Pasta Bake & PJs

Gavin has had pasta before, but tonight was the first time I just plopped the pasta bake on his tray and let him at it. He LOVED it and was quite a sight when he was done!

Brian put the kids in pjs and we were playing in thier room. Macie found a different pair of pjs and her pumpkin socks that she insisted on wearing. She took off the sleeper and dressed herself! We were so proud of her! The only help we gave her was turning the shirt right side out and showing her where the arm holes were. I say it all of the time, but my little girl really is growing up!

Love the twisted pants!

Magical Birthday

Today was Brian's Magical Birthday...he turned 27 on the 27th! We didn't have anything extravagant planned, but I tried to make the day special for Brian. He got to sleep in (a tiny bit) while I cleaned up the house and took care of the kiddos. Then, he went to Rite Aid. He hadn't planned on this, but then realized he could get a few deals. The trip ended up being better than he expected and he came home with four bags of stuff for a little over a dollar! When he got home, we all got ready for the day. Then, we stopped to pick up a paper before we went to lunch at Red Robin. We haven't been there in a long time and it was SOOO good! My mom, dad, Allie, and Grams B joined us. We even ended up sitting next to Miss Julie (the kid's babysitter) and her family! The funniest part was when the waiter brought out Brian a sundae. He sang him a little song. We all got a kick out of that!
After lunch, everyone came over to our house for dessert, presents, and to talk about our upcoming trip to Florida. Brian opened his presents first because Macie was so excited about them! He got two boxes of Girl Scout cookies (Annie couldn't believe we hadn't bought any this year), two pairs of shorts, a t-shirt, and gift cards (Target and Rural King). Considering his parents had already given him a razor and his sister bought him a shirt, he did pretty well! The kids napped while we ate dessert. I made Oreo cookie bars and we had chocolate ice cream. We also planned out some of our Florida trip and wrote down who was going to bring what. We will be there in less than three weeks and I can't wait!
Allie stayed for dinner. We had Honey Mustard Chicken and salad with vanilla pudding for dessert. Allie left soon after and I crashed. I hadn't been feeling well all day because when I woke up my left wrist was hurting so badly I couldn't take it anymore. Brian convinced me to take some pain meds which knocked me out for an hour or two. He cleaned up all of the dinner mess, put the kids to bed, did laundry, and packed lunches....on his birthday. I felt so bad:( He woke me up to watch Amazing Race and then we went back to bed. Hopefully, Brian's "Magical" Birthday was a good one!
Happy Birthday Brian! We love you very much!!!

Brian spent $1.33 at Rite Aid and got all of this!

Macie just wanted the bows!

First Hair Cut

We had a very busy Saturday planned! Brian had training out at Hornville from 10-2 and I scheduled Macie's first hair cut for 10. Ooops! So Brian went to the training, Grandpa came over to stay with Gavin, and Macie and I went to the hair cut appointment. As with everything else, I prepared Macie ahead of time about the hair cut. I told her that it wouldn't hurt, my Aunt Jeri would cut her hair, and we talked about how exciting it was. When we got there, she was still excited until she actually sat in the chair. Aunt Jeri had a step stool in the chair and I think it was a little too high for her. She also wasn't a fan of wearing a cape. I could see the fear in her eyes and the tears welling up. Aunt Jeri asked her if she wanted to sit on my lap and Macie was thrilled by the idea. From then on, she did great! We both wore a cape (which Macie called a bib) so that made her happy and she got to hold on to her chap stick the whole time. During the actual cut, she faced me which made it even better. Aunt Jeri just cut a little bit off of the ends, but it was still a little sad for me! I did get to take home some of her hair in an envelope. I will cherish those sweet little curls! During the hair cut, Macie asked, "You so proud of me?". I was very proud of her! Aunt Jeri even put a little bit of product in her hair to show off her curls. She didn't take much off, but it makes a big difference! My little girl is growing up!
When we got home, she told Grandpa all about the hair cut and we told Daddy about it when he got home. I also gave her the sucker I'd promised her for being so good. This afternoon, we plan to grocery shop while the kids play at Grandma and Grandpa's house. Then, we will head home for dinner, baths, and playtime. After the kids go to bed, I may make a few soups to freeze. Yes...another busy Saturday!

Because I was holding her during the actual cut, I couldn't take any pictures until it was over:(

Look at that precious smiling face!

Fun Fest

Last night, we went to Fun Fest at Holy Spirit. We'd been telling Macie about it for a few days and she was so excited to eat pizza and play games at Mommy's work! I took the kids and had Brian meet us there. We ate dinner (pizza, nachos, hot dogs). Macie had a hot dog even though she'd been talking about pizza all day. Then, we played a few games. We only bought 6 tickets for Macie and that was more than enough! She played a few games: sucker pull, the bozo game (I'm not sure of the official name), and diving for pearls. She had a blast! She even got a few prizes and was able to turn in her tickets for a blow up microphone. Daddy and Macie also put some tickets in the Luck of the Draw and they won two books and a hat. One is a monkey book and one is Dora so it is a perfect fit for Macie and Gavin. The kids don't know they won them yet, so we will give the books to them after nap. Gavin had a good time but it was all a bit overwhelming because there were a LOT of people there. Around 6, Brian and the kids went home and I stayed to help work in the concession stand. When I got home, Brian showed me a video he took of Macie singing "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star" in her microphone. Too cute! I love going to fun fest because it is a cheap family fun night!

