Joey and Ray

One Month Left

2012-01-26T20:28:00.006-05:00

That's right folks. She will be here in a month and her closet looks like this... an absolute wreck. I'm still working on her room with any energy I can mustard up during the boys' naps, however, I'm very happy with the painting. So much of her room has been passed down from family. The flowers are from my wedding, vintage lamps from my Great Aunt Aileen, 3 foot daisies from college friends, my old bedroom furniture set, Ray Ray's portacrib, curtains from the previous home owners, and chairs from Grandma. The room is filled with a lucky blue bird, gerber daisies (my fave), lady bugs (which have followed me my entire life, and butterflies that my mother has been obsessed with and is about to buy a 100+ filled displayed of butterflies from around the world. There is a lot of meaning in this room and I feel so much peace and love from the women in my family when I sit in here.

Her name will be Louisa LaVon, and we plan on calling her Louie. We wanted a Louie boy or girl, and my dad's mom's name happens to be Louise and my mom's mom's name is LaVon, which I also happen to be Leah LaVon. From the 4-D ultrasound, I already see some resemblence, but I can't wait to see this sweet baby girl's face in the next month. Oh, you may be able to see the cloudy wording at the top of the room. It says "Once upon a time there was a beautiful little girl named Louisa LaVon..."

I had my 34+ week check up today. My blood pressure finally went down and my labs finally came back normal. At my last appointment, I was showing beginning stages of preeclampsia, so we have been worried I was going to be put on bedrest. With a lot of prayers, I think I have snuck by a few more weeks. Now I'm praying for a healthy delivery, healthy baby and trying to avoid Ray's birthday, Feb. 27 and leap year.... did you know the BMV doesn't even recognize a leap year birthday?? Ridiculous!

The Fam Update

2012-01-18T20:26:00.004-05:00

Me: I'm 33 weeks pregnant, 30 lbs heavier, preeclamptic and miserable. I started swelling last week and I'm so tired I can barely function. Joey and Ray keep me hoppin' but I try to get as much down time as possible. The baby's room is done and pictures will be posted at the next posting, along with the announcement of her name. I'm still working 2 days a week and I can't wait to clean out my closet and get rid of all of my maternity clothes. I continue to pray for a healthy baby and smooth transition with the family. Most importantly I can't wait to get to the hosptial- 2 nights of perfect sleep and the food is amazing!!

Big Joey: Well, he's had a lot going on. His team recently resigned from Bank of America and are now working for Morgan Stanley Smith Barney about 10 floors down in the Chase tower. His father, his father's best friend and Joey make up the only 401K team for Morgan Stanley in Indiana and are pumped for the service Morgan Stanley has to offer their clients. As scary as it is to be switching jobs right now, Joey feels really good about the transition and his clients are excited too! Joey has been my angel this pregnancy- he is definitely Dad of the Year! He lets me sleep in every day and takes all of the work off of my shoulders at night, including the toilets and mopping. He is amazing and I'm soooo lucky!!

Little Joey: LJ has turned into a big boy over night. He finally transitioned into a big boy bed and hasn't missed a beat. He loves school and the teacher says he is a joy to have in class. Most of his day consists of playing with trains, acting like Buzz Light Year, painting or playing on the 6 foot basketball goal in our garage. He doesn't stop talking about the baby and shows every person that walks through the door the new baby's room.

Ray Ray: Oh goodness, Ray Ray!! He has thrown me through the hoopty this past month. He is stubborn, crazy and into everything. He can be sweet, but usually chooses to make me play the guessing game for anything he wants. He still never gets up at night so I do feel blessed. We finally took him off the bottle, but still hasn't had milk in a sippy cup. His diet consists of cereal and cereal bars. He is the Junk Food King! He will be 2 next month and we are having a Yo Gabba Gabba party after hosting an all family CPR class. I pray he starts to have a better diet and doesn't gouge the baby's eyes out.

I have a few weeks to get everything in order for the baby and I'm trying to get my 2010-2011 scrapbook done. Every weekend is crazy and we count down the days for the Super Bowl to be here! I thank the Good Lord every day for our health and safety, and I can't wait to share this little baby girl with you all!

Christmas in Rewind

2011-12-30T11:23:00.028-05:00

The magic of Christmas is back in full swing over here. We usually rock out to Christmas songs in the morning. Some of our favorites are Justin Beiber's Drummer Boy, obviously Mariah Carey, Ray Charles Rudulph the Red Nosed Reindeer, and anything Wiggles.
Ray Ray has either entered into the Terrible Two Phase or he's cutting his last molars. He has been nuts!! Our little laid back baby has turned into a stubborn, high maintenance mess! However, he still is a joy and will probably take the "class clown" roll while Joey stays more introverted.

Joey isn't an introvert at home though. We enjoyed most of the common Christmas festivities-- cookie making, Christmas lights, Polar Express train ride, 7 Santa visits, snowman making, Live Nativity scene searching, Elf on the Shelf, wrapping presents, ornament making, Eiteljorg's Jingle Rails and reading every Christmas book we could get our hands on. We fell in love with Mother Mary, Father Joseph and Baby Jesus this year and insisted on telling everyone we met them at the Live Nativity Scene.

Joey continues to dance on tables while my back is turned. He claims he is Buddy the Elf from the movie, Elf. Awesome.

We made a ton of cookies, but only ate the icing.

We went to a million Christmas parties and sported Uncle Bo Bo's shirts that he wore as a little boy! Super comfy.

We went black and white on Christmas morning. I have a picture wall where all of my pics are black and white. It has been impossible for me to get to Sam's club to convert pics so I went ahead and went black and white on the Rebel.

After both kids refused to go to bed until 3 hours passed their bedtime, they woke at at 7am to a ginourmous train table Santa brought them. The plan was to put it in basement, but at 12:30am I gave up on trying to figure out how it'll fit downstairs and it is taking up my dining room (but only until I resell it back on Craiglists in a few years). The boys love it and it's big enough to have a few friends over and nobody fights over tracks or trains. How wonderful!

This was me attempting to get a cousin pic. Unsatisfactory.

We ate Santa's leftovers. Ray can sniff sugar a mile away.

We made sure Santa didn't leave any milk.

We (minus me) drank lots of wine with Aunt KT, Aunt Sherry and fam from the new decanter.

We drank our last bottle!! Woot woot!

We got lots of new clothes from Nannie and loved trying them all one with Sloanie!

We played Doctor with Sydney.

We played McDonalds with Sloanie and she was the mad customer that had to come back through the drive thru because her order was wrong. Wonder where she got that from.

We played kitchen.

And puppet show.

And basektball at the Matis indoor court.

And attempted a snowman, and bawled when we woke up the next day and he was melted.

Oh, and finally a picture. 30 weeks. BLUH!

Merry Christmas loves. I think this was my first year of being absolutely exhausted and drained after Christmas day. It's almost depressing when it ends. The entire month of December was a blast and there was so much to do. Now, it's January... bluh. There's a lot to do around here before the babe comes. I'll be sure to post pics of her room soon. Meanwhile, I'll continue to thank the Good Lord for a wonderful 2011. God is Good.

Easy Vacation?

2011-12-18T13:43:00.015-05:00

Yes!! For the first time, our vacation was pretty easy! I felt we went to Florida at the most perfect time this year. 78 degrees and sunny every day- not a cloud in the sky! The kids couldn't wait to get out to the beach every morning and only got into one spout about who got to carry the big yellow shovel. We stayed at my parents' condo in Fort Myers and since they have 2 cars down there, we had a car of our own. With the beach, pool, car and crib rentals, we were right at home. I could have stayed the entire winter, but of course we needed to get back for Christmas.

The Fort Myers Dog Track

We all swam in the ocean together for the first time, and we saw a huge shark!

I can't wait to go back.

Too busy and too tired.

2011-12-07T13:09:00.016-05:00

We had our annual cooking making party with the kiddos last week.

Below is a pic of our Paci Patrol. I know, nice work with that pink paci Mom. Blame it on Big Joey-- he claimed that's all they had at the store. I think he secretly likes the boys to sport pink.

It's hard to believe the big kids are almost 4. I met Emmie and Sadie when they were both 11 weeks pregnant with them, and I don't think a day has gone by without talking to one of them. Amazing, amazing friends! And the best part about it is they both live a few football fields away.

The cookie party usually starts out how my kids like it- clean, orderly, and organized. That doesn't last long and then my kids watch and stare at the messy ones go at it. The boys stand out a little at these parties- they prefer me to wipe their hands instead of licking and prefer their pants not to get dirty. I think the Taylor OCD gene has officially been passed to them both.

This was just the beginning. It got nuts! Flour all over the beautiful microsuede sofa, in our hair, in our pants, on the cloth chairs and in the cracks of EVERYTHING!

Can't you tell Joey looks disturbed?

My kids prefer the white icing. The colors stain. Normal right? They each had one cookie. I think I had 7. Oh, and did I mention I just found out I failed my glucose test? Not smart, Mama! Luckily I think my OB has a soft spot in his heart for me and isn't making me go through anymore testing. After this party, I offically have to watch my sweets.

Baby Bar Bar looves this party.

Have you ever heard how when your kids are toward their 1/2 birthday they are angels and when they are closer their the whole birthday they are demons. Well, this is sooo true right now. Ray Ray has been a joke... until now. He is indecisive, won't eat, stubborn, and hitting. Where did my super laid back easy child go? However, I really shouldn't complain... this kid doesn't wake up in the night and usually sleeps a solid 12 hours in a pack n play without being rocked. Yes, I just said pack n play. We are in trouble. LJ is still loving his crib and we have a 3rd baby coming in March. Joey, on the other hand, has been an absolute angel. His manners are impeccable and his conversations could melt your heart. When leaving anywhere, he thanks people for having him and asks politely if he can come back soon. He is starting to really grasp the big brother role and protecting Ray Ray is his priority.

Joey's best friend is his cousin, Sloane. The problem is we only see her once a week and she lives about 40 minutes away. I don't think these 2 have ever fought and play together unbelievably well. They are the perfect combo and it breaks my heart they won't grow up closer.

Christmas, Christmas, Christmas. We dream, breathe and sing Christmas all day every day. Joey knows most of the Christmas songs and we don't pass a manger without him screaming about how much he loves Baby Jesus! He asks me to sing him "heavenly peace" before bed and asks Big Joey to sing him "Feliz Lalida." We've seen Santa 6 times already and Christmas crafts are a daily occurence.

Joey has never done the "muscle man" face before this picture. Quite strange, but cute.

We went to Florida last week and the kids were amazing. We had a blast and I can't wait to post pics. Meanwhile, I have will be trying to get some rest. I am 28 weeks, exhausted and large. Baby girl seems to be doing well and moving all the time. We are almost done with her room and excited to see how the boys take to her.

Life is good. God is good. This has been an awesome year.

No More Zofran

2011-11-19T21:47:00.003-05:00

Finally at 25 weeks, I'm done with Zofran. I asked my husband to sum up this pregnancy in one word and he said "debilitating." It's been exhausting around here trying to get through every day; however, why is it that watching what some of my friends and family are going through make me count my blessings every day??

Over the last few weeks I've watched a few very close friends go through terrible things that no mother should ever have to go through. What has struck me the hardest is watching how God has shined through them through all of this. I think back to some of the hardest situations I was in as a mother, like when LJ was lifelined to Riley hospital, and I can't remember if I truly threw my hands up and gave it all to the Lord. I hope I did, but I just remembered feeling like I was living a nightmare. I do, however, remember feeling the power of prayer. I felt it twice, and WOW! While at Riley, I remember asking my friend, Emmalee, to get under my screenname on facebook and ask for people to pray and within minutes I felt it. This happened twice. this week as I exchange texts and convos with some of my friends who are experiencing such difficult situations I know by simply saying "I'll pray" means something. I admire these friends so much, and from them I have truly learned the concept of how God chooses our path.

