Christmas 2012

 

Well another Christmas has come and gone! Its amazing how quickly everything is over! This was Colby's 5th Christmas and Lindsay's 2nd. I think they both had a blast!
Colby was really into the festivities this year! He really understood everything and had SO much excitment about it all! Lindsay just enjoyed the lights, tree, wrapping paper, and new toys!
Monday was Christmas Eve. Austin was off so he and Colby set out to run a few errands that morning. I stayed home and got busy with Christmas things. Once they got home we ate lunch and made Santa cookies. That afternoon we just enjoyed time together home as a family! I am so thankful that we get to stay at home with our kids and not be travling here there and everywhere on Christmas! That evening we went over to my mom and dad's. That is our Christmas tradition. My mom cooks dinner and we go eat and we also usually celebrate her birthday that night. Colby really enjoys all the excitment of family get togethers. Lindsay is still hard she was sleepy last night and just gets overwhelmed. I know by next year she will be running around like crazy like her big bro! We let Colby open up a couple presents and we spent time reading the true Christmas story. Its always such a sweet time and so special b/c we have done that every Christmas Eve for as long as a I remember! I love being back at my mom and dad's house for Christmas!
Tuesday Christmas day we ofcourse woke up early to do Santa presents with the kids. We don't wrap Santa presents so the kids just wake up to their displays of Santa stuff! Colby's major gift was a train table. He got a few smaller things like a telescope, stuffed animals, tennis racket, books, etc. Lindsay got a princess castle, piano, books, toy purse, etc. They loved their toys! After they had time to play we got dressed and packed up to head to my parent's. Its again tradition for us all to go over there and enjoy breakfast together then open up gifts. The kids did really good. Colby was VERY excited. This was his first year to be into ripping gifts open. Usually he has just picked one gift and played with it and I had to open the rest. This year he opened every single one of his and most of his sister's! Lindsay did better but still got antsy/overwhelmed with everyone and everything! They got a few more fun toys! We are so blessed to get to hang out with and see both of our families over Christmas and not have to travel too far.
We left my parent's house around 11:30 and came home to let the kids rest and nap. They were both exhausted b/c they both ended up sleeping over 2 hours! This never happens! Austin and I enjoyed the down time as well! That afternoon the kids just enjoyed playing with their toys and we cooked Christmas dinner. My parents came over and ate with us that night! It was a wonderful weekend full of family time and fun!
It was so fun seeing Colby so EXCITED this year and Lindsay being old enough to enjoy it as well! We are already looking forward to next year!

Mississippi Christmas

This year we had our Hattiesburg Christmas BEFORE christmas instead of the usual gathering on the 26th. We figured with Christmas falling on a Tuesday it would be easier for everyone to go the weekend before. We went up on Saturday. We arrived around 11. The kids were immediately starving when we got there. We ate lunch and hung out with mawmaw and pawpaw. It wasn't long before the girls got there. Around 1 Lindsay started getting really cranky and tired. I decided the only way to get her to nap would be to stroll her around the neighborhood. Little did I know it would take 3 miles for her to settle to sleep! I honestly enjoyed the walk though! The weather was beautiful and it was nice to have that alone time! She only slept about 30 minutes or so but atleast it was something. Poor dear was so tired and overwhelmed though! I remember how hard this age was with Colby! She just on and off fussed the whole day. It was very exhausting for me b/c she only wanted me and I had to constantly watch her even when she was happy b/c their house is not child proofed so I had to be behind her making sure she didn't put stuff in her mouth! We still had a great day! Colby had a blast and he was soo well behaved! He loved playing with Shelbi and Maggie! I love watching them play together. Now they are 8, 6, and 4 so they play well together unsupervised which is great! It will be nice when L can join in the fun! She did enjoy interacting with her cousins more this trip then she ever has! I think she will like having 2 older girls to look up to.
We ate an early dinner that evening after Austin's other sister arrived then we went to opening presents. It was once again very hard for me b/c by that time Lindsay was completely melting down and it was pretty chaotic with 4 kids! But it was fun! We ended up leaving early though b/c she had just had enough. By that point Colby was pretty tired too. We went back to the apartment and just relaxed. Lindsay went on to bed and Colby stayed up a little while and played with his toys then once he went to bed Austin and I enjoyed just chilling out after quite a busy day!
Sunday was another very busy day! We woke up and went back to Austin's parents house for breakfast with the family. After breakfast we went ahead and let Lindsay open up the rest of her gifts. She was in a better mood this time. We hung out and Colby enjoyed playing with his Aunt Dianne. Around 10:30 Austin and I went back to the apartment so Lindsay could nap. Colby stayed and played with everyone. We wanted to avoid another major meltdown so we figured it would be best for her to nap especially since lunch was not planned until around 2. I stayed there with Lindsay and enjoyed some more quiet while Austin went back to play with Colby. From what I hear they had a fun time! We finally had to wake Lindsay up around 2 so we could get back for lunch. We enjoyed eating with the family and visiting. After lunch we let the kids play for a little while longer and snapped a family photo before heading back to NOLA. Colby had such a great time there! I am so happy he enjoys being around family! We got back home around 5. It was nice to be back and still have our little family Christmas to look forward to!

