The Big Bad Sickness

Life was going good. Well, for about 2 weeks. Andrew recovered, everyone was healthy and happy, and we did the usual:

 Smiled, acted silly, played dress-up, went out for ice cream, park adventures...yep, the usual.

And then, the sickness hit. Within 24 hours, I was at the doctor's office twice and the ER once. The diagnosis changed each time: virus, double ear infection, strep. But one thing was for sure: these babies were sick! Especially Jude. He screamed for hours nonstop. And whatever this nightmare was, it caused ulcers all down the throat, a rash, and blisters on the skin. I'm no doctor, but it sounded pretty much like hand, foot and mouth virus. 

Mimi and Grandpa were back! They helped out with the kids and around the house, and thankfully, by the end of the week...the kiddos were all back to their wild selves. 

I've never been so thankful for wild (but the best part: happy) children...who once again sleep through the night.

Afternoon at the park...

Feb 1st

The house feels empty with no grandparents in it.

We woke up to lots of clouds and rain...the perfect day for broccoli cheese soup. This recipe (http://www.food.com/recipe/panera-broccoli-cheese-soup-150384) is supposed to taste just like the Panera version, and I'd say it's pretty darn close. Thanks to a friend for posting this! I am always on the lookout for good soup recipes.

Well, here we are at the start of February, aka the month of love and all things red and pink. 

Did you know that Jude's favorite red food is an apple? 

He prefers to play with it and take a teeny tiny bite every now and then.

 He clutches it like a football, hides it, throws it, and giggles at it. He can't get enough of apples...and I can't get enough of his sweet chubby face. What a happy little man he is.

The first time I ever had to call 911

It was a great Monday morning. Andrew wanted to lift weights; I wanted to go file our taxes. Andrew won. Five minutes later, Maddox was pressing his nose against the screen door, saying, "Daddy needs help." With Jude on my hip, I rounded the corner of the house to see a nightmare under the carport: Andrew lying on his back in pain, unable to get up. The blur started.

-I called 911 and within 10 minutes they were there and had Andrew loaded up on the stretcher (if you want to see your neighbors, call an ambulance. Every pajama-clad neighbor on our street was standing in their front yard eyeballing us.)
-I called Andrew's parents and they arrived that evening in record time
-I took the boys up to the hospital with my neighbor there to help and Jude was a terror (nap time and hungry). I stayed with Andrew a few minutes before I gave up and went home (Jude was very attracted to all the wires and gadgets).
-One hour later, Andrew, who at the time couldn't even sit down without collapsing in pain on the floor, text me, "They are releasing me." Diagnoses: pulled muscle. I was livid. It's true what they say about military doctors.

Like I said, it's been a blur. It's been one week and Andrew is improving, but still having some problems. His parents' help has been a lifesaver! I just really, really hope that a new week brings better things. I've called 911 for the first time...and hopefully the last.

Jude claimed Grandpa as his BFF right away. 

If Grandpa is in the room, that's usually where Jude will be too...or at least closeby.

MiMi has worked her butt off, from entertaining the boys to doing dishes and laundry. 

We got in some good eating at McGuire's Irish Pub in Destin. The waitress said something to Maddox and he his his face. I said, "Oh, he's getting shy!" He piped up, "I'm not shy! I'm FRIENDLY!" He is turning into a little hoot.

Andrew managed to eat all this cheeseburger without puking. 

 And for being so polite, Maddox (and Jude) got complimentary ice cream. I'm not sure what I'm going to do when my two little flirts get bigger.....

Back home, it was back to being couch potatoes (only for the men of course). 

The Old Bay Crapper

Well, this 3-day weekend could take a turn for the worse, depending on the outcome of today. But, so far, so good (unless you count the "crappy" shrimp and poisonous cocktails). We'll get there.

The days have been filled with cartoons, playtime, outside time, girl time, and....

 date time!

I forgot the camera so I have to settle with blurry iPhone pictures. We met Andrew's friend Ric and his wife at Old Bay Steamer (it was Ric's birthday). It was great to get out on the town with no kids (thank you to Yani, Alex and Eva for keeping the boys happy back home!). We started off with a cocktail and usually a cocktail is sweet, yummy and NOT strong (at least the kind I get). But not this one. This baby was $9 (Andrew's was $12!!) and I guess they wanted you to get your money's worth. I knew things were bad when I took a few sips and the room, not to mention everybody's face, started moving up and down. I did the only thing to do: stuffed my face with salad, lots of croutons, crackers, and all my pasta. It helped and by the time I had to get up to walk to the bathroom, all was right with the world again.

The only non-seafood food on the menu was chicken pasta (which I got). Andrew ordered shrimp. Let me tell you, these were the nastiest shrimp I'd ever seen. They all came with their heads on and they had poop on   them (or in them, whatever. It was their digestive tract. Puke!). 

 Andrew said, "Eating those things was more work than food!"

Who eats this stuff for fun?

And then our bill was ridiculous. I guess rich people like to pay a lot to have crap (literally) put on their plate. 

Nevertheless, it was a night out, and that in itself is a good time!

Almost Weekend Time

Well, we are pretty excited around here. We're gearing up for another long weekend (not 4 day this time, but hey, we'll take 3 day).

It's going to include a girl shopping trip and a rare date with Andrew! Oh yea. Good times to come.

Today I raked the whole front yard with the "help" of the boys. Maddox supervised from his bike and Jude raked dirt onto the driveway with his mini rake. The yard doesn't look much different (you know, dirt and weeds) but the trash bin is full of leaves. Yard work always makes me feel good. I need to do it more!

Now, just waiting on the hubby to come home for dinner. I've been craving meat loaf and scalloped potatoes and that's what this girl is getting! I hate it when I pick at dinner while I'm cooking it though and by the time it's ready to eat, I'm already full. Oh well. I'll take seconds anyway.

Somebody just loves peanut butter and raspberry jelly sandwiches. Can you guess who?

Queen of Hearts

Holidays tend to slip up on me before I've had a chance to decorate. But, not Valentine's Day! I'm 100% ready for Cupid to hit.

(The hearts are actually different colors, but you can't tell with the lighting.)

 I thought my Rainbow Living Room needed more colors, hence the yellow hearts. ;)

Oh, and this guy takes on a new look with each holiday. For Christmas, he had jingle bells hanging from his antlers. Now, he has hearts.

Hearts, hearts, hearts. My house has been bombarded. Maybe Jude will know what a heart is by Feb. 14.

 We got a new bike trailer today (well, a pre-loved one, but new to us!) Our other one had a flat tire so we returned it and found this one for a good deal on craigslist. Maddox's first ride (below) and he fell asleep!

Jude has yet to try it out. He was too busy racing around on his Schwinn and eating cheesetoast.