Bath Tub Painting with Paint-Soap??

I decided one random Wednesday evening to bust out these little tubs of Crayola bathtub paint/soap.  It's soap that is tinted...so you can finger paint with it. The idea is that you can lather it up and rinse it off.  I figured on a Wednesday night, it would make for a fun out of routine bath...and it wouldn't be that big of a mess...

Well, quite honestly?  I was wrong.  We made a nice big mess out of the bathroom AND after we were done, I stupidly put one of the containers on the side of our sink...which I later knocked onto the floor.  Needless to say my slippers, jeans, bathroom rug, shower curtain and everything else washable met its demise when the blueberry soap/paint hit the floor.  The boys thought it was funny. Momma kind of did too!

Ahh...things never go quite as smoothly as I plan in my head!!  Regardless, my little face-painters and I had a fun time making a happy painting/soapy mess :)

Celebrating Little Miss Isabel's 2nd Birthday!

I'm a little behind on keeping my posts current!  Dang it! 

This year has been a rough year for illness. So Miss Isabel, who turned two January 24, didn't have her birthday party early March!  Her Mommy and Daddy did an AMAZING job decorating for her party. Dora the Explorer was done proud!! The food was delicious and we had a wonderful time!! :) 

Coop very much enjoyed his cupcake!

What's a party without a good healthy mess right?

After all the festivities wrapped up, it was just the Linley Kiddo's hanging around.  Coop and Isabel (who he calls A-Bell which is adorable!) had a matchup in ping pong.  And Jeremy and Uncle Jonnie rather enjoyed teaching the kiddos about the beloved game they suddenly realized they have been living without for far too long! 

Ryder (who is in the video but not the photos!) popped over to help ref the match and a good time and a fair game was had by all!!

The time we got 15 INCHES of snow!!

I can't remember ever in my life getting this much snow.  And go figure...just a few days into spring, we get dumped with it.  I will say, I love snow.  Even though I'm ready for the warmth of spring, to say goodbye to coats and hats, to plant herbs and flowers...I was excited to see a real snow storm blow into the area.  We had a blast watching it fall and even got out in the thick of it to play!  Thanks Ol' Man winter...for one last hurrah.  We'll see ya next year ok??

Happy Happy Fourth Birthday Mr. Owen!!

On this day, at 12:38am, four years ago...this little guy came into the world.

Four years later, I still can't believe it's been four years.  I can't believe he's walking, talking, going to preschool and even pottying like a big boy.  But he is...and sure as the sun...four years have found their way here.

When you become a parent no one hands you a rule book or instructions.  They just hand you a baby.  You read, you pray, you imagine, sometimes you may even cry. Because the saying nothing prepares you is absolutely true.  These past four years have been anything but predictable and I could have never guessed what would be in store for us.  Laughter, tears, hope, fear, pride...and a whole smattering of other emotions have filled up an all-encompassing set of years that have been nothing short of amazing...challenging...and incredibly fulfilling in ways I can't even put into words.  They have change our lives.  Jeremy and I have learned to parent together. Be a Mom. Be a Dad.  Be a family.  Owen has taught us so much about the kind of people we thought we were and the kind of people we still want to strive to be.

If I could put this post to a song, I'd put it to What a Wonderful World. An old classic that strikes a chord with me on moments like this.  Though there is bad in the world...I have so much good.  For me, it truly is a wonderful world.  I have my kids and family to thank for that.  And on this particular day...Owen Wyatt Linley.

Happy 4th Birthday baby boy.  Thank you for a year of amazing fun.  For being such a tender heart.  For loving me and Daddy and Cooper SO much!  You're pretty darn amazing kiddo.  Don't ever forget it :)

Love you always.
Momma

Cheers!!!

These 3 had quite a fun time before bedtime the other night.  This is how it all began:

Cooper: "Momma, (grabbing my hand and walking me to the fridge) Boo 'sicle. Boo. 'sicle!"
(AKA Blue Popsicles). 

He pointed very adamantly at the fridge/freezer door to make sure I knew what he wanted.  I said ok...let's have a popsicle. Then he took off in a near sprint to his chair where this jabbering continued:

Cooper: "Cooper Chair?  Cooper hunger! Hunger. Want Boo 'sicle Momma. 'Sicle!!!!!"

With that he climbed up into his chair on his own and sat down and waited.

After his popsicle arrived, he gave us further instruction:
"Owhoa, sickle Momma. OOOwhoa.....Oooowhoa!!!"
 (Owhoa is what we call Owen around these parts..if your one and can't really say Owen just yet)

A few minutes later we had Owen out of the tub, into his skivvies (which I still can't get over how adorable he is in big boy underpants!!) and as Cooper's insisted...he too had a popsicle.  You really had to twisted Owhoa's arm for that one buddy!

