Pretty Pig Tails

Check out that hair! I have fixed Addison's hair in pig tails the last couple of days. I just never know what to do with it and it HAS to be fixed. She has crazy hair that must be tamed daily. Plus, she is a little daredevel/tomboy and it is so wild by the end of the day if I don't put it all up. Can you see the scratches on her nose? She tried to climb a climbing wall Tuesday at the babysitter's house. Evidently she is not a very good climber, but a great faller! She still looks cute to me, though!

Hopefully something fun will happen this weekend that I will be able to blog about! I have been a bad, bad blogger this week! More to come (hopefully)!

Over the river and throught the woods...

to grandmother's house we go. Bryson was the only one lucky enough to be able to go to my favorite place in the entire world. Friday we had a staff development day, so Bryson was off from school. My grandparents were going back home (They had been in Krum with my uncle.) and I thought it might be a good idea if Bryson went with them. I have never let him go before, but I thought now would be a good time. Don't think I didn't second guess myself several times about it, because I did. But, he needed some alone time with people who would give him all the attention he craves right now. So, off he went. He was afraid we would forget what he looked like, but I assured him that three days is not long enough to forget someone! Yes, I have called many times to check on him and he seems to be fine~ great in fact. He loves it up there and so do we.

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Friday Miss Linda called and said Jackson had thrown up. So, we started another weekend not knowing where this would go. I can tell that Jackson has lost some weight since he has been sick, so this morning I put him on the scale. He is down to 39 pounds! So he probably lost six or seven pounds in the last two weeks. That's a lot when you are that little. Operation Fatten Jack Up is going to start tomorrow!

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This morning we opened all the windows, even though it was 48 degrees, and tried to air everything out. Drew was sweet enough to clean the entire house while I spent some time being selfish. (I went to the gym for an hour and a half and went to Kohl's and Target.) I don't want to jinx us anymore with sickness, so I will stop blogging about it right now!

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Poor Jack hasn't known what to do with himself with Bryson gone. Playing with his sister is just not an option for him. I did buy the movie "Horton Hears a Who" at Target and he has watched it a couple of times. We were even able to take a nap while he was watching. He keeps asking when we are going to go get Bryson. Here's hoping "absence makes the heart grow fonder" so they will appreciate and enjoy each other when they are reunited tomorrow. I want him back, too. I like to have all my kids in the same place. I feel safer that way!

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Jackson: I don't want to be five. I want to stay four.

Me: Why? Don't you want to be five so you can go to school?

Jackson: I don't want to go to school?

Me: Why not?

Jackson: TAKS test.

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Sorry this post was all over the place. We don't have a lot going on~ thankfully.

Numbers and the wisdom of an almost five year old

I am home with a sick little one. She doesn't seem as sick as Jackson was. She did have a fever yesterday afternoon, so I didn't want to send her to Miss Linda's today. Hopefully she will be fine today and she can go tomorrow. I will try to enjoy one more day off.
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Sunday, before Addison felt sick, she and Jackson and I were coloring. Jackson usually doesn't like to color or write, so it is rare that he will do this with us. I have tried, in vain, to teach him his letters and how to write his name. I have bought books and flash cards and have tried to make it fun. He is just not that interested. I noticed that he was writing very intently in a spiral notebook. He stopped and looked at me and said, "Look at my letter two." (I am still trying to teach him the difference between numbers and letters. He calls letters and numbers letters. Any help from my kindergarten teacher friends would be much appreciated! There is a reason I teach PE!) Anyway, he had written a perfectly legible number two.

"Wow!" Then he went back to writing.

"Look at my one and two."

"Good job, Jack. That's the number twelve."

"I can make a five, too." He proceeds to write a perfect number five. (I have to say that five has been his favorite number for a couple of months. He will be five on his next birthday and knows that so many fun things happen when you turn five~like going to school. He also thinks that he will lose a tooth as soon as he is five. This little tidbit of information has come from his big brother. Jack will be very disappointed if on May 1st he doesn't lose a tooth.)

"That's a great five."

"I can make a seven." He makes a seven. "Are you proud of me because I am so smart!"

