Due to arrive July 2010

So long for now...

Well, it's no secret...I have discovered that I'm much better at reading other people's blogs than keeping one of my own. So, for now, I give up. My apologies to the two of you who may actually see this. Perhaps one day I'll get the motivation to return to blogging....I'll let you know. :-) Until then...I'll have fun reading yours!

Peek-a-boo!!

I took this video in our hotel room when we were at Disney. It's moments like these that I'm reminded that, even though the toddler years can be tough, they can be a lot of fun, too!

Firsts...

I don't know why I haven't been keeping up with blogging. No excuses...just have been enjoying other things, I guess...like summer! We enjoyed a wonderful trip to Disney World last month. The boys had a great time, of course! Isaac enjoyed his first pair of Mickey ears. His favorite ride was "It's a Small World." The entire time he pointed repeatedly and said "WOW!" over and over. It was SO cute! I think we rode it about five times! Jonah enjoyed being able to ride some of the bigger "thrill" rides such as Splash Mountain and Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. I wasn't sure how he would do, but his reaction to both was "AWESOME!", so I think he was a pretty big fan!

The most recent news around here is that Jonah began his first day of first grade today. We are absolutely in love with his teacher. As soon as we found out her name, we visited her page on the school's website. Besides being a Clemson grad (which Chad was thrilled about), she mentioned that one of her favorite things to do when she's not teaching is going to church. So, when we met her yesterday at the annual "Meet the teacher", I mentioned to her how much we appreciated her including that on her page. She immediately responded by saying that Jesus is number one in her life and she has no qualms about sharing that with anyone. We had a moment of praise right there in the classroom! I am so thankful and so thrilled for Mrs. Bruce. I think this is going to be an awesome year for Jonah!

One of the sweet things about Jonah being back at school is that I am getting to spend some one-on-one time with Isaac. He is now 20 months, walking, running, climbing and trying his hardest to talk. We can understand a few words, but he mostly speaks in his own language, still. Isaac will start a mother's morning out program two mornings a week in September. I think it will be a great time for him to play and socialize with other children his age and it will give me a few hours to myself for running errands or whatever I need to do. I am thrilled that we were able to get him into the same day school program that Jonah was in for four years. It will be exciting to watch Isaac experience some of the same things that Jonah enjoyed so much.

Knowing this post would not be complete without some pictures, I'll leave you with a few to enjoy!

Jonah striking a pose

Jonah with Lightning McQueen and Mater

The tea cup ride with Grandpa

My little Mickey!

1st day of 1st grade

I'm back!!

Well, I took an unplanned vacation from blogging. No particular reason - there were several times I thought about sitting down and writing a new post, but then I'd get busy doing something else. Sorry to all those who kept checking in and were disappointed when there was nothing new.

I guess a lot has has happened in the past month and a half! Let's see where to begin....

JONAH
Jonah really enjoyed playing t-ball this year. Just when the season was ending, he really started getting the hang of it. Unfortunately, at the very last game, he sprained his ankle. Chad immediately brought him home and we began the RICE treatment, but the swelling just kept getting worse. We were scheduled to leave for Hilton Head the very next day, so Chad took him to Urgent Care for x-rays. After almost 4 hours - and not getting back home until almost midnight - the diagnosis was a bad sprain. He was given a splint and told to stay off of it for 2 weeks. HA! Try telling that to a 6 yr old while you're on vacation at the beach. Fortunately, the vacation went well. He got to spend lots of time in the pool, which was really good for it, so that helped.

Jonah also finished up the school year and was promoted to 1st grade! We actually took him out of school for the last two days so we could spend half the week at Hilton Head with Chad's dad. It was worth it - and he didn't really miss anything too important.

ISAAC
Isaac is on the move - and walking like a pro. Although he still sometimes decides that crawling is faster or easier. He is talking up a storm and has some very serious things to say - though I would need a translator to really tell you what those things are. We have these "conversations" all day long and I just nod my head and say things like "Oh really?" and "I understand" and "That's amazing!" He'll nod his head and point to something and say some gibberish and I'll give a reply. Too cute.

