The Monkey Tales

The dentist...

2010-12-14T17:04:00.002-06:00

visit today was the pits. The absolut pits. Did you notice how I spelled "Absolut"? I left the "E" off on purpose because I feel like I need a few shots of vodka after that visit and that is saying a lot seeing as how I can't remember the last time I had a "shot" of any kind. Anyway, Lucas decided that he hated the dentist this morning. Even though he has been going every six months since he was 18 months old. And the office is like a kid's dream place to be. They have video games, movies playing in the ceiling. Seriously...it is nothing like the boring dentist office I was forced to go to as a kid. Just picture me laid out on the dentist chair with Lucas laid out on top of me. I had my left leg slung over on top of his legs and clamped over him at the same time that I had both of my arms holding his arms clamped to his chest. Of course, this left his head free so he continuously thrashed that from side to side and the poor dental hygienist repeatedly said "Lucas! Don't bite me again!". Bless her heart. I am sure she wanted to pop his sweet little cheeks. Ha!

I a, sure that a lot of it had to do with the fact that he really didn't feel all that good today. As soon as we left the dentist's office we headed next door to our doctor's office and both Lucas and I got some antibiotics and some decongestants so maybe we can feel more human soon ;) I just had to get this dentist trip documented so that I could remind him of this ten years from now.

Let me also give a big "Whoop! Whoop!" to my sweet Andrew who laid there on that dentist chair like the little man that he is and rolled his eyes at his little brother acting like a lunatic. I hate to see them grow up so fast but WOWZA they get so much easier as they mature!!!!

P.S. - I just can not believe that I am about to start planning a birthday party for my first baby who is turning SIX in just a few short weeks. I just can not wrap my head around that. How is it possible? Where has the time gone?

I will be back to post about all of the fun Christmas things we are up to around here. Just give me a minute to get over the trauma of this day ;)

Another whole month...

2010-11-29T12:43:00.003-06:00

Another whole month has come and gone without a blog post. I am sure my Aunt Susan (Hi Aunt Susan!!!!) is ready to strangle me ;) We have been very busy around here.

For the last several years we have been very hit and miss with our church attendance. I have many reasons (read: excuses) for this. The main one being that we are members of St. Luke UMC in Columbus, GA since that is where Marc and I started our life together almost nine years ago, but since we moved back to Opelika, we often find reasons not to make the drive over there. The time change being our favorite reason (excuse). You see, we love the 9:00 am contemporary service at St. Luke which is the 8:00 am service when you change that to Opelika time. Then when you count in driving time, we have to leave our house by 7:15 am to get there. This means getting up by 6 am in order to get everyone dressed and out the door on time.

So...at the beginning of the summer we started visiting churches with a real commitment to finding our new church home. I grew up in the church. In fact, almost all of my childhood memories are linked to activities at First Baptist Church of Opelika. My Mom made sure that my sister and I were there every Sunday morning and Sunday night and every Wednesday night for GA's. I loved it. Then when I was around 11 years old, there was a scandal involving our beloved pastor. But see, he wasn't only our pastor, he was also my best friend's father. I will not go into the details but my best friend was forced to move away and we stopped attending the church. For a while I didn't attend church. Then a new girl moved to town who soon became my new best friend. We were inseparable. She and I began attending First United Methodist in Opelika because the youth group there was doing all kinds of fun things. We became addicted to that youth group. And the youth director. A man named Rick Lane. He was awesome. He is still awesome. I love him as much today as I did back then. He made this young girl really want to live a life for the Lord and I credit him for the path I chose to take later in life. I joined First United Methodist Church when I was in the 8th grade and even though my parents did not attend there, they made sure that I was there every time the doors were open. Sundays, Wednesdays,whenever. I loved it. I was in the choir. We had choir trips to Yellowstone park, ski trips to Gatlinburg, etc. It was awesome. I so want my kids to have a church home where they can experience these things. And I want them to have church leaders like Rick Lane that they can look up to. It was during this time that I also got involved with Campus Life which was led by Kevin Flanagan. Talk about an awesome organization. Our community is so lucky to have men like Rick and Kevin out there showing our kids that God loves them. I ended up being a teen leader with Campus Life and as an adult I have continued my ties with this organization. They have some great programs in our community.

So...over the last 6 months we have spent time in many churches. Some for many weeks. Some for just a week or two. But back in October, at the urging of two of our close friends, we visited a Sunday School class at Trinity United Methodist Church. I think after one visit Marc and I both felt like we had found our home. We both knew we wanted to find a church that wasn't so large that we would feel "lost" but at the same time we wanted the church to be large enough to offer the kids lots of things to become involved in. This description fits Trinity to a "T". We love everything about it. I love the fact that whenever I have a question, all I have to do is go to Robin Goodman at the Children's desk and ask her. No matter how busy she is she takes the time to help me. And if I need directions, I only have to ask Amy McKay and she points me to where I need to go. We have been attending for almost two months now and for the first time Drew is excited about going to church. That makes this Mama's heart smile! He has a lot of friend's from school there and that helps but I think he also feels at home. The people there have embraced our entire family and welcomed us so warmly. Even on the Sunday's that Marc is at work, I never hesitate to load the kid's up and head to church. There are ten people there who wouldn't hesitate to help me out. In fact, they often do. In the past, the kids and I have stayed home on the Sunday's that Marc is on shift because it has been hard for me to be in a big church where I didn't know everyone while trying to juggle the kids by myself. But that's just it. At Trinity I never feel like I am "by myself". There is always someone there to help me or to chat with me.

We have experienced so much in the short time we have been there. Our Sunday school class is AWESOME and is constantly planning outside activities so there are always opportunities to get involved, and we have loved going to Wednesday night dinners. Both of the boys have been going to Awanas on Wednesday nights and they LOVE it. Even Lucas is learning bible verses and is so proud of himself. It is just wonderful.

This Sunday we will stand before the church with our precious friends, Joel and Amie White and our Sunday school leaders Banks and Margo Herndon by our sides as we officially transfer our membership and join Trinity United Methodist church and we couldn't be more excited!

I know this made for a really long post, but I just had to share since this is what has kept us so busy lately! And at the same time that we have been searching for our new church home, my Mom and Dad have been doing the same. They have been attending Providence Baptist because they love the pastor there so much and this past Sunday they joined the church. I am so happy for them and I am so glad to see them excited about church. It is awesome to see my Dad not wanting to miss a Sunday. It makes me want to cheer!

And as an update on my best friend mentioned above who had to move away when I was eleven years old? Our families made sure we visited off and on through the years after she left and our most recent visit was this summer. She is now living in NYC and she flew down to visit me in July. She is expecting her first baby next year and I am so happy for her. I hope to fly to NY to see her and her and her family when the baby is born!

I hope you had a great Thanksgiving! We had a great visit and I will try to post about that a little later on...I need to go fix the little one some lunch ;)

Yay Drew!!!!

2010-10-15T08:54:00.002-05:00

I had to come and brag on Drew! He got his first report card yesterday and it was perfect. Of course kindergarten report cards consist of grades like "S" for Satisfactory, "N" for Needs Improvement, or "U" for Unacceptable (or something like that) instead of the standard A-F grades, but I am proud to report that Drew got an "S" in every category on his report. We are bursting with pride for him. Anyone who knows Drew, and knows the struggles we have had, knows that we were not sure we would see a report card like this. The first 3-4 weeks of school were rough. I can honestly say that my life is pretty even keel and I rarely cry but I cried a LOT of tears those first few weeks. It was an adjustment for Drew and it took him time to understand what was expected of him in terms of staying in his seat and actually paying attention instead of playing all of the time. I see so much of myself in him it scares me. I was never successful in school (Hello summer school!!!) until graduate school when I was studying something that I loved. I have fears that Drew will follow in my footsteps and struggle but we are doing everything we can to keep him on track. More than anything we pray. That doesn't mean we don't get our hands dirty doing the work of parenting, but I know for a fact that we ALL need God's help and I pray that he is there with Drew each day guiding him in his decisions and in his learning.
In other news, Lucas returned to see his new dermatologist this week and she agreed with us that his worst areas are looking better. She prescribed an additional cream to add to his regimen so now he has one we are applying at night, then washing off in the morning, then we apply the second one in the morning and wash it off after a few hours. I have high hopes that we are going to get this horrible virus under control. I can not stand the word "hate" but I truly hate this virus that has attacked my baby's body for the last 11 months. I know that we may have to fight this battle for 3-5 years but I am praying that healing comes sooner for him. He is just miserable with it. BUT, my point here was to say that some of the areas that have been the worst are showing improvement so that is AWESOME!!
The kids are getting geared up for Halloween and have already picked out their costumes: Mario for Lucas and Luigi for Drew. We plan to attend the Halloween festival the city has out on the soccer fields as well as the ones at the Church and their grandparent's church, but I don't think we will trick or treat in our neighborhood this year. In the last few years the number of homes that keep their lights on and give out candy has steadily declined to the point that last year was a bust. I can understand it though. We usually give out candy and we have had few trick or treaters during the early hours and then around 7-8pm we will get carloads of MUCH older kids in NO costumes (maybe a bit of face paint) coming to the door with their plastic bags. It is frustrating and I assume this is the reason that so many in our neighborhood have stopped giving out candy. It makes me angry because it ruins it for the little kids. I am not yet sure what we will do on the actual trick or treat night, but we will find something interesting so the boys do not realize they are missing out ;)
I myself am ready for Halloween to be over so that we can move into the real holidays!!!! I am a fanatic for the holiday season and am well known for having my Christmas tree up long before Thanksgiving. What can I say? I like to enjoy the season for as long as possible.
With that being said, it is time for me to head to the attic to start gathering up my decorations...

We are alive over here...

2010-10-05T11:08:00.003-05:00

Once again I have been ridiculously inconsistent with this blog. Let me just be honest and say that I never even think about it. There are so many "Mommy Bloggers" that I follow religiously online and you would think that the fact that I am so addicted to those blogs would make me want to be better with my own. But alas, that is not the case. After working all day with a 3 year old constantly under my feet and interrupting business calls left and right, I am never really in the mood to update here. Doesn't everyone want their blog to be a reflection of their "sunny, wonderful life"? I certainly do. But usually by the end of the day when I actually have time to blog, I am exhausted and my brain hurts from the 2,752 questions I answered that day for my very curious toddler. In addition, Drew is playing soccer now and he has games several nights a week which means from the time he gets home from school we are involved in a mad dash to get dinner eaten and school stuff done before we are out the door to the ballfields. Then of course when we get home we are in a mad dash to get baths and bedtime stories done so the rugrats can go to bed. (Of course, they then lay in their beds and sing/talk/yell for at least an hour before giving up and going to sleep so it makes me wonder why we even hurry to get them in bed.)
In all honesty, the weekends are my bliss. Two whole days that Marc and I can spend with the boys without the intrusion of work or ball schedules. On weekend days I can relax and take the time to do the things that we all enjoy. And the last thing I think about is this blog. Bad Mommy.
As you might have noticed, I said that Lucas is home with me all day. This has been a big adjustment for both of us. Due to his medical "stuff" we decided (with the support and encouragement of his pediatrician) to pull him out of daycare at the end of the summer. His condition had worsened and we had concerns about other infections he could catch during cold season. Particularly a staph infection since so much of his body is covered in wounds that are often open. (I know that sounds gross but it just the reality right now). So...this means he is home with me. This would not be a big deal except that I do still have a full time job. I think when people learn that I work from home they are picturing a scenario in which I am kicked back taking customer service calls randomly and just "hanging out". The reality is that I work in a very busy field and my job requires me to spend most of my day on the phone with physician offices as I try to make them happy and resolve their issues. This is hard to do when Lucas randomly bursts into my office yelling about something he just saw on PBS kids ;) But we are figuring it out and it gets easier every day. Above all, I am enjoying all of the time I get to spend with him. He is such a mess. Constantly into something, but he is also such a sweet little lovebug. He is happiest when he can sit on your lap and hug and kiss you for 10 minutes straight. I am enjoying it while I can because I know that in a few years he will think that my kisses are gross. LOL
As for Drew, he is loving kindergarten. His teacher is awesome and he seems to be learning so much at an alarmingly fast rate. We are so proud of him. He has come so far just since the start of school. Lucas and I look forward to 2:00 every afternoon because that is when we get to leave to pick Drew up from school. I love hearing about his day.
Well, how was that for a catch up? I assume most people fell asleep about 500 words back but I at least feel better for having updated this blog. Maybe one day I will actually do it more than once a month ;) Maybe...

Summer..

