So much has happened since I last updated. We can hardly keep track of the days… Last Friday, Max taught his class how to make ‘Beach Pudding’. He loved ‘teaching’. He even used the saying ‘you get what you get and you don’t throw a fit’…wow. The Thunder lost their game on Friday night ending the playoff series and The Prime lost their baseball game on Saturday. Saturday’s game was special though because his classmate played for the other team. They thought that was so fun! And, their teacher came to watch them. They really loved that.

Max’s nose seems to have returned to normal. Good thing since he made his musical and acting debut as Lt. Doberman on Thursday evening. We are so proud of him! He said all his lines, remembered his choreography and really loved performing. We were so excited that Uncle Chris, Aunt Shelly and Selah were in town. They got to come to the show! Thursday day Blake and Selah had SO much fun together. They played and played and played. Blake was not happy to go home for a nap. We celebrated Mother’s Day at my parent’s that evening. All the cousins got to play and Uncle Chris did a small magic show. Everyone was quite impressed!

Jamie and I got to go on a date on Friday evening. It was a work party, but it was fun. It was outside and there was a band and yummy food. Felt so good to get out! YaYa stayed with Zeke and Blake and Papa took Max to his ballgame. This time The Prime won! It was a shut out 8 - 0. We were so sorry we missed it!

Today has been a relaxing day. Jamie took the boys to the Science Museum for a bit and I got to just sit while Blake napped. I am looking forward to dinner with my mom tonight. It is not often that the two of us get to have dinner with no children. And, tomorrow we will celebrate with Jamie’s mom. I am so thankful to be a mom and thankful to our moms who help us out and love us so much!

Wow! Really? The end of April? Already? I cannot believe how fast time is flying. We are loving the warmer weather and all the opportunities to be outside. Just wish it wasn’t so windy.

Friday, Blake went to Auntie’s for the morning. I was getting my haircut, she was supposed to be playing! Instead, she found Auntie’s wedding ring sitting on a ring box and lost it. Ugh. Let’s just say I was EXTREMELY relieved when it was found the next morning under the armoire! Max had a baseball game on Friday night…he got a hit…but, they still lost. And, then again on Saturday, another loss. Saturday night we enjoyed an amazing win by the Thunder! And, then on Tuesday night, a loss. Hoping for a win tomorrow night!

After school we went to visit some sweet, tiny Jack Russell puppies. Zeke loved them, but made me a nervous wreck. He went from being sweet to being wild. I did take pics, so look for those soon. Max had baseball practice tonight and got hit with a ball in the nose! Jamie said it bled A LOT. He is swollen tonight. We will see if he is black and blue in the morning. Tomorrow is Max’s day to ‘Tabletop Teach’. He will be showing his class how to make ‘Beach Pudding’. He is very excited. I am excited to watch him. I am amazed at how much he has learned and grown this year. Zeke announced today that he does infact like school. Glad he is realizing that with only a few weeks left. Blake is getting even more chatty. She got a little haircut today in an effort to keep the mullet away and grow out the bangs. Girl hair is much more difficult than boy hair!

Max has a game on Saturday if the rain stays away. We are hoping for a win this time!

Lots of things going on around here in Oklahoma! First, the Oklahoma rain caused Max’s baseball game last Friday night to be rained out. Therefore, we now get to play tonight and tomorrow. The sun is shining today, but we had some heavy rain overnight, so hopefully we will not be in too many mud puddles. The Oklahoma wind has caused Blake to have massive amounts of snot. Just like her brothers, she is taking allergy meds now. She had an ear check last week. She had some fluid in one ear, so we go back in one month to find out if it has drained on its own or if she will need another round of tubes. Last night we celebrated our Sooners having 3 of the first 4 draft picks! And, our Thunder winning their first playoff (3rd in the series) to the LA Lakers. It was quite exciting for our state! And, today I got to watch Max run his first Oklahoma Land Run. I don’t know that he ‘gets’ it. I had to hold his sack lunch, because it was just too much to run with and he commented that he was pretty sure the original land runners DID NOT have to carry a sack lunch.

Both boys got their Spring haircuts this week and look very handsome. Zeke is still enjoying his OT and still refers to it as ‘the fun place’. Can’t believe we only have about a month of school left. Max is preparing for his part in his school musical, ‘Arf’. He is Lt. Doberman and can’t wait to perform!

