The Bassham Family

Mini-Vacay

2011-07-18T18:32:00.008-05:00

After working a crazy schedule for about 3 weeks straight at work, I was able to take off Thursday and Friday and head to Forney for a weekend getaway with my kiddos.

We got there on Thursday and just hung out and went swimming at the neighborhood pool.

Friday we took the kids to Shenanigans (not sure on the spelling). Then we went swimming in the afternoon.

Saturday we went to Legoland in Grapevine. It was a lot of fun. I'm definately glad we went early, because by the time we left there was a ridiculously long line to get in.

Saturday evening we just hung out at Ashley's house until my mom took Ryan, Noah and Nate back to the hotel to spend the night. I stayed at Ashley's with Ty, Eli and Brady. Brady went down early and Ty and Eli were the best playmates ever.

Some pics..

Brady's First Haircut

2011-06-30T19:35:00.003-05:00

Sunday, June 5th, we went to get Brady's first haircut. We took Eli and Nate to T&L's, where Andy got his first haircut, but with the boys around, we were never able to get away on a Saturday to be able to take Brady to the same place...so Supercuts it was....

What do you do with a bunch of empty diaper and wipee boxes....

2011-06-30T19:20:00.004-05:00

Make a transformer, of course!

World's worst blogger update...

2011-06-21T19:03:00.002-05:00

I know, I'm a horrible blogger. Since I've last posted, I have been on my girl's trip to Florida...a much needed break from being a wife and mother. Thank you girls for a great retreat!

Other than that, I have been quite busy at work.

The boys have been staying with Leann, Andy's cousin, during the day. We are supplying her w/ some much needed funds, and she's supplying us w/ care and a break from Daycare for the kiddos. So far so good, but I question her sanity for taking on all 3 everyday.

Seems like so much funny stuff has happened since I've last blogged, but that's the faults with not blogging often, you forget them.

Here is, however, the latest from Nate...

So we were driving home the other day down our dirt road when a cat ran out in front of the car. Luckily we missed it (meaning luckily Andy didnt see it in time to swerve towards it). This event prompted me to ask the boys if they would like for us to get a kitty cat. To that Nate responded, "We gonna steal it from somebody?".

I know I should be concerned, but mainly, I'm just amused.

"That was weak"

2011-05-15T19:03:00.002-05:00

Nate calling Eli out.

STAR WARS....those near and far wars!!!

2011-05-15T18:43:00.003-05:00

The boys new obsession: Star Wars. They are still down with Transformers but they have added Star Wars to the mix. Eli often mixes them up - but Nate is quick to correct him. Here are some pics and videos of the boys in action.

Brady is officially a walker.

2011-05-15T18:34:00.003-05:00

Brady started getting a little brave moving from item to item 2 weekends ago. Last weekend...he took off and hasn't stopped...

Cars parked on the side of the interstate

2011-05-04T15:46:00.002-05:00

This morning on the way to drop the big boys off at daycare, Nate noticed that there was a car parked on the side of the interstate.

"Mom, why is that car there?" Nate asked.

Not really knowing, I came up with the best possible answer I could think of, "They probably ran out of gas."

Then when we exited the interstate there was an 18-Wheeler was parked on the side of the exit ramp.

"Did they run out of gas?" Nate asked.

Yes, I could have just said "Yes", but I like to try to give as truthful of answers as I can.

"No, they are probably just sleeping." I said.

Nate concerned said "You can't sleep and drive!".

I said "No, honey, they have beds in their trucks and they pull over to sleep".

Then I made a mistake...I got in over my head with a cartoon analogy.

"You know, like Optimus Prime, he has a bed in him." I said.

Nate quickly corrected me that this analogy makes absolutely no sense.

Nate said "Mom, there is no man in Prime. He just drives his-self."

I conceded.

Easter 2011

2011-05-04T14:45:00.003-05:00

This year for Easter the boys were to participate in 3 Easter Egg Hunts each. The first was at their school, the 2nd at my mom's church (the church formerly known as mine), and finally at my Maw Maw's house.

Maundy Thursday:

The boys are in separate classes at one of their schools. (They go to 2 different schools for now because they only went 2 days a week at first, but our childcare situation changed and they needed to start going 5 days a week. We didn't want to be Pre-School drop-outs so they are going to complete their school year at the "old school" as they call it, then solely go to their "new school" post 5/19). Anywho, I went to their schools to watch their Egg Hunts.

Nate's class went first. The eggs were simply all just laid out in a huge sand box / volleyball court. The teacher said "one, two, three, go!" and they were off. Each kid brought 10 eggs each, and there are 10 kids in each class - so 100 eggs. Nate got 30! YES, 30! He wasn't rude or anything, but just very efficient. The other kids were concerned with getting sand in their shoes, or just lolly-gagging in general. Nate was an egg collecting machine! (The eggs were later divided equally between all of the kids).

Then it was time for Eli's class to go. Their's was in a different area. Not a very big area, but a playground. Same situation...100 eggs / 10 kids. The teacher opened the gate and unleashed the animals. Eli walked up to his first egg which was slightly opened. This could not be happening! An open egg! Eli had to get that egg closed before he could go on. I finally had to take the egg from him and make him go get other eggs. I look up and the eggs are looking scarce. I encourage Eli to get moving. He meanders over to another egg, comments on the color, shows it to me proudly before putting it in his basket. Luckily, there was another egg directly at his feet. He picked it up. Then we looked up - NO MORE EGGS. Evidently, there were some "Nate-like" egg picker uppers. So Eli had 3 eggs, yes 3! Saddest part was, on his way back in the door, some kid talked him out of 2 of them. So, he ultimately made it back to the classroom with one egg.

How can brothers who shared a womb be so different!?

Good Friday:

Andy and I had to work and the boys had to go to daycare. After we got out, we made the long drive to Shreveport. The length of the trip is made worse with the amount of words Nate is capable of saying in a minute - my guess, no less than 250 words per minute. Then further made more difficult because Eli evidently was beginning to get sick. He was sporting a fever and cried uncontrollably about every 15 minutes. It was AWESOME!

