Christmas Pics

Ok. So here are some of the pictures from Christmas. You probably don't care to see them all, so I'll just chose a few.

On Christmas Eve-Eve we let the boys open one present each. We chose their Wonder Pets items. The next mid-morning (Christmas Eve) we let the boys open their other 2 presents under the tree from us. Malachi got a Spiderman costume & HiHo Cherry-O to play with others. Ezekiel got a box with 4 different sets of 2-car trains & a pull (with a string) Thomas with 2 cars. That Evening Uncle David, Aunt Chelle, Grampa & Grammy came over for dinner and presents. The boys got mega blocks and lots of Cars stuff & a few Micky Mouse (for Z).

Christmas day started with a few little things in the stockings at our house and the reading of the Bible story of Jesus' birth. We then went to Great-grandma Carol's for breakfast and fun with Grandpa Rick, Nana, Aunt Miranda, Aunt Tabith, & Uncle Ricky. The boys got a racing/crashing cars set, other Cars stuff, and a stocking full of goodies. They have several favorites but enjoy the Cars "bistro" set just for them and the 2 lap tables.

After breakfast we headed to Grandpa Phil's house with Grandma Cathy, Great-grandma Geraldine & Aunt Krisitin to eat lunch and the second round of presents that day. The boys got tractors and a car to play with outside. They also got a train set, globe, and a few other things.

We were exhausted after the day and had no need for dinner, but we had a great time. It's nice to have the holidays to be with family.

I'm Stuffed

It's all over now. I'll post pictures soon. I've got a lot to get accomplished in the next week. I'm not sure how it is all going to get done. We are overloaded with toys and goodies after the holidays. Daniel and I have been deciding where to put the addition to the house for all the BIG toys the boys racked up at Christmas.

Both the boys are feeling better, but Malachi's drippy nose has been hanging on. Ezekiel had a pretty nasty cold a little over a week ago. Malachi caught it, and it lead to an ear infection. He woke up from his nap on Christmas Eve-Eve with 102.4 fever. It's funny that with all his horrible symptoms, he never complained of an ear infection. Apparently, Ezekiel had a "sort-of" ear infection with some drainage out of his tubes, too. We had to get drops for that. I hope that all will go much better over the next week.

On Christmas morning, We read the Christmas story and talked about it being Jesus' birthday. We asked the boys if they wanted to sing Happy Birthday to Jesus. Ezekiel immediately started singing the birthday song, so we put in Jesus' name.

"Wrestling" Daddy

Malachi said that he wanted to wrestle Daddy. It turned into, "let me stand on his back and jump off while counting." And, yes, he is wearing a Bob the Builder outfit handed down from friends at school. Of course, Ezekiel had to get in on the action, too.

The Christmas Parties Have Begun

We have A LOT of FAMILY around us, SO we had our first family Christmas party today. The boys had fun with their cousins on Daniel's Dad's side. It was a 2pm (so not good for naptime), so Malachi had no nap, and I tried to put Ezekiel down early. It kind of worked. Malachi was fine. Z was not horrible but oh-so irritable. It doesn't help that Z has been getting over a HORRIBLE cold (although, Z's colds are always bad. He rarely has easy colds and gets them often). Anywho. Malachi has caught his cold (& Daniel, too). There weren't a lot of presents (which none of us minded), but we did have a good time. The boys got pj's & matching Mr. Potato Heads. We've got plans for Christmas Eve & day. I've also got plans with lots of friends. More to come.What you can't tell from this picture of Ezekiel in the background is that he kept throwing the paper from his presents on the floor to try to mimic what Daddy had done with his wrapping paper towards his dad.

Wonder Pets

As we got out the Christmas decorations, we came across our little red & green towels that we usually put on the stove. After hanging in that spot for a few days, Malachi thought that the red & green would make great capes. He called he and his brother Wonder Pets (one of their favorite shows right now. In fact, when I took the boys to Toys R Us to scope out what there was to be had and decide on what we really wanted to get the boys on our little budget, Malachi kept going on and on and on and on about the Wonder Pet's flyboat. It's a good thing we bought that for him, because he still has his heart set on it 3 weeks later). I grabbed 2 safety pins left over from the 5.2 million I have after each Calvary Kid's Consignment Sale. Malachi & Ezekiel had a great time pretending they were Tuck & Ming-Ming. I was actually surprised that this was the first time that we had created capes for our boys.

Word Explosion

Ezekiel has had an explosion of words and thoughts lately. He's saying thank you all the time and sorry when he does something wrong. He'll respond to some questions with "ok." It's good conversations and thoughts. He's had the ability and has talked in ununderstandable sentences for sometime, but to understand more and more what he is saying is just precious. It's like all of a sudden he realized how to talk to us in complex thoughts. I love this time in their lives. 18 months on is just a blast! I like the early months, but there is just something special about being there when they are taking in so much information and figuring out how to use it.