She didn't quite get the point of standing behind the line...oh well maybe next year!

This was her favorite game! She had to dig in the packing peanuts and find the "pearl" (plastic egg with a prize in it). She found a bracelet and some other eggs.

Mr. Masterson was kind enough to help her!

Updates

So there has been a lot going on lately:

• Gavin's MRI has been rescheduled for Tuesday, March 1st. It is scheduled to begin at 9:30, which is a lot better than before. We have to be there 2 hours before it starts. They told me it could last up to 5 HOURS!! How come the time keeps increasing? I'm praying for a shorter time because that is going to be one of the longest days of my life! The plan is for Brian to take Macie to daycare and my mom to pick up Gavin and I. We will meet Brian at the hospital. My mom is off that day, so it will be nice to have someone to help out if we need it and possibly pick up Macie. Pray that all goes well and that I stay sane! I'll post after the MRI and when we actually hear some results.
• Monday afternoon, I had a meeting with Gavin's First Steps Coordinator to review his physical therapy (PT) goals and fill out paperwork for him to start seeing a developmental therapist (DT) for his communication delays. I am happy to report that he has met several of his PT goals even though he still has a lot to work on. We added a few things, but our big goal of walking stayed the same. Melissa, his physical therapist, said that she doesn't have a crystal ball, but that he would probably be walking by this summer. That is great news! As far as DT, we set goals of communicating choices to us, pointing to familiar objects in books, and saying a few words. Along with many others. We picked a therapist and are set to begin next Friday. It didn't work out for either of us to start this week. Even though it will be hectic having therapy two nights a week, Brian and I both know that it is in the best interest of Gavin to do all of this now. I'll let you know how is first session goes next week!
• Brian and I are going to be an aunt and uncle before we know it! Brian's sister, Beth, is going to pop any day now! We can't wait to meet baby Parker!

Mesker Park Zoo

We decided to get a zoo pass this year with some of our tax return. I thought I would get a lot of use out of it this spring and summer. We were able to get a pretty good deal too (you know that's a perk for me!). We only had to get a couple's pass because the kids are free anyway. Allie also decided to get a pass so we added hers to ours and we split the cost. We were able to get the pass for $41. If we go a total of three times, it pays for itself and we already went once! They didn't actually have the passes ready when we left the zoo, so we had to get temporary passes until they come in the mail.
On Saturday, Allie invited us to go to the zoo with her. We were going to go in the morning, but it was still too cold so we went in the afternoon. Macie had a blast because she got to run around the zoo and didn't have to be in the stroller most of the time. I think her favorite animal was a lemur. She kept making monkey noises! Gavin was not feeling very well because of his molars popping through, so he vegged out in the stroller. One of my favorite moments was that they tiger was roaming around and roaring at us. It was cool for Macie to get to actually hear the animal make the sounds we always talk about! We had a GREAT time and I look forward to going back. We had some funny moments...I'll let the pictures tell all!

Anxiously waiting to go into the zoo. She wouldn't let the baby stay in the car!
There were a lot of people in Amazonia checking out the orchid exhibit

Daddy and Gavin

Macie was in awe of the giraffe!

We were up close and personal with the rhino!

Every time we would squat, so would Macie

Gavin stayed in the stroller a lot of the time, but we had to get him out for a picture!

Macie had to help Daddy out of the cave!

We thought this goat was so funny because it was just standing in the doorway. I happened to take a picture...

Then I turned around to take this picture and noticed a shocked look on Brian's face...

...the goat took off charging at us and jumped up on the fence between Allie and I. We were taken a back to say the least!

The Dude is FINALLY Crawling!!!

Our little man is FINALLY crawling! We've been working on "traditional" crawling with Gavin for several weeks now. He honestly showed no interest in it. Tonight, Brian held out a toy and Gavin took off crawling across the floor! We were both in shock! He did it several more times so we know it wasn't a fluke! He still likes to do his belly crawl, but he is actually crawling now! I am so happy about this because crawling helps with reading and so many other things. I got two super short videos. Enjoy!

12 Month Photo Shoot

Allie brought over the cd from Gavin's 12 month photo shoot tonight. We took them at her house and I am THRILLED with how they turned out! Here are just a few of my favorites:

$7 a Day

The other night, Brian and I figured out that we feed our family of four for $7.14 a day! We eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner at home and I think that's incredible! The only exceptions to this are that the kids eat lunch at daycare and our amazing deals come from our "blow" money. That would still only put us at a few more cents a day. It's just crazy to think that we spend so little and are eating plenty!

