Let's Go Lego!!!

Our local library has the BEST children's programs available! They are constantly having something, which is what I will probably miss the most when we move back to Frankton. Last week, I took Andy to their event, "Let's Go Lego" and it was AMAZING!!!! He absolutely loved it and did well playing with other children. It was spectacular! I had to post some of the fun photos of the event. This was the first time in a LONG time that we didn't have a meltdown when we had to leave somewhere! I had so much fun that night! We're going back again tonight!

Tonight they're going to have challenges for the kids! I wish this was an every week activity, but it's just an every once and a while activity. They had a wonderful turnout, so I think that should be some motivation to make it a weekly play time! Doesn't Andy just look so happy?! He could do this all of the time!!

Bubbles!!!!

 I've been researching some teaching methods lately and I've really been looking at more hands on things for the boys to do together, so here is a post on just that. I visited Rhys' nursery a few weeks back and they do a bubble time at the end, which is highly successful! Who doesn't love bubbles? Well, I remembered that for Rhys' birthday, he got a bath time bubble machine from one of my best friends from high school and I thought this would make a great way to have bubble time. Little did I know it was going to be so successful! They had a blast and I've been meaning to do it more often, but just haven't gotten to it. Now that I'm feeling better, I think I'll definitely be doing more of the hands on play in our house! Who would've thought that having a fun bubble time could double as a way to wash my table too!?!

 They got to where they were starting to blow the bubbles around instead of just smacking them.

Andy looks like he's having a lot of fun! He's really thinking about this one!

This has absolutely nothing to do with the bubbles, but I wanted to post it because I just thought it was a way cute photograph of Rhys with his little puppy he got for Christmas.

When It Rains It Pours...

Blessings!! And you thought I was going to have a negative post, right?! It has been such a crazy, crazy week! First with me finding out that I'm pregnant and then Jared's surgery on Monday, which went well and he's recovering quite well, and now, drum roll please...This is what we've all been waiting for (for two LONG years!)...Jared FINALLY has a full time, steady job! He starts at Nestle on March 12th! Happy Birthday to Andy! He will work night shift, which will be an adjustment to us all, especially him. We've known for a couple of weeks now that he had the job, but we wanted to wait until he had the physical and passed it all to make the announcement. We are so, so excited and ready for this. It will work out perfect for his school schedule too because he'll work 2 days on, have 3 days off, then 3 days on, and 2 days off at 12 hours each shift. After a year he can bid on new positions and what's even better is that they reward employees who are attending and graduate from college while employed with them! Yipee!! We can't wait, plus think of all that chocolate milk we'll be able to get at discount! Yoohoo! (pun intended, even though I'm not sure that Nestle makes it, just thought it'd be funny)

**Update on Andy. He got the blood test results back today for the Crohns and such and it all came back normal! Yes! This means no major problems for him! Now he just has to have his ultrasound on his stomach and if that comes back normal, then it will probably just be acid reflux or his meds causing the stomach discomfort. We are starting a new med today, Ritalin. It worked for Jared, so we're hoping since they share DNA that it will work for Andy. I'm really hoping the third time's the charm on this! I'll be posting some fun pics from our "Let's Go Lego" adventure at the library from last night, but for now we have to get ready to have Mason, Isaiah, and Elijah over for the evening!

Outnumbered

Last night I went to the ER because of the pain that I have been having on my left side with the 4 mm cyst. I had barely been able to walk for most of the day because of it and I said enough was enough. I had been to my OB/GYN the last couple of to get blood work, ultrasounds, etc. and they hadn't figured out what was causing all of the pain. They were supposed to call in a script for me yesterday, but they dropped the ball on it and there was no way I could wait through the weekend. Instead of driving all the way to Riverview like I normally would, I went to a local hospital only 5 minutes away. My parents came over to help out by taking me so Jared could get the boys to bed.

