Tomorrow is the big day

Tomorrow Noah goes in for his surgery to have his tonsils taken out. We let him pick what ever he wanted to eat today as he won't be able to eat much of anything solid for a few days. His choice for lunch was Burger King (Shock of shocks that it wasn't McDonald's, however, I believe the indoor playland had a lot to do with his choice). I let him have fun in the playland after lunch for a long time because it has been cold and wet for over a week and he needed it. Rachel had fun trying to climb up the slide and also just walking up and down the small ramp to the actual play structure. She loves to clap for herself after she thinks she has done something big. Rachel also discovered that ketchup is a wonderul yummy way to make a terrible mess of herself and she finally learned how to drink from a straw! (Yay! -It's about time!). Back to the tonsils - I know that they have been bothering him again the last couple of days and when I checked them yesterday I noticed they had patches on them... He's only been off the antibiotic for about a week and a half... I am so glad they are taking them out and the day has finally gotten here. Hopefully things will go great and he'll heal quickly with no bad memories or problems. I can't help but be a touch worried... it's the mommy in me.

They loves this...

Noah is able to ride Rachel's trike around the house (it hasn't been outside yet to dirty up the wheels) and Rachel adores pushing him as he rides. She thinks this is the most hysterical thing. Although she truely is just hanging on as he rides around she really thinks she is doing something special and Noah LOVES to hear her laugh. It's the cutest thing. =)

She says "Up! Up! Up!"

Rachel loves to play basketball. I was amazed the night she kept walking up to the goal and staring up at it with her basketball. She watches Noah play basketball and has learned from him how it's done. Her favorite thing when we are playing 'basketball' with her is she'll walk up to the goal, stare up at the rim and say "Up! Up! Up!". We pick her up and she drops the ball into the goal and claps like crazy for herself. As usual she totally cracks us up!

Charlotte's Web

Yesterday Ramona and I took the kids to see Charlotte's Web at our local theater. The boys loved the movie and Rachel was good for the whole two hours. I was worried that she wasn't going to make it through, but she watched quite a bit of the movie and I had a bag full of lunch to keep her busy when she wasn't as interested. Noah loved Charlotte and Wilbur and of course, his favorite - popcorn. He loves popcorn. Both the boys did really well sitting and watching and afterward they got to play some video games in the theater lobby. Noah's favorite was the one with the Yamaha sport motorcycle (uh -oh!). We found a photo booth and stuck them in there to try and get their picture. This was hysterical because they were too short for the booth so we were trying hard to get them both in there without cutting off their heads. It was a fun afternoon and the movie was a beautiful remake of the original.

Also: YAY INDIANAPOLIS COLTS! Woooooo Hoooo!

Everybody's feeling better...

Finally. Thank goodness! Both the kids are back to playing and being happy - which makes us (the parents) happy. We even managed to sneak off last night for dinner and a movie and it was great! Rachel is however cutting her first set of molars. They are the upper ones and man, they seem to be bothering her. Luckily Tylenol does help with the teething. Life is pretty much getting back to normal after all the holiday excitement and illnesses and we are settling back into our routines.

"It's a Virus"

Don't you hate it when doctors tell you that? Our sweet little baby has been having 104 degree fevers and there is not much that the doctors can tell us other than "it's a virus". I hate that. Thank God for Motrin. Tylenol wasn't touching her fever, so we are alternating with the motrin and it worked like a charm. All she's been wanting to do is lay on my chest - yes, this is highly unusual for Rachel - she's an 'on the go' baby. Always has to be doing something or exploring her world. After a long night we headed in to the pediatricians office this morning where they tested her for everything they could think of - all negative. So... It's a virus... so we're giving motrin, keeping her cool and comfortable and giving her lots and lots of TLC...

Slot Cars

Daddy and Santa were right... Noah loves Slot Cars. He loves to race Doug and laughs hysterically when the cars fly off of the track. Fun stuff. We saw Dr. Williamson today and even with Noah well from having strep he still said on a scale of 0-4 for his tonsils, Noah's are a 5. They are off the charts huge and very much a health hazard for him. He is schedualed to have them taken out on January 29th and we are hoping he will begin to feel so much better soon afterward. Dr. Williamson said his sleep patterns should change almost immediately. Thanks to all of you who have been thinking of Noah and sending get better wishes!

Little Pink Shoes

Okay, I admit it, I've never been much of a shoe girl myself, but it seems I have caught the bug for this little girl of mine. I found these little clogs at Target and just fell in love with them. We got these and another little pair of pink shoes and Rachel loves them too. It cracks me up that she'll bring them to me and show me. If I don't put them on her feet she'll actually hand them to me and pat her feet. Too cute and funny. She cracks me up. Yeah, we're in trouble... ;)

Poor Little Man

Noah brought the new year in with Strep Throat. Bless his heart, he has the hardest time with his tonsils. He has spent the last few days relaxing, trying to eat what he can and watching movies. After seeing Dr.Weed on Thursday it has been decided that his tonsils must come out. We have an appointment for consultation with an ENT on Thursday and we will go from there on when to schedual the surgery. Hopefully it will be soon and he will be feeling better before we know it.

2006: Our Year in Review

January

February

March

April

May

June

July

August

September

October

November

December

2006 has been an incredible year for us:

It saw first smiles and first steps * potty training success * big boy beds and big boy underwear * It saw Rachel crawl, walk & talk * days at the lake, the park, the pool and the zoo * new friends & old friends * It saw Noah learning to write his name * visits with family * Doug talking to lots and lots of airplanes * football games * backyard games * transitions * worries * challenges & triumphs * It saw first days of preschool * library story time * pirate treasure * the beach * BBQs * date nights * and so much more... * so many memories * laughter, tears and love * 2006 has been unique and wonderful and we look forward to the year ahead. We wish you all happiness and good health in 2007. Happy New Year!

Four little red heads...

Christina, Chris, Emma & Chloe just headed home after a few days visit here with us. The kids had such a good time playing and having fun together. I do love to watch them play together. It was a great visit.

10 Years Ago...

10 years together... 2 years of dating before that... 6 states... 2 precious children... 2 sweet dogs... 3 fish... 1 snail... 12 years of happiness.

Santa was here!!!

Noah and Rachel were so surprised when they saw what Santa had brought them this morning! They loved opening their presents and had a fun day filled with playing with all their new toys. It was wonderful to watch the joy on their faces as they opened their gifts. Rachel was really into opening up her presents but was more into the paper and ribbons than what was actually wrapped up inside. Ripping the paper is soooo much fun! She does love all her baby dolls she recieved today and loves to 'love the baby' and 'feed the baby'. Noah loved the train Santa brought and also his railroad crossing bank. He loves his 'blue bridge' (thomas sodor bay bridge) that he had been asking for for months.

We loved having Noah and Rachel's Papa & Grammy here to help celebrate the holiday with us. It's always nice when you can share the holidays with people you love. We hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and enjoyed being together with your family. We truely missed those of you that weren't with us this year, but you were here in our hearts.

Cookies for Santa... and Noah & Rachel

Mmmmmmm, I think the photos say it all.... ;)

Merry Christmas!

Wishing you all a magical Christmas surrounded by your family and friends and all our love in the new year! Merry Christmas from our family to yours!

Doug, Heather, Noah & Rachel

I love Christmas time...