Bowling with the Hudsons

We took the kids bowling for the first time on Saturday. We went with the Hudson's, and overall they had a REALLY good time! Hailey loves her some Garret! I think there is going to be a fight over him once the kids get older! The other day she told me she was going to marry Garret....what happened to Gabe?? I guess this is just the beginning of changing out her boyfriends ever other day!

Can I just tell you there was some initial drama when we started. Hailey didn't understand the concept of only using "your" own ball and that some balls are heavier than others. She was terribly upset the the ball that was her size was orangy brown, but the lane next to us had a gorgeous pink ball that she wanted to use. Why on earth could she not have the pink one?? She threw a fit and decided she would prefer to go home. After explaining the situation and Ms. Leila running around looking for a pink ball that was their weight, Hailey is able to bowl with a ball."I can do it myself" she tells us as she struggles with the 8 pound ball.Good job Hailey!!Garret cheering her on..."GO STRIKE! You can do it Hailey!!"Tyler is so proud of his Sissy!Garret's Turn!!!Here goes Hailey again...With a little help from Garret, they watch their ball CREEP to the pins...Now, these pictures make it LOOK like we had things under control. Contrary to popular belief, we spent the majority of our 90 minute bowl session chasing down kids, getting balls unstuck from the lane (because they roll so slow with the kids bowling) and running after Tyler (who for the most part was a VERY patient boy and a REAL trooper!!

Mr. Aaron lining up for a Strike!!And Daddy praying that the coveted pink ball will bring in his Spare!Here the kids are cheering on their Daddies.And what would we do without our dedicated scorekeeper!

As we were packing up to leave, I informed Shawn I was running to the ladies room at the same time he was telling me he was returning the shoes and balls. Well, since we were listening to each other with such great skills, I return from the bathroom to discover that Tyler had taken off down the lanes to the pins, fallen down, and was sprawled out in the middle of the lanes! Oh dear, this place is NEVER going to let us back!!!

We topped off the evening with some very fattening ice cream sundeas at Friendly's. Poor Ty was SO beat that he almost passed out in his highchair - only to be revived by the waitress arriving with the ice cream. I believe Tyler ate more of Daddy's Milk Shake that Daddy did!

Great evening...can't wait to do it again!

Story About Invisible Moms

Invisible Mother.....

It all began to make sense, the blank stares, the lack of response, the way one of the kids will walk into the room while I'm on the phone and ask to be taken to the store. Inside I'm thinking, 'Can't you see I'm on the phone?'

Obviously not; no one can see if I'm on the phone, or cooking, or sweeping the floor, or even standing on my head in the corner, because no one can see me at all. I'm invisible.

The invisible Mom. Some days I am only a pair of hands, nothing more! Can you fix this? Can you tie this? Can you open this??

Some days I'm not a pair of hands; I'm not even a human being. I'm a clock to ask, 'What time is it?' I'm a satellite guide to answer, 'What number is the Disney Channel?' I'm a car to order, 'Right around 5:30, please.'

I was certain that these were the hands that once held books and the eyes that studied history and the mind that graduated summa cum laude -but now, they had disappeared into the peanut butter, never to be seen again. She's going, she's going, she's gone!?

One night, a group of us were having dinner, celebrating the return of a friend from England . Janice had just gotten back from a fabulous trip, and she was going on and on about the hotel she stayed in. I was sitting there, looking around d at the others all put together so well. I t was hard not to compare and feel sorry for myself. I was feeling pretty pathetic, when Janice turned to me with a beautifully wrapped package, and said, 'I brought you this.'

It was a book on the great cathedrals of Europe . I wasn't exactly sure why she'd given it to me until I read her inscription: 'To Charlotte , with admiration for the greatness of what you are building when no one sees.'

In the days ahead I would read - no, devour - the book. And I would discover what would become for me, four life-changing truths, after which I could pattern my work: No one can say who built the great cathedrals - we have no record of their names. These builders gave their whole lives for a work they would never see finished. They made great sacrifices and expected no credit. The passion of their building was fueled by their faith that the eyes of God saw everything.

