Thanksgiving: part 2

Well, so much has happened since Thursday! We've cooked, eaten, cleaned up, played with kids and then done it all again! We had our Thanksgiving dinner on Friday afternoon. It was fun making all the food with James' family.
This is James' mom and Aunt with all of their grand kids. They're all boys:
Dawson, Asa, Judah, Grandma, Dylan, Drew, Aunt Shirley, Aden

Yesterday I helped Janeille and Sandy set up the tree for Curves at the Festival of Trees. I think our tree is the best looking tree there, despite what that lady said as she walked by... "Oh, my tree is better than that one." I didn't really take her opinion to heart since she said she really liked this cheesy white tree with bows and balls on it. Our tree was entitled Christmas Flowers and had poinsettias and gold balls on it. It was classic.
James has been to the nursing home to see his grandmother who isn't doing very well. It's always hard to see someone who used to care for you unable to care for themselves.
Saturday afternoon was when the real excitement began. Dylan (James' youngest nephew) started throwing up. I won't share all the details, but it happened several times. We thought the other kids would be fine as long as they didn't have contact with Dylan. Shortly after getting to Janeille's house for our dinner of hours devourers, Asa threw up on James. We undressed both of them (I know, exciting!) and put Asa in a big plastic tub. It's a good thing we did that since he threw up a few minutes later.

After that happened, we decided we should go to James' parent's house and put Asa to bed. We were up several times in the night changing Asa's jammies and bedding. At one point, James said he was glad that Asa didn't have diarrhea. Guess what? A couple minutes later I smelled a terrible stench. We've had four of those since about 3:00 AM. I can't count the number of times Asa threw up. This morning he asked for a drink but threw it up a few minutes later. That's how the rest of the day has gone. I thought he was over it a a couple hours ago, but he was just holding his drink in a bit longer.
Here are the boys on the couch. Notice that Asa is sitting on towels and plastic to protect the couch and the two boys are on opposite ends of the couch!

Well, you're all probably ready to puke yourselves! We really are having a good trip. It is so good to see family. It's only been bad for the last 20 hours. I just hope Asa is better by the time we leave for home tomorrow!

Thanksgiving Road Trip: part 1

This is my journal from our little drive from Kansas City to Arizona to visit James' family this Thanksgiving.

9:30 PM

We are about half an hour away from Oklahoma City. The trip hasn’t been the greatest, but we still are optimistic. I type to the sounds of Christian music on our satellite radio and Judah crying.
I left around 3:30 to pick James up at work. Poop leaked out of Judah’s diaper and Asa was screaming by the time we got to NPH. It was 4:30 by the time we left. I drove the first leg. I think James might have fallen asleep for a little bit. Asa watched a Baby Einstein movie a few times on our computer. And I think Judah slept. After about an hour James had to sit in the middle seat to entertain Asa. We ate our sandwiches and Asa was happy a little while longer. Around 6:30 we got tangled up in a traffic jam. There was a truck with a sign that said “accident ahead” but we never saw an accident. We were going 10 mph for about a mile then we sped up to 30 for a few more miles. Things finally cleared up right after the place where a trooper was taking inventory of people’s speeds. James said he hoped we weren’t slowed down because of him.
Shortly after that mess the kids got fussy. We were on the Kansas Turnpike and stopped at a McDonald’s. It was packed with people also! We let Asa walk around for a while and changed Judah’s diaper. When we got back in the van, I sat in the back with the boys and James drove. It was about 7:30. I held a bottle for Judah with one hand and Asa held my other hand so he could fall asleep. I think it’s sweet that he likes holding his Mom’s hand. Don’t worry, I cherished the moment because I know it won’t last forever. Judah was happy for a while after he finished his bottle, but was soon pretty fussy, as he is now. I think I might go back and hold him for a little bit.

10:45
We’re getting gas in Oklahoma City. ($1.47) I got Judah to calm down and fall asleep. Asa has screamed out a few times because he can’t roll over in his car seat. Poor kid. I’m just glad he quiets himself. I also slept for a while. And now I’m going back to sleep!