Isaac LOVED the beach - the sand at the beach, to be precise. He enjoyed getting covered in it from head to toe. He also enjoyed his little pail and shovel and still walks around the house with them trying to scoop up the carpet.

Isaac turned 18 months last week. It is so hard to believe that we are 6 months away from having a 2 yr old in the house. Lord, give me strength. :-)



We spent last week being lazy - it was wonderful. It was a great break between our vacation and this week which is VBS at church. Our church is doing the Crocodile Dock theme this year. Tonight was the first night and, as the kids say, "Crocodile Dock rocks!!" Tonight's Bible point was "God is always with us" - to which the kids reply (as loudly as possible) "FEAR NOT!!" Chad and I taught the Bible story tonight which was about Moses and the burning bush. Yes, Chad actually created a "burning bush" out of a plastic plant, a mini fan, and a red cellophane pom-pom. It was cool! I'll be teaching the story on Tuesday night about the Passover. The whole week revolves around the events that led up to Moses leading the Israelites out of Egypt. Chad gets to play Pharaoh tomorrow night as the kids learn about the plagues. Fun!!

Well, it is LATE and I need to get some rest. I will try to update soon with pictures. Thanks for continuing to check back!!

The latest

Wow - what a busy week - and what an awesome result! Last week I spent countless hours with my circle group from church preparing for a YARD SALE! With most of us having never put a yard sale together before, we had our work cut out. I learned one thing, though. If you ever ask for donations for a yard sale - from your church family, no less - be prepared. It was as if our request was a huge incentive for everyone to get rid of their junk. Don't get me wrong - we received A LOT of really nice items - tons of clothing, some furniture, baby toys galore... a little bit of everything. It was the sorting and pricing that took FOREVER. We sorted all the clothing by size and gender. Then there was the never-ending assortment of trinkets, home decor items, electronic gadgets and well...just stuff!

We worked from 7:00-10:00 Thursday night, from 6:00-10:30 Friday night and we started at 6am Saturday and I didn't get home until 3:30 that afternoon - but - it was ALL worth it! You see, we were raising money for MISSIONS! The awesome part is that we made almost $900!!! We will probably be giving about half of that to a local women's shelter. The shelter is a Christian-based safe house for women and their children who are victims of domestic abuse or who have just fallen on hard times and have lost their homes. While staying at the shelter, the women and children's physical needs are met with food, clothing and shelter. In addition to that, the women are also counseled and witnessed to and provided with opportunities to learn job skills and receive training that helps them work toward getting off welfare so they are able to work and provide for their families. The ministry that runs the shelter also houses a thrift store to which we were able to donate all of the items that did not sell! AND - the clothing that did not sell went into our church's newest ministry - a clothes closet! All in all, I'd say it was a very successful event and the cause was so much greater than our sacrifice of a little time and effort...and miscellanious junk sorting. :-)

In other news, Jonah is continuing to do well in school. He's gotten in a little trouble this week for talking, but his teacher assured me that spring fever is in full force and all the kids are more "animated" than usual. He's having a great time playing t-ball and says he likes it a lot better than soccer.

Isaac is improving with his walking. He seems to be making more of an effort to get up and get around on his feet rather than crawling. He walked all the way across the den the other day, then sat down and clapped for himself. It was adorable!

Chad's birthday is coming up in a few weeks and I am hoping to arrange for a sitter so we can have a date night. I'm ashamed to say I don't even remember when the last one was. I think he wants to see the Wolverine movie. I guess since it's his birthday and all, I'll go along. :-)

I think that's about it for now. I think I might go catch a few zzzzz's while Isaac naps. Chad had to work last night and I never sleep well when he's not here.

Night all!! :-)

My Terrific Kid

Playing catch-up

It's been a busy week in the Moore household. The boys and I spent several days with my mom last week during Jonah's spring break. Jonah and I got to see Monsters vs. Aliens in 3D - which was very cool. We all spent a day together at the zoo which was a lot of fun, as well. On Friday, we headed to the NC Transportation Museum to see all sorts of cars, trucks, airplanes, trains...you name it. The highlight would be the round house and the train ride, of course. Yes, I have pictures, but not so much the time to edit and upload them. I do, however, have one I will share now. When we arrived home after church on Easter Sunday, our next door neighbor spotted us taking pictures in the yard and volunteered to take one of all of us. So here it is - our Easter family picture. I just love the expression on Isaac's face. Enjoy! (More pictures to come when I have more time!!)

