Catch Up

OK, so I realize it has been a while since I last wrote.... Here's the rundown.

Monday
Stellan had a strange swelling in his "nether regions". I was quite worried, freaked out actually. He didn't seem bothered. Bathed him and put on a new diaper. Prayed everything was going to be OK. Didn't want any life long issues; of course I was thinking the worst.

Tuesday
Stellan was better in the morning. Swelling was gone done, now it was only reddish purple. Said he had a bit of pain, not complaining though. His mood was not altered but I was still a bit worried.
Went pumpkin picking. So much fun!! The boys loved the animals and were thrilled with the tractor/hay ride. Jameson was so excited to be there that he didn't want to go to the bathroom. He ended up peeing his pants right outside the porta john. Go figure. Then he insisted on me carrying him to the car (lovely pee residue) to change is clothes. Thankfully I actually, for some strange reason, brought extra clothes. The boys each picked a pumpkin (not physically picked, just picked up a pumpkin that had been placed around a mowed down corn field. Maybe they thought no one would notice?!) and brought it back to the tractor. Jameson must have thought it resembled a basketball because he kept throwing it. Sheesh.
Came home and put the kids to bed and made a call to the local pediatrician's office. I explained the situation to the nurse and she said I could come in at 5. What a novelty, same day visits! I am so impressed!!! I am totally willing to pay the $20 copay for service like that.
James came home to watch Jameson and I took Stellan to see the pediatrician. Stellan was so cute in the waiting room. He brought along his beloved monkey (named "Monkey", what else?) and started giving him a ride in the dump truck. Then he took him to the fish tank and introduced him to the fish. How precious! It was especially cute since he was standing there with his crocs on the wrong feet. What a cute picture.
We got in to see the doctor where I briefly explained the situation. The doctor seemed like such a nice guy and had a great sense of humour. I took of Stellan's diaper and the doctor was relieved that it was the better of two possibilities. The worse case scenario could have resulted in a circumcision. Ouch! He prescribed some oral antibiotics and said he should be better in 48 hours. No known reason why this happened, just did. Poor baby. Glad he didn't seem uncomfortable though. :(
We started him on his antibiotics that night. He loved the medicine. Jameson kept begging to have medicine. So strange!

Wednesday
Stellan was doing much better.
We headed out to Mercer County Park to visit with Trina and Jeremy. The boys love the park, especially the lake where they see Canada Geese and get to throw rocks into the water. The played on the swings for a bit and then decided it was time to throw rocks. Forget the playground equipment; maybe next time I'll just bring them to a nearby pond or something. Anyway, we headed down to the waterfront and realized it was very muddy. Stellan didn't care and just kept mucking his way toward the water. I realized it was just too slippery in that area so we decided to head back up and find a different location. Stellan slipped in the mud on the way up. He thought it was quite funny but didn't like the fact that his hands got dirty. We walked toward the wooded area when Stellan spotted the mother lode, a mud puddle. He looked up at my with his impish grin and said, "Mama, I jump in puddle?". Well, that's exactly what he did. And kept doing. And convinced his brother to do. They were so unbelieveably muddy! Not exactly what I pictured our day turning out like but they were having a ton of fun. Jameson had to pee and I told him he could pee on a tree rather than go in the porta john. He thought this was a great idea. He pulled down his pants and then started looking for a hole in the tree. How priceless. We didn't find one so I told him to aim at the leaf. This was great fun but it took a bit of practice. He was quite pleased with the result.
After a bit more puddle time I took the boys back to the van where I stripped them down to their underwear/diapers. What a mess! I figure it was worth it though because they had a blast! I headed out and drove around trying to find a new way home. Have no idea where I was but I got home!
Jameson and Stellan went to Skipper Club tonight. Jameson always repeats the mantra, "Mommy always comes back". If he says this to himself he has no problem leaving me and going to his group. But then he asked, "Why do you always come back?"
"Because I love you."
"Why do you love me so much mommy?"
Sheesh, why does he need to be so philosophical? Cute though. ;)
Stellan put on quite a show for me. When I dropped him off at his room he started screaming. I know this is all for my sake because I know he loves it and stops as soon as I leave. I put him down and he stomped his feet and screamed, "NO!!". So funny to see. So dramatic. I have no idea where he gets that from. ;)

