we’re all just fine thanks.... You know you've not been on enough when ppl are asking how you are and the phone is ringing off the hook with ppl other than salesmen calling. We're alive. We're happy. We're tired... :) Tyler's b-day last friday was amazing. I sang to him in the morning when I went in to get him and he smiled ear to ear and said "I turned into three!!!!!" It was adorable. He said it all weekend. He holds up four fingers and says four sometimes b/c he wants so dearly to be like his friend Aubrey. We played and fielded family and friend phone calls and emails all day. I got the kids both hand and foot printed I also let tyler color a picture for his scrapbook with markers and do a fingerpaint page for his art book. I found a hand-me-down Thomas jumper in the closet he wore and he loved it. Thurs night Gary had run all over two towns looking for balloons and got a Cars one and a Mickey Mouse one. Tyler has not stopped playing with them yet. After Gary got home we decided to go out to McD's instead of the planned family picnic and movie at home. We stopped for a few minutes to see Steph who had called twice lamenting over not seeing her precious Tyler ON his actual birthday. Pops wasn't there but Tyler wrangled the heartstrings and managed to score one b-day gift. We were off to the McD's with indoor playland. Tyler loved it. Of course Grandma and Pops just had to stop by on thier way down to the cabin. Was I surprised? not at all! There was a party and big kids were on that playland but thankfully they were all very careful around Tyler. We stopped on the way home to get frosting for the disaster of a cake that awaited us at home... I bought one of those silicone cupcake things that makes them in shapes and you assemble the shapes and end up with a train. yea... not so much. They bubbled over a LOT and then didn't come out of the pan very well ....at all.... and I used tons of spray. I managed to make it look something like a cake with the help of lots of frosting. I don't have a cake decorator set and forgot till that day that Jennifer had offered hers so I went wtih the old baggie with the cut edge method... It looked horrible from a Martha Stewart standpoint but Tyler just loved it. I even used yellow candies to make a "1" on the side so he knew it was Thomas. It was fine for just the 3 of us. We then let him open his gifts. We got him 200 wooden blocks, a Bible and a little 2$ construction set. the ppl are like the old army men we all used to play with and this set came with three trucks and like 50 little guys and signs and cones. Guess what he liked best? Guess what i've stepped on 300 times already... Saturday we way overslept and then had tons of shopping to do. We did Cici's Pizza for lunch and were releieved to find that we still have another full year of free eating for Tyler there. If Gary and Tyler are both hungry I swear we actually make money at a buffet. We did a ton of cleaning in the basement and Gary took two carloads FULL of stuff out of here. One full load of clothes and another of junk/donate stuff. It's so nice to have that extra space! Sunday we did church and then the day at the Bush's. They got Tyler some much needed socks and underpants as well as another car and a Thomas figure 8 train set. We also watched the Browns lose to the Steelers but they at least looked like a football team for more than one quarter. Monday we played with all the new toys. It's so nice not to be so bored and to have new things to play with! I'm sure we did other things but I can't remember... Tuesday I cleaned my kitchen like a mad woman all morning prepping for Jen to come scrapbook and cook. I love when she comes. She provides adult conversation, an excuse to scrapbook, and entertainment for Tyler in the form of Jack. I just love how they play together. It's one of those situations where they play like boys and both Jen and I worry about that balance b/n letting them be boys and teaching them not to beat each other up. Last night we went to Alliance to get the boys haircuts and I found a blouse at Penny's for $3.15 with tax. I even had a gift card to use! Thanks Lori! Grace has started to sit up by herself. She does very well on the couch but not so well on the floor yet. She still hates being on her tummy and rolls right over but I don't mind. I don't think it'll stunt her growth or anything. We're still nursing primarily and Friday she's 26 weeks. She'll probably be on full formula by Christmas but we'll see. Some days I'm just ready to be done and some days the formula is just too much hassle. Last night was her first real night of sleeping through the night. She nursed at 9 pm and was in bed alseep shortly after 10. I chose not to wake her for her midnight feeding to see hwo she'd do. She woke at 5 AM and i got her paci for her and braced myself for the usual hour of crying and eventually her endind up in her seat (in her room though so I half win...) but I woke up again when Gary's alarm went off! I was still on my back half uncovered! I was afraid to get to comfortable. She woke ready to eat at 7 and I was thrilled. She was up for only 20 minutes before she was falling alseep on me so I put her back down and she slept till close to 9:30. Countdown 3 more days till our big birthday bash here so I should be cleaning... I'm finishing my last few scrapbook pages and then it's all getting packed up and stored away. I hope everyone is well and enjoying our last warm day in Ohio until May! It's in the 60's right now but supposed to snow tomorrow. That means the lawn will be neglected... again....