Tuesday and Wednesday

So Tuesday evening we took the boys to the park & they had a great time. I acted like a clown & got Connor to laugh a whole bunch. It was sure nice to have help at dinner, bath and bed time. Tara came back in the morning & we went to swim lessons. She took Hudson in the pool so I could concentrate on Connor. He did a good job with the lesson but had trouble staying in one spot while he waited for the other kids. I think he is used to Brandon being there for the lesson so he may have just been acting out.

After swimming we headed to Monkey Joe's ( http://www.monkeyjoes.com/ ). It is a pretty awesome indoor play place. Both boys had a blast. When we got back we all took a nap. Tara wasn't feeling well so after the boys went to bed she went home. She is headed to the Dr. today so I am on my own for the zoo. This is a bit scary as I usually do not attempt something like this without a helper. There is a good chance I will have some good stories from this trip!

We got word that Brandon should be home early on Saturday. This will be great for Connor. I'm not even going to tell him where we are going until we get there. His mood has been much better since Tara has been hanging with us, but I know he is going to freak out when he sees his Dad.

Mom gets a break

Tara is here.. Tara is here.. Tara is here!!

This morning Tara came over about 10am. She played play dough with Connor and then she took him outside to play. Hudson & I joined as soon as he woke up. The boys were still kind of stuck on me for about the first hour. Next we went to Wal-mart to buy a bubble machine & water guns. Then we hit the grocery store. It was so nice to have an extra set of hands. By the time we left the grocery store Hudson had warmed right up to Tara. She is so nice and is great with kids. I knew it wouldn't take long. We came home and played water guns & bubbles outside. The Tara got them a snack & we all relaxed for a few minutes. Now the boys are sleeping, Tara is doing some reading for school & I can actually relax! I love Tara! If you can afford a nanny I highly recommend one. She is going to stay until they go to bed tonight & then come back tomorrow morning. I actually have a reason to cook dinner tonight. We had pancakes Saturday & Sunday and frozen pizza last night. After dinner tonight we are going to head up to the park to keep Connor busy. I am really looking forward to having some help at bath and bed time.

Poor little guy

Brandon has been gone since Friday night and Connor is lost without him. The poor little guy has lost his smile. On Sunday Brandon's parents came over and took the boys to the park. After they left Connor seemed fine. But when I tried to get him to go outside after dinner he didn't even want to do that. The he was up and out of bed a bunch of times. Every time he sees Brandon's car it makes him sad. Today we went to Brandon's parents house & he just wasn't himself. We have one of those battery powered trucks for him to ride on at their house. He didn't even enjoy that. We came home for naps, had dinner & then headed out to see Erin & the kids. He husband was working so we figured we would all just hang out. Well, Connor found his smile for a little while. For the first hour he just kind of walked around lost and didn't even really play with Ryan. Then we went outside & things got a little better. Then something switched and he really enjoyed himself while playing with play dough with Erin. She did anything & everything she could to make him laugh. No matter how silly she looked in the process. He finally laughed & enjoyed himself for a couple of minutes. Then we pulled into the driveway & they saw his car again & poor Hudson just started screaming "Dad Dad".

Well, Tara comes tomorrow morning & hopefully she will be able to distract him. My heart is just breaking for him. I have a feeling this will be Brandon's last mission trip for a while.

Brandon's mission

Brandon left Friday night for our annual church mission trip. But, by the time you read this he will be home. I made Connor a construction paper chain & every morning we cut off a link. He knows that when the links are gone Daddy is coming home. Last nigh after dinner he asked for Brandon. He knew that Brandon usually comes home at dinner time. It was pretty cute. And at bedtime he needed extra stories & cuddles. Poor little guy is lost without his buddy. Brandon's parents are coming over today (Sunday). And Tara gets here on Tuesday. She is a good friend who is home from college & will be staying with us from Tuesday through Friday. We will plan lots of fun activities to keep the boys busy. Tara has tons of energy & is great with the kids. Plus it is nice to have someone around in the evenings. I don't know how single parents do it. I would go crazy!!!

Lawn care

The boys love to "help" Brandon with the lawn. Connor has been doing this since he could walk.

Chocolate covered strawberries

Connor decided to help me make chocolate covered strawberries.....He just couldn't resist a taste......