2:30 AM Thanksgiving Day
Gas stop in Amarillo, Texas. ($1.56) James pulled over about two hours ago to let me drive. (I was begging….) Asa was awake watching Veggie Tales for these last two hours. For a while he was watching the menu and was entertained. He started asking for a drink so James gave him a water bottle. He drank a lot and then played with the bottle and got all wet. We changed him at this stop. Judah also woke up and had some milk. He is quietly sitting in his car seat.
I’ve seen these signs many times before, but it still is interesting to me. There’s a fold down sign before every bridge in the southern states that says “Icy Bridge.” That’s all I have to say about that.

3:41 AM
Boys are sleeping, I should be too.

7:29 AM (Mountain Time Zone)
I really can’t remember what happened the last several hours. There was crying, sleeping, driving, switching drivers and lots of climbing from the front to middle seat. We are on our way out of the Flying J here in Albuquerque. (Type that ten times!) Gas was $1.63. We also stopped by the McDonald’s for a sausage biscuit. As we were leaving, I realized that the McDonald’s was open on Thanksgiving day. I should have ordered a turkey biscuit.

11:30 AM
We have arrived in Winslow! We had to stop twice to change diapers. A car actually stopped to ask if we needed help as we were sitting on the side of the road. That was pretty thoughtful of them. Asa is pretty happy to see his Grandma and Grandpa, even though he has just woken up from a nap.

Exercise Update

Well, last week I successfully didn't ignore my ball once for about 20 minutes. I also used it for a chair a few times. Bouncing on it makes Judah happy. I put forth a little bit more effort than the previous week. I'm currently in the middle of a work-out. Feel the burn!

Bath Time

Here's Asa's routine when he takes a bath:
1. Open both doors of the bathroom cabinet.
2. Get out basket of toys.
3. Shut both doors of cabinet.
4. Throw toys one by one into the tub.
5. Open both doors of cabinet.
6. Return toy basket to its home.
7. Close both doors of cabinet.
8. Get in tub and sit for a while.
9. Play, splash, get soapy, etc.

He's a little obsessive-compulsive!

Patty Cake

Just a short note today.
Last night I was doing patty cake with Judah. Asa was also doing it on his own. This morning Judah was sitting on my lap. Asa has been very loving this morning. He has cuddled with me a lot and wanted to hold Judah several times. He only has enough patience to hold Judah for a few seconds and then wants out. Anyhow, Asa came up to Judah and grabbed his hands. He started gently clapping them together and said patty cake. It was so cute!

A Great Memory

Today marks two years since my dad went on to be in heaven. I am so sad but also very glad for my dad's life and the great memories I have. One of the more memorable moments was one summer walking beans. I was the only kid left at home and sometimes these times working with just Dad could get boring and uncomfortable, that akward silence. The day I remember Dad asked me if I could live anywhere where would I choose. I had some friends in Arizona and thought that it would be pretty cool to live closer to them. But in the end, I said that I would want to finish school here with my friends. I didn't know at the time, but my parents were close to making the decision to quit farming. My dad wanted me to have some input to where we would live. I look back at that and really appreciate my dad having that conversation with me.
Another fond memory is Dad playing with my nieces and nephew. I never liked doing "tricks" with Dad when I was little. I was always afraid someone would get hurt as Dad flung them high in the air on his feet. As an adult, I loved hearing the kids giggle and squeal when they jumped on their grandpa or were lifted high in the air. I think I am most sad because I will never get to see my dad play with my kids.




PS: If you ever hear me laugh when one of my boys appears to be choking on something and makes a hacking sound, it's just because Dad was always making that sound. It's a nice little reminder of my dad!

