Jacob's 1st Day of Kindergarten!

Last night before Jacob went to bed I asked him what he wanted to wear on his first day. He looked at me like "why the crap do I care!" So with that expression I asked him in a different way by showing him all the new shirts I bought him and as I was holding each one up he immediately smiled and said "that one!" So funny. He had a fast breakfast with Madi this morning because I was racing around with my head cut off trying to get both kids ready for school. Total shock for a new girl! I love this picture of him with his adorable cheeser!
The sun was pretty bright...sorry buddy! Thanks for that handsome smile! "Ok, jump in the car and off to school we go!"
This picture was the blame for those bittersweet tears...2 kids in Elementary School! I must face the fact that I'm getting old...Yikes!
Jacob was so great...I could tell he wanted to crawl in a hole a couple of times but he did'nt, he just went with it! Good job dude! We found out that chicks dig walkers. The little girls were so sweet, especially our darling neighbor Avery! I was happy to be there to help my little boy with his walker. Kindergarten is such a joy I tell ya!

Walking in his Classroom...

As soon as we walked in Jacob found his name on the Apple Tree Wall. He was so excited! It's kind of hard to see his name because his hand is covering it. Miss Garrabrandt got some major points for giving him the GREEN apple!
Meet Miss Garrabrandt. This was her first day teaching. She is fresh out of college! Maybe this is not the best shot of her, but we like her anyway. Good job Liz, you did great!
Each parent was to write to their child and tell them how special they are and how proud they are for them. This was a piece of cake for me. You're the BEST!!!
Miss Garrabrandt took individual pictures of the kids and of course I had to take one too!
This is Jacob's friend Tavin that he met in Preschool last year. They did not see each other at all over the summer! As soon as they saw each other they just picked up where they left off. That made me happy for Bubba! I know Jacob will just have the best year thanks to an awesome teacher and fun new friends! Hooray!

Jacob's pick for Lunch...McDonald's!

I think it's always fun to treat my kids to lunch on special days like this. Happy kids deserve Happy Meals! Just out of the blue Jacob told me that he loves Kindergarten...;)!

What the Crap...

I have this thing where I think I can only blog if I have a picture. I'm changing that thought today. I have been up since 4:00 a.m. with this horrible feeling in my neck...hurts when I swallow. A few days ago I had a sore throat and BAD cough...that eventually went away. Then for some reason it would just hurt when I swallowed on both sides of my neck. Thankfully that just lasted for a day. Suddenly this morning the same pain came back but only on one side of my neck. I started wondering if maybe it was thyroids. I got out of bed to Google it and pretty much the Internet is telling me I have Cancer...whatever! I need to call a doctor because I really think it has be some kind of Thyroid issue. So after that lovely answer from the Internet I deciced to catch up on some blogs. I hate to start days off like this....so early in the morning. Nothing is worse to me than hearing my kids wake up and finding myself needing/wanting 20 more minutes. That sounded bad...but it's true. Today will be Jacob's first day of Kindergarden! I have been so upset about whether or not to send him. I hate that he has to go with a broken leg or maybe it's the walker thing....I don't know. I want him to have a fun day without any complications. He is so shy at times and what a way to bring on the attention. I thought about keeping him home for another week because Madi's piano teacher told me too (I know...I'm talking to the piano teacher) but then I figured that might make him feel like the new kid in class. I've never been the new kid in class, so how do I know what that feels like. Someone needs to shake me! So I finally settled my thoughts yesterday after talking to his teacher and she said it would be fine for me to stay with him the entire time. Ty will work from home and keep an eye on Owen. I'm thinking I have it all figured out on how I'm going to send Jacob to school next week but Ty told me last night while I was doing the dishes that Jacob can go on his own! What...more restless nights! On Friday Jacob has a doctors appointment for his leg. They will do another X-ray on it. Hopefully his little leg is healing properly...that would be great news! I'm really anxious to find out more about his Arthritis in his left leg! Jacob also has an eye appointment today which I think I need to cancel. I hav'nt decided that yet. It's most likely he'll need another surgery on his eye at end of this month or next. That won't be happening. Have I explained well enough as to why I have restless night? Good grief.

Dubbers....Handling Jacob's Break!

Owen has been pretty cooped up here in the house since Jacob broke his leg. He's hanging in there with me and occasionally enjoys entertaining me or even better....himself. The other day I was trying to help Jacob get settled on the couch (before his cast was put on) and Owen kept calling for my attention. I finally turned around to find him with two raisens stuck up both nostrils. He felt like miles away as I leaped across the room to grab them from him. Apparently he did'nt learn anything when he got the pea stuck up his nose a while back. "MY CUP IS OVERFLOWING WITH LOVE FOR YOU!"

