So Excited...

... or so sleepy?

It's Pouring

When it rains, it pours. Today, it's definitely pouring.

Today has not been very easy, to say the least. The boys have been pretty fussy all day. I think their unpleasant mood is from the shots they got yesterday. Of course, Logan is still getting over his eye infection and sinus infection. Nathan, I can tell, is a little uncomfortable. They are both teething. They are eating weird amounts at weird time increments. Neither wanted to give it up for their naps. Fun times! Their mama is worn out already! :-)

So, if that weren't enough, Todd called me on the way home and said that he just looked at his throat in his rear view mirror and saw huge tonsils with white spots. Yes. Strep. He went to the doctor. Doc confirmed strep in his throat and in his ears! He got a steroid shot, antibiotic shot, and prescriptions for antibiotics and more steroids. Yuck!

I talked with Dad today. He's not feeling good at all. I hope he doesn't mind me saying that he seems down in spirit, too. I can't imagine how difficult fighting this cancer is on his physical and emotional self. I'm praying for a miracle for him.

At least today is just a brief moment in time. Hope your day has been better than ours! :-)

6 Months

Happy Half Birthday to my baby boys!!!

Logan and Nathan are 6 months old today! How has half a year passed by so quickly? My bitty babies aren't so bitty anymore.

Logan

18 lbs., 8 3/4 oz. - 75th percentile

28 inches long - 90th percentile
44 cm. head circumference - 50th percentile

• He is finally interested in kicking, grabbing, and rolling over more. He's been able to do these things, but not very motivated.
• He likes to make big sweet smiles.
  
• He's been accused of being a flirt.
• He eats green beans, carrots, sweet potatoes, applesauce, bananas, peaches, and rice. Carrots and applesauce are his favorites.
• He still sleeps all night and usually wakes after 7:15 for his first meal.
• He's still easy-going.
  
• He hates having his boogers sucked from his nose, which has become a regular chore with him being sick the last few days.
• He resists being held in any kind of "sleep position". Because of this, he fusses himself to sleep in his bed. It usually only takes 2 minutes, then he's out.
  
• He loves watching Baby Einstein.
  
• He wears size 3 diapers and size 6-9 month clothes.
• He's chewing on everything, including his fingers and anything else he can grab.
• He's relented to the fact that he has to ride in a car seat. He still resists some, but usually falls asleep or finds contentment pretty quickly.
• He has his first eye infection and is fighting the effects of bad allergies.
  
• He is happy playing in his jumperoo and on his activity mat.
• Dr. Hassel says he's 'perfect' and 'so cute'. :-)
  
• He's our chubby monkey, a complete joy, and we love him so much!!!

Nathan

18 lbs., 6 1/4 oz. - 75th percentile
27 1/4 inches long - 75th percentile
44 cm. head circumference - 50th percentile

• He's Mr. Rolly Polly.
• He grabs and chews everything.
• He smiles and laughs big and often!
• He loves to grab his feet.
• He enjoys his exersaucer and other toys a lot.
• He had his first ear infection a few weeks ago.
  
• He eats all of the same foods that Logan eats. His favorites are also carrots and applesauce. He really likes bananas, too.
  
• He wears size 3 diapers and size 6-9 month clothes.
• He will rock to sleep, but he can just be laid down to sleep in his bed, too.
• He is starting to sit up.
• He acts shocked with huge eyes every time he sees his Mamaw.
• He likes watching Baby Einstein.
• He still sleeps all night and usually wakes between 5-6 for his first meal. He goes right back to sleep after that early feeding.
• He gets super excited and happy. He kicks his feet really hard and flails his arms. It's really cute and funny.
• Dr. Hassel says that he's 'perfect' and 'so cute', too.
• He's spunky, fun, and loved so much!
  

Sick

Logan is sick.

We went to the doctor this morning.
He has an eye infection and possibly a sinus infection.
Doesn't he look just pitiful?!
He's not eating much; just about 3 ounces per feeding.
Does this look like $100.99 to you?
Full price, it is that much.
Luckily, we have fabulous insurance, so it only cost us $72!
Don't even get me started! Grrrrrrrr!!!!!!!

On a little happier note....
Here they are playing together {kind of} last night.
Yes, Great Granny... He's sitting up! :-)

10 Thoughts

1. I want to go to Payless tomorrow.
2. And Wal-Mart.
3. We worked in the yard again today. Still not finished.
4. The laundry never ends.
5. Kathy and her daughter watched the babies today while Todd & I got out for a few hours. :-)
6. We wanted to be in bed by 10. Ha!!!
7. We found that laying mulch is a good job for the neighborhood kids that want to help.
8. Although it's wonderful, Spring Break is too short and it's just a tease for summer.
9. Dad had a treatment in his port today and will have an IV treatment tomorrow. He's never had them back-to-back, so I'm praying that it's not too hard on him.
10. Rollei gets by with "no-nos" when we're gone. (But he got some love, so I don't care.)
Angela,
Thanks for coming to take care of the twins with your mom today. It was great to meet you and chat for a while. Rollei loved your attention, too!!

