"Toost"

Lately these two have been LOVING toast in the morning.  More specifically, cinnamon swirl toast.  Handsome 1 often eats one piece but Handsome 2 has lately been having at least two! 

Handsome 2 continues to LOVE his big brother so much that he goes wherever he does and does whatever he does and thankfully, the feeling is mutual so Handsome 1 is happy to have him tag along and often is upset if Handsome 2 doesn't want to join him.  I can't say enough how thankful I am  that they share such an amazing bond and I pray every day that they continue to be as close as they are.

The "cute" part of this story is how Handsome 2 says "toast".  He pronounces it "toost" and will follow me around saying, "toost toost" until I get it for him. 

The boys say the cutest things when they are little.  My husband and I were just remembering how Handsome 2 used to say, "hornicane" instead of "hurricane" and "foovie" instead of "smoothie".  We know there are a bunch of other "cute" things he used to say but we can't remember them all.  Thus, my need to document "toost" and how much they love it now.  Also amazing to me is how different these two are.  Handsome 1 is very meticulous and "sensitive" and full of energy.  Handsome 2 is so laid back but has a quick temper.  It is no different with toast.  Handsome 1 does not like the ends of bread and often leaves at least some crust.  Handsome 2 doesn't care if he eats and end (note the picture) and eats all of the crust. 

They wont be this little for long and they wont always love cinnamon swirl toast so much that I go through about a loaf and a half a week.  So, I write it hear so I wont ever forget these  moments that pass all too quickly but are so much fun and so cute to witness.

 

Boys...

Ahh....boys.  I LOVE my boys don't get me wrong and when I consider having more children I often think of another boy.  I don't really know any different.  But, I must admit, boys are yucky.

On the other the other hand though, they have taught me so much.  How to relax, how to take things as they come and most importantly, how not to sweat the small stuff.  Small stuff like licking the window...from the outside.  Yuck. 

Although I may cringe at this and yes, I tell them not to do it, I also laugh along with them.  Mixed message?  Yes, I am sure it is.  However, raising boys if there is one thing I have learned, it is that boys will be boys.  I know it sounds cliché but it is so true.

If I stopped them from every gross thing they did I would be one VERY busy woman.  I live in a house that burps and farts and thinks it is funny.  I live in a house that wrestles and tackles me.  I live in a house that picks their nose and tastes everything.  I live in a house that licks windows.  I live with boys. 

I have learned to embrace this and to not worry so much about the icky things and take it as it comes.  If they aren't hurting themselves or someone else physically or emotionally, all is good.  Including licking a window once in a while.

A Scare

Last Wednesday night I was out at a meeting while the boys were home.  I came home to find out Handsome 1 had pushed Handsome 2 off the couch and Handsome 2 had hit his head.  Now this wasn't too alarming because Handsome 2 is much more coordinated than Handsome 1 but when he does fall, trip, etc. he ALWAYS leads with his head.  His height and weight is averaging around 50% but his head is in the 90th so he is a little top heavy I would say :)  I say it is because he has so many brains in that head :) 

I digress though (I am good at that).  So he was up for 45 minutes after the incident and had my husband not told me I would have had no idea anything had happened.  No bump on his head (he hit the back I guess) and he was fine.  Now I know that head injuries may not present until hours later but I also know that the "old thought" of don't let them go to sleep is no longer true.  His pupils were fine, he was acting fine, nothing alarming.  That is until we got him out of bed in the A.M.

He was covered in vomit.  I am a light sleeper and heard nothing, which means he vomited several times in the night and never woke.  Red flag!  He wanted to snuggle when he got up (nothing unusual) but then he got sick a few more times.  Red flag again!  I called the MD and he went through some things with me but agreed that the ER was not necessary unless he kept vomiting or got worse so to continue watching him for the next few hours.  We (MD and I agreed) didn't want to put him through MRI, CT scan, etc. unnecessarily since if it was a concussion (which can cause vomiting) there is nothing they would do but those tests would check for a bleed (which is what we had to worry about.)

Handsome 2 vomited one more time but then seemed to be doing better so I decided to go to work (mainly because I am at a new job with no personal time accrued yet) and because Handsome 2 would be watched by my Mom and I was going to try to get everything done so I could finish a half day.  My Mom said he was doing great when I checked in frequently and I was able to get home after a half day but something still bothered me.  So, I called my MD's office and they got him in for that afternoon.  They checked him and agreed it was most likely a concussion but all reflexes, pupils, motor skills, etc. looked great.  They felt confident he was going to be okay but we were to limit stimulation (absolutely no T.V., video games, etc.) for a week and watch him like a hawk for any changes and if he vomited again, don't call them, straight to the E.R. we were to go. 

