Pictures

Finishing the walk

Taking care of the feet

Lyndsay's Party to help raise funds for the walk
Myself, Jayme Ballast, Jennifer Frye, Lyndsay Gettinger, Shelley Moss, and Melissa McCorkhill (girls from Waldron Class of 1998)

E & A getting ready for school

A trying on his Halloween costume

E doing the same

Mama putting A's mittens back on on the "hay" ride

Granny, Poppy, Marc, Aaron, and Ethan

View from our ride

E with a Mohawk/hat head after his pumpkin adventure

Two family pumpkins on each side, E then A's in the center

A New Direction

I haven't posted in a bit. Lately I have been thinking about the blog and what I wanted to do with it. I still want to share updates and stories about the boys, but I want to use it for more than just that. Moving forward you may find a post about whatever happens to be on my mind...spiritual thoughts, home projects, decor ideas, particularly interesting or difficult situations, etc. The blog will stay true to its title, but will more fully express the daily happenings of our whole family!

Friday I dropped the boys off at MDO and they didn't cry or even make a peep. Today marked day two of no crying at drop off or pick up! It was a six week process, one of which they were sick and did not go to school. I am actually quite impressed. They are growing and developing right before our eyes. They are communicating so much more. Putting two to three word sentences together and even having short phone conversations with their grandparents. School (MDO) has been a good transition for all of us. Change is not always easy for me, but like most things it works out well in time. Ethan and Aaron typically don't even make it much further than out of the parking lot before they are asleep in the car. All of the crafts, singing, playing, and interacting wears them out!

Since I last posted I participated in The Weekend to End Breast Cancer and turned 30! Both although not equal in impact, were wonderful experiences for me. Thirty is something I am welcoming with open arms...at least now. I was a little hesitant leading up to the day. Women tell me the 30's are fabulous and I am going to take them out their word. I look forward to feeling even more comfortable in my skin and already feel that transition happening. The walk was amazing, eye opening, and hard. A multitude of things were reiterated and learned that weekend. Some of which included:

-invest in good shoes...it is worth the cost
-purchase quality sweat wicking socks
-use Body Glide...you can't be too generous with your applications
-soak in epsom salts following the big event...a little spearmint, rosemary, etc doesn't hurt either (I have sense learned not to do this if you have any acute pain, instead ice)
-training is necessary and pays off
-push through it...the pain is temporary
-with God I am capable of more than I know
-people are surprising in both good and bad ways
-when in doubt go ahead and use the porta potty
-the whole is greater than the sum of its parts
-women in every size, shape, and color are awesome

We were able to go to the pumpkin patch as a family this past Saturday. My mom and grandparents met us for lunch and then went with us. Marc and I have discovered that the boys love pancakes, particularly Cracker Barrel's pancakes. They ate all of an adult order of three pancakes except for two bites. It was a really chilly day, but we enjoyed a wagon ride and picked out two pumpkins. We had to venture out into a muddy field to find our treasures. All the while Ethan repeated yuck, yuck, yuck. Both boys vollied back and forth from daddy, to mamaw, and sometimes me on the wagon ride. Sunday we went to church and then went to some friend's from churches house to paint pumpkins. The boys did quite a nice job. They have become quite the little artists. I even framed some of their artwork!

Mother's Day Out Begins

A& E doing puzzles on their first day of school

E's backpack

A's backpack

We're ready for school!

Mom and E before school!

Mom and A before school

Since I last updated the blog the boys had a great overnight trip to Mamaw and Papaw Smith's. They took them to Toys R Us, Great Granny and Poppy's and did lots of playing. Marc and a friend put in a sprinkler system and I did lots of cleaning.

Last week the boys were still getting over colds. Thursday and Friday Grandma and Grandpa Rhodes visited. The boys had a wonderful time with them going on walks, playing outside, and so on. I was able to start painting some decorative items and furniture.

This past weekend we went to the Columbus Zoo and COSI (Center of Science and Industry) in Columbus, OH. We had a really nice time. The boys' favorite exhibit at the zoo was the manatee exhibit! It included a large tank with fish and two manatee. They stood with their faces to the tank laughing and yelling. They really enjoyed COSI because it was very hands on. We visited the two exhibits more directed to their ages. One was called little kidspace, which was very similar to the Playscape at the Children's Museum. The other was called Ocean. It was like you were under water and had all kinds of neat things to do with real water. The boys got their feet good and wet. On the way home they slept all but 20 or 30 minutes of the drive and so did I!

E on the slide, E & A driving the ambulance, Dr. A, and Daddy, A,

and E playing the laser harp at COSI!

Today the boys started Mother's Day Out. My neighbor Lisa was nice enough to come over and help take a few pictures. Then the teacher's aide snapped a couple of the boys in class. Both did great when I dropped them off. Neither cried at all! It was a bit of a different story when I picked them up this afternoon. Both cried and A had a fit! A was asleep before we had been in the car 2 minutes. E was so thirsty! I got his milk out and he drank it the whole way home! They colored, played outside, and read The Kissing Hand. Ms. Kelley, their teacher, said they didn't cry until they saw the parents coming in to pick kids up. They didn't eat too well at all. Hopefully they will adjust over time. Overall, I would say the first day went pretty well.

