Children's Discovery Museum

Today we went to Normal with Kristin and Lizzie and played at The Children's Discovery Museum-it was so much fun!  It was a good day to go because not all the schools are out for summer yet so the museum wasn't terribly busy (once the field trips left, it was almost empty!!).  Everybody had fun playing...

Colson LOVES music!

The girls making us pizza at "Avanti's"

Checking out at the CDM market!

Cutie pie playing with some fun toys!

This is one of Livi's favorites-painting on the wall

Can you see Lizzie and Alyvia's faces?!

Ice cream treats after the fun!

The girls and Colson were so so so good the entire day!  We couldn't have asked for better.  I think we will be making another trip to the museum over the summer, it was a big hit!!

Memorial Day Fun!

We had a great Memorial Day!  Alan worked a little this morning and then he went golfing with my dad and brothers.  After Colson's morning nap, the kids and I headed over to my mom and dad's house to hang out.  Alyvia got a new pool a couple of weeks ago and she has been dying to set it up!  Today was definitely hot enough!

Jump!!



Alyvia had tons of fun swimming in her pool.  After his afternoon nap, we thought Colson would like to swim with sissy (he loves the bath tub).  We couldn't have been more wrong!

He hated the pool!  As soon as you got him close to it, he started to cry and clung to me like a monkey, poor baby.  We have 6 weeks before vacation, we're going to have to work on this!!  My little fishy girl still had fun!

Anne, Chris, Shane and Lindsey were all there for a cookout in the evening.  It was a really fun day for everyone!

Colson also showed mommy a new skill today, he is clapping!  I was really excited this morning when I saw him do it and I said "Alyvia, look, Colson is clapping!".  She non chalantly replied "He did that for daddy yesterday."  Oh.  Well, it was exciting for me :)



What have we been up to?!

Too much work, that's what!  I worked Monday, Tuesday, Thursday this week and have to work the weekend too :(  Wednesday we had a crummy morning-went to a doctor's appointment that didn't happen-I ate before my (routine) lab work...wish somebody would have told me it was "fasting" blood work.  Then we went back out to the car and it wouldn't start.  Had to call Alan and wait for him to make it to Peoria to give us a jumpstart.  I took his truck back home and he went back to the shop and took care of the car.  It stinks, but I do love having a husband that can take care of things like that!  Alan took both kids to gymnastics that night so that I could go running, I also love having a husband that does things like that!!  We went to the Cowsers for dinner and Cheryl had some exciting news...but I'm not allowed to share that yet (no new babies!).  Today I took the kids to Anne's house to work our garage sale.  We didn't make a ton of money, but we had a good flow of people shopping and we got rid of some stuff.  Colson took 2 great naps and we had lots of fun hanging out with Aunt Anne!  Anne and my mom are going to be there tomorrow and hopefully we'll do good!  No pictures this week-Ahhh!!  I need to get a lot better at taking pictures, we're just so busy that I forget.  Maybe next week.....

Happy Birthday to Nolan!

Saturday we went to a birthday party for this cutie!

 The kids and I drove up to New Lenox to celebrate Nolan's 1st birthday!  We love the Parkers and are sad they live so far away from us :(  Evie is 9 months older than Alyvia and Nolan is 5 months older than Colson-they would have so much fun playing together all the time if we lived closer.  But we still have fun when we do get together!  The drive up was terrible-road construction on I-80 was constant the whole way.  Once we got there though, we had a nice time visiting with friends and celebrating!

We played "Pin the Tail on the Donkey"



Dressed up (Rapunzel)



Looked super cute smiling behind our binkies!



Opened a pinata

Read a book with Jonna's friend Jillene (tired girls)







And helped our friend open presents!

We had lots of fun with our friends and the drive home was much better, although it was still long.  We got home after 10 and both kids were asleep.  Alan was still at work, but both kids went right to bed and back to sleep.  It was a loooong afternoon and evening, but we had a great time celebrating Nolan's birthday!

Our First Last Day of School

Today was Alyvia's last day of 3 year old preschool :(

How could it be her last day when it seems like it was just her first?

1st day of school August '10

I can't believe that she has 1 more year of preschool and then she'll be in kindergarten-say it isn't so!  She just continues to grow up, faster and faster.  For her last day of school they had a party all day long, played outside and had lunch.  She loved school this year and I think she will be just as excited next year.

Katelynn, Paige, Alyvia and Noelle

This cutie had fun playing too!

