Father's Day Weekend

Happy Belated Father's Day to all the Dads out there! I had a great time with my family on Father's Day. We ended up going to my parents house at the lake, and then visited with Dan's family in the evening.....it was a wonderful day. I am truly blessed for all the great Dads in my life, including my own, and Trevor's Dad. :) It's also a remembrance of my three grandfathers, who are all gone now, and what great men they all were, and how they were so special to a lot of people.

Anyways, we had a great time on the lake. Here are some pictures from the day:

Dan, Trevor and I on the boat.....Gager Man with his Grandma Zartman. (Brent's mom!) He's such a happy baby!

Elizabeth, Olivia and Dan swimming. Olivia couldn't wait to get in the water, and although I thought it was kinda' chilly initially, she kept insisting that I "jump off backwards in the water!" Of course, I did. Anything for her!

And I managed to jump in backwards without getting my hair wet! :) Elizabeth, Olivia and I.

Trevor

Olivia LOVES to jump off the side of the boat. She jumps off into the water. Most of the time, going under water, and coming up with a mouth and nose full. But she doesn't care. She gets right back up there and does it again. She's a brave little snot for only being 2 years old. :)

And she swims all around, too.....even with no one holding onto her. :)

She was pooped after all that swimming. Olivia with my sister, Elizabeth, on the boat ride back in to the house.

Trevor again. He loves the lake, too.

Olivia with "Yunkle Dan"..... Hahaha! :)

The kiddos in the kiddie pool. Savannah, Gage and Olivia. Savannah kept dumping water on Gage's head. It was hilarious! :)

McDonalds Play Date

Occasionally, I get to pick up the kiddos (Olivia and Gage) from daycare. I love doing this.....because I love walking into Olivia's classroom and seeing her face light up when she sees me, and the run across the room shouting "TITI!!! TITI!!!" This week was no different. :)

Normally, we just go straight home, and we play at the house until their Mom gets home from work. This week, however, was different. See, when Dan has to work in the evening (which is 4 days per month), we meet at the McDonalds by his work for a quick sweet tea and chat for 30 minutes or so before he heads to work. Usually that's the only opportunity that we have to see each other on those days. We've never attempted to take the kids to McDonalds, and feared what the playplace might bring.

But last night, we ventured out for it. And I must say, it ended up better than expected. Well, at least while Dan was there. Olivia got her "nuggets" and ate two of them. Gage played happily in his carseat. Of course, Livi wanted to get on the play equipment (which, by the way, I find incredibly disgusting.....and germy) and she wanted "Yunkle DAaaaaan" to help her. He crawled around on there the best a 36 year old (er - I mean 28 year old) can, but it's not really conducive to people over 3 feet tall or 40 pounds. :) She met a new friend, who was about 8, who helped her the rest of the way up to get on the slide. She was doing just fine, and having fun.

Then, Dan had to leave. Of course, she wanted to go with him. About this time, I was feeding Gage his bottle, and he was less than thrilled with being there, as it was pretty noisy, and some kids kept opening the emergency exit door, which produced a shrill, loud alarm sound that the 15 year old who worked there couldn't figure out how to disengage. Dan had to leave, and no more than he got out of the door, that Olivia had to go potty, of course. Here I am, sitting at a table that was obviously designed for 5'6" 120 pound soccer moms. A diaper bag, carseat, childrens coats, my purse, my coat, and some various toy items of Gage's. I'm holding him, he's fussing, and I know that I have to get Olivia to the bathroom before she wets all over herself, and the floor right there in the playplace. (Hey, she's only 2, people. She's not really great at holding it, yet.)

Of course, the potty in the play area was occupied by another toddler, so we had to truck through the McDonalds to the adult bathroom, where the stools are way too high, and I have to juggle Gage on one hip while lifting Livi up onto the toilet, trying to help her complete her duties with one hand, not dropping Gage on his head, and keeping my new Easter (Purse) Basket off of the dirty floor all at the same time. Whew! I'm not sure how my sister (or anyone else with more than one young child) does it! Definitely exhausting.

I was pretty darned happy to see her that night! :) Anyway, I love them, and it's fun all the same. Here's some pictures......

Gager Baby and Uncle Dan. Doesn't he have the biggest brown eyes? Just like his Mommy's.

Olivia......loved the playplace. :)

Thanks for your prayers, everyone!

My nephew, Gage, is 5 months old. Since his birth, he has been having respiratory issues. They took him to a specialist in Indianapolis, and he had surgery this morning at Riley Children's Hospital. He got along just fine, and is doing well. He will probably stay overnight, and be released in the morning.

Thanks to all of our friends and church family that has prayed for Gage during this time, and for everyone who has been thinking of Brent and Elizabeth and their family. It is much appreciated, and there IS power in prayer. Thanks again!

