Day 6, and worn out!

I am officially exhausted after today.

We went to our church Festival this afternoon and the to my sisters to trick or treat.

Lee, I love you very much, but I can't download all the pics tonight and blog about it. Even my fingers hurt! I will leave you with a shot of our little golf pro.

And I think he has your swing :)

3 Days left :)...

Day 5, and a short post.

I am sooo exhausted, and the last thing I feel like doing is blogging, but I am really trying hard not to quit my commitment. I don't think I will make another commitment like this again. It's a lot harder than I thought it to be.

We went to Mom and Andy's this morning after breakfast for a long day of feeding ducks, playing on the water, watching football, grilling out, and going to Mobile to see some other family members trick or treating. I literally JUST now walked in the house and I hope I have enough energy to brush my teeth. Knox had a great time at Ri-Ri and Paw Paw's, and he is actually over there right now spending the night. I thought I would like having a little time to myself... getting ready in the morning for church and not having to bathe and dress him while getting myself ready, but I REALLY wanted to bring him home with me and I am actually a little sad right now. Mom pretty much made me leave him so she could have him for a bit and let me have a little break, but I wish he was sleeping right down the hall from me right now :(.

Lee is on a plane to Beijing right now, so please keep in your prayers. He will be in China for the rest of his trip. He told me this morning that he REALLY misses my cooking, so that tells me right there that the food in Japan must not be too tasty for Americans. I think he will enjoy the food in China a lot better. I hope so. I will be really sad if my already lean husband comes home even skinnier, and I am here at home getting bigger by the day!

Mom and Knox walking out to feed the ducks...

"Throw the bread over there, Ri-Ri!"

Knox broke free and chased the poor ducks. He has ZERO fear of animals...

Checking out the ducks in the water, and trying to jump in...

"Here. Have some bread..."

Taking a rest and checking out the scenery...

And lastly, a random Mardi Gras baby shot...

Miss you and love you, Lee. 4 more days left!!

Day 4, and we are feeling much better!

Knox felt great this morning, so after breakfast Dad and Karen took him and I didn't get him back until 2:30! Whoop whoop. I got to run some errands and spend some time with Brady this morning...and we had ZERO kids with us! Holla! She is my friend that just had twin boys (along with her 18 month old, Sanders), so she is in the family of 5 category now. So it was definitely a nice "break" hanging out by ourselves this morn. We get to do it again when our friend Cathie comes to town next weekend. Thats a double Whoop Whoop!

Anyways, not much to blog about tonight. He came home and took a nap, we went to Target and came home and played for a bit and then ate dinner. I forgot to take pictures for daddy until bedtime (sorry, babe), but I was able to capture him brushing his teeth...something that he prefers to do in the ball pit...

Gotta get the back molars ( which we don't have yet...)

Brushing your teeth is REALLY funny...

Especially when you do it while holding one leg!

We did get to watch "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown" for a minute after dinner. That was fun for me because we would watch it every year when I was growing up. I think I was more in to it than he was. He is not much of a sit still and watch TV type. He's not much of a sit still and do anything type.

I talked to Lee for a minute this morning. To hear him describe the food he has to eat last night was both disgusting and hysterical, and we were both glad I wasn't there because I would have puked for sure. They, of course, had to sit at a low table (funny visual due to Lee's height) without shoes and had little Japanese ladies serving them from their knees! They would literally move around the table and serve each person by walking on their knees. I do think it would be so neat to be around such different culture. I won't go into details of what all the EIGHT courses were, but I will say that for an appetizer, they each had a bowl of seaweed mixed with vinegar...and it had little fish eyes floating around in it. YUM!

5 more days to go!!!

Off to wash clothes and watch some of my DVR recordings on a Friday night. I am so cool...

Day 3, And a Little Bump In The Road...

We had big plans of waking up this morning and going to Foxie's Harvest Party at school, coming home to nap for a while, and then having dinner at the Halls' house and playing with Sanders and the twins. However, when I heard the worst cough ever coming from his monitor this morning at 7 a.m., I had a gut feeling our plans were about to change.

When I got him up he was pretty warm so I took his temp and he had a little fever. His cough was in his chest and had a rattling sound, so that wasn't good either. He hasn't been eating much of anything either, so I called Dr. Rux and he wanted me to bring him in. His demeanor hasn't been too bad, just a little extra clingy. And he also really wanted his paci, which is something that we have done without for a few weeks. Oh well, baby gets what baby wants when he's sick. He did get down long enough to play in his ball pit with his plastic golf clubs. I think even if he had pneumonia, he would still want to get in that ball pit.

Anyways, we got dressed and I ran the cookie treats by his school while he stayed in the car in carpool line. His teacher had the most precious decorated mini-pumpkin for him with some treats, so when I brought that back to the car it made him smile a little :). Off to the doc we go...

