a day with friends

we met erika and aiden at boo boo records for kids music time. unfortunately, matty was overstimulated (cowering in the corner covering his ears) so we left early. the boys had fun at the park then we dropped david at school, picked nicole up from school and headed off to a healthy lunch. erika and i had fun talking while the kids ate and played. she is such a good mommy and friend! here kids are darling, too. what a fun day.

bedtime stories...

So, every night Steve gets the boys' jammies on and reads to them. Sometimes I have seen him pull out his guitar and sing to them. He has strong opinions about the 'best' books to read. None of these 'baby' books. They have to tell a good story. The kids love it! Now here is the funny part...toddlers don't always cooperate with our great plans, right?! So I tease Steve that this is what the bedtime stories sound like:
-George was a good little monkey and always
-MATTHIAS DON'T KICK DAVID!!
-and always very curious. One day
-DAVID GET BACK HERE!!
-George saw a little white
-SIT STILL, DON'T GRAB THE BOOK!!
-bunny so he decided...
You get the picture! It is hilarious. I know the boys will have fond memories of their story time with daddy. And I never loved doing the dishes and straightening up the house so much!

the terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day

this is a shout out to erika who thinks this blog is too happy-go-lucky and wants to see the real 'behind the scenes' ugly stuff that the Leonards have going on. actually, today is a good day--but we definitely have our bad days, and moments. if you want to hear more, give me a call and I'll give you all the details! love you erika :)

just another beautiful day...

we went to cayucos for lunch at duckies--fish tacos and hot dogs :O) then played n the beach for a few minutes. well, david and i cuddled and matthias and steve threw rocks in the ocean and ran around. i thought these yellow and red steps were so cute. maybe next time i can get the boys to look at me?! now its naptime-yay!

frequently asked questions...

If you would like to place an order...

*Email me at lisaleonard@integrity.com with the name(s) of the pieces you would like to purchase. Indicate what words or names you would like to have stamped on the piece.

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tour de california

We joined Steve downtown this afternoon for the tour of california (or tour de california as i call it!). It POURED this morning--actually it hailed a bit, too. Crazy weather! But it cleared up quite nicely for the finish of the race. I picked the boys up from preschool and carried both of them four blocks while hauling the diaper bag, two umbrellas, and my purse. It was a sight--and a good workout! Matty was a stinker during the race. He had just woken from his nap and even the m&m's I brought wouldn't cheer him up! Steve got this great photo of Levi Leifheimer (sp?) who is leading the race right now. We went our for pizza at Woodstock's after things died down. David was standing in the booth and acting like a hot shot :) Matty "played" a video game-no quarters required! We had fun and I'm so glad the weather cooperated better than our naughty three year old! Does this stage end soon?! Tomorrow we are off to Solvang. Heldts--what's the latest? We are dying to hear some news!!

more random thoughts...

it's my blog and i can post whatever i want, right?! well yesterday i went to marshall's while they boys were at preschool and i felt like i struck GOLD! i found these jeans which fit perfectly. and i cut them off to give them a little more crop. i also found these shoes--super comfy and i love the cork sole. i had to scrub for about 20 minutes to get those little stickers off the inside of the shoe--why do they make them so sticky? low adhesive is key here...
we are TOTALLY into big puzzles lately. matty is really good at them. i found four yesterday at marshalls. one small problem--we don't have much floor space in our home, so we are constantly playing "obstacle course" to get around all the puzzles (and train track).
tour de california (it's actually 'of' california but i think it's funny to tease steve) comes to town tomorrow and we are excited to see the riders. some of the biggest names in cycling. then friday we'll drive over to solvang to see them off. the weather is not supposed to cooperate, so that should make it interesting!
have a great wednesday!

