Sickos

This week didn't get any better than last week. Evan is still battling his cold and infections. Every day it gets harder and harder to get drops into his eyes. He hates it and knows what is coming when he sees the little white bottle. I have to do it and it just breaks my heart having to hold him down and listen to him scream bloody murder. But I know it isn't hurting and it's for the best. I was afraid we were going to have to go back to the doctor early because it just wasn't getting any better. But the last two days have finally started showing some improvement. So I hope we can make it through the holiday.

Madi started showing signs of goopy eyes too this week. But hers cleared up on their own. But Friday night, while we were at a benefit supper for a friend, she puked all over the floor, right in the middle of everything. I felt so bad and couldn't do anything but hold her head over a trashcan. Terrible. We came home, took baths and she was fine. Asking for candy two hours later, go figure.

And then last night, Evan started throwing up right at bedtime. By 6:30 this morning we both had gone through 5 sets of clothes each and half a dozen towels. He was up and down throughout the night and is feeling better today.

I have also been battling my own cold this week. But with the kids not sleeping well at night, I am not sleeping well either. And I am afraid to take NyQuil at night thinking I won't hear Evan or wake up when they need me. So it isn't getting any better either. Chris was wonderful this afternoon and I actually took a two hour nap. So needed. We all need to get feeling better with the holiday this week and then Chris leaves for deer camp next Sunday, which leaves me all alone for the week.

Luckily (knock on wood, cross fingers, etc, etc) Chris hasn't gotten sick. He would be pretty upset if he missed Deer Camp!

We did have some fun Saturday night before all the throwing up started. We went downtown for the Festival of Lights Parade. We LOVE parades. And this one is so much fun to watch all the Christmas lights decorated on the floats and vehicles. Madi liked the dancing groups and they had some really cute Christmas outfits this year. And of course we brought home a Dillons bag completely full of candy. Evan liked the horses, the dogs, and the firetrucks. He waved and had a lot of fun. This was his first year to watch this parade. Last year he slept through the whole thing in the warm, toasty car. Then we waved to Santa at the end and Madi cheered for the street sweepers following behind.

Pics of the kids at the parade. It was cold last night. But we went home after and had popcorn, hot chocolate and watched a Christmas movie.





Madi has her Thanksgiving feast at school tomorrow and then she is done for the week. Thursday we will spend the day at Chris' parents house. Madi is going to spend the night with Nana and Papa, Uncle Jason, Aunt Tabatha, and Jaxson on Thursday night. Evan may stay with Chris' parents and Chris and I will get up dark and early and hit the Black Friday sales. It's so much easier and safer to do this without the kids. I don't know what they have for sale this year, but I am sure we can find something that we just CAN"T live without and just HAVE to brave the crowds at 4:00 in the morning. We do tend to get the bulk of our Christmas shopping done this day. Then the rest of the day we will spend at my parents having Thanksgiving with my family.


Madi's favorite food, chocolate cupcakes.
But we added a Thanksgiving treat on top.




Evan's play spot while we were decorating, goofy boy!

I hope everyone has a wonderful short week and blessed Thanksgiving Day with family and loved ones.
Love, Amy

14 Months

It has not been a very good week for my little guy. He has caught a cold and hasn't been sleeping well. When he got up this morning his eye was swollen and slimy. Did not look good at all. Of course it's Saturday and the doctors office is closed so we went to Stat Care. 2 1/2 hours later we finally got to see a doctor, get a prescription and get out of there. The doctor said his eye is infected and both ears are extremely infected. 10 days of antibiotics and eye drops until they clear up. I am hoping he did not inherit my lovely ear problems :( We will see what his doctor says in 2 weeks when we go back.

Other new stuff for Evan..happier new things :). He is getting really good at walking. He falls down and gets right back up. Some nights he gets so goofy and just starts doing laps around the kitchen island. It's pretty funny to watch. He has even tried a couple of times to run to catch Madi. We have a very loud house again. It used to be Madi and Oliver running around the house barking and yelling, now it's just the two kids but just as loud as before! But Madi is loving it. She takes him by the hand and leads him where ever SHE wants him to go. And they have been playing really well together and entertaining themselves while I cook supper or get the house picked up.

Evan's still only saying a couple of words. Uh, oh is his favorite, milk, and go. He is getting quite vocal when he wants something and he is starting to perfect his temper tantrum, which is always nice when kids learn that. He gets so upset when someone goes outside without him or he wants something he can't have.