In a matter of a few more minutes the boys insisted that Dadda have one too.

And then the cheersing of popsicles commenced.  They tipped their sicles together and yelled CHEERS and that provided quite a bit of entertainment!

That is one happy way to end a run of the mill Wednesday night :)

Happy bedtime snacking everyone!!

 

Owen and Momma Date Day - at the zoo!

After Owen's ENT appointment, Daddy had to go back to work...but we had a beautiful weather day...and I decided to make the most of it!  So to the zoo we ventured.  Just him and I.  It was kind of magical! 

A train ride, two popsicles, a few elephants, monkeys, hippos, turtles, carousel riding on a silver back monkey, sea lions and lots and lots (and LOTS) of walking later...we had spent several hours wandering the wonderful sites of the zoo and were two tired peeps.

It was an awesome day!  Just yesterday Owen pulled out his zoo map from his bag and said Momma? We go to the zoo again ok??  You bet your little bottom we're going back.  As often as we can or until you have something else that thrills you like that!!  Love you to pieces little man.  Thanks for an awesome day :)

Popsicle Number One!

Elephants!!

Seated on a Silverback!

Popsicle Number Two!!

Me and my little mister :)

An ENT Appointment

After all the craziness that February brought us (you can read about that here, here and here)...we weren't sure what to expect this past Friday when we took Owen back over to Children's to meet with an ENT.

The appointment went great and I loved the doctor we saw.  Based on this appointment we learned that most kids go through some version of back to back illness at some point in their childhood while their immune system strengthens and matures.  Of course not all of them require blood work and scaring the bageezes out of everyone...that one was reserved just for Owen!  We also learned that kids all outgrow this phase.  Some do it at an younger age.  Others take a little longer. Also, interesting to learn that runny noses in kids are the body's way of saying your immune system is immature.  He said we have two options:

Option 1: Surgery to implant tubes and remove his adnoids.  This option would certainly stop the ear infections, but there was no guarantee on the sinus infections/congestion.

Option 2: Wait 3 or 4 months and reevaluate how these next few months go with colds and infections etc.

Both options are completely reasonable.  The doctor said the prolonged fever is one that concerned him, but it may be the only time in Owen's life we deal with something like that...and due to the fact that this is his first full year of time spent in a daily preschool setting, we may very well chalk it up to a rough winter and new exposures. Sooo...with all that in  mind....what did we decide??

Well, it didn't take Jeremy and I much thinking to decide to give it a few months.  While I NEVER EVER want to go back to what we experienced in February, I'm prayerfully hoping that it won't be something that needs surgery.  I feel like if he ends up more infections over the next couple of months, we will have our answer and surgery will be scheduled!  If not, we'll save him a procedure and all that those things entale!

So that is the scoop on Owen's ENT visit! 

A Potty Training Tale...

Well, not exactly a tale, but an update if you will.  We've taken off the pull-ups and put them away for good.  And the following is a little bit about that experience!!

If someone told me that I would feel like Rocky in the classic scene where he climbs to the top of the steps cheering....just b/c someone peed in the potty...I probably would have laughed out loud. BUT oh how wrong I would have been. That first triumph...heck the next many triumphs...I bet I continue to feel that way. It's a milestone...for us as parents...and for our big boy! Ahh. Parenting is a never ending lesson in things you thought you knew about...but really had absolutely no clue!!

I will not get into all the decisions that have been made about waiting for potty training Owen.  We have tried a few times, but to try and avoid unecessary unpleasantries with all that it entales, we waited a little longer...unsure if he understood or if he was being stubborn.  

Two weekends ago we decided to take the plunge.  And Friday, March 8 marked the first of Owen's days without pull-ups.  I will not use the word torture...though some people might find it fitting to describe those first couple of days.  Those first days, there were lots of unpleasant exchanges, tears, tantrums, fear and frustrations...on the Owen side and the parental side of things. We've been given lots of advice, encouragement and some opinions we didn't want or care to hear.  But we're doing it.  We've picked out the fun underpants, made sticker charts, filled a fun basket of things he can pick from after successes.  We even bought a very special Rescue Bot toy that "disappeared" while he waited for Owen to be a big boy!  This trick actually was a HUGE motivator! 

So yep. We're smack in the middle of the potty training trenches. The basket on my toilet no longer houses my cute rolled hand towels...but instead...rolled up big boy under wear with super heros and trains on them...oh and a container of fruit loops to toss in the potty for aiming fun :) My almost four year old is still trying to figure what the heck just rocked his world...and sometimes Mommy and Daddy just plain forget to ask if he has to potty b/c well...we aren't used to having to do that sort of thing! Learning curves for ALL right??