Holy Saturday:

The boys woke up. Eli VERY sick! Never took his temperature, but he was on fire. He complained that his cheek hurt - which could have been an ear or a tooth...not sure. He hardly moved and did not feel up to the Easter Egg Hunt at the church. Andy stayed home with him and me, mom, dad, Nate and Brady met Ashley, Rob, Ryan, Ty, Lisa and Noah there.

All of the boys had a great time! There were tons of eggs. High light for me is there were 8 "golden" prize eggs. 2 in each age group. And guess who found one - NATE! I'm telling you - this kid can find some Easter Eggs.

Due to the fact that all of the kids spanned every age group, it was hard to participate in all, so we just let Brady pick up some eggs in Ty's age group.

The remainder of the day was spent in my parent's back yard with a mean washer's tournament. My mom, who is a washers freak of nature, never lost. We think that since she "Quitired" she's just been in the back yard practicing for this tournament.

Easter Sunday:

Eli woke up feeling a lot better. I'd say 90%. So we went ahead and went to church. Service was good. The boys stayed in the nursery. When we went to get them, Eli was back to feeling bad again. By the time we go to my Maw Maw's house, he was inconsolable. I felt really bad for him. He fell asleep on the couch. Nate played outside with the rest of the cousins in a big refridgerater box.

The Easter Eggs were hidden. We woke Eli up to see if he wanted to go outside and find eggs, he decided he absolutely wanted to. I was glad he didnt miss out again. All of the kids did very well finding eggs. Brady did a great job picking up the eggs, but his aim in his basket - not so good!

My sister brought "money" eggs. I believe there were 14 of them. My father, who has never been known to really care about much, was one of the hiders. He not so thoughtfully hid all of the money eggs down one fence line all in a row. Well, that just happened to be the route that Nate took. He found 11 of the 14 eggs. Nate poops gold...it's ridiculous.

It was an awesome weekend....but a late night getting back home to be back at work Monday morning.

The Monkey House

2011-04-16T12:51:00.003-05:00

This morning I heard a commotion in Brady's room at 6:30 am. This is what I walked into:

Please note that the big boys do not have diapers, underwear or any type of pants on. Evidently, they both had to poop when they got up. And, they did so all by themselves. Yes, this is good, and an improvement, but there is one thing the boys have not mastered. WIPING!! I'm not sure Nate even attempted to wipe. Eli attempted but he must have become frustrated w/ the process because he very quickly let me know that he had thrown the WHOLE roll of toilet paper in the potty. Sure enough, there was an entire roll drenched and ruined that I had to fish out. Great way to start your Saturday morning.

Today it is quite cold outside, so playing outside is just really not an option, so I decided to take them to a place called The Monkey House. It's in Fort Smith. It is a big building w/ about 7-8 huge blow up jumpy/bouncy/sliding things. The boys absolutely love it. They are out like a light right now too. It requires lots of energy, which is awesome for nap time.

The not so sweet picture via text

2011-04-16T12:43:00.004-05:00

Last Saturday night, Amber and Daniel came over to watch our children so Andy and I could have a much needed "date night". Basically, just go out to eat w/out screaming children. Never thought just running to Cheddars for a quick dinner and back home could be so enjoyable. While out to eat, I received a text message from my sister-in-law, Amber. The text was a picture of just Eli, or so I thought. I have a small phone w/ not a very big screen on it, so I was only able to see the top part when it first came to me. After scrolling down, check out what I saw.... I laughed so much! I absolutely loved it. Thank you Amber and Daniel for allowing us to get away - and keeping the kids safe! I foresee a senior yearbook ad picture!!

Transformers

2011-04-15T19:28:00.004-05:00

Eli and Nate are completely eaten up with all things Transformers. They know more about Transformers than I know about...well, I dont really know alot about anything...anywho...you smell what I'm steppin' in. They know every Transformer's name, who built them or where they came from, and most importantly, if they are good or bad. Everyone and everything is categorized in one of 2 ways these days. You are either good or bad. There is no grey area with them. Here is a video to prove their obsession...Note: They are talking about Energon Cubes...for those of you not so Transformer savvy, that is a Transformer's energy source and most all episodes are evolved around getting more of them.

New work trailer / toy

2011-04-10T17:04:00.004-05:00

Due to the size of our property, we decided we needed some sort of trailer to hook up to the four wheeler to do yard work and various chores. Turns out its a pretty good toy for all. Including the dogs....

Some pics....

Long time no post...

2011-04-09T15:49:00.007-05:00

Yeah, I admit, I'm not the greatest blogger. With 3 kids 3 and under, a full time job (that involves being on the computer all day), it is hard to find the time and the will to get on the computer when I get home. I do however need to be better at it. I have basically not documented anything of my sweet, sweet Brady's first year of life. I kind of feel a little guilty for getting on to my mother for not having much footage of me and my life compared to my sister, but it is true...it is just different w/ the 2nd or in my case 3rd child.

Well, Brady turned one on March 16th. We had a small birthday party for him at our house. We did all the usuals of opening presents and letting him have at his own birthday cake. Which - surprisingly, and I say surprisingly because of the chubbage that is my child, he didnt really dig in at all. We had to basically put his hand in the cake to make him eat any of it.

This year has been quite busy. It has been pretty difficult balancing everything. But it has also been a lot of fun. The hardest part is having 2 kids on one level and another at a totally different one. Brady is still not walking - so playing outside really isnt an option yet. The boys would rather be outside than anything else. (Although, it is just now getting warm enough outside to do this.)

Another thing I have been trying to balance is getting myself back into shape. It is unanimously decided that there will not be any more children, so there is no reason not to lose the weight I had gained through all the baby having. I have to this day now lost 67.5 lbs. My initial goal is 80 lbs. Once I hit that, I may decide I need to lose more. But that's what I'm going for right now.

The best way to probably sum up the past year would probably be through pictures. So...

Santa at my work. Brady did not dig Santa.

Nate.

Eli.

