Superheroes

So superheroes have been the topic of conversation the past few weeks in our home. Not sure where it came from, but I'm gathering that it came from the other boys at school because whenever I pick Braden up from mother's day out, I hear about some crazy story of he and his buddies fighting bad guys and tigers and monsters and locking them all up in jail. Now I did not grow up around boys, so all this talk about shooting and bad guys and superpowers, not to mention all the sound effects that go along with all of this play is like a foreign language to me. I'm having a hard time just letting it be and remembering that Braden is a little boy and little boys love to fight bad guys and dream about being a superhero and rescuing someone and that it's all harmless play. I've started reading "Wild at Heart" by John Eldredge and I have found it so fascinating to think that God created little boys to be warriors and if we truly believe that man is made in the image of God, then we should remember that "the Lord is a warrior..." (Exod15:3). John in his book talks a lot about little boys from a very young age wanting to shoot things. And how so often parents take away toy guns from little boys in an attempt to control them from behaving this way, but he reminds us that if we take away these things from little boys, they will just make a gun or "weapon" from whatever they find laying around. He talks about how his boys chew their graham crackers into the shape of handguns and how fallen branches become bazookas. I have seen this time and time again with Braden, he loves to grab a stick and "shoot shoot" the bad guys, or he'll take his baseball bat and pretend he is fighting a battle. The fearful side of me wants to jump in and stop him, to suppress this "warrior" side of him, to ask him to sit quietly and play a game because I'm afraid that if I let him play this way now, then what will it be like when he's older. I think all things come in moderation and Braden certainly still loves to play cars or fireman or hit a baseball off of his tee set in the backyard, he loves, loves, loves to swing, loves to walk around the house with his tools and fix things, he's often found reading a book or flying an airplane around the house or driving trains on his train table, he'll help me in the kitchen or work on puzzles and this stuff all fills most of his day, but there is still a small part of everyday that my little 3 yr old is pretending he is a big superhero and that he is battling the bad guys. Anyway, I love what Psalm 62 says: "One thing God has spoken, two things have I heard: that you, O God are strong, and that you, O Lord, are loving." I love that this verse reminds me that God, my warrior is strong, but that He, the Lion of Judah is gentle and loving as well, and this is what I pray over my boys. That they will learn to be strong and courageous, that they will be warriors for their families, warriors for a Kingdom that is worth fighting for, warriors for what is right, warriors against evil, but that they will be gentle and compassionate in how they touch, how they love, how they see the world. That they will be fierce like lions and gentle like lambs for isn't that the picture of Jesus.

One of my favorite pictures ever of my boys -

Plotting their next big adventure together -

And of course my littlest superhero still drags his monkey (his partner in crime) around EVERYWHERE he goes. I just pray we don't ever lose this monkey -

Every superhero needs a good rest -

Easter Egg Hunt...

Earlier in the week, we headed up to my parents house in Westhaven to participate in their Easter Egg hunt. I have to admit that I love that my parents live in such a kid friendly neighborhood. We get to participate in all the fun neighborhood events whenever we want. It was Asher's first Easter Egg hunt, so I wasn't sure how he would do, but he loved it. My mom found this tiny little basket that was just perfect for him to carry around, and he definitely loaded it up. Braden of course loved the whole thing, although I had convince him to keep searching for eggs instead of just stopping to eat every piece of candy he found. Afterward, the boys ran around with all the other hundreds of kids running in circles on sugar highs. We finished the night playing at the playground until dark. Both boys were full of smiles tonight and I must say it was such an enjoyable night. Here are some pictures from our fun night -