Sigh...I prayed a lot during this.  I put my trust and faith in God and it is what got me through.

Then, that night I suddenly became sick.  I was vomiting.  Then, the next day, hubby was sick.  The next day?  Handsome 1. 

So now what?  Was it a fluke that Handsome 2 was sick right after hitting his head OR was it a fluke that the family was all sick after Handsome ?  Hmmm....

Regardless, we followed MD orders.  Handsome 2 worried me in that he didn't eat a lot for quite a while and has been so fussy.  Otherwise fine though. 

Today, we had our one week "post concussion" follow-up and all checked out well and the MD thinks he will be fine.  Still not sure if he truly had a concussion but that doesn't matter.  That he is well, does. Well, sort of well. 

The MD checked his ears and that left ear that took so long to clear?  Remember that?  Yeah.  It is full of fluid again.  I was so sure we had beat this.  No meds right now though as it isn't "angry" so we are doing a "watch and wait". 

I am praying again.  Praying his "head" continues to heal and we get more of our "typical" Handsome 2 back and praying that his stubborn ear clears on its own.  Tubes were thrown around the last visit we had before his ear cleared and I would like to avoid that.  His language and speech have grown leaps and bounds since his ear FINALLY cleared so I don't want any set backs there either.

As for the rest of us?  I am one week post "bug" and still have bouts of "blah" and am not eating normal still.  Handsome 2 also continues to be fussy at times and not have his full appetite back. Head? Ear? Bug?  Who knows.  Handsome 1 though seems to be on the mend as is hubby (fingers crossed.)

So, Handsome 2 gave us quite a scare, we have all been sick, Handsome 2 is fussy and challenging, and I am still not feeling right.  We have had one VERY busy week!  :)

A Loving Heart

Handsome 1 has such a loving heart.

A family in our community lost their Mommy to breast cancer on Christmas Day.  Heartbreaking.  She battled the cancer for many years but lost the fight and sadly had to leave a husband and two young children behind. 

A memory quilt is being made for each child by members of the family, friends and the community.  I told Handsome 1 about it and he wanted to make something so we used permanent marker and wrote on some squares.  He can sometimes draw "random things" and sometimes rushes so I told him about who these were for, what had happened (simply of course), etc.  He asked me what each child liked.  I said I did not know them really well (I only met them as I would drop off food to the family in the last few weeks of the Mom's life.)  Handsome 1 then thought long and hard about what he would draw and decided on a crane for the boy and a "Momma Robot" for the girl, "since her Momma died and she didn't have one anymore so she could have this Momma Robot and it was smiling to make her happy." 

He took his time, drew carefully and talked about the kids and how he felt bad for them and asked questions.  For a while after he continued to say how he was sad for their loss. 

This kid I tell you.  He has a wonderful heart.  He is so loving, so gentle, he feels things deeply.  He is amazing.

Lots of Fun in February....

The boys rearranged our living room and cleaned it in the process, made a tent, which Handsome 1 slept in for 2 nights :), had fun with a marble tower and enjoyed a special treat of strawberries and cream.  Handsome 2 really didn't want to try the cream (imagine that!) but sure did love it once he did!  :)

 

 

We also had quite a winter storm and Handsome 1 put on his "storm shirt" for it.  It is the skeleton shirt and the story behind that is that he had it on one time when the power went out and he was glowing since the the skeleton glows in the dark (he wore the shirt for Halloween but likes it so much he still wears it.)  Hubby told him he was the only thing glowing that helped him find his way to a flashlight so it was his "storm shirt." 

Handsome 1 braved the snow and wind (we had to make him come in for breaks) to shovel.  The kid loves shoveling and goes on jobs with hubby and does a great job.  I pray he keeps this work ethic. 

Handsome 2 on the other hand, as I mentioned previously, does not care for snow and was content to watch the storm from the inside where he was warm enough to be half naked...lol.  He did decide to taste the snow (I put some in a dish for him) but that wasn't too exciting for him. 

We also celebrated Valentine's Day and Handsome 1 made me a Valentine's craft that he brought home from preschool.  We worked on it together and then he had me close my eyes and said, "Surprise, happy Valentine's Day!"  I love it!  :)  For Valentine's at his preschool he made a card for his preschool teacher and had me call her to find out her favorite color...aww.  We also had fun making "fruit kabobs" for his classmates.  His school is a no candy, all organic and natural school...I love it! 

