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!

Another Cute Conversation

I just love posting conversations. Spence is starting to join into our conversations and add his own touch of humor. I should really carry a tape recorder around with me, because I'm sure the conversations are much funnier in person than me trying to remember and type later. Hopefully you get the gist, and think they're half as funny as their mommy does!

Coleman can now buckle himself into his car seat. Can you hear me saying, "Hallelujah!!!" He's going to be in the middle of the back seat when the baby arrives, so it's important that he can accomplish this task on his own. Most of the time Coleman wants to race to see who can get buckled up first. He usually wins because Spence insists on climbing up into the car by himself, then he gets distracted by something behind or beside his seat. If Coleman is lollygaggin' I can motivate him by saying, "Spence is going to beat you!" All this to set up today's conversation, sorry.

Coleman: (after buckling himself up) I'm as fast as a firetruck!
Spence: I fast... firetruck!
Mommy: You're both fast.
Coleman: No. I won. I got buckled first. I'm as fast as a firetruck!
Spence: (after a moment of thinking) I fast...ambulance!
Mommy: Oh, that's fast too!

Ha! This cracked me up. He's getting to be a good thinker. But Coleman was not to be outdone by his little brother...

Coleman: Well, the ambulance guys aren't as fast as the firetruck men.

Oh, the great debates of toddlers and preschoolers!

Weekly Meal Plan

I've seen several bloggers who like to post their weekly menus to give other moms ideas of what to have for dinner. I love seeing what everyone else is having for dinner and getting new recipes and ideas. I decided to try it this week! Most people start their menus on Monday, but that's just not convenient for me. The weekly grocery ads come in the mail Tuesday afternoon. Then I have all day Wednesday to look through them, see what coupons I have, and come up with a meal plan. The boys are in school Thursday, so that's a perfect day for me to go to the grocery stores! For the last few weeks I've been planning my menus from Thursday to Wednesday. We're also doing something new in our house: making the boys eat what we eat! Yes, it was my own fault that I was fixing 3 different dinners (mine and Brian's, Coleman's, and Spence's). I was letting the boys have peanut butter or cereal and causing myself an avoidable headache. I used Coleman's 4th birthday as a starting point for this new experiment. So far, to ease them into this transition, I've been making pretty kid-friendly meals. I do give them about 1 or 2 nights a week when they can have a frozen waffle, bowl of cereal, or peanut butter sandwich. That way I can make something more grown-up and not have a fight on my hands about eating. Coleman has been doing great! It's a major accomplishment to have him eating something as common as a burger or chicken that's not in the form of a nugget from McDonald's! I make him try one bite of the side dish and that's all he has to do. He usually spits it back out, but as long as he tries it I'm happy. Spence on the other hand is not doing so hot. He won't even try a simple thing like chicken cooked in the crock pot. (He will however eat a piece of uncooked linguine he finds on the floor of the pantry. I'm insulted.)

Here is this week's menu:

Thursday - Roast beef sandwiches, oven baked fries, oranges
Friday - Frozen pizza, garlic bread, salad, strawberries
Saturday - Hamburgers, baked potatoes, oranges
Sunday - Super bowl party
Monday - Italian pasta casserole, green beans, garlic bread, fruit
Tuesday - Lemon pepper chicken, broccoli and rice, fruit
Wednesday - Leftovers

I am so thankful to be over my nausea and able to plan meals and eat normal dinners! I hope I can keep this up and that the boys get used to eating more grown-up food!

A Quote from Esther

"When we trust our lives to the unseen but ever-present God, He will write our lives into His story and every last one of them will turn out to be a great read. With a grand ending." Beth Moore

I've been studying Beth Moore's Esther for several weeks now. The above was a quote from week one that caught my attention when I first read it, but I'm just now getting around to sharing it. In the book of Esther, God is never mentioned and we're never told how we might live the Christian life. But that doesn't mean the book of Esther has no meaning or relevance to our lives. There are many times, at least in my life, when I don't see God's hand or sense what He's doing, but He's still there. Just like He's there in Esther. Sometimes I feel like I'm just living day to day, going through mundane motions, not destined to make any difference. But that's not God's plan. If I trust Him, He will write me into His story like I could never imagine. I pray that we'll each trust Him to write us into His story as He sees fit.

