A little closer...

Henley is not a huge fan of Santa Claus this year. In fact, I would venture to say, she is petrified of him. This week was her last week of school and they had Santa coming for a visit. When I told her he might be stopping by school she went into panic mode. She started crying and telling me I do not want to sit on Santa’s lap. I told her that nobody was going to make her do anything she did not want to do. There was a long pause and a sigh of relief. Then about 10 minutes later she came up to me and said, “ momma will you tell my teacher Mrs. Blackburn that I do not have to sit on Santa’s lap?” It was so very cute and of course I told her I would. In about the course of an hour I think she told me the same thing at least five times. I repeatedly reassured her that she would not have to sit on Santa’s lap.

When we got to school I instructed her teacher that she did not want to sit on Santa’s lap. She was more than willing to go into the same room with him, but that was about it. Needless to say, I was very surprised when I received these pictures of her that afternoon. I think that the scariness of Santa might start to be dissipating??? A little shy, but getting closer.

Early Visit from Santa!

For the past three years we have some friends that throw a Holiday Party. The kids are all invited too because Santa makes a surprise visit every year! I think this is by far my favorite festivity that we do every Christmas. There is nothing more fun than watching thirty plus kids run like crazy to see Santa Claus, who has just arrived to visit!

Now, don’t get me wrong. I love to visit with my friends but, the excitement that comes to the house when the bells start jingling is just indescribable! Santa is magical and for the kids it is just too much fun and excitement. They can barely contain themselves! They are running into each other, screaming and bouncing off the walls! Mass hysteria!

Oh the Excitement!

Once they calm down, Santa talks to them all for a few minutes. Then one by one they are called to sit on Santa’s lap, get a gift and tell him what they are dreaming about for Christmas this year! You can not help but, have a permanent smile on your face watching each and every one of them sit on his lap...waiting so patiently for their turn to come around.

I want...

There was one child who adamantly refuses to sit on Santa’s lap! In fact, freaked out when he called her name! Yes! The one and only Henley! She is absolutely, unbelievably and incredibly scared to sit on Santa’s lap! She likes him from a distance and definitely wants him to know her Christmas wishes but, no way, no how is she sitting in his lap! I have pictures of her standing in the chair trying to back further away from the bearded stranger calling her name! When Christian was her age he was already fine with Santa Claus, so I am not so sure what the hold up is with her? Oh well, we will see about next year!

Thinking About it....

NO WAY!!!

Got a gift any way!

Now, on the other hand loves Santa Claus! He will take every opportunity to sit on his lap and tell him exactly what he wants for Christmas! I am not sure if he thought it was Christmas day or what, but when he opened his gift this is what he said, “ This is not what I wanted”! He was so disappointed and at first I scolded him and told him he was being a spoiled brat. Then when he looked as if he was going to cry, I felt bad for him. I then had to explain that it was not Christmas and he had no idea what he was getting from Santa. This was just a nice gesture of kindness that Santa stopped by to visit and give them a little something special. He did go and tell Santa Thank You! I never thought it would be so difficult...

Henley on the other hand got her present from daddy who got it from Santa himself. It was...you guessed it, a baby doll! She loved it and it is now her favorite baby of the moment...until she gets another one!:)

The night was a blast and I look forward to this evening every year! I have to thank our friends The Hill’s for always making it very special for the kids!

Christmas Activities...never ending

This week has been absolutely crazy! From Christmas festivities to birthday parties, parades, dinners, plays and Santa everywhere...oh my!

These were a few things we did this week and then everyone got sick...I figured we needed to slow down and breathe! It never ceases to amaze me how many more activities there are once you get a child in kindergarten! Every corner you turn there is something happening in or out of school and someone asking you for your TIME!

It all started with the Holiday Village at school. Christian along with every other kid in the school got to go shopping for their family members at a Holiday Winter Wonderland. The PTO puts this on every year. They buy some 3000 gifts and wrap them, with help from all mothers who can participate! Then with the help of these same parents, we all work shifts to help the children pick just the right gift for their family members.

