Brothers Forever (Like It or Not)

Garrett and Noah are enjoying time with Daddy. They help take care of the goats and the dogs and play fort.

Noah spends his time helping daddy in the office, stealing brother’s money, eating strawberries, sleeping, and playing soccer.

Garrett spends his time watching the pinewood derby races, helping put the garden together, going to hockey games, and playing soccer.

Noah's First Eye Surgery

Since he was born, Noah has had clogged tear ducts. This translates into constant tearing eyes covered in green gook. We visited an ophthalmologist, Dr. Foster, in July 2008. Dr. Foster taught us how to properly massage Noah’s eyes in hopes of allowing the ducts to open on their own. He also prescribed some drops for Noah’s eyes. Dr. Foster also told us that we would wait until Noah was a year old before considering more options (meaning surgery). You can see a great view of Noah’s poor little eyes!

At Noah's one year appointment, Dr. Foster recommended surgery. Noah had tear duct probe surgery on April 22, 2009. He was put under general anesthesia (but not far enough under he needed an IV or a breathing tube). Then Dr. Foster “poked” Noah’s tear ducts with a surgical probe. This would clear out any infection and open the ducts. Dr. Foster hoped this would work, however, the ducts needed to both heal open and stay open. Below are pictures of Noah’s first surgical experience. (Even his mommy and daddy have not had their first surgical experience yet!)

Only time will tell if Noah’s surgery is successful. If one or both tear ducts do not heal open, he will need tubes inserted into his tear ducts. We will keep you posted.

What Happens In Vegas Stays In Vegas

In January, Daddy was laid off from his job. He wanted to expand his business with something to that would withstand the tough economic forecast. He had learned about Kitchen Exhaust Hood Cleaning from the casino. Daddy earned his certification through IKECA (International Kitchen Exhaust Cleaners Association). Their annual spring meeting was held in April in Las Vegas. Daddy took us all with him because he had free time in the late afternoon and evenings. We left in the evening and drove during the night. For the most part, the boys slept. We did stop to get dinner and gas. This gas station had a really nice bathroom. We stayed at the Luxor Hotel.


I bought matching outfits and pajamas for the boys. On the first day, we changed rooms. Because we checked in so late, we were given a horrible room that was in the smoking section of the hotel. We moved to a nicer room with a fridge, a nicer bed, and no smokers! After lunch, we decided to go see the lions at MGM Grand, buy some M and Ms at the M and M Factory, and walk down the strip. The trip down the strip was much longer than we anticipated. It was also very windy that night. We decided (wisely I think) to take the bus back to the hotel. We ended up eating dinner at the Luxor Café even though we waited in line for a free dinner at a new restaurant. Of course, they ran out of food as we neared the front. You win some and lose some. We put the kids in the big bath tub, which I might add was the best thing about the casino, and put them to bed.

The next day was a little more challenging. Because of the wind, Garrett woke up with a very bad sinus infection. We had to call cousin Gretchen for a prescription of antibiotics. We got dressed, had lunch, and met up with daddy. Because it was really stormy outside, we decided to go to the Aquarium at Mandalay Bay. We saw things like a Gila monster, sharks, and sting rays. We then ate dinner at the Luxor Hotel with Daddy’s new friend, Randall. We gave the kids a bath and put them to bed. Garrett woke up in the middle of the night with a bloody nose.

On the last day, we went swimming and to the Titanic exhibit. Noah also took his first steps on this night. I guess a house full of tile is not conducive to learning to walk. All Noah needed was carpet.

The next day we drove back home. We had a great time, and Daddy made a lot of contacts for his business.

Garrett's 5th Birthday

Garrett’s birthday fell during the week so we had the family party on the following Saturday. On the morning of Garrett’s actual birthday (March 17), I woke him up before I left for school. I sang happy birthday to him, and he ate the cupcakes we made the night before. Daddy took Garrett and Ninny (a friend) to Boomers to ride the go carts and play miniature golf.

We invited all immediate family to our house for dinner, cake, and a piñata. After dinner, we attacked each other with silly string and ate candy from the Cars piñata. Garrett then opened his presents. He really liked all of his presents from his cousins and his grandparents.

We then had a family concert led by Uncle Mike and had cake. All the cousins were able to play some sort of musical instrument and sing.

After the party, we went to the Hockey game. At the local hockey game, they put a happy birthday message to Garrett on the big screen (much like they did for Noah’s birthday). Garrett also had fun with his cousins at the game.

Pat's Birthday

This past weekend, we had two birthday parties. My friend Michelle's son turned 1 last month. Noah and Isaac are only about three weeks apart. Garrett went to Papa's house while Noah and I went to the party. Papa took Garrett to Carl's Jr so he did not really miss being left behind. Noah had fun eating lunch, playing with bubbles and toys, and meeting new friends.

Next, we went to our friend's house to celebrate Pat's birthday. After eating a great dinner of pizza and salad, we played Wii. We had so much fun. Garrett has played a few times as we do not have one yet. However, Pat was finally able to help Garrett understand how to play several games. Garrett is very good at Bowling. His high score was 158. Not bad score after playing only 4 times. We really liked play Wii fit. That was really fun. We especially laughed hard when I tried to play the soccer game. The goal is to hit soccer balls with your head while avoiding shoes and panda heads. It is much harder than it looks. I got hit with more shoes than I could hit soccer balls. Jordan, however, was very good at that game. I think we need to get a Wii with the Wii fit. The only thing that was a little disconcerting was how close Pat was able to create our Wii characters to our actual appearance. It was almost like looking in the mirror!