Friday night after work, we headed to Dewey's for dinner. Dewey's is a Cincinnati pizza place, and Brian has been craving their Southwest BBQ chicken pizza.
We arrived just before 6:00, and we got a table right away. They put us at a corner table with windows on both sides. The table was perfect for us. We had enough room to put the boys on the inside and we could sit beside them on the bench seats - so they couldn't escape. The windows overlooked the street traffic so we could point out yellow cars, and we could also see the small pond out front. The pond included ducks, which the boys counted several times. The entertainment for the boys helped fill the wait time for our food.
We ordered a 17" pizza and a side salad which Brian and I split. The pizza was half the Southwest BBQ chicken, and half extreme pepperoni (for the boys). We gave each of the boys a slice of pepperoni pizza, but they insisted they did NOT want it cut up. Lincoln started working on the crust right away, while Jackson slowly pulled the pepperoni off and ate it.
Brian reached for a half piece of the BBQ chicken pizza, but Lincoln's pepperoni was gone, and he wanted more. So, Lincoln ate the last half piece of BBQ chicken pizza! Jackson finished his piece, and he wanted more, but he wasn't settling for a half - he wanted the whole piece of pepperoni pizza that was left! He shared a few bites with Lincoln, but finished every last bite.
I thought we would have some pizza to take home, but it was GONE. The boys ate more than I expected, and so did Brian!
Our Family
Monday, October 8, 2012
A walk in the park
Leaving Hocking Hills and returning to work/Chickadees on Tuesday was hard for all of us. Saturday was our typical shopping and errand running day, and Sunday the plan was to tidy the house and work on a few more "to-do's". However, plans are made to be changed.
I went to church Saturday night, and Brian went to 7:30 a.m. on Sunday. When Brian returned home, he couldn't believe what a beautiful day it was. He suggested we head to the park! We quickley packed some snacks, and put on our hiking shoes, and headed to Sharon Woods Park.
Sharon Woods is a beautiful park, and parts of it reminded us of Hocking Hills.
We hiked down the gorge trail, and took in all the beauty surrounding us.
After about a 3/4 mile hike, we stopped and had some snacks.This is when the boys sang their two versions of the ABC's that I posted earlier in the week. They munched on their raisins and animal crackers, and entertained us.
Their real focus was the playground....and as soon as the snacks were all gone, they were off to check it out. They enjoyed many trips down the slide, crawling through the tunnel, and just climbing on all the different parts of the playground.
I didn't get a picture of it, but the pole behind Jackson in the slide picture is half of the "telephone" game. The boys were amazed how you could hear the other person talk into it!
After the playground, we went over to see the small waterfall by the stream. Brian and I had some of our wedding pictures taken at this same waterfall! It was fun to see the boys exploring the rocks, and a challenge to keep them out of the water!
We decided to take another route back to the van, so we took the Parcourse trail. The Parcourse trail has various stations set up for different exercises. The boys really loved the rings station (like the Olympic rings), but I was too busy helping them stay on them to take pictures. However, here was one of MY favorite stations....the push-up station. The boys were trying to do the push-ups like Daddy, but then decided it was just more fun to crawl over the bars!
Either way...a priceless picture of all 3 of my guys!
As we were nearing the van, the boys spotted the elephants, and they had to check them out.
First, we stood apprehensively by the large elephant....
Then, Lincoln wanted to go see the smaller elephant, and didn't even hesitate when I suggested he climb on top so I could take his picture!
Not wanting to be outdone by his older brother, Jackson then decided he wanted to sit on the elephant and get HIS picture taken too. Look at that smile!
So many memories of a beautiful fall day! Much better than cleaning the house!
Thursday, October 4, 2012
These boys are too smart....
Brian worked from home yesterday as he had an appointment. I was on daycare pickup by myself.
Thankfully they put the boys in the car at daycare now, as I pulled a muscle in my shoulder earlier in the week.
As soon as the boys were in the van they asked if we could go shopping. I told them that yes, we were going shopping as we needed milk. However we were going to go home and pick up Daddy first (as I can't lift the boys into the shopping cart).
Soon, I heard Lincoln say "Mommy, what did Daddy drop?"
I was a bit confused at first, then I put it together....we were "picking up Daddy"....and we pick things up that we drop.
It was way too cute.