This was the pic on our Christmas card.

Nate broke his foot jumping off our bed.

Brady's first Christmas. He had fun.

The big boys helped me make Christmas cookies.

Our annual Christmas pic at Joyce's house.

Sweet Brady bear.

The boys are obsessed w/ Transformers. These are guns on his arms if you cant tell.

One nite this winter me and the big boys stayed a nite in a hotel w/ a pool.

Eli and Nate - pretty good snow this year.

Annual family snow pic.

Randy from the Christmas story.

Nate's new big boy bed for his birthday.

Eli's new big boy bed for his birthday.

Nate hamming it up at his birthday party.

Eli turns 3!

BB + nose = ER

2010-04-23T13:21:00.004-05:00

Yep, it's official, we have had our first ER visit. I knew it was inevitable w/ 3 boys. Was hoping they'd hold off a little bit - but seeing as we have a running tab w/ the hospital right now - it's as good as a time as any.

Evidently, Nate decided it was a great idea to stick an airsoft bb up his nose. As crazy as it sounds, I think he did it on Tuesday. I recall Tuesday afternoon thinking I saw a booger up his nose - so I asked him to blow into a kleenex - he did, some snot came out - so we went on w/ our business. Well...

Wednesday morning we woke up. The boys have been fighting some sinus issues due to all the pollen so this morning they were particularly snotty. So when I was changing diapers and getting clothes put on them for the day - I was also doing major nose clean-outs (oh, the joys of motherhood). Well, when trying to clear out Nate's nose, there was clearly something up there. So, I got a flashlight out and sure enough - there was a yellow airsoft bb in what I'm calling the "second chamber" of his nose. The part just beyond the initial cavity. So I got out some tweezers, but I couldn't get a hold of it and I was afraid of shoving it up further. I tried the nose-sucker thingy too. It wouldn't budge. After calling our local clinic, they suggested taking him to the ER. So, I called Andy at work and let him know the news. Then called Leann, Andy's cousin who usually keeps them while I'm working, to come up and watch Brady and Eli while I took Nate in.

It only took about an hour or so for us to get in to see a doctor. And it only took about 5 minutes for them to remove it. They got this tube catheter thing - usually used to remove blood clots from veins. They stuck the tube up his nose past the BB then inflated the balloon part and when removing the tube w/ the balloon on the end it swiped the BB out w/ it. It only took me and 2 nurses to hold Nate still for the "procedure".

The doctor advised us to keep objects out of his nose - and we were on our way. The nurses and doctor were great w/ him. It was actually quite hilarious. I'm sure I'll stop laughing w/ the bill comes in.

The Culprit:

The apparatus:

Nate in waiting room:

Gentry Zoo

2010-04-23T12:58:00.006-05:00

Monday, April 19th, was my first big adventure out of the house w/ all three kiddos. I've been to the Mountainburg park a lot - but that's just a couple of miles down the road and is directly across the street from Joyce's house and the grocery store, so their Mimmie usually comes and helps out. So, I decided to go for it. After about an hour of prepping - making sure I had everything I needed packed for a newborn and 2 two year olds, I loaded up the twins in their car seats and turned on the DVD player to entertain them while I finished loading everything else up, including Brady. After about 15 minutes (my mom called - delaying me just a bit) I went out to get going, turned the key - and whammo - the car was dead - I guess the DVD player sucked the juice right out of the battery. I proceeded to cry, of course - it's a lot of stress loading up that many kids and all their paraphernalia. But I was determined so I unloaded and reloaded everything up in Andy's truck - which only has a bench seat so all 3 car seats wont fit - so the boys had to be just seat belted in for the drive over to Joyce's house to get her extended cab truck. I AGAIN reloaded everything up in their. This whole process started about 9 am - and I was finally on the road at 11:15. We started north - it's an 85 mile drive to the zoo from our house. We got there around 1 pm. It's a five mile long drive through safari. The boys loved it. They saw all sorts of animals from Longhorns, monkeys, zebras to giraffes. The most curious animails were the camels, emus and zebras. They came right up to the windows.

They also have a small petting zoo area - which was a challenge - getting all 3 out of the car and keeping everything together. It gave me a little bit of confidence that if I ever had to - I could survive on an outing w/ all 3 again.

(fyi - you dont see Brady in these pics because he's strapped to my chest in a carrier)

Easter 2010

2010-04-06T20:14:00.007-05:00

This year for Easter we stayed in Mountainburg due to Brady still being pretty small. We went to the church Easter egg hunt on Saturday and then to Joyce's house on Sunday. We had a great time and the boys really got the hang of hunting eggs. But it was somewhat slowed once they realized there was candy in the eggs - causing them to open everyone as they found it.

Brady Terrell Bassham is here!

2010-04-06T18:05:00.004-05:00

We went in for our scheduled c-section on 3/16/10 at 0700. We arrived at 0530. My Maw-Maw Brittain, Aunt Toni, Ashley, Ryan, Ty, Mom, Dad, Joyce and Amber all came up at around 0630. I was taken back at a little after 0700. I was prepped and ready to go at 0728. The spinal block was more painful than I remember my epidural being. The room was cold as ice too. It was pretty scary. I let my nerves get the best of me for a little bit - but once the "cutting" began and I realized I definitely couldn't feel anything, I calmed down. It kinda helped that the song playing when the surgery began was "Wanted: Dead or Alive" which lead to some good comic relief. It was a crazy feeling being awake, knowing you were being cut open but also being excited to know you were about to have a child. Brady came at 0748. He weighed 7 lbs and 10 oz and was 19.5 inches long. I was expecting a bigger baby as uncomfortable as the last couple of weeks got. After he was born they brought him over to clean him up - I heard him cry but I was getting worried because it seemed like forever before they brought him over for me to see. When they finally did, he was exactly what I was expecting him to look like. He really doesnt look like anyone - but he's what I always imagined my child to look like. He was chubby cheeked w/ a good size nose. Evidently they had to use some sort of spoon aparatus to get him out - because he was pretty beaten up on the head. It took a couple of days for that to go away. The c-section was much easier on me than the boys' delivery. I think in a normal circumstance, the c-section would be worse - but giving that I had a pretty rough delivery w/ the twins - this was a much better option for me.

