Quick Update!

Caleb's night wasn't as bad as it could have been. He ran a high fever, and coughed, lots, but the humidifier and the fact that he is older--I think--kept us from needing to do a croup run! Phew.

Plus both boys slept till nine, so I went back to sleep for a bit after Beth caught the bus to school. That was definitely a plus.

Just got back from taking Jacob in for his sleepiness. The doctor decided to send him to the endrocrinoligist for Failure to Thrive (FTT). She had assumed that Caleb had gone to an endo, when he had actually gone to a gastro. She actually seemed disgusted that Caleb hasn't gone to an endo, so we plan on getting him a referral at his well visit in January. This confusion is a result of going to different peds in the same practice. Caleb sees one dr, Jacob another, and Beth yet another. I think we'll pull them altogether.

Rob and I decided to go to Duke Endo for Jacob after the mess with Caleb and the gastro at UNC. Nice person, but wouldn't run the tests we thought he needed (Human Growth Hormone tests). Chances are that they are both slightly deficient, though we think Jacob is a bit worse. But that part is just our speculation. Also we were impressed with the ENT at Duke that Jacob saw when they tested his hearing.  Jacob's appointment is next Tuesday. So we won't have to wait long to figure out. He also had three vials of blood drawn and a urinalysis done with results expected back next week so if it is something else, we will catch it then as well.

Catching Up!

Scroll on down, because I've done a lot of back photos and updates. I've been taking pictures now that I've got my camera back, but I got out of the habit of posting, so we'll see if I can fix that.

Things are going well for the most part. Same old, same old. Caleb is starting croup as we speak, so that's not too good. It's going to be a long night. I hope that we can avoid the emergency room this time. Jacob is doing good, but still sleepy. I plan on taking him in for it this week--probably when I take Caleb in to get him on the steroids for croup! What a Thanksgiving we are going to have. 

So maybe, I'm not that positive on the whole sickness thing right now--I feel like I'm coming down with something too. Dizzy, extremely tired, and a constant nagging headache for three days. But we muddle on right.

On the upside, the kids were fairly well behaved in church today. Beth had fun at her first roller skating birthday party--this brought back so many memories to me. My fifth grade roller skating birthday party. Roller skating in sixth grade, Cyndi Lauper, roller skating in Orem--thanks Suzanne--and, well never mind that last one--you don't want to know it.

Caleb is doing well, other than the croup thing. He's enjoying Joyschool more, which is a plus. He loves comic books--but I'm not allowed to read them to him. He will sit and look at the drawings for hours. Spiderman is his favorite, but he just got a Hulk one from Beth's book fair.

Jacob is noisy! I'm so excited. I've caught him practicing words, and sounds over and over. He has also started coming up to me and telling me entire sentences about things (babble), but still he is trying to communicate. There is a greater sense of understanding as well. If I'm talking about something with someone else, he will come up and demonstrate through his actions or bringing me an object that he knows what I'm talking about. He is also the sweetest kid around, so many smiles, and hugs and happiness. He's a mama's boy. The other kids liked their dad more at this age, so I'm eating it up.

Toboggans (Hat) and Mittens

We bought some toboggans (as they are only known in the South), and mittens for the boys after a disastrous trip to play group. It was a cooler day--probably about 40 degrees. Not too bad, but Caleb wouldn't run around because his hands were cold. But the real disaster was that Jacob found some mud puddles, and was stomping happily in them. Unfortunately when I went to retrieve him he ran and slipped up and landed flat on his back in the middle of the puddle. He was soaked. So we left less than fifteen minutes after we got there. 

So when we went to Target later we stopped by the dollar bin spot. And the mittens were a buck a piece, and so were the hats! Score one for mom!

As a bonus, both boys love wearing them, and they will put them on themselves. Jacob too, which I think is quite an accomplishment for someone not quite two yet! I thought they were so cute in their hats and mittens, I had to take some pictures. They turned out well enough that Rob wanted to post them to Smugmug. That's saying something--he doesn't usually suggest it.

Jacob and Rob

This is happy Jacob, because he got to stay up later than his brother and sister. I just love his little smile and so I thought I would share!