Twas' the Week Before Christmas

We are just a week from Christmas and life has been busy but fun! This is the first year in awhile I have felt no stress of the holidays. The first few years having Colby were fun but I also spent a lot of my time stressed out over making things perfect and worrying about buying gifts. Last year wasn't really stressful as far as Christmas goes but we had a newborn baby so life was just crazy! We experienced a lot of changes and adjustments last Christmas. But last year I refused to get stressed about the holidays mainly b/c I had a newborn and didn't have time but it made me realize how much we could "remove" from our holidays and still have a good Christmas. So this year my theme has been if it causes stress or fighting then we don't do it. My ultimate goal is to simplify Christmas. It has worked beautifully. We have still enjoyed the holidays and continued traditions but taking the stress from Christmas has helped me focus on the true spirit of Christmas. Anyway back to this post of our week:
Monday I woke up and went to my parent's house to pick my babies up from our night out. I was so excited to get them! Its amazing how much you miss them when you are away even though I NEEDED the time away from them! I went to pick them up early b/c Colby had his Christmas party that morning at school. He was bringing teacher gifts and cookies for his class so I wanted to be able to walk him in. I know he had a blast he came home with a HUGE bag of stuff! I wish I could peek in on him sometimes! Lindsay and I had a nice morning around the house. I decided to bring her home and do nothing b/c I knew that would be our LAST morning alone for awhile!!
Tuesday Colby was singing at a nursing home with his school. They did this last year and it was adorable. Although last year Colby was in a horrible mood and acted out awful! It was amazing to see the difference a year makes! I am sure last year having a less then 2 week old sister made a difference as well! Austin and I dropped Lindsay off with my parents. We probably could have brought her and she would have done fine b/c there were several other little siblings there but I try to create special days for them both. I wanted Colby to feel like he had mommy and daddy's whole attention! Plus I knew if I had her I would be focused on her the whole time! Colby sang and did great! He was very helpful and obediant with his classmates and teachers. We decided after he sang that we would take him to the park for a little while to run out some energy there. We ended up at his favorite park by the river. He had a blast! 2 other boys from his school showed up too which was fun! I think he really enjoyed playing with them! Afterwards we went to pick up Lindsay. We came home for lunch and naps. That afternoon we just had a low key evening around the house! We just enjoyed having Austin around since he has worked so much lately!
Wednesday Austin went back to work and I took both kids to GymRompers. I was really excited to bring Colby back to see how much he would remember. He told me a few things he remembered before we went! He was so excited about going back! He had the best time! He ran around and did many of the same things he used to do as a toddler! It brought back a flood of memories! Where did the last 3 years go? Now he could do everything! I think Lindsay liked having her big bro there! She had a lot of fun...she loves the circle time and bubbles. She also got brave and crawled on/up a few things she had never done before. The little boy who picked on her last week chose Colby to pick on. He's only 2 which he's too old for Lindsay to really play with but too young for Colby. Colby just wanted to be left alone to run around and climb and this little boy kept following him...by the end Colby was laughing and running around with him though! Colby cried when it was time to leave...I definitely plan to bring him one more time with us atleast since he had such a great time! That afternoon we just took it easy. So far the kids have been getting a long great and playing together a lot which has been wonderful!
Thursday Austin was off again. We wanted to do a Family day...we decided on the Children's Museum b/c it was cold and rainy. It had also been awhile since we had been. Colby loves the museum. We used to go ALL the time but now with him being in school its getting harder and harder to find time to go! I think soon though I will have to start bringing Lindsay b/c she had SO much fun! This was her 3rd visit I think but the first she got to participate and get out the stroller. We started taking Colby around 18 months once he was really good at walking. We ended up taking Colby's friend Max too. We all had a great time. It was busy with 3 kids but we had fun! I think Colby enjoyed having a friend! I think Lindsay really enjoyed the visit it was neat getting her out of the stroller and her getting to explore the toddler room. She didn't get to do anything else since she isn't walking yet but she loved crawling around on the soft foam stuff they have. Colby and Max had a great time and played well together. I was glad Colby had a friend there to hang out with! After the museum we took the kids to Chickfila. Gosh it was busy having 3 kids...they were all good but I realized how crazy life would be with 3. Even though its crazy at times with 2 its still pretty manageable with 2 adults and 2 kids but feeling outnumbered was crazy...crazy but fun! Glad we were able to do that for Colby though while he was out of school!
Friday my parents wanted to spend time with Colby. They took him most of the day and went to the mall, breakfast at McDonald's and to their house to play. I enjoyed the quiet time with Lindsay. She and I finished up our Christmas shopping at Target and just enjoyed the quiet before a crazy, busy weekend!

