Fat Lip

We have hardwood floors throughout the majority of our house. For a whole bunch of reasons they are great and I love them. But sometimes not so much.

Thursday night Luke busted his lip not once but twice on the hardwood floors. The first time he was running and fell. As best we could tell he busted that little muscle (?) that connects your front teeth to your lip. No sooner had we gotten him calmed down and the bleeding stopped (when Luke bleeds, he bleeds ALOT), he was playing with his dump truck rolling it on the floor and his hand slipped, the truck rolled and he fell on his mouth again. More blood. More screaming. He wasn't too fond of me sticking my fingers in his mouth, but after a quick check I don't think he knocked any of his teeth loose. He's now up to 8 - 4 on top, 4 on bottom and Lord knows we want to keep 'em.

Fortunately for all of us, this injury didn't keep him from being able to suck his thumb when he goes to bed. Even with a fat lip, isn't he just the cutest?

Throwback Thursday

The date: Spring 1989
The place: Roswell, Georgia or more specifically right before the Roswell High School Senior prom.
The mood: All I know is that these two girls were sisters and one of them was Kevin's date. I'm loving the big 80's hair and Kevin's glasses. I also love that the girl in the red dress has a GIANT bow on her chest. Classic 80's.

Like Sands Through The Hour Glass

These are the days of our lives. . .

Kevin is out of town.

Fletcher has some kind of illness. In the interest of not grossing you out like I did on Monday's post, let's just say we've gone through about 6 pairs of underwear on Tuesday and he stayed home from school.

Luke and Fletcher's allergies have their noses running like faucets. I feel like I should just carry around the Kleenex box or at the very least shove a bunch in my bra since I seem to be wiping noses constantly. Luke runs away every time he sees me coming to wipe his nose and he's been really cranky.

I am not complaining. This is just part of having kids. Fletcher probably picked up his illness from church on Sunday. We've managed to make it through this winter with very little illness in our house. There have been some serious stomach viruses, colds and other junk going around and thankfully we've remained relatively healthy. I know there are parents whose kids are constantly sick with ear infections or viruses or who knows what. Our kids must eat dirt when I am not looking because their immune systems are pretty tough.

But did I mention Kevin was out of town?

Laissez Les Bon Temps Rouler

That's French for "Let the good times roll."

Today is Mardi Gras. Fat Tuesday.

It's just one more reason for people in Louisiana to have a party. I can say that because I grew up in Louisiana. However, I really didn't participate in the festivities since most of them were in New Orleans and my family wasn't Catholic. Now the festivities have permeated the state and spilled over into other states so lots of people celebrate Mardi Gras before Ash Wednesday kicks in.

Do you want to know just how big of a deal Mardi Gras is in Louisiana?

I was in college - COLLEGE - before I realized that everyone everywhere didn't get a few days off for Mardi Gras as a holiday. I just thought everyone got off school or work for Mardi Gras because we always did. My college friends from north Louisiana had heard about Mardi Gras holidays but never got to experience them. I had to laugh because my very Baptist, very anti-partying college still had a "Spring Holiday" that always coincided with Mardi Gras. Every. Single. Year. Coincidence? I think not.

So here's to plastic babies in King Cakes and beads and parades and Krewes and all that jazz.

Laissez Les Bon Temps Rouler indeed!

Proud Family Moments

You know how sometimes family members have gifts and talents that they may not share with everyone? There may be a sister who can crochet or a brother that can juggle or a nephew that can burp the alphabet without taking a breath or a husband whose head is filled with random triva or a cousin who has a metal plate in her head.

Sometimes these talents go unrecognized for years and thus, the family member is never properly encouraged to use and develop these talents to better his or her family or community.

And sometimes all that creativity stays bottled up for so long that it finally explodes and you get this:

This is a cake. A real edible cake. Created by my brother and my niece. For their annual Church Youth Mission Cake Auction Fund Raiser. Wait? Did I just say church? Yes, indeed I did. Don't click on it to enlarge it unless you want to be grossed out.

