Spiderman Fisherman

We are crazy busy. The beginnings of each week always are. So thankful for warmer weather and the time change. Got home from work last night around 7:00 p.m. and had a chance to watch Jimmy and Ryan fishing. Jim bought Ryan a Spiderman fishing pole when we visited Cabellas a few weeks ago. Ryan has a rubber worm attached and can really cast it out and fish on his own. The pole is very nice...not just a plastic kids pole. It will be a hoot when Ryan finally gets one on. Jim caught a big, nasty pike. Ryan says it was a scary fish. I concur. It makes me kinda scared to swim;) Ryan says he has to practice up because soon he is going fishing with Papa Ralph and Papa T. That should be cute.

Tyler had fun throwing weeds in the water and walking the stairs. It took me about 20 minutes to convince him to go inside. Promised him a bubble bath in the kitchen sink. Needless to say, Ryan heard the word and came inside too. Ryan loves to bathe in the kitchen. He bareley fits and it stresses daddy out b/c water gets everywhere. I'm ok with it though...it's about the only time the floor gets mopped.

18 Month Check Up...A little late.

Didn't know I was neglecting my little guy until I got a letter in the mail saying Oops, you missed your check up! Jimmy is taking Tyler to the doc today. Ryan can't decide if he wants to join them or wait for mommy so we can sneak off to some stores after school.

Ryan ended up helping Tyler through the photoshoot by sitting in on some shots. Tyler wanted to do everything that Ryan was doing and wouldn't agree to a picture at first without big brother.

The boys played outside again yesterday and it really helps our evenings to go more smoothly.

We're talking with Ryan alot about the value of just being a nice person. Been using some examples of how it feels when friends at school aren't so nice and relating that to how Tyler and other friends must feel when Ryan is not-so-nice. Talking about how good it feels to cooperate and help to make others feel good. That makes me so proud, that makes you feel so proud. That makes Jesus so proud. I love the genuine smiles that these conversations promote.

Looking forward to the weekend. I really want to watch Twilight. We're going to be looking after my mom who is becoming more mobile little by little. Looking forward to a birthday party and hopefully some art projects. (A big shout out to my little lady Hailee who has been honored with accolades for her artistic ability. She's going to be featured in the Ann Arbor News soon. All I can say is "Wow!" Great job Hailee.)

Have a great weekend.

Tuning In...Planning On...

Taking a moment to tune in...

The weeks just fly by. Mondays thru Wednesday's in our household are a blurr. I have some cool pictures to post soon of our Easter Egg Hunt at Great Grandma Ladd's house. The kids had a ball! Spent some QT with cousin Jakob and Uncle Rick.

My mom had a procedure performed to help her with her back problems and will be laid up for a few days/weeks. We wore her out yesterday with 3 screaming cousins jumping on the bed. The one that fell down and bumped his head was, of course, mine;) So thankful to my brother Rick who took good care of her the last 2 days while continuing to play super dad on little rest after a 12 hour shift. thanks rick.

Planning to stop by tonight to make sure she is ok and fix her dinner. Last night she got gourmet La Campbells Chicken Noodle in a clear glass mug.

Planning to have a conversation with my hubby about important stuff like, "How has your week been?", since our paths have hardly crossed since Sunday :)

Planning to splurge on some fun scrap related stuff since we got a little extra on the tax return.

Planning to refinance soon, just to save some bucks.

Looking forward to Easter Break.

Hoping my Amazon Book Order is delivered today...I need a good read.

Wanting to remember some ahh haa moments by Ryan...

While visiting Great Grandma Hawkins...
Ryan: We play video games.
GG: Oh yeah?
Ryan: Yeah! But I can't play WII because it makes me too mean.
(ahh haaa)

On the drive home one day...
Ryan: Mommy, my name is R-Y-A-N. Hey, that's 4 letters...and I'm 4 years old. That equals 8!
Mommy: Wow, Ryan. 4+4 does equal 8. Good job, Buddy.

I've got more to remember but have to run. Have a good day.

Yes, The Ladd Boys are Dressed in Green & White

Daddy had a little photo shoot with the boys on our beautiful St. Patty's Day. Mom was at work and the boys played outside. They really enjoyed the sidewalk chalk. (hey...this is a shoutout to my MSU girls who always give me grief over our love of Blue & Maize...See....tyler is wearing baby Sparty!)

Ryan totally has his eyes closed b/c he's tired of the pictures! Tyler is setting up his chalk like bowling pins, as if we haven't played enough bowling this long, long, winter.
Okay, Ryan has had enough! He resorted to throwing the chalk at the camera and daddy caught it on film.

Couldn't help but add this picture from Avery's Birthday party this weekend. These guys are really becoming buddies.

We're ready for a great weekend. We get our taxes done on Saturday and we're trying to figure out how to stimulate the economy with some splurges. Oh...I guess it is already accounted for. We've needed a new roof for 2 years. Better get it done.

We've had a 'lil luck. (But Don't Cross Both Fingers)

Still haven't had a chance to upload pictures. But didn't want my fans to give up on me;) Sometimes I shy away from the blog b/c I don't have something exciting and wonderful to tell. Have to keep reminding myself not to miss out on daily observations as they are most likely the most wonderful true memories.

Jim and I have had a string of very frustrating days. 'Fraid we have a couple of very stubborn boys. Still working on poopy training. One step forward, three steps back. Still working on sharing, caring, and getting along as a growing, changing, family. Saw some real sweetness out the brothers the last few days and I'm choked up thinking about it because Jim and I really thought Ryan was ready to trade us in for another family. I don't know what was happening with him...he was just refusing to have fun... and believe me, there were plenty of games, fun, and play going on.

