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East Coast newscasters are SO weird! I've thought this for a few years now because they are usually over-the-top dramatic and use strange inflections and waaayyy too long dramatic pauses when they're talking. I usually just roll my eyes, but today was just too much!
We had a Severe Storm/Tornado warning this afternoon ,which really isn't uncommon, we probably have these at least once a week during the summer. And so, the weather guy warns about the strong winds which could maybe, potentially blow over a mobile home if it hit it just right. And then he says (no lie), "So if you live in a mobile home it's best to leave your home and go seek shelter as low to the ground as possible." Where does he suggest? Oh, just a ditch on the side of the road. Not. Even. Joking. A ditch.
At first, I thought I was the crazy one and that I must have heard him wrong. But no, he repeated it again about 10 minutes later, also suggesting the crawl space underneath the mobile home (umm, like where the rats are?). For real? That's the best place he can think of to hide from a not-so-severe storm? What planet are these people from?
Monday, April 26, 2010
The Weekend
This is going to be a totally rambling post:
Another really low key weekend for us. I was busy clipping coupons, running errands, and cleaning the apartment all day Saturday. Yesterday we just went to church and had our friends who are moving to Africa this week over for lunch. We're going to miss you a lot Matt & Mary!
And what has Brandon been up to? Just studying for over 12 hours a day for nearly a week straight. No, I'm not exaggerating at all. And that's on top of working his normal hours at his job.(Note to self: Get the heck out of town during Brandon's next finals week.) His first final is tonight and he'll be done a week from today. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that he does well!
Jack and Cullen are doing great, Cullen's mouth looks back to normal although I'm watching it like a hawk waiting for signs that his tooth is dying.
Lately, they've been having a lot of trouble napping. The past week, one or the other will sometimes cry for a long time and nothing soothes them. Other times, they'll play in there until they fall asleep. Today for instance, I put them to bed 20 minutes ago and they're still laughing and playing in there. Sometimes I walk in and surprise them and I see them passing things back and forth between the crib railings - like they're smuggling contraband into a jail cell. They freeze and get the funniest guilty/shocked looks on their faces. I'm betting that's what they're doing now. I guess that's not so bad, though- I love hearing them laughing together over the baby monitor. I don't love their being grumpy after they've missed a nap though, or their being on different nap schedules. If they don't nap at exactly the same time I can pretty much guarantee that I'll get nothing at all done the entire day. I'm not sure how they'll tell me when they're ready for one nap but I'm going to assume that if they're still excessively grumpy and whiny from missing a nap, that they're not ready yet.
I'm planning a lot of outings this week to keep us occupied while Brandon is so busy. I really hope the rain stops though! Otherwise, we'll be staying in all week :-( It sounds like they may finally be falling asleep so I'm going to tidy up the living room, sweep the floors, and get dinner going before they wake up!
Another really low key weekend for us. I was busy clipping coupons, running errands, and cleaning the apartment all day Saturday. Yesterday we just went to church and had our friends who are moving to Africa this week over for lunch. We're going to miss you a lot Matt & Mary!
And what has Brandon been up to? Just studying for over 12 hours a day for nearly a week straight. No, I'm not exaggerating at all. And that's on top of working his normal hours at his job.(Note to self: Get the heck out of town during Brandon's next finals week.) His first final is tonight and he'll be done a week from today. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that he does well!
Jack and Cullen are doing great, Cullen's mouth looks back to normal although I'm watching it like a hawk waiting for signs that his tooth is dying.
Lately, they've been having a lot of trouble napping. The past week, one or the other will sometimes cry for a long time and nothing soothes them. Other times, they'll play in there until they fall asleep. Today for instance, I put them to bed 20 minutes ago and they're still laughing and playing in there. Sometimes I walk in and surprise them and I see them passing things back and forth between the crib railings - like they're smuggling contraband into a jail cell. They freeze and get the funniest guilty/shocked looks on their faces. I'm betting that's what they're doing now. I guess that's not so bad, though- I love hearing them laughing together over the baby monitor. I don't love their being grumpy after they've missed a nap though, or their being on different nap schedules. If they don't nap at exactly the same time I can pretty much guarantee that I'll get nothing at all done the entire day. I'm not sure how they'll tell me when they're ready for one nap but I'm going to assume that if they're still excessively grumpy and whiny from missing a nap, that they're not ready yet.
