Canonball!!

I miss summer.

Homework sucks.

What a cute baby!

We were looking through pictures this weekend searching for a baby picture of Drew for his 5th grade graduation later this month. I cannot believe this baby is going to be in the 6th grade come fall. And, he is so ready. Time sure does go by quickly.

A Valentine. Meow.

I loved this valentine's day card Drew got this year.

You Can See!

Dear sweet, sweet boy,

Why didn't you tell me you couldn't see?

You failed your eye exam at school so I took you to the optometrist today.

When you were reading the smallest line, my mouth fell open in dismay.

You read D A F V.

Really? That's the smallest you can read?

Why didn't you tell me you couldn't see?

You learned how to put in contacts today. You can see!

And you're doing very well with them. I'm very impressed.

And, proud of you.

But mostly, I'm just glad you can see!

Love,

Mom of the Year

PS I blame this on your Dad. His eye sight was the worst!

Backyard Baseball with Drew

I am not an animal! I am a human being!

This is what Drew looked like on May 9th at 6:55pm.
This is what he woke up looking like.
Actually, some of the swelling had gone from when he woke up. He's having an allergic reaction to sunscreen. Well, that's my best mom diagnosis. It happened to him once before when he was about 2 when we lived in Utah.

Poor little, sweetie. Doesn't he look happy?

Periorbital Cellulitis

One day last March, I had just arrived at work when the school nurse called and said Drew's eye was red and a little swolen. He had spent the night at his dad's house so I had not seen him that morning. I asked if it was oozing any mucous to which she said no.

Okay, then. Send him back to class. I am a firm believer if they're not running a fever or oozing anything gross then they can go to class.

No, she would not send him back to class. So, back in my car I got and went and picked the stinker up. It was a rainy day. Strict instructions here. If you're going to be sick, be sick on a nice day so I can at least enjoy it.

I called him a faker. I didn't see anything wrong. But, I made an appointment anyway just to prove that school nurse wrong!

Crap. What is periorbital cellulitis? And, is it contagious?

It's an infection in the skin around the eye. Here's what Drew looked like on the morning of Day 2.

Hey, Drew! Your eye is all swolen. Shoot, I guess you weren't faking it! I'll keep you home one more day lest that school nurse call me to come back and get you.

I got a lot of yard work done on Day 2. Afterall, I wasn't sick. I trimmed these shrubs. And, bagged them into these bags. (I hate that part.)

I turned these bananas into banana bread. (I love that part.)

The swelling went down throughout the day and the kid was bouncing off the walls, I swear. There was absolutely no way I was staying at home with him again. I'm not one of those moms.

This is what we woke up on Day 3.

Whoa! It looks worse than it did the day before! What is going on here? It's swollen shut! You're going to school. And, stay away from that nurses office!

Guess who called me first thing that morning. Go ahead, guess. Damn, school nurse.

I was not coming to get him! Can you say, "I'm looking for some attention?" You send that kid back to class. He's fine! He was bouncing off the walls yesterday! I'm not coming to get him.

I sat there and thought. And the mom guilt flooded in. What if he really is not feeling well? What if my baby needs his mom?

NO! He's fine.

And, at the end of the day when I went to pick him up, he was cheerfully bouncing off the walls at his after school program. Literally. Bouncing off the walls. And you can see for yourself the swelling went down.

Day 4 was getting a little bit better. And, I didn't feel guilty for sending him to school.

He didn't need his mom.

A New Kind of Super Hero

Hello!


I'm Pepperoni Boy!


Here to save the day!

Hijacked Photo

I love this picture of the boys. Let's see... Drew looks to be about 2ish plus some months maybe. That's the hall in our Park City condo.

While Drew is cute and cuddly in the front, I'm not sure what JB is doing in the background.

But, it's dang funny!

Nothing to see here, Mom - Keep Moving

There is nothing suspicious about my eight year old yelling back to me the other morning, "We'll be waiting in the car, Mom!"



There is nothing suspicious about both boys sitting in the third row seats when I get in the car.



There is nothing suspicious about them being quiet. Very quiet.



There is nothing suspicious about a Matchbox car falling out of your sons pants.



There is nothing suspicious about the same son grabbing himself when said car falls out of his pants and saying, "Ooh! I gotta go to the bathroom!"



There is nothing suspicious about the pockets of the other son bulging out and making a clicking sound.