We had a busy day yesterday. Baseball practice, swimming lessons, playing and then ‘How to Train Your Dragon’. We took the boys to the 3D IMAX movie while Blake played with YaYa and Papa. Everyone liked it and we at lots of popcorn. Zeke had a little trouble with the glasses…a little big for his little face, but he survived! I stayed home from church with Max and Blake today. Max started throwing up AGAIN last night. He is great today, food is staying down and he has tons of energy. I will blame it on all the popcorn he ate until someone else gets sick. Hoping no one else gets sick…we don’t want to do that again!

Zeke got a special treat on Friday. A sweet friend from church picked him up after school and took him to the zoo. He had so much fun. Zeke loves one on one time, so I was so thankful he had a date.

Looking forward to a great week. Zeke will officially be enrolled in Pre-K tomorrow and Max has another game on Friday! Tomorrow will be Zeke’s second OT session. He calls it ‘the fun place’. Jamie and I originally had him evaluated for some of his social issues, but we are learning he is going to benefit greatly from OT in other areas too. We are very encouraged!

We had a wonderful Easter. Everyone was healthy and happy! We dyed Easter eggs at YaYa and Papa’s house on Saturday…after the boy’s first swimming lesson. We rested a bit and then went back to my parent’s for a family Easter egg hunt and dinner. Saturday evening I attempted to make ‘Resurrection Rolls’ with the kids. They were not as excited about it as I was. We woke up to beautiful weather on Sunday morning. The kids hunted more eggs at church and then we had a great Easter service. After church we headed to Edmond for more hunting, more food and more candy. We had a really fun day. Everyone was VERY tired.

Tuesday was also a big day. I picked up Zeke’s Pre-K enrollment packet. I can’t believe he will be going to Pre-K next year. Max also had his first baseball game! His team, the ‘Prime’ won. Max got his first hit. I am so sad we didn’t take video. He got his hit and then just stood there. I still laugh thinking of him just smiling at the crowd while we all yelled ‘RUN’. Everyone was standing and yelling and motioning towards first base. He eventually ended up on base after his ball was ruled ‘dead’ since it landed in the ‘dead zone’ around the pitching machine. Quite a first hit! Time will tell if he likes the sport, but he sure does look like a ball player in that uniform!

I am so over it. And, hopefully my family is over it too! The last time Blake threw up (temporarily) was last Thursday around 4:00 AM. About the same time Max woke up to…throw up. Needless to say he missed two days of school, a birthday party and his game on Saturday. Lots of tears. Jamie and Zeke got sick on Saturday and so far I have avoided the bug. Praying it is gone and staying away! Max was excited to get to wave palms on Sunday, but the other two kiddos had to miss out. I went to the doc on Monday for an upper respiratory infection and Jamie is still struggling with sinus stuff. When Blake threw up AGAIN on Tuesday morning, I thought of crying. But, she was happy and had no other incidents. I feel like it was just snot from laying down all night. So, I am OVER everyone being sick and just praying we really are over it. Looking forward to a GREAT Easter!

We finished up a good Spring Break. The boys went out to MeMe’s on Friday and enjoyed 70 degree weather. They helped her plant seeds, transfer dirt and cover her plants incase the snow really came. A little over 12 hours later, the snow really came! We woke up to snow on the ground and it continued to snow and blow around all day. I have pictures of the boys playing in the ’spring blizzard’. My parents arrived home safely from Israel on Sunday and had an amazing time!

Monday came quickly. Max went back to school with no problem after the break. I told him we are on our way to summer! Zeke and Blake both earned trips to the doctor Monday afernoon. Zeke’s left ear is infected and he has some ‘junk’ in his lungs. Blake has double ear infections…really bad ones. I knew Zeke’s ear hurt because he told me, but I just thought Blake had a bad cough and possible sinus infection. She is tough! Although, Monday night, no one slept and Jamie and I tag teamed tending to crying, non sleeping children and administering ibuprofen. Zeke has showed much improvement, but Blake started throwing up yesterday afternoon. She seems to be doing a little better (stomach wise), but I think she is still in quite a bit of pain. I am hoping her meds stay down today so that she can feel better soon! I would also LIKE to believe that the throwing up has something to do with her ears. I am just going to believe that until someone else starts getting sick…UGH! It always seems to hit in March and I guess this year is proving to be no exception!

