Been There Done That x 5

Collin at 6 months 1st surgery

Collin at almost 4 years old 5th surgery

Friday Collin had his shiny new set of tubes placed in both ears. Since the very first surgery I have always marked the occasion by taking pictures of him in his cute hospital gown with a goofy drug induced grin. I guess I never dreamed I would have enough pictures that I would be able to fill a photo album just of his ear surgeries.

Football

Just imagine you are looking at a picture of Macy in her cheerleading uniform and a sweaty happy Logan after they won their 1st Middle school football game with the ending score of 26 to 6.

I had taken about 30 pictures and went to download them last night, I got some sort of error and deleted every single picture! I am so stinkin' mad but there isn't anything I can do to change it now. I can promise I will be extremely careful next week when I download the pictures.
Let just hope for another victory so maybe I can recapture their happy faces after a victory. Go Saints!


Sickness update: Molly is on new meds and is out of school till Friday.Hudson is teething with a typical teething cold,runny nose,draining ears and a slight cough. Everyone else seems back to normal, fingers crossed.

News Flash

Hudson is taking steps, yesterday it was 3 in a row! He finally has interest in being upright like the rest of us. The poor little guy is dealing with a cold right now.Not sure we have ever had this much sickness back to back.

Molly is going to be out of school till Friday, I took her to the Eye Doctor today her eye is no better since starting the eye drops actually worse with alot of swelling in her eyelids and face. I was fearful we might be dealing with a complication that can go along with JRA but thankful not the case. More meds should clear this up.

Adding to the Sick List

The school called to ask me to come get Molly it appears she has Pink Eye. I am really hopeful we are just going to get all the sickness out of the way at the beginning of the school year and be done with it.

Collin will be getting new tubes next Friday. Maybe the 5th time is the charm I could of sworn it was the 3rd?

Thank goodness it's Friday because the kids need a break from the germ pool, oh I mean school.

Sick and Injured List

Collin started getting sick yesterday. Fever, cough,runny nose, wheezing, tummy troubles. Now don't go google those symptoms because the Swine Flu is sure to be at the top of the list. Last night his breathing was so rapid and his heart raced. I was worried we'd end up in the ER in the middle of the night, definitely a place where you would be sure to go home with some sort of flu from just sitting in the waiting room.

This morning Parker had some fever too and wasn't feeling well. So he missed school I took them both to see the doctor. She said its a viral bug and should run it course and not be an issue unless they get an infection. So she examines Collin, listens to his lungs first yep there is some wheezing going on,his throat looks ok but the ears are infected! The ears that are without tubes as of recently, the ears we had looked at Friday by the ENT that he said were fine are now in need of antibiotics.
Parker looked fine with no obvious infection, he should be better tomorrow. Collin got a breathing treatment in the office and we were given prescriptions for a new inhaler and antibiotics.The doctor confirmed Collin has mild asthma and we need to keep an inhaler on hand for times like last night.

As for the injured, by 6 o'clock when football practice is over Logan comes limping out to the car. He has a reoccurring problem with his heel called Sever's disease. It has to do with the growth plate in the heel becoming inflamed from large sudden amounts of running I think maybe we should rename it to Xbox heel since he did alot of finger exercising on the xbox all summer but not so much on any other sort of workout. So we know how to help it using rest,ice, motrin but all in all it's just somethings he has to deal with to be able to play football. There isn't a risk of permanent injury from keeping up the exercise just an annoyance for him.
Speaking of football the first game is TUESDAY night!!! I am sure I will have lots of pictures to post. GO SAINTS!

Rollin' Along

Here is Collin working on writing his name as Parker helps. Collin is really enjoying school so far! He is so excited about turning the BIG 4, he changes his mind on party themes daily but he has to decide because it will be here in a few weeks.






Hudson was caught throwing the toilet paper down the stairs last night. Of course he thought it was so funny,and it helps answer the question to why we are always running low on toilet paper! He is STILL not walking but he will in time and then he will be even more destructive. Fun times, fun times.

Cutie Patootie

Collin bought the Tigger hat at Disney World unlike the light up Mickey Mouse sword he just had to have the hat is still something he knows where it is and uses. But leave it to Collin to wear it backwards, with the tail on his forehead!

He says some of the cutest things too. Just the other day we had this conversation.

Collin: "Guess who my best friend is??

Me: "Hmm I don't know who?"

Collin: "It's Huddy Buddy because he thinks I am funny he laughs at me and he loves me."