The Bamb-aid Boy

Caleb had a rough week last week. He bumped his forehead, and demanded a bamb-aid (his word). I obliged even though there was no bump, blood or bruise. He wore it for more than a week. A few days later he scratched his cheek, and it really did bleed. This one demanded a bamb-aid.  So he got one. He got quite a few comments, and I got quite a few looks from strangers, but this was my little one for a few days.

I was worried about him getting those nasty band-aid lines, but fortunately it did not happen. 

Snaggletooth!

So Beth has been losing teeth left and right lately. Since this picture was taken she lost another one on the bottom. She is very proud of her missing teeth, and smiles at people so that they will notice and comment.

She had a recent experience with the tooth fairy. She woke up fairly early one morning after losing her tooth, only to discover her tooth was still there! The tooth fairy had not made it. She came in and lay sobbing on my bed. The tooth fairy was missing! 

Rob came in after his shower, and mentioned that he had heard something in Beth's room. She checked under her pillow to find $5.00. (Unbelievable I know, especially with my other post) and a note. Beth, immediately noticed that the note was on our paper cut out with our scissors. Sounds a little suspicious to a seven year old. The note explained that the tooth fairy was caught in a snow storm in Nebraska, and that she'd leave a more detailed explanation the next night.

Well the note came, and it was a heart wrenching tale of frozen wings, and a helpful little old woman. The tooth fairy confessed that she had borrowed the scissors since she was running so late, but that she wouldn't in the future. Beth was convinced that the tooth fairy had remained true to her. The note at the top is the letter. Didn't want all that fancy work to be wasted without someone else appreciating it. 

Water Bomb!

So a few weeks ago, the kids were having a rough day, but were settling down well for bed. Caleb turned to me, and asked if he could go water bombing. I asked him what that was, and he held up an empty soda bottle. And said, "See a water bomb."

I decided to let them go ahead. It involved going out on a fairly chilly night, with a soda bottle full of water and throwing it up above your head in a spin, so that the water would shoot out as it went.

The kids had a blast, until Dad stepped in with the voice of reason--shorts, bare feet, cold night, dark, wet--No more water bombs!

Just Because

This is a fun picture of Caleb being his silly self. 

This is a picture of Jacob being his sleepy self. 

A Knock on the Door at 2:00 am

This week has been an interesting one. Beth was out of school on both Monday and Tuesday. It was nice to have her home, but the weather was miserably cold and wet. Tuesday it drizzled cold rain all days, and the kids were more than a little restless. Nonetheless, we made it to the polls, and voted. It was great--I dreaded standing in line, but the early voting seemed to pay off in my area, because I didn't wait in line one minute. Not even a second. I just walked right in and voted.

Rob went to a film festival in Asheville this weekend. Greg had a film in it. Since Hickory was on his way, he took Caleb and Beth to play with their cousins. They had a lot of fun--fires, fish, and gymnastics kind of fun. Jacob stayed home with me, since he ran a fever most of the week. I think it might have been roseola, since he now has a rash that looks like roseola. But he's finally laughing and playing.

Back to Rob being gone--you all know how I am and that I freak myself out way too easily. So I locked the doors to the house, and the door to my room, and settle in to go to sleep the first night. I brought Jacob in the bed with me, since I freak myself out. He was still a bit sick and so he would wake up every so often and need to be soothed back to sleep. Well at 2:00 am I hear this sharp rapping on my bedroom door. I screamed, cause no one was home with me. Then I quickly reached over to make sure Jacob was okay, and he wasn't there. As I sat up and frantically put on my glasses, I realize that Jacob is the one standing at the door and knocking. Seriously it took me about thirty minutes to calm down and go back to sleep.

This week should be an easy one. The kids' extracurricular activities are cancelled and Beth will be home from school on Tuesday. It should be a fun week.

On Autumn

So I'm going to go off topic, and just write for a little bit. Autumn has a way of doing that to me. It is my favorite time of year. There is something about the beauty that just makes my heart ache (in a good way) as I drive down the streets or walk around. I think Autumn has always been one of my very favorite seasons, but honestly I didn't get the sheer beauty and wonder of it until I moved to North Carolina. The leaves just changed this weekend, almost overnight.

