Birthday Fun

We took Owen to a place in Des Moines called All Play, which is basically like a Dave and Buster's.

They have a mini-bowling game that Owen loved. He still had a hard time getting the ball down the lane but with the help of bumper bars and a little time, he really started to get the hang of it.

This is his "strike" pose. He would yell, "I got a strike!" like this nearly every time he bowled. I don't think he ever actually got one, but he didn't care.

Cam sat in his stroller snacking and quietly observing while Owen bowled. He was so good! I'm pretty sure he's storing nuts for the winter in those cheeks! ;)

The merry-go-round that went round and round forever! We really got our money's worth on that one!

Cameron wasn't sure what to make of it. He got on, wanted off, got back on, tolerated it a bit, then quickly wanted off again.

Owen the Strong Man!

One of his faves, "Deal or No Deal"

Daddy and I took turns walking around with Cameron. This is one of his favorite things to do these days, although I think he's pretty far off from walking on his own.

We ate lunch while we were there and then Cameron and Mommy headed home for naptime while the big boys stayed and played some more. They ended up with 700 tickets which amounted to massive amounts of crap toys that we don't need but are sure to be noticed if they are put in the trash. Nevertheless, we had a great time and the boys were on their best behavior, for the most part. And you really can't ask for more than that! I finished up Owen's cake once I got Cameron down for his nap so stay tuned for cake pics and dinner out at Owen's favorite restaurant. That's right, folks, the fun's not over yet!

Big Bubba Turns 4!!

We had an action-packed weekend at the Muhs household, which is why I'm just getting around to posting for Owen's birthday. Saturday was his big day and we started the morning off opening gifts that family members sent him. He was so excited when he woke up and saw all the packages waiting for him downstairs! I wanted to post pictures of him opening them all since the gift-givers didn't get to see first-hand.

Opening Auntie Gaye & Uncle Jay's gift.

They got him the above Thomas DVD, Thomas underwear, and a Thomas book. Apparently, they are well aware of his love of Thomas. ;) And love it, he did!

Opening a gift from G'ma & G'pa Glodo. They sent him some cool t-shirts, a Cars towel that he adored, and money!

I had to take a picture of this. He stacked his gifts like this all by himself after he opened them. Just like his daddy. ;)

Spencer the train from the Brooks Bunch--a big hit!

Puzzles and books from Gramma Lynn. These are 2 of Owen's favorite things right now. He is starting to read on his own and is able to read some of the first reader books she got him. And the puzzle is a 100 piece 4-foot floor puzzle. We all had a good time with that!

We had to wait until later in the day to open Grampa Gary and Gramma Linda's gift. Cody had taken it out of the box and assembled it the night before and we hid it in the garage under a blanket.

And this is what it is! It's called a KettCar. It's pretty cool and he loves it! The seat slides so he will be able to ride it until he's about 8 or 9. His favorite part is that handle on the right side, which are the breaks. I think it's so cool that I have now made it my goal to lose enough weight to meet the weight limit on it so I can try it out. I'll keep you posted.

He also opened some lovely cards from friends and family that morning. Then we headed out for a day of family fun! I will do pictures of that in another post. Stay tuned for lots more birthday madness!

Right Wing Man

My conversation with Owen this morning:

"Owen, what would you like for breakfast?"

"Do you have any cinnamon rolls?"

"No, I don't. I have some leftover pancakes. Would you like those?"

"No. I want right over pancakes."

A few hours later we had this encounter:

"Owen, let me show you a trick with your hands. Hold up your left hand....what letter does your thumb and finger make?"

"It's an 'L'!"

"That's right. So if you always look at your hands like that you will know that the one that makes the 'L' is your left hand."

"Can you show me how to make an 'R' with my right hand?"

The Wait is Over!

Ok, so I finally made my way down to the basement to put up a post with pictures. However, I forgot to bring the camera down with me to upload the current ones I have. Then I remembered that I never posted pictures of our trip to visit the fam in Bolingbrook, which is nice for me because now I don't have to go back up to find the camera!

Gramma Lynn reading to Owen and Luca, one of their favorite things to do together. I'm not sure where Cameron will sit when he is ready to join in on the fun but I'm certain Gramma will find room! I can't get over how old Luca looks in this pic!