"Wa-woo" - water
"Ga-gi-go-goo" - God is so good (the song)
"eye-di-ooo" - I love you
"da-kyoo" - thank you

just to name a few

A Christmas Lights Visit

Tonight we took Malachi, Ezekiel, & Jasmine (the boys' cousin) to see a house we found last year in China Grove. The dude's house is CRAZY! I tried different modes for my camera, but none of them came out exactly right. All 3 kids had a blast looking at all the lights, inflatable santas & snowmen, and trains, etc. I think we overheard the man saying that there were over 20 trains in the case, and I don't have a clue how many lights.

It was a great plot by my husband. A 6 year old, a 3 year old, and a 21 mo. old running around our tiny little house for several hours was not going to work. It must also be said that Jasmine & Malachi always seem to have huge arguments because they are both strong-willed and would "argue with the wall (if it would talk back)." Ezekiel was actually a little dejected that he lost his playmate (his big bro) when Jasmine came in. I was very surprised that they all did pretty well this evening. It's a good thing, too. I don't know if we'll be ready for #3 any time soon, though.

Welcome to the World!!!

I would like to welcome Erin Mackenzie to the world. That means that the boys' friend, Kyla, is now a big sister! She was 9 lb.s & 9 oz. Wow! Your Mommy really is SuperWoman! Welcome little girl. We can't wait to see you. I know that your Mommy was anxious to have you here (especially since you were 2 weeks overdue), but you are very welcome. Congratulations to the whole family on a great day that went relatively uneventfully.

Banana Tip

I heard this tip from one of the DJs either on our local station of 91.9 or 106.9.

Are your bananas ripening too quickly to eat them? Try this.

When you get home, take all the bananas apart, then put them wherever you normally would. They will not ripen as quickly, leaving you more time to eat them before you throw them away.

Let me try it

Here is a video of Ezekiel singing and dancing the VeggieTales theme song. It's a riot. I hope it works!

Fun, Fun, Fun

I've never been so excited to fill up my gas tank! Yesterday, I filled up my tank for $23!!! Only 2 weeks ago, I filled up for $29. This is something that I could get used to.

The boys are doing well and growing quickly. Malachi is already moving into 4t clothes. Usually, he's ready by the END of winter. I just bought a bunch of 3t clothes. Now, I need to go look for 4t. He's not supposed to grow this fast. It's a good thing that his brother will eventually put most of them to good use.

Ezekiel needs 24 mo. shirts to cover his long, skinny torso, but he still needs 18 mo. for around the waste (or 12 mo.). He's definitely getting taller, just not fatter.

You should hear the two of them "sing" songs. Ezekiel added to Malachi makes for endless laughs.

Have you ever heard the "Pirates who don't do anything" song? There's one part in the chorus where they say, "we just stay at home and lie around..." Malachi's version goes, "we just stay home and FLY around." More to come!

Miscellaneous

I was so excited that I filled up the Saturn Ion for $29. The gas was priced at $2.29 a gallon (that was last Sunday). The next day gas dropeed to $2.19! I could have saved over $1.30. Even better now, I have seen gas as cheap as $2.03. I think I'll do a little dance when it drops under $2!

I did my first arts and crafts project with the boys (and cousins). It turned out great!

Our internet router STINKS! It won't let us get on the internet at home. What a bummer.

Accients Happen...I Guess

Last night Malachi had his first pee-pee accident in MONTHS! How does that JUST happen when you are going to put your milk cup in the fridge, and leave a yellow puddle on the floor? Just curious.

"Bread Sticks"

Today, after church, we ended up at a Japanese restaurant. I think that was the first time either of the boys had been to one (where they cook the food in front of you). One of the main reasons why Malachi is 3 and never had that experience is b/c when I was pregnant, I HATED Japanese food.

To the point! There were a few other kids at the table, so the lady brought them chopsticks with the little piece of paper with a rubber band to help them eat better than just plain chopsticks. Malachi thought that was the coolest thing ever! He never touched his spoon or fork. He ate rice and some steak all with chopsticks. He couldn't remember what to call them, so he kept referring to them as "bread sticks." I would lovingly correct him, and he'd just grin and shrug his shoulders. He LOVED the rice! I asked the guy to give him some rice w/o egg, and he did. Ezekiel also dug into some rice. It was all over the place!

