March 19, 20, 21 - No Pics Once Again :(

I don't know how I manage to forget to take pictures each day. There's always something happening but I just either forget to take the pics, can't be bothered to get the camera, or forget the camera completely!! Anyways....

March 19 - Back to the 'ol Walk-in Clinic! Before I had kids I didn't even know what the inside of the Walk-in Clinic looked like and now I've been there 4 times!!! We took the boys in because Gavin's lungs were sounding like crap! For once, Carson was actually not as sick as Gavin but we got him checked out anyways while we were there. We ended up with a puffer for Gav just to help him breathe a little easier but luckily no trip to the hospital this time :) After the walk-in we had a bunch of running around to do and then Anth had to go to work. I got the boys fed and bathed and then Emma, Adam, Amy and Megan came over. It was a nice visit but we were all tired! Amy has been battling with a whole household of sickies (including herself)!

March 20 - Both Anth and I were off which was nice but Anth had a very busy night at work so he slept for the whole morning. It was SUCH a beautiful day out so we took the kids and dogs for a long walk, and then Anth got the poop scooping done while I cleaned the house. So glad it's all done but it never makes for a fun day.

March 21 - Back to work for me. I had to work (teaching) from 0700-1500 and Anth was home with the kids. Again, a really nice day out so Anth took the kids and dogs for a run. Once I got home from work we had to get ready to go to a fundraiser dinner for the breast cancer survivors dragon boat team to support Anth's mom. It was a lot of fun and so nice to all get out without all of our kids. Mandi and Ed, Kari and Anth's parents were all there. It was an early night but definitely a good one.

March 18 - So Tired

The boys were up all night!!!! It was, by far, the worst night we've had in quite a few months. The only good sleep we got was from 2am-6am, otherwise one or the other or both were up. Once again, I understand why - they are getting sicker by the day it seems - but it really hits you hard when you aren't used to it!

Anth let me sleep in (thank God!) and then once I got up he went for a nap. Anth had to work that night and I was back to work again from 1500-2300. Luckily the boys weren't too grouchy during the day. My parents came over around 1700 so Anth could go to work and then I was home by 2300. My parents took a few pictures while they were here........

I love how Cars looks SO unimpressed and my dad looks SO happy!! haha

Apparently Cars was sliding under the car!!! haha

March 17 (cont'd) - "Mommy"

So a couple things happened on March 17th so I figured I'd just do another quick blog for that day. I got up early from my 'sleep' so I could go see the boys at my parents' house before I headed back to work. I walked in the door, said hi to the boys and sat down to play with them. Gavin was smiling, looked up at me and said "Mommy"! I couldn't believe it!!!! He has definitely said mommy before but it was always while he was babbling so I never really counted it. THIS time he wasn't babbling at all before or afterwards!!! It was so distinct!!

Shortly after that I headed to work from 1500-2300. Just as I was about to head home Anth sent me this message:

I was sitting on the couch downstairs and the boys were acting pretty tired. After a bit, they came over to the couch and were playing around and giggling. Then Gavin went to play by himself, and Carson and I played on the couch for a good 15 minutes or so. About 5 or so minutes into playing I checked on Gavin around the corner and he was playing with the door to the red car. After the 15 minutes of playing I went and checked on Gavin, as he had been quiet. This is what I found......

hahaha Gavin was just sitting in his little car sucking his thumb all by himself (around the corner from Anth) for about 15minutes!! haha Crazy kid!

March 11-17 - MASS BLOG!

I have no idea where the time goes. It seems like I decide to skip doing the blog for one day and then it's just a ripple effect. I didn't want to keep building up days to keep track of so I decided to just do a mass blog while I'm sitting here on night shift at work. Since I'm doing this at work I am going to add all the pics another day but at least I'll have some of the writing finished.

I have to be honest - I can't even really remember everything we did over the past couple of days. It has definitely been a draining week. Most of our time was spent cuddling and entertaining our 2 sick little guys. Both boys have full blown colds with runny noses and barky coughs.