Weekend

We are enjoying our weekend here. Its been quite a busy week for me around here so I always look forward to Saturday! Saturday is the one day we can sleep in and hang out in our pjs longer then normal! Although this weekend Saturday was a busy, fun filled day. Atleast we still don't have to leave the house at 8:30! We enjoyed our cinnamon roll breakfast...Colby gets to choose our Saturday breakfast menu! Colby and Lindsay were both invited to a birthday party that morning. That was their first joint birthday party! I worried that it would be hard dealing with them both but it ended up being fun. The party was very low key. It was for a friend of Colby's his baby brother. They came to Lindsay's party. It turned out being Colby, Lindsay, Robbie, Ryan and Morgan. It was nice just being a few kids. Colby ran around with Robbie and Morgan. Lindsay and Ryan hung out with the moms and crawled around. We ended up all having a great time! I was proud of how well behaved both kids were also.
After leaving the party we went to my parent's house to make cookies and hang out. We haven't been over there since December 1st for my dad's birthday. We have this tradition of also making sugar cookies over there at Christmas time. My mom makes these great cookies and she always has the ingredients on hand. Its just easier and more fun to bake over there then me try to do it alone at home with 2 kids. We had fun. Colby had a blast and Lindsay too! By the time we left there though I was exhausted! We didn't get home until 2. Lindsay needed a nap and I needed some down time as well. Colby never did nap...luckily Austin came home early so we were able to have a nice family dinner. That is rare on his working days. After dinner we took a ride downtown b/c Austin forgot to do something at work. Colby really enjoyed this but both kids were exhausted...Colby even fell asleep on the way home. Lindsay stayed awake but that night woke up crying...she's done that a few times this week...we aren't sure if its effects of the shots, teething, sickness, or what.
Sunday was a busy, but great day. Austin had work so it was just me and the kids going to church. Lindsay woke up with a really runny nose but she didn't seem to feel bad or be running fever so I wanted to go ahead and make it to church. I did decided to keep her out of the nursery and bring her in big church with me. I didn't want her to infect anyone else if she is sick plus if her immunity is low I didn't want her to catch anything else right here the week of Christmas. Even though it was busy it was special having her in church with me. We haven't really brought her in since she was a newborn. She came with me one or 2 other times at our old church but we always had to leave early. She did really well she was just BUSY! I let her crawl around on the floor and drink her bottle, eat puffs, play with toys etc. She made it through 75% of the service which I thought was good for a 1 year old! When we finally left was right after she tried to crawl down the aisle. The kids and I came home to rest I think we were all exhausted.
That evening Austin and I had a date night. Kari Jobe had a concert at Calvary. We bought the tickets back in October. We figured it would be a good night and time for us to celebrate our anniversary. it worked out well and my parents kept both kids overnight for us. It was so nice to have an evening out. It had been a long, busy week and I was overdue for some type of break! We dropped the kids off around 5 then went to eat at Applebees before the concert. The concert was great! It was refreshing especially since I didn't feel like I truly got to enjoy church having a squirmy 1 year old with me. I loved Kari Jobe she had such a sweet, fun personality. That night it was nice to just come in and unwind with no children! Waking up that morning was quite strange. It was a welcome break though. I was able to take my time getting ready and take time for myself! I am so grateful for my parents giving us that chance!

1 Year Checkup

Lindsay had her 1 year checkup this Monday. Everything went really well and I am very thankful for a healthy report on my baby girl. She weighed in at 19 lbs 8 oz and was 28 inches long. Still a little thing! She is in the 25% for both. The doctor said she looked great. She was very impressed with her fine motor skills. She couldn't believe she could hold 1 finger out and point. She said a lot of 2 year olds can't even do that. I have always noticed she has great coordination when it comes to stuff like that!
She received 4 shots at this visit. Poor baby I feel so bad for her. I know its for her own good but it still hurts me to see her in pain. I remember the 1 year old shots being awful for Colby. So far she has been a little grumpy. I can't tell if its the shots or her teeth though. The other day at the dentist they said she was getting all of her teeth in at one time! She has been crying some in her bed so I think maybe her legs and arms are sore. She didn't want to eat last night but has been fine all other meals. She really did well at the doctor. WAY better then Colby used to do.
I am so thankful for healthy checkups! We will go back at 15 months. Also the doc said we could face her forward when she hits 20 lbs so we are looking at maybe by March!

