What better excuse for ice cream than a boo boo in the mouth...

So, I looked through the entertainment book and found a buy one get one free coupon for Ritas- off we went!

It started out fun...

I took the kids to Monkey Joe's today with a few friends with kids. The last time we went Lauren was too young to really enjoy it (Michael is now at that age but doesn't care- he just runs around and bounces on whatever he can). This time Lauren was on EVERYTHING! We had been there for a few hours and she was in one of the bounce houses that's set up like and obstacle course where I can't really see her the entire time. When she got out of my sight and I came around to get her all I could hear was an awful cry- I knew right away it was her and it was her "I'm hurt" cry. We have figured out that she was climbing up one of the obstacles and slipped- on her way down she hit her face on the steps. She ended up tearing the piece of your gum that connects your lip and gums above your top two teeth. There was a lot of blood but it stopped bleeding quickly however when i looked in her mouth there was an awful looking hole. So, back to the pediatrician we went (praying for no stitches- I was a bit of a mess!) Turns out, this is a pretty common thing to happen in kids her age and it will heal just on its own! Here's some pictures of the fun!

I think it's safe to say he likes it!

We Have Another Climber On Our Hands!

We spent the morning at the park today. What an adventure! Usually we go to the park, Lauren runs around and Michael stays close by, this is NOT the case anymore. Michael has learned to climb on everything! So, no more sitting down for me at the park, I'm busy having panic attacks making sure Michael doesnt do a death dive off something!

Climbing up the slide!

Going up the stairs!

Every time I got close enough to him to grab him he took off laughing into the tunnel- had me running from side to side like a crazy person. Entertaining to everyone I'm sure!

All Clear

Back to the doctor today for an ear recheck.... Lauren was given the all clear but Michael's ears are still infected andhe has to start another round of antibiotics.

Lauren loves to sit in the doctor's chair - maybe a future dr???

Michael is awfully happy for someone whose ears are still infected!

 Since Lauren's ears were clear we left the pediatrician and headed straight to Tammy's house for swim lessons. It had been 2 weeks since we had been there since everyone was so sick but thankfully Lauren didn't forget anything she had learned.

Michael staying entertained.

Lauren swimming to the wall.

Double ear infections all around!

Michael has now caught this cold and virus that Lauren is still fighting. Lauren was complaining about her ears hurting on Thursday and today Michael wouldn't stop pulling on his ears. So, two trips to the doctor later and they are both on antibiotics for double ear infections.

So Sick!

John has officially shared his cold with Lauren. She has a fever of 102, a stuffy and runny nose, watery eyes, and a nasty cough. But, somehow she still has all the energy she needs to run around and play! Shes a little more moody than normal but not nearly as bad as she could be. Hopefully this passes quickly, I feel so sad when my kids are sick.

No Swim Lessons This Week :(

Lauren woke up this morning with a little bit of a runny nose and a cough. Since Tammy has a baby at home we don't want to take any chances bringing Lauren there. Hopefully this clears up fast and we can go back next week. I think its the same cold John had last week, it was bad for a few days but lingered for a while.

Never Forgotten

At 2:30am on August 3rd the world lost an amazing person, my best friend Ashley's mother (Debbie). I have known Ashley for 10 years now and have MANY memories with her mother. When I met Ashley she was only 16 and I was 18 so we did a lot of things at her house and were ALWAYS together- this obviously means I got to spend a lot of time with her family.
I spent Tuesday night at the hospital with Ashley after she received a phone call from Erik that her mother had stopped breathing and the paramedics were doing CPR. When Ashley called me on her way to the hospital I was in total shock- who would think at 52 years old this would happen. I never in a million years expected to get this call from Ashley anytime in the near future. I rushed to the hospital and arrived around 6:30pm. When we left at 11:30 that night it was already known that at sometime in the night Debbie would be making her journey to heaven. I know that God has a plan for every one of us and his plan for Debbie was for her to be in heaven now but it doesn't make the reality of this any easier. I have been with Ashley through the grieving of the loss of her grandfather and John was there for Ashley when her father passed away a few months before I met her. Ashley has to be the strongest person I know and I know she will get through this and be strong but I know there is a long road ahead of her before she finds what her new "normal" life will be like. I spent Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday night at Ashley's house spending time with her (and staying up way too late!) and I'm glad I have been able to offer her the support I can. I am grateful I was able to have Debbie in my life for as long as she was, she was truly an amazing person and I know I will NEVER forget her!

