Better buck pictures

The General

Josh did it!  He shot the general.  I thought he was going to have a heart attack he was so excited!!!  Seriously. 

Look at that smile!  I am so happy for him!!!!

 

This is one HUGE deer.

Christmas 2009

Our Christmas tree for 2009.  Another big one.

Stockings all filled by the fireplace.

Santa came!

Christmas morning

After three tries, I gave up.  It’s too hard to get all four looking and smiling.

Camden got to open the very first present.

Camden and Logan on Logan’s new Toy Story couch.  They both love sitting on this.

This is Eli’s favorite gift, #85 San Diego Chargers jersey.  He has only taken it off for me to wash it once.

Isaac’s favorite gift, Legos!   This boy is a Lego genius.

Camden loved resting his head on Eli’s football pillow.

That’s Josh’s new Packer shirt.  Figured he had to have something Packer to wear to the game on Sunday.  His boys got him that.

Eli’s second favorite gift, Madden ‘10 football game for his PS2.

Isaac got the same game but for the Wii.  Top favorites for both of them!

Logan on his couch with all his new little animals.

The mess afterwards. 

 

Christmas 2009 was a good one.  It was a bit low key due to Josh being in pain still, but nevertheless, still a good one.

Merry Christmas to you and your family!

Sisters Three

These are my sisters.  My best friends. 

Sundays with boys

Eli says this morning,  “I love Sundays because it’s football, football, football all day.  When one football game ends, another one comes on.  It’s so cool.”

My life.  :)

Just talking to God

The other day I thought I heard a door open and I assumed Logan was getting up from his nap. It was about that time. Twenty minutes later, still no Logan. Hmmm....
I got up and walked quietly into his room. Logan was laying in his bed with his hands over his eyes, but he was whispering away.

I whispered to him, "What are you doing?"

"Oh, just talking to God," Logan responded.

Call Santa, please.

Yesterday we spent the day making cookies.  Each time we made a different kind of cookie, Logan would pick one out especially for Santa.  We have them all in a container marked “Santa’s cookies.”

This morning Logan brought me the phone and said, “Mom, call Santa and tell him to come over and eat his cookies.”
I said, “I think Santa’s busy getting the toys ready.”

“Call him, Mom.  Just see if he can come over.”

I called Santa and had a “conversation” with him.  When I hung up, Logan was smiling from ear to ear.  I explained to him that Santa said he was busy getting the toys ready and he would be here later. 

“And then he will eat the cookies, Mom?”

“Yes, Logan, he will eat all the cookies you made for him.”

Two hours later, Logan brings me the phone and says, “Call Santa again and see if he’s done.”

Never a dull moment….

What a night.  Camden was up for the first time in a long time crying.  As he finally fell asleep, Josh was complaining of his head hurting so bad he couldn’t move, let alone sleep.  He wanted to take something.  I knew it must be bad then.  He cannot take most pain relievers because he’s allergic to them.  He insisted on taking something so I told him to take plain old aspirin if he had to take something.  He popped two aspirin and two Benadryl.  This was at 1:00 a.m.  At 4:00 a.m., Josh woke me up to tell me he was having  a reaction to the aspirin.  His throat was swelling shut, he couldn’t swallow and he had extreme pain in his chest.  I said, “We need to take you in.”  I figured he’d argue this, but he started to get dressed and I knew it must be bad.

I called Aunt M to come over but no answer.  I called my parents, no answer.  Hmmmm….people aren’t usually expecting phone calls at 4 a.m.  Finally we got a hold of Aunt M. to come over and stay with the boys.  Josh’s face was swelling up, his voice was changing and the chest pain was still there, where he was almost doubled over in pain. 

Aunt M. came over and we apologized for having to drag her out of bed so early, and then we headed for urgent care.  Unfortunately, the roads were covered in snow so our average speed was 40 mph.  When we arrived at  urgent care, we discovered they are not a 24-hour urgent care and they were closed.  It was about 4:30 a.m. and Josh suggested we go to Wal-Mart and get some liquid Benadryl.  He couldn’t swallow a pill, but he was certain he could get some liquid down his throat.  I hesitated but eventually agreed.  We ran in and got some liquid Benadryl and then started driving towards Waukesha to the ER.  Josh was telling me that he thought it wasn’t going to get any worse, but I said I was not driving home until the chest pain was gone and he could swallow.  I mean, we still had about 20 minutes until the hospital. 

When we were about 10 minutes from the hospital, Josh informed me that he was feeling relief and he thought the Benadryl was working.  He was able to swallow better and not bent over with the chest pain.  We also realized, after checking out our insurance card, that the copay for the ER was $200!!!!  Yikes, that’s steep!  I hate to say that we chose not to go to the ER because of that, but it did affect our decision heavily.

Josh is still recovering.  He is frequently having outbreaks of hives and itchiness, along with neck pain.It will take a while to get this out of his system.   He is swollen on the back of his lower neck.  I think he tensed up his muscles when he had the chest pain and pulled or aggravated something.  Whatever it is, it’s causing him a lot of pain.  I have suggested the chiropractor many times.

