Halloween Fun

Well, once again it's been awhile since my last post. I'm telling you, it is not much fun to feel so very bad. "Morning" sickness is such a misnomer for what I have been experiencing. All day nausea, vomiting, exhaustion would be a better name! Thankfully, it is starting to subside, and I am mostly feeling bad in the evenings. This is good in that I can work and not be sick, but bad in that I am doing NOTHING around our house. Thankfully, Mark is a trooper and has stepped up to the plate.

Anyway, on to what we have been up to! First, Halloween!! Jonathan was sooo excited about dressing up as Handy Manny. He was so handsome and had a great time trick or treating at school and around our neighborhood. After each house, he would look in his bucket and then look at me and say, "Mommy, my buckets not full yet. We go to 'nother house?" He had a wonderful, wonderful time as did Mark and I. We just love being with that little boy and enjoying life with him.

Handy Manny

Jonathan and his loot!

Jonathan and I also went to the church Fall Fest with our very good friends Karen, Katie, and Megan. The kids all play so well together and had a blast with all the games. It was also very nice to have Karen there to help me with Jonathan as I just got more and more nauseous as the night went on. Thank you Lord for good friends!!

Megan, Katie, and Jonathan

We watched a good bit of the World Series. Jonathan just loves baseball and had a great time "playing" in the living room. He has several baseball bats and a couple of soft balls, but no hard balls (not quite ready for that one yet!!). Anyway, one night he put his Cardinals hat on, backwards of course, and takes his bat, and goes after the soccer ball. Funny thing is, he could hit the silly thing across the living room! He was so incredibly cute and had a lot of fun playing with the team on tv. He kept telling everyone, "Swing batter, swing."

My baseball player

Mark's Mom came to town for the weekend and took this picture of the three of us after church at Olive Garden. We haven't had a group picture in a while and this one is decent, even if I do look nauseous and pregnant!

Our Family at Olive Garden

The next week was just about sick people! Mark flew out to New Orleans for a fast business trip. He calls me from down there and tells me that he isn't feeling very well. That same afternoon, Jonathan gets home from school and asks me to hold him. That is never a good sign as this boy is a mover and a shaker, not a sit and cuddle baby. I picked him up and he was a fireball, temperature of 102. Poor baby. Mark calls me from the airport to say his ears won't pop and he feels horrible. Needless to say they went to their respective doctors the next morning. Jonathan had a double ear infection. Mark had an ear infection and a sinus infection. I had an OB appointment that afternoon. The baby was doing great with a heartbeat around 140 beats per minute. I kept asking myself, "How did I get to be the well person in this house?"

Of course, never should have asked that question!! Never, ever question being well. I ended up with a stomach virus this week. Let me tell you, very lovely. Like I haven't been throwing up enough being pregnant, that now I got to throw up with a stomach virus!! I think the doctor is going to give up on me ever gaining any weight! I can't win for puking!!

On a happier note, we are going for our Level 2 Ultrasound and meeting with the Perinatologist tomorrow. They are doing a high level ultrasound to make sure that this baby is ok and not having any of the problems that Jonathan had. The doctors all assure us that it was a fluke and will not happen again, but still, we are checking to make sure. Please remember us and most especially this baby tomorrow. Please pray that all is well and that there are no problems. We are trusting in God's will and believe that all will be well, however, we do appreciate each prayer that you speak for our little baby. We will also be finding out if we are having a girl or a boy which we are very excited about!!!

Thursday, of course, is Thanksgiving, and we have much to be thankful for. Thank you for checking in with our family. I will post soon and let everyone know if it will be pink or blue!!

Check out Jonathan's picture website for a TON more pictures. Just not enough room here and it takes me waaayyy too long to upload them.

Big News!

I cannot believe it, but it has been two months since my last post. I promise we haven't fallen off the face of the Earth, but in some ways it does rather feel like we have! It has been an eventful couple of months to be sure.

Our biggest news is that we are having another baby! Jonathan is going to be a big brother and he is so very excited. Hopefully, he will continue to be this excited once the baby gets here!! Our new little one is due to arrive on April 24, 2010. Of course this date is fun to me as Jonathan was due on December 24th. Obviously the 24th is a good due date in our family! Jonathan came on the 21st, so we'll have to see if this little one comes then too. Mark and I are both very excited as well to have another little one and to have a little sister or brother for Jonathan.