You know that the guys cooking the food put on a small show for you with fire and other things. Malachi wasn't too sure. He eventually warmed up, but when he used fire, Malachi about screamed and almost started crying. The man nicely apologized for scaring him and promised not to do it again (which he lived up to). All in all, it was a really fun experience that we will definitely do again one day, probably not any time soon.

I am not too fond of the rice, but I love the carrots! Daniel cleaned his plate!!! Ezekiel shared my salad and my rice and ate one piece of steak. It was nice to do something different. I am trying very hard to appreciate these little things that we do together and blog to share them with everyone else. Bon Appetite!

-isms

Ezekiel-isms
He is so full of life. His smile is contagious. He is mischievous. He screams if he doesn't get his way, but always has a spring/dance in his step.

• "eye-da-dee" - I love you, Daddy (Mommy, anyone else who says it to me)
• "eye-di-ii" - I did it!
• "Zee-zul" - Ezekiel
• "a-ba-may" - banana
• "a-pa-jew" - apple juice
• "yeah!"

Malachi-isms
He is still struggeling with the poop part of potty training and during sleep times. He loves tv. He is a TALKER and doesn't stop much. He is taking behavior hints from his little brother. He loves to state the obvious, and he is obviously 3. He continually forms sentences and uses newer words each day. He has (somehow) contracted a really harsh Southern accent this week.

• "The guy put it way up!" - the guy making pizzas threw the dough up in the air.
• "No, he not 3, I 3!!!" - He can't be 3 because I am 3 (years old).
• "Z is crying, Momma" - Thanks, Buddy.
• "No, I not tired...zzzzzz" - I'm lying about being tired.

***Please excuse my last post. Don't let it be a downer. I'm just documenting my feelings and what is going on with me, us, and my thought process. I think my stress level is at an all-time high. I love, love, love my family, and I wouldn't trade them in for anything else in the world. But, this has been the most challenging few months with Ezekiel, and work, and everything else in life. I'm frustrated with the now and can't wait for the future. God is never late. His plan is perfect. I'm just wondering if He could hurry it up, so I don't have to wait anymore:) J/k! Have a great day and don't worry about my "downers." We will trust God and do His will.

Random Thoughts

• It's late, and I can't get to sleep. There are tooooo many things bouncing around in my brain.
• We need to find a good home for Kiev. None of us want to see her go, but we're pretty sure that Ezekiel is allergic to her, too. And we can't keep him fully well. And Kiev is soooo sweet, but sheds A TON!
• I need the Lord more than ever, because I can't seem to figure out in my own mind how things are going to get better here. I'm just stumped.
• We just got a phone call here at the house about 10 minutes ago. That means at about 11:50pm from an unknown number.
• I really, really, really don't like one of my "jobs" right now (and it's not the one about being a mom).
• I love, love, love, love all 3 of the boys that I have been blessed with. They always make me smile and give me big hugs.
• Malachi has pooped in the potty 2 days in a row. That's a record for him. He's a pro at the peeing part, but he doesn't like to sit on the potty.
• We were hoping to get a realy Christmas tree this year, but that is out of the question, now.
• Christmas is all about Jesus, not gifts. It's funny how I've had all these good intentions, but it has become about presents and not the true meaning of it all.
• Malachi is starting to cry like Ezekiel.
• Ezekiel screams every time something doesn't go his way.
• They both are interacting more and more with the world around them, and it amazes me:)
• I should be more thankful for my health and that of my family. God has blessed us.
• I'm really disappointed by some of the country's chosen politicians, but God is still God, and he hasn't changed. Amen!
  

Recent Happenings

I told you that once volleyball was over I would have more free-time. I still have a hard time getting everything done, but I am improving. Here are some pictures from the past few days.

"Punkin" Patch

Malachi lived up to the bargain that we had made on Sunday. Therefore...today we made it to a local "punkin" (Malachi-ism) patch in Iredell County. Carrigan Farms has apparently been doing this pumpkin patch thing for about 30 years. One of Daniel's grandmothers went with us to have fun with the boys. We went in the morning before the major rush. They took us on a hay ride to see a small corral of animals. Then the tractor pulled us to the pumpkin patch. We were able to enjoy some fresh apple cider. There were cut-outs for the kids to take their picture in. Malachi had a great time, but Ezekiel was a little on the moody side. Then, we went to lunch at one of our favorite BBQ restaurants, since we were sooo close. It was nice to get away from the house and area just for a little bit and enjoy the nice, cool weather.

It's Almost Over

I know that I haven't had a genuine post in awhile. I haven't touched my camera for about 2 months. Life is very, very busy with the beginning of school. Then, I coach on top of that. Our season is over sometime next week (whenever we end in the tournament). I can't wait to have a life or resemblance of one. We're almost there. I feel like I miss out on so much of my family's life right now, but I enjoy everything that I do (just not all at once). It is sooo hard to get things done. I have no free time between the hours of 8am and 6pm. BUT enough complaining. We might be taking the boys to a pumpkin patch on Saturday.

