Birthdays!

We celebrated both Tanner's and Spencer's birthdays this past week. Spencer turned 1 one June 5, and Tanner turned 2 on June 13. Last Saturday, our families gathered at a park for burgers and hot dogs, playground fun, cake, and most definitely presents.

The boys had tons of fun. They aren't at an age yet that they know what's going on. Tanner played on the playground equipment the entire time we were there. We couldn't even get him to take a break to eat. Finally, we had to sit him down and force him to eat something after noticing that his little hands were shaking from low blood sugar. Spencer loved just walking around and trying to touch the hot grill. Thankfully, no burns.

The boys made out like bandits. They got all kinds of new toys to play with. We've even had to get rid of a few toys just to make room for these new ones. The weather was perfect during the picnic. Afterwards, the storms came. Thank goodness we decided to do it in the early afternoon instead of the evening.

Nick had an interview with the University of Pennsylvania Hospital yesterday to determine if he would be accepted into their MRI program. He called on his way home and told me that he had been accepted. I have to admit that I'm kind of upset about it. I'm glad that he's trying to better his career and find a way to better provide for his family. At the same time, he's going to have to quit his full-time job and he's not sure if he's going to be able to get a weekend job some place. He'll have to commute to Philadelphia every day. It's only for 6 months, but I'm going to be a single parent for that period of time, and with a brand new baby, I'm not especially happy about that. Financially this is going to be extremely difficult for us. We will possible, more than likely, have to get a loan just to live on. I hesitate big time with that, but I know that it won't be too bad. It'll be like having a car payment to repay. I still struggle with it. I like things the way they are. We have health insurance, money to buy groceries, pay for rent and other things. He's home every evening. But I know how much better off we'll be once he's done with the program. I just have to come to terms with it I guess.

Quick Weekend

My mom and I took off to Ohio on Thursday after we received a call that one of my uncles passed away. It was a sudden thing, but we were grateful for the opportunity to go. I made arrangements with Nick's mom to watch the boys while Nick worked so that I could go. We left Thursday afternoon driving through the rain. We made it to my aunt's house around 11:00pm. Long day. Friday was the funeral. It was simple, but very nice. He was buried in the cemetery where my grandma and grandpa Smith are buried, so it was nice to visit their graves.

Afterwards, we spent the remainder of the day at family's house eating and talking and having a good time being together.

Saturday mom and I did some shopping. I needed some maternity clothes for the summer. All my summer stuff is too large for right now, so I was able to get a few things. We also stopped a few Ohio State Buckeye stores so that I could get the boys some stuff. I was able to find really cute outfits for the boys, a baseball cap for Tanner, and some shorts and a t-shirt for Nick. Go Buckeyes! We ate lunch with my Aunt Sue and had a nice visit with her. After that, we stopped in to see our longtime friends in Columbus and then it was back to my aunt's house in Marysville. We packed up our stuff in the car (we decided to stay at our friends house in Columbus to be closer to the highway) and headed over to my cousin's new house for dinner. That was a nice relaxing time. We ate some more and just chatted. I love it there because it doesn't get dark until close to 10pm.

Then we left yesterday morning to come back home. 8 hours and we made it, safe and sound. It was good to see my husband and kids again. I miss them every time I'm away. It was a nice little break, but I'm glad to be back with them.

All About Me

So, since mother's day was just a few days ago, as well as my birthday, I'll fill you in on what happened for those days.

Mother's day was busy. Nick was kind enough to allow me to lay in bed for as long as I was able before having to get ready for church. He got the boys dressed and ready for church. I've been collecting those Willow Tree figurines for the past few years and Nick got me one that had two brothers together. Love it! Having both your own mother and your mother-in-law live in the same area, it's a day filled with stopping by and saying hello. We spent the afternoon at my moms and stopped by Nick's say hello then home to get the boys home to bed.

Nick surprised me for my birthday by taking the day off from work and taking me to the temple. We hadn't been to the temple since before Tanner was born, so it was a nice treat. We left the boys at my parents and we drove over to Washington, D.C. We spent all afternoon in the temple. It was glorious! I'd forgotten how beautiful it is to be there in the house of the Lord! Afterwards, we stopped in Annapolis at a BBQ restaurant for dinner. We both went away from there hurting. The food was so yummy! We made it back to my parents about 8pm that night and we thanked everyone and brought the boys home. Nick surprised me again with symphony tickets for the following weekend. I'm so excited! I haven't been to the symphony in ages and the special musician for the weekend is a French horn player. Which, because of my background playing the French horn in school, I'm thrilled to hear this guy play! It was such a perfect day. I love my husband for being so thoughtful and listening to me when I told him that I'd love to go to the symphony one day.

The boys are as busy as ever. Tanner pretty much would live outside if we'd let him. He always has his shoes one on the off chance that mommy or daddy goes outside so that he can go too! He loves his shoes so much that he insists on wearing them to bed. He even wears them when he's got no clothes on ready for bath time. Unfortunately, the shoes don't get in the tub with Tanner, which is major drama for him! He's a funny kid! Tanner is really started to talk a lot. He doesn't have a big vocabulary, but it's growing. He just started to really talk within the last few weeks, so it's fun to hear him say things.

Spencer is getting to be a really fast walker! He walks pretty much everywhere now. He too has taken a liking to being outside. He gets really upset if he doesn't get to go along when you go outside. He's doing great at eating table food. No more baby food!! That's huge! It's taken Spencer a long time to get used to non-pureed food. He's my picky eater. My mom says it's pay back because I was one of her picky eaters. Hey, what goes around comes around, right? Spencer is funny to listen to when the music is going. He loves to sing with it! Especially at church. We we sing the hymns, he sings as loud as possible, and as soon as the music stops, so does he. It's pretty funny! Love him.