Of course this pregnancy will tell you the reason I have been largely absent from my computer for the past three months. This pregnancy has been VERY different from the first one. Unfortunately, I have been very sick with lots of nausea and vomiting, all day, every day. We kept hoping it would subside by now, but unfortunately not so much. I am feeling better in the mornings, but afternoons and evenings are just not good. I just keep reminding myself that the end result will be well worth it!! Thankfully, Mark has been in town lately and has really stepped up to take care of me, Jonathan, the house, supper, and everything in between!! I am sure he will be glad when I do feel better. I have lost several pounds as of our last appointment. All you girls out there will understand when I say it was quite depressing -- The only time you get on a scale and DON'T want to have lost weight! Of course, I know I will as the nausea subsides, but still!! I wish this wasn't the diet that worked for me, ya know??

I am seeing the same OB as I did with Jonathan (Dr. Hubach) and we just love her. She is very calm and easy going, but very on top of things. As ya'll know, calm is not usually a word associated with me, so she evens out some of my craziness which is very nice. I am 14 weeks now and just so very thankful that things are going well. The first ultrasound at 9 weeks was just so precious as our little one was squirming around and you could see the little heart beating away. Jonathan never moved during that first ultrasound. Mark said we might be in trouble if this baby is a mover already!! We went back for another appt. at 13 weeks and got to hear the heartbeat at 154-158 beats per minute. We took Jonathan with us and he thought it was pretty neat to hear the heartbeat. Of course that was a little bit of an adventure for us trying to keep him still, so that may be his one and only visit with us!!

So much other stuff has gone on that it is hard to remember everything. Jonathan is really liking his new class at school. They sing fun songs in circle time and it is really fun to peak in the window and watch him doing all the hand signals and faces with the songs. He is also a BIG fan of being a 'helper.' They have a lunch helper, nap mat helper, line leader, weather helper, etc. He thinks it is pretty cool and loves to tell me all the helpers when he gets home.

We went on vacation over Labor Day and the next week. We spent the weekend in Gulf Shores with Mark's parents, sister, her boyfriend, and his little girl at the beach. Everyone had fun lying around the beach and being bums. The girls spent some time at the outlet mall but unfortunately we didn't come home with very much. (The joy/pain of being pregnant is that there is no point in looking at clothes for yourself). We left from there Monday and went to Pensacola for the rest of the week. We loved the condo we stayed at and had an absolute blast just hanging out as the three of us with no set agenda. We spent one day and saw the Blue Angels flight team due a practice set at their air base. It was fantastic and Jonathan absolutely LOVED it. They signed autographs afterwards which he thought was pretty cool as well. They have a wonderful naval air museum there that we spent the rest of the day at. The only down side of our vacation was how nauseous I was the entire trip. Did limit some of our dining out, but we still had a nice time. And Mark ended up with a sinus infection while we were gone as well. Luckily we were able to get him some drugs and he felt better after a few rounds.

The next weekend I flew to Dallas for one of my best friends from college, Liz's, baby shower. It was so much fun to catch up with her and be there as they get ready for their little one. Of course, I was sick most of the time, but that is just the underlying theme of everything right now. She and her husband have decorated this little girl's room so beautiful. I have to admit I have been thinking of copying some of it if this one of ours turns out to be a girl!! Little Madeline Grace was born this week and is just beautiful. Now I need to go back to Dallas to see her!!

The next Friday we took Jonathan to Alltel Arena to see Playhouse Disney. They had Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, Little Einsteins, Tigger and Pooh, and Handy Manny there. Of course, that is ALL the kiddo watches on TV so he was in hog heaven. He had an absolutely great time and we bought him WAY too much stuff at the souvenir stands. We obviously need to go to Disney World!! I think half of Little Rock who has a child under five was there as well. It was hilarious how many people we ran into!!

I was supposed to scrapbook that weekend at Petit Jean but had to cancel as I felt so bad. I also canceled out the next weekend on my planned trip to New Orleans for Melissa's birthday. Being sick is no fun!!

