Laney Family Blog

The hunt is on........

2009-04-06T13:33:00.000-07:00

Saturday, April 4th, was a beautiful day for an Easter egg hunt at the park district. It was sunny and a bit chilly.....but nice enough out. We lined up in the middle of two different fields of eggs. There were 2000 eggs on each side, however, it was not divided up according to age groups. (and there were TONS of people) I started thinking...this is not going to be good...poor Mason is not going to get any eggs. The Easter bunny arrived on Thomas the Train! The count down began......and off the kids went. Mason wanted to run on his own, so I ran a few feet in front of him encouraging him to go faster.I would stop to point at an egg for him, but ended up picking it up or some other child would have snagged it. He ended up with 3 eggs. Parker and Jackson each had about 15. Mason was quite excited afterwards that to sit on the train and get his picture taken with Thomas.

Sunday was our egg hunt at the church. It was divided into 3 different age categories. The prognosis seemed better for this hunt, as there were 5000 eggs...and less kids. The countdown began.....and Mason was able to fill his small basket with eggs---completely to the top --and all on his own. Parker and Jackson were also able to get about 20 eggs each.

Happy Birthday Dear Jackson......

2009-04-06T13:17:00.000-07:00

Jackson--my sweet, silly, adventerous child---is now 7. I was able to go to his class on his birthday and take in treats and then volunteer for a while. He chose Cosmic Brownies as the treat--which was a BIG hit in the class. Mike actually had to work at the station on the day of Jackson's birthday, so we decided to go up there with cake, ice cream and balloons and have dinner and cake with Daddy. The boys LOVE to climb all over the trucks and see where Daddy works..........I asked Jackson what theme he wanted for his birthday party. No theme, he says, just yellow.......Yellow?? hmmmm.... So I made a cake with yellow sprinkles and since Jackson loves legos so much , he made a cannon or ship of some sorts and we put it on top of the cake. We surprised him with his very own Nintendo DS for his birthday gift. He wanted to take a few friends to the roller skating rink to celebrate his birthday. The kids had a great time. (I was exhausted.)

Here Comes Peter Cottontail

2009-03-27T20:55:00.001-07:00

We were going to meet my sister at the mall over spring break. Mason says "I happy Jenna and Alissa not have school". Mason found out we were going to the mall and was asking to see the animals at the mall. I finally realized he meant the Easter Bunny. With every store we went in to he asked for the Easer Bunny. Finally we head over there--and the bunny was on lunch. We had 20 minutes to kill while we waited for him to come back. I could not leave the mall without letting him see him , afterall I had promised. Finally he arrives back, we walk up to see him and Mason becomes shy and clingy. He puts his head on my shoulder and hides his eyes. I whispered into his ear--that the Easter Bunny had candy..."really?" his eyes light up...."OK" he says and goes and sits on his lap.

We're going to the zoo, zoo, zoo.....

2009-03-27T20:37:00.000-07:00

I took the boys to the zoo over spring break. Corri, Sydney and Ava Trotter went with us. Mason was so thrilled to hear that cuz he just loves the girls...."I like Sydney and Ava"- he says......It was a beautiful day to go. I always ask each of them we went get there what animal do they really want to see so no-one is disappointed when we leave. Parker always asks to see the bats when we go, for some reason they are a fascination of his...... Mason wanted to see the "kigers" (tigers)........And Jackson wouldn't tell me one specific animal that he wanted to see. We were able to see the elephants get fed. The tiger was quite amusing playing in the moat of water and then he would all of a sudden leap out walk around and jump back in. The polar bears were quite lazy--as you can tell by the picture.

Mathieson Park

2009-03-27T20:12:00.001-07:00

My kids love hiking. And they especially love going to Mathieson park. It is out in Utica, not too far from the Starved Rock park. It is a beautiful park with waterfalls to see, mini caves to climb in, and sunken barrels to use as stepping stones. There are trails to walk on , or ways to go off path if you choose (as my family does). The boys loved climbing up the hills and sliding down on their behinds......can you say dirty pants?? I know I put alot of pictures on here, but some of them are too neat to not share. The kids were excited to find a big huge piece of ice in one of the caves. Mike saw this big huge rock wall and just had to see how high he could climb...he is still a child at heart..... The boys (well all of us) feet slipped into the water and we all went home with wet socks, shoes and pants. We had a wonderful time!