Before Thanksgiving dinner, our family will hold hands and go around saying what we are thankful for this year. Every year I seem to have a more meaningful answer. In 2006, I was thankful for Greenwood Little League because it brought Joey and I together. This year I'm thankful I can honestly say I'm comfortable with God choosing my path. Being the control freak I am, this is hard to do. Bottom line is God is Good.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Couldn't help it....

2011-10-29T16:38:00.006-04:00

I had to post some of the family pics. It was such a fun day at my Mom's house. My Mom's Christmas present to herself is for everyone to get together for family pictures. The process though is extensive. We have been working on outfits for several months. We have been given pamphlets of instructions with what we should do if perhaps there is a rain out. We tried on outfits months in advance. And yes, we had a make up lady and puppets for the assistants to get the kids attention. I think it was a success and I love all of the effort my Mom goes to doing this for us. The pictures continue to be priceless. (The following pics are the ones I had the make up lady capture from my camera.)

Hard to Swallow

2011-10-19T15:34:00.007-04:00

I have sat down to write this blog several times. I wasn't sure if I ever wanted to share what my family has gone through this last month, but while going through this all I wanted was someone to tell me they have been there. I don't know if it's the "unspoken" or if what happened to me was rare. It was a super tough week though. A week with a lot of tears and not a lot of talking at the Matis household. It was a week that has changed the way I am as a human being for the rest of my life.

I'm sharing this in hopes it may find a future mom that needs a shoulder as she's googling "high quad screen results." The quad screen is a blood draw taken between the 16th and 18th week of pregnancy. It's optional. I didn't get this screening when I was pregnant with my 1st, but I have with my 2nd and 3rd simply for preparation reasons. The quad screen looks at the following:

AFP: alpha-fetoprotein is a protein that is produced by the fetus
hCG: human chorionic gonadotropin is a hormone produced within the placenta
Estriol: estriol is an estrogen produced by both the fetus and the placenta
Inhibin-A: inhibin-A is a protein produced by the placenta and ovaries.

This screen also looks at other factors such as age and ethnicity. I'm 27 years old.

All of these were able to show my doctor that I am screening high risk for Trisomy 21, also known as Down Syndrome. My doctor, who is very busy, called me at home the day after the blood draw. I was testing 1 in 124 for an extra chromosome 21, which is considered high risk. I didn't understand. For the last 6 months, I've been telling my Mom how amazingly perfect my life has been. I thank God so many times a day for the hand of cards I have been given. I also told my Mom that I just felt there was going to be some huge challenges in my future. Like always, my Mom reassured me God wouldn't give me anything I couldn't handle.

As I walked down the steps from upstairs to my Joey, Joey and Ray, they knew something had happened. I sat down on the steps crying and told Joey all I knew. My kids became angelic. They were holding me and kissing me, like they knew I needed them. I knew I shouldn't start googling anything, but I did. I needed to start educating myself.

I was determined to find something that said if you didn't have this syndrome in your family history it is unlikely.... wrong. This happens at conception, simply an error during cell division. That's all. I think one of the first phases of digesting something like this is denial, then sadness. I know in my heart of heart I could handle anything like this. I know if anyone could, I could. I didn't feel prepared for this information though.

After a lot of tears and not a lot of talking, we went to bed. The next day I had to schedule an appointment with the Maternal Fetal Medicine doctor for a detailed ultrasound and to meet with a genetic counselor. The soonest they could get me in was the following Monday. This was 5 days away. There was definitely a lot of praying to be had during these 5 days. What I realized was how we are drawn so close to God during conflict in our lives. That Sunday I went to a new church by myself. I just needed to sit there without knowing anyone and pray, and that's what I did. It was hard to decide who to tell. I wanted for family and friends to pray for courage and health, but I didn't want to tell anyone. I don't know if this is normal, but I didn't want to hear what anyone had to say because they weren't going through it. I wanted to be at home holding my family tight while I tried to digest all of this without being exhausted by talking about what we didn't know for sure.

Monday came. Joey and I went to the hospital and prayed in the waiting room. We met with the genetic counselor who was very informative on how it happens and went over our super clear medical history throughout our entire family. Then the ultrasound... it was lengthy and the ultrasound tech seemed quiet. She wasn't able to get shots she wanted to get and halfway through she walked out of the room and gave me some grapejuice so the baby would turn so she could get more pictures of the baby's spine. After unsuccessfully getting enough pics (after a 45 minute ultrasound), the high risk doctor came in to take a better look. The the lights came on, and our hearts were pounding out of our chest. On the ultrasound she found a few things that are markers for Down Syndrome. The baby currently has a heart defect known as an Echogenic Intracardio Focus, which is a calcified deposit in the heart. This is seen in 1 in 6 babies with Down Syndrome and doubled our risk to 1 in 60. Also, the baby's limb to head ratio wasn't matching up correctly. The limbs were in the 30% while the head was in the 85%. This wasn't as concerning to me because my family and kiddos tend to have larger heads, right? The next step would be to go home or an amniocentesis. You may say you would never get an amniocentesis because there is a risk for miscarriage. I said that too, but when you have the chance to prepare our house, our family, our kids, our finances, to pick the right hospital to deliver in that has a NICU set up for a Down Syndrome baby, to find a support group with all of the right resources that can help me be the best mother I can be to all of my kids and the best wife.... you may decide to choose the amnio too. So we did it. It was scary, it was terribly painful and it was awful. I was shaking and sweating while tears ran down my face while squeezing my husband's hand. I couldn't move as a huge needle went through so many layers to find the amniotic sac. The ultrasound technician had the monitor on so we wouldn't hurt the baby and our sweet little baby cooperated very well. We completed the amnio. There beside me was the DNA of my baby. It didn't matter, but to prepare my family we needed to test it.

The preliminary results came back in 24 hours, but the full analysis would take 7 - 10 days. The prelim results are 95 % accurate and the full results are 99 1/2% accurate. The next afternoon the genetic counselor called me. The prelim results simply counted how many chromosome 21 there were. The lab only counted 2- one from me and one from Joey. If there were 3 of these chromosomes, it would definitively mean the baby would have Down Syndrome. Breathe. Breathe again. The next week was still hard. I had to keep it together, while still being nauseaus, not able to lift anything over 10 lbs for a week after the amnio and only being able to talk to a handful of family. The following Tuesday the genetic counselor called me. She said it was good news... only 46 chromosomes and no spina bifida or other neural tube defects. After smiling, crying and not being able to talk, she went on to tell me it was definitely a girl and I still needed to come back for an additional ultrasound to keep an eye on the heart. I called Joey. The weight has been lifted. We knew the quad screen tends to have false positives, but when this is happening to you it is different.

So many women will tell me "This is why I will never get the quad screen." This is fine, but don't tell me that. I have met 4 people who didn't get the quad screen and weren't even close to emotionally prepared when they had a baby with a special need or needs. They said it took months to digest everything while their other children were confused and emotionally neglected.

It is so important to actually have experienced something before offering up opinions that are hard to hear. I'm so happy and satisfied with the decisions Joey and I have made throughout this process. I feel comfort in being prepared. I feel blessed. I continue to pray for health. I understand the saying "I just want a healthy baby," when someone asks if you want a boy or girl. This is another experience that has changed me in such a good way. I have a super soft spot for mothers and babies. It's hard- so hard to be pregnant, to go through labor and to adjust your new lifestyle.

I hope this blog has found another mom out there that needed this.

"Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle." - Plato

Watching

2011-10-10T14:36:00.013-04:00

I have found my little 3 year old watching everything. He asks an enourmous amount of questions, and it's absolutely amazing watching him learn. We recently babysat Aunt Julia's frogs. We did a bunch of watching and asking. Off to Lucas Oil to watch the Hoosiers. Once again, a lot of watching and asking.

Onto a Pumpkin Train Ride, and once again... watching and asking.

Off to pick out our pumpkins at the FFA patch.

Ray is such a trooper. Always happy to be along for the ride. Today at his 18 month visit, he weighed in at 25 lbs and 34 inches. To this day, Ray has probably consumed less than 10 fruits or vegetable bites. I've tried everything. The kid is a carb monster.

Maybe 200 questions about pumpkins. It's adorable, but exhausting. We are working on our Halloween costumes. We will see how it goes this year. Maybe I'll be a marshmellow because that's how I feel... squishy.

Picture Day

2011-09-27T09:25:00.002-04:00

Ohhh Updates Galore

2011-09-21T21:22:00.004-04:00

- I puked 5 times today and I'm 16 weeks pregnant.

- Joey has been doing great at school. His "bestest friend I've ever seen," Bbbbbrrryan, has been his rock year round. Well, guess who's moving to Texas this week? BBBBRRRRYAN! My heart is broken for Joey. I don't even know how to tell him.

- Ray is talking, talking, talking! He waves to anything walking and continues to only eat carbs and ONLY with a fork BY HISSELF!!

- Joey insists on sleeping with a USB cord every night because it keeps him "safe and warm." I have tied it in a knot 5 times around the rail in fear it's going to strangle him. Oh wait, did I just say rail? Yes, my 46 lb 3 year old is still in a crib and absolutely wants nothing to do with his big boy bed. When I ask him about him, he says "I will sleep in my crib allll day." Should I fight him on this one?

- Ray finally went down to 1 nap a day and still sleeps 12 hours at night. He's never been rocked to sleep and goes to bed the second he is laid down. He is aaaaaammmmazing!

- The only shows or movies we watch are Christmas ones and we have kept this up since last Christmas. That's right folks, Elf year round! My dream come true!

- This has been the worst pregnancy yet. I'm fatter, puking more, and the most miserable I've ever been. I've always wanted 4 or 5 kids, but this is definitely neglect to my family. So this may be our last.

- We continue to love our new house and our new neighborhood. As we drive home at night we wave to about 10 neighbors, usually stop and talk to 2 and dodge about 30 kids that are playing in the streets. It's a perfect place.

- Big Joey's job at Merrill Lynch is going well and he is traveling a ton. At my office we just went digital and holy learning curve. It's going to be a great thing though.... finally.

- My cravings are usually something I see or hear about and about 5 minutes before I eat I want nothing to do with it. I have a hard time walking past the fridge and every time I change a diaper I puke. It's terrible.

- Little Joey still has mixed feelings about the baby. Some days he pretends Diego is his baby alllll day and other days I catch him "mashin" Diego. Little Joey can't decide if he wants a "brotha" or if Mommy neeeeeeds a "sixter."

- Ray Ray looooves babies and doesn't leave home without his lovie. He's good at giving hugs, kisses and pat pats, and continues to light up any room he walks in to.

- My grammar is getting worse and my brain is going to mush from hanging with kids all day. For now, I don't care.

- I've been reading "Nurture by Nature" and oooooh my, have my eyes been opened!
Little Joey= Introvert. I totally get him now. I understand why playdates are hard, why he's a homebody, and why EVERYTHING HAS TO BE A ROUTINE! I've talked to my Dad and brother a bunch about this. Both of them are introverts and wow, the similarities are crazy.

- I am already going to the bathroom every hour and a half at night. I think kegals are in my future.

- I've craving a blueberry vodka with pineapple juice. Normal right?

Time for bed. I worked today. I work tomorrow. I work Saturday. I have a new computer system I know nothing about and have zero time to puke in between patients.

Monkey See Monkey Do

2011-09-13T14:46:00.014-04:00

Joey: "Hmmm.... I'm bored. Who really sits down during their whole dinner anyway?"

Joey: "Oh cool, here is one of Dad's leftover (empty) Barq's Root Beer bottles. Wonder what you do with this."

Ray: "Oh Joey, you are sooooo cool. I want to try that."

Ray: "No Joey, this is how you do it."

Ray: "Now this is fun! Hey Joey, where are you going? I'm coming. Wait for me."

Joey: "Ray Ray, only big boys can lick the icing off the spoon. Mommy said so."

Joey: "Ray, I bet you can't do this!!"

Joey: "Look Ray, I'm hilarious. I bet Mom's so proud we are doing this in the kitchen."

Joey: "Ok, Ray Ray. It's your turn. Did you watch me? Now go!"

Ray: "Hey Joey, Mommy and I always do this while you are taking a big long nap in the afternoon."

