double trouble

So I know that I just posted this picture of Luke but Mike and I were commenting how much he looks like his cousin, Ella, on Mike's side. I think there is a strong Manion family resemblance. Maybe its more obvious in person or if you know them but I think these two pictures are pretty close and it was when they were about the exact same age too. Fun =)

Our Winter Bunker

I am finally going to post a few pictures of the basement while I am on a roll with the posting thing. It was just the basic concrete floor, unfinished basement which you can probably tell from the pre photos. So Mike finished this awhile ago but I wanted to show a few pics because we finally have it mostly decorated. He added all the outlets, lighting, and made the outlets behind the TV so that the wiring didn't show. He drywalled it, put down the floor, put in a drywall ceiling, and finished it all off with mouldings. This was quite the project for him for a couple of months. This will be our new winter hideaway. It already has been so much fun to have. I have my elliptical down there (which I am excited to use eventually), Isaac has a hockey area in the unfinished part and a hockey jigsaw mat on the finished side that he can play on. we are so thankful for this space and it definitely adds to our indoor activities for the winter when we kind of feel like we are hibernating. I guess we are supposed to get a lot more snow this year. Actually, it was pretty nice last year. There isn't wind here like we have in Kansas so while we have more snow, the lack of windchill makes it much more bearable. I definitely am glad that we have an SUV bc there are days when my little Rolla won't make it out of the driveway (Toyota wasn't really thinking snow when they designed the Corolla). We didn't build a guestroom but the couch is comfy, so come visit anytime =)

The Ants Go Marching (Gingerly)

We are doing great this week and I am really enjoying my last week home with the boys. Mike is working this week so we are on our own which is a first on my maternity leave. Mike left today for work and Isaac was crying, saying "no daddy work, work closed". Apparently, he thought he could convince him not to go. We had fun though and I put on a good show with our silly songs CD. My marching to the Ants go marching song wasn't quite up to par but Isaac seems to accept me in my gimp state okay. Here are a couple of pics of the boys and then one of Ethan and Isaac. We (Anspaugh fam) all went on a walk and Ethan wore his Batman costume so Isaac just couldn't leave without a cape on. My mom, being the great grandma that she is, just happened to know where an extra cape was in our house! So Isaac was happy and we enjoyed seeing him wear a cape that my gradma made and that I wore as a little girl on Halloween. We also had to have the traditional Manion boy royals picture that we had with Isaac.

I really will miss the boys when I go back, naturally, but am thankful again that Mike is home with them! We've had so much fun and I know there is so much more fun to come!

Update, finally

I guess we have been a little busy lately because I have this wonderful new baby to show off and a great two year-old and haven't managed to put up pics yet. I still won't get it done today but at least I can write what we've been up to. Maybe tonight I will try to download them from my camera. Anyway, we went home for a week to see family, spent about 3 days in Kansas City and 3 days in Topeka. Isaac was so good in the car and Luke just slept the whole time of course. It is difficult traveling with two kids but I think we are pros now at the long drives =) At least Mike is. We left at 5:30pm from Grand Rapids and got in Kansas City at 4:30am our time. The nice thing is that Isaac took a late nap for about 2 hours since he was too excited to nap at home, then we took a good dinner break while I fed Luke and Mike and Isaac went to Bass Pro shop. After that it was hockey video time! Mike gets this hockey video from the library that is instructinoal hockey tips, totally boring (sorry Isaac) but that Isaac just loves. So they entertained themselves in the back with that and veggies tales for awhile and then Isaac just slept til we got to KS. People always ask how we do it so thought i'd share.

It has been a little more challenging than normal lately which is probably why I haven't written. Luke got sick in KS and is waking up all night and we are dealing with Isaac's "needs". He is a super great boy but is of course, two years old, which means there is a lot to get upset or worked up over. Mike and I are taking shifts at night getting up with the kids so that helps. I honestly can't imagine how it would be if he was working! I am so thankful that we made that decision as it makes life so much better.

Someone said to us when we were in KS that this is the busiest time in our lives, having little ones, and I definitely believe it. But then I think, well I'm making it so we'll just keep plugging along! It's also one of the most amazing times. Luke is such a beautiful baby and is smiling now. It is one of God's greatest inventions, the smile of a baby. So precious and innocent. That's always a fun reward during the day to make Luke smile. Isaac is also talking so much and seeing him put words together amazes us each day. He saw a blow-up santa in Lowe's and said "ho, ho, ho, Merry Christmas". We have no idea where he got that from, it wasn't from us!

I started back taking ENT call last week. It's nice to take it now for November and not have to make it up later. I don't start back to surgery until the week of Thanksgiving though which is nice to have 7 full weeks off. This week was a little extra challenging. I had surgery on my foot on Wednesday and am recovering now. I have a lovely boot on my foot. I had a ganglion cyst that was causing some problems and I'm hoping that when I heal I will be able to run again because it has prevented me from doing that for a long time. I am soooo thankful that it was able to be done during my maternity leave because otherwise I would have to take about 2 weeks off from doing surgery. Now I just am being forced to sit and rest. It's probably good for me, I am just sitting all day enjoying looking at Luke and being waited on =)

So that was a lot! If you made it this far, thanks for "listening"! We are doing Thanksgiving at our house this year and we are spending the day with our close friends and making dinner together. It's one of my favorite holidays, even if I turn 30 over the Thanksgiving weekend . . . .

Lots of love to our friends and family!!!!