Hearts At Home

2009-03-27T19:59:00.001-07:00

This is the second year that I have had the opportunity to attend Hearts at Home. To explain what it is here is an excerpt from their site "Hearts at Home is a Christ-centered organization that encourages, educates, and equips women in the profession of motherhood. " I attended the conference down in Bloomington on March 13-15. They offer women the chance to attend workshops based on parenting, marriage, finances, organization, spiritual growth and even fashion. It is an amazing event to attend. You learn, laugh and cry all in the same weekend. Many women from my church attended. I was able to go with my friends Kristin, Corri, Lisa, and Jen (to name a few). We heard Kevin Leman speak and Lisa and I were able to get our books signed by him and get a picture with him. We also heard an entertaining Christian childrens band called the Go Fish guys. They were so friendly when we wanted a picture with them.

The Go Fish Guys

outside on the college campus

Lisa and I with Kevin Leman

Kevin Leman speaking

http://www.hearts-at-home.org/

Jelly Belly Factory Tour

2009-03-27T18:43:00.001-07:00

We wanted to get away after this long, very cold miserable winter......so we went up to Gurnee with the Trotters to stay over night in a hotel, swim, and then tour the Jelly Belly factory. The boys love swimming and were happy to spend a couple hours in the pool on Saturday night.

Sunday we drove about 15 minutes to the Jelly Belly factory. You climb aboard this train (which Mason was sooooooo excited about) and they drive you around the storage area for the candies and tell you all the history and info. Some was a bit boring , while some of the information was interesting (such as how the candy is made). A free sample of the candies were given after the tour. You exit out of the tour into the store. The boys were excited to be able to taste some really disgusting flavors--baby wipes, vomit, ear wax, boogers...to name a few......

February fun at the park

2009-02-11T12:39:00.000-08:00

We had some odd but beautiful weather yesterday. The temperature reached somewhere around 60 degress. So we took advantage of the nice weather and went to the park. The boys had a good time, although Parker had wanted to go somewhere with "real trails" to hike on. Jackson had a good time with his scooter on the trail. Mason cried when it was time to leave.......

Caught in the Act.....

2009-01-20T07:33:00.000-08:00

I was upstairs cleaning, Mason was being awfully quiet....I came downstairs and this is what I saw: I said "what are you doing?", He giggles......and shows me the chair by the stove where the cake is. How sneaky was that! He thought to move the chair over so he could stand there with a fork and spatula and eat cake.

He was so proud of himself.

Mason's 3rd Birthday

2009-01-13T15:56:00.000-08:00

My baby has turned 3 years old. I am happy to be past the baby stage, yet, feel a little bit sad knowing that each stage we pass, will be the last time. It is amazing to think back to how fast they grow and change. Mason is such a happy, busy, generous child with a persistent, stubborn side (he must get that part from Daddy :) ) . He is potty- trained (yes!!), likes to sing, can count 5 objects, is learning his colors, loves to play with trains, cars, motorcycles, trucks..... and his brothers.

We took Mason to McDonalds for his birthday. Nana and Papa and the Trotters joined us up there. All the kids enjoyed playing in the tunnels and tubes. After a happy meal dinner, we sang to Mason with candles stuck into the brownies he had requested. He opened up the Imaginext fire station he has been talking about and exclaims "that is what I wanted!". As we were leaving he said "I have fun".........so it must have been a good birthday.

Musher Mania

2009-01-10T13:51:00.001-08:00

We took the boys to Musher Mania in Monee. It was the perfect weather...snow on the ground with still more snow falling from the sky. The kids were able to pretend they were sled dogs, try out snow shoes, see ice sculptures being made, make smores, have a picture taken with a sled dog...and best of all....pet the dogs. Mason was so excited to see the dogs and when we left- he kept saying "I want to go back"........(like-he meant NOW).

My Tooth Came out!