Ray: "See I'm a pro!"

Joey and Ray: "What happens here, stays here. Brothers till the end!"

Love this.

2011-09-10T14:33:00.001-04:00

Restaurants

2011-09-02T20:50:00.003-04:00

Best Food on the Southside of Indy

(and I know this because I'm pregnant and eating them often)

10. Just Wingin' It

9. Waffle and Steak

8. House of Tokyo

7. Shallo's Antique Restaurant And Brewhouse

6. Mark Pi's China Gate

5. Ichiban Sushi Bar

4. Pizza King (Greenwood only)

3. Vito Provolone's Restaurant

2. Roscoe's Tacos

1. La Trattoria (best filet I've ever had)

If you haven't tried them, you are missing out.

Emotional Disaster

2011-08-25T09:49:00.008-04:00

I'm a wreck. It's probably because I'm 12 weeks pregnant but it's weird for me. I'm typically a pretty stable person emotionally. I've been sick for 6 weeks now, and it's getting old. I've gained 10 lbs which is more than both of the kids at this point, and that's a little scary considering I topped the scales at 200 with Joey. I'm the most sick I've ever been with the pregnancy. I get dizzy easily, sweat easily and I gag at the thought of anything I've consumed in the last week. I've never had to take off work for a pregnancy but I'm so dizzy in the morning I can barely move. I have so many praying for me, so I have hopes this will pass.

So about my emotions.... for example, look at this little dare devil. He's nuts. I can't decide to cry because he's unbelievably independent or he's going to kill himself from jumping off the highest point at the park. Maybe I should cry because he's such a perfect little boy. He's tough as nails but he's the biggest lover. His smile is crazy contagious. Oh, I know why I should cry. I don't get to spend enough time with him because Little Joey doesn't leave my side so Ray Ray is attached to Big Joey. I'm lucky, that's why I will cry. Two beautiful boys that are so different. Curly hair, stick straight hair. Brown eyes, blue eyes. 100% in everthing, 50% in everything. Dependent, independent. Introvert, extravert. I just ordered the book Nurture by Nature. I'll probably cry when I read that.

Most parents cry because fall rolls around and their kids go to school. Most parents cry because their kids are so happy and they are growing up. I cry because Joey doesn't like school and doesn't like leaving home. I cry because I'm worried about his social skills. I prayed so hard for Joey to get through the first half day of preschool. He did. God is good, so that's why I cried.

My best friend, Alli West, came all the way from LA for a wedding and she was able to stay with us. We go back 25 years ago, whoooooa. I think we used to say "Same father, different mother"
growing up. That is how much we are alike. The boys fell in love with her, and they are still searching the house for her. She was the perfect person to come stay with me when I was sick. I didn't have to talk, she knew. I didn't have to do anything, she did it for me. I didn't have to explain myself, she already knew and has never been pregnant. We are lucky to see each other once a year, and she is my sister forever. I'm crying while I'm writing this. God put her in my life 25 years ago. God knew.

Ray Ray will soon be a middle child. I worry about this. I worry about him getting lost in the mix. I will probably cry my whole life worrying that he didn't get enough attention.

I deserve that double chin. Look what I do. I'm not even sharing a family size bag of Doritos. WE EACH HAVE OUR OWN. I will cry as that scale goes up every day. I will cry because I worked so hard to get in shape after Ray. I will cry because I have 8 weeks to get in bikini shape after #3. Don't feel bad for me. I AM EATING DORITOS!! Just let me cry.

2 Funny Things

2011-08-17T14:57:00.002-04:00

1. I'm in the car with Joey and Ray. I pass my 10 week ultrasound pics back to Joey.

Mommy: Look at these pictures of the new baby.
Joey: Awwwwwww, these are beautiful.

Then Joey tries to throw them out the window.

Mommy: Joey, DO NOT throw those out of the window.
Joey: Joey don't like the new baby.

HA!

2. I'm exhausted, sicker than a dog and the heat is killing me. Joey doesn't go anywhere without Buzz Lightyear and Woody. Today, Joey was refusing to take a nap. So I said, "Joey if you don't go to bed right now I am going to take away your Buddy and Wooze." Joey laughed for 5 minutes repeating "Buddy and Wooze, oh Mom."

Matis, Party of 5.

2011-08-16T13:28:00.002-04:00

That's right folks. We are expecting in March. These pictures will continue to get harder and harder to take. #3 has the same due date as Ray, but this pregnancy is not even close to what Ray's pregnancy was like. Ray was a breeze, and I can barely get out of bed with this one. Luckily I have the most amazing husband who has delivered me breakfast in bed for over 3 weeks. Please pray for a healthy pregnancy, healthy baby and love and support from family and friends. Oh, and pray for the scientist who invented Zofran- looooove them!

What were you taught?

2011-08-04T15:06:00.002-04:00

For some reason these last few weeks had me thinking about what my parents taught me. It makes me think what I want to instill in my kiddos. I just went on a family vacation with the entire Matis crew and I found myself watching all of the cousins interact with each other. Some of the most obvious values the Matis' carry are family first, the more the merrier and doing something to make a memory. At the end of the day these matter.

I found myself talking about what my parents have taught Brooke, Beau and myself. I am so blessed to have these values and characteristics instilled in me. People may think they seem crazy or paranoid at times, but truthfully they make me happy.

These things I do are religious. I rarely ever forget these. Let me know what you think.

1. When I get out of car someone elsing was driving, I say "thank you." I remember growing up in our Toyota Previa and before sliding the silver bullet's door shut Dad would say "what are you supposed to say?"

2. When I sit at a table the napkin goes straight in my lap. When I address a waitress, it is ALWAYS "Miss."

3. I was never allowed to say F-A-R-T or S-U-C-K, and I still spell them to adults.

4. I rarely leave the house without lipgloss and mascara.

5. Instead of saying "It's nice to meet you," I was taught to say "It's nice to know you."

6. I always lock all of the doors to my house when I leave and go to bed and there are a handful of days in my life that I have lived without an alarm on the house (minus dorm life).

7. I was taught to lock my doors the second I got off of Market Street (even though Grandpa and 3 of my uncles worked right there).

8. I was taught to pass to the right and keep the salt and pepper married.

9. I don't walk by myself at night, and I always have my car key coming through my fingers in a parking garage in case I need to punch someone.

10. I have my bills organized and I have never paid a bill late.

11. I pay with cash.

12. I don't drive on E.

13. I set my clothes out the night before, and I pack my diaper bag too.

14. I have had an agenda book since 6th grade.

15. I face the door in a restaurant, so I will be the first to see if something goes down.

16. I wash my hands after I touch menus.

17. I put antibiotic and a bandaid on all boo boos.

18. I don't go to bed with a messy house, and we never run out of food.

19. I never go to bed without brushing my teeth and washing my face.

20. Before I left the house my Dad would say "Don't drive too fast and don't get too close to the car in front of you." So I don't.

21. I shower before bed and after yard work, and I don't sit in my bathing suit.

22. I rarely gamble on anything, but when making a deal or greeting I have the firmest hand shake there is.

23. I rarely miss a day of working out.

24. I DO NOT screw with my sleep.

25. When dieting I was told to only eat something if it came from the ground or if it had a mom.

26. I pray every night before bed.

27. I don't bite my nails and I try not to pick.

28. I don't sit on strange toilets.

29. I dance at weddings because it's socially the right thing to do (and because I love it).

30. I finish something before I start a new.

31. I plan. I plan for EVERYTHING. People who don't plan usually don't like me.

32. I talk to my sister and my 5 best friends at least once a week but it's more like once a day. My parents always said my life long friends I could count with one hand. I understand now.

33. If a stranger approaches me, I make it short and sweet and walk the opposite direction as them.

34. If I don't want to talk bad about something I simply respond with "that's interesting."

33. I understand I'm blessed and I was given a hell of a deck of cards. I think about this every day and I thank God every night. I know I am lucky.

16 Months

2011-07-12T16:26:00.002-04:00

Ray had his 15 month check up, but at 16 months because Mama is running a little late. I can't believe how different him and Joey are. Joey was always measuring off the charts. Ray is in the 40% for weight weighing 27 lbs and 85% for heigth at 34 inches AND his head is only average size. Joey's head was always something crazy like 120%- ha!!

Ray is my carb man. He doesn't enjoy anything but carbs. I put a fruit or veggie in front of him at every meal and he picks it up and gets it really close to his mouth before attempting to feed me with it. Ray is still on 2 bottles a day, and it's totally my fault. Ray suffers from 2nd Child Syndrome and there isn't a whole lot of cuddling. He prefers to be independent when being laid down to bed and when he gets hurt he gets right back up. Giving him his bottle is the only way we are able to cuddle, so I'm hoping to keep it around the rest of the summer :)

Ray is a dancin' fool. If he hears the slightest tune you can find him dropping it like it's hot and slapping the floor. His words consist of "thank you," "please," "love you," "ball," and "one, two, three."

Ray has a few nicknames. He goes by "Ray Ray" or "Kamakazi" or "Danger Zone." There isn't any fear in this little man. You can find him jumping off the couch, sprinting into the pool, diving off of his recliner, sliding town the stairs, jumping off of the high swingsets or tackling anyone at any size.

As of last week, Ray has started fighting back when Joey starts something. It's AWESOME!!!! Ray usually takes a toy to Joey's face or yanks a huge portion of Joey's hair out. Joey's usually crying and Ray ends up all smiles.

Ray finally has gone to one nap a day. I usually get a break from 1:30 to 4:00. I ususally get a quick shower in, some emailing and dinner on the stove.

Ray Ray is still our little Ray of Sunshine but he is now turning into a little boy. This is one of my favorite stages of all-- right before they can talk :)

Summa at the New House

2011-07-02T19:54:00.008-04:00

The neighborhood kids allllll come over for smores alllllll the time. We haven't even met most of their parents yet. The boys loooooove it though! We have a new swingset and the kiddos are in love. You should see some of these swingsets in our neighborhood- they are ridiculous!

How old does he look in this pic, really? At his 3 year check up he was 41 lbs and 41 inches. 100% in everything. He's in 5T and growing by the day. He has potty trained himself this week and looooves peeing outside, but what boy doesn't?

We play in water everyday, and my super safe 3 year old is turning into my little rebel (with his little brother).

This little man got another hair cut today and hated every second of it, but we got a super cool balloon afterwards and super cool Crocs.

It's never too early. Ray could shoot at this goal all day long. Such sweet little cheeks, aren't they? Can you say torso?

You think....

2011-06-28T15:48:00.001-04:00

you are soooooo big, but why is it sooo hard to get you off of the BABY bottle??

The Move

2011-06-23T22:02:00.004-04:00

So, I hear that mommy and daddy have been talking about "the move" lately. Just want to fill you in on "the move" from our perspective. Ready Ray Ray? Let's do it Joey!

So we were swinging on our swingset one day, me on the big boy swing and Ray Ray in the baby swing.

"Hey, I prefer the slightly less mature swing, Joey"

"Sorry Ray Ray....kids! Sheesh!"

Anyway, mom and dad were talking about building this dream house. Don't really know what that means, cuz I know I can't live in the homes that are in my dreams, but, whatever.

"I wanna cookie Joey. Can I have a cookie?"

"Ray, I'm tellin' a story. BE QUIET!"

"I JUST WANT A COOKIE!!!"

Whatever, let's move on. They were thinking that they wanted to move before they could have enough money to buy that dream home thing, so daddy said, let's start looking. Pretty sure he said that this stuff takes a long time anyway, so they were gonna look around, get some ideas, see what's out there and then...BAM! It seemed that about 6 minutes later, they said, "we are moving to the new house Joey! Holy cow, that was quick!

I think I heard them say that Daddy saw the house on Sunday, Mommy saw it on Monday, made an offer Tuesday and it was a done deal on Wednesday.

"What Ray? What?"

"Did you tell them about daddy?"

"Not yet Ray Ray, hold your horses!"

"Tell them about daddy!!"