It's Time for the Cast...

Jacob was so brave. He just waited patiently for Dr. Rosen to come in to begin making the cast!
He honestly did'nt even make a noise. He just layed there and watched...he was very amused! You're Awesome Bubba!
Good job Bubba...you're so tough!
Now the crying begins. As soon as Jacob heard the word "crutches" he just cried. We can't find crutches for his size so this is what he will have to use for the next little while. He has a crutch/walker training appointment tomorrow morning with another Dr. Larson. He really did'nt want me to take this picture of him but I made him anyway and that is why he has his sad face on. I felt bad because as soon as I took this picture he fell on the ground...crap, sorry! We love you Jacob and are so proud of you!

Best Friends....Jacob and Rhys!

Yesterday Rhys came over to visit Jacob. He was so excited to see him! I loved hearing them laugh while playing. You cheered him up and made him feel so much better Rhys! :)
These two can seriously play for hours, they always get along. I wanted to share a quick little story about them, one I won't forget: So awhile back the boys had a disagreement at our house about something. I could hear them just storming up the stairs mumbling things to one another. At the same time they both take a couch and start watching Spongebob. I can see how mad they are and their little faces were just furious looking. I asked Rhys if he wanted to go home and at the same time they both angrily yelled to me "NO" but still would'nt speak to each other for about 20 minutes. As soon as the show was over they both got up, ran down stairs and began playing for a couple more hours. It was so funny!

Madi's First Day of 2nd Grade...

After Madi's nerves settled down from yesterday, she woke up feeling rested and ready for a fun day at school! Yay! I figured we should start the day off with some protein and O.J! Madi found the O.J. in juice boxes at the store and got really excited about trying them. I've always been a sucker for buying things like that...cause it's not like I don't have a whole freezer full of O.J....but whatever!
Madi was'nt really in the mood for pictures at this point...she started feeling nervous again.
Strike a pose! So it took a while for Madi to decide which outfit to wear on her 1st day. She went through her closet so many times and I can't even tell you how many conversations we had about that and her putting her new school clothes away. She was torn between two outfits but sometime between me boiling corn and then throwing a load in the washer her decision was made...Whew!!! Good choice Madi...so adorable! :)

Madi and her Friends...

Here we have Brooke, Madi, Erika, Emily, Sohie and Megan! So I'm laughing at the picture because of where Madi's hand is resting...she was trying to keep Emily in the picture because Emily just wanted to play with her dog and we moms kept telling the girls to hurry and look at the camera. Silly girls!
We are so excited to have Malik at our school this year. So fun! I love this picture of him more than his mom does...he always makes this silly smiley face when he is overly excited. It's just a Malik thing that you just have to get used to...like Madi has!
Last Friday I took Madi over to the school to meet her new teacher and to see her new classroom. I have a pretty good feeling that we will like Mrs. Winn. (Mrs. Winn is the one with the dark hair) Hopefully she will be a "Winner" for Madi...ha, ha, get it, get it! :)
So as she was walking in the school I could feel the tears coming but I held them back for the sake of her seeing me. I did'nt want to upset her plus she hates it when I feel sad. I'm sure someday she'll understand that feeling!
Hey Madi...it's me, say CHEESE! Yes, I chased her down the hall! She was a little mortified, but smiled anyway....thanks for making me feel better...love you!

Jacob's Broken Leg...OUCH!!!

On Thursday Jacob was jumping on his friends trampoline when he double bounced and broke his Tibia! He did'nt even fall off the dang thing. Nothing is worse to me than seeing my child in pain like that...it just broke my heart. At first Ty and I kind of thought it was just a sprain because we were able to touch it a little and he started stretching it out after a while. It was hardly swollen plus he would sometimes laugh when he said it hurt. Feeling nervous I called the nurse and she said to watch it and give it about 24 hours or so. About 6:20, Friday morning I went in our room to check on him and just by looking at him I knew that it had to be broken. He was so sore and I could see it in his eyes that this was way more than a sprain. We went in and had X-rays taken and finally it was confirmed that he broke his leg!
So I have to call on Monday to make an appointment for him to get his cast on. Hopefully that appointment will be on Monday! This is all my little boy can do or wants to do for the next couple of days before we cast it. But even with the cast we've been told to stay off it...we'll see how long that will last. Sorry buddy...we love you and think you are more brave than ALL the transformers!
Jacob is really enjoying the attention he has been getting...or should I say the gifts he has been receiving! I loved the look on his face when I brought him his favorite ice-cream to eat in the living room! So cute. I'm happy to see him smile and I love to hear him laugh...thanks meds...we heart you!

