Yes, a nap!

The stars aligned on Sunday afternoon!  Andy and I actually got to both take a nap yesterday while Conner and Camren did.  This is a very rare occasion especially since Camren has been born.  We used to love Sunday naps and they never seem to work out anymore so it was very exciting (at least for me) to get a nap.  On the flip side we were up to 2 am so maybe since we're not used to naps we became night owls!  This is very unusual for us but we caught up on some DVR recordings so all in all it was a nice day.  I'm sure I'll be due for some caffeine here shortly...

Long Time, No Blog

It has been pointed out to me recently that I am behind on my blog.  I have put the blog on the back burner since we've been busy with lots of life events.  But some of these things are quite important so I will try to get you up to speed.

Conner turned FOUR on March 1.  I still can't believe that we have a four year old.  Mom and Doug came in for their annual birthday trip from Florida and brought Conner the biggest digger known to man!

Donna, Lana and Crystal came to visit from California.  Conner felt really special to have all these family members come for his birthday!  We had a lot of fun playing Wii and trying to hula hoop with Conner's new hoop.  By the way, it is much easier to hula hoop on Wii fit than o do the real thing, for me at least.

Camren is really growing and enjoying being in Conner's shadow.  Some sibling fighting is starting to show up  but mainly they get along really well.  I have to remind Conner that he has to be patient with Camren and we have to teach him all these things that Conner already knows.  Conner is patient with him for the most part and really does better than most big brothers do.  I have to remind myself that Conner is just now four but his behavior is usually on par with that of an older child.   It is a fine balance of making Conner feel validated when Camren does something that he shouldn't although Camren is not old enough to know better.  I don't want Conner to think that Camren is getting away with things but I don't want to constantly tell Camren no when he is still learning.  Ah, the things we don't think of before we have kids...and this is only the tip of a very large iceburg for me!

Conner is into dress up these days and got a police uniform for his birthday.  He writes Camren tickets when he is "bad".  How can you write that sweet face a ticket?

I don't plan on having a bumper sticker that says my kid is on the honor roll but I would like to brag that Conner is saying the books of the New Testament and he says through I and II Thessalonians pretty good all on his own.  He has a really good teacher in Bible class right now and he has really responded to her.  Not to say he has had bad teachers by any means but he is really responding to the one he has now.  Camren really enjoys going to church and flaps his arms every time we get in the parking lot and usually doesn't want to leave when it's time to go.

On the work front, we've been blessed to have steady and even increased business during our slowest months (January and February) and we are incredibly grateful for that given the turmoil of this economy.  Andy has been involved with some legislation that is going to impact our industry tremendously if it is passed and will be testifying next week before a House committee.  He's not looking forward to it but I am proud of him for stepping outside his comfort zone.  He has also been having some problems with his back that have finally been been diagnosed and I hope after a few more adjustments with Dr. Lensgraf he will be pain free again. 

I'll try to be a better (or at least more frequent) blogger but I'm not making any promises.  Thanks to all my mom friends that inspire me to blog and since you seem to have the time to blog then I must have the time too, right?  :)

Conversation between my in-laws

Gotta love the grandparents...

Today they stopped in for an impromptu visit which the boys loved and it's always good when Papaw is actually out of the house.  They had been to a funeral home visitation and Papaw decided to recount it while Conner was listening (please keep in mind he has some level of dementia).

Papaw:  Momma who was dead at the funeral home?

Nannie:  Daddy that was so and so's son John Doe.

Papaw:  Well, did he kill himself?

Nannie:  No daddy he died because he had cancer.

I can see the wheels turning in Conner's head but no questions have been posed...yet.  Of course Nannie and Papaw seem to be oblivious to any of this.  Thankfully Conner didn't ask any questions but I am sure it will resurface when I least expect.  I decided to take that opportunity to inform the grandparents that our first trip alone and away from the kids (for me at least) does not involve the need for their childcare but they will be staying with friends.  No direct correlation of course with the above conversation but I feel good about our decision.  

On the other hand we did celebrate the Yant's 50th Anniversary on Friday night with 65 family and friends.  It was a major triumph that Papaw was in attendance for his own party and I believe he actually had a good time.   Here's a few of us on Friday night.  Thanks to all who came out and for all the help from my sisters-in-law for helping me get this thing together.