The Boys

Our Missouri nephews are doing great--and they're all 3 cuter than I can even begin to describe. :) I love that they're all completely different and are at totally unique stages in life. Zaden (2) is a little ball of energy--never stops moving--and talks like crazy now. I love being called "Aunt Danene" or "Day Day" (he calls himself zay-zay) and playing with him. He makes me laugh constantly.

Kingston (11 months) is tall, dark, and handsome--literally. Those big brown eyes are like melted chocolate and he's just as sweet. :) He does great playing quietly by himself on the floor, but he also loves to be played with--we played tug of war with his blankie for awhile on Saturday, which made him laugh out loud several times. He loves his mommy and daddy and really lights up when they come into the room--but he didn't cry when he saw me this time, so I think he's starting to like me too. :)

Xander (2.5 months) is just a sweetie. He's such an easy baby--cuddly, content, and satisfied to just be held. He's a little chub--such cute little rolls and kissable cheeks. He's smiling and starting to coo a little, which is lots of fun. When his little face lights up as he's looking at you, your heart just melts (or mine does anyway).

So--obviously, we had a great weekend with my family! I don't know what else to say--the boys were the center of everyone's weekend and we love them dearly. I still hate to leave them and get a lump in my throat every time we do--but I don't usually cry anymore, so that's an improvement. :P It's best to get hugs and leave quickly--lingering is torture for me. We'll be back in mid-March for Kingston's 1st Birthday...not so far away now! :)

Weekend Plans

Our weekend plans are to spend the weekend with my family in Missouri. We haven't been there since christmas and I am needing a nephew fix! I know all 3 of the boys are growing and changing like crazy and can't wait to catch up with them! Of course, it will be nice to see mom, dad, sisters, and brothers-in-law too. :) We'll head up Friday evening, if all goes well.

In other news and equally exciting is the summer trip we're planning. We applied for our passports and hope to go to Mexico--possibly Puerto Vallarta, which sounds awesome! We're looking at all-inclusive options and I think we're nearly both in agreement--which is sometimes the hardest part of planning a vacation. :P Ryan would be perfectly happy with a cabin on a lake somewhere and normally so would I--but this summer we'll celebrate our 5th anniversary! Since we're usually so predictable and conservative, I'd like to do something a little more "exotic" and unique--neither of us have ever been out of the country, so Mexico seems like a start--besides, it's in our price range whereas a lot of other places aren't. :P

That's it for now--getting some more rain now; hailed earlier for a couple minutes--so not sure what tomorrow will bring for school--we shall see. :)

Day off

They just called school off here--it's freezing rain (which started around 6:00--when Ryan left for work at 5:30 everything was cold but clear). So, of course for the safety of children they don't want busses on icy roads--especially up in the hills of Bella Vista, which is in our district. But I'm definitely not going to argue--in fact, I'm going back to bed. :) Maybe I'll post something interesting (if I can think of anything) later today when I'm actually awake! For now--g'night at 6:24 a.m.

Roses are red...

Happy Valentine's Day weekend! (it's past the actual day now) I must say that although I told some of my students who were "down" about V-day yesterday morning that "it's just a commercial holiday for the stores, flower shops, restaurants, etc. to make a

lot of money..."--I must say that it turned out a little romantic. Ryan & I usually don't make any fuss about it; sometimes a card or chocolates but nothing major. Well, I got the surprise of our marriage yesterday when I turned around from talking to a student across the room and saw a guy sitting a vase with 3 red roses on my desk! I thought at first that it was one of the office helpers delivering flowers to me that someone had sent--then realized that guy was none other than my handsome husband! Of course the kids were sitting there looking at me waiting for a reaction and I blushed...then went over and hugged him-all the while exclaiming that in almost 5 years of marriage and 3 years of dating before that, he has not bought me one single fresh cut flower until now. I always tell him that I'd rather have plants or something that will last longer, but deep down I knew that there would be something special about getting roses or any fresh bouquet...and I was right! :)

After I got off work we went out to eat at a little Thai place nearby...it was nice! It's been very busy last 2 weeks, so just spending time together was great. I feel like I've been running around like a chicken with my head cut off--but maybe the 3 day weekend that just began will help me get it firmly planted on my neck again. :P I could go on and on about work...but I'll spare you the details. Nothing else is too exciting either so I'll stop. I hope you're all having a great day/night/evening/morning/whatever it is wherever you are whenever you're reading this!