Fair Day

Mason, Carter, and I are watching High School Musical. I have to get Carter's dancing on video - great blackmail material when he's a teenager.

We all went to the fair today with our very kind, patient friend, Wanda. Anyone lacking those qualities wouldn't be able to stand a day at the fair with the craziness we bring along. Anyway, the highlights : the Sky Ride (twice); the farm simulation game where Mason got to perform farm tasks, earn money, and shop at the general store; the birthing center where we saw baby chicks, lambs, and piglets. After an exhausting day, $5 for lemonade, $8 for entry, and $3 per ride, Mason was full of gratitude and sweet expressions of thanks to his parents for the wonderful day - NOT. Typical kid - he griped and complained all the way to the car about all the things he didn't get to do. I'm sure he'll be much more kind and grateful when he's 12 or 13. HA!

Alien Invasion

Mason and I got a huge kick out of the tiny little spaceman that appeared in his bedroom this evening. The funniest part was when he ran away from us, squealing.

The state fair started yesterday. We usually try to go for at least an hour or two - even though the masses of people, eating everything-under-the-sun-on-a-stick, get on our nerves pretty quickly. Ya' gotta' love the fair!

Growing Up Too Fast

Mason explained friction to me today. He said that it was what the space shuttle had when it reentered the Earth's atmosphere. Then he simplified the explanation, for non-rocket-scientists like myself, with a more concrete example of rubbing your hands together.

Carter has started sleeping in a big boy bed this week - the other twin bed in Mason's room. He loves it! When he was sleeping in his crib, he was waking up about 1:00 a.m., crying for me to bring him to bed with me. Now that he's sharing a room with Mason, he stays put until time to get up (or almost time to get up). He still sleeps in his crib for nap time, but at night he thinks he's big stuff getting to sleep where the big kids sleep. When it's time for our nighttime prayer, he gets his "boo" and crawls up in his new bed. For now, I lie down with him until he falls asleep. But I plan to phase that out over the next few months. We're also slowly reducing his pacifier time. I try to only let him have one at bedtime.

Snack Time

I found a recipe for munch mix on one of my favorite websites, familyfun.com , and changed it some to make a delicious, healthy snack. Unfortunately, I like it more than the kids do, but still...

Mix: Air-popped popcorn, cinnamon/sugar, banana chips, dried cranberries, and chocolate chips (it calls for roasted peanuts, and those would be great, too). Shake well in a Ziploc bag and enjoy!

I feel like I've been really productive lately, trying to stay on top of things. But there is always so much more to do than I can get to. Keeping up with the kitchen, alone, is a full-time job. As soon as I clean it, it's time to mess it up again with another meal. And don't get me started on the laundry. It seems like all of these things get in the way of what I really want to do.

I'm trying to fit in time to write articles - I wrote one today to submit to a Christian women's magazine. Pastor Steven preached a message Sunday that, once again, spoke directly to my heart - words from God to me. It was about God giving us a bigger calling than we could ever dream of or fulfill on our own. He pointed out that because God's word is a 'lamp unto our path' it just illuminates one step at a time. You have to have the faith to take that step before He reveals the next one. I'm sure that message had a personal meaning to everyone listening, but it told me I need to be writing and submitting my work for publication - so my life can glorify HIM, which is why I'm here in the first place. Now if God could just help me figure out how to focus on writing with a bunch of kids around - like the one who is holding out a box of crackers to me right now, begging me to open it. Snack time - again.

Funny Photo Shoot

Click the picture to enlarge. Mason's favorite is the bottom center.

Kelvin vs. Celsius

What's my 5-year-old watching on Saturday morning? Power Rangers? Mickey Mouse Clubhouse? Cartoons of any kind? No to all. He's watching a documentary on his favorite channel - the NASA channel. I'm not sure what it's about exactly, but they spent about 5 minutes explaining the Kelvin scale as compared to the Celsius and Fahrenheit scales. They lost me at 'Kelvin' - nightmare flashbacks of high school science classes. Mason loves it, though. He won't let me change the channel.

I'm an idiot

I just left the most embarrassing phone message of my entire life - seriously. I got up the motivation and courage to contact the editor of the Tulsa Kids magazine about some articles I submitted in the spring, and then I completely lost my train of thought, my focus, my purpose for calling - you name it I lost it. The highlight was the string of ummm's toward the end when I was trying to remember the names of the articles I sent. Why didn't I listen to the little voice inside that told me to write those down before I called? If she actually calls me back, she's a saint.

Mason's visit was good news/bad news. After an echo cardiogram, EKG, 3 blood tests, a CT scan of his sinuses, and a stool sample (fun for Mom), the good news is that nothing is wrong with him. The bad news is that we still don't know why he might have recurring fevers. Those docs sure charge a lot to tell you they can't help you, don't they? At least we know Mason doesn't have some terrible illness - that's a blessing!

I Tiss You!

I love the one-and-a-half age. Even though the little boogers are into everything and can throw one heck of a hissy fit, they're hilarious when they discover their ability to make other people laugh. Carter says, "Wook, Mama, wook!" When I 'wook' at him and he has my attention, he makes a silly little face or does a goofy dance. Then he looks back at me to make sure I'm laughing. His favorite phrase is, "I tiss you," which is followed by a wet, slobbery baby kiss. He's a love!

Mason can be funny, too, but we're used to his antics now that he's 5. He's not going to be a professional comedian, though - he's more likely to be a rocket scientist. He LOVES space. Once again, he does not get that from his mother. We've had the NASA channel for about a week, and he would much rather watch that - even the incredibly boring press conferences - than the goofy kids shows that are on (except Sponge Bob, and he only wants to watch that because he's not allowed to). He wants to get out his telescope every night - thankfully it's too cloudy some nights, because Mom is bored to tears with the whole astronomy scene.