2009-01-01T18:38:00.000-08:00

Jackson lost his first tooth on December 26th.......It has been loose for a while, so he wiggled and wiggled the tooth until it finally came out. Parker had lost another tooth on the 24th......and we set it out for the tooth fairy and she must not work holidays.....because she did not show up the 24th or 25th! We told the boys that the Tooth Fairy must have know that Jackson's tooth was going to come out and she was waiting to come to our house so she did not have to make another trip back! So both boys had a visit from the Tooth Fairy on December 26th and each was left with a crisp dollar bill......

Christmas 2008

2008-12-30T13:23:00.001-08:00

waiting patiently..... the mess afterwards

We have had a busy month with all the shopping, decorating, wrapping and holiday parties..........December 6th was Mike's mom's family party at his aunt's house.....We saw my Dad's side of the family on December 13th at my cousin's house.........Had a holiday gathering with some neighbors on the 19th......Mike's step-dad's family gathering was on the 20th at his parent's home......got together with some friends on the 21st (not a holiday gathering, but we only see them about twice a year since they live in North Carolina)........I took the boys to the Trotters on X-mas Eve. Mike had to work at the station and our friends were having a shin-dig at their house and were so kind to invite us over. Christmas Day we went to my parents for dinner and then Mike's parents came over in the evening..........It has been a busy month!

My boys were so excited for Christmas to come. Especially Parker....he sooooo wanted that IPOD nano he has been talking about. Since Mike was working on Christmas Eve, I was on my own for set up---if you know what I mean. I told the boys not to get up before 7 am......Parker is an early riser and I sure didn't want to be up before the sun. So 7:01 he comes into my room, all excited. We woke up the other 2 sleeping children and headed down to inspect the stocking contents and then (patiently) waited until Daddy arrived home from work at 7:25. Mason was cute--he would rip a corner of paper off of the present and start squealing without even knowing what was inside. Jackson and Parker were both happy to find presents and hand them out. Mean-while , Parker is looking for a reeeaaalllly small box under the tree that might contain an IPOD........ After all the presents were open--I sent them to the basement to get some gifts that I said i had left down there. Mike and my Dad quickly brought in the lego table for Jackson ( it was hidden in the garage). He walks up to it --wide eyed--and after I told him it was for him -he says "now I don't have to sit down!!" (this lego table is much taller and bigger than the one we had. Uncle Kenny made this table for us...Thanks Uncle Kenny!!!). Mason opens his present--which was the Geo-Trax airport and he says "the air-plane-port--that is what I was talking about!"......Parker opens up his itty bitty box and .......smiles......ah....it's the IPOD nano he wanted.......alll the kids are happy..........It has been a busy season. My kids are truely blessed and fortunate. They received MANY gifts that I now need to find places for. Parker's gifts were the IPOD, book, video games, board games, carnivorose plant kit, clothes, etc.....Jackson received video games, legos, legos and more legoes, lego table, board games, clothes, magna tiles, transformers........and Mason was given matchbox tracks, Geo-trax, Imaginext jungle, trucks , games, Mr. Potato Head, etc.........

Dear Santa--We've been good

2008-12-09T10:04:00.000-08:00

Christmas is just around the corner.........and my kids are making their wish lists. Surprisingly -they don't have the "gimmies" too bad. Parker's main desire is for an IPOD nano----I keep hearing "I really want one" and "am I going to get it?". Jackson wants legos, magna-tiles and a Leapster game. Mason wants a "big truck and a big truck for mommy", and the Geo-trax airport. So, it will be an easy Christmas for us.....I just have had a difficult time giving out ideas to other family members. We first saw Santa on November 23rd at the mall. We had gone to get holiday pictures taken and Mason saw 2 kids with candy canes. He assumed the photographers would be giving him one once we were done with pictures. Not the case. They did not have candy canes. And so the sobbing started. I then had this bright idea that Santa might have candy canes. So I did this pep talk as we walked over to see him. I have never seen a 2 1/2 year old so anxious so see Santa. He walked right up to him. Santa reached out to Mason and wanted to put him on his lap. Me--being the protective parent-- shook my head. But Santa picked him up anyways and Mason willingly sat! And then told him what he wanted. I about fell over---NO TEARS. So the next time we went to the mall, he asked to go see Santa. We had a family party on the 6th and the big guy usually makes an appearance. However, this time Mason was not too keen on chatting with him. (this is where the picture is from) .

