Swim Meet - Take 5

Tonight was S's last regular season swim meet for the year!

Amazing how much she has improved!!  She took another 3 seconds off her backstroke and 1 second off her freestyle!

I loved watching her!

Getting ready for the relay to start! S is on the far right!

S and some of her friends:)

S, Riley and Reese

Making the Most of it!

Today C was feeling much better, but he still wasn't well enough to be too active.  But, we made the most of it anyway and I tried to do some fun, low-key stuff with the kids!  S went to swim practice in the morning, but I made C sit with me on the side(which he was honestly perfectly fine with!), we then went to the library and got the kids their summer reading rewards and some new books/movies, then for lunch we had an indoor picnic in the living room!  Not too bad, but we will all be glad to be back to "normal"!

They both LOVE to put the books  back into the hole!

A rare moment of quiet reading for the boy!

SO PROUD of their summer reading program medals!

Pre-lunch movie time:)

Nom-nom!!

STILL SICK!! Oh my!

So, seriously...

We were at the doctor's again this morning for the FOURTH time in 11 days!

This time, because C was still running a fever and had broken out in a rash last night... he was miserable!!

Diagnosis - TERRIBLE double ear infection because Omnicef was not working and he is apparently now allergic to it!  Just delightful!

He is now on Azithromycin and we are praying that next week is a much better week for our family!

And, because of all that's going on, our house looks like this:

Making me uber thankful for these:

Garden Update

So after a very fruitful squash and zucchini harvest, we are now moving on to tomatoes, cucumbers and okra coming in beautifully!!

First tomato sandwich of the summer... Amazing!!

Ever seen an okra bloom?  Me neither!  So pretty!!

Summer Spectacular - Journey Off the Map

This week has been full of Summer Spectacular!

The theme this year was Journey off the Map!  The entire church was set up with a jungle/camping feel to it! They always do such an amazing job!  Very creative and all the volunteers seem to give 110% at all times!!!

The week took the kids to uncharted territory where they began to understand that obedience to God can lead them beyond what is expected.  They learned to toss the map, stick close to their guide and be prepared to listen to God's direction in this journey of life that is unknown to us, but known by Him!

Monday:  I volunteered this day and was a color group leader for kids that had just finished 3rd grade!  Before I had C, this was the position I use to volunteer for and I really enjoyed it just as much this time!  The kids at the elementary age really grasp a lot of what is being taught, they can(now, whether they choose to or not is another story!) listen and follow instructions, and they can take care of their bathroom needs solo!  It was a great, exhausting day!

I wasn't allowed to take pictures, but I figured since this was just
a picture of a notecard that one of the boys in my group wrote.
The directions were to write one things that they'd learned that
day.  He wrote "that Cheez-its Taste Bad"!  Buhahaha!!!

Tuesday: I did not help out this day, but instead dropped the kids off at their designated areas and had 3 hours to myself!  It was the first time since C got out of school that I have had that!  Ahhh!!!  Both kids had great days!  Since I had S's ear appointment set up for the afternoon, we had some time to just hang around before having to leave.  I was able to snap a couple of pictures with them and the decorations and we played on the playground but it was so hot we were soon ready to get in the air conditioned car!

All ready to go to Summer Spectacular!

A picture taken by the Summer Spectacular photographer - S is on the left looking
up to the stage!

Wednesday: I stayed home with a sick C-man, while S got a ride with Ms. Amy!  Looks like she had a blast!  C was feeling okay enough to go pick her up, and he got to see for the first time what the other side of the church looks like during Summer Spectacular in the elementary area.  I think he was slightly overwhelmed:)

I'm so thankful to have these pictures taken by the photographer -
Anna P., girl I don't know, S

Anna G., Madison, S, Rebekah(their leader whose dad is friends with M)

Thursday - C was still sick and I stayed home with him again!  I am so thankful for Amy taking S yet again!!  I even had to ask Jessica if she would get S while I sat in the car with C, he was too sick to even get out of the car - we went to the doctor soon after this!

S and Anna P.

Friday - Yup, still home with a sick boy, but I was able to drop S off this morning(even if we were about 30 minutes late since I let her sleep in after her meet last night) and picked her up too!  C was even feeling well enough to go up to the room that he had been in at the beginning of the week so that he could take him name tag home with him:)  On Monday he had snagged the name tag and smuggled it out in his pocket because he wanted to make sure he was going to get to keep it - so I knew it was something he was really wanting!  HA!

Crazy Summer Week... and Lots of Sickness

So this week has primarily revolved around Summer Spectacular and being sick, sick, sick!!

My intention was to volunteer with Summer Spectacular on Monday and Friday, take the kids to swim practice on Wednesday and skip Summer Spectacular, and take Tuesday and Thursday for myself and to get about a million things done without having kids with me!

Well...

Monday went as planned and the first part of Tuesday, but S's ear(the ear that didn't have the ear infection from last week) had been bothering her the past few days and I had an appointment set up for the doctor to take a look at it after I picked them up from Summer Spectacular.  So, we get there and are in the waiting room and C crawls into my lap and he is HOT!!!  Just great!  We go back and I tell the doctor my issues with S and that also now I would like for him to check C as well!