I'm planning a lot of outings this week to keep us occupied while Brandon is so busy. I really hope the rain stops though! Otherwise, we'll be staying in all week :-( It sounds like they may finally be falling asleep so I'm going to tidy up the living room, sweep the floors, and get dinner going before they wake up!
Sunday, April 25, 2010
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
Oh Dear...
Well, we're back from the dentist and it turns out that it's a little worse than we thought. I had a bad feeling about poor Cullen's mouth but I didn't want to let my mind run wild before we saw the dentist.
I had emailed the childcare workers from Sunday morning who were there when he fell and I was encouraged when they told me that he hadn't been running and that at first it didn't seem like he had even had a bad fall. He was walking and holding a toy and simply tripped over his own feet and he must have hit his mouth on the toy. They both trip all the time but they always catch themselves and walk away with a bruise at the most. This fall seemed so small and certainly didn't sound like it could have caused permanent damage.
Apparently,though, his right front tooth was pushed in a little when he fell and that's what has caused the swelling and bleeding. The dentist told me that his tooth will "almost certainly" die within the next few weeks and that best case scenario is that it will just turn brown or gray. Worst case scenario is that it falls out and he is toothless for a few years until his permanent teeth grow in.
I got this terrible sinking feeling in my stomach when they first told me that. I must have looked horrified because the dentist gave me a hug and said "Don't worry, honey, there are lots of kids walking around with a brown tooth." She said it's impossible to tell how damaged it actually is without an X-ray (which they didn't perform because they didn't think he'd sit still for it). I'm hoping and praying that at least the tooth won't fall out. I would feel so terrible for Cullen if he was missing one of his front teeth for the next 5 or 6 years!
On the way home, I was fighting off tears and feeling so guilty about everything. I was replaying everything in my mind and blaming the childcare workers for letting him fall and myself for not taking him to an ER right then and there. I was wondering how I could ever let them out of my sight again if such a little fall could cause such damage. I was thinking up all sorts of new rules and safety precautions to put in place at home and of all the furniture we'd have to get rid of.... But this was such an unremarkable accident. He was simply walking with a toy across a carpeted room. He does that a million times a day. How could I possibly stop something like that from happening again?
And then I was reminded to look at everything in perspective. The worst thing that will come out of this is that he might lose one of his teeth for a few years. That's really not so big a deal, right? It could be much worse; he could have hurt himself seriously, needed stitches, or needed another hospital stay. At least he's relatively unharmed, still healthy and happy and it hasn't even interfered with his everyday life. When I look at the big picture, he's still perfectly fine! So why am I so concerned about my son potentially losing a baby tooth? They're not even permanent teeth anyways.
I realized it is probably because I am holding too tightly onto my kids. I often pride myself on being a "laid-back Mom." I let them climb and fall, I let them learn lessons the hard way, I let them do risky things (but not too risky, of course). I would never want to be one of those overbearing Moms who follows her kids around the playground yelling "Be careful" every 30 seconds. But I think my laid-back attitude comes from trusting too much in the idea that everything will always be fine and that kids will be kids and will fall and get right back up. In many ways, I still think this is a good attitude to have. But is that what I'm really trusting in? Am I just assuming that my kids will always be safe, healthy and happy? Am I just drifting through parenthood taking these things for granted, chalking it up to good fortune, and assuming that things will always be fine?
Or am I trusting God with my children? Am I trusting him to protect them and keep them healthy? Am I thanking Him every day for blessing them with good health and protecting them so far? And the most important- and difficult- question: Am I trusting my children's lives to Him or am I clinging too tightly to them?Every moment with them is a gift from the Lord and I don't even deserve to have them at all. God forbid, but should Jack or Cullen ever suffer from cancer or a serious injury or some other terrible thing, how will I trust God with that if I can't even trust Him over a missing tooth?
Today has been really good for me in showing me where my priorities and trust really lies. I'm sorry that Cullen might have to suffer the embarrassment of being a toothless toddler (and pre-schooler and kindergartner) but I'm praising God for protecting him and Jack and blessing us all with good health.
Even if I did wrap them up in bubble wrap for the next 10 years and follow them around like a shadow, I still couldn't prevent anything from happening to them. Only God can. I'm still going to try not to stress over little accidents and injuries but not because I'm just carelessly assuming that everything will be fine. It will be because I'm trying to trust God with their lives, as difficult as that may be. It will certainly be a lifelong process and this is probably just one of many lessons for me along the way, but I'm thankful that God is starting to open my eyes to the ways that I trust in circumstances, modern medicine, seatbelts, myself or a million other things instead of Him. And I'm praising Him for yet another day of life with my precious sons! What a good God we have!
