We are Brothers on a Journey

You know that song: Brother let me be your servant, Let me be as Christ to you...Well, I wish I had a good enough camera to have taken this picture the other day. We finally had a few days in the 50's and 60's and with NO RAIN! So, I very happily sent the boys outside to enjoy the dirt and sun. I periodically look out to make sure they're safe and not too far away and not knee deep in the marsh. My backyard is half protected marsh. When it's dry, you can walk out on it and step over hard grass patches and fiddler crabs..Hence the name of our property, Fiddler Island.

So, I look out and see the boys exploring the marsh with sticks in hand. Then I see James lay down on his belly and raise his hand up to Ryan. I guess he needed Ryan's help to get up. Then he got up all smiley and then Ryan decided to lay down and ask for help. Once James helped him up, I thought, Oh, cute! They're helping each other. But instead of running off together, Ryan decided to lay down again. I could tell James was thinking that this was gonna get old, but sometimes our friends and family just always seem to be falling down. And sometimes we just have to stick it out with them. :)

Finally..

Finally, this little girl let me get some good pictures of her. I couldn't resist grabbing the camera as I saw her do this..

My Budding Photographer

Alex's family is very creative. I think my sister has this creative gene, but I definately do not. I'm talking about the crafty, artsy, good with colors like of creativity. My little big guy James has this gene. He's very creative, has great fine motor skills and loves to draw! He also loves to help bake, paint or anything where he can make something. He can already color within the lines and I'm a super proud mom! Alright, enough with the bragging.

Last night he wanted to walk around the house and take some pictures. This is what he found. I think he took 68 pictures.

Valentine's Day

This day is always touchy with me. I do love the excuse to go out to dinner, or have a party or get dressed up or buy some presents, but the reality is, it's just another day. Expectations are super hard now because I still want a special surprise from my spouse that makes me just swoon like I did when we were dating. Funny how things change when you're not trying as hard to win someone over. Do I want to go back to the time of dating? Absolutely not.

And this is why: I have a loving husband who loves to spontaneously whip out a beautiful cake in honor of his wife.

I have 3 wonderful children who find ways to make me smile, laugh and cry all within 30 minutes.

But especially, I appreciate the reminder to take some mental time and prepare a special something for my husband and kids.

Snow Fall in Chucktown

We finally saw it! Snow!! And it stuck on the ground long enough for every other person to make a snowman in their yard. We saw 1-2 inches while the western side saw a few more. This is a big deal for charleston. I think it's been 10 years since the last recorded snow fall. So, we were super excited. We woke James up to show him and he was impressed for a few minutes, then he wanted to go back to bed. But, he got up with Ryan around 630 to go play in it. It wasn't as fun as they anticipated because it was so cold. I bundled them up as best I could, but it still wasn't good enough. I didn't know Ryan had gone outside with no socks on under his boots, so he was pretty miserable.

But we got some good pictures and enjoyed the 24 hours of snow.

Ready, Set, Rock N Roll

This is the name of our local jump castle. You know, the place that has huge inflatable slides and trampolines that gets rid of excess energy? I wish I had visited earlier this year. It's the kind of place that is PERFECT for rainy days, super hot days and those days you just need a little break. They are generally a bit pricey, but on mondays, it's only $2.50 a kid. They have a monthly pass for $35 which is unlimited jumping.

The max time for my kid appears to be in the 1 hour limit. We got to go today and it was great. It was clean, the floor was carpeted and it was not crowded!! Olivia could crawl around and was happy except for when a little girl tripped over her. The boys did great until we had to leave and I wouldn't buy them flavored sugar.

Other than that, I'm looking forward to the 'release' over the next month until the weather gets consistently nice that we can go outside.

No, don't look

Here's how this goes after he gets down from the table:

Ryan: I'm all done!

Me: Okay, I'm gonna look.

Ryan: No, don't look!