In other Collin news, he went to the ENT today and his tubes are out again (set #4) and we are on a wait and see if he needs another set. I have my fingers crossed but I am not too hopeful.

Baking with Love

I do try a few times a week for the kids come home to the smell of baked goodies for a special after school snack. Brownies,muffins, homemade bread are some of the resent surprises. Collin enjoys helping me whip up something for the kids and he likes that he gets to lick the spoon without competition. It's one of the luxuries I have of being a stay at home Mom, I don't know if it will last forever so I should try to enjoy it while I can.

It is amazing how much I can get done while they are in school and it stays pretty nice till 3:35. Oh well, I am making lots of progress, cleaning out closets and dressers and that sure helps me sleep at night!

School Boy

Collin started another year at Noah's Park Preschool today. Collin was thrilled to be going back "to the best school on earth" as he informed me in the car on the way. I can totally see why he loves it to. Collin was greeted with hugs from the school director, a high five from the church Pastor, and his past teachers hugging him and talking about how big he has grown. Of course my little ham eats up this attention and it's a great feeling to drop him off knowing he is well cared for and enjoys his time there.

He liked his new teacher (Ms. Laura) just fine but he declared that tomorrow he is going back to Ms. Stephanie's class. Yes it true, my kids like routine and are alittle slow to warm up to change partly my fault because our lives pretty much are scheduled and always have been. We do things the same way , they know what to expect and what is expected of them. But even though his teacher changed he is still at "the best school on earth" and within a few weeks Ms. Laura will be his new hero and Ms. Stephanie and I will be out like yesterdays cat litter. I am ok with being dethroned and I am sure Ms. Stephanie won't be to heartbroken.

Since Doron my best friend and the kids Godmother is a teacher at Noah's Park I know alot of planning and work goes in to each school day. The program is a perfect fit for my son and I am happy he loves it so!

Check Up

Isn't Hudson's Bam Bam shirt adorable!?! It was a birthday present from his Godparents, they obviously know him pretty well because he is strong as an ox.



Hudson went in for his 1 year check up yesterday. Sure, he is 13 months old now but with the craziness of summer why rush in just to be weighed and measured and get 2 shots? Huddy weighed in at 20 pounds 4 oz which is pretty typical for my babies. We went over the normal things like what he eats (everything in sight)and what tricks can he do( wave,clap,dance,and shake his head no). He is not walking independently yet but can push around a toy of chair. He climbs the stairs with lightening speed but doesn't have interest yet to figure out how to go down them backwards.
Hudson liked the doctor but was terrified of the stethoscope (like death grip around my neck and tears).And the doctor got to see how very strong Huddy is when he attempted to look in his ears. The best news of the day was the tubes in his ears look good. Woohoo and High Fives!

Summers end School begins

Last Friday we did our now annual trip to Point Mallard water park. We all had a good time and Hudson loved crawling in the baby pool, Collin loved the kiddie slides and the other kids enjoyed the wave pool and diving platforms alot. We all reminisced about what a little baby Huddy was last year when we went to Point Mallard. The gang then went to Dairy Queen on the way home and the kids enjoy ice cream for dinner! This is a nice way to wrap up our summer break with one last adventure as a family.

This morning the alarm was going off before 6 am. Today is the first day of school and here is a picture of the kids waiting for the bus. They were all pretty happy to go back , let's hope it last awhile!

Logan 8th grade, Macy 7th grade, Molly 4th grade, Parker 3rd grade.

One hard part of having a herd

What is the hard parts of having that many kids???This is a question I am often asked when people are talking to me about our family size. Here is the honest truth of a family that consist of 2 adults verses 6 kids.

My #1 Frustration.

The laundry factor. We usually generate about 2-3 loads of laundry a day. Luckily we have a large front load washer and dryer that I KNOW I can't live without. I try to have about 2 loads washed and dried a day. In a perfect world these would be folded or hung immediately but in our world that happens about 40% of the time. I prefer to fold several loads at a time while watching tv or waiting for dinner to cook. Because of Macy's hectic schedule she has become responsible for most the laundry help. It works out okay, I figure okay help is better than none at all.When enlisting the help of the kids I have to let go control over some of my tendencies to want things done just perfectly in my eyes, if the towel is folded not exactly straight I have to accept that. So basically there is always laundry to wash or fold and your never are completely caught up for long. Sometimes the feeling of being caught up only last a few hours.

And the sock issues, oh boy! We seem to constantly have a sock pile and I have not found the perfect solution yet. Think about it 8 people x 2 socks a day per person sometimes more than one pair each which adds up to alot darn socks!