I said I wanted to talk about the movie Fireproof. Though it is a movie based on marriage, there was a part of the movie where the husband was screaming at the wife and it really made me think about the hollering in our house (between Ryan and me) during a few rough patches with misbehavior. Usually, we try to be very rational and talk through the problems but I'm thinking of 1 incident inparticular when the frustration level had peaked and I screamed at Ryan like I never had before. Ironically, it was like and ahh haa moment for Ryan. He didn't act traumatized, he didn't cry emphatically, he soldiered on...but mommy carried it on silently questioning whether I was the worst mommy in the world, or not. (I know that I'm not...I've heard of a few worse ones:) I do know that I don't want that to become the norm at our house.

Okay, so long story short. We've had a couple of really good pooping sessions in the toilet. Yeah, Ryan. We've also witnessed Ryan soothing his brothers bumpy head from falling on the rocks, and I rejoiced when Ryan asked to sit next his brother on the couch this morning while they ate waffles and when it was time to go, Ryan turned to Tyler and said, "Can I sit next to you tomorrow morning too, Ty Ty?" I'm living in this moment today.

Bubbles & Towers& Games...Oh My!

We pulled out some favorite games from the storage vault. Tyler and Ryan have been Tower making machines! The best part of building a tall tower of blocks is smashing it down and doing a happy dance.

Found a fresh stash of bubbles in the cabinet too! The battery operated bubble blower has been working overtime during our outdoor play sessions. Meanwhile, a little bubble action indoors can be fun too. How many bubbles can you clap, clap? Trust me, they can clap so many bubbles, it will make your cheeks freeze in a permanant blow fish face :)

We had a day of fun with family last week and the boys are really starting to get the sharing thing. (Well...kinda.) Whose turn is it anyway? Tyler and cousin Jakob dare each other to make a move.

I'm always about a week behind the action on updating my blog these days. I never quite get those pictures updated. It seems as if this busy life just continuously gets busier. I really want to share some thoughts on the movie "Fireproof" soon. And I'm hoping I have some fun pictures to share about Avery's Bday party which turned into a really fun basketball tournament for the big kids.

Take Care for now.

Splash Universe!

Our trip to the waterpark was a splash! Waterslides, pools, sprinklers, winding rivers, arcades, good eats...what more could you want? We started the day at Cabellas and the boys LoVeD the animals and fish. The aquarium was really cool and we stood there for a good 45 minutes while daddy looked for fishing gear. (He's totally psyched to do some fishing after 5 years of lake living.) Ryan bought a spiderman fishing pole and he's ready to round up some gils.

Ryan rode the big dark tunnel slide with daddy and was a little spooked but gave it another couple of runs before the video games called out to him. Tyler really enjoyed the Toddler slides and only drank about half of the pool :) He also enjoyed counting to 3 and plopping down on his squishy, swim diaper round bottom. We traveled around the lazy river on inner tubes until I was a little seasick. Fun times. I don't know if it was the warm muggy air or the extra exercise, but Tyler sure did become cuddly.

Oh, did I remember to tell you the best part of all? FREE POPCORN!! Yes, the buttery delights were continuously popping in the lobby and we had plenty! The boys were so good, we even enjoyed a great meal at Applebee's with very cooperative sweeties. Yeah.

Nineteen Minutes

I love to read. It helps me to relax and provokes thoughts about things that I may just otherwise be ignoring while caught up in my own little world. I just finished reading Jodi Picoult's Nineteen Minutes and am still having a hard time swallowing back the tears...and fear.


Here is a quote from the book that I will revisit often...


"Hold onto the past as if it was something to be treasured, instead of combing it for clues of failure."


As a perfectionist and control freak who has high expectations of herself, her family, and of the human race, I am trying to embrace this concept in hopes that allowing for imperfection in my everyday that I can release some of the burdens that hold me back from true happiness.


This book has some bright spots, and I am glad to have read it, but it really has me wondering more than ever if we can ever do enough as parents to ensure that we have well adjusted children. There's a fine line between love and tough love and I am really struggling to find balance.

happy birthday avery #1

We couldn't be with Avery on her first birthday so we decided to sing and eat cake on her behalf. Happy Birthday Avery. We'll celebrate again on Saturday.

Little Photographer Good Enough for Facebook

So funny. Here's another photograph a la Ryan. I think it is hilarious and it reminds me of pictures found on facebook. We keep letting him try his hand at photography because it may just be the only way for Jim and I to get a picture together.

Speaking of Facebook. I am having alot of fun catching up with friends and using the resource to find a little bit of myself again. I love having this blog to talk about my family and to just remember. Facebook is just a quick way to chat with the gals and guys...so if you want to chat, I'll see you at FB.

Ode to the pop, pop, pocorn maker

My family loves popcorn. The buttery aroma and popping sound is frequently heard at our 7:00 snack time. Recently, I've been getting out the hot air popper and the boys love to witness the event.

Although it is enjoyable seeing the look of anticipation in their eyes, the whole process leaves me a little uptight. Such a seemingly simple activity leaves my boys witihin harms way...observe this daring and dangerous event as they are standing on a chair on wheels to get a great view of a steaming hot machine purchased for $5 and emits scorching heat. Within minutes, the machine is untouchable without protective gear. Meanwhile, see that spacious opening pointing toward the bowl? It is just wide enough to send lava-hot kernals in every direction and tempting little hands to pick up these little bouncy balls. And before you know it, their mouths are watering for the scrumtiously delicious (bone dry and unsalted) popcorn fluffs. No worries there...they cool off fast enough...Oh no, is someone choking on a hull?

Sometimes I wonder if we should stick to less risky activities like jumping off a cliff:) But I know the popcorn bowl will be back tomorrow b/c it is the one thing that the boys like to share!