Yeah, so those pictures of Luke didn't happen this weekend. It was really cold here and his nose was running constantly so they wouldn't have turned out very good. Maybe next weekend.

Spelling Bee

Side note: Fletcher loves the concept of wrestling with Dad but in the heat of the battle, he sometimes wimps out especially if he is not winning.

The scene: Fletcher and Kevin are wrestling on the floor.

Fletcher (in his best loud, frustrated voice): DAD! N-O! (spelling the letters).

Kevin continues to wrestle.

Fletcher: Dad! N-O spells STOP!

Happy 18 months to Luke today. The time has flown by. We are going to try to get some good pictures of him this weekend if the weather and the 18 month old cooperate.

Throwback Thursday

The date: Then - 1970. Now - last weekend

The place: Then - my front yard. Now - our front yard.

The mood: Then - I don't know where we got our red tractor but I remember riding it.

Now - Kevin's boss gave us this tractor that his boys outgrew. Luke can't pedal it yet but he loves it when Kevin pushes him around on it. I think we are probably close to the same age in these pictures.

Family Project - Part Two

The dirt is in. The plants are in. The rabbit fence is around the garden (until we get a nasty letter from our HOA telling us we didn't submit plans and ask for approval).


We might get snow next week. Arghhhhhh!


First a quick video and then two pictures for those of you who still use dial up and have trouble getting videos. I won't mention any names but these are the same people who still don't have call waiting and only recently switched from rotary dial phones. . .

Left to right strawberries (that's mulch on top of them), broccoli, lettuce, onions, carrots.

I realize it may look like Kevin and Fletcher are doing all the work, but someone had to take pictures. Luke "helped" by pulling up several of the onion plants right after we put them in. Maybe it is a combo rabbit/toddler fence.

Fine Line

I've been trying to teach Luke how to put things where they belong. We sing the "Clean Up" song as we put toys back on his shelves and in bins. Right now I am doing most of the cleaning up, but he is starting to learn just like Fletcher did when he was this age. I am starting to wonder if he is getting a little OCD because he absolutely cannot walk past a door or cabinet that is open without closing it. Pantry door open just a bit? He runs by. Stops. Turns around and runs back to close it. Door to the garage is open so mommy can unload the groceries? He promptly closes it over and over again no matter how many times I tell him to leave it open.

I've also been having Luke put his clothes in the hamper in the laundry room after his bath or in the morning when I get him dressed. It is very cute to watch him walk down the hall and into the laundry room and throw his stuff into the hamper.

However -

He seems to be a little confused as to the definition of "laundry hamper". In our kitchen we have one of those trash cans that is built in to our cabinets right next to our sink. Luke knows how to open it. This weekend Kevin found a pair of his socks and his tshirt in the trash. Sunday night we found Fletcher's slippers in the trash.

Obviously, my training is not done yet.

I guess that's one way to make sure everybody keeps their stuff picked up.

Speaking of Luke, he now has a new "mad face". I would love to get a picture of him doing it but I can't make any promises. If he is doing something he isn't supposed to do and we tell him "No" (throwing food on the floor, hitting the dog, etc). He furrows his eyebrows, squints his eyes, pooches out his lips and grunts. It makes us laugh every time he does it which doesn't help when we are trying to reprimand him. I can't decide if he made this one up on his own or saw someone else doing it and he is trying to copy him/her. Surely, it wasn't me.

Happy Birthday, Aunt Stacie!

Today is a special day for Aunt Stacie! Happy Birthday! We wish we could be there to celebrate with you. She'd kill me if I said how old she is. Let's just say I know how she feels. :)

She is a great wife and mom. She is part of a ministry called Moms in Touch for moms who pray for their children, teachers and classmates. She also helps out with MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) so some frazzled new moms can get a much needed break from their children. While you'll probably never see her up on a stage in a spotlight, she has a heart for other people and she quietly and effectively helps where there's a need.

