A little slice of our life

A little video to get started!

Update on life since the tubes and removal of the adenoids: Wade bounced back from the anesthesia very quickly and was back to being crazy by the afternoon following the surgery. We have noticed that he is hearing things that he apparently could not hear before. That his speech is coming out clearer. He now says "Brody" instead of "Bro-Bro"...and "Mommy" instead of "Mama"...We also find that he gets frustrated when he cannot tell us what he needs...it is almost as if he is learning to speak all over again. We are taking our time and really trying to pronounce all words clearly, sounding out each syllable, focusing on a couple of words a day. He continues to improve daily and we are incredibly proud of the little squirt!!


And since our life is so crazy and filled to the brim and out of order sometimes, this blog post will be too. It really is all over the place...no rhyme or reason, just stuff. Just a bunch of jumbled things that we have been doing and what the munchkins have been up to!

Doctor's orders require that we try and keep water out of W's ears for about 2 weeks. After that, resume life as normal...thank God because the child will not wear ear plugs. We tried and we were not successful. Dr. Boole did say that if water does get into his ears, it needs to be clean water, meaning coming directly from the shower head or when washing his hair in the bathtub, to run clean water to rinse it. So, we have decided, just to be safe, to give the boys showers instead of baths for the time being. They love to stand with their backs under the running water and tilt their heads back to wash the shampoo out. They also love to watch themselves pee!! It is pretty funny watching these two grow up...all the little things in life that we do, day in and day out, are so new and exciting for them. They literally shriek with enjoyment every time they go pee-pee...it is almost like they are proud that they made the pee and that they have control over getting it out. Cute pics taken after our nightly shower adventure:





and this picture of Wade cracks me up...!

We were plagued with the stomach bug that took over the boys school. Yuck. 3 days of tummy issues, 3 days of no school and 3 days of MAJOR cabin fever(felt and experienced by the entire family). The stomach bug also forced us to cancel the visits from Harrell clan that we had planned for the weekend...better safe than sorry! We were so looking forward to playing with cousin Caden and catching up with Scott and Allie...and Grammie and Pop's were even going to come and stay. Planning our visit for later on in August :(

Wade needed medicated ear drops following his surgery...he tolerated them pretty well, but before putting them in his ears, both B and W felt the need to "make the dogs ears better"...and pretended to put ear drops in Miller and Buck's ears. Too cute.


They experienced the zoo for the first time! Nana and Gator braved the scorching sun and ridiculously humid weather last weekend and went to the Gulf Breeze Zoo. They had a wonderful time, but learned a very important lesson: The zoo is enjoyed much more in the winter months :) They were able t o see birds, llamas, a tiger, giraffes, monkeys, turtles, sheep, goats, etc... The especially loved the petting zoo and Wade said "Hi" and "Bye-Bye" to each animal and every person that walked passed them!! (Thank you Nana for the pics!)




Daddy has been taking them to the baseball and soccer fields to let them run and play in the wide open...They love kicking balls, throwing them around and chasing their Dad. He has even taught them to pick the weed thingies and put them in their mouth, like he used to do as a child. (If you have ever "chewed" on one of those weed thingies...you get it. If not, I tried my best to explain, but I probably failed miserably and you think we let our kids chew on grass...)

They are still pretty fascinated by fish...actually all animals, but we recently put fish up on the wall behind their cribs, which is a huge hit. The Hipsh's also passed down a fish tank toy that plugs into the wall and the fish and turtles and sea life go round and round. The first time we plugged it in, Brody was very perplexed at the contraption and kept asking, "Where are they going?" How do you explain to a 23 month old how something like this works?





Another recent obsession is their teddy bears. Brody has been carrying around his teddy bear with him at all times. Wade, carries as many items as possible (our little hoarder) his sock monkey, his teddy bear, his sippy cup and this little stuffed doggy. They hug them and kiss them and we even put them in some of their smaller t-shirts. We went from saying nite nite to the metal fish on the wall, to cuddling and loving stuffed animals that have been at their disposal for as long as I can remember. They even pretend to give the stuffed animals food and drinks and take them for rides on their mowers. Guess this is what ya' call a boys makeshift stroller?!?!