Look closely at Owen's left ear. Only at Grampa Gary's. (don't worry, it's not real.)

Cam checking out his crazy Grampa. He never knows what to think of him, but he is never scared of him. He just kind of stares at him in wonder. Which, really, is not that much different than how most people look at him. ;)

Grampa and Gramma Linda with the kiddos. Yes, Owen did take off his coat while we were there! We just took these right before we were heading out the door.

Cody doing his best Elton John impersonation. "C-C-C Cody and the jets!"

I am excited to report that we are headed back east in just a few weeks. They are having a benefit for Joey, our good friend who was injured in a car accident in October. I am also excited to report that Joey is doing well and just moved to an awesome rehab center. He has a long road ahead of him but he seems like he is motivated and up for the challenge. Way to go, Joey! Until next time, folks...

Flight Plan

"Mommy, cups can fly."

"How do cups fly?"

"They can fly with pixie dust!!"

"Oh, yeah, well I guess just about anything can fly with pixie dust, can't it? Can we fly with pixie dust?"

"Sure we can."

"And how do we do that? Where can we get pixie dust?"

"From Tinker Bell!!!"

"But how do we find Tinker Bell?"

"She's in the Peter Pan movie. We'll have to go in the TV and get her."

"Go in the TV? Can we do that?"


*long pause, followed by a disappointed response*


"No, we can't. No one can help us."



In non-related flying/pixie dust news, today is Grandma Lynn's birthday! Happy Birthday, Grandma! We love you and hope you have a wonderful day today!

*(Author's note: I am completely aware that many a post has passed without pictures. My husband reminds me of this fact nearly every night. I suppose I will trek ALL the way down to the basement and upload some pictures onto the desktop computer, which I now believe is archaic when compared to our shiny, new, right-at-your-fingertips-at-any-given-moment laptop. I promise to do it soon!)

Love Thy Neighbor

*The following conversation took place last night at the dinner table between Owen and myself. He just started talking about my parents' long-time neighbors out of nowhere.

"Mommy, Ann and Frank are good."
*a slight pause*
"They're good Anns and Franks."

"Yes, they are, Owen. Do you like Ann and Frank?"

"Yes...I love them. They're good Anns and Franks."

Unfortunate Geographics

I'm not really sure exactly what it is that this GI Virus seems to have against the Muhs Clan, but clearly, it is out to destroy us. I thought once we got home from the 'boro we were in the clear and then last night, Cody was struck down. The worst part about this (for me, anyway) is that he spent most of the day yesterday taking care of the boys. He fed them, changed Cam's diapers, played with them, etc. Our recent history with this dreaded virus shows us that just by looking at somone afflicted, you are soon afflicted yourself. So I fear that it is only a matter of time before the boys are sick, and possibly even myself as well. The geographics, you ask? It is times like these that I am painfully aware of just how far away we live from our families, namely the Grandmas. Not only do I like to have my mama around when I'm sick, it is also nice to have a little help when the entire house is sick. Of course, after the last round of sickness in the 'boro I would venture to guess that my mom is secretly singing the praises of the 8 hour drive between us! ;)

So I'm basically sitting here playing the waiting game. I ask Owen every 15 minutes if his tummy hurts or if he feels sick, which is very quickly starting to get on his nerves. I keep thinking I feel nauseated myself, though I kinda think it might just be from anxiety. Because nothing causes me more anxiety than wondering if I'm going to be hit with a puking kid at any given moment or that we might all end up with this at the same time. I think at this point I would settle for someone else's grandma, anyone who is going to be a grandma, was a grandma at one time, or even just looks like a grandma. Alas, I will just suck it up and hope like hell that Cody is the only one who gets it. Because I'm pretty sure my neighbor, though a grandma, is not going to offer to clean up my vomit or bring me some crackers.

A Valentine Reunion

It seems as though cupid is working in our favor because Cody is on his way here as we speak. Thank God for small miracles. Ok, maybe miracle is a bit of a stretch but who cares, we get to see our daddy tonight!!! Owen is running around here saying, "My daddy is coming! My daddy is coming!" I'm just happy because Cody and I may actually get to go on a date on Valentine's Day. I think it's been almost 4 years since that happened! I'm not even sure we'll know what to talk about. It's a good thing I have all day to come up with something. I really don't think vomitting children and snotty noses qualify as romantic conversation. Well, maybe if I whisper it in his ear it will work. Happy Valentine's Day!