Great Conversationalists

I love the ride home after I pick the boys up from school. Most days I'm with them from the time they get out of bed until the time they go to sleep at night. No question about what happened on those days. I can listen as they recall their day to Daddy over dinner and let him know if what they say is true or false. But on school days there are some mysteries. I can't be sure of exactly what they did or what happened to them. On those days I enjoy asking them about the day and their activities. Who knows if I get the truth or not. Well, I guess it's their version of the truth. Spence's account of the day consists of, "Played." He can then answer yes or no to other simple questions. I remember when Coleman could first start carrying on a conversation with me and giving me details. I loved it! He's not stopped talking since! My Mom, who affectionately referred to me as "motormouth" when I was a child, has no sympathy in this department. We of course love our conversations with Mr. Motormouth. Today's was a little comical.

Mommy: Did you learn about planets and stars today?
Coleman: Nobody told me about planets. We just watched a video.
Mommy: You didn't color any pictures or do an art project?
(After digging around in his backpack while sitting at a red light I found a booklet he'd made about stars.)
Mommy: Oh, did you make this star book?
Coleman: Yes!
Spence: Spencey see it!
Coleman: No, you might tear it up.
Spence: No tear it up.
Mommy: Why don't you let Spence see it? He says he won't tear it up.
Coleman: He might change his mind.
Mommy: Well Spence, it seems you've torn one too many things up and Coleman doesn't trust you. Coleman, maybe he can look at it when we get home and you're there to make sure he doesn't tear it.
Coleman: No. I'm going to keep it with me at all times. And if I have to go somewhere I'm going to hide it. Then when I get back I'll race to the cabinet to get it.

He seems pretty protective of this book he made! Oh, by the way, when we got home he threw it down and went to play. I caught Spence trying to rip the star stickers off the cover.

I've decided these boys are too much fun. I'm a little scared of this baby being a girl! I know it sounds crazy, but boys are all I know. It's a good thing this baby's gender is not up to me, because I wouldn't know what to choose! Luckily God knows exactly who belongs in our family. I know I would love a little girl with all my heart. And I really think it would be an awesome experience for Brian. Daddy's little girl. Not that she would have him wrapped around her finger, but just experiencing that father-daughter relationship. But on the other hand, just imagine another little boy added to the mix! Then I still get to be the princess! I think that's why I'm so excited about not finding out the gender until the baby's born - because it doesn't matter! It will be a wonderful blessing either way.

Why, Mommy? Why?

I haven't documented some of the boys' sayings in a while. I like doing this so I can look back one day and remember the kinds of things they said. I'm guessing I might need a reminder of why I thought they were so cute when they're teenagers. Am I right?

• While looking at picture books, sometimes instead of just saying what each picture is, we play an "I spy" game. If we're looking at the zoo page, I'll say something like, "I spy something green with sharp teeth." Then they can guess it's the alligator. Or on the beach page I might say, "I spy something that's cold and you can eat it." They guess the ice cream. Coleman on the other hand will say, "OK, this one's gonna be hard. I spy something really tiny. You can't even see it. That's my only clue!"
• This morning Spence wanted a cookie for breakfast. I said, "We don't eat cookies for breakfast." Spence looked at me with a sad little face, and in a voice that sounded as though I had betrayed him said, "Why, Mommy? Why?"
• At the childcare center at the gym today there was a lady doing face painting. I asked Coleman why he didn't get his face painted. He said, "I was going to get a Yoda face, but I thought you'd laugh at me."
• This one isn't anything the boys said, but something that happened yesterday that I found extremely odd. I was woken up from my Sunday afternoon nap by a boy scout at my door selling fertilizer. Fertilizer, really? Do they know the girl scouts are out there selling cookies? Just in case you're wondering, I declined buying any fertilizer. I am, however, waiting for several boxes of Thin Mints.
  