We took Jonathan to the Johnston Pumpkin Patch in Greenbrier the second weekend in October. He LOVED it. Of course, it has done nothing but rain here for weeks on end, so the pumpkin patch was really more of a muddy mess. Thankfully, everyone was dressed for this so we just had a good time and didn't worry about it. They had a great petting zoo, a hay ride, jumpy houses, and of course...pumpkins!! Jonathan spent the entire time looking for Spookley the Square Pumpkin. If you have not read this book to your little ones, then BUY IT!! It is an awesome little story about a square pumpkin who is different from his friends but saves the day in the end. Jonathan loves this story and I love the underlying message. We didn't find a square pumpkin, but we did come home with a BIG pumpkin, a small pie pumpkin, a Cinderella pumpkin, several mini-pumpkins, and a few gourds as well. Can you tell that we get in to this whole holiday thing!! And that Mommy feels very guilty for having been so sick lately that she hasn't done much with her little man?

Mark spent last Saturday at the deer camp. He hunted with his muzzleloader but didn't have any luck. He saw quite a few turkeys, but of course AR canceled the turkey hunt this year. Poor Mark has the absolute WORST luck of any hunter I have EVER known.

Tuesday, the 20th, Jonathan had another outpatient surgery in OKC. This is all a continuation of the problems from when he was born. Hopefully, though, this will be the last surgery. This one was much shorter and less traumatic but still scary to watch someone put your child to sleep and know they are about to cut them open. He did very well though and they discharged him that afternoon. We spent the next day at the hotel in OKC and came home. Mark's Dad was able to come with us which was nice to have the extra help. I, of course, threw up the entire time, so we were very glad someone was there to help Mark out. Jonathan has done very well and is just a little tired and sore. We go back on Monday for a check up and to get the stitches out. We are so very thankful for God's healing of Jonathan's body now and over the past three years. God has been so infinitely good to our family. It has definitely been a test of patience and faith but it is nice to see the fulfillment of the promises He has given us. We are also so very thankful that God led us to Dr. Kropp and that God has guided him in how best to care for Jonathan. Thank you to everyone for praying for him. We know just how much each of those prayers mean to our family.

Next Saturday is Halloween and I hope we will be ready. Jonathan is going to be Handy Manny and I have pieced his costume together but he hasn't tried it on yet! I really need to work on that soon!! I do love this little boy and enjoying things like Halloween with him are just such a joy to me.

I know this post has no pictures. I will try to add some soon. Half of them are on my computer, half on the server, and half are still on the cameras. Just thought an update would be a good start. Thanks for checking in with us. I hope that each of your families are doing well.

Mississippi, Deer Camp, and Preschool...Do those go together?

We have been so busy these last few weeks that I haven’t had to time to even get the pictures downloaded off the camera, much less blog about them!

We went home to Mississippi the first weekend in August for my UMC Physical Therapy class reunion. We had so much fun visiting with old friends and seeing how much everyone’s family has grown in the past six years. We had a family pool party lunch in the morning and then the adults had dinner at Mint in Madison that night.

Pool Party Fun

We went to a really nice park in Madison Sunday morning. Jonathan loved it. We had the whole park to ourselves and he had so much fun running all over the place. It was a really nice and big park/playground. Wish we had something similar here in LR!

Fun with MaMa Deb

Playing with Daddy and Grandad at the Playground

My parents are living in Madison now, so it worked out really well for us to be close to everything. Jonathan was sooo excited to be at their house and play. They had a ton of new toys for him to play with and they even set up a baby pool outside for him to play in. They kept him while we went to dinner, so it was a nice night out for us as well.

Little Pool at Grandad and MaMa Deb's House

Jonathan wanted EVERYONE to get in his pool!!

Playing tools with Grandad

The next weekend was the Croppin’ 4 Kids scrapbooking fundraiser weekend for Easter Seals. This one is always a lot of fun and for a good cause (since I work there and all!!). They give out a lot of freebies, have a silent auction, and enough food to feed an army!! My friends Edie & Jodi, and Linda that I work with were there, so we had a great time.

Sunday afternoon, I went to the first of the big children’s consignment sales here in Little Rock. When we first moved to LR, all everyone could talk about was Duck Duck Goose. We went while I was pregnant, and were completely overwhelmed by how much STUFF was there. They have it at the State Farigrounds (inside) and it is HUGE. Since Jonathan was born, he and I have hit them as often as we could. We are usually able to find a ton of cute stuff, some new, some used, but most of it in good condition. Usually get Gymboree, Gap, Janie & Jack, smocked church outfits, etc. Anyway, all that to say that I hit Rhea Lana West Little Rock on that Sunday. Now that Jonathan is getting older, it is harder to find good quality stuff. Little boys just wear everything out!! But I did find some stuff new with tags, so we did good. Of course, now it seems like there is a sale every week for the month of August & September (everyone’s trying to capitalize on this game). I won’t hit all of them, but definitely do my share to keep Jonathan’s clothing budget low but quantity and quality high!

