Gaming Together

Yesterday the kids wanted to play their Leapsters. They had not played their Leapsters in FOREVER, so the batteries were dead. They decided that they would play while they were charging, and they wanted to play "together." I looked around and found them sitting back-to-back in the dining room playing. So sweet.

Don't worry . . . it didn't last long. I thought that as long as they were playing so nicely together, I would go to the bedroom and read on my Kindle for a bit. I think I read for about 3 minutes before they realized I was gone and came looking for me. From there it was on like Donkey Kong . . . they were ready to attack Mommy and wrestle like it was WWE. Oh well, so much for my swell idea.

Bedtime Snack

Every now and then, Grace comes out of her bedroom after she's been tucked in for the night. And she'll ask us if she can sit in my lap. When you're as cute and sweet as she is, it's hard for Mommy and Daddy to say, "No." She'll sneak in a little extra cuddle time and some t.v. time. This week she caught Daddy having a little bedtime snack, and Daddy agreed to share if she would sit with him.

Little Mathematician

Grandma bought Gabriel this write and wipe math book.
The book has both addition and subtraction problems in it. He loves to show off his math skills.
I think Papaw enjoyed seeing what a smartie this kid can be.

Indy Children's Museum II

Yesterday Alicia and I took the kids to Indianapolis to visit the Children's Museum. We always have a ton of fun when we go there!
Jake and Gabriel found the silly little bouncing toys outside the gift shop.
Nora is such a cute girl! She is probably the most easy-going baby I've ever met.
A lady was handing out fliers about the museum in the parking garage. On the flier was a buy one, get one free coupon for the Starbucks inside the museum. Seriously, we would never pass up that deal!
Our first stop was the Lego exhibit. The kids had a ball there racing Lego cars and building with Legos.
Sam and Gabriel raced cars on this at least a dozen times.
They had lots of giant Lego vehicles there. The race car was so cool! They also had a Lego spaceship, a Lego boat, and a Lego hot air balloon.
I was surprised how long Grace spent building with the Legos.
Sam modified a rocket someone else had built. Gabriel built a boat.
After lunch we headed to the Mr. Potato Head exhibit. We spent a ton of time there! Right inside the door of the exhibit, they had tubs of Mr. Potato Heads and different parts you could use to create faces. It was fun!
Sam and Gabriel spent at least half an hour playing at this little thing that makes a golf ball go up and down the wall.
We went to Mr. Potato Head story time. Me and my favorite girl!
The kids got to interact with the story teller a lot. It was a fun story.
Next, we went to Playscape. Grace could not wait to go to the sand table.
Nora was a happy camper in the 2 and under play area.
The kids spent a little time at the water table too.
At 4 o'clock, our last stop was the Dinosphere. The kids posed in front of this dino skeleton like we've trained them to do it. Funny!
Grace and Jake love to dig in the archeology area.
I'm not sure what Gabriel was doing, but he looked pretty cute in his goggles.
Alicia got in on the digging action too.
Nora and I hung out together while Alicia took Jake to the restroom.
Before leaving the museum, we caught the end of the End of the Day Parade, and we got to meet Rex.
On our way out of Indy, we stopped on the south side of Indy at Chick-fil-a for dinner.

Let me tell you, Alicia and I have almost perfected this little trip to Indy. We know the perfect place to pick up a quick breakfast on the way up 65. We always pack our lunches and snacks so we don't have to buy anything that is WAY overpriced at the museum. We have the perfect place to eat for dinner on the way home. The next time, we just need to be able to find the museum without getting lost. Then we'll have this trip down pat!

Worm

Aunt Barbara found a little inch worm in the yard Saturday. She gave it Grace, and Grace walked around talking to it like it was a baby. She kept saying, "Hi, Little Guy." It was so cute.

Early Morning Crafting

Grace always wants to do crafts . . . and I mean ALWAYS. Saturday morning, it was not even 9 a.m. yet when she was asking to do a craft. I try to keep easy things for her to do handy. I bought the foam frog at the Target Dollar Spot the night before. Last Easter Mom gave both kids puppet-making kits. Gabriel doesn't have much interest in crafting, so I let Grace make both puppets. She had a ball!
Here is my happy crafter in her pj's.

Daddy Cuddles

I'm not sure who is more rotten, Grace or her daddy.

Don't Say You Weren't Told

Here is the info. for all who are interested:

Both kids will be having their surgeries on April 3rd. I don't know what time yet. Gabriel will be spending the night in the hospital. Grace will come home shortly after her procedure.

Fishing with Daddy

It was such a beautiful evening tonight that the kids and Dan went down to the pond to fish before bath time.
Gabriel has gotten really good at casting. I was amazed at how well he did!
Grace was getting the hang of casting pretty well too.
We've been hearing the frogs at the pond in the evenings about dusk, and tonight we spotted one.
Unfortunately, the only thing Grace hooked was her hair.

I can't wait until one of the kids catches their first fish! If you want to come fishing, just let us know!

It's All About ME!

I earned my 10% weight loss goal at Weight Watchers tonight!! That means I've lost 10% of my starting weight!
It may not seem like much . . . just a cheap key chain . . . but it represents something pretty important to me. I was pretty skeptical when I started Weight Watchers as to whether or not I'd actually be able to attain 10%. Now I'm only 2 lbs. from my goal weight. I'm looking forward to seeing how my summer clothes fit now!

