MSU v. Kentucky

We took the boys to the MSU v. Kentucky game. Andrew went to one game last year, and this was the first (& only) one they made it to this year. Even though the Dawgs didn't win, we had fun tailgating for Bubby's birthday and enjoyed our visit to campus. Here are a few pictures from the day...

Ready for the game!

Andrew loves "Izzy" and "Unc Dawg"

Helping Bubby open his birthday present, an electric train

Forrest playing in the pack n' play - he was so good, as always!

One tired boy... He was asleep before we left campus!

Pullin' Up!

Forrest is pulling up! This started a couple of weeks ago. He's also scooting around. Before we know it, he'll be on the go. I can hardly believe it!

Happy Birthday, Wilson!

Wilson celebrated his 30th birthday on October 22nd! We had a lot of fun celebrating with family and friends throughout the week. His birthday was on a Wednesday so he got lots of birthday wishes at church and some of the youth even decorated his office - very fun!! I am so sorry to be so late posting about such a big day. Wilson is a loving, dedicated husband and father. The boys and I are so very blessed to have him leading and caring for our family. Every afternoon we look forward to that time when Wilson walks in the door from work. It's always so fun to have a couple of hours to spend together as a family. Andrew and Forrest adore him... and I do, too! Love you babe!

Trick-or-Treat

Our boys are definitely TREATS!! We had a lot of fun dressing up this year. It was the first year for Andrew to go trick-or-treating. We read books and talked about it the past couple of weeks so when tonight rolled around, he was ready! He loved going to our neighbors' homes saying "trick-or-treat" and putting candy in his jack-o-lantern. Forrest enjoyed riding along for the fun. He loves anything that he does with Andrew. Yes... they are definitely TREATS!!

little brown bear

little train engineer

Wagon-ridin' and trick-or-treatin'!

Peek-a-boo

This video was taken a couple of weeks ago. I know it's not the best angle and I tried to move during the filming to get a better view. It's still so cute and fun to see the boys interacting with each other. They are really having fun together. Forrest laughs and laughs at Andrew. At the end of this video, you see a little mischievous Andrew! :)

Our Biggest Bobo yet...

We've had our fair share of bobos and with 2 boys, I know there will be many more to come. This, however, is our biggest bobo so far. Andrew fell at May-May and Bubby's house Thursday afternoon. As Wilson says, it's a "busted face" - as opposed to a busted lip. His little upper lip was swollen out past his nose. :( When my parents brought him home, we had to fight back the tears. He looked miserable. I know it must have hurt so bad. It's a mixture of bruises and scratches on the outside and inside (of his mouth). He did tear the tissue that connects the upper lip to the gum but our friend, Nathan Beavers (who is a ped. dentist), looked at it and said he'd be fine - no stitches needed. I think he was lucky not to have any missing teeth or a broken nose! He's been very brave and tough about it and we are very proud of him. I decided to post about it since there will probably be some pictures I'll be posting where you'll be able to see it. Now you won't be looking and wondering what happened - boy, we've sure gotten our fair share of looks lately!

Pumpkin Patch

We went to the Pumpkin Patch again this year and had a great time! We met the Beavers there and the boys enjoyed being there together. We suffered a little after the fact because of the hay and allergies but I think the boys would still say it was worth it. :)

Andrew and John Keil were so excited!

The 4 boys! I tried to get one of all the boys looking at the camera but it just didn't happen. From left to right - Forrest - 6 months, Andrew - 2, John Keil - 4, Ross Harden - 3 months

The family - fun to have a picture of us! :)

Forrest and I before the hay ride!

Andrew loved picking his pumpkin! Whew, it was heavy!

Forrest

We are in love with our boys! Forrest is such a joy. He has a way of always bringing a smile to my face and joy to my heart. He is a gift, and I'm thankful to the Lord each day for the precious boys He has given to Wilson and me.

The 6 months since he was born have gone by so quickly. I'm one of those sentimental ones that actually wishes that my babies could stay little for longer. It is even easier for me to want that for Forrest because he is just so sweet and happy.

He is doing great. As I mentioned in an earlier post, his 6 month's measurements show he is growing well. :) He's also sitting on his own. He's at that great stage where he'll sit in his crib or on the floor and play by himself. In the past week, he's starting to want to pull up in his crib. Tonight, May-May was over at the house and he pulled up onto his knees in the crib. Time to lower the mattress! He loves to play with toys and gets upset when I take a toy away. I think he must feel like he's a big boy (I guess he gets that from watching his big brother) because when he's not sitting, he wants to be standing in your lap. He thinks he's way too big to need to lay down - like to get a new diaper! :)

He rolls back and forth from front to back and will try to get on his hands and knees, but he hasn't quite mastered that yet. I think that his favorite thing to do is to jump in his "jump and go". He LOVES it! I keep trying to get a video of him jumping but every time I pull out the camera, he just wants to smile at me. I love it. :)

He has a good bit of light brown hair. And I think his coloring is going to be fairer than Andrew's. He cut his 2 bottom middle teeth the week before he was 6 months and he's working on the top 4 now. Poor guy has a constant wet shirt because of all the drool! And he always has something in his mouth!