Insult to Injury

It seems we still have patients needing admittance at Glodo Hospital. This time my poor little Owie is the patient and I'm afraid Cameron and I might be filling out our own paperwork for admittance any day now. A couple of days ago Owen started sneezing horribly. Then came the cough. Then yesterday, the dreaded fever. If you know Owen well you know that not only does he not nap during the day, he will rarely sit on a couch and just "veg," nor will he ever fall asleep in any place other than his bed when bedtime hits. Yesterday he slept until noon (after going to bed at 8:30pm the night before), spent most of the day watching movies on the couch, and then fell asleep on Grandma at 8pm. These are all signs (as if we needed anymore than the obvious ones) that this kiddo is S-I-C-K. He is still in bed as I type, after a night of some yucky dreams/nightmares. I think the meds I gave him didn't agree with him and he seemed to take a little trip that really no 4 year old should ever take. Looks like this doc will prescribe less meds tonight.

In other news, Cody is supposed to be making the trip here tonight as we are baptizing Cash on Sunday and we have been chosen as Godparents, an honor we are very excited about. However, Mother Nature is at it again in Iowa and threatening to drop a bunch of snow over half the state. We're praying that he will get out early enough before it affects his drive but at this point we're not really sure at all if he will make it. Although, if it were me I think I might stay as far away from here as possible. Who knows what disease he might be stricken with upon entering these doors. I'm pretty sure at this rate that a measles outbreak is imminent.

Desperate Times, Desperate Measures

Well, my prediction was spot-on and Dad ended up being very sick last night. The only thing worse than having a one year old with it is my dad having it. ;) What I hadn't predicted was going into Cameron's room at 1am to find him lying in his crib next to, you guessed it, a pool of vomit. Really? I mean, really? It's not bad enough that he had it once? I was amazed that he had fallen back to sleep and really didn't want to wake him but, obviously, I had no choice. I sat up on the couch with him where he vomitted again, all over me. We stayed there until 3am, hoping he would fall asleep on me but he never would so I had to put him back in his bed. After, of course, my dear mother cleaned it up for us. Thankfully he went to sleep and slept until 9am. I am still pretty puzzled as to why he got it again but am thankful that he has seemed ok all day today, save for a little crabbiness. But who wouldn't be crabby after that night?

I decided that I needed to take matters into my own hands and have spent the entire day washing anything that might have even come near a sick person in this house. I started thinking about those flea bombs that people have to set off in their houses after they've had an infestation of fleas. Do you think they make a flu bomb?

The Firing Squad

The boys and I made our way down to Murphysboro last Monday. The trip went well. Or as well as an 8 hour trip with a near-4-year-old and a 1-year-old can go. However, it seems once we got here, things have only gone downhill. Wednesday morning we were hanging out over at Beth's house and Cameron was very crabby. I took him to her room to see if he would nap in the Pack 'N Play. He went to sleep and woke up about 20 minutes later, crying. I went to check on him and he was covered in vomit. :( Needless to say, after cleaning him up we packed up our stuff and got out of there faster than Beth could say, "I don't need a vomiting newborn!" He continued to vomit once we got home and spent most of the afternoon napping on Auntie Gaye, who was kind enough to stay and help me. Why did I need help, you ask? Only a few hours later, Owen decided he'd like to get in on the action. And then just to round out the family fun, I thought I might as well join them. Thank God for Grandma who took care of all of us that night, as well as taking the day off from work the next day. The boys felt better by Thursday but it was late Thursday night, early Friday morning before I felt like I could even stand up.

We thought we were on the upside of things until Grandma awoke with it last night and is still in bed today. Grandpa is sitting on the couch as we speak trying to fight it, but I'm almost certain he's losing that battle. Apparently this has been going around both Newton/Pella as well as M'boro as there are a host of other people we know who have had it. It's as if we are all standing in a line as Sgt. Stomach Flu goes by, taking us out, one by one. So Sgt., if you're reading this, I'm waving the white flag. Please cease fire immediately.