I had emailed the childcare workers from Sunday morning who were there when he fell and I was encouraged when they told me that he hadn't been running and that at first it didn't seem like he had even had a bad fall. He was walking and holding a toy and simply tripped over his own feet and he must have hit his mouth on the toy. They both trip all the time but they always catch themselves and walk away with a bruise at the most. This fall seemed so small and certainly didn't sound like it could have caused permanent damage.
Apparently,though, his right front tooth was pushed in a little when he fell and that's what has caused the swelling and bleeding. The dentist told me that his tooth will "almost certainly" die within the next few weeks and that best case scenario is that it will just turn brown or gray. Worst case scenario is that it falls out and he is toothless for a few years until his permanent teeth grow in.
I got this terrible sinking feeling in my stomach when they first told me that. I must have looked horrified because the dentist gave me a hug and said "Don't worry, honey, there are lots of kids walking around with a brown tooth." She said it's impossible to tell how damaged it actually is without an X-ray (which they didn't perform because they didn't think he'd sit still for it). I'm hoping and praying that at least the tooth won't fall out. I would feel so terrible for Cullen if he was missing one of his front teeth for the next 5 or 6 years!
On the way home, I was fighting off tears and feeling so guilty about everything. I was replaying everything in my mind and blaming the childcare workers for letting him fall and myself for not taking him to an ER right then and there. I was wondering how I could ever let them out of my sight again if such a little fall could cause such damage. I was thinking up all sorts of new rules and safety precautions to put in place at home and of all the furniture we'd have to get rid of.... But this was such an unremarkable accident. He was simply walking with a toy across a carpeted room. He does that a million times a day. How could I possibly stop something like that from happening again?
And then I was reminded to look at everything in perspective. The worst thing that will come out of this is that he might lose one of his teeth for a few years. That's really not so big a deal, right? It could be much worse; he could have hurt himself seriously, needed stitches, or needed another hospital stay. At least he's relatively unharmed, still healthy and happy and it hasn't even interfered with his everyday life. When I look at the big picture, he's still perfectly fine! So why am I so concerned about my son potentially losing a baby tooth? They're not even permanent teeth anyways.
I realized it is probably because I am holding too tightly onto my kids. I often pride myself on being a "laid-back Mom." I let them climb and fall, I let them learn lessons the hard way, I let them do risky things (but not too risky, of course). I would never want to be one of those overbearing Moms who follows her kids around the playground yelling "Be careful" every 30 seconds. But I think my laid-back attitude comes from trusting too much in the idea that everything will always be fine and that kids will be kids and will fall and get right back up. In many ways, I still think this is a good attitude to have. But is that what I'm really trusting in? Am I just assuming that my kids will always be safe, healthy and happy? Am I just drifting through parenthood taking these things for granted, chalking it up to good fortune, and assuming that things will always be fine?
Or am I trusting God with my children? Am I trusting him to protect them and keep them healthy? Am I thanking Him every day for blessing them with good health and protecting them so far? And the most important- and difficult- question: Am I trusting my children's lives to Him or am I clinging too tightly to them?Every moment with them is a gift from the Lord and I don't even deserve to have them at all. God forbid, but should Jack or Cullen ever suffer from cancer or a serious injury or some other terrible thing, how will I trust God with that if I can't even trust Him over a missing tooth?
Today has been really good for me in showing me where my priorities and trust really lies. I'm sorry that Cullen might have to suffer the embarrassment of being a toothless toddler (and pre-schooler and kindergartner) but I'm praising God for protecting him and Jack and blessing us all with good health.
Even if I did wrap them up in bubble wrap for the next 10 years and follow them around like a shadow, I still couldn't prevent anything from happening to them. Only God can. I'm still going to try not to stress over little accidents and injuries but not because I'm just carelessly assuming that everything will be fine. It will be because I'm trying to trust God with their lives, as difficult as that may be. It will certainly be a lifelong process and this is probably just one of many lessons for me along the way, but I'm thankful that God is starting to open my eyes to the ways that I trust in circumstances, modern medicine, seatbelts, myself or a million other things instead of Him. And I'm praising Him for yet another day of life with my precious sons! What a good God we have!
