Norma's Popcorn Stringin' Partay!

You can always count on Aunt Norma to make you laugh! I love her silly style! We mesh well! LOL!

Gotta love the quintessential sock giving!

My family at Norma's...notice the popcorn garland...yeah, we rock!!

For Ruthie. :-)

The staple remover looked something like this: The staples look "crimped" after it is removed...completely painless it seemed! :-)

Please note: THESE ARE NOT FROM CAMDEN'S HEAD! :-)

Ouchy!

So the evening started fantastic! The boys had made me a bday cake and then I headed out for my bday outing with the girls! About 30 minutes into the "party"...I get a call from Bob saying I needed to come home now, that Camden had fallen off his cozy coupe car and hit his head on our rock fireplace...so I left my party, arrived home, and we loaded up everybody and went to the ER.

Camden was completely happy and acting normal and kept saying: "I'm ok mommy"...well the doctor took a look and said it needed a staple...just one. :-) They said there was no need to numb him as it was just one staple and would be done in just a second...and he wasn't kidding. It was SUPER FAST! He only cried for a second and then the doctor said to him: "I'll tell Santa you were a really big boy!" to which Camden replied, with a quivering chin: "ooookaaay"....it was really sweet and then we headed back home. I dropped off the boys and headed back to my party!

It was an eventful evening for sure! Camden slept wonderfully and even woke up in an AWESOME mood! He's such a big boy! Anyway, now he has a "story" to tell the grandkids! LOL!

So here is the pic of his head before the staple was put in:

Here is the pic of the staple:

Fun Family Weekend!

Thursday I met Amanda in Shawnee Mission at a really cool place called Little Monkey Bizness. It is an indoor playground for kiddos!! The boys had a blast and Amanda & I did too!! They had a coffee bar for the adults and the dining area sat semi above the play area so you could eat and watch the kids from there!! It was SPECTACULAR!! I would highly recommend it to any mom with young ones!!

Saturday night Bob & I took the boys to Christmas in the Park in Lee's Summit, MO for our annual tradition...it was fun, but we will never again go on a saturday!! Our wait time was one hour and fifteen minutes until we got to see the lights!! Thank goodness for the DVD player! Not sure we would have made it without that contraption that night!!

The boys LOVED the lights, of course, and hung out the window and pointed and giggled with glee! It was really sweet.

It was a fun evening even with the wait...I love our little tradition!

Hope everyone is having a fantastic week!

Tis the Season!!!

Helping Christy & I decorate the tree! (Thank you again, Christy, for coming and helping us!!! We all enjoyed having you!)
My ornery little guys!!!

Our attempt at a family Christmas portrait:

Happy Holidays everyone!! This is my most favorite time of year!! Though I don't always enjoy the constant state of being busy, I do enjoy the get togethers, the giving, the decorations, my kids' faces when they see christmas lights, pretty white snow, christmas trees, THE FOOD!!!

Did anyone else get some fantastic deals on Black Friday?! I know my cousin, Amanda, and I did! We had a blast and shopped til we couldn't keep our eyes opened any longer! :-)

I'm happy to say that I am 90% finished with my Christmas shopping...I started wrapping presents the other day too but I still have LOTS to go! :-/ It's getting harder and harder as the kids get older to wrap presents and them not see any of it! I have currently high-jacked my office/extra bedroom for present-wrapping craziness! LOL! The boys are not allowed in there right now. It's only going to get harder as the years go on I'm sure! Still, I LOVE LOVE LOVE it!!! :-)

Got the tree up and the decorations out. Decovin is a bit saddened we don't have outside decorations as the other night when pulling up to our driveway this was our conversation:

Decovin: "This is boring!"

Me: "What is?"

Decovin: "This house with no lights" *sigh*

Me: "Well, you're going to have to talk to daddy about that."

Hahahaha!

Guess I know what I will be purchasing at the "after Christmas" sales!! :-)

Camden, on the other hand, is IN LOVE with the Christmas tree and ornaments...everyday he gets up and goes directly down to the tree and spends a few minutes perusing the ornaments and talking about them. It's really cute!

********************************************************************

Camden is doing really well potty training...we pretty much have the potty part down...now to get the poo! We still haven't managed that one. hmmmmm....we'll figure it out soon enough!

Decovin, Camden & I got our flu vaccinations yesterday...FINALLY! It was the first time we were all well enough to go get it! So we are now good to go! Though my arm is real achey from it. :-( The boys did the nasal spray version so they didn't even fuss!

