Springtime Memories

April 2012

Still laughing at Ryan from supper....Colby said he didn't like something we were eating, and Ryan, who is shoveling his food in, looks at me and says "He must have a different kind of mouth." :) 

Pretty sweet when my Colby constantly tells me that I'm his beautiful princess. :) He also sings "You are so beautiful" to me almost every day.....so glad I taught him that song. ;)

I admit, I got teary eyed at Ryan's spring program tonight, he's such a sweet big boy. :) It was so fun watching them sing up on stage in that big auditorium. ♥

I'm thinking as the boys grow, buffets will be our friend.....seeings as how Ryan ate 5 pieces of pizza, a cup of ice cream, and drank two cups of powerade at Pizza Ranch tonight....and he's 6..... 

Colby told me tonight he needed to run into JCPs "real quick, so I can get you a beautiful dress mommy." :)

The power went out at Pizza Hutt tonight b/c of a thunderstorm; Ryan says on the way home "Mom, that time in the car when that huge thunder banged, it freaked the hell out of me." !?!?!?!?!?

Gramma Angie had Colby in the store with her, and he says "Gramma, you're adorable." The sales lady just melted. :)

“In the end, the moments we think we’d like to trade in seem to be made up by all the ones we never would".......exactly what I needed hear this week.

Excited to throw on jeans & a hoodie and cruise around the zoo with my Ryan & his buddies for their field trip tomorrow!! :) excellent way to spend a Monday, with my boy!! :) Ahhh, field trips. Luv this mommy stuff!!! :)

thinkin bout my Gramps today, would be his birthday. miss him in a thousand different ways and think about him daily.....like when my boys run around wearing his cowboy hats or the CAT hardhat he gave them, or when a red tractor goes by, or I think about any of my growing up years living next door on the farm, cake & ice cream on every birthday. ♥ you so much Gramps, so blessed to have had you so integrated in my everyday life. from planting potatoes to school programs to stormy days in the cellar, you were just always there. ♥

I asked Colb if he learned about Jesus at daycare....he says "Yep. And Strawberry Shortcake." ;) 

Not exactly sure where Colby learned it, but anytime he doesn't like something now, he says "Well, that's cheap."  :P

March 2012
Ryan just told me I was very smart and I know alot, but not as smart as Papaw; cuz Papaw knows more than all the people in earth, almost as much as Jesus. ♥♥ Think he admires his grampa? :)

Colb crawls in bed with me this morning and sings "you are so beautiful to me" and said he's gonna hug me all day. :) love my lil goober ♥

Going through word flash cards with Ryan, and came to the word "just".....he says "JUST as pretty as my mom!" ♥♥♥ My boy!! :)

What an emotional morning.....dropping Colby off for the last time at our in-home sitter's proved to be as tough as it was dropping him off the first time. Thank you Joy, for all of the love you've shown our boys over the last almost 5 years. We ♥ you!!! We're excited for his new adventure at Immanuel but change is still tough! ♥♥

Almost 12 yrs ago, I was excited to be his girlfriend. Almost 9 yrs ago, I was amazed to be his fiance. And 8 yrs ago today I was proud to become his wife....a feeling I hold even more today. HAPPY 8TH ANNIVERSARY NATER!!! I love you more more more!! ♥♥♥. :)

First "flower" of the season from my Colby. "I sawed it and picked it for you Mom, cuz u my gurlfrend". ♥♥ :)

Gramma Emily found the receipt and instruction manual for her fridge downstairs.....bought in January 1949 for $215 and STILL WORKS PERFECTLY!!!!! :D Isn't that amazing?!!??!?!

