Flat Adam goes to the Fish Hatchery

Last Tuesday we went on a field trip to the Fish Hatchery for Tyler's preschool. It wasn't anything to fancy but it is close to Medford and the kids had a blast. Alex loves riding in the backpack. We'll have to go on hikes when the weather gets nicer. Flat Adam went for a ride in the backpack as well. The whole group around a pool of Rainbow Trout. They give you a huge bucket of food and let the kids go feed the fish. Tyler made me so nervous and kept trying to get close to the fish. At one point he went under the fence and was standing right next to the pool. I almost had a heart attack. Inside the visitor's center there were all sorts of stuffed animals. It was pretty cool. Steering a ship?

Flat Adam Learns to Juggle

Monday of Spring Break we started our adventures with a trip to Kid Time. They had a juggling group come and teach the kids how to juggle. This resulted in hours of Adam throwing balls around our house in an attempt to at some point actually catch one.

I am sad that the last picture turned out so blurry. I just love it though. Tyler is trying to copy Adam exactly. You can just tell how much he adores his big brother. We ended up at Kid Time a few times over the break. Now it is closed for 2 weeks while they relocate. How will we survive with no Kid Time?! Its a fave!

Adam Stanley

Last week was Spring Break for Adam. His Kindergarten teacher sent him home with an assignment to bring his "Flat Adam" with him on his Spring Break adventures. They had read a book in school about a little boy who becomes flat and goes on adventures, his name was "Flat Stanley". Adam loved the project and kept calling it his "Adam Stanley" instead of "Flat Adam". I thought that was hilarious. We didn't do anything too exciting over the break but I'll put up a couple posts about "Flat Adam's" adventures.

His first adventure was making peanut butter cookies with Daddy. Yum!

Update

So remember a few days ago when I thought I was all fancy and knew everything? Well, I talked to my doctor and he explained more thoroughly my ultrasound results. Looks like I have a thyroid nodule that is 1.6 cm and looks irregular (?), whatever that means. So, the doctor highly suggests that I go ahead with the fine needle aspiration because the risk is too great. All I can think is, CRUD. I don't want to go and get a needle stuck in my neck. It scares me. I'm such a little wuss. I have given birth thrice, all natural twice. I have stepped on a nail and voluntarily opted for lipo on my chin (which I was never able to go through with thanks to Tyler). But for some reason this makes me want to hurl. As far as the money goes, I just think of the much more fun things I could do with it. I could replace all my doggy chewed shoes for one. Oh well, whatever. Toughen up Linda!

Smart or Dumb?

Today I was supposed to get a fine needle aspiration on my thyroid. The chiropractor thought my thyroid was big so I went to the doctor. He had me get my blood tested and an ultrasound. My blood came back normal, but they found a nodule during my ultrasound. I did some research on my own and decided to let it be and cancel my biopsy. It was going to cost $1,200 at least, plus the chances of it being cancer are really low. My blood tests were fine and I feel great (aside from the headache I have had for nearly 2 months, but that is unrelated). I asked the doctor to look at the ultrasound again to see if I really do need to get the biopsy. Maybe I am being totally dumb. I don't know. But I feel like I took my health care into my own hands and I like that.

Notice Anything...

...wrong with this picture?

Yup, Mario made me take it off him.

He's a Champ!

Adam completed his second season of soccer last Saturday. He says that he loves practices but hates the games because he has to run too much. He's such a goof ball. This season he actually scored quite a few goals and has gotten to be a really fast runner. We are so proud of you Adam!

Photos by Adam

Lately Adam is obsessed with taking pictures. Every time I download pictures from my camera on to my computer I find several mysterious shots. They are almost always of Tyler. Maybe I have a future professional photographer on my hands.

So...

...I've come to find that a perfect dinner is not dependant on what is being eaten, but the experiences you enjoy at the table. (I say this to make me feel better about making scrambled eggs and toast for dinner.) The boys have been so sweet today. Tyler surprised me with a glass of chocolate milk earlier. It was quite questionable as to what was actually in the glass, but he was so proud. I only pretended to drink it, thank goodness! Then at dinner they were so nice and kept wanting to kiss Alex. Usually dinner is hectic so this was a change. Mario was even able to stop by for a few minutes, which was nice. It is Expo week so the next few days I'll be a Lithia widow.