This is an excerpt from an email that I got from my sister a little while ago, updating us on Gage:

For those of you who didnt know, Gage is at Riley today having his adenoids out. All his respiratory problems have been b/c his adenoids are so big they're blocking his airway. While they were in there, they also took a look at his ears and ended up putting tubes in b/c it had "rubber cement-like" fluid in there. Gage is doing ok. He was doing great and they were going to turn off his IV but literally just as she walked in the room to do it, he refluxed about 9 oz all over me. So obviously he is now not as hydrated as he was and we have to keep the IV longer. We're likely going to be spending the night here. As long as he gets his pain meds, he's doing ok, just really tired and kind of cranky. He and Daddy are asleep in the chair right now and hopefully they get a long nap in. Thanks for all your thoughts and prayers, we really appreciate them.

Thanks again, everyone! xoxo

~Dan and Sarah~

Your Highness and her Court

Dan and I picked up Olivia and Gage from daycare last week. Prior to picking her up, we were given the heads up by Brent that her Barney was at daycare, and NOT to forget to get him. When we picked her up, we of course made sure to get Barney, but when we got back out to the car, we realized that not only did she transport Barney to daycare, but the whole entourage, too. And she insisted that we tuck them into the car seat with her, and they rode ALL THE WAY home from the comfort of Your Highness' lap.

And Gager baby smiled and laughed and giggled away at Dan for a long time! He's too cute!

Christmas with the Moss Family

I've taken a break from blogging lately in an effort to get caught up on things around here.....and finally have a break in all the action to actually sit down and upload some pictures and dump my camera. :) So, needless to say, I have a lot to report on.

The holidays were great for us, and although we did a lot of traveling back and forth from place to place, we did have a lot of fun with our family and friends. We started off the week on the 23rd, with our own "Christmas Edition of Date Night"...... Dan was actually WANTING to go to the mall in the peak shopping time and walk around. Of course, our shopping was done, but we somehow managed to spend a couple hundred dollars on "last minute" and "extra" gifts for people. We had dinner at the Other Pub, went to the mall, went to look at Christmas Lights, and then laid on the living room floor and watched The Christmas Story.

Christmas Eve, we drove to my parents house where we spend the afternoon there with them, visiting, and helping my mom get things around for Christmas morning the next day. We had Christmas with my family on Christmas morning at my parent's house. It's always been that way, and I'll probably always want it to be that way. It's always just my sister and I and our families, and my grandparents. Of course, we often have some passers-by, and are always happy to see Aunt Wanda and Uncle Jeff when they come by.

This year was especially fun for us, because Olivia was old enough to get into the presents...... and we had a blast watching her excitement when she opened everything. Dan and I walked away like a couple of bandits, once again reminding ourselves how lucky we are. And, since, although we enjoyed ALL of the mound of gifts we recieved, I've enjoyed cooking with my new cookware, and sleeping on our new down pillows.

Here's a few photos from the day:

Dan and I and the kiddos......growing up so quickly, and getting so big. :-)

Gager baby and myself.....he's such a wonderful baby!

Nana (my mom) bought Olivia a leotard for Christmas. Hers has a little skirt, like a little ballet tutu.....and the matching shoes. She goes to gymnastics (yes, that's right, gymnastics), and Nana thought that she really needed a leotard. And although Mom struggled a bit to get it on her, we finally did, and she modeled it around for us all. Too cute!

My beautiful sister, Elizabeth, and that cute baby, sleeping soundly. (Olivia calls him "Big Boy"........)

OK, so here's the deal. Dan spoils Olivia. Horribly. Although he blames me for it, he's just as bad or worse than I am. She's recently taken a liking to Barney, and all of his characters. You know, B.J., Baby Bop, and the rest of the entourage..... :) Dan found online the WHOLE SET of plush Barney characters. So, of course, he bought them for her. He paid too much for them, and they are ugly, but it was his mission to make her the happiest little girl on Christmas morning, ever. And so he did.......This was the expression on her face when she opened the box. :)

And here she is retrieving the characters from the box......

And later when she wanted to take a nap, on the rug in the living room.....all covered up WITH them. She insisted. Hee hee.....

There is a doll at Nana's house named Patty. It's as big as she is. And she loves it. She talks about "Patty" all the time....... and is seen here posing with her. Imagine Olivia's confusion when my AUNT, whose name is also "Patty" came over for Christmas dinner......she didn't quite get it.

Olivia and Patty, again. :)

Gage and his little Christmas hat.....

Getting changed on the bed......too cute!

Christmas for us was great, and we enjoyed spending time with all of our friends and family, and especially enjoyed the kiddos. :) Sorry this post is so late......I'm catching up. Stay tuned for more holiday fun!

Some Recent Pictures of Dan and the Kids....

Dan and Gage.....he's getting SOOO big..... :-) He'll be all caught up to his big sister before we know it. He's already within 10 lbs. of her!

