On the mend!

The Harrell boys are ALL better!! Wooohooo!

Lately...

we have been showing off our mad scissor skills:


observing older brothers show off their mad scissor skills:


trying out new parks:


and staying dry and perfecting our basketball game in the (messy, filthy, cannot believe I showing pictures)garage:








Nothing is better than a happy, healthy child!!

B-man, Crazy Peanut and JackJack

Think about all of the nicknames you end up calling your children throughout the years…the sweet ones, some that come and go and some that stick?? Other people won’t get it…might even look at you funny, or start using some of the nicknames themselves. I was known as ‘Lubs’ all throughout college because of my maiden name…or ‘Carls’ or ‘Car-Car’ from my family… Todd was known (heck he still is) as Senior or Hairball. Both strange, but fits him to a tee. His Mom and I both call him ‘T’. Here are some of our boy’s nicknames, for prosperity’s sake, of course:

Brody: BB, B-man, B-Road, B, Bro-Bro, Rowdie, Bucket Head


Wade: Crazy Peanut, Dub, Punky


Jack: JackJack, J, Jickity, JickJick, the Jickers, Ricker Ticker Jicker Jacker


Don’t even begin to ask how these have come about. They just have and I never want to forget them!!

Poor Jack Jack!!

Thursday, we felt it was finally time to take Jack to the Dr, because he was not getting better...he was getting worse. He was feverish, irritable, extreme lack of appetite and a wheezing, barking like cough. While at the Dr, we discovered that the little guy not only had his double ear infection back, but Dr. Burton thought he was showing all of the classis symptoms of RSV. My stomach sunk to my feet...Caden was hospitalized for this as a baby, so I know the effect the virus can have on a little ones lungs. She offered for him to be tested and I agreed.

After lots of going round and round, we discovered the only place that will test a baby for RSV is the Pediatric ER...so Dr. Burton called in a favor to one of the Nurses and we were just supposed to run in, have his nose swabbed, get the instant results and be on our way. To make a long story short, after the Nurse heard the way he was breathing, she told us we were now going to have to register, as he needed to be checked out and in fact become a patient. When he was first seen, his pulse ox was in the 80's, his RSV test came back positive and we were told he was going to be admitted. During this time, the boys school owner, Ms. Cristy, high tailed it to the ER to be with me and baby Jack...and I am forever grateful...and she satyed with us the entire time we were there! Whitney also ran to my house to pick up things we would need for the night...thank you Whit! You do not realize how scared you become when your baby is in the ER, about to be admitted for breathing problems!


Throughout the 5 hours we were there, they administered several breathing treatments, took chest x-rays and continued to monitor his breaths per minute and pulse ox, that finally went back up to a steady 95-96. (Normal is 100). Although he looks calm and collected in the pics we took with our cell phones, he was a ball of energy from all of the Albuterol. He was literally banging his head on the bed, rolling everywhere, squirming out of our arms...it was nuts!


The chest xrays came back clear...thank God!!! So, I was given the option to admit him or bring him home. They told me that they would do the exact same in the hospital as I could do for him at home, so we opted for home...RSV is not a fun sickness at all. It can be quite serious...so we are extremely thankful that he was able to fight off a serious lung infection! After a rigourous treatment of around the clock, every 3 hour breathing treatments, lots of fluids and rest, he is finally starting to show signs of improvent today! Go Jack Go!


A few of our friends have babies that are sick withthe same symptoms, so please please pray long and hard that all of these little ones get better quickly!!

Last Saturday was a pure wasted day. Besides a little bit of work, lots and lots of movies watched, lots of naps were taken and the whole house was fast asleep extremely early. So, when Sunday rolled around, we were ALL raring to go. So we went. We told the kiddos we were going on an adventure. We packed up the car with snacks and bottles, bundled up the kids, as it was only 29 degrees out when we left, and headed to the Ponce De Leon Springs!

(After we drove 1 1/2 hours, we realized we left Jack's stroller. Oops...had to carry him the whole time!)


The boys had an absolute blast, exploring all of the trails, finding rocks and leaves and sliding down hills...


The water was crystal clear and I think we saw a total of 3 people the entire time we were there!


After the kiddos little noses turned red, we figured it was time to head back to the car and defrost a little bit! On our way home, we decided to make a detour to the park and to try out Jack's new $15 stroller we scored from Wal-Mart during our adventure! The stroller that we hunted and hunted for, scouring little stores along the way, that we ended up not even needing after all, made it's debut at the park and the boys felt obliged to try it out! Jack loved the ride!


While the boys were out kicking around the soccer ball, someone was entertaining me with a few of his million expressions...


Later that evening, the B-man started feeling sick, and we are now on day 3 of high fevers and a nagging cough. Poor little guy is missing all of the Valentines festivities today...And so is Jack Jack, who has a low grade fever and the same nagging cough...(Say a prayer for the Daddy, as he is home with both kids, and sick himself. I hate leaving sick babies, as I had to come to work, because we have sick staff members out as well!!)