Since Max’s first baseball game was snowed out last Saturday, we will try again this Saturday. He is still looking forward to it! It looks like it will be in the upper 60s, but may rain. Who knows if we will ever get to play our first game…

We are winding down on Spring Break activities. We had a fun St. Patrick’s day. The leprechaun visited again, bringing green balloons and Lucky Charm cereal. We had friends over for lunch and a visit. They ranged in ages from 1 - 10 years old. On Thursday the weather was a little warmer. Max lost his second tooth, we had lunch with cousins and played at the park while Max practiced baseball. Jamie also took Max to the batting cages for the first time. Today it is beautiful. The boys are at MeMe’s helping her plant seeds in her garden. They are also helping her cover plants in anticipation of the snow that is coming. They are now predicting inches of snow rather than just a mix. We will see if Max gets to play his first baseball game tomorrow or if it will be snowed out. I am secretly hoping it is snowed out. Who wants to play OR watch baseball in 30 degree weather??!!

Is Spring on its way? I mean, it IS Spring Break!! Max started baseball practice on Saturday. That’s a sign of Spring…right? He loved it! I was driving down my parent’s street today. There were white blossoms on trees. That’s a sign of Spring…right? But, I’m a little confused that the weather man said there is a chance of a wintery mix on Saturday…not so Spring like…on the day of Max’s first baseball game. Oh well. We have survived day two of Spring Break. Yesterday we spent time with my friend Melissa and her boys. Everyone had so much fun. Today we stayed in our pjs a LONG time. My sweet friend Denise stopped by and trimmed up Lula’s mullet and we chatted briefly over Starbuck’s new Dark Cherry Mocha! We made cookies and finally ventured out to the bank. It was tempting to stay in my pajamas, but I did not. Tomorrow we have more friends coming for lunch and playing.

Zeke’s evaluation went well on Friday. I really liked the facility and the OT that we worked with. She really thinks Zeke (and our family) can benefit from OT. Zeke has been begging to go back to the ‘fun place’. Jamie and I are still processing and will hopefully have a game plan soon. It is hard to imagine cramming one more thing into our schedule, so we may wait and start closer to summer. He is such a sweet, funny little guy and we want the best for him. He continues to tell me he is ‘responsibility’ and needs a dog. I am sure a dog would be GREAT for him. But, not sure our family is quite ready for that!!

I have suffered from major blogging block lately. I don’t know if it is motivation or just lack of time! But, here goes…this is what has happened so far in March.

A friend of mine called on the afternoon of March 1st. I know her from church camp and we became great, true, life long friends. She was in my wedding. She lives in Tulsa, but you would think she lived halfway across the world. You would think with technology and the short drive between us, we would see each other more. Or at least talk more. Or at least post on each other’s walls or something. When I saw her calling I was so glad to see her number on our phone. But, I didn’t reach it in time and she hung up without leaving a message. My cell phone rang and I quickly answered. What I heard in her voice was a little panic and a little relief as she said, ‘Stephanie…is everything OK?’. Through our conversation she told me that she had been sent an email from a fellow camper expressing his sadness for my death and his sadness for Melissa losing such a great friend. Of course she was panicked! It was a HUGE misunderstanding and I don’t think the rumor of my death spread far. Although, he was searching for a specific picture to send in a note to my parents!!! Anyway…all that to say that while we were talking and she was conveying her thankfulness for my life I had to quickly cut her off. Blake had gone into the bathroom and shut the door behind her. No big deal except that the door was locked and she had turned on the hot, bathtub water. I eventually got the door open without having to kick it down. I could see under the door and I knew she was right by the sink, away from the tub. Still a heart pounding moment. I called Melissa back, we continued catching up until I had to again let her go because Zeke had found a fishing pole in Jamie’s office. He was running through the house and had Blake, train tracks and other stuff tangled in the line. No wonder I am tired at the end of the day!

We celebrated both Papa and MeMe’s birthdays this week. For Papa’s birthday we went to dinner and then came back to our house for mocha brownies, gifts and the birthday dance. The birthday dance is a pretty big deal in the first grade and Max is making us all participate. I have pictures. We celebrated MeMe’s birthday last night. Again, we did the birthday dance, opened gifts and had peanut butter cup cake…yummy!

Max participated in Jump Rope for Heart in February and we found out that he raised the 2nd highest amount for the first grade class. We are very proud of him and thankful for all of you who helped him achieve that honor!

We are just days away from Spring Break. We have no major plans excpet to catch up with a few friends we haven’t seen in awhile and hopefully enjoy some spring like weather. Zeke has his OT evaluation tomorrow. We are ready to have that done and find out what we can do to help him adjust to certain situations a little better!

I promise to blog a little more frequently and I should have February and March pictures uploaded VERY soon!

