Adventures with a Princess and a Hunter

It was rainy outside today and Autumn was very excited to have a chance to use her princess umbrella!  Brody thought it was fun to stand under it with her...for a few minutes.

Then he convinced her to go on an adventure.  I think she tried to keep him dry while he was hunting! lol

Working for Mints

On Friday Brody stayed at Daddy Steve and Namaw's house while I took Barrett to his dr's appointment.  When I went back to pick him up he told me that he did a big job for Namaw.  She smiled and told me that it was a job that I would really appreciate!

When we e-file a tax return for a client we end up with 2 pieces of paper (one showing the e-file confirmation and one the client signs which authorizes us to e-file).  The client folder has already been filed away by the time these pages are ready to file...so I just keep stacking them up on top of the file cabinet.  The other day I told Namaw that I'd just file them away after we are done with tax season.

While I was gone to the doctor, Namaw got out a file folder that has a tab for each letter of the alphabet.  Then she asked Brody to file the pages in this folder by putting the first letter of the last name behind the appropriate tab.  He worked really hard and accomplished the task!  When he finished she asked him if he would rather her pay him in money or Mentos mints.  He chose a roll of mints!

It won't be long until he'll be able to file folders alphabetically for us!  I wonder if he'll still file for mints when he's 10 or 11 years old? 

Barrett's Eye Check-up

Today we went back to Barrett's eye doctor.  They dilated his eyes today (meaning it was a long appointment).  Here are the current stats on his eyes:

• He is able to see out of the weaker eye, however, he can't see as well and prefers using his right eye (the stronger eye) to see.
• The doctor is still seeing some up and down movement in the left eye.  It is still too early to determine if an additional surgery will be needed...we'll just keep watching it.
• I told the doctor that we've noticed Barrett squinting with his left (weak) eye.  The doctor said that's normal and it's because his brain is having to adjust to the way light hits his eye in it's new position.
• The goal is to eventually get him out of glasses, but for now his astigmatism is affecting his vision and he needs to wear glasses for his vision.  His eyes are also still healing from the surgery and the doctor wants him in glasses until they're totally healed.
• Instead of patching 2-3 hours daily, they gave us some eye drops that will dilate Barrett's strong eye.  We're supposed to put one drop in his right eye Mondays and Thursdays.  It will have the same effect as patching.  The downfall is that it makes his right eye more sensitive to the light (while it's dilated)...not the best thing since he's playing outside all the time right now...he'll just have to keep his sunglasses on! 

After the appointment, I spent the rest of the day trying to get Barrett's eye drop prescription filled and get him new glasses ordered.  The doctor gave him a new lens prescription and I thought I could use the "one free lens replacement" where we bought his glasses to get the new lenses.  I thought wrong.  When I got there I found out that the lens replacement was only for the same prescription.  Really?  They're having to order the lens and tell the people the prescription...what does it matter if it's different or not?!?  So I went to the eye doctor that Mike uses only to find out that they're not on our new insurance plan!  I finally gave in and went to Wal-Mart (who is on our insurance plan).  I was surprised to find them very knowledgeable and caring!  It was also WAY cheaper than the other 2 places!  Did you know that lenses are $29 (without insurance) at Wal-Mart!  I was able to get Barrett transition lenses and new frames for $100 less than just lenses at one of the other optical centers. 

Barrett was very upset when he woke up from his nap today.  We had told him that his eyes would be back to normal after his nap.  We were wrong!  When he woke up they were still dilated!  I can only imagine how scary that is for a 2 year old!  I tried to assure him that it was only temporary and that they'd go back to normal soon...but he just kept crying.  Finally he said, "I want Brody!"  I called Brody in from outside and Barrett crawled up in his lap and sat there hugging his brother.  It was so sweet (and Brody was soaking in every second of it!)  I'll post a picture of it when I get it off my phone.  I'll also post a picture of Barrett in his new glasses when they come in.

Oh...the other great thing about the guarantee at Wal-Mart....you have 60 days to take them back in and switch out the frame or the lenses!  Our next appt is in 2 months, so if the doctor changes his prescription again...it won't cost us anything to get the lenses changed to the new prescription!  Gotta love that!