Throughout it all, I've watched Owen try so hard to do what he knew we were asking...and I'm SO STINKING PROUD of him!!  He's come so far in a short time...and bless his heart he is trying SO very hard. He wants to be a big boy and ultimately what has been the biggest thing is getting over the fear of change. Change is absolutely miserable for him...we knew this would be difficult as well.  Just two weeks under our belt and he's telling us he has to pee, and doing so without hesitation.  Yay Owen!!

And as a side note, I'm starting to get very excited at how freeing it's going to be that we are kissing diapers and the stress/worry of forgetting to bring them...change them...the mess of it all...good bye!  I think through watching this too, Cooper is getting pretty stoked about the idea also...and it won't be long before we are taking the plunge with him too. I told Jer...2013 is our year for NO MORE DIAPERS!!  WOOT!

Owen Wyatt, Love you baby boy.  Thanks for being you...with your big giant personality...and your tender little heart and iron will.  I know in life your passion for all things you believe will serve you well!  I'm honored to be your Momma and hope you know how proud you make me on a daily basis. Potty Training is just another notch in our belt of milestones we've tackled together and I think we're passing with flying colors!! 

Our Own Butterfly Room??

When I found Cooper doing this with his Woody toy from Toy Story...the Butterfly Room scene popped into my head immediately!

Ever seen the scene from Toy Story 3 where the toys are settling into the Butterfly Room...and realize that they are in a room full of toddlers who play extremely rough with toys?  Here's a clip in case you need it!

Don't get me wrong...it's not THAT bad at our house.  But it made me chuckle. To date I've fished a few toys out of the toilet, away from the dogs teeth and out from under furniture after weeks of not knowing where things are!

Ahh toddlers :)

Thankful Thursday

This past week I have had lots to be thankful for!!

That though potty training with Owen has meant lots of laundry, some tears, and a few other things that are unpleasant, he's getting it. And we've gotten lots of time reading stories and talking while we wait for him to potty!!
That just last night he sat down, and within 5 minutes (a record) he went potty without even getting upset!
A Friday evening visit with the Cincoski's
A Saturday morning spent with my Momma
Celebrating Katie's wedding shower and anticipating the wedding! (post to come on the shower...waiting on more pictures!) YAY!
Getting a KILLER deal on my bridesmaid dress...and shoes.
Monday night craziness I've come to know and love around my house.  It's chaos from start to finish...but I've been trying to soak it up.  One day little feet won't scramble across my floor.  I won't find toys in the toilet b/c they are long packed up and put away.  I won't wash food out of every crevice of Cooper's shirts.  So I"m trying to remember the screams, the laughter, the lessons.  And be thankful for it all.
Taking the boys to get all set for their tuxes for the wedding. This crew of four is gonna be one good looking bunch on May 11 :)
Dinner at El Mezcal with my boys. Cooper called for Jer so loudly while he paid the bill, the whole place got quiet.  Gotta love it!
Seeing Owen run around in big boy underwear...something about it makes him seem so very grown up to me.
Laughing with my husband...not sure if it was sheer exhaustion or if Jer just inhaled some paint chips while he fixed our basement floor paint...but we were pretty entertained with ourselves.
An out of the ordinary drink stop at a drive-thru place that just opened back up...it wasn't as good as I remember, but it was a fun little change up to my morning
Finishing The Help and feeling motivated to dive into another great book as soon as possible
Looking forward to a visit with some wonderful friends this weekend

Happy Thursday and Happy almost weekend :)

One Word Wednesday

CAKE!

The Uncle Josh Influence

Uncle Josh likes cowboy boots, cowboy hats, John Wayne movies and all things western adventure. He has since I can remember.  Well he's sharing his love with my boys.  I think part of the draw is the love of their Uncle and just doing what he does...but part of it might just be genetics :)  Either way...these pictures showed up on my phone one day last week while we he was visiting them...and I could help but be thankful for my wonderful brother and his love for his nephews...and let's be serious...laugh out loud because these pictures are pretty hilarious!  Love you Uncle Joshie!

Because every cowboy needs a binkie before they saddle up!

Thankful Thursday

I haven't done one of these in a long, long time.  I remember these being very helpful for me to keep track of small daily events...that make the days better.  Each day we have...it's a gift. And I am trying to remember to slow down and soak each one up. Of course it's always easier to enjoy the weekends and the fun days.  But my hope for myself this year is to do better with the day-to-day. Enjoy the morning routine with my kiddos.  Enjoy the quiet ride to work. Soak up the simple process of getting ready for work...or on the run of the mill Fridays as I enjoy taking Owen to preschool and having some alone time with Cooper to run an errand or grab breakfast together.  Those quiet Friday afternoons with the boys when we pop in a movie with our lunch and just relax together.  This time of my life is fleeting and I feel it passing too quickly already.  So my hope is cherish it more everyday. 

