Boys on the Go!

A boy in a box!

Harrison is all set for tee-ball! Practice starts Tuesday!

Brooks playing in the mound with his devilish grin.

We were so thankful to have Uncle Buggy and GiGi visit for a long weekend! Uncle Buggy helped Harrison fly his Angry Bird kite. 

An action shot

Uncle Bug taking the boys for a spin in the wagon

Cheeseburger, fries and a milkshake coming right up!

Back to Work, Back to Work

Tomorrow I am returning to the working world and while I am a little nervous, I am even more excited! I knew as a young girl that I wanted to be a nurse, in fact I said I wanted to be a baby nurse and work at Riley. I am happy to say that I did work at Riley (albeit shortly) and that I LOVE working with those little babies.  I am working 2 night shifts a week in the NICU at the Medical Center of Central Georgia.

When Brian and I started dating, he said he envisioned his wife staying home to care for the children. I shot that idea down right as the words left his lips! I love my kids, but I also have a strong desire to work with those who cannot care for themselves. I like making a difference. I like my paychecks (that inevitably will pay for my Target trips, McDonald's cokes and accessorizing my home!) I am also in need of some friendsies! I have met a couple of girls here in WR that are great, but I am hoping to make more friends once I get back to the hospital.  My best friends are nurses. Nurses just "get" you, and as one of my girlfriends said "you need to go back to work so you can be with your people."

I still keep in touch with a few of my former patients, thanks to Facebook! And one of my favorites is a little girl named Lydia.  Her momma, Heidi, keeps a blog where she discusses all the ins and outs of mommyhood.  See Miss Liddy has Down Syndrome and while her parents did know that Liddy would be born with this, Liddy's stay in the NICU was a rocky rollercoaster ride.  I loved Liddy from the moment I saw her.  She was a feisty girl from the beginning and her red hair let me know that she was a fighter.  I especially loved her wardrobe and bows... because how fun is it to dress up a baby?! I was so lucky to have taken care of Liddy and her family for those weeks... and when I saw Heidi's post written about me, it brought tears to my eyes.

Dear Liddy,

After your doctor's appointment today, we took a small side trip over to IU to visit one of the nurses who took care of you in the NICU there, Emily, who is very soon moving with her family to Georgia. We went to say goodbye, even though I am sure that she will be a visitor when you have your OHS. I wanted very badly for her to be able to see how all of her hard work payed off and what a beautiful, happy, and healthy baby you are!

You had a wonderful team of ladies who took such great care of you while you were there and although we loved them all (and they all loved you too!) two of them really wiggled their way deep into my heart, Emily on day shift and Karen on night shift.Emily was there on the very first day that they brought you over from Riley's NICU and she immediately fell head over heels in love with you. That would have been all it took to steal your mommy's heart too, but when I found out that her married name was the same as my maiden one, it was true love. :) Little did I know how very much she would make a difference in my life, and that after three weeks of both of us fighting to get you home, how much of a friend she would be to me.

...  There really aren't words to thank these two amazing ladies for all that they did for you, and for me. They have held my hand and wiped my tears. They have spoken frankly about what needed to be done and have stood beside me fighting to get someone,anyone, to listen to our concerns, our fears, and our wishes. They have given me sound advice and unwavering support. They celebrated each of your victories (almost walking on air with every ounce that you gained!) and practically cried with us with every setback. They giggled and fussed over every outfit we brought in for you, and had to go show you every day so that EVERYONE could see how very adorable you looked. These two fought to take care of you on the days that they were working! They have guided me, befriended me, and loved both of us deeply...and I adore them both!!! I sincerely hope that we are every bit as blessed by the nurses who will take care of you during our next hospital stay as we were the last one!

I am so sad to see Emily leave, but I also feel that she was here right when we needed her, and will do bigger and better things as she moves on. Georgia, I hope you know how very lucky you are!

This is why I work friends... this family and every other family I take care of... I absolutely feel lucky to work in the field I do.  

Little Foodies

Harrison is PICKY with a capital P when it comes to food.  He loves donuts! Usually on the weekends that Brian has to round, he will stop and grab some Dunkin Donuts.  This weekend, I decided I'd grab some from the grocery instead.  They were a little more slimy than usual.  Little picky Harrison was so thrown off by it that he demanded to eat his donut with a fork.  I give up, kid. 

Brooks on the other hand is a little more curious with food.  Last night, Brian and I fed the kids and then made our dinner.  Brooks, who has never shown an interest in spaghetti, was begging for it! 

My noodle lover.