I also think he needs to go to his doctor and tell her what has happened (and that it’s not the first time).  Each time gets worse.  I think he needs to carry an EpiPen around or have one at the house at least, but what do I know, I’m not a doctor. 

Christmas through the eyes of a three year old

I’ve decided that I need a three year old around every year at Christmastime.  Their view of Christmas is priceless.  Here’s a few of the things Logan has shared with me the past few days (and I’m sure there will be more to share before Christmas is over with):

 

Last night Josh and I were getting ready to go out Christmas shopping.  I went up to Logan and said, “Logan, Mommy and  Daddy are going out tonight.”

“Aw, why?”  Logan said whining (he doesn’t like when we go out lately).

“We’re  going to get some Christmas presents for you,” I responded.

Logan’s face immediately lit up and he said, “Oh, thank you, Mommy!”  And ran to give me a big hug.

Then he started rattling off what he wanted for Christmas. 

He was  quite disappointed when he woke up this morning and asked for his presents and I told him he had to wait until Christmas.

“Nooooo, Mom!”  And the tears came. 

*****************************************

This morning we were unpacking a box from Joy that was filled with Christmas presents.  Logan was being my helper and putting them under the tree.  As he was taking them, I would tell him who each present was for. 

When I handed him the second present that said “Logan” on it, he exclaimed, “This is going to be the BEST Christmas ever!”

******************************************

Logan asked me where the present for Jesus was, since Christmas is His birthday and I’ve been stressing this with him lately.  I don’t want it to be all about Santa.  I tried to explain, the best I could to a three year old, that giving our lives to Jesus and living the way He wants us to is our gift to Him.  You know,  OBEYING your mom and dad because that is what Jesus wants us to do.

Logan frowned, “No, Mom, a REAL present  for Jesus.  Where is it?”

Christmas party

We had the H family Christmas party on Saturday.  As usual, it was a good time.  Time to catch up with family, reminisce about past years and make new memories.  The kids always have a blast playing with their cousins.  And once again, we came home with a loaded car asking where we were going to put all this new stuff.  Out with the old is my motto!  :)

Isaac is excited to start reading his new book series and he immediately asked to play his new Wii Indiana Jones 2 video game the next day.  He also received a gift card to Target and is begging to go and use it.  I suggested he wait until after Christmas because all he wants to buy is Legos and the Lego department is very low at Target right now.  He also received a digital camera and has been snapping pictures.  Eli has either been looking through his new football book for about two days now or driving his remote control hover pod.  Yesterday he took his Air Hog jet outside and had a blast until he flew it right into a tree.  Logan received a volcano lamp for his room, more clothes for his new bear, Coal (which he finally called Coal today) and an awesome huge crane with all the bells and whistles.  I’m so grateful to Auntie S for his crane that makes all sorts of noises.  That was my wakeup alarm at 6:15 yesterday morning.  :)  Camden received new PJs (which he so desperately needed), a new blankie and frog, cute lil’  monkey outfit and most importantly, chiropractic care. 

I am so thankful for family and that they live close enough that we can get together every year at this special time to celebrate.  Thank you to Auntie K and  Uncle F for hosting this event.  We are grateful for everyone and all the special gifts. 

To those family that have moved away, your presence was greatly missed.  :(

Enjoy the pictures.  Again, wishing I took more…

 

 

Logan waiting to play with his new crane.

Camden hanging out on the stairs.

Josh and Camden

I and E opening their gifts.

Logan wanted to go in the hot tub, so Auntie K adjust the swimming trunks to fit him (they were a little big).  Doesn’t Logan look thrilled?  And even though half his head is cut off, I love Uncle  F’s smile.

Caleb took Logan in the hot tub.  Logan sure looks up to Caleb, his older cousin.

A funny picture of Auntie R.  I’m sure she wants me to delete this one.  Ha, ha!

If you look real close, you can see Eli laying in the snow.  The kids were counting how long they could stay in the snow before running back into the hot tub.  I think Caleb won.

All the kiddos in the hot tub having a good time.

Camden walking

Craziness

I apologize for the lack of posts this week. It's been crazy busy and incredibly stressful. Just a quick update and some prayer requests:

Camden is still attempting to walk, and will walk a couple steps, but I wish he would take off more than he is. Some days he's content to just do his "monkey manuvering" and nothing else. I'm still doing the exercises to stimulate both sides of the brain. His PT was very happy with his walking. He does move stiff and there's an awkward way to his walking, which she is a little unsure about, but we will wait to see if that changes once he's really walking walking. He's come down with a cold again and it's settling in the chest with a tight cough. Despite this and some refluxing during the day, his nights have been good, sleeping 12 hours straight. Halluelejah!!!! His craniosacral therapy on Monday went really good. The therapist said how his sacrum felt in the beginning compared to the end felt so different it gave her goosebumps....whatever that means. He had a lot of "releases" and laid still on the table (thansk to blankie) so she was able to do some good work on him. He had a chiropractor adjustment yesterday and he was really off in the same ol' reflux spot and his lower neck area. Those are both areas that show the cold is settling in the lungs (reflux) and also the area of his lymph nodes....just means his body is fighting a bug. Hopefully the adjustment will help him recover faster.