This weekend was full of lots of parties! On Friday evening we attended Max’s winter carnival. It was fun. We are always thankful that my parents ‘want’ to come with us. They are a huge help. At some point between dinner and the end of the carnival, Zeke became amped up. I had to work in Max’s classroom and when I finally met back up with Jamie, he was d-o-n-e. The boys then headed out to spend the night with MeMe! Zeke went to birthday parties on Saturday and Sunday afternoons. We were tired by Sunday evening! We are home today…Zeke woke up in the middle of the night with croupe. Lula woke up this morning ‘barking’. Come on Spring!!

OK…so maybe it is a little early to be talking about second grade…BUT, we only have 3 more months of school! We had Max’s parent/teacher conference on Thursday. He is doing great. The improvements he is showing are amazing. At the beginning of the year he came in reading on a ‘level 4′. Now he is reading at a 10/12. The goal is to have him at a 16 by the end of the year. I know he can do it. As his teacher said, ‘the lights have come on’. He is still exhibiting some very ‘boy’ traits, but it looks like he will be going on to second grade. We are so very, very proud of Max. He LOVES to write and pays very close attention to his penmanship.

Speaking of Max, the poor little guy doesn’t feel so well tonight. He started complaining of a sore throat yesterday, but no other symptoms. He did fine all day today until late this afternoon when he started running a temp and saying his head hurt. Jamie ran him to the AM/PM clinic and although his strep test came back negative, they still prescribed him a round of antibiotics. He is pretty bummed about missing school tomorrow. Zeke’s speech teacher called to say that she is not feeling well, so no speech for him tomorrow. Looks like a pajama day at the Russell house. It’s about time…we were having withdrawals from all the snow days!

We have enjoyed some more snow here! Thank goodness it did not result in ’snow days’. It was pretty and just dusted the ground, but I loved it. Both Zeke and Blake had trips to the doctor. Zeke had a sinus infection. Blake was fine. No problem found. Glad she was not sick, but frustrating. At our house, if you only sleep 3 hours at night, you earn a trip to the doctor! I got to go to Max’s Valentine’s Day party on Friday. It was sweet. Then I stayed for Jump Rope For Heart. That was awesome! The kids had so much fun. It was an exciting event and his PE teacher was so organized. I even tried to jump for a couple of one minute rotations. WOW…jumping rope is hard! I thought I might pass out after 30 seconds! I made a red velvet cake for the family yesterday, but unfortunately I did not have enough food coloring. It looked link ‘pink velvet’. I think the boys were a bit disappointed it wasn’t strawberry. Next year…strawberry cake out of a box! We continue to stay busy here and are looking forward to warmer weather so we can be outside.

Max just celebrated his 100th day of school (minus the 6 snow days, of course). But, more importantly he achieved his goal of 100 sight words by January 30th (well, by February 4th). So, we have 100 down and new goal of 100 more by the end of May! Super proud of our Max!

So, the winter storm did come in. It did bring a good amount of ice, topped by a good amount of snow. We did keep our power and I am so thankful for that. School was cancelled on Thursday and Friday. Even Jamie came home early on Thursday and got a snow day on Friday! Amy and the boys came for lunch on Thursday and then Amy and Carder came back on Friday. It was nice to have them here. I made cookies and we watched TV while the boys made forts and played. The big question was if Max’s 10 AM party at the Science Museum would happen or not on Saturday. We made the call to all the parents that if the museum was open, we would have the party. We woke up on Saturday and called and sure enough they were opening…at 11. So, with just a little delay, we finally celebrated Max’s birthday with his school friends! We had a lot of fun and I think everyone enjoyed getting out of the house.

On Saturday evening, Amy, Blake and I headed to Edmond for our annual Miss America watch. Blake could have cared less about the pageant. We did get her to wear a tiara and wave briefly for some photo ops. She wasn’t feeling that great, so I’ll let it slide this year (smile). We missed Nanna watching with us this year. Just another ‘first’ we will experience this year. Blake was still not feeling well on Sunday morning and I knew the nursery workers at church would not appreciate her hacking cough or extremely runny nose, so I stayed home with her and Zeke.

I never really considered that we would not go back to school this week. Then I saw a tweet from a friend asking if anyone had heard about school cancellations yet. Oh no. Within the hour I heard we were out. So, yesterday we spent our snow day at ‘Camp YaYa’. We made bubble gum, we played games, we ate and we played in the snow. It was a good day. So….here we are on Tuesday, groundhog day, home again. I do think it is supposed to get above freezing, so maybe some of this ice on the roads will melt. No big plans for today. The boys do have gymnastics tonight so they can get out some of their snow day energy!