Just can't help but think about a special man today when I put on my green.....miss you Dr Heffron!! Hope they throw you a green party in heaven like we always did here!! :)

PERFECT day at home. Cuddled in our pj's till 11, baked a 'cinnamon cake', went to the dollar store, played outside, now snugglin up to watch a movie. ♥♥ Love these days with my precious boys ♥♥

Colb asked me who was driving that car so slow at Walgreens, and I said it was an old lady and sometimes they drive slow. He says, "Good thing we're new ladies mom and can drive fast!!!" :P

No more short sleeve t-shirts for Ryan at school.....he told me that today some of the girls had to see his muscles and his hot wheels tattoo..........

Ryan's report card looks great!!! Only area of "Needs Improvement" is in the area of unnecessary talking...hmmmm, wonder where that could have come from?!?!

Been thinking alot about the funny things the boys say and do. I wish I could just have a video camera on them 24/7.  We we were talking about snow, and it made me remember Colby looking out the window and realizing for the first time it had snowed.....he got so excited and pointed out and said "Noce! Noce!"  So for a long time, snow was noce. ;)  Love that. That was probably when he was 18 mos old I bet.  About the same time he'd see Mickey Mouse and say "Kickey Mice!! Kickey Mice!!"  :)  Or at age 2, eggs were "eeeks", mouse was "moss", kite was "kot", and one of my favs, milk was "muck! muck!" and cop was "pock".  Both boys would hear sirens and they'd stop, drop everything, and RUN to the front window to see what it was going by!!   They still do that on occasion....unless they're eating, which is sacred now, lol. ;)  Their baby books are both chock full of the things they said and did those first couple years--I ran out of room, lol.
They say these funny things even now.  Today Ryan said his tummy hurt and I asked if he was nauseas. Colby says "what? His tummy is nachos??"  :)  Or the other day Colb was being overy ornery (no way!!) and I was tickling him, trying hard not to say he was being a little pain....so I said mid tickle, you're a pppp.....and he says "I'm not a penguin!!"  :P  Like I told him so often as a baby.....good thing you're so cute....!!!!   :)
Ryan came home from school the other day, Martin Luther King Jr day, and I asked if he learned about MLK Jr at school today. He says "yeah."  So I asked what he learned....his response??  "He got shot!!"   Oh. Lord.  6 yr old boy!  lol. We did a lil further discussing and he did learn more than that, whew!  :)  He comes home and tells me this girl or that girl hugged him today, and he played with his girlfriend Corina today. :)  Lil stinker.
I went to a movie with the girls, and came home to a "no girls allowed" sign on the door. ;) Ryan Thomas Smolek!! lol. then he brings me a little note that he actually wrote....I love you mom....<3 be still my heart. :)
I was going through some crib sheets for a friend at work, came across Colby's "Kickey Mice" toddler bed set....and just cried like a baby.  Can't believe my babies are so big already.
Out of time for now, To be continued........  :)

Happy New Year!!!....wait, January is already into it's second week!??!!?  Geesh! :)  We recouped well from Christmas. :) Ryan had the flu, I think, late into the night Christmas night and then bounced around all day Monday, and then threw up once more Tuesday night. So strange. Still not sure what that was. But thankfully no one else got it, and we were able to go to Grand Island and celebrate our Christmas with Nate's parents anyway. We really enjoyed our time with them in their new home.  Hard to believe they've lived there over 2 mos already!  

New Years came in quietly at our house, just like we like it. :) We watched cartoons and snuggled our boys, and once they went to bed then Nate & I made some popcorn and had some gummy worms and watched the New Years Eve stuff on t.v.   New Year's Day, Nate and I went to Lincoln for one of my good friend's, Anne's, wedding. It was beautiful and very relaxing. We spent the night in Lincoln and met up with more friends on Monday; lunch at Olive Garden, Chris & Holly and Avery, and Jenelle; lots of laughs, little shopping too. :)  I also got to catch up with a friend, Mike, at the wedding that I haven't seen in probably 12 years, which was really awesome. :) 

This last week and weekend have been spent at home, relaxing and doing little projects around the house.  Tomorrow will start a new week and hopefully finally back into normal routine. :)  Routine is good around here, we kind of thrive on it!!  :)  Here's to a blessed week!!!  