Results:
S - swimmers ear in the right ear(remember the ear infection last week was her left ear) and drops are prescribed
C - fever of 102 and no other signs of anything

Seriously!?!?!?

We leave the doctor's office by this time exhausted and two sick kids!  We stop at Academy Sports and get ear plugs so that hopefully by Thursday her ear will be well enough that it won't hurt for me to stick a plug in it for her swim meet.  Next stop, Walgreens to pick up her prescription.  Last stop, home!  Where I immediately give a feverish and chilled little boy Motrin and a hurting little girl ear drops.

C doesn't improve throughout the afternoon nor on Wednesday and his fever never does completely go down throughout the night either, so I called our neighbor to see if she will take S to Summer Spectacular with her on Wednesday and Thursday while I stayed home with C.

Thursday C took a turn for the worse, so back to the doctor we go.  Now a double ear infection has developed and they also do bloodwork to confirm a virus and nothing underlying.  Away we go with still a high fever and now a prescription - ironically the same one that S is still on from her ear infection.  Just lovely!

Last night was really rough, with being out late with S at her swim meet(her ears were well enough to get the ear plug in so that water didn't seep in under her cap!) to get into bed about 11:15pm and then C is up from 11:30pm - 2:30am!  After finally getting him back to sleep, he is up this again at 6:30am with a very stuffy nose but NO FEVER!

Throughout today he has improved, but has still required meds for a low-grade fever 100* and under, but very controllable with Motrin!  Oh, let's throw in there that his ear infection meds have torn his tummy up, so now he is having those kind of issues! Poor kid can't catch a break!  Fever, can't breathe from congestion and now an upstate stomach!!

Good news = S's ears both seem to be much, much better!!!!!

And, we are praying for a healthy weekend and lots of recovery time!!

2nd trip to dr in the past week!  I feel like it should be
winter at the rate we are going!!!

She did get her piano practicing in!

Charter started getting the wires in so that we can FINALLY
have cable and internet!  WOOHOO!!

She was SUPER excited to be riding with Ms. Amy to
Summer Spectacular!

My counter looks ridiculous with all the medicine that we
are using right now!  Sheesh!!!

Thursday started out looking pretty good with the cuties in
their matching shirts...

But quickly went downhill...

And landed us at the doctor's for the 3rd time in a week!!!

All to wake up and start Friday like this!

Swim Meet - Take 4

Even waking up this morning, we were still on the fence about whether or not S would be able to swim tonight with her swimmer's ear.  But, after picking her up from Summer Spectacular, she was feeling much better about it and her ear seemed to be ready!

I'm so glad she went!!

They were actually able to finish the entire meet without a thunder/lightning break and she did a great job!  She swam in 5 events, took 2 seconds off her freestyle, 4 seconds off her backstroke, swam butterfly for the first time and did a surprisingly nice job(even if she was disqualified for not keeping her legs together the entire time... bleh!) and swam strong in 2 relays!!

It was a hot, fun, enjoyable night of swimming!!

Sweet friends - Tessa and S!

Happy Father's Day

We spent Fathers Day giving Daddy gifts and cards, going to church and finishing the day with a bike ride for me and the kids and a run for M around the neighborhood!

Laid back kind of day!!

Grilling goodies for M!

The decorations were up at church for Summer Spectacular(aka VBS)
next week, and they were pretty cool!!!

M had to help get the Fellowship Hall set up for Summer
Spectacular, so I picked the kids up from their classes and
we hung out on the playground for a bit until he was ready!

5th Birthday Party

This afternoon we celebrated one sweet little boy turning FIVE!!  A whole hand!!!

We had the party at his choice - Pump It Up!  And it was a construction party!  He hardly slept last night he was so excited and bound down the stairs at the crack of dawn this morning so I'm thinking he really didn't sleep at all!  

It was hard for him to wait until after lunch to go, but finally it was time and he was out the door faster than I think I've ever seen him move!  He was so excited to see his friends and cousins!!  

Everyone ran around, bounced, built with huge blocks and climbed rock walls until they were all sweating and tired!  Then it was time for pizza and cake followed by present opening! 

We are so thankful to have such sweet family and friends that help make celebrating with us so special and so much fun!!

Happy Birthday Party Day!!

**Beware, picture overload:)

The birthday boy ready to go to his party!

Just waiting for Daddy so we can go!

C opted for a cookie cake this year!

All set up in the party room!

S, C and Caleb

Just look at how interested the boys are in the safety video!  HAHA!!

The line leader to go jump!

S playing with Jackson

Mark and C

Grandpa and Uncle Bobby

The whole crew making silly faces!:)

Happy birthday boy!

S in the cyclone!

We are family...:)

C in the cyclone!

S and Mattie

Rock climbing

S and Jackson... she played with him a lot!

Birthday king on his throne!!

Happy birthday to you!

I love this face he makes when he is so excited and
slightly embarrassed!

Sweet girl!

See him spitting his icing through the gap in his
bottom teeth!?!? 

Present opening time!

He enjoyed getting to open the presents at the party - usually we take them
home and open them!

On the way home we stopped at M's office to use the internet
to get C's new Kindle set up!

Mission accomplished!

One last present from Mommy and Daddy!

So proud of himself!