We waited, and waited in the lobby until a couple of hours there they finally called me back. They asked me questions and took blood and urine samples. The decided to do an exam and after the exam the PA came in and said, "Guess what, you're pregnant!" I couldn't believe it! I had been to my doc and everything and they hadn't caught it! I think I had to have screamed or yelled because of the shock of it all! They walked me back down to the exam room where my Mom was waiting on me and I couldn't help but smile. She asked what was going on and when I told her, she was like, "You've got to be kidding me! Really?!" and her face probably reflected the same expression that I had when they told me.

My Dad was out in the car resting and waiting, so Mom called him to tell him to come in. She didn't say anything else, so when he came in he was expecting to hear really bad news or something. When I told him, he was completely shocked too! He kept saying, it's going to be another boy, the cycle isn't going to be broken! Mom kept teasing saying her and Dad aren't going to have anymore sleepover for Andy because this is what happens when they do! (this happened with Rhys too, it was a big surprise with him) They took me up to get an ultrasound and to make sure everything was looking and measure well and they figured I am about 5 weeks along.

We left the hospital and I called Jared to tell him we're on our way home, but that was it. He came and unlocked the door and in a really serious tone, I said, "Here, these are my discharge papers and I think you need to read them so you know what my treatment will be like." He started to read them and of course it says to take prenatal vitamins and to follow up with my OB. He read it and was like, "That's weird, prenatal vitamins? Wait, wait a minute, are you, you're pregnant?!" I thought he was going to have to be transported to the ER himself because he was in such shock! (remember, by this time it was at a least 1:30 in the morning and he was very tired) I think we both slept very restlessly last night and it was a lot to take in at first, but we are really excited for this, especially when we thought there might be a possibility that I might not get to have any other children, well that's what the OB said could be a possibility due to possible surgery. oops! There's a big difference between Endometriosis and pregnancy! Guess I'll be finding a new OB! I am due October 21st. We will officially be outnumbered! Needless to say that Nana and Grandpa and the rest of the family were just as surprised as we were!! 

Best $5 Spent EVER!

Sorry it's so blurry, but I had to share what I got today at Goodwill for $5. I've been looking for one for a while and didn't want to spend a lot of money, so here it is! Andy is loving it and it's practically brand new! Yay!

A Quick One

Just wanted to update everything that's been going on. We are one VERY busy family here lately with doctors appointments and such. Both of the boys have been sick with bad colds and have been back and forth to the doctors. Andy started his new meds, but we had to take him off because the Focalin was causing hallucinations and major anxiety. We call tomorrow to figure out a new treatment plan. He sees his GI doctor on Wednesday to find out what is going on with his stomach, hopefully they'll say it's nothing.

I have been having some health issues with the PCOS and now they are saying it might be Endometriosis along with it, so they are starting my treatment plans next week to hopefully get some of the bothersome symptoms to subside or else they're going to have to do surgery. Let's pray that the meds work and I don't have to worry about surgery for a LONG time!

Jared has been having some Crohn's issues over the last few months and now that we have insurance, he is finally going to get  lot of it taken care of starting with a week from today with a long overdue surgery to fix some of the fistulas. He got an email from a potential employer we've been waiting on for a while saying that he's still in the running for a position, but they just are waiting on a spot to open up.

Lots and lots of prayers are needed our way. (thanks in advance) I know this sounds like a lot, but we have truly been blessed lately with all that we need and the Lord has truly helped us out over the last two years. It's officially past 2 years since Jared lost full time work and I am still in awe at all of the blessings we've had in the last two years! We've not wanted for anything, the Lord has provided all that we've needed and then some, including keeping me calm! I am truly blessed to have the life that I have.

Long Overdue

I know it's been a while since I've posted, but we've been a busy bunch around here lately. I have some pictures to post of the boys having bubble time and some other stuff, but that will have to wait until I have the time to edit and post. So, for our first update, we are officially part of the Elwood Branch again and will be moving back to the Frankton area in the next couple of months. I am so not looking forward to the packing and unpacking again. I am so ready to be settled for a LONG time! I think we've moved about on average of once a year for too long and it is really getting old.