A legendary story in the book told of a rich man who came to visit the cathedral while it was being built, and he saw a workman carving a tiny bird on the inside of a beam. He was puzzled and asked the man, 'Why are you spending so much time carving that bird into a beam that will be covered by the roof, No one will ever see it. And the workman replied, 'Because God sees.'

I closed the book, feeling the missing piece fall into place. It was almost as if I heard God whispering to me, 'I see you, Charlotte. I see the sacrifices you make every day, even when no one around you does.

No act of kindness you've done, no sequin you've sewn on, no cupcake you've baked, is too small for me to notice and smile over. You are building a great cathedral, but you can't see right now what it will become.

At times, my invisibility feels like an affliction. But it is not a disease that is erasing my life. It is the cure for the disease of my own self-centeredness. It is the antidote to my strong, stubborn pride.

I keep the right perspective when I see myself as a great builder. As one of the people who show up at a job that they will never see finished, to work on something that their name will never be on. The writer of the book went so far as to say that no cathedrals could ever be built in our lifetime because there are so few people willing to sacrifice to that degree.

When I really think about it, I don't want my son to tell the friend he's bringing home from college for Thanksgiving, 'My Mom gets up at 4 in the morning and bakes homemade pies, and then she hand-bastes a turkey for 3 hours and presses all the linens for the table.' That would mean I'd built a shrine or a monument to myself.. I just want him to want to come home. And then, if there is anything more to say to his friend, to add, 'You're gonna love it there.'

As mothers, we are building great cathedrals. We cannot be seen if we're doing it right. And one day, it is very possible that the world will marvel, not only at what we have built, but at the beauty that has been added to the world by the sacrifices of invisible women.

Great Job, MOM!

Share this with all the Invisible Moms you know... I just did. The Will of God will never take you where the Grace of God will not protect you. This is beautiful and makes a ton of sense. To all the wonderful mothers out there.

I am in much debt to my invisible Mother..

Playing with my camera

These photos were taken last week on Tyler's birthday afternoon....just now getting around to posting them...it was a beautiful day, the kids were having a blast outside and I was having fun playing with my camera...as always, there are several pictures so hope you don't get bored! I most definitely don't get bored of looking at my kids, but that's cuz I'm a little bias!

My little man!!! He has stolen my heart!
He's already adopting an interest in football. I just can't get enough....
I know, I know...this is like the 80th picture of the kids swinging....but they love it so much and so do I! What a hoot!
And how gorgeous is she?? Disheveled hair and all!!!
Cute pic, but what I love the most is how she's looking up at him with such admiration! Daddy IS her prince!! He's just the cutest!!
She's telling me about nature right now...
Tyler is Shawn's Mini Me~
Up Up and AWAY!

Stay away from the Cookies!!!

I'm going to have a HUGE problem if Hailey ever becomes a girl scout because I am ADDICTED to girl scout cookies! What's up with the fact that if I let myself I can polish of an entire box of Tagalongs in one sitting! I don't think that is the recommended serving size on the box!! I find myself hiding in the pantry sneaking cookies. The problem with this picture, there is no one else in the house right now! Who am I hiding from? Myself! HA HA!

Baby's Don't Keep

The other night, I was reading some of the other blogs I watch and I came across a post that brought me to tears (in a good way). It is from a poem by Ruth Hulburt Hamilton called Song for a Fifth Child, written in 1958 and first published in the Ladies Home Journal. No, I'm not considering having five children, but has inspired me to take a second look at my parenting and make a greater attempt to relish in those "little moments". Because the little moments won't be here very long!

Song for a Fifth Child.

Mother, O Mother, come shake out your cloth,

Empty the dustpan, poison the moth,

Hang out the washing, make up the bed,

Sew on a button and butter the bread.

Where is the mother whose house is so shocking?

She's up in the nursery, blissfully rocking.

Oh, I've grown as shiftless as Little Boy Blue,

Lullabye, rockabye, lullabye loo.

Dishes are waiting and bills are past due

Pat-a-cake, darling, and peek, peekaboo

The shopping's not done and there's nothing for stew

And out in the yard there's a hullabaloo

But I'm playing Kanga and this is my Roo

Look! Aren't his eyes the most wonderful hue?

