Brooks' word update

"ooh wee...."

"wow, pretty!" (I taught him that today while I was trying on dresses)

I did it!

"ank ooh" (thank you)

gogort (yogurt)

peaches

juice

shoes

"ouch"

Bullet (my car)

"side!" (outside)

banket (blanket)

fork

Wesley (dog)

Mama

Daddy

bite

Mouse (cat)

diaper

"piece of me" (wanting to wrestle with Daddy)

water

duck

car

"scoot!" (getting an animal to move)

push

"Bye, bye"

potty

flush

Random pics

Kate in the rocking chair

Brooks enjoying the tricycle... Note Wesley in full stride (this is how our entire neighborhood sees him)

More summer fun

I can't believe we have had so little to blog about recently. I guess we can count that as good and bad! After errand running in the morning, the kids got outside in the "sprinkle" again. Kate had a good time, but Brooks wasn't all that enthused...



The feet of summer!

I know what you are going to say - but he REALLY had his hand going towards HIS head! I know that Scott and Mom won't believe me, but this is true!

(sorry this one is sideways...)

Bathing the possible

I had to post this, compliments of Aunt Laura:

Grandmama was giving Grandaddy little sponge baths in the hospital. She jokingly said she would bathe him from top down, as far as possible. Then she would bathe him from down up, as far as possible.

Then she would bathe possible!

Wii

I'm sure that Scott and I are the last people on the planet not to have played this - but it is so fun! Meredith got one, and we were at the Weekley's house for hamburgers on Monday and played tennis and bowling. Scott is sold - he wants us to get one. I have to admit that I had a blast, and it was fun playing with the teenagers. Scott and Jimmy even played a game of tennis...

Kate's fever resolved by Monday AM. My sore throat is almost gone. I got a lot done today - clothes washed, ironing finished, errands run, Walmart trip. I wish we had an extra day with Daddy every week! :)

Update, 2

Well, Kate has been running a "feber" since Friday. She seems to feel OK - but isn't herself. I wish that I could take her to the doctor tomorrow, but it is a holiday...

I still have my sore throat. I was talking to Dad tonight and he reminded me of his sore throat last week. His hung in there for a while - so I am thinking mine will too. Yippee.

Brooks fell down on the driveway today and has a shiner that will put most to shame. Actually, it's more of a scrape than a "goose egg", but it accentuates the small egg that he got falling at Belk's on FRIDAY, on the same place. Mama points here, please! He is talking a lot more, so I guess that no permanent harm has been done, yet...

Did you know that I have been published?

Although I didn't claim fame of a new veterinary treatment or discover a cure for a debilitating illness, I can still say that I have been published! :) Enjoy the read!

*Client knowledge has been updated. I will start adding these funnies to the beginning to make it easier to read...*

Busby update

The theme of this week has been messy.

Tristan puked all over our house during the night on Monday. I took him to the clinic on Tuesday and ran some bloodwork and all was fine. So, I decided to leave him there for the vomiting to pass.

Meanwhile, Brooks started with diarrhea - from teething. We almost have our 2 upper molars erupted, and he is working on the lower ones. Finally! These molars have really given him so much trouble for WEEKS and WEEKS. Despite bath after bath after bath after bath..... he still got 2 nasty spots of diaper rash on his bum.

Got carpets cleaned on Wednesday.

Got to work yesterday to find Tristan with bloody diarrhea. I decided to bring him home, because the stress of being away from home, I'm sure, started his diarrhea.

This morning I woke up to a sore throat. I sneezed all day yesterday and had thought it must be allergies. No such luck. But, I haven't been sick in a while, so I guess I was due.

On a side note, my Grandaddy is expected to go home today after 10 days in the hospital and having his gallbadder removed. He is a tough 90 year old - ready to get back to his garden of squash and tomatoes. I think that Grandmama is more worn out than he is.

What could you do with $160,140?

(I saw this last week in our local paper and thought I'd share)

The government recently calculated the cost of raising a child from birth to 18 and came up with $160,140 for a middle income family.

But, $160,140 isn't so bad if you break it down. It translates into $8,896.66 a year, $741.38 a month, or $171.08 a week. That's a mere $24.44 a day!

Just over a dollar an hour. Still, you might think the best financial advise says don't have children if you want to be "rich". It is just the opposite.

What do you get for your $160,140?

• Naming rights. First, middle and last!
• Glimpses of God every day.
• Giggles under the covers every night.
• More love than your heart can hold.
• Butterfly kisses and Velcro hugs.
• Endless wonder over rocks, ants, clouds and warm cookies.
• A hand to hold, usually covered with jelly.
• A partner for blowing bubbles, flying kites, building sandcastles and skipping down the sidewalk in the pouring rain.
• Someone to laugh yourself silly with no matter what the boss said or how your stocks performed that day.

Our children are blessings from God.

Welcome summer!

Our home renovations have moved outside, and we are working on flower beds and the lawn. Scott put out some fertilizer yesterday and watered the grass last night. He asked if I could water a spot that he couldn't get to - so here's what we did! The kids had a blast!