Gosh the trees are just so beautiful. This year is no exception the golds, and yellows are the brightest I've seen. And of course you have the pinks, the oranges, the orange pinks, the deep dark reds and some of the prettiest shades of brown you've ever seen. (And I'm a big fan of the color brown.) But my favorite trees are the ones that look as though they have caught on fire. They start out yellow at the bottom and move into an orange pink speckle all the way up to the top. Those trees take my breath away, and seriously I almost wreck every year as I pay more attention to the trees, then to my driving.

The first year we moved here I was teaching in this horrible school, and I hated it. And outside of my window was this big old tree (I want to say oak, but I've got no idea really.) And in the fall the leaves turned this deep reddish brown color. It was beautiful it was in this little courtyard area, and so the wind really didn't get to it, because it kept its leaves until Christmas vacation (when I quit). That tree was a gift to me, because in the moments when I was so overwhelmed by the horribleness around me, I could look out and see peace. It brought me strength through one of the most difficult times (up to that point) in my life.

So every fall I sit back and give thanks, because I know I'm not alone in this world. Heavenly Father is there, watching out for me, and painting the trees so that I can remember the brilliant colors through my winters. 

Enough waxing philosophical. I promised pictures, and yet I've not posted any. I keep meaning to take my camera out and getting a few of the leaves, but I know I won't do them justice. Rob does have pictures up, but its on a new site. Reason being we are dropping our Mac something account and switching to SmugMug, which is more economical in these troubling financial times, yada, yada, yada. I've included the link up there. And they are Rob pictures, which always turn out better than mine. I'm so blessed to have such a good photographer for a husband. Also really go check out the site. It's got Beth's ballet pictures, Caleb's sports pictures, our beach trip, our last trip to Utah, and Halloween. Notice Beth's haircut, her snaggletooth grin, and other things she keeps wanting to tell people about. Also Rob didn't take the pictures of his recent hike on the AT, but there up, and the trail was gorgeous.

I'll post updates again on Sunday--back to my regularly scheduled day.

I Got My Camera! And Happy Halloween!

Well, for Halloween we went to Trunk or Treat and then over to Greg and Heather's to see their spectacular Halloween exhibit. It was a lot of fun, and we collected my camera as well. But I still don't have pictures. Heather was kind enough to email me some Halloween pictures, but my gmail account isn't working. Check back in a day or two. Rob also has some Halloween pics on his camera, but it will awhile till he gets them up. He's busy scanning drawings and editing.

Beth was a mermaid. She wanted to be Hannah Montana, but settled on a mermaid, when I didn't quite make it to the store for a costume. I have a thing where I don't like wigs--Rob on the other hand loves them. So he should have been the one who went shopping. For Caleb's various Halloween parties he was Superman, a frog, and a dog. The dog was actually on Halloween. He didn't want to wear a costume, but I told him we would stay home without one, so he picked the dog--I think he was a dog (the same one) two years ago. Jacob was Superman twice.

We went to the trunk or treat, and ended up helping (setting up by ourselves) the tables for the Chili Cook Off. The other volunteers didn't show. But we had a few scary moments when Caleb let Jacob out of the building and we couldn't find him. Fortunately a helpful Primary child followed him around outside and didn't let him go in the road. My heart was pounding as Rob and I ran around outside in an utter panic.

The kids had a lot of fun trick or treating in a real neighborhood after we saw the stuff at Greg and Heather's. It was fun. And then Saturday they were so sugared up! But I've managed to steal and hide all of the candy, which will be dealt out as treats for completing chores, homework and other odious tasks. 

Yesterday was Cary Band Day. I was so excited to have my camera back in time for this exciting day, and then I left it at home. Oops.  Rob marched in band for one year--he says he didn't like--which he must not have since he quit. And I was in Guard (colorguard) for three years, and so the band geek in me comes shining through this time every year. We went to the parade in the morning, and then to competitions in the afternoon. We got to see the 3A class and then the kids had had enough. Unfortunately, Stake Conference coincided with the evening competition--the best bands to watch--and we came home for that. Sigh--this is the second time it has happened, and I want to go to the competition--dang it!

But I heard some stuff I needed to at Stake Conference, so I'm glad that I went, but still!

The kids are doing well. Beth's out of school for two days. I think I'm going to take all the kids to vote with me on Tuesday. I may take the camera. It should be fun. Beth wants to post some toothless pictures, plus she got a cute haircut. So come back and I'll have Halloween pictures and some other pictures too.

Have a great week.