Stuff

We've done a lot since I last posted about their bathroom. I did make some curtains and put them up in their bathroom. I have plans for the garbage can just haven't gotten to that yet.

They really like the new curtains.

We went to the zoo a couple times and even managed to see more than one of the new elephants! The boys always love going to the zoo, even Bacon.

Mostly we've just hung out and played. Here are some pictures to enjoy. 

He LOVES the water!

We left them alone for a few minutes after Tim had put
water in the container. This is how we found them.

Killing two birds with one stone. 

Pach likes the boat too.

We joke the vacuum is his best friend. In truth,
 he does love it! If it's out, he's playing with it.

Eating an ice cream cone. It's a green one and
he loved it!

Putting the stickers on paper that Grandparents Parker
sent them. It kept them busy for a few hours.

I was in the house and Tim yelled, "I need help!" I ran out to this!
We can no longer let him play outside alone! Or so I thought.
The bench is now somewhere he can't get too!! Hahahaha!

All enjoying an evening playing in the sandbox. 

And Pickle sharing his pink ice cream cone with Bacon. It was so sweet and I didn't even prompt it!

Mother's Day

I guess I should blog about Mother's Day. Tim got me season 1 of "The Lucy Show" and the boys got me flowers. I also got a chocolate bar with a specially made Mother's Day wrapper on it at church. Cadbury Chocolate Bar with toasted almonds. Tim brought me home another one with caramel inside.

1st bouquet of flowers. I liked them but a
 lot were wilted, bent and fell apart. I was pretty upset.

The note from the boys.

The 2nd bouquet of flowers. I called about the horrible
condition of the first one and this got sent out.

The Boys Bathroom

A conversation between Tim and myself a couple weeks ago:
Me: "I want to redo the boys bathroom."
Tim (with a VERY concerned look on his face): "What do you mean REDO?"
Me: "I thought I would get a new shower curtain, rug and a couple other things."
Tim: "That's it? No paint?"
Me: "Yep, that's it."
Tim (with a much more pleasant look on his face): "That's not a redo that's just changing the shower curtain."
Me: "OK. I want to change the shower curtain, rug and maybe get a couple other things that all match."
Tim: "Fine."

I think the boys will really like it. I did everything after they went to bed. I'm just wondering when we'll hear screams of joy and delight. If one of them goes potty or gets a drink and is awake enough, we'll definitely hear something tonight. One will probably get woken up out of delight. If not tonight, I'm not sure when. They don't always go to the bathroom upstairs when they get up. Both seem to prefer the downstairs bathroom.

Anywho, I picked a CARS theme and here are the before and after pictures. I don't think I'm done. I have to decide if I want to get the toothbrush holder, soap dispenser and trash can. I think the boys would LOVE that but I haven't decided yet. What do you think?

We've had this shower curtain since we moved
to Tucson in May 2005. The plastic rings too.

It was in our apartment, townhouse and
this house. It's been around.

L to R: Mater, McQueen, Francesco and Max.
Not seen: Raoul and Shu.

This shower curtain is about 4 in. longer
than the last one. And I would say a lot
more fun!

The McQueen rug. I was going to put it in front of the sink
but since there are stools there, McQueen was hidden.

Out to lunch

I hosted a baby shower this week and in order to make things more festive and fun I loaded up my little men into the van and took off for the party supply store. They had a blast! Everything was fun and exciting for them and they were slightly less fun and exciting for me. Ok, A LOT less fun and exciting for me. I'm just thankful no one else was around us in the store. If there had been I am pretty sure they would have been plowed over by 2 very happy and energetic little boys. 

Then it was off to get Pickle more new shoes. Both he and Pach needed new shoes for this summer so an earlier trip provided them with new sandals for Pach and bright yellow Sponge Bob crocs for Pickle. Yes, bright yellow which he proclaimed "they are my favorite mom" meaning he really likes them a lot. In fact he "likes" them so much he wouldn't wear them. They "hurt his feet." So we walked down a store and took another look at some shoes. Guess what we found? BLUE Sponge Bob crocs. Guess what Pickle said? Yep, "they are my favorite mom!" I quickly told him if I got these new ones he would have to wear them all the time. He couldn't wear anything else. He agreed and off we went. It was a good thing we got them too. Pickle was wearing the highly sought after and always fought over blue Diego crocs Pach got last year. However, they are no more (Hallelujah!). While at a friends house I noticed the picture of Diego was coming off, so they ended up in the garbage. And wouldn't you know, suddenly the blue Sponge Bob crocs are wonderful. "They don't hurt my feet mom! I love them!" Amazing what color can do!

So after that exciting trip it was around lunchtime and since we had more stops to make I decided to drive them all across the parking lot to The Village Inn for lunch. They were so excited and happy, even Bacon. I let them pick what they wanted and surprised me by eating more than I thought they would. They even helped me eat my piece of pie. The whipped cream was the favorite part by far. And they all had fun and they weren't too crazy and loud so I had a nice time too.

