Work Hazard

Who would have thought becoming a stay at home mom would result in "workman's comp". I am proof. I have recently been diagnosed with de Quervain's Tenosynovitis. My husband will tell you I'm crazy but it's verifiably true. I woke up one morning in February with a terrible pain in my wrist/thumb. I assumed it was beginning arthritis given my family history, but after three to four days I called my doctor. X-rays were clear and I remained on anti inflammatories. When that didn't work I googled "wrist ligament pain" and came up with the above diagnosis and called none other than my dad. I went and bought myself a wrist/thumb brace with the advice of my semi doctor "daddy" in hopes that combined with the anti inflammatories it would go away.

Of course, when you wear a wrist brace people are going to ask questions. So in explaining my symptons one day to a good friend she simply said, "I bet you have de Quervain's Tenosynovitis! I told her that's exactly what google said!! She strongly urged me to go to a hand specialist as did my PCP who I originally saw. So I did. He confirmed the diagnosis. It is very common in women who are mothers to young children! It is due to the repetitive lifting of the the kids!! Who would've thought? He said 90% of the female clients he sees have this condition. It is simply corrected with a steroid shot. Go right ahead, doc. I've been in pain for 6 weeks and am ready to be better. So on Friday I got the shot. I'm 90% better but during the night I still have a lot of pain. Doc says to wear the brace at night and continue the anti inflammatories; call back in two weeks. Gosh I hope this works because surgery is not on my calendar!

The Joys of Boys (and I've only just begun)

I got my first soccer ball in the face today and it made me realize it won't be my last . I am raising two boys after all. Funny thing is, it was my husband that did it. I love having boys. I'm sure the list below will get longer as the years go by and some of the things I love; I may grow to hate and some of the things I hate; I may grow to love.

nakedness

dirt

sword fights

pillow fights

food fights

running everywhere

anything can become a sword

pirates

cowboys

superheroes

pro athlete heroes

discussions about (pardon me) penises

hating girls

matching clothes (for now)

sharing a room

wrestling

swinging

cowboy boots

hunting

fishing

skiing

golfing

baseball

football

hockey

The Sandlot

The Little Rascals

busted lips

black eyes

snuggles

hugs

kisses

I could go on and on. I'm truly blessed by two wonderful, beautiful little boys. Thank you, Jesus and Brye!

2nd Annual Halloween Party (from Hell)

Last year my good friend, Angie and I decided to have some friends over to paint pumpkins with the kids. We really had so much fun that this year we decided to go all out and have a big fun Halloween party. Thanks to Martha Stewart and Disney Family, we found really good looking and tasty foods for the party. We also decided that each kid bring a pumpkin to paint and wear their costume. We had bobbing for apples and other games as well. It took Angie and I almost the entire day before to prepare our food. Menu as follows:

Witch Cupcakes

Mummies

Eyeballs

Bones

Swamp Juice (add lemonade)

The agenda for the day was all planned out. A game first, pumpkin painting second, snacks, apple bobbing and making of their own caramel apples.

All the kids wore costumes so we gathered them up once everyone had arrived for a group photo. They were all so precious and actually cooperated well for the picture.

After the photo we instructed the kids to head outside for a game. They went and sat around the base of the tree in the backyard. Unknown to anyone there was a rather large fireant bed right at their feet and bottoms. I happened to be the first adult outside and noticed the ants all over Korbin, Bexley and Case. I grabbed the kids away from the ants and began to tear off socks and shoes. By this time they had all been bitten and were screaming. I didn't realize at this point that Maddie had sat in the fireant bed! Angie ran inside and got Calamine lotion and immediately put it on the kids bites. Then all of the sudden she said, I've got to take Maddie to the ER and left!! Left me there all alone with with 17 kids. Granted the other parents were there, but they had no clue what to do or what we had planned.

So at that point with the kids deathly afraid to go into the grass, we went inside for snacks. This seemed to calm everyone down; except for me. I was a wreck. I was running around not knowing what to do, shaking, trying to get food plates and drinks ready, etc. Thanks to Gil, Angie's brother for helping with the drinks or no one would have gotten one. After the kids ate we were able to go outside again. The girls began painting pumpkins while the boys bobbed for apples and vice versa. After everyone got their apple, I dipped them in the caramel for them.

