Picnic & Practice

 
Laura Ann asked for McDonald's to eat on Friday before we felt like she was ready for it, but promised her that she could have it as soon as her stomach was a little stronger. We decided to get McDonald's for lunch today & have a picnic outside because the weather was so nice.
 
We ended up at the PE field at Paine so Dan & Daniel could practice baseball. He has evaluations tomorrow!
 
Daniel got some new baseball gear, so Laura Ann couldn't be left out. She loves her new pink soccer ball!

Hello Sunshine!

 
After Daniel's game & breakfast with Gran & Papa, Laura Ann was totally wiped out. She still has no energy & she spent lunch and the afternoon laying down. Daniel, of course, stayed outside all afternoon & I finally decided that it would do Laura Ann good to get out in the sunshine. She wanted her babies to come too, so we took them for a stroll down the street.
 
Daniel joined us on his scooter.
 
When we got home, it was snack time. The babies had a snack too....bananas & juice
 
Laura Ann was in an especially good mood & let Daniel 'babysit' Anna while he was enjoying his popsicle, but she told him he had to stay where she could see them. I don't blame her, I wouldn't let Daniel out of sight with a baby either!

And Upward Continues

 
Praying before the game
 
The Hornets were having an 'off' week this week.....not sure why, but they just couldn't pull it together. It was a good effort anyway & they all had a great time anyway! And I still haven't been able to get any good pictures! I am hoping some of my friends (MELISSA!!) with fancy cameras will come & take some pictures before the end of the season!! :)
 
 
Laura Ann spent the game beside Gran coloring away. This was our first outing since Monday & it was great to get out!!

The 100th Day of School

Daniel has enjoyed counting up to the 100th day of school all year. He has come home almost everyday of the whole year telling us what day of school he was on & it was very exciting to finally hit 100 today. His class collected 100 cans of food to donate to TEAM, a local charity and celebrated all day with snacks, games & activities revolving around 100. Fun times!

Haircuts

 
I found this last week under the guest bed & realized that Laura Ann's Barbies had gotten a haircut from someone. When I asked her if she had done it, she said, "Am I going to get a spanking?" I told her no, just a talk, she decided to come clean. I'm not sure what her response would've been if I had said that she would get a spanking! Ha! Anyway, I feel partly to blame. I usually keep the scissors downstairs, but had put a pair in the guest room during Christmas because I was wrapping gifts in there. I had forgotten that they were there. I really dodged a bullet in that she didn't cut HER hair, or herself, or all of the clothes in her closet! Who knows, but it would be no surprise to add any of those things to the list of her many 'Quiet Time Adventures'!
 
Mulan sporting some new shorter locks.....

One Sick Little Girl

 
At Children's South getting an IV
 
Enjoying a care package from Gran......one of the brief moments that she sat UP all week