Thankfully they put the boys in the car at daycare now, as I pulled a muscle in my shoulder earlier in the week.
As soon as the boys were in the van they asked if we could go shopping. I told them that yes, we were going shopping as we needed milk. However we were going to go home and pick up Daddy first (as I can't lift the boys into the shopping cart).
Soon, I heard Lincoln say "Mommy, what did Daddy drop?"
I was a bit confused at first, then I put it together....we were "picking up Daddy"....and we pick things up that we drop.
It was way too cute.
Wednesday, October 3, 2012
October 2012 Celebrations
Birthdays
Anniversaries:
Special rememberance
On October 7th, please keep the entire Hart and Gels family in your thoughts and prayers. Hard to believe it has been a year since the Good Lord called Grandma Janice Hart home. We miss her everyday, but know that she is looking down and watching over our boys!
A special mass is being said for Jancie and Joe on October 21 at 11:00 at St. Pauls Church in Sharpsburg. Please come out and join us!
- October 15 - Sean O'Connor celebrates a birthday
- October 24 - Justin Zank turns 30
- October 31 (Halloween) - Peyten Young celebrates her SWEET 16! (Stay off the roads!)
Anniversaries:
- October 5 - Bob and Norma Gels celebrate their 44th wedding anniversary
- October 9 - Larry and Shirley Maier celebrate their 47th wedding anniversary
- October 10 - Pat and Barb Brocki celebrate their 25th wedding anniversary (enjoy the Keys!)
- October 28 - Jim and Marie Woff celebrate their 34th wedding anniversary
- October 29 - Grandma Emmie and Pete Hug celebrate their 13th wedding anniversary
Special rememberance
On October 7th, please keep the entire Hart and Gels family in your thoughts and prayers. Hard to believe it has been a year since the Good Lord called Grandma Janice Hart home. We miss her everyday, but know that she is looking down and watching over our boys!
A special mass is being said for Jancie and Joe on October 21 at 11:00 at St. Pauls Church in Sharpsburg. Please come out and join us!
Hocking HIlls! (September 20-24)
Anyone with kids knows that vacation planning can be stressful. Finding the right place for the age of the kids is difficult. For this reason, we really haven't taken a vacation since the boys were born!
Early on in the year, my sister Lyn suggested we do another big Willinger/Muehlfeld family getaway to Hocking Hills like we did the summer of 2010. She did some searching, found a house big enough for all of us, and I wrote the check. Easy enough.
I'm not sure where the time went since that initial planning, but when the calendar hit September, I started to get excited for our little getaway. Lists were made, packing commenced, and Thursday, September 20, we were on our way (about 1/2 hour later than planned...but it all worked out).
First, we met my parents in Logan for lunch. It was great...not a lot of people in the restaurant, and the kids were pretty well behaved. We had lunch, and $1.25 beers that tasted perfect - after all, it was the start of our vacation! Lyn and RJ arrived at the restaurant about an hour later, and grabbed something quick to eat. The kids ran around on the patio, and we just enjoyed a slow paced afternoon.
After being at the restaurant for 2 hours, RJ and Lyn left to get the keys to the cabin, and we slowly made our way to the cabin. Kelly and Dave were at the cabin waiting when we arrived. We visited a bit, then started unloading the cars. Dave had the kids and they were all playing.
Of course, not an hour into being at the cabin, Dave came carrying a crying and bleeding Lincoln. Little man got too excited and slipped in the stones. He scratched up the side of his face, but hit a rock just above his eyebrow, and that was bleeding. I cleaned him up, and was going to put a bandaid on the big cut, but Lincoln insisted he didn't need a bandaid - "I'm good Mom." And off he went to play.
We unpacked the cars and settled in, spending most of the evening on the deck of the cabin, enjoying the fall air. We had a light dinner, a few cocktails, and called it an early night.
Friday morning, I was on breakfast duty, so we served everyone breakfast burritos and hashbrown casserole. Once breakfast was done and cleaned up, I was anxious to get out and enjoy the beautiful day. Lyn's family and Aaron and Scott decided to head out to a bike trail, and we headed off to Conkle's Hollow, my parents in tow.
Conkle's Hollow is one of the most beautiful places in Hocking Hills. The path is easy, and we had few worries with the boys. The boys loved the cave, and the water at the end. We were able to get a few pics of them...
