The joys of Boys!

To steal a line from my sisters blog. Although mine probably has different implications entirely. We all stayed home from church today (except Chris) because Cate has been throwing up nonstop since Sat. morning. She cannot hold anything down, and who knows if the boys may be contagious. Although I think the video shows they are more than healthy and rambunctious. Interesting to note the incredible differences between my boys and little girl. Please excuse our transitional living situation (i.e. air mattress in the boys room/laundry room) and the lack of sheets on my bed (compliments of Cate's puke). Also you may want to mute the music below.

Sugar and Spice and Everything Nice!

Cate is getting so big. She just went over to her friends house to play for the first time last week. It was so cute and so sad all at the same time. She and her friend held hands the whole way. This video was shot of her and her friends across the street dancing on Cates drywall "stage" downstairs. She keeps dissapearing to her newfound stage, and I can hear her singing "dance, dance, dance, dance" all the way upstairs in the kitchen. We decided we would have to put a small stage in the toyroom downstairs.

Crazy Summer Fun!

I think I have blogged with that title before, I added the "CRAZY" to differentiate it, but I don't think I was all that succesful. Oh well. It has been crazy and fun so to heck with originality.



We have had so much going on lately dealing with life, but we really have done some fun things I want to post, I just haven't had the time. So bring on the slideshows!

Pictures!

It is amazing how we take the simple things for granted when our computers and electronics are all working in perfect harmony, until they stop. I am so relieved to be able to blog with pics again. Who wants to go through the trouble of reading all those words to describe what we're up to?

Anyways I finally caught Cate outside of the bathtub singin her new favorite Queen song. We Wiw Wock Coo! Fortunately our video camera is compatible with our computer.

Complete the Cure

A close friend of mine recently sent me this link in an email. Her son Toby has Leukemia and this program helps raise funds for Pediatric Cancer Research. He was diagnosed at the tender age of 3 and is nearing the end of treatment. There is so little we can do to help besides offer our friendship and support, but this site has a great way to help fund new research.
September has been designated as Childhood Cancer Awareness Month. HopeKids is proud to announce they are commemorating this month by partnering with Children’s Cancer Research Fund in an interactive web campaign titled CompleteTheCure. The goal of the campaign is to bring awareness to the childhood cancer experience — the progress and the challenges. CompleteTheCure.com will feature six short video clips about childhood cancer. For each video clip viewed, a corporate sponsor will make a donation in support of pediatric cancer research. The more times the videos are viewed, the more funds that will be raised to help advance promising childhood cancer research. You can visit CompletetheCure.com, watch the videos and watch the money add up that will go to research. A couple of ideas to help spread the word: Post the website and information at bottom of every September journal entry so everyone visiting your blog site sees it and visits the CompleteTheCure.com. The more people that watch the videos the more awareness we can create about the importance of childhood cancer research and the more money we raise.

Thanks for your help every little bit helps.
Courtney

First Day of School

I seriously cannot believe that school has started. The summer was such a blur. Life just speeds up every passing year as the kids get older. Cai was very excited for 1st Grade. We went to back to school night and got to meet his teacher. She is sooo friendly and welcoming. It turns out she is one of Chris' clients. One that he always talks about. She has two Beagles, so whenever the topic of getting a dog comes up he has to comment about her GREAT dogs. The first day of School Cai had to wear his "My Band Rocks" T-shirt. Unlike Cole, Cai doesn't usually care about what he wears, with the exception of two shirts his "Caution Extremely Awesome" shirt and the band one. He was so excited to get a new backpack and shoes. He had to show everyone who came over his new Z straps for about a week. We were worried about his endurance for first grade (he was complaining that kindergarten was too long) but he has not complained once. I think the recess and lunch helps. On Thursday Cate and Cole and I went and had lunch with him at school. He was just beaming with pride that we were there. He was so sweet about it. He introduced me to all of his friends, showed Cole how to dump his tray, and had to give each of us a big hug before he went out for recess. He can be so sweet and loving sometimes.



Cole had a great time at Parent night for Billye Sue's preschool. He was very confident about everything. He too got to pick out a new backpack, which was way harder than picking one for Cai. Cole has major opinions on what he wants and doesn't want. I had a hard time talking him out of Speed racer, Lightning McQueen and Spiderman, but he finally went for a cute canvas camo one. He already has a character backpack he takes to Grandma's houses for sleepovers, but I was hoping we could find one without the cartoony look. I know I'm being superficial, sorry I really do try to let them go with their own look, and it is almost painful sometimes. I don't want to destroy their confidence and make them feel like they have to look like kids in Gap ads or something in preschool, but they just look so darn cute in those ads I can't help providing a little redirection towards good fashion when I can. Yeah that is superficial. Okay back to Coley. He made a major accomplishment the week before preschool when he began riding his bike with no training wheels. That boy is destined for a life on wheels, and it totally freaks me out. Nothing is more terrifying to me than off roading, motorcyles, and risky driving, and I can just see where his interests are forming in that direction. He is definitely going to double my gray hair. Cai just barely started riding his bike without training wheels the beginning of the summer. As with everything else Cole does it is way above his age. The first day of school Cole picked out his Hulk smash T-shirt and I bit my tongue even though I had just bought him some darling new clothes in Park City. Cole rode all the way to and from preschool his first day and was so excited to have made cookies for the whole family which he brought home in his backpack. He had each cookie assigned to a specific person and set them on the counter until Cai and Daddy got home. After Cai returned from school he saw them and polished them all off. Cole didn't realize until later and I just had to lie and tell him that Daddy had his too. It just would have broken his heart not to. Cole got a little mouse at parent night that he got to bring home and give it a name to take back to preschool. Then Billye Sue takes the kids pictures with their mouse and puts them all together in a book. He named his Softie. I'm not at all surprised Cole LOVES soft things. Billye Sue does several of these personalized books throughout the year and they are such fun keepsakes. Overall it was a great start to the new school year for all.