Just finishing up

Sorry, no pictures yet, but I realized I didn't even finish my thought about A's earache before having to leave the house. I brought her to the doc on Monday, and he said no infection, possibly a bit of fluid buildup, but no one told Annalise's ear this- she was out of her mind with pain. Poor girl, she is finally back to normal today. The title of yesterday's blog was regarding our progress in the basement. Mike stayed home yesterday morning, and we totally rocked on the insulation. Our plumber is finally coming over to move the sink plumbing by Tuesday, and then we're set to drywall. And paint, and tile....before our cabinets come in two weeks. Wooh!

Movin' Right Along

Just a quick note before B and I head to pick A up from school- Thanksgiving was really nice. We stayed at a friend of my aunt's cabin, so we could be removed from the crazy festivities in order for our children to sleep, which was a nice plan, but didn't end up happening that way. B was still really feverish and coughy (even though he didn't have ear infections when I had him checked out on Tuesday), and A started to complain of ear pain during the night. We left Wisconsin on Friday morning, in order to get one good night of sleep before heading off to yet another strange bed for Saturday night. We had Thanksgiving with Mike's mom's side of the family on Saturday, and had a really nice time. For the first time, we were all able to fit and talk to everybody, because Uncle Paul had set up tables out in his large garage. A was still not feeling up to par; she even took a nap at Paul's which really surprised me. We kept up on the alternating Tylenol and Motrin, and brought her into the Dr. on Monday because her left ear was still hurting quite a bit. More to come....and pictures!

No means No, and Yes, and Nose

Poor little B- he hasn't been feeling well lately. Runny nose, cough, fever, not sleeping well at night/not napping well, but the part that really is noticeable is his decreased appetite. I hope he is able to enjoy some of our Thanksgiving dinner. We are heading to Wisconsin Wednesday night, to spend Thanksgiving with my family and my mom's sister's family. It will be fun to see A, B, and Maren play together again. Then we'll head down to Okabena for another Thanksgiving celebration on Saturday.

The title of this post refers to Bennett's frustrating, and endearing habit right now of saying no for everything. Not a bratty shouted, "NO!", just answering "no" to anything we ask, even if I know he means yes, and he's shaking his head yes. I think he just doesn't get it, or doesn't know how to say yes.

The Week Before Thanksgiving!

I can't believe Thanksgiving is next week already- we just left October! I haven't been taking many pictures lately, so I don't have any to include with the post. Mike was pheasant hunting in Okabena with my dad and uncle last weekend, and I elected to stay home with the kids. We had a really fun time. Thanks Hope and Danielle for keeping me company. We went to the Maple Maze on Saturday morning with Hope and Hailey. Bennett loves to hang with the big kids- he took up residence in the ball pit, and had a grand old time throwing balls and just going with the flow of the balls as other kids jumped in and waded around. We spent Saturday afternoon and evening with Danielle and the boys, and had a really fun, loud time.

Last night we had a babysitter come over after supper, and Mike and I placed our cabinetry order. In 2.5 weeks I can call, and find out what week our cabinets will be in (4-6 week estimate, running closer to 4)! Now waiting over two weeks will be the hard part. We've got to get going on moving our plumbing for the bar sink, and then tiling the bar/kitchen area, finishing the insulation and then drywall. Phew!

Tomorrow night, Grandma J is coming over to stay with the kids while Mike and I go to a parents' night at Little Flowers. We're discussing the kindergarten year at a Montessori school- didn't Annalise just come home from the hospital? Time flies, and we are having so much fun.

Have a great rest of the week!

Happy Monday!

Annalise is going to her first non-family birthday party! One of her classmates at Little Flowers is turning 5, and invited the whole school to Pump it Up! The party is tonight- pretty crazy to be doing something until 8 pm on a school night!! Woooooo!

B is doing really well in his recovery. He doesn't seem to be sore at all, which is good, because his operative site looks pretty colorful, and looks like it would be quite painful. He has been sleeping wonderfully at night, sleeping in in the mornings, and taking really LOOONNNGG naps! Yay!

Bridget is in San Diego for a neuroscience conference. She did a talk on Saturday- way to go Bridge!

Happy Halloween!

This is one of my favorite pictures-Superman chillin' with his thumb popped in, hanging out with our favorite flower fairy. Martha Stewart: eat my dust, I think the costumes turned out pretty well this year! Annalise had swimming lessons on Halloween night, and was the only kid to show up, so had a pretty cool private lesson. When they got home, Mike took her around to a few houses in the neighborhood, and she really had a fun time her first time out trick or treating. We were a bah humbug house, not passing out any candy, because I didn't want any temptation around, now that we're following the WW Core plan.

Crocs Float in the Toilet

I forgot to blog about a funny moment we had on Thursday night. We were all upstairs after supper, and starting to get ready for bed. Maybe Bennett could sense the anticipation for his surgery the next day, and wanted to cut the tension in the house. All of a sudden, we see that B put Annalise's blue crocs in the toilet. He was pretty proud of himself, and we all had a wonderful laugh. I think that is going to be a very special trait of Bennett's- to lighten peoples' moods with his terrific sense of humor.

We are Home

Bennett's surgery was uncomplicated, and he did an excellent job with the anesthesia. He didn't need a breathing tube, or nebulizer. He was very laid back when he got out of recovery. He cuddled on my lap with his fleece blanket and puppy, while his IV continued to run, and he sipped on some apple juice. The nurse checked his incisions (looking good), and we were on our way. We stopped at Target for his prescription (Tylenol with codeine- just in case), and his caudal injection (which numbed his whole diaper area) was just wearing off as we got home. He's napping now, and we'll have a small, light supper tonight, and hopefully have a restful night. Thanks everyone, for all of your thoughts, prayers, and kind words. We really appreciate all of the support; nobody has a better or more thoughtful group of friends and family. We love you!