Brady is Walking!

This past week has been lots of fun. Brady celebrated his first birthday on the 10th, and we had a blast. Nathanial took the day off of work and we just hung out, opened presents, ate cake, and enjoyed being together as a family. Then over the next few days, Brady started walking. He took his first couple of consecutive steps the day before Thanksgiving, but wasn't really into it until the last few days.






We also got our first few flurries over the last week. There was enough snow this morning that we took a walk to the school and let Thomas play in the snow there. He is loving Christmas.



So for your enjoyment, here is a really short clip of him walking. He doesn't walk very far, but he can really go when he wants to go. We are looking forward to the Christmas Season, and have lots of fun planned. It is such an enjoyable time for us. Thomas and Brady are such sweet children and make life so much fun, with never a dull moment.

Silent Monks singing "Hallelujah Chorus"

I came across this today and thought it was quite fun. Hope you enjoy!

Week in Review..

This past week has been a bit crazy. We have been working really hard on getting our living room ready for Christmas. This meant installing a fire place mantel. You can kind of see the fireplace in this picture before our hard work.


Now here is the after:


I think it turned out really nicely. I think it changes the look of the room tremendously. I am not sure if I will ever want to take down my Christmas now. I have wanted a fireplace for as long as I can remember to decorate. And I love how the mantle is full of nativities that we have gathered in our 5 Christmas seasons together.

Thomas and Brady both love the Tree. Amazingly enough they both do really well at just looking instead of touching, but they do try. We haven't put up the train yet though.



Today Thomas is going in for his post op dr appointment, and then we are going to start getting ready for our trip to Aunt Debbie's next week for Thanksgiving. I can't believe Thanksgiving is only a week away. Where did November go?

Halloween and Fall Fun

Halloween was a success this year. Thomas loved it and Brady tolerated it. It is so fun to watch Thomas as he finally understands why Halloween is so much fun. I was so proud of him as he gave out candy. I think he enjoyed giving away candy more than getting it (but not more than eating it).

So Brady was the traditional Jack-o-Lantern riding in a haywagon (he didn't appreciate the hay so we left it out after the trunk or treat).



Thomas was Bob the Builder, and Nathanial was Scoop, the tractor.


They both ended up riding most of the way as we went trick or treating. Thomas tired out after the first street, and Nathanial had gone back to hand out candy, so I pulled them both around until Thomas was done.



We have a small tree in our front yard that has dropped all of its leaves. Thomas has spent hours playing with them. He rakes them, shovels them, puts them in the wagon, dumps them out, and even figured out how to jump into them. We spent many nice fall days outside in the leaf pile.
Brady didn't like them quite as much. The first few times the leaves touched him he started crying. Pretty soon though, he realized how much fun it is to eat them.







This fall has been a blast. Now that we are into Thanksgiving season, the fun indoors begins with lots of hands on crafts for Thomas.

Lessons we Learned

So we are finally home. This past week has been super crazy. Thomas had his tonsils out on Tuesday. He struggled from the beginning to eat anything. On Thursday he did really well, so we were hoping to have turned the corner. Unfortunately that was not the case. Friday morning started /out okay, but quickly started going downhill. By Saturday afternoon, we were having to force fluids in him by the syringe. Sunday morning dawned, only to find a lethargic and nearing non-coherent Thomas. He was refusing everything. He took his meds, then went right back to sleep. When he awoke a few hours later, he wouldn't even get out of bed. At this point, we knew he needed some help. We loaded up the car with both boys and enough stuff to hopefully get us through the afternoon and headed to the children's hospital ER.

He was quickly taken back around 11:30 (try 15 minutes from the time we signed in, had seen the triage nurse and were sitting in our room). It only took one look by the dr to confirm that he needed an IV started right away, He had lost 5 lbs in 5 days. He slept off an on. Nathanial and Brady were in and out of our room trying to keep Brady happy. After the initial bolust of iv fluids (a bolust I learned was a huge influx of fluids over a 30 minute period, then returning to a regular drip)and a dose of morphine, Thomas was still in pain and not drinking or eating anything. He wouldn't

At around 5:00, it was decided to call the ENT surgeon on call. After discussing our options with him, it was then determined that Thomas would not be able to be released until he could hold his own on fluids. They arranged for a bed upstairs. While Nathanial and Brady went home for things to entertain us overnight and into the next day, Thomas and Jodi were ushered up onto the Post-Op floor.