Josh's hours have been cut and there's a lot of stress with that. We are shopping around and switching insurance because we simply cannot afford to keep what we've got. This is a little scary for us so please pray it all goes smoothly and we find something cheaper, without sacrificing a lot.

I've been advertising myself to reporters and picking up more work to help us out. Although it beats going out and getting a third-shift job once Josh gets home, it sure adds a level of craziness to my schedule. Pray for us in these upcoming months. I know God can keep us sane and grounded.

The boys are oh-so-excited about Christmas. Isaac and Eli are having fun telling Logan all about Santa and being good and Christmas through the eyes of a three-year-old is something everyone should experience. We have a beautiful HUGE tree that has no ornaments at the bottom because Camden thinks they're all toys for him, especially the round ones that look like balls.

Enjoy this Christmas season....be blessed.

Bite of yogurt

Recently I’ve learned about the benefits of Vitamin D and how we are all seriously lacking it.  I purchased a liquid form of it to take and give especially to Camden.  I was told this would help him with getting sick less often.  Worth a try for sure! 

Camden is sick, once again, so I’ve been giving it to him, but it's also very important to get him in to the chiropractor.  Logan was showing some signs of a cold coming on so I was having him take a bite of yogurt which contained the Vitamin D (hidden, of course).

All the boys came with me to Camden’s chiropractor trip yesterday and afterwards in the car, Isaac was asking me how it went.  I was telling him how it was and how it will really help Camden get better because this cold is settling in his lungs and an adjustment helps to loosen that up in there.

From the back seat Logan’s little voice says, “Mom, how come when Binden (Camden) is sick, you take him to the chiropractor, but when I’m sick, you give me a bite of yogurt?”

Build-a-Bear Workshop

Logan had a special surprise yesterday from his Auntie K.  Her Christmas present to him was a trip to Build-A-Bear Workshop to make his own very special animal.  He was so excited for his special “prise” (as he kept telling everyone). 

As soon as we got there, he ran over and picked out a black bear.  He said, “We should get this for me.”  But we told him to check out all the different animals to choose from.  He next picked out a  pink, glittery unicorn, but we ever so gently veered him back to the black bear.  :)

He then got to stuff the bear and put a heart in him, give him a bath, pick out his clothes and then name him.  Logan wasn’t too thrilled with giving him a name, but we helped him decide on Coal.  At the very end, he ended up getting a second bear thrown in, which he said he’d give to Camden but somehow it’s been given to Mom. :) 

Thank you, Auntie K, for the wonderful experience and a very special day!  I’m sure Logan will always remember making his special bear.  The bears slept right next to him last night (after he put the PJs on, of course) and the bears woke him up at 5:30 a.m., just because THEY needed to get up!  :)

Auntie K and Logan giving Coal a bath after he had been stuffed and given a heart.

 

More bath time.

 

Picking out the bear’s underwear.  Even bears need underwear you know.  :)

 

Logan picked a black and red plaid shirt, blue jeans and camoflauge jacket with goggles for his bear.

 

Logan with his bears.  Oh, and Coal had to get a motorcycle!

 

Logan loves his bears!!!!  Thanks, Auntie K!!

Walking!!!!

I am so excited, happy, thrilled that I am crying right now!  Tears of joy.  Camden is walking!!!!!!!!!!!!!

All on his own, he suddenly started standing up in the middle of a room.  Then he started to take a couple steps.  He has taken FOUR steps on his own!!!!!!!  AHHHHH!!!!!!!!

I hoping to snap a picture of him doing it soon and share.  Ever since I took out the camera though, he’s back to butt scooting.  Guess he doesn’t want to show off too much.  :)

Snow Day

The first big snowfall of the season arrived today.  The boys had a blast and spent most of the day outside.  I’m not sure of the totals, but somewhere close to a foot.  It’s a very heavy, wet snow and we had branches breaking off all over.  The boys needed hard hats to play outside.  Logan LOVED the snow.  And I was able to enjoy the snow through the eyes of my three year old.

Enjoy the pictures!

Branches down due to the heavy snow.

Logan loving the snow.

Isaac making me a snowman. :)

Eli on the run. 

Wonder where Logan gets his goofy smile from???

Logan, again, having fun despite the blowing snow.

The boys sledding.

The branch that almost took out  my van.

4-wheeler sledding!  Woohoo!  Logan is squished in the middle there….he LOVED it!  He’s a true Wisconsinite with this snow.

There they go!!!

The boys contemplating their next move.

More branches down.