Easter, Health & What nots - 2 Part Post

I have been a bad blogger lately. It's not that there isn't stuff to write, its just that I don't have as much time to write anymore.

We had a nice Easter, if you don't count that I threw my back out wearing new shoes and a new bra. That's a story for another day though.

Sharon, a.k.a. Tutu, and Ross were here visiting and we spent the day all together at my parent's house. It turns out the stomach virus Noah had on Friday was really the adenovirus and he was pretty miserable until Thursday. We battled high fever, bad headaches, vomiting and extremely swollen tonsils and adenoids. If you listened to him you would have believed that he was full of nasal congestion, in reality it was his adenoids so swollen. The kids were reatlly excited to see that the Easter Bunny had brought them "Cars" beach towels and swim suits this year.

The kids had fun at their Easter parties at school. Brian and I had fun watching Camden collecting Easter eggs with his school friends. He was so polite, when he found his allotted 8 eggs, he went and sat down and waited for is friends to finish. Brian and I looked at each other and asked "who is that child?" Next, it was time for Noah's class to hunt eggs. They shot out of that class like a freight train coming down the track. They ran as fast they could while stepping on eggs trying to beat their friends to the eggs. They all had fun, but the intensity between the boys age groups was a little frightening.

A while back I blogged about Brian injuring his elbow. He finally west to see an Ortho. doctor who prescribed a steroid and physical therapy exercises to do at home. I am happy to report that the arm is doing great but Brian had quite a scare from the steroid. He started having some scary symptoms and went to see his G.P. They did some blood work and all of his levels were way to HIGH!. His sugar level was 600 on Wednesday. He was quickly given some medication and and lots of paperwork on Type II Diabetes. He saw the eye doctor today because his vision has been blurry for three days. Good news, the pressure in his eyes has stayed the same but he has a sugar glucose coating on his eyes that should go away when his levels return to normal. The nurse checked his sugar today at school and he was down to 250. He returns on Sat. and Wed. for more testing. Please pray that this is just temporary and his levels return to normal once the steroid is out of his body. Please pray that if they don't return to normal that we will have an easy adjustment to a new healthier lifestyle.

Camden is excited about turning 3. He wants and will get a "Chick Hicks" birthday cake. He is fascinated with Chick. He is the bad guy from "Cars" and Camden is all about the bad guy! We ordered him his very own t-shirt with Chick Hicks on it and personalized with Camden's name. I have no doubt that shirt will be worn EVERY day! He still eat, breaths, lives race cars and specifically Chick. He still thinks he is a race car and we have to remind him that we "don't crash people". He is officially potty trained and he acts like it was no big deal. One day I will remind him that we worked on this feat for a YEAR!!!

I will do my best to blog more often. We are very busy the next three weeks and I really want to capture everything in writing.

And the prize goes to...

BRIAN!

Friday was another day with four kids. Friday was different because Brian took care of four kids while I went to clean my dad's house. Here are some of the highlights from their day.

I get a call about 10:00 a.m. asking, "where are the diapers?"
"They are in the diaper bag", I say.
"No, they aren't!", he says.
"Yes, they are. There are about 6 of them in the bottom of the diaper bag", I say.
"No, they aren't!!!", he says.
"Well, put a pull-up on her, or go buy some.", I say. No easy task with 4 kids.

Brian then loads 3 boys ages: 2, 4 & 5 and a little girl 7 months old into the car and drives to lunch at Fuddrucker's on lower Greenville Ave. with his Aunt. They got a front row parking spot and things were good.

Once inside and the food arrived, Brian left the table to fix his hamburger. On the way back to the table he met Aunt Tish and Noah, who had just gotten sick all over the floor in the middle of aisle. Apparently, Noah has a stomach bug and waited until in a public restaurant to tell his dad.

After lunch, Brian swings by the drug store to pick up some diapers. After much debate with himself about what size to buy, he settles on size 2 diapers.

Back at home, he changes baby D. into her new diapers only to find that size 2 doesn't fit this seven month old. She wears a size 4. So, Brian tells her to "suck it up" while changing her diaper and hopes that her legs don't turn blue from poor circulation.



When I arrived home later that afternoon, I was greeted with "You may go out and drink all night every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, no questions asked!".

It's nice to be appreciated.

4 kids sleeping, cookies baking... I'm blogging!

Whew! Adding 2 more children to your family on a daily basis several times a week can prove challenging sometimes. Last week, I took them to a gymnastics place that had an open gym. The boys and the baby loved it. The baby just watched everything that was going on and completely wore herself out. Then it was off to a park to eat lunch and walk along the paths. It wss difficult to push a stroller, feed a baby and make sure that one of the older three did not fall into the stream. Thank goodness for good friends who helped me watch the older three.

