While Daddy is Gone...

Nathan told me a year ago that in February he was going to Georgia with his friends to a race. Well, the time finally came and I didn't exactly realize how far away he was going and how long he would be gone until right before he was going. We have been together 18 years and married 10 years and we have only rarely been apart overnight, so 4 nights (even thought it it isn't very long) seemed like a long time. I am fine with him going and having fun with his friends, it was just so strange how much more we missed him than I anticipated. He stays busy a lot at home, but I guess there was something comforting knowing he was out in the shop or close by. He was 12 hours away for four days and it was just so strange. The kids and I stayed busy and had fun like we always do, but Daddy was definitely missed! I realized real quick that I would be miserable if he worked out of town and have a lot of respect for those who have to do that!

On Friday the kids and I decided to make homemade pizzas and I surprised them with Kung Fu Panda DVD (which we have now watched 7 times). The kids were happy to play with their toys and just relax at home. Ryan finally talked me into taking the side off her bed that night too. She has never climbed out of her crib, so we have left her in it (I am all about getting as long as we can out of baby stuff). She wants a big girl bed for her next birthday so I decided we needed to start her in that direction so we would start with that. (It has been a few days now and she is doing great - only getting up to go potty - hopefully that lasts!)

Saturday morning, Noah had a ballgame. He was being his wild and crazy self again! He slapped the ball out of one of the kids hands and then, instead of going after the ball, he ran over to me in the stands and kissed and hugged me and said "did you see that?!" - the entire crowd was laughing! He is entertaining for sure! He also made his first basket this week! It was at practice and I was in the bathroom with Ryan, so I missed it and he hasn't made another one yet - so I am still waiting to see it! One more practice and one more game and he is done - possibly for good, but I hope not. He has improved a lot and with more confidence I think he would really enjoy playing. We will just see how he does.

After that the kids wanted to go back to Cracker Barrel and I will never turn that down! So, we had lunch and went home to play (and watch Kung Fu Panda again) before we went bowling. Noah was cracking me up while he was bowling - he kept closing one eye and holding his hands up like a frame to get the ramp where he wanted it. There were a lot of giggles and fun had!

Sunday we went to church and then on a lunch date to IHOP with my mom. The kids, as usual with Nathan gone, were so good! Sat quietly in their seats and ate every bit of their food! I had to take picture proof for Nathan - they always act up when we go eat with him. After lunch we met up with my brother and his family at the Spadra Nature Trail for a little hike. We had to take advantage of the awesome weather we were having for February.

Every so often Ryan would say "I am sweating, so that means I need on your back" :)

Nathan got home early Monday morning and the kids insisted on making a sign to hang up for when he got home :) Noah told Nathan to never leave us for that long again :) Ryan told him he left for 15 years just like Rapunzels mom and that was too long! :) I must say, I agree with them :)  I can handle him being gone, but life sure is better with him here annoying, I mean loving me ;)

Our New Season of Life: Ryan's Glasses!

A few years ago Ryan was in physical therapy to help her with a delay in walking. During that whole process the therapist recommended getting her eyes checked - saying that they like to have all things checked when beginning therapy on children at such a young age. So, when Ryan was a little over one we had her first exam. She was not exactly excited about it and Daddy had to hold her the whole exam. The doctor was able to see that she had an astigmatism and wanted to see her back in 6 months to check on it. That was in December 2013. I guess time got away from me. I remember getting a postcard in the mail reminding me it was time to schedule her follow-up appointment. Then I got a text in December reminding me again so I called and scheduled the first time they had available, which was in February. I couldn't believe it had been 2 years since we had been there last! I felt bad for letting it go that long, but it just slipped by and she didn't seem to be having any issues, so I forgot about it.

She has had lots of doctor visits at this point in her life (she is our dramatic child) so she was a lot more comfortable this time around. She let them measure her eyes on one machine and sat in the exam chair all by herself. She was a little shy telling the doctor what the pictures on the wall were. So, she would whisper them to me and I would tell the doctor if she couldn't hear her. It was so cute because there was a picture of a heart and she would call them Valentines :) There were pictures of flowers and she would call them hairbows (because she has flowers she wears in her hair). When the pictures got smaller, she started saying the wrong thing - and I am not going to lie, my stomach dropped a little.  The doctor then checked her astigmatism and it had gotten worse, but looked better with a lens. So, she prescribed glasses!

I could not believe I was sitting there trying glasses on my child. It was not necessarily a big deal, just kind of unexpected and a pretty big change. I liked the thicker framed glasses, but Ryan would have nothing to do with them. She wouldn't even leave them on for a second. She liked the "little ones" as she called them. So, she picked some out and told the lady she wanted them purple and that is exactly what they ordered for her :)

I sent Nathan the picture of her in glasses with the caption "Guess what?" Apparently he didn't believe me until a few texts later and I mentioned the astigmatism and then he replied "oh you are serious?" - he thought we were just playing around trying on glasses :) She is excited about them (we hope that excitement lasts). Noah was a little jealous I think, he was saying how his eyes were a little blurry while we were trying glasses on Ryan. I assured him he passed his vision screening at school and he was fine. He then said his bear Blue needed glasses so I promised him we would find some for Blue :)

We should have her glasses in about 3 weeks, and then the fun part starts. Remembering to wear them, not break them, etc. We are praying it will be an easy transition and help with her astigmatism. If not, the doctor told me when she was older we could use contacts or lasik to help with it. So, here is to a new season in life - and I must say it is a pretty adorable season!