Have a Laugh On Me

The other day I was doing my Bible study, Beth Moore's Esther, when I was tickled by one of her questions. She asked, "When was the last time humor helped you cope?" Are you kidding? That's one of my top coping mechanisms, coming in a close second behind prayer! You've met my kids (or you've got your own) and know that without a sense of humor, you won't make it through the day. So know that as I write about powdered sugar that is ingrained into my grout, or pooping escapades in the park, I'm usually laughing about it that moment. I'm not one of those that "will laugh about this one day." I try to laugh about it rather quickly.

So tonight I was getting dinner ready, trying to tune out the whining in the background, and anxiously awaiting Brian's arrival home (he's been out of town for a few days). Things weren't quite running smoothly, so I thought, "I should write a poem. A funny poem to help me laugh about this situation instead of scream at someone." I hope you won't mind me sharing it with you.

A Poem for Brian Upon Returning Home

Welcome home my dear, you've been gone for several days.
You'll find the house a mess, with an atmosphere of craze.

Dinner's not quite done, it's just burgers and some fries.
The boys protest this food, with loud and wailing cries.

Your underwear is dirty, the dog still really stinks.
That water on the kitchen floor is leaking from the sink!

Luckily Brian has a good sense of humor too! Especially since he may be playing plumber tonight instead of vegging on the couch.

Don't Believe My Child

Today when I went to pick up Coleman from Mother's Day Out, his teacher asked if I was having twins. I said no, and obviously had a look on my face as if to say, "Do I look like I'm going to have twins?" She told me that Coleman had said I was going to have twins. Oh my word! On the way out to the car we had a little talk.

Mommy: Why did you tell your teacher I was having twins?

Coleman: I told them you were having a boy and a girl.

Mommy: We're only going to have one baby. So it will either be a boy or a girl. We can't have both.

Coleman: I asked God for a girl and a boy and He said (imagine this in Coleman's best God voice), "Okay. I'll make a boy and a girl." And I said make them look like me!

Grandma We Miss You!!!

Grandma, we had so much fun with you during your visit! We can't wait for your next visit when you bring Grandpa with you. This morning when I went in to get Spence out of bed, the first thing he said was, "Grandma home?" So sweet! I know they miss you! And so do we.

Cooking with Grandma

Bedtime stories with Grandma

Spence is just not my baby anymore. He's been talking so much, and today he made two completely complete sentences! He always says things like, "More bowl cereal," "Spencey more juice," , or "Take bubble bath." Today I poured his cereal in the bowl and he said, "I want milk too." Then we were getting ready to go outside and he said, "Mommy put on my shoes." Maybe his sentences were missing one word: please!

Coleman went in for his 4 year check-up on Monday, and he had to get FIVE shots! He really milked that for all it was worth, telling everyone how many shots he had to have. Then Tuesday he started walking slowly and limping, saying his legs were sore where he got the shots. At first I thought he was just putting on a show, but he's been continuously limping ever since! Even he's not that good, so he must be sore. Poor thing.

A few days before Coleman's party, Brian asked what we got him for his birthday. I told him I had bought a Superman DVD and a t-shirt. I had wished we could find Robin to go with all his Batman stuff. Brian clicked a few keys, found one on Amazon, and paid extra for shipping so it would get here for the party. Isn't he a sweet Daddy? After Coleman's party we went to Texas Roadhouse for dinner and let him open Robin. He loves it!

The boys playing with Batman, The Joker, and Robin

And this picture is just too cute not to share. Coleman and Spence each got a pair of binoculars for Coleman's birthday. (Nana and Grandma had the same gift idea!) On this particular morning Spence is watching Daddy leave for work through the binoculars.

See you later Daddy!