"I am so proud of you, Jackson. You are smart and sweet and a great little brother and wonderful big brother. And you make great numbers."

"They're letters, Mom."

We still have some work to do, but he will get there!

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I just had to add a story from our bathtime tonight.

It is not secret that I LOVE babies. I loved being pregnant. I would have baby after baby if they weren't so expensive. Every once in a while I will say I want another one. (This will never happen, of course, because we fixed that right after Addison was born!) I guess this urge to have another one never goes away. (It doesn't help the situation when I stay home and watch all the Baby Stories and Birth Days on tv.) Anyway, we have been talking to the boys about not being selfish and always thinking of others. Tonight I said again that I want just one more little baby. I said to Jackson that maybe we should pray to God and ask him for another baby. Jackson looked right at me with all his almost five year old wisdom and said, "It's not good to be selfinish, Mom."

He is listening, he really is listening!

Now it's just not even funny.

So, we had one good day where everyone seemed healthy. That was yesterday. Today I stayed home from church because I think I had/have pink eye. Luckily, Drew gets it often so he had some left-over eye drops. I kept Jackson and Addison with me just to be on the safe side. And, boy, am I glad I did.

Addison went down for a nap, as usual, after lunch. She ate fine at lunch. Meanwhile my grandparents paid us a nice, suprise visit. She woke up about an hour after she was put down, crying. She wanted to sit with Drew. He felt her head and asked for the thermometer. Oh, no, not another sick one. Sure enough, she had a 101 degree temp. (Drew promptly called dibbs for a day off on Monday!) She instantly became irritable and nothing would soothe her. We offered her something to eat, something to drink~ even candy. She would have none of it. I sat her in her chair after about an hour and she fell asleep. I put her back in bed. She stayed for about an hour and we were able to eat a WONDERFUL meal my sweet husband fixed. When she woke up, she was even hotter~ 102. We had already given her Motrin, so we gave her Tylenol. Her temperature just was not going down. Finally, she said she wanted to lay down with me. She fell asleep.

Drew put her in bed and he stayed in the living room. It was only about 8:00 at the time. Around 9:15 I heard an awful wet sound followed by coughing and crying. Yep, you know what happened. I went in the kitchen to find Drew and Addie covered in pink barf. Let's just say that neither one of them will want a hot dog for quite some time! I gave her a bath while Drew was cleaning himself up. While I was holding her, about 30 minutes later, she threw up again. Another bath followed. This time I joined her.

Right now she and Drew are laying in bed watching Lord of the Rings. Hopefully, this will be the end of the vomit. Jackson did the same thing at the beginning of his sickness. I kept worrying that it was a stomach bug. Drew calmly reminded me that kids throw up for any reason, not just stomach bugs. (If you don't already know, I am deathly afraid of the stomach virus!)

Drew is going to call the doctor tomorrow and see if she needs to be seen. I just hope hers doesn't turn into pneumonia. I will be taking off on Tuesday if she continues to run a temp. We are in for another long week.

I guess I will go back to bed and wait and see what tomorrow brings.

Fun Saturday

Today was a good day. We were due for one considering the craziness that was last week! I was able to go to my kickboxing class this morning. That hour just flies by. Then we went to Bryson's basketball game. I had all three kids, because Drew was working a tournament. (The last one! Yay!) After the game we went to Souper Salad with Drew's grandmother, MeMe. While we were there a lady approached me and said she and her friend had been watching us. She complimented me on how well-behaved my kids were. She told me how blessed I am. (I agree!) I will admit that they were exceptionally good while we were eating. Nobody spilled anything. Everyone sat in their chair AND used their fork! Nothing short of amazing!Bryson even helped his little brother and sister get their ice cream when they were finished eating. I will admit that they are very good kids. They can drive me crazy sometimes, but we are very blessed to have three well-mannered kids. Addison says, "Da Du (thank you), Mommy," when we give her something to eat. She even knows to say, "Dess Du (bless you)," when someone sneezes. (And there has been A LOT of that going on lately!) So, yes, we are blessed.