I am thinking that J has a little cold and might be teething? And that Brody has that virus going around. If we are still sick tomorrow, off to the Dr we will go.

Wade, on the other hand, hasn't gotten sick, yet... Monday was crazy hair day at school:

And he is handing out these to his little friends today, as well as a red, paper bag, decorated with stickers and filled with treats! The product of our Valentine craft:


The school is focusing on things revolving around the postal service this month, so there has been a cardboard mailbox for parents to "send" letters to the kids, as well as drop of a Valentine card for them to open on Valentine's Day. I opted to make my own this year! (And I have no idea why this picture is posting upside down!)

I am sure Wade will be bringing home all of Brody's loot, so the poor sicko will still be able to enjoy Valentine's Day after all!

Baby J can entertain himself for hours. As long as he can see a family member in his line of vision, all is happy on the home front! Nana and Gator stole the big boys for a night, and we had Jack-Jack all to ourselves:


That is, until, a certain someone got a little homesick, had a full blown meltdown, and demanded that his Momma come and get him. They took the boys to a Gates' family wedding reception and Wade would not even go in the front door. Once he makes up his mind, there is really no changing it. It was all downhill from there. Poor Nana. She spent an hour and a half comforting him outside until she finally knew he just needed the comfort of his Mom and Dad. To his defense, he skipped a nap that day, had numerous potty accidents and just could not pull it together. So, B-man enjoyed the party, watched movies and snuggled and slept with Nana, Jack had us all to himself until he went to bed...and we didn't pick up Wade until after Jack went to sleep, so he had our full attention as well! What a treat!


Valentine's Day is right around the corner, so the crafts have begun!

We peeled crayons, broke them and baked them in little heart shaped, silicone bakeware for their friends on Feb 14th! More on these later....

I thought this little onesie was perfect, as JDH is the only boy in his little class...the other 3 are little ladies, Miss Rylee, Miss Alayna and Miss Lucy! Introducing their Ladies Man...


Since it is staying lighter, a tad bit longer after school, we are taking full advantage and playing in the backyard until the chilly night air sends us back inside.




The love that they have for their little brother is just amazing. Poor guy is always getting smothered with hugs and kisses!


A few pics from our kiddo filled Super Bowl get together last weekend:


Don't these 3 kind of look like triplets??

On a VERY rare occasion, I find myself alone with just one child. A very rare occassion indeed. Those sweet, little tender moments are hard to come by...the 15 minutes I have alone with Jack before I lay him down on his striped, blue crib sheets as I whisper in his little ear...


Or the 15 minutes with Wade, as he climbs next to me in bed, still warm from his cozy covers, wrapping his little body around mine, and all I can hear is his sweet breathing...


Or the 15 minutes with Brody, as he climbs on to my lap, laying against my chest, holding his bear and dog tightly, occasionally holding my hand or playing with my hair...


I sometimes wonder what it would be like to have a single child. We have never had the opportunity to give all of our attention to one. We were blessed with 2 at once! Is it really, that families with only one child are able to provide the best of everything...from foods, to education, to attention? I know that my children are eating the same foods as they would if I only had one child, and that their education will NEVER lack...but it does mean that Todd and I are not able to have as many date nights? You betcha.


Does it mean I cannot buy designer jeans or Todd cannot golf as often? Got that right.


I will admit that I struggle to find the right balance of family time, friend time, husband time, etc...but I have come to the conclusion that I prefer to spend the majority of time, as family time. People are constantly telling me to do more for myself. Get more babysitters...carve more time out for myself. But, my kids will only be this age for a split second and before I know it, I will be begging them to come home. And I want to be with them for each split second!






Copied and pasted this from an article I was reading on BabyCenter.com, about reclaiming the joys of parenthood or something along those lines and I could not have said it better myself..."We need to reclaim the joy of parenting. We need to find those small moments of wonder and awe and stretch them to last all day long. We need to make more time for hugs, giggles, jokes, and quiet reflection. This isn’t just about carving out a few nooks and crannies so we can recuperate and head back into the fray. This is about changing the way we perceive this parenting adventure – shedding the obligations and reveling in the unmitigated joy of spending time with our amazing kids."

Poor Baby

Little man was sick. Really sick. Fever over 103 degrees for 4 days...found out it was a double ear infection (His fever was 103.8 at the Dr.'s office, after Tylenol and Motrin)! It was so sad...he would fall asleep right on my chest and if I put him down, he would start crying. For those of you that know him, he RARELY cries, so I knew he was in pain. Darn near broke my heart.

Incredibly pitiful...both the baby and the cell phone pictures...








After about 48 hours of antibiotics, he was good as new!