Happy Birthday Coleman

Dear Coleman,
How can you possibly be 4 years old today? Wasn't it just yesterday that you were born? That was one of the most exciting days of my life! I was scared and nervous and anxious and happy and I'm sure many more emotions. I could never have imagined how much I would love you and what a joy you would be.

January 12, 2005

One of the things that stands out in my mind about your first year is how easy going you were. We had some feeding problems, so you were a skinny thing for awhile, but then we got those straightened out and you plumped right up!

4 months old

Here is a picture of you at your first birthday party. We celebrated right after Christmas while Nana and Poppa and Grandma and Grandpa were here. You thought birthday cake was pretty cool.

First birthday party

After you turned one you started walking. One day you decided to take some steps, and within a few days you were off and running! Not long after you turned one, we found out you were going to be a big brother. You got your first boo boo while running down the sidewalk in front of our house. Daddy and I both love this picture of you showing off your scratch.

I'm smiling now, but you should have seen me when this happened.

You were a little young to understand what was about to happen when Spence was born, but I'll never forget the night of November 6th. You lifted up my shirt, looked at my tummy, and said, "Brother, come out!" A few hours later Daddy and I were headed to the hospital and Spence was born the next morning! Did I ever say thank you for that? I was really ready for Spence to be here! It took you a while to warm up to Spence, but you were a great big brother from the start!

One of the first pictures of you two together

At your second birthday party

You enjoyed so many things during your second year, and you were just more and more fun.

At the Livestock Show

Enjoying Montana

Doing what you do best: being silly!

Christmas 2007

If it's possible, you get sweeter and sweeter all the time! At 3, you were turning into my big boy. With Spence getting around now, you had a new best friend.

3rd Birthday at the Fire Station

Mother's Day 2008

Your first swimming lessons

And now you are 4. You are such a big helper. You love to help me in the kitchen, you always put your dirty clothes in the hamper, and you help Spence in so many ways. He is very blessed to have a big brother like you. Now we're going to have another baby in our family soon. You say you want a sister, so we'll see if you stick with that! I know you'll be such a big help with the new baby.

At your 4th birthday party

Just so you'll know what you were like at 4:

You love to watch cartoons. Your favorites are Super Why, Clifford, Batman and Scooby Doo, and Superman. Every Sunday night you sit with Daddy and watch the Baby Dog Show (America's Funniest Videos). You love to go to parks. Your favorite meal is McDonald's chicken nuggets. Every time we go, you say, "I want chicken nuggets, fries, chocolate milk, a new toy, and a straw." You like to eat Cinnamon Toast Crunch mixed with Life cereal for breakfast. And your favorite spoon is the frog spoon (it's like a straw spoon that let's you drink the milk from you bowl). You gave up naps a long time ago! Your best friends are Spence, Eric, Wyatt, and Keller. Even though Keller and his family moved before you turned one, you guys act like you've never been apart when we get together. It's amazing! You even talk on the phone to one another every now and then! You love to act silly and be the center of attention some times. You did not like being on the stage for the Christmas program at your school! You can be very serious, and you are a deep thinker. You have really good problem solving skills too. Books can keep you occupied for long periods of time.

You make me laugh and smile every day. Some days you make me want to pull out my hair and go in the bedroom and lock the door! But those days make me appreciate all the fun times even more. Happy birthday to my sweet, precious little boy, who's not really a little boy anymore! I thank God that He is allowing me to be your mother. I love you more than you know!

Love, Mommy

Coleman's Batman Party

It was either a tornado or a herd of 4 year old boys that ripped through our house today! We celebrated Coleman's birthday, and boy was it fun! Coleman's friends Eric, Wyatt, Keller, Will, Bradley, and David came. Along with six mommies, one daddy, two sisters, Nana and Poppa, Grandma, Mommy, Daddy, and Spence. Coleman chose a Batman theme. As the kids arrived, they played until it was time to eat pizza. Then Coleman opened his presents. When all the gifts were opened and played with for a few minutes, we had cake and ice cream. Finally it was time to pass out the party favors, but they were gone! The Joker had left one of his Joker cards informing us that he had stolen their goodies. He left clues to lead the kids on a treasure hunt to find them. The first clue led the boys to the dining room, then the fire place, the piano, the bathroom, and finally Coleman's room. In each place they found another Joker card with a clue. I hope the kids had as much fun as I did! Now I've got to wrap this up so I can start the clean up!