Today, I ventured to Wal-Mart with all four to buy flowers and soil for the flower beds. There were two rules... 1. No running and 2. We all stay together. So O.K., in the end we all ended up some where in the HUGE garden department. That counts doesn't it? I didn't lose anyone and the boys only picked the flowers off of at least 77 flower pots. Sorry Mr. Wal-Mart man!

We came home and while the baby napped, we planted the flowers and collected hundreds of doodle bugs. Some of which we will share with the other set of kids grandma. She will be so thrilled!

They are all sleeping right now, which is no small feat. They have been so good today, so when they wake up chocolate chip cookies will be waiting for them.

Hope your day is super!

Where has the time gone?

Tomorrow is a big day. Tomorrow my baby will be enrolled in Kindergarten. Noah is so excited and so ready to go. Mom and Dad are also very excited and know that he is ready to go as well. It really doesn't seem like 5 years have already gone by.

I worry how all of this will affect Camden. He has never been without his brother for so long. He has been Noah's shadow and has not really made his own decisions. This will be good for him, but it won't be easy.



On another note, the boys constantly make me laugh.

I was listening to them sing "This Little Light of Mine" one morning in Sunday school. Once Camden's "light" (finger) was lit, he then aimed it like a gun and proceeded to shoot the air. Then Ms. Shannon would re-light his finger and again he was shooting. I would like to think he was shooting the devil away...but I don't think so.

The next Sunday as the boys were singing, I rounded the corner to hear them singing "Deep and Wide,... Kapow, Deep and Wide... Kachow". Maybe we have seen the "Cars" movie one too many times.

I am not real thrilled that they have destroyed perfectly good Christian songs, but then again what can I do, they are boys.


_____________________________________

Camden is doing great with potty-training. It has almost been 3 weeks since he got serious and decided he didn't want to be a baby anymore. The first time he pooped in the potty, he gave us a lengthy list of all the rewards we had promised him over the past year. Boy, that kid is smart. So... we have been to Chuck E. Cheese several times, Planet Pizza, and he has consumed more ice cream and popcicles than the law allows we also have been to the all-time favorite, Toys R Us out pick out a toy. We are taking things slow and letting Camden make the decisions.

I will try to post more often. It has been busy lately and is likely to only get worse. I have been watching two extra kids three times a week. The oldest child is 4 and plays great with my boys. The baby is 7 months old and is just a sweetheart. We have enjoyed having them here and will miss them when they are gone in a few months.

Accidents not Illnesses

If it's not one it's the other.

Tuesday marked the first day back to school for the boys. They had a great first day! When I went to pick up Camden I had an incident report waiting for me to sign. Camden's description of the event went something like this:

"I was racing really fast and I got a broken tire."

The official report states that:

"After running full throttle, Camden tripped over a mat on the playground and badly scraped his arm and leg and he sustained a large bruise on his forehead."

I went to pick up Noah and he was also sporting a scraped arm from tripping over the same mat on the playground.

Brian returns home on Tuesday night from his basketball game with his arm swollen and immobile. He and another player tangled and went down to the ground with his teammate who is easily Brian's height and weighs more, landing on Brian's elbow. After an x-ray on Wednesday that ruled out any obvious breaks he is contemplating how to be a "lefty" for a few weeks.

That would bring us to Thursday. No signs of trauma on anyone yet, but it is still early. Camden did have a near miss on a tricycle at school today but it ended well. Playmates, a fence and a large parked SUV were all targets when Camden started pedaling downhill very fast with no chance of stopping (since he doesn't know how). I was told that he did a pretty good job of bobbing and weaving though!

Ants and Adhesives

Spring break has come and gone and we are now back to our routine. We didn't go away for spring break, just stayed home and caught up on a few projects. We tried to catch up on some sleep as well, but Gracie, the dog didn't allow us to do that.

The last I blogged she was getting sick in the backyard and I thought it was a one-time deal and she would be fine. I was wrong. She had eaten the burnt, blakened food that is in the bottom of our bbq grill, while we were cleaning it out. She was up every hour needing to go outside for at least two days. Then for the next 4-5 days she only needed out 4 times each night. She appears to be on the mend and I hope she has learned her lesson, although I am not holding my breath.

With spring, the ants have moved into our house. We think that we have them under control in one room and they appear in droves in another room. I awoke this morning to at least 200 ants in our bathroom. It gives me the creeps to see that many ants. Noah and Camden think having ants in the house is great and are proud to put on their bug collecting tools and go hunting for bugs.

Camden has a fascination with adhesives. Not long ago, I found that he had used a bottle of glue to hang his favorite artwork on our refrigerator. Luckily, I found it before the glue had time to dry and it was a fairly easy clean up.

Yesterday, Brian walked in the kitchen to find him wrappped up in scotch tape. He had pulled a VERY long piece of tape out of the dispenser and then was turning in circles trying to figure out what to do with it and got wrapped up in the tape. What a sight!

Hope this satisfies the blog nazi's out there. I will post again when there is something exciting going on.

To catch you up...