Green Gingham

Happy St. Patrick's Day!!Mom, I'm waaaay too tired for a big smile!

Wordless Wednesday

10 Thoughts

1. There was a rabbit in our backyard today. Rollei went nuts barking at the poor thing.
2 I need to start wearing my contacts more. Can you guess why?
3. The neighbor kids came over... all 4 of them, ages 3, 5, 7, 9. We played Skip-Bo... kind of. It was fun...**whew**
4. Todd had a portrait session and jury duty today.
5. The yard work is only half done and my house cleaning has only made a very small dent.
6. Babies don't keep, so I'm trying to not care too much about #5.
7. It is beautiful outside.
8. This time of year always makes me want a new bike.
9. I have no place for a bike, no time to use it, and no money to buy it! :-)
10. Oops... Today is supposed to be Wordless Wednesday. Coming right up.

I Want It All

As I sat and paid the bills tonight, it struck me... making our ends meet with our new one-income bank account is not enough. I want more. I want more money. Come to think of it, I want a new house. One with much more space and a lot more storage for all our stuff. A separate play room for all the babies' toys is a must!

Then I remembered this:

You see, our neighborhood doesn't have enough room between the houses. The lots are small and I just hate all the cars I see lining the streets. I need more land; a little more space isn't too much to ask. My neighbors are fabulous, friendly, and helpful, but more space between them would definitely be better. I want my new home to be made of brick and stone on a slab foundation. Two acres or more, please.

And on this one-income bank account, I need to find a way to put some money away for the twins to go to private school. At the very least, a Christian Mother's Day Out program is something they need to be exposed to. Even though I taught in public schools, we all know that private is better. I need to make another envelope to start saving for their education.

These students were given the opportunity to go to school through Compassion.

Oh, and I almost forgot! I need to go shopping! The boys need cute (matching, of course) Easter outfits. I've been racking my brain trying to figure out what I am going to stuff their first Easter basket with. I want to be reasonable and buy them some toys that are appropriate for their next developmental stage. Any suggestions?

Well, I guess one income will have to be enough. After all, I am blessed and thankful for what I have. I guess our lives could be worse. The things and opportunities that I mentioned wanting are true desires of mine. I am not downplaying anything that I have or my friends & family have, but I am brought back to the truth of where we are in life, and that is very blessed. One thing is for sure, though; no matter what my home looks like, how many things I have, I am thankful to have a home now and forever with God.
My mind has been on the works of Compassion International all week. If you don't know anything about Compassion, I recommend that you go to their webpage and learn. When I was in college, I sponsored a little girl through Compassion. My small donation every month gave her the opportunity to go to school through Compassion's program, which is Christ-centered. She was given a uniform and food to eat. She was taught life and leadership skills to help her overcome conditions like the ones pictured above. Sadly, I let my sponsorship go and my heart hurts over that decision that I made many years ago. I won't go on with the obvious points of how you can help. I just wanted to share what has been consuming my thoughts this week.

There are some mega-bloggers out there that have been in Kenya and blogging about their experience there through Compassion. The one I read and got all of these pictures from is MckMama. Her website is www.mycharmingkids.net. I hope you go to her website to see more.

Cheesecake Factory

Thanks to Facebook, I reconnected with an old friend and got to go eat and hang out with her today. We ate at The Cheesecake Factory, which I haven’t been to in years. It was delicious, but the company was even better.

The two of us were outnumbered by my twins and her precious baby boy.

Lauren, It was great catching up with you. I’m so happy for you and your hubby. You have a beautiful family and many great adventures to come. Thanks for hanging out with me. I had a great time, despite my two hungry, screaming, spit-upping distractions (I do love our little dudes. I’m just being ‘real’!!).

Timpa

Just thought I would do a quick update on Dad’s ongoing cancer treatments…

He had a port put in under his scalp last Wednesday. The procedure went well. He’s had a couple of chemo treatments put in the port. The routine for this chemo is twice a week, Monday & Thursday, for now. He’s had some ‘bad days’ where he feels rather puny and gets bad headaches. But, he’s also had some very good days.

He is continuing his chemo pill, Tarceva, and his IV chemo that is given to him about once a month.

Dad has commented a lot about how he can’t taste things anymore. I’m sure it bothers him. Todd has teased him about taking this opportunity to try condiments. Dad has never liked mustard, mayonnaise, ketchup, salsa, etc. (I come by it legitimately, except for the salsa.) We were out to eat this afternoon and Dad wanted to try salsa. What!? Dad actually ate salsa, and I think he liked it! :-) Can you guess where we ate?

Dad is having a pretty good day today. He said he has a dull headache. Steven (my brother) is in town for a few days, and my sister’s crew is going to be here for a while later this week, too. We’re expecting good times together! Yay!

Wordless Wednesday

A Stroller for Strolling

We have had a few days recently that have been quite nice for a stroll around the neighborhood. The whole family, Rollei included, just got back from a nice walk. We also took a family walk around my parents' neighborhood Saturday. I suggest you brace yourself for picture overload!