Pictures from the Week
We went to the doctor yesterday afternoon and he took a look at Cullen's mouth. He said he thought it was just swollen and bruised but he did say that we should go to the dentist after the swelling goes down to make sure his teeth aren't seriously damaged. So I called this morning and they told me to go ahead and bring him in this afternoon. Apparently, anytime the teeth appear to have been pushed in or shifted, it can be really serious. They said they'll probably have to take X-rays to make sure his teeth are ok. I am really hoping it's nothing more than a bad case of swelling and that I'm overreacting.
But he still doesn't appear to be in any pain and I've reduced the amount of Tylenol I'm giving him. He's eating and drinking normally and even lets me touch his lip gently without reacting at all, so I think he'll be fine but we're going to the dentist just to be on the safe side. You can't really tell that his lip is swollen from these pictures, but you can see his goofy smile.
In other news, last week we got this awesome tool bench off of Craigslist and the boys love it! They dont know how to use the tools of course, but they do enjoy banging the drawers together and carrying the hammer and wrenches around the house. Once they're a little older, I'm sure they'll love it even more.
More pictures from the park. Jackson is showing off his belly here. He thinks he's hot stuff :-)
Trying on Daddy's hat
This picture is just for kicks ;-)
They just LOVE to throw balls. Cullen can actually throw pretty far and nearly always throws straight too. Brandon is so proud!
Eating blackberries for breakfast
We have a McDonalds literally across the street from us, we can actually see it from our window. It's been closed for a few months for renovations and it just reopened last week. They were practically giving away the food so I took the boys there for lunch one afternoon. It was their very first trip to McDonalds, so of course I had to document it :-) They ate chicken nuggets and french fries and they loved both! What kid doesn't love McDonalds though?
No, that's definitely not soda in their bottles. They were having some constipation issues last week so I pumped them full of prune juice. They LOVED it and drank so much that they were pooping again within 24 hours. This week they're pretty cranky because all they've gotten is water.
After McDonalds, we walked down to the library. They were pretty bored...
They love to push their chairs up to the window and spend all day gazing outside. I think part of the draw is that there's a fire station out the window and they love watching the fire engines come and go all day.
Another trip to the park. Jack is learning how to go down stairs the right way, by holding onto a railing and stepping down slowly. He does really good at it if the stairs aren't too steep. Now we're working on getting him to wait for Mommy before he attempts it so we don't have any more falls like Saturday night.
Not sure why Cullen chose this spot to plop down in, but he apparently decided it was a good place to chill for a while.
No lie, Jack tried to steal this scooter. He grabbed it by the handles and just started walking off with it. The little girl who owned it watched in horror and I had to recover it from my thieving son. He was pretty disappointed!
But he still doesn't appear to be in any pain and I've reduced the amount of Tylenol I'm giving him. He's eating and drinking normally and even lets me touch his lip gently without reacting at all, so I think he'll be fine but we're going to the dentist just to be on the safe side. You can't really tell that his lip is swollen from these pictures, but you can see his goofy smile.
In other news, last week we got this awesome tool bench off of Craigslist and the boys love it! They dont know how to use the tools of course, but they do enjoy banging the drawers together and carrying the hammer and wrenches around the house. Once they're a little older, I'm sure they'll love it even more.
More pictures from the park. Jackson is showing off his belly here. He thinks he's hot stuff :-)
Trying on Daddy's hat
This picture is just for kicks ;-)
They just LOVE to throw balls. Cullen can actually throw pretty far and nearly always throws straight too. Brandon is so proud!
Eating blackberries for breakfast
We have a McDonalds literally across the street from us, we can actually see it from our window. It's been closed for a few months for renovations and it just reopened last week. They were practically giving away the food so I took the boys there for lunch one afternoon. It was their very first trip to McDonalds, so of course I had to document it :-) They ate chicken nuggets and french fries and they loved both! What kid doesn't love McDonalds though?
No, that's definitely not soda in their bottles. They were having some constipation issues last week so I pumped them full of prune juice. They LOVED it and drank so much that they were pooping again within 24 hours. This week they're pretty cranky because all they've gotten is water.
After McDonalds, we walked down to the library. They were pretty bored...
They love to push their chairs up to the window and spend all day gazing outside. I think part of the draw is that there's a fire station out the window and they love watching the fire engines come and go all day.
