WILD ANIMALS....Zoo or Douglas House? Both!

Another week with Brad in Georgia and the boys have been wild ALL week. We went to eat with Pop to celebrate Cinco De Mayo on Wednesday, visited with Ms. Angie at McAlister's on Thursday night and then ate with LeLe and Guncle at the Railroad Cafe (super country like experience, right Leah??) on Friday night....I'm pulling the "it's just the 3 of us lets just eat out" card often this week!

Saturday was an action packed day for us. We got up early and went to a ball game for one of my pitchers, Jayley. Her team was playing for the 8 and under park championship. The boys were great and got to play on this great playground on our way out, so everyone was happy. Mr. Jon (Jayley's dad) gave the boys a sprite after the game too, so they were extra hyped up!

Brad and I decided that since it was a beautiful day we should use our zoo membership that Gramp and Granny gave the boys for their birthday. They had a blast.....even though the lion's cage was being renovated, the gorillas had moved to Utah and the tigers were sleeping:( We did get to ride a camel-$15 bucks for 2 minutes of pure happiness- at least that's what they said. You see, all riders must ride before the hump. It looks like Parker is getting smashed, but in reality, he is the only one enjoying the ride. Every time we went over a bump, Parker's head would fly back into Carson's face. He would say, "Stop hitting me! He's head butting me!" Then I attempt to hold them far enough apart so that they won't bump heads- and try to keep my balance so we don't all fall off! It was an experience....one that not everyone can say they've had- we're so lucky!!

Train Ride!!

Parker's cool shades

Us riding a camel....WOW...that was an experience to remember!


We then went shopping while the boys slept in the car....which consisted of me walking into a store and picking out 2 watches, followed by Brad going in and purchasing one of them, getting it wrapped and then bringing it back out to the car- where I am now entertaining both boys in the front seat of the car:) I open the present and then go back into the store to get my new watch sized- while Brad and the boys walk to a vending machine to find something to drink! This is how you do Mother's Day when you live in different states during the week.....it works for us:)
While Brad was in the store, I told the boys that we were going to eat with some friends when daddy got done. This is a moment I hope I never forget.....Parker looked at me and said, "I'm gonna sit by Eddie, "Capish?" Really, did my 3 year old just say "capish"? I laughed out loud for several minutes:)
After eating with our friends we got the opportunity to meet one of the guys that was one of the first responders at Carley's accident. He is one of the heroes that helped save her life. Carley and her family got to meet some of his family and thank them for his service. They are such a true testament to people staying grateful to those who helped them and counting their blessings. A great reminder to us all.

Sunday was Mother's day....go, go, go for us. We did plant some flowers in the front of the house....with the boys' help (making it super easy and fast), wink, wink. Then we shipped Brad back to Georgia :(

Some funny/sweet comments from the week:
Parker-
"Sweet dreams, mama, I love you."
"We've never been to the zoo before....well, except for with GGma, but that was far away in another town"
"Mama, oh no, there is poo-poo in my pants!...Get it out!!!"

Carson-
"Daddy, I didn't know you worked at the zoo!" (as he saw a pic of the state of Georgia on the ground at the zoo)
"Mama, I think I forgot that I had to poo-poo, and now it's on the floor" (in the morning before work/school)

We're clearly having some potty trouble and some sleeping trouble too......since Sunday night.....

Sunday-
Carson wakes up coughing like crazy and needs a breathing treatment (2am)
Parker wets the bed (3am) for the first time in a month...look at me getting cocky like my kid doesn't need pull-ups

Monday-
Parker strikes again (2am)...he will wear a pull-up tomorrow night!
Carson panting like a dog....coughing like crazy.....breathing treatment (4am)

Tuesday-
Carson needs breathing treatment again at 3am:(

Wednesday- MAMA NEEDS SLEEP!!!

Doctor for Carson tomorrow (not fun)....Gone Fishin' for Jefferson County Schools Thursday and Friday (fun, hot, but fun).....Brad comes home on Friday (yea, sleep is in my future!!!)

Another CRAZY week...

Does anyone see a pattern here? I thought 2 weeks ago was crazy, but it didn't really hold a torch to this past week!

