Our Little Cubby

As most of you know Colby is involved in the AWANA program and loves it!! And we love it! And Brayden has wanted for soooo long to go to awana too.....and now he does! He is old enough for the Cubby program thru awana this year and he is l.o.v.i.n.g. it! And with both of the boys involved John and I are able to volunteer and help out! What a blessing it has been each week to spend time with all these precious kiddos and help them grow in the Word of God. John is working with the Sparks program which is Colby's age group and i am helping in Cubbies with the 3 and 4 year olds!

We are so proud of how well Brayden is doing learning his verses and reciting them for his leader each week. His enthusiasm is contagious and he couldn't be more excited to learn God's word! Last night was his first awards night where he earned his vest and book! He was so proud and excited that the whole family was there to see him receive his award.

This program has proven to be such a blessing for our family and we are truly enjoying learning alongside our children as we grow in the Word of God together!

I might just lose my mind!

We are sickly. Not fun! Sore throat, head cold, nasty cough type of yuckiness. That describes me and Colby. So we haven't left the house since saturday morning and i think i'm losing it. And now Colby's asthma is being affected and i think i am probably going to have to take him to be seen.....YUCK! I avoid the pediatric petri dish as much as humanly possible! And my fabulous visions of getting out of the house didn't include going there....uuugghhh.



And then there is the ear saga with Brayden. Remember when i posted that i thought he was on the mend....it wasn't so. I took him in to a previously scheduled hearing appt and the doc kindly informed me that his ear was still infected and that there was no movement of the ear drum indicating to her that the tube was blocked. GREAT! So into the pediatric clinic we went the next day where we found out that indeed the infection was still present but the tube was no longer in the ear drum. WHAT?!? In a matter of 10 days i was told the tube is in place(family med doc who diagnosed the infection), the tube is clogged(hearing specialist), and the tube isn't even in the ear drum(pediatrician). So....the pediatrician upped the dose of the antibiotic and prescribed 5 more days of it and a nasal spray for 10 days that is tons of fun to administer to a 3 year old! We follow up in about a week. Does it ever end????

So....welcome fall. You are usually my favorite season of the year....even though you usually bring some sickness to our home i typically get to enjoy your gorgeous color changing leaves and cooler weather and smoky air from the fireplaces of those lucky enough to have one before the sickness strikes. But not this year. I am hoping and praying this is not a forecast of what is to come and rather a "let's just get it all out of the way now" type of deal. Could we work out a deal like that?? Yes yes...Welcome Fall.



See that....i'm speaking to a season as if it is a living thing capable of deal making. I really might just be losing it! This too shall pass right?!? Oh how i hope that you can all somewhat relate to what i'm feeling.....and if you can than let me know! That might just make me feel a little bit better!

My new toys!!

I got new toys this weekend!! Like fabulous big girl toys!! =) I have been wanting a Dyson vacuum for a looooong time now and a new camera is something John and I have been talking about for a while too. So this weekend i got both!! A new camera and a dyson. And not just any dyson....a PINK dyson!!! Target had some pink items advertised in support of breast cancer research so not only did i get my new vacuum but $30 will be donated to the breast cancer research foundation. So enough talking....here are pictures of my new toys!!

I intend to put both of my toys to very good use!! I've never been so excited about vacuuming!! And i can't wait to take pictures of my quick moving kiddos and not miss the shot because i'm waiting for the camera to be ready!!! Hope everyone had a great weekend! I'm off to vacuum!! =)

p.s.~ Brayden is doing much better.....still occasionally complaining of pain but the drainage has stopped and no more fever so i do believe he is on the mend!! Thanks for all the well wishes and prayers!

Quick Update!

So...we were able to get in to see the doctor on Monday for Brayden and indeed he has an ear infection....in the ear that still has a tube in it. WEIRD! No idea how that happened but so far he's had 6 doses of the antibiotic and is still complaining of pain....i'm really hoping that things turn around tomorrow or i will start to wonder if the meds possibly aren't working. =( We have a trip to the Great Wolf Lodge planned for friday so pray that his little ear will feel better so that he can enjoy the trip! I will update this weekend on Brayden, Great Wolf and saying goodbye to the Martin's. Hope everyone is having a great week!

