104.9

Nope. It's not a radio station...it was our youngest son's temperature when he woke up from his THREE HOUR nap this afternoon! I immediately put in a web check-in request for Care Now (our pediatrician isn't in the office this week) and gave Barrett some Motrin and a cool bath.

The verdict? Another ear infection! I told the doctor that Nancy and Angela mentioned to me that Barrett was pulling on his left ear on Saturday, but I had credited that to the fact that he has two teeth trying to push thru. I also thought that was the reason that he had a fever in the 100's Saturday, Sunday, and Monday. The doc tried to put my mind at ease by telling me that the high fever was what should've alerted me to the ear infection and that the other symptoms could definitely be attributed to teething. It didn't make me feel much better though. I should've taken him in when they mentioned him pulling on his ear!

By the time we finally got home from the dr's office and pharmacy, he was wiped out and ready for bed. I hope that he sleeps better tonight than he did last night. I feel so bad for him. Imagine having an ear infection, a high fever, and two teeth coming in....oh and a smashed finger (you'll have to ask Brody about that one).

Goodbye

The day finally arrived. Today we had to let "the girls" and Grammy go back to Kansas. We got one more session of swimming in this morning and then Sydney read to the other kids while Grammy got some lunch for us.

The dreaded moment came after we finished lunch (and polished off the rest of the birthday cake). Taya, Erin, and Sydney telling Brody bye.

After they left we headed to Daddy Steve & Namaw's to go to work. Brody asked lots of questions about when we'd see the girls and Grammy again. When we were about half way there I looked back and noticed that he was on the brink of tears. I asked if he was ok and a tear rolled down his cheek as he shook his head "no". I said, "Are you sad?" He shook his head "yes". I said, "Is it because the girls went home?" He shook his head "yes" and started bawling!

He cried all the way to work and for 20 or 30 minutes after we got there! I don't think that he stopped crying until he fell asleep. When he woke up from his nap he told me that he was still sad :(

Brody wasn't the only one sad today. Barrett has TWO top teeth trying to come thru. He's had a fever of 100 to 102.5 and is miserable!!! My usually smiley little boy looked like this all afternoon (whenever he wasn't crying that is).

Thank you to Chris & Teri and Dwayne & Rene for allowing your girls to come spend the week with us. They are "sweet girls" (as Brody called them) and we enjoyed every moment we had with them!

Play

Sunday morning we made it to church on time! We're usually on time or a few minutes late...but I didn't know that we'd be able to pull it off with 4 extra people tagging along! After church was dinner and (you guessed it) swimming. (Are you seeing a common theme here?) They boys took naps and everyone spent time playing games. Brody and Barrett played with Barrett's new toys. The girls played Skip Bo, and then after the kids went to bed Mike, Nancy, Angela, and I played Skip Bo.

It was a bittersweet day today since we knew it was the last day together before everyone headed back to Kansas. We made the most of it and spent lots of time talking and laughing.

ONE!

Really?

Is my little boy really one year old?!?

It's so hard to believe that it's been a year since we were at the hospital meeting our precious son for the first time. A whole year since Brody was the only little feet we heard running around our house. Barrett has brought us so much joy in the first year of his life. He is such a happy little boy and loves to laugh. He is starting to try to imitate all the silly things that Brody does to make Barrett laugh...and when he succeeds at them...it makes him laugh even harder! He loves swimming and playing in the baby pool. He's already starting going under water and blowing bubbles (without any prompting)! Barrett's definitely still a light weight (we'll see how light at his next dr's appt) and seems to have a small appetite. He loves being outside and loves riding in the backpack while Daddy mows. Currently the only thing that causes him to be sad is when I put him down and leave the room. He is still in the "mama's boy" phase and he doesn't like me to get too far outta sight. I love the fact that he loves me and trusts me so much (although it would be nice if he'd love the nursery workers at church too!) Even though it can be tiring, I love how he clings to my arm and puts his head on my shoulder. I love how he likes to lean his forehead against mine, look into my eyes, and laugh! I love his hugs and kisses! I just love him to pieces!

It has been an amazing first year with our precious little boy. I can't wait experience the adventures that this next year will hold! I love you Barrett!