Mark’s Dad also came up Sunday afternoon to keep Jonathan the next week (August 10-14th). Preschool was closed so they could get ready for the new year. They had a great time at home and played and played. I don’t think they ever got bored. I do think Jonathan wore Paw Paw out!
Tuesday afternoon, we had the ultimate pleasure of meeting baby Kate. Our friends from church, Jennifer & Chris, have been trying to adopt a baby for the past two years. They have been so faithful to God, trusting in His guidance and in His timing for this child. She was a week old when we met her. She is absolutely beautiful and such a blessing. Jonathan loved playing with her too! He laid her blanket out on the floor and then insisted that we lay her down so he could talk to her. He brought her cars to play with and then got his musical instruments out so he could make music for her. It was so very sweet to see him with a little baby.

Friday night we all drove up to Mark’s deer camp. Mark has been trying to plant his food plots for this season, but things keep conspiring against him! I was a little apprehensive about us ALL going, but we ended up having a nice time. There is a playground up there, and Jonathan and I spent the morning playing on the playground, playing in the dirt, and looking for animal tracks. We even had a deer grunt at us. I told Mark that was probably as close to a deer as he was going to get! Poor Mark just does not have good luck deer hunting. Obviously not in planting his food plots either. Some piece on the tractor broke on the tiller. He was able to mow the grass down, but could not till the field. Mark and his Dad spent most of the day outside trying to fix it. Jonathan was “helping.” I spent the afternoon working on my scrapbook and reading. Worked out really well for me! Not so much for Mark.

Sitting on the tractor with Daddy

Playground at the Deer Camp

Jonathan started his new year of preschool this past Monday (17th). He moved up to a new class with new teachers and some new friends. It was a BIG change for him and for me as well. He has been with the same teachers for the past two years, since he started preschool at Easter Seals. They have taken such good care of him and he just loves them so much. The new teachers are very nice, they just don’t KNOW him yet. I know it will work out, but still a little sad in the meantime! He decided to see who was boss and ended up in time out three times the first day. Now if you know Jonathan, you know he can be bad, but usually/mostly is a very well-behaved child. The teachers were very apologetic of having to put him in the corner. I was ok with it, get that attitude under control ASAP, but still love on my baby! He also is trying to play them with the potty training as well. Wet most of the day Monday, drive 5 of 7 times on Tuesday, and 50/50 the rest of the week. Ugghh!! He did, however, really like the new room and seems to be adjusting well to the new kids and the teachers. He gets to play on the big playground now and he REALLY likes that part to be sure. Now, if only I can get all of his teachers to spell his name correctly!!!!!

First Day of Preschool

Mark went to New Orleans for a big meeting this past week. He was really busy but had a good time eating his way across the city. His Dad drove down for a few days to be with him. I think he had fun relaxing around the hotel. Mark came home Thursday night and is leaving again tonight (Sunday). Needless to say, we are all a little tired of him being gone and ready for him to stay home for a while! The house could use a little love as well. It is just hard to keep up with everything without any help!

Jonathan and I have had a stomach virus this weekend. Welcome to the first week of school! He, of course, has been much sicker than I have been. He ran a fever yesterday afternoon, so we didn’t get to go to church today. He started a new class at church last week as well, so he was sad that he didn’t get to go back again today. He is feeling much better today thank goodness. Just hate him to be sick.

Thanks for checking in with us!

Summer Fun

Nothing really exciting to report. I just had a few minutes, so thought I would write a quick post. My in-laws came to visit last weekend and Jonathan had a great time playing with them. He has decided now that Grandma needs to put him to bed whenever she is here. This is a nice break for me, but the never-ending bedtime! They read a dozen books, sing a dozen songs, and have a wonderful time together. No wonder Jonathan loves her putting him to sleep. Drags it out a lot more than our three stories, a couple of songs, prayers, and bed!

Saturday afternoon, Mark, my MIL, and I went to see the new Harry Potter. It was a really great movie and I was glad to have the chance to see it. My FIL and Jonathan stayed home and took a nap. They were both happy with that arrangement as well! Saturday night, Mark, Jonathan, and my FIL went to the AR Twisters Arena Football game with the interns from Mark's work. They had the Entergy suite so they had a good time. Food, private bathroom, and enclosed area for Jonathan to rip and roar, what could be better! My MIL and I went shopping instead. Good choice for us too. We got her birthday present and then had dinner at U.S. Pizza (I just love their salads!!).