I went to a different Academy today. If you read my post from yesterday you know that I found some great deals. I found more today! The Academy in Grapevine has more of a selection, but I found some good things at the one in North Richland Hills as well. I got my grandmother five sweatshirts for $1.44 each. I joke with her that anything $9.99 or less is just her size! She will wear anything if it is a bargain. So, Grandmother, come and get your sweatshirts! You have one in red, pink, grey, purple and blue (I think). I found some clothes for Bryson, too. He really needs some new things. He doesn't care how he looks, but I do. So, he got a few new shirts. I even found a pair of athletic pants in his size for $2.44! I found some more Russell sweat pants for $4.94. I bought three pairs! I work in these clothes, so I can never have too many pairs of sweat pants! I got some more bargains, but I will spare you the details!

When I got home Drew had made dinner. We had salad and lasagna. Since we couldn't go out tonight for Valentine's Day he put some candles on the table and turned out all the lights. The boys kept complaining that they couldn't see their food! They didn't appreciate the ambiance. It was fun and they will probably remember eating by candlelight one day.

So, today was a good day. I hope tomorrow will follow suit! Have a good evening and a great Valentine's Day!

On the Mend.

Jackson went back to the doctor today. His chest is still rattling and he is coughing like crazy, but he hasn't had a fever in about two days. His appetite is coming back, also. (A couple of donuts helped it along this morning!) He went about five days without eating much of anything. He has been drinking a little, though, so that is good.

Since he was feeling a little better and we were in Grapevine at the doctor's office, I stopped by Academy to get a few things. I could not have picked a better day to go. They have all their clearance an additional 50% off through Monday! Usually I can't ever find anything my size on clearance. Today I hit the jackpot! They had Nike hoodies for 9.88! They are regularly $40. I got three! I found some Russell sweat pants and some Nike long sleeve t-shirt for $4.88! I found Drew some t-shirts for $4.88 and two for $1.44! The boys got a couple of t-shirts for $4.88, also. They didn't really have anything in Addison's size. She is really a couple of years or so away from fitting into their clothes. Jackson got some New Balance shoes for $9.88. They are the next size up, so he probably won't be able to wear them for a couple of months. I got Bryson some Saucony running shoes for $12.44. I love finding a bargain! Anyway, if you are in need of some casual clothes or workout clothes, go to Academy this weekend. I'm sure you will find some deals!

We are going to stay home this weekend and try to recover. Bryson has a basketball game tomorrow and that is the only place I plan on going. Thanks to everyone who was concerned about Jack and asked about him daily. I know your prayers helped!

Yummy Mummy and UPDATE on Jackson

Addison had been having fun playing Mommy since we have been staying home to take care of Jackson. Here she is cleaning out her baby's nose. Sometimes you just have to pick it out!

I kept hearing her say, "Ees ok baby, ees ok baby." She was sitting on the couch with her baby and she was patting her baby's back. So sweet!





Of course, saying, "Cheese," for the camera!





Then she found the boy's safety glasses for their Nerf guns. She was looking so chic taking care of her baby while sporting the latest in eyewear fashion.






What a Yummy Mummy!






Today she had the baby in the stroller~ still wearing her fashion eyewear! While she was pushing her baby around she was singing "This Old Man" to her baby. She has had a great time staying home taking care of Jackson.

