Happy Birthday Buddy!

Today is Gavin's best bud's, Nathan, 4th birthday. Since they celebrated with family last night, they were not doing too much today so we asked if we could take Nathan bowling. His mom (Ashli) and her MIL came too and we had so much fun. I did not know what to expect from the boys but they were on great behavior and very excited about the whole thing! Ashli was kind enough to take pics and video and sent them to me. This video is of Gavin in the very beginning of the day. His roll was so slow it did not even register the pins that got knocked down!!! (I posted a video Ashli took - excuse my butt crack - but listen to Gavin and Nathan cheering "Go, Ball, Go!" and you can see how long it takes the ball to get down the lane! About 30 seconds) So cute! They didn't care about score - the boys just liked seeing the pins get knocked down. Eventually, Ashli remembered that there was a "ramp" that kids could use to help speed up their ball. Once we started using that - the kids did so much better and the game went much faster! We had to leave in the 7th frame of the last game (Gavin had a hair appointment) but we still had soooooooooo much fun! Thanks guys for such a fun day!

Happy Valentine's Day!

This year Valentine's Day was very fun for us! Usually it is low key - but this year we went to the playgroup party on Wednesday and Patrick and I went to dinner and a movie on Thursday! The playgroup party was at Becca's house and I am going to post some pics. The kids had so much fun and were crazy from the sugar - but as we all know...when you have a sugar rush - you have a sugar plummet too! Check them ALL out on the couch in a sugar coma.

Patrick and I haven't really done much since med school (pre-kids). So it was nice to get a babysitter and go out. We saw Jumper - which was pretty good. More nice to go out together, hold hands, and pretend to be a "normal couple" who does this all the time. I don't mind that we don't do it too much because it makes the dates more special when we do go out! Plus, V-day was the day Patrick made the 1st move in taking our friendship further by leaving a rose on my car at the KOP shopping mall. We met for a "lunch work date" and he gave me a generic card (to trick me). I was kind of peeved that he didn't make a move but then when I left and went to my car, he left a rose and a heartfelt letter that made me knew he was going to be the one! Who would have thought that 7 years from that date we would have 2 kids and a mortgage!!! I love him, our kids and our life together so much! This year he surprised me with my favorite cupcakes (from cake creations) and another love letter. He is so great!

Tonight I was on the phone with Eileen when Patrick and I noticed Gavin was EXTREMELY still at the dinner table. We were pre-occupied (I was on the phone and Pat was getting ready for soccer) so it was really just the kids by themselves eating. We walked around and saw Gavin was totally asleep in the midst of eating. Patrick had to grab the video recorder to capture how funny!

PS - This is my first video posted on here so I hope it goes okay!

Our climber and our nudist

SO Evelyn is into climbing nowadays. Into and on everything. Here are some cute pictures - just from today - of her climbing! They include Patrick's sock drawer, her storage seat and our clothes hamper. She is too cute! Sorry the pics are grainy - they are from my phone.

We also have a nudist on our hands (no pics due to content :-). Gavin refuses to put anything on after his bath and asks for his "naked time". This ritual always begins with his naked dance and him screaming "I AH NAKED!" That is not a misspell - he says I a (sounds like aahhhh) naked. If anyone remembers my little sister Kaitlin, she too was a frequent nudist (although she gets mad at me now for saying it) - but was so cool about it. Just chillin' on the couch under some blankets, eating ice cream and watching tv - nude. Honestly - she is my idol!!! And apparently - Gavin's too!

Computer Down! Computer Down!!

Man - Life sucks without a computer. I didn't realize how much until mine went down. I guess it happened tuesday night and I have been without for almost 4 days. Whew. I had to borrow neighbors (or call my friends/sisters to help), couldn't get phone numbers stored in my computer and had to find a reliable source to fix it. Thanks, Christa, for recommending Ward from Award Technologies. He and his wife were great! Unlike many other places, they only charged for the actual time in front of your computer - so if a program took hours to boot up or scan - they only charged minutes that they actually stood in front of your computer. They were also sooooooo nice and I will definitely use them if I need to again!

This week Gavin caught the sick bug so we didn't do too much. We did attend playgroup (At COSI (http://www.cosi.org/)) and he got the fever right after. So nothing on Thursday or friday...except of course my wive's club meeting on Thursday night. We played Pictionary and had so much fun. I will post some pics compliments of Mary (ignore my chin(s)). As a family we went to Lowe's this morning because G is feeling better - but not much else planned. We have a 1st birthday party to go to soon and then that's it!!! And my computer is back - so I have lots to catch up on (bills, emails, myspace... you know the important stuff!)

I need more of weekends like this

This weekend was great! Lots of sleep, family outings, and good food. Saturday was such a relaxing day that we felt bad for keeping the kids inside (after a few days of being forced inside due to Evie's illness) so we gathered up our stuff and headed to Graeter's Ice Cream for some good eats. Bad idea - since everyone else had the same one. It was more crowded than I have ever seen it! A madhouse!!! We basically just grabbed some ice cream and left. The kids went down around 8pm and Patrick and I hung out, watched tv and played cards. He came from way behind to beat me in rummy....but that's another story!