Lullabye, rockaby lullabye loo.

The cleaning and scrubbing can wait till tomorrow

But children grow up as I've learned to my sorrow.

So quiet down cobwebs; Dust go to sleep!
I'm rocking my baby and babies don't keep.

Tyler's Birthday Bash Round 3

Well, we debated on what to do as far as a party for Tyler's birthday. For Hailey's first birthday we hadn't been in the new house long, so we had a HUGE party and invited all our friends and family members, especially those that had kids. It was great fun, but greatly stressful and chaotic! Therefore, for her second birthday, we scaled it down significantly, and then due to her being sick the day of the party, we had her original party with just the grandparents and the following week we had a makeup party with 3 families of her friends....MUCH more manageable!! For her 3rd birthday, I wanted to include all her friends from daycare AND church, hence the reason we held it at the church and opened the invitation to all our extended family members. That was great fun!

Thus bringing us to Tyler's big day. On one hand, we wanted to do something special for him because it's his birthday, for goodness sake! All birthday kids have to have a party! But there was NO way I was going to have as many people here as we did for Hailey's 1st Birthday. And having such a huge bash at the church less than a month ago, I didn't want to overkill the birthday thing by having another big bash at the church! So we were very torn as to how to handle the party situation. We wanted to invite EVERYONE again, but wanted it low key so WE could enjoy our children and not have to worry about the entertainment aspect of hosting a party.

So the solution we came to (after several nights of hemming and hawing) was to have a VERY small party and keep it to JUST Grandparents and a few of TYLER's closest friends (imagine that! planning the guest list around the guest of honor!?!?! Who could imagine such a thing??) Instead of inviting all of the daycare kids, we sent cupcakes to daycare on Wednesday and they sang to him and celebrated there.

Well, now that you have the background, please enjoy the photos. Click on the slide show to pull up Picasa to watch it larger and see the narration.

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Birthday Dinner

For dinner tonight we had Tyler's FAVORITE - Spaghetti and Meatballs. Problems are - 1) he doesn't like to be fed anymore and 2) spaghetti sauce turns him into an Oompa Loompa. Tyler was so hungery, he was fussing for dinner for a while before it was ready. We put his dinner on his tray, proceeded to fix our plates and sit down....by the time we sat for dinner, Tyler was FINISHED his whole plate and yelling and signing for more!!! Good thing I made a dinner he liked tonight!

Next came birthday cake! I made cupcakes to take to daycare today, so we enjoyed them tonight as well. We had candles spelling out TYLER and little Mickey figurines. Hailey helped me decorate the cupcakes with sprinkles also.After we sang to him, Hailey got to help him blow out the candles....he was sooo tickled that he was actually the one at the center of attention!He stared at his cupcake for a while. I know he's had cake before, and honestly, eats it more than any one year old should.....But he had no problem knowing exactly what to do with the cake. BAMM! Right to the kisser!!You want some??Orange stained spaghetti face with crumbs to accessorize~Tyler opened a few gifts from Nana & Pappy...CLOTHES....Boring! I think I'll stick with my car, thanks! (But Mommy & Daddy appreciate the clothes!)Tyler also got a new slide for his birthday! When he saw the box, he ran to it and squeeled, then started touching the kids in the pictures and jabbering about what they were doing! Shawn and Pappy put it together immediately because of this reaction. TYLER LOVES his slide!!!WHAT A BIG BOY!!!!This is a terrible face that I'm wearing, but I had to post because of Tyler's face. He's literally squealing for joy so hard, that he fell right into me! He is very appreciative and greatful for his fun new toys!!!It's my birthday and I'll cry if I want to, "Sissy's on my slide, I can't reach my ball, and I'm SOOO tired!!"OK, all is right with the world...I got my ball...Honestly guys, as much as I LOVE my new toys, the boxes are just as cool!PEEK A BOO!
Happy Birthday Big Man!!!

Happy Birthday Tyler!!!

Tyler is one! Our BABY BOY is ONE! Wow! It seems like just yesterday I was in the hosptial waiting for him to arrive. He wanted to stay in there, that's for sure! But one year ago tonight I was laying in a hospital bed with my baby boy sleeping on my chest. I hope I never forget that memory! If I could go back to that day every day, I would...because it was such a special emotion that I didn't want to end.