But for what its worth the kids always have clean clothes , and I have given up thinking laundry will be something I will ever enjoy but it gets done none the less. I must admit I thought it was totally unfair and I was really jealous Kate Gosslin found someone willing to do all their laundry. I mean that's like winning the laundry in my book!

A look back

This picture was Parker's first day , he was so little and I was due soon with baby Collin man time really flies! He is entering the 3rd grade this year.


Here is Molly on her first day of school. Wasn't she so cute and I was so nervous for her riding the big bus and going to big school.Molly will be in the 4th grade.

And last the first day of school for my first grader Logan and kindergartner Macy. Now they are entering 7th and 8th grade.Wow! Apparently I liked yellow that year. :)

Music calms the soul

As Parker's present from Brian and I for his birthday he received what he's had been hoping for a bass guitar. He started lessons last week and is discovering his love for music. Parker can be the highly emotional type and can get easily annoyed with his siblings. Over the last week Brian and I have noticed when we send him to his room to calm down has become his music time. He will practice several times a day basically till his fingertips are sore and he needs a rest. Afterward he is a happier more relaxed kid. He had his second lesson tonight and his teacher was amazed how well he has progressed in just a week. The attention from his teacher and the praise is a good thing for Parker. And I hope he continues to find peace in his music. We are wanting him to be able to play us a Christmas song by December and you bet I will record it and share it with each of you here, like it or not! :)

Kids Under the Influence

Tonight while I shared my bottle of water with Collin. He tells me how Mimi taught him how to drink out of the bottle the right way and he demonstrated how he now does it. It was pretty cute too! This is one of those nice moments about the kids spending time with our family and close friends. Obviously we love and trust the people we leave our kids with and it's always special to the kids when they get to learn from another adult.

The kids have gotten to spend more quality time this summer with Brian's parents (Maw and Das) since they moved a mile from us. The kids love hanging out down there and anytime Das stops by they will beat him to his car if he invites them to ride home with him for a visit.

There are many examples of how much the kids value your time and efforts. I hope you all know we appreciate your love for our kids. The special trips, days out having fun and small life lessons really do shape them and mold them. I will make sure they remember you all when they accept their Academy Awards or Nobel Peace Prize.

So thank you all. You know who you are and please don't think your taken for granted .It really means alot to us. You know the saying It takes a village to raise a child, You all are apart of our village and I vote we name that village Crazy Town. Everyone in agreement? :)

Some pics of our trip

If you would like to see a few snap shots of our California trip click on the picture above. It was neat to see the sites but there really is no place like home. All went well with the kids and we missed them alot. Now we have to get serious about preparing for the upcoming school year. What happen to summer break?

Howdy from California

I feel like I am living out the story of one of my favorite childhood books where the Country Mouse visits the city. In the story the mouse in awe of the sights,sounds and smells of the big city. So Brian and I headed out to California on Tuesday morning. Brian has one of his yearly conferences in San Jose and I was lucky enough to tag along. (Insert many many thanks to Doron, Mimi,Maw,Kristi for playing nanny for us. You guys rock and we are very grateful!)

So the flight on Tuesday was long. The first leg was from Birmingham to Las Vegas was 4 hours. We were almost the last to board and the plane was packed. Being Southwest we had no assigned seats so we took what we could. I was sandwiched between a business man who looked like Willy Wonka and a old Asian lady with horrible breath. People who know me well know I have a super sniffer and if something stinks I am usually not shy about calling it out. Poor lady kept wanting to talk to me and between the breath and her accent I couldn't face her in order to understand her so I just nodded in hopes that I didn't agree to something really bad. Do you have any idea how hard it is to not touch people on either side for 4 hours while trying to either mouth breathe or either not breathe in too deeply so you don't have to smell? Oh yes it was a long long ride.

I bolted off that plane ASAP and waited in the concourse for Brian to join me. I could tell as soon as his face appeared his seat situation must have been as uncomfortable as mine. He was squished in the middle seat between a large old man gambler and a sprawled out business man that wiggled alot. So the flight from Vegas to San Jose was a dream , not only did we sit together we had an empty seat next to us so we could relax alittle.