Saturday April 24th brought us a rainy, tornadoey (I will add that word to wikipedia later) day. We started the day by going to cousin Trey's Birthday party. He is the same age as the boys, so it's always fun to get them together! He had a Thomas party, so the boys stayed close to the train table the whole time! Later that night we hosted a couple's shower for Leah and Aaron. The boys packed some toys and went with Doug and Lori for the evening. They got a trip to Chick-Fil-A, complete with playtime and then off to the Vining house for some new puzzles, crayons and coloring books. They ended up having a sleep over too and got rave reviews from the sitters! Our boys are growing up!

The shower was fun. Aaron was a sport, wearing his "new daddy" tool belt the whole time. I actually attempted to make Leah some sugar-free cupcakes (without a sifter- which may have been my problem). Two rounds laster, they tasted more like bread than cupcakes- but at least they were sweet! The parents-to-be got some good gear to help them prepare for Kerrigan's arrival. We had diaper relay races and dirty diaper challenges....fun times for all:)






The following week brought us some visitors. We were able to spend some time with Aaron's parents, brother Dave and nephew Gavan. For anyone that doesn't know, Aaron is an identical twin, so we were interested to see how the boys would react. They really just went with the flow and didn't seem confused at all! The boys LOVED having Gavan over....and even willingly shared their toys with him! Here is our final, and most successful, attempt at a picture of the 3 of them together....



Last Thursday was ENT day. It was much easier for me this time! I had a daddy come along for the fun! We got a good report for Parker...his tubes look great and we got some ear plugs for bath and pool time. So far he doesn't mind them too much- but wants them out immediately when he's done and can get them out himself, so I have a feeling we'll be going through several pairs! Dr. Goodson thinks that Carson's ears are OK right now. He put him on an antibiotic for the next month and if we can make it through "ear season" then we should be in the clear. If we get another infection then we'll be headed back to the operating room:( We're praying for infection free ears!

After the doctor's appointment, we packed the car and headed for Illinois for GGpa's funeral. We drove half way...with the boys awake almost the whole time....and got to Paducah, KY around 11pm. Parker had been asleep about an hour and a half, so he was asking for breakfast! Needless to say, sleep was sparse that night, but we survived!

Friday morning, we loaded back up and headed for GGma's house. After several more hours of driving, we met up with my dad and Brenda and ate some MONCIAL'S PIZZA. If you are from Illinois, you totally understand why that's in all caps! WhoooHooo! We checked into our second hotel of the weekend and spent some time with GGma. After dinner, we got a quick visit with mom and then headed to bed. The funeral was Saturday morning and then we headed back to GGma's house for some good food and time with family. GGpa is missed by all....we loved him dearly.

I'll save you the wet details of our trip back to Alabama, but it was filled with many hours on the road (all driven by Brad:)), lots of rain and tornadoes, peeing in all kinds of interesting places (side of the road, parking lots of adult book stores, exit ramps, corn fields), ANOTHER hotel, eating and swimming with Jen, Troy and the kids, flooding in Nashville, detours, changing into a dress at a BP station and finally a stop in at Leah's baby tea.

About an hour after we got the car unpacked (while it was raining), Brad hit the road for Macon (another 4 hours for Brad to drive, poor guy)....and that's where we stand.....exhausted and trying to make it through the week...we're counting our blessings and thankful for our crazy lives.....we aren't EVER bored...that's for sure!

Whatta Week

This past week has been absolutely CRAZY!! Saturday morning we headed to Chattanooga for my niece Emma's birthday party. The boys had a blast and rode the carousel at least 5 times! We hung out at Jen and Troy's and then headed to Tyler's baseball game. He started at catcher and had a couple of hits....makin' Aunt Meg proud. Keep up the hard work man! Our evening ended with Lupi's pizza (good call Troy) and some.....drum roll please......Baskin Robbins!! It was a long day, but good times, good food and QT with the fam makes it worth it:)

Wait, is Tyler grown?

Abigail, try to hang on to that wild man!