Well, needless to say, nothing much changed that night. They kept the fluids pouring in and tried to encourage him to drink but he refused. All day monday, we spent trying to encourage him to drink. Nothing worked. Around 4:00 the dr changed his pain meds. The next dose drew a dramatic change in Thomas. Withing 20 minutes he was drinking chocolate milk, eating pretzels dipped in pudding, and being cheerful. It was wonderful until he started exhibiting signs of a mild allergic reaction.

That put off another phone call to the on-call surgeon. They then decided to take this new drug off his orders and replace it with plain tylenol, since the tylenol with codeine wasn't helping either. I just about went into a panic. How could they take away what had made him feel better to the point that he was eating the first time in a week?

After calling my personal pharmacy information number (my mom), we came up with a possible solution. After speaking with the doctor, we got to keep the blessed Loratab, just coupled with a bit of Benedryl.

So we finaly figured it out. Thomas does not respond to Tylenol 3 or Morphine (it must be genetic on Jodi's side). And once the pain was under control, Thomas returned to normal.

So what I learned was not to doubt my instinct. I knew something more than just "not wanting to eat out of fear" was to blame. And I'm glad our wonderful nurse was able to convince the doctor to make it work.

We are very grateful to be home. We are also so grateful to have such an awesome children's hospital so close by. They were wonderful and truly made our time there almost enjoyable.

Thomas's Surgery

On Tuesday, Thomas had to go and get his Tonsils and Adenoids taken out. The poor child was scared to death and really didn't want to have to do it, but it really needed to be done to help his sleep and breathing.

We are so fortunate to be only 15 minutes away from the local children's hospital. They were so awesome. We got there and checked in pretty quickly. Thomas played while he was waiting and was super disappointed when we made him leave his car and go back into the pre-op room. After the nurse got his vitals (which took a while because we wouldn't let her look in his eyes or mouth), and after the anesthiologist came in, we got to go on a treasure hunt. We were told to follow the fishes. We walked down the hallway, turning several times and ended up in a room full of toys for children of all ages. Each child undergoing surgery gets to pick one toy out of the toy room. Thomas saw an airplane and snatched it up. He was super excited. I am sure the nurses were a bit annoyed. He was zooming that thing all over at the top of his lungs. They also brought out the anesthesia mask with a strawberry scent to it so he could play with it while he waited.

About 20 minutes before the procedure, they came and gave him a sedative to help alleviate some of his anxiety and to help him relax. When he got his tubes out last year it made him super giddy, this time it just made him tired. He was almost asleep when we left him outside the operating room.

Our doctor was really good and came out to let us know that the surgery was done. Thomas's right tube was actually out too, so they replaced it. They were unable to replace the tube in his left ear because there is still a large(larger than the tube) hole in his eardrum which may have to be repaired later on if it doesn't heal on its own.

His tonsils and adenoids were really big, so hopefully his sleep will be less interrupted and he will be able to stop snoring so loudly.

Today is day 4 of recovery. He seems to be getting better. Day 2 was really rough, he refused to drink anything and dehydration was setting in. He is drinking fine now though, and is starting to act more like his normal self (hence the last picture taken this morning after I got out of the shower).

9 Months old!

Brady is now 9 months old. He is learning new things all of the time. Today he started clapping. He crawls into everything, loves pulling up and seeing the world from a little higher. He is also scarfing down food like you wouldn't believe. He seems to not like a lot of texture, he refused the russet potatoes we had for dinner last night.

He is finally grown some. At 4 months, he was 18 lbs 4 oz, and 28" long. At 6 months, he was 19 lbs 12 oz and 28.5" long. And at his appointment today, he weighed in at 22 lbs 4oz!(between the 50th and 75th percentile) and is 30 " Long (90th percentile). He is going to surpass his cousins Catherine and Avery fairly soon.

He is tons of fun and always has a smile for everyone.

Thomas is going into surgery tomorrow. He has to have a tube placed back in his ear (his eardrum ruptured a few weeks ago so they are going to replace the one that fell out last October), and also is going to get his tonsils and adenoids removed. He is super nervous about it. Anytime we talk about it he clams up. So if you would be willing, he could definitely use some prayers during the next few days.

Nathanial is on yet another antibiotic for his now-confirmed Pneumonia. He had been feeling better after the first dose up until the end of last week. So hopefully this new antibiotic will kick the pneumonia to Timbuktu.