His likes right now--tractors still, music and dancing, bath time, climbing on and into everything, and messing up whatever Madi is doing. If she is building something, he knocks it down. If she is coloring, he is grabbing at the colors. If she climbs up into my lap, all of sudden he wants in my lap and pushes her out of the way. And our biggest problem right now is pulling hair. He gets mad at Madi or she won't give him something he wants, he just reaches up and yanks with both hands. Very traumatic for Madi. But Evan is very attentive and copies everything she does. He tries to get a cup of water from the refrigerator door. I brush Madi's hair in the morning and several times this week he will get the hairbrush first and try and brush her hair while she is brushing teeth. At lunch he insisted that he dip his chicken and fries into the ketchup because I was doing it also. Very smart boy.


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Madi had a fun day today. She got to go on her very first pheasant hunt. She was so excited. We spent part of the morning running around getting her new hunting clothes. I had bought snow boots and hunting pants and snow pants last year for her and got them big so we could hopefully get two seasons out of them. But she has grown so much this last year that they weren't even close to being able to be worn again. So after lunch, the guys came to walk a couple of fields around our house and she got to go along. It was extremely muddy and Chris had to rescue her and her boots a couple of times. So the last field she decided she would rather block than walk. She liked that much better. After they were all done hunting (and they didn't get anything, bummer) we had a little get together at our house. Had supper and sat around and visited. It was nice. Madi said she definitely wants to go again.


My little hunter!

Getting ready to go back out.

Madi's next adventure is Deer Camp. Last year she was going to stay a night with the guys but she ended up being sick and couldn't stay. So, this year we are going to try it again. She is very excited and unfortunately Chris told her she could stay a month ahead of time so she has been talking about it and asking a lot of questions. Last week she asked if Daddy was going to have a princess bed for her!! I'd like to see her pink and princess stuff mixed in with all those guys at deer camp!! Should be a great experience for them all. Especially when Chris has to get up in the middle of the night in the freezing cold and trek up to the bath house so she can go potty :)!! Maybe the first and last time she gets to go.



Have a great week!!
Love, Amy

Halloween Weekend

We had a wonderful weekend!! And the weather was just gorgeous, especially for the last two days of October. Couldn't have asked for better.

Saturday we went to Wichita and spent the day with my parents and my brother and his family. Chris went to the John Deere Swap Meet for a couple of hours while the rest of us went to the zoo. The kids had a blast riding in the wagons and spending time together. It really is a great zoo and I think spending the day at any zoo together is a great way to spend the day. Chris met back up with us about half way through and that was a nice treat.

After the zoo we went out to eat at Olive Garden. YUM!!! Chris and I have not eaten there before and boy have we been missing out! Awesome food and awesome service. They have the most delicious Pumpkin Cheesecake ever!! I need to figure out how to make it. And we learned the secret to eating out in Wichita on a Saturday night. Take a big group and they can seat you immediately!! No date night eating out in Wichita on a weekend. There was a line of people waiting outside the whole time we were there for just groups of 2-4 people to be seated. We didn't have to wait at all, it was great!

We made it home about 10 pm and the kids were exhausted. Just a wonderful day. Thank you Jason and Tabatha and Mom and Dad for everything Saturday!!


Evan walking!! He wanted to check out the geese that came over to see what we were eating.


The grizzly bears were just getting their food. Who knew that grizzly bears ate lettuce, celery, sweet potatoes, carrots and apples? Maybe that was just the first course. I was waiting to see a fish come flying in there, but didn't happen.

The kids were pretty amazed by those big bears!






It looks like that bear is looking straight into Madi's face.


As close as we could get to all three somewhat looking in the direction of the camera!

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We had a lazy day Sunday. It took most of the day to recoop from all the walking Saturday. We slept in and skipped church (oops!), kids played and Chris went out and finished discing (?) the field and getting it all ready for spring. Then we all took long naps. Woke up all recharged and ready for some trick or treating!

We stopped at 6 different places and saw some friends and family. This was the first year that we actually walked a couple blocks with Madi. She loved it!! We left Evan with my parents while we took Madi out to a couple of blocks around Mom and Dad's house. Madi was so cute, when they would answer the door and couple people would say "Oh, you are so cute!" and that just made her day. She came running back to the sidewalk, "Mama, they liked me!" She is at such a fun age anymore, it just gets better and better.

We had another late night, getting home at 10:30 and quickly taking baths and in bed. School time came awfully early this morning! I don't really care for Halloween falling on a school night. :( But, it's once a year. Now I'll spend the rest of the week hiding and rationing candy out until she forgets all about it!!


Madi was a K-State cheerleader and Evan was the football player.

Hope everyone had a Spooktacular Halloween!!
Love, Amy