Out-of-Our-Control Situations (Always Work Out in the End)

                              My little Thor and Captain America!

Our lives continue to be far from boring!  I honestly think this has made us appreciate all we have, though. Last week was stressful because of vehicle issues. I have learned we take our vehicles for granted. When one breaks to the point that its not worth fixing and you are stuck without a car while working on getting another vehicle--its not fun.  LOL   It all worked out, though--just like it always does.  We are now the proud owners of a mini van.  The boys love it.  I love it too.  There is so much room, you sit up higher than other vehicles, and it is just super nice.  We are all really happy with it. We were given an unbelievable deal on it and we feel its nicer than the vehicle we had.  We are also excited to have something with more space since baby #3 will arrive in a few months.

We called a company to come haul our old, dead car away.  We took Alex to a doctor's appointment yesterday and came home to find the car gone. A friend of mine was watching Logan and when we got home after picking him up Logan noticed the car was gone.  He said, "Carly is gone!" and started crying. He said, "I will miss Carly."  He cried for about 20 seconds and then moved on to something else.  LOL  It was a bit sad to come home and find the car gone.  We have this cool, spacious mini van now though--so it all worked out.

While at Alex's appointment yesterday we learned that he will need two surgeries within the next year.  One on his left shoulder and one on his right forearm. Jacob and I knew this news would come some day, but we thought Alex would be older.  We expected to go in yesterday and be told, once again, "we'll see you in 6 months." We trust the doctor and know he is doing what is in Alex's best interest to help with his growth, etc. We go back in three weeks and will schedule surgery at that time.

The drive home was a quiet one.  We all sat looking out the window--no one saying anything.  Finally, Jacob said, "It could be worse, I guess.  At least its not life threatening."  He is right. Surgeries are not something you want your children--especially small children--to go through, but Alex isn't sick--he is a healthy, happy 6-year-old boy.  For that, we are VERY thankful. Alex never complains--he is such an awesome kid.  We have always referred to him as "our trooper" because that is what he is.

Life is full of crazy things--things that are out of our control.  The Astleys are learning to find the positive in all of these "out-of-our-control" situations. And you know what . . . things always work out in the end!

Lovey Boys

Last night Jacob and I were watching TV in the living room before bed.  We heard pitter-patter down the hall and Logan appeared holding a Magnadoodle.  He smiled and said, "I drew an elephant eating peanuts for you guys."  He showed it to Jacob and then to me.  He set the Magnadoodle down beside me and said, "I'm going to leave it right here by you, mom, so you guys can look at it."  We hugged him and told him how good his elehpant was, thanked him for drawing it, and then sent him back to bed. 

A little while later Alex came out.  He said nothing. He just walked over to where I was on the couch, leaned down, and hugged me.  He stayed there for a long time.  When he pulled away from me I said, "Did you need something?"  He said, "No, I just wanted to hug you.  I love you, mom."  He told us good night and went back to bed.

The boys are getting so big--Alex especially.  They aren't as lovey as they were when they were little and that makes these little moments so much more special when they want to love on me.  I have two happy, healthy little boys who make me feel special and brighten my day--each and every day. 

Me? Crazy? Well . . . I AM Pregnant . . .

We have baby on the brain in the Astley house.  We are trying to get everything ready for her arrival in November.  We have four months, which seems like a long time, but it will be here before we know it.  In addition to all the baby craziness we have two little boys occupying our time, we are thinking about back-to-school shopping, and Jacob's job is keeping him busy.  As if this weren't enough, Jacob gets to come home to a pregnant woman--a pregnant woman in an 80 degree house (which is better than the 103-111 it has been outside). I understand why people write books about pregnant women and make them out to be crazy.  I will be the first to admit that I have moments where I am--yes, here it comes--crazy. I find myself thinking about the reactions I have to things and I have to laugh (at myself, of course).  One minute I'm freaking out because the baby's room is irritating me.  Yes, the baby's room.  I have all these plans in my head for how I want it, but there are times when I go in there and my stress level just automatically rises.  I look at it and feel grumpy because I think its going to be too crowded.  I start stomping around being grumpy and complaining.  Jacob listens and nods his head, knowing that anything he says can and WILL be used against him by this crazy woman he calls his wife. Two hours later I'm feeling less grumpy and thinking the baby room might (just maybe) work after all.

I have a doctor telling me I have gained too much weight (this happened while I was pregnant with Logan, as well) and I look in the mirror and hate what I see. Jacob keeps telling me, "You're pregnant!"  Well, I know that, but here is the thing--there are women out there who get pregnant and hardly gain an ounce.  They stay the same and only their bellies grow.  I look at these women through narrow (and annoyed) eyes and have to talk myself out of sticking my tongue out at them. Or, even holding them down and forcing them to eat a gallon of ice cream. I'm sure most pregnant women would tell you that temporary insanity is a common side effect of pregnancy.  Really. It is. I swear. I gave up my ice cream a couple of months ago and was STILL told I'm gaining too much weight. I may stick my tongue out at my doctor, too . . .

The reality is that we are excited about adding a little girl to our family. I feel her move--all the while smashing my bladder. The boys have come around and are now looking forward to having a baby sister.  They kiss my belly, rub it, and tell me they love "baby."  It is very sweet.  Logan tells me every day that I "look bee-oo-tiful."  That isn't what I see when I look in the mirror, but its nice to have those little boys to remind me that some things are more important than the things we get hung up on. Yes, I have gained weight, but once I have the baby I can focus on getting back down to my "normal" weight. Yes, the baby's room tends to stress me out, but in all honesty, it WILL come together and the truth is that the baby isn't going to care what the room looks like.  We can always change it as we go if we need to.

I'm sure I'll need to be reminded of all these things at some point when insanity strikes me again.  Until then . . .