Another Busy Weekend

We had a busy weekend. Friday night I went to a sleepover for the teenage girls from church. I stayed until 12:40. It was actually pretty fun. The boys stayed with James. He said they did a pretty good job without me. Right after I left, he saw some liquidy brown stuff and thought Asa had diarrhea. Turns out it was just M&M slobber.
Saturday I had to go to two grocery stores. I went to two because of selection and prices. I don't think we've ever had less food than we had in our house so I had a lot of things to buy. I actually went in two different trips. I think James was glad because Judah wasn't exactly being a good baby while I was gone to the first store.
Saturday night we had a Sunday school party. It wasn't really for Thanksgiving or Christmas. Just a time to get together, eat and have some fun. While we were getting ready, Asa decided to look at a picture that was on our dresser. He dropped it on the floor and broke the frame. It was a really heavy glass Mikasa frame we got as a wedding gift. It broke into a lot of pieces. I was surprised that Asa didn't get hurt. He was sad that he had to play in his room while I cleaned up all the glass. In his defense, I had just let him hold a frame with a picture of my mom and dad.
Once at the party, Asa spilled his plate of lasagna on the carpet. I felt bad, but we cleaned it up and I don't think they will ever notice where the spill was. Other than that, our boys were pretty good. Asa got rather tired towards the end of the evening and Judah wasn't wanting to eat, so I was concerned about him. I think sometimes he gets upset when there's a lot of noise. He must not have been hungry because he finally ate a little and then slept the whole night.
Sunday we went to church then to our pastor's house for lunch. We had a Thanksgiving dinner at church in the evening. Last year I made a few dishes and ended up taking most of it home. I decided that I would just make one thing this year. It was much easier. Asa was still pretty tired when we went back to church. He had a short nap since we were later getting home after church. Let's just say that we didn't have a relaxing meal. We were glad to get home and put Asa to bed.
It was a busy weekend, but we had a lot of fun!
Asa suddenly is saying something like "where did it go?" And he holds his hands out to his side gesturing. It's so cute. Sometimes he just says "where." It's cute.
Asa also knows what letters are! He has been pointing at our shirts with words and saying different letters, or at least different sounds. He also was digging our magnetic letters out from under the fridge this morning and saying "letter" and some individual letters. His favorites seem to be h and p.
Meanwhile, I am trying to lose some of the flab on my legs and stomach. I had the goal of working out with my exercise ball three times last week. I didn't do it once. I had ample opportunity but never remembered my goal when I had free time. I have the same goal for this week. I also read last night that fiber helps burn fat. Or something like that. You also need to drink a lot of water when having a lot of fiber. So three goals this week: don't ignore the ball, drink water, eat fiber. I'll report next week on my progress.

Too Much TV!

I have been thinking recently that I let Asa watch too much TV. Actually, we all watch too much TV. It hasn't been as bad in the evenings recently since we've been busier. I have been turning the TV off during the day unless I really want to sit down and watch something. But Asa has been watching a lot of kid shows. He loves Sesame Street and Blue's Clues. The BC one is a bummer because we just have one video and I don't like hearing it all the time. Anyhow, last night Asa was having trouble sleeping again and we were listening to him talk. At one point, he said this: "movie, Clifford, Blue's Clues." That's when I decided we really have to limit him. It was pretty funny listening to him, though. He was also listing off other things he knows. I can only imagine the thoughts going on in his little head. Here is another sentence: "Judah? Mommy? Daddy? Work."

Update

Well, by the time I finished blogging last night, Asa was not happy. I got him out of his bed and let him sleep with us. I don't think I mentioned that I wasn't up late just for fun. I was having trouble getting Judah to sleep. He fell asleep once but woke up when I laid him down. I was holding him while typing last night. OK, so Asa fell asleep pretty well in our bed. I woke up once and tried to lay him down in his bed but he woke up and cried. Back to our bed. I saw him several times in various positions between James and me. James finally took Asa back to his bed when Judah woke up to eat. Asa wasn't happy, but he did fall asleep in his bed after a while. I guess the night wasn't too bad, but it wasn't ideal either. Three cheers for a king size bed!

