Question

Four years ago we planned a trip to the Indy 500 and I was unable to go because I was ______________. This year we are planning a trip to the Indy 500 and I am able to go even though I am ______________.

Can you fill in the blanks?

Check back soon for the answer.

Easter

We enjoyed a nice Easter weekend up in Omaha with my parents. After dyeing eggs on Saturday morning, Grandpa Dale took the boys to see the movie "How to Train Your Dragon". The boys enjoyed the movie. David and I enjoyed seeing a movie courtesy of Grandpa.

Easter morning brought a visit from the Easter Bunny at Grandma and Grandpa's house. A quick Easter egg in Grandma's backyard. We also went to Iowa to visit with all of my mom's family. It was nice to see everyone, as it had been a while.

After visiting with the family, it was time to head back home. The boys were excited to see that the Easter Bunny visited them at their house too. Although they were disappointed that there were no eggs to hunt in our backyard.

Monster Jam

We are not sure how, but the boys have gotten into Monster Trucks. So the fun loving parents that we are decided to take the boys to see Monster Jam, when it came to the Sprint Center in Kansas City. We knew it would be gamble, as they have never done very well in loud noisy places. We were hoping with ear plug that they would do okay. So we purchased tickets and were off. We had a birthday party earlier in the afternoon, so there went good naps to help make the experience more enjoyable.

Gravedigger, the favorite of both Thomas and Michael.

The boys were very excited to get to see monster trucks live. They were very worried that we wouldn't get to our seats on time. Luckily we made it to our seats just in time. The boys were very overwhelmed and didn't know what to think at first. They did not like how loud it was. Thomas was glued to my chest for the entire evening. He didn't want to move, but he was very interested in what was going on down below. We had to leave a little bit early as the boys had hit their max with the noise and being past bed time.

When we asked the boys about what they thought, their first response was "it was too loud". Once we got over the loudness, the entire conversation on the way home was about the monster trucks, the colors, our favorites and so forth. They only stopped talking about monster trucks when they fell asleep. Since last Saturday, the majority of toys played with at our house has been monster trucks. The boys have gotten very creative in creating their own "Monster Jams". All in all they had a good time.

Shampoo

Saturday morning the boys were taking a bath. I was in their room, getting out their clothes and I hear one of the boys coughing, like they drank too much bath water. So I go into the bathroom to check things out. I find Thomas gagging on something and eventually throwing up some of his breakfast. After getting that under control, I starting asking questions, to find out that Thomas drank some shampoo. I'm not sure whose brilliant idea it was to drink the shampoo we keep in there for when we have company, but I know Thomas was the one who followed through on the idea. Michael claims he drank some too, but he never got sick or complained of an upset stomach. After a call to poison control, we discover that shampoo won't do much harm, other than bubbling up in the stomach causing a stomachache or vomiting. The shampoo has now been removed from the bathroom, to avoid any more drinking in the tub.

I can only wait to see what other ideas one comes up with and the other follows through on!

Potty Training

The first week in January the boys and I were stuck at home for a few days due to extreme cold and snow, so I decided to get the bright idea to tackle potty training. Well that has been about 2 1/2 weeks ago. In that time they have made a lot of progress, along with many messes. Michael's had a couple of dry days. Thomas hasn't had dry days yet, but is not far behind. They are doing well with going pee on the potty. It is the pooping thing that is really messing them up. We are just going to keep on bribing them to use the toilet and wait for it all to finally click!

Onions

Tonight I was getting an onion out to chop it for dinner. As I was getting it out, the boys says "Onions, cool! Can I have some?" "Yes, you can have some onion", I tell them. "Can we watch you cut it up?" "Sure, you can." They eat the first bite of onion I give them and then they ask for some more.

The boys have enjoyed eating raw onions for some time now. I was not surprised by them asking to eat some onions. I was entertained by idea of them calling onions cool. Needless to say there is never a dull moment in our household.

Busy Time at the Dillner House

The last few months have been very busy at our house. You probably already guessed that by my lack of updates lately. All are doing well. Work is keeping David and I both very busy. They boys are doing good. They find ways to keep themselves very busy as well.

The past couple of weeks, we have been enjoying the holiday season. We took a trip to St. Louis to enjoy Thanksgiving with my dad's side of the family. While we were down there, the weather was so nice, we were able to enjoy a visit to the St. Louis zoo. We decided to have a real Christmas tree this year. We went to a local farm and picked out our tree. We have also been to see Santa twice. This is the first year, that they both were happy sitting on Santa's lap. In years past one or the other was unhappy. We have also had friends over the decorate cookies. Yesterday we had a great time at the Twins Club Christmas Carnival. The boys enjoyed making reindeer food and other crafts. We are looking forward to trips to both grandparents house to celebrate Christmas.