Cows and Chickens

This morning I had lots of prep to do for Barrett's birthday party tomorrow. Of course, the kids were wanting to swim. So Namaw came over and watched them swim while I ran some errands. It was much easier to run the errands by myself than with five kids!

When I got back we put to use the Chick-fil-a coupons they had received at VBS. The girls were really excited to go eat at Chick-fil-a since they'd never eaten at one before. The loved the food and Brody and Taya loved the indoor playground. Erin & Sydney lamented over the fact that they were too tall to play on the playground. Believe it or not, I left my camera at home and had to capture a picture of them with the cow on my camera phone. {For those of you that live in KS and haven't heard of Chick-fil-a...the cows are the main advertisers for the restaurant with the slogan "Eat Mor Chickin'"}

The girls spent the afternoon swimming, watching a movie, and playing Monopoly. Nancy, Angela, and Jayden showed up during the afternoon and helped me with a lot of the kitchen prep for Barrett's party tomorrow. Of course, after dinner everyone went swimming. Look how cute little Jayden was in the baby pool!

Here are Taya and Sydney getting to a stopping point in their Monopoly game so that they could go to bed.

Thursday with the girls

The boys were up at their normal times this morning, however, the girls slept in a little. After they woke up we packed up our stuff and headed to Daddy Steve and Namaw's house...just in time for Barrett's morning nap. The girls spent the morning swimming, eating (no one warned me about how much little girls can eat!!!), and playing with Brody. I walked into Brody's room and found him showing them how to work his power tools. They looked pretty tough holding a leaf blower, drill, and flashlight! lol

This afternoon we left Brody and Barrett with Namaw (so they could take naps) and the girls and I went to see UP in 3D. It was a cute movie! The girls were in awe of the movie theater with stadium seating and they loved the 3D glasses. It was funny when we went to the bathroom after the movie and they saw themselves in the mirror with their glasses on. They were suddenly shocked at how "nerdy" looking they were! I thought we looked cute :)

Taya, Erin, Sydney, and Staci at the movie theater

After the movie we picked up the boys and headed home. The kids were begging to go swimming when we got home. We only had an hour before we had to leave for VBS, but they promised that they would get out immediately when I said it was time. They were true to their word. Sydney even reminded Brody of the promise they'd made and told him he better get out now or next time I wouldn't let them swim!

For those of you that have been around Brody a lot, you know that he loves to talk! It is hard to find a moment of silence around here. Now that there are three more people to talk to, he's really speaking to an audience and his volume increases so that everyone can hear. Today the girls decided that they wished the word "why" had never been invented. They informed me that Brody has said "why" hundreds of times a day since they've been here.

Everyone had lots of fun at the last night of VBS. Tomorrow we plan on doing more swimming (surprise anyone?) and then Grammy will be arriving!!!!!

Dinosaur Valley State Park

Today we got up and headed for Glen Rose, TX (about 1.5 hrs away). We met Julie (my cousin) and her three kids at Dinosaur Valley State Park. It was a HOT day, so it was a great day to spend in the river!
Our first stop was the little museum at the Ranger's Station. Then we made our way to the big dinosaurs.

The T-Rex looked a little scary!

We were all really hot and decided it was time to head for the Paluxy River.

The trail down to the river was rough at times...especially for the little boys.

This sign was kinda humorous to me. It wasn't down by the water! It was all the way up the steep, rocky path! I think there are a few other things I'd do to save a drowning person before I wasted my time climbing back up the hill to get a water jug!

Katelyn and Brody test out the water. The water at The Blue Hole fluctuates from 12 to 21 feet deep. There are a few places that you can stand, but most of it is really deep! The kids had fun jumping off the rocks into the water.

The girls also really enjoyed searching for seashells in the shallow water.

Erin and Sydney taking a break from swimming.

Taya, Lauren, and Brody stop for a bite to eat.

Time to jump back in! Lauren, Katelyn, and Taya are already on their way across.

Brody loved swimming in the river and wasn't ready to leave when it was time. He kept asking to "please" swim a little more?!

The kids were pretty worn out after swimming for almost 4 hours. We drove home and then they took showers and watched a movie before another fun night of VBS.

Steps

In all the excitement, I forgot to mention some very important news!

Barrett took his first step!

Did Mike or I see it? Nope.