Since we've been home - Brady has been a dream baby. He only gets upset when he's hungry, gassy or naked - other than that he's super happy and sleeps most of the time. He's eating every 3-4 hours - so I get a pretty good night of sleep. It's definitely easier w/ one baby. And I think being experienced helps too. The hardest part right now is being a mother of 2 crazy 2 year olds and a newborn. The newborn isnt hard - but when it's time to eat - it's time to eat regardless of what the boys have going on. I've had some pretty trying days - some days w/ lots of tears - but I'm making it.

Eli and Nate Turn 2!

2010-02-17T18:09:00.005-06:00

We had the boys' birthday party Saturday 2/13. They are obsessed w/ the PBS show Dinosaur Train, so we went with that theme. My parents came up for the festivities. Other attendees included: Mimmie (Joyce), Nanny, Carol, Matt, Chloe, Mike, Carla, Amber, Daniel, Bob, Macy and Tyler.

Snow Days

2010-02-07T18:38:00.005-06:00

2010-02-07T18:38:00.001-06:00

Brady's Nursery

2010-02-07T18:30:00.004-06:00

March 16, 2010

2010-01-27T11:15:00.002-06:00

Will be Brady's birthday! I have my scheduled c-section planned at 7 am. I'm quite excited to have a date so I can plan ahead.

The boys second Christmas

2009-12-31T14:48:00.003-06:00

The boys had a blast.

My parents came up on Christmas Eve. We went over to Andy's mom's house, aka "Mimmie's" and hung out - Amber, Daniel, Mom, Dad, Joyce, Andy, Eli, Nate and myself. The boys put on a show as usual. It started snowing around 8pm so we started wrapping things up so my parents could get back to my house and nestled in for the night. We put the boys down - went home for a bit - then we came back to spend the night at Joyce's.

Christmas morning the boys actually gave me a give and slept until 7:30. I was able to get up and about before they were stirring - so it was awesome. When the boys got up - they wandered downstairs to find that Santa had visited.

Their "big" gifts this year were tricyles and "Elmo's restaurant". Nate, very typically "natish", was more into the tricyle, and Eli, very typically "eli-ish" was more interested in the restaurant.

Daniel and Amber came over around 0830 and the present openning commenced. Joyce outdid herself as she always does. Andy and I were overloaded. The boys handled the gift opening experience differently of course. Eli was more interested in what was inside the wrapping paper - and Nate just wanted to unwrap. He unwrapped all of his gifts and Eli's gifts. He moved on to open Amber's gifts. He then got into my gifts - we had to stop him before he went under the tree to start opening all of the gifts in sight.

We "wrapped" things up there - and took the boys home to get a nap before heading over to Nanny and Pops for the remainder of the Christmas festivities.

My mom came to Nanny's with us this year - but my dad decided to stay behind and do what he does best - read and sleep.

Nanny's was fun as usual. Eli and Nate put on a show - running around shooting their guns. They "shot" Granny B alot because she seemed to have the best reaction.

After eating ourselves sick, we opened gifts, hung out for bit - then went back home to hang with my folks. All in all - it was a wonderful Christmas.

Healthy Baby Brady

2009-12-01T16:31:00.002-06:00

I went for my "big" ultrasound 11/24/09. Brady is still a boy and is super healthy. Everything is measuring perfectly. He's a mover too. She had a hard time doing the measurements because he was moving all over the place. The ultrasound tech is the same lady that I had for the boys, so she's very familiar with me. She made the comment "boy, those twins must have really stretched out that uterus, because he has tons of room to move around".

If this was about anything other than my uterus - I probably would have taken offense!

Blankets and Belly-button Dog

2009-11-14T13:14:00.002-06:00

The boys have found their comfort items.

Eli has been a blanket sucker for quite some time now. His blanket of choice was our living room throw - but to prevent him from dragging the big blanket around and tripping on it - one of the last times the boys were at my mom's she cut the blanket in 3 pieces, hemmed it, then so crudely (because this is my family's sense of humor) monogrammed "Eli Sucks (blankets)" on it. Whenever Eli is tired, bored or fussy - all he has to do is go get is blanket and go to town!

Nate's comfort item is more recently acquired. For the boys baby shower, Joyce, or "Mimmie" as they are now calling her, got them a TV-interactive stuffed dog. Well, as my children are way too hyper to sit through a video - we've never really used it for that purpose. It's always been on a shelf in the boys room. Nate discovered it not too long ago - and he LOVES IT! It has a blue button for a belly-button. It lites up. When you push it - the dog giggles, barks, or sings the "belly-button" song as we refer to it in our house.

These are must have items for bed times!

bee bye bice

2009-11-14T13:07:00.003-06:00

Nate's new favorite thing to do is sing. When we're riding around town and he's strapped in his carseat, he NEVER stops singing. Unfortunately, he doesn't have such a variety. But, what he does sing is absolutely ADORABLE!!

"BEE BYE BICE" - or more commonly known as "Three Blind Mice" is his favorite. He only knows the chorus though - so you will here "bee bye bice, bee bye bice, CHOP!", that of course is when the farmer's wife cuts off the tails. Then he will repeat.

He sings one more song that we think is Jesus Loves Me. I sing this a lot to them...and I can pick out the word bible in the lyrics.

We are working w/ the boys on their alphabet. They can say most of the letters by just repeating us.

It's amazing how quickly the boys are learning things...