We are using the pumpkins as a bribe. Malachi has not been sleeping well at night, and he has been wanting to get in bed with us (which we don't condone at all). Anywho, Malachi has been talking about pumpkins a lot lately. So, we decided we would take him to a pumpkin patch if he sleeps in his bed all night this week. So far, so good. He slept through the night last night and went down "fairly" easily tonight:) He's only got a few more days to go. Now we have to figure out what we can afford and plan it out. We also want to plan to get a real Christmas tree this year, too. Malachi is at the age that we need to start these "traditions" and stick with them. We are trying harder to do more family things on the weekend, now that Daniel is off most Saturdays. We are also pretty tight fund-wise, so we look for the cheap. We had a blast at that local park that I had lots of pics from. And that was all FREE!

So, I say all that to say that we are really trying to make a conscious effort to do family outings that don't cost a lot of money. We spent about a year to six months burning ourselves out. Now it's time to work on our family and less on the "job."

God is ALWAYS good. At times, lately, I have wondered what he could possibly have in store for us, but we are seeking his will for our lives always. We want God to lead us and be the best examples of Jesus Christ to our little boys. They are wonderful (and wonderfully different) little boys. Many days I am reminded of how precious and impressionable they are. At those times, I thank the Lord for teaching us the "right way" to raise our children in His image.

Ezekiel has been struggling with sickness still. It seems that he may have asthma. He still gets one breathing treatment a day. He's got a snotty nose now, which worries me, but God will protect him and keep him safe. We will have to pay almost $150 for a chest x-ray back in September, but I guess that's what we have insurance for, right? Oh, wait, that's after the insurance "adjusted" it. Ok. Sorry. Complaining, again.

Malachi has been fortunate to move up to Kids, Jr. in September. He has "church" and not just nursery. AND on Wednesday nights, he has Tender Paws (a branch of Royal Rangers). He has already earned a dolphin badge and is working on the next. He loves learning like that. At his "school" during the day, he is being taught letters, and he can recognize and sort of spell his name out loud. He still can't form the letters of his name by himself, but he's making huge strides.

Ezekiel is saying more and more and more. He has so much more of a vocabulary than Malachi did at this time, but he also has a big brother that he adores. Z does think of himself as a "big kid." If only I could get him potty-trained already. We would be in good shape:)

I hope you all have a great week, and I hope to take (and post) some pictures soon.

Welcome to the Blog World!

I wanted to let you all know that there is a new "friend" in the blogging world. My friend, J, has started a blog to keep us all up to date on their "new" little one. He's 5 months old, now, but still very loved and adorable. Welcome!!!

Bridenstine's blurb

Consignment Sale of the Season

Every spring and fall there is a church that does a HUGE children's consignment sale. I plan to go every year, and each year I get more and more pumped. I ended up spending $115. I pretty much outfitted Malachi for the winter and a few things for later when he grows. Included in that was $8 on a leg push car. It just needs two bolts with washers to hold the top part together. It is in pretty good shape (not faded) and rolls so well. It's been in the house since Friday night, but both the boys are having a blast with it.

Well, 2 girlfriends of mine met at the church to be in the first group to venture into the piles of clothes and other items. After the sale, we headed to a restaurant for a late-night dinner and conversation. I got home about 11:30pm with all my items. Most of them have now been washed and are in the boys' drawers. The proceeds from the church's sale each year goes to their missions program. What a great idea! It takes a TON of volunteers, but I am sooo thankful that they do it and that the profits go towards my heart...missions. I never pay more than $3 per item, and you can't beat that with a stick!

Thanks to my friends, J & L, for meeting me and enjoying a girls' night with me. After the past few weeks at work, I needed that break. AND the boys got to spend that night with the grandparents to give Daddy a much needed break, and Daniel & I got to enjoy getting up on our own time and having breakfast, just the two of us. It has been a rejuvenating weekend. Praise the Lord for this wonderful time!

-isms

Malachi-isms

"I have lots of hands." - My hands are full. He was sitting in his carseat and had to go potty. I told him to hold it, and we would stop as soon as possible. He had Z's cup and his cup in his hands (being the good big bro that he is). When I said, "hold it," he took it very literally and needed to "hold it!"

"Mommy, you have dog fur on your legs?!" - You need to shave your legs!!! One night last week, I was sitting on the couch after practice with my big boy chatting. He was lightly rubbing my leg while we were talking. Then, he asked that question. It had been over a week since I had shaved, so I guess it was time. It was funny that he compared my legs to dog fur. It was soft enough.