I know she loves our boys and they love her. Her kids are a few years older than ours so she has traveled many of the "parenting roads" that we are now on. I appreciate the fact that she (and Gavin) seeks God's direction in raising their children and stick to it even if it means having to make unpopular decisions. I also appreciate her wisdom and insight and the fact that she can remain calm and usually laugh in most situations where I would freak out. She helps me remember not to take life too seriously because I might miss something.

Stacie is more than just a sister-in-law, she is a great friend. We love you. We miss you. And we hope you have a great day!

Happy Valentine's Day

I realize Valentine's Day is actually on Saturday but since I don't post anything on Saturday I figured we do it a day early.

Valentine's Day is an interesting holiday. My husband thinks it is a cruel conspiracy created by the Hallmark corporation to force people into spending lots of money to profess undying love for those they care about. In fact, the first time I ever hung out with Kevin was in late January. We were all at a restaurant waiting for our table (I had been invited by some of my friends who were also friends with Kevin). Kevin was on his soapbox about Valentines Day explaining that guys just can't win on that day. If they go all out then the girl will expect that every time. If they don't do much, then the girl will think the guy is a loser. I remember interrupting him in mid sentence and asking him, "Does this mean I won't be getting any flowers from you on Valentine's Day?" He was speechless. For the record, we went on our first date Jan. 31 and he did in fact give me flowers on that Valentine's Day (another very funny story).

This year Fletcher is excited about giving Valentines to his preschool class. He choose Star Wars cards. We also made a few homemade cards to mail to our families. Our Valentine's Day will be very low key. I know all of my boys love me and I don't need flowers or candy or chocolates on a particular day of the year for them to prove it to me. Plus, they all know I keep myself well supplied with my "secret stash" of dark chocolate M&M's. So honey, you are off the hook.

I'll leave you with some pictures of our cute boys. They were watching TV. I use the term "watching" very loosely with Luke. He sits on the sofa for about 3 seconds then climbs down and runs away. I can get him to sit a little longer if I tell him to hold Fletcher's hand.

Throwback Thursday

The date: May 2002

The place: Times Square, New York City

The mood: Kevin surprised me with a trip to NYC for our fourth anniversary. We had so much fun. I accidentally found out about the surprise a little early. Our American Express bill came and I was looking over the charges. I saw charges for a plane ticket to NYC and I wondered what in the world Kevin was doing booking a plane ticket to NYC without me and without mentioning it to me. After a brief conversation he had to spill the beans and I had to learn not to snoop around if he is planning a surprise.

25 Random Things About Me

This has been going around Facebook so some of you have seen my list. But I'm having some blogger's block which is similar to writer's block and I don't have much to write about this week. I keep waiting for the boys to do or say something funny, but they are not coming through for me.