1 Year Celebrations

Since Lindsay's b-day fell on a Wednesday and we didn't get to celebrate that much that day we have made up for it since!
Austin was off for a 4 day weekend starting Thursday. Thursday Colby had school so Lindsay and I ran to the Party store to get stuff for her party. That afternoon we relaxed then went out that night. That was our family celebration for Lindsay's birthday. We decided since Austin was off and who knows what the rest of our December will be like we wanted to take the kids to Christmas in the Oaks. This has always been our tradition with Colby. Although we missed last year b/c with having a newborn we never could make it out last year. We stopped first to eat at Trashy mexican. Both of our kids love that place...plus they are quick and cheap so its a great restaurant to go with 2 little ones! They both had their fill of beans and cheese quesadilla. We then headed across the river to City Park. I honestly thought it would be crowded b/c everytime we have gone since Colby was a baby its been overally crowded and not as much fun. Well this year we went the right day! There was hardly anyone there! We walked right in and basically had the place to ourselves. We decided to go to the ride area first. Colby ofcourse chose the cars, dump trucks, and airplanes to ride. I wanted Lindsay to experience the carousel. So she and I went to do that! Well she liked it at first until the carousel started moving and she realized she was going up and down but mommy was not. In hind sight I should have sat on the horse with her but since it was just her and I I was afraid to try climbing on the horse while holding a baby so I just stood next to her. So basically we rode around with me just holding her. But still it was a sweet memory! Hopefully next time we go she will be more into it. Once Colby rode his 3 rides we went to the train. Usually the line for the train is too long but this year we walked right on! I think both kids were in awe of all the lights. After the train we went over to Storyland for Colby to play. Lindsay was getting tired by this point but we knew Colby REALLY wanted to play in storyland! He had a blast! His favorite I think were the firetruck and the pirate ship! I hope we can go back soon to let him spend more time there! Before we came home we made a stop for beignets! We figured it was a special evening right?!?
Friday Colby again had school. I brought him in then came home and picked up Lindsay to bring her to her 1 year dental appointment. Yes our dentist likes to see them starting at age 1. She has 8 teeth too so I figured it was good to go ahead and let them see her. She did really well...I mean she screamed while they checked her but I learned with Colby that is nothing unusual. They are so quick too that she only screams for maybe 2 minutes. After we all got home we ate lunch and rested. That afternoon Austin's parents came in for Lindsay's birthday party. I felt bad b/c the afternoon turned out to be total chaos! They probably think everytime they come to town now it is like that! Well after Colby ate those beignets the night before he woke up Friday morning complaining of his stomach hurting again. I didn't think too much of it until he came home from school still saying it hurt. After his nap he still complained. I started freaking out thinking apendicitis. I looked up the symptoms and even called the nurse and she actually wanted him to come in. I got really worried thinking that we might be going in for surgery and having to call off Linday's 1st birthday party. The doc checked him out and basically said his stomach still has not 100% healed from the bad stomach bug he had. She said he needed to start probiotics and lay off the sugary foods. I was so glad it was nothing serious!! By the time we got in it was about dinner time. Lindsay was exhausted and with her party the next day I put her to bed early. We all ate pizza then started really getting ready for the party.
Saturday was PARTY day! This is only the second time we have hosted a b-day party at our house and man its a lot of work! That morning we got started really early. By 9 Austin and Colby left to pick up the food and it got really busy at home! The bounce guy showed up, I had to dress Lindsay, Mrs. Debi showed up with the cake. By the time Austin and Colby got home guests were already starting to arrive! But it all worked out! We had a great time! We had 23 adults and 8 kids. We had 3 other babies which was fun...we invited Maggie and McKenzie (2 other babies from the nursery at church) Maggie's 2 older brothers came they are 3 and 5 so that was nice for Colby to have someone to play with. We also invited Colby's little friend Robbie from school and he has a little brother. All the big boys enjoyed playing outside in the spacewalk. We wouldn't normally have gotton one of those for a 1 year old party but we figured colby would be into it. I was glad we had it too b/c it kept the 4 big boys entertained. The ladies and the babies all stayed inside. We had a great time just visiting and letting the kids play. We had great food and cake! After the party was over we took Lindsay out to enjoy the spacewalk and she loved it! I couldn't believe she wasn't scared at all. We enjoyed getting some extra time out of it as a family. That afternoon we just relaxed. I think we were all SO tired from the party. That night we promised Colby a movie and some popcorn. We watched Polar Express with him and he loved it!
We have so much to be thankful for and it was a great weekend! I just can't believe my baby girl is already 1!

