Dad and His Boys

I took these photos last Saturday night after Molly and Libby's dance recital. I love watching Sean with the boys...they love to be with Daddy and they adore him.

For Father's Day, Sean got a new bike and bike helmet. On our way to pick up the bike, Myles asked, "When is it Kids' Day?" It's really a sweet question---Mother's Day and now Father's Day...he wanted to know when the day was going to be about him. (Little does he know, each day is Kids' Day!) We ended up buying Max and Myles a new bike also. They had really outgrown theirs, and I think it's time they learn to ride without training wheels. :) We've spent lots of time riding with the Schwabauers, and it really helps that they live on a FLAT cald-e-sac. Both boys rode on a path with Uncle Doug, Molly, Libby and Daddy---it was lengthy with a good-sized hill.

It's just fun for me to watch the 3 of them. I love it, and it reminds me of how lucky I am. All 3 are mine!!!!

A Tooth is Gone!

Myles went to the dentist today, and he had a front tooth pulled! This same tooth had been bumped causing it to bleed on at least 3 different occasions. We're not sure if that is why it got infected, but it had to come out none the less.

Daddy took Myles this morning...I was a bit afraid...They started with gas on his nose, and he watched Kung Fu Panda the entire time. Sean said it took a very short amount of time, and Myles never shed a tear! He has been super excited to be able to leave it for the Tooth Fairy tonight.


The dentist gave Myles this treasure box to put the tooth in...the tooth looks pretty big in this picture, but it's not!

We are so proud of Myles! He did great, and we are certainly thankful!! :)

A Picture From Last Night

I should have posted this picture instead of the one below. I wish you could taste my tilapia on my plate above! It was incredible, and Sean loved his swordfish. It was a great night!

It's Been Great

Last night as Sean and I were eating dinner at McCormick and Smick's (YUMMO!) I told him I think this wedding anniversary is the best one so far.

We have had some not-so-exciting anniversaries, and I guess I could consider this one of them. Nothing real big or exciting, but a reminder of how lucky we are. We have each other and two precious boys we love more than we can say. Our path in married life has not always been great or easy, but it's been united. We have come to realize we can handle anything as long as we have each other, and we are thankful!

We Are Family

What a day...Max and Myles took toys to the basement when we were picking things up after dinner. When they came up, one of them said it was wet in the basement. WHAT??? I headed downstairs to find exactly what I feared...water. Water was sitting in our furnace room, and unfortunately we have had this happen before! My handy-dandy husband is currently on a guys golfing trip, so I immediately called my dad. Seriously, my parents are by far, the best in the world. Both of them dropped everything and came over with ax and shop vac in tow!

We have a very large "mature" tree in our front yard that has long roots. They grow toward water which so happens to be our water line! They grow enough to clog the pipe and it basically cuts off all water flow out of our house. Normally, Sean would go down in the manhole in our front yard and cut the roots, and freeing the water. Since there was no Sean around, I decided I should call the city to come out to take care of it.

Long story (and way too much water) short, the city workers went in the manhole and cut the roots. They also gave me some powder to put in the toilet to flush that will help kill other roots in the path of the water. Unfortunately when this happens, the city is not at fault...we, the homeowners, are responsible.

I had also called Kelly to see if she would come pick up the boys so we could clean up the basement. After watching all of the excitement, she ended up taking them home with her which helped us a lot.

We vacuumed water for what seemed like forever, and I was at Lowe's at 9:45 pm buying a dehumidifier that has run nonstop. I've emptied it 3 times and I'm sure there will be many more. Looks like we will also be investing in new carpet soon. We need to get this place fixed up and get the &*%$ out of Dodge!!!! It seems like it's always something around here...

All I can say is: I have the best damn family. I know my brother-in-law would have been here in a heartbeat too, but he is out of town on business. I'm so very thankful I've been blessed with all of them!!

A Job Well Done

I learned a few things on our trip to Jamaica.

1. It's absolutely beautiful. It was picture perfect, the weather was perfect, and the resort was perfect.

2. I have an awesome best friend and husband...we had a great time with our friends, but it was especially fun to be able to spend so much of our time together. He's the same fun guy I met so many years ago...only we have decided we can't seem to drink as much or stay up as late as we once did...at least not for more than one in a row! :)

3. A job is worth doing well. Yes, I've known this last one, and I preach it to my students. Nothing was more clear to me than when I stopped to watch the employees on the resort. All were clean-cut and well dressed. All worked hard and were friendly. All seemed to appreciate and enjoy their job.

There were many employees who broke out in song during our stay at Secrets. I was amazed by the voices and the courage to do what they seemed to love. Why did they do it? I think they were happy and wanted to show the world what they can do! There was not a single employee, and there were TONS of them, who did not seem to enjoy and appreciate his job. Each was willing to go above and beyond the expectations and was sincere and friendly. As we flew home, Sean and I both commented about this. I know the scenery is amazing, so that is something that leads to the happiness. However, these people came from a poor, poor world. Yet, they would never let you know it by their actions. (For instance, the guy above was the cook at the Japanese restaurant where we spent our birthday evening. He was entertaining, happy, friendly, and cooked a great meal. He also told us he has to ride a bus one hour each way to work!) Here's the kicker...these employees know tips are not encouraged! So they do their job for the sake of doing their best. Amazing.

It is my hope that one day the McDaniel boys will be the kind of employee I witnessed at Secrets. No job is too small or too little. All are important. Just like human beings.

More Evidence of Growing...

Here are Myles and Max before their first Building Blocks Spring Program. (It was a western theme.)

Below are the boys before their second program. I guess I did not get one of them together.




Now look how big they are this year!! They are becoming sweet, responsible boys. We're so proud of them!