Todd with all his babies.

My turn.
Nathan holding on.Logan's happy face.Nathan's happy face.

The walk was filled with fabulous experiences. We were followed by a school bus. Rollei was loved on my a little girl that 'loves Beagles' and who read a book about Beagles, Shiloh. We witnessed a neighborhood criminal (he was speeding in a school zone) being addressed by an officer. And, we got to chat with one of our favorite neighbors, Jackson, before he mowed his lawn.
Exciting, huh?
Anything exciting happen for you today?

Bible Class

An amazing thing happened today... We made it out the door in time for Bible Class!! This is a huge feat for us.

Today was the boys' first day in their Bible Class. Of course, I had to get some pictures.We tried to get the boys and their bag tagged and dropped off really quick. Having been a teacher, I know what it is like to have "the lingering parent". But, I now understand wanting to stay and see how your kiddos do and what the class is like. Either way, it's really best to just get out of there, asap. I was not worried about the boys at all. It didn't even cross my mind that they might cry. As far as I know, they didn't. The report I got was that they sat in the Bumbo seats and were very interested!Here's a huge THANK YOU to their teacher, Mrs. Jessica. You are such a good, energetic, and thoughtful teacher to our babies. Also, thank you to the helpers in that class! You are helping my guys learn the most important lesson of all!!!

We were also so happy to go out to eat with some friends after church today. We went to one of our favorite places, Hasta La Pasta. Yummy! The boys don't ride in their infant car seats anymore. I put their convertible car seats in a few weeks ago. They are not big enough, though, to sit in high chairs. So, Todd and I had to hold them. The both gave out pretty quickly!

All’s Well

Dad’s procedure went perfectly today.  He called me on his way home and sounded great.  I’m so thankful that it went well for him today.  He will have a follow-up appointment, then will start chemo in his new port soon.  I’ll let you know more when I find out.

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I drug the boys out again today.  Doesn’t sound exciting, but we went to get my car washed.  A local place, Encino, has half-price Wednesdays.  Since I haven’t cleaned my car in over 7 months, I decided to go for it today!  The place was SO busy!  They are very good, but they are so slow, even on days when they aren’t very busy… But you can’t beat the Wednesday prices.  Anyway, I was pleased to run into some friends, during our long wait, that I got to catch up with.  It was the social highlight of my day… or possibly week!

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The parts to my new computer came in today.  Todd is putting it together right now!  I’m excited.  I think Todd is more excited.

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Little dudes are becoming major rolly poleys!  They have been rolling over for some time now, but it is just now becoming the thing  to do.  Logan, my little loaf, rolled over 3 times this morning when I put him on his belly to work on a burp.  Nathan, well, he is just a mover & shaker!  If he’s not rolling, he’s grabbing his toes, blowing bubbles, talking, laughing…  Of course, Logan does all of these things, too, just not with as much intensity as Nathan.  Silly boys!  It’s starting!  They are about to become mobile!  *sigh*

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Still trying to figure out how to get pictures in my blogs written with Windows Writer.  Suggestions?!?

A Port

Dad has recently been diagnosed with malignant meningitis.  His IV chemo and Tarceva do not get enough chemo to his brain and spinal fluid.  Therefore, he needs another chemo treatment that will target his spinal fluid.  He is having a port placed under his scalp on the right side of his head tomorrow morning.  The plan is to have chemo inserted into this port every other day.  He has been informed that the procedure to place the port is not a major surgery.  He has chosen to be sedated for the procedure.  He should be able to go home tomorrow after the procedure.  The actual chemo treatment through the port on his head is supposed to be "very well tolerated". 
This makes three forms of chemo Dad will be taking.  I know I say this every time, but we so appreciate all of your expressions of care and so many prayers that are lifted for my mom and dad.
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On a completely different note...

Nathan and Logan are doing great!  Dare I say that the days at home alone with them are getting… easier?!  Nathan was rolling over on the floor tonight, so many times, when I was trying to change his diaper and put his on his PJs.  Logan rolled over in his crib this afternoon during his nap.  It is so much fun to watch them, make them laugh, hear them talk, etc.!  Logan says “aaaa….goo!” over and over.  He has so much to say, it all just sounds the same.  Nathan says “ooo, ooo” and does a little muffled scream when he talks, which is almost all the time.  They are both very smiley and happy babies. 

The 3 of us did a little Wal-Mart shopping today.  We were a sight to behold, of course.  It’s funny to see everyone staring, but pretending not to.  I pushed their stroller with my left hand and pulled the cart behind me with my right hand.  It went surprisingly well. 

Question:

Does anyone use Windows Live Writer?  I thought I got it to work, but apparently I only got it to halfway work.  It will only upload text.  If I add a picture I get an “error 403 restricted”.  Do I need to save or access my pictures a different way?  Right now they  are saved and accessed through Windows Photo Gallery.  Any suggestions?

It Works!

Yay!  After many failed attempts of trying to use Windows Writer on my computer, I had given up.  I just downloaded it to Todd’s laptop and… it works!  This should make blogging and loading pictures much easier.