishing bugs!! 
I have the boys play inside while I make lunch (about 11-11:30).  They do books, puzzles, blocks or sometimes watch WordWorld.  They eat lunch and then it is time for books and naps (1-3pm).  Usually they both practically fall over into bed.  I try to run them in the AM so they will take a nice long nap.  While the boys nap I eat lunch and then clean up the kitchen, do a load or two of laundry and a quickie clean up in the whole house.  There is usually about 45 minutes of down time for me then, sometimes I take a quick nap, read the news paper, organize toys, plan meals schedules, return calls/emails.  Once the boys wake up I re-apply SPF and we go to the backyard to have a snack. I have been having the boys do their afternoon snacks outside so the house stays clean for when Ryan gets home from work.  :)  We just simply play then until the big ol' truck rolls into the garage! 
I think it is so important not to over schedule kids!!  I can say that now because our kids are still so young. :)  It is pretty easy to keep it simple right now- I hope I am able to try and stick to this as the kids grow up. 
Summer = PLAY!
:D

Mission Accomplished!

Stephen is officially done nursing.  He is 13 months and 10 days.  The important thing is that HE was ready.  I had made some changes to his nursing routine that made it possible and comfortable for me-  I cut him back to morning, afternoon and before bed.  However, the last 2 days he has had no interest.  I would try to nurse him and all he would to was push away and even cry a little. 
Tonight, I thought I would give it one last try.  I got John his cup of almond milk and vitamins to have before bed while I was going to nurse Stephen (like I do every night).  All Stephen wanted was John's cup of milk. 

I am OK with this.  My goal was to make it to one year.  I did! I decided that anything after a year was a bonus, and everyday I made it extra I would give myself a little pat on the back. ;)   It is a little sad because Stephen is growing up!  I can't believe how much his is growing like a weed!! I guess we are moving on to the next chapter... what ever that is. :)

<3 <3 Bitter Sweet <3 <3 

Hot Chocolate???

Before I begin, I need it known that I am NOT complaining- I wait ALL winter for it to be this hot!! :D

It has been very hot here lately!! In the high 80's and 90's.  Our 100+ year old house does not have the best insulation, so if it is 92 outside, it is 93 in our house.  We have no trees to provide shade, just metal siding. ;)  I love it, the boys and I play outside all day, every day... I am dreading our water bill.  Every time I check the mailbox I cringe as I am watching for our City of St. Paul Water bill.  Gulp!
Anyways, back to the point.  I have been a bit crazy about everyone drinking enough water.  I am practically following the kids around with their cups to be sure they are drinking enough.  Today, John was refusing to drink anything and I was desperately pleading with him, John, do you want chocolate milk??  Pink juice??  A juice box?!  Ice cubes?? Anything?!!!  He looked at me and pointed to the cabinet, THIS!!   As I looked to see what he excitedly wanted I cringed as I realized it was HOT Chocolate!! WHAT?! 

So, yes, John sat on the back steps drinking "hot" chocolate and Stephen and I guzzled our ice water.  :/  LOL

4th of July 2011

Well, our weekend was full of ups and downs....

On Friday morning, I forgot to take John to therapy- it was a long (hot) night at the Patrick's! Both boys had trouble sleeping in the heat and I put them down for naps at 10am!! I called Ryan at work and asked if he wanted to take a 1/2 day of vacation and we could head to the cabin a little earlier then planned. He said he needed to wrap a few things up and he would be on his way home! Yahoo! :D I quickly packed the boys and we loaded the truck. We wanted to try and spend the night ... I thought maybe since the Beach and Peterson kids would be there, John would be able to sleep??

We have had such a great time catching up with the Beach's- I sure wish they really lived here!! ;) We had a very simple dinner of burgers and fruit pizza, the kids swam and played all afternoon together. Peterson's got there around 7pm and just as we were beginning to feel "moved in" for the weekend, it started getting really dark out. I suggested to Ryan that it looked like it was going to storm and he should go clean up the beach toys etc. He ran down there with John and with in minutes it was full force storming out. It was like nothing I have ever experienced. The wind was so strong it was almost blowing us over as we ran to the basement. The lake had white caps on it, the power went out and a huge tree fell on the cabin, right by where we were. A couple other trees on their property fell too. Once the storm was over, went to access the damage. There were at least 40+ trees down and power lines laying on the little road that connects us to a main road. Ryan and I knew, we were sleeping at the cabin!! ;) John slept until about 3:30. He woke up and was ready for the day. Stephen was loving the cabin air and snuggled all night in his crib. I sat with John in the truck, reading books, singing songs and swatting mosquito's! Around 7am he and I both fell asleep in the truck... just in time for Ryan ans Stephen to wake up! HA We thought we better go look at the roads now that it was light out and try to get ice. There were crews and residents all over the roads with chainsaws and trucks. It was very sad to see; not only the beautiful trees that had fallen, but the homes crushed, you could see the devastation on their faces- many of them probably one major bill away from a financial crisis. It was hard to see.

