Vacation

We are finally home from our busy summer fun. I love summer and I really love traveling to see all of our family but it is always nice to come back home and get back into the swing of things. We had a great trip to the mountains with Darren's family. We did a lot of things that the kids really enjoyed. We learned that Kayce can fall asleep anywhere. We all went on a hour long horseback ride and after laughing and calling the horse "brewster", she fell asleep and slept for most of the ride. When we got back to the stables, Darren handed her to me and she woke up laughing and ready to go again. Then another day we went tubing down the river, again about an hour or so long. The ride was very relaxing but there were a couple of places that we went down rapids and things would get a little wild. She fell asleep after the first wild thrill and slept the rest of the way. Thankfully she was with Darren and he was able to stay in the tube and not flip over. Blake loved everything we did but he really loved being able to drive his own go cart this year. Granted, he ate the wall the majority of the time but he did not care. We spent a lot of time relaxing and enjoying spending time with one another since it is not often we all get to do that as a family. Now we are back in Florida and watching the weather channel every night praying that we will be spared another summer from those lovely hurricanes. The kids are catching up with their sleep and I think they are enjoying not doing anything. We will be spending the rest of the summer hanging out at the pool and with our friends that we missed while we were gone.

Summer Update

We are halfway done with our summer adventures. So far we have had a great summer and are looking forward to the rest of our fun. The kids and I has a great trip to Kentucky. The adults on the trip had the very emotional task of going through my late grandmothers estate and getting it ready to auction in September. I will say that was the most emotionally draining thing I have done in a long time. The kids, however, had a ball with my cousin and her family. They were able to ride their bikes all day, go on a real steam engine train ride, pick apples from the trees and just run around playing. They loved it. We then went back to Ga and rode back to Florida with Darren's family. By the time we got home, the kids did not want to look at their car seats for a couple of days. We had a very relaxing week. Thursday the kids left with Darren's parents. So Darren and I are alone for a whole week. We really did not know what to do with ourselves at first but now we are figuring things out. We have gone to restaurants that we typically avoid, we have gone to the beach and left without having the dig sand out of peoples cracks, we have gone fishing and enjoyed the silence, we have walked on the beach at night because we don't have to worry about bedtimes. I really had forgotten what it was like to feed myself first and uninterrupted. Don't get me wrong, I miss my kids beyond words, but Darren and I really needed some time to focus on us as a couple and not as mommy and daddy. So here we are on Sunday night and we just decided that we are going to lay on the beach in the morning before he goes to work. I am sure that we will be very refreshed and ready to go by the time we drive to Ga on Thursday to meet the kids. After we pick them up, we are heading to Pigeon Forge for the week. This will be Darren's vacation for the summer and I can't wait to get somewhere that has no sprint service so that his phone will remain silent for the week. That is our summer so far. I hope everyone is have a great summer!!!

Post Surgery

Blake now has tubes in his ears. I have to say that it was unexpectedly easy. We got to the surgery center around 6 in the morning. Blake was in his pajamas and took his beloved train blanket and ducky. They took us back around 6:15 and immediately gave him some happy medicine, which was a good thing because he was not letting anyone touch him up until that point. Once he got the happy medicine, he was a happy kid. It was actually quite funny. He was laughing at anything and everything. They let him stay in him pajamas and he took his blanket back with him. About 10 minutes after they took him back, the doctor was out telling us that everything went great and he was in recovery. This was the worst part for us because he was out of it and crying. As soon as I got back with him, they let me hold him and he calmed down but was still very out of it and upset. When he calmed down he asked if he could have something to eat, so we got him something and went home. We was pretty drunk when we got home so we put him on the couch and he was in and out of it for about an hour. Then, all of a sudden, he got up and went to the bathroom and started playing with his geotrax. He did not say anything else about the tubes all day. I really don't think he remembers the surgery, which I am ok with. He has never complained with pain and has been very agreeable to wearing the earplugs at bathtime. So, all in all, I have no complaints and only time will tell if they will reduce his ear infections or not.
Monday starts the beginning of our summer plans. We are all flying to Atl on Monday. Darren will fly home on Wed and the kids and I will go to Peachtree City. Then my family is going to Kentucky for a week. We will come back home to Florida with Darrens family on the 26th. We will be here for the week and then the kids will go back to GA with Darrens family. Darren and I will head to Ga on the 11th of July and then we all go to Gatlinburg for the following week. Needless to say, we are not hurting for things to do this summer. I am really looking forward to spending time with our families and seeing people we have not had a chance to see in awhile. I hope everyone has a great summer!