I am drawing a blank for what we did on the 11th - it may be because it's 2:25am! C'mon 7am! I'm pretty sure we just hung around the house that day - Anth had to work that night and my dad came over to drop a couple things off and visit with the boys for the evening. After that.....Greys and Private Practice of course!

Cars being a goof!

The boys horsing around on the floor

Cars - obviously a little tired - playing with his books

And....in the box again!

The boys think it's hilarious when you put something on their heads - Gavin especially loves it!

Mid sneeze - look out Cars!

Still thinks it's hilarious - even if it's a diaper!

Cars gets a turn too!

On the 12th we decided to do a bunch of running around we've been meaning to get done. Since the boys are a little older now they seem to really enjoy being out and about. They definitely seemed a bit happier once we got them out - they like having something new to look at I guess. They were so good the whole time we were out. We spent the evening just playing - the boys were climbing on the chairs they got from Nana and Dida for their birthday and just being crazy!









My dad was curling for the weekend on his friend's team and he really wanted us to come out and watch on Saturday (March 13). We packed up the boys after their lunch and headed to the curling rink for some lunch for ourselves (thanks mom!). The boys were so good again - we were there for about 3hrs and they were quiet for pretty much the whole time! They were definitely starting to get tired by the end though. It helped that everyone was taking turns walking the boys around the building. The game was really good too - my dad's team was down about 3 points and came back to win in an extra end!! The boys were asleep within about 2 seconds once they were packed into their carseats. It was early to bed that night for Anth and I - busy day, daylight savings time that night and I had to work the next day with 1 less hr of sleep. 5:30am comes early even when it's not actually 4:30am ugh!

A post curling nap for Gav and I

The bubble car providing entertainment once again!

On March 14th I worked all day (0700-1900). Anth was home with the boys until noon and then his parents watched the boys while he went to sell Harley Davidson raffle tickets at Costco from noon-5pm. Apparently the boys were pretty good for his parents although they do walk them around the house quite a bit, which is a favorite for them, so that definitely helps their mood. When I got home their was a delicious lasagna warming in the oven (thanks Alexis!) and the boys were in a fairly good mood. I was so tired (the 12hr shifts have been hitting me hard since I've been back from Mat leave) when I got home I basically just wanted to go to bed ASAP. What I didn't anticipate was the horrendous night ahead. It was definitely the worst night we've had in a long time! The boys were up at the same time twice during the night and I would say that separately they were up about 2 more times. Luckily none of the episodes lasted too long but it still makes for a couple tired, cranky parents the next day.

Gav snuggling with his Dida

Cars snuggling with his Nana

March 15th was supposed to be a great day. It was supposed to be about 12C and sunny so we had planned to go for a long walk that day and just hang out as a fam. The weather was not near as nice as it was supposed to be and we ended up doing stuff around the house. Anth did some more babyproofing stuff and I went through all our bills and receipts for the past couple years - fun times! Neither of us was in a good mood at all and it must have rubbed off on the kids because there was quite a bit of whining happening. Needless to say it was not a fun day around our house. Luckily the night went much better - the boys didn't wake up at all :)

March 16th - Anth had to work today and, since I'm on nights, my mom came over to take the boys for a few hours so I could nap before work. The boys were super clingy this morning. From right after breakfast until morning nap time they both sat and cuddled with me on the couch - my poor little sickies!! It was so nice that my mom took them to her house - a few blissful, peaceful hours. Around 1700 my mom brought the kids back and dropped off dinner for all of us (YAY). Cars was super happy but Gav was super clingy. Apparently he was good at my parent's house but I guess once he saw me he decided to start whining! Anth got home a little earlier than usual from work and decided to take the dogs and kids for a run. I helped him pack everyone up and then he was off on his run and I was off to work - where I currently still am!

My Mom ready to take the boys to her house once we got them all packed up - they LOVE the stroller lately!

I had to include this pic of Mav - SO excited to go for a run, just rolling around in the snow!