I got a new necklace this week that I have been wanting for a loonnngg time. I got a Mommy necklace to remind me of Jonathan, even when he's not with me. I kept looking for one, but never could find what I wanted. Finally found this one. http://julianandco.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=1&products_id=122
Jonathan calls it "my baby feet neck-lass." He loves looking at HIS baby feet. It is so funny. The necklace is small enough to wear everyday, which is what I wanted. The only thing is, I have all these everyday gold earrings, and they don't really go with this necklace!! Oh well, just have to get some new silver ones!

Mark went to the deer camp this weekend to do some work to get ready for deer season. Jonathan and I stayed home and just chilled and played. We did go shopping a little on Friday. Went to the Inviting Co. wearhouse sale. It was fantastic!! Jonathan had a great time climbing up and over all the boxes. I bought a TON of stuff, for not much money. We got wrapping paper for a $1 a roll, cute plates & napkins for birthdays, baby showers, Christmas, etc., thank you cards, note cards, monogrammed stuff, and more! Even Mark was impressed with how much for how little I got (and that is saying something)! We stayed home Saturday and played. Also worked on potty-training. This is an adventure, that is about the best thing I can say about that. One of those roller coasters that seems to go on for forever, that you just wish would END!! Oh well, I will be patient. I know it will happen eventually.

We went to church today. A friend of mine and I filled in for Sunday School for four year olds. It was a lot of fun and completely amazing to see how much these little minds have already soaked up about the Bible and God. They are amazing! We went out to eat lunch with her as well and that was a lot of fun. We are so very blessed to have made some really good friends here in Little Rock. I know that this would be a completely different situation without the support and friendship that we have found here.

God is so good to us. I have definitely been learning some lessons in patience, trust, and faith lately. I know that God is in control and that He has a plan for us and our lives. But sometimes, it is hard to see that plan when you are in the middle of it and it just doesn't seem to be working out the way YOU planned. Of course, that's the point, right? God's plan is infinitely better than our plan. Oh man, but the waiting is hard! Please say a prayer for us that we will be faithful in our paitence for the fulfillment of God's plan, and that we will continually seek His will (not ours) for our lives.

Love to you all! Jonathan has his last week of the summer program at his preschool this week. They are 'going' to China, so it should be exciting. Last week was Africa and he absolutely loved all the animals on the wall and the 'safari' that they went on. This coming weekend we are going to Jackson/Madison for a reunion for my PT class. I am excited to see all my friends/classmates and catch up on their lives. It is so hard to believe that it has been SIX years since I graduated. Man I am getting old! Could I really have been practicing that long??? And that is all a fulfillment of God's promise and guidance. I do believe that God laid this path out for me to be a PT and to work with children. It does give me a purpose to be working, even when sometimes I would REALLY rather stay at home with Jonathan or just be a bum!

Thanks for checking in with us. I hope that everyone has a really great week!

Vicksburg Fun

I know, I know, Long Time No Post! Well, here goes the check-up!

As of my last post, both of my boys were sick. We did end up taking both to the doctor the next morning with a general consensus of the $49 fever virus. (This is about what it cost to see a pediatrician and for them to do absolutely NOTHING for your child). I know, I know, "antibiotics are overused and becoming ineffective," but seriously, so is my pocketbook!! Anyway, the doctor declared them both ok and not contagious, so off we went to Vicksburg!

We had a wonderful time being with Mark's ENTIRE family. It does not happen very often, so it was really nice to see everyone and spend time together.

Lucy - my niece

Mark's brother's family came from Atlanta and his sister and her boyfriend came from Hattiesburg. We took Jonathan out to the levee on the lake for his very first fishing trip. He LOVED it. He was not very patient waiting for the cork to go under, but thankfully the fish were biting, so he didn't have to wait too long.

Jonathan's First Fish!

He also tried out the little kid rod and reel and did very well with that. We decided he is going to be a bass fisherman. Lacey had a great time fishing as well. We all fished until we ran out of crickets! Since he had done so well and had so much fun, we took him back out in the morning. Unfortunately, it got HOT fast and we didn't stay out there too long. Still fun, just very hot.