2010-06-30T11:53:00.001-05:00

has been a very busy time for us! Mainly due to Drew's t-ball schedule which keeps us at the ball field three nights a week. I have to be honest and say that Drew was not so sure about t0ball after his first practice, but Marc and I told him that quitting was not an option. After the first game? He was in love. He now get so disappointed if he has no game or practice after school. I love to see him enjoying it so much and he is making friends with kids who will be at his school next year for Kindergarten. In addition to t-ball, Drew is in a summer program that has been awesome. He gets to go to Surfside water park 2x a week. They also go to the movies, bowling, to visit local parks, etc. He is so excited to go every morning.
Lucas is doing good too. He loves going to the ball field and would happily get out there and play his heart out if only he was old enough. As it is, he stands at the fence and cheers for Drew and all of his team mates. He loves it as much as Drew.
Lucas' skin condition has gotten worse and is so far spread now that it is visible to others and has become a concern for us and his doctor. Because of this, when Drew leaves the pre-school the last week of August to start kindergarten, Lucas too will be leaving and will be at home with me full time. Lord help me. I will have to figure out how to work and entertain a 3 year old, but we will adjust. We are just trying to do what is best for our baby. Hopefully he can return to Bonnie's for the 4-K program next Fall. We love everyone there ;)
Next week we are headed to the mountains for a week and we are counting the days until we go to the beach in August. I am SO ready for a vacation. I will post pics after next week!

Old friends...

2010-04-23T13:22:00.000-05:00

I just got home from having lunch with one of my closest friends from high school, Martha. It's funny...we never actually ever went to school together because she actually attended a boarding school in New Jersey, but after I transferred to Lee-Scott, I met her through mutual friends and we clicked and became instant best friends. We were trouble from the word go. Seriously. But boy did we have FUN together!!! The stories I could tell. But I won't. Because I am an adult, and mature, and because my children will read this someday ;) After graduating high school, I left for college and Martha and I lost touch. I did not come home to visit a lot once I got to Troy. I have to be honest and say that I got really wrapped up in my life there and my new friends and when I did come home to visit I sometimes felt like a stranger because I had missed a lot of inside jokes and times with my friends here. It was like straddling two worlds. In the end, I think I just threw myself 100% into my world in Troy. There is some regret in that because now I am living back here in Opelika and a lot of my childhood friends are here too and I want so badly to reconnect with them and it is hard. It is hard to rebuild friendships when you are an adult and you are busy with work and your children and your husband. It is just hard. But I refuse to let that stop me. So...Martha and I went to lunch today. And oh how we laughed and reminisced. And caught up on each others families and other friends. It was so nice. There is something very comfortable about being with people who know you. Who know where you come from. Who know your parents and know what posters you had on your bedroom wall as a child. And know who your first kiss/crush/boyfriend was. A shared history is a precious thing. I look forward to spending time with more old friends this year. One of my oldest friends, Culley Davidson, is planning to visit next month. I am so excited about this that I can not think about it without grinning from ear to ear!!! Culley moved away when we were in 7th grade, but we were able to visit a few time over the following 10 years, but it has been over 12 years since our last face to face visit. I can not wait for her to get here! I want to be an example for my children. I truly believe that friends are as important as family. Some of my best friends are as close to me as family and I want my children to value their friendships and to BE good friends to their friends. We have been talking about this a lot with the upcoming start of Kindergarten because Drew will be leaving a lot of the friends he has made at his daycare. Marc and I are going to work very hard to help him maintain these friendships because he will be in school with these kids again (hopefully) when all of the kids merge again in 6th grade. The maintenance of friendships is so important. I don't think it is ever to soon to learn that.
We are a little upset about this weekend. We have been so looking forward to Auburn City Fest this weekend, but the weather forecast is not looking too good for tomorrow. We will wait and see but we are praying we will get to enjoy this day of family fun!

What? Can it be?

2010-04-16T14:47:00.000-05:00

Yep! It is me...making a blog entry before an entire month passed from the last one. You can pick yourself up off of the floor now! ;)
I have to be honest. I have become a blog addict. Obviously not when it comes to updating my own (c'mon now...) but addicted to reading other people's blogs. And not necessarily people I know. I do check in on all of the people I know through their blogs on a regular basis and I love being able to do so, but I am seriously addicted to some of the Mommy bloggers out there who are just letting it all out in this medium. I mean, they really let it all out on their blogs. And it is so refreshing to read real Moms writing about the real stuff we all deal with. I have to be honest and say that when I read FB status updates that read "I have the most wonderful husband and kids! My life is perfect!", I kind of gag a little. I am just being honest. Disclaimer here: My husband is wonderful. He is far more than I deserve. This has nothing to do with him. It just seems that the older I get, the more I appreciate the people out there who just talk honestly about how HARD it is some days to keep it all together. I love it. It has inspired me and really makes me want to be more active on my blog. If for no other reason than the fact that I have two pretty funny kids and I need to be documenting the stuff they are doing every day (Example: Drew feeding Lucas dog food yesterday while telling him it was a new vitamin). The whole purpose of this blog was to document our lives for my kids. I routinely print the entries to save for them. As slow as it has been around here they might have 100 entries by the time they graduate high school. So...I plan to get more active here. We'll see how that works out. :::snicker:::
On another note, we registered Drew for kindergarten this week. (I just had to take a moment and wipe away a tear). How is that possible? We registered him at the same elementary school I attended, but thankfully they are in a new building now. It is a nice school and I have heard wonderful things so we are anxiously anticipating the Fall and the changes that a real school schedule will bring. (I guess I will actually have to start setting an alarm again...I know...no one feels bad for me).
Lucas is 90% potty trained. Make that 100% when he is at pre-school but he seems to have some irrational fear of the toilets in his own home. Go figure. I have given up trying to figure it out. I am just going with the flow (no pun intended) on this one. I know that at this point it is a power struggle and I am not going to engage him.
In closing, if you want a good laugh, please check out one of my very favorite blogs, www.dooce.com . Heather Armstrong is very raw and real in her writing but she is also hysterical! Have a great weekend!

Wow...

2010-03-23T15:03:00.000-05:00

I am really not good at staying up to date on the blog. (I know that my Aunt is shaking her head up and down at an alarmingly fast rate in agreement with that statement) LOL!
I try. I really do. But...I tend to spend so much time in front of the computer at work that when I do get some "me" time on here, I like to check FB status' and see what everyone is up to, or I check my "Mommy Group" that I have been a part of for the last few years. I also follow several blogs that friends of mine write about their kids and I get so wrapped up in catching up on everyone else that I forget to update "my" blog. So...I am sorry. Are we okay? Good ;)
The last couple of months have been very busy for us with constant sickness making it's way through our house. We have had a couple of rounds of the stomach bug and strep made a visit too. Additionally, we have begun treatment for Lucas' viral skin infection that requires us to see a specialist in Birmingham every two weeks so that keeps us busy. Along with his treatments in the doctor's office, we are doing an at home treatment regimen that takes about 30 minutes to complete at night and I will just be honest...it is NOT fun. It wears me out and it makes Lucas angry. He hates it. I am hoping that with time he will become immune to it but for now, he hates it. It is very hard to feel like you are torturing your baby every night when you know you are just trying to make them well. We foresee this treatment and the bi-weekly trips to the doctor lasting a minimum of 6 months. There is no real way to tell. We just pray that this treatment works.
Other than all of that, the boys are doing wonderful! They have so much fun together and it is great to see them become such good friends. They are both so high energy and are always ready to GO! We are loving the fact that the weather is definitely warming up and Spring is on the horizon. We were able to spend the day Saturday at the park and that was great for all of us ;) Hopefully we will have plenty more weekends like this to come! But...I am sharing some pictures here from the snow we had in February. It was a definite record that we had this much snow two years in a row!
This weekend Stacey Mac, Stu, and Sasser are coming into town so we are all excited. They will be coming in Saturday and then Sunday we are heading to Atlanta to Chelsea Handler live at the Fox theatre. SO EXCITED!!!!

My "first" baby...

2010-01-14T12:02:00.000-06:00

Is turning FIVE in two days and I am having such a hard time with it. :::sob:::

I just wanted to take a minute to talk about him while I had the time because I just love him so much it hurts. Andrew is my wild, headstrong, opinionated little man, but he is also the most amazing, sensitive boy and the most incredible big brother. He loves Lucas more than anything in this world and he is never happier than when he is able to share something with Lucas or play with him. He also loves his Mommy and Daddy and is so much fun for us. I am constantly amazed at the things that come out of his mouth. He is so incredibly smart. Like whip smart and he has come backs that would make Chelsea Handler or Kathy Griffin jealous. He takes no crap from anyone and stands up for himself in every situation, yet he is friends with everyone at school and makes friends with every child he meets wherever we go. I love that he is so sure of himself and so open to everyone around him. He doesn't see color or disability and plays just as easily with his down syndrome classmate as he does with those with no impairment. He has grown so much this year in his ability to concentrate and focus at school (which I worried about) and is now reading and writing and I never expected him to be able to do these things eight months before he even starts Kindergarten. We are currently working on how to use scissors and tie shoes (two very hard things to teach...who knew?)
Is he perfect? NO! But the things that drive me crazy, i.e; the stubbornness, the constant jokes and his firm belief in how things should be, are all things that will serve him well later in life so we walk the precarious line of trying to nurture those things while not killing him (LOL)

All in all I am just so proud of him and the person he is growing into but I am also so sad to see him growing up so fast. This is why I wanted to take a minute to write down all of the things I love so much about Drew. He is the little boy that made me a Mommy. He is the light of Lucas' world and I have never seen two people love each other like they love one another and it melts me.

We had to cancel his bowling birthday party last weekend because I was so sick (have been sick for two weeks) but he had a party at my parents last night and has one at school tomorrow and one with Marc's family Saturday so we still have a lot of celebrating to do.

As a "catch-up"...Christmas was wonderful, but crazy busy. We hosted a Christmas party here at our house for all of the kids' school friends two weeks before Christmas and then we had family gatherings at least twice a week for the remainder of the holidays. It was a wonderful time spent with family and friends. We are so very blessed.

Almost Thanksgiving?

2009-11-18T09:54:00.000-06:00

How can that be? How can time be moving that fast? I feel like Summer was just here and it is already time for Christmas.
I, of course, have already put up the big Christmas tree in the living room and the lighted garland and Disney trains on the TV cabinet, but that is as far as I have gone with the decorating. I am trying to show some restraint, but if it were up to me this house would already look like the Griswolds! I just love this time of year. The kids do too so I am able to get away with a lot more!
Marc and I are still trying to decide exactly what Santa is bringing this year, but it will not be much. Drew and Lucas are the only Grandchildren on either side of the family so they are ridiculously spoiled by Grandparents which leaves little for Santa to do. Also, we want them to focus more on the REASON we celebrate this time of year. Not just the presents. It is out job as parents to instill that in them so we are trying to find the balance of how to effectively do that given their ages. There is only so much they can understand at 2 and 4, but as they grow, so will their understanding.
We are looking forward to Thanksgiving next week and going to visit all of our Henry relatives. It is always a long trip for us since we go up and back in one day which is 300 miles round trip. With two toddlers that ends up being at least 4 hours each way due to all of the stops for the potty and diaper changes. But it is always well worth it because we enjoy our time with our family, we just wish it was a trip we could make more often. :) After Thanksgiving we will hit the ground running with Christmas parties and family fun and we can't wait.
I am planning to try to throw a Christmas party for Drew's classmates here at the house one weekend before Christmas. I have got to get come concrete plans in place since time seems to be flying past at an alarming rate...I better get cracking!!!!

For Aunt Susan...

2009-10-28T20:28:00.000-05:00

Wow...a long time again. I promise I really do try. Really. But between work and kids and the addiction that is Facebook. I never seem to make it over here. I also have a Mom's group messageboard that I am active on so if I ever actually do get time on the computer late at night, I am trying to catch up with friends and this poor blog gets so neglected. But I know I need to do better. I know Aunt Susan and my Mother-in-law and other relatives and friends that do not live here do come here to check in on the boys. So to my few but loyal blog readers...I am sorry. Very.
(I am even including the very precious picture above to try to make amends :8)

Things are rolling along pretty smoothly. Drew is continuing to do great in his Pre-K class. His teacher, Ms. Arissa, is amazing. She is the perfect mixture of tough and sweet and Drew couldn't love her more. What a blessing she has been. He has learned all of his letters and is writing them clearly now and is beginning to be able to spell names and simple words. He has made huge strides in the last month. We have been amazed. He is still having a blast with his friends all day too. I constantly struggle with the decision of having them in "school" when I work from home, but the truth is that they have so much fun there and so much structure and learning. If they were here with me, I am afraid the T.V. would end up babysitting them because I would still have to work. Drew is thriving where he is and we are thankful every day that we found such a great place for him.
Lucas is doing awesome too. We are embarking on potty training. He wears regular big boy underwear most days at school but he doesn't do as well at home. I am sure this has something to do with Mom and Dad not being as consistent as his wonderful teacher, but it is hard juggling the evening demands of dinner, baths and bedtime and also focusing on potty reminders. I am of the school of thought that when a child is ready to potty train, they will train. We waited until Drew was ready and he was trained in two days. At school they are taking him to the potty constantly and really working on it so we are doing our best to continue that at home and hopefully by Christmas we will be pull-up free. No worries though :)
Lucas is a social butterfly and never meets a stranger. He is just such a happy little boy and is always so much fun. He and Drew are enjoying each other so much right now and I only hope that continues. They are now 2 and 4 and their interests mesh so they like the same shows, toys, charachters, etc. and that makes things fun (and easy!) At night they play the Wii or we watch a show and we read books and spend some time in the floor wrestling, but they never like to do anything without one another and that just warms my heart.
We are busy this week with Fall activities like visiting the pumpkin patch, pumpkin carving, trick or treating, and a few Halloween parties this weekend. I just love this time of the year and all of the fun family things to take part in and the boys do too. I plan to take lots of pictures tomorrow so I will add some more then!