We made it to the town of Danbury- they were letting one person in the store at a time, and all they could buy was ice- cash only. Well, we had no cash so we called Jana ans Steve to let them know what was going on and to get ice on their way to the cabin.

We quickly realized it was time to head home - no power, no water, and no sleep (for me) was not a good combo. It was time for us to hit the road- we drove home.

Ryan got caught up on homework and mowed the lawn while I started the laundry and took a nap with the boys.

On Sunday we went to Patty and Dan's for dinner and fireworks. It was nice to get the boys out in the fresh air! As we drove home we watched all the firework displays that were happening. Stephen slept and I sat in the back seat with John helping point out the "sparkles"

On Monday, we went to the Patrick's for a summer dinner- burgers, a few salads and ice cold water! :) Just what we are all always looking for lately! haha. We didn't stay for the "sparkles" at Mendakota. We were very tired and Ryan had to be up for work bright and early the next day. It was lights out by 8:45 here!! :D

John was "fixing" the tree that fell on the cabin--- hmm...



I took these from Chrissy's blog.... :/ I didn't take ANY pictures of the 4th 2011!! It was a pretty hectic weekend. Ufta!

(Thanks Chrissy!!)

Playing 'Store' with the Beach's

The Beach's are in town for the summer from Arizona!!  They are staying at Jana and Steve's for 7 weeks!  John and Stephen have built in friends all summer- so exciting!  Chrissy, Christian, Isabelle, Katie and Abby flew here last week and headed to the cabin last weekend.  The kids play together wonderfully!  John seems to thrive when he is around more kids, he belongs in a big family! ;D 
The kids had a great time, playing doctor, blocks, store, Mr. Potato head, and Kinex.  Here are some cute pictures of their store....

John buying the blue bat.  Isabelle is weighing it to be sure John gets a fair price- $.50  :D

John paying Isabelle with a couple 'high fives'

John's turn!  Isabelle was the perfect first customer! ;)

That blue bat was a hot item! HAHA  And, the car Isabelle was buying in the picture was going for $8! Yikes, John had some steep prices... everything was $8. (His favorite number)

Hmm... what to buy next??  (this was the store's selection on toys other then the blue bat)

Katie's turn! 

John was giving her a very hands on explanation on how to run the register.

Katie caught on quickly and she had more expensive toys for sale then John!!  Hers were $12-$20! EEK!

I guess I would choose to shop with Isabelle.... haha

So sweet, love to see the kids work together and make up a game on there own.  Brings me back to my childhood.....  Welcome Beach's!!!!!!! 

In the Middle of the Night

“I’ll love you forever, I’ll like you for always, As long as I’m living, My baby you’ll be.”

I think of the story, I'll Love you Forever every night as I am laying in bed, thinking about John and Stephen.  It has become a nightly ritual of mine to go in their room's and talk to them while they are sleeping-  Tell them about how much fun we had doing x, y, and z that day and then tell them what we will be doing when they wake up.  Of course, I talk to them about anything else on my mind, how much I love them and above all, that Daddy and I are proud of them. 
I think of that book because I am totally the mom in the book, crawling across the floor to her son's bed.  I am just feeling like I need to be sure I am cherishing every moment I have with our kids- and, no, being home with them everyday isn't enough! :)
I start in Stephen room, his floor is much less squeaky and he is a heavy sleeper.  I scoop him up in my arms and lift him out of his crib.  I have an old rocking chair that was my grandpa's in his bedroom that I rock him in.  He snuggles so close and peacefully sleeps and I talk to him.  Then, when I feel satisfied with our quiet, calm and not-rushed time together, I lay him back down, cover him up with (Mark Otis') blue doggy blanket and tip toe out of his room. 
I then head to John's room.  He is in a big boy bed and John is very unpredictable about where I will find him sleeping and in what position! If he isn't in his bed, I will move him there otherwise, I lay down next to him and hold his still little body tight.  I usually will sing him a song or two and then talk to him about our day.  It is not often that I get time with John when his body is still and relaxed.  I just love to see him so at peace and dreaming.  Then I give him a kiss on his forehead and tip toe out of his room. 
I just love these two little boys that Ryan and I have been so blessed with- I couldn't imagine life without them.  I hope this blog is read in the most sincere and loving way.  <3

Love from Dad

I woke up this AM with this email in my Inbox:

From: "rppatrick2@mmm.com" <rppatrick2@mmm.com>
To: caroline.patrick@yahoo.com
Sent: Friday, June 24, 2011 8:28 AM
Subject: Blog

Stevie-Joe!