2009-11-14T12:56:00.002-06:00

2-3 months ago I could list the things the boys know...now, I dont even know how that'd be possible. Every thing they see or hear, they pick up and retain. It's amazing! I'll try to list some anyways...

they say "coat" and point
they say "more, more"
If one gets up before they other - he puts his finger over his lips and says..."shh, (eyi or nate) seeping"
shoes are dooshes
socks are cocks
phones are "hellos"
gus stays "ouside"
we have to spell outside or there will be a small fit thrown
they tell us when they've "poo poo'd" or "tee-tee'd"
they will go get their diaper and wipes when they need to be changed
they say "wipes"
when asked "what does leanne (babysitter) say?", they say "no, no, no"
they spot every truck (chuck), car, cow, plane (pane) and choo choo
they say "moo" for what a cow says
"mow" for kitty cat
"raahhh" for tiger
they say "down" for when they want up or down
they ask for juice and bites
they LOVE spaghetti o's and chicken pot pies
also, love jello fruit cups and yogurt

I'm sure there is much more - if i think of more - i'll post again.

Halloween 2009

2009-11-14T12:50:00.002-06:00

The boys were the cutest pirates you've ever seen. There really aren't a lot of houses to go around to trick-or-treat at in Mountainburg, and with the boys being so little - we thought the best plan was to hang out at Amber and Daniel's house. Their house is the "hot spot" in Mountainburg.

The boys handed candy out to every kid that came by. They would get so excited - pointing and saying - KIDS! KIDS! Then they'd put a piece of candy in their bag - and say "DANKU". Most of the kids go to Mt.burg Elementary where Joyce teaches - so she would say - "see you monday". Well, Eli picked that up and started saying "see you monday" to every kid. It was awesome.

OH - and I'd like to apologize to the kid that got the chewed up M&M from Eli. Whoopsie!

h1n1 - omg!

2009-11-14T12:41:00.002-06:00

Since I dont live in a huge city - the H1N1 was very hard to find. With the boys being under 2 and myself being pregnant - I found it necessary to get the shot.

The Sebastian County Health Unit held a free flu shot drive through for anyone. Also, if you were pregnant or under 4 you were eligible for the H1N1. I took off work the morning of 10/30. I told work I'd be in by 1200. The drive thru opened up at 9am. I arrived at 8:15. I proceeded down Midland Blvd approximately 3-4 miles before I found the end of the line. OK - I thought - well, this is going to be bad. WOW - I had no idea. Evidently people were coming in through all of the side streets, so the brilliant police decided to let 2 cars in for every 2 cars that went by on Midland - well, this was happening at EVERY side street. 4 Hours in - I had moved approximately 100 yards. It was ridiculous - the boys were getting hungry again - I had to use the bathroom, it was getting scary. My mother-in-law so kindly came for reinforcements. I thought of bailing out of line numerous times - but I couldnt handle the guilt if I or either of my boys got the virus. So, me, Joyce and the boys, stuck it out for another 4 hours - yep - total of 8 hours in the car with 2 20 month olds - CRAZINESS! Thank goodness the boys were on quite good behavior - I got them out a couple of times - and let them run around outside of the car. I changed diapers in the "way-back" while Joyce pulled forward when she could.

Needless to say - it was a nightmare - I cried approximately 6 times. OH - and to top it off - one fo the times I got out to change Nate - I rolled my ankle and sprained it - really? Did that really need to happen.

Anywho - we got our shots finally! and I feel alot better about this coming flu season.

It's a boy!

2009-10-21T12:51:00.002-05:00

Yep, another little boy. I found out Friday, 10/16. My mom and 2 aunts, Lisa and Charlotte, came up for War Eagle and Eureka Springs, so they were able to be with me.

I was convinced it was a boy, but there was a small part of me thinking it could still be a girl. To be perfectly honest, I really did have a preference. I love my boys to death, but they are quite rowdy and exhausting. I see little girls sitting in their mom's lap so calmly and I have convinced myself it's because they are female. Also, my mom and I have such a great relationship, I really wanted to have a little girl to be great friends with later in life. But, that wasnt in the cards.

I'm sure once he's here - I will never even think about having a little girl.

2 questions I'm consistently asked:

1) Will I try for a girl? answer: heck no - 3 is scary enough!
2) Do we have a name picked out? answer: nothing is finalized, but as of right now - we really like Brady. and we're thinking of Thomas for a middle name. (Eli is named after my dad's side, Nate after Andy's family, so I'd like some Wiginton representation)

I'm gonna be a....

2009-08-26T21:51:00.002-05:00

Due to our recent news, yes, we are pregnant again. We decided to reveal the information to Joyce, Andy's mom, aka Grammy, by letting the boys tell her. After dinner with my folks who were in town this past weekend, we went over to Grammy's house. James and Judy (Andy's uncle and aunt), Granny B (Andy's 94 yr old grandmother), Amber and Daniel (Andy's sister and husband), and Wren and Rachel (Andy's cousin and daughter) were all over there. We let the boys do the telling for us with their shirts. Everyone was quite shocked!

Muddy bottom boys!

2009-08-18T22:51:00.003-05:00

Since we built our house in the middle of the woods, we had to clear everything. We've put out grass seed - but grass doesn't grow real well on red clay. Needless to say - we don't have anything that resembles a lawn. Last time we used the baby pool - we put in on the driveway - well, Nate wont stay in the pool - so we were constantly chasing him and worried he was going to fall on the concrete. This time, I said - forget it! The pool is going out in the yard - no matter what mess we create. The boys were due a bath anyways - so we just let them be boys. I have never seen the boys as happy. They played in the pool for a while - but then they discovered that if they leaned on the side of the pool - water will spill out onto the dirt - which would now be called mud. So they decided to get out of the pool and play in the mud for a while. Then, they discovered rocks and sticks. They would throw all the rocks and sticks in the pool. They were as happy as pigs in slop!

Covered in Cornstarch

2009-08-18T22:46:00.005-05:00

I have been battling some of the worst diaper rashes ever with the boys. I feel so badly for them. Anyway, I decided to go "old school" and get some cornstarch to load down their diapers w/ before they go to bed every night or for each nap. Well, I so foolishly left the bag of cornstarch on the changing table w/in Eli's reach or "Mr. Handsy" as I like to call him! I came back in the bedroom to find this....