After school we went and picked up Nana for lunch at Avanti's.  Then Livi and I picked out some flowers to plant and we took Colson for his 8 month pictures, busy day!  Tonight Livi and I planted our flowers after Colson was in bed.  We found ants in the yard and Alyvia was so mad at them!  She said "they (the ants) think this is their home, but it is our garden!  I am so mad at them!"  She cracks me up :)  She continued to stomp around the yard with her hands on her hips-too funny! 

One more story, just for the memories when she won't let me lay with her anymore.  Most nights that I'm home, I am the one to put Alyvia to bed.  Sometimes we read books in bed, but I always tuck her in and then turn off her wall light.  She says "I can't see you!" and turns on her monkey soother with the blue backlight.  I then lay in bed with her for "5 minutes".  She talks and talks and talks.  Tonight she rolled toward me and put her arm around my neck.  When I get up to leave, I always have to walk to her side of the bed to give her hugs and kisses and sometimes we do XMO's (eskimo kisses).  Most nights I tell her "you're my favorite girl" and many times she replies with "you're my best mommy".   I love this time of the day, quiet time just me and my girl.  I know too soon she won't need me to lay with her at night.  Until then, I love the time to cuddle my favorite girl each night. 

Our First Last Day of School

Today was Alyvia's last day of 3 year old preschool :(  How could she already be done with her 1st year of school?!

1st day of 3 year old preschool

Last day of 3 year old preschool

How does time go so fast? 

8 months!

I know I say it each month, but I can't believe our Colson is already 8 months old!  I love this baby so much and he is growing up so fast!

-Colson you are about 18 1/2 pounds now, still under the 50th percentile-but you feel HUGE to me! You are wearing size 9 month clothes (although shorts/pants are too long) and a size 3 shoe. 
-You love food-all of it!  Still no teeth to chew with though :) 
-You have really started babbling this month.  You were saying "ma ma ma ma" (when you wanted something/anything) a lot at the beginning of the month, but I haven't heard it recently :(  We think you are waving "hi", but it's more like a karate chop with your arm :) 
-You jump like crazy in your jumperoo now.  You sit up like a champ and can spin around on your tummy to reach whatever it is that you want. 
-You are still our social butterfly, you rarely get upset around strangers. 
-The BEST milestone though is that you are sleeping through the night!!!  I think we both feel better :)  You sleep from about 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. and it is wonderful :)
-Unfortunately, you have been sick a lot this month :(  I'm hoping with warmer weather you will be so much better this month! 
We love you so much Colson and we want the best for you because you bring out our best!

The "vomit express"

That is what Alan is calling my Envoy these days!  After our birthday party on Thursday, the kids and I ran a bunch of errands in Peoria and then went to Alyvia's field trip at Rainbow Playground.  Poor Liv had an upset tummy off and on since Wednesday morning, but she seemed fine during the day and wanted to go to her fieldtrip.  We had lots of fun in the beginning!

Alyvia's favorite

Unfortunately, about an hour into the party, Alyvia started feeling terrible.  Her stomach was really upset and she went really pale.  I packed us up quickly and out the door we went.  I got her in the car first, got Colson strapped into his seat and was getting the stroller loaded when..........it happened, Livi puked all over.  Poor girl couldn't stop at all.  In true Livi fashion, immediately after she whined "I told you I was sick".  I called my parents and we started to head over there when Alyvia fell into a deep and immediate sleep.  She scared the bejeezus out of me and instead we headed to prompt care.  I was afraid that she was possibly dehydrated from being sick.  Long story short, she was fine and actually asked if we could go to Olive Garden later that night.  I told her no, she was sick and she replied "I'll eat breadsticks, they are healfy".  She cracks me up!  My dad helped me clean up my car a little bit and then we went home-finally.  Alan and I scrubbed the back seat when I got home, but the smell is still lingering-ack!  To add to the smell, while the puking was occuring, she spilled an entire strawberry milkshake.....poor girl, poor mommy's car :(  Oh well, she's better now and that is what is important.  Her daddy stayed home with her Friday to make sure she was o.k.  She's a lucky girl to have a daddy that can take care of her when she's sick and mommy has to work.   Maybe both kids will be healthy next week?  We can only hope!!

Birthday Bash Madness

We have so many little friends with birthdays this time of year!  We had birthday parties on Wednesday and Thursday this week!  After school on Wednesday, we headed out to the Quiram's house to celebrate little lady Channing turning one!!

Is this the cutest little lady bug or what?!

We ate lunch,

Reese Jordan, Sienna and Laura, Alyvia, Jameson and Landrie

played inside,

She's so beautiful :)

Colson and Sienna

had cake and cake pops,

black icing?!

opened presents and then went outside to play...did I mention it was about 85 outside?!  The kids had a great time, but were exhausted at the end.