But then we have days like today, that make me realize why those memories are just that...and that each and every day is a new memory - and exciting at that!

This morning Tyler was given some gifts and boy was he excited!! He loves Mickey Mouse - he went directly to his Mickey gift bag, started patting at it and said something that sounded like Mouse - I think it was like "Mas". He kept going back to it and the wrapping paper saying "Mas".But the exciting part of the morning...."I GOT A CAR!!!"Hi Mom & Dad! I got a car!!!!! Watch out everyone...here I come!!!!I'll take a fill up, please!!!
And this was just birthday morning! More fun events to come!!!!!

TUBES!

So as the Doctor walks into the exam room, he takes one look at Tyler's history and says, "So when do you want to schedule tubes?" Wasn't really much discussion!! He basically said we could continue doing what we are doing (suspecting an infection, confirming the infection, treating the infection, and then starting all over again), but doing so will result in the same outcome.

Albert Einstein once said “The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results”. I'm sane enough to realize we have to do something different!!!

The problem lies in that his ears are not draining properly, which is causing the infections. By not addressing the drainage issues, we are not giving him any chance of relief!

Bless his little heart, he has another infection at the moment (or maybe the same one that we've been trying to treat for the past 3 weeks and still can't cure). This Doctor gave him yet another antibiotic that we haven't tried, so hopefully it will work.

Surgery is scheduled for April 3rd. Please keep Ty in your prayers!!

ENT Appt Today - Please pray!

Last night was another rough night for Tyler. The last I posted about him was Monday night. He had to have a total of 3 shots in 3 days that concluded last Wednesday. The shots were, as they say, "Liquid Gold" as he immediately started improving. The sad thing was his actions on Tuesday and Wednesday when we went into the office and walked into the exam room and he knew what was coming. BOY was he mad!! He did not want any more ouchies!!!

So the week & weekend passed with a good spirited baby and nights of decent sleep. Until last night. He woke up at 12:30 last night and screamed for about a half hour, just tugging at his ears. We gave him Motrin and a bottle of milk to relax him and he eventually calmed down. But given that the antibotic was just finished on Wednesday, either the infection is still present or a new one has developed. Either way, that's not a good sign in regards to his path towards tubes.

So we are headed to Easton to the ENT today...our appointment is at 2pm. Please pray for him. I know things could be worse! And that's what keeps me positive...at least it's JUST his ears. I just pray it doesn't affect his hearing and his balance, etc. Ears are such a delicate part of the body. Their are so many important little organs in there. It's kinda scary! And of course, with the positive stories I've heard about children with tubes, there come the negative/horror stories as well!

BEAUTIFUL WEEKEND!!!

It's amazing that not 5 days after a snow storm, we are living in 70 degree weather! This weekend was GORGEOUS! Saturday morning we took the kids down to Pemberton Elementary with the Buntings and the Hudsons and the kids got to play while the guys played catch to warm up for Softball. (Unfortunately psycho camera girl forgot her camera! LOL)

Hailey was quite cranky Saturday morning. Not 15 minutes after arriving at the playground, she started whining that she wanted to come home and watch TV and play with her princesses. THAT DOES IT! We are putting a time limit on TV! There's no reason why a 3 year old can't play outside for more than 15 minutes without whining to go inside.

She eventually warmed up and once swinging for a while, she perked up. Then the morning took a turn when Hailey announced she had to go pee pee and there was no potty in sight!! We attempted to go behind a tree to do her business, and while I was helping her take her pants off so she didn't get them wet, she let it go! The girl peed right on me! And all over herself!! Imagine me taking her back to the car (crossing Pemberton Drive) with no pants on! So that kinda concluded our park time.

Sunday afternoon I couldn't resist. Shawn was working and it was still so pretty that I could the kids to Ben's Red Swings and then we walked through the zoo! What fun!

I can't belive how big my baby boy is getting!! Check him out hanging with the big kids!

