A "Beary" Happy Birthday...

Such a cheesy title I know, but I had to do it! :)

Because the boys birthdays are so close together, we decided to celebrate them together while Mamau was here! We took the boys to the Grapevine Mills Mall to Build-A-Bear Factory to start off the day!

Kael didn't know what was going on, he was just glad that he was out of his stroller and could walk around.

Peyton couldn't believe that there were barrels of stuffed animals at kid level!
"I'll take 2 please!"
Mamau was trying to convince him to get the pink and white kitty!
{to bug Bryan 1-it's a cat 2-it's pink}
He settled on the panda bear.

Kael found a puppy!

"I think my puppy wants some sparkly shoes."

"What is this?"

Peyton ABSOLUTELY did not want to stuff his bear. He was totally fine with it being just a shell. After a minor tantrum I convinced him that it would make his bear "cool" {because he loves when things are cool} if it was stuffed. He decided that the stuffing was the bear's dinner and it was okay to feed him. {whatever child...as long as you cooperate} He liked kissing the heart and pushing the pedal.

Giving his new bear a bath.
I think that this was his favorite part. He was so careful to clean his bear off.
It was so cute.

And what did Kael do? He tried to eat the brush. I know your shocked.
{when do they get over trying to eat everything? i swear people think that i don't feed him}

Peyton made sure that both bears were safe in the stroller. He named his bear Dangee
{it is pronounced dayne-gee, i think this is from his imaginary friend he has named Dangerfield. he is such an imaginative child.}
Peyton helped Kael name his doggy. He chose the name "Tango Wango". Yes, I am serious. And yes, he came up with both names by himself.
{he nicknamed the dog behind my parents house, Tango Wango. we still don't know where either of those names came from. funny.}

The staff was so cute. They gave them both birthday badges and let Peyton ring the "Birthday Bell". He LOVED it! Then they sang them both a song.

The lady singing to Peyton.
A little shy/embarrassed.

"What in the world is going on here!?"

All done!

Next we took a ride on the merry-go-round that they had at the mall.

Kael was not so sure about this. He would rather be held, thank you!
{shocker} :)

Peyton liked it!

As long as he could hold onto Mamau, he would ride it.

After we got done at the mall we went to Chili's for some mid-afternoon appetizers.
Peyton got an IBC Rootbeer. He loves to do "cheers".

Bryan ordered Kael a rootbeer for his birthday. He LOVED it!

Bryan and I at Chili's. Bryan was really sick with a cold, but he tagged along anyway.

It was a great birthday day!

Just a Phone Call.....

If any of you knew my Grandmother, you would know that she LOVED the news. She loved any kind of news from the T.V., newspaper, or even from down the road. It was not uncommon for her to call my family in the evening and tell us to turn on the television, or turn to this channel for the latest happenings. She kept us informed. She kept us informed about news around the world, in our neighborhood, and mostly news with our family. I could always count on her to keep me up to the minute on any news that was happening. She read two newspapers a day. I remember her getting so annoyed that people didn't read the newspaper anymore. Who reads the newspaper? :) I just loved the Sunday ads. I remember sitting across from her many times as she would hand me the newspaper and say, "Read this article." I miss that. I would read 50 newspapers a day if I could just read them with her! She has passed her LOVE of news along to me. I LOVE watching the news. My husband makes fun of me for it. He always asks, "How old are you? Who cares. It's always who murdered who, and who stole what." I guess it's in my genes. I get excited when I hear the intro to the NBC Nightly News. I know, I know...lame right? I will admit, sometimes I get bored and shut it off, but I like to watch the headlines. I have by no means taken up reading the newspaper{maybe i should though. it would make the little lady proud.}, but I will check the internet headlines sometimes.
As I woke up this morning to the devastating news of the earthquake in Japan, it made me think of my Grandmother. She would have already been awake watching the news, making phone calls, making sure that others were informed. She probably would have called my cousin Luke, who served in Japan on his mission. I watched the news until my boys woke up and we got ready to go to playgroup. I didn't really want to be lame and stay home from playgroup to watch the news, so we went off to playgroup. After playgroup was over, I wondered what had happened with the tsunami warning on the West Coast. Immediately my mind went to, "call grandma, she'll know". Almost as immediate as this thought came to my mind, I stopped and thought, "Oh, I can't". That still stings, almost 3 years after she died, it still stings. I am sure that it will sting forever. I missed her all day today, I always miss her, but especially today.
I am glad I LOVE the news, just like her.
So my friends, if you ever need a news update...you know who to call!

{i mean, i don't know everything like my grandma because she read 2 newspapers a day, but i do like to be up on the current events...he he}

My prayers and thoughts go out to those in Japan.

His favorite toy....

My mom sent a little package down for the boys and in it she sent a whoopee cushion. Kael has discovered that this is his new favorite toy!

He tries to blow it up and then eventually gives up and will come find me to blow it up!

He loves the sound that it makes when he deflates it! He giggles
{he is his fathers child...that's for sure}

He hates it when Peyton blows it in his face!

This is Kael's face when The Backyardigan song comes on! He stops what he is doing and is in a trance! It is hilarious! The song has even woken him up from a nap! :)

***Sidenote***

Since we are on the "potty subject", I had to share this sign they had at the doctor's office. I took Kael to the Gastrointenologist for his digestive issues and they asked me to "choose his poo". I thought it was hilarious! I can't believe they compared the poo to food! Sick!