Jen with the birthday girl

Look at that lefty:)

Carson riding with the birthday girl


Monday morning we got an early wake up call and was at the hospital at 4:45am! That was early! BeBe stayed the night and took care of getting Carson ready and to school:) Parker had a great time in the waiting room, playing and climbing on everything.....but it all ended when they started the pre-op stuff (temp, bp, o2 stats). He calmed down once we were in the room and watching SpongeBob (thank goodness for cartoons, right?). After several rounds of questions....love that they were cautious, but do you really think I would forget to tell you if my family had a history of MD, seizures, or heart defects? Anyway, after a very short discussion about his ability to separate from his mama, we decided to give him Versed, to relieve his anxiety, or as Brad and I saw, make him drunk! He couldn't walk and when asked what an animal was in the Noah's Ark picture on the wall his response was, "It's rough....and tough.....I don't know mama." as he fell back and became dead weight. He went back with the nurse, no problem (since he was drunk!). It made it SOOOOOOOOO much easier on all parties involved:)

The doctor came out after about 30 minutes and told us that Parker's ears were "nasty" and his adenoids were filled with a "buttermilk looking" substance and pus....wow, thanks, I could have just stuck with "nasty" period! He suspects that we will see a completely different child now- with less nose, throat and breathing problems! Yea Parker! After about 30 more minutes he came back to us....coughing like crazy and super fussy (a side effect from the Versed that gave us an easy hand-off...there's ALWAYS a price, huh??). He wanted the IV out and kept telling us "My hand is not sick, it's my ears and my nose! Take it out!!" He drank some juice and ate a green popcicle and we were on our way home after about 45 minutes.

Parker post surgery

When we returned home, we all took a short nap, and then HE (Not mom and dad. We could have used a longer nap!) was ready to go and has been running strong ever since!

Tuesday I kept both boys home from school. Parker had to stay home one more day, even though he was WIDE OPEN all day, and Carson woke up snotty and coughing. I made Carson a doctor's appointment, which produced another referral to the ENT. He has yet another ear infection....or is it still has an ear infection? Who knows, but he's wheezing too:( I just wish we would have looked at Carson's chart last time so that we could have done it all at once! So after several hours of pouting (me, not Carson), I'm over it- and just hanging on until next Thursday's appointment to see what the ENT says....

Last night, I realized that Brad would be getting the boys ready for school for the first time in 7 weeks....so I ran through the list of morning meds.....these poor guys--
Carson- QVAR, Nasonex, Abuterol, Zyrtec, Singular, Azithromycin and Orapred (the last 3 are new from yesterday)
Parker- QVAR, Nasonex, Abuterol, Singular, Amoxicillin
Can I just say that I have made a great friend, sweet Kayla, that works at the CVS down the road. She knows me by name. "Hey Ms. Douglas, How are you? Which boy are you filling for today?" Really? I should get her a gift for taking such good care of me! Last month I made $28 in extra bucks from filling so many prescriptions!!

Today I got to go canoeing with the adapted PE department at work. It was fun. I was helping get the kids in and out of the canoes. I actually was ankle deep in muddy water in tennis shoes- yes folks, that is dedication....you know I wouldn't ruin a pair of shoes for just anyone;) One particular student was having a hard time getting in the boat, so I was "modeling" what he should do and I stepped in the canoe. He followed along and eventually sat down in the canoe. As I took my foot out of the canoe, he grabbed it and held it with a death grip. After a balancing act, in mud I might add, holding on to my last principal's shoulder and someone prying his fingers off my shoe I (and the principal) was spared from being drenched in mud and water. We all had a good time and I was able to catch up with some of the people I worked with at my last school.

We are gearing up for a couples shower at our house for Leah and Aaron this weekend. Leah has officially made it to 30 weeks- which was when I was delivering (30 wks +5 days actually)- so we're happy to be hosting a shower for a baby that's not here yet! It's a couples shower, and we all know how fun guys and babies can be, so Aaron, consider yourself warned. It's gonna be fun!
Please continue to keep my granny and our family in your thoughts and prayers- we'll be heading to Illinois late next week for the services for GGpa.