Don't get me wrong...there are plenty of Mondays I don't skip out of bed and right on into the work week. But I truly believe you control your attitude...and you control your reaction to life as it happens.  So all of that was to simply say that I hope I can begin this routine again...and start reminding myself of the everyday wonderful that makes up my life!!  Here goes nothing:

Since I haven't done them in quite some time, I'm going to start from around lastThursday:
Getting a text message that Steff's water broke and they were on their way to the hospital!!
Spending a Thursday waiting for news of Case's arrival!
That Case arrived safe and healthy!
Spending some time with my hubby on the couch. We are to Season 5 of How I Met Your Mother...and it is still as hilarious as it was the day we started watching it. SUIT UP! Ahh Barney grosses me out and makes me laugh...every.single.episode!
Getting deep into The Help..it is becoming one of my favorite books in a LONG time!
Getting to enjoy a Friday morning with my boys
Having my morning drink stop paid for by the car in front of me. She said have a blessed day...and that is exactly what I did :)
Paying forward my morning drink stop a few days later for someone else.  Feels as good doing it as it does having it done for you!
Sitting down with my bible, opening it and writing down scripture passages.  There is so much good to carry with you.  I've found it SO helpful to keep in my mind the things I'm reading. I also find it eerily awesome how I sit down, read a passage from a study guided book and somehow, during the coming week, the passage I read is hanging in my head because it applies to the situation.  God is kind of amazing like that I think!
Downloading a couple great new CDs
Showings are continuing on our house. We have one today and I'm praying the one today is the one...
Celebrating a second birthday with my niece. She's getting so big and is absolutely adorable!
Date nights with my hubby
New jeans from Old Navy...I'm obsessed with their skinny jeans
Helping and planning Katie's bridal shower :)
Enjoying Tony's pepperloin kabobs, blueberry ale, and some fun relaxing girl time on a Wednesday night. Thanks Heather :)
A bigger thankful thought I can't help but have...after everything we went through with Owen, (more here and here also) not one day has passed that I'm not SO extremely relieved and thankful for a heatlhy boy.  I don't know why it wasn't part of our journey...I know people often think why us...but I also think why not us?  We're not special and no one deserves those kinds of things.  But I'm amazingly grateful it's not us...and I suppose it'll be a long time before I stop looking at his face and thinking thank you God for leading us down another path!

Mostly this week, I'm just thankful for the life I've got. It's not perfect. Somedays I think I might lose my mind...and I'm thinking Calgon...take me away.  But there isn't anywhere else I'd rather be.  Knee deep in it...and yep...our knees have some grass stains.  But isn't that what makes our stories rich?? The grass stains and worn spots??

Anyway, enough analogies and waxing poetic...thank God for another week.  May the one ahead be exactly as it's supposed to be...perfectly imperfect!

One Word Wednesday...

Cheeeeezzzz!!

Our New Favorite

Jeremy and I have officially decided we're addicted!  Sushi is our new date night destination.  This past weekend we enjoyed a little adult time and decided to grab sushi. This time we knew what we were ordering...and we were NOT disappointed!

Ahhh. Date nights!  We had a 30 minute wait...so they took our cell number and we went up to Global Brew for drinks.  Turns out they have Jer's favorite - Angry Orchard - on tap!  I call it his adult apple juice...because that's what it tastes like!! We followed it up with dinner at the Wasabi sushi bar. We even got a free appetizer while we waited for our dinner. Delish! 

As a side note, these date nights have been so good for our marriage.  We are in the thick of toddler craziness...career craziness and frankly our life the past couple of months has been anything but routine.  Stopping to remind ourselves we're on the same team and just talk...about the big stuff, the little stuff...how much our kids make us laugh...day dream about our beach vacation with the kids this summer...it's been a great way to get through the winter blahs.  The dates aren't fancy...heck we went to Target afterwards...but it's just what we need at this time in our life!!

Love you babe!

Kickin' It Off Right!

I couldn't think of a better way to kick off a brand new month...than getting to celebrate the birth of another amazing kiddo to add to our list of amazing kiddos we are blessed to watch grow up :)  God certainly is good isn't he????

Welcome to the world Mr. Case Austin Cincoski!!  You could not be any cuter...with your cheeks and crazy spiked up monkey hair! 

Stats: 7lbs 15oz, 19 inches long.

Born at 12:37 on February 28th

Aunt Jessie, Uncle Jeremy, Owen and Cooper can't wait to watch you grow up...AND most importantly enjoy lots of fun-filled Linoski adventures with you and your crew!! God picked an amazing family for you buddy!! 

And your Momma wasn't a fan of her in this picture...but I think it's priceless because she and I are in it together with YOU who is just barely 24 hours new!  Those pictures don't come around just any ol' day!!

Here's to a month starting off with way more promise than the last one!!  Happy March everyone!  And happy birthday Case!! Let the adventures begin :)