Here's a silly thing about Hailey. When we are at events, sometimes she isn't satisfied and either asks to leave or just wanders around. But then after the event is over she talks so highly about it and about how much fun she had. She was on the swing for MAYBE 5 minutes. When I asked her later tonight what her favorite part was, she said, "The SWINGS!" Then when we were at the zoo, every animal exhibit we came up to, I'd say, "Look Hailey, a Llama!" She's say, "Wow, let's see what's next." It continued like that with every exhibit. Yet when she comes home and tells people about her day, she says it with such excitement: "I saw an Alligator and Flamingos! And a Buffalo!" What a funny girl.

Tyler enjoyed the animals too, but he was more interested in his juice!

Please help me pray for Ryan!!

You may notice my new button on the top right corner of our blog. It's for a new born baby boy - Henry Ernest Marquiss V, A.K.A. "Ryan". Please click on the "Praying for Ryan" button to read about him. But to summarize VERY quickly

In 6th, 7th, & 8th grade I went to Heritage Academy for School. There were 2 people there that were a few years older than me - Henry Marquiss & Leighann Ennis. Fast forward 15 years, they are married and just had their third child on February 19th. Ryan is already a miracle baby, while in utero they were told he wasn't going to make it past 12 weeks. Well, he's here and he's still living by the sheer grace of God! However, he was born with his heart and his stomach outside of his body; therefore, an uphill marathon is going to be required of this little baby and his family.

Yesterday Ryan underwent his first of many cardiac surgeries and he's in need of prayers.

If you are reading this blog, please do Ryan the favor of lifting your requests to our ALMIGHTY GOD!

Tyler's newest things

Some new things Tyler is doing:

He's been walking for almost 2 months now. He's very comfortable with himself, he can go from sitting to standing without having to crawl to get support. He's also able to turn around without falling to the ground. The funniest thing, he moonwalks and walks sidways! It cracks me up!!! And he does it with such ease!!

He's doing a great job at trying to talk. His latest "words" are, More (he does the sign language for More also), Ba - when referring for bottle or juice cup, Juc - an attempt at Juice, Mommy and Daddy are very clear, Sss-sss for Sissy - when pointing to her, and Piz - for Please.

Some of the things he tries to say...he uses the sign for "more" when referring to food or drink. When he's really hungry, he'll come running into the kitchen signing "More" say, "Momma, mo peez! Mo Mo!"

Also, the moment he gets in the car he instinctively asks for Juice. He'll look at me signing "more" and say - "Ma, Ba, Juc, Piz"

He's pointing at everything trying to tell us what he wants and is really showing his temper when he doesn't get what he wants.

The other day he was hungry for dinner, I was in the process of making it and he started crying saying, "Ma, Piz, Mo" I told him it was almost ready. He dropped to the floor, flung his head back and slammed his forehead on the floor. Then of course started crying harder because he hurt himself!

Another thing he was doing yesterday that I thought was quite amazing...Hailey has a teeny tiny tea set with pieces that are no bigger than a quarter inch - no lie. I have educated her that she needs to keep them away from Tyler so he doesn't choke on them. She also has a little plastic vase that she puts on her teaset table that has an opening that is 1 inch wide. She put the tiny pieces inside the vase to keep them away from Tyler. Well, Tyler was looking at the vase and noticed there was something inside of it. He started shaking it and then turned it upside down and dumped it out. He then proceeded to pick up the pieces and put them back in the vase. You may think that this sounds very trivial, but that is pretty impressive dexterity to have in your fingers just going on 12 months old.

Tyler's Ears - PLEASE PRAY

Well, our baby is struggling with his ears. He's on his 5th ear infection since October. Last Monday I took him to the Dr. and he had an ear infection in the left ear. He's been on so many different antibiotics that they were at a loss as to what to give him that would even touch the infection. He had a pretty rough week, and on Friday I took him back because we just didn't feel he was improving. And sure enough, the left ear was still infected and the right ear was full of fluid and looking a little red. They gave him a stronger antibiotic, that they warned does not taste good at all! Well, starting on Friday, twice a day we had to give him 3/4 tsp of this medicine, that he gagged on then proceed to throw up not only the medicine but also some of his most recent meal.