Our excursions and activities are somewhat limited, due to the "No water in the ears" rule...so, we acted like tourists and took the boys to the kiddie village , right past Big Kahuna's. We had to walk inside the arcade to buy ride tickets and the boys were in complete awe of the arcade. You would have thought they died and went to heaven when Daddy actually put quarters in the games and the games moved and swirved and spun around...



And then there were the outside rides, made especially for toddlers. They rode the electric swing together:


And then, Wade was done. He is not a big fan of carousels, rides that spin or jerk, or go high...that pretty much took care all of the rides left to try:( I too was afraid of roller coasters and spinning rides as a kid. I grew out of it and LOVE rides...the higher and faster and crazier the better! While Wade was content watching his brother, Brody did not waste any time, running up to each ride and basically shoving people out of the way to get on them. He was completely thrilled and loves to go high and fast and spin. We could not get over how brave he was!
Here is is on the spin ride...

And check out how high this airplane ride is! Pretty brave for a 23 month old! Trust me...he was strapped in so tightly that I am surprised he could lift his arms to wave...He is in the red airplane:


And before we left, the boys watched go-carts on their left and bumper boats on their right. They were once again in complete awe!

Bye Bye adenoids and helllooo tubes!

Wade's surgery this morning went out without a hitch! We arrived at the surgery center at 7:45a and left at 9:30a. A very quick pre-op, operation and recovery! When they called us back, he was a little bit clingy and nervous, but was content and relaxed. He showed all of the nurses a picture of his brother! He hated the little things...getting his temp taken and having the pulsesox on his toe. He did not mind it when the Anesthesiologist picked him up and whisked him away to the OR though! I was thrilled to not have my baby taken away screaming. It made for a much more peaceful 30 minutes of waiting time for me and Todd. A few pics snapped before the surgery...You can tell he is little on edge...


Surgery went as expected and took approxiametely 35 minutes. Dr. Boole did a fantastic job...said there was more fluid and mucus than he originally thought...and that they call it glue ear. Glue ear, if I understand correctly, is a painless condition in which thick, sticky fluid collects behind the eardrum. The fluid blocks the middle part of the ear and can cause impaired hearing and speech delays. Thank goodness all of the fluid was removed! The adenoids were also removed by laser surgery and his allergy testing came back negative!!
After the surgery, he was not a happy camper. He was very irritated and was thrashing around...trying to climb out of my lap, and of course twisting his IV all over the place. After about 15 minutes, he calmed down a bit, drank 2 sippy cups full of apple juice and wanted to get the heck out of dodge! So, we packed up and headed home and he fell right asleep, in the comforts of Mama and Daddy's bed:

After an hour nap, the sweet pea woke up in a VERY happy mood and wanted crackers and Diego. Makes my heart smile, knowing that he is ok, feeling good and acting like his old self!! Thank you again Dr. Boole!!

We are creeping into the 2 year mark and the little attitudes are shining through. Full force. Especially Mr. B-man. He is disobeying and trying my patience at every opportunity he has...well, every opportunity that Daddy is not around...you see, he acts like a completely different child around me. They both do!! I enforce discipline, but the Daddy just does it better. Maybe it's his deeper voice? Or that he always follows through. I follow through, but I am the Mama. I just cannot be a stern as him. I try, but I hate to see the tears well up in my babies eyes, and as soon as the tears fall down their little cheeks...forget about it. Even if I am madder than I have ever been, something just caves inside of me and I ease up a bit and remember that they are only 1. I am in no way a pushover, but Daddy rules the roost. I kind of prefer it that way :)

This morning, Brody decided to take Wade's bowl of "fruits" (fruit loop's in Harrell boy lingo) and throw it across the room. And then he smiled as Wade cried. I immediately gave him "the look", which apparently didn't phase him, because he then swiped Wade's sippy of milk and threw it over the couch, all the while, looking me in the eye. I told him to go to timeout and he said, ever so casually, "No." I walked closer to him, told him to go to time out in my most stern voice, and he replied, "No." Todd came out of the bedroom, popped him on the hiney, told him to go to timeout, and what do you know, he listened. He was in timeout 3 times before school today. God, please help me, or at least let only 1 child act up at a time. Thank you. Amen.

