My favorite thing about Sunday

Besides going to see great friends from the church we used to go to, hearing an inspiring and challenging message from the Word, eating lunch at our favorite mexican restaurant ever, and getting more fabulous baby girl hand-me-downs from my friend T...

My favorite thing about Sunday was spending a lazy afternoon at the park.

Yes, Spring has arrived...and I'm so thankful!

It' a good thing I love him

This morning we went to church, came home and had yummy roast & veggies for lunch, and then went downstairs before P's nap to hang out for a bit. Joel was testing out his new sound system (bought off Craigslist) with a bit of Starwars playing on his new speakers. In one scene, P was like, "Mom...You have to come look at this girl." I wondered why he wanted me to see her. He said, "Don't you wish you could be like that girl?" I said, "What do you mean...Do you think she's pretty?" Of course he did. I asked him, "Do you think she's prettier than Mommy?" He answered, "Yeah."

Wow, talk about blunt! Kids have such a way with words. They call it like they see it. And the way they see it isn't always...NICE! :)

Happy Birthday, Momma!

Today is my Mom's Birthday. I won't say which Birthday. Age is not important. And she will read this. And she would kill me if I reveal her age. :)

My Mom is beautiful. In honor of her big day, I wanted to write what makes my Mom so amazing. There are a lot of things...but here goes:

She is a voice of reason. Even when things seem crazy to me, she knows what to say to bring me back to reality. Basically, she is a realist. She tells it like it is...and it's usually not that bad!

She is a great Grandma. Her Grandkids love being with her. She loves them so much. It's hard to believe that soon there will be a little girl amongst all these boys! :)

She is physically strong. I wouldn't say she is Superwoman...but, pretty much! She'll walk 8 miles on her treadmill, on a STEEP incline...scoop 6 foot drifts of snow for hours, play tennis in 98 degree heat, and still have the energy to babysit her day care kiddos the next day. Where does her energy come from?? I'm not sure. But I admire her strength! For years my Mom has logged her exercise...daily. She is the most 'fit' person I know. She encouraged me GREATLY when I was losing the baby weight with P, and I know she'll be a source of encouragement (and irritation) for me this time around, too! :)

She is one of my best friends. Growing up, I never thought I'd say that about my Mom...but it is so true. I am blessed daily by our conversations. Sometimes several times a day. I appreciate that I can call her up just for the little things...I tell her funny things P says, and she laughs with me. I don't know what I'd do without her.

I love you, Mom! HaPpY BiRtHdAy!!!

Random Ramblings

This morning we had an 8 am Doctor's appointment. I realized at 7:30, as I was trying to wake P up, that I should not have made such an early appointment. He was bemoaning how tired he was, asking for 'FIVE more minutes!' We were only about 5 minutes late to check in at the ped's office though, so I consider that a small victory.

The Doctor spent about an hour with us! I did not feel rushed, and got alot of allergy questions answered. I also found out that P is in the 75th percentile for weight (40.25 pounds) and the 95th percentile for height (43.5 inches). When did my child get so big?! *Sigh*. He's almost full-grown. Okay, probably not...but it won't be too long before he reaches the top of the giraffe in our pediatrician's office.

After nearly 3 years without a severe peanut attack, it baffles me that P has had TWO pretty severe attacks this month! I'm wondering what in the world is going on! This last attack was at church on Sunday, when a well-meaning relative gave him a Butterfinger chocolate heart (for V-Day) and within 20 minutes of eating it, P had thrown up, had hives all over, and was itching profusely. He also had a hoarse voice and was coughing. (Throat swelling?!) I called the nurses line, and absolutely praise the LORD that his second dose Benadryl kicked in because the next step was the E.R. The nurse told me to watch for the coughing/hoarse voice, and of course unconsciousness. This attack really shook me up. I hate seeing him like that! We have to be so careful.

So, after eating out at Applebee's a couple weeks ago (where he also had a pretty severe reaction)...I am thinking we can no longer take him out to eat with us. He has had their chicken tenders/fries at least a dozen times...They are not cooked in peanut oil, do not normally cause reactions, etc. THIS time however, it appears that the french fries that were prepared in the common fryer were contaminated with some sort of peanut product that may have been cooked in the fryer previously. He threw up his entire supper that night after he was in bed...had hives on his face/bloodshot eye...gave him Benadryl and then he was fine and slept through the night.

I am taking him to the natural doctor next Tuesday that we've seen before in town. I was skeptical of their processes at first, but we saw AMAZING improvement with his severe eczema and tummy troubles when he two years old. I am a firm believer in the natural treatment of the body. It seems that Dr. offices many times just give you creams/pills to mask the symptoms, but natural care is aimed at getting to the SOURCE of the problem. I'm thinking something is out of whack with P right now, causing his more frequent and severe reactions. Hopefully they'll be able to pinpoint it and give us the minerals/supplements we need to help him out!

After our lengthy Doctor's appointment this morning, we picked up our new prescription for 2 more Epi-pens (and bought P a pack of Transformers for being so brave while they took 3 vials of blood from him) and then headed over to meet some friends at the Children's Museum. The kids had great fun playing, and us Moms loved the chat time! I grabbed a Jimmy John's sandwich on the way home for lunch. Yes, #6. Delightful.

Tonight is my friend's jewelry party and my Mom is coming down for it. I suppose I should get to cleaning. The maid is late again. She's so fired!

My New Favorite Food

Maybe it's a pregnancy thing...but I am totally craving THIS right now:

It's a Jimmy John's #6 (Vegetarian...with alfalfa sprouts, avocado spread, tomato, provolone, cucumber slices, oh my!). And it's my serious fave. I ate two this weekend. (On separate days, just to clarify.) Yum!!!

This delicious image is from jimmyjohns.com

Coffee Break

So, P wants to name his lil' sister...Baby Sister. Original, no?

I've been babysitting more in these past few weeks for the 3-year-old girl I occasionally watch. It keeps us busy and I guess is good practice for...having 2 little ones. I think part of the reason P wanted a baby sister was because of this little girl I babysit. Guess it will take him a while to get used to the fact that he can't PLAY with his baby sister for...a while. ;o)

This morning while getting groceries, P almost freaked out because I bought some coffee. He was like, "Are you getting caffeine for your baby?" (He's ON to the fact that I quit drinking it every morning because of my pregnancy!) I told him that I probably wouldn't be drinking it, but Daddy would...Too funny.

At lunch today, I told him, "Eat your chicken patty." He responded indignantly, "I'm not Patty!!" Cracked me up. He went on to ask me, "Why did you say that? Just being funny?" So serious too...He didn't realize I was talking about his food, not calling HIM Patty. *Sigh.* It's the little things...he keeps me on my toes!

P with his friend, H, who I babysit :)

Think Pink!

It's a girl!! We are shocked and excited. Everything looks healthy, so that's a huge praise. We are so thankful. It was amazing to see her heart, brain, little hand up by her face...her squirming around, etc.

"I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well." Psalm 139:14