The boys have both been sick and after another visit to the Dr. today they are good to go. Noah got a clean bill of health and Camden has a sinus infection that will go away with drugs, Yeah!!!

Since they are better, we are going to take advantage of the beautiful weather today and play outside. The sunshine always makes me feel better and I need to get out and rake the leaves and clean up the porch after the long winter we had.

Another reason I may be feeling better is that I gave up breads and pasta for Lent. I have noticed that they tend to drag me down. I am eating lots of fruits and veggies and actually enjoying it, which surprises me, because I am not a huge fan of either.

Mark and Tiffany's pre-wedding festivities are in full swing. Brian and I enjoyed being part of each of their bachelor and bachelorette parties the past two weekends. They are very blessed to have a wonderful group of godly friends. Their wedding will be here before we know it!

Noah has been busy playing soccer. He is probably one of, if not the fastest kid on the team. His love of running is huge! He is still very cautious in a huddle of kids to kick the ball, which does not surprise us because he is not aggressive by nature.

Camden has been busy playing soccer as well, just not on any official team. He believes he is part of Noah's team and it is quite a challenge at practice and at games to keep him off the field. He is loving it and we can't wait until he is 3 so he can "officially" play. Watch out when he does play, because his aggressive nature will be something to watch on the field.

Some cute things the kids have said:

Noah - "Mommy, don't sign me up yet for the... snow... riding on the board... down the hill... sport yet. I haven't had enough practice for that yet."

Mommy- thinking to her self... "What? When have you ever snow-boarded?"


Camden - "Mommy, my ears are broken. Dr. Daniel needs to fix them, he has an ear tool to do that."

Calgon take me away...

I'm a bit grumpy today and not really liking life. Why?

I am functioning on about 3 hours sleep because we had a kid up sick all night.

There are two half naked kids running around the house wheezing, coughing and with nasty goo coming out of their noses.

They are currently underneath a pop-up basketball game that is about 4 ft. long and 2 ft. wide and they are running full tilt with total disregard for their lives and for the possessions in our house.

I see the E.R. room in our future today.

If we don't make it to the E.R. then we will be in the DR.'s office during nap time today. which is always a pleasant experience! I just love being confined to a 6 x 6 room with two sick, restless kids and nothing to occupy them.

We will be at the Dr.'s office so long that the exhaustion will turn into out of control energy when we get home and nap time will totally be lost.

There is a large brown dog out back throwing up. I am too tired to find out why.

Somebody slowed down the speed of the mouse for the computer and I am unhappy and frustrated.

It's only 10:30 a.m.

Funny, I don't like coffee ice cream all that well, my favorite is chocolate though.

You Are Coffee Ice Cream

Energetic and lively, you are always on the go. You're doing a million things at once and doing them well. You tend to motivate others and raise spirits. You are most compatible with chocolate ice cream.

What Flavor Ice Cream Are You?

Happy Valentine's Day

I was greeted to a sweet Valentine's surprise in my bed this morning. Both boys and Gracie were snuggled up warm watching a bit of T.V. Since I thought they looked so cute, I took them, minus Gracie, to Crispy Creme for a heart-shaped donut for breakfast. Gracie wasn't too happy!

After breakfast we headed home and I was surprised to find Tulip's, my favorite flower, waiting for me in the kitchen.

The kids had their school Valentine's Day parties yesterday and had a great time. They each made their own Valentine holders and a special present for Mom & Dad. Camden also made a "Love-bug" hat to wear for the festivities. They received lots of sweet treats from their friends that have caused quite a sugar high. They were sporting new red Valentine's shirts from their Great Nana & Great Papa, Thank You!!!

Tonight for dinner, Mommy is making a special dinner of Pork loin, potatoes, carrots, salad and dessert! Can't wait! We wish you a very special Valentine's Day!

Soccer mania

It's that time of year. The soccer craze has hit our house. Noah had his first game on Saturday and was completely wore out after running for approx. an hour. It may also have something to do with he is still fighting off a stomach virus.

Boy do I wish they let 2 year olds play soccer in our town. Everday for the last week Camden has been decked out in soccer gear. He "borrows" his brother's soccer socks and puts them on. They are so cute they go all the way up to his hips. He then puts on Noah's old soccer shoes, which are 3 sizes too big and Noah's soccer shirt from last season. Once he looks good he strikes a pose and yells "Soccer" and then runs as fast as he can go through the house kicking things.

Camden was not happy at all after Noah's soccer game. He kept telling me that "it made him sad". After much decoding of a 2 year olds language, I understood that he was sad because he was not asked to play and "kick the ball". He is keenly aware of the fundamentals of the game on and off the field. He told me tonight after I brought in the gatorade that I bought at the store that "soccer players drink one red drink at a time, only one mommy." O.k. buddy.

Gone from bad to worse

Well, we now have two sick kids with the stomach virus. It is funny how different they respond to the same virus. Without going into too much detail, they are both sick from different ends. Not pretty around here.