I have never been to California before so I am really enjoying the new surroundings. I am pretty amazed by the flowers,trees ,brown grass, and the beautiful hills and valleys. The beach blew me away with the rocks,cliffs and the freezing cold blue water with huge waves. The people in general seem nice, sorta hippie-ish but diverse too. I got a kick out of this man sitting indian style in front of the grocery store with a loaf of bread and jar of peanut butter making himself a sandwich on the sidewalk, Oh and it was night time so not your typical picnic time of day where I come from. He didn't appear to be homeless but I guess he was hungry. I seemed to be the only passerby who noticed or found it funny. I wanted to take a picture but Brian said No,:( darn. Haha!

Anyways we're having a good time and I will be posting pictures soon. I am missing the kids but they are having a good time with out us I am sure. Hard to believe we are 2 weeks away from school starting . Wow!

Birthdaypalooza!

The very first year of celebrating 3 birthdays in one week (July 9th Hudson,July 12th Parker ,July 14th Macy) was pulled off successfully. Don't assume I am claiming it was easy task just that we did accomplish it. Here is an overview of each ones special day.

Hudson's party was intended to be a outdoor swim party with a Rubber Ducky theme. But the morning of the party we had the most rain we have had in a month so plans changed. It turned out pretty cute and he had a nice crowd of friends and family to help us celebrate. I think the 1st birthday party entertainment is seeing what the little one does when given the cake. Hudson had these ADORABLE Rubber ducky cupcakes that his Godmother Doron made. She and I had talked at length about how they should look.We brainstormed and searched online and took the best ideas and made our own creation. I was so happy with how they turned out. Hudson took alittle coaxing but he did finally dive into the cake with both hands.

Parker has been talking for 6 months about wanting a bass guitar. Our good friend Corey is an awesome musician and just so happens to be a bass player in a local band. He gave us advice on what we needed to get for Parker and insisted he would like to be Parker's guitar teacher. We told Parker that the expensive gift meant a scaled down party. He decided he wanted a boy party with his closest pals. I thought it was sweet that he included his big brother Logan on his closest pals list along with our Godson Nathan and his friend Sam from down the street. They all headed to the bowling alley with Brian and Nathan's dad Steve for an afternoon of male bonding. He asked for a cookie cake to share with everyone. He made out like a bandit with the gifts , gift cards, ds game, digital camera from Mimi and Popi and a new Dsi from Maw and Das. He is very excited about starting his guitar lessons this week. What more could an 8 year old want?

Macy celebrated her birthday with a spend the night party with 5 girlfriends. This is was her first sleepover party. With Mom being home alone we were lucky enough that it worked out to host the party there. The girls loved having the whole upstairs room as their hangout space. We went shopping, swimming, tie dyed shirts, had pizza and cake and loads of fun! Thank you Mimi for letting us invade your house. The cake turned out fabulous, it was similar to one Macy and I found online. I showed it to Doron knowing she could make something similar and it would taste awesome too. It took alittle convincing to get her to want to attempt to make it. But of course it turned out to be so cute, everyone loved it! Macy had a great birthday defiantly one to remember.

After doing this much party planning for 1 week a year I should be an old pro when it comes time to help plan the weddings, haha! Thanks to everyone for making their birthdays special, We love you all.

And lastly three year olds are always willing to give you a surprise to keep them in the spotlight. In the mist of the Birthdaypalooza week Collin decided to try out his hair cutting skills. Here is the before and after pictures. I tell you never a dull moment around here.

Happy Birthday Hudson

Here are a few highlights of Hudson's first year. Happy 1st Birthday Hudson! Click the picture for the slideshow.

(The video may still be processing)

July 4th

July 4th 2008, 5 days before Hudson's Birth
July 4th 2009, 70 pounds lighter with lucky #6 our lil' Firecracker

Moon Crew Annual 4th Picture

Swimming, BBQ, Fun,and Fireworks! There was minimal fussing, no injuries and plenty of good food. We had a great day!

Beach Trip 2009 - The final days

We spent the last two days doing some special things. There are two videos linked below.

Beach Trip 2009 - Day 3

On day 3, we flew kites, dug holes, had a picnic with fresh shrimp and had ice cream. Yum! Click the picture to see the video.

Beach Trip 2009 - Day 2

The day 2 video is a little late, but click below to see it.

Beach Trip 2009 - Day 1

After driving through alot of rain and surviving close quarters in the packed car with the Moon crew we were happy to grab ALL the gear and hit the sand. There is something special about seeing the excitement and wonder that kids have over everything found at the beach. I hope you enjoy a sneak peek of our first day here.

Click the picture to see a slideshow!

