The Seven Best Years of My Life

Can you believe that Brad and I have been married for seven years? Shew! We've been so busy that they have flown by. When I tell you that the last seven years have been the best of my life, I'm not exaggeratting. I could not have married a better man or father for my boys. I love you, Brad!

My Nephew

I haven't introduced you all to my nephew. His name is Will Rich and his parents are Chrissy and Kevin. He is so adorable. I am very sad to say that I haven't gotten to hold or even see him yet. Can you believe that my parents have ALL grandsons after having ALL daughters?

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!

I'm sorry to those of you who have already heard this story. Brad's dad travels often with his job and earns hotel reward points. He is very generous and let's us use them often. Brad's dad offered us two hotel nights and each of our parents agreed to watch the boys for a night for Valentine's weekend. Brad and I were so excited. I needed some SLEEP. Wyatt is still NOT a good sleeper.

On Tuesday morning (the week of Valentine's) Judd woke us up to let us know that Owen was vomiting. He vomited two more times but was done by 9:30 am. I wondered who else would get it and if the weekend would really happen. I was hopeful since it seemed to be over fast. He laid around on Tuesday but didn't throw up anymore. On Wednesday evening I decided that I would take Owen and Wyatt to the doctor on Thursday morning. Owen wasn't eating anything but he was playing and wasn't acting terribly sick. Wyatt had cried and fussed all week. I just thought it was teething. On Thursday morning Owen woke up at 5 am and couldn't breathe well and sounded like he had the croup. I calmed him down and told him we were going to the doctor.

I got everyone dressed (matching of course) and ready early for our 9:30 am appointment in Lexington. I needed a Sonic coke. While we were in the drive-through line, Wyatt started vomiting. I headed back home. I changed his clothes and a dirty diaper and headed to Lexington. I got into Fayette County and Wyatt started vomiting again. When we reached New Circle, Judd said, "I promise, I'm not crying wolf. My belly hurts." Judd also started vomiting. I wasn't sure what I was going to do when we got to the doctor's office but I was just going to make do.

I was able to take Wyatt's fleece off and wipe his pants off with a wipe. I had a spare pair of pants in the car for Judd. I changed his pants and took his t-shirt off. I put his fleece on him with nothing underneath and told him to keep it zipped up so they wouldn't think I was crazy! We managed to make it to our appointment on time and they got us back quickly.

In the room, Wyatt vomited again. Thankfully, the doctor was in quickly. She suspected strep throat was the cause NOT the stomach virus. I was so glad that I took them to the doctor. The test came back positive and we headed home. The doctor gave the boys Zofran to take before the antibiotic so that they could keep it down. It worked wonders and they were feeling well enough for us to go. Yippee! Brad took off work on Friday and we left town in the afternoon. The boys were excited about their weekend with their grandparents and their Valentine's gifts from us.

We got to Cincinnati in time for an early dinner at Dewey's Pizza and then a trip to IKEA. We were both looking forward to the next day and had planned shopping, dinner and a movie. How quickly plans can change. At midnight Brad started vomiting and did so about every two hours until we left at 5:30 am. We got home at 7:30 and we were at the Urgent Center Treatment at 9 when it opened. They confirmed that Brad also had strep. He spent Saturday and Sunday in the bed. On Sunday my mom came down with it. On Monday my dad and I got sick and on Tuesday Brad's mom got sick.

It was a crazy time. I'm glad that everyone is feeling much better and I hope it stays that way. We are going to try it again this weekend for Brad's birthday.

If you don’t live in central Kentucky (or north of KY, for sure) and haven’t been watching the news, you might not know that it has been terribly cold here over the last 2-3 days. Temperatures dropped to single digits on Wednesday night, to -2 degrees F (!!!!) on Thursday night, and to single digits again last night. The forecast is calling for snow tonight and tomorrow (probably not much accumulation though).