Jesus Messiah by Chris Tomlin

I serve a RISEN Savior - HE'S ALIVE!!

Post in pictures

Jonah came home with this yesterday. I always knew he was terrific, but it's nice to see his school finally recognizes that, as well. :-) Talk about making a momma proud!!

Isaac is 16 months old today. He enjoyed a little snack of goldfish hidden in plastic easter eggs this morning. I figured it was healthier than chocolate!!

The boys have really had fun lately playing together. Isaac is getting to a point where he's starting to understand the concept - rather than just destroying his brother's "creations."

THIS is why we haven't allowed anyone to cut Isaac's hair yet. Can you blame me? Samson comes to mind. Oh, I kid. We'll give in one day, but no time soon!!

Isaac enjoying his snack - taking the goldfish out and putting them back in the eggs.

On my mind today...

"Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends."

John 15:13

Pray for the children

I don't think I've ever mentioned before that I'm the leader of my women's circle group at church. I have to confess that I first took the job because it seemed no one else was interested and if I didn't do it, no one else would - and I didn't want to see the circle group just fall apart. However, now that I look back, I can see where God's hand was guiding me in that decision. It was one of those things where I just didn't feel equipped - but, as I often have to remind myself, God doesn't call the equipped, He equips the called.

One of the goals of our group this year has been to really return to the heart of what the group was established for - missions. In the past several years that I attended the group as a member, there was a gradual decline in the focus of the group - from missions to social club. It's easy to understand how that can happen - when a group of moms get together without the husbands or kids, well, of course there's going to be a grand time of fellowship. Admittedly I enjoyed it, of course, but I was convicted to work to try to return the focus of the group to serving others. We now have a dedicated devotional leader and we have made Bible study a vital part of our meetings. We have also completed several projects this year including volunteering at a crisis pregnancy center, holding a bake sale to raise funds which were used to purchase gift cards for families in need, visiting a women's shelter to learn more about how we can help there and our most recent project is providing a homemade meal for a children's home. This coming Saturday we'll be taking a meal to the children's home and sharing a craft and the story of salvation while making salvation bracelets with the children.

The children's home that we will be visiting is a 24-hour emergency shelter for children who are victims of sexual or physical abuse, neglect or abandonment. Usually the children are only there for a period of 90 days. During that time DSS conducts an investigation of the child's home, a Family Court hearing is held, and a treatment plan is presented. During my volunteer orientation I learned that only 20% of the children ever return to their original home environment. While there I was taken on a tour of the facility, including the cottages that serve as the living quarters for the children. I saw the small dorm-like bedrooms and in one room, there was a tiny twin bed that held a napping preschooler and there was also a crib for his 9 month old baby brother. I met the baby brother - he was the most adorable baby with a huge smile and bright blue eyes. Sadly I realized that when he was put to bed in that crib, it would not be by his mother. Even more sadly I learned that staff and volunteers are not allowed to hug or kiss these children. The only appropriate sign of affection is a "side hug." Children may only sit in your lap if they are under the age of 5 - and you are not allowed to even kiss the babies. You may stroke their cheek and hold their hand, but that is all. I don't even want to begin to imagine the circumstances that led to having to enforce such strict, and seemingly harsh rules. However, I was told repeatedly that the rules are in place for the security and protection of the children.

I am asking my readers - the few of you there are - to pray for me. I am feeling led to become an active volunteer at the children's home. However, I do not feel emotionally stable enough to do so. I found myself fighting back tears several times during my orientation and tour. We were told that we can't show that kind of emotion around the children - we cannot express sadness about their situation. While they are at the home, the environment is to be one of safety and happiness. If a child brings up their situation, we are to re-direct them and encourage them to talk to their counselor since we as volunteers are not professionally trained to offer advice. Such a tough thing, and yet I am feeling strongly led to help in whatever way I can. Pray for me - and pray for the children.

