Sunday, December 14, 2008

Let it snow!

It started snowing in the afternoon last Wednesday, and it didn't quit until after 10 p.m. What a treat! Now if we could only get some mountains here, Scott would feel at home.


Ian showing his bunny the snowflakes.
We also thought hurricanes never hit Houston... guess it really is time to get serious about food storage!

Wednesday, December 10, 2008

Giveaways!

Like cool blogs and free stuff? Check out this giveaway, and this one too! Hurry though, the contests are already underway.

I won body balm and hand soap earlier this week and received the delightful package from The Soap Seduction in the mail today! Thank you, Smitten Blog Designs, for the beautiful templates and your awesome 12 Day Give-Oh-Giveaway!

sick for 10 days = folding laundry for 10 years

I warned him not to push it over...


Thanks for all your well-wishes. We are all doing much better.

Saturday, December 6, 2008

Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day... part deux

Thanks to this classic book for this post title.


Joseph has an ear infection. And RSV.

RSV is scary in such a young baby. And poor Joseph sure is miserable. Thankfully he was diagnosed and started treatment before the pediatrician's office closed for the weekend.

This is what we'll be up to for the next 7 days, 3 times a day.
And this. More than 20 doses a day. This is when I become very organized.

Good thing there are lots of squirrels to watch in our backyard, because we may not socialize with humans again until summer.
But, since 80% of a situation is always good:
We have great friends who loaned us the expensive breathing machine. And my boys have a great daddy who has been around a whole lot this week to take care of us. And we are all on the road to recovery.

Thursday, December 4, 2008

Please Don't Report Me


Ian, Joseph and I are sick. Really sick.

Ian was the first to exhibit symptoms including high fever, terrible cough, "productive" sneezing, and a general overflow of mucus. Joseph and I joined Ian several days later. Scott employed positive thinking to avoid this one.

Yesterday I decided a little fresh air may do our bodies some good. Since Joseph was asleep upstairs, we postponed a walk around the neighborhood and Ian and I just went for a stroll in the backyard. I decided my poor satsuma tree needed some moisture, so we came back in to fill a water pitcher.

While the water was running, I heard Joseph coughing, then chocking over the baby monitor. I put Ian down and dashed upstairs. When I got there, Joseph was breathing just fine, so I set about giving him his acid reflux medicine and soothing him back to sleep.

Usually when I leave Ian behind, he protests, demands to know where I am going, and throws a tantrum/hits the blinds/throws things at the satellite box until I return. But as I soothed Joseph, I didn't hear any of this going on downstairs. I smiled to myself and thought it wonderful that Ian was concerned with his brothers safety and was so patiently awaiting my return.

When I did return, about 10 minutes later, Ian was no where to be found. (Cue panicking mother) I looked first to see if I had left the back door open. It was shut tightly. Then I searched in all the usual and unusual hiding places, but found nothing. And then finally, I spotted Ian out the window in the back yard. I guess I had left the back door open, and he had just been nice enough to shut it behind him.

Despite the fact that he was barefoot and strolling among fire-ant landmines, he was perfectly safe. Since Joseph was now crying upstairs, I decided we would take a walk around the block afterall. So I put Joseph in the baby carrier and Ian in his stroller and we set out. Wanting to travel light, we left through the garage and used the code to shut the garage behind us, instead of bringing my keys.

Turns out the boys hated my fresh-air idea, and both cried from the moment we left. Ian wanted his bunny. Joseph hates his baby carrier. Both were hungry and tired. And sick. So I shortened our route and tried to cross a street by driving the stroller off a curb, instead of waiting to encounter a ramp. It was a high curb, but I was still surprised at how long it was taking for the front stroller wheels to hit the street. Ian was still crying. I finally look down and saw that I hadn't locked the stroller into the open position -- it had folded up with Ian's chest pressed to his thighs. So sorry, Ian.

I locked the stroller into the open position, and we proceeded immiediatly home. Both boys were still crying. This walk was such a bad idea.

When we arrived home, I parked the stroller beside me and attempted to open the garage door. The code just wasn't working. I entered the code over and over again. Ian stops crying and starts chanting "Try again! Try again!" So I tried again. Again and again and again.

Finally, my little coach gives up and starts saying "Uh-oh! Uh-oh! Uh-oh!" Eventually I notice that his little voice is getting quieter and quieter.... the stroller that was just beside me was now rolling backwards down the driveway! I ran after him and reached him just as the stroller jolted to a stop in the street. Ian looked nervous, but thankfully was perfectly fine.

I rolled Ian back up the driveway, and now instead of feeling frustrated, I kissed his little blond head and felt thankful a car hadn't come by at just the wrong moment. I tried the code 8 more times, and then finally called a friend to come rescue us. As soon as I dialed her number, the garage door magically lifted open.

We unloaded our weary, sick selves into the house. Ian got his bunny and then went to find his beloved "Dingle Bells", which I'd hung over the front door knob. They were "stuck" and he yanked on them 'til the string split. Dingle Bells and beads showered the front hallway. Now I stay awake at night wondering what hidden corners those little chocking hazards were flung to.

Sigh.

Monday, December 1, 2008

Christmas Season is Here!

We had a great Thanksgiving. Scott made a delicious turkey and baked an incredible apple pie -- including a crust made from scratch! We had a fun evening celebrating with two great families, and have been enjoying leftovers for the last several days.

The day after Thanksgiving, Scott climbed up into the attic and got down all our Christmas stuff! This year I could hardly wait 'til after Thanksgiving to set it all up. The boys and I have been listening to Christmas music for the last 3 weeks...

Even though we were sweating in the 80 degree weather while we assembled our tree, it still feels like the Christmas season is here!


Ian loves the carol-playing moose from my childhood. When my sister finds out this moose now lives at my house, I bet she will be a little jealous...
Ian found a strand of bells and enthusiastically shouted "Dingle Bell! Dingle Bell!" The singing leader in nursery brings similar bells for the kids and Ian was eager to show us what he had been learning. But by this point, Ian was tired of all the pictures I was taking. So he took his bells and went to hide in the corner.
Our tree-topper is a pair of doves that adorned a present we received at our wedding.