Party Animal

Like every Mother, I had visions of my baby boy at his first birthday party. He would be happy and cute and loving every minute of it. Of course, being that this is my second child, I didn't cling to those visions too tightly. Lucky for me. Since he had been sick he was very crabby when he woke up and it was only after the party was over that he seemed to really calm downt. I guess he's not one for crowds. But, as they say, the show must go on. Crabby baby aside, I think the party turned out great and everyone had a lot of fun.

He spent most of the morning like this as it was the only thing that made him happy.

I guess we did get a few smiles in there!

Being that he's not really into anything in particular I thought it would be fun to capitalize on the wealth of seasonal stuff in the stores and decided to go with a snowman theme. I had so much fun putting it all together. These are the cupcakes that I made.

The snowman cake which I think was my quickest decorating job to-date! I was pretty happy with the way it turned out. I also did snowman treat bags with snowman chocolate and a snowman ornament inside but I didn't get a pic of those.

Sampling the cake. He seemed to like it a lot, which didn't really surprise me. He has a sweet tooth like his mama.

Is this a cute face or what?!

Cousin Danielle holding Baby Cash.

Cade doing what he does best--being cute!

He ended up skipping his nap despite my pleas with him. This is what he looked like as he ate his dinner that night.

Thanks to everyone who celebrated with us. We had a wonderful day!

And now, back to our show....

The ride to Chicago last weekend actually went surprisingly well with 2 kids and a dog that hates to travel. There were actually moments where we forgot Murphy was even in the car! All that worrying for nothing. ;) We had a good weekend and I'll be sure to post some pictures soon. But first, the long-overdue Christmas pics.

We had a very eventful Christmas in Murphysboro this year. Cash Eli (cousin Beth's baby) was born on December 20, Uncle Jay decided he wanted to take a little ride in a ambulance on Christmas Eve (he is completely fine now), Cameron got sick with a high fever on Christmas Day, and my cousin Matt and his wife Jess announced that they are expecting their first child! All that and presents too!

We went to Beth and Ryan's house for dinner a couple of nights while we were there. Yes, my dear cousin is the only woman I know who can give birth to a 10 pound baby and have her entire family over for dinner a few days later! We loved visiting with everyone and getting to see their beautiful new house. Owen especially loves the new house as it has a "loop" to run for hours on end.

Cade and Owen snuggling while watching a video in Cade's new big boy room.

Aunt Jess and her new nephew, Cash. I was so busy keeping track of my own kiddos that I hardly got to hold this little guy. You can be sure when I get there next week I will grab him and camp out on the couch with him. I hear he likes to be held while he sleeps and I am happy to oblige. ;)

Owen being Owen at Grandma and Grandpa's house. He piled a bunch of stuff on top of himself and sat there watching a movie.

He then asked Grandma to bring his lunch to him and sat there and ate it like this.

The long-awaited gift. I can't even remember what it's really called, but he calls it Thomas and the Waterfall and he loves it. It was one of the 4 things he asked Santa for.

The Stanley train and the Troublesome Trucks to go along with Thomas and the Waterfall.

Patiently waiting on Dad and Grandpa to put it all together. It was bigger than the coffee table! Thankfully we have room for it in our new basement. He loves it!

Mr. Cam is all smiles opening his first gift.

Owen and Cade on Christmas day in their matching "Polar Express" shirts.

Alas, I didn't get any pictures of our Glodo Christmas on Christmas Eve because I was just too busy visiting with everyone! There just never seems to be enough time to do it all! We enjoyed seeing everyone so much and have gone into 2009 feeling more blessed than ever!

We interrupt your previously scheduled programming....

I'm sure there are many of you who came to see fun pictures of the Muhs Christmas. And while I have every intention of posting those someday, you will not see them today. Instead, you get the joy of reading a vent from yours truly. Because sometimes you just have to.

We are headed out to Bolingbrook today to visit with Cody's family, as we did not get to see them over the holidays. I am looking forward to it and will be so glad when we are there. However, the last few hours, and the next few hours to come, are draining on me. Given the economic state of the Muhs Household, we have decided to take Murphy along this trip rather than pay to board him. He is a horrible traveler and we have not traveled with him in at least a year, maybe even 2 or 3. He is so bad that we actually have to tranquilize him. However, I agreed that we should save the money and grit our teeth and bear the 4 hour car ride with him. The first sign to abort this plan should have been when I went to get the tranquilizers the other day to make sure we still had some and saw that they had expired 2 years ago. I trudged on with the plan, though, and called the vet and asked for some more. I figured they would only cost a few bucks and we'd still be saving money. Well....today I picked them up and they are $26. It cost $13.25/day to board him. That means for just a few dollars more (we have to pay for Sunday night, too, since they aren't open) we could have just boarded him and had a much more peaceful trip. Argh!