Another trip to the park. Jack is learning how to go down stairs the right way, by holding onto a railing and stepping down slowly. He does really good at it if the stairs aren't too steep. Now we're working on getting him to wait for Mommy before he attempts it so we don't have any more falls like Saturday night.
Not sure why Cullen chose this spot to plop down in, but he apparently decided it was a good place to chill for a while.
No lie, Jack tried to steal this scooter. He grabbed it by the handles and just started walking off with it. The little girl who owned it watched in horror and I had to recover it from my thieving son. He was pretty disappointed!
Monday, April 19, 2010
The Weekend
*Cullen fell at church yesterday and now he has a HUGE fat lip. They paged us during the service (it was the first time they've ever had to and we weren't even sure it was our number at first) and when I got upstairs, he had blood all over his mouth and his shirt. I held him for a few minutes and he stopped crying and drank some water and seemed to be feeling better. By yesterday night, though, it was really swollen and even more so after waking up today. The inside of his upper lip is a purplish/blue color and his gum is completely swollen too. The good news is that he doesn't seem to be in any real pain, he's just as happy and playful as ever and he can eat and drink just fine. He just has a really goofy smile ;-) I was still worried though so I googled what to do if your toddler falls and gets a fat lip and most of the sites that came up said that if you think anything may be wrong with his gums or teeth to get him to a doctor so we're headed there this afternoon once Brandon gets home from work just to be on the safe side. Hopefully it's nothing more than a fat lip!
*When I told Brandon that I was worried about Cullen, he said that this is probably the "first of many" trips to the doctor's office or hospital with the boys and that I should get used to it. Great, that really makes me feel better....
*Some friends of ours are moving to Africa tomorrow so we went to a goodbye party on Saturday night. We spent most of the night chasing the boys around the non-babyproofed house and that didn't leave much time for conversations with other adults, but hey, that's the life of a parent, right? Next time, we're getting babysitters. Oh and Jack also fell down some stairs while we were there. Just two steps, and he wasn't hurt at all, but we still looked like bad parents who let their kids fall down stairs. I guess they're at that age where they're reckless and fearless and constantly pushing their limits. I'm seriously about to just wrap them up in bubble wrap for a while - at least then I can get some peace of mind back.
*Brandon's finals start next week so he's been studying like crazy lately. In 2 weeks it will all be over though and we should have a *somewhat* more relaxing summer. He's only taking one class and one part-time internship on top of his regular part-time job. So it will be more like he's working full-time during the days, but he'll only be gone 2 nights a week. Still not great, but exponentially better than the past two semesters. Plus he gets 2 weeks off in May after his finals are finished which we're really looking forward to.
*Last week as Brandon was putting on the boys' socks and shoes before church he asked me where I keep their socks at. I said, "Seriously, they've been alive how long???" He insists that I keep "moving them around" and that's why he didn't know. Nope, they've been in the same drawer in the same closet for the past 16 months ;-)
*Last night, I made breakfast for dinner. I made Martha's blueberry crepes, it is one of my favorite breakfast recipes! Definitely not an everyday recipe because it's not the easiest- or the healthiest for that matter. But they're sooo delicious!! Everybody needs to splurge every once in a while, right?
*I also watched the first half of Gone With The Wind last night. I re-read the book a few weeks ago and I swear it gets better each time I read it! I'm going to make some popcorn and watch the rest of it tonight after I put the boys to bed. I can't think of a better way to spend the evening! I just love old movies, especially this one!
*When I told Brandon that I was worried about Cullen, he said that this is probably the "first of many" trips to the doctor's office or hospital with the boys and that I should get used to it. Great, that really makes me feel better....
*Some friends of ours are moving to Africa tomorrow so we went to a goodbye party on Saturday night. We spent most of the night chasing the boys around the non-babyproofed house and that didn't leave much time for conversations with other adults, but hey, that's the life of a parent, right? Next time, we're getting babysitters. Oh and Jack also fell down some stairs while we were there. Just two steps, and he wasn't hurt at all, but we still looked like bad parents who let their kids fall down stairs. I guess they're at that age where they're reckless and fearless and constantly pushing their limits. I'm seriously about to just wrap them up in bubble wrap for a while - at least then I can get some peace of mind back.
*Brandon's finals start next week so he's been studying like crazy lately. In 2 weeks it will all be over though and we should have a *somewhat* more relaxing summer. He's only taking one class and one part-time internship on top of his regular part-time job. So it will be more like he's working full-time during the days, but he'll only be gone 2 nights a week. Still not great, but exponentially better than the past two semesters. Plus he gets 2 weeks off in May after his finals are finished which we're really looking forward to.