Just one day at a spa - please!!

Okay, so I actually took the time to get ready one day this week - make up, hair, pretty cute outfit - fairly rare occurrence for me these days. I didn't end up leaving the house or seeing any other adults all day. A few days later I didn't have the time to do more than brush my hair and throw on a tacky t-shirt and shorts (as usual). I ended up having to leave in a hurry late in the day and didn't even pay attention to what I looked like. Naturally, I found myself in one place after another where everyone else had obviously spent more than 5 minutes on their morning routine. The icing on the cake was running into an old acquaintance from OBU who recognized me at Chic-Fil-A. If it wasn't bad enough that he and his wife were impeccably dressed, he approached me just after I took the most enormous bite I have ever taken of a chicken sandwich and I couldn't even respond for what seemed like an eternity. Nice. It wasn't until they left (I did manage to swallow and have a decent conversation) that I realized my kids looked a little like street urchins with their unkempt hair and dirty faces. Murphy's law? Lesson in humility? I'm still trying to decide.

Appointment to have a CT scan on Mason's sinuses this Wednesday. The nurse said there "probably" wouldn't be needles involved. Great.

Pediatric Specialist # 6

Mason and I visited Dr. Sharma's office today - the infectious disease specialist - to try to get to the bottom of his mysterious come-n-go fevers. The pediatrician and cardiologist ruled out the conditions they could test for, so Dr. Sharma was the next step in the journey. He really thinks the root cause is a chronic sinus infection that is going to take more than just a 10 day round of Augmentin to clear. He ordered more blood tests (Mason wasn't thrilled about that, but didn't try to run out the door like last time) and a CT scan of his sinuses. We got the blood work over with today and are waiting for the CT people to call for an appointment. We'll meet with Dr. Sharma again next Thursday, and he fully expects to turn us over to an ear, nose, throat doctor. If I'm counting correctly, that will be the 6th kind of pediatric specialist Mason has seen - but I may be forgetting one or two. There was the baby hernia surgeon when he was 5 months, the eye specialist when he was 18 months and we thought he was cross-eyed (turns out he developed the eye-crossing-for-humor skill early), the cardiologist and pulmonologist we worked with when he was in the PICU, and Dr. Sharma (who also saw him at the hospital, but doesn't remember). Thank goodness we have good health insurance and specialist visits are only $40! The pulmonologist sent us a bill before he had our insurance information, and it was $800 for about an hour, maybe 2, on Mason's case. I SOO should have been a doctor (except that I hate hospitals, blood, biology, and pretty much everything else medical).

Day of Firsts

Carter tried salsa for the first time yesterday - he liked it, but not as much as his brother liked it the first time he tried it. We'll see if he turns out to be as big of a chips and salsa fan as Mason someday.

Mason got back on his bike yesterday for the first time in about a year. He got it for his 4th birthday, fell of of it in the first 5 minutes and refused to ride it again. After supper last night, when I suggested we try his bike again, he agreed grudgingly. "This is a terrible day. I had to go to school, I had to get a breathing treatment, and now I have to ride my bike." I pray those kind of terrible days are the worst ones he ever has! Once we got our neighbor friends, the Ranfords, to help us air up the tires, Mason figured out that his bike is much easier to maneuver now that he's taller. He loved it and begged to ride longer when it was time to go inside.

OU Fever

We traveled to Norman for the 2nd OU game this weekend (a win, thank goodness) and to see Mimi and Grandpa Trent and the gang. We had a great time, but Mason had a fever again most of the weekend. It looks like we're going to have to see Dr. Sharma - the infectious disease specialist (very nice man, but hard to understand his Indian accent). Jas and I scoured the internet for info on possible conditions that could cause recurring fevers. We basically scared ourselves to death (with the mention of leukemia, hodgkins, and such) and decided to let a professional handle the diagnosis. It's times like this that I wonder how on earth people face the trials of life without God and the support of a loving church. Even through tears of worry, I still have a calm peace that everything will be okay. God loves Mason more than I ever could, and His plans for that precious little boy are bigger and better than I'll ever be able to imagine.

Pictures: Carter's 18 month pic; Mason sleeping by his electric train (when I turned it off, he looked up and said, "Hey, I'm still playing with that!")

Thursday Thoughts

Laugh of the Day: The guy in the truck in front of me today who used the red light stop time to brush his hair back with big, sweeping motions and then spray it all over with a heavy layer of aerosol hairspray. When I caught a sight of his 80's mustache in his side mirror, I laughed hysterically. Luckily only kids were in the car with me, and they just joined in the laughter without question.

sidenote: notice the orange, brown, and blue theme of the outfits in the family pic below - NOT planned, I promise

Labor Day Weekend

Thank goodness for long weekends - I finally got a desperately needed nap (or 2). Mom and Dad came with David and Jennie, who we hadn't seen since Christmas. We had a great time! Mason was thrilled to be reunited with his precious electric train (that usually lives at Gigi and Grandad's house because Mom isn't fond of it). The visit to the aquarium was a big hit, too - especially the sharks that swim over your head. Carter was glued to Grandad's side - he had a grand time showing off for everyone. He also made eating out a little difficult. Time to start the 'toddler quarantine' - the year when we stay away from restaurants for the sake of everyone involved. We even managed to convince Gigi and Grandad to babysit so we could take in a movie with David and Jennie - The Bourne Ultimatum. I like the Bourne series, and this one was a good one. I should have taken Dramamine before watching it, though - very shaky camera work. Definitely the best weekend we've had in a long time!