You'd think we were done after this, but we had gymnastics and a baby shower later in the evening!  Then on Thursday, we headed to Liam's house after school for his 1st birthday party!

We had pizza and Liv had LOTS of watermelon at Liam's party!  We played outside,

Colson and Henry Alvarez playing outside-Colson was such a push over and let Henry take all of his toys away!

and then had cake and opened presents. 

Can't remember if this was Liam's 1st or 2nd cupcake!  He devoured it!!

Lou-Lou eating her cupcake-she's just so pretty

Alyvia was such a good girl at both parties, I am so proud of her!  Colson just played so nice with the other kids too, he's becoming much more social :)  It was fun at Liam's party for him because he actually had boys his age there- Henry is 1 month younger and Jude is one month older.  He needs a little bit of his sister in him though b/c he is a little pushover, not so much for Livi!

Henry Alvarez, Colson and Jude Mahaffey

Hope our friends had great birthdays, we sure had fun at the parties!! 

Mother's Day 2011

I was so happy to actually be off Mother's Day this year, unfortunately my poor Colson was still sick.  He had a temp on Saturday and was a snotty mess all day Sunday and just not himself.  He stayed at Nana and Papa's last night and was up ALL NIGHT LONG, from 11 p.m. to around 7 a.m.  His cough would just not let up :(  I am so frustrated with this "virus" and we all need it to go away.  Despite his sickness, we all had a great day together-crazy as per usual, but great.  We started off the morning at Home Town Buffet with my entire Snyder family for breakfast.  We went straight to my in-laws house after that for lunch (yummy, yummy pork).  Colson got to take a much needed nap and we got to relax with family. 

Kins and Livi playing together

Gator ride with Papaw

We went home for a bit, got organized and went to my parents house for Pizza.  Colson took another much needed nap and he woke up with a TERRIBLE cough-bad enough that I took him to the ER.  Surprise, surprise-the doctor barely even assessed him and declared that he has an upper respiratory virus.  No comment.  He's still on an antibiotic so hopefully this one with help kick it for good.   We really did have a great day spent together, I just want our Colson to feel better for longer than a couple of days at a time...



Cinco de Mayo

Happy Cinco de Mayo-no margaritas to celebrate here, but plently of "excitement".  Colson is sick-AGAIN!  He was up a lot of the night last night, just fussy.  Alan thought that maybe his ear infection was back, so I called and got him into the pediatrician.  Sure enough, he's got ear infections, again.  He stopped his antibiotics Monday and had 3 good days before he got sick again.  I wish we could just figure out what is wrong with him and fix it, I'm so sick of this "virus".  After we picked up his antibiotic we dropped him off with Aunt Anne to hang out while Livi and I went to Mommy's Day at her preschool.  Alyvia had to change into her fancy dress before we went :)

She had made me a card for Mother's day, we painted a vase together (purple and pink) and then we played a version of BINGO (MOMMY).  We also had a yummy cookie and punch snack. 

It was a lot of fun, but ended on a bit of a sour note.  A lot of the kids were running around and playing at the end of the evening and she wanted to play too.  Everytime she went up to a "friend" though, she got quiet and then the "friend" sort of ignored her.  She got her feelings hurt and that made me sad :(   She was being a little difficult too about what the kids were playing.  She wanted to play princess, but the other kids were playing freeze tag and she had NO interest in that and it made her mad that she wasn't in charge.  I want her to have friends and to play nice and it's so hard to watch her struggle at times.  She's only 3, what will it be like at 13?!   Hopefully she can learn to assert herself a little more when needed and be a little more open to play what other kids want to play too.  She's so much more outgoing than I ever was as a child and probably more so than I am now.  I want so badly for her not to be painfully shy and awkward like me.  Hopefully I will learn how to teach her to be a good friend. 

1st Trip to the Zoo!

Today we went to the zoo!

Hi baby giraffe!

It was this big guy's first trip to the zoo!

Reaching to get out of his stroller :)  He's fine once we move!

It was finally nice enough to have a playdate outside and we needed it!  We are so sick of the rain and the cold and of being cooped up inside all the time.  We met Kristin and Lizzie at Culvers for lunch and then headed to the zoo.  Our friend Jen met us there too.  We took our time and made our way through the zoo.  The little girls played so nice together (for the most part) that Jen, Kristin and I could actually talk.

 We went to Cold Stone for ice cream after the zoo.  The kids were both so good all day long.  I love playdates like today!  Hopefully the weather stays nice and we can have more outside playdates!