I have great memories of this holiday from childhood. The tiny gold leprechaun footprints in the classroom...the mess he left behind...and the pot of gold coins! What fun! And lest you forget to wear green and bear the shame of warding off pinches from your classmates all day long!

The other special thing about this day is that it's my mom's birthday! Today my mom is a very youthful and energetic 78 years old. We enjoyed a special visit and dinner together this past Saturday. I am grateful for those times together.

In other news - I found my camera!! Hopefully I'll have some new pics to share soon. In the meantime, Top 'o the mornin' to ya!! :-)

Ode to Chick-fil-a

We love us some Chick-fil-a around here, so when a friend posted this on facebook, I just had to share! Too funny!

15 months and a couple of steps!

Isaac turned 15 months yesterday and it's like a light switch went on! He's been randomly taking a couple of steps at a time. I don't even think he realizes it! It's usually when he has something in his hands to focus on rather than on the fact that he's walking. It appears as if he's been doing it forever - almost effortless!! He only takes a few steps and then goes down, but still - it's progress!!

I took him to the doctor for his check-up today. He's 33 inches long which is the 95th percentile, and 25 lbs, 6 oz., which is between the 50th and 75th percentile. So we think he'll be tall like Jonah, but a little more "petite". Jonah has always been tall and solid, but I think Isaac's build will be a little more slender.

Chad came by just a few minutes ago and picked up the boys to take them to church. Normally I'd be there, too, but I've been battling a terrible headache and nausea all day. I think it may be allergies. I noticed there was pollen floating around in the air when I left to pick up Jonah from school this afternoon. 'Tis the season, I suppose. Nevertheless, it's nice to have a few rare moments to myself - which never happens in the evenings!! It's quite nice for a change!

Funny, but sad

No title needed

Writer's block and a missing camera

So I've been mia. Maybe you've noticed. All two of you. I've been trying to figure out how to get more people to read my blog. I've sent the link to family and friends letting them know I've added new pictures or whatever. They visit one time and never come back. I guess maybe some of them don't understand that they can come back - that it's not a one time thing. Or maybe I've said something/posted something that they didn't like. This blog is mostly about my kids, of course, but every once in a while I come across something that I am convicted by or truly believe in and I share it - like the video below about abortion.

On occasion I'll have what I consider to be a "blog worthy" moment. I'll think to myself that I need to write about it later - or take pictures to share later. That would be great - except that I can't seem to locate my camera at the moment. I thought I left it by the computer after downloading the last batch of pictures, but apparently my memory has failed me. Sometimes I'll sit down to write about the latest happenings and words just fail me. I think to myself - maybe this isn't as interesting as I thought it was.

I read other blogs and am so fascinated by other people's lives. Not that they're that much different from mine - I guess it's just interesting because it's someone else. It's like getting to peek into the window of someone else's home - not in a peeping tom sort of way. That would be creepy. More like reality tv. I just like to know what's going on with other people - even people I don't even know that well.

So...what's going on here? Well - let's see...we're still waiting on Isaac to walk. He has his 15 month appt. next week and I'm starting to worry a little. He pulls up and stands and cruises all over the place. He stands unassisted. He'll start to take a step and then change his mind. So I don't think it's a matter of ability. I'm just surprised since he's been pulling up and cruising since he was 9 months old. Other than that, though, he is wonderful. He is so happy. God really blessed us and we couldn't have picked a better name than 'Isaac' - which means laughter, by the way. The Bible tells us that Sarah laughed when she found out she was going to have a baby. She thought she was too old and that she and Abraham would never be parents. In the same way, I wasn't sure I'd ever have another baby after Jonah. It took 4 years to get pregnant with Jonah and that was with some medical assistance. Isaac, though, just happened. He was a surprise - a very pleasant one at that. And I laughed! So it was no question as to what his name would be when we found out we were having another boy. Everyone always comments at how happy he is - and it's true. I am amazed. He will sit and play and just laugh - almost like a cackle - it's so stinkin' cute. I don't know what he's laughing at, but he is just happy. It makes me happy, too.