Glorious Sleep

We have finally set up our second crib. Judah has been sleeping in a cradle in our room since he was born. A couple weeks ago we decided that it was time for Judah to move into Asa's room. James carried the pieces of the crib (a hand-me-down from some friends) and started to assemble it. There was one little problem: he didn't know where the bolts were. He looked several places and had no luck. I looked some as well, but I'm thinking that I was focused on something else and didn't look very hard. I can usually find things that are lost. And I usually remember where I've stashed the lost item. Anyhow, we couldn't find these bolts. Friday I was doing something in the garage and started looking around for them and I found them! Yeah! They were in a baseball glove that was on the "tool shelf."
Saturday James set up the other crib right next to Asa's crib. We decided to move Asa into the new crib since it's really nice and much more sturdy than the one he was sleeping in. He really likes it. He wanted to get in it as soon as James had it set up.
Last night was the first chance we had to put Judah down in Asa's room. Saturday night he was having trouble falling asleep and we let him sleep in our bed. I was so afraid last night that we would all be awake in the night, but everyone slept the whole night. I am still happy about that! This morning when Asa woke up, he pointed into the other bed and said "Judah." I think he likes having his brother in his room.
As I type this, I am pretty sure tonight will not be as great as last night. I don't think Asa is feeling very well. I guess I'll back up to this morning with the story. He was watching a movie and fell asleep on the couch. I didn't move him up to his bed since we were going to have lunch with some teenagers from church an hour later. When I went out to put some things in the van, I think the sound of the door made him fall off the couch. When I got back in the house, he was on the floor crying. It took a while for him to be happy again. Later when we got home from lunch, he had trouble falling asleep and didn't have a very good nap. I had a Tastefully Simple party tonight and James put Asa down a little after 7:00. That's early for Asa, but he was tired. Then when I got home around 9:30, Asa woke up. He's back in bed now (11:12) but is awake and saying "Daddy, Mommy, Mommy, Daddy, Daddy, bear..." I'm not sure if I should leave him there or go get him.
All that to say, tonight won't be as great as last night!
Did I mention that on Halloween Asa ate about half a tootsie roll with the wrapper on? I actually was able to dig it out of his mouth. He was a little upset after that.

Pictures

I really don't have anything to say today. I put new pictures on flickr. (See link to the right.) I would like to mention again how much James and I love our boys. It is amazing to watch them grow up right in front of us. We love looking back at pictures and videos from when both of them were younger. Asa knows so many words. He amazes me every day with his vocabulary. One of his new words is icky. We have a book with animal pictures and we read the sounds they make. Asa knows 17 of those animal sounds. Asa also does a really good job playing by himself. I was just reading last night that boys tend to play by themselves more than girls do. He will play in his room or toy corner for half and hour by himself. It's nice for us to have "time off" while he is still with us. Judah is doing great too. He pulls his legs up and leans over to the side. He is close to rolling over. He loves holding a blanket and chewing on it. He also likes holding toys and chewing on them. He lays under his gym for a long time batting at and holding onto his toys. It's great to see him content for hours (not all laying on his back under the toy, don't worry).
Well, that's all of my meaningless ramblings. Enjoy the pictures!

Halloween

Here are our costumes. Can you guess what we are?

The boys are salt and pepper. James and I are chefs. James specifically is a fry chef. I think that's what he said. I think he just got off a shift at McDonald's.

Here is James on Friday. He got to dress up in his dad's old suit. We thought it would be funny and add to his costume if he shaved so that he only had big side burns and a mustache. After this happened, we realized that he probably hasn't had a naked chin since we got married. Let's just say that I laughed A LOT!

Trunk or Treat tonight was fun. Judah slept about half of the time. Asa's favorite part was probably playing with golf balls and the put-put course. He had a few melt-downs. The biggest was at the end when he couldn't have anymore candy and we put him in his car seat. He didn't really understand going around and asking for candy at first. Then he realized what was in his bucket and wouldn't let go of it. Oh, Asa also enjoyed watching "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown" with his daddy. The boys won "funniest costume." The prize was a Frisbee with two candy bars. Hooray for the mom and dad! I guess it was our idea...
We are very thankful that we get an extra hour of sleep tonight!

Dedication

I forgot to mention that Sunday was Judah's dedication at church. Our pastor said some really great things. I don't remember most of what he said because we were passing Asa back and forth. Asa was a ham. He did something that made the congregation laugh. He smiled and realized what he had done and then laughed back at them. We got a lot of comments that Asa was very cute and funny. I have to admit that when we were walking back to our seats, I told asa to say good-bye. He obeyed, saying bye-bye and waving.
Here's a pic afterwards with our pastor, Shane:

And here is Judah at home in his cute jeans and sweater vest:

We will have a video to share with you soon.