Laura Ann got up on Monday morning about 7:30. I knew because I heard her feet hit the floor like always. She will usually go to the bathroom, take off her pull up & put on panties & then sometimes she lays back down for a little while or sometimes she will just stay in her room & play. We know from experience not to bother her & that she will come downstairs when she is ready. She is like her mama & needs her 'wake-up' time before she faces the day! Totally unlike Daniel, who beelines downstairs the second his eyes open around 5:30. Anyway, a little before 8:30, I decided to go say good morning to her & found her curled up asleep at her door, naked & wrapped in a blanket. There was vomit all in her bed & in her sink. Wipes were everywhere because she had tried to clean up her messes! Such a heartbreaking sight! I picked her up & started asking her when she got sick & why she didn't call for me. I gathered that she must've gotten sick just as she woke up (I know it wasn't during the night b/c I would've heard her on the monitor, but I turned it off when I got up about 6:30). She must've gotten to the sink & gotten sick again. She said she was just too tired to call me. And yes, I felt like dirt for not checking on her sooner, but it really wasn't an uncommon morning. Anyway, from 8:30, she was sick every 10-20 minutes ALL day long. I was patient to wait it out until lunch & when she wasn't getting any better by then, I called the doctor. I talked to the sweetest nurse named Gina every hour after that & she was kind enough to call me every hour so I wouldn't have to be on hold. By 4:00, with no let up in the vomitting & because she wasn't teeteeing, Dr. Harmon said that she needed fluids. Again, the nurse graciously let us avoid the ER & got us the firt appointment at the After Hours Clinic. She got sick once in the car & twice after we got there before they started the iv. When we got there, my friend Lindsey was working, which was such a blessing for me. Lindsey refused to be the 'bad guy' & do Laura Ann's IV, but she was great support for me. By the time the doctor got in the room, she couldn't even hold her head up.....she was just terribly, terribly sick. The first attempt to get the IV in was unsuccessful & the nurse had to do the whole process all over again in the opposite hand. Laura Ann did cry, but was was very brave overall. I think I shed as many, if not more tears than she did! Within 15 minutes after the IV started, she was sitting up asking for something to drink! When she got in her "question mode", asking every imaginable question about every detail of the room, the nurse, the doctor, etc., I knew she was on the mend. Every time the nurse would come in, Laura Ann would ask if she had to do the 'hurt thing' again & the nurse would reassure her that it was over. She was doing great by the time we left & even tee teed. We got home around 10:00 & she went straight to bed & slept through the night. I was thinking that is was over......boy was I wrong! Off & on Tuesday, Wednesday & Thursday she was still vomitting & running fever. She hardly left the sofa during the day except to run to the bathroom. She didn't have a single bite of food for 4 full days. Needless to say, she lost lots of weight. By the weekend, she was much better & the vomitting ended. She still wasn't eating hardly anything, but she did start playing some. It was a long, pitiful week for her and a scary one for me. Laura Ann was a total trooper through the whole thing. She hardly complained at all......just a few times, while kneeling at the potty waiting for something to come up, she would say, "I very wish I didn't have a stomach virus". That was the first time either one of my kids have ever been that sick. It was a reminder for me how fragile life is and what a blessing good health is. I'm so thankful that my baby girl is finally back to normal, just a few pounds lighter! And there was one positive (at least for me) that came from this and it was that this 'Daddy's Girl' was a TOTAL 'Mama's Girl' for the whole week. She called for ME every time she was sick and the few times her Daddy tried to help her when she was sick, he was sent away because he didn't "do it the right way". There is a technique for holding the hair & wiping the face during vomiting that Daddys just aren't familiar with! Not to worry, he has returned to his rightful position at the top of her list, but I sure enjoyed getting to be there for just a few days! :)

The Winner of the Stick Collection

 

Daniel has had a never ending stick collection since about the time he could walk. They have gotten bigger over the years. He is constantly bringing his latest find in the house to show me, even the really big ones. He begs to keep them inside & I have to be the bad guy & ban them to the porch. Thankfully he didn't try to bring this one in. He just ran in the house all out of breath yelling "Come to the door 'QUICK' & bring your camera!". I knew it was a big deal if it was picture worthy! When I got to the door, this is what I saw......one proud little boy with his biggest 'stick' yet, actually I think it is a tree limb, but he was proud none the less. Since it wouldn't fit on the porch, he's got it stashed behind some shrubs on the side of our house. Oh, the joy of little boys!

Dribble It, Pass It, Daniel Scored a Basket!!

 
The Hornets
 
What Daniel does while he's on the bench.....totally oblivious to the game
 
Defense!
 

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Get your own

Actually he scored two baskets! Yay Daniel! Today was the first time he's scored in a game, so it was a really big deal. Both times he scored & stopped to look at us in the stands with the BIGGEST grin on his face. It was the sweetest thing! I love little boys in those moments. He was super excited that Big Daddy & Nanna got to come and watch him play today. We enjoyed some playtime & lunch with them after the game.

The Good Citizen

 
Daniel came home from school today on cloud nine because he was good citizen! It's a really big deal because the principal and vice principal hand out the award each Friday from their office. Way to go Daniel! He got a coupon for some free ice cream at Chickfila which we redeemed immediately this afternoon. :)
 
A typical week for Daniel.....a few starry eye days mixed in with 'nonstop' talking days & running in the hall or lunchroom or playing rough at recess. He does get the occasional straight face & even sad face for the same things. Overall, he's still doing very well.....better than I would have ever imagined him doing. I mean anyone who knows him knows that he never shuts up or stops moving, so I am thrilled that he pulls off a starry eyes some days. I'm just glad that I got the 'precious' she wrote on the first day on record! Ha!