Thursday
I double booked our day so we had a play date at 10 and a lunch date at 1. No problem. We had a great play date, the two boys are roughly the same ages as Jameson and Stellan. It was so obvious when they had enough, no one wanted to share and the 30 trains that were available to play with just weren't enough. That was our signal to head out.
I headed to the lunch date. I knew where we were going but it was quite difficult to find their apartment. Stellan fell asleep in the van so I put him down when we got inside. He slept the entire time. Ended up peeing through his diaper and literally soaking his pants. Crazy full diaper! Jameson didn't want to eat so he ended up playing the whole time. He was very well behaved so I didn't complain. I enjoyed the Koren food that James' co-workers wife made. So delicious! I had a nice time getting to know the ladies a bit better. So interesting to learn about the different cultures.
Stellan woke up and we headed home where I fed them lunch (at 4:00).

The boys and I have had a great week together and I'm so thankful for their much improved behaviour. I hope this is a trend that continues.

Fall Outing

Well we decided to head to Syracuse for their annual Fall Outing. We were looking forward to the weekend but we definitely were not looking forward to the drive. Our boys have never been good travellers so we figured it would be torture to travel. Oh well, we knew the end result would be worth it.
The boys were as expected, pretty crazy. If they weren't arguing over who got which blanket, they were arguing about which book to read or which stuffed animal to hold. They did have a lot of fun together but it meant that the noise level was at a maximum in the van. They really needed to sleep but had a difficult time winding down. They eventually gave in and James and I had a much needed break in the craziness. Actually, I think I napped too so James had a very quite ride. :)
We got to our hostess' house and got ready for dinner at church. We got there and had a very nice dinner where we were able to see many people that we hadn't seen in years. The boys were quite charming and had a great time playing with their little friends. Jameson found someone new to hang on to and idolize for the weekend. He tends to do that, he picks a boy, usually someone a few years older than himself, and then he follows him around everywhere. Quite cute to watch but probably pretty annoying if you're that little boy.
We went inside for the evening service but didn't get to hear much seeing as the boys still haven't learned how to sit quiet. They will one day....I hope.
We headed back to our hostess' house for the evening. The boys went to bed quite easily and slept through the night, what a relief. They did get up early but what else is new?
We went to Pratts Falls for the Sunday church service. What a beautiful setting! Fall is my favourite season and this proved why. I took Jameson to Sunday School but he was disappointed that he didn't get to play with playdough immediately, he actually had to listen to a lesson. Much crying and protest followed but I eventually convinced him to stay and colour. Once he was comfortable he looked at me and said, "Mommy, leave now". How cute. :)
Jameson followed his new found friend during lunch, insisting on sitting next to him to eat. Eventually we all ate and his friend was able to slip away. We headed outside where Jameson decided he could immitate his new friend and climb the rock wall too. Minor heart attack. He made it safely to the top and, thankfully, there was someone at the top to help him over. We weren't able to make it to the main attraction, the falls, but the kids didn't mind as soon as we put on the video
We headed home with relatively low expectations for the kids behaviour. We were so thankful when they both fell asleep within the first 10 minutes. I tried to sleep too but no luck. :(
The boys were actually quite well behaved for the majority of the trip. We were stuck in traffic for quite some time which ended up testing their limits. Near the end of the trip Stellan was singing "Down by the Station" while Jameson was singing "Baa Baa Black Sheep". Funny but deafening. I caught some of it on video, priceless. It's next to impossible to understand what Stellan was singing but I hear it enough that I can easily interpret it.
We got home and put the kids to be immediately. James and I were able to sit and relax for a bit and then headed to bed. Despite the less than ideal travel companions, we really enjoyed the weekend and were so thankful to enjoy God's beautiful creation.