Time is slowly moving on? Yeah Right.

So this week, Brady has finally figured out the crawling bit. He was army crawling for the last 2 weeks, but couldn't really get going. But now it is official, he can crawl.It is fun to watch him crawl. He starts out on his hands and feet, then after a couple of movements, he is to his hands and knees. He is getting into everything, so unlike Thomas. It is amazing that they are so different from each other.

And to add to that, he has started pulling up on things. I was surprised that it happened so closely to crawling. It shouldn't have, but it did. My little monkey is growing up so fast.

Thomas is growing up too. He has finally given up afternoon naps. He no longer needs to sleep to make it through dinner. It has been a bit of a challenge getting Brady's nap in while Thomas rests, but we will get it all figured out eventually.

Thomas is learning his ABC's really well. He can now recognize about 50% of the letters and knows the sounds to a few of them. He picks things up so quickly. I hope to have all of the letters known by Christmas so we can start learning to read.

We haven't done much the last couple of weeks because we are all still recovering from some illness or another. Hopefully we have hit the end and won't have to deal with much until after Thomas's surgery in September.

And to top that off, only 119 days until Christmas! Yikes. I still have halloween to get through. Thomas is trying to pick his costume so I can make it for him. We are narrowing it down slowly, but who knows what it will end up being.

The last few weeks. . .

I have been MIA from my blog for the last few weeks. Life has been very busy. My sister came to visit us and we spent a week touring the area. We went to the zoo where I discovered my new favorite animal. It is called an Okapi (Oh-Copy) and looks like a mix of several animals. I love the ears.


We also visited COSI and got to see an actual Mummy and Sarcophagus. We went to Kirtland and got to see the Temple and visited the Church's Vister's center. Tons of fun. We went to TEd's Montana Grill and even got her to try a byson burger. We enjoyed having Jamie here and hope she enjoyed her trip too.

After her week here, I flew out with her and the 2 boys to Utah.We were there for a week when Nathanial flew out to join us. While we were there, we got to go to the zoo, go to our Niece, Jessica's baby blessing, had a nice bbq with our family, and went to the Oquirrh Mountain Temple Open House. We also went with Nathanial's mom to feed some ducks and then went bowling. Thomas had sooooo much fun. He kept telling everyone good job, and cheering them when they knocked over pins yelling "You got a strike out" About 1/2 way through the game, we had to explain to Thomas that when the ball didn't knock over any pins it wasn't a good thing. 3/4 the way through our game Jenny (my brother in law's girlfriend who is really nice) threw a gutter ball. Thomas saw it miss all of the pins, and then looked over at her and I swear he was going to cry. He then said, "Jenny, it's okay. It's okay." So sweet.

Now for updates on the boys, Thomas is going to be getting his tonsils and adenoids removed in the middle of september. They are large enough that they are impeding on his sleep. He doesn't really know yet, as the nurse recommended we wait until a couple of days before so he doesn't have so much time to worry himself about it. Thomas also got his first bike this week. He has tipped over a couple of times, but seems to do okay as long as we are right there with him (he is super nervous about trying new things).

Brady is still right around 20 lbs and now has two teeth. They came in within a couple of weeks of each other. Wednesday night he figure out how to get into the crawling stance, so it won't be much longer till he is off and crawling through the house. Brady also had a first this week, his first ear infection. We caught it fairly early on so we hope it doesn't get too painful for him.

I can't believe summer is almost over. Yesterday Nathanial and I hit the 5 year mark. Five years seems to have gone by so quick, but so much has happened and so much has changed. I can't believe yet another summer has passed us by so quickly. School is getting ready to start(not that it affects us at all) and I just can't believe that Christmas is only 139 days away. Yikes! Time to start decorating :)

Cool Website

A friend of mine showed me a cool website for scrapbooking/blogging. I spent a few minutes and thought it was tons of fun and super easy. These were my two projects that I came created.

Baby Quilt for my Niece: Tarence and Wendy Don't read!

So I have had requests to show the material and quilt pattern I am making for Nathanial's niece. She is due in the next few days so I had better get on it and get it finished. The light pink is the light blocks and striped blockes, the stripes are the dark color and the purple butterfly will be the medium blocks.

6 Month update

Brady has hit his 6 month mark. I can't believe he is already that old. He had his 6 month check up on Tuesday and he is right where he needs to be development wise. He is now able to sit on his own for quite a good deal of time (7 minutes straight yesterday at the museum). He is eating rice cereal, and loves having it in his mouth, but doesn't seem to understand that he is supposed to swallow too.

