He's not divulging exact numbers but he will say it was no less than 12 donuts consumed in an 8 hour period. Breakfast, pre-lunch, lunch, post-lunch, and just because!
Say a little prayer for Brian's stomach today.
What is your limit?
Here are a few highlights from the weekend:
Good Friday- We enjoyed having Brian off work for the day. Brian typically plays catch-up with the "honey-do" list on his days off, and this day was no exception. After completed, the rest of the day was spent coloring easter eggs, playing outside on the swing-set, in the sandbox, riding bikes, hitting baseballs, etc. Sharon found time to go get a new shorter, sassy, different colored hairdo. As evening rolled around, Sharon and the kids visited her parents church to hear her parents sing with their choir. It was a very moving dramatic performance that ended with all the lights out while you exited the sanctuary. Brian played with our church band at another service across town.
Saturday - Brian and my parents brought the kids to the Easter egg hunt that Sharon, Uncle Mark and Tiffany helped to put on through our church. It was a huge success!!! There were probably about 150+ people who came out to do crafts, play games, eat a snack, listen to the Easter story and then hunt for eggs. It was a great outreach project for many from the community who came and participated.
After the hunt, we came back to the house for more fun playing outside. Sharon started tackling the project of painting Camden's dresser and night-stand and was excited to see what it will look like finished. After a steak & potato dinner, we all hit the sack in anticipation of the Easter Bunny's arrival.
Easter Sunday - 6:00 a.m., the Easter Bunny had been heard on the roof hopping and woke Noah up. Noah & Camden found lots of treats left for them as well as lots of eggs hidden. The Easter Bunny actually hid real eggs and Camden had a joy throwing them on the ground, cracking them. (Mommy will be making egg salad real quick!) We all got dressed and off to church we went.
After church, we headed to my parents house, where we enjoyed ribs, brisket, potatos, salad, deviled eggs and strawberry shortcake with ice cream for dessert. We had good fellowship with my parents, Aunt Wendy, Uncle Mark and "Aunt" Tiffany.
After Lunch, the "little" boys drove their RC truck around outside and tried to fly a kite. Camden's mission was to run wild outside, which would have been fine if he had kept his hat on (it was only a balmy 95 degrees!) But noooo, he would run off and someone would have to chase after him to put the hat on. On my turn to chase, I did a not so graceful tackle of Camden that scored a nice BIG scrape on my knee and lots of dirt all over me. Afterwards, Noah watched "Chicken Little" while Camden went exploring inside Nana's house.
The "big" boys, watched as dad drove out his new tractor complete with wagon carrying shotguns and a clay pigeon thrower. They had a good time shooting clay pigeons out in the yard. Tiffany is quite a shot and much tougher than I. After watching for awhile, I thought I would give it a try. The shotgun was much heavier than it looked and took quite a bit of strength for me to hold up. After a quick lesson, I yelled "ok" to release the clay, aimed and fired. I did not hit the clay, but was close. I did however, scream, get knocked backwards and think my arm was going to be ripped off! That is the most insane sport I have ever been apart of. There is no fun in pain! One time was enough for me!
Camden sacked out in the car at 6:00 p.m. and slept until 7:00 a.m. Monday morning. Noah came home to eat everything in sight because he wouldn't eat at Nana/Papa's house because he might miss something. It was a great weekend and we wish your family a Happy Easter!
Why is it that when you don't feel well, talk on the phone or HAVE to get something done that the kids decide to forget all their manners and turn into uncontrollable strangers. I had a few of those such "moments" today, that I am trying to forget.
First, I awoke not feeling so well. Being a mom, that is not really an option and makes trying to get through the day even more trying than usual. I should have known it was going to be one of those days when Noah was already sitting in time-out at 7:15 a.m.
We drove up to the church so that I could have a short conversation with the pastor and collect a craft project that I was going to cut out for the church Easter egg hunt this Saturday. Well, I showed up in the office with two children that I know I did not give birth to. Plain and simple, they were out of control! Standing on chairs, turning the lights on & off, touching everything in sight, being dis-respectful while her and I were trying to talk, etc. I was simply not fast enough or smart enough to keep a step ahead of them today. It was a very humbling experience.