Anth and the 'brood' ready to go for a run

Even though I obviously realize that we are currently only about 3hrs into March 17th, I get off at 0700 and then have to be back at work from 1500-2300 leaving absolutely NO time for blogging. My mom is going to be at our house at 0700 so that Anth can go to work and then I get home at 0730, hang out with the kids for about half an hour, then go to bed while my mom takes the boys to her house until Anth is home from work at about 1830. Then about 5.5hrs after getting into bed I will get up, get ready and head back to the hospital. The 15-23 isn't my regular shift - it's a teaching shift which is why things are a little busier lately. Once we get to March 26th I only have 1 more teaching shift and then I'll be back to just doing my part time line. It will definitely be a relief, although I am enjoying the teaching.

March 10 - Cranky Babies (again) and Cleaning

The boys have been so cranky for about a week now. I totally understand because they are still cutting their molars, they're both sick and Gavin has such a sore, red bum but it is still totally draining. They want up, they want down, they're hungry but whining when you put them in their highchair, they're just overall grumpy. I was up with the boys this morning - Anth had to work night shift tonight - and right from the beginning the day was a disaster. When I walked into the boys' room I was not greeted with smiles. They were both standing in their cribs screaming with their hands jammed in their mouths, chewing on them. Poor Monkeys! By the time Anth got up Carson was sleeping on the couch beside me and Gavin was sleeping on my chest. A totally unusual occurance. Between entertaining them and consoling them we didn't get too much done in the morning. After lunch the boys had a short period of being happy and we started the cleaning. Anth was outside cleaning the cars and I was inside cleaning the house. I always hate cleaning but it always feels so good once it's done. We decided to give the boys a haircut before Anth went to work so by the time the haircuts and baths following the haircuts were done, Anth had to head to work. The boys were reasonably happy this evening - only really crying when I left the room. Gavin has been starting to initiate walking on his own now which is so cute and exciting. I know everyone tells me not to rush it but I'm excited for the next stages to come. Cars is going to be right behind him - he has already improved from yesterday! Right around bedtime I was cuddling with Cars on the couch (just after he had gotten ahold of the phone and called Aunty Emma and Uncle Adam a couple times!) and I was wondering were Gav was - it seemed awfully quiet. I looked around the couch to see this.......

Poor tired little monkey had just layed down on the ground and started to go to sleep all on his own.

March 9 - Walking, Swimming, Dinner, Volleyball AND First Steps

So I have NO idea how we didn't manage to get any pictures today. We had the camera pretty much everywhere with us and no pictures :( I am totally disappointed because we had such a great day. We just hung out for the morning and then after the boys' lunch we went out for a walk. It was such a beautiful day, we decided to walk to the grocery store to get some milk. By the time we got back home the boys had fallen asleep so we just kept on walking by our house. I think we were walking for about an hour and a half before we finally got home. I had a little bit of work to do when we got home and then we packed the boys up to take them swimming. We met Mandi, our nephews (Eban, Bryce, and Cohen) and Anth's parents at the pool. It was so busy there - it's spring break right now so there were quite a few kids at the pool. The boys absolutely loved it. I've never seen them have so much fun at the pool and I'm sure it's because there was so much going on. They can't get enough of other kids - it's the best entertainment! After the pool we went to Anth's parents for dinner with Mandi and the boys and Kari and Mike. Dinner was so great (Ham and Perogies) and then it was off to volleyball. We left the boys with Anth's parents for our regular Tues night volleyball game. We won this week! It was such a good game and so much fun! Then it was back to Anth's parents to get the boys. Cars had fallen asleep for a little bit at Anth's parents so he was up a little later once we got home and, to our surprise, he took his first steps!!! I will post a video later - I'm not exactly sure how to download the videos to the computer. I love when the boys reach a new milestone! So exciting! It was a long day but so much fun - I'm really looking forward to this summer when we can be outside all day!