 

 

December memories, through the month :)

Unbelievable that it's been 2 years ago last night/this morning that we lost Gramps. It's a testament to his love and relationships with us, how much our hearts still ache, and how many tears are still shed missing him. He was the best, and I would have given anything to hear him call me Melissa, eaten peanut brittle with him and played games and joked around last night when I was hanging out at his house on Christmas. Merry Christmas in heaven, Gramps. ♥♥♥♥ Love you so much.

Lots of Christmas goodies, wonderful family time, mega-piles of toys for boys big and small, naps, a diamond necklace ;) , a movie and cozy socks, treasures and trinkets, tears and memories ♥.....Merry Christmas

Still laughing at Colb from yesterday....I called him Dennis, as in the Menace, ahem, and he says "what!?! I'm not a dentist!!!" ..... :)

Funniest thing I've heard Nate say to the boys today???...."Ryan, he's not a hammer brother....he's your brother....now stop."

LOVING Ryan's Kindergarten mind tonight. When I got home, he very seriously told me about how his class decorated a humongous gingerbread man, and when they came back from lunch, HE WAS GONE! "HE really just ran away this time, Mom. For real, he just ran away". Hand gestures and all, so serious. ;) I LOVE THAT KID SO MUCH!!!!

T.G.F.E.B.......(Thank goodness for early bedtime)........i love my kids, i love my kids, i love my kids, i love my kids, i love my kids.............

Thinkin how cute Ryan is, he came home the other day just grinnin, telling me about a little girlfriend at school. He said "She's my girlfriend mom, I asked her at second recess and she said 'sure'. So I play with her everyday" :) today he says "She blew me kisses mom. I'm not looking at girls anymore." LOL. :D But alas, today he played with her again.....oh the life of a kindergartner. :)

Colby says "Just me and you home all day mommy? Know what I'm gonna do? Hug and kiss you, all day long." ♥♥♥. :)

the 4 of us my end up with a bellyache from taste testing all of these gingerbread men i'm baking, but we've got to make sure each and every pan is juuuuuuust right.....right?!?!?!?!?! :D

Boys played outside and came in with red cheeks and a smile for hot chocolate, having bread bowls with soup for lunch, and thinking it might be a great day to turn on Christmas music and wrap presents!!! :D

I almost don't believe it's been the whole month of November and half of December since I posted last, ohmygosh, that must tell you how busy things are!!! :) But things are good! I've spent most of my "free" time in the kitchen, which I love, but I must admit things around here tend to get a little neglected when that happens, lol. I've been doing tons and tons of Christmas baking, some for orders, some for friends, lots for family and of course, for my boys. :) The boys have decided they love gingerbread men, and peanut butter balls, and oreo truffles and cherry mash and fudge and cut out sugar cookies and m&m cookies and peppermint chocolate cookies and toffee bars and dipped pretzles and...................everything else i've made :) It's so much fun.  Times like this though, really make me want a dishwasher.....*sigh*.....  ;)
I can't believe only 2 wks until Christmas; how fun!!  We had our family Christmas at my parents' house today, it was a blast as usual. The kids played like crazy, we ate lots of good food and treats, my brother brought out the 4 wheeler and sled, and I even got in on a snowball fight with him....I won. ;) Good times, as always, lots of blessings being able to celebrate with family. :) Took only a couple hundred pictures, so I'll have to pick & choose a few to share. :)
This also means Thanksgiving has come and gone.....this year, that's kind of ok!!  We had all sorts of plans to have a wonderful family Christmas.............and plans go as sometimes they do!  Both Nate & I ended up with Grandmas in hospitals, and so it was a bit stressful! My grandma was in Lincoln at the hosp for some ongoing problems, which they finally now have (fingers crossed!) gotten taken care of.  On Thanksgiving Day, as we pulled up to Nate's aunt's house in Hastings, the ambulance was leaving.....ugh, not a good sign....poor little Gramma Emily fell and broke her femur, which required some pretty intense   surgery.  Both Grammas are on the mend now, but we're just looking forward to moving on!!  We are eternally grateful for all that we've been blessed with, and thank God our grandmas weren't in worse shape.
Unreal that the fist semester of the school year is almost over, Ryan's loved Kindergarten thus far!! P.E., lunch at school, first lost tooth, and first "girlfriend", lol, I think we've filled the cup.  :) Ready to have my boy home for school break with Colby & I, it'll be fun to have some of those days at home where we all stay in our pj's for hours. :)  
Pictures to come soon, for now it's time to catch some zzzzzzz's.  :)