I gave Christian enough money to buy for Brian, Hen and me. The gifts ranged in price from $1.00-$12.00. He was so excited to get shopping that morning. I was actually there because of the mystery reader. I helped him shop for Brian and Hen, than I left him to buy my gift on his own. He has tried to give us our presents almost everyday and wants us to open them now. He has already given his sister hers and she opened it! She loved it too. If I could find it, I would put a picture of it on this post. It is a purple mirror with sparkles all over it. He did a great job and took his time picking out the gifts. Going around to each table and examining the gifts until he found the right one. I must say, Brian is the only one clueless to what his gift is because He told me what mine was after he picked it out! I laughed and told him he was not supposed to do that. I can act surprised though because he has already forgotten that he told me what the gift was...

You better watch out...

Every year a letter arrives from the North Pole to the kids. Christian has been getting
them for a few years and now Henley is receiving them too. They come in these big shiny satin envelopes with a stamp from the North Pole. The kids get so excited to see them.























The fun thigs about these letters is that they are personalized to each child. The kids love hearing Santa talk about his communications with Frosty, their elf and what they both wish to get on Christmas. The letters also talk about the good things they have been doing and of course the bad behavior too. I love the expressions on their faces to realize that Frosty has been really watching and reporting back to Santa. Christian really gets into it and to watch him carry on about the letter and say, “ How did he know that”? Well, these things are priceless to me

Mystery Reader!

I love Christian being in Kindergarten! There are so many fun things they get to do and the parents get to participate in almost all of it. All year long every Friday, a parent is chosen to be the mystery reader to the class. The parent gets to pick a book and come to class and read to them all. Many parents just read their book, but some go all out. There have been pirates, toys that are given away and yummy treats that always come home. The kids get so excited because they never know who will show up to their class!

I thought it would be fun for Brian to be mystery reader for our first turn. We chose the month of December and I thought we could do something festive for the kids! Since I could not get him to dress up, I had to think hard. The Polar Express comes to mind when I think of the Holidays, so that was the book! Now, what fun things could we do for the kids. The thought of bells ringing all day in class was out, I don't know any elves or reindeer and Santa was not available.









I knew what to do...what kid does not like hot coco? I made a big batch of hot chocolate and took it to class...add marshmallows and happiness to all!

The big thing about mystery reader is just that...it is a mystery. I took Christian to school that morning and he was oblivious at first. He wanted to know why I was going into school too. Then it clicked...he smiled at me and said, "you are the mystery reader today"! I just smiled because he had no idea his daddy was going to walk in the room! I loved watching his eyes light up as Brian walked in the room. He had to introduce him to the class and go around and introduce all his classmates.

Then they pull out a big rocking chair for the reader to sit in and the story telling begins! I poured all the kids their hot coco and they loved hearing the Polar Express! It is so sweet to watch them all get excited about Christmas and Santa! They ask questions about the story and talk about the train ride her in town if they went on it. It was adorable!

I think Brian really enjoyed his time with the kids. He hears so much about the kids in Christian's class and now he can put faces with names.

Here are some pictures!

Frosty the...

The day after Thanksgiving our little friend the elf, a.k.a Frosty made his return! We had been talking about him for months and anticipating his arrival. I thought that he might even come early because we had some bad behavior at our house. We told the kids that Santa might send him early for that very reason too. However, he came right on time!

The kids were so excited when they spotted him the next morning after Thanksgiving. They both took turns telling Frosty how good they had been and what they wanted Santa to bring them! It was so very cute. I had to go over the rules again with Henley because she wanted to carry him around with her all day long. I think after a few days it finally sank it!

Our elf is not a mischievous elf like some of the others. He simply runs around the house at night and finds a new place to hide. He loves hide and seek and the kids have the best time every morning searching high and low to find him. You just never know where he might pop up...but, he is always watching!

It has kept the bickering to a minimum though...it is nice to just look over at Frosty and the kids stop and think before they continue what it is they were doing! What a great thing theses elves have turned into...can I get one all year long?

1st Kindergarten Program!