"I WILL!! Don't you have to go to bed or something?"

So what Ray Ray was leading to was sooo funny! You would think that daddy would be so happy to have the new house. I'm pretty sure he was, but once the accepted offer came in, he turned white as a ghost! He looked so scared. I thought I heard him tell mommy, " I cannot believe we bought a house without putting our house on the market yet! Two mortgages! Two property taxes! Two lawns to mow! What the heck is that?!?"

So the next two weeks, mommy and daddy were painting and cleaning and de-cluttering (which only meant getting rid of my and Ray Ray's toys, so that stunk!) But anyway, they finally said they were ready to put our house on the market.

Daddy looked like he was balding a little bit more than normal, cuz he said that houses typically don't sell for 4 to 6 months in this sh*^%y market.

"JOEY...I did NOT SAY THAT, I said shoddy!"

"Whatever dad!"

"Mommy, daddy said a bad word!"

"Ray, I did not, I said shoddy! How do you even know that sounds like a bad word?"

"I heard Uncle Mikey say it"

"Figures"

Pretty soon though, like 10 days later, dad told mom that we had an offer on our house, and it was pretty good! Dad had like 7 Miller High Lifes that night, I'll tell you! Two days later, we sold our house to a really nice family from out of town. Life is good.

So now, Ray Ray, Mommy, Daddy and me are living at our new house which is awesome!! We have a basement, a BIG back yard, a fire pit to make s'mores and lots of kids I get to play with. I am so happy to be at my new house. Oh yea, Ray Ray loves it too. He had to go to bed cuz it was way past his bed time. Oh no, its 9:15, its way past my bed time. Don't tell mom and dad I snuck out to write to you. Pleeeeease. I don't want to go to timeout! I'll be your best friend forever!

Til next time, drink one for me!
Lil Joey

Sweet Baby Ray

2011-06-22T20:26:00.008-04:00

Who does he look like, really?

Happy Father's Day

2011-06-19T22:31:00.003-04:00

Daddy Joey,

Thank you for making us happy. Thank you for being an amazing role model.

Thank you for goofing around with us and letting us act like crazy boys!

We love you and hope you had a special day!

Ketchup

2011-06-14T09:41:00.008-04:00

It's time to catch you up on what else is going on this summer.....

Lots of weddings, time at the park,
sunshine with Nannie and Grandpa,

basketball with Dad at Hinkle Fieldhouse,

basketball camp,

hangin' with Baby Leo

Ray's first hair cut,

and soccer team.

Oh, Ray had no interest in getting his hair cut, so we haven't gone back and it's curling behind his ears. Awesome.

INTERNET!!

2011-06-13T20:30:00.011-04:00

Well, we finally have internet. Who knew it would be so hard to live without internet?? I feel so bad for the lady that I made describe to me every swingset they had over the phone because I had NOTHING to access what they looked like and my 3 year old hasn't been sleeping because he misses his "uhder house" and "owd swingsec."

We said good bye and moved into our new home on May 27. We have so many amazing memories at this house. Joey bought it right out of college and lived there with a few guys for several years before I moved there. We lucked out big time when we decided to move and only had it on the market for 2 weeks. We close Friday. We feel so blessed how smooth this transition has been for us. This is how I feel. I am at peace. I have such a good feeling about where I am in my life and things couldn't be better (knock on wood).

The boys are adjusting. Ray hasn't missed a beat, but Joey on the other hand is having some trouble. He misses his toys that are still in boxes, he misses his old room and his swingset that the buyer included with the purchase of our house. I pray the transition continues to get easier.

We got to babysit Leo for the first time, and the boys adored him.

Leo adored the swing, however.

Two of the most amazing women in my life are Emmie and Sadie, who now live walking distance from me. They have helped me with EVERYTHING! There isn't more than 8 hours that go by without us chatting and we totally get each other, which is amazing to have in a friend. This was before Sadie's birthday May 28 (the day after we moved). There wasn't any way they were going to let me miss this, and I am so thankful for that.

We hosted our first bonfire 15 days after moving in to the new house. After several shots and most of us getting about 4-5 hours of sleep (since we all have kids 3 and under), I can say we had a very successful night.

We looooove birthdays! There isn't a candle Joey and Ray miss blowing. Thanks to my family and the Matis fam for making our move so easy and my birthday so special.

Life is good.

Someone tell me....

2011-05-25T09:47:00.001-04:00

why my sweet little boy gets sick every time a tooth pops through??

Ready

2011-05-18T20:00:00.001-04:00

Totally ready for sports.

You're Caught!

2011-05-18T14:56:00.000-04:00

She thinks my tractor's sexy!

2011-05-16T22:18:00.001-04:00

SOOOOO BIG!!!

3

2011-05-13T20:32:00.003-04:00

Joey,

It's weird to say you are 3 when it actually feels like you are 4 because you have been in my world since the second we found out we were pregnant. You were the first born for a reason. You have changed my world completely.

The bond between us is so unique. Since you have been such a sick little guy I have sheltered you and protected you. Just recently I have let you go-- I let you leave the room with friends, I let you go outside (fenced in back yard) to play by yourself, and I let you go potty by yourself (which is huuuuge for me). With every sickness you get tougher. You used to take medicine like candy, now you'd rather tough it out. Just recently you have started to test the boundaries- as hard as it is for me I love that you are gaining a mind of your own because you used to be such a softie.

I am still trying to keep you as my little boy though. You are 42 lbs and I still carry you when you get too tired to ride your bike. I still have you in a crib and diapers are still my best friend. I let you drink milk like a bottle and I rock you as long as I can. When I look at you, I see me. I love every piece of you and I continue to thank the Lord for letting me keep you as long as I have. Every day I look back on to June 15, 2009 when we almost lost you and I feel so blessed to still have you here on Earth.

I am finally feeling comfortable putting you and Ray Ray above everything else. You are true gifts and I can't wait for my friends to experience the wonderful gifts of children. Today was such a happy day and I can't wait to celebrate again at your party Sunday. You make my life better.

I love you Joey.

Mommu

Perks

2011-05-13T14:52:00.012-04:00

The furniture the sellers left behind for us.

My new walk-in closet.

Our backyard with a firepit.

Joey completing his 1st year of school.

Joey making some amazing friends with some awesome Mommies.

Me catching Joey picking his nose at school, heeh!

Joey turning 3 and totally getting it.

Cupcakes for breakfast.

PS. Go Bears!

Poor kid

2011-05-07T14:50:00.007-04:00

LJ is getting to the stage where Daddy is more fun. When he's with him he does things like shoot hoops while taking a bath. However, he's with me most of the time... and this is what we do. Hats.

Flowers. Shoes.

Modeling :)

Stuff

2011-04-25T13:34:00.014-04:00

Well, Mic isn't stuff... he is actually an amazing Godfather who Ray Ray looooves!!! This was LJ on Easter morning with Papa. We checked the front porch and yep, that Easter Bunny came and ate some of his carrot!!! Nice morning hair, huh??

Yep, 3 Easter Egg Hunts sound about right. Too much chocolate if you ask me. Mid-hunt I had to start taking Reese's Cups out of the eggs and putting in blueberries so Joey wouldn't completely ruin his breakfast.

Off to Nannie's hous now. My Mom (Nannie) and Dad always do this Easter Egg Game where all of the adults get to pick out an egg. All but one egg has a $20, but the golden egg has a $100 bill. My sibs call it the Joey Game because the last two years, the lucky guy has one. This year my Mom had him draw last. Welp, guess who won again??!!!! I love my hubby!

Ray Ray's hair is getting soooo long! It's curling behind the ears. I go back and forth every day whether to cut it... we'll see.

Do you see Joey's socks? All he's been talking about is wanting to play on a soccer team. The big ol' bunny brought him a soccer ball with soccer socks and guess who wore them all day??

Off to Uncle Dog and Aunt Cathy's house now. I want to catch you up realy quick on our cousin, Willie (Dog and Cathy's oldest of 5), who is 23 years old. He was pitching softball last week at Indy Sports Park and got nailed with a softball. He broke his jaw in 6 spots, had 2 emergency surgeries, and is now wired shut for 6 weeks. Please say some prayers for him and remember this when playing sports.

They laugh the entire time they are together- it's such a beautiful thing!

Nice.

Our 80 year old neighbor, Earl, found LJ a frog! Spring is such a fun time. Joey looved it!

And so did my camera!

Welp, here she is gang! Our new home! We had the home inspection today and things are looking good. It's beautiful! We are sooooo pumped to move in. We definitely need the space and we can't wait to entertain. Every time we go by the house we fall in love with it a little more- and our back yard is clutch! It's a great feeling.

Happy Easter!

2011-04-24T18:48:00.002-04:00

I can't wait to post some amazing Easter pics this week.

P.S. We bought a house!

Too tired

2011-04-21T21:32:00.001-04:00

Too tired to blog. Sounds about right.

No

2011-04-04T15:29:00.003-04:00

No, I'm not pregnant. No, we aren't trying. No, I don't care if I ever have a girl.

We all want a girl!

2011-04-02T14:47:00.008-04:00

Not only because the boys are bored.... but my friends come over with these....

and the boys loved playing with baby Annie this week...

and there's something about a little girl looking up to her big brother....

and she has a lot of pink stuff to hand down....

that's why.

Nuts!

2011-03-31T13:31:00.005-04:00

For some reason it's not letting me use paragraphs today.... sorry. It's been nuts around here!!! With Joey trying to give up his naps, Ray almost walking, Big Joey's crazy work schedule and I've been watching a friend's little girl (10 month old) while trying to work, work out, keep the house together and my sanity..... wait that is such a complete run on sentence, but that's what it feels like at the end of the day. So, what's really been going on around here?? Yes, at almost 3 years old Joey is TRYING to give up his naps. It's painful. Those 2 hours in the day I get EVERYTHING done. I need those 2 hours. The only thing I have going for me is that he is still in a crib so I can leave him in there to play for an hour or so. Yes, Ray is all over the place. I can turn my head to pour a cup of coffee and lose the poor kid. He loooves hiding and I've found him under bed and in linen closets. He is also a huge fan of moving furniture. He can rearrange my whole living room in no time. Yes, we are having a horrific time transitioning Ray to the sippy cup and table foods. He wants no part and I'm not willing to give up baby food until he's willing to eat some fruits and veggies. This exact week in Joey's life he was hospitalized at Riley for H1N1 and I feel he wasn't getting near the nutrition to fight off something like that. Yes, we have signed up for another year at Southport Pres. for Joey's pre-school. He has made some amazing friends and I have had a blast meeting up for playdates with their Mommas. Yes, we have new floors!!! LLLAAA LLLA LLLAAAAAAA!! We recently put in all new wood floors, which look amazing!! After Ray spit up for... yep, all of his life, we needed something more durable. It was a very interesting week when we had those put in though. Joey was in Vegas and I was working all hours of the day. I'm happy it's over. Yes, I'm exhausted. I'm sooooo exhausted. Have you heard of the saying about how raising a child takes a village??? It truly does. Receiving help while being a parent is priceless. Yes, we have started meeting with builders about our land. We are working on floor plans and it's very exciting. There is quite a bit that goes into building, especially since our land isn't hooked up to sewer, etc. Yes, I'm finally down to my pre-baby weight... about stinkin' time. I feel good and can't wait for the weather to get better so I can dust off the ol' jogging stroller. The boys miss the neighbors. We have a 2 mile walk we try to take every day in the summer. We typically talk to about 20-25 neighbors and end up in our dear friend, Nancy's house for about 30 minutes too. Yes, we still watch Polar Express almost every day. Ray loooooves it! Yes, my sister-in-law Katie got engaged to Liam Smith- we are pumped for a wedding next summer! Yes, my Mom bought a Nannie van- it's aaadorable! Yes, I'm jealous. Yes, I don't have time to be writing this during my only break of the day.

It's Spring

2011-03-23T20:52:00.004-04:00

and for some reason the boys are getting crazier!!!!! More to come.

What do you think?