Discussing fishing strategies with my daddy on the front porch -
Little man, looking so grown up with his sippy and his pint sized basket -
Braden, smiling because he almost got away with touching this very expensive motorcycle -
Checking out the loot -
Braden sporting the fake smile...he's big on that these days -
An attempt at a "brother's shot" -
So thankful that my parents live so close and that we can do this kind of stuff together -
Okay, so let me start off by saying that I am not a fan of the Easter Bunny. In fact, we have not talked about him at all in our home, mainly because I want Braden and Asher to know that the real reason we celebrate Easter is that Jesus Christ died on the cross for our sins and rose again...that He is indeed alive! With that being said, I hadn't planned on letting my kids see the Easter Bunny this year, but we were still at the Easter Egg hunt when he showed up. Braden took off running to see him and when he got there, kept putting his arm around him and saying "Hi Easter Bunny!" It was really quite funny because for like 5 minutes, he just kept standing in front of him and repeatedly hugging him. Here Braden is hugging the big bunny -
So Braden wanted to go and sit on the Easter Bunny's lap. After debating in my head for a bit, I decided to go ahead with it. I wasn't sure how Asher would take it considering he screamed when he saw Santa Claus at Christmas. When my mom went to put Asher on the Easter Bunny's lap, Asher squealed with delight and literally jumped out of my mom's arms, trying to get into his lap. I honestly think my little Dr. Doolittle thought the Easter Bunny was a big dog. He was SO excited to sit on his lap and literally just sat there, smiling and looking around at all the people who were watching...so proud to be sitting on the big dog's lap. It was hilarious! Too bad this is the only picture I have of the whole night with both boys smiling -
And here we are heading home after a great evening. Sweet Asher loves to hold hands. He will almost always reach up for my finger when he's walking next to me and I must admit that it melts my heart. I love feeling his sweet hand wrapped tightly around my finger. I know these moments are fleeting so I'm thankful for pictures like this one to help me remember when his hands are bigger then mine and he no longer wants to even walk beside me -

Catching up...

Okay, let me start off by saying that I have tried to post on this blog like 5 different times and have had the hardest time uploading pictures, so I just gave up and quit. Not sure if it's me or the computer, but regardless it's been a bit frustrating. So now it's mid-April and I am so far behind, but instead of writing a long, boring, post, here are a few pictures of the past few weeks.

In March, my sweet niece Francesca and her brother Marco came to visit us. As most of you know, Francesca was born just a few short weeks before my brother died. We have been blessed enough to have a wonderful relationship with she and her adoptive family over the past 10 years. Here is a picture of she and Marco and my boys -

An attempt at a family shot. This was taken at Lowe's Vanderbilt Hotel after a horrendous breakfast with a little man who absolutely did not want to sit through breakfast. I keep reminding myself that this is just a phase, but it's still frustrating. We are definitely working on Asher's table manners at home, but at 18 months old, little man knows how to throw a good tantrum when he doesn't get what he wants.


We left immediately from the Lowe's Vanderbilt Hotel breakfast and got in the car and drove 3.5 hours back home to Lexington. Neither boy slept on the way home, but it was actually a very good drive considering! I spent the week with Austin's parents while he attended a conference in Scottsdale. We had a wonderful week and I even got to get out a bit and spend some precious time with some of my oldest friends and their boys. The week was cold and rainy, but we bundled up and kept busy outside. I love the long driveway at Austin's parents house. The boys think it's such a treat to ride/push their toys on a concrete driveway!
Coach and Braden making silly faces for the camera -

I was so thankful for this swing that week. Asher ended up getting Strep Throat mid-way through the week and was absolutely pitiful. On really hard, fussy days, I would bundle him up and bring him out to swing. Apparently the swing has healing powers on a sore throat -

So it's now officially spring and that means lots of rain! Ever since Braden was a toddler, we would go outside after a big rain and he would stomp in the rain puddles in his rain boots. To me there is nothing cuter then a toddler in rain boots. Anyway, Asher has thoroughly enjoyed continuing that tradition this spring. Here are the boys after a long stomp session -

Oh and this guy...this guy and his monkey are inseparable these days. I mean he literally drags his monkey all over the house and every where we go. It's pretty darn cute! I guess it's his comfort since he can't carry his paci around with him all day. I do sometimes wonder if little Asher is gonna be a vet or a zoologist or something one day. The kid is obsessed with animals and calls all animals "gee gees." His face lights up and he squeals with delight when he sees any animal. We call him Dr. Doolittle.