Slurp it up

No judging this momma: Brian was working late, so I decided to order pizza breadsticks (maybe some wings, too!) for the boys and myself.  Harrison didn't want the pizza even after he threw a fit about having pepperoni pizza and then decided he didn't want pepperonis (cue momma picking off allllll the pizza toppings) and the kid still didn't eat it.  BUT he did love the breadstick! Figures since his momma is also addicted to bread!

Will you be my Valentine?

Harrison and I had a great time making his Valentine goodies for his preschool class.  

We made TicTac robots!

We also had to make a Valentine card holder. Thanks to Pinterest, we found this cute croc!

Harrison loved to glue on the teeth and put the heart eyeball stickers on. 

Here is a picture of his preschool class with all their adorable boxes! 

 Harrison had a pre-k evaluation at the private school here.  He has been doing great in his 3 year old preschool class and his teacher said that he is right on target with the other kids in the class, if not ahead.  We had to move him "up" to the 3 year old room because due to his September 8th birthday (the cut off is Sept 1) he was in the 2 year old room.  The pre-k would have to make in an exception to allow Harrison to start school a year early.  We should find out tomorrow! If he's not "ready" by their standards, he will do another year of preschool. At one point during the eval while the teacher was reading a book about birthdays, Harrison raised his hand and said "excuse me! I had a trash truck birthday party yesterday!"Clearly we have not grasped the concept of time yet! 

Brooks is starting to get picky, but the dude loves him some pickles!

Can't believe this boy is going to be TWO!

Today while waiting for his eval, I caught Harrison trying to button up his drawers.  That belly is getting too big for those jeans!

A little outdoor fun

Thanks to some gorgeous weather, we have had a ton of fun outdoors! I bought the boys some shovels (thank you Target!) and let them dig up dirt and sticks (Harrison thinks they were dino bones) in the side yard.  They had a blast!

 Digging up bones

Dirt dirt everywhere

Cruising on my trike

This was a "CHEESE!" face

Brooks loves to watch TV on our bed... notice that zoned out look on his face!?

Atlanta Weekend

We packed up the boys and headed north to Atlanta for the weekend.  It's less than 90 miles from here so it was completely manageable! We went to the ImagineIt! museum and while it wasn't near as fun as Indy's Childrens Museum, the boys enjoyed themselves.  Now trying to get two overly tired kids to sleep in a hotel room... not enjoyable.one.single.bit!   

Brooks sorting boxes on the delivery truck

Harrison loved fishing

 ... and milking the cow

We spent Saturday afternoon and Sunday morning at Centennial Park downtown.  The boys are happiest when they are running, jumping and climbing!

Climbing away

I love this picture of the boys (well minus the trashcan that I couldn't crop out!) 

My sweet boy who is growing so fast!

Look what Brooks can do!! He cries on and on (and on) about something dramatic and once he has a mouthful of spit, he blows bubbles with it.  Hate to tell ya Brooks, the ladies ain't gonna go for that!

Our New Pup!

After our doggie adoption disaster that ended in returning the dog, we were anxious to get another pup.  We did some research and decided that we wanted a golden retriever, namely an English cream.  We found a breeder here in Middle Georgia who was expecting a litter to be born in late January.  We got word on Saturday that the puppies were born! We are getting a girl dog and she will be ready to come home in 8 weeks! 

Now onto naming her... suggestions welcomed!

Our Week

We've been busy. I had a nice relaxing girls weekend in Nashville last weekend, complete with wine, massages and uninterrupted meals (and shopping!)  

Harrison is loving school and is learning something new everyday.  He has become very witty and comes up with the craziest things.  He knows how to spell his name, count to 20, and is mastering scissors! He loves to play cars and is forever asking if someone will play with him. 

Brian built the boys a fort last night... Harrison enjoyed making shadows with his flashlight!

Harrison loves to help me cook.  We had a blast making a pizza for dinner, however he wouldn't even taste it! He is a very picky eater. He doesn't like veggies, cheese, noodles, pizza, pretzels or oranges. The list goes on and on. 

 Brooks loves to play outside.  This is at one of our local parks and Brooks will literally fall asleep in the swings. Brooks is still not talking despite being nearly 23 months old.  He says a handful of words and understands what we say to him, however I'm guessing he will be sent for a speech eval once he turns 2.  He is a "monster" as I normally call him.  Into everything, always hungry, climbing and screaming!

Harrison was on the "naughty step" for time out and he was laying and singing! I thought it was hilarious, hence the picture! 

Brian takes Harrison to Lowe's once a month for the Build and Grow workshops (you should check them out, too!) It's completely free, the kids get aprons and goggles, and they do a super cool craft! Harrison was posing and he looks like such a nerd....I love it!