Also should note in this post that he got his report card last week & had straight 3s (has met end of the year goals) in reading & math. He has a long way to go in Language Arts which is writing name, letters & numbers correctly ON THE LINES. I suppose I should've seen this coming when he was in 3K & started telling me, "I don't like pencil work". Not much has changed since then! My favorite part was the 'N' for needs improvement that he received in 'Social Studies' for talking at inappropriate times. I've got a feeling that this report won't change much over the next 12 years.....

Laura Ann's New Preschool

 
 

The WEE Center, as well as all of the preschool Sunday school classes at FBCT moved into the new building last week. Since we missed the dedication ceremony, I snapped some pics of Laura Ann today when I registered her for 4K (gasp) in the front. She loves the waterfall!

Celebrity Sighting at McWane!!

 
Laura Ann & William in the hurricane tunnel
 
Sweet Friends
 
The highlight of our visit on this EXTREMELY crowded day (tons of fieldtrips) was seeing Mickey Ferguson, the weatherman for FOX 6 news! Laura Ann & William were all about holding his microphone!
 

The Muddy Princess

 
Laura Ann, Joel, Daniel, Caleb
 
Sweet David braved the slide in the big kid section all by himself....he will not be outdone by big brothers!
 
The muddy princess
 
Caleb, Joel, Daniel, Laura Ann & David

We met the Prices at the playground today while Daniel & Joel were out of school for lots of playtime & a picnic. It was lots of fun. Elaine & I got in some social time while the kids ran wild all over the playground. Daniel especially enjoyed getting to play with his sweet friend, Joel, that he doesn't get to see often enough while Caleb & Laura Ann did their best to keep up with them. The best part of the day happened thankfully just about the time we were ready to leave when Laura Ann ended up in the mud puddle. I say THE mud puddle because our playground is virtually mud free except for this one spot beside the baby section of the playground where there is almost always mud. Today it was very muddy due to the recent snow/ice melt. I usually warn them to avoid/stay out of it, but thought it was unnecesary today because they should be old enough at this point to know better, right? WRONG! Out of four rough & tumble boys running WILD for hours all over this playground, it had to be my sweet, precious Princess who ran right through it on purpose! Her response to my reprimand was, "Mom, I VERY LIKE to play in the mud!" And she ran off & right through the mud again! What can I say? She doesn't just like to play in the mud, she VERY LIKES it! And she only uses 'very' when she is passionate about something. On a side note, when she says 'I very like' or 'I very want', it is about the cutest thing ever. Enough to melt my heart anyway, so there was no punishment for the mud other than having to ride home with no pants on, which Daniel gave her endless grief about. I suppose he is mostly to blame for the mud puddle incident anyway because he is most definitely the person who taught her that mud puddles are for running THROUGH, not AROUND!

Friends: Furry & Otherwise

 
Champ tries almost every night to snuggle with Ruthie & Molly in their bed. Unfortunately, this is as close as he can get.....that is unless they aren't in their bed.
 
Sinced we missed our Friday Fiesta, we had one today & the Bryants joined us!

Monster Mouth

 
Notice Daniel's loose tooth......it was so loose that it had fallen to the middle of the open space & was just hanging there. We started calling him monster mouth because he looked like one of those friendly monsters that have only one center tooth! Ha! He thought that was hilarious & proudly accepted us poking fun at him!
 
 

Daniel's tooth has been getting more & more loose since his the other one came out 2 weeks ago. By today, it was hanging by a thread. He would stand in front of the mirror & work & work on it, with no luck. He obviously wasn't trying too hard, but wouldn't let us get near it. When I brushed his teeth tonight, I gave it a little extra help.....he had no idea that I did anything (that's how loose it was)! He was so excited that it was out, that he didn't really care either way. We all know what a lost tooth means......a visit from the Tooth Fairy! And as always, she did not disappoint! Love his latest snaggle tooth smile!