Eli's bed looked like Christmas morning in a not so southern state. The sheets, blankets, and toys were covered. Eli's red pants looked the lightest color of pink. Eli's shirt has stripes on it, you could barely see. His arms, feet, and face were also covered. When he blinked you could see it on his eyelashes - it was in his ears! Quite frankly - it was a white mess!

But absolutely HILARIOUS! I just had to get a few pics.

I am the worst blogger ever!

2009-08-18T22:29:00.002-05:00

I'm very disappointed in myself. I am the worst blogger ever. The worst part about it is, I used to keep a journal. I wrote in it at least once a week. I stopped when I started this blog because I decided to do it instead. Well, that totally hasn't worked. My boys are growing like weeds and I'm not documenting nearly as well as I'd like to be.

I think I'm just going to list random things the boys can do now so I can have it all listed somewhere. Where to start?

Eat sandwiches, chicken fingers, apple slices...basically anything now
Not walk, but RUN EVERYWHERE
Open doors - we have lever door knobs - I can no longer contain them! yikes!
Climb - my lord, can they climb! on the couch, recliner, ottaman, fireplace, toybox, crib..basically everything
Chatter - they are complete chatterboxes. Nate has discovered the "hard G" sound...and uses it often
Words: Cracker, bite, ball, down, hi, momma, dada, nana, bye bye, juice, bubbles, diaper, gus, bibby (libby), "what's that?", bubba (that's what they call each other - so cute!)
They comprehend: "out", "no" or "unh unh" (but it's mostly ignored), "put it back", "go get a diaper", "where's bubba?", lots more - but not coming to me right now
They love to play outside - they pick grass through the fence i have set up around the back porch - and bring each blade to me
the fight! and I mean FIGHT! They get very aggravated w/ each other. Imagine if you had someone around that was ALWAYS there - must be so annoying. (If one wakes up w/out the other - I try to get them out of the room to have a moment to themselves before the other gets up)
They give hi-fives!
They fake arm wrestle w/ daddy - so adorable!
Andy is the only one the get overtly excited to see ever!
YELL! You have never heard 2 children as loud as these. Just ask my mom. We are rarely able to hold a conversation - unless they are asleep or I've already dropped them off for work
They give Libby hell! Poor dog - they are constantly harassing her. She kinda deserves it because she can totally get places they cant - but nope, she sits right in the middle of all the chaos.

Well, that's enough random memory making for now! I feel a little less guilty now.

The boys are back in town!

2009-07-13T23:14:00.002-05:00

The boys went home with my parents from TX last Saturday. They stayed the entire week in Shreveport. My mom said she is exhausted. I don't think she tried to venture out too often. The boys did a lot of playing in the backyard in the mornings and evenings. She also bought them a wagon that she took them around the block in, looking for sticks and other fun things.

The best thing that occurred while they were in Shreveport is Eli is officially a walker. He has perfected his walking skills. (By perfected I mean - after falling repeatedly - he still gives it a go.) My mom has attributed Eli's new skills to his hatred of grass. Eli despises grass. Therefore, if you set him in it - he will do anything for it not to touch his legs - including, yep... walking.

I thought I would enjoy my week off from my mom duties. But what I realized is, I am absolutely miserable without my boys. Also, after you do something for 17 months straight - it is your life. I was bored, unmotivated, and I had the worst guilt-ridden feeling...ever.

I'm quite glad to have them back - and to be back in my normal routine again.

(for memory purposes: new words...)

Bubba - they call each other this (i'm assuming from the word brother)

Fish - learned in shreveport because mom has a big tank

Down - when they are ready to get out of their high chairs - or your lap

Biaper - dont quite have the "d" sound down yet - but this is a diaper

Outside - they are obsesses w/ going outside

"what's this" - they point at everything

Also, Nate will "try" to repeat anything you say...but I'm not quite sure he has an ear for sounds...it's usually WAY off!

Fun in the Sun!

2009-06-29T16:28:00.011-05:00

We've been taking the kids to the pool at Lake Fort Smith Park. They have been loving it. When it's not that convenient to go to the pool - we just blow up their little pool outside. Eli seems like like it more than Nate. Nate, being the masterful walker that he is, likes getting out and exploring much more. Note for memory purposes: Their first time to swim was actually in Forney, TX at Ashley's neighborhood pool.

Nate out of the pool exploring

Eli w/ the sun in his eyes
Nate out exploring (not pooping) at LFSSP

Eli looking solemn in his swing

Eli playing in the pool - Nate escaping (again)

Eli playing at LFSSP

More Eli at LFSSP

Nate hard at work

Nate hard at work again.

Eli has been taking some steps!!

2009-06-21T23:45:00.001-05:00

Eli is getting better - if he's distracted by holding something - he will walk! I have witnessed at most about 5-10 steps being taken. I can't wait to have the independence it will bring to have 2 children who can walk!!!

GO ELI!

Father's Day

2009-06-21T23:16:00.002-05:00

I'm sure Andy had a doozey!

We got up as usual this morning. We were contemplating going somewhere for lunch, but at about 10:30 it was becoming apparent we would not be able to do so. Eli starting sucking on blankets (a quirky thing he does when he gets tired), and Nate started walking around the living room lying his head down on everything. We knew we would not be able to stretch this awake time out. Or at least we were not brave enough to do so at a restaurant. So, we decided to just go ahead and put them down for their nap. I had to be at work at 1pm so I called around trying to find somewhere I could go pick up some lunch and get back in time to eat it and get back to work. (for those of you who dont know - I live about 30 mins from any restaurant and 30 mins from work). Well, no one would be open or have a to-go order done early enough. So I just made lunch. (I am NOT a cook!) Andy had a fancy lunch of microwaved beef tips and gravy over mashed potatoes made from flakes. And I made biscuits. Amazingly, it was actually pretty good.

Then, I headed off to work - leaving Andy to literally make this "Father's Day". Andy had the boys all day long all by himself. He even went grocery shopping!! Note: Andy has the boys every Sunday - but his mom usually tries to provide some relief - even if it's for an hour.

Thank you Andy for being such a great Daddy! We love you!