Ezekiel-isms

"da-doo, Mom-meee" - Thank you, Mommy. Right now Mommy applies to everyone when he says thank you. It is so cute!

"num-um-ooom-num-um" - yummy

"haa-wu-woo" - hallelujah (said after "praising the Lord" when you cough)

***He can still sign more ("moe"), thank you, and all done. He has gotten very good at signing and trying to say please (usually "pee"). Today he did dog all on his own when I was talking about letting Kiev out. He's been picking up on things so quickly lately. He was nod and say things like "uh-huh" for a yes and "uh-uh" for a no. He just amazes me at how smart he is (as did his older brother at this stage).

Sometimes I Just Want to Ask, "Why?"

Thursday during the day Ezekiel had a cough. He didn't cough that often, but it was a "nasty" cough. We figured he was getting a little cold, again. We put him to bed that evening, and he had a hard time sleeping. As the night went on, he had a hard time breathing. In the morning (Friday), I did a breathing treatment that we had leftover (from last month) with the nebulizer that we bought. The cough sounded better, and I was hoping that would help him on Friday. As the day wore on, he developed a fever and was having a much more difficult time breathing. Daniel took him to the doctor about 5pm. Once they listened to his lungs and saw his symptoms, they gave him another breathing treatment at the doc. office and sent us to the hospital for a chest x-ray. We got to the hospital where Malachi reminded us every 3.532 minutes that "I hungry, Mommy." Once we got "checked in." I told Daniel to take Malachi to get something to eat and get prescriptions filled for Z. I stayed with Z for the x-ray. There was a horrible contraption that we had to put him in to keep him still, but it didn't hurt him. He SCREAMED the whole time b/c he was tired, hungry, and felt HORRIBLE. We found out that he did have a respiratory infection (I guess, pretty much, pneumonia). So, he's on 3 breathing treatments a day, one of those has 2 liquids in them (which takes 3x as long) and antibiotics. I had to work on Saturday (to make up a "flood" day). Daniel had to go to a CPR class while I was at school. It was just what we didn't need to do on that Saturday.


It's just ironic how our 3 year old has all the allergies (dairy, egg, peanuts, dogs, cats, etc.) and has been relatively healthy (except for about 3-4 months right when Z was born). Our 1 year old has no known allergies but is sick almost all the times (tubes in the ears, breathing treatments, antibiotics). Go figure.

Sometimes I just want to ask God, "Why?". I know that its just a sickness, but it happens so often. He gets so sick, so easily. No, he hasn't been hospitalized, but we are struggling just to stay afloat financially and mentally with all the stress of a demanding job and a house and family. I don't regret any of those things, and I am extremely thankful for all of them. But I am in a continual state of "overwhelmed-ness." When will it end? Didn't we do everything correctly when raising him? Why us? Why now? Is a nervous breakdown on the horizon? I still trust God and his timing, but I'm running low on what I can handle. I know he's in control, so after my questions, I am comforted by God's grace and abundance. He's MORE than enough for me.

A Day of Fun

Yesterday was a fun day for our family. We went to a "new to us" park in the area. It had a yucky, mud pond with cool turtles. It also had great trails, play equipment, and it was soooo not crowded! We had planned to make sandwiches and take our lunches to the park. We had turkey, peanut butter, and soynut butter (an alternative to peanut butter)---none of them mixed together. We went to see the turtles twice and had loads of fun playing on the "toys." The bathrooms were nice. The basketball courts and volleyball nets were still fully in tact. We were so impressed. There is another area park that is closer to our house, but it is always soooo crowded and even a little run down due to the overcrowding. This park was tons better. Anywho, we had a blast. Afterwards, we went to see Paw-Paw in the transitional care center (he's out of the hospital). Then it was nap time. After naptime, the boys went to play with grandparents while Daniel and I had our first date night in over 2 months. The food and (most importantly) DESSERT was great!

It's Going...

It's been a little bit of a "bear" of a week (and its only Tuesday). Malachi refused to use the potty yesterday. We had a pow-wow last night, and he kept the same pair of underwear on today. So, I made good on my offer, and I went to get him a special drink (apple juice slushy). Our funds are super tight right now, but I still want to do little things for him that can reward him (and are healthy, too).

I've had 2 days of students and 2 days of tryouts for volleyball. I got home about 7pm last night. I got home about 6:30 tonight. Daniel has "started" an after school program at church. So, he's got the boys in the morning and will be bringing them home each evening and making dinner. We're tired and exhausted. Did I mention its only Tuesday!