A long lapse again...

2009-09-01T09:51:00.000-05:00

It is just so hard these days to remember to update this blog.
Things have just been chugging along in our household. Drew started his 4-K program at Bonnie's kids and he has already learned so much. He is writing all of his letters so well. It is amazing how fast he is picking it up. Lucas is still doing great at the daycare too and gets excited every morning when it is time to leave. That warms my heart because I often feel guilty about them going when I am "at home", but I do have to work and there is no way I can do that with two toddlers home with me. Besides, they love playing with their friends and learning new things every day.
Lucas has had an explosion in his language skills in the last few months. He is now in the stage where he can repeat anything and often surprises us with funny phrases that he just comes out with all on his own. Drew and Lucas are finally hitting the ages where they really enjoy each other. It is so much fun to watch them play. They do have squabbles here and there, but it makes all of the work of having them so close together worth it. They love all of the same things and they love each other so much.
Marc and I are just enjoying this time so much. We are well aware that it goes by too quickly so we are trying to savor every minute.
Well, not much news in this post but I will post again soon and hopefully have some more interesting things to share! LOL

Happy Birthday Wilson!!!

2009-07-21T10:24:00.000-05:00

July 20th marked Wilson's 12th birthday. For those of you who do not "know" Wilson, let me tell you about him.
I got Wilson in 1997 during my last year in Troy. I do not know why I thought I needed a dog then, but I really wanted a Shih Tzu because they do not shed and are sweet little babies. Wilson has been one of the greatest blessings in my life. He has been with me as I finished college, completed grad school, moved to three different states to live, and he has been such a comfort to me through failed relationships and other struggles I have encountered. He was with me at my wedding and even posed for pictures and he greeted me at my front door on the days I brought both my babies home from the hospital. There is nothing more constant than the love and devotion of a dog. I truly believe that. I can not imagine my life without Wilson and thankfully, he is a healthy boy. So here are a few pictures of Wilson on his 12th birthday! (Excuse the blur to the pictures...Lucas grabbed the lens of the camera with his little greasy fingers!)

I lied...

2009-07-21T10:15:00.000-05:00

I just said in our last post that we were in no hurry to get Lucas into a "big boy" bed, but that changed on Friday. We always take loads of stuff to the Mission Thrift store when we are cleaning out. On Friday while I was over there, I decided to just look at their beds to see what they had. Well wouldn't you know it...there was a beautiful twin bed. It was painted white and it obviously very old, but that is what I love about it. I like the look of older things. I guess I get that from my Mom. Anyway, the best part??? It was only $20. I know...right? Amazing. The plain twin headboard we were set to order from Wood You Furniture was $129.00. This one is beautiful and has charachter! What a blessing! I paid as quick as I could and then Marc went to pick the bed up and buy a mattress. By 5 pm on Friday afternoon we had the bed painted and set up for the little man. He was very excited about it. We all are! I am including a couple of pictures. The one of the bed when it was white is the picture I took right when we got it home.

2009-07-16T10:39:00.000-05:00

Wow...

I seriously had no idea that it had been so long since I had posted. I am surprised Aunt Susan or Nana have not gotten on to me already! LOL Summer has been busy but great. We went on our family vacation to Gatlinburg with Mimi and Poppy the first week of July. That was a great trip, but I think we decided that next year we will just go to the mountain house and make day trips to Chattanooga to let the boys see some things there. Gatlinburg was a LONG drive with two toddlers. It took us 8 hours each way and about 20 stops. That being said, we enjoyed the cabin, our access to the river where we got to splash, play and tube and just the togetherness of spending that much time with Mom and Dad. I know they enjoy the boys so much, but I am sure they were ready for some peace and quiet by the time we went home!!! I am posting pictures from the trip.

An update on the boys:

Drew has slept in his own bed for the last full week. I am so proud of him and how well he is doing with the attempt this time. At some point I guess I decided he would be in our room until he was ten. lol He is so proud of himself too and that is wonderful to see.

We have withdrawn Drew from Lee-Scott for this year. We have decided to keep him at the 4-K program at Bonnie's because h is so attached to all of his friends and teachers and we think emotionally he would have a very hard time separating from them. We have also been hearing some really positive things about the primary school he is zoned for in Opelika and we would definitely prefer that he have a public school education if possible, we had just been under the impression that this would not be a possibility due to some other concerns. Bottom line...we are still not 100% sure where he will go to school, but we are positive we will make the best decision for him. :)

Lucas is becoming a little motor mouth. He is in the phase of repeating everything he hears. It is funny when he repeats full phrases. He mangles some words and that is just incredibly cute too. lol He has become very physical with Drew and doesn't take a lot from him. I don't want him to be too rough, but we were looking forward to the day that he could defend himself and it seems that day is here.

Lucas still seems content in his crib so we are not rushing him into a big boy bed, but we are shopping around so that when the time comes we will be ready! How can my baby be old enough for a real bed?????

The boys will be going to visit Hey Man and Nana on Saturday night and Marc will be at work so I will be going to visit my best friend Stacey Mac who is coming home to Alex City for a family birthday party. I am looking forward to a relaxing day on the lake! The weekends take way too long to get here!

Just had to share..

2009-05-29T16:16:00.000-05:00

Marc and I were hanging out in the living room last night and all of a sudden, we heard the following yelled from the kitchen:

"MARC!!! We have some little bugs in here!"

It was Drew yelling from the kitchen because he saw (what he thought were) bugs on the kitchen floor. Thankfully, it was not bugs, but instead it was sprinkles that somehow made it to the floor when Drew was decorating cookies earlier. How could that have happened?
Marc and I laughed so hard at Drew yelling that out. He was yelling and had such a serious tone like there was something that "Marc" needed to handle immediately!

My baby is 2...

2009-05-28T15:05:00.000-05:00

That is so hard for me to deal with. Mainly because he will more than likely be my "last" baby. But also because the last two years have been so amazing. Watching Lucas and Drew grow together and really begin to LOVE each other's company...I can't tell you what a joy that is for Marc and I. (I am sure many of you know from experience). I truly believe that siblings are the best gift you can give your children.

Lucas had such a rough first year. His reflux was so severe and his eating issues ruled our lives for so much of that year, that there are not a lot of memories of us just getting to "enjoy" him. But his second year has more than made up for that. This child has been such an amazing blessing and I don't know how there could be any child in the world as sweet as him. We thank God every day for him and we can't wait to see what he will become.

Things have been rocking along smoothly here in the Wells' home. We celebrated Lucas' birthday with my parents and sister in one party and then celebrated with Marc's parents in another. It seems impossible these days to get every one's schedules together..and of course, Mom planned a vacation for her and Michelle that took them away on Lucas' birthday weekend. No hard feelings or anything. LOL

We are getting geared up for our family vacation. We are going to Gatlinburg the last week of June and I am counting the days! We plan to spend every day at Dollywood and the Splash Mountain water park. I really can not wait.
Other than that, we are just looking forward to enjoying our summer. Drew starts 4-K in two months which is very hard to believe. We are going to enjoy the next two months before our lives become planned around school schedules!

Just had to share...

2009-05-15T13:38:00.000-05:00

I just had to share this picture because I RARELY get a picture of the boys together, let alone one where they are both smiling!

Happy Mother's Day!

2009-05-11T08:38:00.000-05:00

To all of the Mom's in my life...

To my own Mom - You are my very best friend and I don't know what I would do without you. Between 20 phone calls a day, fifty texts, and multiple visits each week, I don't think I ever get tired of your company. You have been a wonderful Mother and have supported me through so much, but you have also taken the hard road and let me go when you knew that was what I needed. I can only pray that I will be half the Mother to my children that you have been to me. You are also an amazing Grandmother and I love seeing your relationship with my boys grow every day.

To Marc's Mom - Where do I start? I love this woman so much and I know that she feels the same. What more can you ask for? Marc is an only child and their family had been through some rough years before Marc and I found one another so I am sure they were not sure about me in the beginning, but I think I have won them over (Ha! Ha!). Mrs. Sherry is one of the most resilient and strong women I know. She has had more thrown at her in the last ten years than anyone I know. She has supported and nurtured her husband through many medical crisis' that many people would not be strong enough to withstand. Not only has she pulled them through, but she has done so with grace and a very strong faith in God and his work in their lives. What an inspirations she is!! She is also a wonderful Grandmother and loves nothing more than spending time with our two little munchkins. I am very blessed to have her in my life.

We had a wonderful Mother's Day weekend. Friday night we had dinner at the Breezeway and then went to the Lee County Relay for Life event. That was a lot of fun. My main reason for wanting to go was to see one of my closest friends from childhood, Haley Hunter (Kuhlers). Haley and I were inseparable for many, many years growing up. She is one of those friends that even though I have not seen her in over ten years, seeing her brought back a flood of memories and I just wanted to hug her and sit right there in the grass and catch-up. Haley and her family were participating in Relay for Life in memory of her Father, Robert Hunter. What a character he was!!! He always had a smile and laugh for you and he loved hunting. Sadly, Mr. Hunter lost his fight with cancer, but his family is making sure that his life was not in vain and they are one of the top grossing teams at the Relay for Life event each year. What a wonderful way to remember a wonderful husband, Father, and Grandfather.

Haley is planning to come back for two weeks in the summer after school is out and I look forward to getting to spend some time with her and her two precious children. I think we will even go fishing. :)

On Saturday morning we took the boys to the Strawberry Patch for some pickin'! That was a lot of fun and the day was gorgeous. When we got back home, the kids played in the sprinkler for a while and then Nana and Hey Man came to get them for the night. Marc and I got showered and fixed up and went to dinner with some close friends. It was a great night. On Sunday morning I got to sleep in till 8 am (this is late for me!) and then I went and spent a few hours with Marc's parents (Marc was on shift :() and then loaded up the kids to go spend a few hours with my parents and sister. Aunt Chelle was there so the boys were ecstatic. They love playing with her so much.

Now it is Monday again and back to the real world. We should have a pretty easy week and then a busy weekend again, but we enjoy every minute of it (well, most of them anyway. LOL)

As I stated elsewhere, I am so thankful for my two little angels who made me a Mommy and for their Daddy who makes my job as a Mommy so easy. What a great teammate he is! :)

Monday..Again???

2009-05-04T15:14:00.000-05:00

Is there anything worse than a Monday???? I dread them. I used to dread them even more when I worked outside of the house, but I still dread them now. The boys are always out of their routine come Monday and they are very tired and fussy at the end of a Monday. I think Fridays are my favorite day. There is such a wonderful anticipation for the weekend ahead. Speaking of weekends, we had a great one!

On Friday afternoon, the boys and I went out to MiMi and Poppy's to play in the little inflatable pool. The boys had a blast even though the water was COLD and their lips were blue. Lucas' teeth even started chattering. Bless him. Daddy grilled burgers and Drew ate almost an entire hamburger and half a hot dog. He has the best appetite sometimes. Lucas of course at fruit and chips. (he is still a vegetarian). On Saturday after the March of Dimes event, I helped by friend Ashlea at her wedding. Some of the pictures have been posted on the photographers blog. You can check them out here: http://burnettphotography.com/blog/

The wedding was very pretty. I hope that Ashlea and JD have a very happy marriage. I hope that for all of my friends. I often remind myself that one day my boys will be grown and gone and it will be just Marc and I so we have to nurture that relationship as well.

Nana and Hey Man watched the boys here at the house while Marc came to the wedding. They had a blast as usual. Afterwards, we all enjoyed a big pot of chili that I had put in the crock pot that morning. (Hey Man loves my chili so I fix it for him as much as I can because I LOVE to see him eat a lot...that doesn't happen often).

I ended up getting sick Saturday night and went to the doctor on Sunday morning. I am fine, but I did end up having to stay home Sunday resting while Marc took the kids to Seale to try out the new pool. I understand there were some technical difficulties with the pool, but I think Hey Man will have the kinks worked out soon! :)

I decided to do the "15 Facts about Me!" for Drew, so here goes:

1. I love my Mommy and Daddy

2. My brother is the best playmate ever. He does what I tell him to do and he thinks I am really funny.

3. I love my visits to my Nana and Hey Man's. I always have the most fun at their house and Nana stocks the fridge and counter with all of my favorite treats. I check out the food supply first thing when I arrive!