Jonathan & Paw Paw Fishing

Saturday night was Mark's parents' 40th Wedding Anniversary Party. We had the party at the Walnut Hills Nogales House.

The Thomas Family

It was a great location with wonderful food. Everyone seemed to have a really good time. The only problem was that the air conditioner was set on 83 degrees when we got there to set up. Unfortunately, MS heat being what it is, and being an antebellum house, it never really cooled off. You can tell from the pictures just how hot everyone was. But we survived. Mark and I put together a slide show of their lives together which turned out really well. Mark is so talented at these things. Mrs. MaryAnn Artz made the cake. She made our wedding cake, and everyone was really excited about tasting her cake again. The leftovers barely made it home before the rest of the cake was devoured.

Mark & Jonathan at the party.

Poor Mark is soooo hot!

Sunday, we had an early birthday party for our niece Lucy. She will be one at the end of the month, but we just went ahead and had a party while everyone was together. She had a GREAT time with the cake. It was hilarious watching her go at the cake. She really got in to opening her presents as well, which was fun. I made a scrapbook for her first birthday. I thought it turned out really nice (fun to do girl stuff for a change). Hopefully she will enjoy that in the years to come.

Lucy LOVED the cake!

Jonathan had so much fun playing with Lucy and with Lacey. We brought a little drum full of instruments, and he and Lucy went to town playing with everything. After the party Saturday night, Jonathan and Lacey played with Kim's old Barbie dream house. They crawled through it 100 times (yes through the house) and ran all around the house. Or at least, that's what I was told. I, unfortunately, came home from the party with a migraine, so I went to bed!

We went to visit Johnson Sunday afternoon. Jonathan had fun playing at her house and we had a really good time visiting with her. Unfortunately, we just do not get to Vicksburg as often as we would like, and when we do it is always too short!

Johnson & Jonathan

We ate dinner at our local Taco Casa, a true Vicksburg necessity. We love their chili con queso and crushed ice cokes. Their bathroom does leave a little to be desired though, so we drove up to the overlook to potty before hitting the road. We took a TON of pics by the river and up by the cannon. Jonathan loved the river, loved the boats on the river, loved the cannon, loved climbing on the cannon, and especially loved the train crossing the old bridge. All in all, a great 30 minute stop before our trip even started! Needless to say, it was quite late by the time we made it home Sunday night, but it was well worth it!!

Mississippi River Overlook

Happy Fourth of July!

The next weekend was the Fourth of July. We were both off on Friday, and we just enjoyed the weekend at home together. It was nice to just have some time at home without an agenda. We took Jonathan bowling for the first time on Saturday. There was no one at the bowling alley, can't imagine why?

Jonathan learning to bowl.

We went to Millennium Bowl in NLR and it was very nice and clean and family friendly. They have bumpers that popped up when it was Jonathan's turn to bowl and then went down for my and Mark's turns. (Of course, it might have been better if they had stayed up!) Jonathan loved bowling and kept telling us, "I do it by myself." He carried his 7 lb bowling ball for most of the two games. They also had one of the ramps that you could roll the ball down. That was a big help so it did not take the ball soooo long to get down the lane. We played two games and all three of us were completely exhausted.

Notice Jonathan won the Second Game!!!!

We discussed taking Jonathan down to the riverfront to watch the fireworks show, but it was just so hot and we were all just tired. So we started watching the different shows on TV. After a while, a couple of kids in the neighborhood started shooting off some bottle rockets, so Mark took Jonathan outside to watch (at a safe distance of course). Then they both come running inside for me to come. Our 'neighbors' two streets over were having a party and had bought a TON of fireworks to shoot off. We ended up sitting in lawn chairs in the back yard and enjoying their show. A Redneck Fireworks. It was hilariously silly, but we had a blast. We were far enough away that Jonathan wasn't scared of the noise, which was very nice as well.

