Happy 4th Birthday Danny!

Danny turned 4 on the 19th and has yet to let me forget it! He is so proud that he isn't 3 anymore..he thinks he is "ALL GROWN UP" now! It is so funny! I am struggling that my "Baby" is 4! Where has all the time gone?!? In the morning I let Danny help me make breakfast (fried eggs and toast), Tom let him take a shower (his first by himself) and a few other silly firsts. However, somehow Danny got the impression that he could act like a brat just because it was his birthday! We had to have a few "heart to heart" discussions on that topic! Later that day, "The Grandmas" (my Mom and Grandma) took us to Chuck E Cheese to celebrate! We all had a pretty great time and Danny was sure surprised when his favorite person, "Mr. Metallica" (Clay) showed up! Danny just absolutely adores and looks up to Clay. It was a really fun and cute time! The next night we went to Draper Park with Papa and Grandma Stefenee, Uncle Tom, my niece Jess and my nephews Tanner and Tyler and their friend Tiger. We had KFC and Hostess Cupcakes (we improvised on the cake..) played football, tball, golf and lacrosse. It was a really nice night and I was so excited to spend some relaxing time outside while the kids played. We practically stayed until it was almost too dark to see. It was a great night, too! I think Danny got pretty spoiled and had a great birthday!

Taylor's First Soccer Game!

Today was Taylor's first ever soccer game! She was so excited all week and just couldn't wait for today to come. Then Chris told her that he would be coaching her team. I have never seen her so excited in all her life! We had been practicing in the backyard and at the park a little so that she would have some idea what to do. This group that she plays with is mostly our neighborhood kids that all go to her preschool and aren't old enough to play in the city league. It was a really great idea and we all had so much fun watching the kids trying to navigate the cones and find the goals. It was truly a great experience. The kids got better by the minute with Chris and his "assistant coach" (my dad) helping them. Taylor's team (aka The Lightening) won 1-0! Go Team! Good Job everybody!

Nothing a little old fashioned surprise can't cure!

So the 2nd was Tom's birthday and his buddy Clay organized or should I say conspired to throw him a surprise party...which turned out FANTASTIC! Tom prides himself on being able to see things coming from a mile away, but was absolutely blindsided by this! My Mom, Grandma, The kids,Chris and I were there among some of Tom's friends when Clay and Tom came back from his Birthday dinner. It was so funny to see his face go from confusion to surprise and back to confusion again! We had a great time and Clay was such a gracious host! Thanks Clay for a good time and an even better surprise! After we left Danny kept saying "I reawy wike Cway, Mom." Isn't that so cute?!
This month has really been an emotional rollercoaster for me. I've had several Doctor's appointments and tests to determine what is going on in my stomach. Finally yesterday the surgeon decided that he was pretty sure it's an endometrial mass leftover from my hysterectomy, so we scheduled surgery for Monday to get this taken care of hopefully once and for all. I was really at ease about it and ready to start the healing process until this morning. I think the stress and anxiety from the last round of surgery has me a little unnerved. Plus Taylor and Danny's nervousness is wearing on me emotionally. I hadn't completely realized just how much the last time affected them. I thought they were young enough that maybe they wouldn't remember, but they both cried when we told them and have been a little insecure. The worst part is that Danny's birthday is just a week after my surgery and I'm not sure how we're going to navigate that....but life goes on. Right? I'm hoping that I will feel so much better after this that I am trying to be positive. Easier said than done. :-)