Catching Up ...

Time to catch up. It's been almost 5 months since I last posted a blog. YIKES! Here is what's been keeping us so busy (my excuses for not posting anything).



1. Shane and I celebrated our 5th wedding anniversary

2. Took the boys to Prairieland Dairy to see the cows and eat cheese (a favorite of theirs)

3. Evan had tubes surgically put in his ears to help with ear infections.

4. Had my 10 year class reunion.

5. Went to a couple water parks in Lincoln ... kids LOVED it.

6. Shane built a play structure for the boys. Complete with slide and swings.

7. Boys started showing interest in the potty. Will start training in winter.

8. Gave the boys mohawks ... then trimmed it off the next day.

9. Moved the boys to twin beds ... thanks to Ayden for learning how to climb out of his crib.

10. Bought a mini-van. LOVE it!

11. Boys turned TWO ... and had their 1st dentist appointment. They did great.

12. Went to Roca Berry Farms in search of pumpkins and play.

13. Road around with G'pa Wiebe in the combine. Boys had a blast.

14. Took the boys to Lincoln Children's Zoo ... the turtles and goats were the favorites.

15. Ayden and Evan have started putting words together (two word phrase/sentences).

16. Shane gave me an early birthday gift ... tickets to the NU vs. K-State football game!



And ... a few things in between them all. Now you know the rest of the story.

Pushing the Limits!

As Ayden and Evan get older and bigger, their risks become bigger and more dangerous. Guess it's all part of being a boy. They like to push the limits and only encourage each other, which is NOT always the best idea. At least, not the best idea as seen by a parent. :o) Everyday there is some new obstacle that they must accomplish or then "die trying."

Regardless, I love my little guys. We are very busy and there is never a dull moment. They are busy ... BUSY ... Busy! Truly boys through and through! And I LOVE it.

Hummm ... Evan and Ayden are on the kitchen table. And you can tell by the looks on their faces and by Ayden squatting down that they KNOW that they are NOT supposed to be on the table.

You see, I was back working in the office and all of a sudden I noticed that it was quiet. "Quiet" is never a good thing, I really do prefer the boys to make noise because then I know where they are and what they are doing. Thought I had better check on them ... and here is where I found the little tykes.

Evan ... little mischief maker #2 is on our new/used spinner. They love to try out new things, and this is something fun! Not only does Evan enjoy sitting on it and spinning (as the toy is designed for), but he likes to stand on it too. Why not?! Ayden prefers to actually sit on the orange/top part. Why not?!

Oooooo ... Evan is attempting a new trick/way of riding the turtle. And when he or Ayden is riding it properly ... they like to stand on the turtle's back and let go with their hands. I have my hands FULL!

But here is a sweet little photo of Evan.

And you can't help but love the cheesy grin from Ayden.

Evan and Ayden posing so nicely for me. The things I put them through. :o)

Notice how Ayden's lips are all puckered up? Well, it's because I'm had been working on the boys saying "CHEESE" whenever I took their photo. So as you look at the photo again, just imagine a little voice from him, saying "CHEESE."

Moving on once again ... the boys decided it was okay to take a break and sit in their new snack (and one day time-out) chairs. You can notice that in this photo Evan was making the "CHEESE" sounds.

And when in doubt and there is "nothing else" to do ... climb on something. At least I think that is the boys' philosophy. Ayden was scaling the back of the chair ... much like they do with their cribs ... and stair railing. Ughhhhhh. I have two very active little monkeys or tree frog ... whatever you want to call them. They don't have many fears which is great for exploration and building courage for them ... but can be very scary for Shane and me.

And as you can tell ... Evan learned how to climb up the chair and get into his highchair. How do they come up with these sort of things?! Seriously, every day they are trying to climb, move or destroy something new. But they are having fun in the process. They are truly ALL BOY!

Pool Party @ the Jensens

What better to do on a hot summer day than splash around in some water?! Our boys and the Jensen boys (Christian and Tyler) did just that.