me...a long, long time ago

here i am in first grade. i remember a lot about first grade. i loved school. i loved being in school all day. i had mrs. colvin--if you're reading this, mrs. colvin, you were a great teacher! a lot has happened since i was six. i sometimes wonder what it would be like to sit down with my six year old self and show myself photos of my life to come--here are your kids...this is your husband...this is you in your thirties! then i would have to hug that little girl and say 'life is going to be really hard sometimes, but it will be even more beautiful. and it just keeps getting better and better!" sometimes i trip out on my kids and i think 'this is their childhood' they'll remember these things forever. dumb things, like dishes we put on the table every night or the tree out in front of our house. sometimes it just seems so big! such a huge responsibility, ya know? i wish i could protect them from every pain life will bring, but i know pain makes us so much better and stronger. and i know life will bring them joy, especially if we model joy and contentment to them...i am such an imperfect parent, but hopefully the laughter, silliness, and snuggles are what will stick in their memories!

fun with auntie ellen

My beautiful younger sister is in town and she is such an awesome auntie! The boys are getting lots of love and snuggles and she has played multiple games of matching (and built many, many puzzles) with Matty. Should I also mention how she has changed poopie diapers and let me sleep in while she keeps the kiddos entertained?! Gramama is also providing lots of hugs and tickles. Church was great today--awesome message pastor Tim! The boys did really well in the toddler room--a blessing as sometimes they aren't so excited to separate. Hope you are all having a great weekend!

littlest and biggest

man these kids are hard to get a good photo of together! a friend made these tees for the boys (littleshowoffs.com) and i thought they turned out so fun--and so perfect for the boys. we had matty measured last week and he is 90% for height, david is, of course, off the charts tiny. maybe these tees can clear things up for people?! David is acutually the BIG brother--he's just really little!

more stamping fun...

here i am 'modeling' my new david & matthias sterling necklace. it's fun to treat myself once in a while! this is made with large sterling chain and a chunky, cream freshwater pearl. love, love it!

favorite things...

It's always fun to take pics of what the boys are into "right now" because it's constantly changing! Matty is really into his toots and whistles song book (notice the microphone), big floor puzzles (thanks auntie sissy!), the movie CARS, painting and stickers. David is REALLY into pulling up to a stand, cruising around the table, climbing on daddy, vanilla pudding, swinging, being read to (any book will do) and of course a good snuggle. We're glad its the weekend. Steve's day off is Friday--so our weekend starts today! Can't wait to see gramama and auntie!

Random thoughts for a Thursday!

Hi there! Just thought I'd post some random thoughts!!
--We had the BEST date last night, Novo (my favorite restaurant. I ordered Thai Green Curry--yum!) then we saw Music and lyrics. Loved it!
--Ellen and my mom (gramama as Matty calls her!) are coming this weekend--Yay!! Can't wait to catch up and let the boys get some lovin'!
--If you google mcDonald's cinnamon melt, my blog comes up on the first page! that's awesome :)
--busy day ahead--preschool for the boys, lunch with a friend, and Steve works late
--Any random thoughts to share?! Have a great day!

happy valentine's day!

here's a few pics through the years--dating, the day after we got engaged, our wedding day and just a couple months ago. i am so blessed to be married to my best friend! i got to share with some of the college students some of my insights on dating and marriage last weekend. some of my main points were--don't worry so much about being "head over heels" in love. those crazy feelings last about 3 months. then its your friendship that takes you through. marry a godly man who will make a great dad. marry someone who lets you be yourself. we've been through a lot--job changes, moves to different cities, having a child with a disability, having a typical toddler :) etc. i can honestly say i a love steve more today than the day i married him! happy valentine's day!

we're back!

Well it was a crazy, chaotic, fun weekend. We had our own little bedroom but shared a bathroom with 20 girls. There were 40 college kids in one (fairly large, but still!!) cabin. The boys had a ball getting tons of attention and love from the students. This was an amazing group of kids--no cliques, very genuine! On Saturday night we danced and they taught me the waltz. So fun! There was tons of junk food (notice the bag of skittles in Matty's hand). Steve taught a few great lessons (of which I heard only snippets, this photo of Matty captures the only two seconds he sat still during Steve's talks!). It rained and rained all weekend and finally on Sundy it snowed. It was beautiful! Steve took Matty out to play in it. We stayed in Fresno on Sunday night and got a great night's sleep. Steve's parents watched the boys in the AM and we slept until 9:30. Wow, what a treat! We're back home and the house is a disaster! Better go clean... Have a great day!

we're off...

