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Boys Will Be Boys

My Boys.....I love them so much.  Even enough to start blogging again after a 3 month hiatus.  Yup.  So, where do I start?  Stryder and Krew get along extremely well, most of the time.  They have started to interact more and more lately, which is just a joy to see.  This weekend we were at a party and Stryder started to crawl under peoples' chairs, then Krew sees what he's doing and he speed-crawls over and does the same thing.  "Monkey See, Monkey Do," is what spectators called it.  He he.

Stryder turned 2 in April.  We made him his very own Toy Story cake with the help of some friends.  To prove how spoiled our child is, he also got a mini-toddler-size-totally-and-completely-safe-trampoline!  The thing is that his brother likes the trampoline more than he does.  Something about being totally enclosed in a small space just doesn't sit well with Stryder.  He has grown so much this past year, I cannot believe the little boy he is becoming.  He certainly is one of a kind!  The outgoing, active kind!!  Stryder has struggled with speaking, however, but he is learning quickly and able to comprehend and problem-solve greatly.  He spends about an hour each week with a speech pathologist, who assures us that he is making great progress in this area.  Since starting this, we have noticed that he is approximating words more often, and he regularly says 'mama, yeah, out, up, ball, and quack-quack!'  I am so proud of him and know that it is not easy for him to be taken into the clinic on a regular basis for speech sessions.  But he is such a determined little guy and he makes the best out of it.  Stryder gets the biggest smile on his face when he says something, because we always try to give him so much praise when this happens.  Keith and I both have had vivid dreams of Stryder speaking in full sentences with his cute little voice.  We both have faith that he will overcome this challenge, and we strive to do everything we can to help him.  We also continue to learn ways to help in at home.  Continuing with sign language is important, since this gives him a way to communicate his needs with us, when he is unable to verbalize them. Stryder is smart and finds ways to tell us what he wants.  He has even started making up his own signs.  When he wants something, he takes us by the hand and looks us in the eye and points until we understand.  A few weeks ago, the boys had a babysitter here.  When she asked Stryder what he wanted to dinner, he took her over to the fridge, pointed to the eggs.  She asked where the frying pan was, so she could cook scramble eggs, and he promptly pointed up in the cupboard where the frying pan is.  Clever kid.  He is starting to simultaneously use signs and sounds, such as the more sign accompanied with 'mmm' sound.  Stryder is so active and full of life.  Today, he played outside in the rainy drizzle with a smile on his face.  He loves being around other children and is very friendly.  He has concern for others and loves his baby brother, as the first sign he does when he wakes up in the morning is "baby."

Krew is a sweet, sweet baby.  He is extremely happy and calm.  Krew loves interaction with people.  He is a little more shy than his big brother, but when he warms up to someone, he will be just as friendly!  Krew gets complimented all the time on his handsome baby looks.  I'm not kidding.  He seems to get their attention by his infectious laugh, which I wish I could clone and seal in a bottle!  Krew is a little sensitive at times and will let us know if he is in need of some attention.  He has started crawling.....and fast!  With crawling soon came pulling himself up on things, furniture, people, whatever's in sight.  He also says "mama" over and over again.  I am not sure he knows what he is saying, but it is cute and endearing nonetheless!  Krew is a little piggy....he eats and eats and eats.  Yesterday, I got home from my workout class and put Krew in his highchair and started to feed him a big bowl of baby food and rice cereal.  Keith came into the kitchen and said, "Les, What are you doing?  I just fed him."  Then he realized I obviously didn't know this information, and rephrased his question to a statement that summed it up: "Krew is eating AGAIN?!"  Krew and Stryder have started playing with each other.  It warms my heart to see them as brothers be best friends.  Krew will bust out laughing at Stryder just by looking at him sometimes, and this will make Stryder laugh, too.

Keith's last rotation was plastic surgery, which he really enjoyed.  Anyone who knows Keith, knows he is one of the least vain people on the planet, which makes the whole thing somewhat of an enigma. Or a dichotomy.  Really, though, one of the reasons I knew he really did like this field of medicine was when he came home after a day they had seen a patient who had her nose removed because of cancer.  She essentially had no nose, and the plastic surgeon was able to take a small portion of skin from her forehead and flip it down to make her a nose.  He said that the majority of cases were similar to this, which is what he really liked about this rotation.  Plastic Surgery unjustly has a poor connotation, no doubt due to Dr. 90210 and other reality shows.  A better fitting name for this field, in my opinion, is Reconstructive Surgery, which has a more humble assumption.  Keith has been little concerned about choosing a field that will challenge him, keep his interest, pay well, and be somewhat family friendly.  We continue to pray about this and I try to be supportive of whatever makes him happy.  On a completely unrelated side note; I hear the Anaesthesia lifestyle is not too shabby ;-)

Nothing is really going on with me, accept that I am still a mom, a nurse, and a, yes, still a student.  That pretty much keeps me busy enough.  Now that summer is here, I so cannot wait for warm weather, if there is such a thing in Wisconsin.  We are going stir crazy in the house, my kids included.

