Our week together!

Saturday, January 28, 2012:
Hello! Happy January! This past week I took off to spend some time with the boys as I'm in between jobs currently. Kris was in Georgia all week at a trade show and I got to be a stay at home mom! I sure made the most of it and enjoyed the quality time with the boys.

Monday was a bit snowy here in Wisconsin, so it was a good day just to be home and enjoy each other. We did some painting in the morning making valentines to decorate our bedroom door. We played in the several times outdoors to burn up some energy!!

Our bottom drawer of our oven is now completely empty as the boys enjoy removing baking sheets and carrying them to various destinations around the house for fun. They even enjoy "hanging out" in the drawer thinking it's a great spot to irritate mom and dad while trying to cook or clean in the kitchen.

Ahhh... on to the rest of the week. I took the boys swimming individually this week and really enjoyed the time together. I don't always get the one on one time that I would like with each of the boys, so it was really nice to have "one kid" for a bit in the pool. Both boys were somewhat hesitant at first as last time they went swimming was in the summer. But, they quickly warmed up to the water and enjoyed watching the other kids splash and run around the pool. Some day boys...that will be you! It was very special for me to have this pool time with them as I love to swim and wonder why haven't we done this more often??

Another highlight of the week was taking the boys to the Madison Childrens Museum. Even I, as a parent had a blast! I bought them a year membership so Cheri, our nanny, can take them whenever she wants!!

Here Ryan decided to climb up a mule pulling vegetables in the wagon.

Ryan banging on the drums!

Ryan playing in the water. Both boys loved playing with the water spouts and pouring water all over themselves. They had waterproof aprons on.....but, they still managed to get soaked from their tops down to their shoes!

Here is Nathan enjoying the fountain.

Nathan and I.....as he was starting to have a meltdown :)

Nathan enjoying Legoland with movable parts!

So, to wrap things up, I had a very memorable week staying home and doing lots of "activities" with the boys. I enjoyed every minute of it and hope to do it again soon.

This week I start my new job with the UW Hospital as a Nurse Practitioner in the Geriatrics Transition of Care Department. I look forward to this new position, but realize it will be challenging and take time away from my family. My schedule for this first week is about 50 some hours. I will rotate between the hospital, nursing homes, and clinic settings while attending many meetings (early morning and lunchtime) to develop this brand new program, I will be responsible for with my physician colleagues. I will surely take one day at a time as I will be torn between accomplishing my professional career goals, time with my family, and training for upcoming runs. I sense I will need to buy more coffee.....

I am also happy to report that Kristofer and I found "THE HOUSE".... It's located in Sun Prairie and is cute as a button! We plan on making an offer February 1st.....AND, it's not even on the market yet:) We hope to move in April sometime....

My next blog post, will provide some exciting news on Kristofer. I will wait to share it at this time, as things aren't final just yet :)

And this too shall pass...............

January 16, 2012:
Oh where to start? January seems to be flying by already.. Geez! Our weekends off from work have been filled with friends, family, and house-hunting!! The boys seem to embrace every opportunity they get to leave the house and interact with new people. Because of this, they continue to get sick. Yes, still sick. Remember when I last wrote that they’ve pretty much been sick since Halloween? Well, it seems to just cycle. We can’t win in this house to get a good nights sleep and I’m waiting for some warmer weather….well, I’m going to have to wait a little while longer! My last post they had RSV and now they have the goopy eyes and snotty nose.. Both have ear infections and pink EYE. Oh fun! Kris and I get to take turns during the night to calm these sickies! Almost feels like we’re reverting a bit, right? UGH.

Our house hunting is going well though. We’ve looked at oh… probably 20 homes and will keep the bean counter counting. We have 2 homes that we really like, but want to “see what else is out there.” House-hunting with two toddlerS (usually in different directions) present quite the challenge for a good look at a home. But, we're definitely making progress!

Here are some photos from this month!