A few pics taken around his 6 month b-day...





It's been fun to see the boys interacting more. They are definitely boys! Already tumbling and wrestling - how do they know to do this???

Andrew was leaning over on top of Forrest, but Forrest knows how to fight back... pulling a little hair. :) He knows he got him, too. Look at that smile!

I love this... Andrew helping give Forrest his juice one night during dinner.

Sitting and playing on the floor by Dada. (Wilson is at his desk behind them.)

Andrew

Still setting the curve!

Well, Forrest is not technically 6 months old until tomorrow, but I took him today for his 6-month check-up. He is doing great and growing so big! I really feel in shock about him being 6 months old already. I don't know whether it's because we traveled so much this summer or because of all the "bumps in the road" we've had with the boys' health - but it just doesn't seem possible that this little bundle (or should i say big bundle) has been with us for 6 months. The time has flown by!

Before I get too sentimental or start saying all he's up to (I'll save that for his actual "6 months" post), I'll give the stats for my little man. He weighs 22 lbs 6 oz (greater than 100%) and is 28 inches long (100%). He's following the same growth curve that we've charted at our past doctor's visits, so the doctor thinks he'll probably stay big. Andrew might have a bigger little brother one day! It looks like it runs in the family - it's true of his daddy and his Uncle David.

Funny thing... today I realized that Andrew and Forrest were wearing the same size diaper! And it fit both of them! It's so crazy to me to think that a 6 month-old and a 25 month-old could wear the same size diaper. Andrew normally wears a 5 but a 4 does fit... and 3's fit Forrest best but he can wear a 4. Maybe I should just buy 4's in bulk and split between the two of them! :)

This picture was taken tonight at the dinner table. Wilson fed Forrest while I finished dinner. We began eating and let Forrest sit in his high chair at the table with us. I noticed that Forrest was quiet and that his eyes were looking a little heavy. In a few minutes time, we realized he was asleep! He took about a 30 minute nap while we ate and cleaned up. He must have been tuckered out from his day!

The Fair

We had the most fun at the fair last week! It was Andrew's first time and he loved taking it all in. Our first stop was the big yellow slide. He told us he wanted to slide. As he and Wilson climbed the steps, I wondered if he'd change his mind at the top. But he didn't - what a big boy! He loved it - see the post below.

Next, Andrew and I rode the trucks. They were a little jerky - after that, I didn't think I could do anymore rides :). It was fun riding with Andrew though.


On to the bumblebees... Wilson and Andrew rode this and had fun. Up until this point, Forrest had been asleep but when he awoke he watched the bees circle around.


We parked the stroller and all rode the ferris wheel together!

Forrest and me

Wilson and Andrew

We had a great night. We walked thru the petting zoo which Andrew was not too fond of! Enjoyed eating some yummy food - chicken on a stick and a funnel cake. Andrew played a little game & won a prize. He chose a sword... how does he even know what a sword is?? Wilson says its just a boy thing! We even walked thru the Trademart and looked at the antique cars. Forrest was content in the stroller the entire time - he loved riding and watching everything going on. He and Andrew both had a lot of fun. This last picture was taken as we were leaving - 2 tired boys!

The Big Yellow Slide

At the top - it took awhile to climb all those stairs!!

Halfway down - all smiles and a little belly showing!

The bottom - Andrew had a stunned look on his face - like "How did we get to the bottom so quick?" He immediately began saying "again, again" to Wilson. He loved the slide!

Happy times...

After yesterday's post, I thought we needed a few fun pictures to see of the boys! I have several cute ones to share from the past couple of weeks. Tonight, I'll add some of Forrest from Labor Day. I went on a girls trip that weekend, so May-May and Bubby kept Forrest at their house. They helped Wilson with Andrew some, too... they are so good to us! These are actually pictures Mom took with her camera. I think they're pretty cute!

Forrest had a lot of fun on his weekend at May-May and Bubby's... it's written all over his face! And I love these of Forrest and Rebecca. He and Sissy have a very special bond. It's really sweet to see.

Sick Again!

It's seems to be the story of our life these days...

After enjoying 2 or so WONDERFUL weeks of good health, sickness has come to our house yet again. (Warning - This is a long post about how our week of sickness/hospital stay came to pass.)