4. I think tractors are awesome. I always ask my Hey Man and my Poppy to ride me on their tractors when I visit.

5. I am obsessed with superheroes now. It used to be only Spiderman, but now I also love Wolverine, Iron Man, and all of the X-men .

6. I have a serious addiction to T.V. My Mommy worries that it is going to scar me for life, but I love it.

7. I love school and I learn new things really fast. I am working on my letters now.

8. I am excited about starting school in August and I ask about it a lot.

9. If I do not have a nap then I start showing my sassy side around 5 pm. (I refuse to take naps at home anymore so this applies to every weekend day).

10. I am very particular about my clothes and I MUST pick out my own shirt every morning.

11. I LOVE under armour shirts and would wear them every day if Mommy and Daddy would let me.

12. I am a little bit of a neat freak like my Mommy. I often go and get the hand vac when I see mess on the floor so I can "suck it up"!

13. I love chicken and rice and will eat three helpings of rice if you put gravy on it for me!

14. I wish I could stay home with Mommy and Daddy every single day.

15. I love my Aunt Chelle and I think she is the greatest. I wish I could see her more!

Finally Friday!!!!

2009-05-01T13:20:00.001-05:00

This has been one of those weeks that has just DRAGGED by!

The boys have had a lot going on this week, but most importantly, they both went to the dentist yesterday. For those that remember, Drew's last dentist appointment resulted in a lot of screaming, crying, and three staff members holding him down while the dentist cleaned his teeth. LOL I am happy to report that yesterdays visit went MUCH better. Drew was actually excited about his appointment and he acted like such a big boy. He went back alone and when we came back to check on him, he was doing everything the hygienist asked him too and was very proud of himself. I for one was BURSTING with pride. It is amazing how much he has grown up in the last 6 months alone. His teeth looked great and he had no cavities. Lucas had a "tooth check" and all of his teeth looked great too. He has 16 of 20 teeth in so we are still awaiting two sets of molars. Fun times for sure!

We have a busy weekend ahead and much to look forward to. Tomorrow morning we will be going to the March of Dimes walk in Opelika. Marc and the kids and I will be walking to honor Benjamin Hussain. Benjamin was born still on November 11, 2008. Benjamin's Mommy and Daddy miss him every day and those of us who were "with" his Mommy through her entire pregnancy think of him often. Though he did not take a breath in this world, Benjamin has definitely changed it and made an impact on all who love him. We are so very thankful to have this opportunity to raise money for a wonderful non-profit that makes it their goal to support other families dealing with premature births and stillbirths. Benjamin's Mom has started a support group for other women who have experienced this kind of loss and there are other projects in the works. I am certain that the world is a better place because of Benjamin. To me this is proof that even the smallest of beings can have an enormous impact.

Thank you to all of you who donated to this cause. I look forward to turning in the checks tomorrow and knowing that this money will help another family when they need support so desperately.

Tomorrow is also the wedding of one of my closest friends, Ashlea. Ashlea and I have been friends for 16 years and she is one of my kids' favorite people. I am leaving the boys home because I will be helping with a number of things at the wedding and besides...it is not as if my boys could sit still...even through a 15 minute wedding! LOL I am excited for Ashlea and I hope everything goes off without a hitch!

We also have visits with family and dinners to look forward to as well. It is sure to be very tiring and busy, but we LOVE the weekends...especially the ones when Marc is off and we can all be together.

15 Random Things

2009-04-25T21:22:00.000-05:00

Anyone who is on FB knows that these "25 Things about me" note have been floating around everywhere. A friend of mine (thank Rae!) decided to do this for her son who is Lucas' age and she wrote it form his viewpoint. This was so cute to me so I am stealing the idea and will now present for you the following:

15 Random Facts about Lucas (translated by Mommy)(I am too tired to do 25! LOL)

1. I love my Mommy and Daddy
2. I think my brother Drew is the greatest thing in the world and I want to be just like him.
3. I get most excited when I think that my Poppy or my "Hey Man" are about to come over to visit.
4. I constantly climb on my Hey Mans lap and love on him the most because I like being the one that can make him smile and laugh even when there are some stressful things in his life.
5. I love peanut M&M's and I think I should get to eat as many as I want. Anytime I want.
6. I do not like meat of any kind and no one can make me eat it because I know how to puke on demand.
7. I know where every piece of Tupperware is in this house and some spots would surprise you!
8. I love when "Ashee" comes over because she is close to my size and I like flirting with her.
9. I love going to visit my MiMi and Poppy because they always have something new and fun or me to do. I also like how Poppy spends the whole visit laughing at me and Drew when we act crazy.
10. I look forward to my overnight visits with NaNa and Hey Man because I am allowed to be completely free at their house. Drew and I get to play and play and Nana just laughs and enjoys us. We get to be really dirty without Mommy being there to chase us with wipes trying to clean us up every ten minutes. (she drives us crazy with that...we are boys!)
11. I know that the best place to go for good food and good snacks, is Nana's house. She stocks up on our favorites and lets us have as much as we want.
12. My favorite shows to watch are Wubbzy and Kailan, but I do not complain when my brother changes the channel to something else. I just let things roll...
13. I am a teacher's pet at school. Apparently all of the girls that work there love me because Mommy has a hard time getting me out the door for all of the teachers wanting to come touch me and say "Bye Lukey"!
14. I MUST stick to my routine. Right when I wake up I want to go to my seat at the table and have my bowl of cereal. If Mommy tries to change my diaper first, I will scream and kick. I want things done my way.
15. My favorite time of day is after school when me, Drew, Mommy, and Daddy are all home together. We play a lot of games like hide and seek and I love it.

We will have to do this from Drew's perspective next...

Almost May??????

2009-04-25T21:02:00.000-05:00

Who is this grown boy??? Where is my baby???
This is Drew's 4 year old "school" picture. Isn't he the cutest thing? You can see the mischief in his eyes though. LOL

Where has this year gone? My Mother in Law and I were discussing this morning how this year seems to be flying by. In some ways this is good. I mean, who doesn't want time to move quickly when our world is in such sad shape and we are being promised that things WILL get better...sometimes we just want the good time to hurry up and get here. In the midst of all of this though...we are trying to enjoy every day with our little ones because these days are so fleeting.

As a Mother I am often overwhelmed with the work involved in keeping two very strong willed toddlers happy. Some days I feel like collapsing to the floor and crying, but you know what? In the middle of all of the crazy times are some of the most amazing (and often hilarious) moments. Like me finding Lucas this morning sprawled on the tile floor with his head on the dog bed, stroking Wilson's back while saying "Puppy!" over and over again. Another example would be deciding to run a hot bath last night after I finally got Lucas down for bed. Drew was in his bed as well, but when he heard me running the water, he came into my bathroom (goodbye alone time!) and asked if he could sit and talk to me while I bathed. He then did just that and entertained me with stories about his school friends. He also told me that he loves me so much and that I am his best friend. These moments are priceless and they are abundant in our cozy little home. So...the next time you hear me complaining about something one of the boys has done or about how TIRED I am...don't waste any time really worrying about me because the truth of the matter is that for every little thing that bothers me during the day, there are ten wonderful memories being made, ten warm hugs given by chubby little boy arms and a million moments that make me smile and thank God for these blessings we have been given. I have no doubt that Drew and Lucas are being raised in a warm and loving home and that they know every single day how much their Mommy and Daddy love them. I don't think any kid could have it better!

Rain, Rain, Go away!

2009-04-14T15:12:00.001-05:00

Is it just me or has it just been raining constantly???? Rain is not so great when you are trying to entertain two very active toddlers.
I have not updated in 2 weeks because we have had a LOT going on.
On April 3rd, I hosted a dinner party for my dear friend Ashlea who is getting married on May 2, 2009. Sixteen women, including Ashlea's old friends, new friends, and co-workers came together to enjoy a wonderful dinner at Ashlea's favorite restaurant (Mikata). Ashlea was showered with some great gifts and a good time was had by all. I only got one group picture of all of the guests, but it is so blurry that you can not make out who anyone is. Just for good measure though, here is a picture of the bride to be and two of her oldest friends that we both grew up with (Ivy and Jenny)...

On Saturday (April 4th), Marc was working so I loaded up the boys and headed to Birmingham for little Emma Baker's first birthday. The boys had a great time and we even got to have lunch with Aunt Chelle before going to the party. It was a great day. Here is a pic of Aunt Chelle and Drew and then a couple from the party...

Last weekend on April 5th, there was the 40th anniversary party for Sherry and Jimmy (Nana and "Hey Man"). It was a surprise party and boy were they SHOCKED!! There were so many people there to celebrate these two wonderful people and a great time was had by all. I got to meet some of Marc's relatives that live out of state that I have not met in the seven ears we have been together. That was GREAT! It is nice to be able to put a face with a name. Here are a few pictures from the party...

This last weekend was full of Easter activities and we had a wonderful Easter weekend. On Saturday morning, we painted Easter eggs and cookies with the boys. This resulted in a huge mess, but it was a lot of fun and the results tasted fantastic! LOL After lunch on Saturday, Hey Man and Nana came and got the boys and took them to an Easter egg hunt at their Church. They reported that the boys had a blast and that Drew was the lucky kid who found the "Golden Egg" which he promptly gave to his brother when he saw that the prize was a "Quack Quack", How sweet is that? They love each other so much...it just melts my heart.
After the boys left to go with their grandparents, Marc and I headed to the lake to visit friends. We had a wonderful time and ended up competing in a Round Robin tournament that consisted of darts, pool, and "redneck horseshoes". I have not laughed that hard in a while...it was very relaxing to just hang out with five other couples and get to be be adults for a while. The weather was beautiful and a great time was had by all.
On Sunday morning we headed to Seale. We wanted to go to the Easter service at Cornerstone, but the times didn't allow for that since we had so much planned for Sunday. We had a great lunch at the Wells' and then had an Easter egg hunt for the kids. Around 2pm we left Seale and headed to Waverly for Easter dinner with MiMi and Poppy and Aunt Chelle. Drew was so excited about seeing Aunt Chelle that he couldn't stand it! She entertained the boys with bubbles for at least an hour. The boys also played basketball (Lucas' version anyway), T-ball, and rode Drew's kiddie Harley. Michelle and I hid eggs and the kids "hunted" for one final time.
Both MiMi and Poppy and Nana and Hey Man spoiled the kids with Easter goodies and of course the Easter bunny came to the house as well. I now have candy stashed all over this house and we have enough to munch on until Christmas!! Thank you to everyone who had a hand in this wonderful holiday. We love our family so much!
Here are a few pictures from the Easter weekend. Enjoy!

I let another week get by me...

2009-03-31T23:53:00.000-05:00

Sorry :)
Things around here have been busy as usual. Everyone seems to be healthy other than normal allergy issues with all of the pollen. We are thankful for the last few days of rain because it washed it all away...even if just for a moment. Marc is doing great and he is now spending time learning more than he ever thought he would know about Spiderman, Wolverine, etc, all in an effort to see the joy on Drew's face each time he tells him some new fact about his favorite superheros! Drew is doing great at school, but he is very eager to start his new "real" school in the Fall. I told the daycare that his slot would no longer be needed after July. Kind of sad, but great too. We are still deciding what to do with Lucas. We really want to keep him home since Drew will be home from school each day after lunch. They entertain one another and play so well together that it might be easier for me to work with both of them here to keep after each other rather than just having one here trying to climb into my lap as I build contracts. LOL We will decide in the next few months I guess.
Lucas is now just as obsessed with Spiderman as Drew is. It is INSANE. Apparently Spiderman is making a comeback because there is spiderman stuff in every store now and my kids WANT, WANT, WANT everything they see with the masked man on it. We have done great at holding back and reminding them to be putting these on their list for Santa, but more often than not Santa appears on the weekends in the form of NaNa and Hey Man Wells and the little boogers get spoiled rotten with all sorts of spidey suprises! Gotta love the grandparents. We sure do. MiMi and Poppy are also good for a few "surprises" during the week too. Whether it is a game, toy, puzzle, clothing, etc., no child leaves their home empty handed. As a parent, it is a fine line that I walk. I do not want my children to grow up having every whim handed to them, but at the same time, seeing the joy it brings our parents to do these things holds me back from setting any limits. I have decided to let the love flow for a few more years beore I drop the ax. LOL
We have a busy weekend planned or sure. On Friday evening I am hosting a wedding dinner to celebrate the upcoming nuptuals of one of my oldest and dearest friends, Ashlea. On Saturday, I will be taking the boys to Birmingham (Marc will be working) to attend the 1st birthday party for Miss Emma Baker. And then on Sunday, we will be treating Marc's parents (my second set :) to a nice dinner to celebrate their 40th wedding anniversary. They are such wonderful people and I look forward to any chance to celebrate them.
I am sure that we will be exhausted after such a fun and busy weekend, but I have learned that it is the time spent with friends and family, that make life worthwile. We are blessed beyond measure. We plan on visiting Cornerstone United Methodist Church sgsin this Sunday. I think we may have found our new home. We love it!