The boys are getting along so well.  They often go in Handsome 1's room and read together or blast the music and dance or draw.  I love how well they get along and how close they are, I hope that doesn't change as they get older.

 

At the end of the month we took a trip to a children's museum.  The kids had a blast.  It was small but filled with fun and we will definitely go back.  A good time was had by all.

 

So that is February all wrapped up in pictures and lots of words :)  You are all caught up now.  See, you really didn't miss that much!  

What You Missed in January...

January brought us New Year's Day at the in-laws, which is always a  tradition I look forward to attending.  It also brought Handsome 1 drawing us a wonderful picture of an owl.  He brought a book about birds home from preschool that his teacher let him borrow.  He was really taken by the barn owl and decided to draw one.  I was very impressed!  It also brought some outdoor fun.  Dada got a hand-me-down (again, I love hand-me-downs!) snow blower from a co-worker and decided to try it out and blew a small "maze" around our yard.  The boys had a blast taking turns with the ear protection radio and running around the "maze".  Handsome 2 particularly liked it.  He HATES the snow...I think because it is hard for his little legs to walk in so these paths let him get in the snow and still be able to walk!  Best of both worlds I think he thought :)  It also brought Handsome 1 taking his new bike from MeMe and Papa for a ride with Handsome 2 as the driver!  Too cute.

So there you have it...our January "in a nutshell" :)

What You Missed in December..

The first week in December Handsome 1 and I took his very first "real" train ride and we visited Auntie and Uncle Michael.  Handsome 1 was so excited...I wish I could have bottled up the look on his face when the train pulled up...it was priceless.  I think that was my favorite moment of the whole trip.  Handsome1 did great for the train ride down and fell asleep on the ride back.  We did a lot of walking and it was cold but for the most part, Handsome 1 was a trooper.  He actually fell asleep on the horse and carriage ride we took....so sweet.  It was a great Mommy and Handsome 1 time alone and I treasured that for sure.

Then of course there were the days leading up to Christmas. We decorated, got our tree, decorated that and played in mud because we had some warm spells and we had a visit with Santa and then we had Christmas Eve.

And what came next?  Christmas Day of course!  That did not start out so well.  I became sick in the early AM and couldn't keep anything in me.  I felt miserable all morning and it took all I had to get up to have Christmas with my family.  I was very close to not going to Christmas at my in-laws but I was determined to not miss the day with my kids and I literally threw some clothes on at the last minute and dragged myself there.  I felt "yucky" and didn't get to enjoy dinner but my sweet little Handsome 1 refused to eat at the table without me and instead risked getting in trouble with Dada initially to spend it in the living room with me.  He is such a loving kid.  I felt a little better in the evening (thankfully it seemed to be a 24 hour bug and the boys did not get it) but we kept it low key and had chocolate chip pancakes for dinner (much to the excitement of the boys) and played with our new train set and ate fruit for dessert.  Overall it was a low key Christmas but a fun one despite my illness.

And that my friends, was our December!

Life Happens

I don't even know where to begin.  I knew I had neglected blogging (something I swore I would never do) but life happens and "got in the way" (again, something I swore I would not let happen.)  However, I am glad I took a break because as some of you may have noticed (if anyone is still reading!) I was falling into a "dark place."  I am not sure what was happening to be honest but I was just not happy with my life in so many ways.  I was becoming "lost in the shuffle" of life and I wasn't happy about it.  I did a lot of praying and soul searching and I can say although not 100% I have almost come full circle in so many ways.

Biggest thing that I changed...I have made myself a priority again.  I am sure many of you Moms out there can relate.  You put 110% into your kids, life, work, etc. and forget about yourself.  I lost myself and I was unhappy.  I was also running myself ragged trying to "do it all."  But, again, lots of prayer and soul searching and I feel like I have found a better balance.  Again, not perfect, but better.

So much has happened in the 3 months (has it been that long!?) since I stopped blogging and I can't wait to update you all.  I used to blog every day for quite a while and it was great but I am want to get back to blogging but I also want it to be fun so I am going to try to find a better balance.  Life is all a balancing act right?  So I wont make any promises on when I will post again but stay tuned for updates (if any of you still read my blog!) 

I will say we had all are doing well.  Most importantly, I am happier :)

Here is a pic of the boys I took basically around the time I stopped blogging.  I just love this photo of Handsome 1.  He got a new desk for Christmas (bought it from another Mommy....LOVE hand me downs!) and was being so good sharing it with his brother.  In this pic he was trying to make Handsome 2 smile :)  I just love how Handsome 2 is just putting up with it all too!  They are so good together.  I am so blessed.