We had to change his clothes when he was done!

Some pics from Dad's visit

Tuesday Dad arrived & I took the boys to the airport to pick him up. Connor loves the airport. Especially when he sees the UPS airplane. He is pretty sure the UPS plane is full of new toys. That evening Connor showed off his bike riding skills for my Dad and then we took him on a walk through the nature trail in our neighborhood.

On Wednesday we went to Connor's swimming lesson and then headed to the zoo. The boys love the zoo. They all decided to try out the kangaroo jumping exhibit.

Dad's visit

My Dad was visiting from California all last week so I did not keep up with my blogging (sorry Betty!). I will post a bunch of pics this weekend. We had a great visit. On Thursday I hired a photographer to spend some time with us at a local park. She sent me a couple of the pics. The rest should be ready in 2 weeks & I will share them then.We had a wonderful visit & the kids warmed up to my Dad right away.

The new table

Here are some pics of the table Brandon built to go under our TV. He did a great job. The doors are amazing. The pictures really don't do justice to how much work they were. Each door took over 120 cuts.

Connor's Room

After 6 months in the house I have finally decorated Connor's room. I let him pick out the theme. We went with "Construction". The posters on the wall came directly from Caterpillar equipment's website. When i first framed them & they were sitting on the floor Connor tried to hug them & said " I love my posters". He was so excited when the room was complete. We spent hours in there yesterday just talking about what he was seeing. We moved story time in there. The only thing I am missing is a bed skirt. I thought it came with the quilt.

Here are the curtain pull backs..... too cute!

He spent so much time yesterday naming each of the trucks on his quilt.


It was so much fun making him happy! I can see why some parents spoil their kids....it's fun!

Last Day of School

Today was Connor's last day of preschool. I can't believe how much he has changed over this school year. When he first began he only said a few words, he used diapers & he cried when I dropped him off for the first few weeks. Now he talks CONSTANTLY, he is potty trained & he is comfortable enough with himself to be without me. Wow.. what a difference a year makes. They had a birthday party for all the kids who have summer birthday's. So, now Connor thinks today is his birthday. Brandon & I picked him up together & took him to Wendy's for a frosty & fries. (his favorite treat). I'm not sure what we are going to do all summer... hopefully I will survive!

Mother's Day

This morning for Mother's Day Brandon made me breakfast in bed. He made my favorite french toast. It is the only food that he makes way better than I do so he makes it for me for special occasions. Then the boys gave me some gifts. Brandon picked out the roses & the gift certificate for a pedicure. The rest Connor picked. Here is the list.... purple & red lipstick, hair clips, butterfinger bar, back massager, red candle and ring pops. Very cute.

We had a nice afternoon with Brandon parents & Justin & Erin. I got some very sweet cards from my BF Alison & my Aunt Betty... Thank you ladies!

Mother's Day tea

Yesterday at Connor's school we had a Mother's Day Tea. All the Mom's walked in & the kids sang & danced a couple of songs for us. Connor stood right up front & performed. It was so cool to see him sing & dance with confidence. He usually clams up when i ask him to dance if anyone else is around. I stopped taking him to the library for story/ song time. It was like torture for him. But, I think we may head back. All the Mom's got flowers & cards. It was very sweet.

Brandon is 99% done building the table for under our TV. I can't wait to share the pictures. This table is beautiful. The door alone each have over 100 cuts to them. Hopefully I will be able to put up pics tomorrow.

We are going to the Dr. today to get Connor's ear tubes checked. Nothing is wrong, it's just time to see if they are still in. Plus we want to talk to our Dr. about his eating habits. This should be fun.

best compliment EVER

The other day while I was getting ready Connor asked if he could brush my hair. While he was brushing it he said "your so pretty Mom". That is by far the best compliment I have ever received. If you want to feel like a million bucks I suggest you have a 2 year old boy tell you you are pretty... especially yours!

This week we had Ryan & Olivia over for a play date. We put the kiddie pool at the bottom of the playhouse slide. It was a huge hit. Somehow I forgot to take pictures. Other than that we had a pretty quiet week. We did go to Chuck E. Cheese on Friday & that is always a big hit with the boys. Again.. I forgot my camera. Maybe I'll remember to take pics next week.