We have been through our fair share of Lysol, hand washing, baths, washcloths, towels, loads of laundry and the always popular B.R.A.T. diet, which no one seems to like. As I was sitting at the table this morning, I realized that I am the only one who hasn't had the virus yet. Not a welcome thought because I know what is to come!

Taking it easy

I am home today taking it easy with Camden. Turns out the defiant potty-training boy really wasn't being difficult at all, he has a stomach virus.

Poor little guy, it's not very often he just sits and wants to be read to or cuddled. I will indulge his every whim today and soak up his sweetness.

Potty training gone bad

I thought I would try a new tactic with Camden today. All we are lacking is for him to poop in the potty. So I decide to tell him that whenever he wanted too, it was alright to just go ahead in poop in his pull-up. Of course I got the response that I was looking for "no, I am going to use the potty". Great, now let's wait and see.

At lunch he started to go in his pull-up. I asked him if he wanted to go use the potty and he of course said "no". So, I then told him that if he continued to go in his pull-up that I would not change him until after his nap. He was going to have to sleep in it.

Sorry guys if this sounds harsh, but at this point we are trying everything!!!

He walked off and continued his business. Next thing I know Noah is hollering that Camden threw-up in the living room. I didn't hear any sounds of that nature and knew instantly what it was. Camden had a massive explosion in his pants that leaked all down his leg into his shoe and left a large puddle on the carpet. Yuck!

30 minutes later after cleaning Camden, the bathroom, the living room, and myself with disinfectant, Camden now is asleep with a clean pull-up on.

Camden won.

New tactic tomorrow.

I had that experience today...

You know the one... where your child is screaming so loud and your ears are ringing so much that you can't hear yourself think.

You know the one... where your child is screaming so loudly that the entire front quarter of Wal-Mart has stopped to watch you and see what is going on that makes him yell like that.

You know the one... where everyone has that look on their face like "why aren't you making him stop?"

You know the one... that there is no logical explanation for this situation, because after all what set him off is that you bought the wrong birthday card...and HE can't even READ!!!

You know the one... that the yelling lasts all the way into the parking lot and people again stop to stare and don't move because they are a. annoyed, b. stunned, or c. like to witness someone else having a bad day!

You know the one... where you have to physically restrain your kid in the car just to buckle him into his car seat. To the innocent bystander, it looks more like abuse but you know that it is love.

You know the one...where you hold your head up high and try to feel like you have control when inside you just want to melt away and it's only 9:30 a.m.!

You know the one... where 5 minutes down the road, he is still screaming and you are dreaming of your "happy place".

You know the ONE!

Nothing new to report

Just cruisin' along enjoying life at the moment. We are currently healthy and hope to stay that way.

Here is just a sample of what's been going on:

After a week without decent T.V. we finally broke down and got Dish. It's sad when Noah at age 5 can work the remote before his mom can. I asked him who taught him how to use it and he replied "I did it myself, mom". All right, then.

Camden is still defiant about potty training. He stays dry most of the time and changes his own pull "puu"-up on his own when he forgets to use the potty. However, he conveniently puts on real underwear right before he makes a stinky every time! I am running out of patience and underwear at this point.

Along the same line... Camden is getting tons of practice changing his own clothes everyday. He probably is going through at least 4 outfits a day. My washing maching hasn't had this much use since he was a newborn.

We bought Noah the first set of "Bob books" yesterday. The are learning to read books and the first book he zoomed right through. I already see glimpses into future homework issues though. He tends to loose patience when something doesn't come to him easy and then he shows his frustration.

I took the boys to story time yesterday and they did great sitting and listening to the stories. After, they received a picture to color and one crayon. Camden was quite offended by his color choice that he was given and made a point to stand in front of the crayon box and not move out of the way so the other kids could change their crayons. After trying the polite route with Camden, I just picked him up, slung him over my shoulder and off we went screaming through the store.

This next one might offend some, so sorry! This is just typical boy. Camden woke up the other morning still convinced that he is a race car. He then passed lots of gas and looked at me and said "Mommy, I am out of gas, I need to go fill up". You're right about that, buddy!

Last night for the first time Noah woke up and told me he had a nightmare about monsters. Camden was up about 3 times as well for some unknown reason. Wow, maybe Camden was Noah's monster. Would explain the unexplainable.

Well, sorry there is nothing exciting to report here. Please keep my friend Heather in your prayers. She has been in the hospital for too long and I pray that she has complete healing and is can be released soon.

I've Got Sunshine...

I have never been more happy to see sunshine and start a new week as I was yesterday.

Last week seemed to move at a snail' s pace . Camden recovered slowly from Pneumonia and didn't start to feel better until Saturday. The cold rainy weather outside didn't add anything positive to my attitude last week. I was excited to hear that the Lake came up by at least 7 feet, YEAH!!! To top it all off, our cable went out and we were without T.V. for two days. We finally figured out that our little 4 inch T.V. would get 5 channels and we cherished each one of them. Finally on Sunday after 7 days we got new channels to watch.