Just another day...

2009-03-22T09:13:00.000-05:00

Well, it has been a busy week so not much time to post here. I have been in the middle of a huge project at work and while it is ongoing, at least the hardest part of it is over. Lucas has been sick this week. Marc took him to the doctor on Monday and they said his ears were bad again and gave him an antibiotic, but we are 7 days in on the meds with no improvement of symptoms, so I don't think his ears were the cause of his goopy nose and slight fever. I am pretty sure he had RSV once again, but they didn't do that swab Monday so we don't really know. It doesn't really matter because there is no medicine for that anyway.
Drew has had a rough week, but we are hopeful he is just in a rough stage. He has been very "mouthy" and not listening to ANYTHING we tell him to do. He tends to have these "bad" weeks" and then he will have two good ones, so we are hoping this next week will bring the loving little Drew back.
Not much else to report this week. The boys spent last night with Nana and Hey Man and of course, Marc and I spent our "date night" doing nothing but relaxing and watching movies on T.V. We are pitiful, but it works for us. LOL It was nice to have a little break, but I can honestly say that come Sunday morning, I am ready to get to Seale and get my hands on my babies! They are such a blessing and Marc and I just enjoy them so much...I don't really know what our lives were like before they came. Marc and I look forward to a quiet evening at home with the boys. I am sure there will be some wrestling and hide and seek involved. :)

The Whoopi Cushion...

2009-03-11T15:17:00.000-05:00

Who would have ever guessed that a Whoopi cushion could be so popular? I bought Drew one at some point last year and he thought it was hysterical. He played with it so much that it burst and had to be thrown away. For some reason, he started asking for a new one after I got home Sunday so I promised him I would get him one. (FYI -they are $1.99 at Freds). Well...Mommy got busy and forgot. When Drew got home from school he came running in the house so excited and when he asked where it was, I felt horrible. He was devestated and started crying. What was a Mom to do??? Well, I loaded him up for a quick trip to Fred's of course! LOL And home we came with a new Whoopi Cushion. Here is the thing though...Lucas now loves it too and has figured out how to position it under his bottom and then lift up and down on his knees to make it "poot". This whoopi cushion led to a fight between the boys last night and Marc ended up having to hide it. We quickly agreed that we needed another cushion. We will be making that purchase after school today!
We are quickly finding that we always need to buy two of everything...even if it is something that the other brother had no interest in when it was purchased, seeing someone else playing with it makes it invaluable!!! These kids are expensive!!!
That leads me to our news for today. I got a call this morning from Lee Scoot Academy informaing me that Drew has been accepted into the 4 year old Pre-K class for the Fall. My baby starts school on August 12th! I am so excited for him, but sad that he is growing up so fast. We have been anxiously waiting to hear if he made it in. Apparently there is some fierce competition among the pre-school set these days. We hoped that the fact that I had gone to high school there would help and I guess it did because he made it!!! YAY!!!! This bodes well for Lucas getting accepted in 2 years because once a sibling is there I think your a shoo-in..LOL Drew will go to school from 8am-12pm Monday through Friday. When he gets out at Noon he will come home with Marc or I and get to spend a lot of time with us. I am sure his grandparents will all spend afternoons with him when they can also. Marc and I have discussed the fact that this may be just what he needs because he will get some time with Mommy and Daddy when we are focused solely on him. Please pray for him that he will make an easy transition...and that we do too!! If you want to check out the school, the link to their website is www.lee-scott.org
I am going to visit MaMaw on Friday and I can't wait. My Aunt Susan reports that her surgery went well and that she is going home today. God is good!

Praying for my Grandmother

2009-03-10T10:32:00.000-05:00

Well, it is Tuesday and I am back at work. It almost seems as though it is not worth taking a break when you come back to the piles of e-mails and voicemails, but it was worth it! :)

This morning I am asking for prayers for my sweet MaMaw. MaMaw is seriously one of the sweetest women I have ever known in my life. She loves her family so much and has always made a point to recognize all of our birthdays and important events in our lives. It is so very hard living so far away from my grandparents because it is so difficult to visit as often as I would like. Especially now that I have two toddlers. It is hard to go anywhere with them as anyone with young kids understands! It is only a 3 hour drive to North Alabama where most of my family is, but with two toddlers, one of whom is potty trained, that trip now takes us about five hours each way because we have to stop for potty breaks and diaper changes so often. But it is well worth it when we actually get to go. Another issue is that Marc is only ever off for two days ata time so it is hard to travel that far in one day and then have to turn around and drive the same distance again the next day.
MaMaw has had some medical issues over the last couple of years and this morning she is undergoing surgery in Gadsden on her Rotor Cuff. Please say a prayer that the surgery goes well and that her recovery is as smooth as it can be. I wish I could be there with her today, but Marc is working and Lucas is with me. I plan on driving up there on Thursday to visit and I can't wait to see them!
I am adding some new pics of the boys...

Another Manic Monday..

2009-03-09T13:48:00.000-05:00

Well, I just returned from a wonderful weekend in Destin with my college buddies. I am so lucky to have such an amazing group of girlfriends. It is sad that we all live so far apart now, but we definitely keep in touch by phone and we try to schedule fun weekend when we can. We stayed at the Palms Resort in Destin. As usual when we all get together, we spent most of the time talking and laughing. My stomach always hurts after one of these weekends and it is due to the non-stop laughing. It is so good for the soul!!!

While I was gone, Marc had the boys here until Saturday evening when they went to Nana and Hey Man's for the night. Marc had to be at work at 6am on Sunday.
Marc and the boys had a great time. It was a beautiful weekend so they spent a lot of time outside playing on the Gator and the swing set. It sounds like they had a great time even without Mommy home, but I know Marc feels the same as I do. It is always more fun when we are all here together.

When I returned Sunday, I couldn't wait to get to Seale to get my hands on Drew and Lucas. Let me tell you....that moment when they see you for the first time after being gone, that is the most priceless moment. Both boys were all over me, hugging and saying "Mommy!!! Mommy!!!" I have to admit that I LOVED it. While I was gone, Lucas started repeating one of Drew's catch phrases. The phrase is "Oh My MAN!!" Drew says that when he is excited about something. Lucas has decided to now start saying it but he says it all the time and does not reserve it for surprises or treats. LOL

I will claose for mow as I think I am going to take a nap! :) The picture above is one of all of our group on Friday night. There were two more with us on Saturday night, but I didn't get any pictures then.

Is it already Wednesday?

2009-03-04T09:36:00.000-06:00

It seems that this week is flying by and I do not often feel that way. I guess that is the benefit to being busy...it makes time pass a lot more quickly.
We had the usual hectic morning here in the Wells' house. Drew woke up and started the day as usual by saying, "Can I wear an Under Armour shirt?" I am not kidding when I say that this is the first thing out of his mouth every single morning. It honestly make me want to throw all of the Under Armour shirts away. Seriously. His teacher probably thinks he only owns four shirts since they are in such regular rotation. And why does he love them so much? Daddy of course. Daddy wears those shirts under his Fireman uniform. So Drew wants to wear them. Daily. They are not my favorite shirts. Can you tell? Marc was up twice during the night with Lucas so in an effort to avoid any major meltdowns this morning while Marc slept in, Drew happily wore his black long sleeved Under Armour to school. :)
Lucas had a rough night but was bright eyed this morning. We are in a good routine now where Lucas and Drew will sit at the table together and eat a bowl of cereal in the mornings while I either start or fold a load of laundry. Lucas has come a long way with his eating skills and he actually makes less mess than Drew. Shocking huh?
Before Marc took them to school, we played "one more" rousing game of Hide and Seek. Drew is somewhat obsessed with playing hide and seek right now and we have been playing every night (and apparently now every morning...). Marc and I try to find creative places to hide, but it can be difficult. Drew on the other hand barely crouches behond something and before you can even start looking for him he jumps out to "scare" you. LOL It is too funny. I have to tell you that the funniest hide and seek experience yet was on Sunday night when Marc decided to hide under the crib. Ummm...those things do not sit very far off the floor. The boys were tickled when they found him, but then Mommy had to lift the crib up so that he could get out from under it because he was stuck! That afforded Mommy a pretty good laugh!
One more laugh to share before I wrap this up...I was gone to a funeral visitation last night with Mom and Michelle and when I got home, Marc told me he had grilled some burgers for the boys and that Drew had eaten a lot of his burger. He said that at one point during the meal he looked at Drew and said, "This is a good burger, huh Drew?" and that Drew responded with "Who you tellin' Daddy!" That kid is a laugh a minute. Love it!

Long time no post....

2009-03-03T14:00:00.000-06:00

Sorry...:(

I have not done well with blogging at all. I started this in the hopes that at some point I would print these pages and place them in the boys baby books so they would have this "diary" so to speak, when they got older. The first problem with this is that there are no baby books to speak of...I know, I know. But, I am newly determined to start over here and try to start keeping this up to date because I know many relatives and friends are trying to track the boys here and I have dropped the ball! I am very sorry. So....let's try this again!

2009 has been a busy year thus far. Two toddlers under one roof equals non-stop action. Drew turned four on January 16th and he had a great Spiderman birthday party at Shakey's. Many of his school friends were able to come and everyone had a great time. We are only a couple of months away from Lucas' 2nd birthday and I think we will be repeating the Spiderman theme again because both boys are obsessed with the masked man at the moment. Most days when they get home, Drew immediately changes into his Spiderman costume and then spends the evening "sneaking" around the house acting as though he is shooting webs from his hands and crawling all over the furniture. Like a spider would do of course. Lucas has a severe case of hero worship when it comes to his big brother. The way he looks at Drew will make you melt. He thinks Drew is the greatest thing in the world. I truly believe the best thing we ever did was to give Drew this precious baby brother and we are so very blessed.
Speaking of blessed, we have visited a new Church in Auburn a couple of times that we really like. (Thanks Carrie!) The boys actually stayed in their "Sunday School" rooms this week with no fight and if that is not a sign from God that we are in the right place, then I don't know what is!
Not a whole lot of new stuff to report, but I promise that I am going to start updating more frequently because I like nothing more than talking about my two little monkeys!!! We had soem snow this weekend for the first time in years so I am posting a few of those pictures for you! Talk to you soon... :)

Loving Fall in the Wells' home...

2008-09-30T11:45:00.000-05:00

This has to be the most wonderful time of the year! We are having great weather and Lucas is finally old enough to enjoy being outside and playing. He is getting so big and his personality is really starting to emerge. I had forgotten how much they change day to day at this age. Lucas had another bad bacterial infection last week, but is now recovered and is feeling a million times better.
Drew is in heaven this week because Marc bought a John Deere riding mower. Drew is so thrilled that "he" has a real John Deere now. He always makes Poppy and Hey Man ride him on their tractors and now he gets to do it at home too! The tractor has made a world of diference for Marc and his ability to get more yards done on the rental properties. He is so happy!
We will be taking the boys to the fair for the first time tomorrow night and we are very excited because Drew is sure to have a ball! Everything is so much fun when you get to enjoy it with your children.
We will also be celebrating Marc's 35th birthday this Friday. I asked him how it felt to now be closer to forty than thirty and he didn't appreciate the question too much! LOL I wonder why?
I am getting ready for my surgery on October 16th. I am excited and terrified at the same time. I am not worried about the surgery itself, but the recovery is supposed to be pretty dificult, and probably more so with two toddlers who want to be held and played with. I am blessed that Marc is such an involved and hands-on Dad. It is wonderful to be a part of this parenting "team" with him.
One other change for us right now is that I started teaching online college courses for the University of Phoenix this week. I am currently teaching two classes and have 50 students so it is keeping me pretty busy. Although hectic, I am enjoying it because it is giveing me the chance to work in my field again and I love teaching!
Also, I have to give a "shout out" to my sister Michelle who is graduating from UAB on December 13th! I am so very proud of her that she is accomplishing this goal. She has worked so hard and has done far better with her grades than I ever did in college! YIPPEE FOR MICHELLE!!! I can't wait to celebrate this milestone with her!
We will update again soon!

Back from the beach!

2008-09-05T08:00:00.000-05:00

Well, we are back from seven days at the beach. Sadly, we are VERY happy to be home. Lucas had a rough trip. He is so good and set in his routine at home. This translated to mean that he had a VERY difficult time on vacation where he didn't have his crib and nap times were not set. It is obvious that he is VERY happy to be home. Drew on the other hand had a BLAST. He would have stayed in the pool 24/7 if we had let him. He did great and had constant fun. We were blessed to have the Wells grandparents omce and stay three nights with us and MiMi and Aunt Chelle came and stayed for the next two. Drew was sad when the sixth day came around and there were no visitors...just Mom and Dad. LOL We enjoyed some great food and had a lot of fun in the pools and on the beach. Luckily Gustav avoided the Florida Panhandle so we had great weather

All in all it was a great week and we are so thankul for it, but there is truly no place like home!