I am thankful

2008-11-25T12:37:00.000-08:00

I am now 37 years old. (to be technically correct, my birthday was actually a couple of days ago). I feel old, as I am quickly approaching 40 years old. But I have been sitting here reflecting on my life--where it has been and where it is going. I truly feel blessed in what God has provided me with. I have a wonderful husband who is a hard worker and a great dad. He strongly believes in having me home with the boys and works 2 jobs to support our family. He is actively involved in the boys school and sport activities. I have 3 wonderful, smart, happy and healthy boys who never cease to amaze me with their liveliness, curiosity, and love. I have 2 cute, smart, faithful dogs who are happy to see me and eager to please. We live in a beautiful home in a great neighborhood, with super neighbors. We belong to a fabulous Church that we are actively in involved in many of the ministries. And not to mention we have the best small group around! We have strong, loving, supportive family and friends! So as I sit and reflect......I am giving thanks for the past 37 years.........

My Little Builder

2008-11-15T12:44:00.000-08:00

Jackson loves to build. He loves all kinds of building toys--Magna-tiles, legos, Magnetix, Tinker-toys, blocks......He is creative and builds all sorts of things. Usually they amount to ships of some kind....but it could be a home for a stuffed animal....a car....or some roads or bridges. If I cannot find him, he is bound to be up in his room building with legos. Maybe I will have an architect someday???

Nothing Special

2008-11-13T07:21:00.000-08:00

I don't really have anything from the last two weeks that is exciting to blog about....so thought I would post a few pictures. Many of you on facebook have probably already seen these.......We actually had enough leaves to rake and make a pile (well- we did take some from the neighbors yard :) ). We enjoyed one of the last nice fall days raking, jumping in the pile and then throwing the leaves.

Fall Soccer

2008-11-03T04:40:00.000-08:00

The fall soccer season is over. It was 9 weeks of soccer with practice held 4 nights a week. Jackson had practice on Mondays and Wednesdays and Parker had practice on Tuesdays and Thursdays. It was a bit overwhelming at times for me, the parent, in trying to fit it all in. Games were held on Saturdays mornings. Luckily, none of the game times for the boys conflicted. We had one day where it was 40 degrees for a game and it was quite chilly!! It was a tough season, although the boys played well. Parker assisted in quite a few goals for his team. He has learned some smooth soccer moves with manuevering his feet or blocking the ball with his body or head. When he wants-Jackson has some speed on the field and he is learning some of the skills.

Trick or Treat

2008-11-01T14:38:00.000-07:00

Mike and Kristi

Mason with his "best friend" (as he says) Kira

with some neighbor kids

Parker (Beast), Mason (dragon), and Jackson (Ninja)

Halloween 2008- much like any other Halloween , except the weather was SOOOOOOOOOO beautiful. I cannot remember the last Halloween where it did not rain. The boys were anxious to trick or treat, so we left at exactly 4:00 (start time). We only went out for about an hour, as we had 2 Halloween parties to make appearances at. Considering the time frame--we ended up with a lot of candy. We then went over to our friends, the Trotters, who were having a party. Had good food, kids played a muumy game, did the limbo and freeze dance.......Then we were off to the Kapellas-where all the neighbors were hanging out. It was late night- we did not make it home until after 11-----but we had fun.

It's a Beautiful Day for a Hike

2008-10-27T07:12:00.000-07:00

My boys love the outdoors.....I guess they are typical boys. We have been stuck inside lately due to the rain and cold weather. So when Sunday's weather was decent we decided to head over to McKinely Woods for a hike. Parker and Mason were excited----Jackson was a bit unsure...A few deer were spotted as soon as we got there. Mason took off running full speed on the trail....Jackson soon behind (a slight change in attitude here :) ) We soon came upon a older man, walking slowly...I felt sorry for him as I think we disturbed his peace and quiet. My boys soon found fallen trees---many fallen trees--and wanted to climb them. Being the good parents that we were-----we said "yes". They were so excited. One tree had fallen across some sort of a ravine (??). At the highest point --they were maybe 4 feet off the ground. Mike and I stood there with smiles on our faces as we watched them teeter with excitement across the logs...and as Jackson was yelling for Parker to move faster. Then as one point Jackson slipped----and fell about 3 feet down---he hit the ground, rolled over, jumped up ---and laughed! They loved the leaves, and rocks and walking on the bridges.