Tough Week

Since my last post my Grandpa JR, better known as GGpa passed away. Dad went to Texas to be with Granny for a few days and we will be traveling to Illinois sometime in the next few weeks for the memorial service. I've posted a few pictures from the last time we were all together....Carson and Parker couldn't get enough of this Little Einstein sticker book (although GGma could....it was driving her crazy, but she'd never tell them no!)....GGpa sat and watched everytime that book was taken out. Parker must have shown him those tools 50 times, naming them each time, determined to teach GGpa about Handy Manny. We also had a marathon Phase 10 game that brought lots of laughs and good times for all. All I'll elaborate on is that I'd be willing to bet Phase 10 was not the first game he wanted to play when he got to heaven! He'll be greatly missed by all....We love you GGpa!





We did dodge the virus from last week....it ended up only getting Parker--he did ran 102 fever that night, but was good to go Tuesday morning when Ms. Angie came to keep them. I didn't get to sleep, but at least it ended there! We went to watch Spain Park play Hoover in softball and the boys got to play with my friend Cj's little girl Emma....who they love. They also learned a new "game" from her daddy...."Give me a pound....lock it down.....break the pickle.....tickle, tickle!" Thanks Kevin....they are doing it all the time now! It's fun to watch them do it though....it never gets old to them- they crack up everytime!

We had a fun weekend. My mom was in town for Emma's birthday, so she and the kids came down for the day on Saturday. We stayed moving the whole time they were here. We went to a fundraiser for Mitchell's Place/Autism Society of Alabama called the Funky Fish Fry. The little kids probably enjoyed it the most....moonwalks,live music (Parker mostly, once he figured out where the music was coming from), and making slime....although Brad and Tyler did tear up some catfish! Tyler was bummed that he didn't get carded for a wrist band....too bad son...you're only 15! The boys kept calling it the "Funky French Fry" which just made me smile:) We also shopped at the mall, ate at WIngs and then finished the night with some ice cream at Treat Yourself. We love having visitors!

Our weekend finished up with the completion of the Rocky Mountain Retreat....Brad worked most of the day Saturday and even passed up on Indy Race tickets and pit passes (thanks to cousin Andy for the offer!) to finish it on Sunday. Also, thanks Doug for helping with the roof- I was done helping after that side bar whacked me up side the head! The boys love it....We're sure to be Play Central this summer. The boys love having their friends come over to play! Yesterday my friend Monica and her kids came by to play....and the boys went nuts- running around, screaming, jumping off slides and climbing fences! The Harbarger's are more than just our lawn service, they are rockstars! (They aren't our lawn service either, but they did mow our grass this week because they wonderful friends that take care of us) Thanks guys:)

Sorry for the dark pictures....I'm too tired to re-take them tonight!!




I took Parker to the pulmonologist this week and he was cleared for surgery. We report to Children's Hospital Monday morning at 530AM....what's up with having to be up THAT early when I'm off work?!?!?! I know we'll be thankful, since he won't be able to eat or drink after midnight- although he's not much of a breakfast eater anyway! Brad is going to get to be home, which we are extremely grateful for....

Happy Birthday to my niece Emma, who turned 3 this week. We are headed to Chattanooga this weekend for her party and get the 2 for 1 special because we'll get to catch Tyler's ball game too!

I'll close with a funny story of the week....
Carson says he has to potty....he proceeds to go into the bathroom where he sees a bug in the toilet. He immediately starts screaming, crying....literally shaking. I run in there where he says, "It's a bug mama, get it!" I proceed to tell him that it's dead because it drown in the water and he continues to scream, cry and shake. I'm later telling Brad that he had a "complete meltdown" when he saw a bug in the toilet. The next night Carson says, "Hey mama, last night I had a complete meltdown when I saw that bug in the potty, right?" Really?? Did I teach my 3 year old the term "complete meltdown"? It's just been that kind of week I guess!

Airshow, Easter, Daddy still in GA

We've been staying busy since my last post. Last weekend, was our anniversary (6 years). Happy Anniversary to us! We headed down to Montgomery for the Air show with our friends Chad and Kayla and their two girls. The boys had a great time. We had beautiful weather and great company:) According to Parker, we saw "helicockters and fire (in a beavis and butthead type voice)." They enjoyed all the tricks and the parachuters....and the playground on the base while the adults watched the Thunderbirds. I've never been to an airshow so I was impressed! We spent some time playing and the boys roasted marshmallows and ate smores for the first time! They loved it! Thanks to Chad for the great fire (using an old Christmas tree, which was a bit disturbing for all of us) and Kayla for a good dinner! We ended our weekend with a lunch for Leah's birthday and then Brad packed up and headed back to Georgia for the week.