As my friend Cathie so very well put it today when I told her Knox and I were headed to the doctor, "Boonani! No solo parenting gig is ever complete without a trip to the doctor!" I couldn't help but laugh at that...so true.I figured it was just a cold since he wasn't pulling at his ears or anything. He has never had an ear infection before, so I wasn't sure what signs to look for. When Dr. Rux looked in his right ear, he said it looked like it was on fire :(. Knox was NOT happy about the doc looking in there, either. I know I've said it 100 times, but I love Dr. Rux. He always just sits in the room and chats with you for long periods of time, and this man loves him some babies. He loves on Knox so much every time we see him. You never feel rushed when you go.

He sent us on our way with a few prescriptions, so off to Publix we went. We did a little shopping while we waited for them to be filled. Even though he looked so puny, he was a trooper while I picked a few things up. Yogurt was on the list, one of his all-time faves...

And he mainly did this the whole time. I think he liked the cool feeling of the container on his warm skin...

Let me tell you something. I am not sure anyone would understand it unless they had a child with red hair, but the amount of people that want to stop and talk about it and touch it is INSANE! Within 15 minutes, four people stopped me to tell me how much they loved it. One lady said she would like to take a sample to her hairdresser. Another lady said her son had hair Knox's color when he was a toddler but it gradually got darker along the way, and she hated that he now has brown hair. Ha! One sweet lady actually followed me down an isle to catch up with me and pet him. Yes, pet him. It was so bizarre. I wanted to sanitize her hands, but I figured Oh well, he was already sick. The boy at check out said he had hair Knox's color when he was young, and his siblings were all blond and brunette and he felt sorry for them because they never got any attention like he did. He said now that his hair was brown nobody pays attention to him anymore-and he was oddly, oddly sad about it. Sounded like a deep personal issue to me. Anyways, all this to say that it is truly never ending with the attention and the "Where did he get it from" and the "Boy or girl?" questions. So strange. I want to make a sign to put on my chest that answers all of these questions so I can stop repeating myself. Lee always tells me I need to write a book about it one day.

We came home and got the medicine in his system, ate little something for lunch, and then he went down for a nap and slept for 3.5 hours! I took about an hour snooze as well. I must have been really tired because all I know is that I was folding towels and the next thing I remember I was waking up with towels all around me. We had breakfast for dinner, played a little bit, and then he went back down at 7.

Talked to Lee for a minute while eating dinner. He had just woken up and got my email about Knox. He sounded so sad that he wasn't here :(. He had a busy day ahead of him so we didn't talk too long. Hopefully I will catch him before I go to bed.

Hopefully little man will feel better tomorrow. I will say that I have really had a good few days with him and have not felt too tired or overwhelmed or anything. I feel like the Lord is really sustaining me in that area, and I'm praying that this continues since every day tasks are getting a little more challenging as I grow. We miss daddy, dearly, and can't wait for his return! 6 more days to go until we are reunited with this man!!!!

Day 2...check.

Please bear with me. I told Lee that I would post a little something about what we did each day and some pics to go along with. I will be honest in saying that I am tired and would rather be laid out on the couch or in bed, but I am trying to stick with it. I don't think I could ever make a commitment to blog every day for a long period of time. I have some friends that are doing it now and I definitely don't have the discipline to do it...nor do I have an exciting enough life to share daily posts! But...these next few days are for the hubs :)

Today was "Wa-Wa Wednesday". We Went over to Mobile and played with her for a while, and I love the days that we go. So does Knox :). Her house is like a walk in Dollar Tree with every single cheap toy imaginable. She literally goes to that place weekly to pick up something fun for the kids and has done so since Abbie was a baby...EIGHT years ago. You can imagine the chaos. It's sort of like a mini Disney World for the kids. Anyways, Knox loves to push things, so he got this stroller out. Wa-Wa put a small baby doll in it and kept calling it Greer, and Knox would DIE laughing every time she said it (she's in the stroller in this pic, but you can't see her). He did pretty well pushing her around the house, minus the time he picked her up by her head and threw her across the kitchen floor. That was no good!

I had to post this next picture of Wa-Wa because, well, she just aint right. This 87 year old blew up these 2 huge balloons and tied rubber bands on them to make them bounce back and forth. She was doing both of them at the same time and Knox was laughing so hard that he laid on the floor and started rolling. These pics are boonani since they were taken from my phone. I wish you could have seen her facial expressions. And please notice the snack table to the back right. That puppy has been up and running since I was in middle school, and needless to say it contributed MUCH to some extra weight along the way. It is by far one of Lee's favorite things about her house. The ongoing family joke is that you will always find him grazing the snack table (sorry, babe:)). I love me some Wa-Wa...