So this morning I took him back to see if there was anything else we could do, as I knew he wasn't getting any of the medicine in his body. The Dr. told me that when he came in, he was expecting that it was just going to be pressure on his ears from teething and that it wouldn't truly be an ear infection. Sure enough, the left ear is STILL very red and the fluid is still in the right ear. He looked at me and tilted his head, "He's probably going to need tubes next!"

So they are giving him shots of rocephin for the next few days, that they say will show improvement within a week. But our followup appointment will be NEXT Tuesday with an ENT specialist.

I know Tubes are very common and from what I hear from others, definitely improves the ear infection trend...but it sure is tough when it's your own kid! The last thing I want to see is my son in pain, but I also don't want him to go through the process of getting tubes either! I've heard bad things about them too!

Oh well, we will do whatever is best for his health. Until then, I ask for prayers for Tyler that he will soon heal from this infection and that we can rectify this problem!! We love you all for your thoughts and prayers!!

Hailey-isms

It's been a while since I've been able to go into detail about the pictures I posted over the past few months, so I need to get in the habit of posting more often so I'm not playing catch up. That will enable me to tell more stories that are TOTALLY cracking me up that I have to share with someone.

#1 - On Monday (the day we had our big snow), as I was picking Hailey up from Daycare, she came out of the bathroom jabbering to herself, "I got my new princess boots on...they are my butt kicking boots!...Shiney Hiney Kickin Boots!" MY MY MY...the things my precious husband teaches our 3 year old!!!

#2 - Sunday afternoon Hailey fell asleep in the car. When she woke up, she was crying that her neck hurt. I explained to her that she must have a kink in her neck. Tonight she was in the tub and she was gruffing about something, saying "Owie, Owie" I said, "What's wrong Hailey?" She responds, "I hurt my ink." (You mean you have a kink? LOL)

#3 - As I was snuggling in bed with Hailey, after we had finished reading Cinderella, she was laying there just thinking, and says to herself, "Boys marry Princesses....I hope one day a Prince will marry me because I'm a Princess." Yes Hailey, you are our Princess. But don't grow up so fast baby!!

Thank you for the birthday gifts!

Well, we've been diligently working on our Thank You Cards from the party, and we officially finished them all tonight! First of all, notice the accessorizing by Princess Hailey...she couldn't work on her cards until she was dressed to impress with her necklace, bracelet, and ring! The reason it's taken so long to get the Thank You cards out is because I wanted to make Hailey part of it. Not so much to do an activity/project with her, but to also teach her how its important to show our appreciation to people when they do nice things for us, such as come to parties and bring us gifts, etc. She enjoyed it and signed her name on all the cards. We talked about each little note we wrote inside, and who it was for, and after each note I wrote, she'd say..."HMMM, I think {this person} would like me to sign my name in {this color} because it's his/her favorite." So to everyone that receives a Thank You card from Hailey, there is a special reason why the color was chosen for signing her name.

She even had to sign her name twice with two different colors on the card to Uncle Johnny & Becky. As she's picking out the markers, she acted as if they were talking to each other.

Blue Marker: "Hi, I'm blue and I'm for Johnny"

Pink Marker: "Hi, I'm pink and I'm for Becky"

Blue Marker: "Hi Pink, you are pretty"

Pink Marker: "Hi Blue, you are handsome"

Is this the kind of conversation that YOUR markers have with each other!?!?

SNOW DAY!!!!

Finally!! We got REAL snow today! Hailey was SOOO tickled. She couldn't wait to go outside today. She said to me while jumping in excitement, "I'm going to go out and we are going to make snow angels and eat the snow and have a snowball fight and make a snow man and the Grinch and Santa and a pink car"

I have NOO idea where she got the ideas past the snow man...but whatever! She made her snow angels with her Daddy, the snow wasn't packable snow, and within 5 minutes the wind was blowing snow in her face and she was ready to go back inside!!Hailey and Daddy were TRYING to get the snow to pack....no luck!Tyler wasn't really sure WHAT to make of the snow.Hailey went to Cassies adn they were outside playing. Hailey is the one in the bright pink coat on her knees eating snow. They got to put snow in a ball and put food coloring and maple syrup in it and then they ate it for a snack! SO COOL!!!