One Year

Lindsay Anne is now 1 year old...I can't believe she is entering toddlerhood! She has changed so much this month! She still isn't walking but she is cruising and can walk REALLY well behind any push toy. We discovered at Thanksgiving how well she really can walk. She walked about 5 houses past our house! She is also starting to talk...she has said mama dada for awhile but now she is saying that along with ooooooook, oh yea, yes, hey, and a lot of gibberish we aren't sure of!
She's getting a personality! She's very dramatic! She is totally a momma's girl right now which I admit I am loving! She can change moods at the drop of a hat. I predict she will pitch wayy more fits then Colby ever did! She is into EVERYTHING! Way worse then Colby! She eats anything off the floor so you have to watch her non-stop! Speaking of eating she will eat basically anything too which is nice! So far she loves italian, mexican, sweets, veggies. I think she prefers veggies to fruits right now. She still eats babyfood with her meals. This is the way for me to sneak those good fruits and veggies in.
She is still tiny but also starting to fill out. I am anxious to know how much she weighs. I would still guess under 20 but I dunno. I just moved her into 12 month clothes...she could still wear 6 month comfortably but all her winter stuff is in 12 month size. She also wears a size 3 diaper and size 3 shoes.
She hasn't gotton into tv yet but she does give Elmo and Sesame Street a reaction. She doesn't seem to mind dressing up. She also likes dolls and push toys.
She's social but she's also very clingy to me. She loves her brother and tries all day to follow him around and get into his stuff!
On her actual birthday we had a low key day. Austin had work and Colby had school so she and I got to spend the morning together. She had GymRompers class so everyone there got to wish her a happy birthday. The rest of the day was really low key! We saved the birthday celebrations for the weekend!

Christmas Party and Grandad's birthday weekend

Friday was a busy day for us! Colby ofcourse had school. Lindsay and I brought him to school then came home. I had a lot of housework to catch up on. I usually play with her when we get in and give her a snack then from 10-11 put her in her bed so I can get some stuff accomplished. Nothing much gets done while she is awake these days b/c she is INTO everything! I had to turn around and leave again at 11:30 to go pick Colby up. I am blessed b/c usually my parents go pick him up so I don't have to do this often and I am glad. It gives me no time! So we got home I put Lindsay down for her afternoon nap and fixed Colby and my lunch. We then had naptime and everyone napped thankgoodness! Usually by Friday I think we are all exhausted! That afternoon/evening I just play referree and try not to let them tear the house completely apart! Its like damage control! Its by far the hardest part of the day!
That evening we had a Preschool Christmas Party for church. We were excited to take Colby to this! My parents came to watch Lindsay for us. The party started at 7 which is her bedtime so we figured it would be easier and more enjoyable to not have her there. We were glad we went. It was a good size crowd though...not too many but just enough. Not as many kids though as I thought and half were staff kids. Colby's friend Max came too which we were glad! Colby doesn't know the other kids too well yet but he's getting to know them. I saw him playing with the pastor's daughter Ella and the children's pastor's daughter Addison. They had cookies and chocolate milk so that is what Colby did first. During that time we were able to just visit. It was nice to get to know some of the staff wives better in a more casual atmosphere then Sunday mornings. They had a nativity craft set up for the kids so that took a good chunk of time to complete. After all the kids finished that they read the Christmas Story from the Bible and sang some Christmas songs. I thought the whole evening was so nice. Colby really had a blast and thought he was big stuff going to a party at night! The kids wore their pjs too so that was really cute!
Saturday we had no plans in the morning which was nice! I look forward to lazy Saturday mornings. We go go go all week that by Saturday I just want to laze around in sweats and not leave the house! We stayed in today and the kids were so well behaved and we just had fun! Colby and I decorated the tree. Lindsay and Colby actually played together really well and it was just a good start to the day! That evening we had planned to celebrate my dad's birthday. Since his birthday falls tomorrow on Sunday my mom wanted us to all be together for a family dinner the night before. Plus since Randall and Elizabeth were out of town for Thanksgiving it was our time to have turkey and dressing and be together! Colby has been soo excited all week about Grandaddy's party! We went over there after the kid's naptime. I always like to get there early so the kids have time to play before everyone else arrives. We planned an early dinner to fit in with Lindsay's schedule. She eats at 5 and goes to bed by 7. She still ended up needed to eat before the rest of us. We just let her crawl around during dinner and then my mom held her while she ate. This stage is hard...they have to eat early and then they get into mischief. Colby is pretty easy except for his talking back and being a smarty pants but atleast he can eat with us and sit at the table. Well after dinner she was already starting to melt down. I decided bathing her over there was the best idea...it would give us more time to visit plus when we got home all we would have to do is put her in the bed. I hated to miss out on a lot of the visiting but hey that's life when you have babies I guess! She was in a better mood after her bath then she took her bottle while we ate dessert. Colby really enjoyed the chocolate cake...well I think we all did! After cake though it was time to go home. We could tell both kids were getting antsy and tired.
Sunday morning my dad's actual birthday we went to church at MBC. This is what he requested for his birthday. I think since we started going to Calvary he has been a little sad not seeing us on Sundays. It was nice to go back to Metairie. It was really a bittersweet decision leaving there and there is a lot I miss about it. I was glad the kids could go back to sunday school there. We definitely were sad leaving their teachers behind. There are so many wonderful ladies who have seen Colby grow up and Lindsay grow from a baby to an almost toddler! Anyway Austin was working so I brought the kids. Man I forgot or didn't realize when I was doing it weekly though how hard it was to get 2 children to church on Sundays across the river. This is one thing I am grateful for sure about going to Calvary! Anyway we made it! The kids both did well in their classes. I think Colby enjoyed being back in Mrs. Pat's room and Lindsay enjoyed her "ladies" again! We will go back and visit from time to time just so we can remain in contact with some people! We also enjoyed the service. Randall and Elizabeth joined us all for the service which was nice to all sit together as a family! This is what my dad wanted and it was a nice birthday present! I think we all enjoyed a slight change of pace! After church we did our traditional lunch at McAlister's. Once we got home though I was so tired and worn out! Lifegroup got cancelled that night and honestly I think Austin and I were relieved b/c we had been so busy! Anyway it was a great weekend and great kick off to the Christmas season!