Sunday we took a trip to the Franklin Park Conservatory for their Enchanted Express exhibit as well as their orchid displays. Both were totally awesome!!!!Here are some of our pics from the day...

We rounded out the weekend by having our good friends, the Welshes, over for Superbowl. The kids had fun until half time when they left. Then we put our kids down and watched the rest of the game. We didn't really care - but were kinda hoping for the Pats. But either way was good!

February - already???

WOW! I can't believe it is February already! Trust me, I am not complaining...I just can't believe it! This means we are that much closer to spring!!! I am really happy because usually winter seems to drag on forever but I feel like time is flying right now.

Since we got back from Chicago we have been pretty busy. Just getting back into the groove of things. Patrick's work continues to be fun and a much better schedule...so that makes life good too.

The bad part of this week was that Evie got pretty sick. Basically just real high temps but she was MISERABLE!!!! Poor thing. It started wednesday morning with playgroup. She felt a bit warm, so we left early and I took her home and her temp got to close to 103! So we started our regimen of tylenol every 4 hours to avoid her febrile seizures. But after about 2 hours she would spike up again. I didn't have motrin on hand to supplement but she did ok without. That night I was able to sneak away for a "downline meeting" for Stampin' Up. Evie fell asleep right as I left and woke up when I got home. 2 hours. Then it was off an d on sleep every hour or two through the night. Poor thing. And poor mom! But I remember I wrote in an earlier blog that I don't mind those nights because it is when I feel most important. You know the feeling of wanting your mom when you are sick. Well, now I am the mom, and all she wanted/needed was me. So I'll sacrifice some sleep to make her feel more comforted.

Thursday was really rough as she was tired (up again all night) and still spiking fevers. So we didn't even get out of our pjs until close to dinner time! But her fevers started to wear off around then and she was starting to perk up. So Patrick watched her and Gavin AGAIN (thanks Babe) and I met up with some friends for our Spouses meeting...which happened to be movie night.

We went to the Movie Tavern where you can eat and drink in the theater - and it was so fun! We saw 27 dresses and loved it! There were 16 of us there - so it was a great turnout! I hope everyone enjoyed the night out as much as I did!

Patrick got home around 3pm on friday so I ran errands (without the kids!) and then we just watched a movie and went to sleep! I was tired!!!! But luckily Evie slept through the night and I caught up on some sleep. This morning I worked out, came home to a home made breakfast, and we have NOTHING planned for the rest of the weekend! I love it!

Chicago visit

Patrick had a course he had to attend right outside of Chicago for his work. It was an arthroscopy course where he was in lectures and labs all day for 3.5 days. He learned how to used the arthroscope on cadavers (a process he has seen in real OR rooms - but was not allowed to do until he took this course...you know, can't mess up a dead guys knee) and had one-on-one time with the instructor because his lab partner was too hung over some days to come in :-)

Anyway, the kids and I joined him since I have relatives in Chi-town. The first night we stayed with my cousin Nicole and her hubby Joe in the city. Joe is an architect and designed this HUGE house in the city - but since the market to sell sucks right now, they moved into the house instead of trying to sell it. It is just the 2 of them - and a 5 level house - so way too big for their needs. But really cool. It just was NOT kid friendly. Lots of stairs and no doors to the rooms = trouble for little kids! So we only stayed one night there and then spent the other 3 nights at the hotel. It actually wasn't bad except Evie got up at 5am Chicago time almost every day.

We went to the best aquarium I have ever been too (The Shedd) and saw a dolphin show. I had never seen one and I was pretty impressed. And the kids were great for it too. Gavin loved it and oohed and aahed the whole time. Evelyn sat and just stared the whole time. Patrick took some pics of us watching and admitted he got a little emotional watching us. It was one of those picturesque moments when things are just right. One of those times you imagine yourself having "when you grow up", with your wife and kids watching a cool show, having fun together. That in and of itself made the trip worth it.

The kids and I also met up with my Uncle Rod to go to the Children's Museum on Navy Pier. Again, one of the coolest I have been too. Gavin loved every inch of it and Evelyn was able to get down and have fun too! It had soooo many sections that we didn't even do them all. There was a dinosaur excursion, a treehouse, a river with fishing and canoing, drive a bus, dress up like a fireman, a build your own airplane, bowling, shopping...you name it and it was there. Plus when you left there was a cool train to ride and great shopping and food for mom!!! Super fun - thanks for joining us Uncle Rod! PS - Gavin was totally in love with Uncle Rod - and a really good boy for him!!!

The next day the kids and I went to Uncle Rod and Aunt Linda's house. We went to their gym for some pool time and some moon bouncing! Then we went back to the hotel and met up with good friends from PA (who live there now) for some deep dish pizza! YUM! We were ALL in bed by 8 o'clock that night and slept until almost 7!!! YEAH!