Just Some Fun Pictures...

I thinks it's fun when I take a picture of my kids, unsure if I'll like it, so I save it anyway, then I really look at the picture to find that I love it! I can totally see their own personalities in these pictures.

Madi is my mellow, "whatever you ask me to do, I'll do it" child. Always remembers to use her manners. She wants people to be happy and sees the good in people. She is very sweet and kind.
Jacob is sometimes shy and very timid. He does'nt like to be looked at. He gets very uncomfortable if someone smiles at him or says something cute about him or tells of something he did that was funny. He is very sweet and gentle. He can turn boring into fun...just in a matter of minutes.
Owen is very mischievious...always ready for a good joke! He refuses to walk...he runs! He is flattered by attention! He knows how much I love and adore his hugs and kisses and is fully aware of how to butter me up when he gets caught! He is such a sweet boy!

It's fun and sometimes challenging at times, but all in all...I'm so proud to be their Mother.

Thanksgiving Point...

I'm so happy that you can't see all the craziness of this day in this picture! This place was packed like Disneyland in July! Hopefully next time there will be enough room for your big toes to touch the water...sorry kids!
It was pretty bright outside...thanks Madi and Jacob for trying to look happy! Owen,...honestly Dude?
We love waterfalls... so pretty! Owen was done by this point of the afternoon...can you tell? I realize you can't expect too much from a 3 year old, but for the love...just look at the camera!
Dubbers loves his cousin Cole and I love it when he calls him "Colipop"...so cute!
Thanks kids for being so good to us moms/grandma's and humoring us through the pictures. We love our cousins and always have so much fun with them wherever we are or however big the crowd is. Thanks for the fun memory...let's have more!

Another Fabulous Day at Wheeler Farm...

Such cute kids...what more do I need to say!
I love this picture...they really do love each other and enjoy being together. I love listening to them laugh and talk. What mother does'nt love that! One of my many wishes for my kids is that they will always get along with each other and respect one another... ALWAYS!
Whoops!!!...we missed taking a picture of "Blackie" from the last time we were there. Everyone say hello...and yes, there is a bunny in there!
Lexi holding Owen, Madi, Halle, Carson, Sami holding Jorie, Malik, Easton, Jacob, Kenzie, Rhys and Avery! Thank you for a FUN day at the Farm...(so sorry about the Bee sting in the eyes, Avery and Rhys...OUCH!!!) We love your friendship!

Owen Byron Tolman..."I love you to Infinity and Beyond"

I LOVE it when Dubbers puckers his lips...his kisses are just delicious!

This is how he spends his day...being silly and adorable! I love his laugh...except for the one laugh he has that follows with Madi or Jacob's cry...which 95% of the time Owen is responsible for!

Owen's famous "Cheeser!" The kid honestly enjoys watching me painfully take his picture!

"Ok, I'll open my eyes." Thank you rice crispy treats...you helped me make a memory!

I love my Owie...he makes me SO HAPPY all the time. He is our family clown and we just laugh at all the funny things he does. Our favorite silly moment of Owen is when he does the "Spider Monkey" crawl. We laugh so hard because he does it so well. Sometimes while we are driving Owen will shout "my friend lives there" as he is pointing to a house that we have never been to. Huh? We have no idea why he says that! Silly boy! He is absolutely precious to me and I love everything about him. I'm Honored to be his Mamma!

An American Girl

Madi and I went to see the Kit Kittredge movie last night with our friends Becky and Sami. The movie was so cute. This is Madi's kind of movie. We've already decided which doll resembles her the most...Ruthie!

We love Ruthie! We were reading about her and it said she was loyal. Madi is very loyal to her family and friends. We can't wait to get her book and of course...her!

My Miss Madi

So we have this new Grocery Store around the corner from our house called "Sunflower Market." We new we LOVED this place when Madison found a brand of Ice-Cream with her name on it...hello! Finding Hershey's Syrup to go with it was a "double bonus!" Fun just follows Madi...I love this girl!

Backyard Water Park

My friend Jamie and her son Colton invited us over for a playdate. The boys had a blast sliding down the slide and of course splashing each other. Silly boys! They played for at least 4 hours without a single shout or tear....proud mothers we were! Thanks for the fun...all 3 times!