Emmett

Nathan and Carrie are celebrating their 8th anniversary in Grand Cayman this week, so I was able to take a personal day, keep the kids home from school and enjoy some Emmett time! He will be staying with Yaya and Pop all this week and we are so excited to see him as much as we want!

We had so much fun playing cars, ball, kitchen, and building towers. They all really played well together. Grasen is usually the mother hen, making sure the boys are playing nicely and that Emmett isn't getting into anything he shouldn't be. ha! She did sneak off a couple of minutes for some quiet time without the boys.

I was nervous that Emmett wouldn't go to sleep in Bayler's toddler bed for his nap, since he is still in his crib at home. As soon as I put him to bed he fell asleep and slept for 2 1/2 hours! He was such a good boy and we thoroughly enjoyed our time together.

Early Dismissal

School was dismissed two hours early for snow/ice yesterday. Daddy stayed home with Bayler because of his eye infection, so they dropped Grasen and I off at school and picked us up. We had to grab a few groceries just in case our electricity were to go out....no we are not those people that run for milk and bread at the thought of snow, but they were calling for power outages and we were out of bread and dog food. Ha!





It didn't get as bad as the meteorologists were thinking, but we did get a snow day today because of ice on the roads. We didn't get enough snow to play in, but it's always nice to watch it fall.

It's baaack.......

The eye infection claimed its' next victim. Bayler's eye started getting red and really bothering him on Monday. Jordan thought he would take him in to see Dr. H since we were both out for President's Day. He got some eye drops and a prescription for an antibiotic that we were going to wait to fill until other symptoms came up. Grasen started with sinus issues and fever and then the eye infection. Bayler started with the eye infection and then fever and coughing. We ended up getting the antibiotic filled and Jordan was home from work with him for two days. The infection ended up going into his other eye and his fever came and went for two days. Bless his heart! Hopefully it's over for our family.

My boy lately...

I never pictured myself as a mom of a little boy. I guess maybe because I'm as girly as they come. And I had a little girl first. For 3 1/2 years being a mom to a "princess" was all I knew and honestly, I thought I wanted another little princess in our castle.







But the day of my ultrasound when the dr told Jordan and I we would be having a boy, I knew this little boy was going to complete our family. Excitement replaced the fear that I had. Isn't it silly- fear! I had fear of having a boy- I just didn't know what to do with them!








It has been the best almost 4 years. Each day is an adventure and I am so glad God gave us this little boy.

My sweetie

Here is a little throwback...1998. Jordan and I had just started dating in October. We celebrated our 15th and 16th birthdays in November. This is the first time we ever danced together- it was my Sweet 16 party.



For 14 1/2 years he has made me feel like the most special person. I think he knows that I have had a hard time the last month or two just keeping up with everything (or trying to) alone. Basketball season is so tough to get through.. throw his normal principal duties in there, board mtg's, extra curricular activities, Wednesday night master's degree classes, band gigs and practices....phew! At least we are nearing the end of basketball....yet then there's baseball and softball games to attend. ;) We're looking forward to May!!

Saturday evening he got the bathroom all set up for me and then left for an hour with the kiddos. Bliss.



As if the bubble bath wasn't enough, he really helped me out around the house this weekend including cleaning the outside windows, scrubbing our tile shower, and helping get laundry through the washer and dryer!



My man is a keeper.

Birthday with the girls...

We celebrated Susan's birthday today at my Mom's house. We haven't really gathered together in a while so we were due for chit-chat, food, and yummy cake!

Ball Season

It's my favorite time of year for sports! T-ball and softball are beginning and I can't wait. Bayler starts tball this year and I will be coaching with our best friends, Kris and Dawn, and my Dad. Grasen begins coach pitch and Jordan will be assisting some friends. I'm hoping games don't conflict too much. I know it's bound to happen, but I really don't want to miss their games!

We found Bayler his first pair of cleats today. They are a little big, but the smallest cleat that is made so we went with it!



It's going to be a fun season!

Lovie Dovey

Our valentine's day was packed full of fun activities! The kids woke up for school and dressed in their red. I found some cute valentine books for them thru the scholastic book order last month. We love books around here!



They took s'mores for their valentine treats for friends and teachers. The teacher tags said "We need s'more teachers like you!" and the friend treat bags said "I need s'more friends like you!" Who doesn't love s'mores?





Okay- here's one of the many perks of teaching kindergarten....chocolate on v-day=the best! ;)





I was able to help at Bayler's party. They had hot dogs, chips, and cookies. After I left they played pin the beak on the owl and B won! Cutie pie.