Starting tomorrow, the days are going to go by super fast with all the activities that are coming up! I'm gearing up for the hustle and bustle...Season's Greetings & Happy Holidays!

Lots has happened in a week!

So I started potty training Camden this week. He hasn't exactly shown a HUGE interest but he isn't oblivious like Decovin was...so I thought...I'll try for a week and give it a go...

Day one: Several wet undies later and we never went in the toilet...oh well.
Day two: WE MADE IT IN THE TOILET!!! TWICE!!! But, we still wet a few pairs of undies.
Day three: We let him pick out his own underwear at the store...Buzz & Woody no less! :-)
Day four: Only a couple of accidents and several hits in the toilet but took him to my in-laws and he only went once for them and peed 3 times in his pants...
Day five:WHERE DID MY BABY GO?!?! Aside from waking up wet (haven't convinced him to go to the bathroom immediately after waking up yet), he has not only gone in the toilet 5+ times today...he has done them ALL BY HIMSELF!!! Literally! It's like it just clicked! WHOO HOO! I hope he keeps up this momentum. He did also attempt to poo in the potty but he quit soon after a quick toot and then pulled his pants up and pooped in them instead (luckily I had him in a pull-up for easy clean-up!) Phew!!

THREE CHEERS FOR CAMDEN! HIP HIP HOORAY! HIP HIP HOORAY! HIP HIP HOORAY!

Friday I dropped the boys off with my mother-in-law and then I met up with Christy & our friend Melissa to see Harry Potter!! It was awesome!
Immediately following the movie I headed out in rush hour traffic to go to Cameron, MO to see my cousin, Amanda and her hubby. Derek adapted an 80's TV show for the stage and his high schoolers put it on. It was a cute show and I got to meet two of the original cast members from the series. :-)

Got up early the next morning and hung out with Amanda and Derek until it was time for me to head down to get my boys and then head home. That night I joined my neighbors to the Burlington High School play, "You're A Good Man Charlie Brown"...I took Decovin with me but left Camden with a babysitter. It was D's first live show. He did pretty good...only got a little antsy during 2nd half. :-)

Currently have been feeling a bit under the weather and hoping it has run its course and subsides.

Hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving!! See you all soon!!

No fun days.

Thursday & Friday were dedicated to my grandfather. The visitation was filled with lots of family and friends...he was well loved! The funeral was a nice service and well suited to my grandpa.

Saturday the boys both woke up with nasty coughs but no other symptoms. This morning, however, Decovin started throwing up. This makes for a no fun day for sure. Poor thing. Hoping he starts feeling better soon. So far, knock on wood, we have no fever. *crossing fingers* this is a 24 hour bug and he will be fine.

A request: Positive thoughts &/or prayers for my cousin Michelle.

Sad.

Sunday, November 7, 2010 my Grandpa, Paul LeRoy Long, passed away. He was a kind, gentle, soft spoken, sweet, caring, & loving man. He will truly be missed. Love you Grandpa, rest in peace.

It's November?! Wha?!?!

Halloween has come and gone and we have the candy to prove it!! Man, I was excited to get the candy out of the house so I would stop nibbling on it...but as soon as we emptied our bowls to the last trick-or-treaters of the night, we unloaded the boys' stash and it filled right back up!! Ugh! The funny part is we took them to a community Halloween Party in New Strawn and they got their buckets filled up in a matter of 45 minutes!! So we hit Decovin's teacher's house and then headed home to pass out candy...Decovin and Camden were satisfied with what they got they actually BEGGED to stay home and help Aunt Christy pass out candy! So that's what we did! It was AWESOME!

We had 94 trick-or-treaters in all and the boys loved seeing all the kids in costume! It was fun! We all stayed out on the porch and passed out candy! It was a very fun, chilly, but fun night! And just like that! POOF! It's November!!! Weird!

This month will probably start the holiday hustle and bustle and before we know it, it will be 2011! Crazy! I've already started Christmas shopping, I have a long ways to go, but I have at least started! :-)

Happy Voting Day! See you at the polls! TTFN!

Pumpkin Patch, 5K, Pumpkin Carving

Bob & I took the boys to Louisburg Cider Mill's pumpkin patch this past weekend. They had a lot of fun! We got to take a hayrack ride to the pumpkin patch and cornmaze...we decided to do the cornmaze first since we didn't want to carry our pumpkins through the cornmaze!
Here are the boys (holding hands) while Decovin guides us through the maze!