He was spending the night at Daddy Steve and Namaw's house on Sunday so that Brody and I could go pick up the girls early Monday morning. After Bible study there was a message on my phone telling me that Barrett had taken a step. He did it a couple of times for Namaw. He even took another one while she was watching him at VBS on Monday.

Has he taken any steps for us yet? No! Namaw is watching him today, so I'm sure he'll take more for her. Before long he won't be able to hide it from me and Mike anymore!

Waterlogged

Today was a relaxing day with the kids. Everyone was up by 8 am...and after a game of Hide-and-Seek, everyone (except for Barrett who was down for a nap) was in the pool by 9 am! The girls and Brody swam until Barrett woke up from his nap. Then we loaded up in the car and headed to Wal-Mart. The girls thought it was nice that it only took 5 minutes to get there rather than the 30-45 it takes in KS.

At Wal-Mart I let the kids pick out a few toys to play with in the pool and we got a few groceries. When we got home the kids immediately started begging to swim again. They swam while I made lunch and then we all ate outside by the pool.

We ended up swimming until Brody's nap time (don't worry...we reapplied sunscreen). The girls reluctantly got out of the pool after HOURS of swimming...but only because I promised to let them watch a movie.

While the boys napped, the girls watched a movie and then we played Clue. By the time the game of Clue was over (during which we found out that some players, who will remain nameless, are not good losers) it was time to get ready for VBS.

It was another exciting evening of VBS. The kids were hyper on the ride home and didn't get to bed until late (10 pm)!

We're all excited for a big day tomorrow. We'll fill you in with pictures (hopefully) and stories tomorrow night!

"The Girls" are here!

Today was finally the day to go pick up "the girls"! I woke Brody up at 6 am and told him it was time to go get Erin, Sydney, and Taya. He jumped out of bed, ran to the bathroom, and then ran back to his room to get dressed. Barrett spent the night with Daddy Steve & Namaw last night, so it was just me and Brody driving to Oklahoma City to meet Dwayne and the girls.

Everyone was excited to arrive in OKC. Sydney took shotgun while Erin and Taya rode in the back with Brody. I was a little surprised when they all fell asleep and slept for almost 2 hours!

We stopped to pick up Barrett and then headed home. Any guesses at what everyone wanted to do? SWIM!!! They practically ran thru a tour of the house and then jumped into their swimsuits. Barrett started out in the baby pool that was in the shade.
The other 4 kids realized that they could ALL fit in the other baby pool!

Erin, Sydney, Brody, and Taya

The baby pool didn't last long. They jumped in the big pool and immediately started talking about how warm the water is. Our pool gets a LOT of sun during the day, so it stays nice and warm.

Barrett was happy they everyone got out of his big baby pool!

We spent close to 1.5 hrs swimming and then it was time to get ready for VBS. From the talk in the car after VBS was over, I think the girls really enjoyed it! They did mention several times that our church in TX is a lot bigger than our church in KS.

I know this picture isn't the best quality (don't know where those spots came from), but it was just too sweet not to post! I peeked in the media room after I got the boys to bed and found the girls having a Bible study. They weren't just reading a verse to each other...they were in deep discussion over the meaning of the verses they were reading. It was so awesome! I was so proud of them and overjoyed with their enthusiasm for understanding God's word. I can only imagine the joy their parents feel!

Before I left their room, Sydney said, "I still can't believe that I'm really here! It's like I'm in a dream!" Erin said, "Well if it's a dream...it's a sweet one!"

It's time for me to go to bed too. I need to get some rest for another day of fun tomorrow!

Lukewarm

Each of us has our own little quirks. Our son, Brody, has a rather interesting one.

Brody has never really enjoyed ingesting things that are cold. He likes his food and his drinks warm (with the exception of ice cream). He drinks "hot chocolate" (warm milk with carnation instant breakfast) every morning with his breakfast. He even prefers his water warm! At first I wondered if his teeth were sensitive, but he says they don't hurt (and he'd tell me if they did).

Today he asked for a popsicle. Can you guess what the catch was? Yep. He didn't want it cold! Daddy Steve and Namaw have some otter pops (at least that's what they were called when we were kids) in their freezer. Brody ate part of one and then wanted to wait for it to melt and drink the juice (which was just making a HUGE mess). My solution? I went and got one of the popsicles that had not been put in the freezer yet. I poured it into a cup and then everyone was happy! Brody got to "eat a popsicle" (if you can really call it that) and I was happy because he wasn't making a big, sticky mess anymore!