Mumble Jumble

Things have been crazy in the miculka household lately!! I have been so exhausted by the time i get a chance to post that i just put it off.....but i'm back! Atleast i think things are going to settle down a little bit! =)

Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey was in Everett this weekend!! We got tickets for opening night and after Colby's 1st day of 2nd grade we hit the road for the circus!!! The boys were so excited and while i'm not a big fan of crowds at events like that i do love the excitement and environment! We ended up having to leave at the intermission because it was getting late and we had a long drive home but we all enjoyed the time we had!! When asked what their favorite part was both boys excitedly exclaimed "the motorcycles!" Of course...silly me! I didn't get as many pictures as i would of liked but it was soooo crowded and it was too much to try to keep track of the boys and take lots of pictures so....here are a couple that i did manage to get!

And today we had Colby's 1st soccer game of the season! They are the green vipers this season and they had a great season opener!! Its always fun to see the improvement from season to season and they have all grown in their game play this fall!! I forgot the camera in the car so i didn't get any pictures at the game but i will post some in the future!

After the soccer game we headed to Home Depot for their monthly kids workshop! We made paper football goals! And they even gave out directions on how to fold a paper football! FUN!

And last but not least Brayden is sick. =( Poor little guy......i'm pretty sure he has an ear infection. It started with him complaining that his ear hurt yesterday morning. I noticed that he did have some dry gunk on the inside of his ear so i cleaned it with a q tip and figured it must of just been bothering him to have that there. Well....he continued to complain throughout the day and i noticed a little later in the day that there was more dry gunk. I started to suspect that there must be drainage. Today he is just not feeling good, still complaining of pain and has increased drainage. Right before his nap he spiked a low fever. We struggled with ear infections when he was an infant until we had tubes put in when he was 18 months old and we haven't any problems since. It is odd to me that this would be happening now so please keep him your prayers. We are hoping to be able to keep him comfortable and control the fever until Monday morning so we can avoid the ER!

I think that's about it for now.....that seemed like the longest post ever! So if you are still reading this than congrats for making it through all my mumble jumble!! Hope everyone is having a fantastic weekend!

Where Has Time Gone?!?

My baby started 2nd grade today! 2ND GRADE!!! How did that happen?? It seems like just yesterday i was taking him to his first day of preschool and then i blinked and he is in the 2nd grade! He was excited and nervous and had the normal first day of school jitters! It is such a blessing to watch him grow and become the person God has made him to be!

Colby~ Mommy is so very proud of who you are and all that you do! I am looking forward to hearing each day about your adventures in 2nd grade and being your biggest cheerleader as you continue to learn and grow. There will be challenges as there always are but remember that daddy and i will always be here praying for you and helping you learn to navigate this wonderful thing we call life! I love you more than you know!

I will leave you with a picture of my handsome little 2nd grader.....

Making the decision to have a child is momentous. It is to decide forever to have your heart go walking around outside your body. ~Elizabeth Stone

Sleepover!

Colby went to his first real sleep over last friday!! He has spent the night elsewhere if i needed a sitter or something like that but this was different. This was the real deal......his friend's mom called and invited him and it was a group of about 6 7yr old boys.....brave parents i tell ya!! And even though it was just at Crystal's house it was still so hard for me.....he is growing up and fast! Anyway, his first sleepover was a raging success. The report i got is that it was after midnight before they finally fell asleep and they were up at 6:30 in the morning. CRAZY!!! Colby actually took a nap on Saturday. He hasn't done that since he was 2!! He had such a good time though and it was nice for him to have that fun with his friends before school starts! Here is a picture i took right before leaving......

Sorry it is kind of blurry.....trying to get 4 excited 7 year old boys to stand still is next to impossible so i didn't even try....i just snapped the picture and was set on being happy with whatever i got!! =) Then after taking the pic i got one last hug from Colby and turned to leave and spotted this.......

NO GIRLS ALLOWED!!!! Got that!!! Too stinkin' funny......this sign was on Isaac's bedroom door!! Stuck on w/ duct tape upside down!! I love being the Momma of boys! They are crazy, dirty, energetic, bug catchin', rough and tough little bundles of fun! And i love that so far there may be no girls allowed but there is always room for mommy.......because Mommy is not a girl....she's just momma!