Thanksgiving 2011 is Christian’s first year in school...real school. I was supposed to visit my sister in Indianapolis, but unfortunately did not make it because of Hen’s scare with the Staph Infection. As disappointed as I was to not be able to visit my sister. The one positive that came out of the whole debacle was I would be there for his first school program...Thanksgiving Program.

I was not sure what to expect from this program being he is older and not in a pre-school environment, but it was adorable. They put on a show about the Indian and Pilgrims. The meaning of Thanksgiving and how it all started. I had no idea that the children had different parts in the program and that OUR son had the leading role! I would of been so sad to have missed it! He played the preacher and his lines were...”Praise the Lord” whenever prompted to scream it out loud. I almost peed in my pants I was laughing so hard. His L’s still sound like W’s sometimes and at first I had no idea what he had said out loud. It was the most adorable thing EVER!

Praise the Lord!

His teacher...Mrs. Pace

They sang a few songs and than had a slide show of all the kids saying, what they were most thankful for this year. I had tears in my eyes because it was just the sweetest thing to watch these little angels be thankful for so many things. We then had a thanksgiving snack that the children prepared and passed out to all their families. It was so much fun and I think he enjoyed having us all there to watch. Plus, they got to keep their cute outfits they all made!

Thanksgiving 2011

The past few months have been extremely busy for our family. I think we try to pack so much in on a regular basis that sometimes time just passes to quickly. During this time of year it is easy to forget what really is important in our lives...God, family and friends. Without these three things nothing would matter, at least not to me. God allows me the time I have to spend with those I love the most. I do not ever want to take that for granted and try to remember it daily. I love my family and friends dearly and thank God everyday that I have them in my life.

As I reflect on Thanksgiving and what it means to me I am so very thankful for so many things in my life. I am thankful for God and his son Jesus Christ who died for us, so we could live our lives. I am thankful for the men and women who fight for our freedom to live as we choose too. I am thankful for my family, our health, happiness and safety. I am thankful for my friends to whom I lean on regularly for strength and encouragement. I am thankful for my church and the people there that help me become a better person every day. I am thankful for this beautiful world we live in and try to cherish the quite moments that help me see it! There are so many things I am thankful for that the list could go on for miles. I hope that everyone took a few moments to look around this Thanksgiving and remember what they were most thankful for and how truly blessed we are no matter what is happening in our lives!

The day was very low key and uneventful for our family. I wanted to relax and take my time. I get so tired of the hustle and bustle of life that is is nice to not be in a constant state of hurry. We were going over to my Sister-in-laws house that morning for breakfast/brunch. All the kids enjoy each other so much right now, we really wanted them to spend time together. It also helps that we love spending time with Julie and Steve too!:) Julie had made a yummy breakfast casserole and they drank mimosas...I just watched the drinking part!:( The kids played and we just all sat around and talked out on their new amazing back deck! It was wonderful, relaxing and not rushed.

Around 1:00pm we headed over to my parents house to spend time with the family. I had both my aunts in town as well as my cousin and her son too. Everyone just relaxed, talked and enjoyed the company. My mom made a fabulous dinner, like always! I ate as much as I could without being ridiculously uncomfortable and took extras home.

It was a wonderful day and what made it even better was the time I took to enjoy it! My love to everyone who helped make it a great day! I have no pictures because I was tired and did not take out my camera one time! Sorry!

Wrestling...here we come!

Anyone who know my husband knows that he loves wrestling! I think from the moment we found out that we were having a baby boy he saw visions of state championships, wrestling matches and coaching these little ones to be the best!

We recently started this program and here is the first video!

Staph Infection?

Who ever knew that there was staph bacteria running rampant all over the place and that all it took to get this deadly bacteria infection was...to have an open cut? Our family found out the hard way! A few weeks ago Henley got attacked by some ants outside. She had bites all over her bottom and upper leg. It was nothing to be alarmed about and just put medicine on it for the itching. A week later I noticed a bite on the side of her leg that had gotten a little red. It had a pus head on it, so I popped it. I thought this would make it better because it usually does. Unfortunately, this was just the beginning. One day after getting tubes back in her ears, she developed a really high fever. I thought this had something to do with her ears, so we went to the doctor. The doctor thought it was maybe a virus?