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Jackson, on the other hand, isn't feeling so great. He hasn't eaten much since Saturday and only want to drink water and Gatorade occasionally. I am starting to get worried about this. Drew is going to take him to the doctor in the morning. Of course, there were no appointments left today. If he gets too bad we won't hesitate to take him to urgent care. I am worried about all the coughing he is doing and his lack of appetite. Also, he is only awake about 2 hours during the day. The rest of the time he is sleeping. I know his body needs sleep to fight off whatever is going on inside of him, but it is really starting to worry me. I thought today would be better since Drew said Jack woke up dripping with sweat last night. I was hoping he would start to feel better today, but today seems worse than yesterday. At least yesterday he wanted to get dressed and go outside for a little while. I will just watch him and see what happens.

~~~~~UPDATE ON JACKSON~~~~~

About 10:30 this morning I went to check on Jackson because I heard him coughing. He was burning up. I asked him what hurt and he said his throat and chest. I immediately knew something was not right. I called Drew and told him that I didn't think Jack could wait until tomorrow to go to the doctor. I had Addison at home with us and didn't want to take her to the urgent care center, but I thought Jack needed to be seen today. Drew left work and went to get Bryson from school. He came home and got Jackson and took him to Cook's Urgent Care Center. By the time he was seen by the triage nurse his temperature was over 104 degrees. She listened to his chest and said it sounded fine. Drew said he would call again when he knew something. After waiting for what seemed like FOREVER Drew called back and said they were going to test him for the flu and do some chest x-rays. He tested positive for the flu and has pneumonia in his left lung. He was given two shots and a prescription for antibiotics. They are home now and Jackson has gone back to bed. He did eat a few bites of pizza and drank a little Coke. We are just giving him anything he requests to eat. He has gone so long without eating that anything is better than nothing. Drew is going to stay home with him the next two days and I will stay home again on Friday so I can take him back to the doctor for a follow-up appointment. Please pray for my little guys' comfort and that his lung will clear up quickly.

Jumping, Eating, the "Look," and Dancing

This is what Ms. Kecia got Addie for Christmas. We finally inflated it today and she LOVED it. She jumped for about 20 minutes before wearing herself out. Thanks, Kecia!

Jackson was feeling good enough to eat a Push-Up. He has been such a trooper. He tries so hard to feel better. Look at that smile. What a sweet boy.

I was drying Addison's hair last night and she insisted on wearing Bryson's sunglasses. I just had to stop for the photo op.

This is the look we get when we try to get Addison to do something she doesn't want to do. We call it the "McKay Look." Dad, you understand where she gets it, don't you? I think I have been guilty of giving the look a time or two.

The video is of Addison "dancing." She loves to dance to the song, "I Like to Move It," from the Madagasgar movies. She looks so serious when she is dancing. She just cracks me up! I won't tell you who taught her that slapping her bootie is dancing. You will just have to guess for yourselves!

L-O-N-G Weekend

This weekend has been so long. Great thing, right? Wrong. It has been long because my little Jack man is sick. I picked him up at Miss Linda's on Friday and he was sitting in a chair wrapped in a blanket. She said she had just given him some Motrin because he had a 101 degree fever. She knew I would be there shortly, so she didn't call.

I took him home and we changed our plans for the evening. My cousin's girl and their FAVORITE babysitter, Ashley, was supposed to come over so Drew and I could go out to eat and spend some time together. We ended up staying home and eating Sonic for dinner. Jackson ate just fine and even had some ice cream for dessert.

He ran a temperature all night and we gave him Motrin and Tylenol. Saturday morning he ate breakfast and said he felt better. About an hour later, when the medicine wore off, he felt bad. I put him in the bathtub and when he got out he was nauseous. He ended up throwing up and felt a little better after that. I cancelled our plans for that evening, also.

Drew slept with him last night so he wouldn't have to come find us if he needed something in the middle of the night. Drew said he talked in his sleep all night and even woke up asking to have his hair fixed! He coughed all night, too.

He is still running a temperature and still feels bad. He kept saying earlier that his "head is going to throw up." I don't know what he means by that. He says that his head hurts and that's all that hurts. I don't think it is a stomach virus because he is eating and wants to eat. I don't know if it could be the flu. He has been stuffy and has been coughing. On Friday he kept saying his back hurt.

I will be staying home from work tomorrow to take care of him. I feel so sorry for him. He is trying to be a trooper. He wants to feel better and tries to feel better, but he just feels so bad he ends up just laying down wherever he is. It is so sad. My kids have always been so healthy that it is hard to see him like this. If you will, say a little prayer for Jack. Just pray for his comfort and that his little body will get better soon. Thanks so much!