I will just say that Kael is at the very bottom of the list :) We have to do a stool sample and blood work for further testing. The doctor thinks that he will grow out of it {that doesn't help me with the sleeping part} I don't want to wait for him to "grow" out of it! I am tired! We will see what happens! :)

Doesn't he look so big......

I swear my child looks bigger than he really is! I think he looks HUGE in that chair!

He likes to eat big people food too!
He would slurp down my Diet Coke daily if I would let him! I know I shouldn't compare my children but Peyton didn't learn how to drink out of a straw until last year {i swear he was still struggling with this on his 2nd birthday} :) And Peyton just learned how to do and undo his Velcro straps on his sandals....Kael takes off his sandals every time I put him in the car{by undoing Velcro}. I am not saying that Peyton is not smart...he is just impatient....bad! That boy has a temper! His shoes would frustrate him so bad that he would kick them off. He doesn't really have the patience to sit down and try something over and over until he gets it. That is why potty training has been...well ya know...a NIGHTMARE! {i knew it would be}

Kael found a best friend in Mamau. Finally....someone who will carry me everywhere and hold me EVERY TIME that I cry! He loved it and quite frankly I loved it as well! I didn't have to have a screaming child following me around! {i say this with all the love in my heart...kael has the most ANNOYING cry!} Although, I am paying for it today, now that Mamau is gone. He has followed me around crying ALL day. Now I don't want you to think that I am neglectful mother....but you can only do so many things with one hand!

Peyton had fallen asleep on the floor and Kael decided that it was time to play! I took this picture 1.67 seconds before Peyton punched Kael in the face! Peyton is just like his Dad when someone wakes him up.
{not that bryan has ever punched me in the face, he is just grumpy if you wake him up out of a dead sleep!} :)
Even after getting socked in the face he went back to play! And of course Peyton got angry again. I think Mamau might have stepped in before any punches were thrown. She took pity on Peyton and held him while he slept. That way Kael couldn't wrestle with him while he was sleeping!
The funny thing about Peyton is, is that he can mess with Kael all he wants {ie. push, kick, hit, wrestle, chase, splash, run over, and sit on} but the minute that Kael turns on him...he freaks! He cries if Kael tries to play with him or bug him! It is pretty funny!

Mamau Came to Visit....

Mamau came to visit! The boys birthdays were coming up and Mamau wanted to come see her little buddies. Of course we had to go to the Coppell Duck Park to feed the ducks!
{my mother-in-law LOVES animals!}

We had plenty of bread for those ducks! They were well fed!

And so was Kael! I guess it's okay to eat the duck bread, right?
{don't worry! i picked off the mold! jk!}
He was screaming for bread, so I gave him some....and it went right in the mouth. I guess he was hungry.
:)

"Hands OFF my bread buddy!"

All of the ducks migrating to the food. I think that this park is so pretty. It will be prettier when everything is alive again!

It was so fun to have Mamau here! I hope that she had fun. Bryan was sick, so he was down and out most of her visit. We really had a great time! I was watching Studio 5 one day awhile back when we lived in Utah and they had a segment on mother-in-laws. They walked around The Gateway and asked people what they would rather do, "Clean your house or spend the day with your mother-in-law?" I thought to myself that I would much rather spend the day with my mother-in-law and I like to clean! Most of the women on that show said that they would rather stay home and clean! I feel bad for them. I am so glad that I get along with my mother-in-law! She is a really great person and such an amazing Grandmother!

We have a 1 year old!

We have a 1 year old!

I can't believe that Kael is 1! Seriously, this year has flown by! Sometimes I will look at him and I think that he is much older than he really is because he is walking and has been walking for so long! He is very tall as well, so he looks much older than he really is.
I can't believe that it was 1 year ago that he came speeding into this world! I couldn't believe that my delivery went that fast! It was a total of an hour and a half from start to finish. Our parents couldn't believe that he was here. Our lives have changed so much! It is a lot of work to take care of two ACTIVE little boys! Peyton wouldn't know what to do without Kael and Kael wouldn't know what to do without Peyton....I LOVE that!

We LOVE our little "Ellers" as Peyton calls him
{he has had that nickname for him since Kael was about 2 months old}.

1 year old

10 minutes old!

He has grown so much!

Happy Birthday to my baby! We LOVE you!

Reminiscing with Hostess...

Reminiscing with Hostess....

Today I had one of those moments where by the mere sight of something you are thrust back into the good old days of your childhood. I was standing in the line at Wal-Mart ready to check out and I saw Hostess Sno-balls. Immediately my memory went back to this little store....

Does anyone remember the Hostess Store? The one in Layton in particular. I wonder if it is still open? We used to LOVE going there with my Grandma Helen! My Grandma would always have Hostess goodness at her house waiting for us. She would always hide her Hostess treats in her bedroom closet on an old chair or sitting on top of her old type writer. {funny the things and details that you remember} She would also hide her cereal and chips there as well! :) My grandma always had Ho Hos, Ding Dongs, and Twinkies.

Peyton LOVED his Sno-balls, he cried when they were gone!

Kael thought they were pretty yummy too!

I miss my Grandma and my cousins!