Saturday night I got a reprieve and spent a wonderful girls night out with friends eating Italian food and bowling. Thanks Tammy for the wine, it was a wonderful addition to dinner. Bowling was tons of fun and took me back in time to when I was a teenager and hung out at the bowling alley on the weekends being "cool". I felt so out of place Sat. night with all the teeny boppers there. I just wanted to shout "hey, I used to be cool like you!" It's great to be reminded of some of the fun times of the past.

Camden broke out with a rash on his body on Monday night. Tuesday we were back to the Doctor's office. Fortunately, he is not allergic to the antibiotic. It was a rash caused by the antibiotic but not an allergic rash. Any hoo... I am ready to have a healthy household and resume normal activities.

Keep that sun shining!

Winter Fun 2007

I woke up this morning startled to find a man crouching underneath the fort in our living room. I gave a shout and asked "what are you doing here?" Brian emerged and said "what?" Again, I asked "what are you doing here?" Brian said, "have you looked outside?" "Why would I look outside, I just woke up?" Well, it was a pretty site outside and Brian got to spend the day at home enjoying all the fun.

Noah was anxious to get outside and have some fun. We bundled up with our coats, scarves and mittens and headed outdoors. We sledded down the street, threw snowballs and built a pint-sized snowman in the front yard. Garcie, the dog got in on the action and took a few snowballs to the fur. Camden was a good sport and spent most of the time inside watching and cheering us on. Noah's said it best today with, "Mommy, winter activities are so much fun!"

Here are a few pics from today. Enjoy!

Cabin Fever

UGHHHHH!!! Get me outta here please!

It has been a LONG weekend and this week is shaping up to be long as well. With predicted freezing rain last weekend, we settled in for time with the family playing games, watching movies and eating warm hearty food. When all was said and done we enjoyed being together and were very disappointed in the "ice storm".

Monday morning came and with it the hope of getting out of the house. That hope unfortunately will have to wait until this weekend because Camden has come down with Pneumonia. I really don't like it when my kids are sick. I worry so much that I start to feel physically sick. Please pray that the illness stops here and doesn't spread to the rest of us.

A side note: since I will be spending so much time in the house this week, I think I will put that can of yellow paint in the garage to use and brighten up the living room. I can dream can't I?

I've been tagged...so here it goes...

ABC’s of Sharon:

A - AVAILABLE OR TAKEN: Taken for the last 15 years.

B - BEST FRIEND: Lots of really good friends, some of whom I have known for 24 years.

C - CAKE OR PIE: Dutch Apple Pie

D- DRINK OF CHOICE: Fuzzy Navel

E - ESSENTIAL ITEM YOU USE EVERYDAY: Deoderant

F - FAVORITE COLOR: Blue

G - GUMMY BEARS OR WORMS: Yuck to both!!!

H - HOMETOWN: Born in Chicago, IL

I - INDULGENCE: Book Club and Blogging

J - JANUARY OR FEBRUARY: February...any excuse for chocolate!

K - KID'S NAMES: Noah, Camden

L - LIFE INCOMPLETE WITHOUT: God and my family

M - MARRIAGE DATE: summer 1995

N - NUMBER OF SIBLINGS: One brother

O - ORANGES OR APPLES: Either one if someone cuts them up for me, otherwise, neither.

P - PHOBIAS OR FEARS: Elevators, Parking garages, Heights & being left alone

Q - FAVORITE QUOTE: None...I try not to retain too much information!

R - REASON TO SMILE: God is great!

S - SEASON: Spring

T - TAG 3 PEOPLE: Rebecca, Brooke & Laurie

U - UNKNOWN FACT ABOUT ME: I do not wash my feet or legs.

V - VEGGIE I DON'T LIKE: Tomatoes

W - WORST HABIT: Picking at my cuticles and nails

X - XRAYS: Too many recently.

Y - YOUR FAVORITE FOOD: anything Italian

Z - ZODIAC: Leo

Tidbits

Noah-

"This is going to make me cry." His words uttered after watching the Santa Clause movie. So like his mama. Anything sentimental makes me cry... those darn Hallmark commercials are the worst!

His favorite activity right now is to run as fast as he can. This means making hundreds of laps in the house or out in the yard. At school, he simply loves to chase the girls around the playground or roll down the grassy hill with his buddies. Why didn't I buy stock in bleach for grass stains? He is engrossed with his Leapster L-Max and is learning volumes from the educational games he is playing. He will sit for long periods of time and put together intricate Lego designs.

He is very protective and a bit bossy of his brother. His love and patience for Camden is enormous! Noah is still afraid to be left alone or go to the other side of the house by himself. All normal fears that will eventually fade.