Laundry, Kids and Singing

This is how much laundry we go through in a week. And if you ever come over during the week, you will see our clean laundry on the dining room table. This is where we fold it after each load and we leave it here until it is all finished. That way we only have to make one trip to each room. Pretty efficient, huh?

Bryson

Jackson

Addison

Turn up the volume so you can hear Addie singing her ABCs. Okay, she can't actually say the letters, but she has the tune down. Be patient~ she takes about 30 seconds to get going. Not bad for a 19 month old!

In a Funk.

I think I may have figured out why I have been in a funk this weekend. Bryson was sent to the office on Friday afternoon. I won't elaborate about it, it just makes me question my/our parenting skills. I know kids aren't perfect and they are going to make bad choices, but Bryson is usually pretty level-headed at school. Lately, though, he has been acting so different. His grades have dropped, dramatically, and his attitude has changed. I don't know if it is just his age or if something else is going on. He has cried and told me that kids are making fun of his lip. He is very self-conscious about it. He talks to me about it occasionally, but usually keeps quiet about it. So, I know it is really bugging him when he does finally talk. We have made an appointment with the plastic surgeon who did his first two surgeries to see when we can do his next one. The appointment isn't until May. If anything is to be done I would do it in the summer. I would like to do it sooner rather than later. Drew doesn't see the urgency. He says that kids are going to make fun of each other some way, Bryson is just going to have to learn to deal with it. I don't agree.

Here's why:
Growing up I had teeth that were yellow and stained. We rarely went to the dentist when I was younger and it was just ignored. Everyone thought I didn't brush my teeth well and I should just brush more often and better. I was even told to brush with baking soda and did that for years. It never helped. I would brush so hard my gums would bleed. I went through junior high and high school hiding my ugly teeth as best as I could. This made me very self-conscious. When I graduated high school and got my first job I knew what I had to do. The week I got my first pay check I went to the dentist to find out what was wrong and how I could fix it. He looked at my teeth and knew exactly what it was. (Prior to this, the last time I was at the dentist I was about 9 or 10 years old. ) My teeth were stained because of fluorosis. (I don't know if that is how you spell it.) And it is caused when there is too much fluoride in the water. Luckily, it also makes the teeth very strong and I have never had a cavity! The dentist made trays for my teeth and gave me bleaching solution to use 6-8 hours a day. He said it would take about 6 weeks to complete. I was desperate and used it around the clock. It made my teeth very sensitive and made my gums hurt, but I was determined to have white teeth. It took six weeks for the top and six weeks for the bottom, but when I was finished my teeth were WHITE. So white, in fact, that people used to comment about how white they were. People were still looking at my teeth- but this time because they were white and not yellow! The dentist told my that I would probably have to re-do the bleach every five years or so. That was in 1990 and I haven't had to do it again. I have used the Crest white strips occasionally for a few days, but they bug me so I have never completed the week like you are supposed to. So, I know what it feels like to be made fun of and have kids call me names. In fifth grade I was "golden teeth," and in high school some people asked me if I smoked. Many times people would ask what was wrong with my teeth. I never knew what to say, so I ignored it.

Anyway, what I am trying to say, is that if there is something I can do to make Bryson's lip appear more normal I want to do it. I know it will never look perfect, but it can look less noticeably different. He should not have to put up with kids making fun of him if there is a way to fix it. We can find a way to build his character another way.

Another reason I am in a funk is that I REALLY want to go shopping. I am not a shopper, per se. I like to go every once in a while and get something new. I haven't bought me anything since the summer. Then it was just a few shirts for work. When we decided to move into this house and found out baby #3 would be coming Drew said that the next two years would be very hard and tight. He wasn't kidding. We are at the end of the second year and I can definitely feel the pinch. I have been counting down the months until we are finished paying for two kids in day care. Jackson has 4 months to go! Anyway, I dreamed about shopping last night. Everything I tried on fit ( definitely only happens in a dream) and I bought it. It felt so good in my dream just to buy something new. Now if you have seen my closet you know I don't have a shortage of clothes or shoes. But you know how fun it is to have something new to wear. Maybe just blogging about it will take the edge off!

So, hopefully, my funk will be over soon and I can go back to feeling "normal" again. Who knows what it is. I just want it gone!