March 8 - Another LONG day, another NO PICTURE day :(

Since Anth had to work today, my mom came over in the morning to take care of the boys so I could sleep after my night shift. The boys were definitely NOT in good moods. When I got up from my sleep, both boys were in full whine mode. They have just not been themselves lately. It was a LONG afternoon and, needless to say, I did not make an effort to take any pictures. Those of you who work shift work know how it feels to wake up after a night shift, nevermind take care of 2 cranky babies as well. BWOH!!

March 7 - Bubble Car Fun

Anth was up with the kids in the morning since I had to work a night shift. Unfortunately I didn't get much of a sleep in because the boys were SO loud! They needed quite a bit of entertaining for the day - thank goodness for dads. As I have said before the boys LOVE their bubble cars and have been entertained even in the worst of times by the trusty bubble cars. Today was such a day. Anth just drove them around the basement for a while in their cars and they were happy as can be - as long as he was moving!!

Gavin has been sucking his thumb a little more lately. I think it's a combination of a diaper rash, teething and a runny nose. Poor munchkins just aren't feeling right lately.

SUCH a great dad!

I was lucky enough to get a nap in later in the afternoon before I had to go to work. I don't think I would have made it through the night without that nap. It was another steady night but it definitely makes things go by faster.

Anth snapped a few pics while I was at work. Apparently the boys were fairly happy which is always so good to hear.

It's not unusual to see one of the boys crawling around with something dangling out of their mouths at any given time.

March 6 - Daddy Daycare

Today was another 0700-1900 work day. I was teaching today though. It was a busy day but definitely went well. It was so good that we were there because otherwise it would have been a bit of a mad house for the nurses working on the floor. Lots of kids up to our outpatient clinic and then another really sick kid admitted to the PSCU. The amount of really sick kids we have been getting lately is INSANE!! Good experience for my students though. They are definitely getting a range of knowledge and experience.

Anth was home with the kids again today. We were in definite need of groceries so he decided to drop the kids off for a couple hours with his parents and go do some running around. Surprisingly we haven't experienced any after effects from the immunizations. The boys have been fairly happy.

When Anth got home from his parents he decided to give the boys a snack of 'giant strawberry'. The fruit he came home with is ridiculous! These giant strawberries and the biggest bananas I have ever seen! I think they must be giving them steroids wherever they are growing them.

I LOVE MY STRAWBERRY!!!

When I work a day shift I don't get very much time with the boys. I usually get home around 1930 and then have an hour with them before they go to bed. I hate it but I do try to make the most of the hour. We definitely play a lot and snuggle and just hang out. God I just love them!

March 5 - First Steps

Aaannnddd....back to work :( I was back at work for my day shift today and Anth was home with the boys. It was a fairly busy day at work but actually a lot better than it has been lately. Of course everything happened right near the end of shift (as usual) so I ended up leaving a little late (as usual) which is really starting to get frustrating! Anyways, Anth stayed home most of the day with the boys. He took the boys and the dogs out for a run (brave guy!) and did some cooking and some cleaning (love it!). He did not, however take any pictures :( We do have some video though, which I might post once we have it downloaded on the computer, of Gavin's FIRST STEPS!!!! I was in SUCH a bad mood when I got home and then I was playing with the kids and and started walking Gavin while he was holding onto one of my fingers and he let go of my finger and went straight down to crawling. I picked him back up and started walking him again and he let go and was standing for a few seconds and then took about 5 steps!!!! We couldn't believe it!!! We were totally not expecting it. Then we spend about 15 or so minutes just getting him to walk between Anth and I and another 15 trying to get Cars to follow suit. It put me in a better mood instantly. It was kind of late (about 2030) when all this was happening so Gavin got tired pretty quick and we put the boys, and shortly afterwards ourselves, to bed. Back to work in the morning.

Please ignore my RIDICULOUS voice - apparently I was excited :)

March 4 - Ultrasound and Immunizations

Today was Carson's repeat abdominal ultrasound. If you recall, on his last admission to the hospital he had an enlarged liver and spleen so we had to get a repeat ultrasound to make sure that everything went back to normal. Once again he wasn't allowed to eat anything beforehand but it wasn't as bad this time because the appt was at 0830. So we got up, dressed and out the door and he barely noticed that breakfast was missing. Anth stayed home with Gavin so I only had to pack up one baby. According to the ultrasound tech the ultrasound looked normal but we won't have a report back for about a week.