After our hike, we had "daddy sandwiches" on the picnic bench, then headed back to the cabin for the rest of the day.
Sunday, we all decided to head out hiking together. We first stopped at Rock House, but quickly determined it was NOT kid friendly. Aaron and Scott went ahead and checked it out, but the rest of us headed back to Conkle's Hollow. Our boys were funny, showing Lylah and Knox the Hollow (they had been there once, so they were experts).
Next, we stopped by Ash Cave. The boys were more impressed with the sand at Ash Cave than anything.
It was right around 1:00 when we left Hocking Hills. We were planning to stop at a nearby town for lunch, but the boys went to sleep about 1:05. So, we kept driving, thinking we would stop once they woke up. They slept until we got off I-71 - 2 miles from our house! They were tired boys with all the hiking and playing they had done!
We had a light snack when we got home, unpacked the van, worked on the laundry a bit, then just relaxed and enjoyed our last night of vacation.
We love Hocking Hills, and promised the boys we would go back again soon!
Early on in the year, my sister Lyn suggested we do another big Willinger/Muehlfeld family getaway to Hocking Hills like we did the summer of 2010. She did some searching, found a house big enough for all of us, and I wrote the check. Easy enough.
I'm not sure where the time went since that initial planning, but when the calendar hit September, I started to get excited for our little getaway. Lists were made, packing commenced, and Thursday, September 20, we were on our way (about 1/2 hour later than planned...but it all worked out).
First, we met my parents in Logan for lunch. It was great...not a lot of people in the restaurant, and the kids were pretty well behaved. We had lunch, and $1.25 beers that tasted perfect - after all, it was the start of our vacation! Lyn and RJ arrived at the restaurant about an hour later, and grabbed something quick to eat. The kids ran around on the patio, and we just enjoyed a slow paced afternoon.
After being at the restaurant for 2 hours, RJ and Lyn left to get the keys to the cabin, and we slowly made our way to the cabin. Kelly and Dave were at the cabin waiting when we arrived. We visited a bit, then started unloading the cars. Dave had the kids and they were all playing.
Of course, not an hour into being at the cabin, Dave came carrying a crying and bleeding Lincoln. Little man got too excited and slipped in the stones. He scratched up the side of his face, but hit a rock just above his eyebrow, and that was bleeding. I cleaned him up, and was going to put a bandaid on the big cut, but Lincoln insisted he didn't need a bandaid - "I'm good Mom." And off he went to play.
We unpacked the cars and settled in, spending most of the evening on the deck of the cabin, enjoying the fall air. We had a light dinner, a few cocktails, and called it an early night.
Friday morning, I was on breakfast duty, so we served everyone breakfast burritos and hashbrown casserole. Once breakfast was done and cleaned up, I was anxious to get out and enjoy the beautiful day. Lyn's family and Aaron and Scott decided to head out to a bike trail, and we headed off to Conkle's Hollow, my parents in tow.
Conkle's Hollow is one of the most beautiful places in Hocking Hills. The path is easy, and we had few worries with the boys. The boys loved the cave, and the water at the end. We were able to get a few pics of them...
After our hike, we had "daddy sandwiches" on the picnic bench, then headed back to the cabin for the rest of the day.
Saturday morning, Mawmaw, Pawpaw, and Dick agreed to watch ALL the kids while the rest of the adults went for a more strenuous hike. We went to Old Man's Cave, then hiked over to Cedar Falls and back. We definitely found a challenging trail, but it was a beautiful day for it! We were pretty exhausted when we returned (we hiked close to 6 miles), but it was well worth it. 
When we weren't hiking, we were in the backyard of the cabin. We played badmitten, baseball, bouncy balls, and frisbie.
Sunday, we all decided to head out hiking together. We first stopped at Rock House, but quickly determined it was NOT kid friendly. Aaron and Scott went ahead and checked it out, but the rest of us headed back to Conkle's Hollow. Our boys were funny, showing Lylah and Knox the Hollow (they had been there once, so they were experts).
Look at these adorable kiddos! We tried to get them to the the O-H-I-O, but they just weren't quite ready for that.
Sunday was Pawpaw's birthday, so after dinner Sunday night, we had yummy cake and homemade ice cream. A perfect ending on our last night!