Psychic Abilities

Dinner tonight was like a page out of Harry Potter. Tyler, my (once) loving 2 year-old has decided that he "doesn't like" anything to eat, aside from cookies, candy, and cake. Lovely. So the delicious chicken, cheesy potato, and green bean supper I made for the family was "gross". Kicking and screaming over every little bite, Mario kept sending Tyler to time-out. Adam turns to me through the chaos and says, "Whoa, Mom, I just saw the future! I'm kicking Tyler because he is so annoying." I tried to stifle my smile, but golly is the kid funny! Finally I got Tyler to eat by pretending to cast a spell on his food that made him grow like a giant right before our eyes. He ate the whole plate. If there are any mothers of picky eaters reading this, I'll let you in on the secret spell. It goes: Cheesy, cheesy, cheesy POOF! So now our family has a psychic, giant, and wizard.

Happy Nine Months!

I enjoy a babies 9 month birthday even more than the big 1 year. It means that Alex has officially been outside of me as long as he was inside of me! Difference being that everyday of pregnancy dragged by at a snails pace, while time flies now seeing him growing into a little man. Today was Alex's well baby appointment and once again he is perfectly healthy. Best thing about this appointment is that he didn't need any shots. Yay!

At 9 months Alex is:

15 lbs 13 oz - 3rd percentile

27 1/4 in. - 10th percentile

He is going along at the same curve Adam and Tyler did, small but hopefully will eventually catch up. Alex is moving and grooving, babbling and cooing. He still wakes up once or twice a night to feed, but hardly ever cries. We are so blessed to have him in our family.

Things are Looking Up

Last night, like a brave warrior, I went in for my second cub scout den meeting. I was prepared, terrified, and prayerful. The boys did great! I think last week they may have been stretching the limits to see what they could get away with. Last night, however, I came into a room that had already been set up by one of the boys. What a nice surprise. Several of them had actually completed the assignment I sent home, which was awesome! We learned all about Tall Tales and almost all the boys where able to sign off a whole did section. I read a book to them and everyone payed attention. WOO HOOO! They really are good kids.

Feels good to be remembered.

This afternoon the kids and I went to the Medford Library to pick up some books. I am teaching the cub scouts about different Tall Tales tomorrow and needed books. We used to go every single Wednesday for story time but now it interferes with Adam's school schedule. Plus I have a Nook now and check out library E-books online. When I go to get the kid's books it is usually at the Central Point Library. It's been ages since we went to the Medford Library! The sweet children's librarian, Leslie, recognized us immediately and came over to ask how we have been. She said she's missed us and that the boys were getting so big. It made me laugh because we get the same reaction from the employees at Target, Gap, Albertson's and Children's Place. Do I need to stay home more often? Hahaha

Sunday Morning Tradition

Most of the week we eat either cold cereal or oatmeal for breakfast. Mario is usually rushing out the door for work and the boys and I are headed to swimming lessons or preschool. Sunday is the one time that we can sit as a family for breakfast. Adam and Tyler love pancakes, eggs, and bacon or sausage. This morning I made it but most Sundays Mario does. Having 2 o'clock church has it's benefits! I love a nice leisurely morning. And a lovely surprise this morning is that Tyler said prayer. For months we have been asking him to pray and he always says no. We haven't wanted to push it (prayer shouldn't be a punishment) and today he just started copying what Mario was saying without even being asked. He's such a good boy!

We've Been Hit

After months of health our family has finally gotten hit by the bug thats been going around. Tyler is coughing with a bad runny nose and a MAJOR case of the fussies. It doesn't help that I accidentally hit him in the head with the knob on our pantry yesterday. He has a huge black and blue goose egg on his temple. Poor kid!

I have had a headache for a little over a month now. I've been to the doctor's office twice and to the chiropractor a few times. Nothing is helping! I'm nursing Alex still so there is only so much I can do medicine wise. I've quit Diet Coke and haven't had any for weeks now. I thought that might help but it hasn't. Now I have a flu-ish killer headache as well as a cough, sore throat, and runny nose. Yuck! I also had an ultrasound yesterday on my thyroid but I'm pretty sure everything will turn out fine with that.