Dates with my Boys!

Wednesday Austin was off again. We planned this day to do our Christmas shopping for the kids. I was excited because it turned out to be a cold, cloudy day...the best day for shopping! Colby had school until 2 so my parents kept Lindsay. It worked out well for us to have several hours out to shop! Not only was it productive but it was like having a date day too! We rarely get to go out alone so it was quite refreshing...plus we had fun shopping for the kids.
We went out to Lakeside...we began in the Disney Store. We knew of a couple little things for both of them we wanted to get. Then we went to PB Kids for Colby's big gift. This year he will get a train/activity table. It looks like a real table though so it will grow with him and Lindsay as they get older.
After shopping at the mall we went to Bravo for lunch. It was so nice to eat a quiet lunch just the 2 of us! Once again something we rarely get to do! After lunch we went to ToysRUs to finish up Lindsay's birthday and Christmas. By the time we finished there it was time to go pick up both kids.
We had promised that we would get our Christmas tree while Austin was off so we went straight there. Colby loved helping pick out a tree this year! I love that we got it so early too! Although we always have to put it up in stages. By that night we were all so tired we just put the lights on. We will probably do the ornaments over the weekend.
Thursday was Colby's school day as usual but that night he and I had a date night! Chickfila put on a mommy/son date knight. I thought the idea sounded good and I have always talked about wanting to do this type of thing with our children. I think its important for moms and dads to spend time seperately with both kids. I think daddies need time to bond with their sons. Colby and Austin do usually hang out a lot when Austin is off. I also think moms need special time with their boys! I miss my 1 on 1 time with my big boy! I also enjoy my girl time with Lindsay and ofcourse think its sweet and special when she and Austin get to enjoy some time! I invited 2 other friends to go with us. Casee and Christina have Tiano and Jax. Colby knows them both now through church and school. It was fun to go with some other moms. Colby enjoyed playing with other friends around too. Ofcourse we were busy tending to the boys mostly but we did get to visit some. I kinda think we should start this once a month! I think it meant a lot to Colby! He was very excited about it all day! I look forward to time with both my boys in the future!