Adventures at the Park

Tuesday night Marc and I ran to over to Clay Terrace to check out Clarks Kids shoes prior to purchasing the boys' next pair of shoes. We stopped at Subway on the way. The boys did really well. It is so fun that they are at an age where it is getting a bit easier to take them places and I even think they enjoy it.

After a terrible experience at Clarks, the boys and I headed back to Stride Rite yesterday morning. E & A got matching shoes, just different colors. Afterwards we played in the play land area at the mall and had lunch. They fell asleep on the way home. After nap we met some friends at Falls Park in Pendleton. The boys are becoming more and more adventurous. They enjoyed climbing, sliding, and playing in the sand.

This morning we met some friends at Holland Park here in Fishers. Their are two separate play areas, one for toddlers and one for bigger kids. Amazingly they are starting to want to play in the big kid's area. They do fairly well, but it is still a little dangerous with both of them and only one of me. A was brave today and did the slides without me. He also climbed to the top of the stairs of one of the big slides, which scared me to death. He decided he wasn't going to go down it though. Ethan climbed a ladder that was for big kids and the rungs were spaced apart quite a bit. He kept wanting to do it over and over. He was fine until he got to the top and then needed some assistance. He clapped for himself when he was done! They are definitely all boy!

Backpacks, Lunchboxes, Shoes and Slides...

The boys and I went with the Vanessa, Landon, and Luke (neighbors) to the mall this morning. They needed to get their feet sized because of growth and needing fall shoes. They are wearing 5's and 5 1/2's. They both need 6 1/2's now. Aaron's feet are wide and Ethan's are in between a regular and a wide. Stride Rite is running their shoes buy one get one 1/2 off until 8/31/09 for those interested. If you have multiples, Clarks said they would match the previous mentioned pricing. We went to the Disney store to get place mats for mealtimes. I was so glad we did. They had their lunch boxes and back packs on sale. E & A got a matching lunch boxes and backpacks. One set is Lighting McQueen from Cars and the other is Woody and Buzz from Toy Story. After shopping, we had lunch and played in the mall play area. They had so much fun. It is neat to see their personalities come out in those types of situations. Ethan was on the move. Aaron was on the move as well, but was more timid about the stairs and the small slide. He would get to the 2nd step and just sit there. As he got braver he would go to the 3rd and final step before the slide. He wouldn't go down the slide by himself. From time to time I would go help him down. He also would let other children go in front of him. As kids would go, he would edge closer and closer to the edge of the stairs. Ethan would look at me and clap when he got to the end of the slide. They were out less than 5 minutes into the ride home!

Yesterday we went down to my mom's and then over to visit Great Granny and Poppy. E & A enjoyed playing outside. Granny treated us all to Dairy Queen. Both boys like ice cream, but A loves it. He helped Mamaw eat hers and then wanted to eat mine too! Saturday night the boys went with Daddy to Best Buy to help a friend pick out a receiver and then to McDonalds. I know, I know lots of healthy food choices right!

Friday afternoon we went to the fair. We had a great time. The boys got to see pigs, horses, goats, fish, etc. We were debating on riding the carousel. Marc, Mamaw, Papaw, and I were all nervous it would make us sick, as none of us are great with rides that go in circles. Marc thought we should take them down the really big slides, mind you I am afraid of heights. I agreed I would go. He was in line for the tickets and the slides seemed to get bigger and bigger. I pep talked myself into thinking it would be fine. I had Ethan in my arms and started up the stairs. The higher I got the narrower the steps seemed and I am not sure they didn't get narrower. By half to 3/4's of the way up I wanted to turn back. When I finally got to the top, I didn't know what to even do. Marc and Aaron let go and were on their way down. I thought about heading back down the stairs, but that seemed scary and someone was coming up the stairs now. I asked the attendant what to do since I needed to sit on the slide, but couldn't get positioned holding Ethan and he just gave me a scary look. At that point, I sat Ethan down got positioned and picked him back up. I positioned E on my lap and made sure his arms were tucked beneath mine, which I had wrapped tightly around him. Then...I let go. YUCK! I no longer enjoy the stomach in your chest feeling. It was much faster than I thought it would be as well. All the way down I was thinking what if something happens, what if Ethan would get away from me, etc. We got down the slide safely, but at the end I told Marc I would never do it again!

More Pictures

A (in car) and E's first motorized car ride

Grandpa Rhodes, E, and A on the boat

(The boys love to honk the boat horn)

E's first pony ride


The Dittmers at the Zoo 7/6/09

A's first pony ride

A feeding E

A and Daddy

Recent Pictures

Ethan playing on Grandma & Grandpa Dittmer's beach

Ethan and Aaron on the boat


E the baseball player


E and A playing at Grandma and Grandpa Rhodes

E & A holding hands and A wearing Daddy's shoes

E & A at the Children's Museum

(they had the playscape all to themselves)

A & E in the babypool

E at Forest Park

A at Forest Park

A cheesing