At the beginning of the month, we had a mini Christmas party with immediate family at our home. Chelli and Ryan (yes Ryan sat on someone other than mom and dad's lap!! and Nathan on Rachel's)

So, I was reading the newspaper and HAPPENED to check in on the boys in the toy room. This is how I found them!!

Ryan and Gram Gram (Grandma Susan)

Ryan playing with a string on a doll with Great Grandpa Possin

Nathan LOVES Mr. Potato Head!

And this too shall pass... we have so much to look forward to with the start of 2012!

Our Christmas 2011 Experience!

January 2, 2011:
On Thursday, December 22, 2011, I packed all day in preparation for the 14 hour trip to Windsor, Colorado. This is where Karl and Bev (the boys' Grandpa and Nana) resides. Kris and I thought we had everything figured out to feed the boys their supper then start the trip as they would soon be tired and ready for bed.. HA! Within 1 hour of the 14 hour experience, Ryan puked all over his clothing and car seat. Change of clothes #1 and complete wipe down of the chair. I happened to "car crawl" back and forth from front to back most of the trip as the boys did not sleep, and well, neither did mom or dad. We experienced 14 hours of crying and let's just say, we made it to Colorado...very tired! Lesson #1 of long car trips in the books..

I know it sounds like it was a miserable trip out there (which it was); fortunately, the rest of the trip was rather nice in Colorado. The boys got plenty of Grandpa and Nana time and were able to meet Bev's extended family and get some fresh mountain air! There were days that were 50-60 degrees!

The boys loved playing the piano keys. I'm thinking we will have to invest in a piano in the next few years.. Then they can follow mom's interest in the piano as she played for most of her childhood.

Ryan enjoyed carrying this mini brief case around the house. I think he thought he had to get some work done while there...

The boys received an alphabet learning game for Christmas in which they place the letter into the box and it states the letter and what sound it makes. It also sings the alphabet to them.. A new toy with lots of pieces to play with and throw on the floor! Yea!

The boys felt that they must keep busy and pay their dues while staying at Karl and Bev's. So, one got the swifter and the other the broom. They were quite content! They love to mimic what mom gets to do quite regularly at home!!

And who doesn't want to see the best part----gift time! Nathan loved being able to finally TEAR UP paper with permission!! He opened up Ryan's presents too as Ryan wasn't that interested in making a mess!

Kris and I were able to go cross country skiing in Rocky Mountain National Park for the day and enjoy a lunch date! Let's just say Kris is definitely more able than I am at skiing!!

Our last day together on vacation at home! Oops! I forgot about the trip home. We decided to flip things around and do a morning start on New Year's Eve. Wait a minute...let's back up a little more. The boys happened to be coughing with runny noses all week. Okay, another cold, right? Maybe problems with the altitude? Who knows.. Ryan and Nathan continued with their coughing jags all week and runny noses. Ryan seemed to be worsening with his breathing and mom's medication stash helped to no avail. Sooo, a trip to the ER (unfortunately, we just can't stay away).. Ryan was diagnosed with RSV or Respiratory Syncytial Virus and an ear infection. So, most likely Nathan had a milder form of it as well. Steroids were prescribed for both along with nebulizer treatments and antibiotics for Ryan. Bummer! But, they seemed to respond nicely and we were able to make a clean break for home. The boys were excellent on the way back as Mom was able to entertain them in the back and give out snacks and meals. Kris drove the majority of the way from Colorado, but faced major challenges leaving the state. I would describe the experience as first facing a duststorm, then heading into a Tropical Storm (the wind gusts were between 50-80 mph), then a blizzard. We saw multiple trailors and semis tipped on their sides and it was quite again (an experience). I thinked I prayed multiple Hail Marys on the way back while doing lots of deep breathing....

So, in summary, our trip was wonderful. Kris and I were able to spend some quality time together in addition to lots of family time. Karl and Bev were more than hospitable to us and our noisey little ones! Colorado was beautiful (as it always is) and we were able to relax and have some wonderful meals and memories together. We hope you and your family did as well! Cheers to a Happy New Year--2012!