Tyler wasn't ashamed to make a splash.

And Christian was working on his tan. :o)

My little duckling ... Evan and Ayden.

4 little ducklings!

By the end ... Evan was so tired.

Awh Evan ... what a sweet little face.

And here is little Ayden all bundled up afterwards.

He, too, looks a little sleepy.

1st Time Experiencing a SPRINKLER!

Ayden and Evan weren't too sure what to think of a sprinkler. It was strange to them ... and kind of cold! But curiosity got the best of them and they actually touched the water! Oooooooo!

Evan thought the water was just silly.

Ayden worked up enough courage to touch it too!

Oops ... Evan just realized that he was wet ... what should he do now?!

When Ayden wasn't playing with the water, he was occupied with drinking from both sippy cups to stay hydrated! It was hot outside.

And this entry wouldn't be complete with something a little mushy. :o)

Good Clean Fun

This past Friday, several of us celebrated Bryce Wilson's 30th birthday with grilling out. Because it was bedtime and the kiddos were dirty from playing, we thought it would be profitable to give them a bath before putting them down in their pack-n-plays at the Wilson's. However, Jace needed a bath too ... so it was fun for all!

Evan & Ayden taking a bath.

Bath time ... with Jace!

I like to think that someday we parents can use this as blackmail somehow.

CHA - CHING!

Grandpa and Grandma King came over for a quick visit ... and inside of Grandpa's pocket was a handful of MONEY! The boys were ECSTATIC to be able to put their money into their shared piggy bank. One day I'm sure they'll want their own piggy banks.

Evan & Ayden busy filling their piggy bank with MONEY! They're RICH!

Confrontation with Grandpa ... Ayden wanted to be sure that he was getting just as many coins as Evan was getting to put in.

Evan taking his turn to put some money in.

Now it's Ayden's turn.

Our NEW Friend Kyla!

Thanks to a little girl named Kyla ... our summer will prove to be even more active! Kyla lives down the street from us, and her parents needed a baby-sitter for her for the summer. This past year she was in kindergarten (the same grade/age as my niece, Meghan). Anyway, she is a true delight to have in our home. The boys ADORE her and stick to her like glue. Here are a couple photos taken from our first day together.

Ayden, Kyla and Evan are busy reading ... or maybe just looking at the photos. :o)
Kyla thought it'd be fun to bake some cookies ... so we did just that. We even added sprinkles. The boys were trying to stand on their own stools ... JUST LIKE KYLA.

And I can't begin to count the number of hugs Ayden gave Kyla ... he gave her lots of love (already on the first day).

Then we all took time to color. Ayden and Evan love this activity.

Here's Ayden busy at work.

And here's Evan being busy too!

Random Events

Random events in the King household ... all rolled into one entry!

Grandma Wiebe came by to visit, and they all decided to try some radishes. Neither of the boys were in favor of them. Surprise there, huh?!

Evan has so many different "faces."

... Ayden too!

My kids LOVE to climb ... and I mean LOVE. Here Ayden made his way to the top of a Rubbermaid tub ... and he is showing off his skills.

And here is the pea that was lodged inside Ayden's nose. It was HUGE! I'm just glad I was able to get it out myself. Just a few days back, Ayden was crying several times throughout the night, and we just couldn't figure out what was wrong. It wasn't until after lunch the following day that we learned the cause. You see, The next day while playing, Ayden fell and started crying. Crying, as you know, can make one's nose run ... and all of a sudden a piece of corn came out of his nose with some blood on it. Odd thing was, I knew that we hadn't even eaten any corn that day, so it had must have been in his nose since the previous day. Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr. Not to mention, YUCK!

Two days ago, we rearranged the boys' bedroom. Evan and Ayden were busy helping me too. In fact, the were able to crawl up inside of the dresser since I had removed all of the drawers so I could move it. Man did they have fun!

18 Month (Adjusted Age) NICU Follow-Up

Just wanted to pass along some GREAT news ...