Next, we headed off to the grocery store. I just think the carts that resemble fire trucks are the greatest thing since sliced bread. They totally entertain my kids and make shopping so much easier. Today, that was not the case. As I was walking done the wine/spirits aisle, ( I was just passing through the aisle, not buying anthing) there was a woman standing checking out the different wines. Noah yells out "Move out of the way, Lady!" To say I was mortified would be an understatement. I quickly said, "Noah, we say excuse me". His reply was "whatever". I know he didn't learn that from me! At this point, I should have just bought a bottle of wine and maybe things would have been better. Just kidding.
It has been a very long day. I am looking forward to 8:30 p.m. BEDTIME!!!
Brian and I awoke at 6:25 a.m. to that phrase being uttered by Camden, who was laying on the floor of his room peaking underneath the closed door. We both layed in bed pondering if that is what he really said or were we dreaming it. (clearly, he has never said this before)
Camden must have been reading our minds because he said even louder, "I WANT OUT". It couldn't have been any clearer, what were we thinking?
All my shopping excursions have paid off with the kids. A big boy bed was purchased for Camden this weekend as well as his new bedding. The above picture shows the bed, however his is a wood color without the side rails. I have decided to do a wild west theme, with the above print as the inspiration. He is going to have a denim comforter with red/ecru check sheets and accented with the cowpoke pillow and a chocolate brown pillow. I have lots of painting to do in the next three weeks. His dresser, night-stand and walls of his room will all be a different color. I can't wait to see the finished product.
Noah had two soccer games this weekend, with one of them resembling an actual game. The kids were really doing great stopping the ball and turning the ball around and kicking it in the correct direction. It is fun to watch your child's personality come out in sports. Noah is a very cautious child who also happens to be a "follower". He wants to do whatever his buddy is doing and if he could, he would even try to stand in the same space that his buddy is occupying.
We have had a host of doctor's appt's last week and this week. Brian, hopefully is on the mend. He says he feels like Superman on steroids. After this second round of antibiotics, we are hoping that his throat feels better.
I have been to the doctor as well and will go back for tests this week. Hopefully I will have some answers fairly soon as to what is causing me pain.
The dogs have not been exempt from the doctor's office either. Gracie has been three times in the last week fighting allergies. After a shot in the hiney she is feeling better temporarily. She seems to be allergic to grass and pollen. Poor thing was so miserable.
Hope everyone's weekend was great. We are looking forward to Easter and spending time with family.
Shopping with kids adds a whole different dimension to motherhood. I use to love to shop. I still enjoy it, however it is a bit more of a challenge with two in tow. I have never let having kids stop me from doing what I want or need to do to. I just wait a little longer before I have to shop and make ALL of my stops at one time. Some of you know what I am talking about.
After I dropped Noah off at pre-school today, Camden and I went shopping. I have started shopping for a bed and bedding for Camden's big boy room. I thought I had found the right bed today, however, after talking to Brian tonight I am more confused than ever. Children's bedding... you've got to be kidding! There are a thousand different options to choose from. I had wanted to get something that he could use until he was 10 or 11, but then I look at all the cute toddler bedding! My head is spinning!!!
On a postivie note... I ordered Camden's 2nd birthday cake today. It is so cute. I had no problem picking out which cake would be perfect for Camden. It is a 3-D truck cake. He LOVES TRUCKS!!! I can't wait to post pictures after the party.
I am going to venture out shopping tomorrow with both kids. I know am temporarily insane! Wish me luck.