To enjoy the freeze-your-bottom-off weather, I (Brad writing this time) took Owen and Judd and their good buddies to look at waterfalls this morning. It was a blustery 17 degrees F. We hoped to see a bunch of ice but did not. Two of the “waterfalls” were dam spillways on North Elkhorn Creek and the water must have been flowing too swiftly for ice to form easily. In the slower moving water though, approximately a quarter inch of ice was present on the stream surface. The real waterfall, Hurst Falls at Cove Springs Park in Frankfort, is spring-fed...so the warmer water was not conducive to much ice formation either. At least that’s my stab at the lack of ice. We had a good time regardless. After romping around outside, we returned to the house where Dannette had hot chocolate and chicken noodle soup ready for the hungry boys. Check out the fun photos below.

Owen, Judd, Will, and Jake at Hurst Falls.

Larger view of Hurst Falls (boys at bottom left).

Boys at overflow structure at Cove Springs Park (the area used to be a lake decades ago).

Boys on the trail.

Wyatt likes to Wiggle

He doesn't wiggle in the video as much as he normally does but I thought it was still cute!

Happy New Year

Happy New Year! I’ve not written for a few weeks. Several things have kept us busy. Wyatt got ear tubes after suffering through many ear infections in 2008 (he’s doing great). The stomach virus got us for a couple of weeks, too. At the same time, we experienced computer problems (for much of November and December). First, internet explorer quit working and it took a while to get internet access again. Then, a loud buzzing noise started soon after that. The buzzing lead to the computer shutting itself down – no warning, no kiss goodbye. The computer down-time meant that I had to use my mom’s computer to do my accounting work. Finally, because the sick computer was a little over 5 years old, we decided to replace it. We still are hoping to be able to retrieve our photographs off the old hard drive.

I turned 36 at the end of November. Time flies when you are having fun!

Christmas was nice as we had more people in town this time. Last Christmas, my sisters went to visit the in-laws. This time, Laura (Nashville) and Eric were in town. Eric’s parents recently moved from North Carolina to Columbus, Ohio. We are hoping to see them most holidays now since Georgetown is between Nashville and Columbus. Chrissy (Phoenix) could not travel as she is 38 weeks pregnant. Her c-section is scheduled for next week (January 7). I’ll have a new nephew and we are excited for his arrival. She, Kevin, and Baby Rich hope to move closer to KY sometime in 2009.

Owen and Judd had a Christmas filled with Star Wars (no surprise) and superhero toys. They’ve been flying around fighting bad guys for days. They’ve also continued to try to figure out why the bad guys decided to be bad guys. Why wouldn’t they want to be good guys after all? Wyatt got a Dora’s Farm Adventure musical toy. He wiggled like crazy when the music started. It was cute. He has a fairly cushioned posterior and it allows him to do some groovy dance moves. We’ve sang the same song dozens of times. “Let’s all go to the farm to see our animal friends.” I'll try to capture it on video and post it.

Brad has been having some “food processing” problems for a few weeks. He is scheduled for a colonoscopy on Monday morning, January 5. We hope to determine what the problem is.

January will prove to be an interesting month, I’m sure. I’m going to try to wean Wyatt. His mouth full of teeth is too much and he needs to chew elsewhere. I thought everything about the third baby would be easier. I was wrong.

Brad spent New Year’s Eve celebrating Brett’s 40th birthday at Boi Na Braza in Cincinnati. It’s a Brazilian steakhouse. He had a good time with the guys. The boys and I spent the evening with Ashley and her kids. Ashley and I enjoyed talking and the boys and Claire had a good time playing.

Brad and I are going to watch UK in their bowl game tomorrow. We think his mom is going to watch the boys. GO CATS!!!

Judd's Making Me Crazy!

BIG BOY

Sometimes he is so serious........

and sometimes he isn't.........

Wyatt weighed 26lbs 2 oz at his one year check-up and he was 31 inches long.

Trick-or-Treat

Our Baby Wyatt is ONE!

We've had family in town for the past week so I haven't had a chance to post about Wyatt's big day! He turned one on October 25th. We feel so blessed by each of our children. He is starting to walk (5 or 6 steps at a time) and I feel the same joy that I felt with the first two over his milestones. For those of you who have spent time with him you know that he is a funny baby and we enjoy him so much!

We've Been Busy!

Shew! I'm sorry that it's been so long since I blogged. I stay so busy. I have an extremely high maintenance baby boy. We really love him and enjoy him but he is a stinker.