Getting Back to Normal Life

Well after the Thanksgiving holiday and almost 2 straight weeks of being sick...getting back to the routine and normal has felt so good! Although sometimes I think God places a season of sickness in your life to cause you to slow down! We have had a very busy fall and will have a VERY busy December so the 2 weeks of slowness might have been good for us!
Sunday Colby was back to normal and had been on antibiotics for 3 days so I felt like it was safe for us to attend church! I am so glad we did too! I think he was grateful to be back as well! It felt so good to be around people and to do something normal! The kids seemed to have a great time getting back around other kids and I enjoyed being around adults! I did pick them up slightly early b/c I didn't want Colby to wear himself down too much! That afternoon we enjoyed naps and just being at home though. Lifegroup was cancelled so we had a low key evening!
Monday was back to school! This day was a welcome sight for everyone! I have to say I did like having Colby home in a lot of ways since he is now gone 5 days a week and I felt like he and I bonded through the whole ordeal but he was also getting very needy. I could tell he missed that outlet of friends and just that time to be a kid with other kids. He was so excited to go back! It also helped me be productive! 2 weeks of having 2 kids at home 24/7 I felt like I fell behind with a lot of stuff. Lindsay and I went to Target. Even though I had her she is a pretty easy shopper. Afterwards we came home and enjoyed a couple quiet hours before big bro came home! As always 2:15 when he gets home until bed time were VERY busy!
Tuesday was another school day. Fortunately Austin was off today. I left early with the kids to drop them off with my parents so I could go to Bible Study. The reason for doing that even though austin was home is so he can get a few quiet hours alone. Its rare he is home a lone so since my parents are used to babysitting on Tuesdays I figured it was ok. Plus after Bible study we were meeting with the pastor. I am sad that the Bible Study is coming to an end. this has been an awesome study on revelations and I feel like I have learned so much! Its also my outlet during the week! Its the one day I get to be alone and fellowship with other women and just enjoy some peace! Austin met me up at church and we drove around until time for our meeting. We scheduled the meeting with the pastor b/c we have been visiting for a little over 2 months. We are interested in joining so we wanted to talk with him about that. It ended up being a great meeting. We were glad we chose to meet with him. It let him get to know us and know a name/face and we got to know him better. After the meeting Austin went to pick up Colby from school and I picked up Lindsay. We all came home for lunch and resting. That afternoon Austin and Colby worked on the outdoor lights!
We are so thankful to be well and getting back to our regular activities!

Thanksgiving 2012

Well once again our Thanksgiving did not turn out at ALL the way we planned. But once again I am giving God the glory for he knows all things and it went the way He had planned. And honestly we still have so much to be grateful for I can't complain.
Wednesday we planned to leave for Hattiesburg. Our plan was for me to drive up that morning with my parents and Austin would come that afternoon/evening. Well that morning Colby was not acting right, I was completely stressed, and I couldn't get us out the house anyway. We ended up pushing it back until that afternoon after the kid's naps. I still wasn't sure about Colby but he did perk up a little so we went ahead. Well it was destined to be bad from the beginning. Traffic first of all was horrible! I decided that we needed to go ahead and stop in Slidell and feed the kids. So we stopped at McAlister's and all was going fine until Colby started eating his mac n cheese then he threw up everywhere! So at that point it was chaos. We had to clean him up, clean the mess up, calm him down etc. Austin was calling in the midst of it. I decided we needed to head home ASAP that obviously he was still sick and we shouldn't be on the road. Well austin and I got in a fight. I know we were both stressed and not listening to one another. So that night we all got in and went to bed. We finally decided it would be best for his parents to come to us. Well they volunteered and we decided that would work best. I am so thankful for that decision too!
Thanksgiving morning Colby woke up feeling pretty good. He was excited about grandparents coming but it was obvious he was still not 100%. We did enjoy the morning though. It was nice having a low key morning in our pjs watching the parade festivities on tv. Colby even really got into watching it this year for the 1st time. After Austin's parents got here everyone got busy in the kitchen. We did take a break to let the kids get some fresh air. Colby rode his big wheel around and I got the idea to let Lindsay "walk" with her grocery cart outside. That lil stinker' ended up going 2 or 3 houses down! I know she will be walking by Christmas which will make life interesting! After playing Colby came in to watch tv and rest before lunch. At lunch he did ok...he ate all his mashed potatoes but I could tell he still wasn't feeling good. After lunch though he wanted to take a walk with his 2 grandpas. I convinced them though to stay close since he was running to the potty a lot. He stayed out for quite awhile. Then he came in to rest and relax. Before my mom and dad left we all went back outside so they could see Lindsay "walk" with her grocery cart again. Colby rode his bikes around. Afterwards he went in the back with everyone. I told everyone not to let him over work himself b/c I could tell then he wasn't feeling good. So around 4 he came in and he did not act himself at all...I could tell he was tired but also sick. I made him lay down on the couch and he ended up falling right to sleep. He slept for about an hour I was worried about him. Once he got up he was not wanting to eat/drink anything. I was starting to get upset....I knew something was not right. So we bathed both kids and I told Austin after Lindsay got to bed we needed to take him to the ER. So we did...and my what an experience. Well I knew he was probably dehydrated. Well sure enough after going through triage they hooked him up to an IV. I felt so bad but I also knew it was what was best for him! But boy did it make him mad...he spent about the next 20 min screaming! Shortly after he had to get xrays. They told us something showed up on the xray that they were concerned about. It looked like a possible intestinal blockage. Well we were beginning to get worried. They finally took him for a ct scan. After waiting on that to come back Colby was perked up but also getting tired. The IV really helped plus he ate a popsicle and drank the fluid for the ct scan. Poor baby had to go through so much! He did more in that night then I have done in my lifetime! It ended up being the diarrhea in his intestine that he pooped out later =). I was so thankful! The doc gave him antibiotics just in case it was a bacterial infection. Colby really was a trooper. He cried during the IV and some after but the rest of the time he was really good! We got home around midnight! What a day! Austin and I were exhausted and so was Colby! Even though the day or the week leading up did not turn out as we planned we still have a lot to be thankful for! I am thankful that even though Colby was sick it could have been so much more serious!