1. I eat M&M’s two at a time and they have to be the same color. When I get to the end of the bag, if the colors don’t match up, I go with the ones that are the closest on the color wheel. Hey, this list is supposed to be random. Don’t judge me.
2. I can’t eat M&Ms at the movie theater because it is dark and that limits my color matching ability.
3. I don’t wear much jewelry – usually just my wedding ring and earrings.
4. I love to travel. I’ve been to Israel, Costa Rica, Mexico, Brazil, and several states. Sometime for fun and sometimes on mission trips.
5. I really like going to bed and waking up with a clean kitchen sink so I run our dishwasher after dinner. My husband eats a bowl of ice cream every night before bed. He puts the dish, spoon, and ice cream scoop in my clean sink every night. We’ve been married for ten years. I try to let some things go.
6. I don’t do Starbucks, manicures, pedicures, massages, etc (only with a gift card).
7. My one guilty pleasure is having someone clean my house every two weeks (see #6 – this is my justification)
8. My favorite place is Watercolor, Florida. It’s beautiful and it holds fun memories for us.
9. I am not athletic at all. My lowest grade in college was in Tennis. Apparently, I could do integrals and derivatives in Calculus; I just couldn’t hit a small yellow ball with a racket.
10. I am highly competitive at board game and card games. I admit the ugly side of me comes out. This has caused some intense moments in my marriage.
11. I used to work for a computer software training company. One of our clients was the PGA TOUR. I worked on a project for three years where I would fly to the PGA TOUR and Senior PGA TOUR tournaments and teach the pro golfers how to use their new laptop computer that IBM had given them. I taught the players how to check emails, check their stats, their retirement accounts (zoinks!) and other things. I got to go to awesome places in Hawaii, California, Arizona, etc. all on the company tab. I don’t really follow golf so I didn’t know most of the players coming in for training. I do have some fun stories from those trips, but they are too long to share in this list.
12. Both of our boys are adopted. The older one looks a little like Kevin and the younger one looks a little like me. I think that’s neat.
13. I don’t scrapbook. I’m not that creative. I blog instead.
14. I love finding bargains either in stores or online. But I don’t buy it just because it is on sale.
15. I hate fashion trends. They annoy me. Or maybe I’m just not funky enough to pull them off so go ahead and wear your trendy scarf tied 43 different ways with your UGGs.
16. I over think home decorating decisions. That is why we’ve lived in our new house for almost a year and a half and still don’t have many pictures hung on the walls.
17. I really love good Tex-Mex . Unfortunately, TexMex in Florida and North Carolina stinks.
18. I wear socks to bed because my feet are like ice cubes. But I end up taking them off in the middle of the night. Consequently, my sheets are filled with numerous pairs of socks. I think this annoys Kevin (see #5 ).
19. I really don’t like cold weather – 75 degrees or higher is comfortable to me.
20. I loved teaching Sunday School to college students and singles – haven’t done it in years. Miss it a lot.
21. Clutter drives me crazy.
22. “I was in a band in college” sounds better than “I was in a Christian singing group in college that travelled to churches.”
23. I met Kevin at our singles group at church. We dated for 7 months before he proposed then we were married 9 months later. He proposed using chocolate chip cookies from the Doubletree Hotel (my favorites) and the lyrics to the George Strait song “Check Yes or No”. He didn’t sing them. He wrote on a piece of paper “Will you marry me? Check yes or no.” I was freaking out because I didn’t have a pen. He said a verbal response would be sufficient.
24. My current favorite show is The Office, but I was really sad when Friends went off the air.
25. Most people don’t believe me when I tell them I’m 40 years old.

Shingles

Kevin has shingles.

Shingles normally occurs in people over the age of 60.

Shingles is stress related.

Make your own conclusions.

Thankfully, they are not hurting him too much. We are trying to be careful because Luke hasn't been vaccinated yet for chicken pox. Fletcher has. The virus that causes shingles is the same one that causes chicken pox so it is possible that Luke could catch chicken pox from Kevin's shingles. It is highly unlikely, but possible.

I had shingles when I was in the 6th grade. I'm not sure what that says about my stress level as a 6th grader. I had them on my right hip. They were very itchy. I do recall my brothers telling me that if they made a ring completely around my waist that I would die. I spent every day for two weeks hoping and praying they wouldn't spread. There's nothing like the comforting words of family members when one is ill.

More family birthdays this month! Happy Birthday to our niece, Amanda! We hope you have a wonderful day.

Family Project - Part One

We're starting a little family project here on Snickelfritz Lane.

I've been wanting to try to do a garden for awhile now, but I have somewhat of a black thumb. I have trouble keeping houseplants alive - ivy to be exact. Yeah, I know, supposedly you can't kill ivy, but I did.

A few weeks ago I went to a seminar on "Instant Organic Gardening". The master gardener giving the presentation is a big fan of raised bed gardens. Here in the Carolinas our soil is mostly red clay so not much will grow in it. But if you start with a raised bed with rich soil (and no weed seeds), the seeds or plants are much more likely to grow.