Unfortunately, it started POURING the SECOND we finished the corn maze and we hoofed it back to the cider mill to pick out our pumpkin up there instead of in the actual patch...oh well, they had fun despite the rain...We picked up some cider donuts and apple cider slushes and headed out!

We met up with my parents and sister at my grandma's assisted living home where they had a "family night"...we had dinner and listened to live music! Grandma was so excited we were all there...even though she couldn't really remember who I was. (I hate alzheimers!)...sigh...anyway...

On Saturday morning Bob & I participated in the Linn County Tri-Ko 5K they had at the Linn County Park. It was fun and Bob & I both placed in our age division...Bob got 2nd and I got 3rd. I would like to mention that I sprained my ankle during this race...the first patch of gravel we hit and I rolled my ankle HARD! I walked for a bit to get it back to "normal" and while I did this, BOTH girls who placed 1st and 2nd in my age division passed me. So there is a good chance I COULD HAVE placed first...boo! Oh well. There's always next year. My ankle is still a bit swollen today (Tuesday) but looks and feels much better than it did...

On Sunday we decided to carve our pumpkins. Decovin drew his all by himself while Camden had a "little" help from dad! Bob carved them of course...but this was the end result. I carved the one on the left! They are cute! Fun times! Happy Halloween Everyone!!!

1/2 Marathon. Check!

I did it! I finished my very first half marathon in 2:52:33! We ran/walked the course but I would say we ran well over half of it! It was awesome and the atmosphere was AMAZING! I WILL DO IT AGAIN! There were over 11,000 runners that day! CRAZY, yet exciting all at the same time!

Anyway, if you would like to see pictures from the event go to:

www.actionsportsimages.com
click on "order photos" (you do not have to order any, this is just how to get to the pics themselves)
then select: Kansas City Marathon 2010
Type in Bib #4532

Enjoy! It was GOOD fun!

Alzheimer's Walk

Well, the boys and I made it to Overland Park for the annual Alzheimer's Walk! Not only did I reach my goal of $200 in donations, we also had a GREAT time! This year they had an AWESOME "Kids Korner" where the kids got their own shirts, rub on tattoos, balloons, spider rings, fake vampire teeth and stickers! It was great and it totally occupied our time til the walk started.

Thankfully, Bob's cousin, Krissy Lohmeyer, does this walk every year and she met up with me so I was able to use the restroom (wasn't sure how to manage two toddlers, a double stroller, and a port-a-pot...lol!)...so Krissy watched the boys for me so I could do that! Phew!

We ended up only doing the one mile walk for a couple of reasons...1)Krissy's group was doing the 1 mile so I could walk with them and have someone to chat with. 2)there were SOOOOOO many participants (which is AWESOME) that the pace at which we were walking I could have crawled faster! The boys kept saying: "Go faster mom!" I usually am bookin' it when we go on walks around town...so they were getting restless. So needless to say, we just did the one mile and it was plenty for all of us!

We didn't stick around for the free lunch as the line to get said free lunch was longer than the race!! And the boys would never have made it. Just as well, we went to Sam's club to meet up with my parents anyway and from there had lunch and then up to my brother's house for a day of cousin fun! McKendra taught Camden how to make a "silly face"...LOL!

It was a beautiful day!

Thanks again to all those who donated to the cause! You are AMAZING!!

I'm on the Move to end Alzheimer's

I am participating, for the third year in a row, in the 2010 Memory Walk in honor of my grandpa, Paul long and in honor of my grandma, Maxine Camden. Please help in the fight to find a cure! Donate today!
Click Here to Donate

Broken bone #1

So last Thursday evening (September 16), Decovin, Camden and daddy were wrestling on the floor like they always do. Then they started jumping from the couch onto daddy, which they often do also (unfortunately)...well, at one point Camden jumped off the couch and Bob leaned over to catch him and at the same time Decovin jumped off the couch but missed Bob all together and landed on his shoulder onto the floor.

Poor Decovin yelped and cried for quite a bit but we tried to just "ignore" it so he would calm down and not focus on it...usually this works as it generally isn't an actual injury...and he will get right back into playing, etc...

When he didn't jump right back into playing with daddy I knew something might be wrong but I didn't want to over react (like I tend to do), so we let him use an ice pack and I gave him some motrin and put him to bed that night...