Thanksgiving Week

So it feels like Colby has already been on a break from school forever! He's been out since last Tuesday at noon but we spent the entire week sick! I was very anxious to get back to normal life and do some fun stuff!
Sunday was the first day of no puke. We went to Target. We had to get out the house but I didn't want to do anything major since the kids were still recovering. It was a nice outting though! I love shopping this time of year!
Monday we had family pictures. These were from 6:30 am until about 9am. It was fun, but tiring. I was glad we had our outdoor time though. But I was wiped out the rest of the day! We had a low key day the rest of the day!
Tuesday our first normal day! I wanted to take the kids to do something fun! Well our tradition is to bring Colby to the mall and do Santa pictures the week of Thanksgiving. We have done this every year since he was a baby. It works out well b/c we have it done and also we get to him before the crowds. I figured it had been forever since we have done the mall anyway. It was July since the last time we went. We missed our usual October visit with the pumpkin train. Austin has to work all week but I wanted to ahead with these plans. My parents were going to come with us and I figured it would be fun for them to see the kids, but my mom came down with the stomach bug! My dad jumped in though and said he would still like to go. I was thankful he did too! Juggling 2 kids at the mall would have been hard....doable but hard! I am not scared to bring them both out like that like I used to be, but logistically its just tough. So he was alot of help especially with Colby! I think he also had fun seeing Colby run around and have fun! Well Colby always has an agenda when we go to Lakeside. We only go about 3 times a year so we pretty much let him run the show while we are there. First he wanted to ride the train. He rode it by himself but I hope by Easter Lindsay can be right there with him. The age for the train is 1 year by themselves so she was still a little young! Colby loved the train and it was neat seeing him ride with his glasses you could tell he was checking everything out that he's probably been missing out before. After the train we did Santa pictures...I wasn't sure how this would go over considering Lindsay cried a lot at our photo shoot the day before but they both did great! They both EVEN SMILED! I am sure it was a comfort having big brother up there with her! Colby was telling me everything he would tell Santa but then when he got up there I am not sure he said anything at all! Poor guy! I love his childhood innocence I hope he believes in Santa for a few more years. It makes me sad to think how quickly time is going by! After Santa pictures my dad walked with Colby down to the Disney store so I could take Lindsay to get her foot measured for real shoes. I know she is getting close to walking so I want her to have some good shoes that she can wear. She has been wearing these robeez white sandals since June/July but I know she needs some better shoes now! Well figures they were out of her size but we found out she needs a size 3 or 3.5 so I went home and ordered her some! Atleast she will have some real shoes soon! We went down to the Disney store to meet my dad and Colby. Ofcourse Colby talked Granddaddy into a car. We also chose ornaments for the kids. I may still go get them 1 each from Hallmark when I have the time but atleast if we don't they each have a Disney one. We have always let Colby pick out an ornament from the time he was 1 till now. Its a sweet tradition. After the Disney store Colby decided it was lunch time so off we went to eat! This is when I was really glad to have my dad's help. He was a big help with Colby while I stayed busy feeding Lindsay. Now that she eats table food I spent most of my time breaking up bites of Colby's nuggets and fries and feeding her baby food before I could even think of enjoying my lunch. It was hectic but fun! After lunch we made one more stop in PB kids. By this point Lindsay was getting tired but Colby loves that store! He just loves playing with everything in there! I found them some books for their Christmas stash. I like buying things slowly. Anyway we stayed in there awhile until Lindsay had had enough then we bought a cookie and headed out! It was a fun time! It was the first "fun" day I felt like we had since the week before when we did City Park. I missed Austin and my mom but it was sweet having just my dad there with us. I love making memories like that with the kids and I know Colby really had fun! Poor thing he's been out of school a week and I feel like he's mostly just sat around the house so I was glad for him to get out and do something special!
Now we are getting ready for our trip to Hattiesburg! I will post back about that when we get home! Happy Thanksgiving!

11 Month Comparison