Fourteen Wonderful Years

Hi, its Brian. I am hijacking the blog today to tell you that it is our 14th wedding anniversary. Sometimes it seems like yesterday and sometimes I can't remember life any other way. There have been good times and bad. But, there has never been any question about where I wanted to be for the rest of my life.


This picture is pretty typical of us. She looks beautiful and I look goofy. Of course, I would not want it the other way around. We have come a long way in 14 years. Well, almost 16 years total now. We were engaged almost 15 years ago.


This may be my last anniversary after showing y'all that photo. That was the night I offically proposed. If you get out your magnifying glass and then look real hard you can see the modest ring I was able to buy her. I promised her the Moon that night and while I have not roped it in yet, we have brought six little Moons into the world together.

Learning new tricks

Whether it be good or bad one thing about having a little brother is teaching him things. Parker was proud to teach Hudson to stick out his tongue for my camera. Little Punks! Swimming season has begun the kids are in heaven.

Exhibit 1

Please allow me to introduce you to Exhibit 1. A pile of size 13 mens shoes in my living room. This picture was taken May 26th as the owner of the shoes was away in Huntsville working. These shoes were not placed here by anyone other than the owner. The fingerprints would confirm that statement to be true. This dear jury is my proof that I live in a world of Me vs The Rest of the House. In my closing statement I want to say. That even though the evidence is stacked pretty heavy against the perpetrator please take mercy on him. I am SURE he had all the intentions in the world to put the shoes away but it just slipped his mind once again. Thank you for your time.

The sandals were in front of my chair this morning. I moved them out of the middle of the floor before I left town. =) - Brian

Preschool Program

After his program infront of his school.

Collin has his end of the year program this past week. He was so excited and was proud that we were all there to see him sing on the "big stage". He has learned the Pledge of Allegiance this year and several songs. He really loves his school and will greatly miss it during the summer. I feel so blessed that Collin loves going to school, he is often so excited to be there he doesn't even tell me bye he just heads right to class. The teachers and administration show Collin such care and love that I know we have found the perfect fit for our family.

Schools Out!

I have been covered up in wrapping up the school year and as of Monday my kids were out for summer. The rest of the week was spent trying to find some sort of balance again. It will take us a few weeks to get a routine down. I have to stay on the kids about picking up after themselves and doing their chores. With everyone home trash,dishes and laundry seem to multiply. I need to come up with ways we can be away from home most of the day!

I will be doing some updates on recent events once I take the pictures off the camera. Stay tuned this week.

Boys and Toys

Even the small males in the house are in love with the new tv.

Surgery Update

Hudson relaxed by the "goofy juice" in his hospital gown.

Huddy's surgery to receive tubes in his ears went well. He was confused as to why we were up at 5 am and not offering him some milk but considering everything he did great. Thankfully the nurse gave him the goofy juice right as he was getting pretty hungry and tired. Mom was a big help trying to keep him entertained while we waited. Hopefully these tubes will last us a good long while.

Loved

There are women in this world desperate for a child.

There are children who have suffered the loss of their mother.

There are mothers who have lost precious innocent children.

There will be a time when homemade construction paper cards will be a thing of the past and I will no longer get a coupon to redeem for unlimited hugs.

I am humbled and blessed to be Mom to these amazingly talented, smart, funny, unique, silly, adorable children.

How could I not feel loved when I was showered with these gifts.

From Parker a decorated cake, a clay pinch pot he made at school, and a coupon for unlimited hugs all day.

From Molly a bookmark, a flower and poem, and multiple homemade cards.

From Collin a bookmark and a questionnaire he filled out that says, My Mom is prettiest when she.... wears dresses , and My Mom always says ... take a shower. That's just a few of his cute answers.

From Macy a text message with a bouquet of flowers that said Happy Mother's day.

From Logan he spent the day with family with minimal complaints.

From Hudson plenty of smiles and giggles.

I love you all!

Hudson update

Huddy is soon to be 10 months old. He is babbling some saying Mama, Nana,Nini, and hey. Of course he'll say none of it when I want him to. He also is starting to crawl and has pulled himself to a stand several times .

I am sure his speech will take off after he has surgery on Friday to get tubes. Oh yes, we are getting our first set of tubes ! The ENT office loves us we give them such job security for sure. I will let you know how it goes on Friday.

Magical Land of Oz

The school play was a smashing success! Logan as Oz and Macy as the cowardly Lion , both did a awesome job and we were all so proud! These are two pictures that were taken for the newspaper. And the kids were both interviewed by the paper as well. All their hard worked paid off. Way to go guys!