My Funny Valentines :)

Our Valentines celebrations a little early this year. Since Valentine's Day was on a Sunday this year and Noah's school was out the Friday before, we had his class party on Thursday afternoon. A few of the class moms got together and one made sugar cookies, one made icing, and I brought plates, napkins and cookie decorations. The kids had so much fun decorating their own cookies! The kids got to all open their Valentine boxes and each took a turn thanking everyone - it was so cute! I am so glad I am able to attend these things with Noah. I won't always have this job and be able to do these things, so I am trying to take in as much as I can while I can.

Decorating his cookie

Noah and Kadience sent each other Crushes :)

Since Thursday was also my last work day of the week, Nathan surprised me with calla lilies! My favorite flower and what I carried in my wedding bouquet. It has been a while since I had gotten flowers from him so it was a nice surprise!

I got on Pinterest to get some ideas for the kids Valentines for their parties. I picked the easiest options and showed them to the kids and let them pick what we would make for their classes. (I am not a big Pinterest fan - it usually just reminds me how bad I am at crafts, so I usually only get on there to look for party ideas and try to stick with the realistic ones). Noah chose Minion Puddings and Ryan chose Cereal Valentines. They were very easy and turned out very cute!

"You are One in a Minion" and "I CEREAL-sly like you Valentine"

Saturday morning Noah had a ball game (which he did amazing at - he finally is playing defense!) and then we went to Cracker Barrel for lunch - my favorite :) That night I went and got Nathan and I some pasta take-out and we rented a movie on TV and had a little date night in. It was nice to just spend time together and enjoy each others company. 

Sunday, before we went to Church we all exchanged Valentine gifts. We got Ryan Ariel and her sisters and an Ariel bath toy - two things she has been wanting for a while. We got Noah a little Lego set and some Power Ranger bad guys. Nathan surprised me again with an hour massage and some Toms I have had my eye on for awhile :) I got Nathan a Patagonia shirt and pullover - and since he wore it that day, I would say he liked them :)  

Noah has been begging to go to "the firing down place" (aka: Sumo) so after church we went there for a special Valentine lunch. The kids love watching the chef's cook and eating with chopsticks - even if Ryan only eats ketchup with hers :) 

From there we went to my cousin's sons birthday party. It was in a new party barn that was recently built. So, when I told the kids we were going to a party at a barn, they were very confused when we got there and it wasn't red and there were no animals :) But, they had the best time at the party! 

We enjoyed a quiet end to the weekend with dinner, kids shows and playing at home - perfect! Now, on to my feelings about Valentines day. I hate hearing people say they hate Valentines day - it is such a good opportunity to celebrate love - which is so important in life. I have not always been in a relationship on Valentines day, but I didn't let that stop me from celebrating. I have lots of love in my life - and I don't know anyone who doesn't. My stepdad always sent me flowers every year growing up to show me his love, and make sure I felt special on that day. My dad always bought me chocolates and took me to eat. My mom always took me and my brother to buy each other things to send to each other at school to celebrate. It is not always a romantic thing - just a celebration of love. Yes, I feel loved every day, but that is no reason not to celebrate it extra on one day. I am a mother every day, but I love being celebrated extra on Mother's Day! I am all for celebrating as much as we can in life, because it could be our last time to see this time together and these memories are going to be all we have someday. So, with that being said - Happy Valentines Day!

Superbowl Weekend!

Friday Nathan asked me to go on a movie date with him. So, I got home and got the kids all ready for bed so Meme would just have to put them straight to bed once it was time and we took off. I love going to the movies and especially love movie dates :) We didn't know what we were going to see yet, but knew it was either going to be The Revenant or 13 Hours - both being bloody/war/guy movies, but being the good wife I am, I went ;) They said they were taking The Revenant off this week so that made the decision to see it while we had the chance. I had heard it was pretty gruesome, and I heard right. It was a true story, which I LOVE - I am kind-of obsessed with true stories and love to watch peoples real-life stories. They are very eye-opening. This was an a amazing story about adversity and even a little unbelievable, but he lived to tell about it so I am just going to believe that is how it went. I have always heard bear attacks were bad, but had no idea how fast they were. That was hard to watch. Then, after surviving riding a horse off a cliff (I was literally staring at the screen with my mouth open) he guts the horse and climbs in it to stay warm. I remember saying "is he going to, yes, he is climbing in there!" while we were watching that - Nathan found my reactions funny. I informed him he owed me lots of chick flicks after watching that!