Sorry no pictures

I have not been doing a great job with my camera lately, so no pictures this time. Since the last post, Blake went to the ENT and he is having tubes placed in his ears this Tuesday. I am hoping that this will take care of most of his medical issues. The rotten thing about the whole thing is that he will now have to wear ear plugs whenever he gets in the water. I am really hoping he is going to be ok with that because he has just recently started to swim and he loves the pool now. He will jump in and swim all over the pool with no fear now. We are going to have plugs made just for him and he will be able to pick the color out, so I am hoping this will make him be ok with wearing them. Only time will tell. Other than that, there is no real news coming out of our house. I hope everyone is having a great summer so far.

Better days

Since my last post, I have had much better days. The kids and I were scheduled to fly into Atlanta two days after Kayce had her seizure. I was not sure that I really wanted to chance flying with the kids by myself after that incident but the morning we were to fly out went well and we went on our way. Thankfully, the kids did great and we had a very nice visit in Atlanta and Kentucky. Of course, the wellness did not last long and as soon as we got home Blake started to run a fever and was feeling horrible. We went to the Doctor and he said that it looks like Blake has elmers glue in his ear. Of course it is not glue but it is so full of fluid that is what it looks like. We are off to see a ENT on Monday and have accepted the fact that we will more than likely be getting tubes in his ears, and possibly removing his adnoids and/or tonsils. As much as I really don't want him to have to go through all of that, I am so ready for him to not be sick and on antibiotics all the time. Other than that, things are going great. We have been swimming a lot and Blake is really taking off this summer. He is all over the pool!! Kayce loves it to. She is not afraid to step right off into the water. Here are some pics of the kids at the pool.

The second worst day of my life

I love being a mother more than anything in this world but I really hate the medical emergencies that come with children. Yesterday started off relatively normal for us. We have been fighting fevers and the yuckies for a couple of days now but nothing out of the norm. Kayce woke up with about a 99 degree temp so I gave her Tylenol and went on about our day. I kept checking her temp throughout the day and it never got above 99 and she was acting fine. Darren left for work around 1:00 with the intention of working till midnight. After the kids woke up, I again gave Kayce Tylenol and the kids and I headed out to the outlet mall because Blake was in desperate need of new tennis shoes. We shopped around and went into the bookstore. I got Kayce out of her stroller and let her walk around and finally started back towards the car. I had put Kayce back in the stroller for the walk. As we were walking, I noticed that she was slumped over a little bit so I looked around at her and saw instantly that something was wrong. Her eyes were rolled in the back of her head and she was making a gurgling sound. Her fists were clinched and she was shaking all over. I realized she was having a seizure and called 911. As we sat there, a wonderful lady and man came up and stood with me. She called Darren and told him to meet us at the hospital. After what seemed like FOREVER, the ambulance got there. By that time Kayce had just come out of the seizure and was very lethargic and mad. We all piled up into the ambulance and speed to the hospital. Kayce was hotter than I can tell you. We took all of her clothes off and started to wipe her down with wet towels. When we got to the hospital, she was still very mad and out of it. The doctor ran her blood and urine and her temp was 103. Thankfully we have the most wonderful pediatrician. He came to the ER and as soon as he walked in the tension in the air disappeared. He assured us that she was fine and had a febrile seizure from her temp rising so quickly. Apparently, these can run in the family and sure enough, Darren had one when he was a child. So she is now on Tylenol and Advil around the clock for the next couple of days and whenever she starts to run a low grade fever from now on. Today everyone is tired but fine. She is still running a low grade temp but she is ok. I guess the good thing we can take from this is that Blake really loved riding in the ambulance with the sirens going.

The growing pains

Everyday my children do something that just makes me laugh and in an instant will turn into crazy children. I love to have "conversations" with Blake. He is most definatelty my "why" child. He can talk about anything and everything. I know he gets this from me, I openly admit it. He loves to talk. He is also really into all things bugs and slimy creatures. The other day he met me at the door with a lizard in his hand. He is ALL boy.
Kayce is ALL girl. She already has a love for jewelry. Her favorite toy right now is a purse that came with a bracelet, a lipstick and a mirror. She will wear the bracelet for hours and just walk around jabbering to herself. Darren and I are in trouble when she gets older. She is also really starting to form a little personality. She knows what she wants and can throw a wonderful tantrum when she does not get it. She is great at throwing herself backwards and onto the floor in a fit of rage. The timeouts in the baby bed are about to start happening.
The sibling "love" is very abundant in this house. I know that we are lucky to have one of each sex and I love enjoying the world of both, but I can already foresee a future of screaming kids. Kayce is very good at growling at Blake for just looking at her. Of course there are more times than not that he is doing more than just looking but there is a rare time that he is really not doing anything but looking and she goes nuts. I am actually starting to feel a bit remorseful about how I treated my brother growing up. My nightly prayers are pleading sessions for my children to grow to love one another and be best friends. Do you think God will answer my prayer????