*Last week as Brandon was putting on the boys' socks and shoes before church he asked me where I keep their socks at. I said, "Seriously, they've been alive how long???" He insists that I keep "moving them around" and that's why he didn't know. Nope, they've been in the same drawer in the same closet for the past 16 months ;-)
*Last night, I made breakfast for dinner. I made Martha's blueberry crepes, it is one of my favorite breakfast recipes! Definitely not an everyday recipe because it's not the easiest- or the healthiest for that matter. But they're sooo delicious!! Everybody needs to splurge every once in a while, right?
*I also watched the first half of Gone With The Wind last night. I re-read the book a few weeks ago and I swear it gets better each time I read it! I'm going to make some popcorn and watch the rest of it tonight after I put the boys to bed. I can't think of a better way to spend the evening! I just love old movies, especially this one!
Thursday, April 15, 2010
They're Driving Me Crazy!
Jackson and Cullen flat out refused to take naps today. Well, really it was just Cullen so Jack would sleep for 20 minutes or so before Cullen's crying woke him up and then he wouldn't go back to sleep either.
They also refuse to eat most foods lately. Unless of course it's Peanut Butter & Jelly sandwiches or Goldfish crackers. Then they eat as if I haven't fed them in weeks. Otherwise, though, they dump all their food on the floor for Mommy to clean up.
They have been soooo fussy today that we had to go on two walks - besides a nap, that's by far the best way to get them to calm down.
And they've been shrieking at the top of their lungs for the past 3 hours over every single little thing. (Probably because they're overtired after refusing to nap).
..... So I put them to bed an hour early and turned off the baby monitor.
Does that make me a bad Mom? Probably. But it's the first quiet moments I've gotten all day. I feel soooo much better now!
They also refuse to eat most foods lately. Unless of course it's Peanut Butter & Jelly sandwiches or Goldfish crackers. Then they eat as if I haven't fed them in weeks. Otherwise, though, they dump all their food on the floor for Mommy to clean up.
They have been soooo fussy today that we had to go on two walks - besides a nap, that's by far the best way to get them to calm down.
And they've been shrieking at the top of their lungs for the past 3 hours over every single little thing. (Probably because they're overtired after refusing to nap).
..... So I put them to bed an hour early and turned off the baby monitor.
Does that make me a bad Mom? Probably. But it's the first quiet moments I've gotten all day. I feel soooo much better now!
Thursday, April 8, 2010
Lately...
I'll start out with a really funny story from bathtime the other night. Whenever I bathe them it's always tricky to get them out of the bathtub. What I usually do is lay their towels on the bathroom floor and when it's time to get out, I lift one out, wrap him up and place him farther away on the bathroom floor. Then I lift the other one out, wrap him up and lay him on the floor to put his diaper on. I don't want to leave one kid in the bathtub that I'm not watching carefully just because I need to diaper the first one out, so I usually wait until they're both out before putting on any diapers.
Anyways, a couple nights ago, I took Jackson out of the tub first and put him into his towel and sat him down. Then I went to reach for Cullen, but Jackson suddenly sprang up, flung off his towel and made a break for it. I called his name and peeked out the bathroom and saw him running into the living room laughing. I just rolled my eyes, laughed and then turned back to Cullen. But he had the strangest look on his face, like he was about to cry but was too confused and stunned to actually start crying. Then he started gagging himself and spitting. I could tell he wasn't actually choking, just sputtering, but I still had no idea what was going on. Then I spotted soap bits and residue on one of his hands and around his mouth. "Oh no, he must have eaten soap!" Sure enough the soap was missing from the little dish in the bathtub. Well, I just shrugged and figured that he must have just licked it before dropping it into the water. I lifted him out and took him to get a cup of milk to get the taste out of his mouth. I knew that soap is harmless for the most part and he seemed to be ok a few minutes later- at least he had stopped making disgusted faces.
Later, I went back in to clean up the toys from the bathtub and found the missing bar of soap- with a big, huge bite taken out of it!! No wonder he was so upset, he'd gotten a mouthful! (Don't worry, he didn't swallow it, I found the chunk in the bathtub too). Well, they say that if you learn a lesson the hard way, you only have to learn it once. Poor kid! I doubt Cullen will be touching a bar of soap ever again!