Great News!!!

2008-08-24T20:59:00.000-05:00

The weekend started out rough. Marc was at work Friday and I took Lucas back to the doctor b/c he had his worst night yet Thursday night. We was vomiting every hour and has acid poop every time he woke up as well. The doc offered two options...admit him to the hospital for IV meds and fluids in order to bypass his digestive tract all together, or give him some immodium and give it a day to see what happened. For anyone who doesn't know, Immodium contains aspirin which is VERY dangerous for children and can cause Reye's syndrome. I was hesitant to admit him only b/c his bottom was RAW and bleeding and I worried about what type of infection he might catch at the hospital. Also Marc was on shift and I wasn't going to make that call without him. I took Lucas home and started dosing him with Immodium. He had a horrible night, but on Saturday, the poop and vomit started slowing down. Today he has only had one bad diaper and one episode of the other so we are VERY optimistic. I just have to say that our pediatrician, who is also an internal medicine doc and sees all of us, is the greatest doctor in the world! Everytime Lucas has been seriously ill like this, he calls after hours and on the weekend to check on him. We have his cell # and call him directly with concerns or questions. He is just awesome. He just hired a Nurse Practitioner who is the sweetest. I am glad he will have the extra help this cold season b/c it means we will have an easier time getting the kids in when needed. Anyway, I just wanted to share the great news that Lucas is on the mend! Thanks for all of the prayers!!!!

The house of sickness...

2008-08-20T21:13:00.000-05:00

Well, it has been a long week here in the Wells' home...
Last Thursday night Drew awoke around midnight vomiting and continued to do so all night. He had a high fever as well. He stayed home Friday and seemed to be better so we chalked it up to a 24 hour bug and moved on. Saturday we went to his cousin Ansley's party, but had to leave in the middle of it b/c he said he didn't feel good. He never got sick again that day, but was a little "off". On Sunday he was sick again, but seemed to rebound okay. Both boys went to daycare Monday but on Monday night Lucas got sick and continued to vomit every hour till Tuesday morning. Drew was ok though and went to school. I took Lucas to the doctor and a CBC showed a bacterial infection. After we got home and I got him down for a nap, the school called and said Drew was vomiting. (Marc was at work so THANK YOU MiMi for helping out and going to get Drew). Both kids have been home since and the sickness has continued with no letting up. Both boys are on an antibiotic and probiotics and we are praying for some relief for them soon. We added Phenegran for Lucas today b/c he has not kept anything down, or in, since Monday morning. Please keep the boys in your prayers. I will update soon!

Wow...2 months have passed...

2008-08-17T09:11:00.000-05:00

I promise that I have the best intentions of keeping this blog updated, but time gets away from me and for that I am sorry. I was reprimanded by some family members this weekend for falling so far behind, so, I am once again promising to do better!
:-)

Both boys are thriving and we have had a wonderul summer. Lucas is on the move and completely unstoppable now. He is doing great at daycare and all of his teachers love him because he is truly the sweetest, most easy going baby. He is starting to say more words. So far he has: MaMa, DaDa, DrewDrew, Uh oh!, bye bye, and he has said NaNa once. LOL All of his eating issues seem to have resolved themselves. We stopped his formula at the end of June and he is now switched to whole milk. He loves any kind of fruit and he loves Chef Boy R' Dee. Some days he eats better than others, but I remember these days with Drew and we often wonered how he made it on the little bit he ate. He still sleeps like a champ in his crib. We put him down awake at 8:30 and we listen to him sit in there and play for a while and he will eventually just roll over and sleep. It amazes me after what we went through with Drew! Lucas is just an absolute joy.
On to Drew...I don't even know where to start. He is still our little tornado! He provides constant entertainment and Marc and I spend most of our time with him either sitting there stunned at some of the things that come out of his mouth, or laughing at the same thing. He conducts conversations like a ten year old. We are definitely in for it when he gets older. He is now learning to write his letters and such at school so that is fun. His new class is his favorite so far and his teacher is the best. He got to see the Wiggles live or the fourth time last month and they continue to be a staple in our home. He is also now really into Spiderman so we are going today to get an early jump on Halloween costume shopping. He starts Soccer camp this week and we are all looking forward to that. Drew loves going to visit Marc's parents and continues to think that Nana and Hey Man hung the moon. He also has a new ritual of going riding with my Dad on Sundays. They ride around the country and pick blueberries and things. He is all about his "Poppy" right now and it is great to see how close they are getting. MiMi spoils us with good meals at least once a week. I know it is her way of getting the boys over for a visit, but Marc and I certainly enjoy it too! On a semi-sad note. He is now registered to start 4 year old kindergarten next Fall. It is hard to believe he will soon be in "actual" school.
The boys love each other so much and it makes my heart smile to know that we have given them each other. There are the daily struggles over toys and attention, but the fun they have together far outweighs the negatives. We are just having a great time with them.
We are beginning to prepare for our annual beach trip and are looking forward to eight days and seven nights of relaxation. We opted for a condo instead of a beach house this year since Lucas is still too young to get much enjoyment from the ocean. We will have three pools for him to enjoy and a hot tub on our balcony. We also have three bedrooms and three baths as we are going to have a lot of friends and family visiting while we are there! We cannot wait and are counting down the days...only 12 days till we leave! YIPPEE!!!!!

It has been a long time....again...

2008-06-08T12:42:00.001-05:00

Well, things are busy as usual around here and it seems I never get the time to come on here and update. We are all doing great and just trying to stay cool!
Drew is just trucking along. He is such a loving and funny little boy. We just enjoy him more every day. His language skills keep us amazed and we are having to really watch what we discuss around him. He listens to and files away everything. Nosy little thing....Lucas turned one on May 25th. It is so hard to believe that an entire year has gone by. We didn't have a "party" for this birthday, but we did have all of his grandparents and his Aunt Michelle over and grilled out. We had him a cake so the picture above is the aftermath of him trying to dig in! Lucas is growing great and is a little porker, but we are still almost 100% formula due to the fact that he is still unable to swallow solids well enough to exist on those alone. His GI doc has sent him for numerous tests and we know that there is nothing mechanical wrong with his "swallowing", but there are still some more tests we will do. In the meantime, he is getting a lot of practice eating solids at daycare. He started at Bonnie's last week. It is very sad and very exciting at the same time. He seems to really like it, and it is great for him to have other kids to play with and activities to do all day. Since he became so mobile and into everything a few months ago, I have been unable to do devote enough time to my job. Now we have the best of both worlds...the kids are having fun all day at Bonnie's and I am able to work. The great thing about working at home is that we don't have to dread a child getting sick and we can keep them home some days "Just Because". Lucas got sent home early with fever his first week and we fought the 104 degree fevers of the "fever virus" for a few days, but he is doing a lot better and will go back Monday!
Marc is doing great also. He is a skinny thing now and just keeps losing weight while I have been "stuck" at the same weight for months. I just dont understand why men can drop the weight so much easier/faster than we women can. Oh well, he looks and feels great so I am happy for him.
I will try to check back in soon!

The fun never ends...

2008-04-15T15:28:00.000-05:00

Well, things have been rolling along pretty smoothly here since Lucas got his tubes. Then on Sunday, Lucas spiked a fever in the afternoon that would not break. I talked to his doctor that night and we discussed what could be going on. We went in to see him on Monday afternoon and poor Lucas has Herpangina. Basically is is hand, foot and mouth disease, but seems to only be in his mouth. The little blisters are all over his throat and he is miserable. His fever has pretty much stayed between 102-104 degrees for the last forty-eight hours. He has not slept since Saturday night for more than an hour at a time and getting him to eat is a major feat. We are praying that this will not last long, but the info on the disease says the blisters can last ten days. Please pray for this little one that he will recover quickly. It is just heartbreaking. The doctor also thinks he has walking pneumonia, but just as with the hermangina, there is really not much we can do other than use the breathing treatments as needed.
Thankfully, Drew is doing great. He is growing like a weed and is so verbal it is amazing. Talking to him is like talking to a ten year old. He keeps us laughing, that is for sure. He is also so loving with his little brother and it is really troubling to him to see Lucas so sick. They are just the sweetest little things in the whole world.
Please keep Lucas in your prayers. We all need some sleep around here!!

Tubes are in...

2008-03-19T20:01:00.000-05:00

Lucas did ok with his procedure. Anyone who has been through it knows that babies/kids have a rough time coming out of anesthesia. Usually five to ten minutes of screaming/crying. Well, calm sweet little Lucas had a harder time than most. We couldn't get him calmed down for a good thirty to forty minutes. The nurses couldn't believe how upset he stayed...we couldn't either. He finally calmed down enough for them to let us take him home. Once home he did good. He has really gotten the crawling thing down so he is keeping us on our toes. I am planning on keeping him home with me as long as possible, but it is getting harder and harder to keep up with him and get my work done. My job is going to get busier and busier as the year progresses because I have fortification recruitment goals I have to meet. I hope we can keep this good thing going, but we are just taking it one day at a time. Drew is excited about Easter and I am taking both boys to an easter egg hunt downtown Saturday. I will post pics afterwards!

Trucking along..

2008-03-17T20:20:00.000-05:00

Things are good here and both boys have FINALLY kicked the nasty flu.
Lucas went last week to see the ENT and they have scheduled the surgery for his tubes tomorrow (3/18). We are hoping this will really help him. Drew's first set of tubes did nothing for him, but we are hopeful that Lucas will have better results. He has been feeling great lately and seems to have turned a corner (fingers crossed)!!! Lucas has also started to crawl and he is into EVERYTHING! We never went through this with Drew because he never crawled and only started walking about a month after his first birthday. By then, he understood "No". Lucas is still so young that the word "No" means nothing to him and he is NON-STOP! I had to go this weekend and buy storage bins for my office so I could get everything put up where he can't get it because he has been munching on all my folders and files. It is so much fun to watch him explore though. He gets so excited over new finds, but has a short attention span and quickly moves on to something else. It just seems like he has grown so much in the last month. He is still not "talking", but he loves to sit and squeal and yell...especially if you do it back to him. Lucas is so social with a smile and giggle bursting forth whenever he catches anyones eye. He makes friends in every store I take him too.
Drew is doing great and continues to amaze us with the things he says. He is so intelligent and always wants to have long conversations about EVERYTHING! He understands everything and we are really having to start watching what we talk about in front of him because he remembers everything too. He has gotten in the habit of always wanting to know what other people are saying or doing. If we are on the phone he will say "Who is that?" over and over till we answer, or if he sees someone speak to one of us in a store or something he says "What did she say? Why did she say that?". My Mom just laughs about all of this b/c I have been a talker all my life and used to drive her crazy so she figures I deserve the constant inquisition!
Drew continues to do great at school. He has been practicing writing his name and has almost got it down pat. He loves his school and his friends and I hope that continues forever.
Marc and I are good too. Just working and sending time with the kids. We are taking the boys to see Thomas the Train in two weeks so we are looking forward to that. I will update after Lucas' procedure in the morning. Hope everyone is doing well and thanks for checking on us!

A little better...

2008-03-01T09:09:00.000-06:00

Well, I am almost afraid to write this, but the boys both seem a lot better today. When we went to the doctor on Tuesday, Drew tested positive and Lucas was still a strong positive too. He also had double ear infections from all of the drainage backing up. Dr. Greer has referred us to the ENT to get tubes put in, but we can't go till we get all of the other cleared up. Drew had a major croup attack with "stridor" on Wednesday night that resulted in him having to have a chest x-ray on Thursday morning. Praise God, he did not have pneumonia, just severe croup. After some oral prednisone, we got that knocked out and things are going good now. I will tell you though that his attack at 3 am that night was the scariest thing I have ever experienced. He has had croup many times, but this was like nothing I had ever seen or heard and I almost called 911. I did all of the things I could think of (breathing treatment, steamy bathroom, sitting outside in the cold) and he finally started breathing better, but not well. I just sat up the rest of the night and watched him. Of course all of this happened the night Marc was at work!
I am getting the boys out today b/c we have been stuck in this house for so long and we are all going stir crazy. Marc is at work today so I am just going to strap them in the double stroller and head to Target! We are all very excited around here because Nana and Hey Man got a BRAND NEW Yukon this week! The boys are going to visit them this afternoon so Mommy can get some much needed rest and Drew is excited about going to ride in Nana's new car! We are so happy for them. No one deserves it more. I will check back in soon, hopefully to say that everyone is well!!!!

Drew has it too...

2008-02-27T22:23:00.000-06:00

Both boys tested strong positive on Tuesday. Lucas just seems to get worse every day. Please keep them both in your prayers...

Lucas has the Flu...

