Our FIRST Braves Game in ATLANTA!

We celebrated Memorial Day and my Birthday with a nice weekend in Atlanta, GA. It was wonderful. We left early on Friday morning, and returned on Sunday afternoon. A quick 7 hour trip, we enjoyed the time together, and the fact that we turned off our SmartPhones, and the distractions of the outside world, except for the 4 of us and the songs and laughs we had in our mini-van.

I have always wanted to attend an Atlanta Braves game in Atlanta and see Chipper Jones play. I did accomplish seeing the game in Turner Field, but not the Chipper Jones part. He is on the DL for 15 games :( . Oh well. We tried. But it was still a blast, all the same!

We arrived in Atlanta on Friday and visited the Marietta Diner (made famous on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives), and then had dinner at this EXCELLENT Rib Shack with my dear friend, Michael.

On Saturday, we went to the CNN Center in downtown Atlanta, and then went to the Braves Game. A full day of fun with my favorite baseball team, and my favorite 3 people in the world. :) See some pics below:

Jake's 2nd Birthday Events...Breakfast with MICKEY!

We celebrated Jake's Second Birthday at the Polynesian Resort, eating at the restuarant 'Ohana'. We enjoyed a breakfast with Mickey Mouse, Pluto, Lilo and Stitch. We had SUCH a great time with Grandma & Grandpa Sivula as well! Then we came home, opened presents and ate a Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake!

A Happy Birthday Letter, to our 2 year old boy!

My Dear Jake,

Words can't even express or define my love for you. The very moment I found out I was pregnant with you, I was a mixture of happy and terrified. Terrified how your Daddy and I were going to handle a newborn baby, and a baby girl, just 1 year old. Your big sister was 4 months old when we learned we were pregnant with you. When I told your Daddy that we were pregnant again, his face LIT UP! He hugged me and told me how absolutely WONDERFUL this was going to be. We would have 2 BEAUTIFUL children! And oh boy, your Daddy was RIGHT! I soon became OVERJOYED in anticipating your arrival.

You arrived with such ease and beauty on Wednesday, April 15, 2010, at 1:09pm. When we heard the words, 'It's a Boy!', I was overcome with emotions. You were so beautiful when they handed you to me in your ever-so-snuggled baby burrito of a blanket. I hugged you and cried some more.

Your first night of life, you slept for 5 hours straight, and we had to wake you up to feed you. You were so relaxed and so comfortable in your own skin, even as a newborn. I see that still in you today.

You enjoy such simple pleasures of life. Your eyes light up and you CHARGE toward me when you see me enter a room. Your giggle can cure a million tears. Radar your teddy bear is your best friend. You love to stuff Radar and Elmo into drawers around the house. Your favorite escape in life, is a book. I love to sit down and read to you, and have you turn the pages for me, and point to items in the book. You have this amazing love for music...and the moment you hear it, you lock eyes with me and we dance and sing. Your vocabulary has blossomed over the past month. Your favorite thing to say is, GO...we'll start it off...Ready...Set...GO! You can't eat enough Mashed Potatoes or Chocolate Chip Cookies...and seriously, you are the only two year old I know that likes to eat his vegetables.

We are so blessed and grateful for you being born into our family. Jacob Roger Haney, you are a true delight, and one of the 3 most beautiful loves of my life (Caitlin and Daddy included).

Happy 2nd Birthday, sweet boy. We love you to the sky and back.
Love,
Mommy

Easter Bunny Visit

Here comes Peter Cottontail, hopping down the bunny trail...

We visited the Easter Bunny on Sunday. The kids did great, and they smiled nicely for the camera. First Successful Easter Bunny Visit! YAY!

Growing Pains

Growing up, I thought 'Growing Pains' was merely just a title of a really good, albeit cheesy, television show on ABC, starring Kirk Cameron. Now, I realize it is truly a term to describe every day life when raising kids, your husband or even yourself. We all have growing pains, emotional and physical.

I am learning daily, that while my kids are learning how to grow and the pains of learning new things, so are we as parents. I learn what the pain feels like when your child is sick, and you don't know how to fix it. I learn the pain in having to sit through a dinner of screams and tears, until when we finally can't take anymore, we put the child in time out, and then we have 2-3 minutes of peace and quiet while eating our food.

I have also quickly learned what pain feels like when the doctor says they are concerned about your kid's development. Is he walking fast enough? Is he talking fast enough? Can he point to items? Does he make a joint connection with you? Does he respond to his name? 3 months ago, our answers to these questions were 'No'. However, with a little more one-on-one attention and dedicated time with Jake, I can now answer Yes. He is now saying words, however, very softly and when he wants to, b/c why talk when your sister gives you everything you need and speaks for you?! Yes, he is running and walking and climbing, and getting into all kinds of trouble. Yes, he points to planes, trains and automobiles...I feel a punchline coming on.Yes, he makes those connections with us daily, by giving us his smirk or his sideways look to make sure we are seeing the same funny thing he is. Finally, YES, he is responding to his Name. When I say, Jake, he actually looks at me 75% of the time, even when the words are not followed by, 'do you want a cookie'? It's amazing. It's rewarding. We will not give up. We will continue to push him and continue to see results. This kid is resiliant. This kid does things on his own time. And you know what? GOOD FOR HIM! So, while we push him, we also don't want to lose his amazing individuality, his character and all the wonderful things that make him, him.

We will continue on this journey of parenthood, and continue through the pains, but hopefully with those pains, comes more rewards.

Photos from Caitlin's 3rd Birthday Party