Mario just woke up this morning with a sore throat.....Not him, too!!! This sounds really complainy so I'm sorry! I'm sure we will feel better in no time.

From Noon to Two

Everyday for a couple hours Adam goes to Kindergarten. This gives me a chance to spend some quality time with Tyler and Alex. Sometimes we run errands, on nice days we go to the park, but most days we come home and play. Tyler and Alex are only 23 months apart. I hope they will continue to be such great buddies forever.

Love from Tia Ginita

I'm a little late posting this, but Ginita sent the boys the sweetest little Valentine's package last month. We have missed her so much since she left for college in Idaho. The boys were excited to know that she still thinks about them. Thanks Ginita!

Dinosaur Preschool

Today was my turn to teach preschool. We learned all about Dinosaurs! Adam had the day off school so he joined us. We had a blast!


Making "fossils" with plastic dinosaurs and play dough.


The kids ate like dinosaurs: Dino-nuggets (meat eaters), apples (plant eaters), goldfish (fish eaters).


They also colored pictures of big dinosaurs.


Alex liked to admire our "volcano". It was super cute and easy. I used a soy sauce bottle and put green play dough all around it so it looked like a mountain. Add some dinosaurs at the base and make them extinct with baking soda and vinegar. It was a hit!

I got a blow up dinosaur at the dollar store and some green Easter eggs. I filled the eggs with dinosaur shaped candy and hid them around the room. The kids had to help Momma Dino find her babies. It was really fun and the kids couldn't believe that dinosaurs laid eggs like chickens.

We also read a dinosaur book called "Brontorina" which is about a brontosaurus that wants to be a ballerina but she's too big. After the story I took the kids outside and unwound a 70ft piece of rope so they could see how long brontosauruses where. We have more Dino-fun planned for Friday. I can't wait!

Eternal Perspective

Sometimes having an eternal perspective makes all the difference. I've had to learn this lesson many many times, most recently this week. A sweet little girl from church passed away on Monday. She would have been 2 next month. My heart aches for her parents, Anna and Morgan, who have been in my prayers all week. I can't stop thinking about how I had seen her only hours before at church. She was all smiles and sharing toys with Alex on the floor during Relief Society. The funeral was yesterday and I was surprised to find that I didn't shed a tear. I had bawled when I heard the news, but during the funeral I felt a peace. Her father told us of Kaiya's strength despite her health problems, which had hindered her gross motor development. The other speakers bore witness of Christ; that through Him we will be reunited with our bodies. I know that Kaiya is now with a loving Father in Heaven. I am so thankful for that knowledge. It is a comfort to know that there is a purpose for us to be here on earth and that when our life is over our spirits continue on.

According to Adam:

Pigs are disgusting when they are alive but fantastic looking when they are dead.

With $100 he could buy a race car, so could I please give him $100 instead of paying for swimming lessons and soccer.

The new girl in his class is a very good and polite little kid since she raises her hand and sits criss-cross-applesauce during carpet time.

Spoons can be weights when exercising.

(Five is such a fun age!)

30 Day Shred

Today was day 1 for me of the 30 Day Shred. It is a workout video by Jillian Micheals. I think she is from "The Biggest Loser". It was pretty intense for a workout video! My goal is to lose 10 pounds in 30 days. Possible? I hope so! I have a group on Facebook that I am marking my progress with. I am already getting sore from the workout today which is a total bummer since I went to the chiropractor this morning and got super painful yet productive massage and adjustment. He did some crazy thing to my neck and relieved tons of pressure. It was fabulous. I hope this doesn't ruin the progress in my neck.

Conundrums

Open eyes with dancing children or closed eyes with still children? Why is it so hard to coordinate five people to take a good picture at the same time? Oh well, it still melts my heart.

Mario Brothers

Mario's brother, Mario, and his girlfriend came to church with us on Sunday. People kept doing double takes when they saw Mario Wilson. I think rumors were going around that Mario Francisco (my Mario) had lost a little weight. Don't they look so much alike? They are about as different as two people can be but will always be the Mario Brothers.