We are taking off today to go to Shaver Lake with the Grace SLO college group. We are taking the boys and lots of warm clothes (there is supposed to be a big storm tonight). I got these little boots for David. He needs them like a hole in the head, but they were on sale at the GAP and they are so cute--how could I resist?? Steve and I both have the sniffles and the boys are on the tail end of their colds. Matthias can't wait to see the snow! I can't wait to let the college girls play with the boys so maybe I can catch a nap. Have a great weekend. We'll post pics on Sun or Mon.

dreamer

we all dream about things--realistic or unrealistic. it's so exciting to think about what 'could' happen! it's fun to be impractical and to let your self dream. for a long time i dreamed of owning a business. i had lots of ideas. after david was born i decided to go for it. i had gotten such a good response to my jewelry, i thought 'why not get a license and make it an offical business?' i was so nervous when i went to the city office to apply for a license! the night i had my first open house i remeber thinking, 'this is the craziest thing i have ever done!' and wondering if it would totally flop! when i started the business i just wanted to make a couple hundred dollars a month as fun money. i am so excited that the business has grown to a point where i could quit my job and be with my boys more. what a blessing! it's easy to get too busy with the jewelry and i am constantly trying to set boundries and make good decisions about what opportunities to take advantage of. thanks to all of you who support my business and model my creations. you are a blessing to us!

Matthias' big day...

So Matty started school today. He was screaming when I left him, and I'm not sure who had a harder time--him or me! It is so hard to see your child transition to the next stage and separate from you. I know this is going to be a great thing for Matthias (and for me!). I know he needs time away from me and time with typical peers. Since he has an older brother with a disability, it is important for him to have his own, structured, playful place where he can be himself. I know all that--but it's still so hard!

David meanwhile is feeling a bit better but not quite himself. He has been pulling to a stand all over the place! Last night he had a bit of a spill and bonked his head on the floor. OUCH! We felt so bad--but I guess that's all part of the learning and growing process. Lots of painful growing going on in the Leonard home right now! It's exciting, though!

So hard to say good-bye...

This was Matty's face today when he said good-bye to Chrissie (We were just going out for lunch, but he was bummed!) I felt the same way when she left this evening! We had a great time--sitting around talking, out for lunch, a little shopping, hanging out with sick boys, a lot of laughing and being silly...can't wait until our next sister time!

Also--CONGRATULATIONS to the Cheneys! Yea!! boys ROCK!

Chrissie is here!

Chrissie is here-Yeah! Rachel, our sweet, sweet sitter watched the boys last night even though they were still a bit sick. We took Chrissie to a fancy restaurant in Morro Bay (Foster's Freeze) and then caught a movie. I NEEDED to get out!!! Today we skipped church (toddler room doesn't welcome sniffly, sneezing, runny-nosed kiddos) and we took a hike around the state park. I brought the backpack for David, unfortunately Matty wanted to be carried, too. He's pretty big--so Chrissie got a workout! We had fun. Then came home and took a long nap. Hope you are all having a good Sunday!

let's celebrate!!!

these are the over-joyed parents of a little boy who just went pee-pee in the potty for the first time! and this is the train the little boy earned when he accomplished this very important task! it took a couple of hours of running around naked and lots of juice, but he did it! it's all down hill from here, right?! we've got pictures of Matty on the potty and the pee-pee, but you probably don't want to see those!

sick boys, sad mommy...

both these little guys are sick--argh! (this photo was taken last weekend, not today) this is matty's first real cold of the winter--where he had a fever and a cough. he didn't start preschool today because of it. i was praying david wouldn't get it--but, this morning he is congested and FUSSY! he's had more colds this winter than any kid should have in their whole childhood! so he's home from school today, too. i'm feeling sorry for myself. and a little discouraged. boo hoo! hopefully they'll spring back quickly!