For the last few months we have been taking Andy to some specialists about some behavioral issues he's been having that have increased over the last year/year and a half and we got our first diagnosis today of ADHD. He starts his first medication tomorrow morning, Focalin XR. I'm really hoping the first time's the charm and that we don't have to be experimenting with meds too much. I've been a nervous wreck all evening about it and then did the horrible thing of reading a blog that was all about the bad side affects of this drug only. Yep, had to stop that after a couple of posts because it was making my anxiety of this a lot worse. I think he's a bit nervous too because he's had a hard time sleeping tonight. Along with the ADHD, he's been having some stomach issues and with Jared's Crohn's, we wanted to make sure that Andy wasn't having signs of this. The doctor had him get a stomach xray just to make sure there wasn't anything backing up to cause the pain and discomfort he's been feeling the last couple of months.

We received a phone call about an hour after the xray to say it came back okay and clear, so now we move forward on an IBS medication. I know this sounds bad, but I really wish there had been a back up of the bowels and gas causing it because this was the path that Jared started before we were married and I'd hate to see Andy go through all the same things that he's gone through over the last 8 years. He starts a medication for that tomorrow as well, so it's going to be a long few weeks of getting adjusted to new medications for him. I love him so much and I hate to see him go through these things. I know that through our faith he'll be comforted and healed.

On to Rhys, we have moved him over to a toddler bed because we just couldn't contain him in his crib anymore and I didn't want to have him break his neck or anything. This has been quite an adjustment with lots of missed and uncomfortable sleep for everyone. Here it is 11:30 and he's still awake and fighting it. Once he's asleep though, he will stay asleep throughout the night. He's starting to really take off on his speech and motor skills. He says quite a bit now and for the most part can tell you when he's hungry, thirsty, or wanting to play. The boys bought me a nice warm blanket for Christmas, just a fleece throw and Rhys has adopted this as his "blankie" and doesn't want to sleep with anything else. As long as he's happy that's all that matters. He is seriously the biggest ham that I've ever seen and he knows it. Him and Andy are such good pals and they play together all of the time. Andy and him love to do 'Ring Around the Rosie' and do it about every day a few times a day. They usually get Jared or I or both of us to participate too. We've been having a lot of dance parties lately too, thanks to Pandora being on our Blue Ray player we got for Christmas. It's been fun.

Jared is doing well in school and I am just busy doing school and keeping up with these boys. Life is never dull in this house. I will try to post pictures soon of things. 

18 Months...First Day of Nursery

 This last Sunday was Rhys' first time to visit the nursery. He wouldn't turn 18 months officially until the next day, but they let him come and visit. To start our morning, he had his first doughnut with icing on it. If he didn't like doughnuts before, he does now. What a difference a little chocolate can make, huh? He kept yelling for another "doughney" after he finished this one. It was definitely time for a bath at that point though.

 After his bath, I tried to get a decent picture of him and Andy together in their matching sweaters that Jammy and Pappy bought them, but it was a no go. I barely got pictures! Rhys was ready to leave and go bye bye out the door, but I wanted pictures so he kept throwing a fit and throwing himself against the wall, the door, and the floor. This was the best picture that I could get of him.

I wrestled him to get his coat on while Andy was brushing his teeth not even thinking about the fact that I needed a picture of them both in their sweaters, but I went ahead and took the picture anyway, sorry Jammy, I'll take another one soon, I promise! They are such best of friends! Andy got a dinosaur tent for Christmas from Jammy and Pappy and him and Rhys have been playing in that thing all week! They play together all of the time and are inseparable. Here's a little bit about what Rhys is doing now.