Health Update

Grace had an appointment today with Dr. K to have her ears checked. Since the kids had had a rough week with strep throat and Grace an ear infection with perforated ear drum, I decided to take Gabriel along to see Dr. K as well. I wanted to re-visit the idea of having his tonsils removed.

Dan met us at the doctor's office too. It was reassuring to have him there to ask the questions I didn't think of and to hear what Dr. K recommended to treat the kids.

Grace has significant hearing loss in her left ear. That's the ear drum that ruptured Friday night/Saturday morning. She has significant pressure in her right ear which can cause discomfort and difficulty with hearing. Dr. K wants to remove her adenoids and put tubes in her ears again. Grace's procedure will be out-patient. She'll only need a day for recovery. Dr. K she might experience some nose bleeds due to having her adenoids removed, but the procedure should be relatively simple overall.

Gabriel's tonsils are swollen again, and he has pressure in his ears. Dan and I talked to Dr. K about Gabriel's breathing difficulty when he sleeps. Dr. K agreed that taking his tonsils and adenoids out would help alleviate a lot of Gabriel's problems. Gabriel will be monitored overnight in the hospital when he has his tonsils removed. He will have a two-week recovery time.

We will schedule both kids' procedures tomorrow. Our hope is to have all of this taken care of during Spring Break next week.

Strep

Grace stayed home sick today. She woke up at midnight coughing. She had a fever and said her head hurt. She coughed so much she was gasping and ended up vomiting. Dan and I got her cleaned up, medicated, and comfortable. She slept pretty restlessly all night. As she slept restlessly, I debated in my mind about whether or not she needed to see the doctor today. She'd had no fever since the ibuprofen took effect shortly after midnight. As soon as I heard her cough this morning, I knew that I would just feel better if I took her to the doctor. Turns out she has an ear infection and strep throat. Mama's gut instincts are good . . . glad we made that trip to Dr. Nassim's office. Hopefully, she'll be feeling back to her normal self soon.

On a lighter note . . . .
Grace was tickled to death that I stayed home with her today. She was so excited all morning that she certainly didn't act sick. When I found out she had strep throat, and I know how miserable that is, I told her that she could have a milk shake when we left the doctor's office. We stopped at DQ on the way home, and she ordered a strawberry milkshake. One sip and she said she did NOT like it! I encouraged her to try some more of it, but no dice. I tasted it, and it was actually really yummy --- made with real strawberries. After a few errands on the way home, she asked for McDonald's for lunch, and how could I say, "No" to a sick kiddo? At McDonald's I let her order a chocolate milkshake. After her first sip, she said, "Mmmm . . . That's better." She drank the whole thing.

Asleep

When I got out of the shower Tuesday morning, I found a little girl asleep on the bathroom mat. Silly kid!

Update on Gabe

Last week Gabriel had yet another appointment with Dr. K, his ENT. We have been monitoring his tonsils and ears for a year now. His tubes are no longer in place. Two appointments ago, his ears "were a mess" in Dr. K's words. And his tonsils were a 3+ which is considered very large and problematic. Last week Dr. K said his ears looked much better, and the swelling in his tonsils had decreased slightly too, making them a 3 and not a 3+. Through all of this, the plan was for Gabriel to have his tonsils taken out over Spring Break. Now, however, Dr. K does not see a need for "surgical intervention" which means Gabriel will have a good Spring Break after all!

The Fresh Beat Band

Grace was so excited Sunday to go see The Fresh Beat Band with her cousin, Cassidy.
Wayne and Candi bought the girls FBB t-shirts at the concert.
These girls always have so much fun when they are together! Thank you, Wayne and Candi, for having Grace join you for such a fun afternoon!

Her First Concert

Sunday afternoon Grace went with her cousin Cassidy to see The Fresh Beat Band at The Palace Theater. She picked out her own outfit, complete with hair bow, for the concert. She looked like such a little diva. She's so little, yet so grown up at times.

Seussical

Sunday Gabriel and I joined Janelle, Jackson, and Darbi at Floyd Central High School to see Seussical the Musical.
I wanted to get just one good picture of the kids sitting together. Unfortunately, my son cannot seem to take a serious picture lately. I tried many more than I posted . . . but here is a sampling of the pictures I ended up with.
Look how cute the Lewis' look . . . and then there is my little photo bomber.
Really, Gabriel?!?! What am I going to do with him?!?!

Saturday Evening

The Hoyland's invited us to join them Saturday evening for a wine tasting at Chateau de Pique. So the adults left the kids with grandparents and went to enjoy a little wine. After the wine, we picked up pizza and the kids, and headed back to our house to let the kids play.
The men were in charge of choosing the movie for the kids. They chose He-Man and She-Ra: The Crossover. Let's just say that the kids were not nearly as impressed at Dan and Billy. Ha!
When the movie was over, it was time to bathe kids. Grace and Abby were so excited to take a bath together.
Gabriel brought his Beyblades upstairs to everyone could battle together. It was nice to see him sharing his Beyblades with Abby and Grace. Typically Grace is not allowed to touch his Beyblades.
It was getting late, so the battling didn't last long. We had a fun evening enjoying each others' company.