After recovering from the stomach virus on Friday, Sharon felt well enough to venture out and try camping with the family and the church sunday school class. We all loaded in the car and drove the 70 miles to Lake Texoma. We pitched our tent and then went to have some fun. We had a TOTAL BLAST watching the kids have fun. They played on the playground, went for a hike and pitched rocks in the lake, Camden emptied the eggs out of the cooler (thankfully they were hard-boiled) and Noah tried to avoid coming into contact with any of the living creatures that the other kids were collecting. We always knew where Camden was... with the food! That child ate more than all of us combined. At one point, Brian had filled his plate with food, set it down in his chair and walked off to get a drink. Camden took the five Oreo cookies and shoved them into his mouth and Brian didn't realize they were gone for about 5 minutes. All that was left was a black mustache on Camden's face.
We settled in for the night and everyone fell asleep in the tent relatively easily for being our first time camping together. I never realized how loud it is to sleep outside. The wind blowing is louder than you think. We could hear a train in the distance, boats on the lake and coyotes howling. The second TOTAL BLAST came when at about 3:00 a.m. Noah woke Brian up to tell him he needed to go the bathroom. After much discussion about how far it is and we would have to take the car to get there, Noah just threw-up all over the tent!
Soooo... we all got in the car and went to the bathroom. At the bathroom, Brian said he wasn't feeling so well either. We made the decision to pack everything up and go home so that they could be sick at home. At 3:30 a.m. we disassembled a 30 foot tent, air mattress, pack & play, sleeping bags, chairs, bags, toys, games, etc. and loaded everything in the car. During the loading process, Sharon had an encounter with a living creature in the woods that she will not soon forget. We also managed to pack and leave without waking any other campers up.
I wish I could say the trip home was uneventful, but I can't. Noah was sick about every 15 minutes, Brian left his stomach some where along the highway in Van Alstyne, Texas and we shared the car ride with lots of living creatures we picked up in the State park.
Some good news to report... Noah is feeling better as of 5:00 p.m. Sunday. Brian, on the other hand is not doing so well. He is having trouble getting out of bed and is very weak. He also is not thrilled with nurse Sharon telling him he "must drink more fluids". This will not deter us from future camping trips. We will be sure to pack lots of extra clothes and towels on our next trip.
We had a TOTAL BLAST!
Our family was all packed and looking forward to going on a camping trip this weekend when Noah started coughing several days ago. As the days went by, he wasn't showing much sign of improvement. He would be totally crushed if he did not get to go camping! As Friday approached, I lay in bed Thursday night and prayed that God would "without a doubt show me whether our family should go on this trip." Well, he revealed his answer not through Noah but through myself. At 3:30 a.m., I was struck with "the stomach virus" that is going around. There will be no camping for our family this weekend. We will re-evaluate how we feel Saturday morning and may drive up and spend the day. God doesn't answer our prayers as we want them to be answered, he has his own plan for us, and I accept that.
Here's the set-up for the soccer game today:
1. There has been much discussion about where is the ball and which direction do we go with the ball.
2. There has been even more discussion as to who our team-mates are.
3. Both teams have been out of bounds more than in-bounds.
4. Lots of team members have been flat on the ground. (I secretly think they liked rolling in the grass)
5. One bloody nose. ( ...on the other team, awesome kick by-the-way)
6. Three crying, screaming, hysterical children. (Yes, Noah was one of them)
and then...
during the third period .. . Noah gets the ball and races down field, he shoots, he SCORES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The only goal the Tigers scored today! We are so proud of him.
P.S. Camden was also so excited that he provided us with a little present of his own. Unfortunately, I did not have an extra change of clothes and so he ended up wearing Noah's sweatpants and his winter coat. Note to Mommy, make sure you have more than 5 wipes in the wipes case, a trash bag, an extra set of clothes, a changing pad and lots of disinfectened before leaving the house!
It has not been an easy week at our house. The kids have been in rare form all week. Discipline has been in full force with little respect for it from the boys. Today, I decided we needed a change of scenery. So, I took the boys to the mall. They did great! We checked out the Disney store, rode the train and watched the fish swim around in their tank. As we were watching the fish, a security guard came over and gave Noah a handful of pennies and told him to make a wish and throw them into the wishing well.