2011-03-18T20:11:00.003-04:00

Very Bad Day

2011-03-08T16:40:00.006-05:00

10. I'm by myself with these boys for 48 hours. Joey is in NYC on business (but he managed to have a hotel in Times Square and go to the Knicks game-I'm not bitter).

9. The boys and I are all on augmentin for our sinus infections. So not only are we conjested and coughing all night long, I get to change 6 (liquid) poopie diapers before 8am while I'm trying to get to the bathroom myself.

8. I got a call from Joey's school after he had been there for 30 minutes to come pick him up because he is complaining of his ear hurting. So not only do I have to wake Ray up and run back to school after just getting home, I get to do this knowing I just paid $500 for his 2nd set of tubes in December.

7. My parents and in-laws are both out of town. I have 2 sick kids and I have nowhere to go.
I take that back.... my Aunt Cathy and Uncle Dog kindly let us bombard their family dinner :)

6. I can't breathe through my nose.

5. I lost my phone today. I looked everywhere during the boys' entire nap period (which is my only break of the day) to finally find my phone in the bottom of the trash already out by the curb . I had to sift through loads and loads of dirty, disgusting, leaking out the sides diapers to find my precious phone.... after I took a shower. Thank God I can't breathe through my nose.

4. Ray found my 3lb container of coffee grounds and dumped it all over the floor... I mean CARPET! Most importantly, I NEEEEEEED that coffee for tomorrow morning!!!!!!!

3. I can't breathe through my nose.

2. My car still smells like puke from Joey puking in his this weekend after taking his augmentin (and you thought you had a bad gag reflux). Oh, did I forget to mention I had to clean up puke the first 4 out of the 7 times he took the medicine from him gagging so bad??

1. It's only Tuesday. I have nowhere to go. My parents, in-laws and sister are out of town. I'm sick. My kids are sick. We are all on the horrific BRAT diet. And I can't breathe trhough my nose.

But hey, it's Fat Tuesday. I'll be in bed.

Ray Ray!!

2011-03-05T19:31:00.007-05:00

I don't know which picture is the best... you can decide for yourself. Ray and his new chair.

Syd standing on the kitchen table.

Ray Ray up close and personal.

Ray's birthday cake made by a good friend at work.

Our "like father like son" picture.

Trying to take his 1st pic at Ray Ray's birthday....

what do you think?

Happy birthday Sweet Baby Ray!

2011-02-27T13:22:00.010-05:00

Ray,

Today you are a year old, and my eyes swell up with tears thinking about how much you have meant to me from the day you were conceived. We prayed for a healthy baby boy and God gave us just that. You gave me the easiest pregnancy and the quickest labor- 2 hours after we got the hospital.

When you were born you had beautiful auburn hair and baby blue eyes. Since you have had 3 sets of hair come in, but have maintained your eye color from your Mama! You have been unbelievably readable. You have followed a schedule since you were born and have been sleeping through the night since you were 6 weeks old. You love playing in your crib and you have never woken up unhappy (but maybe a few times from teething). You have the loudest scream I've ever heard but it makes me beam when you and Joey have scream offs thinking about all of the fun times ahead for you and your brother.

You are absolutely polar opposite of LJ!!! I love that you two have completely develeped into your own and still own my entire heart. You have never met a stranger, and many of my friends call you "Smiles." Since the day you were born I can honestly say I could drop you off anywhere and you wouldn't miss a beat.

Even the sweet old Asian lady (who can't speak a lick of English) at the Farmer's Market completely agrees with me that you might be the happiest baby alive! After seeing her at all of the local markets this summer, we grew to recognize this lady. We went a few months without seeing her and she spotted us in the mall. She motioned for her group of 8 to come over and see Ray Ray because "he is the happiest baby I've ever seen."

Ray Ray- I know God molded you. I know you are going to be the most laid back easy going kid to raise. I know you are going to make so many people happy as you cross their paths through the years. I pray for you every morning and every night. I pray that God helps me raise you to be ther very best you can be. Today I couldn't be happier and couldn't feel more lucky to have you be my son.

You are a sweet baby, and I can't wait for you to grow big and strong and turn into our Big Play Ray!

Happy birthday Raymond Eli! I love you!

Mama

Crazy Boys!!

2011-02-15T13:14:00.014-05:00

Having 2 boys is a joy!! They are starting to play together, which brings a huge smile to my face-- even if they games are scream offs or chase (crawling style). We loooove jumping in our cribs! We officially love school. We started carpool which has really helped. We have a number in our car window (lucky number 7) so the teachers know which kid it is and bring them out. Ray and I don't have to get out of the car. It's awesome! This is Joey's typical school outfit. He requests his letter jacket with jeans for school days.

We went to Ft Myers for a week with my folks and had a ball. February is such a great time to see the beach. We swam 3-4 hours a day and soaked up the sun on the beach. LJ was soooo into the flight. The pilot even let him take the plane for a spin.

Ray has 6 teeth now- 2 on top and 4 on bottom. He had his first ear infection before we left, and I'm a proud Mama to say it was the first time on an antibiotic. It's amazing how 2 kids can be sooo different.

Trying to get a family pic- hahahhaha!

This is what we went to bed to at night.... need I say more.

Books with Grandpa every night was a must. Thanks Pop Pop!

Baby blue learned how to sit in a high chair finally..... thank goodness!

I want to go back.

Less than a month....

2011-01-31T16:11:00.001-05:00

until our Little Ray of Sunshine turns 1...... unbelievable, huh?

Sledding

2011-01-31T14:31:00.003-05:00

Happy 3rd Birthday Sloanie Taylor May!

2011-01-30T10:18:00.005-05:00

Hope you liked your new lunch box!!! We love you!

Winter

2011-01-23T15:19:00.004-05:00

Isn't it amazing how winter can give you the blues?? I'm over the snow. I loved December, and two trip in February won't be all bad..... but I'd like to kiss January goodbye!

Hmmm... what's new around here? Ray is cruisin' everywhere, babbles and claps on command. He is such an incredibly easy baby. He waits patiently till someone glances at him so he can give you the biggest grin He sits in his crib babbling and the second we look at him he smiles the hardest I have ever seen anyone smile. He has 3 teeth on bottom and one tooth on top- random, huh? He weighs in at about 24 lbs and is about 75% in height for babes his age. We just started some solid foods, and I'm counting down the days till I can get rid of bottles, formula and baby food. Just recently Ray and LJ have started to play together and I can see how fun it is going to get. They love playing music and I love watching Ray feel the rhythm.

Now for LJ... all we do is basketball and play instruments. He knows every instrument there is and has no problem calling out the Pep Band if they don't have the french horn or cello. Basketball is right up there too. At night before bed he wants me to tell him a story about a little basketball player named Joey that grows up to be a big basketball player that plays for IU, and that is when the Mommy in me comes in where I get to tell him he will only be a BIG basketball player if he sleeps like a big boy. I catch him humming the IU fight song on a daily basis (who is this kid?), and he would rather practice his free throws and jump shots than have a treat.

LJ still drinks Soy milk and I'm having a hard time deciding what I will start Ray on in March. Joey is so close to potty training himself. He prefers to wear big boy underwear at home and doesn't have any accidents. He also likes to take off his diaper at random public restrooms to "try" and go. We really have pushed it much.... just yet. The big boy bed is still waiting on him, but he hasn't tried to crawl out of his crib so we're keeping him there. My sleep just happens to be too important. Ever since we got his adenoids out and a 2nd set of tubes, he's been Mr. Social Bug. He is actually engaging in converstations with everyone at family get togethers and waits for the day he gets to go back to school (Tuesday).

I see how opposite these 2 boys are, but I see their heart of gold shining already. They are so sweet and perfect in my eye and I just love having boys. I peronsonally am counting down the days till opening day at Greenwood Little League this year. Being a mom is hard though. I never knew how much guilt there would be involved. I still find myself going to bed at night wondering if I spent enough time talking to these friends or these relatives, wondering if I didn't spend enough time with Ray Ray or LJ, wondering if I even asked my husband how his day was or called my sister to see how work was going. I find myself feeling like I can't give everyone 100% and that's a tough feeling. I feel like mothers hit a point in their life where they start to feel okay with all of this. I'm still trying to get there. I just can't wait when it does.

Joey-isms

2011-01-09T21:44:00.002-05:00

Top 10 "Quirky" Details About Me

10. I must have two blankets (my ups) for bed, but only one for my morning milk. Silky side up. Must cover toes.

9. I will only wear my sleeveless, mesh, generic Notre Dame basketball jersey to play basketball. Oh yea, I've been playing basketball for 72 straight hours. The shirt is getting a little funky!

8. I love sharing with my little brother Raymond. He can play with any of my toys as long as I am not playing with them. But, turns out, I only want to play with the toys that Ray likes. Weird.

7. I've been to a lot of basketball games lately (high school, college, CYO). But, I really haven't seen any of the games. I love watching the band. I CANNOT believe that the Greenwood High School Pep Band (13 time State Champs) did not have a glockenspiel last Friday night. But they did have the Bongos!

6. I am very easy to put to bed at night. I only ask that my Mom and Dad give me a "2 minute" heads up. Then I ask to shoot that basketball "last time". Then I need "2 minutes". Then I need one more "last time". But then, I promise, only "2 minutes". Ok, "last time."

5. Is it normal to drink a gallon of milk? Every morning?

4. Dad thinks I may be spending a little too much time with Mommy. I don't get it. I just told Dad that my favorite thing to do is shopping while I was filing my toenails. Daddy gets messed up sometimes.

3. Mommy and Daddy were laughing at me the other day. I thought I was being very descriptive when we were driving down Main Street and I called out everything I saw. "Hi
chicky shoppe, hi taco place, hi breakfast place...and dinner place, hi coffee shoppe!" (We really drove past McDonalds, Taco Bell, Waffle and Steak and Starbucks!)

2. My favorite answer to "Joey, what do you want to do today?" is, "Do Today!!!"

1. Mom and Dad finally introduced me to chocolate. And cupcakes. And Christmas cookies. And ice cream. And cinnamon rolls. And donuts. Wow! I got these all the time around Christmas time. Why can't we do Christmas all year long?!?!?!

Practicing...

2011-01-04T15:21:00.005-05:00

brushing our teeth, sharing,

and kitchen basketball.

You can never start too early.

PS We miss you already GG Kurtz.

Tear

2011-01-01T15:10:00.005-05:00

I'm so sad December is gone. I wasn't ready for 2011. I wanted December to stay forever. There was so much to do and so much fun to be had. Here are just a few things....

We saw Santa at least 7 times and found a new love for Von Maur (or just the escalators). The new train ride at the mall completely stole our hearts. I was a little disappointed we just went to Macy's and back though.

We went on the Noblesville Polar Express Train ride, which I will attempt to do every year. We road with Santa, Mrs. Clause, Frosty and the elves. It was the perfect trip to get us ready for Christmas.

Sydney loved it too!!!

We went to the IU/Penn State game and got some serious TV time. Once again, this is somethign I'd like to do over Christmas break every year.

We did so much more- made cookies, Children's Museum trips, Eitlejorg adventures, parties, presents, donating to Santa's piggy bank (Salvation Army), watching Polar Express at least 5 times a day, reading Christmas books, talking about Santa and his reindeers, being a "good boy", cruisin' around to find Christmas lights, staying up late and learning to give.

I'll miss you December. See you next year.

Gifts

2010-12-26T21:17:00.003-05:00

One of LJ's favorite gifts was Liam coming to Indy from Pennsylvania. Liam is my sister-in-law's, Katie, boyfriend. LJ played with him allll weekend. Poor Liam didn't get a break :) Another wonderful gift was spending time with Ray on his 1st Christmas. He's such a trooper and there's rarely a time he's not smiling as hard as he can.

Another beautiful gift was watching how Sloanie and Joey play so well together. They are best buds, and they make family time so much better.

Very Berry Best Friends

2010-12-20T16:48:00.000-05:00

Monday

2010-12-17T13:34:00.001-05:00

LJ will be getting another set of tubes and his adenoids out.

Wish us luck.