My parents recently moved to Oklahoma, which makes us empty-nester's here in Wisconsin.  We miss them, and all our family.  We are gearing up for a fun summer, as we will be visiting Utah for the whole month of July.  Not looking forward much to two full days of driving in the car with two active kiddos.  Thank heavens for Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and the modern invention of DVD players for your car.

Well, to leave you with a photo, so aptly captioned: "A picture is worth a thousand words."

Stryder Vs. Krew

People are always saying that our boys look so much alike or don't look alike at all.  You be the judge! 

(Stryder is always on the Left, Krew on the Right.)

First 5 minutes of life!

 First day of life!

First week of life!

 First Week of life!

 First feet photo! (At 4 weeks old...)

First Halloween!

 First Fall! (at 6 and 3 months, respectively)

First 4-6 months!

First Snowfall, (at 8 and 6 months, respectively)

Keith and I were both commenting on how they DO look alike, but at the same time, they don't.  We love our boys soooo much.  They each have their own unique personalities....whether or not they look like twins!  I am a very lucky mommy to be seeing double every day!

Update on Everything

Update on everything.....How broad is that?!  I figure I would post a nice juicy piece of gossip about all that is Harrop. 

Keith-Yup, still in rotations here in Janesville, WI. Right now, Keith is on PEDS (actually not anymore.....he was on PEDS when I started this post, then he finished that rotation and was on pysch, then finished that rotation.  Now he is on Allergy!)  He has already completed many of his cores and has received outstanding grades and excellent remarks from the doctors. (I have to brag a little....he really is a great med student.) The other day, he caught a heart murmur in an adolescent that was previously undiagnosed! (This means even more when you realize that the doctor he is with is the Chief of Staff.) Even the nurses LOVE him. Go figure. Such a ladies man. He likes the program here, but it does not look like we will be staying for residency....since he is almost certain he will specialize in something. Top on his list right now is cardiology, OB-GYN, or anesthesia. He will apply for the match next year, since his rotations end just a few weeks after the deadline (major bummer BTW). But he didn't want to try and match somewhere off cycle, so it looks as though we will have a few months (ok, its like 8 or 9) that he may have to deliver pizza's for a living :-) I really do support his decision. He wants to get best possible residency he can, so how can I be upset at that? He is resolved not to settle and I have to say I admire him for his ambition and determination in this venture.

Lesley-Where do I start? First things first, being a mom of two under two is very reminiscent of the circus at times. Last Sunday,(again, not really last Sunday, this was a few months ago) Keith was on-call (and my mom, who is my eternal helper, was working) so I was faced with the task of getting myself, Stryder, Krew, and my ever-important Sharing Time activity to the church on time. Well, let's just say Stryder showed up to nursery without shoes, which somehow got lost in my Primary bag, Krew projectile-vomitted all over his church clothes before we left, so he ended up showing up in his pajamas, and I went without makeup. (Yeah, can you believe it?) The good thing is, my Sharing Time made it in one piece and was pretty successful, too. But I love being the ringleader of this circus act!

     Since I'm on the 11 year plan of getting my college degree, I am still in school.....again. You may remember that last year at this time, I was just getting ready to go back to school to get my Bachelor's of Science in Nursing at Kent State U, since I already have my Associates in Nursing. Well, after a semester at Kent, I became extremely disappointed with the values or lack thereof that this school displayed (or didn't.)  This being extremely ironic, since the uber conservativism and conformity that existed at BYU what exactly what I didn't like.  Is there ever a happy medium????  At Kent, I felt personally attacked for values I hold dear and at BYU those values were turned into something too literal and sterile.  I am not saying these schools are not great---I DO believe they are excellent schools.  They just weren't for me.   

      So, after much contemplation I did not continue at Kent, but I researched TONS of programs and found one that offered everything I was looking for.  I applied and was accepted and I am now a student at University of Texas enrolled in the RN to BSN program.  I love it.  I have been so impressed and have even recommended this program to my mom, who has recently started too!  It is quite challenging, but I am learning a lot.  I am determined to finish at this school and have my BSN!  This has been a goal of mine for quite some time, but you know how life gets in the way.  It will only take me a few semesters to finish up, since I have so many credits from previous schooling.  Is everything better in Texas?  I think so!