Back to "Normal" and a Prayer Request

Well, we all seem to be back to normal around here. Daniel's stomach has been bothering him lately, but he hasn't been paid a visit by Ralph, so I think we're in the clear. Malachi, Ezekiel, and I seem to have our stomachs back to our normal eating schedule. The boys didn't eat much this week at "school" or at home (probably due to recovering from upset stomachs). Today, though, they have both been eating like horses! They had cereal for breakfast around 8am, then we decided to do our Saturday "tradition" of going out to breakfast on Saturday at about 10am. We got the boys toast and grits to share, while Daniel and I had the bigger breakfasts. They ate several pieces of toast and most of the grits. Then, they napped early without "lunch." They had letter cookies from Trader Joe's on the way to a family birthday party. Then they both pigged out on nothing healthy. Before bed, they shared a chicken tender and a few french fries. I think they ate more today then the whole week combined.

Daniel's grandfather has been in the hospital for about a week. They have diagnosed him with the early stages of Alzheimer's and just put in a feeding tube to help him eat (because food was trying to go down to his lungs). I won't say much more, but please remember him in your prayers and know that we greatly need them here. Thank you!

On the Way Up

So, after my post about Ralph, it got worse. Malachi gave up his food 3 times on Saturday. He had extreme diarrhea on Sunday. I woke up with the same on Sunday. Then about noon, I started getting a visit from Ralph. Thankfully, I was able to eat and drink a little bit Sunday evening.

I went to work today (as did Daniel), and the boys started school. I was concerned at how the 3 of us would do today. My stomach is still not back to normal, but I am doing well. I ate a hearty lunch and kept it all down. The boys didn't eat much today (the same story for the weekend), and they still have some diarrhea. I am thankful for how quickly I recovered and that Ralph decided not to stay long.

I think Daniel was able to escape the disease. He had an upset stomach yesterday but nothing else.

I know that you all care about the details of our intimate lives, but I thought I would document for posterity sake. Not quite sure why, but let's run with it.

***As I was typing this post, Malachi coughed and started calling for me. I left him in his room. When he starting calling louder, I went in, and he said, "Mommy, I say bleah." Yes, he had thrown up after going over 48 hours without doing that. He's been better today, though, and eating. I'll be praying for Ralph to stay far away.***

I Did a Little Dance

When Ezekiel finally hit 20 lbs., I did a little dance of joy. It came time, this week, to do a little dance, again.

On Monday, I had put my rings (wedding wrap & engagement) in our bag at the beach. We had to pack up kind of quickly to leave because a storm was quickly approaching. When we got back to the hotel for naps, I realized it was time to put my rings back on. The only problem...I only found my engagement ring. I dug through the bag. I turned it inside out. Daniel & I combed the beach. I asked Josh & Erin to check their stuff. Mom & Dad helped us look inside and outside of the camper. I was praying for it to be found and even emailed some of my girlfriends that I knew would be praying. The next day. We had all accepted that it was lost forever on the beach. On Wednesday, I was changing Ezekiel's second poopy diaper of the morning when I pulled out 3 wipes and saw my wedding band in the wipe package! I did a little dance (several times) and praised the Lord (several times). The wipe package wasn't closed all the way, but it was in the bag at the time that I dropped my rings in. I had even checked the wipes before, but I guess it was stuck in between 2 of them. 2 whole days after "losing" my ring, God allowed me to find it.

I know that a wedding band is just a material symbol of my marriage to my husband, but I HATE/DESPISE/LOATHE losing things. That is one thing that I cherish, and it is actually paid for (unlike my 2nd child). I have to give a little shout out to my friend, J, who had gone through a similar situation just recently. She encouraged me with her story and that she would be praying. I thought, wow, that will never happen to me, because it is not like I'm at home losing my wedding band. But I found it, and God gets all the glory (and props to J)!

More Beach Pictures (and a Musing Note Below)

A beautiful, hot, too-much-surf-to-get-in-the-water, play-in-the-sand-only Day

A washed-up, dead jellyfish (there are lots of them that you have to dodge in the water)

Ezekiel became Callie's new buddy as Malachi & Avery played more together.
I think Callie like having a "baby" to play with, too. She is such a girl:)

Look, Avery is looking at the camera, smiling, and has her eyes open!!!

The Bucket Brigade
The kids thought it would be fun to make Grammy & Grandpa fill up the buckets with water, since most of them were too scared to get in the choppy water.

Ezekiel, did you really enjoy drinking sand and salt water from a sand shovel?!?

Mr. Drama King 3-year-old himself in all his glory.
(So he's really not that bad. He was pretty good on Thursday morning at the beach and pool.)

Living in the Land of Ralph

Why can't my youngest child just be healthy now?

