Backyard Camping

We brought a tent yesterday, our first official tent, we needed one for an upcoming cub scout camp out. But decided to get one early, first because they were on sale ($48 for a 13ft x 10ft tent) and second because we can now just pack up and head out for some weekend camping fun. The boys were really excited and wanted the tent to go up immediatley when we got home, and New Mexico weather was not co-operating, so thinking it could go up in the front room, we set to putting it up! Silly us, cause it wouldn't fit, thankfully the rain and thunder passed, and our partially pitched tent was taken outside and finally pitched in the back yard.

The boys were so excited about sleeping in their sleeping bags in the new tent, Daddy thought that it would be a good idea to permantley move all their toys and clothes outside! Of course Mommy and Daddy were expected to join in the back yard camping fun! This was a practice run to see how the boys especially Aaron would do with the whole camping outside, he has never been camping, plus it has been a few years since Jon and I pitched a tent. I have to say it is surprising how noisy night life is in our sub division! But we survived our back yard camping and are looking forward to planning some camping trips this summer.

9 years ago today

9 years ago today I walked down the aisle and said "I Do" to a wonderful man. Our wedding was simple, nothing over the top, we did a lot of the wedding things ourselves like the cake, and the favors.
This picture above was taken just after our first dance, and is one of my favorites. I am very lucky when I look back over my life with my hubby. Jon and I were actually together 2 years before we married back in 2000. Our life together has seen it's ups and downs, but through it all we have been at each other side and without sounding all corny and sappy, if there is such as thing as a soul mate, Jon is mine.

So I was goggling romantic, mushy poems to add to this blog for my entry on our anniversary, because it is late here and I really should of been more organized and prepared! nothing jumped out at me and screamed Jon and Gillian. Until I found this:

"An anniversary is a time to celebrate the joys of today, the memories of yesterday, and the hopes of tomorrow."

For my hubby, I love you for the joy you gave me today, the memories we made yesterday and our hopes for tomorrow. Here is to many more years of being your wife xxxxxx

Another School Year finished

2nd Grade over and done with, it is very scary how fast time is flying by. There are days and even weeks were it seems as if time has stopped and days drag, but before you know it summer is here and camp plans are being made. Schools here in Rio Rancho actually had school on Friday, well if you can call it school, they had class for whole 3 hours, which I thought was rather nice giving parents a final reprieve before summer!

Brendan and his 2nd Grade Teacher

But Brendan is looking forward to summer, he gets to go to Cub Scout Day Camp this year which he is really excited about. Aaron I think is even more excited because BIG BROTHER is home during the day now and doesn't have to go to school, please note I shall be reading this line to both of them over and over again when the fighting and bickering starts!

Before I know it though August will be here and we will be school supply shopping!

My Wonderful Hubby!

Awhile back I blogged about the one thing as a mother I just can't do well just to show you how it plays in my house when one of the boys is sick here is hubby ready for action with his marigolds on!
Brendan was sick on Tuesday, and he very graciously vomited while Daddy was home! Love my wonderful hubby!

Our Shining Star

Mr Aaron found out this past week that he was picked from the lottery of children that applied for Preschool. Very exciting news, because he sees big brother leave every morning for school, and given half a chance Aaron would be on the bus with him. The preschool that he is going too has a 50/50 ratio of kids who have learning disabilities and those kids that don't but are known as mentors. Mr Aaron has been picked as one of the mentors, which we are very proud of, but for those who know Aaron putting the word mentor and Aaron in the same sentence is slightly amusing!

So when I got the phone call last week Aaron was so excited that he was going to start preschool in August he demanded that he needed his backpack NOW. I tried reasoning with him that all school shopping is done later in the summer and that he really doesn't need his backpack right now. Aaron was not having any of this, and when we went to get milk and a few other groceries on Friday, we checked out the backpacks, they had 2 for him to choose from, Iron Man or Transformers. Aaron went with the Iron Man one, and he has been wearing it and carrying it around the house ever since!

Kilts, Rugby, Bagpipes and Tossing the Caber!