Last week was pretty uneventful (stay tuned, we are paying for that already this week). Tuesday morning before school, we had a visit from Granny and Gramp who were headed to the beach. The boys were pumped up, and even got some candy from their Easter basket before school! We went to the Mountain Brook vs. Thompson softball game on Wednesday to see a couple of my pitchers play- and they won! The boys were covered in dirt from head to toe when we left, but they had fun. Friday the boys had an Easter egg hunt at school. Carson is quite the hunter and Parker kind of hung back and waited for Carson to spot them and then try to race him to it! It was funny to watch- and they both had a great time!



This weekend started off with a bang by us buying the boys a new "playground" as they call it. We have been planning on getting one, and intended for it to be their birthday present, but with Brad out of town so much we just haven't gotten around to it. We also intended to hire someone to set it up....but 6 boxes and about 472 screws, nuts and blots later here it is...Phase I of the Rocky Mountain Retreat...we still need a roof and some swings, but Brad's goal was for it to be "playable" before he left and that it is! The boys told him it was "awesome."

We had a nice Easter. The boys woke up to their baskets-which they eagerly went through and then told us that "we already have THIS car (it really was a different one, but too close to tell for the boys I guess), I don't think we need another one. Ha! We played with play-doh, ate candy for breakfast and then headed out for church. We ate lunch with Brad's parents and then headed back home to finish Phase I of the playset. It was a long day-with the weather being so pretty it's hard to get the boys to come inside- I've always liked "springing forward" for daylight savings time, but this year with 2, 3 year olds, I'm already re-evaluating my stand on that!





Grandpa JR was put in the hospital this weekend. Having some trouble with his heart. He remains there tonight and will begin a new drug to help his heart function. Keeping him and Granny in our thoughts and prayers....it's been very hard on them and us because we are so far away.

This week is already proving to be filled with good story telling. Around 11, I got a call from Mitchell's Place (the boys' preschool) that Parker was throwing up:( When I got there to pick him up he was pitiful. Meanwhile, Carson was be-boppin down the hall asking why Pop didn't pick them up! One of their teacher's handed me a bag with some towels in it....a puke bag for the road? It must have been bad! Special thanks to Ms. Bry- we used it (at least the towels). We made it to the driveway, where I mistakenly got overly confident that we had made it. I stopped to tell my neighbor that he was sick and he got "that look." By the time I could get him out he had already done it again- and then again once he was on the driveway. This provided me with a great learning opportunity. 1- You're not home til you're out of the carseat. You can spray off a driveway- you have to completely dismantle a car seat 2- Love my Britax carseat....but reassembling it was a pain in my rear. I did figure it out eventually, but realized that Brad has pretty much done the reassembly every other time! He slept for over 3 hours, but now he seems to be feeling a little better, but they will stay with Ms. Angie tomorrow just to make sure we're good to go!

Spring Break, Daddy Back to GA, Doctors Visits....

So the first and second part of my title is my excuse for a lack of a post for.....what....almost 3 weeks?? Geez....that's bad. Let's see what I can remember...

Brad did get to come home for a quick trip to the beach. The weather was kinda cool and windy, but we did get a couple hours on the beach each day, so we really can't complain. We did some shopping, SOME, right Brad? The Destin Outlets were not hurt by the economy thanks to me. The boys needed summer clothes and shoes....and the fall/winter stuff was on clearance....and if you know me you know I love a deal! I'm buying for twins....I need to save when I can....and plan ahead too! There will be no pictures posted from the beach, because we didn't take any. In the packing craze....after 2 weeks of Brad being gone and 1 night to pack, I was literally just throwing stuff in bags.....and somehow brought a camera with no battery:( and it only takes the battery that came with the camera. Whoops....that stinks.