"What is a wish, mommy?" says Noah.
"A wish is something that you would like to have" says Mommy.
He begins to make wishes and throws them into the well. Typical things like:
" I wish for, pizza, ice cream, a birthday cake, a train"
Not so typical things like:
" a tunnel"
" a river"
"a light bulb"
" a really BIG, big boy stroller" ( I think he is tired of watching Camden ride while he has to walk)
"for Camden to be a big boy" ( I think he secretly wants Camden to walk so he can ride)
After all the wishes, Noah announces "making wishes sure does make me hungry". I agreed, so off to McDonlad's we went!
We started speech therapy a little over three months ago for Camden. At that time he was saying vertually nothing out of his mouth and almost everything in his throat. Today, he only said ONE word in his throat!!!! He is saying two and three word combinations and is interacting during story time! He has made such progress in such a short time, I am so proud of him.
With that being said, we still have a long way to go and lots of things to work on. He refuses to make a "T' sound and I believe it is just him being stubborn. I will have to find a way to be creative and make him say the sound. He may be strong-willed, but he is dealing with a mother who is his equal! I thanked the therapist today because we will not be seeing her again. (We will have a new therapist next week, which I am sure will bring some back-tracking with it). She has definitely helped to improve our lives as far as giving me the tools to help Camden communicate. The temper tantrums have diminished since he has started to feel confident that we understand him and that always makes life a little easier.
I am also so proud of Noah. He is such a great big brother to Camden. Every opportunity he gets, he labels things and has Camden repeat the word. Noah has such a compassionate heart for people and truly loves helping his brother learn. I couldn't ask for anything more.
Nothing real though-provoking going on here, just a little bit of hard work and fun.
Noah is off on spring break this week and as of Wednesday we have enjoyed playing with several different friends that we haven't gotten together with in a while. We tried to go to the park on Wed. morning and found out that it was COLD!
I am still "spring cleaning". I have tackled our closet, Noah's room & closet and the dining room. Noah's closet is a beautiful thing right now. I am sure it will not stay that way long. My goal has been to get the toys out of the living room, kitchen, dining room, bathrooms, laundry room, our room, etc. and into the kids rooms and more specifically into their closets. Soooooo, finally, in Noah's closet there is a space for everything. Camden's closet is going to be a bit of a challenge, but I am up for it though.
We are currently doing a study in my women's group about having a Mary heart in a Martha world. I am such a Martha as you can see by my current post. I am looking forward to this study and seeing what God will reveal to me on how to slow down and sit at his feet.
Hope everyone is doing well. Have a great week!
Noah took his Daddy as show and tell to school this week.
Well actually, Daddy and a few of his instruments. Brian took a Violin, Viola and Cello to demonstrate to the kids and then let each kid play a little song on the instrument. It just happened that they were also learning the letter "V" this week ( Violin, Viola). Noah was sooo proud to have Brian as show and tell.
If you look close at the front of the picture, you will see Camden sitting on the chair not paying attention. This is normal behavior for a 22 month old. However, what is going through my son's head at this time is "how can I run wild through the room and try to tear all the cool pictures off the wall without getting caught by mom." You can imagine what happened next. Yes, he went nuts! He even got the door opened that the teacher closed and took off down the hall. Not once, twice or three times.... try five times!!! He kept ending up in the 2-year old room (imagine that) and on the fifth time we introduced ourself to that teacher. She looked at me funny when I asked her if she had a baby gate for her room. (I didn't have the heart to tell her he would be hers for 4 hours a day twice a week in the fall.
Brian finished up his spring break by taking Noah and John (papa) to the Dallas Zoo. He really enjoyed taking both boys to Chuck E. Cheese for a birthday party on Saturday (wink, wink).
It is back to work on Monday for Brian. We will miss him bunches!!!!!
Brian has been on spring break this week from work. He probably will tell you that he worked harder this week than any week he has been in school. I would have to agree with him on this.
Monday we took Noah to the pulmonologist. Had a LONG but productive visit. Heard good news and it was good to hear that I have been doing all the "right" things for Noah.