In the meantime her leg started to get really red and the pus and yuck that was coming out was absolutely disgusting. The poor girl was limping and would not even let you touch her leg. Back to the doctor we went! Honestly, I was tired of doctors by now because this was the 3rd trip this week. I took her to a clinic in our neighborhood. It is not a doc in the box, but an actual clinic, a satellite office from a hospital. The doctor there told me it was a staph infection! What? I thought you only got those in hospitals and usually people die from them! This particular doctor told me not to pop or squeeze it anymore. They put her on a strong antibiotic, Bactrim. This is the antibiotic of choice for these type of infections.

My sweet angel limped out of there and we started her medicine. The next few days the area proceeded to get extremely worse. The medicine did not seem to be helping at all. I decided to take her to her pediatrician now. He cultured it, drained it and kept her on the antibiotics. He got a lot of yucky stuff out of her leg, so he thought now it would get better. The best way to heal staph infections is to drain them and let them ooze! The other doctor was wrong! We went back home and I continued to monitor her leg. Staph infections are so scary and can go from bad to worse in an hour.

Now, keep in mind my poor baby had been in a doctors office almost everyday this week. Her leg was in so much pain that you even looked at it and she would cry! On Saturday, I went out to run some errands and when I returned home she looked really bad. Her fever was still sticking around and she was just flat out puny. I decided we needed to go to the ER! I called the nurse and she recommended it as well.

I have to tell you that if you ever want to get into the ER quickly...tell them your child has staph! I never even sat down and we went straight back. Once they saw her leg they told me that she would more than likely be admitted overnight for IV antibiotics.

The doctor came in and looked at it and that was the first thing she told me. Looks like we were spending the night in the hospital! Thank God I dragged my mom with me! I just could not take one more time of holding her down screaming without some support! Brian stayed home with Christian.

The nurses came in and put some numbing patches on her legs and arms to start an IV. They also were not sure if they would have to cut open her infection to drain it better. They were talking about doing surgery and putting in a drain...my head was spinning at this point. How in the world had an ant bite turned into this?

After her loratab and IV! Feeling a little loopy!

The IV was not to terribly bad. There was crying, but the area was numb, so not so bad. She did extremely well considering this was the 5th day with a doctor! They started her antibiotics there and then moved us to a room.

They have a numbing patch over the opening...that is cream under it!

The room was small with two chairs and a bed. Henley cried and cried because all she wanted to do was to go home. How do you explain to a three year old that you have to stay overnight. Finally around 11pm she fell asleep! My mom stayed with us too! Bless her! She slept in a pull out chair. I told her to go home, but she wanted to be there in case I needed her. Being 61/2 months pregnant and staying overnight in a hospital is not exactly something relaxing. I had to sleep with Henley in a child’s bed and that was not comfortable! I thought it is only for one night, I can handle this.

The next day was Sunday and if anyone has ever been in the hospital on a Sunday...well everything is just a lot slower! We waited forever for our pediatrician to come and talk to us. When he finally came it was not the news we were hoping for. She had been on IV antibiotics every 8 hours, but her infection was not looking that much better. The doctor told us that she had to stay in the hospital until it went completely away. These are not things they like to mess around with. Needless to say, we were there for two and half days! We left the hospital with her leg looking so much better. They felt like we could come home and continue to treat it from here.

Sound asleep...worn out!

We have antibiotics for 10 days, we have to use a special cleanser and we have to give her clorox baths! The doctors don’t know exactly why she was so susceptible to getting staph and may not ever get it again.  We did learn that it is common, it is out in the public everywhere and the only prevention is wash your hands a lot!

Here we go again with Tubes...

It is apparent to me that our daughter is going to follow in her momma’s footsteps when it comes to her ear issues. I had tubes four times and have almost gotten them two more times, once in the past few years.

Hen’s tubes came out in May and she has had multiple infections since then. There is also lots of fluid on her ears too. We went for a visit to the ENT and he recommended tubes go back in her ears! He also recommended her tonsils come out because she gets strep all the time too. We decided to wait on the tonsils because we feel she is to young and the recovery sucks!