Camping---(again)

2008-10-20T13:08:00.000-07:00

It has been 2 weeks since my last blog (GASP!)

We went camping with some great friends of ours over Columbus Day Weekend. The kids had a 4 day weekend from school, but unfortunately, Mike had to work 3 of those days. Our friends were going out to their club and I decided to take the boys and the dogs without Mike, as this would probably be the last camping trip until Spring. I was thinking maybe I could be Supermom! I packed ALL of the camping gear, clothes, food, etc, and then packed the entire van by myself! (Mike did come and meet us out there on his day off). It was cute becuase I had told the boys we were going camping and where we were going --as we had been there before. But when we pulled up to the gate Jackson gasps and yells in excitement- "This is where we are going?!?!" . The weather was beautiful (unlike the previous weekend) and we had a great time. Our good friends the Houcks, Szewczyks and Trotters were there. We were able to sleep in this HUGE motor home that the Trotters had borrowed for the weekend. The kids always have a great time--we are close tothe playground, there are real bathrooms and lots of kids to play with. We went on a boat ride, went fishing, carved pumpkins, went on a scavenger hunt, hung out by the bonfire, and got plenty of mosquito bites! The mosquitos were awful! We used bug spray, yard guard, mosquito sticks, citronella candles.......and nothing prevented those bites. Mason and Jackson had the worst of it--with each having at least 12 bites on their face alone. But all in all-- we had a good time, the boys were upset (and I was exhausted) when we left Sunday evening to head for home.

BRRR--It was cold

2008-10-07T07:35:00.000-07:00

We went up to Kettle Moraine Wisconsin to see Mike's last mountain bike race of the season. Mike asked if I was going to blog his race--so here it is......Our original intentions were to camp, but the forecast was calling for some chilly weather and it was then decided I would sleep with Mason in my sisters' camper and Mike would sleep with the boys and the dogs in the tent. (this is because of Mason's allegies/asthma, we were told the cold night air would aggravate him). We arrived in WI at about 8:00, it was pitch black out because we were at a primitive campsite with no electricity. Mike and Ken put up the tent, came into the camper, and told us it was decided we were all sleeping in the camper-- it was WAY TOO COLD out there. But what to do with the dogs?? As it was- we were already cramming 9 people into a camper that sleeps 8....so my poor dogs slept in the car.....well- it was warmer than the tent. The boys were excited to sleep in the camper and I was excited at the thought of actually be a little bit warmer. When we awoke at 6:30 on Saturday morning, there was frost on the ground the kids put winter coats had gloves and hats on......it was chilly! We loaded up the cars and headed to the park where the race was. The kids-of course-enjoyed playing with their cousins. The weather warmed up as the day went on and we were able to shed our layers of clothes, only to start putting them back on again as the sun went down. Mike and his team had a good race--they placed 1st. The boys are trying to be like daddy and participated in a children's race. Parker had his first race crash after hitting large rock and loosing control of his bike, no injuries reported. We ended the weekend with a hike on the trails where we saw some beautiful scenery. And then a BBQ lunch at the park.

Dollingers Farm

2008-09-29T12:11:00.000-07:00

We went to Dollingers Farm on Saturday. Unfortunately, Mike had to work so I took the boys so we could enjoy the beautiful weather while it was still here. We did the normal pumpkin farm stuff---petting zoo, hay ride, pick out pumpkins, play on park....etc......Jackson wanted the biggest pumpkin there, it was too big for me to pick up so I took him to the next size on down. Parker was all fascinated with the facts and tales he heard on the hay ride. He keeps asking me "Is that true?". They had "creatures" of some sort walking around with signs stating the Haunted barn was open---Mason was terrified, clung to me and buried his face in my neck. When the thing was gone he told me "I not like that scary guy".

Too Cute.

Family pictures.