2008-02-23T08:55:00.000-06:00

Well, the flu has come to visit our house. Lucas had a low grade fever all day on Thursday so I called and made an appointment for him to see the doctor on Friday morning. By Thursday night his fever was stuck around 104 degrees and it WOULD NOT break. I ended up calling the doctor around midnight in a panic. I stayed up with Lucas the rest of the night as he couldn't sleep between the fever, chills, and just feeling terrible. On Friday morning when we got to the doctor's office, they did a flu test first thing before taking blood for a full work-up. Before the doctor could even look down to make a note, the test swab from Lucas turned bright pink in the test kit and Dr. Greer said "Oh boy, he definitely has the flu". My heart broke because I knew there would be no "cure" for the poor baby. I was actually hoping for an ear infection (it would be his ninth) because we could have "fixed" that. Anyway, it is Saturday morning now and things are still rough. Lucas' fever stays aound 104 and barely dips even an hour after medicine. I spent the entire night up with him because he just can't sleep and he is of course being really clingy. Bless him. I just wanted to post and ask you to pray for him. And to also pray that Drew doesn't catch this. It is amazing that Lucas who stays home with me all day was the one to get this. I am going to bed now and Marc will take over for the day shift. I will update later.

It has been a long time...

2008-02-11T20:10:00.000-06:00

Sorry it has been so long!!! We have been very busy around here. To start where we left off, Drew had a great birthday party at Frog Legs. All of his beautiful little girl cousins came and many of his school friends. He had a ball and I think the other kids did too! We surprised him with a Bob the Builder cake and he loved it!
I am happy to report that Drew has been so healthy this winter...it is amazing how different this year has been since he had his adenoids out!! YEAH!! He still gets the occassional cold, but no sinus or ear infections to report since his surgery in September! AMAZING.
Lucas has not been so lucky. He seems to keep a little cold and is currently healing from his seventh ear infection in eight short months. He is also on his second bout of RSV. Home health care came today and set us up with a nebulizer so we can give him breathing treatments three times a day as his breathing is labored and he is very wheezy. It is helping already. I can't say enough about our new doctor. He is wonderful. I have had to call him a lot after hours during the last month and it is amazing to me to be able to call him on his cell and just have a conversation without going through ten other people. He always calls back later to check on us too. We love him so much. Anyway, we will discuss the possibility of tubes for Lucas at his nine month appointment in two weeks. (I can't believe he is almost nine months old!!!)
Marc and I celebrated our five year wedding anniversary Friday! Yeah! Nana and Hey Man kept the boys and we went for a fancy dinner at the Yellow Hammer in Waverly. It was nice to get all dressed up and go somewhere. Since I have started working at home, the days I fix my hair and put on make-up are few and far between! Ha! So much has happened in the last five years it is hard to remember my life before, but I know it was never better...we are so blessed in so many ways. I will try to update again soon and to not be so long between postings!
THANKS FOR CHECKING IN ON US!!!

My baby is "3"!!!!!!!!!

2008-01-17T23:11:00.000-06:00

Very hard to believe, but my little Drew is three years old. He had a great day yesterday! When he woke up we had Krispy Creme donuts for him..they are his favorite treat! He went to school and I surprised him there at snack time with homemade cupcakes and party hats and favors for his friends. We had a little party in his classroom and it was great. (Can I just say again how wonderful it is to be at home all the time and be able to do these things?) After that we came home and then MiMi and Poppy came over and we had Jim Bobs (this was what Drew requested!) and we ate some of the chocolate cake I made for him. Drew loved blowing out his candle and having us sing for him. He is very excited about his party at the inflatables place on Sunday. We all are!
Drew and Lucas are spending the weekend with Nana and "Hey Man" Wells because Marc has to work Saturday and I am going down to the beach for a girl's weekend with my sorority sisters. It will be great to have the little mini vacation, but I will miss my boys! Lucas and I are together 24 hours a day so it is really hard to be away from him. Drew is now old enough to tell me he misses me when I am gone so that pierces the heart too!!!!
We got our new king size bed yesterday and we are all very happy about that! Last night Marc and I got great sleep because we had so much more space even with Drew sprawled in between us!!! He seems to have no plans of moving to his room anytime soon so we just decided we needed a bigger bed. (Before anyone tells me he needs to aleep in his bed....he is only little for a short time and I savor our snuggle time at night!!!!)
Well, I will write an update after the party!!!!!! Hope everyone is doing great!!!!

A great week so far...

2008-01-09T20:35:00.000-06:00

Hey everyone. The boys both seem to be well this week which is a major change for us! Last week Lucas developed a virus and ear infection on top of the RSV. This resulted in him not keeping food down for six days. We went to the doctor and talked to him on the phone several times during the week and on our last visit (Thursday), he wanted to admit Lucas to the hospital due to dehydration. I,of course cried like a baby and begged for one more day to see if we could get him to keep something down. Amazingly, he started keeping formula down that night!!! We were all very relieved. After seeing him with that IV when he was one week old, I just didn't want to put him through that again. I know that if he hadn't started holding something down though we would have had no choice. He was not making tears and barely having damp diapers. Dr. Greer gave us one more day because his mouth was still wet. I have to say this about our new doctor...HE ROCKS!!!!! He has no answering service so when you call him after hours you call him directly on his cell phone. He even met me at his office New Years Eve when the virus had kicked in so that he could see Lucas and do some bloodwork even though they were closed. He is so thorough and so very nice. It is also great that he treats all of us so we are starting to feel like he is a part of the family! Anyway, we are getting ready for Drew's big birthday next week. He is very excited and talks about it daily. He just amazes us with the things that come out of his mouth (not all of it nice!) I swear you would think he was ten years old to hear him talk. Every day when I pick him up he tells me all about his day and who got in trouble and what they got in trouble for. Of course, he always has to report that he had time out...apparently all of them get it at least once a day! I don't know how his teacher does it! Bottom line - this is a tough age, but it is also the most fun I have ever had in my life. I think Marc and I laugh more over the things he says and does than we have ever laughed up to this point in our lives. We have started going to birthday parties for classmates almost every weekend and I am not sure who enjoys them more, me or Drew. I like getting to know and talk to the parents of his little friends. I realize that these other parents will be people that I will one day have to trust my son with if he stays friends with their children so I want to know them as well as I can!
Lucas is enjoying being able to sit unassisted and is trying to get up off his stomach and move, but he just can't quite get there yet. I am in no hurry b/c he "may" be my last baby and he is growing too fast as it is. He is really starting to like his Exersaucer and he is fascinated with the TV...especially cartoons! Thank goodness for Noggin..it is the only way I get anything done all day! He is such a laid back little angel and I am proud to report that he is still sleeping at least 12 hours a night...it is HEAVEN and God knew we needed that after Drew!

Well, we will update again next week!

Happy New Year!

2008-01-01T16:42:00.000-06:00

Hey everyone...sorry it has been so long since we updated but it has been busy, busy, busy around here! Drew has been out of school since December 20th and it is a whole different ball game having both of them home with us ALL day!

We had a WONDERFUL Christmas (despite many illnesses!). We were so blessed that we were able to spend so much time together and got to visit a lot of our family that we don't get to see that often. The weekend before Christmas (the 15th) we went to the mountains to see the Wilson family and Grandaddy and Mamaw Henry. On Christmas Eve we got to spend time with the Wells family in Auburn! Drew had a great time with all of his girl cousins!

Drew got sick the weekend before Christmas with Strep Throat and that same squirrley virus that keeps rearing its ugly head. He was very sick, but he didn't let it get him down! Lucas started getting sick on Christmas Eve and when we got him into the doctor that Thursday they tested him and found that he had RSV and bronchiolitis. As the weekend wore on, he also apparently caught Drew's virus as well. I am writing this on Tuesday night (New Years Day) and he has not kept down a bottle or any food since Saturday night. Thank God for our new doctor. He has been amazing. Lucas had a bad reaction to some medicine yesterday that almost turned into a trip to the hospital and I swear our doctor was on the phone with me all day off an on. Anyway, even with all of the sickies around here, everyone has been in great spirits. Santa Clause was great to the kids, but couldn't compare to the Grandparents, all of whom did way too much. We appreciate every thing!!!!!!!! A new milestone for Lucas is that he began sitting up unnassisted on Christmas Eve, the day before he turned seven months. He can sit for an hour or longer and not fall down now. It is great because he is now able to sit and play with all of his new toys. Drew loves playing with him and is still completely in love with his little brother. He doesn't want to do anything without "Lukey"! Well, tomorrow Drew goes back to school and Mommy goes back to work. Now we are counting the days till Drew's birthday...ony 15 days to go!!! Our little man is growing up way too fast!!!!!!!!We will update again soon!

Happy Holidays!

2007-11-28T02:53:00.000-06:00

Hi everyone! We sure are enjoying the Holiday season here at our house. I put up our Christmas tree the weekend before Thanksgiving as I just couldn't wait any longer. Drew loves the tree and has to be the one to turn it on in the mornings and off at night. He says it is "MY Christmas tree!". We had a great Thanksgiving despite seven hours in the car going to and from my Grandparents in North Alabama that day. The boys did well, but it definitely tired them out. That night after we got home, Drew started running fever of 104 and vomiting. This continued till Sunday. We took him to the doctor and they tested him for Flu, strep, you name it, but thankfully all of the tests were negative, which meant that we were once again dealing with the nasty virus he had last month. We just kept him on Tylenol and Motrin for four days until the fever finally left. He has gone to school both days this week and other than being a little cranky, he seems to be over it for now! Lucas is doing great now that he is back on the meds for his reflux. He still has some reflux episodes that are quite painful for him, but over all, he is back to his happy easy going self. We are just enjoying every day with our little angels. Lucas is becoming a lot more active which is really exciting to Drew. Drew likes to hold him on his lap and then squeal and laugh when Lucas grabs at his face and clothes. Lucas is determined to plant big wet kisses on Drew, which tickles him to no end. It is wonderful to watch and Marc and I just sit and laugh. It won't be long before they are wrestling all over the floor. Lucas is getting better about spending time on his tummy. Because of the reflux he has not been able to spend a lot of time flat on the floor, on his back or front, but we try to play with him in the floor some everyday and he has finally learned to roll over. He acts like he wants to boost himself up and crawl, but he is not quite there yet. If he is like Drew, he may never crawl but will instead "army crawl" until he walks. It is just amazing to see how much he grows everyday. He is now very interested in what we are eating and drinking. If I am holding him and drinking from a cup, he tries to grab my cup and pull it to his lips. He has started eating solid baby food, but we haven't quite worked out a good schedule with that so he never eats the same amount from day to day. I know I have done this before, but I honestly don't remember anything and am having to relearn and research as I go! The solids have actually seemed to help with his chronic constipation and there have been several days that he has not had to take his prescription laxative because the food has made him go on his own. This is great because we would love for him to be able to decrease his meds if possible.

I don't know if I have updated Drew's potty success in a previous post, but he is 100% daytime potty trained. He has been in regular underwear with ZERO accidents for almost two months now. I am so proud of him, but on long trips I sure miss those diapers!! Now we have to pull over every 30-45 minutes to potty! Ha! He still wears a pull up to bed, but he is rarely wet in the mornings so we will soon stop using those as well. He doesn't want to wear them at all, but I am still leery of giving them up just yet!

Wel, we hope everyone is enjoying this time of year as much as we are and we look forward to seeing everyone during the holidays!!!!

The Wiggles!

2007-11-13T06:02:00.000-06:00

Well, we all survived the Wiggles trip! In fact, it was a blast. We decided at the last minute to take Lucas with us and he seemed to enjoy the show, but he was more entertained by watching Drew dancing around. We already have a serious case of hero worship going on where Drew and Lucas are concerned! Anyway, we left Opelika Sunday morning at eight thirty a.m. to give ourselves plenty of time to get to the event. This was a good thing because Drew is completely potty trained now so we had to stop a couple of times for bathroom breaks. (He has gone several weeks now with ZERO accidents!! No more diapers!!!) We also used these breaks in driving to get Lucas out of his seat some and feed him. Both boys did great during the drive and we decided it had been good practice for Thanksgiving b/c we will have a LONG drive that day also.

Once at the site we took our seats and endured Drew's one million questions about where the Wiggles were at until they finally took that stage. It was a great show and Drew danced and sang and kept looking at Marc and I in awe like he just couldn't believe he was looking at the Wiggles. Marc and I both got a little emotional b/c we are just so glad to be able to do things like this for him.

Now the countdown is on for the holidays...

Another sick week...

2007-11-07T20:37:00.000-06:00

I am so tired of writing about sick kids (and I am sure that you are tired of reading about them), but we have been hit around here again. Drew has a bad cold/strep and Lucas is havng a flair up of his reflux which has resulted in many hours of screaming/crying/throwing up. As of tonight, he is going back on meds. This is sad for us because he has been off of the Prilosec since the middle of September, but it kills us to see him in so much pain again. We are going to try Zantac this time and pray for some fast relief for him. I am going to call the GI specialist in the morning to get him back in, but his pediatrician went ahead and wrote him a prescription to get him started. Bless his heart...I know everyone thinks their kids are the best, but Lucas is just such an amazing baby and so happy all of the time tht it is hard to see him in so much pain. Amazingly, he still sleeps from 7pm to 7am so that has been a big blessing for us.