I've posted a couple of pictures from our holiday adventures here, but the rest can be found at the following link.
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=129527&id=598762182&l=39b68a9c07

Brave Boys

I am a very proud momma of two brave boys. On Monday the boys had their first teeth cleaning and dental visit. They both did very well. Michael went first, he was a little timid getting into the chair. He did great once he was up there. Thomas watched very closely to see what was happening to his brother. When it was his turn, Thomas hopped up onto the chair and was ready to go.

This afternoon I picked them up from daycare and took them to the doctors office for their flu shots. Once in the doctor's office the nurse asked if they knew what was going to happen. I told her they knew they were getting flu shots, but they really had no idea what that meant. It was Thomas' turn to go first today, since Michael went first at the dentist. Thomas barely even made a face when he got the shot. Michael of course watched to see what was going on. Michael made a bit of a face, but no crying.

Visiting Beloit

At the end of August we took a trip to Beloit to see Grandma and Grandpa. the boys had a great time. We spent some time at the lake. The boys loved throwing rocks into the lake and also fishing for moss. We spent some time at David's Aunt Karen's house, where the boys discovered their love for fooze ball.

Very Busy

Things have been very busy at our house lately. School is back into full swing. The boys are loving being back at daycare and playing with their new friends. I will let you read the following link to see what has been keeping David very busy these past few weeks.

http://www.ottawaherald.com/story/090809edgertondillner

Vacation

My cousin Wesley got married on August 8, and the boys were ring bearers in his wedding, which was down by St. Louis. We left Kansas City a few days early and enjoyed a mini vacation before his wedding. We had a great time. We enjoyed The Museum of Transportation, Grants Farm and The St. Louis Science Center. We were also able to spend time with my family in the area.

The boys did a great job in the wedding and had a blast. It was a bit of a struggle to get them all dressed up, but as soon as the tuxes were on, they weren't coming off for the rest of the night.

I've included a couple of pictures from our trip, but the rest can be viewed at the following link: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=100311&id=598762182&l=0128ca3966


I will end with a couple of the memorable moments from the trip. The journey to St. Louis along I-70 includes crossing over some bridges. We would point out the bridges to the boys as we went over them. Their favorite river to cross was the Mississippi, as we went back and forth between Missouri and Illinois many times. Each time we got into the car, they would ask if we were going over a bridge and if the answer was yes. They would ask if we were going over the Mississippi River. They would not rest until we crossed the Mississippi River!

As we were driving home on Sunday afternoon, Thomas asks from the backseat, "What time is it?" We tell him the time. He falls asleep, wakes up and asks "What time is it?" As we are getting back into the KC metro area, he begins to ask frequently, "What time is it?" I have yet to figure out why a 3 year old needs to know what time it is!

Brotherly Love

This morning, I was working around the house, while the boys were playing. All of the sudden Michael is crying. So I ask Thomas what is going on? Shrugging his shoulders, as if no big deal he gives me this answer, "I just bit Michael on the arm." Away we go to time out. The morning continues, I hear Michael crying again. Go through the same routine again, Thomas what happened. I get this response, in the same manner, "I just hit Michael with my flute." Thomas gets to spend another 3 minutes in time out. I don't know how I didn't laugh at Thomas' explanations, as he was so matter of fact and it was no big deal.




I find this interesting, as usually Michael is the more aggressive one. When the boys are wrestling, I usually hear Thomas yelling or crying first. I wonder if Thomas finally got fed up!

4th of July Fun

We had a jam packed, fun filled 4th of July weekend. The fun started off with David and I taking the boys to see Ice Age 3, Dawn of the Dinosaurs on Friday. They enjoyed the movie. Later Friday night, we had some friends over to play, eat cupcakes and go to see the Edgerton Fireworks. The boys had fun playing with their friends, and watching people shoot of fireworks in their yard. They weren't as excited about watching the big display down by the lake. The fact that it was way past their bedtime, probably had nothing to do with that.

Our fun on Saturday day began with a visit to the Mahaffie Stagecoach Stop and Historic Farm. While visiting we got to play historic 19th century games, make some cookies, churn some butter and take a stagecoach ride. Pictured above is Thomas riding with mom and Michael riding with Dad. After our stagecoach ride we went to a local park and hand a picnic lunch and played with our friends. Before heading home we made a stop at Bass Pro Shop, where we made a bird house and got these pictures taken.

After a nap at home, we went down the street for a 4th of July BBQ and to watch people shoot off fireworks, we even did a few of our own, as seen below.