Unfortunately we did not make a quick trip home to the UK! This weekend was the Rio Grande Celtic Festival here in Albuquerque, they have it every year at Balloon Fiesta Park. In the 7 years we have lived here we have never been, that was until this year. Seeing as both Jon and I have Scottish and Irish in our Family Trees we decided that we would take the boys bright and early on Saturday morning and introduce them to some of their Family heritage. Sounds good doesn't it! Well it turned into more of a day of Mommy dreading that it would be an anatomy learning day as it was VERY WINDY, and in a hope that the men were not taking the wearing of the kilts in the true Scottish manner!

THANKFULLY we had no anatomy questions.

Instead we got to see the Rugby Sevens Tournament, some of the Bagpipers, wander the stalls, and some of the Highland Games.

Getting ready to watch the Rugby

Not quite Twickenham!
Tuning the Bagpipes
I am sure there is a proper Scottish name for this Highland Game, but it looked just like Shot put except with a large rock!

A heart filled with love

This week has been full of FANTASTIC news for our household. On Wednesday Brendan had his heart check up appointment and we were curious to know the outcome, it has been a few years since his last check up. For those that don't know and are reading this, our eldest, Brendan, was born with a hole in his heart. The first year we were at the hospital every month, then we only had to go every couple of years. We have been VERY LUCKY that he has not had to have surgery, and as he has got older we have not had any complications from him playing sports.

So I picked Brendan up from school and off we went across town to the Cardiologist. Once we were called back, Brendan was hooked up to the EKG machine, while Aaron kept asking all the nurses and Dr's if he had to have a shot! Aaron assumes that because we were at the Dr's he had to have a shot, and was very relieved when Brendan's Dr, Dr Berman, told him that they don't give out shots here just stickers and suckers!


Once his EKG was done the Dr came and listened to his heart, and straight away said that he couldn't hear anything, which was a very good sign. See from an early age Brendan has known that his heart makes a special noise and he would very proudly tell people. So he was slightly confused when the Dr said he couldn't hear anything, I told Brendan that his heart would be beating normally and that the Dr is saying that he can't hear the whoosing noise that the blood makes as it rushes through the hole. But to be 100% sure he wanted to get an ecko done of Brendan's heart. So we moved to a different room and Brendan was hooked up to the machine and settled in for pictures of his heart. The nurse had put Lightening McQueen on the TV which Aaron was very happy about, but Brendan decided it was fascinating to watch the different pictures of his heart.

Once the Dr reviewed the pictures, we could not of got better news, the hole had closed and Brendan was given the all clear, no more check ups, no more worries, or as Brendan said "he is now normal!"


When Brendan was 1 Jon and I wrote in his Brithday card that "although he had a hole in his heart, the hole would close because Mommy and Daddy would fill his heart with love" 8 years of love has proved to be a very powerful thing and we are now so grateful that the hole in his heart has closed.

Cub Scouting Fun Filled Weekend

This past weekend we had a fun packed time involving Nature Centers, Rock Climbing and Roses! Saturday Brendan and I headed out the Rio Grande Nature Center were the boys got to see Owls and birds of prey. We hiked down to the river and boys got to do some weather experiments, the weather was slightly warm, but the boys had fun looking for frogs and climbing trees.

Some of the owls and birds of prey we saw

The Gang down by the river
Me and Mr Brendan

My Mothers day was nice and my gift from my boys and my hubby was AWESOME. I got a couple of rose bushes, which was really nice. I have never had my own roses to grow before, now there is a funny side to this because when it comes to growing plants I have a pretty bad track record, hubby thought that it would be really nice if I could have roses all the time, so here's hoping I can!

My roses

Then my Mothers Day was rounded off with a trip to the new indoor rock climbing gym (not exactly a Mothers Day activity, but it was fun and I even did some climbing!) Our Cub Scout Pack had arranged a trip to the new indoor rock climbing gym, some of the boys had climbed before, but Brendan and Aaron had not. Aaron tried it twice but was a little scared. Once Brendan realized that he couldn't fall because Daddy was belaying him, our spider monkey made it all the way to the top!

Our Spider monkey!
Mr Aaron hanging on for dear life!