Not in MY Kitchen!

Look what I found under the rug by my stove while I was mopping:

 

Oh no you didn't come in MY kitchen! 

Thankfully it was dead.  So I scooped it up with a spatula and put it in a zip lock bag for the boys to show Mike when he got home from work.  After work I went to pick up the bag and the snake slithered around inside!!!!  Ahhhhhhhh!  *shivers running down my spine*  That thing was ALIVE under my feet.  Eeek!  We kept it in the baggie and Brody took it to school for show and tell yesterday :)

First Stitches

The day I had a feeling would come arrived on Sunday night.  I think it's another rite of passage for parents.  Stitches. 

The boys had been riding bikes all evening (we didn't have small group because of Spring Break) and then we ate dinner at Daddy Steve and Namaw's.  We stayed there later than we should've and so it was rush time to get ready for bed when we got home.  I was getting the boys out of the bath and Mike was waiting in Brody's room to put aloe on their sunburned backs.  When I got Barrett out he insisted on being wrapped up in his towel to go to Daddy.  I wrapped him up and then turned to drain the bathtub.  He started to walk to Mike and slipped on the tile.  It's really hard to catch yourself when your arms are wrapped up in your towel...so his chin took the brunt of the fall.  OUCH!  Next came the hurried, "Find a bandage!  Get some clothes on him!  Take him to the ER for stitches!"  Brody was very upset by the ensuing chaos (and Barrett's wailing cries) and begin crying, "Is Barrett ok?  Why does he have to go to the hospital?  I don't want him to go!"  I left with Barrett (who finally calmed down on our ride to the ER) and Mike stayed at home to calm Brody and get him to bed. 

The local hospital is very clean and nice.  I was impressed with how quickly they got us back to a patient room and started working on him.  Thankfully they were able to numb his chin with topical anesthetic (meaning no shots!).  After letting it soak for about 30 minutes the doctor came in to stitch him up.  They wrapped him up like a mummy and had one nurse holding his head, one nurse holding his arms/legs, and the doctor on the other side sewing.  The only place for me to stand was his feet (where he couldn't see me).  I kept talking to him the whole time so that he knew I was there with him.  He didn't cry until the 3rd stitch (he must have had more feeling on that side of his chin).  He was such a big boy and I was so proud of him!

He ended up with 6 stitches.  As you can see, it goes across most of his chin.  We go back in a week to get the stitches taken out.

 

When we got home Mike was comforting Barrett and told him, "You know, Daddy had a lot of stitches as a kid."  Maybe so...but I hope that this was a one time event for us!

No Training Wheels!

Brody hasn't mastered riding the bike without training wheels yet...but the learning has begun...and he's super excited about it!!!

The Best

Have I mentioned how awesome my dad is?

This week is spring break for kids in our neck of the woods.  Daddy Steve knew that it'd be a busy week at work for me and Namaw (since it's tax season), so he took the WHOLE WEEK off work to spend with our boys!  The boys have been soaking up every second of it!

Monday - Playtime at the gym while Daddy Steve and I did an aerobics class, then the boys helped Daddy Steve fix a broken toilet, next it was off to lunch at Schlotzsky's, then they drove around looking for a baseball diamond to play on.  DS promised Brody that sometime this week they'd play on a "real" baseball diamond (Brody wanted to play on a diamond with a dirt infield).  The only bad thing is that all the "real" diamonds were locked up!  They finally found one that had dirt on home plate, the pitchers mound, and each base.  This worked for Brody and they spent the next few hours playing baseball!  The boys didn't want to go home with me when it was time...but I told them they'd be back the next day for more fun.

Tuesday - They played outside at Daddy Steve & Namaw's until lunch time and then they went back to Scholotzky's (Brody reminded DS that kids eat free on Tuesdays!)  After lunch, they went and found a field to play soccer (and of course baseball).