I can't believe you are one!  This past year has flown by, but it sure has been fun.  You are such a joy to have in our lives, and are always quick with a smile.  It has been so fun watching you develop, especially these past few months.  You are such a content baby, and love to play with toys.  Your two favorite toys that you play with when I am home are baseballs and blocks.  On Easter mom and I....I mean the Easter Bunny, brought you and John a tee-ball set.  Initially you were OK watching John hit the ball, but as soon as he dropped the bat, you were quick to inspect the tee, bat and ball.  You love throwing the ball over and over again as well as dragging the bat around.  Your other interest has been blocks.  We had a relaxing night last evening hanging out on our front porch as a family.  JR was nice enough to provide you a number of blocks to play with and you happily stacked them over and over again - we may have a future architect, grandpa Steve would be proud!

Cuddly.  That is how I can best describe you.  One of my favorite memories with you was a few weeks ago.  You and I were sitting out on our front porch while mom was reading books to John in bed.  You were just relaxing sitting on my lap, looking out the window and every time that I would give you a kiss on your head, you would lay your head down on my shoulder and snuggle for a second.  You did this over and over again!  You definitely love to be held; especially by mom, and if held, will sit for long periods of time.  

One of my first memories of you is up at Nana and Grandpa's cabin on the 4th of July, 2010.  You were only a month old!  I remember bringing the pack-in-play down to the beach for you to sleep in.  We put a piece of screen over the top so the bugs wouldn't get you, and you slept peacefully while JR was busy on the beach.  You have always been a good sleeper, and easy to put to sleep at night.

Stephen, lately, my favorite thing to do has been watching you and John play together.  You are both getting to ages where you are wanting to interact.  Of course, there have been many times when you both want the same toy and wrestle for it, but there have also been a number of times lately where you two have played blocks, games and trucks together.  You both love being outside, and since our St. Paul house does not have AC, we have spent a lot of time outside this summer.  You and John have really enjoyed playing with water.  Whether it is in the water table, the sand-box because we forgot to cover it when it rained, or the sprinkler, you guys have had tons of fun splashing around and just being boys.  You are not afraid to get dirty!  As you have developed, you have begun noticing what your older brother is doing more and more, so when you see him playing in the sand and getting filthy, you jump right into the mix!  

We are so lucky and blessed to have you SJ, and I love every minute that I am home with you.  I can't wait to watch you grow, and experience all the memories that are yet to be made.  I love having two boys, and love you!  Happy first birthday Stevie-Joe.

Love,

Dad

Ryan admiring his son Stephen Joseph- June 4th 2010

Seriously, best dad ever!  Thank you Ryan for loving your kids so much! They love you right back!! :) XO

Stephen the Builder, Stander and Peak-a-Boo-er!!

Stephen has found a great interest in our big building blocks.  Today, we had a (very) mellow day because I have mastitis again (!!!).  We did a lot of books, puzzles, stickers, Chutes and Ladders and blocks.  This morning I thought I would put on a kids show to give me some time to lay on the couch and rest.... of course when I turned the TV on, our signal was out! :)
While I was reading books to John, Stephen played with our blocks.  At first he had a hard time figuring out how to lift the (big) red ones, but once he figured it out- he was a stacking king! :D  I was so excited for him!!  He can stack 3-4 all by himself. 
These are the blocks we have- love them!
Toddler Cardboard Stacking Blocks

Last night we were playing on the porch, and Stephen was standing alone

He isn't able to lift his head up yet- he quickly looses his balance if he does. :)

It was super funny/cute because the whole time he was screaming and laughing- he didn't know which to do!