Last week, they figured out how to climb onto the chairs and then from a chair onto the table. Uh oh! I'm really careful now to leave the chairs all pushed in completely.
Anyways, a couple nights ago, I took Jackson out of the tub first and put him into his towel and sat him down. Then I went to reach for Cullen, but Jackson suddenly sprang up, flung off his towel and made a break for it. I called his name and peeked out the bathroom and saw him running into the living room laughing. I just rolled my eyes, laughed and then turned back to Cullen. But he had the strangest look on his face, like he was about to cry but was too confused and stunned to actually start crying. Then he started gagging himself and spitting. I could tell he wasn't actually choking, just sputtering, but I still had no idea what was going on. Then I spotted soap bits and residue on one of his hands and around his mouth. "Oh no, he must have eaten soap!" Sure enough the soap was missing from the little dish in the bathtub. Well, I just shrugged and figured that he must have just licked it before dropping it into the water. I lifted him out and took him to get a cup of milk to get the taste out of his mouth. I knew that soap is harmless for the most part and he seemed to be ok a few minutes later- at least he had stopped making disgusted faces.
Later, I went back in to clean up the toys from the bathtub and found the missing bar of soap- with a big, huge bite taken out of it!! No wonder he was so upset, he'd gotten a mouthful! (Don't worry, he didn't swallow it, I found the chunk in the bathtub too). Well, they say that if you learn a lesson the hard way, you only have to learn it once. Poor kid! I doubt Cullen will be touching a bar of soap ever again!
Last week, they figured out how to climb onto the chairs and then from a chair onto the table. Uh oh! I'm really careful now to leave the chairs all pushed in completely.
And here are some pictures of a recent trip to the park. It's been really warm lately (nearly 90 degrees the past few days!) and we've been going to the park alot. The boys just love it there!
A look of pure determination!
Jack spent most of his time chasing after dogs. He LOVES them! *Hint, Hint Brandon!*
Monday, April 5, 2010
Easter Pictures
Here are some Easter pictures for the grandmas. Don't the boys look so grown up? And a special thanks to Grandma Sari and Grandpa Gary for the adorable Easter outfits!
"AHH! Grass!!"
Cullen
Jackson
Jackson with Daddy
We tried to go to the Cherry Blossom Festival on Friday evening but it was so crowded and we couldn't find any parking at all! So we just enjoyed the cherry trees in our parking lot while we took some Easter pictures. They were just as nice as the ones at the Festival :-)
Looking confused...
Brandon taught them to do high fives last week so we used it to get them to smile for the pictures. The only problem is that they want to do it over and over and over....
Just a funny picture
We went to church yesterday and then had some friends over for an Easter lunch. When we left church, though, we found that every single entrance onto the freeway (the only way to get out of Capitol Hill into Virginia) was mysteriously shut down. There were unmarked police cars blocking all the entrances and long lines waiting for them to re-open. We figured it was either a terrorist attack or a presidential motorcade was going through. Thankfully, it was only President Obama who had attended a church service and used the freeway to get home. So, all the poor churchgoers who live in Virginia were trapped in the city for over a half hour. Oh well, at least the boys got a mini-nap in the car :-)
After lunch, the boys napped for real and then we went outside to take pictures while they were still well-rested and had full tummies. That certainly makes for better pictures!
Anyways, I hope you all had a wonderful Easter! I certainly enjoyed worshiping God together with Brandon and being reminded of how Jesus gave his life and died on the cross to atone for my sins. He took the penalty that I deserved upon himself and has forgiven me! There truly is no greater love! It really is something to be celebrated every minute of every day, not just once a year!
"My sin, oh, the bliss of this glorious thought!
My sin, not in part but the whole,
Is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more,
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!"
All my boys together
"AHH! Grass!!"
Cullen
Jackson
Jackson with Daddy
We tried to go to the Cherry Blossom Festival on Friday evening but it was so crowded and we couldn't find any parking at all! So we just enjoyed the cherry trees in our parking lot while we took some Easter pictures. They were just as nice as the ones at the Festival :-)
Looking confused...
Brandon taught them to do high fives last week so we used it to get them to smile for the pictures. The only problem is that they want to do it over and over and over....