       I am also working here and there and all around the square.  I worked last year for the school district as a school nurse and really enjoyed it.  Part of my job there was to teach the 4th grade unit on Human Development (the beginning of the birds and the bees).  It was so much fun.  I think in another life I may have been a school teacher :-)  Now I am working every other weekend (night shift) for a quadripeligic patient who is on a ventilator.  My mom also works with him.  I had a hard time deciding whether or not to accept this job, but I attended Stake Conference and our Stake President gave some great advice in his talk.  He said how it is always smart to take the opportunity to learn a new skill, especially in this economy.  So, I became vent-certified and started working as an independent RN for this patient.  I am so glad I applied this piece of advice to my life.  It has truly blessed me endlessly.  I have learned so much already and begin to feel more confident being completely autonomous in my nursing skills.  I continue to do per diem work for various other health and wellness companies, too.  I am so grateful that I can contribute to my family's livelihood by using my hard-earned education.  Thanks, Mom, for being a huge influence on my decision to become a nurse.  It was without a doubt one of the BEST decisions I ever made (my marriage to Keith aside!)  

Stryder-Oh, where do I begin???  I am fully convinced he has some sort of hyperactivity disorder.  He goes goes goes goes goes without stopping.  Seriously.  Not that I'm complaining!  I love his energy.  In fact, his energy gives me more energy and makes our home full of happiness and laughter.  Lately, Stryder loves to play with pots and pans and anything from the kitchen.  I think he has seen my dad cook so much that he tries to imitate him.  He also loves Mickey Mouse.  I mean LOVES Mickey Mouse.  Anything Mickey and he's sold!  Santa even brought him Mickey Mouse jammies for Christmas and those are the only ones he wants to wear!  He is growing up so fast and in beginning to understand the concept of potty.  He will sit on the potty, but we have alot more work to do before he will actually use it as intented.  He has started saying MAMA Mama, Mama MAMA, Mama all day long.  It is soooo cute.  We do have a speech evaluation scheduled for him in the near future, just to make sure his hearing and throat anatomy are all in good order.  When I tell people he still does not really talk and he's almost 2, their mouths drop open, and their face becomes covered in sorrow for me.  I can see they automatically think something in wrong with him.  But it wouldn't matter to me if there was.  (His dr assures me there isn't!)  He runs everywhere, he can understand everything we say to him, he is resourceful and smart, he is full of life, he plays well with other kids, he uses a fork and drinks from a cup, he does sign language continually, and is even a royal terror in church!  He has reached these milestones, so if he is not up to talking just yet, I can't be impatient.  I love him so much!  He adores Keith and really loves his brother......deep down.  He just gets really excited and starts to hit him sometimes.  I am still trying to figure out a way to stop that!  But other times, he will come up and give Krew a kiss for no reason at all.  He laughs when Krew laughs.  I cannot wait for these two to play together!  All in due time....

Krew is such a tenderhearted little boy.  He really has his own personality and it is starting to shine through.  He loves attention from anyone and really has a instant smile for his admirers.  He has this light in his eyes that is really unlike anything I have seen in a child.  People comment on this, too.  I am so thankful that he is a part of our family.  I can't imagine us without him!  Sometimes he can be a bit sensitive and turn on the tears, but a little love solves that.  It is like he is just making his presence known or something.  He has outgrown the colic and now sleeps through the night, from 8pm-8am!  This is a huge blessing, of course, and Keith and I still trying to figure out what we did right.  We do feed him a bottle with some rice cereal mixed in before bedtime, which keeps him nice and full all night.  He has also started sucked his thumb, so I think he has learned to self-soothe, too.  A bath and bedtime routine on top of that and he is out like a light.  Krew has started rolling over on his own, but gets really mad when he can't roll back over off his tummy.  He is growing super fast, too, but he is still not quite as big as Stryder was at his age.  Krew is about average in weight and height, which is a little different than what we were used to with Stryder, who was above average in any measurement you can take.  Krew will start eating baby food in the next few weeks, and I am sure he will love it.  He hangs on every bit we take and is very interested in food.  I knew he was a part of my family.

Well, thats about it for now!  I hope this was update-y enough.  I have been sooooo guilty of blog neglect and am really resolving to just post SOMETHING at least once a week.  I am also resolving to be a more patient and friendly person.  Sometimes it is really difficult to overcome trials in life, but there is encouragement everywhere.  We just need to know where to look. 

My Two Favorite Things!

 Yup, that's right.  Veggie Stix (which are a healthier form of potato chips) and nakedness!  Stryder LOVES this snack and good thing, since it is free of hydrogenated oil or something like that.  Grandma got him hooked on the Veggie Stix and now is surely addicted!.  Stryder would run around naked all day if we let him.  He thinks its funny to run his naked bum around the house and is not shy about his little manhood, either.  Oh well....it can't last forever right?