The Batman Cake

Say, "Blue Icing!!!"

Can you believe Grandma came all the way from Montana for my birthday party?!?!

Coleman can hardly wait to open all his gifts



Time for cake!

Yummy!

It was pretty chilly, but the kids decided to go out and play on the fort.

Thanks to all of Coleman's friends for coming to his party. It was a fun day, and I'm sure he'll be talking about it for a long time! Now time for Mommy to say, "I CAN'T BELIEVE MY BABY IS FOUR!!!"

First Belly Shot

Now that I really look pregnant I'll post a picture of myself. I am 16 weeks along. I know it looks as though I'm a bit further along than that. I tend to have that "just shoved a basketball under my shirt" look when I'm pregnant!


Thanks for the inspiration to take this picture Candice! You look great!

No Details, Please

I'm not even going to try to figure out how to put into words the day I had today. Let's just say a certain almost 4 year old, who has taken a liking to going pee pee in the park, took the "park potty break" to a whole nother level today. Mid-pee he's yelling at me about what's happening and I go over to see. Yes, it was bad. I'm not going into detail, but it was a mess. When we, I mean I, finally got it all cleaned up we headed for the car. Not 10 steps from the car, Spence (who now had a dirty diaper which I couldn't change because I had used almost all the wipes) fell in the only mud within a 5 mile radius. I was not as calm and collected as I was during the whole powdered sugar incident. I'm afraid I lost a little of my cool. I guess that's allowable, or at least understandable? I remember thinking, "At least #3 isn't here yet." I might have lost it completely. Anyone else have a similar day?

Remember When You Dislocated My Elbow, Mom?

I'm getting my revenge.

Yours truly,
Spence


Why did I not get around to putting that door knob cover on the pantry door? If only I hadn't put that off, I would not have spent an hour last night cleaning the kitchen floor.

Spence, who has mastered the art of opening doors, was being a little too quiet in the kitchen last night. As I walked into the kitchen, I wasn't sure what I was seeing. It didn't take long to realize that he had found an open bag of powdered sugar. It was originally not almost empty. It's less than half full now.



Coleman was the first to find a broom and start "cleaning." As we swept, powdered sugar filled the air. You could taste it! It was like I was having dessert while I cleaned. Of course I was wearing black pants. You can only imagine. And I've also come up with a new saying. Instead of "sticking to something like white on rice," it's now "sticking to something like powdered sugar on grout." Let me tell you, powdered sugar is not easily removed from tile grout. After mopping, the floor is mostly just a sticky mess. This morning Brian had his shoes on and stood in one spot for a few seconds. When he moved, you could hear his shoes ripping off the floor! Since we're having people over for Coleman's party Saturday, and there could be more incidents, I've decided not to mop again until Friday. Hopefully we can make it.




I didn't even take a picture of all the powdered sugar in the pantry because, well, to be honest, I don't want the inside of my pantry to be seen! The mini shop vac Brian got us for Christmas came in handy last night! It was a lot easier to transport to all the sugary piles I swept up than the big, heavy shop vac.

Gotta love this little guy! "Gimme some sugar!"

Coleman Wants to Be a Blogger

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*****Brian just got home from work and asked, "What's with the silly post today?" To which I replied, "What?" So if you saw this post earlier today and were confused, let me straighten things up. This is what happens when I allow Coleman to play at the computer. He's getting good though, because I was working on a post, and he created a new post, typed the above all by himself, and hit publish. He just forgot to give it a title!*****

Guest Blogger.....

This morning Amanda had an eye doctor appointment*, so an appeal was made for me to take the boys to Mother's Day Out. Whenever we go to church, or in this case MDO, I try to comb Coleman's habitually unruly hair. His concession this morning was I could comb it, but use no water. Everyone was happy.