Saturday morning Noah had a ballgame, which was entertaining as always. He got his first pass thrown to him and he covered his head and it hit him in the belly! It was so funny! I am really trying to enjoy this, because I am really not sure he will want to play again and I really like watching sports, so I better enjoy it while it lasts. He has fun playing, but he does not love it, which is fine. But, there will come a time when it is more competitive and they keep score and it won't be as cute when he dodges passes or walks instead of dribbles. One mom already told me that Noah gets on her kids nerves because he is always acting like a dinosaur or killing bad guys - she told him he is just younger and not as serious about it as he is - and I am not sure if he ever will be, and I really am fine with that. We already have some great stories from him giving it a try. So, 4 games are left and then we decide if we are going to do t-ball or soccer :)

After Noah's game we headed home because we were getting to watch my 3 nieces for the day! Marley is 6, Maddie is 4 and Emmie is 1 - so they are at the perfect ages to play with Noah and Ryan. We played hard for hours - drawing, coloring, making crafts, watching movies, playing Barbies - it was so much fun! I didn't realize how tired I was until they left and I got my kids in bed - my back hurt and I was exhausted! I love my nieces, but I am glad I don't have 5 kids under 6 every day - I would definitely age faster :)

Emmie

Maddie

Marley

Sunday, after Church, the kids and I had lunch and then went to see Kung Fu Panda 3. The kids went and saw it with their Meme last week, but said "it was so hilarious, you just have to see it with us too Mom" - and like I said, I love the movies, so off we went! It was also Super Bowl Sunday, so that gave us something to do until the game started since Nathan was busy working. The movies was hilarious and watching them laugh so hard makes my day! We then went home to play games until it was game time. Nathan smoked some ribs for us to eat during the game (he deboned mine for me, he is awesome like that) and we enjoyed the game and commercials and the kids enjoyed an early bedtime to watch a movie in their beds :)

Our weekend was full and a little exhausting, but so much fun and so many memories made. Now, on to Valentines Day - if there is one thing I love to celebrate it is love. I love a lot and am loved by a lot so why not celebrate it?!

Racing Banquet Weekend

Even though Nathan was not able to race at any races this year, we still support the MW 8.5 Racers Association and attended as many races as we could. The awards banquet for the 2015 season was held in a town right outside of Kansas City last weekend and we were able to attend it. We always have so much fun with our racing friends - they are good people :) Once again, the Collins family was gracious enough to let us stay with them and chauffeur us around. I love staying there and love not driving around lost the whole time we are there too!

We got there Friday afternoon and went to the machine shop where Nathan's motor is at first so he could see it and talk to the guy who owns the shop. From there it was on to the Collin's house to get ready for dinner. We met up with some other friends at Cheddars and then had reservations at the Piano Bar in Kansas City. Nathan and I love piano bars - we had a great time!

The next morning I got a phone call from my cousin. My stomach dropped when I saw her name on my phone because I knew if she was calling me at 7:30 on a Saturday morning then something bad had happened. I was right, my Uncle Bill had a massive heart attack and passed away early that morning. He lived in French Village, Missouri and was married to my dad's sister Sharon for 52 years! It really just broke my heart for all of them. I cannot even imagine, but especially after 52 years. Plus, my aunt was having some medical issues and was scheduled for a procedure on Monday. Can you imagine being scared enough about your own health and planning on going in for the procedure with your husband, and then he passes away 2 days beforehand? It is just all a very sad situation. My aunt did go ahead with the procedure and has a great support system with her kids there to help. Any extra prayers for the Snow and Gunn family are appreciated very much! They have lots of healing to do!

This was me and my Aunt Sharon and Uncle Bill a few years ago when I was visiting them. 

For breakfast we went to a place called the Big Biscuit  - it was delicious! Then it was off to a little shopping. We went to a place called Nebraska Furniture Mart - which was amazing! It was a huge store of electronics, movies, games, DVDs, appliances, cookware, and of course furniture! We found some good deals on some DVDs and got the kids some new Wii games for Valentines Day. From There we went to Cabelas - I had never been there so it was really cool to look around at the fish and animals, and of course the clothes :)

Nebraska Furniture Mart

That night was the banquet. It was held at a winery this year. The place was really pretty and the food was delicious. It was great to catch up with all our racing friends and the actual handing out of the awards is always entertaining.

The MW 8.5 Awards Banquet 2015

My proudest moment was when this came up on the slideshow during the awards :)

The next morning I got a picture from Nathan's mom of the rash Ryan woke up with :( I knew immediately it was from her antibiotics she was taking for her ear infection. Both of my brothers and myself are allergic to penicillin and so are some of my nieces and nephews so I was familiar with the rash. Luckily, it did not itch or anything. But, that really made me want to head home, in case she started getting worse I wouldn't be 5 hours away. So, we got up and headed home.

Her rash was still pretty bad Monday and had spread to her arms and face. I called the doctor and they wanted to see her to check the rash and make sure she got enough medicine to clear up her ears before we stopped the medicine due to the rash. Thankfully, her ears looked clear (except for one tube that is now in sideways, but is already scheduled to be removed soon) and he said her rash should be better in a few days.

The kids stayed with their grandmas at our house while we were gone and had a great time! They got to go to the park, have a cousin sleepover, go bowling, and go to the movies! I am not sure they even missed us while having all that fun!