Busy Times

I am continually amazed at how busy I stay, even though I am "staying home" with my boys. I don't know how I got everything done before!

Kale is sporting a winter hat with flip-flops. Don't worry, I DID NOT let him leave the house like this. 

Liam broke out in hives this week. He had them all over his back and stomach and had a few on face, neck, and legs. We are not sure what caused it. We had to make another trip to the doctor. We are getting to know our new pediatrician quite well. He also has another ear infection. We have an appointment to talk to an ENT at the beginning of August. Tubes are coming our way. 

Kale loves to hold Liam's hand. He sings to him, "I, I, I , yes, yes, yes." That's Kale's version of the Barney, "I Love you." song. 

My boys are lovin the Target carts that have the kid seats. They are actually surprisingly easy to steer. I personally think they are easier to steer than the regular carts. 

Check out Kale's arms. I got out the shower today and I immediately knew something was up because the house was too quiet. Liam was sleeping, but Kale is usually practically in the shower with me and he actually let me shower in peace. As I came around the corner, I discovered Kale, the budding tattoo artist. As soon as I saw him, I said, "KAAAAALE!" He got a huge grin on his face and I couldn't help but laugh. It did take some scrubbing to get him clean. He thought it was neat the water was multi-colored though. 

Kris and I came up the stairs the other morning to find Kale brushing his teeth...he can't quite reach the sink, but he makes it work. 

Grandma and Grandpa Helling sent Kale and Liam Hawaiian shirts. Kale was not too happy about wearing his...he thinks he should be allowed to pick out all of his own clothing, which pretty much consists of gym shorts and t-shirts. The next series of pictures cracks me up...terrible twos!

Kale LOVES ice-cream these days. Almost every day after nap, we indulge in an ice-cream bar. 

What a Weekend!

Kris and I celebrated our 5th wedding anniversary this weekend. We were so bad, we failed to get a picture! I intended to have the babysitter take a picture and was so upset that I forgot! We celebrated by going out to dinner, to see Spring Awakening (one of my all-time favorite musicals) at the area theater, and then out for drinks. We had a great time. It was nice to get away and have an evening to ourselves. 

Five years...wow, where did the time go? It seems like we were just getting married on the beach. And look at that picture...don't we look so young (and skinny)! 

On Saturday, we decided to go to Virginia Beach for the day. It is about 90 miles from us, so we thought a day trip would be in order. It ended up taking us about 3 hours to get there because there was a terrible wreck and we were stuck in traffic. Plus, the boys did not enjoy being in the car, so we had to stop by McDonald's for breakfast to let them run around. 

Sweet Liam did pretty good at the beach. He was tired though, because he didn't get his normal naps. He did manage to eat quite a bit of sand, but seemed to enjoy himself. 

Kale LOVED the beach. The day was cooler (low 80's) and really overcast, so the water wasn't super warm, but Kale would play in the ocean until he was shivering uncontrollably. He also enjoyed playing in the sand. We made castles and took turns burying each other. 

We bought our own umbrella at Target and brought it with us. We rented lounge chairs on the beach. Next time, we will rent everything we need. You have to walk a decent distance to get to the beach and bringing all of the gear is very hard work. Plus getting the umbrella anchored in the sand is almost impossible. 

Kale had "sand chips" for snack.

We also met up with my neighbors and friends from Memphis, Elisa and Doyle. Elisa is a pediatrician in the area and they have twins that are Kale's age. They told us where to park and what area of the beach was the best. There was playground equipment, restrooms, vendors, etc. Around 3:30, it started to rain, so we packed up and headed to eat at a nearby restaurant. Dinner with 3 two-year olds and a 7 month old was interesting, to say the least.

We hit the road around 5:30, luckily the boys were so exhausted they slept the whole way home. We made it in just under 2 hours. Once home, we all had to have showers to remove the massive amount of sand stuck to our bodies. By the time Kris and I got in bed, we were exhausted!! It was quite a day trip! In the future, I think we will get a room for the night. It is just too exhausting to drive there and back in one day. 

On Sunday, we tried an area church near our house, which we liked pretty well. Kris then put together the grill that he received for Father's Day. It is a 5 burner grill (don't ask me why we need such a large grill, must be a "man thing"), we can grill burgers for the entire street at one time! 

Getting Settled In

Sweet Liam is finally starting to feel better. He is not 100%, but he is getting there. He has been extremely fussy this week and his little smile is just now returning to his face. 