Sugar Cookie Craziness!

The boys have been out of school for summer for a few weeks now (I've already lost count).  We have tried to keep them busy with different activities--one thing they have been asking to do for the past couple of weeks is make cookies. We finally got around to it this week.  My brother and his wife gave the boys a huge box of 100 different cookie cutters for Christmas a couple of years ago.  Every time we make cookies I tell them to each pick three cutters.  I still don't think we have used all 100.   They picked their cutters and we made cookies--there was flour everywhere!  Once they cooled the boys iced them and smothered them in a blanket of sprinkles.  It was a lot of fun. When they finished decorating  I told them they could each pick one cookie to eat--I, of course, was forced to eat one cookie that EACH of them had made. 

Here's to more fun summer activities with my sweet boys!

Animal Adventures

I'm not sure if anyone is still reading these blogs, but if you are I guess this one's for you!  LOL!

Jacob was on vacation last week.  We spent it running all over the place, trying to do fun things with the boys, and getting a few things done in the yard.  On Friday we set out for the zoo.  I quickly learned that I don't have the energy I did before I was pregnant, so we only lasted a couple of hours before I thought I was going to collapse.  The boys had a blast though.  We have taken them to the zoo many times before but for some reason they really seemed more "into it" this time.  Alex was interested in every little (and big) animal we came across.  It was fun just watching their reactions.  We were able to see the baby elephant, which the boys have been asking to see for weeks.  We also saw a baby chimp swinging and playing. We had a blast and got some great pictures so I thought I'd take a few minutes and share them with you!

The boys playing for a while before we headed off to see the animals!

Jacob was wearing his red Texas Rangers shirt so the boys wanted to wear theirs.  Logan's is exactly like Jacob's--which was cute!

The boys and me.  They're getting SO BIG!

Baby elephant!

Brothers--they like each other just a little bit.

Baby chimp playing--the boys really enjoyed watching it swing and climb all over the place.

This will more than likely be our last trip to the zoo before the baby is born.  I'm sure we will have other adventures in the near future--with two little boys how can you not??  I'll share those with you as soon as they happen!  Until then . . .

Fun Finds

The warmer weather has been a very welcome sight here.  We have grilled a few times, which is something we always enjoy, and we have planted flowers and vegetables.  We enjoy being outdoors and with school coming to an end the mother in me has started thinking about snacks and lunches for the boys while they are home with me.  One snack that I enjoy as much as the boys is Super Heroes Popsicles.  (Plus, I can eat two of these a day instead of the ice cream I was guzzling each day--LOL). 

Last summer the boys asked for these every time we went to the store.  Some one had given us a box of the "cheap" popsicles in plastic and I told the boys I wouldn't buy these until they finished the other ones. Needless to say, they never finished them.  The idea of popsicles was fun, but they weren't too excited about the cheap ones!

I was shopping this week while the boys were at school (which allows me time to think and decide what I want/need).  The boys have been asking for popsicles and I saw these in the freezer.  I noticed they are made with fruit juice (unlike the cheap-o ones) and they contain vitamin C.  SOLD!  They taste so much better than the cheap popsicles in plastic and the boys love them.  I like that they are actually GOOD For my boys.  We will go through these pretty quickly but they will be something that is consistently stocked in our freezer this summer.

Oh, I want to mention one other thing, too--for me, not the boys.

When I was a little girl my parents, grandparents, and of course, my brother and I went camping during the summer. We would go several times throughout the summer.  My dad had a boat and it was always a blast--its something I miss some days.   My mother would take us to the candy store before we left on our trip and we would pick out a TON of candy and snacks.  We loved it!  Pixie Stix, Twizzlers, Gum, Sodas, candy bars, and my mom always got a big bag of Jolly Ranchers.  I loved these things.  Well, I was at the store this morning and saw these big bags of Jolly Ranchers and the pregnant woman in me could not resist!  The candies are actually too big for the boys but I will probably go through this bag pretty quickly.  Ha.

These are my fun finds this week.  HA. 

Now, I'm off to make a Spinach Frittata for dinner.  What are YOU having for dinner?

End of School Craziness

The boys have two more weeks of school left.  We have the book fair this week, Alex's Kindergarten Promotion next week, and a ton of other events and activities in between.  We have been staying busy for the most part and the boys are excited to know that summer is right around the corner. 

Last week Alex missed Thursday and Friday of school because he had (are you ready?) pink eye (gasp!).  I took him to the doctor and got some eye drops and ointment to put in it--he's good as new now.  Our allergies and sinuses have been crazy lately, as well.  I feel like every time I go to the store I have to buy more tissues and allergy medication. 

They redid our street last week and I am happy to report that they finished it today.  They would block the driveway and I would have to ask them to move so I could take the boys to school or pick them up.  My two boys would watch as they worked with cigarettes hanging out of their mouths and cuss in casual conversation as they shoveled black top down the street.  I can honestly say that even though the boys liked the trucks and "mighty machines" as Logan calls them, I am not sad to see them go!

So, here are some pictures of the boys from the last week or so.

  Pink Eye the Pirate!!  Aaaarrrggg!!  Alex had just brushed his teeth for bed.  He has ointment in his eyes (which look MUCH better by this point) for pink eye and he put the bandana from his pirate costume on and asked if he could sleep in it.  I started laughing and said, "You're Pink Eye the Pirate."  Logan laughed and said, "You'll scare the other pirates away with your yucky eye."  They both started laughing.  Aww, boys . . .

Jacob and I got a King Sized bed a couple of weeks ago.  We really like it.  Logan has started coming in and crawling in bed with us.  During the week I walk him back to his bed and tuck him in, but on the weekend we will let him crawl in bed with us.  Here he is one morning asleep in our bed.