He weighed in at 19 lbs 12 oz, and is 28.5" tall. The dr is a little surprised by his growth (well the lack there of) as he only grew .5" since his last visit. He only gained 1 lb 11 oz too. So we are watching and hoping that he hits a big growth spurt soon and catches up to where he is supposed to me.

Thomas has had a rather uncomfortable week. Monday night he went running with Nathanial (he was running, Nathanial was walking with him). He tripped and fell scratching up both elbow and both knees. The worst part though was the road rash right under his nose.

Then to top that off, He went face first into the concrete steps in the garage and bruised his gums and loosened a couple of teeth. We took him to the dentist and everything looks like it will heal and be okay. I am so grateful for a good pediatric dentist that has an emergency number for after hours.

Other than that, we aren't up to much. Nathanial is back to a good running routine, and has another 5k on Saturday. I have been working out at curves and must admit I am loving the idea of working out (most of the time). It feels so good to have that adrenaline rush and get to have some personal time too.

A new Washer

Friday night we went and bought a new Washer and Dryer. The home warranty company sent us the money for a new washer, and we splurged a little for a matching set. We got a great deal on it by going through hhgregg. They matched the sale on last years model at home depot for this one. So far I love them. It is so nice being able to pull them out after only 1 drying cycle and finding them dried perfectly. I would have loved to get a nice red set, but I didn't find one in my price range that I liked. Maybe someday right?





It took quite a while for us to get them hooked up because the previous hoses were not coming off the hook ups. We ended up having to call a plumber to come and he had to cut them off. All in all it was a very expensive weekend, but I am so grateful for the home warranty and the fact that I no longer have to drag Thomas and Brady to the Laundromat to do our laundry. We are not able to fully close the laundry room closet doors because the dryer sits too far forward, but for now it will suffice.

I am so grateful that I am not a pioneer having to do laundry by hand. It surely would be a chore that I would despise.

RIP

To our dear washing machine. RIP. You have served us well. You were not with us long enough, but did what you could to make my life easier. Now I spend my afternoon sitting around the laundromat trying to keep two young children occupied while the machines whirl. You will be sorely missed, at least until we get a NEW one. YAY!!

Hopefully we will get the final word from our home warranty company tomorrow about what will happen to the old washer and if we will get any money to go towards a new one. Then it is off to the store (looking like home depot right now) to purchase a new washer and dryer. So excited for one that doesn't rumble and shake and flood the floor. Hopefully the dryer won't require 2-3 cycles to dry a load, that would be just perfect.

1st Dentist Appointment

Today was Thomas's first Dentist appointment. I didn't know how he would do, so Nathanial took some time off and went with us. Thomas wanted Daddy to go with him and so Brady and I waited in the waiting room. Thomas did a great job. They did a good cleaning and fluoride no problem. Thomas got to pick a little prize (a plastic snake) and a new toothbrush after he finished.

The best part was no cavities. I am so proud of him for sitting still and not freaking out. Good Job Thomas!

Bad on our part though. The dentist says current recommendations are for the first visit to be between 12 and 18 months (my AR dentist said at 3) so he is a bit behind, but now we are all set for the next six months.

Rolling Over!

Brady is now officially rolling over and Over. He has been able to roll from his back to his stomach for a while, but has just figured out that he can roll front to back. He is really starting to get into everything. Babyproofing time!

A sad story

Today while doing some surfing on the internet I came across this video. For All of you with toddlers and young children, please take a minute to watch.



The AAP had changed its recommendation of rf to 1 and 20. They are recommending you keep a child rf to the weight limit of the carseat as long as their is still one inch of shell above their head. Our children are priceless.

Sweet moments to Cherish

Nap time has been a real battle in our house for about the last 9 months. But I think I have finally found something that works. Today, Thomas was told that after he took a good nap, he would get to help me make brownies for our Family Home Evening. He was super excited and ran and laid down. I went in to tuck him in and remind him that he needed to stay in bed. As I was walking out the door, he asked me to Make Brady happy and not let him spit up. When I said I would, he smiled and rolled over to take his nap.

This afternoon ,after Thomas helped me bake the brownies. and after the sugar had time to kick in, we started a name that tune game with me humming songs he knows, and I was surprised at how many he guessed with out any additional help from me. He was stumped on "I hope they call me on a Mission" and I don't think he really knew that song.