After I comb it, I always to try to flatter him on how good it looks so he will be more likely to let us “tame the beast” again. He then loves to look in the mirror and repeat my compliment. It was raining this morning and as we were getting out of the truck, Coleman wanted his hood up so that, "the rain won't get my handsome hair all soggy."

I just thought that was funny.
-B-

*Sorry Brent and Dre, we'd like to use you guys, but a plane ride to DIA would defeat the purpose of getting cheep medical care from family.

Thanks to Ike

And our insurance company! Due to storm damage we were able to get new siding, paint, and a new roof. Here are some pictures.

Our house was built in 1979, and it showed! The diagonal siding, a faded brown that was chipping, made all the angles stand out. Some of the siding was a cedar wood that was not in good shape.

Drum roll please...


The new siding is horizontal, so it helps deemphasize the angles. The paint is also a more neutral color that gives the house a little more curb appeal! The new roof also looks great!

Here you also get a good look at Coleman's new window (upstairs), our new master bath window (small one), and the master bed window Brian and my dad put in where the sliding glass door was before. They also put the back door in a while back, so all the windows and doors on the back of the house are new! We should so go on This Old House!

The bushes in front of the garage used to be fuller, but the siding guys had no regard for plant life! One day I was walking up and one of the guys was looking at me smiling while he rammed his ladder over and over into that small dark green bush. I'm guessing they don't have a landscaping business on the side (or maybe they do and they're hoping we call them soon).

Best Buds

Yesterday morning when Spence got up he told me his tummy hurt. I carried him down the stairs then put him down on the tile floor. He immediately puked. After drinking some juice he puked again. Then he was just as happy as could be! We were supposed to go to a play group at a park, and I didn't want Spence puking in my car or exposing other kids to anything. So Coleman and I went and I left Spence home with Brian. After arriving at the park, Coleman wined and moped for 15 minutes before he began playing. He kept saying, "I want to play with Spence." A little later I got a call from Brian. Spence was fine so they had walked over to a neighborhood park. Spence was asking to play with Coleman! Isn't that so sweet? They are truly best buddies. I hope it lasts!

As for Spence's arm, he hasn't had any more problems. He never even acted like it was sore! Now we will never speak of this again, understood?

When They Hand Out Awards for 2009...

...maybe the first day of the year will be long forgotten and Worst Mommy of the Year will not be awarded to me! Oh, Happy New Year everyone! We started out the year with a trip to the 24 Hour Emergency Room. For anyone who knows our two boys, you're probably guessing it was the older, adventurous (ok, wild) child that had to be taken. You would be incorrect. My sweet, younger, more cautious child had the honor of First Pikkula Boy to the ER. And it was all my fault!

We were at the mall tonight and I was trying to get Spence to keep up with us, so I picked him up by his hands and started swinging him from side to side. He immediately started crying, cried all the way home, and held ice on his wrist for 30 minutes as I held him on the couch. He asked for a bubble bath, so we thought if he got in the tub and forgot about his wrist, he was probably OK. He did not forget about it, and continued to keep his arm tucked in close and held his wrist. We figured they would do an X-ray, and I wouldn't be able to go into the room with him since I'm pregnant, so Brian took him to the ER clinic. They returned less than an hour later with a diagnosis of Nursemaid's elbow. You can click the link there, but it's basically a dislocation of the elbow joint. Brian said the doctor had to rotate Spence's arm to pop it back into place, and Spence flinched a little, but didn't even cry. The doctor said it's common for the child to hold his wrist because that helps isolate the elbow so it doesn't move.


If you are contacted by the Worst Mommy of the Year selection committee, tell them that I have learned my lesson and will not be swinging my children or grabbing them by the hands any more. I have 364 more days to prove that I am not the worst mommy in America! I have to go get busy baking cookies and planning fun excursions! Here's to no more ER visits in 2009!