5 Years Ago Today

I was on my way to our singles Super Bowl party. I had made some chicken wings and was excited to see some commercials. I had no clue I would spend the night chatting with my friend and his brother. I also had no clue that Janet Jackson would run into a wardrobe malfunction and show the world one of her girls. Oops!!

5 Years ago, I was having a grand time hanging out with my future husband and brother in law. So the Super Bowl has a special spot in our hearts.

So it continues..

My battery is dead in my camera and I haven't taken the time to recharge it. But, Ryan's antics left me no choice than to take him to the Dr again on Wednesday. This was after he was crying so much, that while he was in the shower trying to calm down, Gertie, my cat, jumped in to make sure he was okay. That abnormal cat behavior freaked me out more than anything because she obviously knew something was wrong.

Within 48 hours of the Dr visit Monday morning, Ryan had got himself a double ear infection, sinus infection and a potential sinus infection around the eye. Thank goodness for Dr's and antibiotics. He's on the mend and today has been much better than the past 3 days. Olivia, however, seems to have gotten some of the same thing and has a runny nose and cough. Let's hope it's not another ear infection also :)

Wishing he was still sick..

Isn't that sad? To wish your kids were sick? Well, normally I don't stay in the house all day because the kids start to go crazy and then I go crazy. Housework doesn't get done, toys don't get put away, but I usually do get my morning cup of coffee.

Charleston has been having an incredibly wet season. I think it's at a record high for the amount of rainfall. AND to top it off, it's been super cold - like the 20's - so playing outside is not in the question. It would be bearable if there was snow on the ground, but that will happen when pigs fly.

So my mother in law offered to take James this morning so I could manage the sick one and the baby. Well, Ryan is feeling good enough to get into everything! I can't take them out because it's cold and rainy and I have to wait around all day for the 2 maintenance guys to show up. So, it's 11 o'clock and Ryan's A.D.D. has kicked in and he's going crazy. Currently, he's looking for some pants with pockets so he can put a key in the pocket. He's knocked over my cup of coffee, by accident, but nonetheless, it was a full cup. We've played Mexican Train Dominos, colored, play-doh, colored, watched TV and now I'm tired! Ryan doesn't do as well with projects. He needs the attention of someone else. He just had to pick up all the baby toys that he just randomly dumped on the floor and is looking for a belt for his pants. When is nap time again?

He has also become a good talker so this is what my days are like:
Ryan: "Mommy?"
Me: Yes, Ryan
Mommy?
Yes, Ryan
Mommy, I want to pick a game.
Okay, which one
I don't know. I want to pick a game.
Okay, which one.
I don't know. Come on mommy!
I want that one.
No, that one is too messy.
Yes!


Mommy, I want to color
Okay, remember to the put the tops on the marker
Okay
Mommy, help!
Okay, do you need help cutting that?
NO! I do it!

Mommy, what's that?! (he heard ashley bark)
It's Ashley
Oh, it's Ashley. okay


Mommy, what it is? - pointing to some random object

All this without taking a breath....Are you tired yet? I am.

Hey!

So, we've been fairly healthy in the lowcountry except for the past month. Olivia got a double ear infection - her first, James got a sinus infection - not his first , and Ryan just got croup, today. All of which is manageable and I'm super greatful to not have the flu in this house - Knock on wood!

So, Ryan has this bad cough and had a 102 fever this morning. The Dr said "Croup" and let's just check for the flu. I had to prop Ryan up against me because he was sprawled across my lap with a hot and heavy body. Then the nurse jammed a Q-Tip up his nose while he was yelling " Hey! Hey! Hey!". I wanted to giggle but then he started crying. So, I didn't.

When I had my kidney infection they checked me for the flu which included sticking a Q Tip up into my brain...No flu either. But I felt so horrible that I couldn't even yell "Hey!"

When we left we passed the evil nurse and Ryan made sure to keep an evil eye on her should she try to stick something else on him...