The boys had a good time and kept us laughing. On the trip down, Carson got his first experience of going potty on the side of the road (potty training will be the death of me). He had to go...and we were in the middle of nowhere! He was a trooper for sure! One night, I asked what they wanted for supper and Parker said, "Mama, I think I want something AMAZING....." like I EVER give them something amazing for supper. They asked to eat at Habaneros and Cracker Barrel almost everyday.....and we lied, saying they didn't have Cracker Barrel at the beach. We were caught the next day, when they spotted one....who knew?!?! My highlight of the week was when sweet Parker looked at me and said, "I think you're Supermom." I can't even remember what the context was....it was sweet though, I remember that:)

I turned 31 since my last post....wow, officially on my way to 40. Had a good day....until around 5 when Brad left for GA AGAIN. I mean really, should we be looking for a house over there or what?!?!? They do have the HOPE grant that would put both of my kids through college....hmmmmmmm....just kidding. Hopefully he'll be back here soon....the news is a couple more weeks and then alternating weeks 'til the end of May.

Monday morning we started out with a bang...and Carson had a PT appointment at 730 AM before school. Really, what was I thinking?? Ms. Peggy put some more padding in his jumping boots and said that he "looked good", but it might take us up to 6 months to "fix" the problem:(

So here comes the funny part of this post. I mean, I'm no Kate Gosselin (thank GOD), but a video camera following me this past Tuesday would have been entertainment for all:) I pick the boys up from school early, which means they had to be woken from a nap, to take Parker to the ENT and then both boys to the pulmonologist (lung dr, Dr. B).

We go to the ENT, where I fill out several pages of new patient paper work while everyone is commenting on how cute they are, asking if they are twins, and telling me I have my hands full....yes, that's all true, thank you for noticing, but you talking to me doesn't help me make my hands less full by getting rid of this clipboard full of papers! As I am finishing up the last page, someone has to go to the bathroom (at this point I actually begin thinking that pull-ups are an investment that make your life easier!). We take the papers to the front desk and head to the bathroom, where I proceed to whack Carson in the face with the toilet seat (he may leave it down forever now....my apology to his future wife). He leaned down to pull his pants down as I raised the seat.....complete meltdown to follow- I multi-task and ask Parker to use the potty while I console Carson- yea me! Carson is fine...a small scratch on his eye- but quits crying relatively quickly.

We head back to the waiting room where the boys have a small wrestling match while we wait....are they still cute, people!?!? We head back to the room and Carson is Mr. Personality until the doctor starts looking at Parker. Carson goes into a complete meltdown, i put him in the corner, while I try to listen to the ENT tell me that Parker needs to have tubes put in his ears and have his adenoids taken out. Carson eventually stops crying in the corner and tells me that he's ready to be nice. I tell him to apologize to the Dr., which he does, which leads the ENT to tell me that I have my hands full....really?!?!...thanks for the reminder from 10 minutes ago in your waiting room!
We move into the surgery scheduling room where I am filling out all the consent for the surgery (which is going to be in about 3 weeks, we think)- and Parker declares that he needs to poo-poo. I try to hold him off, several times, just trying to get through all the paperwork, and finally he says, "Mama, I have to go NOW or poo-poo will come out of my bootie!" BAHAHAHA.....the nurse tells me to go ahead....and we do....and we successfully make it to the bathroom. I ask twice if they are sure that Parker shouldn't have his surgery at the main hospital (as opposed to the satellite outpatient center), due to his asthma, and after checking with the doctor, the surgery is scheduled for April 15th at Children's South (hang on for a reschedule later in this post)....and we head to the parking deck.
Upon arriving to the parking deck, Carson says, "Mama, where is Scuba June?" For those of you who don't know...This was pretty much Carson's only request this past Christmas....and Santa was the only person able to find Scuba June....on eBay for about 3x regular price. I proceed to empty the diaper bag, my purse and my pockets, with no luck....so back to the Dr. office we go. We look everywhere and can't find it. I filled out a missing persons report and asked the nurse to keep her eye out...and we headed back to the car. As we walk, Carson has the lip out and is crying, and Parker is saying, "Sorwee bubba, you lost her and she's gone for ebber and ebber (ever and ever). As we reach the end of the hall, the sweet nurse says, "Mom, mom, wait....I think we found her!" Wheew!! Small miracles....gotta love it!