Ok. So you saw how Ezekiel was sick and had to have nebulizer treatments to help clear his lungs (thankfully no pneumonia). Well, as we were driving home on Thursday night, a little before midnight, Ezekiel woke up and threw up. We're on I-85 in a place where there is like 4 lanes of traffic to cross to get to an exit and find a place to pull over to clean the poor boy up. He puked a little bit more when we got home about 2am (Friday morning). He then was done. He ate like a half a piece of pizza all day yesterday with about a half a cup of soy milk and 2-3 cups of juice. We thought he was clear of the throw up until about midnight last night when he coughed in his bed and threw up. He finished it on our laminate floor. After that I put up the pack n play for him to sleep on so I wouldn't bother the sleeping Malachi. He hasn't thrown up yet, today either, and has seemed to be in a better mood. He's eaten a few cheese goldfish and had a cup of juice, but that's all.

Well, Malachi was about to go have lunch with his Daddy a little before 1pm today (I was staying home with the sleeping Z), when he walked into our bedroom (about where Ezekiel did most of his throw up) and threw up. He said he felt fine after we cleaned him up, and he said, "I no want to frow up da-gin" (I don't want to throw up again). He still went with Daddy, but he said that he doesn't want to eat now.

My stomach is messed up, but I haven't thrown up. At times I have felt like it, but I haven't felt that bad.

I thought we might've had food poisoning from a new restaurant we tried on the way home, but now I just think it might be a stomach bug. How fun!

I have to go back to work on Monday, and I'm supposed to teach my typically older 2s class tomorrow. I guess I need to go call in for that one. I hope this thing is over soon. Lord, deliver us! :)

Beach Pictures

My Oh-So Crazy Life

A week ago, Ezekiel came down with a bad cold. Since he is the child who always gets sick, it would only be appropriate for him to take the cold to the next level. I took him to the doctor on Tuesday, and the cold had moved to his lungs. If he would have had a fever, they would have sent him for a chest x-ray to check for pneumonia. Praise the Lord, there was none of that. My opinion is that now that he has tubes, his colds can't settle in his ears, so they chose the lungs. How fun! Anywho, they gave him a steroid shot for the inflation in the lungs and prescribed Albuterol through nebulizer breathing treatments. He SCREAMED through half of the treatment. I "rented" a neb. for the doc but came to find out that I couldn't keep it for a week, and we were leaving for vacation early on Thursday. So, I took it back on Wednesday, got a prescription for an antibiotic to keep from getting a worse infection and had to buy a nebulizer to use while at home and on vacation. (We're already putting our AFLAC Flex account to use). That whole crazy day before we left for vacation didn't provide me much packing time (and I was behind from my sick child), but it finally worked out. Ezekiel is doing much better. His breathing was so bad on Monday night/Tuesday morning last week that I was scared to lay him in his bed. I was afraid that he would stop breathing, so I stayed up with him most of the night. He would breathe and each time his little tummy would raise up painfully, and he would often sigh/groan with almost every breath. I'm so glad that the worst of that situation is over.


The other event that took place on that day is that Malachi went all day with the same pair of big-boy underwear on. He even started standing to pee! We've had a couple of set-backs on the way, but he is finally on the road to being completely potty trained. He's not there yet, but I am very pleased with how well he is doing. We've been on vacation for the past few days and even with the chaotic nature of our vacation, he's done well. He gets so excited that he has to tell everyone that "I pee-pee!!!"

We have enjoyed some time on the beach, but the best time came on Saturday morning. The water is soooo incredibly clear. It is such a beautiful green. The sand is soooo white. The waves are soooo calm. All of this is compared to the Atlantic Ocean in the Myrtle Beach area which is nothing like the Gulf. Here are some pics...

Count My Blessings

On frustrating days like today, I am reminded of how God has blessed us (not just materially but emotionally, spiritually, and so on). I got to thinking about all the "free" things that we have in our house.

• kitchen table with 4 chairs and a bench (which sat 4 kids last night)
• washer and dryer
• refrigerator
• microwave
• large deep freezer
• outdoor gas grill
  
• a few other small items that I can't recall right now

None of these items were gifts but were acquired from various sources. This is just the material. Not to mention that we are making strides to potty train our eldest. Z's tubes in his ears seem to be a success. We have food and clothes. We have love for each other, and most of all, we are loved so deeply by our Heavenly Father! What more could I ask for?

Guess Who Wants to be Bigger?

Ezekiel-isms

Ok, so it is incredibly funny to me that Ezekiel is only 17 months old and has at least 10 words in his vocabulary. He is just catching on so much faster than his older brother, but I know that that is probably due to the fact that he learns from his older brother.