I am not ready to have two babies walking!  Eeek, I am thankful for everyday that SJ hasn't taken that first step yet! :)  My days are numbered.... I wish he could stay a baby forever. <3 

Another fun thing SJ learned is peak-a-boo-  While we were driving to and from the cabin last weekend, I sat in the back with the boys, mostly reading to John and singing songs.  But, Stephen played peak-a-boo with me!  We used his blanket, at first I was moving the blanket up and down, and then he grabbed it and did it.  He thought it was hilarious! I was laughing so hard just from all of his laughing!! :D Such a silly guy! So, in between pages from the book I was reading to John, I was doing a peak with Stephen-- did I how carsick I was?! LOL  Good thing it is only a 2 hour drive! :)

Father's Day 2011

I woke up early and headed to Granny Doughnuts (Ryan's favorite guilty pleasure!) for some blueberry doughnuts.  Then to Rainbow for eggs, bacon, salsa and OJ.  I got home just as the boys were all waking up.  I made breakfast and then we hung out.  Ryan was begging for a day of "nothing"  He is just so busy with work, school, the 2 councils he on/leads and all that is included with the upkeep of the house while we are trying to sell it. 
We took a family nap around 11am! HA everyone was tired still from the cabin on Saturday.  We went grocery shopping, cleaned the house and hung out.  The little boys made Papa and Bopa cards so we went to deliver them. :)  Bummer, I forgot to take pictures of them.... they were finger painting and hand prints, pretty cute if I do say so myself!
We went to Patrick's first, played there a bit had dinner and played some more. 

Trying to get a father's day shot of Ryan and the boys. 

Clearly it wasn't working..... BUT it does capture what our life is like these days! :D

Steve was golfing, so I didn't get a picture with the four Patrick men... BUT, I did have this nice shot from the cabin! :)

Then we headed to my parents house with their cards -

My parents had Kelli, Dan, Mark, Sara, Ed Shinbach and Alan Pritz over for dinner.  We got there at the tail end of dinner... just in time for dessert! :D  The boys played in the backyard while everyone finished their dinners and then we had banana cream pie. Yummy!

Stephen and John opened their birthday gifts from Sara- a sensory ball for John, and a Cars book and shirt for Stephen.  :) Thanks Sara! 

Stephen wearing the sunglasses my mom got for John. :) 

We took a couple pictures in the front yard by the famous tree....

Then it was home for baths and bed! :) 
Love you Ryan, Dad and Steve!  I sure have 3 amazing dads in my life, XO <3

Father's Day at the Cabin

This year for father's day we headed to the Patrick's cabin.  Ryan wanted to spend time as a family and simply relax.  On Saturday morning I had signed Ryan up for a golf lesson with the head coach at T&C but it was raining and gloomy out so we rescheduled it for a weekend in July.  We had a lazy breakfast instead and got a late start to the cabin.  On the way up there, we sang many rounds of songs for the boys and got to chat with each other too. When we go tot he cabin it was already after 12, so we had a quick lunch and headed to the beach.  John and Stephen played in the sand and then John did some exploring on the boat and laid on the dock watching the water and fish swimming around.  Auntie Lauren was after a (huge) muskie she caught earlier in the day but just as she got him to the dock, her line snapped! Oops!  John wanted to fish of course too.   So, we got out his pole that he got for Christmas and put on a bobber, sinker and hook.  Ryan, Bopa and I went to the boat hoping that John would be able to catch his first fish.  Bopa threw the line out a couple times and we had a couple bites, but weren't able to snag one.  There was a fish hanging out next to the boat, so we dropped the line right next to the boat and bingo- John caught the fish!! :)  He was a rock bass, and Bopa named him Rocky. 

John kissing Rocky! :D 

We threw Rocky back.... and he stayed ...belly up.... I guess John and Rocky bonded for a bit too long.  Oops, sorry Rocky. 

Stephen took a long cabin nap and John spent the afternoon running around, exploring everything.  We started running out of activities he was interested in.... other then the painting that Bopa was doing.  John wanted to help Bopa paint a new bench seat/bed on the porch.  Instead, we gave John a bucket of water and a brush- he went to town painting the deck.  :)

John painted, Stephen slept, Ryan and Steve enjoyed Saturday afternoon/Father's Day cigars and beers.  It was a lovely afternoon! I tried to nap John at the cabin because he was extremely tired but that was an epic fail.  Nana rocked him, held him, sang to him, I rocked him, held him, sang to him, swung him in a swing.... nothing worked.  So, we went for a boat ride while Johanna and Ryan water skied.  Last year the boat ride was not something John enjoyed but this year, I think he thought it was pretty fun or he was at least neutral about it. But, he sure wanted to ski too! :)  So when we got back to the dock, John skied....

 

Finally little Stephen woke up! :) When we got back from water skiing Nana was playing with him in the cabin.  He came down by the lake to watch John collecting "slime balls" (Slime balls are the coolest kind of seaweed I have ever seen! They are like jello balls filled with water.) 