And my Jonah - my sweet, sensitive Jonah. Let me tell you what just about broke my heart. There's a little boy that Jonah has been friends with since...well...just about forever. Lately, though, they haven't been "clicking." The other boy is a little older and seems to be interested in different things from Jonah. This little boy had a birthday not too long ago - I don't know if he had a party or not - but if he did, Jonah wasn't invited. I didn't say anything to Jonah because I knew his heart would be broken if he remembered the boy's birthday - he would question when the party was going to be and wonder why he didn't get to go. So rewind a little bit - for Christmas my sister-in-law gave Jonah a huge laundry basket full of art supplies. It was a little overwhelming and, admittedly, we've "donated" some of the items to church - it really was just a little too much. Anyway, Jonah has been having the best time creating stuff. I'm very pleased because I don't have one creative bone in my body. So the other day he brought me a card he had made - it had the number 7 on it - for the boy's age - and it said Happy Birthday - and he wanted to know how to spell the boy's name. I helped him with that and he said he wanted to mail the card to the boy because he knew that he was 7 now and that he had had a birthday and he didn't get to give him a card. It was all I could do not to burst into tears in front of him. I just pulled him close, kissed the top of his head, and told him that was a very sweet thing to do. I'm not sure what to do about actually mailing the card. The parents may think it very strange that a random birthday card shows up several months late. I set it aside and haven't said anything more about it - but I'm not sure how to handle it if he brings it back up. I was just so amazed that he thought to do something like that all on his own just out of the blue. One thing about Jonah that I can see - he will be a loyal friend - almost too loyal. I'm afraid he'll suffer a lot of hurt for that quality, but I'm hoping that others will notice it and appreciate it one day.

Ok, well, so much for writer's block, huh? I have rambled enough! Hopefully now someone will show up and actually read this. Let me know what you think about the birthday card situation if you do. :-)

Wow...

I'd say this 12 year old young lady sums it up pretty well...

14 months

Today my baby, my baby, is 14 months old! We are still waiting on him to take off walking. I know he can - I think he knows he can. I'm not sure what the hold up is, but we'll get there, I'm sure.

We have the craziest weather in SC. Last week we had a "snow day" and today it's over 70 degrees! I took Jonah for a hair cut after school and then we came home and enjoyed some play time outside. Isaac is a big fan of the swing. I look forward to seeing my boys enjoying play time together outside for many years to come.

Weekend Review

We had a great time celebrating my father-in-law's birthday yesterday! Last night we had dinner at Miyabi's Japanese steakhouse. It was Jonah's (and Isaac's) first experience having our own chef cooking for us right at our table. Both boys were mesmerized with the fire and the onion "volcano". They also both enjoyed the food! Jonah (my very-picky eater) tried shrimp, chicken, steak, rice, zucchini and onions! He didn't like everything he tried - but the point is, he tried! Isaac's favorite was actually the soup! He also enjoyed some zucchini, rice and teryaki chicken. All in all, it was a great meal with some fun entertainment thrown in. Unfortunately, I forgot my camera. *Hanging my head in shame* I've got to do a better job.

We also got to enjoy watching my father-in-law open his birthday gifts - a snuggie from my brother-in-law, Cory, and a Shamwow! from us. Nothing beats those "as seen on TV" specials! He loved his gifts, but more importantly, he loved spending time with his grandsons.

And now for a very special announcement - we're going back to Disney World!! We had settled on waiting until Isaac is potty trained. However, my father-in-law can get a really good deal if he books our rooms in the next few weeks, so...we are going to DW this July!! No, I'm not *that* thrilled at the thought of Orlando in July, but honestly, who can turn down a vacation to Disney World?!! I'm so excited!

As promised...

Sorry it's so dark. We have a very dark den and I always forget to turn on extra lights. It shows up lighter on my camera so I just don't think about it until it's too late. Sorry!

And a little love from Jonah...

Snow day?