2008-09-22T17:39:00.000-07:00

We had family pictures taken in September. We asked my neighbor to take the pictures for us. It was very interesting to have pictures done with 15 people---7 of them being children under the age of 9. As you can see-some of them were pretty good. My favorites are the middle row on the right, and the bottom on the left. To list people I will go by the bottom, right picture: back row: my sister Kelly, her husband Ken, My Dad, my Mom, Sarah's husband Mike, Sarah

Front row: Jenna- age 6, Alissa age 4(both Kelly's kids), Me, Jackson in front of me- age 6 1/2, Parker-age 9, Mike with Mason(age 2 1/2) on his lap, Madison-age 6 and Brayden-age 4 (both Sarah''s kids)

Marshmallows

2008-09-18T18:13:00.000-07:00

So I have a cute story to share. My mom and I were shopping at Target the other day, walking up and down the aisles and Mason yells "look Nana, MARSHMALLOWS!"..........However, they were not marshmallows------they were-----

-----cotton balls! TOO CUTE!!

Mud, Mud please go away

2008-09-15T18:32:00.000-07:00

So I am trying to find humor in this picture. I mean-- I walk outside and see Lucy, my dog, all muddy. She looked at me all cute and was thinking she was in trouble. She is still a puppy, I remind myself.....mischievious and curious like a puppy should be........deep breaths........so i don't scream at her. I am thinking where on earth am I going to put her to dry and how is she going to get clean???? I can't give her a bath, she is too big........Thank goodness the rain had stopped because I actually left her outside for about 2 hours. I talked to the important people at the Village of Minooka today and plans are done and work is supposed to begin in the back of my yard and the easement to help with the drainage problems. Hopefully this will help with the standing water in my yard and I won't have anymore muddy dogs. I can hope, right??

Rain, rain, please go away

2008-09-14T17:52:00.000-07:00

Attached are pictures of the rain water we had in the last couple of days. But let me explain how irritating this all is. (this is the shortened version of the story) Since we have moved in here (July 2004), we have had drainage problems. Our sales lady flat out lied to us and told us that this water on the lot would be graded away. We repeatedly asked to speak to an engineer to confirm this. She would not grant our request. So we accepted her statement and went on with building the hosue. A berm was put in the back of my yard with some storm water inlets to help with drainage. My yard gets soppy with heavy rain, and the manhole covers the village put in to help the problem keep getting cloggd and covered with debris.

Then in August 2007 there was tons of heavy rain. A man-made damn up the hill broke and a gush of water came our way, flooded my next door neighbors basement with water and all sorts of much that the water brought her way. My yard was covered with what-ever the water brought--rocks, mulch, our large plastic house, etc. We have since been trying to get the village to remedy the situation. I mean--its only been a year---how long does this process take?? So this past weekend, we again had heavy rain. The water was rising over the berm and coming into my yard. (We were afraid it would soon head to the hosue). We probably had about ankle deep water in the grass. Behind the berm, it was up to our knees. Mike, my Dad and my neighbor Nate were out there trying to get the debris moved and put up logs and sandbags to block the water flow. Thankfully it worked. I went out to take more pictures so I can take them to the next village board meeting to ask them what the heck is going on.

Busy Busy Busy

2008-09-11T13:26:00.000-07:00

We are so busy. I was trying to figure out why I have been so tired. I mean- I try to get to bed between 9:30 and 10 every night, so why am I exhausted?? The answer lies in our schedule. This is our life as of now:

I (Kristi) babysit on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays (2-3 extra kids a day).

Tuesday mornings we all go to the story hour at the library

The 2nd and 4th Wednesdays I go to MOPS.

The 1st and 3rd Fridays of the month our Church has a moms group that I attend.

Parker has soccer practice on Thursday evenings and sometimes another weekday.

Jackson has soccer practice Monday and Wednesday evenings.

We are in a small group through Church that meets the 2nd and 4th Wednesday evenings.

Parker and Jackson have soccer games on Saturday mornings.

I volunteer in the Church toddler room the 1st and 2nd Sunday of the month.

I am in fitness class Tuesday and Thursday evenings.

Mike works every 3rd day and night at the Fire house.

Mike also works his "off" week days at his office job.

Mike is helping my neighbor teach a running class on Wednesday nights and Saturday mornings.

When scheduling allows- Mike attends a mens group ( Bible study) on Saturday mornings.

I am just getting started in a neighborhood playgroup every other Wednesday.

The boys have homework just about every weekday.

I am trying to atttend the school PTO meetings once a month.

Mike helps the Church with set-up the last Sunday of the month.

He also helps to run the Church computer system once a month.