Did you hear......

that Jason is going to be the next Bachelor????? As in Jason M...single dad from Seattle....rejected by Deanna!!!!! I'm soooo excited and totally showing my true nerdy colors here but dang i liked him and want him to find love! Anyway...since i know alot of us were sad about his heart being broken by Deanna i figured i would solicit comments on what all of your thoughts are! On Jason being the next bachelor that is...not on how nerdy i am...mmmkay?? =) So get to commenting!!! Are you as excited as i am???

Whirlwind Weekend!

Last weekend was a very fun and fabulous and busy one!! Friday night me and some girlfriends did a girls night out in honor of my birthday. I haven't laughed that hard in a long time!! We had such a great time and i truly enjoyed the time with them without the yelling and screaming of playing kids as background noise or playing referee between kiddos or drying tears from hurt feelers. It was just us and we were able to talk and just be! And thank you to all of our fabulous hubby's for staying home with previously mentioned kiddos! (don't get me wrong....i love my kids but we all know how nice it is to get out sometimes!!) I even had the cutest little 90 year old lady sing me happy birthday in pig latin....it was hilarious!! Great times!!

My personal pig latin singer!

The Crew and our waitress that put up w/ us for 3 1/2 hrs!!

Saturday we woke up and headed out for a day at the county fair!! It was HOT.....very HOT....at least for us. OK....actually being a Texas girl at heart i can't believe i am even saying this but it was 85 degrees and we were dying! What in the world am i going to do in Florida next summer????? It rarely climbs out of the 70's here so 85 was HOT! But we still had a good time! I forgot my camera but Ashley had hers and was nice enough to snap a few pictures!

Mommy helping Brayden w/ some sand art!

the boys petting a sheep

Colby making a frisbee!

Sometimes life throws us crazy curve balls that we just don't expect and we had one of those thrown our way last week. We got word that our friend Steve would be deploying this week. And slowly it sunk in that we will be gone when he gets back. So just like that we may never see him again. But we just couldn't let that happen so on Sunday we had Steve & Heather and Ashley & Ryan over for one last bbq. We truly enjoyed our last bit of time spent with Steve and will miss him lots.

Steve~ Good luck! We have been so blessed by both you and Heather and couldn't ask for better friends. Rest assured that i will do everything i can to make sure Heather is taken care of while you are away! We will be praying that you are able to successfully complete your mission and return home safely! God Bless!

So like i said....it was a fun, fabulous, and busy weekend!! I wouldn't trade the craziness for anything....as long as it is craziness with this 1 big guy and 2 lil guys that are my world!!

One year older....

Yes i am....one year older! I love taking time to reflect over the last year on my birthday and wow...what a year it has been! There have been challenges, triumphs, and lots of memories made! It was a great day! I woke up to John and Brayden singing me their own version of a happy birthday tune! =) John got off work early and we just enjoyed time together as a family relaxing this afternoon. We went to the farmer's market which i love! I love the small town, laid back environment and all of the fresh produce and the local vendors. Today we got some blueberries (brayden's favorite), some peaches (Colby's favorite), the dreamiest truffles EVER(all of us L.O.V.E. them!), and my best find in a LONG time......some fresh flowers.....for $7....SEVEN DOLLARS for this bouquet of fresh flowers!!! I showed the guy one flower that i liked and he just put together this bouquet!! FOR $7!!!!

Then once we picked up some dinner and got home to eat there was knock at the door and in came Ashley and Ryan and Heather!!! With cake! A cake that shows their wonderful sense of humor! You might remember my speeding ticket that i got on the 4th of july......i was going 24 in a 15mph zone and it has been a running joke ever since! Soooo....here is my cake.....

We all had a good laugh!! I love it!! Thank you Ashley, Ryan, Heather and Steve!! You guys are the best!

It has been a wonderful birthday! My in-laws and grandma sent me money, and my Mom sent me a visa gift card. All of which i have no idea what i want to do with......i really don't know how to spend money on me anymore!! John got me a day at the spa for a manicure, pedicure and hour long massage and i can't wait!!! He took the day off work next tuesday so he can be with the boys and i can have the day to myself! What a man i am so very blessed to call my husband!! The boys got me a new Bible which i LOVE! Very excited to get it nice and broken in!! Above all i realized today how loved i am........how blessed i am. I have an amazing family, wonderful friends and i love this life i am blessed with! A fabulous day and start to what will no doubt be another fabulous year!!