More cookies, of course.

2010-12-12T11:09:00.006-05:00

My friends, Emmie and Sadie, sure know how to have a cookie party!!! LJ learned how to get messy and let go a little. We started the party off asking for a paper towel every time his fingers got dirty, and by the end we were licking our fingers clean. I would consider the cookie party to be somewhat therapeutic for us... helping us with our OCD!

The Best Way to Spread Christmas Cheer

2010-12-08T16:50:00.003-05:00

Tubes

2010-12-06T16:05:00.002-05:00

3 antibiotics in 36 days.

We went to the Doc today.

2 kids screamed for one hour straight while I was by myself.

We found out we have to get another set of tubes.

I'm not excited.

HUGE BUMMER!!!

Christmas Cookies

2010-11-30T15:29:00.004-05:00

Hectic

2010-11-27T20:51:00.004-05:00

It's been rather hectic around here lately. We've all been battling the 3 week cold/cough, and exhausted from taking care of each other.

However, we have managed to go to the mall 4 times to see Santa. We've never been courageous enough to sit on his lap, but at least last time when we were there Joey yelled (from 20 feet away), "My scared of Santa. My yell 'Joey needs new Donald's cash register.'" Definitely progress.

Little Joey is glowing with Christmas spirit. After watching Polar Express 5 times/day for the last 4 days, LJ randomly will say "My beliebe." He's turning into a Little Man, and Ray adores his every move. I'm so excited for December 1 to get here!! Little Elf on the Shelf... need I say more?

Soo....

2010-11-01T13:04:00.004-04:00

as somebody was enjoying his Halloween candy as breakfast.... I decided it was time.....

time for someone to get a haircut....

so we went.....

and this is what we looked like when we got home. :)

Hey, it's Ray Ray

2010-11-01T12:41:00.007-04:00

I wanted to give you a quick update of what happened last night...... Brobee just wasn't happening....

and we tried cowboy....

so we settled on airplane boy, and we were happy.

Oh, and I settled on a skelton groom.

2010-10-30T14:35:00.001-04:00

Changes

2010-10-30T13:48:00.020-04:00

Need I say more about how much this little, big guy has changed. Oh my, has he thinned out!

Can you believe these pictures?? Joey will be 2 1/2 next month and Sloanie will be 3 in January. These little boogers play sooo well together, and now that Sydney is walking and talking she has joined in the fun.

LJ talks about the football game all week long. We've been to all the Roncalli home games but one and that night we went to Greenwood's Homecoming (my alma mater). I thought LJ was going to be fascinated with the football players.... NOPE.... ALL ABOUT THE BAND!!!! He talks all week long about all the instruments, and his favorite is the french horn. You name it, he knows it. He has a little DVD about instruments and from that he knows the brass section, woodwind section, the harp, and I could go on for days. LJ also loves watching one of his babysitters, Laura, "do the cheers." We have a blast going and I'm really sad football is coming to an end.

We also went to IU Homecoming. My Uncle Joe (my boss) has an RV and it was such a luxury warming up, having a snack, and using the bathroom. We also used some of his tickets, but once again we HAD TO FIND THE BAND!!!!! We searched forever and found the pep band. We could have stayed all day, but unfortunately we had to go home for a nap.

Oh.... THE BAND!!!!!!!! I know, LJ looks terrified, but really he was in awwww.

Uncle Dogg, need I say more.

This is my cousin, Bryson, so that would make it LJ's 2nd cousin, once removed????? Bryson is sooo good with kids ( he has 3 younger bros and sis).

We have hit the high maintenance stage, where now that we can communicate we talk about all of our "wants" and "needs" all day long. It usually goes something like this, "Too bright. Turn windows off. My need sunglasses" -Joey

Or something like this, "My neeeeeed a cupcake." -Joey

Or "My need Yo Gabba Gabba real ones."-Joey

So we went to the Murat and watched Gabba Gabba. I wll say I got goosebumps when they came out. It was awwwesome seeing them in person. Joey loved it too!

We were supposed to be Brobee for Halloween. He's the little green guy. Joey is too scared of the outfit now, so I think we are going as a cowboy.

Before we hit the "I need to know every instrument" stage, we were in the "I need to know every truck stage." This nice man let Joey ride in his Catapillar.

Syd turned 1 in September. The time has gone fast. Beau and Joey were out of town, bummer.

That's it folks. I do appreciate you reading my blog and I love love love hearing from you. It gives me motivation to keep blogging.

Happy Halloween!

Oh happy day!!

2010-10-23T10:27:00.002-04:00

30 years ago, one of the greatest people in the world was born. Somehow I found him, which makes me one of the luckiest people in the world. Thank the good Lord!!!!!

Happy Birthday My Love!

2010-10-22T20:16:00.002-04:00

Tomorrow my husband will be 30. We are having a surprise birthday weekend- everything he is doing is a surprise, and I CAN'T WAIT!!! My little guy really really really likes blowing out the candles.

"Watch Daddy, Joey blow it."- Joey
My husband loves October. Not only is his birthday, his sister's birthday, and his brother's birthday, but the baseball playoffs are on too!! It's officially his favorite month. I love October for those reasons and because it's Breast Cancer Awareness month.... tis the pink!

Family pictures.

2010-10-18T20:57:00.001-04:00

We have family pictures November 7. I. can't. wait.

OMG

2010-10-17T21:27:00.001-04:00

Our Little Ray of Sunshine

2010-10-17T14:51:00.008-04:00

Ray was baptized today at St. Roch by Father Wilmoth. He's such a stinkin' trooper!

Godparents are my sister, Brooke, and brother-in-laws, Jason and Mike . We will be Grandfathering in Mike's wife.... ladies???

Oh, how we love you Father Wilmoth!

Daddy and LJ getting ready in their ties.

Whoa, we finally took a picture and everyone was looking. That rarely happens.

Big Joey turns 30 next week. Oh do we have surprises in store for him!!

Tip Top, It's October!

2010-10-11T21:33:00.011-04:00

Tip top of the day to ya!!! It's been a while since Mom let me sign on the the blogger's world, so I thought I beg her to allow me to give you a shout out. Well, where shall I start?? Life around 8428 is moving fast. I'm gettin' big on ya too. I now can get through an entire pre-school class without my "up" (blanket) or my playfriend, Josh. Oh.... and I looooooove pre-school. I have made so many new friends... like Lilly and Bella and Ryan and Michael and Maddie and Miss Gray and Miss Schroeder. My verbal skills have picked up tremendously too! I am now speaking full sentences using "my" and "I" and I'm asking questions when I need to.... or when I just want to bug Mommy and wake up Ray Ray. Speaking about growin' up on ya.... I now use the big boy potty quite a bit. Mom and Dad really haven't been pushing it-- they say "no hurry"-- but I like to go on my own at night, and I almost have my sticker chart full, which means my piggy bank is getting bigger for Mommy and Daddy to take me somewhere super fun!!! Most importantly I have been an amazing big brother. I love taking Ray Ray around the city. On a regular basis we go to the park, taco shop, library, a walk around the block, our 85 year old friend, Nancy's, house, and the ZOO!!!!!!!!! DID I JUST SAY THE ZOO?!!!!!!

Here's a good story for ya. This morning Mommy was going to take Ray Ray and I to the Children's Museum for the very first time with our friend, Lilly, and her Mommy and little sister. We got all the way to the museum and there was a huge sign that said it was closed on Mondays- boooo!!!! So we went to the Zoo, which I'd like to add is my all time fave place. This picture above me is hilarious, isn't it? Every time I go to the Zoo these guys are laying around like a bump on the log. Poor little Rhinos- don't they know they should sleep at night?

This is my wonderful, awesome, super cool friend, Lilly!! She is one of the main reasons I'm able to get through pre-school. She brings me her blankie, helps me play with the other kids, and even consoles me when I miss Mommy. So, ya, she's pretty much the bomb.

Isn't this seal gorgeous? Can you believe this beautiful animal lives in Indiana? He was singing
the second we walked into the Zoo! Have I told you how much I love singing... and dancing too! I keep showing Mom my Cupcake tap dance, but she still doesn't give me cupcakes every time nor will she sign me up for tap class just yet.

I'm not quite sure what I should say about this picture, but these 3 little lemurs???? were just cuddling and loving on each other, kinda like Ray and Daddy and I do at night-- guys time!

Did I forget to mention Ray has a friend too?? She's Lilly's little sister, Violet. Isn't she sweet?? I know Ray looks a little distraught but he really does great in the stroller and I saw him and Vi exchanging smirks all morning long.... KIDS!

Lilly and I had a great time sharing our snacks too. I've really been struggling with this "sharing thing" Mommy and Miss Gray have been talking about. All the other little kids keep helping with the word "mine," but Mommy keeps telling me that isn't that nice of a word.

Just look at these pictures, and look at how much everyone is struggling with finding a resemblance between Ray and I. What do you think? Speaking of Ray... that little booger is getting up on all 4's, eating all kinds of baby food and just about sitting up all by hisself- such a champ!

See what I'm talking about.... resemblance?

But Ray is sure getting big, isn't he? At his 6 month check up, he was 19 lbs and 28 inches long. 50th in weight and 90th in height, which is nothing compared to my 120% in everything stats! HA!

Oh Daddy!!! Daddy has been working soooo hard!!!! He's been busy traveling the midwest and coming home with a full load of energy!!! I get so sad when he's not there after my naps, but we definitely make up for it on the weekends with catch, tackle and watching the baseball.

Welp, time for bed. Mom would be so mad if she knew how long I've been on here. I'll be sure to post Halloween pics. Mom and I have been going back and forth between Yo Gabba Gabba monster guy and Cowboy. We'll just have to see.

Chugga chugga,

Joey

PS Thomas and the Trains are my favorite currently. If you happen to have any sitting around the house, come on over and play on my tracks.

Another Trip to the Zoo!!

2010-10-01T14:43:00.007-04:00

Like father, like son.

2010-09-28T16:11:00.003-04:00

What we do at night....

2010-09-20T21:04:00.002-04:00

Swing. Swing.

Swing.

Goodbye Summa

2010-09-19T21:25:00.007-04:00

This picture explains why Big Joey and I are able to go out nearly every weekend. We have a wonderful high school girl come to the house and we feel so blessed to have her availability and sweet babysitting skills!! Our other babysitter is away at college, so during the school year Laura is our SAAAVIORRR!!! Sydney turned 1 last week- can you believe it? She's walking everywhere and is as happy as can be!

Even though Sloanie is just 3 months older than Joey, she's always teaching him something. They play sooooo well together!

Obviously.

Well, what do you look like in the morning?? My son takes after me... scary!

And yes, his blanket is always laying across him perfectly- he MAKES us do it like that. Just a little OCD, huh?

Learning

2010-09-19T19:05:00.003-04:00

After 3 tries to pre-school, we made it without the teacher calling me to come pick him up. We have also learned the word "mines" and use it for anything Ray has his eyes on. We're learning how football is played and know when to say "run, run, run." Lastly we're learning the difference between being a big boy and a baby....now on to potty training and a new bed- we'll see how this goes.

Jabberboxin' about the Power of Prayer

2010-09-16T20:46:00.001-04:00

I feel like my prayer list is growing by the minute. Do you ever feel like that? I start my prayers every night before bed and I never get to finish because the list is soo long becuase I'm so tired I just end up falling asleep. What the heck is going on in the world for so many people to be so sick? I really try hard to stay healthy and I try even harder for my kids, but it just seems to never be enough. Also, is there a way to sum up so many people that need prayers so God hears everything without having to pray for an hour at night? I guess I could split it up during the day, but right now I'm overwhelmed. There is an awful lot to be thankful for and an awful lot to pray for. I guess I just want to say as hard as it gets sometimes I'm happy God still listens. Amen.

School, Brian, and Friends

2010-09-03T14:16:00.007-04:00

We had our first day of pre-school this week. LJ was looking forward to it until I left.

I think it'll take a few weeks to get used to. Let's hope next week is better.