October, a month of memories and fun. :)

Perhaps the most important October event in our house, is Ryan's birthday!! This year we celebrated big number "6", which is just as unreal as it gets. He's gotten to be such a mature, funny, independent little, excuse me, big guy.  That kid is so tenderhearted and sweet, and just says the funniest things!! We love him to pieces, and thank God every single day for blessing our lives with Ryan Thomas Smolek. :)  His lil brudder luvs him too.  :)  We had a soccer themed birthday party this year, and he just loved every minute. 

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Ryan & Noah playing Ry's new Angry Birds game. :) 

 Daddy & Ryan checkin out the new Transformers. 

Grandma Angie and great Grandmas Emily & Della

Great Grandma Shirley

Grammy BooBoo  :) 

 Mama & me <3

 Shannon & Dad hangin out.  They were actually playing Angry Birds and I caught them on a break. ;)

Cooba eating his frosting (I mean, cake?!!?!?)  :) 

Story time with PaPaw, so precious 

They are THRILLED when BooBoo & PaPaw spend the night!! :)

October has been such a fun-filled, beautiful month. We've spent lots of time outside, and the boys even got to "help" pick corn. They've ridden in combines before, but actually while combining corn was pretty awesome, they said!!  :)   

Halloween is always fun for the boys, we did the usual running around to friends and family here in town, they sure enjoy showing off their costumes to the great grammas and friends. This year we had a Knight and, of course, Luigi!! :)  Minus the moustache, since it pretty much had it's wear through the year. :) Ryan told me this morning that since he's a knight, if I dressed as a princess, he would save me from the dragon. <3 Such a sweetie pie!  It was a fun evening, the boys are over their sugar high and sound asleep. :)

My 4 boys....Ryan, Nate, Colby, & Dad headin down to the field

 Waiting for Kurt to bring the combine around! :)

 Gotta check out what's in the grainbin! :)

 Nothing's in there Papaw! But I yelled and laughed at the echo!!

 Ryan's turn to check it out! 

 Cooba and his PaPaw :)

 Dad and Colby on a mission 

 Here comes the combine!!!!!

 So excited for their ride!!

 Pickin corn is way cool!!!

 THANK YOU KURT!!!!  :D WE HAD SO MUCH FUN!

 Loving their new seek-and-find books!

 My Knight-in-shining-armor. :) Told me that if I dressed like a princess,

 He would save me from the dragon. <3  My boy.  

Ryan's class Halloween party, I got to help! FUN! 

 My buster at the end of the party.

 Love love love being a mama!!! <3

Happy Halloween 2011 

 Such cute tough guys :)

 Daddy & his boys, at trunk-or-treat!!!

 Caught up with our buddies!! :)

 Colby & Kortlin "fixing" the door!! hahaha!

 "Lil Moo", Avery  :)  So cutie!!!

 Ryan, Colby, & Avery!!  

 Joy and the kiddos!!

 Love our babysitter!!  :D  And our buddy Avery!

 Gr Gramma Della and Cooby <3 :)

Such special times with great grandma. We love her so very much!!!!!!!

Gr Gramma Della and Ryan <3  :)