Welcome summer!

Happy Anniversary to us!

In the midst of the choas, we celebrated our 11th anniversary on May 10th.

I have the most wonderful husband in the world. He is the happiness of our house! He has made me a better person and I am so thankful that he is mine! I love you, honey!

We celebrated by going out to dinner at Olive Garden with our good friends and neighbors, Jimmy and Janice. We had the best time just laughing the entire time. I can't wait to do it again! We are just so blessed, not only with such a wonderful house, but by wonderful neighbors. Thanks again, Meredith!

Lightning strike

(Here is our screen door on the back porch. That dent was from a piece of wood off the tree that is 20 feet or so away. If it had gone any higher I'm sure that glass would be gone too...)

So, you know of the catastrophe we suffered on May 9th.

For those who haven't heard lightning strike so close to you, it sounds like a cannon. The sound was incredible. At the time, it tripped a breaker, and when Scott fixed it, we figured out the fan motor was fried.

Only to find out the next day that the computer and fridge were fried, too.

I'll save you all the drama of the last week, except living with a college size fridge with 2 small children was fun. Here's what our fridge held for us:

1 gallon of milk
applejuice
yogurt
hot dogs
cheese

That's about it.

Luckily we had already planned for the kids to go to Scott's parent's house in Mobile that very Sunday, so that gave us a few days to not have to worry about them. They had a fantastic time and Kate is still talking about it. She learned, "Red means stop, Green means go" and "Head, shoulders, knees and toes".

So, we are back and I am about to do some serious blogging check ups! Too funny, Allison - I'm glad that Lent isn't celebrated with us. I'd have to think hard on what I would give up!

Tree strike pictures

Scott thinks this tree is 30-40 feet tall

Look closely over the playset and you will see a long piece of tree draped over the top

These 2 pieces were still hanging on the roof

A closer look at the tree

Kate update

Kate is doing so good. She is just the sweetest little girl. The past few weeks have been just a joy with her. She continues to talk more every day, and her imagination is just running wild! I think I get a birthday party every day...

What is she doing now?

She can buckle her top buckle of the car seat ("no spankings and no pinches!")
She constantly recites 4 or more memory verses.
She can eat yogurt without making too much of a mess.
She is a really big girl about going to the potty and is finally potty trained!

Brooks update

Our boy is better!

He finally got over all of his sicknesses:

fever
diarrhea
sores on his bottom from diarrhea
many, many, many baths, but still got 2 sores
ear infection
croup
cutting molars

Yep, these were all happening at the same time. He has 2 upper molars coming through his gums right now, and still none on the bottom. He has started with some yucky diapers again, and I think that this time it is teething ONLY! :)

Long time, no blog

No, the newness hasn't worn off...

No, Scott hasn't banned me from the computer...

No, only an "act of God" could have kept me from blogging this last week.

Yep, and that's what it was.

Lightning struck a tree about 10 feet behind our carport last Thurs night. It took out the modem of our computer, the board (ie - brain) of the fridge and the ceiling fan. I am still computerless - hopefully just until tomorrow...

Don't worry - you will get a full report when I return. I am really sad that I haven't been able to check other's blogs for a WHOLE WEEK. For me, this has been a true test of my patience!!!

We are better!

Today, when I got home from work, Brooks had that smile - and I knew that things were better. He is still coughing some, eating great and pooping normal. Hooray for normal poop.

Here are 2 funny phone calls from today:

1. There is a dog at the clinic recovering from bladder stone surgery. After telling the owner that the dog could go home today, she (very seriously) replied that she had an important meeting tomorrow, and that she just COULDN'T SLEEP ON THE FLOOR with the dog tonight, could she please just pick her up tomorrow?

2. Another person called (not our client but probably will be) today and said that her dog was having seizure because it ate chicken bones. Every time the dog strained to poop (because of the bones) it had a seizure. She called her regular veterinarian, who told her that it was a brain malfunction, but she didn't believe him. She is certain it is from the chicken bones and she wanted a second opinion - yeah, we'll be seeing her tomorrow...

I have decided to try to post this funny list on a link on the side of my blog. I will let you know when I update it, so that it will all stay in one place!

Brooks' lymerick

Today started out kind of tough,

And I felt like I'd had enough.

But shortly thereafter

Amongst Kate Reed's laughter,

Came this first 2 word sentence of love:

"My banket! My banket!"

Well, we thought we were better...

Brooks seemed better yesterday. His cough was improved, his diarrhea has stopped and he ate a good lunch.

Last night, we tried a different approach. I placed the humidifier in his room and let him sleep there. We slept in the spare bedroom so that we could hear him. I only heard him cough at 5am, and he never cried. I think he slept good. Scott said when he peeked in on him this morning he was smiling...

And, then that melted away...

I just put him back to bed.

He doesn't want to eat.
He doesn't want to drink.
He doesn't want to be held.
He doesn't want to be put down.
He doesn't want to go outside.
He doesn't want to be rocked.
He doesn't want his diaper changed. (I did that anyway)

So I am discouraged about how the rest of the day is going to go. Brooks and I are both tired of him being sick.