They are both vegging out, watching Curious George. Kale will FINALLY watch TV. I am probably the only mom in the world who wants her child to watch TV, but up until this point, he has shown absolutely no interest. Sometimes I just need to get thing done or take a shower, etc. TV helps with that. 

I came out of Liam's room and found Kale unlocking the door. He really wanted to go outside to play, but I told him we had to wait until Liam took a nap. As soon as I went to rock Liam, Kale thought he would try to escape. This could become a problem...

My boys love to spend time outside, but it has been SO HOT!! It is difficult to be outside for longer than 10 minutes. 

Kale is very into pushing Liam in the swing and definitely doesn't want me to help him. 

We have been spending time at the pool. Kale is getting courageous and has been trying to swim while holding onto a raft. He has wiped out several times and gone under water, but is pretty good about finding his footing again. 

There are so many great things to do in the area. Last Thursday, we went to an outside mall for dinner and to let the boys play in the splash pad. There was also live music going on. Kale wanted no part of the splash pad. He is pretty shy when it comes to new situations. 

We bought a family membership to the Children's Museum. We went to visit the one in our suburb (there are 3 total). It was awesome. Kale had a blast shopping in the pretend grocery store. 

They have old vehicles in the museum that kids can play on. He loved the firetruck. 

Things are really coming together for us here. As I posted earlier, we sold our house in Texas. We closed on it last Wednesday. I also accepted a part-time position at John Tyler College, teaching for the English Department. I will work 2 afternoons a week. I think I will really enjoy the position. The Dean made it clear that if and when I wanted more classes or to work full-time, they would find a position for me. So nice to know! We found a great preschool for Kale. He will go 2 mornings a week. We also found a great nanny who will come to the house and watch the boys while I am at work. She is a college student at VCU and has lots of experience with little ones. 

In other news, I am loving being home with the boys. I was a little nervous about it at first. I wasn't sure if I would like it and I thought I might get bored. Let me tell you...we are so busy, there is no time for boredom. The days fly by! There is plenty to do in the area and getting out and about a few times a week is key. I love watching the boys interact and now I don't have to worry about missing important moments with them. Don't get me wrong, some days I am ready for a glass of wine by noon, but overall, staying home has been a great experience. 

Potty Time!

This week was our first official week of potty training. We put on undies and kept them on all day (aside from nights and naps). The first day, Kale wet his pants 3 times in 30 minutes. I told Kris he pees like a dog marking his territory. He even ended up peeing on me (this was all before 9 a.m.). On Monday, he had 7 accidents, but went in the potty 4 times...doesn't sound like much, but it is a start! I obviously have a lot of laundry to do!

I love this picture...he is a poser!

He looks like such a big boy here! Today, Kale did even better...only 1 accident! It's a process, but we are getting there. 

He insists on taking off all of his clothes in order to use the toilet. 

I had previously ordered Kale this kid size leaf blower. I gave it to him on Monday for working so hard at potty training. He was so excited!!

In other news, Liam is still struggling. First he had respiratory issues, then severe diaper rash, then fever with mouth sores, now an all over body rash. I think he is also teething. The kid can't get a break! I feel so sorry for him. He has been extremely fussy, which is very unlike him. 

Random Pics

These are some random pics from my Iphone. 

Kale loves his new sunglasses!

Some of these pics are blurry, but you can see how chaotic things are around our house. The boys have already begun wrestling...notice Liam is pulling Kale's hair. 

Most of the time Kale pins Liam, but not for long!!

Chatting...

Kale always tries to help with Liam. He has started "practicing" changing the diapers of his stuffed animals. He decided to try it out on Liam. I really think this is a good chore for him!

Sweet brothers

Kale got his first mosquito bite and it was a monster of a bite! He is not familiar with "itching", so he kept calling it his "ouchie."

The boys are loving the wagon. We go on a walk each morning. They have some interesting conversations.

Can't believe Liam is already big enough to go on the wagon. He did fall asleep in the wagon the other day. Now that takes talent!!

Kale dressed himself for the first time the other day. He choose a winter outfit. 100 degrees must be too cool for him. Notice the nice bruise on his head. He fell down the stairs. 

I bought Kale some Elmo p.j.s. He was so excited that he decided he must wear them at 4 in the afternoon. This is his "cheese" smile. 

He went on the big boy potty today!!!

Sweet, sweet Liam. He is still so sick. His temperature was 103.2 this evening. Please say a prayer he gets better soon. Having a sick baby is no fun.