My pregnancy is going fairly well. I've been getting migraines a lot lately. I've had 4 in the last two weeks. The doctor gave me a medicine to help combat them, and yesterday was the first time I took it. It helped tremendously! I just hope these migraines stop soon. They're really starting to interfere with life. My nausea has seemed to lessen a little bit. I still have to eat pretty regularly in order to fight off the feeling. But it doesn't seem to be too bad anymore. I'm about 10 weeks, or two and a half months along. I wasn't able to hear the baby's heartbeat at my last appointment (too early), but next month I will.

That's us. We're still looking into to Nick going to this 6-month school next spring to get MRI certified. There's a lot of planning that goes into this, but we're hoping everything will work out for the best. I stay busy with the boys. I love being a mom. Especially when Tanner hands out hugs and kisses. I love my boys!

Things I Have/Not Done

Just copy and paste this to your blog and bold the ones that you HAVE done and make sure to put your score at the end.

1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Learned a new instrument
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Gone without food or water for 24 hours or longer
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Stayed up for 24 hours with NO sleep at all
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Changed a lightbulb
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Mowed the lawn
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee

Got 45! That's almost half!

Catch Up

The past few weeks have been a little busy. With the boys getting sick, our car dying, and a whole mess of other things, I'm tired.

Thankfully the boys are healthy and growing like crazy! Spencer will turn 1 in a month and Tanner will turn 2 just a week after Spencer's birthday. They both got haircuts yesterday at Grandma Surdukowski's. That was a fiasco! Spencer flipped out and screamed the entire time. Tanner started crying only because Spencer was crying. When it was Tanner's turn, he went nuts and was screaming and yelling. Not a fun night. But they look entirely handsome and so grown up. They don't look too much like babies anymore. But that's to be expected. Spencer weighs only a few pounds less than Tanner. Maybe 7 pounds less. He's a chunk! But he's so darn cute. He and Tanner can wear a lot of the same clothes and the same diapers. How sad is that? I'm relieved that Spencer is starting to eat table food. I'm tired of blending up fruits and vegetables. I've had it making two meals - one for us and one for Spencer. Spencer has started to walk. He's getting better every day. He thinks it's the coolest thing ever!

Our car, the good ol' VW, has started to die on us. A few weeks ago we decided that it was probably time to sell it because it was started to get up there in years. Although, it's only 7 years old. I bought that car in 2002 and it's brought me lots of good memories. But, the last week it has been dying a slow death. Nick had a hard time getting to work this morning because of it. So, we may just have to trade it in for what little money we can get for it and be done with it.

So, the reason we are trading in the car is because we are going to need a bigger vehicle come December. Yes, I am pregnant for the third time! My due date is December 14. Hopefully I won't be late because I don't necessarily want to spend Christmas in the hospital. I've felt completely terrible this time around. Makes me wonder if I'm having a girl. I've been so nauseous and I've felt so yucky! My first two pregnancies were a breeze. No sickness, nothing but headaches. Well, this time I feel sick all the time. I hate it! I just keep praying that it will end here in the coming month as I go into my second trimester. We'll see. I've had to change laundry detergent, hand soap, and lotion because those smells were entirely too strong. Makes me want to vomit. I have a hard time changing the boys' diapers, wet or otherwise. It's awful! If my first pregnancy was like this, I'm not so sure I would be where I am having a third one. But, I know that this will pass. It won't last forever. We're excited nonetheless!

Nick's job is going well. He may have the opportunity to cross-train into MRI at the hospital he's currently working at. He's been trying to find a way to make more money to support our family, and the only way seems to be more education and a different direction in the Radiology career field. He's also applied for a school in Philadelphia, just in case this doesn't work out at the hospital. We've been praying that everything will fall into place at his current job because this way he'll be able to cross-train while working. Once he's done, he'll be able to take the registry and his salary could jump $17 - $20,000 per year. So it's a good career move for him. Hopefully we'll hear something soon. It'll take a while to get to where he wants, but the end of the road really isn't that far.

So that's us the past few weeks. Busy, busy, busy. Never a moment to just sit and relax it feels like. But that's what makes life exciting!

Sick and Tired!

It's been an extremely long week - one that started last Wednesday. Tanner got sick at my parents' house before piano lessons, so home we came. He was fine the next day, then started getting sick again Friday evening. I thought that maybe he was developing a milk allergy. I was totally wrong. He was sick all weekend and started getting a little better Monday. Thank goodness he's pretty much back to normal now. Spencer, however, started with the sick Monday morning and has yet to fully recover. I hope that today he'll start to get a little better. I've been stuck inside since Saturday evening. I did go to Sacrament meeting Sunday to play the organ, but came home after that. Nick's been at work, and Tuesday he worked a 14+ hour day. That was horrible. Last night he had a meeting at church. So needless to say, I have major cabin fever! It rained most of the day Monday and again yesterday, so I couldn't even step out on the front porch for a bit of fresh air. Nick doesn't have to go anywhere this evening, so he told me to go and do the grocery shopping on my own. You have no idea how grateful I am for this!!! I think it will save my sanity. I just want this all to stop and for the boys to get healthy again. I want to open the windows in the house and get all the yucky germs aired out. Once Spencer does fully recover, I plan on sterilizing all the toys and beds and anything else I can think of. I feel surrounded by germs. Needless to say, I have dry, cracking hands because I've been washing my hands so much to help me not to get sick. I have enough on my plate as it is. Next week will be better!

My Little Cookie Monster!

So Nick gave Spencer a chocolate cookie the other day. Spencer went crazy for it! He dove right into it and got mad when we took it from him because it was all soggy and gross. He's such a cutie pie! And as you can tell from the pictures, Nick didn't think to take off his white shirt before giving it to him. Thank goodness we have two of those! Why don't guys think of these things?