After that we came home and napped a little bit. Knox is starting to get a cough, so I am praying that it doesn't develop in to anything bad. I pulled out the humidifier today so hopefully that will clear things up. My dad gets Knox every Wednesday from about 3:30 until dinner, which is when we all eat together with my sister's family as well. We actually went to wings tonight since kids eat free, and if you have 100 kids like my sister does, then that pays off! Knox thought he would try a corn dog for dinner, and by try I mean he just shook the stick the entire time. Every time he did it the girls laughed, so he would do it again and again and again and again. I don't think 2 bites were taken.

And lastly we came home and got ready for bed. Knox is having a Harvest Party at his school tomorrow, so we made a few little treats for the other kids...cookies with ghosts and "BOO" on them. I even let Foxie put glitter pumpkin stickers on the boxes. This is a big deal for me since I am a little anal about certain things, and I don't necessarily love the pumpkins, but I went with it. He thought he was big stuff. Of course, I gave him a little guidance :).

Thats about it for our day. Nothing too crazy or creative, but it was a full day to say the least. Lee made it safe and sound to Japan. He got there at 2 a.m. our time and did not leave the airport until about 7 a.m. our time due to crazy customs and security. The good news is that when he got to his room, it was 10:30 p.m. and he was able to go straight to bed. I just talked to him a couple of hours ago and he had just woken up and was about to start his day. So weird! We love him and miss him dearly! 7 days left!

Day 1 Down...

8 more to go! I have gotten lots of sweet phone calls and emails today asking how we were doing. I was very very sad this morning when Lee left, and am still sad, but I am taking it one day at a time! My mother in law had a good point...she said that I should try to see it as time that I will have with just Knox before Greer gets here, so we are going to try to live it up and do some creative stuff for the next 8 days. I am WIDE open for some ideas for a 15 month old and a slow, pregnant woman :). Tried to do a little Christmas shopping tonight at the outlets and go on a dinner date with my guy, but I should have known better. 10 minutes in to the meal I was asking for a to-go box. Is it just my child or do most toddlers this age not like sitting in high chairs? Lee and I usually just take turns entertaining him when we are out to eat, so doing it solo was a risky choice...but one I wanted to take. Learned my lesson very quickly. :)

Anyways, I am about to straighten up around here and turn in early with a good book. Has anyone ever read "Every Woman's Marriage?" Yikes. It will make you evaluate your personal role as a wife with a quickness. And by quickness I mean like ripping a band-aid off quick, cause it stings to see all the selfishness that I can bring to our marriage. It is a really good book, and I am studying it with an amazing lady at my church. It has been very encouraging to have someone in my life that has already been through all the seasons of life that I am going through. I feel like I can learn so much from her and hopefully grow more in wisdom and virtue as Lee's wife. Hopefully.

Continue to keep Foxie and I in your prayers. Theres nothing to worry about over here, though. Lee tagged the little guy in as "Man of the House" for the next few days, so I feel pretty safe and secure with him in charge!

Greer the Penguin!

After church today we went on a little stroll with our new stroller that my Dad got for Greer. It's a little early, but we went ahead and put it together and started using it. Foxie said he was a little lonely on the last few strolls and asked us if he could bring his faithful friend penguin along with us so he could have some company. Very curious to see what he will do when Greer is riding in her car seat facing backwards in this thing. I'm sure he will talk her ear off!

We are 26.5 weeks along. I went to the doctor this past Thursday and I passed the glucose test AND the third platelet test came back normal, so I can definitely have an epidural. That's huge news for me right there. Greer is actually measuring a little bit ahead so I'm not sure if we will make it to January 28th or not. Everyday things like playing with Knox, picking him up, bathing him, etc. are getting to be a little challenging, but we are making it :). I am most certainly to the point where when people see me with Knox they give me crazy looks that says "I can't believe you are pregnant." You know what, people? I still can't believe it either! :)

Lee is about to leave for Japan for 9 days, then he will return home for about a week, then to Korea for about 8 more days. Yikes! I am a little overwhelmed at the thought of solo parenting while being pregnant, but I know God will have his hand over us. Please keep us in your prayers, as well as all of Lee's travels. We sure are going to miss him!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Oh My Soul...

Words cannot describe how excited I was to see this package waiting for us when he pulled in from our Tuscaloosa weekend, and I became even more excited once I opened it. If you know my husband AT ALL, then you know this costume is perfect for Foxie! Can't wait to do some trick-or-treating with this little golfer...

Stay tuned for pics of Foxie's big Homecoming weekend in T-Town. Roll Tide!