And of course, the princess herself. In my favorite outfit of hers, the pink and maroon plaid jumper. :-)

The Kiddos

Olivia and Gage are getting so big......and starting to develop such profound personalities. :) WOW! Olivia has started to develop such a fun personality, and talks constantly. She comes up with some pretty funny stuff, and I enjoy teaching her new things. (Not sure her mom enjoys it as much as I do, but it's still fun, regardless.) She will be 2 tomorrow. Stay tuned for pictures from her birthday party this past weekend. Seems like the past 2 years have just flown by, and before I know it, I'll be blogging about her high school graduation.

And Gage is catching up with her quickly. Well, as far as weight is concerned. Olivia weighs about 26 pounds, and her 2 month old brother is quickly closing in on the gap at about 16 pounds. :) He laughs and giggles all the time, and before long, will be doing the funny stuff that Olivia does........

Aren't nieces and nephews the greatest? Here's some recent pictures!! :)

"Helping" Mommy. She loves to do this. She'll even change Gage's diaper sometimes! :) (Not sure it's the best job possible, but her efforts do not go unnoticed. :) Ha!)

Happy baby!!!

Our little Colts Fan! :) Yay!

Yes, folks. That's cereal. The boy has been eating cereal since he was about 4 weeks old.

Chubby baby. He's got a little muffin top goin' on over the top of that diaper, there. :) So cute!

Trick Or Treat!!!

So we intentionally planned to be gone on Halloween night, as there are zillions of kids on South Street in Brookston who all like candy. We'd go broke trying to give all of their sweet tooths a fix. :) BUT, we did be sure to be home when my sister brought the kiddos over.

Olivia called me before coming over for trick-or-treat and said, "Titi, I'm coming to your house as a kitty cat. Now, don't be SCARED!" It was sooo cute. So, I knew prior to her arrival what her costume would depict. However, I didn't expect her to be this cute:

Gage was a puppy dog, Olivia says. Personally, I thought he looked like a cow, but regardless of what he was, he was cute! :-)

We took this picture at least 5 times, she wouldn't stand still, or smile. :) This was the best we could get.

MEOW!

The whole Thomas Family. My sister, Elizabeth, brother in law, Brent, and their beautiful kids, Olivia and Gage.

Baby Gage......too cute!! :-)

Family on Friday

Grandmas love babies. They just do. Mine especially love my sister's kids. Mom and Dad came down to Elizabeth and Brent's house Friday night to see the new baby. Mom and Dad loaded up Grandma's van and brought all of them, Grandma Hinkle and Grandma Moss (both in their late 80's) and my Nannaw (who is 93), to Lafayette for the night. We got Arni's pizza and played with the kids and visited with them. It reminded me how blessed I am to have all three of my grandma's in my life, at 26 years old. All of my grandfathers have passed, but it makes my heart smile to know that the three of them have gotten to see Olivia and Gage, and enjoy them in their later years in life. They had a great time, and passed Gage around and oohed and aahed over him all night. I walked out of there smiling at how happy being with my family made me.

Olivia and Gage with Titi.....

Dan and Nannaw. Yep, she's 93, and will be 94 January 2. Doesn't she look amazing?

4 generations of the Moss family. My dad, my sister, Grandma Moss, and Elizabeth's kiddos, Livi and Gage.

Grandma Hinkle with Olivia and Gage. Olivia is particularly fond of Grandma Hinkle, for some reason. Grandma eats it up!

Dan and I with Olivia and Nannaw. Olivia was enjoying her "CHIPSSSS!" (Ranch Doritos)

Hug those you love today, everyone! Or call them, or send them a letter in the mail. Yes, that's right, I said send a LETTER in the MAIL. I send my grandmas a note, even if it's just a short little note to let them know I'm thinking of them, about once a week or every other week. Every time they see me, they tell me how much they enjoy the notes that I send, and how it often brightens their days. (I imagine that someday, when they're gone, we'll find a shoebox somewhere with all the notes, cards, and letters in it, stashed somewhere.) Just do it. You won't be sorry you took the extra time.

Gage's Arrival

Gage Michael has finally arrived! He joined us here on Friday 9/26 at 5:09 p.m., and weighed in at 8 pounds, 10 ounces, and was 19 1/2 inches long! He's a big boy! :) Everything went fine, and he and mother are both doing well. Olivia wasn't so sure what to think right at first, but when they brought him home yesterday, she seemed to be embracing the idea of a younger brother. She has no idea what she's in for, as she's basically ruled the house for the last 22 months. (Her and Gage are exactly 22 months apart, to the day.)

He's gorgeous, a good baby, and loved by many! Congratulations to Brent and Elizabeth on their most recent addition to their family! :)

Isn't he just gorgeous?

Olivia wasn't so sure what she should think right at first. This was the first time that she held him. :) Doesn't she look thrilled? Titi and Uncle Danny with Gage, right after his birth.

Awww.....