The next week on Monday we went in for her to get tubes put back in her ears! Thank God that is all because later that week she was admitted to hospital for something else! Read the next blog! Here are some pictures of her at the hospital in her cute gown!

My Nastics...

This is the second year that Henley has done gymnastics. It is her absolute favorite thing to do and she looks forward to it every week. Last  year was a mommy and me class and this year she is able to do the class by herself. It takes her a bit to get warmed up in the beginning. In fact, she will sometimes not even participate in the warm up? I am not sure why? Maybe she thinks it is silly or maybe she just does not want to do that part? Regardless, after the warm up she loves to do everything else. Brian and my mother have come to watch her and you can bet she is making sure they are! I sometimes utilize this time to catch up on an email or get some things done, but if she sees me not watching her...well she will scream at me!

They do all sorts of things from balance beams, the parallel bars, floor work, climbing and jumping into a big foam pit, trampoline. The kids have a blast and she loves it. I have tried to see if she wants to take dance class, but no, just gymnastics or “my nastics” as she calls it. We will continue it as long as she wants too. Who knows, she might be the next Mary Lou Retton?

Christian’s 5th Birthday!

 It hardly seems as though five years have come and gone. It feels like yesterday that we were getting ready to bring him home. Now he is 5 years old! He has gotten so big, but he will always be my baby!
There are few things we love about Christian and hope they never change.

First, his smiling face! I do not think there is a moment where he does not just light up the room with his smile! He is such a happy child, full of energy and ready to take on just about anything you throw at him.
Second, his loving nature! It does not always come out with his sister...however, he has such a sweet heart. I see it with his family, friends and just everyday people.
Third, his gregarious and out going personality! He is very much his daddy’s boy! He loves people and loves to make friends. I love to watch him go up to complete strangers and try to meet them.
The last thing is his love for the girls! Already at the ripe old age of 5, he is already a ladies man. The girls love him. In fact, they chased him into a wall at school. He came home with a huge gash on his face. I asked him, what happened? He told me, “ some girls were chasing me at school because they thought I was cute!” Hilarious!!! He will pick out a pretty girl out of no where and tell you, “ She is a hottie!” Thanks to dad for that one. I always thought he would get his heart broken, but maybe he will be doing the breaking? :)

Christian started kindergarten when he was 4 years old. His birthday being late August falls after the start of the year. I wanted to wait and have his birthday because I thought it would be fun to invite some of the kids in his class. I did not want his party to be ridiculous big, so I only invited the boys to come. We rented a big water slide again...there is not much you can do outdoors when it is 100 degrees! The theme was SUPER MARIO! We have an obsession with the Super Mario Galaxy Wii game and that is where it came from.

Super Mario is back again and becoming popular like he was in the 80’s. There were party favors and decorations everywhere, but the cake pan...not so much. For those of you who do not know, I make the children’s cakes every year for their birthdays. It is something special that my mom did for me and I like to do for them. I finally found a mario cake pan...for a nice price on Ebay. I plan on turning around and selling it again! The cake turned out adorable and the kids loved it.
















We also had a Mario pinata, which the birthday boy picked out himself and helped fill with candy. I just prayed that nobody got hit with the bat! The kids went crazy when the pinata split opened! It reminded me of my childhood and all the pinata’s we had at our birthday’s.






















The party was a success! Once the cake had been eaten, the kids headed back out for more water slide fun! Here are some cute pictures of the kids on the water slide and even some adults!

Once the party was over some friends and family hung around to watch Christian open gifts. He had plenty of them...I think one of his favorites were his transformer costumes. The kids love to play dress up when friends are over and they have already been washed a dozen times over!

Once everyone left, his little friend Delaney stayed to play. They have been friends for two years now and just are so cute together. They will tell you that they are boyfriend and girlfriend and one day are going to marry each other! Ha...too cute. They dressed up and played on the water slide some more and even shared each others clothes. These pictures will surely embarrass them one day. Delaney loves to play with boys and in fact her two best friends are Elijah and Christian! That night he had two friends spend the night for his birthday. Preston and Elijah Copeland...his two other brothers! They had so much fun!

The Musketeers!