And this little boy has been busying himself playing cars and superheros lately when he's not outside swinging. Braden is about to turn 4 and cars are still his favorite thing!
Well, that's about it for now. We are headed to Braden's first dentist appointment tomorrow morning. Please pray for us...the boy is a bit dramatic and I can't even imagine how much drama there is gonna be in that dentist office tomorrow!

February in Pictures

Here are some pictures from our February -

Here is how the boys spend the first part of their morning. Every morning Braden wants to open the door to get Asher and then he crawls in Asher's crib. Now I just hope that Asher doesn't learn too soon how to crawl out -
Oh and the snow...we got lots and lots of snow this year. Here is Boo out in the snow -
Little Asher enjoying the snow. The mittens he is wearing are the ones that Austin wore when he was a baby...so sweet!

Sweet brothers -
Let's just be honest...who doesn't love the taste of freshly fallen snow -
Valentine's Day...the boys opening their little treat bags -
Enjoying some M&M's and some new Valentine's Day books -
A few Fridays ago, I took the boys on a breakfast date to Krispy Kreme and then to the bookstore. It was such a sweet morning and I could not believe how fascinated the boys were watching the donuts as they were being made. Here is little Asher loving his donut -

And then, when God brought us crazy beautiful weather in the month of February, we packed up and headed to the zoo. Austin and I laugh all the time because Asher loves animals...any and all kinds. He may be our next Dr. Doolittle. Anyway, he LOVED the zoo. In fact one of the workers at the zoo asked Braden if he wanted to feed the donkeys some carrots. Braden was a little timid, but Asher walked right up and handed the donkey it's carrot. Here is Asher giving us a tour of the zoo -
Brushing the goats -
Me and the boys -

This guy has spent a lot of time outdoors on these warm days. He always wants brother and I out there with him, but that's fine with me since I'm so ready to get outside these days. Braden's been riding his hot wheel and swinging his baseball bat a lot when he's not driving his cars. It's amazing to see how much more coordinated he right now then he was back in the fall.
Practicing wearing their shades. I assure them that the sun is coming out permanently very soon -
And finally, here is Dr. Braden checking his favorite patient.
Thankfully my mom has been here with me for a few of the days that Austin has been out of town this month. Good thing since this week alone we've had the stomach bug and Asher has had pink eye in both eyes and a terrible double ear infection all in a matter of days. Here is to good health and warmer weather next month!!!

ER Trip

So the breathing treatments didn't help so much and by Thursday evening, Asher's condition became worse. His head...hot, his body...lethargic, his breathing...labored and I started to panic as I watched my baby seem to slip into a very sick state. After a steam shower which did nothing, I decided to call my neighbor who is a Med-Peds physician. She came over and listened to Asher's breathing and sent me straight to the ER. Now keep in mind, Austin is in Dallas, TX, stuck in ice storms, (in fact the airports were completely shut down with no opening in sight), it's 9pm and Asher is getting worse. Thankfully my mom was here to take care of Braden, so off I go to the ER, thinking that they would give him a few breathing treatments and that we would be home by midnight. As I walk into the ER and I see frantic parents, restless kids and no empty seats, I realize it is going to be a long night. When I checked in, there were 20 people ahead of me, but due to Asher's worsening condition, they triaged me back to a room and within minutes, there were a team of doctors standing over Asher ordering all kinds of things. When the doctor began talking about chest x-rays, oxygen levels that were quickly dropping and high fever that at this point we haven't been able to break, I started to panic. They immediately put him on 4 hours of breathing treatments...yep, 4 hours of me sitting in a rocking chair, holding a face mask up to my poor baby as he lay helpless on my chest and praying that his little body would begin to work properly again. It was at that point, that I think I realized that this night was in fact going to be a very long one that I would have to face on my own. As the night drug on and hour, after hour passed the doctors discovered that Asher had some pneumonia settling in his chest. They x-rayed his chest, put him IV antibiotics, oxygen masks to help his body maintain proper oxygen levels, he received breathing treatments every 2 hours (after the initial 4 hour treatment) and then they stuck these huge tubes down his nasal cavity in hopes to suction some of the fluid out. As each procedure went on and they pulled Asher out of my arms and he locked eyes with me, screaming, I found myself helpless. As I turned my face each time from the nurses so they wouldn't see my fear and my tears, I longed for Austin. He was miles away, stuck in the airport. It really was such a hard night...one that I won't soon forget. I held Asher tight, hour after hour and finally at 4:30am, they brought me a cot to sleep in and told me to settle in because they were admitting us for the next 36-48 hours. Thankfully, Asher responded well to the treatments and we only had to stay in the hospital for a total of 36 hours...so thankful for modern medicine and nice, child friendly hospitals! Austin made it by 6pm Friday night and we were home by noon on Saturday morning. All in all, a long, scary couple of days, but I am so thankful that God looked over Asher and healed his body quickly.