Sunday morning the kids and I went back to Linda and Rod's for some brunch. They have a cute dog, Boo, that the kids loved so they played with her and we ate and hung out. Joe and Nicole were there too so it was a nice relaxing time to catch up! Then back to the hotel, pick up Patrick, and back home. I had a great time - but I am ready to stay put for a while! NO MORE TRIPS FOR US FOR A LONG TIME!!!!

My 1st Stampin' Up Club!!!

Last night I held my first Stampin' Up monthly club meeting at my house. We will meet once a month here at 7:30 (after the kiddies are down for bed) and do 3 projects. This month we focused on Valentine's Day and made a card, a candy bag topper and a 6x6 scrapbook layout. Ashli Welsh and I decided on what projects to make together, so we could split the costs of supplies, etc and it makes it more fun designing with someone else. We tweaked things a bit individually - but the theme is the same overall.

4 girls from the Doctor's group (Michal, Carrie, Jessica and Cara) and 2 neighbors (Christa and Beth) make up our club. We whipped out some wine, Christa made brownies, and we just had a fun night with the girls making some projects. I had a great time and want to thank everyone for making my first club a success! I can't wait for next month! Anyone that wants to come can contact me...we will be meeting next on Feb 19th.

I attached pics of the projects we made as well as some of the girls making them...

Fun Day and Fun Night

Yesterday Patrick was super tired from a rough night on call so the kids and I went to the Columbus Reading Festival. It was really fun (although a bit more for older kids) but had characters, authors, games, face painting, etc. I think Gavin was overwhelmed by it and he was pretty content just staying in the stroller. He did, of course, go on the jumpy moon bounce thing! He wouldn't come out! I had to go in and get him - but he was so cute about it that I didn't care. He was giggling so much and it really was fun for him - so what's a little naughty behavior? I guess he caught Mommy on a good day so I played along instead of yelling for him to listen to me!!! I think he responded better to that anyway.

When we got home we ALL took long naps and then had some of our very good friends over. Mike, Martina and Ellie came (until about 8pm) and Cara and Phillip stayed until after midnight!!! We got pizza, chatted, played with kids...so much fun. Then when the Pokablas left, we played boys against girls games with Cara and Phillip. Cara is another super competitive girl - so we made a great team! And we crushed the boys!!! We lost in Apples to Apples (we think the boys were cheating) but beat them bad in Mad Gab and especially in Pictionary. In their defense, they were getting drunker and drunker while we sobered up a bit. But we beat them TWICE - and even gave them a head start! Look out ladies at our 2/7 meeting.... Cara and I are a force to be reckoned with!!!

Mall visit

Today a few of us went to the Tuttle Mall for a little play time and some shopping. I bought - NOTHING!!! Can you believe it?!?!?!?! I was so surprised! I did allow myself to get lunch at Panera even though I planned on going home to save money. But Gavin had a good time - here is a pic of him holding hands with his friend Greg...

Fine Motor Skills

I have been practicing with Gavin to develop some of his fine motor skills. Here he is creating a beautiful pasta letter board spelling his name. Bonus to the activity = he wants to try to eat pasta for dinner tonight (a first)!

some belated christmas pics

Here are some fun pics from our Christmas in PA...

What happens when your kids get overtired

We have had such a great weekend so far...date night last night which included Brazenhead Pub, bowling and touch screen games, slept in until after 7, worked out, had homemade breakfast when I walked in the door after the gym, Patrick got the deck finished, I organized my scrapbook stuff, we all visited great friends... But I knew if we kept the kids out too long it would backfire, and it did. After our visit to the Napoleons, we got home around 8:30. Not too late except Gavin has been outside running and playing due to the nice weather and also playing at the Napoleons in their open basement (meant to be a soccer play area). They also had a mini-trampoline that Gavin was on the majority of the time there. So an hour past bedtime when he is that beat = bad news. He wanted me to carry him in from the car but I had Evie...so Patrick tried to be sweet and carry him. Not happening. So Patrick tried to fool around with him and turn him upside down while walking upstairs to get in the bath. Well, that was the straw that broke the camel's back. Gavin totally started to freak. And not cry-baby, whining freak. I mean, head spinning, eyes bulging, meltdown. The kind that is so scary to watch as a mom, and even scarier to happen to that child. I quickly took him into my room to start the cool-down but was not very successful. So Patrick convinced me just to throw him in the tub, wash him quick and off to bed. Well good thing we made it to the tub because all 3 slices of pizza + dessert came right out!!! Yuck! His eyes are all bloodshot and he broke blood vessels in his face from screaming. I don't remember him ever doing this this bad before. I brought him back in my room and he REFUSED to put clothes on. Kicking and screaming - totally possessed. He eventually hurled some more and then, as quick as it started, it stopped (thank God). We were able to convince him to brush his teeth, drink some water, put on clothes and get into bed. He could barely keep his poor eyes open. What a tragic night for him. Just too much stimulation and fun during the day!!! And bad parents that keep him out too late at night!!!

Graeters Ice Cream Playgroup

Here are some cute pics of this week's playgroup...Gavin got a bit of his own medicine when there was a bigger kid that picked on him and pushed him around a bit. Hopefully he'll start to realize that it is not nice to push people!!!!!