Owen is five years old. I can't believe it. His birthday was September 26th and he got to camp at the Kentucky Horse Park. Brad and my dad camped with Owen and Judd. The boys loved it. Owen is doing so well in preschool and has learned so much. We are amazed by him constantly. He has a great memory and thought process.

Wyatt is close to walking but not there yet. He is way ahead of Owen who didn't walk until 16 months and Judd who didn't walk until 15 months. I think he will be walking by his 1st birthday in a few weeks. He is always working his way in to what his brothers are doing. Sometimes they trick him and get him to leave the room and then they shut the door real fast. It breaks Wyatt's heart. Of course, I get on them and make them include him. It's hard though because they have lots of little pieces and they love puzzles. They have to do their puzzles on the kitchen table because he tears everything apart. Wyatt says DUDD (Judd) all the time. He has a very loud, deep voice. I think he calls both Owen and Judd this. He babbles all the time and is very loud. Much louder than the other two. I wonder why? Probably so he can be heard around here!

Judd is as cute and funny as ever. He can tell you anything you want to know (or don't want to know) about Star Wars. He knows all the characters and the story line. It's amazing. He has become attached to a little stuffed penguin. He calls it his baby. He says he is potty trained but he really isn't. He knows what to do and will do it when he has to but otherwise he won't. I'm not sure what to do. Any suggestions? I've tried lots of things.

Here are some funny things the boys have said lately:

1. Georgetown College recently named their new fitness center after George H. W. Bush. He came to speak so the preschool walked the kids down to see him. When my dad picked him up he asked him who he got to see. Owen shrugged his shoulders and said, "Some man named Bush."

2. Owen has show-and-tell on Fridays and he is always trying to find something to take and share. Judd likes to pretend he is in school but he calls it ho-and-tell. This got a chuckle from Brad and me.

3. I was pushing the boys on the swings yesterday when the following conversation occured.
Owen: Mom when Judd burned his finger at Gram's house did you put ice on it when he was napping and did the ice melt in our bed?
Me: Yes, that is what happened.
Owen: Well, that's what my daddy told me but I wanted to make sure he was telling me the truth.
Me: Owen if daddy tells you something then it's the truth.
Judd: But mommy my daddy is crazy. I love him though.

4. After I had been pushing Judd in the swing for about 30 minutes in the heat he said, "Mommy, you are the best in the whole wide world."

These boys are a hoot!

UK Fan Day

It takes a while sometimes for us to find time to post a story or photographs but because of the holiday weekend, both parents are home and we seem to have a bit more time today. On Saturday, August 9, Keith and Karen (Dannette cousin and wife) came down from northern Kentucky and we went to the UK Football Fan Day at Commonwealth Stadium. We also met up with our good friends, Amy, Marvin, Ben, and Matthew. The boys loved the football field. They spent most of the time running in circles and rolling in the grass with some of their friends. We, too, had a nice time and intend to go again next year. There are five photos below of our fun-filled day in Lexington. (BTW, did any of you watch UK smash the University of Louisville yesterday?)

Photo 1. Future UK linebacker ready to go.

Photo 2. Wyatt with Matthew, a good buddy.

Photo 3. Touchdown celebration in the west end zone.

Photo 4. Judson after the game, "We left it all on the field."

Photo 5. Owen after the game, "We blew the doors off the place!"

HAPPY 25TH BIRTHDAY, AUNT LAURA!

We love you and we hope you have a wonderful birthday!
I love Aunt Laura because:

Judd
*She bought me a present.
*She and Eric took me bowling.
*I like her dog, Diva.

Owen
*I like it when she visits.
*I like it when she takes us to the park.
*I like the Yoda shirt she bought me.

Wyatt
*She and I are both the babies of our family.
*ma ma ma da da da

Family Portrait

Owen drew this picture of our family. I think he did a good job. He was drawing with a black marker so everything is in black. He said that he put red lipstick on me. He said that he made him and Brad larger because they are bigger than us. He gets his creativity from Brad. I love seeing how he is changing. He loves learning and asks lots of questions about numbers and letters. Yesterday was his first day back to school and he had a good day. He said, "My belly was a little nervous when you all leaved me but then it got okay." He is such a sweet, sweet boy. He was happy that his friend Cooper was back. It's almost the exact same kids as last year.