This brought up missions. I was talking with him about missions and how to prepare. When I mentioned that he would be gone for 2 years, he stopped squirming looked up at me and said with a very concerned look on his face "You're going to miss me." That brought tears to my eyes. I can't believe how thoughtful this 3 year old is and how perceptive he is of those around him.

Mother's Day

For my Mom this year I took a picture of Thomas and Brady. She didn't have any updated ones of the two, so it was about time. Since I was trying to do it all by myself, it took a few tries. Thomas had just woken up and Brady was getting ready to go down for a nap. But we did it. With the editing help of my sister, the picture turned out just about perfect.

Happy Cinco De Mayo!

Hope everyone takes a few minutes to celebrate the Mexican Army's defeat of a previously undefeated French Army in 1862. It isn't Mexico's Independence day like I thought. It is only celebrated regionally, similar to Pioneer Day.

We have some new Friends in our neighborhood. Thomas is a little nervous about them, but they seem really nice. And although they walk on two legs, they aren't of the people kind.





These ducks come walking through every few days and just watch us people doing our thing. Thomas likes to watch them, but will not let them come too close without freaking out.

I get a week off!

Jodi asked if read her post about appliances wanting time off. I said I did. She said the washing machine has the week off because very little laundry has been done this week. She then said it is the dishwashers week off. Yipee for me! I am the official dishwasher of the house so I get next week off.

Nathanial

COSI: A Museum for families

We went to a museum on Saturday in Columbus. It was really fun. This museum has a lot of hands on stuff for families. There was even a section just for kids under 6, Thomas and Brady loved it.
We got to learn about space travel, Frogs and even got to see a man ride a unicycle on a high wire. It was really fun to spend time with Thomas and Brady. We were going to eat a picnic lunch, but it was too windy.

Enjoy

Very Important Info: Please Read!!

My mom sent me some info today that I thought you should all.

At five minutes and six seconds after 4 AM on the 8th of July this year,
the time and date will be 04:05:06 07/08/09.

I hope you know that this will not happen again in our lifetime or our great(x30) grandkids's lives.

Thanks Mom. I may just set my alarm so that I won't miss this momentous event.

Time Off Request?

"My washing machine wants a raise and my dryer the week off.They groan and complain whenever I come near them. It is like they can smell me coming. Soon my car will start crying every time I walk out the door and my stove will weep when I pass by.

It is amazing that these "things" are crying out due to over use and the puzzles and games and sandboxes grow cobwebs and dust bunnies play in my sewing machine .

Where did my time go? Why have I not caught up yet? Can I ever reach that moment when there is no more to do?

And yet here I am setting here in front of my pc that sometimes cries because I think it misses me as much as my husband misses me.

So maybe today I might give my appliances the day off, but then again I might have to have them work overtime this weekend if I do."

A friend of mine shared this to me and I loved it, So now I share it with you.

Family History

Since Nathanial is a new family history consultant, we decided to get on the move with our family history (we have been slowly starting over the last few weeks). We have a 15 generation chart that we are working on. We are working on 9 generations right now. Almost all of Nathanial's branches go that far back. We are 3/4 done with his line up to the 9 generation mark, and haven't even started my side yet. It is really cool to see where he is from. We have ancestors from 17 states and 4 other countries so far (Canada, England, Denmark and South Africa). So onward we go, we are trying to do a little each day. Soon we will have enough written down to know where to start looking for our lost limbs.

New Callings

Nathanial and I finally have new callings in our ward. Nathanial is a Family History Consultant and I am a visiting teaching supervisor and the Enrichment Activity Leader. These callings will keep us busy enough. I am nervous about mine, but know that I can do them especially if I get a good committee to help me.

Brady had his 4 month check up this last week and weighed in at 18 lbs 1.5 Oz, and is 28" long. He is in the 97% for weight and off the charts for height. No wonder his 6-9 month clothes are a bit snug.

Thomas is doing great. He is finally feeling better. HE was sick for 5 days running a fever and just feeling yucky.

I get to go and get tested for Allergies tomorrow since I seem to be experiencing some great hay fever. We will hope for nothing to show up. I don't think I could handle having to get shots every week.

