Catching up . . . from last week

After the boys gracefully scaled our “fort” without assistance, Hatch and I agreed that the slide needed to be added ASAP.  The rascals admired it ALL DAY out the window as I promised them that Daddy would let them go on it as soon as he got home!  (I was not quite willing to chase a toddler to the top of the fort in my not-so-agile, very pregnant, and never-ever-been-coordinated state!)

The little Sailor was very pleased when Daddy let him drive the ship!

Despite his eagerness to be up there, W was not interested in sliding first . . . so, Mr. Fearless took a shot at it (and, again, refused help!) 

Success!

A little hesitant, but willing to try with Daddy’s help . . .  

And, he slid again and again and again . . . 

It seems that the slide flops you onto the ground, but these turkeys really don’t seem to mind!

H also had plenty of time to do his very favorite thing:  collect sticks.  We have tiny piles of sticks all over our yard and, sometimes, even in our car.  Sticks are really special to Hudson, and if he sees a good one, he must stop to pick it up.  A good stick cannot be passed by . . . so, be forewarned, in case you are ever trying to walk anywhere or do anything with this child and a stick is in your path, you best prepare to stop.  (Reason #472 that I am grateful for my stroller that holds and straps down THREE children!)

Sheer joy!

The boys wanted to share their love of digging with Baby Char-dee, so we invited him to join us at the Botanical Garden.  Sugie was very sweet and played with everyone while mommy sat her pregnant self on the bench and watched . . . 

The cute little pair:  Sugie (Or Guggie, if you ask Hudson) and Char-dee

And from the weekend before . . .

We had some fun time with the busy Larsons who stayed in town for the first weekend in a while!  We invited ourselves, at the last minute, to Sugie and Bumpa’s for lunch (Sugie wasn’t even there!)

Here is the little lunch bunch minus Hatch’s head and Aunt Katie . . . please notice the boys are sitting in chairs.  They refused to sit in their high chairs (are they almost 2?  anyone?)

 

I think these are hilarious . . . our three stooges

  

And, William, doing the one thing we asked him not to . . . he really could not help himself . . .

This one loves Auntie Katie’s necklace . . .  

He loves being stuck to his auntie!

more soon . . . 

School Days!

As you may remember, when we found out the exciting news of baby Anna’s arrival, we promptly signed our turkeys up for a one-day Mother’s Morning Out Program at a local church.  Their first day was this past Monday!  I worked in the class that day as the parent aide, so Hatch came to help me drop them off and to attend a Parent Info Meeting that I was missing.  There are 10 kids in the class, and 6 cried at the beginning of the day . . . 2 of those 6 were my children (and I was there!!) . . . they wanted their Daddy.  OH, DADDY!  Here are a few (rushed—we were in a hurry, go figure!) pictures from their first day at MMO! 

At first, I worried that we may be off to a bad start . . .

but once they realized Daddy was going with us, they literally did not stop “talking” all through breakfast!  They were wired!

Crazy face!

And, fortunately for us all, we did not throw fits when we put on our socks and shoes because Daddy was there wearing his.  (way to go, Daddy!  I feel certain that if Daddy did not wear sock, shoes, and glasses, my fashion might be compromised.  ha ha ha!)  (also, a sidenote:  both of these boys have “extra wide” feet, and I think it is hilarious!  little chunks!)

After breakfast, we grabbed our bags and headed out the door.  Hudson was especially excited!

(Hudson was more interested in picking up sticks than walking to the car)

Someone else preferred to stop to look at the plants

Somehow, we managed to get to school in plenty of time!

I love this one!  My big boy on the steps of his “school!”

The boys played for a while before their new friends came into the room . . .

H was especially fascinated with the tiny table and chairs . . .