I sure hope he grows out of this.

Can you imagine summers in Texas eating lukewarm popsicles?!?!

Baby Pool

Last night (like most nights) the boys wanted to swim. I didn't get my camera out until after Brody and I had finished swimming in the big pool. Even though we have an in ground pool, we still bust out the baby pool for Barrett. Brody loves the baby pool almost as much as the big pool!

Barrett doesn't just play in the pool. He crawls all around the pool deck finding various other things to play with too. "Why am I not supposed to eat sticks?!?"

This was Brody telling me about swimming "all the way across the pool"! (He gets his facial animation from me. lol) That's right! Our pool is pretty looooong and Brody swam the entire length! I only had to help him get a breath or two. I was so proud of him!

Barrett was happy to be outside! Just like his brother, he loves going outside.

Brody looked so cute wrapped up in his towel on the lounge chair. I couldn't resist taking a picture with him!

Out of Order

When Brody was 10 1/2 months old he started taking his first steps. He'd pull up on the couch or coffee table and then venture a step or two away before he'd fall to the floor. Then he'd crawl back to something, pull up, and try again. It wasn't until after his 1st birthday that he learned how to stand up without pulling up on something.

Barrett seems to have things out of order. He has yet to take a step, but for almost a month now he's been standing up all by himself in the middle of the room. He'll stick his bottom in the air and then slowly stand up (even carrying toys with him as he stands up). He's now able to stand up in the middle of the room for a full minute...or until he decides he wants to plop back down. I guess each kid takes a different route to the same goal.

Barrett assuming the "I'm about to stand up" position.

"See! I can do it all by myself!"

"You want me to take a step now? I don't think so! Crawling is WAY faster!"

Bryan Graduates

On June 4th Brody went on a road trip with Daddy Steve and Namaw. They went to Temple to see my cousin, Bryan, graduate from high school! Here's a picture of the grad, Bryan, with his brother, Brady (Brady's not that much shorter than Bryan...he's just standing down a row in the stadium). These guys were little boys when Mike and I got married (Brady was our ring bearer and Bryan was only 8 years old)! It's hard to believe Bryan's now out of high school!

On Friday Brody got to spend the day helping Daddy Steve fix things at Grandmommy's house. From the picture, it looks like he REALLY wanted to climb this ladder with Daddy Steve!

Instead, Daddy Steve gave Brody a job he could do by himself. Fix the door with a screwdriver. Brody can definitely work a screwdriver without any help.

It was a typical June day in Texas, so Grandmommy and Namaw took Brody to a new splash park while Daddy Steve finished working. Brody thought it was so fun to play in the water with Grandmommy!

Brody had so much fun on his trip to Temple. The other day he told me to call Grandmommy and ask her to "come visit right now!" When I told him that she couldn't come right now, he asked to email her. Then he told me that "you and Daddy need to take me to see Grandmommy again soon!"

Lunch with GG & Sissie

On Wednesday the boys and I went with Namaw to eat lunch at GG's. Julie and her kids met us there. It's always a crazy lunch when we're all there. It's probably sensory overload for GG and Sissie! I know it is for me! Barrett's schedule was off that day and he was SUPER fussy at lunch time. He's still going thru an eternal attachment phase! He doesn't want anyone else to hold him. It's nice being loved, but I'd like for him to be ok with other people holding him too!

Sissie and GG look on as Katelyn shows Brody how to draw.

Brody and Collin entertained themselves looking for animals out the window. They found it hilarious that there weren't any lions, bears, hippos, etc outside the window and we heard them laughing until they were crying while we were eating.

Lauren did a great job of keeping Barrett happy. He actually let her carry him a few times! Here they were sitting on the bench outside of GG's retirement home.

The kids were disappointed that the management didn't want pennies being thrown into the fish pond anymore (they were told that it's bad for the fish). I think the boys would've been perfectly happy if we would just let them get in the pond!

I just realized that most of my pictures of the boys from that day are from their backside! Just goes to show that toddlers are always on the move!