We did sport a fantastic backpack though. Joey's Godfather, Brian Egan, came in town last weekend. Brian is getting married in Portland, where him and his fiance are doing their anesthesia residency. In a few weeks we'll celebrate again here. It's so nice to see Brian so much this month. Man, we miss him

This pic I found on my camera.
I think my husband was trying to be a photographer.
Not a bad job, hun.

We had a blast at the park today with Emmie and Sadies' kids. They really played well together, and it's so nice catching up with the girls.

Group HUG!!!

Summa Summa Summatime!

2010-08-28T15:30:00.000-04:00

Your Zoo Tour Guide

2010-08-23T13:22:00.023-04:00

Hi there folks!! In case you've never been to the Indianapolis Zoo, I thought I'd give you a little tour. You see, this morning I begged my mom to take me to see some animals and after a 20 minute car ride we ended up here... one of my favorite places-- The Indianapolis Zoo!!!!! Before we get started I wanted to give my little bro, Ray, a shout out. The poor guy sat in the stroller the whole morning and didn't whine a bit. Man, he's a good baby!! What up RAY??!!!

Oh, I found this picture to give you a better idea of what things looked like this morning. I was running around like a wild maniac and Mommy was trying to chase me around the zoo with this huge stroller. Oh, I had soooo much fun!!!

It all started in the forest, where we saw these beautiful birds I didn't even know existed. When I saw these birds, I thought of the phrase my Daddy taught me, "Nice legs!"

Then we slid on over to the butterfly exhibit at White River Gardens. These beautiful little fellas let me get so close to them. Now that never happens in my neck of the woods. What a treat!

They even let me touch them (even though we weren't supposed to). Maybe the flies liked my Edge jersey, who knows?

Once I saw this rock, I thought it'd be the perfect photo opp. Don't I look studdly?? So big and tall with my blonde curls! Next week when I start pre-school the babes are gonna love me!

ROOOOOAAAAR!!! Well, it didn't quite go like that, but this huge bear loved me too. We had a staring contest for at least 30 seconds.... Mommy said it was just enough time to get the perfect picture.

Oh, here I am again. I just can't get enough of Mommy's new camera. These pictures she takes require zero touch up- it's outstanding!!

I don't know if you've ever met Tony Stewart, but he was chillin' at the zoo today with these super fast cheetahs! Stew and I hit it off so well, he let me stand by his little pet for this amazing photo.

This lady, who I call "Mommy," is the one who took me to this fine place. She picked the most perfect day- it wasn't too crowded, no long lines, and a cool breeze- I think the car read about 77 degrees this morn.

Like WHOA!! Daddy would appreciate this exhibit. He reads me my giraffe book every night (that's where we talk about the nice legs, right?).

When I saw this picture, I knew something was up. This zebra is sooooo out of focus. I was thinking Mommy was just experimenting with her camera, but no, I knew she just wanted to focus in on my B-E-A-utiful curls. Ohhhh Mom!!

Well, our trip is coming to an end and I started to feel about the same as this polar bear- sleepy!

We hit up the Ocean Exhibit and headed to the car.... did I mention we saw penguins there though?? They acted like we've known each other forever-- I kept thinking we've only met a few times, but whatev.

Ohhhh, Grandpa would have loved this exhibit- the shark petting area!! I didn't get to pet the sharks because Mommy has this phobia thing about either sharks or germs... I wasn't quite sure, but it's all good. I kinda was a little burnt out on sharks anyway since we just got off of Shark Week on the tube.

Welp, now we're home and I about to get all tuckered in to my bed. I had a stinkin' blast, and I can't wait to have another day out like this again. I heard my grandparents might get a membership.... I'll be sure to have Mommy put a good word in for me.

Until next time, Yo Gabba Gabba.

Joey

I called it.

2010-08-20T14:15:00.002-04:00

September of 2007, I called it. I was with my hubby and in-laws at Cheeseburger in Paradise and said the market was going to hit a low of about 7,000 and it's going to start the process of teaching my generation how to prioritize. We've been given so much on a silver platter and it is time to actually learn something that our Grandparents did. Over the past 3 years, I have learned so much! We are close to getting completely out of debt other than our home, I have learned how to grow a garden, I know how to save at least 50% at the grocery store with coupons and I usually can save about 70% at CVS and get a pack of 96 diapers for $3. I understand the idea of buying only what we eat and I enjoy being creative and using all of our produce before it goes bad. I don't mind packing my lunch, eating at home and saving money by making my own coffee in the morning versus a Starbuck run. All of this and more has ultimately made me healthier too. Since I eat at home more, I eat much less sodium and calories, so when I do go out to eat I notice a huge difference in the way I feel. I also care a lot about what I'm eating at home. We buy at least half of our food organic, and we just bought a deep freezer for our grass fed, hormone calf we just bought for the winter. Little Joey begs me to go to the markets on Wednesday and Saturday and there isn't much there he won't try. We also find more joy in doing free things versus always paying to do something "kid friendly."

It's amazing what a recession can teach someone... if you're teachable. I am refreshed now that I have more control over my expenses and health, and I actually feel a ton better mentally and physically. You should try it.

2 of a Kind

2010-08-12T21:26:00.002-04:00

Baby blue eyes... and tough guy in his new Nike dry fit shirt.

Nuff Said

2010-08-11T19:40:00.001-04:00

I'm not kidding, this is what we do all day! Who is this kid?

Some of our favorite women!

2010-08-09T13:05:00.007-04:00

Grandma Connie Matis!

Great Aunt Cathy Matis!

Aunt Katie Matis!

Bestie Alli West- all the way from LA!

Today we go to LJ's preschool to meet his teacher! School starts next week!!

PS Don't worry, it's just one morning a week :)

Mommy, hold you.

2010-08-04T19:44:00.001-04:00

I see this and hear that.... maybe 200 times a day. Oh, how I'll miss this phase.

So Sorry!

2010-08-02T14:22:00.002-04:00

I really haven't done a lot of blogging lately, and it's because something is wrong with our router and the idea of taking two babies to Best Buy gives me the hhhheeebeee jeeebeees! So, I managed to get online today, but it could go out any second (that will explain my blog ending mid-sentence).

To update you though... things around 8428 have been pretty stinkin' good! LJ is talking up a storm. If he doesn't know what it is, he says "what's that?" and that probably happens about 250 times a day. He's mesmorized by buckles-- he'll work on them for hours and one by one I find them around the house. For example, I go to put Ray in his bouncer seat or carseat and it's already buckled. LJ is also swimming by himself with just his "puddle jumper." It's amazing how quickly he picked up swimming. Our favorite sport right now though is golf. He talks about golf in his sleep. My dad sawed down his golf clubs and put tennis grips around them so LJ has a small set. We also have a few buckets of balls and to be completely honest LJ is hitting about 8/10 about 20 feet. He practices from the time he wakes up till he goes to bed. He also has quite a stroke. I don't know if this is normal, but if it is then bring your kid over to our house and let's play!

Ray is 5 months old!!!!! WHAT! He's a piece of cake!! He's a complete giggle monster and you can find him either rolling over or bouncing in his jumperoo. He's lost quite a bit of his hair, but from what he has left it still has a red tint. He's still is about 50th percentile in his stats.

We are officially giving the boys a bath together and it's not only a blast but it's seriously cutting our bedtime routine down so we can play outside longer. Ray is eating two meal of organic oatmeal a day and loooooovin' it!!

Our family jumped on the organic kick this summer, and man, I seriously can tell a difference-- mentally and physically :) We love going to the markets and we can't wait to get our Farm Fresh Delivery every other Friday.

As for me, I'm lovin' life! Things are honestly really good right now. Joey and I have been going out pretty regularly and being back in the social scene feels great. We have some awesome babysitters and the one on one time makes a huge difference!! I have about 3-5 more lbs to lose still, but there is just something about how your body changes after a baby.... it's like I need to lose another 10 lbs.... but that's not happening.

Welp, the babes are getting up. If you've made it all the way through this blog would you mind sending up a small prayer to the Man above.... just pray for the health of those you love. There is a lot going on right now, and it'd be nice to get down to the bottom of some of these things.

Off to diaper duty.

I bought a Canon Rebel

2010-07-17T17:35:00.008-04:00

I invested in one of the coolest cameras ever, and man, it was worth it.

The quality of my pictures have changed tremendously

and it is just in time to capture some of the

sweetest moments of the

summer.
My boys. My mom and LJ (who's almost swimming by himself).

Great Grandma Kurtz came to visit from Arizona

Enjoying the summer rays while eating dinner on the deck

Love you boys.

Aren't these pictures perfect??

Q and A

2010-07-09T19:17:00.004-04:00

Where have we been?? We typically are found at a pool in the morning.... and the afternoon. We are going under the water, and almost swimming on our own. Today we attempted to dive several times. Who is this little boy?? He used to be such a chicken!! How have we been?? Knock on wood, but we've been healthy. Ray will have his 4 month check up in 2 weeks, although he'll be 20 weeks old and I'm pretty sure he's going to be more than 50th percentile this go round. Ray rolled over for the first time this week and he smiles at anyone and everyone. He's had a little tummy ache this week and so many people said this was the first time they've heard him cry. He's been a pretty amazing baby. It's crazy how much you learn after your first.

Work is going great for me. I'm still working 2 days a week and it's the perfect break with Grandmas and Grandpas watching the kiddos. We have 2 spectacular babysitters on the weekends, and Joey and I have been heading out about once/week.

What's new? Well, we're getting a fence this week, which is a must.It'll be the little brown 4 ft scalloped fence. Poor LJ loves the outside and poor Ray hates it. This way our Outdoorsman can bake in the sun while we watch :)

We've been so busy having a blast with weddings, but now we are able to do a little more grillin' and chillin'. The boys are really enjoying each other. We do hugs, kisses, pat pats, "hold Ray Ray's", and "baby paci" all day long.

It's a real treat to watch the world through their eyes. Every night before I go to bed I pray for the health of our sons. It's amazing how life can change in an instant. The minister who baptized me JC Hunter who runs Northland Church in Orlando and across the world has a granddaughter who was just diagnosed with malignant brian cancer with a 1% chance of survival. She is only 6. Please pray for them. Their blog is off of northlandchurch.net. Their family has meant a great deal to ours over the years- my mom watches their sermons every week on their website- it's pretty amazing stuff.

New tricks

2010-06-21T19:20:00.003-04:00

I don't know what you call it,

but when our kids reach a new milestone,

they've learned a new "trick."

When I hang with my Mama girlfriends and they ask what the kids have been up, we usually go over our new "tricks."

Well, here they are. We can pound on Grandpa's piano with our cousin, Sloanie.

More importantly, we are learning to share.

We can sit in a Big Boy chair and eat cookies straight from the box.
You're caught!!!!

Baby Sydney is only 9 months old and is almost walking!!!!
Way to go Syd!

We are learning to share at such a young age.

Who said you shouldn't put two babies in a crib together???

Nice eyes Ray!

And we are spending nearly every day in the pool. We are going under and swimming to the edge with just our floaties and life vest. Our baby boy is turning into a fish!!!

Growing up too fast!

2010-06-13T19:18:00.002-04:00

Can you believe this chunk is 15 weeks old???? Stinkin' adorable!
One day this guy is such a big boy, and the next day is trying to act like a "little baby."
I think he's outgrown the swing- what do you think?
See what I mean when I say growing up too fast!!!

Already sagging!

Or jammin' to "Pants on the ground, pants on the ground!"

A Tough Balance

2010-06-08T15:45:00.002-04:00

I think I have figured out how to balance two little boys throughout the day. Luckily it's summer, and going outside is typically a cure all. What I'm having a hard time with is trying to balance the life of being a stay at home mom, an employee for 2 days a week, a wife, daughter, sister, friend, and bridesmaid. I only have a few friends that have kids, so if I do meet some girls out for a night out on the town they are at their peak at 1:30am. Me... that's my first potty break for my post 2 babies bladder.

How do I balance all of this??