The B-man in timeout. Check out his "smug-ness"...little poop. (I had to stand in front of him, while he was in timeout, because he would not stay in his spot. The camera happened to be on the buffett table next to me, so I took a pic)

After I got down on his level and explained why I was upset and what he could do differently, we hugged...and he said sorry to his brother. The boy has the sweetest heart but LOVES to test us.

As the boys are getting older, they are loving to do "man things". They love to follow their Daddy around the house and the yard...helping every chance they get! Oh, how it brings me such joy to watch the 3 of them interact.

A recent hit at the dinner table is corn on the cob. Fresh and sweet, with just a dab of butter and the boys go wild...It is the only veggie Wade will eat, well, besides broccoli!

After 1 and 1/2 ears of corn, Brody was still asking for more...

They no longer use sippy at the table and love to drink out of big boy cups!

Mornings at our home are busy and rushed and a little chaotic. Sometimes you've just gotta stop what you are doing and enjoy the morning. In the foyer and in your robe.

They are getting so big! Today is their 23 month birthday...the countdown is officially on for the big 2!!

They are incredibly happy and smart and adventurous. They make each and every day a grand experience, worth getting up early for and dealing with timeout every once in a while...(or 10 times before bed...hehehe)

Please, please, please keep our sweet Wade in your prayers this Thursday morning, as he will be having his tube/adenoid surgery! Thank you :)

Crazy long post...........

I am incredibly proud to be an American. And I LOVE the 4th of July. It screams summertime. Bathing suits, Popsicles, sprinklers, corn on the cob, sparklers, wagon rides, BBQ, cold beer, warm sun, crickets chirping and fireworks.

Ok. Hold it. I am getting waaaayyy ahead of myself. Let me back up a little...First of all, Aunt Lowie flew up from Fort Myers to help prepare for the festivities for Nana and Gator's wedding this past Saturday! While she was here, the boys went on lots of wagon rides:


And fell in love with the bubble mower's that Lowie surprised them with!


We stopped by Nana and Gator's a couple of mornings, decked out in our "jam-jams" (jammies) to visit while Lowie was here...hoping to get a quick squizzle and kiss. Mission accomplished!! Aunt Lowie showered them with gifts...everything from Dora and Diego presents, to mini M-n-M's, to big boats loaded up with toys and new baithing suits! Thank you so much Low...we loved spending time with you and already miss you like crazy!!

We even took Lowie to the water spouts!



And...Uncle Dave and Melissa came into town too! Dave and the boys played in the new sprinkler that shoots balls 12 feet up in the air. You should have heard Dave squealing with delight, as he ran around in his sporty american flag visor as he jumped through the sprinkler. Just kidding. Love ya Dave. (Check out the bellies on my boys...they had just eaten lunch and it showed!!)

And they swam in the pool! Dave and Todd had serious discussions about jumping off of the roof into the pool, but then they realized it would probably burst. Flat as a pancake.

Nana and Gator are officially Mr. and Mrs. Bill Gates! The wedding was intimate and emotional, the reception was filled with family, great food and gorgeous flowers and a grand time was surely celebrated by all! Congrat's to two people who mean the world to our family! We LOVE you Gator and Nana!!





They were married on Saturday and then Sunday was the 4th of July! This was the boys 1st real 4th of July, as they were asleep last year before the action in the sky took place. I still remember having the monitor with me, down at Grammie and Pop's pool house, flinching everytime a boom went off, praying that it would not wake up my sleeping babies. This year was a different story...we celebrated America. We dressed in red, white and blue and found ourselves singing patriotic songs all day long. We let the boys stay up, way past their bedtime, to watch the fireworks in complete awe, of the spectacle happening in the sky above. This is what family is all about. Making traditions and celebrating life. Together. We had a blast...




Feeling the love from our sweet boys:

After doing fireworks in our driveway, we headed down to spend time with the Gardner family!

Poor Miss Bailey fell and skinned her nose. She is still cute as a button!! (We had an even better time catching up with Jon and Erin after all of the kiddies were sleeping the night away...)


A final note, praying for Aunt Dot's family, her children, her grandchildren...for Mimi and Debbie...for all that knew her. She was a great women who will be missed by many.