After that busy Saturday we were very happy to relax at home and not have too much to do.

Happy Birthday!

Yesterday, Thomas and Michael turned 3. Where does the time go? Last weekend we celebrated their birthday with a construction vechiles party. The boys and their friends had a blast. We were also very lucky to get to spend the weekend with our families. My family and David's family were able to make it to town for the party. So when we weren't partying, we were enjoying time with family. The pictures above are from our family celebration last night, Michael is wearing the truck bib. Pictures from the rest of the weekends festivities can be found at the following link.

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=91011&id=598762182&l=6da3d66cbc

Backseat Drivers

During the past couple of weeks as the boys and I have been out and about, the boys began commenting on the colors of the stop lights. So as we drive along we talk about what the different colors mean. At first I stick to explaining red and green. Eventually they saw a yellow light and wanted to know what that meant. So I explained it. We have also been working on our lefts and rights and will discuss what way mom is going to turn. Well, what started out as educational and teachable moments has turned into a pair of backseat drivers. Now as we are driving along and the boys see a stop light, they let me know what I need to be doing, if I need to stop or go, or if I need to slow down. If we are at a red light, the moment it changes green it is time to go, who cars about the five cars in front of us. Green means go and mommy needs to go. I also get directions about which way I need to go. They aren't quite as specific as stop and go, but more like go this way, which way that is, I'm not sure. Often times when we get home, I get two excited cheers from the back seat, "we made it mom! or you did it!" I wonder how to explain to 3 year olds the process of turning right on red? Luckily they haven't questioned me on that, but I'm sure it is only a matter of time.

The many uses of foam swords

Back in February we were at the store and bought the boys foam swords to play with. When saying we bought the boys, I mean we had to buy 3 swords, one for daddy. It is no fun to play swords with out daddy. Amazingly enough we still have intact 2 of the 3 foam swords. I didn't expect them to last very long at all before getting broken.

The boys really have had a great time playing with their swords during the last few months. I will share with you the many games they have played with the swords. Of course their is classic sword fight with sound effects and all.

By far the boy's favorite game to play with the swords is baseball. One of the boys will pitch the random purple Easter egg that never got put away, the other will swing and hit a home run, then run the bases.

Using the same plastic egg, they will use the sword to hit the egg like golf ball and play a round of golf, usually only playing 9 holes, not the full 18.

Moving away from the purple plastic egg, to the letter magnets on the fridge. They will take a magnet off the fridge and put it on the floor, and use the sword as a hockey stick. The puck will slide along the floor and they score a goal when the puck goes under a rug.

I'm sure the swords have been used in other creative games, I'm just not thinking of them right now. I'm surprised they haven't use the swords to go fishing, which they generally do with sticks. The pictures above are from February when we first got the swords, Thomas is in the grey and Michael in the red.

Rainy Day Fun

We have had a rainy week in the Kansas City area. Our outdoor plans for Tuesday had to be cancelled, so we took a trip to Walmart instead. We found these kits to make puppets on clearance. So we went home and made puppets! The boys had a blast putting them together and playing with them! Surprisingly enough after a couple of days they are mostly intact, minus a lion's tail and bird feather.

Wednesday was rainy as well, but that didn't change our plans to see our first movie in the theater. We met our friends at the mall, played a little, ate some lunch and then went to see Charlotte's Web. The boys were pretty good during the movie. We got kind of restless in the middle. The theater offers movies for kids during the summer for super cheap, so the theater was full of kids. Which makes it nice for those restless moments. I believe we are going to see the bee movie next week.

I woke up to some sunshine this morning, hopefully it sticks around!

Bubbles

We were outside playing with chalk and bubbles last night. Thomas was trying to put a wand into a bottle of bubbles. As you might expect when a 3 year old does bubbles, the bottle was tipped and bubbles were being spilled on the ground. While doing this he says "The bubbles are peeing mom!"

Today we went to the ENT to check and see how our tubes were doing. I believe 3 of the 4 tubes are still in, but we have fluid on all four ears. That means we get to put ear drops in! After you see the doctor you get a snack and a sticker. The boys were super excited to eat their snack in the car on the way home. The boys were both so tired that practically fell asleep eating their snack. They were going for another cracker, but fell asleep in the mean time. I successfully transferred them to their beds when we got home and am enjoying a little quiet time!

Quote of the day!

Today's quote of the day is. "I gotta get my feet on" said by Thomas!

Deanna Rose

The boys have gotten to go to Deanna Rose Farmstead twice this summer and have loved it. They get so excited to go to the farm. They love looking at all the animals, feeding the goats. More pictures can be seen at this link: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=83894&id=598762182&l=5ad07798d3