The Plague

The vomit plague that is...it has hit and hit bad!!! It all started Saturday morning when Asher threw up, followed by Braden and I getting sick Sunday night, followed by Austin getting sick yesterday and then...are you ready...after almost 48 hours of feeling better....Braden threw up again last night. So now I've got Austin throwing up in one bathroom, Braden throwing up in another one and Asher who is aimlessly wandering about fussing and crying because he is bored out of his mind and his ears are still hurting from 6, yes 6 weeks worth of ear infections. On a side note, Asher's been on 4 antibiotics now and 6 weeks later, there is still fluid in his ears. We've been to two doctors now and they are telling me that tubes may be in his near future...boo...yet another plague!!!!

Anyway, back to Braden...what the heck, more throw up??????!!!!!!! And let me tell you, it's not like Braden picked up another bug from somewhere else because we have all sat here and stared at these walls since Saturday morning. So after feeling sorry for myself and some tears of frustration on my part, I gathered myself together and called the doctor. And the doctor informed me that some stomach bugs will linger on like this for an entire week. AN ENTIRE WEEK!!!! Huh? But what about my thanksgiving plans and what about my vomit phobia and what about the fact that I am about to be buried alive in laundry and what about the fact that we have been eating chicken noodle soup, popsicles and saltines for 5 days now and I don't think I can eat it one more night of it, and what about the fact that I have Lysoled the entire house 10 times over and I still can't stop the germs and what about the fact that I have prayed and prayed and prayed for it to end and God has chosen to let us walk through this sickness. In the end, I realized that it doesn't really matter what I want. This is life...especially life with kids. In the end, I realized that I am so thankful for a husband who loves me and helps me even in the wee hours of the morning. For a husband who holds my boys tight and loves on them while their little bodies are burning with fever. In the end I realized how much respect I have for single parents who have no other option, no one to ask for help, no one to give them a break. In the end I realized that I am so thankful to have these little boys to care for and love. In the end I realized that I am thankful for little boys who still smile even though their tummies are sick. In the end I realized that I am thankful that God blessed us with an incredible week of unseasonably warm weather which saved our sanity when we just needed to get out of the house for a few minutes. So all that to say, it has not been a fun week or one that I ever hope to repeat, but despite all the chaos I have found myself so grateful to God for all of his many blessings. Here is to healthier days...

Fall Fun

What a wonderful fall we've had. The weather has been amazing, the leaves beautiful and despite a month and a half long ear infection from the littlest man, we've had a great few weeks. I treasure these times...warm days, playing outside till dark, jumping in ginormous piles of leaves, numerous trips to the park. These are some good times and I'm thankful to be home to experience them. Here are my boys playing, laughing, fighting....and on any given day they do any or all of the above all day long.

Wagon time (an afternoon must) -
Asher so kindly sharing his cracker. My boys always share so well...ha!!!!
Sweet Ash enjoying his cracker -
Love this little smile -
Nothing better then jumping in a huge pile of leaves -
Nothing sweeter then a leaf fight with your three year old -
Tyson was right in the middle of it too -
Little man slept through the first half of the leaf jumping festivities, but made it out just in time to enjoy -
And now that the weather has turned cold and it's dark at 4:45pm, we'll do a lot of recreational bathing...what kid doesn't love a bubble bath -
We'll also be doing some random art projects -

Notice the lovely finger paint job on the wall behind Braden. I was trying to fix dinner and noticed the boys were both being a little too quiet...all of the sudden I realized the lights were off and I come out to find a lovely picture on the wall, the light switch and on Braden. Nice! So thankful for washable finger paint.
Oh and there will be lots of extra reading too -

Pumpkins, Cookies and Halloween

Halloween is in full force around here. A few weeks ago, I got Braden's old pumpkin costume out (that he wore when he was 3 months old) to see if it would fit Asher...and Braden decided it would be fun to try it on. We laughed and laughed as he literally ran laps around the house in a costume that was a wee bit small on him. Here is Braden in his pumpkin costume at 3 months old -

And here he is in the same costume at 3 yrs old. How does time pass so quickly and how do our little babies grow up so quickly -
We went to the pumpkin patch a few weeks ago with our dear friends the McFarlands and the Geshke's. Both families have boys that are close to Braden's age and we all have baby boys that were born 3 weeks from each other. It is truly a blessing to do life with these sweet friends and all of our wild and crazy boys. I must say that I always look forward to the pumpkin patch. As a child, I spent every fall at an apple orchard in Pennsylvania where we picked pumpkins, ran through corn mazes, ate candy apples and played for hours on end. Those are such fond memories for me and I hope to continue that tradition in my own family. Gentry's Farm is great and we always have such a fun time. This was Asher's first year to go, as last year he was just a few weeks old and my mom had offered to keep him for me since it was SO cold. We had very warm weather this year and although Braden said he was scared of the pumpkins and Asher cried when I put him near one, all in all it was a great day!