Brothers Forever, Friends for life (I hope)

Thomas just absolutely adores his brother. He loves talking to him, singing songs to him and even holding him. I got out the camera this morning to take a picture of Brady for all of you to see. Thomas saw me and wanted a picture of both of them. So here you go. Here is the final result.

Update: We are now settled!

I haven't written in a while because life has been pretty crazy trying to get settled in our new house. We closed on March 19th and were able to move in on the 20th. We have just finished our 2nd week in the house and have already had two leaks!! We had to have a plumber come and fix one of them, and hopefully we got the other one fixed this afternoon.

Both boys are doing great. Thomas came down with a nasty virus Wednesday afternoon. It turned pretty ugly today and the poor child is miserable. His voice is raspy and he is running a pretty good fever. Brady seems to have avoided it so far and is sleeping in the pack n play in a different room to hopefully keep it that way.

Thomas is now 38" tall and weighs in at 33.5 lbs. He is right about average for his height and weight. Brady on the other hand is HUGE! He is nearing (if not over) the 17 lb mark and is now just as tall as his crib is wide (he bumped his head this morning when I put him down). I think that is about 18 inches. He is almost able to roll over, but can't seem to coordinate his shoulders and hips rolling at the same time in the same direction. He is so happy. I have included a video of Thomas making him laugh with a balloon. Thomas is such a great big brother. He is so caring. Today he was resting on his bed with a 103 degree fever and came looking for Brady because he heard him crying and wanted to make sure he was okay.

Nathanial is really enjoying his new office. We went to dinner with the young ones last on the 21st and had a blast. It was great to get to know them.

I just finished my last physical therapy appointment this week. I am hoping it can help me enough to keep surgery at bay until at least February of next year, but I don't know if that is really realistic. I am putting it off as long as possible though.

Well, here are a bunch of pictures from over the last couple of months. Hope you enjoy!

Sssshhhh! Thomas is 3!!

So Thomas turned 3 yesterday, with not a single party or celebration. No cake or ice cream, and no presents. He doesn't even realize it. We decided that since he is so young and doesn't really understand what day March 15th is, we will celebrate a little late this year. He went in for his check up today and weighd in at a whopping 33.5 lbs (up from 33 last year) and 38 inches tall. He is right about average for height and weight, but he looks like a shrimp compared to Brady's 16+ lbs and 27ish inches.

Thomas is getting a real big boy bed for his birthday and it is still sitting in storage. So we have the bedding, but no bed. We decided it would just be easier for us to celebrate in the new house. So this weekend will be full of festivities. We will be taking cupcakes to Nathanial's office in honor of Thomas' birthday, and then having a nice dinner for him, and maybe even take him to the water park too. We will have to see.

Hopefully everything will run smoothly this week and we can get moved in to celebrate.

Still waiting

We are still not in our new house. We have been waiting on a really slow bank to approve our loan. Cross your fingers we will be closing on Thursday. We are going insane stuck in this apartment. We had some new neighbors move in on last week, and the cigarette smoke is floating up through the pipes and infiltrating our bathrooms and laundry room. Thomas is going stir crazy, but there is no place for him to run and play nearby, so we stay in the apartment a bit to much. As a result, we have a lovely picture on the wall. Brady is growing so fast he is almost out of clothes to wear. We are down to around 3 outfits that still fit him comfortably.
Hopefully we don't run into any more roadblocks and we can get out of here soon!

No way! Already?

Saturday, Nathanial wnt to change Bady's Diaper. When he came back he showed me the biggest surprise. A little speck of white poking through his gums. We aren't one hundred percent sure it is a tooth, but if it is he is getting his left "I" tooth.

Move in Day is set and many other tangents. . .

So we are finally finished with the waiting (we think) on getting our house. The appraisal is done, the previous owner has agreed to fix everything but the fireplace (which isn't a necessity) so we are going full speed ahead to moving in. We are set to close on March 6th, and the movers are coming on Monday the 9th, which will give us time to clean the carpets, walls, sinks, tubs and toilets. And time to go and pickup my new piano.

For those who don't know, I left my piano in Arkansas, I gave it to a family who would use and appretiate it. I have been stalking craigslist looking for a good replacement. I found many a good deals, (a ebony baby grand for $2800 for example, but it had to be picked up to soon) and finally found what I hope is the right one. It is a cherry upright that will look beautiful and sound great once it is tuned.