So the phone rang around 6:15 this morning. It was the school district - school was canceled! Ordinarily this would be a nice surprise - and it would mean more snow on the ground - and a chance to play in it! Um...so...where's the snow? Seriously - to say we have a "light dusting" would be an exaggeration! There won't be any pictures this time because there's nothing to see! I just hope they don't try to take away from Spring Break to make this up! I will not be a happy mama!

In the meantime, we are hanging at home, playing in the tent/tunnel set the boys got for Christmas from my brother and sister-in-law. Perhaps I'll get some pictures of that...

Just checking in

Seems pretty sad that I can't think of anything to write about now that the boys aren't sick anymore! Don't get me wrong - I am so very thankful, and pray it continues. I'm just at a loss subject-wise.

Right now we're just cruising along. Today was the 100th day of school for Jonah. He also lost another tooth. Isaac just cut his 9th tooth. It took about a week and a few days of low fever. Teething seems to be a lot harder on him than it was with Jonah.

This Friday is my father-in-law's birthday. We'll be heading to see him on Saturday and having dinner at a Japanese restaurant. This will be Jonah's first time going to a Japanese restaurant - should be a lot of fun for him! It may sound silly - but I plan to take my camera. It's not every day your food is cooked and prepared right in front of you with real FIRE! :-)

I think that's about all I've got for now. Nothing too terribly exciting, but that's probably a good thing. I think we'll just enjoy being healthy for now. At least winter will be over before too long. Then it will be on to allergies. Oh JOY! :-)

In case you're wondering...

Yes, the picture at the top of my blog was taken at Christmas. Yes, that's Santa's beard in the corner next to Isaac. I wanted to update my blog look for Valentine's, but haven't had a chance to get a good NEW picture of the boys. It's on my to-do list. In the meantime, focus on the fact that the boys are wearing red - and ignore Santa...please. :-)

P.S. - (whispered, so as not to jinx it)...The boys are both currently well!

Single Mom

Chad has to go to Atlanta this afternoon for work and probably won't be back until Friday afternoon. You never realize how much you depend on your spouse until they're not around. I am so thankful for a God-fearing husband who loves me and our children unconditionally. I will be so happy when he returns!

Letter to Sasha and Malia

Whether you voted for him or not, it is our duty to pray for our President. This poignant video is a letter that Jenna & Barbara Bush, President George W. Bush's twin daughters, wrote to Sasha & Malia Obama. It's called Playing House in the White House. It is very touching and a great reminder that behind all the politics, hoop-la and celebrity-like coverage, Barack Obama is just a man - a husband, a father, and one of God's children. Pray for him.

I'm here!

I usually try to blog a couple times a week, but it just hasn't worked out that way this past week. We did have a snow day last Tuesday and school was canceled. I got a few pictures of Jonah, but I've been slack and am just now putting them on the computer.

Jonah is doing well and is back in the swing of things at school. He got a great report card last week. He is really doing well with his reading! He surprises me sometimes with the words he knows/recognizes. He's playing basketball for our church and really enjoys it. He's also registered to play t-ball this spring. He has continued with his piano class and is learning so much. Chad has also been working with him on the guitar that "Santa" brought him for Christmas. I love that he is showing an interest in both sports and music. He is also very active in our church's AWANA program (2 Timothy 2:15). Every Sunday night he attends "Sparks" and works on scripture memory. He usually learns 3-5 verses a week - and he is retaining what he is learning! He actually finished his book a few weeks ago and is now going back through the book for review. I am amazed that he is still able to quickly remember verses he learned back in September!

My sweet Isaac is now 13 months and we are waiting (any day now) for him to start walking. He has been thinking about it for a really long time, but has yet to take off. He is eating 3 meals a day now, has pretty much mastered the sippy and is actually weaning himself off the bottle. He is definitely showing an interest in music - loves his Baby Einstein dvd's - and is even starting to learn a little sign language! So far he will sign "milk", "more" and his own version of "light." He likes to talk to the light, too - at least that's what it seems like he's doing! He's been a little under the weather this weekend - running a fever. We think it may just be teething, but since he hasn't been resting well and has a cough and some congestion, Chad stayed home from church with him yesterday. It's 8:00 in the morning and he is STILL sleeping - which never happens - so maybe that's a good sign that he's resting well and making up for lost time.