Asher, not too sure about the hay -
Braden and Daddy on the hay ride...Braden was beyond excited that a big tractor was pulling us. Asher was with me and he loved it too, sitting so still while we were on the hay ride -


Asher and his buddies -
All seven of our boys. A small herd if you ask me. Always fun and always chaotic -
A family shot -
Asher scooping (and eating) some corn -
You can't go to the pumpkin patch w/o having some popcorn...pretty sure Austin and I didn't get to taste any -
A few weeks ago, I decided to not nap Braden on the days he is in mother's day out. He still naps the other days for 1.5-2 hours, but he is also perfectly fine to skip a nap here and there and I really wanted to have some one on one time with him since I get that with Asher while Braden is at school. I have to say, I really enjoy our time together on those days. Asher is usually asleep for his afternoon nap and Braden and I play or do some kind of art project or okay, occasionally watch a movie. The other day we decided to make pumpkin cookies in preparation for Halloween and it was so much fun.

The stirring begins -
And then of course we need to put some flour on the dough...let's just say these cookies had a LOT of flour on them -
And when you get bored, use the cookie dough bowl for a hat -
On Saturday, we headed to this little pumpkin patch down the street so we could get some pumpkins. Here is little Asher enjoying the little pumpkins -
Picking out just the right pumpkin...Braden wanted to get one for Tyson too. I'm sure all the neighbors are wondering why we have five pumpkins...I promise we don't have any exciting news to tell!!
Sweet brothers -
Braden explaining to Asher why eating leaves really isn't a good idea -
Poor Asher has had an ear infection for two weeks and is on his second round of antibiotics, but is constantly tugging on his ears...never-the-less a cute picture -
One of my favorite things about Asher right now is that he is always holding one of our fingers while he walks -
I love this picture of all of my boys -
And finally a family photo -
Looking forward to pumpkin carving and trick-or-treating this weekend. Not looking forward to the time change! Happy Halloween!

Asher's Birthday

Asher turned one a few weeks ago and I can hardly believe how quickly his first year of life flew by. We celebrated by having some friends over to play in the back yard and eat cupcakes. It was a beautiful day and I'm so thankful we were able to celebrate his sweet life with those we love.
Here are some pictures of his big day -

The cake table -
The smash cake was adorable and the cupcakes were ridiculously delicious -

Asher in the bouncy house -
Braden in the bouncy house...I swear this boy could drink milk all day and in place of every meal and be totally happy -
We had fajitas and quesadillas (my boys favorite) -
Lots of our dear friends were out of town, but we still had a great time despite the smaller crowd. Enjoying dinner outside in such beautiful weather -
Aww...this picture captured such a sweet moment for me. We were singing "Happy Birthday" to Asher and he got this huge smile on his face and kept looking at everyone who was singing and then back at me and Austin. His smile in this moment is one I will never forget. The other thing I love about this moment is that I looked over at one point and saw Braden. He had a huge smile on his face and was singing as loud as he could...so happy for his brother. This as we all know is a bit hard for a 3 yr old when it's someone else's birthday, but in that moment, Braden was nothing but happy. I will always remember those few moments thanks to this picture -
Touching the cake, but not so sure -
Austin gave him a little taste to see what he thinks -
Definitely a fan, he couldn't get it in fast enough -
Braden had to help Asher do a little smashing and/or tasting -
Love this little boy so much -

So I got a little too close and Asher had to share...he is such a kind little boy :) -
Family photo -
Present time -
Asher trying on his new vest...thanks Aunt Shannon and Uncle Daniel -

Asher you are so dear to me sweet baby. It seems like just yesterday that we saw you for the first time, held you close, kissed your tiny head, listened to your small breath, placed your hand in ours and cried for you as we realized that God gave you to us for a short time to love and protect. Over this past year, I have watched you grow as you've learned your world. I've watched you laugh and smile. I've watched you overcome with joy as you crawled for the first time or took your first step, I've held you when you were sad. I've rocked you when you were sick. I've let you fall asleep on me every morning before your nap because I couldn't seem to put you down as I wanted you so close and knew this time is fleeting. I've cried for you. You're Daddy and I have snuck into your room every night after you were asleep, laid our hands over you and have prayed for you. I've dreamed for you, longed for you, hoped for you and loved you. I love your smile. I love that you have laughed out loud at your brother since you were old enough to laugh. He still lights up your day. I love that you dance every time you hear the Veggie Tales music. I love that you are so task oriented and are always working on "projects" as your Dad and I always say. I love that you are determined and fearless. I love that you are so ticklish and love to wrestle. You throw yourself on us when we are on the floor and try so hard to get us to wrestle you. You love to snuggle with Tyson and I often find you laying on him or open mouth kissing him. I love to hear you say "momma" even though I know your daddy would love to hear you say "dadda." I love that you want me and need me, although it might be nice if you didn't cry when a new face looked at you :) I love that you are independent and yet still cuddle on my shoulder every night as I sing to you "Jesus Loves You" and "How Deep the Father's Love for You" in your ear. I have been singing that to you every day before bed since you were born because I long for you to know the truth of those words. I long for you to know how much Jesus loves you! You lay so still and I know you are listening. Those words and that song calms you when you are scared or sad or angry. I love you Asher and I'm so thankful that you are in mine. Happy Birthday sweet boy!