Back to the doctor

Well, now Brooks has the croup and an ear infection (BTW - his first ear infection. Can't believe we've gone this long!) He is so pitiful and now has completely lost his voice. It is scary to know that if he cries I can't hear him. He is now on steroids and antibiotics.

Last night, he slept in the pack-n-play in our room. I borrowed a humidifier from Shannon B. Well, that was a disaster. I had a sheet over his crib and over the humidifier - at some point he pulled the sheet down and blocked the pack-n-play FROM the humidifier. At 4am he woke up crying and I picked him up and he was freezing cold, the pack-n-play was damp and the floor was wet. So much for good ideas.

He does seem to be breathing better this AM. He is still coughing but not as bad. I am having to cut his food up really small (what food he will eat, that is) so that he won't get choked while coughing. He has been asleep since 8am (he was up at 6:30). Dr. S said he should be feeling much better by tomorrow...

Daddy's shirt

This is a shirt that Scott wore when he was in the 4th grade in Arizona playing soccer. Kate loves to wear it to sleep in. She calls it "Daddy's shirt"

This is my new favorite picture of Kate!

I have to take a minute and brag on Kate. Brooks has been sick since Thursday (he is a bit better, but we are going back to the doctor in the AM) and she has been such a trooper. Kate has been the most well behaved, doing what I ask, happy and giving hugs girl I have seen in a while. The last few months we have butted heads a bit (does turning 3 have anything to do with that???) but she seems to have finally started to click again.

She has even started giving Brooks hugs, trying to make him laugh so that he will cheer up, asking him to come in the bath with her. This is a huge step for her. I have just enjoyed her so much the last 2 weeks - she has really made the last few days so much easier.

We love you, sweet girl!

8 little known facts about me!

Which of these did you know about me?

1. When I was born, the doctor told Mom that I was perfect in every way, except that I would not be able to frown. Mom can't remember him stating exactly how he knew that. But, I can frown today, just ask Scott! HA! In fact, this was part of the first conversation that we had together, before we ever went out on a date.

2. I have a scar on my upper right bicep from a horse bite when I was 16. I will spare the fun details... Most people ask me if I was burned by a cigar????

3. Mom wanted to name me Kelly or Kristi. When she heard Dad say (in his GA drawl) "Kelly. I like Kelly" she said she quickly suggested I be named Kristi. I'm glad.

4. I have never seen the movie The Princess Bride. I'm probably the last of my generation that can say that.

5. The first job I can remember saying I would be when I grew up was a Judge - so that I could tell boys what to do (no kidding)

6. I got my first gray hairs at 26. Rick noticed it at my Nana's funeral.

7. I, like Leah, can't stand to have someone smack their chewing gum. It really grates on my nerves. For instance, in an elevator or talking to someone on the phone. Yuck!

8. Scott was my FIRST and LAST kiss! :)

Pitiful Baby Boy

I think this picture shows it all. If you could see my face, it would look just like this.

Kate's before and after

OK, so I laid Kate down for her nap. She was dressed in the shirt below with some cute plaid purple carpi's (notice the dirt on the sleeves from our unexpected trip to the park). When I woke her up, this is the fashion statement that greeted me! Notice the spring like delicate white shirt with lavender princesses accompanied by (outgrown but still loved anyway) "Christmas like" pink pants with raspberry Christmas trees. Truly a combination deserving Vera Wang's approval.

Brooks is a sick little boy. His fever has been very persistent. We went to see Dr. S this am and all it is.... come on, Moms, you know what I am going to say:

Yep. A fever virus.

Brooks is sick again

It has been an interesting week with the kids since Mimi and Pa are gallivanting around PA.

Today, I took the kids to Aunt Leah's house for the day. At least I thought.

This morning, Brooks woke up fussy. He does this sometimes, and I was hoping that it was from our late night at church. Anyway, Scott helped me get the kids together and off we went. Kate was SO EXCITED to get to go to Hayes' house. When we got there, she was ecstatic and Brooks was devastated. He cried and cried when I left. In the back of my mind.... "I hope he is OK". Leah said she wouldn't call unless he was inconsolable.

Well, she called at 11:00 am and he was running a good fever. Bingo. Luckily, Dr. Brooks didn't have any appts scheduled for herself this afternoon, so I went there after lunch to get the kids. Kate was so happy - she had the best time. Brooks was pitiful.

So, I spent the rest of the day holding my little boy. I feel so bad for him - he was just sick and that lasted 2 weeks (cold and drainage) and now this. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that tomorrow will be a better day for him.

OK - so on another topic, I have been anxious to get some landscaping done around the outside of our home. Dr. Brooks loaned me the BEST book about landscaping - Southeast Home Landscaping. It basically shows you pictures, tells you if it is best for shade or sun, and then tells you exactly what to plant! It is so neat! I have been so excited to go to Lowes on Saturday (providing that Brooks is feeling better by then). If you are in need of landscaping ideas, you should check it out!