Well, I'm going to go now and enjoy a little quiet time while Isaac is still sleeping. Here are a few pictures of Jonah enjoying the snow. He's making a face in the last one because the icicle he's holding was making his hand really cold! The snow was pretty much gone by then, but we found a couple of long icicles hanging from under Chad's truck.

Let it snow!!

Tonight's forecast: Cold with rain early, then SNOW! Ok, so only 1-3", but still...

Tuesday morning: Some snow in the morning, accumulating up to an additional inch.

So it's nothing compared to the 18" of 2004 - but I love to be able to look out the window and see snow falling. Jonah is all about getting out in it to play. Maybe...maybe...there'll be just enough for that.

Weekend Update

Jonah seems to be doing MUCH better. He finished the steroid today and is almost done with the antibiotic. He'll see the doctor on Monday for a follow up. He made it through two days at school this past week. Fortunately, yesterday was a teacher work day and Monday is a holiday so he is enjoying a 4 day weekend. I think it's helping him to catch up on his rest. He did go to his basketball game this morning, but he didn't play much. I'm kind of wanting to hear an "all clear" from the doctor before we let him return to all his normal activities. Plus - I wonder if some of his energy is actually from the steroid. He'll get a big burst of energy and go crazy for a little while, then he'll crash on the couch. He's also been really hungry.

Isaac has amazingly stayed pretty healthy through it all. He still has a little cough and congestion in the mornings, but we all do, thanks to allergies. Isaac will see the doctor on Monday, as well, so we'll talk about that. I keep thinking he's going to take off walking any day now. He thinks about it really hard, I can tell. He'll let go and just stand there and then it's like it hits him all of a sudden and he sits down so he can crawl. Jonah didn't walk until 14 months, so I'm not too worried. I know he will do it when he's ready. Plus, honestly, with Isaac being the second one, I'm just not in as big of a hurry for him to reach milestones like I was with Jonah. I'm really trying to savor these last glimpses of babyhood because, while we haven't decided that we are absolutely done, given my age and fertility history, we could be, so I'm enjoying it while it lasts.

Well, I'm off to get dinner together. I love lazy Saturday evenings. It's been a really sleepy, cold day around here. Rumor has it we may even possibly see flurries tonight!

Back to School!

The doctor cleared Jonah to go back to school today since he went 24 hours with no fever. It was hard to see him headed out the door looking awfully pale with dark circles under his eyes. He didn't sleep well last night, but the doctor didn't write him out for today so I felt like I had to try to send him. It's been 2 hours and so far, no calls or anything, so I hope he's having a good day. He's supposed to go to piano this afternoon and tonight is church night, but Chad and I have already decided to let him stay home tonight and rest. We'll "play it by ear" and see how he feels after school regarding piano.

The good news is that Isaac is still doing well and seems healthy! Hopefully they will BOTH be in school tomorrow and I will have a few hours to myself. It will be nice to get back to "normal" around here!

The verdict is in...

Jonah has mono. I'm not sure exactly what the doctor meant by a "faint positive", but at any rate, he is being treated for mono. An antibiotic, a steriod and cough medicine were prescribed. He can't go back to school until he stops running a fever. I was stunned at the sight of his tonsils. They're really bad. He goes back in a week for a follow up so I'll keep everyone posted. In the meantime, keep sending up prayers that the meds do what they're meant to do, that he feels better soon and that somehow we can manage to keep Isaac healthy. Thanks.

The news - good and bad

Isaac -

The pink eye seems to be gone. I say this with cautious optimism, but I think it's gone for good. He is pretty much back to normal except for a little congestion and cough when he first wakes up in the morning. We go back to the doctor for a weight check next week. When we were there a few weeks ago for the coughing and congestion he had actually lost a little weight because he had no appetite. I think we're doing fine with that now - not 100%, but much better.

Jonah -

Ran a fever all weekend except when the Motrin was in his system. Had an episode of throwing up yesterday afternoon which, much to his chagrin, kept him home from AWANA last night. I'm keeping him home from school today because he coughed so much last night that he barely got any sleep. Poor kid has dark circles under his eyes - you can just tell he's not well. We go back to the doctor this afternoon for a check on his ears and to figure out what in the world we can do to stop this cough and help him get some sleep.