Monday morning was a bit sad for all of us. The end of vacation is always a little sad. We all packed up our vehicles, cleaned out the cabin, said our goodbyes, and ventured home.
Here were the boys on the deck of the cabin, saying goodbye (after they asked if we could stay there forever).
We were all on the road by 10:45. Since we only had a 2 hour drive, we decided to take the boys to a few sites they hadn't seen yet.
First, we headed back to Old Man's Cave. Parts of the cave are a bit scary with kids, but we kept a close eye on the boys. They really liked the rock and bridges! Here they are at Old Man's Cave.
It was right around 1:00 when we left Hocking Hills. We were planning to stop at a nearby town for lunch, but the boys went to sleep about 1:05. So, we kept driving, thinking we would stop once they woke up. They slept until we got off I-71 - 2 miles from our house! They were tired boys with all the hiking and playing they had done!
We had a light snack when we got home, unpacked the van, worked on the laundry a bit, then just relaxed and enjoyed our last night of vacation.
We love Hocking Hills, and promised the boys we would go back again soon!
ENT check-up
It's been 5 weeks since Jackson got tubes put in his ears. I've been nervous the past few weeks, as I've seen him pulling on his one ear, and he's been waking up in the night again. However, I haven't seen any drainage.
This past Saturday, we went to see Dr. Myer for Jackson's post-op check-up.
Appointments with Jackson always make me anxious - haircuts, doctors - it doesn't matter. The appointment usually resembles a wrestling match - and I don't always win.
As usual, Jackson talked about going to see Dr. Myer part of the week. Lincoln was excited because he was going to see Dr. Myer too!
We arrived at the office, and while I was checking in, the one nurse told me she could take us back to the room right away. This was a good sign - no waiting. Once back in the exam room, Jackson got fidgety - crawling on my chair, checking out the pictures on the wall. Surprisingly, when Dr. Myer walked in, he sat down on my lap to read a book. I was waiting for the kicking and fighting to begin when Dr. Myer scooted his chair over to us, but instead, Jackson squirmed a little bit, then tipped his head to the side and let the doctor look in his ear. I was amazed! Then, just as obligingly, Jackson tipped his head to the other side so the doctor could look at his other ear. We were done! It was unbelievable!
I guess the tubes really are helping.
The best part though was when Jackson was done, and we were fawning all over him telling him how good he did, he loudly exclaimed, "Now it's Lincoln's turn!"
This past Saturday, we went to see Dr. Myer for Jackson's post-op check-up.
Appointments with Jackson always make me anxious - haircuts, doctors - it doesn't matter. The appointment usually resembles a wrestling match - and I don't always win.
As usual, Jackson talked about going to see Dr. Myer part of the week. Lincoln was excited because he was going to see Dr. Myer too!
We arrived at the office, and while I was checking in, the one nurse told me she could take us back to the room right away. This was a good sign - no waiting. Once back in the exam room, Jackson got fidgety - crawling on my chair, checking out the pictures on the wall. Surprisingly, when Dr. Myer walked in, he sat down on my lap to read a book. I was waiting for the kicking and fighting to begin when Dr. Myer scooted his chair over to us, but instead, Jackson squirmed a little bit, then tipped his head to the side and let the doctor look in his ear. I was amazed! Then, just as obligingly, Jackson tipped his head to the other side so the doctor could look at his other ear. We were done! It was unbelievable!
I guess the tubes really are helping.
The best part though was when Jackson was done, and we were fawning all over him telling him how good he did, he loudly exclaimed, "Now it's Lincoln's turn!"
Different hair cut experience (from 9-14-12)
A few weeks ago, on a Friday night, the boys had haircuts. Honestly, I dread haircut days, and that Friday was no different. I think I was dreading it even more than usual because our appointment wasn't until 7:00, vs. the usual 6:00.
I knew we would be pressed for time, and I was burnt out on cooking for the week, so Friday morning I asked Brian what he thought about going to Cracker Barrel for dinner. He thought that sounded good.
On our way to get the boys after work, Brian reminded me that he wanted to stop at Denney Mac's and get fertilizer for the yard. So, we stopped in there, then headed on to daycare. The pick-up line was a little backed up, so we had to wait a little longer to get the boys than usual. Once they were strapped in the car, we had just over an hour till haircuts. I was concerned that traffic would hold us up trying to get to Cracker Barrel, so we stopped at Bob Evans just around the corner from daycare.