Remember: this is my last Sunday to work until December - you have reinforcements coming!!

We've finally been to Little Rock for Eli's Appt

2009-06-21T23:09:00.005-05:00

It was actually pretty good news. We learned that the diagnosis was correct. Eli indeed has a classic case of Fourth Nerve Palsy. The doctors there also agreed with his original prognosis, "Wait and see". They said Eli's vision is actually fine. They said with the young ones, they actually do not have double vision because their brain is still developing and it is able to cope with the palsy better than an adult brain would.

The doctors agreed that surgery is not necessary at this time. We will go back for a check-up in 4-6 months. After that, we will probably just follow up with our local ophthalmologist.

They said if we were to make the decision to do surgery eventually, it would be strictly for cosmetic purposes. The doctor said we could even wait until Eli is old enough to make the decision for himself.

Until then, it appears as if Eli will have his quirky little head tilt - and the occasional "googly" eye moment.

Eli's Appointment was Cancelled

2009-06-01T21:32:00.002-05:00

Well, we didn't go to Little Rock. We got a call on Tuesday letting us know that they had made a mistake and the doctor they had us scheduled for would not be in on 5/27 and there was no other doctor to see that day.

They have rescheduled us for 6/17/09. AGGRAVATING!!! I just need to know something.

Eli is still not walking and I would really like to know if they think it could have something to do with his vision.

15 Month Checkup

2009-05-23T18:40:00.002-05:00

The boys had their 15 month check-up on Friday. The doctor said they are looking great. She seemed very impressed with their development considering they were preemies.

Their stats:

Eli: 20 lbs, 31 inches long: 5th percentile on both height and weight

Nate: 19 lbs 5 oz, 30 1/4 inches long: also 5th percentile on both height and weight

Eli has officially taken Nate in length and height. We figured he had - but never had the stats to prove it.

Also, here's the kicker: although Nate is only 5th percentile on height and weight - his head circumference is 75th percentile - yep - 75th! What a huge noggin!!! I hope it's just full of brains.

We're getting a referral to either an ENT or plastic surgeon about a superficial protrusion on Nate's neck, too.

Oh, and we were supposed to get shots but they would have cost us 600 bucks because my insurance doesn't cover any immunization - so I declined and made an appointment w/ the health department for next Friday where it will only cost me 10 bucks.

We make our trip to Children's Hospital in Little Rock this Wednesday for Eli's eye. I'll be sure to post updates when we get back. (My mom and dad are coming up to go w/ me and Eli. Nate will be staying at his Grammy's).

Weekend in Shreveport

2009-05-16T20:09:00.003-05:00

The boys and I got up early Friday morning and headed to Shreveport. We came to see Emily and Mitchell Dunlap and to have a Garage Sale with my mom. I don't exactly live in the best garage sale location.

We had a great lunch w/ the Dunlaps and Mary Alice. It was great seeing them.

I made 75 bucks at the garage sale. The boys really enjoyed themselves playing outside all day.

Late Mother's Day post...

2009-05-16T20:07:00.001-05:00

I haven't had an oppurtunity to post for a bit, so I never commented on Mother's Day. I had a good one. I had to work - but Andy surprised me with 2 rose bushes and 2 cards - one from each of the boys. It was a pretty good day.

Things they can say!

2009-05-04T15:34:00.002-05:00

The boys are finally getting some words! Here is what they have in their vocabulary so far:

Bye Bye (while opening and closing their hands) **not always said w/ appropriate timing
Bite (sounds a lot like bye bye - but singular)
UH OH! (also not said w/ appropriate timing always)
Mama (actually more like mamamamamamamama - and not really directed at me)
Dada (definitely clear about this one - they get quite excited to see Daddy)
MOW (this is supposed to be MEOW when asked "what does a kitty cat say?")
kika (some form of "kitty cat")
HI! (also said while opening and closing hands )**also not always said w/ appropriate timing
Guh (This is GUS, our great dane)
seuhs (not quite sure how to spell this, but this is juice)

So, TEN words, not bad so far. It's fun to see their little personalities really start to come out!

Aggressiveness in one years olds?

2009-05-02T22:45:00.002-05:00

Eli has emerged as quite an aggressive little man lately and it really makes me nervous. He seems to get frustrated very easily and when he does - he shows it in the form of aggressiveness usually towards Nate. If Nate is playing with something Eli wants - Eli will just crawl over and yank it out of his hands. If Nate is riding one of their toys and Eli decides it's his turn...he will crawl over, stand by it for a short while, and if Nate doesn't get off - he will reach out, grab him by the collar and pull him to the ground. If he doesn't feel like Nate has gotten the picture he will kind of lean into him hard and kind of yell/grunt. His new thing is biting. As soon as he gets aggravated w/ Nate he will lean over and bite him - sometimes on the arms - but usually on the face.

All this is very concerning for me. I've looked up "aggressiveness in one year olds" on the internet and it seems to be a fairly common problem - but that doesn't change the fact that it's bothersome when it's happening with your own child.

How are we dealing with it? Well, as of right now, it's really difficult because they have no reasoning skills. So, what I do when I witness Eli doing something aggressive is go over and intervene immediately. Tell him "NO" and "we will not " and "we will be sweet to brother" then put him in a "pack and play" in the spare bed room. I only keep him in there for about a minute or so. Then I go and get him out and explain (as well as you can explain to a 14 mo old boy) what he did wrong.

I'm hoping I'm handling this the correct way.

I try to rationalize this with humor. I think with his double vision - he's like "holy crap there are two of him and they NEVER go away!!!". I think that's really why he's so ticked off. I mean, I would be.

Walking...

2009-04-27T20:40:00.002-05:00

Nate is finally taking some steps. His first 2 steps were taken at his Grammy's house a couple of weeks ago. (I was at work and missed it - of course). Joyce said he was holding onto a chair when a piece of paper in Granny B's (Andy's grandmother) hand caught his eye. He let go and took 2 steps toward her to get it.