I was very blessed to go on a Girl's Weekend to Branson last weekend with my friend Jennifer from church. Her parents own a condo/duplex up there so we had a free place to stay. We had a great time just being girls and taking a break from our boys! We drove up Friday night and ate dinner at the Outback that's not a chain Outback. It is a good place to eat. The next morning we got up and began our shopping adventure. We shopped for 12 hours with only a minor stop for lunch at Dairy Queen. I have done some major shopping in my life, but this might be a first. We did three malls: Tanger Outlet, Factory Merchants Branson, and Branson Landing. We had so much fun and completely filled up her Honda Pilot. Found a ton of good deals and some great Christmas/birthday presents for Jonathan. Of course, my feet were just tingling by the end of the day and my poor knees were shot. I was just groaning each time I stood up! Sad I know, that a 30 year old cannot hang any more than that! We ate dinner at Joe's Crab Shack that night. It was delicious! We had those new steampots that they have been advertising on television. I got the New Orleans one and it was actually good!! (Always afraid to try Cajun stuff when we are not down South).

While I was gone, the boys played! Mark took Jonathan to the movies Friday night to see Ice Age 3. He loved going to the movies again and especially loved the popcorn. Saturday they went to Wild River Country and had fun in the sun. Sunday they went to church. The other big news was that Jonathan stayed dry ALL day Friday and Saturday. Of course, as soon as I got home Sunday, he was wet. How is that!?!? And then Monday, wet all day long at school. Had been staying dry 75% of the day, then all day at home, then none at school. This potty training business is a little trying to say the least. I know it will happen, but it gets old fast.

I had some use or lose vacation time at work, so I took off Thursday and Friday of this week. Jonathan went to school yesterday and I tackled closets. I beat the bathroom cabinets, but our bedroom closet beat me! That thing has grown a life of it's own. I will have to continue working on it though, I am determined to clean out ALL the closets in the house this year. Jonathan's is always an ongoing process as he outgrows his clothes so fast!! We are all home today and just have been running some errands and playing around the house.

Thanks for checking in with us. Miss you all so much!

P.S. Does anyone know an easier way to do these posts? I am going crazy trying to keep the text centered/left justified and the pictures centered, appropriate lines between paragraphs, etc. This is a PAIN and time consuming. Any/all tips would be MOST appreciated!! I have got to learn how to do this an easier way!

Same fever, both boys!!

So now they are both running low grade fevers. Mark was running a pretty good fever last night and ended up staying home from work today. He slept most of the day away and seems a little better tonight. Jonathan has randomly been sitting at 99 off and on this week. He has gone to school though, and been happy and playing. I brought him home to Mark this afternoon and went to get my nails done for the party this weekend. I call them as I'm leaving the salon, and Mark tells me that his fever is at 101 and Jonathan's is 99.8. Yeah. Way to ruin my relaxing salon visit! The nice thing is that Jonathan feels completely fine. Showing no signs of illness except that he is warm when you hold him. So weird...

So now they are both sick...sorta...and we are supposed to be leaving in the morning for Vicksburg!!!! Mark has an appointment in the morning with his doctor. I guess I will be up at 7:59am calling the pediatrician to try and get Jonathan in as soon as possible in the morning. (You have to start calling before 8am so you can be the first on the phone with the receptionist when they open. Otherwise we'll get the 4:30pm appointment or the crappy doctor and NEVER get to Vicksburg.)

Oh, and we're completely NOT ready to leave. Of course. Too much drama to get anything together. At least the majority of the clothes are washed and their are piles on the floor waiting to go into the suitcase. Well, back to packing. Please pray for my boys that they feel better and that this is just a virus. And please pray that we have a safe and fun trip to Vicksburg and that the party goes well for my in-laws.

Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!

Better?

Mark is doing better today. He wasn't running a fever this morning so he went on in to work. Crazy I know, but he has this HUGE project going on all week that they have been preparing for. He thinks he might have had a low grade fever off and on, but he worked all day. Came home and took Jonathan to his Gymboree class. After Jonathan went to bed, his fever was at 99.5. Gave him some more Tylenol and he seems ok now. Of course, this is almost exactly how Jonathan acted this weekend so I am sure it is a virus and will run its course in the next day or so. I just hope that Mark hasn't infected his entire office in the last two days. Could be a mass exodus!! So far, I feel fine, so knock on wood I hopefully will miss this one! It does help that I work with kids all day, every day. I have definitely developed some immunity to kid germs over the past six years. I think it helped Jonathan in the beginning to not be so sick in day care as a little baby. Ahh..the power of nursing immunity! At least, I like to think so anyway! Who knows, I could be full of it!!

Anyway, I am totally rambling now and it is way past time for bed. There is so much to do before our trip to Vicksburg, and I just don't know how I'm going to get it done!! So therefore I am just spending time on things like this to escape/ignore those things that really need to be done. Night!!