My dad is an awesome gardener. He's actually had two gardens for as long as I can remember. He grows tomatoes, cucumbers, corn, strawberry, beans, peppers and more. Fletcher loves visiting and "helping" in his garden and always asks PawPaw about his garden when he talks to him on the phone. Fletcher is at a great age to really help and enjoy the process.

So part one of the project is building the raised bed. We left this part up to Kevin since he is good with tools. The bed is 3' X 8' and it is made out of cedar. We'll fill this bed with "dirt" -- a mixture of compost, sand and fertilizer. Then we will put in our spring plants. For the spring we are going to try strawberries, carrots, onions, broccoli and a buttercrunch leaf lettuce. These are all things that do well in this area and we like to eat all of them! We are a little worried about deer and rabbits, but we are reading about remedies to keep them out. The good thing is that with a bed this small we can also just put a netting material over them if the pests get too bad.

Here are a few pictures of Kevin building the bed. He did mention to the neighbors that he was a little worried that his wife was having him build a box that was just big enough for him to fit in. HA!




This is where it will go in our backyard. We had to find a spot where it will get 6 hours of sun per day.

Stay tuned for our progress. . .

Picky, Picky

I think I have mentioned this before on this blog, but I was a very picky eater growing up. Nowadays, most pediatricians tell parents of picky eaters to "serve a wide variety of foods", "don't make it a battle", and "they'll eat when they are hungry". Well, I was a little on the thin side and I was very stubborn. I think my parents were concerned that I would starve just to prove my point so eating was always a battle. I'm thankful now that they made me try new things and didn't make any special accomodations or meals for me. As I grew older, I did start eating a wider variety of foods, but I'm still not the most adventurous eater in the world.

Can I just tell you that I am very thankful that my boys are not like me when it comes to food!!! I worried that my children would also be picky eaters. But these boys continually amaze me with what they will eat.

The other day I made a spinach salad and Fletcher ate it for dinner and the again for lunch the next day. Spinach! I know some adults who don't eat that. A few nights ago we had a different kind of lettuce with our dinner. We had finished eating and Fletcher said, "I'm still hungry." I asked him what he wanted and he said (I am not making this up), "I think I'll have more salad."

I bought some cauliflower the other day because it was on sale. I found a recipe that was basically baking it in olive oil and garlic until it was crunchy. Luke ate a huge serving that night at dinner and ate more the next day! Cauliflower.

I realize they won't always necessarily be like this, but it sure is nice right now. I want to document it so later on when they won't eat certain things I can remind them of how it used to be.

Throwback Thursday

The date: Spring, 1974

The place: Frasch Elementary

The mood: My mom kept this little booklet that I made in kindergarten summarizing everything I had learned how to do (colors, shapes, letters, etc). I found it the other day and showed it to Fletcher since he is 5 and I was 5 when I made the booklet. This page is somewhat perplexing. The title is "We Like To Rhyme" so the two pictures that I drew are supposed to rhyme. I am having THE HARDEST time figuring out what in the world the pictures are. (I think I know two of them).

So here's your chance to guess. Leave your answers in the comment section.

I'll Have a Slice Of That

Kevin and Fletcher are discussing the Israelites wandering around in the desert and how they got there.

Kevin: Do you remember what God provided for them to eat?

Fletcher: um, uh, no.

Kevin: It was manna. God only gave them enough for each day. But the Bible says they occasionally got something else. It only happened a few times. Do you remember what it was besides manna?

Fletcher: Dessert?


(the answer is quail in case you were wondering - Genesis 16)

Snapshots

A typical day in the life of a 17 month old:

Getting up.

Getting dressed.

Quiet time.

Commuting.

Answering the phone.

Sorting the mail.

Taking a break.

In a meeting.

Callin' it a day.

Superbowl XLIII

Kevin's parents made a recent trip to Arizona and sent the boys Super Bowl t-shirts. They wore them to church Sunday morning and then they wore them to watch the game.

Fletcher was pulling for the Steelers.

We were trying to get them to make "tough guy" faces.