Since then, there has been little progress until this weekend. He has really emerged as a pretty good walker. I have witnessed him take approximately 5 steps...Andy said that he took about 10 in a row last night. (again - i was at work).

What I'm most impressed with is that he's realizing that just because he starts to lose his balance doesn't mean he has to give up and crawl. He'll take about 2 steps - regroup/regain his balance and take a few more. I can't wait for the day when a) we can go outside and play and b) I can walk in to some place holding my boys' hands versus carrying them....

oooohhh...next cant wait for moment: "HEY KIDS - GO GET IN THE CAR!"

(Eli: no news on the walking front for him)

Eli's Doctor Appt

2009-04-19T19:58:00.003-05:00

Eli's appointment with the pediatric opthamalogist is scheduled for May 27th at 1:45. Andy has taken off work, so we will head over to Little Rock, AR that morning and come back the same day. I can't wait to get some answers. It makes me a nervous wreck not knowing how to help him. I just want everything to be OK and him not to have to struggle with anything.

Bass Pro Shop and Lambert's Cafe

2009-04-19T19:39:00.003-05:00

This weekend we decided to get out and actually do something. We set out Saturday morning for Springfield, MO. The "big" Bass Pro Shop is located there. We thought it would be fun to get the boys out and let them see the big fish tanks and all the animals. Basically - just doing something other than sit around the house. As the boys are not walking yet, it really makes finding activities they can do difficult. So, we strapped them in and headed north.

Nate doesn't enjoy riding in the car. I think he gets bored. He fussed for the majority of the drive to Springfield. He finally fell asleep about 20 minutes to our final destination. So, we had to wake him up to go inside. He usually wakes up pretty happy so this wasn't that big of a deal.

Eli is a trooper. He fell asleep pretty quickly and slept the majority of the way. While awake he was happy as long as we kept feeding him WHALES (cheap version of goldfish) or little butter cookies. That kid can eat more than any kid I've ever seen.

When we got to Bass Pro - it was PACKED! MISERABLY PACKED! Andy dropped us off and went to find a spot. Joyce and I took the boys in and let them ride in the carts. They love riding in the carts. They weren't really into looking at the big tanks or animals - but they love to people watch and to show off.

After Bass Pro - we headed back south to Ozark, AR to eat at Lambert's - better known as "HOME OF THE THROWED ROLLS!". It was about a 45 minute wait - it was tough keeping the boys entertained without letting them crawl around (dangit I cant wait til they can walk). The food was well worth the wait. I think I ate 3 rolls! YUM! My fave was the fried potatoes that they "pass around". The boys enjoyed the rolls, carrots, and candied yams.

On the way home - NATE SLEPT! He was pooped from not getting a good nap in on the way up there. Eli though was not his normal self. He hated the whole ride home - again the only thing making him happy was handing him food and giving him juice - oh great, I'm going to have obese children!

We made it home about 8:30pm - the boys went to bed about 9:30.

All in all, it was a great trip - and sure beat sitting inside all day.

Easter

2009-04-14T21:19:00.003-05:00

We had a great Easter weekend. We left out for Shreveport at about 5pm due to Andy's cousin getting married on Saturday. It was a pretty brutal drive. Nate was not happy at all about being strapped down for 6 hours. We made it to Nana and Pawpaw's at about 11pm. We immediately gave the boys a bath and put them in their PJs then let them play for a while. They really enjoyed the freedom. I find it's getting harder and harder to make the 5-6 hour drive as the boys get older. They've had a taste of freedom - and they like it.

The boys then slept until 9am which was a blessing - but made for a very hectic morning - trying to get 9 people ready to leave the house by 1010 to make it to church on time. We were a little late - but we made it. The boys stayed in the nursery and we went on to "Big" church. Because they had so many extra kids in the nursery - they looked frazzled when we dropped them off so before the sermon began - I snuck out the back and ran back down to the nursery to check on them. I looked in and saw them on their knees playing with a couple of trucks - still with each other...I dont know why - but this was the cutest thing to me. You see, my boys dont seem to have the "twin" thing. They usually just play along side each other - rarely really interacting - so to see them amidst all those kids playing together was just the sweetest thing.

After church - it was POURING down raining!! Which was really aggravating. Last Easter the boys were only about 4 lbs - so needless to say there wasn't any Easter Egg hunting. I really wanted them to have that experience this year. BUT NO, it had to be raining. So not only was I not able to get all those cute Easter pics - but we had to hide the boys eggs in my pawpaw's bedroom for them to find. Which they did very well. Although, my boys are really into throwing things right now, so every time they found an egg - they'd shake it, then SLAM it down on the ground. Gotta love boys!!

After the Easter celebration at my MawMaw's house - we went back my parents house. The boys hadnt taken a nap all day, so I thought it would be time for a meltdown - but they didn't. There was so much new stuff for them to do and play with - they were very happy until we put them down at about 7pm.

Monday morning before heading back home - we put them back in their little brown corduroy outfits my mom had monogrammed the cutest bunnies on and put them outside for a mock Easter photo shoot. So I got some Easter pics afterall.

The drive back wasnt nearly as brutal - but we had to stop a lot due to poo! Poo in a car can be brutal - By the way - The Taco Bell/KFC in Mena, AR does NOT have a changing table in the bathroom - so we made 2 stops in Mena!

Overall - a great fun filled weekend!

New to all this...

2009-04-07T22:13:00.002-05:00

This seems like the new thing to do - so I thought I'd give it a try. It may be a little easier for people to keep up with things going on in our lives. Mine's not so interesting - but the boys are growing like weeds.

Nate is getting his 7th tooth. Supposedly this is one of the "stomach teeth" (on the bottom, to his left of the middle 2). He was up from about midnite to 2 am last night fussing. He wasn't fussy at all with his first 6 - so these must be significantly harder to cut.

I'm still waiting on a call back from Children's Hospital in Little Rock, AR for a second opinion on Eli's "Fourth Nerve Palsy" diagnosis. I'll go into that later in more detail on separate post.

This seems a little difficult to start - so I'll let that be my first post...and update more later.