The other night, Stryder got his bag of Veggie Stix and plopped his little naked bottom in the middle of the hallway and ate....

...and ate.....

...and ate!

 He would probably eat the entire bag if we let him.  Maybe we can use veggie stix as leverage for potty training......There's an idea!

Struttin his stuff on the catwalk....

They say a picture is worth 1000 words.....I think this one is worth at least 2000!

NeverNeverLand!

"So come with me, where dreams are born, and time is never planned. Just think of happy things, and your heart will fly on wings, forever, in Never Never Land."

We love Halloween (Keith and I met at a Halloween Party) so we pretty celebrate this holiday in style every year.  This year I found the cutest Pirate costume for Stryder on craigslist (of course!) and planned all of our other costumes around it, since I loved it so much.  Pictured below is: Captain Hook, Peter Pan, Tinkerbell, and a Lost Boy Skunk.

"What would mother think of my becoming a pirate?"

 We carved pumpkins this year and Stryder really didn't know what to think!  He looked at us like we were crazy when we started carving them.  But, eventually he warmed up to it and even dared to touch our freshly carved pumpkins when we were done!

 "Second star to the right, and straight on till morning."

Stryder learned the word "star" this past week.  He has been obsessed with pointing to the skies and trying to pronounce "star".  We even have little stars on his ceiling, which is a great way to help him go to sleep at night. 

"Well, I will not grow up. You cannot make me! "

Our little stinker, Krew, was seriously the cutest skunk I ever did see!  He was the hit at the Halloween Party, where we won the family costume contest.  The best part is, he has the stench to go with the costume :-( He is really gassy, people, really gassy!

"This ain't no place for a respectable pirate."

Keith took Stryder out for over an hour to trick-or-treat.  Or as Stryder says, "Tick-or-TeeTee."  They filled up his little plastic pumpkin with all sorts of candy....looks to me like Stryder got the easy part, Just sit in the wagon and look cute!

"Now, think of the happiest things.

It's the same as having wings."

I love having a husband that will dress up in whatever costume I make for him.  One of my friends husbands said of the situation, "Wow, he must love her a lot."  It made me laugh, especially since I was considering putting Keith in the trademark tights!

"All you need is trust and a little bit of pixie dust!”

My mom helped tons with my costume...I have always wanted to be Tinkerbell.  My favorite part was the green glitter shoes, which I totally plan to wear all the time!

“Since I was little, this is my favorite place to come.”

Keith is like the most gung-ho person when it comes to carving pumpkins.  I never even liked carving pumpkins til I met him.  Now I love it!  I even cleaned out his pumpkin for him this year, and that's saying ALOT!  Of course, his pumpkin looks perfect, as always.

"But I'm warnin' ya: once you're grown up,

you can never come back."

As you can see, our boys were super excited about being dressed in ridiculous costumes and paraded around the neighborhood!  Keith and I both figure that we have to dress them in cute little corny costumes when they are young and don't know any different!  

"I'll get you for this, Pan, if it's the last thing I do!"

Stryder literally hated his hat, so we had to resort to other measures in order for his cuteness to prevail....we ended up sewing a string on it and tieing it so he couldn't pull it off.  Hey, he got used to it and eventually stopped trying to pull it off :-)

"It will live in your heart forever!"

With another Halloween come and gone, we have enough memories to last us a lifetime or at least until next time! 

Now, what to be next year...?

My Lil' Pumpkin(s)

I love autumn.  The apples, the pumpkins, the leaves.  All of it.  We went to a pumpkin patch a few days ago, which was lots of fun.  Stryder gravitated towards the rotten pumpkins for some reason, but he loved running around the field and getting really dirty!  I love being on farms, too.  Keith and I both think we would like our sons to work on a farm one day, so they would know the value of hard work.  It brought me back to the long hot summer days I worked at a farm (well, a corn stand).  Some day I will share all the stories I have of working on a farm (well, a corn stand).....being robbed, hit on, stuck in flash flood with no shelter, stranded on side of highway with a truckload of corn, and yes, even the time I got so hungry I just started eating the produce.  Anyways, I took this opportunity to try out my new lens (new to me, bought on craigslist) for my camera.  I think it is a keeper!  Here are some pictures of our outing:

My lil pumpkin...

 My other lil pumpkin...

 The best shot we could get with daddy, Krew, and Stryder in one spot at the same time.....

 The best shot we could get with mommy, Krew, and Stryder in one spot at the same time!

 Love these antique photos....the wagon is a classic!

 Brothers and best buds. 

 Walking with mommy.

 Walking with daddy.

Walking (running) all by myself!

 Counting the pumpkins.

 Having fun on a wagon ride....

Saying goodbye to the pumpkin patch for now!