The boys were great. We ordered their food first, and asked for it to come out as quickly as possible. Wanted to give the boys as much time as possible to eat. When it arrived, they dove right in! Brian was actually worried that they were going to finish their dinner before ours even arrived. The boys ate all their corn, chicken, and maccaroni and cheese. They weren't too impressed with the broccoli, but I was ok with what they did eat.
We finished dinner in plenty of time. The boys were pretty good in the restaurant, other than when Brian took Lincoln to the bathroom to wash his hands, and Jackson had a mini meltdown. EVERYONE in the restaurant knew that Jackson needed to wash his hands too! God Bless the nice man who stopped me and told me we should pass the boys off to Grandma and Grandpa! He was there with his two grandkids, and they were being angels - they always behave for the grandparents!
After the restaurant meltdown, we were really nervous about how haircuts were going to go.
Jackson insisted that Lincoln go first (as usual), while he sat on my lap and ate his sucker. Lincoln cried and whimpered through most of his cut, but sat in the chair very still like he's done the last few visits. With Lincoln looking all handsome, it was now Jackson's turn.
He fought a little bit when I tried to put him in the chair. Miss Shawna tickled him a bit, then it was playtime for Jackson. Before I knew it, he let Miss Shawna put the new cape on him. (He never puts the cape on, and we all end up covered in hair). Miss Shawna tickled him a little bit more, and then told him if he was really good and sat really still in the chair, she would get him some M&M's. Wow - that got his attention. Jackson sat in the chair under his own power (meaning, I didn't have to HOLD him in the chair) for the whole haircut. He was laughing, and checking himself out in the mirror the whole time. He even liked the water bottle making it "rain"!
He was so good, he even let me take pictures!
I knew we would be pressed for time, and I was burnt out on cooking for the week, so Friday morning I asked Brian what he thought about going to Cracker Barrel for dinner. He thought that sounded good.
On our way to get the boys after work, Brian reminded me that he wanted to stop at Denney Mac's and get fertilizer for the yard. So, we stopped in there, then headed on to daycare. The pick-up line was a little backed up, so we had to wait a little longer to get the boys than usual. Once they were strapped in the car, we had just over an hour till haircuts. I was concerned that traffic would hold us up trying to get to Cracker Barrel, so we stopped at Bob Evans just around the corner from daycare.
The boys were great. We ordered their food first, and asked for it to come out as quickly as possible. Wanted to give the boys as much time as possible to eat. When it arrived, they dove right in! Brian was actually worried that they were going to finish their dinner before ours even arrived. The boys ate all their corn, chicken, and maccaroni and cheese. They weren't too impressed with the broccoli, but I was ok with what they did eat.
We finished dinner in plenty of time. The boys were pretty good in the restaurant, other than when Brian took Lincoln to the bathroom to wash his hands, and Jackson had a mini meltdown. EVERYONE in the restaurant knew that Jackson needed to wash his hands too! God Bless the nice man who stopped me and told me we should pass the boys off to Grandma and Grandpa! He was there with his two grandkids, and they were being angels - they always behave for the grandparents!
After the restaurant meltdown, we were really nervous about how haircuts were going to go.
Jackson insisted that Lincoln go first (as usual), while he sat on my lap and ate his sucker. Lincoln cried and whimpered through most of his cut, but sat in the chair very still like he's done the last few visits. With Lincoln looking all handsome, it was now Jackson's turn.
He fought a little bit when I tried to put him in the chair. Miss Shawna tickled him a bit, then it was playtime for Jackson. Before I knew it, he let Miss Shawna put the new cape on him. (He never puts the cape on, and we all end up covered in hair). Miss Shawna tickled him a little bit more, and then told him if he was really good and sat really still in the chair, she would get him some M&M's. Wow - that got his attention. Jackson sat in the chair under his own power (meaning, I didn't have to HOLD him in the chair) for the whole haircut. He was laughing, and checking himself out in the mirror the whole time. He even liked the water bottle making it "rain"!
He was so good, he even let me take pictures!
I'm still pinching myself, as I can't believe how easy it was! I hope this is the new trend for haircuts!
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