Rhys is our handful child, even more than what Andy ever was or is. He is a climber, he will climb his crib, bookshelves, anything that looks like a ladder, chairs, well, pretty much anything! He gets into the fireplace a lot and gets in the ashes and the charcoal. He makes a royal mess when he does that. His favorite toys are blocks, Mickey Mouse and his rocket ship, a roaring flashlight, and his new puppy he got at Build a Bear with his Christmas money. He is like a little parrot because he will mimic everything we say. Today he even repeated broccoli and kookaburra. He says about everything and never stops talking. What happens when he starts actually making sense of what he's saying? I'll be in so much trouble between him and Andy! Those two boys know how to talk! I wonder where they got that from? hmmm...He loves to do anything big brother is doing, which is frustrating at times for Andy, but he's been a real trooper and great helper with Rhys.

A lot of times at night when we put them to bed, we can hear them jabbering back and forth with each other and laughing and giggling. Andy can always make Rhys laugh, no matter what. Rhys is very ticklish and is a picky eater. He doesn't like pasta, chicken (certain types), or rice. But, his favorite foods are bananas, crackers, cookies, applesauce, yogurt, pizza, and "doughnies" just to name a few. He's a ham and will dance on cue if there's music, it doesn't matter what kind. If we bring the camera out, he'll do it even more. A lot of his dancing consists of bootie shaking, bouncing his head, and spinning around, but this week he's started to move his arms too. It's hard to believe that he's this old now, it's gone fast, a lot faster than it did with Andy.

My Little Lego Man

 Andy and his creation! Didn't he do great?!

Merry Christmas!!

 Our festivities started out on Christmas Eve as usual at Nana and Grandpa's house. The boys got to play with Marley and Ronin and have lots of fun. We couldn't make it to the Anderson side this  year and we greatly missed them.

 What a beautiful couple! We love Mamaw and Papaw! Here we are about to eat our traditional taco soup and cheese bread (one meal I look forward too ALL year!).

 We were even treated by a visit from Ariel!! What a great surprise! (if you can't tell, that's really Marley under there!)

 We ended our night with the tradition of opening our Christmas pajamas. The boys love their pajamas.

 Santa visited!! He knew just what the boys wanted too, they were very happy!

 This was not planned! Rhys went up and randomly hugged Andy and I actually caught it on tape. One of these days when they're at each other's throats, I will pull this sucker out and remind them that they really do love each other!

 Andy trying out his new spy night vision goggles. He loved them.

 Rhys and his puppy guitar, which he's barely even separated from since!

 Santa visited Jammy and Pappy's house too!! (my parents)

 The only other thing other than his guitar he's inseparable from; his wagon.

 Isn't that just the cutest hat?! Why all the Mickey stuff? Well, Rhys absolutely LOVES Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, so he got a MMC Rocket Ship from Nana and Grandpa, a MMC in Space book, shirt, and socks from Santa at our house, and this hat and a singing plush Mickey at Jammy and Pappy's.

 Andy now has a gun to go with his Halloween costume!! Pray that my tv stays in one piece!

 After Jammy and Pappy's, oh wait, did I mention we went to church after our morning at home and then to the Heaths? I guess not. Well, we did. But, back to what I was saying, after Jammy and Pappy's, we went to Mom Mom's house (my grandma).

 She is probably one of the most beautiful women on this earth and she'll fight you on that one. Try to complement her and she'll fight back with a comment about grey hair and wrinkles or something to that effect. I just hope one of these days I'm at least half of the woman she is!

 The boys were all excited to see each other and had fun running around the house acting silly and playing spies. I guess being a spy is a big deal this year.

 It wouldn't be Christmas without some honkey tonk/bluegrass/big band music to dance to. Each year we put this on and get to see our grandmother dance around the kitchen. She could dance circles around all of us!

 We finally got the boys to settle down a bit by turning on a show. Whew, they wear us all out!

 We ended the night with matching pajamas at Jammy and Pappy's house.

Merry Christmas and to all a good night!