And then when you add in all the playdates, doctor and vet appointments, grocery shopping, housework, birthday parties..........my calendar is FULL!

Whew- I am sure that was a boring post, but I had to get this down on "paper" to see the chaos.

My 9 year old

2008-09-08T05:41:00.000-07:00

Today I am the mother of a 9 year old child. Yesterday he was 8 years old and 364 days........He is now 9 years old. Parker was born September 8, 1999, via c-section at 11:37 pm after 17 1/2 hours of labor. I was actually induced because he was due on the 7th and had decided he was not ready to come into the world. Although, that does not describe him now. He was not much of a sleeper as an infant and toddler. And is not one to sleep in late. He can be shy and quiet, but will open up once he gets to know someone. He is creative, inquisitive and asks LOTS of questions. He is sweet, sentimental and sensitive. He loves to swim, play video games, and create things. 9 years ago my life changed when I had him.......I am now called Mommy---one of the best names I have ever had. So Happy Birthday to you sweet child..............

Labor Day Weekend

2008-09-04T07:03:00.000-07:00

Whew! We had a busy Labor Day Weekend! Saturday we went to our neighbors (the Bafias) camper on a lake, I think it is somewhere down in Godley..............you take I55 south............. Anyways----- It was a beautiful day, sunny but not too warm. The boys were so excited to go to the beach. Mason kept telling me "I wanna go to da beach". They played in the sand and the water and went on the boat. Parker even went on the "SeaDog". Mason was so tired, after no nap, that he fell asleep on the way home at 6:30 and slept until 7:00 the next morning! Needless to say--Parker now wants a boat and a place on the lake. And Jackson was telling Becky that he was coming back "tomorrow".

Sunday after Church, we went to meet our friends, the Kracinskis, at the Frankfort Fall Fest. I t was a HOT day. We found ourselves seeking shade. The kids, of course, enjoyed the carnival rides and ice cream. And Lisa and I "shopped" the many craft booths. I bought neat picture frames that have the kids names cut out of the bottom. (yep--of course, picture frames, for my lots of pictures). We went to Aurelios afterwards and enjoyed the air conditioning and pizza.

Monday--Labor Day--We went to my parents house to celebrate my Moms' birthday, which is Sept. 4th. My sisters were there, so of course with 7 kids running around, it's a bit loud and crazy. We ordered Jimmy John Sandwiches for lunch. I called to place the food order and apparently they did not hear me order a BLT for my mom, so the birthday girls lunch was not delivered. BUMMER! I then took the kids over to the Houcks house (friends from Church) . They made a delicious prime rib for dinner. The kids had fun hanging out and running around outside. I was soooooooooo tired and could not wait to put the kids to bed so I could relax.

Summer Highlights

2008-08-30T07:08:00.000-07:00

Although we did not take a "big" family vacation this summer, we did many outings that I wanted to note. We started off the summer with a camping trip with 3 other families from Church. We all had a blast. There were 8 adults and 10 kids running around. We all went fishing, went for a boat ride (the kids even got boat-driving lessons), went to the beach, had a campfire, etc......In June, we went to Donley's Wild West Town and the Train Museum with our long-time friends the Kracinskis and my sister Kelly's family. At the Wild West Town- the kids were able to "lasso" a horse, "mine" for gold, take a canoe ride, ride a pony, see a wild west show, shoot bow and arrows and go into a petting zoo. We stayed over night in a hotel and had the hotel pool all to ourselves! (we don't know why no-one else was in there, but it was nice). The kids had a blast swimming. The next day we went to the train museum up in Union. It was a bit pricey to get in, luckily, it was Father's Day and Mike was free! We saw lots and lots of trains, old ones. But it was neat to see how things have changed. We even saw an old train that was like a snow plow for train tracks (didn't know there was such a thing).

We accompanied Mike to one of his races up in Levitrow, Wisconsin. The kids were so excited to go. It was a bit of a drive, almost 5 hours to get there and we had BOTH dogs with us. Mike had "racing shirts" made for all of the kids to match the guys shirts. Again, we camped. Good for us, the kids really enjoy camping. I just wonder if they realize how much work and prepartion is involved for us parents????? Mike races in a mountain bike series that is based out of Wisconsin. On the team are my 2 brother-in-laws, Mike and Ken. So both of my sisters and their families were present at this race, so the boys were able to hang out with their cousins. Both Parker and Jackson competed in their first ever race and finished 1st and 2nd place. In the last picture here, the kids are waiting for one of the guys to come in form their lap and are dancing to music.