Wednesday/Thursday - I took the boys to DS's house at 9 on Wednesday morning and they drove down to Temple to visit Grandmommy & Sharon.  They played and helped Daddy Steve work on his "sonny do list" for Grandmommy.  They didn't get home until 8:00 last night.  Mike and I went over to DS and Namaw's to pick them up and they were riding their bikes around the circle.  As we predicted...they didn't run to us with huge hugs...instead they both said, "We don't want to go home!  We want to stay here and ride our bikes!"  lol  Of course, they also wanted to play every sport.  They got out the basketball, soccer ball, and baseball to play with Daddy.  Namaw and I sat there and watched them play by the moonlight. 

{Since the boys were gone Wednesday night, Mike took me on a date!  We went to Studio Movie Grill and saw The Adjustment Bureau.  Then we walked around the Highlands, got Starbucks, and also got an ice cream!  We really treated ourselves!  It was so much fun to have time to talk and laugh with one another uninterrupted.  We really love our boys...but sometimes you just need a little alone time with your spouse.  It was wonderful!}
Friday - Today we're going to the gym (I already ran a 5k this morning, but I want to go back for the Nike Training Club class!), then the boys are gonna hang out with Daddy Steve while Namaw, Caleb, and I go to the Just Between Friends consignment sale.  After the sale we're gonna take the boys to the park and let them ride their bikes at the park (something Brody's been begging to do). 

I've always know my dad is amazing, but it is so fun watching him as a grandpa with my kids!  They definitely have the best grandpa in the world!

Wasted

Recently I helped Caleb film for Kennedale ISD's alcohol awareness program called Wasted.  It was an amazing experience.  This is a short recap of the 35 minute video that Caleb put together out of hours of footage that we filmed.  This doesn't include the most impactful parts of the video...the crash scene and the hospital scene.  On the day of the big event there was a very realistic crash scene set up in front of the school.  After an assembly the students were brought out to witness the aftermath of the crash (police, fire trucks, ambulance, and even the hearse taking away the deceased).  Caleb rode off in the first ambulance and went to the hospital to video what took place there (including parents arriving to find their child severely injured or dead).  After the last injured teen was taken off in an ambulance I went to the police station to film the drunk driver being booked and then to the morgue to film the "deceased" teens parents arriving to identify their bodies.  Even though everyone knew this was a production....it felt so real and the emotions were very raw. 

Again, this is a clip (part of a much longer movie that the students watched in the assembly) that set up the crash scene...

Name Game

Since they posted it on Facebook...I guess I can post about it on here too ;)

Yesterday we got an email from Caleb that said:

_ _ _ _ _     _ _ _ _ _ _

Guess a letter of our boy’s first/middle name!

There ensued a game of hangman that lasted about half an hour.  Everyone took turns guessing a letter and then waiting for Caleb to respond with which letters guessed were in the name.  I think Namaw is considered the winner because she guessed the letter "X".  The name.....

Axton Walter

It's so fun to be able to call their baby by name now! 

Coming in June.....Laney Kaye (Mark & Angela's little girl), Axton Walter (Caleb & Audria's little boy), and Tex (Tyler & Ann's little boy).....ok....so maybe they're not naming him Tex....but I think I'll nickname him that until they can come up with a name so I don't have to keep calling him "it"!  Maybe it'll motivate them to agree on a name ;)

All Girls Are Pretty....but especially ones with bows

This week is Spring Break in our neck of the woods.  Since it's such a busy time at work for me and Mom, Daddy Steve took vacation this week so he could do some fun stuff with the boys (and give me and Mom time to think about tax returns)! 

Yesterday they went to lunch at Schlotzsky's.  Daddy Steve said they were sitting at the table to eat and Brody wasn't paying attention to him.  Instead he was staring at the girl who was sweeping the floor in the dining room.  When she finished sweeping and put her broom up he looked back at Daddy Steve and said, "Daddy Steve, are ALL girls pretty?!?"  Daddy Steve replied that they are and they went back to eating.  Later Daddy Steve was throwing away their trash and when he came back to the table there were 2 girls in 5th or 6th grade who were standing a few feet from the table looking over Brody and Barrett out the window.  Brody was staring at the girls.  When they left Daddy Steve said, "Well, Brody, were those girls pretty too?"  Brody said, "Yes!  Especially the one with the bow in her hair!"

