Fossils

While the girls, Zach, and I were out shopping with Christmas gift cards and money and coupons and super cash ... Brian was at home playing Head Paleontologist with our five oldest boys. They all worked for hours unearthing their dinosaur skeletons ... and then Daddy worked for hours cleaning up a big, dusty mess. He thought ... that since we still did not have running water ... ... that it would be cleaner to stay in and dug up bones instead of going to the creek. I believe he was wrong.

But no worries ... because we have water. Coming out of our faucets. It's heavenly. May we never take such luxuries for granted again.

Jumping and Splashing

I had the best day I've had in quite a few weeks concerning the pregnancy/morning sickness. I did a lot of laundry, cleaned the boys bathroom, made lunch and dinner, got this poor blog back up and running, and was actually able to be outside this afternoon as the boys played. Yay me!

First thing this morning, I took Brian to work. Our minivan had been being worked on, and we weren't able to pick it up until today. Then I rushed home to make sure everyone had eaten breakfast (thanks, Kylie!), and took Korinne to her first day of Ballet Intensive Camp. The ballet school she attends here gifted her with very large, very wonderful scholarship so that she could attend. 

Everyone is still finishing up a few subjects in school, but they are slowly becoming less and less for each child. Our hope is that everyone has finished well by the time we leave for our beach vacation at the end of August ... so that we can start a fresh, new school year the week after we get home. Keeping our fingers crossed. 

Most afternoons the boys spend outside. The rains here have been absolutely absurd for July. But the sun and blue skies seem to have returned. They play a lot of wiffle ball, a lot of war, and do a lot of splashing and jumping in the little blow up pool.

I hope everyone is having a fun, relaxing summer.

:: happy jumping and splashing! ::

the quarterback wristband

What is a Quarterback Wristband, you ask? Well, I asked the same thing of my husband a few weeks ago...

"What's that on Connor's wrist? His Army wallet?" Brian answered, smiling...

"That's their Quarterback Wristband. You know...it has all their plays written on it."

(duh.)

(huh?)

...The Quarterback Wristband is a thick band with a clear plastic sleeve to slide the play card into. I have never, ever noticed this...but you can't get anything past my football-loving boys.

Here is their homemade (3rd/1st Grade) version, it says:

1.1 YarD Past fD.
2.Long Pass.
3.handoff.
4.fleefiker.
5.all the way to Endzone.
6.Plane Pass.
7.center
8.sack.
9.Get Ball carer.
10.inercepshon.

And yes, it actually was his Army wallet that it was taped to, then Velcro-fastened around his wrist. They sell real Quarterback Wristbands for $12.95...I've started Christmas shopping.

alone time

Imagine my surprise...

When my most attention-needing, desperate for Momma and Daddy's lap child...

Asked if he could take their Army Guys up to their room to play alone for a little while.

 

 

I said sure, and he went, happily.

I walked up the stairs fifteen minutes later, peeked into their bedroom, and found him sitting at their desk, Hank the Cowdog playing on their CD player, and their Battalion set up in front of Real-Life Soldier pictures, on Real-Life Soldier manual.

And he was content. And still. And happy, alone.

Could it be he needs both

the most attention

and the most time to just be completely alone?

To be himself,

without Big Brother and Baby Brothers?

connor's collection

We were in a mad dash to get school going this morning, and for some reason, I HAD to have the boys' room clean beforehand. I WAS ON A MISSION. I ended taking all of Connor's beloved "collection" downstairs. I told him, "Go through it and we are only keeping the important stuff!" Well, we only ended up throwing away a used tissue, gross I know. And used pieces of tape, again, I don't know why he keeps the things he does.

The contents of his "Reds Box" are as follows:

1.A used Homemade Brand, Mr.Redlegs Sundae flavored ice cream container, aka his "Reds Box"...it holds all the other contents listed:
2.a packet on how to increase your PT score from Daddy
3.a Reds sticker from Mamaw and Papaw
4.a picture of a seahorse out of a hand soap bottle
5.the address label from the matchbox Nana and Grandpa sent him (Kylie just threw the matchbox away Saturday...it was quite the ordeal)
6.cards that he's received from all kinds of folks since we've been here in AR
7.his ongoing Christmas List
8.about 10 cards that resemble credit cards (and Brian's OSU ID from Fall 1996)
9.three U.S. Army patches that you sew on your uniform
10.a bracelet from the Zoo trip Aunt Rikki took him on
11.two bookmarks, a Superheroes one from the library, and a yellow fish one he made
12.a broken, blue foam sunvisor he made on our trip down here in June
13.a picture of a fish aquarium that Korinne drew him
14.a bunch of green construction paper dollars (he's obsessed with money and coins)
15.two flat, wooden jets he and TJ colored with markers months and months ago
16.a rock
17.broken sunglasses
18.a newspaper picture of Papaw running the chains at Goshen's first home football game this year
19.a clothespin
20.Five IBC rootbeer caps from Grandpa Gale, I think he's lost a few
21.a pencil
22.a pen
23.a used birthday cake candle from his 6th B'Day
24.a toy Army guy (Daddy)
25.a picture of him asleep with his brother, TJ (who has his arm around him because they had watched Ghostbusters and Connor was scared)
26.a homemade card from his cousin, Joey
27.an old, wetted then dried, smashed toilet paper roll (it looks like a treasure map, like on Goonies)
28.an empty baggie
29.a picture of a shark his sister, Kylie drew him
30.an old, lit match (he calls it a bullet)
31.two empty wallets, a camo one from Grandma Dutchie and a Picture of Cars one from Mamaw and Papaw
32.a picture of Kylie at age 2 with Buddy Boy as a puppy
33.a Jeff Bagwell baseball card
34.an empty plastic picture holder that you put in a wallet
35.his new sunglasses from Mamaw and Papaw

I bet you don't have a "collection" that would even compare!!!

benjamin is home

Ben returned home from the hospital yesterday afternoon. He has been diagnosed with a virus, reflux, and infant sleep apnea. Blood tests confirmed the virus is not RSV, just a cold. He underwent an upper GI tract late Thurs. evening which showed his reflux, and he has been put on Zantac to control it. The doctors are blaming his infant sleep apnea on the reflux. Right now he is taking his med twice daily and is on an apnea monitor which keeps track of his heartbeat and respirations and alarms if they get out of whack. He's been on it since yesterday at about 10:00am, and it has not alarmed yet!!! Thank you everyone for all your prayers. We are so blessed to have our Benny Boo back at home.