No, nothing suspicious at all.

The rest played out like this. Drew ran to the bathroom. While he was in the bathroom I looked to JB and said, "How many cars do you have in your pockets?" JB hands over about 5 cars. He runs off. Drew finally comes out of the bathroom where I am waiting patiently. I tell him to put all the cars on the table. He unloads about 8 cars that he had stashed in his underwear. He didn't have any pockets. I tell him to stay put while I locate JB. I ask him how many more he has in his pockets. Here come at least 5 more.

Approximately 18 cars.

Sneaky little liars.

You can't fool me.

I'm a mom.

Is It Me?

Or are these boys seriously cute?

It could just be me but I think they're seriously cute.

I'm a lucky mom.

Like, that is so funny! For sure!

In 1983 I fell in love with Nicholas Cage from this movie:

From that movie, I fell in love with this song:

Tonight Drew said, "I've got that chocolate song in my head. (sings) I'll stop the world and melt with you..."

I thought he had heard it from my beloved iPod but learned that it was from this commercial:

Dude!

The latest conversations in our house goes something like this:

Dude!

Dude, NO!

Dude, Stop!

Dude!

Dude.

What the? Dude?

What Dude?

Aw, Yes! Dude!

Awesome, dude.

Did you see that, Dude?

Dude, yea!

Stop saying dude!

What's the problem, Dude..... ette?

Dudette! That was funny, dude!

Ring a Ding a Ling 2 Ring Bearers

I love this photo of JB and Drew as the Ring Bearers at my cousin Lauren's wedding in September of 2008. The cut of Drew's eyes is priceless. They've grown so much since then. They were both missing front teeth back then. I'll have to find that picture of them dressed up smiling.

Blowing bubbles with their cousin McKenna. Here try blowing up. It works better.

Maybe it is something...

and maybe we should stay home one more day. I subscribe to the theory that if it isn't oozing or vomiting, you're not running a fever and you're not passed out on a couch then you're not sick. Go to school.

The nurse called me yesterday saying I needed get Drew's eye checked out. Possible Pink Eye and she would not send him back to class. I left work 15 minutes after I got there and made the commute back to retrieve my "sick" kid.

Instruction to children: You are only allowed to be sick on beautiful days! Not when it's pouring down rain. Thank you for your cooperation.

So we went to the doctor and they say it's Periorbital Cellulitis. An infection in the skin around the eye. Antibiotic- check. Plenty of rest- check. So why does he look like this...

Tuesday morning mug shot:

Well, the radio did say it was going to be a nice day. At least we've got that going for us.

Sharing a Beer!

A Root Beer! Field Day (May 2009) was a lot of fun! It was beautiful day and we had root beers, snow cones, lots of candy and tons of fun!

Laughter is the Best Medicine

Aren't little boys laughing the best thing in the whole world? It's even better when they're brothers.

And even better than that is when they're your sons.

Fly, Drew, Fly

My friend Angie took this picture last summer at the rope swing in Concan. I mean, she had a great action model but her photography skills are pretty good, too.

I love that boy.

Drew & Beethoven

Drew told me all about Beethoven a couple of weeks ago.

I especially liked the part where Drew told me that Beethoven's dad would go out to the bars and get drunk. When his dad got home, he would make Beethoven get out of bed and play the piano. If Beethoven made a mistake his dad would smack him with a stick.

My response was, "Huh, you don't have so bad, do ya?"

Marshmallows and Blogs

I have to get pictures from my friend Cassie- aka Luci Lemon- from this past weekend! The boys and I drove to their house in Montgomery to hang out for the weekend. It was so much fun. We played on the zip line, they jumped on the trampoline and we roasted marshmallows. JB announced excitedly, and to my surprise, that this was the first time he was ever going to roast marshmallows! How did I let you get to be 7 years old and never roast marshmallows? I can't tell you how many S'mores he ate or how many marshmallows Drew burned but I can tell you it was exciting to see the fun they were having. I can't wait to post the pictures.

On other notes of beginnings, I have started yet another blog. Give Me 1,000 Kisses is where I hope to keep you updated on my current art project. Right now, I just have the how it started story and the instructions on what to do if you would like to participate. I have about 20 lip prints and need to get started. Getting started is on my to do list for this weekend. Along with cleaning up that place I call home.