The rest of the week has been spent cleaning out the kid's baby things. We have unloaded closets, the attic, toy boxes, etc. and took everything that someone 18 months and younger could play with or wear, to a consignment sale. "Come on shoppers, please buy our stuff!" Noah had a really hard time saying good-bye to things he has not played with in a year. Mom did not!!! You don't realize how much stuff is hidden in boxes, under beds, in closets, and under the couch!
I am a woman on a mission. Spring-time always gets me in the mood to clean. My goal for the next several weeks is to de-clutter this house. Everything is finding a home and lots of things are going in the trash or to the church garage sale. I am tired of looking at all this stuff! It is going to be a mammoth project, but I look forward to the end result! Does anyone else get this way in the spring or is it just me?
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FIRE!
Just one of those moments...
All their fire-drill practicing paid off this morning at Noah's pre-school. A grass fire broke out right in front of his pre-school. 911 was called, and all the kids lined up outside and watched as the fireman arrived in their big red fire-truck. Noah said it was "cool" watching the fireman use the "big hose to squirt the fire". I am thankful it was not more serious.
HERE WE GO AGAIN!!!
About a month ago, I was looking through the kids medical history for the last two years and noticed that we frequent Dr. D's office in March more than our share. So, I have been preparing for the worst this March. It looks like I did not have to wait long.
March 1st - Camden & Noah play outside in beautiful 88 degree weather.
March 2nd - 7:00 a.m. -Camden wakes up barking like a seal!
12:00 p.m. -Trip to Dr. D's office. We left with five prescriptions that should last us for 10 days. Poor Noah didn't even escape unharmed, he had a Hep A. shot that mommy remember he needed for school. He was not happy! I thought he was going to kung-foo me and the nurse trying to hold him down.
Camden has to stay inside until he is symptom free. It is a shame that he will not get to enjoy this fantastic weather. He is on a preventative med, so maybe next March will be different.
Please pray for strength, good health and wisdom for our family during March.
Noah
* He has almost learned all of the phonic sounds for the letters in the alphabet. He will tell you what letter a word starts with and whether that word has two of those letters in it. He also loves to play the games on "Behind the Lions" and can insert the missing vowel or consanent in a word. The beginning of reading is happening and it is happening fast.
* One of his most favorite things to do is count to 100 over & over.
* He proudly tells anyone every new word Camden is learning. He also likes to sit with Camden and have Camden repeat words that he is saying.
* He is soooo excited about soccer and looks forward to hopefully playing a game in the near future. (Rain, please hold off this weekend.)
* He is so close to being potty-trained at night!
* When thrown a baseball underhanded he will hit it with a bat a LONG way!
* His favorite T.V. show right now is "Diego" and "The Amazing Race" which he enjoys watching with mommy.
* He is struggling wanting to go the bed by himself. He is waking up at 4:32 a.m. every morning and trying to sleep in our bed. (Not happening!)
* He loves to be read to!
* He is a very sensitive, loving, intelligent, thoughtful child.
Camden
* He is exploding with words. After several weeks of not progressing he has caught up and is flying high! He still will not say any "T" words or for some unknown reason, "bird".
* He adores Gracie, our lab. He gets so tickled playing catch, tug-of-war and keep-away with her.
* He is starting to go in the potty.
* He misses his brother when Noah is not around.
* He loves to bring you books, sit in your lap and be read to.
* He is very routine oriented and will let you know when you have skipped something.
* His favorite toys are trains, a Home-Depot van, a Harley Davidson bike and his block truck.
* He loves to go outside and play.
* He has to go to sleep with his purple blanket, his plane blanket, his "ba" and the light on.
* He is a very loving, strong, smart, happy little boy.
Thank you Lord, for providing me with two incredible children. I am humbled that you thought me worthy enough to raise them and guide them back to you. I grow stronger everyday in my faith, knowing the sacrifice your son made for me and my children. You are an awesome God!
Amen.