It started last Friday with Forrest. He was a little congested - frustrating for him but one of those little colds that you really can't do anything about. We went on about our weekend - a birthday party Saturday morning, seeing the Bulldogs play Saturday afternoon for Wilson and me (along with some nice adult conversation!) and a play day at May-May and Bubby's for the boys. I kept Forrest home from church Sunday morning but Wilson and Andrew went on and were great. But when Andrew woke from his nap that afternoon he was coughing. I commented to Wilson that Andrew must have caught Forrest's cold. Well, Monday morning, after a terrible night's sleep, Andrew was coughing more but still talking and playing. He began to get worse though, and at about 10:00 we gave him a breathing treatment because we could hear a little wheezing. He was breathing better for a little while, but he soon was having trouble again. The breathing treatments should be spaced at least 4 hours apart, but by noon, only 2 hours later, Andrew was wheezing again - and BAD! We had called after the 1st breathing treatment and made him a doctor's appt. with his allergy/asthma doctor - and boy, was I glad we had made it! Wilson had gone to work but was going to come home about 1:00 to pick up Andrew for the doctor - I was going to keep Forrest, still congested, at home. Andrew's wheezing scared me terribly - it's awful seeing your baby having such a hard time getting a good breath - and I probably called/texted Wilson 10 times within the hour. (Wilson has always had asthma/allergy issues himself and knows how to handle this with Andrew - i'm always at a loss as to what to do.) Wilson got home and agreed that Andrew did need a treatment. We gave him one and then they left for the doctor.

Wilson calls me from the doctor to report that after another breathing treatment and oral steriod, Andrew is still not doing good. The doctor sent them for a chest x-ray suspecting pneumonia! I begin praying that this would not be the case and worrying about my sweet boy. Later, Wilson calls... the chest x-ray didn't show anything but Andrew's oxygen levels are still low, he isn't responding to yet another breathing treatment, and he's very lethargic. (wilson later tells me how pitiful andrew was. :( - poor thing.) The doctor still thinks it could be an early case of pneumonia and thinks we should go to the hospital. As much as we hated to take Andrew to the hospital, the Lord gave me a total peace about it. I knew that was the best place for him. I would have been on pins and needles had we been at home watching him struggling to breathe all night.

So, we had a 2 night stay at UMC children's hospital. After IV antibiotics, fluids, around-the-clock breathing treatments, and oxygen, Andrew was much improved by Tuesday night. They treated him as a pneumonia patient although it was never clearly diagnosed - 2 more x-rays still came back clear but his symptoms were that of pneumonia.

Thank you to everyone for your prayers!! We really felt them and were so thankful how quickly Andrew responded to the meds. They sent us home on lots of meds but we were so glad to be at home! Andrew still has a yucky cough but is overall much better. Of course, Forrest hated to miss out on all the excitement. After being up all night with him Thursday night, I knew something wasn't right - Forrest is my baby who sleeps! I took him to the doctor only to find BOTH ears were infected - just what I suspected. We are a little tired - no, ALOT tired - but happy that these illnesses can be treated and thankful to have our babies home with us.

We had to take a few pictures of our hospital stay to document the time there...

Once Andrew was able to be off of oxygen Tuesday afternoon, we could walk around the 4C block and pull him in the wagon. He LOVES going on wagon rides (we have the same on at home) so this was really a lifesaver!

This picture is a little blurry, but can you see the smile on Andrew's face? Poor, sweet boy... he truly made the best of it. He made friends with all the nurses & staff, as well as other patients on the floor. Andrew's nurses couldn't believe how well he did with his IV. He was such a big boy about all of his treatments. We were very proud of him.

Yea! We're going home!!

Never would I have thought that we would have made 2 trips to the 4th floor of the Children's Hospital within 6 months (remember Forrest's stay)! Since being a mom, I've heard a wise thought from older moms at my Bible study - be thankful for those long, routine days at home with little ones... even though they sometimes are hard, those days mean that for the most part everyone is well and happy. Be thankful for those days of good health and not having greater struggles. We are so anxious for good health and routine now!

The Big Day!

We had so much fun celebrating Andrew's 2nd birthday. He has been feeling lots better lately which made the day even more fun with this sweet boy!

Andrew woke up in a great mood... I think he knew it was a special day. :) He and Wilson went to the donut shop and brought home donuts for breakfast. Andrew had donut holes, and we put candles in them and sang.




This is the cookie cake I made for Andrew to take to Mother's Morning Out. When I asked him earlier in the week what snack he wanted to take to "school" for his birthday, he would say "cake." Well, the MMO director, Mrs. Laurie, said the only rule for b-day snacks is no icing. I can understand that... 2 year-olds & icing can be quite messy. So, I decided to make a cookie cake (with a little icing). I made it Wednesday night after church so it's not the cutest, but it did taste good.

Eating cake at "school" with his friends...


Birthday lunch!


Some cuddle time before naps. (Wilson took the day off and was with us all day to celebrate!! What a sweet daddy!)


After naptime, Andrew opened his presents from me and Wilson. Isn't it funny how the little, least expensive things are the best things? These balls from Target were his favorite!


But the big surprise was.... a Thomas train table!! May-May and Bubby got it for him, and Wilson and I started a set of train and tracks for him. Andrew was thrilled to say the least. We look forward to many fun times with Thomas!

What a wonderful day to celebrate a very sweet boy!