In other news: Gavin had his speech evaluation today. Long story short, he originally qualified for "speech" therapy during his first evaluation because of his social communication deficit. We didn't start the therapy because physical therapy was more important at the time. I was under the impression that if I wanted to add any other therapies, all I had to do was make a phone call. Well, things changed in the last two months and he had to have another evaluation done in order to start the therapy. The good thing is, they were able to see where he is at 1 and he definitely has deficits. The therapist said today that she wasn't really concerned about him not saying words, but the fact that he doesn't communicate any of his wants or needs to us. She gave us a list of homework to do until therapy starts. Next up: we will have to find a therapist, have a meeting where I fill out paperwork, and determine when/how often he will have therapy.

Frustration: Gavin was scheduled for a MRI tomorrow...I made countless phone calls to set up this appointment, had three different phone interviews (pre-registration, health history, payment options), Brian and I both took off work, I made sub plans, we made arrangements for Macie....and they called me at 2:00 this afternoon and told me they had to reschedule the appointment. ARE YOU KIDDING ME!! I just started crying on the phone. Call me crazy, but I've already invested so much time and emotional energy into this and I have to do it all over again! When they called me today, I found out that the MRI of his spine would take almost 2 hours. I thought that seemed like an extremely long time. He will be put to sleep and I'm so nervous about that. Well, they have to add on doing the MRI on his head and legs. Therefore, it will take almost 4 hours! They didn't decide to add that until today, so there wasnt enough time allotted. The point is, I should hear tomorrow when they are going to reschedule it and I'm totally bummed and upset. AGHHH!!!

Happy Valentine's Day!!

To celebrate Valentine's Day, I had a lot of little stuff planned. After school, Gavin had therapy. As soon as therapy was over, I threw together a dinner picnic for the living room floor. We had hot dogs, grapes, and popcorn. For dessert, we had sugar cookies. During dinner, we watched A Charlie Brown Valentine. After dinner and the movie, it was time for presents! We got the kids beach themed gifts! They each got a beach towel, swim suit/trunks, and a few sand toys. I also made a calendar so that Macie and I can add a sticker each day and count down the days until our vacation. We leave in less than 5 weeks! After the presents from Mommy and Daddy, Macie and Gavin got to open a present from Grammie and Pops. They got a bag FULL of goodies! We ended the evening reading a few Valentine books. Happy Valentine's Day to all!

Our "picnic"
Hmm...maybe Macie's bag has something more interesting in it!

I got some of the sand toys a while back and the rest Aunt Katie sent for the kids. I picked out the ones that would travel best to Florida.

Macie had to try on her new suit!

The count down has begun!

Treats from Grammie and Pops

M&Ms!!

Weekend Wrap Up

This weekend we actually didn't have anything on the calendar. We had a lot we wanted to get done, but nothing had an actual time. Brian stayed home with the kids on Friday because they were still snotty and couldn't stop coughing. We thought it was best to keep them home. It was a good thing we did because Gavin fussed and cried most of the day which is SO not like him. Brian even get few things done when the kids were "napping". He installed a new faucet in the kitchen sink! On Saturday, we hung around the house all morning. In the afternoon, we headed to Owensboro to see Beth and Wil's new house. We had a nice visit and even had a bonus...Grammie and Pops were there too! There house is really nice and I'm sure we will be back to visit once Parker arrives! Saturday night, we went to eat at a new Chinese restaurant. It was OK at best, but we had a good dinner with Aunt Allie. We spent the rest of the evening playing and putting the kids to bed.
This morning, Gavin and I went over to Allie's house for his 12 month photo shoot. He did great as always. Then, we came home for lunch and nap. Before we laid the kids down, I let them open their Valentine cards that came in the mail from Grandpa and Grandma. The kids didn't nap at all, so we just dropped them off at my parents. They were going to spend the afternoon with Grandpa and Grandma while Brian and I went on a date and grocery shopping. We used the last of our gift cards to eat at Red Lobster. It was our early Valentine's Day treat. The food was yummy as always and we had some to take home! After shopping, Brian dropped me off so that I could unload the groceries and start dinner. He went to pick up the kids. Macie was so exhausted from all of the fun she had, she crashed right before they got home. We laid her down for a bit, but woke her up to eat. I knew that she had to eat something. Even though she was VERY cranky during dinner, she managed to help me make heart shaped sugar cookies to take to her friends at daycare tomorrow. After baths and playtime, the kids didn't argue one bit about bedtime! Brian and I are catching up on some shows as I type. We had a great weekend!

Macie is really into wearing my headbands. It is too funny!

Macie loves to walk around in my shoes!

Macie loved to cuddle with Aunt Beth on Saturday!

Macie reading her card

Gavin checking out his card from Grandpa and Grandma