Our weekend was busy, fun and rewarding. I am one lucky Mom and wife! I hope all the Moms out there had a great Mothers Day

A Dentist, A Doctor and a Lost Son!

Yesterday could not of been any worse for me. One of those days I would like to erase and re-do, I wonder as Mom's if we can have re-do days!? because I needed one yesterday. Brendan was scheduled for the Dentist in the morning because the boy had another cavity, and I was planning on being there. Whenever he has dental work done he has to take antibiotics because of his heart condition. But the dental appointment was last minute because it was the mobile dentist at school, and I completely forgot to give him his antibiotics, realizing this I raced to school to let them know he could not be seen, which was okay but wanted him seen either later in the day or the following day. Of course we had none of his antibiotics at home so from school I went straight to his Dr's office to see if I could get a prescription. Now before I tell you what happened next, Aaron was with me during this exciting adventure and he was none best pleased about being in and out of his car seat. He loves going to the Dr's office because of the large fish tank that is on display in the pieds waiting room. While Aaron was naming fish I waited for the receptionist to be ready. Without sounding frantic about needing drugs for my 8yr old son I explained the problem to the receptionist and she headed back to see if the Dr was here.



The nurse came and told me that the boys Dr needed to see me, of course a scene errupted because I had to tell Aaron we were leaving his precious fish. The Nurse tried bribing him with a sucker and a sticker, and the look on my son's face was one of those that said "lady, you will have to do better than that!" We made it back to the Dr's office and the words "you need to come and sit with Mommy" were uttered as Aaron headed for his escape. The Dr was then trying to tell me that due to new regulations Brendan no longer needs antibiotics when he has dental work done, and out of the corner of my eye realized that my little escape artist was gone, and when I say gone he had escaped, myself and about 6 nurses were calling his name and they were frantically asking me what he was wearing, Mr Aaron had made it back in to the waiting room without anyone seeing him because he would of had to pass 2 nurses and was out in the main waiting room. So there I am relieved that Aaron was found but wanted to tell him off but I am stood in the middle of the waiting room and everyone is staring waiting for my response! How I found the strength to stay calm and quietly say "You scared me, you have to stay with Mommy" I do not know!

So after losing my son, we had to head back to the school and get Brendan in for his dental appointment. If there is such a thing as a re-do, I really would of liked one that day!

Our S.O.A.R Student

Very proud of our eldest son, Mr Brendan became the S.O.A.R Student of the month last month. Basically his school recognizes students who each month shows Safe, On time, A+ attitude, Respect and Responsibility. The students are issued S.O.A.R tickets every time they show one of the above traits, and then the child from each class with the most tickets is nominated as the S.O.A.R student of the month.

Brendan will have his picture up in the front office and get to have lunch with the principal. He has been doing really well and Jon and I are so proud of him. He is our soaring raven! (school mascot is a raven)

I knight thee Use Up Monday!

I have decided that Monday's in our House will here by be knighted and deemed USE UP MONDAY! We went grocery shopping over the weekend as we do every 2 weeks, came home and when we were putting things away in the freezers (we have 2) I noticed there was a lot of packets and boxes with just one in or bags with a few fries etc. So dinner today will be cook up and use up day. I am just going to put it all in the middle of the table or on the breakfast island, kind of like buffet style and everyone can help themseleves.

Houston we have a problem............

Our Saturday morning was filled with winding rubber bands and rocket malfunctions! Yesterday was our Space Derby with Cub Scouts, each Den had launch times allocated and Brendan's rocket which had been made the night before (don't ask) was a camouflage themed rocket.

The prize winning rocket!

We helped set up and realized that this was going to be one of those activities that involved a lot of fixing and re-do races. Only 3 of Brendan's Wolf Den turned up and the rockets were paired off and wound up! The boys were really excited and got into the spirit of racing, and Brendan's rocket got first place, not quite sure who was more chuffed Daddy or Brendan!

Brendan getting his 1st place medal and a pat on the back from our Cubmaster

(this is one of those photos were speech bubbles would come in handy with all the different expressions!)