Camden-

He honestly believes that he is "Lightning McQueen", the race car. He repeats constantly "I am speed" and then races off to make hundreds of laps with Noah. His imagination is enormous. He changes his tires complete with sound effects and makes up stories to go along with his races.

He is still potty training not because he isn't ready but because he just simply makes the rules. Camden does what Camden wants. It is as simple as that. This can be very frustrating as a parent or down right comical.

He loves to be cuddled and read too. He constantly surprises me with his knowledge. He told me and my mom the letter names of a word he was looking at and looked up to see us staring at him with our mouths open. We haven't been working on letters and I had no idea he knew what they were.

Sharon -

I am awaiting the results of an x-ray to see if I have any markers for Rheumatoid arthritis. Since I was pregnant with Camden, my hands have always fallen asleep. Recently they have become painful up past my elbow. I have trouble getting a good nights sleep when my arms fall asleep about 40 times a night. It is probably Carpal Tunnel syndrome, but he wants to rule the other possibility out.

Brian -

I just praise God that he is healthy. It seems the past few years, he has been sick most of the winter. He is getting back in the grove of working and teaching lessons. Spring break is not far off and I also look forward to having him home with us.

A New Year...

with it brings..

the wonderful weight losing stomach bug,

the ever popular virus that lingers on and on,

a letter from the city followed by two days of back breaking work for Brian and his dad to fix our fence,

a bruised cheek for Noah,

a cut cheek for Camden,

thousand of Christmas tree needles that I am tired of looking at

and the hope for better days ahead!

Christmas Festivities

Wow, what a whirlwind this last month of 2006 has been. Our family has enjoyed so many holiday traditions. Here is a little taste as to what we have been up to.

Brian's Orchestra played for the annual Christmas tree lighting for a neighboring town. The kids went with Tutu and I to see them play. Dudu and Gigi joined us to share in the excitement. Santa arrived on a fire truck and Noah and Camden were number 3 & 4 in line to sit on his lap and tell him what they wanted for Christmas. Noah asked for a remote-controlled dinosaur and Camden asked for a hot air balloon.

We celebrated as a family at our Church's first annual family Christmas party. We again got to see Santa and the wish list didn't change. Camden did however add the Little Mermaid to his request. The adults had fun playing a "get-to-know" you game while the kids reveled in their activities and games just for them.

The celebration continued with a Birthday party for Jesus at church on Sunday morning. Complete with cupcakes and gifts to present to baby Jesus.

This time of year would not be complete without ventuing out to see Christmas lights. We went to two different neighborhoods this year. Noah was so much fun to listen to as we drove around. "Mommy, this is the best Christmas ever" or "Wow, look at all those lights" or "Look over here, look over there", it never stopped. An hour and half later he was still going strong and just as excited as ever. We stopped at a house we visisted last year to ride a train that the homeowner had assembled in his back yard. Noah remembered this house from last year and was just beside himself to visit again this year. Camden also enjoyed it, being a little older this year I am sure he will remember it also next year.
My grandparents arrived and the activities continued. Cookie baking was in full swing. Christmas is just not complete without having grandma's cookies. Mark, Tiffany, Brian and I joined the kids in icing the cut-out cookies. Wow, that was fun...the creativity just overwhelmed me...well, maybe not! Just kidding! Last minute shopping was done, all the wrapping was done and we were ready for Christmas Eve and Christmas day.


After a wonderful morning at church singing all my favorite carols, we headed over to Dudu and Gigi's house to celebrate with Brian's family. We enjoyed good food and had a great time watching the kids open their gifts. Next we headed over to Brian's Great Aunt's house for more fun with cousins. I look forward to this event every year. About 30 of us celebrated with even more food, presents and good fun. We got home late, put out milk, cookies and reindeer food and went to bed.

Christmas morning came early at around 7 a.m. The kids were so excited to see what Santa had brought them. We opened gifts after singing "Happy Birthday" to baby Jesus. I think this is wonderful tradition that Noah suggested. The kids got most of what they were expecting and a few suprises as well.




We drove over to my parents around 10, just in time to open a few more presents and have a wonderful turkey dinner. After lunch, there were more gifts to open and then much needed naps to take. It was a wonderful way to wrap up the Christmas season being with family.

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas from our family to yours!

"O" as in "Oh NO!!!"

We have been out to eat twice in the last 6 weeks and both have ended badly. The two common denomiators with these restaurants is that they both start with the letter "O" and Camden.

The first adventure started when we were eating and Camden informed me that he was "making a bad decision". "What would that be?", I asked. "I'm going potty in my pull-up", says Camden. Not a big deal right? Well, it wouldn't have been if he didn't just poop and have it run up his back and down his legs. It gets better... I don't have the diaper bag!!! So, Brian takes him to the car and cleans him up with napkins from the bar and we head home with a naked child in the back seat. We vowed NEVER to leave home without the diaper bag again!!!