When we got home from the ultrasound, we all just hung out, had lunch etc until it was time for the boys' immunizations. This was the first appt that they were actually interested in the toys around the room and they had a blast.....until it was time for the actual pokes of course!

We got them weighed and measured - Carson is 25lbs and Gavin is 25lbs 15oz (1oz away from 26lbs!). Then it was time to play! There were 2 girls there getting their 12 month immunizations as well and the boys just loved them!

You may be able to see the legs of the little girl (Riley) at the top of the slide that the boys are trying to attack!

They LOVED the slide. Not to go down it but to try to climb UP it!

The 12 month immunization are ridiculous! 2 shots in the legs and then 2 shots in the arms. The 2 month immunizations include 4 shots as well but the babies don't even know what's going on. They DEFINITELY know what's going on for the 12 month shots. The boys were actually pretty good. They just acted about the same as all their other shots - they cried during them and then promptly stopped crying right after. I was happy to have Anth with me this time - all the other times I was by myself with them trying to console one and hold the other for his shots.

After the immunization appt we decided to do some running around. We have been lucky enough to be able to get the boys to fall asleep in there stroller for a nap the past couple times we've been out. It makes for a much easier time for all!

It was dinner time by the time we got home and we decided to give the birthday cupcakes another 'go' after dinner. As you may recall from the 'birthday blog' the boys did not receive their cupcakes well on their actual birthday but we just thought they were over full from snacking basically all day. This time around Carson LOVED the icing - he kept running his finger along the icing and looking up at his with his big goofy grin and then popping his sugar-ridden finger in his mouth. Gavin, on the other hand, gagged when Anth tried putting some icing in his mouth haha. It was actually kind of funny - so no cupcakes for him!!

Gav looking at his half-cupcake in disgust!


Cars lovin it up!

After dinner, dessert and a bath, Uncle Brandon came over with the boys' birthday present. He was at their actual birthday party but decided to bring their present up at a different time. He got them another bubble car!! Seriously the boys' favorite toy right now and now they have one each. I think it will save from a lot of fighting this summer when we bring them outside to play. At least I hope it will!

I LOVE this pic! Carson looks SO happy to get his present. "Look Mom and Dad, Uncle Brandon got me a CCCCAAAARRRR!!!" hahaha



The closed box was providing so much entertainment at first that we just decided to leave the car in the box for a bit

Once the closed box excitement wore off, we opened the box for MORE entertainment. At one point both boys were fully in the box!




A shot of Carson's little butt hanging out the back of the box.

The boys pretty much just played with all the parts of the car and the box until bedtime and then it was Grey's Anatomy and Private Practice time! I love Thursdays!

March 3 - Busy, Busy, Busy

It has been another busy few days - sorry about the delay in blogs AGAIN! (I'm not doing it to you on purpose Mike) Things are about to get busier, too. After my next set of days off I work 9 out of 12 days between teaching and my own shifts. Not looking forward to that stretch!

Anyways, 'today' we just relaxed for the morning. It's hard to get out at all before the kids go down for their morning nap so we do tend to just hang out in the morning if we can.

Dad getting attacked by the 'mob'. haha

The boys having a little snack (dried fruit) on the coffee table. I love Carson's pose - it's so cute when they have little grown up poses.

The boys have been into climbing on anything they can and just sitting there, weird, I know - boxes are a favorite.

After the boys' nap and their lunch we decided to go for a walk. It was absolutely BEAUTIFUL outside. We did bring the camera but totally forgot to take any pictures :( Anth pointed that out when we got home. We went for about an hour or so. The boys and the dogs loved it! When we got home it was time for me to get ready for work. I had my first hospital shift with my students from 1500-2300. Anth just stayed home with the kids for the evening. My first shift went well - a little busy but good.