Grasen's name was on the school's sign today. She began taking AR tests at the start of 2nd semester and she is doing so well. She got her name on the sign for 30 AR points.





I got home from work yesterday and Jordan had been out of town at a technology conference. He came home with my favorite wine and an MK watch draped around the neck of the bottle. I was blown away. We don't usually give gifts, so I was quite surprised.



We ended the day by eating mexican food with Nana and Papa. The kiddos made us heart shaped cakes at Yaya and Pop's house the day before and surprised us with them. It was a perfect day.

"This too shall pass"

Bayler swallowed a penny Wednesday night. I had put Grasen to bed and then Bayler to bed. Jordan was at a graduate class and I was very tired, so I got in bed (8:30, I know I must be getting old).

Ten minutes later Bayler came into my room and told me he swallowed a penny. I really thought he was pulling my leg and making excuses to get out of bed, but the longer that I looked at him and listened to him I knew he wasn't kidding. He said his throat was hurting and his tummy was too. I started panicking a little and thanking my God that he didn't choke and then I called Jordan. He called a dr friend who said something about if it was a penny made after 1982 then it was made of zinc which is more harmful to the tummy. Well ok. He swallowed it. I don't know the date of the penny. The dr really played it down and said "this too shall pass" adding some comedy to the situation....

I put Bayler in bed with me. He said that he was thirsty and hungry. I was a little nervous about giving him something, but decided that we could tell if the penny was lodged or not if he were to eat. He got down a cereal bar and water just fine. He went to sleep and then woke up vomiting at 3 am. We called the er and, of course, they acted like it was no big deal. I made a dr appt when we woke up the next morning and the dr ordered an X-ray. He wanted to make sure the penny had cleared the esophagus completely because if he were to hiccup or cough the penny could go back into his airway and block it.





So here are the findings....the penny was in a perfect spot to leave his body in 2-3 days. He did complain of a tummy ache the next day or two. On day 4 or 5 we used a metal detector to see if the penny was gone and it was! Thank God! I will never look at a penny the same way again.

Cookies with Gran

Gran had the grandkids over after school today to make valentine cookies. They had so much fun and way too much sugar! Gran had the B's over to help and it really made me think how time goes by way too fast!! I watched the B's when they were toddlers and now they are old enough to help with my babies. Brittany, the oldest B, is actually old enough to take care of my kids by herself. I don't know how this happened.











I am so thankful that my children are making these special memories with their Great Grandma.

Under the weather

We rarely have to take the kids to the dr! I could count on one hand the times they've seen Dr. H and mostly it's been Bayler for ear infections caused by allergies. So thankful for this. In this week alone Sophie saw the vet, Bayler swallowed a penny and got x-rays, and Grasen is very sick and had to go to the Saturday clinic. She started running fever Friday morning and just feeling crummy with congestion. I was worried she was getting the flu. Her fever went away around noon and then right before bed came back and she was feeling horrible. That's when I took this picture. We got her in this morning and she has sinusitis and an infection in her left eye. We got some strong antibiotics, so hopefully she'll be feeling better very soon.

Sophie

I had our Sophie girl at the vet this morning. Jordan walked into the living room and she was in an odd position with her paw up in the air and her head sideways and she was as still as a statue. She rolled off of the couch after she kind of came to.



Our vet is fabulous. He was able to get her right in and did some lab work. There weren't any underlying issues, but her symptoms were clearly epilepsy. We have to watch her closely the next couple of months and document any other episodes. Depending on the number of episodes that will tell us if she needs medicine and how much.

She has got a lot of treats and belly rubs from Mommy.

Spirit Week 2013

It's basketball spirit week and Grasen loves dressing up. I enjoy pj day on a manic Monday, but that's about all. ;)



We were twinkies in our zebra pj's! I actually iron our clothes for the week on Saturday. I told her to choose the pj's she wanted to wear so I could iron them and she grabbed her pink and leopard ones. Monday morning when I put on my zebras she decided she wanted to wear hers. It made Mommy's heart happy that she wanted to match. I know in a few years that will probably not be the case. ;)

Tuesday was cartoon character t-shirt day. This is an area that I fail in as a parent. I don't buy t-shirts, especially with cartoon characters and peace signs. She got sooooo excited when Daddy came home with this Hello Kitty shirt. It's not all bad. As long as she's happy.

Sibling love...

The kids went to awana this afternoon at church. The time was earlier than normal because of the Super Bowl, so they didn't get naps. Bayler wasn't feeling great and he fell asleep on Sissy's shoulder while playing ipad games. So sweet.