He's only FOUR!  I thought the girl crazyness didn't hit until elementary school!  lol

Putt Putt

I surprised the boys with a trip to Putt Putt today.  They were excited to get to play mini golf!  Barrett (our strong willed child) had no interest in listening to my instructions on how to hold the club, where to tee off, and how to hit the ball.  He wanted to play his own game!  Since we were there for fun (and no one else was on the course)...I just let go of the putt putt rules and had fun following the boys around!

Notice Barrett's putter?  He refused to hold it correctly.  I tried to tell him he'd be able to hit the ball better if he flipped the club over...but he wanted to do it his way.

Brody wanted to lay down at the tee box to see how to line up his ball.

 

Then he contorted his body in a strange position to get the ball placement exactly right!

Barrett saw Brody lay down and decided it was time for a quick nap.  The rolling hills made for a good pillow ;)

 

How to field a ball hit towards the pitchers mound.....

Bettcha didn't know it takes an entire t-ball team to field the ball did ya?

Game #2

Tonight was Brody's 2nd t-ball game.  The weather was much nicer tonight.  It was still VERY windy...but the temps were 20 degrees warmer than on Saturday.  That made a huge difference!  Mike's softball team had a game tonight, so he didn't get to go to Brody's game...but Barrett, Daddy Steve, Namaw, and I were there to cheer him on! 

Here's a picture of Brody waiting for the batter to hit the ball so he can run home from 3rd base.  Look at the little boy that's playing 3rd baseman (to Brody's left).  Cracks me up some of the pictures you catch of these kids without even realizing it! 

Barrett ran over to the dugout and gave Brody five through the fence.  He's a proud little brother!

Brody got to be the 1st baseman tonight.  He'd run out on the field and then practice catching imaginary balls until the other team actually hit a ball.  Either he's a good actor or those imaginary balls are very realistic to him...

ALMOST!  He almost got this boy out at first base! 

 

He did get the only out for their team in tonight's game!  After fielding the ball, he chased down the boy running to 2nd base and tagged him before he got there!  The head coach of the other team (who was at home plate) called "out", but the coaches in the field were so surprised to see an out that it was like they didn't know what to do!  They talked about it for a few minutes (I think trying to figure out if outs were allowed) and ended up letting the boy go to 2nd base.  It's ok....you better believe that Brody knows he got the kid out ;)

Brody's First T-Ball Game

My brothers didn't play much baseball growing up and Mike's favorite sport is football...so I was a little surprised when Brody became OBSESSED with baseball!  I'm sure a big reason that he loves it so much is because Mike is on a softball team and he loves going and watching Mike play.  I secretly think that he's obsessed because Junior played encripted music at the gym in KS that only Brody could hear and it said over and over, "Baseball is the greatest sport ever!  Baseball is the greatest sport ever!..."  Ok...so maybe Junior didn't do that...but I do know that Junior would love the fact that Brody is so obsessed with baseball!  This boy would play baseball all.day.long. if we'd let him!  Thankfully there are several of us to take turns playing catch and throwing him pitches.  I wear out after 30 min to an hour!

Since he loves the sport so much, we decided to sign him up for t-ball this year.  It's a little more involved than t-ball was in Lyons, KS.  Brody has 14 games on his schedule (rather than 3 like in KS!)  At the first practice the coach told us all the gear we'd need to have, "batting helmet, black pants, baseball mit, and a cup."  The dads at practice immediately started laughing.  "What?  A cup?  To cover what?!?"  One of the dads said, "Do you mean a sippy cup?!?"  lol  Nope.  League rules state all boys have to wear a cup...no matter how old they are!  I didn't even know they made them that size...but they had a huge display of them at Sports Authority.