Once the pumpkins were all painted and apples coated with caramel we played one more game (that did not end up so well). It was a twist to musical chairs. We had a ghost figurine that the kids were to pass around to music. Once the music stopped whoever had the ghost in their hands was eliminated. Should have thought about the consequences of eliminating 3 and 4 year olds from a game before we started. Gracyn ended up winning with Bexley in second along with a tantrum because he wanted to win. Ugh!!

All in all I think the kids had a great time. Dalton said the bobbing for apples was the funnest part of the party! Next year, dads are coming and there might be vodka in that swamp juice!!

Oh and Maddie, she was given a shot of epinephrine and prescribed an epi pen!

What a Summer

I really wish I could keep up with this blog I started, but I can't. I can't keep up with laundry either, just ask my husband. We have had a fabulous, lazy summer. It was full of swimming, soccer, good cookouts and lots of friends.

Bexley played soccer for the first time this summer and had a blast. He is a fairly good soccer player and I can't wait until he's a bit older and can be more competitive. He received the award for "the most fun player" from his coach because no matter what, Bex was always having fun!

Bexley also learned how to swim this summer. He can actually jump off the diving board and swim to the side with NO HELP!! I am so proud of him, especially since we didn't even spend any money on lessons. He learned it all on his own; with a little help and coaching from mommy of course. Beau is also going to be a good swimmer. He loves the water and with floaties on in the baby pool, I can let him go and he can handle it on his own! The boys also enjoyed time on the slip and slide and water park with their besties.

Brye and I celebrated our 10 year wedding anniversary this year! Thanks to Rob and Jo for coming to spend the weekend with the boys we were able to get away. We left on a Saturday morning (after soccer, of course) and went shopping; which we never get to do alone anymore. We bought fancy clothes for our night out. We then went and checked in at The Mansions on Turtle Creek. A beautiful old hotel in uptown Dallas. Brye made reservations for us at a wonderful restaurant called Nick and Sam's. The manager found out about our special occasion and treated us to caviar, champagne, and a wine tasting. It was fabulous! We have had a wonderful 10 years together and I can't imagine my life without Brye and the two precious little boys he has given me. Brye has literally shown me the world and I have enjoyed every minute of it and can't wait for more!!

Beau got to enjoy his first "fishing" trip with daddy this summer too! Bex got to go with Brye a few times and even got to reel in some fish. We only caught two on this particular occasion, but they were big ones and I can't wait to eat them!

Beau has really taken on a wonderful personality. He is so funny and does this little nose crinkle when he smiles! He learned how to use a fork on his own and no doubt will take his brother down very soon. He has had a few black eyes and even chipped a tooth, thanks to Stella. He will be my rough and tumble, but me sweet one too. Man does he love to snuggle.

The rest of our summer was spent with our dear friends. We played in the park, fed the ducks and I got reunited with sorority sisters and their kids I hadn't seen in years. I cannot believe it is already over, however I look forward to seeing what the school year brings for Bexley and getting to spend some quality alone time with Beau. Welcome Fall!!

Florida

Finally, a family vacation. A REAL one. Thanks to Brye's job, he gained enough Rapid Rewards to get us three free airline tickets to anywhere in the continental USA. So we took advantage and booked a flight to Florida! We figured a shorter trip would be better for the boys so we flew out from Dallas to Ft. Lauderdale on a Thursday morning. We spent two days in Ft. Lauderdale just beachin' it up then drove to Ft. Myers and Sanibel Island on Saturday.

The flight to Florida went great. It happened to be timed right at naptime so Beau was tired and slept almost the entire way. We enjoyed shrimp at the Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. the first night and just strolled along the beach on the way back to the hotel. We spent the next day on Ft. Lauderdale beach, just enjoying each other. Bex loved swimming in the waves although they were pretty high and he couldn't get very far. That night we went to a wonderful restaurant for dinner and on the way home Brye and I spotted a guided fishing boat. We checked out the prices, "just to see" and it so happened the boat was expected to leave for an eight hour tour "right now". It was only $65, which was really cheap. I told Brye to go for it as I knew he'd never get the chance again. So he did! The boys and I strolled back to the hotel and had an early night. Brye didn't get home until around 4:30 AM!! The boys were up on their normal schedule at 7:30. I tried so hard to keep them quiet, but was commonly unsuccessful. Brye eventually got up and took a taxi to the airport to get us a rental car and then we headed to Ft. Myers.