Today Ayden and Evan had their 18 month (adjusted age) NICU follow up (they are actually 20 months old). All went EXTREMELY well, and we are so thankful! I told the boys to just be themselves. :o) They did great.

The developmental specialist was very pleased with how well our boys' fine motor skills were. She kept commenting on how cute and big they were ... and she couldn't help but "ooooo" and "awh" over the boys' long eyelashes. All parents like to hear those type of comments. Anyway, the boys preformed all the skills tests wonderfully. They passed with flying colors!

Then we took the boys to the actual NICU because I knew that three of our favorite nurses were working today (I had called in this morning). Walking down that long hallway to the NICU brought back memories and tears. The nurses and one of the doctors came up to see the boys. They couldn't get over how grown up the boys looked. They thought surely they were older than 20 months. I'm sure it is nice for them to get to see how the babies they take care of grow up and change. It must be a huge sense of accomplishment for them. Smiles were pasted all over their faces because they remembered taking care of our boys and the issues that both had. I told them that Ayden still has his high pitched scream/cry. I told them I still blame the NICU for that ... they all remembered his scream. Some things haven't changed. :o) It was nice to be able to thank them again for the two gifts of life they gave us and protected for us. When we got to the hospital, Shane said, "Boys, this was your first home!" It truly was for several weeks ... our home too.

No negative comments from the developmental specialist, but simply praises and astonishment at how well they did everything. She said that boys often change the most between 18 months and two years. So we should be ready for some big changes over the next few months. They don't have to be seen until 3 years (adjusted age).

However ... she does want Ayden to see a GI specialist. Ayden has thrown up twice in the last week again. This has happened ever since we brought him home from the hospital ... nothing new to us, but nothing seems to be improving. He is gaining weight and growing which is why we weren't instructed to do anything before. The boys' pediatrician has had us keeping record of when he has these throwing up episodes. There is nothing that similar about the days or foods or anything like that ... other than it typically happens towards the end of the day. He consistently throws up every 2-4 weeks. Anyway, given his symptoms and how he basically passes out afterwards, she feels that something isn't right and should be checked out. One thought she had was that it might be an abdominal migraine. She asked if there was history of migraines ... and I was sad to say that I get them ... I feel awful if I passed this along to him, but God knew this. Granted, she doesn't know for sure, but since he is limp and so tired afterwards, she suspects this. however, given his NEC issues he had as an infant, built up scar tissue may still the the main cause of it all. Nevertheless, this has gone on long enough and she wants us to now press forward and find some answers. So, you can be praying for that and for the specialist who will check out his little body.

Ayden weighed 23lbs 7 ozs, and Evan was an even 24 lbs! Woo-hoo!

Anyway, take time to pray and thank God for how good he has been to our kiddos ... He has helped us walk a scary road at times with them, and He has sustained us all throughout it. God is good, and He has blessed us so much. Thanks for walking along side of us. Today was a HUGE day of celebration for Shane and I. Praise the Lord!

Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day! This past Mother's Day, I was honored to be grouped in the category of "mothers." I have two little blessings that put me there and a wonderful husband for encourages me as I take care of the little guys during the day.

This Mother's Day, we all went up to Omaha to see Aunt Yvette's new house. Grandpa and Grandma Wiebe met us up there too. It was a wonderful way to spend the day.

Evan and Ayden light up my life ... thanks to their Daddy for giving them to me!

My parents, Roger and Coletta ... aren't they cute!

Here is a photo of me, my mother (Coletta) and my sister (Yvette). Unfortunately, my other sister, Deanne, wasn't able to make the trip out to Omaha.

Evan was eager to pick all the dandelions in Aunt Yvette's yard!

Ayden and Mommy!

Evan must have been thinking, "Silly Aunt Yvette!"

At the end of the day, before the boys went to bed ... they brought out my Mother's Day gift. The boys came running down the hallway, each with Cream Soda bottles in their hands. They were proud to give them to me. It was ADORABLE! I love Cream Soda.