To top things off, Cameron is in a very whiny mood today. I am pretty used to his temperament by now and normally, these days don't bother me all that much. But today it is proving to be too much! And if that weren't enough, he fell on a toy and hit his head and now has a big scratch/bruise on his forehead. For which, I'm certain, his father will come home and notice immediately upon entering the door and question me as to what I have been doing to this child.

If things don't get much better, I might just have to dip into Murphy's tranquilizers. Have a good weekend, all!

Let the Christmas posts begin!

Ok, so it's almost February and I'm just now getting around to the Christmas pictures. But you all know my blogging personality by now so it should really be no surprise. I would like to clarify though that I am NOT, in fact, pregnant. Cody's mom mentioned to him that a posting hiatus for me sometimes means that I am pregnant and sick, so she was a little concerned. Not only did it give me a good laugh, I was also impressed by the fact that she pays such close attention to my blogging habits! Anyway, so here are the first of our Christmas photos. These were actually taken on Cameron's birthday. Grandma Lynn mailed her gifts to us, which also included a birthday gift for Cameron. It was all a little chaotic because Owen was so excited that we were opening gifts early so it was hard to get some good pictures.

The sweet birthday boy

It took him a while to figure out what to do with the colorful box in front of him.

I think he got a little piece off and decided to hand it off to big brother

Not sure what they were clapping about here but I thought it was pretty cute.

We finally had to enlist big brother's help, otherwise we'd have been sitting there the entire day waiting on Cameron!

He got the cutest set of 4 cars. They are big and kind of rubbery and he just loves them!

Owen waited as long as he could and had to get in on the action.

Grandma made him a train ornament, which he LOVED. He is definitely my child because he loves Christmas tree ornaments just like I do. Cameron got the cutest race car ornament, also made by Grandma.

A big thank you to Grandma Lynn for getting our Christmas and Cam's b-day started with a big! We loved all our gifts! Stay tuned for lots more Christmas pics!

Pardon me while I take a look back...

Since I've become a mother I have lost more memory cells than I ever thought possible. But there are still a few dates that will forever remain etched on my brain. Those days that I could recite almost verbatum exactly how events unfolded, and will probably be able to do so until I am old and wrinkly. Today is one of those dates. It was one year ago today that I had to take my baby boy to the emergency room. One year ago that my world was turned completely upside-down. I don't think I have ever been so scared in my entire life. When you see your child, only a month old, in a hospital bed, looking like this:

Words really can't capture that feeling. There were moments when I thought I might be leaving that hopsital without him. I remember sitting at his bedside at night, talking to him, praying for him, willing him to get out of there in tact. The times that Cody would come we sat next to him, looking at him and talking about how we wished we could just fast forward 1 year, 2 years, and have a healthy toddler bouncing around our house. At that time, it seemed so far away. It seemed like a dream as far fetched as the nightmare we were currently living. I think those 9 days were the longest in my life. And now, as I sit here typing this, I have exactly what I dreamed of. There is a little boy standing next to me, babbling at me, and trying to type along with me. He is crawling all over our house, playing with toys, laughing, and even has a clever, mischevious side. (He is Cody's son, after all. ;) )

While it was probably the hardest thing I've ever had to go through in my life, I sometimes don't think I'd ever take it back. For one, it bonded Cameron and I in a way that we never would have bonded. I often felt like it was he and I against the world in that hospital room. And we made it out...together. At only a month old it showed me what a little fighter my son truly is. And he has showed me that time and time again over the last year. He may be one little dude, but has more strength than many men. It also allowed me to see so many things in a different light. I no longer sweat the small stuff quite as much, keeping in mind that I have a loving, happy, and healthy family, and that is really what is important in life.

So while I do remember those moments captured in the photos above, I am grateful that I also have this one to remember:

And I pray that there are many more for years to come, just like this one.

Happy Birthday, Baby Boy!

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