So I've decided to have a few blogs that show my double life. During the day I'm waking up at 6:30am, working out by 7:30am, and I have 2 kids fed and I'm on the swingset or at the pool by 8:30am.

We have 8 weddings this summer. One of the weddings I'm in is one of besties, Brittany Whalen. I organized her 30 girl bachelorette party last weekend in Bloomington. What a fun weekend!! However, it's so hard to keep up... our day of jello shots, beer bongs, party boating, and lingerie party began at 10:30am and lasted till 2:30am. I was home and taking care of the boys by 10:30am, and that included an hour and a half drive.
So yes, I'm beat. But wedding season has just begun. I am supposed to be in St. Louis on June 11 for my pledge sister's wedding, but we have a very good family friend getting married here on June 12, which also happens to be my 26th birthday. So we've decided to stay here.

I had to get in pre-baby body form by May 14 for another wedding I was in, so fortunately I felt fairly comfortable in my bathing suit. I think the girls understand a little extra skin was going to be sittin' on this Mama.

So like I said, throughout the week the whole family has been working hard to keep the house clean and the laundry done. I think dusting the fans and windexing the windows will have to wait till the fall.

The few Sundays we do get together have been spent in the pool AFTER our work is done. We love love love the pool!!!!

I already have 3 pledgesisters engaged with a wedding date for next summer.

Tis the Season!

More May Pics

2010-05-29T14:04:00.002-04:00

Tiffy and Chad with LJ on his bday My organic carrots from our Farm Fresh delivery- don't they look scrumptious?!

Grandpa Matis watching the kids

Jules and Ray

Sloanie

We've been busy, very busy.

2010-05-24T13:05:00.005-04:00

Look what someone got for his 2nd birthday from Grandma and Grandpa Matis!!! Man to man talk with Uncle Mikey.

Celebrating with Nannie and Sloanie. LJ knows the birthday song now. He made us do it 3 times yesterday at his family party.

He also knows how to blow out the candles. Oh... did I mention he now says "excuse me" when he burps or toots, and he says "bless you" when Ray sneezes or coughs. Who's kid is this??

He's growing up on me. A few weeks ago I even signed him up for preschool next year. It's only one morning a week, but where has the time gone?

LJ's Godmother, Tiffy, was in town this weekend. We usually bombard their home within the first few hours she's here.

After LJ's 2 year check up, we went to buy a fish with Grandma Matis. We named her Goldie.

LJ hasn't gained a pound since his 12 month appointment weighing in at 31 lbs, but he's grown 5 inches at 35 1/2 inches. I think he's about 75th percentile for height, 90th percentile in weight, but still over 100th in head. Nice work.

And.... we're still giving love to baby Ray. He's 12 weeks old now. At Ray's 2 month check up, he weighed 13 lb 2 oz. He's 50th percentile for height and weight and only 25th for head. Who's kid is this??

I was in my good friend Leslie's wedding last weekend at the Indiana State Museum. The ceremony was on the canal and it was GORGEOUS!!!!!

Here are my high school girlfriends that were in the wedding. It was a great girls' weekend, and some much needed time away for me. BUT hopefully I don't have to spend this much time away for a little while. Man, I missed those boys.

Welp, I have a ton of pics on my camera, and we've been so busy. We have 8-10 weddings were trying to make it to this summer, we just planted a garden, and I'm back to work 20+ hours/week. We either have a bachelor/bachelorette party or a wedding every weekend from now till mid July. Meanwhile, on my days off I will be bugging people who have pools and teaching LJ to swim. Any takers?

Back to work.

2010-05-17T13:51:00.002-04:00

I go back to work this week. Just 2 days a week, but still... look what I'm missing out on.Yes this shirt is way too big- size 6.

However, Joey has to wear IU every day and this is all I could find.

Ray is turning into a butter ball. We get weighed in tomorrow (and shots).

And we are finally to the smile and giggle stage. What a great feeling!

Today you're 2

2010-05-13T13:58:00.005-04:00

Today you've turned into a little boy. You feed yourself with your own utensil. Today you are a big brother (and a daddy). You feed your baby.

Today you understand commands. You look at the camera when I say smile (still working on the smile part).

Today you understand what a birthday is. You blew out your first candles.

Today you are 2. Today I love you more than I did yesterday.

I will never forget today.

Birthday week

2010-05-10T20:18:00.011-04:00

LJ turns 2 on Thursday. Where has the time gone? He has grown into such a kind boy. He makes me smile so big when I look back at him in the car and his eyes are sparkling at me. He is a boy of routine. He wants to do the same thing every day. He wants to sit in the same chair and eat the same thing. When he goes anywhere else, he wants to do exactly what he did last time. He asks to wear his IU shirt every day, and after I tell him it's dirty he replies that he wants to wear the dirty IU shirt. Every time he sees an IU symbol, he says "IU, hoo, hoo." He's absolutely mesmorized with sports. He will get in a catcher's stance and watch any sport for as long as he can. He walks behind me throughout the day and closes anything I leave open, throws away any trash I leave out, and puts away anything that seems out of place. He's slightly OCD. He's a perfect combination of Joey and I, and I'm so happy to be able to spend so much time with him.

Oh, did I forget to mention, we celebrate birthday months at our house? So..... last week we started the birthday month by going to the Indianapolis Zoo with Sloanie. They had a ball. Can you believe we have a shark petting exhibit?

I'm still slowly adjusting to being a mom of 2 (see the leash). It is so hard to plan anything. One of the hardest things is entertaining LJ during Ray's feedings. I'm so excited for Ray to get old enough to go in his Johnny Jump Up- LJ is going to looooove that!

We have had several firsts this past week. LJ had his first big fall down a few brick steps where he gashed his chin. LJ had his first time out (broke my heart). I also caught LJ picking his nose for the first time- when I asked what he was doing, he said "boogers." Who teaches him this stuff, honestly??

This week, he is the King. This week we do whatever our little terrible two, curly haired sweet boy wants to do! It's wild that as of Thursday, I will say I have a 2 year old and a 10 week old. Wow.

Happy Birthday Month, My Little Man.

2 year old and 2 month old

2010-05-05T13:50:00.002-04:00

http://smilebox.com/playEmail/4d5459304d4463304d7a56384d5441324e5445794d6a513d0d0a&sb=1

Check out the smilebox of the family pics we had taken by a good friend last week.

Finally getting out.

2010-04-26T13:44:00.005-04:00

This last week we have had so many wonderful visitors. I only have a few minutes to write this blog, so forgive me if I forget you. We were able to go the park with Amy (her little boy Noah) and Jenna, have a playdate with Jill Irwin and little Jake, a surprise visit from my high school girlfriend Annette, the birthday girl (pledge sister) Carrie come an afternoon, another pledgesister (hanginwithmrhinton.blogspot.com) Emmalee dropped by, and we wrapped up the weekend with one of my besties from LA, Alli Walli!! Who have I forgot?? I know it's somebody.

I haven't seen Alli in a year and half. She has been my best friend since I was 3. We grew up dancing together then roomed together in college. She's one of the producers of the next Big Brother, so I think I can understand why she's all the way across the US. LJ and Ray can't wait for her next visit to Indy (hopefully with her man).

Saturday was a big night out for Joey(obviously not little Joey) and I. My mother-in-law offered to babysit so we were able to step out and head to Broad Ripple. Lisa the Eichmachine (orange stripes) was in town from Louisville and I haven't seen a lot of my pledgesisters for awhile, so we had a bunch of catching up to do. It was just like old times, except I couldn't keep up like old times. I was able to get Emmalee kicked out of Usual Suspects for having her come into the bathroom with me (see her blog for more), and we wrapped up the night with a Big Ten pizza, or should I say Hot Box.

Friday night was family night (did I really just say that?). We went to Pizza King Station in Franklin where a little choo choo (did I really just say that?) brings around your drinks. LJ just entered the train phase, so he was waaaaay too busy to eat. I feel like this was such a busy weekend for us because I still missed out on so many other things. On Sunday we saw our niece Sydney get baptized. Joey and I are one of the Godparents.

Love these pics. I think I need to make this a once a month shot. Ray is plumping up nicely. I think he's almost 13 lbs and he's only getting up once per night- we're now in 3-6 month clothing and I'm leaning more and more on giving up breastfeeding. I was able to nurse LJ for almost a year, but since I'm just able to pump with Ray it's quite a bit more time consuming. We'll see what this summer brings with all of these overnight wedding excursions.

Awww, there he is... now look at that smile. Melts my heart.

You are my Sunshine

2010-04-23T13:52:00.005-04:00

Thank goodness summer weather is here. LJ is in heaven!!! We have the swingset put together and we are outside from sun up to sun down. Seriously, ask anyone who knows this little guy! We had a wonderful visit with Miss Jenna Coy this week at Indpendence Park in Center Grove. This park is the most toddler friendly park I've ever been to. LJ fell off the steps twice onto the concrete, but since it's rubber he popped up like a champ. We tend to get over there at least once a week.

Oh, oh, oh... here is part of the swingset. Thank you to my dad, Joey's dad, Joey's uncle and our cousins for helping us out. We were able to knock a huge chunk out the other weekend, and waaallla! It's done!

Keeping LJ entertained during the building process. They are blowing grass... remember doing that?

Lovely shot of me, huh?? This is about what I look like on a daily basis. Not that it would have changed anything, but nobody ever told me .....

1. I would never sleep in past 7:30am... ever again!

2. I would struggle to find time to go the bathroom and brush my teeth every morning.

3. I would wear comfy clothes because you never feel like you have your body back.

4. ...or I would wear the clothes to bed that I was going to wear the next day so I could sleep 5 more min in the morn.

5. I would be changing poopy diaper after poopy diaper for several years.

6. I would be scared to do anything because it involves leaving the boys, and after seeing one almost not make it in the ER it's even harder to leave.

7. I would feel my head going to mush from watching Yo Gabba Gabba!

8. I would look forward to 8pm on Thursday night to open up a bottle of wine.

9. I would schedule dinners with family for 5pm so I can get my kids in bed by 8pm.

10. I would love Joey and Ray like I do. It's absolutely unexplainable.

Like I said, it wouldn't have changed anything. I'm loving my life. So, thank you hubby for allowing me to stay home. You are the greatest, and I love you soooo.

UOTW

2010-04-11T20:28:00.002-04:00

Great Grandma Matis and Aunt Janie came over for a little visit the other day. It's such a cool feeling for my kids to have a "Great." I lost both sets of my grandparents a while ago, and it's sad to not have them around during this time. Luckily I have GG Matis and Gma and Gpa Kelley :) We brought LJ to brackettown when the Final Four was in town. Holy cow was he in heaven!! Boys everywhere, basketballs flying at our head and a goal to shoot at about every 5 feet. Did I mention this kid love sports?? He insists on dribbling, faking, and then shooting. He also has risen the goal himself to make sure there is a challenge. I guess sitting on the floor and trying to shoot wasn't cutting it anymore.

When I was growing up, the big challenge at dinner was to eat a slice of lemon with the peel. If we did this, my dad would take us on a piggy back ride to the car while leaving the restaurant. We attempted at every dinner and I don't remember there being very many rides; however, it's never to early to start LJ on this challenge- he's so competitive :)

Baby Ray is 6 weeks old this weekend. We haven't been to the doctor since the week he was born, so we aren't sure how he's weighing in, but he's turning into a little chunker. I don't think he'll be sporting the rolls like LJ, but probably not too far behind him. Can you believe this hair? Who is this child's mother???

We had been using Playtex Ventaire bottles for the first few weeks. Either my kids are extremely gassy or those bottles are jank. We started Dr. Brown's bottles this week hoping to get rid of the painful baby gas. If you have any other suggestions, let me know. As of now, I'm still giving him breastmilk, but due to health problems I'm only able to pump :) It's a very hard thing to accept when "your plan" for your kid is altered, but I guess I just need to roll with the punches, huh?

Do you want a good laugh?

2010-04-09T14:25:00.001-04:00

Look back at April, 2009 on my blog?? Can you believe LJ was that fat?? Is this going to happen to Ray too??

Still laughing....