Overwhelmed

Well, I have recently been told that I am no longer keep up with blogging about Knox...that I have been "favoring" Greer and all the preparations that are going on for her. I know my friends were joking, but man that hurt my heart! I honestly still don't have a clue how I will love another child as much as I do Foxie, so I am definitely not trying to leave my little man out.

We woke up this morning with great anticipation of some fall like weather (I don't know why...it was 85 + degrees this weekend), so I fed Knox breakfast and threw some play clothes on him so we could go out and explore.

Much to our sadness, we quickly realized that we might have jumped the gun on pulling up his hat. Oh well, at least he got to kick it gangsta style for a few minutes.

We then moved on to playing with our "bike" in the driveway (thanks to Cha Cha)...

BUT...when he realized he couldn't really pedal too well on his own, he was over it. SO...I tried to entertain him with some silly string left over from the Fall Festival this weekend.He didn't like it NEARLY as much as I did :). I know, I'm evil. He loves holding the can and pretending like he is spraying it (his little finger can't do it by itself), but he does not like to be sprayed with it!

After that I decided that we needed to get out and go somewhere since it was so pretty outside, so we packed the wagon up in the Pilot and went down to the Fairhope Pier. What a gorgeous day! I'm so glad we decided to get out. Let me just say that it is a LONG walk to the end of the pier, and I am so glad that the wagon made the trip. Preggers over here would have passed out carrying my "Umpa-Lumpa" chunky child the entire way down.

I think my man already has a passion for boats...

He asked me to take a pic of him in front of it and show it to his father, just in case he needed some Christmas ideas...

I took it, but I quickly told him that I would run it by Lee and it was probably either going to be the boat for Christmas OR keeping him fed and clothed for the next 18-20 years- that..plus his college tuition. As you can see, he had quite the sticker shock...

We got all the way down to the end and he was very happy that I freed him from the wagon. This baby (I know, toddler, but I want to keep calling him baby as long as I can, so I am going to do so...) LOVES water. Of any kinds. Thank goodness for the rails.

I love this next picture because I asked him to turn around and say "Cheese" for a picture for daddy, and when he did sort of smiled like he was an embarrassed teenager, just wanting to get it over with! It's also sort of a Lee face. So grownie...

On the way back, big girl over here got a little warm and so I made Foxie do some work and push the wagon a little...

We stopped at the half-way point in the shade for a minute and took a breather (Don't judge me. I'm telling you, it's a LOOOOONG pier.)

After that we hit the mini-beach that was beside the pier. I believe this was his favorite part. He loved loved getting his little feet wet...

And the mini-waves...

And just watching the light reflect off the beautiful water.

Here is my favorite one of the morning...

I wish I would have though to pack lunch so we could have eaten right there at the park, but I didn't plan that far ahead :(.

And lastly I have captured what happens most at our house...Foxie trying to get me to chase him.

I have been thinking about how overwhelmed I am this morning by God's love, creation, and His grace. I never in a MILLION years would have thought I had the "chance" to become a Christian and have an unconditional relationship with a God who adores me...and because of that relationship I get to spend eternity with Him. Not because of anything I have done...because I can guarantee that I have pretty much done it all wrong...but only because of His sacrifice, His grace, and His love for me that I nowhere near deserve. On top of that, I am married to probably the sweetest man on the face of the Earth who gives me a glimpse of Christ's unconditional love daily. Again, something I don't deserve, and definitely something that I am not use to. THEN...God chose us to be parents to the most precious little red headed boy that I have ever laid eyes on. Every day that I get to spend with him, I really can't believe we have been entrusted with him. I can't put in to words how thankful I am to be able to stay home with him now. For as long as I can remember, I have worked. Starting at the age of 15, I ALWAYS had a job. Through high school and college. I am not complaining about this. I definitely learned a ton of responsibility through it all, as well as the value of a penny, but there were definitely times when I would have rather hung out with my friends, gone to an event, studied a little more, NOT missed an intramural game, etc. I can remember envying my sorority sisters so much for being able to come home from class and just do whatever they wanted while I ran through the chapter room saying hello while stuffing a sandwich in my face so I could get to work on time :). Therefore, it is such a special thing for me to be here everyday with him and watch him grow and learn with each passing moment. I am not crazy enough to think that I will never have to go back to work. The Lord definitely allows us to go through seasons in out lives, and only He knows our future, so I am more than grateful for this time with Knox. AND NOW, the Lord has given me a healthy pregnancy thus far with a little girl. A daughter. While it scares the ever-living I-don't-know-what out of me, it humbles me to my core.

I know that these things I have talked about are really God's, not mine, and I pray that I always honor and remember that.

Thank you, Father, for a life that you have abundantly given me. I am so sorry for all the times that I have doubted you and felt like things should have gone "my way". You have given me more than I could have ever hope or imagined, and I pray that I would never take it for granted. May I always be satisfied in You alone.