There are far too many times in my everyday life that I take for granted all that I have. I am blessed with the most amazing husband and two little boys, as well as family and friends.
I'm sitting here watching the newest season of "The Biggest Loser," and my heart is aching for one of the contestants. She lost her husband, 5 1/2 year old daughter, and 2 week old son in a car crash. I don't know how she is still standing, as I don't know how I could handle what she has been through. I will try not to get frustrated with the fact that Miles won't let me put him down, and Eli is full of tantrums. I'm sure she'd love to be in my shoes! So tonight, all of my boys will be hugged extra tight, and told once again how much I love them.
You guys mean everything to me!
Eli and cousin Peej decided that food is much better off of the floor than out of a bowl! They sat, ate, and fed each other. It was really cute to watch. Hopefully it wasn't too long ago that Uncle Matt cleaned his floor, lol!
And oh what a road trip it was! My good friend Kerri and I were headed to Toledo to see our friend Tiffany (who just had surgery) and Erin, who had her daughter the day after Miles was born. So, you're thinking Toledo...no big deal right? Normally it wouldn't be, especially since a bunch of my friends went to school there, but we should have known better than to follow Tiff's directions! (We love ya Tiff, but giving directions is not one of your strong points!) So, after Miles screaming for a solid 30 minutes, and getting lost in the ghetto...and I mean GHETTO, as their streets didn't even have names, just letters, lol...we finally made it!! Tiff is recovering quickly, and hopefully she'll be back to normal in no time! We're just happy she's doing so well!
There is no better way to start my day than seeing my two boys love one another! Miles is developing such a personality, and he has started to giggle at his crazy big brother! I love these candid times, especially when they don't notice mommy lurking with the camera!
and he's hungry again! Guess I should feed the poor child! 
Our Labor Day was spent shopping! Since we didn't find everything we wanted at Aurora Farms, we headed out to Lodi! We dropped Eli off at my mom's so he wouldn't be cooped up in a stroller. We got all our shopping done but it was very odd going out with only one child!
Eli had a blast with Grammy and Papa Steve. He fed the ducks in Grammy's pond, watched Papa Steve tear down a tree, went to the store, drove the dogs crazy, and played with his Tonka trunks in a big mound of dirt! When we got there to pick him up, his crocs were no longer crocs...just two large balls of dirt, his shorts were off and also a ball of dirt, and Eli was quite the happy camper! He must have really been worn out, because by the time we were ready to go, Eli was hiding under the table playing with his cars! He was asleep before we hit the highway, lol! 
I'm so thankful for such a great family and group of friends! You all made my birthday weekend wonderful!
September 5th was actually my birthday, but dinner with the Johnson side of the family was a day later! Earlier in the day we went to Aurora Farms and did some shopping, so it was nice to spend the evening relaxing with the family. My mom made a ton of great food as usual! Some pictures from the evening:
and even deeper yet!
Peej and Eli were being so sweet to each other, giving hugs and kisses. This is what happens when we try and get a picture of it!
And of course it didn't work!
Eli trying to steal Peej's new Mader walking toy. Eli has about 5 different toys just like this, and they are all stored in the basement and have been for months. Apparently Mader is much cooler than all the other characters we have!
This is what happens when mommy forgets a bib and Eli is going to eat BBQ chicken. So that's the excuse for no shirt...but I really have no excuse for my hillbilly looking son. Looks like he has a beer gut and he's not even 2!
Now brace yourself, as you are about to witness something very rare! Matt....yes, Matt Johnson, is doing all the dinner dishes, and no one even asked him to!! I had to take a picture for proof, as I know there would be a lot of non-believers!
My hillbilly birthday cake! I always get a DQ ice cream cake, and I usually get normal candles too. Mom couldn't seem to find them when she needed to though, so my cake had tea lights on it, lol! In my mom's defense though...they are still in the middle of a massive kitchen remodel, so I can understand how they were misplaced. I would have been fine without the candles...but Eli needed to practice blowing them out!
My sweet boys!
Eli helping mommy blow out the candles!
mmm....ice cream, and cake all in one! Life is good!
Eli sharing with his best buddy!
It was a fantastic evening, and for my birthday everyone loaded me up with cash and gift cards to Best Buy. I decided I need a laptop! Then, maybe I won't get so behind in my blogging efforts!
We had a fun yet busy weekend, so I broke it up a bit. First, on Friday night, Callista took me out to dinner for my birthday. Her Au Pair Anna was kind enough to join us, listen to us babble, and drive us around! It was a great way to kick off the weekend...chatting it up with one of my best friends and having a few drinks! Sadly, I have no pictures of this, since my camera did not leave my purse! I did bring it though, and that's an accomplishment in itself! So thanks again Callista and Anna! It was a great night, and I can't wait to have some more drinks for you during the real celebration next weekend!
Saturday was my birthday, and it was up to me to decide how I wanted to spend the weekend. I've been wanting to take the boys to the Children's Museum, so I decided no time like the present!
Weeeeeee!
Hot hands with daddy! It reminded me of the old school "hyper color" shirts!
Loading his cart back up after the money exchange!
Time to take them "home"
He decided he needed to cook after the grocery store!
Then off to the ATM to get some cash...
The cash came in handy at the repair shop and gas station!
Testing out the RTA bus
Miles and Nader reporting the weather
Eli and the "moo moo" cows
Driving Miles around in the truck!
We spent the rest of the evening over at Diane and Joe's house. It was great to sit outside, let the kids run around, and enjoy an adult beverage or two! Avery and Eli play so nice together, and next year Miles and Hayden will be running around with them as well! It's so nice watching our kids grow up together!
