Fun with Friends - Plus A Few Minutes From Luke's Point of View

Gearing up for the boys' surgeries has been a little stressful on me. I think being so busy and the lack of sleep that occurred in the last week didn't help either. I know that 999 times out of 1,000, everything is perfectly fine and routine, but mothers just can't help but worry about that one time it isn't. Needless to say, I was a bit of a mess going into yesterday morning, but I kept reminding myself that God is in control!

John David and Luke both were very brave and did a fantastic job. Everything went perfectly, and both boys are up and playing today like nothing even happened. :)

On Saturday, we went to visit some friends who live a little ways out of town on several acres of land. The Minters had invited us over along with another couple, our friends Mark and Candy, and I jumped at the chance to get some relaxing fellowship with our friends. Anything to help me relax and take my mind off Monday's surgeries, right? And it worked. :) We had a fabulous time, and the kids were running around enjoying the freedom of all that space! It didn't hurt matters at all that the Minters' three kids are good friends with our kiddos, and they were all excited to have some play time. Caitlyn was excited too, because she got to see their son Lane. ;)

As the evening wore on and the sun was starting to set, some impromptu baseball started out in one of the fields. I took the opportunity to snap some fun pictures of everyone and to follow Luke around as he explored all the cool surroundings out there in the country. We ended the night roasting marshmallows in the fire pit in their backyard. Can't wait to visit again!! Enjoy the pictures!

Luke was pretty excited when he saw our friends' three wheeler! Just his size he thought........

Soon he grabbed his two Match Box cars and was off to discover what lied around the back of the house....

Oh look, I think I'll crawl in here and play awhile. :)

Soon he discovered an old broken down lawnmower tractor. Perfect for climbing on......

Wait a minute... what are all those people doing out there in the field? And off he went to figure out what was going on.

As soon as Luke figured out that they were playing something with a ball, he had to join in!

Wow! Mr. Kevin is pretty brave! Kneeling in front of a little boy with a bat could prove to be dangerous. :D

Caitlyn and her best friend Taylor

Kylie and her best friend Baylie

Thank you Kevin and Heather for inviting us over! It was a much needed evening of fun and overwhelming peace!!

Wordless Wednesday - These Are a Few of My Favorite Things....

Luke's recent obsession with shoes (he's doesn't even care if they fit :D) and finding obscure hiding places has resulted in some cute pics!

Building Our Cookie Bunny Hutch

The kids received a cookie bunny hutch kit as a gift for Easter, and they have been wanting to put it together and decorate it. Jeremy got it out for them the other night and they had a blast! Luke didn't do much decorating. He just kept stealing pieces of candy. :) Even Chewy got some treats too! :D What fun to decorate and eat!

Upcoming Surgeries for the Boys

The last few days have been a little crazy (still trying to catch up on emails and such) and it looks like it's gonna be a little crazy for awhile. Jeremy and I took the boys to an appointment with the ENT doctor yesterday. We were expecting to hear that Luke was going to need to tubes in his ears as he's been struggling with recurring ear infections for awhile now. But, we were surprised to discover that John David is in need of another set of tubes, and the doctor is wanting to remove his adenoids as well. John David has had ear issues since he was very little, and we were hoping that he would grow out of them, but no such luck. He's been seeing a different doctor that I had gotten a little frustrated with because I felt that he shouldn't still be having issues, and his doctor kept waiting to see if it would clear up on it's own. It's been about three years since his first set of tubes fell out, and we're still waiting. Needless to say, when the pediatrician referred Luke to a different ENT, we decided that John David would change doctors.

Everything is happening pretty fast with pre-op check-ups this week, and both surgeries scheduled for next Monday. With my sister's wedding right around the corner in a few weeks, we are praying that the boys recovery goes well. Please keep us in your prayers, as I'm sure that Monday will be a bit of a difficult day. While I am sad that it has come to this, I am looking forward to both boys being healthy and able to have accurate hearing evaluations to see if all this has done any damage. I think Luke will be fine once the tubes are in, and expect his speech to increase with some relief of the pressure in his ears. I am a little worried about John David, as his ear issues have been ongoing for almost five years now. I am really glad though, that we decided to see a new doctor!

Happy Easter!!

Just click on the picture above to see a larger version.

Spring is in Full Swing at the Knutson House!

This past weekend was Caitlyn's Spring Violin Recital. We were, of course, very proud and thought she did an excellent job! Check out the video!

Caitlyn invited her friend, Lane, to come hear her play. It took a little coaxing to get Jeremy to go along with it, but the kids had a great time. :D Our good friends Pam and Billy, as well as Mr. and Mrs. Lacks from our church, came to cheer Caitlyn on. When it comes to her violin playing, Caitlyn's starting to think more about her future goals. She's even talking to her violin teacher about the possibility of playing in a childrens orchestra!

Kylie and Caitlyn both have an upcoming dance recital the end of May, and Kylie and John David just started Tae Kwon Do, so our lives are pretty busy right now. Dance takes a break during the summer, so that will be nice. It seems the kids are always busy doing something but since we homeschool, I know the involvement in extra curricular activities is good for them and allows them some time out of the house! :)

Here's a video of the kids singing in the Children's Choir at church this Sunday. It's kind of a blurry video. I took it with my regular camera instead of my video camera.

Spring looks to be pretty busy for us with our normal activities, a trip to Tennessee for my sister's wedding, and a trip to Wisconsin coming up. We're all enjoying the great weather though. The kids have been outside as much as they can be! Hope you all are enjoying the Spring weather too!

It's a Bridal Shower

When my sister, Andrea, was in town, I got the chance to throw her a bridal shower. I was really excited, because it was my one chance to partake in the wedding festivities since I live out of state. I really wanted to let my sister know just how excited I was for her! I invited several friends that have met and gotten known my sister over the time she has spent visiting and living with us during the summer of 2008. We had 20 ladies at the shower and I was so grateful for all the friends who gathered to show their love and share their congratulations with my sister. My sister's fiance was supposed to make the trip with her, but due to a last minute work issue, my sister-in-law, Crystal, came with her instead. It was a blessing in disguise, because then Crystal got to join in the fun too!

The few weeks before I had set about making preparations and buying decorations. The invites (designed by Two Silly Sisters on etsy) were the center of my color scheme. Though black isn't usually a color you would see at a bridal shower, black and hot pink are one of my sister's favorite color combos and I knew she would love it. I purchased black and pink everything, including these bird themed napkins that I loved.

I also made these bird seed heart party favors that made up the centerpiece on the table and went home with the guests at the end of the night. They were each tied with a pretty ribbon and had a matching tag with Andrea and Clay's names as well as their upcoming wedding date. The ingredients I used didn't hold up as well as I had hoped! Oh well, they looked pretty for the few minutes that they hung on the tree then they started falling apart!). :D Note to self: find a more stable recipe for birdseed hearts!

Andrea and Crystal helped me cut out and put together the cupcake toppers, and they turned out great. My pink icing wasn't quite the right color, but I didn't hear anyone complaining as they ate the delicious chocolate cupcakes! :) The entire night was a blast, and Andrea received lots of gift cards to use toward household items she needs. Thank you to all my fabulous friends for helping me celebrate with my sister!