Parker and Jackson had the priviledge of going to a British Soccer camp put on by the park district. The deal is--you pay big $ for them to bring in coaches from somewhere out east and your kids are supposed to learn new neat soccer skills. It was a hot week, but they both really enjoyed it. Where any new skills learned?? We shall see once the first game of soccer comes on Sept. 6. Following is a picture from"crazy hair day" of soccer camp. We also visited the Morton Arboretum for the first time since I have had kids. We were scheduled to go on July 12 to see Ralph's World in concert. However, when we got there (after driving an hour), we were told the concert was cancelled due to rain. Now the rain had stopped, but they said the equipment was in water so it was un-safe. They did let us in for the day to visit the grounds. It is such a beautiful (but tiring) place. And we were lucky enough to see "Ralph" make an appearance and the kids were able to hear him sing. We also got a group photo shot with him and posters signed by him. AND we were able to walk around and enjoy the grounds. An insect exhibit was going on. These were large wooden structures of 8 different insects. There was a pond with stepping stones, a fountain and stream to play in, tree mazes to go through....hours of FUN!

We went blueberry picking with a group of our neighbors. We have been to this place called Tammen farms before. I think we picked about 9 pounds of blueberries, many of which I froze. Mason was content to pick the blueberries off the bush and eat them right away.

Mike and I celebrated our 12th anniversary on August 16th. We went and spent the day in Naperville at the Riverwalk (thanks to my sister Kelly for watching the kids). We went and rented a paddleboat, walked around, shopped, had ice cream, went to the bookstore and best of all RELAXED! We finished the evening off with dinner out to BD Mongoloians BBQ. The food was good, but I am not so sure I liked the atmosphere. There was a very loud and obnoxious cook who was , in my opinion, quite irritating. And lastly- Mike's friend Dustin got married August 23rd. Mike stood up in the wedding. It was a beautiful (but hot) day with an outside wedding at the Wayside Chapel. We had a great time at the reception (no kids--thanks Mom and Dad!). (Mason wanted to know when he could "go night night" there again).

Learning to ride a bike

2008-08-28T13:55:00.000-07:00

The latest achievement in the Laney household is that Mason has learned to ride a two-wheeled bike, with training wheels of course. Mike has been trying to get him to ride it. Before--He only wanted to sit on it and be pushed OR stand next to it and push it around himself. He said he wanted to ride the bike but needed some help to figure out the pedaling. Mike helped him a bit...and now he is a pro! He can ride fast, I even have to do a jog to keep up.

Back To School

2008-08-27T19:38:00.000-07:00

So Mike actually wrote the first entry to get this started. I have pestered him to help me set this up and he finally did. Like my friend Lisa, I feel a bit dumb writing in here and wonder who will actually read it. Maybe this will help me to keep everyone up to date on the happenings with the boys.

School started last week, August 19th to be exact. Jackson is in 1st grade, Parker in 3rd......I feel really old to think I have a 3rd grader.........All went well on the first day of school...no tears, even from mom...I am getting to be a pro at sending them off to school....yeah right. Jackson is having a difficult time adjusting to getting up early in the morning. I swear he could sleep until 9 am if I left him. I had to set up a rewards/bribery system with him. It was taking him 55 minutes just to get dressed and eat breakfast. So I told both boys, once they are done with getting dressed, breakfast , teeth brushed and bed made (yes, bed made), they can watch cartoons until it is time to go out to the bus. and you know what?? it worked, he was dressed with 12 minutes to spare. And, I didn't have to yell at all. What a great morning. I added some pictures form the 1st day of school. One of them has Mason, as he wanted to be included.

1st pic post

2008-08-27T19:04:00.001-07:00

the husband and i at a wedding

My First Blog

2008-08-27T19:01:00.000-07:00

Ive been wanting to do a blog for awhile. Figured it would be a good way for family and friends to be kept up to date on our busy Laney lives. So tune in for the craziness of the Laney's.