Now we head to Dr. B (pulmonologist) for a check-up. As we pull off the interstate, Parker tells me that he has to pee and that he might pee his pants. At this point I am absolutely positive that my next child will not EVER be potty trained. I will leave that child in pull-ups FOREVER!! I talk to him as we sit in traffic, trying to brainwash him to stay dry and hold on as long as he can. This story ends up with both boys peeing off the side of the parking deck at St. Vincent's hospital- absolutely Alabama, you might be a redneck if- I am just happy we made it and that I won't be washing carseats later that night! Both boys declare that they are watering the plants because they need water to grow during Spring time! Guess they are getting my money's worth at Mitchell's Place:) BAHAHAHAHA.....what a day
During the appointment Dr. B says that there is no way they will do surgery on Parker at Children's South (the satellite outpatient center), due to his high-risk breathing history, and that we'll need to reschedule at the main hospital, just in case of complications. We are awaiting a new date....and hopefully I will post again before the surgery:)

Brad is heading home tomorrow night and we'll celebrate our anniversary and Leah's birthday this weekend. We are taking the boys to Montgomery for the Air Show at Maxwell Air Force Base- and visiting our friends The Breedloves- we're really looking forward to that...and maybe we'll get some pictures to post!

Just Living

I'm already slacking on the posts.....geez, even once a week is too much for me:(

We've been staying busy....took a trip up to Chattanooga last weekend to watch Abigail cheer, celebrate Brenda's birthday and then finished it off with freezing our butts off at Tyler's baseball game. We had a great time and were glad to see everyone!

Brad left last Sunday night to work in Macon- we still haven't seen him:( Apparently, the dirt in Macon is wet and so they have to dry it.....hmmmmm, watching dirt dry. I bet Brad's having a blast! He is supposed to be coming home this Friday so that we can go to the beach!! Let's hope that works out.....for him I mean:)

Last Wednesday, Carson had a physical therapy evaluation for his "toe walking." We have officially aged out of early intervention, so his early intervention therapist referred us to a new therapist at Children's Hospital. Ms. Peggy was very nice and recommended that we try "the most conservative" option first. This consists of Carson wearing AFOs for a month. These are little plastic leg braces that go over his socks and under his pants. We call them his "jumping boots." He doesn't love them, at all, but is tolerating them well. Our biggest hurdle right now is that he has to wear shoes while they are on- or the hardwood floors in our house become an ice skating rink. Trying to get him to keep his shoes on while we are home continues to be a struggle, but warm weather is coming, so we're hoping that won't be such a problem once he can just stay outside and play! He is supposed to wear them "all waking hours", but I've been letting him take them off around 630 or 700, which is about an hour early. 12 hours a day is pretty good I think! He says, "Sorry, Parker, only I get jumping boots. Not you. Mama didn't get you any, sooorwee bubba." Which is followed by Parker saying, "Why didn't you get me any jumping boots, mama?" Twins make EVERYTHING more interesting, that's for sure!

This weekend was pretty low key....we caught some softball games at the Spain Park Tournament, ate out with friends and family....and played. Tonight, the boys were turning each other and me into things. Some of my favorites included, when Parker said, "Carson, I turn you into a "boobie bop and mommy, I turn you into a princess." I got the good end of that deal for sure! We missed our daddy. The boys kept asking, "What's today?" and "Where are we going?" It's almost like they couldn't figure out what was going on....I don't think Brad's been gone all week plus the weekend before (plus another 5 days too, but that might be discussed in my next post!). After dinner tonight, which was quite a battle for Parker, he hopped down and said, "Mama, let's go snuggle." and Carson said, "Yea, good idea Parker, let's go snuggle with mama." Love, love, love those boys.

We are fairly healthy. Parker and I are still coughing....Carson seems to be over the hump....except for that nasty runny nose, which I have decided is just par for the course:( Today I asked Parker what was wrong and he told me, "Mama, I can't breathe. I think I need some mask medicine (breathing treatment). That poor kid....at 3 years old he knows when he needs his medicine:(

Hanging on...5 more days til Spring Break....supposedly headed to the beach- thanks Aunt Pokey and Uncle Terry:) We'll see what happens with work for Daddy. Even if plans get axed, I'll be off from work, the boys off from school....that's a mini vacation in itself!