Just a funny picture
We went to church yesterday and then had some friends over for an Easter lunch. When we left church, though, we found that every single entrance onto the freeway (the only way to get out of Capitol Hill into Virginia) was mysteriously shut down. There were unmarked police cars blocking all the entrances and long lines waiting for them to re-open. We figured it was either a terrorist attack or a presidential motorcade was going through. Thankfully, it was only President Obama who had attended a church service and used the freeway to get home. So, all the poor churchgoers who live in Virginia were trapped in the city for over a half hour. Oh well, at least the boys got a mini-nap in the car :-)After lunch, the boys napped for real and then we went outside to take pictures while they were still well-rested and had full tummies. That certainly makes for better pictures!
Anyways, I hope you all had a wonderful Easter! I certainly enjoyed worshiping God together with Brandon and being reminded of how Jesus gave his life and died on the cross to atone for my sins. He took the penalty that I deserved upon himself and has forgiven me! There truly is no greater love! It really is something to be celebrated every minute of every day, not just once a year!
"My sin, oh, the bliss of this glorious thought!
My sin, not in part but the whole,
Is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more,
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!"
My Very First Sewing Project
This is photographic proof that I did in fact sew something. It was much more tedious than I ever expected, what with all the pressing, measuring, cutting, pinning, and stitching/re-stitching. And I swear, I thought I was going to wear out my seam-ripper! I had to re-stitch a lot of the quilt because I had either stitched the wrong sides together or hadn't sewn it in a straight line. But it was all worth it for my niece Violet! I was so emotionally invested in it, and I worked like mad to get it done. I'm so glad I had such a fun project for my first sewing experience!
Then I set to work cutting most of the fabric pieces into 7 1/2 x 8 in. squares. I also cut the side strips and back lining out of two other pieces of fabric.
Here are my squares all ready to be sewn together.
Next, I sewed 3 squares together into a row. I did this with all of the squares.
Brandon even tried out sewing! I think he liked it too!
This is a finished row. I then sewed all 4 of my rows together.
Next, I sewed the chenille sides onto the finished block of squares.
Then I pinned the front of the quilt to the back and made sure that all the sides were exactly even before I sewed them together. Then I just flipped the quilt right-side out, pushed the corners out and hand-stitched the closure.
And Viola! The finished project!
Today, I pulled out several clothing items that I've been saving for someday when I had a sewing machine. Many of them need to either be repaired or taken in a tiny bit and I haven't been able to wear any of them in years.
I also bought a pair of jeans on sale at Nordstrom's while I was in California and rather than paying the $15 charge to have them hemmed at Nordy's, I decided to take a risk and try to hem them myself! I may be crazy, but I figure that if I screw it up, I can always take them back to the store and pay to have them hemmed. But I might as well try, right?! (It helps that the jeans are skinny jeans and have navy blue thread so if the hem isn't perfect, it will be very hard to tell.) I'm going to try to get to these projects this week, if I'm successful I will practically have a whole new wardrobe!
I bought a "quilt-kit" at Joann's which was super convenient and which I highly recommend because it had 6 pieces of fabric that all matched and went together beautifully. It saved me the hassle of measuring at the fabric store and the time of having to pick out coordinating fabrics. As my first step, I ironed all the creases out of the fabric.
Then I set to work cutting most of the fabric pieces into 7 1/2 x 8 in. squares. I also cut the side strips and back lining out of two other pieces of fabric.
Here are my squares all ready to be sewn together.
Next, I sewed 3 squares together into a row. I did this with all of the squares.
Brandon even tried out sewing! I think he liked it too!
This is a finished row. I then sewed all 4 of my rows together.
Next, I sewed the chenille sides onto the finished block of squares.
Then I pinned the front of the quilt to the back and made sure that all the sides were exactly even before I sewed them together. Then I just flipped the quilt right-side out, pushed the corners out and hand-stitched the closure.
And Viola! The finished project!
Today, I pulled out several clothing items that I've been saving for someday when I had a sewing machine. Many of them need to either be repaired or taken in a tiny bit and I haven't been able to wear any of them in years.
I also bought a pair of jeans on sale at Nordstrom's while I was in California and rather than paying the $15 charge to have them hemmed at Nordy's, I decided to take a risk and try to hem them myself! I may be crazy, but I figure that if I screw it up, I can always take them back to the store and pay to have them hemmed. But I might as well try, right?! (It helps that the jeans are skinny jeans and have navy blue thread so if the hem isn't perfect, it will be very hard to tell.) I'm going to try to get to these projects this week, if I'm successful I will practically have a whole new wardrobe!
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