The second adventure happened today when we got up to leave from lunch. You guessed it, Camden repeated the same incident in his pull up. Only this time it is also on the restaurant high-chair as well. We clean him best we can at the table with all the wipes that we had. Brian then takes him to the men's restroom to disrobe him and clean him with paper towels. After requesting two large bags from the restaurant to hold all the unthinkables, Camden comes out sporting a pull-up and winter coat.

So, what is the moral to the story. I don't know! You can't possible have enough diapers or wipes to make either of these stories have happy endings. All you can do about it is laugh.

Letters to Santa

Yesterday was an exciting day at our house. The kids wrote and mailed their letters to Santa Claus. Camden pretty much just colored all over his paper and the kitchen table but had lots of fun doing so. When asked what he wanted for Christmas, his response was "balloons". Well, O.K.

Noah wrote his letter by himself and asked for:

A remote controlled train
A remote controlled dinosaur
Diego's Rescue center

then he had Mommy write the rest:

Electric racetrac
pages 1-25 of the Toys R Us catalog... you get the picture.

So, the wait is on for the big man in the red suit to arrive. Camden asks every night before bed if Santa is coming tomorrow. I can't wait to tell him "Yes!"

Thanksgiving, cross-dressing & that Christmas feeling

Yes, we are still here. Just a little bit busy this time of year.

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving. We drove to East Texas and spent three days at Duane and Peggy's lake house. The kids had a blast. Camden alternated between sitting on the tractor or going for a ride on the four wheeler. Noah equally enjoyed both of those but also had lots of fun with a "treasure finder" a.k.a. metal dectector. He just thought he was in high cotton when he found pencils and metal and all kinds of cool stuff buried in the dirt. Gracie went along for the ride this year. That is a blog in itself. Gracie and car riding don't go together very well. She HAS to sit in the front seat and that just wasn't happening this time. She managed to stuff herself between the kids carseats with her hiney sitting on the back seat, her front feet sitting on the floor of the back seat and her head up between Brian and I in the front seat. Once we got out of the car she had just as much fun as the kids exploring all the smells of wild animals in the country.


About the cross-dressing, this is what I found when I stepped out of the shower yesterday:



Camden, just loves to wear everyone's shoes. He just added a little sequin handbag to the ensemble yesterday!

I have been very busy volunteering at church and loving it! Last friday night, the culmination of lots of prayer and hard work came together when we launched the first ever Kid's Korner at Dickensfest. It was a huge success with so many people from the community coming into the church and participating. Now that it is behind me, I am starting to get ready for Christmas.

Noah has been asking to put the Christmas decorations up for about a week. I explained that it would be about a week before we could get to it. Well, one day last week I got out 2 decorations and he was just so excited. That night he asked is he could talk to god. So, he began praying and this is what he said:

"Thank you God that mommy found 2 Christmas decorations, please help her find the rest of them soon. Amen"

That night Brian and I got the decorations out of the attic and we were startled to see that we had just shoved the tree intact up into the attic. So, we pulled it down and put it in the living room. The next morining when Noah woke up he walked into the living room and said "Unbelievable!" His prayer had been answered.

Brian's mom and Ross are here visiting this week. It is always wonderful to spend time them.

http://www.photoshow.net/alwaysamoment

Noah's big day

Today my baby is 5 years old. Wow, where has the time gone? It feels like yesterday I was laying in the hospital for 4 days waiting to welcome him into this world.

Dear Noah,

I am so thankful that God has blessed me with the opportunity to be your mother. Since your birth, you have brought unending joy into so many people's lives. It has been so much fun to watch you grow and mature into the big boy that you are. You have such a compassionate heart for your friends and family. I love that you are always thinking of other peoples feelings first. Your love of learning keeps me in awe. Your mind is like a sponge soaking in everything around you and then at a drop of hat, pulling that knowledge out and using it.

Noah, you are a great big brother to Camden and I am so proud that you are my son. May all your wishes come true today. Happy 5th Birthday to my little "pumpkin eater". I love you.

Love,
Mommy

Noah and his friends went bumper bowling today for his birthday. They all had such a great time. It was too cute to watch them huddle around the ball return, very possessive of every ball. Daddy made a Lightning McQueen and TowMater cake, complete with mud tracks behind TowMater and Lightning's number in sprinkles. After opening presents and playing a few video games, we headed home and crashed. Here are a few pics. from the day.





This picture cracks me up! While Noah was opening his presents, Camden was confiscating them behind his back!





Opening a present from Tutu and Ross!




Bowling with friends from school.





Daddy's cake creation.




Happy Birthday, Noah!

My little Turkey

Isn't he just the cutest little turkey you've every seen?

One year ago today, on November 17, 2005 we were introduced to ECI (speech therapist). A year later on November 17, 2006, Camden has been released from speech.