Thanks for the continued prayers. I'm sorry I don't have much else to blog about right now. I guess the positive is that my mom came for a visit this weekend and Chad and I were able to have dinner out with friends on Saturday night. We hurried home so Chad could watch the Panthers in the play-offs. Five Delhomme-thrown interceptions later and we decided we should've gone to a movie instead!

Jonah finished his antibiotic for an ear infection this past Tuesday. Tonight he is running a fever again. Please pray for my boys. We just can't seem to get well around here.

Con-JUNK-tivitis

It's back. Conjunctivitis. Pink eye. The never ending infection that will not go away, that always comes back as soon as we stop giving the eye drops. UGH! I took Isaac to the doctor a week and a half ago. She said it would take about 3 days to clear up and to give him the drops one more day after that. We did. In about 2 days, it came back. We started with the drops again. It cleared up. We stopped the drops. In a day or so, it came back. As long as we keep giving him the eye drops he's fine, but if we stop, it comes back! We're giving it one more go with another round of drops and this time, if it doesn't clear up, we'll head back to the doctor. For almost an entire month now, if one of my boys is well, the other one isn't. They haven't both been well at the same time for almost a month. Jonah came down with the stomach virus on December 13th and it's been down hill since then. I am trying to be patient. I am trying to persevere. Frankly, though, it's getting old...and fast! Any prayers you can send our way will be greatly appreciated!

Sippy adventures

So I've been trying for a while now to get Isaac acquainted with the ways of the sippy. I must say he has not been impressed. He gets that you put the spout in your mouth - and I feel he anticipates something should come out. The whole gravity thing, though...he hasn't really caught on to that yet. For now I have to tilt the cup up for him so he can actually drink from the cup. It's a work in progress, for sure. Oh, I know he'll get it one day before long and the bottle will be a thing of the past. I'm not in a big hurry, though. We'll get there. :-)

I tried to get one of the curls...

Christmas 2008....and another update

I see some of you have been checking back, probably wanting to know if we're all ok. The boys are pretty much back to normal. Chad is doing ok - just a sore throat and cough. Me? I feel like I got hit by a truck. Not that I really know how that feels - it's just a guess. My throat hurts, my head hurts, basically my whole body hurts. I just want to curl up under the covers and hibernate for the rest of the winter. Yes, that would be nice.

Since you've been waiting so patiently, I'll go ahead and fill you in on Christmas while the Tylenol is working.

Chad had to work on Christmas Eve until 5:00, so it was just us at home - which was quite nice, actually. A couple from church had given us an Olive Garden gift card, so Chad picked up some dinner for us from the OG and we had it at home. We followed it up by opening some gifts and watching "A Christmas Story." Great classic. Although I didn't realize at the time that it really isn't suitable for 6 yr old ears. Now I know.

On Christmas morning we were awakened by Jonah at 5:30 - YES, 5:30!!! - because "Santa was here!!" I got up long enough to take pictures and then crawled back in bed until Isaac rang around 8:00. We had a quick breakfast and packed up so we could head to Chad's dad's in Columbia. We got there around 12:30 or so and had "breakfast." No one makes scrambled eggs like my father-in-law, I tell ya. We then opened more presents and then all of us took a nap - except Jonah, of course. Around 5:00 that evening we headed across town to my mom's where we spent the night. I think she was thrilled to have us all under her roof. Except for her cat, mom lives alone, so she loves to have company.

The next morning I made a breakfast casserole and then we just hung out until my brother and his family came over around 1:00 or so for our big family meal and ...you guessed it....more presents! I was completely overwhelmed by the basket of art supplies my sister-in-law gave to Jonah. I don't think he shall ever want for a crayon, piece of paper, glue, scissors or anything you can think of - ever again!

We packed it up and headed home around 4:30 or so. We had a great time away, but it is always nice to be home again. Of course it wasn't long after that that we all began to get sick, but fortunately such things are temporary.

I've included a few pics of all the fun!