Bex in Ft. Lauderdale

Beau

Bex and Brye building Sand Castles

I had never been to Florida so the drive from Ft. Lauderdale to Ft. Myers was really amazing to me. The Everglades is not exactly what I expected. I don't know why I always pictured more tropical scenery than just vast grass and what I call swamp lands. I was corrected on the last day of the trip that The Everglades is not swamp. We spent the day driving and taking in the scenery and sights of Florida and Sanibel Island. We got checked into our hotel and strolled the beach. On Sunday, we had a wonderful day on Ft. Myers beach. The weather was really great. It did rain for about 2 minutes, but that did not stop Bexley from swimming. The ocean waves were not big, so Bex was able to really play in the water. Beau even enjoyed it a lot. We could hardly keep him out of it.

Bex running along Sanibel Island

Bex playing in the Gulf at Ft. Myers Beach

After our day at the beach, the boys took a nap and I scheduled a Pirate Cruise for us to take. It was so much fun. Bex was very apprehensive at first and even began to cry at one point because he was scared of the pirates. We bribed him with a real pirate sword and he was good after that. He even got to have one of the pirates paint a Jolly Roger tattoo on his arm. He got to pick out "treasures" from the treasure chest, and play games with the other kids and pirates. He was even brave enough in the end to take his picture with the Captain. It was well worth it. After the Pirate Cruise we met one of Brye's old co-workers for dinner. It was so nice to see him again. He was such a dear friend when we were living in the UK. He kind of "took care" of us, showed us around London and really made us feel comfortable with living 5,000 miles away from home. We had such a great time in Florida. The flight home was not as great as the flight there. Beau was just exhausted and didn't want to sit still. He wasn't screaming so much as just constantly moving, which made me and Brye exhausted as well. We were glad to be home.

Beau's First Birthday!!

So this post is way overdue as are many others, but better late than never.

My baby is ONE! I can't believe it. It seems such a short time ago he was such a tiny little infant. I have loved every single minute of his short life and cannot wait to see what the next years will bring. Since Beau was so lucky to be born on May 5 (Cinco de Mayo) we decided to incorporate some culture into his party. Poor guy is gonna get Mexican food on his birthday every year for the rest of his life. Reminds me of when I was young. My birthday happens to fall on Feb. 13th, so I always ended up with a strawberry cake; and many times in the shape of a heart. I used to get irritated, but now I can totally see where my mom was coming from! So we had fajitas, a pinata, and maracas as party favors! We borrowed a bounce house from Jodi; invited 10 of our closest friends and their kids which sounds like not that many but 10 of our closest friends turns into 20 because they are couples. With their kids (everyone has at least two) we ended up with about 40 people at the party! It was a blast. The weather cooperated; Brye was a genius with the food and it was a great day. I wish I had taken more pictures, but I was in the moment and just didn't.

We had a second party for Beau at his paternal grandparents over Mother's Day weekend. It was Kemp's college graduation as well. Congratulations Kemp!!! It was nice. My dad and sister, Jennifer got to come with her kids and our good friends, the Grishams joined us. It was short and sweet and a really good time. His second taste of chocolate cake was a little messier than the first, which was fun. Thanks to the grandparents spoiling him as usual, the car was loaded down with toys on the way home.

Beau learned how to walk about two weeks before he turned one. He has gotten really good at it and can pretty much run if he wants. He can also climb the stairs which is very scary, but he loves to play upstairs in his room or Bexley's room. He loves tomatoes, cheese, and grapes. His favorite word is "cracker" and anything in a box is a cracker. He does love crackers too! Banana's are an all time favorite as are Eggo waffles. His laugh is just like his mommas "cackle" and he has eight beautiful teeth that light up the room when he smiles. His eyes are as blue as the ocean and his hair as white as cotton. He is more beautiful than I could ever have imagined him to be. And yes, he looks just like his daddy. I love him so much.

The Innocence of a Child

Last night I was doing my Bible Study and Bexley, as always, wanted me to read his bible to him. I told him I would when I was finished. He then started asking questions about God, Jesus and living in the clouds. I'm not sure exactly how he worded it but at one point he asked how we get to live in the clouds with Jesus. I had no idea how to explain it to a three year old so I simply just said, "we have to die". He said, "i don't want to die". I told him I didn't want him to die either but explained to him that if he did, he would get to see Nonnie!! He then asked how we get up there; if we fly. I said, "no baby, it's complicated". He innocently looked at me and said, "God just grabs us by our wings!" I immediately had the biggest smile on my face and tears running down my face at the same time. That's exactly right. He knows Nonnie is his special angel and that one day he will be one too. It's as simple as that. If only we could all see the world as a three year old does.