Brady is growing up too fast. He weighed in at 15 lbs 13 oz on Friday, and has outgrown over half of the clothes we brought for him. Today he is wearing a 6-9 month outfit that Deputy Director of his last office gave us the night before we left. He is so happy most of the time. He loves to talk with us and seems to be adjusting really well. I wish I post a picture of his pouty face because it is just so darn cute.

Thomas is still trying to adjust. He doesn't understand the new house thing yet, but is enjoying life. He is about out of clothes too (particularly pajamas). He hasn't gained any weight over the last year, but his height has gained a couple of inches. He is about as good of a brother as Brady could ask for. He loves singing happy songs to him, and gives him lots of loves and kisses. He gets very concerned when Brady cries and wants to help. Thomas' birthday is coming up shortley (2.5 weeks yikes!). We are trying to decide what to get him for his birthday since he needs a new carseat pretty soon (I am amazed he has lasted this long) and we have so much we want to get for the new house.

So hopefully we can get our computer up and running once the movers unload it as I know you are all dying for some pictures.

We made it 2 weeks...

Today Nathanial had an EQ Basketball game. Thomas was needing a change of scenery so we accompanied Nathanial. 5 minutes into the game Thomas is off playing when I hear him start crying. He comes running over to me showing me his finger. I had noticed him pushing the folding chairs arouned, but it didn't register in my brain until I saw his finger what had happened. He had pinched his finger in the folding mechanism and broke off part of the nail. Luckily Brady was sleeping in his carseat so I left him with a sister from the ward and went to figure out what to do with a hurt finger.

So after the game, the bleeding had almost stopped, but I was concerned about whether or not he needed stitchs. So we headed to the nearnest instacare
(which is just behind our apartment complex)Turns out that Thomas didn't need stitchs, the doctor trimmed the nail and wrapped it up. Not too bad for a 10 minute visit.

So we made it 2 weeks in Ohio before we hit the urgent care. It took us almost 2.5 years in Arkansas to go to the er. Thomas seems to be doing okay. We will put up a picture when we get our computer up and going, but it is quite the sight being his middle finger and all. Luckily he doesn't understand about the bird...

Temporarily Settled In

So we have now been in Ohio fo 5 days. We are settled in our temporay apartment. Other than a few forgets, we got everything in the car that we will need. The biggest forget was my skirt for church. I had planned on wearing the same skirt all of the time while rotating through some blouses. I ended up leaving it in Utah and didn't realize it until 4:00 am sunday morning. I ended up wearing blue jeans to church. So much for making a good impression.

We are amazed at how big the apartment is. It is about the size of our house back in Arkansas, minus the 3rd bedroom. Thomas loves running around the living room (so grateful no one lives below us). Thomas has locked himself in his bedroom twice so far, and we are waiting for maintance to come and switch out the doorknob. Overall, both boys are doing fairly well. Brady may have a sore throat or is colicky, and cries quite abit unless (and even if) I am holding him. Thomas seems to be adjusting slowly. Hopefully Brady will come around soon so I can start Thomas and his preschool lessons.

Everything is moving along with our house. We are waiting for the snow to melt so the roof can be inspected. The sellers are willing to fix most of the issues that came up with the home inspection (and there are quite a few). Hopefully the roof checks out and we can move in early March. We are excited to get settled in.

Thomas misses me

With Jodi, Thomas, and Brady still in Utah, I have nothing better to do besides this. Oh, and get ready to move. When they dropped me off at the airport, Thomas cried. He did not want me to be somewhere else. He does just fine when I go away for work so this surprised me. He even prayed that I will go back to be with him. He talks my ear off when he talks to me on the phone since I have been gone. Good thing Brady doesn't fully know who I am.

Good News!

So we made it back from Ohio. We spent a week there in order to find a home and get things ready for our upcoming transfer. We left Tuesday mid-morning and got there just in time for dinner! Wednesday we spent the day looking at several homes. We had a good possiblity and had a few more to see on Friday. On Thursday we found a temporary apartment and spent time getting to know the area. Friday we spent the morning looking at the few remaining homes and put an offer in on the 2nd home we had seen on Wednesday. Saturday we spent the day waiting to hear back, only to find out we had lost out on that home. So we worried all day sunday and then went out Monday morning to hope for a miracle. We had three hours and 12 houses to see. We ended up finding 3 good options. We wrote up an offer during lunch and then headed to the airport. We found out later that night that the house was ours! So we are praying for a good buyout offer and that the inspections will go well.

Enjoy the pictures!