John and Ryan took hot showers and then it was dinner time! Burgers, grilled veggies, salad, potatoes- YUM!   We had dinner with the Joyce family, chatted a bit and then it was time for these Patrick's to hit the road.  The boys were tired, Ryan and I were tired and we knew sleeping at the cabin was out of the picture.

I have to say, I love our long car rides together.  It isn't often Ryan and I get to just simply chat for 2 hours at a time! :)  XXOO

Look Who's Talking!

Both boys are making huge strides!  John has come such a long way! It was just a short 6 months ago that his vocabulary was maybe 20 words tops.  Now, he has hundreds of words he can say!! Woohoo- I would even go as far to say that sometimes he doesn't stop talking! HA  He is like a broken record at times. :)   He is working on saying 2-3 word phrases.  We are still going to Miss Molly fr speech 2x weekly, and boy does John love her- he is starry eyed for Miss Molly. ;)  We will continue with Miss Molly for until he turns 3 and then re-evaluate his progress and possibly take a 3-5 week therapy break.  John uses 2 word phrases 75-85% of the time and 3 word phrases 25% of the time.  Ryan and I are learning we need to be careful about what we say around him because he is repeating a most words he hears! OOps!  There are still many letter sounds that are too hard for John still but he is making great strides to say the words anyways- usually he just pronounces the word and omits the sound(s) he cant do.  Ex. Prize = Pize.  When you ask him his mane, he will simply say, ME!  The J sound we haven't mastered yet.  John has also been very interested in songs and singing.  We sing in the car and before bed.  He will request one of the many songs he knows and then will sing the last word of each line.  He can also do the hand actions to a few songs too. 
His favorite songs to request are:
Itsy Bitsy Spider
Wheels on the Bus
On Top of Spaghetti
Found a Peanut
Mary had a Little Lamb
Little Bunny Foo Foo
Take Me Out to the Ball Game
He has also been learning his numbers- his favorite number is 8.  The answer to everything is 8.  :)  He will count bites of food at meals, puzzle pieces and how many of something he gets. (ex. 3 stickers) I say the number first and he will repeat. 
I am thrilled with the progress John is making!!!! <3

Stephen has started to talk too!!!  I have been shocked at how he has started to pick up on some words.  Mom, Bye-Bye, Num-Num, Dada, Night-Night.  I can't wait to see what life will be like with 2 talking kids!! :D 

Ready to go for a walk on a breezy evening. :)

Scrabble?!

A...F...T...V....W...T...H...O..M....R...S...G...H...X...Q....D....S...G....K...R...B...Q...Z...P...N....

John, Stephen and I played Scrabble this morning.  I bet you can imagine how successful that was! HA 

John loves "playing games" so I thought that would be a good way to expose him to more letters and turn taking.  I set the board up and explained that there was a "magic bag" full of "magical letters" :)  we each took turns taking one letter out of the bag and then saying what the letter was.  Then, John got to put the letters on the board and Stephen took them off the board.  If John picked out a "B" I would sing the song, B, B, B says bee, every letter makes a sounds and B says bee.  And, the game would continue. 
As I started loosing momentum, I decided to add colors to the mix.  Ex, I picked a K- K, K, K says kay, every letter makes a sound and K says kay.  Now, put the K on a blue square.   And so forth....  A good game for John, he was excited becuase he got to "play" a grown up game.  :)  Gotta love being 2!  XO John!

Health Update Since ENT Surgery

I thought I would do a little update on both boys since their surgeries....

John: This was the answer to (a lot of) your health problems!! :)  You were running a fever almost daily (4-6 days a week) and since you had your adenoids removed you have not had one!!!!  I am so happy to report that fever wise you are 100% healthy! Yahoo!!

Stephen: You have been 75% better since you had your adenoids out and tubes put in.  You have not ran a fever since you had surgery, but you have had 2 ear infections, quite the runny nose and you still have the stinky "after surgery" breath.  I took you back to Dr. Malone and she was not too happy that I was saying you were still sick and looking for advice.  I got shouted at.....  "Mrs. Patrick, I am the best ENT you can find and your pediatrician does not know what an ear infection looks like because there isn't one! His ears are red because you are holding him too tight while I look in them!"  Ummm... needless to say, I will never ever step back in that lady's office.  She is rude and arrogant! I took SJ to a different pediatric ENT at Children's hospital in Minneapolis.  I loved the Dr we saw!  He talked to me a long time about how some kids do still get ear infections (no matter how tight you hold them!) even when they have tubes.  He said that if/when he gets an ear infection again I should bring him back and he will do a betadine wash in the OR.  So far so good!  No other ear infections, the runny nose is still here but I can deal with that~   :)