Piano

Little Motzart loves the toy piano. He is very active and into EVERYTHING! I have put my plants out of reach and several other things. He is happiest when he is near his brothers. They try and block him sometimes but he is so big that he just rolls over them.

Updates

Wyatt will be 9 months on Friday. He went for his check-up today and he weighs 23 pounds and 2 ounces (75-90 percentile) and he is over 29 inches long (75 percentile). Like his brothers, his head size is greater than 90th percentile. His weight tends to match up with were Owen was at this age but Owen was longer. Wyatt is crawling and pulls up to everything and is cruising around. My favorite is when he pulls up to the little piano and plays it. I hope to get a video of it soon but the camera distracts him and he loses his balance.

We get together with the Fraziers often. We are glad to have friends close by. I thought it was funny to see Brad and Jimmy both sitting on the couch holding the babies. They are both such good dads.

Owen and Judd have been happy to spend time with their Highley grandparents this summer. They set up a pool for them and they both love it! I'm glad that they have two sets of grandparents pretty close. They will have such good memories when they get older.

Brad is the best husband and dad ever! He took a week off of work to build the boys a "set." That's what Owen and Judd call it. I'll take a better picture and post it later. I did good to get this one. It's hard to get them all to be still. It has a large deck, slide, and three swings. He built it from scratch and it's awesome. It also has a sand box which the boys have loved. These boys are lucky to have such a great dad!

BOOK

I have been reading a great book for mothers of boys. It's called Preparing Him for the Other Woman. It's a mother's guide to raising her son to love a wife and lead a family. This book was suggested to me by another mother at SCC whose children are almost all out of the house. She has great kids and I hope mine turn out as good as her children. If you have a son you must get this book. It is great! It gives you suggestions of things to do starting at 3 years old. I plan to go back and read it periodically. I've also been encouraged by it. Since I came from a family of three girls, I feel lost in boy world sometimes. I worry about how active they are but she explains how important it is to encourage them to be warriors. We want them to fight for their family someday. She also lists prayers after each chapter. I plan to copy them to index cards and pray them over my boys.

Owen and Judd went to Bible School at my parents church. Me being their mother, I knew that they would NOT preform at the program. My mom just knew that they would because they participated and were so cute during the week. On Sunday, everyone was going up on stage and Judd and Owen just sat in the pew. The teachers directed them on stage to which they just looked at the other kids and had their backs to the crowd for at least 1/2 of the time. I was laughing so hard. It was really funny. I wish I had it on video. They didn't sing one word or do one motion. Sometimes Owen even had his tongue hanging out. I couldn't stop laughing. Brad's parents drove all the way from Richmond to see it. Brad's mom said that he would have done the same thing. I never liked these performances and only did them because I was made to do them. At least we know that our kids didn't get mixed up in the hospital nursery. These are our children! I won't make them do it again.

The other morning Judd got in bed with me and was laying on my chest and I was rubbing his back. It was a sweet moment. I did a big yawn and Judd said, "Mommy don't do that stinky air again." I couldn't stop laughing.

Chrissy (my sister in Phoenix) is still very sick with her pregnancy. She is more sick than anyone else I've known. She has to get IVs and has a pump of nausea medicine. She is 14 weeks. Please pray for her. She found out it's a boy. My parents had all girls. I wonder if they will have all grandsons?

Happy Birthday, Aunt Chrissy!!

Aunt Chrissy is 33 today. We wish we were in Phoenix to celebrate with her. The baby in her belly has made her really sick so we bet she's glad we aren't there. We think it must be a girl!

Why we love Aunt Chrissy:

Owen
*She's sweet to me.
*She likes us.
*She takes me to Chuck E. Cheese's.
*She sends me stuff in the mail.

Judd
*She's special.
*She's pretty.
*She sends me Star Wars men.

Wyatt
*She came to see me the week I was born.

We love you Aunt Chrissy. Come home soon.

Movie

Brad took the boys to see Prince Caspian. They loved the first movie. After the big battle scene, Owen leaned over to Brad and said, "Daddy, those guys are going to have to go home and take a shower. Aren't they?"

Sleeping Beauties

Brad found the boys snuggled together like this one morning. Too cute!
Sweet baby Wyatt!