9 years down, eternity to go

Happy Anniversary Colin!! I have been thinking of what I could write these past few days and I don't think I will do my love and appreciation for you any justice but I will try. You are such a wonderful husband and father!! You have and continue to work so hard for our family, to give us the things that we need and want. I know you would often rather be home with us but you are a great example to your family of hard work and dedication. I am grateful for your passion to be a doctor and the road to get there has been a great adventure with you.

I am happier than I ever thought I could be because of you! You never complain about the cluttered house or that I am still in my pj pants and it is 3pm. You let me be my own person, do my own thing and go along with all my crazy ideas. You tell me I am beautiful no matter the time of day or night, sick or healthy, size 10 or 14.

I am so grateful for the support you give me to be a SAHM. I know you always get an earful of our day when you get home. Thank you for always listening to me. I love that you want to be home and want to spend time with the kids. I know when you get home I can give you Cole and you will love on him, change him. Or I can get you to play with Jack and Mia and get them out of my hair. I am blessed to have a husband as involved as you are.

I know I don't appreciate you as much as you deserve and I don't fix you dinner as often as I should but I love you so much. I feel the same way that I did the day we married. I knew when I looked in your eyes and held your hand that I was marrying my best friend, the man I wanted to spend forver with. Thank you for a great 9 years and 3 beautiful children!! I love you!

Thank you my babies!

Jack, Mia and Cole were good kids today. Of course I didn't have Jack and Mia for 4 hours and I got to go to lunch with Colin and Cole for our anniversary. Cole didn't poo at all today and there were no messes to clean up that were out of the ordinary. It was very nice to have Colin home all day too. He helps keep the kids distracted.

My lilttle naughty kids!

Oh little naughty kids when we have to stay home together ALL day and then Daddy goes to work I want to lock myself in the closet and not come out! For two days in a row now you have done the EXACT opposite of what I told you to do. Yesterday I went to go change Cole's blow-out diaper, again, and you were playing and Mia wanted some cups of water. Against my better judgement I filled up 4 cups of water with specific instructions to NOT MAKE A MESS. I was upstairs for about 10 minutes and came back down to water spilled on the table, carpet and kitchen floor. It was also on Jack. I got a little upset but I didn't yell and we cleaned it up. Later on I was making my bed and I heard lots of giggling. I do love giggling but you were supposed to be eating dinner so I knew that there was trouble going on. I came down to milk cups with big bubbles in them from bubbles being blown in them, milk on the table and milk on Jack. Come on, two times in the same day. Jack was on clothes change #4. Today you were better, a bit. I left to put Cole down for a nap and you were coloring at the table. I specifically said, as I walked up the stairs, "What do we color on?" You both said, "Paper." I said, "NOT the table, not our hands, not the walls, JUST PAPER." After I put Cole down and went to my room to hang out, making sure Cole would not cry, Mia came up and showed me her orange hands. She assured me she didn't color on them but that the marker just somehow got there while coloring. At least she made the effort to wash it off. She also told me Jack had drawn on the table. AHHHHHHH, I must have put the idea in his head. I went down to see marker all over the table and all over Jack's hands. I reminded him, without yelling, that I told him not to do that and now I had to take the markers away. I also had him wipe the table, thank you Crayola for your wonderful washable markers that ALWAYS wash away for me, then wash his hands. And Cole, you sweet angel, I really, really wish you would STOP BLOWING OUT YOUR DIAPER! For about a week straight, literally, he has pooped out, in a serious way. However, thank you for always doing it at home!!! I am going to buy stock in Clorox - I love their bleach pen. Maybe tomorrow will be less naughty. I love you naughty kids!!

Egg Rolls

Egg Rolls
1 pkg. egg roll wrappers
2 C. cooked chicken breasts chopped
2 C. cabbage chopped
1 clove garlic minced
2 T. chopped green onion
1 T. cooking oil
2 C. bean sprouts
1 T. soy sauce
½ tsp. fresh ginger minced or grated (optional)

Stir fry everything, except the chicken, together until tender. Add chicken.
Wrap in egg roll wrappers according to instructions on the package. Fry in oil at 350 degrees until golden brown on each side. It is easiest to fry them in an electric skillet. Your temp. will be more constant.

Sweet and Sour Sauce

½ C. brown sugar
1 T. corn starch
1 T. soy sauce
1/3 C. chicken broth
½ tsp. minced fresh ginger root
1/3 C vinegar (you can use either red wine vinegar or I just use apple cider vinegar)
1 clove garlic minced

Cook on medium high heat until it bubbles and then 2 more minutes.

More funnies of Jack

Jack wanted me to take some pictures of him so I had him pose.

Here we have his sweet boy face, such a little boy still. I can't believe he will be potty trained and off to preschool this year. He knows way more than I give him credit for. He just doesn't show it off as much as his sister. Note the bruise on his forehead. It turned into a bit of a black eye. He got it when....

he was spitting in my new Christmas boots. I yelled, "Don't spit in my boots!" He turned quickly, tripped over another shoe and collided with the corner of the molding on the door. I felt really bad about yelling at him. I think it frightened him and that is why he was moving so fast. Yelling is never good unless they are about to be hit by a car.
Here we have his spitting face. He is into that lately and I can't stand it!

This is Jack's concentration face. He gets it from his dad who got it from his dad.

This is his silly face. I love those kissy lips of his and his "chuggy" cheeks.

Merry Christmas

The golf clubs were a huge hit!! Thank you for the

princess game Grace!

Jack also loves the Bob the builder Scoop!

This year, in our new house, I decided to start a new tradition for Christmas Eve, we roasted marshmallows. Colin lit the gas fire place and we all had a great sticky time! As you can hear, hopefully, from the video, Jack has a unique way of saying marshmallow, he kept calling the chocolate bars hot cocoa. It was really a lot of fun.

Afterwards we let the kids open their jammies, as per tradition. I really do love them all dressed up and they were all so soft and cuddly! We got the kids in bed, Colin left for work just before 10 and I stayed up until 12am. I didn't have to but I got involved in some things. Santa came sometime after I went to bed and left some fun presents. Jack woke up at 6:30 asking for his morning warm chocolate milk and because Colin was not at home yet I kept trying to ignore him so we wouldn't have to go downstairs. It worked until about 7:15 when Colin called to let me know he wasn't off work just yet. I put the gate up at the top of the stairs before I went to bed so the kids wouldn't go downstairs before Colin got home. Thankfully Jack forgot that Santa was coming and Mia was still sleeping. Since the lights were off I took Jack down, got his milk and went back upstairs. He didn't notice a thing. Mia woke and Colin got home about 10 minutes later. It was a great day, we missed being with our family! Hope you all had a nice Christmas too!

Better Late Than Never

Trying to keep Cole warm. They were giving away

these gloves to we grabbed a pair and put them on

Cole.

Our friends

Here the kids are having a ride.

I know, we are well past Thanksgiving BUT I do not want to miss putting in on our blog. Someday I hope to publish it into a book so we have to keep up on certain things. We went to Dayton and stayed a few days with our wonderful close friends from medical school. The food was great, the company was fun and I can't wait to do it again!! We went to a little street festival downtown. It was sooooo cold but the kids had fun on the rides!! Jack and Mia had their first ferris wheel ride and loved that too. Colin and the kids helped rake leaves and love riding in the trailer of the mower. We went and saw Bolt and my kids are still talking about it.