Here is Asher all hooked up to his breathing machine (for some reason I cannot get this picture to blow up, maybe because it was taken from my phone) -
Sweet little boy in his Vandy Children's Hospital jammies -
Well, the good news in all of this is that this guy has decided that when he grows up he no longer wants to be just a fireman...now he wants to be a doctor and a fireman. He literally plays doctor every day now and wears his stethoscope around his neck for hours on end. Last week, Braden even went grocery shopping with me, wearing his stethoscope. Now if Dr. Braden could only figure out how to keep us healthy for a few weeks!

Let the breathing treatments begin...

Sigh...we didn't make it too far before illness fell on us again! After a super fussy day Monday and a lingering cough that he's had for a few weeks now, Asher came down with a fever yesterday afternoon which rapidly turned into raspy breathing, wheezing and crazy coughing spells. After a very restless night last night, I called the doctor and they asked us to come in. So after a long visit at the pediatrician's office, they sent us home with strict orders to give breathing treatments every four hours for the next few days. Awesome huh?! Thankfully, Asher seems to enjoy the breathing treatments. He sits very quietly for them and if you ask him afterward to tell you about the treatments, he covers his mouth with his hands like he's putting on his mask, blows out lots of air and starts babbling away as he's trying to explain the process. Very cute!

So let me pause for a moment and say that it's been a long, hard season for me. Asher has been sick, almost continuously for the past 4 months...in fact I counted in my head the other day that he has been well for all of about 3 weeks since he turned one. And for all you Mommies that know, sick kids mean crying, crying, crying, sleepless naps, no appetite, restless nights and ENDLESS bouts of fussing. And then on top of that, add in a needy 3 year old who has suddenly decided that backtalk, attitude, aggression toward his younger brother and unkind words used on a regular basis are all appropriate ways to communicate and treat his family. All I know is that this Momma is worn thin these days. It's been hard...really, really hard! And I pray that this season (yes, I realize this is a season) will end soon, but I realize more then ever that God is molding me and refining me as I walk through some tough days. I realized just the other day, after yet another really frustrating, long day where all I did was pace and attempt to pacify a crying baby and CONSTANTLY yell at a little boy who seemed determined to beat me, that I had never realized my weakness as a human, as a mother, as a wife to the degree that I do now that I have kids. And by weakness, I mean that I have never needed Christ to make me whole and to rescue me from my continuous sinful nature like I do now. I keep failing and He keeps picking me up, showing me grace and giving me the courage to start again. As we stepped out of the car today to go get Asher's prescription for his breathing treatments, Braden looked at me and said, "Momma, I'm cold." Then without skipping a breath, he looked to the sky, folded his hands and said "Dear Jesus, please give us warm weather. Amen." His sweet, innocent, simple prayer brought such joy to my heart. Childlike faith is beautiful...truly beautiful! Children have a longing in their heart and they just ask. I found myself thinking today that I too need to look to the sky and expose my heart to the One who really cares. I mean, sure I pray all throughout the day but do I really stop, pour out my heart, expose my weakness and plead God for help to change the things that I cannot? For I am weak without Him.

One tired Momma, holding a sick, feverish little boy -

Let the breathing treatments begin...