We are looking at changing pediatricians for both boys. They currently still see the docs in Columbus, but with cold season here and so many visits, we have decided we need to get them seeing someone here in our area so they are more accessible. Luckily, Marc's cousin works for a pediatrician in Auburn so we are going to try to get in to meet him soon.

Drew is doing GREAT at school (daycare)! He wears regular underwear now and has ZERO accidents at school. He normally has some accidents at home, but this is my fault b/c it is hard to get him to the bathroom constantly when my hands are full with Lucas! When Marc is home things are easy sailing, but I would hate for someone to see a videotape of the chaos that reigns when I home with the boys by myself! Always interesting...

Overall things are great here. We are getting really excited about the holidays and seeing all of our family! We are also counting the hours till Sunday when we go to see the WIGGLES LIVE!!!! I think Marc and I are more excited than Drew....We will post pics!

Happy Halloween!

2007-10-31T09:49:00.000-05:00

Well, we finally got Drew over his virus and then Lucas developed a double ear infection...the fun never ends! The first round of antibiotics didn't work but two days in to a different med he was back to his happy little self. He is such a little angel. What we have learned from all of this is that Amoxicilan does NOT work for Lucas. It didn't work on his last ear infection either.

We have just been trucking along around here..Drew is doing great at school and has almost gone two weeks with ZERO accidents in his big boy underwear. It will be wonderful when he is completely potty trained! We can't wait.

Drew and Lucas are not dresing up for Halloween, but they have cute fall shirts they are wearing and we are going to enjoy giving out candy to the neighborhood kids...last year was the first time we got to do that and it was a lot of fun...the candy is ready and waiting!

My job is still going great and has been the biggest blessing for all of us. We live a completely different life now that is stress free and fun! I normally have a meal cooked and on the table every night and we get to spend an incredible amount of time all together! We are going to see The Wiggles in Atlanta next weekend so I will be sure to post a new pic then! The one above is Drew and Daddy getting their pumpkins carved...

Poor little Drew...

2007-10-16T21:31:00.000-05:00

My baby Drewhas been sick since Saturday. The doctor says it is a nasty virus and there is nothing we can do, but he has had a fever between 102 and 103 for the last four days. He acts fine, but gets really overheated.
Other than the virus, things here are good and we are all just trucking along. We tried to take Lucas of of the specialized formula that costs about $100 a week, but the switch was awful for him and he had major stomach issues, so we switched back. One bright spot is that I have found that I can buy new, still sealed cans of this formula on E-Bay for a lot less so this has helped. Since we switched back, he has been doing as great as ever. He is still an amazing sleeper and is always happy. He is an amazing baby.
Drew is geting really excited about Christmas, especially when he sees the trees in stores and such. He has already decided what Santa is bringing him and if you ask him he will say "Bob videos, John Deere tractors, and a Bob pooter (this means Bob the Builder computer), which is a game he saw at Target. Marc took him to the John Deere dealership today (this is a favorite past time of theirs) and the man at the JD store told Marc that they are getting in a huge shipment of new JD toys on November 15th so I imagine we will be holding off on some of our Christms shopping until then.
CHRISTMAS IS GOING TO BE SO MUCH FUN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Long time, no update!

2007-10-09T19:10:00.000-05:00

Things are rockin' along around here. Since our return from the beach we have just been trying to regain some semblance of normalcy. The Tuesday after we got back I had to travel for work to central Mississippi so I was gone ALL day and then this weekend I was out of town for a funeral. Marc had the boys and of course they had a ball. He took them to Mom and Dad's to visit on Sunday and I think they were kind of wild (Drew at least), but everyone got home in one piece! I did come home to find Drew with major scabs down his nose, but we knew it was coming...he bit the dirt at Nana's house while playing on the steps...he has no regard for danger of any kind so it was inevitable. I feel like all I do while watching him play is hold my breath! I am deterined to let him be all boy though...his Daddy would probably kil me if I tried to hover.

Drew has been doing GREAT since his surgery...no runny nose, no cough, no drainage (knock on wood!). So far it has been well worth it!

Lucas is growing like a weed. On October 1st he went for his four month check-up and he was almost fifteen pounds and 26 inches long. We are attempting to change his formula right now so that is causing some issues, but other than that he is doing great! He is continuing to sleep at least 12 hours at night and it amazes me! In addition to that he takes a three hour nap mid day so I am able to get a lot of work done which is great. I just about have to pinch myself everyday...Life is so good! We will check back in soon!

Lovin' the beach!!!

2007-09-28T16:04:00.000-05:00

Well, it is our last day here and we have had a blast. Everyone is toasty brown (and red) and we are well relaxed. Drew has had a ball as we knew he would, but he has said that he is ready to go home! We have had some great food while here. We have cooked every night, but it has been great seafood and steak. I am attaching a picture of Drew from this morning. We go walking every morning around 6 am and this morning we saw tons of dolphins playing very close to shore...it was beautiful!

A quiet Saturday

2007-09-22T18:04:00.000-05:00

Well, it has been a few days since I had time to post. I went to my first staff meeting for my new job Friday and all I can say is that it was wonderful...stress free and enjoyable! I thank God everyday (and Amy) for this opportunity and the perfect timing.
The boys are good. We spent last night at Mom and Dad's. Marc was working and it was nice to be at their house where the kids could be entertained! We had a great time. We have spent today helping Mom and also trying to start getting stuff ready for the beach trip. We are so excited and ready to go.
Drew seems to be doing well since his surgery. One change I am already seeing is that he is now a "quiet sleeper". He did snore like a freight train and had horrible breath all of the time, but since the surgery, he sleeps so quietyl I have reverted back to placing my hand on his chest to make sure he is breathing, and his breath NEVER stinks anymore. WONDERFUL!!!! The doctor told us both of these things should improve and they did. He goes for his follow-up appointment on Monday.
Lucas is doing good too. Since we stopped the Reglan, the fussiness has stopped and he is back to his happy self so obviously our instincts were right on about that one. He still takes the other meds, but they seem to help him.

I will post updates from the beach!! Can't wait!!!!!

Elmo Live!

2007-09-17T06:51:00.000-05:00

Well, we survived Elmo Live!

Marc and I took Drew to Atlanta yesterday for the show and it was so much fun. We weren't sure if he would enjoy it or not because he went to the Wiggles last year and was a little unsure of the whole thing....What a difference a year makes! He stood up and danced the entire time and sang along when he knew the words...It was absolutely precious. I don't know if there is anything in the world that feels better than watching your child enjoy himself that much.

We got to Atlanta early and went to eat. The CNN center is right next to Philips Arena and I just have to say that it is an amazing place. There were over 20 places to eat in there, stores, and other attractions. Marc and I would like to go back one Saturday just to explore that place.

Of course once we got to the concert they gouged us right as we walked in the door with all of the paraphenalia! Drew did get a light up Elmo toy, but we drew the line at that. He also tried cotton candy for the first time (he hated it and I ended up eating the whole thing) and he munched on a huge tub of popcorn the entire time. All in all it was a great day and a priceless memory.

He enjoyed it so much that when we got home last night we got online and ordered tickets to see the Wiggles in Atlanta on November 11! We were waiting to see if he enjoyed Elmo before we forked out the money for the Wiggles tickets!

This week we are working on getting things in order for our week at the beach. I am making a menu plan so when we get there and go grocery shopping I will be able to get everything I need at one time. We are planing on cooking at the beach house everynight...it kills two birds with one stone since we will save a ton not eating out every night and it is not so much fun trying to load two kids this small up to go out to eat at night anyway!

Lucas is doing good...I am calling his GI specialist today to give him an update since he has been taking all of his new meds for a week now. We see improvement in some areas, but not so much in others so we will just have to see what he says...I will keep you posted!

Drew's Surgery

2007-09-13T08:19:00.000-05:00

Sorry I didn't get to update yesterday. Drew's surgery went well, but he has had a fair amount of pain since it was done. He is such a sweetheart and it was hard to see him like that, but he already seems better just 24 hours after the fact. He has asked to go to school today and we are going to let him, but Marc is going to tell the teacher to call us if he starts acting the least bit sick or in pain. I really don't want to send him, but he loves school and gets so bored at home all day. The doctor said everything went well and that we should definitely be able to notice an improvement. The poor baby deserves to feel good for a while.
Well, I have my hands full right now, but will update more later!

Dr. Appointment with Dr. Ali

2007-09-10T20:29:00.000-05:00

We took Lucas to see Dr. Ali, the GI specialist today. The appointment went well and we really liked Dr Ali. In an effort to control Lucas' reflux, he has started him on a regimine of meds that is at least triple what he has been taking, but he seemed quite sure that this would provide instant improvement. We are also now adding a lot of creal to every bottle, which Dr. ALi also says will help. It is sad, but b/c of all of the other meds and the cereal, Lucas also has to take a liquid laxative daily to keep his bowels on track. We have agreed to give him Reglan for seven days to repair the damage done to his esophagus so far, but this is the drug that we refused to give him in the beginning b/c of some of the serious side effects we found when we researched it online. Dr. Ali only wants us to use it for seven days instead of long term so we are going to give it a try. If we do not see improvement in the next week, he wants us to call him and he will biopsy a part of his rectum in an effort to see if there is some kind of allergy to one of the meds. It is all a little confusing, but the bottom line is we feel a little more encouraged after this visit. We just want the precious baby to feel some relief. That being said, he has continued to sleep for twelve straight hours at night (7pm-7am) which is nothing short of a miracle to us. Dr. Ali said it is a great sign that he is able to sleep so well and that he is continuing to gain weight.
Drew had a good day at school and his Daddy taught him his birthday tonight so he has been reciting that date for us for the last hour.

Well I am going to help Marc get Drew to sleep and then I am headed to Books A Million for some relaxation time with a new book!

All in a days work...

2007-09-09T19:34:00.000-05:00

Well, it has been a long day at home without Daddy (he is on shift today) and Drew and I both have a little cabin fever. After watching about 12 episodes of Dora and Diego, we ventured to the grocery store which in and of itself is an adventure when you have a rambunctious toddler and one in a carseat. Drew has to sit in the grocery part of the cart now since the baby carrier takes up the whole "seat". This works out ok, but every grocery that I drop in the basket gets inspected, talked about, smelled, and most times opened. The girl at the check out line kept asking me if realized that most of my groceries were opened, and did I want to exchange them. Of course I said no as the little vandal was sitting in the cart. Anyway, of course I had on no makeup and grungy clothes and I ran into one of my mom's frineds who will probably share with others that Ruth's daughter has "really let herself go". Ha! Ha!
I kept reminding Drew all day that this time next week we will be at "Elmo Live" in Atlanta! We can't wait...and in two weeks it is the beach for a week!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Yeah!!!!!!!

Well, Lucas has had a pretty good day. He has had a couple of bad reflux episodes, but we go see Dr. Ali tomorrow so I am hopeful he gets some relief somehow.

More to come tomorrow after the appointment! We hope everyone had a good weekend!

2007-09-07T18:40:00.000-05:00

September 7, 2007
Well, it has been abother day in paradise here at our humble abode. Lucas slept great last night (7:30pm to 7:00 am) and has had a good day. He sees the specialist for his reflux on Monday and we are praying for good results as he has been having a lot of episodes lately. Drew woke up to a surprise from his MiMi and Poppy....New Shoes!! He immediately wanted to put them on and then declared that they made him run faster, which he has been demonstrating all day! He had a good day at school which we are always thankful for.
The new job is going great and of course it is such a blessing to have Lucas here with me and not in daycare. He has his first ear infection right now, but seems to be getting better. The doctor said the ear infection was caused by his reflux so it seems that if we could get that under control everything would get better! Tomorow I am going with Mom to Atlanta to market so Marc will have the boys here at home all day. I hope they are all in one piece when I get back!

A new start!

2007-09-07T16:19:00.000-05:00

Well, after much consideration, I have decided to start a new "blog" for the boys as a way to keep everyone updated. I know not everyone likes my lengthy "update" e-mails so this way you can check out what is going on if you want to and I have a way to document these really special times! The name says it all I guess...Marc calls both of the boys his monkeys so it seemed fitting, and I spelled tales the way I did because I will be sharing all of their "tales", not talking about their tail ends!!! Ha!Ha!

Anyway, this new blog is a way to start fresh now that we have a new member of our family! The old webpage is all about Drew, so this is a way to start fresh and include Lucas. Also, this page doesn't include last names so it is safer!

I hope to update this blog more than I did the other one...stay tuned for all of our "Monkey Tales"!!!!