The next morning he woke up and was still saying his shoulder hurt and he hit it on something at one point and just LOST it...so that was the deciding factor for me to call the doctor...got him in and they did several x-rays and he was SUCH A BIG BOY during this as I couldn't go in with him b/c I had Camden with me also...but he didn't cry one bit! He did AWESOME! But alas, it was a broken collar bone...so the doctor slinged him up and sent us home.

He has to wear the sling for 2 weeks and they said that there will probably be a bump on his shoulder for quite awhile...poor dude...but he has done AWESOME. He minimally complains about wearing the sling and he is still happy and bubbly and can still use his arm for the most part. He's taking it with good strides! :-) I love that little guy!

KC Zoo Run for the Polar Bears!

So Bob & I did our very first race together last Saturday at the Kansas City Zoo run for the Polar Bears!!

It was really fun and we had a great time...however, I am now decommissioned for at least 4 weeks to rest my knee that is not in working condition currently. So I will do other forms of cardio in the mean time so I can continue to do 5K's with my hubby! Such a fun way to spend time together! :-)

Hope you all had a great weekend! Happy Monday!!

Knee update...

On Friday I had a cortisone shot injected into the side of my knee after being diagnosed with Ilialtibial Band Brusitis. The doc said it could take up to 3 days to take effect...unfortunately, 3+ days later and it hurts MORE now than it did before the shot. *sigh*

Not sure what my next move is going to be but this half marathon is looking less and less likely to happen for me. I cried about it a little yesterday...silly to cry over but I have worked SOOOO hard training for this to have to just stop cold turkey, which is what I fear I need to do in order for my knee to heal.

Other than that, not much else is happening. Decovin is still going to preschool and LOVING it! He is doing EXTREMELY well with writing but struggling with coloring...he is a bit of a perfectionist and therefore has mini-meltdowns if he goes outside of the lines. I thought maybe it was just how he acted with me at home and would be fine if Miss Tina said it was ok to go outside the lines, but alas, he had a meltdown at school the other day and missed out on playdoh time b/c of it. :-( Not sure how to rectify the situation but hopefully he will grow out of it. :-/

Story Hour at the local library has returned and the boys love going. They get to listen to some great stories, sing songs, do a craft, and play with other kiddos! This week it was VERY packed! It's a fun activity we like to do together! It's at our little library located in New Strawn, which is just 5 miles north of us (we have a library IN Burlington, but this one is more geared towards Camden's age, etc). After story hour all the moms and kids go to the park so the kids can all play together outside (as long as it hasn't rained)...and on our way home I usually take the boys home on the scenic route over the dam and they LOVE looking at the water and Camden loves to look for boats and buoys! :-) Fun tradition I think! I love taking the scenic route...something I grew up with from my dad! Love that I get to pass on this tradition!

Ok, time to take the boys outside to play!!

Eeeek!

As most of you know, I am training for a half-marathon (13.1 miles)...However, as of a couple weeks ago, my left knee has been giving me grief. I have rested it and iced it, and stayed off of it, but as soon as it feels good, I run again and it hurts again...I don't want to give up (that's not my style), but I don't want to be stupid either. I'm trying to decide what my next step is. *sigh*

where does the time go?!

I feel like I JUST posted on here but it was actually over week ago! I'm becoming such a slacker! YUCK!

So Bob had his 6 days off (actually 7 with holiday) and we had quite a fun filled week! We made it to the Topeka zoo, shopped, my sis-in-law and her family stayed over for 2 nights, and we made it to my parents house for an overnighter that included a cookout (first of the year), and visits with my great-uncles! It was busy but fun!

First Day of Preschool!!

Well, Decovin is off to his first day of preschool and Camden and I are home alone again! :-/

I can't believe he is in school again already! Where did the summer go?!?! Decovin didn't bat an eye as we left and was smiling big when we did leave! He actually asked me (after I told Camden we had to go): "Do I have to go too?" He was glad I said "no"...lol! He loves Miss Tina!

Happy Birthday McKendra!!

Happy Birthday to my beautiful Niece!

McKendra Renee Long

Born: August 19, 2006

Time: 8:47am

Weight: 7lbs, 15oz.

Length: 20 inches

McKendra, Age 1:

McKendra, Age 2:

McKendra, Age 3:

McKendra, Age 4: