They're Just So Darn Sweet

Even if you've got a meal planned, you never turn down an invitation to go out to dinner! This morning Brian called and asked if we wanted to go out tonight. Of course, even though he admitted to suggesting it because he felt guilty about having to work late. So we went to a little locally owned Mexican food place that's right around the corner from our house. It was really good! Sometimes I get so stuck in going to chain restaurants that I forget about Mom & Pop places.

The boys were doing so good eating chips and talking quietly. The couple that was at the table next to us finished their meal and got up to leave. The woman came over to our table and commented how good our children were and how that reflected well on us. What a compliment! Especially when you have two rambunctious boys! It made my night.

Coleman has also started saying the prayer at meal time. Then today when Nana was leaving, he said, "Let's say a prayer for Nana that she doesn't crash her car or get a flat tire." We all sat on the couch and he said the prayer. It was so sweet! Mom talked to me later and said his prayer was answered. She hadn't crashed or had a flat, but next time she would give him a diagram of the car and have him pray for each part! Somewhere along the way home she started having car trouble and when she stopped, the car died. My dad had to come pick her up! Imagine what might have happened had Coleman not interceded on her behalf!

So my boys are getting to be so sweet. Even if they have moody moments, they're my favorite little boys in the world!

Moody Man

Coleman: Don't talk to me Spence!
Spence: OK.
Coleman: I said don't talk to me and saying OK is talking to me!
Spence: Oh.
Coleman: Saying Oh is talking to me too!

They're laughing now, so I guess it's all OK.

Children's Museum

Lately I've been in the mood to get out of the house and take the boys to some new and different places. We were supposed to go to the Houston Children's Museum a few weeks ago, but something came up. What was that? Oh yes. Surgery! I took them today and it was a lot of fun. Most of the exhibits were a little over their heads, but they enjoyed just playing around, and I didn't have to bother explaining a lot of scientific stuff (Brian would be good at that, not me).

Luckily we took our lunch, because it cost $7 to park there. What's with that?!? We were joined in our fun day by what seemed like 20 different groups of Kindergarteners! Fortunately we were able to time our bathroom breaks and exhibit viewings around them most of the time. I only had to tell several of them to move along and let my kids have a turn once or twice!

Spence looking through a periscope

Coleman flexing his creative muscles...

...and his real muscles! This was showing how it's easier to lift things when you use more pulleys.

Both boys trying the pulley lifts

Here you were supposed to build something, then make an earthquake and a windstorm to knock it down.

The Construction Zone

Proud of their Star Wars ship

Hovering Balls

Coleman loved this machine where you pulled back and shot a ping pong ball.

Spence enjoying the light and color exhibits

Brian has been telling me that he thinks Coleman is color blind, so in the color exhibits there was a test called the Ishahara Color Blind Test. I decided to see how Coleman did... Yeah, that boy's color blind! Poor thing.

Well, that was a fun day! I should probably find some outside stuff to take them to before it gets too hot. Then we can save these indoor activities for the sweltering heat!

Food, More Food, and Puppet Shows

Coleman went back to see the surgeon Wednesday and everything looks good! When we walked into the waiting room and checked in, they gave us a buzzer like restaurants use. When it was our turn to go back, the buzzer lit up and then started vibrating. I was disappointed when there wasn't a basket of bread and a menu waiting for us when we got to the exam room! I guess that's an efficient way doing it though. Strange, but it worked.

Since I obviously have an active obsession with food right now, let me tell you about my newest love... McAlister's Deli. Oh my word they have the most amazing sandwiches! I'm way more excited than I should be that we're going there for dinner tonight. And speaking of dinner, this week's menu:

Thursday - McAlister's Deli
Friday - Nacho casserole, Mexican rice
Saturday - Dinner with friends (I'm taking a chocolate chip pie if I don't eat all the chocolate chips by then)
Sunday - French toast, bacon, eggs
Monday - Cheesy chicken and rice casserole, green beans, rolls
Tuesday - Taco ring, Mexican rice
Wednesday - French's chicken nuggets, macaroni and cheese

OK, I'm done with the food talk. Coleman made a puppet at school Tuesday, so he wanted to make one for Daddy and put on a puppet show. Nana is visiting, so we decided to all make puppets. Coleman and Daddy put on the first show, then Mommy and Nana put on the second show. Spence provided the background music. Before Coleman started his show, he saw a bug flying around the living room and yelled, "There's a bug in the audience!"

Coleman and Daddy putting on their show. Coleman named his puppet Mr. Frame.

Spence playing music for the show

And since I haven't posed for a picture in a while....

23 weeks (we may have to get a wider lens by June)

All Aboard!

Yesterday afternoon we took Spence on his first train ride. So it was just the Houston Metro Light Rail, but you have to start somewhere. The boys were so excited as they waited for the train. Coleman's arms were flapping with anticipation!

Waiting for the train to take us downtown!

It's gotta be here soon!

This is so exciting!

Spence says, "I loved my first train ride!"

We rode downtown, then went to an Italian restaurant. It turned out to be a little fancier than I thought it was going to be, but we were eating dinner at 5:15 so there were only a few other people there. The boys did great! I remember not long ago thinking we were never going to be able to go in public again because it was so hard to go places with the boys. They were all over the place and crazy. Now I laugh because we're finally at a stage where they can sit through a meal and it's even enjoyable and we're about to start all over again by adding another baby to the mix! Oh well, I'll settle for eating all my meals at home with my crazy bunch any day!

About 2 1/2 years ago we took Coleman on the light rail for his first train ride. It was a little less than a month before Spence was born, so Coleman was 21 months old. Here are a few pictures.


It's so neat that he can now share these experiences with his little brother. They had the best time together. I guess in another two years we'll do it all again!

Houston Fire Museum

I wanted to find something fun for the boys to do today that would be easy on Coleman and not require a lot of walking. Seemed like a perfect day for a trip to the Houston Fire Museum! This is a small museum in downtown Houston that I'd wanted to take them to for a while. They had so much fun! And I got some answers to what those weird things are that I see in Richard Scarry's Busiest Fire Fighters Ever book.

When you first walk in, they have this old fire truck that the kids can climb on.

Then there's a Junior Fire Fighter Room with the front of a real fire truck. The kids can put on fire coats and helmets, sit behind the wheel, turn on the lights, and talk on the radio.

Here's Fireman Spence driving!

And here's Fireman Coleman! He would pick up the radio and say into it, "We can't get by! There's a fire in the pass! We're going to turn around. We're four blocks away." He had so much fun!

Neither of the boys wanted to slide down the pole, but Spence enjoyed playing at the bottom. Coleman was afraid he would hurt himself where he had his surgery. I never thought he would be so cautious!


The ladder on the left is just like one in Busiest Fire Fighters Ever. That's one of the boys' favorite books, so we read it a lot. I had always wondered what that was, so today I had a chance to learn about it. It was one of the earlier ladders fire fighters used. They would use the hook to break the 2nd floor window, then climb up the wooden pegs. Then they could break out the 3rd floor window, climb up, and so forth until they got as high as they needed. Mystery solved!

My Afternoon of Shopping

You know how it goes. You want to find a great new pair of shoes and you're willing to spend a little money, but you can't find anything worth buying! After the disappointment that was DSW, I ended up at the mall, and before I knew it I was browsing through all the children's stores looking for baby clothes! I realized I hadn't bought anything for this baby yet and it's killing me! I was going to buy a girl outfit and a boy outfit to take to the hospital so the baby would have something to wear home, but I couldn't find anything that I fell in love with. But oh, now I have the bug to buy, buy, buy! Gee, I hope Brian isn't reading this! The lady in Gymboree actually had the nerve to tell me I could buy something "neutral" for the baby to wear! I'm totally OK with babies, even my babies, wearing green or yellow. But I was shopping for a "going home from the hospital outfit." You better believe if I take a little girl home with me, everyone is going to know she's a girl by the insane amount of pink she has on!!! And I'm still not sold on the idea of a girl (like it's up to me!), but oh the clothes. It's just not fair how many adorable girl things are out there, and the lack of cute boy things. I've had over 4 years to become bitter about this, so please excuse me.

Anyway, I guess now the search for the perfect summer shoe and the perfect baby girl outfit and baby boy outfit is ON! I did however get some new clothes today. A fellow Louisiana Tech alumni found my blog and realized we live in the same area! She offered to let me borrow her maternity clothes. Thanks Rachel! I just dug through the bag and I'm so excited! Now I have more money to spend on shoes! I'm beginning to sound obsessed...

Finding Comfort in Food and Shoes

Thursday - McDonalds (Coleman hasn't had this since his surgery, and Brian has basketball practice tonight)
Friday - Spaghetti with fresh tomato sauce, salad, garlic bread
Saturday - BBQ pork sandwiches and oven fries (or possibly eating out)
Sunday - Homemade pizza (my half margherita, Brian's half pepperoni), salad
Monday - Shepherd's pie, broccoli and rice
Tuesday - French's chicken nuggets, mac-n-cheese (this is what got knocked off the menu last week since we had the surprise surgery)
Wednesday- Leftovers

I get so hungry when I make out my menu! I want to go make my fresh tomato spaghetti sauce right now, but Brian gets home late on Thursday nights, so I decided to take the boys out tonight. I am doubly excited to make it because Kroger had Roma tomatoes on sale for $.99 lb. I even bought some fresh basil to use for the sauce and for my margherita pizza. Yummmmm. It doesn't take much to excite me!

With all the recent events and being couped up in the house a little more than usual, I've been a little down in the dumps. The boys are at school today, despite some protests from Coleman, so I am going to do something to make myself feel better. I'm going shoe shopping! I can't wait to see what Spring shoes are out. DSW, here I come! Now I just have to find someone to clip and paint my toenails... I'm not sure I can reach them.


By the way, did you all see that a PR rep for qubo left me a reply yesterday? Hello? Any DSW reps out there? Could you please read this today and send some coupons?

The Zula Patrol Has a Hold On Him

I knew it was a possibility. Some people do develop addictions after surgery. I'm not talking about an addiction to pain medication. Coleman has developed an addiction to qubo. It's a channel we get that plays all cartoons, all day long. It has been great to leave on while Coleman was lying on the couch recuperating. But now he's just obsessed. He's trying to make deals with me:

Coleman: How about I watch one more cartoon.
Mommy: When the big hand gets to the 12 we're turning the TV off.
Coleman: But I want to watch The Zula Patrol!
Mommy: That's not coming on anyway. Jane and The Dragon is on next and you don't like that.
Coleman: But I was looking forward to seeing what Zula Patrol was on today.

And then there's just a bunch of whining... Withdrawals are rough. He told me if he didn't get to watch The Zula Patrol then we weren't going to go anywhere...until we went somewhere. He's too much!

Oh my. Earlier today I was thinking of a quote. I think it goes something like this:

That which doesn't kill us wears us out to the point of complete and utter exhaustion!

I know, I know. That's not it. It makes us stronger. Well check out my biceps! We were cruising along on the road to recovery when we hit a little bump. Seems the pain medicine Coleman has been taking finally, uh, stopped him up. We were getting ready to leave for Bible study this morning, but he was in pain on the potty. Brian was sweet enough to run to the drug store and get some stool softeners. (I wonder how many people will find my blog today by "googling" stool softeners? Maybe I should be wondering how many therapy sessions Coleman will endure because of the things I write on here.) After taking a pill, and several trips back and forth from the potty to the couch, sweet relief finally came at about 11:45.

Exhaustion has finally caught up with me. It hit Brian the moment we got home from the hospital Friday morning. It crept up on me yesterday afternoon. Today I've felt useless. I prayed that Spence would take a 2 hour nap and that I would get to rest, and God answered my prayer! It was great. I fully intend to get to bed early tonight. I was thinking how hard this would all be if the baby were here now. I'm sure I'm a little more tired since I'm pregnant, but at least there's not a newborn to take care of in the midst of all this! Just another blessing to count. Thank you Lord.

Oh, another thing I find funny these days. One of the shows that comes on qubo is Lambchop's Play Along. I thought this was from the '80s, but I just did some research and it aired from '92 to '97. The hair was misleading. The first day it came on I thought Coleman would hate it. Turns out he loves it! There's a segment with knock knock jokes, and he asks when it's coming on. Then Spence walks around the house saying, "Knock knock. Who's there?'' There's a character named Charlie Horse, and Coleman calls him Harlie Chorse. "Where's that Harlie Chorse?" he'll say. It just amazes me the things they find entertaining. I find it rather painful to watch. Well, maybe we'll get this habit kicked soon!

This Will Definitely Be a Christmas Letter Year

Things are going well at our house. I actually sent Coleman to school today! I figured we all needed to get out of the house. I let his teacher know that she could call me anytime if he needed to come home, but he made it all day! When we got home I asked him if he had to have help going to the bathroom at school. He said, "I didn't go at school today." WHAT? I got him to the potty right away!

I usually have strange trains of thought. Today for some reason I was thinking how this Christmas we'll have plenty to write in a Christmas letter. It's only February, so I have no idea why I am thinking ahead to Christmas. Anyway, with Spence's trip to the Emergency Room to fix his dislocated elbow (no one remembers how that happened, right?), Coleman's surgery, and the baby in June, I should be able to come up with a few good things to share!

This morning I was laughing about how dramatic Coleman has been since his surgery. I know he has the right to be a little dramatic because what he went through was somewhat traumatic! But now it's just getting to be over the top. I was telling Brian that everything Coleman says is spoken with the same amount of urgency and drama. For instance, "Mommy, I hurt! I need some medicine!" is said with the same urgency as "My cartoon went off!" or "My blanket isn't covering my toe!" It's really quite comical. If Spence were standing over Coleman ripping his stitches out or he only needed a drink of Gatorade, the level of intensity in stating what he needed would be the same. I love it!

It looks as though my blog redesign may be a few weeks delayed. I'm so ready for the change, but first I need to get some good pictures of the boys to use. Somehow I don't think Coleman laying on the couch with glazed over eyes is the new look I'm going for, so I wait. But it's coming soon!

***Five minutes after posting this***

I realized Spence was being pretty quiet. The first thing I saw when I walked into the kitchen was the open refrigerator. Why do I forget to use that refrigerator latch designed to keep him out of the fridge? Then I saw him holding an open can of Coke and a puddle on the floor. He looked up at me and said, "Oh dear." Not quite Christmas letter material, but still pretty funny!

A Much Needed Reminder

I feel like I've pretty much caught up on sleep and might be able to put a few words together and possibly have them make sense. Today Brian said to me, "Let's make a deal. No more emergency surgeries in the middle of the night. No sleep really messed me up. That was the hardest part." To which I replied, "That was the hardest part?" I think he still needs more sleep.

The first night home I slept with Coleman, then last night Brian slept with him. Hopefully tonight he'll feel OK to go back to his bed. Yesterday he started taking a few steps. I think he thought he would never walk again! Poor thing. We'll talk about doing something next week or in the future and he'll say, "But I can't walk!" We had to convince him that the doctor said he could try to walk now.

Our little guy recuperating

Last night I was lying in bed thinking about everything. Now it all seems so much smaller. Especially when I think about what other parents with really sick or terminally ill children go through. How can our situation compare to something like that? I know our situation was not small to us or to God, I'm not saying that, but it's easier to put it into perspective now. I can actually be thankful for everything that happened. It's hard to explain, but I feel like it was one of those things that is thrown at you and you have no other choice but to trust God and put it all in His hands. During that night I was truly reminded that I am not in control. That's a good thing to be reminded of every so often. Not that I want to go through anything like that again, but I am thankful for it. It drew me closer to my Savior and caused me to lean on Him. And really, that's a beautiful blessing and makes it all worthwhile.

An Eventful Night

I've been trying to decide how to start this story all day. I think I've got it: God is good! He is faithful! He is with us through everything!

As you know from my last post, Coleman was scheduled for surgery to repair his hernia on February 23. I just called and canceled that surgery. He woke up last night around 9:00 in a lot of pain. When we realized he was hurting and looked at the area where his hernia was, it was bulging dramatically. Brian immediately called Texas Children's Hospital and talked to a surgeon. He was told that Coleman's hernia had become incarcerated (intestines had dropped down and were trapped) and he needed to try and push them back in place. When this happens, they are concerned about the intestines becoming strangulated and dying, which results in them having to remove the damaged bowels. (I am so non-medical that I hope this is all correct and makes sense.) As Brian tried to push the intestines back, Coleman was screaming at the top of his lungs. The surgeon, still on the phone, heard that it did not work and told us to come to the ER and she would meet us. We called our friend Leanne and asked if she could stay with Spence. Thank you Leanne! You were a life saver! We were headed out to Texas Children's Hospital around 9:30 p.m.

We arrived at 10:00, took advantage of the valet parking, and headed into the super crowded ER. After about 20 minutes the surgeon met us and took Coleman back to a triage room and tried to push the intestines back in place unsuccessfully. We were moved back to a room and told Coleman would get an IV and some morphine. He was in excruciating pain. The nurse and an assistant, who looked like his other job was a bouncer at a night club, came in to start the IV. The bouncer asked if we were going to be OK watching this. "Uh, yes. You try to get me to leave this room!" were my thoughts, but I just nodded. I was so proud of Coleman as he laid super still while the nurse inserted the IV. I truly expected someone involved in the process to leave our room with a bloody nose, but he was an angel. The IV was in, and he was calm, so they did not start the morphine yet.

A little later another surgeon, Dr. Olutoye, came in to take a look. We thought he was going to give Coleman some morphine and then try to push the intestines back in place. However, he just started pushing. Coleman was screaming and Brian was holding his arms. Coleman finally said, "Let go of my arms! I'm not going to hit him!" And he laid so still and just sobbed. Brian and I started crying too. The surgeon was unable to push the intestines back, and he was concerned about the risk of strangulation, so he told us we'd be going to surgery in a few hours. Another nurse came in and gave Coleman some morphine, he immediately threw up, and then was able to rest. A nurse told us that there were 5 surgeries ahead of us and then all the ones scheduled for Friday, so it would probably be Friday afternoon before he was taken back.

Then around 2:00 a.m. we were moved to another room and the surgery was explained to us. We found out that Coleman's surgery was high enough priority to get pushed ahead of most of the others and he would be going back shortly. There was just too much risk in letting the intestines stay trapped. I had prepared myself that Coleman would be having surgery, but now there was the added risk of damaged intestines that would have to be removed. He became more lucid as he came off the morphine, so we were able to talk with him and explain what was going to happen. He was concerned with how he would wake up after the surgery. His monkey Berkman was going to go back to surgery with him, but he was upset that Daddy and I couldn't go. He started crying, but the anesthesiologist quickly gave him his sedation and he was out. It was so hard to watch them wheel him back for surgery and then be led to a waiting room. I was struggling to be at peace with all this. I kept thinking about parents of critically sick kids who deal situations like this all the time. I cannot imagine. I looked around at the two other sets of parents in the waiting room and wondered what their situations were. Brian and I sat and prayed, then we tried to rest. I laid on the tiny sofa repeating over and over, "God, You are in control. Coleman is in Your hands." We had been told that it would be about an hour.

At 5:45 they came and got us to go see Coleman. The surgery had been successful and there was no damage to the intestines! He slept for a little longer. After he drank some Gatorade and ate a popsicle and kept it all down, we were discharged. We left about 9:00 a.m.

God worked everything out so amazingly. What a blessing to live so close to a children's hospital where Coleman was treated by a children's surgeon and a children's anesthesiologist. I even think the age Coleman is and the point I am in my pregnancy were ideal for going through this. I am so glad that the surgery is behind us. Now we're on to recovery! Please keep us in your prayers. I'm not quite sure what to expect for the next few days, but I know we'll make it!

Here is a picture of Texas Children's Hospital. I thought Grandma and Grandpa might want to see where Coleman was.

My Mind's On Food

For all of you who are wondering, "What will those Piks be eating this week?"

Thursday - Taco ring, Mexican rice
Friday - BBQ sausage, twice baked potatoes, green beans, French bread
Saturday - Chicken Caesar salad, cooked carrots, French bread
Sunday - Halfway homemade pizza (store bought crust)
Monday - French's crunchy onion chicken nuggets, Mac-n-cheese, cooked carrots
Tuesday - Catalina taco salad, fritos
Wednesday - Leftovers, raid the freezer, or eat out

Last week I succeeded again in making everything on my menu! I even have some BBQ pork in the freezer for another meal. It was sooooooo good. If any of you make it, let me know what you think. I enjoyed the Corky's sauce so much that I put another BBQ dinner on this week's menu.

This baby seriously can't get enough food. Last night I had dinner before 6:00 and around 8:30 Brian mentioned he had a Firehouse Sub for lunch. I think it crossed my mind to actually get in my car and drive 20 minutes, paying the tolls and all, and get myself a Firehouse Sub! I fought the urge and had an orange. Speaking of oranges, since I singlehandedly finished off 13 pounds of oranges in the past two weeks I decided to go with some different fruit this week. I bought grapes and strawberries. If only they would put those delectable little raspberries on sale soon. I just can't bring myself to pay $3.50 for a handful of them! Well, enough about food. Sorry if you were hoping for something a little more interesting today. Seems I have a one track mind!

My Valentine Gift

I'm sure many of you know how I feel about the commercialization of most of our holidays here in the U.S. Christmas is all about gifts, Easter is all about the basket, and Valentine's is all about the flowers and candy. I used to work in a flower shop and saw how they jacked up the price of roses come February, so I told Brian never to buy me roses at Valentine's Day. (I'd much rather have flowers some day in May when I'm not expecting them anyway. Are you reading this Brian?) Anyway, I am a girl and do like getting gifts, so a few weeks ago when Brian asked what I wanted for Valentine's Day, I thought about it for a while. I told him I'd like for him to finish the baseboard in our bedroom. There's no baseboard where he took out the sliding glass door and installed a window. A few days ago he asked again if that's what I wanted. I decided I should put some more thought into this. I mean it is Valentine's Day, and he did ask what I wanted. After some more deliberation, I decided the baseboard could wait. What I'd really been wanting was a new blog design! My friend Jennifer gave me the name of her girl, and I browsed her layouts today. I found one that I really like and that is not offensive to Brian (otherwise not too froo-froo), so all I need to do is get some good pictures of the boys to use and I'll be ready for my new design! I can't wait! It seems like I've been obsessing over this today, but really this blog is something I see every day and that family and friends visit to catch up on our happenings. I want it to be appealing. So it may be a while, but it's coming!

Completely changing the subject, but I realize I have neglected to post about some of our latest news. Back in December we noticed something that led us to believe Coleman might have a hernia. At his 4 year check-up, his doctor agreed with us, so he sent us to a pediatric surgeon. Last Friday I took Coleman for a consultation, and the doctor did confirm that Coleman has an inguinal hernia. It's something he was born with, but we've just now discovered. He's going to have surgery on February 23. The first two days that we talked to him about it, he would cry and say he didn't want to have surgery, but tonight we brought it up and he didn't cry. I think this will be a good opportunity to teach him about trusting God to take care of him. I really liked the surgeon, and know this is a relatively simple procedure. Of course when it's your child going under the knife you feel a little anxious. Please keep us in your prayers as we prepare Coleman for surgery and that we'll handle it well also.

Little Pik, Little Pik, Why Are You Sick?

Well, it looks like the boys are better now, but the last few days were a little rough. Of course it could have been worse, but luckily it wasn't. Spence's runny nose and cough started getting bad last Saturday. He developed a fever, so Brian stayed home with him Sunday. He was still running a fever and feeling sluggish on Monday so I went ahead and took him to the doctor. With the flu going around, and the possibility of an ear infection, I wanted to go ahead and take him. Luckily he did not have the flu or an ear infection, just a virus. We found this out after waiting for an hour with every other sick kid in our area. Spence of course befriended the kid with the worst hacking cough I'd ever heard.

Only a mother could love this face!

When we put the kids to bed Monday night, I was sure I would have to keep Spence out of Mother's Day Out the next day, so I had already contacted the school that I mentor at to let them know I wouldn't be there. I figured I could get away with taking Spence to my doctor's appointment though. Little did we know we'd be up several times in the night with Coleman. He woke me up a little after 11 because he puked in his bed. Then he woke up 2 or 3 more times with diarrhea. One of those times he did not make it to the toilet. Brian was so sweet to clean it up. I helped get Coleman back in bed.

He's smiling now, but none of us were Monday night!

Needless to say, both boys ended up staying home from Mother's Day Out. The little girl I mentor was out sick too, so that didn't end up being a problem. I called to reschedule my doctor's appointment. We stayed in and I washed tons of sheets, stuffed animals, and pajamas. I felt the need to wash the pajamas I was wearing and our sheets just in case they were contaminated! I bleached the boys' bathroom and sprayed Lysol on everything Coleman touched. There were no more incidents. I decided to skip our Sunday School Girl's Night Out so I wouldn't spread any unwanted germs to the other ladies, but as soon as Brian got home I was dressed and ready to get out of the house for a few hours. I made sure I didn't come home until I knew the boys would be in bed! Thank you so much Brian for letting me go free for a few hours. It was a life saver!

Just one of the many loads of laundry from Tuesday!

During the last few days, I've had to continually pray to not be selfish. It is so easy to feel upset that I'm having to change my plans and stay cooped up inside and clean up puke and poop. But that is all part of parenting. It's not about me. Hard to remember sometimes... Thank you for the reminder Lord! And thank you for bringing us through the last few days!

Uh Oh, He Has a Plan

Tonight I was in the kitchen getting dinner ready and Brian was in the garage with the boys. Coleman came running in.

Coleman: Mommy, I know what we can name the baby if it's a boy!
Mommy: (with an uneasy feeling) What?
Coleman: Major!
Mommy: Did your Daddy send you in here to tell me that? You tell him N-O no!

Then he ran back outside. I went in the garage to tell Brian to stop recruiting our children to persuade me to name my sweet baby such a ridiculous name. Coleman told me I had to go back in the kitchen so he could talk to Daddy. Later, after the boys were in bed, Brian was telling me about their secret conversation.

Coleman: I have a plan. We'll name the baby Major when Mommy's not around.
Daddy: What happens when she comes around?
Coleman: We'll hide him from her.

In case you're new to our lives, Brian has tried with each of our children to have me agree to the name Major. I've been against it from the beginning. Now they're ganging up on me! My resolve will not wane though! Unless one of our kids joins the Army, there will be no Major Pik!

In Need of a Makeover

My blog is in desperate need of a makeover. I won't lie. I could use a makeover also. I went shopping for some short sleeve shirts yesterday and came home with short sleeve tents. Not too much I can do about that now I guess. So the blog will get the makeover! It's just one of those things that is not a top priority right now, but hopefully it will be soon! I want something pretty, but not too girly since most of my stories are about two little boys. Any suggestions??? Leave me a comment!

Hide and Seek

As the boys played hide and seek with Daddy today...

Coleman: Mommy, have you seen Daddy?
Mommy: No, I think he's a really good hider.
Coleman: Well, we're pretty smart finders!

Recipes

Several of you wanted some of the recipes from this week's menu. Here are the recipes for IHOP pancakes and Shredded Apricot Pork.

IHOP Pancakes

1 c all purpose flour
1/4 c sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 c whole milk
1/4 c oil
1 egg

Combine the dry and liquid ingredients separately. Slowly whisk together until just mixed. Heat skillet over medium heat. Use 1/4 c batter for each pancake.

I think this makes about 10 to 14 pancakes. They are really good with whole milk, but sometimes I just use whatever milk we have and they are still good. I also like to add chocolate chips!

Shredded Apricot Pork

4 lb pork roast, trimmed of fat
2 medium onions, thinly sliced
1 cup apricot preserves
1/2 c packed brown sugar
1/2 c BBQ sauce
1/4 c cider vinegar
2 T Worcestershire sauce
1/2 t red pepper flakes (I usually don't have this, but today I put in ground red pepper)

Combine last 6 ingredients in small bowl. Pour over roast. Cook on low 8-9 hours in crock pot. Remove meat and onions and shred with forks.

This is a sauce to pour over it, but I'm not a big ginger fan, so I never do it. I usually just pour some more BBQ sauce on it.
2 T cornstarch
1 T ginger
1 t salt
1 t pepper
1/4 c cold water
Combine with liquid from meat and cook in saucepan until thickened. Combine with meat.

This is great on toasted buns. Also, I never buy a 4 lb roast, so I usually just half all the ingredients for my smaller roast. This still leaves enough to freeze for another meal or two. Rita gave me this recipe and I use it often. Thanks Rita! And thanks for the Corky's BBQ sauce. I can't wait for dinner tonight!

Prayer for a Friend

Please pray for a girl I know from playgroup named Belinda who is 22 weeks pregnant. Her pregnancy has been very high risk from the beginning due to some genetic mutations for clotting. After having some serious contractions she has just been placed on strict bed rest. Her doctor wants her to make it at least 6 more weeks to give the baby a good chance of survival. I know she would appreciate your prayers for her family. Thanks, and I'll update you guys if I get more news.

As Promised, the Chick-Fil-A Ordeal

Dear Unborn Baby,
Wednesday you went in the play structure at Chick-Fil-A for the first time! I was not planning on letting you go in there so soon, but I really had no choice. Your brother Spence refused to come out on his own or allow your brother Coleman to help him down. I put off the inevitable for about 20 minutes, but eventually headed up. I know you could not see the inside of the play structure, so let me just tell you I was about as cozy in there as you are in my tummy. The twists and turns and little bodies zooming past me were about more than I could bare. You might be the first child in utero to climb in there! Probably because other pregnant mommies have the sense to ask another more able-bodied adult to go on the rescue mission. In case you didn't catch this part, I even tried to coax your brother down by bribing him with ice cream. I'll admit bribery is a common tactic in our household. You'll find out soon enough. Apparently your brother did not believe me, because even though he was told he would not get ice cream if Mommy had to climb up there, he refused to come down. It was a sad scene on the way home, and I'm sure you heard the screams of, "Spencey want ice cream!!!" as we drove away from Chick-Fil-A. Coleman apparently didn't feel the least bit sorry for him because he licked his ice cream bowl clean! So, I hope you enjoyed your first trip up the play structure at Chick-Fil-A. Hopefully it will be your last until you're able to go up on your own!

Love, Mommy

Yes, I let Coleman eat his ice cream in front of Spence. Do you think 2 year olds understand spite? Boy was I mad. And I was not laughing at the moment, but I am now!

As for the menu, I FORGOT TO PUT MY PORK ROAST IN THE CROCK POT TODAY! I realized this at 2:00, and figured 4 hours wasn't enough time. I'm really bummed because I was so looking forward to BBQ sandwiches for dinner. Looks like I may get my cooking break tonight!

This Week's Menu

Seems I've been contemplating this week's menu for hours now! I know it hasn't been, but I'm pooped and just want to go to bed! Here's what I came up with for this week. The boys will probably only eat about 1/2 of these meals. That just leaves more for me, and for leftovers! This week's fresh fruit will be oranges (Kroger has 8 lb bag for 3.99 again and they were yumolicious last week) and bananas.

Thursday - Chicken Spaghetti (the recipe I like just has spaghetti, chicken, onion, bell pepper, and velveeta), green beans, french bread, fruit

Friday - Apricot BBQ Pork sandwiches (this one's goooood, so let me know if you're interested. And I'm doubly excited because I'll be making it with the Corky's BBQ sauce Rita picked up on her latest layover in Memphis), potatoes, fruit

Saturday - I deserve a break today!!!

Sunday - Shepherd's pie, fried okra (saw this in the freezer section and couldn't pass it up), Texas toast

Monday - Orange Chicken, crockpot mac-n-cheese, something green, fruit

Tuesday - IHOP pancakes (these are so easy and really good; just google IHOP pancake recipe or I'll post it if you ask), bacon, eggs

Wednesday - leftovers

And in case you were wondering, I made everything from last week's menu! We didn't have leftovers though because Mom came last weekend and Brian and I went out on a date Saturday night. We had fun and yummy food at Saltgrass Steak House. It really does help me to plan out meals for the week and buy all the ingredients in one trip (well, it usually involves stops at two grocery stores to get all the deals). My grocery bill seems high, but we're saving by not eating out as much or making extra stops to grab a few items. Hope your meals are going well too!

Oh, have you heard the one about the pregnant lady, the stubborn 2 year old, and the Chick-Fil-A play area? Maybe tomorrow I'll have enough energy to tell you about it.

Thank You

Thank You dear Jesus for this beautiful baby. You have blessed us beyond what I could have even imagined. You are the creator of this life, and for giving it to us I thank You. May I trust completely in You to continue to form and knit this baby together.

For you created my inmost being;
you knit me together in my mother's womb.

I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
your works are wonderful,
I know that full well.

My frame was not hidden from you
when I was made in the secret place.
When I was woven together in the depths of the earth,

your eyes saw my unformed body.
All the days ordained for me
were written in your book
before one of them came to be.

How precious to me are your thoughts, O God!
How vast is the sum of them!

Psalm 139:13-17

Introducing...

The nameless, unknown gender Baby Pik!

The profile - looks just like Coleman and Spence did!

A view of the baby's face

Another face shot (looks like the baby has bubba teeth!) and the heart

Adorable little feet

Everything looks great and the doctor who came in to look at the pictures after the technician finished said our baby was very cooperative. They were able to get all the shots they needed. And as a bonus, the technician didn't even take a look to see if it's a boy or a girl! So there won't be any slip ups that accidentally reveal the gender at my doctor appointments!

It was so neat to get to see the baby in there moving around and now to have some pictures of him or her. It's been real to me for some time now since I can feel the baby moving and I have had to buy a whole new wardrobe, but Brian just realized today that we're actually going to have another kid! I guess the reality of it all hit when he saw it today.

Coleman loves to ask how big the baby is now. My weekly baby update emails usually give you something with which to compare the baby's size. Last week it said the baby was the size of an heirloom tomato, so I was telling Coleman that. This week he asked how big the baby was and I showed him with my hands how long it probably was. He asked, "What vegetable is that?" He also likes to kiss my tummy. It's really sweet.

Spence will say, "I wanna see baby!" So I lift up my shirt and he looks into my belly button. I'll ask him what the baby is doing and he says, "Night night." Then one day he asked me to take it out! He will also give it kisses, but he prefers to blow raspberries!