Though he refused to dip the fries in the ranch,
he found the saltine dipped in ranch to be "delicious".

He loved that burger!

There was a TV right above us. Bacon enjoyed
 looking at it and smacking his hands on the table.

What was left of my Keylime Pie. 

"Heaven Is Here"

I recently finished reading a book entitled "Heaven is Here" by Stephanie Nielson. In August 2008, she was in a little Cessna flying with her husband, Christian and his friend/flight instructor Doug. They were in a horrible crash. Their friend Doug passed away but Christian and Stephanie survived. Christian had a broken back and both were badly burned though Christian not nearly as bad as Stephanie, who flat-lined a couple times in the ambulance on the way to the hospital. She would be in a medically induced coma for 3 months and would barely survive. The book is written in parts and the first part recounts their life before the crash. The rest of the book recounts from the time Stephanie woke up from her coma through her first year of recovery. It is an awe inspiring book and although Stephanie is LDS (Mormon) it is a book about faith, hope, God's love for us, acceptance, tolerance, healing, true love, etc.

It got me thinking, really thinking about a lot of things: life, death, obstacles, family, traditions, what I am teaching my children, love.....and more. I haven't quite sorted out all my thoughts. However, I do agree that Heaven is here. I once heard someone say, "I know what hell is. Hell is when you are separated from your loved ones." I've actually heard that said more than once by people who have lost a loved one much too soon. Heaven is here because family is here.

I'm not sure I am completely done with this topic but am for now. At the age of 8, I was baptized and I received a plaque with a poem on it from my grandparents. It is actually part of a song. For the full lyrics http://www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/w/h/whatgodh.htm  However, I leave you with only the part that was on my plaque.


God hath not promised skies always blue,
Flower strewn pathways all our lives through;
God hath not promised sun without rain,
Joy without sorrow, peace without pain.


But God hath promised strength for the day,
Rest for the labor, light for the way,
Grace for the trials, help from above,
Unfailing sympathy, undying love.

Tim's Birthday

Today is Tim's birthday! He arrived home from being gone since Monday and the party started then with the boys, who were beyond excited for his return. He was attacked before he even walked in the door! To celebrate, Tim and I went to dinner by ourselves at a place called The Bone-In Steakhouse. I had made reservations, so at the end of the delicious meal, Tim recieved a free dessert: warm, gooey brownie with vanilla bean ice cream and whipped topping. We shared and it was yummy! It was extremely nice to actually do something more than "Here's your presents. Ok, cake and ice cream" for his birthday. We do so much stuff for the boys birthday's and then nothing for ours.

After we picked the boys up from the sitters, we headed home for the family festivities. First, the presents. He had recieved one already: a big cake decorating carrying case/kit. I got it for him early so he could use it for the wedding cake (see earlier post). The boys helped, of course. Pach helped dad open his present, a Blu-ray of The Cure's Trilogy Concert Live in Berlin, "an essential for any true Cure fan". The boys weren't sure what it was until Tim said, "It's the guys who do the drip, drip song" (Saturday Night)." Then they were really excited too!

Pickle helped dad open his present, the Blu-ray of "Johnny English Reborn" (aka Mr. Bean to Pickle). Tim really liked that one too. He knew he was getting something with Mr. Bean, Rowan Atkinson, in it because Pickle said on the way home from the sitters, "You got a movie dad, with Mr. Bean!" Tim's response, "Awesome Pickle!"

I love Pickle's smile!

Next was cake and ice cream. I made the chocolate cake and frosting from scratch. It was my grandma's recipe and Tim's favorite cake. What I lack in the cake decorating area, I make up for in taste! I added strawberry filling and a lot of frosting and it was good! And I got it all done before he got home! The boys helped him blow the candles out and take the candles out. They were so excited we had to have them dial it down a bit.

Neither one liked the strawberry filling, so they didn't eat their tiny sliver of cake. Bacon, however, was in cake heaven!

Sheer joy! He LOVES chocolate!!

Easter

The boys were very excited for Easter or at least they were excited when they went downstairs that morning and saw their baskets sitting there. Each one got a few things from us: some stickers, bubbles in a chick shaped container, CARS 2 car and Pach and Pickle got some gold pirate coins filled with chocolate. From grandparents Dutson, they each got a collectible Mater from the CARS 2 movie, when he is having fun with is various disguises.

Then came the Easter egg hunt. I hid eggs all over the living-room and the boys had at it. We let Bacon have a little time to himself but he caught on very quickly.

He shook the first egg he found so hard, it broke open!

Get ready, get set......

GO! GO! GO!!!

GO! GO! GO!!!

We asked the boys why we celebrate Easter. Pach said, "To get chocolate and candy and the bunny." I then explained to them it was to celebrate the Resurrection of Jesus. I think they kind of understood it was just about the candy. Hopefully next year, the real reason will sink in more!