Homemade Pizza!

Tonight Lauren and I made homemade pizza for dinner. She made a small one for herself which she did on her own and she helped with the regular size pizza for John and I (and leftovers of-course). She had a great time making it, too bad she didn't like it once it was cooked and decided she wasn't going to eat dinner. (And, my camera died so I didnt get many pictures- I guess this means we will have to try again one day!)
But, at 8 o'clock when it was bedtime she was starving and kept telling me how hungry she was. So, my VERY strict schedule went right out the window and my almost 2 year old had a peanut butter and jelly sandwich at 8 o'clock for dinner.

We Made It Back to Church!

We have been talking about going back to church for a long time now and I have been putting it off because of the separation anxiety Lauren (and I) have. It's not so bad with Michael, I know he will be ok but I have seen Lauren go into a full meltdown and it makes me so sad. Seeing that she is almost 2 I knew it was time we had to face it and go back. It is important to us that our children grow up going to church and have a strong relationship with God.
The morning was a bit rushed trying to get out the door to get there by 9 (thankfully our church- this is also the church we were married in and Lauren was dedicated in- is right across the street or we wouldn't have made it). So, we dropped Michael off in his dedicated room first and he was of course fine. Then, I took Lauren down to the 2-3 year old room. I decided I would stay with her for today and see how she does while John went to the service. After about 10 minutes of being in the room and being totally ignored by Lauren while she played I decided it would be a good time to leave, off I went and she was fine. I think my nerves were way worse than hers. About 20 minutes later I could hear a faint cry and I knew it was my child (Michael). He was over tired (he's used to getting a 9am nap but we decided we would mess up his schedule for church on Sundays since that nap will only be around for a few more months). I went out and calmed him down. Meanwhile John thought it would be a good idea to peak in on Lauren (BAD IDEA).... she saw him and of course decided she was done playing in her room. It all worked out in the end, Lauren came in the room with Michael and they were both happy playing together while John and I were able to go back to the service. Overall it was a little hectic and I was a bit of a mess but I know with time it will get easier!

Swim Lesson are Working!

We went for swim lesson #4 today and Lauren swam under the water unassisted from Tammy to the wall (about 4 or 5 feet). I am so proud of her! Tammy said by the end of next week she should be doing much more- I can't wait to see the progress!

A Style of Her Own

Lauren has been very interested in picking out her own clothes lately. Today she had swim lessons again so I told her to go get her bathing suit- here's what she picked:

That's a white bathing suit with black, light pink, and dark pink polka dots with a purple tye dye skirt and pink flowered flip flops you cant see.

Then she came to me with a package of bows and said "want all of them!"

Lauren's New Obsession

DORA!!! All she wants to watch and talk about now is Dora. I made the mistake of putting it on (I am not a fan of Dora) because she was very whiny and I was in the middle of something i had to finish. I figured it would keep her quiet for a few minutes. Never did I think she would LOVE the show and want to watch nothing else! She even took a picture of the tv with Dora on that I just came across.

Two More Minutes...

Lauren was on the couch watching Dora tonight (her new favorite show). I told her she had two more minutes of Dora then she was going to bed. While I said it I was holding up two fingers. She looked at me and said, "No, five" and held up five fingers! Really... shes only 23 months old- I'm not ready for her to be so opinionated already- she is definitely my daughter. John asks all the time whey he is being punished for me being a brat as a child (referring to hating the car seat and her opinions on EVERYTHING!).

Swim Lessons

Lauren officially started swim lessons today with my friend Tammy. It works out really well, we go to Tammy's house so Tammy can take Lauren in the pool and do her lesson while I stay in the house with Michael and Brody. Thankfully, Michael likes Brody and could care less if I'm holding him or taking care of him. This would not have worked when Lauren was 10 months old- she did NOT like it if I even looked at another baby.
The lesson went well today and we are going back tomorrow and Thursday this week for more. I'm excited to get the swimmies off Lauren and hopefully never use them on Michael (he's next for swim lessons).