We have had many challenges over the last year with Camden's speech. We faced each challenge head on and I am so proud of how far he has come. When we first started speech he was 19 months old and was talking on the same level as a 9-12 month old child. Today, Camden is 30 months old and he is talking on the level of a 34 month old. We were also told that he is "smart as a whip" and ahead of his peers in intellect as well. Since he is now able to communicate and be understood, he is truly a happier child! We are so proud of you Camden!!!

We have had a busy week. Thursday, Brian was able to join me at the boys pre-school for their Thanksgiving dinner. The teachers made the turkey and the parents each brought a side and about 100 parents and kids sat down and had dinner. It was wonderful!

Friday, Noah celebrated his 5th birthday at school. He brought cupcakes and juice boxes and we all sang Happy Birthday and ate!!!

Tomorrow is the big day. I can't believe Noah will be 5! We are all ready to go bumper bowling and have a big time. I will post more on this later.

Congratulations, Mark & Tiffany!

I am bursting with pride to announce the engagement of my brother Mark to his fiance, Tiffany. Their patience and obedience to God has brought them together and we couldn't be happier for the two of them.

Mark and Tiffany make a wonderful team together. Along with their love for God, they share a passion for kids that includes the youth at their church. They enjoy running together and never turn down an opportunity to socialize with friends and family.

A spring wedding is being planned. I will keep everyone posted in the coming months.

Congratulation, Mark & Tiffany! We love you!!!

Dinner is served!

This is one of "those moments" that happened today. This picture doesn't really do the damage justice. Spagetti-0's were on the wall, floor, table, 2 chairs, window, window-sill and the plant in the corner (not pictured). This is one moment I wish everything in my kitchen wasn't white. Not really sure what happened... dinner was going great until I turned my back. I won't mention which child it was, but you can probably guess!

Just go on and help yourself to a little bit of candy!

I couldn't resist this one last picture from Halloween. I didn't notice until today what Gracie (the dog) is doing in the picture.

Feeling better and looking ahead.

Tuesday brought back our routine. The kids both went to school and I returned to work. Noah is finally over his virus and Camden is so much better but still has a lingering cough. As it would happen, I don't feel that great. My ultrasound came back clear and now I am waiting to see if I need to have a lower bowel series done.

___________________________

I can't believe Thanksgiving is just around the corner. Next week the kids have a Thanksgiving dinner at school and then we have the real thing a week later! I have some wonderful memories growing up of all getting together at my grandparents house and having a wonderful turkey dinner. Of course, I had to sit at the kids table but it didn't matter we were all together. After dinner, most of us would fall asleep in front of the t.v. watching "the football" game of choice. Not much has changed from when I was little. I still look forward getting together with relatives and just spending the day together.

What are your favorite memories or traditions on Thanksgiving?

Monday morning news

Noah is on his way to recovery. He still has a lingering cough that will go away with time.

Camden, I am happy to say has been fever free since Saturday. However, his sinuses are very congested and now he has the nasty cough. He feels pretty yucky as evidenced by his lack of eating and not torturing his brother. He would rather lay on the couch or look at a book.

I had an ultrasound this morning and am waiting for the doctor to call with the results.

Not much else to report here. We are happy for the rain we had last night and this morning. I am also looking forward to getting out this evening and being with other adults at book club. I need some "me" time.

Updates

Thursday was just plain bad. Enough said.

Friday... Camden seems to be keeping his fever around 101 at the most. He has actually been running and playing. He still is not eating much and stops and lays down quite often. He is currently down for a nap. He has awaken the last two days from his nap with a fever of at least 103. I pray today will be different.

Noah is a mystery. No fever, no outward signs of being sick except for his cough. So, we are just continuing breathing treatments.

I went to see a Gastro Dr. yesterday about my pain in my right abdomen. He actually felt a "pea-sized" begnin tumor in a fatty area. He said it wasn't anything to be concerned about. I am scheduled for an Ultrasound on Monday to take another look at my Gall bladder and Colon. After that, I will have a small bowel series done to explore my colon further. The CT scan would have picked up any tumors or cancers so no need to worry in that area. A colonoscopy is not necessary and I am also glad for that!!!

As if we don't already have enough on our plate with sick kids, Brian is working and we are also dog sitting this weekend. So, if you find the time today to say a prayer for our family we would be grateful.

Can we go back to October?

November has been ushered in at our house with high fevers and unstoppable coughing spells. Camden has been hovering around 102-104 all day and dipping down to 100-101 with Tylenol. A trip to the doctor brought no relief because he didn't have enough symptoms to warrant an antibiotic except for fever and tight chest.

Noah had been trying to catch a cold for about a week and it finally took hold of him last Friday night. We have had several all nighters in a row and the "cloud machine"a.k.a. nebulizer has been dusted off and is running non-stop between both kids.

Brian and I are keeping up the best we can between having little sleep and the anxiety that comes with having children sick. We are doing our best to stay healthy, but I am not optimistic that we will get through this without catching it ourselves.

Please keep us in your prayers.