***Note: most words have a sort of funny muffle to them***

• "baw" - ball
• "ah-dah" - all done (usually accompanied by the shaking of whatever is all done, like a cup)
• "sooos" - shoes---he has quite the foot fetish
• "Mommy" or "Momma"
• "Daddy"
• "meal" - milk (accompanied by sign)
• "da-doo" - thank you
• "oww" - ow, as in I bumped my head
• "oh-no" - look at what happened
• "bop" - name for his pacifier that he got from Malachi
• "moe" - more (accompanied by sign)
  

He tries to sing his ABCs with the LeapFrog thing on the fridge. He will also try to sing other songs that Malachi and I sing often. You can tell which song it is by the rhythm. What a smart cookie!

He can go up and DOWN stairs and steps. He can "run." He can be mischievous (already!). And he can be oh, so cute.

Daddy's Home!!!

Daniel left Monday morning for kid's camp. We've been missing Daddy all week, but he just got home about an hour ago, and we are thrilled! Ezekiel is still sleeping, but Malachi is enjoying playing with his Daddy now. Boy, am I glad to have him home. I enjoyed having the queen bed to myself, but I'm ready to have someone else beside me now. We made sure to keep ourselves busy, so we didn't miss him too much. Welcome home!

Updates

Malachi had his 3 year check-up today. He got some vaccines ahead of time (for some reason), so there were no shots today! Woo-hoo!!! He was 33 lbs. and 35 1/2 inches tall. His vision is great and is up to par on all development. He is in the bottom 25% in height but the 75% in weight. He's built like his Daddy. He's not fat, but I didn't realize until yesterday how short he was compared to other kids his age. After the appointment got started, he did well. I was impressed at how well he did at listening compared to the way last week was.

I put Ezekiel on the scales while we were there, and he was around 21 lbs.!!!!!!! Yeah!!!!!

My dog weighs...

90 lbs.!!!

I think its time for us to get her some more exercise and maybe a little less food.

I Need Advice

Somebody, please help me! I don't know what to do.

So, here is the series of events. We finally made our 3 year old get rid of his pacifier (only to sleep with since he was at least 2) just before his 3rd birthday. He still doesn't sleep well. Therefore, he gets up earlier in the morning than he needs to, and he is not napping as he needs to. Someone might say, well maybe he doesn't need a nap. OH, no, no, no, no, no, no! The past few days he has been throwing incredible screaming/flailing "I'm not going to be happy with ANYTHING!" fits. I can't do anything to help him calm down. Trust me. Usually when they come on, I am calm, cool, and collected and rarely raise my voice. I don't give into his whinings, though. He won't take a nap unless I lay down with him until he goes to sleep. Otherwise, he will just play quietly in his bedroom. Then, he will be in a horrible mood later. I can't get him to sleep enough. I don't want to start where he has to have someone lay down with him to go to sleep, but he NEEDS to sleep, and I need him to sleep!

I need good advice, please!!!

Beethovens or Mozarts?

It is Finished!

I finished painting the upper trim work in the living room! We have very high ceilings in the living room and kitchen. We rolled both rooms last summer but ran out of time to do the high trim work, not to mention that we didn't have a ladder that would reach high enough. Yesterday, during nap time, I knocked it out. Now all I have to do is finish the kitchen upper trim work and organize the office. We also bought Malachi and Ezekiel twin bunk beds. Malachi is in one of the twins, and we may move Ezekiel from the crib to the other twin soon. We probably won't "bunk" them for another year or two. So, we moved the boys to the front room which had been the office to give them more room to play and move. In order to do that, we had to paint the room and switch the stuff (not to mention that most of the "stuff" in the office is in piles from last summer. It was a little hairy here for a few days, but it is all coming together.

I hope to be finished with the kitchen this weekend and move to the new office (the old boys' room) to paint on Monday or Tuesday next week. My plan is to have the house mostly in order by the end of next week. If I start worrying about blogging less and work more, I should make my goal. That will give me about a week and half to "rest" before vacation. After vacation, school begins again. What fun!

I hope to finally get some before and after pictures posted soon, since it has taken us almost a year to get the house in order and mostly the way we want it. I'm a painting machine right now. I can't wait until next summer to truly get some time to relax and not have to worry about too much painting or organizing. Wish me luck!

Spray Grounds with a Friend

Yesterday, we went to a local park that has a spray grounds facility for free! Malachi and Kyla had a lot of fun. Ezekiel wasn't too excited about it but did get a little bit wet. There were lots of pictures, but these are some of the best.

My Favorite Picture

"Mommy, I like the taste of chlorine water on this ball!"

Buddies have so much fun together!

More chasing each other in the water