Brody woke up early this morning because he was so excited about his very first t-ball game (although he doesn't like the fact that he has to hit off a tee...he'd rather someone pitch to him).  After breakfast and after getting dressed he told Barrett that he needed some quiet time in his room so that he could prepare for his game.  He spent 1/2 hour in there by himself.  I'm not sure what he was thinking...but I guess he was giving himself a pep talk?  On the way to the game Barrett kept trying to talk to Brody and he wasn't responding.  I looked back there to see Brody sitting straight up in his seat with his eyes closed.  He finally said to Barrett, "I can't talk right now!  I'm trying to get energy for my game!!"  If he's this focused at 4...what will 16 look like?!?

We arrived at the fields where it was 40 degrees with the north wind gusting 20-30 mph.  It was FREEZING cold just sitting there!  The coach from the other team asked if we wanted to call the game...but there was no way we could do that.  The boys were super excited for their very first game...and they wanted to PLAY!  The coach handed out jerseys and hats and the boys tried to keep on as many warm clothes as would fit underneath their jersey.

Each time Brody was up to bat he hit the ball the first time and hit it far!  The he ran straight to 1st base as fast as he could (unlike some of the kids who sprinted to 3rd! lol)

 

Barrett wasn't having near as much fun as Brody.  He was huddled up under a blanket and just reminded me over and over that he was cold!

Some of the kids playing found it miserable too.  The catcher on the other team cried the ENTIRE time his team was in the field during the 2nd inning!!!

Some on our team weren't any different!  This little boy did NOT want to keep playing!  The kid on our team who was standing on the pitchers mound actually walked off the field during the 2nd inning.  He walked out of the dugout and up to the stands and told his mom he was ready to go!  She told him to get back out there and he said, "I'm done.  It's too cold!" 

Brody, on the other hand, wasn't about to quit.  He was ready to get some action at short stop!

 

Finally a ball came his way...

and he narrowly missed one of his teammates as he threw the ball to 1st base.

Mike is one of the assistant coaches and he was out of the field encouraging the boys and giving them tips.

I can't leave out this picture.  What's a t-ball game without a 1st baseman who's playing in the dirt?!?

 

As more of the players started crying for their mommies...the coaches of both teams decided to call the game after the 2nd inning.  All the kids had been up to bat twice and had fielded the ball for 2 innings...enough to give them a taste of a real game.  They wanted them to want to come back on Monday...so they made the executive decision it was time for snacks and a warm car!

A proud daddy with his t-baller after game #1

The fans were just as happy to see the game come to an end.  It was so much fun to watch...but we had begun to lose feeling in our hands and feet!  Daddy Steve and Namaw were so sweet to endure the cold to watch Brody play!  (FYI:  Caleb & Audria came out to the fields to watch...but they had the wrong game time and showed up and hour late.  Oops!  It's probably a good thing.  Audria would've been miserable in the cold!)

 

The Muckdogs have another game on Monday night and the weather should be much nicer. 

More pictures to come! 

Today's the DAY!!!

Brody's first t-ball game is today!  This baseball obsessed boy is SUPER excited!!!  Be ready for some pictures later....

Birthday Invite

The other night we were sitting around the dinner table talking about baseball (Brody's current obsession).  Suddenly Barrett turned to me and said,
" Mama?  You can come to my birthday and eat cake!"
I said, "Thanks Barrett...but it's not until June!"
Barrett - "Yeah, June 27th....Daddy?"
Mike - "Yes Barrett?"
Barrett - "You can come to my birthday and eat cake!"
Mike - "Thanks Barrett!"
Barrett - "Brody?  You can come to my birthday and eat cake!"
Brody - "I don't have to come anywhere Barrett...I'll already be here because it'll be at our house!"
Barrett - "Mama?  What kind of cake will I have for my birthday?"
Me - "I don't know honey.  It's still 4 months until your birthday.  I probably won't figure out what kind of cake we'll make until the week before!"
The next day Barrett was hanging out with Namaw and he told her that he was going to buy his birthday cake from Kroger.  She said, "Don't you think your mommy will make your birthday cake?"  He said, "NO, I'M gonna buy my cake from Kroger!"

I wonder if he's a scheduler like Ann?  Maybe he's just trying to get everything locked into the schedule in his brain?!?