This coming week will be their first week without me in the classroom.  In all seriousness, please join us in praying for a smooth transition for them.  We think that as much as they can know, they realize baby Anna is coming soon (4 weeks! ah!) . . . so, our leaving them has become increasingly difficult for them which makes it hard on us (especially hard on me).  That said, having 2+ hours to myself seems WILD . . . whatever will I do with myself?? 

After a GREAT afterschool nap, Daddy came home, and the boys discovered that he and Uncle Brett and Bumpa had started working on the swing set . . . the fort was up!  How fun!  (This is part of my “tire the children in the yard without having to leave the house” plan . . . )

William was helpin’ Daddy hammer (while using a blue shovel), but Hudson had other plans . . .

Although Hatch told him not to, W could not resist the temptation to climb into the fort himself . . . without help . . .

Family pow wow

And, H began to work on some important construction using Daddy’s scrap wood from the deck . . . the opportunities for fun are endless around here!

Adios!  More to come!

Just like Daddy!

I have been in a frenzy scheduling all check ups for myself and my boys for the next few weeks so that we can get them out of the way before Anna arrives!  This past week, William and I went to see the pediatric ophthalmologist (who we love) for a check up on his hemangioma.  The great news is that the hemangioma is continuing to go down in size and it is definitely not growing.  That said, the doctors seem to have hoped for a faster decline rate at this point, so they have started W on a new drop to see if it helps . . . but, no one is worried.  It is going down, and that is great.  Please join us in continuing to pray for Jesus to fully heal our little man’s eye!

While we were there, William’s verbal skills proved strong enough that he was able to do a vision test.  He did a great job for the most part, but he was being feisty and would not cooperate when we had him try to do the test with only his left eye (the one with the hemangioma).  So, they dilated his eyes and did an eye exam to see if there was a change in his astigmatism (which is very commonly affected by hemangiomas).  The shocking news was that his astigmatism had disappeared!  But, he is far more far sighted out of his left eye than his right, so now William gets to be JUST LIKE DADDY and wear glasses!  The doctor is unsure of whether this vision problem is caused by the hemangioma, but glasses are necessary regardless . . . After trying on the few pair in Richmond that actually fit his tiny face, we realized this was going to be quite a battle: “NO GWASSES!  NO GWASSES, MOMMY!!”

(he is saying “cheeeeeeeese!” here . . . ha ha)

So, per the optician’s advising, Hudson stayed with Sugie and Daddy, Mommy, and William had a special lunchtime picking up the new glasses.  Despite the fact that I used to make the boys’ baby food from scratch so that they would not have sugar overdose, I boldly went into the eye shop with a Vanilla Milkshake and Kids meal from McDonalds for my boy.  My theory?  I know he will sit still and drink a milkshake (which he called “COKE!”  . . . “More Coke, MOMMY!”—he has NEVER had coke!  Where does he get this stuff?) . . . and I thought that a french fry in each hand might prohibit him from grabbing the glasses off his face.  I would like to tell you that we were mostly successful!  YAY!

 

 

 

Because our appointment went so smoothly, we had extra time for a little picnic near the parking lot (lovely, I know, but this boy loves trucks and MANY a truck did we see!) with Daddy before he went back to work.

  

Enjoying our picnic!

Even Mommy dug out her gwasses for the big day!

We brought W’s favorite book (thank you, Max and Neveah) so that he could look through it . . . who knows if things looked clearer to him or not, but he loved “reading” with his glasses on!  Aside from ripping them off while staring in the mirror or smearing his chubby fingers on them, he really wore them all day!  He did SUCH a great job—I really could not have asked for a better response.  Of course, we’ll see what tomorrow brings; but, today went wonderfully . . .  before bed, he said “Ni Night, Gwasses!”  Thank you, Lord!

And, I must report that his brother has been NOTHING but sweet . . . he has not talked about the glasses, he has not touched them, and he may not have even noticed them.  If the situation were reversed, we would have had to buy a fake pair to make it through the day. 

(this one is from July . . . )

These boys are just so sweet! 

 

Have a great weekend!